Chapter 39
CHAPTER 39
J OE COULD BARELY brEATHE. He felt his time was short. In the bed, raised up to a sitting position, he wanted to do more than watch a local news feed on TV all day. He’d watched footage of the barrels being removed from the lake. They finally found Blake and Sophia, Hanna had told him. He wished he could tell her that he was just as surprised as she was.
He watched and listened as Hanna read her press release about what was taken out of the lake, and his heart swelled with pride. She was special. But as he watched, fear started. A truth had come to light, and certain people would be angry about that. He’d had nothing to do with it, but he doubted that would work as an excuse. As events unfolded, he’d have to do everything in his power to protect Hanna. He had nothing to give for her except his life.
Using hand gestures, he asked the caregiver to give him a pad of paper and a pen. He’d written a bundle of letters to Hanna over the years. He’d brought them with him. The instructions were that they be given to Hanna after he died. They were just about his life in prison, how he’d come to faith, what he hoped for her—all the things he’d have told her if she’d ever visited. He’d never written about what put him there. Holding the pen, he steadied his hand and began to write all the words he wouldn’t have the breath to say.
Hanna called Everett as she headed home. It went to voicemail. That was weird. Not even the service answered. They or Grover usually answered if Everett couldn’t. It only increased her worry about Nathan. Had he walked into some danger he never expected?
She parked in her driveway and jogged into the house. Joe was in bed. The back was raised, and he had the TV on. He turned to face Hanna when she walked into the room. She turned her radio down, not wanting to be interrupted by anything.
She saw him watching her, eyes moist, his chest rising and falling, breathing labored. A pad of paper rested on his chest.
“My colleague Nathan Sharp is missing. I don’t have time for games or lies. Joe, you didn’t kill Blake and Sophia Carson, did you?”
He held her gaze for a long minute and said nothing.
“He can’t get his breath,” the caregiver said. “It’s a progression of the disease. He won’t be able to talk to you.”
“You can listen, can’t you, Joe?”
He nodded.
“The timing doesn’t work. There is no way you could have dumped those bodies—unless you were working with someone else and you covered for them. But I don’t see any other names. I don’t believe you had an accomplice. I don’t think you killed them. I’m at a loss.”
He gave a slight nod and tried to speak. Nothing came out. He held the pad out to Hanna. He raised a bony finger, pointed at the pad.
“You want me to read this?”
He nodded.
It was a couple of pages. “I don’t have time to read everything.”
Joe pointed at the pad.
She read the first line.
Hanna, please read. I hope this answers your questions was printed across the top.
She held the pad in both hands. Joe tried to speak and couldn’t. There was only one word Hanna could understand. Read.
Hanna stepped to the door, leaned against the frame, and began to read. After the admonition to read, the next line was, Hanna, all I’ve ever wanted to do is keep you and your mother safe. It was written in bold capital print. She paused and saw that Joe was watching her. Hanna continued reading.
I told them I did the murders. I was backed into a corner. That night was the worst night in my life and the best night. In spite of the ugliness of what happened at the cabin, you were born, and you were the best thing I ever had a part of.
I went to the cabin that night to cook meth. That much is true. I tried to quit cooking for your mother and you. Chase wouldn’t let me. He promised me it would be the last time. I agreed to one last time, but I never trusted Chase. He set up the kitchen in Beecher’s cabin.
It was getting dark, and I was late. I drove your mom’s car to the highest spot I could, without using the Buckley’s trail. I parked to walk in and surprise Chase if he set me up. I had a gun just in case, an old .38, and started for the cabin.
Chase was always trouble. He never got arrested because his granddad owned the sheriff and the courts. The man was a Tasmanian devil when he was angry. I hurried up the steep trail, sorry I brought the gun because it rubbed against my hip. It was hot and I was sweating. It took me about twenty minutes to get up into the tree line where I could catch the trail to the cabin.
The writing became shakier and harder to read as she went on.
On my way up, I saw a car parked on an old logging road. Few people knew about that road and fewer used it. I knew that no one should be up there. It spooked me. I kept low and carefully moved closer to see if I recognized the car. When I caught a glimpse of the front end, I almost had a heart attack. It was Gilly’s car.
Hanna stopped at this point and looked up at Joe. “Gilly was there?”
Joe shook his head and indicated with his hand that she keep reading.
I thought that the Fed was there. My first instinct was that it was a setup and I needed to run and not look back. I almost did that, but then I thought of Sophia. Maybe the Fed was after all of us. I wanted to warn Sophia, if she was there. I didn’t really care about Chase or Blake. I didn’t want to see pretty little Amanda without a mother. I felt like I had the element of surprise, and I could sneak up on the cabin. If the Fed was already on them, I could still make a break for it and be in the clear. After all, it was just the one guy.
As quick as I could, I hurried for the cabin. When I got to where I could see the roofline, I stopped and listened. When I didn’t hear anything, I kept walking. I pulled the gun; I wanted to be ready. As I got closer, I could smell something like burning plastic. I knew that they’d already started cooking, and there was no sign of Gilly.
There were no lights blazing and that was a good thing. They had the windows covered.
Then I heard two gunshots. I almost turned around and ran. They came from inside the cabin.
Did Gilly just kill them? Or did they kill Gilly?
Bang, bang, bang! Three more.
I was shaking by then, thinking, What do I do?
I turned to run away, but my curiosity wouldn’t let me. I jogged forward. I could hear Chase talking, cursing, not making sense. Only Chase’s voice, like he was talking to himself. I tiptoed to the front door, pushed it open a smidge, and peered in. Chase’s back was to me. He had a gun in his hand and was waving it in the air. Looking down at something.
The putrid smell in the place made me gag. They’d tried to separate the elements from the cold tablets to get down to the meth, but they hadn’t done it right. Everything was just burning. I pushed the door open farther, then stepped inside and tried to see what Chase was looking at. He was oblivious to me. Two more steps inside and I almost screamed. I couldn’t believe it.
Blake and Sophia were on the floor, both tied up and shot in the head.
Chase jerked around and faced me, pointing a gun straight at me. “There you are! You stood me up! You sicced that Fed on me and then didn’t show!” A wild look glinted in his dark eyes. He was higher than a kite.
I pointed my gun at Chase and stepped back, hoping for a standoff. “Whoa, whoa, I just came to warn you. The Fed is here somewhere. I saw his car in the forest.”
“I took care of him and I just took care of the other traitors. Now it’s your turn.”
He fired at me and missed. I tried to shoot him, but man, that gun I had was old and frozen. It wouldn’t fire. I threw it and hit Chase in the head, making him madder than a rattlesnake. He shot at me again and missed again.
All I wanted to do was get out of there or I knew I’d end up like Blake and Sophia. I reached for something to hold him off, grabbed the closest bottle, and threw it. My aim was off. The bottle hit the corner of the table and shattered, liquid and glass spraying all over Chase.
Hanna squinted down at the last paragraph. The writing was barely legible.
He screamed, the worst sound I have ever heard in my life. He dropped the gun, fell to one knee, and brought his hands to his face. I turned and ran out of the cabin, through the forest and back to my car, the echo of Chase’s bloodcurdling scream ringing in my ears.