Terror on the Beach (16 page)

“I don’t know which personality she was at the time.
It might be Elizabeth. She’s very loose as I’m finding out. Now don’t feel threatened by this, Robert, but the other day when she was Elizabeth, one of the nurses found her in the bed of one of the male patients.”

When I didn’t say anything she said, “Robert, are you still there?
Are you angry? It’s okay if you are. You can be angry and still love Sarah. As strange as it sounds it wasn’t Sarah who slept with the male patient.”

“Why don’t you keep the males and females separated?”

“We do, Robert, but Elizabeth managed to slip by the nurses’ station and get to the other wing. Believe me, she will be watched more carefully from now on.”

I was thinking out loud, “So, that’s how he was able to get into her apartment.
He must have had a key made from hers. He probably pressed her key into some clay when she wasn’t looking and made a copy from that. Dr. Anna, does Sarah now know everything Beth knows?”

“No, Sarah has just met Beth so she knows just what Beth has told her just like you would if you met a complete stranger.
Beth knows everything about Sarah because she’s known her for a long time. Are you following this, Robert?”

I thought about this for a long time and Dr. Anna waited me out.
What I was thinking was that even if we could prove Bucky was in Sarah’s condo, so what? It still wouldn’t lead to the murders.

I shared with Dr. Anna my reasoning and concluded with, “I guess we’ll just have to wait for the report from the FBI forensic guys.
I sure hope they find something and soon.”

“I do to
o, Robert. I’ll keep you posted on anything I think can help you. Take care. Oh, and by the way, have you given any thought as to why you’re attracted to someone with so many problems?” She laughed and hung up before I could respond.

  CHAPTER 33

Simon came in just as I hung up the phone, “Still no word from Savannah.
Looks like I’m going to have to build a fire under them. Have you heard anything from Freddy?”

“Not yet,” I looke
d at my watch, “It’s almost five. You want to take a break and go get some coffee that doesn’t taste like the tar we got here?”

“Hey it works for me, sheriff.”

As we went by the front desk I told Brenda where we would be and to call my cell phone if she needed me.

Simon called Savannah from TJ’s and, while he was on the phone, I noticed a pretty young woman come in and sit at the bar.
I had never seen her here before. I overheard her ask where she could find Bucky Koffer.

She had long black straight hair that was obviously dyed and long fake eyelashes.
She had on a pair of white jeans that were so tight it looked like she had painted them on, a pink halter top, and pink high heeled sandals.

She looked like a hooker and I knew if Bucky had ordered himself up a hooker, he would have had to call someone from out of town.
We had no hookers here. I had made sure of that over the years. Also I was worried about her. He may want to stab or bite her to death.

Simon was still on the phone with the FBI in Savannah and I walked over to the bar.
“Ma’am, I’m Sheriff Kola. Is there anything I can do for you?”

She looked me up and down and I noticed she looked very young.
She couldn’t have been more than eighteen, if that.

She stuck a stick of gum between her very red lips and started chewing and popping it while she looked me over.
“I was just trying to locate someone, sheriff.”

“I know.
I overheard you asking about Bucky. Why do you want to see him?”

She laughed, “Well, I believe that would come under the heading of my business now wouldn’t it?”

“Yes ma’am, it would except that we suspect he’s the Beach Front Stabber.”

She laughed again and I thought her laugh was really pretty, “Bucky? I’ve known him for years and he wouldn’t hurt a fly.
He’s as gentle as he can be and I can’t wait to see him again.”

“How long has it been since you last saw him?”

She blew a small bubble and popped it, “let’s see, it must have been about a year ago, I guess. Why, what’s it to you?”

“Where was this?”

“If you must know, it was a little town you’ve probably never heard of between Panama City and Destin, Florida. I know it was the same time as all those stabbings there, but Bucky was with me nearly every night. He couldn’t have done it. I know him, trust me.”

“It’s him I don’t trust.”

“Look sheriff, I don’t think there’s any law against me going to see my friend, so just tell me where I can find him.”

“I’ll do better than that,” I said, “I’ll take you there.”
I waved to Simon on the way out and he waved back and nodded and pointed to the cell phone.”

She was driving a brand new yellow Mustang.
We got in and she floor boarded it and laid down about a mile of rubber on the road. She looked at me and grinned.

“Unless you want to spend some time in jail for reckless endangerment, I suggest you slow down.”
She did and I continued, “Besides, it’s not far enough away for you to get up any speed.”

She slowed down to a crawl and once again looked me over.
“I’ll bet you could show a girl a good time. How about it, sheriff, you want me after Bucky is done? I’m not saying there will be much left when he’s done but you’re sure welcome to the leftovers.”

She tried to grab my crotch but I moved her hand away, “That’s what I’m worried
about,” I said, “The last girl he was with he tried to eat her alive.”

“Woof! T
hat sounds exciting. He must have gotten better than he was before.”

“She bled to death.
What’s your name, anyway?”

“It’s Katrina, no last name
. I don’t do last names.”

I gave her final directions and we parked in front of the cabin.
I saw Freddy walking around outside and waved to him. He held up his palms like he was asking what was up. I shrugged.

She ran up on the porch and knocked.
“It’s about time,” he was saying as he opened the door but broke off when he saw me.

“I brought an old friend to see you, Bucky.
You remember Katrina, no last name?”

