Closer Than You Think (68 page)

‘She loves you too,’ Marcus whispered. ‘She won’t blame you. Go to her now, Dad. I’ll be all right. I need to sleep anyway, and Mom needs you.’

‘I’ll take you,’ Keith said. ‘Come on.’

‘The officer will have to follow you,’ Scarlett said gently. ‘I’m sorry.’

‘What about Marcus?’ Jeremy asked. ‘That killer might come back for him.’

‘I’ll get a guard posted and I’ll stay with him until that happens. Okay?’

‘Thank you, Detective.’ Jeremy stood up, supported by Keith’s strong arm around his waist. ‘Find the man who killed my son. Please.’

‘We will. We have to.’

Scarlett watched them go, Jeremy leaning on Keith, the officer discreetly trailing behind.

‘Thank you.’

The words had come from behind her. Scarlett turned back to the bed. Marcus suddenly looked a thousand times worse, and she realized he’d been holding it together for Jeremy’s benefit. ‘For what?’

His lips quirked. ‘For getting him out of here before I collapsed. That would have worried him.’ He closed his eyes on a quiet moan. ‘And for treating him with respect. He’s a good man. Better than he believes.’

Scarlett took the seat Jeremy had vacated. ‘I want to believe that.’

‘It’s true. You don’t know how many people he’s helped. He treats everyone he takes in like his own children. Ask Hailey.’

‘His housekeeper. We wondered about her. Who is she?’

‘She’s Audrey’s friend. She came from a bad home, got thrown out when she was still in school. Nowhere to go. Jeremy took her in. Now she runs his house. Fiercely loyal to him, just like the rest of us.
He is a good man
. He could not have done these terrible things.’ Marcus’s face had grown even more strained, his breathing more labored.

‘Sshh. Relax. Then someone wants him to look bad. Any ideas?’

He seemed to settle. ‘If his mother were still alive, I’d look at her. Since she’s dead, I’d follow the family tree.’

‘You mean your uncle Jordan.’

‘He’s the only one left.’

‘Except for Faith,’ Scarlett said, watching his reaction.

His eyes still closed, he shook his head. ‘She’s a target. Nothing to gain.’

‘True enough. What time did you get the text from Stone?’

‘You have our phones, Detective. You know this. But it was at nine this morning. It just said, “Come to blind.”’

She’d seen the text. ‘I assume a deer blind?’

‘Stone has a permanent one in the woods, but it’s pretty far from the cabin. I figured he’d gone out to the cabin to look for Mickey and something had happened. Idiots hunting out of season. I was already out looking for Mickey. Jeremy and Mom were so upset, I didn’t tell them about the text. I just drove. Got there about eleven, but I didn’t go into the cabin because Stone said to come to the blind. We’d switched cars at the bar, so I was in Stone’s car, which wouldn’t go more than three feet off-road. I had to leave it by the cabin and hike to the blind.’

‘I saw it. Red Corvette. Boy’s got serious style.’

Another quirk of Marcus’s lips.
Really nice lips, actually
, Scarlett thought. ‘Stone’s a force unto himself,’ he said. ‘Hard to keep up with him, so I don’t even try.’ He sobered, his body sagging in exhaustion. ‘I found him near the blind, weak from loss of blood. He had a fist-sized goose egg on the back of his head – and your card in his pocket, Detective. It took me a while to find where he’d left my Subaru – in the woods behind the cabin. That’s when I saw the blood on the back wall and knew something had happened.’ He paused, licking his dry lips. ‘Ice, please.’

She ran an ice chip over his lips and slipped it into his mouth. ‘So you called me,’ she said.

‘After I saw what was inside the cabin. I figured Stone had a reason for not calling the cops, so I didn’t give you my name. I should have. I was . . . I saw Mickey and I couldn’t think.’

‘Didn’t matter,’ she said. ‘I think I would know your voice anywhere.’

A tiny, sad curve of his lips this time. ‘Thank you, Detective,’ he said, then he began to cough. ‘Dammit,’ he wheezed.

She gave him another ice chip. ‘When you’re ready, tell me the rest.’

‘Not much more. I drove the Subaru to the blind and managed to get Stone in the passenger seat.’ Another small smile. ‘He needs to lose a few pounds. Don’t tell him I said that.’

‘Your secret is safe with me.’

‘I think it would be,’ he murmured. ‘He came to after I got him in the car, of course. Started going on about a scary broad with a shovel.’

