Wayward Secrets, page 16
My immediate reaction was to laugh. A rock was a rock. But this was Briar, so instead asked, “How?”
“That pentacle on the side facing us.” She pointed, and we all saw it. “Each of the Pack members took turns carving it. There’s a rust-colored stain on the other side.”
I stepped closer, being sure to avoid the blood on the floor, and looked at the side opposite the pentacle. Sure enough. A rusty smudge was visible. “Do you know what caused that stain?”
“Sadly, I do.” She bowed her head for a moment. “Priscilla’s blood. We turned it toward the earth and carved the pentacle as a sort of memorial for her.”
Rosalyn gasped. “That’s the missing stone from the firepit at the Meditation Circle.”
The gap in the circle we noticed on Thursday. The rock that killed Priscilla might now have killed . . . no, I had to remain positive. “It appears Flavia was going for symbolism too.”
“What is this contraption she set up?” Morgan asked.
“It’s another doorway booby trap,” Tripp stated, poking his head inside the door to investigate. “A fairly simple one. This time when the door was opened, it pulled the rope tied to it.”
I pointed at the back side of the door. “There’s an eyelet screwed in up there.”
Tripp pointed at the pulley attached to the ceiling. “Opening the door pulled the rope attached to the eye. That released the stone. There’s another smaller rock on the floor behind the door. That stopped the door from swinging open right away. Whoever opened the door would have paused when it didn’t open right away and then pushed harder. It was a gamble. The trap might not have worked as planned, but that slight hesitation before entering provided just enough time for the rock to swing down and connect with its target.”
I have to get to my girls. Meeka wants me to follow her to the other cabin. Jola and Lily Grace must be in there. As I chase after the little dog, Gabe is calling me. He probably wants Jayne or Martin to do this. They’re busy, and I’m not waiting for them. My girls might be hurt. They might need help as much as those in the first cabin. They must be so scared.
Meeka’s outside the second cabin door now. She’s looking from the door to me and back, barking. My girls are in there.
I can’t run fast enough. At the door, I reach for the knob and push. The door is stuck. Something is in front of it. I push harder step toward my girls tied to the couch and—
“Are you seeing the scene?” Reed asked somberly.
“Unfortunately.” I hadn’t seen the smaller stone. It would have been behind the door when I entered to untie Jola and Lily Grace. I stood in front of the dangling rock and put my hand to my chin. “It hit Rae in the right temple. I’m a little taller than her. It would have caught me on the jaw or throat. If you or Gabe had come to rescue them, you would have gotten hit in the upper chest.”
“At minimum, painful,” Reed concluded, holding Rosalyn’s hand.
“At most,” she completed his thought, “deadly.”
“What are you looking at, boss?” Reed asked.
“The pulleys. I think they’re Gil’s.”
“You don’t think he was involved with this, do you?” Morgan asked, horrified.
“No, not at all. Gil loaned some to Brady to make that curtain to cover the lake sign. He gave him four or five pulleys, some cleats, and rope. He told Brady he wanted everything back. They’re evidence at the moment, so he’ll have to wait awhile.” I turned to take in everyone standing behind me. Gratitude for their safety flooded me. “I’m so glad you’re all okay. We need to get you to Unity now.”
“Mama and I are fine,” Morgan assured. “She needs sleep, and I need to see my babies. For multiple reasons.” She winced again and hugged an arm tightly to her breasts. Her other arm still supported Briar. “Oh my Goddess, has River been alone with Talon and Juniper this whole time?”
“No, Holly is with him,” I assured. “As for letting Drake look at you, humor me.” It was half a request, half an order. “Just a quick once-over.” I looked at Tripp. “You and that shoulder will take a little longer.”
“Go ahead and take them over, boss,” Reed told me. “I’ll start processing here.”
“I’ll do it,” Keiko offered, clearly eager to help.
She’d been so quiet I forgot she was here. She would be the better option. No one in the group looked clear-headed enough to drive even the short mile up the road, and I wanted to get going on the scene. “Have you ever been in an accident? Ever got a speeding ticket?”
