Chapter Nineteen
“Poisoned?”
Hawk asked.
He looked over at his guy Smith, who had conducted all the necessary tests, and was in the process of dealing with the body. Hawk had everything in place so Nikki could do a proper send-off. All the paperwork had been dealt with, along with the death certificate. Diana’s father didn’t want to claim her, so Hawk and the club had done so.
“Yeah, rat poison.”
Hawk gritted his teeth. “Anyone could get ahold of rat poison.”
“Whoever did this, I have a feeling they knew what they were doing.”
Hawk looked at Smith. “What do you mean?”
“There are no other bruises on the body that occurred while she was alive. Now, I know you said there was an altercation, and there would have been bruises from that, but they had already started to heal. All of these happened afterward, and whoever moved her struggled to do so. I’d say in their anger, they kicked and stamped on the body, and whoever did was wearing heels as well.”
“Heels?”
Hawk asked.
“Yeah, puncture marks along with the bruising are consistent with that of a heeled foot.”
“You’re saying whoever killed Diana was a woman?”
he asked. “Couldn’t she have taken the rat poison herself?”
“She could, and I would have agreed. If this was a guilt revenge thing, like you say, but she wouldn’t have gotten the bruises and those puncture marks, they didn’t bleed either. Someone moved her, and that is not consistent with someone killing themself. They don’t beat themself up, and no one can kick himself in the back. I’ve got to go, Hawk. Everything will be ready for you by the end of the week.”
Hawk handed over the cash and watched as Smith climbed into his car and drove away. Smith was a strange man. He was constantly surrounded by death. Their arrangement occurred one night after he went to the morgue, looking for a body. Hawk didn’t remember how they came to be friends, or even how any of this worked. One moment they were strangers, the next, he arranged for Smith to help him get rid of a dead body.
Smith asked if it mattered what happened to some of the bodies. He didn’t want to know what Smith did, as long as the bodies disappeared. He wanted Diana’s ashes for Nikki to be able to give a proper goodbye.
A woman. Diana the Desperate had made a lot of enemies at the club. A woman wearing heels. A lot of the women wore heels.
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Darlene’s number.
She answered on the second ring. “Are you alone?” he asked.
There was silence and he heard a door closed. “I am now. What’s up?”
“If you could name anyone at the club who would have a vendetta against Diana and Nikki, who would it be?” he asked.
“I don’t have a fucking clue. That could be a lot of women, especially for Diana, but I don’t know anyone who would be pissed off with Nikki. Why? The girls love Nikki.”
Hawk grabbed the back of his head, and he told her exactly what his guy told him.
“Rat poison?”
Darlene asked.
“Yeah, and not only that, after Diana died, she was hurt pretty damn bad, and also, heels.”
“Heels?”
Darlene was silent. “Shit, Hawk, that only leaves Melanie.”
He had thought of Melanie, but it made no sense. She had slapped Diana around. She had been happy to do so.
“It has to be because of you,”
Darlene said.
“What?”
“Well, maybe this is not about having a vendetta against Diana. What if it’s because of Nikki? You got Melanie to slap Diana around, right? I know most of the women at the club are always wearing heels, but Melanie would not be caught dead in anything but heels. It must be her. Maybe she thought she was being your number one or something?”
Darlene asked.
“The letters, Diana, it could all fit,”
Hawk said.
“She’s not here. I’ve got Nikki here and a couple of women from the club are here as well.”
“Keep her there. I’ll find out where Melanie is, and I’ll take care of this.”
“Okay,”
Darlene said. “Be safe.”
With that, he hung up and put a call through to the club. Dan was the one who picked up first.
“What’s up, Boss?”
Dan asked.
“Is Melanie there?”
“Yeah, she sure is, dancing on the pole. Do you want me to get her?” he asked.
“No. I want you to take her down to the basement and tie her to a chair.”
“Uh, Hawk, man, what?”
“Do as I say, and do it now,”
Hawk said. “I’m on my way.”
He climbed onto his bike and headed back to the clubhouse. Melanie would have known where Nikki was, especially as she liked to visit the salon. She always liked to look her best for the men. That was what she told him, repeatedly.
How could he have been so stupid? Melanie had been a good woman, and he thought she had been happy with the club, but clearly he’d gotten it wrong. There was time to fix this so she didn’t hurt anyone else.
He thought about the latest bunch of receipts he had just gone over, and funnily enough, he hadn’t even questioned the order for rat poison. They lived at the clubhouse, out in the middle of nowhere, there were rats and mice. They never got any in the club, but they always had rat poison. Why hadn’t he questioned it?
