by Gen Griffin
“I think someone has to be helping him,” Cal explained.
“Who would help him?”
“I don't know. Does he have any family here?”
“Not that Trish knows of.” David finished with the chair and went back to the truck outside to get the new coffee table. “I'm going to hunt down that sick bastard.”
“Assuming he doesn't hunt you down first?” Cal took an end table off the bed of the truck. “We're missing something, Breedlove. Its driving me crazy because I know that if I could figure it out, this entire nightmare would be over. Trish would be safe. Everyone would be safe if we could figure out that final piece of the puzzle.”
“I think you're over-thinking this,” David told him.
“And I think you're too distracted by all the shit that has gone wrong in the last couple of weeks to think clearly. Humor me for a minute.”
“Fine.” David yawned. “I'm humoring you. Enlighten me.”
Cal narrowed his eyes at David and then shrugged. “We started off this mess with Trish's car getting totaled out by her homicidal ex-husband on the exact same night that your trailer burned to the ground and someone cut the fence on the alligator farm. That alone was a hell of a night for a boring little 3 stop-light town like Possum Creek.”
David chewed his lip. “Okay. It was a long night. So what?”
“So you met Trish that night and y'all hooked up. The next day, Tate found a body under your trailer.”
“My mother's body. We already know what happened there. Ricky got pissed off at her and bashed her skull in.”
“I admit, I don't think your mother's body is connected to any of the rest of this mess.”
“Well, that's nice to know.”
“But I do think it's bizarre that Trish's ex managed to walk right up to Addison and shoot him at nearly point blank range without him noticing what was about to happen.”
“Addy screwed up.”
“Addy screwed up and then the hospital staff screwed up immediately after that. They let Curtis into Grover's hospital room and failed to notice when he murdered the old man.”
“Hospitals are busy places.”
“Curtis walked out of a crowded hospital and drove away in Addison's truck without anyone noticing.”
“Its suspicious. I guess the guy just blends in. He's forgettable.”
“He's so forgettable that he made his escape in a county vehicle and then hid out somewhere for hours before driving it off the dock at Hollow Point Landing.” Cal went back for a second table. “And then he gets away from the landing completely clean despite the fact that the place was crawling with cops.”
David swallowed and then shook his head. “Ian thinks that Kerry watched him escape and then tried to go back later for him. His theory is that Kerry wants the glory from the capture badly enough that he lied to us about which direction Curtis went in after the truck flipped.”
“Kerry beat you to the landing?”
“Only by a minute or two. Not long enough to make any real difference.”
“A couple minutes can make a big difference in the swamp, Breedlove.”
“We're dealing with a couple of stooges. Kerry and Curtis couldn't play hide and seek in the swamp successfully even if we gave them all day to pick their spots.”
“Maybe Curtis didn't go into the swamp.”
“He didn't go up the road. I searched the next damn mile on foot.”
“Kerry search with you?”
“No. He left.”
“He left?” Cal did a double take.
“He said he had to go take a shit and he left. He didn't come back. That was why Ian thought that Kerry already knew where Curtis had gone. He thought that Kerry had a lead on Curtis and didn't want to share the glory of bringing in a wanted criminal. When he never brought Curtis in, I just assumed he had blown any leads he had.”
“Reasonable assumption.”
“You would have thought the same thing.”
“I don't think anything. Y'all don't pay me to think.”
“If we don't pay you to think, then why are you making me have this conversation?” David asked.
“Because we're fucking up somewhere and we need to figure out where the fuck up is before anyone else gets killed.” Cal sat down on the edge of the couch and rubbed his chin. “If Curtis dumped the truck and was seen escaping by Kerry but then Kerry lost him, where does that put us?”
“Hell if I know. I reckon he had to have been here trashing the house while we were gone today. But no one saw anybody near the house.”
“Wait. That's not true. Didn't Addison say that Granny Pearl saw Kerry's squad car parked outside the house earlier this afternoon?” Cal asked.
