“You met him yesterday as well?”
“That’s correct.”
“I see. And where were you today, Mrs. Fost—I mean Juliet?”
“At work. I’m a dental hygienist at Doctor Carney’s office. He can confirm that I was there today, and so can Nelly, the receptionist.”
“Alright then.” A few more notes were scribbled. “And when you left for work this morning, were either the victim or her husband home?”
“I really have no idea.”
“And you saw nothing unusual at all when you drove past the Hendersons’ home this morning?”
She shook her head. “No. Nothing at all.”
“I see.” Ferguson turned to Kaylee. “And you were home alone?”
“Yeah. I told you that already.”
“And you came over here at what time?”
“Like I said before, it was around noon.”
“I’m sorry, but what do these questions have to do with anything?” Kaylee’s mom interjected.
“I’m just trying to establish a timeline. That’s all. Now, if either of you remember anything else or feel like there’s anything that you need to tell me,” he reached into his breast pocket and produced a card, “don’t hesitate to call. Alright?”
“Thanks.” Kaylee’s mom accepted the card from him. “We will.”
“So . . . does that mean we can go now?” Kaylee asked, sensing a possible end to this uncomfortable situation and wanting to jump on it.
“Just one final question. For Juliet.”
“Yes?”
“Do you own a gun?”
“A gun? No, I don’t. I hate guns. I would never allow one in my house.”
“I see.” One final note jotted down before he looked up at Kaylee and her mother each in turn. “Well, that’ll do for now. You’re free to go. I’ll be in touch if I have any more questions.”
Kaylee shot to her feet. Free to go. Those were the words she had been waiting to hear. She didn’t even wait to see if her mother was following. She hurried out of the dining room and then down a narrow hall to the foyer, where an officer was stationed near the door and several CSI people were continuing to survey the scene. But just as she was about to walk out the door, she came skidding to a stop when somebody else was coming in.
It was Greg Henderson.
He pushed right past Kaylee as if she weren’t even there. Then rushed across the foyer, ignoring the officer telling him not to. He froze between the foyer and the living room.
“No . . .” he gasped. His eyes glued to his wife’s body, lying on the floor between the coffee table and the sofa. He stepped forward. Looked like he might drop to his knees. “No, no, no . . .”
Detective Ferguson appeared behind Kaylee. “You and your mother can go now.”
Kaylee turned around and looked up at him. His expression was unreadable, but she could tell by his tone that what he really meant to say was he wanted them to leave now. There were no more questions for them, and he probably knew that he was going to have his hands full with Greg, who was now sobbing.
Even though Kaylee only met Greg once, she felt sympathy for him. She had been in his shoes before, losing someone that she loved. And not just losing them, but having to see their lifeless body. It was the hardest thing in the world. To look at the body of a loved one, wanting them so badly to wake up, as if they were merely asleep, and then ultimately coming to grips with the fact that they would never wake up again.
When Kaylee was in that situation, the last thing that she wanted to deal with were other people, pestering her with questions or even just being around her. She could only imagine that Greg felt the same way right now.
And so Kaylee left the house, and tried to leave the image of Claudia’s body behind as well. But that would not be so easy. It would take her awhile to forget that horrible image—if it was even possible.
She could still vividly recall the moment Chelsea died at any time. And even though she never wanted to, she often did.
9
WHAT AM I EVEN DOING right now? Kaylee asked herself before shutting her sketchbook and then pushing it across the table as far away as possible without pushing it right off the table. She didn’t even want to look at it right now. She was so sick of looking at those blank pages. So sick of this dark cloud that followed her every second of every day.
But that cloud had only gotten bigger since yesterday afternoon when she discovered Claudia’s body.
As soon as she returned home, she had gone up to her room, shut the door, and collapsed on to her bed, attempting to hide away from the world, even though she knew it wasn’t possible. She had been trying to hide from the world ever since Chelsea died and yet somehow the world kept on finding her.
