The Darkness Beneath, page 32
The skeleton that had been found at the guesthouse threw up a dozen new questions and, as she sipped at her wine, the alcohol soothing her frazzled mind and easing knots in her neck and shoulders that were there partly due to her accident, partly from tension, niggling doubts ate away at her over the identity of the bones and whether Aunt Bella had anything to do with it. She dismissed the idea almost as quickly as she thought of it, feeling terrible for even considering it, knowing her aunt had had a heart of gold and couldn’t possibly be capable of such a thing.
She was beginning to feel like she was a curse for this island. Lizzie had died because she had covered a babysitting shift for Nell. Now she was back and bodies seemed to be cropping up everywhere. Was it possible the skeleton under the house was connected to the serial-killer case Alex was investigating? Although, Penelope Maher’s killer was active now and seemed to favor dumping the remains of his victims at sea, while the body under the house could be years old and hadn’t been dismembered. Weren’t serial killers supposed to use the same method?
Shivering, not sure if it was the temperature or thinking about serial killers, she drained her glass and double-checked all of the doors and windows, before swapping her empty wine glass for a bottle of water and heading upstairs.
Although she closed her eyes, and attempted to sleep, her mind wouldn’t shut down; every tiny sound had her on edge. Her mind was awash with images of her car crash, the masked man standing in the woods and then Pete Moorhouse’s face when he had come outside to tell them about the body under the conservatory floor. She had remained on edge all night, relieved when Alex finally arrived home.
‘You’re still awake?’ he questioned when she propped herself up on one elbow as he slipped into the bed beside her.
‘I’ve got too much going on in my head to sleep. I can’t stop thinking about Lizzie and then there’s everything that happened today. And now there’s a body buried beneath the guesthouse, it’s too much. I keep thinking that if I hadn’t come back then none of this would have happened.’
‘You can’t think like that. If Curtis hadn’t attacked you yesterday we wouldn’t have taken his prints. You played a part in catching him, Nell. I know you blame yourself for what happened to Lizzie, but it was Curtis who killed her and it’s thanks to you that her family will have some peace.’
Nell was silent for a moment. ‘I guess, but how could we not have known? And what about tonight? I’ve been living in a house with a body buried under it. Will you be able to identify who it is?’
‘We already have. There was a suitcase buried next to the body. It was full of clothes, a cellphone, driving license.’
‘It’s Sarah Treadwell, isn’t it?’ Voicing her suspicions out loud sent a chill through her.
Alex nodded. ‘I had my suspicions as soon as I saw the skeleton. Of course, it’s unofficial, the ME will still have to formerly identify the body, but it’s her. Someone wanted all trace of her gone.’
‘Do you think Bella was somehow involved in this?’
‘It’s too early to say what happened. When she disappeared, everyone assumed she had found a new job and moved away.’
‘But she hadn’t. She was murdered and buried under the house.’
Alex propped himself up to face her, the shadows of the dark room cutting across the lean planes and angles of his face. ‘I want you to move in here. At least until Michael is out of the hospital. Hunter was right. Someone didn’t want you in that house and now we know why.’
‘You think whoever killed Sarah is the same person who’s been harassing me?’ Nell hadn’t considered that possibility and it left her feeling sick. She thought of the man in the woods, the same man who had tried to get into the house. She had assumed he was trying to scare her, but maybe he did mean to hurt her?
He shot Luke. Of course he is trying to hurt you.
And Michael? Alex and Hunter had suspected he had been attacked by the same person.
‘Yeah, I do, and I don’t want you going back there alone.’ He ran his hand gently down her arm. ‘Okay?’
She drew out a shaky breath. ‘Okay. I need to get more stuff though. I only brought an overnight bag.’
‘I’ll get someone to drive you up to the house tomorrow.’
‘Thank you.’
She settled back down against the pillow, was silent for a moment, considering, as she stared up at the dark ceiling. Had she been watched from the moment she arrived back on the island? It was unnerving thinking of all the times she had been alone in the house in the first couple of weeks.
