Authors: Kimberley Reeves
Jack guided Abby towards the front of the house, maneuvering himself in front of her as he eased the door open. He was sure…well, fairly sure, that he could survive a couple of bullet wounds as long as no major organs were hit, but Abby was so small even one shot could be fatal. He wasn’t taking any chances with her life, Jack thought grimly as he slipped his gun from the holster. Taking Abby’s hand, he bolted across the porch and down the stairs, careful to keep her safely hidden between the cabin and his own body as they ducked into the darker shadows and worked their way along the length of the cabin. When they reached the corner, Jack crouched down, glancing back to make sure she was doing the same and then began the dangerous trek around the side where the shadows weren’t as deep.
Prince was barking excitedly, but from out here it didn’t seem nearly as far away as it had sounded from inside the cabin. He hoped none of the Sheriff’s deputies mistook him for Mizzerach and decided to shoot first and ask questions later. He stopped when they reached the back corner of the cabin, eyeing the entrance to the path thirty feet ahead of them.
Slipping his arm around Abby’s waist, Jack tucked her up close to his side. Even in the minimal light afforded by the moon he could see how scared she was. Her eyes were wide with fear, her lips parted, nostrils flaring. He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss, saw the faint smile, and hugged her closer to him. Then they began to run.
The first bullet whizzed over their heads and lodged into a nearby tree, the second one hit the ground less than foot in front of them. Abby’s natural instinct was to balk; Jack’s was to run faster. He was grateful to hear Mizzerach’s shots being returned from someone hidden within the protective cover of the woods just opposite the path, especially after a third bullet narrowly missed taking the tip of his nose off as he swept Abby along. Whoever was shooting from the woods distracted Mizzerach long enough for them to reach the thick foliage surrounding the path. He had to catch Abby a few times as she stumbled along the unfamiliar trail, but his own steps were firm and confident and he silently thanked God for all the times he’d taken the path at night without a light.
Rather than chance going up the stairs to his balcony and entering the garage through the cabin, Jack led Abby along the left side where the back door to the garage was located. In a matter of minutes, they were safely inside. It was pitch black, but he couldn’t risk turning on a light. Beside him, Abby was breathing heavily and still clutching his hand. He pulled her close, as much for himself as for her, and felt her heart pounding furiously against his chest.
“It’s okay, baby,” he soothed, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“I love you, Jack,” she said in a desperate, breathless whisper.
They both looked up, alarmed by the sudden flurry of activity not more than twenty feet from the garage. Gage shouted something, followed by the sound of Prince’s furious barking and more shouting from the other men as they responded to her brother. Jack ordered Abby to stay put and eased the door open so he could hear better and heaved a sigh of relief when Gage’s booming voice echoed through the woods that they had caught Mizzerach. He turned around and gathered her back into his arms.
“You’re safe now,” he said softly, “they got him.”
Abby leaned heavily into him, shaking uncontrollably. He wasn’t faring much better in that department. They stood in the darkness, holding each other until they heard the men returning from the woods. Again, Jack told her to stay where she was while he stepped outside to see what was happening. He took the stairs up to the balcony and watched the flashlights bounce across Abby’s yard as the officers hurried to assist the Sheriff.
A few minutes later, Gage emerged from the woods, shoving a handcuffed Everett Mizzerach in front of him. Mizzerach was limping, which put a smile of satisfaction on Jack’s face. Prince was right on the man’s heels and he imagined the limping was result of the massive dog’s diligence in taking Mizzerach down. The beams from the flashlights danced over the men and it looked as if the Sheriff was carrying a shotgun, probably the weapon Mizzerach had tried to kill Abby with.
“Do you see my brothers?” Abby’s anxious voice sounded to his right.
“I thought I told you to stay put,” his reply was stern.
She glanced up at him. “Yeah well…I have a problem with that
obey
thing, Jack. We’ll be leaving it out of the wedding vows.”
He laughed softly, pulling her close to his side. “Sherri was right; maybe you aren’t as fragile and helpless as I thought.”
They watched as the Sheriff placed Mizzerach in one of the squad cars and told his deputies to take the suspect back to the station and book him.
“I hope they hit every pothole going down,” Abby said with a viciousness that surprised Jack.
