Chapter Thirteen #2
Auggie tugs on the leash, leading Noah toward a garden gnome posed beside a mossy boulder in someone’s yard.
It’s a smiling statue wearing a hat at a jaunty angle.
No idea what the thing could have possibly done to upset him, but my dog lifts his leg and pees like his life depends on it.
Noah raises his brows at me and waits patiently for the canine to be done.
Which is apparently going to take an eternity.
And the car is still hanging behind us, moving slowly in and out of the pools of light cast by the streetlights. The driver’s-side window lowers. What are the chances this is the same sedan from earlier, when I drove out to the hotel?
There’s something awfully familiar about this, and I have the worst feeling in the pit of my stomach. All of the dread. “Noah…”
“Yeah?” He turns my way again. Then he sees the car coming closer at such a sedate pace and frowns. “What the hell?”
I half expect a hand with a gun to appear out the side window.
But no. Tires suddenly scream and the scent of burnt rubber fills the air.
The car lurches forward, veering off the road, right toward me.
I turn and sprint down the street. Leading them away from Noah and Auggie.
Thank fuck I wore tennis shoes. Auggie starts barking and Noah shouts something.
My heart is hammering, blood pounding loudly behind my ears.
But it’s not enough to drown out the roar of the oncoming engine.
I have a head start, but it’s only going to take them a couple of seconds to catch up to me. I know that any moment now the car is going to hit me. Squish me like a bug, or send me flying into outer space. Turning toward a house might be my best move. I have all of a moment to make up my mind.
The next streetlight is a while away, but in the yard ahead of me is a big old tree.
It’s not a good plan, but it’s all I’ve got.
I sprint straight for the tree. To hide behind it or something.
The muscles in my legs start to burn. You need to be a special kind of person to commit vehicular homicide.
To want to crash your car into someone. And I hope they’re just that fixated on me.
There’s a pickup truck parked in front of the yard, leaving no room for the driver to make a last-minute change in direction.
If they follow me, they’re fucked. But what I didn’t account for is the tangle of gnarled roots at the tree’s base.
The toe of my shoe catches and my own momentum sends me sprawling on the cold hard ground.
It’s deafening…the crash when the car hits the tree.
Metal screeches and sparks fly as the bumper bar wraps around the trunk and the front of the car compresses.
And the mighty old tree groans but miraculously doesn’t give.
I am lying there waiting to be dead or something.
I don’t know. The car is so close to me. But it doesn’t happen.
Auggie’s warm wet tongue drags up the side of my face. I have never been so grateful to get covered in doggie slobber. Best worst sensation ever.
“Sid,” says Noah, eyes wide with panic. “Are you okay?”
“Hey.”
He carefully helps me up to my feet. I am dazed and confused, shaking from head to toe.
Like you do after a damn near-death experience.
I think I am in shock. But apart from some bruises from hitting the ground, and small cuts from broken glass, I seem to be mostly unharmed.
Which is fucking amazing and definitely not the case for the person inside the vehicle.
The woman is like a broken doll propped up in the driver’s seat. Her usually perfect hair and makeup are all messed up. Blood seeps from her nose and the corner of her mouth. Given the force she hit the tree with, the front half of the car seems partially embedded in her chest.
“Hi, Dianne.” I watch her through the window. “I honestly expected you to be Laura. But I should have known.”
Noah is already dialing emergency services.
Dianne spits out blood and sneers. She’s deep in her villain era. At least now we know her son came by his homicidal tendencies honestly. “Your cousin was mouthy too.”
“That was you, huh?”
She tries to laugh but she’s fading fast. The way blood is bubbling on her lips isn’t a good sign. And I just stand there and watch like I bought a ticket for the whole damn gruesome show.
“H-he’s going to get out,” she says, struggling to speak.
“I highly doubt it now. You messed up making it look like I killed Grace. I have an alibi for that night. But I’m guessing you already know that. It’s what made you desperate enough to do this shit.”
It takes her a moment to force out the words. “The police want to talk to me but…I won’t…give them the satisfaction.”
“Getting away with murder is harder than it looks. Your son could have told you that.”
Her head slumps to the side as her gaze dims. No idea if she’s actually dead, or unconscious.
Nor do I really care. Some people are devoid of humanity.
Dianne deserves this dismal ending and the mess she made.
And if this thought makes me an unkind or heartless and harsh person, then so be it.
I will be out here representing the bitter bitches.
Because the truth is, I am not big on forgiveness when it’s neither asked for nor earned.
Auggie sits at my feet, pressing his small warm body against the side of my leg.
Being a comforting presence. Lights have turned on in nearby houses.
Sleepy and stunned locals start to gather on the road and grass around us.
