Smoky Mountain Investigation (23 page)

It was Dave.

He grabbed his cell phone and punched Kylie’s number.

“Steven, take your time getting to the door. Stall them, tell them whatever you want,” he said, holding the phone to his ear and heading toward the basement stairs.

“What’s going on?”

“I think Dave Michelson is the culprit. And whatever he has planned, he wants me out of the way.”

“How are you going to get out of here without them knowing?” Steven called after him.

“Back road, buddy. For once your cycle will come in handy.”

Nick bounded down the basement steps, the phone still to his ear. Kylie wasn’t answering. Something was wrong.

A punch of adrenaline rocked through him. He slipped out through the basement door. Staying low and close to the outside wall, he tramped through the overgrown weeds shooting out from cracked ground by the foundation.

At the corner of the house, he hazarded a glance to the four officers waiting for Steven to open the door.

Good job, brother.

With measured steps, Nick made his way across the rocky ground to the side of garage. He was grateful he hadn’t pulled the bike inside. Maybe God was looking out for him. That thought brought some peace.

With his boot, he eased up the kickstand, then silently pushed the motorcycle back into the woods behind the house. Out of earshot, he jumped on the bike and took off across the rocky terrain. Fifteen minutes to Kylie.
Lord, protect her!

NINETEEN

T
he crazed look in Dave’s eyes kept Kylie rooted in place. “What do you want, Dave?”

A slow smirk inched across his jaw. “You, Kylie. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Stunned and disbelieving, Kylie grappled for her voice. “Dave, I had no idea you felt that way about me.”

Garbled laughter rumbled from his chest. “You knew, Kylie. You just chose not to acknowledge the truth.” His assumption shocked her more, jarring intrusively in her ears.

Her knees shaking, Kylie reached for a semblance of composure. She needed to stay calm. In a single glance she gauged the distance between her and the kitchen, wondering if she stood a chance of making it there and out the side door. Then she remembered the new dead bolt she’d recently installed. The key was on her key ring along with the canister of pepper spray Nick had given her.

Her heart slipped, but she kept her chin up. “What truth are you referring to, Dave?”

With a smug tilt to his head, Dave grinned again. “That you and I were meant to be together, of course.”

Now Kylie was completely dumbfounded. Her mouth fell open. “How could you think that?” The moment the words tumbled off her tongue, she wished them back.

Dave’s features hardened. “For the last ten years I’ve been in the background of your life. If you had paid attention, you would have noticed.” He advanced one step. The anger that lit in his eyes coiled a knot in Kylie’s stomach.

She swallowed thickly. “Over the years I’ve seen you at various functions in town and at church. I would have never guessed that you were there because of me.”

His expression eased some. After a pause, he responded, “I knew Nick had hurt you. I was waiting until the timing was right and I thought that time was getting close. But then,” he strongly enunciated, “I had Nick to contend with again. I got rid of him once, but as it turned out, not for good. The man couldn’t stay away.”

Pressing a hand to her throat, Kylie worked to stay calm. She met Dave’s intense gaze to hold his attention. Keep him talking. She was buying minutes. “Nick came back to help his brother after the accident.”

“No!” Dave’s brow furrowed and he wagged his head. “That was only his excuse to sneak back into your life.”

Kylie’s jaw dropped at the fabrication. Only an obsessive mind would jump to such a conclusion.

“I want you to understand how conniving Nick Bentley is.” Dave moved another step in her direction. Fear detonated in her chest.

Fighting to even breathe, Kylie managed a weak nod, encouraging him to keep talking.
Lord, please get Nick here before it’s too late.

“Do you realize how hard I worked to orchestrate such a perfect plan?” Some steel in Dave’s voice now. He lifted a clenched fist. “A body at the airport to mark Nick’s arrival and when I found out you planned to be there also, the plot turned flawless. I thought for certain that Nick would turn and run at the sight of the first slaughtered victim, like he had after Conrad’s murder. I wanted you to see the kind of man he was so you could move on once and for all.”

Kylie felt her body stiffen. And fall into Dave’s arms? He was crazy.

Dave shook his head. “I would have been there for you, Kylie. I’ve been waiting patiently all this time.”

The puzzle pieces started to match up. Fear bubbled up in Kylie’s chest, and to stave off the panic, she kept reminding herself Nick should be arriving any moment.

