Jack of Diamonds Read online

  “I have to tell you,” Jack says, smiling up at me, “I’ve never been to a wedding like this one. Personally, I’m hoping mine’s a little livelier.”

  Is he mocking my art? Taunting me?

  I adjust the tone on the voice changer to lower my voice even more. I want it to sound like a demon from the pit of hell. “Your wedding will never happen, Jack.” I spit out his name.

  “Why don’t you come down here and we can talk about it?” He glances at the floor as he approaches, no doubt looking for traps. The soldier in him, always present in the action.

  “Take out your phone. Hold it up so I can see it.”

  Jack hesitates. He’s still smiling, but there’s a tightness around his eyes. Why?

  “Take out your phone!” I’m almost shouting now. He’s up to something. I’m sure of it.

  Jack reaches into his pocket and holds up his phone. The screen is blank except for a red bar across the top.

  “What have you done?!” My fists come down and smash the table in front of me.

  “Sorry.” Jack shrugs. “When you started talking to me, I kinda panicked and decided to call for backup. Do you know what happens if you press the side button on your phone five times?”

  “You called 911!”

  Jack smiles. “Yeah. And since I didn’t say anything, they’re on their way here now. But if you still want to talk, I can call and tell them to hold off.”

  The police are on their way. There’s no way I can save my wedding now. It’s gone. Ruined.

  “I didn’t mean to spoil your plan,” Jack says as if he can tell what I’m thinking. “But you did have some things here that are just wrong.”

  Wrong? Nothing is wrong about my wedding—until now. It was perfect. He’s the only thing wrong with it.

  “Take the minister, for instance.” Jack walks up the three steps to stand on the dais next to the minister. “He needs to move over a little.”

  I carefully strapped the minister’s body to a metal display stand to hold him in place. Now Jack Stratton is roughly manhandling the body and sliding him over two feet.

  “He should be slightly off-center to give the bride center stage. You know that, right? Unless this is supposed to be a bad minister. A good minister knows that today is really about the bride and the focus should be on her. I’m surprised you didn’t know that.”

  I’m screaming now. Obscenities pour from my mouth like smoke from a coal fire.

  “Calm down.” Jack’s smile grows. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get you upset. But since you clearly don’t know much about weddings . . .” He smirks. “Why don’t you come down here and I can give you some pointers?”

  I grab my gun. I want to run to my car and beat the police up Buck Mountain and unload the entire clip in Jack’s smug face. I aim at the camera, my finger on the trigger, and it hits me.

  I understand now.

  “You’re trying to make me hate you.”

  “What? Hate me? I’m just trying to help you out. You need to fix this mess up before anyone else sees all of your mistakes. Look, take this couple in the front row. They clearly don’t belong together.” Jack grabs Mr. Mitchell and drags him over on the pew. His hat falls off, along with his head.

  “Stop! Stop ruining it!”

  Jack slowly turns back to smile at the camera. “I could really use your help. I’m so clumsy.” He flicks Mrs. Cipriano’s hat off her head. “I’m afraid I’ll trash the whole wedding without you.”

  I laugh. I wonder how it sounds in the church. From the look on Jack’s face, I imagine it’s terrifying.

  “You don’t want to help me. You’re trying to goad me into coming after you!”

  I laugh harder. A guttural and genuine laugh.

  Jack’s face twists into a dismissive scoff, but his hands tighten into fists.

  “I’m right. I know it. You’re the white knight. But now answer me this: What happens when Prince Jack fails to save the princess? Does he fall on his sword or throw himself off the castle tower?”

  “You’ve got me all wrong, you twisted freak. If I wanted to tick you off, I’d probably start by talking about what a wuss you are for going after old women. But I just want to talk to you. I took those sketches to a real artist to see what she could tell me, and she said I should look for someone who failed out of art school. I think she actually said that a first-year art student could draw a better sketch by throwing ink behind their back and farting on a canvas.”

