The Edge of Murder (A Hank Reed Mystery, Book 3)

by Fred Lichtenberg

  His eyes widened. “So, the crash wasn’t an accident?”

  I glanced over at McCabe. “It was, except she was running away from justice.” I sighed. “Apparently, she reached her limit.”

  The doctor glanced over at Amanda, then checked my card. “You’re working with the police?”

  I nodded. “I also know the patient. If you would call the patrolman here with any updates, I’d appreciate it.”

  He looked over to Amanda and nodded.

  On my way out, I gazed over at her one more time and sighed.

  At one o’clock, I returned to my room to collect myself. Having the weight of the past events on my mind, I pulled up a chair facing the window overlooking the downtown area. It was a cold and dreary day, kind of like my mood. So much tragedy had happened, but I tried focusing on Amanda and our short but sweet time together.

  Would I ever see her alive again? And while her future was bleak if she lived, I couldn’t help but wish the past few days never existed. My thoughts kept returning to her final loving words: “I could have loved you more.”

  I think I could have too.

  After booking a flight back to Fort Lauderdale for the following day, I texted Chance.

  I was told you were dead. R U Lazarus?

  I waited and thought I’d chased him away, but a few minutes later, he wrote.

  I screwed up and lost a close friend. Was dead to him. Trying to make things right.

  He didn’t say how he screwed up, but I knew. I asked whether he’d like to get together for a drink and discuss the screw-up part.

  Have a nice life.

  Amanda didn’t make it. The doctor called around seven that evening. “Complications” was all he said.

  The ‘what ifs’? turned to reality, and I felt only sadness. For both of us. I held off calling Elizabeth, instead punching in Walker’s number. I told him he no longer had a suspect and asked if he would pay Elizabeth a visit since I wasn’t in a talkative mood, nor did I want to break the news by phone.

  That night, after a few drinks, I struggled to sleep. So, what was new? Late the following morning, I was on a flight back to Fort Lauderdale. Walker would certainly want to talk, and I needed to see Elizabeth and Nick.

  With my phone in airplane mode, I missed a text message, which I picked up upon arrival.

  The message read,

  We have a problem. Terry has a brother. Rick. Could be looking for vengeance.

  Back to him, Sorry just arrived at airport. Might have to contact police.

  He hasn’t done anything yet.

  Chance was right. Unless Rick threatened them, the police wouldn’t get involved.

  What’s the plan?

  I’m on it. Stay tuned.

  Stay tuned?

  I called Nick, but it went straight to voice mail. The same for Elizabeth. Maybe they were frolicking or…I grabbed a taxi outside the terminal building, and once inside, called them again. No luck.

  The driver stopped in front of Nick’s building. All quiet.

  Instead of ringing his bell, I used the spare key I’d kept and double-timed up the stairs. When I reached his floor, I caught my breath and approached the door. I was about to insert the key when I was startled by a gunshot, followed by a scream.

  I called 911, then removed my revolver and inserted the key. Arms extended, my hands slippery with sweat, I squatted and pushed the door forward.

  A man lay on the floor, face-up ten feet from me, blood seeping from a chest wound.

  “Police,” I shouted, my eyes swinging toward the bedroom.

  I heard a thump, as though someone had landed on the floor. I crept toward the bedroom. I needed to know where they were positioned and yelled, “I killed your brother, Rick. The bastard had it coming.”

  Three shots splintered the wall above my head.

  I dropped to the floor, then took a breath.

  “Good try. Be a man and come out. Not like your brother.”

  Another two shots. Inches away.

  I swallowed hard then called out. “You okay, Elizabeth?”

  A muffled response. I pictured Nick’s bed. Her voice came from the left side.

  “Where’s Nick?”

  “He’s in here, whoever you are. Safe and sound for now. And you’re not a fucking cop.”

  “Ever hear of 911, asshole? They’re on the way. If I don’t kill you, they will.” I glanced over my shoulder. The guy was still breathing. “Why’d you shoot him?”

  Silence, then, “He tried to reason with me, said I had the wrong people, that someone else killed my brother. He went for his gun.”

  I wiped my brow. “He didn’t have a gun, so you can’t claim self-defense. But if you let Nick and Elizabeth go, you might make a case.”

  More silence, and I wondered whether he was mulling over my dumb self-defense theory. I was afraid of taking a shot, though I had a sense of where Rick was positioned.

  “Don’t be a coward. I’m here by the door. Mano-a-mano. Come out alone, or will you be standing behind a woman, like your pussy brother?”

  He charged out of the room, his eyes wild with rage, and got off three rounds, all over my head. He still had a few left in the chamber.

  I pulled off a shot to his leg, and he screamed. I charged and took a hard leap, slamming my gun across his face. He cried out, tried taking me down, but I whacked him twice before he landed against the wall. He brought up his gun hand, but before he had a chance, I pulled off three rounds, two in the chest and one in his gun arm, which now dropped out of action. He gazed up at me as I kicked away his weapon.

