Blood Ties

by Sigmund Brouwer

  “I know you’re a great lawyer, but how did you manage to get this much money?” Stall, Clay told himself, pander to his ego and stall.

  “Was a great lawyer,” Lawson replied. “Remember, the rest of the world thinks I’m dead. As for the money, I had my sources. Ask Kelsie about it. She’s the one who started knocking down the walls.”

  “Emerald Canyon,” she said. “You were one of the corporations?”

  “In James’s name, of course. Not that it was difficult to set that up. I’ve done plenty of trust work for him. I made plenty off the development, and we were skimming part of the casino operations. The money was so good, in fact, I might have delayed all of this another couple of years. But when you started investigating the corporations...”

  He shrugged. “Clay, I'm sure you’d call it the trigger factor. Me, I call it common sense. If Emerald Canyon fell, I needed to bail out anyway. So why not retire, get rid of everyone involved, and take Kelsie with me into my new life?”

  Lawson was enjoying his time on stage. Clay did nothing to discourage it. Had it been twenty minutes since leaving Brody in the parked car?

  “Yes,” Lawson said to Clay. “Trigger factor. I’ve studied everything in your field, Clay. I’m as expert as you are. I had to be, if I wanted to remain undetected. All the other fools who have been caught wanted to show off to the world. Not me. I just wanted your wife. I had to wait until everything was right. You should be impressed by my patience and foresight. For twenty-three years, I’ve left enough evidence in different places that if anyone ever looked closely, they’d blame Michael.”

  “Starting with a speeding ticket?” Clay asked. “Remember, the night with Nick Buffalo?”

  “You mean the night I shot you in the back.” Lawson laughed again. “The speeding ticket was child’s play. We were in Great Falls – the alibi I needed – and I got Michael drunk and borrowed his truck and wallet. You know, on the way back, I was beginning to worry I’d never run into a cop. You know the old saying about never seeing one when you need one.”

  Taylor plunked himself onto the floor beside his mother and began to stroke her hand.

  “Actually,” Lawson said, “it started even earlier. When I chose to take Doris Samson, I took a corkscrew Michael had used and left it in her body. It put his prints on the murder weapon.”

  Lawson smiled. “She was wonderful, you know. My first. And so easy. I knocked on her door in the middle of the night, pointed a gun in her face, took her to the motel and discovered what I already knew, the excitement.”

  “Didn’t you step into a bear trap meant for Michael?” Clay was revolted at the silky pleasure in Lawson’s recollection but kept his revulsion hidden. “Explain that.”

  “Meant for me, so no one would ever suspect me. I didn’t step in it. I let the jaws close slowly, then began to yell. Believe me, even then, I wasn’t acting.”

  “Michael," Kelsie said. “Did you... did you...”

  “Kill him?” Lawson chuckled. “With much pleasure. He had become my one big worry. He caught me watching you outside your bedroom window one night.”

  Clay was glad Lawson was into the rhythm of showing off and explaining. “The fight,” Clay said. “You two had a fistfight and a falling out.”

  “Michael told me to leave town,” Lawson said. “To never come back. Otherwise he said he’d tell everyone who I was. Michael, of course, thought I was a harmless peeper. He had no idea I was also taking care of the fools who dared try taking Kelsie from me.”

  “One by one,” Clay said, “you got rid of them.”

  “Kelsie was disobedient for many years,” Lawson said. “She would forget her lesson and allow another man to get between us. When it was convenient, that man would die. I’d leave just enough clues behind that anyone who thought each death was more than an accident would find evidence to point to Michael. And, of course, the notes gave me power over Kelsie.”

  “Let me tell you something I find amusing,” Lawson continued with a smirk. It was if he and Clay were the only ones in the room. “I’ve had no one else to share this with. Fowler was the only one smart enough to see anything, He put it all together and came to me. He thought it was blackmail, and he was simple about it. He let me understand that what he knew about Michael would always give him leverage against me and the family. He called it his ace card. I think he wanted something against everyone.”

  “Everyone?”