“Hmph. Now that you mention it, yeah. I think you're right. She said he wanted to talk to me about the identity of the body from under my house.”
“Why would Frank Chasson send Kerry to talk to you about a body that you already identified?” Cal crossed his arms over his chest.
“That's a damn good question.”
“Its a question we need to ask.”
“You don't think Kerry was the one who burglarized the house today, do you?”
“I might be willing to buy it if the burglar hadn't left Trish's fake engagement ring sitting on the buffet in the hallway. A million dollars worth of jewelry would be enough to tempt most people to become thieves. But Kerry wouldn't have any reason to leave Trish's old ring sitting out.”
“Maybe Trish left the ring out and doesn't remember?”
“Possible but unlikely.” David frowned thoughtfully. “You don't think Kerry could be helping Trish's ex, do you?”
Cal sat silent for several minutes before reluctantly shaking his head. “As much as I love that theory, we're not going to get lucky enough to roll all of our problems into one nifty little package. My guess is that Kerry is trying to play the hero and running his own investigation on Curtis.”
“That would explain why we keep tripping over him.”
“Kerry's not stupid. He could have tracked Curtis from the swamp to this house. Its not exactly a secret that Curtis is after Trish or that Trish was eventually going to come home to this house. Stake out the house long enough and you'd be able-.”
“You think Curtis was waiting on Trish and Kerry was waiting on Curtis,” David beat him to the punchline.
“It would make more sense than the theory that Kerry is intentionally helping Curtis.”
“Kerry isn't helping Curtis.” David didn't even stop to think about the question. “I hate Kerry but he's a stickler for the law. He tried to arrest a six year old child for shoplifting a 10 cent piece of candy in the Gas N' Go last week. I can see him trying to bring Curtis in on his own as a way of trying to save his sinking career, but I can't see him aiding and abetting a fugitive.”
“I agree,” Cal said thoughtfully. “But it doesn't explain how Curtis is getting around town.”
“We'll figure it out,” David said. “Lets get through this damned funeral and get a full nights sleep. I bet things will make a lot more sense once our brains get back to running on something more substantial than Red Bull and gas station donuts.”
“We're going to wind up feeling stupid,” Cal said. “I just hope no one else has to die because of it.”
Chapter 40
“Is Ian here?” Katie asked as her older sister came walking back into the labor and delivery room. “Please tell me that Ian's here?”
Kristy took a very visible deep breath and then swallowed. “The guy the nurse saw at the nurse's station wasn't Ian.”
“But she said he was blonde and asking about me?” Katie was near tears from the combination of physical pain and total humiliation.
“Its Studmuffin,” Kristy said.
“Addy's here?” Katie couldn't hide her surprise.
“Uh huh. He brought you a cheap vase full of daisies and tried to say they were from Ian. You want to see him or should I send him away?”
&
nbsp; Katie nearly smiled. “I want the daisies. You can send him in.”
“Katie, I don't know if its really a good idea to have Addison in the delivery room when Ian's not here.” Katie's mother squeezed her hand gently.
“He won't stay,” Katie told her mother. “Besides, I want to know where my husband is. If Addy's here by himself, it probably means that he knows where Ian is and that Ian's not coming.”
“Oh. Honey. I'm sorry.” Ellodine Matthews squeezed her daughter's fingers even more tightly as Addison walked into the delivery room.
“Hey pretty girl,” he said.
Katie did a double take the minute she saw him. His golden blonde hair was plastered to his head with either water or sweat. His blue and green plaid button down shirt had a blossom of blood staining the area over the bullet wound in his chest. His tan skin was still too pale and he looked the worst that Katie had ever seen him as he held out a fat vase full of brightly colored blossoms.
“Oh my god, you're bleeding.”
Addison glanced down at his wound and then shook his head as he crossed the distance between the door and her bed. He set the daises down on the table beside her. “Don't worry about me. How are you?”
