by C. J. Urban
“What the hell?” Skye fumed. “What for?”
“Assaulting an officer.”
“I never touched you,” Skye said, trying to keep control.
“Oh, well that’s not what the report’s going to read,” she said. “I’ll tell you once more, step out of your vehicle.”
Livid, Skye got out of his truck. He had a hunch Langley had planned to arrest him the entire time, but waited until the last moment, when Julie needed him the most.
As he leaned against his truck with his hands cuffed, anxiety washed over him. How was he going to get to Julie now?
Skye’s desperation grew as he sat in the back of Langley’s patrol car. She took her time getting to the police station. It was all he could do to contain himself as she led him into a holding cell and locked him inside.
“How long are you going to keep me here?” He demanded.
“I think one night should be sufficient time to think about how to respect authority, don’t you agree?” Langley smiled and crossed to her desk, ignoring him.
Skye didn’t bother replying. He sat down on one of the long metal benches with his feet up and leaned back against the wall. He looked around the cell to see if there was any conceivable way to escape.
The door to the cell needed a key, which he was sure was on the desk next to Chief Langley, and the window above him was closed off by steel bars. He was trapped, and unless the chief literally handed him the keys, he wasn’t going anywhere.
Langley sat calmly, pretending to go through files and occasionally staring him down. Her apparent reverie was interrupted by a phone call, though, and Skye strained to listen to her end of the conversation.
“What’s going on?” asked Langley. Skye noticed a look of irritation cross her face, and at least felt some satisfaction in knowing she was anything but pleased.
“You what?” she asked, angrily. Her tone implied that she knew well who she was speaking to, and he wondered if it might be her son.
“No. I’ll be right there,” Langley said and hung up the phone.
She turned her attention to Skye, all pretense of smugness gone now. “I need to leave for a bit,” she told him. “Don’t try anything stupid while I’m gone,” she added before leaving the building. Skye heard the outermost door lock, and knew he was alone.
He realized there was only one way he was going to be able to get out of the cell. It was a long shot, but he didn’t see any other option.
Skye climbed on top of the bench and wrapped his hands around the steel bars to keep himself steady. “Help!” He hollered as loud as he could out into the night, hoping someone would hear.
After twenty minutes of yelling, his voice was becoming hoarse, and he was in serious doubt that he would be discovered.
But thinking of Julie and Sam, he redoubled his efforts. “Anybody!” He cried loudly. “Can anyone hear me? I need some help in here!”
He paused for a moment, and to his surprise and amazement, he heard some movement outside.
“Who’s there?” Skye asked, trying to see down.
“What in the world are you doing in the holding cell?” asked the voice from below. Skye placed the voice and cracked a smile. Of all people, it was Steve Ricks, his locksmith friend.
“I’ll explain later. Can you get me out of here?”
“I can try. Is the front locked up?”
“Yeah, you’re going to have to break in. Nothing you can’t handle, though. But you need to hurry. Langley could come back at any moment.”
“Dang,” Steve said. “Langley put you here?”
“Hurry, Steve,” Skye pleaded, desperately. I’ll explain later.”
Skye listened impatiently to Steve work, using his locksmith tools. He couldn’t remember the last time a lock breaking sounded so good. Finally the door opened, and Steve walked in, triumphant.
“Get the key to the cell,” Skye told him. “They should be on that desk over there. If not, just break me out,” He watched Steve look through Langley’s desk, and soon heard the wonderful sound of jingling keys.
Steve crossed to the cell, and was about to unlock it.
But suddenly, to Skye’s horror, he saw Langley’s figure in the doorway.
She grinned. “Well, well. It looks like I’m keeping two men behind bars tonight.”
Chapter 30
Julie opened her eyes, face down on the dirty wooden floor.
“Sam,” she murmured.
There was no response.
She pushed herself to her knees and looked around. The chair her brother had been tied to was now empty.
“Sammy,” she yelled. But again there was silence.
Standing now, Julie ran as quickly as she could down the nearest hallway. He must still be in here, she thought. Where else would he be?
When she got to the end she stopped and strained her ears for any sign of Desmond. Suddenly he appeared at the opposite end of the hall, holding the axe.
“He’s not here no more,” Desmond said with a cackle. “All gone.”
Julie sprinted down the adjacent hallway and scanned the area. Desmond was still behind her, and the only exit she could see was a small door at the end of the hall. She ran toward it, not caring where it led, as long as it kept her away from Desmond.
She threw open the door and saw a staircase leading down into a pitch-black cellar. She made her way down the stairs, closing the door behind her, and ran straight into a pile of dusty boxes as she reached the bottom step.
Julie tripped and landed in a heap, smacking her head hard against a metal pipe. She felt slightly dizzy and attempted to shake the pain away as a high-pitched ring clanged in her ears. The sound of the door opening above her brought her sharply back to reality, and she scrambled back to her feet, moving toward the back of the cellar.
“Where’d you go, Julie? I know you’re down here somewhere.”
Julie heard him descend the stairs. She moved toward her right, to lure him around behind her, hoping she could escape back up the stairs. She didn’t know if it would work, but escape was her only thought. She moved carefully around boxes and debris as quietly as she could. She could hear Desmond struggling behind too, and hoped her plan was working.
