by Ann Mullen
Athena raised her head just long enough to let out a tiny bark. Thor made a grunting noise. The cat jumped down from the refrigerator and took off down the hall.
Jonathan laughed. “I think I’m going to stick around for this conversation. There’s no way you’re going to let this pass without putting in your two cents’ worth. I just know it.” He looked over at Billy and said, “Go talk with Dad. He shouldn’t be out in this cold weather clearing driveways. We can do it. In the meantime, I’ll watch the children while your wife acts like one.”
“Acts like one what?”
“A child.”
“Bite your tongue. I’ll behave myself.” I walked over, picked up the receiver and said hello.
“Hi, Jesse. It’s me, Claire.”
“Hello! How are you doing?”
“I’m fine, but the question is, how are Billy and his family doing? I’m so sorry about Daniel.”
A scratchy noise was interfering with our conversation. “I can barely hear you, Claire. Where are you?”
“Randy and I are on the road heading to Mom’s house.”
“You know you all can stay with us.”
“Mom wants us to stay with her. You don’t need us under foot while you’re getting ready for the service tomorrow. I’m sure your house will be full of people. Abby and Isabel aren’t going to be able to come. Izzy has a terrible cold and Abby didn’t want to leave her. She sends her regrets. Abby says she’ll come for a visit as soon as Izzy gets better.”
“Izzy and Abby, huh? I see you’re now on a more personal level with those two ladies. I’m glad to hear it.”
Claire was a wee bit jealous when I bonded right off the bat with Abigail and Isabel. The first time I met those two, Abigail insisted I call her Abby, something she’d never done with Claire. For once, I felt more important than my sister. Of course, I was over that now. I no longer was jealous because my sister had everything. Now I was the one who had it all, and I was deliriously happy. The pettiness vanished when I met Billy.
“I’m sorry they won’t be able to make it, but you’ll be here.”
“To be honest, I thought we’d stay at your house, but Mom says there are some pretty scary things going on. She said that they haven’t caught the guy who burned down Jonathan’s house. I’m glad he wasn’t at home.”
“We were, too.”
“Look, I’m going to let you go. I’ll call when we get to Mom’s house. Randy says to say hi and he sends his regrets.” The telephone cut out before she could finish. A minute later she called back. “I’m sorry, but the reception here is terrible. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay, Claire. Y’all be careful on the roads. We have eleven inches of snow.”
“That’s okay. We’re driving my SUV. We’ll be fine. See you later, Jesse.”
“Love you.”
“Same here.”
I hit the receiver holder, waited for a dial tone, and then punched in the number for Mom’s house. She picked up on the second ring.
“Hello, Jesse,” she said. “It’s about time you called. We need to talk.”
“We certainly do. What’s going on over there?”
“It was terrible out there last night, Jesse. The roads were nothing but a slick bed of ice. I was a nervous wreck. I stayed right on Eddie’s bumper the whole way home. I almost ran into him once.”
“I was worried about you staying by yourself.” Mom seemed awfully secretive about something. I could tell it in her voice. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“You don’t have to know everything I do,” she said.
“Yes, I do. You’re my mother and I worry about you.”
“I’m doing well.”
“How’s Eddie?”
“Go ahead and ask me. I know you’re dying to know all the explicit details of our romantic relationship.”
“It’s none of my business.”
“Since when?”
“You’re a grown woman. If you want a boyfriend, who am I to butt in?”
“I’m glad you see it that way.”
I grunted.
“How’s Billy holding up?”
“He’s hanging in there. He had a coughing fit and scared me half to death, but he recovered.”
“I was talking about last night. He told me everything when we talked this morning. I’m surprised he didn’t tie the kid to the chair. I can’t believe he got away. Billy must’ve had his guard down.”
“We both did.”
“I was hoping that he’d let the police handle the capture of this guy, but I should know better. I remember when he rounded up his brothers and went after Claire’s kids. He wasn’t going to wait on the police. And he had the kids at home and in bed before they even got to Carl’s house. What I’m saying is—Billy has his own way of doing things and he doesn’t let anyone get in his way. And he’s usually right.”
“Billy will do what Billy wants to do, and I’ll go along with it… no matter what.”
“What if he decides he wants his own form of justice—the Cherokee way?”
“If he decides to scalp the guy, I guess I’ll hand him the knife.”
“Give him the butcher knife. It’s just been sharpened.”
Chapter 17
My mother never ceases to amaze me. Just when I think she couldn’t say anything that would surprise me, she usually does. I wanted to discuss her relationship with Eddie, but didn’t know how to go about it without sounding childish. I didn’t want her to be alone. After the scare I had last night, I’d never sleep knowing she was by herself. I didn’t think she would let Eddie stay over, but I guess I was wrong. Normally, she didn’t take kindly to people living together if they weren’t married. At least, that’s the way she used to be. When I started dating Cole James, she told me to call if I wasn’t coming home at night. She said she knew times were different and that people lived together before they got married, and even had sex before marriage. Her attitude about life had obviously changed, so it should not have surprised me that she would let Eddie stay over. I couldn’t wait another minute. I had to inquire.