Picturing Everett Mizzerach being tossed around the back of the squad car did wonders for Jack’s mood, although it would have immeasurably more satisfying to deliver the bumps and bruises personally. Abby was safe now, and Mizzerach would pay for his crimes. Still, neither of them breathed easy until the tail lights disappeared.
“I need to check on my brothers now,” Abby said.
He nodded in agreement. “I imagine they’ll want to know you’re okay too.”
They made their way down the path to the back of the cabin where her brothers and the Sheriff were. Gage was kneeling beside Prince with a flashlight, checking for injuries.
“Is he okay?” she asked anxiously.
Gage stood up. “He’s got a nice cut on his nose, probably from the glass shattering, and there are a few nicks here and there, but nothing serious.” He patted the dog’s head. “I saw him take a few good blows from Mizzerach’s boot before Prince got a firm hold on his ankle and brought Mizzerach down, but he seems to be okay.”
“So, Prince is the one who found him?”
Gage nodded. “When he started shooting, we fired back and he took off into the woods with Prince on his heels. The Sheriff and I followed the sound of his barking. Mizzerach took a couple of shots at us but I’m sure it was random because they didn’t come anywhere near us. Either his rifle jammed or he was out of bullets because we found it on the ground a few feet away from him. By the time we got there, Prince was sitting on Mizzerach’s back with his muzzle not an inch from the man’s neck. Mizzerach was scared stiff and was so happy to get away from Prince he practically volunteered to be cuffed.”
“So what happens now?” Jack asked the Sheriff.
“We book him for attempted murder, check out the theory you and I discussed, and scour these woods again.” Sheriff Crane rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m not sure if we’ll find anything, Jack. We’ve been over these woods a hundred times.”
“They’re out there somewhere,” Jack said firmly. He looked down at Abby. “Where did you put the bag, honey?”
Abby grimaced. In all the excitement, she’d forgotten about the skeletal hand and wished he hadn’t brought up in front of the Sheriff until they discussed it. What if it threw suspicion right back at Jack? It was a concern he had obviously come to terms with, she decided when he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
“It…it’s in my cabin. I’ll go get it.”
She left them and hurried towards the back entrance. Behind her, Jack’s voice was somber as he explained what was she retrieving and how he came to be in possession of it. In the laundry room, she pried the dryer hose off and shook the bag out, unnerved once again by the gruesome contents as she carried it outside and handed it to Sheriff Crane. Gage held the flashlight over the opening of the bag as he and the Sheriff peered inside.
“You should have brought this to me as soon as Digger found it,” Sheriff Crane admonished.
Jack took Abby’s hand. “I wish I could say I was sorry, Sheriff, but if I had done that when I found it, I’d have been in jail and probably convicted on circumstantial evidence. I never would have met Abby, and Mizzerach wouldn’t have been exposed.”
“Unfortunately, you’re probably right on that score.” The Sheriff rubbed his chin as he eyed the bag in his hand. “I’m afraid I’m still going to have to charge you with concealing evidence and obstructing justice.”
Jack didn’t say anything, clearly ready to accept whatever punishment was due.
Nick, however, cleared his throat and slipped into the role of attorney. “I’ll tell you what, Sheriff. You refrain from pressing those charges and we’ll consider not suing the police department for false arrest and defamation of character.”
“I wish it was up to me, Mr. Travis, but the Judge will have to decide whether the charges can be dismissed.” Sheriff Crane pulled out his cell phone. “Let me make a quick call and confer with the good Judge to see what needs to be done.”
He walked a few feet away from them and called his wife while they all anxiously waited for the verdict. After a furtive glance at Jack, they heard him say, “Yes, honey. Okay, sweetie, just calm down and let me explain.” Several times, he opened his mouth to say something and then clamped it shut. He rubbed his temple, opened his mouth, closed it again and finally mumbled that he loved her and disconnected the call.
“Well?” Jack said when the Sheriff returned to the circle.
“She said she looked up that law Sam Travis sited to her. It seems he was right. Judge Crane held herself an emergency hearing on the matter. She said there wouldn’t be any charges since you were instrumental in capturing Mizzerach.”
“That’s the best news I’ve heard all week,” Jack said with a sigh.