‘Alex?’
‘Yeah?’
‘You’re gonna get him, right?’
He slipped his arm around her, pulling her close, and she rested her head against his shoulder, breathing in his now familiar scent, her hand resting against the hard muscles of his chest. Beneath her palm she could feel the methodical rhythm of his heartbeat.
He turned slightly, pressed his lips against her forehead. ‘Yeah, we’re gonna get him, Nell. I promise.’
*
Jenna paced relentlessly after hanging up from Tommy, tears streaming down her face, fingers raking back through her hair. She was shaking, felt sick, and she desperately wanted someone to come save her.
She had tried to pay for what had happened to Sarah. Had taken her beatings from Curtis without complaint, accepting it was her penance for what had happened.
Now he was in jail, awaiting an appearance in the courthouse for Lizzie Kent’s murder, and she couldn’t help but relate the two things, thinking that if he were here with her now then Sarah’s body wouldn’t have been discovered.
She couldn’t go to jail, she just couldn’t.
Eventually she grabbed her keys, got in her car and drove across town. It was the middle of the night, but she didn’t care. Her world was falling apart, and he would have to see her.
He opened the door wearing just a pair of low riding sweatpants, rubbing at his eyes, suggesting she had awoken him, but unsurprised to see her on the front step. When he shrugged, turned and walked back down the hallway to the kitchen, she followed, closing the door behind her.
‘What are we going to do?’ she asked tearfully.
Despite the lateness of the hour, he pulled two glasses from a cabinet, filled them both with whiskey, handed her one. ‘We’re gonna fix this. That’s what we’re gonna do.’
‘How?’
He stared at her, his eyes hard. ‘Leave that to me. Drink up.’
Jenna gulped down the whiskey, pushed her glass forward when he offered her more.
‘I’m sorry,’ she sobbed. ‘I’m so sorry for all of it. I have done some terrible things. Please forgive me. I killed Sarah, I poisoned her, and the air rifle – it was Curtis’s, but I fired it.’
*
He held her as she cried, before plying her with more drink. Eventually she passed out and he carried her out to her car, drove her across town, back to the house she shared with Curtis.
The man was still in jail, but he was still quiet as he unlocked the door, carried Jenna inside. Her dog was waiting, tail wagging, and he spent a couple of moments making a fuss of the mutt. He found treats in a jar on the counter, put down a handful, aware a barking fit might alert the neighbors. While the dog ate, he carried Jenna upstairs, carefully undressed her, sat her in the bathtub and filled it with water. Leaving the faucets to run, he fetched a bottle of Curtis’s bourbon, filled a glass half full and set it by the tub then he found a razor in the medicine cabinet, used it to slice her wrists.
She remained unconscious throughout and, while that made things easier, he almost regretted that she hadn’t woken, would have liked to see the last struggle for life before he took it from her.
Leaving her bleeding in the tub he rummaged through her purse, found her lipstick, and crudely wrote across the mirror.
Tell Sarah I’m sorry.
With one last look in her direction, pity mixing with loathing for the pathetic creature she had become, he let himself out of the house.
It was all to play for now and only the strong would survive.
CHAPTER FORTY
Alex had been right about the painkillers. When Nell awoke the following morning, she could barely move her neck and it took a couple of minutes before she managed to roll over in bed, pulling herself up into a sitting position.
‘You okay?’ he asked, stepping through into the bedroom, a towel wrapped around his waist, hair damp and curling from his shower.
She grunted, rubbing gingerly at her neck. ‘Can you get me my painkillers? They’re in my purse.’ She didn’t miss the look he gave her as he found them for her. ‘And don’t tell me you told me so. I felt okay last night.’
He sat on the bed beside her, green eyes intent on hers as he took her hand and dropped two pills into her palm. ‘It was the adrenalin. Now it’s worn off your muscles have stiffened up.’
‘Thank you, Doctor Cutler.’ She uncapped her bottle of water, took a sip to wash down the pills.
