Blood Moon (Bear Sheriff Book 1) Page 14

  Marcus decided to keep silent. It was for the best. She was a grown woman, and whatever they might have had only minutes ago was now gone. He’d taken it and thrown it away.

  She left without another word and Marcus sat there alone for nearly half an hour.

  His ears perked up and he turned his eyes back to the bend in the driveway that led up to his house. Someone was driving up – and it wasn’t Angie coming back home. His eyes narrowed when he saw the all too familiar truck winding up the driveway and then park next to his borrowed police car.

  Joanna Rivers had never been to his house before, and judging by the look on her face, she never would be again.

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Sheriff?” she yelled as she approached him. He stayed seated. Marcus had no intention to rise to her bait, both figuratively and literally. “My brother is innocent!”

  “Of what crime?” Marcus asked, his voice icy. He’d wanted Joanna Rivers’ support. He wanted to be a member of the community, but the fact was, Jimmy Rivers had broken the law and he deserved to pay.

  “You know he didn’t kill Dean Copeland.”

  Marcus didn’t answer right away. Truth be told, that had been something that had been bouncing around in his head. Jimmy Rivers had been adamant that he hadn’t killed Dean Copeland. He said he found Copeland’s body and fled, then panicked when Marcus had approached him with a gun. He’d said he realized he was going to prison either way and he’d made a rash decision.

  He shot Angie. Tried to kill me. That much I’m certain of… But… It doesn’t add up.

  Marcus had always been able to get a good read on people. He chalked it up to his Shifter sense, and unless Jimmy Rivers was an excellent liar, then he hadn’t killed Dean Copeland.

  But if he didn’t… Then who did?

  Marcus had spent the last few days with these thoughts rattling around. Copeland had garnered sympathy for his son’s death. The whole town was rallying behind him, rebelling against the Rivers and their empire over the town.

  Marcus was tired. He told himself it was over. Jimmy Rivers was the killer, and he was locked up over in Charming now. He’d be going to prison soon enough, and Marcus intended to testify against him.

  But something doesn’t feel right.

  “You know it’s true,” Joanna Rivers told him. “My brother didn’t kill Copeland.”

  Marcus rose and said, “I can’t prove that one way or another. The evidence points towards it. But he did shoot at me and he almost killed that woman. He’s not innocent by any means.”

  “But he’s not a murderer, Sheriff,” Joanna said. “And I can tell you know that.”

  “I’m just doing my job, Miss Rivers,” Marcus said and avoided the question. “And that’s all I can do.”

  She got in his face then and for the briefest of moments, he recoiled at her ferocity. “That’s bullshit, Sheriff. He didn’t killed Dean Copeland, and he definitely didn’t kill that poor girl – so that means you have the wrong man behind bars. There’s still a killer out there.” Marcus didn’t answer. There was silence between the two of them for some time.

  “What do you want me to say, Joanna?” Marcus finally asked. “That your brother didn’t kill Copeland or Erica? Because if you want me to, I will. I don’t think he did. But he did try to kill me, and he did try to kill Angie – and he almost succeeded. That’s something I can’t let go so easily.”

  “Then don’t pin the murder on him, Sheriff. You know the Mayor and everyone else already has. I thought you were better than that.”

  He considered it a moment. “Fine. I’ll go talk to him and look into it a little more. But there’s no guarantee you’ll like what I find. Because everything points to your brother killing Dean Copeland.”

  “It may point to it, but he didn’t do it,” she said. Then she added, “Thank you, Sheriff. I do appreciate whatever you’ll do.”

  Marcus knew she was trying to lure him into helping her, just like she had before. She would promise him anything he wanted to hear as long as he helped her.

  I can be part of this town. No matter what Copeland says, or does.

  “I know you’re a good man, Marcus,” she told him, and lightly touched his arm. Marcus pulled away with a grimace. She didn’t seem phased. “My brother told me you were a good man. After you broke up the fight and hauled him and Stu away, all while the Mayor was watching. After that, I knew you couldn’t be bought by the Mayor.”

