Read Worth Dying For (A Slaughter Creek Novel) for Free Online

reason to hate her.
    And a valid reason to want her dead.

    His lips curling in disgust, he stared at the picture of Ester Banning on the front page of the Slaughter Creek Gazette .
    The story didn’t reveal any important details. There was no mention of suspects either. Did the police know that Ester had helped Commander Arthur Blackwood with the CHIMES project? That she was a soldier for his evil? She’d obeyed his every command with no questions asked. Punished the children without a shred of remorse in those cold she-devil eyes.
    Just as they all had.
    Her picture was deceptive, though. In it, she looked normal. Like a victim.
    Ester Banning had been no victim.
    He closed his eyes, remembering the way she’d looked at the end. Her stringy matted brown hair had grayed and was gritty from the creek water. Bruises darkened the skin beneath her eyes, and there were cuts on her face. And those eyes . . . they’d been black with evil.
    She looked battered and ugly.
    She was ugly, inside and out.
    Nurses were supposed to be tenderhearted. Caring. Gentle. Loving.
    Ester had never been loving.
    He rubbed a finger along the number carved behind his ear.
    Yes, Ester was one of the most coldhearted people he’d ever met. And she had deserved to die. Just as all the worker bees in the Commander’s army did.
    Soon they would be picked off, just like flies.
    Dead. Crushed. Their blood splattered across the town, running like a river of crimson through Slaughter Creek.
    He stared at the master list. Who would be next?

    A half hour later, Liz and Rafe left the nursing home. Three different employees had confirmed the doctor’s story about Ester. All said they’d noticed her being cruel to a patient and were relieved when she’d been fired.
    They stopped at a small coffee shop to phone Myra’s children. They also needed to speak to the other patient’s son. The fact that he’d filed a lawsuit but dropped it after his mother’s death was suspicious.
    Rafe ordered them coffee and punched in Myra’s daughter’s number.
    When she answered on the third ring, he put her on speakerphone.
    “Hello, Evans residence.”
    “Ann?” Liz said.
    “Yes, who is this?”
    Liz explained the reason for their call. “We saw your mother and spoke with her doctor.”
    “You talked to my mother?” Ann’s voice rose a decibel. “What happened? Is she okay?”
    Liz inhaled. “She grew anxious when we showed her Ester’s photograph,” she said. “But we assured her that Ester can’t hurt her anymore.”
    “My mother’s suffered enough,” Ann said. “Leave her alone.”
    “We didn’t mean to upset her, Ann.” Liz hesitated, softening her voice. “Did you have any contact with Ester after she was fired?”
    Ann heaved a weary breath. “No. And if you think me or my brother had something to do with her death, you’re wrong. We discussed filing a lawsuit, but the head of the nursing home assured us that Ester would never work there or anywhere in nursing care again.”
    “Did they give you a settlement?” Liz asked.
    A tense heartbeat passed. “Yes. But I want to clarify something. We only took the money to help pay for Mother’s care. And if there’s any money left after Mother passes, we’ve designated it to go into a trust fund for our children.”
    “Of course.” Liz jotted down some notes. “Have you spoken to your brother lately?”
    “He’s in Hong Kong on business. He’s been there for a month, and won’t be back for another three weeks.”
    “Thank you,” Liz said. “We appreciate your help.”
    Ann released a weary breath. “I would like to say that I hope you find Ester’s killer,” Ann said. “Even though I’m not sorry she’s gone. She was a horrible woman who caused my mother’s stroke.”
    Liz couldn’t blame Ann for her animosity, but she didn’t think she’d killed Ester.
    Because the doctor was right. Whoever had severed Ester’s hands was a psychopath. And Ann sounded . . .