by Sammi Carter
Ginger’s head snapped up so quickly I almost felt the muscles pull in my neck. “That’s a blast from the past,” she said with a tight laugh. “What do you want to know about him?”
“I want to know about the night he died.”
“I don’t know anything about the night he died.”
“That’s not true,” I said. “I know you were at the same party that night, and I know that Davey left the party because he was upset over a girl. What I want to know is whether that girl was you.”
Ginger’s chin shot out stubbornly. “Of course not. What a question.”
“Then what does Kerry Hendrix know about you that makes you jump when he tells you to?”
“He doesn’t know anything.”
“What do you know about him? What proof would he and Quentin Ingersol be trying to get from you?”
Her eyes flew wide, and fear shot across her expression again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I think you do,” I said. “I think somebody killed Lou Hobbs—or was it Rusty Hogan?—because he knew something they didn’t want anyone else to find out. If you know what it was, you could be in serious danger.”
At the mention of Rusty’s name, Ginger’s shoulders sagged and her head drooped.
“I’m right, aren’t I? Lou Hobbs was Rusty Hogan.”
She covered her face with both hands, and a sob racked her body. “Yes.”
I gave her a moment to pull herself together. Then I said, “You’re carrying his baby, aren’t you?”
She lifted her head, and I saw tears shimmering in her eyes. “Marshall told you.”
“Yeah.” I sat on a nearby ottoman and leaned closer. “Why did Davey Mendoza and Kerry Hendrix get into it the night of the party?”
Ginger shuddered and wrapped her arms around herself. “I went out with Davey a couple of times. I was supposed to be at the party with him.”
“But you went with Kerry?”
She nodded miserably.
“Why?”
“I was young and stupid, okay?” Ginger stood up so fast, the rocking chair banged into the wall behind her. “I thought Kerry Hendrix was it. The finest thing in pants. It wasn’t just me, either. All the girls thought he was the best thing that ever happened to Paradise. The guys, too. Dwayne and Quentin would have done almost anything for him.”
The cat jumped onto a table a few feet away, and a cup dropped to the floor, shattering on impact. I jumped halfway out of my skin. Ginger let out a tiny yelp as the cat bounded away to someplace safer. “What did they do for him?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
But she did. I could see the horrible knowledge and the pain of holding onto something she’d rather have never known reflected in her eyes. “What happened, Ginger? You can’t keep this a secret any longer. It could cost your life and the life of your baby.”
She walked a few feet away, rubbing her arms and staring out the window at the storm. “Davey found me and Kerry together. He freaked out. I mean, completely freaked out. He went after Kerry like a maniac.”
“They fought?”
She nodded slowly. “It was horrible. I thought Davey was going to kill Kerry. Some of the guys finally separated them and convinced Davey to take off.”
“And that was it?”
She turned back to face me. “No.”
“Kerry and the others followed him, didn’t they?”
She nodded again.
“If you knew they’d gone after him, why didn’t you let someone know?”
“I couldn’t! Kerry made me go with them. He wasn’t about to leave anyone behind.”
That didn’t surprise me.
“Kerry couldn’t stand losing, especially in front of witnesses.”
“Who else saw the fight?”
“Just the four of us.”
“You, Quentin, Dwayne, and—”
Ginger’s eyes locked on mine. “Rusty. He was in the car with Davey.”
That did surprise me. “He was in the car when it went off the road?”
“No. Davey had been drinking—a lot. He was in no condition to drive. Rusty knew he had to get Davey out of there, or Kerry would kill him once he got his breath again. I think we all knew what Kerry was capable of, even if we didn’t want to admit it.” She held her head in her hands and massaged her temples lightly. “We caught up with them at the bottom of that hill. Kerry was driving, and he forced their car off the road. They dragged Davey out of the car and—” She broke off, unable to say more, and for a few minutes the sound of her sobbing filled the shop.
I waited in silence for her to go on.
