Darby's Decision, page 11
He smiled and covered her hand with his. “I’d like nothing more than to spend time with you and Leo. But I also want the danger to be over. It’s better if I stay here to make sure that happens.”
“Please.” She tightened her grip on his arm. “I’m worried about your safety.”
“I appreciate that, Darby. But if we both disappear, these guys could simply lay low for a while, waiting for us to return. Who’s to say they won’t strike again?” He shook his head. “It’s a risk I won’t take. Not with your life. Or Leo’s.”
She held his gaze for a long moment before nodding in agreement. “If you’re sure.”
“Positive.” He smiled reassuringly. “I’ll rest easier knowing you and Leo are safe.”
Releasing him, she focused on finishing her breakfast. It wouldn’t take long for her to pack her things, and Asbury wasn’t far.
She’d be with Leo and Edith well before lunchtime.
In spite of her desire to see her son, leaving Gage, even temporarily, felt as if she was leaving a part of herself behind.
Gage told himself Darby’s leaving was for the best. He’d miss her like crazy but took heart that she’d be safer in Asbury with Leo and Edith than staying here with him.
He wished he could find a way to help her believe in God. Based on her statements, he sensed she was close. The Preacher she’d lived with had done a number on her faith. And he could easily understand why it would be difficult for her to move beyond that experience.
Darby stood and cleaned up their wrappers. “Give me a minute to pack.”
“Sure.” He ignored the knot in his gut. “Take your time.”
Using the map app on his phone, he estimated the distance to Asbury. Not too far, so taking a rideshare would work.
His phone rang as he was staring at it. Recognizing Detective Pride’s number, he quickly answered. “Hello, Detective.”
“Killion. I have good news for you.”
Gage gestured for Darby to come over. “I’d like to put you on speaker.”
Darby joined him. He placed the call on speaker and held the phone between them. “We could use some good news, Detective.”
“We have Niles Archer in custody. And we have impounded his black Honda CRV, the license plate was covered with mud as you mentioned. There’s also some damage to the front of the vehicle that indicates he’s the one who crashed you into the ditch.”
Darby sank into the chair, her gaze glued to his.
“We’re very glad to hear that, Detective. Has he given you any information on the other incidents? Specifically the zip line cable?”
“No. Unfortunately, he’s not talking other than to ask for his lawyer. And we didn’t find a weapon in the SUV either.”
Gage’s hopes deflated like a balloon. “So Reyes is still armed and on the loose.”
“A BOLO has been issued, and I’m confident we’ll find him.”
He truly hoped the detective was right about that. Glancing at Darby, he lifted a brow, silently asking if she had anything to add. She shook her head.
“Thanks again for the update, Detective,” he said. “Please continue to keep us informed, especially once you find Reyes.”
“Will do. Take care.” Detective Pride disconnected from the call.
“They caught him,” Darby repeated as if dazed. “I honestly didn’t think they would.”
He dropped down beside her. “Even better, it looks like they’ll nail him for hitting us last night. That should be enough to send him back to jail.”
“You think so?” Darby’s gray eyes clung to his. “What if he claims it was an accident?”
“Still a hit-and-run, besides, he’ll find it hard to explain why the license plate is full of mud when the rest of the vehicle isn’t.”
“Yeah.” A small smile tugged at her mouth. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Well, the good news is that you can head to Asbury without worrying about things here. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until they find Reyes.” He spoke confidently, even though he knew Tyrone Reyes was likely more adept at eluding the cops.
At least, he had been eight years ago when Gage had started working for him.
“I’m staying.”
He frowned, thinking he misunderstood. “What are you talking about? Now that Archer is behind bars, you should feel even better about going to stay with Edith and Leo.”
“One more day.” Darby stood and faced him. “I called off work again today and happen to be off work tomorrow and Friday as I’m scheduled for the weekend.”
He wasn’t following her logic. “I still don’t see why you’d want to stick around for another day.”
“Don’t you see? It was the two of us working together that helped get Archer behind bars. Maybe we can do the same with Reyes. Now that Reyes’s assistant is out of reach, I suspect he’s feeling rather desperate to put an end to this. To us.”
He shook his head. “All the more reason for you to be far away from here. Better that Reyes comes after me.”
She put a hand on his arm. “We’re stronger together, Gage. And I’m encouraged by how quickly the cops caught Archer.” She paused, then added, “If we can put an end to this here and now, you could join us at the water park. Spend some time getting to know Leo.”
He wanted that so much, it was all he could do not to leave town right this minute. But Darby was right about one thing. The cops getting to Archer so quickly was encouraging. And it was clear they were taking the attacks against them seriously.
“Maybe just for a few hours,” he agreed. “But if they don’t have Reyes in custody by three this afternoon, I’m arranging for you to get to Asbury.”
She lifted a brow. “You can’t force me to do anything.”
“True. But consider the fact that Reyes is due to report to his parole officer on Friday. There’s a good chance this will all be over with by then.”
“If he bothers to show up,” Darby pointed out. “And based on what happened with Archer, I’m thinking he won’t.”
