Echoes in the Wind (19 page)

“I left the keys inside,” Darla whispered

Eric reached for her hand. “You’re not going anywhere by yourself.”

****

He hid his bike and returned to the SUV to view the chaos he’d caused. Standing in the darkness, he watched them disappear into the house. He peeked around the carport’s edge and inside the loaded vehicle. They only thought they were escaping him. What a surprise he had in store for them. He chuckled softly. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out their plans. Just took a little attention to detail. Eric and Blaine were turning tail, leaving town with their new girlfriends. Cowards. But this wasn’t news.

He forced a diversion, and if he hadn’t hit a pot hole and messed up his motorcycle, it’d have been an exciting one. No matter. The distraction gave him the time to set up what he needed. They’d be meeting again in the near future.

He’d done a lot of work to achieve his goals and had some fun too. Like randomly shooting while Eric was in the throes of making his same old moves.

He did have a single regret. If he had arrived a few minutes earlier when Eric stood alone outside, he would have taken him out with a solitary shot. Then only one more issue to resolve.

Yet, he was disappointed Eric behaved so carelessly. Where was the challenge in that? Perhaps the girl had his thoughts in a cloud, or it could be the gash on the head making him think unclearly. No matter. He couldn’t wait until the entire band was gone and that would be soon. Very soon.

****

Darla and Eric hurried in, grabbed the keys, ran back outside, and climbed into their seats. She inserted the key, turned the ignition, threw the automobile in reverse, and backed out. In the street, she put the gear in drive, then hit the gas, screeching the tires hard enough to leave rubber ribbons in the asphalt.

Darla clutched the steering wheel. Her heart pounded like a loud drum in her ears. They didn’t speak. Both carefully scoured the area as they exited the subdivision. Once on the highway, she stretched to adjust her mirror for a better rear view. “I don’t believe anyone followed us, do you?”

“Doesn’t look like it.” Eric continued to search the night.

“Just a wild guess, but this is the same person who shot you before, right?”

“Probably. I hate to think I have multiple people trying to kill me, though I suppose it’s a possibility.” He burrowed further into the leather seats, still cautiously scanning the neighborhood.

“I’m surprise the windows at your house didn’t bust when the bullets hit ’em.”

“They’re bulletproof.”

He turned to her with a surprised look.

“I researched the area after I moved in. A drug lord from South America lived in my home about twenty years ago. According to the story, he was paranoid about his safety, so he had shatterproof windows installed. Not that they did him any good. They found his head washed up on the beach, close to where you live. The authorities never discovered his body.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve put you in danger. Anyone connected to me isn’t safe. Coming with you was a bad idea.”

“I can take care of myself. Besides, where would you go? I mean, I know there are other people in your life. Like family members? They may be at risk too if you’re around them or they could be in danger, regardless. You might want to warn them, if you haven’t already.”

“I haven’t spoken to my family.” Eric squirmed in his seat. “Everybody who’s been hurt lives in the US, not in Scotland. Most of my relatives are either in Aberdeen or London. I’m not worried yet.”

“You should call them.”

“I will.”

Darla’s nerves calmed, and she relaxed her grip on the steering wheel. “How come none of you moved back to Scotland after the band broke up?”

“I can’t speak for the others. For Blaine and me, staying here seemed like a better opportunity. Besides my parents and I are not on the best of terms, right now.”

Darla glanced sideways.

“They’ve never been happy with my decision to join Raging Impulse. They don’t view music as a career choice but more of a hobby.”

“You proved them wrong.”

“Didn’t matter. They’re disappointed in me. My mum and dad aren’t poor, although they aren’t well off either. I earned a scholarship to the University of Aberdeen. They were excited because I’m the first to go to college in our immediate family.”

“To study music?”

“Actually the degree is in architecture. I met Drake, joined the band, and promised my parents I’d finish school.” He gave her a sad grin. “I was young and had only one goal in mind. In the end, I didn’t keep my word. They’re not pleased with me, so we don’t talk much.”

“How close were you to graduating?”

“Two semesters.”