Her mom tried to talk to her of course, but Kaylee was quick to shut her out as well. She wasn’t interested in any of her mom’s Hallmark card advice. All her mother would do was try to say something that would—in her mind—help Kaylee get over seeing Claudia’s body, just like when she tried to help her get over Chelsea’s death.
But her mom didn’t understand. Kaylee never wanted to get over Chelsea’s death. Getting over it meant pretending that losing her best friend in the world wasn’t the worst thing that ever happened to her.
And while finding Claudia didn’t break her heart like when Chelsea died, it was a reminder that there was no running away. Kaylee was right and her mother was wrong. They couldn’t just come here and pretend like the past never happened. Or that this neighborhood was perfectly safe and nothing bad would ever happen again.
Nowhere was safe. Not really.
Leaning back in her seat, Kaylee wiped sweat from her brow. It was another smothering hot day. She came out to the table in the backyard shortly after her mom went to work. She thought that maybe the fresh air would help her to stop thinking about Claudia and wondering who might have killed her so that she could focus on drawing instead.
But it didn’t work. The only difference was now she was sitting out here in the unforgiving summer heat while pondering the same question.
And since her brain didn’t seem to be functioning any better out here than it was back up in her room, Kaylee decided that she would rather retreat back inside the house where she could escape the heat if nothing else.
She got to her feet and walked around the table to retrieve her sketchbook—which she honestly felt like she could leave behind for how useful it was to her—and was about to head back inside the house, when she heard someone call out her name, prompting her feet to freeze in place as her head looked around on a swivel in search of the speaker.
“Over here. Behind the gate.”
Kaylee’s eyes drifted over to the gate that led out to the front yard. Saw Mia’s head peering over the top and her hand waving in the air. She was smiling. Just like every other time that Kaylee had seen her.
Kaylee forced herself to smile back. Nothing against Mia, but she really didn’t want to talk to anyone right now. Although she had already been spotted, so it wasn’t like she could just walk away and pretend that she hadn’t seen her. Well, she could, but that would make the next time they crossed paths very awkward.
She headed over to the gate.
“Mind if I come in?” Mia asked.
If Kaylee were being honest, she would tell her that she very much minded, but instead she kept her fake smile plastered on her face and shook her head.
“No, not at all.” Kaylee unlocked and opened the gate. “Come on in.”
“Thanks.” Mia entered the backyard.
Kaylee glanced over at the table. “Do you want to sit down?”
“Sure.”
They both took a seat at the table. Kaylee grabbed her sketchbook and kept it on her lap, hoping that Mia hadn’t noticed it. Her drawing was not something she had any interest in talking about.
“Honesty, I came over here to check on you.”
“Check on me? Why?”
“Because of what happene
d yesterday of course. I just can’t get over how awful it must have been for you to find Mrs. Henderson like that.”
“Oh, yeah, it was really terrible.” She tucked her hair behind her ears as the image of Claudia’s dead eyes popped into her head. She was tempted to say that she had seen worse, but she didn’t see any reason to sound like a cryptic weirdo, so she kept it to herself.
“So how are you feeling then?” Mia asked. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine I guess.”
“That’s good. You know, I heard Mr. Henderson is taking it really hard. I’m not surprised, though. I mean, losing his wife just two years after losing his only child. That’s just horrible.”
“They had a kid?”
“Yeah. A daughter. Her name was Emma. We went to school together. We really weren’t close, but it was so sad when she died.”
“How did it happen?”
“A car crash. She was driving home from a party one night, and she’d been drinking. She must have lost control of the car because she ended up going off the road and into a ravine. She was dead by the time they found her the next morning.”
“That is terrible.”
“Yeah. I just feel so bad for Mr. Henderson. I have no clue what he’s going to do now. I wouldn’t be surprised if he moves away to be honest. I can’t imagine there’s any reason for him to stay here.”
