Kill Her Twice

by G A Pickstock

  Tripping over the clutter, the others rushed into the kitchen. Without hesitation, Mary dropped to her knees and checked for a pulse.

  “He’s alive! Call 911! Now! 911! Now! Hurry!” She tried to roll him over. “He’s having a hard time breathing, someone help me here!”

  Colm pushed past everyone. He grabbed Gord’s left arm and pulled him around onto his back. Mary gasped at what she saw. A tennis ball-sized red spot stained Gord’s white t-shirt. In the centre, a syringe stuck out like a dart in a tranquillized lion. The needle still had a clear fluid in it.

  “Oh God! I hope this isn’t—” Mary put her ear to Gord’s mouth— “He’s not breathing. CPR now!” She looked at Colm. “Do you know what to do?”

  “Yes, I’ll do the compressions, you handle the ventilation. Now — One — Two — Three — Breathe.”

  Jim hung up his phone, “The ambulance is on its way two minutes.”

  Emily ushered Audri into her living room. Mark followed.

  “He’s in good hands, Audri,” said Jim. “The paramedics will be here shortly. He’ll be OK, hang in there. Mary’s a good nurse, Aud, don’t worry, she knows what to do.”

  Colm and Mary continued the CPR until the medics arrived. As they worked to stabilize him, Gord started breathing on his own. His eyes were bright but unresponsive. Mary had seen that look before. He was terrified, awake and alert, but unable to move. He could breathe on his own now, and his heart was beating again. If she was right, another five minutes would tell the tale. Mary removed the syringe from Gord’s midsection, careful not to inject any more of its contents into his torso.

  Handing it to Colm, she nodded toward the open patio door.

  “You might want to put that in a bag or something. It’s important evidence.”

  Colm nodded. He searched the countertop for a plastic bag. Locating a box of sandwich bags, he dumped its contents onto the counter, took one, and placed the syringe inside. He zipped the seal closed, placed it into the box, and put it on the kitchen table.

  Emily sat with Audri in the living room as the medics worked to stabilize Gord. Mark and Jim stood by, ready to offer whatever help they could, mindful to stay out of the way as much as possible. Colm turned his attention to the back yard of the condo, and turning to Jim, he pointed at the gate at the bottom end of the small garden area.

  “Where does that gate lead?”

  “There is a small pathway that runs behind all the condos along here. It’s not very wide. Just enough to allow someone to push a lawnmower through to cut the grass.”

  “I see.” Colm stepped through the patio door and descended the four steps to the grass. A stark contrast to the clutter of Audri’s home, the trimmed and coiffured lawn spread toward the six-foot privacy fence and matching gate, bordered on the right and left by well-kept flower beds, adorned with fairies and garden gnomes. Patio stones formed a short path from the entrance into the yard, to the small garden shed that butted up against the rear fence. The gate stood ajar, and Colm noted the drawstring and pulled the latch from the outside.

  The chain-link fence offered no real concealment from the field behind the condos. The fence prevented access to a small park. Across the field, a similar fence separated another complex of condominiums located on the next street. Anyone in those condos could have seen an intruder entering Audri’s back yard. Men were working on the roof of a unit on the opposite side. He was about to hop the fence when Emily appeared in the patio doorway.

  “Colm, the paramedics are ready to take Gord to the hospital. Should we stay here or go? Audri wants to ride in the ambulance.”

  Colm saw no reason to detain Audri. Considering her husband’s condition, she wasn’t going anywhere. “Why don’t you go with her? I want to have a look around here a bit more. Those blokes across the way might have seen something. I’m going to hop over there and make some enquiries.” He turned to Jim. “I’d like it if you and the others would go back to your place and wait for me. Don’t be touching anything inside, and leave the key on the table. I’ll lock up in a bit.” Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed a fencepost, catapulted himself over, and jogged across the field to the other side.

  Two of the men were on the roof, installing new shingles. The other dragged materials up the ladder to their co-workers. Colm pulled his badge from his pocket and flashed it at the man closest to him.