The Sheriff shook his head. “That woman can sure get fired up. She said if I even tried to arrest you again, she would find a new place to stick that gavel of hers.” They all burst into laughter, after which the Sheriff tipped his hat and said he needed to leave. “I’m going home while she’s still feeling feisty,” he grinned.
“We’re going to head out too,” Gage told them. “We’ve got a couple of rooms at a hotel about twenty miles down the road. We’ll bring Prince back in the morning and see what he can…dig up.”
Abby groaned. “That’s really sick, Gage.”
“I thought it was rather clever.”
"That’s because
you’re
sick.”
“Now that hurts.”
Abby pulled her hand from Jack’s and gave her twin a hug. “Thanks for everything.”
“What about me?” Nick sulked.
Abby smiled and hugged him too. “Both of you were wonderful. I’ll see you in the morning.”
She moved back to Jack’s side, sighing happily when his strong arm curled around her waist. They waited until Gage and Nick pulled onto the dirt road before heading back up to Jack’s cabin.
He didn’t bother turning on any lights. He led Abby back to his bedroom and undressed her in silence. The only sounds were the soft, muted moans from her lips and the thundering of his own heart in his ears as he eased her back onto the bed and settled himself between her thighs.
There would be plenty of time for talking later. For now, all they needed was the comfort of each other’s bodies and the undying love they had for one other.
EPILOGUE
Prince located most of the bodies, which had been buried within a relatively small area about a quarter mile from their cabins. Sheriff Crane called in help from the county to remove the bodies and sometimes Abby still had nightmares about skeletons and body bags. A second site was discovered a few hundred yards from the first; apparently, it was getting too crowded to keep them all in one place. Only the body of Marietta Howard remained elusive, and Everett Mizzerach flat out refused to tell anyone where he had buried her.
Sheriff Crane came to visit them a couple of days after the digging began to let them know there wouldn’t be a lengthy trial because Everett Mizzerach had confessed to all the killings.
“Why did he do it, Sheriff?” Abby asked.
“Everett was obsessed with Marietta. Besides her obvious…assets, the man who married her would be related to the wealthiest, most influential family in town. When she agreed to marry him, he was assured a place of status and respect. But, it seems Marietta was only in love with being engaged and didn’t really want to marry anyone. She was having too much fun playing one man against the other.”
“So she dumped him?”
“She would have made him the laughing stock of the county. He said she taunted him, said he was stupid to think someone as beautiful as she was would marry him. She told him only the poor, homely girls would even consider him for a husband. Everett begged her not to leave him, promised to give her anything she wanted if she married him. Marietta laughed and said she needed a real man in her bed and that he would never be able keep her satisfied. Everett lost it. He put his hands around her throat because she wouldn’t stop laughing. He still insists he never meant to kill her; he only wanted to shut her up. He buried her in the woods, but won’t say where. He said she can rot forever there, that she doesn’t deserve a proper burial where people could mourn her.”
Abby still didn’t understand. “But why the other women? Is he trying to claim they all treated him the way Marietta did?”
“Not exactly. I guess what she’d said about the homely girls being attracted to him stuck in Everett’s craw. He saw it as some sort of penance that he suddenly found himself sexually attracted to women he wouldn’t have looked twice at before. He chose Carolyn Shore because he knew she’d had a crush on him in high school. Showed up at her house one night and convinced her to take a ride with him, drove her up the mountain about half a mile past your cabin and made a move on her. Carolyn was frightened, demanded he take her home, and then made the mistake of telling Everett he repulsed her. He dragged her into the woods, sexually assaulted her, and strangled her just as he had done to Marietta. The saddest part is that I don’t think most of those women were rejecting him for the reasons he thought they were."
“What do you mean?” Abby asked.
"They were all quiet, reserved woman who were probably just too timid to go out with him. Everett is a good looking man. I think they decided he was just toying with them the way Marietta had toyed with him and every other man in town. Oddly enough, the only signs of remorse came when he said he never meant for Jack to take the blame. He only buried them up here because it was the most isolated area, what with Jack being the only one living on this side.”
“Well, that’s comforting,” Jack said caustically. “He’s not sorry he raped and murdered seventeen women, but his conscious bothers him about me being arrested. I never asked, but am I right in assuming it was Everett that said he saw me with Anya the day she was abducted?”
