“What do you think, Jess?” I asked, turning to the younger man. “Do you think he wants to quiet me because he knows I’m telling the truth?”
“I … .” Jess’s mouth worked as he considered the scenario. “She’s right.” He exhaled heavily. “She’s right. That’s exactly what you were doing.”
Don balked. “She’s crazy. Why would I turn on you? It was an accident. That’s why I didn’t update the files. It was a total accident.”
“It was on purpose,” I argued, gripping the arms of the chair. “He’s buying time even now. When the cops get here he’s going to tell them it was you. He’s going to make you kill me first so there’s physical evidence against you, but then he’s going to turn on you.”
Jess was enraged as he hopped to his feet. That’s when I got a good look at the weapon. The ugly-looking knife, one that would cut through human skin and muscle in a heartbeat, was big … and dangerous … and in Jess’s clenched hand.
I rolled out of the chair and moved behind Jess, being careful not to draw his attention as he advanced on his father.
“She’s lying, Jess!” Don spat. “She’s making it up to save herself. Do you really think I’d hurt my own flesh and blood?”
“I think you’d do anything to save yourself,” Jess replied. “I’m not going to let you do it to me, though. I’m not going to be what you want me to be. I’m not going to play the role you want me to play!”
I opened my mouth – although I had no idea what I was going to say – and then swallowed my scream when Jess slammed the knife into his father’s huge stomach. I stood there, frozen in my spot for a moment, mesmerized by the blood spilling out of Don’s stomach as the man yelled in agony. Then something in me snapped and I turned toward the back of the trailer, racing down the hallway and toward the room that I knew was there. I could only hope another door was located there, too.
Jess continued his relentless attack in the main room. I could hear him … and Don, as he gurgled his last breath. I couldn’t focus on that, though. It was too much. Instead I slammed the bedroom door shut, locked it, and raced toward the window.
My fingers fumbled with the strings on the blinds as I tried to raise them. I let loose with a muffled scream when I saw a face appear at the window upon finally accomplishing my task.
“Eliot,” I cried, a tear coursing down my cheek as I pawed at the unyielding glass.
Eliot appeared to be shocked when our eyes met through the glass rectangle. Somehow I managed to shake myself out of it as I reached for the handle to push out the window so I could climb through. My hands shook so hard I couldn’t make it work, and I kept slamming my hand into the side wall rather than opening the window.
“Get down,” Eliot ordered, holding up a flashlight. I had no idea where he got it, or why he carried it, but he made slashing motions toward the window and I knew what he intended to do.
I dropped to the floor and covered my face, cringing when I heard the glass shatter. I felt small shards fall over my back, tangle in my hair, and yet I remained crouching. I could focus on only one task at a time. If I tried for more than that I’d fall apart.
When I glanced up again, nothing separated me from Eliot. I launched myself through the window as Jess kicked and screamed on the other side of the door. Apparently he’d finished with Don and was coming for me.
“I will kill you, you bitch!” Jess had lost whatever cool he’d managed to retain during the conversation, the act of gutting his own father in front of an audience severing whatever tenuous string moored him to reality. I had no intention of seeing this new and unraveled Jess.
I wrapped my arms around Eliot’s neck and let him cradle me close, fighting tears as he kissed my cheek.
“It’s okay,” he murmured.
“It’s not okay. I … he tore him apart.”
“Oh, honey.” Eliot looked caught. “I’m sorry.”
“I want to go home.”
Eliot mutely nodded and gripped me tighter.
“I’m clear with Avery!” Eliot covered my head as he yelled the words, turning so his back was to the trailer as he hurried behind one of the game booths. He dropped to his knees, rocking me back and forth as I tried to come to terms with what I’d just witnessed. I caught sight of Andre and his crew watching from behind the barricade to the east. He looked relieved when his eyes locked with mine and he gave a barely perceptible nod before leading his crew away from the festival grounds.
“What’s happening?”
“Close your eyes, baby.” Eliot kissed my hair and covered my face with his hands. “It will be over in a second.”
That’s when I heard the shouting, Jake ordering Jess to the ground as his deputies joined in and began screaming demands for surrender. The carnival was deserted. While I was inside, Jake managed to clear the area so he could work without risking the public. Jess shouted something back, but I couldn’t hear what.
I heard someone screaming for Jess to lower his weapon. Jess obviously didn’t listen, because he let out an unearthly scream.
Then someone fired a weapon. Because Jess didn’t have a gun, I knew that someone was a member of the sheriff’s department. Then another shot echoed throughout the previously pleasant Saturday afternoon.
