THE ALEX FLETCHER BOXSET: Books 1-5

by Steven Konkoly

  He increased the magnification of the scope until he could only see the Coopers’ house, watching an erratic light show play out behind the Coopers’ curtains. The lights flashed in the room above the garage, which he assumed was their bedroom. From the shaky movement of the lights, he assumed they were flashlights.

  Moments later, the lights moved to the other windows on the second floor, suggesting that someone was going room to room. One of the lights moved downstairs, and he caught a brilliant flash in the night vision scope, as one of the flashlights briefly shined out of a front door window. He watched closely as two more flashlights came down the stairs and faded deeper into the first floor of the house, indicating there were possibly three people in the house.

  They moved around the first floor, but he could not pinpoint their location. The light show deep inside the house continued for a few minutes, finally disappearing.

  Alex reduced the magnification of the scope, providing a wider view. Watching patiently, three dark figures emerged from behind the Coopers’ house and moved swiftly across the gap toward the Hayes’ house. He zoomed in on the group, confirming three unknown persons.

  Two carried long guns, either shotguns or rifles.

  He also saw that they were each carrying large bags. Alex walked out of the bedroom and called Charlie.

  “I saw them cross between the Hayes’ and Murrays’. It’s definitely the three scumbags crashed out at the Murrays,” Charlie said, before Alex could utter a word.

  “Are you one hundred percent sure it was them? I saw flashlights in the Coopers’ house, upstairs and downstairs. Then I saw three figures moving between the houses, too. I’m pretty sure one of them was wearing a ball cap, but my scope isn’t powerful enough to get a close enough look.”

  “I couldn’t see anything inside the Coopers’, but I tracked them in the open, before they disappeared behind the Murrays’ house. I’m one hundred and twenty percent sure it was them. No doubt. I’m using an 8X Trident night vision scope. Trust me, I got a good look.”

  “I lost them behind your house,” Alex said.

  “Alex, I have no doubt it was them. They were moving pretty slow with all of the loot they took from Paul and Nancy. Holy smokes. What do you think happened? Should we head over there right now?”

  “No. Whatever happened there is over, I guarantee it. I’ll head over in the morning.”

  “I’ll give you a hand.”

  “No, I’ll need you to cover me. Plus, I can move unobserved around the back of the houses. I’ll call you in the morning when I’m ready, and you can cover me with that nice sniper rifle of yours. Maybe you’ll finally get a chance to put it to work.”

  “I sure as shit hope so. You gonna call this one in to the police?” Charlie asked.

  “No. It took me over an hour to get through last night, and the best the dispatcher could do was promise a call from an officer. I’m still holding my breath.”

  “Sounds like we’re on our own, Alex.”

  “You’re right, Charlie. We should’ve done something about them earlier. I should’ve trusted my gut and your assessment of the situation.”

  “Hey, don’t start second guessing yourself now. We’ll check out the houses, and come up with a plan from there,” Charlie said.

  “Keep a good guard tonight, Charlie. It’s still early. I’ll call you in the morning before I head over.”

  “Sounds good. Talk to you then, Alex.”

  Alex sat down on the dark brown love seat next to the couch and leaned the shotgun against the outside of the cushioned armrest, glanced toward the bedroom door, and felt the urge to get up and check it. He knew that the bedroom door was locked, and that the house was rigged for the night, but his mind wouldn’t let it go. Nancy and Paul are likely dead. Hayes too, probably. Killers had moved into their quiet little neighborhood, and there were no police to stop them. It would only be a matter of time before his family was attacked.

  His eyes wandered back to the bedroom door, and he took a deep breath. The house was silent beyond the deep respiration of his slumbering family. He wished he could fall asleep, but he was not optimistic about his chances. Fear gripped him as he thought about the dangers they faced. Kate and the kids were more precious to him than life itself. He would do anything imaginable to keep them safe.

  Chapter 40

  Alex pulled a turtleneck sweater over his T-shirt and took a pair of thick wool socks out of the closet. He walked over to Kate’s side of the bed and sat down to put the socks on. A groggy voice addressed him.

