No Ordinary Killer (8 page)

“You’re in as much
danger as he is.”

“Now the situation
has become more complicated … he can’t watch us both at the same time. He’s had
to resort to finding help. They aren’t as qualified or impeccable as he is.
This is his first mistake, Captain. He’s lost complete control.”

“Now he’s become even more dangerous. We have to be
extremely suspicious of everything and everyone.”

“I agree. Since I’m investigating Cooper, I have
access to every man and woman in your precinct. I’ll start digging.”

“Don’t know what you’ll find. I had Josh do some
digging for me and he came up empty handed. He’s been watching Megan and hasn’t
caught her meeting anyone. She’s good at being discrete. No one seems to be
crossing Cooper’s path either.”

“Maybe you should send in one of your men undercover.
Secrets are often revealed in the arms of passion.”

“Considered it. None of my men are willing to
prostitute themselves to that witch. Megan is a piece of work. Besides, they
have too much respect for Cooper.”

“Maybe she’ll slip up with pressure from me. Nothing a
woman likes less than her ex finding happiness in the arms of another woman.”

“You be careful, this isn’t a game.”

“The one thing I do know, Captain, is that this isn’t
a game. She’s not the type to sit back and watch Cooper make a fool of her.
This may not be about sex … but it is about control. If nothing else, we’ll
frustrate and complicate her life … she’s bound to make a mistake. Like I said
before, we find Megan Reynolds’ lover and we find the informant and the killer.”

“She won’t be easy.”

“Then let’s complicate things more.”

“What do you have in mind?”

Dallas
rubbed her arm while thinking through a
plan. “Let’s send Art Bicsak to distract her. He’s handsome, worldly and comes
from money. All the attributes Megan Reynolds admires. Art can be seductive and
convincing … believe me he’s tried a time or two with me. Tried is the key word
there, Captain.” His chuckle encouraged her to continue.

“He’s single and loves a good chase. He’s new, not
from around here. I think this might work.”

“Interesting suggestion. Let’s give it some thought.
I’m not sure we want to get him involved.”

“We need to figure this out … and soon. Megan’s book
describes three murders. I don’t want to be responsible for another death,
Captain.”

“Vilas.”

“What?”

“My first name is Vilas.”

“I’ve never heard of it before. What nationality?”

“Polish. My father’s parents were from Poland; his father from Warsaw and mother from Polzen. They didn’t
know a word of English when they landed at Ellis Island.
I never got a chance to meet them. They were buried before I was born. My folks
still speak Polish, I only learned the cuss words.”

Dallas
laughed. “Where do they live?”

“Little town called Thorp, Wisconsin.
Believe it or not, there’s a lot of folks there that still speak Polish. They
still polka and Polish hop in the old ways. Farmers most of them. They work
hard and rarely complain. My brother, Anthony, still farms the homestead.”

“You see him much?”

“Actually we’re quite close. Since he’s tied down with
milking cows, heifers and the like, my family drives down every Memorial Day
weekend for a week visit. When we can, Molly and I fly down and spend
Thanksgiving with them. It gives us a chance to spend time with Molly’s family,
too, since they live in Stanley,
barely a ten minute drive away. I just hope this case is solved by the
holidays.”

“You and me both. Family is important. I’m an only
child and my dad wants to control my life. We were so close when I was young.
My mother left us when I was three. When I decided I wanted to be in law
enforcement and not ranching, he disowned me. Won’t stand up to him … so I
actually lost both my parents. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the hurt. I
thought marrying Larry was the answer. Big surprise there. I still hope someday
I’ll find Mr. Right.”

“You will, just be patient. Molly and I’ve been
married thirty-eight years now. Our Adam is thirty-one and Gail is
twenty-eight. I have three grandsons. I’m one lucky man.”

“Yes you are, Vilas. You have any idea how Megan got
that information for her book?” She didn’t miss his hesitation or the way he
gripped the steering wheel. He knew something, but wasn’t talking yet. Did his
information incriminate Cooper, that’s why he was holding back?

“Something is wrong and has been for a long time. I’ve
been trying to figure it out, but I’ve failed miserably. Maybe now, with you
and Bicsak here, we’ll get to the bottom of it.”

Dallas
studied the man beside her. “Bottom of
what, Captain?’

“I think you know.”

“Know what? I don’t understand,” she rubbed her arm.
She hated it when people spoke in riddles. The straight, blunt truth was how
she liked it.

“All I’ll say is start from the beginning.”

“Beginning of what?”

“The first murder and what it did for Cooper and
Josh’s careers. There’s something there … maybe I didn’t want to see the truth.
Maybe I could have stopped all this from happening four years ago.”

