by Graham Smith
‘And who was it who called it quits? You or her?’
‘That was her too.’ He looks me in the eye for the first time in minutes. ‘I did not let it bother me too much to be honest. The physical benefits may have been enjoyable but it was never true love for either of us. In fact, the night she told me it was over she as good as told me she was interested in someone else.’
‘Who? What did she say?’ My words come out in a hurried jumble. This was the kind of information that could point us towards her killer.
Again Chalmers delays by taking a drink of water before speaking. It’s as if he is searching his memory or is afraid what he says will disappoint me. ‘She told me that she thought a lot of me, but I would never be Jake Boulder.’
I guess I must have gasped as he asks if I am okay. Chalmers could have punched at me for an hour without doing a fraction of the damage his words had.
My skin develops a sheen of sweat. The thoughts and ideas in my head are tumbling around too fast to comprehend.
I haul myself together enough to focus my eyes onto his face. Staring hard at him I find no trace of deception or animosity. There is a tinge of empathy and embarrassment at the confession that has compared us in Kira’s eyes.
‘Would you like a glass of water?’
I nod, not trusting the desert that’s masquerading as my mouth. Taking the water from him, I gulp a mouthful and follow it with a steady drink.
‘Thanks.’ I hand the glass back.
‘I can see that threw you somewhat.’
‘Just a bit.’ I give a brief smile and try to make light of it. ‘It’s just a wee bit of a surprise, that’s all.’
‘I am sure it was. If it is any consolation, I was most perturbed when she said it to me.’
His use of perturbed jolts me back to a semblance of my regular self. I know what the word means, but I’ve never heard it used in conversation before.
‘Tell me, when you were together did she ever take you back to her place?’
‘No. I suggested it, but she always had a reason why we should go back to mine.’
‘What about her family, did she take you to meet them?’
‘Again the answer is no. I was not particularly bothered about meeting her family if I am honest.’
‘Why not?’ I think I may just be back on track, at least in appearance.
‘I could tell we were into different things and I find the whole business of meeting parents rather intimidating. Especially when you consider how wealthy her father is.’
I couldn’t begin to guess how much Old Man Niemeyer was worth, but then again, money isn’t my God. So long as I have enough bucks to get by from week to week I’m happy. How much or little other people have is their business, not mine.
An accountant like Chalmers will be obsessed with money and will no doubt have a pretty good handle on where in Casperton all the money, and the power accompanying it resides.
Being as he is such a prissy fellow, I figure appealing to his decency will get me some answers. Unless I’ve misjudged him, Chalmers’s moral code won’t allow him to be deceitful on matters which don’t directly affect him.
‘Is there anything else you can tell me that may help catch her killer?’
Chalmers talks for a couple of minutes. I don’t think anything he says is helpful but I let him finish just in case.
27
Next on my list of people to see is Pete Lester. I know Pete from his occasional visits to the Tree. He is a big guy with a cheerful nature and ready grin.
He’s also living embodiment of beauty only being skin deep. Few are the times I’ve seen him without some girl or other in attendance, despite him looking as if he’d fallen from the top of the ugly tree and hit every branch face first on the way down.
As I drive across town, my brain chews at the implications of Kira’s words like a starving rat.
You’re no Jake Boulder.
Whichever way up I stand those words, in any context I can think of, they always return me to the same conclusion. Kira Niemeyer had fallen deeply in love with me. Not the usual hearts and flowers love the gift card industry markets. Hers was the bat-shit crazy obsessive kind of attraction which poisons common sense and taints reason until you have a twenty-four-carat stalker on your tail.
What astounds me more than anything else is the way I’d been left unaware of her true feelings. To my mind I was little more than a booty call or a friendly conversation when our paths crossed.
That Kira had possessed such a depth of feelings for me is a haymaker from a world champion. Whenever we’d gotten together she’d exhibited none of the typical signs of clingy or nesting behaviour which so terrifies both Alfonse and me.
