The Killer Next Door: A Murder Mystery

by Nicholas Jordan

  Mia didn’t answer, and Kaylee worried that her silence translated into a no. This wasn’t Chelsea after all, who was always up for doing just about anything as long as it meant they would be spending time together.

  But her concerns were put to rest when Mia spoke up again. “Sure, sounds fun. Although I do have one requirement.”

  “Okay.” Kaylee turned towards Mia again. “What’s that?”

  Mia sat up and removed her sunglasses again. “We have to do it at your house.”

  “Sure. But how come?”

  “Just trust me. You don’t want to be in my house in the evening when my mom starts drinking. She’s so freaking annoying.”

  “That’s fine with me. I can’t promise that my own mom won’t be any less annoying, but I can promise that she won’t be drinking. She doesn’t drink.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be fine. I like your mom. She’s cool.”

  “Not sure if cool is the word I’d use, but whatever. So I’ll see you tonight then?”

  “Sure. I’ll bring pizza.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I won’t be paying for it. My mom will,” Mia reclined again, “and I know she can afford it.”

  16

  “OH, I DON’T THINK I can eat another bite.” Mia leaned back in her seat and placed her hands on her stomach. “I’m completely stuffed.”

  “Yeah, me too.” Kaylee dropped the crust of her last slice of pepperoni on her plate.

  Mia slid out of her seat and picked up her plate from the dining room table. “I’ll help clean up.”

  “Absolutely not,” Kaylee’s mother said as she popped out of her seat. “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Are you sure? I don’t mind helping out.”

  “You’re the guest here. Besides, you brought pizza and saved me from having to make something for dinner tonight. That makes you my favorite person.”

  Mia laughed and set her plate back down on the table. “It’s no big deal, Mrs. Foster. Consider it me welcoming you and Kaylee to the neighborhood.”

  “Well, we both appreciate it. And please call me Juliet.”

  “Sure.”

  Kaylee got out of her seat too. “Well, we’re going to go up to my room now, Mom.”

  “Alright. I’ll finish cleaning up in here. Just let me know if you need anything.”

  “Sure.” She could tell just by looking at the way her mom’s face was glowing that she was thrilled that Kaylee had finally made a new friend. At least she wasn’t totally embarrassing her . . . not yet anyway.

  Knowing her mother, that could change at any moment.

  When she and Mia entered her bedroom, Kaylee shut the door behind them. She didn’t lock it, but she did want to make it clear to her mom that she didn’t want her to just pop in and bother them without at least knocking first. It remained to be seen whether the hint would be taken or not.

  “Your mom is really nice,” Mia said as she plopped down on the bed and slipped her phone out of her pocket.

  “She’s alright I guess.” Kaylee moved to the window and took a peek outside to check for any activity across the street, but just like every other time she checked, it was all quiet over at Greg’s place.

  “Trust me, you have no idea how lucky you are to have a mom like her. She’s not at all like my mom. No way would my mom ever win any mom of the year awards.”

  “Is she really that bad?” Kaylee turned to face Mia, sitting down at her desk as she did.

  “Let’s just say that some people weren’t meant to have children, and my mom is one of them. She has other priorities in her life. Always has. I’m sure if she was hooked up to a lie detector, she would admit that she regrets ever having me.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.”

  “It’s fine. I’m over it.” Mia’s eyes gazed down at the screen of her phone and she smiled.

  “What is it?” Kaylee asked.

  “Oh, nothing. Just texting a guy.”

  “Boyfriend?”

  “Yeah.” Her thumbs danced over the screen of her phone, appearing to return the text she just received. Then she stuffed her phone back in her pocket and looked up at Kaylee. “So what about you? Did you leave any boyfriends back wherever it is you came from?”

  “No, not really. Well, no one that mattered anyway.”

  “I know what you mean. Guys our age are such losers. I was lucky to find a guy that’s mature. You should totally let me set you up with someone, though. I know some guys who are pretty cool. And don’t worry, none of them are assholes who will expect you to sleep with them on the first date.”

  “Thanks, but I’m not really looking for a boyfriend right now.”

  “Why not? Did you get your heart broken or something?”

  Kaylee frowned and looked away.

  “Sorry, that was insensitive.”

  “It’s fine. And no, that’s not it. I’m just trying to adjust to being here, and I think dating would honestly be more stress than it’s worth right now.”

  “So does that mean you’re not going to go out with Eric then?”

  “Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to work out.”

  “Did he do something to you?”

  “No, that’s not it. I just think I rushed into something I wasn’t ready for. That’s all.”

  “I get it, but I do think you should consider at least meeting my guy friends.” Mia’s eyes settled on the photograph on Kaylee’s desk. “Hey, who is that?”

  Kaylee’s heart skipped a beat when Mia asked about Chelsea. She had considered putting the picture away just to prevent a situation like this from coming up, but it was too late now.

  “That’s Chelsea,” Kaylee answered. “She was my best friend back home.”

  “Oh. I bet she was pretty upset when you moved away, huh?”

  “Yeah. I’m sure she would have been.” Kaylee looked down at her hands in her lap. Linking and unlinking her fingers.