“I'm-.” Katie hesitated and then looked back up at her mom. “Can you go get me an orange soda? Please?”
Ellodine cast a sideways glance from her daughter to Addison and then back again. “Of course, darling. Do I need to take Kristy with me?”
“Please.” Katie knew she hadn't fooled anyone.
No sooner had the door shut behind them then another contraction struck her hard. She reached out for something to grab and found Addy's fingers. She clung to him until the pain passed.
“I'm sorry,” she whispered as it eased.
“Don't be.” Addison leaned down across the side of the bed and kissed her gently on the forehead. “You okay?”
“I'm as okay as I'm going to get until after this baby is born. Where is my husband?”
“Katie-.”
“Don't lie to me, Studmuffin.”
“He's drunk on his fucking houseboat,” Addison practically spat the words out. His fury showed clearly in the light of his turquoise eyes. “I tried to sober him up and realized that I was going to kill him if I kept going. I walked away.”
“Is that how you tore your stitches out?” Katie asked.
“Yes,” Addy admitted reluctantly. “My temper got the better of me. He said something stupid and I threw him off the fucking boat. It hurt me worse than it hurt him. I think I might be getting old.”
“You need to get one of the nurses to check your wound,” Katie tried to focus on him instead of thinking about how Ian would rather be drunk on the river than with her during the birth of their first, and most likely only, child. Katie didn't plan on getting pregnant again anytime soon. Or ever, if this was how Ian was going to behave.
“I'm fine.”
“Thank you for the flowers.”
“I'd tell you that the flowers were from Ian, but even Kristy didn't believe that one.” Addison sank down in the chair that Ellodine had vacated. He was still holding Katie's fingers in his.
Another contraction hit and she squeezed her eyes tightly closed until it passed, leaving her gasping for breath.
Addy was looking at her with concern. “Is this normal?”
“Sort of,” Katie said. “My water broke but I haven't made any real progress. The doctor thinks they're going to have to do a c-section.”
“Kristy said that to me when I got here,” Addy said.
“Will you stay?” Katie asked.
“You want me to stay?” Addy blinked at her.
“I'm scared. If something goes wrong, my mom and my sister will both panic. Someone needs to be here who has a clear head. I want someone here who will make the right decisions for Hannah Mae.”
“For Hannah Mae?” Addison stared straight into her eyes.
“For Hannah Mae,” Katie confirmed as she pointed at her stomach. “I'm not important. She's the important one.”
“Y'all are both important,” Addison said.
“Stay?”
“If you really want me to?”
She squeezed his hand tightly as another contraction hit. “Don't leave my side.”
“I won't. Just breathe. Focus on breathing.”
Katie closed her eyes and tried not to focus on the fact that she'd just asked Addy to stay by her side while she had her baby. She had more than enough things to worry about without adding her horribly traitorous emotions to the list.
Chapter 41
“I brought you a cucumber sandwich,” Miss Loretta said as she carried a small tray into what Gracie had described to Trish as David's high school bedroom. The room itself looked like it had multiple-personality disorder. Harley Davidson memorabilia contrasted hard against the handmade quilt that adorned the king size bed. A cluster of photographs were still pinned to the wall closest to the bed. Most of the faces in the pictures were surprisingly familiar. A preteen Gracie hanging onto football player Cal. Addison with a full beard, a ponytail and massive catfish held up in both hands. Loretta Walker in her best dress with her arms around David. He was wearing a high school cap and gown in that one.
“Thank you. You didn't have to do that.” Trish smiled and tried to tug the hem of Cal's t-shirt down a little further as she took the plate and accompanying glass of tea from Loretta.
