by Ann Mullen
I pretended to still be unconscious when Brad and Laura returned. Their arguing grew more intense, and I could tell that they were becoming distracted by an agenda unknown to the rest of us.
“We have to find that picture,” Brad yelled at her. “If it gets into the hands of the cops, we’re dead. We can’t go back without it. You heard what he said. He’ll kill us.”
“Don’t yell at me! I’m not the one who insisted on having the picture taken, remember? If you hadn’t been so hot to get next to that hussy, none of this would have happened.”
“Are you going to start that again? I told you there was nothing between us. Let it rest, will you?”
“Stop lying! I’m sick of it, and I’m sick of you! Let’s just finish the job and get out of here. What you do with your life after that is up to you.”
“Watch your mouth, dear. It could get you killed.”
Pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together, but it still didn’t make any sense. It all seemed so trivial.
“Why would someone have two people killed just because he got his face caught on film?” I asked, pretending to have just regained consciousness. “That’s ridiculous!”
Brad and Laura stopped arguing and spun around, glaring in my direction. Their faces were filled with rage.
“I want that picture or you’re going to be dead meat!” Brad yelled.
Laura grabbed him by the arm and led him to the side. “If you kill her now we’ll never get the picture. Think about it for a minute. Why do you always have to go off half-cocked?”
“She’s right, you know,” I butted into their conversation, stalling for time. I wasn’t going to go down without a fight, and if I was going to die, I wanted to know why. Once I pulled the trigger and the volley of bullets began, who knows what the outcome would be? We could all die. “If you want the picture, I want to know why you killed Mary and Roy. It surely wasn’t over a stupid picture of some guy.”
“I didn’t kill anybody,” Laura cried. “He did.”
“Shut up!” Brad yelled, then drew his hand back and slapped her across the face. “Why do you have to be such a big mouth?”
Laura’s tears turned to laughter as her anger rose. “You might as well tell her everything since you’re going to kill her anyway. He said to kill all four of them. What could it possibly hurt?”
“What do you mean, all four of us?” I cried.
“That’s right,” Laura announced. “You, your mother, your sister, and that boyfriend of yours are going to die. Make it five. We don’t want to forget her.” She pointed to Sarah. “We can’t leave any witnesses behind.”
“But why kill us if all you want is the picture?” I asked. “I’ll give it to you and then you can go. We won’t tell a soul.”
“Right,” Brad hissed. “How many times has that line been used? I don’t think so, lady. You’re all going to die.”
“How did you know I had the picture?” I asked, hoping to distract him further. I needed more time to get up the nerve to shoot them. I have never even pulled a gun on anybody, let alone actually shot someone. This was going to take a lot of courage.
“We have our ways,” Brad said. “You don’t have a clue as to what’s going on, do you? You’re really in the dark, aren’t you, babe?”
“Billy says the same thing to me all the time,” I recounted. “It turns out that every time he says that, his ways are usually less than legal. Most of the time, I try to ignore some of the things he does. By the way, who’s Chicky? Is he one of your killing pals? Do you work together as a team or is he just one of your flunkies?”
I must have caught Laura and Brad off guard by my question, because they both sucked in their breath as their eyebrows creased into a malicious leer. They turned their backs to me and whispered to each other.
“Here’s the deal,” Brad said, turning around. “I’m going to give you the condensed version, and then you’re going to give me the picture.”
“Then you’re going to kill us,” I added. “Why should I give you the picture if you’re still going to kill us in the end?”
“If you don’t give me the picture, I won’t give you the pleasure of going first. I’ll make you watch me kill everyone else. And I’ll make it ugly. I’ll make the first one so ugly, you’ll beg me to kill you next.”
Boy, have I got a surprise for you, pal, I thought to myself. I wasn’t going to give Brad or Laura the opportunity to get off the first shot. I swallowed and sunk back against the sofa as if in defeat. I shook my head in agreement to his terms and waited for him to tell all. Under the circumstances, I didn’t have any say in the matter.
