In the Arms of Stone Angels (22 page)

I gagged and almost puked. I had touched it. And imagining the hatred Chloe had to have in her to mutilate a body like that was even harder to understand. Heather's dead face flashed through my mind like a vicious strobe light. The blood. Her glazed dead eyes covered with a film of white. All of it came back in a rush. I took a deep breath and kept my eyes on the girl who had killed Heather and set up White Bird to take the fall.

“Chloe, where are…your parents?” My voice was shaky.

“Gone. They're always gone.” She pursed her lips and gave a fake pout.

When she came closer, I moved, too. My heart was pounding so hard, I felt light-headed.

“I've been waiting for Derek downstairs,” she said. “Guess he's not coming. Too bad. I had a murder-suicide story all planned for him and Heather 2.0. But I'm glad you're here now, Brenna. You'll do nicely. Perfect, in fact. I'll take care of Derek another time…if I have to.”

When she pulled the hand out from behind her back, Chloe had a butcher knife. And I gasped.

“Don't do this, Chloe.” I raised my hand. “You don't have to do this.”

“But I do now, don't you see?” The blonde smiled, but her face twisted into a grimace. “I swear, it was only gonna be the one time. I
had
to kill her. She forced me into it. Heather was gonna ruin Lucas.”

“Lucas?” I remembered him and had seen stuff about him on Jade's Facebook page, but I wanted to keep her talking.

“Yeah, Lucas Quinn. You remember him, right?” She
heaved a sigh. “And I would've gotten away with what I did, too. All I needed to do was…nothing. And I would've been all right.”

“But why did you hurt Jade?”

“I didn't want to, but she found all my secrets. And she saw the part of Heather I couldn't get rid of. That's why she's wearing it.” Chloe looked at Jade on the bed and laughed. “And for the record, I really wouldn't have dragged you into it, but you only have yourself to blame.” She shook her head and stepped closer. “You wouldn't let it go. Why couldn't you just let it go?”

I tensed my body, ready to move. Chloe was getting way too close. I clenched my fists, ready to punch her, but when the jarring ring of the phone caught us both off guard, Chloe was the first to move.

She lunged at me with the knife. And I dodged out of the way, but not before she cut me.

The sting of the blade sliced my belly and sent a shock wave of chills through me. I grabbed her hand and wrestled her for the weapon, pulling her to the floor. We rolled over the carpet. And I couldn't stop thinking about Heather and how she died. And I pictured the same thing happening to me. Chloe had pounded a knife into her, more than a dozen times.

Please, God. Don't let that happen to me.

When I got Chloe's back against the armoire, I had her pinned under me. I whacked her wrist on an open drawer until she dropped the knife. With a cry of pain, she cradled her arm and rolled onto her side. I didn't wait to see what she'd do next.

I stumbled off the carpet and charged for the open window, with adrenaline surging through me. I thought I could make
it. And I didn't give a shit about how I'd land below. But when I got stuck halfway out the window, I felt Chloe's hands on my legs.

“Help me!” I screamed, grappling for the cell phone in my pocket. “Someone help me.”

I got my fingers on my phone, but when I pulled it from my pocket, it fell out of my hands as we fought. My phone fell to the ground, into the shadows. I had been so damned close. I struggled against her grip and strained to let my weight be too much for her. All I needed was a little time. Down the street, dogs barked and a neighbor's light came on. I yelled again and again.

But when Chloe yanked me back inside, I knew by the time help arrived, it would be too late. Whatever was about to happen would be over.

 

Parked outside the Seaver house, Matt Logan sat behind the wheel of his police cruiser with the cell phone to his ear. He had one ear plugged so he could hear if someone picked up the phone. His dispatch radio was crackling with activity from Jolene. Six rings and no one at the Seaver place had picked up. At this time of night, that meant only one thing.

No one was home.

“I thought you said Chloe and Jade would be here. No one's answering.” He looked into his rearview mirror. Derek had his head turned, staring at the dark house.

“I swear, Jade called me and told me to meet her here, because Chloe's parents would be gone.” His nephew looked at him through the reflection. “They're there. They've gotta be.”

“You better not be lying to me, boy.”

“I'm not. I swear to God.”

