Chapter
Twenty-Six
I sank down onto the couch, and Mike sat next to me. Although he lowered the gun, he kept it in his hand. There were beads of sweat on his forehead, and his eyes were wild.
“We don’t have much time. You’ve got to let me explain, and then you need to get out of here. I’ll find someplace safe for you and Cicely.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, my voice high with anxiety. “Are you going to kill me?”
“No, of course not. This gun is for your protection.”
“Well, I don’t feel protected. Put it down. What if Cicely sees it?”
“If she comes downstairs, act normal. I’m just here for a friendly visit. Send her back to her room for whatever reason you can come up with.” He hid the gun under his jacket.
All I could do was nod at him.
Mike took a deep breath. “Listen carefully and don’t ask questions. We may not have much time. This all started back when Anson and I were rookie cops. Not all cops are on the up-and-up, Sarah. I was Anson’s partner. First he started taking drugs from the evidence room, telling me to sign off on lesser amounts than what we really confiscated from the drug dealers we arrested. Then Anson moved on to making arrangements with the dealers. They gave us a lot of money to look the other way when it suited them. He even planted evidence that led the department to arrest other people instead of those who were really guilty. By the time it got that far, I wanted out.”
His sigh was so raw I shivered.
“I can’t explain how things got so out of control. It happened little by little. Bit by bit. When I told Anson I wanted out, he refused to let me go. Threatened to ruin my life.” He snorted. “I should have turned him in. My life was destroyed anyway. I was afraid, felt so guilty, that I was impossible to get along with. My wife left me and took my daughter.”
“But . . . what does this have to do with me?”
“Anson sent me here to find out what you know. How close you were to the truth. I tried to get you to quit pushing for answers, warned you to stay away from Anson. I was trying to protect you.”
“From what?” I asked, trying to keep my voice from shaking. “I don’t understand.”
He took a deep breath. “Anson and your mom dated before she met your father. They became engaged. She was everything he wanted in a wife. He was . . . obsessed with her. But after Maggie was introduced to your father, she realized she’d made a mistake with Anson and broke it off. He was furious. He was used to getting everything he wanted, but he couldn’t have Maggie. Years passed, but Anson never got over your mother. I don’t know if he’s capable of love, but if he has the capacity, he loved Maggie. Anson and your father knew each other. They crossed paths quite a bit. Your dad was a very smart man. Firefighters see things on the job. Meth labs blow up, drugs are uncovered. I’m not sure exactly how he found out what Anson was up to, but Ben told Anson he was going to turn him in. If only he’d just done it instead of warning him ahead of time. When we went to your house that night, Anson promised it was just to warn your dad to keep quiet.” Mike’s eyes sought mine. “I swear to you, Sarah. I had no idea what was going to happen.”
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from his. “Are you . . . are you telling me . . .”
He nodded. “Anson Bentley killed your parents before I could stop him. If I’d known, I would have done something.”
A realization hit me almost like I’d been slapped. “It was you. You were the one who found us hiding under the stairs.”
He nodded. His dark skin looked almost gray. “Thank God Anson assumed you weren’t home. I couldn’t take the risk that he’d kill you too. He’s a sociopath. No feelings for anyone. No compassion at all. Anyone who gets in his way . . .” He took a deep breath. “After he killed your parents he went to his car and got a bouquet of flowers. White orchids. Your mother’s favorite flowers. He’d started sending them to her after they broke up, just trying to let her know he still loved her.”
“But Hannah and I don’t remember any white orchids.”
“That’s because she threw them away,” Mike said. “Told him to quit sending them. That made Anson livid. And that’s why he spread white orchids around her body.”
“But why didn’t my dad make him stop?”
“Your mother never told Ben about Anson. She got rid of the flowers before he saw them. She was afraid of Anson, Sarah. Afraid of what he might do. She thought she could handle him on her own.” He shook his head. “Anson Bentley is responsible for a lot of deaths. Including a friend of your mother’s. Although your dad didn’t tell your mom everything he knew, he said enough about what was going on with drugs and fraud in the police department to worry Maggie. She told a reporter, a friend of hers, that she suspected there was corruption in the department. She had no idea Anson was so deeply involved, because your dad didn’t mention him by name.”
