Crime & Passion

by Chantel Rhondeau

  Suzie smiled and grabbed a strand of her hair, twirling the black tresses around her fingers. “I planned for everything, Donnie. I couldn’t take any chances with Maddie.”

  Unable to stop himself, Donovan grabbed her shoulders and shook her roughly. “What have you done?”

  “You’re hurting me.” She gripped his biceps, digging her long nails into them. “Let go.”

  Shit! I’ve got to keep my cool. Maddie’s what matters here.

  He forced his fingers to relax and slid his arms around her back. “Sorry, baby. I’m disappointed, that’s all.” He kissed her cheek. “I was looking forward to us taking care of her together.”

  “You were?” She struggled in his embrace and stepped back when he released her. “When Eric questioned me at the hospital, he said you were living together.”

  “Eric talked to you about me?”

  She shrugged. “I refused to confess unless he told me how you were.” Her lips tightened and she folded her arms together. “I was not happy to hear you moved in with her.”

  Damn. She’s a clever little nut, forcing Eric to tell her about me. He had to come up with a good lie as to why he was with Maddie. Feed Suzie’s ego somehow. “I didn’t know what else to do. I tried to see you so many times, but they wouldn’t let me. Your dad said you didn’t want to see me. It broke my heart so I turned to Maddie. You know I can’t be alone for very long, but I didn’t really want her.” He stroked her cheek. “You’re the one, baby.”

  Her face brightened. “Really?”

  “I wanted to kill her to prove my love to you.” He shook his head slowly, trying to seem regretful. “Now I can’t. At least tell me how she’s going to die.”

  Suzie watched him with a tilted head, calculating. “You’re still trying to trick me somehow.”

  “Damn it, Suzie!” Donovan felt heat rush to his face. He needed to know what she planned. And pretending to love her wasn’t working. “I’m not tricking you. I want to be with you, but it pisses me off that you won’t trust me. I’m out of here.” He turned his back on her and took a step for the doorway.

  “Don’t leave!” Suzie grabbed his hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you mad. I’ll tell you everything.”

  Thank God that worked.

  Through the open door, Donovan saw Brice creep along the tree line, gun drawn. He ducked behind Donovan’s police cruiser and was once again lost to view.

  “I’m listening,” he said gruffly, not turning around. She responded best to anger, which was the only emotion he didn’t have to fake.

  She caressed his arm and then walked around to face him, putting her back to the door. “Don’t be that way, Donnie. Kiss me and tell me everything will be okay. Please.”

  Brice’s head bobbed above the trunk of the car and he stalked toward the porch, moving silently. There was no way to stop him from coming closer without alerting Suzie to his presence.

  She lifted her face and closed her eyes, waiting for a kiss.

  “Everything’s okay.” He brushed his lips against hers, praying Brice would slow down, would see that Donovan had things under control. He needed more time. “Now, tell me everything. Let me share this moment with you.”

  She smiled. “Someone’s agreed to help. He’s going to—”

  Wood cracked, loud as a gunshot as Brice’s foot fell through the porch.

  Suzie gasped and whirled around, pressing her body against Donovan’s. “You followed him? You shouldn’t have done that, Brice. Very stupid,” she called out. “It’s a shame, but we’ll have to kill you now.”

  Brice’s gun had fallen from his grasp when he fell through the porch. He lunged forward, trying to reach it.

  As carefully as he could, Donovan eased the handcuffs from the pouch at his belt. There was no way Suzie would tell him anything now unless he proved himself by killing Brice. He’d have to race back to Pleasant View without knowing what she did and hope for the best.

  “What are you waiting for?” Suzie turned her head back to glance at him. “Shoot him.”

  Donovan almost felt sorry for her; sorry that she had sunken into her derangement. Sorry that she thought she loved him. However, the joy shining in her eyes at the prospect of killing Brice squelched his guilt.

  He grabbed her hand in his and twisted her arm behind her back in a quick motion, slapping the handcuff onto it.

  “What are you doing?” she shrieked. “You bastard!”

  She jerked around, surprising him. Her fingernails raked across his face and poked him in the eye. Donovan lost his grip on the handcuff and she slipped away from him.

