Visions of Death

by B. T. Lord

  “I would have thought it’d be easier for you as a doctor to get them to open up.”

  “You’d think that, wouldn’t you? It’s not so bad with the younger generation. If they’re in pain, they have no problem disclosing it. But the older set? It’s as if they’re admitting they’re not manly enough or strong enough to withstand any discomfort. Elias Goodbody is a perfect example. That man was riddled with cancer before he finally came to see me. If he’d only come to me six months earlier, I might have been able to do something for him. How he withstood that pain, I’ll never know.” He looked across his glass at Ellis. “It must be even more difficult for you. These people are accustomed to taking care of their own business. From what I understand, they were their own law enforcement for centuries. If it weren’t for the tourist dollars pouring into the Coffins, Cade and his selectmen would still be the law in these parts.”

  Ellis took a sip of the scotch. “I don’t think you asked me out here to bitch about the islanders.”

  Rhys smiled. “No, I didn’t.” He took a breath and let it out slowly. “Forgive me if I’m being presumptuous, but I have a feeling the deaths of Mallory, DeeDee and Richard haven’t set well with you. Too many unanswered questions that still bother you.” Ellis nodded. “I’m the same way. I don’t like loose ends and this case is riddled with them.”

  “There’s not much I can do about that. Richard confessed through his suicide note. As far as the locals are concerned, the case is closed.”

  “They want you to think that so you don’t keep poking around. They’re afraid of what you’ll stumble onto. Or better said, what you’ll unleash if you were to continue your investigation.” Jacob’s words came drifting back to Ellis. Before he could ask Rhys to explain himself, the doctor continued. “I wasn’t satisfied on how it all ended. It was too nicely wrapped up, complete with a big red bow. I therefore called in a favor at the Forensics lab. I received the results this afternoon.”

  He leaned over the table next to him and withdrew an envelope from a pile of books he had stacked there. He stood up and handed the envelope to Ellis. “I had blood samples from several of Mallory and DeeDee’s friends. I sent them off to the lab, along with the DNA of Mallory’s unborn baby to at least answer the question of who the father was.”

  “You don’t believe it was Richard?”

  Rhys stood by the fireplace. “If I’m going to accept the box with the red ribbon, I want to at least make sure the ribbon is tied neatly.”

  Ellis held up the envelope. “The results of the DNA test?” Rhys nodded. Ellis put the glass down on the table and slid it open. He withdrew the piece of paper and read the results. He looked up at Rhys in astonishment and was further surprised to see the look on the doctor’s face. “You’re not surprised?”

  “Not at the fact that Richard’s name isn’t on that piece of paper. Somehow, I never believed he was the father. However, I am surprised at who is.”

  Ellis shook his head to himself. “He seemed so devastated over DeeDee’s death.” The flames from the fire danced across his face as he stared down at the burning logs. “Who would have thought Tim Rice to be the father of Mallory’s baby?”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Ellis knew it would be wiser to wait until morning when the storm had blown itself out before driving over to the Rice household to speak with Tim. But Rhys was right. This case hadn’t set well with him. It had continued to eat away at him, its questions demanding to be answered. Now he had an opportunity to put at least some of this to rest. He wasn’t about to wait any longer.

  It took him almost forty-five minutes to reach the two- story house where Tim and his family lived. It was close to ten pm, but when he finally arrived, he saw the lights were still on. He bundled himself up as best he could against the driving sleet and carefully made his way up the slippery walkway. There, he rang the doorbell. A few moments later, the door opened, and Tim stood there.

  “We need to talk,” Ellis said as he walked past the young man into the living room.

  “My folks are already in bed,” Tim said as he followed him in.

  “It’s you I need to talk to.”

  “It must be important for you to come all the way out here on such a bad night.”

  “It is.”

  “Can I take your coat?”

  “This won’t take long.” Tim stood before him, his face awash in bewilderment as he took in the sodden and slightly bedraggled form of the deputy.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were the father of Mallory’s baby?” Ellis asked. “Did you even know?”