“But why? That doesn’t make sense.”
Mike sighed. “Your father was a good man. He’d given Anson a chance to come clean on his own, thinking it was the right thing to do. He had no idea how dangerous Anson was. The reporter your mom talked to decided to do some investigating for a series of articles. Anson found out. I have no idea how. He killed her before she could write the story. He murdered her husband too.”
“Martin and Elise Summers?”
“Yes. It was staged to look like a robbery. Just like your mom and dad’s murders. Just like Hannah’s. Anson figured that if it worked the first time, it would work again. Of course it helps that he’s able to manipulate crime scenes. After your parents died, he worked things around until the case was closed. After he killed the reporter and her husband, he removed our names from both crime scene reports. That way, in the future, no one would ever connect us to it.” He pointed at the papers in my hand. “Obviously he missed at least one original hard copy. I’m surprised it slipped past him. He and the men working for him control all kinds of cases that come through the department. And now that he’s got more authority, it’s even easier. No one wants to go up against him, because they’re afraid of him. He’s the one who closed your sister’s case, Sarah. And I’m about as sure as I can be he’s behind Steven Hanks’s death. It’s easier to blame a murder on someone who can’t defend themselves.”
I shivered involuntarily. “How does John Smith play into this?”
“As you know, John Smith is the Summers’s stepson. Hannah discovered the connection and called him. John met with her, and somehow they found out Anson had been assigned to both cases. Hannah went to Anson, asking for answers. She had no idea he’d actually killed your parents. She realized the truth too late. When Hannah died, John suspected it had to do with what they’d been talking about, so he moved and left no forwarding address. Anson’s been looking for him.”
“Hannah told Anson about John?”
“I have no idea. It’s possible. Is there any chance you mentioned his name during a conversation on the phone?”
“I . . . I don’t know. I think I did.” I swung my gaze to the phone. “You bugged it?”
“It wasn’t me. Anson sent someone else in to do that. He’s still heavily involved in the drug trade, and he has people he can use to do his bidding. Drug dealers and dirty cops.” He shook his head. “He had someone else kill Hannah. He had her laptop stolen and her house burned down so all the evidence would disappear. Anson can manage what happens at the department, but he couldn’t control what your sister did. He had to stop her. He thought he’d accomplished that until he happened to run into you at your sister’s house.”
“And I told him I’d removed boxes of papers from her house.”
Mike’s hand moved a little, bringing his gun back into view. “Yes. From that moment, you became his new target. There’s more,” he said. “But I can’t tell you everything now. We’ve got to get out of here. Anson told me he was going back to Kansas City today, that he was going to leave you alone, but I don’t believe him. I’m afraid he’s going to make sure you don’t cause any more problems.”
“What do you mean?”
His voice was harsh. “I mean that you and Paul are in real danger.”
“Where’s Paul?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea, but right now you and Cicely are the most vulnerable. Let’s get you to safety, and then we’ll take care of Paul.”
“Why would Anson want to hurt Cicely? She doesn’t know anything.”
“I can’t be certain he would harm her. If Anson Bentley ever cared about anyone, it would be her. But to be honest, I don’t think he’d even spare her if he felt he was at risk.”
“I don’t understand.”
“When Hannah turned nineteen, she began searching for the men who killed your parents. She contacted the Kansas City Police Department. Anson was ready and willing to be there for her. To misdirect her. He’s a handsome and dynamic man. Your sister was young and vulnerable.”
Suddenly I realized why Anson Bentley looked familiar. It was his eyes. “He’s Cicely’s father.”
