Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
After Cage takes Tori’s statement, I leave her with her mom and kids. Meanwhile, I execute my plan. Jordie meets Cage and I in the parking lot and climbs into Tori’s SUV while Cage follows us to my house.
“Tori said it’s a teal green, leather bound journal with an elastic band.
” I say once we’re inside the house. “I’m going to look for this journal in my closet.
You two take the office and guestroom.” They both nod in agreement.
The trunk of toys are still out on the bed, forcing me to freeze.
Everything about this room, about those toys, and even our role playing has been horribly spoiled by Maribel’s episode.
Those are going in the trash. I make a mental note.
I choose to ignore the evident reminder and skate through the bathroom and into the closet.
Tori’s things are scattered about as though Maribel piled them on the floor and rolled around in them like a dog.
I start there, adding each item to the list of things Maribel tainted and therefore will be thrown away.
I skip over anything not teal green, tossing it aside as I rifle through Tori’s clothes.
Nothing.
Each drawer I open is in disarray despite Tori’s organization, which means Maribel scavenged through it. Luck is not on my side as I continue my search.
“Hey, Aaron?” Cage calls out.
“Yeah?”
“Any luck?” Jordie questions. I throw my hands up in annoyance and exit the closet.
“No, you?” I yell out my answer as I tread back into my bedroom.
Tori’s nightstand is crooked. I barely hear their responses as I zero in on it.
The drawers turn up empty, but when I straighten my spine something green peaks out of the back.
Wedged between the nightstand and the wall.
I drag the small piece of furniture out of the way and the journal falls to the ground.
I pick up the damned thing, the pages thicker than the spine.
“Holy shit,” I whisper.
Two men are waiting for me in the living room. I walk out of my room, showing them the book. Taking a seat on the couch, I open it.
“Don’t. It’s evidence.” Cage raises his hands.
“We need to find the evidence first, don’t we? I don’t want pictures of my sex life, or details about it for that matter, to be given over as evidence if I don’t need to.”
“Do we really need the evidence?” Jordie asks, looking at Cage. “She’s dead anyway.”
“If we want to clear Josiah's name for Mary and the baby’s sake… then yes.” Cage punches Jordie in the arm.
“So… when you say pictures… I mean, why do you record-” Jordie skitters around his question.
“Fuck you! I’m not telling you shit.” I spit back at him.
I skim through the pages, starting at the end.
I find the pictures Tori mentioned and take the post its Cage took out of my office and mark the pages.
“Let’s go. We can’t afford to waste any more time.
” I hand the journal to Cage. “Don’t let this fucker get a hold of it. ” I point at Jordie.
“Man, I’m not a pervert. It was a legitimate question… If ever me and Caroline have issues, I want to have ideas in mind.” Jordie explains himself, earning himself disapproving looks from both Cage and I.
***
Jordie, luckily, works security for this hospital and shuts the camera down for the hallway in front of her room.
Cage pulls the police escort out for shift change.
Living in a small town like Eagle Pointe, the hospital doesn't have the budget to update their security cameras.
So, if anyone comes asking, it's easy to write off.
With Evelyn and Cage doing their thing, I doubt anyone will investigate it further.
The room is fairly easy to get to, the hall empty of nurses and doctors… I’m sure I have Evelyn to thank for that. She gave me a pair of shoe covers to protect my boots… and fortunately they silence my steps. I wear black jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt, so I don’t worry about stains.
Maribel wrists are handcuffed to the bed. She hums to herself, tapping her foot along with the music in her head. Her eyes shoot up to mine the second she realizes I’m here.
“Aaron!” She happily greets me. I ignore her and slowly stalk towards her.
“Aaron.” She says my name like a plea.
Instead of responding, I show her the journal in my hand. Not bothering to say a word as I open it in front of her.
“Aaron, don’t open it. Please,” she begs me. The handcuffs clanking along the railing of the bed.
“So, you admit to knowing what this is? Who does it belong to?” I place it on the counter near the door, away from her reach.
“It's… It's not,” she swallows, her eyes flicking back and forth between it and me.
I grab gloves from the storage rack by her bed. “It’s yours, Maribel,” I say.
“NO!” She throws her head back against the bed, writhing. I slide the meal tray into place, right over her knees and lock it. I wait for her to stop thrashing before I speak again.
“You killed Cal.” I state and slide one glove on. “You tried to kill Tori.” Maribel watches me as I slide the second one on.
“I am Tori!” she screams at the top of her lungs. The red haze clouds my vision, the pure disgust settling deep within my core. I grab her by the throat and squeeze… not enough to mark her but enough to scare her into silence.
“You will never be Tori,” I roar. She lets out a growl, and I let go only for a second before fisting her hair and yanking her head back as far as possible.
“Tori is my world. She is mine,” I snarl before throwing her head into the bed tray, using every bit of my strength.
Blood drips down her face from the gash on her forehead.
Maribel sways a moment, groaning. I readjust the meal tray and do it twice more, blood is splattered all over the tiny meal tray.
It stains sheets. Trails over her eyes and pours out of her nose.
The blows are not hard enough to kill her.
No, they’re meant to look like she did it herself.
Not that I’m concerned. Evelyn will write it off as self-inflected.
“That’s for hurting my wife.”
Maribel’s dazed, blood drenched eyes stare up at me. Then laughs. “I’m your wife now. Tori is dead.”
“No. She’s not,” I grin, watching her blown pupils as she registers my meaning.
I pull a towel and tape out of my pocket.
I shove the towel deep into her mouth and place tape over it.
Recalling that the left is her dominant hand; I break her thumb, the snap sending an incredibly satisfying thrill down my spine.
I slide it through the cuffs, put a fine point pen between two fingers and guide her to write I killed Cal and Josiah on her right forearm.
I make sure to stab her with each stroke.
The towel muffles her screams, although I much rather hear her tortured cries…
but this is the only way it can be done.
With the pen still fisted in her four unbroken fingers, I guide it up, draw a line before stabbing it into the side of her neck, right into her artery.
Exactly where Evelyn suggested. It would be more gratifying if I could’ve punctured her windpipe, but Evelyn insists that it’s impossible to puncture your own windpipe with four broken fingers…
not that this is any more believable. Blood spills down her neck and collar bone the moment we yank it out. I watch her slowly bleed out.
The last thing I do is take out a vial and syringe Evelyn gave me from my other pocket and proceed to fill the syringe. This is our back-up plan… just a guarantee that she doesn’t survive her suicide attempt. I inject it into her IV and wait.
I remove the tape and towel as she fades. Quickly, I remove the gloves and shoe covers, wipe my hands clean on the towel, put it back in my pocket, and strut out of the room.
By the time I make it back to Tori’s room, her mom and our kids have gone home. And even though I purposely wore black to hide the blood, Tori smirks at my clothes as though she can see the evidence of the sin I've committed. I simply wink at her and strut into the bathroom.
Quickly, I take a shower, throw my dirty clothes in a plastic laundry bag, and dress in a clean pair of grey basketball shorts.
Tori sits up, unashamedly ogling my half naked body.
Her bottom lip pinned between her teeth, watching me pull on a white t-shirt…
It's her favorite pastime according to her.
“Is she dead?” she asks once I’m fully dressed.
“She is.” I lean over and press a kiss upon her lips.
“Good.”