Deadly Hallows (The Dead Ringer Series Book 1)

by Taylor Henderson

  I sat behind the tree, breathing hard for about five minutes. I knew that it wouldn’t take Mason and the police long to get here if he got to them quickly. They would speed, and I would be safe in no time. My wrist throbbed, and I wanted more than anything to be home with my family. I knew that by now they would all be awake and someone would have alerted them about my disappearance. Hopefully it wasn’t long until someone came, and that Mr. Miller had gone in a different direction than I had. If so, then Mason would find me before he did.

  My hopes were short-lived when I heard the sound of leaves crunching not far from where I was hiding. I tugged my coat tighter around me as a gust of cold air hit me. I was trembling in fear and the cold was seeping in through my jacket, chilling me as Mr. Miller called my name through the woods.

  “Casey!” he called, his voice noticeably distressed at my escape. I was ruining his plan and he couldn’t have that. If I got away then he’d be caught. Right now he didn’t know that I had already contacted help, and he was going down either way. “Casey!”

  My head snapped to the left as I saw him come out between a cluster of trees. If I didn’t move he would see me. I slowly made my way around the tree, inching around until I was concealed from view, but with each step he got closer to me. He must have heard the leaves under my feet because I heard him slowly making his way toward me. I tried to move to a different tree, but when the sound of his laughter emanated through the woods I knew I had been discovered.

  “I hope you know that you can’t get away from me.” He slowly walked closer as I backed away, nearing the canyon.

  I turned around to see it slowly coming closer, and I knew what his plan was. If he couldn’t torture me as he had done to Sophie, he’d shove me into the canyon and let everyone think it was an accident. That was his plan on how to get away with murder once again, but not if I could help it. In a last ditch effort, I shoved my hand into my pocket, holding the talk button and hoping that Mason was listening on the other end. “You won’t get away with this,” I screamed at him, my heart beating wildly in my chest.

  “I beg to differ,” he replied, gesturing behind me at my dead end. I didn’t take my eyes away from him though. I was hoping that if I could stall for just a few more minutes, then someone, anyone, would come along and save me. “You have nowhere to go but down. Either way, you’ll be gone, but I have to admit how you’ve helped me figure out how to make your death look like an accident. No one will know I killed you, and then I can go after John.” He held his hand out, giving me a cruel smile as he leaned toward me. “Come with me and I’ll make it less painful. I promise you won’t even feel a thing.”

  I shook my head, frowning. “Why do I have to die? Why can’t you just let me go? I won’t tell anyone.”

  A slight expression of curiosity crossed onto his face before he frowned again. “I already told you why, Casey. Your mother doesn’t deserve to have her children alive and well when she’s the reason I lost the love of my life and my unborn child.” He was breathing heavily now, his chest rising and falling. It was as if the mere mention of the event sent him over the edge.

  “You didn’t have to kill Sophie,” I improvised. I had to hope that if Mason was listening to this, he was also recording it. I had seen enough television shows to know that they needed a confession, this was the best I could offer them. “She didn’t even know about the connection to my mother. No one else knew except her and Charles.”

  Mr. Miller shrugged and stepped closer to me. “That’s not my fault. I’m sorry she had to die, but Andrea needed to experience the pain she put me through. She needs to own up to her actions and take responsibility for what she did. Now either come with me, or take a nosedive into the canyon.”

  Instinctively I took another step back, not far enough to fall, but I knew that I couldn’t go any further. I wanted to make it seem as if I had made my choice, but I knew I was saved. Thankfully, the sound of feet falling on leaves became prominent as police officers with their guns trained on Mr. Miller came out of the trees, running toward him. A feeling of relief washed over me as I watched him get tackled to the ground and handcuffed.

  It all happened in a blur then. An officer came near me, tossing his arm over my shoulders as he escorted me away from the scene. We headed in the direction of the cabin, coming out of the woods in another clearing closer to the canyon to where the police cars were parked. The lights were spinning around, but there were no sirens. I spotted my mom and John first, standing in a clump together with worried expressions on their faces. My mom was crying when she looked up and saw me. I ran toward them, hugging John first, not knowing how I would tell him that he was next on Mr. Miller’s hit list. None of that mattered now though, I just hugged them both, elated to see them. I had thought I would never see them again.

