Deed To Death

by D. B. Henson

  “No. But his little sister, Caitlin, was. When Scott was a teenager, he loved to play jokes on my mother. He was always hiding behind doors or in closets, waiting to jump out and scare her. The day of my mother’s accident, Caitlin was upstairs. My mother had been in the living room vacuuming. When Caitlin heard her coming up the stairs, she decided to hide in the closet at the top of the landing. My mother was carrying the vacuum cleaner. It was one of those old heavy canister types. Caitlin jumped out of the closet. It startled my mother and she lost her balance. That’s the reason she fell.”

  “Caitlin was only a child. She didn’t mean to hurt your mother. She didn’t know any better.”

  “You’re right, she didn’t. But Scott was older. He did know better. And I remember him encouraging Caitlin to play those types of tricks on my mother.”

  “It was still an accident. It wasn’t anyone’s fault.”

  Mark tried to clear his throat, and then coughed.

  “When Scott was lying there on my living room floor,” he said. “I honestly regretted hitting him. I was ready to give up everything I had here. I was willing to live the rest of my life on the run. I wanted him to live. I expected him to be okay.”

  Mark paused.

  Toni waited for him to catch his breath.

  “And then that damn phone rang,” he said. “It was my mother’s nurse. She called to tell me my mother had suffered another spell. She’d broken a lamp and cut herself. I could hear her screaming on the other end of the line. And I don’t know. Something inside me snapped. I thought about Scott and his perfect life. Then I thought about how my mother had been robbed of so many years of hers. I blamed Scott. I guess subconsciously, I had always blamed him. And in that moment, I wanted revenge.”

  “You’re not the only one that suffered loss. Scott lost Caitlin and his parents too. Wasn’t that enough?”

  “No, not to me. The way I saw it, Scott had everything. A successful company with an amazing future, more money than he could ever spend, a brother who still loved him and friends who respected him. And most importantly, he had you.”

  “You killed him out of jealousy?”

  “Partly, I guess. At the time, I didn’t think of it that way. When I heard my mother crying on the phone, I wanted to make Scott suffer the way she had suffered. I hated him. More than I’ve ever hated anyone in my entire life. I wrapped him in a shower curtain and put him in the back of his BMW. I dressed like him. I put on his hardhat. You were right about people seeing what they expect to see. When I drove through the gate at the construction site, the foreman never suspected a thing. Of course, Nico was there to make sure nothing went wrong.”

  “Was Scott still alive when you got to the hotel?”

  “Yes, but he never woke up. I carried him to the top floor. After it was over, I hid in the building until the foreman found the body. Nico stood as a lookout while I sneaked back through the gate. I cut across the field, through the trees. Jill picked me up in the parking lot behind the mall.”

  Toni sat motionless, fighting the images in her mind. Mark on the balcony hurling an unconscious Scott to his death. Nausea grew in her stomach.

  It was one thing to speculate about what had happened. But now, hearing the words, knowing the actual details, made it all too real. The truth was almost more than she could bear.

  And then Toni realized, Mark’s treachery hadn’t ended with Scott’s murder. “You wanted me dead too,” she said. “Did you call Jill when you went upstairs to shower? Did you help her load me into the trunk?”

  Jill started laughing. “Are you kidding?” she said. “I can’t even begin to count the number of times Mark threatened to kill me if I dared lay one finger on you. He gave me so much hell when you went missing, I thought he might actually try to follow through. Don’t you see it? He’d give his own life for you. He thinks he’s in love.”

  “If he loved me,” Toni said, “he would have let Scott live.”

  “I know what I did was wrong,” Mark said. “And I regret it now. But I never would have let them touch you. I had every intention of driving you to the police station. Once I knew you were safe, I planned to head to the airport.”

  It was small consolation. Although he hadn’t harmed her physically, he had ripped apart the very core of Toni’s soul. Even if she lived through the night, she would never recover from losing Scott.

