FORTY-ONE
Consciousness came to Jack as a buzz in the darkness enveloping him. Slowly, the buzz increased until he recognized Dana ranting, and heard her footsteps as she paced in front of him. How long had he been out? He tried to raise his hands to rub the side of his head where she had clobbered him. They wouldn’t come more than a few inches up. He tried again. Failed. His wrists burned. The pain helped clear the fuzziness in his brain. Handcuffs?
“Well, I see you’re awake.” Dana kicked him in the ribs. Jack felt a snap and grunted as pain squeezed his chest.
“Fine time for you to join me, Mister. I was just about to teach this sister of yours a lesson.” She stood defiantly in front of him, waving a long, straight knife back and forth. “She needs to understand that her decisions and her actions affect other people. But you know that, don’t you Jack. She is the reason your wife and daughter are dead.”
Jack winced. The pain in his head and his ribs was nothing compared to that loss.
“I bet you’ll enjoy this.” Slowly, she traced the tip of the knife across his brow and down his jaw line. “I’ll deal with you when I’m done with her.”
Jack tried to think, but the pain in his head kept the thoughts from forming. Adrenaline coursed through his veins making his hands throb against the tight cuffs.
Dana turned away from him and started toward where Leslie lay.
“Dana?” he said, trying to buy some time. Behind his back his hands worked furiously trying to figure out what he was chained to and how to pull free.
Dana swung back around to face him, her eyes those of a caged animal.
“Why?” It was the only thing that came to mind. If he could get her to talk to him, he might buy a few more minutes. It might not do any good, but he had to try.
“Why?” Dana looked incredulous. “You want to know why?” She approached him quickly, knife swinging.
The blade grazed his cheek and he felt warm, sticky blood trickle down and drip from his chin. He held his head high, and ignored the pain. “Yes, I want to know.”
“You’re just as stupid as I thought you were. Jack, it’s about responsibility. Leslie’s responsibility was to protect Lisa. She didn’t. Her decisions put Lisa in danger. Just like she did with Susan and Lilly.”
Jack bit back anger. “Leave them out of this.”
“It’s true, Jack. Leslie led Susan to do drugs.” She knelt beside him and traced a slow line across his chin with the tip of the knife. Jack winced as the blade bit into his flesh.
“That’s what got Lilly killed. You want your sister dead just as much as I do. But you know the difference between me and you, Jack?”
She nudged his chest, just above the heart with the tip of the knife. The steel blade poked through his shirt and bit into his skin. “I have the strength to do it.”
“Dana, stop it. You know this isn’t right. Killing Leslie isn’t going to help Lisa. And it’s not going to bring Susan and Lilly back.” Oh how he wished it would. He wished anything would bring them back to him. But they weren’t coming back. He didn’t want Leslie dead. He wanted them to be a family again.
“But you’re wrong, Jack. It will help Lisa. It will protect Lisa. I know it will Jack. And I wish I’d had someone like me to protect me.”
She leaned in so that her face was inches from his and screamed. “You don’t know what it’s like.”
“My father raped me, Jack. Over and over again. And my mother knew. She let it happen. She let him kill my sister and get away with it, because my mother was spineless. Do you get that Jack? She had no spine. She was as worthless as my father said she was. And I paid for it. Now, it’s my duty to protect other girls whose mothers are too stupid, too weak to protect them. Someone has to do it. That’s why, Jack. That’s why.” Dana pushed back up. She stood over him, looking down.
“What was your sister’s name?” Jack was reaching, anything to keep her busy.
Dana laughed wryly. “I guess I should tell you all of it. You deserve it, after all. You know, I almost trusted you. I wanted to trust you. But in the end, you’re just like everyone else.”
He shook his head.
“You are.” She took a deep breath and leaned closer. “Her name was Dana. My given name is Marlee. But you see, after my father killed my sister, they told me she ran away. Then he started raping me. One day, I realized that it could be different. All I could think of was that he would kill me too if I didn’t do something.”
She turned her back on Jack. Her shoulders shook and she pulled at her hair. After a few seconds she ran her hands through the tangled locks, then turned back to face him.
Tears stained her face. “Mama knew. She knew what he was doing to me and Dana. So I got a knife. And I killed him first. Mama screamed at me. At me!” She dug a finger into her chest.
“Like I was the one who was wrong. So, I did the only thing I could do.” Marlee aimed the knife at Jack’s heart again. She pushed and a second small trail of blood soaked into his shirt. Then she leaned close and whispered, “I killed her, too.”
“When the cops showed up, I told them that someone broke into the house and raped me. They locked me away in a mental hospital, but I was freer than I had ever been. It was in that hospital that I began to understand that I had to be the person who was strong enough to stand up to men that abused young girls. I had to be the one that helped those girls when their own mother’s would not.”
She dropped to her knees and leaned close, her face inches away from his. “You see, Jack, this is something I have to do.” She kissed him lightly on the cheek. “I hate to lose you. You touched my heart. But I have to do this and you can’t stop me.”
She pushed herself up and walked away from him.
