Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
E verything was laid out and she was getting out the plates and flatware when the front door opened. She looked up and smiled as she chirped out, “Hey, babe!”
Aaron took off his jacket and hung it on the coat-tree by the door, then unbuckled his tool belt and headed to the bedroom. “Hey, sweetie.”
“Have a good afternoon?”
There was no answer from him until he walked back into the kitchen. “Yes. But I got a surprise.”
“Yeah?”
“There’s no divorce on file for EvelynColeman and her husband.”
“What about a marriage certificate?”
“Yeah. Ivy looked. There’s definitely a marriage certificate, but no divorce decree.”
Maisey stood there for a second, shocked. “What does that mean?”
“Well, first and foremost, it means that’s another lie she told us,” Aaron said and popped a cherry tomato into his mouth.
“But why? Why would she lie and say they were divorced?”
“I have no clue. I’ve been playing that over and over in my head all afternoon and I can’t come up with an answer.”
“Wait! What if she said they’re divorced because she wishes they were? There’s no decree, but have there been other filings?” Something was rolling around in Maisey’s brain.
“That I don’t know. Didn’t check. What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking… I’m thinking… I’m not sure what I’m thinking, but I’ll know when I think it,” she said, her mind racing. “But I do know it means that I need to put those boots on again tonight.”
Aaron rolled his eyes. “Aww, babe, do you have to? I was hoping for a little, you know… tonight.”
“Yes. I have to. The sooner I figure it out, the better off we’ll all be and this will be over.”
“Okay. I guess you’re right. But we get this one over with and no more, please?”
Maisey shook her head. “I didn’t go looking for this one. Totally accidental.”
Murielle entertained them all through dinner with tales of the things that had happened in class that day. “So what did you learn in school today?” Aaron asked as she started to wind down.
“How to cast a spell on a bad person.”
Maisey almost laughed as Aaron’s eyebrows shot up and he asked, “Your class learned how to cast a spell on a bad person?”
Murielle never looked up, just stabbed a piece of macaroni with her fork and answered, “I don’t know what everybody else learned, but I learned how to cast a spell on a bad person.” It took everything Maisey had to keep from laughing out loud, especially at Aaron. He looked like he’d swallowed a cocklebur whole.
“And what kind of spell did you cast on the bad person?” Maisey asked Murielle.
“I casted a shut-up spell.”
“Did it work?”
“Well, she shut up, so I reckon it did.”
“Well, there ya go!” Maisey chirped and grinned at Aaron, who was still sitting there looking somewhere between confused and horrified. “Who is this you needed to cast a spell on?”
“Her name’s Olea. She’s mean to me. She told me I was ugly and my feet stink, and she’s gonna make all my friends hate me.”
“First off, your feet don’t stink,” Aaron assured her.
“Yeah, I know.”
“And you’re not ugly.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“And how exactly does she plan to make your friends hate you?” he asked.
“I dunno, but they don’t. Margreeth told her to go suck a dick.”
“WHAAA?” Aaron belted out.
“Margreeth said that?” Maisey squawked out.
“Yeah. What does that mean? I don’t know what that means,” Murielle said, her eyes wide.
“It’s something very, very bad. Don’t ever say that,” Maisey told her, all the while fearing Aaron would explode. “Just don’t.”
“Okay. Doesn’t matter. I casted that spell on her and she shut up, so that’s good enough. And I drew a picture and left it on her desk so she knows I mean business.”
“What’s it a picture of?” Maisey asked, but she was afraid of the answer.
“It’s a dragon with fire coming out of its nose and an arrow through it so it’ll die.” Murielle had gone back to eating and seemed totally unconcerned with any of the rest of the conversation.
“I suppose it could’ve been a lot worse,” Aaron muttered.
“Yeah, I was gonna make a dragon with fire coming out of its nose and an arrow through it so it’ll die and poop coming out of it while it was flying. You know, turds falling outta its butt.”
