Catching Sam: Book 2 of 5: The MacDonald Brothers

by Emily Matthews

  Without asking, Wayne grabbed her purse and dug around until he found her wallet. He helped himself to all of the cash, way more than what the pizza would cost, and tossed the wallet onto the counter. He shoved the money in his front pocket.

  “I’ll pay for the pizza. You stay here and keep your mouth shut.”

  So much for that grand plan. The pizza guy came and left without her even seeing him. But, while Wayne was dealing with him, Annie had the chance to get the spare car key out of the kitchen drawer and put it in her pocket. Now she just had to get out of the house.

  She ate a slice not only because she was starving, but because she needed fuel to keep her brain moving. If Wayne didn’t leave after eating, she’d have to start thinking seriously about an escape plan.

  Wayne scarfed down three pieces right away with the manners of a baboon. He opened the refrigerator and took out a beer.

  “Help yourself,” she muttered as he guzzled it.

  She turned at the sound of the floor creaking in the foyer but saw nothing. Must be the new floor settling.

  “You’ve eaten. Time to go.”

  “Gimme a second, will ya? I’m not done with my beer yet.”

  “Since you’ll be in California next week, will you go by Avery’s grave and lay some flowers for me? I’ll even give you money for the flowers.”

  “What? Avery?”

  “Our daughter? Do not tell me you forgot about our baby? The anniversary of her death is next week.”

  “Oh, yeah. No, of course, I remembered.”

  But it was plain as day he’d forgotten. Her fingers curled into fists. What a douchebag.

  “It’s next Wednesday. Can you take some flowers or not?” Tired from hardly any sleep, she was irritable and impatient.

  “God, Annie, give it a rest. It’s just like when she was alive, and all you did was think about her and pay attention to her.” The wicked sneer in his voice made her pause.

  “She was a baby. Who else was going to take care of her?”

  He ignored her question. “I thought if she were gone, you’d go back to normal, but you never did.”

  The air fled the room in a whoosh, and everything went still. “What do you mean, ‘if she were gone’?”

  “I meant after she was gone,” he stammered.

  “No. You said if. Did you do something to her, Wayne? Did you kill our baby?”

  He remained quiet and, in that instant, she knew. “You killed her, didn’t you?” she whispered, barely able to speak.

  “What? No.” But it was unconvincing.

  “You suffocated her. You killed her.” A slow rage began to burn.

  “It was an accident, Annie. I swear. She was crying so much and I needed a minute of quiet. I thought if I put a pillow over her face for just a second, it would get her to stop. You were sleeping, and I didn’t want her to wake you,” he added, attempting to make his actions seem altruistic.

  She exploded off the stool, which went flying backward, landing on the floor with a thud.

  “Bullshit. You just said you were jealous of her, that she cried too much, that you’d thought about what would happen if she were dead. You did it on purpose, didn’t you?” she asked. Then screamed, “Didn’t you?”

  “Jesus. Fine. Yes, I did. But she wouldn’t quit crying. I thought you’d be glad you didn’t have to deal with all that anymore.”

  Her knees threatened to buckle. Suddenly, her weight was too much. The room began to spin, and she grabbed the countertop for support. He thought she’d be glad?

  “Look, it happened. It’s over. Can’t you just forget about it?”

  “You fucking asshole. No, I won’t just forget about it. You are going back to jail.”

  “I can’t go back to jail, Annie. I won’t,” he said with menace. From nowhere, he pulled out a gun.

  The hair on the back of her neck stood erect. This was a side of Wayne she’d never seen before. He’d killed their baby and was now holding her at gunpoint.

  She had grossly underestimated him—how desperate he was and how dangerous he was. She no longer saw him as harmless. He appeared ready to do anything to not go back to prison. Did that include killing her? A red light pulsing in her head said yes!

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  “Where did you get a gun?” she asked, aghast. He’d just gotten out of prison for God’s sake. What the hell was he doing with a gun? In Washington State? Holding her against her will? Was no one watching him?