  Jill pointed the gun at Mark. “I’m tired of waiting. Take out your cell phone and toss it over here.”

  Mark struggled to get the phone out of his jacket. He handed it to Toni. She was tempted to throw it at Jill’s head, but the risk of getting shot was too great. She pitched it on the ground.

  Jill picked up the phone. “Now get up, Toni, or I’ll shoot him again. And then, I’ll shoot you.”

  “No,” Mark said. “Let her go. I’ll take all the blame. I’ll say I forced you into helping me. You still have time to leave. I’ll tell everyone you’re dead. The police won’t look for you.”

  “You can’t talk with a bullet in your brain,” Jill said.

  Toni knew Jill would kill him. As it stood, Mark still might have a chance of living. Even though he didn’t deserve a reprieve, Toni couldn’t let Jill shoot him in cold blood. “Leave him alone,” she said. “I’ll go with you.”

  CHAPTER 39

  Toni felt the barrel of the gun pressing against the small of her back as she walked into the building. She thought about Scott. About his final trip to the hotel, and the way he had died. She was thankful he had remained unconscious. By not waking up, he had been spared the fear of the fall, and hopefully also the pain.

  They reached the construction elevator. Even though the car had an interior light, Jill switched on a flashlight before shoving her inside.

  “What about Mark?” Toni asked. “Are you going to get him help, or will you kill him too?”

  “I haven’t decided. But the way he looked, I may not have to worry about it.”

  “You managed to keep a lot hidden from him, didn’t you? He said Brian wasn’t responsible. But I know Scott’s brother was working with you. I saw your private number on his cell phone.”

  “I called him, but it was just business. Chadwick & Shore business. I was trying to get him to agree to sell Scott’s half to Clint, if he inherited. Which now that you’re out of the way, he will.”

  “He wasn’t helping you and Nico?”

  “No.”

  “What about the text message? The one that said, it’s done? You sent it right after Nico ran my car into the river.”

  “I was talking about the appraisal. I told Brian I would let him know as soon as it was finished.”

  So Brian had been telling the truth. She should have listened to him instead of jumping to conclusions. If she had, chances were, Jill would be in jail right now instead of holding her at gunpoint.

  Toni hoped Jill wouldn’t wonder how she had seen Brian’s phone. If Jill realized Brian knew about her and Nico, his life would be in danger as well.

  The elevator screeched to a stop, and Jill pushed her out into the hallway. The beam from the flashlight panned the floor. Toni noticed the workers had hung drywall since her last visit. The dust was heavy in the air.

  She glanced around looking for a trowel or other tool she could use as a weapon. She needed a way to distract Jill.

  “The police are going to wonder how I got here, since I don’t have a car,” Toni said.

  “Don’t you worry. I’ve taken care of that.”

  “Really, how?”

  “What difference does it make?”

  “None. I just thought that since I’m going to die, you might at least tell me how you plan to pull it off.”

  “Gloria will be your double, the same way Mark was Scott’s. She’s taking a taxi here from your house. She’ll be wearing a red wig and that emerald green coat of yours. The driver will remember her by the huge tip she gives him. I’ll put the suicide note in your coat pocket and leave it on the balcony. Wh
en they find your body, no one will doubt that you killed yourself.”

  As they passed the door to the maintenance room, Toni caught the reflection of something metal on the floor up ahead. A soda can. A ladder stood near the entrance to the rear penthouse suite.

  “What if Mark dies?” Toni asked. “How are you going to explain that? Won’t it be a little too coincidental having so many people turn up dead in such a short time frame?”

  “It would be easy to make his death look like a random car jacking. Or better yet, I could make it look like a prostitute shot him. You don’t realize how powerful my associates are. They could even get some hooker to confess. Mark won’t be a problem.”

  “It sounds like you have our murders all figured out.”

  With her next step, Toni kicked the soda can across the hallway. Startled, Jill jerked toward the noise. At that moment, Toni knocked the ladder down and ran.