  Marcus grunted. “The bar fight?”

  Joanna nodded.

  There was something there… Something she’d said, that was tickling the back of his mind. I know you’re a good man, Marcus. My brother told me you were a good man. Him and Stu.

  All while the Mayor was watching.

  The Mayor was watching?

  The Mayor was watching.

  That means he was in the bar that night…

  Marcus thought back to when he investigated Butchie – the man had said that the Copelands were there that night. Marcus had taken it to mean that Stu and Cliff. But…

  The Mayor was there, too. Seated way in the back. Out of sight. He was the one person in there I didn’t interview. The one person I’ve been looking for.

  The one person who could have followed Angie and Erica back to their rooms that night, the one person I’ve been hunting.

  It can’t be. The Mayor couldn’t have killed Erica. Couldn’t have went after Angie. I smelled Dean…

  And Dean worked for his father. Dean would have done anything for his father. Like going to Angie’s room, late at night, to finish the job that his father started…

  Everything clicked into place neatly. Dean Copeland hadn’t been the killer – not for lack of trying, anyway. And Jimmy Rivers, contrary to popular belief, wasn’t the killer either.

  The killer was none other than Mayor Irving Copeland.

  That means… That means that he killed his own son.

  The thought made Marcus physically sick to his stomach. What kind of man could do that? What could Copeland want so bad that he would kill innocents and even one of his own blood?

  Marcus knew what he wanted, though. He wanted to make Charming big. He wanted Charming to be popular. And what better way to put Charming on the map than to have a high profile murder case? A famous developer and her assistant, slain – it would be high profile enough.

  Unsure of what Copeland’s end game was, and realizing right then that it didn’t matter – Marcus knew he had to act.

  Angie is with him. She’s been with him for too long. This is just the opportunity he needs.

  “It’s Copeland,” Marcus muttered. He ran inside and grabbed his belt, putting it on then checking that his revolver was loaded, and then he was out the door and running down the driveway.

  “It’s who? What?” Joanna Rivers was asking, jogging after Marcus – but he wasn’t paying any attention to her. He reached his borrowed police cruiser and hopped in.

  “Call the Haven PD,” Marcus yelled as he rolled down the window. “Get some backup over to Mayor Copeland’s office!”

  Joanna Rivers looked confused, but she nodded just the same and moved off to her car. Marcus didn’t wait to see if she grabbed her phone or not – he kicked the car into reverse, spun it around, and was tearing out of his driveway faster than was safe. A couple of the cows scattered from the fence as he tore past it, lights and sirens turned on with the flick of a switch.

  It wasn’t far to town, but it seemed to take longer than ever before. Marcus usually enjoyed the drive, but he knew his time was running out. Angie had been gone for nearly 45 minutes – more than enough time for Copeland to do whatever it was he needed to do.

  I should never have let her go. I let her walk right into a trap, and I knew something wasn’t right. Deep down, in my gut, I knew that Jimmy Rivers wasn’t the killer. I knew that whoever had done it was still walking free.

  Why did I ignore that feeling in my gut?

  I’m too late. I kn
ow I’m too late. After everything, after everything we’ve been through and everything I’ve done, I’m going to let it happen again. I’m going to let the woman I love die…

  I can’t.

  Marcus thought back to earlier in the morning. They’d had a moment – more than a moment, and he’d ruined it. He’d taken everything good, taken all of Angie – and ruined it. Ignored her. Pushed her away, all because he was selfish and couldn’t bring himself to move on, and to let go.

  I had a chance. A real chance to move on with my life. A real chance for happiness. Not only for me, but for Angie.

  I could have been happy.

  We could have been happy.

  And he’d ruined it. He’d let her walk out of the door, straight into the killer’s arms. All because he was too focused on himself.

