Cold Hollow (Cold Hollow Mysteries Book 1) (11 page)

The last sound that Sophia Barner heard in this world, or felt in her short life, was the snapping of her own spine and the cracking of the tree as it collapsed atop her.

Nazar leaped back as the tree came down hard. It sent mingled spurts of snow and blood spraying through the air. He clapped his gloved hands together and then raised his arms to the sky. “Now that was epic!”

He walked forward and kicked at Sophia’s limp left arm beneath the tree. He bent down to her body and yelled, “Who’s dethroned now, bitch!”

He walked to the forest ranger as he shut down the chainsaw and patted him on the shoulder. He noticed the ranger’s chest was heaving from exertion. The forest ranger wore a proud smile as he turned to his comrades, who were standing guard over Angus.

Angus collapsed to his knees and stared at the bloody snow on the ground and his wife’s crushed body. He didn’t want to live if she wasn’t with him. He stopped struggling with the officers. His last words were, “You’ll pay for this, Nazar.” The last thing Angus heard or felt in
his
life was the feel of a gun barrel against his temple and the sound of a gunshot.

Nazar sauntered up to Angus’ limp body, and spat, “I think not.”

***

Myrna Bradbury had been getting ready to serve dinner when Doctor Tom answered her door. With the snowstorm raging, they had decided to stay in and cook up some perishables. She left the food on the dining room table and went to see who could be at her door. She found Tom holding a distraught Liam Barner close to his chest and whispering to the child. She ran to him, and Tom handed the boy over to her.

She sat at a kitchen chair with him as the child sobbed and hiccuped. She softly rocked him back and forth as Tom took off his wet coat, mittens, and hat. Liam was sobbing into her neck and mumbling something about a bad accident. She rubbed his back and held him close. “It’s okay, Liam. You’re going to be fine. I’m so glad you were smart enough to come here. You’re safe with us now.”

Tom was busy getting the boots off the boy and rubbing his small feet to get the circulation going. “Bring him to the fireplace, Myrna. I have a nice flame going in the living room.” While Myrna got situated on the living room sofa with the boy, Tom grabbed a throw blanket and wrapped the two of them up tight. “We need to thaw the poor boy out.” She nodded and held Liam tight to her chest.

Tom returned to the room with a bowl of stew and placed it on the side table. Liam raised his head and sniffled. “That smells good.” Myrna placed him by her side and handed him the bowl of stew and a spoon. Tom sat in an armchair and stared at the boy. His eyes roamed to Myrna, who wore a tight expression. Her eyes were distant. Tom knew she wasn’t really there right now. He had seen this look on her face several times after she received a harsh beating from her husband. He sighed. They both knew who was behind this supposed “accident.” They just had no idea who it involved or exactly what had happened. Now was not the time to ply Myrna or the boy with questions.

Doctor Tom’s mind began to race, and it didn’t take him long to decide that some of the townsfolk needed to take action. He knew the right people to speak to in confidence, and he would see to it as soon as the snowstorm passed. He would not do it by phone. He was certain they were bugged. Myrna had assured him her home was safe. She had found bugs and cameras, and had dismantled and destroyed them after her husband had died.

Her parole was up and Nazar knew it. She knew he considered himself lucky she stayed in the town. He liked the till money, and one less resident meant less money to line his filthy pockets, so he had left her alone about it.

Two hours later, Liam was able to talk about the accident. He was worried because he couldn’t find his sister and he was sure something “bad” had happened to his parents after they jumped from his dad’s car. Myrna prayed that they were okay and hoped that nothing had happened to them. That was when the phone rang.

She passed Liam over to Tom and picked up the phone. She remained pleasant throughout the conversation. After she hung up, she turned to Tom. “You’re needed at the hospital. There’s been a horrific accident.” Her hands were trembling, and she balled them into fists.

“And you?”

“I’m supposed to call Nazar immediately if Liam shows up here.” She snorted, “Like that’s
ever
going to happen.” Tom stood and handed Liam back to her. He slid into his winter coat and boots. He kissed the top of Liam’s head and assured him he would be back to tuck him in that night.

