If It Walks Like A Killer (The Carolina Killer Files #1)
Page 2
“I’m sorry, Rachael. You didn’t tell me that,” he insisted, standing up from the bed.
“It’s our anniversary. I shouldn’t have to tell you.”
“I don’t want to fight with you, you look beautiful this morning. I love you.” He kissed her head again. “I’ll try to come home early.”
“I’m not fighting,” she mumbled, but he was already gone. She reached for her phone on the night stand and dialed Corie’s number.
She answered after the third ring.
“Hello?”
“Corie?”
“Hey, Mrs. A., what’s up?”
“Well, it turns out, I will need you to watch Davis today after all, if you’re still available?”
“Yeah, sure. Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. It just turns out that I’m going to have to go into work after all, just for a few hours.”
“That’s fine. I’ll be there in an hour.”
“Thanks, Corie. You’re a life saver.”
Chapter Three
Caide
It was after five when a knock on his office door alerted Caide to the time.
Chester Mason popped his head through the door way. “Good Lord, Caide. What on earth are you still doing here?”
Caide glanced at his watch and rubbed his temple. “I guess I just lost track of time. I’m still trying to get ahold of the last witness for the Templeton case.”
“Well, you go on home. That’ll be here Monday. We’re headed out for the night.”
“Have a good night.”
Mason walked out the door, waving a hand over his shoulder. A few moments later another knock sounded on his door.
“Come in.”
The door slid open and there was an overwhelming scent of vanilla perfume suddenly filling the air.
“Blaire? What are you still doing here?”
Mason and Meachum’s secretary walked into his office, her blonde hair piled high into a bun.
“Meachum wanted me to give you these copies before I went home for the day.” She handed him a stack of papers.
“Thanks.” He flipped through them.
“Files for the Silverman case, and the last three are from the Ackles’ divorce. I tried to keep them separated but they’ve had me running all day. That was the last thing on my To Do list.”
“Okay, thanks. Looks like we’re set then. It’s getting late. You look exhausted, you should head on home.”
Blaire touched her hair defensively. “You saying I look bad, Caide Abbott?”
“You never look bad, Blaire,” he said honestly, placing the stack of papers on his desk.
“You’d better say that.” She tossed him a playful wink as she headed for the door. “Hey, you want to go grab drinks after this? I mean, if you’re getting ready to head out too.”
He glanced at his watch again. “No. I can’t tonight. Rachael’s expecting me home. I should’ve been home hours ago but I have a few more phone calls to make. You go on though, don’t wait for me. I’ll lock up.”
“Rain check?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.
He sighed, already dialing a number. “Yeah, rain check.”
***
It was just after ten when Caide finally walked into his dark house. It was silent, not even a TV going. He tiptoed across the living room, walking into the kitchen to grab something to eat. The table was made, set for one. She’d made his favorite pasta and garlic bread. She’d even bought good wine. He walked over, sticking his finger into the cold pasta and trying a taste. There were two drawings, one from each of his children and a new watch lying beside his plate. Great, I’ll have three helpings of your world famous guilt, Mrs. Abbott.
The light in the kitchen flipped on suddenly. He turned around, his wife stood behind him, an icy look on her face.
“It’s probably cold. We ate hours ago.”
“Thanks. I’ll warm up some leftovers.”
“There are none.”
“Okay then, I’ll find something else to eat.” He walked to the refrigerator.
“I bought you a watch. Apparently yours is broken.”
“Alright, here we go. I’m sorry I’m late.”
“Why don’t you just record yourself saying that? You could replay it every time we have this fight and save yourself a lot of effort.”
“I’m not fighting. I had to work to provide for this family. Sometimes that means I’m going to be late, and that’s a sacrifice we just have to make.”
“That’s a sacrifice we make, Caide. Your children. Your wife. We sacrifice life without you.”
“Oh, don’t be dramatic. I come home every night.”
“After we’re in bed. After they’re asleep. This has to stop, Caide. Our kids need to see more of you.”
“I’ve told you, once work slows down I’ll be home more. It’s just busy right now. Mason and Meachum is booming and I can’t slow down, they need me.”
“We need you too.”
“More than you need money? Or this house? Or this food?” He slammed the plate into the sink.
“Don’t do that. Don’t come home in a bad mood.”
“Can I just eat in peace?” He poured a salad into his bowl and grabbed his glass of wine.
“Fine.” She twirled around, headed back down the hall. “Happy Anniversary.”
Chapter Four
Brinley
Mommy has a bowl of cereal made for me and I eat it very fast because I am ready to go to the park. Mommy is getting Davis dressed, who looks funny because he is so sleepy.
“Daddy, are you going to the park too?” I ask because I want to know.
He brings his coffee cup over and sits beside me. “Of course I am, Peanut. Just like I said I would.”
Sometimes Daddy calls me peanut even through it’s not my name. He kisses the top of my head. I am all done with my cereal, Bubba is dressed, and Daddy takes the last drink of his coffee so we can go.
We walk to the car and I see a big puddle beside my door, which is funny because we are inside the garage and plus it hasn’t rained in a long time. Mommy and Daddy are too busy talking to see and I am excited because I loves to jump in puddles. If no one sees me jump I will not get in trouble.
