Seeing the Light (A Marie Jenner Mystery Book 1) (29 page)

“Comfortable?” What was he talking about?

“I’m going to look after you,” he said. His eyes thinned, and he glared at me.

“Look after me?” Oh God, that sounded bad. “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m going to take care of you.”

That sounded even worse. God, he was going to kill me right here.

I grappled under the blankets, looking for the stupid call button again even as I knew I wasn’t going to find it. Here he was, in my room, ready to kill me, and I was all on my own. Where were the nurses, and security, and the police? Why wasn’t anyone saving me?

“Are you all right?” he asked, and the tone of his voice stopped my frantic scramble under the bedclothes. He didn’t sound—or look—like he was about to pull a gun out and shoot me. He looked more confused than anything else, if I was going to be honest.

“You were hurt in my building, Miss Jenner,” he said. “Since you were the employee of a trusted tenant, you should be taken care of, until you’re back on your feet.”

“Oh.”

He wasn’t talking about killing me. He was talking about actually taking care of me. Then the “trusted tenant” reference sunk in, and I frowned.

“Are you talking about Mr. Latterson?” I asked. “He blew up the building. You know that, don’t you?”

Carruthers shuffled, looking uncomfortable.

“Yes, well, mistakes were made all the way around,” he finally replied. “Up to the point where he blew up the building, he was a good tenant. And you, my dear, are out of a job. I want to make things easier for you. Maybe give you a chance to—oh I don’t know, move back home, take care of your mother. She’d like that, wouldn’t she?”

My mind literally froze. “How do you know about my mother?” I finally asked, my lips feeling as icy as my brain.

“You’re not hard to track,” Carruthers said, smiling, his eyes still like brown ice. “It took five minutes to find your mother in Fort McMurray. She lives in a mobile home up there, does she not?”

I nodded stiffly. My God, he knew where my mother lived. What else did he know about her?

“$50,000.00 would make things much better for her, and for you,” Carruthers continued. “Wouldn’t it?”

He was bribing me, obviously. But why? What did he think I knew? Bigger question, what else did he know about my mother?

“Are you offering me money to move back home and look after her?” I asked.

“You don’t need to move back home,” Carruthers said. “You can go anywhere you want with the money. Anywhere. Personally, I don’t care if you look after your mother or not.” He shrugged. “You seem—attached to her. That’s why I even mentioned her. Understand?”

There was the not-so-veiled warning.

“Yes. I think I do.” I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. “Can I think about it?”

“What is there to think about?” Carruthers said, a frown creasing his forehead. “I’m offering you free money. Take it and go anywhere you want that isn’t Edmonton.”

“I appreciate it, I really do, but —”

“But nothing, Miss Jenner. This is a take it or leave it proposition. You have to tell me right now.”

The door to my room swung open. The nurse from the front desk stormed in, followed by two security guards and Farley.

“The cavalry,” he said. He frowned. “Are you all right?”

Not even close, Farley.

“Ah, Nurse Penderghast,” Carruthers said. “Good to see you again.”

“I gave you your five minutes,” the nurse replied, acidly. “Now, it is time for you to go.”

She signaled to the security guards, who reached for Carruthers’ arms. He nonchalantly shrugged them off.

“We’re almost done here, aren’t we, Miss Jenner?” He smiled. “All I need it your answer.”

I stared at him. This guy believed, truly believed, that money could buy anything—or anybody. He’d paid people to do things—horrible things—and was now trying to pay me to keep my mouth shut about it.

If I turned down his bribe, he’d just use that money to have me—and possibly my mother—killed. His ice brown eyes let me know he’d have absolutely no problem with that.

“What is going on?” Farley asked. “The cavalry’s here. Kick him out.”

He knew where my mother lived.

“He had the Palais blown up,” Farley said. “And he’s the reason I’m dead. Don’t forget that.”

“Yes,” I whispered.