On the contrary, her behaviour often verged on being aloof or distant.
Realisation dawns on me as I pull into Pete Lester’s yard and climb out of the Mustang. Kira had been two steps ahead of me.
Feminine instinct, her natural intelligence or some other factor had warned her of the result of trying to ensnare me into a proper relationship. Recognising my ingrained bachelordom, she’d played a different game – always leaving the door open for a return while seeming indifferent to my response.
Looking back at our liaisons, I realised just how much she’d set the pace and tone. Kira and I had been good together. We both knew it and yet neither of us had wanted to make it a regular thing.
At least that’s what I had always thought.
How the hell had I gotten it so wrong? Not picked up even the slightest hint she’d fallen so hard for me?
I see Pete and a couple of his men loading a pickup with timber windows. As I walk across they begin tossing ropes across the pile.
‘Hey, Jake. Whatcha after?’ A squint-toothed smile follows his words.
‘I’m here to ask you a few questions.’
‘No sweat. What’s your problem, dry rot? Termites?’
‘Alfonse and I are investigating Kira Niemeyer’s murder.’
‘Better you than that dumbshit Farrage and his cronies.’ His own cronies nod agreement.
I can’t help but smile at their endorsement.
‘Thanks.’ I give a nod to the far side of his yard where his office is located. ‘Can we talk somewhere more private?’
‘We can.’ A callused thumb jerks towards his men. ‘But when I get back they’ll just ask what we’ve been talking about. And I’ll tell them. I’ve no secrets about Kira as far as they’re concerned.’
‘Fair enough.’ It isn’t but there is little I can do about it without a badge to give me authority.
Pete’s eyes narrow as he detects the difference in my tone. ‘It’s cool, Jake. I dated Kira for about three months at the start of the year. Neither of us were looking for anything more than a bit of fun and neither of us were exclusive.’
‘Can you tell me about how you two hooked up?’
‘She came on to me. I didn’t have to do anything except not piss her off.’ His smile is joined by a lecherous wink.
We talk. I ask questions, he answers them.
I learn nothing new. He finds out a few details about Kira’s murder which remove the smile from his lips.
Before I know it, I have just one question left. It is the one whose answer I have to have, but am not looking forward to hearing.
‘Who decided you two should split?’
‘I did.’
‘What did she say when you finished it?’
‘She laughed in my face and told me I was just a stopgap until the man she really wanted became available.’
I say nothing. Silence is always a good asker of questions.
It looks like Pete is going to wait me out. After a minute or so his mouth opens. ‘You want to know if I asked who she was waiting for, don’t you?’
I nod and watch him rub the stubble on his face with a meaty hand.
‘I didn’t ask. I figured she was just getting a little payback for me dumping her.’ His eyes widen as a synapse fires
behind his gargoylian features. ‘This other guy does exist and you think he’s behind it. I’m right, aren’t I?’
I shake my head, reluctant to tell him how bad Kira had it for me.
‘C’mon, Jake, you can tell me. This other dude, he’s the one who killed her, isn’t he?’
‘No. It’s definitely not him.’ The force of my answer surprises me and makes him lean back as if he’s expecting me to take a swing at him.
‘How can you be so sure?’
‘Trust me. I know it’s not the person she was waiting for.’
Twenty seconds later I’m driving out of his yard trying to figure out why Kira’s obsession is messing with my head quite so much.
It is getting to me way more than it should. I had no strong feelings for her. No long-term dreams of a life together. I’m mourning her passing as that of a close acquaintance rather than a dear friend or loved one.
On reflection, I realise it’s the fact I’ve been oblivious to her designs on me that is at the root of my distress. If I’d been aware, I’d have had Alfonse forever using it to mock or humiliate me.
With knowledge comes acceptance. All I have to do is accept this new knowledge and use it to my advantage instead of letting it debilitate my thought processes.
