by Nancy Mehl
His attempt at kindness touched me. “I won’t let it go until Hannah is home, but I’ll try to ease off a bit. If you promise to do everything you can to find her.”
“I really have been doing my best, but I’ll go over it all again. If there’s any way to bring her back, I’ll do it. You have my word.”
“What about C.J.? Does he know the killer’s been caught?”
Pat nodded. “I went over there myself and told him. Apologized for bothering him. He was very gracious about it, but he wasn’t thrilled about being suspected of serial murders. He talked about going back to California.”
Guilt washed over me. “But his mother needs him.” I put my head in my hands. “This is all my fault.”
Pat reached over and pulled my face up. “You were trying to save your friend, Gracie. Sorry I came on so strong. Don’t beat yourself up because of me. There’s no harm done. The KBI halted their investigation of C.J., and he won’t be contacted again.”
“They were actually investigating him? How far did they go?”
“Well, they started a background check. And of course they questioned him and were checking out his whereabouts around the time of the murders.”
“Would C.J. have any way to know about the background check?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
I took a deep breath. “Well at least that’s something.”
“So now what are you going to do?” Pat asked.
“About what?” I was pretty sure what he meant, but I hoped I was wrong. I wasn’t.
“About C.J. Don’t you think you should talk to him? Explain? Apologize? Something? You might be able to talk him into staying if you tell him why you suspected him of taking Hannah.”
I stared at Pat, trying to come up with a reason that I shouldn’t confess to C.J. and beg his forgiveness. Problem was, no sensible reason sprang to mind. “All right,” I said finally. “I’ll do it. Even if he hates me forever, maybe he’ll stay and finish the work he started on his mom’s house.”
“Good girl.” Pat stood up. “I’ll see if I can dig up any new leads on Hannah, and you spend time with your family. Is that a deal?”
“Hey, one last question?”
Pat raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“This serial killer. Did he have a red truck and a bumper sticker with a bear on it?”
He grinned. “He was driving a purple truck, and the only bumper sticker he had said GIVE A SQUIRREL A HOME. PLANT A TREE.”
“No bear?”
He shook his head. “Nope. Just a squirrel.”
“So he doesn’t mind killing human beings, but he’s worried about squirrels?”
Pat shrugged. “Gracie, the guy’s insane. I don’t think I’d take his bumper sticker too literally.”
“I guess,” I said glumly. “Boy, this has been a rough couple of days.”
He smiled at me and held out his hand. I took it, and he pulled me to my feet. “Everything’s going to be fine. I promise.”
I nodded but didn’t respond. Nothing would be “fine” until Hannah was safely home.
I went back to the table. Thankfully my food was still there, and Connie had refilled our bowls of mashed potatoes, creamed corn, gravy, and coleslaw. A new platter of fried chicken had also appeared. Before I had a chance to finish what I’d started to eat before my discussion with Pat, Connie whisked my old plate away and put a new one in its place.
“Cold food no good for you,” she said. “You eat nice hot food now, sí?”
“Thank you, Connie,” I said, grateful for her kindness. “Hot food is always better.”
She bobbed her head in agreement and left the table with a big smile on her face.
I ate Hector’s delicious dishes until I felt like the buttons on my lightweight summer dress might pop off and cause injury to some of the other diners.
After we left the restaurant, we drove to the Harmony cemetery where my father pointed out the other gravesites that belonged to our family. As I stood there, seeing where Papa and Mama would be laid to rest, the thought crossed my mind that someday, Sam and I might also be buried here. The idea gave me the shivers. Good thing the real me would be in heaven, not caring one little bit about the shell that had contained me on this earth. The cemetery was actually situated in a gorgeous location. It sat about a mile out of town and was surrounded by tall trees that shaded almost the entire area. Large monuments of carved angels or other figures decorated the grounds, and carefully tended flowers offered color and graceful beauty. After the initial creepy feeling that came from possibly standing on my own grave, I had to admit that this was the most beautiful cemetery I’d ever seen.
