Blood Red Sundown: Evil Begins

by Allen Gates

  Anne, read silently for a minute then began.

  “This girls death offered some interesting differences from the others in that she had been discovered a short time after she had been left there in that field. The killer laid her out in his MO pose thinking she was dead, but he left and she was still alive. She managed to drag herself a short distance before she succumbed to her injuries”

  The two of them paused, going over the scene once again in their minds trying to recall the details hoping they had missed something that would benefit them now. Anne looked back at her notes and continued as they searched for a missing link.

  “Her body was discovered by a man supposedly walking by or hitchhiking.”

  “Read the details of his story. First where was he headed that he would end up there in that desolate area?”

  “He claimed he was headed home. He gave his home town as Summerland. We did not ask where he was coming from. In fact, I think we were a little lax in our questioning of him. His reason for discovering her was the act of relieving himself. She paused, “Wait a minute. Picture this, Lon, Your walking on a dark lightly traveled road and you need to take a leak. What would you do?”

  “Is this a trick question, to test my moral upbringing?”

  “This is serious Lon. What would you do?”

  “You know what I would do. I'd step over on the shoulder check both ways and do the deed.”

  “I get your point, Anne. Why would he walk down in that field to relieve himself? I think we need to talk to this man again. Let’s run a background check and then have him picked up. Who was the uniform on the scene?”

  “His name is Leo Trent.”

  “I know Leo from my old days in uniform. Call and arrange for Leo to stop in and spend some time with us over the next day or so and to bring his notes and his filed report for that night.”

  “I’ve got it written down.”

  “Who is next?”

  “The motel desk clerk, he actually got a visual on the man.”

  “Go over his statement and responses to my questions. As I recall he had some interesting observations on this guy.”

  “These are his answers. You asked, how would you describe him? He answered, he was strange. How was he strange? He always wanted to be seen and his hair looked too perfect. He wore glasses that he did not seem to need. He felt his name sounded like it was made up to hide his real name as most of his customers did.

  “We also wrote here that he had a visual on the lady as she pulled into the motel and parked. He stated here, that she sat in the car and stared at the room for a time, and when she got out she walked to the door very slowly. That's pretty much it, Lon.”

  “What can we draw from this guy’s story, Anne? I've come up with a theory. Listen and see what you think.”

  “First and most important, I don't think based on the clerks description of his actions that the guy in the motel room is our serial killer. This guy did this out of some kind of revenge factor or a sexual arrangement that turned bad. There was no sign of a struggle, remember? She wasn’t bruised or bleeding. It's like she knew him and was surprised when the guy turned on her before she could resist. What do you think?”

  Anne made a few observations of her take on the murder scene while Lon listened intently, creating a picture in his mind of the two people in room 12 as she was portraying it. He struggled with her portrayal of how it happened and stopped her in mid-sentence.

  “Write Marie on the board and then move over and write the names of all six other victims.”

  He watched her writing and pictured her kissing him on the elevator. She turned and recognized the look knowing he was in one of his trances.

  “Okay, he said, looking into her eyes, now, let’s list the facts we know under each. Start with the killer of Marie Radford.”

  “The killer wanted to be seen going into that room. That fact tells us that he was probably in disguise and wanted that false description given to the authorities.

  “Partner, this just came to me. I think the killer had a relationship with her in some form in other to get her to come to that room. This is not a typical motel type groupie, this is a high society socialite and blue blooded American woman found lying murdered in a sleazy one night stand motel room. The question is why?”

  A chart was created and when they were finished listing all that they had they agreed on the assertion that there were in fact two different offenders. Marie Radford had not been killed by the serial guy.

  They were sure their conclusion when made known to the chief would not be looked on with favor because he insisted there was one killer. Anne used her feminine persuasive powers as she explained to him the newly discovered facts to convince him to allow them the opportunity to prove their theory. He was grumbling under his breath as they left his office about having to tell the big people uptown their new theory. Lon gave her the thumbs up as they arrived back at his desk.

  “You were great, partner! He bought your sexuality hook line and sinker.”

  “I am not sure what you’re talking about Lonny Boy. I simply laid out the facts for him.”

  Lon smiled and motioned for her to sit at his desk. “We’d better get ourselves prepared for the doctor lady’s visit. She sounded like she was in a semi-panic as she was describing the latest note attached to her car. She’ll be arriving here around four, but doesn’t it seem strange that she has somehow become involved with your favorite senator.”

  Anne refused to take his baiting comment and just shook her head and smiled at him.

  91

  TERRY WATCHED CASSANDRA sit in the chair never taking her glaring eyes off of him maintaining a deeply concerned expression.

