Her Eyes

Chapter 69: A FRESH POISON EACH WEEK

Alex sped back to the Bates house, tumbling up the steps and flinging the front door open to view the body of the sheriff once more. He could feel his heart clenching at the reality of it all. They were never free from the terror of Norman…and they never would be. He left the body untouched, dialing the station. He'd only have a good ten minutes to think of a plan before they got there, but the more time he wasted the less believable his lie would be.

His heart began to beat against his chest as the sound of sirens came closer. It seemed that it was all coming to an end, but he'd be damned if he didn't go down fighting. Deputy Lynn was the first to burst through the door. She glanced down at the body then up at Alex's horror ridden face. Twenty-three years in the business and nothing ever scared him as much as this.

Alex's eyes met her gaze and he tried his best to shake the fear from him. "Take the body outside," he commanded, returning to his stoic state. The officers followed his command, leaving him alone with Deputy Lynn.

She crossed her arms in front of her, taking a step towards him. They never got along mainly because Alex thought she was too young for the job and for that, as well as many other things, she didn't trust him. "What happened here?"

Alex sighed deeply, glancing up the steps. So here's what the story's gonna be, he told himself. He hand reached up, subconsciously rubbing his temple. "A while back I found out that Milton was involved in the drug business. He was one of the Morgan's partners, but worked mainly with Gil Turner. He knew that Bradley Martin killed Gil, and when she came back into town he killed her. And he was trying to frame Norman Bates. I came here to question him about it and things got a little heated. I told everyone to leave the house, and that's when the argument ensued and Milton fell down the steps."

The woman's eyes narrowed in on him. She was always the one who needed extra convincing. "We're going to have to do an investigation."

He raised his brows, nodding because he already knew that was the case. He followed her down the steps to the SUVs, glancing up at the stretcher being pushed into the back of an ambulance. Standard procedure.

The investigation didn't last long. They drove Alex back to the station where he made his official statement, making sure it lined up perfectly with what he had told Deputy Lynn. There wasn't any evidence against him or anyone for that matter. It seemed as if Arbogast had been backed up against the steps and lost his footing. Perhaps it was an accident. Or perhaps it wasn't. It didn't matter either way. Alex knew the truth. He knew it was Norman, and even though he didn't see him do it—all signs traced back to him.

Alex got lucky. Everyone seemed to believe his story. It wasn't all that surprising; no one really knew who Milton Arbogast was. He seemed to appear from the shadows, coming and going at the most opportune moments. No one questioned whether or not Milton had been involved in the drug business or if he had killed Bradley Martin. They took Alex's word for it. Those were the benefits of working for the same station for over twenty years. He could get away with anything. It was both liberating and frightening.

Alex returned to the Bates house, feeling slightly relieved that he was able to close two cases in the same day. It wasn't even close to noon and though it seemed his work was done…it never would be.

Alex banged on the door of Room 1. He knew she was there…she was always there. He grimaced at her as she opened the door. "I need to talk to you," he grumbled, pushing his way inside.

She shut the door and turned around to face him, a smile creeping across her face. "What can I help you with?"

He stared at her, unamused by her game. "Did you witness anything this morning? Have you seen Norman?"

"Norman?" she stared back at him blankly.

"The eighteen year old boy who works here. Norma's son." He didn't have the patience for this. Time was of the essence; lives were at stake.

Sally raised a brow, folding her arms in front of her. "Norma and Norman?" Alex glared at her, causing her to pull back a little. "I've never seen him before."

The sound of a car pulling up caught Alex's attention, but he drew his eyes back to her. "Are you sure?"

She furrowed her brow, glancing out the window. "Yes."

"All right. I'm gonna need you to go spend some time downtown. Spend all day there and don't come back until I call you and tell you it's all right." Alex headed for the door, pulling it open and rushing off onto the gravel.

"What's going on?" she called after him, following him to his SUV.