“You leave God out of this. You're in enough trouble.” Matt looked over his shoulder at Derek, sitting behind the metal mesh of his back seat. “When I bring those girls out here, I don't want to hear a peep out of any of you. And I'll be watching.”

Matt left Derek locked up in his patrol car and headed for the front door. Under a security light, he punched the doorbell several times and waited. When no one answered, he dropped his chin and shook his head. If the girls thought he'd go away if they didn't come to the door, they were dead wrong.

But when he heard a girl's scream coming from the rear of the house, he pounded the door with his fist.

“Chloe? Open up.
Now!
” He yelled. “This is Sheriff Logan. I know you and Jade are in there.”

When he heard another scream, the hair at the back of his neck stood straight up. Matt knew he had no time to lose. Using his shoulder mic, he called for backup Code 3. Following procedure, they'd arrive using sirens. He had just unzipped his fly and soon everyone would know his business. But that didn't matter now.

Someone inside had yelled for help. And he prayed he wouldn't be too late.

 

Chloe had a good grip on my legs. I wouldn't ditch her now. When she grabbed my hips and hoisted me back inside, the doorbell rang and she cried out. I knew she was scared, but not half as afraid as me. At the sound of the bell, I shifted my weight and shoved back on her.

We both fell to the floor.

“Help me! Please,” I screamed and felt the heat rush to my face as I fought her off. Someone was at the front door. It was my only chance.

I thought about how Mom always said I was a fighter. And I pictured Joe as a little kid, struggling to survive his vision quest after being bitten by a rattlesnake. But most of all, I thought about how strong White Bird had been to survive his two-year ordeal, alone.

Borrowing from his strength, I balled my fist and punched Chloe in her stupid little bird face.
Once. Twice.
The release felt good. I socked those smoky black eyes and gave her something to cry about. And when she screamed for me to stop, I didn't.
I couldn't.
She'd taken so much from me.

Chloe had killed Heather. And she'd stolen White Bird's life, and mine. I'd hurt my mother because of her. And Grams had died thinking I was a real loser. My rage took over. I knew it was wrong, but I didn't care.

The sheriff had to pull me off her. I saw uniforms fill the room and everything faded into a blur. Others stood over me and I didn't care. All I saw was Chloe.

Twisted, sick little Chloe.

 

“Stop it!”
Matt Logan yelled. “Get off her.”

Brenna Nash was out of control and covered in blood. She had Chloe Seaver on the carpet, punching the hell out of her. And Jade DeLuca was another bloody mess on the bed. She looked dead.

“What did you do?” he demanded.

One of his deputies had Brenna by the shoulders. He'd subdued her, but Matt saw that she was in no position to talk. She had a wild look in her eye. And he had no idea what to make of all this.

“Sheriff, you gotta see this.”

Matt turned to see what his deputy was talking about.

“This looks like a real scalp, sheriff. I think this came off
Heather Madsen.” Deputy Sanford grimaced and lifted a bloody strand of hair off Jade, using his pen to lift it.

“What the hell did you do, Brenna?”

He'd been wrong about the Nash girl. At the hospital, he'd felt sorry for her. He had the feeling she'd gotten caught up in something she couldn't handle. Now it looked as if he'd been all wrong. And he would have arrested her on the spot for assaulting both these girls, if he hadn't heard the garbled voice coming from the bed.

Jade DeLuca was alive.

“No. Not…B-Brenna.” Jade choked on every word. And she struggled to sit up, but couldn't. The battered girl pointed a trembling finger. And she pointed it at Chloe Seaver. “She did it. Chloe killed…H-Heather. And almost…me, too.”

“That's not true,” the Seaver girl ranted. “Jade and Derek. They were the ones who killed Heather.
They did it!
They're ganging up on me, like they always do. Just ask anyone. They'll tell you.”

Matt had no clue what had happened, but given the fact that Heather's scalp had been in Chloe's possession in her room, that evidence was as hard to refute as a smoking gun. And given the finger pointing between Jade and Chloe, he had a feeling that he owed a serious apology to Brenna Nash and her mother. He had a lot to figure out and from the looks of things, it would be a long night.

“Get an ambulance for Jade. And arrest this one for assault, for starters, until we sort this out.” He pointed at Chloe, who was still screaming and giving him a serious headache.