“They killed him,” she said, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. “They just kept hitting and hitting until he was finally gone. When they realized what they’d done, Quentin wanted to call the police, but Kerry told us all that we’d get the same treatment if we ever breathed a word to anybody.”
“And you believed him,” I said.
“Wouldn’t you?”
“If you’d gone to the authorities,” I said, “they could have protected you. They could have made sure that the kids responsible for Davey’s death went to prison, and the rest of you would have been protected.”
Ginger laughed bitterly. “For how long? Ten years? Fifteen? Kerry has a long memory. He never forgives, and he never forgets.”
There was no sense arguing. She’d made her decision a long time ago, and nothing could be changed now. “What about Rusty?”
“He took a beating, too, but not nearly as bad as Davey. They messed up his leg, but that was about it. The guys loaded Davey into the car and rigged it so that it would look like he’d had an accident, and they left Rusty there. I guess they thought he’d die, too, since he couldn’t walk.” She looked up at me and took a ragged breath. “I got the hell out of Paradise as soon as I could, and I vowed I’d never come back.”
“And yet, here you are. Why?”
“I ran into Rusty about six months ago. We were both in a bad place, and I think we felt a connection. Anyway, we hooked up. We needed money, bad, and he got this idea to blackmail the others. I didn’t realize what he was doing at first, but I put it together eventually. I mean, he never went to work, and he always had money.”
“He was getting it from Kerry, Quentin, and Dwayne?”
She nodded. “One of my old girlfiends tracked me down on the Internet, and I told her about Rusty. She must have told Kerry, because then he tracked me down and told me he needed me to come back and front this phony antiques scheme. We knew it was just a scam to get Rusty back here, and I didn’t want to come, but Rusty talked me into it. He said we could finally see justice done.”
An incredible sadness sat on my chest like a weight. “So you came back to Paradise.” My throat tightened at the irony.
She caught back a sob. “We were right to be afraid of Kerry all those years ago. He meant what he said. He killed Rusty. I know he did.”
I leaned forward eagerly. “Did you actually see Hendrix stab Rusty?”
She shook her head sadly. “No, but I know what he’s capable of, and I’m sure it was him. Dwayne and Quentin aren’t cold enough.”
I realized suddenly who Quentin had been arguing with that night at the recreation center. Dwayne might be a big lump of a guy, but he was probably the most squeamish of the lot and the most likely to try talking the others out of their plan.
There was just one question left, and I had to ask it. “What about that night out at Hammond Junction? Do you know what happened then?”
Ginger dabbed at her eyes with the cuff of her blouse. “Rusty got a call from Dwayne asking him to stop by. Said there was something he wanted to discuss and made it sound like he was going to roll over on the others. Like an idiot, Rusty went out there and found all three of them waiting for him. It was an ambush. They would have killed him that night if you hadn’t come along when you did. You gave him a chance to get away.”
“But I know h
e was shot. I heard the gun go off and I saw him fall.”
“It was Rusty’s gun,” Ginger said, taking another swipe at her eyes. “He’d loaded it with blanks. He knew Kerry was dangerous, but he didn’t want to hurt anyone. He just wanted them to take him seriously. The guys jumped him, and Kerry wrestled the gun away. At some point, Rusty managed to get free. I think the others were glad, but Kerry chased him.”
“And ‘shot’ him with the blanks?”
Ginger nodded. “Rusty heard that first pop, and he knew what he had to do. They thought they’d killed him.”
But he’d risen from the dead for a second time. I guess the third time was the charm. This time, he wouldn’t be coming back.
Chapter 37
With fewer than ten minutes until practice started, I left the Ivy Attic and hurried through the icy temperatures to my car. Thankfully, the recreation center was less than two miles away. Awful possibilities raced through my head as I drove. I hated thinking of any child in danger, but I was selfishly glad that Wyatt and Elizabeth had pulled Brody and Caleb from the team. At least I didn’t have to worry about them.
I reached the center in record time and parked as close to the door as I could. Praying silently, I half ran, half slid across the parking lot and along the icy sidewalk to the front door.