Her laughter barely contained, Maisey said, “Yeah, well, I don’t think the poop would’ve made it any more real for her. That would’ve just made her laugh, and you don’t want her to laugh.”
“No. I don’t. That means she’s happy, and I don’t want her to be happy. I don’t want her to be sad either. I just want her to shut up.” Murielle gobbled up the last bite of her macaroni and cheese and grinned up at them. “May I leave the table, please?”
“Yes, ma’am. You did a good job of eating your dinner. Got homework?” Aaron asked.
“No. I did it at school. So can I play a video game in my room?”
Aaron nodded. “Yes. But when I tell you it’s time for bed, you have to stop.”
“Okay, Daddy. I will. Thanks.” She ran around the table to where Aaron sat and kissed him on the cheek. “Love you, Daddy.”
“I love you too, punkin’.”
To Maisey’s surprise, she rounded the table and kissed her stepmother on the cheek too. “Love you, Mommy.”
“I love you too, sweetheart.” Maisey watched as Murielle jetted down the hallway and disappeared into her room. “I love that child,” she whispered.
“I know. And I love that you love her. But what is with these kids? She’s ugly and her feet stink? And her friends will hate her? And dragons with flames and arrows and shitting as they fly?”
Maisey couldn’t hold her laughter anymore. “Babe, that’s totally tame compared to some of what I hear!”
Aaron shook his head. “I could never do your job.”
“Yeah. That’s why they pay me the big bucks, babe,” she said with a grin. “So, wanna watch some TV until it’s time for her to go to bed?”
“Sure! I guess. But no dragons and no poop,” Aaron insisted.
“Agreed.”
TV shows finished and video game playing over, Maisey and Aaron tucked Murielle into bed and headed for the deck, the boots gripped in Maisey’s hands. They both took seats on the deck furniture, and Maisey looked at the boots. They looked so harmless and so cute, but their secret was deadly. “Ready?” she asked Aaron when they were settled.
“I should be asking you that.”
She shook her head. “I’m never ready, but it has to be done.” Without another thought, she slipped the left boot on, and when her foot was firmly seated in the right one, it started.
The blackness enveloped her, but the tiny specks of light she’d seen in the earlier vision were now larger, and she recognized the streetlights on the other side of the houses out by the street and the light coming through back windows up and down the alley. She could feel the fingers closing around her neck, and she fought off the fear that she’d experienced before. Did she recognize his voice? No. Not at all, but it was indeed the same voice she’d heard before.
As before, Carina screamed, “What are you doing? Stop! You’re hurting me!”
He laughed, a sound that made pure dread run up Maisey’s spine. “Hurting you? Bitch, you’re gonna be nothing but a memory in a few minutes, and it’ll be your fault. Where’s that paperwork?”
She no longer tried to kick the boots off. She needed to hear what was coming, to see if she could determine who the man was. “How is it my fault? I’m doing it to help my dad! That’s all!” Carina gurgled.
“Just hand over the paperwork and this will stop!”
“They wouldn’t even… know about it… if it wasn’t… for me.” Carina was almost past the point of speaking and suffering from lack of oxygen.
The laughing. It was painful to hear as he spoke. “Yeah, so thanks for that! All of you can just go to hell for all I care.” Even though his voice was growing dim, Maisey stared up into his face with Carina’s slowly-dying eyes and could tell a little bit more about his features than before.
Carina lost consciousness and Maisey lost her connection. “Babe, you okay?” Aaron asked as he tugged the boots off her feet.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m okay,” Maisey answered, rubbing her neck. She knew there was nothing wrong with it, but the sensation was strong.
“Anything new?”
“Yeah. I noticed something. I thought she said, ‘I’m doing it to help Dad.’ But that’s not what she said. She said, ‘I’m doing it to help my dad.’ So it’s not Kyle or Evelyn, because Lyle was their dad too.”
“Right. Okay. They’re no longer suspects. Now we have to figure out who it is. Did you see any more of his face?”
“Maybe a little, but it was unfamiliar.”