“Are you saying Josh and Cooper—“

“I’m not saying anything. You’re the investigator on
the case. I’m saying check everything out, from the beginning. Form you own
opinion and get your own proof. I’m saying it’s something I should have done.
I’m not making excuses. Just know Cooper is like a son to me. If you prove me
wrong, and he’s involved, don’t cover it up. A man has to … be responsible for his
actions.”

“I don’t think you’re wrong, Vilas. I think Cooper is
innocent. I will prove it.”

“I’m counting on you, Dallas. Don’t go in with
blinders on … I made that mistake.”

“Meaning?”

“You know my meaning. We’re here. You take care of
your business … and I’ll take care of mine. If you ever need someone to talk to
or bounce things off, I’ll be the one you can trust.”

“Thank you, Vilas. I mean that.” She unbuckled her
seatbelt and glanced over at her new friend. He slammed the truck door and
headed toward a group of men standing outside the crime scene tape. She closed
the door and took a deep breath. He’d emphasized objectivity, open-minded, and
unbiased. She could do this. Dallas
headed toward the small, run-down house.

Withdrawing a notepad and pen, she opened the front
door and stepped inside. Silence … dead silence surrounded her. Men’s voices
slowly made their way to her from down the hallway. Dark spots on the carpet
were most likely blood pools. She jotted size and location down. By the
elongated pattern, she surmised the perpetrator had run down the hallway with a
bloody knife extended in either his or her right hand. The killer was
right-handed.

“Fortune, I was just going to call you.”

Turning around, Dallas
waited as Art Bicsak hurried toward her. “Like shit. I don’t know what you’re
up to, but we’re a team. You get a call, you call me. I get a call, I call you.
Does any of this sound vaguely familiar?”

“Now, Dallas,
you’re jumping to conclusion. You had a rough night. I was merely going to
check things out here first, then I was going to share my findings with you. I
don’t think Reynolds or Arnott should be poking around without at least one of
us keeping an eye on them.”

Art’s cheeks were flushed. His overboard apology told
her he had no intention of sharing his information. Without giving him a
response, she turned and headed back down the hall. “Watch your step,” she
noted softly, “There’s blood spatter everywhere.”

“Yeah, I see that. Where are Reynolds and Arnott?”

“I don’t really know. I just got here myself. I heard
voices, then I noticed the blood trail on the carpet here. You called my name
and here we are.” She stepped aside as Art pushed open the bedroom door and
abruptly stopped.

Dallas
froze in place as she slowly scanned the
blood spattered room.

CHAPTER NINE

Megan dropped her keys and both grocery bags on the
counter before digging her cell phone out of her pocket. “Hello.”

“Good lord, girl, what is going on there?”

“Hi, mom. What do you mean?”

“Well, you’re on TV and they’re accusing you of being
responsible for those murders. I’m afraid for me and the twins. Do you realize
that you haven’t even called them in two weeks? Cooper calls them almost every
night.”

“Well good for him.”

“Don’t be so sarcastic. He’s always been a good father.”

“So you’re saying I’m not a good mother?”

“I didn’t say that either, dear. I’m just saying it
helps when you call. I wanted you to know that I still haven’t gotten the
grocery check you were going to send. You know I can’t pay the bills without
money.”

“Mom, I’ve been busy. This hasn’t been easy. I mailed
the check yesterday and … well, the twins don’t have much to say when I call
anyway.” She rolled her eyes upward and shook her head.

“They’re three, what do you expect?”

“Don’t talk to any reporters,” she said, placing two
bottles of chardonnay and a container of strawberries in the near empty
refrigerator.

“You know I wouldn’t talk to anyone about the twins.
They need their mama.”

“Let’s not get into this again. They love living with
you and life is just too hectic here right now. You know I’ll come get them
soon. Besides, it’s summer, they’re bored here.”

“They don’t know about being bored. They do know about
their mama being gone.”

“Must we do this right now?” Megan tapped her nails on
the counter.

“Tell me when you’re coming to visit so I can let them
know. It’ll give them something to look forward to.”

Megan crunched the paper bag and tossed it on the
floor. “I’m not sure. I’ll let you know when I get it figured out. You know,
Mom, I really have to go. I was almost out the door when you called. I don’t
want to be late. How about I call Sunday? We’ll talk then.”

“Okay, Megan, go to your meeting. Make sure you call
the twins after church on Sunday.”

“Fine, I’ll call after lunch.” A quick press punch to
the off button flooded her with relief. These phone calls were getting more
tiresome and annoying as time passed. Maybe she should just give the twins to
Cooper and be done with the frustration. No, that would please Cooper too much.