“No and no,” Keiko stated proudly. “Not even a parking ticket. I don’t drive often, usually take public transportation, but I have a license.”
I gave her the keys to my truck. “Take them to Unity and wait for them.”
“I’m supposed to let Bee know what’s going on,” she reminded me.
“You can do that while Drake is checking them over,” I allowed.
“My car is across the street from Unity,” Rosalyn noted. “I can take Tripp home, and we can pick up his truck later.”
“Only if Drake says you’re okay to drive,” I warned. “Keiko, once everyone is clear to leave, make sure they get home somehow.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Then a new twist presented itself. “Holly will probably need to get home soon. How are you with babies?”
Keiko’s face lit up. “I’ve got lots of little cousins, so I’m used to helping with babies.” Briar tried to object, but Keiko insisted. “You’re exhausted.” She indicated Morgan’s semi-drenched top. “You’ll be busy for a bit, and River is surely wiped out. I can help with whatever you need.”
Briar held out a hand and directed her to the Tahoe. “Let’s discuss all this at Unity. We’ll call River from there.”
I hugged my sister and kissed Tripp. “Arden is taking care of everything at Pine Time. She’ll be so happy you two are okay. Go get checked out, and I’ll see you at home as soon as I can.”
“And keep mum about Rae?” Tripp guessed.
“Until we know how she is, yes.” After they left, I turned to Reed and sighed hard.
“A bit like corralling toddlers hyped up on sugar, hey?”
“Nah. Toddlers would be easier. Let’s get through this quickly. Then I’m going to track down Flavia and take great pleasure in stuffing her into a holding cell.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Fortunately, my deputy was more on the ball than I was. He’d thought to take pictures of everyone when they were tied up. Just a few. Enough to prove what Flavia had done, but not enough to extend our victims’ agony for more than a few seconds. As far as processing went, there wasn’t that much to do. We bagged all the ropes, pulleys, and other items from the booby traps. We also bagged both rocks. The large one would never go back to the Meditation Circle. I planned to take the thing out kayaking and push it overboard. That spot in the fire ring would either sit empty as a sort of memorial or someone would fill it with a new one someday.
Reed drove me back to the station so we could put everything in the evidence locker and get to work on writing reports. My truck was in its parking spot. I figured Keiko would still have it, but Jagger said she’d returned it half an hour ago.
“Some girl named Keiko dropped off your keys,” he explained, looking a little confused. “She said I should tell you that River left the twins with Holly and picked up her, Morgan, and Briar at Unity. Also, Drake cleared Rosalyn to drive to Pine Time, so she took Tripp home in her car.”
“So far so good, I guess,” I replied, relaxing a little. Knowing Morgan and Briar were in good hands, I called Pine Time to find out more about Tripp and Rosalyn.
“I’d let you talk to them,” Arden told me, “but they’re both sound asleep.”
“They’re okay, though?” I asked.
“Drake reset Tripp’s shoulder and said it would heal on its own. He gave him some pain killers and told him to keep it in a sling for a few days. Rosalyn is fine. Drake rehydrated them both with some saline and sent them home with orders to rest.”
That was the best possible outcome. I’d keep an eye on their mental health as well. They’d gone through an awful experience.
“Did you get an update on Morgan and Briar?” Arden asked.
“I didn’t. What do you know?”
“Rosalyn says they’re okay too. Drake assured Morgan that her milk supply will be fine and encouraged her to drink a lot of water when she got home. Same orders for Briar. Drink plenty of water and sleep.”
I relaxed further. “That’s great news. I’ve still got more to take care of here—”
“Take your time, sweetness. I’m in no hurry to leave. I promise to keep a close eye on them.”
Once we’d filled Jagger in on what had happened, I went to Brady in the cell. “You helped her by doing more than just delivering cards. Didn’t you?”
“What are you talking about?” he asked from the cot where he lay covered with a thin blanket.
I held up one of the bagged pulleys. “Look familiar?”
He squinted. “Yeah. That looks like one of Gil’s pulleys.”
“Did you attach some to the ceilings in the twin rental cabins?”
“The cabins?”