Loretta smiled gently. The older woman's hair was in curlers and she looked older than she had the other day at the hospital. It was probably the lack of make-up, but Trish revised her estimation of Cal's parents ages from in their fifties to in their early sixties. “Trish, I know we haven't had any chance to get to know one another, but believe me when I say that we'll get there. David would never forgive me if I didn't take care of you. I'm fairly certain he told Gracie to bring you here specifically because he knew I would take care of you.”
Trish considered the older woman's words for a minute and then nodded. “Knowing David, that is entirely possible.”
Loretta smiled. “Eat your sandwich. Gracie told me that David tried to make you eat dinner and you took all of two bites of it.”
“I don't have much of an appetite when I get stressed out,” Trish admitted as she sat down on the edge of the bed. “The last few weeks have been completely overwhelming.”
Loretta sat down beside Trish. “Would you feel better if you talked about it?”
“I don't know.” Trish thought about the question a minute and then picked up half of the pretty little sandwich. “I don't even know that I've really even had the time to process everything myself. Its like every time I try to stop and think, something else goes haywire.”
Loretta put one hand over Trish's. “Believe me when I say that I know the feeling.”
“Do you?”
“Absolutely,” Loretta said. “And I also know that your friends are trying very hard to protect you, but that probably feels a bit smothering and overwhelming as well.”
“It does,” Trish acknowledged.
“David can be rather intense as well,” Loretta said.
“David is...” Trish held her good arm up in a shrug. “I don't even know. He's an amazing guy, but he's pretty off the wall at times.”
“I doubt that you'll ever be bored with him,” Loretta said idly. She batted her eyelashes at Trish. “He's always said he'd know the one he wanted when he saw her. Welcome to the family, Trish.”
“Thank you,” Trish said. “It means a lot to me. Really. Especially considering everything that's gone wrong.”
“The bad times will pass, child.”
“I just feel like everything that has gone wrong has been my fault,” Trish was surprised to hear herself admit the words outloud.
“Tell me why you feel that way,” Loretta said. “Maybe we can figure out how to fix it.”
Trish closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then told David's Momma everything.
Chapter 42
Ian was walking into the hospital as Addison was walking out the front doors. The sight of Ian, freshly scrubbed and bright eyed with his strawberry blonde hair neatly combed and his khakis neatly pressed, made Addison want to hurl. Or hit something. Preferably Ian's jaw with his fist.
“Addy. Hey.” Ian gave a partial wave. He had a sheepish look on his deceptively boyish face. He was holding a single, bedraggled looking red rose in his left hand as he stopped in front of Addison.
“You stop at the gas station for that sorry piece of greenery?” Addison asked as he stared down at the rose.
“She likes roses,” Ian said evasively.
Addison opened his mouth to tell Ian that she didn't, but then decided he'd be better off keeping his mouth shut.
“Is the baby...Is she here yet?” Ian asked.
“Hannah Mae McIntyre was born at 4:27 this morning,” Addison said quietly. “She weighs six pounds and nine ounces. She's small but she's healthy.”
Ian pursed his lips and then let a slow breath of air out through his teeth. “And Katie?”
“She had to have a c-section but she's recovering nicely. Her mom and Kristy are still with her. I had to leave because I'm supposed to be speaking at Grover's funeral in less than three hours.”
“Oh.”
“I haven't had any sleep in over 24 hours,” Addison said. “How about you? You sleep good last night?”
“I blacked out after you left,” Ian said. “Look, I need to apologize about last night. I've kind of fallen off the wagon lately.”
“You've never been on the wagon,” Addison snapped.
Ian blinked guiltily and then averted his blue eyes so that he was staring down at his own sneakers instead of Addison's face. “I'm sorry about last night, okay?”
“I'm not the person you need to be apologizing to,” Addison said flatly. “Katie is the one you hurt.”
Ian swallowed nervously. “She'll forgive me. She always does.”
“She's a much better woman than you deserve,” Addy said.
Ian looked back up at Addison. “I appreciate you driving all the way down here. I'm glad you were here with her. You're really a great friend, Addy.”