“Excellent,” Carruthers said. “Will a cheque suffice?”

“What?!?” Farley roared. “What are you doing?”

“Make it certified,” I said, wishing my head—and heart—would stop pounding so hard, and that Farley would quit screaming.

“Smart girl,” Carruthers said, his eyes cold, like a shark’s. “I’ll get a certified cheque to you, ASAP.”

“Thank you,” I said. “My mother will appreciate it.”

“I’m sure she will,” Carruthers said, dropping his business card on my bed. “Call me if you have any questions, or concerns. You know. Anything.”

Before I could answer him, he turned on his heel and walked through the door, the security guards wandering after him like they couldn’t remember why they’d been called to the room.

“What the fuck have you done?” Farley asked.

I ignored him, staring instead at the nurse. I had to take my fury out on someone, and it was going to be her.

“Why did you let him in?” I yelled. Well, I tried to yell. It sounded more like a sob.

“Sorry,” she said shortly. “He said he knew you.”

I could tell by the look on her face that she was lying. I felt sick. There was no safe place for me, anywhere.

“Just get out,” I whispered. “Get out.”

She backed away from the door, making apologetic noises, but I ignored her until the door finally sighed shut and I was left alone with Farley.

“Nice work.” The words sounded like acid dripping from Farley’s mouth. “You sold out.”

“I didn’t sell out,” I whispered. “He threatened my mother.”

“Bullshit,” he said. “You sold out.”

He wouldn’t look at me. Like he was afraid if he looked, he’d see greed on my face instead of fear. I had to make him understand.

“He threatened my mother,” I said again. “My dying mother.”

Farley snorted humorlessly. “Don’t play the death card with me, Marie. Remember, you’re talking to a ghost over here. I’m sorry your mother is dying, but—”

“I have to take care of her, Farley.” I stared straight ahead, and felt my throat tighten. Shit, not now. But the stupid tears cascaded down my face, and I sobbed.

“You can cry all you want,” Farley said, coldly. “You sold out. Son of a bitch.”

“Well, wouldn’t you?” I cried. “When you were alive, wouldn’t you have taken the money to save your daughter’s life?”

“Yeah, probably.”

I sniffed, and wiped my tears on the bed sheet. “Then you understand.”

“Don’t take his money, Marie. Run away if you want, but don’t take the money. He’s an evil son of a bitch, and the evil will stick to you.”

“If I don’t take it, he’ll think I’m going to turn him in,” I said. “I can’t not take it, Farley. Don’t you understand?”

He backed away from me until he was just a light smudge in front of my door.

“You have to figure something else out,” he said. “Or you’ll be like me. Make bad choices when you’re alive, and you’ll be trying to figure out a way to stay out of hell when you’re dead.”

Oh.

“I’ll try,” I whispered. “All right?”

He didn’t answer me. Just stared with his bright, unforgiving eyes until I finally turned my back on him, and pulled the covers over my head. I’d had enough. Enough.

Farley could go to hell, if that’s what he thought was going to happen to him. I wasn’t letting anyone hurt my mother. Not ever again.

Marie:
The Cop Comes Back, and I Am Sprung

Sergeant Worth was back first thing in the morning. She caught me picking at my breakfast, which I don’t think I could have eaten even if it had been anything close to edible.

Farley was camped out by the window, completely and absolutely ignoring me, which was more uncomfortable than you’d think. He didn’t turn when she came in. He didn’t even act like he realized she was in the room.

“Two things,” Worth said, before I had a chance to open my mouth. “First, that flash drive was not in your clothing.” She dropped a plastic bag on my bed. I thought I saw the sleeve of my grey sweater peeking out of the top. She’d found my clothes. “You must have dropped it, getting out of the building. We’re checking the debris. So far, nothing.”

“Oh.”

