That Night (36 page)

“What are you doing, Ashley?”

“Same thing as you.” She pointed toward the house. “Watching my mom talk to Kim. I was just coming home when I saw her get in the car, and thought it was weird.”

Now I noticed the video camera in her hand. The red light on.

“What the hell, Ashley? Are you recording me?”

“I was recording
them
.” She flicked the light off. “I didn’t see your truck until later.”

“I’d feel a lot better if you gave me the memory card.”

“It’s on the hard drive—I can’t take it out. And I have other stuff on here.”

This wasn’t good, but I didn’t want to piss the kid off. She could really screw things up for me and Ryan. “If that got in the wrong hands and my truck was seen near your mom’s place, I’m going back to prison. Do you understand?”

“I won’t show it to anyone.”

“Ashley, this is my
life
on the line.”

She looked up the road toward her house, gnawing her lip. Finally she did something on the camera, showing me the delete button as she pressed it.

“It’s gone, but I’m just trying to help you.”

“This has nothing to do with you.”

“Yes, it does, she’s my mother.” She looked angry, but not at me.

This time I looked back at the house, wondered what it must be like to grow up with a mother like Shauna. I still didn’t know if Ashley was just trying to get at the truth or get back at her mom for something.

“If you want to help me, just stay out of it. I don’t want anyone else caught up in this mess.”

An outside light went on at the house beside us, casting light onto the road. I put my truck in gear and tore off, watching Ashley in my rearview mirror as she walked toward her house, head down, like she was deep in thought.

*   *   *

The next day I drove to the hospital early, hoping to catch Rachel coming in from the parking lot, or leaving—I didn’t want to go to her house because I knew she had a family. I had a feeling it was going to be a long wait and brought some snacks and water, but after a few hours in my truck I’d gone through all my supplies. I was hungry and desperate for a pee when I finally saw Rachel leave with a group of nurses around lunchtime. Shit. I’d been hoping she’d be alone. I decided to wait and see what happened.

The group sat at a picnic table under a maple tree, laughing as they ate their sandwiches and salads. I thought of my girls back at Rockland and wondered if I’d ever find that camaraderie again with people on the outside. I’d come close, at the restaurant and the shelter, but that had been ripped away from me too. I felt another hot jolt of anger, reminding me that I had to settle this once and for all.

After they were finished, the other nurses went inside, leaving Rachel while she flipped open her cell phone, texting someone. I got out of my truck and headed in her direction. Intent on her phone, she didn’t notice me.

“Hi, Rachel.”

She glanced up, a confused smile on her face that vanished as soon as she recognized me. She stood up, grabbing at her things. “Get away from me.”

“I have some information you need.”

“There’s nothing I need from you.” She was looking around like she was about to scream for help. I worried about staff security. I had to get her attention.

“It’s about Shauna, what she’s going to do to you.”

“Shauna’s not going to do anything.” But she still didn’t walk away. Same as with Kim, there was something in her that wanted to hear what I had to say.

“You have a family now—kids.”

“How do you know about my family?” Anger and fear mixed on her face.

“It’s a small town. And I know you’re a good mother. You don’t want your kids to suffer. But if you keep on with what you guys are doing, you’re going to get caught. You know Shauna killed Cathy.”

“That’s ridiculous.” She tossed her head, reminding me of her teenage self. How much she’d wanted Shauna’s approval, how she’d do anything for her. “You and Ryan killed her—and they’ll prove it soon.”

I felt a moment of fear, wondering if she’d heard something. Did the cops have new evidence? I had to continue with the plan.

“She was starting to talk about what really happened that night, how you girls killed Nicole. She was going to help us prove we were innocent. Why would we kill her?”

Rachel was breathing hard, her face flushed and panicked.

I gave it another push. “She was talking to
a lot
of people. It’s just a matter of time before some of them start coming forward. Then the police are going to take a look at you girls for Cathy’s death. I wouldn’t be surprised if Shauna even points the finger at you. She covered up one murder by blaming it on someone else. What’s to stop her from turning on you guys now?”

“We didn’t do anything.” Her voice was desperate.

