A Clattering of Jackdaws (The Birdwatcher Series Book 2)

by European P. Douglas

  Bobrick looked coolly at her but didn’t answer for a long time. Sarah was starting to feel uncomfortable but she’d had enough bullshit lately and she was determined to tough it out.

  “Get me the farmer killer and bring in Carson Lemond and I’ll give you a taste of what you want,” he said finally. This was way more than she’d expected and a thrill of excitement ran through her and it resulted in a goofy smile coming to her face that she simply could not suppress.

  “Can I get that in writing,” she said, inappropriately as she tried to bring her features back under control. Bobrick looked back to his computer screen,

  “The only thing you’ll be getting in writing is your walking papers if you don't get out of my sight in ten seconds,” he said, though there was no rough edge to his voice.

  Sarah knew she better quit while she was ahead and she jumped up and left the office quickly, not even using half the ten seconds to do so.

  Back at her desk, she was a completely different person to only five minutes before. A clear route to what she’d wanted all along had been presented to her. She looked at the photographs on the table, those of the farmer murder sites that had been frustrating her so much and then at the file in her hand about Carson Lemond.

  Perhaps Bobrick was right, chasing one would help clear her mind for the other. It was time to reel in Mr Lemond.

  Chapter 6

  MEGAN STANVER OFTEN walked alone through the dark campus streets of the University of Wisconsin. Quite often there were student talks about how you shouldn’t do this, but the campus had always seemed a safe and welcoming place to her and right now, she would give anything to be back there, even if it meant sitting an exam or listening to Mr Green trying to hit on her as he had so many times in the past.

  Megan had been abducted only yards from her front door late one evening after leaving a party that wasn’t going anywhere. As she rummaged in her handbag, a rustle in the bushes at the side of the house worried her, though her thoughts at the time was more of a biting animal than someone looking to take her. She gave the bushes a wider berth and continued looking for her keys. She didn’t hear a thing after that but moments later a strong large hand pressed something soft and pungent over her mouth and nose and that was the last she could recall before waking up in an old farmhouse, who knew where. She didn’t even know how long she’d been out for.

  Almost at once on waking, Megan knew there was someone in the room with her. Looking around, however she could see no one. There were no lights on and moonlight filtered in through curtainless windows. The corners and doorways were in complete darkness. He must be in one of those dark spots, she thought.

  “Your father loves you very much,” a deep voice came from the gloom. That had been Megan’s introduction to ‘The Monster.’

  Since that night, almost five months had passed and she was still a captive of his. The farmhouse had been only one of ten places he’d held her and there had also been many nights spent in the various camper vans.

  For a while, her captor made her call her father while the news was on the TV loudly enough he could hear it. It was so awful to hear her father’s anguish and then to see on the news what he’d done to keep her alive. The ‘Monster’ never let her hear his part of the conversation with Karl Stanver so she had no idea how many of the murders that came up on the news were his doing.

  One evening as Megan scraped with the heel of her shoe at the basement wall in the farmhouse, the door opened and his voice came to her,

  “Your father is in jail. He’s completed the first part of his mission. One more thing to do and then you will be released.”

  “When!” she called out to him as the door closed and she bent over and sobbed. Her poor father, in jail for murder; would they execute him? Surely not, he could explain that she was being held hostage and that he had no other choice. That wouldn’t exonerate him in anyone else’s eyes, she thought. The best case scenario was that he would be in jail for the rest of his life. Lying there she asked for the ten thousandth time; why is this happening? Why her?

  In all the time Megan had been with this man, she had never once seen his face. She could tell he was a very large man and he was able to lift her as though she weighed nothing at all. She was glad of having not seen his face, because in her mind, she felt this is what made it even remotely believable that he could set her free at some stage. She could tell the police nothing about him save a generic description of him and the places he'd kept her. She didn’t imagine any of that would be of any use in finding this man at all. He always seemed so calm and in control of things, and even the time Megan had lost control and tried to attack him, he simply brushed her aside without a word or a gesture of annoyance and went out of the room as he intended to.

  What scared Megan most of all, apart from what would happen to her father, was the fact that she had been able to tell over time, that the ‘Monster’ had more people in captivity, just like her. And just like her, she was sure they were being moved around. She didn’t know how many people it might be, but she had seen marks in holding places that she’d not made and also there were hairs and fingernails left sometimes in the farmhouse cellars.

  What this meant for the long term, she had no idea, but it steeled her resolve to action. Megan Stanver was no longer willing to just wait to be either killed or set free. She was going to start trying to hatch an escape plan, no matter what the cost might be.

  Her captor rarely spoke to her, but she got the sense from his being able to move her around so much so easily that he must be intelligent. He’d figured out some way to move multiple missing persons around and not get caught. But she was also sure he was really busy all the time. It was possible that while he was concentrating on getting his job done, he might not notice, at least at first, her trying to get hers done.

  Megan was clever too, and she was determined. She also had two things on her mind that might also give her the edge; firstly, she wanted revenge and secondly, she was fighting for her life.

