“Mom left a couple of your boxes. They’re in the basement.”
Nick found the cardboard box right away. His mom had been good at labeling everything. He brushed off the top and started sifting through old jerseys, varsity letters, report cards, even a manila folder of pictures he didn’t bother opening. More photos of him and Kylie. Memories he didn’t need roused at the moment.
Four stacked yearbooks filled the bottom of the box. He pulled out the one from his senior year. Turning to the index, he quickly scanned the page, stopping at senior class photo. He flipped to page eighty-three. On the top half of the page, a black-and-white picture featured over a hundred and fifty senior students huddled together for a senior class shot. It had been taken the first day of the second semester.
Nick skimmed over the faces, pausing on Kylie. Her smile lit up the page. He took a deep breath and moved along, stopping again when he came to Conrad. A full-toothed grin creased his face. He looked so happy. So much alive. Nick closed his eyes and pictured Conrad sprawled across the deck, lying in blood, a slit across his neck.
A wave of nausea rolled over him. He pulled in a steady breath and moved along, down the rows of smiling faces. When he got to the last picture, he shook his head in relief. Pruitt wasn’t among them.
Now more than ever he believed that Pruitt wasn’t the stalker or the killer.
* * *
“Hey. Nice flowers.”
The deep baritone voice coming from directly behind her blasted through Kylie’s nervous system like a bullet. Gripping the spade she’d been digging with, she jumped up and whirled around to find Nick with his hands in his pockets and glaring at her.
“Nick, I asked you to not to sneak up on me like that.”
“Sorry. I thought you would have heard me walking up the driveway.” He smiled at her, his tone pleasant and not at all threatening. Well, except for the fact that he was dangerously attractive. A hazard to her well-being. Especially since it had taken the past week to finally get him out of her head.
She dropped the spade and pulled earbuds from her ears, leaving them to dangle at her neck.
He lifted a dark brow at her. “That explains why you didn’t hear me. I purposely tried to put a little punch in my step.”
“I appreciate that. But the music drowns out the distant noise.” And helped keep her thoughts clear and not focused on one certain old boyfriend.
“That could cost you.”
The affectionate scolding in his eyes brought a lump to her throat. She shrugged. “You’re right. But on a positive note, my friend Julie has been staying with me every night after she gets off work.”
“That’s better than nothing.” A tentative smile again.
“And everything has been quiet. No phone calls. No hint of a perpetrator.”
He shifted his weight and didn’t respond. But he had that not yet look in his eyes.
She swallowed. Hopefully, Dave wasn’t right about Nick. Immediately she reined that thought in. The only danger Nick posed was to her heart. Which at the moment hammered double time in her chest.
She looked past him and down the driveway. “How’d you get here?”
“Steven’s motorcycle. I bit dust the whole way. No way was I tackling that dirt road.”
She wanted to laugh. But instead she said, “I wish you had called before you came.”
“Why? So you could arrange not to be here?”
Her gaze snapped back to his and those dark eyes seemed to stare right into her heart. He knew what she was thinking. Of course he did.
“I’ve left you several voice mails.”
She shrugged. “I had a lot of work to catch up on. I haven’t had a chance to call you back. I assumed if it was urgent you would have said so in your message.” Forcing her gaze from his, she brushed potting soil from her hands, feigning nonchalance. “So how are you coming with the investigation on Pruitt?”
Hopefully, Nick would get the hint that she didn’t want to explain why she’d been avoiding his calls.
“I’ve learned a few things.”
She pushed hair from her face. “Well, before you drop any bombshells on me, would you like something to drink?”
Eyebrows lifted, he nodded. “Actually, I would. It’s quite a hike up that hill from the highway. I wouldn’t mind something cold.”
“Okay.” She gestured to the white wooden rocking chairs on the porch. “Make yourself at home. I’ll be back in a moment.”