She finally broke free of the junk-filled corner of the cellar and moved to where she thought the stairs were. The room was still pitch black, and as she began her ascent back up the stairs, she felt a pair of cold hands wrap around her ankles.
Julie struggled wildly against Desmond’s strong grasp, digging her nails into any exposed skin she could find as he dragged her back up the stairs and into the hallway. She kicked and screamed as her captor shoved her up a winding staircase and into a small room on the second floor of the house.
“I’ll be back for you,” Desmond said threateningly as he threw her inside, “just as soon as I find your little brother.”
“Stay away from him,” Julie screamed savagely as the door slammed shut.
Julie ran to the door and tried to force it open, but it had been locked from the outside. She didn’t even bother pounding on it, because she knew there was no one to hear her. She hunched against a wall, sobbing in despair with her head against her knees. She had failed to protect her brother, the one thing she swore to herself she would always do.
Get a hold of yourself, she commanded herself. You can’t let him decide your fate, or Sam’s. Julie wiped her tears and stood, looking around her.
The room had a large window, but it was a twenty foot drop to the ground. That wouldn’t work. The only other door in the room was a closet, and she knew if she could find a way up into the attic, she might be able to find her way back down into another room. She had to find Sam before Desmond did.
The closet door was stuck shut, and Julie had to use all her strength to wrench it open. Once inside, she shut the door tightly behind her and looked up to see a removable square panel that led to the attic. She pushed up on it and moved it aside, lifting herself up.
Just the
n, the door to the room burst open. It was only a matter of seconds before Desmond realized where she was. She lifted her legs up just as he opened the closet door.
“Get back here,” Desmond yelled viciously.
Julie wasted no time crawling further into the attic. “You don’t got nowhere else to go,” Desmond called up to her.
As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She was stuck up here, with a crazed murderer coming after her. She searched around, looking for a way out, but saw none.
The wood-beamed attic was tricky to maneuver, but Julie decided her best option was to keep as much distance between them as possible. She moved from beam to beam until she made it to the far end of the attic.
But Desmond was more agile than Julie expected, and he moved quickly toward her.
“Nowhere else to go,” Desmond said, laughing. “You never should’ve found out what I done.”
Julie looked up desperately, hoping for some area of loose or rotted wood in the roof that she could force her way through. Desmond was now only a few feet from her. She jumped over to an adjacent beam and, using the sloping roof as support, swung her leg out and kicked Desmond hard in the stomach.
He fell backward and landed between two beams, dropping his axe in the process. Julie lunged for it and missed the handle, cutting her hand on the jagged metal that she had grabbed accidently. Desmond got to his feet and lunged for the axe too, pulling it from her blood-sticky hands.
Julie backed up against the roof, using it for support, and prepared herself for Desmond’s attack.
Desmond crept towards her, an evil, a menacing look on his face. “Can’t let Momma get in trouble,” he said. “Can’t let you know what Momma did.”
Suddenly he leapt forward into the air, but just as he landed in front of her Julie heard a familiar voice ring out into the attic.
“Good job, Desmond. Momma will take over from here.”
Chapter 31
Desmond turned around quickly, giving Julie a clear view of Langley. The chief moved toward Julie, shotgun at her side. This is insane, thought Julie. She’s as crazy as he is.
Unable to resist, Julie cried out, “I know what you did!” She hoped to buy some time. Perhaps she could get Langley to talk about whatever had happened the night Tara was murdered.
Langley didn’t take the bait. She leveled her shotgun at Julie. “And now that you know, I can’t have anyone else knowing. I’m sure you understand,” she said with a sneer.
“But, Desmond—.”
“He killed that girl, yes. And then I sent an innocent man to jail, knowing my son was the murderer. Doesn’t look too good for either of us, does it?”
“How did you know I knew so much?” Julie asked.
“I’m not stupid, Julie. I’ve been keeping track of you. And this town belongs to me.”
Julie stared at the chief in total disbelief. Before she could ask any other questions, the chief moved right in front of her, and pressed the gun against her chest. She could feel the cold metal through her shirt, and it sent a shiver down her spine.
“She haunts my dreams,” Langley said.
“Killing me won’t stop your dreams.”
“Maybe not, but at least you won’t talk,” she said, pulling back on the trigger.
“Drop your weapon,” commanded a stern voice behind Langley.
Julie stood frozen as a state trooper stepped out from behind Langley, gun raised and ready to fire.
Desmond charged toward the officer with his axe raised and screamed, “Don’t you touch my Momma, or I’ll kill you!” A shot rang out, and Desmond fell to the floor.
“My boy!” Langley screamed, rushing over to Desmond’s limp, lifeless form and collapsing on top of it.
The officer moved forward, grabbing Langley’s shotgun. He grabbed her wrists and pulled her away from her dead son.
Langley sobbed uncontrollably as the officer forced her down and out of the attic. By the sound of things, there were more state troopers waiting below to cuff her and take her away.
