by S J Sargent
“Do you think Bolin picked them up?” he asked. She nodded. He nodded back. “Yeah. I hope so. Here’s a part I don’t understand, though.” Alex began to finally share some thoughts that had been brewing around in his mind. “Why would Ken call me just a few hours before doing something like that? Remember when we were at Better Brew together? It seems weird to think that just a few hours after talking to him on the phone he would do something like that…”
“Maybe a last-ditch cry for help?”
“Maybe.” Alex wasn’t satisfied. “Ken’s just not…violent. That’s the thing. He’s the guy that always stood up for me. Stood up for you. I mean, he’s fierce. But he’s sensitive. That’s why it was hard for me to ever see him actually joining the Army. He’s just a big teddy bear.”
“He’s a peanut butter M&M.” Molly said with a slight laugh as she reminded him of Ken’s nickname. “Hard on the outside. Soft on the inside. That’s what you called him a few months ago.”
“You remember that?”
Molly nodded.
“Wow.” Alex let out a long breath. “It’s just hard to imagine him doing something like this.”
“Could you see anyone doing this?” Molly started to push back. “There’s a reason this has never happened before in Pecos. It’s not a violent town. It never has been. That’s why everyone is so shaken up by it. One person in one week has turned the entire town upside down.”
“One person did all this.” He reiterated. Alex pulled into the high school and parked next to her car in the backlot. It was off the road away from any streetlights. Completely private and isolated. Quiet, with exception to the radio playing softly.
“Can I run something by you, though?” Alex said in the dark, idle car. “I’ve just been trying to play everything out in my mind. Connect the dots, you know? Because there are still a few pieces missing in this puzzle.”
“Like the missing DVD,” Molly pointed out.
“Right.” Alex nodded. “And maybe that was just a red herring. Who knows? But anyway. In theory, Bolin is taking both Peter and Ken into custody right now. Even though we know it’s Ken. Right?” Molly nodded. Alex continued. “Right? So…what if it’s not Ken?”
“What are you saying?” Molly turned up the heat, but it didn’t help her shivering. “It’s someone else? It’s not someone from Movie Madness at all?”
“No.” Alex took his eyes off the road again, waiting for Molly to catch up to his thinking. She slowly began to shake her head as she pieced together his theory.
“Peter.” She gazed out at the falling powder. Replaying the last two days, she began to see memories with the lens that she was potentially side by side with the killer. “But…why would he just…I mean, we were with him and he never showed any signs of violence. In fact, he was terrified the whole time.”
“Terrified of what, though? Getting caught?” Alex shrugged. Molly looked away. “I’m just saying, we look at the evidence. He had a thing for Christine. And it seemed really one-sided. I mean, who follows a girl home from work without her knowing? He was literally at the scene of the crime when it happened. We can’t dismiss that.”
“But he was with us the whole time,” Molly pointed out. “And the surveillance footage. He’s in the shot with the silhouette. There’s no way.”
“I know.” Alex squeezed Molly’s hand. “I’m just playing this out to see if it could even make sense. Just in case it’s not Ken. Track with me. Peter follows Christine home. Why? Because he either really cares about her a lot or he’s straight-up stalking her. Either way, he’s there. He was at her apartment the night of the abduction. And we know the killer had to have come from Movie Madness. Which is where he came from…”
“We know all this, Alex.”
“I know. But then I started thinking about Sofia. That’s what throws everything off…”
Molly’s face changed. “Please explain.”
“Why kill Sofia? Where does she fit into all of this? What would be anyone’s motive? Unless she knew something.” Alex leaned in a little bit. “The night at the police station. When Peter was arguing with his parents over the phone, I noticed something. He kept looking over at Sofia. And she was looking back. Exchanging these weird looks, but it was only during the phone chat. Like…like she knew something about his relationship with his parents. Or she knew something that he didn’t want his parents to know…”
Molly now built on the theory with him. “His relationship with Christine.” Alex nodded. She kept going. “They tried to keep that secretive because Peter knew his parents wouldn’t approve. Maybe Sofia saw things between them. Like when they were closing together. Things that only the next door neighbor would see.”
“Exactly.” Alex crossed his arms and stared forward. “Kills Christine. Call it a crime of passion. Or rejection. Maybe she finally said ‘no’ to him and he didn’t know what to do because he’d already become obsessed with her. Then, he kills the one person who has serious evidence of their relationship.”
Molly dwelled on this theory for a bit. If Peter really were the killer, then she had aided and abetted his escape. She had gone out of her way to help him escape from Movie Madness, flee town, and even send in wrong information through the anonymous email.
If Peter really was guilty, then both her and Alex were also liable. They could be charged too.
The two paused and stared at the abandoned football field in front of them. Alex turned off the headlights so that passing traffic might not see them back there, especially with curfew coming up soon. Molly drew near to Alex for comfort.
With eyes locking together, they kissed again. The longest one yet. Both feared it might be their last together, so they made sure it counted. Alex’s vibrating phone rang, forcing them to separate. He pulled it out and looked at the screen.
Incoming Call: Peter.
Alex looked at Molly, who nodded for him to answer. “Peter. Where are you?”