Mike nodded. “Hannah was in love, and Anson took advantage of her. I think he got some satisfaction from being with Maggie’s child. If he couldn’t have Maggie, he could have her daughter. After he felt he’d successfully led Hannah away from his involvement in your parents’ murders, he broke off their relationship. It wasn’t until recently that he found out about Cicely.” He stood up. “We’ve got to get going, Sarah. I don’t know where Anson is, but he suspects that I’m not willing to hide his crimes anymore. That not only puts me in danger, it puts you and Cicely into his cross hairs.”
“So Anson had my sister killed to shut her up.” Even as I said the words, I found them hard to believe.
Mike nodded.
“If Cicely had been home, would he have had her killed too?”
“I don’t know the answer to that, Sarah.”
I shook my head. “One thing I can’t understand. Why didn’t Hannah just go to the police?”
I knew the answer before Mike said, “Who could she trust? She knew there was corruption at the police department, but she had no idea how deep the cover-up went.”
The gray car Claire had seen outside Hannah’s workplace. “He was seen with her a few days before she died.”
“Until the very end, I don’t think she knew the extent of his involvement.” He sighed. “I tried to stop it. Tried to save her. I sent her those flowers as a warning, hoping she’d leave town. But it was too late. I went to Hannah’s house that night, but she was already dead. I spread the flowers around, trying to leave a clue that would lead back to Anson. I prayed that someone would see the connection between your parents’ murders and Hannah. And someone did. Doug Sykes.”
Anger raged inside me. “You sent flowers, hoping they would lead back to Anson? Why didn’t you turn him in? You could have saved her life. Now she’s dead and so is Doug.”
He looked away from me. “I’m a coward, Sarah. I was too afraid of Anson. Besides, like Hannah, I have no idea who Anson’s got under his thumb in the department. I retired to get away from him, but it also cut off my contacts. If I’d picked the wrong person to confide in, Anson would have killed Hannah and me too. Once I realized Doug was clean, I decided to confide in him. Tell him everything. But before I could, Anson had him killed. That’s when Anson contacted me. Told me to come here, to Sanctuary, and tell you Doug had asked me to follow up on the case.”
“So you could report back to Anson?”
“Yes, but I didn’t tell him anything that should have concerned him. I did everything I could to set his mind at ease so he’d leave you and Cicely alone. Unfortunately I didn’t know the phone was tapped until a couple of days ago. That’s what got Doug killed. I have no idea what triggered his call to you, but my guess is that when the investigation was shut down, Doug smelled a rat. I’m also not sure when Anson began to suspect me, but what he heard on the phone didn’t line up with what I was telling him. Although he hasn’t actually accused me of double-crossing him, it’s obvious he knows he can’t trust me anymore.”
“So you tried to protect us?”
“Yes, Sarah. I’m not a complete monster. Look, I’ll tell you anything else you want to know, but we’ve got to get out of here. After I get you to safety I’m going to the new chief of police and tell him everything. I’ve been told he’s a real law-and-order guy who won’t protect dirty cops. I don’t care what happens to me anymore. I’m tired of this. Tired of the fallout from my cowardice. Now, go throw some things into a bag for you and Cicely, and don’t take longer than five minutes. I’m afraid Anson—”
“You’re afraid Anson what, Mike?”
Mike and I turned to see Anson Bentley standing in the doorway to the kitchen, holding a gun. And it was pointed right at me.
Mike stared at Anson, his face ashen. “Please. You don’t need to do this.”
Anson walked into the room. The compassionate expression I’d seen on his face before was gone. In its place was something so cold it almost took my breath away.
“Obviously, I do. Thanks to you, Mike.”
“He’s not the murderer, Anson,” I said. “You’re the one who killed my family.”
“I didn’t want to do it,” he said in a monotone. “But your father was going to ruin my life. I couldn’t allow that to happen. When Hannah contacted me, I tried my best to lead her in a different direction, but she wouldn’t let it go.” He shook his head. “I cared about her, Sarah. I know you probably don’t believe me, but it’s true. Unfortunately, when you get in over your head, all you can do is keep swimming.”
“You can’t kill me too,” I said. “You’d never get away with it.”
“You’re probably right. But I know how to make it look like an unfortunate accident.”