  “I’m going to cut your heart out.” My hand is shaking uncontrollably as I grab the microphone stand. “You haven’t stopped anything. I’ll still have my wedding. And you’ll reap the pain.”

  “Come after me, then, you no-talent hack.”

  “I will. But first, I’m going to kill Alice and everything you love.”

  37

  As Alice got out of Bobbie’s Hummer outside the photography studio, she was quickly surrounded by Bobbie, Kendra, Boomer, and Shawna. But even they couldn’t protect her from Erica, who emerged from her car and tried to shoo them all inside. They were meeting because Philip Poole had demanded another photoshoot; there was some problem with Alice’s photographs.

  “Chop-chop, let’s get a jump on this, people! We’ve got a schedule to keep to.”

  “Can’t he just take more pictures at the wedding?” Boomer grumbled.

  “This is for the celebration dinner slideshow,” Erica said as she opened the front door of the studio. “Knock, knock!” she called out as she barged in.

  The foyer was empty, but the lights were on in the main room.

  “Philip?” Erica called out as everyone followed her in. She frowned at her watch, then turned to Alice. “Why don’t you go ahead and get dressed while I call him.” She took out her phone.

  Alice trudged down the hallway. The last thing she wanted to do was dress up and take pictures. She was hoping that Philip would figure out a way to use the photographs he already had. But there was no use arguing with her wedding planner. So far, all that had ever accomplished was prolonging the inevitable. In the end, Erica always got her way. She was going to make sure Alice had the perfect wedding even if it killed her.

  That woman is a master manipulator. Queen of the guilt trip. She’d probably tell me a story about poor Philip jumping off the nearest bridge if I don’t go along with retaking the photos. Alice got undressed and slipped into her bridal gown. It was exquisite, and she smiled. She had dreamed of her wedding day so often; she couldn’t believe it was almost here.

  She reached around and tried to get her zipper in the back, but it was stuck. She didn’t want to pull too hard; the fabric of the dress was so sheer, she might rip it. Cracking the dressing room door open, Alice peered out at Shawna and Boomer waiting in the hallway.

  “Where’s Kendra?”

  “Erica needed to talk to her,” Shawna said.

  “Where’s Bobbie?”

  “In the bathroom.”

  “Can you give me a hand with my zipper?”

  “I can,” Boomer said, stepping forward.

  “Jack will kill you,” Shawna said in a singsong voice.

  “Never mind.” Boomer leaned back against the wall. “And you know I was just kidding, right?”

  “I do,” Alice said, stepping aside as Shawna came in.

  The dressing room was small and with the two of them inside with the bulk of the wedding dress, it was a tight fit. Shawna struggled for a few moments but managed to free the zipper.

  “Perfect.” Alice exhaled. “Thanks.”

  “No problem. It just had a bit of fabric caught—” Shawna tripped on Alice’s shoe and crashed into the wall. The thin wall shook, and an old smoke detector mounted up high dropped down two inches and now hung suspended by colored wires. “Oh, crap. I’m so clumsy.” Shawna stepped up onto the bench by the wall and inspected the smoke detector. “I don’t think it’s broken.”

  “Stop,” Alice said. “Let me look at that.”

  “It’s fi
ne,” Shawna said. “I’ll just click it back in place.”

  “Please don’t. I want to check it out.”

  Shawna let go of the smoke detector and got off the bench while Alice stepped up. “Do you see the plastic tabs?” Shawna said. “It just clicks back on those. It’s not a big deal.”

  But Alice wasn’t listening. All of her attention was centered on the blue cable coming out of the device. It was a data cable—Alice had seen thousands of them while installing computer networks.

  Why would an old smoke detector have a data cable?

  Alice carefully lifted the device away from the wall. The blue data cable was connected to a black box wedged inside the smoke detector. Plastic had been cut away to make it fit. Alice turned the device over in her hand and stared at the small opening next to the test button. The overhead light gleamed off a little lens.

  Alice laid the smoke detector back against the wall and got down off the bench.

  “You didn’t even try to fix it.” Shawna started to climb back up, but Alice grabbed her arm. “What?”