  “Erm, excuse me, fellas. Do you mind if I ask you a few questions? I’m investigating an incident that happened a short bit ago in one of the units across the way.”

  The man on the ladder turned his head to look at Colm.

  “Are you talking about that one right behind us, the one with the satellite dish over the gate?”

  “Yes, that one. Did you see something happen over there?”

  All work on the roof stopped as the second man stepped off the ladder. “Yeah, I saw someone runnin’ down the pathway there. Came barreling out of that gate and beat it behind those dumpsters at the end down there.” He pointed at three green dumpsters at the end of the alleyway. “Lost sight after that. Whoever it was, disappeared.”

  “I saw it all.” One of the men on the roof spoke up. Sitting on his haunches, he pointed to the dumpsters. “She came out of the parking lot behind the convenience store over there. She went behind the trash bins and then I saw her walk up the alley and into that back yard.”

  Colm’s ears picked up. Brilliant! “She? The person you saw was a woman?”

  “From where I was standing, yes, sir. No mistaking the ass on that, and I ain’t never seen a man with tits that big. She was wearing a black T-shirt with some white writing on the back. But those titties — well, they filled that shirt that’s for sure. When she come tearing back out of that yard she ran straight back to her car and tore out of that parking lot like she was on fire. She moved pretty good for a woman her age.”

  “A woman her age? How old would you reckon?”

  “Oh, I dunno, forty — fiftyish. Definitely no teenager, that’s for sure. Good shape though. Even in those baggy jeans I could tell she had a nice ass. Jumped in that car flashin’ that red hair. Kinda made me want to go after her and help her run off some of that energy. If you get my drift.”

  “You didn’t happen to see what kind of car it was, did you?” Colm couldn’t believe his luck. These blokes had actually seen something.

  “Nah, sorry. All I know is it was a blue four-door. Dunno what make. I guess I was focusing more on her, sorry.”

  “Blue, four-door, you say. Well, fellas, that’s a big help. Thank you. I’ll need to get your details in case I need to speak to you again. By the way, who lives here?”

  The man standing by the fence spoke up. “Fella by the name of Jenkins, he’s not home.”

  Colm recorded the men’s information and returned to Audri’s condo. Going through the information in his head, he tried to recreate the events leading up to the intrusion. Hopping back over the fence, he pushed the rear gate open and walked up to the patio door. It was closed and locked. Damn those guys, now wouldn’t ya think they’d know I was coming back in this way. Why would they lock this door? He was about to leave when he noticed the barbecue brush on the ground by the step.

  I wonder… He picked up the brush by its weathered and aged wooden handle. Its brass bristles, caked with grease and dirt, showed no sign of recent use. The metal scraper also covered in greasy dirt showed a small strip of sliver, indicating that something had scraped across it recently. Colm pondered what could have caused the scrape. Trying the door once again, he noticed if he pulled hard enough, the door would lift off its track. Leaning down, he saw a dark spot about the same width as the scraper on the bottom edge of the door. I wonder if the latch will move if I… He stopped himself. Better get a forensic team in here, Colm old son, you don’t want to wreck any evidence. Colm retreated to the alleyway and walked around to the front door of the condo. Letting himself in, he retrieved the key from the table, pulled his phone from his pocket and
called the detachment.

  “Jen, I need a crime scene unit at 51 Woodlawn. There’s been an incident at Audri Seavers’ condo.”

  Chapter 26

  Roy hadn’t seen his brothers in months. Although their relationships had healed following Kallita’s disappearance, it was never quite the same again, and an icy veil hung between them. Roy could never shake the thought that his brothers knew more than they were telling about Kallita and how she’d vanished. Despite their insistence to the contrary, Roy’s spirit could never reconcile their story. There was peace between them, but there was a dead zone in their backgrounds where it was dangerous to tread. More than once, they had come to words over a misstatement or a bad taste joke. It was a constant reminder that all was not well between them, and at best, the only way to describe their exact relationship was “Detente.” It was friendly, but trust was in short supply.

