The sound of the dogs grew louder. Kathryn stumbled over a tree root that was hidden in the underbrush. “Where’s Janine?” she said.
“And then,” Henley said, as though she hadn’t spoken, “he got himself mixed up in that Benevolent Association. Nothing more than a damn brothel for spoiled rich boys. Then Neely found out the little tramp was pregnant, and she killed her. She was so scared when she come to me. She didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t let her go to jail. A woman like Neely—it would’ve killed her. So I did what I had to do.”
“You put Ruby in the wall,” she said dully.
“And nobody was ever the wiser until your damn husband decided to remodel the house. It was his own fault he died.” Henley’s voice rose, thinned, the voice of madness. “I had to keep Neely from goin’ to jail. That was my job. That’s why the good Lord put me here on this Earth. To take care of her.”
They broke through into a clearing and she saw the pickup truck. Four or five hunting dogs were caged in the back, and the dogs broke into loud yapping when they came into view. “Shut up!” Henley yelled.
The dogs fell silent, stood there wagging, watching. “Where’s Janine?” she said.
He walked around to the cab of the truck and opened the door. Janine sat on the bench seat, her eyes terrified above the rag he’d used to gag her. Henley pulled a key from his pocket and used it to unlock the handcuffs that bound her to the steering column. He untied the gag, and she ran to Kathryn and flung her arms around her.
“Oh, baby,” Kathryn said. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault. Daddy told me not to trust anybody. But he was wearing a uniform. He told me he worked for Daddy. I believed him.”
“It’s all right,” Kathryn told her, glaring at Henley. “You didn’t do anything wrong. And Mr. Henley’s going to let you go now. Aren’t you, Henley?”
Henley pulled a package of Camels from his pocket. Pulled out a lighter and lit one. He took a long drag, and let out the smoke. “I lied,” he said.
She couldn’t let him see her fear. She had to keep the upper hand. She had to set a good example for Janine. In a voice that was remarkably strong, she said, “What are you going to do with us?”
He leaned against the side of the pickup and took another drag on the cigarette. “Well,” he said, scratching the tip of his nose on his sleeve, “in an hour or so, when it starts to get dark—” He paused, and then he broke into a grin. “We’re gonna have us a hunt.”
Her heart began to thud slowly, as though it already knew something she hadn’t yet quite figured out. “A hunt?” she said.
“That’s right, Miz McAllister. The dogs and me, we’re the hunters. And you two ladies—well, you’re the huntees.”
The Elba police station hadn’t seen this much action in its eighty-five-year history. The phone was ringing off the hook, Teddy fielding call after call from curious citizens who wanted to know what was all the commotion at the Chandler place. In the employee lounge that doubled as an interrogation room, Linda Barden was processing Neely McAllister, while the Judge spoke sotto voce to his lawyer on the pay phone just inside the front door. Bucky was at Nick’s desk, feet planted firmly on the floor, his face somber as he talked on the phone. “That’s right,” he was saying. “Jackson. That’s J-A-C-K-S-O-N. Ruby. Yes, I’ll hold.”
He looked up at Nick and rolled his eyes. “Damn woman at the dentist’s office doesn’t know her ass from her elbow.”
“Bucky, Bucky, Bucky,” Nick said. “What happened to that sweet young boy I took under my wing just a few short months ago?”
Bucky grinned. “You taught me how to be a real hardass. Sir.” His attention swerved back to the telephone. “You got ‘em? Excellent. You got somebody that can courier ‘em over here to the police station? We’re a little busy. My name? I already told you my name. It’s Officer Stimpson. S-T-I-M-P—”
There was a quick rap on the door, and Teddy stuck his head in. “Earl just radioed in,” he said. “Henley’s not at his house. His wife says he took off with the dogs two, three hours ago. She hasn’t seen him since. Says it’s not unusual. He goes off huntin’ at all hours, sometimes doesn’t come home until morning.”
“Wonderful. Okay, let’s put out an APB. This guy isn’t a fool. If we’re not careful, we’ll lose him. And call his wife and find out who his hunting buddies are. And where he likes to hunt.”
“Will do, Chief.”
