Chapter Thirty-Three
Olivia sat in a chair next to Zoe’s hospital bed.
She was still shivering despite the hot shower and clean scrubs the ER staff had provided her and Lincoln.
His arm was immobilized in a sling that he’d need to wear for the next six weeks until his collarbone fracture healed.
Next to her, he held the dog on his lap.
Everyone who came into the room said the dog couldn’t be there, but they were so short-staffed that no one followed up.
The break to Zoe’s ankle was clean. As soon as an orthopedist was available, she would be sedated and the break set. They’d given her painkillers in her IV, and her eyes were droopy.
“Jacob and I were more than boyfriend and girlfriend. We were best friends. We were the same. Outcasts. The children of criminals. Jacob had it worse because his father and uncle Tim had dragged him into a burglary when he was sixteen. He had a juvenile record. At least my record was clean.” She cleared her throat and took a sip of water from the plastic cup by the bed.
Olivia said nothing. She’d let Zoe get the story out in her own time. The water was receding, but it would be a while before the roads to Harold’s house were passable. She’d called Nicki and was relieved that she was fine. There was no rush.
Zoe continued. “In the spring of my senior year, I was seventeen. Jacob had just turned eighteen. I stopped to pick him up. He didn’t have a car and Harold let me borrow his.
Jacob wasn’t ready. I waited in the car.
Evan and Tim were scary, so I never went inside.
The car was old, and the air-conditioning was broken.
So I had the windows down and the radio on.
I didn’t hear Evan sneak up to the car. It was dumb.
But I was just a kid.” She breathed. “He pulled me out the window. He’d been drinking.
I could smell it on his breath. He forced me into the garage and closed the door. ”
Olivia could feel where the story was headed, and it made her sick.
“I knew he was going to rape me. I could see it in his eyes. He ripped my shirt. I was frozen at first. Paralyzed with fear. I couldn’t even scream.
He was twice my size, and I knew he’d already killed two people.
I’d been in the house after the fatal burglary.
I’d seen the stolen property and heard them discussing the two men they’d killed.
So I had no illusions. Evan was going to rape me.
Then he’d probably kill me. He pushed me to the floor onto a camp mattress and started to unfasten his pants.
I wanted to throw up. I tried to crawl away.
I can still hear him laughing at me. He was enjoying my fear, reveling in it.
That was the point for him. He liked hurting people, but he also liked the power other people’s fear gave him. ”
Olivia was transfixed. No wonder Zoe had never shared this story.
Zoe drank a little more water. “The garage was full of discarded tools. As I tried to get away, I belly-crawled over an awl. I didn’t know what it was then.
To me, it looked like a screwdriver with a pointed end.
It didn’t matter. I grabbed it, and when he came at me again, I stabbed him in the neck.
The blood—” She shuddered. “It looked like I bathed in it.”
She took a few seconds to regroup. “I screamed, and Jacob came down. He just stared. We didn’t know what to do.
The camp mattress had soaked up all of the blood.
None had leaked onto the floor. We wanted to call the police, but we knew we couldn’t.
Jacob had a juvenile record. The police hated his family.
We thought he’d be blamed for his father’s death.
So I backed Harold’s car to the garage door.
We rolled Evan up in the mattress and put him in the trunk.
Then I drove out to Sparrow Lake. Jacob followed me in his father’s car.
We didn’t even know he still had some stolen jewelry in the trunk.
We put him behind the wheel, wedged his foot on the gas pedal, and released the parking brake.
The car went into the lake and sank.” Tears overflowed her eyes and ran down her cheeks.
Olivia handed her a tissue.
Zoe wiped her face and blew her nose. “It was me. I killed Evan Brown.”
“In self-defense,” Olivia said. “You could have gone to the police.”
“Maybe. But at the time, Jacob’s fear made sense.
We were young and dumb.” She sniffed. “We agreed that we could never speak of that night. When Tim came home the next day, he kept asking Jacob where his dad was. Jacob said he didn’t know.
Evan went out and didn’t come back. Tim was suspicious.
Some of the stolen jewelry was missing. He accused Jacob of taking it.
He punched him a few times, but Jacob managed to get out of the house.
That’s when we decided that Tim was too dangerous.
