The Cliff-Top Killer (The Sydney Harbour Hospital Series Book 8)

by Chris Taylor

  “Let’s go and see what all the fuss is about.”

  * * *

  Shelby crept down the hallway toward the kitchen, in the direction where the awful sound had come from. Her heart pounded and her palms were damp. She had no idea what she was going to find. She wished she could call Samuel and tell him to hurry along, but Dimitri might be in trouble and every second could make the difference.

  “Momma! Nooo!”

  The terrified scream made her jump and she took off at a run. She dashed into the kitchen, her breath coming fast. Her mother stood over Dimitri wielding a vicious-looking knife. He was already on the floor. Blood stained his shirt front. The knife came up and plunged into his chest again. Shelby screamed.

  She wasn’t aware that she’d moved, but all of a sudden, her feet propelled her forward. She screamed again, and this time, the sound of it seemed to penetrate the angry haze that surrounded her mother.

  “Momma! Stop! What are you doing?”

  “Stay away, Shelby! This is between me and your brother. It has nothing to do with you. He’s not my first and he won’t be my last. This whole abomination was started by your father and it will end with him, too. You mark my words.”

  “I don’t think so, Helen.”

  Shelby turned around and gasped at the sight of her father. She’d never been more relieved in her life. He stood in the doorway looking so calm and collected. She wondered how he could be like that when it was obvious her mother had gone insane. Dimitri was bleeding all over the floor and their mother was determined to finish him off.

  A movement behind her father snagged her attention and she gasped again at the sight of Samuel. Oh, God! He was here! A witness to the madness. She would have died with embarrassment if the situation hadn’t been so serious. She looked from her father to Samuel and relief won out.

  At least there were people who could help her, help Dimitri. Together, they ought to be able to restrain her mother. Her father stepped forward and held out his hand to his wife, seeming to read Shelby’s mind.

  “Give me the knife, Helen. I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing, but you’re not helping anyone by hurting Dimitri.”

  “Like hell I’m going to give you the knife,” her mother snarled. “I’ve started out on this journey and I mean to see it through. I’m pleased you arrived home early, Alexei. You’ve saved me the trouble of tracking you down. I waited so patiently for the other three.”

  She chuckled and it was filled with such evil, it sent shivers running down Shelby’s spine. She stood rooted to the spot in horrified silence as her mother continued.

  “Like a hunter waiting for prey, I stood silently in the darkness, my weapon at the ready. The first time it was a tire wrench, but it was too hard to dispose of. The next couple of times I got smarter and found a weapon on the cliff. A trusty tree branch did the trick and it was easier to get rid of. After I finished them off, I cut up the branch and put it in the green waste bin where it was taken away by the council.”

  Shelby stared at her mother in disbelief. She didn’t recognize the woman who stood so close. She heard the words coming from her mother’s mouth, but refused to comprehend. Her mother wasn’t a monster. She was good and kind and generous. She always had time for her children, to talk through their disappointments and challenges. It had been that way for as long as Shelby could remember.

  Where had that woman gone? Shelby couldn’t come up with an answer. Her mind had blanked out, refused to work. Even breathing was a struggle.

  Her mother’s gaze suddenly narrowed on Shelby’s father. “I was just telling Dimitri, it’s going to end with you, Alexei. I hope you’re ready to descend to the fires of hell, because that’s where you’re going. God has spoken. There’s no room in heaven for the likes of you. Or you.”

  She spun on her heel and stabbed the air with the knife in Dimitri’s direction. Shelby cried out in fear.

  “No, Momma! Leave him alone! Please, put the knife down.”

  “Put the fucking knife down, Helen,” her father remonstrated, his voice harsh.

  “Please, Mrs Gianopolous, you need to step back and put the knife down.” The final plea came from Samuel.

  He stepped even closer and Shelby blinked in horror. He was within arm’s distance of her mother. The woman could spin back around and be on him in an instant. He’d never survive such a close-up attack. Her heart pounded. Sweat trickled into her eyes. Time stood still while her mother appeared to consider her options.

