If It Walks Like A Killer (The Carolina Killer Files #1) (30 page)

It was all falling into place. Now, here she was, cuddled up with the man she loved. Finally, her life was going to be good. “Honey,” she whispered, twirling her fingers in his hair.

He looked up at her, his eyes still sleepy. “Yeah?”

“The police will be looking for me, you know?”

He rubbed his eyes, sitting up to rest his face on his palm. “You’re right. What are you going to do?”

“Well, I thought about going to Mexico. Somewhere along the beach. I think the kids would like that, don’t you?”

“Mexico? The kids? You’re wanting us to run away with you?”

“Well, yeah. I thought that after last night?”

“Rach, look, last night was great, but you can’t expect us to just uproot our lives. We have things here. The house, work, the kids have school. Life on the road is no life for kids. You can’t possibly want that for them.”

“What I want is for our family to be together, that’s all I want. Wherever that’s possible. Don’t you want that too?”

“Of course I do.” He rubbed his head. “I want it to go back to normal, but imagine how awful their lives would be on the run in Mexico.”

“Imagine how awful their lives would be without a mother, Caide. There’s nothing left for us in this town. We have to leave, don’t you see? It’s the only way.”

Chapter Fifty-Nine

Rachael

“She’ll go after my kids. That’s how she’ll get him alone. She’s going to kill my kids. We have to go now.” She stood up, walking toward the door.

“Hold on a second, Rachael. You can’t just rush out of here without a plan.”

“I don’t need a plan. I need to save my kids.”

Argus rushed to her side, holding her arms. “You’re only putting them in more danger if we don’t think this through. We have about six hours, that’s it. If we can catch her with your family we’ll call the police. They don’t monitor you while you’re here but once the time goes up, they’ll know you aren’t where you’re supposed to be and they’ll come after us. That means Shayna and I could lose our licenses, we could go to jail. We need to find out if she’s at your house. Listen to me, Rachael, if she is not there, you have to come back. Don’t go see your kids. Don’t confront her, do you hear me?” He held her face in his palms. “We know she’s dangerous. As long as Caide is there, we have to believe your kids are safe. Don’t let him leave that house alone.” He turned to Shayna. “We should disguise her, in case she’s seen.”

Shayna took off her jacket, throwing it over Rachael’s shoulders and pulling up the hood. She ran to her desk and pulled out a pair of large sunglasses, pushing them up onto Rachael’s nose. “You be careful,” she said firmly.

“I’ll follow you. I’ll stay a few cars behind, but don’t do anything stupid, okay?” Argus asked her.

Rachael nodded. Then, before she could stop herself, she pressed her lips to his, just briefly. His mouth was soft and warm. He smiled at her when she pulled away, his eyes saying what he couldn’t. She turned to the door, rushing outside.

“Rachael, take my car,” Shayna yelled after her. Rachael took the keys to Shayna’s little blue car and jumped in. It had been months since she’d driven a car and every ounce of adrenaline pulsed through her veins. She pulled out of the parking lot with ease and turned left.
Please hold on babies, Mommy’s coming for you.

***

Hampton

Hampton pulled into the Abbott’s driveway minutes after Rachael. Shayna’s car sat parked, but Rachael was nowhere in sight. The house looked dark from outside. Argus cautiously made his way toward the house, cursing Rachael for not following the plan.

“You looking for someone?” A voice from next door made Hampton jump.

Embarrassed, he turned to see an elderly lady in a pink snow suit. She held her mail in one gloved hand. “I’m looking for the people who live here. Have you seen them?”

“The Abbotts? Isn’t it awful what they’re saying about Mrs. Abbott? I don’t believe it for a second and I’ll tell that to any reporter who’ll listen. I tell you, I couldn’t ask for a better neighbor. She’s been in my prayers every night since. Say, what business have you got with the Abbotts anyway?”

“I’m her lawyer. She asked me to relay a message to her husband. Do you know where he is? It’s important.”

“Well, I think she beat you to it.” The woman smirked.

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, I guess she got released or something. She was here this morning with him. They loaded a bunch of suitcases into the car and they left.”

“Rachael was with them? You’re sure?”

“Yes. Him, her, and the two children. Looked like they’d be gone for a while too. Sure was a lot of suitcases.”

