Miscarriage Of Justice Page 13

  The man was mad. She understood that. Definitely mad, in both senses of the word, angry and insane. The fact that he was angry, even angry enough to want to kill her made sense considering what she’d done to him, but why the games? Why break into her house for the sole purpose of setting up a murder scene? And again, why a casino? It just didn’t follow any sort of logic. Shrugging again, and letting out an exasperated sigh, Mariana shook her head. Maybe the guy felt a need to express his artistic ability and creativity. “Who knows?” she muttered, dropping the note back to the table.

  Whatever his reasoning, she had to admit he’d done a marvelous job constructing a realistic depiction of a Vegas casino. The crime scene was rather realistic too; everything was so perfect, right down to the last detail, complete with bloodstains. “Maybe he is just plain crazy,” she said reaching for the phone.

  Jessi would be pulling in the drive in just minutes, but Mariana felt a strange need to tell someone about the incident immediately. Since the only person she could discuss it with was her friend, she dialed her number again.

  “And you’re still there?” an incredulous Jessi asked after hearing the story.

  “Yeah, I checked and he’s gone,” Mariana said simply. Then she told her friend of the message on the machine. “So he’s gone.”

  “He could’ve used a cell phone, right there in your house.” Jessi pointed out.

  “I guess,” Mariana said.

  “What if he’s hiding outside?”

  “I suppose he could be,” Mariana admitted. “But I’ve been home for over half an hour and he hasn’t shown himself yet. Besides,” she added, “I have an alarm.”

  Suddenly she gave a short gasp remembering her security overall. How had Ethan gotten in?

  “Did you have it set today?” Jessi questioned.

  “I think so,” Mariana said slowly. “Yes, I did. I know I did. I remember turning it off when I came in.” Quickly glancing around, she could see no visible signs of forced entry. Feeling rather stupid for not thinking of the alarm sooner, she mumbled something about how batty she’d been lately.

  Jessi though, didn’t think it was strange at all. “You had other things on your mind,” she said in a consoling tone.

  With her friend still on the line, Mariana traipsed through the house again, making another thorough search. “I don’t see anything,” she said. “No broken windows, and they’re all locked. The doors too.”

  “Was the front door locked when you got home?” wondered Jessi.

  “Yeah. I had to unlock it to get in,” Mariana answered, walking back to the kitchen.

  Just then, the flashing number display on the stove caught her eye. Quickly, she turned to check the clock on the microwave. It too was blinking red. Both read 7:15.

  “The electricity has been off,” she told Jessi. Looking at her watch Mariana saw it was ten minutes past seven. “It came back on five minutes before noon.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because digital clocks come on at twelve o’clock, and both of the ones in my kitchen are five minutes fast.”

  “That still doesn’t explain how he got in,” Jessi argued.” Doesn’t your alarm have a battery backup?”

  “Yeah,” Mariana acknowledged. Then she sheepishly added, “But I never did put a battery in it.”

  “Well, duh!” Jessi chided. “So he just turned off the power and walked right in?”

  “Guess so, but I still don’t know how he did it without breaking a lock or window.” Mariana shuddered as it occurred to her Ethan might have a key. He seemed to be able to get whatever else he wanted. She mentioned the possibility to Jessi.

  “Okay that’s it.” Her friend exploded. “You’ve got to get out of there. Right now!”

  Mariana still wasn’t ready to concede any sort of victory to Ethan. “If he wanted to kill me, don’t you think he would have waited for me to come home rather than waste time with all the silly nonsense and then leave? He just wants to play this little game to try to scare me. I refuse to give him the satisfaction.”

  “You’d rather be dead?”

  “I just told you. He had a chance to do that if he wanted,” Mariana retorted. “And he didn’t. All he wants is to intimidate me.”

  “You still need to get out of the house,” Jessi told her. “You don’t need to be there, if he does decide to come back.

  “Let him come,” Mariana said brusquely. “I’ll send him to a place worse than prison this time. I didn’t get to where I am by being scared off every time some low-life threatened me.”

  “I still think it would be better if you left,” Jessi repeated.

