A Marked Man

by Stella Cameron

  “Hello,” Max called out suddenly. “Looks like you’ve got a problem, can I help?” At the same time he put the lamp down and turned it on full. It blasted out yellow light.

  “God, no,” Max said. “Kelly?”

  “Well, shit,” Kelly said. “Did I invite you to my party?”

  Max ran to take his brother into a bear hug. “I’m here, Kelly. It’s okay.”

  “It’s not okay. We’ve lost Roche. He’s gone because you’ve made it too hard for him to stay. I’ll never forgive you for that.”

  “Roche is fine,” Max said. He wanted to get Kelly away from here. He’d never seen his older brother completely out of control before.

  Kelly blinked at him and he had red rims around his eyes. “Nothing’s fine. Nothing’s ever going to be fine for you again. But Roche knows I’ve stuck by you. Dad’s going to find out I stuck by you, too. And you don’t have to worry. I’ll make sure the cops never get their hands on you.”

  Max took Kelly by the shoulders, trying to figure out if he was serious or in an altered state. “Have you been drinking?” He didn’t smell alcohol, although with the stink from the hole, who would?

  Kelly broke away and looked down again. He picked up a long pole and poked it around in the hole. “I’ve bought this lot,” he said. “Right next to Roche’s. I’ll have to keep him safe from your backlash.”

  “That lot belongs to me,” Max said.

  Kelly laughed and shook his head. “They tried sinking salt basins here. Not much more than holes in the ground. They were on the plat maps. That’s what this is, an open salt basin. There are two more over there.” He pointed to his right. “They were just left and stuff grew over them. I found this one when I fell in.” He coughed on smoke and choked before he could carry on. “It wasn’t finished so I didn’t have much more than a few feet to fall. I put the side of a wood shipping crate on it. See? A grand piano crate. I covered it up, and now I’ve got me a perfect hiding place. Pretty ingenious, huh?”

  “What are you burning?” Max asked. The ghastly odor flooded the air.

  Kelly tilted his head to one side. “Things I don’t want anymore,” he said. “That’s one thing these basins are good for. Getting rid of useless stuff. How did you know I was here?”

  “I didn’t.” Fear for Kelly grew stronger. “I came looking for a flashlight. Annie dropped it here another time.”

  “I know she’s over there.” Kelly laughed. “I can see her but I don’t want to embarrass her. Bit old for sex in the mud, aren’t you, bro?”

  This would be a poor time to punch Kelly out. “That’s enough.”

  “Come here,” Kelly said and Max stood beside him. “Look down there.”

  Max looked, he knelt and tried to see past the thinning smoke. And he felt Kelly move. Before Max could stop him, Kelly jumped to his feet and ran toward Annie. “Hey, Annie,” he called. “Come on and join us. This is going to be my lot. Right next to my brother’s. We’re going to need each other.”

  “She’s fine where she is,” Max shouted, getting up, but Kelly had already taken hold of her. He swung her up into his arms and ran back. “Put her down,” Max said.

  “Just helping out,” Kelly said.

  Annie couldn’t speak. She felt she might pass out.

  “You’re okay, Annie,” Kelly said. He smelled of sweat. “I’ll take good care of you. Max and I have got to make a decision.”

  She craned her neck to see Max. He walked slowly toward them.

  “Ah, ah,” Kelly said. “Not a good idea to come close. I’ve got a grenade.”

  Max halted. “Where the hell would you get a grenade?”

  Kelly made a rapid detour and ended up beside the hole. “Just joking,” he said. “You know me. I’ve always been a joker. But I’m not joking now. Listen up, golden boy, or Sweet Annie takes a tumble.”

  He would drop her in that smoky, foul-smelling pit?

  “You’re right,” Max said. “You always were a joker.”

  “Lil Dupre saw Roche with Lee that night,” Kelly said. “Getting it on at the clinic.”

  “You’re sure?” Max said.

  “I saw her. Luckily I was fast enough to head her off. I didn’t want her smearing Roche’s name. Unluckily, I was interrupted and she didn’t die like she should have. Death is the only final silence, remember that, bro.”

  Annie held still but Max could see her wide eyes.

