Suffer II (27 page)

“This is it, Cassandra,” said Kate, turning to face her. “There won’t be any more chances for you. You’re right. I do have the ability to stop your bleeding. If you do this one thing for me, I’ll make all of this disappear tonight. I’ll be out of your life forever.”

“Whatever you want, Kate,” said Cassandra, sensing her victory. “I’ll do it.”

“Bring Emily back.”

“I wish I could, Kate,” said Cassandra, wiping an invisible tear.

“Since you can’t do that either, I’m done with you,” said Kate. “I’ve left you one final option to make all of this go away. It’s in the top drawer of your desk.”

In less than an hour, several unmarked cars and press vehicles were in Judge Hall’s driveway. While men in dark suits stood on her porch knocking, others were peeking in windows around her house. When the sheriff department arrived two hours later, Cassandra opened the desk drawer. When they breached the front door, she pulled the trigger.

It was early in the morning when Kate and Grey arrived at Sheriff Lewis’s office. They all knew the circus would be coming to Boudreaux, so it would be the last time they would meet in person until the dust settled. He greeted them with a firm handshake and a smile.

“I’m guessing you heard,” said Lewis, taking his seat.

“Yes,” said Kate. “Was there a note?”

“I’m not sure how you knew, but no.”

“She would be admitting defeat if she tried to implicate me,” said Kate. “She wanted me to believe that the final decision was hers. It was the last thing she could control.”

“I can’t kill a federal judge, but she can,” said Chief, shaking his head.

“What’s that?” asked Lewis.

“It’s something Kate told us a few days ago,” said Chief. “I didn’t understand what she meant at the time. Obviously, I do now.”

“Those recordings broke the internet,” said Lewis. “They had to shut down the servers at the news station for a while. My phone has been ringing off the hook since last night. Federal investigators will be swarming this place in a few hours. They may want to talk to Ms. Karla and Tyler at some point.”

“I’m sure they will,” said Kate. “We’ll take care of that.”

“They’re going to want to know what happened to Bullet and his brothers,” said Grey. “Any leads?”

“A few,” said Lewis. “I’ve been doing a little digging, and I’ve already passed the information on to the feds.”

“What did you find?” asked Chief.

“I talked to some of his boys,” said Lewis. “They weren’t too happy with him. Seems Bullet beat one of them to death with a baseball bat after he allegedly got robbed. We found evidence that he was the last person to access his safe. Either way, a large amount of drugs and money belonging to the cartel went missing. Shortly after, the Simmons brothers went missing.

“My theory is that Judge Hall turned over Bullet and his brothers to stay in good standing with Mexican drug runners. It was probably the same hit squad that she used to kill Emily.”

“Why do you think that?” asked Grey.

“We found all the remains in the same place. The Perez Cartel is notorious for feeding their problems to alligators. It sends a clear message to anyone looking to cross them. The feds agreed. They’ve seen it before. Now that we know Judge Hall was in bed with the cartels and Bullet, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to connect the dots.”

“We appreciate that, Sheriff,” said Kate. “We took care to make sure none of this came back on you. It’s the reason we couldn’t tell you everything. I hope you understand.”

“Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it, Kate. None of you have to worry about any fallout from this. You have my word.”

“Looks like the only fallout is going to be the cartel having to move their operation out of your county,” said Chief. “That’s going to look very good for you in the next election.”

“I’m sure you’re exhausted,” said Kate, standing. “It doesn’t look like you’ll be getting any rest once the investigators get here. You should try to get a few hours of sleep now. We’ll be around if you need anything.”

“I agree,” said Chief. “Get some sleep. You look like shit.”

“Okay,” said Lewis, laughing.

“Sheriff,” said Kate, giving him a warm smile. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for Emily. You risked your life and your career for her and her mother. You’re a good man, James.”

Sheriff Lewis lowered his head. He bit his lip trying to hold back tears. He gave up the fight, wiped one away, and stood. He walked around his desk and stood in front of Kate.

“Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” said Kate, accepting his embrace.

