Dying Scream (30 page)

Her head flopped on his shoulder as he carried her away from the dirt road into low-lying underbrush. He didn’t walk as far as he should and he wasn’t going to dig a hole this time.

He wanted her to be found. He wanted people to see his handiwork.

Carefully, he laid her on her back and folded her left hand over her chest. He turned her face to the right. The postcard would arrive at her mother’s house by tomorrow.
Enjoying Tucson
.

He pushed the hair from her eyes. A swell of pride rose up in him. Finding her was really going to fuck with Hudson. “Figure this one out, asshole.”

As he got back into his truck, his thoughts turned to Adrianna. He dug her assistant’s keys out of the cup holder by the driver’s seat. He’d copied the whole set and needed to return the keys.

Craig tightened his grip on the keys until the metal edges dug into his skin. His set would give him access to her house or business anytime he wanted.

He thought about the wine in her refrigerator. He’d spiked it. And if she drank it, she’d sleep hard. Dream hard. The thought made him smile.

Craig dropped the keys and pulled out a bottle of hand sanitizer from the glove box. Liberally he squirted it on his hands. He rubbed and rubbed until all traces of the gel and woman’s scent vanished. He would ditch the truck until the smell of the body faded and then he would take a long, cleansing shower.

He flipped open a cell phone and hit speed dial. The phone rang once, twice, and on the third ring the call was picked up.

“Is it done?”

“Yeah, I took care of her.”

“You went deep into the woods?”

He glanced toward the stand of trees not twenty feet from him. “Yeah, I went deep into the woods.”

“You’re sure?”

He didn’t like being questioned as if he were a child. “Yeah, I took care of it just like you said.”

“Let’s hope, because you managed to botch the other two.”

Craig had known for weeks that his girls would be found. The more he mulled over their discovery, the more he was pleased about it. “That wasn’t my damn fault. Shit, what were the chances that those bodies would be found?”

“You shouldn’t have buried them in the cemetery. That was stupid.”

“I never thought the land would be sold.” For the first time he let his anger bleed through.

“What’s with your attitude?”

Craig ran his fingers through his hair. “What do you mean?”

“You’re sounding full of yourself. And I don’t like it.”

“Why shouldn’t I?”

“Don’t forget your place.”

His place. Shit. “Don’t take that tone with me. I’m doing your work.”

“And you’re enjoying it, too, so don’t act like you’ve done me any great favors. If you do your job right we won’t have any issues.”

Craig pounded his fist softly against the steering wheel. “Fine.”

“And this one is the last one. No more. We’ve done what we set out to do.”

Craig didn’t want this to be the last one. He wanted another one. Just one more. One with fight. One he could remember for a long time. Maybe he’d take Jessie and Adrianna.

Still, he said, “Yeah, sure.”

Something in Craig’s voice caught the ear of the caller. “I mean it. This one is the last.”

“I agreed with you. What more do you want?”

“I just know if this could get screwed up, you’d be the one to do it.”

Craig had heard this bullshit all his life. Never good enough. Never smart enough.

But he was
good
enough. Instead of arguing, though, he kept his thoughts to himself. “I won’t mess this up.”

Without another word the caller hung up on him.

Craig closed his eyes, picturing the detective’s face when news reached him that his sister Jessie and his beloved Adrianna were missing. He smiled, savoring the detective’s pain.

Chapter Twenty

Wednesday, October 4, 6:00 a.m
.

A small cry escaped Adrianna as she started awake and bolted up in her bed. The digital clock on her nightstand blinked 12:00. Sometime during the night the house had lost power.

Adrianna clicked on the side lamp and scrambled for her watch. She blinked twice trying to register the correct time. Six a.m. She’d slept the entire night, barely moving in her bed.

Sliding her feet from under the covers, she stood and immediately regretted it. Her head spun and she felt as if a brick pounded against her skull. She lay back on the pillow and closed her eyes. The room spun and for an instant she thought she’d be sick. She bolted to the bathroom and knelt in front of the toilet. Seconds went by and then thankfully the nausea passed. She glanced back at her bed, not sure if she was annoyed or grateful to be away from it. The remnants of a dream fluttered on the edges of her mind and she thought about Craig.