  “Emerald Canyon. Fowler didn’t trust anyone in the group of us who put Emerald Canyon together. He wanted to be sure if the house of cards ever began to collapse, he wouldn’t be the fall guy. It’s a long, tedious story, involving political corruption and a small train derailment you failed to investigate properly.”

  Clay nodded, pretending thoughtfulness. “Taylor. How did you arrange that? I mean, I was with you at the time.”

  “Brilliance on my part. You might recall I arranged the meeting with you that afternoon. All I had to do was convince Rooster to take Taylor while I kept you busy. Which he did, believing it would be enough to stop Kelsie from investigating Emerald Canyon any further. Rooster, of course, had a vested financial stake in it, one he shared with his father.”

  “Then you killed him.”

  Brody should be calling in the locals any minute.

  “Then I killed Rooster. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of enjoying his death – I didn’t have time. It was a two-for-one night. His father was next.”

  “Staging,” Clay said. “You staged that crime so it might look like he’d done it.”

  “I’m glad you noticed. Yes, Rooster’s bootprint in the blood was clumsy, but I was improvising. Same with your watch under Kelsie’s bed. I just wanted confusion. Before I flew Kelsie and Taylor down here, I had a few others to take care of. Then I could leave Kalispell for good.” Lawson spoke in casual, chilling tones. “You probably know which ones. Anderson. Fowler. I needed all ties to Lawson McNeill ended so that I could begin over here. The more confusion happening, the better.”

  “Who was in your airplane when it crashed? I mean, which body?”

  “Sonny Cutknife. The final person who knew all of the Emerald Canyon details. I didn’t want anyone ever beginning a search for the money trail that could lead to me. Teeth, of course, are never completely destroyed in a fire. So I pulled his in case they tried a dental-records match. Naturally, I pulled his teeth before I killed him. Tiring and nasty work, but fun.”

  Kelsie whimpered. “Don’t worry, my dear,” Lawson soothed. “I won’t hurt you.”

  The hatred Clay was trying to contain overwhelmed him. He wanted to throw himself in a headlong dive at Lawson. But he held himself in check. The locals would come in silently, flashing lights only. They’d find the front door open. Any minute they could be coming up the stairs. Then this stalemate would take a different turn. Lawson would have to negotiate for his life...

  “Why?” Clay said. “Why all of this? Why this obsession?”

  “Funny you should ask. Kelsie had the same question. My answer to you is the same as to her. Because it’s what makes me feel good.”

  “But –”

  “Very simple,” Lawson interrupted. “Psychobabble analysis about an old lady who accidentally killed her own son and put me in his place. Or that’s just a handy excuse – you choose. Anyway, I’m curious about something. Actually, very curious. How did you find me?”

  Here was another chance to stall, Clay thought.

  “You dumped your kills from your airplane,” he said. “Right?”

  Lawson nodded amused agreement.

  “Once I realized that, I got a map and began to draw lines from each victim’s hometown to Kalispell. The locations of the bodies fell right along those lines. Two, however, didn’t fit the pattern. When I drew lines from where you took them to where the bodies were found, the lines intersected here in northern Havasu. After that, it was a matter of calling airports in this area to see if your plane had ever landed here. Turns
out that Lake Havasu City was a regular stop. After that –”

  Lawson glanced at his watch. “Have you stalled long enough?”

  Clay didn’t answer.

  Lawson grinned. “You are as obvious and stupid as any other

  cop.

  He lifted his pistol, sighted briefly in Clay’s direction. “I’ve had my fun with show-and-tell. But now it’s over.”

  He pulled the trigger.

  It was a flat snap, lost in Kelsie’s scream. Only a .22-caliber pistol, the bullet wasn’t enough to knock Clay down. It was enough, though, to shatter bone at close range. The bullet took Clay flush in the kneecap of his right leg.

  5:09 p.m.

  A tapping on the passenger window surprised Brody. He’d left the car running to keep it air-conditioned, so all he had to do was hit the window button to slide it down.

  “Yeah?” Brody said to a middle-aged face above white-pressed shirt and a silk tie.

  “I’ve been watching your car for fifteen minutes,” the man said. “This isn’t a neighborhood where we encourage strangers to loiter.”

  “Really?” Brody said.

