Krewe of Hunters: The Hidden Part 34

Scarlet backed away and blinked hard, startled.

When she opened her eyes, she realized that Larry Parker hadn't really moved. She had imagined the entire scenario.

And she'd backed right into Dr. Fuller.

"I'm sorry," she said quickly.

"It's okay. Are you all right?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," she said, and forced a smile, then felt ridiculous for trying so hard to smile.

In the morgue.

Lara looked at her with concern, but it was Brett who spoke.

"You all set?" he asked.

"Are you okay?" Lara asked.

"I'm all set. Dr. Fuller, thank you."

"I hope you find the killer soon," Fuller said, and led them out.

As they left the morgue, Brett looked at Scarlet with concern. "Did something happen in there? Did you get a sense that Larry or Candace was still there?"

"No. There was a moment when I got spooked and thought Larry was coming back to life, like something from a cheap horror movie, but that was it. Thank you for bringing me, even if we didn't learn anything."

"Well, you never know 'til you try," Brett said.

His phone rang just as they got to the car, and they waited while he answered. Scarlet could tell that he was talking to Diego.

As soon as he hung up he said, "They've found Charles Barton and they have him in custody."

"And?" Scarlet persisted.

"He's denying everything, but..."

"But what?" Scarlet asked.

"They found b.l.o.o.d.y fabric in his car. Lieutenant Gray thinks it's from a jacket Ca.s.sandra Wells had at work but wasn't wearing when she was found. As unfathomable as it may seem, it looks like Charles Barton is our killer."

Charles Barton sat in a chair across from Diego. He was belligerent, still, after several hours, denying that he had killed anyone and swearing that he had no idea how the b.l.o.o.d.y fabric had ended up in his car.

"Why in G.o.d's name would I have come out here for my honeymoon and then started shooting a bunch of total strangers?" he demanded. "And that moose head! I wouldn't begin to know how to rig it up to shoot arrows at people. And don't forget I have an alibi. On the night the Parkers were killed I was with my wife, remember?"

"Your wife doesn't really know where you were. She took one of her headache pills, remember?"

"And so did I!" he exclaimed. "I was out like a light. Or do you think I kill people in my sleep?" He groaned suddenly. "I shouldn't have said that. It's probably happened, or at least someone's probably used it as an excuse in a courtroom. But I swear to you-I didn't do it! Get Gwen in here. She'll tell you I'm not a killer. I'm a quarterback, for G.o.d's sake."

Diego decided against telling him that being an athlete didn't make a man innocent. In fact, given recent events, it might even make things more difficult for him.

Charles leaned forward suddenly. "It's an inside job. Can't you see that? You have to look at Ben Kendall. It's his place. He knows his own d.a.m.ned walls. I'm telling you, this is a setup."

"So why did you elude a police guard?" He saw Charles's shocked look and said, "That's right. We had people watching your hotel. So where were you? Where did you go this morning?"

Charles reddened, then quickly looked away.

"Wherever the h.e.l.l it was, it's better to tell us. Otherwise it looks as if you were out planning to ditch evidence or even kill again," Diego warned him quietly.

"I-I can't tell you."

"You'd better tell me."

Barton looked down at the table. "If I do, can we keep it a secret?"

"Charles, we're talking about multiple murders."

Barton remained silent. Then his shoulders fell. "I was with a woman," he said.

"What?"

"I was with another woman," he snapped, then let out a breath. "Yes, I know, I'm on my honeymoon. But with every pa.s.sing minute, I know...well, I know I made a mistake. I have no excuse. I just... I couldn't help myself," he admitted lamely.

Diego sat back, skeptical and wary. "Who is this other woman?" he demanded.

Barton didn't answer.

There was a knock at the door. Lieutenant Gray had been watching the interview, so Diego excused himself and stepped outside, expecting to see Gray in the hallway.

It wasn't Lieutenant Gray, however, who had knocked at the door. It was one of his men, a young detective.

"Lieutenant Gray asked me to tell you that the men following the Levins tailed them into town, then lost them somewhere around the old water wheel. Lieutenant Gray has headed out to the Conway Ranch. Ben and Trisha Kendall are here, and Gray thinks Scarlet and Terry Ballantree-who went running right back after we questioned him-should be here, too, for their own safety. The lieutenant's going to ask Agent Cody and fiancee to come along, too."

Scarlet was staring at the pile of journals on her desk. Lara was sitting across from her, while Brett kept circling the statue of Nathan Kendall.

She was edgy, Scarlet realized, starting when Brett's phone rang. He looked over at her immediately, and she knew it was Diego again.

Brett spoke in monosyllables. "Yes" and then "No," and then "Yes" again. When he hung up, he looked at her.

"Lieutenant Gray is on his way. We're all going down to the station with him," he said.

"Why? Do they know something new?"

He nodded, then turned his attention back to the mannequin. "So strange," he murmured.

"What is?" Scarlet asked.

He looked at her and grimaced. "Life and death," he said. "We have Daniel Kendall, nice easygoing guy, killed relatively recently, and all of us can hear him. Then we have poor Nathan Kendall, who's been around well over a hundred years, and we needed a seance to hear a few words from him, though he did manage to talk to you later, at least. You'd think he would have found peace by now."