  “Your father is on his way,” my mom told me, tucking my hair behind my ears like she used to do when I was a child.

  After a few minutes of just being surrounded and comforted by my family, John pointed out Mason. He was standing with an officer who I noticed was holding the walkie-talkie. I headed their way.

  When Mason saw me, he smiled instantly and opened his arms for me. I hugged him tightly, resting my head on his shoulder and just being comforted by his embrace.

  “We got him,” Mason whispered in my ear. “We got a recording of his confession.” He smoothed some of my hair down gently, hugging me tighter. “It’s over.”

  Chapter 28

  Just a Feeling

  The school day dragged on, seeming longer than usual. I sat in math class, feeling uncomfortable that just the week before my math teacher had tried to kill me. I shuddered at the thought, squeezing Mason’s hand under the desk. The replacement teacher who stood at the front of the class would glance my way every so often, being momentarily distracted from her lesson. Like everyone else in town, she had heard about what happened to me and pitied me because of it. Everyone knew that Mr. Miller had murdered Sophie, and had then gone after me in a sick and twisted revenge plot. The only thing they didn’t know was why, but none of them were bold enough to ask me. Instead they just stared and then glanced away when I looked at them, as if unwilling to bring the topic to light.

  Maybe I didn’t give them enough credit. Despite their fixed stares they were being respectful and giving me the space I needed to recover. Today was my first day back after all, and while I knew the rumors were circulating none of them had gotten back to me yet. My dad had driven me to a therapist two towns over just to be sure I wasn’t going to have a mental or emotional breakdown after what had happened, and to make sure no one would comment on my need for a therapist. They were still looking for a story, and weren’t respectful enough to keep any information to themselves any longer than needed.

  Mason, on the other hand, had been great. All day he had walked me to and from my classes, ate with me at lunch, and now he had switched seats with Brad so he could be near me in math. I think it was the first time Brad had ever done something for someone else, without being rewarded in any way. I was thankful because just being in Mason’s presence comforted me. I hated to admit it, but it seemed as if he felt guilty for what happened. No matter how hard I tried to convince him that it wasn’t his fault, he would never forgive himself. He pointed out that he should have taken me home, and I would remind him that he had offered to take me home but I had turned him down. It wasn’t either of our faults because Mr. Miller was going to find any chance that he could to take me. I was just grateful for Mason and all that he had done to help me.

  He couldn’t have known what was going to happen to me; no one could have. Besides, even if he had walked me home, eventually Mr. Miller would have gotten to me or John. I was just happy that it was me, and that I had a way to contact Mason for help. I wasn’t sure if John would be that lucky, especially if Mr. Miller had taken his phone as he did to me. Mason should be proud that he had given me the walkie-talkie. It had saved my life, and that’s what he should take
credit for. After all, it wasn’t the first time he had saved my life, either. I was pretty sure that the days he had saved me from being hit by the car on Main Street had also been attempts by Mr. Miller. Maybe his first plan to kill me had been to reenact the way his wife had been killed; poetic justice of sorts. When that didn’t work, he had to change his tactic. I guess the arrow that he had initially done on Sophie had become a way for my mom to know who was doing it, and why.

  I shook my head lightly, ridding myself of those thoughts as the bell rang, signaling the end of the day. I reached down for my bag, but Mason grabbed it before I could, slinging it over his shoulder with his. I was thankful for his action since my wound was still healing, and lifting my bag this morning had caused the scab on my wrist to rip open slightly. I stood, and he held my hand firmly in his as we headed toward the main entrance. I did my best to ignore the whispers of gossip floating around us. A few pointed to the bandage on my wrist. I was sure someone had claimed I was a cutter by now and that some of them thought I was going to commit suicide like Sophie. I rolled my eyes. Rumors were always ridiculously stupid.