“Can you look through some mugshot books?”
“Sure. I―” The sound of Aaron’s phone blasted through the room.
“Gotta get this. It’s Carly. Hey,” he said as he answered, but his face instantly hardened. “Yeah. That’s right. When? Is he… Okay. Yeah. Thanks for letting me know. So… Wow. Okay. Sure. Tomorrow morning. Thanks, sheriff.”
The look on his face scared Maisey. “What’s going on?”
“Carly just got a call from the sheriff over in BoydCounty. He got called to the hospital in Ashland to interview a victim. KyleFenton.”
Maisey’s heart almost stopped. “Kyle? What happened?”
“Seems somebody almost beat him to death. And Carly said SheriffMcWherter told her Kyle isn’t talking. Wanted to know if we’d come talk to him tomorrow morning, see if we could get anything out of him.”
“Of course! But wait. How did he know to call Carly?”
“Carly called the sheriff and told him we were going over there to talk to Kyle so he wouldn’t hear from somebody else that a WhitleyCounty deputy had been talking to somebody in his county. Just typical law enforcement courtesy.” She sat silently until Aaron asked, “Babe, what are you thinking?”
“I’m not sure. This just seems too random to be random, if that makes sense.”
“Oh, I agree completely. That’s why we’re going to question him tomorrow.”
“Good. I hope he’ll talk to us.” She really did. Things were beginning to feel very unsettling, and she didn’t like the thoughts that were crossing her mind. Something was wrong. Somewhere along the line, they were either missing information, or someone had told them a lie they hadn’t picked up on.
And she needed to know which it was so she could get the whole picture.
First thing the next morning, Maisey got a call about an emergency placement, and there was no one else to take care of it. By the time she was finished, it was almost noon, so she called Cherilyn to see if they could pick up Murielle from school and let her stay with them. Her friend said she was happy to, so as soon as they’d had a bite to eat, they hit the road for Ashland.
The hospital there was larger than the one in Corbin, twice as big, and was part of the University of Kentucky healthcare system. Kyle was on the fourth floor, so they rode the elevator, and Aaron checked in at the nurses’ desk. When they reached the room, he knocked quietly and heard a muffled response. “KyleFenton?”
“Yeah.” Recognition didn’t register on his face when they stepped inside the room.
“I’m DeputyFriedman and this is my wife, Maisey. We just talked to you the other day.”
“I don’t have anything to say.”
“Mr.Fenton, unless you talk to someone, we’re not going to figure out who did this to you. Do you know who it was?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Is there anyone who would want to hurt you?”
“No.”
“Did the person say anything to you? Ask you anything? Tell you anything?”
“No.”
“They didn’t look familiar at all?”
“No.”
“Were you inside?”
“Yes.”
“How did they get in?”
“I don’t know.”
Maisey watched the whole exchange with curiosity and a good bit of suspicion. It was obvious to her that Kyle knew more than he was saying, and she had to believe Aaron picked up on it too. As she observed, she could see the man growing more and more tense, stiff even, and even a little agitated. It was fear, from what she could tell.
“So there’s nothing you can tell us? Height? Weight? Hair or eye color? Identifying marks?”
“No. Nothing.”
“I see. Well, I’ll leave you my card in case you remember something. If so, please give me a call. I’d really appreciate it.” Instead of answering, Kyle gave Aaron a curt nod and turned his face toward the window.
They stepped out into the hallway and Aaron pulled the door closed behind them. Maisey didn’t get a chance to speak before Aaron whispered, “He’s lying.”
“He absolutely is. I can feel it. There’s something much larger going on here.”
“I’ve got to run by the sheriff’s office here and let them know that I didn’t get anything out of him and then we can go on home. How’s that?”
Maisey gave him a little smile. “Sure. Sounds good.”
She’d brought a book to read, so Maisey stayed in the cruiser while Aaron went inside. When he came out, he slid into the driver’s seat and they took off. They’d only made it about ten miles south of Lexington when Aaron’s phone rang again. “Shit. Forgot to call Carly. Hey, sheriff,” he called out.
