Conrad
Page 12
Well, isn’t he being awfully considerate. Since he had moved out, he had been a huge dick about coming out whenever he wanted to get his belongings. Before she had the locks changed, he would come while she was at the clinic and take whatever he pleased.
“That’s fine,” she said, but her stomach soured. The last thing she wanted was her ex at the house while Conrad was there. Linc brought a dark cloud with him whenever he was in her presence, and she wanted her life to be bright. That’s what Conrad’s presence offered her.
Besides, she wasn’t altogether sure how Conrad would react to Linc.
“Okay, I’ll be there in about thirty minutes.”
She agreed and ended the call. How she had ever thought that man was her lifelong partner was a mystery to her. She chalked it up to youth and stupidity.
Pulling onto her property, she looked for Conrad’s SUV, and a tinge of disappointment coursed through her at not seeing it. She was hoping he had returned with his stuff and they could resume their get reacquainted with one another plan. Of course, that was going to be on hold anyway, until Linc departed.
The house felt empty without Georgie. Even Conrad’s presence was missed, even though he had only been around a couple of days. Something about having him there made the space feel like a home. Julie could envision warm nights snuggled up to the fire, mornings sharing coffee together, meals out on the deck in summer.
How was it that she had shared all those things with Linc during their marriage, but hadn’t missed them since he had moved out? Yet, here she was, praying she could experience that life with Conrad. Eager for the chance. Was she acknowledging she hadn’t paid more attention to the little things in her marriage? Or was it really about who she was with, and less about what they did as a couple?
There was no doubt that she had loved Linc—at one time. But it had been many years, maybe before they were even married, that they had fallen out of love. Their relationship had become comfortable, predictable. Familiar.
Linc had never really been the adventurous type to begin with, always preferring to stay home rather than go on a hike or picnic with Julie. No matter how much she prodded him. Alarm bells should have been going off when he started staying late at work, getting into shape, and becoming more social with “the guys”. Of course, she learned later that “hanging with friends” was code for screwing the town whore.
She sighed at the memory, dropping her purse and keys on the counter. The hairs on the back of her neck bristled to attention. The air shifted in the room. Wariness shivered down her spine, dread rattling through her bones. Something was off.
Clothes rustled behind her. She turned and locked eyes with Ron Cook.
“Welcome home, Doc,” he said, a smile across his face that didn’t reach his dark eyes. “I was hoping you’d be alone.”
She took a step back, her tailbone hitting the edge of the counter. Sliding her hand behind her, she felt around the counter for her cell phone.
Cook pointed a gun at her, the barrel glistening in the sunlight streaming through the window. “How about you put your hands where I can see them? I’d hate to have to shoot you before we’ve had a chance to chat some more.”
Julie concentrated on keeping her breathing even. She wasn’t about to give this prick any satisfaction from scaring her. “What else could you possibly have to say to me? I think you’ve made your displeasure of me pretty clear—as well as, your plans. Blowing up my clinic definitely was not subtle.”
“Just one problem with your theory—I wasn’t the one who tossed that explosive through the window.”
A cold sweat broke out over Julie’s skin. Could he be telling the truth?
Cook smirked. “Looks like you have more than one person who’d like to see you pay for your sins. I have to admit, I was pissed when I heard someone else was gunning for you—and had almost finished the job. I guess it’s lucky for me whoever it was didn’t know shit about explosives, or I would have been denied the pleasure of watching you perish.”
“Why are you doing this? Why are you so angry with me for saving your life?”
“Saving my life? Is that what you think you did?” He snorted. “Lady, you ruined my life. I had purpose. My life had meaning. I was making a difference in the lives of people I had never met—and I was damn good at my job. No one knew more about explosives than me. I could wipe out an entire terrorist compound without harming one hair on my guys heads.
“You ‘saved’ me, and took everything from me. What the hell am I supposed to do now? The Army doesn’t want me. I can’t protect people any longer. And all because you had to play God with my life. I didn’t want this. I didn’t ask for this. And I certainly never authorized you to take my leg!”
He was screaming, waving the gun over his head. A figure moved through the living room, stalking toward the kitchen. Linc glanced at Julie, and put a finger to his lips to keep her quiet. His back to Linc, Cook was oblivious to anything going on behind him.
The black metal barrel of a gun in Linc’s hand caught Doc’s attention. When did he get a gun? And why the hell did he have it with him?
The answers didn’t seem to matter. Linc stepped behind Cook, using his free hand to knock the gun from Cook’s hand. It clattered against the tiled floor. Linc kicked it away, and shoved the barrel of his gun into the base of Cook’s skull.
“Don’t move a muscle or I’ll blow your brains all over the kitchen.” He looked at Julie, a wild, desperate dance in his dark irises. “Find something to tie his hands with.”
Julie pulled open the junk drawer and found a plastic bag filled with various sized zip ties. She grabbed Cook’s wrists behind his back, and tightened the tie until she heard him grunt, then she pulled it tighter.
Fuck him. She didn’t care that the ties were cutting off circulation. The asshole deserved some pain and discomfort after the hell had he had put her through.
