Lyle struggled to free himself. “What’s wrong with you?” he demanded to know.
Harlan laughed happily. Sidney darted past Harlan and jumped into Lyle’s arms. She kissed him several times on the cheek, overjoyed he was alive.
“We thought you were dead,” Harlan said while chuckling softly then shook his head. “I’ve never been so happy to see your ugly mug before in my life.”
Lyle tightened his arms around Sidney and hugged her affectionately. “I ought to die more often,” he teased and kissed Sidney quickly on the lips.
Harlan frowned and pulled Sidney away from him. “Okay, that’s enough you two,” he remarked sternly.
Lyle continued to smile, enjoying the attention. “You have my permission to keep her,” he teased then looked at Harlan with a more serious look. “So what made you think I was dead?”
“I saw Ms. Palmer stab a man,” Sidney announced. “I assumed it was you. I thought she found you in her home.”
“Not me,” Lyle replied simply. “I made a hasty exit when her lover unexpectedly came home with a male friend. I’ve been camping out at Mrs. Cooper’s house, raiding her fridge. She had some good leftovers.”
Sidney eyed both men. “That must be who she murdered. She caught her girlfriend in bed with someone else.”
“Crime of passion,” Harlan said simply and inhaled deeply. “I’m detecting a pattern here.”
“She had plenty of motive and opportunity,” Sidney said firmly. “It’s been established Billy went the back way through the woods that day. She claimed to have seen him even though she supposedly left school early. I think she saw him because she was in the woods as well.”
Lyle gave both an odd look. “So who murdered the teacher?” he asked and appeared curious. “What’s the doc’s connection with all this?”
Sidney and Harlan looked at each other with some confusion. Once the police established that Persha Palmer wasn’t dead inside her home, Sheriff Drukard had to concede it was possible she was the killer. Harlan and Sidney were taken to the municipal building, where she again refused to talk to Sheriff Drukard. She waited for a detective from Brighton to arrive. The capable detective took Sidney’s statement. She told the detective everything she’d suspected, starting with the death of Emily Fisher eight years ago. It was possibly the first time someone took the new theory seriously. Once the detective had finished with her, Deputy Hawkins drove them back to Sidney’s house where Lyle waited for them.
Chapter Fifty-one
Sidney’s father loaded several rifles and handguns while Harlan and Lyle checked the windows and doors to make certain they were locked. Deputy Hawkins knocked on the door before entering and lowered his flashlight.
“Everything’s secure out there,” Hawkins announced reassuringly then sighed. “We’ll send patrol cars through the neighborhood throughout the night.”
Sidney’s mother thanked Hawkins and locked the door behind him. Lyle had been pacing while talking on his cellular phone then disconnected his call and frowned.
“Trisha’s been released from the hospital,” he announced and looked at Harlan. “She and her mother left half an hour ago. I think it’s best if I went to her house and waited for them there.”
Harlan nodded.
“I’ll drive you there,” Herb announced sternly and slung a rifle over his shoulder.
“That’s quite all right,” Lyle said and managed a tiny laugh. “I think I can make it half a block by myself. Besides, the killer’s never seen me before. I’m not exactly a target.”
Herb extended his rifle to him.
Lyle looked at the weapon and shook his head. “No, thanks. I’d probably just shoot myself.”
“Believe me,” Harlan said to Herb and raised his brows. “Lyle can take care of himself.”
Pauline watched Lyle leave and nervously shut the door behind him. “I don’t like this,” her mother announced. “Why haven’t they picked her up yet? Where could she possibly hide? A brutal murder like that? She must have some blood on her clothing.”
“Billy’s house?” Sidney suddenly announced, becoming animated. “There’s no one home. Sam’s place is vacant also.” She then shivered. “This town is becoming a ghost town.”
“More like a morgue,” Herb muttered and handed Harlan a .357 Magnum revolver.
Harlan looked at the massive gun he held, raised his brow, and then looked at Sidney, who smirked. “Just think of it as a dangerous camera,” she informed him.