  Tim’s eyes widened in shock. And fear.

  He did know. Or at least he suspected.

  And had said nothing.

  “I –” he began tentatively.

  “Don’t lie to me, Tim. We have proof.”

  If he’d been planning to bluff his way out of it, Ellis’s blunt words persuaded him otherwise. He sat down on the edge of the couch and turned off the TV.

  “I didn’t kill anyone,” he said.

  “I never said you did. But I’d like to know what happened between you and Mallory.”

  Tim nervously raked his hand through his hair. “It was at our New Year’s Eve bonfire. Dee and I had a fight earlier that day and she decided not to go. I was angry. This was definitely not the way I wanted to start the new year, so I went anyway. And ended up having too much to drink. Actually both Mal and I had too much to drink. One thing led to another and we did it in the back of my truck.”

  “Did DeeDee suspect you were the father?”

  “God no! I couldn’t even look at another girl without her going ballistic.”

  “When did you find out?”

  “It was on the night Mal died. She dragged me behind one of the sand dunes and told me. I couldn’t believe it. I made her swear she wouldn’t tell anyone. You have to understand, it was a mistake. I never meant for that to happen. What I did with Mallory was stupid.”

  “Did Richard know?”

  Tim shrugged. “I don’t know if he knew about the pregnancy. All I know is that Mal started to cry and threw herself in my arms. Richard showed up and saw us. He’d always been sweet on Mal and completely misread the whole scene. If it wasn’t for her getting between the two of us, I’m sure he would have gone for me.”

  “What did you and DeeDee fight about the day you and Mallory ended up together?”

  “It’s stupid stuff. Who cares anyway? They’re all gone now.”

  “I need you to tell me.”

  His tone warned Tim that he wouldn’t leave until his question was answered. The young man heaved a heavy, defeated sigh.

  “DeeDee was upset because Mal had shredded yet another person.”

  “Who did she shred?”

  “Cordelia down at the Grocery Mart because she was slow in getting Mal her change. Dee was always getting angry over Mal’s behavior. I swear, it was like a Jekyll and Hyde thing with her. One minute she’d be really nice and the next she’d be a monster. I was getting tired of hearing Dee bitch about Mal and finally confronted her about it. I told her to drop Mal. She didn’t need her, and it wasn’t like the rest of the gang wouldn’t understand. We had a huge fight about it, but in the end, DeeDee just couldn’t bring herself to do it.”

  “Do you think it was because she was afraid of Mallory?”

  “I don’t see why—” he paused as he thought about it. “You mean was she afraid Mal would tell people whatever Dee had told her in confidence? That kind of thing?”

  “It’s possible.”

  “I suppose. They were close, so I guess I can see that. Anyway, Dee refused to speak to me for the rest of the day. I finally told her to go screw herself. I was going to the bonfire with or without her. So I did. God, now I wish I’d never gone. Weird how you do just one thing and it boomerangs in directions you never thought possible. If I hadn’t gone and gotten drunk, maybe Mal, Dee and Richard would still be alive.”

  His eyes watered at the
dreadful thought.

  “How was Mallory’s demeanor when she told you she was pregnant?”

  “Like I told you, she was crying. But after breaking up the fight with Richard, she calmed down. It was really weird. Like it turned her on to see Richard so upset that she was in my arms.”

  “Do you think she decided to have an abortion, or put the baby up for adoption?”

  “She didn’t say. After I left her and Richard alone, I didn’t speak to her for the rest of the night.”

  It was time to change tactics. “A teacher wrote you up for harassing an ex-girlfriend back in high school. Talk to me about that.”

  He jerked his head up and stared at Ellis. “It was nothing,” he spat out.

  “Harassment is a serious charge.”

  “I wasn’t harassing Patsy. I was just – I just wanted to know why she broke up with me.” Feeling Ellis’s eyes on him, he looked away. “Okay, so maybe I came on a bit too strong.”