I park at the mall and walk along Main Street until I arrive at the butcher’s.
The shop is crowded, so I stand in line and pass the time eyeing up some of the steaks. I plan to grab a couple of fillets on my way out.
A young server with a face full of spots finishes serving a soccer mom and turns to me. ‘Hi – can I help you?’
‘I’d like a word with Terrel Upson.’
‘Sorry, he’s out of town for a few days.’
My interest level in Upson spikes to a new high. ‘Where’s he gone? When did he go?’
‘I don’t know.’ He waves a hand towards a door. ‘One of the guys in the back might though.’
I gesture towards the doorway and lift an eyebrow. He nods, his focus already on the next person in line.
Walking through the doorway, I find three men hard at work with meat cleavers, knives and the odd hacksaw. Two are cutting up sides of beef while the third has half a pig on his table. A ferrous smell hangs in the air from the blood. All three guys are dressed in white overalls with stained aprons covering their fronts.
All three have faces I’ve seen around before, but I can’t say for sure if I’ve ever spoken to any of them.
I have to raise my voice over the latest irritating jingle from KMDZ. ‘Guys, have you a minute to answer a few questions?’
‘What’s it worth?’
The speaker is a slim man with a buzz cut and a Texan accent. His drawl reminds me of movies hammier than the pig he is butchering.
‘Twenty bucks apiece.’
I have no qualms about loosening tongues with a few greenbacks. In this instance our client is more than wealthy enough to cover incidentals like the odd twenty bucks.
‘Make it thirty.’
Tex shoots a furious look at the speaker, a drawn man with long hair bundled into a ponytail tucked into the back of his overalls.
‘I think Jonno meant a hundred.’ His grin shows me ten reasons why he should visit an orthodontist. ‘Each.’
‘Fifty.’
‘Ninety.’
‘Fifty.’
I’m not trying to reduce Old Man Niemeyer’s bill, that doesn’t bother me at all. I am arguing the price down because of my inherent Scottishness and a desire to assume control of the situation. Tex is the kind of man who’ll try and dominate me and steer the conversation his way unless I rein him in from the start.
‘I said ninety.’
‘And I said fifty.’ I make sure the edge in my voice is sharper than the one in his. ‘Take it or leave it. I can always find someone else to answer my questions.’
‘Hey, no need to get so het up. I was just foolin’ with ya. Fifty’s cool.’ Tex gives a forced laugh and looks first at his buddies then me to see if we are laughing too.
They have wary smiles, but I keep my face implacable.
‘Where’s Terrel Upson?’
‘He’s gone to see his folks in Seattle.’ It is the third man who answers. He scratches at his bald head as he talks. ‘Apparently his mom’s not well.’
‘When did he go?’
Again it is the third guy who speaks. ‘Wednesday morning. I dropped him at the airport before coming here.’
That means Upson had left town before Kira had been murdered. Or at least found. I make a mental note to find out if Emily has established a time of death.
‘Do you guys remember him dating Kira Niemeyer?’
‘Sure. He was one lucky son of a bitch to be nailing her. Right, guys?’ Again Tex laughs and looks towards his perceived audience.
The third man ignores Tex’s insensitive behaviour. ‘Yeah, I remember. They dated for a while earlier this year. Terrel was pretty cut up when she broke it off.’
‘Was he?’ I address the question to the third man as he seems to be the most willing to help.
‘Yeah. His face was tripping him for weeks afterwards.’ He gives an exasperated shake of his head. ‘Dumb really. There was no way it was going to last. He was just a bit of rough for a rich little daddy’s girl. Sooner or later she’d have been married off to someone her father approved of. She never even took him to meet her family.’
There in a nutshell is the reason I was so relaxed about hooking up with Kira. Our respective social statuses would always prevent a long-term relationship. Her family would expect to marry her off to the son of some millionaire or other who had the necessary breeding and the right Ivy League education.