  “Friend lent it to me,” he said, as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  She was furious about his admission, but fear was also making its way into her system. Fear she wouldn’t be able to tell anyone what he’d done.

  She had to get out of here. Now. She stood.

  “Where do you think you’re going?”

  “I’m leaving. You killed our daughter, and I won’t let you get away with it. I’m going to find someone to help me call the police.”

  “Sit your ass down,” he commanded, pointing the gun at her head.

  “What are you going to do? You can’t keep me here forever. Sooner or later, I’ll speak to someone, and then you’ll be in trouble.”

  “Shut up!” he yelled. “I just need to think for a second.”

  If she could get him to put down the gun, maybe she could grab it. Fighting him for it seemed dangerous, but options were running thin.

  “Look, last chance, help me blackmail MacDonald, and then we’ll each take our cut and go our separate ways?”

  “I told you, Sam’s off-limits.”

  “Even with a gun to your head, literally, you’re gonna protect this guy? That’s just stupid, Annie. I could still go to the tabloids without you.”

  “No one is going to believe a man in prison, and that’s where you’ll be. Plus, I’ll never corroborate the story, so you’ll just look like an idiot desperate for attention and money.”

  “You’re the only one who knows about Avery. If you’re not around to tell anyone, I won’t go back to prison. Also, if you’re not around to refute my story about you and Sam, then no one will have any reason to doubt me on that either. Seems like you are my problem, Annie.” His lips curled into a sneer.

  “What are you going to do? Kill me and bury my body in the backyard? Eventually, they’d find me, and Sam and Beckie both know you’re back in town and looking for me. You’d be suspect number one right away.”

  “Yeah, but I could get to that thousand dollars and be in Mexico by then,” he said a little too calmly.

  His coolness unnerved her. He wasn’t just an asshole. He was a dangerous, murderous asshole. He’d killed their daughter and an innocent man and took no responsibility, nor showed any remorse for either life. Everything was always someone else’s fault. Could he be a psychopath? Or sociopath? Which was it that had no guilt or shame?

  “Why don’t you just leave now and do that? Killing me would only complicate things,” she reasoned. She needed to buy some time to think of a plan. A way to get out of this alive and still have Wayne held accountable for his actions.

  “You would have the police after me the second I left,” he stated matter-of-factly.

  “Of course I would. If you think I’m going to let you waltz out of here to live a life on the beach in Mexico, you’re dead wrong.”

  He pointed the gun at her once more.

  “You could really just stand there and shoot me?”

  “You’re not leaving me any choice, Annie. I can’t go back to prison. I just can’t.”

  “Of course, it’s my fault you’re going to shoot me. God, you’re pathetic.”

  “Where do you keep the shovels?” he asked as if the question held no more menace than asking her to pass the butter at dinner.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” she screamed. “Next, you’ll be asking me to dig my own grave so you won’t have to put in the effort. I don’t own a shovel, Wayne. You’ll have to go buy one. Then again, I don’t have a tarp or hacksaw, or w
hatever else you might need to dispose of my body, so you better make a list,” she added sarcastically.

  She was more angry than scared at this point, but alongside the rage, she also had a calm feeling in the back of her mind. If he did shoot her, she would get to see her baby again. Clinging to that thought, she wrapped her hand around her wrist and held tight.

  The fact that she’d misjudged Wayne so horribly was going to cost her, but she refused to grovel or beg him to spare her life. She’d meet her maker as the proud, confident woman she’d worked so hard to become.

  “I’ve gone along with you this whole time to spare Sam from getting involved in all this drama. He’s innocent and doesn’t deserve to be hurt by your issues, but I’m done. I can’t let you get away with killing our baby. If you’re going to shoot me, do it. Otherwise, I’m walking out of here,” she said.

  Instead of a gunshot, she heard a male voice yell, “Hey, jackass. Put your gun down. This fuckery stops now.”

  “Sam?” Annie gasped as Sam strode into the room, fists clenched and glaring at Wayne. His brother, Jake was right beside him and holding a gun.

