Deadly Days of Christmas, page 14
He pulled up in front of her house and parked. He turned to gaze at her and in his eyes she saw that softness, that something that made her believe he was in love with her.
“Mac, before we say good-night we have to talk about the elephant in the room,” she said.
Immediately his eyes darkened and shuttered against her. “I didn’t think there was anything to talk about. I’ve been clear to you that I’m not looking for a relationship. Last night was wonderful, but it shouldn’t have happened.”
“But it did happen and it was more than wonderful,” she replied. “I... I’m in love with you.” The words falling from her lips surprised her. She hadn’t meant to let him know just yet how she felt about him. But now the words hung in the air between them.
He shifted in his seat and looked out the front window, obviously uncomfortable. He released a deep sigh and then gazed at her once again, his eyes still dark and impossible to read.
“Callie, the last couple weeks have been intense, and we’ve spent a lot of time together. Emotions have run high for the both of us, but I think you’re now misreading your own feelings.”
She stared at him and then released a dry laugh. “Please don’t try to undermine my feelings, Mac. I know how I feel about you. I’m in love with you.”
He winced, as if he found her words painful. “Don’t love me, Callie. You deserve to love a man who can return your love with his whole heart. I don’t have a heart that loves. Save your love for somebody who does. And now I think it’s best if we just say good-night.”
She searched his features for several more moments, seeking some form of softness, some way in beneath the armor he seemed to have drawn around himself. She found none.
“Good night, Mac,” she said. “I’ll see you first thing in the morning.” She got out of the car and opened the back door to retrieve her coat. “She must have done some number on you,” she added. She closed the door and headed up the sidewalk and fought back tears of disappointment...of utter heartbreak.
After a night of crying and cursing her heart for falling in love with a man who she believed loved her, but refused to act on it, she was ready to head back into the office.
With a credible suspect behind bars, she wondered whether Mac would put her back on the desk, or keep her as a deputy. If he was now uncomfortable to be in her presence, the best thing for him would be to put her back on the desk, where he only had to have contact with her a couple of times a day.
He’d certainly never promised her a permanent position as a deputy. She’d known all along he’d only appointed her as one because of the situation he’d found himself in with a killer on the loose.
She shoved all these thoughts out of her head and instead steeled herself for seeing Mac again after the conversation they’d had the night before. Opening her door, she stepped outside into the bright sunshine.
She immediately saw Nathan’s truck parked at the curb and Nathan on the ground, hunched over and holding his ankle. “Nathan, what happened?” she asked as she took several steps toward him.
“I was on my way to Jason Donovan’s house to do some work and I thought I had a flat tire. I parked to get out and look and slipped and twisted my ankle.”
He looked like a pathetic little boy sitting in the snow with a stocking cap askew on his head and his eyes filled with hurt. “Can I call somebody to help you?” Callie asked.
“I don’t have anyone to call,” he replied. “I just need to get in my truck and go home.” He tried to stand, but fell back in the snow. “Could you just help me to the driver’s door?”
Callie hesitated a moment and looked around. There was nobody out on the snowy streets at this time of the morning. She felt no real threat from Nathan. She’d always believed he wasn’t bright enough to pull off the murders.
She touched the butt of her gun to assure herself and then approached where Nathan sat. When she reached him he threw his arm around her shoulder and moaned slightly.
With her help he managed to get to his feet and together with him leaning on her they got to the driver’s door. He turned back to her. “Thanks for your help, Deputy Stevens,” he said.
He made a quick movement and something sharp stuck Callie in her thigh. “Ouch... What...?” She looked down to see a hypodermic needle. She looked up at Nathan in surprise.
His eyes were no longer innocuous, but rather filled with a sly cunning. She fumbled at her side, wanting to pull her weapon, but it felt as if she was moving through sludge.
Her vision blurred as Nathan grabbed her gun from her holster. Her heartbeat slowed despite the fear that filled her.
Her muscles refused to work with her brain and her knees suddenly weakened. She felt herself falling, but Nathan caught her. He picked her up in his arms and carried her to the back of his pickup.
Danger. Oh God, she was in danger. Nathan wasn’t on Mac’s radar anymore. Nathan began to hum “The Twelve Days of Christmas” song, chilling her to her bones.
She fought to stay conscious, but she was completely boneless and a frightening darkness crept in. Nathan placed her in the bed of the truck and then covered her with a blue tarp.
Help me! The words screamed in her head. As the darkness overtook her, her last conscious, horrifying thought was that she was going to be the five golden rings... She was going to die.
Chapter Twelve
The brief conversation with Callie last night had played and replayed in Mac’s head all night long. He’d felt her love for him pouring from her. He’d wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her all night long. He’d wanted to tell her that he was deeply in love with her, but he hadn’t. He couldn’t.
The blow Amanda had delivered to his heart that Christmas Eve when she’d walked out on him had forever scarred him. He’d been truthful when he’d told Callie he had no heart to give her.
