Johnny Revenge

by Remington Kane

  “It’s simple. I hated being Joey Revene.”

  “But then why move back to your home town, a place where everyone knows you by your old name?”

  Jude smiled sadly. “My house, as dreary as it is, it’s the only place that feels like home.”

  Erica nodded. She had lived independently since college and had her own apartment, but home for her would always be her mother’s house.

  “Let’s go feed those dogs of yours,” she said, as she opened the door of the interrogation room.

  * * *

  The hawk-nose man in the laundromat had been sitting with his arms folded across his chest while a bored expression played upon his face. He was also developing a headache. The baby had woken up and had been crying ever since.

  When he saw Jude walk out of the police station flanked by the chief of police and the FBI, he grabbed up his camera and began taking photos. The man was Sly Perhach. He was a reporter from a news and gossip website named Techno-Tattler.

  Someone had tipped the Techno-Tattler to the fact that thriller writer Jude Rowland was suspected of murdering six victims, five of whom were people who had left negative reviews on his books. It was a story tailor-made for the Tattler, and better yet, they still had a chance at a scoop.

  Perhach frowned after noticing that Jude’s wrists weren’t cuffed behind his back, but then he shrugged mentally. The boys back at the office could always alter the pictures and add handcuffs.

  Noticing Erica, Perhach zoomed in on her. That’s one hot Fed, and a little eye candy never hurts.

  As the group climbed into Chief Connor’s SUV, which was parked at the curb, Perhach put away his camera.

  As he was leaving the laundromat, the mother of the three young children called out to him. Perhach turned to look at her and saw that she was pointing at the dryer he’d been using.

  “Mister, your clothes are done.”

  He sent her a smile. “Thanks, I’ll be right back for them.” It was a lie. He had no further use for the thrift shop rags and so he left them for the laundromat to deal with.

  As the chief’s vehicle pulled away from the curb, Perhach headed to his car. Before starting the engine, he sent off the photos along with a note suggesting the best way to use them. His phone received a text moments later.

  GET MORE PHOTOS! MAKE IT SOMETHING JUICY.

  He frowned at the message. Perhach’s specialty was creating interest in a story whether there was anything to it or not. He didn’t need the geeks back at the office giving him advice. By the time he was through, he’d have the whole world thinking that Jude Rowland was a crazed killer.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  SANGUINE, NEW HAMPSHIRE

  Erica laughed with pleasure as she knelt in the middle of Jude’s kitchen while his three dogs licked her face. Riddle, Clue and Hunch were acting as if they had known her forever, although she had only met them moments earlier.

  Upon returning home from the police station, Jude handed over the letters he’d received from “His greatest fan”, who might also be his brother. Afterward, Jude asked Erica and Owens if they wanted to wait outside while he fed the dogs.

  “They’re trained and won’t hurt you, but I thought they might make you nervous.”

  Owens said he wanted to go out to the chief’s unit and go over the letters and make a few phone calls, but Erica stayed.

  “I love dogs,” she said. Apparently, dogs loved her as well. Riddle, Clue and Hunch couldn’t get enough of Erica. After their friendly greeting, Jude allowed Erica to place the hounds’ food in their bowls. The dogs ate with relish and drank half a bowl of water afterward.

  Jude smiled as he watched Erica have fun with the dogs. She was playing tug-of-war with one of their favorite chew toys. It was a piece of multi-colored rope with thick knots tied at its ends.

  “You should feel honored, Agent Novac, they usually bark at most people or pay them no attention.”

  “I grew up with dogs and volunteered at an animal shelter when I was in high school.”

  “They need to go for a walk, please join us.”

  “Yes, a walk sounds nice.”

  * * *

  With the dogs romping ahead of them, Erica and Jude followed at a more sedate pace. The air about them seemed pregnant with the threat of snow but there was no wind to add bite to the cold.

  With Jude back home and feeling at ease, Erica took the opportunity to quiz him concerning an event she wanted to know more about.

  “Tell me about the fight you had with the chief’s son when you were kids.”

  Jude slowed his pace for a moment as an eyebrow arched. For a brief moment, Erica thought she glimpsed a look of satisfaction, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.

  “It wasn’t so much a fight as it was me protecting myself from Zach.”

  “In the version the chief tells, you were nine and fighting on the school playground.”

  “Oh, I was nine, but Zach was fifteen then.”

  “Fifteen? The chief gave me the impression that you were both the same age.”

  “Chief Connors often distorts reality when it comes to discussing me. No, Zach was fifteen. He wasn’t a very good student, but he was great with his hands, that’s why they placed him in the Vo-tech high school. I think he was learning welding. The rear of the Vo-tech looked out onto the playground of the elementary school. I guess Zach spotted us at lunchtime. He knocked me down because he saw me talking to his sister, Gracie. Gracie had a crush on me when we were kids and she was holding my hand.”

  “A fifteen year old and a nine year old is hardly a fair fight.”

  “No, it wasn’t, and every time I got up, Zach knocked me down again. I had a pocket knife on me, a cheap little blade but it was sharp; I took it out to threaten Zach. When he came at me again, I swung the blade and it cut his face. After that, a teacher broke up the fight.”