Her father extended a gun to her mother. Pauline stared at the gun then glared at her husband. “You must be joking,” she remarked lowly.
“Come on, Dad,” Sidney remarked simply. “You’re being a little paranoid here. The thought of Mom with a gun is more frightening than Ms. Palmer.”
“I’m just trying to protect my family,” her father announced. “Is there something wrong with that?”
“No, but don’t give guns to people who don’t know how to use them,” Pauline said firmly. “I’m liable to shoot one of you by accident.”
Harlan handed his gun to Sidney. “I’ve never used a handgun in my life,” he informed her. “It’s not really a thing in England. I’d probably miss.”
Herb looked at Sidney and tilted his head in question. “Well, baby?”
“I’ll back you, Dad,” Sidney announced then smirked. “After all, I am a better shot than you.”
Herb placed his arm around Sidney and gave her a firm hug. “That’s my girl!” He drew a deep breath and glanced around with a serious look. “Now what do you say we set some traps around the doors and windows?”
“That’s a little much, Dad,” Sidney remarked while giving him a humored look. “Ms. Palmer knows you have a hundred guns in the house. Honestly, she probably wouldn’t consider coming here. She may not even know I witnessed anything. She’s probably on her way to Mexico by now.”
“Still,” Herb announced. “I think I’m going to keep watch tonight.”
“Suit yourself,” Sidney replied. “I’m going to bed. It’s been one hell of a long day.” She looked at Harlan and smiled gently. “Would you mind keeping me company?”
Harlan gently cleared his throat and shifted a look at Herb. “Your dad’s holding a gun,” he muttered softly. “Let’s not provoke him.”
“Oh, go on,” Herb snapped lowly, apparently hearing them. “I’d feel better knowing she wasn’t alone tonight.”
Harlan gave him a surprised look then nodded. “Well, you do have a point.”
§
Sidney closed her bedroom door behind Harlan and set her gun on the bedside table. Harlan sat on the bed and stared at the revolver. He held his breath and looked at her.
“Do you think any less of me, because I don’t feel comfortable handling a gun?” he asked gently.
Sidney smiled warmly and sat beside him on the bed. “No, of course not. If you can’t pull the trigger, then you’re better off not being armed,” she informed him. “It’s dishonorable to be shot with your own gun.”
“Bloody deadly too,” he teased then turned serious. “I’m not kidding you, though. I don’t know how to use a gun, and I could never shoot a woman.”
Sidney placed her hand on his leg. “It’s okay. It takes a long time to become comfortable with guns,” she insisted. “I’ve never shot at any living thing, and I don’t want to start either.”
“That’s comforting to know,” he said with a soft laugh. “Why don’t you get some sleep? I’m going to stay up a little while. I’m not really tired.”
“Will you lie with me until I fall asleep?” she asked softly and bit her lower lip. “I feel like I’ve been to hell and back. I’m tired, but I’m afraid to close my eyes.”
Harlan gently kissed her forehead. “I’ll hold you all night long if it’ll make you feel better.”
She smiled warmly. “Yes, I’d like that.” She sighed and shook her head in disbelief. “All this time we’d suspected Billy killed Emily, but now it doesn’t lo
ok that way at all.”
Sidney made herself comfortable on the bed and watched as Harlan joined her. He placed his arms around her, and she clung to him, resting her head on his chest.
“We never really had any solid evidence against him,” he replied then shut his eyes and shook his head. “Honestly, I don’t know what to think anymore.”
§
Sidney woke to the faint sound of the doorbell ringing. When she looked around, she was alone in her bedroom. She sprang out of bed, having remained fully dressed, and hurried downstairs to see what was happening. She discovered Deputy Hawkins at the front door waiting for her father, who was slipping into his light jacket. Harlan stood within the hall, obviously having witnessed what had happened. She approached Harlan, stopped alongside him, and clutched his arm.
“What’s happening?” she asked the deputy with concern. “Did you catch her?”
Hawkins shook his head.