He then kissed Myrna long and hard. When he pulled away, he smiled at her. “I’ll find out what happened and we’ll talk when I get home.”

Liam giggled, and it was the best sound to their ears. He said, “When is Uncle Tom going to man up and marry you?”

Myrna laughed to the ceiling and joined him on the couch as Tom left for the hospital. “Well, I suppose he might ask me soon. In the meantime, how about you and I go and build a comfy pretend campsite?”

Liam’s eyes brightened a bit as he wiped the last tear from his eye. They both stood up and went to Myrna’s attic to create the most wonderful campsite for kids in the universe.

CHAPTER 10

Doctor Tom Gillette entered the hospital emergency room. He was expediently escorted to the morgue by two police officers. He took off his coat on the way, and before entering the room in the basement, he slipped into a long, white lab coat. The officers never left his side as he unzipped each bag.

He looked at the sweet face of Layla, her expression frozen in fear. He saw the remnants of gunshot residue around her blown-apart parka. He gently pulled it open to see a gapping abdominal wound. Someone had used a shotgun on the child. It was clear to him, but the officers said they’d found her like that at the crash site. He didn’t answer them and went to the next zippered bag.

From what he could make out, it was Angus. He had been shot in the head at close range. The rest of his body seemed fine for someone that had been in a car crash. He had bruising and swelling around his mouth and cheeks. He had been beaten.

When he unzipped the third body bag, he jumped back. He glanced to his right and saw a small trash barrel. He leaned over it and promptly emptied his stomach contents. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and stared at the two police officers who thought his reaction to Sophia Barner’s remains was a hoot. The woman’s spine had broken, and she was flattened like a pancake. Some of her internal organs were unrecognizable. Her skull was crushed, and the good doctor had to turn away from the gurney. He noticed the police officers were still wearing grins.

One of them nudged the other and said, “Nazar wants them cremated right away. They don’t have any family. He says you and Myrna are the closest they have to relatives. He also wants you to call him if you ever see their little brat boy again. We got a feeling the little shit is frozen out there somewhere in the mountains, and we’ll be searching this week.”

Tom kept staring at them, his expression unreadable. “I’ll fill out their death certificates and see to the remains. I agree that they should be cremated. That must have been one horrific accident.”

The officer replied, “It sure was. That SUV of theirs is crumpled up like an accordion. Apparently they had a blowout and couldn’t get control of the vehicle.”

Tom looked at the three bags laid out and nodded. “It certainly appears that way to me.” It took every ounce of his energy to maintain his professional composure when what he really wanted to do was take a hammer to both of the officers’ skulls.

***

Myrna stared out her attic window at the road. The town plows had been by and the streets were passable. She saw Tom’s jeep coming down the road. Liam was sound asleep inside a tent they erected and decorated up in her attic. She left a camping lamp on. It didn’t give off too much light and was set far away from the window. She was certain that no one would be able to see it from outside. She slipped down the stairs and met Tom at the door. She was wearing her warmest coat, hat, and boots. She was also holding two large empty tote bags.

She looked up at him with a serious expression and noticed his eyes were filling. He stood as still as stone. She began trembling, and her voice was shaky as she asked, “Are they?”

“They were murdered, Myrna.”

Myrna cried softly as he wrapped his arms around her. She spoke as she leaned into his strong chest. “I have something important to do for Liam. Can I drive your jeep?” She held out her hand; he slipped the keys inside of it and closed her hand for her. He held her hands for a few moments and then nodded. She told him to check on Liam in the attic and that she would not be gone for longer than an hour. He watched her from the dining room windows as she pulled out of her driveway and drove slowly down the street with the headlights off.