“A couple of years ago, Roy got involved with some men who worked for a guy named Clayton Tyler. It turns out Tyler owns a huge distribution center that secretly supplied the money to hire terrorists, assassins, thieves, you name it. He got this money through the sale of large quantities of drugs and arms, using his center as a warehouse. With the lure of all that money and all we had to do was steal drugs out of the evidence room, or miscount on a bust, it’s no wonder I let Roy talk me into doing it. Tyler took real good care of his employees until they became a liability. Roy got busted. He then became a liability. That’s about the same time Tyler found out about the picture from the Christmas party. He was furious. He said he couldn’t be seen in a room full of cops, since the cops are the ones that have been after him for years. It would compromise his whole operation. He wanted the picture, and he was willing to kill Roy and Mary to get it. Tyler is a vengeful man. He had Mary kidnapped and used her as leverage to get the picture from Roy.”
“What about the ransom money?” I cut in.
“There was never any demand for money. Roy made that up,” Brad continued. “The sad part was that Roy didn’t know anything about the picture. He was so drunk at the party, he could hardly stand. Anyway, he couldn’t produce the picture so Tyler had Mary killed. When that didn’t get results, he had Roy killed.”
“And he made you do the killing,” I added.
“Roy and I were partners,” he retorted. “With him out of the way, I’d get to take his place. I’d move up the ladder of success. How ironic, isn’t it? I didn’t want to get involved with these people to start with and now I’m taking his place. It’s funny how money and power can change a person. Look at us. We have it all.”
“Except the picture,” I lashed back at him.
“It’s a minor problem that will soon be rectified.”
“Suppose you can’t produce the picture, then what? Will Tyler send someone to kill you?”
“You’re starting to understand. But that’s not going to happen, because in a few minutes, you’ll be more than glad to give me what I want.”
“I can’t believe all of this was over a stupid picture. That’s insane.”
“Not exactly,” Laura spoke. “Your boyfriend’s relentless desire to nail Doug Tyler for the murder of that woman played a key part. Doug Tyler is Clayton’s brother.”
“I suppose that means that Doug killed that woman, didn’t he?”
“Yes,” Brad answered.
“Why did you choose my mother’s property to dump Mary’s body? Was that connected to Doug Tyler?”
“Yes,” Brad said. “He wanted to throw suspicion on you and your boyfriend to get you off Doug’s back. I thought it was a great plan.”
“I thought the watch was a nice touch,” Laura added.
“Tyler figured you’d be too busy trying to cover your butts and stay out of jail, to go after his brother. Once you were in jail, the party would be over. He never counted on you two getting your hands on the one thing he wanted most. Now he just wants you all dead.”
“Don’t you think it’s going to look strange to the police if you kill us?” I asked. “They already suspect...”
“It’s going to look like a murder-suicide when I’m done,” he bragged, taking a step toward me, with my own gun pointed in my direction. “I want that picture!”
> “Just shoot her, and get it over with, Brad. If we can’t find the picture, we’ll burn the house down. Then we won’t have a thing to worry about.”
Brad walked over to Laura and planted a kiss on her face. “You might have a good idea there, babe. I’ll kill all these crazy hags, and then set the house on fire. The Indian will come to their rescue, and then I’ll do him in.”
My question about the identity of Chicky went unanswered.
Chapter 18
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement. Athena was quietly descending the stairs. Her ears perked as her head hung down. Her snout jutted forward, exposing bared teeth while a low growl rumbled from her throat. Halfway down the steps she stopped, sniffed the air and then continued on her trek to the bottom of the stairs. She whimpered as she ambled over to Thor, circled him and licked at his wound. In a flash, she let out a snarl and leaped through the air at her target of revenge.
Sarah let out a scream when Brad turned and aimed his gun at the raging dog. One shot and it would all be over. Athena would be dead.
“No!” I yelled, rising to my knees and aiming my gun at Brad’s head, all in one swift motion. “Stop!”
A shock wave reverberated off the walls as the blast pierced my ears. I closed my eyes just for a second, and when I reopened them, Brad and Laura crumbled to the floor.
Laura lay motionless beside her husband.
Brad’s body twitched as an arc of blood spurted from his neck, splattering me with each beat of his heart. Shortly, the warm flow of blood ceased. He was dead.