In her own way, Kira had rebelled far beyond anyone’s expectations. What intrigued me was the way she had kept her rebellion from her family. Upson, Lester and I all fell into the unsuitable boyfriend category, yet none of us had been paraded in front of her parents. In the same vein, she’d kept her hooking a secret from everyone.
I need to discuss this with Alfonse and maybe Dr Edwards.
Bringing my attention back to the issue at hand, I look at the third man.
‘Why did she break it off?’
‘He didn’t say.’
‘Didn’t or wouldn’t?’
‘Hey man. When a dude tells you he’s been dumped you don’t ask why. You buy him a beer and tell him he’s better off without her.’
He’s right. That’s exactly what happens. Alfonse and I have done it many a time.
Sensing there is nothing else to learn, I get Upson’s cell number from the third man and reach for my wallet.
Tex eyes the notes with open greed.
‘Yeah, boys. Easiest payday we’ve ever had.’
Tex’s laugh and look combination grate on me so I decide to default on our deal. At least as far as he is concerned.
‘Here.’ I hand the third man a hundred bucks as he was the one who’d answered my questions. Ponytail got the agreed fifty. A crumpled twenty is all I give Tex.
‘You said fifty.’
I hold my fist in front of his eyes and fill my voice with menace. ‘If you speak to me like that again you’ll end up paying your dentist hundreds. Do I make myself understood?’
I walk out while he decides whether or not to make an issue of it.
The spotty-faced youth is poking at one of his zits, so I reconsider my dinner plans. Perhaps a takeout will be healthier.
Climbing back into the Mustang, I see the folder Alfonse had given me last night. In it are a number of printouts from Kira’s journal.
I’ve delayed reading them as long as possible, afraid of how stupid and helpless I’ll feel. Afraid my blood will boil hot enough to have me seeking a vengeance that doesn’t belong to me.
28
The Watcher arranges the scarf around Evie Starr’s neck and checks about one last time.
This is a perfect way and location for her to be left. The scarf covers the incision made by hi
s scalpel. Taking care, he folds her arms and rests her chin on her chest, making her look as if she’s fallen asleep while admiring the view.
The traces of stiffness in her body aren’t strong enough to prevent him from setting her just how he wants her. He’d feared rigor mortis would thwart his attempts to seat her on the bench but her cancer-ravaged body has little muscle to solidify. Draining her blood has helped.
With her in position, he lifts the handles of the wheelbarrow he’s used to transport her from the car. He pushes it into the bushes and trees of a small archipelago jutting into the reservoir. Reaching the water’s edge, he heaves the wheelbarrow into the still water and starts to make his way back to the bush where he’s stashed his ghillie suit and observation gear.
The bush will make an ideal vantage point, which is why he’s chosen it. From underneath its thorny boughs he can watch both the bench and the parking area at the end of the bay.
All he has to do now is wait. And watch.
Soon the next stage of the pattern will begin and he’ll be able to identify his next victim.
The Watcher knows the net is closing on him. Jake Boulder turning up today has taught him that.
The homicides being the subject of an investigation is only to be expected. That Boulder and his buddy Devereaux have been hired doesn’t come as any kind of surprise – everybody in Casperton is aware just how ineffective Farrage and his team are.
Now he’s accelerated his killing, it is only a matter of time before the bigger guns of the FBI are brought in. Their presence will limit his chances to continue, but he plans to keep going until they catch him.
Once arrested he’ll be stopped, but the authorities have nothing they can threaten him with. The nurse has already sentenced him to death with her laziness.
Her ignorance has robbed the law enforcers of their greatest deterrent. By the time he is arrested and a trial date set there is every chance he’ll be dead.
His greatest concern is being stopped before reaching the kind of numbers that will ensure his name goes down in history. With the police as inept as they are, there is little threat from them, but Boulder and Devereaux will bear watching. He knows their diligent attention to detail and intelligence is far superior to any of the town’s detectives.