23
Eddie stood from a distance and watched the firemen trying to extinguish the inferno that engulfed his home. He had just come from the bar which had also been destroyed. His heart pounded in his chest as his rage grew; he closed his eyes and took several deep breaths before opening his eyes again. He had to learn to control the rage within him because otherwise he would make imprudent decisions.
He pulled Lindsay’s phone out of his pocket and searched for Ness’ number; he pushed the call button.
“Hello, Eddie,” Ness said when she answered the phone.
“You probably think that you’re very clever, don't you, grasshopper?” Eddie’s voice was smooth and betrayed no emotion.
“Just making the game a little bit fairer. Besides, if you play a game where you are able to constantly predict certain outcomes, then it makes things rather boring. Don’t you think?” Eddie could hear Ness smiling as she spoke.
“Let’s meet.” Eddie said.
“We’ll get to that, Eddie. But you see, this game is just getting started. You did kill my grandpa, and I can’t exactly just let that slide.”
“Do you remember the fourth rule, Ness?” Eddie asked calmly.
“I do. So, you better ensure that I’m dead before I kill you,” Ness took a breath. “The game will continue where it started for me,” Ness hung up the phone.
Eddie removed the phone from his ear, and he looked at the screen. Does that mean in the alleyway where she killed Martin, or the cabin where I killed Wyatt Sr.? Eddie threw the phone onto the ground and stepped on it with the heel of his boot. The screen cracked beneath the pressure, and the phone died. He knew that there was no way that Ness would head back to the alleyway, so he was going to be spending some time in the Illinois woods. Eddie climbed into his Contour and started driving—he had a few stops to make before he went back.
Ness sat with Wyatt for a few more hours while they waited for the police officers to arrive. There was no way that they were going to leave Lindsay alone with Eddie on the loose, so they sat quietly in the dark as she slept.
“How far do you think he’ll take this?” Wyatt asked.
“Well, reading through the previous En Passant cases, I don’t think Eddie has ever faced something like this before. That means he’s going to start making moves that haven’t been previously seen. However, there is one thing I can tell you, Wyatt—there is no way that that son of a bitch is winning,” Ness stood up and walked to the door.
She could see two uniformed officers walking through the doors. “Protection is here,” Ness said, and Wyatt stood up to join her.
“I’m very sorry for your loss, Wyatt,” one of the officers said.
“But we’re really glad that Lindsay is alright,” the other commented.\
“Thanks, boys. I really appreciate it,” Wyatt said, shaking their hands. “And, no matter what happens, you protect Lindsay with your lives.”
“Goes without saying.”
Wyatt smiled at them and walked back into the room, kissing Lindsay on the head. She didn’t stir. “I love you, sweetheart. This will all be over soon,” Wyatt turned and walked back to Ness. “Let’s go find Dad.”
They walked toward the waiting area and saw that Heck had fallen asleep on one of the chairs. Wyatt patted his knee as he sat down next to him. “Dad, wake up.”
Heck stirred and looked at Wyatt, “What time is it?”
“It’s a little before 4:00 A.M.,” Wyatt said. “You need to go and get some rest, but you can’t go home. En Passant is going to be targeting our homes, so is there any place that you can go to that’s safe?” Wyatt asked.
“I can book into the Garden Inn for a few days. The security there isn’t bad, and it’s not a place that the killer will think to look for me,” Heck suggested.
“That’s a good plan. Do you think they’ll be able to book you in at this hour?” Ness asked. “Well, one of the perks of being the sheriff is that most people tend to give you special treatment,” Heck moaned as he stood up from his chair.
It’s like the night didn’t only exhaust him, it’s like it aged him, too. Heck hugged both Ness and Wyatt for as long as he could before heading to his truck.
“Are you ready for this, Wyatt?” Ness asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Good, let’s head back to the cabin. Big game hunting starts today,” Ness commented as they walked toward her car.
24
Wyatt decided to leave his truck at the hospital and drive with Ness. She parked her vehicle in the driveway under the oak tree.
“I’m so thankful that you arrived when you did, Ness. I’ll never be able to repay you for stopping that monster before he killed Lindsay,” Wyatt’s voice trembled as he spoke. Obviously, the emotions of everything that transpired were still very raw.
“Wyatt, you’re my brother, and I love Lindsay just as much as I love you . . . and probably more on certain days,” she laughed. Wyatt smiled at Ness’ attempt at humor,
“But I do still appreciate it.” Ness nodded. “You’re welcome.”
“Alright, let’s get moving. I don’t know how much time we have to get up to the cabin with you throwing down the gauntlet and all,” Wyatt climbed out the vehicle and grabbed the duffel bag from the back seat. They walked inside and double checked that the house was clear before heading to the dining room and unpacking the contents of the bag.
Wyatt looked at Ness in disbelief. “Are you planning on killing