  “I need you to remain calm, but we have to get Kendra.”

  “Why?” Shawna’s eyes grew large.

  “There’s a camera in that smoke detector.”

  “What? No!” Shawna looked right at the lens. “Oh . . .” She let fly with a flurry of swears and ripped open the door.

  “Shawna, stop!” Alice tried to hold on to her, but Shawna pulled free, a woman on a mission.

  “I got naked in that room! That little pervert probably already plastered my body all over the internet!”

  Boomer perked up. “What’s this we’re talking about?”

  “Go get Bobbie and Kendra now!” Alice ordered. “Shawna, stop!”

  But it was too late. Shawna was already marching down the hallway, a determined look on her face, her plum lips pursed into a thin line.

  “Bobbie!” Boomer yelled as he ran in the opposite direction.

  Alice darted back into the dressing room, grabbed her purse, and pulled out her Taser. Then she hurried after Shawna, her wedding gown flowing behind her.

  She rounded a corner and saw Shawna pounding on a door. The door flew open, and Philip Poole stepped out with his eyes blazing and his hands balled into fists. “I said one second!”

  Shawna punched Philip in the mouth, knocking him backward through the doorway. “You perverted son of a—”

  Philip kicked the door closed. Shawna grabbed the doorknob, but Philip had locked himself in.

  Kendra, Bobbie, and Boomer all came running as Shawna swore and pounded on the door.

  “What’s going on? Stop!” Kendra shouted.

  “I found a hidden camera in the dressing room,” Alice said.

  “Get out of the way, Shawna!” Bobbie ordered.

  Shawna stepped aside just before Bobbie lowered his shoulder and smashed the door open. They were just in time to see Philip climbing out the window.

  Alice raised her Taser, but Bobbie was in front of her. He just missed grabbing Philip, who disappeared down the back alley.

  “Stay here!” Kendra ordered as she climbed out the window and gave chase.

  Alice was about to dive through the window after her when Bobbie G. grabbed her.

  “Let go!” Alice glared at him.

  “Your dress is too big to fit,” Bobbie said apologetically.

  “You’re little enough, Boomer,” Shawna said. She grabbed him and started pulling him toward the window.

  “Hey! Hey!” Boomer protested. “That dude could have a gun!”

  With a look from Shawna, Bobbie G. set his shoulder against Boomer’s backside and rammed him through the window and into the alley.

  Alice turned and bolted through the studio and out the front door. Philip had once said that he lived in the Meadows Apartment Complex, which was two blocks south. Everyone on the street stopped and stared at the little bride dashing down the road in her bare feet, brandishing a pink Taser. She didn’t see Kendra or Philip, but that didn’t stop her. Jack had taught her that if a crook runs and you know where they might be going, get there first.

  As she raced across the next street, she saw Philip running into the apartment complex.

  “Call 911! Call 911!” she shouted to a passersby and pushed herself to run even faster. She was almost to the entrance to the complex when a blue sports car skidded out of the complex and onto the road. She saw the driver. Philip.

  His eyes narrowed. He screamed something she couldn’t make out and spit flew against the passenger window. He jammed down on the gas and the car rocketed out of the driveway and past her, leaving the sound of screeching tires ringing in the air. Alice bent down, grabbed a rock, and heaved it as hard as she could. It barely clipped the lower edge of the rear window, but the whole window shattered. Then the car disappeared from sight.

  Alice was gulping in air, but a satisfied grin spread across her face. If Philip was the man after her, now Jack knew who he was hunting.

  38

  Jack stood impatiently in front of the church as he waited for Morrison to arrive. Lady was pacing along the edge of the woods. She didn’t want to come any closer, and Jack couldn’t blame her.

  Two deputies stood guard outside the front doors, and another was stationed around back. They had all peeked inside the church, but none had entered. They all turned their heads as Morrison, flanked by two officers, came into view down the overgrown access road.

  The sheriff was bathed in sweat as he greeted Jack.

