by J. E. Taylor
Steve chuckled. “Yeah, he pretty much knew that about you.”
Russ’s laugh was genuine this time. “How are the kids handling all this?”
Steve took a seat on the couch. “They knew about their father’s past, but I’m not sure how they’re going to handle it now that it’s public.” He slumped into the thick cushions. “Did the news down there also carry that Tom’s been arrested?”
“No. What happened?” His concern filled the line.
“They think he’s the Windwalker.”
“The Windwalker?”
“The serial killer here in Maine.”
“That’s insane.”
The buzzer rang, and Steve stood, crossing to the window. A car waited at the entrance. “Russ, I’ve got to go, Tom’s lawyer is here,”
“If you need anything, let me know,” Russ said. “And thanks for leveling with me. Most people in your predicament would have lied.”
“I’ve got no reason to lie,” Steve said. “I’ll tell the kids you send them your best,” he added and hung up the phone.
The buzzer sounded again and Steve crossed to the controls, opening the gate for the car waiting amidst the press. He stared at the line, putting up an invisible wall against the stragglers who tried to breach the security, smiling at the confused expressions when they couldn’t move through the opening. As soon as the car was through, Steve shut the gate on the crowd.
“Your lawyer’s here,” he said to Tom and opened the front door.
Sheldon Kryminski looked nothing like what Steve imagined. He was young, not even thirty, and he looked like he belonged more on a beach volleyball court than in a courthouse. Steve looked beyond him at the car thinking there must be some mistake.
“Agent Williams, I presume,” Sheldon said as he climbed the stairs.
The voice was right, but it didn’t go along with the boyish appearance. “Mr. Kryminski?” Steve asked.
“Please, call me Sheldon,” he said and stuck out his hand.
Steve reciprocated and was pleased to find a firm handshake. This kid transmitted confidence and had an open mind, despite all he’d heard relating to the case. Steve waved him inside and sent one last glare toward the paparazzi before closing the door on the high zoom lenses.
“Right this way,” Steve said, leading Sheldon into the family room where Tom sat staring at the television and the continuing flow of news about the man who raised him. Steve reached over and turned the television off. “Tom, this is your lawyer, Mr. Kryminski.”
Tom stood and nodded hello before offering his hand.
“Please, call me Sheldon,” he said, shaking Tom’s hand.
Tom nodded again and signed, “Thank you, Sheldon.”
Sheldon put down his attaché case, stripped his coat and handed it to Steve before settling across from Tom. Once he had his legal pad and pen placed on the table, he launched into fluid sign language, surprising both Tom and Steve.
“I a hea,” Tom said and when Sheldon’s brow creased, Tom signed, “I can hear, I just can’t talk.”
Sheldon smiled. “I’m sorry, I just assumed you were deaf when Agent Williams asked if we had a sign language expert on staff,” he said and shrugged.
“He appreciates the gesture,” Steve said.
Sheldon nodded and focused on Tom. “Now, let’s start at the beginning,” he said.
“Tom…”
“—I’m sorry Agent Williams, but I’d like to talk with my client alone if you don’t mind.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’d like to talk with Tom alone. Once I’m done, I’ll want to ask you some questions as well,” Sheldon said and smiled.
Steve exchanged a glance with Tom and nodded, heading upstairs, leaving them alone.
* * * *
Tom’s gaze moved from the stairway and he waited a moment before turning his attention to his lawyer. “What do you want to know?” he signed.
Sheldon picked up the pad and met Tom’s gaze. “Tell me about Tanya,” he said.
Tom inhaled and nodded. The fact that the lawyer knew her name without glancing at a note impressed him. “I’ve dated a lot of girls, but Tanya was special, you know?” he signed. “So when she broke up with me, it hurt. A lot. Especially when she told me the reason.” He looked down at the floor.
“What was the reason?”