  If I can’t get to her…

  If I’m too late…

  That’s on me. If I’m too late, it was my fault. I killed her.

  Please, don’t let it be too late. Please.

  Marcus tore into Charming, driving faster than he ever had in his life.

  Please, Angie. I’m so, so sorry.

  Chapter 23

  “Charming’s been dying for a long time now. Drying up, if you will. Sure – we have a growing cattle empire, courtesy of the Rivers’ – but one thing we distinctly lack, as you know, is people.”

  Angie sat across from Mayor Copeland. She been sitting with him for nearly half an hour, yet they hadn’t done much. She chalked it up to his mourning for his son, though he’d yet to touch on it too much.

  “So, I thought – how do I get more people to visit Charming? To come live in Charming? And the answer to that, of course, is you, Angie,” he told her with a smile. She returned it and listened to his spiel. “You know how to bring life to these kind of places. Look at those neighborhoods in Chicago, for God’s sake! It was dangerous to even drive a car down the street! And now, look at it! A booming community, small local businesses, one of the better school districts in the city!”

  “Thank you, Irving,” she told him.

  “And I thought, she can do this. Here. In Charming. It’s bigger than a single neighborhood, of course – but look! You already have one successful business, and more can definitely help!”

  “You’re right, Irving, so let’s –”

  “But!”

  “But?”

  “It’s not enough, not really. A couple of businesses here and there – yes, they’re enough to keep people around. Enough to help people realize maybe Charming isn’t so bad. But it’s not enough to bring people in. Not really. Who is going to move here to visit a coffee shop? A coffee shop? That would be ridiculous!”

  “Mayor?” she asked, confused. He was suddenly getting off topic, almost at odds with what he had been saying previously. “I thought we discussed this. It’s not going to be an overnight thing. We bring in businesses, then people to work there. They’ll want to buy houses. More houses leads to a school. It’s all a long process, but it can be done.”

  “It can’t,” he hissed. He stood up and walked to one of his windows, looking down at the city street. “Charming is nothing. Nothing.”

  Angie felt an icy chill shiver through her. She’d been uneasy ever since she’d been shot. Whether Marcus – or anyone else, for that fact – thought that Jimmy Rivers was the killer didn’t mean she did. Nothing added up.

  While Mayor Copeland had been talking down the Rivers family these past few weeks, mourning the death of his son, calling Jimmy Rivers a murderer and talking to the press – Angie had been sitting back, unsure of what was going on.

  And there was a growing dread in the pit of her stomach.

  Copeland turned around, pinching the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger.

  “You do see where I’m coming from, don’t you, Angie?”

  “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, Irving,” she whispered, getting to her feet. “But I think I have to go. I just remembered –”

  “Sit down,” he whispered. When she didn’t comply, he yelled, “Sit down!”

  Angie sat down.

  “Charming is as good as dead, and let me tell you this isn’t where I want to spend the rest of my years. Managing a dead end town with a coffee shop and one Sheriff who’s a freak. Fighting with another family who wants to keep this damn town in the Stone Age,” he said, leaning on the table. His eyes, which had previously been so boring, were now blazing. “And I knew I had to do something.”

  “You killed Erica,” Angie said, shaking.

  He shrugged. “I did.”

  She could feel tears forming in her eyes. “And you tried to kill me… And you killed your own son.”

  “I didn’t want to, you know. But Dean and I – well, we weren’t on the best terms as it was. He wanted to go with his junkie ex-wife, take his kid, and leave town. I couldn’t have that. I blackmailed him. My own son… Can you believe that? I told him he had to help me kill you, and then I would let him go. And Dean… Well, let’s just say that he’s done a lot for me over the years. It was just one last favor for his old man, you know? And when I talked to him in that cell, I knew he was going to break. I had to do something.”

