by Noelle Hart
He remained silent, sensing there was something he didn't want to hear coming.
Her stomach rolled a little. She was sick with what she needed to say next. “Here's what's happening. I'm cutting the cord Delaney. At least until Drew is out of the picture one way or another. You're off the hook. No more babysitting me.”
Incredulity blossomed. “That's what you think? His voice was even but his eyes sparked with fury. “You're pushing me away because you think my love is temporary? You must think I'm tremendously shallow. Are you the one having second thoughts about loving me, Kylie? Does Hammond's rampage even have anything to do with this decision of yours?”
Kylie's stubborn streak kicked in. “Doesn't matter.” Her voice sounded overly petulant and harsh. “Don't you get it? This way I won't bring more grief into your life while you figure out where you want things to go.”
“Stop.” It was his quietly calm tone that had her clamping her mouth shut. “Don't say that again. Ever. Hammond's got you exactly where he wants you; in doubt, questioning yourself. Questioning me. Possibly a little insane or you wouldn't be saying these ludicrous things right now. Don't let him win. We need to stand together as a solid unit and I won't have it any other way.”
The fury died, replaced by hurt.
“You think by handing me a get-out-of-jail card I'll happily slink off?” he continued. “If ever there comes a time when you truly don't want me in your life, I will walk away no matter how hard it is and never bother you again.” His eyes blazed with the blatant pain she'd inflicted. “But not like this. Kylie, I know you love me, and damn it, I love you like I've never loved anyone other than my son. If we split now you'll be giving Hammond exactly what he wants. It will be his triumph and your... no, our loss. I know what you just said was because you care about me and Max, and not for any other reason.”
A strange mix of emotion infused her. Will was no fool, no game player, a no bullshit guy. He'd cut right to the heart of the matter, seen through her angst, dissected and discarded it just like that.
He wasn't through. “Maybe you think you could protect me by walking away, and maybe you're right. But what about your parents, Jolene, or anybody else on Hammond's sick list? Cripes, he even wanted to kill Dino. Are you going to disown everyone in your life now? It's exactly what he wants, to isolate you and take everything that's good away from you.”
Hearing the logic, the love he spoke of, Kylie shook her head affirmatively, her lashes glistening with the onset of tears.
She blinked them back, crumbling. “Oh God, I'm so fucking confused. I just want this to be over, one way or another.”
He folded her in his arms and she let the floodgates open as he held her in the dim light of the Jeep's cab. “It's times of trouble that test the depth of the love you feel for someone. Whether you stick or come unglued is what measures that depth.” He took a deep breath. “Don't pull that one on me again, okay? I'm not sure my heart can take it. You nearly gave me a coronary just now.”
Between sobs she laughed. “You're a strong guy Will Delaney, in every sense of the word. I'm lucky to have you, and since you're determined to stick like glue, I have a confession for you.”
For that he had to see her face, so he eased her back and wiped away the tears.
“I'm going to do a one eighty and take a page from Jolene's book. She's always known what she's wanted and gone after it full force. Add in the fact that my parents got a dog. They're not putting things off anymore and neither am I. Will, I want to take over your little greenhouse, to move into your house and into your life. All the way. When Jolene and Lyle get married I'll have to move anyway. The rent on our apartment is too steep for me and I don't want another roommate. So that's the deal. I know it sounds like an ultimatum, but I'm a great housekeeper and I can cook when I put my mind to it. Those are my terms. What do you say to that?”
“You want to see how serious I am about you.”
She speared him with a look that fell short of confident.
“Kylie, you're stealing my thunder.” He opened the glove compartment, took out a small box and presented it to her.
A beat as her heart fluttered, then she snapped it open. It was an amethyst set amongst smaller ones on a loop of white gold. Her lips parted but no words came out.
“It's the color of your eyes. I was saving this moment for a more romantic setting but I figure this is the best time, here and now.” He paused and took a deep, steadying breath, and then took the plunge. “Marry me?”
“Oh. Wow.” She couldn't tear her eyes off the spectacular piece.
“I had it the day of our visit to the Esquimalt Lagoon but I figure with everything that's been going on you'd be too muddled to give me a straight answer. What I feel here,” he placed a hand over his heart, “has been strong and steady since day one.”
She looked up at him and smiled radiantly. “Here I was, trying to shove you out of my life and making myself miserable with the mere thought of it. Yes, yes I'll marry you.”
He beamed at her. “Should we make it a double wedding?”
Bemusedly, “If they're game we can shoot for it.”
He took the ring from the box and put it on her finger. “There. Now there's no getting away from me.”
Her relief was staggering. “You know I would have come running back before I made it to the road, right?”
“I do now.”
She leaned in and gave him a smooch worthy of steaming the Jeep's windows.
* * * *
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
For the first time in months, Drew woke up feeling disorientated and, for lack of a better word, normal.
He'd taken a room in a motel in Colwood not far from the Langford diner. The internet had provided a variety of wigs, beards, hats and glasses to hide the jagged red scars slanting across his features. His vanity would have to wait until he could seek out a plastic surgeon.
