Page 23 of Colton in the Wild
“The police found his journal, and he’d been planning this for over a year. His delusion was that Caroline was his girlfriend and her parents were keeping her away from him. The original plan was to break in, kill them and take her away with him. He got the first part done. He stabbed them to death in their own bed. Then he drugged Caroline, dressed her and started to carry her out of the house. But…she woke up.”
“And she fought,” Hetty said softly. “She was a Colton, so she fought.”
It was odd, to feel a spark of warmth amid this shocking, sorry tale, but her words had done it. He was also a little puzzled that she hadn’t yet asked why he was telling her all this. But now that he’d started, he kept on. Because if there was anyone he knew who would listen and understand, it was Hetty.
“Yes, she did. And he ended up strangling her to death. Then he put her on the living room couch, sat down beside her and arranged them in…a loving pose. Then he committed suicide with an overdose of what he’d drugged her with. Uncle Will and Eli found them.”
Her eyes widened even further, reflecting what light there was. “No wonder Eli does what he does.”
Spence nodded. “Took me a while to put the two together, but yeah.”
“You weren’t even born when all this happened.”
“No. And they didn’t talk about it, like I said.”
“Too painful,” she guessed. “I’m so sorry, Spence.”
He shrugged. It wasn’t burrowed as deep into his psyche as it was with his father, Uncle Will and Eli, who had been eight years old at the time. Mitchell had been barely five and Parker only a baby, so their experience was much like Spence’s. But Eli had been older, and had been at the scene. He used to think he could never imagine what it must have been like for his cousin to see those bodies.
Now he had a much clearer idea. He was going to carry the image of that woman out there for the rest of his life.
“Anyway,” Spence went on, trying to shake it all off, “that’s it. The press never quit on it, harassing the family, even showing up at Eli’s school, so they finally packed it in and moved here.”
“I’m glad about that part.”
Hetty hadn’t sounded like herself when she’d said it. In fact, she’d sounded almost shy. He wanted to interpret her words as she was glad he was there. But big as his ego was, he couldn’t quite do it. And she went on so quickly, changing the subject, he was sure he was right.
“I wonder…do you think that woman out there might be someone authorities were looking for and never found?”
“Could be. That’s what I was thinking, so I took some pictures.” Her eyes widened and he hastened to explain. “Something I picked up from Kansas. They need a record of the scene.”
She nodded in understanding and gave him a small smile. “Kansas taught you well.”
“She’s just always talked about not disturbing the scene if they find…someone dead.”
That Hetty could have also died, had the assailant been a better shot, was something he didn’t want to dwell on. He went over to where he’d dropped his backpack and dug for a couple of the emergency ration bars he always carried. There was a pack of twelve inside, which was enough to get them both through until somebody from RTA got to the site.
At least you didn’t leave the pack in the shed, idiot.Spence sighed in frustration.
“What’s wrong?” Hetty asked.
His anger at himself must have showed on his face.
“Nothing,” he said sourly. “Other than the fact that I could have taken that guy out by now if I hadn’t left the damned rifle in the shed.” He doubted he’d ever forgive himself for that.
“There was no reason to expect…this.”
He grimaced. “And what’s that saying that’s practically the state motto? Expect the unexpected?”
“‘North to the Future’ isn’t doing it for you, huh?”
The grimace became a tight, wry half smile. “Not at the moment, no.”
“We’ll be fine,” she said quietly. “RTA will be here in the morning, and we’ll be back home by noon, I bet.”
“Maybe.”
“We’ll probably hear them when they arrive. You know how sound carries up the hill out here.”
