“Yep, it was your daddy who wanted your mama murdered. He offered me a whole lot of money to off her. But you know, Austin, I was worried about keeping the money coming in since it was your mama who ran the business, and wasn’t that a funny thing back then, particularly thirty years ago? But your daddy promised me it wouldn’t be a problem, there was lots and lots of money, and he’d be in control again once she was out of the way. Your daddy liked to gamble, went off to Las Vegas at least once a month, and Sam was giving him grief about all his losses. Maybe he thought about divorcing her, I don’t know. But what happened was that your mama figured out he was cheating on her. She had him followed, and a private investigator caught him catting around with a couple of local women. He documented it with lovely big black-and-white photos. Your mama was going to divorce him, and he couldn’t have that. She’d take all his money, and you. I guess he figured he didn’t have any choice but to have me kill her, so your daddy promised he’d get me elected sheriff of Blessed Creek for life, if that’s what I wanted, and that’s what I did want. I’d just been elected by a real narrow margin with his help, and I knew I’d need really big bucks to keep this job come the next election. It’s amazing how well people treat you if you’ve got some money to spend, and your old man has paid me well over the years. It was sure a blessing for both of us that he married a rich woman in Boston, since he has no talent with money. His folks were right about that.
“You know something else, Austin? Your grandparents drowned in the lake, so drunk they couldn’t even swim back to the frigging boat. I’ve wondered if maybe your daddy made their martinis really strong, or maybe added a little something extra. You know, I think they were about ready to acknowledge to the world that he wasn’t quite right, that he was a real loser with money. But who cares when all’s said and done?”
“So you two planned to murder her the day of my sixth birthday party.”
“Everybody was there. It was a really big deal. There were so many people there, laughing, eating. After I made sure your daddy was surrounded by a dozen people so he’d have an alibi, I followed your mama to the bathroom and stabbed her in the heart. It was real easy.
“Only thing is, I looked up, and there you were, standing there, eyes wide as an owl’s.”
Martin said slowly, “And then you took my hands, told me Mommy would be all right, and you took me up to the attic.”
“Fancy you remembering that. Your daddy was really pissed that you’d witnessed the murder, didn’t know how you’d managed to slip away from all those kids you were playing with. That’s when I put you in the attic, told you to stay there or something really bad would happen to you. We decided to leave you up there in the attic, in a nice dark corner, let you think about things. We left you there for a good hour, until Old Emily found your mother’s body. That’s when I had to get you down, before people started looking for you. You were so freaked out I nearly had to drag you out of the attic. You didn’t say a word, just gave me this blank look.
“Your daddy got you out of there fast, right after the funeral. I think he was afraid I was planning how to kill you, and he was right about that. I hate loose ends. Another accident, I would have come up with something. You didn’t speak for a month, and when you did, it was obvious you didn’t remember anything, you had amnesia and your daddy didn’t think you’d ever remember. And after a while I thought, Who’d believe a little kid anyway, without any proof? Why take the chance of another killing? So there’s your truth, but don’t ever think you can do anything with it. There wasn’t ever a lick of proof, I made sure of that since I was the sheriff, responsible for investigating Samantha’s murder. No murder weapon, no witnesses, no suspects. Well, the husband, there’s always the husband, but he was pouring drinks for a dozen party guests, a great alibi. Who killed her? Hey, I tried my best, but I couldn’t find the killer.”
Martin’s hands were tight fists at his sides. “I hope you got an ulcer worrying about me over the years.”
“Nah, you became ancient history. So you’ve found out what you wanted to know. Why not do us both a favor, get lost, and get over it. You’ve been someone else for nearly twenty years anyway. If I were you, I’d stay that person, and I’d stay away from your daddy. No telling what he’d do if you confronted him now he’s got that nice, rich wife and two daughters. He’d want to protect them from you. Hell, he might even kill you himself if you went to him and told him that you knew what he’d done.”
“Are you planning to kill me, Sheriff Harms? Not here, you wouldn’t be that stupid. But you’re afraid I’ll tell someone, aren’t you? You wouldn’t like that, it would mean a scandal, wouldn’t it, open everything up again? And there’s my father. You think I’d let him off the hook? Because of my half-sisters?” Martin walked up, grabbed the sheriff’s shirt collar in his fists, and shouted right in his face, “For the love of God, you crazy hick, he hired you to kill my mother! My mother!”
Sheriff Harms said very quietly, “Step away from me, boy, or I’ll heave you out the door. Believe me now. If you do ever say anything, ever lay your hands on me again, I’ll kill you and your wife. Count on it. Now get out, Austin.”
Martin stepped back, lifted his right arm, and unbuttoned his cuff. He shook his wrist, and Sheriff Harms saw the small gold medical alert bracelet. “This is my wire, Sheriff. Things have progressed, haven’t they? Everything you’ve said is crystal clear, for the future jury, on a tiny recorder in here. You’ve been had, Sheriff.”
“I see you think you’ve been pretty smart about this, don’t you,” Sheriff Harms said, eyes hot and dark. “But it won’t do you any good, you fucker. Your little wife either, if there even is a wife.” He looked again into the deserted street outside and raised his gun. “Okay, Austin, I don’t want to do it here, but it looks like I have to. What could I do, what with you coming in here and going crazy on me?”
A man’s deep voice said from behind him, “I don’t think so, Sheriff Harms.”
The sheriff whirled around to face the man he’d worried himself nearly sick over since that snowy night two and a half weeks before, the man who’d claimed to have seen Samantha Barrister. “You!” He started to raise the pistol, but Savich was faster. He turned, kicked out his leg so fast it was a blur, and sent the pistol flying into the front window with such force it shattered the glass and skidded on the sidewalk in front of the sheriff’s office.
Sheriff Harms yelled from the pain in his wrist, at the unfairness of it all, and lunged toward Savich.
Martin grabbed the sheriff’s injured arm, jerked him around, and sent his fist into his jaw. The sheriff staggered, but didn’t go down. Martin hit him against the side of his head, then landed a punch in his belly. The sheriff fell hard against his desk, landing facedown on the floor.
Savich stepped over him and tapped Martin’s shoulder. “Looks like you laid him right out. Good job.” He was grinning as he shook Martin’s hand. “Well done, Martin. Do you feel you got everything we came for?”
Martin grinned back as he rubbed his knuckles. “Yeah, I do.”
A Pennsylvania state trooper, Sergeant Ellis Wilkes, stepped in from the back of the office where a door led to three jail cells, then three more state troopers crowded in behind him. He stared down at the sheriff. “Imagine,” he said, “this man has been the sheriff of Blessed Creek for more than half of his life, and all of it because of a vicious, cold-blooded murder.”
Martin said, “Are you sure we’ve got enough on him?” He handed the small gold bracelet to Sergeant Wilkes.
“With the witnesses we have here today and that recorder, Sheriff Harms is toast. Oh yeah, he’s going down big time.”