Carly’s voice came over the onboard Bluetooth system. “Aaron, you went to Ashland, right?”
“Yep, and couldn’t get a damn word out of Kyle. I stopped and talked to SheriffMcWherter to tell him―”
“Where are you now?”
“About ten miles outside Lexington on the Corbin side.”
“Turn around and go back. I got a call from the FayetteCounty sheriff. They just got called to the home of a LanceColeman. Ring any bells?”
“Would that be EvelynColeman’s husband?”
“Yep. Seems somebody broke into his place, roughed him up, and threatened him. And when you find out why, you’ll be surprised. Go. I’ll shoot you the address.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
“Thank you.” And the car went quiet.
“I suppose I should call Cherilyn and tell her we’re going to be later than we thought,” Maisey mumbled.
“Looks that way. Is this when one of us is supposed to say, ‘And the plot thickens’?”
“I do believe it is.”
Fifteen minutes later, Aaron pulled up to the curb in front of the apartment complex that appeared to be LanceColeman’s home, only to find two other sheriff’s department cruisers already there. A deputy met them on the sidewalk. “Hey. You must be DeputyFriedman. I’m DeputyAkers.”
“Hey! Yep, that’s me, and this is my wife, Maisey.” The man extended his hand and Maisey took it. Something about him made her feel instantly at ease, but that was in direct contrast to how she felt standing there. For some reason, she wanted to run back to the cruiser, throw herself into the back seat, and hide.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am. Y’all have at him. He’s already told us quite a bit, but I hear this could dovetail into a murder investigation you have going?”
“Yes. We’re trying to piece the whole thing together.”
“I’m not sure how much this will help you, but it may mean something. You’re welcome to try, and I hope you’ll keep us in the loop.”
Aaron nodded. “We absolutely will, and thanks.”
DeputyAkers tipped his hat to Maisey and turned to go, but as he walked away, he called out, “Good luck. You’re gonna need it.”
They stepped into the house to find themselves in the middle of madness. There were two EMTs trying to work on a man sitting on a kitchen chair, but he was so distraught that he couldn’t even sit still. “I have to call her! Please! Stop and let me call her!”
“Sir, if you’ll just let us treat you, we can be on our way and―”
“You don’t understand! Nobody understands! She could be in danger!” he wailed.
Aaron stepped up into the melee. “Mr.Coleman?”
“Yes! I’m LanceColeman! Can you help me?”
“Sir, I’ll try. Can you tell me what happened here?”
“He came right in through the front door like he owned the place! In broad daylight! Who does that?” he shrieked.
“Who was he?”
“How the hell should I know?” Lance bellowed.
“Sir, you need to… Fellas, can you give us a minute?” Aaron asked the two EMTs.
The younger of the two stammered, “B-b-b-b-but we’re almost―”
“Won’t take more than a minute, and maybe he’ll be in better shape to receive help after we’re finished, okay?” The two first responders shrugged, stood, and walked away. “Now, Mr.Coleman, you never saw the man before?”
“No. Never.”
“What did he say?”
“He knocked me around a bit and then he said, ‘Go sign the fucking papers. If you do that, I’ll only have to kill her and you can walk away. If you don’t sign them, I’ll have to kill you first, and either way, she dies. So save yourself, idiot.’ Those were his exact words as well as I can remember. My ears were ringing and I was in pain.”
“Yes, sir. I get that, and it’s pretty remarkable that you remembered that much. Let me ask you: Can you describe the man?”
“Uh…” Lance began, then stopped.
“Just give it a few seconds. Think. Close your eyes if you need to and really think.”
“Uhhh…” Maisey wasn’t sure how long it was, but Lance finally said, “Okay. Maybe six feet? Hard to say much else because he was wearing a hoodie.” What the hell is it with these fucking hoodies? Maisey wanted to scream. “White guy. Couldn’t see his eyes that well. But he had a mustache. You know, one of those seventies mustaches like Tom Selleck.”