  The faintest click reached Shelby’s ears and a moment later, all hell broke loose. Two armed police officers stormed through the doorway, guns pointed at her mother.

  “Drop the knife! Now!” one of the officers yelled.

  Her mother’s eyes widened momentarily in surprise and then she blinked and smiled. “Well, well, well. Who do we have here?” she asked, her conversational tone at odds with the wild light in her eyes.

  “Drop the knife, lady,” the other officer yelled.

  “Tut, tut, tut, Officers. Go back to where you came from. I have everything under control here. You see, this is my family, my husband, my daughter, my son. The surfer is my daughter’s boyfriend. As you can see, we’re doing all right on our own. We don’t need your interference, so get on with you.”

  The officers shot each other a quick glance before directing their attention back to Shelby’s mom.

  “Put the knife down, lady. I won’t ask you again.”

  Once again, her mother smiled. “I think you’ve been watching far too much television, Officer. I don’t have to do as you say. This is my home. I’m king of the castle and my husband is the queen.” She giggled at her joke. Nobody joined in.

  “I can do whatever I want,” she continued. “Right now, I’m dealing with a problem and you’re in the way. Now, you either leave while you still can, or accept the consequences.”

  The officers looked at her in amazement and Shelby understood how they felt. Her mother was out-and-out crazy. There wasn’t the slightest bit of doubt. She hardly dared to move a muscle, lest her mother turn on her and do something unthinkable. She’d already attacked Dimitri. Shelby didn’t want to be next.

  “We’re not going to ask you again, lady. Drop the knife or we’ll be forced to subdue you,” the older officer said.

  Yet again, her mother chuckled. “Oh, officers! You’re so funny. You’re going to subdue me! Hilarious!”

  The officer who’d spoken made a move for the canister of pepper spray at his hip. At the same time, Shelby’s mother lunged toward her father with the knife held high. She sliced the wicked looking blade through the air and her arm came arcing down.

  Shelby watched in slow motion as the knife sliced through the air. It plunged into her father’s chest. Seconds later, blood flowered across his shirtfront. Her father screamed in agony and Shelby’s screams matched his.

  The police officers drew their guns and a moment later, two sharp reports filled the air. Shelby screamed again. The smell of gunpowder burned her eyes, there was yelling everywhere. Samuel grabbed her around the shoulders and dragged her from the scene.

  Gasping and crying, she tried hard to stop herself from going into shock. The carnage in the kitchen was forever burned into her mind. Her teeth were chattering, her stomach taut. Any moment, she thought she might be sick.

  “Dimitri! Daddy!” she gasped and Samuel pulled her close.

  “Stay here, okay?” he said. “I’m going to check on them.”

  She stared at him, barely comprehending, but before she could speak, he disappeared the way they’d come. Sirens sounded in the distance. She sank slowly to the floor.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Dear Diary,

  I had it all planned out. It was blessed by God. My plan to clean up His backyard. It was my job to eradicate this scourge from the earth. My actions were entirely selfless. I did it all for them—the good, God-fearing Christians who deserve to live in a better world.

  I survi
ved two bullet wounds from over-eager police officers. Stupid thugs. The good news is, I lived to tell the tale. The paramedics dismissed my injuries, saying I suffered no more than a couple of flesh wounds, but I know different. It was a miracle that I survived—nothing more, nothing less.

  The prosecutor wants me to plead guilty. He’s told my lawyer if I contest the charges and go to trial, I’ll be found guilty and die in jail. Nothing’s more certain, or so he says. I’m not so sure. Like I said, I have God on my side and God can do anything. Just ask Him.

  * * *

  Shelby sat beside the hospital bed and held her brother’s hand. His injuries hadn’t been life-threatening like her father’s. The ICU staff were still restricting her father’s visitors, so she chose to spend the long, idle hours with Dimitri. She didn’t mind. Watching his chest rise and fall slowly and rhythmically brought her comfort. The two stab wounds he’d received to his shoulder and stomach missed everything vital, but he’d still lost quite a bit of blood and required surgery to repair damage to muscle, nerves and other tissue. The doctors had assured her he’d pull through, but she’d be relieved when he opened his eyes and acknowledged her presence.