Now, it was his turn to feel the cold rush of fear, uncertain of the outcome.
“Thank God you showed up, Linc,” she said. “I don’t even want to think about what might have happened to me otherwise.”
* * *
Conrad tossed his clothes into his suitcase, gathered his toiletries from the ensuite bathroom, and took one last look around the room. He had lucked out when Hank invited him to stay at his house, but he was happy to be leaving.
Julie suggesting that he stay with her had been a surprise, but a welcome one. Now that things seemed to be moving in the right direction with her, he felt a renewed energy to discover what else he wanted to do with his life.
Knocking on the door to Hank’s office, he waited for the man to look up from his laptop, and then took a step inside.
“You look as though you’re all packed up. You checking out of Casa Patterson?”
“Yeah, but I wanted to thank you and your wife for letting me stay. I really appreciate all that you’ve done for me—least of which was giving me a room.”
“Are you headed home?” Hank quirked up an eyebrow.
“I hope so,” Conrad said. “Doc asked me to stay at her place.” He let the implications linger in the air between them.
A grin spread across Hank’s face. “Sounds like things are working out for you.”
“Better than I could’ve anticipated.”
Hank’s cell phone rang. He greeted the caller, then went silent as he listened to whatever was being said. Nothing good, if the sudden deep scowl was an indication.
He ended the call. “That was the sheriff. Cook’s been released, and the charges dropped.”
“What the fuck? Why?”
“The fire inspector says the bomb was amateurish in its development, and he doesn’t believe Cook—with his explosives experience—would have done such a shit job. Couple that with the alibi witnesses who saw Cook at the bar before and after the explosion. Although, he did confirm that no one is certain he was there at the actual time of the incident.”
“Where is Cook now?”
“I’ll call Doc and give her a heads up and get back to her house.” Conrad walked out of Hank’s office and whistled for Georgie. He hit the speed dial for Doc’s number. After a few rings, it dumped him into voicemail. “Doc, I need you to call me back. There’s a situation, and you need to get home and lock the doors. I’m on my way there now, but I need to know where you are.”
He pressed end, and then tried to call her again. No answer. He pressed on the gas pedal, and pulled out onto the highway, blazing a trail toward her home.
Please let her be home and safe.
They were too close to a new start with real potential for lifelong happiness to have it stripped away. Nothing—no one—was going to get in the way of their future.
* * *
The screen door opened with a squeak, and Aubree stepped inside the kitchen. Her dark eyes narrowed as her gaze swung between Julie and Linc before resting on Cook.
“What the hell is going on in here?” she asked.
“We have a problem,” Linc said.
“Well, not for long,” Julie said, and snatched her cell phone off the counter. “I’ll get a hold of the sheriff and let him know what’s happened.”
Aubree knocked the cell phone out of Julie’s hand. It skittered across the counter and crashed to the floor. Julie glared at the woman, and bent to pick up the phone. Aubree’s foot beat her to it, and she kicked the phone under the table. Julie stood, ready to light into the woman.
Metal prongs pressed against the side of Julie’s neck. Her body stiffened. Pain ripped through her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Every muscle went rigid. She fell to the floor, gasping for breath, feeling as if she’d been punched in the stomach.
“Well, this is an unexpected complication,” Aubree said.
“What are we going to do?” Linc asked, his voice nowhere near the commanding tone from a few moments earlier. “It was only supposed to be Julie.”
Julie’s head was spinning, her mind fuzzy. The voices were distant, but she still heard the words. She just had no idea what they meant.
Only supposed to be Julie?
“Change of plans,” Aubree said as she paced the floor and rubbed her temples. “Let’s get them both out to the barn.”
“Then what?” Linc asked. Julie wondered how she had never noticed what a sniveling little weasel he was. The mealy tone of his voice was like nails down a chalkboard, and made her want to tell him to grow some balls.
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” Aubree bellowed. “For now, do as I say, and get them to the barn.”
Linc grabbed Cook by the arm, hauled him to his feet, and shoved him toward the back door.
Aubree stepped next to Julie and bent over, placing the Taser against her neck. “Now, we can do this the easy way, and you can be a nice little girl and walk over to the barn on your own. Or I can taze you again, and drag you over by your pretty blonde hair. Your choice.”
Using the chair to pull herself up, Julie managed to get her feet under her, and stand. Her knees quivered and shook, and threatened to buckle at any moment. Aubree grasped her elbow and dragged her to the barn, the Taser ready to inflict pain with the squeeze of the trigger.
Once inside the barn, Aubree pushed Julie toward where Cook sat in the dirt. “Tie her hands, also,” Aubree instructed Linc. He handed her the gun and grabbed a length of twine from a nail over the workbench, cinching her hands behind her back.
“Why are you doing this?” Julie asked him.
“Because I have to,” he answered. “Aubree will feel better once you’re gone.”
“Gone?” Julie’s throat went dry. “What do you mean? You’re going to kill me?”
Linc stood and returned to Aubree’s side.
“But why?” Julie asked. What the hell? Cook wanted to kill her for saving his life. Ridiculous, but she could at least follow his fucked-up logic train. She had taken his leg, and he had issues with that.
