“Hey, Ness. What’s up?” Wyatt asked.
“Nothing, I just wanted to find out if I could still come stay with you and Lindsay for a few days?” she said.
“Of course. I didn’t actually think that you’d take us up on the offer. Why don’t you swing by later and grab the house keys from me here at the station?”
“Will do. See you later,” Ness hung up the phone and headed straight for the bathroom. She needed to shower and wash off all of the crap that could still be on her. Once she was in the bathroom, Ness stripped and looked at herself in the mirror. She could see the scars from the surgeries on her abdomen and beneath her breasts. She had always been petite, but now she looked far too thin. Ness climbed into the shower and made it as hot as she could handle, letting the water stream over her. As the water streamed over her, Ness felt a strong buildup of emotions, and she started sobbing. Everything that was happening felt surreal, and she wasn’t sure what she was becoming; whatever it was, there was no turning back.
After several minutes, Ness started to calm down, and eventually she climbed out of the shower and dried herself off. That done, she walked to her room, hung her towel up, and climbed into her bed without bothering to get dressed. She had to get a few hours of sleep in before she left to get the keys from Wyatt.
Heck Elliott walked into the police station at 6:30 A.M. and was surprised to see that Wyatt was already sitting at his desk.
“Hey son. You’re in early today,” Heck said and sat down at Wyatt’s desk.
“I thought I’d get a jumpstart on the paperwork that started piling up—again. So, I decided to come in early. How are you doing?” Wyatt sat back into his chair so he could give his dad his undivided attention.
“Have you noticed a change in Ness in the last few days?” Heck asked.
“I’ve been noticing a change for the past several months, but now that you mention it, yeah I do think she’s been acting a bit weirder than normal. And she called me right before you walked in and asked if she could come and stay with us for a few days. What have you noticed?”
“Well, I caught her in a lie this morning,” Heck leaned forward in his chair.
“What happened?”
“I woke up early because I had to pee, and when I walked past her room, I could see that her bed wasn’t slept in. Right before I climbed into the shower, I heard her car pull up into the driveway. When I was finished and I went downstairs, I asked her if she had come home last night, and she said that she had. But it’s not like her to be untruthful.”
“Dad, I’m sure it’s nothing. Maybe she just went out and had a fling or something and was too embarrassed to mention it,” Wyatt smiled. Heck didn’t find that comment humorous and glared at Wyatt.
“I’ll be in my office,” Heck finally responded and stood up. “Have a good day, Sheriff,” Wyatt called out as he walked away, but Wyatt’s smile quickly faded when Heck closed his door behind him. He was concerned about Ness’ behavior, and this was the second night that she was acting shady. He didn’t want to bring up any suspicions until he had more information, but there was something tickling the back of his mind. Wyatt picked up his phone and first dialed Lindsay’s number.
“Hey babe,” she answered on the second ring.
“Hey honey, I just wanted to call and let you know that Ness will be staying with us after all. She’ll be popping by the station later to grab a set of keys for the house.”
“That’s great news! I’ll organize the guest bedroom for her before I leave for work,” Lindsay already sounded busy as she spoke.
“You’re an angel,” Wyatt responded. “I know,” Lindsay replied cheekily.
They said their goodbyes and hung up. Wyatt sat for a few moments and stared at the paperwork in front of him. He knew he needed to carry on with it, but that tickle in the back of his mind was becoming a full-blown itch, and he hoped his suspicions were wrong. He picked up his phone again and dialed a number that he hadn’t used in a long time.
“CPDs Major Crime Unit, Sergeant Wilcox speaking,” the phone was answered after a few rings.
“Robert, It’s Wyatt Elliott from North Utica. How are you doin’?”
“Wyatt, you old rat bastard! haven’t heard from you in ages. I’m doing as well as can be here. But it’s pretty much the same shit on a different day. What’s up? What can I do for you?”
“Listen man, I need a favor.”
“After what you did for me, you can name it my friend. You know, everyone else left me for dead after I was shot by those hillbillies, and here, this small-town cop, hikes 20 miles with me on his shoulders to get me out of the wilderness. I’ll never forget that, Wyatt.”
“Thanks man. I need to know the whereabouts of Henry Martin and what he’s up to. But keep it on the downlow.”
“Henry Martin? The same son of a bitch that killed your mom, Henry Martin?”
“That’s the one.”
“You got it, Wyatt. You want me to take him out and make it look like an accident?”