  The door to Dimitri’s private hospital room opened and Shelby looked up. Samuel stood in the doorway, looking almost as disheveled as she felt. A rush of warmth and relief went through her at the sight of him. After everything that had happened, it was so good to have someone to lean on.

  “Samuel, thank you for coming.”

  He came toward her and bent low to kiss her tenderly on the lips. “You’ve been here for hours. Why don’t you let me sit with him for a while so you can take a break? The coffee downstairs is passable and you could grab a bite to eat. I would have brought something up with me, but I wasn’t sure what you’d want.” He glanced toward Dimitri who lay still and silent in the bed. “Has he woken yet?”

  “No, but the doctors are happy about how things went. They say he’s resting peacefully, rather than being unconscious. I guess that’s a good thing.”

  “Of course, it is. He’s a lucky guy.”

  She grimaced. “No, my daddy’s the one who got lucky. If you hadn’t been on hand to perform CPR, he would have died. The paramedics took ages to get there. He would have bled to death. He owes you his life. I owe you his life.”

  Samuel shrugged. “I did what anyone would have done. How is he, anyway? Still in the ICU?”

  “Yes, they’re keeping him there overnight, at least. They won’t move him out until he regains consciousness. He lost a lot of blood. They gave him a transfusion. They’re hopeful he’ll pull through, but they’re watching him closely. He had a heart attack in the back of the ambulance.”

  Samuel squeezed her hand comfortingly. “Yes, I heard. I made enquires before I came up here. He’s under the care of the best heart specialist at the Sydney Harbour Hospital. He’s going to be all right.”

  Shelby listened to Samuel’s reassurances and was grateful for them. He was a doctor. He knew what he was talking about. She allowed herself the tiniest sigh of relief. Samuel dragged another chair up beside the bed and once again, reached for her hand.

  “We haven’t talked about what happened between us, Shelby, before your mom went crazy. Are you up to it?”

  A rush of nerves filled her stomach, but she nodded. If they had any chance for a future, they needed to resolve the outstanding issues. Tightening her hold on his hand, she drew in a deep breath and began.

  “Let me start by saying how sorry I am for going off at you like that. I spoke rashly, without thought, without giving you a chance to explain. It wasn’t fair.”

  Samuel regarded her somberly. “No, it wasn’t. But you’re not entirely to blame. I wasn’t honest with you and I regret that.”

  She held his gaze. “That man you met, he wasn’t a college friend, was he?”

  “No, he wasn’t.”

  She drew in a breath and forged on. “Okay. So, who was he?”

  “Paul.”

  She frowned, searching her memory for a match. “Paul?”

  “My brother.”

  If he’d said the man had been his dealer, Shelby couldn’t be more surprised. She stared at him. “Your brother? But… The text was from someone called Jim Bob.” She blushed and then admitted, “I read it while you were in the shower.”

  “Jim Bob’s a nickname, something left over from our childhood.”

  Shelby accepted his explanation and then remembered something else. “I thought you said you weren’t in contact with him, that you hadn’t seen him for a long time.”

  “You’re right. I did. But he texted me yesterday and asked if we could meet. He sounded…so lonely. I told you earlier how I’ve struggled with the choices he’s made—hell, I still struggle with them—but when it comes down to it, he’s my brother. I can’t turn my back on him. Never again.” He drew in a breath and then blew it out on a sigh. “So, I agreed to meet with him.”

  She shook her head in confusion. “I don’t understand, why didn’t you tell me? Why make up some story about an old college friend?”

  Samuel grimaced. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want you plying me with questions I wasn’t ready to answer, especially after what I’d already told you about Paul. His life for the past decade or more has been so different than mine. He’s a drug addict who lives on the streets. He has had no interest in getting clean. His friends are other addicts.” Samuel shook his head. “I wasn’t ready for you to meet him, but I needed to see him again. I hoped that maybe this time, he’d be ready to accept help, to do what he needed to do to get his life back on track.” He paused and studied her. “It was arrogant of me, but that’s what I thought. So I met with him, we talked, really talked and by the end of it, I’d convinced him to give rehab another go. He’d reached a critical point himself. He was ready for reason.”

