Wake the Devil (11 page)

Any thoughts of filling out another evidence card were quickly abandoned. The only way to reach the base meant climbing back to the top and locating the trail again. Another glance over her shoulder confirmed the rain was definitely coming. And it was coming fast.

Thirty seconds later, the first drops began to fall—not much at first, but enough to wet the rock’s surface and make traction extremely difficult. After several exhausting minutes, she had gained perhaps twenty-five feet from the mountain’s edge. Beyond that was a sheer drop.

We’re in trouble.

The prospect of shuffling back to the group of boulders occurred to her. At least there she’d have a few trees to protect her and could use her cellphone to call for help. Embarrassing, but better than the alternative.

A clap of thunder shattered the heavens, followed by two brilliant flashes of electricity that lit the clouds. Beth flinched. The drops were hitting the rock more quickly now.

“Aw, c’mon,” she muttered. “Seriously?”

There was no one to answer as the sky let loose.

Move, move, move.

The trees were almost directly below her. In good conditions, it would have been difficult using two hands, but with one clutching the evidence kit and her precious samples, progress was horrendous.

Just when she thought she might reach safety, her foot slipped. She screamed and began grasping for a handhold. Found nothing but smooth rock. She was sliding and there was no way to stop herself.

The evidence kit went flying, clattering noisily end over end and disappearing over the edge. To Beth’s horror, she was following it. In desperation, she tried to dig her heels into the granite. It was no use.

O
ut of nowhere, a hand grabbed the back of her jacket. Gasping, Beth twisted around to see who had saved her. She found herself looking into the face of a park ranger.

“Ohmigod, thank you. I was going over the edge.”

The man didn’t reply. He simply stared at her from behind a pair of dark glasses. All she could make out was his silhouette. His hand maintained its grip. One of his legs was braced in a small fissure in the rock.

“Dangerous up here,” he said quietly.

“Thank you again,” Beth said. “You saved my life. Would you pull me up, please?”

Again the man didn’t respond.

“Pull me up, please.”

“You’re an interesting woman. May I ask your name?”

What the hell was this?
“It’s Elizabeth Sturgis. I’m a—”

“Detective with the Atlanta police. Yes, I know that.”

A cold trickle of fear began to form in the pit of her stomach. Beth glanced down. She was about ten feet from the mountain’s edge, maybe less. After that—oblivion. Her heels were unable to find any purchase.

“I asked you to pull me up.”

“I feel like we’re old friends, Elizabeth. You and the gentleman with you the other day, the one with the hazel eyes. It was difficult to tell who was in charge. What is his name?”

“Cut the games and pull me up,” Beth said.

“May I point out you’re in no position to give orders, girl. So I’ll ask again. What was the name of the man with you?”

“Who are you?”

“Oh, I think you know that. A shadow in the night. Shakespeare’s Puck. A breeze passing by your window. His name, please.”

“Go to hell.”

“Probably,” Wesley said.

He opened his hand and Beth screamed as she began to slide. Before she’d gone a foot, he grabbed her again.

“This is beginning to bore me. I doubt I’ll be able to catch you the next time. A name please.”

She was hyperventilating. Thoughts of tumbling through the air seized her. Despite the rain, her face had broken out in a cold sweat.

“Oh, well,” he said. “I tried.”

“Jack Kale!” she screamed. “His name is Jack Kale!”

“A detective like you?”

“He’s with the FBI.”

“Ah.”

“Are you going to pull me up?”

“In good time.”

The rain was coming down with some force now. Another clap of thunder boomed, this time over their heads.

“Gets the blood going, doesn’t it?” the man said. “You seem like a pleasant person. Unfortunately, I have a job to do, and you and your friend have been getting in the way. That’s not a good thing. Not a good thing at all. I have no interest in terminating your life, but if your interference doesn’t cease, you’ll leave me no choice. Frankly, there’s nothing you or Mr. Kale can do to save those people. They’re dead already.”

Little by little, Beth’s hand had been moving toward her gun.

“If your right hand moves another inch, I’ll release my grip. Do you really think you’re fast enough? I mean it would be like that fellow in
Die Hard
who went out the window. Hans something. Great movie, by the way. He didn’t have time to shoot and neither will you. So let’s make a deal. I’ll do what I have to do, and you and Mr. Kale can continue to live nice, long lives. Yes?”

Beth glared at him as the rain struck her face, plastering the hair against her forehead. She was furious with herself for giving him Jack’s name. Furious and ashamed.

She said nothing.

“Well, you didn’t say no. I’m feeling generous today. Elizabeth, Elizabeth, let’s hope we don’t meet again.”