  “Why? You’ll be here in a minute or two.”

  “Yeah, but I’m not so sure I want to stay there either.” Jessi told her. “Not with all of this going on.”

  “Look,” said Mariana “I don’t think he’ll try anything, especially with the two of us here. I’ll put a battery in the alarm if it’ll make you feel better. If he tries to get in, we’ll know.”

  “Great!” said Jessi tenaciously. “But I think I’d rather not know if he’s going to kill me.” Then relenting, as Mariana knew she would, the nurse said, “I’ll stop and get a battery. What kind?”

  “You don’t need to do that. I’ve got one here somewhere.” Mariana said

  “Yeah. I’ll stop to get one,” Jessi insisted. “What size?”

  “I think it’s a 9-volt,” Mariana answered. Opening the alarm cover she said, “Yeah, it is.”

  That taken care of, they hung up and Mariana flew into a frenzy, cleaning up some of the clutter, loading the dishwasher, and starting a load of laundry. She purposely left the staged casino just the way Ethan had arranged it.

  She’d barely finished sweeping the kitchen floor when she heard a car in the drive, and then saw headlights glaring through the window. Knowing it was more than likely Jessi, Mariana still tensed up. Despite the obstinate and brave front she’d put on for Jessi, she was a little frightened. Having Jessi there would help alleviate some of her anxiety, she hoped.

  Through the kitchen window, she could almost make out the faint outline of Jessi’s pickup. Then with a sigh of relief, Mariana watched as her friend got out. Opening the door, she eagerly invited her in.

  “Is it safe?” Jessi joked.

  “At the moment,” Mariana responded, already feeling more confident now that she wasn’t alone. “But the lady in my living room didn’t fare so well.”

  “You kept it set up?” Jessi asked eagerly. Getting a nod from her friend, she couldn’t hide her excitement. “I want to see!”

  “I left it exactly as I found it,” Mariana said. “Just for you.” Now that the shock had worn off, she had to admit the scene was kind of cute.

  Jessi’s eyes widened as she stepped through the door. “That’s a bit extravagant,” she said. “Couldn’t he have just left the note?”

  “It is a little overkill, isn’t it?” Mariana agreed.

  “No pun intended right?” Jessi laughed. Seeing Mariana’s puzzled expression, she clarified it, “Overkill?”

  “Oh, yeah. No pun intended, I guess.” Mariana grinned wryly.

  “So, are you going to leave it set up?” a curious Jessi wanted to know.

  “No,” Mariana quickly answered with a shake of her head. “It’s kind of creepy. Cute, but creepy. Especially when I know the woman is supposed to be me.”

  “Yeah,” Jessi said appearing serious. “I can see the resemblance.”

  “Are you saying I’m a dummy? Mariana asked feigning an offended look.

  “Me?” Jessi laughed. “Never! You’re the one who said it.”

  Moving closer, Jessi noticed the cards the dead gambler held. “Wow! He even stacked the deck!”

  “What do you mean?”

  Jessi pointed to the cards. “Dead man’s hand.” Seeing the puzzled frown on Mariana’s face, she explained about Wild Bill holding the cards when he was shot in the back, and then added, “It�
�s become sort of a taboo hand. A lot of gamblers believe it’s the kiss of death to be dealt those cards.”

  Marina thought their superstition was silly and said so. “Lucky for me, I’m not a gambler.”

  Together then, they began dismantling the work of art. Piling the cards, the chips, and everything else on the floor, they laid the mannequins aside and moved the table back to the dining room.

  “What are you going to do with all of that?” Jessi asked gesturing to the mess.

  Shrugging, Mariana gave her a blank look. “I don’t know. Throw it away I guess. Why? Do you want it?”

  “I want the dress.” Jessi said emphatically.

  “Take it,” Mariana offered, “If it’ll fit. But,” she added, “it has red splatters all over it.”

  “They’ll come off.” Jessi seemed confident. “If not, I’ll paint black over them.”

  “Oh, that won’t look tacky or anything,” Mariana laughed.

  Turning the mannequin on its stomach, Jessi unzipped the evening gown. Pulling and twisting, she struggled to remove the dress. Suddenly, she stopped and burst into laughter.

