by J. A. Howell
“Harley, there is no need to get nasty. Go have fun with that filthy pub owner of yours. Nolan, was it?” He paused, letting his words dig in. “If your life's aspiration was to fling potatoes and pints all day, so be it. Don't let me stop you.”
“Then why bother calling me? Why bother finding me?”
“Well, Harley, you really tried to make me look like a fool when you left, didn't you? Drugging me, having my fucking Mercedes stolen, using my money to set yourself up somewhere new. I bet you thought your little plan was quite clever, didn't you?”
“Clever or not, it worked. Besides I’m sure you found the car eventually.” I couldn’t help the smug grin that crossed my lips. I remembered how much he loved that stupid car. More than me at least.
“Fucking cunt.”
“Now who’s getting nasty?”
“Don't sound so pleased with yourself, Harley. If your plan had actually worked, it wouldn't have been so easy to find you. By the way, how's that concussion healing? Did you like the farmer's market with that cute little redhead? Aggie, right? What about that nice conversation you had with your mom? Hmm, baby doll?” His voice was sharp and heated as my mother's words hit me like a battering ram to the gut. “Don't think you’re so smart, Harley. You're a fucking moron.”
“Well, you still ate the sauce.”
I peered through my living room window, searching for any unfamiliar cars parked near the building. How did he know all this? About mom. About Aggie. About everything.
“Heh. Well you got me there, sweetheart. At least I got in a few good hits before I passed out though.” Jackson cleared his throat. “Regardless, I wanted to let you know that if I wanted to come find you it wouldn't be hard, and a stupid little whore like you wouldn't be missed. You're nothing more than a disgusting piece of trash and I'm through with you. I should have listened when others told me not to go digging around in the trailer park trash.”
“Fuck you, Jackson. You're the piece of shit. You're the sorriest excuse for a man that I have ever seen. You can hide behind your money, but you would never measure up to someone like Nolan.” I spoke through gritted teeth. A sudden, loud knock at my door shook me.
“You’re such a stupid little bitch, Harley, but I've sent you a housewarming gift anyway. It should be arriving there any minute” The knock came again.
“What is it?” I gulped as I peered through the peephole. He laughed. He knew he had rattled me.
“Oh, don't worry. It's not me. I wouldn't bother coming for you.” He sneered. I checked through the peephole once more, still no one there. I unlocked the door and opened it slowly to find a large, thick envelope waiting for me, my name neatly written in marker across it. “Go on. Open it. I think you will find my gift quite enlightening.” The delight in his voice was sickening. I locked the door behind me, as I opened the clasp and pulled the contents from the envelope.
I couldn't restrain the gasp as I stared at a picture of Nolan. A mug shot. Blood dripped from his lip and nose as he stared coldly at the camera. The same cold look I’d seen as he assaulted Mikael. I shuddered, remembering the rage running through Nolan as he attacked him.
“What is this?” I asked dropping the picture onto the counter. Beneath it were several court documents with various passages highlighted.
“Oh, Nolan didn't tell you about his past much, did he?” Jackson’s mocking tone echoed as I stared down at the document. The words “rape”, “murder” and the name “Claire Stevens” stood out in bright yellow. Brody's girlfriend.
“This isn't true. You made this up. Nolan would never do this.” I bit my lip, flipping through the document that laid out the gory details of Claire's murder – and pegged Nolan as the murderer.
“People do stupid things when they think they are in love, Harley.” His words burned like a dagger in my side.
“But he wasn't in love with Claire. He would never have done that to his best friend. He’s not that type of person.” My voice shook as I picked up several newspaper clippings, all with sensational headlines like: “A Deadly Love Triangle” or “Love, Betrayal, Murder?”
“Are you sure, Harley? According to those articles and court documents, they found the man's semen inside her.” Jackson laughed. “I mean, I don't know why a man's jizz would be there otherwise. He may not have loved her, but he certainly fucked her.”
I remained silent, stuffing the papers back into the envelope as tears threatened to overwhelm me.
