The Prey Bites Back: A Jesse Watson Mystery Book #8 (31 page)

We trekked
through the snow to the garage, jumped in our cars, and pulled out. If Dakota
Stone was hiding there, we didn’t see her. The sheriff said there was no way
she could’ve gotten out of the hospital without his men catching her, but obviously,
that wasn’t true. Stone was a smart and cunning person. She’d found a way to
escape, and most likely, was coming after me.

As we brought
up the rear, following Shark, Mom and Eddie, I looked over at Billy and said, “I
can’t believe she conked the deputy over the head and got away. These guys
aren’t small men. They’re behemoths, strong, and well-trained. Why didn’t he
get up and go after her?”

“He got hit
over the head with a telephone. Probably knocked him out.”

“We need to
call Helene and warn her… tell her to get out of the house. God, it’s been two
hours. I hope it’s not too late.” I pulled out my cell phone to make the call,
but it rang before I had a chance. “Oh, good, it’s Helene. Maybe she’s checking
in. I hope everything’s all right.” I touched the screen. “Helene, is everything
okay?”

Helene’s tone
was unnerving and her reply floored me.

“What? Say that
again.” I hit the speaker icon on my phone so Billy could hear.

“I think I just
killed Dakota Stone.”

Chapter 16

I thought for sure my hearing
was playing tricks on me when Helene said she might have killed Dakota Stone.
Helene? The most harm she had ever inflicted on anyone was to use harsh words, so
to think she was capable of killing someone was inconceivable.

“I didn’t mean
to kill her, but I had to do something! I had to stop her! She just showed up
at the front door! She was going to kill us! She said so!”

“We’re five
minutes from the house, Helene. Stay put, and keep the kids safe. We’ll be
right there.”

I disconnected,
sat there, staring straight ahead. “I’m stunned. I don’t know what to say.” I
glanced at Billy. “I guess we were right to be worried. My gut told me she was
coming, but I was hoping it was wrong. All I’ve been able to think about was
making it home before she got there.”

“Why didn’t you
ask Helene what happened?”

“I wanted to,
but she was too distraught, Billy. Couldn’t you tell it by her voice? That must
have been awful for her. No… she’s got plenty of time to explain when we get
there. I just want her to hold it together until we do.”

We turned onto
Bear Mountain Road
and then separated from the others when
we pulled into our driveway. Shark, Mom, and Eddie continued on to Jonathan’s
house as we followed the tire tracks in the snow to the front yard. All the
lights in the house were on, and a bright yellow 4Runner just like Mom’s was
parked beside Helene’s car.

“Whoa! That
can’t be Mom’s car. Am I hallucinating?”

“No, you’re
not. Dakota Stone had to get here some way. It’s a coincidence that the car she
commandeered was one like your mother’s. Maybe Helene thought it was Minnie.”

Billy parked
the truck and we jumped out running, and then plowed through the front door. My
heart was pounding out of my chest.

Helene met us,
crying as she tried to talk. “She’s dead! I killed her! See…” She pointed to
the dining room floor where Dakota Stone lay. “I saw the car and I thought it
was Minnie, so I opened the door.”

Billy took his
coat off, tossed it on the table, and then put his hands on Helene’s shoulders.
“Calm down. We’re here now, and you’re safe. It’s over. Are the kids okay?”

“They’re fine.
I made them go stay in the den with the door closed.”

Billy walked
over to where Dakota lay by the dining room table, and checked for a pulse.
“How long has she been out?”

“About a
half-hour. Is she dead?”

“No, she’s not
dead, but she’s down.”

I glanced over
at the body on the floor, and then back to Billy. “I’ll go check on the kids.”
I hurried down the hall to the den, opened the door and peeked in. “Everybody
okay in here?”

The dogs jumped
up from their hiding places and started barking, while Maisy came over to the
door. She turned to them and pointed. “Be quiet and sit back down.”

Athena and Thor
dropped to the floor, obeying her command. Maisy turned back to me. “Helene
told us to go to the den and stay there, so we did. Is that bad lady still
here?”