I pushed my tray away, suddenly feeling sick to my stomach. The flash drive. With it, Sergeant Worth would have proof that Carruthers was involved. Carruthers would think I turned him in, and come after me and my mother. But only if the police found it. They hadn’t yet. Maybe we were safe.

Farley turned and glared at me, his eerie, glowing eyes cutting through me. “You gonna tell her about Carruthers coming here?” he asked.

Sergeant Worth did not need to hear anything about my late night visitor. I turned away from him, and looked at the cop.

“What’s the other thing?” I asked.

“They’re letting you out of here soon,” she said. “So, I was wondering if you wanted me to give you a ride.”

“You?” I asked before I could stop myself. “Why?”

“Hey, just trying to do a good turn,” she said. “Unless you have an extra forty bucks to blow on a cab ride. Where are you going?”

“Home, I guess.” Then I remembered. My place was gone, burned up in a fire. “I don’t know.”

“If you want to talk to Victim Services, give them a call.” The Sergeant pulled a card from her pocket and handed it to me. “They’re pretty good. Unless you got a friend you can stay with?”

Where could I stay? There was Jasmine, with all her kids. She didn’t need me there. Maybe James—

“You want me to call James Lavall?”

I stared at her in shock as she flipped through her little booklet. Had I actually said his name out loud?

“You know his number?” she asked.

“No, but I’ve got it,” I said, automatically grabbing for my purse. Then I stopped. My purse had been blown to kingdom come. My God. I really had lost everything.

“My purse,” I said, inanely. “And my ID. Gone.”

Worth waved her hand dismissively. “Yeah, well, let’s get you settled first. You wanna go to James’ place, right?”

Before she gave me a chance to answer, she pulled out a cell phone and flipped it open, punching numbers.

“Yeah, Jules,” she said. “I’m over at the hospital talking to Marie Jenner, from the Palais explosion. Do me a favour, and get me James Lavall’s phone number. Yes. Lavall. Two a’s and three l’s. It’ll be in the file.”

“It’s really all right,” I said, frantically. I didn’t want to go to James’ place with her. I didn’t want to go anywhere with her. “I’ll give him a call—”

“No problem,” she said. “Got it.”

She quickly dialed James’ number.

“James Lavall? Yeah, this is Sergeant Worth. I’m here with Marie Jenner—she wants to know if she can come over to your place for a couple of days. I can bring her over, no problem at all, right on my way.” She listened, and then laughed. “Coffee sounds great. Put it on, we’ll see you in about a half hour.” She flipped the phone shut, but when she looked at me, all trace of humor was gone.

“All set up,” she said. “Get dressed while I get the paperwork.”

Cops don’t give people rides. Not unless they suspect them of doing something wrong. And if Carruthers saw me leave with her . . .

“Are you jealous, Marie?” I nearly jumped out of my skin when Farley whispered in my ear, cold air wafting around me. “Maybe the cop’s got a thing for good old James?”

I did my best to shrug him away. What an idiotic thing for him to say.

“Stay away from my ears,” I snapped. “That was disgusting.”

“Yeah, whatever,” he said, turning his back on me. “Why don’t you get the cops involved? Just tell her what Carruthers is trying to do. She can protect you and your mom.”

“No, she can’t,” I said. “And she won’t. Cops don’t do stuff like that for people like us. You know that as well as I do. If Carruthers even suspects that I’m friendly with the cops, I’m in real trouble.”

“I’d say you’re in real trouble now,” Farley said, very unhelpfully. “She’s already suspicious. After all, you were squealing at her about arresting Carruthers, and now—you got nothing for her? Man, I’d check you out myself. And, I don’t care what you think, she does seem to be cozy with Lavall—”

“That has nothing to do with anything!”

“Yeah, right. Hang on to that thought, Marie.”

I thought, desperately. There had to be a way out of this. Somehow. I could think of nothing, until Farley came to my rescue.

Yeah, great, right? Here I was, supposed to be the big ghost mover onner or whatever, and I needed him to help me. Again.