Buried Bones (Widow's Island Novella)

by Melinda Leigh

  You can’t lose your shit. Tessa needs you.

  He stumbled to his feet and drew his weapon again, one question rocking him to his soul.

  Where is Earl?

  9

  Tessa scanned the cottage, sweeping her weapon from corner to corner, looking for any sign of Earl. In her peripheral vision, she saw Logan tear himself away from Wanda. He wanted to save her, but the woman was clearly beyond help. It appeared as if there was more blood on the floor than in her body. The slash to her throat had been deep and vicious. She’d probably bled out in a minute or two. An OR was a Life Flight away from Widow’s Island.

  But Tessa had to focus on finding Earl. Logan lurched to his feet and drew his weapon again. His features set in a hard mask. There was a darkness to his expression Tessa had never seen before.

  Heaven help Earl if Logan gets to him first.

  She led the way toward the hallway and the two closed doors. Earl had to be behind one of them.

  And he was likely armed with a large sharp knife.

  Shoulder to shoulder with Logan, Tessa headed for the hallway. They flanked the first doorway. Tessa opened it as quietly as possible. A bathroom. Empty.

  They continued down the hall to the last closed door. Flanking the doorframe, Tessa reached for the knob. Locked. On the other side of the door, something thumped. Tessa gestured to the door. “Break it down.”

  Logan stepped back and kicked it in. The door bounced against the wall. Tessa aimed her weapon into the room but saw no one. “Clear.”

  The window was open. Through it, she could see the fleeing form of Earl as he raced away from the cottage.

  Tessa sprinted for the window and climbed through it. She jumped down, landing on the asphalt, the impact ringing through her bones. She charged forward with Logan right behind her. “Earl Byrd, stop! Police!”

  About seventy-five feet away, Earl was running toward the rear of the complex. At the sound of Tessa’s shouts, he sped up. Sunlight glinted on something metal in his hand.

  The knife!

  Tessa raced through the busy resort. A young family unloaded luggage from a minivan. A woman held a little boy’s hand as they crossed the parking lot. A pair of tween boys rode bikes on the sidewalk. Tessa couldn’t shoot Earl without risking hitting a bystander. A handgun wasn’t accurate over distance, and her AR-15 was in the back of her SUV.

  Tessa yelled for Earl to stop one more time, then saved her breath for running. She plowed ahead, but Logan blew past her. Determined to keep up, Tessa dug her toes into the pavement, demanding more speed. But neither will nor extra effort could make her legs six inches longer, and six weeks of working out couldn’t compete with Logan’s level of über fitness. There was no way she could outpace him.

  On the bright side, neither would Earl.

  Tessa’s legs ached as she struggled to maintain her speed. Ahead, Earl was flagging too, his strides weakening. Tessa tripped over a crack in the asphalt, pitching forward. Pain slammed through her knees as they hit the pavement.

  Damn it.

  She’d never catch up now. Logan drew farther away. Now thirty feet ahead, he’d almost drawn even with Earl.

  She lurched to her feet. Logan was running full out, his attention focused entirely on Earl. He didn’t seem to see the minivan backing out of a parking space in his path.

  “Look out!” Tessa shouted.

  The minivan nearly clipped Logan. A horn blared. He dodged the rear bumper by inches, and the near miss slowed him. He lost several of the feet he’d gained. He turned on the speed again, closing the gap as Earl passed the cabin Aurora had rented and approached the pool area. Logan was within a few feet of catching up when Earl glanced over his shoulder, panic on his face.

  As he raced by the pool, a trio of college-age girls exited the enclosure. They didn’t seem to notice him. Tessa sucked in a breath to warn them, but before she could yell, Earl had grabbed a slim blonde, spun around, and hauled her in front of him like a shield.

  He held the blade of his knife in front of her throat. “Come any closer, and she’s dead.”

  Logan skidded to a stop, his heart hammering, his weapon pointed at Earl.

  “Put down the gun!” Earl yelled.

  The girl screamed. Logan’s heart jackhammered against his ribs.

  “Shut up!” Earl shifted his hold to wrap his hand in the girl’s ponytail.

  Tears streamed down her face, and she sobbed, “Please, let me go.”