She headed into the house and Nick trailed in behind her. She’d expected him to wait on the porch; apparently he hadn’t taken the hint.
Leaving him in the family room, she strode into the kitchen. She fetched two glasses from the cabinet and filled them with iced tea.
“The view is really nice, just like I remember.” His voice carried in from the other room.
Kylie added three teaspoons of sugar to one glass. The way Nick liked his. She gave a quick stir and then walked into the family room. Nick’s back was to her. He was staring out the large picture window at the mountain range in the distance.
“It is beautiful. That’s why I love it here.”
He turned around and crossed his arms, his sturdy frame draped against the window ledge. “And why you love Asheville?”
She gave a slight shrug. “Partly. I also love the town. The people. It’s home.”
“What about the memories?” He spoke low, bitterness lacing his tone.
Kylie knew what he was getting at. She breathed a prayer of thanks that the memories that haunted him no longer held her hostage. Sadness would always remain in her heart, along with regret, but Nick had it so much worse than that. Lord, help him, she added.
She took a quick breath. “Memories don’t ever abandon me. No matter where I go, they’re always there.”
“Ah. But they fade. They become minimized in the back of one’s mind. Lost in the distraction of new chaos.” He pushed away from the wall and sauntered toward her, his gaze never leaving hers.
She blinked. “Are the pleasant memories lost along with the painful ones?”
He paused, drew a finger to his lip. “I hadn’t considered that, but I guess the answer would be yes. A casualty that can’t be helped.”
And she was his casualty. Kylie’s throat nearly closed up with emotion. She swallowed it back. “For me the pleasant memories outweigh the bad. I can still enjoy life in Asheville in spite of my mistakes, my losses.”
He closed the space between them, and she handed him his tea.
Nick lifted his glass in a toast. “Here’s to you, Kylie. The strongest woman I know. You make the best of life’s disappointments. See the good in people. What I feel when I look around Asheville is regret and guilt.”
She wanted to shake him, make him understand. He wasn’t responsible for Conrad’s death. She opened her mouth to remind him of that, but he picked up the conversation again.
“My one concern is that when I leave Asheville again, I’ll have an even greater regret.”
“Greater regret?” Kylie echoed, hoping it had something to do with her.
“Yes.” He nodded and as she waited for him to expound on his comment, he lifted his glass and took a long drink.
She stared at him for several nail-biting moments, watching his Adam’s apple bob in his throat. Finally he lowered his near-empty glass, licked his lips. “That was refreshing. Thank you.”
“And you were saying?”
For the next few seconds he didn’t speak, and when he did, his brow furrowed and his lips tensed a bit. “Kylie, I don’t want anything to happen to you. I know you want this stalker business behind you, but your being out here by yourself is a concern to me. A friend coming at night doesn’t protect you enough. I want you safe.”
Okay. Not the revelation she’d hoped for. But the shadow in his eyes told her there was more to this story.
“This is about Todd Pruitt?”
“It’s about you being safe. I’m not sure where Pruitt fits in
to the scheme, but he wasn’t the mastermind. If he was involved, it was with the recent victims. He didn’t attend the senior camp with us. An ex–Delta Force buddy of mine is a private detective and got ahold of his criminal records. It seems Pruitt was in juvenile detention at the time of the senior camping trip.”
“So he wasn’t there when Conrad was killed?”
“No.”
“But Dave said he remembered—”
“Dave was wrong.”
“I don’t understand. Dave seemed so sure.” Kylie’s legs suddenly felt weak. She carried her drink to the closest armchair and sank into it.
“I don’t think Dave tried to lead us astray. It was probably hopeful thinking on his part. Many details of that trip remain vague in my mind.”
Hers also. She swallowed, holding on to a thread of hope and grasping at straws at the same time. “Maybe Conrad’s murder isn’t connected to the others. Maybe Pruitt was a copycat just trying to take credit. Your theory early on.”