“Someone will figure it out,” I said. “This will come back on you.”
“I don’t think so. I’ve planned everything very carefully. After I got to your charming little town, I spent quite a bit of time coming up with a scenario I’m confident will work just fine. You gave me the idea. And no one will connect me to it. You see, I’m already on my way back to Kansas City. I have people willing to swear to it.”
I didn’t say anything. I was certain he was telling the truth. Right now all I could think about was Cicely.
“Why can’t we just walk away?” Mike said. “There’s no way Sarah can prove you had anything to do with Hannah’s death.”
“Sorry. I’m not taking advice from you anymore, Mike. I figured you were the one who sent those flowers. You were the only one who knew about them. That’s why I sent you here and bugged the phones, so I could keep an eye on you.”
“Doug Sykes saw the connection between you and the murders. There’s some other smart detective who will see the same thing.”
“Yes, Doug had suspicions. That’s why he came to me for help. But now the investigation is closed. Having contacts in prison silenced the perfect suspect.”
“But there’s nothing to link him to Hannah’s murder,” I said. “How could you close the case without evidence?”
He gave me a small smile. “That’s a good question, Sarah. You see, several things stolen from your sister’s house conveniently showed up in a downtown pawn shop. The owner, who is a friend of mine, will swear Steven Hanks brought them in.”
“You’ve thought of everything, haven’t you, Anson?” I said.
He shrugged. “Yes, except I was hoping I was wrong about my friend Mike. But people let you down. It’s a sad fact of life.” He walked toward me, put his arm around my neck, and stuck his gun to my temple. “Put your gun on the table, Mike. Then take the phone off the hook. Go upstairs and get the girl. If you try anything funny, I’ll shoot Sarah right here. You know me well enough to be confident I’ll do it.”
“You can’t afford to—”
“If you don’t do what I say, the police will find the gun in your hand—after you blow your brains out. No one will even know I was here.”
I wanted to ask him about Cicely, but I couldn’t get the words out. The possibilities were too dreadful to consider.
“Go get her, Mike,” I said. “Staying together is our best defense.”
Mike put his gun on the coffee table and stood up. I could tell he was trying to figure out if there was any way to subdue Anson. But with the gun so close to me, there wasn’t anything he could do without risking my life. After taking the phone off the hook, he headed slowly upstairs. Tears fell down the sides of my cheeks, knowing what Cicely was getting ready to face. I called out to God for help, praying quietly.
“Stop it,” Anson snapped. “Praying won’t help you. There’s no one listening.”
“You’re counting on that, Anson. But if you’re wrong, you’ll pay for everything you’ve done. You know that, don’t you?”
“Never believed in God. Never will. Now shut up.” Still holding on to me with one hand, he grabbed Mike’s gun and put it in his pocket.
We sat quietly, waiting for Mike and Cicely to come downstairs. It only took a couple of minutes before I heard footsteps on the stairs. Cicely came into the room, her eyes wide, fear plastered on her face.
“What’s going on, Aunt Sarah?” she asked, her voice shaking.
“Everything will be all right, honey,” I said. “For now, I want you to do what you’re told. Do you understand?” Anger bubbled inside me. Cicely had been through so much. Now this.
She nodded slowly, staring at Anson.
Anson moved away from the couch but kept his gun trained on me. “Anyone makes a wrong move, and I will kill Sarah. I mean that. Do you understand?”
Cicely nodded, tears sliding down her face.
He walked away from me and grabbed Cicely. She cried out, and rage rose inside me.
“Leave the girl alone, Junior,” Mike said. “You can hold the gun on me.”
Anson shrugged. “Sorry. Cicely makes the best hostage.”
“Junior?” I said, looking at Mike. “Why did you call him Junior?”
“That was my nickname when my dad was alive,” Anson spat out. “I lived in his shadow every day of my life.”
I looked over at Mike. “JR. Not initials. Hannah was writing ‘Junior.’” I looked back at Anson. “You’re J.”