  “Fuck you.”

  His last words.

  I waited a moment. “It’s okay to come out.”

  Nick and Elizabeth stood at the bedroom door. Nick looked down at Rick, then shifted to the other male. He froze.

  I’d forgotten about the other guy and rushed over to him. I looked down and noticed a large scar down his cheek.

  I turned to Nick. “Chance?”

  He remained still and nodded.

  My guardian angel. “Where the hell are the paramedics?” I demanded. I feared losing another person and dialed for help one more time.

  “He’s still breathing!” I rushed to stop the bleeding.

  Nick knelt beside Chance and took his hand.

  His unfocused eyes glazed up at Nick. “So sorry.”

  “It’s okay, friend. I forgive you.”

  Chance attempted to smile, but his mouth drooped.

  “Hang in there, buddy.” This from Nick.

  The paramedics arrived, along with a few uniforms, one I recognized from Terry’s murder. I pushed to my feet and wearily gave him the details. “Detective Walker should be notified.”

  Nick stood back, watching the team work on Chance. He was crying softly. Elizabeth held him and cried too, probably for her sister.

  After the medics carried Chance away, I counted the number of deaths or murders I’d been a part of over the past week. It was a record for me, and I hoped I didn’t have to add Chance to my list.

  My cell buzzed. Walker.

  “I’ll be there in five minutes. I expect an explanation.”

  I glanced around the crime scene. “There’s a lot to talk about.”

  He then told me when this was over, he expected me to go home, before Fort Lauderdale became a battleground.

  I think he was kidding.

  Thirty-Nine

  In spite of Detective Walker strongly suggesting I leave Fort Lauderdale, maybe for good, I decided to stick around a few days. I needed a vacation, and what better way to spend it than on the beach?

  I also wanted to assure Nick and Elizabeth, who were still traumatized by recent events, that I was available for anything, including hand-holding and assuring them their future was bright.

  Elizabeth never dreamed Amanda would take over the carwash with Sammy, no less. Eager to start fresh with Nick, she vowed to sell it to the highest bidder, no matter the price.

&
nbsp; Ah, Nick. He almost lost his mind, but he survived, as did Chance. He would remain in the hospital for at least a month, but it appeared a full recovery was expected.

  This came from Nick, who had just visited him. We talked about Chance at a local bar—not Courtney’s. Nick wanted to discuss how Chance had saved them from Rick.

  He took a long gulp from his beer. “I discovered Chance and my wife were having an affair the same way most people get caught. They were careless and sloppy, sending text messages back and forth. I happened to see one on my wife’s phone. They were going to meet at a local motel, off a main drag. Why they didn’t just hang out at Chance’s place, I had no idea. Maybe to make it more romantic being on neutral territory.”

  He stopped, caught his breath. “I can’t believe I’m telling you this. Anyway, I watched as she walked into the lobby, all smiles. I was both confused and angry; Chance was my best friend. I left in a rage, and when she returned home all happy, I asked where she’d been.

  ‘With the girls,’ she said and told me she was tired and ready to go to sleep.”

  Nick took a sip of his drink then stared into his glass.

  I could tell by his sad expression it was still a raw subject.

  He continued. “I followed them a few more times, all ending at the same motel. The last time was different. They met at a bar and stayed over an hour while I waited outside like an idiot. When they left, I could see they were tipsy and got in my wife’s car. Chance drove. The night had been rainy, and it suddenly got worse.”

  Nick stopped as though he was about to become confessional. His eyes met mine. “I’m not happy about what I did, but I was jealous and out of my mind. I felt so betrayed by both of them.”

  I nodded for him to continue.

  “I followed them, but the rain kept falling hard, and I could see Chance’s driving was erratic. I could have turned and gone home, but my rage compelled me to follow them.”

  He paused. “It was a lonely road—we still have a few in South Florida, and I put on my high beams. I kept flashing, and he must have gotten spooked, because he picked up his speed and left me where I could barely make out his taillights.”

  Nick stopped, downed his drink, and peered inside the glass. He looked over at me. “I killed her and the baby.”

  I attempted to hold back my surprise, but Nick must have noticed my dread expression.

  “I know, it’s bad, and I never told anyone this, but, after all that’s happened, I need to come forward. My guilt hasn’t subsided since that night. Between that and my patient dying, I flipped out.”

  “You said you killed her. I’m not hearing that yet, but I’m not asking as a cop, but a friend. How?”

  Nick held off a moment, swallowed hard. “If I hadn’t…chased them, Chance wouldn’t have crashed the car. It’s that simple.”

  Simple, it wasn’t.

  “Did they know you were tailing them?”

  “Know?” He shook his head. “I don’t believe so. But that’s not the point, Hank. I had a hand in…their deaths.”

  “Your wife and child?”

  Nick scowled. “Their child. I’m infertile!” He stopped, composed himself. “I pushed Chance to speed up, and with the ground wet, he slammed into a tree.”