  “The chief said that you were given therapy.”

  Jude frowned at the memory. “I had to talk to a psychologist about my anger issues. They said using the knife crossed the line. Maybe they were right, but that knife made Zach back off.”

  “He must come to town to visit his parents; do you ever run into him?”

  “Two or three times, but we’ve never spoken. Zach doesn’t like me anymore than his father does.”

  “And what about the sister, Gracie?”

  “Her crush ended a long time ago; the girls in this town never liked me much.”

  “There was Officer Perkins, Linda? I know you two dated in high school.”

  “She couldn’t deal with the scars my father left me with.”

  “Linda told me about that, and also about how sorry she was over the way she reacted.”

  “Yes, we discussed it recently, and I don’t hold it against her, after all, we were still kids then.”

  “You’re not kids now, and I understand she’s not seeing anyone.”

  Jude stopped walking and smiled at Erica.

  “Are you trying to play matchmaker, Agent Novac?”

  “I was just pointing out facts,” Erica said, as her eyes glimpsed the cottage, which was about fifty yards away. “You have a second house on the property?”

  “It’s never used, and I may tear it down someday.”

  “Why? It looks to be in good shape.”

  “That was where my mother met the man she ran away with. It used to be a sort of artists’ retreat in the summer years ago. The Frenchman she left us for was the last one to use it.”

  “How old were you when she left?”

  “I was six.”

  “Do you remember her?”

  “A little. I have a distinct memory of her teaching me to tie my shoes, but not much else. After she left, my father became an alcoholic, he also began to doubt that I was really his son.”

  “He told you that?”

  Jude barked out a laugh. “He said it whenever he beat me. Once he knew my mother had cheated on him with the artist, he assumed she
had always been unfaithful. It didn’t matter that I resembled him almost as much as Johnny did. I have my mother’s eyes. I think my father saw her every time he looked at me.”

  “You didn’t have a good childhood.”

  “No, but I survived it, and it taught me a lot about people. It’s why I avoid them.”

  “Not everyone will hurt you.”

  “But they all have the potential to do so, so why risk it? Anyway, I don’t mind being alone, and my dogs keep me company.”

  Riddle, Clue and Hunch came running as if Jude had called to them instead of mentioning them. He petted the dogs, then pointed back the way they had come.

  “Let’s return to the house. I want a cup of coffee.”

  Erica’s phone rang and she answered it. It was Owens calling.

  “We went for a walk with the dogs, we’re heading back now.”

  Owens said something then and Jude heard his name, but Erica had moved away so that the rest of the sentence was lost to him.

  “I guess we’ll see how he wants to play it,” Erica said, before ending the call.

  * * *

  Owens and Chief Connors were waiting for them on the porch when they returned. The dogs growled at them menacingly until Jude ordered the animals to hush and sit.

  While Erica joined her partner, Jude led the dogs around to the back porch, where he placed the canines before returning to the front of the house.

  During Jude’s absence, Owens had told Erica that he contacted Whitford in Dallas to report on their progress. Whitford agreed that Jude’s brother John was looking good as a viable suspect in the Traveler case. He also let Owens know that there was a trace of Traveler’s DNA left behind at a crime scene. However, it was an inconclusive sample, meaning that the material discovered was so scant that it couldn’t be used to definitively identify anyone. And yet, if Jude’s DNA came close to matching the sample, it would indicate that either he or his brother were likely Traveler.

  Owens was going to let Erica approach Jude with a request for his DNA, before he could do so, the chief spoke up.

  “We need a sample of your DNA, Joey.”

  “What for?”

  “Because you’re not as smart as you think; you left evidence behind at a crime scene.”

  The chief ripped open a white wrapper with black print on it. Inside was a cotton swab and a round DNA preservation container. The chief held up the swab and approached Jude.

  “Open up, Joey.”

  Jude held up a hand as he backed away. “Maybe I should talk to a lawyer about this.”

  “You don’t have anything to fear if you’re not guilty,” Chief Connors said.

  “I wouldn’t put it past you to frame me,” Jude told him.

  Owens inserted himself between the chief and Jude. “Agent Novac, please explain to Mr. Rowland why we want the sample. I’ll keep the chief company.”

  Erica gestured for Jude to follow her to the other end of the porch as the chief and Owens engaged in a heated exchange about just who was running the investigation. Once she explained to Jude why they needed the sample, he wore a pained expression.

  “If it comes back a match, even a partial match… that means that Johnny is likely this serial killer, this Traveler, doesn’t it?”

  “It would strongly indicate that, yes,” Erica said, while not mentioning that it would also paint Jude with the same brush.

  “What if it doesn’t match at all, would that clear Johnny?”

  “Given the poor viability of the other sample, there might remain doubt, but it would tend toward fostering a conclusion that he couldn’t be Traveler.”

  Jude looked over at Owens and the chief arguing. Despite his raised voice, Owens appeared calm, but the chief was as red as a lobster.

  “I’ll give a sample, but only to you, and I want your lab to test it. I don’t trust the chief.”

  “That’s acceptable,” Erica said, and she silently agreed with Jude. She didn’t trust Connors either.