I moved quickly toward the gym, where the sounds of sneakers on the lacquered floor and bouncing balls took a weight off my mind. It sounded like business as usual.
Squaring my shoulders, I pulled open the gym door and stepped inside. Eight boys were lined up in front of the foul line practicing foul shots. Hendrix was bent over the ball cart picking up the lone remaining basketball on the bottom row.
A short boy with sandy hair stood next to him, his skinny legs sticking out from his uniform shorts like pieces of straw.
“Caleb?”
He looked away pointedly.
My heart shot into my throat, and I swear it stopped beating. What was he doing here? I glanced around for Brody, but it looked like Caleb was here on his own.
Kerry growled, “It’s about damn time, Shaw. Where the hell have you been?”
Knowing that he’d committed at least one murder and possibly two made me reluctant to get snarky with him, but I didn’t want to behave so differently that he wondered what I was up to. “That’s great, Kerry. You want to watch your language in front of the kids?”
He snorted a laugh and tossed a basketball to one of the boys. “I wasn’t talking to the kids, I was talking to you. You got a problem with showing up on time?”
I shrugged and hoped I looked casual doing it. “No problem at all. I just ran into a little weather. I got your message and tried to call. What did you need?”
“Ryan needed a ride, but I took care of it. Next time, leave home earlier.”
“I’ll make a note.” I tossed my coat and gloves onto the bleachers and prepared to take my usual spot on the sidelines. I wondered if Jawarski had listened to his messages yet, and what he’d do when he heard mine. Would he follow the trail I’d left, or decide he could wait until morning to talk to me? I wasn’t even sure which one I wanted him to do. All I had to do was be careful not to let Kerry see that I knew about Davey Mendoza’s murder. If I could do that, we’d all get through practice without incident, and Jawarski could arrest Kerry where the boys wouldn’t have to see their coach led away in handcuffs.
The boys lined up to practice the pick and roll, and I tried to work up an expression of patient boredom while I watched. But seeing Hendrix interact with the boys made me nervous, and waiting for Jawarski to show up made me want to crawl out of my skin. Kerry had committed a horrific murder, yet he walked around as if nothing unusual had ever happened in his life. I envied his unflappable attitude. I wasn’t nearly so calm.
Keeping one eye on Caleb, who sat on the bleachers across the gym, I filled the cooler with sports drinks and laid out towels. I thought about trying to talk to him again, but the dirty looks he lobbed across court at me convinced me to wait a while longer.
Frankly, I was surprised that Caleb wasn’t on the floor with the others. Then again, Hendrix hadn’t gotten away with murder, twice, by being stupid. Since Wyatt and Elizabeth had pulled Caleb from the team, the team’s insurance would no longer apply, and Kerry could have been held liable if anything happened to Caleb during practice.
While Kerry barked instructions, I started worrying that my voice mail to Jawarski had gone astray. It happened sometimes with the department’s outdated phone system. Twenty minutes into practice, I decided the risk was too great. Maybe I’d slip out while Hendrix and the boys were busy and call Jawarski one more time from the receptionist’s desk. It couldn’t hurt, anyway. I’d also ask Wyatt and Elizabeth if they knew Caleb was here.
Setting the stack of unused towels on the bottom row of bleachers, I walked quickly toward the door.
“Now where are you going, Shaw?”
I stopped halfway out the door. “To the ladies’ room, if that’s all right with you.”
Kerry cocked an eyebrow at the sarcasm in my tone, and a cool smile curved his lips. “Of course. Hurry back.”
Heart pounding, I turned away. I was certain I could feel him watching me, but I didn’t dare check to be sure. Instead of going straight to the receptionist’s desk, I crossed the hall to the restroom. I even locked myself in a stall, flushed, and washed my hands to make sure anyone listening at the door would hear all the expected sounds.
I stood in front of the mirror, staring into my own eyes and giving myself a silent pep talk for courage, then walked to the door and pulled it open as quietly as I could. If the boys had gone back to practicing, I’d make a quick phone call before going back inside.
