Walking on Her Grave (Rogue River Novella, Book 4) (11 page)

“Definitely.” As much as he wanted her to stay, he’d let her go. She wasn’t ready to move back in with him yet. He would have to wait.

Since the house felt as empty as a cavern without Carly, Seth showered and dressed in jeans and a gray T-shirt. His cell vibrated before he reached the front door. He didn’t recognize the number on the display.

“Hey, is this Harding?”

“Yes.”

“This is Everett from sanitation. My wife said you wanted to talk to me.”

“I do. Can I stop by in the morning?” Seth shoved his keys into his pocket.

“Sure. What’s it about?”

“I just need a statement.” Seth went out onto the porch. “Did you see a woman coming out of Mike Bell’s house last Friday morning?”

Everett whistled. “Oh yeah. Katelyn O’Rourke. That was the shock of the year. I didn’t expect to see a hottie like that with Mike. It wasn’t a one-time thing either.”

Seth locked his door. “What do you mean?”

“I saw her walk of shame yesterday morning too.”

Seth froze. “What time?”

Katelyn had lied to Seth. She’d been at Mike’s house the morning of his disappearance.

“About five thirty,” Everett said. “About what time are you stopping by?”

“You know what? Something’s come up. I’ll call you back, Everett. Thanks.”

“Hey, no problem.”

Seth bypassed his SUV and got into his county vehicle, which he should have returned on Friday but hadn’t. Driving through town, he called Zane. The call went to the cop’s voice mail. He must still have been tied up with the forest fire. The Solitude PD station would be closed on a Saturday evening. Seth left the police chief a detailed message. “If I can find Katelyn, I’m going to take her to the sheriff’s office for questioning.”

He stopped at the offices of O’Rourke Properties but the lot was empty, the door locked. He turned the car out of town. He’d try the O’Rourke house out on the river. If Katelyn wasn’t there, he didn’t know where else to look for her. In that case he’d go see his wife and daughter and try again later. If he found Katelyn, he’d call Carly and let her know he might not make it over tonight, but there was no point disappointing her until he was sure.

Katelyn hadn’t told him she’d seen Mike the morning he disappeared, which didn’t necessarily mean she’d killed him, but it proved she was a liar. Seth and Zane had assumed the two men at the campground had been working for Walt. But was that the truth? Was there any way Katelyn could be behind everything?

Seth turned onto the private road that led through ten acres of woods to the O’Rourke residence. All cedar and glass, the house looked down on the Rogue River from a grassy hill. He steered around the circular driveway past a three-bay detached garage. The wooden steps creaked under his athletic shoes.

Faye answered his knock.

“Seth.” She opened the door wide. “Zane stopped earlier to give me an update on the fire. Are you all right?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He followed her down a short hallway to the kitchen. The slab of granite on the center island was big enough to park a car on. The kitchen opened into a great room. Floor-to-ceiling windows framed a breathtaking view of the Rogue.

“What can I do for you this evening?” Tonight’s cardigan was pink, and she clutched the edges as if she were freezing. Her color would have made chalk look dark.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“I’m not dead yet.”

“I’m actually here to see Katelyn. Is she home?”

“No. I’m sorry. She went to the store.” Faye checked the time on her watch. “But I expect her any minute. You’re welcome to wait. Can I get you some coffee?”

“I don’t want to put you to any trouble.”

“No trouble at all. I just made a fresh pot.”

“Okay, then.”

“When Zane stopped, he said he thought those two men squatting on the old campground had been Walt’s partners.”

“That’s one theory.” Seth evaded the question. There was no point in speculating. Katelyn might have kept her recent liaison with Mike secret to avoid scandal, and Seth was not going to round out his evening by giving an old lady a heart attack.

“Sit down, please.” Faye waved toward a sofa facing the picture window. She bustled around the kitchen, filling a tiny pitcher with cream.

Seth faced the river, a ribbon of darkness in the fading twilight. “The water looks calm from here.”

“It’s deceptive. This segment is particularly dangerous.” Faye set a tray on a glass coffee table.