Alex grinned, pressed a kiss against her forehead. He smelt fresh and citrusy from his shower and the scent jarred pleasantly with her senses. ‘I’d take it easy today. Try and get some rest. I can always bring you some more stuff down from the guesthouse.’
‘I’d rather go myself. It’d be easier.’
‘Okay. I’ll get someone to stop by this afternoon, give you a ride up there when we’re done.’
He placed his hands on her shoulders, kneaded gently at the knots, and Nell closed her eyes. ‘Hmm, that feels good. Don’t go to work.’
‘You know I have to. Someone has to catch the bad guys.’
‘Yeah, I know. Purity Island, murder capital: who’d have thought, huh?’
He left her with Teddy and Sasha, making her promise to keep the doors locked and her cellphone close by, answer the door to no one but him, telling her he would have a patrol car drive past hourly. Nell had no issue with any of that, figuring she had experienced more than enough drama in the last twenty-four hours. She lounged around watching daytime TV, drank coffee then called her brother.
He already knew about the body at the guesthouse, word traveled quickly, and he seemed to be taking the news better than she had expected, probably because he knew she was out of harm’s way and staying with Alex. He wasn’t happy about her car accident though – and even less so about the man she had encountered in the woods – and she held her cellphone away when he started ranting at her for going over to the mainland unaccompanied.
Nell put him on loudspeaker, brewed a fresh pot of coffee and poked her head in the refrigerator, feeling hungry, only half listening to what he was saying.
‘… So do you promise then? Nell? NELL?’
‘Huh? Yeah, okay. Sure.’
‘Are you even listening to me?’
She closed the refrigerator door and scooped up her phone. ‘Yes, of course I am.’
‘So you won’t then?’
‘Won’t what?’
‘I knew you weren’t listening. I don’t want you going back up to the guesthouse.’
‘I need to go up there, Michael. I left in a hurry last night and I have to get more stuff. Alex is going to send someone up there with me later though. You don’t have to worry.’
He grumbled a bit, made her promise to call him when she arrived so he could see for himself she was okay. Nell agreed – anything to keep the peace – and ended the call, returning to the refrigerator. She pulled out eggs, cheese and ham, made an omelet as Teddy sidled up to her, licking his lips hopefully. Sasha lay by the French doors and raised her head as Nell emptied the pan onto a plate. She sat down and picked at her food, aware both dogs were watching her every move. Feeling guilty she shared the last quarter with them.
Her cellphone rang as she was clearing away the plate and she grabbed it, assuming it would be Alex or Michael, frowning at the unknown number and leaving it to go to voicemail. When the phone beeped alerting her she had a message, she dialed her server to listen.
‘Hello, Miss O’Connor. This is Christopher Daley. I’m Judy Davenport’s assistant.’
Nell felt her heartbeat quicken as he continued. ‘Ms Davenport would like to meet with you if possible to discuss purchasing some of your paintings. Could you please call me? She’s going to be over on the east coast for the next few days on a buying trip, but then back in Chicago next week. Could you please call me and we can set up a meeting.’
Judy Davenport owned some of the biggest galleries in Illinois. Tempting as it was Nell couldn’t strike a deal with her, aware that if she did it would leave a trail of breadcrumbs for Caleb to find her. Her career in the art world was over. She had accepted that the day she’d left him.
She couldn’t be rude, though, so she called Christopher Daley back, apologized and said she wasn’t interested.
‘Ms Davenport’s in a place called East Haven this week, but she’ll be back in the city from next week.’
‘East Haven?’ For a moment she wondered what harm there’d be in arranging a meeting with the woman. She could say it was a coincidence that she was up in New England too. But then she realised there was every chance it would get back to Caleb and, although it wouldn’t matter too much that he knew she’d been in East Haven, it wouldn’t be smart. She could do without giving him any clues as to her new whereabouts on Purity.
‘Yes, East Haven, that’s right.’
‘No, I’m sorry. I’m not selling any of my work at this time. Thank you for the call though.’