Tom met his lawyer’s gaze. “Because I can’t French kiss,” he signed and almost smiled at the horror reflected in Sheldon’s expression and the fact his hand paused on the notepad.
With a couple of blinks, Sheldon seemed to regain his composure. “So take me through the rest of the day after she broke up with you.”
“I got angry and started slicing up all the pictures I have of her,” he signed and felt the heat bloom in his cheeks. “I wish I hadn’t done that.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t have any more pictures and she’s gone,” he signed. His vision wobbled under the sudden sheen of tears and he blinked them away.
Sheldon nodded for him to continue.
“CJ and I snuck out that night. We had been told we couldn’t go to a party on the other side of town, and I thought Tanya was going to be there. I decided the best way to get her back was to take her to Steve’s place in Brooksfield and try to talk some sense into her, but she wasn’t at the party.” He shrugged. “I ended up hotwiring a car and CJ and I took off for Brooksfield anyway.”
“You stole a car?”
Tom nodded. “Yes, and we got caught, but Uncle Steve got them to drop the charges.”
“Okay, then what did you do?”
“Tanya runs on the river paths every morning before school. I figured that was my best bet to get her alone. I needed to know if there was anything I could do to get her back,” he stopped and looked at the coffee table. “I didn’t even know if she’d still be out there.” He met Sheldon’s gaze and bit his lip. “I ran the path once and her car was still in the parking lot, so I turned around and ran it a second time, that’s when I saw her in the water.” He dropped his hands to his lap, balling them into fists and then stretching the ache out of his fingers. “I don’t know if she was there the first time…” He closed his eyes, clenched his teeth and covered his face.
“What did you do when you saw her?”
“I ran into the water and pulled her up the bank. I kept slipping in the mud and it wasn’t until I got clear of the water that I really took a closer look. I’m not sure I could have touched her if I had looked before I reacted,” he clenched his fists again.
“Why not?” Sheldon asked.
Tom’s vision blurred and tears overflowed, burning hot paths down his cheeks. “The Windwalker took her face.”
Chapter 15
Steve entered the bedroom and crossed to the bed where Jennifer was still curled up under the covers. He took a seat on the edge and brushed her hair out of her face and she stirred, stretching like a cat. Her morning smile and her sleepy green eyes always warmed his heart and he found himself smiling back at her.
“Good morning,” he whispered and planted a kiss on her forehead.
“What time is it?” she asked and yawned.
“A little after ten,” he said.
She sat up and looked at the clock and then back at him. “Is Tom’s lawyer here?”
“Yes, they’re talking downstairs.”
“And you didn’t wake me?” She threw the covers back and tried to slip past him but he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to him.
“He wants to talk with Tom alone right now,” he said and kissed her bare shoulder.
She pushed away from him enough to meet his gaze. “What are you doing?”
His cheeks warmed and he shrugged. “Killing some time.”
Her eyebrows shot into arches and she laughed, peeling herself out of his grasp. “That is so not appropriate right now,” she said and headed toward the bathroom, shutting the door on his suggestive leer.
Steve grinned
and glanced out the window, taking the opportunity to eavesdrop on her thoughts. His smile faded and he sighed, taking her silent cue, he stood and made the bed. “Sorry, honey,” he whispered.
The bathroom door opened and she looked out at him. “Your timing sucks.”
“I know. But you just looked so cute and cuddly this morning.” He offered her a shrug.
“Have you spoken to Ron, yet?” she asked and walked into the closet.
“Yes. Tom has no concrete alibi for any of the murders,” he said and heard her curse under her breath.
“So, what now?” She stepped out of the closet in jeans and a t-shirt, looking every bit as sexy as she had in her silk negligee.
He met her gaze and shook his head. Her question set off a dozen answers in his mind all of which were laced with sarcasm, but he kept them in check and offered the only honest answer that came to mind. “I don’t know.”
Worry lines etched into the corner of her lips and she crossed the room, stopping in front of him. “Tom’s innocent. You can’t let them convict him of something he didn’t do.”
