Dead Ends (Main Street Mysteries Book 2) (23 page)

‘Every time?’ AnnaLise knew she shouldn't have been surprised, but . . . she was. Bad enough to be singularly, volitionally, stupid, but to be nothing more than one generic fool in a herd of stupid women?

Ben was shaking his head regretfully, as if facing a witness incapable of finding her way to the witness stand, much less answering a question competently. ‘Yes, of course. Before I met you, while we were together and subsequent to our break-up. I never said there weren't other,’ finger quotes in the air, “other women.”’

AnnaLise felt like part of a tag team – Ben Rosewood's Gullible Ladies of Mattress-Wrestling. ‘You never said there “
were
.”’ Responding finger quotes.

A shrug. ‘You didn't ask.’

AnnaLise's eyes narrowed. ‘Oh, but I did. Our first time together, in fact. I recall your exact words: “No. No one but you.” Then you kissed me.’

Ben shrugged again. ‘There happened
not
to be anyone but you, at that particular moment.’

‘And in that particular room.’ AnnaLise was shaking her head. ‘What did I need to do? Specify a time period and GPS coordinates?’

‘Honestly? Yes. And if you had, I'd have told you the numerical truth. Though no names, of course.’

‘Of course. Because you're such a gentleman.’

‘Ahh, the sarcasm doth drip. But who are you angry with, AnnaLise? Me, or yourself, for being so naive? I have to admit, I was surprised you didn't probe further, given how smart you seemed to be. But then, when I saw where you came from,’ he spread his hands out wide, palms up. ‘I appreciated the naiveté.’

Speechless with rage – and not just a little wonder at his ability to pull off such fraud –AnnaLise just stared at him. What had life with this man been like? No wonder Tanja stressed she wasn't a good ‘sharer’ upon their meeting that morning at Mama's. It hadn't even been personal. Ben's wife was just playing the percentage bet.

AnnaLise took a deep breath, trying to remember that the real issue here was not that the man was a cheater – she'd always known that, God help her – but that he was a murderer.

And she was standing alone on a cliff with him.

‘You're absolutely right. I was naive,’ AnnaLise said. ‘But that's the unchangeable past. Let's return to the Camry. If we're negotiating, what do you want for it?’

Ben looked surprised at the abrupt shift of subject, but went along with it. ‘As I said, I thought about giving it to you outright, but that might look odd under the circumstances.’

And God forbid we should look odd.

‘. . . enlist Lawling as the middleman,’ Ben was saying. ‘I've told him he's to accept any offer you made.’

Now AnnaLise was genuinely surprised. ‘Really? Earl said you might take sixteen thousand.’

‘I bet he did,’ Ben said. ‘Lawling's getting a percentage of the sale. Tell him you can't go over seven and then let me know what you agreed on, so he doesn't pocket more than his share of the deal.’

The district attorney was not a ‘truster.’ Probably because he knew
he
couldn't be trusted himself. ‘I don't think Earl would do that.’

‘Or course you don't, Pollyanna. Only good and honest folk here in the High Country.’ Ben, who'd been leaning on the hood of the car, drew himself up and met her eyes. ‘Let me remind you that one of your upright citizens killed my wife and daughter.’

‘That hasn't been proven,’ AnnaLise snapped, realizing the bastard planned to do figuratively to Josh what he'd done quite literally to AnnaLise. And she was damned if she was going to let that happen.

But Ben just shook his head. ‘Still the champion of the young. And the stupid.’

AnnaLise knew the district attorney was talking about their disagreement over the charge he'd leveled against the teen in Wisconsin. ‘All kids do stupid things. Everyone does. I know for a fact you routinely speed. Why should that girl back home go to jail for doing the same thing?’

‘Because she killed someone, and I didn't.’

‘So it's just simple chance.’ AnnaLise wanted to smack the smug expression off his face. ‘An accident.’

‘If you take someone's life, there's a penalty that must be paid.’ He seemed almost bored.

‘And what about you, Ben? What's your penalty for what you've done?’

‘Fine. I've told you I was sorry. You were much too young, too immature for me to –’

‘I'm not talking about the affair, you pompous, egotistical asshole,’ AnnaLise exploded. ‘I'm talking about your wife and daughter.’

‘AnnaLise.’ The district attorney shook his head sadly. ‘I know you've been through a lot with your mom and all, but have you thought that maybe her problems are less random and more . . . genetic? Perhaps you –’

AnnaLise slapped his right cheek. Hard.

