by R. L. Syme
Derek was right in the middle of a sentence when I switched over. “…but she says you need to know this right now.”
“Then put her on the phone.”
There was a scuffling, and I started my vehicle, making sure to put on my seatbelt and signal my turn. I pulled out into traffic, waving a thanks at the still-texting law enforcement officer.
“I’m just going to circle the block,” I said to Derek or Scarlet, or whoever was listening. “Hey, hello? Anyone there?”
A pair of headlights came on behind me, and Stefan’s truck pulled out into the street. My pulse jumped a couple of beats. No biggie. The creepy deputy was following me, but there were only so many directions to go in this town, and most of them led everywhere else. Maybe it didn’t mean anything that he’d pulled into traffic behind me.
“Come back,” Scarlet finally said. “I want to talk to both of you. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to leave town tomorrow, and—” Another shuffling noise cut her off, and Derek was back on the line.
“Is he following you?” he asked, his tone dark. “I saw him pull out right after you passed the window.”
“I don’t know,” I said, looking in the rearview. The truck was still behind me, and I was almost all the way down to the turnoff in front of the school. Almost to Frances Barnett’s house. “How do I tell?”
“Make a turn. See if he turns, too.”
At the next street, I almost hit my turning signal, but the school was one more block down, so I kept going. It was a more major street, and it would give me plenty of options in case I had to lead Stefan Van Andel all over town.
I pulled past the Barnetts’—the lights were on—and stopped at the intersection. I turned on my right blinker, and Stefan did the same. I hissed into the phone, “He’s following me, Derek.”
“Okay, hang on.” The sound of a closing door filled the audio feed, and a few seconds later I heard heavy footsteps as he ran down the steps of the B&B. “Pull over somewhere. I’ll be right there.”
“What do you mean, pull over?”
“Just pull over like you’re going to park in front of someone’s house, and wait for him to drive by you.” A motor started over the phone line, but the call didn’t go dead. “Get out of your seatbelt, like you’re planning on paying a house visit, turn off your vehicle, and wait until I pull up beside you.”
I did just that. Stefan’s truck pulled up alongside me, but he didn’t quite stop. He was obviously watching me, but I busied myself with picking up my purse and taking the keys out of the ignition, acting like I was preparing to make a visit. Stefan kept driving, and within a few more seconds, he reached the end of the street in front of the school and took a left turn.
Derek’s voice rang in my ear. “Okay, jump out of your car and get on my bike.”
“What?”
“We’re going to follow him.”
I removed the earpiece, stuffed the things I needed in my bag, and got out of the Tank. When Derek pulled up, his headlight off, I climbed on the back of the motorcycle.
“He went left,” I said into Derek’s ear, and held on for dear life. It didn’t escape my attention that it was very dangerous to ride a motorcycle without a helmet—especially if the headlight was off.
Derek sped a little, but slowed just before the corner. “Keep an eye out for his truck,” he said as he pulled to a stop. “In case he did what we just did.”
I had memorized the back of his truck this time. There was an I Heart My Wife sticker on the back, which couldn’t be too common on a truck of that make and model. If I saw it again, I would recognize it.
We headed down a little hill and around, following the street. Up ahead, just a bit, were some taillights. Derek pulled ahead a little faster, and we made up a tiny bit of the distance.
“That’s his truck up there,” I said, resting my chin on his shoulder. “I recognize the sticker.”
Derek followed him around another corner, keeping about a hundred feet back. His headlamp was still off, so there was a good chance we wouldn’t be seen, but it was obvious he didn’t want to take chances. Stefan turned another corner and we followed, but Derek seemed to be hanging back a little more with each corner.
When I looked around, I realized where we were, and I pulled on Derek’s sleeve. “We’re going to Nikki’s house.”
“That’s what I thought, too,” he said. “Let me stop at this next corner and see.”
He pulled off the road at the stop sign, where Stefan had turned left, and we both watched as the taillights pulled into Nikki’s driveway, behind the white car I recognized as Jenna Van Andel’s. I pointed to the right, around the corner.
“Can you come up from the other direction? You know, go right here, then left, and then up that other side?”
“Yeah.” He turned the front wheel to the right and eased the bike down the other street. “Why?”
“Because I think I know how we can figure out what’s going on up there.”
“You think something’s going on?”
“Jenna’s there. Nikki. Stefan. Maybe Mike, too.”
“All the more reason for us to stay away,” he said, shaking his head. But he followed my directions, and before I knew it, we were coming up Nikki’s street from the opposite direction.
There was a dead end, but we drove off the street, following a little pathway that led down into the gully. Derek followed that path all the way to the end and then shut off the bike.
I pointed to the backside of Nikki’s house, all lit up. Another house separated us from it, but it seemed to be dark. The house on the other side was turned just enough that it wouldn’t have a great view of us, and in the three backyards, the only light was from the little, round bulb that kept the American flag visible over Auggie’s memorial stone.
“I’m going up there,” I said, climbing off the back of the bike and handing him my purse. “You stay here.”
“No.” He grabbed me by the elbow. “I’m going with you.”
