As they hit the grass, he struggled and thrashed out, clouting her on the chin with his elbow. Stunned, she somehow managed to keep her weight on top of him, grab a handful of his hair and push his face down into the dirt. In one fluid movement, she brought a knee up onto his back and pressed down as she did. He grunted and squirmed, but she grabbed his thumbs, which enabled her to control him without much effort. He squealed in pain as she yanked up on his stubby digits, and Holly smiled with more glee than she usually did when apprehending a suspect.
Someone must have called it in because she heard sirens coming up the hill. By the time Fennis Cooper rolled up, she’d handcuffed Smith and had hauled him to his feet. Eager to get in on the action, disappointment flashed across Fennis’ face when he realized that she had the situation under control. Despite this obvious letdown, he stood beside her, tall and proud as if she were reciting the Pledge of Allegiance instead of Mirandizing Tim Smith.
At this point, Smith hadn’t uttered a word. He’d just stared over her shoulder at the trees in the distance. There was something odd and unsettling about him. “Do you understand your rights, Mr. Smith? You’re under arrest for attempted murder of a police officer.” She could hold him on that charge while she pumped him about the case. He just continued to stare off into the distance with a vacant look on his face. “Did you hear me, Mr. Smith?” she snapped, trying to keep her frustration under control but failing. The pain in her shoulder and leg thumped in unison as if orchestrated by some sadistic maestro.
That was when Smith wiggled his ears at her.
Now she’d seen it all. This guy was definitely a sandwich short of a picnic. “Are you wiggling your ears at me in confirmation, Mr. Smith?”
He told her with all seriousness, “I can wiggle my ears and touch my nose with my tongue,” which he demonstrated by lolling out the moist, white-coated flesh and curling it upwards to touch the tip of his nose.
She heard Fennis Cooper smother a guffaw that threatened to keep on erupting as she proceeded to discuss Smith’s special talents with him. “That’s masterful, Mr. Smith, but right now I need to know if you understand your rights, not what your unique skills are.”
“That is affirmative, officer,” he replied, sounding like a Dalek from Doctor Who. She shook her head, unable to tell if he was messing with her or was just plain nuts. Was he going for an insanity plea? He’d get it. “Where were you Friday night through to Saturday morning?”
He gave her a quizzical look. “Here at the hospital with my aunt. I’m here every Friday night. Ask Nurse Deborah. When she’s on duty, she always lets me stay the night so long as I’m quiet. My aunt is very sick. She needs me. Sometimes she calls out in the night and is afraid if I’m not there.”
He can’t have an alibi, she thought. It has to be him. “Why did you try and run me over?”
“I know you’ve been snooping at my house and are going to stop me seeing my aunt. I can’t let that happen. She needs me.”
“What about the drugs we found in your room?”
His face contorted with fear. “You can’t take them. My aunt is going to need them when she comes home. She doesn’t have drug insurance. I just wanted to help her out.”
Holly felt a pang of sympathy for him. Did he really think his aunt was going home? “How does mowing me down help your aunt?”
“I didn’t mean nothing by it. I swear. I just panicked.”
“What about Nancy Taggart? Did you panic that time, too, when you ran her over?”
His eyes opened wide, showing bloodshot whites. “I didn’t do nothing to Nancy. She was good to me. Let me clean her windows. Aunt Edith and Nancy were friends. Ask my aunt. She’ll tell you.”
Holly glowered at him but said nothing, letting the seconds stretch out to an uncomfortable silence. This was a tactic she employed in the hopes of a suspect blurting out something incriminating to relieve the pressure of the long silences. Tim didn’t say anything but started to fidget by crossing and uncrossing his fingers.
Satisfied she wouldn’t get much more from him, Holly let Fennis Cooper load him into his brand new Ford Interceptor. As Fennis was about to close the door, Tim Smith turned a pale face to Holly and said, “Please don’t stop me seeing my aunt.”