  CHAPTER 40

  “There’s no use hiding,” Jill said. “There’s no where to go but down.”

  Toni crouched beneath a bank of scaffolding, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness. Instead of going into the rear penthouse suite, when the ladder came down, she had slipped into one of the rooms on the front side of the hotel.

  She could still hear Jill’s footsteps in the hallway. It was apparent the blonde wasn’t sure which way Toni had fled.

  “You’re only making things worse,” Jill said. “Nico will be here soon. I was planning to knock you out before I threw you off the balcony. He probably won’t be so nice. He may even want to rough you up a little first. You’ll be saving yourself a lot of pain if you just come out now.”

  The flashlight beam swept the room.

  Toni held her breath.

  Jill stopped at the doorway, stood for a few seconds, and then went back out into the hallway.

  Toni knew she had to move. If she stayed still for too long, she’d be caught. As she made her way out from under the scaffolding, she bumped her head on a platform so hard her jaw rattled.

  Dammit!

  It hurt like hell. She sank back to the floor and hoped Jill hadn’t heard her.

  Toni waited and watched for the blonde to reappear in the doorway. After a few minutes had passed and Jill still had not come back, Toni realized she probably wouldn't. At least, not for a while.

  Dust from the platform fell from Toni’s hair, threatening to make her sneeze. She rubbed her nose and then crawled to the other side of the room. She had to figure a way out of the building. Not all of the drywall had been put up yet. It was possible she might be able to pass through the adjacent suite and circle back around to the entrance.

  Taking the elevator would be too noisy. Jill would be on her before she could even get it started.

  Toni needed to reach the stairwell. But to get there, she would have to cross the hallway. That could be a problem. Since Jill hadn’t come in to search the rooms, Toni suspected she was standing guard in the hall, blocking the exit and waiting for Nico to arrive.

  If only there was a way to lure Jill into one of the suites. Toni might be able to sneak past her and make it down the hallway without being seen.

  She crept back to the doorway, took a deep breath, and then peeked around the wall. Jill was right where she expected her to be. Pacing the floor at the end of the hall near the elevator. She was still holding the flashlight. That was good. That meant her eyes had probably not grown accustomed to the darkness yet.

  Toni moved through the suite looking for something she could use to get Jill’s attention. She finally found it next to the whirlpool tub in what would become the master bathroom. One of the workers had left behind a measuring tape. Small but weighty. Perfect.

  Toni returned to the doorway. She checked Jill’s position again, and then hurled the tape measure across the hall into the rear suite.

  She heard the smack of the initial impact, and then a loud crash. It sounded liked she’d knocked over something big.

  Jill took the bait.

  The glow from the flashlight came into view. Toni pressed her back against the wall. She waited until she was sure Jill was inside the rear suite, and then she sneaked out into the hallway.

  She started to run.

  She had to make it to the stairwell before Jill realized she’d been tricked.

  But Toni forgot about the ladder. It was still lying across the hall floor. By the time she saw it, it was too late to jump over.

  The ladder snagged Toni’s shoe.

  She hit the floor hard.

  The fall onto the bare concrete skinned her palms. The pain in her left elbow was so intense she thought the bone might have cracked. Her shins were bruised as well. Toni pulled herself up and staggered down the hallway.

  A firecracker exploded next to her ear. Only it wasn’t a firecracker at all. Her left shoulder stung. She’d been shot.

  She ducked into the maintenance room before Jill could fire again.

  Jill called out to her. “I tried to make this easy for you, but you just wouldn’t listen.”

  Toni hugged her left arm. Strangely enough, falling on her elbow had hurt far worse than the gunshot. She figured that could mean one of two things. Either the wound wasn’t serious, or that the bullet had done so much damage, she was going into shock.

  She touched her sleeve. It was wet with blood. Not a good sign. She leaned against the wall, closed her eyes and tried to keep her breathing deep and even. The last thing she needed to do was panic.

