Throw a Monkey Wrench (an Emma Cassidy Mystery Book 1) (19 page)

A tiny, hysterical laugh bubbled up, but
she tamped it down. “I had a disagreement with someone. He drove me out to the
middle of nowhere, but I managed to get away from him. I walked for miles
before I came across this road. Thank God you stopped, Rusty. You’re a
lifesaver.”

His brow wrinkled up, and he looked even
more anxious. “Some guy kidnapped you? That’s insane.” He shifted in his seat.
“So, uh, I guess you want me to take you to the nearest police station, huh?”

“Well, yes. He’s not going to get away with
this. And he’s wanted on more serious charges, too.” She didn’t name Kyle. She
was teetering on the edge of tears, and if she said his name, she was afraid
she’d break down and bawl for hours, and Rusty didn’t deserve that.

“Um, well, the thing is, I don’t want to go
anywhere near any cops tonight. Not in this car, anyway.”

For the first time Emma registered the
faint, sweetish smell lingering in the station wagon, and she saw the remains
of what had to be a doobie in the ashtray.

“That’s fine,” she quickly replied. The
last thing she wanted was to get Rusty into trouble. “Just drop me off at
home.”

“Is that safe? This guy who’s after you, he
might be waiting for you when you get home.”

Good point. And with her dad away, it was
even more dangerous to go home. But where else could she go? Owen sprang into
her mind, before she ruthlessly shoved the idea aside. He might be a cop, but
she wasn’t going to go running to him for protection. She didn’t want to
disturb Becky, either. There really was only one person she could go to for
safety.

“I’ll go to Sean McCluskey’s house. I’ll be
safe enough there.”

And Sean would be over the moon when she
told him that she had discovered the real killer.

Emma hurried up the
long path that led to Sean’s house. When Rusty had dropped her off, she’d
suggested he clean out his car of any incriminating substances in case the
police visited him to check out her story, and he had quickly sped off. Poor
guy. She’d do anything to keep his name out of this. The lights glowing from
the windows beckoned her, and she almost collapsed against the front door,
overcome with relief. It only took a couple of knocks before Sean opened the
door. His eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw her.

“Emma! Come in. What are you doing here?”
His surprise turned to consternation when she limped into the house and the hallway
light fell on her. “Holy moly, what happened?”

“Oh, hell. What
hasn’t
happened!
Sean, I’ve got something exciting to tell you—” A figure shifted in the
shadowed hallway behind Sean. With nerves already shredded to ribbons, she
couldn’t help shrieking before she recognized the apparition as Larry Durand
from the auto shop. “Oh God, Larry! You gave me such a fright.” Panting, she
pressed a hand over her galloping heart.

“Sorry. Guess I’m light-footed.” Larry
shifted back. He’d been there all the time, yet she hadn’t noticed him. The man
had a knack of blending into the background like a chameleon.

“Didn’t expect to see you here,” she said,
still trying to recover her breath.

A slight frown touched Larry’s forehead,
but before he could say anything, Sean spoke up. “Larry and I were going over
some accounts. But never mind that. You look like you’ve been in a fight. Do
you need a doctor?”

“No, I doubt it. It’s just bumps and
scratches.” She rubbed the back of her neck and found both her neck and hand
were clammy with dirt and sweat. “Mind if I wash up a bit before we talk?”

“Sure. Here, let me help you.” Taking her
by the elbow, he steered her down the hallway until they came to a bathroom.
“There’re clean towels in there and a first aid kit in the cabinet. Help
yourself to whatever you need.” Sean glanced at her ragged sweater and dusty
jeans. “I’ll see what I can rustle up in the way of clean clothes.”

His simple kindness got to her, and she
found her eyes stinging with tears. “Thank you,” she murmured, choked with
gratitude.

Like most men faced with the threat of
female tears, Sean ducked away and closed the bathroom door, giving her the
privacy she needed.

Adrenaline and the survival instinct had
kept her going for the past couple of hours, but now she was tapped out.
Gripping the edge of the basin, she inspected herself in the mirror and wasn’t
surprised at her disheveled and desperate air. Not only was she filthy, but her
face was gaunt and her hands wouldn’t stop shaking. She was a wreck.

But she had survived.

The thought braced her, lending her an
extra spurt of energy. She stripped off her clothes and stepped into the
shower, turning the water as hot as she could take it. The abrasions on her
hands, arms, and legs stung, but she relished the steaming water. After
shampooing her hair, careful of the bump on the back of her skull, she turned
off the faucets, toweled herself off, and wrapped herself in the thick, fluffy
bathrobe she found hanging behind the door.

