by Mary Abshire
Andrew’s eagerness to hand over all his winnings had amazed her. Sure, he’d won using her money, but he could’ve asked to keep some of the funds. She hadn’t spent more than five hundred on clothes and food for him. And she’d lost some money to the drug addicts in Cambridge, but if she added everything up, it amounted to not even half of what he’d won. How he managed to win was a mystery to her, just as much as he was, but she couldn’t be more overjoyed by the fact he’d earned free money for them. She felt the need to share since she wouldn’t have acquired the cash without him.
The sun was setting in the horizon and coloring the sky with beautiful pink and peach shades. Having left her jacket in the car, the gentle breeze cooled her arms. By her estimate, they still had at least an hour of daylight left. After they’d spent enough time watching Harold, she’d wanted to leave. The guy was a jerk who loved to drink and hit on women. She doubted she’d have any trouble luring him to a bar or hotel. Now, if she could just find a spot where Andrew could kill the guy, then the plan would be complete.
Her thoughts returned to the scheme she’d come up with. What had she been thinking when she volunteered to lure Harold to Andrew? She had to have gone crazy since she’d left Chicago. But there was no other way Andrew was going to be able to kill the man and get away with it. Everything she’d learned from Troy’s research indicated Harold was a murderer. Taking his ugly ass off the planet would possibly save lives. But she wasn’t the type of person who plotted or contributed to murder. So she’d taken some jewels from her dad’s safe, but the diamonds were rightly hers anyway. Taking a life was different. Why had she committed herself to damnation for a stranger claiming to be an angel? She had to have lost her mind.
Emily reached the driver’s side of the Jeep and opened the door. The large body of water beyond the casino captured her attention. She paused, staring at the river. Pittsburgh had three of them, which translated into good places to kill and dump a body without being seen.
“You okay, Em?” Andrew asked, sitting the passenger seat
She hopped inside. “I got an idea where you can kill Harold.”
“I hope you weren’t thinking of the casino.”
The engine purred softly after she turned the key. “No. The river.” She backed out of the parking spot and then headed to the exit. “We need to drive around a bit to find the right spot.”
He twisted in his seat to gaze out the back window. “You’re a genius.”
“I wouldn’t go that far, but I am familiar with dumping bodies,” she said, meaning it as a joke.
There was a moment of silence while they waited at the stoplight. She wondered if he thought she was being serious. Maybe she needed to be more careful with her words.
“Do you miss your friend?” he asked.
She knew who he was referring to. “Of course I do. She was my best friend. I loved her like a sister. If I had to do things over, I would work harder to try and break her from her addiction.”
“And if you couldn’t and the same fate happened?”
She steered the car onto the main road. “I don’t know. I suppose if she hadn’t died in my arms and on my watch, things would be different.”
Somehow she doubted it would’ve mattered anyway. Libby’s overdose would’ve still reflected poorly on Emily because they were so close and Emily hadn’t stop her. Either way, Emily would’ve been blamed. The only way she could’ve came out as not looking like a bad person was to have stopped being friends with Libby.
The road led them under a bridge and curved along with the river. They passed an old run-down school before reaching an industrial area with a lumber company and other warehouses. At a light, she turned to see if there was another road that would get her closer to the river. She drove to the end of the street.
“There are too many businesses,” Andrew said.
She’d noticed the same thing too as she steered down another less-populated road behind the buildings. They searched for a spot that would be hidden. The buildings offered some privacy, but her fear was they might have security cameras. She continued and passed an old bridge used by trains. She wondered where the trains went on the other side. A mile later she saw a sign for a bridge that would take them across the river. She followed the directions.
The drive over the bridge was short. She curved right, staying on the state route that would keep her close to the river. Businesses and homes were spread out, leading her to believe she’d eventually find a secluded place. Trees on both sides blocked the view of what was beyond them. She doubted she was far from the water, but she couldn’t be certain.
“I wish there was some…” Before she could finish she noticed a dirt path leading into the woods. “There.” She pointed.
She took her foot off the accelerator, but she was going too fast to turn onto the path. She glanced in her rearview mirror and didn’t see any other cars. Ahead a vehicle was approaching. To avoid any attention, she stayed on the road. She could turn around in a parking lot up ahead anyway.
“There doesn’t seem to be a lot of traffic around here,” he said. “Maybe we’re too much off the beaten road.”
He had a point she hadn’t considered. They’d crossed a bridge and drove a few miles away from the heart of the city. It was almost as if they were in the suburbs. Harold would likely suspect something once she’d cross the river. She’d have to come up with some excuse to keep him from grabbing the wheel or trying to jump out of the car.
“I’ll think of something to keep him occupied. Maybe if I keep him liquored up he won’t notice where I’m driving,” she said.