Dropping the gun to the floor, I bent down on my knees to inspect the carnage. My mouth fell open when I saw what I had done. The bullet from my gun had pierced Brad’s neck, took out a chunk of soft tissue, and left a gapping hole that exposed bone and raw meat. It was awful. The knees of my jeans were soaked in his blood. I glanced at Laura. In the center of her forehead was a bullet hole. Trails of blood had split off and run down the sides of her face. This horrible scene gave a new meaning to the phrase—killing two birds with one stone. I couldn’t believe it. Luck must have been on my side. My accuracy with a gun was far less than perfect, but for some unknown reason, I had really hit my mark this time. I had killed two people with one bullet. Yet, this wasn’t a story I would one day tell my grandchildren.
Athena walked up and licked my face.
“You’re not a coward after all, huh?” I said, rubbing her fur and allowing her to drool all over me. “From now on, you’ve earned the right to lick and do your doggie thing, and I promise not to whine about it.”
The front door exploded off its hinges. A barrage of policemen stormed the room with their guns drawn as the leader shouted into an electronic headset. Nobody moved, not even the dogs. Seconds later, Cole appeared at the doorway. Not waiting for clearance, Billy brushed past him and came to my aid. He bent down and removed the duct tape from my wrists, praising and scolding me the entire time.
“That was a brave thing you just did, Jesse,” he said. “Have you lost your mind? You could have gotten everybody killed.”
“They were going to kill us. I had to do something.”
“Are you okay?” he turned and asked his mother. “You’re not hurt, are you?” He leaned over, gave her a hug, and then removed the duck tape from her wrists. He looked over at Claire and then yelled out, “Somebody needs to get over here and fix up her face. She has a pretty bad cut.”
The roar of a siren blasted through the hole in the wall that used to have a door attached. Within the blink of an eye, paramedics had entered, assessed the situation, and were ready for transport. Claire was taken out first, with a promise from one of the men that she was going to be fine. He said the gash would not leave a bad scar.
Tears flooded my eyes when I saw a brown, furry, limp paw sticking out from under the blanket that covered the small mound on the gurney. My eyes wandered to the other end, and then I saw it! Thor’s tongue was licking at the air. He was alive! I was so happy. I ran over to him. “You have to learn to control that temper of yours, Thor,” I admonished him, tears running down my face as I stroked his head. I welcomed the lick of his tongue on my hand. “You and Athena are the best dogs anyone could ever have. I’m so lucky!”
With the sound of her name in the air, Athena came over and jumped up, putting her front paws on the gurney. A sad whine echoed.
I leaned down and stroked Athena’s back. “I’m so proud of you two dogs! You saved the day!”
I looked up at the paramedic and asked, “He’s going to make it, isn’t he? I don’t know what I’d do if...”
“Yes ma’am,” one of the men replied. “It’s only a flesh wound, but that guy’s boot took out a chunk of meat. He’ll need stitches.”
“Oh, gross,” I said. I gagged for a second. “Can you fix him up?”
“We could if we had to, but he’s going to do it,” the paramedic pointed to the chief. “We’ll transport the animal to his clinic. They’re better equipped to handle an animal injury.”
The chief stood off to the side, hugging his wife.
My mind had been clouded with so much emotion that I had almost forgotten about Mom until I heard her voice outside.
“Let go of me!” She pushed one of the men. “I’m going inside. My daughters need me. Get out of my way!”
Billy whispered into my ear. “I made your mother stay in the truck. She’s probably really angry at me. I forgot she was out there.”
“That’s right, Billy Blackhawk! I am mad at you!” Mom roared, blazing a path past the cops. “You made me wait outside in the freezing cold while my daughters...”
“Calm down, Minnie.” I went to her. “We’re all right.”
“I was so scared when we pulled up and the house was surrounded by police. I heard a shot and then all heck broke loose,” she cried. “They wouldn’t let me come in, and then I was scared of what I’d find when I was allowed in.”
“Thank God, for this storm!” I said. “There’s no telling what would have happened if Brad had known the cops were outside. If he had seen the headlights from the truck when you and Billy pulled up, I could be dead right now. We all could be dead. We were very lucky. I’m so glad that things didn’t play out differently.”
