Chapter 30
CHAPTER 30
CALLIOPE
Despite the stress of yesterday, I slept well. Arlow’s body wrapped around mine always seems to have that effect. “Hey,” I call, joining him on the couch. “Is Lee gone?”
“He left this morning.”
“Any new chaos I should know about?” I ask, stealing a sip of his coffee.
“How about some good news for once? Our internet is back on.”
“Really?” I grab my phone to see the WIFI is connected again. “About time.”
“I want to talk to you about the next few weeks. I’m going to hire private security. Lee knows some reliable people.”
“Bodyguards?” His concern is warranted but I’m not going to have a guy following me around.
“No, just someone to keep an eye on things, especially while we sleep or if we aren’t at home. We can’t watch every second, even with cameras.”
“Okay. Is that happening today?”
He shakes his head and gestures to the television. “The predictions for the storm keep getting worse. It’s going to shift between ice, snow, and a mix of the two. Our road will likely end up impassable for a day or two at least.” The look he gives me says I’m not going to like what he has to say next. “I reserved us a hotel room for the next few days. Just until we can get some security in place. I’m not going to take the chance of him showing up while we’re trapped.”
Sighing, I sit back. “Riding out a winter storm with a possible madman lurking around does sound like stupid horror movie behavior, I guess. But we can’t leave your place unguarded. He burnt your hives. What if he burns the house or the barn?”
“I can keep an eye through the cameras if the power stays on.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“I’ll risk it. I won’t risk you getting hurt if we stay.”
“Us.”
“What?” He cocks his head to look at me.
“We won’t risk us getting hurt if we stay.” His eyes soften as I run my hand through his hair. “I need you to be safe too. What time do you want to leave?”
“Right before dark. The storm isn’t coming until near dawn, and I want to install cameras at your cabin and make sure the trail cams are back online. Plus get the generator out in case we return to a power outage.”
“Okay, I can help. Just tell me what to do.”
A grin grows on his face. “You could make that chili and cornbread we didn’t get yesterday.”
“And cinnamon rolls.”
“If you insist on that abomination.”
His smile doesn’t fool me. He’s pretending he’s okay because he wants me to be alright, but I saw his face yesterday when we found his hives destroyed. He was devastated. All I can think about is how happy he was when he first took me to meet the bees. The joy in his voice when he placed my hands on the hive to feel the warm vibration. He loved those bees. Of course, the hives can be replaced, but the thought of someone burning them as they huddled inside for warmth is such an awful thing.
He’s convinced that Handleman is the culprit, but if it’s Carl, or anyone trying to get at my money, I’ll never forgive myself for that look on his face as he watched the smoke pour from the hives. He’s had such a terrible week, losing his friend on top of everything else. Whatever he needs or wants from me today, he’s got it.
While he gets the cameras installed over at my cabin, I do a load of laundry for both of us and pack a bag for the hotel. He’s in and out most of the day, working between my cabin, the barn, and the house.
“Are you finished?” I ask, looking up from the pot of chili on the stove to see him smiling at me.
“Almost. I need to run to the gas station to fill the cans but I’m not leaving you here.”
The oven timer dings, and a pan of cornbread joins the plate of cinnamon rolls sitting nearby. “Do you want to eat first? Everything is done.”
“Absolutely, I’m starving.”
We get settled at the table with our food and he exclaims over how good the chili is. The expression on his face when I chase a bite of chili with a bite of cinnamon roll makes me giggle. “I feel judged.”
“Your feelings are valid.”
“Okay, smartass, now I’m going to have to insist you try it. How can you call yourself a Midwesterner? I’m embarrassed for you.” I pinch off a bite of cinnamon roll and hold it out to him. “Take a bite of chili first.”
“It’s kind of hot when you boss me around like that,” he teases, plucking the roll from my hand. He takes a bite of chili, then pops it into his mouth afterward. His face is inscrutable as he chews and swallows, then takes a sip of iced tea.
“Well?” Without a word, he puts a cinnamon roll on his plate beside the cornbread. A smile threatens to break through his impassive expression when my laughter rings out. “It’s okay. You don’t have to say I was right.”
“I wasn’t planning on it.” He shovels in another bite.
“It’s enough that I know I was right, and you were wrong. And clearly, you know I was right, and you were wrong, so there’s no need for you to make such a big deal out of it.”
“Are you about finished?” Amusement shines in his eyes and it’s the first genuine smile I’ve seen all day. Mission accomplished.
“Sure. Wait until I introduce you to peanut butter and syrup sandwiches.”