I had the door halfway open when a dark shadow loomed right in front of me. Startled, I let go of the door and stumbled back a step. Kerry caught my arm and hauled me roughly out of the restroom.
My heart shot into my throat, but I tried not to let him smell my fear. “What the hell are you doing?” I demanded. “Let go of me.”
“I don’t think so.” His voice sounded low and ominous, right next to my ear. An involuntary shudder racked my body, and he chuckled at my response. “Not so tough now, are you, Shaw?”
“Are you crazy? Don’t do this in front of the boys.”
Kerry grinned and yanked me toward the gym. “Oh, they’re not here anymore. I sent them downstairs to the exercise room. All except this one, that is.” He glanced down, and for the first time I realized he held Caleb’s arm with his other hand.
The poor kid’s eyes were huge in his small face, and his lip quivered. “I’m sorry, Aunt Abby. I—”
Kerry shook him roughly. “Not now, Caleb. Why don’t we all go back inside and have a little chat?”
All at once, my focus shifted. It didn’t matter any longer whether I was safe. The only thing I cared about was getting Caleb out of there. Kerry started to walk, and in desperation I tried to make myself a dead weight so he couldn’t move me. “I’m not going anywhere until you let Caleb go.”
“Sorry. I can’t do that. But hey, if you don’t want to come with Caleb and me, you don’t have to.”
He loosened his grip on my arm, and I fell to the floor in a heap. I had two options, neither of which appealed to me. I could let them go and call for help, or I could stay with Caleb and do my best to protect him. He looked so frightened, the choice wasn’t difficult to make.
“No, that’s all right,” I said as I scrambled to my feet. “I’ll come.”
Kerry didn’t say a word, but the sick smile that spread across his face made my blood run cold. “I thought you might see things my way.” He turned Caleb toward the gym and shoved him in front of us. I followed, hating myself for passively going along with his insane plan. But Caleb was here, and I couldn’t leave him. Wyatt and Elizabeth would never forgive me if anything happened to him. I’d never forgive myself.
Inside the gym, Kerry shut the doors to keep anyone from l
ooking in as they passed. “Caleb and I had an interesting chat earlier,” Kerry said. “Why don’t you tell your Aunt Abby what you told me, kid?”
Caleb swallowed convulsively, then blurted, “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know.”
“Shut up,” Kerry growled, cuffing Caleb on the shoulder. “Just tell her what you told me.”
Caleb’s gaze dropped to the floor, and when he spoke again, I could barely hear him. “I told him that you think maybe he killed that guy. That’s why Mom and Dad pulled us off the team.”
Oh, Caleb. My heart dropped with a thunk. “That’s okay,” I said, hoping to reassure him. “You didn’t know.”
Kerry put an arm around Caleb’s narrow shoulders. “Now, see, that wasn’t so hard, was it? The big question now is, what on earth gave you a crazy idea like that?”
“Let Caleb go,” I bargained, “and I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
Kerry laughed low in his throat. “That’s funny, but I don’t think so. I think Caleb’s going to stay with me until I’m sure I don’t need his help any longer. So how about it, Abby? What gives you the right to go around slandering a guy like that?”
My heart was pounding so hard, I could barely hear myself think. I tried telling myself that Kerry wouldn’t hurt someone so young, but it didn’t help. Kerry was capable of almost anything, and we both knew it.
“I don’t think what I know is important,” I said, trying not to let him see how terrified I was. “Don’t you care more about what the police know?”
“If they knew anything, they’d be here instead of you.”
Again I was faced with a choice—whether to pretend I didn’t know anything, or to admit everything—but I had no idea which would be best for Caleb. If I could rattle Hendrix, maybe I could distract him long enough for Caleb to get away. It was a risk, but one worth taking.
“They know what really happened the night Davey Mendoza died,” I said. “They know about the fight, and about the car, and they know about Rusty Hogan. They know that Rusty and Lou Hobbs were one and the same, and they know that Rusty was blackmailing you, Quentin, and Dwayne with what he knew.”