“Okay, I have to ask.”
“I knew you would.”
“Did you let Eddie spend the night?” I asked, waiting for the fallout.
“Yes, I did, if it’s any of your business, Missy,” she said. “The roads were dangerous out there, and to tell the truth, I’ve discovered that I don’t like to stay by myself anymore. I’m used to having someone around all the time. I get lonely by myself. I guess we’ll just have to get married.”
I almost choked on my own saliva. “What… what did you say?”
“That’s what you get for being so nosey, young lady. You’re not choking to death, are you?”
“No, I’m not. I just wasn’t expecting you to say something like that. I was going to say that you didn’t have to have sex with him just because you let him stay the night, but I can see now that’s moot.”
“There you go again with those words. Moot—who uses words like that?”
“I guess I’m just too smart for my own good.”
“Yes, you are very smart.”
“Claire just called.”
“I know. She also called me, but that’s not what I want to talk about.”
“I see you and my husband have been plotting behind my back.”
“Don’t say that, Jesse.” She hesitated for a second and then said, “I knew you’d get mad. I told him you weren’t ready for a nanny.”
“Stop, Mom. I was going to tease you, but we’ve been through too much lately, and frankly, I’m just not in the mood. I don’t have a joke left in me right now.”
“I find that hard to believe. I can always count on you to either say something funny or something totally embarrassing. What’s the matter? Are you sick?”
“And I can always count on you to make me feel good, and no, I’m not sick.”
“I’m your mother. That’s my job.”
“I don’t want you t
o feel guilty, so I’m going to let you off the hook and tell you the truth. I’ve been joking about getting a nanny for a while. You know how I’m always saying that, but the truth is, I’ve been giving it some serious thought for some time. You need your life back. You can come over anytime you want and you can stay as long as you want, but I think it’s time to hire a nanny to look after the kids. Besides, how can we pull one of our stunts like we did that time we got caught hiding in the woods watching Kansas Moon’s house?”
“Speaking of which, Daisy called this morning. She and Gabe are coming to the funeral. They also send their regrets.”
“I’m glad. I like her and Gabe. They’ve turned out to be good people.”
“Eddie and I have gone to dinner with them several times. I like their company. They’re very interesting people.”
“All right. We’ve talked about everything except your new author friend. Tell me about her.”
Jonathan walked over to me, holding a sleepy Maisy. “I hate to butt in, but I think she’s ready for a nap.”
I looked over at Ethan and saw that he was also asleep. “Hold on a minute, Mom. I’ll be right back.” I laid the phone down on the kitchen counter and pointed down the hall.
“Would you put her in her crib while I get Ethan?”
“Sure thing,” Jonathan said as he turned and walked toward the hallway. I gently picked up Ethan and followed. Once the kids were down, I went back to the phone while Jonathan headed for the front door.
“I’m sure Billy has his cell phone, but in case he doesn’t you can call me on mine,” he said before walking out the door. “We’re going to plow the driveways and the main road into the compound. It might take a while.”
“That’s okay. I’ll be right here. Thanks for helping with the kids.”
Jonathan waved as he left. He’s such a good man, I thought to myself. Lu Ann will be lucky to have him as her husband. I walked back over and picked up the receiver.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, but the kids needed to go down for their morning nap. I guess it won’t be long before Maisy stops taking one. She’s at that age. Tell me about your new friend, the author.”
“She’s very nice. I guess Billy told you everything.”
“He said she thinks a killer is acting out the murders in her book. I guess we have a copycat killer living in Greene County. That’s a little scary, if it’s true.”
“She believes it is. She carries a few of her books in her car, so she gave me a copy of her latest one. Jesse, I’m telling you—it’s strange. I started reading it this morning.”
“And...”
“She’s a very good writer. I can’t figure out where she comes up with all this stuff. She says she just sits down at her computer and it just flows out. You have to have a creative mind to think up some of this stuff.”
“Not to change the subject, but where’s Eddie?”
“He went home, but he’ll be back soon.”
“Are your doors locked?”
“After reading some of this book, you can bet on it. I’m glad I didn’t start reading it last night. I would’ve never gotten to sleep.”
“Billy said that six people died in her book, and that the psychiatrist is next. Did you know that Wayne Avery was in therapy for three years?”
“That’s what Billy said. If I were him, I’d find out who his psychiatrist is and go warn him.”
“As soon as my new nanny gets here, maybe we will.”
“You’ll love her, Jesse. She’s so nice, and she knows a lot about kids.”
“We’ll see,” I said. “Do you know what happened when the author got to the Sheriff’s Office?”
“She didn’t go. While we waited for the tow truck, we talked about the book. Eddie told us about a movie he once saw that was just like what was happening here. He said the police blamed the author. All the evidence pointed to him. They thought he was the killer, because he came forth with all the details. They thought he wrote the book and then went out and did everything he wrote about.”