She saw his free hand move and felt the Taser charge surge through her body. The last thing she remembered as she lost consciousness was a bolt of lightning exploding directly behind the killer. It outlined his shape, like something from the darkest part of her dreams.

L
ater the world began to take form. Beth looked around and found the Sandman had dragged her back to the outcrop, wedging her body between two boulders. There was no sign of him. The rain felt like ice as it ran down her neck and the back of her shirt. Her shoulder was tender from where the Taser shock had hit her. She began to shiver. Going back up was out of the question. Traction had been bad before; it would be impossible now. Thank God her cellphone was still with her. She pulled it out and dialed 9-1-1.

“Officer needs assistance. This is Detective Beth Sturgis. I’m trapped on Stone Mountain about a hundred feet below the restaurant.”

There was a good chance the radio operator had never fielded a call like this. Nevertheless, he reacted in a professional manner and told her he was sending Fire and Rescue and would stay on the line with her until they arrived.

It was an hour before two figures appeared out of the gloom. They found Beth huddled in a fetal position, nearly unconscious. A stretcher was lowered on a rope and slowly, gradually, the responding officers pulled her back to the safety fence, where two more of their battalion were waiting.

“No offense, ma’am, but how the hell did you get down there?”

Somewhere along the line, Beth had lost her shoes. Teeth chattering, she said, “Inch by inch. Maybe not the best idea.”

The sergeant nodded and introduced himself as Lou Davila. “Let’s get you into the restaurant and get some hot coffee in you.”

It took thirty minutes before she stopped shivering.

The rescue team was great. They put a couple of blankets around her and never once cracked any jokes at her expense.

“Bet this doesn’t happen often,” Beth said.

“Couple times a year,” the sergeant said from the door.

“You’re kidding?”

“Wish I were, ma’am.”

“Knock off that ma’am stuff, would you?”

“Sure thing. You up here looking for evidence?”

Beth nodded and took a sip of her coffee. “Did a helluva job, didn’t I?”

“Good of you to try though.”

Beth debated whether to tell him she’d been rescued by the killer and decided against it. They already thought she was half demented venturing out on the rock under those conditions. Worse, everything she’d collected had gone over the edge along with her kit. At the moment, all she wanted was to go home. What she’d done was unforgivable. The unspeakable act of a coward. She was disgusted with herself. She wouldn’t blame Jack if he walked out on her. Then again, it was his house. She’d have to leave. There was no way he could ever look her in the eye, or worse, trust her. Partners didn’t betray partners, much less a man one wanted to marry. What a mess. An acid feeling was building in her stomach and it wasn’t from the coffee.

“You feeling well enough to get out of here?” Lou asked.

Beth stood, steadied herself, then looked down at her feet. “Think I can make it down barefoot?”

“Hm, maybe we can fix that. What size do you wear?”

“Ten.”

Davila seemed surprised.

“I’m a big girl,” Beth said.

The fireman smiled and grabbed his walkie-talkie. “Joey, call the station house and have someone pick up a pair of sneakers at Walmart, women’s size ten. Socks, too. Send them up top ASAP.” He turned back to Beth. “Full service organization.”

Beth put her arms around him and hugged him.

*

The ride home was bad. Unable to get her mind off what happened and what she viewed as her own cowardice, she pulled off the road twice to wait until she calmed down. Her breaths had been coming rapidly and she was gripping the wheel so hard her hands hurt. Images of plunging off the mountain kept playing and replaying in her mind. At one point, she could have sworn she saw the Sandman’s silhouette standing at the side of the road watching her as she drove by.

“This is nuts.”

She thought of calling Dr. Berman, the department shrink, but shelved it. Her face was burning with embarrassment. She should have protected Jack. Instead, she gave him up to the killer. What a wife she’d be. The first sign of danger and she folded like a lawn chair. Contempt for her own weakness continued to grow. Homicide was not the place for her. Better to go back to writing environment citations. Beth pounded the steering wheel in frustration.

*

Calmer by some degree when she finally reached home, she found Jack in the backyard cooking hamburgers and grilling corn on the cob. Nothing fancy, but one of her favorite meals. Marta sat close by supervising as usual.

“Hey,” Jack said, kissing her. “I heard you had a rough day.”

“Good news sure travels fast.”

“Dan called me when the officer needs assistance went out. He was pretty worried.”

“I’ll call and let him know I’m okay later.”

Jack’s attention sharpened. He looked at her more closely. Not touching base with your partner after a situation like that was unusual. Almost as unusual as not letting your lover know you were unharmed.

“New shoes?” Jack said, glancing at her feet.

