As Good as Dead

by Beverly Barton

  Jacob! Oh, God, Jacob, help me. If there is such a thing as telepathy, I wish you could hear my thoughts. I wish you could feel my fear.

  Holding the gun in his steady hand, he forced her into the bedroom. She knew the serial killer’s MO, knew what lay in store for her if she wasn’t able to figure a way out of this situation. Bottom line, he was going to kill her, so she actually had nothing to lose. But she had no intention of acting hastily. She would do whatever it took to stay alive for as long as possible. Where there was life, there was hope. And she was going to live!

  “Why are you doing this?” she asked as he motioned for her to move closer to the bed.

  “Why do you think? Isn’t it obvious that I can’t let Dinah’s daughters live?”

  “I just found out that Dinah Collins was my mother. And Jazzy’s mother.”

  “She’s a slut just like Dinah was. I’ll bet you’re probably a slut, too, aren’t you? It’s in your blood.”

  “You hated my mother, didn’t you? You hated her because—”

  “Because she loved Farlan MacKinnon and not me.”

  That had been the last thing she’d expected him to say. “I don’t understand. You wanted her to love you?”

  “Sit down, Reve. Sit right there on the bed.” He brandished the pistol, waving it around in the air.

  Obediently sitting, Reve’s mind went into high gear trying to figure out why he would have wanted Dinah to love him. She could understand why he would have hated Dinah and wished her dead, but why—?

  “I knew all about them. Farlan never realized that I knew. But I did. I had Slim take me and follow him one time when he left the house. He went to see her in her apartment over on Hyatt Street in Sevierville. I went up to see her, to beg her to stop seeing him.”

  “Who’s Slim?”

  “He was our handyman and a real sleazeball, but he was good at following orders if you gave him enough money. He’s the one who got rid of the twins for us.”

  Reve’s heartbeat accelerated alarmingly. “Where’s Slim now?”

  “Dead. I killed him. He blackmailed me for years, so finally I had to get rid of him. Nobody missed him. He was just worthless trash. A lot like your mother.”

  “You ordered Slim to kill Dinah’s twins?”

  “No. It wasn’t me. I’d forgotten all about the babies, but when I told Slim what I’d done to Dinah, he called her, and she’s the one who told him to handle things, to dispose of Dinah’s body and to kill the babies.”

  Nausea churned in Reve’s stomach. “You’re talking about Veda MacKinnon, aren’t you?”

  “She hated Dinah. And she hated those babies far more than I did. Besides, we’re family, and family always takes care of their own. She cleaned up Farlan’s mess, and we never spoke of it again. She thinks I don’t remember. She thinks I blocked it all out. And it’s been to my advantage to let her keep on believing that.”

  “Did you love Dinah Collins?” Reve asked, suddenly beginning to suspect the gruesome truth.

  “Of course I loved her, and I thought she loved me. She made me believe she loved me. I visited her quite often, and she was always so sweet to me. She treated me as if she cared. But it was all lies. That day when I told her how I felt, she laughed and said how flattered she was and that she cared for me. But she didn’t. She didn’t want me.” There were tears in his eyes. Honest-to-goodness, genuine tears. “She didn’t laugh for long.”

  “You killed her.”

  “Of course I killed her. I had to. She should have been mine, but she loved him and not me. She’d led me on, made me believe she loved me, when all along—”

  “Oh, God,” Reve said in a whispered plea, realizing what must have happened all those years ago, how he had misunderstood kindness and caring for something more. “She probably did love you, just not the way you wanted her to love you.”

  “I remember that very first time when Slim took me to the apartment on Hyatt Street. I went up and rang the doorbell right after Farlan left. When she opened the door, she knew who I was. She said he’d shown her pictures of me. I thought I’d hate her, but I didn’t. She was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. And she was sweet. So very sweet.

  “I went back to see her again many times, but it was our little secret. She promised me she wouldn’t tell him, and she didn’t. And I always made sure no one saw me entering and leaving her apartment. Slim always kept watch for me. I started looking forward to going to see her. I loved talking to her, loved listening to her laugh. She was always so cheerful. She would listen to me, really listen to me. She made me feel important.”