“I had no idea you cared so much,” Kylie finally said.

“Because you only wanted Nick!” he shrieked before his voice softened. “Now that he’s back, he’s all you think about.”

“That’s not true.” Kylie swallowed. “Nick was just trying to help me. We’re friends.”

“No!” Dave’s distorted expression made her jump. He strode even closer, jabbing a stubby finger at her face. “You couldn’t stay away from him. How could I trust you again?”

Kylie threw up her palm. “You can trust me.” Her body tensed; her gaze flicked between Dave and the window, praying to see Nick rushing up.

As if Dave could read her mind, he broke into a cynical laugh. “If you’re looking for Bentley, you can forget it. He won’t be coming.”

That brought her gaze back to him in a hurry. “Why would you say that?”

“About now—” Dave twisted his thick wrist and checked his watch “—Nick should be at the station, getting booked and fingerprinted.”

Kylie swallowed again, fear clenching her gut. Her brain scrambled for words to defuse him, to gain his trust. Thoughts raced wildly; she snatched one. “It doesn’t matter if Nick doesn’t come. It’s actually better that way.”

His brow furrowed, he looked amused. “Why is that, Kylie?”

“Well,” she said, stepping back and bumping against the doorjamb, “I wouldn’t want him to get hurt on my account.”

“He will be hurt,” Dave rasped, smiling at her. “Mark my words.”

It took a moment for Dave’s words to sink in. He had plans for Nick. Like he had plans for her. Clenching her fists, she stared at him, stared into the eyes of her stalker. Psychopathic eyes. A serial murderer. Her heart lurched.
God, help me!

He was going to kill her.

“Kylie, I had so hoped for a future for us. But now it seems all you want is Nick. I hate it has to end like this.” He continued toward her. She noticed a latex glove jutting from his pocket. “After today, there will be another unsolved murder in Asheville. Too bad you won’t be around to report on it.”

Fear washed away any thread of composure she had left. She had to get away from him. Even if she couldn’t make it out of the house, she needed something to protect herself.

Without a second thought, she broke into a run, daring only one glance back as she rushed for the kitchen. Dave lunged after her, the thud of his boots beating against the polished hardwood.

Yanking a chair from the table, she sent it skidding across the floor, slamming into him.

Cursing and screaming, Dave kicked the chair aside. “Kylie, you’re making this difficult!”

Good.
She reached for the cast-iron skillet on the stove, her fingers tightening around the handle.

Dave’s hard hand grabbed her by the arm, yanking her away and sending her stumbling back against his chest. The force of the impact knocked air from her lungs.

His brawny arms tightened around her. “They always run first,” he grunted, pressing his lips against her ear. “But they never win.”

That knowledge only made her fight harder. She didn’t want to end up like one of
them.
Struggling to breathe, she wrenched wildly, trying to break his hold. “Dave, don’t do this.” She gave a hoarse shriek.

“Stop fighting!” he demanded, his tone gritty. As his grip eased up a fraction, she lobbed an elbow into his ribs.

He growled and she screamed, “Let me go!” Her cry was quickly abated by his crushing hold.

“That’s enough.” He jerked her up, hugging her small frame against his body, her feet suspended off the floor. Adrenaline kicked up her heart rate and spurred her on. Gulping for air, she kicked frantically and dug her heel into his shin.

“Ouch!” he groaned, releasing his grip. She tumbled to the floor. She fell against the kitchen cabinet, her legs like rubber as she started to stand.

He hauled her up to a full upright position, then whirled her back to him. “Don’t play like this, Kylie. You’ll only make things worse.” Hot breath poured down her neck, sending chills rippling along her skin. Worse didn’t seem possible.

“Please stop, Dave.” She bucked and squirmed against him as he dragged her across the kitchen, the heels of her shoes dancing along the wood floor.

Halfway across the room, he halted, propped his hip against the table edge, and with her still locked in his embrace, he managed to extract the gloves from his pocket.

“I never wanted it to come to this. I had such nice plans for us.”

“Plans? Tell me about them.” She struggled to speak around the lump of fear in her windpipe.

“None of that matters anymore,” Dave snarled, wrestling his hand into one of the surgical gloves. “Ten years ago, Nick Bentley was supposed to die. Instead he let Conrad die instead, while he went tromping through the forest with you. If only he’d been where he was supposed to be, none of this would have happened.”