“I lost mine trying to get back up. The Sandman’s spot was almost a hundred feet below the summit. I also lost the evidence when I slipped.”

“It’s all right. Maybe some of it survived the fall. I’ll have the uniforms start looking.”

Beth nodded. Didn’t reply.

Warning bells were starting to go off. He already had a shorthand version of what happened from the Fire and Rescue people. Her lack of communication was not only puzzling; it was uncharacteristic. He waited for her to expand on her comments. Instead, she stared at the backyard absently rubbing Marta behind her ears. He broke off a tiny piece of burger and offered her a sample.

“I’m not hungry right now. Would you mind if I take a bath?”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Beth nodded and went into the house.

Jack watched her go and said, “Something’s not right.”

Marta let out a low whine and leaned into him with her shoulder. He shook his head and turned the grill’s flame down.

After an hour passed with no sign of Beth, he was now certain something was very wrong. He went back outside, shut the grill, placed everything on plates, and brought them back inside. In the kitchen, he covered the food with plastic wrap and listened for some sound or movement upstairs. Maybe she’d fallen asleep in the bath. He was about to investigate when his cellphone buzzed.

“Where the hell is she?” Dan Pappas said.

“Upstairs in a bath, I think,” Jack said, keeping his voice low.

“You’re kidding me. I’m having a freakin’ heart attack here.”

“I’m serious. She came home a little earlier, didn’t want to eat, and went straight for the bath. I haven’t heard a peep since.”

“Jesus Christ. Now I know something’s wrong. When was the last time Beth Sturgis turned down a meal? Is she all right?”

“Apart from a scrape on her forehead there were no injuries I could see, except she lost her shoes.”

“Her shoes?”

“She was wearing sneakers when she came in.”

Pappas processed this for a moment. “I spoke to a guy named Davila a while ago. He and his partner were the ones who found her. She was curled up in a ball between two boulders. It was raining like hell so it took them a while to get to her.”

“Damn,” Jack said. “Maybe I’d better go check on her.”

“You want me to come over?”

“Let me see how she’s doing and I’ll call you.”

After they disconnected, Jack crept quietly up the stairs and into the master bedroom. There was no light under the bathroom door. Beth was lying on her side fast asleep. The time on the digital clock on his nightstand read 7:05.

Four Days to the Grand Jury

T
he following morning Jack rose early, fed Marta, and started breakfast. He’d called Dan Pappas back before going to bed and told him what happened. Both thought something was definitely off, but neither knew what to do. They decided maybe a night’s rest would put things right. Jack promised to have Beth call him when she woke.

Having passed on dinner he was certain she would be famished now. He had lain awake most of the night thinking she might get up at some point. Generally, they slept in the nude, except when she was cold. Then she appropriated one of his T-shirts. Last night she’d fallen asleep in her bathrobe.

By habit, Beth was usually the first up in their house. She liked getting into the office by eight
AM
and beating the traffic. It was seven thirty and he hadn’t heard her stir. She’d been asleep for twelve hours.

“Want to wake Beth up?” he asked Marta.

The German shepherd’s tail began to wag. Having four legs, she easily beat him up the steps and bounded onto their bed. Marta took over his spot and placed her nose inches from Beth’s face. When Beth failed to respond, a pink tongue darted out and licked her cheek. Beth pulled the covers over her head.

Jack went around to her side and sat on the edge of the bed, found the back of her neck, and very gently began to run his fingers over her skin.

“Hey, sleepy head, want some breakfast? It’s almost seven forty.”

“Um,” came a voice from under the covers.

“Don’t make me come in there,” Jack said.

“Honey, leave me alone. I just want to rest.”

If she had ever slept for more than six hours, he couldn’t remember it. Marta pawed the covers.

“Stop,” Beth said.

Marta cocked her head to one side, decided no one wanted to play, and jumped off the bed. Jack sat there not knowing what to do.

“Want me to call and tell them you’re running late?”

“I’ll do it later.”

That seemed to be the end of the conversation. From experience, he knew better than to try to force her to talk.

*

After Jack left the room, Beth picked up the telephone and called her partner.

“Why the hell didn’t you call me last night?” Pappas asked. “I’ve been worried sick.”

“I’m sorry, Dan.”

“Something the matter, kid?”

“Yeah, I’d say so.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“I’ve done something terrible.”

“Like what?”

The words came out in a rush. Pappas listened and didn’t comment. When she was done, there were tears rolling down her face.

“I’m a coward, Dan. Jack’s going to hate me.”

“Jack won’t hate you.”

“He will. He’ll never trust me again. It’s the worst thing I could have done.”