“How do you
know she’s a bad lady?”

“Because Helene
yelled at us. She never yells at us. I might be just a kid, but I know when
something’s not right. I grabbed Ethan and we hid out here. I didn’t know what
else to do. I was scared.”

“You did good,
honey.” I looked over at Ethan who was asleep on the sofa, and then looked back
at Maisy. “You’re safe and there’s nothing to be afraid of. We’re here now, but
I’m going to need for you and Ethan to stay in the den just a little longer.
Can you do that for me?”

“I’m hungry.”

“I’ll get
Helene to fix sandwiches. Can you hold off for a little while?”

“Sure, Mom. You
want me to close the door?”

“Please.”

Maisy closed
the door, and I headed back to the dining room, taking off my coat while I
walked. I threw it across the back of the living room sofa, and then walked
over and stood by Helene and Billy. “That’s Dakota Stone for sure.”

I looked down
at the body in relief. My insides had been shaking ever since we learned of her
escape, but now my fear was gone. Dakota wasn’t dead, but at least she was
incapacitated, sprawled out on the floor like a limp rag doll. I almost laughed
when I saw the clothes she was wearing. “I guess your high sense of fashion
went out the window when you had to choose your wardrobe from the hospital
locker room.”

Dakota was
wearing a pair of black jogging pants, the old kind that were thick and bulky,
a gray sweatshirt that had UVA in large letters on the front, and tennis shoes
that were too big for her feet. A yellow ski jacket hung from the table chair,
and a set of car keys lay on the table next to a cup and saucer.  

I looked back
at Billy. “So… she’s not dead.”

“No, but she’s
going to have a doozy of a headache when she wakes up. Helene fed her a
cocktail of Xanax and doggie downers.”

I had to laugh.
“You did what, Helene? You drugged her with Athena’s pills?”

Now that I knew
the woman wasn’t dead, I had to get in a last word. I stepped closer to the
body and gave her a swift kick in the side. “That’s what you get for messing
with my family!” I thought about kicking her again, but there’s no satisfaction
in beating someone when they’re already down. “And you might want to rethink
that outfit. It doesn’t do anything for you.”

“I don’t think
she hears you, Jesse. She’s been like that for a while. I tried to call you as
soon as the body hit the floor, but you were at the hospital and all I got was
your voice mail… until…”

I grabbed
Helene’s hand and led her over to the opposite side of table away from the
body. “Come on, Helene. I want you to sit down and tell me everything that
happened.” I looked back at Billy and winked. “We could use a good shot of
whiskey right about now.” I pointed to the body. “She’s not going anywhere.”

Billy fixed us
a drink and set them down in front of us. “I’m going to get the handcuffs.
She’s not getting away this time. I have a few questions for her.”

“Then, you
might want to think about getting some rope and tying her up. She’s a crafty
one. She might come to her senses and try to choke one of us. It wouldn’t be
hard. Catch one of us off-guard, come up from behind, and get one of us in a
chokehold. She’d be strong enough with those handcuffs on. Don’t you think so?”

Helene took a
big gulp of whiskey and then sat the empty glass down. “I like duct tape.
Handcuff her, and then duct tape her to the chair.”

Billy left the
room and then returned with handcuffs and duct tape. He rolled Dakota over and
handcuffed her hands behind her back, and then lifted her limp body off the
floor to the chair. He grabbed the duct tape and taped her feet to the legs of
the chair, and then ran the tape around her waist, securing her upper body. When
he finished, Billy walked over to the kitchen counter, poured himself a
whiskey, downed it, and then poured another. “This is going to be a two-whiskey
kind of day… maybe three. Anyone else?” He held up the bottle.

Helene raised
her hand. “Hit me again.”

I downed my
drink and held up the glass. “Me, too.”

“I don’t think
so, ge `ya. You took a tranquilizer earlier, and I don’t want you to go into a
coma and die from mixing drugs and alcohol.”