The trees cleared and revealed a motel with a large parking lot to her left. A bar and fast food chicken restaurant were on the other side of the road. She slowed and turned into the entrance to the chicken joint. She drove around the building to get back to the state route.
“Have you got something against chicken?” he asked.
“At the moment, yes. We’re losing daylight and I we need to find a safe spot for you.”
Her rearview mirror was empty, but two oncoming cars with headlights beaming headed her way. She slowed her speed, hoping they’d pass her before she neared the dirt path.
“We could just kidnap him and drive somewhere,” Andrew said.
“I just got this car. I want to keep it clean. No bloodstains please.”
The first car passed. Not even twenty seconds later, the second vehicle drove by. She lowered her speed more to give them time to get farther away from her before she had to turn. The extra caution was probably overkill, but she didn’t want to take any chances.
The path she’d seen earlier was difficult to spot from a distance. Daylight was fading and she’d have to use her beams soon.
“Do you see it?” she asked, searching her side of the road.
Andrew leaned forward. “I think that’s it.” He pointed.
She looked closer at the ground and found the grass flattened into tracks. One last time, she checked for cars coming in either direction. Although she spotted one vehicle in the distance, it was too far away for them to suspect anything. She turned onto the dirt path and prayed they didn’t end up in the river.
The Jeep shook over the bumpy terrain. Andrew gripped the handle on the roof near the window. Trees surrounded them on both sides of the car. Straight ahead was a clearing. As they drew nearer, she noticed railroad tracks in front of the river.
She steered the Liberty out of the wooded area and toward the railroad tracks. The river looked bigger from such a close proximity. She turned the car so it was parallel with the tracks.
“Let’s take a look around,” she said as she shifted the gear into park.
She left the Jeep running as she slid from the seat. The river stench reminded her of wet garbage and stinky fish. Idle railcars in the distance blocked part of the view of the city. Businesses across the river were difficult to see. Nothing but railroad tracks lay behind them.
Andrew walked in front
of the car. He crossed his arms as he looked around.
“This spot is perfect,” she said.
“I don’t like it.”
Hands on her hips, she glared at him. “What do you mean you don’t like it?”
“It puts you in more danger,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. While she appreciated his concern, she wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. She had for Troy before. Life was full of dangerous messes. She dealt with the crap and then moved on.
“Let’s go over the plan again real quick.” She left her door open as she walked toward him.
“You bump into him at lunch, flirt, and give him your number.”
“That’s right.”
“What are you in town for?” he asked.
“A convention.”
“What kind?”
She tossed her hands up as she quickly thought of something that wasn’t related to accounting. “A technology conference. I work for a small IT company and came to network with other small businesses and enhance my skills.”
He pressed his lips together and nodded as if pleased. “What’s the name of your company?”
She looked at the river as she came up with a name. “Creative Designs Plus.”
“And what does your company do?”
She tapped her foot on the ground. The questions were starting to frustrate her, but she understood why he was asking. He wanted to see how prepared she would be.
“We offer tech support and design software to suit the needs of small businesses.”
He lowered his arms. “I like it. The technical stuff should bore him so he won’t ask too many questions after that.”
She crossed her arms. “Bore him?”
“In a good way,” he said. “So you agree to meet him for drinks. Where do you go? Remember, you’re visiting in town and you don’t know your way around.”
Again, she looked around as she thought of answer. She would’ve said a bar, but she would’ve had to rely on him to name one.
“How about this,” he said when she didn’t answer. “You meet him at the casino.”
She pressed her lips together and nodded. “Not a bad idea. Since he likes to drink and gamble he won’t be able to resist.” She liked his way of thinking.
“That’s right. Now, from there it gets tricky.”
She lowered her arms. “Not really. I’ll invite him back to my hotel room and bring him here.”
He stretched his arms out. “But there aren’t many hotels in the area and it’s a good ten minute drive from the bridge. How do you explain that?”
“My company booked a cheap room for me.”
He stepped closer to her. “How do you explain driving through those woods to get to here?” he pointed at the ground.
“Look, it’s not a perfect plan, but I can get him here. I’ll figure something out.”
“And how am I going to get here? Have you thought that part out?”
She turned away from him and kicked at the dirt on the ground. Small rocks went flying. Her plan had been a good one, but she hadn’t considered how Andrew would arrive in advance. She would have to have the Jeep to drive Harold to her make believe hotel. Andrew couldn’t take a taxi. There weren’t any nearby places except…
She snapped her fingers. “I’ve got it. The motel up the road, you can stay there and walk here. It’s not that far. Three miles maybe.”
He leaned his backside against the Jeep and stared across the river. “I suppose that would work.”
“I can’t think of any other option.” She looked back at the tracks. “I bet if you cross the road and walk behind the bar you can follow the tracks here.”