  Her footsteps pounded across the floor as he clutched his hand to his face, trying to fight through the pain to chase after her. It was all over if she reached Brice’s gun.

  Donovan blinked to clear his vision and lurched forward, lunging for the blurry image in front of him.

  “Freeze, Suzie!” Brice shouted. “Don’t make me shoot.”

  Donovan stretched forward, wrapping Suzie's hair in his hand. He jerked her head violently toward his body and kicked the back of her knee, driving her into the ground. “I’ve got her,” he said to Brice, shoving her to her stomach and kneeling on her back. His vision cleared and Donovan captured her arms, yanking them behind her and securing the other handcuff.

  “You’re hurting me!”

  “Quiet.” He turned to Brice. “You okay, Chief?”

  Brice set his gun down and sank to his knees. He shook his head and crawled forward to drag himself out of the hole in the wood. A hiss of pain accompanied his movements as his right foot rose, the ankle flopping unnaturally. He lay on the boards and closed his eyes. “Pretty sure it’s broken. Hurts like hell.”

  Damn it! Nothing was going right. Donovan grabbed Suzie’s hair again and pulled her head back, ignoring her screams of pain and rage.

  “Tell me what you’ve done to Maddie’s house right now and I won’t kill you.”

  “Fuck off.” She laughed, though tears poured down her face. “You don’t want me? Go ahead, then, kill me.”

  ***

  Brutus whined, licking her face and pressing into her.

  Madeline held her breath, trying to hear any sound from the back room. Not a peep since Eric crept through the door.

  The thud of her heartbeat echoed in her ears and tears leaked steadily down her face. What if Suzie got to them? They could all be dead back there.

  “Eric? Are you okay?”

  The heavy sound of metal sliding against metal echoed from the back room. A gunshot rang out. A woman screamed.

  Maddie sprang to her feet and dropped Brutus’ leash. “Stay boy.”

  Pulse racing, she crept silently toward the door trying to control her loud breathing.

  Not obeying her command, Brutus slid across the floor with her, so low to the ground his stomach almost brushed it.

  Halfway there, the door burst open and Eric walked through, running his fingers over his scalp, his gun in his other hand. Lindsey was behind him, white as a sheet, blood running down her arm.

  “I didn’t mean to shoot her,” Eric moaned.

  Brutus barked and his hind legs bunched. He leapt from the floor, bowling into Eric and knocking him off his feet. The dog stomped his paws on Eric’s chest, growling ferociously as foam-flecked drool dropped onto the man’s terrified face.

  “Brutus, stop!” Madeline rushed forward, tugging on his collar.

  Eric yelled and grabbed his weapon from where it had fallen on the floor, pointing it at Brutus.

  “No! Don’t!” Madeline tugged harder on Brutus, desperate to get him away from the gun.

  Brandon stumbled out of the back room; his scared eyes met Madeline’s. He pushed past Lindsey and kicked the gun from Eric’s hand. “I should let the dog kill you for shooting Lindsey,” he snarled before grasping the other side of Brutus’ collar and helping Madeline pull him off the officer.

  Brutus continued growling and snarling, trying to get back at
Eric.

  “Easy, boy.” Brandon dragged the Dane across the slick linoleum floor to the back room. “I’ll lock him up. Take care of Lindsey.”

  Eric carried on as though Brutus had done more than slobber on him, but Madeline looked up to see Lindsey slump against the wall and slide to the floor. The ashen pallor of her face was a stark contrast to the red on her shirt sleeve, and Madeline forgot all about Eric.

  She made her way to the other woman’s side and crouched on the ground.

  “Dumbass, rookie cop.” Lindsey leaned her head back and closed her eyes, a crease between her eyebrows. “We were out back cleaning the dog yard and Eric just fired when we walked in, with no warning. Freaking idiot.”

  “Suzie escaped from the hospital, and we thought something happened to you guys,” Madeline said. But Eric should have given a warning before pulling the trigger. What was he thinking? He could have killed her.

  Lindsey sucked in shallow breaths, and Madeline wished she could do something to stop her friend’s pain.