“It’s okay,” Herb informed Sidney. “The alarm at the press went off. Deputy Hawkins thinks Persha may have broken in and done some damage.” He zipped his jacket to conceal his handgun. “We’re going to check it out. We won’t be gone long.”
“I don’t think I like that,” Sidney replied gently. “What if you’re running into a trap? She may even double back here. There’s no telling what’s going through her psychotic head.”
“Harlan’s here, and there’s another car patrolling the area,” her father said simply and offered a tiny smile. “Everything will be fine, baby.”
Despite her father’s reassuring words, Sidney wasn’t so sure. She clung to Harlan’s arm and glanced at his profile. Judging by his expression, he wasn’t convinced either.
§
Fears of Persha Palmer and her reign of terror diminished with the night. Sidney woke to a beautiful, sunny morning. Harlan was exhausted from remaining up all night, but he reported that her father had returned shortly after she’d fallen asleep on the sofa. Harlan went to Sidney’s bedroom to get a couple of hours sleep, while Sidney and her mother fixed themselves some breakfast which neither men would be up early enough to enjoy. Sidney called the police to check on their progress with Ms. Palmer, but they reported she hadn’t been seen anywhere in the entire town. Trisha reported in just when they were about to eat breakfast. She was feeling better, though she was still weak and wouldn’t be running around today. Mary went to work that morning, but Lyle would be staying with Trisha. Once she hung up the phone, Sidney and her mother ate their semi-cold eggs. After breakfast, Sidney’s mother placed the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher and wiped her hands on the dishtowel.
“I suppose I should wake your father,” her mother announced. “I don’t know if he’ll bother opening the press this morning. He never told me what sort of damage was done last night.” She eyed Sidney as if concerned to leave her alone for five minutes. “I’ll be right back.”
Sidney nodded and finished her tea before placing the mug in the dishwasher. She looked out the kitchen window to the day ahead of her. She’d be lucky if she’d be allowed to stray from the house. Sidney decided she’d spend the afternoon in bed with Harlan, not that either of them would consider picking up where they had left off at Trisha’s house--not with her father home. The phone rang, nearly startling her. She grabbed the phone with anticipation of Hawkins telling her they had caught Ms. Palmer.
“Hello,” Sidney said with a gleam of hope.
“Sidney, it’s Mary. Is Trisha there?” came the faint, nervous voice.
Sidney could tell the woman was upset about something. She could just about hear the fear in her voice. “Trisha? No, she’s not,” she replied with some confusion. “I thought she was with Lyle at your house?”
“No, Trisha didn’t answer the home phone. I think I saw her heading into the library,” Mary announced with a trembling voice. “I can’t leave the diner right now. Could you go to the library and pick her up?”
“Sure, Mrs. Allister,” Sidney said with a low sigh. “I swear she’s going to be the end of me yet.”
“I’d, uh, better go,” Mary said in a slightly crackling voice. “There’s a morning hen convention here.”
Mary disconnected the call without her usual pleasantries, indicating she must have been overwhelmed at the diner that morning. The diner was as good a place as any for the citizens of Marilina to get together and discuss gossip of extreme importance. Last night was front-page news and anyone who was anyone needed to get the details. Sidney leaned against the wall near the telephone and sank into thought.
“Why would Trisha go to the library?” she muttered and considered the comment. Her brows suddenly narrowed, and her mouth fell open. “You stupid girl!” Sidney bolted from the kitchen.
Chapter Fifty-two
“I think you’re being just a little paranoid,” Harlan said from the passenger side of the car.
Sidney drove her rental car at high speed around the sharp curve on Cressman Road and nearly hit the guardrail. Harlan held his breath and clutched the passenger door.
“Damn it! Slow down,” he shouted. “You’re going to get us killed!”
“I know what I’m talking about, Harlan,” she said while breathing heavily and nervously raked her fingers through her hair. They entered another sharp curve.
Harlan squirmed in his seat. “Two hands! Drive with two hands!”
She placed her hand on the steering wheel and skidded around the curve. Her car approached the stop sign at the end of Cressman Road without stopping and made a left onto the main road into Marilina.