“Regardless, you were the one who wanted to be safe.” He was deeply touched that she’d volunteered to stick around even for a few hours. And he mentally cursed the weakness that allowed her to stay.
“Whatever.” She waved her hand. “In the meantime, what’s the plan? Do we go back to showing Reyes’s mug shot to motel clerks?”
He hesitated. His initial plan, once she was safely in Asbury, had been to get his truck and drive around town in an effort to draw Reyes out of hiding.
Not something he wanted to attempt with Darby sitting in the passenger seat.
“Yeah, we could do that.” It seemed the safer of the two options. “But I’d like to move my truck from the Knotty Pine, if it hasn’t already been towed.”
“We should have done that last night,” Darby said with a frown. “I forgot all about it.”
“We’d just gotten out of a serious car crash,” he pointed out. “It will be fine. I’m hoping the motel staff are so distracted by the police investigation into Archer that they didn’t have time to call for a tow.”
“All right then, first stop the Knotty Pine.” Her smile was strained. “Surely this trip will turn out better than the last one.”
He glanced at his watch. There were two full hours before they needed to check out. “Why don’t you stay here? I won’t be long.”
“No way.” She slung her duffel bag over her shoulder. “We’re better together.”
“Is that our new slogan?” He took the duffel from her and shouldered both bags. “Have to say, I like it. ‘Better Together’ has a nice ring to it.”
She laughed, and it was the first time in what seemed like forever that he’d heard the musical sound. Gage hoped that once Reyes was behind bars, he’d have lots of opportunities to hear her laugh.
Leo too.
Gage led the way to the lobby so they could check out. He wanted to be sure there were no charges placed on Darby’s card. He insisted the clerk check the room out before they left, which he reluctantly did.
“By the way, you haven’t seen this guy, have you?” Darby showed the clerk, who appeared to be in his early forties, Reyes’s mug shot. “He’s wanted by the police for trying to kill us.”
“No.” The clerk’s eyes widened. “No offense, but I’m glad you’re checking out.”
Gage stifled a sigh. “None taken. But do yourself a favor, if you happen to see this guy, call the cops. It’ll be safer for everyone.”
“Yeah, okay.” The clerk reached for the picture. “Can I make a copy?”
“Sure.” They waited patiently for the guy to make a copy of the mug shot.
He returned a minute later. “I’ll post this behind the desk.”
“Good plan.” Gage wished all the motel clerks they spoke with had done the same. Then again, some motels were probably catering to a criminal clientele. If not drugs, then prostitution.
Outside, dark clouds swirled overhead. Gage eyed them warily. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea of being caught in a storm. He glanced at Darby. “Should we grab a rideshare?”
“No, let’s walk.” She lifted her gaze. “The clouds look like they’re moving in from the west. I think there’s time to get to the Knotty Pine before it hits.”
“If you say so.” It wasn’t like they’d melt in the rain. But he felt more vulnerable out in the storm while Reyes was still on the loose. “This way,” he gestured toward the left.
“Isn’t the motel that way?” Darby asked with a frown.
“We’re taking the scenic route.” He fell into step beside her, keeping his body positioned between Darby and the road. Just in case Reyes showed up to mow them over.
“I was thinking about what you said about God.”
He glanced at Darby in surprise. “Which part, exactly?”
A smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “The part where you said God was watching over us. I never told you the details about what happened that night my foster siblings and I escaped the Preacher.”
“I didn’t want to pry, but I’ll gladly listen.” He shifted the weight of their bags and added, “There isn’t anything you can tell me that will change how I feel about you.”
She shot him a curious glance. “The Preacher and his wife died that night. I honestly have no idea what caused the fire initially, I assumed a log rolled out of the fireplace without being noticed. But I do know why the Preacher and his wife died that night.”
His stomach clenched. “How?”
She blew out a breath. “I soon realized the Preacher was either drinking or taking drugs. His moods were so volatile, and his beatings grew worse as the day went on. I snooped around and found the Preacher’s secret stash of moonshine. It was outside in a shed near the garden. I’m not sure why Sawyer didn’t find it before me, or maybe he did and left it alone.”
“Why Sawyer?” It was the first he’d heard of Sawyer. In the past, Darby had often mentioned her older foster sister Hailey.
“He was always working in the garden. Anyway, I found the moonshine, sneaked it into the house, and dumped it on the floor beneath their bed.”
Her confession wasn’t at all what he’d expected. “So you’re saying the fire broke out and grew in magnitude because of the moonshine?”
“Exactly.” She looked almost relieved he’d understood. “It’s not so much that I wanted them to die, but afterward, when we realized they must have died in the fire, I knew that I was responsible for their deaths.” She shrugged. “I doubt God would approve of my actions.”
“God forgives all sins, Darby. Besides, your intent wasn’t to kill them in a fire. Your intent was to avoid another beating.”
She grimaced. “The end result is still the same.”
“You were how old? Twelve? Thirteen?”
“Twelve. Old enough to know better.”
“No, Darby, you were a child being physically and psychologically abused. You didn’t do anything wrong, and even if you did, I know for certain God forgives you. After all, I believe God has forgiven my sins, which are far worse.”
