Cry For Help

by Wendy Dranfield

  He lies down next to her, panting but happy.

  The sound of sirens comes thick and fast, and Madison is relieved to hear backup finally arriving. Two state police take over. She stands up, trying to catch her breath, as they flip Angie onto her back and cuff her. The male officer asks Madison if she’s okay and then goes to looks at the blood spray from the crusher. He slowly climbs the slippery steps. When he peers inside the machine, he immediately turns away and dry-heaves at the sight of Wyatt’s remains.

  Angie looks at Madison with hatred burning in her eyes. “I don’t care if I end up inside, because you will too for killing Wyatt.”

  Madison shakes her head. “You’re a monster, Angie, and our mother was always ashamed of you.”

  Angie looks shocked. Is that hurt in her eyes? “You don’t get to judge me. You slept with my husband! You deserve everything you got.”

  “My God, you still think I chose to have sex with that man? You’re delusional. You need a fucking psych evaluation, Angie.”

  A menacing smile appears on Angie’s face. “Have you checked on Owen lately? Because he should be dead by now.”

  Madison stumbles backwards. “What?”

  “That’s right. You think Mike’s the only cop we have in our pockets? You better get to the station, Madison. You might just get to hear Owen’s last words.”

  The state police both tell Angie to shut up as Madison uses her last ounce of energy to run over to Douglas and the two uniforms who are trying to help him. He’s losing blood from his shoulder but his eyes are open and he’s holding it together through gritted teeth. His skin has turned pale and sweaty. She prays it’s not a critical injury.

  “You’re going to be okay, Douglas.”

  He looks at her. “Are you a doctor now, Harper?” he pants.

  “I need to borrow your radio,” she says urgently. “Angie said someone at the station is going to kill Owen.”

  He nods and she takes the radio from him, explaining to the female dispatcher that her son is at risk. The dispatcher assures her she’ll send someone to check on Owen and Nate immediately.

  As she gives Douglas back the radio, she says, “Mike’s on the back road over there. He’s dead.”

  Douglas looks alarmed.

  “I didn’t kill him. He did it himself. He admitted he was the one who shot Officer Levy. Angie was behind it.” She needs to tell him everything.

  Douglas raises a hand. “I believe you. Just shut up, would you? I’m kind of going through something right now.”

  She’s relieved that she’s not going to be arrested. Ambulance sirens roar toward them in the distance. Satisfied that she can leave, she calls Brody over and heads toward Nate’s car. She needs to get back to her son.

  70

  Independence Day

  Nikki’s back is aching from all the bending down to pick up spent fireworks. She’s been working non-stop and hasn’t had time to feel scared at being in the park alone at night. But as she approaches the Wonder Wheel, she hears footsteps. She stops and the hairs on her arms stand up.

  Someone’s slowly approaching from behind the carousel. It can’t be Mason yet, she’s only just texted him. Seeing him with Taylor earlier filled her with dread. She needs him to come back so she can ask him whether he’s only been pretending to be her boyfriend all summer.

  “Who’s there?”

  When they step into the light from the Ferris wheel, Nikki can see a woman with long hair coming toward her. She’s smiling and Nikki recognizes her.

  “I’m sorry. I was here earlier and stupidly lost my purse so I came back to have a look for it. I hope you don’t mind?”

  Nikki relaxes. “I’ve been cleaning up and I didn’t find anything.”

  “Oh well, that’s okay. Maybe someone will hand it in tomorrow. I’ll get my boy to check for me. He works here.”

  “I know. You’re Mason’s mom, right?”

  “I am. Do you know him well?”

  Nikki smiles proudly. “He’s my boyfriend.”

  The woman takes her hand, looking delighted. “Nice to meet you. But I thought his girlfriend had blonde hair with pink streaks? Never mind, I can’t keep up with who he’s dating.”

  All of a sudden, Nikki feels sick. Her worst fears are confirmed. Mason’s been seeing Taylor behind her back. So he didn’t mean anything he said to her about moving away together. It must have been some cruel joke Taylor got him to play on her.

  “Are you okay?” asks Angie. “You look like you might pass out. Here, come and sit down.”