“Let’s not dwell on the past,” Mom said, hugging me. “I’m just glad my girls are safe.” Her gaze wandered over to the two bodies on the floor. “Isn’t that the girl from the photo... the one who was in my house?”
“That’s Laura and Brad Westover. I killed them.”
Much to my surprise, she responded, “It was God’s will, Jesse. You did nothing wrong. You had to do it. I’d rather it be them on the floor than one of you. If they had...”
A paramedic approached.
“Ma’am, I need to bandage that gash on your forehead. It looks like it might need stitches.”
I touched the cut. “I’m fine. Just put a Band-Aid on it.”
Mom laughed as she brushed back the hair from my face. “I don’t think so, Missy. You’re going to the hospital.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I get some answers first. Where’s Cole?” I looked around the room, searching for him.
“He’s in the ambulance with Claire,” Billy answered. “He was off-duty when a call came over his scanner requesting backup for 2 Bear Mountain Road. He got on the phone and tried to reach you and then me, but to no avail. He reached your mom on her cell phone. She told him we were on our way home as they spoke.”
“I guess I need to talk to someone else then,” I replied.
I was unperturbed by the fact that Cole and my sister were obviously an item. I was glad for them both. Cole was just what Claire needed. I liked the idea... as long as he could control his temper.
Billy interrupted my thoughts. “Before you go off and run your mouth, let’s think about this for a minute. You have two dead people lying on your floor. Things can get turned around real quick.”
“Not this time, baby,” I snapped, out
of control. “No way are they going to lay this at my feet. I saved us. Those two pieces of dirt were going to kill us, and I stopped them.”
“That’s correct,” a familiar face appeared.
It was Captain John Waverly from the Charlottesville Police Department; I recognized the scar across his right eye.
“They would have killed all of you without hesitation. They had a lot to lose, and you were standing in their way. Once Roy Keen was out of the picture, they were on their way up. Tyler was ready to put Brad in charge of his drug traffic. Brad is... was... an eager beaver. He wanted it all, and Tyler would have given it to him. It was just a matter of time.”
“How are you, captain?” I greeted him halfheartedly. I’d had very little dealings with this man so far, but the one thing that stuck in my mind about him was that he appeared to be a man of integrity.
His grasp was warm and soothing. “We’ve had the Westovers under surveillance for some time. I’m sorry about what happened here. I must commend you on your marksmanship, Miss Watson. It’s not often I see two people killed with the same bullet. Considering the circumstances, it was a blessing. I’m sorry to say that, but if you hadn’t killed them, they would have killed you. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
“Taking someone’s life is not something I’m proud of, but in this situation, I’m glad I killed them. I didn’t have a choice.”
“We’re going to need a statement when you’re up to it,” Captain Waverly said. “But for now, it can wait.” He glanced at the paramedic who had been standing quietly by my side.
“Fix her up, Chicky.”
“Will do, sir,” he responded. “That’s my job.”
I freaked out. When I asked Brad who Chicky was, I never did get an answer. Well, now I had it.
“What kind of name is that?” I asked.
“It’s his nickname,” Captain Waverly laughed. “His buddies gave it to him a long time ago. It has something to do with all the girls he chases.”
A spark of revelation sprang forth. Our eyes met. He knew his cover had been blown and I knew he was a killer. What I didn’t know was how he was tied into it all. What was a paramedic doing involved in an operation such as Clayton Tyler’s? If Chicky killed Roy Keen then why did Laura lead me to believe Brad was the one who did the deed... unless she didn’t know any better? Maybe Brad and Chicky had made it a team effort. Perhaps all three were involved in the murder and the name Chicky was the last one uttered by Roy Keen. They were like cockroaches in the woodwork... once they come out, they’re all over the place. You kill two of them and ten more show up. So far, I could link five deaths, either directly or indirectly, to Clayton Tyler. But I knew his prime objective had not been achieved. He wanted something and he was willing to kill everyone in his path to get it. He would continue his effort with this man. Apparently, Clayton Tyler had goons everywhere and he wouldn’t rest until he had what he wanted. I was just a fly in the ointment.