He was going to kill Jacob eventually. I made the call to the police saying that I’d seen a pile of jewelry at the Brown house, and that I’d heard Tim and Evan talking about someone they’d killed.
These things were true. Jacob made sure the right jewelry was there for the cops to find when they came with their search warrant.
I was a minor, so my name was kept out of the newspaper.
But my statement is what put Tim away. In the courtroom, he mouthed, ‘I will kill you.’ The prosecutor promised me he’d never get out of prison. But he was wrong.”
Olivia touched Zoe’s hand. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”
Zoe squeezed Olivia’s fingers. “Me too. Both Tim and Evan were terrible people. They’d both beaten Jacob since he was tiny. They were violent, cruel men. And yet, Jacob was still upset that Evan was dead.”
“Did he blame you?” Olivia asked.
“Oh, God, no. He knew exactly what kind of man his father was, but Evan and Tim were his only family. So, with Evan gone and Tim in jail, Jacob was all alone.”
“What happened to his mother?” Olivia asked.
“He didn’t remember her. She died when he was a baby, and he didn’t dare ask about her, not that he ever willingly spoke to his father.
Jacob was like a ghost in his house, always trying to exist but not attract any attention to himself.
Attention usually took the form of a fist.” She frowned.
“You’ll let me know when they find Tim’s body, right?
I need to know. I spent my whole adult life fearing him. I want it to be over.”
“Of course. You’ll be the first to know,” Olivia promised.
“What will you tell the police?” Lincoln stroked the dog’s head.
“Everything. I’m done running. I’m done hiding. I’ll face whatever penalty they throw at me.” Zoe looked resigned. “There will probably be consequences for dumping the body and covering up the crime.”
“I know a great defense lawyer,” Lincoln said.
“Morgan Dane?” Zoe asked.
“She’s the best,” Olivia added.
Zoe nodded. “I’m going to need the best.”
“You seem . . . I don’t know. OK,” Olivia said.
“Having it all out in the open is a relief,” Zoe said. “The secret was a substantial burden to carry, and I’m tired.”
“Who sent you the Run text?” Lincoln asked.
“Jacob,” Zoe said, her voice groggy. “I don’t know why. When I went to talk to him, he was already dead. I assume he knew his uncle had been released. We were both supposed to be notified, but I didn’t get anything. Maybe he did.”
“Was Tim the creeper who called in to your show Saturday night?” Olivia asked.
Zoe shrugged. “I think so. I also had two strange DMs on social media.”
“Cryuncle25 and Sparrow25?” Olivia asked. “Assuming the uncle referred to Tim being Jacob’s uncle and the 25 was his sentence.”
“That’s what I thought. Sparrow is the name of the lake. It can’t be a coincidence.” Zoe tilted her head. “You dug deep to find me.” Her eyes misted. “Thank you. You’re a good friend.”
“Nicki was the one who found those. But yeah. I knew you would never run out on your show. Did you mean to run out on Dylan?”
Zoe grimaced. “I’ll also need a divorce lawyer. He’s been cheating.” She looked like she was going to cry again.
“I’m sorry,” Olivia said.
“It’s OK. It’s not your fault. I married him.”
Lincoln cleared his throat. “I have some bad news for you.” He told her what he’d found in Dylan’s gym locker. Then Olivia filled her in on Nicki’s experience.
“Oh, my God.” Zoe stared at Lincoln. “How could I not have known?”
Lincoln cocked his head. “Have you ever had any missing time?”
Zoe’s mouth gaped. “Do you think he drugged me?”
Lincoln shrugged. “I have no idea. Dylan had GHB and a lot of women’s underwear in his locker. He was in the bar when Nicki was drugged.”
“What do I do about it?” Zoe’s face flashed with anger. “How do I stop him?”
“You don’t,” Lincoln said. “In fact, is there somewhere else you can stay for a few days?”
“I was thinking about asking Harold if I can hang out with him for a while,” Zoe said. “His house was a refuge for me once. Maybe it can be again.”
“I’m sure he’d be fine with that.” Olivia smiled. She thought Harold would be more than fine with it.
“You leave Dylan to me.” The corner of Lincoln’s mouth curled up. “I have a plan.”