  Jill’s footsteps were getting closer. Toni knew she was trapped.

  The elevator cranked to life and started to descend. Nico had finally arrived.

  “Hear that?” Jill said. “It’s all over now.”

  The maintenance room was empty except for a five-gallon bucket filled with trash. As Jill approached the door, Toni picked up the bucket. She swung it as hard as she could.

  The blow took Jill by surprise, knocking her backwards.

  The gun clanked across the floor, sliding out of sight. Toni needed that gun. How else could she protect herself from Nico? Even if she managed to get down the twelve flights of stairs, he was sure to catch up with her before she could make it out of the building.

  She grabbed the flashlight and scanned the floor. She had just spotted the gun when Jill slammed into her. They both went down.

  Toni whacked Jill across the head with the flashlight and then crawled toward the gun. She was almost there when Jill yanked her back by the hair. The blonde had a fist full and was not about to let go.

  This time Toni beat her with the flashlight so hard the light went out.

  With Jill still on top of her, hanging onto her shirt, Toni scooted closer to the gun.

  Just a few more inches.

  The construction elevator roared upward. In mere minutes, Nico would be there.

  Toni wriggled and kicked her legs in an attempt to get Jill off her. She stretched her arm out as far as she could. Her fingers closed around the butt of the gun.

  It was heavier than she’d imagined.

  A rush of power flooded her body. She twisted around and pointed the weapon at Jill. “Get up or I’ll kill you.”

  “No you won’t,” Jill said. “You’re too soft. You don’t have what it takes, and we both know it. Give me the gun, and I’ll make sure you don’t suffer.”

  The howl of the elevator grew louder. It had almost reached the top floor. Toni’s time was running out fast.

  “I mean it. I will shoot you. Get off me! Now!”

  Jill started to get up, but then lunged for the gun.

  Toni squeezed the trigger.

  CHAPTER 41

  Toni shoved a stunned Jill off her.

  The bullet had torn into the blonde’s left shoulder. Fired at such close range, the slug was bound to have caused some permanent damage. But unless she bled out before help arrived, Jill would live. Not that she deserved to.

  Toni had to get out of the hallway before Nico reached the penthouse floor.
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br />   She ran into the stairwell. When the door swung shut, total darkness enveloped her. There were no windows here. No glow from the moon to guide her. Without the flashlight, she would have to move slower than she wanted. She gripped the railing and began the long hike downward.

  The numbness of her own wound had been replaced by a dull ache. She wondered how much blood she had lost. She was afraid to touch her shoulder. Afraid of what she might find.

  She had to keep her mind focused on getting down the stairs. Block out the pain. Concentrate on outsmarting Nico.

  He’d be in the stairwell soon.

  Toni counted off the floors in her mind. Two flights of stairs for each level. She was almost to the ninth floor when a wave of dizziness hit her. She clung to the handrail.

  There was no time to stop. She had to keep going. She closed her eyes and willed the vertigo to pass. If she could just make it to the ninth floor, she could hide in one of the rooms.

  A thought popped into her head. What if she was leaving a trail of blood behind? Then no matter where she hid, Nico would be led right to her.

  And what had caused the dizziness? Was it from going around and around in the stairwell? Or was she bleeding to death?

  Her foot missed the next step.

  Toni slid down onto her behind. The gun slipped from her hand and tumbled downward.

  She had to get up. She had to find the gun.

  Her head was spinning and her hands felt clammy. She tried to pull herself up, but her muscles refused to cooperate.

  A noise echoed through the stairwell. Someone yelling.

  She thought she heard her name.

  And then she realized, she was going to pass out.

  CHAPTER 42

  “Toni!”

  Brian’s calls went unanswered. Maybe she was already out of the building.

  Or maybe Jill had lied. Even though he had shoved the Beretta in her face and threatened to splatter her brains across the floor, she may not have been telling the truth when she said Toni had gone into the stairwell. He thought about turning back, searching the penthouse floor just to make sure.