Julie was shaking with fear and adrenaline as another officer approached her and reached out a hand to help her down too. “My name is Trooper Bentley. Are you all right, Miss Townsend?” He asked her kindly.
“They were in it together,” Julie wept.
“We’re taking care of the situation, Miss Townsend. Are you okay, though? I need to assess whether you need medical attention.”
“My head and hand are killing me.”
“Let’s get you downstairs so the medics can check you out.”
After climbing down from the attic, Julie was guided by Officer Bentley through the house and out onto the lawn, where she saw Skye standing next to four state police vehicles and a paramedic truck with Sam huddled next to him.
“Sammy,” Julie cried, breaking into a run. She grabbed him and pulled him close to her, tears of relief falling down her face. “Are you okay, baby? Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay, Julie,” Sam said as tears ran down his face as well. “Skye found me after I ran.”
“I’m here, Sammy. No one can hurt you now,” she said, still holding him tightly.
“I thought you were going to die,” Sam cried. “I was so scared.”
They stood there for several minutes, holding each other tightly, as the officers took a screaming and struggling Langley into custody. A coroner truck arrived to take Desmond’s body to the morgue.
“Julie, you’re bleeding,” Skye said as he took her right wrist in his hand and inspected her hand. “This cut is deep.”
“I’m fine, Skye,” Julie said, but just as she spoke, the pounding in her head became more severe, and she dropped to her knees.
The paramedics pushed Skye and a still frightened Sam aside, tending to Julie. Eventually they lifted her up on a stretcher and placed her inside the truck.
Julie was in immense pain, and she could barely keep her eyes open. She was only dimly aware of getting to the hospital.
Once inside the emergency room, she was given some painkillers. The last thing she saw before being swallowed by darkness was the beautiful face of her brother, Sam, who was finally safe.
Chapter 32
Before she even opened her eyes, Julie felt Skye’s hand on her own. Her head hurt, but she turned toward him.
“Hey,” he said softly. “You awake?”
She looked at him and smiled. “Yeah. What time is it? And where’s Sam?” She tried to sit up, but couldn’t.
“Sam’s fine,” Skye told her, gently brushing the hair from her face. “He’s eating at the cafeteria with my mom. You’re in the hospital, and it’s about eleven in the morning.”
“I’m in the hospital,” Julie repeated.
“Yeah. You’re okay, just a slight concussion.” He reached over and kissed her forehead. “But you were out like a light. Apparently being chased by a crazy man can really wear you out. Who knew?” He spoke lightly, but Julie sensed his relief at seeing her awake.
Julie squeezed his hand. “Thank you so much for saving Sam,” she said.
“He’s smart,” Skye answered. “The kid knew to run. I only wish I could have been there sooner. I wish you wouldn’t have had to go through all of that.”
“What do you mean, sooner?”
“Well, when I found you’d left without me,” his voice took on an offended tone, “I took off for the house on Wicker Street. But Langley pulled me over and arrested me.” Sky told her his story. “When my buddy Steve found me, I thought I could get to you. But she came back and locked him up, too. And after she left, apparently to get you, it took us a while to break out of there.”
“Was it you who called the State Troopers?” She asked.
Skye nodded. “I called them the moment we left the station. They got there as fast as they could.”
Julie took all of this in. Her headache was easing up a little, and she was starting to feel stronger. “But what about Jacob Leigh?” She asked. “It’s clear he’s innoce
nt now.”
“I think a social worker is helping him. They’ll likely transfer him out to like a half-way house, so he won’t be homeless. And, a local attorney offered to help him sue for false arrest.”
“Thank God,” she said.
The door opened, and Sam and Gloria came in, carrying a bouquet and a “Get Well Soon” balloon. Sam ran into Julie’s open arms.
“Are you okay, Julie?” Sam asked, hugging her tight.
“I’m great, Sammy,” she answered and kissed his forehead. Then she turned back to Skye. “When can I leave?”
“The doctor should come by to discharge you soon,” Skye answered. “As long as someone can be with you to help you for a day or two, you’ll be fine.”
“I can take care of you,” Sam offered valiantly.
Julie laughed.
“Can I help?” Skye asked.
“Sure,” Julie and Sam answered in unison.
“I’m feeling better already,” she said, but then glanced at her hand, which also ached. It was bandaged.
“You took a few stitches there,” Skye told her. “You’re going to have a scar.”
Julie leaned back again. “And what about Langley?” She asked.
“I saw them take her away,” Skye said, “but I haven’t heard what they’re charging her with. What happened up there, anyways?”
Julie sat up a little, and recounted all that Desmond and Langley had said and confessed.
Skye was completely dumbstruck by the time Julie finished. “Totally insane,” he said.
“I know. I’m just glad it’s over.”
Gloria had been listening, not wanting to intrude or interrupt. Now she said, “I’m going to go, now. Julie, Skye’s not the best cook, and I think you need some good food when you get home. What do you say I take Sam and we make you a special dinner?”
Sam looked torn. He was growing to love Gloria, but part of him didn’t want to leave Julie.
“I’ll be alright, Sam,” Julie said, reading his thoughts. “You go help Gloria. It’s okay.”
