They both giggled.
Anna tugged at my shirt as I handed out the treats. “I thought you said it was too early, but they ’re going out already.”
The day had been sunny, with an autumn breeze that sent leaves tumbling into colorful heaps. The evening brought with it added crispness, the pungent aroma of smoke, and a magnificent harvest moon. A picture- perfect Halloween.
But Anna was the only one of us in the holiday spirit.
“You can go out in a bit,” I told her. “Libby’s not even home yet.”
“But what if everyone runs out of candy before I get there?”
“They won’t.” I gave Anna a hug, which she endured impatiently, and then I watched as she trotted off to admire the cookies she’d decorated that afternoon at school.
What I wanted, really, was to hug her tight and never let go. To build a cocoon where the world was forever safe and happy. What I wanted was to wipe from my mind the layers of sorrow that had built over the past few weeks.
When Michael arrived home not long after I gave him the heartfelt hug I’d longed to give Anna. I nestled against his chest and took comfort in the familiar curves and textures of his embrace.
“You’d think I’d be happy to have these murders solved,” I told him. “Instead, I feel sad and empty, like there’s a gray cloud over everything.”
He stroked the back of my head. “I know, sweetheart. But it isn’t often that life wraps up the way we want it to.”
“But the way it turned out is awful. I feel so sorry for Yvonne and Steve.”
He nodded. “It has to be devastating.”
Yesterday I’d stopped by Yvonne’s to drop off a meal and see if there was anything I could do. It was a brief, uncomfortable visit, weighted with tears and a stiff formality. Skye would live, Yvonne informed me. She was under suicide watch in a locked facility. What would happen beyond that, was anyone’s guess.
She’d thanked me for reaching Skye in time. And she didn’t blame me, she said, for uncovering the truth. But she’d rather I didn’t visit again. Not for a while anyway. It was simply too painful.
“I hear that Steve Burton is really beside himself,”
Michael said, tossing his jacket on the living room sofa. “His daughter, dead. His stepdaughter, a killer. His gun, the murder weapon. And as I understand it, rivalry over his affections was what was at the heart of it all.”
We moved into the kitchen. “You found the gun?” I asked.
Michael nodded. “When Skye read Susie Sullivan’s article and realized the police weren’t convinced it was a serial killer, she panicked. She figured that if we were looking into Julie’s recent activities, we’d eventually discover her relationship to Steve. And she knew that if we searched their house, we’d find the gun. But she couldn’t just get rid of it or Steve would notice. So she staged the burglary. The problem was, she hadn’t yet had time to dispose of it.”
I was still having trouble believing Skye had committed murder. Not only committed, but planned it. “Did you talk to her today? How is she?”
“Like the walking dead. It’s as though she’s withdrawn from the world. It may be the medicine they have her on. Or maybe she’s finally faced up to what she did. I talked to the doctor briefly. He says it’s too early to tell what her mental state really is.”
“But she admitted killing Julie?”
Another nod. “She was behind the doll shoes and lock of hair Libby got, as well.”
“What about the skeleton in our mailbox?” I asked. “That, too.”
I took the glass of wine Michael had poured. “But why? What did she have against Libby?”
“It wasn’t Libby. Skye wanted us, the detectives on the case, to stay focused on the idea of a serial killer. She thought it would help cover her tracks.”
“You mean if you were looking for a serial killer, you wouldn’t look at anyone who was a friend?”
“Right. Skye didn’t even know Cindy Purcell. But the case was big news. Skye saw it as an opportunity. One she seized and ran with. She was in a good position to do so. Skye knew things about the case that weren’t public, like the skeleton found by the body and the painted toenails.”
“How?” I asked. And then my heart sank. “Was it something I said?”
“It might have been. Or Libby. But Steve Burton also knew the details of the case. He has close des with the DA’s office, and he was the judge who issued the first search warrant on the case. Besides, we hadn’t necessarily tried to keep the information confidential.”
I felt the wash of guilt anyway. I dropped down into the chair nearest the counter. “Me and my big mouth.”
“Kate, don’t go around beating yourself up over it. You were the one who figured it out, after all.”