“What's wrong Harley? I ruin the white knight for you? I'm not the one that told him to fuck his best friend's girl and dump her body in the woods.”
“He wouldn't have killed her.” My voice grew weaker by the minute and Jackson knew exactly where to cut next.
“I'm willing to bet Mikael would say otherwise – if he could speak. He had to have his jaw wired shut thanks to your Irish prick.”
“He did that after Mikael attacked me.”
“But what happens when you piss him off? Ask yourself that, Harley.” His voice grew smug, “Face it darling, whores like you swarm to men like that. You like being slapped around. You like playing the victim.” Before he could say one more thing, I threw the phone across the room. He was wrong. Nolan couldn't have done something like this. Nolan couldn't have killed Claire. My mind raced as I snatched the envelope from the counter and ran for the door. I had to talk to Nolan. He could set things straight. There was no way any of this could be true.
My heart threatened to burst through my chest as I ran out into the street, stumbling and falling in the snow. I looked around frantically. No cars or lurking figures stood out in the snowy ghost town. No one appeared to be following me, including Jackson. My eyes stung with tears as the falling snow caught in my eyelashes, obscuring my view. I ran with all I had, ignoring the agony and exhaustion of my muscles until Finley's came into view. As I reached for the door I fought for breath, my chest aching and my throat dry from the run.
“Harley, ya okay? Why'd ya run off like that?” Nolan started towards me as soon as I came through the door but I stopped him.
“Nolan, I need to talk to you.” I gasped, my voice weakened as I hunched over. My lungs struggled to take in enough air.
“Talk to me about what?”
“Why don't you talk about Brody?” I asked as I finally pulled myself up straight.
“What are ya talkin’ about? Is this because of the apartment?”
“It doesn't matter. I know he was your best friend and now he is dead and you won't talk about him.” I stared into his eyes, searching for something, anything to tell me the things Jackson had said were lies. Nolan's lips twisted into a scowl, his stare growing harsh.
“Why are ya bringing this up, Harley? Ya have no idea what yer talking about.” I could see his jaw clenching, the anger beginning to surface, but I didn't care. He needed to answer me. I needed to know they were lies.
“Just answer me Nolan. What happened with Brody? What happened with Claire?” Nolan’s eyes widened at the sound of her name. He glared at me, shaking his head as I tossed the envelope onto the table next to him. “Please tell me that isn’t true.” Nolan pulled out the contents; his eyes scanning them before he crumpled them in his fists let them drop to the floor.
“Who the feck gave these ta ya?” His blue eyes smoldered at me, his voice unusually calm.
“It doesn’t matter right now. I just need you to tell me whether you killed Claire. Whether you killed Brody.”
“I don’t need to tell ya anything!” His voice exploded across the empty room. “I protected ya last night when that animal was trying ta have his way with ya! I risked my neck for ya and ya come in here accusin’ me of this? Do you even know what I went through because of it?” Nolan’s eyes were ablaze with anger as he stepped towards me, his fists shaking as he balled them at his sides. Whatever nerve I had struck with my words, it wasn’t a good one.
“Nolan, you don’t understand what’s been –”
“Ya want ta know what
happened with Brody and Claire, do ya?! I fecked up, that’s what happened. I thought I was in love with my best friend’s girlfriend, so I fecked her. That same god damn night that she went missing, I fecked her. My stupid mistake almost got me locked up for her murder, I almost lost my family’s pub, and it cost me my best friend. That’s what feckin’ happened! Ya happy now, Harley? Is that what ye wanted ta hear from me!”
“No. I-I think I made a mistake.” I fell back against the door of the pub as I stared at Nolan in shock and fear. He didn’t say anything. He just shook his head at me and walked into the back of the pub. I shoved the front door open and stumbled out onto the sidewalk before I let the tears escape. What had I done? Why had I even listened to Jackson? I had known everything he said was twisted to manipulate me, to make me feel like nothing, and I had let him do just that once again. I’d done exactly what he hoped I would, and now Nolan hated me for it. I had brought up something he didn’t talk about for a reason. Something he was ashamed of. I couldn’t go back to my apartment but I couldn’t go back inside right now. With a defeated sigh I leaned against the side of Finley’s with my head down, a few more tears escaping as I stared down at my snow covered boots. I went to wipe my tears away but paused as I stared down at my hand.