“I feel just as helpless as you do,” he said and stood, crossing to the window. His gaze landed on the harbor and the glistening water. “And there isn’t a thing I can do about it right now.” The frustration of those words bloomed in his stomach, souring his breakfast.
Her warm hand landed on his shoulder and he reached up covering it with his.
“Russ called this morning,” he said, changing the subject and turning toward her. “He saw the news story about Ty.”
Jennifer’s eyes widened. “It made the news already?”
“Yep, and that’s not the only thing that made the news around here. We’ve got a flock of reporters out at the gate.”
“You’re kidding?”
“No. Some jackass leaked the details of Tom’s arrest.”
Her features hardened and the mamma bear returned. “Damn them,” she whispered. “Don’t they know what the media will do to our sweet boy?”
“He’s not a boy anymore and having his face splashed all over the airwaves may work in our favor.”
“How?” She stepped away putting distance between them.
He looked out at the ocean. “It’s going to draw the killer out,” he said and met her gaze. “One way or another, when that bastard strikes again, Tom will be exonerated.”
“And what if he comes after Tom?”
Steve considered this and looked back at the ocean. The only place the killer would be able to get to Tom was on their home turf. He swung his gaze back to his wife, “I don’t think the killer is dumb enough to attack us here.”
Her eyebrow rose and she crossed her arms. They both knew he had underestimated the brashness of a killer before and it had cost them dearly.
“This isn’t the same,” he started and closed his mouth. He turned back to the scenic view and assessed the likelihood of an attack on their home. The bluff wasn’t steep enough to deter a good climber, and the boys had trekked down the winding path next to their house with a canoe plenty of times, so a water attack was possible and this killer knew how to use the tide to his advantage. He surveyed the rock wall and then turned back to her. “The only way the killer could come is from the water. The rest of the property is pretty secure.”
She wrapped her arms tighter around herself and glanced out the window.
“The alarm system on this house is first rate as well.”
Jennifer nodded, but he knew this didn’t calm the unease building in her.
“Either CJ or I will be here with you and Tom at all times.”
She turned her gaze to him. “Promise?”
“I promise,” he said and pulled her into his arms. He leaned in to give her a morning kiss but a knock at the bedroom door stopped him before he could taste her lips. Steve closed his eyes and sighed. “Come in,” he said.
CJ stepped in the room, looking dejected. “Tom and his lawyer asked me to leave,” he said and flopped in the rocking chair near the dresser.
“You’re not alone, I got kicked out as well,” Steve said and gave Jennifer a quick peck on the cheek before letting her go. “You’re grandfather called this morning,” he said, focusing on CJ and taking a seat on the side of the bed.
“Why?”
“He asked about your father.”
CJ’s head cocked to the side and then his sleepy expression hardened. “It’s all over the news?”
Steve nodded and CJ turned toward the flat screen. It turned on, tuning in to Fox News. The top story of the day was about his father, and Steve watched CJ’s reaction to the speculations tossed around by the newscasters.
“They don’t know shit,” he said after the story transitioned to the political state of the union. He sent a nod toward the television and it turned off.
“No, they don’t. It’s all just speculation at this time and I don’t want you to say a word to the press about your father or your brother. Are we clear?”
A crease appeared between CJ’s eyes and he stood, crossing to Tom’s room. Steve followed in time to see CJ push the curtain back and stare at the sea of reporters. “No wonder it sounds like I’m in an assembly,” he said, his voice lowering in disgust at the view and even more so by the thoughts of the crowd.
Steve glanced out the window, allowing the thoughts to make it through the barrier he’d built up over the years. The low din of white noise increased until it sounded like an intense sporting event with thoughts screaming over each other and he turned away, buffering his mind against the noise, letting the curtain fall again.
“I’m serious, not a word,” he said, meeting CJ’s gaze.
