Chapter Forty
Lucy
Why did I agree to do this?
Am I that stupid? Nerves shoot through my body at every noise as I stand here in this old, dust-filled building, waiting for my aunt and uncle to show up.
I know the guys are close, but not knowing exactly where they are doesn’t help as much as I thought it would.
I check my cordless microphone for the millionth time, whispering a quick hello before looking up to one of the cameras I know is there.
It moves just slightly, and I let out a sigh of relief and close my eyes.
They won’t let anything happen to you, Lucy. You’re fine.
That relief I feel is short-lived when I hear the crunching of gravel under tires and see the headlights appear next to my car when I open my eyes. I let out a breath and shake my hands at my sides as I watch them get out of their car, smiles on their faces. Time to put my game face on.
Aunt Diane walks in first while Uncle Wayne holds the door for her. Their excitement about me asking for a meeting is evident from their expressions to the way they are carrying themselves.
“Oh, Lucy. So happy you finally came to your senses.” Aunt Diane’s voice reeks of fake sweetness. Her hands cross on her chest as she walks the rest of the way in. Uncle Wayne follows her with a sly grin on his face.
“Yes, Lucy. What made you finally decide to ask for a meeting?” Wayne chuckles to himself.
“Cut the shit and tell me what you want, Diane.” I can’t hide the anger in my tone as I speak to her.
“Well, Darling. We want it all.” Her eyes narrow as her smile widens. “The house, the money, the land. All of it.”
“Why? You never cared before. You never cared about Nana.” I cross my arms in front of my chest and glare at them both.
Wayne lets out a chuckle. “It should have been ours! Before your mom died, everything was supposed to be split down the middle. After it was supposed to go to me.” Spit flies from his mouth as he tries to keep calm. His face is already changing to a light shade of red.
“Unfortunately for you, Wayne. You won’t be seeing a penny.
” A new voice throws me off as we all turn towards the door, and a slight feeling of triumph comes over my body as I see Deputy Fritz step into the room.
Hair rises on my neck as I watch him bring his gun up, followed by a shot ringing in my ears.
A scream tears through my throat as I take cover behind the main desk and close my eyes.
When I open them a few moments later, I reach for my microphone and realize it’s not there.
I start looking for it when a loud laugh causes me to jump, and I hear a subtle crunch and feel something under my foot.
Begging quietly for it not to be what I think it is, I move my foot and look down.
The mini microphone is shattered. I let out a nervous breath before I stand up.
“Oh, Honey Bear! I’m so glad you made it!” Diane says as she throws her arms around Deputy Fritz’s neck and they begin to kiss.
“What the fuck is going on?” I ask, my eyes landing on the bullet hole in my uncle’s head as he lies on the ground.
Memories from my youth flood me at once as I remember the times before Wayne and Diane were married.
Times when he was happier and different.
Once they got married, something in Wayne flipped, and he became obsessed with finding ways to keep Diane happy.
He hadn’t always been this miserable and mean.
Deputy Fritz breaks his kiss with Diane before laughing again. “Well, besides you, your Uncle Wayne over there was the last thing standing in the way of your aunt getting everything. It was harder to get to you thanks to your lover boys always being around.”
Confusion followed by realization crosses my face as Diane smiles.
“You tried to kill me? Why?” I ask, turning towards the Deputy.
“Once you’re gone, everything will then go to me and Bobby here! Then we can have the life we’ve both been dreaming of.” She looks up at him like he hung the stars in the sky. He smiles down at her. “Although killing him tonight was not part of our plan.”
“I’m sorry, Pumpkin. I just couldn’t wait anymore. His voice and better than everyone attitude were exhausting.” Deputy Fritz wraps his arm around her shoulders and places a kiss on her temple.
“So you’ve been cheating on Uncle Wayne with this guy?” I ask, pointing at the Deputy.
“Yes, for a few years now. Wayne was too stupid to figure it out. Who needs to have spa days three times a week?” Diane giggles as she waves her hand around.
“Why though? Why not just leave him to be with him?” I ask, trying to drag this out.
“Do you know how little deputies make in this shitty town, Lucy? Your Uncle Wayne was supposed to be rich one day until your mother died and Helen changed her will, leaving everything to you. We didn’t find out until the reading of the will that it had been changed.