  “What brings you two out here as if I can’t guess?” Roy let his brothers in. Roger did his usual visitor inspection sniffing around the visitor’s legs, among other places, all the while wagging his long white and brown-spotted tail. He led them through to the kitchen. It was late in the day, and the setting sun plunged the backside of the house into darkness. The patio door was still open, and a gentle breeze wafted through the screen door. The light from the kitchen attracted a myriad of night creatures to the screened entrance. Moths bounced against the screening, trying to get to the light. Mosquitoes clung to the screen patiently waiting for it to open so they could invade the space and feast on the blood of their intended targets and Roger stood sniffing at the air, intent on something outside, hidden in the shadows.

  “You know they found Kallita’s purse.”

  “That’s why we’re here.” Alan sat at the kitchen table with his back to the patio door. Mike took a seat opposite him. Roy grabbed three beers from the fridge and placed them on the table. Sitting between his brothers, he twisted the cap off his bottle and took a long gulp of the ice-cold brew.

  “So — he finished his swallow — why now? What’s the big deal? After all, it’s only her purse, and she is long gone.” He took another drink.

  Alan left his bottle unopened on the table. Looking at Mike, he searched for a way to come clean with his brother.

  “You haven’t touched your beer. What’s up, you not thirsty?” Roy could see something was eating at him. “You got something on your mind? Come on out with it.” His patience was running thin.

  Alan took a deep breath. He had to confess to his brother.

  “You know the cops are looking back into Kallita’s case, right?” Roy nodded. “Well, they’ve been to see Mikey and me. They’re asking a lot of questions all over the place, and well, they’ve even talked to Mark Taylor. I have something you need to know before the shit hits the fan big time.” He twisted the cap off his bottle, finally and guzzled half of the bottle in one swallow. “Remember my birthday party at Benny’s? You accused me of setting you up because Mark was there. You were right, but it didn’t go the way I’d hoped, so I decided to take matters into my own hands — I decided to confront Kallita.”

  * * *

  August -1991

  Kallita’s Buick was in the driveway as Alan pulled up in front of Roy’s home. He parked and switched off the engine. Staring at the front door, he debated as to whether he should proceed or not. Doing so would undoubtedly drive the wedge deeper between them. Nevertheless, he felt he had nothing to lose. Roy was already pissed with him over the blow-up at Benny’s, so why not. He decided to carry on. God hates a coward, Alan, boy. He chided himself as he stepped out of his truck. He also abhors fools. It was a no-win situation, and he knew it, but he had to try. He took a deep breath, gathered all the courage he could summon and knocked on the heavy oak door. He had to knock twice. The door finally swung open. He was met by little Erin.

  “Uncle Alan, Uncle Alan!” The toddler jumped up and down, excited to see her uncle. Alan hadn’t seen her in ages. He stooped down and picked her up.

  “Where’s mummy, honey?” He carried her into the hallway and closed the door behind him. From the back of the house, he heard Kallita’s voice.

  “I don’t care. — No! You listen to me! You need to get home here. It’s my birthday, and we are going out tonight. I am not staying home on my birthday. I’m going with or without you, so get a goddamn babysitter and get your ass home. — No! I don’t care about that goddamned diner! I wish I’d never heard about the place. It eats up all of your time, and I’ve had enough. So do what you have to and get home!” Kallita slammed the phone back in its cradle and turned to see Alan standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

  “What the hell do you want?”

  She lit a cigarette and took a deep drag, blowing the smoke high into the air. Alan hesitated for a moment, wondering what to say, but the cigarette and the language around the child angered him. Putting Erin down, he whispered to her, “Be a good girl, honey and go play in your room for a minute, I have to talk to mummy OK.” Erin ran off to play in the playroom.

  Confident that the child was out of earshot, he lit into Kallita.

  “What the hell kind of language is that to be using around your kid? You should be ashamed of yourself and smoking in the house? Jesus, you know better than that.”