Her eyes widened. “Eric, complete your education. For no other reason than to honor the agreement. You can go to school online nowadays. Granted, parents should support their kids regardless if they approve of their choices, but find a way to make up with them. Life is too short not to be close to your family. You must get in touch with them. You need them with all of the havoc around you. Besides, I’m sure they’re proud of your accomplishments now.”

He stared out the window for a long time. “They’ll be less happy when I tell them what’s recently happened.” He exhaled a huge sigh. “Our former manager embezzled most of our money and has disappeared with it. We’re broke.”

Darla hesitated, not sure how to respond to this confession. “I read your manager wasn’t a very good guy and he didn’t treat the group well. But that’s low.”

“I’m guessing he thinks it’s a form of payback. He did make us famous. I’m sure after what we did to him, he views us as traitors.”

“What happened?”

“Our last performance was crazy. We were on stage. Finn was always a pain in the ass, but that night he was hell-bent on pissing everybody off. He got into my spotlight one too many times. I reared back with a fist and knocked the shit out of him.”

“You did? You don’t seem like the violent type.”

“I’m not. But that night he got to me. And plus, I’ve always been the outspoken one, the cynical member of the group. They held me at fault for starting everything, which is true. The one punch turned into an all-out brawl. Dugan and our security team rushed on stage to break us up. I had a bloody lip, so I ducked out and went into the dressing room to stop the bleeding. I discovered Dugan had left his computer on, and he was looking at some disturbing pictures online. Little boys, young men. We knew he was a bad guy, Darla, but this was sick stuff. I showed the rest of band, minus Finn. We decided to call in the authorities right then. Everything else is documented.”

“So he holds a grudge.”

Eric nodded. “A big one.”

“Big enough to want to kill you guys?”

He turned away and stared out the window.

“Have you explained the money situation to your parents?”

“I’ve thought about telling them. But how do I do that? How do I say I was stupid, got involved with a perverted crook, lost everything, and now I don’t have a pence? What will they think of me after they realize I worked my ass off for eight years, only to find out it was nothing but a waste of time?”

Darla nearly veered off the road from his admission. She clutched the wheel to steady the vehicle. His vulnerability startled her, even scared her a tiny bit. It took him down a notch. It made him seem equal to a regular person who made mistakes like everybody else.

“They are your family. They love you, no matter what. And turning the guy in was the right thing to do.” Darla briefly dragged her eyes away from the highway to steal a glance at him. “Eric. You can always find a way to earn money. But you’ll never recover lost time.”

“We’ll see.”

“My older brother is a lawyer. He works for a prestigious firm in Austin. When we get to Texas, I’ll call him, if you want. I don’t know what he can do to help you personally, but he might give you some direction.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“Why not?”

“That’s really nice of you.” He sat still for long time before he spoke again. “You family must be pleased about you getting your doctoral degree.”

“They are. But I also believe they wish I’d hurry up and get out of school.”

Eric fidgeted and released a soft groan.

“What’s wrong?”

“I guess I’ve overdone it today.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, I’m achy.”

“I packed the ibuprofen.” She opened the console between them and fetched the bottle. “Maybe you ought to take some. Your meds from the doctor are in my purse behind my seat. Would you rather have those?”

He took the container from her, popped the tab, and shook out two pills. “No, this will work for now. I’m gonna get a drink. You want one?” Eric extended an arm behind her then jerked his hand away. His gaze snapped to the backseat. “Stop the car.”

“Is something wrong?”

“Pull over and stop the car.”

“Why?”

“Because there’s a body back there.”

Chapter 16

Both feet on the brake, Darla jammed the pedal to the floor. A right jerk of the steering wheel had the SUV skidding onto the shoulder for twenty yards before she slid to a bumpy stop well off the highway. She flung the gear into park. Doors flew open as they bolted from the vehicle. Darla ran around to Eric and clutched his arm with both hands. Together they rushed to the front, standing in the headlights glow, and stared at the automobile.

“This is so not our night,” she panted.

“More like not our weekend.”

“Who’s in my car?” Her voice turned shaky.

