Sins of the Past

by Dee Henderson

  “That was four years ago. You’ve talked a lot since then.”

  “Yes. We’ll see.”

  “I’ve got your back whatever you decide.”

  She smiled. “I know. Thanks. Right back atcha.”

  He heard the door to his guest room open. “She’s awake.”

  Lilly sniffed. “And those cinnamon rolls are smelling good.”

  THIRTEEN

  Thirty minutes later, after a pot of coffee and a second helping of the cinnamon rolls, they were in Chad’s SUV, headed for the site where the accident occurred six years ago.

  Macey rode in the front next to Chad while Lilly took the backseat. With her heart in her throat, Macey directed them to the area without any problem, the spot ingrained in her memory as surely as other memories had been wiped out.

  It didn’t take long to get there. It was just a few minutes outside of Greenville, where the hills weren’t mountains yet but could still be deadly to a driver who took the curves too fast. Like Collin had the night of the accident.

  “Just a little farther,” she said.

  Chad put on his blue lights and slowed. Cars passed them, but she barely noticed them as he pulled to the edge of the road. She opened the door and climbed out. Stood at the edge and looked down. Her breath caught. She’d forgotten about the road below that ran parallel to the one she was on now.

  “The car hit the guardrail and flipped,” she said. “Right here.” She ran her hand along the metal that had been replaced long ago. “It landed upright, and Collin was able to guide it down the hill. Only it hit the ditch at the bottom and skidded down the next embankment to crash into the tree. I remember them yelling and my own screams echoing in the night.” Her hand went instinctively to her chest. “I didn’t have my seat belt on.”

  “You must have gotten banged up pretty good.”

  “Yes.” The images were coming faster. Why hadn’t she done this long ago? Why had she let the fear control her? She climbed over the guardrail.

  “I’m going with her,” Chad said to Lilly. “You want to move the car and meet us down below?”

  “Sure.” Lilly took the keys and climbed in. The engine purred to life, but Macey’s focus was on the past.

  She followed the path down the sloping hill to the road below. It wasn’t a hard trek, the hill wasn’t very steep, but she remembered tearing down it in the Jeep, the terror that invaded every pore. Then the teeth-rattling stop at the bottom and finally, the skid into the tree.

  And the sudden silence.

  “I think I passed out for a moment but then woke up fairly quickly. We all managed to get out of the car. Collin was screaming and waving his gun around and then he just passed out.” She walked over to the tree that had halted their forward momentum. “He was here. On the ground.” She dropped to her knees, ignoring the damp that immediately seeped through her jeans. “I touched him.” She reached out, seeing Collin on the ground in front of her.

  “Collin,” she whispered. She touched his head, but he didn’t move. Blood covered his face. The gun lay next to his limp fingers. When she looked down at her hands, they were red. She cried out and wiped them on the ground beside her, but she couldn’t get the blood off. She trembled from the cold, the shock, the loss of her own blood.

  And then Collin lifted his head. His eyes focused, his fingers wrapped around the gun, and he lifted it. Pointed it at her. Shoved himself into a sitting position, using the car to hold him up. “Hide it,” he whispered even as a keening groan of pain escaped him.

  “What?”

  “Hide it.” The gun moved, swung toward Tyler. “Do it or I’ll shoot him.”

  She blinked back to the present. “Collin grabbed the gun and pointed it at me. Told me to hide the bag or he’d shoot Tyler.”

  Tyler flinched. “He’s right, Macey. If we don’t have the stuff on us, they can’t put us at the robbery. Hide it.”

  “Ty?” she whispered.

  He shoved a bag in her hand. “Go. If they don’t find the stuff, they won’t have any proof. You’ve got to hide it.”

  Collin’s eyes went to half mast. “If you’re not back in three minutes, I’ll put a bullet in him.” Tyler started to move away, but Collin pulled the trigger. Macey screamed, the sound ricocheting through her battered skull. “I’m not kidding. Go.”