  All I wanted to do was go home and curl up in bed. I just wanted to forget the world around me, and give myself a few moments of solace away from the nosy townspeople. I couldn’t sleep lately, and all I wanted was to catch a restful night’s sleep and return to my old self, but I didn’t see that happening any time soon. I had been trying adamantly to get a full night of sleep since Mr. Miller had taken me, but I couldn’t no matter how hard I tried. I just couldn’t get past it. Every time I closed my eyes I thought of Sophie, or Mr. Miller, and each thought became increasingly more disturbing than the last.

  I forced those thoughts from my head as I tried to focus on anything else, even the rumors that were spreading like wildfire around us. Once again someone pointed to the bandage on my wrist, and it started to itch again. My mom said that meant it was healing, but it didn’t make it any better. It was a reminder of what transpired. While the arrow that had been neatly cut into my arm was now scabbed over, it was still prominent. The cuts had been so deep that the scar would forever be a reminder of what had happened. I didn’t want that, but for now I kept it wrapped in gauze so I couldn’t see it. Maybe one day I could get a tattoo to cover it up, but for now I’d have to just keep it hidden so that I wouldn’t be forced to relive the emotional and physical pain I had gone through when I received it.

  The only thing that made the experience livable was that Mr. Miller was now in prison for murder and attempted murder for his confession on the cliff. While my mom had gotten some backlash from the confession Mr. Miller had given, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. She had supposedly taken the blame for it, but I wasn’t so sure I could trust her word after what I had just gone through. I would never know if she was telling the truth, or just keeping a very shocking piece of information to herself. It would take time, but we would see if I could learn to trust her again.

  Mason said his parents had worked out their issues with the infidelity, but my parents were still trying to figure out what to do. They didn’t want to split up and put John and me in the middle, but I thought that’s what was best. I wouldn’t be able to move past the lies and deception my mom had created. Frankly, I only saw it ending in divorce, especially since my dad hadn’t come back home except to be with me in the hospital. He was taking a commute between the new place he had gotten for himself to see me, but other than that he didn’t stay with us.

  I sighed heavily as we exited the building. The sun was glaring down on us, pushing away the dark clouds that had been covering our small town in rain for the past few days. I looked around to see if my dad had come to pick me up, but only noticed the faces of my fellow classmates as they watched me like a hawk. The weight of their stares made me feel uncomfortable, but I knew that it wouldn’t last for long. I was the newest hot gossip, eventually they would move on to something else, though I couldn’t see anything topping a solved murder case, a math teacher killing students, and Mason’s father and my mother’s affair. Maybe one day, but I would always have the reputation as the girl who had survived a psychotic, revenge driven math teacher. I smiled softly. At least I had survived. For now I just had to stick through the rough patches that came after the attack. And I had Mason by my side.

  Even after hearing what happened to me, Mindy hadn’t come to make sure I was all right. Even though I had been the one to end our friendship, it hurt because if the roles were reversed then I wouldn’t have hesitated to make sure she was okay. It just showed me what kind of friend she really was, and made me all the happier that I had ended it when I did, though I couldn’t stop myself from looking for her, and hoped she would at least check on me.

  I glanced at each of my peers, and the respective faculty as they shuffled the kids out of school for the day, either toward home or after school activities. Everyone seemed to have a livelier spring in their step now that the sun had come out. The entire day they had been sluggish and depressed from the events that had occurred. Everyone came to offer me their sympathies. I kept my mouth shut on where they could put their sympathies. They didn’t do me any good and they all did it to save face in town. They were shallow and demeaning to a survivor, and even worse to Mason. He had been bombarded with questions, followed, pursued, and eventually a reporter broke into their house. He took a bat to the guy and the cameraman, thinking they were intruders; he hadn’t been sleeping well either. I think he was just too worried about me.

  For now it seemed as if we both were starting to move on. The first step was always acceptance, and everything after that was an uphill battle, but it became smoother as we worked together. Eventually our town would heal, and we’d learn from the experience. We may be a little more leery of outsiders joining our town, but a little caution never hurt anyone. Paranoia kept most people alive, especially when being chased down as the next victim in a murder. If I hadn’t been paranoid when this had all started, then I would most likely be dead now.