  “Any…uh, particular reason you’re sitting there…and not lying in bed?” she asked, focusing on the battery-powered clock.

  “I’d say I have a pretty good reason. While you were in dream land last night, I’m pretty sure I witnessed a break-in and murder at the Coopers’,” he whispered.

  “What!”

  “Sssshhhh…don’t wake up the kids.”

  “What are you talking about?” she whispered forcefully.

  He laid down next to her to whisper, “Right as I was falling asleep last night, I heard a faint thumping sound. Gunfire. Charlie called a few seconds after it stopped. He heard the same thing. Said it was just like the night before.”

  “Holy crap,” she breathed.

  “I grabbed the night vision scope and looked around the neighborhood. When I got to the Coopers’ house, it looked like several people were going through the house, room by room, with flashlights. Then I saw them leave, three of them, and walk toward the Hayes’ house. One of them looked just like that scumbag that keeps coming to our door. Long hair and ball cap. Charlie’s one hundred percent sure it was them. He watched them walk between the Hayes’s and the Murrays’, loaded down with stuff they took. I’d bet you anything they broke into the Coopers’ and killed them. I’m gonna check it out and confirm what happened. Charlie’s gonna cover me. We need to figure this out, and figure it out quick, so we can deal with these lunatics immediately. It’s only a matter of time before they make their way through the entire neighborhood to us.”

  “Wait, so what are you doing again?” she asked, rubbing her eyes and sitting up.

  “I’m heading over to Paul and Nancy’s. If I find them dead, then the neighborhood is going to have to deal with the Manson family fast. Who knows where they’re headed next? I might check the Hayes’ while I’m at it. Their house is between the Manson’s and the Coopers.”

  “Do you have to do this right now? You just woke up and its so early,” she said, lying back down and pulling the covers back up to her chin.

  “Actually, I’ve been awake for an hour, and most of the night. No. I need to do this now. Then we’ll have most of the day to come up with a plan for tonight,” he said.

  “No one’s going anywhere tonight. We have a huge storm moving in.”

  “Hopefully, this whole thing will be settled by the time the storm moves in. One way or the other.”

  “Be careful, and bring me one of the radios. I’ll hang out at the window and keep watch…just as soon as I can make some coffee. Can you wait a few minutes?” she asked, sliding out of bed.

  “I’ll head down and get the coffee going. Then I’m starting my reconnaissance,” he said.

  “You know what worries me about you?”

  “I have no idea, my love.”

  “Deep down inside, I think you enjoy this. Actually, it’s not deep down inside. You can barely suppress your excitement.”

  “Trust me, I don’t want to make this trip. I hope I don’t find anything.”

  “Just be careful and stay out of sight. Leave a walkie on the island. I’ll be down in a few minutes. How are you gonna keep in touch with Charlie?” she asked and stopped in front of the walk-in closet.

  “Cell phone.”

  Alex stepped into the closet, reached up to the highest shelf, and pulled down a black nylon holster rig and two spare magazines from pouches attached to it. He tucked the magazines into his right front pocket.

>   “Don’t worry about me,” he said, looking at his wife, and checking the pistol already jammed into his jeans behind his back.

  She leaned over and kissed him. “Hurry back, okay? And don’t forget to switch your phone to vibrate. If Charlie is your early warning system, you don’t want him tipping off the entire neighborhood.”

  “I got it…thank you. We’re professionals,” he said and winked.

  “Just hurry up and get back. Nothing fancy. I love you,” she said and headed back to the master bathroom.

  Alex pulled his cell phone out of his front left pocket and walked toward the stairs.

  “Where’s the rifle?” she asked.

  “In the closet. I don’t think it would be a good idea to sneak around the neighborhood with it. Someone might shoot me from one of the houses behind us,” he replied. “Plus, I want to travel light on this one. In and out. Fast,” he added.

  “I think you should take it.”

  “I’ll be fine. Love you.”