  “Would have been?” Mia asked.

  “Yeah. She . . . died a few months ago.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “How did it happen?”

  Kaylee didn’t want to talk about this, but she didn’t want to lie either. “She was murdered. A burglar broke into my house and shot her. She died in my arms.”

  “Oh my God. I’m so sorry.” Mia reached out and put a hand on Kaylee’s leg. “I can’t even imagine what that must have been like for you. Is that why you and your mom moved here?”

  Kaylee nodded. “Yeah . . . pretty much.”

  A few moments of silenced followed before Mia patted the bed beside her and said, “Come over here.”

  “Why?”

  “Just do it.”

  Kaylee got up out of her seat and moved to sit beside Mia on the bed, who immediately scooted closer and put an arm around her shoulder and pressed her cheek up against Kaylee’s.

  “W-what are you doing?” Kaylee asked as she tensed up.

  Mia held up her phone. “I’m taking a picture of us together. I have pictures of me with all of my friends, so I need some pictures with you too.”

  Kaylee smiled. It felt good to hear Mia call her a friend. She had almost forgotten how nice it was to have a friend around just to talk to. Mia wasn’t a replacement for Chelsea, and Kaylee didn’t want her to be, but she was glad that she was here.

  “Smile.” Mia stuck her tongue out and winked just before taking the picture.

  ***

  When Kaylee woke up early the next morning, she found Mia lying on the floor in the sleeping bag, still fast asleep. Kaylee offered to sleep on the floor and give Mia the bed, but Mia didn’t want it.

  Her exact words were, “Don’t worry about it. It reminds me of the one time I went camping with my dad when I was little. And this time I don’t even have to worry about a spider crawling inside my sleeping bag.”

  Kaylee pushed the covers off, and then threw her fee
t over the side of the bed. She rubbed sleep from her eyes Stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. She and Mia stayed up almost all night talking and getting to know each other better. Kaylee hadn’t talked to anyone like that in a long time. She couldn’t believe how many stories about Chelsea she ended up sharing with Mia.

  It was the most fun she’d had since Chelsea died. The only downside was that they hardly spent any time doing what they originally intended to do, and that was watch Greg across the street to see if he left the house or if his girlfriend ever showed up.

  Kaylee only occasionally remembered to check, so she really couldn’t say for certain whether anybody came in or out of the house.

  So much for that plan.

  She got out of bed and started towards the bathroom, but her bare feet skidded to a stop when she caught a glimpse of something out the window she just couldn’t ignore.

  Greg Henderson was across the street. Loading boxes into the back of his SUV. Not just a couple, but a dozen at least. What could he possibly be doing with them all? And what was inside them? Even though she could practically hear Detective Ferguson’s voice in the back of her head, telling her not to jump to any conclusions, she couldn’t help but wonder if the boxes could be filled with evidence.

  Evidence that would prove he killed his wife.

  Was he trying to dispose of it to make sure the cops never found it? Or maybe it was his deceased wife’s belongings, and he was selling them off to buy gifts for his girlfriend?

  But rather than just speculate, why not find out for sure?

  Kaylee grabbed a hoodie from the closet before heading for the door. It was sure to be hot outside already, but she wasn’t about to leave the house wearing only her pajama shorts and a loose-fitting tank top. She paused in the doorway and looked back at Mia. Should she wake her? Ask her to come with?

  It only took a second to decide that she would rather let Mia sleep. She didn’t want to waste any time when Greg could drive away at any moment. If she woke Mia, she would have to explain what she was doing, and by the time she did that, it could be too late.

  Leaving the bedroom, she rushed down the hall, pulling her hoodie over her head on her way to the stairs. In spite of the hurry she was in, she did her best to avoid making too much noise. She didn’t want her mom to wake up.

  Since it was Saturday, her mom was sure to sleep in, but Kaylee couldn’t be too careful. Her quest to find out what Greg was doing would come to a swift end if her mom discovered her attempting to sneak out of the house.

  From the foot of the stairs, Kaylee dashed right through the kitchen, pausing only long enough to grab the keys to her mom’s car from the bowl on the counter near the door to the foyer. Her mom had a strict rule that Kaylee was not allowed to take the car without her permission, but Kaylee considered this a special circumstance. Besides, if her mom slept in long enough, she would never find out that the car had been taken.

  Keys in hand, Kaylee left the house and casually walked out to the car, which was parked in the driveway. She looked across the street and saw Greg’s SUV, but there was no sign of the man himself.

  She unlocked the car and climbed inside. Once her butt was planted in the seat, she gazed in the rearview mirror. That was when she saw Greg emerge from the house with another box. He placed it in the back with the others before shutting the back of the SUV. Then he walked around to the driver’s side, fishing inside his pocket, likely searching for his keys. Once he found them, he got in the car and was soon backing out of the driveway.

  That was Kaylee’s cue to do the same. She waited a few moments before following, wanting to make sure that there was some distance between them before she began her pursuit. It would all be ruined if he realized he was being followed.

  Whatever Greg was doing with those boxes, Kaylee wanted to find out. The fact that he was doing this so early in the morning definitely made it seem like he was trying to hide something from the neighbors.