  Sam walked to Annie’s side and turned to Wayne. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Your choice.”

  Wayne’s eyes went wide, and he turned the gun on Jake.

  “Big mistake, man. Put the gun down. Now,” said Jake.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Wayne stuttered. Sweat beaded on his forehead.

  “Trooper Jake MacDonald. Washington State Patrol. You are under arrest. Now, put the gun down,” he ordered once more.

  Wayne stood quiet for a moment while Jake watched him intently, gun drawn and pointed at Wayne. Annie knew exactly what Wayne was thinking. Could he get away with killing all three of them?

  “Don’t do it, Wayne,” she said calmly. “It’s over. Just drop the gun and give up.”

  “If I shoot the cop, you two will be easy,” he said, glancing over at Annie and Sam.

  “If you shoot us, you can’t get any money, and isn’t that what you really want?” said Sam slowly inching his way over to put himself between her and Wayne. Annie appreciated the gesture, but wouldn’t cower behind anyone. She stepped to his side again.

  “Damn it, Annie. Stay behind me,” he muttered to her.

  “Sorry, this is my problem, and I won’t let you two get hurt over it.”

  “Well, you’re not going to sacrifice yourself to this idiot either.” He turned back to Wayne. “Look, we can make a deal. Put down the gun, and we can talk. Nobody has to get hurt.”

  “Talk about what? Unless I kill the three of you, there is no scenario where I don’t end up back in jail.”

  “The police are already on their way,” said Jake. “You’re going back to jail. It’s just a matter of how long. Killing us would only mean you’d never get out again.”

  Wayne lowered his weapon but didn’t put it down. He ran a hand through his hair and grumbled to himself while taking short steps back and forth.

  “No! I can’t. I won’t. I told you…I’m not going back to prison. This is all your fault, you stupid bitch.” With that, he pointed the gun at Annie again. She closed her eyes and at the blast of the gun, felt herself fall.

  She expected to feel pain, maybe see a bright light, or hover over the scene for a bit before her soul went to wherever it was going to go. She waited, eager to see her baby girl again.

  It took her a second to realize she was still alive. It was just hard to breathe, and she was pinned under something heavy. The thump of Wayne’s body hitting the ground roused her, and she opened her eyes. Sam was laying on top of her craning his neck to see what had happened.

  “It’s okay,” said Jake. “It’s over.”

  Sam sat and grabbed Annie’s head between his hands. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

  She gasped for air and finally caught her breath. “I’m fine,” she wheezed. “Just got the wind knocked out of me.”

  Sam helped her up carefully and pulled her into a hug while simultaneously turning her away from where Wayne had been standing.

  “You don’t want to see that, honey,” he said.

  “Sam. What are you doing here? What happened?” She was pretty sure she was going into shock but tried to ward it off.

  “Wayne’s dead,” he stated matter-of-factly.

  “What?” She tried to get out of his embrace to look, but he held her tight.

  “Trust me, Annie.”

  His strong arms felt so good around her. She sucked up his strength and warmth. Still in his arms, she peeked around his shoulder to see Jake on the phone.

  “Hey, it’s 379. I’m off duty but I just had to discharge my weapon. There’s one down. I need you to call my sergeant and Bellevue PD. Also, the coroner,” he said solemnly, giving them her address and then hanging up.

  It took Annie a second, but she finally got there. “Oh, my God. Jake shot Wayne. How did you know I needed help? I thought you were in New York. And I thought the police were already on their way.”

  “That was a bit of a bluff,” said Jake.

  “I’ll tell you everything,” said Sam. “But for now, why don’t we go sit on the couch? It’s gonna get crazy in here soon.”

  CHAPTER THRITY

  He wasn’t exaggerating. Within minutes there was a horde of police officers, troopers, and paramedics amassed in her kitchen. The paramedics left fairly quickly, as there was no saving the victim. A man in a black jacket labeled “Coroner” showed up with a gurney but had to wait until the police wrapped up before he could do his job.

