Page 24 of The Facilitator, Part 3

“We need a diversion,” I said. “Something to draw him out or at least away from Dominic.”

“Mackenzie, I can’t sit here much longer. Let’s deal with the car first,” Alex said.

Before I could stop him, he crawled forward.

By the way he moved, I would have thought he’d recently left the army.

He used his forearms to drag himself. We got behind the car undetected, we hoped.

While Alex slashed the rear driver’s side, I let the air out of the passenger side.

It wasn’t enough just to lose the air in one tire; he’d drive on that wheel if he had to.

We moved to the front. I was the one most exposed so I flattened myself and slid as far under the car as I could.

I reached around to feel for the valve and managed to slide out before the car lowered too far.

I hadn’t thought about that and it was only when I saw one side rock down that I realized my mistake.

We crawled forward until we were sitting with our backs to the cabin wall under a window.

Alex looked around and then held his hand up to indicate I stay put.

He scooted back to the driver’s side of the car and pulled off the already hanging side mirror.

He cracked the housing to retrieve the glass.

When he was back with me, he raised the mirror, angling it so he would look through the window.

I frowned at him. “Scouts,” he whispered. “I can’t see anyone but there is a Moses basket.”

I had no idea what a Moses basket was, but assumed it was something to do with the baby. We listened and for a while we couldn’t hear anything. That was until we heard his cell ring.

“Addison,” we heard, and we knew we needed to move immediately.

I slid to the door and Alex to the other side.

Before we could do anything it opened. I pulled the gun from my holster and jumped up.

I held it to Daniel’s temple. He’d walked straight into us.

I could hear Addison call his name but he’d raised his arms. I snatched the phone from him hand and disconnected the call.

When Dominic cried again, Alex punched Daniel one clean shot to the temple and he crumpled to the floor. Alex ran in.

“He’s here. Oh fuck, he’s here,” he said, and his voice caught. I ran in to see him hugging his screaming child to his chest and sobbing.

I pulled my phone and dialed Lauren. “We have him,” I said when she answered. I could hear her tell Gabriella and the cry that followed from her.

“We made Addison ring, it was on the hour,” she said. “Did we do right?”

“You did perfect, it was the distraction we needed. Now you can call the police,” I said.

“I need to get him to the hospital,” Alex said, covering Dominic with a grubby blanket.

I nodded. As he walked out and stepped over a groggy Daniel, I pulled his arm to bring him to a halt.

“Can you get back to the car?” I asked, and he nodded his head. “If you are asked, when we got here Daniel was dead. Suicide, we think. Shot himself through the mouth. I’ll wait here for the police.

He stood and just stared at me. “Give me the gun, Mackenzie,” he said.

“Alex—”

“You have a record, I don’t. Just make sure there are no prints if you can. But if you can’t. I’ll have protection from the British government. ”

I didn’t hand him the gun but when he handed me his son, I had no choice but to hand it over.

I moved as quickly as I could out of the way.

I turned just as Alex held Daniel’s head and forced the muzzle into his mouth.

He pulled the trigger and didn’t blink. He left the gun on the deck and walked to me. I handed him his son.

“If I hadn’t done that, Mackenzie, I’d forever be looking over my shoulder and I can’t live like that.”

I nodded; I would have done the same. “He committed suicide when he realized we were there.” We both nodded.

I’d seen Alex beat the shit out of a man, and I knew he would have killed him.

But to place a gun into a man’s mouth as such close range and pull the trigger, that took something else.

I didn’t want to dwell on it. I grabbed the gun and cleaned it, then wrapped Daniel’s hand around it, careful to push his finger on to the trigger.

I held his hand and faced the gun away and into the woods.

I pushed on his finger, hoping a second shot would leave some form of residue on his hands.

I had no idea if that was a Hollywood trick or real, of course.

I also prayed it was the unregistered gun my father had always boasted about owning. I had a story, however, there had been times he’d broken into my house that the police were aware of.

The smell of blood and brain matter was overwhelming.

I stepped away and beyond the car we’d disabled.

It wasn’t long before the police arrived.

I was questioned and facts were checked.

By that point, I’d been told Alex had arrived at the hospital, and his story collaborated with mine.

We’d slashed his tires to stop any escape and when we were ready to barge into the house, he took a call.

He panicked, we thought, ran outside waving a handgun.

He was manic and before we could do anything, he put the muzzle into his mouth and pulled the trigger.

I was sure he’d sustained the obvious bruise to his temple when he fell. I had moved him, I’d said, I wanted to check for a pulse and we wanted to get Dominic. A half an hour later, I was driven back to Vivienne’s. Obviously, I was required at the station at some point.