"They say they stay for a reason," Lara said. "He probably wanted to see his son grow up, but that was years ago now."

"I wonder about Jillian," Scarlet said. "We don't really even know what she looked like. Her mannequin is gone, and I haven't seen a likeness of her anywhere."

"You think he's looking for Jillian?" Brett asked. "Why? She's buried next to him."

"Yes, but let's face it," Scarlet said. "Nathan has difficulty as a spirit. Maybe he just can't figure out how to leave."

Her eyes traveled to the side window and she jumped up, a scream tearing from her throat.

Angus was there, his face pressed to the gla.s.s, blood dripping from a wound on his forehead. He seemed to be trying to cry out for help.

Diego walked back into the interrogation room and leaned over the table to stare Charles Barton in the face. "Who?" he asked. "Who is the woman you were seeing?"

"Look, it was stupid. She just came on to me, that's all. And Gwen is... I was supposed to marry Gwen. We'd been together forever. But she always has a headache. You know that joke about having a headache at night? Well, it's no joke with Gwen, it's the truth. It was like I put that ring on her finger, said 'I do,' and she did everything known to man to emasculate me. So when this beautiful woman was interested in me..."

"Charles!" Diego said sharply. "Your marital problems are your own problem. Who is the woman you've been seeing?"

"Linda," Charles said. "Linda Reagan. I was with her the night the Parkers were killed, too, and pretty much every night since I've been here."

Diego stared at him in shock for a long moment.

"If you were with her when Candace and Larry Parker were killed, how could she have been in town with Terry Ballantree?" Diego asked.

Charles shook his head. "She wasn't. She probably just said that because Gwen was getting suspicious. Or to help Terry out because of the key the police found in his room, and she likes him and doesn't think he's guilty. Or maybe she hates Gigi and Clark Levin and wanted to cut them off at the knees. I don't know. I do know that she was with me that night."

"In that case, do you know where your wife was?" Diego asked him.

"Sleeping through the night. She had to be sleeping, because she took one of those stupid headache pills, and they always knock her out. It's how I was able to sneak away without her knowing."

Diego had the feeling that everything was starting to fall into place, he just had to rearrange the pieces a little more.

He'd learned something about people and interrogation over the years, and he was convinced that Charles Barton was telling the truth right now, which meant that he was innocent. Ben and Trisha, he was convinced, were also victims, although the incident with the moose head proved that he'd been right from the beginning. This was indeed an inside job, he just didn't yet know who the insider was.

He stood suddenly. He needed to get to the Conway Ranch. Linda needed to be questioned, as well.

Lieutenant Ernie Gray was also a descendant of Nathan Kendall, but whether that meant something or not, Diego didn't know.

He did know that he wanted to be with Scarlet-now. He didn't want to wait for Gray to get back to the station with her.

He wasn't even sure he wanted Gray to reach her first.

Scarlet's scream brought Brett and Lara quickly to her side.

But in the split second it took them to reach her, Angus had disappeared and all that remained were the horrible bloodstains dripping down the pane.

"It was Angus. He was hurt, bleeding..." Scarlet said.

"All right, you two stay here. Lock the door and set the alarm behind me," Brett said. Then, Glock in hand, he was out the door.

Diego dialed Brett's number as he headed to his car.

There was no answer.

He tried Scarlet.

No answer.

Last, he tried Lara.

When he received no answer from her, either, he floored the gas pedal and sped through town, his heart thundering.

Scarlet's phone started to ring in tandem with a thunderous knock at the door. She jumped, startled, and looked over at Lara.

Before either one of them could react, the visitor announced himself. "Scarlet! It's Lieutenant Gray. I'm here to take you down to the station. Diego knows I'm picking you up. You shouldn't be out there with just one or two people around. You need to be at the station, surrounded by cops, where you'll be safe."

She disarmed the alarm and swung the door open.

Lieutenant Gray was there, looking anxious.

"Diego called Brett to tell us you were coming, but..." She paused. She wanted to tell him about Angus and Brett running out to find him, but then she saw the apparition of Nathan Kendall standing behind Lieutenant Gray and gesturing frantically.

Scarlet saw the danger coming, and something inside her sprang to life. She couldn't save herself, but Lara was still inside.

She slammed the door behind her.

And then the killer fired.

She screamed and stared at the man standing in front of her and wielding the antique gun that had killed the Parkers, the gun that had just been fired at Lieutenant Ernest Gray, who now lay on the ground with a pool of blood forming beneath him.

Scarlet hunched down instinctively to see if she could help the lieutenant.

She wondered what this man had done to Brett Cody, and she prayed that Lara wouldn't rush out, fearful for her fiance.

"Get up, Scarlet. Leave him. Now. Unless you want me to make sure that he's dead. You know-put another slug in him."

Scarlet got to her feet. The Colt was still pointed at her. She thought about the hours she'd spent at the shooting range when she was still with Diego back in Miami and the vast array of historic weapons just inside.