For some reason, she half-expected Craig to come waltzing in the room and wish her a good morning. Her heart hammered in her chest.

Of course, Craig did not appear. He was dead. Gone. Buried.

And still her gut screamed,
Trouble
.

Call Gage
.

He had told her to call him if things didn’t feel right. But she’d had a nightmare. Or her wine hadn’t agreed with her. Gut or no, she had to be overreacting.

With a trembling hand, she rose and flipped on the bathroom light and every other light between her bedroom and the kitchen. She clicked on the coffee machine, grabbed a couple of slices of whole wheat bread, and popped them in her toaster oven. Normally, she made an egg white omelet but today her stomach felt unsettled.

She clicked on the small television on the counter and then grabbed juice from the refrigerator. As she poured, the reporter’s voice blared over the screen.

“A gruesome discovery was made last week on the Thornton estate known as the Colonies. Sources say the remains of at least one woman have been unearthed. Police refused to comment at this time.”

No victims had been named but there were suggestions of a coverup as footage of the estate, her, Dr. Heckman, and Gage flashed.

“Crap,” she moaned.

Seconds later her phone rang. It was Kendall. “Are you watching television?”

“Yes.”

“Brett’s a jerk.”

“I know.”

“It’ll blow over.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“He’s going to dig and eventually the cops will make a statement. It might get bumpy for a while but in the end it will go away. All of us end up as yesterday’s news eventually.”

“Let’s hope sooner than later.”

“You ready for the auction?” Kendall had deliberately changed the subject.

“Yes. See you there?”

“Wild horses couldn’t keep me away.”

“Thanks.”

“And don’t worry. This too shall pass.”

She laughed. “See you.”

As Adrianna hung up the phone, the morning light caught the diamond in her engagement ring. She stared down at it a long moment, realizing it no longer belonged on her hand. She’d worn it out of love and loyalty. But the time had come to take it off.

She yanked the rings off her finger and stared at the impressions they left on her skin. She massaged the ridges away.

No matter what came with the press or the investigation, she would get through it all. She would.

Adrianna ate her toast and drank a couple of cups of coffee. Within a half hour she felt like herself.

She glanced at the clock. She agreed to meet Gage at her mother’s house. Gage had said this was routine. Instinct egged her to believe him but logic refused. This was a police investigation. The gloves were off. And she needed to be smart. If her time with Gage had taught her anything, it was that Gage was a cop first and foremost.

Adrianna picked up her phone and dialed her attorney’s number. The call went to voicemail. “Reese,” she said. “This is Adrianna.” She quickly explained what was happening and when she was meeting the cops at her mother’s. Reese had been her parents’ attorney for years and if he could be present, he would.

She turned on the shower and let the water heat up. Sliding off her silk shorts, she tossed them on the floor. Next came her top. She stepped into the shower and dunked her head under the hot spray. The heat soothed the tension in her muscles and settled the last bits of unsteadiness in her body.

She got out, quickly toweled off, and set about the task of drying her hair. Within a half hour, her hair was straightened and her make-up applied. Naked, she moved into her bedroom.

As she opened the closet, the phone rang. She hesitated, then snapped it up. “Hello?”

“Adrianna, this is Catherine. We have a great offer on the house.”

For a moment she said nothing as the information sank in.

“Did you hear me?”

“I did. That’s great. What’s the offer?”

Catherine rattled off the details.

“All right. Sounds good. Let me have a look at the contract before I commit.”

“I’ll drop it by your house today.”

“I’ve got to go out but will look at it this afternoon. Just leave it on my kitchen counter. And make sure you lock up. Last week you left the front door open.”

“Doll, I always check locks. I’m obsessed with leaving my properties locked.”

“Just double-check.”

“Will do.”

Adrianna hung up and stared at the rumpled bed. She’d made her bed almost every day of her life and had never questioned the chore.

And now in the grand scheme, worry over something so trivial seemed stupid. She left the bed as it was and got dressed. Fifteen minutes later, she left the unmade bed and got into her Land Rover.