Scarlett’s lips twitched. ‘Line drive to the outfield!’ she said in a baseball announcer’s voice. ‘You round those bases, girl.’

Marcus huffed a chuckle, then moaned. ‘Don’t make me laugh. He told me he’d scared her, that she thought he was the one who’d kidnapped her. That he should have told you about the bodies he’d found when you came to Jeremy’s house, but he was afraid.’

‘He didn’t look afraid to me,’ she said mildly.

‘Well, we all wear our outside faces. I wanted to take him straight to the ER, but he insisted we look for them. He’s not a bad guy. He just . . . thinks differently. I told him we’d look for an hour then I was taking him to the hospital. I’d given up and was on the main road when I saw Corinne on the side of the road. I guess I’m lucky she lost the shovel somewhere along the way.’

Scarlett didn’t smile. ‘Corinne has a debilitating disease, Marcus. She went a whole additional day without her medication because Stone was afraid. She was in terrible pain and still walked all those miles to protect the little girl. If we’d been able to get to her before the guy in the ski mask, we’d have them both back safe and sound. Now that child is with a monster. Because Stone was “afraid.”’

Marcus’s eyes flew open and Scarlett was surprised to see molten fury in his gaze. ‘He’d seen his
brother
in a grave with his brains blown out,’ he hissed. ‘You have no idea what that did to him. I am
sorry
that Corinne suffered. I am beyond sorry that the little girl was taken. I tried to stop it. But until you’ve walked a mile in Stone’s shoes, don’t you
dare
criticize him.’

He started to cough and a nurse came running. ‘You have to leave, Detective,’ she said.

‘No,’ Marcus said, gasping for breath. ‘Let her stay.’

Unsettled by his outburst, Scarlett moved out of the nurse’s way.

‘Don’t leave,’ Marcus commanded her. ‘Don’t leave.’

‘Sshh,’ she said. ‘Don’t worry. I won’t leave until I know you’re safe.’

Cincinnati, Ohio, Wednesday 5 November, 6.45
P.M.

Deacon flicked the switch that controlled the light on the inside of Greg’s bedroom door, the only way to get his attention if his hearing aids weren’t on.

‘I’m not hungry,’ Greg called. ‘Please go away.’

Deacon opened the door. ‘It’s only me. No food tonight.’

Greg sat on his bed, engrossed in a video game on his laptop. ‘What is it?’ he asked without looking up. At least that meant he had his aids turned on.

‘I have news for you. It’s important. Please look at me.’ He waited until he had Greg’s full attention. ‘Renzo is dead.’

Greg’s eyes went wide with shock, then alarm. ‘How? When? I didn’t do it!’

‘I know you didn’t do it. Nobody thinks so. I need you to keep this quiet until after my lieutenant makes a statement, but Renzo was killed by the man who’s been after Faith. It looks like he was on his way to challenge you to a knife fight, but the killer saw him, waylaid him somehow, then killed him. It had nothing to do with you.’

Greg’s face had drained of color. ‘Yes, it does. If I hadn’t made it look like he had HIV, he never would have come here. He’d still be alive. I wanted to make him unpopular. I wanted people to think he was a liar. I didn’t want him dead.’

‘I know,’ Deacon said again. ‘I feel the same way. But Greg, you didn’t make him come after you with a knife. He bragged to his friends that he was going to teach you a lesson and then he’d teach Dani one too. None of his friends would come with him and a few told the FBI agents that they tried to talk him out of it. Now, I’m sorry he was murdered, but to tell you the truth, I’m relieved that he can’t hurt either of you anymore.’

Greg nodded numbly. ‘Yeah, but . . . whatever.’

Deacon put his arm around Greg’s shoulders and gave him a hard hug. ‘I have to go now, but I want you to stay here. Please don’t go anywhere.’

‘But Renzo is dead. He can’t hurt me now.’

‘No, but the guy who killed him can. He’s made this personal against me. I don’t want him able to touch you or Dani. Okay?’

Greg bobbed a nod. ‘Okay. Fine. How is Faith?’

Safe at the station. Surrounded by cops with guns.
‘She’s okay, but I know she’ll be glad to see all this over too. Keep your phone close by. If you see
anything
out of the ordinary, text me. I don’t care if you’re being paranoid. I’d rather have a false alarm than lose you. Got it?’

Another nod. ‘Got it.’

Deacon hesitated, his cheeks heated. ‘I love you. I don’t say it enough, but it’s true.’