  She rose to her feet, wobbled but stayed upright. She had to hide it. Had to. Had to. At first the neoprene felt cold under her fingers but soon she couldn’t feel it. She’d never been so cold. She went to her knees. Smelled the earth, heard the lapping of the water nearby. She got up, fell down again. Over and over until she reached the edge.

  “The lake,” she whispered.

  “What?”

  She pushed through the trees, found a small path and followed it. “I think I came this way.”

  She gripped the evidence. Her fingerprints would be on it. But she didn’t care. She couldn’t let Collin kill Tyler.

  “I threw it in the lake.”

  “The evidence?”

  “Yes. All I could do was follow orders. Collin told me to do it, so I did.”

  They exited the trees to find themselves standing on the lakeshore. A dock rocked a few feet away. The water was clear and pretty. And deceptive. The man-made lake was large, and during the summer it was a prime vacation spot. Except for this area. Here there was no real beach. Just a small bit of sand that would only take five or six steps to get from the edge of the trees to the water line. And it was private property. The dock belonged to the owners of the land and hadn’t been used or kept up in years.

  “Did you look inside the bag?”

  “No. There wasn’t time for that. Only Tyler and Collin knew what was in it. Why?”

  “Just thinking. Now that we know it wasn’t Tyler after you, I’m starting to see things with a different perspective. Realizing we need to come at everything from a different angle.”

  She stared at the water. “Do you think it’s even possible that it could still be down there?”

  He planted his hands on his hips and looked around. “I don’t know. Six years is a long time. However, it’s not like this is a high traffic area. The dock over there looks abandoned. It’s falling apart. So maybe it’s possible.”

  “It could be buried under the mud, or someone else could have found it.” She bit her lip. “It’s probably a long shot, but that’s where the bag was the last time I saw it. It’s black with a shoulder strap. I can see it so clearly now.” Her head throbbed a steady beat, but at least it didn’t feel like the migraine she usually got.

  Chad pulled his phone from his pocket. “I’ll call it in. We’ll get the dive team to search this area.”

  At the water’s edge, she fell. The bag was heavy. She panted from the exertion, the pain, the fear. Sobs wracked her. She couldn’t get caught with it. She’d go to jail forever. Her parents would never speak to her again. They’d hate her for sure now. And Collin would shoot Tyler if she didn’t get back.

  She couldn’t pass out. Don’t pass out. How had this night gone so horribly wrong? Tyler! Why did you do it? Why? Why had she snuck out? Why had she disobeyed and gone behind her parents’ backs? Never again, she promised silently. Get me out of this, God, and I promise, I’ll never do anything wrong ever again. Please!

  She rolled onto her side, facing the lake, the bag too heavy to lift. She just wanted to stay where she was and go to sleep. Her head felt thick. Too heavy. And the pain . . . she just wanted the pain to stop.

  The bag. Its weight pulled her down. She pushed to her knees, used the strap to pull the bag onto her lap, then heaved it into the lake. It just sat there in the shallow water. Not deep enough. She continued to crawl forward and push it. Out, out, out. Until it was finally covered. She stood. Swayed.

  So c-c-c-cold. Tremors rocked her, her legs almost gave out, and her eyelids grew heavy, but she hauled herself back to shore, ignoring the pain, the freezing water, the terror—and the knowledge that her life would n
ever be the same.

  Tyler. She had to help Tyler. And who else? There was someone else there, right? Collin. He was going to shoot Tyler.

  But why?

  She struggled to remember. Her head pounded. She had to get back. Right? But what was the hurry? She could rest for a few minutes, couldn’t she?

  No. Tyler. She had to help Tyler.

  One step at a time, she made her way back to the crash site where Collin still sat, his back against the car. His open eyes stared, and the gun rested on the ground where it had fallen from his hand. “Collin?” She shook him and he fell to the side.

  Macey dropped to her knees.

  Then looked up into the black faceless creature who reached down and picked up Collin’s gun. “You should have stayed home,” the voice said.

  The gun cracked, and Macey felt the burst of pain even as she fell back against the cold, damp earth.

  “I remember it all,” she whispered. “All of it.”

  Her phone rang. She glanced at it and groaned. Valerie. “It’s my sister. I’ll let it go to voice mail.”