  “Love you more.”

  ***

  Alex approached the corner of the Coopers’ house and peered cautiously into the backyard. He saw that the entire area near the back of the house was full of footprints and dog tracks, including the deck. Several piles of dog feces poked out of the trampled snow near the back door to the garage, competing for his attention with several yellow splotches in the same vicinity. None of this appeared out of the ordinary to Alex, since he’d seen Paul and Nancy play daily in the backyard with their dog, Max. The door had no obvious signs of a forced entry.

  He knocked on the glass of the deck sliding glass door and backed up, contemplating his image in the reflection of the glass. Jeans, blue winter jacket, black wool hat and gloves. Nothing out of the ordinary. Alex knocked more forcefully on the door and stepped back again, wondering if he did this too early. After a minute, he walked to the far side of the deck and examined the back windows.

  Blinds are drawn of course.

  Alex noticed tracks in the snow leading from the Coopers’ yard to the Hayes’ yard—going in both directions. The tracks followed closely along the back of the Hayes’ house and stepped off the deck, returning to the garage door. There was no sign of Max at the door and Alex suddenly worried Max would attack him if he tried to break into the house.

  He contemplated trying to sneak around to their mudroom to ring their doorbell, but decided against it. No electricity, dummy.

  Alex tested the doorknob to the garage door, finding it locked. Shouldering his body up against the locked door, Alex shoved inward. The door gave way easily and flew into the still garage banging against shelves along the wall behind it. The force cause Alex to stumble head first into the garage, nearly falling into several white plastic bags filled with trash. More white trash bags sat in front of the silver Volvo parked next to him. The Coopers’ firewood was thrown in a disorganized pile that extended from the front of the cars to the garage bay doors. Several small dents and scrapes were evident on the doors of the black Toyota Highlander parked in the farthest bay.

  Didn’t waste any time getting the wood inside.

  Alex turned his attention back to the door, examined the strike plate set into the back door’s trim, and found it completely loose, indicating he was not the first person to shoulder the door.

  The door had not been fitted with a deadbolt. A few years before, after a rash of burglaries in Scarborough, Kate had insisted that they install deadbolts on all of their outer access doors, including the door between the garage and mudroom. He took the handheld radio out of his right jacket pocket and called Kate. “You there, hon?”

  “Yep, kids are still asleep up here. Where are you?” she asked.

  “I’m standing inside the Coopers’ garage. Looks like someone muscled their way through the back door. I’m going to check out the rest of the house. I knocked on the back slider several times. No answer.”

  “They could be sleeping. Did they break through the deadbolt?” she asked.

  “They don’t have a deadlock back here.”

  “Really? I hope they’re all right.”

  “Me too. I’m gonna check out the other door and head inside. I’ll keep this on. Anything going on outside?”

  “Nothing so far. Keep me posted,” Kate said.

  “Yep, talk to you soon, out.”

  Alex put the radio in his jacket and removed his handgun. With the pistol in hand he walked around the stinking trash bags and slid alongside the silver Volvo sedan.

  The door to the house showed considerable damage to the trim consistent with a break in. He leaned against the door with his left shoulder and pushed lightly on the door. Like the garage door, the mudroom door offered no resistance and swung halfway open, and Alex saw splinters of wood on the floor. The door frame around the strike plate was splintered inward, indicating to him that the door had been forced open. Holding the pistol with both hands in front of him, with his finger off the trigger. Crouching slightly, he walked forward, aiming into the house, pushing the door open with his extended arms. The mudroom appeared to be in order. He called out to the Coopers.

  “Paul, Nancy. It’s Alex Fletcher. Hello?”

  No response.

  Alex edged forward and looked into the kitchen. Several broken glass jars lay on the floor in front of their pantry, covered by empty Tupperware containers and silverware. The bathroom door in the mudroom was closed. He walked up to it and listened, before opening the door and looking inside. Nothing seemed out of place.