” Diane scoffs, making a pouty face. “Wayne could barely keep us afloat as it was. But now that he wasn’t going to be rich?
Well, I wasn’t going to wait around anymore.
Your Nana Helen was easy enough to get rid of at her age. ”
“What?” I ask, my breaths turning shallow.
Bobby lets out a laugh. “You turning down the autopsy did us great favors, Lucille. If one had been done, they would have found that she had been drugged and smothered to death.”
My heart beats wildly in my chest, and my brain is going a hundred miles an hour.
“You—you killed Nana?” I ask, tears forming in my eyes.
“Oh, don’t be a sad Sally, Lucy. She was old anyway, and you weren’t here anymore.
” Diane waves me off as she wraps her arms around Bobby.
“Getting rid of you is going to be just as sweet as getting rid of that old hag. Now we can start our perfect life together as soon as the paperwork goes through, leaving everything to me.”
I can’t help the laugh that escapes me, and I try to cover my mouth.
“And what is it you find so amusing, dear niece?” Diane asks.
“You really don’t know? Do you?” This time I don’t hide the laughter that bubbles out of me.
“What are you talking about?” Diane takes a step towards me.
“What is she talking about, Pumpkin?” Bobby lifts his gun to point it at me.
“You,” I chuckle out, pointing at Diane, “are not the next of kin.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Bobby cocks his gun, looking between Diane and me wildly.
“She doesn’t mean anything, Honey Bear. She’s trying to stall our plan. Kill her already!” Diane shouts as she slinks to the side, her body betraying the confidence she’s trying to emit in her voice.
I’m still laughing as Bobby wavers.
“Killing me will not make you rich, Bobby.” I get out between giggles.
“Shoot her!” Diane screams, causing Bobby to turn the gun to her.
“What is she talking about, Diane? You said this would work; you said we’d be rich!” Bobby shouts.
“We will! She’s messing with you!” Diane says, exasperated. “Don’t you believe me? Don’t you love me? Why would I lie to you?”
Bobby turns the gun back towards me. I stand there with a smile on my face.
“You know, Bobby, Diane has already fucked Wayne over, what makes you think she won’t do the same to you?” I ask calmly. “I mean, you’ve already killed Wayne. She hasn’t even gotten her hands dirty.” I look over at Diane, her eyes piercing me with a glare, causing me to smile.
“She wouldn’t. She loves me! We’re supposed to start our life together!” Bobby shakes his head as he shifts his weight between his feet.
“She loved him, too.” Before I can say more, Diane lunges towards me.
“You stupid little—”
A scream, followed by a loud bang, interrupts her words as she falls to the floor. Diane clutches her leg as blood seeps through her pants.
“You shot me!” Diane screams at Bobby.
Bobby looks at his gun and throws his arms up. “I didn’t do it! It wasn’t me!”
“Put the gun down, Bobby.” Lawson’s deep voice is a relief as he walks further into the room, his gun pointed at the two people in front of me. Bobby slowly places the gun on the floor and puts his hands up.
“What’re you going to do, Miles? Arrest me?” Bobby says with a chuckle.
“Yes, actually. With all the information we have on you, you’ll be going away for a long time too.” He points his gun towards one of the cameras. “Smile for the camera, Bobby.”
In the next moment, Diane grabs the gun from the floor and aims it at Lawson, but a different shot rings out from behind me.
I drop to my knees, closing my eyes and covering my ears.
Warm arms wrap around me, and when I look up, Ren is holding me as Cole and Nash make their way through the back of the room behind me.
Diane lies bleeding out on the floor, her eyes losing their brightness by the second.
Ren picks me up and starts to carry me out. The adrenaline slowly leaves my body. I look over as Bobby starts to cry and Lawson puts him in cuffs and pulls out his phone. I reach out to Lawson, and he looks at me with relief.
“I’m sorry I broke your microphone, Law.”
“Don’t worry about it, Lucy.” He gives me a smile before someone on the other end of his phone picks up.
Ren takes me to my car, placing me in the passenger seat. He goes around and slips into the driver’s seat.
“Are you hurt, Love?”
“No. Are you?”
“I’m fine,” he chuckles. “Ready to go home?”
“Absolutely.” I lean back in the seat and close my eyes as Ren starts the car and drives us home.