Shelley Freydont - Celebration Bay 03 - Independence Slay

by Shelley Freydont

  “I’m the event coordinator,” Liv said, reaching for her ID card. She had to yell over the exploding fireworks. The sky was lit up in reds, greens, yellows, blues. “There’s a problem with the production.”

  The guard looked at the card, looked at her.

  “Please hurry,” Liv said, then caught a glimpse of a very large man striding down the street. He passed beneath the light of the street lamp, and Liv recognized the shaved head and wide shoulders of A.K. Pierce, head of Bayside Security, whom Liv had hired as additional event security. “Mr. Pierce. A.K.! Over here!”

  A.K. looked up, zeroed in on her, and strode through the wrought-iron gates to meet her.

  “Ms. Montgomery? Is there a problem?”

  “There might be. Ted saw an SOS signal coming from the parapet where the ghost signals the patriots to attack.”

  “Isn’t that a part of the show?”

  “The first signal, but the second SOS signal didn’t start until after the fireworks began,” she explained, then looked to Ted for confirmation.

  “That’s right, someone is up there flashing an SOS. I think we should see what the situation is.”

  “Absolutely.” A.K. strode past them and up the front steps and pounded on the heavy wooden door. When it didn’t open immediately, he pounded again. “Security,” he boomed.

  He waited a few seconds while he looked around the outside of the house, possibly considering the efficacy of breaking one of the windows. He raised his hand to pound again when the door opened several inches and Hildy Ingersoll peered out.

  “This house… is… off-limits,” she huffed out.

  Liv was reaching for her ID but Pierce already had his open.

  Hildy looked at it. “What’s this?”

  “Are you the lady of the house?”

  “The housekeeper,” Ted said. “Hildy. It’s Ted Driscoll. There’s trouble up on the roof.”

  “What kind of trouble, to get me running to the door with all that banging?” She sucked in a deep breath. “Those kids up to their tricks? I told Mr. G not to let them in the house. Nothing but trouble. We’re not responsible, I told him. But he don’t listen. Got a soft spot for them rascals. The more fool he.” She had to stop to suck in air. “But you can believe those bleeding-heart do-gooders will make trouble if one of us so much as sneezes at them. I say spare the rod—”

  “Are there children in the house now?” Ted asked.

  “Well, no, not now. But Mr. G—is something wrong with Mr. G?”

  “Excuse us.” A.K. moved her aside and went through the door.

  While she stared in surprise, Ted and Liv slipped in after him.

  “You can’t just…” the housekeeper began.

  “How do you access the roof?”

  “Well, I—”

  A look from A.K. and she clamped down on the words. “Upstairs. There’s pull-down stairs on the third floor.”

  A.K. was already bounding up the wide staircase.

  “You can’t go—” The housekeeper hiked up her skirts as if she meant to run after him.

  Ted mumbled, “Sorry, Hildy, an emergency.” He ran past her to the stairs, Liv following.

  Liv took the wide staircase two steps at a time and quickly passed Ted, but when she reached the second floor, she could hear A.K. running overhead. She sprinted down the hall and hauled up the next flight to the third floor.

  She found A.K. pulling a folding stair down from the ceiling. He immediately began climbing toward a rectangular opening in the ceiling. As soon as he’d disappeared through the opening, Liv climbed after him. Ted stopped to catch his breath, then followed her.

  The stairs led right to the roof and Liv reached the top just as another spray of fireworks lit the night.

  A.K. had stopped a mere two feet away and was shining a flashlight around the periphery of the roof. The roof was flat; the stone parapet that surrounded it was about hip-high.

  As Liv reached him, A.K. abruptly held out his arm, preventing her from moving forward.

  She heard Ted climbing up through the opening, huffing slightly. He needed to get more exercise. Maybe she’d suggest he and Whiskey take up jogging instead of singing.

  “See anything?” Ted asked, coming up to her.

  “Nothing yet.”