“Yes, I’m J.” He laughed. “Your sister used to call me Junior too. I don’t think she ever used my real name. She thought I was just a chip off the old block, but I’m nothing like my father.”
I was certain that was true, but I kept my mouth shut.
“You’ll both do everything I say, or I’ll kill this girl. Mike, empty your pockets and put your cell phone on the table. Then pull your pants up and show me your ankles.”
Mike pulled a cell phone from his pants pocket and put it on the coffee table. He emptied his pockets, and then he pulled up his pant legs. “I didn’t strap on my other pistol today,” he said. “Obviously, that was a mistake.”
Then Anson pointed his gun at me. “Pat him down. If you try to hide something from me, I’ll shoot her.”
I patted Mike down, but there wasn’t anything else on him, and I told Anson that.
“What about you?” he said. “Anything on you? Cell phone?”
“No, I don’t have a cell phone, and my pockets are empty.” I pulled the pockets of my jeans inside out.
“Get your purse,” he ordered.
I retrieved my purse from the closet and held it out to him, but he waved it away.
“Dump it out on the coffee table. I want to see what’s in it.”
I followed his instructions. Out tumbled my keys, my wallet, some breath mints, a small note pad, my brush, and a couple of pens.
“Is that it?” he barked.
I shook it one more time. The magnet I’d picked up outside Hannah’s house fell out with a clunk. I’d forgotten it was even there. Unsure why I hadn’t found it earlier, all I could do was stare at it. I Am With You. The reassurance gave me a sense of peace that didn’t make much sense under the circumstances, but I began to believe we could make it through this alive.
“All right, put it back. We’re all going for a ride. But first you’re going to write a letter for me, Sarah.” He pointed to the pad of paper and the pen we kept next to the phone. “Get a piece of paper, sit down, and write exactly what I tell you.”
I got the paper and pen and sat down.
“Write this verbatim. Don’t add anything. I’m going to check it, so no funny business.”
I nodded and lifted the pen, ready to write. I snuck a look at Cicely, trying to find a way to reassure her that she would be okay. A line from one of the Psalms whispered to me: “The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.” I’m crying to you for help, Lord, I prayed silently. Deliver us. I put my trust in you.
“Janet,” Anson dictated, “Cicely is gone. I’m afraid she’s at the mine again. Mike is taking me to look for her. We’ll be back soon.”
I carefully wrote what he said. Would Janet really believe that Cicely had gone to the mine again? It was improbable but not impossible. It was certainly believable that Mike and I would drive over and look for her. Obviously, Anson’s plan was for all of us to die in the mine, making it look like an accident. I snuck a look at Mike. It was clear he knew what was happening too. He gave me an almost imperceptible nod. Did he have a plan?
“Now sign it,” Anson said.
“All right. It’s done.”
Anson came over to me, dragging Cicely with him. He looked over my shoulder at the note. “That looks okay. Hang up the phone, put the note on the coffee table, and let’s go.”
“We’re going to the mine?” Cicely said. “Why?”
“Don’t worry,” I said, trying to sound calm. “Everything will be okay.” I looked at Anson. “She needs her coat and so do I. It’s freezing out there.”
“Where are they?”
“In the closet by the front door.”
He let go of Cicely and pushed her toward the closet. “Get your coat and your aunt’s too.” He looked over at Mike. “Drive your car around to the back of the house. If you decide to drive away, I’ll kill them.”
I glanced out the window, but Anson’s car wasn’t parked outside. I suspected he had someone set to pick him up at the mine after our “accident.”
Mike picked up his keys from the table.
“Put your billfold back in your pocket,” Anson said. “I don’t want anything left behind that looks suspicious.” He nodded at me. “Take your purse.” He noticed the large envelope lying on the table. “What’s that?” he asked.
There wasn’t any use lying to him, since he could read it himself. Trying to keep him from getting angry and hurting Cicely, I told him the truth. “It’s a copy of the report written when my parents were murdered. Before you had it changed. It names you as one of the officers on scene.”