  “Gentlemen!” Erica said loudly as they walked back over. “Mr. Rowland agrees to give a sample of his DNA. He insists I take it.”

  The chief shoved the cotton swab at her, and Erica shook her head.

  “I want a fresh kit.”

  “Why?” the chief asked.

  “When you were yelling at my partner, I saw spittle flying out of your mouth, some may have landed on the swab. Get me a new kit.”

  “This is my last one.”

  “What about Deputy Perkins?” Erica said. “Does she keep one in her patrol car?”

  “She should have one, yeah.”

  “Please have her join us.”

  The chief took out his radio and called Linda Perkins, who was still parked out front by the gate. Linda said that her relief had just arrived and that the chief had caught her as she was ready to drive away.

  “I’ll be right there,” Linda said.

  The patrol car came to a halt behind the chief’s SUV and Linda got out. Erica noticed that her eyes went straight to Jude, along with a smile.

  “Hi, Joey.”

  “Hello, Linda,” Jude said, and there was a smile on his lips as well.

  “No fraternizing with the surveillance subject, Perkins,” the chief said.

  Linda looked as if she had to bite her tongue to keep from saying something she’d regret. She walked over to Erica and handed her a fresh DNA sample collection kit. Erica gave the printed instructions a quick read before ripping the package open and removing the swab.

  “Say ahh,” she told Jude. He complied by opening his mouth wide. Erica moved the swab around in Jude’s mouth to ensure that she collected a good sample. The act felt vaguely sensual, which surprised her. As she stood before him, the ice-blue eyes of the handsome Jude Rowland never left hers, adding to the sense of intimacy. Despite her need to keep things on a professional basis with a homicide suspect, Erica felt a flicker of desire.

  I need to date more, she told herself.

  After removing the swab, Erica separated the tip from the stem and placed it inside the DNA preservation container, which she then sealed with its cap.

  “All done, and thank you,” Erica said.

  “When will you get the results?” Jude asked.

  “Two to three days I would guess, there will be a rush on it.”

  “And you’ll let me know the results?”

  “You’ll figure it out when I’m placing cuffs on you, Joey,” the chief said.

  Erica and Owens told Jude that they would be in touch and to call if he remembered anything important or was contacted by his mysterious fan.

  Jude agreed and stood on the porch watching them depart.

  “I’m going to catch a ride back to town with Linda,” Erica told Owens.

  “Great,” Owens said. “That means I’ll be alone with the chief.”

  Erica smiled. “Play nice.”

  “That’s easier said than done, the man wants to take over the investigation.”

  When Erica joined Linda in the patrol car, she watched as the deputy waved goodbye to Jude. Linda received a smile from Jude in return.

  “God, he’s so handsome,” Linda said.

  “He told me that you two had a talk about your past, and that he doesn’t hold anything against you.”

  “Joey said that?”

  “He did.”

  “I’m glad, there were times I thought he hated me.”

  The chief looked over at them before climbing into his vehicle.

  “You two ladies enjoy your girl talk.”

  Erica sent the chief a phony smile. She wasn’t riding back to town with Linda Perkins to engage in “girl talk.” She was riding with the deputy to gather information on a new suspect that entered her radar.

  As they drove through the gates and left Jude’s property, Erica turned to face Linda.

  “So, Deputy, tell me, what do you know about the chief’s son?”

  “Zach?”

  “That’s right, tell me ever
ything you know about him.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  SANGUINE, NEW HAMPSHIRE

  The first flakes of a winter storm floated down, looking as harmless as the fall leaves that had drifted to the ground before them. Unlike the leaves, the snowflakes were harbingers of danger, as billions of their icy breed would follow.

  The forecast was for nine inches of snow by morning, which was not unusual for the area. Although Erica didn’t mind the cold, she was no fan of snow. She was chastising herself for not packing boots for the trip.

  “I can trust you not to repeat anything I say back to the chief?” Linda Perkins asked, as she drove them toward town.

  “Of course. The last thing I want is for the chief to know I’m inquiring about his son.”

  “That makes sense,” Linda said, “and to answer your question, Zach is a prick.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “He’s five years older than I am, but he used to hit on me when I was still in high school. I mean, I guess the age difference isn’t that much, but it seemed weird to me. He was a grown man and working a full-time job at the time.”

  “What kind of work?”

  “Zach was employed by a locksmith back then, but he had a lot of jobs when he was younger. He was always getting into fights too.”

  “I heard the chief say that he’s a truck driver now.”

  “Yeah, and he parks his rig near the station when he visits his parents.”

  “When was the last time he was in town?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, not too long ago.”

  “Is there anyone in town who dated him?”

  “He went out with a girl named Vera for years. I think her last name was Frawley, but she moved away some time ago.”

  “Were you friends with her?”

  “No, Vera was older than me, but she might have been friends with my sister, Lorraine, they’re about the same age.”

  “You say that Zach hit on you; did he approach any other young girls?”

  “He did, I remember now, Keri Jones was seeing him for a while during junior year. I think she just liked having a boyfriend who could buy liquor anytime she wanted to drink. Keri loved wine.”