Killer Honeymoon

by Traci Tyne Hilton

  “What did you do, Miller?” Taylor whispered.

  “I put rubbing alcohol in her water. Okay? I knew it would get her sick. That’s what it does. It didn’t work as fast as I thought it would, but it worked. She was shut up for plenty of time. And I’m not sorry I did it.”

  Coco had her phone out, dialing.

  “Just try to prove it. Even if you get the police here, you can’t prove it. I’ll tell the police I lied. You barfed it all up and I burned the bottle, so what’s there to tell? You’re a stupid bigmouthed whore and you deserved it.”

  The patio door behind them slid open. A tall thin woman with one gray streak through her hair stood with her mouth gaping. “Miller! What are you saying?”

  “Nothing, Mom.”

  “What was the vision, Miller? What were Levi and Amos planning?” Jane asked in her most clinical voice. He was about to bolt, but she needed him to talk.

  He glanced at his mother. “Nothing.”

  “Buddy, what’s going on? What’s the trouble?”

  “No trouble. I swear. Give us a few more minutes.”

  She looked at the crowd.

  Jane smiled, and Miller’s mom relaxed.

  “If everything is okay…” She went inside and slid the door shut.

  “If Levi and Amos were around when Ryder was killed, we need to talk to them. They could help us catch a killer.” Jane went with that version of the potential story and prayed it would convince Miller to talk. “Don’t you know where they are?”

  “Yeah, of course I do. I’m joining them at the end of the month. After payday.”

  “But why haven’t you told anyone where they are?” Taylor’s voice broke in anger.

  “Because it was none of their business. People always hate new and different, and what they were doing, what they were talking about was wild.”

  “Was it about God?” Jane asked.

  “Yeah, about eternity. And life. And family and a better Earth. They had a vision and I believe in it.”

  “Did that vision…” Jane paused, searching for the right words. “Did that vision involve men with plural wives?”

  He clamped his mouth shut.

  “Would you all be forming a new family group?” She borrowed the name of the cult Daisy had escaped from. “One where you could start over, somewhere safe and untouched, and with your wives you could…populate the earth again?”

  Miller blushed.

  Coco laughed, loud. “You want to join a cult that will give you women? Has it come to that?”

  He lunged across the patio and knocked her across the face with the back of his hand. She wavered and fell to the ground with a thud.

  “You are nothing but a dirty trailer-trash tramp, and they would never let a woman like you into the family. I don’t ever want to hear your voice again.”

  Coco slowly propped herself onto her elbow, but she was shaking. Jane went to her.

  “If you hate her so much, why is she here tonight? Did you poison her again?” Taylor pushed him against the wall and held his shirt in her fist. “Did you?”

  “He didn’t,” Coco said. “He sang me songs and talked about dreams.” She spat. It was bloody. “He wanted me to come with him. That’s what he wanted. He wanted to bring me along to be one of his harem of crazy cult women.” She spat again. “Idiot.”

  Jake put a hand on Taylor’s elbow and slowly pulled her off Ryder. “There is a murderer on the loose.” His words were dead cold. “If there weren’t, you’d be in jail for assault already. You need to tell us where Levi and Amos took the girls.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest, but Jake and Taylor kept him from getting away.

  “Jane, call 911.”

  “They’re in the woods. Not far.” Miller growled as he spoke.

  “I want specifics,” Jake said. “A map. An address. Coordinates. In fact, we’re having a sleepover, you and I. Real best buddies. And in the morning you can take me to it yourself.”

  This time Miller spat—in Jake’s face.

  Jake wiped it off with the back of his hand. “That’s okay. I don’t mind.”

  Jane helped Coco up.

  “Jane, why don’t you call the police anyway, for Coco’s sake?”

  Miller started shaking.

  “No.” Coco’s voice came out firm. “It’s not worth it if it means we can’t get my friends. Miller, tell us right now or I am walking inside and telling your mom everything. Including you trying to put your hand up my shirt.”

  The color drained from Miller’s face. “They’re at the old revival camp. It’s south of Dry Creek, back in the woods. Past the clear-cut and past the old mill train tracks. No one goes there anymore. Most people don’t know about it. It’s got some cabins and stuff.” He pulled himself together a little bit. “That’s where they’re going to stay. To make the family, and it’s going to be amazing.”

  “A turkey in every pot and two women in every bed,” Jake muttered. “All right. You and I are going in. I’ll explain myself to your mom. You’d better not say anything at all. Jane, I’m sorry. What a honeymoon, right?”

  “Right.” She shook her head. What on earth had they gotten themselves into?

  “I’ll have the walkie on. If they find them tonight, I’ll call. If they run into trouble, I’ll call 911. I’m not letting Miller out of my sight.”

  “I love you forever.” She blew him a kiss and then turned to Coco. “Are you okay? Do you girls want to come back to my place? Will your parents mind?”

  They shrugged. “Sure, we can come.” Taylor texted someone, but Coco just followed.

  CHAPTER 14

  Jane settled the girls around the living room—her living room—with blankets and tea. “I would love to hear whatever you know about this family group thing. Like, did you really want to leave with them?”