So it was Nick he’d wanted all along. Dread gnawed at Kylie’s stomach. If Nick had been with Conrad that night, Dave would have killed him, too.

Dave’s grip tightened, hugging her closer, making it difficult to breathe. Kylie stilled for a moment, hoping he’d let up some. “Tell me the plans you had for us,” she gasped, trying to change his focus to something other than killing her.

“I told you, it’s too late for that. You’ve already crossed the line with Nick. Again!” His tone edged sharper with each spoken word.

As Dave battled with the second glove, his grip relaxed enough for Kylie to take a breath. This was her chance. Gritting her teeth, she slammed her head back into Dave’s chin. Before his ragged groan hit her eardrums, she broke away from him and took off for the front door.

To her horror, Dave beat her there, blocking her way. “Kylie, my sweet Kylie.” He shook his head, his breathing rapid. “You need to stop this.”

Not on your life.
She grabbed a lamp off a table, her breathing coming in short spurts. Shuffling back, she created more distance between them. She needed to wear him out or somehow convince him to come to his senses.

“Dave, you don’t have to do this.” She held the lamp above her head as endless prayers raced through her mind.

Slow and calculated, Dave snapped his gloves into place. Giving her a cynical look, he moved across the floor, his cold green eyes fixed on her. “Drop the lamp, Kylie.”

Fear coiled more tightly inside her with each step he took, followed by a shudder that shook her whole body. Clutching the lamp in a death grip, she continued to hold her ground, continued to pray, worked to breathe.

“I wanted to make this simple, Kylie.” Dave’s voice broke. But his flat tone bore an edge of impatience, sending dread coursing through her veins. “Unfortunately, you’ve given me no choice.”

Kylie’s breath snagged as Dave hunched his shoulders and broke into a sprint, rushing at her like a defensive linebacker.

She let go of the lamp, sending it crashing onto the floor, glass shards scattering. Spinning on her heel, she tore across the room, but Dave gained on her quickly, and in one clumsy tackle he took her to the floor.

“It’s time for you to give up, Kylie,” he grunted, his husky frame pinning her to the ground.

Fortunately, willpower trumped exhaustion. Kylie relentlessly twisted and writhed beneath him, and somewhere between a sob and a prayer, she managed to wrestle one arm free to scratch his face.

With a snarl, Dave knocked her hand away, then grabbed her throat and started squeezing.

“Dave, please don—” she gasped. A loud thud drowned out the rest of her words. Then a crash as the front door burst open.

Nick’s shout rumbled like an avalanche. “Kylie!”

Unable to answer, Kylie thrashed about, struggling to breathe and working to dislodge Dave’s fingers from her neck, but he grasped harder.

As Nick bolted into the room, Dave sprang up and in one jerky movement he was on his feet, dragging Kylie with him. He wrenched her in front of him, clutching his arm around her waist. He fumbled in the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a knife. He thrust the steel blade against her throat.

Kylie’s heart thrummed against her sternum.

* * *

Nick’s steps ground to a halt. Out of habit, he surveyed the scene, but his eyes kept going back to the knife at Kylie’s throat. “Let her go, Dave.” He started to raise his arms, a gesture of surrender and to show he had no weapon.

Dave didn’t budge, but the blade of his knife pressed more firmly to Kylie’s jugular. “One step, Nick,” he growled, “and she’s dead. Remember, I’m good at this.”

As if he could forget. Nick nodded, lowered his hands. His gaze moved from the knife to Kylie’s eyes.

She stared back at him; a fat tear spilled onto her cheek.

A desperate plan started to form in Nick’s head. “It’s your game, Dave. What do you want from us?” Nick lowered his hands and took a tentative step.

“I’m not kidding, Bentley!” Dave shuffled back a bit, dragging Kylie with him.

Cringing, Kylie’s gaze went wide.

“Dave, I believe you,” Nick said, shooting one hand up again. “Just tell me what you want from me.”

“I want you dead, Bentley!” Dave spat. He pulled Kylie tighter, terror etched her fine features.

Nick’s jaw tightened. “Okay, Dave. Let Kylie go and you can go at it with me. You have a knife. I’m unarmed. It’s more than fair.”