“I learned that today.” Seth drank his coffee black, but the brew was unusually strong, like Faye. He added some cream.

“Yes. I know.” She sat and rested her folded hands on her lap. “I’m sorry about what happened. I so wanted to make a go of the new resort, but everything got out of control.”

“It’s not your fault.” Seth drank his coffee.

“I should have known what was going on under my nose.” Faye stared out the window. “Getting old is a bitch.”

Seth laughed. A light appeared outside the window. Floating. Flying. It burst into a kaleidoscope, colors circling. Zooming in and out. What the hell? He rubbed his eyes. The lights circled his head like a cartoon concussion. What next, a little bird?

“How do you feel, Seth?”

He turned to Faye. Her face melted and reformed.
Oh. Shit
. She’d drugged him.

“You didn’t really think Katelyn was smart enough to pull all this off, did you?” Faye
tsk
ed.

Seth lurched to his feet. The wood floor rolled under him.

Faye took his arm and steered him toward the front door. “Let’s get you to your car. Maybe you’ll get lucky. But I doubt it. You’re stronger than Bill was. I gave you a bigger dose. Just in case, though, it would be better if your car was pulled from the river tomorrow with you in it.”

Seth tried to pull away from her. But his visual field undulated. He yanked his arm away but swayed like a drunk. Water pelted Seth’s face. It sizzled on his skin like acid. He smacked at the burning drops with his hands. His pulse quickened, the beats thudding like bongos in his chest.

No. No. No
. He couldn’t let this happen. He put his hands on his knees, shoved a finger down his throat, and vomited all over Faye’s hardwood.

She jumped backward. “Well, now, that was just disgusting. I didn’t expect you to give me a hard time. My hired hands are dead. I’ll have quite a time getting your body out of the house on my own. I suppose, if push comes to shove, I could use the hand truck in the garage.” She waved a hand. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. I’d really like to take care of this tonight. I don’t have much time.” She smiled at him, giant lips spreading to reveal fangs. Huge vampire fangs ready to piece his jugular. “You have even less. It’s a shame. You’re a nice young man. But, like Bill, just a little too smart. That’s why you have to die.”

“Where’s Daddy?”

Pacing the kitchen of her mother’s house, Carly smiled at her daughter. “I’m sure he’ll be along. Why don’t you go check on those kittens?”

“Okay, Mama.” Brianna disappeared into the laundry room.

Damn Seth. He promised.

She chewed a worried fingernail. This didn’t feel right. The “old” Seth wouldn’t have thought much about not showing up. But she hadn’t expected this. Not tonight. Not after everything that had happened in the last few months.

Carly picked up her cell and dialed Seth again. And left yet another message. She texted her sister Stevie. All the Solitude cops had been busy with the forest fire and major crime scene at the campground. Stevie called her right back. “What do you mean you can’t find Seth?”

“He said he was coming right over. That was an hour ago.”

“Maybe he stopped somewhere.”

“No, he promised he’d be here for Brianna,” Carly insisted.

“Carly . . .” Stevie’s voice rang with doubt.

“I know he used to do this all the time, but I just have this feeling that something is wrong.”

“Oh no. Not you.” Stevie groaned.

“It’s not like that. This is based on the
fact
that I talked to him an hour ago.”

“Gotta go. I’ll ask around. Let me know if he shows up.” Stevie ended the call.

Carly paced. A minute later her phone rang. Stevie.

“Zane said Seth left him a message that he was taking Katelyn O’Rourke to the sheriff’s office for questioning. Apparently she lied in a statement,” Stevie said. “You might try his office in Hannon.”

“Thanks.” Carly tried to summon some anger. Seth wasn’t answering her calls because he was with Katelyn O’Rourke. But this didn’t make sense. She couldn’t believe he hadn’t called to let her know.

She dialed numbers and queued her way to a live person within the sheriff’s department. As a county employee with CPS, she knew many of the police staff, including the detective sergeant on duty, who informed her that Seth was not in the building. He hadn’t brought anyone in for questioning.

