The Perfect Scream (21 page)

Z
ach Halston walked down the two flights of rickety stairs, pausing to glance out the cracked window of the double doors. It was overcast and puddles from an earlier shower dotted the road. This place wasn’t much better than Jacksonville as far as a cheerful climate. An elderly man popped his head out of the apartment closest to the front door and stared silently at Zach. It was a little ritual the old man went through every time Zach left the building. He’d tried to be friendly and engage the old man in conversation, but he was always met with a disapproving glance and the door closing firmly after a quick inspection of who was coming or going from the building. Zach paid two hundred dollars a week to the super who lived in a detached building behind the apartment. The two hundred was in cash and Zach never had to give his name. He figured it was safer that way. He had no idea who might be looking for him, or if someone was watching the frat house, or tapping his parents’ phone line and as a result he’d been lying low for almost three weeks. He intended to stay that way.

Zach had run low on cash a couple of times and gone out to make some quick collections from people he trusted. He had enough to last another month or so; then he might have to either get back into business or hope any trouble had been smoothed over. When he’d first decided to flee Jacksonville, he had considered taking an extended cruise, but the travel agency said they would all require him to use his real name. This was one of the few places he’d found where no one cared if he had a name or not.

Zach had no idea if the cops were involved yet or if any of the Tau Upsilon brothers had been arrested or squealed.

His usual routine involved grabbing a meal at one of three places he liked: Sonic because it was cheap; Mario’s Italiano, when he was in the mood for pizza; and the Ponce de Leon Pub. After eating, he always walked over to the Castillo and soaked up a little more history. He loved walking the ramparts of the old fort.

Zach stepped out the front door and looked up at the gray sky trying to decide where he would go today.

 

 

 

John Stallings sat at a high-top table near the bar in the Ponce de Leon Pub, assessing the cute young bartender who acted as a waitress too. He was wondering if he should show her the photo of Zach and Jeanie. A cop’s entire day was filled with decisions like these. Would she help, or tell Zach someone was looking for him? He glanced around the quiet pub until his eyes fell on a single, older man at a booth, sipping French onion soup directly from the bowl.

Stallings had to admit his patience for finding Zach was running short and he decided it was time to be more overt and aggressive. He pulled the photograph from his rear pocket and came up with a story that he was looking for a friend. Just as Stallings was about to say Zach’s name and hold the photograph up to the pretty young bartender, the door to the pub opened.

Stallings casually glanced up and did an actual double take when he noticed Zach Halston walk in and plop down on a stool by the bar.

The bartender said to Stallings, “Know what you want yet?”

“Give me a few minutes and you can wait on your new customer.”

The young woman peeked over her left shoulder, then shook her head. “I don’t have to take his order. I know he’s going to have a hamburger and two Budweisers, just like he does every day.”

“Nice to have a regular customer.”

“It would be if he ever tried to tip me with anything other than a joint.”

Stallings gave her a smile and waited until she walked back behind the bar and into the kitchen before he calmly stood up from the table and took a few steps to the bar next to Zach.

Zach’s head snapped to his left quickly as he looked at Stallings and relaxed when he realized it wasn’t anyone he knew. Stallings pushed back his light jacket so Zach could see the badge and gun on his right hip.

Zach rolled his eyes in an effort to be cool, then managed to slide off the stool and start to run before Stallings could react.

Patty Levine had already talked to three distraught families and she could see why Tony had weaseled his way out of the duty. It was daunting and demoralizing and also educational. These poor families were looking for any shred of information or evidence that random chance hadn’t taken a loved one from them. They wanted someone to blame. They wanted someone on which to take revenge. There wasn’t a single parent who didn’t look tired and didn’t choke up when they discussed whatever accident had caused the death of their son.

She would’ve preferred to have her partner with her, but he’d called to say he was on a lead. Patty suggested she would come join him in St. Augustine, but he told her he had it covered and that he’d be back later in the day. Stallings had been acting oddly the last few weeks and she wondered exactly what was going on in his personal life.

The thought made her laugh out loud. She was worrying about someone else’s personal life. That made no sense whatsoever. She’d just laid a serious kiss on her ex-boyfriend who was already involved in another relationship. And Patty didn’t regret it one bit. Tony Mazzetti was a decent guy, and if it hadn’t been for her own issues and her fear about what police work would eventually do to the two of them, she never would’ve let him go. But she now realized she was not completely over him. She just hoped it wouldn’t be funky with him around the office.

Her cell phone rang and she saw it was Ken. She almost didn’t answer, but then, on the fourth ring, Patty popped it open and said, “Hey, Ken.”