“Alex. Where’d you go? I’ve tried calling you three times.”
“I know. We called Bolin there and fled. We needed you to stay and keep Ken there. Are you with the Detective? Did he ever come?”
“I just wish you would have told me,” Peter said too quickly. “Where are you now?”
“We’re, um…” Molly stopped Alex from answering with a headshake. “We’re back in town. Did Bolin show up?”
“Yes. He took Ken in. That’s who he came for. Just like you said, man. You were right.”
Molly exhaled, lipping ‘I told you!’ Alex rolled his eyes.
“Good. I’m sure we couldn’t tell you everything.” Alex answered. Peter said nothing to this. “So where are you now?”
“Bolin dropped me off at Movie Madness. Said I needed to go home from there. But you have my car. So I wanted to see if you could come and bring it back here. At Movie Madness?”
“We’re on our way now.” Alex hung up and started driving back to the video store. They started back down the road. Usually if the roads were clear, it only took about four minutes to go the two miles between the school and Movie Madness. With the snow on the ground, it would take longer.
“Something’s wrong,” Alex said.
“What? Why?”
“He was too quick to be okay with everything. Like, no push back for us taking his car? Or leaving without explaining anything? He just accepted it. I expected an argument. But nothing. No pushback. He didn’t ask me to explain anything. Doesn’t that seem kind of odd?” Alex pointed out. “Plus, Bolin wouldn’t have let him go like that. There’s no way he would be out of custody already. No way. That’s not Bolin’s style.”
“So wait. If he’s lying, then where is Peter?” Molly asked.
“Oh, I think he’s at Movie Madness.” Alex gave a satisfied smile as he discerned the details. “But I don’t think he’s alone. I think Bolin’s using him to try to lure us into a trap.”
“But why?”
Alex shrugged. “I don’t know that part yet.”
“Then why would we go?” Molly sat up stiffly.
“Because we’re a step ahead of him.”
48
Reunion
Tuesday, December 21 – 7:48 P.M.
Alex pulled up to a spot at Movie Madness. The familiar painted lines felt strange this time. The lone streetlight was all there was for light. It illuminated a portion of the parking lot in front of Bruno’s. Alex and Molly examined the premises. No cars. No signs of life.
Alex parked while he called Peter, who answered quickly.
“Around back.”
Alex and Molly stayed frozen in the car. Even though it was Alex’s choice to drive, he now sat in the driver’s seat and wondered if he’d made a mistake. They stared at the lifeless video store. Silent and unpresuming. It still had the same posters on the front windows, but its persona would never be the same. Movie Madness had transformed from Alex’s second home into a treacherous scene of terror.
Molly’s phone rang. Her parents again.
At this point, she was choosing between being grounded and endangering her life. Her parents might have been the only two people in Pecos that were in denial that the town was falling apart. She made her choice. Call ignored.
“Do you want to stay in the car?” Alex asked.
Molly grabbed his arm in protest. “No. Whatever we do, we do together. We aren’t splitting up. I’ve seen enough movies to know how that plays out.”
They exited the car at the pace of the handicapped customers that came each morning. Molly hugged Alex’s arm as they crept towards the video store. With each step closer, her grip tightened.
“Alex. I don’t know if we should do this.” She stopped him. “Maybe we should just head back to my house.”
“Kind of forward, don’t you think?” Alex said. She hated how calm he was. “I’m tired of running. And I’m tired of this town living in fear.” Molly nodded. Alex’s voice turned to a whisper. “The way I see it…if it is Peter, we’re safe. He would have already done it when we went to the house together for the past day when we were completely alone and off the grid. If he didn’t then, why would he now?”
Alex’s logic made sense. As they passed by the front entrance of Movie Madness, their feet smashed over a small collection of broken glass on the ground.
Molly jumped back.“Alex…”
“It’s okay. That was Bolin. From before. Remember?” Molly let out a quick breath, remembering his grand entrance on Sunday night before they’d fled town. Alex stopped and flattened his hands against the front glass over one of the sticker decals. They both peeked inside the store.
Everything still looked the same, as if the actual store had no idea what was happening in the town. All of the movies innocently rested on their respective shelves. The Marlon Brando poster stared back at them. The Junior Mints waited for the next customer to grab them. The return box was overflowing to the point that the most recent movies had toppled onto the floor.
Turning the corner to the back, Alex looked over at Molly. He gave her a trusting nod, which she returned. On the edge of turning the corner to the back of the store, Alex shouted out.
“Peter?”
No response.
He called out again.
Alex pulled out his phone. Resting against the brick wall, he dialed for Peter. Before the call could go through, a hand reached out for his shoulder and grabbed him.
Peter stood there in his familiar blue hoodie. One finger over his lips. He looked back behind him, then motioned for them to follow. Molly used Alex as a shield as Peter led them over to the back entrance. They both frantically looked around for Detective Bolin. No sign of him. They checked the perimeter for police cars. Nothing. They were alone.
Stopping outside the back door exit together, Peter fumbled for his keys. Molly noticed his fidgety hands and shifty eyes. He unlocked the door and swung it open. She looked at Alex, who looked back with a go-ahead smile.