  “Let her go,” he said.

  “Unless we shut Lil up, that woman will tell everyone what she saw and conclusions will be drawn. They’ll think Roche is the guilty one. When they start putting things together, they’ll think he tried to frame you for the killings. He dated the first one—Isabel—before you did.”

  “No, he didn’t, you did.” Max shut his mouth. Aggravating Kelly was too dangerous. Max thought about the gun. He couldn’t use it without the risk of hitting Annie. He couldn’t shoot Kelly anyway. As far as Max could tell the man needed psychiatric help.

  “I dated her to keep Roche away from her. She was no good for him. Roche always wanted the women you went for. He’d deny it, but he still wants to be the one women get all heated up for. Remember how he talked about Michele Riley wanting to come here because of him?”

  “Sure,” Max said, buying time. “You’re right.”

  “They’ve taken Tom Walen in for questioning,” Kelly said. “That wasn’t what we wanted, was it?”

  “I don’t know,” Max said. He saw no way to get to Annie if Kelly decided to throw her down. “If he hurt Michele it’s what we want.”

  “But he didn’t.” Kelly laughed. “Come closer. I don’t like shouting.”

  There was no choice but to do as he was asked. Max approached slowly.

  “It’s not burning,” Kelly said. “The fire’s gone out. Fix that for me.”

  Max stared at him, then at the rapidly thinning spiral of smoke.

  “Do it,” Kelly shouted and Max flinched. Annie looked at him, aghast.

  “Do it how?” Max asked in an even voice.

  “Go down there and get it burning again. I shouldn’t have closed it up so soon. I made it go out. It’s your fault. I saw you coming, you know.”

  “Kelly—”

  “Do it!”

  “I can’t. I can’t even see what’s in there.”

  “You’re not in charge,” Kelly said. “I am. I’m the oldest. You shouldn’t have tried to take my place. I will have my way. I’ll have what’s mine.”

  Max knew the deepest fear he’d ever felt. “You’re a good older brother, the best. Roche and I have always said so.”

  “You’ve always taken my place,” Kelly said. “Ever since you were born, Dad preferred you because you were brilliant. Well, I’m brilliant, too, and so is Roche. You’ve made our lives hell.”

  Max took another step toward Kelly.

  “Stay put,” Kelly said. “She can do it for you.” With that, he spread his arms and Annie fell, without a sound, into the opening in the ground. Straight down, she went and Max heard a thump. She did scream then.

  “That was your fault for not doing what you were told,” Kelly said to Max. “Learn your lesson. Don’t come any closer. Here’s a lighter, Annie.” He tossed something and it glinted before it disappeared. “Baby, light my fire. Now.”

  “Annie, I’ll get you out. Stamp on any sparks. Keep calm,” Max said. “She won’t be setting fire to anything. She’s coming out of there. I’ve got a gun, Kelly.”

  “And I’ve got a grenade,” Kelly said.

  “Sure you do, joker. Lie down on your face.”

  “Max?” Annie called and he heard her panic. “Please. Please get me out. Please. It’s hard to breathe.”

  “I’m coming.”

  “Nope,” Kelly said extending a hand.

  Max looked and whispered. “Where did you get a grenade?”

  “You can get anything you want. I’ll throw it in after her if you try to interfere.”

  Even if R
oche did find them, he wouldn’t be able to help. Nobody would—without getting blown up.

  Kelly did throw something and Max instinctively fell, facedown, and covered his head.

  Only Kelly’s laughter followed. “Just a penlight, bro. So your little piece of ass can see to do as she’s told.”

  Max shot to his feet, his heart thundering. He started toward Kelly who held up the grenade, a finger and thumb on the pin.

  Annie screamed and kept on screaming.

  “Let me get her,” Max said. He was begging and didn’t care.

  “All your life I had to walk behind you,” Kelly said. “Now it’s my turn out front. They should have put you away the first time your girlfriend bought it. But, no. You were bulletproof, only you’re not anymore. You’re going to do whatever I say, when I say it.

