Angels (A Detective Pierce Novel Book 3)

by Remington Kane

  Tears began to patter onto the photos as Conner’s huge shoulders shook. A deep sob escaped him, and his brother placed an arm across Conner’s shoulders.

  “Talk to them, Conner. You can’t protect Lana and you don’t have to keep taking her abuse. She’s like Mom, isn’t she? Lana is just like Mom.”

  Conner nodded, but still said nothing. There was a box of tissues on the table and Jake slid them over to Conner.

  “Your wife will be arrested after this interview,” Jake said. “I can’t even begin to imagine how hard this all is for you, but you need to do what’s right for your daughter... and for yourself too, Conner.”

  After blowing his nose and wiping away tears, Conner looked up.

  “Oscar was such a kind man. He was coming to my aid that night.” Conner pulled the hem of his shirt up and revealed fading bruises on his chest. They were odd bruises, in that, they appeared to be wide and semi-circular.

  “Lana was hitting me with a cast iron skillet because I forgot to bring the laundry up from the basement. Oscar had seen her beating me before as he cut through the woods, and one of those times he was with the child you mentioned. The night he was... the night he died, he must have seen what was happening through the glass patio doors. He pounded on them and told Lana to calm down. Lana hates being told to calm down.”

  “What happened?” Jake said.

  “Lana put the skillet on the stove and slid open the door. When Oscar asked me if I was all right, Lana told Oscar to mind his own business or she would give him what she gave him the last time he interfered.”

  “She was referring to an incident that happened about a month ago, wasn’t she?”

  Conner nodded.

  “Yes, she had slapped Oscar then and cut his cheek with that pearl ring she wears. Oscar wanted to press charges against her, but Lana reminded him that he was trespassing and Oscar backed down.”

  “Oscar didn’t back down the night he died, did he?”

  “No, and Lana was furious. As she spoke, she was getting in Oscar’s face, and she followed him out into the pouring rain while yelling. Before leaving, Oscar said that he was going to tell the police about Lana, about how she was. That made her turn crimson with rage and she stooped and grabbed a broken tree branch from the ground.”

  Conner stopped speaking for a moment as he shook his head sadly.

  “Oscar laughed at her. Oh God, that was the exact wrong thing to do. Then, he made it even worse when he dared her to hit him again. He said that if she did, he’d have her arrested this time and to hell with the trespassing charge. Lana didn’t care, his laughter had flipped a switch in her and she was too far gone by then.”

  “Too far gone?” Jake said.

  “It’s hard to explain, but,” Conner turned to his brother. “Remember how Mom used to get? There were times she didn’t even know we were there anymore. She just needed to vent her anger.”

  “I remember,” Jason King said. “And I still have the scars.” Jason reached over and grabbed a tissue, to wipe at his eyes. “Tell them everything, Conner. It’ll come out anyway and they need to understand that you weren’t a part of this.”

  Conner sighed.

  “Lana struck Oscar with the thick branch she was holding. He looked at her as if she were mad and then she struck him again. I saw his eyes roll up into the back of his head and he fell backwards onto the wet grass. I thought he was unconscious, but Lana said he was faking and raised her arm to hit him again, but then our daughter called to her.”

  Jason King hung his head.

  “Emily saw her mother hit that man?”

  “I don’t think so, but when we went inside to see to Emily, Oscar must have recovered and gotten to his feet. Lana saw him stumbling away and called out to him. Oscar looked back at her with panic in his eyes and began to run.”

  “Before I could follow them, I had to secure Emily in her highchair. I heard the sound of the tree limb coming loose. It made a thumping noise when it landed. I left the house and ran over to find Oscar trapped beneath the branch.”

  “Was he unconscious?” Jake asked.

  Conner nodded.

  “He was out cold. I thought about trying to move the tree limb off of him, but I didn’t want to take a chance of dropping it back onto him if the limb proved to be too heavy to move. I turned to run back inside and report the accident, and, and that’s when I heard the first whacking sound.”

  “Whacking sound? Your wife hit Oscar again?”

  “Yes, three more times. She said that the police—that you would believe the branch killed him. She wasn’t even concerned that she had killed a man. She only cared that no one knew what she was really like.”

  “Why didn’t you come forward?” Jake asked.

  Conner’s face collapsed and he reached for another tissue.

  “I was scared, and... there’s my daughter. She’s still so young, what will happen to Emily if her mother goes away for murder?”

  “She’ll grow up in a home without violence,” Jake said, and Conner nodded in understanding before wiping at fresh tears.

  CHAPTER 24

  After returning from the Pine Barrens, Amy spent the day rearranging the furniture in her apartment. She had also rehung old curtains, changed the décor of her bathroom, and placed a new comforter on her bed.

  It was all a part of her plan.

  She was certain that Matt loved her enough to protect her no matter how shocked he became over the kidnapping.

  He would put it together for sure. For the Pierce children to go missing on the same night that he snuck her into the house would be too huge a coincidence to believe.

  However, if Matt betrayed her or simply panicked and confessed his unwitting role in the crime, Amy would be prepared.