He poured himself a cup of coffee and went in to where Linda was sitting with Neely McAllister. All the starch had gone out of her, and tonight, even in the silk and pearls, Neely looked every day of her fifty-seven years. “I don’t understand it,” she was saying. “I thought he loved me. How could he have killed my boy?”
“Maybe,” Nick said, “he thought it was the only way out. He knew if the truth came out, you’d go to prison. And he’d be going right along with you.”
“Oh, but I could never do that. I’d never survive in a place like that. I—” Her words came to an abrupt halt and her eyes widened as the realization dawned on her that it was extremely likely she was headed to a place precisely like that. “Oh, my Lord,” she said, and began to weep again. “How will I ever get through this?”
Nick headed for the door. “You could take a few lessons in courage from your daughter-in-law,” he said.
Teddy waved him over to the dispatch desk. “I don’t know what this means, Chief,” he said, “but Raelynn Wilbur just called. Said she was driving home from the airport when she met Kathryn headed out Cypress Avenue in your Blazer, going like a bat out of hell.”
His stomach did a hard somersault. “Was my daughter with her?”
“Raelynn said as far as she could tell, Kathryn was alone. But she was goin’ so fast, it was hard to say.”
He was pondering the implications when Linda popped her head out the door of the interrogation room. “Chief? Can you come back in here for a minute? I have a question about these damn forms.”
Paperwork. The bane of his existence. “Yeah,” he said, “I’ll be right in.”
He refilled his coffee, his mind still on Kathryn. Judge McAllister hung up the phone, his face pale and frightened. “My attorney, Elliott Lancaster, is on his way over,” he said. “You’re not puttin’ her in a cell, are you?”
He couldn’t deal with this right now. “I’m sorry,” he said, and left McAllister standing there, open-mouthed. Inside the interrogation room, Neely was still weeping softly, and Linda rolled her eyes and beckoned him in.
“These damn forms are new,” she said. “And I’ve never filled one out. Will you look it over and make sure I haven’t missed anything?”
Nick made a mental note to schedule a staff workshop on the topic of paperwork. He picked up the form and squinted at the tiny print, wondering if this meant his vision was about to go. Next thing he knew, he’d be wearing stocking garters and whistling Glenn Miller tunes through his dentures.
“Chief?”
He looked up blankly at Teddy, who was leaning in the doorway, his face ashen. “It’s the phone, for you, sir. It’s Henley.”
He dropped the piece of paper and stalked across the lobby to the dispatch desk. Picked up Teddy’s headset and put it on. “DiSalvo,” he barked.
“Evening, DiSalvo.”
Henley’s voice was scratchy, fading in and out, and Nick realized he was on a cell phone. “Henley,” he said. “We’ve been looking for you.”
“I imagine Neely’s been runnin’ her mouth. I tried to protect her, but there’s nothin’ more I can do.”
“We know all about Ruby,” he said. “And all the rest of it. Turn yourself in, Henley. You know the score. If we have to come after you, it’ll look a lot worse.”
“Oh, you’ll come after me, all right. I have somethin’ that belongs to you.”
His heart slammed into his throat as Kathryn’s voice said, “Nick? Christ, Nick, I’m so sorry.”
“Kat.” He closed his eyes
. “Ah, Jesus, Kat. What happened?”
“I’m sorry. I never meant to cause you trouble—”
She was cut off abruptly, and Henley was back on the line. In the background, the hunting dogs yapped and whined. “We’re goin’ hunting,” Henley said. “Your lady friend, me, and the dogs. It gets dark real early out here in the swamp. And there’s all kinds of wild critters out here. Bugs and snakes. Maybe even a gator or two. Not to mention the dogs. They got real sharp teeth, DiSalvo, and they been itching to track down a coon. Or somethin’ bigger.”
“What do you want?” he said grimly.
“Well,” Henley said, “I figger at this point, I got nothing to lose. But I’m a reasonable man, DiSalvo. So I’m gonna give you a chance to show me what kind of a lawman you are. You get to her first, you get to keep her. Fair’s fair. But if I get to her first—” He paused, then chuckled. “you get to watch me kill her. Oh, by the way, I almost forgot. There is one other thing.”