Unrelenting urges had been assaulting him, an overwhelming need to witness that instant when defiance turned to blatant fear and shock dissolved into a vacant stare, a life force draining away.
Suddenly this morning he found himself perplexed at the mere idea of it, never mind the execution. Logic and reason had switched back on, neurons firing, his thought processes reconnecting dots. He self-analyzed; what had happened in his brain? He'd been happily residing in an emotional void bereft of what society referred to as moral responsibility, with compassion and commonality with his fellow man a joke. Until now.
Was that remorse? For the past few months his entire existence had centered around poignantly violent thoughts and they'd filled him with an intense pleasure. Right now the very idea of performing such an act abhorred him.
Fascinated with what was happening, his mind raced through a maze of puzzling, contradictory thoughts. Lying back on his bed, he stared at the water stained ceiling as he recounted the events since he'd found out that Kylie was pregnant. He had to ask himself, had he subconsciously wanted to get her pregnant so she'd provide an anchor that would stabilize him and prevent him from acting out the enticing fantasies that plagued him?
This clarity was frightening with its epiphany-like insight as he now grappled with a new emotion, one that startled him immensely. Shame. Deep and treacherous.
A crystal clear realization came to him. He was the one who should die. It was the only way to stop this thing inside him.
But even as the shame infused him, his eyes glimmered and his thoughts wavered and waned. Confusion stumbled inside his head and the darkness crept in. Running a video clip in his mind he recalled details of his exploits, vivid and real. The abject thrill he'd received when letting himself go.
The shame subsided. Pride rushed back in to fill the gap.
He had risen above. No dull, predictable life for him. His was a path of self fulfillment, the kind most people were either too afraid or too brainwashed to ever achieve. He'd taken the road less traveled to a whole new level, and his once again gleefully stri
cken mind rejoiced.
His eyes rolled back in his head as an obsessive vision stained his mind red. Kylie Lambert had started all this. She would pay.
After that there would be more, because his appetite had become unerringly voracious. Visions of torture and control infused him with a sublime power that made all traces of sanity pulsate, then fade into a dim past.
*
Frank Barrymore lay in his hospital bed and squeezed Kylie's hand reassuringly. “Please stop looking at me like that,” he told her. “I'll be as good as new, maybe even better once I heal.”
Lydia came in looking pleased to see Kylie. She enfolded Kylie in a hug, then picked up her husband's chart and quickly perused it.
She regarded Kylie's anxious expression. “Sweetie, it was good of you to come. Frank's doing fine, no need for worry.”
Kylie shook her head. “You're being magnanimous. I brought this into your home. Detective Crane had no right to ask you to be in on the charade. You did the right thing telling Drew the truth.”
“He's a lost man, Kylie. His mind isn't right. Schizophrenia is my guess, or some branch off it. However, I'm no psychiatrist. Whatever it is, he needs to be institutionalized.”
“One with thick bars,” came Frank's indignant murmur from the bed. He scratched at the gauze circling his head and covering his newly attached ear. “Damn, this itches. How long do I need to wear it?”
Lydia patted his hand. “As long as Dr. Wright says you do.”
Frank rolled his eyes and winked at Kylie. “You doctors are such control freaks.”
“Don't listen to him, he's on some very strong meds right now,” said Lydia, amused.
Watching them, Kylie saw the affection that passed between them and hoped she and Will would retain it likewise in the years to come. She knew she was going to do her best to make that happen. To have someone at your side, loving you through thick and thin; it was the ultimate prize in life. Will had proven to her he felt the same way several times already.
“I'm glad you're both here,” said Kylie, “because I have an invitation to give you.” She pulled out an embossed envelope from her purse and handed it to Lydia. “It's for the grand opening at the Langford Diner in November. It's going to be a night to remember. A huge bash with all the bells and whistles. Can you come?”
She perused the boldly festive invitation and grinned. “We wouldn't miss it for anything,” she declared, and with the meds in full force, Frank giddily agreed.
*
Hallowe'en was coming up fast and every year Lyle made his special homemade cranberry and hazelnut chocolates to hand out at the diner's door. This year he put Jolene and Kylie to work wrapping the sweets in colorful orange and black foil.
Kylie realized this was yet another ruse to keep her from brooding. When she wasn't here she was enlisted to go to the dog park with the pack: Oreo, Dino and Cookie.
Dino had coaxed Cookie out of her shell, teaching her how to use the dog door at Lyle's and how to remain unobtrusive during restaurant hours. At night she cuddled with him and it wasn't long before she was running and jumping and barking just like a dog should.
Kylie tossed another wrapped chocolate into the bowl. “Why hasn't Drew made a move?” she asked Jolene.
“Who can guess the inner workings of his sick mind? Detective Crane released his picture to the press so his face has been in all the papers. My guess is he's hiding out 'til things cool down. All the more reason for all of us to be cautious.”
“He's sucking the joy out of my life. I have so much to be happy about but it's all covered with a layer of dread and anxiety.”
“Still having nightmares?”