“But you did, you
know
you did. And you know that Shauna killed Cathy. Whether she’s admitted it or not, you
know.
And you can be sure that she’ll cover her own ass if the shit hits the fan. But who’s protecting you?”

“If I were you, I’d be worried about yourself.” Now she was angry, fear making her attack. “This is harassment.”

“Here’s the difference between me and you, Rachel. I have nothing left to lose. But you do.”

She sucked in her breath, her eyes wide and scared, and for a second she looked like she might cry. I stepped closer.

“There’s already another witness who can place Shauna’s car out at the lake at midnight. If I were you, I’d go to the police now and tell my side
before
Shauna points the finger. Maybe you were only a witness to Nicole’s death, maybe you don’t know for sure what she did to Cathy, but you know she was involved. If you talk now, you might be able to get a plea bargain and be out in time to see your kids grow up. But if you wait, she’s going to sink you.”

Her face was pale with fear, but she grabbed her things and said, “I’m not going to prison, because I didn’t do anything.”

She spun around and hurried back to the hospital.

*   *   *

I was almost back at the campsite when I noticed the cop car tailing me. My heart started going crazy in my chest. Had Rachel or Kim called the cops? If they had, I was fucked. I checked my speed, dropped it down, hoping the cop just happened to be on the road at the same time. But then he turned on his lights, coming up fast behind me. I pulled over and watched in my side mirror as a man got out and sauntered toward my truck. Shit. It was Doug Hicks.

I rolled down my window and waited, heart still pounding.

“Good afternoon, Toni.”

“Afternoon, Officer.”

“Where you coming from?”

“Just visiting an old friend. Was I speeding?”

“That friend wouldn’t be Ryan Walker, would it?”

So maybe he didn’t know about my visits to Kim and Rachel.

“Nope. It’s against the conditions of my parole to speak with him.”

He glanced up the highway, back down again. My nerves were tight with tension, my mouth filling with saliva. What exactly was going on here?

He leaned closer. “I’ve been talking to a few people.”

“Yeah?” I worked hard to keep my expression flat.

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe we should have another look at your sister’s murder. Problem is, if your boy Ryan’s also talking to people, things get messed up in witnesses’ minds. They might remember things differently. That makes it hard for us to get to the bottom of what really happened.”

I stared at him. “Are you saying you believe us now?” There had to be a catch.

“I’m saying we can’t reopen the case or take another look at any of the evidence if you guys are running around stirring up trouble.”

So that was the deal. We back off and he might reopen our case. I hated the position he was putting me in, the hope that his words were kicking up. I didn’t want to screw up anything if he was serious. Then I realized that he was probably bullshitting. There was no gain in this for him, no reason he’d want to take another look at a case that could make him and the other cops who were involved look like idiots. It was just another game.

“I don’t know what Ryan Walker’s doing, and I don’t care,” I said. “I’m staying out of trouble and trying to find a job,
sir
.”

Hicks said, “I know you don’t like me, Toni. But right now I’m the only person who can help you stay out of prison.”

“It seems more like you want to get me sent back.”

“I want you to stay away from Ryan. He’s trouble and always was. Everything I told you before was true. I think you were a good kid who just got hooked up with the wrong guy. I’d hate to see you go down that path again.”

His arrogance was pissing me off—his certainty that he knew all about Ryan.

“Is that all? Are you going to write me a ticket?”

“I’m not messing around, Toni. If you want us to reopen the case, stay away from Ryan.” He rapped on the top of the roof, making me flinch. “You’re a young woman, got a lot of life left. Let’s keep you on the outside.”

I watched him walk back to his car, my blood still pulsing hard and my chest tight. After he pulled back into the traffic I eased out myself, my body vibrating with nerves. What the hell was I going to do?
Was
he just bullshitting me about opening up the case again? Trying to get me to stop Ryan from talking to people because the cops didn’t want the real shit to come out? But what if he’d been telling the truth? I didn’t know who to trust anymore.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

C
AMPBELL
R
IVER

J
ULY
2013

An hour later, back at the campground, I was still trying to recover from my run-in with Doug Hicks when my cell rang. I didn’t recognize the number, so I answered with a cautious, “Hello?”