  Kaylee clutched the steering wheel with both hands. She had no idea where this pursuit would take her, but it did give her a rush of adrenaline. She wondered what Chelsea would say if she could see her right now. Most likely tell her to be careful. Greg might be a killer after all.

  ***

  After following Greg Henderson for maybe fifteen minutes, Kaylee ended up in a back alley behind Main Street. Greg parked his SUV behind a store and then got out and knocked on the back door. A moment later, the door was opened and he went inside.

  Kaylee was parked far enough back that it was unlikely she would be noticed unless he was really looking for her. Then she waited. He would have to come back out eventually.

  She tapped her fingers on the steering wheel while chewing her bottom lip. All the while wondering what Greg could be doing in there.

  What kind of a store was it?

  Was he meeting someone?

  Why did he bring all of those boxes with him?

  As the minutes passed, her curiosity grew, and she considered getting out to go take a peek in his car to find out what was inside those boxes.

  But that thought had barely been conceived when the door opened and Greg emerged. He wasn’t alone this time either, and Kaylee was shocked that she recognized the person with him.

  There was no mistaking the long dark hair, deep brown eyes, and—most of all—leather jacket.

  Eric . . . what the hell are you doing here?

  Kaylee made sure to duck down in her seat just in case they looked in her direction. She wasn’t sure if Greg would even recognize her, but Eric certainly would.

  Greg led Eric to the back of the SUV. He popped the trunk of his vehicle and then grabbed one of the boxes and pulled it closer before opening it and allowing Eric to take a peek inside. The two of them exchanged a few words as Eric riffled through the contents of the box, but with their backs to her, Kaylee couldn’t see inside the box.

  A few more words were exchanged, and then Eric reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. He handed the whole stack over to Greg and then shook his hand.

  What the hell? Kaylee’s stomach twisted into a knot. She shook her head. Not only did it look like she was right about Greg selling off his wife’s belongings, but it also seemed Mia was right about Eric.

  She leaned forward and gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. That asshole, she thought, not even sure which of the two she was referring to. Not that it mattered. As far as she was concerned, this pretty much confirmed that Greg had something to do with his wife’s death.

  She had to tell Detective Ferguson about this, but she didn’t actually have any proof. Nothing that she saw today would be enough to convince the detective to investigate, especially when he already had Frank Palmer sitting in a jail cell with all signs pointing to him as the killer.

  She would need more.

  For starters, though, she figured she should at least record what she was seeing here to show the detective later.

  She reached into her pocket for her phone, only to realize that she didn’t even have it with her. She was in such a hurry to get out of the house that she must have completely forgotten to bring it.

  So much for that.

  All she could do now was watch as the two of them unloaded the boxes and stacked them up against the brick wall of the store. Then, once all of the boxes were out of the SUV, Greg again shook Eric’s hand and then patted him on the shoulder. A moment later, he was driving away.

  Leaving Kaylee with a choice.

  Did she stay and confront Eric or did she follow the person that she set out to follow in the first place? The person that she very much suspected of murder.

  But considering the boxes had been left behind, and they were the closest thing that she had to evidence right now, staying behind to find out what was inside was probably the best thing to do.

  Here we go . . .

  She popped her door open, got out, and stormed over to Eric, who was squatting down to pick up one of the boxe
s. She was dead set on getting answers from him.

  “What do you have there?” Kaylee came to a stop right behind him and placed her hands on her hips. “You buy something from your friend, hmm?”

  Eric stood up straight and turned around to face her. His eyes narrowed. “Kaylee? What the hell are you doing here?”

  “I was about to ask you the same thing. Mind telling me what’s in those boxes?”

  “Is there any reason why I should?”

  “I don’t know. Is there any reason why you shouldn’t?”

  He cocked his head to the side and studied her face for a beat. Then he reached into his back pocket and whipped out a box cutter all in one motion.

  Kaylee’s heart skipped a beat. What exactly was he planning to do with that?

  17

  KAYLEE BACKED AWAY. EYES GLUED to the box cutter in Eric’s hand, afraid that he might decide to use it for something other than its namesake. Was she on to him and Greg? Were they in on this together and now he was trying to silence her before she had a chance to tell anyone what they’d done?

  But Eric didn’t advance towards her like she expected him to. Instead, he turned away and then stabbed the box cutter into the nearest box, sliding it across the top to slice through the tape that kept it sealed. Then he stuffed the box cutter into his back pocket and pulled the box open.

  “Come over here,” he said.

  But Kaylee held her ground.

  “I’m not going to hurt you or anything,” Eric assured her. “I just want to show you something, so come over here.”

  Kaylee frowned. She would like to believe him, but that wasn’t easy to do after what she just saw. Still, she did need to get a look inside those boxes, and it was now or never.

  She stepped forward, still eyeing Eric with distrust. Once she was within a few feet of the box he opened, she leaned forward to take a peek inside. And found . . .

  Books.

  Nothing but worn and weathered old books covered in a thin layer of dust. There were dozens of them. All crammed into the box. Kaylee wasn’t sure what she expected to find once the box was opened, but this certainly wasn’t it.