Wait. She knew of one way to find him. His cell phone.

Carly ducked into the family room. Brianna and Patsy were feeding kittens.

“I’m going to run over to Seth’s,” Carly said.

Her mother gave her a look. Carly smiled back. “I’ll call you.”

Patsy shook her head. “How about I go with you instead.” It wasn’t a question. “I’ll just get your brother Bruce up here to help with these kittens.” Calling for Bruce, she walked out of the room.

Brianna cradled her kitten. “Bring Daddy back with you, Mommy.”

“That’s the plan.” Carly jogged out to her Jeep.

Two minutes later, her mother climbed into the passenger seat. “Where are we going?”

“Seth’s house. I can find his cell phone with his computer.”

Carly exceeded the speed limit all the way into town and to the house. Thank God Seth had never changed the locks. Inside she went to his desk, booted up his laptop, and opened his “find my phone” application. A map appeared on the screen. Carly located the blinking green dot and zoomed in. He was at the river?

“Where is he?” Patsy asked.

“Katelyn O’Rourke’s house.” Carly explained about Stevie’s call.

Disappointment flooded Carly. Seth was interviewing Katelyn. He’d just decided to do it at her house rather than drag her to the sheriff’s office. He had blown her and Brianna off for work without a second thought. But doubt nagged at Carly. After all they’d been through, would he really do that?

“That doesn’t sound like Seth,” Patsy said. “This
feels
all wrong.”

“I know.” Carly closed the computer. “Would you mind driving out to the O’Rourke place?”

“Not at all,” Patsy said.

They left the house, and Carly drove toward the river. Seth wouldn’t forget her or Brianna, not after all the work he’d put in trying to get her back. Something was wrong. Maybe he’d been hurt worse than he’d admitted this afternoon. She scanned the sides of the road as she drove. Her father had been found in his vehicle on the roadside. It would be like Seth to get ill and try to drive himself to the hospital. But they arrived at the O’Rourke place without passing a single car.

Carly drove up to the big glass house. They got out of her Jeep and walked up the front steps. Lights blazed inside. At the front door, Carly peered in the sidelight. Seth was lying in the foyer next to a puddle of vomit. Faye was trying to drag him across the wood.

Carly opened the door and dropped to her knees next to Seth.

He blinked up at her. “Is that you?”

“I’m here.”

“Poisoned. Drug.” He breathed. “Threw most of it up.”

“You’re going to be all right.” Carly checked his pulse. It slammed erratically against her fingertips.

Her mom leaned over her shoulder. “Ambulance is on the way.”

In the corner of her eye, Carly saw Faye sink onto a kitchen stool. “You poisoned my father, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t have much of a choice. He always knew what was going on in his town. He was asking all the right questions. It was only a matter of time before he figured it all out.” Faye pressed a hand to her chest. “When I had the heart attack, I knew I had to take action. I couldn’t let O’Rourke Properties fail. It’s the O’Rourke family legacy. Walt and I devised the whole operation together. He hired those two thugs and put them to work. They weren’t supposed to sell the product in Solitude. But you really can’t trust that sort of man.” Faye’s words grew softer as she wheezed. “I learned that the hard way.” Panting, she slumped back against the back of the stool.

“Nitroglycerin tablets. In her purse.” Seth’s soft words slurred.

“There it is.” Patsy grabbed a square black purse from the granite counter. She found a bottle of small pills in the front pocket. Opening it, she dumped out a pill and shoved it under Faye’s tongue. “There is no way I’m letting you take the easy way out. You killed my husband, and I’ll see you pay for it.”

Unconcerned with Faye’s fate, Carly checked Seth’s pulse again. Still beating. His eyes fluttered. She tapped his cheek. “Stay with me, Seth.”

“Always.”

“We have to stop meeting this way.”

Seth sat up in his hospital bed, exhausted but ever thrilled to see his wife. Now that the drug had worn off and he wasn’t stoned out of his mind, he wanted to go home. But the doctor insisted on keeping him overnight for observation.