I didn’t hear another sound after that. I buried my face in Eliot’s chest and let him take me to another place. I was done with this case … and suddenly being right didn’t matter in the least. I didn’t care about the accolades … or the story … or the “I’m right” dance.
I simply wanted to go home.
31
Thirty-One
Eliot heaved a sigh as he muscled the final box from our multiple Sunday trips into the living room, snagging a bottle of water from the wet bar counter and sinking to the carpet in the great room. The cathedral ceilings were tall and, unlike the Roseville house, you felt as if you could breathe.
I watched him for a moment. Our previous moving trips had been light and jovial – other than my constant complaints about how I hated menial labor, of course – but this one was different. I hadn’t felt like talking for most of the day and Eliot didn’t force me to fill the quiet spaces. I appreciated that.
Eliot arched an eyebrow when I went to him, acquiescing when I pushed his knees aside so I could sit between his legs. He remained in a reclining position, his palms pressed to the carpet as I leaned back and rested my head against his chest.
“Are you okay?” Eliot’s voice was a soft whisper in the quiet room. He was so quiet I almost believed we were the only two people in the world.
I nodded. I hadn’t been able to push the memory of Jess killing his father out of my mind – the blood would be lodged there for a long time – but I felt relatively strong given the circumstances. “They’re both dead. It’s not as if I have anything to be afraid of.”
“Even if they weren’t both dead, you’d be safe. I’d make sure of that.”
“I know.” I pressed my eyes shut and listened to the steady beat of his heart. “There’s so much we’ll never know. Doesn’t that bother you?”
“I haven’t given it a lot of thought. It obviously bothers you.”
“I didn’t even find out Jess’s mother’s name. She’s dead somewhere in Illinois. Don dumped her body twenty-five years ago, and she’s never been put to rest.”
“You don’t know what’s going to happen or what they’ve learned, because the other states aren’t sharing information yet,” Eliot argued. “Now that the cops have an idea about what areas to look in, they might find her. It simply might take longer for the information to trickle in.”
“Odds are they won’t find her.”
“No, probably not.” Eliot rubbed his cheek against the side of my face. “You did the right thing. You couldn’t have known what was going to happen, that they would come after you like they did. You stayed alive. That’s the most important thing.”
“Do you think I’m down on myself because they caught me?”
“I don’t think anything will make me feel better,” I admitted. “Time will, I’m sure, but unless you can speed up the clock I think I’m stuck with this unsettled feeling.”
“What’s unsettling you?”
“All of it. How many people do you think they killed?”
“I don’t know. It sounds like they made a regular thing of it over the past year, from what you said, at least. I’m guessing when you add up those victims with the ones Don killed on his own before Jess joined him we’re talking about more than fifty women. That’s on top of the real Jess Davenport, and we have no idea where to look for his body.”
Eliot was matter-of-fact, which should’ve been grating, but it wasn’t. He didn’t coddle me. That would’ve caused me to lose it, and I think he sensed that.
“How will they find all of the women?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“They’ll go through the carnival’s records to see what they can match. I think you’ll be surprised how fast it comes together.”
“But there’s no retribution for those women. They were killed because Don was a sadistic jerk who believed black people were somehow less than him. And Jess … I don’t even know what to think about Jess.”
“From the sounds of it, Jess never had a chance,” Eliot offered. “He wasn’t raised with the mother who might’ve done it right. I talked to Jake while you were sleeping this morning. They’ve managed to come up with a few things, including the fact that Jess was in an abusive foster home at some point. That’s not an excuse, but it might explain some of his mental defaults.”
“You talked to Jake this morning?” I was surprised. “I … did he call you?”
“I called him. He wanted to talk to you, but I wasn’t keen on waking you. We can see him later if you want, ask those questions you’re dying to ask. You never did get to finish your story. Marvin did it for you. That can’t sit well.”
“Yeah, well, I’m okay with that.” Strangely enough, I found that to be true. “I like having all of the answers and a tidy ending,” I admitted. “This still feels messy. I mean … really messy.”
“Life is messy, Avery. You can’t always have what you want.”
“That’s not the way I want to live my life. I want to always get what I want.”
Eliot’s lips curved against my cheek. “Well, I promise to do my best to get you everything you want. There will be times you have to live with disappointment, though. It’s sad, but … there it is.”
I knew he was right. The realization didn’t make me angry, as I expected. I absentmindedly stretched out my hands until they rested on top of his. He didn’t question the act, merely watched with unabashed curiosity.