His father had started to accept the order for that shit as well. It had been strange to see. Normally he allowed the guys to take care of shit like that with shooting the damn things. Why would he suddenly start allowing rat poison to be purchased?
Arriving at the clubhouse, he parked his bike and saw Dan was already outside. He gave him a nod and then walked in. Hawk didn’t waste any time. He went straight down to the basement, where he could already hear Melanie begging for her life.
“Please, one of you, just talk to me. This is making no sense. Please, please, what is going on?”
She tried to fight against the restraints of the chair.
She was sobbing and her perfectly made-up face looked a mess. Tears had ruined her foundation, and her mascara had run down her cheeks. She looked so panicked, so terrified.
The moment she saw him, she looked a little relieved.
“Hawk, what is going on? Why is this happening? I don’t understand.”
“You don’t?”
She tried to wriggle free from the binds around her wrists. “Please, what is going on? I didn’t do anything. What is this about?”
He folded his arms and looked at her.
“You want to tell me what the notes were about?”
“Notes? What notes? Hawk, please, I don’t get it. I have no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve had nothing to do with notes. This isn’t funny. I’ve been damn loyal to this club. I’ve given everything I have.”
“Diana,.”. He glared at her.
Melanie frowned. “What about her?”
“Why did you do it?”
She released a breath. “You told me to. You told me I had to go and slap some sense into her. I did what you asked. You wanted her gone, and she left town, didn’t she?”
“She’s dead.”
“What? Did you kill her?”
Melanie asked.
“No, you did.”
“Hell, no. I slapped her, kicked her, taught her a lesson for messing with your girl, but I didn’t kill her. Diana was very much alive when I left, and I’ve not gone back there since.”
“Rat poison. Why did you order it?”
He’d catch her in the lie.
“Rat poison? What the fuck is all of this? This isn’t funny. I didn’t kill Diana, and what the fuck has rat poison got to do with anything?”
“You ordered it.”
“I didn’t order shit. There is only one person in this club that is allowed to order anything, and it’s not me.”
Melanie wriggled in her chair and then stopped and frowned. “What?”
Now, Hawk was confused.
“Diana’s dead and you’re asking about rat poison, right?”
Melanie asked.
“I’m the one asking the questions.”
“Hawk, man, you’ve got to get to Nikki’s and you’ve got to get to her right now.”
“What did you do?”
Hawk asked.
“Not me. Sandy.”
Hawk stared at her. “What?”
“It’s Sandy, she must be the one that killed Diana. Your dad put Sandy in charge of ordering shit for the club, especially when your mom started to get sick. She is the one who knows what we need, and the only person who could put in an order for rat poison.”
“It’s Sandy,”
Hawk said.
“If you don’t believe me, check the receipts. Sandy was given a special card when your mom was sick. She was so damn proud of herself that your dad trusted her and no one else. That’s who you need to talk to. Not me, Sandy.”
Hawk didn’t like this.
“Watch her,”
Hawk said.
“Fucking hurry, Hawk. Sandy left right before I was marched down here, and she said that you said she needed to see Nikki.”
“I haven’t spoken to Sandy.”
“Then you better hope I am wrong, otherwise, Nikki’s about to be as dead as Diana.”
****
“Mom, is everything okay?”
Nikki asked. “Your text was a little vague.”
She closed the front door and flicked the lock into place. It was a habit she had gotten into back at the trailer. She didn’t know if there was anyone she could trust. Also, years of having strange men just wander into the house made her a little nervous about leaving any doors unlocked.
“Mom?”
Nikki asked.
In the few weeks she’d been living with her mom, Ethel always answered to her call. Nikki put her bag and keys in the designated spot in the hallway, and made her way through to the kitchen. Most of the time, her mother was at the stove, cooking or baking something, but there was no sign of her.
“Mom?”
This was starting to concern her. Her mother had never been like this. She felt a little sick to her stomach. Fear began to lick all the way down her spine. Perhaps her mom had gone out? Maybe the emergency had just mended itself?
Nikki made her way back into the dining room, and then she saw the bouquet of flowers that had been spilled on the floor. The water drenched the carpet, and the vase had been smashed. Ethel no longer liked mess. Whenever she spilled anything, it had to be cleaned up. She was a stickler for it. The kitchen was always spotless, and yes, her mother refused to let her clean it herself. According to her mother, these were all coping mechanisms to help her recover. She kept a strict regime, and it allowed her to flourish on the straight and narrow.
Something wasn’t right. That sense she relied on as a kid was back. It was the same one she had just the other night in the parking lot. Someone else was in this house and she had no gun, no way to protect herself.
“Mom?”
she asked. “Are you playing hide-and-seek again?”