“Do you know if the police have any idea who killed his wife yet?”
Mia shook her head. “No, I don’t think so. I mean, it sounds like it was probably just a burglar. Who else could it be?”
“Well, was anything stolen?”
“Um, I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Hmm. Is there anyone that hated her enough that they would actually do something like this?”
“Not really. I mean, she could be a real bitch when she wanted to be, but she could also pretend to be the sweetest person in the world. I don’t think anyone had any problems with her. Certainly not anything serious enough to shoot her over.”
Kaylee nodded. It didn’t sound as if she was going to get any answers from Mia.
“Although, now that you mention it,” Mia spoke up again, “I can think of one person who really didn’t like her.”
“Really? Who?”
“Frank Palmer. You know, the super creepy old guy that lives next door to you.”
“Yeah . . . we met.” Kaylee’s stomach tightened at just the mere mention of him. “Why do you think he would kill Claudia, though?”
“I’m not sure that he would, but I know he’s got a pretty good reason to not like her. Just like Mrs. Henderson had a really good reason to not like him.”
“And why’s that?”
“Well, I didn’t see it myself, but it happened about four years ago. I might be a little shaky on the details. I was only, like, thirteen at the time. But anyway, Frank offered Emma an afterschool job helping him in his garden. Emma wanted to do it, so her parents approved, but it wasn’t long before things changed . . . for the worse.”
“What happened?” Kaylee leaned forward on the table. Chin resting in her palm.
“Frank showed his true colors. He got caught groping her in his kitchen after he invited her in for lunch. Mrs. Henderson screamed so loud that the whole neighborhood probably heard her. And when her husband found out, Frank had to lock himself in his house to keep from having his face smashed in.”
“Did they call the cops?”
“Of course.”
“And they arrested him, right?”
“No. They didn’t.”
“Why not?”
“They took him down to the station, but Emma refused to admit what happened, so all they had was her mother’s word against Frank’s. Apparently that wasn’t enough for the cops, so they let him go. Although obviously Emma never worked for that sicko again.”
“I can’t believe he got away with that. That’s just wrong.”
“Yeah. It really is.”
“But wait a second. Why would that make Frank want to kill Claudia? I mean, it would make sense if she tried to kill him, but not the other way around.”
“Sure, if that were the end of it, but Mrs. Henderson made it her personal mission to ruin Frank’s life. She went out of her way to make sure that everyone in the neighborhood knew what he had done, and watched him constantly, hoping to catch him in the act again with another girl in the neighborhood so she could make sure that he was properly punished.”
“Well that’s a good thing.”
“Yeah, it is, but it also destroyed his reputation, which definitely gives him a motive to kill her.”
“That’s true.” Kaylee gnawed on her bottom lip. Mia had a point. Maybe Frank did do it. It made sense. After the way that he behaved when Kaylee first crossed paths with him, she didn’t doubt for a second that he was capable of something as horrible as molesting Emma.
And maybe he was capable of murder as well.
Mia sighed heavily and looked down at the table, silent for a few moments before she looked up at Kaylee and smiled once more. “Anyway, I just hope they find out who did it soon, and honestly I hope that it was Frank. This neighborhood would be better off without him.”
Kaylee couldn’t disagree with that. It wasn’t hard to see how he could be dangerous even after just one brief meeting.
“What if he did do it, and the cops can’t prove it?” Kaylee asked. “What happens then?”
“You don’t have to worry about that,” Mia said. “I’m sure they’ll catch him. Catching criminals is what the police do after all.”
“But they don’t always catch them,” Kaylee uttered under her breath.
“What?”
“Nothing.” She forced herself to smile again. “I’m sure you’re right. If Frank’s really the guy, then the police will handle it.”
Kaylee wanted to believe that, but she wasn’t so sure. Although she was sure that she was super uncomfortable living right next door to a man who was not only a pedophile and a pervert, but could very well be a murderer as well.