I walk up to the big puddle and count one, two, three, jump. It is so fun to jump but I am sad because now there are brown spots on my socks from the puddle. I will definitely be in trouble now.
Mommy helps Davis into his car seat on their side but Daddy doesn’t have to help me because I am a big girl. I climb into my booster seat and snap the buckle. Davis is yawning because he is sleepy and he has a piece of cereal in his hair which is funny.
I tell him, “Bubby, we are going to the park.” He smiles at me because he loves the park too. The car smells funny today, and kind of makes my head feel dizzy. Mommy and Daddy are talking a lot and it is rude to interrupt so I cannot ask if they smell it too.
“Moo-sic,” Bubby says because he wants Mom to turn on the radio.
She turns it up and we sing along. I look out the window, waiting to see the park. Instead, I just see trees, which are boring. I notice mom and dad have stopped talking so I decide I will ask if they smell the funny smell. Also, the water on my sock is starting to burn me a little bit.
When I look at mom I laugh because she looks like she has eaten something hot. Her eyes are as big as basketballs and her mouth is wide open. Dad is grabbing the wheel with Mom and he keeps saying, “Pump the breaks, Rachael. Pump them. Pump. Don’t panic. Pump.”
My mom’s name is Rachael, but I just call her Mom. I don’t know what he is talking about but I notice we are starting to drive sideways and off the road and we are going fast, like the rides at the fair. This is not the way to the park. We should stay on the road to go to the park. Even I know that, and I’m a little girl.
“Why aren’t we going to the park?” I yell, even though my daddy is talking and I know it’s rude.
“Park. Park. Park,” Davis screams.
My dad turns to me, he is crying like he is sad. “Stop!” he yells.
I want to tell him I’m sorry, I do, but then I am turned sideways, and then I’m upside down and I hear a loud bang and then my mommy screams and my bubby cries and then it all goes black.
Chapter Five
Rachael
“It looks like your brake lines were cut on something. From the amount of fluid lost, I’d say it was severed several days ago and it has been leaking for a while. Rachael, you all are lucky to be alive.”
Rachael kissed her daughter’s head again, sitting in the waiting room of the ER. “Thank you, Emmett. Please let me know once it’s fixed.”
She hung up the phone, looking around anxiously for Caide. It was nearly midnight and Davis was the last to be released. She picked her daughter up, sitting her in her lap, and squeezing her cheeks between her palms. “I love you so much, Kiddo. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d lost you.”
“You’d find me.” Brinley smiled at her.
The hall doors swung open and Caide walked through, carrying Davis who was smiling proudly, clad in a bright blue leg cast.
“My baby,” Rachael cried, rushing toward them and reaching for Davis who immediately started crying. “What did the doctor say?”
“He doesn’t have a concussion, just a hairline fracture in his femur and three stitches here.” He pointed to the gauze bandage above his eyebrow. “He’ll be pretty sore for a while, but all in all he’s fine. We’re all fine.” He pulled Rachael into his side, hugging her tightly.
“What did your doctor say?”
“No sleep for the next twelve hours for me.” She touched just above her ear where they’d shaved her hair for stitches. “He said it’s a minor concussion. They got the swelling to go down, but he just wants to be on the safe side.”
“And this?” He ran his finger across the bandage that ran down her neck and onto her chest.
“Oh, it’s just a cut from my seat belt. It wasn’t even deep enough for stitches. I just have to keep it covered for a while.”
He looked worried, staring at the stitches on her temple. “Brinley got a clean bill of health though, not even a scratch.”
Caide picked Brinley up and kissed her hand. “I love you, Peanut.”
“I love you too, Daddy.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.
He turned to Rachael. “So, have you heard from Emmett? Any news on the car?”
“I did. It’s pretty bad. He says it’s fixable, but just barely.”
“Did he say what caused it?”
“The brake line was leaking. He said it had been for a while. It could’ve been a lot worse. If we’d gone on the interstate, or if we’d been on a busier road…”
“We didn’t. We’re fine. We’re safe.” He kissed her forehead. “We’re lucky actually.” He ran his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him as they walked to the waiting cab.
Rachael knew he was right. They were lucky to be alive, lucky to have such minor injuries, but Rachael couldn’t deny the nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach, the feeling telling her that they weren’t lucky. They weren’t lucky at all.
Chapter Six
Caide
“Come in.” It was Caide’s first day back at the office since the accident and he was staring at a mound of paperwork. His door opened and he immediately smelled the familiar vanilla perfume.
“Good morning, Blaire, how are you?”
She shut the door, sitting down on the corner of his desk.
“I’m okay. How are you feeling? I’ve missed you so much.”
“I’m okay, just a bit of a sore shoulder. I didn’t get it too bad. It was Davis who got hurt the worst.”
Blaire smiled and inched closer to him. “Aren’t you going to say you missed me too?”
“Blaire,” he said testily.
“Caide.” She smiled, touching the hem of her skirt.
“I’ve told you I can’t.”