Those hands. The arm Brody stabbed. Jackson had a scar on his forearm in the same spot.
Holy hell! It was Jackson. It had been Jackson all along.
It all crashed down on me at once as the truth became clear. My only thought was I had to tell Nolan but I was so caught up in the realization of it all, I hadn’t noticed I was being watched. The thunderous revving and crunching snow yanked me from my thoughts as a black SUV plowed straight for me. I ran for the door, screaming for help until my head bashed against the glass.
I felt a pinch in my back.
Then nothing.
CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR
Gone
As I watched Harley stumble away from me, I knew I’d gone too far. I shook my head, turning from her as she walked out the front door. What had I done?
“Nolan Finley, you are a fucking arsehole.” Aggie was glaring at me as soon as I came into the kitchen, her arms crossed in front of her. I looked down, ashamed of myself for being such a prick.
“I know, I know. I lost my temper, Aggie.” I sighed, banging a fist against the counter. Aggie rolled her eyes at me, stepping closer.
“So, go apologize you jackarse!” She slapped the back of my head. “You have no idea what that girl has been going through since she moved here. She needs your help, not you yelling at her.”
“What the hell are ya talking about?” I stared at her as I rubbed the back of my head. Aggie frowned, her forehead wrinkling as she searched for the right words.
“It sounds crazy, but the person who killed Claire, also killed Brody and they’re coming after her.”
“Please tell me you’re joking.” I felt sick, but it seemed to make sense. Someone must have sent her that info. Someone wanted her to think I’d do something like that. She’d come to me to get the real answers and all I did was yell at her.
Just great, Nolan.
A scream and the sudden smashing of glass jarred us before Aggie could answer. We both looked at each other, then ran for the front, pushing the front doors open as a black SUV sped around the corner. Harley was nowhere to be seen. I turned to Aggie, her eyes fixated on the broken glass that lay in the snow, sprinkled with blood.
“I need ta go after her.” I ran inside, grabbing my keys.
“Nolan, they’ll be long gone before you get that damn Honda dug out of the snow.” Aggie’s hand grabbed mine.
“Then what am I supposed ta feckin’ do?” I yelled, sending my fist slamming into the wall.
“I don’t know. Someone probably already called the cops after that scream. If you went after her, it would only make you look guilty again.”
“So what then? We just sit and wait? The feckin’ cops didn’t do shit last time! The search party we organized found Claire, and by then it was too late!” I couldn’t contain the ache rising in me. I threw a chair against the wall in release, two of the legs snapped off. Aggie stood there, silent, as tears rolled down her cheeks. There was nothing she could say. She knew as well as I did how things had played out last time. If the same person had Harley, she didn’t have much time.
“I’m sorry, Nolan. I should have told you sooner.” She whispered.
“How long have you known about this, Aggie?”
“A few days...” She burst into sobs as I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Are you feckin’ kidding me?!” I wanted to throw her against the wall too. Instead I gripped the wooden table, toppling it onto its side, the noise causing her to jump back.
“Nolan Finley? It’s the police! We need ta speak with ya!” An authoritative voice boomed from the front of the pub. Aggie’s green eyes widened at me.
“Just feckin’ great. They picked the perfect time to show up, didn’t they?” I attempted to calm myself as Aggie and I walked into the front. One cop had stooped down looking over the papers that I had thrown to the floor. The other, a large man with brown eyes, looked from the broken window to me as I walked toward them.
“We got complaints of a woman screaming for help. Care to explain this?” The cop nodded to the broken glass in the snow as the other stood up, shaking his head with a smug look.
