South River Incident

by Ann Mullen

  Should I give this guy the picture and hope for the best or do I pull out my gun... again, today? No, that wouldn’t be necessary. Tyler had decided he wanted us dead so no matter what I did, it wouldn’t change things. We had seen the picture. We could link him to it all. Clayton was the one I had to deal with now. It was the only way to keep us alive. He had to be eliminated. We could either see to it that he got locked up in a prison far, far away or we could kill him. I opted for prison. I had to tell Billy. Something had to be done quickly.

  “I’m fine,” I said, stepping back. “If I need stitches, I’ll get the chief to fix me up with a couple of butterflies when he gets back from the clinic. I’m not too concerned about my face.”

  “Are you refusing medical attention?” he asked, resuming his role in front of the captain.

  “Yes, I am,” I responded as professionally as I could under the circumstances. “I’m refusing medical treatment.” I sure didn’t want assistance from a crazed killer!

  “We’re out of here,” he yelled to the crew of medical people.

  They gathered their bags, jumped into the ambulance, and sped down the driveway.

  If Cole hadn’t been with Claire and Thor, I would have never let that man out of my sight. I was counting on Cole to protect the ones I loved.

  “Jesse, why didn’t you let him take you to the hospital?” Mom cried. “You need to have that face looked after.”

  Billy looked at me and said, “It looks pretty rough. Why don’t you... ”

  “Come with me,” I commanded. “We need to talk before we do anything.” I grabbed Billy by his sleeve and led him to the bedroom, snatching my cell phone out of the charger on the way. There was so much commotion going on, nobody noticed us leave. Mom didn’t say a word when I took Billy away, and the captain was involved with his crew.

  “What is it, Jesse?” Billy asked as I closed the bedroom door behind him. “Why did you drag me away?”

  I flipped open the cell phone and punched in Cole’s number. I needed to warn him about Chicky.

  “That paramedic is on Tyler’s payroll. He and Brad killed Roy Keen over the picture you have.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” Billy said. He looked at me, confused.

  “It’s the truth. I’ll explain it to you in a minute, but first I have to warn Cole. He has to keep his eye on Claire.”

  Cole answered on the second ring.

  “Don’t say anything, Cole. I have something important to tell you. That paramedic they call Chicky was in cahoots with Brad and Laura Westover. They all work for Clayton Tyler. I’m not sure which one of them killed Mary or Roy, but Laura implied that it was Brad. Anyway, the important thing is not to leave Claire alone with that man.”

  “Jesse, that’s crazy!”

  “Didn’t I tell you not to say anything? Did that guy hear you?”

  “No, they’re taking Thor into the clinic as we speak.”

  “Listen to me, Cole. He’s dangerous and if you don’t watch it, he’ll kill Claire, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t try to kill you, too.”

  “Why would he kill Claire? What’s this all about?”

  “Clayton Tyler is in that picture you saw. Remember the one where Mom identified Laura as the woman who broke into her house. Well, Tyler is in the picture, and he wants it back. The whole thing was a setup from the beginning. Just promise me that you’ll protect Claire. Get her patched up and bring her home. Don’t let her out of your sight.”

  “Sure,” he said. “But you have a few questions to answer when I get back to the house.”

  “Just do it, please!” I said, snapping the phone shut.

  Billy had been standing by silently while I talked to Cole, but the minute I broke the connection, he pounced on me.

  “Tell me everything!”

  I explained in great detail the events of the past couple of hours, ending with my summation. “Once Roy Keen got kicked off the force, he was of no use to Clayton Tyler anymore. Tyler wanted to get rid of him and his wife. In the process of planning their demise, he found out he was in a picture taken at a Christmas party. He was outraged. He had to get the picture back. He kidnapped Mary and used her as leverage for the picture. When that didn’t pan out, he killed her. It was all a big game to him. He could have just gone over to Roy’s house and gotten the photo, but instead, he played a deadly game for his own personal enjoyment. He got tired of the game and sent someone to Roy’s to get the picture. In the process, Roy was killed, and we ended up with the picture.”

  “The man sounds crazy to me. Where do we fit in this little plot of his?”

  “Remember Doug Tyler? He’s Clayton’s brother.”

  “Ah, ha, now I see. We had Doug Tyler under surveillance.”

  “Clayton set up the whole thing. He had his own agenda. When things didn’t go his way, he got tired of playing his game and started eliminating the players. Unfortunately for us, we were the ones who stumbled onto the picture. Since we’ve also seen it, he wants to get rid of us, too.”

  “Do you think Claire’s in danger?”

  “Yes, I do. Laura said they were told to get the picture, and then kill us all. I know it sounds crazy, but the man doesn’t care about anyone. He’d kill us all, and then stand back and have a good laugh. He’s insane!”

  “He sounds like a lunatic to me. We have to stop him. I don’t know how, but we have to come up with a way.”

  “Maybe we can get some police protection in the meantime, and then let the cops handle him.”