We went home and everyone took a nap, including me. Not something I usually do, but with all the stress of losing Papa, I was physically and mentally exhausted. At first I tossed and turned on my bed, but when I did finally fall asleep, I dreamed that Hannah was calling my name, pleading with me to save her. She kept saying the same thing over and over. “Help me, Gracie. Use your eyes and ears. Please use your eyes and ears.”
After a couple of hours, I woke up, drenched with sweat. By the time I got up, took a quick shower, and changed clothes, it was almost dinnertime.
“Can you guys heat some of this food up?” I asked my parents after my shower. “I have a quick errand to run.”
“We’re still stuffed from lunch,” my mother said. “If your father gets hungry, I’ll make him something. I’m not the least bit interested in eating.”
“Thanks. I shouldn’t be too long.”
“Where are you going?” Dad asked. “Or are you too old to account for your whereabouts?”
I grinned at him. “I get the distinct impression I’ll never be old enough for that in your eyes.”
“You’ve got that right,” he said, peering over the top of his reading glasses. My father reads the paper religiously every Sunday. He doesn’t care about the newspaper during the week, but Sunday never passes without him sticking his nose into newsprint and only coming up for air when absolutely necessary. My dad’s copy of the Topeka paper could only have come from the restaurant. Since the paper isn’t delivered to Harmony, Hector faithfully drives to Sunrise every Sunday morning and buys twenty or thirty copies for residents who want to read it. Dad must have gotten to the restaurant very early to snag one of the prized copies.
I grabbed my purse and my keys. “If you must know, I’m going to apologize to someone. Since I don’t do it very often, I might be a little while.”
My mother smiled at me. “If you’re apologizing to Sam, take your time. It’s not good to have tension between you two right before the wedding.”
I started to tell her my mea culpa had nothing to do with Sam, but trying to explain the whole story of my transgression against C.J. Bradley seemed like too much effort. Besides, I was still extremely embarrassed about it. I nodded, said good-bye, and left.
My drive to the Bradley place seemed to take longer than normal. Probably because I wasn’t anxious to get there. As I pulled into the driveway, I didn’t see C.J. anywhere. I thought about knocking on the door, but if he’d followed through on his threat to leave town, I was pretty certain his mother wasn’t going to be glad to see me. I got out of my car and checked the back of the house, hoping I’d find him working. Nothing. Then I looked in the garage to see if his truck was still there. I swung the door open. No truck.
I stepped inside the large, empty building, allowing the door to close behind me. I needed to think. Maybe he’d just gone to town. It didn’t make sense for him to take off so quickly. I noticed tools lying around on the ground, as if someone had left in the middle of a project. Surely he would have taken the time to put them away if he was leaving Harmony for good. I was headed toward the door when my foot caught on something, and I almost fell.
“What the heck?” I said out loud. As I leaned down to see what it was, a strange thumping noise startled me. It was the same sound I’d heard when I was there the last tim
e. This time, instead of running out, I decided to find out what it was. There it was again. It sounded as if it was coming from beneath the floor. I reached down to see what I’d stumbled over. There was a large metal ring lying on the ground. When I tried to pick it up, I realized it was attached to the floor. Another thump.
I could have sworn I heard someone whisper, “Tell Grace she must have eyes to see and ears to hear,” and I felt a presence in that garage. It was almost overpowering. Sweat broke out on my forehead that had nothing to do with how hot it was. I got down on my knees and pushed the dirt away from the ring. I tugged on it as hard as I could, but it didn’t budge. I realized there was a latch secured with a lock several inches from the ring that kept the trapdoor from opening. Spotting a pair of metal cutters mounted on the wall along with several other tools, I got up, removed them, and went back to the latch. It took me a couple of minutes to finally cut the lock open. Sweat poured down my face. Even before I pushed the trapdoor open, I knew exactly what I would see below the floor of the Bradley’s garage.
And I was right.
Hannah Mueller stared up at me.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Gracie, is it really you?” Hannah’s voice was weak, and she blinked as if the light hurt her eyes.
“Yes, it’s me,” I said softly. “We’ve got to get you out of there, Hannah. I don’t know where C.J. is.”