“Check this out, Tommy.” He handed the papers to his partner, his eyes looking suspiciously from them to me.
“I didn’t do shit.” I snarled at them, keeping my fist balled at my sides.
“No? We’ll just see about that,” the larger cop said. “Keep an eye on these two, I’m going to search the place.”
“You’re wasting you’re feckin’ time. You need ta go look fer her!” Aggie’s arm grabbed mine as I went to lunge forward. Tommy turned toward me, narrowing his eyes with a grin, challenging me to touch him. I knew better. He was the same bastard that slammed me to the ground outside the pub when they’d arrested me for Claire’s murder.
“Don’t feckin’ move.” He barked before walking into the back of the pub. No doubt my office would end up completely overturned again. Just like last time.
“You won’t find anything!” I shouted after him as turned to Aggie. She shook her head at me, a panicked look in her eyes. I tilted my head at her, but couldn’t say anything with the other cop watching us. Two minutes later, Tommy strolled back in, a gloved hand holding up the bloody pistol from last night.
“Won’t find anything? Cuff that son of a bitch. Her too.” He nodded to his partner. I glared toward Aggie. Why the hell had she put that in my office? Her lips trembled as the man put her hands behind her and secured the cuffs around her wrists. Tommy, the douche bag, smiled at me, then roughly shoved me against the wall, yanking my arms back as he secured the cuffs around my wrists.
Just. Feckin’. Great.
CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE
The Vision
“Wake up, sweetheart.” A voice whispered in my ear.
Nolan? Had I just had a bad dream? Was I still asleep next to him?
Knuckles smashed against my cheek and quickly knocked me from a drugged haze back into reality.
Nope, not Nolan.
I opened my eyes to find I was staring into the cold gray soulless pits belonging to Jackson. I turned my head away from him, looking at my surroundings. Fucking snow. Jackson grabbed my face, forcing me to look him in the eyes as he straddled my chest.
“I should have known,” my voice was scratchy as I spoke. His lips stretched into a sadistic smirk as a finger stroked the side of my face, wiping at fresh droplets of blood.
“Mmm,” he licked his finger. “But you didn’t. Like I said, Harley, you’re a stupid bitch.” Jackson laughed as he climbed off of me. I tried to turn on my side, but couldn’t find the strength to move. “What’s the matter, baby? Feeling a little tired?”
My eyes rolled back in my head as I struggled to keep them o
pen. Everything felt like it was spinning.
“Oh come on, Harley. Don’t go falling asleep on me, I want you wide awake for this.” My cheek stung as Jackson’s hand slapped me across the face. He laughed as he stood and walked back to the SUV. I tried to lift my head to get a better look, but it just fell back against the snow as my eyes closed again. “Wake up, baby!” His fist bashed against my other cheek and my eyes shot open.
“If you’re going to kill me, just kill me!” Blood sputtered from my lips as I yelled.
“Now, now, don’t be so hasty, Harley. I’m planning to, but why not have a little fun first, huh?” He winked at me as he grabbed my right hand and snapped back three of my fingers. Searing pain ran through my hand and the grogginess rapidly dissipated with my screams.
“Mmm, now that’s what I like to hear! You should be nice and alert now.” Jackson’s taunting laugh dug under my skin as he patted my cheek.
“Why are you doing this? Just because I left you?” Tears stung my eyes as I cradled my hand. He stood over me, shaking his head as another sinister laugh rolled past his lips.
“You tried to make a fool out of me! Just like those other bitches. And just like them, I couldn’t let you get away with that.” His foot kicked me in the side. “I say when I’m done with you! Not you, bitch!” I curled over, trying to cover my ribs. I felt one snap with a horrible crunch as another surge of pain shot through my body. I cried out and buried my face in the cold snow.
“So that’s it? A girl breaks up with you and you kill them? Can you be anymore pathetic?” It hurt to breathe, but I let out a laugh. Jackson jerked his head to the side as he narrowed his gaze at me and I waited for him to hit me again