  “You really were in love with her, weren’t you?” If he wasn’t holding a gun on her, if he wasn’t going to rape and kill her, Reve could almost feel sorry for him.

  “I loved her more than he did.”

  “If you loved her, how could you have killed her?”

  “Even after I found out she was going to have his babies, I still thought she loved me, too. But when I finally got up the courage to tell her how I felt…” Again, tears misted his eyes.

  “You told her after the twins were born.”

  He glared at Reve. “Yes, after the twins were born. You and Jazzy were only a few weeks old when I went to see her. I wanted her so much. I’d dreamed of what it would be like with her. I thought since she let him fuck her and she’d let a lot of other men fuck her, she’d let me make love to her. But she said no. How could she have said no?”

  “So you raped her, didn’t you? You raped her and then killed her.”

  His gaze narrowed, his nostrils flared. “Take off your robe. I want to see you naked.”

  Reve shivered. Slowly, playing for time, she removed the robe and let it pool around her hips on the bed. He was going to rape her, and if she tried to fight him, he might shoot her in the head. God, what was she going to do?

  “You’re almost as beautiful as she was,” he said. “I’m going to enjoy screwing you almost as much as I enjoy screwing her. And once I kill you and Jazzy, then both of you can play the game, too.”

  Every nerve in Reve’s body rioted, every muscle tensed. “What—what game?” She hated the way he looked at her and knew it was only a matter of time before he touched her.

  “I kill Dinah and then she comes back. She always finds just the right body to possess so that I can rape her and kill her all over again. You and Jazzy can do the same thing, and then I’ll have three redheaded beauties who’ll be all mine whenever I want them.”

  Salty bile rose in Reve’s esophagus and threatened to choke her. How many women had Dallas and Jacob said the Redhead Killer had murdered? Well over twenty, and that was only the ones whose bodies had been found. And this killing spree had all begun with Dinah Collins. A woman who’d been loved by many men. A woman who had given birth to her lover’s babies. A woman who had befriended a lonely and confused little boy.

  He came toward her. She inched backward, but halted when he ran the tip of the gun between her bare breasts. “If you give me any trouble, I’ll shoot you.” He pointed the gun to her head. “I’d prefer not to shoot you, but I will if you force me to. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I understand.”

  “Lie down and spread your legs.”

  She did as he’d instructed. Fear clawed at her insides. Adrenaline pumped through her body like a fast-acting poison.

  Keeping the gun at her temple, he hovered over her. “Reach into my pocket and remove the condom and the black ribbon.”

  She reached out, slipped her hand into his pants pocket and retrieved both items.

  “Lay the ribbon aside for now.” She tossed it on the pillow. “Now unzip my pants.” She did. He wasn’t wearing any underwear, so the moment she unzipped his pants, his small, hard penis popped out. “Put the condom on me.”

  She hated touching him, but she did it. She took the condom from the foil packet and stretched it over his erection.

  “This won’t take long,” he said. “It never
does with Dinah. I’m always so excited that once I’m inside her, I come right away.”

  Reve closed her eyes, clenched her teeth and prepared to defend herself. But not yet, not until he was a bit more vulnerable. Not until she felt she could overpower him without him shooting her in the head.

  She felt him between her legs, felt the scrape of his slacks against her bare thighs, felt his hot breath on her neck. He slid his penis up and down, over her mound, rubbing himself against her, then he lowered his head and suckled one breast.

  Reve opened her eyes and looked right and left. The gun he held in his hand was no longer pointed directly at her temple. The barrel faced straight up, toward the wall. She had a fifty-fifty chance right now. And it was probably the only chance she’d get before he raped her.

  Jacob discovered Jimmy Graves slumped over inside the black-and-white, a large, ugly hole in the young officer’s head. He’d been shot through the window, which was now shattered. A hard knot of fear clutched Jacob’s stomach as he ran up the steps to Jazzy’s apartment. The door was shut. He grabbed the knob, turned it and the door opened instantly. Not locked. God, please don’t let me be too late.