She deserved to have a man who could love her with all his heart and soul. She deserved so much more than what Mac could give her.
It was just after six when he sat at the kitchen table and drank a cup of coffee before going into work. His mind raced with thoughts, both about the murders and about Callie.
Did they have the right man in jail right now? Had Ben committed the murders while in a fugue state due to him going off his medication and becoming trapped in a depth of paranoia about evil spirits?
How would things go with Callie when she came in this morning? Would she be embarrassed by her profession of her love for him the night before? Would she be hurt and wear that hurt in her beautiful eyes? God, he wasn’t sure he could stand that. The last thing he’d ever wanted to do was hurt her.
He recognized that he was guilty of giving her mixed messages. He’d told her he wasn’t interested in a relationship and yet he’d touched her in loving ways, and he’d kissed her and made love with her.
He stared out the window where the rising sun reflected red and orange on the snow. He hoped he heard from forensics today that the knife taken off Ben was the murder weapon. That would seal the deal on Ben’s guilt and the young women in the town would once again be safe.
With this thought in mind he finished up his coffee and then pulled on his coat as thoughts of Callie returned to his mind. If he knew her as much as he thought he did, then she would come in first thing this morning with her head held high.
He couldn’t help but smile with this thought. She had more strength, more spunk than any other woman he had ever known and that was part of what he loved about her.
He got to the office and went directly to his desk. He needed to check his email to see if any reports had come in. Unfortunately, there was nothing. He’d have to be patient and in the meantime he’d make sure his deputies were still questioning people about the murders.
Even though he’d pretty much written off Roger and Nathan as suspects, that didn’t mean that more questioning might not turn up another suspect. They also needed to begin to build a case against Ben if he was their man.
They needed to find out what his actions were on the date of every murder. Any alibi he had for the days and nights had to be checked and rechecked.
He was vaguely surprised when eight o’clock rolled around and Callie still wasn’t in. He held his morning meeting with all his other deputies and once they all had their assignments they left.
Mac put his coat back on and got into his car. He wanted people to see him out and about. He needed them to know that he was still working on their behalf. He drove up and down the streets, making notes of areas that hadn’t seen a snowplow yet.
It was after ten when he returned to the office, shocked that Callie still hadn’t come in. It wasn’t like her. Even with the conversation they’d had the night before, it wasn’t like her to avoid him. It definitely wasn’t like her to blow off work.
He finally called her, but the call went to her voice mail and he hung up. A half an hour later he called her again with the same results, but this time he left her a message. “Callie, where are you? I figured you would already be here. Call me back and let me know what’s going on.” He hung up, dissatisfied with the message and with the fact that she wasn’t answering her phone.
Had the fact that he’d told her he had no heart to give her somehow broken her? God, he hoped not. He couldn’t imagine seeing her without the sparkle in her eyes, without that optimistic smile on her face. Surely she was stronger than that. Dammit, he knew she was stronger than that. So, where was she?
It was just after eleven when the faint niggle of worry he had about her became too big to ignore. He got back in his car and headed over to her house. He parked in her driveway and headed for her front door.
Nothing appeared amiss. He knocked on the door loud enough for the neighbors to hear. No reply. He knocked again. “Callie, come to the door,” he yelled. Still no response from her.
He waited several minutes and then headed back to his car. Maybe she was inside the house and just not answering any calls from him. With this thought in mind he headed toward Janie’s Stuff and Things. He knew from idle conversation with Callie that she and Janie were close friends.
He wasn’t one to put his personal business on blast, but the truth was he was worried about Callie and just needed to know she was okay. Hopefully Callie would answer a call from her friend.
The store was open even though there were few people out and about on the snowy sidewalks. The moment he walked into the store he was surrounded by Christmas, which immediately evoked thoughts of Callie and her home.
“Sheriff.” Janie greeted him with a warm smile. “Fancy seeing you in here. Are you looking for a special gift for somebody?”
“Actually, I’m hoping you would do me a favor.” He hesitated a moment, wondering if he had completely lost his mind. Still, all he wanted was to know that Callie was okay. “Uh... I know you and Callie are good friends. Have you talked to her at all today?”
“No. Why, is something wrong?” Janie immediately appeared worried.
“She hasn’t come in to work today and she didn’t call in to say she wasn’t coming. I went by her house and knocked, but she didn’t answer. I’ve also called her several times but she isn’t answering my calls.” The words fell out of his mouth faster than he could edit himself.
“We...we had a conversation last night that might have upset her, so she might not want to talk to me right now so I was wondering if maybe you could call her and make sure she’s okay. Surely she would answer your call.”
Janie grabbed a black purse from behind the counter and pulled out her cell phone. “No matter what happened between the two of you, it’s not like her to blow off work. Callie has always been the utmost professional when it comes to her job.”
Janie opened her phone case and punched a button that would ring Callie. Mac waited, hoping...praying...that Callie would answer and he’d know she was okay.