  Stepping carefully around the broken glass, he found the rest of the kitchen in complete disarray; every cabinet door or kitchen drawer was open, and the contents of several cabinets lie smashed on the brown-speckled granite countertop. As expected, the pantry next to him had been emptied. A few bare plastic containers sat against the back wall of one of the lower shelves. Two blenders, a stainless steel toaster, and several large mixing bowls sat untouched on the top shelf. He walked around the other side of the island, crunching some of the glass. The sink was full of glass shards and half shattered wine glasses.

  “Paul! Nancy! It’s Alex Fletcher! Are you guys all right?”

  Where’s Max?

  Alex moved carefully around the other side of the kitchen island and approached the stairs, aiming the pistol at the stairway. Keeping the gun pointed ahead of him, he walked to the top of the stairs and glanced to the right, noting that the door to the master bedroom was shut. He decided to check the two guest rooms first, entering the room facing the street first. Piles of clothing from the open dresser littered the hardwood floor and neatly made bed. The closet door was imbedded in the wall by the door handle. Dozens of dresses lay scattered at the bottom of the closet floor.

  He backed out of the room and ducked into the second open door in the hallway. The exercise room contained an elliptical machine, recumbent bike, and a full set of dumbbells. All appeared untouched.

  Walking out of the quiet exercise room, Alex dreaded opening the closed master bedroom door.

  Suddenly, his radio crackled to life, sending a surge of adrenaline through his body.

  “Honey, what’s going on over there?”

  “Jesus, Kate, you scared the hell out of me. The house has been ransacked. I’m about to open the master bedroom door. I’ll call you in a few minutes.”

  “Be careful.”

  He turned down the volume and tucked the radio back into his jacket, walked up to the door and stood to the side of it, pressed up against the door trim. He listened intently for any signs of life on the other side of the door and heard a low whine, which sounded like a dog.

  Max?

  He knocked on the door, keeping his body out of the doorway.

  “Paul, Nancy. It’s Alex Fletcher,” he called and waited.

  A dog barked inside the room, but received no response from the Coopers. He grabbed the doorknob with his left hand and turned it, keeping the pistol pointed at the door as he pushed it open.

  The smell
hit his nose before the door struck the wall. He’d thought he had forgotten the smell of death, but the distant memory of the putrid, unmistakable stench seized him. The acrid odor of gunpowder competed with the nauseating smell. Standing pressed against the wall froze, he willed himself to move into the room. Max barked, jarring him out of his thoughts.

  “I have to get Max out of here,” he said to himself and stepped into the room.

  As he walked past the master bathroom, the entire macabre scene came into view. A transom window lining the back wall of the bedroom let in enough direct morning sun for him to see clearly. A king-sized dark pine sleigh bed sat under the transom windows, flanked by two dark wooden nightstands.

  A massive crimson stain on the wall above the right nightstand caught his attention first, spreading across the far corner of the room onto the adjacent wall. The backboard just above the pillows on the right side had been hit by a shotgun blast, leaving a basketball-sized hole. Several smaller holes surrounded the massive gap.

  “Double ought” buck. First blast was a miss?

  He couldn’t see behind the right side of the bed, but feared the worst. As he walked past the bed and looked at the floor behind it, a body appeared—face down, covered with drying blood.

  A three-legged wrought iron lamp was wedged between the nightstand and the adjacent wall, its tan lampshade blood-splattered and torn. The hardwood floor surrounding the body was covered in a dark, semi-reflective fluid. The pool of thickened blood extended all the way to the front of the bed and to the wall next to the body. He couldn’t immediately tell if it was Paul or Nancy; most of the head was missing. The body was dressed in a blood-soaked gray sweatshirt and dark blue sweatpants. He spotted a black men’s athletic wristwatch.

  On the left side of the bed, another body lay completely covered underneath a blood-soaked light blue comforter. The bloodstain radiated in a rough circular pattern, at least four feet in every direction, from a large, dark red hole in the heavy blanket. Thick splotches covered the dark pine headboard. He saw no blast marks on the wood above the second body.