Seth’s head was spinning wildly. Never in
his wildest dreams would he have considered Kim to be a serial killer. He watched
her work in silence while his writer’s mind concocted one horrible scheme after
another. She was the one who figured out
that code on ole Tongue-less Trevor, after all, his memory reminded him. She could be using her knowledge to set
people up. Just when he’d nearly convinced himself that Kim was the killer,
his heart spoke. You can’t seriously
believe Kim, of all people, would do this to someone. She sure as hell wouldn’t
harm Angela. They’re friends. The more he thought about it, the less Kim
seemed likely to be the killer. It’s
probably Agent Dictator, Seth decided.
Kim’s hands trembled as she knelt beside
the mound of mutilated pieces of human wreckage. Her heart ached as she feared
finding pieces of her friend yet she felt guilty that she’d hoped those the
parts belonged to strangers. As it became evident that Angela was not included
within the pile, the guilt increased. She cleared her throat and took a deep breath before speaking.
“Looks like we have the remains from
two separate people here but neither appear to be Angela. I know what her hands
and feet look like and these aren’t it. We might be able to use the tattoos
that haven’t been destroyed to help us indentify the victims though.”
The
FBI agents had separated into their own group while the local police huddled
together to figure out their next plan of attack. Both teams were anxious to point
their collective fingers at the other, if the media arrived on the scene. Meanwhile,
Seth was getting antsy. The tension had become so thick and oppressive that he
wanted to leave but Bill said he needed to be present. I don’t understand why I need to be here. I’m not law enforcement of
any kind and I have no connection to these victims, Seth thought to
himself. Unless, what if Agent Dick is
trying to find a way to pin this crap on me? He was too busy trying to
figure out the agent’s motive to notice someone was trying to get his
attention.
“Hey, you! You, in the navy blue
shirt, could you give me a hand?”
The
officer paused for a moment to see if he’d get a response; when none came, the
request was shouted, loud and clear.
“YO! YOU IN THE NAVY BLUE SHIRT!”
Seth
was startled from his silent reverie. He looked around to see if anyone else
was wearing a navy shirt.”
“Yes, you,” the officer bellowed. “Would
you come here and give me a hand already?”
“Sorry about that … I guess I zoned
out for a minute,” Seth replied. “What do you need me to do?”
“Grab the other end of this and help
me lift it onto the cart here.”
Seth
leaned over but he remembered something Bill had told him the day they’d met, ‘always
wear gloves’. He stood up, held up his index finger in the universal signal for
‘just a minute’, and then went in search of some gloves. Kim waved him over and
retrieved a fresh pair of gloves from the box inside her kit.
“You’re a quick learner,” she
whispered to Seth. “Be careful … I heard from one of the investigators that you
are a person of interest in this case.”
Seth’s
heart skipped a beat and his lungs constricted. How could they think I had anything to do with this? He wanted to
scream at them and proclaim his innocence but that would look even worse so he
took the gloves and returned to assist with the heavy lifting. Once he was no
longer needed he sat on the curb and waited.
Just when Seth started to relax, a dark
shadow hovered over him, blocking out the sun. He looked up at the towering
figure of Agent Dictator. For the first time, he wished he hadn’t opened his
big mouth and called out Agent Dictator in front of a room full of people.
“So, I hear you’ve been observing
for the past few weeks to help with a book you’re writing,” the agent
sneered. “That’s interesting. I’d like to see that.”
Seth
stood, projecting an air of confidence even though he was terrified. He held
out his hand and shook with the agent.
“I’m honored,” Seth gushed. “I had
no idea you were a fan. If you’d like, I’d be more than happy to autograph a
copy for you when it’s published.”
“Cut the crap, smartass. Just know
this … If you have anything to do with these killings, I will catch you and I
won’t quit until you’ve taken a ride on Old Sparky. You’ll fry like bacon on a
griddle. Got it?”
For
several minutes Seth stood there with his jaw hanging open. He’d never expected
an FBI agent to speak to him like that. Agent Dictator snorted and turned to
walk away.
“Wait! Look, I know we got off on
the wrong foot but I am more than willing to cooperate in any and every way. I
had nothing to do with these crimes. Feel free to search me, my house, my wife …
anything. I am not a killer. I’m just a writer.”
“Watch your back, Mr. Just-a-writer.”
Kim
watched the interaction with detached fascination. She’d never seen Agent
Dictator lose his cool, and never with someone he’d deemed to be a suspect. She
waited until the raging agent had gone inside before check in on her friend.
“What was that all about?”
“I don’t know what game he’s playing
but this is ridiculous,” Seth grumbled. “First you … then me.”
“Uh, what? What about me?” Kim
demanded.
“Bill told me Agent Dick said you’re
a suspect.”
“Well, that’s funny since Agent Dick
directly told me Bill was a suspect. Looks like he’s trying to pit us against
each other. He’s such an ass!”
Kim’s
fury simmered just below the surface but she was careful not to let anyone else
observe it. She was beginning to think no one could be trusted anymore.
When they’d finally wrapped things up at
the station, Bill drove Kim and Seth back to the morgue. They rode in silence,
each fearing they were trapped in a car with the killer. Seth sped home, anxious
to hold his wife close but also to warn her that they might be questioned soon.
He pulled into the garage, happy to see Melanie’s car parked in her spot.
Already feeling the stress release him from its dreaded grip, he burst through
the door and called out to her.
“I’m home! Mel? Babe? HELLO?”
Malachi
came trotting into the room, tail wagging. The pup was so excited to see his
human that he jumped up and nearly knocked Seth over. He reached out and caught
himself on the kitchen counter.
“Whoa, boy! I’m happy to see you
too. Believe me, after the day I had, I could use some cuddle time with you and
Mommy.”
He
took a few minutes to give Malachi belly rubs and scratches behind the ears
before using the edge of the counter to pull himself up; that’s when he noticed
the note.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear Seth,
I’m not sure
what time I’ll be home. One of your friends from the morgue stopped by and
asked me to offer a woman’s insight into a thesis they’re working on about
serial killers. There’s leftover lasagna in the fridge if you get hungry. I’m
so excited to be involved! See ya soon.
Love,
Mel J
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Seth’s
entire body trembled. Oh God! The
murderer took her. She didn’t even leave the sick twist’s name. How am I going
to rescue her? Frightened and defeated, he sank down onto the floor with
her note still clenched in his hand and buried his face in Malachi’s fur.
Love it!
ReplyDeleteThank you, sir! Coming from you, that is a HUGE compliment.
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