  One uniformed trooper and two men in suits approached her. The two men had badges hooked to their belts. One sat next to her on the couch.

  “I’m Detective Martin from Bellevue PD,” said the man sitting next to her. “My partner and I need to ask you some questions. Trooper MacDonald’s sergeant is going to listen in, but we are handling this investigation. We’d like to avoid having you come to the station. Do you have another room we could talk in?” he asked.

  “Yes, but we’ll need some chairs.” She led them to the front room. It would eventually be her home office, but for now, housed only a desk and a single chair. The officers and Sam each grabbed a dining room chair and followed her. They set up the chairs so that the officers were facing her. Jake’s sergeant sat off to the side. Sam was told to wait outside the room.

  She thought she might be in shock, but took a deep breath, powered through, and told them everything. They recorded the interview and took a lot of notes.

  “We’re going to bring Mr. MacDonald in now to get his side of the story. Since we have your statement, we’ll allow you to stay as long as you don’t say anything. We’ll also be recording his interview.” She nodded and was moved to sit next to the state patrol sergeant on the side. They called Sam in and proceeded to question him.

  He started with the story of Wayne approaching him at the office building and trying to blackmail him. It was just as she’d suspected. He’d tried to extort money from Sam.

  Then he told them about the argument he and Annie had had, leaving out nothing. He confirmed they had been dating, but his voice was devoid of emotion while he gave his statement—just the facts.

  Finally, he got to the stuff she hadn’t heard yet.

  “I realized right away what an idiot I’d been. I didn’t mean any of the stuff I said, but Annie wouldn’t return my calls, and I had to leave for New York. I figured I’d make amends when I got back,” he said, turning to her hopefully. Soft tears began to flow down her face, but she remained silent.

  The detective stopped short of rolling his eyes but made a circling motion with his hands to say, That’s great, but get on with it.

  “I received a call from Annie’s intern, Beckie, earlier this evening. It was about six o’clock New York time, so around three o’clock here. I can find out the exact time if needed,” he said as he pulled out his cell phone. Once they figured out the exact time Beckie had called, he continued.


  “Beckie was in a panic because Annie hadn’t shown up for a coffee date earlier today and wasn’t answering her phone or responding to texts. She knew Wayne was back in town and admitted that she’d told him what type of car Annie drove. She was worried that he had found her and that something was wrong. I immediately got a bad feeling myself and asked Jake to come back with me. We left within the hour to fly back.”

  “You got a flight that quick?”

  “We flew on my company jet. The biggest hassle was getting to the airport in New York. We landed in Bellevue, not too far from here.” It could have come off as condescending, but it didn’t. Annie’s heart melted a little. He’d cut his weekend short to come check on her. Wowsa.

  “Okay. Once you landed, what happened?”

  “My car was parked at the airport. We stopped by Jake’s to pick up a weapon, just in case, and then headed here. We were parked on the street in front of the next-door neighbor’s house when we saw a pizza delivery car pull into Annie’s driveway. We jumped out to talk to him before he delivered the pizza and gave him fifty bucks just to tell us who answered the door and what they said.”

  “And he said okay to that?”

  “Yes. He was more than happy to provide the information. He told us it was a man that answered the door and gave us a brief description. I paid him, and he left.”

  Annie desperately wanted to burst in with questions but didn’t want to risk getting thrown out, so she kept quiet.

  “Once we knew she wasn’t alone and that it was most likely Wayne in her home, we decided to get a closer look.” At that, he looked away and paused. “We broke into the house,” he clarified bluntly.

  “Broke in?” The detective’s eyebrows shot up.

  “Well, the door was unlocked, so maybe technically it wasn’t breaking in. We just very quietly, and without anyone knowing, entered the home.”

  The officer made some notes, then motioned for him to continue.

  From there, Sam told the same story she had.

  “We heard Wayne admit to killing their baby, state that he had no choice but to kill Annie now that he’d told her, and then ask about a shovel,” he said, his voice laced with anger. “I could recant the entire conversation, but it would probably be easier just to transcribe the tape I made.”