Runs Deep (28 page)

CHAPTER 81

H
e had followed her at a distance and had watched her spin out. He’d held back as she’d slowly made her way to the cabins. It was as if the stars had aligned.
What could be more perfect than for me to find you so easily? This was meant to be.

From his car, he watched her shoot out the lock on his door.
My, my, aren’t you resourceful.
She went inside and shut the door behind her. A few minutes later, a warm glow came from the window.

The rest of the shore remained dark. No one was out here tonight. No one would probably be out here for days. Primary residences would take precedence over these cabins.

His chest felt tight as he watched that glow beckoning him forward. This was right. She was setting the stage for him. This is how it should have been all along. After all, she was the one who knew him best. She should know all parts of him.

He watched the cabin for another few minutes, wanting her to feel safe. He smiled as he imagined the night to come. Finally, after all this time, she was his for the taking.

He stepped out of the car.

CHAPTER 82

J
ulie warmed her hands. The tremors had subsided a little. She wasn’t warm yet, but she was getting there. She looked around. Jack had decorated a little. There was a plaid blanket thrown over the back of a green futon. Two leather armchairs flanked the wood stove. He’d had new kitchen cabinets put in and had made the space larger by getting rid of one of the bedrooms.

Julie was surprised. It was fancier than she remembered most of the cabins being.
Maybe he spends a lot of time here.

She glanced over at the bedroom.
If there is a God, there will be some spare clothes in there.

Pulling the blanket from the couch around her, she walked over to the bedroom and flipped on the switch by the door. Nothing happened.

Of course.
She’d forgotten the power was out. She doubled back to the kitchen and scrounged through the cabinets for a flashlight. Finding one under the sink, she turned it on. Light pierced the dim room.

Retracing her steps, she walked back to the bedroom. The light from the flashlight led the way. There was a queen-sized bed with a log bed frame, one side table, and a lamp.

Her head whipped around as something banged against the side of the house, and her heart thundered. She froze, listening, but there were no further noises.

Just a branch
, she told herself, but fear still raced through her. She had to mentally shove away an image of Steve creeping around the outside of the house.
He’s not here. He won’t find me
.

She ran her light across the bedroom. There was no bedding, which wasn’t surprising, seeing as it was the off season. There was a double closet across from the bed. He must have added that; most of these cabins had only one narrow closet.

Feeling a little creeped out by the quiet, she slid open the closet and shined her light inside. An old pair of waders sat on the floor, but no clothes. Disappointment flashed through her.

She moved to the other side and slid the door open. A jacket hung there. She pulled it out and placed it on the bed.

But there was nothing else.
Damn
.

Then she noticed the closet had a high shelf. She reached up and felt around. Nothing. She stretched on her tiptoes and felt the edge of a wooden box.

Stretching as much as she could, she eased the box toward her slowly, only her fingertips at first catching it. As soon as she could reach her whole hand around it, she pulled it down.

The box was about ten inches by eight, with an intricate design carved into the lid. The design looked familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she’d seen it before. She could hear stuff sliding around inside. She tucked it under her arm, grabbed the jacket, and headed into the living room.

She knew she was snooping, but curiosity had won her over. Jack kept nothing in this cabin except this little box. And besides, there was nothing else here to distract her except her increasingly horror movie-esque thoughts.

She sat on the floor next to the stove, the plaid blanket over her legs and the jacket resting over her shoulders. She pulled the box into her lap and traced the design. Recognition was at the edge of her consciousness, but it was just out of reach.

She felt a moment of guilt. She was invading Jack’s privacy. But something urged her to open the box. Slowly she opened the lid.

Inside was an odd assortment of jewelry, watches, and buttons.
What on earth? Why would Jack keep all this random stuff?

She pushed through the collection, unable to make any sense of it. Then something familiar caught her eye.

Her hand stilled.
No. It can’t be
.

In the box was a small charm—half a heart, with the word “sister” engraved on it.

Julie’s world tilted. She had given this charm to Simone two years before her death, and Simone had put it on her charm bracelet. She had been wearing the bracelet when she’d been killed; it had broken, its charms scattered across the room. This half heart was the only charm they had never found.

Why does Jack have it?

She looked over the rest of the knick-knacks in the box. Her jaw fell open as a horrible thought crossed her mind.
No. It’s not possible.
Her mind scrambled to come up with another explanation for this box of mementos—mementos that included Simone’s charm.

The only reason she’d turned against Steve was because he’d had Mel’s medal in his jacket pocket. But Jack would also have had access to Steve’s jacket.

What if they
had
gotten the time of death right? Then Steve had been locked up at the time of Mel’s attack. He couldn’t be responsible.