When Brenna stood, she almost collapsed. He grabbed her in time and held on to the thin, trembling girl. When he wrapped his arms around her, she didn't pull away. The girl was sobbing.

“Shhh. You're okay. You're safe now, Brenna. It's over. It's really over this time.” He held her tight and whispered in her ear. “Come on. I'm taking you home. I've got something to say to you and your mom.”

An apology to the Nashes would be hard enough. But if what Jade said was true, and Chloe had killed Heather Madsen, then what would he say to Isaac Henry?

Ever since he'd said them, the sheriff's words kept playing in my head.
“It's over. It's really over this time.”
I thought if I heard them enough, especially coming from him, I would believe it was true.

Guess I still needed time. And wounds that had cut so deep would never go away without a trace. I had to accept that.

After the sheriff had driven me home and explained things to Mom, it was my turn. She wanted my version of the truth. And after I got done with that and she'd patched me up, there wasn't much nighttime left, but I made good use of my sack time. I had slept hard and I didn't remember dreaming—until I heard a lawn mower outside my bedroom window.

That's when I knew I was definitely dreaming. When I looked out my window, I saw Derek Bast and his buddies hard at work.

“Well, I'll be damned.” I shook my head.

I got dressed real fast, as fast as I could with a fresh bandage on my stomach from where Chloe had clipped me with that
butcher knife. Thinking about that gave me chills. So I raced downstairs looking for Mom. She was in the kitchen, drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.

“They're calling you heroic, honey.” Mom grinned and raised her coffee mug.

“Oh, my God. I definitely must be dreaming.” I shook my head. “A friggin' nightmare.”

Me, in the damned papers again. Two years ago the local papers were nothing but a rumor mill. Today I was heroic.
Jeez!
I didn't need any of it. I wanted the whole thing to blow over. Mom didn't look like she minded the story getting out, given the way she was glomming onto every word in that small-town paper. But me? I could use some serious downtime.

“And tell me that's not Derek Bast and his buddies out there, fixing Grams's house?” I scrunched my face, not doing a very good job of hiding a smirk.

“Sheriff Logan dropped him off. And Derek called the rest of those boys. Guess you could call it advance community service.” She smiled as she ran her fingers through my hair. “I get to keep them until everything is done. And Derek is paying for everything. How's that?”

“It's a start.” I poured some orange juice. “Did the sheriff say…anything else?”

From the look on Mom's face, she figured out what I was really asking. She skipped to the chase, the way mothers do sometimes.

“He said that he expected White Bird to be released from Red Cliffs today. You need the car…for anything? It's got all new tires, just waiting for some miles.” Mom was playing it sly, too.

“Maybe. I'll let you know.”

I knew Mom wanted me to talk to her, about how I felt and about all the things rolling loose in my head, but I couldn't do it. I had a lot to think about and I had to do it alone. I suddenly felt like writing. And I thought I knew how to finally finish the poem that had been kicking in my head.

But as strongly as I felt about getting my thoughts down on paper, only one thing could challenge my creative juices. White Bird had been angry with me, for what I'd done and said. Showing up at Red Cliffs like nothing had happened didn't feel right. But I knew today would be a long day of waiting, of hoping—and maybe a little letting go.

I made a PB&J on toast and headed upstairs where I wouldn't look pathetic waiting for the phone to ring. Pathetic I could do alone.

Shawano Sheriff's Office—Midmorning

Sheriff Matt Logan had gotten a phone call from Dr. Sam Ridgeway that Isaac Henry was in the process of getting released after the criminal charges had been dropped. That was a good time to visit the boy and sign for his release. Matt was heading out when Deputy Will Tate knocked on his office door. With Tate being on duty last night, he'd heard the news and only got a short briefing at the end of his shift. He was told what they had at the time.

“Come in, Will. Have a seat.”

Will had two mugs of coffee and he handed one to Matt.

“You look wasted.” Will took a gulp and settled into a chair.

Matt definitely was exhausted. It had been a long night.

“Before I fill you in, I need to tell you that I took that watch out of evidence. I recognized it as a gift I'd given my nephew. I had no intention of destroying it. I only wanted
to confront Derek so we could figure out what to do if he'd been involved.” Matt found it hard to stare his young deputy in the eye. “The watch is back in the evidence locker now. And I put my name and signature to that log. I can't believe I was so stupid.”