“I thought about her often,” said Lewis, composing himself. “More so after she went missing and when Ms. Karla would show up every Monday pleading for my help. I just kept telling her that we were looking for her, but my hands were tied. It’s hard for me to think of myself as a good man after turning my back on her and Emily.”

“Buddy, you had one evil, twisted bitch tying those hands of yours,” said Chief. “There’s no shame in that. The shame was on her.”

“In less than two months, you three did more for Emily and Ms. Karla than I’ve done in two years. We all know those unidentified remains are Emily. You kept your promise, Kate. You found her and you’re taking her home.

“Now I’m going to make a promise to you. This will never happen in my town again. I may look like shit, but I certainly don’t feel like it. In fact, I’ve never felt better in my life. I’ll never forget what you did here, and I’m proud that you let me be a part of it. Thank you for that. You will always be welcomed in this town.”

“That’s good to know,” said Kate, reaching for his hand, “because we still have some unfinished business here. We’ll be back in a few weeks. We’ll need your help again.”

*****

Dressed in black, the team sat on the deck of the rental house sipping coffee. Abby returned the day before with Tyler and Ms. Karla. It had been two weeks since the swarm of federal investigators descended on Boudreaux and the surrounding wetlands. They left satisfied that the cartel was responsible for the murder of all three Simmons brothers and Emily at Judge Hall’s request. In his dress uniform, Sheriff Lewis joined the team.

“We’re ready outside,” said Lewis.

“Ms. Karla is upstairs,” said Kate. “She wanted a few minutes with Tyler and Dawson before we left.”

“How’s that going?” asked Lewis.

“That woman is a lesson for us all,” said Chief. “Tyler was in tears telling her everything he knew. She didn’t say a word and just reached out for him.
She
was consoling
him
. Can you believe that?”

“With Ms. Karla,” said Lewis, “yes, I can.”

Karla, Tyler, and Dawson came down the stairs. They were all wiping tears from their faces. Karla lit up when she saw the sheriff.

“Oh, I’m so glad to see you,” said Karla, walking up to him and giving him a long embrace. “Thank you for finding my baby. I knew you would. I just knew it.”

“They did most of the work,” said Lewis, smiling at the team.

“But you helped them,” said Ms. Karla. “That means the world to me.”

“We need to start heading that way,” said Lewis. “The service is going to start soon. There are a lot of people who want to see you, Ms. Karla. It would be my honor to escort you.”

“To see me?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

When she stepped outside, her eyes grew wide. As far as she could see up the driveway, there were police vehicles with their lights flashing. She covered her mouth and looked up at the sheriff with tears in her eyes. Kate walked up beside them.

“Thank you, again,” said Kate, whispering in his ear and kissing his cheek. “This is the way it was supposed to be.”

Arriving at the church, Karla started trembling. The parking lot was full, and people were lined up on the sidewalk. Sheriff Lewis helped her out of the car, and she was greeted with smiles and hugs.

The town that had turned their backs on Emily now knew the truth. The only thing they showed Karla when she walked inside was their open arms and hearts. She was trembling when she walked inside the packed church, but her knees buckled when she saw Emily’s casket. Sheriff Lewis and Dawson were at her side.

“We got you,” said Sheriff Lewis, holding her arm.

“They’re all here for my Emily?” asked Karla.

“They are,” said Dawson. “But they’re here for you and Hank as well. They always will be.”

After the service, the procession to the cemetery was two miles long. They made a point to drive through the middle of Boudreaux. Every intersection was blocked off by police and fire vehicles, and the streets were lined with citizens. As she passed, they put their hands over their hearts and bowed their heads.

When they arrived at graveside, Karla noticed Brittany’s parents in the crowd. She tapped Sheriff Lewis on his hand to let him know she needed to move in a different direction. Stepping to the side to let her through, Brittany’s parents were surprised that she stopped in front of them.

“Thank you for coming today,” said Karla, hugging them both. “Is Brittany here?”

“No, ma’am,” said Jim. “She thought it best to stay home.”

“I understand,” said Karla. “Would you mind if I came by after the service to see her?”

“Of course not,” said Jim.

“Thank you,” said Karla, smiling and turning away.