“There aren’t any steps down here. Can you find a ladder?” She began to sob. “Hurry, Gracie. He’s crazy. He’ll be back soon.”
I spotted a stepladder against the wall and ran to get it. I’d just started to lower it to Hannah when I heard a noise. I whirled around and found C. J. Bradley standing near the garage door.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded. “You’re trespassing on private property.”
“Trespassing? Are you serious?” My fear of C.J. began to turn into rage. “Have you had Hannah here this entire time? Do you know how worried her parents have been?” Other questions exploded in my mind that I was afraid to ask. But right at that moment I was only thinking about the fact that Hannah was alive. He took a step closer, and I bent down and grabbed the pitchfork that lay at my feet.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s no one named Hannah here. Just Melanie. I came back to Harmony, and there she was, just walking along the road. She waited for me all these years.” His tone took on a kind of singsong quality, and he looked at me the way someone might look at a child. He shook his head and gave me an odd smile. As the setting sun peeked in through a window beside me and lit up his features, I realized I was looking into the face of madness. Hannah was right. C.J. Bradley was definitely crazy.
I attempted to control my anger and think clearly. I had to save Hannah. “C.J., Melanie isn’t happy down there.” I tried to push the emotion out of my voice and sound as soothing as possible. Keeping him calm might help us get out of the spot we were in. “I know you love her and don’t want to see her unhappy. Why don’t you let her go? Then you can really be together.”
He cocked his head to the side as if listening to a voice I couldn’t hear. Then he shook his head slowly. “No, I can’t do that. Melanie tried to run away from me. I can’t let that happen.” He shrugged. “Wedding jitters, I guess. It will pass.”
I could feel my heart pound as if it would burst through my chest. “But don’t you think she’d relax more if she could walk around some? She doesn’t look comfortable.”
He looked at me like a chicken might study a bug before pouncing upon it. “Yes, you’re right. It’s time for her to come out. She won’t run away again. Melanie loves me. She told me she does. I’m taking her back to California. We’ll get married there. Maybe on the beach.” He stared at me. “You’re not going to interfere, you know. I won’t have it. My mother ruined my life once. I won’t let it happen again.” He took a large hunting knife from his pocket and pointed it at me. “Get back so I can help her up the ladder. Then we’re leaving. You can stay down there until someone finds you. I’m—I’m not a killer, Gracie, but this is my last chance to get it right. No one will stop me this time. Not even your grandfather.”
“What are you talking about?”
He snorted. “He caught me once when I was a kid. You know, with a girl. I let her go. No one got hurt. But he told me to stay away from all the girls in the town. And he told my mother what I did. She talked to Melanie’s parents. They said I couldn’t see her anymore. Then they left town and took Melanie away from me.” His voice got soft. “Mama tried to beat the devil out of me. She promised Joe Temple I would never do that again so he wouldn’t tell anyone else.” He shook his head. “But the devil came back. He always comes back, you know.”
My poor grandfather had recognized C.J., but hadn’t been able to communicate the truth about him to us. Instead, he’d just exploded, warning us about evil. I’d thought he was talking about Jacob Glick. If only I’d realized …
C.J. brandished his knife and took another step toward me. “Now get out of the way, Gracie. Right now.”
“There’s no way I’m letting you take Hannah from here. No way in this world.” I stepped between him and the hole in the ground where Hannah cowered, holding the pitchfork up between us.
“Then whatever happens is your fault,” he said, raising the knife up over his head. But before he could get any closer, the door to the shed opened slowly and Pat Taylor came inside, his gun drawn.
“Put the knife down right now, C.J.,” he growled, “or I’ll blow a hole so big in you I’ll be able to walk right though you instead of goin’ around you. You got it?”
C.J. hesitated for a moment, and then after what seemed like an hour, let go of the knife. Pat immediately moved in, kicked it away, pushed C.J. to the ground, and handcuffed him. While he called for backup, I lowered the ladder down to Hannah and she climbed up. She was dirty and disheveled, but I’d never seen anything so beautiful in my entire life. She collapsed to the ground, and I got down beside her, holding her as she wept.