  The powerful beam from A.K.’s utility flashlight panned across the roof surface in meticulous order. No wild searching for this marine. He slowed as his light picked out dividing walls; illuminated dark corners only to plunge them into deeper darkness when the light moved on to the rounded walls of the turret, the square corners of the asymmetrical house; then ran along the individual stones of the parapet.

  And out in the night the fireworks continued to light the sky. They only made the roof seem darker.

  Liv was just beginning to think it was a false alarm when the light stopped, moved back, and came to rest on something lying on the floor.

  A man dressed in the long brown coat of the Minutemen lay on his side. On the ground next to him, the lantern lay on its side, its light extinguished.

  A.K. stepped forward and shined the flashlight beam directly on the man’s face, spotlighting the longish, lank hair covering his cheek.

  “Stay here,” A.K. said, and bent over to peer at the fallen figure, checked for a pulse.

  “Should I call nine-one-one?” Liv asked.

  A.K. held up a hand for her to wait.

  “Ted.” A.K. motioned him forward. Liv went, too.

  A.K. thrust his flashlight into Ted’s hand and turned the man over.

  The flashlight jerked in Ted’s hand. Liv recoiled. A.K. sucked in his breath.

  When the light once again shone on the man, it also showed the gaping hole in his stomach and the Rorschach of blood that covered his uniform.

  Liv covered her mouth.

  “If you’re going to be sick, move away,” A.K. said.

  She shook her head.

  “Do either of you know who this is?” A.K. asked.

  Ted had to clear his throat before he could answer. “It’s Henry Gallantine’s gardener. Jacob Rundle.”

  “Shouldn’t we call the EMTs?” Liv asked. “Maybe they can—”

  A.K. shook his head. “The crime-scene boys. But there’s no hurry. He must have bled out in a matter of seconds.”

  Liv swayed back and Ted put a sustaining arm around her shoulders.

  The three of them stayed that way, Liv and Ted standing together and A.K. crouched down over the body, while the sky lit up with white stars. Then with a pop pop pop, the stars exploded and rained down in a waterfall of red.

  Oohs and aahs wafted up from the crowd below and became silent. And that’s when they heard someone moaning. And close by.

  A.K. was on his feet faster than a man his size should be able to move. He took the flashlight from Ted and searched the darkness at the far end of the roof.

  “Oh Lord,” said Ted.

  In the far corner, pressed against the parapet, was a crouching figure. When the light shone on him, he scuttled even closer to the wall and brandished a rifle at them. Its bayonet glinted in the lantern light. The blood that covered it turned to black.

  For a moment none of them moved, then Ted asked uncertainly, “Leo?”

  Leo was shaking so violently that he flickered like an old movie. And Liv was having a hard time reconciling the boy with the “gentle soul” with the strapping young man clutching the musket and bayonet.

  Ted took a step toward the boy. “It’s okay, Leo. Put the rifle down.”

  “Stay back,” A.K. ordered under his breath.

  “It’s all right,” Ted told him. “It’s one of the boys from the community center. He’s harmless.”

  “He might be harmless, but he’s armed and may be dangerous. We’re not taking any chances.”
>
  Ted ignored him and took a step closer. “Leo, put down the rifle. Everything’s going to be okay.”

  Leo shook his head in spasmodic jerks. “He’s gonna get me.”

  Liv was amazed at Ted’s calm. She didn’t think she could move if her life depended on it. Which, now that she considered it, might just be the case.

  Leo let out a wail, something like an animal cry, as Ted approached.

  When he was several feet away, Ted crouched down, vulnerable to any harm Leo might have in mind. But Liv was afraid to call him back and risk startling the obviously traumatized teenager.

  A.K. stood still but was poised to move. Liv could feel the energy vibrating off him in waves. It was almost as frightening as facing a possible killer, and in a weird way, exhilarating.

  “Where did you get that rifle, son?” Ted’s voice was quiet, soothing.

  Leo twitched. “Found it. Over there.” His head jerked toward the dead man. “Heard something. I know he was coming to get me.”

