Page 31 of Tears on Her Grave

“Marissa was my friend and she went missing. She didn’t have any family to care, so what did you expect me to do? I couldn’t just stand around and do nothing.”Lily was close to tears.

Shaking his head, Crawley rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you could have, because now we’re all under suspicion for three murders. Wyatt is calling the guys and will contact us with a plan to getout of this mess.” He drummed his fingers on his steering wheel. “From now on, keep your mouth shut.” He disconnected and slid the phone back under his seat. He glanced over at Aunt Betty’s Café and Twotrees’ advice drifted across his mind.Act normal.He climbed out of the truck and ran across the blacktop to embrace the fragrance of freshly baked peach pie.

THIRTY-EIGHT

Upset by the interview with the sheriff, Lily had forgotten to bank the takings from the beauty parlor. It was always something she did on Fridays. The small room she used as an office held a sturdy safe. It was an hour or so after closing, when she finally finished counting the receipts and cash. She deposited everything into the safe and went into the beauty parlor to make sure it was neat and tidy for the morning rush. It was the same every Friday. They took appointments right up until seven and she rarely got away before ten. The townsfolk who worked nine to five appreciated the Friday evening appointments. She glanced at her watch. It was ten after eleven. Bone weary, she pulled on her coat and dragged garbage bags out the back door to the dumpster in the alleyway. She pushed open the lid, hoisted the bags inside, and then returned to lock the door.

Out of the corner of her eye, a shadow moved. Fear washed over her like a tsunami. On Fridays this end of town was deserted at this time of night. The other end of town, Antlers, the Turf and Surf, and the Cattleman’s Hotel had become the popular hangouts, and Aunt Betty’s usually always had customers until late, but on Friday nights the pizzeria across theroad closed at ten. She carried a can of mace in her purse but stopped reaching for it when a familiar figure in a slicker and rubber boots stepped out from the shadows, smiling at her. “You scared the heck out of me. What are you doing hiding in the shadows?”

“I wasn’t hiding. I’ve been waiting for you.” He indicated to the long dark alleyway. “I can’t risk being seen with you here. Let’s go to the other end. No one will see us behind the dumpsters.”

Unease slid over Lily. After what had happened to Marissa, she couldn’t trust anyone. Her trembling fingers flitted across the catch on her purse. She managed to flip open the top but when her hand slipped inside, all she could feel was her phone and her keys. “Can’t you just tell me what you want and then I’ll leave and you can follow later?”

“I don’t want anything. I just need to talk to you. It won’t take long.” He chuckled. “You’re not scared of me, are you?”

When he moved closer, an ice-cold shiver ran down her spine. She didn’t trust him but would get this clandestine meeting over to get rid of him. “No, why should I be? I’m no threat to anyone.”

Afraid, she turned, keeping her distance, but with each step his eyes bored into her back like daggers. Lily hurried along the alleyway. Near the end, she glanced over one shoulder and glimpsed something shiny in his hand. As he walked, it swung back and forth like a pendulum on a grandfather’s clock. Terror had her by the throat. He was carrying an ax. She started to run. Her high heels caught in the cobblestones and she tumbled hard to the cold damp garbage-covered ground. The air in her lungs rushed out in a whoosh and she sucked in painful breaths. As she rolled onto her back, he was on her in seconds, his large rubber boots pinning her down by her coat.

As the moon outlined his features, he raised the ax to make his intentions abundantly clear.I’m going to die.Terrified, as sobs shook her, she gaped at him. She didn’t want to die in a filthy alleyway. Tears ran down her cheeks as she stared up at him. “Why are you doing this? Did you kill Marissa? I won’t tell. I’ve never told anyone anything and I’ve kept your secret all these years.” She tried to crawl away but his feet held her firmly.

Risking everything, she let out a gurgled scream and punched at his legs. Her scream came out in a breathless squeak. “Help me, somebody help me.”

“Ah, Lily, no one will hear you, but I’ll always remember your screams.” He shook his head, the smile never leaving his face.

