Secondhand Sinners (29 page)

CHAPTER

THIRTY-TWO

Emily

When Emily opened the door to leave the bathroom, she nearly walked into Alan. She was so aware of the syringe that was in her hand behind her back that she knew she stiffened her arm too much. Alan’s gaze didn’t drift from her face, so she hoped he didn’t notice.

When all he said was, “You didn’t cover up your eye,” she was sure he didn’t suspect her plan to take control of the situation.

“I don’t have any foundation in that bag,” she lied, trying to carefully slide the syringe into her back pocket. There was no way she could get it in without engaging the plunger and squirting B12 all over her backside. If there was nothing in that syringe, she wouldn’t be able to make him think it was full of bleach.

“Oh, really?”

“Really. When we get to Dallas I’ll get some.”

“Then you won’t have a problem if I check.” He tried to step into the bathroom.

She blocked him. “Why would I lie about something so stupid?”

“I don’t know.” Alan eyed her. “Might have something to do with whatever it is you’ve got behind your back.”

“I don’t have anything behind my back.”

“Lemme see your hands. Both of them.”

Emily’s mind started to race. “What? Why?”

“Because I said so.”

She’d hoped to be able to come at Alan from behind and catch him off guard. She was going to have to do this now, when he was on full alert. But how? How did she give Jack his shot? She distracted him. That was what she’d have to do to Alan. Thinking of Jack steeled her nerves. Thinking of Jack all alone steeled her resolve. She counted to three and with one quick motion, balled her free hand into a fist and brought it out from behind her back, lunging it at Alan’s chest.

He caught her wrist. “That was a dumb thing to do, Emily.”

“You can’t blame me for trying, can you?”

“What do you have in this little hand of yours? Another tiny perfume bottle?”

“Guess.”

“Open your fist.”

“Make me.”

“Haven’t you learned anything?” Alan chided. “You need to start obeying me. If you make me pry your hand open, you will regret it.”

“I don’t think you can do it.”

“Please,” he scoffed. He grabbed her fist with his other hand and started to pry it open.

Emily was no match for his strength, especially in her weakened state and with her constant headache. With both his hands and his attention drawn to her other hand, this was her only chance. It had to be now, and it had to be quick. She put her thumb back on the plunger and jammed the syringe into his neck.

“Holy shit!” Alan let go of her fist and touched the syringe that was inserted into his neck. “What the hell is that?”

“Bleach,” she lied. “Move your hand or I’ll inject it into you.”

He obeyed her. “Where the fuck did you get that?”

“The hospital,” she lied again. “This is how all we Collins ladies deal with things we hate. If you move a single muscle without my permission, I will kill you with this. Understand?”

Alan nodded.

“Oh, Alan,” Emily pushed the needle harder into his neck. “I told you not to move a muscle without my permission. Do you understand?”

He didn’t say anything, didn’t move anything.

“That’s better. Now, let’s go to your bedroom. Slowly.” Emily pushed him along as he walked backward until the back of his legs hit the bed. “Now sit down.”

He sat down next to his police belt.

“Get your handcuffs, slide back on the bed, and cuff yourself to the bedpost.”

He moved slowly, doing as he was told.

She climbed on top of him, straddling him with her knee pinning his free arm to his side. “Now tell me where Jack is.”

“He’s in the loft of the barn with the crime scene tape. He’s fine. I swear.”

“How can you possibly know that?”

“I drugged him with Benadryl. Twice.”

“You drugged my son?” She slapped him. “Twice?” She slapped him again. “Did you drug Abby too?”

“No.”

“Where is she?”

“With Jenny Abernathy.”

“Where does she live?”

“In the trailer park in Blue. Lilac Street.”

“Where did you get those drugs you planted on me?”

“I bought ‘em from a dealer in Blue. Jenny knows him.”

“Where’s my phone?”

“In the glove box of my car.”

“Personal or police?”

“Personal.”

“Where are the keys?”

“Kitchen. First drawer to the right of the sink.”

“Good,” she said, then plunged the B12 into Alan’s neck, pulled it out, and showed him the empty syringe.

“You bitch!” He tried to get free, but the more he moved, the harder she dug her knees into his sides.

“The more you struggle, the faster the bleach will get into your bloodstream.”

“You just killed me.”

“I didn’t kill you. My mom did. Haven’t you heard she’s on some kind murdering spree?”

“You’ll never get away with this.”

“Oh Alan.” She leaned down over him until her face was so close to his, her hair was touching his cheeks and whispered, “I already have.”

***

Emily took a few deep breaths while she waited for her phone to come on. Relief was starting to creep in. She’d call Miller and tell him where Abby was on her way to Levi’s barn to get Jack. They’d deal with the whole drug problem later; that was the least of her worries. She started Alan’s car and was about to put it in drive when her phone lit up with her missed calls alert. Her mom had called her seventeen times and left as many messages. She listened to the first message.

Hello, Emily. Today’s a big day. I’ve already got your room ready, so don’t be late.

The next message was more chilling because of the sing-song voice her mother used.

Emily? Emily? I went to get Mother so she could be there for your cleansing too. You know how it always made her happy to know you were pure again. Then I remembered that Mother was dirty too. So I had to clean her. We’re all going to be clean soon, sweetheart. Please come home.