Ethel had never played hide-and-seek. Her mother was a lot of things, but playing as a kid was not one of them. Nikki didn’t know what to do but she had a feeling someone else was in this house, and she needed to throw them off.
Was this about herself?
Was this an enemy from her mother’s past?
She didn’t know. Didn’t have the answers.
She felt so sick, but she kept moving. It was all she could do.
Stepping into the main corridor of the house, she suddenly realized that even though it was a small house, it had quite a bit of space to maneuver, which didn’t make her feel any better.
I can do this.
Whoever this is, better not hurt my mom.
She never thought she would ever be protective of her mother, but the moment she stepped into the sitting room, she felt terrified.
Her mother was on the sofa, eyes closed, blood at her temples, and there in the corner was Sandy, pointing a gun at her.
“Hello, Nikki.”
“Sandy, what the hell are you doing?”
“Shut the fuck up, and if you move another step, this is going to be over very quickly. It’s all planned.”
Sandy smiled, but it wasn’t a nice one.
This was a side of Sandy Nikki had ever seen. Not that she’d seen a lot of Sandy. The other woman visited the salon sparingly.
Nikki held her hands up, and then looked at Sandy. “What is this about?”
“Did I tell you to talk? No, I told you to shut the fuck up and take a nice, long look at your mommy.”
“What did you do to her?”
Nikki screamed as the gun went off. There was no pain, but that was because Sandy had fired off a warning shot and didn’t hit her.
“I suggest you start learning to follow orders, Nikki, otherwise, the next one is going to be in your leg, and you’re going to bleed out, and when you die, I want it to be the way I planned.”
She pressed her lips together and tried to remain calm. Her mother wasn’t moving, and she wasn’t sure if she was even breathing. What the hell was Sandy doing?
“You know, I never believed in miracles. I never believed in some stupid fucking higher power intervening and giving me what I want. The only shit you get in this world is if you take it.”
Nikki watched as she suddenly realized Sandy had been playing with some form of drugs. She was pretty sure she saw cocaine and heroin on the table. Her mother wouldn’t do that.
“Your mom, however, I guess she is proof that miracles can exist. I mean, take you, for example. I heard she treated you like shit. She was a total whore who didn’t give a fucking shit about her daughter. She took and took and took. Yet, after one magical near-death experience, poof, she changed. That was all it took. A motherfucking miracle.”
She shook her head. “No, there are no miracles in this life. Just … consequences for actions.”
Nikki wanted to ask her questions.
“So, let’s see how good your mom is when she tastes a little of her magical potion.”
Sandy winked at her.
“No,”
Nikki said.
“Are you speaking again?”
Sandy went for the gun.
“Whatever your problem is, it’s not with my mom. You think that was a miracle? Are you kidding me? There is nothing miraculous about nearly dying. You haven’t come for my mom, though, have you? You’ve come for me.”
Sandy smiled. “Yeah, but I am going to have to take care of your mother. I don’t like miracles walking around, but seeing as you want to deal with me, fine, then I will deal with you.”
Nikki screamed as the bullet tore through her leg, and she fell to the floor. The pain was instant and burning.
She didn’t know what the fuck she had done to Sandy. This woman was crazy. The few times she saw her, she seemed so sweet and loving.
“You know, seeing as you’re going to be dead soon, and I cover my tracks, I think it is only fair I tell you what you did wrong. You got his attention.”
Sandy gritted her teeth. “After everything I have done. You come along and stumble into the fucking library, and it is like your pussy is made of gold or some shit. It took me years, fucking years, to even get him to smile at me, and he’s chasing you around like some kind of puppy dog. Doing all kinds of secret shit just for you.”
Sandy shook her head. “I tried to warn you. I thought the notes would have helped, but not Hawk. No, he wouldn’t let you see the first one I sent. Then, Diana saw me putting the next note on your windshield, and I had to take care of her.”
“You killed Diana.”
“Yeah, it was fucking hard as well. Little bitch wouldn’t drink the poison. I had to force her, but she is no match for me. Actually, everyone has underestimated me.”
Sandy walked over to her and smiled. “Let’s see, it began with Hawk’s mom. That slut was in my way. I know my place and it is not being anyone’s slut. The first order of business was getting that whore out of my way. She was the first person I fed the rat poison to. Actually, no.”
She burst out laughing. “That’s a lie. That bitch I took out by dribbling bleach into her tea. Woman loved her tea and had no problem with me making it. Woman got sick quite quickly, and the doctors didn’t have a clue what was wrong with her.” Sandy sighed. “One of my finest moments. Hawk’s dad, now he saw how dedicated I was to making her well.” She tutted. “He didn’t have a clue what I was doing.”
Nikki couldn’t believe this.