Myrna drove straight to the Barner home as her eyes streamed more tears than she cared to count. She constantly had to run her coat sleeve over her face to wipe them away. There were tire tracks in the Barner driveway, likely made by Nazar, and she stuck to them. She slipped out of the jeep and up the stairs to the porch. She dug in her purse for the bakery keys and managed to find the spare key to their home on the ring. Sophia had given her one only last week because Liam had a horrific head cold at school and had been running a slight fever. Sophia could not leave the bakery, so Myrna had offered to pick him up from school and take care of him until she closed the bakery. That memory and the fact that Sophia had trusted her so much made her want to start crying again. Myrna began inhaling and exhaling slowly in order to calm down, and slowly unlocked the front door. She left all the lights off and waited for her vision to acclimate to the darkness.

When her vision was good enough, she raced up the stairs to Liam’s room, and grabbed his sneakers and all of the clothes her tote could carry. She stuffed another tote with some of his toys that she knew were his favorites. She then went to Sophia and Angus’s bedroom and sifted around the closet until she found the lockbox. She took the lockbox; she would pick the lock when she returned to her home. She would be damned if Nazar got any of their money. Their money belonged to their son, and she would see that he got it. She glanced around for any memento that might mean something to Liam and found a beautiful framed photograph of the entire family. She snatched it up and left the room. Angus had always commented that she moved like a cat, and she did. She nimbly raced down the stairs and was out the door and back in the jeep in no time. She was careful to relock the front door when she left. She did not want to give Nazar one reason to come to her house.

She maneuvered the streets like a professional. The street lamps had provided some light for her to go by. With the headlights off, she took her time and drove slow. Nazar would not be doing his patrol tonight anyway. He was probably busy basking in the glory of his success in whatever dreadful crime he had committed against the Barner family. She pulled into her driveway and cut the engine. When she got out of the jeep, she saw Nazar standing at her front door.

CHAPTER 11

Myrna left the tote bags and lockbox behind and jumped from the jeep. She made her way to him and smiled. “Good evening, Nazar. What brings you out on such a dreadful night?”

He tilted his head and stared at her. “The better question would be, what are
you
doing out on this dreadful night?”

She tapped her purse. “I left the bakery in such a hurry today, because of the storm, that I left my purse behind. Tom assured me the roads were passable, and I just came back from there.”

“Oh, so you have the keys to the bakery?”

“Yes, sometimes I open the store for Sophia in the morning so she can sleep a bit later.”

She noticed that Nazar was withholding a chuckle and her brow furrowed. Nazar noticed this, cleared his throat and said, “Well, that is good news. That is exactly what I have come to speak to you about. May I come in?”

Myrna held the smile on her face. “Certainly.” She unlocked the door and stamped her feet before entering. She heard him doing the same thing so he wouldn’t make tracks throughout her home. She escorted him to the kitchen, set a pot of coffee on, and was soon pouring them each a cup. She removed her coat and scarf before they sat facing each other at the small kitchen table. Nazar asked, “Where is the good doctor?” She watched him remove his scarf, shake it out, and drape it over the back of his chair.

Myrna pointed to the ceiling. “He had a long shift today and was called in for an emergency tonight. I’ve barely had a chance to speak with him. We didn’t even get a chance to eat our supper together.” She gestured to the dining room table. “He told me he was turning in early tonight to catch up on some much-needed sleep.”

“That’s understandable.” He had taken his gloves off, and his long, slender fingers made his way across the table to hold one of her hands. She let him, although she hated the feel of his skin upon hers. “I have some sorrowful news to give you, Myrna. Do you think you can handle it?”

Myrna straightened her back and lifted her chin. “You treat me like I’m a china doll. Well, I’m not anymore. I’m a strong woman, Nazar, so speak your mind and be done with it.”

Nazar’s beady brown eyes bore into hers. She swore she could see them shimmering in excitement. His lips twitched, but he managed to straighten them as he spoke in a low, consoling voice, “There was a tragic accident tonight on the road out of town. I’m afraid the entire Barner family has passed away. We can’t find their little boy’s remains, so that is why I called you earlier. I thought perhaps, with any luck, he simply struck his head and was wandering the roads in a daze. I’m surprised Tom didn’t tell you about the accident.” He shrugged and shook his head. “I imagine he felt it was my place to deliver the bad news.”