His heart, already beating rapidly, went even faster. “What?” he said.
At the other end, the phone was fumbled. It buzzed and sputtered, and then his daughter’s voice said, “Daddy?”
And his blood turned to ice water.
Dusk came early in the swamp, and all its sleeping creatures awoke. Kathryn swatted at a mosquito as she stumbled along the damp, spongy ground behind Janine, the nose of Henley’s hunting rifle pressed against her spine. “Why don’t you just kill us now?” she said. “It would be easier.”
“Well,” he said, “I suppose it would be easier. But it would take all the fun out of it, now, wouldn’t it?”
Her wet sneakers squished with every step she took. Henley had changed into hip waders before he led them out into the swamp, but she and Janine were still wearing their Nikes. The dogs trotted along ahead of them, yanking at the leashes that Henley held with grim tautness, eager to get on with the night’s excitement. Beside her, Janine trudged along, silent and stoic. She had more than a little of her father in her, Kathryn thought, and an inexplicable pride shot through her at the courage the girl displayed. “You okay, Janine?” she said.
“I’m okay,” the girl said.
Henley paused to look at the sky. “Stop here,” he said, reining in the dogs.
The swamp lay before them, miles of dark, murky wetlands, thick with cypress and crawling vines, dotted with mossy hummocks and clumps of cattail. “Take off your shoes,” he said.
“That’s right, Henley,” she said. “Make it a fair fight.”
“Shut up!” he said, and swung the barrel of the gun at her head. It connected with her temple with a sharp crack, and everything in her vision went red. She swayed on her feet, and Janine caught her.
“Stop that!” the girl shouted. “Leave her alone, you pig!”
“Take the damn shoes off!” he roared, “or you’ll be the next one to get it!”
Janine kicked off her sneakers, helped Kathryn into a sitting position. “Kat?” she said as she rapidly untied the laces to Kathryn’s sneakers. “Are you okay?”
After trying for a while, she located her tongue. Her vocal cords. “I’m okay,” she said. “My head hurts a little, but I’m okay.”
It was an understatement. Her head felt like a melon that had been slammed onto the sidewalk and burst into smithereens. But she couldn’t let the girl see. Barefoot, sitting on her rump on cold, wet ground, she patted Janine’s hand. “Thanks,” she said.
Henley pulled a bottle from his pocket and handed it to her. “Rub it on,” he said. “Both of you. Starting with the feet. I want it all over you.”
She stared at the bottle without comprehending. “What is it?” she said.
And he gave her that smile she’d come to hate. “Coon scent,” he said. “Dogs got to know what they’re after.”
She looked at him stupidly. “Fuck you,” she said.
He grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked so hard that tears filled her eyes. “Rub it on, bitch,” he said, “or I kill the girl right here.”
He released her, and with clumsy hands, she silently poured a puddle of the oily substance into her palm. “Here,” she said as she passed the bottle to Janine. “Baste yourself up real nice.”
They both rubbed it on their feet, their legs, their arms and necks. “Faces, too,” he said, and silent, steaming, Kathryn complied. The dogs, who’d already caught the scent, were getting restless and excited, yelping and growling and straining frantically at the leashes. Without a word, she handed the bottle back to him. “That’s more like it,” he said. “I like my women obedient.”
“You’ll fry in hell, Henley. That’s my only comfort.”
He nudged her with the rifle barrel. “Get up,” he said.
Janine held out a hand to her. When she stood, her head screamed, and the sky tilted above her. Her stomach lurched, and for a moment she thought she would vomit, but she regained her equilibrium and the nausea went away.
Darkness was descending rapidly now, and Henley clicked on the flashlight he carried. “Lover Boy’s on his way,” he said. “Care to wager on whether he gets to you before the dogs do?”
“We’re not afraid,” Janine said, looping an arm through Kathryn’s. “My father’s smarter than you. He’ll come. Won’t he, Kathryn?”
Kathryn turned her head in slow motion. Christ, she was proud of the kid. “That’s right,” she said. “And when he does, Henley, you’re dead meat.”