It took almost an hour for everyone to pass by Karla at the end of the service to give her their condolences. She didn’t mind the time. Nobody did.

Karla took a deep breath and stood. It was her time to say goodbye to her Emily. She walked up to her casket, closed her eyes, and imagined she was brushing her daughter’s hair. As her fingertips glided across the grain, she smiled.

“I’ll see you in my dreams tonight. Tell your daddy that I love him very much and that I miss him every day. I’ll see both of you again soon. I love you with all my heart. Rest in peace.”

Kate heard her words. As Chief held on to her, she whispered them through tears. He pulled her closer.

After all the goodbyes were said and the tears started to dry, Grey helped Karla into their car. They all turned to look at Emily’s casket for the last time as they drove past her. Each one of them remembered her in a different way. All of them wished they could’ve been there for her sooner.

“Grey,” said Kate, sitting beside Karla in the back seat. “Take us to Brittany’s house, please. Ms. Karla would like to see her.”

It was a short drive to the Greenes’ home. Jim and Donna were already there and waiting on the front porch. Karla stayed in her seat after Chief opened her door.

“I know this may seem crazy,” said Karla, turning to Kate, “but I need to do this.”

“It’s not crazy at all,” said Kate. “You’re one of the strongest women I’ve ever met. I know exactly why you need to do this.”

“Coming from you,” said Karla, stepping out of the car, “I’ll take it as a wonderful compliment.”

Karla walked up the front steps and hugged the Greenes before stepping inside. Brittany knew she was coming and was waiting in the living room. She stood when she saw her walk inside. Karla made her way to Brittany and took her by the hands.

“I’m so angry with you,” said Karla, squeezing. “She was your best friend and never would’ve hurt you. Never.”

“I know that now,” said Brittany, shaking and crying. “I’m so sorry, Ms. Karla. I thought she…”

“Betrayed you,” said Karla, finishing her sentence. “I’m angry with you, but I betrayed her as well. I made so many mistakes, Brittany. I should’ve been there for her, but I wasn’t. I was too busy wallowing in self-pity. We all made mistakes. We all have to live with them now.”

“What do we do, Ms. Karla? What do I do now?”

“We forgive,” said Karla, letting go of her hands. “I’m going to be angry with you for a while, but I forgive you. I want you to start working on forgiving yourself. In spite of everything, Emily would want us to do that. We’re all we’ve got now.”

She left Brittany standing in the living room. As Chief helped her back into the car, Kate could see the pain on her face. Karla didn’t notice when the car stopped again several minutes later. She was confused when she saw Dawson and Tyler standing in the driveway of the house where Emily grew up. The house she sold to run away from the memories of Hank.

“Why are we here?” asked Karla. “I don’t live here anymore.”

“That’s up to you,” said Kate.

Dawson walked up and opened her door. He smiled as he reached for her. She looked at all the faces in the car before she took his hand.

“Welcome home,” said Dawson, hugging her.

“I don’t understand,” said Karla.

“There’s nothing but bad memories back at your place,” said Dawson. “Bad memories for all of us. This is the place where all the good ones were made. This is the place where I met Emily for the first time and where you took me and Tyler in as your own. It’s where Hank and I worked on our trucks and where you cooked us some of the finest meals I ever had. I can’t stand the thought of you being alone in that tiny shack anymore.”

“Baby, I sold this house,” said Karla, reaching up for his face.

“We bought it back for you,” said Kate. “You still own the other one, but this one is yours as well.”

“She made the Turners an offer they couldn’t refuse,” said Chief, grinning at Karla. “They moved into their dream home last week. They were more than happy to give it back to you.”

“I’ve got my house back?” said Karla, turning to Dawson. “We got our house back?”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Dawson. “We did. Tyler and I will be staying here with you for a while if you don’t mind. We’d sure love some of those home-cooked meals again. Come on inside. We brought some things over from the other place.”

Sheriff Lewis and his family were inside waiting for them. Grey and Chief headed for the kitchen and started making drinks for everyone. Abby started a fire and lit every candle she could find. Evan played a CD with some of Hank and Emily’s favorite songs. Kate took Karla’s hand and walked her to the backyard.