  “Who?”

  “The ghost.”

  “Leo, the ghost can’t hurt you.”

  “Yeah, he can. He hurt Mr. Rundle. He’s mad. He said so.”

  “The ghost?” Ted had somehow managed to inch closer.

  “No-o-o-o. Mr. Rundle. He said the ghost was mad and it was my fault and he was gonna get me.”

  “We won’t let him get you. Why don’t you let me hold that for you?” Ted reached out his hand for the rifle, but Leo flinched away and clutched it tighter to his chest.

  “Tell me about the ghost.”

  Leo shuddered. “You know him. He’s Old Gallantine, who hid the treasure.”

  “You saw him up here on the roof tonight?”

  Leo bobbled a nod.

  “Did you recognize him?”

  “He was the ghost.”

  “Can you tell me what he—what his face looked like?”

  Leo moaned. “Didn’t have no face.”

  “You couldn’t see it in the dark?”

  “No. Ghosts don’t have faces. Just all shadowy.”

  “What did he do when you saw him?”

  “Disappeared.”

  “Disappeared?”

  Leo nodded spasmodically. “He hurt Mr. Rundle. Now he’s gonna come after me. Don’t let him get me.”

  “We won’t. He’s not going to come after you. We’ll protect you, but you need to give me the rifle.” Ted reached for the musket.

  “No-o-o.”

  His cry was drowned out by rapid-fire explosions. It must be the finale, Liv thought, because one display followed another, and the blasts continued until the whole night sky was filled with color.

  Leo dropped the musket and covered his head with his arms. Ted snatched it from the floor and held it out for A.K., who was lightning swift to take it and move it out of range.

  Ted sat down by the cowering boy and put both arms around him. Liv couldn’t hear what he was saying to the boy, but she saw his lips moving, and he rocked Leo back and forth until the last explosion died away and the color fell from the sky.

  And then there was silence. A calm descended and seconds passed before the sound of people talking and gathering up their belongings replaced their exclamations of delight. But this time they sounded far away as they moved on to their next stop or returned home, while three people and a frightened boy were separated from the rest of the world by a stone wall and a murdered man.

  “There,” Ted said. “It’s all over. The fireworks are finished and the ghost is gone.”

  Leo peered out between his arms.

  Ted patted his shoulder. “See? No ghost?”

  “He won’t come back?” Leo spoke so quietly, Liv could barely hear him, and she found herself moving closer.

  A.K. stopped her. “Just stay back until we have him in custody.”

  “Custody? Surely you don’t think—”

  “Liv—Ms. Montgomery. Just do as I say.”

  “Can you tell me how the ghost disappeared?” Ted continued.

  Leo looked around. Lifted a finger and pointed to the parapet. “Jumped up right there on the wall, then…” His hands jerked up and his fingers splayed, an action that made Liv jump back and had A.K. reaching for his side.

  “Presto. Like that.”

  Liv let out her breath.

  Ted looked over. “I think you’d better call the sheriff.”

  “Already have,” A.K. told him. “I have a squad of my men surrounding the house. Though it’s my guess they won’t find anyone.”

  When had he done that? Liv hadn’t seen or heard him make a call.

  “You think whoever killed Mr. Rundle already got away?” Liv asked.

  “I think we’re looking at him.”

  Chapter Four

  “You can’t think Leo killed him.”

  “When you find two people on the roof, one is dead, and the other one is holding the murder weapon…” A.K. didn’t bother to finish his sentence. It was all too evident. And it was a pretty damning situation.

  “So now what do we do?”

  “Wait for Bill Gunnison to come take custody of the suspect.”

  Ted, who had been consoling Leo, looked up at that. His mouth tightened, but he didn’t bother to argue. The writing was pretty much on the wall.

  “Perhaps we could take him downstairs to wait? Maybe Hildy can be coerced into giving him something to drink.”

  A.K. reached for his hip and a pair of cuffs.