  “Oh, Samuel!” she breathed, filled with a sense of amazement. “How wonderful.”

  Samuel smiled softly. “Yes, it is. And this time, I think he might just stick it out. He seemed more ready, more willing to make changes in his life.”

  “Where is he?” she asked.

  “He’s staying with Mom and Dad. They’re making the arrangements for him. Fortunately, they’ve managed to pull some strings. He’ll go in next week.”

  “I’m glad,” she said. “For all of you.”

  Samuel moved closer and took both her hands in his. “Shelby, the first time you accused me of being gay, I thought we’d discussed it and you accepted my explanation. Then you saw me with Paul and you immediately jumped to the same conclusion, despite everything I’d said.”

  Shelby squirmed with embarrassment. She was ashamed of how quickly she’d judged him, especially given everything they’d shared. She kept her gaze lowered to the floor.

  “Shelby, look at me.”

  His quiet command had her lifting her head. She met his steady gaze.

  “If we’re ever going to make it, we need to trust each other. Without that, we have nothing. I’m not just talking about the gay thing. I’m talking about anything. We discussed your concern weeks ago. I was shocked when you raised it again in a different context. It’s why I was so hurt and angry. It was obvious you hadn’t believed me the first time.”

  “See, that’s the thing,” she replied. “I did believe you. At least, I thought I did. Then I saw you with Paul—who I thought was a college friend—and I went a little crazy. I remembered what Ian had said and I didn’t know what to think. For weeks, I’ve been dealing with family secrets—first Dimitris’ and then Daddy’s. I guess my head was still in a bit of a spin. It’s no excuse, but… They both had so many secrets, Samuel. I… I didn’t want you to have secrets, too.”

  His expression flooded with understanding and tenderness filled his eyes. “It’s all right, Shelby. I get it. I really do. Next time, though, if you’re concerned I’m cheating on you with a man, can you please just talk to me about it?”

  She laughed. Samue
l cupped her cheek in his hand and kissed her softly on the lips. The love and tenderness in his touch sent a shard of need rushing through her. She opened her mouth and deepened the kiss. A noise from the direction of the bed brought her back to awareness. She broke off the kiss with a gasp as she realized exactly what it meant.

  “Dimi!”

  “Shelby? What happened? Where am I?”

  He sounded dazed and groggy, but at least he was conscious. She stood and pushed her chair out of the way and moved to stand beside him. Taking his hand, she pressed a kiss against the warmth of his palm.

  “Dimi! I’m so glad you’re awake! I’ve been sitting here all afternoon.”

  His lips turned up into a small smile. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

  She punched him lightly on the arm.

  “Ouch!” he cried out in mock protest.

  She couldn’t stop grinning. “Dimi, you have no idea how worried I was. Even when the doctors assured me you were going to pull through. When I walked in the kitchen and saw you on the floor…”

  Dimitri shuddered, as if reliving the memories, too. Shelby was immediately contrite. She’d been through nothing compared to her brother. She’d wait for him to get well again before discussing the awful scene with him again.

  “What’s going to happen to Mom?” Dimitri asked quietly.

  “Dimi, we don’t have to talk about this now. I… I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “No, I want to. I assume she’s been arrested.”

  Shelby nodded. Samuel moved to put an arm around her shoulders. She was grateful for his show of support. She cleared her throat.

  “It was mayhem there for a while. Momma was screaming the house down, Daddy was doing his best to calm the situation and you were bleeding all over the tiles. The next thing I realized, the police were there, yelling at Momma to put the knife down. She went berserk and stabbed Daddy… The police shot her, but she’s all right. They treated her for minor injuries and then took her to the station. They sent a couple more detectives back to interview us. No doubt now you’re awake, they’ll want to speak with you, too.”