Myrna’s mouth opened slightly and her eyes welled with tears. They slowly ran down her face when it dawned on her that she had actually lost three people who were the closest to family members she had ever had in her life. The waterfall of tears began, and she started sniffling, sobbing, and choking out words. Nazar sat still and patted her hand repeatedly. Listening to him speak about the Barners was like chewing on aluminum foil. It was annoying and painful. However, she had to play the part. In all actuality, she wasn’t pretending. She felt the pain of her recent loss keenly. She just hated the fact that it was Nazar holding her hand right now.

“Don’t worry, Myrna. You can keep the bakery running until we come to an agreement. Honor your friends by keeping it the small success it has become.”

Myrna nodded as she wiped her face down and looked at him. “Their little girl died too? How? Why?”

Nazar sighed and stared at the tabletop. “It was a horrific accident. Their vehicle is now unrecognizable. Yes, the girl has passed away as well. I am sorry, Myrna.” He watched her sob into her napkin and added, “You’re the closest they have to kin. Therefore, I will leave it up to you to tend to their ashes. I ordered that they be cremated, and Tom agreed. I think it was because of the damage their bodies sustained during the accident.”

This news only made Myrna weep harder. She tried to speak but found she couldn’t. Nazar finished his coffee, lifted the hood of his riding coat, and leaned down to her before taking his leave. He reached over for his scarf and put it back on. “We’ll discuss it in detail once you’ve had a day or two to mourn.” She looked up at him with tears streaming down her face and could only nod.

She sat at the table and watched him leave through the front door. When he had been gone a few minutes, she wiped her face down for the last time, slapped the napkin on the table, and growled, “Fuck you, Nazar.”

She got out of her chair and went up the stairs to check on Tom and Liam. She found Liam in her bed, snuggled into Tom, and gave him a trembling smile. Tom put a finger to his lips and whispered, “He woke up just before you returned. I had to take him into our bed to keep him quiet while Nazar was here. We whispered back and forth for a while and then he drifted back to sleep.”

Myrna rounded the bed and went to Tom. She bent down, kissed him goodnight, and then kissed the top of Liam’s head. She whispered in Tom’s ear that she had a few more things to do but would join them soon. He watched her leave the room.

Myrna checked all the windows on the first floor and made sure they were locked tight. She bolted down the front door and added wood to the fireplace in the living room. She put on her coat and slipped out of the side door to the driveway. After unlocking the door to the jeep, she grabbed the two hefty tote bags and lockbox from the Barner home and returned to the house. She bolted the side door behind her.

She brought the sacks to the living room and placed them on the floor beside the coffee table. After refilling her cup of coffee, she sat on the sofa and picked the lock to the Barners’ personal lockbox. They were easy to pick; she knew this from experience.

Everything was right where Sophia had said it would be. She rifled through the legal documents, the copies of the last will and testament, and the bank statements. When she saw the amounts in their individual out-of-state accounts, her mouth fell open. Then a wide smile took over her face. Liam was going to be set for life. She gave a single nod and shut the box. She slid it under the sofa and put his family picture on the fireplace mantel. As she sat alone to the sound of the fire crackling, finishing her cup of coffee, Myrna decided that Liam would never go without feeling loved like she had when she was little. She would see to it that he had a healthy and happy upbringing. Myrna had more plans to put into motion, and she would do so first thing in the morning. The planning would start at the bakery at 4:00 a.m. Normally the bakery was closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays during the tourist season, but she needed to work. She would have to notify the Borges boys in the morning, and she wanted to call the Dumonts. She knew Tom had the day off, so watching Liam was covered.

She worried about Liam. She hoped he didn’t have any long-term effects from what he had witnessed—if he had witnessed anything at all. She decided that she would get him into grief counseling with a child psychologist as soon as the town had a little revenge in honor of the Barner family.

***

Wally and Alice Dumont were the first to arrive at the bakery before opening that morning. Myrna ran to the front door, unlocked it, and ushered them inside. They shucked their coats off, rubbed their hands together, and wiped their boots off before entering. There was a carafe of coffee and mugs waiting for them. While Alice was busy restocking her personal shelf of maple-sugar products, Myrna got them some of their favorite maple muffins and placed them on a table. Wally watched Myrna with a suspicious eye.