‘You do realize who Ms Davenport is, don’t you?’
‘Of course,’ Nell hissed, annoyed at his attitude. ‘But I’m no longer actively painting. I’m sorry, please thank Ms Davenport, but the answer is no.’
He started to give her a lecture and Nell hung up mid-way through, figuring she was better off without the business anyway. Screw Christopher Daley.
Alex called to check on her early in the afternoon.
‘Everything okay there?’
‘I’m fine. I’m going stir crazy, but fine.’
‘I’ve asked Tommy to take you up to the guesthouse. He’s just finishing up on another job and I’ve given him your number, told him to give you a call when he’s on his way.’
Nell screwed up her nose, remembering how uncomfortable things had seemed on their previous encounters. She didn’t protest though; she knew Alex was short-staffed and having to free up someone to babysit her. It was a ten-minute ride up to the house to get her stuff. She could be back at Alex’s inside forty-five minutes. ‘Sure, that’s great. Thanks.’
‘How’s your neck?’
‘Stiff, though I think the painkillers have helped a little.’
‘Have you been doing the exercises the nurse gave you?’
‘Yes,’ Nell lied. She had forgotten all about them. ‘What time do you think you’ll be home?’
‘I don’t know yet. As soon as I can, I promise.’
She made an attempt with the exercises after she got off the phone, twisting her head from side to side then rolling her shoulders, feeling slightly stupid in front of her canine audience, before heading upstairs to take a shower.
Tommy called late afternoon, the conversation lasting all of ten seconds, and when he showed up half-an-hour later he seemed distracted, skipping over any pleasantries. ‘Are you ready?’ he asked, already glancing at his watch as if he had to be somewhere else before she had even stepped out of the house.
‘Yeah, let’s go.’
The ride was as uncomfortable as Nell expected and after one lame attempt to make conversation she had given up, and they had spent the rest of the journey in silence. He pulled up the steep driveway to the guesthouse and Nell got out, unlocking the front door and disabling the alarm. She glanced back to the car where Tommy sat looking at his phone, completely pre-occupied.
‘Are you coming in?’
He shot her a brief look. ‘I’ll wait here.’
‘I’m going to be about twenty minutes or so.’
‘I said I’ll wait.’
‘Suit yourself,’ Nell muttered under her breath, pushing the door shut. She didn’t bother to lock it or reset the alarm, in case he changed his mind. Avoiding the conservatory she headed upstairs to pack.
*
Tommy tried Jenna’s number, frustration growing when she didn’t pick up. He had sent her three texts over the course of the day and all of them had gone unanswered.
Was she being difficult because he had hung up on her last night?
He hadn’t changed his mind and still planned to turn himself in. He didn’t want to do that though until he had spoken with Jenna.
He glanced up at the guesthouse; saw the light on in the bedroom he knew belonged to Nell. Alex had wanted him to chaperone her, not leave her alone, but then Alex was being over-protective because he was sleeping with her. It would take him eight minutes to get to Jenna’s. He could get there and back, and Nell wouldn’t even notice he was gone.
He was in limbo until he talked to Jenna and it was driving him nuts.
Making a decision, he started the engine and reversed back down the driveway.
*
Caleb was in a foul mood by the time the ferry arrived on the island. He had been so convinced Nell would respond to the call from Judy Davenport’s office and hop on the ferry across to East Haven. It would make things infinitely easier, as he wouldn’t have to worry about getting her off the island.
Of course, there would have been no meeting with Judy Davenport, just as the phone call hadn’t come from her assistant, Christopher Daley. Caleb had called in another favour with Jimmy, had someone make the call to Nell, hoping to lure her away.
For whatever reason though she had turned the offer down and Caleb found himself heading back across the water to Purity Island. He figured he would chance the guesthouse first, ducked down in his seat when the police patrol car pulled out of the driveway and headed on down the road that led into town.
For a moment he thought the place was empty, as there were no other cars in the drive, but then he spotted Nell at a second-floor window and felt his heartbeat quicken.
