Carol Ericson - Circumstantial Memories

“It was so dark and he came at me from behind. He was tall and strong. He didn’t say one word. The only smell I could detect was the ether, and it scared the sh…” A furrow formed between her brows.

“What’s wrong?” Ryder grabbed her cold hands and chaffed them.

“He pinned me against his body with one arm while he was getting the ether ready, and for one second before the smell of the ether invaded my nose, I smelled…cologne.”

“Did you recognize the cologne?”

Ryder flashed his brother an admiring look. Rafe definitely had the instincts of a cop.

“It smelled familiar, but I can’t place it. I probably just smelled it in a department store or something. Not many men around Silverhill wear cologne.”

“Except Zack Ballard.” Ryder crossed his arms over his chest. “And he’s the one who sent you the message to meet him.”

“That’s crazy. He wouldn’t text me on my cell if he planned to kidnap me.”

“He figured after he abducted you, he’d have your phone anyway.” He was grasping at straws here, but he wanted to pin this on somebody.

“Slow down, bro.” Rafe pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. “There’s one way to find out if Zack is the one who left the message for Julia. I have his cell phone number right here.”

Julia dragged her cell out of her pocket and flipped it open. She squinted at the display and read off the number that sent her the text message.

Rafe whistled. “Zack’s dumber than he looks. He sent Julia that message from his own cell phone. I’m going to give him a call back.”

Rafe pressed a few buttons on his cell phone and then shook his head. “Not answering, which doesn’t surprise me.”

“I can’t believe it.” Julia stepped back and stumbled. “I know Zack. He can’t be responsible.”

Ryder reached out and Julia knocked his hand away. First Dr. Brody and now Zack. The thought that her stalker might be someone she knew and trusted bothered her. She’d loved and trusted her father so much and when he died she thought she’d never find a man with those qualities. But Jeremy tricked her into believing she had and now she’d fallen into the same trap with Dr. Brody and Zack…and him?

“Let’s call Sheriff Ballard.” Rafe got on his cell and reached Ballard on his way to the party. He told him about the attack on Julia and how the stalker lured her out of the house. “It looks like Zack might be involved, Sheriff.”

Five minutes later, Ballard’s squad car roared to a stop in front of the McClintocks’ gateway and he barreled out of the car, leaving the door open.

“You okay, honey?” He patted Julia on the shoulder. “Damn, I thought we had our man. Now let me see this message.”

Julia showed him the text message on her phone and Ballard swore.

“I know my boy’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, but he doesn’t have an aggressive bone in his body. That’s why he pumps all that iron…it’s all about the look.”

“When was the last time you spoke to Zack?” Ryder had to agree with Ballard. Zack presented an imposing figure, but he shied away from using force. But maybe that’s why he attacked women.

“I talked to him on the radio about two hours ago. He was on his way to investigate a report of a transient living in the caves by The Twirling Ballerinas.”

Rafe asked, “Have you tried him on the radio since then?”

“On the way over here after I got your call. He didn’t respond.”

Ballard’s radio crackled from the squad car as if on cue, and all three of them spun around and stared at the car.

“This might be him now.” Ballard trod back to his car, dropped onto the seat and grabbed the radio.

Ryder exchanged a glance with Rafe. Yeah, now that he made his attack on Julia?

The voice of Racine Elder, the dispatcher, hissed and popped over the radio. “Sheriff, we got a call about a squad car parked at the end of Main Street. It’s been there for two hours and it looks like it’s Zack’s car. Over.”

“Ten-four, Racine. I’ll check it out. Over.” Ballard leaned on his car door and winked. “Maybe Zack’s just spending some time with that little gal he’s been seeing, the new girl at Gracie’s B and B.”

Julia let out a long breath. “You see, it couldn’t have been Zack. There’s no way he could’ve come out here on foot, and his car’s been parked on Main for the past two hours.”

“Unless he took another mode of transportation,” murmured Rafe. “Wait up, Sheriff. I’m coming with you.”

“I’m following. It’s time to get this straightened out.” Ryder turned to Julia. “I’ll walk you back up to the house.”

“Oh no, you don’t. If this is a caravan, then I’m tagging along. If Zack did text me, I’m going to find out what the hell he wanted. Just give me a minute to look in on Shelby.”

“She’s with my stepmother. She’ll be fine. Do you have your car keys? I can’t pull my truck out of the drive with all these cars parked here.”

She dangled the keys in front of his nose and he snatched them from her. “I’ll drive.”

Rafe joined Ballard in the squad car, which Ryder followed as it pulled into the road. Julia sat beside him with her hands clasped between her knees. He knew she wanted Zack’s name cleared, but a sense of dread hammered against his brain. If Zack wasn’t her stalker, who was?

Ballard’s car pulled up behind the squad car parked at the foot of the Ballerina Trail. Rafe exited the car, leaving Ballard behind.

“What’s going on?” Ryder jogged up to his brother while Julia scrambled out of the car after him.

“This doesn’t feel right to me, Ryder. I told Ballard to wait in the car. He’s too personally involved.” Rafe drew his gun.

“What’s he going to do, shoot Zack?” Julia scowled.

“You,” Ryder took her arm, “wait by the car with Sheriff Ballard.”

Ryder crept up to Zack’s squad car next to Rafe. Rafe opened the car door and the dome light illuminated the interior. A set of keys dangled in the ignition and the radio crackled with static. No Zack.

While Rafe inspected the car, Ryder grabbed the flashlight Rafe had taken from Ballard and beamed the light across the ground at the foot of the trail. It tripped over an object in the bushes.

Ryder edged forward and shone the light on the object stuck in a bush. Zack’s hat.

Gripping the flashlight, Ryder made his way a few feet up the trail and stopped cold.

Zack Ballard was blocking the trail.

And he was dead.

Julia held Sheriff Ballard’s big, rough hand in hers, as he wiped his arm across his face.

“It’s my fault. The boy wasn’t cut out for police work and I pushed him into it.”

“Shh.” She squeezed his hand. “Zack loved his job and he was good at it. He was perfect as a small-town sheriff. Who knew a killer would come to Silverhill?”

A killer after her.

Sheriff Ballard pushed off the car and hunched his shoulders. “I suppose I have to go home now and tell his mother.”

“Give her my love and let me know if the two of you need anything.” Julia wiped a tear from her face as she watched Sheriff Ballard plod back to his car.

Ryder and Rafe approached her with the sheriff from San Juan County. Ryder said, “Julia, Sheriff Vickers wants to have a look at your cell phone and that message from Zack.”

She pulled out the phone and handed it to Sheriff Vickers. “What about Zack’s phone? Does the message show on his phone, too?”

Ryder blew out a breath. “Zack’s phone is missing along with his gun.”

“So whoever shot Zack took his cell phone and used it to leave me that text message?” Julia hugged herself and ground her teeth together to stop their chattering.