A string of long days was taking a toll on Gage’s body. His shoulder ached and his back felt as stiff as a coach’s sideline bench.

As he drank his coffee and watched the morning news, anger boiled inside him. Where the hell had Brett gotten his information? He’d kept a tight lid on the investigation, which explained why Brett didn’t have names for the victims. But it was a matter of time.

His attention was pulled from the television when he heard the key in the lock. He was relieved to see Jessie push through the door with a basket crammed full of dirty laundry. “I thought you were coming home last night?”

A ponytail held back long dark hair and she wore jeans and a University of Richmond sweatshirt. “Good morning to you, too.”

“I left you a message last night.”

“I know. And I must say, bro, I appreciate your restraint. Only one message.” Jessie kicked the door closed with her foot.

“Sue me. I worry.”

“Too much.” She matched him stare for stare. One of the things that comforted and frustrated him about Jessie was that she rarely apologized. “The hotel called and asked if I could work a banquet event. Money was too good to say no.”

Gage respected Jessie’s work ethic but didn’t like her working so hard. He wanted her to be a kid. “I wish you’d told me you had a party or a hot date.” He sipped his coffee. “Want a cup?”

“God, yes. In fact, make it a double.” She set her basket down by the kitchen counter bar stool. “I like working, helping out with expenses.”

“I told you I’d take care of school.” He took a fresh mug from the cabinet, poured her a cup, and handed it to her.

“Even with my scholarship, the tuition is so steep.”

“That’s what my football signing bonus is for.”

“I’d rather you spend that on yourself.”

He shrugged wide shoulders. “Now what on earth would I need?”

“I don’t know. A new car. That truck of yours has to be a hundred years old.”

“Not quite.” He shifted the subject back to her. “Late night?”

“Two a.m. It took forever to clear the wedding party out.” She rubbed red eyes with long fingers. She’d been biting her nails again. Had the nightmares returned?

“How are the grades looking this semester?” He got the milk, eggs, and whole wheat bread he’d picked up last night at the market after work. He set the milk on the counter in front of her and the eggs by the stove.

“Good. Real good.” She poured milk into her coffee, and then sipped it. “If I can ace this paper I’ve got due next week, I’m exempt from the mid-term exam.”

Pride had him nodding as he pulled out a skillet from the cabinet. “I always said you were the one with the brains in the family.” He’d worked his ass off for his grades, so had his brothers, but Jessie’s grades came with little or no effort. “How you feeling?”

“Good.”

He cracked six eggs in a bowl and started to mix. “What’s good mean?”

“I’m making friends. I’m eating well. I’m exercising.”

Jessie had listed off all the hallmarks of a healthy person, according to her therapist. “You’re dodging, Jessie.”

She sipped her coffee, her gaze down. “No, I’m not.”

“Jessie.” The warning note in his voice said in no uncertain terms that he’d press if need be.

“I’ve just been getting the creeps lately. Like I used to after the abduction. You know, when I imagined shadows in every corner.”

Worry lines creased his brow. “Why do you think this is happening?”

“Honestly, I think it’s just stress. I’m burning the candle at both ends. But it’s okay. I’m certain this too shall pass once I get this paper done.”

“You’ll tell me if it doesn’t?”

Her grin reached her tired eyes. “I promise.”

Gage shoved out a breath, knowing as much as he wanted to create a worry-free world for his sister, he couldn’t. “Okay. I’ll back off.”

She leaned forward, her gaze turning assessing. “So why do you look like the wrath of God?”

“A case.” He put the bread in the toaster and then with a wooden spoon started to scramble the eggs in the pan. He could make three different meals fairly well: eggs and toast, hamburgers, and steak.

Jessie loved hearing about his cases. “What’s the scoop on this one?”

As he buttered the toast, Gage gave her the rundown.

“Adrianna Barrington? Not the same chick you dated about four years ago?”

In a moment of weakness he’d told Jessie about Adrianna. Not all the details but enough so that he could get his sister’s take. “One and the same.”

“Damn, bro. You couldn’t have planned it better.” Jessie was ten years younger but possessed wisdom beyond her years, which made it easy to forget she was a kid in college.