Lauren raced from the front door when she saw the vehicle. She flew into my arms, knocking me off balance a little.

“Oh, God, Mackenzie,” she said, shaking.

“It’s okay. It’s okay,” I said.

“They arrested Addison,” she said, and I frowned at her.

“She was halfway up the drive with the money,” Lauren said. “The police came here to give an update and caught her. We didn’t call the police, we didn’t need to. She told them where you were and why.”

“What did she say?”

“That Daniel had kidnapped the child. She wasn’t involved. Even when she was questioned why she had the sports bag, she said she had been told by us to look after it,” Lauren said, spitting the words. “Anyway, I’m under arrest, I think.”

I stopped walking. “You’re what?”

“I was so mad, Mackenzie, I don’t think she was in on it, but she was going walk off with the money. When the policeman brought her back, I punched her,” she said.

It was then I noticed grazed knuckles.

“What the fuck…?” I said. I closed my eyes.

“Mackenzie?”

“The baby…” I closed my mouth quickly and then opened my eyes. “Jesus, Lauren,” I said, and then laughed.

We got in and Vivienne hugged me, she regaled me with the story of my wife beating my ex-wife. I was sure it had gotten exaggerated but I worried she might have exerted herself.

I sat her down and told her that her son had died by suicide.

I hated myself for lying to her and I knew it was a secret Alex and I would take to our graves.

She nodded but the sadness that clouded her features showed.

Her once bright blue eyes were gray and red tinged.

Dullness sucked the life from her skin. She looked pained and wrinkled.

I showered and we waited for news. The police arrived again and I was asked for a second statement.

When I repeated what Daniel had done, Vivienne clamped her hands over her ears.

He was still her son, regardless, and I think there was a moment when Alex and I had forgotten about that.

She shed tears, not for Daniel, but the life that had been lost that could have been.

Vivienne was also asked why she had disinherited her son and the whole sordid tale was told.

It went back years, the officer was told.

There were enough records for the police to be satisfied he was troubled and he was high.

I wouldn’t be convinced that we’d gotten away with it until we had, though.

Alex returned an hour or so later. Dominic was being kept for observation and Gabriella was staying with him.

He assured us there was nothing that a breast or two couldn’t fix; they just wanted to monitor him.

He looked exhausted, his hair was disheveled, and his clothes dirty.

While he took a shower and cleaned up, I poured him a whiskey and used the excuse that he might just want to sit alone and process, but with a drink, as the reason I headed to his bedroom.

“Jesus, Mackenzie, you startled me,” he said when he left the en suite.

I chuckled. “We need a moment,” I said.

With just a towel wrapped around his waist, he sat on the bed and took the glass from my hand. His shook as he lifted it to his mouth and gulped down the drink.

“Have you killed someone before?” I asked.

He looked at me. “Once. A long time ago and it was an accident. A hunting accident of all things.”

He told me of a man who had run through the woods after being caught poaching and straight into a line of guns.

“You?”

“Once, as you know, and I was fucked up on drugs and drink.”

“It’s not fun, is it?” he said quietly. I knew what he’d done would trouble him. All I hoped was the stick up his ass that Gabriella affectionately said he had, wouldn’t stop him from getting help if needed. “It was needed.” He nodded as if to convince himself.

“It was needed and if it hadn’t been us, Alex, it would have been whoever he owed money to and I doubt it would have been as quick.”

“How is Vivienne?”

“Sad, upset, obviously, more concerned about you, Gabriella, and Dominic, though.”

“What happens now?” he asked.

“I’ve been questioned, as has Lauren. It seems that Addison had tried to run off with the money. If you believe my wife, the police arrived at the same time and brought her back to the house. If you believe your mother-in-law, my wife wrestled my ex-wife to the floor and beat her ass .”

Alex choked on his mouthful of whiskey. He then laughed and I joined in.

“Fucking hell,” he said, and then took a deep breath. “I’d do anything for my son,” he whispered.

“I know, and we did what was necessary. We just need to make sure our stories match.”

I went through what I’d told the police. He nodded, it matched what he’d said, he confirmed.

“I’ll leave you to get dressed,” I said, rising and leaving him alone.

Just as I opened the door, he called me. “Mackenzie?” I turned to face him. “Thank you. I can’t ever repay you for this. Just being here, knowing what to do, you saved my child,” he whispered.

I wasn’t sure that I had. I didn’t think Daniel would be stupid enough to do something reckless, but then I thought, if he’d fallen asleep and left Dominic, he could have done damage, or worse.

“No repayment needed. He’s my godchild after all.”

“How about you and Lauren? Is there…?”

I shook my head and gave him a small smile. I didn’t want to talk about our situation.