He glanced at Mike. “Hand it to me.”
Mike put his billfold in his back pocket and picked up his keys. Then he carried the report over to where Anson stood.
“That’s far enough,” Anson barked. He slid over next to Cicely, who stood next to the closet holding our coats. “Put your coat on,” he ordered her.
“Get going, Mike. Now.” He poked Cicely with his gun.
With one last look at me, Mike walked out the back door. Anson took my coat from Cicely and handed it to me. It wasn’t my warmest coat, but it didn’t seem important at that moment, so I took it without saying anything. Then holding Cicely by the arm, he walked over to the fireplace and threw the envelope into the fire.
Then the three of us just stood there, waiting for Mike and watching my evidence burn away. Would Mike leave us here? Would he take a chance that Anson wouldn’t kill us? I honestly didn’t have the answer. If he ran for help, it was possible we’d all make it out of this alive. It was just as possible that in anger, Anson would kill Cicely and me, even though it would be harder to explain. I suspected that by now Anson believed he could get away with anything. He’d been doing it for a very long time.
There wasn’t a sound in the room except my ragged breathing and Cicely’s whimpers as we waited. I stuck my hands in my coat pockets and almost cried out when my fingers touched Cicely’s cell phone. I’d forgotten I’d put it in the pocket of my coat when I took it away from her. I hadn’t worn this particular coat since we went looking for Cicely and Jeremiah at the mine.
I almost collapsed with relief when I heard Mike’s engine at the back of the house. Although I couldn’t be sure he’d made the right decision, at least Cicely and I were still alive. A few seconds later, I heard Mike come in the back door. He walked into the living room and stared at Anson.
“Pat him down again,” he ordered me. “And remember, I will search him myself once we get out of here. If I find anything that shouldn’t be there, I’ll kill the girl.”
“I don’t have any guns in the car, Anson,” he said. “You know I don’t believe in leaving loaded weapons in my vehicle.”
Anson shrugged. “I do know that, but there’s a first time for everything.”
I patted Mike down again, almost hoping there would be a gun. But there wasn’t. “No guns,” I said, turning toward Anson. The look on Cicely’s face made me want to cry, but I was determined to stay strong and try to help her remain calm.
“All right. Everyone out the door and into the car.”
We filed out silently. Anson told me to get into the passenger’s seat. Then he took Cicely and shoved her in the back. As he’d promised, he patted Mike down before ordering him to get into the driver’s seat. Once Mike was belted in, Anson slid into the back with Cicely.
“Get down on the floor,” he ordered.
I turned to see if she was okay and found him staring at me.
“As we drive out of town, the only people anyone will see is you and Mike. If you gesture to anyone, I will kill her immediately. Do you understand?”
“Yes.”
“Drive to the mine, Mike. And don’t try anything cute.”
I couldn’t tell what Mike was thinking, but I had to assume we were both on the same page. Waiting until we could find the right moment to turn this around was our only option. Anson was crouched down in the backseat next to Cicely, with his gun trained on her. In that position, I wasn’t in his direct line of sight. Even so, I didn’t dare turn on Cicely’s phone. I needed to find a few seconds when Anson wouldn’t hear any sounds it might make.
As we began to drive out of town, I spotted some men on the front porch of the school. With everything going on, I’d forgotten they were working on the furnace today. Jeremiah stood on the porch, watching Mike’s SUV approach. An idea popped into my head and even though it frightened me, I decided I had to try it.
“I forgot to fasten my seat belt,” I said. I wrapped my right hand around the belt but left my thumb sticking up. I could only do it once and prayed Jeremiah would see it. I reached over with my left hand and pointed three fingers down. I looked over to see Jeremiah staring right at me. I clicked the belt as I watched him in the side mirror as we drove away. Had he understood me? Did he realize what I was trying to say? The chances were very slim, but I had to do something. Anson didn’t say anything, so I was confident he either hadn’t noticed my sign, or he’d been oblivious to what it meant.
I continued to stare in the mirror as Sanctuary disappeared from sight.