  She leads Nikki to the Ferris wheel and they take a seat in the lowest car. “I’m sorry, have I said the wrong thing?”

  Nikki starts crying; she can’t help it. “I’m not Taylor, I’m Nikki. ”

  “Oh, my goodness. Sorry. That’s so typical of Mason. He’s always got more than one girl on the go. Takes after his father in that respect.”

  Nikki feels her world crumbling around her. She has an overwhelming impulse to cut herself, something she hasn’t done since she was younger. “I thought he loved me.”

  Angie puts an arm around her and squeezes her shoulders. “Men are assholes, sweetie. The sooner you learn that the better.”

  Nikki looks at her and wipes her tears away with her hands. “Have you ever wanted to kill yourself?”

  Angie leans in. “Of course. Who hasn’t?”

  The temptation to cut is building, and Nikki knows she’s going to do it. “Did Mason ever mention me to you?”

  Angie shakes her head. “Sorry. Recently he’s only talked about Taylor. He’s obviously been cheating on you, honey.” She pats Nikki’s hand. “You know, drinking too much vodka helps me relieve the pressure inside when I’m upset. What do you do in order to forget?” She looks at her. “Do you cut yourself? Would that help you right now?”

  Feeling like she’s no longer in control of her emotions, Nikki nods.

  Angie pulls a pocket knife out of her cardigan. “I’ll stay with you if you like. Make sure you’re safe.”

  Nikki takes the knife from her and opens it up. But she can’t bring herself to do it. It’s been so long, and she can hear her various therapists from over the years telling her it won’t solve anything. That it’s a temporary release that will make things worse in the long run. She feels more tears spilling down her cheeks.

  Then what is she supposed to do because she can’t cope with this pain.

  “Want me to help you?” asks Angie.

  Feeling hopeless, and before she can think twice, Nikki nods.

  Mason’s mom puts the knife to the middle of her forearm and slices down to her wrist. The pain takes a few seconds to start, but it isn’t as bad as the pain in her heart. It gives her something different to focus on.

  She leans back and focuses on the stars that are shining brightly through the Ferris wheel. She doesn’t feel any better yet. She can feel the warm blood oozing out of her. It’s not taking enough of her pain with it. Her therapists were right: it doesn’t work. But she doesn’t know how else to deal with the rejection and humiliation. Everyone at school must be in on the joke and laughing at her behind her back. Her whole summer with Mason was a lie. A sick joke designed to ridicule her. She should have known someone like him was too good for her. Why would he go for trailer trash over someone like Taylor?

  “Let me help you,” the woman whispers into her ear.

  Nikki doesn’t watch but she feels the stinging in her other arm, deeper this time. She winces and tries to pull away, but Angie holds her hand tight.

  “Teach him a lesson,” she says into Nikki’s ear. “Teach them all a lesson: your mom, your dad, Mason, Taylor. Everyone who’s ever hurt you.” Her words are comforting as Nikki starts to feel dizzy. “This will show them how much they hurt you.”

  She thinks about her mom; about how she never once put Nikki before her husband. That’s something she doesn’t think she will ever get over. Mothers are supposed to put their children first. Mothers and daugh
ters are supposed to have a special bond. But her mom is a ghost to her.

  She thinks about Mason; about how he was able to fool her so easily. All because she’s needy and desperate to be loved. He probably told Taylor everything she ever confided in him.

  She closes her eyes against the tears and feels her pain draining away.

  71

  Chief Sullivan is waiting for Madison when she arrives at the station. The stress on his face makes her want to turn around and not listen to what he’s about to tell her. Nate didn’t answer his phone when she got back to the car, and because of what’s happening at the McCoys’ place, she wasn’t able to get through to speak to anyone in dispatch.

  She takes a deep breath. “What is it?”

  He smells strongly of tobacco. “There was a struggle and someone got shot, but don’t worry, your son is fine. Follow me.” He glances at the blood spatter on her face and clothes before he leads her away.