“Hey, beautiful. Are we still on for dinner tonight?”

She thought about their last dinner, then about the kiss with Tony Mazzetti. Patty bit her lower lip and finally said, “I’m sorry. I’ve got to work late tonight.”

 

 

 

John Stallings was used to people running from him and didn’t let Zach get more than two steps away before he reached out and grabbed him firmly by the collar of his flannel shirt and jerked him back toward the bar stool. The quick action caught the attention of the old man sipping French onion soup, but he quickly went back to his task. By the time the bartender walked out, Stallings was sitting calmly next to Zach at the bar.

Stallings looked at the bartender and said, “We’ll both have his usual.”

The bartender gave him an odd look but nodded and turned back into the kitchen.

Zach said, “You’re not going to hurt me, are you?”

“Why the hell would I do that?”

“I don’t know who you work for.”

“I just showed you my badge. I’m a detective with JSO.”

Zach relaxed slightly, the white going out of his knuckles grasping the bar. “So you really are a cop?”

“Yeah, that’s why I have a badge, a gun, and no time for bullshit.”

Zach still looked worried and said, “How long have you been looking for me?”

“A couple of weeks.”

“What are the charges?”

“What the hell you talking about? I’m here because your parents are worried about you, idiot.”

“Really?” His voice cracked.

“Really.”

Then Zach Halston showed he had the ability to surprise Stallings. He started to sob uncontrollably and blew his nose into a wad of napkins sitting next to him on the bar.

 

 

 

Lynn had caught just a glimpse of Zach Halston as he turned and walked into a seedy-looking pub. She reached into her purse and found the Buck knife she’d been waiting to use. She’d found a better way to deal with Kyle Lee and this was still an option. Now the only question was if she wanted to walk into the bar and give Zach a chance to remember her.

The other option was to cruise the area a while longer and see if she had the opportunity to use the big Suburban again. There was no way the cops would link a traffic accident in Daytona and a traffic accident in St. Augustine. She could be back in Jacksonville and at her desk in less than an hour.

And one step closer to finishing her mission.

Z
ach Halston was nervous because he didn’t know if the cop was telling the truth. He’d seen too many TV shows where cops said all kinds of crazy things to get people to admit stuff.

The cop looked tough, with a hard body and stare to match. He pulled the photograph out of his rear pocket and slapped it down on the bar, letting Zach examine it for a moment, then said, “What do you know about the girl?”

“I thought you were looking for me because my parents were worried?”

“I was, but this girl’s parents are worried too.”

“Kelly? Is she okay?”

“What was her full name?”

“She said her name was Kelly Smith. We only went out for a few weeks and that was the only time she ever came by the fraternity house. She was secretive and didn’t share anything about her personal life.”

“When’s the last time you saw her?”

Something about this guy’s tone put Zach on edge and he knew there was a lot more to the visit than his parents being scared. “I guess about two years ago.”

“Tell me about her?”

What kind of a question was that from a cop? The whole situation was making Zach panicked. Who was this guy really? He sure acted like a cop, but not like a missing persons cop. Zach wondered if he was in narcotics or homicide.

Zach finally said, “She was a nice girl. She worked at an antique clothing store. I really don’t know much more about her.”

“Why’d you two break up?”

“We were never really going together. She met some guy she liked. She just kind of wandered away from me.”

“Who’s the guy she met?”

This was freaky. Why was this guy asking about a girl? “His name was Gator. That’s all I know. I never met him. I’m proud of the fact that I don’t know anyone named Gator.”

The cop looked him up and down. “Why have you been hiding?”

Zach considered the question and the expression on the JSO detective’s face. “I made some stupid choices and didn’t want to face them.”

The cop nodded. “So why else?”

He hesitated and said, “I made a mistake.”

“Is it one that could be linked to the most recent deaths?”

Zach looked up at the cop. “What deaths?”

“You really haven’t talked to anyone in Jacksonville?”

Zach shook his head, feeling his stomach turn. “Who died?”

“Connor Tate and Kyle Lee.”

He could barely squeak out, “How?”

“Connor overdosed and Kyle, well, he had a boating accident.”

The news was like a hammer into Zach’s heart. His two most trusted friends. There was no doubt now. Maybe he needed this cop. Zach wondered if he should tell the truth. Admit everything and let the legal system handle his problems. He’d do some time. But then it’d be over. Or would it? What if things didn’t change and he just had to spend time in jail? He started to sweat and slid away from the bar, saying to the big cop, “I gotta use the restroom real quick and wash my hands. Can we pick this up again when I get back?” He noticed the cop’s eyes dart to the rear of the pub, where the restrooms were located, then toward the front door. Zach knew he was calculating how hard it would be for Zach to escape. Now he knew this was serious.