  “First you’ll have to help me finish that Lil Dupre bitch. It’s Roche’s fault she isn’t dead. He’d never make a sleuth. I don’t know how he figured out where I was but he followed me around today. I was afraid he’d come into the hospital after me. I was in too much of a hurry and I botched it with Lil.” He gave a secretive smile. “Roche only wants to look after me, I know that, but he made it harder for me.”

  Early dawn had begun. In the lightening shades of gray behind Kelly, a man crouched a way off. He hunkered down every few steps before running toward them again. Max had felt Roche before he saw him. They could all die here.

  Max couldn’t do anything to stop what happened next. Roche rushed Kelly from behind, tackled him around the waist and threw him down. “Get Annie out,” he said to Max, lying on top of Kelly.

  “He’s got a grenade,” Max said, staring at Kelly’s outstretched hand and the grenade he still held.

  “He can’t throw it from where he is,” Roche said, struggling to get control of Kelly’s arms.

  “You don’t have to pretend you care about him anymore,” Kelly said to Roche. “Help me. He won’t get a chance to tell Dad what happened.”

  “Just hold him down, Roche,” Max told him. “I’ll get the grenade.”

  “Don’t even try,” Kelly said. “Lil saw a doctor in scrubs in her room last night. And she’d already seen him beside the road after she played Peeping Tom at Green Veil. She thought he was a doctor. It was me. I acted fast and I was prepared. I got away from the clinic in time to head her off. I wanted to see you finished, Max, not Roche. She had to wonder if it was him who went after her on Landry Way. Her head injury bought some time but she’s recovering fast. After last night she’ll identify Roche for sure.” He chuckled. “Imagine how sorry Dad will be for me when he finds out how I’ve been used by my murdering half brother all these years. And he’ll be so grateful to me for saving Roche from you.”

  CHAPTER 42

  The indescribable odor of the thing she could not look at almost obliterated the smell of burned garbage underfoot. Pressed to a rough, curved wall, Annie shone the tiny penlight on one piece of debris after another.

  Burned away in places, only scorched in others, a sheet lay on top of the heap. Since she couldn’t bring herself to touch it, looking for duct tape was out of the question, but she thought she saw patches of dull silver.

  The men’s voices carried to her. She heard every word and felt physical pain for Max and Roche. Particularly Max who had grown up with someone who hated him enough to kill innocent victims, then try to get him blamed and ruined for the crimes.

  Annie hadn’t fallen badly. Her tailbone might be bruised and she was bumped and scraped, but for the rest she thought she was all right. Except for her mind. She pressed her knuckles into her eyes. The putrid stench raised her gorge and acid ran repeatedly into her throat. Each time she swallowed, she retched, and she tried not to look across the pile of debris at what lay beyond.

  Kelly had a grenade.

  She slid the phone from her waistband and opened it. Looking upward, afraid Kelly’s face would appear at any moment, she dialed 911. She faced the wall and cupped her mouth. The dispatcher dealt with Annie’s whispered request as if all callers rasped out their problems.

  After saying she couldn’t stay on the phone, Annie switched off and covered her nose and mouth with her hands while she tried to figure out how long it would take for help to come. There wasn’t even an address she could have given.

  “Why did you start following me?” Kelly said. “Tell me the truth. I’ve got to know what made you do it.”

  Neither of his brothers responded.

  “Roche,” Kelly said, “I was supposed to be out of town. You knew that. I needed everyone to know that. The first time I thought I saw you I couldn’t be sure. Last night outside the hospital, I knew it was you. You ruined everything.”

  “You ruined everything,” Roche said quietly. “You started when we were all not much more than kids and you killed for the first time. But I’ve played my part now. I told myself I had an excuse to take what Lee offered, but I didn’t. And I pushed too far. I wanted to make sure she kept her nose out of our business and quit looking for dirt on Max, but that wasn’t an excuse for what I did.”

  “Hush,” Kelly said in an unfamiliar, soft tone. “She wanted what she got. She lured you.”

  “No,” Roche said. “If I’d just let her go that night you and Lil wouldn’t have had anything to see when you were sneaking around. But I didn’t let her go. What she wrote in the paper would have gone away if you’d left it alone, but you had to kill her.”

  Annie closed her eyes. Roche wasn’t to blame, but she understood why he felt guilty.