What was the hoopla about being a mother? Demanding,
exhausting and annoying were only a few adjectives she’d call kids. Maybe it
got better with time … but she doubted it. If she hadn’t wanted to please Coop,
she’d never have allowed it. He was a good father, and that annoyed her even
more. He loved the twins and for that reason alone she’d never give him
full-custody.

He’d humiliated her. He’d told her family about her
botched abortion. He could have considered her feelings and kept that mistake
between them. She’d lost friends and her marriage … all because of Coop.

She tossed the deli sandwich in the fridge, no longer
hungry even though she’d only eaten a bagel all day. On second thought, she
grabbed a bottle of wine, removed the cork and poured the enticing liquid into
her favorite Tiffany glass. A long soak, candles, and soft music would make her
feel better. Hopefully by then she’d be ready for some satisfying sex … the
kind that made her forget everything and everyone.

Settling down against the headrest, scented water reached
her chin. Beethoven soothed her mind, sandalwood candles soothed her soul.
Closing her eyes, she allowed the stress between her shoulder blades to
evaporate….

A thin young man, long blond
hair pulled back into a ponytail, laughed as his older, male lover tied his
wrists to the bed post. “You don’t get too kinky, do you?”

“I’m going to bring you to
the height of your senses. I’m going to help you face your greatest fear.”

“Oh, yeah, and what’s that?”

“Death.”

“Shit, what you talking
about?”

The older man finished the
last knot on the ankle restraint. The fear in the young man’s eyes was all
consuming. “You should never go home with a stranger. Didn’t your mama ever
tell you that?” The older man’s laughter held a steel edge.

“You seemed so nice. You know
my friend Billy.”

“You ever wonder what
happened to Billy?”

“He … he went to Chicago to live with his
real dad. You even told me so.”

“What would you say if I told
you Billy never left this apartment alive? He stayed here for weeks … but then
I had to get rid of his body. The neighbors started complaining that my garbage
was stinking too much. I had to take him away.”

The young man snapped his
head to the right, then left, looking around the room as though seeing it for
the first time. “He was dead and you kept him here? Man, that’s sick. You
aren’t going to do that to me, are you?” His voice rose and trembled.

“No, Joey Fallon, I have
better plans for you. You’re going to become famous. Hell, I’m going to be
famous. You see, I told you we’re going to be good together.” The older man
raised an eight inch butcher’s knife, then stabbed it into the mattress near
Joey’s side. “You have a marvelous body,” he said, moving his left palm the
length of Joey’s chest and taunt stomach.

“Don’t do this. I’ll stay
here and be your lover. I … won’t start stinking that way. I’ll do whatever you
say, honest. I don’t want to be famous. Come on, let’s have some fun and forget
about this shit.”

“Joey, Joey, no can do.
You’re perfect for this, man.” He jerked the knife out of the mattress.
Reaching over he turned the small lamp on the night stand down … then turned
the radio up … a tasteless rapper yelled his poetic riddle. Slow and deliberate
he slid the young man’s boxers off, excited by the view. Breathing heavily, the
killer shoved them into Joey’s mouth, followed by a strip of duct tape.

“I wish I could tell you this
isn’t going to hurt … because it’s gonna hurt like hell.” A stream of blood
followed the tip of the knife as he split open the young man’s perfect body
from center neck to pelvis.

Joey’s stifled screams filled
the room.

 
Megan bolted
upright in the cold water. She glanced around the bathroom, then stepped out of
the tub, wrapping her chilled skin in a heavy velour robe. Two steps and she
dropped to the toilet seat, struggling to collect herself.

I’d been so vivid … so real … so intimate. She’d
written that scene, but it had come alive in her dream somehow. Joey’s fear
overwhelmed her. The violence and cold-bloodedness of the killer stayed with
her. She attempted to shake it off … but it clung to her like a static sheet of
fabric softener.

Hesitant, she pulled the water plug lever, quickly
blew out the scented candles, then switched off the CD player before heading to
bed. She crawled between the cold, cotton sheets and wished her lover had found
a way to sneak his way into her bed. She hated being alone. She liked the
games, the sex, and in so many ways the secrecy of their relationship was an
aphrodisiac. She smiled to herself.

 
Her lids grew
heavy and she welcomed the peace.

In and out … in and out … in
and out the older man plunged the eight inch knife into young Joey Fallon’s
body. Long after he was dead. Blood splattered on the ceiling, the walls, and
the mirror. Blood covered the killer and he reveled in the feel of sweet, warm
blood as it dripped off his face.

