Kenny’s pale eyes glittered, his breath hot in Beckett’s face.
“Why, Beckett Duke, as I live and breathe. You decided to come to me so I could kill you easier? So thoughtful.” Spittle formed on the edge of Kenny’s lips.
“I came to watch you get taken back to prison,” Beckett said between gasps.
“That’s not gonna happen.” He spoke through gritted teeth, the knife pressed into Beckett’s throat. He felt a warm trickle of blood. “I’m the one who’s laying down the law now and I’ve already told you how you’re gonna pay for what you did to Pauline.”
“I didn’t kill your sister,” Beckett grunted.
“Yes, you did.” His mouth quivered. “Pauline didn’t deserve what you did to her. She was a nurse. She took care of people, only one in my family who ever made something of herself. She tried so hard to straighten me out.”
Beckett’s body screamed at him to move, but he did not dare risk the knife digging any farther into his windpipe. “Pauline was dead when I found her.”
“Shut your mouth. You don’t even get to say her name. Only thing I can do for my sister now is make you pay.”
“Leave my family alone.”
Kenny’s fingers pressed the knife harder. “I’m going to kill you, just like I promised.” He leaned closer. His grin showed irregular front teeth. “But you’re going to watch your wife die first.” He laughed. “Hey, you know what? I heard someone in town blabbing away. So Mrs. Duke is expecting, huh?”
Beckett froze.
Kenny moved his face close to Beckett’s until they were practically nose to nose. “My sister always wanted to have kids. As soon as I have a baby, you can be Uncle Kenny, she would tell me, but she never got the chance, and your wife isn’t gonna get that chance either.”
“Don’t…” Beckett began, but Kenny cut him off.
“Congratulations, Daddy. Guess that’s two people you’ll be burying before you die.”
Fury ignited Beckett’s senses. He grabbed up a handful of gravel and flung it.
Kenny reared up. Beckett scrambled to his feet, but his balance was off and he staggered. He shook off the dizziness in time to see Kenny almost to the tree line, and three police cars approaching, lights and sirens clearing the way. Two officers peeled off, and Beckett knew they were heading for the opposite sides of the thicket where Kenny might be able to hitch a ride out of town. Jude stopped his vehicle and got out, talking urgently into his radio as he inspected Beckett.
Beckett stared at the woods, trying to rein in his surging emotions.
“You hurt?” Jude said.
“No.”
Jude pulled a first-aid kit from his car and handed Beckett a gauze pad. “Blood usually indicates injury, but since you’re standing and argumentative, I’ll assume it’s minor. I’m going to assist my officers.”
Beckett swiped at his bloody neck. “He’s got a knife, all right. I can confirm that.”
Sliding behind the wheel, Jude said, “Good news is we can arrest him now, soon as we catch him, for a couple of violations now that he’s attacked you.”
“He reminded me of his promise to kill Laney before he finishes me off. He knows about the baby too.”
Jude studied Beckett for a moment, his expression unreadable. “We’ll get him.” The radio crackled, indicating his partners had not yet located their quarry.
“So now you believe me that Kenny is a threat?” Beckett was three parts angry and one part relieved.
“Kenny’s actions just bore out your story, so it’s clear that he is hot on your trail. Chasing him didn’t help your case, though. A lot of folks around here feel as though Kenny might be justified in his revenge on you.”
Beckett felt the adrenaline that had swamped his body give way to a bone-deep weariness. “You too, Jude? You still think I killed his sister?”
“At first, I didn’t have any doubts. We had evidence. Cousin or not, we had you for it. You admitted going to meet her. You had her sweater in your truck. Fibers from her clothes were under your fingernails.”
“Like I said, I tried CPR.” Beckett waited for the rest of whatever Jude had to say.
“Lately, though…” Jude shrugged. “I’ve been turning things over in my mind.”
“And?”
“And I think it’s possible you didn’t mean to hurt her, something happened, things got out of control, might have been manslaughter, not murder.”
Beckett could read the rest of Jude’s thoughts. Things got out of hand…like they did when you blinded Dan in the wrestling match. The sense of defeat settled deeper into his soul. “Why would I do that, Jude? I hardly knew Pauline.”
“You dated in high school your senior year. As I recall, she thought you were pretty hot stuff. She wanted to be your steady girlfriend, but you weren’t interested in anything long-term. Had your sights on a sports scholarship. You brushed her off.”
“That was a lifetime ago. I was arrogant, probably even an insensitive jerk about her feelings. I own all that, but that doesn’t make me a killer.”
Jude shrugged. “We had plenty of evidence to take you into custody.”
“You never made a mistake before? Arrested someone who was innocent?”
Jude’s badge shone in the sunlight, a blinding sheen. “No, Beckett. I haven’t.”
Whether it had been murder or involuntary manslaughter, his cousin still believed he’d killed Pauline, just like Kenny did. He would never change Jude’s opinion. So be it. He wouldn’t waste any more breath on it. There were more important issues at stake. “He’s gonna hurt Laney. Aren’t we on the same side here?”
“I’m on Laney’s side.”
“If you don’t catch him quickly, he’ll go after her.”
Jude