“You said it yourself last time,” I put a hand on top of his. “I’m smaller, which makes me better at sneaking than you are.”
His brows were knit together. He clearly didn’t like the idea, but I didn’t plan on giving him a choice. It was clear Stefan had asked Scarlet to lie for him, and if that was the case, then I wanted to see if he was going to talk about it with whoever was in that house—the place he had gone right after pressuring her.
I really didn’t like it when bad people got away with bad things. Call it the justice-seeker in me, whatever. But asking Scarlet to lie wasn’t something an innocent man did, and if he’d been the cause of all this, I wanted to catch him.
“I know you don’t like this.” I tried for a reassuring smile, but I didn’t shift my gaze off Nikki’s house. I could see some people gathered in the living room, and I wanted to get up there before they said anything interesting. “But I promise, I’ll come back as soon as I can. And they won’t see me.”
“This time,” he said, crossing his arms. “They won’t see you this time.”
“Right.” I checked to make sure my ringer was off and slipped the phone into my pocket, placing my purse in his lap. “I’ll text if I need you.”
“Be careful, Vangie.”
Keeping my eyes on the living room, I ran up the gully, careful to avoid the little swath of light around the grave. The dry grass crunched under my feet as I tried to miss the little patches of snow. Fewer footprints that way. I could finally make out Nikki, who stood near the door out to the porch, and then Stefan and Jenna, who’d gathered near her. Nikki looked in the direction of Austin’s room, on the opposite side of the house, and shook her head. She motioned behind her, practically right at me, and I stopped at the bottom of the front deck steps.
My brilliant plan had been to get as far up the side steps as I could without stepping into the light. There were two stairways leading to the deck. A wider one off the front that led all the way down to the sloped backya
rd, and a steeper, narrower one that hugged the side of the house. A hot tub sat under the deck, over near the steep staircase. That was the side I’d planned to use. It looked like it was almost completely buried in shadow.
The porch door opened, and my breath froze. I heard the echo of Nikki’s words, though she was still inside.
“We need to get somewhere he can’t hear us,” she was saying, and she stepped out onto the deck.
I scurried under the beams, keeping my steps as quiet as I could. I looked up and could see the soles of her shoes through the tiny slits in between the wood.
“It’s too cold out here,” Jenna said. I heard more footsteps but couldn’t make out which steps were hers and which were Nikki’s. Stefan’s were easier to ID. He had on thick-soled boots, and he practically clomped around.
“You’re going to have to talk to him, Nikki,” he said, his voice low.
“No.” She moved to the front of the deck, and I kept slipping farther and farther back, not stopping until I was at the hot tub. They didn’t appear to have heard anything.
I hunkered down behind the hot tub, just barely fitting between the big machine and the siding of he house. I whipped out my phone and texted Derek, telling him they were outside and urging him to make sure his phone was on silent. If it wasn’t, Stefan was probably clomping around enough that the noise wouldn’t be heard.
Derek texted back. Are you hidden? I can’t see you.
Behind the hot tub. I’m fine, as long as they don’t come down here.
Just stay hidden.
Yeah. Great plan, Sherlock.
“It really is cold out here,” Jenna said, and I heard two light footsteps separate from the others.
They were coming down the front stairs.
“Come with me,” Nikki said. Her voice had moved out to the front of the deck.
My heart climbed up into my throat, like it wanted to choke me for being such a massive idiot. How was I ever going to explain this?
Dear Lord Jesus, please save me from my stupid decisions, I found myself praying, but I knew God wasn’t a genie, and I regretted the prayer as soon as it came out of my silent mouth. If I made stupid decisions, I was going to have to pay the consequences, just like anyone else. I didn’t have a get-out-of-trouble-free pass just because I was clergy. I’d learned that the hard way over the last year.
Nikki was halfway down the steps, and I balled up as small as I could behind the hot tub, trying to stay completely out of sight.
“I don’t want to go down there,” Jenna said. “Nik, this is just ridiculous.”
“I can’t risk him hearing us.” Nikki was all the way down on the ground now, but on the other side of the deck from me.
The clomping of Stefan’s boots as he followed Nikki down the stairs made my pulse thud hard in my ears. Finally, I heard Jenna’s footsteps, too.
I peeked around the side of the hot tub, enough to see two shadows descending the steps. By the time they reached the ground, they had blended in with the shadows around them.
It made me hopeful they couldn’t see me, but if I couldn’t see them, I was flying blind.
“You couldn’t have just sent him somewhere?” Stefan asked. “He’s got to know you know.”
“I don’t know what he knows,” Nikki snapped. It sounded like they were down at the foot of the steps, and I held my breath, preparing for them to come toward me, into the darkness under the porch. Instead, they seemed to move off into the yard.
“Well, we need to hurry,” Jenna said, “because I’m going to freeze out here without my coat.”
They kept talking, but I couldn’t make their words out very well, and from the darkness, I could see them just well enough to know there were shadows out there. They were moving toward the edge of the yard. Toward the gully.
I glanced in the direction where Derek was waiting, down at the darkest end of the dark half-valley. I still couldn’t see him. Not even the hint of him. It was down far enough, I was pretty sure he wouldn’t be seen at all. Still. Depending on where they were headed…
They’re heading down toward the grave, I texted.