She seemed to consider that as they made their roundabout way to the Knotty Pine. He could see the sign up ahead and quickened his pace, hoping his battered truck hadn’t been towed away.
As they grew closer, Gage frowned. There were three police cars crammed into the small parking lot. Thankfully, his truck was still there, but he wasn’t sure why there was such a strong police presence.
“What in the world is going on?” Darby asked.
“I’m not sure.” He wasn’t happy that his truck was blocked by one of the squads. Using his key fob, he unlocked the car and tossed their bags into the back seat.
“Do you see the police tape?” Darby’s voice was low. “It’s stretched across room number six.”
“Hey, what are you doing here?” A cop strode toward them. “You’ll need to leave, this is an active crime scene.”
“What happened?” Darby asked.
The cop scowled. “You both need to leave. Now.”
“This is my truck.” Gage pointed to it. “If you can move the squad, we’ll get out of your way.”
“The truck stays until the crime scene has been cleared.” The cop pulled out a notebook. “Although you showing up here saves me the trouble of tracking you down. I need your name and address.”
Gage recited the information, keeping an eye on the motel room doorway. He caught a glimpse of a black body bag on a stretcher being rolled out of the room and being thrust into the back of a hearse. “Hey, who died?” God help him, he wanted the dead man to be Tyrone Reyes, putting an end to this nightmare once and for all.
“I can’t talk to you about this.” The cop pocketed his notebook.
Detective Pride emerged from the motel room. Gage sidestepped the cop and quickly called out to him. “Detective? What happened? Who died? Tyrone Reyes?”
Pride’s expression was grim. “No, although he’s my prime suspect, along with Archer.”
Gage swallowed a stab of disappointment. “Then who?”
The detective hesitated, then said, “I need to talk to you both, anyway, so you may as well know. We found Ms. Walsh’s co-worker, Steve Auckland, murdered.”
Chapter Ten
Darby felt all the color leech from her face as the news hit hard. Steve was dead? Murdered?
Because he’d recognized Reyes, identifying him as one of his hikers? But how would Reyes have known about that?
She instinctively reached out to grasp Gage’s arm, glancing warily over her shoulder. “Reyes has been watching us.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Gage protested.
“How else could he have known Steve recognized his mug shot?” She tightened her grip on Gage, feeling dizzy and sick to her stomach. “This is my fault. Steve is dead because I asked him about Reyes and Archer.”
“We didn’t kill him, Darby.” Gage’s low voice was meant to be reassuring, but she couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that Reyes must have been watching them. Through binoculars? Her stomach rolled at the possibility.
“Let’s go inside the motel lobby,” Detective Pride suggested. “I need you to explain to me again what transpired at the adventure park.”
Gage slipped his arm around her waist. Grateful for his support, she managed to remain on her weak knees as they followed the detective inside. The skinny clerk wasn’t behind the desk this time, and she idly wondered what had happened to him. Hopefully, he wasn’t anywhere near room six when the murder had taken place.
Considering the possible timing of Steve’s death had her looking at Gage. “We followed Archer last night after he left the motel room. Do you think Steve was already dead by then?” The thought of Archer calmly walking away after killing someone only increased the swell of nausea in her stomach. “Or had Archer returned to kill him later?”
“For all we know, Reyes killed Steve and left him in Archer’s room to make it look as if Archer did the deed,” Gage countered. He turned toward the detective. “Can you at least tell us when you suspect the murder took place?”
“First, I need to hear from you about the last conversation you had with the deceased.” Pride gestured to the sofa located across from a couple of chairs. “Please sit down.”
Darby gratefully sank down beside Gage on the sofa. After exchanging a glance with Gage, she began. “We went to the adventure park yesterday to talk to the staff about whether or not they’d seen Reyes or Archer hanging around.”
“Why?” Pride interrupted.
“Because I knew the zip line cable was tampered with, and the only way that I could have been targeted so specifically was if one of those men, Reyes or Archer, had been watching the place for a while. They’d have needed to understand our routine.”
Pride scowled. “Showing photos of possible suspects is something better done by the police.”
“We couldn’t even get the police to admit the cable was tampered with,” Gage swiftly pointed out. “No one took our concerns seriously.”
“You did, Detective,” Darby interjected. “But that was well after the initial attempt to kill me. Sure, it might have been better for the police to question Steve, but wouldn’t the end result have been the same?”
Pride sighed. “Okay, go on. You showed Steve the pictures of both Reyes and Archer.”
“Actually, we showed them to both Teddy and Steve,” she corrected. “Teddy was working the zip line cable with me when it failed. Teddy thought Reyes looked familiar, but he couldn’t say anything definitive. Steve identified Reyes as being part of a hiking group last Friday. Three full days before the cable gave way on Monday.”
“Did Steve notice anything off about Reyes?” Pride asked.
“Yes, he mentioned the guy was wearing sneakers rather than hiking boots and that he had a lot of tattoos. In Steve’s opinion, Reyes didn’t seem to be the type to go hiking.”
