Evans Creek Book 2: In Good Hands

Chapter 37

Suzie could only stare.

He was smiling. She could see it when he looked at her in the mirror. Little lines crinkled in the corners and she could see the amusement like a light shining in his eyes.

He just said that he killed a woman and he was smiling!

Suzie blinked.

Then she swallowed.

And she swallowed again before she tried to speak, since it was clear that he was waiting for a reply from her.

"Um..." she licked her lips and swallowed once more before she could get a word past her heart where it lodged in her throat. "Are you going to kill me too?"

What was she saying! She shouldn't put the idea in his head.

He laughed.

Out loud this time.

Suzie's heart was pounding. She clamped her teeth tight to keep them from chattering. She suddenly felt so very cold, although it was quite warm in the car, despite the storm that was blowing outside.

"No." he winked.

He actually winked.

Suzie felt sick all of the sudden.

"You see, I need you. For now, at least. There is an outstanding warrant out for the arrest of Jonathan Gregory Price, a commodities trader from Philadelphia. The charges against Jon include a number of things, including the murder of Barbara Eastland. Incidentally, between you, me, and Brody, it was an accident. No one believes me, but there it is."

"If it was an accident then—"

"Save it, sister." Jack snapped as the humor disappeared from his eyes, returning them to cold icy orbs. "I went all through that with the police when I was in the hospital. Oh yes, don't look so surprised. I'm sure the police visited you in the hospital after your accident. They asked you all sorts of questions, didn't they?"

Suzie nodded.

"Go ahead. I can see you want to ask."

"How did she die?"

"It was a boating accident. She'd never driven a speedboat. I told her I would show her how. But we partied a little too much and she threw a fit when I told her she couldn't drive. She whined so pathetically that I finally gave in, just to spare my pounding head. She capsized the boat and nearly killed me."

"What?"

"You heard me right. She was driving and she caused the accident. I broke my collar bone and nearly drowned. Barbie didn't get anything more than a few bruises. But she was so drunk that she passed out and she drowned."

"I don't understand. How can they say that you killed her?"

Not that she had any empathy for the man that had terrorized her for months, all the while pretending friendship, but that sounded crazy.

"Because, my dear, the boat was mine. And it needed some maintenance that I hadn't gotten around to handling yet. They seemed to feel that it was deliberate on my part. I managed to get out of town before the trial started."

"How long have you been hiding?"

Shut up Suzie! She mentally shouted at herself.

"About five years now. I've spent the last three years in Evans Creek. It was a nice place, as far as backwater towns go. A nice place to disappear. And then that celebrity came to town. He started building that great big mansion and then the paparazzi came. I decided it was time for me to leave before I ended up in a picture where someone could recognize me."