This bathroom was modern and inviting, she
realized. The towels were clean, the lights were bright, and it smelled nice,
too. Sean was a house-proud man, and when Kyle was arrested Sean would be free
to marry Madison and live their dream together.

She bounced out of the bathroom, buoyed by
her optimism, and saw that Sean had left some clothing for her folded up on a
nearby chair. A white T-shirt and a pair of jogging shorts, probably the only
things that might fit her. She went back into the bathroom and changed. The
T-shirt threatened to slip off one shoulder, and the drawstring of the shorts
had to be tightly knotted, but they would do.

Venturing out again, she found Sean and
Larry in the kitchen area at the back of the house. They were sitting at a
rather elegant round wooden table. The chairs were matching walnut, and the
dining set was situated in a glassed-in alcove that looked out over the back
yard.

“Coffee?” Sean asked, rising to his feet as
soon as she entered.

“Please. I feel like I could drink ten
gallons of it.” She slid into a seat opposite Larry. The auto mechanic was
quiet, his hands folded around a coffee cup. Sean slid a mug of hot coffee in
front of her, and she inhaled the heavenly fragrance for several moments before
reaching for the sugar basin. “Great place you’ve got here, Kyle,” she said
appreciatively as she stirred in two heaped teaspoons of sugar. Usually she put
sweetener in her coffee, but tonight she needed something to boost her energy.

“It’s okay.” Sean resumed his seat.

“No, it’s more than okay. Your home is
lovely, don’t you agree, Larry?”

Larry coughed and shifted uncomfortably,
his eyes darting about the kitchen. “Ah, yeah, it’s great. A lot better than
the dump I have to live in.”

Sean swiveled toward him, eyebrows rising.
“Didn’t realize you felt that strongly about your home.”

The auto mechanic frowned down at his
coffee mug, his fingers tapping on the table.

“Aw, y’know. I’ve had some bad luck in the
past.” He shrugged. “But it’s not forever. I’ll be able to get out of Struggle
Street one of these days.”

“No reason you can’t,” Sean replied. “I was
down on Struggle Street once, but I clawed my way out.” He turned to Emma.
“Want anything to eat?”

“No, thanks,” Emma murmured, distracted by
Larry. Something—some strong emotion—had flashed across his face for a brief
moment, disappearing before she could place a finger on it.

Sean focused his gaze on Emma. “So, what
happened tonight?” 

She leaned forward to spill her story,
talking rapidly between quick sips of coffee. The two men listened in silence.
Only when she got to the end did Sean let out a deep exhale.

“That dirty rat!” He jumped to his feet and
paced back and forth on the wooden floorboards. “I never knew what Madison saw
in Kyle. He’s such a jerk.” Sean upped his chin in Larry’s direction. “You
remember when he used to bring his pickup truck to the shop. Always strutting
around like a damn peacock and making out like we were just dumb grease
monkeys.”

“Yeah,” Larry muttered but didn’t add
anything, just continued to pick at the dirt around his fingernails.

“And he’s tried more than once to break
Madison and me up.” Sean looked like he wanted to spit. “God, what a scumbag.
I’m not surprised he killed his own father.”

Without warning Larry let out a strange
whistling noise before resting his head in his hands. Sean walked over to him
and gave him a soft punch on the shoulder.

“Hey, you’re not going to faint, are you,
buddy?” Glancing across the table at Emma, he gave her a quick wink. “Larry
here’s a softie. Always has been. Got beaten up a lot when we were kids.”

Emma nodded. Now that she’d blurted out her
story to Sean, she was anxious to get official wheels turning. While Kyle was
still out there, she didn’t dare go back home, which was precisely what she was
dying to do right now.

“Mind if I borrow your phone?” she asked
Sean. “I want to call the police station and tell them what happened.”

He picked up his cell phone from a nearby
counter and handed it to her. “Go ahead.” Breathing heavily, he resumed his
pacing, and she sensed his anticipation at the possibility of his ordeal ending
soon.

She pushed to her bare feet and, feeling
the need for privacy, went out to the living room to make her call. She asked
the dispatcher to contact Sherilee, giving him Sean’s address and phone number.
When she returned to the kitchen, Sean was alone.

“Where’s Larry?” Emma asked as she took a
seat.

“He left. He doesn’t like cops.” Sighing
softly, Sean dropped into a chair and scratched his chin. “I can’t believe this
nightmare might soon be over. I’ve been going through hell.”