  “You can answer it.”

  “No.”

  She ignored the call while she tried to process the memories that overwhelmed her.

  Her phone buzzed again. Valerie. “She’s not going to give up until I answer.” Macey sighed and slid the bar on the screen. “It’s not a good time, Val.”

  “Don’t hang up. I need to know something.”

  Her sister sounded . . . odd. “What?”

  “What kind of bullet killed Tyler and his mother?”

  Macey blinked. “Why?”

  “Just tell me!”

  “A 9mm.”

  Her sister gave a hitching sob. “I found receipts, Macey, for everything. For the ammunition, for stuff to make one of those Molotov cocktail things. I googled the ingredients and . . . and . . . then there’s—” Her voice faded for a moment.

  “What, Val? What? Where did you find the receipts? Where are you?”

  “I told her where you were going. It’s all my fault.”

  “Told who?”

  A muffled pop sounded from behind her. She turned when Chad cried out and dropped to the ground. Blood spread across his left arm.

  Macey screamed and the phone fell from her fingers. A hand grasped her ankle and pulled her feet from under her. She landed with a thud and her breath whooshed from her lungs. Another pop, and the ground spurted next to her head. “Chad!”

  “Stay down. I’m all right,” he grunted. “But we’re sitting ducks. The bullets are coming from the trees to our left. Head for the other side of the dock.” He pulled his weapon and aimed it in the direction the bullets had come from.

  She ran for cover, the night of the robbery slamming into her memory with full force. The memories tumbled around in her brain while the terror of being shot again forced her feet to fly across the uneven terrain. Bullets followed them, and she prayed they’d continue to miss.

  Chad stayed with her and fired off a shot. They had to reach the dock. If they headed for the woods to the right, there would be way too much open space to cover. They would be easy targets.

  “Where’s Lilly?” she panted.

  “Don’t know. As soon as we have cover, I’ll call her. And backup.”

  “I dropped my phone back there.” She slipped down the incline to the bottom of the dock. The water rushed into her boots instantly, sending chills over her entire body. She gasped. So cold. Again.

  She held on to the slippery post, keeping it between her and the shooter, as the water lapped against her knees.

  A bullet zinged past her ear, and Chad pushed her farther into the water. “Go to the next post. The farther you are, the harder you’ll be to hit.”

  Each step chilled her more. He stayed behind her. She heard him give a hiss of pain. “You okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah. One good thing about the cold water, it may stop the bleeding.”

  She could hear his teeth chattering. Cold or shock from the wound? Probably both. “Do you see the shooter?” she gasped.

  “No.”

  He shoved his gun back into his side holster then held his cell to his ear. “Stay behind this post.”

  She did, keeping her eyes on the beach area. Waiting for the person to come after them.

  Another shot hit the post in front of Chad. He flinched and fumbled the phone. It slipped from his fingers and landed in the water.

  FOURTEEN

  Chad wanted to use words he hadn’t used in a long time. He sucked in a breath and went under. The water was only up to his waist. He felt along the bottom of the lake, the muck sliming through his fingers. He opened his eyes but couldn’t see a thing in the murky water. He kept feeling until his fingers wrapped around a solid object and he pulled. But it wouldn’t move.

  He pulled again and it slid up the post. He realized he wasn’t holding his phone. His lungs started to strain. He stayed under and let his fingers roam the object. A buckle?

  He had to have air. He rose to the surface to find Macey still up against the post next to him.

  “Come out or I’m going to keep shooting,” a voice called from the woods.

  Macey gasped. “I know her. That’s Trish,” she whispered.

  “Who?”

  “My sister’s best friend. Trish Benjamin. The wife of the man who was killed in the robbery six years ago.”

  As if to prove her words, Trish fired again. The bullet spat up the water near Macey’s waist, and she jerked. This time the shot had come from behind them.

  “She’s moved.” Chad immediately motioned to Macey to slide to the other side of the post. She did, and he pulled his gun again and aimed it in the direction the bullets had come from. But he couldn’t see the shooter. And he wasn’t shooting blind.