  Going immediately into warrior mode, Jacob entered the living room, his movements silent and deadly. When he heard a man’s voice coming from the bedroom, he didn’t slow his pace nor did he rush into action.

  “Take the ribbon and tie it around your neck,” the man said. “After I’ve enjoyed your body, I’ll show you how I killed your mother.”

  Jacob’s heartbeat thundered in his head. Stay calm. Remember your SEAL training.

  The bedroom door stood open, so he was able to see inside the room. Naked, the black braided ribbon around her neck, Reve lay on the bed, Brian MacKinnon poised over her. Jacob couldn’t tell if he was buried inside her, if he was raping her, but the guy wasn’t moving. Everything went black for a split second as pure murderous rage consumed Jacob. It took every ounce of his willpower not to charge into the room like a raging bull.

  Instead he crept into the room. As if she sensed his presence, Reve turned her head sideways and stared at him, her eyes wide and pleading. But she didn’t let on in any way that he was in the room.

  “I’m not going to let you rape me and kill me without putting up a fight,” Reve said.

  Brian laughed. “Fight all you want. My intention is to fuck you and then kill you, but if you’d rather, I can blow your brains out and then fuck you.”

  In one quick, lethal move, Jacob came up behind Brian, circled his neck with masterful precision and twisted, breaking his neck as if it were a small twig. He pulled Brian’s body back and away from Reve, tossed him onto the floor, and then reached down and lifted Reve off the bed and into his arms.

  “Did he hurt you, baby? Did he—”

  She flung her arms around Jacob and buried her face against his neck. “He didn’t—didn’t rape me. But God, Jacob, I was so scared. He killed my mother and…oh, dear God, he killed all those other women, too. Brian MacKinnon was the Redhead Killer.”

  “Thank God you’re all right. If anything had happened to you…” He held on to her for dear life.

  CHAPTER 31

  After Jacob helped Reve into her robe, he called Dallas to tell him what had happened; then he carried Reve into the living room and sat on the sofa with her in his lap until Lieutenant Glenn showed up. Then Jacob took her to the hospital, where she underwent a thorough exam by the ER doctor, who assured Jacob that other than a few bruises and mild shock, she was fine physically.

  She wasn’t fine. Perhaps physically, but not emotionally. But she would be in time. The easiest thing to do right now would be to curl up into a ball and withdraw from the world. To let Jacob take care of her and handle everything.

  Taking the easy route wasn’t her style. There were things she needed to do, other people involved in this nightmare. Veda MacKinnon had ordered Jazzy and her put to death as infants. Their father, Farlan MacKinnon, wasn’t entirely blameless. But the most important person in this entire scenario was her sister. Jazzy needed her right now, needed her more than anyone else did.

  “I want to stay with Jazzy tonight,” Reve told Jacob in the ER waiting room. “I need to be the one to tell my sister about our mother and father. About Veda’s involvement…and about Brian MacKinnon.”

  “All right, I understand, but I don’t want you to stay alone. The doctor gave Jazzy a sedative earlier tonight, and she probably won’t wake up until morning. If Genny’s up to it, I’ll get Dallas to drive her down here to stay with you.”

  “Why did the doctor give Jazzy a sedative?”

  When Jacob looked down at the floor instead of at her, she knew something was wrong. “It’s a long story.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Jazzy helped Dallas and me set a trap for her attacker,” Jacob admitted, then looked directly at Reve. “I swear to you that she was never in danger. Not for one minute. Dallas and I were across the hall, and the minute Veda MacKinnon—”

  “So that’s why she was arrested,” Reve said. “I heard about her arrest on TV, just a few minutes before Brian—” She shook uncontrollably.

  Jacob pulled her into his arms and stroked her back. “It’s all over, baby. He’s dead. He won’t ever hurt you or anyone else ever again.”

  She shoved against Jacob’s chest, forcing him to loosen his protective embrace. “Veda knew Brian killed Dinah Collins. All these years, she’s known her son was a murderer and she’s protected him. He admitted to me that she’s the one who was responsible for getting rid of Jazzy and me when we were babies.”

  “Mrs. MacKinnon is crazy as a Betsy bug,” Jacob said. “My guess is she’ll spend the rest of her life in a mental institution.”