Some of them are even holding up phones to record the scene.
And soon enough, sirens can be heard racing our way.
Noah carefully wraps me in his arms and I hold onto him for dear life.
The last time I was being assessed in the back of an ambulance, my ex had tried to kill me. It sucks to be in a similar situation. Due to a member of the same family even.
Imagine living a quiet life. What would that even look like?
To not have two members of the same family try and send you to the other side.
How wild. Noah is nearby giving a statement while Auggie lounges at his feet.
I get sort of frantic if they’re out of sight.
Like I keep needing to know they’re okay.
I had never seen a dead body before. Never watched someone dying. And the experience has made me no closer to understanding the kick her son gets out of it. Though he got off on the cruelty and control. On being the one responsible for taking that life.
The paramedic shines a light in my pupils and tells me to follow their finger.
One of those silver blanket things is wrapped around me, though the shaking stopped a while back.
I think I was in shock. Now, I’m just tired after the adrenaline crash.
I mean, my skinned elbow stings, but that’s hardly something to bother bitching about.
The paramedic smiles and says, “You’ll live. Take it easy for a day or two. Just to be careful.”
“Thanks.”
Detective Hahn approaches with a very serious face. She is not happy to be out here in the middle of the night. Fair enough.
“She said she killed Grace,” I say. “Basically.”
She turns to frown at the small crowd gathered behind the police lines. An assortment of reporters and camera operators along with locals and the plain curious. “I’ve been looking for her to discuss some phone calls and payments made to your cousin.”
“So she was taking money from Dianne too?” I think it over. “Grace was probably supposed to make me look worse than she did. I think that’s what the angry phone call was about that night at the hotel. The reason Dianne gave her for wanting to meet.”
“Maybe,” says the detective. “I am just grateful we can hopefully give your aunt some closure.”
“Yeah.”
She pulls out her cell to record our conversation. Starting by giving the date and time. “Give me the rundown on what happened, Sidney. What were you doing out here?”
“We were walking the dog. Going to the lake and back again,” I say. “Then I noticed the same car that followed me earlier when I went to the hotel where my cousin was staying was following us now.”
“Why did you go there?”
“To see the place and ask some questions.”
Her expression isn’t happy. “And it was definitely the same vehicle?”
“I believe so.”
“Have you seen it before today?”
“It might have been parked on our street the other night. When Grace went missing. But I don’t know for sure.”
“You told me Ryan’s girlfriend had been hanging around,” she says.
“She has been. Though I haven’t seen her for a while.
But apparently Dianne decided to get in on the action too.
” I set aside the lightweight silver blanket.
“Auggie, my dog, was peeing on the gnome a couple of houses back. Noah was holding the leash. I noticed the car just hanging behind us and then it started coming toward me. No chance I could outrun it, so I headed for the tree instead.”
“You were lucky.”
“Very. She said Grace was mouthy. That Ryan was going to get out. Then she mentioned you wanted to talk to her and she didn’t want to give you the satisfaction.”
“Was that everything she said?”
“I think so.” I take a deep breath. Then I take another. “Grace died because of me. I knew that was the likelihood…but it sucks to know for sure.”
“How did you contribute to what happened to your cousin? What deliberate steps did you take that you were cognizant of that were likely to result in her demise?”
I frown.
“That’s what I thought. You didn’t.” She presses stop on her cell and gives me a look. “Do you really think you have a chance of finding those other missing women’s bodies?”
“I don’t know. I hope so. But with any luck, this will slow down the #justiceforryan movement. Cast some doubt on his supposed innocence. Give us more time to search. He needs to stay behind bars for everyone’s safety.”
“Keep in touch, Miss Walsh,” she says.
Noah wanders over with Auggie in his arms. “He’s decided he’s had enough. We’ve been offered a ride home by an officer. Want to go?”
“That sounds like a great idea.”
“How did it go with the detective?”
“I sense that she thinks I’m a drama queen.”
His brows rise. “Someone just tried to run you over. I feel like you’re entitled to a moment or two.”
“Mm.”
Detective Hahn talks to another officer near the car wreck.
Screens are being erected to shield the site from both the media and the general public—to stop them from getting a gory picture.
Who knows how long it will take to remove the body from all the twisted metal.
There’s a sea of lights from cameras behind the police lines.
No doubt some of those news crews are filming us right now.
Noah leans in and places a kiss on my forehead. While Auggie takes the opportunity to lick me on the chin. Such a very good boy. One day my life will be normal. Not today, obviously. But one day.
“Wish I knew what I’d done to deserve you two,” I say. “Because guaranteed I would do a whole lot more of it.”
Noah smiles. And that smile almost makes getting flattened like a pancake seem worthwhile. Almost.