He cursed under his breath. “What time was this?”

“Oh, I don’t know. It was early. I’d say about six or seven.”

“You didn’t happen to hear where they were going, did you?”

“No. No, I sure didn’t.” She paused, looking troubled. “You’re her lawyer, you say?”

“Yes. I’m Argus Hampton, Rachael’s lawyer. I just want to help her.”

“I did hear Mrs. Abbott tell the little girl that wherever they were going, it’d be warm.”

“Thanks,” Hampton yelled, rushing into the house in a panic.

Rachael jumped up, swinging a baseball bat at him. “Rachael.” He narrowly ducked out of the way.

“Argus? Oh, God. I could’ve killed you.
Don’t do that
.”

“I’m sorry.” He pulled her into a hug. “Listen, they’re already gone. I talked to your neighbor. She said they left this morning with their bags packed. All four of them.”

“She’s with them? What are we going to do? She can’t hurt them. Where were they going?”

“I don’t know. She said they were going someplace warm. Do you guys have a vacation house? Somewhere Caide may take you to hide?”

“No, we don’t take vacations. Caide could never get the time off.” She sat down on the couch, her head in her hands. “How can this be happening? We barely missed them.” Tears welled in her eyes and she allowed herself to sob. Hampton placed his arms around her shoulders, rocking her back and forth.

Suddenly an idea struck him. “Rachael, I think I have a plan.”

Chapter Sixty

Caide

Caide listened to his children sing along with the radio. They seemed so happy for the first time in months. Rachael sat beside him, staring out the window, smiling. She seemed strangely carefree for a fugitive on the run.

Suddenly his phone rang.
What the hell?

The screen read:
Home Calling
.

“Who is it?” Rachael asked.

“I don’t know.” Caide feared the worst: that the police had infiltrated the house and they were on their tail now. He had to keep up appearances if there were looking for Rachael, at least until they were safely out of the country.

“Hello?”

“Repeat after me: Yes, Brinley did have her last shots done. I must’ve forgotten to bring an updated record down.”

“Huh?” The voice was familiar. He could’ve sworn it was Rachael. “Who is this?”

“Caide. Repeat it. Then I’ll explain. Please.”

“Um, yes. She did get her shots. I guess I forgot to bring an updated record in.”

“Good, now listen to me. The woman you are with is not who you think she is. This is Rachael. This is your wife.” The whispered voice came through the line.

“Is this some kind of joke?” He glanced at the screen again.

“Oh my God, shut up. Listen to me, your worst fear is drowning because you never learned to swim. We named Davis after Dave Collier, who you’ll never admit is your favorite actor to anyone but me. You like green tea more than coffee. You’ve never watched sports of any kind. Your favorite flavor of ice cream is vanilla.” She took a deep breath. “It’s me, okay. It’s really me. I don’t have time to explain, just know that the woman you are with right now is dangerous. Very dangerous. Where are you?”

Caide looked to the Rachael, who may not actually be Rachael, sitting beside him. This felt crazy. How was he supposed to answer that in code? Was this some sort of trap? Why were there two Rachaels?

“Um, well, I couldn’t bring you a copy today. We’re on a family trip to Valdosta, Georgia. I’d be happy to bring it in later this week.”

He heard Rachael on the phone, who also might not be Rachael, heave a sigh of relief. “Thank you. Please stop there. What exit will you be at?”

“Um, I believe she had those on,” he said, looking desperately for an exit sign. “On the forty-eighth.” He could’ve slapped himself as the words came out of his mouth. “I mean, April eighth. Four eighth.” He laughed nervously. The Rachael in the car with him who may or may not be Rachael didn’t seem to notice or care about his blunder.

“Oh, thank you,” the Rachael on the phone said. “Please stop there. Go to a hotel. Keep the kids safe and don’t upset her. I’ll drive that way. Ask her questions, you’ll see that I’m telling the truth. Then, if you believe me, call me and tell me where you’re staying.”

“Thanks.” Caide hung up his phone, looking over at Rachael who may not be Rachael.

She smiled at him. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, that was Brinley’s teacher. She needs her updated vaccination records.”

“Oh, okay.” She twirled her hair around her finger, biting a piece of skin around her nail.