  “You pushed her against a wall.”

  “That was stupid. I completely lost it that day because she just wouldn’t talk to me. I know that’s not an excuse, but that’s what happened. I’ve apologized a thousand times to Patsy. She’s forgiven me even if I can’t quite forgive myself.”

  Ellis nodded, then asked, “Do you have any idea why Richard would take responsibility for fathering Mallory’s baby?”

  He shook his head. “I’ve been trying to figure that out ever since he, um, died. I know he wanted Mal and in her sick, manipulative way, maybe she wanted him too. But as to why he’d write that note, I have absolutely no idea.”

  “Do you think he was responsible for the deaths of DeeDee and Mallory?”

  “Isn’t that the official conclusion?”

  “I’m asking you.”

  “Yeah, I thought he could have. If I had the money, I’d go ask Dara and see what her cards say.”

  Ellis was about to open the door to let himself out when he abruptly stopped. “Dara?” he asked calmly. After speaking to her about the readings, he was curious to see what Tim had to say about it.

  “Yeah. You do know she’s psychic, right?”

  “I’d heard. Do you think Mallory went to see Dara?”

  “I don’t know. All throughout school, she was pretty mean to her. But if she was desperate enough…”

  “Wouldn’t she have told you?”

  He snorted. “Nobody ever admits they’ve gone to see Dara. It’s like a dirty little secret. I guess it’s always been that way with her family. It’s probably because they’ve had some pretty weird shit said about them. The most outrageous one concerns some creature that does their bidding. He’s supposed to be a dark shadowy thing with creepy eyes that can suck the soul right out of you. He’s been blamed for some of the disappearances that have occurred over the years. If I was a writer, I could probably make a million bucks on all the crap that’s been circulating about Dara’s family.” He paused. “You know, you take away all that superstitious nonsense and Dara is really a nice, sweet, funny person.”

  “Have you been seeing Dara?”

  He shrugged self-consciously. “Yeah, sort of. She’s been helping me sort out what happened with Dee and the others.”

  Before he could stop himself, Ellis said, “She’s been through a lot. Be sure to treat her well.”

  Tim hurriedly nodded. “Oh I will. She’s…she’s special.”

  Ellis thanked the young man and walked out into the storm. His mind filled with both Jacob and Tim’s words regarding the creature that looked after the Clemons women.

  Was that what the shadow man was all about? Was he protecting Dara in some way? Was he responsible for the deaths?

  Ellis knew the absurdity of what he was thinking. It was ridiculous. Unprovable. Yet even as he thought this, he turned his SUV back towards town and Dara’s apartment.

  He had to find out the truth. And the truth lay with Dara.

  It was hard to see through the windshield as the wipers tried to keep up with the sleet obscuring the glass. Leaning forward, Ellis strained to see the road through the refraction of the ice. He was crawling along and still felt he was driving too fast.

  Suddenly, in the glare of the headlights, he caught a quick glimpse of someone standing in the middle of the road. Without thinking, he swerved. As the SUV hydroplaned across the road, he realized too late what he’d seen.

  It was the shadow man.

  He turned the steering wheel back and forth in a desperate attempt to regain control, but the SUV had lost traction. He could only watch in helpless horror as the vehicle bounced off the road and towards a tree. Ellis tried to duck as the front end collided into the massive oak, but it was too late. He smashed his forehead against the steering wheel, and everything went black.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  The incessant clinking of sleet hitting the window finally roused Ellis. He groaned as sharp pain and nausea hit him, almost causing him to vomit. Lifting his fingers to his forehead, he felt something wet. He held them up to the feeble light from the dashboard and saw blood.

  He caught his breath when he noticed the cracked windshield. It was then he remembered his SUV going into the tree.

  “Shit,” he mumbled under his breath. He forced himself to turn his bleary vision towards the clock and groaned when he saw he’d been unconscious for almost two hours.

