Pitch Black (25 page)
He could see the excitement drain from her, one muscle fiber at a time. “You know Ethan
did not
do this!”
The only other suspect that fit into the murder motive being the Jordan-being-abused scenario was Bobby Gray. Gabe hadn’t eliminated him completely. Bobby
said
he couldn’t find his way around the mountains, but that could just be smoke.
Gabe didn’t jump in and immediately agree. And with that pause, that hesitation, he saw something shift in her eyes. He was no longer on her team. His insider privileges had just been revoked.
He reached out to put his hands on her shoulders. “Maddie—”
She jerked free. “I have to go.” She walked away.
It would be so easy to call her back. To tell her what she wanted to hear; utter the words that would bring her closer. But he didn’t want a momentary fix with Maddie. He wanted the basis for a long-lasting relationship. He wanted trust.
G
ABE SAT ON HIS COUCH, putting his stocking feet up on the coffee table, taking a few minutes for himself before he started returning missed calls. Two were from Bobby Gray and one from the DA. Luckily it was too late to call the DA back until tomorrow morning. If there had been something really urgent, dispatch at the department would have contacted him by radio.
Bobby Gray’s multiple calls said he obviously had some bee up his butt. Most likely put there by his ex-wife—and even more likely to be a plea to arrest Ethan. Bobby had said they were meeting with Jordan’s doctors today. Who knew what that had stirred up? Probably the call from the DA.
Gabe leaned his head back and rolled his neck, trying to unknot his muscles. Then he returned Bobby’s call.
There was no answer.
He wasn’t disappointed. He wanted to spend this evening sorting out what he’d gathered about the steroid dealer. This situation nagged him more than professional reason dictated. But Maddie was at risk. When she’d been missing, her fate unknown, it had felt like a bullet in the gut. He could not let anything happen to her.
Too bad Cory’s attack of conscience hadn’t gone so far as to allow him to let Gabe stake out his drop point. Gabe wasn’t ready to put the squeeze on the kid to do it; because what Cory had said was true, it would put him at risk.
Shame on Gabe for listening, even briefly, to that little voice inside that said, “Better Cory at risk than Maddie.”
Solving this case would go a long way toward easing Maddie’s way in this town. People here might not like it, but they’d have to admit that she had been right.
The video store was his closest link to the dealer. Maddie had questioned Shelly Mitthoeffer, who worked there and had an ex-boyfriend who was a likely user. That was his next step.
Gabe got off the couch and found his shoes. He was going to see if he could do what Maddie couldn’t; get Shelly Mitthoeffer to crack. Maddie just hadn’t had the right tool at her disposal. Gabe did.
If he could get one witness, he could go for a warrant, make an arrest.
Maddie would be safe.
“I’M GOING TO BED
,” Ethan said.
Madison looked up from the book she was trying to read in her effort to make things feel more normal. The stress was wearing on her; it had to be eating Ethan alive. “It’s only nine-thirty.”
“Yeah, well, who knew being bored out of your mind all day could be so tiring.” He gave her a watered-down smile.
She reached out to him. “Come and sit with me for a minute.”
Tucking her feet under her, she made room for him on the couch. He shuffled over and sat down. Resting one elbow on the arm of the sofa, he chewed on a thumbnail. He didn’t look at her.
Madison said, “I know everything is a big bucket of crap at the moment, but I promise things are going to get better. Jordan is making headway. Once he corroborates what happened up there, the focus can be totally on the search for the person responsible for Mr. McPherson’s death.
“Until that person is caught, I’m afraid it’s going to be you and me 24/7.” She reached over and brushed his hair away from his eyes. “I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to spending more time together.”
She saw his throat work as he swallowed. His gaze remained fixed on a point somewhere in mid-air. He looked as young and emotionally exhausted as he had the first time she’d seen him—the day he’d stolen her heart.
His voice seemed hollow when he said, “Yeah, me, too.”
So much for their no-bullshit pact. Neither of them seemed to be living up to it at the moment.
This was why people lied to those they loved; sometimes it was the only way to wrap the knives and daggers of life so they didn’t pierce the heart of those you cared for.
“Okay,” she said cheerfully, “I’ve tortured you enough with my mom-talk.” She fluttered her hand in the air. “You’re free to flee to your room.”
He turned his head so slowly when he looked at her that she felt like time itself had slowed down. The light from her lamp reflected in his eyes, revealing tears she knew he wasn’t aware of, because he never would have allowed her to see them. He looked at her for a long moment. His lips parted as if to speak, then closed again.
She wanted to say something to erase the pain she saw in his face. And it absolutely killed her to realize it was completely beyond her ability. Maybe if she’d had him for all of his life she’d be better equipped, more in tune with remedies for wounds of the soul. Maybe if she’d prepared adequately before she’d adopted him, she’d have the salve to keep his heart from scarring. But she sat helpless and hurting, completely worthless to him.