“Got it. Was he dark complected? Fair?”
“Um, I’m thinking maybe medium?”
“Okay. Good. That’s really good. Now think really hard. Was there anything unusual about him? A scar? A tattoo? A lisp or stutter? Anything at all?”
“Uhhh… One of his front teeth was broken off.”
“Which one?”
The man closed his eyes, then opened them again. “The left one.”
He might as well have slapped Maisey in the face. That was the problem with the man’s smile―he had a broken front tooth! She didn’t realize she’d closed her eyes, but when she opened them and glanced at Aaron, his eyebrows were hiked up, and she knew what he wanted to ask her, so she nodded. Instantly, he asked Lance, “If we got a sketch artist to sit with you, do you think you could describe the man?”
“Maybe.”
“We’ll make arrangements for it. Is there anything else you can think of that we need to know?”
“No. Just make sure Evelyn is okay! Please!” he whined out.
“We sure will. Right now. We’ll let the EMTs get back to you and we’ll go find Evelyn. She’ll be fine. And thank you for talking to us,” Aaron said and patted the man’s shoulder. “Everything’s gonna be fine.” Without another word, he turned toward the door and motioned for Maisey to precede him.
As soon as the car doors were closed, Aaron made a U-turn in the middle of the street. “Are we going to find Evelyn?” Maisey asked.
“You’d better believe it.” Maisey sat back and watched traffic as Aaron sped through the streets of Lexington, making his way back to the real estate office. When he reached it, there was already a police cruiser sitting out front. “Wait here,” he told Maisey, and she nodded.
When he came out twenty minutes later, he sighed as he slid behind the steering wheel. “Did she say anything?” Maisey asked.
“No. Not really. She seemed surprised, and I could tell from her tone of voice and her expression that she was scared. I don’t think she knows what this is about, so I told her what Lance said. She said he’s been trying to call her for an hour and I told her maybe she’d better take his call. The officer and I had a conversation. She won’t be alone until we or they get a handle on this. I was concentrating so much on getting here that I didn’t bother to ask you if anything Lance said made sense, but I caught your eye. The guy in your vision has a broken front tooth, right?”
“Yes. Left one. I hope he can give a sketch artist something to work with. I’d really like to see that sketch.”
“Oh, you’ll see it. Trust me. You can bet on that. Ready to go home now? No matter what, we’re not turning around and coming back. Let FayetteCounty and Lexington city take care of it.”
“Good. I’m tired.” She was also a little scared. So far, two people involved in whatever it was had been hurt, and she was pretty sure it had to do with that unclaimed property. But what? The whole thing seemed wonky and disjointed. There was something they were missing, but what was it?
Whatever it was, only one thing was certain. As long as the murderer left her, her friends, and her family alone, nothing else mattered, at least not to her.
Maisey had just finished testifying in family court to the improvements a mother had made in her parenting skills when she slid into her car’s front seat and checked her messages. She had three voicemails and two texts from Aaron, so she opened the text app.
Where are you?
Her fingers flew across the screen.
I’ve been in court for an hour and a half. What’s going on?
Three dots wagged on the screen and the reply came up.
Come to the sheriff’s office.
Without responding, Maisey started her car and headed that direction. When she pulled up and stepped inside, Aaron was there at the front, leaning against the counter in the reception area. “What’s the big deal?” Maisey asked.
“I was worried about you. We got the sketch back.” Without another word, he turned and headed down the hallway, so Maisey followed, hustling to keep up. Aaron stopped just past the conference room door and motioned for her to go inside, and he followed her in. “You’d better sit down.”
“What’s going on?”
“Look familiar?”
Aaron slid a piece of paper across the table to her from his seat there and when it reached her, she turned it over. “Oh my god,” Maisey whispered.
“I see you recognize him.”
“Yes. That’s him.”