CJ glanced back out the window. “But…”
“Tom’s going to need your support and provoking the press isn’t going to help,” Steve said.
“What about you? They’re already speculating you’re dirty and questioning your career record on national television. That’s just not right.”
“I can take care of myself. Right now we need to focus on your brother and let this situation fall where it may,” Steve said.
“What if they arrest you?”
“Then it’s your job to keep Jen and Tom safe.”
CJ stepped back, blinking and looking between Steve and the window. “Safe?”
“Yes. Remember what you said last night about the hype from the press?”
CJ nodded.
“With all this, Tom may become his next target.” Steve waved toward the window and sighed. “I was hoping to keep his arrest under wraps for as long as possible, but I guess that’s blown to hell now.”
Chapter 16
He stared at the picture that flashed on the television screen. It was the same face that crossed his path in the woods the other day and he cursed under his breath. If he hadn’t been in such a hurry to get back to his boat, he would have another prize winning mask in his gallery.
This face was special. Even more so than the girl, and he paused the video, capturing the split screen showing the boy’s mug shot alongside his senior picture.
He leaned forward, studying the handsome features. Even the shocked and smudged face in the mug shot had character. The haunted eyes held a depth of knowledge along with an innocence he had never seen before. The combination was intoxicating.
This was a face he had to have.
A slow smile stretched over his lips and he rubbed his hands together in anticipation before grabbing a pen and jotting the name down. He released the freeze on the television and the news story resumed.
His smile faded as his nickname flashed next to the face.
He paused the video again and stood, pacing the room in silence. Every so often, he glanced at the bright bold text announcing the Windwalker’s arrest. A flurry of turmoil started in the center of his body, decimating his judgment, belittling his masterpieces, and he snarled at the television.
His gaze turned toward the exquisite mask hanging on the wall, her features distorte
d under the glass casing, forever capturing her scream under a mass of paint and acrylic.
They think that child is responsible for my artwork?
The thought drowned out any sense of mercy and he grabbed the remote, pressing play again to continue. When Agent Williams’ picture appeared next to the boy’s, he paused the video again, this time to study his nemesis. The cold blue eyes pierced through the screen, driving hot lasers into him and he shifted, uncomfortable, as if Agent Williams could see him through the looking glass.
He shivered and resumed the news story. The newscaster outlined the relationship between his nemesis and his next acquisition; and his blood turned thick and cold in his veins.
He slowly sat on the couch, gaze glued to the television, but his mind wasn’t focused on the news, no it was focused elsewhere, calculating his next move and planning his next masterpiece.
Chapter 17
The alarm sounded and Tom slammed his hand on the buzzer, shutting the annoying sound off. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, wondering just how crappy his first day back at school would be. The news had filleted him and hinted that his upbringing could have been the reason he went astray. Interviews with Tanya’s parents cut him deeper than any of the other false accusations, their teary-eyed pleas as to why hit a raw nerve.
He wanted the same answers and if he ever got his hand on the son of a bitch, he wouldn’t pussy foot around with asking why. Instead, he’d crush every bone in the bastard’s body one by one. For the first time in his life, the idea of inflicting pain was one he relished.
CJ watched the news stories in silence, but Tom knew better. Anger stewed under his brother’s neutral exterior and it was only a matter of time before CJ blew sky high. He could see it in his eyes, that frantic need to control the situation, to shut the assholes up.
Steve had been clear with both of them. Not one word was to seep to the press, but Tom knew CJ wouldn’t be able to keep to that directive. At least not for long.
The rap of knuckles on his door drew him out of his reverie. “Ye, I’m up,” he mumbled and rolled out of bed. Dread wrapped her cold hand around his chest, applying just enough pressure to make breathing difficult. He grabbed a clean pair of boxers and jeans and headed for the shower. The hot water lulled him into his normal morning stupor and he closed his eyes, letting the warmth heat up his core, melting the stress from his muscles.