“Marlee,” Jack said to her back. She didn’t answer. Her steps sure on the wooden floor. No pause. No doubt.
“Marlee,” he tried again, louder. Still no answer. “Marlee,” his voice boomed through the empty house.
She continued across the room, to where Leslie lay motionless on a table. “Jack, I have work to do. Be quiet so this will go well.”
Jack yanked against the pipes, the cuffs biting into his hands. They held tight.
Kate, where are you?
Marlee paused. “You won’t get loose. I know what I am doing.”
He had no doubt about that. She was going to get away with this. He yanked again. Blood made a warm trail down his wrist, across his palms, and dripped off his fingers. He pulled again and again until the pain was unbearable.
And then Dana thrust the knife into Leslie’s stomach.
FORTY-TWO
“No!”
Jack!
Kate froze, crouched near the door that she’d seen Dana enter.
Remember, you promised to protect him. She needed to get in there. Now.
That thought got her muscles moving again. She inched closer to the doorway, gun held in front of her. She would shoot if that’s what it took to save Jack.
“She deserved it, Jack.” Dana’s voice came from the next room. “She killed your wife. Your child. And the damage she’s done to Lisa? Lisa will never forget. She’ll always carry the weight of what Tim did to her.” Marlee’s voice sounded different from what Kate had come to recognize as Dana’s. It was less cultured. The words pronounced less clearly. Panicked.
“You’re wrong. And I will kill you.” Jack’s threat came across as a low rumble, anger dripping from each word.
Kate risked a glance into the room. Marlee knelt with her back to the door. Leslie was on the floor in front of her.
Kate pulled back. Heart racing. Deep breath.
Protect them. Do your job. Only this was much more than a job to Kate. It was Jack.
She heard footsteps in the next room. Marlee was moving again, getting closer to the doorway. Closer to Jack.
“I told you she had to learn.” Marlee’s voice had changed again. She sounded insane.
Kate’s skin prickled. Enough. This
had gone on long enough.
She swung into the room, back against the door frame, raising her gun as she’d practiced so many times.
Marlee swung the knife down toward Jack.
Kate squeezed the trigger. Once. Twice. Three times.
Marlee danced as each shot punched into her chest. Then she crumpled, lifelessly to the floor.
FORTY-THREE
Jack’s ears rang loudly, and he could see Kate’s lips moving as she knelt over him, unlocking the hand cuffs.
“Jack, are you okay?” Kate traced the cut on his cheek with her finger. Then she pulled his shirt up, looking at the two wounds that Dana had caused earlier.
“I’m okay.” Jack’s tongue felt thick. He tried to stand and fell back. Tried again. This time he got to his feet.
“Jack, you need to be still.” The words were lost on deaf ears. He didn’t care what she said. All he cared about in this moment was Leslie. He turned toward her.
His first two steps were faltering, and the world around him spun in circles. He paused and blinked several times, and the room stood still. He took another step, stronger. And then another, and crumpled to the floor at Leslie’s side.
Blood welled from the wound in her stomach. He felt her neck for a pulse. It was there but just barely.
The ringing in his ears turned to sirens. Backup had arrived. Two Sheriff’s deputies busted through the front door, guns held ready in front of them.
Two more guys wearing paramedic’s uniforms rushed through the door. One turned the instant he saw Leslie on the floor and ran back out the door. He returned seconds later pushing a gurney.
They eased Jack out of the way, and he fell against the wall. “Leslie,” he tried to talk to her over their voices. “Leslie, these guys will take care of you. You hang on now, okay? Lisa and I will be there when you wake up.”
The paramedics pushed past him, and Kate appeared at his side. She placed her hand on his shoulder and steered him toward the door. He stopped and turned to look back at Marlee. Two cops stood over her, but they were at ease.
She was no longer a threat to anyone.
Grief and anger welled into his chest. He wanted to hit her again, and again, but at the core of his being he knew that wouldn’t make anything better.
Kate pulled gently at his arm. “Come on, Jack. You need to be looked at. There is nothing we can do for her now.” She led him outside. An ambulance was pulling away, and another sat waiting, lights flashing red and blue against the backdrop of a Mississippi afternoon.
FORTY-FOUR
Jack’s fingers felt fat and clumsy as he tried to tie the knot in the tie. He wasn’t ready for this. His hands stilled as he stared at the unruly knot in the mirror.
“Let me help you with that.” Kate stepped between him and the mirror and gently pushed his hands out of the way. She slid the end of the tie through a loop she’d created with the other end. Without looking up from the knot she asked, “You okay?”
Jack swallowed hard. “Not really. I never thought I would have to bury my sister.” Right up to the moment he arrived at the hospital, he thought Leslie would be okay. Then he could make things right between them. He could help her get into rehab or whatever she needed, and together they could help Lisa through the pain of everything that had happened.
But Leslie hadn’t made it. It wasn’t the stab wound that killed her. It was the blow to the head. The doctors told him she wouldn’t have survived even if Marlee hadn’t stabbed her. There was too much damage to her brain.
Kate finished the knot then grabbed Jack in a tight hug. “I’m sorry.”