Aaron opened a folder in front of him. “Name’s MontyLeffler. Worked for a loan shark. From what we can tell, the guy he worked for mysteriously disappeared and Monty’s been hitting up every mark he had. He’s looking for money. But we don’t know his connection to Carina, although we know it has something to do with the unclaimed property.”
White-hot rage passed through Maisey. “It’s pretty clear who’s at the middle of this.”
“Kyle? He’s the one who took a beating.”
“No. It’s Evelyn. She’s the only one who hasn’t been touched yet.”
Aaron nodded. “Maybe. We’ve put out an all-points bulletin for Leffler. So if it’s Evelyn, what’s her game? And how does Leffler fit in?”
Maisey’s head was spinning. “I don’t know. Maybe it was Kyle. I’m so confused.”
“I think a trip to the monastery is in order, don’t you?”
Maisey stood. “Let’s go.”
The Monastery of Our Lady of Perpetual Benevolence outside Richmond or, more properly, in Paint Lick, was an imposing structure of Kentucky limestone, quarried right there in the region and built in the late eighteen hundreds. It had been there for so long that it blended right into its surroundings and regardless it’s immensity, it would’ve been hard to spot for someone not looking for it. Large trees surrounded it, and it was more like a retreat than a working monastery.
On the way there, Aaron had called ahead, and they were to meet with a FatherTheodoro at the main entrance. Sure enough, a brown-robed cleric stood there by the door, waiting. “You must be Deputy and Mrs.Friedman,” the man said, holding out a hand. To Maisey’s delight, he took her hand, then pressed his other on top of their joined ones. She thought that was charming, and it was soothing too.
“We are, Father, and thank you for taking the time to talk to us,” Aaron said as the man took his hand and did exactly the same.
“I only came here a few months ago, so I had to pull the file on BrotherCalvin. Took me awhile because I didn’t know his real name. Had to ask around. BrotherDaniel remembered him. Come, come, have a seat in my office.” They followed the thin man with the belted gown until they reached a small room with a desk and a lot of papers everywhere. “I apologize for the mess. I’m just now getting in the swing of things here.” He motioned toward the chairs in front of his desk, so Aaron and Maisey sat. “Now, how can I help you?”
“So Kyle … Brother Calvin told us―”
“No, he’s just Kyle now. When he left the order, he ceased to be BrotherCalvin.”
“Oh. Didn’t know how that worked.”
The monk’s smile was kind. “Quite all right.”
“Thank you. So Kyle left. Does your file show why?”
“Of course. Says he was released from the shelter of our monastery for conduct unbecoming a member of the order.”
“He told us he fell in love with a woman and left because of her, only to have her die a few weeks before their wedding.”
FatherTheodoro took off his glasses, folded the earpieces in, and laid them on top of the desk’s bounty of papers. “She wasn’t just a woman. She had been a nun, and she left the order a year or so before he was pushed out. They probably met through some activity we all did together.”
“Oh holy go… oodness. Holy goodness,” Aaron stuttered and caught himself. “A nun?”
“Yes. So they both knew the ramifications of their behavior.”
“And that’s a reason to kick him out?”
“He took a vow of chastity when he came here. He knew his actions would invalidate his vows. When the abbot confronted him, he broke down crying and told FatherToliver that he was in love with her.”
“I see. And he was in love with who?” Maisey caught Aaron’s eye and frowned, so he tried again. “Whom?” That made her smile.
“Her name was OpalStarnes. She’d been SisterOpal at the convent of the Sisters of the Holy Resurrection in Newport. When she left the order, she came back to Richmond to work at her family’s bakery and be closer to him, I presume.”
“I see. Did he ever mention his family? Maybe a younger sister?”
“Doesn’t mention them in his file. There’s nothing in there about his people.”
“I see. Well, thank you for your time. We really appreciate it.”
The older man looked from Aaron to Maisey. “You haven’t said one word, my daughter.”
Maisey gave him a gentle smile. “No, Father. My husband is the detective. I let him ask questions.”