“Well, now you’re just making shit up.”
We’re both in a more upbeat mood after dinner. We make a quick run down to the gas station to fill the cans and store them in the shed.
Arlow packs his bag and calls down the stairs to me. “I’m going to take a quick shower, then we can go.”
“I’ll be ready!” I shout back. Am I ready? I take a quick walk around the house trying to see if I’ve forgotten anything. Wait? Where’s my phone?
It isn’t on the kitchen table or coffee table. Not on the charger or beside the bed. I stop and try to think back. I don’t remember taking it out of my pocket when I got back from the gas station, and if I did, I would’ve laid it down near my keys. I’ll bet it fell out of my pocket in the car.
It’s not full dark yet, but the motion light blinks on, shining the way to my car when I dash out, hoping to see my phone waiting on my console. No such luck. Did it fall between the seats?
The enormity of my stupidity sets in at the sound of a familiar voice. “You stingy bitch.” A sharp pain shoots across the back of my head as I’m jerked out of my car by my hair. My ass hits the ground, and I look up into the barrel of a gun.
The black ski mask covering his face is completely pointless since I know his voice. “Get up.” He holds up my phone. “Looking for this?”
Rage charges through me and I scramble to my feet. “You motherfucker.”
“Technically I was,” Carl chuckles as if he’s having the time of his life. “But she’s gone, and I’m broke. So, you have a choice.” He throws my phone at my feet. “Transfer the money now or die right here.”
My panicked gaze leaps to Arlow’s front door. He doesn’t even know I’m out here. My gun sits on the table in the living room. How fucking dumb can I be?
Carl glances at the house then back at me. “Stall until your boyfriend shows up and I’ll shoot him first. Transfer the fucking money now.”
My mind is working at a breakneck speed, trying to figure out what to do. I can’t let this turn into a shootout between them if Arlow comes outside. Part of me wants to call his bluff, put my phone on speaker and dial nine-one-one. Take the chance that he’ll run. The problem is I’m not sure that he’s bluffing. If he’s stupid enough to do this, to think that a million dollars could be sent to another person through a payment app just like that, as if you were paying a friend back for lunch, then he could be crazy enough to do anything.
He was never bright. His stupidity is what I have going for me in this situation.
“I can’t. It isn’t in a bank!” It isn’t hard to let my fear show in my voice but restraining my anger is tough. “I buried it.”
“Quit fucking with me.” He raises the gun to point at my head.
“I’m not! Please! The news said the banks could fail so I had it all converted to gold and silver coins. I only keep a couple thousand in the bank to pay bills. I can’t transfer anything,” I babble, throwing in a sob for good measure. His eyes brighten when I add, “I can take you to it. Just don’t hurt me or him.”
He stares at me for a moment. “Where is it?”
The rest of the plan forms in my head. I need to get him to follow me quickly. Arlow’s porch camera will have alerted, and he’ll see it as soon as he’s out of the shower. There’s a way to keep him out of this, keep him safe and end this threat permanently. “In the back field between two trees. I’ll take you there now.”
After another minute of consideration, he waves the gun at me. “Go. Lead the way. If you’re lying to me, bitch, I’ll leave your body in the woods for him to find before I kill him too.”
“I’m not lying. It’s there.”
My steps are hurried and the hair on my nape stands up as the gun is pointed at my back while he follows me to the rear of my cabin. “Stop!” he orders. “Where the fuck are you going?”
“I need a shovel. It’s buried deep,” I explain, gesturing to the shovel that’s on my back porch.
He nods his permission, and I grab it. I’ve complained about how heavy this shovel is and planned to get something easier to use, but I’m happy for the heft of it now. Better to knock his fucking head off his shoulders.
We start into the woods, the shadows wrapping around us as the weak winter sun rapidly descends below the horizon. He stays well behind me as if he’s afraid that I’ll suddenly turn and lunge for the gun. My heart races and adrenaline puts a metallic taste on my tongue.
Absolutely not, Calli. Hold it together. You can have a panic attack once you hear his skull crack at the bottom of that ravine. You can do this.
After worrying my whole life over what kind of person I am, one thing is clear. I’m capable of worse than I imagined. What’s the alternative? Let him continue to stalk me? Hope that I can get him arrested and then what? At best, he does a year or two and is right back at it. As long as he’s alive, I’m the one imprisoned.