He pushed his hands into his pockets while he nodded. “Probably. But why not just drop me off tomorrow?”
Technically she could bring him by in the morning, but a break from him would give her some time to carefully think about everything. Things had been moving fast. While she’d agreed to help, she needed to make sure it was in her best interest. Besides, she couldn’t be certain how many cars used the main road in the morning. If there were a lot, she wouldn’t be able to steer into the woods. Then she’d miss her chance to bump into Harold.
“Well, the traffic might prevent me from coming here. We don’t want anyone to see us drive into the woods. You could check in at the motel early, but the attendant will think it’s strange if you check in and never check out, which is what would happen. There wouldn’t be a point in coming back after you do your thing. Now, if you stay tonight, I’ll go in with you so it looks like we’re passing through together. Then tomorrow, you can leave and head here. I can bring you a change of clothes in the morning.”
He quietly stared at the river as if he were thinking. “That’s fine.” His tone reflected otherwise. “We should get going.” He walked around the car.
The blanket of darkness was closing in around them. With the details of the plan finalized, she headed toward her door.
“Maybe you should switch hotels and stay with me,” Andrew suggested as she strapped her seatbelt across her body. “It would save you some money.”
“With the cash you won, we’ll be fine to rent another room.”
She steered the Jeep back the way they’d came. Driving through the wooded area was difficult without her headlights on, but the path to the road was short. Since she didn’t see any lights in either direction, she sped away from the dirt path.
“He’s going to suspect something is wrong when you leave the main road,” Andrew said.
“I’ll tell him I just found it when I drove by earlier and I wanted to check it out.”
Andrew was staring at her with a serious expression. “It’s very risky for you.”
“This is the only way to make the plan work for you.”
Gaze lowered, he turned to his window. What was his problem?
“Do you want me to help you or not?” she asked, frustrated. “I said I would, and I meant it. But it seems like… It seems as if you’re having doubts or something.”
“I’m not having doubts. I want to kill this demon,” he said in a strong tone. “I just don’t like that you’ll be so far away. We work better as a team.”
“We are working together. And I’m not that far. It’s just for one night. I’ll stay in touch throughout the day tomorrow and then we’ll meet up at night.”
He said nothing and kept his attention away from her. Why was he so concerned about them staying in separate hotels for one night? She couldn’t understand, unless he thought maybe she’d ditch him. What else would cause him such concern?
The motel appeared on her left. She turned into the lot and then parked near the window with the big neon sign saying office. The long building had yellow doors and vinyl siding in a similar color. Three other cars on the lot suggested there should be plenty of vacancies. The motel wasn’t the Marriott, but it would suffice for one night. It couldn’t be as bad as the Dollar Inn they stayed at in Cambridge.
Emily caught up with Andrew in front of the Jeep. She slid the handle of her purse over her arm. Without a word, he opened the door and held it for her.
A middle-aged man wearing a flannel shirt and jeans appeared from an open doorway in the back. Dark hair on his face and head had bits of gray throughout. “Evening,” he said.
“We’d like a room please.” Emily set her purse on the counter.
“Would you like a king or two doubles?” he asked.
“King is fine,” she said as she withdrew her wallet. “Just for one night. We’re passing through.”
“Most people do.” He withdrew a paper twice the size of an index card and key from behind the counter. “It’s fifty-seven for one night and that includes tax. I need you to complete the form for me.”
“Spencer,” Emily said as she handed Andrew her wallet. “Can you pay him with cash while I fill out the form?” She used his alias, hoping he’d play along.
“Sure honey,” he said, and she smiled.
; Emily filled out the paper using Carrie Reynolds’s name and address. From the corner of her eye, she saw Andrew pay the manager. He slid the room key, which was a real metal key and not a card, to Andrew. Once Emily completed the document, she handed it over.
“Check out is at eleven,” the manager said. “Room Two is to the right as you walk out of here.”
“Perfect.” Emily lifted her purse from the counter. “Thank you.”
She followed Andrew out of the office. Although they could’ve walked, she needed to move the car to give the appearance she was staying. Thankfully, the room was at the far end. She hoped the manager wouldn’t notice her Jeep missing later.
She parked in front of the door with the number two on the outside, but left the engine running. “Let me give you some money.” She reached behind the seat for her purse.
“I’m sure I sound like a broken record, but thank you. Without your help, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t be able to kill this demon. Who knows where I’d be.”
She took three stacks of bills she’d received from the casino. Each one was worth one hundred. “Here. In case you need anything.”
He glanced at the money. “I don’t need that much. Twenty should be fine for food.”
She pushed the money in front him. “Take it.”
“I don’t want it.”
“You might need it.”
“Not if you’re going to show up tomorrow night.”
She leaned her elbow on the seat divider. “I said I would help you and I will. I don’t go back on my word.”