He smirked at her. “You’re up to your old ways, Myrna. I can see it in your eyes.”

She shook her head and sat at the table with him. She slid him a lengthy note under the table. Myrna had not checked the bakery for bugs or cameras yet, but planned on it. To play it safe, she wrote it all out. She would burn that note after Wally read it. She watched his eyes fill as he read the long letter, and saw some teardrops fall to the paper.

When he was done, he called his wife over. She sat down with a heavy sigh and leaned over the table. He slid the letter to her and watched as she read it. Her hand clamped over her mouth, and her eyes filled with tears too. Myrna leaned forward and slid another note to them. This one was much shorter. After reading it together, Wally slapped his hand on the table and gave her a brisk nod. “You bet your ass we’ll help.” Myrna stood, stooped over the table, and hugged each of them.

Alice whispered to her, “You’ll really keep your promise to us?”

Myrna smiled. “You bet. Every Friday night, you’ll be our guests for supper.”

Myrna watched them smile at each other as they ate their muffins and finished their coffee. Wally reached out for Myrna’s pen, scratched something on his napkin, and handed it back to her. She read it, gathered the notes, and went to the kitchen. She burnt them in a small metal trashcan in the back room.

The Dumonts stayed for a while. The three of them spoke in soft tones as Myrna and Alice baked. It didn’t take long before the bakery was filled with varying aromas. Alice said she had nothing else to do with her day, so she might as well be of some use to Myrna. Myrna didn’t balk. She needed the help. The cold had a way of making the townsfolk hungry, and she had a feeling she was going to need all the goods she could bake. The roads had been plowed, and Myrna already saw some cars driving by the shop. Wally made his way around the kitchen and bakery, looking for anything he could repair for her. She would have had him dismantle the cameras and bugs in the bakery, but she didn’t want to raise Nazar’s suspicion about anything. Donnie and Daryl showed up on cue one hour before opening.

Donnie and Daryl busied themselves filling sugar containers and wiping down tables. Alice and Wally fawned over them. They asked about their studies, their small band, and asked how their mother was managing. The boys eagerly responded and even did a quick song and dance for them before customers started pouring in. One of the customers was Artie Lavoie, and Myrna immediately dragged him into the kitchen. He began shaking, thinking he had done something wrong, but Myrna soothed him with a cup of coffee and a cherry turnover at the prep table. She was grateful he was wearing his thick eyeglasses.

He settled down and watched as she slid a note to him. As he chewed his turnover, he read the note. He grinned and kept his voice to a whisper. “I’m in. Just tell me what to do. I owe that piece of snot nothing. My time is up in three days.” Myrna leaned over the table and kissed his cheek as she slid him another note. He read it quickly and nodded. He watched as she turned around and burnt it in a little metal waste bin.

He asked, “You’re not including the bitch sisters in on any of this, are you?”

“Nope. They’re on their own.”

Daryl Borges entered the kitchen to start doing dishes and smiled at Artie. “Hey there, Mr. Leprechaun!” He pointed at Artie, “See Myrna? I ain’t crazy! He’s the one with the pot of gold!” His face turned sour and he shook his head in sadness. “Too bad Sophia’s not here to see for herself, but she knows I’m not nuts anyway.”

Myrna narrowed her gaze at Artie. “It was you playing leprechaun?” She watched Artie blush hard and turn away. Myrna giggled and poked his shoulder with her forefinger. “You have a crush on their mother! You have a crush on Amanda Borges?” Artie turned fifty shades of red and began chuckling deep down in his belly.

When he turned to Myrna, he pointed at her face. “Don’t you say nothin’! I got a fine plan in motion.”

Myrna couldn’t hold in her laughter and shook her head. She raised her arms to the ceiling and swore an oath of silence. At the same time, she thought how truly sweet some of the inhabitants of the town were, and how vicious others were capable of being. As she walked into the front room of the bakery, she stopped cold. Nazar had entered, and silence ruled the otherwise noisy shop.