The creek is low, the water icy as it penetrates my socks and shoes. For the first time since entering the woods, I look back. Carl splashes through and raises the gun at me again. The shovel is a comfortable weight in my hand. Dad taught me how to swing a baseball bat and I’m going to put that knowledge to use at the right moment.
A faint blue light flashes on the trail camera hidden in the bushes on the far bank of the creek. If Carl notices he doesn’t say anything, but I know that sent a notification to Arlow’s phone as well as mine.
This should look like an accident, an unfortunate fall from a trespasser if the body is ever found, but Arlow will know the truth. How will he see me once I’m a killer?
A light appears behind me as we exit the forest into the dark back field, chilling me to the bone with the fear that Arlow has found us.
“Turn around and fucking walk!” Carl barks when I look back to see he’s turned on a flashlight. “How much farther?”
Slowly, I raise my arm, letting my hand tremble. It’s not hard. I’m shaking like a leaf despite my determination to do this. “In that strip of forest. We’re almost there.”
The thick dead grass isn’t the easiest to trudge through, but I keep my speed, ignoring the burn in my legs and my breath heating in my throat.
We finally reach the last little strip of trees. A memory flashes through my mind of Silver warning me not to come out here at night because it’s hard to see the drop off. Standing in the midsummer heat, the sun beating down on us, I was so eager to get a fresh start here. Was that only five months ago? It feels like I’ve lived another lifetime.
I take him as close to the edge as I dare. I don’t want him to see it or me to end up going over it. The first thing is to get that damn gun away from him. “Here,” I announce, stopping between two random trees.
“Well, what the fuck are you waiting for? Dig.”
“Will you point your light at the ground? I can’t see anything.”
He complies, keeping the gun aimed at me with one hand and the phone pointed at the ground with the other. I stab the ground with the shovel and begin to dig. His stare is centered on the dirt, his eyes wide behind the mask. With every shovelful I shift, he inches a little closer. All of his attention is focused on the shallow hole as he waits for the treasure to be revealed.
The shovel dings off a rock, making a loud noise. “There it is,” I announce. “I felt it.”
He takes another step closer to me, dropping his arm enough so the gun isn’t pointed directly at me and cranes his neck to peer into the hole.
Knock the gun from his hand. Shove him over the cliff. Now, Calli. You can do this.
With a sudden step back, I bring the shovel up and swing as hard as I can. A loud clang echoes through the trees and the gun goes flying, disappearing into the shadows. He screams something indecipherable as his phone falls from his other hand, taking our only light with it.
It only takes me half a second to raise the shovel again, this time aiming for his head, but he tackles me before I can swing. “You stupid bitch!”
Pain shoots up my back when I hit the ground, and his heavy body lands on top of me, driving the breath from my lungs. His fist glances off my eye, but in my rage, I barely feel it. He’s not going to win. I can’t let it happen like this.
He’s strong, but I’m furious. I raise my knee with as much power as possible, squashing his nuts. The satisfying squeal he lets out will stick with me for the rest of my life. It gives me enough time to shove him and roll out from under him. Scooting away like a crab, I manage to put some space between us. My stomach suddenly drops at the feel of the crumbling edge of the cliff, and I reverse my direction, scrambling to get to my feet.
His curses rain around us while I draw in a whooping breath. He’s near the edge, and I pull back my foot to kick him in the side, hoping to move him in the right direction, but he catches my leg and twists it, sending me back to the ground.
One of my punches connects as I fight to get free of him. His nose crunches, but it doesn’t keep him from getting me pinned. Straddling me, he rips his mask off and stares down at me with a bloody grin. “I want to be the last thing you see, you worthless bitch.”
His hands wrap around my throat, cutting off my air. Panic is a wild animal in my chest as I buck under him, trying my best to get him off me, but it’s useless. My fingers claw at his hands. They only tighten, making my head feel like it might explode.
I’m not sure how much time passes. It feels like forever and none at all. My eyes shift away from him to look at the sky behind his head. Clouds draw away, their jagged edge revealing a spattering of stars. The moon slips out from behind them, brightening the night in seconds.
It’s beautiful. At least the last thing I’ll see in this world is beauty. Arlow will have to look at the stars without me. I should’ve told him I loved him. Tears leak from my eyes, but a peaceful feeling begins to take over. I’m dying. This is what dying is like. I’ll be reabsorbed by the universe. Maybe in some distant future, our atoms will clash, and I’ll find him again.
My artist. My Arlow.
The world tunnels, closing around me to a pinpoint, all the noise fading to the murmur of my slowing heartbeat.