  “You’ve lost your mind…”

  “Don’t you get it?” he asked. “Don’t you understand? I don’t want to be the mayor of some shithole like Charming. I want to move up in the world!” He glanced at a portrait of one of his ancestors. “See, they thought Charming would grow. And it never did under their leadership. And look at me. I never had a chance, not really.

  “But… If Charming became, let’s say, a little bit more popular – and I was the one that solved the problem, well, then – I would become just a bit more respected.”

  “You’re insane!” Angie yelled. “That will never work! That’s not how the real world works! You can’t murder people and solve it and move up in the world!”

  He shrugged again. “You won’t be around to find out, I fear. And it was never anything personal. You were just too famous, too well known, for your own good.”

  Angie found herself crying. She angrily wiped the tears away. “Who are you going to blame it on this time? Jimmy Rivers is already locked up, he can’t take the fall for this one.”

  “But his sister can,” the Mayor said. “I know she’s been talking to the Sheriff. Trust me – it doesn’t look well. And he’s well known around here, and extremely well-disliked. It’s all set up, I’m afraid.”

  “Someone will find out, you know. Marcus will.”

  “Marcus will die, too, soon enough,” Copeland uttered. “And no one will suspect me. After all, my son is dead. I can’t be the killer.”

  “So, that’s your plan, is it?” Angie asked, trying to stop her shaking hands. She wiped at her eyes. “Just kill everyone that stands in your way. Take credit for pinning the murder on your long time family rivals. Get well known around here, and what? Become the Mayor of Haven? Somewhere just a bit bigger? Shake hands with politicians?”

  “You’re awfully smart,” Copeland told her. He walked around his desk and opened up the draw, pulling out an extremely dangerous looking knife.

  The murder weapon. It has to be.

  “But it won’t save you now. Because smart though may you be, you still walked right in here.”

  “You’re going to kill me here? I thought you were smarter than that, Copeland.”

  His laugh was rich and completely dangerous. He really was insane.

  I never should have come here. I should have stayed with Marcus.

  Marcus…

  He doesn’t want me anymore. He wants nothing to do with me.

  Those thoughts hit her harder than she would have expected, especially considering that Copeland was approaching around the desk, the knife held high.

  She didn’t know why, but she thought of Marcus and how he had made her feel. She was still confused about why he’d turned away from her, but that wasn’t what she focused on. He had mad
e her feel good. Better than good. He had done what no one else had ever been able to do. Made her feel like a person, cared for by someone else.

  Because no matter what he says or does, he cares for me. I can tell that much. And I care for him, even if I shouldn’t. Even if he’s rugged, absolutely stuck in his past, and doesn’t know how just to be with me.

  I can show him.

  Angie smiled then.

  Then she sprang into action. She jumped up, kicking the chair out of the way. Copeland lunged for her, but she was quicker. She ran around his desk, her back to the windows, both of them moving clockwise around it.

  “This can’t go on forever, Angie,” he whispered. “Just give up and go easily, just like your friend.”

  They had spun around until she was back in her original position. She grabbed her purse from the desk, reached inside of it, and grabbed the small pistol she’d used previously to shoot Marcus.

  Copeland’s face paled, but he didn’t stop moving around the desk. She spun away from him.

  “You won’t do it,” he said, voice venomous. “You’re a bitch that doesn’t have the guts to do it!”

  “Stay back,” she whispered, hands shaking so much she could hardly hold the gun.

  Back to the front of the desk, then the back, then the front. Spinning and spinning; she didn’t know how many times they went around the desk.

  And then Copeland lunged for her. Angie screamed, trying to duck away, and pulled the trigger. The noise was deafening. But Copeland didn’t scream in pain and he didn’t stop.

  Angie fell backwards onto the desk, feeling a paperweight jab into her back. Copeland was on her then, bringing the knife down towards her stomach. The gun went flying and Angie grabbed his arm with both of her hands, trying to hold him up – but he put all of his weight into his arm and pushed downwards.

  The knife inched closer to her stomach. Inch by inch, it crept downward.