  She would deny their relationship and tell the authorities that the boy must be mentally disturbed. Matt would then try to prove that she was lying. All he knew about her were things that he could have found out in other ways, but he had spent time in her apartment, and could describe it in detail.

  With the furniture moved around and with even the pictures on the walls changed, any description he gave of her home would ring false.

  She knew that she would still be a suspect, but no one would ever be able to prove her involvement.

  Amy gazed around her rearranged townhouse and smiled.

  It was better to be safe than sorry, but Matt would come through for her and stay quiet. After all, he loved her, and he was still too young to realize just how worthless love really was.

  Amy took in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  It was time to prepare for her visit to Rick Pierce’s home.

  Amy thought of the pain and fear Pierce would suffer through when he realized his daughters were missing. She pushed it aside. The pain would be temporary, and in the end, Pierce and his wife would have a greater appreciation for their children.

  She smiled.

  In a way, she was doing the family a favor.

  ***

  Leah Meyers released Pierce from her embrace and then hugged Jake.

  They had visited her brother’s hobby shop and informed her that they had arrested his murderer.

  After thanking Jake, Leah wiped tears from her eyes.

  “You say that the woman is a young mother? She must have psychiatric problems to have harmed a man as sweet as my brother.”

  Jake explained that Lana King was also guilty of spousal abuse and Leah shook her head sadly.

  “Poor Oscar.”

  Pierce looked around.

  “What do you plan to do with the store and the house?”

  Leah brightened.

  “I’m donating the store and the property it sits on to the town. I happened to overhear a conversation at a restaurant today and learned that the town council is looking for a property to use as an after school youth center. I think Oscar would be happy to know that children like Maggie will still have somewhere to go that’s safe.”

&n
bsp; “That sounds great,” Pierce agreed.

  “Reba Miller wants to buy Oscar’s home. She has no use for it; she just doesn’t want another neighbor.”

  “Are you going to sell it to her?” Pierce asked.

  “No, I don’t think I will. I think I’ll find a nice young family to sell it to. Oscar said that Reba had softened up towards him over the years. I wouldn’t want her to turn into a recluse and neither would Oscar. It will do her good to live next to a family.”

  The store was closed for business, but there was a knock at the door. It was the group of children that Pierce and Jake had met before, including Maggie. When Jake told Maggie that she had helped to catch Oscar’s killer, she smiled.

  “Good, anyone who would hurt Oscar would hurt anybody and should be locked up.”

  They left the hobby shop, and as they headed back to the station, Pierce was smiling. It was his and Val’s bi-weekly date night, and he was looking forward to the dinner and movie they had planned.

  “Detective Collins.”

  Jake turned and looked at Pierce.

  “Yes?”

  “Damn fine work, Detective, and you’re ready to take the reins.”

  “Thanks, but does this mean what I think? Are you becoming a P.I. like Jimmy?”

  Pierce smiled.

  “It does have its appeal, but no, I haven’t decided yet.”

  “Hey, Rick, thanks for letting me prove myself. I owe nearly everything I am as a cop to you and I won’t ever let you down.”

  “I know you won’t, and you’re welcome.”

  Jake gave his head a little shake.

  “I keep thinking about that tree limb and the timing of its fall. If Oscar Carlson had passed beneath it a few seconds sooner, it would have blocked Lana King’s path and saved him, instead, it sealed his fate.”

  “True, but he had already passed beneath it safely. He only returned to help Conner King, and by helping Conner King, he also helped King’s daughter. Lana King may have killed that child someday while having one of her fits of rage, now that will never happen. I like to think about that and know that Oscar Carlson didn’t die for nothing; he may have actually saved a life.”

  “Isn’t that just putting a positive spin on things?”

  Pierce smiled.

  “Of course it is, but it makes me feel better.”

  ***

  Inside a secluded cabin in the Pine Barrens, Dave Owens was not feeling better, and in fact, he was feeling worse.

  Owens awoke in gloom and realized that he had fallen asleep. He sat up in a rush and the teddy bear he’d been holding fell to the floor. After listening intently for sounds of movement, Owens knew he’d gotten lucky and that Amy hadn’t returned while he was sleeping.

  The sleep had done nothing to replenish his strength, and along with his growing lethargy there was also the pain, which had become ever-present. Owens placed a hand over his stomach and winced.

  After climbing down from the loft, Owens went out to his car and saw by the clock on the dash that it was early evening. He opened one of the warm bottles of water he had in the car and drank half of it.

  The water refreshed him, but he had no appetite. Owens sat in the car and wondered what his next move should be.

  He could leave and hope to locate Amy again, but movement meant risking capture. He also had no idea whether or not Amy had a partner, if so, that person could be headed to the cabin to await the arrival of the kidnapped children. If Owens followed Amy back after she grabbed the Pierce children, he might be outnumbered. It was also difficult to approach the cabin while remaining undetected.

  Owens decided to stay and conceal himself. Whoever was with the children would relax once they were certain they weren’t followed, and then he could easily take them by surprise. Owens wanted Pierce’s children not for ransom, but for revenge.