“Nightmares, day-mares. My nerves are so shot, I'm jumping at my own reflection in the mirror. Lucky for me Will's great at comfort sex, but I'd happily exchange it for just plain old I want you right now sex.”
“Walking on eggshells is never fun. Just keep this in mind: you've got a good soul, and that puts you worlds above that creep and he knows it.”
“I'm not so sure. I think he feels omnipotent.”
“Yeah, maybe. But if that's true, then that very thing might be his downfall.”
*
Will pulled off his reading glasses and rose to shake Al Saunder's hand. He'd been pouring over the Langford Diner's blueprints to check on an electrical issue.
“Hey, Al. Listen, I think I found the anomaly. Take a look at these breaker switches. Aren't they supposed to be...”
“Uh, Will,” Al interrupted, and for the first time Will took note of the anxiety pinching Al's features. “Speaking of anomalies, I think I saw him.”
“Him? Who?”
Then it dawned.
“Hammond?” Will looked around wildly. “Is he here?”
“Not here. In the lineup for coffee at that joint off the Old Island Highway. The guy in front of me had on a wig, and when he turned his head I saw the scars you told me about. It was him, Will. You should tip off that Detective.”
Will weighed his options. He should call Crane. Or should he? If Crane's troops swarmed the Colwood area, Hammond might see them coming and escape before they could flush him out. Hell, maybe Hammond had only stopped for coffee and wasn't in the area at all.
“What happened then?” he ask Al.
“He bought a coffee, headed out and crossed the street. A bus blocked my view and I lost sight of him. Either he got on the bus or went into another establishment.”
“Are there any motels nearby?”
Al scratched his chin, thinking. “Yeah. The Starry, Starry Night, and the Sweet Dreams Inn.”
“Listen Al, I need you to take care of this electrical problem asap, okay?” He shoved the blueprints into Al's arms and strode off.
“Wait!” cried Al. “You're not gonna do anything stupid, are you?”
Will turned around, walking backward. “Do I look stupid?” he yelled back, then turned around and practically ran out the front door.
“No,” Al mumbled, “but you sure do look pissed, and that can make a person stupid.”
*
Will sat in his Jeep in the coffee shop parking lot and realized his vehicle was a dead giveaway in terms of surveillance. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. Maybe he was being stupid to think he could apprehend Hammond single-handed.
He'd rushed out of the diner with only one thought, to end Hammond's reign of terror once and for all. He and Kylie were getting married - and the thought warmed him for a moment – as were Jolene and Lyle. A double wedding in early December, a major event that should have them all floating in the stratosphere. Instead, they were all pretending this Hammond thing wasn't hovering over them like a black cloud.
He had a lot on his mind. Wedding aside, there was the Langford Diner's grand opening, and then they had to smooth out all the inevitable snags of operating the restaurant in tandem with the Village Diner. He'd already held several training sessions for his new staff and felt fairly confident he'd hired the right people. Okay, so a few were rough around the edges, but that was par for the course in any operation.
He was taking on a lot all at once. Kim had said as much just that morning, suggesting he might be better off getting married a little further down the road. But that was one thing he refused to budge on.
Sitting here holding a one-person debate wasn't going to make Hammond suddenly crawl out of the woodwork. Since he was here he'd go in and use the washroom, then get on the phone and call Crane.
Inside, the aromatic smell of coffee and sugary sweets enticed but Will made a bee-line straight to the washroom. Standing at the urinal, the door opened and someone came in. Will glanced over his shoulder and saw a cap with an indistinct logo and shaggy hair sprouting out front and back. Long, stringy bangs obscured his face.
Zipping, Will stepped aside to let him use the single urinal.
And then froze as their eyes met in the mirror above the sink.
Bristles hid most of his scars, but Will would
never forget those eyes with their manic gleam. Drew Hammond stared back at him, and for an instant, neither moved.
A shiny straight razor appeared in Hammond's hand. He swung it upward, going for the throat. Will jerked his body backward, bashing his kidneys into the metal urinal. Pain blossomed, but Will's mind was otherwise occupied.
“You stand out like a sore thumb in that Jeep, Delaney,” Hammond snarled. “Couldn't resist paying you a little visit 'cuz...”
Will used the tiny window of Hammond's speech to his advantage and charged, using his full weight to throw him off balance. He grasped Hammond's wrist and smashed it into the wall, and heard with satisfaction the razor clatter to the floor.
Clearly Hammond's sanity was degenerating. Why else would he risk such a public display of violence? Was he running on some kind of crazed adrenaline that was obliterating common sense?
Held in Will's iron grip, Hammond spit at him, “You think you can take what's mine? You think you can overpower me? I'm invincible, motherfucker!” He brought up his knee and rammed it into Will's groin.
Will buckled and actually saw stars, and for a split second marveled at how that old adage was true.
Someone came into the washroom, took in the scenario of Will on his knees and the razor on the floor. He yelled at full volume, “What's going on here?”
Drew Hammond ran. He shoved past the man and scrambled through the lineup at the counter and out the door into the street.
By the time Will had recovered enough to stand up, Hammond was long gone.