His words were kind, but I took little comfort. The whole situation left me with an odd assortment of emotions, none of them pleasant.
“About the only people who might conceivably feel good about any of this,” I said, “are the Shepherds. Julie’s killer has been found, they’re no longer burdened with her presence, and they’ve come out well financially.”
“Not so,” Michael said. “At least the financial part. I think Walton Shepherd was probably skimming off some of Julie’s trust money while she was alive, which is how he hoped to finance his gun shop. But now that she’s dead, the money goes to charity. That’s why he pulled out of the deal.”
Our conversation was cut short because Libby and Brian came in just then. Both had black noses, painted whiskers, floppy felt ears, and tails.
“Hi, Kate,” Libby said, dragging an obviously reluctant Brian. “You think Max would mind if we borrowed a few of his dog bones?”
“I feel like a fool,” Brian grumbled.
“Well, you look like a dog. Sort of.” Libby adjusted one of his furry brown ears. “It would have been better if you’d agreed to be the hind end. We’d look more like a dog in tandem.”
“Not better for me.”
It was nice to see Libby in a lighthearted mood for a change. It had been a difficult couple of weeks. And Skye’s guilt had hit her almost as hard as Julie’s death.
“Well, we can’t take Anna out if we’re not in the spirit of things,” she said. “It isn’t fair.”
At that moment, Anna appeared.
After a moment’s silence, Michael and I spoke in unison. “What are you supposed to be?”
“Can’t you tell?” she asked with an air that was definitely regal.
But a princess she was not. Not in my book, anyway.
Anna was wearing the gold taffeta dress Faye had made, along with the black cape and a wicked looking set of vampire teeth. Her mouth was bright pink, her hair dripped silver glitter, and she had a tattoo (one of Libby’s press-on ones, I hoped) on her cheek. On her feet she wore a pair of black high-top sneakers, and around her neck, Max’s studded dog collar.
She beamed pleasure.
I swallowed. “A vampire princess,” I said at last, hoping my tone sounded more blithe than critical. My daughter looked as though she belonged on the album cover of a punk rock band.
“The Princess Vampire,” Anna corrected. “There’s a difference.” She looked to Libby. “Right?”
Libby nodded solemnly. “Absolutely.”
“Well, I guess we’d better get a picture for Grandma,” I said. Although I wasn’t at all sure I’d have the nerve to send it.
“She wanted to wear both the dress and the cape,” Libby explained when Anna went to get her candy bag.
“Did she need all the other stuff as well?”
Libby crossed her arms. “She didn’t want to be a plain old vampire princess.”
“What do you mean ‘a plain old—’ ”
“Especially,” Libby added, “since you’d been the one to suggest it.”
When they’d gone, Michael shook his head and burst out laughing. “The funny thing is, she looked cute as a button in that getup.”
“Maybe she’s on t
o something. Princess and vampire. The yin and yang of life. It’s the balance that’s essential.”
“Do you think Faye will understand?”
“She just might. Speaking of which, we got a nice note from her.”
“We?”
“I think you really wowed her with your charm.”
“Hey, I’m a charming guy.”
I wrapped my arms around him. “Yes,” I said, “you are.”
About the Author
Jonnie Jacobs is the bestselling author of thirteen mystery and suspense novels, including the most recently released Paradise Falls. A former practicing attorney and the mother of two grown sons, she lives in northern California with her husband. Email her at [email protected] or visit her on the web at http://www.jonniejacobs.com.
Books by Jonnie Jacobs
Kali O'Brien Novels of Legal Suspense (in order)
SHADOW OF DOUBT
EVIDENCE OF GUILT
MOTION TO DISMISS
WITNESS FOR THE DEFENSE
COLD JUSTICE
INTENT TO HARM
THE NEXT VICTIM
The Kate Austen Mysteries (in order)
MURDER AMONG NEIGHBORS
MURDER AMONG FRIENDS
MURDER AMONG US
MURDER AMONG STRANGERS
Non-series books
THE ONLY SUSPECT
PARADISE FALLS
Murder Among Us (A Kate Austen Mystery) Page 27