  He tried to recall why he was out in such a bad storm and it all came flooding back. The truth about Mallory’s baby. The rumors regarding Dara’s family.

  The shadow man causing him to swerve off the road.

  Suddenly, despite the intense pain in his head, it all became clear to Ellis. The reason for the murders. The strangeness surrounding Richard’s death.

  The possibility that the storm would bring about another death.

  This is insane. I can’t be considering such a crazy idea.

  But it was the only scenario that made sense.

  He had to get to Dara.

  Praying that he hadn’t irreparably damaged his vehicle, he held his breath as he put it into four-wheel drive and slowly eased himself away from the tree. He audibly breathed a sigh of relief when he realized the SUV was still drivable.

  With his head throbbing and blood dripping down his face, he pulled off his scarf and tied it around his head to stem the bleeding.

  The winds had picked up again and it was all he could do keep the car on the road. If he were smart, he’d turn around and head back to Rhys’s home where the doctor could stitch up his forehead. However, he didn’t have time. He needed to get to Dara. A feeling came over him that if he didn’t see her tonight, it would be too late.

  Battling against the weather and the wooziness brought on by the head injury, he somehow managed to reach Harbor Street. Looking up, he saw the lights were on in Dara’s apartment. He parked the SUV and as soon as he stepped out, he felt his face assaulted by what felt like a thousand needles as the sleet pummeled him.

  He made his way to the back and was about to ring the doorbell when he saw a word written in the condensation on the glass panel of the door. It was starting to fade as drops of water ran down from the words. But he was still able to make out what it said.

  Help me

  He grabbed his cell and dialed Dara’s number, but after several rings, it went into voice mail.

  Where the hell would she go in such an awful storm? Was it possible she hadn’t gone willingly?

  He walked back to the main street and it was then he realized that Dara’s small car was missing.

  This was not good.

  Getting into his SUV to avoid the worst of the winds, he took out his cell and quickly looked up a number. With the storm playing havoc with the communication lines, he had to redial several times before it was finally answered.

  “Do you know what the hell time it is?” the voice on the other end groused.

  “I’m sorry to wake you, Mr. Rice. This is Deputy Ellis Martin. I need you to check Tim’s room and tell me if he�
��s there.”

  “Tim? What is this about?”

  “Please, do as I ask. I’ll wait while you go check.”

  He heard Rice place the phone down on the counter and tried to control his impatience. After what seemed like hours, the phone was picked up. The irritation was gone, replaced by fear.

  “Tim is gone.”

  “So is Dara Clemons.”

  There was an intake of breath on the other end. “Christ,” Mr. Rice whispered. “That family…”

  “Do you have any idea where they would go?” Ellis asked impatiently.

  “Tim knows better than to hang around with the likes of her. She’s not right. None of the Clemons’s are right.”

  Ellis swallowed a curse. He didn’t have time for this. “Call Cade and have him put together a search party. It’s imperative we find those two tonight.”

  He didn’t dare add if they were still alive.

  He hung up, then placed another call. When he was done, he sat quietly in the SUV. He was beginning to shiver, and realized he was likely suffering from a concussion when his head hit the steering wheel. He couldn’t worry about it. He needed to think and try and figure out where the two would go.

  Or be taken.

  Think! He shouted silently to himself. Where would Tim and Dara go?

  He tried and discarded several scenarios. Then it hit him.

  Watson Pond.

  Two of the three victims had been found there. Although her purse and cell had been discovered at the pond, the only reason DeeDee wasn’t left at Watson Pond was because Richard needed to be blamed for her death. Leaving her in the Huntson’s fishing trawler couldn’t have been more obvious. And to make sure there were no lingering doubts about Richard’s death, the note was written and shoved in his pocket.

  Was Tim somehow responsible for all of this? Had Ellis gotten the scenario right, but the culprit wrong?

  Tim was tall and strong enough to forcefully shove Richard into the shrubs. Instead of killing DeeDee, had Richard been trying to save her?