10
THE NIGHT WAS SURPRISINGLY CHILLY when compared to the almost unbearable heat during the day. Kaylee stepped out the front door, paused for a quick look at her surroundings, before starting towards the sidewalk, carrying a trash bag in her left hand. Her spaghetti strap top and shorts were not up to the task of shielding her from the sudden drop in temperature. Every time she thought she understood the weather here in the desert, something happened to completely change that perception.
Shivering against the cold, Kaylee picked up the pace as she made her way towards the garbage can out on the curb. Right now was one of those rare times when she really wished that she would have done as her mom told her to by taking the trash out earlier—when it was still warm.
Kaylee opened the garbage can, and then tossed the bag inside. She was about to turn around and hurry back inside the house when a figure caught her eye. Standing in the shadows across the street. Her heart raced at first, until she really focused on the figure and realized that it was someone she recognized.
It was Eric.
He stood at the end of his driveway, leaning against the corner of the stucco wall that separated his property from the Hendersons’ property. He had one arm crossed over his chest while the other moved back and forth from his side to his mouth. Puffs of smoke being periodically expelled from his mouth made it fairly obvious that he was smoking.
Despite Mia’s warning to steer clear of Eric replaying in her head, Kaylee found herself moving towards him. In the back of her mind, there was a voice—maybe it was even Mia’s voice—continuously asking her what she was thinking by approaching a guy that she really didn’t even know when his next-door neighbor had just been murdered.
Seriously, Kaylee, how stupid can you be?
But that voice was ignored. Sure, she felt a hint of uneasiness doing this, but also excitement. To say that she wasn’t curious to know more about the mysterious—and hot—stranger
living across the street would just be a total lie.
Eric didn’t even look at her until she was more than halfway across the street. Then he spared her only a quick, fleeting glance before bringing the cigarette to his mouth and looking down at his feet. He took a deep drag before flicking the butt on the ground and stomping on it.
“Hi,” Kaylee said as she stepped up on to the sidewalk and stuffed her hands in her back pockets.
“Hey,” he replied, allowing the inhaled smoke to come pouring out of his mouth along with the single word.
“Do you always come out here at night like this?” she asked. “You know, to smoke or whatever?”
“Not always. My grandpa hates it. Says it reminds him too much of my mother.” He grinned. “Whatever the hell that means.”
“You know, I’ve never seen your grandpa. Does he ever even leave the house?”
“Why should he? He’s too busy with his meth lab.”
“His what?”
Eric’s grin broadened. “Isn’t that what Mia told you? That my grandpa and I are drug dealers?”
“I, uh, well yeah she did I guess.”
“And do you believe her?”
“I don’t know what to believe. I barely know her . . . just like a barely know you.”
“That’s true.” He pulled a pack of cigarettes from the inside pocket of his leather jacket. Took one out and placed it between his lips before returning the pack to his pocket. When his hand reappeared it was holding a lighter. “You smoke, Kaylee?”
She shook her head. Well at least I know now that he actually heard me when I told him my name. Of course that also means he ignored me.
“Good.” He lit the cigarette and took a drag before continuing. “Don’t ever smoke.”
“Really?” Kaylee scoffed. “That’s kind of hypocritical of you to say when you’re the one lighting up right in front of me.”
“I disagree. I think I’m just the right person to say that. Hypocritical would be telling someone else what not to do without any knowledge whatsoever of the consequences of what you’re discouraging.”
Another drag.
“Take you for example. You seem like a nice girl. Probably never been in trouble a day in your life. Never partied so hard that you can’t remember what—or who—you did the morning after. Never snorted cocaine in the girls’ bathroom at school, never mixed prescription drugs with alcohol just to find out how jacked up you can get, and never had an adventurous sexual encounter in public solely to make things more interesting. Hell, maybe even still a virgin. Saving your pretty little self for the right guy to come along and pop your cherry.”
The Killer Next Door: A Murder Mystery Page 6