  Earl took a step backward, jerking on the girl’s ponytail and forcing her to step back with him. The knife glinted at her throat, and Logan could see still-wet blood shimmering on the blade.

  He felt helpless. He couldn’t let Earl kill that innocent girl, but what could Logan do? He couldn’t shoot. He’d hit the girl.

  “Let her go, Earl!” Logan shouted.

  “Fuck you!” Earl glanced behind him.

  Logan saw a white pickup truck parked near the pool house. He didn’t see Tessa anywhere. Where was she?

  “Let me go!” the girl wailed.

  “Shut up, or I’ll hurt you.” Earl raised the knife and nicked her ear with the blade.

  Blood ran down her shoulder, and she quieted to low guttural noises that barely sounded human.

  Earl pulled the girl’s hair and forced her to move with him. They shuffled backward. With every foot of ground they covered, Logan moved, keeping the distance between them the same. Time slowed. It felt as if several minutes had passed before Earl was at the side of his vehicle.

  The girl saw the truck. Tears and snot poured down her face. Her eyes pleaded with Logan, and her lips formed the silent plea, “Help me.”

  Logan maintained eye contact with her for a few seconds, until he could feel her pain and terror.

  He couldn’t let Earl get that girl into his truck. Earl had cut her in a public place with witnesses. If he took her to a more private location, he’d kill her. Earl had already murdered at least two women. Logan would bet there were more undiscovered victims. The cut to Wanda’s neck hadn’t been the timid slice of a first-timer. Earl’s knife stroke had been deep and brutal. Nothing indicated Earl would release a loose end.

  Logan couldn’t shoot Earl, but he could keep him from driving away. Logan shifted his aim to the front tire of the pickup truck.

  “Don’t do it,” Earl yelled, as if reading Logan’s mind. “I’ll kill her.”

  But Logan knew in his soul that if Earl kidnapped that girl, she was as good as dead anyway. Earl wouldn’t get off the island with her. Tessa would have the ferry stopped. Earl would have to go into hiding, and the girl would make that difficult.

  Logan had to stall. “Why’d you kill Aurora, Earl? She was just a kid.”

  Earl’s face contorted. “That bitch acted like she wanted it. So I went to her cottage one night.”

  “Let me guess,” Logan said. “She didn’t want anything to do with you. That made you mad. Did you rape her?”

  Earl’s face flushed deep red, but Logan saw the excitement in his eyes. He had.

  Logan pictured the shard of broken glass in Aurora’s kitchen. “She fought back, didn’t she? But you had plenty of time to clean up. You didn’t want to go back to prison, and you were afraid she would have reported the rape, like the woman from Seattle did. So you killed her.”

  Earl didn’t look guilty. He wasn’t the kind of person who felt guilt, but Logan saw the truth on his face.

  Earl lifted his chin in defiance and sneered. “If you’re waiting for a confession, you can go fuck yourself.” He released the girl’s ponytail to reach behind him and open the truck door. Logan still didn’t have a clear shot at Earl. He aimed at the front tire and squeezed the trigger. The tire went flat.

  There would be no escape now. Earl wasn’t going anywhere. His face reddened. Surprise, resignation, and then anger shone in his eyes.

  Where is Tessa?

  Earl raised the knife over the girl’s head, and Logan’s heart dropped into his stomach.
He’d pushed him too far. He moved forward. If Earl hurt that girl, Logan would kill him with his bare hands. Seeing the knife, the girl screamed and dropped to her butt on the pavement. Logan adjusted his aim, intending to shoot Earl.

  Before he could squeeze the trigger, a second shot rang out. The side of Earl’s head exploded. Blood and brains splattered across the white paint of the pickup truck. His legs folded like a snack tray, and he collapsed to the ground.

  The girl screamed again and started crawling away on her hands and knees, leaving a bloody trail on the asphalt.

  Logan lowered his weapon and scanned the parking lot. Twenty feet away, Tessa stood behind a car, using the side mirror like a tripod to steady the barrel of her rifle. Logan turned back to Earl. There was no need to feel for a pulse. A quarter of his head was missing.

  While Logan had been confronting Earl, Tessa had fetched her rifle, found a better vantage point, and taken him out with a head shot. A weird sense of pride filled Logan.