  Coco sipped her tea. “Of course not. But I wanted to know when or if Cherry was coming back. Taylor and whoever else can be as rude to me about it as they want, but they’re right, I’ve always been in love with Eric. It’s always been him. If she was leaving him for good, I had to know.”

  “So you had a scene at the car before they left?”

  “Something like that. It was the day before, but it was one of the last times anyone saw them.”

  “How much did you know at the time?”

  “Nothing, I swear. We were all hanging out. She said she wanted to hit the road with the boys to have an adventure. They all laughed like they had a secret joke. I tried to get them to tell me. Miller was there. He hung around those two a lot.”

  “Polygamists are generally not into having extra men around. Do you think they really wanted him to come?”

  “Hard to say. If he was bringing money, they might have.”

  “He does have a good job at the hardware store,” Taylor added. “But he’s so young, why would they want him to drop out of school?”

  “What’s this revival camp thing?” Jane asked.

  “I’ve never heard of it.” Coco wrapped the blanket around her shoulders.

  “There’s all sorts of stuff up in the woods,” Taylor said. “I think I’ve heard of this one. Back like forty years ago, there were more church camps and stuff around. I remember my grandma talking about travelling preachers coming through and doing revivals. She said she went to one for a week back in the woods, when she was a teenager. I asked once if we could hike to it, but she said it was probably long gone, old wood buildings out in the rain like that.”

  “But it sounds like they aren’t all gone yet.”

  “I guess not, but it sounds awful bleak.”

  “I’m surprised they haven’t started a wildfire.” Coco shivered. It felt like the whole Northwest was on fire, from Alberta to Northern California. The news was nothing but the fires, and some days the smoke rolled all the way to the beach. “There’s a burn ban on.”

  Jane didn’t mention the three fires she’d seen Coco hang around. Considering she’d been thoughtlessly p
articipating in giving minors alcohol, she thought she’d better not start pointing out other people’s sins just now.

  Taylor yawned. “I can’t chase down Cherry with you tomorrow. I’ve got to go to work.”

  Coco stroked her cheek, which was green with the fresh bruise. “So do I.”

  “That’s okay. We’ll have plenty of manpower, I think.” And she prayed it as well. She had no idea how many people were in this family group or what kind of guns they had with them.

  “Girls, before we go to sleep, can we talk about something important?”

  Coco yawned. “I guess.”

  “We’ve talked a bit tonight about making the world a better place, and this cult thing of Levi’s that they think will bring them closer to God. Do you know much about God? Or how to have a relationship with him?”

  Tayler covered another yawn and shrugged. “I’ve been to church before.”

  “Then can I tell you a bit about me and God? The more personal stories?”

  Coco’s eyes were big and vulnerable. She nodded, but didn’t speak.

  Jane settled down and told them the story of how she met Jesus as a little girl, and what having him in her life had done for her as she grew up, and how he had protected her in a world full of murderers—and how, if they wanted to—they could also have that kind of protection and peace in their lives.

  To Jane’s great joy, Coco wanted to.

  Jane saw the girls off the next morning, placing a Bible in Coco’s hand and promising to talk more later. She hadn’t seen it coming, hadn’t really practiced for it and wasn’t sure what to do about it, but she was thrilled. Deep in her bones thrilled, that out of this weirdly dark and frankly disastrous honeymoon, one eternity had been secured. One young life was off on a better foot.

  She called Jake as soon as they were gone. “You will never believe it. Coco accepted Christ.”

  “That’s amazing.” Jake’s voice was froggy.

  “You sound tired.”

  “I forgot that teenage boys are literal pigs.”

  “The sleepover wasn’t any fun?”

  “I tried to talk about God with Miller, but he has it all figured out. He knows he gets to be a priesthood holder in the new family group and that he will be responsible for the eternity of the women he is given—that he will carry his kids into eternity. Have I ever mentioned I hate teenagers?”

  “Can he hear you? Is he there?”

  “He’s here. He can hear me, and I don’t care. He’s taking us to the camp. Call Rocky and Flora and meet us back at his house. I don’t want anything to go wrong.”

  “Did you hear anything from the dads?”

  “They called last night around two. They both took the day off today and are coming with us to the woods.”

  “Good. I’m glad.”

  “The more the merrier, but those priesthood holders had better watch out—there are some big strong daddies who have no intention of letting their daughters get carried away into crazy-eternity.”

  “I am a little afraid this could get ugly,” Jane said.

  “Me too. Josh, you remember the cop? Taylor’s brother-in-law? He and his partner Dave are coming along too. I’ve already spoken with him. This is very, very, very official. All four of those girls are underage, and both Levi and Amos are over twenty-one.”

  “Funny how ‘praise God’ is the first thing that comes to mind.”

  “I know what you mean. I’d rather go in with the law on our side, too.”

  “The girls went to work this morning, but I’ll be right there, and I’ll call Flora and Rocky on my way.”

  “I love you more than words can say, babe. You did an amazing job with this honeymoon murder.”

  “I don’t know that I did anything at all—right time, right place.”

  “You don’t even know. But that’s what I love about you. Get here fast before Miller slips me a roofie.”