  She can’t think straight. If Owen’s okay, does that mean it was Nate who got shot? Brody runs ahead excitedly as she follows the chief to his office. When she steps inside, both Owen and Nate stand up, and she feels light-headed with relief. “Oh, thank God.”

  Owen approaches her and she hugs him tight. Over his shoulder she notices that Nate’s holding an ice pack to his jaw. He must have protected her son. She walks over to him, removes the ice pack and kisses the corner of his mouth. It’s cold but soft.

  “Eww, Mom,” says Owen. He’s crouched down petting Brody, who looks exhausted but proud of himself. He should be. He saved her life today. He shook off most of Wyatt’s blood onto the upholstery in Nate’s car, then rolled around on the back seat to make sure he got rid of the rest. Nate won’t be happy but she’ll arrange for the car to be professionally cleaned. It’s the least she can do.

  She hugs Nate to her. “I don’t know what you did, but thank you!”

  When he pulls away, he checks her over for injuries. “Are you okay?”

  She nods. “It’s not my blood.” She glances at Sullivan. “Mike’s dead; he killed himself.”

  “What?” Sullivan turns pale and sits on his desk.

  “And Douglas is wounded.”

  “So I’ve been told,” says Sullivan. “He’s on his way to the hospital but the paramedics are hopeful his injury isn’t life-threatening. He’s going straight into surgery. Officer Vickers told me over the phone that Brad Skelton shot him, but I understand Skelton is now deceased thanks to her.”

  “Did Angie get away?” asks Owen. “And what about my dad?”

  Madison doesn’t know how he’ll react to the news. “I’m so sorry, Owen, but Wyatt’s dead.”

  He looks down at Brody and rubs the dog’s head.

  “And Angie’s got a gunshot wound to the leg, so she’s on her way to hospital too. She tried to kill me. They both did.”

  Eventually Owen looks up at her. “My dad deserved it. And Angie deserves to go to prison. Do you know who killed Nikki?”

  Madison has to swallow her heartache. “It was Angie. She was behind all of it. Nikki witnessed Stephanie’s murder. Angie didn’t know exactly what she saw but she tracked her down through Facebook and waited for her at the park that night. I’m sorry, Owen.”

  He nods. “I knew she wouldn’t have killed herself. We had plans.”

  The look on his face tells her he’s going to need therapy after everything that’s happened. Wyatt’s expression as he fell backward flashes before her eyes and she has to shake it away. They all have a long road to recovery ahead of them.

  Owen stands up and notices his hands are pink. He wipes them on his jeans. She doesn’t want to explain that it’s the remnants of his father’s blood.

  “The feds are on their way,” says Sullivan. “What with the drugs being trafficked across state lines, they’ll be in charge of that investigation. A thorough search of the McCoys’ ranch could take weeks, but I’m hopeful we’ll find enough to get Angie sent down.”

  Madison’s relieved. Then she remembers something else. “Before he killed himself, Mike told me he was the one who shot Ryan, not Wyatt. He was acting on orders from Angie. She wanted me put away.”

  Sullivan looks horrified before shaking his head. “I should have let Douglas investigate the McCoys years ago.”

  Madison stares at him. “Yes, you should have.” She takes a deep breath. “Mike told me that the clothes he was wearing when he shot Ryan, along with his gloves and a copy of my keys, were kept on their property. Wyatt tried to destroy it all in the car crusher earlier. You might be lucky and find some fragments.” She doesn’t say how they’ll need to get Wyatt’s remains out first. Not in front of Owen.

  Sullivan massages his temples. “Jesus Christ, this is going to create a shit storm in the media.”

  Madison thinks of Kate. She wonders if her old friend will help her undo years of damage to her reputation now they know who really killed Ryan. Then she thinks of the Levys. She doesn’t expect an apology from them, but she’s hoping Davis will leave her alone the next time their paths cross.

  The forensics guy knocks on the door and Sullivan waves him in. “Everyone, this is Alex.”

  Alex smiles self-consciously. “Sorry to interrupt, but I just wanted to ask you something, Ms. Harper.”

  “Sure.”

  “I understand our primary suspects for Nikki Jackson’s murder are the McCoys. To tie up loose ends forensics-wise, could you tell me whether they have a dog?”