It saddened her to see his forlorn expression, but he’d tried to kill her. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted someone running fast. It was Raines.
He seemed freaked out and yelled, “You okay?”
She nodded.
“They told me you’d been run over.”
“Who did?”
“The patients had box seats from their hospital beds,” he said and pointed to the windows.
“Tim Smith almost got me, but he wasn’t fast enough.”
“You’re covered in dry grass and weeds.”
When he brushed her shoulder, she jerked away.
“Sorry,” he said. “I didn’t realize you’d hurt your shoulder. We need to get you checked out.”
Although Holly’s shoulder was sore, she knew that wasn’t the reason she’d jumped. It was the jolt of electricity that shot through her at his touch, but she didn’t want to think about it. Cross-examination was something she’d rather reserve for Tim Smith.
“What happened to Jimmy? Is he going to make it?” she asked, turning toward the hospital. Her leg throbbed with every step, and it took all she had not to hobble in front of him.
“The kid’s hanging in there. He hasn’t come around yet. They’re working to stabilize him and will medevac him to Dartmouth-Hitchcock for more treatment. They think he’s going to need a craniotomy to relieve pressure on his brain.”
“Isn’t that when they remove part of the skull?”
“Yes.”
She frowned. “Poor kid.”
He nodded, sadly. “What do you make of Tim Smith?”
“He comes off nuttier than a jar of peanut butter, but he says he has an alibi.” She relayed what Smith had told her, and said as a wave of pain hit her, “Let’s go find Nurse Deborah.”
Chapter Sixty-One
It was only seven o’clock in the evening, but the October sky was midnight black. Jesse Keegan’s immense house loomed before Abbey, backlit by the rising moon. She’d come seeking his help in following Scotty Pepper, but he wasn’t expecting her. This turned out to be a big mistake because she had no idea where to find him. She couldn’t just knock on the door. Olivia would call her uncle.
Castigating herself for her poor planning, she tried to decide what to do. Perhaps he was in the barn.
She cut through the bushes as they had the first time she’d been there with him. The barn door was open, and a light flickered inside, casting shadows. Jesse walked around the side of the building, dragging a canvas sheet.
Relief rushed through her at the sight of him. “Jesse,” she called out and ran to the barn.
He spun around. “What are you doing here?”
Her smile vanished at his less than enthusiastic welcome. “I need your help.” She noticed a pile of trash in the middle of the barn. “What are you doing?”
“Cleaning out the place.” He followed her into the barn, tossed the canvas sheet on top of the trash, and slid the door shut. “If you wanted to ride over here sometime, you’ll have a place to park that horse of yours.”
“Granite’s not a car. You don’t park him.”
“That horse is bigger than a bus.”
They chuckled together as if they’d been friends for years.
“After what happened last night, I’m surprised your uncle didn’t ground you for life.”
“He doesn’t know I’m here.”
“You’re willing to risk a grounding to spend the night with me in the barn?”
She could tell by his smile that he was teasing. Nonetheless, her heart began to pound faster than Granite could gallop. Although standing next to him felt way more dangerous than it ever did riding her horse at full tilt. “Not exactly. I want to follow Scotty Pepper, and
you’re the only person I know who has transportation.”
“You sure know how to make a guy feel wanted, but your uncle is worried I’m going to hurt you.”
Shocked, she stood there slack-jawed for a second. “He had no right to make you feel that way. You don’t have it in you to hurt me or anyone for that matter.”
He averted his eyes. “There are things you don’t know about me.”
“I know you would never hurt me. You’re the only one who believes me.”
His eyes met hers. They were intense and unfathomable. As a thrill shot through her, she reminded herself that she was there for her father and his freedom. She was not there for Jesse Keegan. And most definitely not there for Jesse Keegan’s lips.
He stepped closer to her and reached out to caress her cheek. Her resolve melted faster than an ice cube in a hot tub.