“I see your
point.” I put my glass down and turned to Helene. “Tell us what happened here
today, and don’t leave out anything.”

Billy walked
over and sat down, waiting to hear the rest of Helene’s story. “I’ve heard most
of it, but I’m listening. Go ahead, Helene. Tell Jesse what happened.”

Helene began
her account of Dakota’s visit. “I saw the yellow 4Runner pull up, so I thought
it was Minnie. I walked over to the door, opened it, and then saw Dakota
standing there holding Spice Cat by the scruff of the neck… and he wasn’t
happy. He meowed like he was in pain. I was afraid she’d choke him or
something, so I invited her in. I know it was crazy, but I didn’t know what to
do. When she walked in, she dropped Spice Cat on the floor like he was a piece
of dirty laundry. He howled and ran off. Then, she looked at me and asked me if
I knew who she was. Of course I knew who she was, but I didn’t say so. All I
said was that you wouldn’t like it if she hurt your cat. She laughed at me, and
then pushed me back. She demanded to see you, but I told her you weren’t here,
so she said she’d wait. I figured if I didn’t let on that I knew her, maybe
we’d get out of this alive. That’s when I yelled at the kids to go to the den
and take the dogs with them.”

“Yeah, Maisy
said she knew something was wrong when you yelled at them.”

“I never yell
at them, and I still feel bad about it. That’s no way to treat a child.”

“Don’t feel
bad. You did the right thing. The kids will get over it. I’m just glad Maisy
knew what to do. Most kids would’ve argued with you and made the situation
worse. Go on with your story.”

“Anyway… I
figured I should act innocent and be polite. I asked her if she wanted a cup of
tea while she waited, telling her I would love one. I told her she looked like
the kind of person who would appreciate a good cup of tea. I also said that I
had fresh mint. She liked that idea. I guess she is a tea drinker after all. I
went to make the tea while she made herself comfortable at the table. I think
she thought I was harmless. Boy, did I ever show her. When I put the kettle on
to brew the tea, I noticed the mashed up doggie downers, and that’s when I got
the idea to put it in her tea.”

“She could’ve
switched the cups on you. Did you think of that?”

“Of course I
did. That’s why I gave her the cup without the stuff in it. I knew she’d switch
them on me, and when I turned my back, she did. Her mistake. You see, I dropped
in a few of your Xanax, too. They dissolve easily. I topped off the tea with a
mint leaf.”

“How many pills
did you give her?”

“Four, I think.
I don’t remember. They’re only five milligrams each, so I didn’t know how many
it would take, and I didn’t have much time. I wanted to knock her out, or at
least make her too woozy to do anything. Then, I could go get my gun.”

“Where is your
gun?”

“In my back
pocket.” She pulled the small handgun out and laid it on the table. “I was
going to be ready in case she woke up before y’all got here.”

“I’m surprised
you didn’t tie her up.”

“I didn’t want
to get that close. What if I hadn’t given her enough? What if she woke up the
minute I got near her? I panicked. My mind was racing and all I could think
about was getting my gun. The minute she fell over, I knew the stuff had
worked. She just flopped right over, and I was sure I’d given her too much. I
just knew she was dead, but I still went and grabbed my gun… and then I called
you. When I couldn’t get you, I sat in the chair and held the gun on her. I’m
glad I kept calling.”

“What did she
say to you? I know she must’ve said something.”

“Not really.
She treated me like I was beneath her and a waste of her precious time. She sat
there, sipping her tea, saying nothing, until I couldn’t stand it anymore. I
was waiting for the pills to kick in, but the wait was driving me insane, so I
tried to be civil. I told her that we might as well introduce ourselves since
it might be a while before you got home. I offered to call you, but she said not
to bother. I told her I was Helene, but before she could say anything, she
closed her eyes and fell out. It seemed to take forever for the pills to kick
in, but when they did, it happened so fast. Next thing I know, she’s lying on
the floor, out cold.”

“I didn’t know
you were a tea drinker, Helene. I always thought you were a coffee fanatic.”