  “Sure,” Billy hissed. “Jesse, the police can’t protect you against a man like Clayton Tyler. He’s a serious player. Anyone that would kill over a photograph places very little value on human life. Do you think he would hesitate to kill a policeman? He sure didn’t when it came to killing Roy Keen. I bet he didn’t blink an eye when he gave the order.”

  “Are you suggesting we hunt Tyler down and kill him ourselves?” I asked, shocked at the idea that Billy would imply such a thing. “I hope you’re not serious.”

  “No, I’m not, Jesse,” he responded, taking a different stance on the situation. “We have to get something incriminating on him so the cops can put him away. It’s the only way we can be safe.”

  I had a strange feeling Billy was just saying that for my benefit. Would he really go out and deliberately kill someone? I guess when it came right down to it, I might do the same thing if it meant protecting my family. How many times have I heard that we all have the ability to kill?

  A knock at the door interrupted our conversation.

  “Come in,” I automatically said.

  Captain Waverly walked into the bedroom. He reached into his jacket, pulled out his business card, and then handed it to me.

  “If you ever decide you want a career in law enforcement, give me a call. We can always use someone with your talent.”

  Stunned, I took his card. “You must be joking, but I do appreciate the offer.” I looked at Billy and laughed. “Your men are in my living room scraping up the remains of two people I just killed not more than an hour ago, and you’re offering me a job. I find that a little strange.”

  “I’m not offering you a job, yet,” he replied. “I hear you’ll be getting your private investigator’s license soon. Congratulations. However, a career in the private investigating field is not as illustrious as it may seem.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. It’s been pretty exciting so far.”

  “Think it over, and if you change your mind, just give me a call.”

  I felt the temperature in the room go up twenty degrees. Either I was having another one of my recently acquired spells or the man standing behind me was hot as a firecracker.

  Billy reached over and put his arm around my shoulder, defusing the bomb that was ready to explode. His voice was deep and forceful.

  “We’re planning on making this a family affair. On Christmas Eve we’re getting married. So as you can see, we’ll be business partners and partners in mar
riage. Jesse won’t have time for another career.”

  “Congratulations,” Captain Waverly said, holding out his hand to Billy. “I hope you both will be very happy.” He looked over at me. “If you come down to headquarters around ten tomorrow to make your statement, I’d appreciate it. If the storm gets worse, just call the number on the card and we can work out other arrangements. The medical examiner has finished and the bodies have been removed. We’ll be leaving shortly.”

  “What about my gun?” I asked. “The gun Brad was carrying was mine.”

  “I didn’t know that was yours,” he said. “It’s been bagged as evidence in a crime. You can file a claim to get it back when you come in to make your statement.” He turned to leave. “I’ll see you around ten.”

  We were standing face-to-face when the captain left the room. Billy still seemed to be a little huffy after his declaration to the captain, and I was losing myself in thought. I couldn’t understand why I wasn’t asked more specific details concerning the reason why Brad and Laura were out to kill me. Did the cops already know the whole story? Nobody had said a word about Clayton Tyler. And why was Cole listening to a police scanner of the Charlottesville area when he should have been monitoring the Stanardsville area? Did they all work together?

  “Are you all right?” Billy lovingly asked.

  “It’s been a strange day,” I replied, settling into his hug. “I was worried about you and Mom for most of it, and then Brad and Laura showed up. They are... were... scary people. We could have died. Even with them out of the way, we still have Clayton Tyler to worry about. He’s not going to give up until he gets what he wants. He’ll just keep sending someone else to take Brad and Laura’s place, like that guy Chicky. He’s the next one after us and there’ll be others until that crazy man gets his way. I’m afraid that nobody can stop him.”

  “Oh, somebody can,” Billy assured me. “There’s no way that man can go on forever and not get caught. He’ll be stopped and I’m just the one to do it. I will bring him down. But for now, let’s concentrate on our safety. I’ll call a family meeting and then go pick up Claire from the hospital. She’s going to need a ride home. As soon as I get back, we’ll all get together and put a stop to this menace.”

  “I’m going with you!”

  “No,” Billy insisted. “I want you to stay here with your mom and the kids. I’ll get Daniel and Robert to stay with you. I would ask the chief to stay, but he needs to be at home with Mom. She needs some rest.”

  “Oh, no, I forgot all about the kids!”

  In the end, would Laura and Brad have hurt Benny and Carrie?

  A sudden spasm of fear arose within me. I turned to go check on them.

  “They’re fine, Jesse. Your mom’s with them,” Billy said, following behind me as I walked toward the kitchen. “You might want to prepare yourself for what you’re about to see.”

  I gazed at the bloodstains on the floor. Reality set in; I had killed two people. Tears began to flow down my cheeks. My stomach was in a knot.

  “It’ll take time,” Billy whispered as he embraced me. “Death traumatizes us all. You can’t take a life and not expect it to bother you. It’s only natural for you to be upset. You will need time to heal.”

  The room was quiet, except for the sound of cold air blowing in around the edges of the blanket that had been tacked up over the door opening.

  The police were gone and the bodies had been taken away, yet the smell of death still lingered in the air. I heard voices upstairs.