  That’s my Tessa!

  The crying girl was rocking back and forth, her gaze fixed on the bloody mess that had been Earl’s head.

  Logan holstered his gun and crossed the pavement to her. Dropping to one knee, he put his body between her and Earl. Her entire body shook. When he wrapped an arm around her, she fell into him, sobbing. Blood from her ear stained his shirt.

  Tessa hefted her rifle across her body, the muzzle pointed at the ground, and walked toward him. She stopped next to Logan and the girl. Her gaze shifted to the dead body. Her face was the same gray white as the concrete around the pool. “He’d already killed Wanda. I couldn’t let him kill her too. She’s only a little older than Patience.”

  Logan tucked the sobbing girl against his side. “I know. You had no choice.”

  Tessa had done what she’d been trained to do. She’d protected an innocent life. But he knew she would pay a price. Despite need or justification, killing took its toll.

  Hours later, Tessa sat on the bumper of her SUV watching law enforcement personnel swarm the scene. She’d killed a man. He’d left her no choice, but she knew when the shock wore off, she’d have to deal with the emotional fallout.

  The sheriff, some deputies, and a forensics team had come over from the mainland to process the scene. Tessa had killed the suspect, so she would have to sit this one out.

  Logan walked over, carrying two cups of coffee. A white paper bag was tucked under his arm. He handed her a cup. “I feel naked with my holster empty.”

  “The sheriff took my weapons as evidence too.” She sipped. The hot liquid warmed her. Despite the heat of the day, her bones were cold. “We’ll get them back after ballistic testing is complete and the results confirm our statements.”

  Logan opened the white bag and handed her a blueberry fritter. “Kurt made a run to Black Tail Bakery. He thought you could use the sugar.”

  Grateful, she took a bite. She hadn’t been hungry, but the sugar and caffeine perked her up.

  Henry walked across the asphalt. He stopped in front of them. His gaze moved from Logan to Tessa. “Are you all right? You look pale.”

  “I am for now.” Tessa drank more coffee. “Can you tell us anything?”

  Tessa and Logan had both given statements and answered the sheriff’s questions.

  “Wanda Simms was dead within a minute of being wounded.” Henry met Tessa’s gaze, then Logan’s. “Her left carotid artery was completely severed. There was nothing either of you could have done to save her. If it had happened in an operating room, she still would have died. It was not a recoverable wound.”

  Tessa had known but appreciated Henry’s reassuring words.

  “Thanks,” Logan said.

  “Do you need anything?” Henry asked.

  “No, but thanks for asking.” Tessa glanced at Logan. Tonight would no doubt be rough, but he was all she needed.

  10

  A few days later, Tessa sat in the passenger seat of the Range Rover. She reached for the door handle. “I can’t believe you made me hike all the way up Crone Mountain. My legs are going to hurt so much tomorrow.” She opened the car door and groaned. Her calves were already sore.

  “The fresh air is good for you.” Logan climbed out from behind the wheel. “You needed to get out of the house.”

  She’d spent the last few days on the couch in her sweatpants, using her automatic administrative leave to decompress. She’d had nightmares, but Logan had been there to hold her afterward. With the number of witnesses and physical evidence, the case would be closed quickly. But she was hoping for another couple of weeks off. Restless nights had left her tired.

  Aurora’s necklace had been found in Earl’s pocket. Deputies had also found two unmatched earrings and a ring in Earl’s cottage. None of those pieces showed up in Aurora’s Instagram pictures. Who had they belonged to? Had Earl killed other girls? The sheriff had promised to look for other missing girls and unidentified remains. Everyone agreed that Earl had likely claimed additional victims, but the investigation into who they might be would take a long time.

  Tessa adjusted her ponytail and shoved a strand of sweaty hair behind her ear. “You’re barely sweating.”

  “Hiking in the woods is my job.”

  “True.” Tessa limped toward the house. “I’m starving.”

  “Me too.”

  They stopped on the porch and toed off their boots. Logan held the screen door open for Tessa. She stepped across the threshold.

  “Surprise!”