Thinking quickly, he looked at her. “What was her name again? I can never remember.”

Rachael, maybe not Rachael, frowned. “You know I’m bad with names, Caide. I can’t think of it either.”

“Right. Hey, let’s stop here for the night.”

“What? It’s still early.” Probably-not-Rachael scooted forward in her seat.

“We’re two states away from home and the kids are sleepy. It’s time for us to stop and eat. They need their rest.”

“Whatever. But we’ve got to make better time tomorrow,” she said, annoyance in her voice.

“Of course. Besides, we can all go swimming in the hotel pool. Just like we did last summer. You know how I love to swim.” Caide smiled nervously at her.

“Oh, of course. Yeah, that was fun. My little fish.” She patted his cheek lovingly.

Everything in Caide’s body turned ice cold. Chills crept down his spine. He grinned at Rachael, who was definitely not Rachael. She smiled back, blissfully unaware that she’d been found out. This felt like some crazy movie, rather than real life. He wished he’d brought a weapon: the bat, a gun, anything to protect his family. Of course, he hadn’t. Desperation filled his head as he veered off onto the exit, trying to act casually. His heart felt as though it were sure to explode in his chest at any moment.

***

Rachael

Rachael pulled into the hotel parking lot Caide had told her about. It was nearly six, which meant the police would notice she was gone shortly, if they hadn’t already. She had merely minutes and no real plan at all. In her rearview mirror, she saw Argus’ truck pull in behind her. The cool metal of the gun her father had owned poked into her hip. It felt out of place on her. She climbed out of the car as Argus approached her. The rundown motel had blue doors and rusting white handrails.

“Let’s go,” Argus told her.

“Argus, I need you to wait out here.” She held her hand up.

“What?” He shook his head. “No. You aren’t going in there alone.”

“My family is in there. I need you to be out here in case she makes a run for it. I know you want to protect me, but this is something I’ve got to face on my own. Besides that, I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.”

“Rachael, no. I don’t like it.”

“I’m the one with a gun. You’d be of no use except as a weakness to me. I can’t let you get hurt because of me. I’ll be okay. We don’t have time to argue.”

“Nothing crazy.” He made her swear.

“Nothing crazy.”

“Don’t try to play hero. Get your kids, get Caide, and get out. The police are surely already on our trail. They’ll be here soon.”

“Right.” She nodded.

“Remember what I said: don’t shoot her. Whatever you do, do not shoot her. The gun is to scare her. Get her locked in a bathroom or something if you can. Knock her out if you have to. Safety is the first concern, but we need her here and we need her alive when the police get here. That’s the only way we’ll clear your name.” He spoke firmly, emphasizing his words.

“Okay.” She turned to walk away.

“And, Rachael?”

“Yeah?” She spun back to him.

“Please be careful. We know what she’s capable of.”

“I’ll be fine, Argus. I promise.”

“If things go bad in there, if you are in danger, you get out. You’ve got the element of surprise. You’ve got the upper hand here.”

Rachael nodded. He kissed her cheek, resting his lips there for a short time. Rachael listened to the erratic way he breathed. “Thank you for everything.”

He smiled at her sadly and then nodded toward the motel. She turned, walking quietly up the rusty metal stairs and down the balcony until she reached room one hundred and four. She pressed her palm to the doorknob, feeling the cold metal beneath her hand, and turned.
Click.
It was locked.
So much for the element of surprise.
She pounded on the door.

Silence. No one spoke to announce that they were coming. She heard no footsteps. She waited a few more moments, ready to knock again, but stopped as she heard a soft click from the other side of the door. It opened slightly, enough for her to squeeze in. She pushed it open further. It took a second for her eyes to adjust to the dimly lit room, but when she did she recognized the two figures on the bed. “Brin? Davis?” she shouted, losing sight of the moment and running toward her children. The door slammed shut behind her and she whirled around to see her twin, nearly a mirror image of herself, standing behind the door. She held a knife, long and sharp, against Caide’s neck.

“Caide!” She gasped.

“Ah, ah, ah, not too loud, Rach,” the twin hissed. Rachael froze, aware of the gun’s weight on her side. Upon getting a closer look at the Rachael, the twin’s jaw dropped. “Holy mother, you really do look just like me.”