His reply was immediate. Grave?
That circle of light with the American flag sticking out of it.
They came to a stand-still in front of the grave, all huddling around it like they were looking at something on the grave stone.
Can you hear anything they’re saying? I texted Derek.
I didn’t get a reply. Either he was trying not to use his phone while he was down there, or he’d walked his bike back out to the road. Either way, I was in trouble. I was stuck down here, too far to hear what they were saying, too close to try making a run for it.
After several minutes and another text, I finally got a quick message from Derek. They’re coming back. Careful.
Sure enough, their voices, which had become murmurs with the distance, became more audible, and they were paired with the shuffle of feet.
“Mike needs me at home,” was the first thing I heard Jenna say, and before I knew it, she was up the stairs.
“Tell him I’ll be over in half an hour,” Stefan said. His footsteps followed hers. “I’m going to head back to that B&B to try and talk to that California chick one more time.”
“Don’t stay there too long,” Jenna said. “Mike wants this all to be handled before Malcolm gets back to work tomorrow morning.”
I shuddered a little as they mentioned the sheriff’s name. Was he in on this, too? Nikki’s footsteps were the last to go up the steps. I wanted to look at them, but I didn’t dare move around. I could see their shadows move over my head as they walked to the porch door.
“Just don’t tell Mike that you saw Vangie Vale at the B&B,” Nikki added, bringing up the rear.
Jenna opened the door to the house. “I won’t.”
“The last thing we need is him trying to threaten her.” Stefan brought up the rear, like he was waiting for the women to enter first. “We can handle this without involving him.”
“He’s just protective of his son,” Jenna said.
And then the door closed behind them
I wasn’t totally sure that all of them were gone. Had Nikki gone inside, too? Jenna’s voice had faded away, and I thought Stefan was gone. But I couldn’t tell if there was still someone over my head. There was a little shadow right above me, but if someone had hung back, they probably knew I was there.
I held my breath, waiting for the shadow to move.
It didn’t.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
My heart was hammering so hard, I was sure whoever was above me could hear it, too. I gripped my phone, ready to dial 9-1-1 if I had to. Nikki might be above me, looking down through the slats, so I couldn’t risk texting Derek. The light of my phone would give me away.
I couldn’t breathe, for fear that the person was listening too hard.
A creak sounded and the shadow moved just a touch. My throat went dry and my vision narrowed to a point. Every horror scenario I’d ever imagined went racing through my head, and I wondered if a relatively in-shape woman who occasionally ate too many sweets could have a heart attack from fear at thirty-three.
The door opened and Nikki’s voice rang out, “Stefan, are you coming in?”
“Yeah,” he said, and the shadow moved a few inches. “I just got another text from Mike. You should read this.”
Another piece of shadow moved above me, just visible through the slats, and I heard Nikki gasp. She joined Stefan on the porch.
“Can you go over there right now?” Nikki whispered.
“And not try Scarlet again?”
“No, that’s not important now.” Fear made her words shaky. “I thought you said no one saw you.”
“Well, apparently, I was wrong.” Stefan’s sigh was a little louder than his words. His feet moved around a little, like he was shifting his weight. “You have to talk to Austin about this.”
“I can’t.” Her response was so firm and
quick; this had to be a repeat conversation.
“I don’t understand you, Nik.” His tone went soft, almost emotional. “Why are you still trying to protect him?”
“I’m not having this conversation right now.” Her words tumbled out fast, and when the door opened, she followed with a quick, “Hey, Jenna. We were just coming in.”
All the shadows finally dissipated, and I let my breath out, long and slow. I immediately turned my phone over and found two different text messages from Derek.
Where are you? and Are you coming back? were dated a few minutes apart, and I quickly responded that I would be on my way as soon as I knew they were gone. When the light finally went off in the living room, I made my way quickly through the shadows in the backyard, careful to avoid the lit-up grave. I ran down to where I thought we’d left the bike. I whispered Derek’s name a few times, but I couldn’t stop, not now. I kept going, heading past the road.
Finally, Derek whispered my name back, and I walked toward the sound, deeper into the gully, away from the houses. There was even less light down here, and I could barely see the white patches of snow that still remained.
I felt the warm touch of his hand on mine and kept walking until I hit his chest. My breath was coming so fast, it was a miracle I wasn’t choking on it.
“I thought you got caught,” he said, wrapping his arms around me until I was completely covered in warmth. “You’re shaking.”
“Stefan stayed out on the porch after the others went in,” I said, hearing the tremor in my own voice, and feeling the emotion still stuck in the back of my throat. “I thought he was going to catch me.
“Well, you’re safe now.” He pulled me back to arm’s length and bent down. I could just make out the form of his head, and it was obvious he was trying to look into my eyes. But I couldn’t see much of anything. “I walked down a bit and stood in the gully under the grave, Vangie. I heard everything.”
“You did?”
“Let’s get out of here and get you someplace warm.”
I couldn’t form any words yet, so I just nodded. I could use something warm right about now.
