There I was on the bed. He was standing there above me, watching my bleeding body with a little self-satisfied smile on his face. Then he turned around and sat on the bed. I knew what was coming . . .
I fast-forwarded to the moment when I got up and lunged at him. The next part was how I remembered it except for the expression on my bloodied face. I looked like a murderer. If anyone saw this tape—especially if they didn’t see the first part—they would never believe it was self-defense.
I heard Jed’s car start, then park in the ditch in front of the bushes. I closed the screen and popped the tape out. There was no way I was letting Jed or anyone else near this thing. I replaced it with a loose tape from the bag.
He walked back around the bushes as I pocketed the tape. He had a small container of lighter fluid and squirted a generous amount into the hole before striking a match and lighting the hole on fire.
I considered tossing the tape in, but I knew Jed wouldn’t be happy about it. Besides, I didn’t think the fire would be big enough to destroy it. And I wanted that sucker good and destroyed.
“I can carry the body to the car,” Jed said. “Do you want to start shoveling the dirt back in?”
“Yeah. Then what?”
“Then we rebury him.”
Chapter 23
After we left the site as undisturbed as possible, Jed drove us back to the motel and pulled into the parking lot. He got out his phone and checked it again, then put it back in his pocket.
“Who keeps calling you?” I asked.
“Skeeter.”
My eyes widened. “Don’t you need to answer it? If he’s calling after midnight, it’s probably important.”
“He’s probably drunk off his ass and calling to chew me out. I’m not dealing with it now.”
“But—”
“I need to take care of this mess first. I want you to wait here in our room while I take care of the body.” I opened my mouth to protest, but he shook his head with a firm look. “I let you be part of digging up the body because you needed to do it, but I need you to trust me to take care of this. I can do it a lot faster and more efficiently if I’m not worrying about you, although I hope to God Carla didn’t tell Branson where we’re staying.” He held up his hand to stop my forthcoming protest. “But while I wish you hadn’t told her, I understand why you did.”
“She won’t tell him, Jed. And even if she does, he’ll never know what room we’re in.”
“We found Stella,” he said in a sardonic tone. “And we didn’t know which apartment she was in.”
I clenched my fists. “If Branson Desoto shows up at my door, you’ll have to bury two bodies.”
He gave me a smug look—not happy exactly, but bordering on pleased.
Crap. I could have used Branson as an excuse to go with Jed. While I didn’t really want to go with him, it didn’t feel right to let him take care of the body for me. I had no idea why he was putting himself at such risk, but the least I could do was let him set the rules.
“I trust you, Jed. You wouldn’t be here with me if I didn’t trust you.”
He looked relieved. “If Branson shows up at your door, call 911, but shoot to kill if he finds his way into the room. Got it?”
“But . . . the police?”
“He can’t hurt you now, Neely Kate. There’s no body, and he would never want to tie himself to the crime anyway. At least not so directly. But if you’re going to shoot him, make sure you call the police first; it helps prove self-defense. And if it comes to pulling the trigger, shoot to kill.”
“Jed . . .”
He leaned over and gave me a quick kiss. “Why don’t you get some sleep while you wait for me? But be sure to put the chain on the door and keep the gun by the bed. When I come back, we’ll get a few hours of sleep before leaving. We can head to Colorado first thing in the morning. Sound good?”
“Yeah.” Could my nightmare really almost be over?
“Good. The sooner we get out of Ardmore, the better.” He glanced up at our room. “Call me at any sign of trouble.”
“Okay.” But I didn’t get out of the car. “Are you burying the bag too?”
“No. I still need to go through it, but I won’t be leaving it with the body.”
I got out of the car, and he waited until I got inside the room. I fastened the dead bolt and then stood at the window and watched him drive away, wondering where he planned to go. Was it better not to know?
I dropped the curtain and took a long shower, washing my hair even though I wasn’t supposed to get my stitches wet. I felt like I was covered in dirt and guilt, and I needed to get every part of me clean. When I got out, I dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of loose shorts and got into bed. According to the clock on the nightstand, it was after two in the morning, but I was sure I’d never get to sleep. I kept reliving that night five years ago over and over in my head, seeing Pearce Manchester’s face as he turned around to look at me in disbelief as I strangled him.
For some reason, knowing his name made his murder more real, yet I asked myself if he’d bothered to learn my name. He’d called me plenty of other names, and Neely Kate hadn’t been one of them. He had deserved every bit of what he’d gotten.
So why did I still feel so dirty?
I must have finally drifted off, because the next sound I heard was a rap at the door and my phone ringing next to my head. I bolted upright, sure Branson had found me. Before I could grab my gun, I registered that Jed’s name was on the screen of my phone. The call ended as I got up, but there was no need to answer anyway. A few steps brought me to the door, and I could see Jed’s face through the peephole.
When I opened the door, he looked exhausted and reeked of a bonfire.
“Why do you smell smoky?” I asked as I let him in.
“I decided it wasn’t enough to bury him somewhere different. I burned the body, along with his clothes and the sheets. No DNA evidence to trace you to him should he ever get discovered.” He looked into my eyes. “You’re safe, Neely Kate. Branson definitely can’t hurt you anymore.”