  “Where are Thomas and Castillo?” Jack asked.

  Morrison’s face was a neutral mask. He held up his hand like he was calming a dog, but it had the opposite effect on Jack. His adrenaline kicked in.

  “What else is wrong, sir?”

  “Alice is okay.” Morrison placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder. “She just called 911.”

  Jack would have run all the way back to the Charger if it weren’t for Morrison tightening his hold on him.

  “Kendra is with her and I’ve assigned another officer to protect her, too. Alice is surrounded by shields. It’s the photographer, Philip Poole. He had a hidden camera in the dressing room at his studio and Alice found it. Poole took off after being confronted. Kendra gave chase, but he managed to evade capture.”

  Jack ran his hands through his hair and glared up at the sky. “This guy is as crazy as they come. We have to get him now, and I mean right now.”

  “Everyone’s looking for him. That’s what I have Thomas and Castillo doing.”

  “Have you notified the state police?”

  Morrison nodded. “All local channels are running Poole’s photo every other commercial break, and we enacted the emergency broadcast system so his face will be all over social media, with descriptions given via radio as well. We’ll catch the guy.”

  “We have to. What I just found confirms how insane he is. Wait until you see this.” Jack jerked his thumb toward the church.

  Morrison fell into step beside Jack, a new confidence about him. “From the description you gave, I’m not looking forward to it. How did you find this place?”

  “Lady followed a scent trail from the rental house to here. There are some good footprint impressions in the woods. Crime scene should get a mold and match them to Poole’s shoes for prosecution later.”

  “You need to come back on the force, Jack. You’ve got law enforcement in your DNA,” Morrison said. “Seriously, I could make your detective status permanent and . . .” His voice trailed off as they stepped through the front door of the church.

  “I appreciate that, Bob, but right now we need to deal with this.” Jack held his hand out towards the sanctuary.

  The air was thick with the stench of rotting flesh. Both men fought to keep the contents of their stomachs in place.

  The sheriff’s eyes were wide. “This is a nightmare.”

  “I assume these are our missing women,” Jack said. “There are also men, though I suspect most of them were taken from the c
rypts in the cemetery. I can only hope that’s where the ringbearer’s little body came from.”

  Morrison swallowed and reached for his radio. “This is the sheriff. Tell crime scene that they’re going to have to call in backup from at least four other counties. I need you to radio the tree and park supervisor and have him call me. I need a road cleared ASAP. Have Parker get together the two crime scene trailers, the portable generators, and lots of lights. Tell everyone to cancel plans. It’s all hands on deck.”

  “Everyone, as in . . .?” Dispatch asked.

  “As in everyone. All employees. Notify all supervisors that there’s a mandatory meeting”—he glanced at his watch—“in two hours.”

  “Tell them to triple the protection on the two identified targets,” Jack said.

  Morrison nodded and repeated the request into the radio.

  Silence enveloped them and a damp cold sucked the warmth from their skin. As Jack surveyed the dead wedding, his adrenaline died back to a smoldering burn. He turned and walked out of the church, the stench of death following him.

  “Where are you going?” Morrison called after him.

  “Hunting.”

  39

  Two police cruisers, an unmarked detective’s car, and a crime scene van were parked outside Poole’s apartment complex when Jack pulled up.

  “Stay here, girl.” Jack gave Lady another treat. He left the car running and the air conditioning on. He had a feeling that he was going to need Lady’s help again, and he wanted her well-rested.

  Officer Tom Kempy stood watch on the steps of the apartment. He smiled and waved as Jack walked up. Married, with three kids, Tom always seemed happy and full of life, but today he was a little paler than normal and spoke quietly.

  “Hey, Jack. Is it true? They said you found dozens of bodies in that old chapel.”

  “Yeah. This guy’s as crazy as they come. Who’s inside?”

  “Castillo and crime scene.”

  “Good seeing you. Say hi to Amy and the kids.” Jack slipped some medical booties over his shoes, the foul odor of decomposition still in his nose.