  “What’s so funny?” demanded Mariana.

  “This is hard!” Jessi complained. “I’ve never undressed a woman before.”

  In an appalling tone and Mariana said, “Well, don’t get any ideas or you’ll be headed back home real quick.”

  Finally, the dress pulled free, and Jessi held it up to her shoulders. “How does it look?”

  “Not bad,” Mariana said. Then with a sly look she added, “But I think you’ll need to actually put it on if you expect to attract a man with it.”

  “Why?” asked Jessi facetiously. “They’d just want to take it right back off.”

  “Yeah, that seems to be what they all want,” Mariana agreed. “Except my new man Ethan. He wants to send me packages in the mail, make annoying phone calls and break into my house.”

  “Oh,” Jessi suddenly exclaimed. “That reminds me!” Dashing out the door, she returned just as quickly, waving a pack of 9-volt batteries.

  “I told you not to buy any,” Mariana scolded.

  “Uh-huh,” Jessi nodded. “Have you put one in yet?”

  Mariana couldn’t hide her guilt. “Well, no,” she admitted.

  “Yeah, I knew that.”

  Mariana playfully snatched the pack from her friend’s hand and tore it open as she walked to the control box. Opening the lid, she installed the battery and snapped the cover shut. “Happy now?”

  Continuing her mothering role, Jessi spouted back, “At least I’ll know if your new man comes calling in the middle of the night I’ll hear him.” She grinned. “So don’t try anything.”

  “Okay. You win.” Mariana relented. “Can we move on now? What do you want to do?”

  Jessi was sitting cross-legged on the floor, sorting through the decks of cards that had been mixed together. She looked up, eyes dancing mischievously. “We could order a pizza, and play cards all night,” she suggested. “Like the old days.”

  “Don’t you ever eat real food?” Mariana complained.

  “Sure, why?” Did you cook something?” Jessi asked hopefully.

  “No,” Mariana said. Then, looking as if she had just thought of a brilliant idea she quipped, “Why don’t we order a pizza?”

  “Why didn’t I think of that?” Jessi remarked dryly.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Loneliness. That was his problem. Ethan had finally figured out what was missing. The natural expectation of a long-term inmate, who’s been released, is that he’ll be able to associate and interact with people again. Normal people. Real people. Friends and family.

  But not for Ethan.

  He had none of either, at least none who cared. No one to talk with. No one to share the ups and downs of life. No one with whom he could just hang out. Though lately, his activities were probably not something he’d want to share with anyone, he decided. Still, it would be nice to have at least one friend. Someone he could count on to be understanding; someone he could confide in, or just keep him company. Someone with whom he could look forward to the future.

  Oddly, the only people with whom he felt connected, or could even remotely call his friends, were the inmates at Gray Rock. But they were friends by default, having been thrust together and forced to endure the intolerable life of prison. The natural result was a bond bringing them together against a common enemy. The one possible exception was Shag, his cellmate, the guy should be out by now, but as past friendships go, they weren’t likely to reunite. Circumstances had changed.

  For the moment however, Ethan’s current situation seemed to be what life had dictated. In retrospect, he knew it was the path he had chosen. Yet, it really wasn’t his choice any longer. After contemplating it, diligently devising, assiduously planning, scheming, and waiting patiently for these many years, it now had taken on a life of its own and seemed to be controlling him, rather than allowing him to be in charge. Though even in light of that recognition, the expected satisfaction was still strangely lacking.

  The thought had crossed his mind to just forget it all and get on with his life. Maybe go see the pretty saleslady at the clothing store. What was her name again? Lacy. The name fit, considering where she worked and her delicate features. He said the name aloud and closed his eyes as if the sound would somehow conjure up a more vivid image. For a brief moment, his mind trailed off into a fantasy world of what-if. He smiled, and then frowned. Enticing as it seemed, it was a fleeting notion. Something inside was driving him to pursue his mission to the end. A bigger principle was at work, the principle of justice—a principle that demanded the guilty pay. If he were to abandon his cause, Mariana would never be held accountable for or own up to what she had done. She would get away with it—scott free! That simply was unacceptable, something his conscience would not allow. So, the show must go on.