But Jack?

No one had asked Jack where
he’d
been.

But why would Jack kill Mel?

More importantly, why would Jack have killed Simone?

Julie remembered Jack from when they were younger. She tried to remember any interactions he’d had with Simone. But she couldn’t remember any time Jack had ever singled out Simone for attention. In fact, he’d never really paid any attention to Simone at all.

If anything, Julie was the one he’d stared at.

CHAPTER 83

S
teve pulled up three houses away from Declan’s sister’s house. The old car was loud, but it had handled the roads really well. Which was amazing, because the roads were a mess—not just from water, but downed trees and more than one power line. It had taken him more than double the time it should have to get here.

Yet now that he was here, he wasn’t sure what he was doing. His grandmother wasn’t in trouble; she was with Declan’s family. She was fine. Steve felt foolish and guilty for thinking otherwise.

But still, he needed to see her with his own eyes. His world was spinning out of control, but if he knew she was all right… well, then he could handle everything else.

Now that he was here, however, he wasn’t sure exactly how to accomplish that. It’s not like he could just run up, ring the doorbell, and ask. Julie had no doubt called the cops, and they would be searching for him. He looked around.
In fact, I’m surprised they’re not here already.

Leaning against the steering wheel, he looked at the house. It was a ranch, which was good—only one floor to worry about. And no one seemed to be around, so that was working in his favor as well. Maybe he could just peek in the window. No one would ever have to know he was here.

He blew out a breath.
Well, here goes nothing.

He opened the car door and stepped out. No curtains shifted on any of the houses. No one called out to him. Declan’s sister lived on the far side of town and houses were pretty spread out. But Steve still paused for another moment to make sure no one was looking.

When he was confident he was alone, he crossed the street. He tried to remember if Declan’s sister had a dog. He really hoped she didn’t.

He crept along the side of the yard, staying in the shadows of the trees. He’d start at the back. Maybe he could catch a glimpse of his grandmother through the windows. He walked silently next to a row of large evergreens that bordered the property.

“What are you doing?”

Steve whirled around. A boy of no more than eight stepped out from behind a blue spruce.

“Um, I…” Steve had no idea what to say.

The boy peered up at him. “Are you watching my yard?”

Steve tried to come up with a believable lie. He came up with nothing. Apparently, he was not meant to be a burglar. But seeing as how he was already caught, he figured he’d go for honesty. “Actually, I am. I’m looking for my grandma.”

“Bess?”

Steve nodded.

“She makes really good cookies.”

“Yeah. Did she bring the oatmeal ones?”

The boy nodded.

“Those are my favorites.” Steve paused. “Is she still here?”

The boy shook his head. “No, some man came to pick her up.”

“Do you know who he was?”

The boy shrugged. “I don’t know. Some guy in a suit. He called her Grandma.”

Jack
. Steve’s gut clenched. “How long ago was that?”

“I don’t know—a while.”

Steve tried to tell himself it was nothing to worry about. Probably Bess had insisted that she’d visited long enough and she wanted to be back in her own home. She could be very stubborn.

“Well, thanks. Take care.”

“Don’t you want to talk to my mom?”

“Um, no. That’s okay. I need to find my grandmother.”

As Steve walked back to the street, he could feel the boy’s eyes on him. He turned and waved. The boy waved back and then disappeared into the trees.

Steve ran the rest of the way to the car, just in case the kid was telling anyone inside.
Jack has Grandma.
But that was all right, wasn’t it? Jack would never hurt her. He couldn’t.

Steve pulled away from the curb, his foot planted a little heavier on the gas pedal than before. Of course Jack wouldn’t hurt her. He repeated that thought to himself. But he still drove as fast as the streets would allow.

CHAPTER 84

J
ulie closed the box and pushed it off her lap. She stood up, not sure what she should make of this. Was it just because she was alone? Had the frights of the last few days caused her to see threats were there were none? I mean, the killer was Steve, right?

The door flew open and Julie let out a scream.

Jack stepped in and shut the door behind him. There was a look of genuine concern on his face. “Julie? Are you okay? What are you doing here?”

Julie stared at him for a moment, struggling to figure out how to react. She could ask him point blank—but what if he admitted it? Then what? No. She needed to pretend she knew nothing.

“Jack, thank God. Do you have a car? Mine got stranded in a puddle about a mile from here.”

“Yeah, I’m parked in the lot.” He moved toward her. “You’re soaked. Hold on. Let me see if I have any clothes or towels in my bedroom.” He took a step, then stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes locked on the box on the floor.