“But you’re in the middle of this, are you not? It’s your gift that brought you here today.” The man didn’t smile, just sat, his eyes focused on Maisey.
She knew he could sense it. There was more than one person in that room at that moment who had a gift. “That’s right, Father.”
“I know what some people of faith would say. They’d say you’re a fake. That your abilities come from Satan. But all good things are given as gifts from God, and you’re using yours to help others. How can that be from Satan?”
“I can tell you this, Father. I don’t know Satan, but I’ve now looked directly into his eyes twice, so if I see him, I know him,” Maisey replied, surprised at the strength of her voice.
“Yes, I can understand that. Once one meets Satan face to face, they’re never the same. Life is more precious, and each step more precarious. Is this not true?”
Maisey nodded. “Indeed it is, Father.”
“Then godspeed, my young friend. I hope you manage to put whatever this is to bed soon and with the least amount of damage possible.”
“Thank you. Me too.” Maisey was startled. It was as though the old monk had looked directly into her soul, but she hadn’t felt threatened. She’d actually felt like she’d found a kindred soul.
The drive home was uneventful, and Aaron stopped at the office. “I’ll be home in just a few. Gotta put in for my mileage and the like. I’ll pick up Murielle from school on my way home.”
“Okay. See you when you get there,” she said and gave him a quick kiss before she climbed into her car and took off.
As soon as she pulled the car into the driveway, Maisey felt a sense of dread sweep over her. Where was that coming from? Briefcase retrieved from the back seat, she made her way up the front steps onto the porch, then stuck the key in the lock and turned it. The door swung open effortlessly, but as soon as it closed, she felt something against the back of her neck. “Where is it?” a voice growled, and she recognized it.
“Where is what?” she whispered, knowing full well what he meant.
“Give it to me and you won’t have to be hurt.”
“I’m really not worried about that, Monty.” She had a plan, but that was on a need-to-know basis, and he didn’t need to know.
“How do you know my name?”
“The sketch Lance helped the police artist work up was very effective. Once they had that, it took the police about two whole minutes to identify you.”
The sound of the hammer on the gun cocking chilled Maisey. “Get the paper. Now.”
“Okay, okay. It’s over here. Let me find it.” Maisey scrambled to the coffee table, prowling through the papers in the file there. “It’s here somewhere.” As she prowled, she managed to slip her hand under the edge of the coffee table and press the panic button Aaron had put there. “I don’t see it, but I know it was there earlier. You have it already, don’t you?” she argued.
“No! I don’t have it, but you’ll have a hole in your head if you don’t come up with it soon.”
“I know what you said to her, and I know what she said to you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Carina Williamson. Out in that alley. You said, ‘Bitch, you’re gonna be nothing but a memory in a few minutes, and it’ll be your fault. Where’s that paperwork?’ And she said, ‘How is it my fault? I’m doing it to help my dad! That’s all!’”
She could see his hand tremble. “How do you know that?”
“I just do. I was there.”
“No you weren’t! What the fuck? Are you some kind of witch or something? Find that fucking paperwork before I kill you right now. You’re creeping me out.”
“Oh! Here it is. Right here. Take it and go,” she said, handing him the first thing she saw. It wasn’t the document, but he wasn’t going to notice.
“Oh, no. You’re going with me. Come on.” With the gun jammed into the back of her neck, Maisey let him push her out the front door, but she stopped dead as soon as the door closed behind them. “Move it!”
“Can you at least just let me lock the door? I don’t want anybody else rummaging through the house. If you kill me, my husband will need the info for all of my arrangements,” she said, but the whole time she was talking, only one thing was running through her mind. Please, please, somebody in this neighborhood, step outside. Please, some nosy neighbor, now is the time. Please, please, come out and―
“Hey, Maisey! How ya doin’?” a female voice called out, and both she and Monty turned to look.
“Oh, I’m fine, Mrs.Halvorsen. How are you?”