  Visions of Amanda. I sighed, then asked, “Did you call for help?”

  He shut his eyes, and when he opened them, tears formed. “I couldn’t. I know I should have, but the police would’ve known it was me. How would it look? My wife and lover in one car and me following. I’ve been dealing with that mistake ever since.” A long sigh.

  “But the police called you after the accident, right?”

  “Yes, of course. They told me my wife and the baby died instantly. Chance was barely alive at the hospital. I didn’t visit him, and he was still in the hospital the day of the funeral.”

  Nick called over the bartender and ordered another round.

  “That was the hard part. Having a funeral for my wife and their child. He would have been born a boy had he lived.”

  Nick was still angry. “And Chance, have you seen him since the accident? I mean before today?”

  Nick shook his head in a daze. “He tried, but I told him to go to hell with my wife. That was the last time until…now. Funny, after all that, he saved my life. Elizabeth’s and mine.”

  “If it’ll make you feel better, Chance was the main reason we were able to solve the case.” I told Nick about my phantom text guy. “I don’t know how he did it, but if it wasn’t for him…”

  Nick smiled thinly. “Chance is a cyber security geek. He owns a company that works with law enforcement. Highly secretive. Even I don’t know the extent of his capabilities. He told me today he had me covered—and you, Hank.”

  I thought of the motorist who stopped at the crash site and realized Chance couldn’t have been two places at once. He must have sent one of his—geeks.

  Made sense.

  “I should have asked him to put a tail on my wife.” He laughed sadly. “Right.”

  Another round of drinks arrived.

  Nick looked down at his drink.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I don’t understand how Chance just showed up after all these months.”

  “Maybe he was following the news and saw what was happening to you.”

  Nick nodded. “Maybe.”

  “He must have known you were being set up.” I shrugged. “Whatever it was that prompted him, I’m grateful.”

  “Me too.” He smiled warmly.

  I asked, “That day in your apartment when Chance was shot, Rick said Chance tried talking him down, but obviously, that didn’t happen.”

  Nick nodded. “Chance attempted the impossible. He arrived soon after Rick accosted Elizabeth and me outside my building. He had a gun pointed at my back. Elizabeth knew him, of course. She was his sister-in-law. When we arrived at my apartment, he pushed us into the living room and accused us of killing his brother. Said we would pay.”

  He took another sip, then another. “Elizabeth swore we had nothing to do with it and blamed Amanda.”

  “She said that?” I asked, lifting my beer bottle.

  “She had no choice. Besides, it was true. Anyway, that pissed Rick off even more. He was tired of the twins’ blame game. He told us he grabbed Amanda in her house, who swore it wasn’t her. Only, at the time, he was talking to Elizabeth.”

  I mentioned discovering Elizabeth in the trunk of the car inside Amanda’s garage.

  “Rick admitted it was him. She would have died if you hadn’t found her, Hank.”

  “Or Rick would’ve returned and killed her,” I added.

  “At that point, Rick grew agitated, so when Chance arrived and tried talking him out of killing us, he lost it and shot Chance.”

  Nick bowed his head. “It was so quick. Rick must have realized what he had gotten himself into and pushed us into the bedroom. He kept mumbling stuff; I have no idea what, but we were afraid he’d shoot us too.”

  Nick met my eyes. “And then you showed up. You saved us from that maniac, Hank. We wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for you.” He touched my shoulder. “Thank you.”

  I smiled briefly. I looked around the empty bar and realized the time. I was ready to head back to my hotel, but I had one more question.

  “How is it that you and Elizabeth connected so quickly after only one night, especially when she disappeared the following morning? It sounded like a one-night stand.”

  He smiled. “Kismet, perhaps. There was something special about the evening, and I’m not just talking sex—which was great. I felt we had become one person. Elizabeth felt the same. I hadn’t connected with another person like that. Ever. Not even with my wife. I wasn’t willing to give her up. The disturbing phone call that morning, the one I thought was a prank, well, I realized it wasn’t. I sensed Elizabeth was in danger, and I had to act.”

  “And you called JR.”

  “And he immediately thought of you. S
aid you were the best.”

  “You’re making me blush,” I teased.

  “He was right. You’re the reason Elizabeth and I have another chance.”

  “Right, Chance.”

  He smiled sadly. “Enough of the past. I’m ready to go forward, forgive and renew my relationship with him. I know he feels the same. He told me so when I visited him in the hospital. He’s making progress.”

  Nick stopped and smiled.

  “What?”

  “Chance told me you did a great job. Says he wants to offer you a position with his company.”

  I laughed. “I kind of like it where I am right now, though I’d die for Fort Lauderdale in the winter.”

  “Who wouldn’t? Think about it, Hank.”

  Nick and I parted ways, maybe for the last time. Hopefully, he and Elizabeth would have that second chance. That was what we all hoped for.

  The End

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