by R. D. Brady
But Jack?
No one had asked Jack where he’d been.
But why would Jack kill Mel?
More importantly, why would Jack have killed Simone?
Julie remembered Jack from when they were younger. She tried to remember any interactions he’d had with Simone. But she couldn’t remember any time Jack had ever singled out Simone for attention. In fact, he’d never really paid any attention to Simone at all.
If anything, Julie was the one he’d stared at.
CHAPTER 83
Steve pulled up three houses away from Declan’s sister’s house. The old car was loud, but it had handled the roads really well. Which was amazing, because the roads were a mess—not just from water, but downed trees and more than one power line. It had taken him more than double the time it should have to get here.
Yet now that he was here, he wasn’t sure what he was doing. His grandmother wasn’t in trouble; she was with Declan’s family. She was fine. Steve felt foolish and guilty for thinking otherwise.
But still, he needed to see her with his own eyes. His world was spinning out of control, but if he knew she was all right… well, then he could handle everything else.
Now that he was here, however, he wasn’t sure exactly how to accomplish that. It’s not like he could just run up, ring the doorbell, and ask. Julie had no doubt called the cops, and they would be searching for him. He looked around. In fact, I’m surprised they’re not here already.
Leaning against the steering wheel, he looked at the house. It was a ranch, which was good—only one floor to worry about. And no one seemed to be around, so that was working in his favor as well. Maybe he could just peek in the window. No one would ever have to know he was here.
He blew out a breath. Well, here goes nothing.
He opened the car door and stepped out. No curtains shifted on any of the houses. No one called out to him. Declan’s sister lived on the far side of town and houses were pretty spread out. But Steve still paused for another moment to make sure no one was looking.
When he was confident he was alone, he crossed the street. He tried to remember if Declan’s sister had a dog. He really hoped she didn’t.
He crept along the side of the yard, staying in the shadows of the trees. He’d start at the back. Maybe he could catch a glimpse of his grandmother through the windows. He walked silently next to a row of large evergreens that bordered the property.
“What are you doing?”
Steve whirled around. A boy of no more than eight stepped out from behind a blue spruce.
“Um, I…” Steve had no idea what to say.
The boy peered up at him. “Are you watching my yard?”
Steve tried to come up with a believable lie. He came up with nothing. Apparently, he was not meant to be a burglar. But seeing as how he was already caught, he figured he’d go for honesty. “Actually, I am. I’m looking for my grandma.”
“Bess?”
Steve nodded.
“She makes really good cookies.”
“Yeah. Did she bring the oatmeal ones?”
The boy nodded.
“Those are my favorites.” Steve paused. “Is she still here?”
The boy shook his head. “No, some man came to pick her up.”
“Do you know who he was?”
The boy shrugged. “I don’t know. Some guy in a suit. He called her Grandma.”
Jack. Steve’s gut clenched. “How long ago was that?”
“I don’t know—a while.”
Steve tried to tell himself it was nothing to worry about. Probably Bess had insisted that she’d visited long enough and she wanted to be back in her own home. She could be very stubborn.
“Well, thanks. Take care.”
“Don’t you want to talk to my mom?”
“Um, no. That’s okay. I need to find my grandmother.”
As Steve walked back to the street, he could feel the boy’s eyes on him. He turned and waved. The boy waved back and then disappeared into the trees.
Steve ran the rest of the way to the car, just in case the kid was telling anyone inside. Jack has Grandma. But that was all right, wasn’t it? Jack would never hurt her. He couldn’t.
Steve pulled away from the curb, his foot planted a little heavier on the gas pedal than before. Of course Jack wouldn’t hurt her. He repeated that thought to himself. But he still drove as fast as the streets would allow.
CHAPTER 84
Julie closed the box and pushed it off her lap. She stood up, not sure what she should make of this. Was it just because she was alone? Had the frights of the last few days caused her to see threats were there were none? I mean, the killer was Steve, right?
The door flew open and Julie let out a scream.
Jack stepped in and shut the door behind him. There was a look of genuine concern on his face. “Julie? Are you okay? What are you doing here?”
Julie stared at him for a moment, struggling to figure out how to react. She could ask him point blank—but what if he admitted it? Then what? No. She needed to pretend she knew nothing.
“Jack, thank God. Do you have a car? Mine got stranded in a puddle about a mile from here.”
“Yeah, I’m parked in the lot.” He moved toward her. “You’re soaked. Hold on. Let me see if I have any clothes or towels in my bedroom.” He took a step, then stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes locked on the box on the floor.
His gaze rose to meet hers, and his whole face seemed to transform. It went hard. If evil was a thing that could be seen, that’s what Julie was looking at. When Jack spoke, his voice was cold. “Seems you’ve already been in my bedroom.”
Julie tried to bluff her way out. “Hmm? Oh, the jacket, yeah. I found this box, too, but I didn’t open it.”
Jack laughed, and the sound sent chills down Julie’s spine. “Oh, come now, Julie. I think you and I are beyond lying to each other now, aren’t we?”