“Yes, but I’ve told you what Rachael doesn’t know—”
“Would hurt her. You should go. I’ve got a lot to catch up on.” He stood up, walking to his door.
“You’re just going to keep lying to yourself then? What about all the dinners and drinks? You were married then. I see the way you look at me, Caide. If you truly didn’t want me, if you truly didn’t want us, I’d back off. I’m not stupid, and I’m not desperate, but if you’re in a marriage because of loyalty rather than love, you deserve better. You deserve to be happy.” She was dangerously close to him now.
He opened his door. “You should go.”
She smiled at him painfully before leaving his office. He shut the door quickly before heaving a sigh of relief. He hadn’t made it back to his desk yet when there was another rap at his door.
“Yes?” he called.
“Caide?” Mr. Mason nodded politely to him. “I hadn’t had a chance to say hello this morning. How is everyone? Back in working order?”
Caide laughed. “I don’t know if you could ever call us in working order, but we’re all much better, thank you. We appreciate you giving me the time off for us all to recover.”
“Of course. Though, I’m afraid we’ve let the place crumble while you were away. I tell you, Caide, I don’t know what we’d do without you. Your dad sure didn’t know what he was doing letting us snatch you up.” He chuckled.
“Yes, sir.”
“Have you talked to Malcolm lately?”
Hearing his father’s name rubbed Caide like a sunburn. “I make it a habit not to.”
“Right. Well, I came to tell you that since you’ve been gone we rescheduled our meeting with Mr. Mock.”
“I’m sure he was delighted about that.”
“Well, he understands that we need you at our meetings. However, we had to reschedule for tonight. Please tell me you can make it?”
Caide didn’t have to think about it. “Yes, sir. What time?”
“Bart and I will leave early to get the table. I’ll need you and Blaire to come right after work. Just ride together so there won’t be a delay.”
“Blaire?”
Mason looked confused. “Well I’m sure you know we’ll need her there. We’ll need someone who knows what our schedules look like and you’ve got enough on your plate without having to worry about scheduling future appointments.”
“I don’t mind. It’s no trouble.”
“Nonsense, Caide. Blaire has already agreed.” He paused spying the look on Caide’s face. “Unless that’s a problem?”
“No, of course not. I just prefer bringing Brian.”
“Brian is busy tonight, or we would. His wife has a doctor’s appointment that he can’t miss. Just make sure the two of you are on time tonight, you know how Mock is, I want to make sure he gets the right impression…especially after we had to reschedule.”
“Of course, sir. We will be there.”
“Great. Okay, well I’ll let you get back to work then.”
Caide nodded. “I’ll see you this evening then.”
Mason shut the door as he left the office. Caide walked to his window and peeked out the blinds into the lobby. Once Mason was well out of earshot he rushed to Brian’s desk.
“Thanks for calling Mason and Meachum Law Office, this is Brian speaking. How may I help you? Yes, sir. Okay. Yes, sir. Right, I understand. I apologize for that. Of course. I can have him call you back before the end of the day today. Yes, sir. I’ll make sure of it. I apologize again. Yes, sir. Thank you.” He hung up the phone, looking embarrassed.
“Everything okay?” Caide asked.
“That was Mr. Woolard again. I told him you’d call him today. He said you never returned his call.”
“Oh. Brian, I’m sorry. It completely slipped my mind. I’ll call him back before I do anything else.”
Brian nodded. “That’s all right, sir. No problem. Y
ou’ve got a lot on your mind right now. I understand.”
“Thanks. Listen, I need you to do me a favor.”
Brian stood up from his desk. “Anything. What can I do for you?”
“I need you to go with me to this dinner tonight with Mason and Meachum.”
Brian’s expression sank. “Sir, I can’t. I’ve missed the last two doctors’ appointments. Gwen will kill me. We find out what we’re having this afternoon. She’d never forgive me if I missed this.”
Caide nodded, mentally cursing the bad timing of it all.
Brain sighed. “Well if it’s important maybe I can see if she’ll reschedule. Or maybe I could ask her Mom to go with her. Or maybe I can just be late. What time do you think the dinner would be over?”
Caide held up his hand in protest. “No, don’t be ridiculous. Of course not, go be with your wife. Congratulations. I didn’t even know she was expecting.”
Brian looked confused. “Sir, you sent us a gift congratulating us when we found out. Four months ago?”
Caide nodded again, reminding himself to thank Rachael for always being one step ahead of him. She never missed a beat.
“Of course I did. I’m sorry. The accident has me all messed up. Congratulations again.”
Brian nodded, visibly relaxing. “Thank you, sir.”
Caide forced a smile and walked back to his office, defeated.
Well, damn.
***
“Have a good night, Randy,” Caide called to the janitor who was busy cleaning the windows. He walked out the door to find Blaire already waiting by his car.
“You’re driving,” she said simply.
He opened his door, climbing in before unlocking her side. She stared straight ahead, obviously not letting go of the day’s previous events.
“Blaire look, I don’t know what to say to you. You’re great, you know that. Some guy will be lucky to have you—some very, very single guy. We have to work together and I don’t want some big awkward cloud hanging over our heads, Mason and Meachum are bound to notice.”