“He still might try.”
“But he has no evidence. You’re free.”
So why didn’t I feel free? I wrapped my arms around his waist and hugged him. “Thank you.”
He kissed the top of my head. “I’m going to shower, then climb in bed. How are you doing?”
“Fine.” Or as fine as I could be given everything, and I had no doubt that was because of the man turning on the water in the bathroom. I had no idea how I would have done this without him.
I went back to bed, dozing again, but I roused when Jed climbed in beside me. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled my back to his chest. I could tell he was only wearing his briefs, but part of me was too tired to care.
“Thank you,” I murmured. “For everything.”
He didn’t answer, just held me close.
I drifted off to sleep again, but I woke several hours later. Pale sunlight peeked through the slightly parted curtains. My phone was vibrating with a call, and I checked the screen, surprised by an Arkansas number I didn’t recognize. Who was calling me at six in the morning?
I slid out of bed and went into the bathroom and answered with a whispered, “Hello?”
“Neely Kate.”
I froze when I recognized Skeeter’s voice. “Oh, my God,” I said, breathless. “Is Rose okay?”
“How the hell would I know?” he grumped. “And why the hell would I care?”
I considered telling him what an idiot he was, but that seemed like a bad idea. “What do you want, Skeeter?” But I was pretty sure I had an idea.
“Put Jed on the phone. Now.”
I poked my head out of the bathroom and checked on the man still sleeping in our hotel bed. He looked as peaceful as could be after our night of hell. There was no way I was going to wake him to deal with Skeeter’s crankiness. I snatched the room key from the bathroom counter, stalked out of the room onto the walkway outside, an
d stared down the ice machine at the end of the sidewalk as if it had become Skeeter Malcolm.
“Neely Kate!” Skeeter barked.
“I’m not your employee!” I said in a harsh tone. “I don’t take orders from you.”
“Just put Jed on the damn phone.”
“I don’t want to get in the middle of this, but maybe you should stop treating him like crap.”
“What?”
“He’s been loyal to you for a long time, Skeeter. Maybe you need to start treating him more like a partner and not an employee.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded.
“Maybe you need to ask yourself that question.”
“I don’t have time for nonsense. I need Jed to get his ass home now. We’ve got trouble.”
“When don’t you have trouble?” I asked, turning to face the parking lot. I gasped when I saw the man standing at the bottom of the stairs. “Oh, my God.” I started to drown in my fear.
“Neely Kate?” Skeeter’s tone changed from demanding to concerned. But I was too busy staring at another nightmare from my past.
“Where’s my hello, Neely Kate?” Branson asked, his arms held wide. An arrogant look covered his face as he started climbing up the steps. He thought I still belonged to him—it was written all over his face.
I backed my butt up to the motel room door and dropped my phone onto the walkway. “How did you find me?”
He ignored my question. “Working your way up in the world on your back, I see.”
“Get the hell away from me, Branson.”
“Now is that any way to greet your old boyfriend?”
I needed to get inside, but I didn’t dare turn my back to him, not even for the quick second it would take to insert the plastic card into the slot. “I’m warning you to leave me alone.”
“Or what?” he asked with a bitter laugh. “Will you kill me too?”
He was on the top step now, and all I could think was that I was never going to let that man touch me again.
“Maybe I will, Branson.”
Laughing like I’d just said the funniest thing ever, he snaked out a hand to grab me.
Instinct took over. I punched him in the throat with the heel of my hand just like Witt had taught me, quickly followed with a heel kick to his groin. Shock filled his eyes as he fell backward in what seemed like slow motion, tumbling down the stairs to the first landing.
I descended several steps after him. “Get up.”
He lay on his side, gasping for breath, but hate filled his eyes.
“How does that feel?” I shouted. “Do you like having your keister kicked by a girl?” I sneered.
“You’re crazy,” he said in a raspy voice as he lifted his hand to his throat.
“I was sure crazy to ever think you were worth my time, but I’m sane now, so let me make this perfectly clear, you son of a bitch,” I said in a harsh tone as I stared down at him. “You have no power over me anymore.”
He reached for my leg, but I stomped on his hand and followed up with a hard heel kick to his nose, flinging his head into the metal railing. Blood began to pour out of his nostrils.
“Who came around asking about me?” I asked.
He covered his nose with his hand and pure fear filled his eyes.
“You heard the lady’s question,” Jed said in a deadly voice behind me. “Answer her.”
Jed? He stood next to me in his jeans and no shirt.
“A woman,” Branson said in a hate-filled tone. “She came before Christmas. She said you’d screwed her over and she was looking for something to hold over your head. So I told her to ask you about the azaleas.”
“And what did you tell her about the azaleas?” Jed asked.
“Nothing.”
“Try again,” Jed grumbled.
“I swear!”
Jed took a step in front of me. “Too bad I don’t believe you. Maybe I should shoot out your kneecaps to show you how serious I am.”
“Fine! I’ll tell you!” Branson said in a panic. “I told her you buried something that was mine, but I didn’t tell her what.” Hatred filled his eyes. “I want my money, Neely Kate!”