  That was his psychobabble explanation to describe the uneasy way he felt, and the reason for the doldrums he was experiencing. In the end, he did not intend to give up his quest for justice, not just yet.

  He suffered no disillusion that his chosen tactics were daring escapades. Not even close. It was mere child’s play and he knew it. Although he took no pride in his actions, he did find a certain pleasure in Mariana’s pain. And he would continue to disseminate his private venture of justice to the one person he despised more than anyone in the world, Miss Clark. She had taken everything he owned, robbed him of all he held dear when she’d sent him off to prison. No matter how lackadaisical his mood became, inside he was still seething with anger. He still whole-heartedly intended to get even!

  The knowledge that he could easily wind up back in prison for what he was doing, did not dissuade his resolve. He did take some degree of solace in the theory that if Mariana hadn’t taken legal action by now; it was safe to assume she probably wasn’t going to do so.

  On Friday, the day after he’d set up the casino, Ethan again made the trip to Cedar Springs. Driving by Mariana’s house, he’d seen Jessi’s blue pickup parked in the drive, and wondered who was visiting. After eating supper in town, he’d swung back by on his way home and the four-wheel-drive had still been there.

  He smirked as he drove past. “Got her spooked now. She’s got someone staying there.”

  Through the kitchen window, he’d seen the two women seated at the table. Though he had no idea who Jessi was, a friend or a cousin he supposed, he concluded his antics were getting to Mariana. Apparently, the D.A. wasn’t nearly as serene and confident as the image she tried to project.

  Not knowing how long her visitor planned to stay, Ethan held off making any calls until Sunday evening. And he still half expected an unfamiliar voice to answer. When the machine picked up, he hung up the phone. Undeterred, he moved on. There were plenty of other ways to get to the woman.

  The next day, slipping on his jacket to protect against the slight chill in the crisp morning air that was sure to be lingering in the nearby mou
ntains, he set out for the country. Driving for about an hour, he spotted a large outcropping of rocks. Ethan pulled to the side of the road and shut off the engine. With the recent warm days and cool nights, he should be able to find at least two or three rattlesnakes coming out to enjoy the relaxing rays of the sun.

  It took longer than he’d expected, but by mid-afternoon he finally managed to snare a couple of the slithery creatures and even avoid being bitten. Depositing the reptiles into a large plastic bin, he quickly put the crate in the trunk and closed the lid.

  Turning the car toward Cedar Springs, he arrived downtown a few minutes past three o’clock. Picking up his phone from the seat, he dialed the District Attorney’s office. If this were a typical Monday, Mariana should be secreted away in court, which meant her car would be in the county parking lot—unattended. Granted, there may be a few people in the area, but that only added to the thrill and suspense. Deputies, lawyers, and judges, supposedly the most astute and observant people in town, could potentially be watching. Even so, Ethan was betting he could do whatever he wanted and they wouldn’t notice him. They’d all be too busy with “official business” to bother with him.

  When Mariana’s secretary answered, his earlier speculation was confirmed. The D.A. wouldn’t be in until late that afternoon, he was told. Five minutes later, Ethan pulled up next to her red Corvette. Glancing around he saw that true to his prediction, law enforcement officers and other passersby paid no heed as he produced a homemade slimjim and walked purposefully to the bright red sports car.

  With the ease of a practiced car thief, Ethan had the driver’s door of the Corvette unlocked in seconds. Opening it just enough to pop the trunk release, he pushed it shut, and then stowed the burglar tool behind the seat of his own car. Unlocking the trunk of his own car, he picked up the box with the pair of snakes and carried it to Mariana’s vehicle. Raising the trunk lid, he set the box inside and slowly opened the lid.

  The snakes were angry and riled, having been disturbed from their leisurely environment and held in the bin. They hissed at him and rattled their tails threateningly. Turning the box on its side, he warily tried to coax the creepy beasts out of their cage. True to their vile nature, the rattlers were most uncooperative and stayed put.