“Well, I’m ’bout fair to middlin’. Got this pain in my ankle and it’s―” As the neighbor kept talking, Maisey saw her opportunity. She pushed the door open only as wide as necessary, slipped inside, slammed it shut, and turned the deadbolt.
“Open this door!” Monty yelled from the other side and started to bang on the wood of the door, but Maisey was already on the move. She made sure the deadbolt was locked, ran to the bathroom, closed and locked the door, and pressed Aaron’s contact.
“Hey, babe, I saw where the alarm went off. Did you accidentally―”
“Monty’s here! God, Aaron, he’s got a gun! He had me at gunpoint and―”
“All units, this is Deputy SheriffFriedman requesting all available units assist. Armed suspect and hostage situation at…” Maisey heard him call out their address over the radio and held her breath. He was radioing everyone anywhere near there, and in seconds there would be cruisers swarming their street.
“You bitch! I’ll be back for you!” she heard Monty scream from outside the front door, and then nothing.
Sirens filled the air in seconds, and Maisey took a deep breath. There were voices and a lot of pounding on the door. “Maisey! It’s DeputyVanCleave! Open the door! Please, Maisey! Open the door! Sheriff’s department!”
Maisey threw open the bathroom door and ran to the front door. When it opened, VanCleave was standing there, and she began to sob. Instead of just asking her what was happening, he took her in his arms and held her while she cried. Instantly, there were officers everywhere, each of them stopping to check on her before they began their work of dusting for fingerprints, trying to collect evidence, and do whatever else was necessary. In under a minute, there was a hand on her shoulder and a familiar voice whispered, “Thank you, VanCleave. I’ll take it from here.”
Maisey spun and fell into Aaron’s arms. Everything inside her broke open, and she sobbed. She heard VanCleave tell him, “I’m just glad I was here for her. We’re gonna get this sumbitch, Aaron. He can’t do something like this to one of ours and get away with it. Maisey, honey, you’ll be fine. We’re all here for you.” Before she could turn to thank VanCleave, he was gone, on to do the work he was trained for, and she was thankful for him in that moment.
“Come sit down and tell me everything.” Aaron helped her to the sofa and they sat down side by side.
“He was in the house when I stepped in. I knew something was wrong. I could feel the energy outside, but I didn’t realize the danger.”
“It’s okay. We’re all here.”
“He wanted the paper for the unclaimed property. I gave him something. Don’t even know what it was. But that’s what he wanted.”
Aaron shrugged. “He can’t do anything with it unless he can prove he’s a relative, and he can’t.”
That was the moment she understood. “He could if he took Kyle’s identity.”
She watched Aaron’s face. “Oh holy hell. That’s what he’s going to do.” Aaron pulled his phone from his pocket.
“Jesus, Maise, you okay?” a feminine voice asked, and Maisey looked up to see Carly rush into the house. She strode toward her friend and leaned down to hug Maisey.
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
“What can I do to help?”
“We’ve figured it out,” Aaron told his friend and boss. “Evelyn and LanceColeman need to be in protective custody. Leffler’s looking for the paperwork for the unclaimed property, and now he thinks he’s got it. Kyle’s in the hospital, so he’s going to Kyle’s apartment to get enough documentation to steal Kyle’s identity. Once he’s done that, he’ll kill Evelyn and Lance to make sure neither of them have a claim on the money, and he’ll file for it and get it. Then, when he gets a confirmation, he’ll kill Kyle. He’s got to be stopped now before all hell breaks loose and we have three more dead family members on our hands.”
“I’ll issue a statewide alert. Wherever he is, they’ll find him. And you,” Carly said and pointed at her friend. “Get some rest. It’s time to pick up Murielle, right?”
“Oh, shit!” Aaron spewed. “I totally forgot!”
“I’ll go pick her up and bring her home. You two get yourselves pulled together. Before you finish dinner tonight, we’ll have MontyLeffler in custody.”
“I certainly hope so,” Maisey mumbled. For some reason, she still didn’t think everything was okay.
But hopefully it would be soon.