“Your money?” I asked in disgust. “Are you kidding me?”
“I gave him what he wanted—drugs and you—but he refused to pay me until he was done. Now I want my money.”
Jed tensed beside me. “Get up, you worthless piece of shit. You want what’s coming to you?”
Branson didn’t have the good sense to realize Jed probably wasn’t referring to the ten thousand dollars. As soon as he got to his feet, Jed punched him in the face, then whipped out his gun and held the tip under Branson’s chin. “Let’s make something clear: Your claim on Neely Kate is over. From this moment forward, don’t try to talk to her. Don’t contact her. Don’t try to find her. Don’t even think about her. If I ever see your face again, I’ll shoot you first, then ask your cold dead body whatever questions I have. Got it?”
Branson looked furious, but he spat out, “Fine.”
Jed grabbed a handful of his shirt and hauled him to his feet. “You’re lucky I don’t kill you now. But your luck is about to run out. So. Go.”
Jed shoved him so hard Branson stumbled down the stairs. We stood there watching as he got into his car and pulled out of the parking lot.
As soon as he was gone, Jed turned to me. “Time to leave.”
Sure enough, a few people had gathered to watch. Jed had put his gun away, but the last thing we needed was to talk to the police. Thankfully, the small crowd of five or six all seemed to lose interest as soon as we turned back toward our room, but one middle-aged woman lifted her fist and said, “Good job! Show ’em we don’t take shit from men, honey!”
Jed ignored her as he squatted to pick up my phone, then followed me into the room.
“How did you know Branson was here?” I asked as soon as he shut the door. I could tell he was pissed.
“I heard you. What in the hell were you thinking going outside?”
“Skeeter called me.”
“What?”
“I didn’t want to disturb you, so I went outside.” I caught his eye. “He says he needs to talk to you. There’s trouble back home.”
His jaw clenched tight. “There’s always trouble back home.”
“That’s what I said.” I started to walk around him, but he wrapped me up in his arms and pulled me close. I tried to ignore the fact that my cheek was pressed against his bare solid chest.
“You scared the shit out of me, Neely Kate.”
“I had it handled, Jed.”
His arms tightened. “I know you did, and I had no right to take over, but I wanted to kill that guy something fierce, and I hoped punching him would help.”
“Did it?”
“Not nearly enough. We need to leave now.”
I grabbed my few toiletries out of the bathroom and stuffed them into my duffel bag. Jed was already packed and sitting on the bed, staring at his phone.
I sat next to him. “Call him.”
He looked at me with conflict in his eyes. “If I call him, it will be the same old shit, Neely Kate. And no Colorado.”
“He claims it’s important, so maybe you should hear him out.”
He looked dubious, but he placed the call and stepped outside.
While he was gone, I looked at my own phone and realized I’d missed a text from Carla telling me she thought Branson had overheard her telling her boyfriend about Motel 6 and to be careful.
Too late for that warning.
But it made me think of Rose. I knew I needed to call and tell her everything was okay and that I would be home soon, but I couldn’t do it. She’d be full of questions, which I understood. I would be too if the situation were reversed, but I had no idea how to answer her. So I took the chicken way out and texted instead.
I’m safe. We’ll talk later.
She responded within seconds, even though it wasn’t even six thirty
yet.
I love you. See you soon.
A minute later, Jed came back in, looking like he wanted to punch someone again.
“What happened?” I asked as I climbed off the bed.
“I have to go back.”
I moved in front of him and put my hands on his chest. “Do you want to go back?”
He stared at me with a blank expression. “It doesn’t matter what I want.”
“Yes, it does, Jed. If you don’t want to work for Skeeter, you can do something else. We’ll figure it out, then go back and deal with it together. Next week.”
He shook his head with a sad look in his eyes. “No, Neely Kate. We have to head back now.”
“Why?”
“That wasn’t a call from my old boss. It was a call from my friend. Scooter’s missing.”
“What?” Skeeter’s younger brother wasn’t the brightest of men, but he had a sweet disposition and was loved by a lot of people. From what I’d heard, Skeeter tried to keep his brother out of the crime world. “What happened?”
He ran a hand over his head. “I don’t know, but I need to get back and help look for him.”
I put my hand on his arm. “You don’t have to help, Jed.”
“I do. Scooter is like family.”
While I understood why he’d made that decision, it still ticked me off. For the first time in my life, I felt like fate had finally taken my side, just to snatch away my happiness again. “So you’re just gonna go back to workin’ for Skeeter just like that?” I snapped my fingers.
“No. It’s not like that, Neely Kate. I’m not going back to be Skeeter’s right-hand man. I’m going back to help find Scooter.”
I put my hands on my hips and glared up at him. “You really believe that?”
He didn’t answer.
We grabbed our bags and headed down to Jed’s car, tossing our bags into the back seat. After Jed checked out, we stopped at a gas station to fill up the car and get some donuts and coffee. We were several miles down the highway before I said, “I’m sorry.”
He turned to me in surprise. “What in the hell do you have to be sorry for?”
Trailer Trash (Neely Kate Mystery Book 1) Page 20
