Chapter 54 BREE

Chapter 54

brEE

Day 10

Bree sat on the back porch, a mug of coffee in her left hand. An ice pack balanced on the cast on her right wrist. The morning was warm, but an overnight thunderstorm had broken the excessive heat wave.

Sitting next to her, Mercy sipped her own coffee and leaned on an ice pack of her own. "When do your kids come home?"

"Tomorrow." Bree couldn't wait to see them. Her ice pack slipped, and she bobbled her coffee, nearly spilling it. "I can shoot left-handed, but everything else is a giant pain in the ass."

"You train shooting."

"I guess I should have trained off-hand shirt buttoning and tooth brushing." Bree's morning routine had been nearly comical. Hooking a bra one-handed had been ridiculously hard.

The barn door opened, and Matt led Beast to the pasture. The dogs trailed behind him and the horse. He slipped off the horse's halter and released him. Beast spun, kicked up his heels, and bucked across the grass like a colt. The other horses wisely gave him space.

Bree laughed. "A two-thousand-pound puppy."

"He's gorgeous." Mercy sighed. "I will miss your farm. I'd forgotten how relaxing farm life is."

"You're welcome to visit anytime. Next time, we'll plan on a ride."

Mercy smiled. "I'd like that."

"I'm grateful the wildfire didn't come anywhere near here."

"Me too."

Matt approached the back porch, worry in his eyes. Bree's night in the hospital had been restless. Exhaustion and the pain meds had knocked her out as soon as she'd climbed into her own bed last night. The few times pain had woken her, he'd been up in a second to bring her a glass of water, a pill, or a fresh ice pack. Now, his eyes searched hers, clearly looking for signs of discomfort. "Todd called this morning. He's going to stop by. Are you up for it?"

"Yes. I want to know everything," she said.

Matt sent a text, then brought out some toast with peanut butter and refilled Bree's and Mercy's coffee mugs. By the time they'd eaten, Todd drove up in his patrol vehicle. He walked up onto the back porch and sat on the railing. "How are you both?"

"Alive is good enough," Mercy said.

"I'm fine." Bree managed to keep a straight face. Though she knew with her cast, bruises, small burns, and abrasions, she looked terrible. "Maybe not fine, but definitely better than I look."

Todd shook his head. "I'll catch you up so you can take a nap or something." He took a breath. "The evidence from Dutton's house has been processed. There's so much DNA, and the body, he had pictures ... There's no doubt he killed the two women from the suitcases and the one in the refrigerator. Paige gave plenty of details in her interview as well." He exhaled. "Did the DA call you?"

"He did," Bree said. "I'm clear. Shooting Dutton was justified."

The DA had taken care of that immediately. The protesters had disappeared, and the public seemed to have shifted their loyalty from the board of supervisors back to Bree. Madeline Jager was scrambling to manage public criticism.

Todd nodded. "The press has been calling the station nonstop. Marge says you should do a major interview ASAP to counter Jager's disaster of a town hall."

"Marge is always right," Bree said. Reporters had been calling her directly as well. "I'll do it." If not for any reason other than to stick it to Jager, which felt petty, but then so did most political moves. Still, that woman brought out the worst in Bree.

"Lastly, we reviewed Dutton's financial and cell phone records. He tried to cover his tracks with the burner phone, using cash, et cetera, but he rented a car a few weeks ago. The dates of the rental match up with Paige's disappearance, and we have Paige's testimony, so the kidnapping ends are tied up."

"Good," Bree said.

Todd continued. "They found a lockpick kit in his garage, and Dutton's fingerprints were on the Clintons' back door. The lock was damaged as well. So that's probably how he stole the keys to their cabin and boat."

Bree sat up straighter. "Mrs. Verney's back door had scratches as well."

Mercy shifted her ice pack. "Why would he break into her house?"

"Who knows?" Bree removed the ice pack from her wrist. "But it's been too long to recover prints, so we'd never be able to prove it anyway."

"We don't have to," Mercy said. "He's dead."

There was no trial to prepare for. Bree still liked to tie up loose ends, but sometimes you had to accept the limitations of reality.

Todd shifted on the railing. "Also, some employees at the mall said his car smelled horrible for at least a week."

"Mrs. Verney also complained of that." Bree scratched the skin between the bandages over the abrasions on the back of her hand and the edge of her cast. Underneath the cast, her wrist and forearm itched like crazy.

"Yeah," Todd said. "We think he drove around with the bodies in the suitcases for a while."

Bree pictured it. "Then he just dropped them on the side of the road?"

Todd lifted both palms to the sky. "He's dead, so we can't ask him, but that's how it seems. The only good thing is that we didn't find any evidence of additional victims. That's all I have for you for the moment."

"Keep me updated."

"I will." He pushed off the railing. "Get some rest. There's no reason to rush back. Mostly, we're doing paperwork from the fire and Don's death."

"I won't rush back," Bree said. "I know you have it handled."

It felt good to have confidence in the team she'd built.

"Then I'll get back to it." Todd walked away.

A few minutes later, the back door opened and Truman came out, carrying his and Mercy's bags. He loaded them into the rental car, then returned to the porch.

Mercy stood. "Thanks for letting us crash here last night."

They hadn't been able to get a flight out until that morning, and Mercy hadn't been in any condition to sit on an airplane anyway. As it was, her flight would be very uncomfortable.

Mercy set her mug on the railing, one hand braced against her injured ribs. Her back was a hot mess.

Bree was considering going back to bed after they left. She felt like she could sleep for a week. But Matt helped her to her feet, and they walked Mercy and Truman out to their vehicle.

Truman and Matt shook hands. Bree wrapped her good arm around Mercy's shoulders and gave her a gentle—very gentle—squeeze. "Thanks for everything. I couldn't have done it without you." She felt the hot prick of tears in the corners of her eyes.

"Same." Mercy's eyes went misty. She pulled back, wincing.

"Keep in touch?" Bree asked.

"You bet." Mercy turned. Matt opened her car door and offered a helping hand. With a final thanks, she eased into the passenger seat.

Truman gave Bree a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks for having her back."

"You're very welcome, but she did the same for me." Bree stepped back.

Matt slid an arm around her shoulders. "Tell me if I hurt you, OK?"

"My shoulders are all right." Bree leaned on him, and they watched Mercy and Truman drive away.

Matt steered her back toward the porch and into the house. "I agree with Todd. You should take a nap."

"It's the only thing on my agenda except for eating and icing my wrist." She dropped her ice pack into the freezer, then headed for the stairs. The dogs followed, and they all piled into bed.

Matt brought her fresh ice and a pain pill. Bree took both, then stretched out. Matt slipped two pillows under her cast to elevate her wrist. The dogs arranged themselves around her legs. Ladybug tried to crawl up next to her, but Matt blocked her. "Sorry, this is my spot today."

He pressed against Bree. "I love you."

"I love you too." She rested her head on his shoulder.

Matt turned on the TV and selected a baking competition.

Bree's eyes grew heavy. "Now I want a cupcake."

"My dad is coming over later to check on you." Matt's dad was a mostly retired doctor. "I'll have him bring some." Matt covered her left hand with his own. "I'm sorry I wasn't here."

"Me too, but I'm grateful I had the feebie to fill in for you." Bree's brain began to drift. The pain in her wrist ebbed. "I'm so glad you're home—I don't think I could relax if you weren't here—but if I had to have someone else cover for you, Mercy did a fine job."

As Bree drifted off, she had a feeling she would see Mercy again. But she hoped their next meeting didn't involve murder.