“You were protecting your family,” Will said quietly.

“That doesn't matter. It was wrong.” He shook his head. “I'm giving a hard look at resigning. I've been at this job too long.”

“You made a mistake, but you're a good cop. You won't do it again,” Will argued. “Don't let this be the legacy folks will remember. Make it right. And start with these kids. Tell me what happened.”

They sat in silence for a long while. Matt didn't feel like talking. He had a lot to think about, but he owed Tate an answer. His deputy had kept after the investigation. If he hadn't pushed, who knows where things might have ended up?

“Derek finally did the right thing. He confessed what had happened the night Heather was murdered. He confirmed that Jade DeLuca had convinced Heather to stalk that Indian kid into the hills to harass him.” Matt felt himself get angry at what his nephew had done.

“When they got there, the kid was drugged out. Some vision quest thing,” he continued. “His condition made it easy for them to give him hell, but Isaac Henry had enough fire in him to fight them off. They ran away from the kid, like the cowards they all were. And they had to split up. Derek couldn't tell me much after that, but Jade filled in the gaps when she was able to talk.”

“Is she gonna be okay?”

“Yeah. She came away with a cracked skull and a concussion,
but it could have been a lot worse. All things considered, that girl was damned lucky,” Matt told his deputy. “If it hadn't been for Brenna Nash, Jade would have died at the hands of Chloe Seaver.”

“No shit.” Will shook his head.

“And it seems Jade had a secret of her own about that night. She'd left Heather to die.” Matt set down his mug on the desk. “After they'd run away, Heather had taken a bad tumble. She'd twisted her ankle. And with the Henry kid on their tail, Jade thought only about her damned self. She ran and left Heather behind, all crippled up. No one else knew about that. And Jade had been determined to keep it that way.”

After she left Heather, covering her own ass, Jade believed Isaac Henry had killed the girl. She had no idea that Chloe was still out there and stalking Heather in the dark. The Madsen girl might still be alive today if Jade hadn't left her behind. If they'd stuck together, Chloe might not have had the chance to isolate Heather.

Matt would've felt sorry for Jade having lived the past two years with the guilt that she'd left Heather to be killed. Fortunately for Jade, it turned out that wasn't much of a burden.

“You should be the one who tells the Nash girl all this,” he told Will. “Normally we don't talk about an active case with civilians, but she and her mom have a right to know.”

“Yeah, guess so.” Will stood and headed for the door. “I'm on it.”

“And thanks, Will. For everything.”

His deputy only grinned as he closed the door behind him, leaving Matt alone with his thoughts.

He was sick at what almost happened to Isaac Henry. The kid had looked guilty. How could he have been so wrong?
He had real soul-searching to do. And a good first move was a visit to Red Cliffs Hospital.

There was a young man he had to see before he got released.

A Half Hour Later

“Brenna.” I heard Mom's voice from downstairs. “You have a visitor.”

When I looked out my window, down to the driveway, I saw a patrol car and my heart lurched. What did the sheriff want now? Sheriff Logan had apologized to me and Mom, but I still couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't like me much and never would. I took a deep breath and headed downstairs.

When I hit the first landing, I was relieved to see Deputy Will Tate at the door. I couldn't help it. I smiled.

“Hey, Deputy Tate, what's up?” I sounded casual, but whenever cops showed up at my door these days, I figured something bad was about to happen. Guess I had to get over that sometime soon. Maybe.

“You got that look in your eye, Brenna, like you're expecting the other shoe to drop.” The deputy grinned and showed off his dimples. “Relax. This is only a courtesy call. The sheriff wanted me to fill you in on the case, at least what we know now. You deserve to know.”

Mom invited Will to sit in our living room. Seeing a cop in my house felt unnatural. But then again,
unnatural
was a pretty broad term in my world. Over a cup of coffee, Will told us about the case. When he was done, Mom had questions.

“So are murder charges pending on Chloe Seaver now?” Mom asked the deputy. “I just can't believe it. Chloe Seaver.”

Chloe had surprised me, too, but after seeing the crazed look on her face and hearing what she said last night, guess it all fit now.