“Once she was dead, I knew I was going to get his dad. Finally, the old lady of the whole fucking club, and I was going to make changes. I would make sure no slut took my place again. The only problem was Greg. He knew what I had done, so I had to make sure he paid that price.”
Sandy sighed.
“Beating the shit out of myself, that was a tough one. Greg was knocked out. He didn’t have a clue what was happening, but the club handled that rapist.”
Sandy winked. “I expected to be old lady, but Hawk’s dad was not going to let his wife go.”
She gritted her teeth. “And that was a problem, so it was time for him to go. Hawk knew how good I was for the club, and it was only a matter of time for him to take me. Then you stepped in.”
“You killed all of them.”
“Technically I arranged Greg’s death, but Hawk’s mom, dad, and Diana, yeah, they’re all dead because of me, and your mom is next, followed by you, and I figure Melanie, she needs to go as well. Possibly Darlene, but I’m not sure. She does my hair really well.”
“You’re crazy,”
Nikki said.
“No, I am determined to get what I want, and what I want is you dead and out of my way.”
The gun was locked, loaded, and pointed at her head.
Nikki stared at Sandy, and she saw the evil in the woman’s eyes. She had killed Diana. Taken Hawk’s parents away from him. She was going to get away with it. Hawk was all she could think about. She had fallen in love with him, and she never got the chance to tell him how she truly felt. She’d wasted time.
She loved Hawk with all her heart and soul, and now there was never going to be a time to tell him. She felt like crying. For what could have been.
“Stay the fuck away from my daughter.”
She’d been so intent on Sandy’s tale and watching the woman with the gun, she hadn’t heard her mother move, let alone grab the poker from the fireplace.
Ethel swung the poker, hitting Sandy over the head. The other woman fell to the ground. The gun fell out of her grip, and Nikki reached for it, only she didn’t need it.
“What the fuck?”
Sandy asked.
“You don’t get to be a whore for as long as I was, without learning the value of lying still, playing dead, and then sneaking the fuck around.”
Ethel swung the poker. “You’re not taking my miracle away from me. You’re not taking my daughter away from me.”
Each time she spoke, she swung that poker, connecting with Sandy. Ethel didn’t stop until the door was thrown open, and Hawk burst in, along with several members of the club, including a very crazed-looking Melanie.
Sandy was on the floor, passed out but still breathing.
Her mother stumbled back, dropped the poker, and glared at Hawk. “Take care of your mess.”
She then rushed toward her. “Baby, are you okay?”
“Mom? You saved my life!”
“I was not going to let anything happen to you. I couldn’t believe when I heard you come home. Bitch hit me from behind, but I wasn’t knocked out. I just let her carry my dead weight to the sofa. I waited, but she was a madwoman.”
“I know. I know.”
She held onto her mother and saw Hawk was right there. “You’ve been shot.”
“Yeah.”
And she was starting to feel a little sick, and a little dizzy.
“We need to call the ambulance,”
Ethel said. “If you want your club to deal with that mess, then take her before I call them.”
Hawk snapped his fingers, and his men were already picking a knocked-out Sandy off the floor.
“She did it, Hawk. She killed your mom, your dad, Diana, and she also lied about Greg, a guy from your club.”
“I know,”
Hawk said. “We found everything in her bedroom at the club. Including a diary, and her plans. No one ever went in her room, so no one saw what she was really like. I’m so sorry.”
“I love you,”
Nikki said.
“What?”
“I know now is not the time, but I love you.”
“Nikki, you’re going to be fine.”
“I know, but there was a second before Mom kicked her ass, and I just thought I was never going to get to tell you I loved you. I’m so sorry.”
He knelt on the floor and cupped her face. “I love you.”
“I … I need to go to the hospital.”
“The ambulance is already on the way.”
“Marry me,”
Hawk said.
“What?”
“Marry me, and make me the luckiest man in the world.”
“Wait, your crazy club whore just shot my daughter, and now you’re proposing to her?”
Ethel asked. “I have an overwhelming need to cook.”
Nikki laughed.
Hawk looked back at her mother. “If Nikki will have me, I’m sure all the guys and the women would love your cooking.”
Ethel looked at him and shrugged. “No booze, though. I don’t want anything but tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and water.”
“We’ll take care of you, Ethel,” he said.
He turned to Nikki. “I love you, Nikki. I had no idea what Sandy was capable of.”
“I love you,”
Nikki said.
“Marry me?”
She smiled and in the distance she heard the ambulance on its way. “I’ll marry you.”
It was so strange. Within a short time, she’d been shot, terrified, looked death in the eye, realized she loved this man more than anything, and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
Miracles might just exist after all.