“We should have gone by foot,” Sidney muttered under her breath. “It would have been much faster. This damned road is out of the way.”
“I’m not taking any chances,” Harlan retorted and glared at her briefly then looked back out the windshield with concern. “There’s no telling what or who is lurking in the woods just waiting for us to pass by.”
“Just trust me, okay?” Sidney said in a nervous tone.
“I trust you, but I’m never letting you drive again,” he said and stomped his foot on the floor in an apparent attempt to brake for her. “Bloody hell! Slow down!”
Sidney slowed the car as they entered town and pulled up to the front of the library, which had been closed since Mrs. Cooper was nearly killed. Both got out of the car and looked toward the silent library. Harlan looked down the street at the diner. Sidney noticed Lyle’s rental car parked in front of the diner then looked back at Harlan. He inhaled deeply and nodded toward the library.
“Keep close,” he said firmly.
Sidney walked beside Harlan to the front doors. He opened the door, which wasn’t locked, and entered cautiously. Sidney stepped into the doorway and looked around the wide, empty hallway. She removed her father’s revolver from the back of her pants and approached the non-fiction section to the left, which used to be the sitting room when the library was a house. Harlan followed her into the room where the book checkout counter was. Both looked around the rows of bookshelves then returned to the hallway. They crossed into the fiction section on the right. There wasn’t a sound from anywhere within the library. The old floorboards creaked beneath their feet, alerting anyone who might be lurking about to their presence and location. The fiction section was empty as well. Harlan looked at the ceiling.
“What about the children’s section?” he asked softly and pointed to the floor above them.
Sidney shook her head. “No, we should go to the archives. That’s where we’re expected to go.”
Harlan held his breath then shook his head. “We should’ve called the police.”
“For what?” she asked and glanced at him then looked back at the surrounding area. “Because I’m paranoid? Do you think they’d come out here just to check on Trisha?”
“Hawkins may have,” Harlan replied dryly. “He seems fairly intelligent and concerned for the welfare of this town.”
She walked into the hallway and looked around. “We already know Trisha is s
afe at her house,” Sidney said softly. “It’s Mary I’m worried about. She supposedly called me from the diner in a panic about Trisha’s safety, yet she wasn’t there when I called back to tell her Trisha was fine. I mean, what if it wasn't really Mary who called in the first place? She was whispering. It could have been anyone on the phone. What reason would Mary have to whisper? Breakfast hour at the diner? She’d practically have to scream.” Sidney shook her head. “That's why I called Trisha before we came out here.”
“It would make sense that Mary would come here, had she thought Trisha was heading here,” Harlan announced then sighed. “We’d better check downstairs.”
They approached the back of the library and cautiously headed down the old steps to the archives. Sidney didn’t like being behind Harlan, especially when she was the one who held the gun. Each step creaked beneath their feet. Harlan looked back at Sidney and frowned. He stopped her on the steps and took the gun from her hand. He drew a deep breath and looked back at the lower level just a couple of steps below them. Sidney smelled the air and looked around the stairway with concern. Harlan jumped the last couple of steps and hit the opposing wall with his right shoulder. He aimed the gun to the side of the stairs then smelled the air as well. He looked at Sidney with horror in his eyes.
“Gasoline!” he cried out.
Harlan darted away from the stairs. Sidney ran down the last couple of steps and smelled the strong scent of gasoline. She then saw Harlan running through the rows of old magazines and books. Sidney darted after him. Mary was tied to Trisha’s desk chair and appeared to be out cold. She had a laceration, which bled freely above her left eyebrow. As Sidney passed the row of old newspapers, she saw the stacks of newspapers burst into flames. Sidney screamed and spun around with alarm. Persha Palmer darted from an aisle of magazines and ran for the stairs. Harlan frantically worked on the ropes that bound Mary to the chair then tossed her the gun. Sidney barely caught it, stunned he had thrown it. She was grateful it was a revolver and not a semiautomatic.
The Deadliest Institution Collection Page 95