“You were there for me, Kate. I didn’t listen to you.” He had thought through this a million times in the days since he followed Marlee to that house. He’d allowed his anger to keep him from so many things. His sister. His niece. His partner. And when Kate tried to make him see that, he’d pushed her away.
He squeezed Kate tightly to him and just held her there for a moment. He was grateful for her presence. Grateful that he knew he could count on her when he needed her.
Then he stepped back and fingered the knot she’d tied at his neck. It was time. It didn’t matter now what had happened or how he felt about it. What mattered was that he had a niece that needed him. And he wasn’t going to let her down.
*~*~*
Jack pulled Lisa close to him as they watched the coffin being lowered into the ground. “I love you, Leslie,” he said as the top of the coffin disappeared. For a moment, regret twisted his insides. He wished she were alive to hear him say that.
Lisa cried openly. He handed her his handkerchief as he held her tightly to his side. With his free hand, he reached for Kate’s hand. Their fingers intertwined and he drew strength from the warmth he felt there.
The pastor said a few more words and then it was time for Lisa and him to step forward. Jack released Kate’s hand and pulled the lavender rose boutonniere from his jacket. He dropped it on top of the casket and blew a kiss toward it.
Lisa dropped the locket Leslie had given her for Christmas a few years earlier beside the rose. Just last night Jack had helped her replace the pictures of Jack and Leslie in the locket, with pictures of herself. She stared into the hole in the ground for a long time before stepping back with Jack and Kate.
She moved in between them, and grabbed their hands. Jack swallowed hard to hold back the flood of emotion that threatened to destroy what little composure he’d managed to regain. How was he going to raise Lisa by himself?
One day at a time, came the answer.
The three stood together and watched until the pastor and the other mourners left and two scruffy, dismal looking men tossed the first shovelful of dirt onto the casket. It skittered atop the glossed finish.
“Let’s go home, Uncle Jack,” Lisa said and the three of them walked toward the car.
Home. Together. As a family.
Lisa was his responsibility now, and Jack had no intention of letting her down.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I frequently tell people that it takes a team to write a book. This book is no exception. I may have done the writing, but there were a number of people along the way that did things that (to me) were much more difficult.
Special thanks to Jennifer Whittington for always being my bestie. You’ve pushed, encouraged, loved, shared, laughed, and cried with me every step of the way as I wrote this book. You’re my rock, and I love you for being there for me.
Brenda Anderson and the crew at Inkspirational Messages (www.inkspirationalmessages.com) helped me get through the final push to finish this book. Lorna Seilstad, Linda Faulkerson, Dawn Ford, Shannon Taylor Vannatter, and Shari Barr are amazing critique partners who really helped to shape the book you hold in your hand. Brenda, especially, read, re-read, and supported me when at times I wasn’t worthy. I owe these ladies so much more than just a debt of gratitude.
Suzanne Wesley (www.suzannewesley.com) also has my eternal gratitude for the awesome covers she’s designed, not only for Biloxi Sunrise, but also for the novella: A Biloxi Christmas, and for book two: Biloxi Blue. It was as if Suzanne could see into my mind when she designed these covers. I couldn’t ask for any better.
Thanks also to Debra Kern Gaskill, who helped me to see possibilities that I had never seen before. It’s because of Debra that this book has finally been released in print. Thanks, Debra! I’m so glad we met and have become friends.
Family often goes overlooked, but I’d also like to say thank you to my sisters – Connie Ladner and Rebecca Freshour – for their part in making my books work. I couldn’t ask for better, or more honest, pre-readers and brainstorming partners. I love you both.
Finally, friends, thank you! For buying the book. For reading the book. For asking for the print edition. For hanging on between books, and for all of the kind reviews and messages that you’ve sent me. Authors are merely writers without their readers, and my gratitude goes out to you for giving me a reason to keep writing.
I really do love connecting with my readers, so please feel free to email me at: [email protected]. I welcome your comments, thoughts, reviews – good and bad, please – and friendship. Let’s connect outside the book. I’m always grateful to make new friends.
Jerri Lynn
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Growing up a military brat meant Jerri Ledford traveled a lot – and read a lot. It was only natural that her love of reading would eventually turn into a love of writing. From the first play that she wrote for neighborhood kids while her family was stationed on the military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to her career writing fiction and non-fiction, Jerri has always had a love affair with words.
These days, Jerri spends much of her time as a Content Project Manager and fiction writer, but when she’s not pounding away at the keyboard, she spends as much time as possible with her grown children and the 80 lb. Bull Mastiff rescue she fell in love with - Sampson.
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Jack Roe and Kate Giveans are looking forward to spending their first Christmas together, but when they stumble onto a murder and possible human trafficking ring after the Christmas on the Water boat parade, everything changes.
Personal differences come to light as Jack and Kate struggle to investigate the murder under a strict directive from the chief. Can they come together to find the murderer before someone else gets hurt? Will they be able to maintain and share their feeling for each other? Can they find a way to have a Biloxi Christmas?
Biloxi Sunrise (The Biloxi Series Book 1) Page 22