  As I looked at those around me who had already begun to heal, I knew it was a farce. I glanced down at my bandaged wrist while Mason and I walked toward home. He was making sure I got home safely now, even though the threat had been eliminated. I knew he was doing it to keep me safe, but the longer I looked at my bandage, and knew what was hidden underneath, I knew I wasn’t safe.

  Everyone around us was probably thinking, I’m glad it’s finally over, but I felt as if it would never truly be over, and I sensed that Mason felt the same way. There would be constant reminders, such as my scar and the memories of what I had lived through, and there would be stories written about this for years to come, whether they were in the papers or even used in books. Hell, maybe we’d even get our own movie. I let out a breath of laughter. Maybe then they could figure out what was really going on in our sleepy little town, because the more I thought it over, the more uncomfortable I felt. I had an ominous feeling that there was still more to come, and that once again I would be in the center, fighting for the truth and maybe even for my life.

  ***Sneak Peek***

  Deadly Nightmares

  The Dead Ringer Series, Book 2

  Taylor Henderson and Sara Schoen

  Chapter 1

  Gut Feeling

  Mason's arms tightened around me as he kissed my forehead gently. I always felt comfortable in his arms. It was as if I was safe from the world, and nothing could touch me. He smelled fresh, like laundry straight out of the wash, clean and free of stains left on him from the past. I closed my eyes tightly to push that thought far from my mind before it could delve further into my nightmares, and tucked my head further into the crook between his shoulder and his neck.

  Mason's chest rose and fell as he sighed deeply. He always breathed a heavy sigh when it was nearing time for my mom to get home, which meant that he had to leave before she showed up. Technically, he wasn't supposed to be here when no one was home, but without my dad or John around to enforce the rules, I got away wi
th a lot more. Though I'm not sure if that was a good thing or not. After everything that happened last year, it just seemed to rip me apart even more.

  Unable to forgive Mom for her secrets, Dad filed for divorce and found a house about an hour away from town, much closer to his job. I couldn't help but feel partially to blame for their split even though I hadn't been involved in the choice. I knew that it had come down to my mom's affair with Mason's dad, and Dad just couldn't stay in this house with us anymore. Though that didn't make me feel any better about losing half of my family.

  John had gone to live with dad so that he could attend the state university close by. It worked out well for them both because that way Dad wasn't alone, and John could live off campus to save money. It just broke my heart to watch them leave. Luckily Mason had been there for me. He held my hand while they pulled out of the driveway and wiped my tears when I cried over how much I'd miss them. I carried the blame for it, no matter how much anyone told me it wasn't my fault. I had been the one to uncover the truth and force Mom to tell. Maybe that's why when I was given the option of going to live with Dad as well, I couldn't do it. I didn't want to leave Mom all alone. Mason was also a big reason why I chose to stay. We still had another year of school together before we had to worry about college getting in the way of our relationship, which had developed remarkably well out of such tragic events.

  He kissed my forehead again, leaving his lips pressed there for a moment before he said, "I should get going. Your mom will be here soon."

  I looked up into his green eyes and pouted, not wanting him to leave yet. "Stay a little longer?" I begged, snuggling closer. This was our basic routine all summer, with an exception for the days that I hung out with my friend Katie, who had moved back to town at the beginning of the summer after her grandfather passed. Her family had moved to be closer to him when he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, but now had no reason to stay so far from the town they called home. Katie and I picked up where we left off, and I opened up and told her about last years events. She didn't mind sharing me with Mason either, which I was grateful for. WhenI wasn't with Katie, Mason and I would spend the day together, then end up cuddling at either his house or mine, with one of us having to leave before the other's parent got home. Or in Mason's case, parents. Unlike mine, his were able to work through what happened in the past and move on from it. I envied him for that, but I was also happy for him. Losing his sister was bad enough. He didn't need to lose his parents as well.