  “Come out!” Trish called again. He pointed his weapon toward her voice but still couldn’t see her.

  “Why are you trying to kill me?” Macey shouted through her shudders. Chad knew she was cold. Dangerously cold. So was he. They were going to have to get out of the water, but it was the only safe place for the moment.

  “Because you’re remembering.”

  “Remembering what?” Macey’s eyes met his. She swallowed. “That it was you who shot me that night? Then buried me alive in a shallow grave?”

  Chad gaped. Rage chased away some of the cold. This woman had buried Macey alive? No wonder she had nightmares.

  “My partner will be here soon,” Chad called. “She’ll have heard the shots!”

  A low laugh reached him. “Your partner’s not going to be doing any rescue mission, trust me.”

  His chills multiplied. “What did you do to her?”

  “Nothing that I didn’t have to do.”

  She’d shot Lilly. Somehow, this woman had gotten the drop on his partner. Just one more reason to get help here fast.

  He lowered himself into the water so that only his head showed. He caught Macey’s eyes. “Keep her talking,” he whispered. Then he went under.

  His shoulder ached, but he’d been right. After the initial lightning-intense, breath-stealing pain when the cold first hit it, the gunshot wound was now almost numb. The fact that he could use his arm said nothing was broken. The bullet had probably passed right through.

  He stayed under, swimming slowly toward the shore. The only way he was going to be able to end this was to confront Trish.

  He surfaced, his head coming up just enough to let his eyes search the woods beyond.

  “ . . . did you kill David?” he heard Macey ask. Her words were sluggish. Slowing. Hypothermia.

  “He was getting you too close to the truth. To remembering. Are you cold, Macey?” Trish mocked. “You sound funny.”

  “And you buddied up with my sister so she would tell you everything. Keep you updated with the latest, right?”

  “Yes. You’re slurring your words, Macey. All I have to do is wait until you pass out and drown, you realize that, right?”

/>   Macey didn’t answer. Chad looked back to see her eyes shut, lips a pale purple. She wasn’t shivering anymore.

  He went back under and was at her side within seconds. She opened her eyes when he touched her face. “Keep talking. Keep moving to keep your blood flowing.” His foot hit something and it moved. His phone. “Macey, you hear me?”

  “Uh huh. Yes. Okay. I’m fine.” She moved her legs and the water sloshed, but at least she was in motion.

  “I’m going down again to get my phone. Keep moving.” He went under, down to the bottom, his hand outstretched, searching. Finally his fingers closed around the device. Thank you, Lord.

  When he came back up, Macey was rubbing her hands up and down her face.

  “What about your husband?” she called to Trish. “Did you hire Tyler and Collin to kill him?”

  “No, that was just an added bonus. He came home from a business meeting early.” Trish gave a harsh laugh. “Sometimes things just have a way of working out. Like now, Macey. You’re going to freeze to death and I won’t even have to pull the trigger. Yours and the detective’s deaths will be ruled a tragic accident.”

  Chad’s jaw tightened and he had to admit she might be right. But what about Lilly? How would Trish explain her death? He kept his lips closed. No need to take her in that direction.

  “And Tyler and his mother? You killed them too, didn’t you?” Macey shouted. At least he thought she was trying to shout. The words came out sounding like her tongue was too thick for her mouth. But her words made sense, that was a good sign. He motioned for her to go under. She took a breath and he pulled her with him to the next post. Then he stood. Here the water still reached to his waist.

  “. . . couldn’t let Tyler find the contents of the safe. I’ve been all over this place the past six years, searching. I finally decided it was gone, but then he let it slip that you’d hidden it.”

  “You . . . um . . . t-talked to him?” Macey asked.

  “Of course. I called him on a regular basis while he was in jail. He never knew who I was, though. He just knew I wanted to know what he knew about the night of the robbery.”

  “So you were the throwaway number we found,” Chad said. His own shivering had slowed. Drowsiness was beginning to set in. But she had them effectively pinned. If they stayed in the water, they’d eventually die of hypothermia. If he got them to shore, they’d die from a bullet. His brain tried to work, but he found it hard to think clearly.