What the hell had she done to Linc and Aubree? He wanted a divorce. She agreed. Things were somewhat amicable.
Aubree sauntered over to Julie, and squatted next to her. “Do you realize what everyone in this town thinks of me? Do you know what they say about me? That I’m a home-wrecker. I’m the whore that slept with the Doc’s husband and broke up a marriage.
“Things calmed down while you were off playing soldier doctor, but now that you’re back, and plan on staying, the name calling has returned, and I’m being shunned again.”
“Move, then,” Julie hollered. Somehow, she had wandered into an alternate universe. That was the only explanation for what was happening.
“I’m not moving,” Aubree roared. “This is my home. I’ve lived here all my life, and I will not let anyone—not even the town’s precious doctor—run me out.”
“Then I’ll leave. Let Cook and I go, and I’ll move to another town. Hell, I’ll move to another state, if you want.”
“Too late for that. You had your chance when I asked you if you were staying. I’m not an idiot, you know. If I let you free, the first place you’ll go is to the police and report us.”
She leaned in close to Julie’s ear. “That’s not going to happen. Once we get rid of you, the town will go back to liking me again. I’ll be invited to all the best parties, and people will respect me as Linc’s wife. And I won’t have to live in your shadow.”
“You can’t possibly think you’re going to get away with killing both of us.”
“Oh, we’re not going to kill both of you. Mr. Cook is going to shoot you and then turn the gun on himself.”
Chapter 24
Conrad pulled into the yard, and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of Doc’s SUV. He had been trying her cell the entire drive back, worried he would find Cook had gotten to her before he could get home.
Home…
Had he already accepted this was his home? Not that it’d be a bad thing, spending his days here with Doc. But was it too soon? Should he get his own place until they were sure where the relationship was going?
He stepped from the SUV. A woman’s voice was yelling, but he couldn’t catch what was being said. Was Doc arguing with someone? He stilled and tried to concentrate on the voices.
Another woman’s voice.
Where was it coming from? He turned around slowly, surveying his surroundings. The barn door was open, but not enough to see inside. The voices were definitely coming from there.
Quietly, he opened the back hatch. Georgie jumped down and stood against his leg, waiting for instructions. He snapped the lead on her collar. Stealthily, he moved toward the barn, careful to stay out of sight of anyone who might be looking out the narrow opening.
When he reached the side, he stood with his back against the wall, and peered around the corner.
“You can’t possibly think you’re going to get away with killing both of us.” Doc’s voice. Conrad’s heart stopped beating, and it felt as if his blood had come to a halt in his veins.
Fuck! Cook got to her first and is going to kill her.
But Conrad was sure he had heard another woman’s voice—not Cook’s—when he had arrived. Had Cook picked up an accomplice along the way?
“Oh, we’re not going to kill both of you,” the woman said. “Mr. Cook is going to shoot you and then turn the gun on himself.”
Who the fuck was this woman? None of this made sense. He checked the corner again, and slid around, inching his way toward the door.
Peering through the opening, Conrad saw Doc sitting on the ground, hands behind her back. A woman was crouched in front of her. Cook was sitting on Doc’s left, his hands also behind his back. Standing to the side, Conrad stared at the profile of a man.
“Murder-suicide?” Doc asked.
The woman stood and strolled over to a man, and looped her arm through his. Conrad could only make out the man’s profile, b
ut didn’t recognize him. Of course, that wasn’t a shock…Conrad had only met a handful of men in this town.
“Why not?” The woman asked. She pointed at Cook. “He let everyone at the bar know how much he hates you—how you ruined his life. The rumors around town are that he was responsible for the bombing at your clinic. So, it won’t be hard for people to accept.”
She glanced up at the man next to her. “Besides, no one would ever suspect Linc and I of having any involvement in your deaths. Why would they? Especially after we help to fund a memorial in your honor. Perhaps a lovely little clinic here in town that bears your name—but has a new doctor, of course.” She tittered at her own joke.
So, Doc’s ex-husband and the new fiancée want to kill Doc? Conrad tried to come up with some type of explanation as to why they were doing this, but came up blank.
Linc grasped Aubree’s hand. “I need to talk to you,” he glanced at the two prisoners. “In private.” He escorted her into a small office.
Conrad glanced back at Doc. He needed to get her attention without exposing his hiding place until he could formulate a plan. Right now, he had the advantage. The two would-be murderers had no idea he was there.
And that suited Conrad just fine.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and made sure the ringer was silenced. Typing as fast as he could, he sent a text to Hank, giving him the bare bones of what was going down. Hank would know what to do with the information, and send a team for support.
Something told Conrad they wouldn’t make it before shit started going down.
Cook whispered something to Doc, squirmed away from her, and placed his feet at her back. After a moment, Cook scooted back to her side. He must have been trying to get out of his bindings, because he was shifting around. Conrad bent to grab his knife from the ankle sheath.
Linc and Aubree returned. Red filled Aubree’s face and neck. Linc’s mouth was pinched into a tight smile. The discussion must not have gone well. Whatever they had originally planned apparently went to shit—most likely due to the surprise visit by Cook.