When he grabbed her and kissed her I saw her stiffen.
He looked at me, “You can go now, sheriff. I don’t like an audience.”

“I’ll go and Freddy will still be right outside.
If you hurt her I’ll hunt you down and I’ll kill you. You got that, Twoon?”

“Yeah I got it
. Now get the hell out of here.”

I went outside and told Freddy what was going on, “I don’t like it, sheriff.
He’s kept all the shades down and I can’t even look in a window.”

“Well, there’s nothing we can do right now, Freddy.
Just do the best you can for now. Simon’s trying to get some information from Savannah. If he hurts Katrina, then we have him but I don’t want her or anyone else getting hurt.”

I walked back to my office and I was boiling mad.
How could a young beautiful girl like that be so stupid?

Simon was in my office waiting for me.
“I think we got something, Robert. We have a lot of different trace DNA from other people other than Bucky, found in the cabin. We haven’t gotten back the DNA from any of the victims, for some reason, to compare them to.

“We can’t go to a judge with this.
Since he’s living in a rental cottage his attorney will say of course there’s DNA in there that’s not his. A lot of people have been using that cabin over the years. So, until we get the victims’ to compare them to we still have nothing.”

The phone rang and it was Freddy, “Hey, sheriff.
The girl just left. She got in her Mustang and spun out, just thought you should know.”

I thanked him and hung up, “Simon, why don’t we go over there and tell Bucky we have the DNA and let him think we have some to compare it to also.
Let’s just scare him and put some pressure on him.”

“Hey, it works for me.”

CHAPTER
34

We walked along the beach and stopped and got a hot dog
on the way. Freddy was still walking around when we got to the cabin and he had taken off his shoes. When he saw us he sat down on the sand dune and put them back on.

He stood and proceeded to brush off the sand from his bottom while I explained our plan.
He was invited to participate. Simon waited at the back door while Freddy and I knocked at the front door. We got no response.

After a while of continuing to knock I motioned to Freddy that I was going to kick in the door.
He knew the drill and on the silent count of three, I kicked in the door and we went in sweeping our guns around. Simon had heard the door and came in the back seconds later.

The cabin was one of those with the main room, the bathroom and kitchen downstairs and then a bedroom and bath in the loft.
We climbed the ladder and looked around. He was gone.

I heard a moan coming from the closet and when I opened it
I gagged. It looked like a piece of butchered meat laying there but I knew it was Katrina. She had so much blood on her I couldn’t tell what was what. We removed the gag but she didn’t say anything.

While I called 911, Simon called the FBI and Freddy called the highway patrol and the state police.
While I waited for the paramedics I got a washrag from the bathroom and started to gently bath her. He had taken her long black wig and her real hair was so short it looked like it had been shaved and was growing back.

When I tried to gently wash her eyes I thought at first he had taken out her eyes, but he had just ripped off her false eyelashes and I noticed she didn’t have any eyelashes either.
Her eyes had been brown in the diner but now I noticed they were green.

She faded in and out of consciousness
. I counted thirty two places where he had bitten off chunks of flesh all the way to the bone in some places. Her clothes lay in a tattered pile beside her. The main areas he had concentrated of biting her was again the breast and genitals.

The paramedics came and took over and I knew I had to get on the road right now.
The airports and train stations had been closed off in all the surrounding towns so I knew he had to drive. He would be changing cars often and that would slow him up, but I knew where he would go.

I made the reservations for Simon and me as we headed back to my office.
I knew what Simon was thinking, this was an FBI case and I didn’t need to be involved anymore. I didn’t care. I had to protect Sarah.

We got an FBI jet thanks to Simon and his clout, so we would get there way ahead of Bucky.
I didn’t know how Bucky knew where Sarah was but I knew he did know.

Two FBI agents were waiting for us with a car.
They were staying in town but took us to Ocean Sands. I checked us into one of the two bedroom cottages using Judith’s name and hoped she would pay for the larger cabin.

I had called Dr. Anna from the plane and she met us at the cottage.
We filled her in and she assured us no one could get into the clinic easily. She took me over to see Sarah while Simon showered.

Sarah was already asleep a
nd I didn’t want to wake her. Dr. Anna said she had to go home, she was very tired and it was very late. I looked at my watch. It was after eleven.

When I got back to the cottage I showered whil
e Simon ordered us a pizza and beer then went to bed.

The phone woke me at four thirty seven
a.m. I almost didn’t answer it. I rolled over and picked my cell phone, but before I could say hello I heard, “I have her and boy are we going to have fun,” and then a click.

I jumped up and yelled for Simon down the hall but he was throwing on his jeans just like I was.
“It was him, Simon. He has Sarah.”

We both jumped off the porch at the same time and ran toward the psychiatric center.
I hit speed dial for Dr. Anna while I was running and I felt a little guilty for waking her. She wasn’t young.

“He’s got Sarah, Dr. Anna.”

“I’ll be right there.”

I didn’t realize it but Dr. Anna lived just down the street.
She drove up in a little Toyota Corolla just as I was frantically pushing the button to get someone out there in the waiting room.

She came in with her long grey hair down.
Her grey eyes were sad as she looked at me and shook her head. “I’m sorry, Robert. I don’t know how this happened but I intend to get to the bottom of it.”

She reached into her pocket for the special key ring she kept there.
I had seen her take it out many times when she would open doors for me. From the shocked look on her face I knew the key ring wasn’t there.