Dangerous Mercy: A Novel (38 page)

“I’ve never heard of a TIA. What is it?”

“It’s a mini stroke,” Adele said.

“You’re having a
stroke?”
Murray’s pulse raced.

“Actually, it’s a warning sign that I need to see the doctor and find out what’s causing it—so I
don’t
have a stroke. But it’s a moot point if you’re going to kill me. Are you? You didn’t answer my question.”

“We already talked about it. I said I would make it painless.”

“You did. I keep hoping you’ll change your mind.” Adele was quiet for half a minute, then her lip quivered and a tear spilled down her cheek. “Murray, I accept that I’m going to die, though this is not the way I would have chosen to go. I’ve looked forward to eternity since I made peace with God. What I can’t accept is what’s happening to you.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t.”

“I know how to disappear, remember? The authorities won’t find me.”

“It’s not the authorities I’m worried about. You can’t disappear from God. And someday you’re going to have to face Him and answer for what you’ve done.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“That’s what you said. But it doesn’t change the truth.”

“I just don’t get why you Christians are so willing to serve a God that can’t wait to punish you.”

“That’s another lie the Devil whispered in your ear. Jesus came to earth and died in my place so I
won’t
be punished.”

“Oh, that’s right.” Murray rolled his eyes. “It’s
me
He wants to punish. I’m the wicked, evil murderer.”

“He took your punishment too. But until you get honest about the gravity of your actions and ask His forgiveness, you’re going to have to face judgment.”

“For what?” Murray pulled his gun from his waistband and held it to her head. “I wasn’t wrong! I exacted justice.”

“You know better than that. I see it in your eyes. I hear it in your words. God is the judge, Murray. Not you.” The intensity of her gaze bore right through his defenses. “You were deeply wounded and wanted to strike back. You’ve made a mess of things. But you’re never beyond His mercy. No one is.”

“I don’t want His mercy.”

“Or can’t believe He wants you to have it.”

“I’m about to put a bullet in your brain, Adele! Trust me, He doesn’t! What is it you see in me worth fussing about?”

“God didn’t create a killer, Murray. Under all those bad choices there’s a sweet soul that longs to be loved. If I can love and forgive you—and I do—surely the God who created you can—” Adele winced, and all the blood seemed to drain from her face.

“What’s wrong?” Murray said. “What’s happening?”

“There’s a stabbing pain in my head. I feel dizzy. My face tingles.”

“Here, take another drink of water.” He set the gun down and picked up the bottle and held it to Adele’s mouth.

She shook her head and looked up at him with pleading eyes. “Would you … hold … my hand?”

She held out her trembling hand, and he took it. What kind of Judas was he to comfort her just before he took her life?

Her hand was cold, her grip surprisingly strong. Her face and hair were soaked with perspiration.

“There’s so much more … I want to say …”

“Don’t talk. I’ll go turn on the air conditioner.”

“Murray, no. I … I must be having a stroke. Just let it be. I’m not afraid. It’s better if I die this way.… You won’t have to do something you’ll regret.” She brought his hand to her cheek. “I’m not sorry we became friends … just wish we’d had more time. And a happier ending. I’m never going to stop praying for you.…” Adele’s voice sounded weaker. “Make sure Zoe … knows where to find me.” She squeezed his hand. “Promise me.”

He nodded, his vision clouded with tears. How stupid was this? Five minutes ago, he was ready to dig her grave, and now he didn’t want to let her go.

CHAPTER 41

While Vanessa took a shower and Maddie took Grace to the park, Zoe stood out on the gallery above Zoe B’s and watched the bustling traffic on
rue Madeline.
A black limousine pulled up in front of the Hotel Peltier. A bellman rolled a luggage cart to the rear of the vehicle and loaded bags into the back. The uniformed driver held the door while a young couple, nicely dressed, climbed in. Newlyweds, no doubt. On their way to the airport and then on to some exotic honeymoon destination.

Zoe’s mind flashed back to her own wedding day and the first night she shared with Pierce in the bridal suite of the Hotel Peltier. Loving him and growing old with him was more than she deserved. Had it not been for Adele’s willingness to forgive, would their marriage have weathered the lies she had so carefully guarded? So deliberately concealed?

She touched the gold cross around her neck—the cross Adele had given her the day she chose Christ as her Lord and Savior. Adele had brought her to the King—the greatest gift imaginable. And not only her, but Pierce. Was her dear friend’s mission in this life over? Was the Lord going to call her home before she’d even had a chance to get to know her godchild?

Zoe closed her eyes and wrapped her fingers around the warm railing. God was in control of Adele’s life. Not Murray. No matter what happened, she knew Adele would cling to the Lord with all the faith she had. And wouldn’t He lift her above the circumstances, no matter how frightening they were?

Zoe wiped away the tear that trickled down her cheek. Still … if she hadn’t insisted that Adele sell Woodmore and move to Les Barbes, she would never have ended up in the hands of this killer.

Lord, hold her close. In perfect peace
.
If it’s time, receive her into Your kingdom.

Jude sat at the conference table in his office, reviewing the new evidence that Ethan Langley and Noah Washington had brought in.

“And just when I didn’t think this case could get any stranger.” He looked over at Kyle, whose fresh-as-a-daisy look had wilted. Her deep brown eyes were at half-mast. “You look exhausted.”