His gaze rose to meet hers, and his whole face seemed to transform. It went hard. If evil was a thing that could be seen, that’s what Julie was looking at. When Jack spoke, his voice was cold. “Seems you’ve already been in my bedroom.”

Julie tried to bluff her way out. “Hmm? Oh, the jacket, yeah. I found this box, too, but I didn’t open it.”

Jack laughed, and the sound sent chills down Julie’s spine. “Oh, come now, Julie. I think you and I are beyond lying to each other now, aren’t we?”

In that moment, Julie knew she was staring into the eyes of the man who’d killed her sister. She knew she shouldn’t, but she had to ask.

“Why, Jack? Why did you do it?”

Jack smiled. “I never meant to kill Simone.”

Julie felt the breath leave her lungs.

Jack took a step toward her. “You see, it was you I was coming for that night—not her.”  

CHAPTER 85

J
ulie backed away, her heart pounding. Jack had killed Simone. He’d admitted it. But he’d meant to kill
her
. “I—I don’t understand.”

Jack perched on the edge of the futon. “You know, I’ve always known I was different. I had different… let’s call them ‘interests.’ Ever since I was a kid. Who knows why. Like the song says, I was just born this way.”

Julie was terrified and curious all at the same time. But mostly she was stunned. This wasn’t happening. “Elise, too? Mel, Dee?”

Jack’s smile grew wider. “It’s been a fun couple of days. But they’re only the tip of the iceberg. There are many others. You’ve looked in the box.”

Julie knew there was no longer any point in denying it. She nodded.

“One memento for each,” Jack said. “But they aren’t from Millners Kill. Like they say, you don’t shit in your own sandbox—until now. With Steve coming back, it was just too delicious to resist. And it’s worked out perfectly. In fact, I’m betting you just called the police and told them Steve was the killer, didn’t you?”

Julie’s mouth dropped open.
How did he know that?

Jack laughed. “I couldn’t have planned it better.”

Julie gasped. He was right. The police would shoot Steve on sight—because of her. Her eyes locked with Jack’s.

He nodded back at her. “Ah, now you see your predicament. But what you don’t realize is that I’ve been dreaming about this moment for ten long years. Truth be told, I’ve imagined your blood slipping through my fingers for longer than that. That night, though, it was Simone who let me in. I knew your parents went to bed early. And you said Simone usually did as well.”

It was true. But that night Julie had been feeling a little under the weather and had gone to bed early, while Simone had stayed up late studying because she had a big history test the next day.

“When she answered the door, well… I decided to take the opportunity presented to me. It was simply too sweet an opportunity to resist.”

Julie felt her stomach turn. He sounded so enthralled with his own acts. He
enjoyed
this. This man standing in front of her right now… this was the real Jack. The polite, concerned Jack that she’d thought she’d always known—he was the fake.

Jack pulled a knife from his pocket. There was already blood on it.

Julie pulled her gun from her pocket. “I don’t think so.”

He laughed, genuine amusement on his face. “See? This is what I’m talking about. I always knew you’d be special.”

“Back up against the wall.”

“See, I don’t think I’m going to do that.” He walked toward her. “And I don’t think you’re going to shoot me.”

“You’re wrong.”

Julie pulled the trigger.

Jack tried to jump over the coffee table, but the bullet caught him in the calf. He screamed, and Julie dodged around him toward the door. But Jack grabbed her leg as she passed—she fell forward, her arms flailing, and the gun flew from her hand. Julie kicked with her free leg, connecting with Jack’s face. He yelled and let go of her.

Julie scrambled to her feet, as did Jack. The door was behind her, but the gun was now behind Jack.

Jack raised an eyebrow. “Tough choice, huh? Let me make it easier.” He leapt for the gun.

Julie turned and ran for the door. As she shot through it, a bullet slammed into the doorframe right next to her. Heart pounding, she kept running. Too late, she realized she was headed for the beach. She should have turned as soon as she left the cabin. “Shit,” she panted.

It was too late to change course now. She looked ahead at the water. She knew it would be cold, and she could see how rough it was. But she was a good swimmer, and there was simply no other choice.

She flew across the beach and pounded down the dock.

Jack yelled from behind her. “Where do you think you’re going?”

She lengthened her stride.

She heard the report of the gun three times. Two missed.

One didn’t.

It slammed into her lower back. Julie fell forward and tumbled off the end of the dock.

The dark water closed over her head before she even had time to scream. Waves crashed over her, tossing her about, and she began to sink. The pain in her back screamed. She was becoming lightheaded from either the lack of oxygen or the shock of the bullet. Probably both.

She turned and started to swim for the surface, then stopped.

Up above, at the edge of the dock, stood Jack. He was waving goodbye.