My irritation with him was seconds away from falling over the cliff into pure rage. “I swear to God, Brady, if you play dumb with me right now, you will regret it. Start talking, or I’ll call Deputy Atkins to come get you and lock you up at the county station.”
I took a wide stance, crossed my arms tight, and stared him down. When Jagger and Reed moved in on either side of me, Brady caved. He sat up and reported exactly where he’d put them and how he mounted them. His statement matched up perfectly with the pictures Reed took.
He dropped his head into his hands. “Laurel’s going to be so mad at me.”
Laurel managed the cabin rentals and would need to find different accommodations for the people who wanted to rent them until Mr. Powell’s crew could repair the damages from the pulley installations. And clean up Rae’s blood. Priscilla’s never washed off that rock. Laurel might need to replace the flooring.
“Why did Flavia want all those in there anyway?”
I couldn’t tell if he was faking it or truly hadn’t known why he was doing what Flavia requested. Ignoring his question, I pressed, “Did you put the bin of rocks into place over the door of the cabin closest to the road? And before you answer, know that there were five witnesses in that cabin who saw everything.”
“That’s where they were? You found them? Are they okay?” He paused and his brow furrowed. “What about the other two? There were seven altogether.”
“Answer my question, Brady. Did you help her with the bins?”
He frowned. “I don’t know what bin you’re talking about.”
“I will ask Flavia’s hostages to verify that.”
He nodded. “They’ll tell you it wasn’t me. All I did was install the pulleys because Flavia didn’t want to climb up a ladder that high. Oh, and I strung the ropes while I was up there.”
“What about the rock in the second cabin?”
“The one with the rope tied around it? I tied the rope ’cause Flavia said she didn’t know how. What did she do with that? I thought the whole thing was kinda weird—”
“But you did it anyway,” Jagger growled.
Brady slumped like a naughty little boy with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar.
I’d untied the knots holding her hostages to the chairs. Flavia knew perfectly well how to tie complex knots. Either Brady was lying or she lied to him about not knowing how.
“I want to make sure you understand exactly what will happen, Brady,” I began. He stared at me, unblinking. “I will confirm what you’ve said with everyone we found in the cabins. If any of them tell me you’re lying, I will charge you with being an accomplice. If Rae dies from her injuries—”
“Rae got hurt?” he asked.
“If Rae dies from her injuries, I will charge you with involuntary manslaughter.” I waited a beat. “Do you want to stick with everything you’ve said, or would you like to change your statement in any way?”
“I swear to the Goddess, Sheriff, I didn’t lie. Everything I said is the truth.”
My deputies and I walked away from his cell then.
“We need to go pick her up now,” I told them.
I would have done it immediately after processing the cabins, but I had no fear of Flavia skipping town. She was too arrogant and would certainly want to know how her plan played out. Besides, I wanted to get that last statement from Brady without Flavia present.
“Not me.” Reed settled in at his desk and turned on his laptop. “I’ll stay and get a formal written statement from Brady and work on the reports. Jagger can go with you. Notify me, please, when you’re on the way back. I’ll slip out the front as you bring her in the back.”
I understood this was hard for him and wouldn’t force him, but this was pushing up against my limits. Maybe it was because Jagger was on board now. Reed knew I had backup and our prisoners wouldn’t be left alone. If Jagger wasn’t here, though, would Reed leave me to handle all this on my own? He’d done it before.
“Fine,” I said and looked down at my K-9 and made a mental note to have Igor look at her paw as soon as possible. “Do you want to work?” I smiled when her tail started wagging at full speed. “Let’s go, then. You can come with me this time, Jagger.”
He seemed as excited as Meeka was.
I’d waited a long time and endured setback after setback to get to this point. A bit of my enthusiasm fizzled, though, when we arrived at Flavia’s cottage, and she opened the front door before I could knock. I’d hoped to take her by surprise.
“Found them already? I thought it would take longer.” She stood confidently, her back straight. If Flavia was concerned at all that I was there, she didn’t show it. The only crack in her composure came when she looked behind me at Jagger. She frowned. Because her son hadn’t accompanied me?
