Mariah Stewart - Cold Truth

“Where?”

“Why, in Mommy and Daddy’s room, of course. Honestly, Cass, you should know the game by now.”

“Is that what this is to you? A game?” She started to turn to face him but he jabbed her in the back.

“Figure of speech,” he hissed in her ear. “Now, go on, go on into Mommy’s room and see what we have waiting for us.”

She stepped in through the darkened doorway. In the light from the moon overhead, she could see a figure lying on the floor. Wainwright jabbed it with the toe of his foot, and the figure moaned.

“You said you’d let her go,” Cass reminded him. “Do it now.”

“No, that’s not exactly what I said. I said I wouldn’t kill her. And I won’t. I’m a man of my word.”

She turned slowly and saw the smirk on his face.

“But you’re not going to let her go, are you?”

“No. No, I’m not going to let her go. Sooner or later, someone will find her. Maybe she’ll still be alive.” He shrugged. “Maybe not.”

“Why?”

“Oh, please. I’ve seen all the same TV shows. Keep the bad guy talking until the guys in the white hats arrive. You think your Fed boyfriend is going to figure out where you are?” He snorted. “The guy doesn’t look that smart. And we both know Denver’s not that smart. Obviously. Did he tell you we sat at the bar in Gabby’s Place two weeks ago and bought each other drinks?”

He laughed. “I proved twenty-six years ago that I’m smarter than old Craig. I’m still smarter. Smarter than him, smarter than my old man. I do have to brag, though-it was a kick, watching the old man scramble around back then, acting like he was on to a lead here, a lead there. He didn’t have a clue. Not a fucking clue.” He laughed again. “You should have seen him when he got those letters I sent. All agitated. He knew the killer was smarter than he’d ever be. Well, I proved that, didn’t I? The man went to his grave years ago, still didn’t have a clue.”

“Why my mother?”

“Why not your mother?” He spun her against the wall in a rush, the gun now in her face. “Don’t you know what she was?”

“No, Jon. Why don’t you tell me?” she whispered.

“She was Jezebel, right out of the Bible.” His voice dropped. “She was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was… everything.”

“She was a married woman with children.”

“She would have walked away from all of you, to be with me.”

“Did she tell you that, Jon?”

“Every time she looked at me, I knew.”

“So you killed her? You killed the woman who loved you? That makes no sense.”

“I didn’t plan on… that wasn’t supposed to…” He appeared suddenly confused. She used the moment to swing the door into his body, hoping to slam his gun hand into the jamb.

She missed.

“Bitch!” he screamed at her, and twisted her arm behind her back.

Her hand struggled to get the small handgun from the small of her back. It caught in the waistband of her jeans and she cursed loudly as he tried to pin her against the wall. His gun was in her face, his finger on the trigger.

From somewhere outside, a car door slammed.

His eyes darted to the front of the house; the brief hesitation was all she needed. She wrenched her hand free and jammed the gun into his chest. And fired. Once, and the gun dropped from his hand. Twice, and he slumped against her. Three times, and his body began to fall.

The door crashed open on the floor below, and she pushed Jonathan Wainwright to the floor.

“Cassie?”

“Rick? I’m here. I’m here…” Her voice caught in her throat. “I’m here…”

He took the steps two at a time, slowing only when he reached the top.

“Wainwright…?”

She pointed to the floor.

“Are you all right?” He went to her, put his arms around her.

“I am now.” She wanted him to hold on, hold on and on and make this nightmare go away. But… “Lilly Carson is over there. She’s alive, but I don’t know for how much longer. I don’t know what he’s done to her.”

They moved farther into the bedroom and he snapped on the light. Lilly lay on her side, her dark hair spilled across the carpet. Cass’s knees went weak.

“Lilly.” Rick knelt down next to her. “Lilly, can you hear me?”

Slowly the woman opened her eyes and blinked against the light.

“We’re going to get help,” he promised. He reached for his phone just as cars pulled up outside. He looked at Cass. “Go tell them she’s here. Tell them to get an ambulance ASAP.”

Cass nodded, and willed her legs to move to the stairs.

“Up here,” she called down with a shaky voice. “She’s up here…”

Cass sat on the bottom step and watched the activity around her. Once again, the home she had shared with her family had turned into a crime scene.

Tasha Welsh arrived, as did the medical examiner. Both stopped to squeeze her shoulder and offer congratulations on their way up the steps. Cass couldn’t bring herself to go up with them, not right then. She still didn’t trust her legs to take her anywhere.

“How did you know?” Cass asked Rick when he sat down next to her and took her hand. “How did you know where to find me?”

“Annie said he’d take you back to where it all began. At first, I thought that meant the sanctuary, where he met your mother. When I got there and realized he hadn’t been there tonight, there was only one other place he could have taken you. This is where the killing began. I’m only sorry I didn’t catch on sooner.”

She sat as if still in shock.

“Not that you needed my help,” he told her. “You did just fine without me.”

“I’ve never killed anyone before,” she said simply. “I’m glad it was him.”

“I didn’t hear you say that.” Chief Denver approached the steps. “I need you to hand over your gun, Cass.”

She handed it to him without comment.

“You know the county will investigate, as they do every time an officer is involved in a shooting.”

She nodded.

“The shooting was totally justified,” Rick interjected. “He had a gun on her. He was going to kill her.”

“No doubt in my mind about that. No one’s questioning the justification, Agent Cisco. It’s just a formality.”

Denver knelt before Cass and studied her face. “Cassie, are you sure you’re all right?”

“I can’t believe it’s over. It’s over. He’s really dead?”

“He’s really dead,” he assured her.

“All of my life, I was haunted by what happened here.” She looked around the living room at furnishings that were at once both strange and familiar. “I thought about coming home that day, about him being here. I thought about stopping him in time.”

“Well, this time you did that.” Denver patted her knee and stood up. He went past them to the steps to the second floor.

She and Rick sat in silence for a long time. He looked to the top of the stairs, where the lights had all been turned on and brown stains marred the pale carpet.

Old blood, not new.

Her blood, not Wainwright’s.

“When you said you dreamed of stopping him, you meant that first time. Not this time, now. But then.”

She nodded.

“I wanted to save my parents. My sister.” Her eyes filled with tears, and Rick knew the dam was close to bursting.

“You were six years old.”

“I know that. I do. And I don’t blame myself for not saving them, Rick, I swear I don’t.” She swallowed hard, her bottom lip trembled. “I just wish I could have… ”

“Come on, Cass, let’s go.” He stood and tugged at her hand. He wanted to put his arms around her and comfort her, make all the pain go away.

“Go where?”