Greg looked away. ‘Dammit, D,’ he huffed, exasperated. ‘Me too,’ he mumbled.

It was exactly what Deacon had needed to hear. ‘Stay here,’ he said fiercely. ‘Stay safe.’

He found Jim in the kitchen and told him about Renzo’s death. They’d had to tell Jim and Tammy about the situation at Greg’s school when they’d shown up at the station last night to collect the boy. ‘I didn’t tell Greg the details. I don’t want to put those pictures in his head. But this killer has just upped the ante.’

Jim nodded grimly. ‘Killing in your old house, killing outside your new one. He’s coming after you and yours. I’ll watch over Greg. Who’s going to watch over Dani?’

‘I’m going to request a protection detail for all of you.’

‘We don’t need one.’ Jim patted his hip where his service revolver stayed holstered. Deacon thought he might disarm to shower, but he wasn’t sure. ‘I got Greg. You watch over yourself. Don’t get yourself killed.’

Deacon’s brows lifted in surprise. That might have been the warmest thing Jim had ever said to him. ‘Thanks, Jim.’

Jim gave him a crusty look, as if daring him to smile. ‘Your aunt would be sad.’

‘Nobody wants that. I’ll be careful. Thanks.’

He walked to his car, his heart a little bit lighter. He was going back to the station now. Back to Faith.

He buckled himself in and dialed Isenberg’s phone again. He’d tried reaching her on the way from the Lazar crime scene to update her and request the protection detail, but he’d gotten her voicemail. He dialed again now, with the same result.

He dialed Bishop, but she cut off his call after a single ring. A text came through a second later.
In hospital w/O’B boys. Call u later
.

Frustrated, he called Adam’s cell, but once again was sent straight to voicemail.

Tanaka was next on his call list. To his relief, the forensics leader answered. ‘I was just about to call you,’ Tanaka said. ‘You want the good news or the bad news?’

‘Bad first,’ Deacon said. ‘I wanna end on good news. I could use some right now.’

‘What happened?’ Tanaka asked, concerned.

‘We found the shooter’s hiding place near my house, but he was gone. We also found the remains of my neighbor and the Renzo kid in the basement freezers. Your turn.’

‘Sophie found a body we believe to be Roza’s mother buried in the dug-out room. She slept in the same room where her mother was buried.’

Deacon sighed. ‘What’s the good news?’

‘It’s kind of a relative term. Faith helped us find an old dumbwaiter he’d retrofitted to hold layers of trays. That’s where we found his stash of souvenirs.’

‘Good, that’s—’ Deacon froze. ‘
Faith
helped you? She’s
there
? In that
house
?’

‘Um . . . yes, she’s here. With me and Adam.’

Adam.
Deacon closed his eyes, seeing the two severed heads with terrifying clarity, and fury bubbled up within him, cleansing and revitalizing and, at this moment, more necessary than drawing his next breath.
Sonofa
fucking
bitch. I
told
him not to take her out there without me.

‘Is Detective Kimble still there?’ he asked softly.

‘Um, yes. Look, if you’re gonna yell, don’t yell at me. Yell at Kimble. But Faith’s fine. I think helping us helped her too.’

Deacon started up his car. ‘I’m on my way.’

Cincinnati, Ohio, Wednesday 5 November, 7.00
P.M.

Scarlett was a little relieved to find Stone O’Bannion asleep when she got to his hospital room. She wasn’t sure if she could take any new O’Bannion family drama and was still wrestling over Marcus’s heated words.

Until you’ve walked a mile in Stone’s shoes, don’t you dare criticize him
.

She’d watched over the sedated Marcus for nearly an hour, waiting for the uniform who’d been assigned to guard his room. Isenberg hadn’t been happy about taking an additional uniform off patrol, but Marcus was the only patient still in Intensive Care. Stone, Corinne and Arianna were all on a regular ward now, a single uniform watching all three rooms.

So it was just a short walk from Stone’s room to Corinne’s, where Scarlett heard the happiness before she pushed open the door. For a moment she stood there in the doorway, taking it in, her throat suddenly too thick to swallow. Arianna lay on a hospital bed next to Corinne’s, the beds placed only a few feet apart. Arianna’s roommate Lauren sat on the foot of Arianna’s bed, an iPad in her hand. The room was filled with flowers and balloons and the television murmured quietly in the background.

Meredith Fallon got up from her chair in the corner, crossing to Scarlett when she saw her standing there. ‘When it works out, it gets you right here,’ she said, tapping her heart.