Tilting her head back, she murmured, “I want it all to stop, Jesse. For it to never have happened.”
The candle cast shadows across his handsome face, but there was enough light to see the empathy he felt for her.
She placed her hands on his chest. “Kiss me, Jesse. Make me forget.”
She heard his sharp intake of breath, which made something coil tight within her. Then, when his lips brushed hers, everything fell away. The tragedy of her mother’s death. The anguish of her father locked up in his cell. The anger. The need for revenge. Scotty Pepper. All of it. All that was left was the feel of his arms around her, the feel of his hands across her back, the feel of his thick hair sliding through her fingers.
When his tongue darted into her mouth, exhilaration tinged with fear soared through her, like she’d jumped off a cliff and was plummeting toward an ocean far below. She was falling. Falling fast. Falling out of her life.
Shuddering, she clung to him.
His arms tightened around her. They stumbled back against the rough barn wall, and he pressed her against it as if he was falling, too.
This was her first kiss. A kiss to last a lifetime. A kiss to light her darkest nights.
She didn’t know how long they’d been locked in the embrace, but when he started to pull away, she moaned, “Please don’t stop.” She felt desperate and wild. She didn’t want the kiss to end. Ever. She didn’t want the memories to return.
He cradled her to him, pressed his lips close to her ear and whispered, “You’re crying.”
“I am?”
He nodded. “Are you okay?”
Embarrassed, she stepped away from him and nodded. But she wasn’t okay. She was so far from okay that it scared her. She could feel the sobs building, wanting out. What was wrong with her? It was as if his kiss had cracked the dam that had controlled her grief, but if she let go, let it all out, would there be anything left? Or would it consume her? She whispered, “It… It’s just that I’ve been on the edge, you know. Teetering. One tiny step away from crazy. I’m terrified if I lose it, I won’t ever find my way back.” Am I really spewing my innermost fears to a virtual stranger? He’ll think I’m a freak.
He pulled her to him. “I get it, Abbey. No matter what, I’ll find you.” His voice was hoarse, his breathing ragged.
“So you’re with me?”
“Always.”
She heard his conviction and believed him. Jubilation chased away her fears. For the first time, someone was on her side. Someone believed. She tested him. “Even if it means going back to Scotty Pepper’s house?”
He said nothing for a long moment, just stared down at her. She could see the indecision crease his brow, feel his hesitation as his arms dropped to his sides. Her newfound joy popped like a balloon. He wasn’t going to help her after all, but could she blame him?
Then he took her hand and laced his fingers through hers. “I’m with you, but Scotty Pepper had a gun, and you could get hurt.”
“I have to do it, Jesse.”
“I get it,” he said, studying her face with eyes that had seen too much.
She kissed his cheek and said, “So let’s go get your bike.” Still holding his hand, she walked over to the candle and blew it out.
The smell of sulfur wafted around them as they moved to the doors. Under the cover of the fir trees, they made their way across the lawn to the garage. Once safely inside, Abbey asked, “Do you have a weapon? We need to protect ourselves. I couldn’t bring my gun because Po was working on his bike right outside the stables.”
“A weapon? No way, Abbey. This is getting crazier by the second.”
“Remember the gun in his shed? We need protection. We can take him by surprise. There are two of us.”
Although Jesse frowned in doubt, he went to the back wall and selected a can of motor oil from the shelf holding paint cans.
“What are you going to do with that? Hit him over the head?”
Jesse grinned, popped off the lid to reveal the perfect hiding spot for his hunting knife—a can among many cans.
She eyed its short blade with skepticism. “What about a gun or something bigger than that?”
“This is a drop-point hunting knife. It can gut and skin a bear.”
“That’s terrific, but we’re not going after a bear, and we sure as hell don’t want to get that close to Scotty Pepper. Don’t you have a gun?”
“This is it. Olivia isn’t wild about guns or hunting.”
“What about a baseball bat?”
“Do I look like I’m in little league?”
