“Decoy? What, to play Arnold? Henry will see right through that.” I glare at Dennison, measuring the man for his worth. After McKnight’s little stunt, my faith in Peak Valley PD has been shattered. So far, I haven’t heard anything that makes me think they have this situation under control.
“Arnold only met with Henry once, and it was a month ago,” Eric says, reading my frustration. “He’s expected to send a text to Henry that the job is finished. Dennison did that from the phone found on Arnold. At two p.m. today, Arnold told McKnight he was supposed to meet with Henry at a Dave & Busters where he will get the rest of the money owed to him. It’s a public place and will be easy for the decoy to play down his features.”
“Dave & Busters? Henry plans to meet with the decoy while he has Matt and Emily?”
Dennison nods. “Yes, we believe so.”
“Are we sure the kids are okay?” I ask again. I’ve asked all night, but no one has been able to give me a definitive answer.
“As far as we know, they are fine.”
“How do we know he doesn’t want to hurt them, too? He could have insurance policies on them also.”
“We believe he will use them as alibis and play the doting father to deflect suspicion,” Dennison reassures, but it does nothing to reassure me. When I don’t say anything, he continues running through the plan. “The decoy will have a hidden police camera on him and show Henry the pictures of Amber and tell him how he set you up to take the fall. Once Henry hands over the money to the decoy, we will have officers step in to make the arrest.”
“You’ll just have this whole exchange go down in front of Matt and Emily?”
“The decoy has been instructed to make sure the children are not around while they make the exchange.”
“It doesn’t sound like it will work, but what choice do we have?”
“None. This plan will work, and it will ensure Henry gets convicted.”
“I want to be there,” I say, looking at Dennison. Nothing is going to stop me from watching Henry get what he deserves. “I have to be there.”
“Both you and Amber will need to come up to Kansas City and be ready to take the kids once Henry is arrested, but you can’t be on location until after the arrest is made.”
“Not good enough,” I snarl, stepping in close. “After the shit McKnight put me through, you owe me this.”
Dennison nods. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“When do we leave?”
“We have some time. I suggest you pack some clothes, and I’ll have one of the deputies take you somewhere for a few hours to sleep before we transport you to Kansas City.”
“How am I supposed to sleep when Amber’s ex tried to have her killed and has her kids?”
“I don’t expect you to, but you should try. Tomorrow isn’t going to get any better . . . not until this is over,” Dennison says truthfully.
“Thank you,” I say on an exhale.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Dennison says. “Thank me when this is over.”
∞∞∞
“Amber?” I say softly from the door into the bathroom. I don’t want to scare her, but everything scares her. She’s jumpy and in shock, and I don’t know how to help her, but I will do whatever it takes to make her feel safe again.
“I’m fine, Luke,” she says when I shut the door so she can have more privacy. She pulls off my shirt, now covered in fake blood, and stares down at it as tears well up in her eyes. “I didn’t tell you . . .. I should have told you sooner.”
“Tell me what?”
“I love you. I should have told you sooner. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I should have told you,” she rambles, big tears rolling down her face as she looks up at me.
“Shh, its okay. I love you, too.” I pull her in my arms and let her sob a gut-wrenching sob that tears me up. She’s never going to be the same after this, but I’ll do everything in my power to restore her. To give her a sense of security and chase away her fears. Knowing she loves me makes this shitshow a little easier to wade through.
Amber’s body shakes in my arms and I feel it all. I let her cry until she has no more tears left, then I take our clothes off and guide her into the shower, washing away the fake blood, her tears, and God, how I wish I could wash away her fears.
26
- Amber -
I can’t believe I’m watching this. The man who fathered my children, who used to be my husband, is laughing with Emily and Matt while they play whack-a-mole at a Dave & Busters. I don’t know why I expected him to be cold or distant, but definitely not happy. Not walking around like he doesn’t have a care in the world, but here he is. He’s happy about my death.
“Officer Crater is going in,” the police officer says in front of the monitors displaying the different hidden camera feeds from all the undercover officers already scattered around the place.
There are two displays that have a view of Matt and Emily, and I have never felt so helpless just watching them play. I should be protecting Matt and Emily, shielding them from the horror that is about to unravel their lives, but I can’t. I can’t do anything but watch.
I didn’t meet the man posing as Arnold, but I watch from his hidden camera as he approaches Henry. Looking over at Luke, who is watching just as attentively as I am, his jaw clenched tight. Sensing my eyes on him, he looks at me before he leans over and grabs my hand and squeezes it. I don’t think I would be able to get through this without him.
Henry looks up as if staring at me from the display and I feel nauseous when he squints then smiles at Officer Crater.
“Meet me at the bar,” Henry says to him when he’s a few feet away, then turns his back. I can’t see what Henry does next and frantically scan the displays for a better view. One monitor shows Henry say something to Matt before he leaves them at the whack-a-mole game.
Henry takes his time walking over to where Officer Crater is now sitting at the bar. A smug, almost gleeful smile spreads across his face as he orders two beers—one for himself and the other for his buddy.
“You don’t have to watch this,” Luke whispers next to me and his hand slides tenderly down the back of my hair. I relax a little, but the ill feeling in my stomach hasn’t gone away.
“How did it go?” Henry asks Officer Crater after their beers arrive.
“It’s done,” Officer Crater grunts, then quickly takes a sip of his beer. The officer is good at downplaying his features. A hat is pulled down low over his forehead and he’s wearing an oversized coat.
“Do you have proof?”
Officer Crater pulls a phone from his pocket and taps on it, pulling up the picture created last night and slides the phone over to Henry. He picks it up and stares at it for several seconds and when I think he’s about to hand it back, he zooms in on the picture. Bile claws up my throat, but I swallow hard. I refuse to be sick. I have to watch this; I have to watch Henry prove he really did try to have me killed.
“You shot her?” Henry asks, looking closely at where the tech placed a fake bullet wound on my neck.