  “Really. I must ask you your business here.”

  “I must ask you to shut your mouth. There’s broccoli in your teeth.”

  To the man’s credit, he didn’t check for broccoli. Maybe he was accustomed to dealing with the lower class and their crude jokes, Brody thought.

  “I’m afraid I’ll be calling the police,” he said. “Perhaps you can explain your activity – or lack of it – to them.”

  Brody glanced at his watch. He grabbed the phone on the seat. “Don’t sweat it, my friend. I’ll save you the effort.”

  He began to dial. As the phone rang on the other end, Brody slid the window up, almost bumping the man’s nose.

  5:09 p.m.

  Clay wobbled, frozen in disbelief, unable to draw a breath in the wash of overwhelming agony.

  “Truly,” Lawson said, “you didn’t expect to live, did you?”

  “Cops,” Clay gasped. “On the way right now.”

  “I anticipated as much. Aren’t you worried that I show so little fear?”

  Kelsie tried to rise. Lawson pushed her down.

  “What’s going to happen is this.” Lawson kept his pistol trained on Clay’s forehead. “Step one, I push a little button, like this.”

  He reached toward the stand that held the television monitors and jabbed.

  A dozen small explosions rocked the walls behind him.

  “Fire,” Lawson explained. “If you knew anything about me, you’d know my fondness for fire. It gets rid of a lot of trouble. I’ve had this backup ready from the beginning.”

  He moved back to Kelsie. “Step three. Kelsie, Taylor, and I go to a special vault hidden beneath this house. A fireproof vault, well stocked, well vented. From there, I activate a few other firestarters and poof, all of this is gone. I’ve spent my millions with great care, wouldn’t you say?”

  Clay wasn’t saying anything. It was all he could do to remain standing. “Tonight, tomorrow night, whenever it seems safe,” Lawson continued. “Kelsie, Taylor, and I will leave the ruins of this house and merely cross the golf course to a smaller property I’ve purchased on the other side of the fairway. It’s a bit more primitive, but it is suitable. Especially if the world thinks we’re dead.”

  There were already circles of flame on the scorched walls of the smaller room where the explosions had burst.

  “Did I forget to mention step two?”

  Lawson walked closer. “Yes, step two. That’s where I leave you crippled up here to die in the fire. I’ve always believed that would be the worst way to die.”

  Lawson smiled and took careful aim at Clay’s other leg. The pistol snapped again. Clay had started to sag. Instead of punching through his kneecap, the bullet tore through the meat of Clay’s thigh.

  Clay toppled, still sucking for air that would not fill his lungs.

  Lawson’s laughter was surreal against the crackle of flames.

  From the floor, Clay twisted and looked up. He wasn’t sure if he saw it right. A black snake looped through the air and settled around Lawson’s neck.

  Clay’s vision cleared, and he understood. With Lawson intent on Clay, Kelsie had ripped a video cable loose from one of the monitors. With a hand on each end, she was now pulling, almost climbing up his back.

  Lawson clutched his pistol in one hand and reached for his throat with the other, trying to pull the cable free. Kelsie bulldogged and hung on.

  Lawson staggered and spun around, trying to throw her off. She screamed, frenzied in her attack, still on his back.

  He spun again and again.

  On his side, watching for Lawson, Clay began crawling toward the pistol he’d thrown onto the floor earlier at Lawson’s command.

  The flames began to roar. Oily smoke began to cloud the room. Clay screamed as his shattered knee bounced on the floor.

  Lawson threw himself backward into a wall. Kelsie still clutched the cable around his neck.

  Lawson stepped forward and rammed backward again. This time Kelsie flew onto the floor. Lawson reached down, grabbed her wrist, and jammed his pistol in her face.

  Clay strained to reach the other pistol as Lawson began to drag Kelsie toward Clay.

  Finally, Clay managed to close his fingers around the butt of his own pistol. A foot came down and pinned his wrist to the floor.

  “Watch closely,” Lawson gasped to Kelsie. “This is how a bullet shatters a skull.”

  Clay moaned. He tried to pull his hand free, but Lawson continued to press his foot down on Clay’s wrist.