“As a matter of fact it was. Big mistake on his part,” the Sheriff said, “because that’s what got me thinking that maybe Everett wasn’t as squeaky clean as we all thought. You see, by that time I had already checked the whereabouts of half the men in town the day Anya disappeared, including Everett. According to his secretary, he’d been out of town on business since the night before; an alibi I’m sure Everett was careful to set up so he wouldn’t be a suspect. The only way he could have known you were in town that day, and exactly what time you went to the post office, is if he was there too.”
It seemed so was obvious now that the Sawyer girl had been trying to say Mizzerach when she identified her abductor, and the Sheriff told them the tire tracks turned out to be just what Jack said they were; nothing more than tracks from a dirt bike of one of the town’s teenagers. Abby had also given Sheriff Crane the names of the men who had been part of Marietta’s collection and explained why she thought their deaths had been staged.
“There’s no use opening wounds that have taken years to heal,” Sheriff Crane had replied. “Mizzerach will get his due when he’s sentenced for the murders of those women. Although…it might do Walt Grant a world of good to hear what you came up with. He never did believe his son committed suicide, so it just may help him put some closure on his boy’s death.”
It took almost two weeks to extract all the bodies and evidence out of the woods. Abby worked diligently on her novel during that time in an effort to avoid looking out the window and seeing the black bags being taken to the waiting ambulances. Now, as she stood on the balcony of Jack’s cabin, it all seemed so long ago. Maybe in time she could look at the trees of the forest and not feel a cold shiver race up her spine.
Abby smiled when she heard the hum of Jack’s motorcycle and waited for him to park it in the garage and come inside. The first snow was due any day now and he’d wanted to get one more ride in before storing it for the winter. He’d told her he was running into town to make sure the local grocery store was going to carry both their novels, which were due out before Christmas.
Julia was an amazing agent and had gotten her novel published within four months of completion. Tonight Abby intended to coax Jack into starting on the book they were going to be writing together. She already had some ideas rolling around in her head and wanted to run them past him. It was based on a true story. Abby heard the garage door open and the sound of his footsteps as he crossed the living room.
“Don’t turn around,” he said when he joined her on the deck.
“What are you up to, Jack?”
“Just a little surprise, but I have to…rearrange it first.”
Abby laughed. “I’ve seen that surprise,” she teased, “and I like it just where it is.”
“You’ll see
that
surprise later, Mrs. Burton. Right now it’s being…ouch…a bit difficult.”
“Can I turn around now?”
“Okay, okay, turn around.”
Abby stared at him. He still had his jacket on and his hands were hanging at his sides. “Well? Where is it?”
Jack grinned but didn’t say anything. Then she noticed his jacket seemed strangely bulky around the stomach. She reached out to peek inside, jerking her hand back in surprise when her fingers touched something fuzzy. Just as she leaned forward to brave another look, the fuzz ball popped its little brown and black head out of the jacket and let out an excited whimper.
“He followed me home," Jack grinned, "can I keep him?”
“Oh, Jack!” Abby cried, pulling the chubby little puppy from his jacket.
The German Shepherd pup nipped at her chin and then proceeded to lap his tongue at her neck. Her attempt to snuggle him was tolerated for the span of three seconds before he started wiggling to be free so she set him down, laughing as his miniature legs struggled to carry the weight of his fat belly. When the puppy raced off and disappeared into the bedroom, she threw her arms around Jack and gave him a long, hard kiss.
“He’s wonderful. What’s his name?”
“I was thinking of calling him DJ, but you can name him something else if you like.”
“DJ? Digger Junior?”
“Just a tribute to an old friend.”
“I like that. DJ, it is.” She could hear the butterball racing around in their room making suspicious growling noises. “Do you think we should see what damage he’s causing?”
“Naw, let him have his fun. Tomorrow, we’ll teach him how to dig.”
“Oh, no you don’t,” Abby protested. “That’s one dog who will never know the joys of digging.” She giggled when DJ flew out of the bedroom and skidded across the hardwood floor. He had one of Jack’s socks in his mouth and was doing his best to shred it. “Clever boy,” she grinned, “he’s already figured out how to tip the clothes hamper over.”