  “Screw you! This is my house. I’ll smoke in it if I want to.” She took another deep drag this time, blowing the smoke in Alan’s direction. “Who do you think you are? Come into my house and tell me what I can and can’t do. Piss off! Why are you here, anyway? Roy’s not here.”

  “I came here to talk to you.” Alan edged his way deeper into the kitchen.

  “Me! What do you want to talk to me about?” She took one last drag on her cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray on the counter.

  “I want to talk about you and Roy, but from what I just heard, I think I have my answers.”

  “Why? What do you mean?

  Alan spied a stool by the island and edged his way over to it. He’d seen Kallita’s act before; she was evil, and she wasn’t above getting physical, especially if she could twist it to suit her purpose. He wanted a barrier between them to slow her down if the urge should hit her. He sat, one foot resting on the floor and the other on the rung of the stool.

  “I have a question for you. Do you love my brother?” Alan watched her eyes for signs of deception.

  Kallita never hesitated. “Yes. Of course, I do. What kind of question is that?” She sat opposite him.

  Right answer. She’d say that anyway.

  “OK then, would you die for him?”

  “No!”

  Wrong answer!

  “No? You love him, but you wouldn’t die for him. I know he’d die for you.”

  Kallita sat stone-faced. “I’d die for my kids—” she shook her head and frowned — “but not for him.”

  Her demeanour said it all. Any effort to reason with her was futile. Alan shuddered. He believed her, every word. They washed over him, filling him with a frigid dampness, penetrating deep into his heart. Her definition of love, and his, were different. He could find no guile in her affirmation that she loved his brother. He believed in his heart that she would not sacrifice her life to save him, and in that moment, he became despondent and frightened for his brother. Roy had married a true narcissist. There would be no changing her. He had to do something to save his brother from the hell she was going to inflict on him. Shaking his head, he leaned forward across the island countertop. Capturing her eyes with his own, and with a low guttural voice that came from somewhere hidden deep inside him, he promised her.

  “See you! Twelve months from now, you will be nothing more than a bad memory.” Surprised by his own words, he walked out of the kitchen only to catch Erin as she came running down the hall. He dropped to his knees, gathered the little girl into his arms, and with tears in his eyes, hugged her tight.

  “Always remember honey, Uncle Alan loves you very much. Tell your daddy I love him too.”

 
“What about mommy?”

  Releasing his embrace, Alan stood, giving Kallita one last glower, he replied,

  “Well, dear, now she’s another story. Isn’t she?” He turned and walked out, never to set foot inside that witch’s evil lair again.

  * * *

  “Please understand Roy. I love you, and she was killing you, killing us inside. You might not believe it, but despite what she said to me all those years ago, she hated you. She hated all of us, and she only had time for herself and what she wanted. You know it’s true. She’s been gone for over twenty-five years, and the wedge between us still exists. I had to do something. You wouldn’t or couldn’t afford to listen. Look around and tell me you’re not happier without her in your life.”

  “So, you’re the one responsible for her disappearance and what — Roger quit scratching at that screen you’ll put a hole in it — what about you Mike? Where do you fit into all this? Roger, for Christ’s sake, what’s got into you?”

  Roy got up to tend to the dog. Roger continued to paw at the screen. As Roy approached the doorway, the dog let out a low growl.

  “What is it, boy, you gotta pee? OK, here.” As he slid the screen open, the dog pushed his way through the opening into the darkness beyond. A few seconds later, Roger began howling and barking. The three brothers sat in silence as they listened to the mournful sound of the Beagle’s voice echoing in the dark.

  “He’s probably chasing a rabbit or a coon. God, I hope it’s not a porcupine.” As the words spilt from Roy’s mouth, Roger let out a loud yelp, and everything went quiet.

  “Ahh shit! He got into a porky. I knew it! That stupid dog. He never learns. The last time he got into a porky, it cost me almost a thousand bucks in vet bills. Come on! Help me find him.” Roy grabbed a flashlight from a kitchen drawer and the three brothers set off in the dark to find the wayward dog. Stepping out onto the porch, the three stood for a moment to allow their eyes to adjust to the darkness.