  She looks at Owen, who says, “No. But Angie has two horses.”

  “Ah,” says Alex. He’s nodding. “That would account for the animal hair we found on Nikki’s sleeve. I won’t be a hundred percent certain until I have a sample from the horses, though. I’m also waiting for any navy-colored clothes they own to be brought in so I can try to match the stray fibers found on Nikki’s sweater.”

  Madison shakes her head. Her sister deserves life in prison for all the pain she’s caused. She notices Owen is looking at the floor.

  Before Alex leaves them, he stops at the door and looks back at Sullivan. “I can’t remember if I’ve already told you this, Chief, but Paul Harris’s DNA matches that found in the semen sample taken from Stephanie Garcia’s crime scene. It doesn’t prove he killed her, but he is the person who raped her.”

  “Thanks, Alex. Good work.” Sullivan looks at Madison. “How are you holding up?”

  She tries to raise a smile, but she’s thinking of Stephanie now. “I’ve had better days.” She frowns. “Wait. I thought you said someone got shot here?”

  He nods. “Officer Jim Greenburg. Your son shot him.”

  She turns to Owen, shocked. “He’s not dead, is he?”

  “No,” says Owen. “I only got his leg. But it was totally self-defense.”

  She’s flooded with relief and can’t stop herself from laughing. She doesn’t think she could handle Owen being arrested for killing a cop. That would be the final straw.

  “When we searched Officer Greenburg before arresting him we found a second cell phone which shows a text message instructing him to release Harris from his cell to kill Owen,” explains Sullivan. “But I’ve spoken to Harris. Apparently, he refused to do it, sensing he was being set up by the McCoys. So Greenburg tried to do it instead.”

  She doesn’t know how to feel. Today has been one despicable revelation after another, and she’s exhausted by it all.

  “Looks like he was our leak too,” says Sullivan. “We found messages on his burner phone that show he’s been passing inside information to Kate Flynn, including about your recent brief arrest. Someone obviously wanted it in the press so the locals would be outraged by your return and maybe drive you out of town. It’s unclear whether Kate knew who was sending it to her.”

  “She told me she didn’t,” says Madison.

  Sullivan nods. “Okay.” He looks at his watch. “Well, I won’t make you give your official witness statements this morning. You must be in need of some food and caffeine, no doubt.
”

  Madison nods. A feeling of relief overwhelms her and she takes a deep breath.

  Before any of them can leave, though, someone enters Sullivan’s office without knocking.

  72

  A tall woman Madison doesn’t recognize moves to stand next to Chief Sullivan. She’s striking in her sharp pant suit and with her immaculate dark brown hair.

  “Carmen,” says Sullivan. He gets up to shake her hand. “Thanks for coming in. I know I explained some things over the phone, but this is a fast-moving situation so I wanted to update you in person.”

  He looks at Madison. “This is Carmen Mendes. She’s my replacement and will be taking over in the fall, once she’s ended her role at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.”

  Madison feels butterflies in her stomach. The woman is gorgeous but she has an intimidating stare. “Pleasure to meet you.”

  Carmen is looking at them all, even Brody, but she doesn’t smile. “I gather you’ve had an eventful morning?”

  Sullivan nods. “You could say that. And it means we now have a major staffing issue.”

  She raises a perfectly plucked eyebrow. “Oh?”

  “After this morning’s fiasco, we’re down two detectives and an officer.”

  Madison’s mind starts buzzing. Should she put herself forward while she’s got the chance? No, they’d laugh her out of here after everything that’s happened. But then she never did anything wrong, and LCPD owe her big time.

  Her hands are shaking as she tries to build up the courage to speak. But what about Nate? She’s supposed to be working for him. Would he mind? And does she even want to stay in Lost Creek? She looks at her son. He’s here. She’ll stay for him. The McCoys can’t hurt them now.

  “Perhaps we should discuss this in private,” says Carmen to Sullivan.

  Owen takes the hint and heads for the door, followed by Nate and Brody. Madison is frozen in place. Both Carmen and Sullivan stare at her.