“Calliope! Come on, baby, look at me.” My eyes leap open to see Arlow’s terrified face. My burning throat despises every ragged breath but it’s still the best feeling in the universe. “Yes! Oh thank fuck!” he cries.
A wave of dizziness shifts the ground beneath me as I sit up and try to piece together what’s going on. Arlow kneels beside me, a gun in his outstretched hand. In his line of fire, Carl sits on the ground with a large split on one side of his forehead and his face covered in blood.
“I’m okay,” I croak. “I’m okay. Don’t take your eye off him.”
“He’s not going anywhere.” To hear his usually kind, soft voice filled with threatening hostility makes the whole night feel even more surreal.
My mind clears and I bite back the pain of my body to stand up beside the man who just saved my life. “I’ll be okay,” I repeat, hoping to convince both of us.
“Don’t fucking move!” Arlow roars when Carl starts to get up.
His eyes wide, he freezes in place. What to do now? Shove him over the cliff while Arlow watches? I can’t involve him in a murder. Damn it.
“I just wanted the money!” Carl shouts. “All she had to do was give me the fucking money!”
Ignoring him, I pull my phone from my back pocket, then look up at Arlow. “I don’t have a signal to call the police.”
Arlow keeps the gun on Carl as he looks into my eyes. “We don’t need the police yet. Go back to the house. I’ll be right behind you.”
The cold resignation in his voice sends a shiver down my spine. I’m not the only one who comprehends his intention.
Carl’s demands and shouts take a sharp turn. He gets up on his knees. “No! Please, don’t. I’m sorry. I’ll go. I won’t ever bother either of you again,” he begs, frantic.
His words fall on deaf ears as Arlow gazes at me.
He loves me . The realization strikes me and shouldn’t hold such power in this moment, but it does. There’s no doubt in my mind. After suffering so much from causing a death, he’s ready to have another on his conscience. He’s willing to risk being arrested and charged again. For me.
I can’t let him do that. Tears slip down my face. “No, give me the gun. I can do it.” The shake of his head is firm as Carl continues to plead for his life. Blocking him out, I look Arlow in the eye. “Listen to me. That’s why I led him out here, to push him over the cliff. I can do it. I want to do it. You can’t kill him for me. It isn’t your burden to carry. It isn’t your responsibility.”
“No, it’s my privilege,” he replies, his deep voice back to a soft rumble.
“Don’t. Just give it to me.”
Carl is a blubbering mess on his knees in front of him. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the most satisfying thing I’ve ever seen. I hope he’s as terrified as he and my mother made me over the years. Part of me wishes she was on her knees here beside him.
Arlow’s lips press together. He lowers the gun a few inches and barks at Carl. “Stand up.”
The relief in Carl’s face is instant. “Thank you! I swear you’ll never hear from me again.”
Arlow glares at him. “It won’t look like self-defense if you die on your knees.” The last word has scarcely left his lips when a sharp crack echoes through the night.
Everything slows and sharpens into focus. The following seconds feel like they hold a lifetime as a dark hole materializes between Carl’s brows. I watch, rapt, as blood hesitates, taking its time before oozing out to drip between vacant eyes. His muscles suddenly realize he’s dead and his body slumps heavily to the ground.
Arlow lowers the gun, walks over to him, and bends down to make sure he’s really gone.
“Is he?” I breathe, nausea twisting my stomach.
Straightening his back, he nods. “He’s dead. Now we can call the police.”
Sobs pour out of me as I rush at him and throw my arms around his middle. He embraces me carefully, mindful of my injuries while I cling to him. “I’m sorry! I went out to the car without telling you or grabbing my gun. It was so stupid.”
“It’s okay.” His large hand cups the back of my head, brushing over my hair. “It’s going to be okay. It’s over.”
“No.” Stepping back, I scrub my hands over my face. “Now you have another death on your conscience because of me.”
“Calliope.” His firm voice demands my full attention. “He hurt you. I won’t lose a wink of sleep over this. Do you hear me? I’d do it again.”
This can’t happen. He can’t ruin his life for me. A stalker killed on his property and in self-defense, I would hope that he’d be okay, but it’s not worth the risk. You never know how things are going to go when you involve authorities.
“We aren’t calling the cops. We need to bury him.” Arlow blinks and his lips part, his brows rising, but he remains quiet as I continue. “We didn’t ask for this and we don’t deserve what they’re going to put us through. The whole town will know. Even if neither of us are charged, things will never be the same. We have a whole graveyard and forest to hide him.”
Finally, after a long silence, he nods.