“That’s crazy.”
“Yes, it is, but you know how the police rationalize things. They get a briar in their claw and they don’t stop. Anyway, what Eddie said was a wake-up call for Savannah. She got scared and decided that she would think it over before putting herself in that situation. She doesn’t want to be a suspect. She made up everything in her book. It’s not her fault that someone is playing it out in real life. After the tow truck towed her car, Eddie took her home.”
“Does she live alone? I mean… she was out by herself in a snowstorm. If she had a husband you’d think he’d be with her.”
“They’re apart, not separated. That’s all she would say, and I didn’t ask for more details. His name is McCoy. He’s an attorney and lives in their house in Fancy Gap, Virginia.”
“Wow, that’s an odd name. Is that his first name?”
“That’s what she called him… McCoy.”
“I’ve never heard of Fancy Gap. Where’s that?”
“Savannah said it’s in the southwestern part of the state, down in the left-hand corner. That’s how she explained it to me. She says it’s a lovely place.”
“How on earth did she end up here?”
“She said they vacationed at Massanutten Ski Resort about ten years ago and fell in love with the area, and that’s how it all started. They found a piece of land and built a house on it. They were going to use this place as a mountain getaway, but it turned out that she got away and never went back. I think that’s when their problems started. She wanted to live here all the time, but he didn’t. She lives here now and he lives in Fancy Gap. We really hit it off, so I’m sure she’ll tell me more when we get to know each other better.”
“Maybe she should’ve talked with her husband before she went out last night.”
“That’s exactly what she said! She’s going to call him today and see what he has to say about the situation. She’s hoping that he’ll come to his senses and move here. They’ve been apart for two years.”
“Two years! I’d think that if he was going to change his mind, he would’ve done it by now.”
“He still comes to visit.”
“They have strange living arrangements.”
Mom is a trusting soul. I was worried about her friendship with Savannah Kelley. She barely knew this woman, yet she believed her story about her book and the killings, and most likely had told her everything about our family. I was leery. I didn’t know this woman. She could be a kook. I had to meet Savannah Kelley.
“She said she would be interested in talking with you and Billy after I told her that you guys are private investigators. I have her number. Why don’t you call her and talk to her about her book?”
“That’s a good idea.”
“It would be quicker. If what she says has any merit, I would think that the sooner you find out what’s going to happen next, the better your chances are of stopping it. I would hope so, anyway.”
“What makes you think we’re going to do anything? That’s what the cops are for.”
“Don’t try to fool me, Jesse,” Mom said. “I know you want to meet her in person, so you can tell if she’s lying. But I don’t think she is. It’s all in her book. If you’d read it, you’d see. I’m at the part where he just killed his psychiatrist and is stalking his next victim. You know he stalks them before he kills them.”
“That’s creepy, Mom,” I replied. “Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that what she says about her book is true. That means the killer has been lurking around our house. Jonathan comes here all the time, and the killer would know that. And Billy just told me that he investigated Avery’s mother for the father a while back. That puts him on Avery’s kill list.”
“No! Oh, Heavens! That also means he probably knows where I live, too. I’m your mother and you’re married to one of the men he wants dead.”
“I can tell from the way you’re talking that you’ve been thinking a
lot about that murder mystery of hers.”
“It’s really good, but scary considering we’re involved.”
“I want to tell you something, but I don’t want you to freak out. The bad guy, Wayne Avery, lives off Octonia Road in that new housing development.”
“That’s right up the road!”
“That’s why I want you to make sure you keep your house locked up, and keep your eyes open. If you hear something outside, don’t open your door without your gun. I’m serious.”
“Okay. I’ll go get my gun right now and leave it on the kitchen counter. After reading that book and then listening to you, I’m not going to ignore anything. I’ll have my guard up. Claire and Randy should be here soon, so I won’t be alone for long. And Eddie’s coming back before dinner.”
“Why don’t you give me your friend’s phone number and I’ll give her a call.”
“All right. It’s right here on the counter. I put it in my bill basket. Just a minute.”
I heard Mom rustling papers as she hunted for the number. When she found it, she read it out loud to me as I wrote it down.
“I’ll give her a call in a little while. I want to talk with Billy first, but right now he’s outside plowing the driveway. I need to call Sarah as soon as I get off the phone with you.”
“I’m sure she’d be glad to have a distraction, however short-lived. Oops! I didn’t mean it like that.”
“I know you didn’t. I’ll call her right now. We’ll talk later. Okay?”
“Let’s check in with each other frequently. That guy is still on the loose. Who knows what he’s going to do next?”
“You will, if you keep reading her book.”
We said our good-byes and hung up the phone. I was worried about Mom being alone, but hopefully, she wouldn’t be for long. Eddie was coming back, and Claire would be there soon. I would call her again in a couple of hours, but now, I had to call Sarah. I dialed the number for their house. Chief Sam picked up on the third ring.
“Hello,” he said.
“Hello, Chief Sam,” I said. “What are you doing home? I thought you were out plowing the road?”