  “You know, as unbelievable as this may sound, I actually feel sorry for Farlan MacKinnon.”

  “I can’t feel sorry for him. Not yet. Maybe not ever. He should have made sure you and Jazzy were taken care of. He should have seen to it that you two and your mother were protected.”

  Reve caressed Jacob’s cheek. “Not all men are like you, Sheriff Butler. Brave and honorable and—”

  He grabbed her by the shoulders. “If anything had happened to you tonight—”

  “Stop worrying about me.” She kissed his cheek. “I’m going to be all right. Go with me up to Jazzy’s room. Then you should go to the police station and do whatever it is that you need to do.”

  “I feel as if I should stay with you.”

  “I told you, I’m fine. Or at least I will be. I’ve been taking care of myself for thirty years.” She forced a brave smile. “With one minor exception—I didn’t do such a good job tonight. But believe me, I wouldn’t have gone down without a fight. I had every intention of—” Tears poured from her eyes. Damn the tears! When Jacob tried to pull her back into his arms, she swatted at him. “No, I can’t lean on you. I have to find a way to deal with this on my own. It’s just how I am.”

  She could tell by the expression on his face that she’d somehow wounded him. Had he misunderstood something she’d said? Did she need to explain that she wasn’t rejecting him?

  “Jacob, I owe you my life. That’s a huge debt. I’ll always be grateful—”

  “You don’t have to say any more. I understand.”

  “Do you?” Did he truly understand how important self-reliance was to her? She had never needed a man—not ever—and here in the space of only days, she had not only fallen in love with him, surrendering a huge part of herself in the process, but now she owed him her life.

  He raked the back of his hand down her cheek. “Come on, honey, I’ll go with you up to Jazzy’s room, and then I’ll drive on over to the police station and tend to a little business.”

  As they headed for the elevators, an odd thought crossed Reve’s mind. Jacob had called her honey, not baby. On some instinctive feminine level, she suspected that somehow their entire relationship had just changed. And not for the better.

  A week later, wit
h Brian MacKinnon buried and Veda MacKinnon under police guard in the four-hundred unit at County General, no one in Cherokee County could talk of anything else except the great scandal. But Reve managed to ignore the stares and whispers, and the family had done their best to protect Jazzy from wagging tongues. Although Farlan had asked to see Jazzy, she had declined, telling Reve she wasn’t ready to meet their father. Not yet.

  Today Reve joined Jazzy’s family and friends at the hospital for a going-away party. Dr. Cornelius had arranged for Jazzy to enter an extensive rehabilitation program at Vanderbilt, starting on Monday. Big Jim and Miss Reba were driving Jazzy and Caleb to Nashville this morning, and Caleb would be living in an apartment near the rehab center.

  “With luck, Jazzy should complete the program in about a month, then she’ll begin out-patient therapy,” Dr. Cornelius had explained. “Her prognosis is good.”

  Lacy Fallon uncorked a bottle of champagne and the bubbly overflowed, spewing high enough to splatter a few of the dozens of helium balloons floating in the air. After Lacy poured the champagne into plastic cups, Ludie distributed the drinks. Once everyone had a cup, Lacy made a toast.

  “Here’s to Jazzy’s full recovery!”

  A resounding rumble of voices echoed that sentiment. Reve glanced over at Jacob, who stood off to himself, as if trying to hide behind Genny and Dallas. Of course it was impossible for a man of his size to go unnoticed. Although he had come by the hospital to check on her and Jazzy every day, he’d acted as if they were only friends, as if they’d never been lovers. He’d been friendly and kind and concerned, but he’d kept an emotional distance between them. And for the entire week she’d been trying to figure out what had happened, why she’d gone from being his baby to only his honey.

  When their gazes suddenly collided, she felt the power of his heated glare. But he glanced away quickly, as if he couldn’t bear to look at her.

  “Miss all of you,” Jazzy said, then held out her hand to Reve. “You most.”

  Reve hugged her sister. “Don’t you worry about Jazzy’s Joint or Jasmine’s. I’ll keep them going until I can put a fulltime manager in place.”