He got up. As he walked past her, he stopped and reached out, putting a finger lightly on her bruised cheek. Then he bent down and kissed her forehead. She was too startled to move.
“Good night, M.”
Still stunned from his show of affection, she mumbled, “Good night.”
She listened to his slow, heavy footfalls up the staircase. When his bedroom door closed, she curled on her side and clasped her book to her chest. She lay there for a long time, thinking she’d open her book again.
But she didn’t.
GABE WAS TOO LATE
when he arrived at the video store. The lights were off, the doors already locked. He went past the Mitthoeffers’ house. The lights were still on and a television flickered in the living room. He rang the doorbell.
The porch light came on. Mr. Mitthoeffer opened the door wearing a plaid bathrobe and a scowl.
When he saw it was Gabe, he grumbled, “Which one is it now?”
The Mitthoeffers had seven kids, most of them troublemakers.
“I apologize for arriving unannounced and so late. I’d like to speak to Shelly. I just have a few questions to ask her.”
“She ain’t home from work yet. Momma asked her to stop by the 24-hour Walgreens and pick up a prescription for Jenny’s earache.” He tilted his head, making his double chin sway to one side. “Why you want to talk to her? She done somethin’?”
“No, she hasn’t.” Gabe stepped away from the door. “Sorry to disturb your evening.”
“Ugh.” The door closed.
Gabe got back in his Jeep and headed to the drugstore, which was only five blocks away.
He found Shelly back at the pharmacist’s counter waiting with her pale skinny arms crossed. She paused chewing her gum long enough to throw him a look of displeasure. After that brief eye contact, she turned her back to him and picked up a magazine from the rack.
Moving to stand right behind her, Gabe said, “I think you and I need to have a little talk.”
Her shoulders stiffened. She didn’t turn around, continuing to flip pages when she said, “I haven’t done anything.”
“I didn’t say you did—yet. But I do happen to know there’s drug dealing going on where you work—anabolic steroids for sure. I’m still uncovering what else.”
She spun to face him, her eyes wide. She glanced nervously around at the empty store, then said in a low voice, “I don’t have anything to do with that!”
“That’s what they all say.” Shelly was a tough girl who’d lived a tough life. Nudging her sense of self-preservation was his best bet.
“I can’t tell you anything,” she said through tight lips.
“Okay. We’ll just go have our talk at the city station. I’m sure Chief Davis will want to be in on this since the video store is in his jurisdiction.”
“You can’t take me in there.” She took a step back. “Everyone will find out.”
“If you haven’t done anything and don’t know anything, it shouldn’t matter. You can convince us of that and then go on your merry way.”
Her eyes took on the look that Gabe had once seen on a cougar backed against a cliff. “You and that bitch at the newspaper are trying to get me killed.”
He made a
tsk
ing noise. “That’s not very nice language. Besides, this is Buckeye. I think you’re being melodramatic.”
“Bullshit! You don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“You know, there’ll be a homicide charge along with the illegal drug trafficking charges.” She appeared baffled so he cleared it up for her. “With Zach Gilbert’s death being attributed to illegal steroid use.”
“Oh, no way can you drag me into that.” She shook her head in a jerky motion that set her hair to swinging.
“Oh, but I can.”
She opened her mouth twice and closed it without uttering a single word.
“I’m going to get this guy one way or the other. My bet is he’ll suspect you gave him up regardless. Let me get him now, before he has time to hurt anyone else. Once he’s behind bars, you won’t have to worry about him ever again.”
Looking as though she’d like to rip his head off, she said, “Except I bet you’ll need someone to testify.”
“Maybe. I can’t promise it won’t happen. But my guess is this will never make it to trial—once he understands what we have on him. I expect he won’t be seeing the outside of the jailhouse for a very long time.”
“How can you have anything on Todd—?” Shelly looked like she wished she could swallow her tongue. “Shit!”
“McPherson. Todd McPherson?” The kid was built like a brick wall, was looking to get picked up by a triple-A baseball team. It fit.
“He can’t know it was me.”
“I’m going to follow you home. Once you’re there, tell your dad what’s going on and stay there. Do not leave your house for
any
reason. Got that?”
Tears shone in her eyes. Her chin trembled as she nodded.
“It’s going to be okay,” Gabe said. “He has no idea we know. We’ll have him picked up before tomorrow morning. You’ll be safe.”
And so will Maddie.
E
THAN TOOK OFF HIS BACKPACK and perched on the railing at the edge of the bridge. As he sat there trying to avoid real thoughts, he listened to the water rushing below and looked up at the sky. It amazed him that a pitchblack sky made so many more stars visible. On a clear night in Philly, the sky was a blanket of gray dotted with the occasional dim-looking star. But here, there were so many stars they looked like they’d been piled one upon the other, glitter flung into the sky.