  “She had to die,” Kelly said. “It was for you. She wasn’t good enough for you. Work with me and we’ll get everything we’ve ever wanted. Whatever happens here will be in self-defense.”

  “I’ve got your journal,” Roche said, his voice rising. “You wrote down everything you did, damn you. You wrote letters to Max—letters you never sent. You wrote them like he’d done the things you did. It’s all there.”

  Annie braced herself, expecting Kelly to blow them all up.

  “That’s private,” Kelly shouted. “For me. You went in my rooms? They were locked.”

  “I needed a copy of the clinic plans. You said you’d leave them for me but you didn’t. You’ve always tried to keep things to yourself. I borrowed a key. Why wouldn’t Charlotte lend me one when I’m your brother? You hid the plans, didn’t you? You hid the plans just because I said I wanted to look at them. In your bedroom. On top of that thing padded to match the curtains. Over the windows. Did you think you could just get away with anything?”

  “You couldn’t have found them,” Kelly said. “You had to have known they were there. You must have watched me.”

  “Sure,” Roche said. “That must have been it. Only it wasn’t. I used a chair to check on top of the wardrobe and when I turned around I saw the plans. And the journal.”

  “You read my journal?” Kelly sounded petulant.

  “To me it was something else you hid and probably didn’t want me to see. I’m only human, thank God.”

  The sky had lightened beyond the opening above Annie’s head. If she moved some of the garbage she might be able to get high enough to pull herself out.

  “Kelly,” she heard Max say. “We’ll work it out. Give that thing to me and take some deep breaths. We’ve always stuck together.”

  Kelly sounded as if he cried. “Roche is going to realize what a dud you are. He’ll turn to me. It’s taken me too long to finish you, but it’s worth it.”

  “We’re a team,” Roche said. “That won’t change.”

  “You and me,” Kelly said, sounding querulous. “Max has been treating us like children. Putting things over on us, laughing at us. He’s been taking what’s mine. I don’t need a second hand to pull the pin. Give me the gun, Max, or I’ll push the grenade in the hole.”

  Annie shook. The early dawn light didn’t brighten the salt basin and she made herself train the minuscule penlight on a dark shape across the salt basin. Blackened, j
ust as she’d seen in her twilight horrors, what had once been a body lay mutilated beyond recognition and left to decompose.

  “The gun,” Kelly raged. “Now, or the grenade goes down.”

  “And you go up,” Max said calmly.

  “We’ll all go together, when we go,” Kelly sang, his voice cracked. “Or we can stay here until one of us falls asleep. It won’t be me. You know I don’t need much sleep and I don’t need any at all now.”

  Annie would not believe that they were going to die. Not like this. She looked toward the disintegrating body and retched again, and felt pity so deep she could not cry. Ambition and hatred had done this to an innocent. And jealousy.

  The final minutes of night slipped away. A lemon sheen stained the smoky pallor in the east. Roche remained sprawled over Kelly who held the grenade just out of reach. Max sat with his legs crossed, his gun in his hand.

  Kelly had scarcely blinked and Roche kept his eyes trained on the grenade. Max had an idea but no way of transmitting it to Roche secretly.

  Roche had told Kelly he had to lie on top of him to make sure he didn’t get hurt and Kelly had accepted the lie with another mysterious smile.

  From time to time Annie coughed. Max had heard her sniff occasionally, and he’d heard her get sick. The familiar foul odor of old death that rose from the salt basin intensified his hatred for Kelly. To think of Annie trapped down there in close proximity with a corpse was unbearable.

  No less horrifying was the certainty that they had found Michele Riley.

  He felt Roche looking at him. With his eyebrows raised, he turned his eyes to the grenade, then back to Max. Max couldn’t think what his twin had on his mind but something was about to happen. His belly tensed. Within minutes they’d be free, or scattered over the area in little pieces.

  In one, heaving motion, Roche levered his body higher on Kelly’s, pinned his shoulders with his knees and took one of his wrists in each of his hands.

  “Now what?” Kelly said, laughing. “That took you a long time to figure out. What’s next? Don’t worry, it’s up to me.”