“So do you. I’ll sleep when we get this guy.”

“Talk to me more about this Hamelin character,” he said. “I’ll be honest … I wasn’t sure I believed you when you said he wasn’t a sociopath—that he actually had a conscience. But this new evidence proves it.”

“He set out to do away with those who took away his control. He did that. And now he’s trying to fix what didn’t go according to plan. And part of that was making sure we know that Noah Washington didn’t kill Flynn Gillis.”

“So if Hamelin feels guilty about Noah losing his job and the Langleys losing business, wouldn’t he feel ten times guiltier for killing an innocent old woman who was nice to him?”

“No doubt. But
after
the fact. Hamelin’s the type that acts first and considers the consequences later—when it’s too late. In many ways, he still acts out like an angry child. If Adele represents a grandmother figure to him, and he kills her, he’s going to have major regrets.”

Jude got up and stood at the window. That beautiful, historic courthouse, pure white in the morning sun, represented everything righteous and good about what he did, day to day, to keep this community safe and to bring criminals to justice. How miserably he had failed this time.

“I know what you’re thinking, Sheriff,” Kyle said. “There’s nothing you could’ve done differently. Hamelin executed the murders flawlessly. He didn’t leave us much to go on until he killed Jeanette Stein and she didn’t fit his pattern. All things considered, we ID’d him rather quickly.”

“Not quickly enough if I have to tell my friend Zoe that we didn’t get to Adele in time.”

Murray ditched the ranger’s van in the parking lot of Best Buy in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He took the license plate off a Chevy Silverado and swapped it with a white Ford Explorer that had been left unlocked in the back row. His hands were still shaking. He had done what he had to do. He couldn’t second-guess his decision. If he let down his defenses now, he was going to get caught.

Murray got in the Explorer. The gas tank was three-quarters full. That should be enough. He hot-wired it, looking around for any sign that someone had seen him do it. No one had.

He drove slowly to the exit and turned onto the busy street and headed for Interstate 10. If he could get to Houston, he could disappear into the homeless culture, and his trail would be cold.

He could still see Adele’s tired blue eyes as she pleaded with him, insisting that he get right with God—that he wasn’t beyond God’s mercy.

Adele had conviction. He respected that about her. But there was no turning back for him. What was done was done. Maybe one day he would face judgment. That was out of his control. But avoiding the death penalty wasn’t. He knew how to disappear.

Why didn’t he feel better, now that he had eliminated all the people who were responsible for making his life miserable? Instead he was empty—even emptier than before. All that planning. All the emotional work that went into murdering his four bathtub
victims
—and covering up Flynn’s murder—and he still felt as if he had a mountain pressing on his heart. Why wouldn’t it go away? It was supposed to go away!

The look in Adele’s eyes wouldn’t leave him alone. At least he didn’t have to kill her. Why couldn’t he have met her before he ever started down this path?

Murray heard a siren approaching from behind and began to sweat. He glanced in his rearview mirror and saw a police car speeding toward him. Should he try to outrun it? Should he jump out and try to get away on foot? Fear seized him. He’d come too far to fail now. He heard a loud horn and then spotted a fire truck a half a block behind the police car.

He pulled over, his heart hammering, and let the two vehicles pass, then blended into the traffic and headed for Interstate 10.

Zoe sat in the dining room at Zoe B’s with Pierce, Vanessa, Father Sam, Hebert, and Tex. She glanced at her watch for the umpteenth time without paying attention to the time.

Hebert put his hand on hers. “
Comment
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a vas?”

“Not great,” Zoe said. “The waiting is really hard. Why don’t you fellas go ahead and play checkers?”

“Just doesn’t seem right,” Tex said. “What with Adele missin’ and all.”

“Well, there’s no reason for you to just sit here,” Pierce said. “It’s not going to help the sheriff find her any faster. Actually, it would help to have something normal going on right now.”

“Dere’s merit to dat,” Hebert said.

Zoe nodded. “Pierce is right. Let’s try to maintain some semblance of normalcy. This can’t go on forever.”

Pierce kissed her cheek. “I’ll go check on Dempsey.”

“He can handle the kitchen,” she said.

“I know. But it’ll give
me
something to do. The waiting is driving me nuts too.” Pierce got up and walked into the kitchen.

Savannah came over to the table and poured coffee refills as the guys set up for a checkers game.

“They’re going to catch this monster,” Savannah said. “I, for one, won’t bat an eye when he gets the death penalty.”

Zoe looked up at her. “I know you miss your aunt Nicole terribly.”

“I keep expecting her to call. Or show up on my doorstep.” Savannah sighed. “I mean, I know she’s not coming back. It’s just hard to accept. But I don’t see why he would hurt Mrs. Woodmore. She didn’t do anything to him.”

“That’s exactly right,” Vanessa said, almost sounding protective. “We’ve got hundreds of people praying that he won’t. For now, let’s believe that God’s answer, whatever it is, will be the right one.”

Pierce came out of the kitchen and walked over to Zoe. He bent down next to her chair and took her hand. “Babe, Jude just got a call from the sheriff in Calcasieu Parish.” His eyes brimmed with tears. “They found Adele.”