“Chloe had the perfect opportunity to kill Heather Madsen and blame it on someone else,” Will told us. “No one saw her do it, except a drugged-out kid who was too far gone to stop it.”

“But why did she do it? I don't get it,” Mom said.

“Heather died because she'd slept with a boy Chloe had her eyes on, Lucas Quinn. We found a drawer full of evidence that Chloe had been stalking this Quinn kid. And she'd kept a diary. We're going through it now, but it's all there.”

“Unbelievable.” Mom shook her head.

“So what about the two knives?” I asked. “If White Bird had Joe's knife, where'd the other one come from…the murder weapon?”

“We still need confirmation on that, Brenna. Chloe's parents are flying back from some trip they were on. But when they get here, I'll bet money her daddy is missing a hunting knife. If that's so, then we're looking at premeditated murder.”

“That's harsh, real harsh.”

“Yep. Chloe had set up your friend, Isaac Henry, to take the fall for what she'd done when she scalped Heather. And she made sure he had Heather's blood on him, and even wrapped his hand around the murder weapon to get his prints on it. She bragged about that in her journal. In his condition, no one would have believed that Indian kid, even if he'd been able to talk. She would've gotten away with murder if it hadn't been for you.”

I might have been the one at Chloe's house last night, but I really believe White Bird's visions put me on the right track.
He'd been a witness after all. And thanks to Joe's help, I was able to figure out his dream symbols.

“And as it turned out, even Derek owed you,” Will added. “Sheriff Logan made sure his nephew knew about that.” To my mom, he said, “Chloe had been waiting for Derek last night. She'd planned to kill both him and Jade, making the killings look like a murder-suicide. Chloe Seaver was one messed-up girl who wanted the Quinn boy all to herself. The whole ugly mess would've come out in a trial, but I doubt the case will ever go to court. Chloe's at Red Cliffs, under Dr. Ridgeway's care.”

I hated that any of this had happened, but it had. Everything would take time to figure out, but Sheriff Logan had plenty of real proof this time.

“With Jade and Derek talking, we've got eyewitness testimony, Heather's missing scalp and even Chloe's diary to make sure we have the right kid in custody this time.” Will looked me in the eye. “Bottom line is, it's all over. And we have you to thank for getting it right.”

Mom reached over and grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze. She had tears in her eyes. Guess I did, too.

Red Cliffs Hospital

When Matt Logan saw Isaac Henry, the kid was dressed and pacing the floor of his hospital room, staring out the window into the sunlight. After he'd knocked on the door, the boy turned with a look of eagerness on his face, but that changed when he saw who was standing in the doorway.

“Hey, Isaac. I came by to see if you needed anything, but I hear Joe Sunne brought you some clothes.”

“Yeah, he did.”

The Euchee Shaman had bought the kid clothes that would
fit. Isaac was older now. And he was a tall kid, taller than Matt had remembered him.

“Listen, I won't stay long. I know you probably don't want to see me.”

The kid didn't bother to correct him.

“I owe you an apology.” Matt had planned to say more, but the Henry kid interrupted.

“For what? Doin' your job?” The boy stopped his pacing and stuffed his hands in his jeans.

“It's just that I was dead wrong about you. I was so sure I had the right guy.”

“Did me being an Indian make a difference?” Isaac asked the question without anger in his voice. It was a simple question, one Matt should have been able to answer without hesitating, but when he couldn't do that, both of them knew the answer.

“Then I won't apologize for doin' my job, but I still have plenty to regret. And I don't know how to make it right.”

He'd admitted something to the boy that he hadn't said to anyone. Doubt was hard to live with, especially when he'd always thought his job was to set a good example for the town. He had no idea how to change, enough to make a real difference.

But in his quiet way, Isaac Henry gave him something to think about.

“A journey takes time.” The boy shrugged and looked him square in the eye. “And I guess the lessons we learn best, they come from the journey, not the destination.”

Matt narrowed his eyes at the boy and let what he said sink in.

“Can't argue with that, son.”

Outskirts of Shawano

Earlier when I had told Mom that I wanted to see Joe Sunne, she didn't argue and she didn't even ask why. She'd handed me her car keys and kissed me goodbye. It had been her way of telling me that she trusted me. And that she understood there'd be things in my life that would be mine.