  She would start today, first by searching this cellar for a good place to leave a message or start trying to dig, and then by listening and observing every single thing she could about her abductor and what he got up to. It was a big puzzle and she was sure she was going to be able to figure it out. She just hoped there was enough time left to do it.

  Chapter 7

  TYLER WAS AT HOME FINISHING up work on a chapter of his book when the landline rang. It was late, close to 11pm, and he wasn’t expecting a call. His heart jumped a beat, could this be the anonymous killer leaving a voice changing message. Not wanting to appear too eager, he let it ring another time and a half as he stood over it before answering. The number on the little LED screen was not one that he recognised but the fact that it wasn’t a private number made him think this wasn’t the call he was hoping for. The killer had been good with phone tech, though, and had redirected calls from old landlines before, so there was still a chance.

  “Hello?” he said.

  “Tyler,” a female voice, the sound of a bar in the background. For an instant he didn’t recognise it with the noise.

  “Sarah?” he asked.

  “Yeah, long time no talk,” she said, was she a little tipsy? “How have you been?” she asked.

  “I’ve been good,” he replied, “Working on my book and some stories for the paper.”

  “I see you’re on the farmer murders,” the sound of cracking pool balls behind her.

  “Oh, you mean the ‘Agrarian’ case?” he tested out the name he’d come up with this evening and had not fully settled on.

  “The Agrarian!” she said with a laugh, “That’s what I’ve been looking for!”

  “You like it?” He was smiling.

  “I do, is it going to be in the paper tomorrow?” she asked.

  “It will now.” There was a lull and Tyler could tell she was wondering if she should have called him or not. She’d gone to the trouble of ringing from a public phone after all.r />
  “Do you have any of your insights into the case?” she asked but her voice was hesitant; this wasn’t what she’d wanted to ask.

  “I’ve heard a few snippets here and there,” he said, “nothing I’d call a lead yet.” He let the silence hang there for a moment and then added, “Got some news on Danny Kercheck though.”

  “What?” her voice now was clear but incredulous. “How? I haven’t even been able to find out anything about that.”

  “You shouldn’t be looking into that anyway,” Tyler joked, “Won’t you get in trouble for that?”

  “What did you find out?” she demanded, no messing in her tone.

  “What’ll you give me for this information?” he asked. If she wanted to be a hardass about it, so could he. Sarah sighed from the other end of the line and there was no mistaking the depth of it.

  “I’ve got nothing on anything, really, that’s the trouble at the minute.”

  “To be fair, the ‘Agrarian’ case is only really underway now that there is a third victim.” He felt she would need some pepping up if he was going to get anything from her.

  “Three is more than enough,” she said and then quickly added, “There’s a manhunt on for someone for the Baltimore murders right now.” Was this what she was giving him? He already knew about that.

  “Carson Lemond,” he said.

  “You know about it?” she started off sounding surprised but before the end of her sentence he could hear the acceptance- of course he already knew that. Baltimore was his town (his paper’s town anyway).

  “Why don’t we meet up?” Tyler suggested. “The bar near your place?” Sarah didn’t answer immediately and he thrust in another reason for her, “I can feel something is going to happen with the killer soon.” She would know what killer he was talking about and would want to be close by if that happened. What she didn’t know, though, or at least he hoped she didn’t, was that Tyler felt he needed to be close to her to remain relevant to the killer.

  “Okay,” she agreed and Tyler could feel her getting sucked back into his work once more.

  “Tomorrow night, seven?” he suggested.

  “Depends on how the manhunt is going,” she said.

  “Are you going to be in Baltimore?”

  “Probably.”

  “Then call me on my cell, I’ll stay in the city until late after work tomorrow.”

  “Do you know where Lemond is?” she asked and it wasn’t unreasonable considering the things he’d kept from her in the past- like tracking down Stanver before the police and FBI did.

  “No, but I have been looking into it. If I find out I promise I’ll let you know,” he said.

  “We need him down fast so I can concentrate on the ‘Agrarian’ again,” Sarah said.

  “I’m surprised they lumped you with a manhunt while that case is ongoing,” Tyler said and it was true.

  “All part of the job,” Sarah said with mock enthusiasm.

  Tyler was thinking of leaving it at that, saying good night and hanging up, but the conversation felt unfinished, actually it felt like it had never really started. He didn’t understand why this would be.

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself, Sarah. Before you know it Lemond and the Agrarian will be in jail and you’ll be on the case you want to be,” he said. Her being dejected wasn’t going to help her in her work. She had to be revved up and ready to fight and he knew it was still inside her waiting to vent out into the world.

  “I certainly hope so,” she said. It wasn’t lively but it was a start.

  “Spalding’s run will be over before the year is out,” Tyler said with an assurance he did not feel in the least. Sarah gave a half laugh and said,

  “Nothing will be sorted before the year is out at this rate.”