In that moment, Julie knew she was staring into the eyes of the man who’d killed her sister. She knew she shouldn’t, but she had to ask.
“Why, Jack? Why did you do it?”
Jack smiled. “I never meant to kill Simone.”
Julie felt the breath leave her lungs.
Jack took a step toward her. “You see, it was you I was coming for that night—not her.”
CHAPTER 85
Julie backed away, her heart pounding. Jack had killed Simone. He’d admitted it. But he’d meant to kill her. “I—I don’t understand.”
Jack perched on the edge of the futon. “You know, I’ve always known I was different. I had different… let’s call them ‘interests.’ Ever since I was a kid. Who knows why. Like the song says, I was just born this way.”
Julie was terrified and curious all at the same time. But mostly she was stunned. This wasn’t happening. “Elise, too? Mel, Dee?”
Jack’s smile grew wider. “It’s been a fun couple of days. But they’re only the tip of the iceberg. There are many others. You’ve looked in the box.”
Julie knew there was no longer any point in denying it. She nodded.
“One memento for each,” Jack said. “But they aren’t from Millners Kill. Like they say, you don’t shit in your own sandbox—until now. With Steve coming back, it was just too delicious to resist. And it’s worked out perfectly. In fact, I’m betting you just called the police and told them Steve was the killer, didn’t you?”
Julie’s mouth dropped open. How did he know that?
Jack laughed. “I couldn’t have planned it better.”
Julie gasped. He was right. The police would shoot Steve on sight—because of her. Her eyes locked with Jack’s.
He nodded back at her. “Ah, now you see your predicament. But what you don’t realize is that I’ve been dreaming about this moment for ten long years. Truth be told, I’ve imagined your blood slipping through my fingers for longer than that. That night, though, it was Simone who let me in. I knew your parents went to bed early. And you said Si
mone usually did as well.”
It was true. But that night Julie had been feeling a little under the weather and had gone to bed early, while Simone had stayed up late studying because she had a big history test the next day.
“When she answered the door, well… I decided to take the opportunity presented to me. It was simply too sweet an opportunity to resist.”
Julie felt her stomach turn. He sounded so enthralled with his own acts. He enjoyed this. This man standing in front of her right now… this was the real Jack. The polite, concerned Jack that she’d thought she’d always known—he was the fake.
Jack pulled a knife from his pocket. There was already blood on it.
Julie pulled her gun from her pocket. “I don’t think so.”
He laughed, genuine amusement on his face. “See? This is what I’m talking about. I always knew you’d be special.”
“Back up against the wall.”
“See, I don’t think I’m going to do that.” He walked toward her. “And I don’t think you’re going to shoot me.”
“You’re wrong.”
Julie pulled the trigger.
Jack tried to jump over the coffee table, but the bullet caught him in the calf. He screamed, and Julie dodged around him toward the door. But Jack grabbed her leg as she passed—she fell forward, her arms flailing, and the gun flew from her hand. Julie kicked with her free leg, connecting with Jack’s face. He yelled and let go of her.
Julie scrambled to her feet, as did Jack. The door was behind her, but the gun was now behind Jack.
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Tough choice, huh? Let me make it easier.” He leapt for the gun.
Julie turned and ran for the door. As she shot through it, a bullet slammed into the doorframe right next to her. Heart pounding, she kept running. Too late, she realized she was headed for the beach. She should have turned as soon as she left the cabin. “Shit,” she panted.
It was too late to change course now. She looked ahead at the water. She knew it would be cold, and she could see how rough it was. But she was a good swimmer, and there was simply no other choice.
She flew across the beach and pounded down the dock.
Jack yelled from behind her. “Where do you think you’re going?”
She lengthened her stride.
She heard the report of the gun three times. Two missed.
One didn’t.
It slammed into her lower back. Julie fell forward and tumbled off the end of the dock.
The dark water closed over her head before she even had time to scream. Waves crashed over her, tossing her about, and she began to sink. The pain in her back screamed. She was becoming lightheaded from either the lack of oxygen or the shock of the bullet. Probably both.
She turned and started to swim for the surface, then stopped.
Up above, at the edge of the dock, stood Jack. He was waving goodbye.
CHAPTER 86
Declan pulled into his sister’s drive. Keith had made it clear that his help was not welcome in the search for Julie or Steve, but Declan planned on helping anyway. He just had to do one thing first.
For a minute he sat and looked at his sister’s home. He’d fought with her more than a few times about his support of Steve. She’d always worried what it would do to his career, and she’d never understood how Declan just couldn’t let him go.
But Steve had always been like a little brother to him. He’d never had a brother. He wondered for a moment why he’d never felt that way about Jack. Maybe it was because Jack always seemed to know what he was doing, and Steve… well, he always seemed a little lost. A little too innocent.
Declan rubbed his face. Apparently not as innocent as I thought.
He looked up at the house and his stomach dropped. He was going to have to go in there and tell Bess about Steve. It was going to break her. All these years, she had defended him. And now…
Declan shook his head. Damn.