Even the sound of the water in the creek had a clearer, brighter sound. Everything was different in these mountains. He realized he was going to miss more than just M. But he had to go.
He wondered if M wished she’d never met him; or at least hadn’t adopted him.
He tried to imagine what it would be like tomorrow morning when she discovered he was gone. He bet she’d feel a lot like he did when he came home and found his mom dead – sad, but relieved at the same time.
What if she discovered he was gone before morning? That’d really screw up his plan.
After he’d gone upstairs tonight, he’d waited and waited for her to go to bed. But hours went by and she didn’t come upstairs. Finally at midnight, he’d tiptoed down and found her sound asleep on the couch. He’d left, holding his breath, fearing she’d awaken—and maybe, if he was honest, there had been a little part of him that had wanted her to.
But she hadn’t. He’d made a clean getaway.
She wouldn’t go in his room or knock on his door, he assured himself. She never did after he went to bed at night.
He held that thought. Even though he didn’t like the idea of anyone knowing what direction he was headed, he’d decided to take Todd up on the ride. Not that he trusted him completely. It was all about calculating the odds and playing them in his favor. And the odds of being caught decreased with every mile Ethan could put between him and Buckeye in the first twenty-four hours.
He’d just have to play it smart. If Todd acted weird in any way when he showed up, Ethan could easily outrun the big guy, lose him in the dark woods.
He looked at his watch; nearly one.
It was getting chilly. He tucked his hands in his jacket pockets, wishing he had his Eagles cap.
His gaze traveled to the center of the bridge. Had that been the place where Colin had fallen to his death? Had he gone over the rail on which Ethan now sat, or the one on the other side?
The official story going around was that it was an accident—Colin had had too much to drink and tumbled over the rail. Everything Ethan knew about Colin said that was damn likely. Even so, Ethan had heard the rumors, had noticed the hushed whispers and sly looks. Everyone thought he’d pushed Colin off this bridge.
After finding those photos in his locker, Ethan thought it was likely that someone had a hand in Colin’s death—and it was somehow linked to Mr. McP. Ethan had heard that J.D. was supposed to have been there, too. Would J.D. being there have kept Colin alive? Or would he have ended up dead, too?
Those red Xs on the photos told Ethan that the second scenario was more likely.
Ethan had been convinced that Jordan had accidentally killed his stepdad. And if Jordan’s overdose hadn’t come on the heels of Colin’s death, he might have thought that guilt had driven Jordan to suicide. But Colin dying so close to Jordan’s suicide attempt, together with the nasty warnings Ethan had received, painted an entirely different picture.
Colin had had his “accident” the day after he’d started mouthing off to anyone and everyone that he knew what had happened to Mr. McP. The only thing that made any sense to Ethan now was that there had been someone else up there on that mountain; someone who felt like he had to get rid of the four people who might have witnessed the murder.
Maybe Jordan
had
seen what happened.
“He didn’t mean to. It was an accident.”
Jordan saw. That’s why he went nuts; not because he had killed his stepdad.
Ethan tried to piece together anything that might point him in the direction of the killer. It had to be someone in good physical shape and familiar with the mountains. Which didn’t eliminate too many of the people around here—almost everyone hunted.
What other clues were there?
Nothing he could recall from the mountain.
What about after, had anything seemed out of place, anyone acted suspiciously?
There was Ethan’s hat. Everything else he’d packed for the trip had been with his stuff when he picked it up at Jordan’s house. But not that hat.
Then it had turned up here after Colin died.
It had been on the mountain on Saturday for sure; Ethan hadn’t even unpacked it. It disappeared sometime between when Mr. McP died and when Ethan picked up his stuff at Jordan’s.
Jordan was afraid at home.
Jordan was even more afraid now.
Why? If Mr. McP was the one Jordan was afraid of?
“He didn’t mean to. It was an accident.”
Jordan was more afraid now. . . .
Todd.
Todd, who’d been in the group who went up the mountain to bring back the stuff they’d left there—and had access to my stuff at his house even after that.
Todd, who’d warned me that Jordan was GOING TO SAY I killed Mr. McP.
Todd, who all of a sudden is going out of his way to help me.
“J.D. took off yesterday.”
Had he? Or had Todd done something to him?
Cold beads of sweat popped out on Ethan’s skin.
Todd had no intention of driving Ethan anywhere. Todd was tying up loose ends.
As panic rose, Ethan looked up the road for headlights, then looked at his watch; five past one.
Regretting having made the decision to leave his cell phone behind, he picked up his backpack and headed back toward town, staying close to the trees in case those headlights should appear.