“Toni, hey.” It was Ryan.

“I’ll call you back.” I knew the cops probably couldn’t tap my phone without some sort of warrant, but I was still freaked. I grabbed my disposable phone and dialed the number that had shown up on my call display.

When he answered, I said, “Doug Hicks stopped me today when I was coming back from talking with Rachel. He’s watching me.”

“Shit. Did Rachel or Kim call the cops on you?”

“That’s the thing. I don’t think they did, so it’s weird.”

“Then what did Hicks want?”

I told him what Hicks had said, finished with, “If he’s right, we could screw things up.”

“Come on, you don’t really believe him?” Ryan was pissed off. “There’s no way he’s looking into the case again. Why would he want everyone to know he screwed up and sent the wrong people away? He’s trying to stop us from finding out the truth, not help us. What are you thinking? You just want to believe him.”

I’d had similar thoughts, but Ryan’s angry tone was pissing
me
off. I wasn’t sure who I was more annoyed at, myself because I had wanted to believe Hicks or Ryan because he saw through it faster than I did.

“I’m thinking that something’s up,” I said. I told him what had happened with Kim and Rachel. “The way Shauna was talking to Kim in the car? Kim was nervous, really nervous. I’m worried there’s something else going on.”

“Like what?”

“Like they have a plan—something to get rid of us for good.”

“They’re not going to kill us, Toni. Nicole was young, they caught her off guard, and Cathy trusted Shauna. That was her mistake.”

“And you’re too damn confident—that’s
your
mistake. They’re going to get us one way or another. Back to jail or on a slab at the morgue.”

“So what do you want to do?” He sounded as frustrated as I felt. “How are we going to end this thing?”

“We need to lie low, stay away from each other, and see how the next few days go. One of them will make a move, I’m sure of it.”

“You can do whatever you want, Toni. But I’m not going away on this. I’m still talking to everyone who was at that party that night, anyone who snorted coke with Cathy over the years, anyone who knows something about anything.”

“That’s a mistake, Ryan. We need to be careful right now. Let’s wait and see if my talks with Kim and Rachel have any effect.”

“I’m done with careful. It’s time we blow this shit wide open.”

“Ryan, that’s not—”

He’d hung up.

*   *   *

Still angry and worried as hell about what was going to happen now, I decided to go for a walk on the beach. I’d just left my cabin and was heading down the path leading to the beach when I noticed Ashley’s car outside one of the trailers, where loud music was playing. What was she doing here? I paused, and she stumbled down the front steps, the door banging shut behind her. She was giggling as she opened her car door and grabbed some cigarettes from inside. She turned around and tried to light one of them, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glassy. From where I was standing, I could smell the pot smoke leaking out of the trailer.

She cursed at her lighter, gave it a shake, and tried again. She took a drag and glanced up, finally noticing me.

“Toni, hey.” She came toward me. “What are you doing here?”

“I live at the campsite.” I thought about her standing outside her mom’s place, watching. And I wondered if she’d followed me before and already knew I lived here. Had she ever videotaped me? The thought was alarming—especially if she’d seen Ryan there.

“What about you? I thought you couldn’t drive without an adult in your car.”

“I can’t. I snuck out.” She nodded back at the trailer. “That’s where Aiden lives.”

I glanced at the trailer, which was old and filthy, the siding grayed and the awning torn. Plastic lawn chairs circled a fire pit full of beer cans.

“So you’re still seeing him.”

“Yeah.” She took another drag while looking at me from the side, self-consciously. “Sorry you got sent back.” Cautious now. “How was it?”

“Not great.”

“Things have been sucking for me too.”

She was comparing her life to
my
life? I gritted my teeth, tried to remember she was just a kid.

“How’s that?”

“Mom’s been freaking out since Cathy was murdered.” She sighed, her mouth twisting in a sad smile. “I remember her from when I was a kid. She was funny and she used to come over all the time, then she got messed up and I wasn’t allowed to see her anymore. Weird to think she’s dead, you know?”