“How the hell do I know?”

Eric had his fill of dead people. The discovery of a second one within twenty-four hours left him a little more than unnerved. He didn’t want to fall apart in front of Darla. Thus far, he’d done his best to keep everything together, but he was on the verge of losing his mind.

“You’re sure a body is in the backseat?”

Eric glared at her, frustrated. “I’ve found plenty of ’em lately. I think I’d recognize a dead person when I see one.”

“Just this one.” Darla let go of him and edged closer to the driver’s side. “Or are you holding out and you’ve discovered more?”

He pointed to the corpse. “This guy and Finn.”

“I didn’t realize you were the one who found Finn, but you haven’t exactly told me what happened last night.”

He looked down and stared at his shoes. Under the circumstances, he should tell her something since she was deep in the middle of his mess.

“I guess you’re right. You’re in danger because of me. You need to understand the shit you’ve gotten yourself into.” He proceeded to give her the abbreviated version of the previous evening, ending with him shot and knocked out. She listened, nodding in certain places until he finished.

“How horrible.” She opened the car door and stood on tiptoe to peer inside. “I’d block the whole episode if I were you.” She took a step closer, reached in, and turned the light switch to the left. The interior flooded with a dim glow.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going to find out who this is.”

Her calmness surprised Eric. As if she viewed dead people every day. Darla leaned halfway into the vehicle while he nervously moved behind her to peek over her shoulder. A torso lay stretched across the backseat, the head covered with a blanket. A limp arm rested on the cooler. Long legs coiled in the floorboard shaped in an awkward position. Though the night was cool, Eric broke into an icy sweat. Darla crawled into the driver seat, perched on her knees, and faced the rear. She bent forward to reach for the middle area.

Eric stepped away. “You’re touching him?”

“No. I’m going to remove the blanket. We can’t identify him if the face is hidden.” Grasping the cover between her forefinger and thumb, she gave it a light tug.

Nothing happened. The binding had wedged around the skull and refused to budge.

“I need the head lifted so I can unwind the blanket and get it off him.” Darla glanced over her shoulder. “I don’t suppose you’d want to raise him?”

“Don’t suppose.” He stared at the body. His hand shot out to grab the hem of her shirt and pull at her. “Wait a minute. He’s breathing.”

Darla dropped the cover and whipped around. “He’s what?”

“Breathing.”

She turned and lifted her chin and gazed at the sleeping “corpse.” “Yeah, he is.” She looked back at Eric. “He can’t be dead if he can breathe.”

“No shit.”

“Well, it’s good he’s alive.” She climbed out of the seat, but kept her focus trained on their uninvited guest. “How do you suppose he got there?”

“Dunno. The car was open while we packed, plus we loaded in the dark. Everything was chaotic the last few minutes before we left. I find it super odd someone gets into your vehicle, goes to sleep, and doesn’t wake up after all the noise we’ve made. Something’s not right.”

“Seriously.”

Eric nodded his head and snapped his fingers. “Ah, now I remember what was wrong.”

Darla squinted, as a confused expression spread across her face.

“No smell. When I found Finn, he stunk up the room. No death scent with this guy.”

“See. You’re not as experienced at finding bodies as you thought.”

“Surprisingly that doesn’t bother me much.”

“Lots of weird stuff going on tonight, huh? Like those bullets flying over us earlier. I know we’ve already discussed this, but who’s shooting at us? You must have some idea as to who’s trying to kill you.”

“We need to get moving. We ought to wake this guy up, and drop him off someplace, or maybe call the police to come get him.” He thrusts his hands into his pockets and gazed down the lonely highway. A sliver of tingles trickled down his spine.

“What about your missing manager? Could the shooter possibly be him?”

Eric stepped in front of her and leaned forward to look inside the vehicle. “I wonder who this is.” He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m betting it’s someone from the neighborhood.”

“Fine. Keep changing the subject. But this discussion isn’t over.”

“Never thought it was, luv,” he murmured.

They gazed at the unwanted passenger. The person appeared to be male, with a long body and a broad chest.