Knowing he couldn’t put it off any longer, he opened the car door. Rain pelted him, but he couldn’t work up the energy to care. He walked slowly up the front path.
The door swung open before his hand touched the doorknob. Nate, his eight-year old-nephew, stood there. “Um, you forget your umbrella?”
Declan nodded. “Yeah. How’s everything going here?”
Nate shrugged. “Okay. I got to play outside for a little, but then it started raining again.”
“Yeah. I think it’s supposed to stop tomorrow, so maybe we can go for a drive around the island. See the storm damage.”
“Cool.”
Declan shrugged off his coat. “Where’s Bess?”
“She went home.”
Declan went still. “What?”
“Some guy in a suit came and picked her up.”
Declan felt relief flow through him. Jack. Good. He nodded. And glanced back outside. He owed it to them both to tell them himself. Better they hear it from him than from Keith. He pulled his jacket back on. “Well, I need to speak with them. Tell your mom I’ll be back.” He stepped back outside.
“Okay.” Nate started to close the door. “Oh, and your other friend stopped by.”
Declan turned slowly. “What friend?”
“The man who was in prison.”
Steve was here? Declan’s heart began to pound. “Did he come inside?”
“No. He was looking for Bess. I told him she went home, so he left.”
He’s going after Bess.
“Lock the door and tell your mother not to let anyone in,” Declan yelled, and he ran for his car. He threw himself behind the steering wheel and quickly reversed out of the drive.
He slammed the car into drive and tore down the street.
He eyed the radio on the passenger seat, waging an inner war with himself. Damn it. He grabbed the radio and keyed it. “Steve Kane is heading for his home. His grandmother and brother are there as well. I repeat, Steve Kane is heading for his home. His grandmother and brother are there as well. All units respond.”
He dropped the radio back on the seat, knowing he had probably just signed Steve’s death warrant—and feeling really annoyed that he still cared.
CHAPTER 87
Julie broke through the water under the dock. She’d swum sideways under the dock, stayed under as long as she’d dared, and then surfaced quietly under the wooden planks. She wanted to suck in a lungful of air, but she knew she needed to try to take in only small breaths. She prayed the water hitting against the pilings drowned out the sounds of her ragged breathing. Blood pounded in her ears, and she couldn’t seem to stop the tremors in her arms.
The waves were threatening to pull her back out into the open water. She flipped onto her back, letting out a little cry at the pain that radiated through her back. Nausea rolled through her. Gritting her teeth, she kicked her legs, heading for the pilings closer to shore.
She had to battle the waves the whole way there. Each time she got a foot closer, the next wave seemed to push her another two feet back.
Please, Julie begged, exhaustion beginning to weigh her down.
“Don’t stop.”
At first, Julie thought she’d imagined the voice.
“Julie, don’t stop. You’re almost there.”
Julie opened her eyes. A teenage girl, her dark hair wet from the rain, was treading water next to her. “Simone?”
Simone nodded. “You need to move, Julie. You need to swim.”
“I’m too tired.”
“No. Stay awake. Look at me. Look at me.”
Julie cracked open her eyes. “You’re dead.”
“And you will be too. Now move.”
Rationally, Julie knew Simone was just a hallucination. Her body was shutting down. Her brain was shutting down. But she still felt better not being alone.
She kicked with her legs.
“That’s it. Keep going,” Simone urged.
Julie kicked harder. “I miss you, Simone.”
“I miss you too.”
She pulled herself around to the other side and wrapped her arms around the pole, resting her head against the rough wood. The waves were now pushing her toward the piling, helping her hold on. Her face was getting scratched up pretty good, but it was making it easier to keep her grip. But even with the water’s assist, she knew she didn’t have the energy to hold on for long. She wrapped her hands in the rope and closed her eyes.
“Wake up.”
Julie struggled to open her eyes.
“Wake up,” Simone said again.
Julie cracked her eyes open, not sure if she’d lost consciousness or not.
“Hold on. They’re coming,” Simone said, still treading water next to her.
“Can’t. Too tired,” Julie mumbled.
“Just hold on. They’re almost here. Look.”
Julie could see a flashlight bobbing along the shore. She tried to yell out. “Here. I’m here.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.
But the flashlight moved in her direction. For a moment, she worried it might be Jack, but Simone seemed so confident. And at this point, it wouldn’t matter if it was Jack. It was going to be over soon, one way or the other.
The light from the flashlight raked underneath the dock. Julie winced when the bright light hit her eyes.
She shut them. Warmth seemed to be calling to her. I’ll just take a little nap.
“Julie. Open your eyes.” A hand touched her face.
Julie struggled to pull herself from the warmth. She blinked a few times and then opened her eyes fully.
Russ was treading water next to her.
“How?” she asked, her voice weak.
He gently pulled her arms from around the pole and put her back against his front. She gasped as his belt came in contact with her wound.
“Sorry, sorry,” he whispered in her ear as he swam for shore. He quickly got them to the bank and pulled her out of the water.