  “What genius let that bitch get away?” Lindsey glared over Madeline’s shoulder at Eric. “Incompetent cops are everywhere these days.”

  “Donovan’s taking care of Suzie. Let me see about you.”

  At Lindsey’s nod, Madeline peeled back the sleeve of her once-white blouse, relieved to see the wound on the outer portion of her arm and not her shoulder or chest. “I think you’re going to be okay.”

  “I’m sure I will. It just feels like that asshole stuck a hot poker in my arm.”

  “We have to stop the bleeding,” Madeline said. “I’ll find a towel.”

  Brandon came back into the room, a towel already in his hand. The dogs barked crazily behind him. “Madeline, settle the dogs down and close this place up, would you?”

  She nodded. “What are you going to do?”

  “Take Lindsey to the clinic. They can help her while we wait for an ambulance. I’m pretty sure she’ll need to go up to Eureka General.”

  “What am I supposed to do about Brutus?” Madeline asked. “Mrs. Stanfield still isn’t here.”

  “She called,” Lindsey said, keeping her eyes closed. “She ran into some friends and went to dinner, forgot about the time.”

  Madeline rolled her eyes. “I’m glad she never had children.”

  “Some people weren’t meant to reproduce.” Lindsey laughed weakly. “She just wants us to keep Brutus here overnight, and she’ll pick him up in the morning.”

  “Don’t worry about anything. I’ll give the dogs some dinner and walk them once tonight.”

  “I knew you would,” Lindsey responded.

  Brandon cinched the towel tightly around her arm. “Help me get her to her feet.”

  Madeline gripped Lindsey’s elbow on her injured side, doing her best to help Brandon pull her up.

  Lindsey cried out as they jostled her around. “That’ll teach me to clean up dog poop.” She gripped Madeline’s hand in hers. “That’s your job from now on.”

  Relieved Lindsey still had her sense of humor, Madeline nodded and kissed her cheek. “Sure thing, boss. Now, go get patched up. I’ll check on you as soon as I find out about Donovan.”

  She watched as Brandon led Lindsey out of the building before checking on Eric. What she really wanted to do was strangle him, but that wouldn’t help matters any.

  He sat on the ground, staring at the gun in front of him. “When that back door opened, I assumed it was Suzie and fired without thinking." He shook his head. “I can’t believe I shot her. I’ve never shot anyone before.”

  “Pull yourself together. We still have plenty of problems.” She didn’t have time to coddle him. “I’ll settle the dogs down and lock the back door. Wait here.”

  Brutus obviously hated Eric—she didn’t want him to follow her and set the dog off further. They said dogs could sense when people didn’t like them or feared them. She wondered if that was the reason Brutus attacked Eric. Then again, he was a smart dog. Maybe Brutus tried to protect her because he somehow understood Eric had attacked Lindsey. Unfortunately, the dog had no way to know it was an accident.

  She stepped through the swinging doors and grabbed a bag of rawhide treats off the shelf. She turned left into the kennel area and Brutus barked madly when he saw her, lunging against the side of the cage. Two Chihuahuas, who belonged to a tourist, shook pitifully and huddled in the backs of their cages.

  “It’s okay, Brutus,” she crooned. “That mean old Eric won’t get you. Such a good boy, trying to protect me. Good dog.”

  Holding a treat in her hand, she approached the cage, continuing to babble nonsense in a soothing voice. Brutus finally stopped barking and sat down, watching her. When she poked the rawhide strip through the cage, he gingerly took it out of her hand and dropped to the ground, sighing heavily as he gnawed on it.

  She checked on the small dogs and set a treat in both cages, hoping they would be okay, but not wanting to waste any more time. In a few hours she’d come back and check on them. They’d certainly be fine until then. Right now she needed to go to the police station and find out if anyone had heard from Donovan.

  After locking the back door, she checked the shelf with the dog shampoo for her cell phone. She looked among the various bottles, unable to spot it. Although she didn’t remember moving it, maybe she had put it inside her purse.

  She rushed to the front of the shop, trying to control the panicked feeling in her chest. Now that the excitement with Lindsey was over, Madeline’s fear for Donovan kicked up a notch. She longed to talk with him more than anything, to know he was okay.