“Do you ever think it’s weird?” I asked, my voice low.
“What?”
“How two people who were strangers two years ago can find they fit together?” I slipped my fingers between his. “We fit. This fits.”
“We do fit. I don’t find it weird. I find it feels … right. I think the important thing is, do you think it feels right?”
I nodded. “I knew. I knew when I was in that trailer that you would come. Sure, I worried you might be late, but I knew you would come for me.”
“Yeah? That’s becoming something of a habit, huh?”
“You being a hero?”
“You finding trouble,” Eliot corrected. “I know you didn’t find it on purpose this time. You did everything right and still came out on the losing end of a horrific scenario. You’re okay, though. You’re here … with me. That’s important.
“Don is dead and can’t hurt anyone else,” he continued. “Jess is gone. More people won’t die at their hands. That’s important. The fact that you don’t have all of the answers, well, that’s not as important.”
“Yeah.” I pressed my eyes shut. “I still want everything to happen my way.”
Eliot chuckled. “Duly noted.”
We lapsed into amiable silence, me running my fingers over his in a steady rhythm and him remaining still so I could be comfortable as his strength served both of us. Finally, I spoke first.
“Your heartbeat is steady. It’s always steady. I like it.”
“You’re kind of mushy today,” Eliot pointed out. “I kind of like it.”
“Don’t get used to it. It won’t last.”
Eliot barked out a genuine laugh. “I know.” He shifted his hands from the floor and pushed us into a sitting position so he could wrap his arms around my waist. “How about we order some pizza and camp out on the floor here tonight?”
“We don’t even have beds yet.”
“No, but we can stop at the store and get one of those inflatable mattresses. We can put it in here and sleep under the big fan. We’ll be able to see the stars in those huge windows. Because there aren’t as many streetlights we’ll actually be able to see stars. It will be like a new beginning.”
I tilted my head toward the windows, contemplating. “That sounds nice.”
“Good.”
“Can we get wings with bleu cheese dressing, too?”
Eliot chuckled. “Yes.”
“Breadsticks?”
“Yes.”
“Dessert?”
“Whatever your heart desires, Trouble.”
I shut my eyes one more time, listened to his heart, and then smiled. “In that case, I want you to dress up in the He-Man Underoos I bought so we can play Masters of the Universe.”
Eliot was silent for a beat. I thought he might actually say no. Instead he merely shrugged. “I can’t think of a better way to spend the first night in our new house.”
And that was something we could both agree on. “Great. I’ll need a sword for when I’m She-Ra.”
“I can’t be He-Man if you’re not She-Ra. That goes against the geek rules.”
Yeah, he totally gets me. It’s nice.
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About the Author
I want to thank everyone who takes the time to read my novels. I have a particular brand of humor that isn’t for everyone – and I know that.
If you liked the book, please take a few minutes and leave a review. An independent author does it all on their own, and the reviews are helpful. I understand that my characters aren’t for everyone, though. There’s a lot of snark and sarcasm in my world – and I know some people don’t like that.
Special thanks go out to Heidi Bitsoli and Phil VanHulle for correcting the (numerous) errors that creep into a work of fiction.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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Books by Amanda M. Lee
An Avery Shaw Mystery
Who, What, Where, When, Die
If it Bleeds, it Leads
Buried Leads
Shot Off The Presses
The Preditorial Page
Misquoted & Demoted
Headlines & Deadlines
Misprints & Mistakes
Bylines & Skylines
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Mystery
Any Witch Way You Can
Every Witch Way But Wicked
Witching You Were Here
Witching on a Star
Something to Witch About
Witch Me Luck
Life’s a Witch
Charms & Witchdemeanors
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Short
Careful What You Witch For
Wicked Brew
On a Witch and a Prayer
You Only Witch Once
The Christmas Witch
Bewitched
A Solstice Celebration
Witchdependence Day
Happy Witchgiving
Merry Witchmas
Four-Leaf Clover
Thistle While You Work
A Wicked Witches of the Midwest Fantasy
Witchy Tales
A Witch In Time
An Aisling Grimlock Mystery
Grim Tidings
Grim Offerings
Grim Discovery
Grim Reunion
Grim Expectations
Covenant College
Awakening
Whispering
Conjuring
Waxing & Waning
Graduating
Living Covenant Trilogy
Rising Covenant
Dark Covenant
Eternal Covenant
A Mystic Caravan Mystery
Freaky Days
Freaky Lies
Freaky Hearts
Off the Record (An Avery Shaw Mystery Book 10) Page 29