The district attorney staggered back as he grabbed her wrist, his face white with rage. ‘Try that again and you're dead,’ he hissed. ‘Do you hear?
No one
hits Benjamin Rosewood.’

Given their height and weight differential, AnnaLise was being lifted off the ground and onto her toes, the grip on her forearm so painful it was all she could do not to cry out. ‘Let . . . me . . . go!’ she said between clenched teeth.

Ben twisted her arm the wrong way against her elbow, and this time she did scream.

‘Say it.’ He thrust her away from him. ‘Say you think I killed my wife and daughter.’

AnnaLise tried to catch herself, but fell backwards, landing hard on her rear end. ‘Sure I'll say it. And I'm betting so has Joshua Eames, now that he's regained consciousness.’

‘No. He has not!’ Ben exploded.

‘But he has,’ AnnaLise said, rubbing her aching wrist. ‘The bullet missed his brain. You made a mistake. A bad one.’

Ben, nearly shaking with rage, took steps forward, bringing his face directly over her. AnnaLise skittered away like a crab, until the upright of the rail fence bit into her back. In the heat of the moment, she hadn't realized how close she'd come to leaving the overlook.

And life, permanently.

‘Stay away from me,’ AnnaLise screamed as loudly as she could manage with her heart in her throat.

Ben backed off and looked around as a lone car passed by on the Parkway. ‘I'm sorry, I'm sorry,’ he said, holding up his hands, palms forward.

‘I could have gone over,’ AnnaLise said, glancing behind her. ‘Is that what you wanted?’

‘Of course not. Are you hurt?’ Ben put his hand down as if to help her up, but she slid sideways from him.

‘I'm OK, but no thanks to you.’ Still too near the edge for her comfort, AnnaLise crawled on hands and knees until she felt confident that she could stand up without tipping over backward.

Ben said, ‘Please, AnnaLise, this has gotten out of hand,’ coming closer again.

‘Back off!’ AnnaLise rose unsteadily, feeling in her jeans pocket.

No cell phone. She'd left it and her purse in the Camry.

Even if AnnaLise didn't have a chance to dial, at least if her phone was nearby and something happened, they'd locate her via its GPS. Daisy wouldn't wait –

‘Wait,’ Ben echoed. ‘Can we start this whole conversation over?’ He appeared to follow her directions, but in reality was just circling – or semi-circling, given the cliff. ‘You have to know what kind of damage this will do to my career if you –’

‘If I what? Tell the truth?’

Ben was moving clockwise toward her. Doing the same in order to keep her distance would take AnnaLise over the cliff. He said, ‘And what do you think is the truth?’

‘What do I
think
?’ AnnaLise stood her ground, hand still in her pocket. ‘I think the good voters of Urban County hit the trifecta when they elected you. Liar/Cheater/Murderer, all on one easy-to-pull lever. How's that fit your “Rule of 3”?’

‘You have to stop this –’ He was just past the left front fender of the Camry now.

AnnaLise pressed. Two quick and then one . . . two . . . three.

The Toyota started.

Startled, Ben whirled around toward the car. ‘What the hell –’

But AnnaLise was on the move and by the time the district attorney turned back, she'd already hopped into his rented, still-running Explorer and locked the doors.

Thirty-one

AnnaLise had never driven that fast down the Blue Ridge Parkway. The fact she was recrossing the viaduct and piloting a large and unfamiliar vehicle – the Explorer Ben Rosewood had rented from Earl Lawling – made it even more remarkable.

Passing within range of the Toyota on the way out of the overlook, she'd employed the Camry's fob once more, this time pressing 'unlock' on the remote once. The engine shut off just as Earl had promised.

‘“The Key is in Your Hands,”’ AnnaLise yelled back. ‘Too bad you didn't practice what you preach for once.’

She wasn't sure Ben would appreciate the irony, even if he'd heard her. 'The Key is in Your Hands' was a campaign he'd spearheaded to reduce car theft by enforcing a law already on the books – fines for car owners who left their keys in their vehicles.

And now he
would
pay. Having left his own keys and cell phone in the SUV that AnnaLise was now driving – and unable to start the Camry without the fob that she also held –Benjamin Rosewood would be going nowhere fast. Walking or hitching a ride were his only options and whichever he chose, AnnaLise would be safely to Sutherton before Ben was even off the Parkway.

As her fear started to subside, it left behind anger. Since she didn't have her phone, her plan was to drive directly to the police station.

She didn't get the chance.

***

At the sound of the siren, AnnaLise pulled over, having gotten as far as the state highway. The squad parked behind her and, as it did, another squad pulled past and stopped at an angle across the front end of the Explorer.