  Pierce had essentially stolen two daughters away from him and now he would return the favor. Although he had never killed a child, Owens decided to make an exception, or rather two. He would take Pierce’s children away from their kidnapper and then call the detective to taunt him. Pierce would know that his daughters were doomed because he would know that Owens would show them no mercy. Owens only wished that he could see the look on Pierce’s face when he realized who had his daughters.

  Owens returned from his daydreaming and sighed, he was wasting time. He was also feeling chilled, although the day was mild. He checked the car for anything useful and found a suit jacket in the trunk. The jacket was like something an old man would have worn. Owens supposed that it belonged to the husband of the elderly woman he’d stolen the car from. If so, the man must be nothing but skin and bones. The jacket was snug on him, and he was being consumed by cancer. Perhaps the damn disease had claimed the old man as well, and that’s why the suit jacket was so small.

  Owens started the car and drove it towards the spot where he had concealed it earlier. It was about a mile from the cabin and he dreaded making the walk back, but the vehicle had to be hidden from view.

  Owens parked the car where he’d previously placed it while hiding from Amy, however, he moved farther off the road than he had before, and inadvertently parked the vehicle atop a patch of dry weeds.

  This would later prove to be a grave mistake. The undercarriage of the vehicle was hot and the tops of the weeds were pressed against it. One weed darkened from the heat, and then another. By nightfall, there would be a smoldering patch beneath the car that would later ignite and fuel a disaster.

  CHAPTER 25

  Matt arrived at the Pierce home at seven o’clock and wondered if Amy were somewhere nearby watching him.

  She had texted him just as he got out of his jeep and reminded him to unlock the front door at nine o’clock. He texted her back, telling her that he would do so, but that he still wished she would change her mind.

  Amy had assured him that she would be in and out in fifteen minutes. She then ended the conversation by telling Matt she loved him.

  Matt’s girlfriend, Christy, was in the middle of playing a board game with Sophia and Rosa. Matt joined in, but his mind was elsewhere and he kept checking his watch.

  “What time are Mr. and Mrs. Pierce coming back?” Matt asked.

  “They said around ten, like they usually do, and guess what? Val is pregnant again.”

  “Mrs. Pierce is pregnant?”

  “Mommy says Sophia and I are gonna have a baby brother,” Rosa said.

  Matt smiled back at the little girl.

  “That’s awesome, sweetie, and you’ll make a great big sister.”

  Rosa looked down at herself.

  “I’m not very big.”

  The game ended and Christy took the girls upstairs to get ready for bed.

  After waving goodnight to them, Matt waited until he was certain that Christy was occupied, and then he undid the locks on the front door.

  With that done, Matt sent a text to Amy and let her know that the kids had gone upstairs for the night and that they would soon be asleep.

  Amy reminded him once again that he had to get Christy into the back yard and keep her there for a time.

  Christy reappeared a little later with a big smile on her face and joined Matt in the living room.

  “The girls are really excited about the baby coming. They’ve even picked out a name for him.”

  “What do they want to call him?”

  “Hopper.”

  “Hopper?”

  “It’s from a cartoon about a talking frog. They both love it.”

  “Hey, why don’t we go outside for a while? It’s a nice night.”

  Christy smiled.

  “Okay, but I have to straighten up in here and clean up the kitchen.”

  “I’ll help you.”

  Christy walked over and put her arms around Matt’s neck, and then she kissed him.

  “I’m glad you came over. I hardly see you anymore. What are all these errands that your mom has you doing?”

&n
bsp; “Oh, it’s just stuff I have to do around the house, like cutting the grass.”

  “All right, but I want us to hang out all day together Saturday, okay?”

  “Yeah, but why?”

  “Because I miss seeing you.”

  Christy kissed him again. Matt responded by wrapping his arms around her, and as he did so, he saw that nine o’clock was approaching fast. He ended the kiss and began gathering up toys.

  “I’ll clean up in here while you do the dishes and stuff. That way, we’ll get outside quicker.”

  Christy looked at him curiously, but then shrugged.

  “Okay, and thanks.”

  When he finished straightening up the room, Matt went to the front door and looked out the peep hole. He could almost feel Amy’s presence out there, and wondered why she was so insistent on sneaking into the Pierce home.

  Matt left the door when he heard the water cut off in the kitchen, and went to join Christy.

  He found her smiling devilishly while holding up a bottle of beer.

  “Why don’t we share this? Uncle Rick will just think that Uncle Jimmy drank it.”

  Matt grinned.

  “You’re a bad girl.”

  “And you’re a bad boy,” Christy teased.

  Matt’s smile faded. If Christy knew how bad he’d been lately, she’d never want to see him again. He knew that being with Amy wasn’t right because of the difference in their ages, but he didn’t care about that. He loved Amy, and Amy loved him too. She had said so.

  “Matt?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Do you still want to go outside?”

  Matt looked up at the kitchen clock. It was 9:02.

  “Let’s go!”

  Christy giggled as Matt rushed her outside, and as they walked out the back door, Amy Lowe was creeping in through the front door.

  ***

  Amy’s hands were gloved, her face concealed, and her intent was to take Rick Pierce’s children. Amy walked up the staircase, entered the children’s bedroom, and stared down at Pierce’s little angels.