“I’d like to search your home for supplies used to make fire-starting devices. Also rope, syringes, and vials of ketamine used to detain seven local individuals.”
“Do you have a warrant?” she asked, a smirk on her thin lips.
Whispering Pines tends to make its own laws.
That’s what Sugar had told me while complaining, like she always did, about River buying the village and me taking over my gran’s position. “Whispering Pines tends to make its own laws. Karl wore the uniform, but Queen Lucy decided what happened.”
“No warrant. It’ll be easy enough for me to get one, however. Jagger is a very patient man. He’ll stay here with you while I go back to the station and contact the judge. Hopefully she’ll be available quickly. If not, I’ll detain you on suspicion and hold you down at the station until the warrant is issued. If you’re concerned about me finding something that would incriminate you, you’ll definitely want me to get a warrant. If not, you can let me take a look around and save us all a lot of hassle.”
Shockingly, she stood back and let us enter. “You won’t find a thing.”
I pointed to her near sterile living room. “Have a seat. Jagger will stay with you. Meeka and I will be quick.”
“I do not want that animal traipsing through my home,” she hissed.
“Officer Meeka is here to help me search. She won’t harm anything.”
Again, she backed down. Maybe she’d gotten rid of everything. Was that why she was so calm and willing to let me in? I had statements from the seven victims, Brady, and Singer. And that fingerprint from Tripp’s truck. That was enough as far as I was concerned. I wanted more physical evidence, though. I wanted a case so rock solid no one could dispute a single charge.
Flavia’s house was one room wide and two decent-size rooms deep. Her living room/entryway took up the front half of the main floor. Her kitchen was at the back. A small dining area and the stairway entrance to the second floor were in the middle. The dining area, like the living room, had no adornments of any kind and not a fleck of dirt visible. I’d never been in any of the other rooms. The kitchen was small but not tiny and just as clean as the others. The walls were white. The countertops and cupboards, scrubbed pine. All of her dishes were white ceramic. Even the appliances were white. A stainless-steel tea kettle sat on top of the stove. The burner beneath it appeared discolored from heat, while the rest of it looked unused. This supported the belief that Flavia didn’t cook. What did she eat?
She doesn’t eat, Jayne in my head said. She’s a vampire.
“Not funny.”
Meeka sniffed around the floor, tilted her head to the side, and sniffed again. Then she sat and gave a tiny whine.
“Nothing to find here, hey?”
If Meeka couldn’t find anything, Flavia must scour this cottage from top to bottom every day.
I searched each cupboard looking for glycerin or potassium permanganate. Then the refrigerator, which was nearly empty except for a few pieces of fruit, three pre-packaged salads, two large blocks of cheese, and a few staple condiments. The oven, shockingly, had blobs of something burned onto the bottom.
Frozen pizza, I bet.
I checked the freezer. Jayne in my head was right. Or mostly so. It was stuffed full with organic, gourmet, single-size frozen meals and half a dozen personal-size pizzas. Unexpectedly, something about that made me sad. Maybe because I was spoiled by delicious homemade meals every day. Then I reminded myself that Flavia chose her life. For all I knew, she preferred eating alone. And some of those frozen things were quite tasty.
When I headed for the stairs to the second floor, Flavia slid to the edge of the sofa and insisted, “You can’t go up there.”
“A search involves the entire house,” I explained. “If you want to wait for a warrant . . .”
Her cheeks flamed red, as she backed down again.
I went on up, Meeka at my heels. At the top of the staircase, we had to take a sharp left. The door to the bathroom was on my left. Across the narrow hallway from it was a room that had to be Reed’s. It had that stuck in time feel, and I assumed this was how it had always looked. A twin bed with a flat pillow and thin blue plaid bedspread, a nightstand, three-drawer dresser, study desk, and wood chair were the only things in the room. Literally. At least, nothing else was visible. There was just enough floor space in the center for a young Martin to play. What kinds of toys did he have? He told me once that kids never came over, but he couldn’t have comfortably fit a friend in here if he wanted to. And Flavia would never allow them to mess up her perfect lower level.