The officers exited the cars with their guns drawn.

I'm driving a stolen car
, AnnaLise thought. And,
Ben reported me somehow.
She carefully kept her hands where they could see them.

‘Step out of the car, ma'am,’ said the shorter of the two officers, handgun drawn.

‘Coy,’ AnnaLise said, complying. ‘Coy Pitchford. It's me, AnnaLise Griggs.’

‘AnnaLise?’ He was still keeping the muzzle on her, unwavering. ‘Whatever are you doing stealing a motor vehicle?’

When Coy said the word ‘vehicle,’ the letter ‘h’ was not silent.

Nor was AnnaLise. ‘I didn't steal it, Coy. I borrowed it to get away from a killer. He has my car.’ Or more precisely he has his own car. Fat chance he'd be selling it to AnnaLise now.

‘And your cell phone apparently.’

AnnaLise turned to see Chuck Greystone, who was the second officer on the scene. She'd been so rattled, she hadn't even realized. ‘Chuck, thank God you're here.’

‘Boyfriend trouble?’ Chuck waved for Coy to holster his weapon.

AnnaLise started to deny it, but then thought what the hell. ‘
Killer
boyfriend trouble. Ben Rosewood is a murderous ass, pure and simple.’

Chuck leaned down to peer into her face. ‘Whatever are you talking about, AnnaLise?’

‘The term “killer.”’ AnnaLise was dithering and she didn't seem to be able to stop herself. The words just kept tumbling out. ‘It can also mean “great,” like that was a “killer” chicken recipe, and –’

‘And this all has what to do with Ben Rosewood calling me on your cell phone to report you'd stolen his Explorer and left him stranded at an overlook?’

‘It's not his Explorer,’ AnnaLise said. ‘It's Earl Lawling's. The Toyota I left with him is Ben's. Or Suzanne's, though I can't imagine he would have put it in her name, what with insurance premiums and all.’

Chuck turned to Coy. ‘Cuff her and bring her in for questioning.’

***

The chief of police was sitting forward in his chair, left elbow on the desk, that hand tented against his forehead like he was battling a headache.

Coy hadn't actually handcuffed AnnaLise, but she was now seated in one of Chuck's two guest chairs.

The chief said, ‘OK, tell me.’

And so she did. But after she'd laid it out – all of it – there was silence.

‘Chuck?’

‘I'm thinking.’

‘Please don't let your opinion of me cloud your judgment. This is about Josh. I'm not accusing Ben Rosewood because of an affair which I ended.’ And boy-oh-boy, wasn't she glad now that she had.

Chuck let loose of his head. ‘Lise, I love you – you're one of my best friends. I may not like what you did with Rosewood back in Wisconsin, but I certainly don't believe you'd accuse a man of killing his wife and daughter and wounding a third person just because you were pissed at him.’

‘Thank you.’ When Chuck said he loved you, you could take it to the bank.

‘I do need to think about this and see how your theory – and so far it is only that, a theory – fits into what we know of the facts.’

‘But what about Ben?’ AnnaLise asked. ‘You can't leave him roaming the streets.’

‘I know where to find Rosewood, thanks to you, and I'll bring him in for questioning. I can't say that there'll be anything to hold him on though.’

‘I'll press charges,’ AnnaLise said. ‘For assault.’

‘From what you said, he didn't assault you.’

‘He grabbed my wrist.’ She held up said appendage and was sorry to see there was no bruising.

Chuck cocked his head. ‘I believe you, but with no proof, it's just not enough.’

‘So because I religiously take my vitamins and don't bruise easily, I'm out of luck?’

‘We'll see.’ Chuck leaned across the desk and patted her hand. ‘Listen, I'll have someone watch your place. I promise you and Daisy will be safe, OK?’

Instead of feeling relief, AnnaLise felt a chill run up her spine. ‘You think he could come after us?’

‘Honestly, Lise, I don't know. And I won't know until I interview him, and even then, maybe not.’

‘What about Josh?’

‘We plan to take him into custody when the doctors' release him.’

‘Can you maybe hold off on that?’ AnnaLise asked. ‘At least until after you talk to Ben?’

‘We'll see.’

AnnaLise smiled ruefully. ‘Damn that inscrutable Cherokee blood line of yours.’

‘It would behoove you, I think, to get your tasteless ethnic stereotypes right. It was Charlie Chan who was inscrutable and not only was the character Chinese and
not
Cherokee, but Warner Oland who played him wasn't even Asian.’