Megan gasped awake. Shaking, she quickly turned on the
reading light. Breathing quick and labored, she pushed the horror from her
mind. Damn that Kari Winslow for her blaming questions. Damn everyone for
pointing an accusing finger at the author of a fiction book. She dropped back
against the stack of pillows.

Dare she close her eyes and try to sleep again? Would
this murder continue to haunt her? Exhaustion pulled at her mind and body, yet
she couldn’t bring herself to turn off the light and snuggle back under the
covers.

This had been a bad idea from the start. She knew
Copper was going to be furious once he read the book. She wanted him to hurt …
and she’d succeeded. A bit of hard work stole his dream and she’d become an
instant success in the process. At what price?

They’d been good together. They still could be good
together, if it hadn’t been for the twins. They spoiled everything. He doted on
them. They were the joy of his life and that left her where? She used to be his
baby, his only. She used to be all he ever needed or wanted. The twins ruined
everything. She wouldn’t have needed to look elsewhere if Cooper hadn’t gotten
her pregnant.

The sound of a door clicking shut caused Megan to
tense. She reached over and turned out the light. Sitting in the darkness, her
body trembled, waiting for the next sound of an intruder in the house.

There … she heard a creek on the stairs. Shaking, she
reached over and withdrew a Smith and Wesson Chief model 38. Cooper liked the
five-shot revolver with only a two inch barrel. He’d told her the shrouded
hammer eliminated the possibility of snagging on clothing. She’d always hated
having a gun in the house; now she was more grateful than she could imagine.

Muffled footsteps caused her to hold the pistol out in
front of her. She trembled, causing the gun to visibly shake. She imagined the
doorknob turning, but silence answered. Her arms ached from holding the gun up.

She tried convincing herself that this behavior was neurotic
and dangerous. She still couldn’t bring herself to lower the weapon.

“Megan?”

A chill washed over her. “Who’s there?”

“Your lover.”

The whisper nearly caused her to pull the trigger.
“Damn you! I could have shot you. You’re crazy for sneaking up here and scaring
me like this.” She dropped the gun into the night stand and slammed the drawer
shut.

“Tell me you’re not happy to see me. Aw, come on … I
was going to sneak up here and slide naked into your bed. Tell me that doesn’t
excite you.”

In the dim light she could see he was in fact naked.
Smiling, she lifted the cover. “Don’t ever do that to me again. I’d hate to
explain how a cop ended up dead in my bed.”

“I’m sure you could convince everyone of something
innocent.”

She smiled at his answer. She allowed him to pull her
into his arms, sliding her on top of him. She lowered her perfectly round,
bought-and-paid-for breasts to his hungry mouth. She missed the tingling she’d
experienced with her natural breasts. Her nipples were taut and beautiful, but they
no longer made her yearn for more.

“I still can’t get over these gorgeous breasts. It was
damn smart to have them enlarged. You looked great on TV the other day. Poor
Kari Winslow was doing her damn best to show more cleavage than you.”

“Thanks, Bucko. You say the sweetest things.” She
pulled away and rolled, putting her back to him.

“Awe, babe, come on. You have any idea how hard it was
for me to get my ass up here without being seen? You’d better get yourself in
the mood so I can ravish that hot body of yours.”

She smiled and turned to face him. “You really think
my body is hot?”

“Damn straight.”

“How much do you want me?” She slid her palm down his
muscular thigh. “Oh, I can tell you want me pretty bad.”

“Can’t hide it, that’s for sure.”

Moving over him, she straddled his gym-toned torso. He
moved his large, warm hands down her thighs, then pulled her closer, giving him
access to her breasts once again. She smiled at his soft moaning.

Raising her hips, she took him in fully and gasped at
the fervor of it. He answered with deep, throaty moans. She continued riding
him, unrestrained … faster and faster … harder and harder. She wanted more and
more of him. Giving freely, her labored breaths matched his.

A gripping chill shook her with intensity, then caused
her to wilt across his chest. The climax had been fast and satisfying. She lay
spent for a few seconds, then rolled off him and snuggled her back into the
curves of his body.

His tense posture told her he hadn’t been fully
satisfied. She really didn’t care. His hot kisses on the back of her neck held
a certain hesitancy. He wanted more. “I’m exhausted. You going to stay for a
while or do you have to leave?” He pulled away.

“I was hoping for a little more action. Since that’s
not going to happen, I’d better get my ass out of here before someone catches
us.”

“Don’t sound so put out. Realize this hasn’t been all
that easy on me.”

“Shit, Megan, get real. I’m the one taking the
chances. I’m the one whose balls they’ll fry if this doesn’t go down just
right. So don’t be giving me any crap about this being hard on you. A lot of
what’s going down was your idea … remember?”