  “I’ve got to clean up this mess,” I mumbled, heading to the utility room for a mop. “I don’t want Mom to see it.”

  “She’s seen it, Jesse.”

  “I don’t care,” I cried. “I don’t want her to have to look at it anymore.”

  Billy soaked up the pooled blood with paper towels and then threw the towels in the fireplace.

  The thought of that grossed me out, but I didn’t let it stop me from doing what I had to do. I scrubbed the floor with a vengeance; erasing all traces of death. However, the spilling of a person’s blood lingers forever.

  “I’m glad this floor has a thick coat of poly or I would never have gotten the stains out. Bloodstains are hard to get out.”

  “Enough,” Billy said. He took the mop from my hands. “The floor is clean.”

  Chapter 19

  Outside, the storm continued to brew. The wind had picked up its momentum and the snow was falling like a hard rain. The temperature hovered in the upper teens. Regardless of the amount of wood I threw on the fire, I couldn’t get the chill out of the air. I had a terrible case of the shakes, the kind you get when you’ve had too many cups of coffee. I felt scared and cold, and I couldn’t sleep.

  I paced the floor. Occasionally, I would walk over and look at the spot where Laura and Brad had once lain, in hopes that the memory of it all would vanish like the bloodstains had. I figured that the more I looked at the floor, the quicker the incident could be put behind me. After a couple of hours, I realized that I would never be able to erase the memory of them. As long as I live I’ll carry the sight of their fallen bodies with me. Yet, considering the alternative, I decided that I could carry that baggage. I would talk to someone who knew how to help me deal with my feelings, and in time, this would all be just a bad memory.

  Thanks to a ride from one of his cop buddies, Cole and Claire had made it back safely. She was tucked away in the bed upstairs, sedated and recovering from her head wound. It took seven stitches to close up the gash, and the doctor assured her the swelling would go down in a couple of days. The bruise would take a little longer.

  The kids, who miraculously, never woke up until our entire terrible ordeal was over, were once again asleep, nestled in the comfort of sharing a bed with their mother.

  The last time I had checked, Mom was snoring away upstairs in the room across the hall while Athena and the kitten slept at the foot of her bed. She had finally calmed down, and was no longer mad at those who had tried to keep her from her daughters.

  Cole lay on a pallet in the hallway next to the bathroom, between the two rooms. The weather had become too dangerous for the long drive back to Dogwood Valley. Billy had insisted he stay the night. I agreed.

  Thor, returned home by the chief, bandaged and fixed up to live and fight another day, lay by the fireplace, whimpering, like the crybaby he has been known to be. I patted him and made a fuss every now and then to appease him, even though his wound was not too serious. To tell the truth, I was so glad he was alive, I didn’t mind doing those silly little things. It sure did make him happy.

  Sarah, a strong woman who I have come to admire, never showed a moment of weakness. She survived, did what she had to do, and was now at home, asleep with her husband. As she waved good-bye, she even told me she had some great ideas for my wedding. After all we’ve been through, she still thought of others.

  Billy was exhausted; it showed on his face. He stayed up with me for as long as he could, until he finally had to go to bed. He couldn’t keep his eyes open anymore.

  I marveled at the sight of him with his long, muscular body barely covered and stretched out in our bed. His head full of long, dark, silky hair hung down his shoulders. I truly loved this man. I felt it in the pit of my stomach with every gasp of air I took in, and every time I looked at him. He made me feel good about myself. He made me feel happy.

  So what was my problem?

  I was depressed, confined, suffocated, nervous, pressured, anxious, scared, and totally spazzed out. How could I go from being completely out-of-the-loop in my previous life in the city, to someone who actually had choices to make, and a real life to live in the mountains? I felt like a teenager who had just jumped into the role of an adult. I was having a rude awakening. I wasn’t a kid anymore. It was time for me to grow up. I had some serious thinking to do. I had more questions than I had answers, and I was at a loss. No wonder I couldn’t sleep.

  Should Billy and I get married in a few weeks a
s we planned or should we wait until the threat of Clayton Tyler was over? Would we be able to rid ourselves of this man? What were the police going to do about the situation? Did they know Tyler had ordered Roy and Mary Keen’s deaths and then sent Brad and Laura after my family?

  Captain Waverly had treated me as if I had done him a big favor by taking out Brad and Laura, and never questioned me any further. I found that a little weird. Maybe he was saving the hard stuff for me tomorrow. Tomorrow, he would crush me. He would pound me with his questions until I got confused and said the wrong thing. One wrong word...

  I paced the floor, wondering exactly what I should tell the police when I made my statement. Should I tell them everything and hope they have the good sense and the ability to take care of the problem? Or should Billy and I handle it ourselves? It was their job to protect people like us, but were they up to the task? Clayton Tyler was a dangerous and cunning man, with the power to outreach the strong arm of the law. Was his death the only way to stop him or could we find enough evidence to put him away like Billy contends? I had my doubts. People like that never pay for their sins. They just keep on hurting others.