Pinned by her coat, she tried kicking out, but he laughed at her struggles. There was no way out. He’d trapped her. What could she possibly say to make him reconsider? Her mind became a garbled mess of fear. She couldn’t think straight. Panting, she must try to reason with him. “Why me? You owe me that at least.”

“You and Marissa couldn’t keep your mouths shut, could you?” He swung the ax back and forth one inch above her face. “You want the truth?” He rested the ax on her nose and smiled down at her. “I killed Abby because I wanted to destroy Cole. She was mine first and he took her from me. The big man around campus had everything and could have had any girl he wanted, but he tookmygirl. I’d planned to kill her and make him watch, but Abby saw me following them. When she went into the bushes to pee, I killed him and then I killed her. She begged me not to, offered me anything I wanted, but he’d ruined her. So I killed her and you all believed me when I said it was Cole.”

Horrified, shudders wracked Lily’s body as she stared into eyes devoid of emotion and trembled. The cold wet ground seeped through her clothes and rats scattered back and forth, but her attention fixed on the ax swinging across her face soclose it brushed her nose. Gasping, she stared at him. “I don’t care. That was years ago. I still won’t tell anyone. I promise.”

“No, you won’t.” He lifted the ax high into the air. The streetlight sparkled on the sharp blade like a diamond in the night as he swung it toward her head. “Goodbye, Lily.”

THIRTY-NINE

SATURDAY

It was a little after six by the time Kane finished up in the stables. He placed the grooming brushes back on the bench and gave Warrior one last rub on the nose. “I know you want to get out in the corral, but we’ll give it another few days until it dries a little more. We don’t want you getting hoof rot.”

His phone rang, and he scanned the caller ID. Seeing it was a call on the 911 emergency line, he accepted the call. “Nine-one-one, this is Deputy Kane. What is your emergency?”

“There’s a stream of blood coming out of the alleyway alongside the beauty parlor.”

After sliding the barn door shut, Kane ran across the yard to the front door. He kicked off his dirty boots and headed for the kitchen. He grabbed a notepad and pen and then leaned on the kitchen counter. “Okay, can I have your name and details, please?”

“My name is Joshua Lane. I deliver supplies to the pizzeria.”Lane gave him his details.

Considering all possibilities, Kane rubbed his chin. It wouldn’t be out of the question for a wounded animal to seek refuge in an alleyway. Bears raided dumpsters especiallyalongside restaurants, where food scraps were readily available. “It might have been a wounded animal. Did you take a look?”

“I didn’t see what it was, but I did see a pair of pink high heels.”Lane cleared his throat.“I have a heart condition. I didn’t want to risk seeing something that might cause me to have a heart attack. There’s that smell around the place as well. You know, like death?”

Biting back a groan, Kane straightened. “Okay, Mr. Lane, I want you to go back to your vehicle, lock the doors, and wait for Deputy Rio to arrive. I’m on my way with the sheriff.” He disconnected and called Rio to explain the situation.

It had been a tough week and leaving Jenna sleeping and heading into town alone seemed like a good idea, but then he dismissed it. She didn’t like him being overprotective and some days it made him feel a little useless. He considered it was love that urged him to protect his wife and unborn child. He’d always been old-school in his treatment of women, as in respecting and protecting, but he found that living in this new world, where offering assistance could be deemed as offensive, troubled him. He gave himself a little shake and headed into the bedroom to wake Jenna. If this isn’t an animal, it could be another murder and she’d want to be on scene from the get-go. “Jenna, you awake?”

“Yeah. I heard you talking. What’s up?” She sat up slowly, pushing the hair from her eyes.

Kane explained. “Rio’s on the way. He’s more than capable to handle a murder scene if necessary. He’ll call us when he gets on scene and give us an update. I have coffee brewing, and your decaf as well. I’ll grab you a cup and then head for a shower. I stink of horses.” He kissed her on the forehead and straightened.

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