“Maybe I should have gotten him a chew toy.”
“I don’t know, he seems to be having fun with your sock.” The puppy pounced on the sock before catching it in his mouth and bounding off to the bedroom again. “What made you get him?”
He leaned down and kissed her. “I thought you might need practice taking care of something small and totally dependent on you.”
Abby felt herself smiling. “Any particular reason?”
Jack began slow dancing her towards the bedroom. “Oh, yes, a
very
particular reason; I intend to get my wife pregnant before Christmas.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “Is that why I couldn’t find my birth control pills this morning?”
“Now, honey, would I do something like that?” He stopped when they reached the bed and tossed her onto the soft mattress before pouncing on her. “I love you, Abby. I never thought I could be so happy. You saved my life, you know.”
“When I lured Mizzerach to the cabin you mean?”
“That too,” he said, gently caressing the side of her face with his fingertips, “but that’s not what I meant. You saved my life by loving me, by showing me how good sharing myself with you could be. I love being next to you when we write, being able to reach out and touch you whenever I want. Even when we’re both absorbed in our own work, it feels nice.”
Abby laced her arms around his neck and closed her eyes with a breathy moan as his lips paved a heated trail down the side of her neck. “Jack? I have an idea for the novel we’re going to write together.”
“I had some thoughts about it too,” he said, pausing to peel his shirt off and just as quickly removing hers.
“Really?” Abby’s heart beat a little faster as he stripped her jeans off.
She devoured him with her eyes when he stood up to take his own jeans off, noting with amusement that he was careful to place his boxers on the chair. DJ was still entertaining himself with shredding the sock he’d discovered earlier but it appeared Jack wasn’t taking any chances the tyrant would trade his prize in for a better one.
“It’s only fair,” Jack told her as he lowered her panties and tossed them onto the floor. “If that little rodent is going to chew on personal items of clothing, my wife should share the experience.” Maneuvering himself over her, Jack slowly sank into her warmth, smiling when she gasped and clutched at his shoulders.
Abby was quickly being drawn into the glorious feel of having him inside of her, but couldn’t let go of the sneaking suspicion that she and Jack had come up with the same concept for their new book.
“Tell me how…how…” Her thoughts derailed when he lifted his head and gazed at her as if she was the most beautiful creature on earth.
“Tell you how the story begins?”
Abby nodded, drowning in the love that shone from his eyes.
“It begins with a gorgeous young woman in a jeep, bouncing over a dirt road full of potholes.”
She arched into him, lost in the feel of his magnificent body as he penetrated her with quick, powerful strokes. “Is she…a writer?” Abby closed her eyes; it was always so good with Jack.
“Yes, and she meets another writer. Terribly…handsome and…”
“They…
oh, Jack!
They fall madly, passionately in love.”
“That comes
after
she tries to kill him,” he said, burying his face in her neck. “God, you smell so good.” He nibbled at her throat. “Now where was I? Oh yes, they discover this incredible chemistry and then…I’ll give you…details…later,” he whispered huskily.
“You can’t leave me hanging like that,” she protested, but Jack was already moving them both quickly towards a climax and her mind went into a temporary melt down as her body responded to each fiercely possessive stroke.
Abby clung to Jack’s broad shoulders. She didn’t want it to end yet, but there was little she could do to as Jack buried himself deep inside her and shattered what little control she still had. She felt the violent tremor ripple through him as he climaxed, the intense explosion of liquid heat triggering a convulsive reaction that made her inner muscles contract around him. Jack was apparently taking this baby making business very seriously; she didn’t think the first snow would fly before he got her pregnant.
Languishing in the delicious afterglow of making love, it was quite some before she was able to form a coherent thought. Inevitably, the excitement of working on a novel with her husband drifted through Abby’s mind. It brought a dreamy smile to her lips. “How does the novel end? When they get married and make a baby?”
Jack propped himself on one elbow, his voice so warm and tender it brought tears to her eyes. “My beautiful Abby, you’re the romance writer, you should know.”
He was right, she
did
know. “It doesn’t end, does it?” she asked with a breathless sigh as Jack’s hand moved to the softness of her belly.
“No, sweetheart,” he told her, “it never ends, because a truly great romance…”