The cop nodded his head silently.

Zach tried to smile, then forced himself to slowly walk to the restroom. He knew he couldn’t bolt for the open front door, but he had also been in the pub’s restroom enough to know he had one other chance. There was no way he wanted to leave the Ponce de Leon Pub with this cop. If he got away and called his parents—if that was really why the cop was after him—his parents could call off the search. Then he’d deal with his problems one at a time. But if the cop had other things on his mind, Zach knew he didn’t want to be anywhere near him.

Once inside the tiny bathroom, he really did use it, then washed his hands, before cranking open the small, frosted glass window and shoving out the screen with one hand. It was a tight fit, but he could make it. He needed to hit the ground running to put some distance between him and the JSO detective.

 

 

 

Lynn had pulled around the corner and parked, then got anxious and started to drive around the block, passing the Ponce de Leon Pub about once every ninety seconds. The rain had stopped, but the road was still slick. Almost no one was on the uneven sidewalks. As she came up the street on the east side of the pub, Lynn saw someone on foot come out of the narrow alleyway between the buildings. He glanced toward her but turned and kept up his fast pace on the sidewalk. It took her a moment to realize it was Zach. Why had he come out the back? The street was empty beyond her and there were no cars parked next to the sidewalk. She slowed the Suburban and saw Zach glance over his right shoulder before he took a step into the road. She punched the gas and felt the big vehicle lurch forward.

Almost like it had happened with Alan Cole, Zach froze midstride and looked up at the fast-moving SUV. She couldn’t keep the smile from spreading across her face. She just wanted to hear the scream.

 

 

 

Stallings sat at the bar looking down at the photograph he had carried and shown to so many people. He wondered what Rita Hester would think of his first questions to Zach Halston being about Jeanie and not about the Tau Upsilon fraternity brothers. He’d have time to go over everything that had happened as soon as the young man returned from the bathroom.

After two minutes the bartender walked back and sat down four Budweisers. Two in front of Stallings and two where Zach had been sitting. She had taken a decidedly cooler stance toward Stallings once she realized he was associated with Zach Halston.

Now he was worried. Zach had been gone longer than he should. Even taking his nervousness into consideration, the young man should’ve finished up in the bathroom by now.

Stallings stood and walked toward the restroom. The door was locked, so he tapped lightly and called on Zach’s name. When he got no response, he jerked on the handle harder, then used a shoulder to force the door open.

The small bathroom was empty. The only thing he noticed was the open window with no screen.

 

 

 

Zach had scraped his hip when he tumbled out of the window. He’d also bruised his forehead landing on the hard asphalt of the alleyway. But he was out and that was all that mattered. He stood up and took a second to brush off the gravel stuck to his side and hip. He wanted to sprint but realized his leg was sore, so he jogged toward the street.

He took a left on the sidewalk. There was no one around. There was only one blue SUV coming up the street slowly. Before he reached the corner, he glanced over his shoulder and decided to cross. The sound of the SUV’s engine didn’t register with him until he looked up and saw the vehicle barreling toward him. With everything that had happened, his mind locked up and he couldn’t decide if he wanted to stop or shoot forward. By the time his mind said,
Start running
, it felt like the SUV was on top of him. He opened his mouth and was surprised to hear the scream come out. It sounded like a little girl frightened by a spider.

He thought he’d made it past the big vehicle, but it turned into his run and caught him squarely in the leg and hips. He felt himself kicked up in the air and briefly wondered how badly his leg would be injured. Before he had any other thoughts everything went black.

 

 

 

Running someone down in the Thomas Brothers SUV was easier the second time she did it. Practice makes perfect. She knew to turn the wheel in the direction he was running but was surprised how quickly he crossed the street. The bumper of the SUV caught his rear leg and hip. But she heard the scream. It was a good solid, if a little feminine, squeal. A satisfying result to her long endeavor.

He flew almost straight up into the air and made one rotation until his head struck the pole of the stop sign and he crumpled onto the ground like a rag doll. She took only a moment to look out the windshield and see the blood starting to pool around his head. She looked each way, then hit the gas, making the tires squeal and slide on the slick pavement.

Lynn looked in her rearview mirror once as she pulled away. She saw someone running down the street toward Zach’s body. But there was no way they would ever catch her.

She’d done it again. The thrill raced through her and seemed to satisfy her need for justice.

At least for now.