“I’m gonna lock this piece of pond scum in the back of my car so you all don’t have to look at him anymore,” Pat said, pulling C.J. to his feet. He looked completely disoriented—almost as if he didn’t know where he was. “Are you both okay?”
“We’re going to be fine,” I said. “This is the second time you’ve saved my life, you know.”
“Yes, I realize that. And it’s gettin’ old. Let’s put a stop to it.”
I stroked Hannah’s matted hair. “And just why are you here, Pat? I didn’t tell anyone where I was going.”
“I’m aware of that. From here on out I’d like your daily itinerary if you don’t mind. It will make rescuing you much easier.” He pushed C.J. toward the door. “That background check the KBI started on this guy turned up some interesting information. He’s a sex offender registered in California, and they suspect him of two attempted kidnappings in the past six months. Both of them girls about Hannah’s age and description. I put two and two together—and then I figured you could only be right where you shouldn’t be. And surprise. Here you are.”
I smiled. “Thanks. Again.”
He nodded and pushed C.J. out of the garage.
I put my hand under Hannah’s chin and asked the question I didn’t want to. “Hannah, did he … hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No, Gracie. I’m fine. He—he acted like we knew each other. Like we’d been engaged for a long time or something. He kept calling me Melanie. At first I tried to tell him I didn’t know him. And I begged him to let me go.” A sob tore from deep inside her. “But it made him mad. Really mad. I was afraid he was going to kill me. So I started acting like I really was this Melanie person, hoping he’d let me out. But he didn’t. It’s so dirty down there, and sometimes he forgot to feed me. I haven’t eaten for a couple of days.”
I smiled at her. “We can certainly take care of that. This is Harmony. Everyone and their cousin will be bringing you food.”
She laughed through her tears. Then she grabbed my hand. “Thank you, Gracie. Somehow I knew it would be you who would find me. I prayed so hard that you would.”
“Well God heard you. And so did Ida Turnbauer.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll tell you about it later. I expect there are a couple of people who would love to see you as soon as possible.” I put my arm around her. “Can you walk?”
She nodded. “Let’s get out of here.”
I pulled her up, and she leaned against me. “Yes, let’s.” We walked over to the door, I swung it open, and Hannah and I stepped out into the light.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sweetie’s dining room was full for the rehearsal dinner. Not only had she put all the leaves in her dining room table, but she’d had to put up two other card tables to accommodate everyone. In her usual capable way, the room looked beautiful and the meal delicious. Prime rib, new potatoes with fresh green beans, Waldorf salad, homemade rolls with apple jam, and a chocolate mousse cheesecake that was so good it rivaled any dessert I’d ever tasted.
The atmosphere was light and happy, but there were questions about the strange events over the past two weeks.
“So no one knew how disturbed C.J. Bradley really was?” Pastor Jensen asked as we enjoyed cheesecake and coffee.
“Papa Joe knew,” I replied. “And I should have. The clues were all there. Papa’s reaction every time he saw C.J. His story about getting back together with Melanie. Although I’d forgotten, Ida told me Melanie had blond hair and blue eyes like Hannah. C.J. had a twisted view of life—and particularly of women. I saw that when he reacted badly to Jessie, but I dismissed it. His mother brought him up in her own deformed brand of religion. The world she created was void of love but full of judgment. And her anger toward men after her husband left caused her to pass some perverted ideas about relationships to her son. C.J. began acting out with local girls when he was a boy. When my grandfather caught him and informed his mother, she only made it worse by trying to ‘beat the devil out of him,’ as C.J. said. Then he lost Melanie because of his destructive behavior. I think he built Melanie up in his mind as the only way to save himself. If Melanie could forgive him and love him, he’d be free of the demons that had haunted him for so long. Add that to Abigail’s religious views that stripped real love out of the equation, and C.J.’s life became a breeding ground for mental illness. If Abigail hadn’t distanced herself and her son from almost everyone in Harmony, someone might have recognized how much trouble the boy was in. Perhaps he would have gotten the help he so desperately needed.”