  “Oh, A.K. Is that necessary?” Liv asked.

  “He acts like a child, I get why, but he’s a powerfully built young man. That wound was caused by someone who was either very strong or running on a lot of hate and adrenaline—or both.”

  “Or fear?”

  “You mean self-defense?”

  “It’s possible, isn’t it?”

  A.K. lifted a shoulder, not exactly in agreement but not dismissing the idea altogether.

  A.K. opened his phone and began texting.

  “Well?” Ted said, sounding for the first time slightly impatient.

  “I have a couple of men coming up to transport him downstairs.”

  Liv flinched. It sounded so impersonal.

  While they waited, no one spoke. Liv tried to just stare into space or at her feet and not think about the gruesome scene that was right behind her. Trying not to focus on Leo or the dead man but just looking. It was one of those moments that she just fell into naturally, not thinking anything in particular, just looking. Letting her mind focus on the area itself. It was a technique she used to spot a poor traffic pattern, an overcrowded table setting, clashing colors, drooping décor.

  It came naturally to her tonight. She took in the position of the body and Leo, the place where Leo said the ghost had disappeared. The angle of the wall that jutted out halfway across the floor. The tower door looking like a black rectangle.

  Like a set waiting to be dressed, like a ballroom after the dancers were gone, like a murder scene with the victim lying in situ.

  She shivered. It wasn’t cold. And she jumped when she saw a head appear through the opening to the stairs. A man, followed by a second, climbed onto the roof. They were dressed in jeans and T-shirts. One had long hair, the other a standard barber cut. They looked like any other tourists, except they’d climbed onto the roof without a sound.

  “Todd, Kemp, escort this young man down to wait for Sheriff Gunnison. Mr. Driscoll and Ms. Montgomery will accompany you. Wait there for me.”

  One of the men stepped foreward. “The housekeeper is none too happy about us being here.”

  “Use your charm,” A.K. said.

  “Sir.”

  Kemp and Todd moved simultaneously toward Leo as precisely as a marching band. Or a military parade, thought Liv. Were they all marin
es? The thought was comforting and also a little unnerving.

  Leo saw them coming and scrambled back, so close to the wall that Liv was afraid if he stood suddenly, he would fall over backward and plunge to his death. Or even worse, he might jump just to get away.

  The men stopped simultaneously.

  Ted took Leo’s arm. “These men have come to keep you safe.” He glanced at Liv.

  And she saw the misery on his face. The men had come to hold him until the police arrived.

  They parted as Ted led Leo toward the stair opening.

  Liv marveled that they were going to let him go down ahead of them. Weren’t they afraid he might try to run? If she were in Leo’s place, she would be inclined to get as far away as she could.

  But she understood when Leo froze and stubbornly refused to go any farther.

  Then she heard a voice below. “Come along son, everything will be fine.”

  Ted urged him forward, and they both climbed back into the house.

  “Like a frightened animal,” A.K. said, almost to himself.

  Liv cut him a sideways look.

  A.K. nodded. A dismissal. “Go downstairs. Kemp, see that the lady gets down safely and send the sheriff and the CSI team up when they get here.”

  • • •

  “I don’t know what Mr. G will say when he finds out that people have been traipsing through his house all night,” Hildy said as she clanked glasses on the table in front of Liv, Ted, and Leo.

  A.K.’s men had refused refreshments. They stood around the periphery of the room, four of them, at attention, which was strange looking considering their summer casual wear.

  “And just what is going on up on the roof? You been causing trouble, Leo?”

  “No ma’am. I don’t think so.” He cast a worried frown at Ted.

  Ted patted his shoulder.

  “Where’s Mr. G?” Hildy demanded.

  “Mr. Henry’s gone.”

  “I know that. The fireworks is over.” The housekeeper threw her head back and looked at the ceiling. “Lord save us from this ignoramus.”

  One of the security men visibly tensed. “Ma’am, if you could keep those opinions to yourself.”