“I know.” Rachael backed up toward the bed, feeling her children tugging on her shirt. “You’re my sister.”

“Mommy, what’s going on?”

“It’s okay, Brin. It’s okay.”

“Why are there two mommies?”

“Shh, Davis.” Rachael cooed.

“Shut up.” The twin screeched.

Rachael snapped her attention back to the twin.

“Sister? What the hell are you talking about? I don’t have any sisters.”

Did she loosen the knife on Caide’s neck or was that Rachael’s imagination?

“You’re wrong. I am your sister, your twin sister. We were separated at birth.” Rachael eased forward half a step.

“You’re a liar.” The twin twisted the tip of the knife into Caide’s neck. “You just don’t want me to hurt your precious little husband.”

“No.” Rachael held her hand up. “I was born on June 21, 1971 at La Rue Baptist Hospital, same as you. The nurse separated us.”

“How do you know?” the twin asked, looking genuinely interested, though the knife remained steady.

“Look, I can explain it all, just please let him go. Let Caide go and we can talk. This doesn’t have to end badly.”

“Let him go so you can call the cops?”

“I don’t even have a phone. No cops. Just let my family go. This is between me and you.”

“No one leaves this room. No one.”

“You don’t want to hurt him. You like him, don’t you? That’s why you did this? For Caide?” Rachael asked, her voice quivering.

The twin’s face sunk.

“That’s why you killed Blaire, right? And Audrey?” The name hung in her throat. She ignored the distraught look on Caide’s face, telling her he didn’t know. “That’s why you wanted me out of the way, right? You like him. You can’t honestly want to kill him.” Rachael’s heart pounded. She watched the twin push the knife into Caide’s neck until the skin surrounding it was pure white, then she released him.

“You wearing a wire or something?” the twin asked, walking away from Caide and to Rachael, her knife drawn.

“No,” Rachael said, her hands held up in surrender.

“Go to the bathroom, kids. Don’t come out,” Caide yelled, rubbing his neck.

Rachael was relieved to see that Davis’ cast was finally off. She heard tiny footsteps run away and heaved a sigh of relief as the door shut. The twin placed the knife on Rachael’s chest, pressing down. She ran it down her stomach, cutting her shirt open to reveal a bare, unwired chest. Rachael winced in pain, but refused to scream as warm blood trickled down her chest, toward her navel.

The twin lowered her knife.

Rachael attempted to cover herself back up. Her twin walked to the counter, facing them, her knife still grasped firmly in her hand. “So, why are you here Rachael? To avenge your friend? To save your family? Did you think you’d just march in here and save the day?”

“I came for my family. That’s all I want. I just want them safe.”

“And you? You’ll just go on back to jail?”

“I’m not out to get you. I haven’t told anyone about you. Take me. Kill me, and it’ll look like I escaped. Just please let them go.”

“Rach—” Caide choked out.

“You really just want them safe?”

“Yes.”

“Even though your family didn’t realize they were with a complete stranger all day?”

“Even though.”

“Even though he hasn’t done anything but disrespect you and whore around on you since the day you were married?”

It stung. Rachael held back her tears, keeping her face still. “Even though.”

“Oh, oh, wait a second. I’m wrong. It was before you were married, wasn’t it?” The twin cackled.

“Excuse me?”

“The spring of ninety-four, were you married then?”

Rachael shook her head, unable to speak.

“That’s when I met Caide. That’s why I’m here.” The twin looked at Caide, a smile growing on her face. “That’s why we’re all here.”

“What are you talking about?” Caide asked.

“Don’t act like you don’t remember our night together, love. The next time I saw you, you had a bouncing, baby brat. She had to have been four or five. If my math is correct that means you were together on the night we met, right?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, gosh.” She smiled. “It’s the blonde hair. You see, I’ve never been much of a fan of it but Rachael here does seem to pull it off nicely.” The twin approached Rachael, circling her. She tugged at a string of Rachael’s hair. “Picture me, if you will, with very dark, dark hair. A red dress. Cosmo in my hand.” She winked at Caide. He continued to stare at her. “Staring across the bar at you in a little dive bar called Charles’? No, what was that bar? It started with a ‘C’.”