Nick shook his head. “That was before I read the recent autopsy reports and compared them to Conrad’s. The cause of death listed for all three victims was strangulation. They all died before their necks were slit.” Then he added, “The blade used in each instance was believed to be a small scalpel. And behind the right ear of each man was a tiny laceration in the shape of an X. It was described like a scratch in Conrad’s report, and has been consistent with the other two victims.”
The last shred of hope that her stalker was dead and gone fizzled and disappeared.
Kylie set down her drink and caved against the cushions. “Are we back to square one?”
Nick hesitated, then nodded. “Pretty much.”
“I don’t know how the police haven’t figured this out. How could they have closed the case so quickly?”
“My guess is that the local detectives were overwhelmed. Pruitt came along, the evidence was there. They stopped looking for clues. Now they’re reopening Conrad’s case, with Pruitt as the main suspect.”
“But Pruitt couldn’t have been involved if he was in juvenile detention at the time of Conrad’s death. Does Dave know about that?”
“Dave hasn’t been very forthcoming with information. And he actually asked me to butt out of the case. His jurisdiction. I understand.”
No. Nick didn’t understand. Kylie swallowed. “Did you know Dave thinks Pruitt had an accomplice?”
Nick’s eyes brightened. “Good. Then he’s not as off track as I thought. That means they’re still digging for clues.”
“Nick.” Kylie scooted to the edge of her seat. “Dave believes you are the accomplice.”
* * *
For a second, Nick gaped, then he started to laugh. “No wonder Dave’s been acting odd.”
It was a truism that the closest person to the victim became a prime suspect. But it shouldn’t take a reasonable detective long to dispute that theory.
“What kind of evidence do they have?”
“You were at the camp when Conrad was killed. More murders started happening when you arrived back in town. You’re a trained soldier and, in his mind, capable of killing.”
Nick nodded. “Contrived guesses, but not evidence.”
“I suppose.”
“And what do you think, Kylie? Do you think I killed Conrad? Or would ever hurt you?”
“Well, this has been such a confusing time.” She ran a hand through her auburn curls and wrinkled her nose. “Everyone has been pointing fingers, suspecting one person or another. For fleeting moments, I suppose I’ve considered every option.” As she circled the question cautiously, Nick’s heart plummeted like a torpedo to the pit of his stomach.
She didn’t trust him. But how could she? He’d abandoned her once. Turned his back on the woman he’d loved.
Nick took a breath. God, I know it’s been a while, but please help me figure this out. I still care about Kylie. Please show me what to do, Lord, to keep her safe. I need Your help.
The revelation that hit Nick almost took his breath away. All these years he’d held on to guilt, trying to heal on his own. Forgive me, Lord. Emotion rose in his chest. He no longer wanted to do life alone.
“Kylie, I know you’re hearing conflicting suspicions from everyone involved in this case, but you need to trust me on this. The serial killer is still out there. He may be lying low now, but he will strike again.”
“Nick, please, let’s not jump too quick. For all we know the killer is back in hiding. He may have caused enough chaos and fear to satisfy his monstrous desires for another ten years.”
“No, Kylie, I’m not going to take that chance. I think you need to come back to my brother’s house. You’ll be safe there until the real culprit is found.”
The look in Kylie’s eyes grew tender. “I appreciate your concern. If the phone calls start again or if I start to feel unsafe, I’ll come hang out at Steven’s house. Until then I just want to get my life back to normal.”
Normal? He didn’t even know what normal was anymore. “I can’t force you to do anything, but I want you to call me with any concern. And please answer when I call. I want to keep up with you.”
She nodded and he smiled. He wasn’t a hundred percent okay with the situation. Progress nonetheless.
* * *
From her front porch, Kylie watched Nick head down the dirt driveway to his motorcycle. She wasn’t surprised by the tightening in her chest, knowing Nick would soon be out of her life forever. Still, her heart was warmed by the fact that he wanted to ensure her safety. If nothing else, she thanked God for that.