She grinned. “How about a screwdriver? I’ll use that.”
Jesse opened his toolbox. “You know this has disaster written all over it, don’t you?”
“We’ll be fine. It’s a precaution. We’ll stay hidden, and I’ll use my phone to take photos of him.”
He studied her for a moment. “Promise me that if this turns bad, you run and get help. Don’t get anywhere near him.”
“Just give me the damn Phillips head, Jesse, and let’s get busy.”
His worried expression told her that she was beginning to unnerve him, but he took two more screwdrivers out of his toolbox and handed her one. He stuck the spare into his back pocket.
She pointed at his butt.
He shrugged. “Backup.”
“Cool. Hey, is that a box cutter?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll take it.”
He just shook his head in disbelief but passed it to her.
She extended the blade and nodded with satisfaction at its shiny surface. “Now, let’s do this.”
Chapter Sixty-Two
Jesse rolled his bike out of the garage and down to the road where it would be safe to start it without alerting Olivia to their latest adventure. Abbey had stowed the Stanley knife and the screwdriver in her coat pockets.
She hopped on the back, relishing the idea of being close to him again. Her legs slid down alongside his, and she leaned into his back and wrapped her arms around him. He placed a hand over hers and patted it before kick-starting the bike.
Half a mile from Scotty Pepper’s place, he steered off the road, down into a gully and up the other side. He twisted the motorcycle’s forks and snaked his way through the shrubby undergrowth. Ten feet into the woods, he turned off the ignition, and the motorcycle light went out. Darkness engulfed them. Sliding off, she could still feel the tingle from the rattle of the dirt bike. He propped it up against a pine tree, took off his helmet and placed it on the handlebars. She did the same.
“Come on,” she whispered, grabbing his hand before he could change his mind. “Let’s see what Pepper is up to.”
They ran together, still holding hands and soon reached the property. In the eerie quiet, they stood side-by-side surveying the house. Scotty’s truck wasn’t there, and the lights were all off.
“I wonder where he is?” she hissed in disappointment.
Jesse said, “It’s early. He could be out for dinner. If we’re not careful, he’s going to catch us again. His truck wasn’t here yesterday, either.” He paused to think. “It was weird last nigh
t how we didn’t hear him pull up in his truck. Where was it?”
“You’re right, that was weird. It wasn’t on the street, either. We’ll just have to be extra careful. Follow me,” Abbey whispered and started running down Scotty’s drive.
She ran to the woodpile that was at the far end of the drive and hid behind it. Jesse joined her and ducked down beside her, his arms touching hers. Faint moonlight filtered down through the leaves above.
“This is the best place to watch his movements,” she said. “From here, we can see the house, the trailer and the hut in the woods. I’ve ordered a motion-activated outdoor nanny cam. When it comes, I’m going to hide it here.”
“Abbey, you know this is nuts, right?”
She stiffened. “Did you hear that?”
“What was it?”
“I’m not sure.”
When she fumbled for his hand, he slipped his fingers through hers and murmured, “I didn’t hear anything.”
“I think someone was running.” She squeezed his hand and whispered, “There it is again.”
“I can’t hear a thing. It’s probably a raccoon.”
She leaned closer to him. “In horror movies everyone thinks it’s a cute furry critter making all the creepy, scratchy noises until a psycho zombie kills them. I bet Pepper hid his truck and is sneaking around.”
“Why would he do that?”
“He knows we’re on to him, so he’s probably sneaking around hoping to catch us here like he did last night. I’m not imagining these things. I sensed someone in the woods the night I was chased right before he grabbed me, and I feel it now. He’s here doing something. Or maybe he has someone in the hut. We should check it out.”
She rose from her knees to a low squat and poked her head up above the woodpile to scan the perimeter of the property. “I don’t see anything.” Then a shadow, black against the moonlit sky, caught her eye. “Hey! What’s that over at the far end of the house?”
“Where?”
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