  Jane hung up, both overjoyed that things all seemed to be falling into place and disgusted by the idea of Miller and the other young men and their sordid plans.

  Rocky and Flora met Jane and the rest of the search team at Miller’s house.

  Miller’s father stood in the driveway with them. He was a tall man, but not broad. His face was soft, and his eyes large and sad. He chuckled under his breath nervously. “I’m glad we’re going out to the camp, but you know kids. They have such big imaginations.” His voice was deep but very quiet. “I’m sure everyone is just camping and having a good time. No harm done.”

  Emma’s father stepped forward, huge fists clenched.

  Jane put her hand out, but was too far to catch him.

  He stepped, one heavy foot at a time until he was nose to nose with Miller’s dad.

  “Say it again, Gerald.”

  Gerald flinched and stepped back.

  Rocky put himself next to Emma’s dad. “Hold off. Hold off. He might not be wrong. Let’s get to camp first and punish people second.”

  Josh and Dave—the police officers everyone had known forever—hadn’t said much yet.

  “Rocky’s a smart man. Don’t do anything to each other that will slow this down, got it?” Dave said.

  Emma’s dad quivered in anger, his broad shoulders shaking. “Yes, sir. It’s our daughters out there. Finding them is the first priority.” Tears stood in his eyes.

  Miller’s father had his back to the garage door, his arms spread like he was trying to get a grip on it to save himself. “I still think we’re all overreacting. The kids go out camping every year. Right, Miller? It’s not what it looks like.” His voice was just as deep and quiet, but sounded scared.

  “Everyone take one of these.” Jake stepped in to break the tension and passed around the Crawford family walkie-talkies. “We don’t want to get lost out there.”

  “And let’s load up and go.” Rocky directed the searchers into three cars, taking Miller and his father in his.

  They took the highway into the woods, a caravan with Rocky in the lead and Dave and Josh bringing up the rear—one in a regular police car and the other in a van—a move that meant they intended to take home a lot of people.

  They veered off the main road and found themselves on a narrow one-lane logging road, one side a naked clear-cut, the other still forested by towering evergreens. Not old growth, but tall, slim trees casting dark shadows across the road.

  They veered again, but this time onto a wider road Jane hadn’t expected to see. They drove for miles, Jane at the wheel, Flora next to her, and Jake in the back. They drove, following Rocky, mostly in silence.

  The road died out in a clearing sprinkled with young trees, quite possibly the old parking area for the revival camp.

  They stopped and got out. The girls’ fathers stood, feet apart, arms crossed, determined. Gerald, Miller’s father, stood behind them, to the side.

  “We’re going to work our way out from this point like a fan, crossing back and forth, widening the search, and reporting to each other. There may not be an actual camp left up here, so they may be somewhere unexpected. We don’t want to miss them. Jeff”—Dave, the senior officer, indicated Emma’s father—“you, and me and Gerald will take the middle.” He would be keeping an eye on Gerald. Jane appreciated that. “Ken”—this was Rose’s dad—“you, Jane, Jake and Miller take the left.”

  Jane swallowed. She didn’t know if she could keep Ken from killing Miller, but she’d do her best.

  “And Josh, you go with Rocky and Flora to the right.”

  “Aye, aye.” Jake’s voice wasn’t as flippant as it could have been. She squeezed his hand.

  “Use the walkies. Communicate. This won’t take long.”

  With the dim morning light, the deep mist and fog, and the shadows from the thick forest, the woods were something from a horror movie.

  “How did you learn about this place?” Jane whispered to Miller. The silence—or rustling non-silence—of the woods was going to kill her.

  “Dad used to take us h
iking here.”

  “They must have really appreciated you giving them a place to…live.”

  “Yeah. They did.” He said it like a challenge—like he dared her to prove him wrong.

  There seemed to be shadows of old trails through the woods. The memory of where campers used to hike, but then, they were probably just animal trails.

  Ken led the way, holding back tree branches and keeping his feet quiet on the littered forest floor.

  Miller, not so much. The leafy branch of yet another maple whacked Jane in the face. “Could you maybe pay attention?”

  “What?” Miller trudged on, not looking behind him.

  Ken stopped. He pointed forward and to the right. A gigantic Douglas fir with a trunk as wide as a table stood between them and a small cinderblock building with a mossy roof. “Is that it?”

  “Yeah. We’re here.” Miller turned towards the building.

  Ken grabbed his arm. “Not so fast. You’re not going in there and warning them that we’re here.”

  “Let me go around and see if this is where they’ve camped out,” Jane whispered and it seemed to carry all the way back to the beach.

  Ken nodded.

  Jake followed closely behind her.

  Jane stepped gingerly to the tree and then around it, hoping it shielded her from anyone in the encampment.

  The cinderblock building was one of four spread out over a quarter acre or so of semi-cleared land. A line of laundry connected two of them, but the blue jeans that hung from it were still in the dead air.

  A burn pile in the middle of the once-cleared land smoked as though it had just been put out.

  Someone was here, but had Miller led them right? Were these the missing kids? And the killer?

  Jane double-checked her team. Ken still held tight to Miller. Jake was close at hand. Everyone stared at her for a signal.