EIGHTEEN
For the first time in years, Nick felt as though he had a direction. God had taken hold of his life.
A moment of surrender and all things seemed possible.
Nick picked up the yearbook from his brother’s kitchen table. He needed to focus on two things. First, figure out who Kylie’s stalker was, bring him down and get him convicted. Second, move on with his life. Start fresh. Leave the past in the past.
Daunting? No way. He was up for the challenge.
He opened the yearbook and turned to the photo of their senior class. He knew right where to go—he’d marked the page.
What he was looking for, he wasn’t sure. Still, he scanned the faces, zeroed in on the eyes. Studied each student’s body language, looking for clues. If one was a killer, what would stand out? He blew out a breath and then gave the photo another searching look. Nothing.
Nick set the book on the table, let the cover slam shut.
He was missing something. Something right under his nose.
Scratching his right temple, he went to the refrigerator and grabbed a canned soda. One long swig and the sweet flavor satisfied his taste buds and hopefully cranked up his brain.
Nick sank into a chair at the table and as he drummed his fingers on the wooden arm, he rolled dozens of motives around in his mind, possible perpetrators and umpteen scenarios.
Steven appeared in the doorway. He lifted the walker with ease and stepped into the room.
Nick grinned at his brother. “You’re getting around better.”
“I’m not as stiff as before. It’s definitely getting easier to walk. I can’t wait to ditch this contraption.” He patted the metal frame.
“Shouldn’t be long and you’ll be ready to run marathons.”
“Yeah. I was gearing up for the Timber’s Edge bike marathon when I got hurt. I might start working toward that again.”
Nick tried not cringe, but couldn’t stop himself. “Steven. I’m thinking bikes aren’t your best friend.”
Steven glanced at the cast taking up the space between his left thigh and his ankle. “This is true.”
“There’s always golf.”
“You remember, don’t you?” Steven smiled. “I got hit with three stray balls during a golf outing in middle school.”
“I guess I forgot.” Nick grinned. “There’s swimming. Nah. You could drown doing that.”
�
��You’ve always been the athletic one. And I’ve just been cursed to have all the girls.” Steven shook his head, feigning a sigh.
Unlike Steven, Nick had only cared about one girl. Immediately, he squashed that stray thought and swallowed. “Speaking of women, I’m still at a loss about Kylie’s stalker. Although it has to be someone who went to high school with us.”
“That’s an unnerving thought.” Steven thumped his walker across the floor and lowered himself into a chair by the table.
“Well, there’s not much about this murderer that isn’t unnerving.” Nick opened the yearbook and started poring over the picture again.
“Hey. I almost forgot. The police were by earlier. They had some questions for you.”
Nick snapped his head up and looked at his brother. “They came by to question me?”
A shrug from Steven. “I guess.”
“What did you tell them?”
“I said you were working at the store today and then running errands. That is what you were doing, right?”
“Yeah.” And a little personal business he wouldn’t get into.
“Why? Is there something wrong?”
“Actually, the police consider me a suspect in the murders. They believe Pruitt was involved, but they also think he had an accomplice.”
“What? They think you and Pruitt—” Steven leaned in, his eyes wide.
Nick nodded and started to peruse the faces again. “That’s what I hear.”
“I hope you set them straight.”
“Nope. Haven’t talked to them and don’t plan to.”
“Why, may I ask?”
He looked up, caught Steven’s stare. “They have nothing that could link me to the murders except speculation. But if they’re looking for a scapegoat, I don’t want it to be me. Especially since I haven’t gotten to the bottom of who the real killer is yet.”
Nick straightened in his seat as a notion flashed in his mind like a beam of light. He dug his cell out of his pocket and called Kylie.
She picked right up. “Hey there.”
“Hey there yourself. I just had a thought. The pictures you took when we hiked the mountain that night at camp, do you still have them?”
Smoky Mountain Investigation Page 17
