***
Nurses came in and out of the room like bees revolving around a hive. From what they shared with Avery, things were looking very positive. Their cheerful demeanor seemed to rub off on Rose; within an hour of their crying session, Rose seemed to have it together. She would smile politely at the nurses and was able to lock eyes with her mother without breaking out into tears.
Just before noon, Avery sat on the edge of the bed and took Rose’s hand. She’d decided to just go for it—to be as up front and as honest as possible.
“So, the doctor says this was a cry for help,” she said. “What do you think of that?”
“I hope it wasn’t,” she said. “I…I don’t know. I’d thought about it a few times since Dad died. But it was always just this escapist fantasy bullshit. God…you know me, Mom. Suicide is such a stupid thing. Poor little girl, can’t handle the stress. And to make it worse, I chose pills. Lame. It could have been something harder, you know? Razorblades in the bathtub, a gun in the mouth…”
“Stop it,” Avery said, each thought pasting itself onto the front of her mind.
“Sorry. But you know what I mean. Mom…my God, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“I think I might,” Avery said. “You were thinking that your father died because a killer your mother was chasing got to him. You were thinking that your mother is always choosing the career that consequently killed your father over you. And the hell of it is you wouldn’t be wrong.”
“No, that’s not it. Not really. There have been days in the last few months where I missed you just as much as I missed Dad. And it’s harder because you’re still here, you know? I just…I don’t know what it is Mom. I wish I did…”
Behind them, Avery’s phone could be heard buzzing. She had silenced the ringer early last night and had not turned it on again. It was giving a series of buzzing noises, indicating that a call was coming in. Avery ignored it completely, while Rose looked over at the chair.
“It’s okay, Mom. I know you might not think so, but I love the fact that you’re so committed to your job. It’s important. I know that and I respect that. You’re a badass. I just get jealous, I think. I knew you went back to work; I saw a snippet on the news where you were rushing into the precinct. Had a new partner, from the looks of it. Not nearly as cute as Ramirez.”
“That’s the truth. I’m sorry, Rose. I should have called. I should have asked. But…my work is the only thing I know how to do well. I had to go back to see if it could help me get back to where I was before he died.”
“I get that, Mom. And it’s okay. It really is. I get it.”
“Still…I don’t want you to ever think I’m choosing you second.”
“Mom…I’m not blind. I’ve seen the way you’ve tried to mend things between us. Several times, you’ve tried and I’ve shot you down. I was still being that na?ve little girl that wanted to piss you off because things with you and Dad didn’t work out. I’ve never felt second because of your work, despite some of the things I might have said in the past.”
“You’re an amazing kid,” Avery said.
“And you’re a shitty detective,” Rose said, nodding toward the chair where Avery’s phone sat. “Answer the call. According to the news, you’re apparently working on some nasty case.”
“You’re more important, Rose.”
“Yes, we’ve established that,” Rose said, kissing Avery’s cheek. “Now go find the killer. Stop him from killing someone else.”
They shared a look between them. Nothing was said, but a ton was communicated. Go stop the killer…don’t give up. Dad’s dead but you caught the bastard that did it. Don’t stop now. Do your job. Save lives.
Avery gently ruffled Rose’s hair and kissed her on the forehead. “We’re going to be okay, Rose,” she said.
“Yeah, we are,” Rose said. “And I promise to do my part from here on out.”
“Same here,” Avery said.
She got off of the bed, feeling something strange as she picked up the phone. That feeling, she realized, was knowing that she had Rose’s full support—that Rose was, in essence, her cheerleader. It was a strange feeling…a great feeling.
She saw that the call had come from O’Malley. She tried calling him back but it went to voicemail. She then pulled up Kellaway’s number and tried her. As dutiful and eager to please as ever, Kellaway answered on the second ring.
“I saw that O’Malley called me five minutes ago,” Avery said. “Do you know what’s going on?”
“Yeah,” Kellaway said. “I’m driving to the scene now. Another murder. And this one might be even weirder than the spiders.”
“Where is it?” Avery asked.
She looked back at Rose for further assurance and got it in the form of a proud smile.
“Detective Black…no. Stay with your daughter. I don’t want you to—”
“Give me the address,” Avery said. “I’m on my way.”
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
As it happened, the hospital was closer to the crime scene than the A1, so Avery arrived only a few moments after Kellaway. Finley was also with her, both of them with their shoulders hunched up against a drizzle of cold rain that had just started to fall. Avery got out of her car, pulled a light coat on over her own shoulders, and joined them at their cars.
The house was located on a small strip of side road that branched off from the central highway. The houses were not close together, with at least an acre or so of land separating each property. It was the sort of place that could still be referred to as a neighborhood rather than a subdivision. They started toward the house as a trio, heading toward the partially opened front door and the single police officer waiting in the doorway.
“What do we know for sure?” Avery asked.
“If it’s all the same to you,” Kellaway said, “I’d rather see it for myself before I try describing what I’ve been told.”
“She’s right,” Finley said. “The poor guy that called it in…from what I understand, he sounded like a lunatic.”
“Yeah, a coworker discovered the body about forty minutes ago,” Kellaway said. “She didn’t show up for work, her supervisor got pissed because they were against deadline, and he actually sent someone to her home to look for her when she wouldn’t answer emails or her phone.”
They had reached the porch by this point. They ducked under the yellow crime scene tape that had been strung up between the porch rails. The officer in the doorway nodded as he heard Kellaway relaying the information.
“That’s right. Poor bastard had to be escorted home. He was a mess.”
“And you were the first officer on the scene?” Avery asked. He was a familiar face—one she’d seen countless times but never really got to know. A slightly overweight man by the name of Hancock.
“I was,” Hancock said. “And yeah…it creeped me the hell out, too. See for yourself.”
Hancock stepped aside, looking to be very glad that he could step out into the fresh air.
When Avery stepped into the house, she saw that Kellaway had not been exaggerating. It looked like something straight out of a horror movie. First, the body lying in the floor was coated in blood. A pool of it expanded about two feet around in her all directions. There were stab wounds everywhere, even in the left side of the woman’s jaw. A quick initial glance allowed Avery to count at least seven stab wounds.
But beyond the body, there were the clowns. So many clowns. Dolls, porcelain figurines, cardboard cutouts, stuffed figures…there were at least thirty of them and they were all looking in the direction of the front door.
“What the hell happened here?” Finley whispered.
Avery hunkered down as close as she could to the body without placing a foot into the blood. She saw that her count of seven wounds had been off. She now saw ten clearly. She wondered how many more there might be on her back. She also saw a stain that seemed inconsistent with the bloodstains, located at her crotch.