  Then a weight dropped on Clay’s back and shoulders and head. “Daddy, mine,” Taylor shouted. “Daddy, mine.”

  Lawson hesitated. A millisecond, but hesitation enough.

  Kelsie swung around with her free hand, punching Lawson in the groin. He stutter-stepped backward, releasing Clay’s hand and wrist from underneath his foot.

  Clay turned his hand upward and squeezed the trigger.

  Lawson staggered again, bringing his hands down toward the blood on the front of his pelvis. His dropped pistol clattered past Clay’s face.

  Clay didn’t have the chance to shoot again. Kelsie had taken Clay’s arm and was trying to pull him up to his feet as flames climbed the walls around them.

  “We’ve got to go!” she shouted.

  He screamed as he put pressure on the leg with the shattered knee.

  Kelsie got him onto the other leg, and he half collapsed against her. She pushed him up again and threw his arm over her shoulder.

  “Taylor!” she screamed as she dragged Clay toward the hallway. She didn’t look back until she reached the door. “Taylor!”

  Through the smoke and flames, she saw why he hadn’t responded.

  Lawson, on his belly, had Taylor by the ankles. Taylor couldn’t run. He was screaming, crying, reaching out for Kelsie. Lawson’s face showed calm control.

  A wall fell behind Lawson, sending a crash of sparks that temporarily blocked Kelsie’s vision of her son. “Taylor!” she screamed again.

  Clay had fallen against her, passed out. His weight nearly toppled her, but she knew if she set him down, she’d never get him up again. The fire was still contained to this half of the upper floor. All she needed to do was move Clay down the hallway, and he would be safe. But the fire in this room had risen so rapidly she knew she would not have time to take Clay and then go back for Taylor. Yet if she went for Taylor, the flames might engulf Clay where he was.

  A curtain of smoke parted. Lawson still had Taylor by the ankles, still showed calm control.

  “Oh, please,” she cried. Clay’s weight made her lurch. “Please give me my son!”

  Lawson yanked hard, pulling Taylor down beside him.

  “No!” Kelsie screamed. “My boy!”

  Lawson pulled Taylor to his side.

  “Please!” she screamed. “Let him go!”

  Law
son looked up at her, smiled, kissed Taylor on the forehead, and released him.

  Slowly, Taylor got to his feet. Another portion of the wall collapsed, landing on the back of Lawson’s leg. Unhurried, Taylor patted Lawson on the head, then turned and ran toward his mother.

  She dragged Clay ahead, away from the heat and the smoke. Taylor reached her side. Down the hall, when she looked back, she saw nothing but the dancing bright orange and red of fire.

  Day 6

  10:00 a.m.

  Kelsie snapped open the blinds. Light flooded the hospital room. Clay regarded her silently.

  “You were right about Lawson,” Kelsie said.

  She stepped to the bed and placed a file folder on his lap. “Here are the newspaper articles and the police reports. The fire that killed his mother was not an accident. They never did know who did it.”

  “Lawson. If he killed his own mother...

  “It’s spooky,” Kelsie said. “Dad showed me childhood photos of Mother and my aunt, Lawson’s mother. At that age, I looked almost identical to both.”

  “Spooky,” Clay echoed. He wasn’t much interested in the past.

  Kelsie nodded. “Dad tells me that Lawson’s mother was an alcoholic and had a lot of different men in her life. Of course, these weren’t things I’d know when I was a girl and Lawson first came to stay with us.”

  “Of course,” Clay said. He was sure if they looked into it enough, they’d find neighbors who complained about missing pets. It was all part of the pattern.

  Kelsie lifted Clay’s hand and kissed it gently. “You’re not saying much,” Kelsie told him. “Maybe flying you back here from the Lake Havasu hospital wasn’t such a good idea. The doctors there didn’t think so, but you were so insistent...”

  The concern in her voice touched him deeply. He wanted to tell her he ached with love for her. Instead, he shrugged and kept his silence.

  “What’s the matter?” she said. “You’ve been like this for the last two days. Are your legs hurting that badly?”

  “Emerald Canyon,” he said instead of answering her question. “What’s happening there?”