  Tessa jumped. Women emerged from behind doorways and furniture. Stunned, she saw Cate, Jane, Samantha, and some women from the knitting group. Sam’s little boy, Mickey, bounced at his mother’s side. Tessa’s mom stood in the middle of the room, looking confused but happy. She held a cupcake in one hand. White icing smeared her face. Silver crepe paper and white balloons decorated the room, and gifts were stacked on the coffee table. On the sideboard, swirly white cupcakes were arranged to form a wedding dress.

  They were throwing her a bridal shower.

  Cate almost hugged Tessa, then stopped and turned to her brother. “Logan, she’s all dirty. Where did you take her?”

  “We hiked Crone Mountain,” Logan said with pride.

  Cate laughed. “When I asked you to get her out of the house for a few hours, that isn’t exactly what I meant.”

  Logan shrugged. “It worked, right?”

  “Do you want some food, Logan?” his grandmother asked.

  Logan sidled toward the door. “No thanks. I’ll just run down into town for . . . something.” He turned to Tessa and gave her a quick kiss on the mouth. “Love you.” He turned back to the living room. “Sam, can I take Mickey with me?”

  She looked down at the little boy. “Do you want to go with Logan?”

  “Yay.” The little boy raced out of the house.

  “Henry went to the Taproom for a burger,” Cate said.

  “Sounds good.” Logan turned and hurried out the door to catch up with Mickey, who was already waiting by the Range Rover.

  “We thought it would be best to have the shower here.” Cate nodded at Tessa’s mother, who was eating another cupcake. “She seems to be having fun.”

  Tessa watched as women took turns checking on Mom. “She might not recognize everyone, but she knows these are her people.” And they were Tessa’s people too.

  Tessa looked down at her mud-streaked hiking pants and sweat-stained T-shirt. “I’m a mess.”

  She glanced into the kitchen, where the smell of cooking food made her stomach rumble. Cate’s grandmother, Jane, pulled a tray of cinnamon buns from the oven. Appetizers and casserole dishes covered the table.

  Cate shoved her toward her room. “Take a quick shower. We’ll wait.”

  Tessa showered off the dirt and pulled a pale-blue summer dress from the back of her closet. When had she dressed up last? She slipped her feet into a pair of strappy sandals she also hadn’t worn in ages. She even took thirty extra seconds to swipe some mascara
onto her lashes.

  When she emerged from her room, she felt refreshed—and loved.

  The afternoon was spent with tiny sandwiches, cupcakes, and friends. Widow’s Island might have had a small community, but it had everything Tessa needed.

  “I was so afraid I was going to give it away.” Patience bit into a cupcake. She was all smiles. “But I didn’t.”

  “That’s why you were acting so weird?” Relief swept through Tessa.

  Patience licked icing from her fingertips. “I wanted you to have the perfect day. You deserve it.”

  Tessa’s eyes misted.

  Cate shoved a glass of white wine into her hand. “Enjoy your day.”

  Tessa savored every moment with her friends and family. Cate and Sam ran the show. Tessa’s mother helped her open gifts. Patience made a hat out of bows and made Tessa wear it.

  A few hours later, she helped Cate wash the dishes. Sam gathered used wrapping paper and shoved it into a paper bag. When the last of the trash had been taken out, Cate, Sam, and Tessa sat on the front porch steps with glasses of iced tea.

  “We need to go shopping for a wedding dress,” Cate said, her voice serious. “Tomorrow.”

  Tessa flexed a calf. “I don’t want anything fancy.”

  “You can’t get married in jeans.” Cate sighed, sounding exasperated. “We’re going tomorrow. Once you go back to work, who knows when you’ll get another day off?”

  Guilt poked Tessa. “I don’t think I should be enjoying my administrative leave.”

  Cate rolled her eyes. “Do you want to wallow around the farm in sweatpants for another week?”

  Maybe.

  “The answer to that question should be no,” Cate said. “I know what you’re going through. I’ve been there. You’ve had a few days to rest. Now you have to make yourself be present.”

  Sam patted Tessa’s leg. “It’s better to keep busy and stay among friends. It’s too easy to let hiding from your emotions, your friends—well, from everything—become a habit.” Sam had suffered the most trauma. She should know. “I fight the temptation to stay in bed with my covers over my head every day. I don’t know if I could do it without both of you.”