"Just do as I say," he barked without turning around. He could see Dylan walking towards him in periphery.

"You're gonna need my number if you wanna call me," she smirked.

Alex grimaced, knowing that Dylan was witnessing all of this. "Fine," he growled, turning back to her and pulling out his phone for her to type the number it.

"What are you doing here?" Dylan asked as he came closer, getting a better view of the woman exchanging numbers with Alex.

Sally handed him back the phone, sending him the best smirk she could possibly muster. Alex's eyes darted to Dylan's. "Where the hell were you?"

Dylan stopped in his tracks, checking behind him to reassure that he was the one being spoken to. "I was at the home."

Alex made his way over to him, leaving Sally alone outside her room. "You didn't come home at all last night?" He could see the offense creeping into Dylan's face. "Norman's missing…again. And you and I are going to find him, so get in the car." He made his way to the driver's side and climbed in. "Are you coming or not?"

They were half way down the road before Alex finally opened his mouth to speak. "The sheriff's dead. Your mother found him lying at the bottom of the steps this morning. Norman was gone."

Dylan took his eyes off the lines of trees to stare at the man sitting next to him. "Are you gonna do an investigation?"

Alex sighed deeply, eyes narrowing on the road ahead. "No, I already took care of it." Alex had killed lots of people—lots of bad people—but this was the one the struck him as the worst. And he didn't even kill this man. He didn't like Milton much and part of him knew that it was better this way, but he couldn't get past the fact that he didn't know Milton. He didn't know if he was good or bad; he wasn't sure if a debt to society had been paid through this murder. He'd never know.

They drove around for hours, searching the forests and alleyways with no luck. Alex turned to Dylan as the dark started to creep up into the sky and offered to continue the search the next day.

They rode in silence until Dylan mustered up the courage to ask what had been pestering him for past six hours. "Who was that woman?"

Alex glanced at him briefly before returning his gaze to the road ahead. He knew why he was asking. It was obvious Dylan cared about his mother. And any man that crept his way into her life had to be interrogated thoroughly. "She's an old friend."

Alex pulled into the driveway and watched as the kid climbed out, offering him a small nod. "Call if you see him?"

Dylan sent him an appreciate smile before shutting the door. "Will do."

Alex waited for him to reach the top of the steps to pull out his phone and call Sally. He wasn't worried about her, but he couldn't fight the eerie feeling rising in his gut. It was his job to protect people…that's what he told himself at least.

"Is everything all right?" He could hear her fumbling with the phone. She must have been driving, he figured.

"Yea. Everything's all right," he lied. Not intentionally though. Part of him always wanted to believe that everything was all right. Blind hope. "You can come back to the motel now. Just keep an eye out."

"Okay." She didn't sound very assured, but that wasn't his job. "Thanks."

He hung up after that. He didn't owe her anything else.

Alex came home to the smell of lasagna perfuming the house. He smiled brightly at the woman behind the stove. The sudden sound of him had startled her, but she ran at the realization of him, throwing her arms over his shoulders and wrapping herself in him. He chuckled at her actions, soaking in the warmth of her. She pulled away to look at him. "Did you find him?"

His heart sank a little. He couldn't stand the thought of disappointing her. He loved her too much. "No." Her grasp fell from him as her eyes hit the floor, and she stumbled back onto a chair, breathing slowly. Alex reached out for her, placing a hand on the one that lay on the table. "I will find him. I promise."

She didn't look up at him. She kept her gaze on the floor near the doorway. Her escape. "I should have never left."

He hated when she blamed herself. "Norma—"

Her eyes glared up at him, never faltering…daring him to push farther. "That man would still be alive if I hadn't come here. You know that's true."

He could feel himself become hot with anger, and he had to pull himself back from her. He glared at her, anger and pain drowning his eyes. "That could have been you!" She didn't say a word. Her mouth fell open with defense, but it never came. The sound of oven beeping freed them from the stillness, offering them a silent resolution.