“Yes, it’s been tough on you and Madison.”

“Yeah.” He nodded thoughtfully before
uttering a rueful laugh. “You know why Larry was here tonight? I was preparing
to hand over the business to him.”

“Larry? You were going to give him the auto
repair shop?”

“No, not
give
it to him. I was
planning to put him in charge of everything in exchange for half the profits. I
figured it was the best thing to do, considering that I’d have my hands full
preparing for the court case and then, who knows, facing years in jail.”

“Wow.” Leaning back in her chair, Emma
thought about quiet, unassuming Larry. “That’s quite a big step.”

“Yeah. I wasn’t too confident about putting
Larry in charge. Especially after I had to tell him off for using customers’
cars. And a lot of people think he’s a dweeb. But I didn’t have many options
’cos I sure didn’t have any faith in my cousin Bart. He’d have wrecked the
place. It was either Larry, or let the business fade away. But now I don’t have
to make any changes, thanks to you.” Sean smiled, and for the first time since
he’d been arrested she saw a glimmer of his previous confidence returning.

“I’m glad.”

“How long do you think it will take for the
police to get here?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. I told the dispatcher I
needed to talk to Officer Ackerman as soon as possible. I said it was urgent.”

“And you’re sure she’ll listen to you?” A
shadow of doubt crossed Sean’s face. “She’s gonna take your evidence to Chief
Putnam and stand up against him if he tries to shoot it down?”

“I’ll tell you something, Sean. Personally
I’m not a fan of Sherilee, but she’s a stickler for the rules. She’ll do the
right thing.”

“I hope so.”

A rowdy banging on the front door startled
them, bringing them both to their feet.

“See?” Emma said. “She’s here already.”

She trailed after Sean as he made his way
to the front of the house. The banging started again, and she wondered why
Sherilee was so impatient, since she hadn’t dialed 911.

“Police! Open up!” someone hollered from
outside.

Sean opened the door and immediately fell
back a couple of steps as Owen barged his way in, his service pistol in both
hands.

***

 “Get down on the
floor!” Owen yelled at Sean.

His face turning green, Sean flopped down
onto his stomach, hands stretched out above his head.

Emma gaped at Owen in shock. His eyes
locked with hers. His face…she’d never seen him like that before, so taut and
strained.

“What are you doing?” she squeaked in
disbelief.

Owen jerked his head in Sean’s direction.
“Did he do it? Is he the one who kidnapped you?”

“What? No! You’ve got it all wrong. Sean
didn’t do anything!”

“You sure?”

“Of course I’m sure. Please, put that gun
away and let him up.”

“I’m not taking any chances.” Owen
holstered his gun and produced a pair of handcuffs. With rough efficiency he
cuffed Sean and got him into a sitting position.

“For God’s sakes, this is ridiculous!” Emma
protested, stunned by Owen’s over–the-top actions. “Let him go. You’re making a
huge mistake.”

Owen hooked her by the elbow and pulled her
away from Sean.

“Listen, I’ll let him go when you explain
what happened. Two hours ago I stopped by your house and found you weren’t
there, but your car was, and so was your bag lying in the middle of the
driveway. I questioned your neighbors, and one of them reported seeing a
dark-colored pickup truck near your house a short while ago. I knew something
was wrong, and ever since then I’ve been busting a gut trying to find you, so excuse
me if I’m not too polite, because I’ve just gone through two hours of hell!”

She couldn’t speak. The tension radiating off
Owen was almost nuclear. Stress lines carved up his forehead, and his eyes were
like furnaces. He looked so mad with her she felt her insides shrivel.

“How…how did you know I was here?” she
asked hoarsely.

“I alerted the Greenville Police Department
about your disappearance. Sherilee called me as soon as she heard from the
dispatcher, and I happened to be in the area.” He looked her over, taking in
the borrowed clothes she was wearing. “So who was it?”

“Kyle, Tony Barnet’s son. He tackled me
outside my house, and I fell and somehow lost consciousness. Either I hit my
head or he bashed me, but I don’t remember. When I came to, I was in the back
of his pickup truck, and he was driving somewhere east of the lake, in the
middle of nowhere. When we stopped, we…we had some words. I—I don’t know what
he was planning to do with me, but I took my chance and ran off.” A chill came
over her as she relived those frightening moments stumbling through the dark.
“I don’t know how long I walked for, but eventually I came to a road and—and
flagged down a passing motorist. He dropped me off here.”

Owen stood and contemplated her for several
long moments. “You didn’t think to call me?”