As the dogs yelped and strained, he spun around. “Shut up!” he yelled, and they paused mid-yelp, cowering as he swung the rifle through their midst. It hit one of them, and the injured dog let out a sharp yip before falling silent and staring at Henley through soft, accusing brown eyes.
“You’re just a prince among men, aren’t you?” Kathryn said. “Abusive to women, children, and dogs. An equal opportunity offender.”
“Shut up,” he said, “and listen good. I’m givin’ you a ten-minute head start before I turn the dogs loose. Now, this is up to you, of course, but I’d advise you to move fast. Them dogs can cover a lot of ground in damn little time. And they been trained to tear a coon to shreds when they get hold of it.”
“You thought of everything, didn’t you?” she said. “Covered all your bases.”
“You sure do have a mouth on you, Miz McAllister. I kinda hate to have to kill you. I’ve enjoyed this little sparrin’ match. Almost as much as I’m gonna enjoy the hunt. But duty’s duty, and if the dogs don’t kill y’all, I’ll have to finish off what’s left. While DiSalvo watches, of course.” He turned off the flashlight, plunging them into darkness. “And then,” he said, “I’m gonna kill him, too.”
“You bastard.”
“You got ten minutes, ladies. If I was you, I’d leave now.”
* * * * *
“Chief?” Teddy said. “You okay? Chief?”
“The son of a bitch has my daughter,” he said. “The goddamn son of a bitch has Kathryn and my daughter!”
Teddy’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline. “Holy shit,” he said.
Nick ripped off the headset and threw it at Teddy. “Call Doc Winslow, tell him I’m coming by to pick up the dog. Get Earl on the radio and tell him to meet us out at the turnoff by Lake Alberta.”
“Yes, sir.” Teddy spun around in his chair and put on his headset.
He strode toward his office door. “Bucky!” he bellowed as he shoved it open so hard it crashed up against the wall.
Bucky was still sitting there, still on the phone, still looking beleaguered. He looked up, saw the expression on Nick’s face. “I’ll call you back,” he said into the phone, and hung it up.
“Hunting rifles,” Nick said curtly. “Do you have hunting rifles?”
“I’ve got two at home, Chief. Loaded and ready to go.”
“Give me your car keys, Officer. We’re going after those rifles.”
Bucky dug out his keys. “Yes, sir,” he said, flipping them across the desk. Nick caught them in midair. “May I
ask—?”
“He’s got Kathryn,” Nick said grimly, already heading for the door, “and Janine. Out in the swamp. He has the dogs with him. He’s going to hunt them down and kill them.”
“Holy mother o’ God. Has Shep finally lost his mind?”
“I’d say he lost it a long time ago. Linda!” he yelled as he strode across the lobby.
“Yeah, Chief?” She popped her head out of the interrogation room.
“You’re in charge until we get back. Try to keep the roof on the place.”
“Yes, sir!”
The cruiser’s powerful engine purred like the monster machine it was. He pulled out at full torque with lights on and siren screaming. “Listen, Chief,” Bucky said, “I’ve been huntin’ that swamp since I was a boy. I know damn near every inch of it. And I know where Henley’s favorite huntin’ spot is. I’ve been there with him. I’ve hunted with the son of a bitch.”
“Good,” he said. “You’ll have to navigate. How big is the swamp?”
“About three miles long. Three-quarters of a mile wide. Shep usually goes in off the Swanville Road, half a mile or so past the turnoff.”
He took the corner onto South Hickory with his tires squealing, and came to a screeching halt outside Doc Winslow’s veterinary clinic. A lamp was burning in the window, and the old gentleman was waiting for him with Elvis, who was perched on a green Naughahyde settee. The dog had a large bandage on his right shoulder, evidence of the stitches he’d needed after he went through the window.
“Come on, boy,” Nick said, and the dog hopped off the settee and ran to greet him. “Thanks, Doc,” he said, rubbing the dog behind the ears. “I’ll settle the bill later.”
When he opened the back door of the cruiser, Elvis jumped in. “That sure is one big dog,” Bucky observed.
“That’s a trained police dog,” Nick said, “and I just deputized him. Which way to your house?”
“Turn at the end of the block, go down two streets, and hang a right. Third house on the left.”
Black Widow Page 26