  Eric paced back and forth when she walked through the door, talking into his cell phone. “That’s not good news...Yes...Okay. I understand. I’ll watch over her.” He punched the touch screen and looked up at her. “That was Donovan. He told me to take you home and stay with you.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Why didn’t you let me talk to him?”

  He shook his head. “He said he’ll call back as soon as he can, but didn’t have time to talk now. Unfortunately, he’s dealing with some complications.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  After shoving a screaming Suzie into the back of his police cruiser, Donovan had helped Brice into the front seat. The man’s ankle was definitely snapped. He’d called the police department in Eureka and they promised to send an ambulance and some officers to meet Donovan out at the highway.

  “Just a little bit further,” Donovan said, glancing at Brice’s ashen face.

  The car hit another rut in the road, jostling them around. Brice cried out and clutched his leg. “Be careful, damn it!”

  “Sorry.” He slowed down a little bit, hitting redial on his phone once again to call dispatch at Pleasant View. As it had the last two times he called, the phone rang many times, never being answered. “Shit. Something must be going on. Dispatch still isn’t answering.” He couldn’t stop his hands from shaking, imagining scenarios that might make the office so busy dispatch couldn’t man the phone lines. Something like an explosion in Madeline’s apartment or Suzie’s accomplice on a killing spree. He shuddered.

  Brice gripped his shoulder though the man let out a soft moan of pain. “I’m sure Madeline’s fine. Eric’s with her by now.”

  Donovan checked the rearview mirror, meeting Suzie’s bloodshot eyes. She’d finally stopped screaming a few minutes before.

  “You’ll never make it in time to save her. My trap is too clever.” She smiled at him, and it chilled Donovan’s blood. “We still have a chance though, baby. Ditch Brice and take me away with you. Maddie will never love you like I do.”

  That’s for sure. Maddie’s not twisted.

  Brice hissed again as the car dipped.

  “They’re waiting for us at the highway,” Donovan told him. “The medics will help you, but I’m just going to drop you off and hurry to Maddie, okay?”

  His boss nodded. “What’s your plan?”

  Donovan gripped the steering wheel ha
rder. “I’m going to go to our apartment and hope for the best. She and Eric aren’t answering their phones.”

  “Eric will protect her. Try not to worry.”

  There was that. Even if Eric hated Donovan, the kid obviously had a major crush on Maddie. He’d protect her.

  “You need to think about this, Donnie.” Suzie sneered into the mirror. “Precious little Maddie is already dead by now. Without me, you’ll end up alone. You can’t handle that. Face it, you need me.”

  Donovan watched the road, forcing himself to ignore her even though her words made him sick. He slowed the car as he reached the paved road, flipping his emergency lights on and careening onto the street. “Just a few more minutes, boss.”

  He glanced at Brice’s white face. The bead of sweat across the man’s upper lip was worrisome, but hurrying to the ambulance was the best Donovan could do.

  They came over a small rise and Donovan finally spotted the flashing lights of the other emergency vehicles. Static crackled over the radio line as they came back in range for the CB system.

  “...shots at 892 Maine. Ambulance dispatched to 537 Yorkshire.”

  “Shit! That’s Woofy Cuts’ address.” Donovan yanked the CB off the hook. “Come back, dispatch. What was that code?”

  “962 gun shots at 892 Maine.”

  Nonfatal. He heaved a sigh of relief. “Identity of victim?”

  “Lindsey Butters,” Tony, the dispatcher, replied. “Are you in the area, Andrews? They took her to Yorkshire Clinic to await help.”

  “I’m twenty minutes out. Any news on Madeline Scott?”

  “Negative.”

  Laughter erupted from the backseat. “You’ll never reach her in time,” Suzie said in a sing-song voice. “She’s dead, dead, dead.”

  “Shut up,” Brice roared. “You’ve caused enough trouble.”

  Donovan pulled his car up to the emergency team and put it in park without looking at Suzie again. She wanted to upset him, but he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of knowing it was working.

  The waiting medics opened the passenger door to attend to Brice. A pair of cops from Eureka’s force stood to the side.