about on the lawn, disappearing into the shadows and then reappearing as they wandered into the dim furthest reaches of the outdoor lights.
We had spent many a night out here throughout the course of our friendship. Some of them good and some of them we’d both rather forget. Some simply passing time with a cigar and a drink. Others, pondering horrors I had channeled and trying to get a handle on a case.
Once again, here we were, and I think we both knew that this particular night would be one of those we’d rather forget but simply wouldn’t be able to help but remember in painfully graphic detail.
It was pushing three in the morning. I had put Felicity to bed, and after Helen checked in on her, both she and Constance left. There didn’t seem to be much else we could do for the time being, and everyone desperately needed some rest.
The carbs in the sports drink had kicked in, giving me not exactly a second wind, but enough energy to at least get up and move. I had pulled down a pair of tumblers and filled them each with ice and a healthy measure of Royal Salute before heading out the back door to check on my brooding friend.
He had simply shot a quick glance at me when I sat the drink on the railing next to him but remained silent. It had taken all of five minutes before he finally spoke.
“It’s okay,” I told him.
“No it isn’t,” he replied, shaking his head. “I acted like a fuckin’ asshole in there.”
“Yeah,” I agreed. “You did.”
“You don’t have to agree with me so fast, Kemosabe,” he offered with a slight grin.
“It’s okay,” I replied. “You definitely acted like an ass. But, I think I’ve probably done the same to you.”
“Yeah, you have.” His grin spread a little wider. “So, how’s Firehair?”
“She’s okay,” I replied, and then took a sip of my drink. “She crashed awhile ago.”
“I guess I’ll apologize to her later.”
“It’s all good. She’s got pretty thick skin.”
“Yeah, she’s a tough one,” he agreed. “That’s a fact.”
My friend looked down at the drink I had poured for him then picked it up and twisted the tumbler back and forth in front of his face. After a moment, he set it back down, this time a full arms length away.
“Thanks, but that’s prob’ly the last thing I need right now.”
“No problem. I understand,” I returned, paused, then asked, “So what now?”
He huffed out a heavy breath. “We keep our mouths shut and hope for a break.”
“Not much of a plan,” I observed.
“Tell me about it,” he replied. “But there’s no way we can confirm she’s dead, so runnin’ off at the mouth’ll just cause problems.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
We grew quiet again, listening to the ambient sounds of the night. Tires squealed in the distance, and the sound of a roaring engine droned along behind it, eventually fading to nothingness.
“So, where are you staying?” I finally asked.
“Whaddaya mean?” he asked, feigning ignorance.
“We didn’t get a chance to talk earlier, Ben,” I explained. “I know about you and Allison.”
He rubbed his hand across the lower half of his face and sighed heavily through his nose. “How’d ya find out?” he asked. “I run off at the mouth while I was trashed?”
“Not exactly,” I replied. “When you passed out, I called your house. I didn’t want Allison to worry when you didn’t come home.”
“Sorry about that,” he said. “Guess I shoulda told ya’. Felicity know?”
“Not yet.”
“Mandalay?”
“I didn’t figure it was my place to tell her.”
“Thanks.”
I shrugged. “No problem. You’d do the same for me.” I paused for a moment, searching for the right words, then said, “You’re going to want to talk to her, though. She’s returning a favor…” I let my voice trail off.
“Yeah, I know.” He gave a short nod. “And I owe her an apology too.”
“Probably,” I agreed. “So you never answered my question. Where are you staying?”
“‘Nother copper in homicide has some rental property down on Tennessee,” he told me. “It was vacant, so he’s lettin’ me have it on a week-to-week.”
“You know, you could have come here. We have a guest room.”
“Naahh.” He shook his head as he uttered the negative. “I think I need some space right now.”
“As long as you don’t withdraw too much.”
“Yeah,” he agreed.
“So how is Ben junior handling it?”
“About as well as can be expected I guess.”
“What about you? You doing okay?”
He gave an embarrassed chuckle. “Apparently not as okay as I thought I was.”
“I’m sure it’s a big adjustment,” I offered.
“Yeah, you could say that.”
“So, I know you’ve got Helen, but if you need another ear…” I let my voice trail off.
“Yeah, I know. I appreciate it, white man.”
“No problem. So… At the risk of prying, is this something you two are going to be able to work out?”
He was just about to answer me when Felicity’s terrified scream shattered the newfound calmness of the night.
CHAPTER 21:
Just as I had witnessed less than two days before, the audible signal of distress served as a trigger, sending my friend’s hand immediately to his sidearm. His now alert gaze swung instantly in the direction of the scream. I’m not sure which one of us began moving first, but I just barely made it to the back door in front of him. In either case, the dogs had overtaken us, and we were both stumbling over them as they yapped wildly at the door. I pushed through to the interior of the house, immediately on the heels of the boisterous canines, and my friend was at my back, physically urging me ahead at a quickening pace.
The dogs had left us in their wake, and I could now hear them whining; the high-pitched noise was interspersed with low growls, and that punctuated the now random barks. Advancing through the kitchen, I caught fleeting glimpses of our cats, fur puffed out in panic, as they darted in opposing directions, two of them literally bouncing from one another before continuing to individual hiding places.
I hooked through the kitchen doorway, into the dining room, and then continued through, my arc leading me down the hallway to our bedroom. I hit the door at as close to a dead run as I could manage in the short distance. The dogs were already scratching at the barrier, yelping and growling as they sought to protect their mistress from the unseen intruder.
Felicity was already splitting the darkness with a third scream. Of all the noises and exclamations I had ever heard coming from her, this had never been among them. This was something entirely new and beyond horrifying. At this moment, it frightened me more than anything in recent memory. It was a sound that made me painfully aware that blood could in fact run cold.
I could feel Ben at my back as I burst through the door and stepped into the darkened room. My gaze fell immediately to the bed but found only rumpled sheets partially illuminated by the swath of light that was projecting inward from the hallway. I reached to my side and slapped the light switch on the wall just above the headboard. Brightness leapt onto the tableau, and I brought my eyes up as my ears centered in on the terror-stricken shriek, which was only now beginning to trail off.
Felicity was cowering in the opposite corner, back pressed into the wall next to the bathroom door, hands holding either side of her head as she rocked in a frantic rhythm. Crimson trails were trickling down her arm from