However, the phone rang several times and then went to voice mail. Janie frowned. “Let me try her again.” Janie punched the button again and got the same result. “I’m sorry, Mac. Maybe she’s busy with something or in the shower. I’ll keep trying her.”
“Thanks, and could you let me know when you hear from her?”
“For sure. I’ll call and let you know,” Janie replied.
As Mac left the shop, the alarm bells that had been ringing about Callie grew louder. What if they had the wrong man in jail? What if Ben wasn’t the killer?
A vision of Callie filled his head... Callie with her blond curls... Callie who was the perfect fit for the killer’s victimology.
As he got into his car he hoped and prayed that he was wrong, that Ben was their killer and Callie was someplace safe. However, as he drove back to the office the alarm in his head screeched.
One way or another he had to find Callie. If what he feared was true, then he only had a matter of hours before she would be stabbed to death and left someplace on the street with a Santa hat on her head and five golden rings on her fingers.
* * *
CALLIE CAME TO in bits and increments. The smell hit her first...the dank scent of earth...the noxious smells of blood and death. Her mind worked to make sense of it. Where was she?
She cracked open her eyes and fought through the fog in her brain. She was in a root cellar of sorts. She opened her eyes wider despite a headache that rolled across her forehead.
There was a workbench against one wall, shelving on the other wall and she was on a bunk bed. The workbench held a lamp that illuminated the area. She started to get up and realized her arms and feet were tied to the bed.
Sheer panic screamed through her. What had happened? How had she gotten here? Oh God...what was going on? And then she remembered. Nathan and his pretense of a hurt ankle.
Oh God, she’d been so stupid. She’d fallen for a ruse she should have never fallen for. She hadn’t believed he had the acumen to be the killer, and yet here she was.
She strained against the ropes that tied her wrists to the bed frame. There was no give. She attempted to move her legs, but the rope around her ankles held tight.
She spied a pile of coats and purses in the corner of the room. They were items that belonged to the murdered women and her white winter coat was on top. The sheet beneath her felt stiff and as she moved her body to one side and peered down at it, she saw the reason for the stiffness. Blood...old, dried blood. They’d wondered where the killing place was and now she knew. Panic once again soared through her and she kicked and pulled against the binds that held her until she was breathless.
Where was Nathan now? She looked toward the slanted wooden door. The next time she saw him would he come down with a knife in his hand, ready to stab her to death?
A deep sob welled up and exploded out of her. She was in trouble. When she hadn’t shown up for work that morning had Mac just figured she was avoiding him? After their conversation the night before had he believed she was mad at him and that’s why she hadn’t come in to work?
Did he even know she was missing? Another sob escaped her. Was anybody even looking for her? She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to be another victim.
Tears chased each other down her cheeks as she frantically tugged at the ropes. Somehow...some way...she had to escape. She had to get off of the bed and out the door.
She couldn’t depend on anyone to find her, especially if they didn’t even know that she was missing. Somehow she needed to save herself, but at the moment she wasn’t sure how to do that.
She had no idea what time it was, but she knew it was only a matter of hours before Nathan would come at her with a knife. If nothing changed, then she knew she was on a countdown to her own death.
With that thought in mind, she began to scream for help...hoping and praying that somebody would hear her cries.
* * *
BY THE TIME he got back to the office, Mac was frantic. His fear for Callie was a living, breathing thing inside him. He put all his deputies on alert to be on the watch for her and then he hit the road again.
The first place he drove was to Roger’s insurance company. Roger’s car was parked out front and as Mac slowly drove by he could see Roger inside the office.
On his drive to Nathan’s place, he tried to call Callie again and got the message that her voice mail was full. That only sent his fear for her higher. Where could she be? He couldn’t believe she was just out walking around the snow-filled streets of the town or hiding out in her house.
He believed it was quite possible that the serial killer who had terrorized the town now had Callie in his clutches. His stomach muscles clenched tightly at the very thought.
When he got to Nathan’s place the man’s truck wasn’t there. Mac returned to town and drove up and down the streets until he found Nathan’s vehicle parked at the curb of Jason and Margaret Donovan’s house. Mac got out of his truck and hurried to the front door. Jason answered. “Is Nathan here?” Mac asked before Jason could even greet him properly.
“Yes, he’s doing a little work in our kitchen. Is there a problem?” Jason asked.
“What time did he get here today?” Mac asked.
Jason frowned. “I’m not sure, I think it was around nine or so. Is there a problem?” he asked again.
“No, but do you mind if I speak with him?” Mac asked.
“Of course not... Come on in.” Jason opened the door wider to allow Mac entry. He followed Jason through an attractive living room and into a large, airy kitchen. Margaret was seated at the table with a cup of coffee in front of her and Nathan appeared to be changing the hardware on the cabinets.
“Margaret,” he greeted her.
“Good afternoon, Sheriff,” she said in obvious surprise.