  “Don’t be like that,” Tyler cajoled, “Lemond will be caught in a few days and then the farmer killer will be a few days or weeks after that.” He didn’t add he thought this because the two of them would be working together again by then; that agreement could wait until they were face to face and he could read her better.

  “I like you optimism,” she replied noncommittally.

  “You just need a break in the case,” he said, knowing this was both true and also that it was something Sarah put a lot of stock in. “Each minute is a minute closer to the break,” he added sagaciously.

  “You’re right,” Sarah answered after a short pause, and he could feel her confidence rising some, if only a little. It was a start and he would give her a more serious boost when they meet tomorrow evening.

  “You know I’m right!” he laughed and felt now was the time to wrap up the call. Leave her more buoyant than he found her.

  Chapter 8

  SARAH WOULDN’T HAVE considered herself to be superstitious, but when she got to the bar that evening she was drawn to the table where she’d met Tyler before. That case had ended well after all, hadn’t it? Her logical mind did its level best to draw her to the bar and sit there but her body and subconscious worked as one and she caved in. There wasn’t any harm in sitting at the same table was there?

  It was very late and on her way over, she’d assumed Tyler would be here before her as she’d beaten him to the place the last time despite his showing early. Danny Kercheck had joined them later on; who knew she’d been sitting right by someone under the direct influence of Dwight Spalding? It made her sick to think how close she’d been to the man who killed her mother but hadn’t known it. Now there was no access at all to Danny through the channels at the FBI. Tyler had found out where he was though so perhaps all that was about to change.

  The manhunt was ongoing for Carson Lemond. There had been a few leads and possible sighting throughout the day, but they had all turned to nothing. Sarah was sure he’d taken flight from the city but they had to be seen to try on the ground here all the same. Public Relations was as much a part of modern police work as walking the beat. Not ideal but that’s the way it is.

  Carson was a low level criminal looking to make a name for himself but instead he’d gotten himself in a lot of trouble with the mob. There was a better than good chance that if he hadn’t gotten out of town in time, they would have killed him already. If that was the case they might never find the body and find out about the murders he committed.

  Here Sarah’s train of thought halted. She didn’t believe Carson had committed the murders. It didn’t make sense at all that he would have done this. There were no connections with the first two victims and Lemond had only that afternoon been involved with the last one- surely he would have killed him them if that had been his intention. No, none of this made sense and Sarah was hopeful she knew why.

  Her hope, if that was what you would call it, was that ‘The Monster’ was at play again, jumping into another serial killer’s work as he had with ‘John the Baptist.’ This was doubtful but possible and she had not raised her inklings with anyone lest Bobrick or Daniels back at Quantico might take her off the case.

  ‘Best not to get your own hopes up either, kiddo,’ she thought.

  The moving reflection on the opening door caught Sarah’s eye and she looked up to see Tyler coming in. He looked around a moment and their eyes met and he smiled at her. She nodded, and a sliver of a smile escaped her lips too. At first glance, he was even more attractive than she remembered and he looked fitter too, like he’d been working out more since they last met. Before Sarah knew what she was doing, she found herself straightening up and brushing her hair back away from her face with her hand. How did she look since last time, she wondered but wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer.

  “Hi,” he said coming to the table and standing there smiling.

  “Hey,” she replied looking up, “Take a seat.”

  “I see you got first dibs on the good seat again,” he said, taking his seat.

  “Always do.”

  “You want another one?” he asked, pointing to her beer bottle. Sarah looked at the bottle and nodded,


  “I guess so.” Tyler held up the bottle, gained a waitress's eye and nodding to the bottle raised two fingers in a V-shape to which the waitress smiled and nodded back.

  “Too tired to walk to the bar?” Sarah teased him.

  “It’s best to make life as easy as possible for yourself,” Tyler said, “No one else is going to make it easier for you..”

  “Amen to that,” Sarah said, taking her drink from him and finishing off the last swallow.

  They talked a little then about the manhunt, Sarah keeping her thoughts on Carson Lemond to herself until Tyler said,

  “That sounds like bullshit to me.”

  “What part?” she asked, surprised at his blunt statement.

  “No one is stupid enough to beat up a guy in the afternoon, advertise he’s working for the mob and then kill the same guy that very same night.” Tyler said this with such derision that Sarah felt it was aimed at her.

  “It’s not my idea,” she said, “I don’t believe it for a second; I don’t think he did any of the three murders!” Her tongue had run away on her and she regretted it instantly. Tyler looked at her without speaking a moment, but his eyes lit up and it was hard to not feel the spark of what had once been between them rise up again.

  “What do you think?” he probed, asking slowly in a way that had the effect of making her want to tell him. Should she? She bit her lip against saying anything more just yet; her mind swimming with possibilities. Tyler smiled and sat back in his chair, “I already know what you think.”

  “He may not have done it, but he knows who did,” she said, trying to steer him away but his shaking head and pressed lips told her at once he wasn’t buying it.

  “You think this is the same as with ‘John the Baptist’, don’t you?”

  “I thought about that, but I don’t think so,” Sarah replied. She didn’t even know if she was lying or not.