Alex better have a plan, she thought. Because everything in her told her that they were walking right into a trap.
49
Look What I Found
Tuesday, December 21 – 7:54 P.M.
“Why do you need to go inside?” Alex persisted. The three stood behind the back-exit door as Peter fumbled around his keys. He finally turned the lock, still not responding. Alex put his hand on the door. “Stop. Let’s get out of here before anything else happens.”
“No. I need to show you something that I found,” Peter said. “I didn’t know what it was until I heard you both talking about it when we were at the house. It will only take a minute.”
He opened the door and went inside. Alex looked back at Molly. She shook her head, arms crossed in a dead stance. Alex shrugged as he led her inside. Her hands shook. This time, more than any other time in the past week, felt wrong. Something was wrong. And they both knew it.
Peter led them into the breakroom, leaving the lights off. He used his phone flashlight. “Now, remember how we were talking about Amy the other night and how she was a regular customer here? It got me thinking, so I went on our online database just to see what she had rented. See if there was anything that might be…a clue or something. I don’t know. I think hanging out with both of you got me really into trying to solve the case myself. I know it sounds dumb. But I found something.”
Alex and Molly both knew where he was headed. And both were growing impatient with him. Molly gripped her phone, ready to dial Bolin at the first sign of Peter’s guilt. Her eyes kept going back to the door.
“Guys, she had a movie checked out…” Peter stopped with wide eyes, waiting for a gasp. None came.
“We know. The Matrix.” Molly said. “Rented and never returned.” Peter’s shoulder sank as his reveal was ruined. He looked at both of them, realizing they knew more than he did.
“You knew this already?”
“Seriously? Yes,” Alex said. “Discovered it last week. So did Detective Bolin. It’s old news. We thought it might lead us to something, but that was back when there was no evidence for the case. It just turned out to be a waste of time. Meant nothing to the case.”
Peter paused, not sure what to say. He was sure that his finding would excite them. He clearly looked defeated and a tad bit confused by their response.
“Here’s my question to you,” Alex said. “Why are you talking about this clue to us now? Why aren’t you as eager to get out of here as we are?”
Peter didn’t answer at first. Alex was pushing him and he didn’t like it. It reminded him of his interrogation sessions with Bolin. His eyes shifted over to Molly, who had the same glare. He noticed the phone in her hand. It was then that he started to connect the dots that they were skeptical of him.
“Because I wanted to show this to you…”
“Did you?” Molly asked. “Or were you looking for a reason to come back in here? Because it seems like you forcing us to come inside to tell us that you found out that a movie hadn’t been returned is a bizarre plan.” She crossed her arms.
“Wait a minute.” Peter put his hands up. “Guys, we’re on the same side here. Right?”
“I don’t know,” Molly said. “All I know is that you really liked Christine a lot. More than any of us. Why would you follow her home, Peter? Why did you do that?”
Peter stepped back until he hit the cabinets. His hands searched for something to hold onto as he struggled to find words. “I…I…just wanted her to be safe. She’s a great girl…”
“She was a great girl,” Alex said. “And in my mind, it’s getting a little suspicious that you’re not as eager to get out of here as we are. Especially considering the last time you were here was when you were running away from Bolin after he was trying to arrest you.” Alex stepped forward until his chest was against Peter’s skinny torso. “So, what I can’t figure out is why Bolin would let you go when things are still so up in the air? Why would he drop you off at an active crime scene and then just let you go home? That doesn’t so
und like paranoid Detective Bolin at all.”
“Where is Detective Bolin? Where’s Ken?” Molly added.
Peter’s eyes shot back and forth between both of them. The only two people who had trusted him and helped him to escape were now against him. That’s why they left him at the house with Ken. That’s why they had called Bolin to bring in him and Ken.
They were trapping him.
“Alex.” Peter had tears in his eyes. “I thought you trusted me. I thought you were on my side.”
“I was.” Alex opened one of the drawers and pulled out a box cutter, the same one he used to use to unwrap the movie candy. Now it would be used for a more meaningful purpose. To protect himself and Molly. Holding it in front of him, Molly swung behind him again for protection as he paced a little closer to Peter.
“Please.” Peter’s hand stayed up in surrender. “You know I’m not the killing type.”
“Who is?” Alex asked. “But once love enters the picture, it changes you. Once you found someone that you just couldn’t let go of and she rejected you, it turned you into a monster.” Alex smiled. “You’re the classic killer profile. Straight out of the book. Unexpected. Transformed by unrequited love. The emotions of love and rage have a fine line between them. Don’t they?”
Peter was afraid to move his hands to wipe the tears out of his eyes. He trembled as he slowly paced toward the employee lockers, flattening himself in front of them. Trying to stabilize his grip, he attempted to open his own locker.
“Careful, Peter,” Alex said. “What are you doing…?”
“I have to show you…” Peter flung open his locker. The sudden movement spooked Alex and he lunged forward with the box cutter, stabbing Peter in the stomach. Peter gasped, holding his stomach. Wide eyes of terror. He looked over at Molly, wondering why she was okay with this. She curled up against the door, behind the trash can.