She didn’t have the time it would take to listen to the other fifteen messages. After she got Jack and Abby back, she’d deal with her mother. What could she do? If she went anywhere near her mother, she’d try to stick her with a syringe full of bleach. The only smart thing to do would be to call Sheriff Owens. Smart for her. Was it the best thing to do for her mom? She couldn’t think about that. She needed to concentrate on finding Jack.

She dialed Miller’s number. When she heard Abby’s voice answer, it took a few seconds for the reality to sink it. “Abby? Are you with your dad?”

“Yes. He found me.”

“You’re safe?”

“Yes. We’re going to look for Jack now. Where are you?”

“I’m on my way to get Jack. He’s in the barn at Levi’s.”

“We’ll meet you there.”

Emily sped toward her family’s property with more urgency than she’d ever felt. Now that she knew where Jack was, she couldn’t wait to get to him. The headache that had never really gone away was raging hard, and her head was swimming. Since she was almost to Levi’s, she refused to give in to her concussion. This whole day was so screwed up and seemed to be lasting so much longer than a day should. But really, this day hadn’t started when she woke up. It actually started long before Levi had beaten her father. It even went farther back than when she ran away fourteen years ago. They were all paying for sins that happened so long ago. The sins of her family were passed on through the bloodline, like defective DNA. There was no end to it.

When she got to the barn, she ripped the crime scene tape back. She had to push the door open with her shoulder because she needed the strength of her whole body behind her. It was already dark outside. Inside the barn was darker. Levi hadn’t installed any electricity, so she had to wait for her eyes to adjust to the deeper darkness. The moment the ladder to the loft materialized, she sprinted to it, scrambled up it, and found Jack lying on a blanket on a cot, like in the picture Alan had showed her.

She ran to him, knelt beside him and wrapped him up in her arms. “Jack,” she said, pushing his hair off his sweaty forehead. “Wake up, buddy. Wake up.”

“Emily?” Miller’s voice came from down below.

“I’m here. I’ve got Jack.”

Within a minute both Miller and Abby were up in the loft with Emily and her sleeping son.

“How’s he doing?” Abby asked.

“He’s asleep. Alan gave him Benadryl.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s going to be fine. I’d really like to get out of here.”

Miller squatted down and took Jack over his shoulder. “After the day you’ve had, you don’t need to be carrying anything. I’ll take him. We can all fit in the truck.”

When they were all loaded in the truck together, with Jack in her lap, Emily felt the first twinge of relief. That was all she could let herself feel, though. When Jack was awake she’d feel better.

“How did you get away from Alan?” Miller asked.

“It’s a long story. Let’s just say Alan’s lying handcuffed to his bed thinking he’s going to die any minute now because I injected him with bleach. How did you find Abby?”

“Long story. Let’s just say when Alan finally gets out of his handcuffs, he’ll see his Facebook page was hacked. I think I will get finally get on there myself.”

“You are
not
getting on Facebook,” Abby said.

Jack’s eyes fluttered open briefly. He took a deep breath and smiled. “I didn’t move a muscle.”

“You did great, buddy.” Emily kissed his cheek. “Perfect.”

“Can I have waffles?”

“You sure can. You can have whatever you want.”

“Can I have waffles and spaghetti?”

“Absolutely.” Emily’s phone vibrated in her pocket. When her mom’s name appeared on the caller ID, she hesitated. She didn’t want to deal with her mother right then but knew she had to eventually because she was going to keep calling.

“Where have you been, young lady?” her mother demanded as though she was still sixteen. “I have been waiting for you. You were supposed to be home hours ago, and now we’re almost out of time.”

“I’m on my way home now, Mom,” she lied and then mouthed, “My mom’s at her house, waiting for me. Tell Owens?”

Miller nodded and pulled out his phone.

Her mom sighed. “Okay. Good. I’ll be so glad to see you.”

“Okay, Mom. See you soon.”

“Hey sweetie?” her mom asked.

“Yes?”

“Will you pray for me?”

Emily hadn’t prayed in years. Not really. Sure, there were those quick moments of pleas that her car wouldn’t run out of gas or that she could make it through the checkout line of the grocery store before Jack’s fit got too bad. “I haven’t prayed in a long time, Mom.”

“I’m in your room waiting for you. Promise me you’ll come pray with me.”

“I promise.” She hung up as Miller pulled his truck up in front of his house.

“Owens said he could have someone there within five minutes. He wants us to go to the station, but I told him if he wanted to talk to us, he’d have to come here.”

“I should go meet him there and help him with my mom.”

He put the car in park and turned off the ignition. “Um, I don’t think that’s a very good idea. She still has two needles.”

“You think she’d use it on me?”

“You think she wouldn’t?”

Miller was right. Her mom sounded very anxious for her to come home. “I’ll go visit her later, after Owens does his thing.”

They all piled out of the truck, and Miller smiled as he took Jack from her. “I can get used to this,” he said.

She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him. “Me too.”

“You sit with Jack and rest. Abby and I will make dinner.”

“I got spaghetti,” Abby called out and started to pull pans out of the cabinets.

Miller winked at Emily. “Guess that leaves me with waffles.”

Emily sat with Jack’s head in her lap and brushed his hair off his face, watching him slowly wake up. “How ya doing?” she asked when both his eyes were open.

“Is that mean man gone?”

“Yep. How do you feel?”

“My head hurts.”

“Can I get you anything?”

“Pamprin.”

“Pamprin?”

“It stops the pain before it stops you.”

How had she even gone an hour without Jack? “Oh how I missed you.”

Miller’s phone rang. He called out, “Can you get that?” from the kitchen.