Pappas wasn’t so sure about that and he didn’t see what was so horrible. But everything he said to make her feel better was going in one ear and out the other.

“You want me to come over and talk to him?”

“That’d make me an even bigger coward. I think I should resign from the force.”

“Oh, come on. Listen, Jack’s an okay guy. Just tell him the truth. He’ll understand. And don’t make any decisions about turning in your badge. That’s just depression talking.”

“I’m a coward, Dan. You should get another partner.”

“Look, I’m no psychologist. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid until you at least speak with him.”

“Would you ever trust me again?”

“I do trust you, Beth. I want your promise.”

It took several seconds but she finally said yes.

“Just take some time and think it through. A lot of times things look better when you step back, you know?”

Beth finally said okay and promptly lay back down again. It was ten
AM
by the time she came down the stairs. Jack was at his desk reading one of the reports Todd Milner had furnished. If anything, it looked like she hadn’t slept at all. She was dressed in jeans, a white T-shirt, and running shoes, her own.

“Interested in something to eat?” he asked.

She shook her head in the negative and sat on the couch holding her elbows. Over the past two hours, Jack had obsessed about what the problem was to the point he was convinced she wanted to break up. Obsessing was more or less normal for him, but it was the same feeling he had when Katherine had approached him about a divorce. For some reason, going down the second hill of a roller coaster came to mind. You already knew what the first one was like and prepared yourself for the next plunge. He waited.

“We need to talk,” Beth said.

Here it comes. She’s found someone else and wants to break it to me easy. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

Jack said nothing.

“I’ve betrayed you.”

“Betrayed me.” He took a breath and let it out, then said quietly, “All right. Care to tell me with who?”

“The Sandman.”

Jack blinked. “You’re having an affair with the Sandman?”

“
What? No.
What are you talking about?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re going to hate me,” Beth said.

“I could never hate you,” Jack said. “How in the world could you betray me with the Sandman?”

As a psychologist, he’d heard every manner of crazy story. This had to top the list. Beth started slowly and gradually picked up speed, not unlike a roller coaster, until the words were coming out in a rush. He sat there staring at her.

“Let me get this straight. The Sandman had you by the collar and was threatening to let you fall off the mountain if you didn’t tell him my name.”

“Yes.”

“So you did.”

“Yes.”

“And that’s how you betrayed me.”

“I did, Jack. I’m horrible. A complete coward.”

Still hugging her elbows, she leaned forward from the waist. Marta rose from the rug and went to sit by her, putting a paw on her knee. Jack had never seen anyone look quite so miserable. He decided to try a different approach.

“Faced with certain death, in a moment of panic, you blurted out my name to save your life?”

“Yes,” Beth said, burying her face in her hands.

Jack went to the couch and put his arms around her. “Did he leave you a phone number?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’d like to give him a call and thank him. If it wasn’t for him, you’d have gone off that cliff. Am I correct?”

Beth nodded.

Jack took her by the shoulders. “I could care less whether he knows my name. In fact, I’m glad he does.”

“He said he’d kill us if we didn’t stop the investigation.”

“All right. What do you say we take a vacation? A cruise maybe.”

“You’re making fun of me.”

“Never. Well, maybe a little. You’re the bravest, most wonderful woman I’ve ever met. I wouldn’t trade you for anyone in the world . . . except maybe Jennifer Lopez.”

“Jack Kale, don’t you dare make fun of me. This was the worst thing I could have done.”

Several seconds passed. She was in pain and trying to treat it lightly wasn’t working. His face grew serious.

“No, the worst thing you could have done would have been to let me spend the rest of my life alone.”

Marta finally had enough of being ignored and jumped onto the couch where she promptly pushed her way between Jack and Beth. She lay half across Beth’s lap, resting her head on Beth’s chest. Tears began to roll down Beth’s face.

“You don’t understand,” she said.

“Actually, I do. You had a normal human reaction in an abnormal situation. I’m fine with it.”

“How could you ever trust me again?”

Jack nearly laughed but caught himself in time. “Which of us has a Ph.D. from the University of Georgia?”

“You,” she answered in a small voice.

“In my professional opinion, I think the only cure for your problems are my banana pancakes.”

The specter of her failure, at least as she perceived it, retreated slightly. She was still not completely convinced. Nevertheless, she put her arms around Jack’s neck.

“With chocolate chips?” she asked.

This time Jack did laugh. He kissed her on the lips, then on each cheek and finally her forehead. “Coming up.”

“What are we going to do about the Sandman?”

Jack stopped in the doorway and turned around, the smile fading from his face. It was replaced by a look she hadn’t seen before.

“Something massive,” he said, and went into the kitchen.