  “Terry Ryan, she started, you have the moral equivalence of an alley tom cat. I’m beginning to become suspicious of your motives in the handling of my account. I think you’re trying to manipulate me into some hidden agenda that will tie me to you romantically. Maybe you’re just after my money, now that you have become my financial adviser.”

  Standing up and walking over to where she was sitting, he reached out and took both hands and pulled her to her feet.

  “Cassandra, you hurt me deeply with these accusations. I assure you I am looking out for your best financial interests.”

  He kissed her hard and felt her immediate response knowing this was the way to overcome her suspicions. She returned his kiss passionately and as her arms encircled his neck he felt the surrender in her body. She was his. This was not Anne, but the feelings were there and strong and he did not have the will to resist the sensuous powers of this woman. He released her and watched her walk to the office turn and look at him as she closed the door.

  92

  TRAFFIC WAS HEAVY and made it difficult for him to keep her car in view. “Where is she going?

  He was confused as this was not her usual route after work. A large truck moved over into his lane and for a brief moment he lost sight of her car. When he was clear of the truck she had disappeared forcing him to make a quick decision.

  “She must have turned at the last street.”

  Turning right at the next corner he turned on the only possible street she could have taken. He couldn’t locate her car, but as he approached the police station, he saw her walking up the walk to the front entrance. He pulled over to observe her wondering the purpose for her stopping here. It must be my notes and he reasoned she's become frightened and decided to ask for help.

  “It's too late my dear. The plan is set and there is no way to protect you now.”

  As he sat projecting images through his mind of the final fulfilling moments he would spend with her he became indifferent to everything around him.

  A sharp banging startled him.

  “Hey, roll down your window. You can’t park here, you’re going to have to move on.”

  “Sorry officer, I was day dreaming and forgot where I was. I’m on my way.”

  He watched the officer in his rear view mirror,
thinking, “Man, you just talked to someone you would love to have in that station of yours.”

  His laugh was cold and deliberate as he picked up the top picture off the stack lying on the center console and looked at color photo of her walking her dog on the beach. It was a distant photo, but he could plainly see her face. He had been much closer to her at various times, but this picture had given him much pleasure in the interim of her daily routine and his future plans for her.

  Red light, his semi-conscious mind screamed. He jammed on the brake pedal and managed to come to a stop. He now realized his preoccupied state was too dangerous and he knew he needed to forget her for the moment and concentrate on his driving. He placed the photo so that she was walking away from him.

  I need to get rid of that dog, he thought.

  93

  “HEY LON, YOUR appointment is here.”

  Anne heard the announcement as she was coming out of the coffee room and greeted the doctor waiting there in the hall. “Hello Dr. Wearing, can I get you something like coffee or soda before we begin the discussing your situation?”

  “Yes, a soda would be fine.”

  “Let me go ahead and take you to the conference room and my partner and I will join you shortly. I’ll go and get your soda.”

  She watched the detective close the door then sat at the table and looked around the room. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable being there alone when the door opened.

  “How are you Dr. Wearing?”

  Lon was surprised to see her in shorts and a complimentary tee shirt. Stephanie felt his surprised glance and decided to explain her dress. “I stopped off at the house to change before heading for the beach.”

  He was about to chastise her about continuing to spend her evenings alone at some secluded spot with strange notes appearing, but before he could respond Anne walked in with the soda interrupting the thought.

  “Here you are Doctor Wearing.”

  “Please call me Stephanie; I hear Doc or Doctor all day long and it’s nice once in a while to hear my name.”

  Sitting down across from her, Anne made a few small talk observations and Lon sat and listened, waiting for the opportunity to get to the problem at hand.

  “From the message we received, it seems you have had some additional run-ins with your mystery man and you want to discuss him with us? Have you thought any more about who it might be and do you feel you are in danger?”

  “I don’t know how to feel. I ignored it at first, but with common sense and the murders being reported I began to rethink my actions. I guess you could say I’m feeling very uncomfortable now that I found another note in my car. I thought I was alone and finding it in my car startled me enough to realize that someone else had been present. And, when I prepared to leave I saw a man standing below on the beach where I had just left. He had his back to me. I wanted to go and ask him if he had written the note. Of course, I realized what a chance that would be taking and got into my car.”

  “Where did you find it and what did this note say, Stephanie?” Anne asked.

  “It said, [I KNOW WHERE YOU GO], hand written in large letters.”

  “Should we assume he is referring to the place there on the coast that you frequent quite often?”

  “Yes, because the first note was left on my car in front of my apartment.”

  “Are there any other incidents that might have a bearing on his actions you want to tell us?”

  Stephanie recapped her experiences including the notes, the dog taping, and the various sightings on the beach. She explained she quite often felt as if she was being watched while walking.

  “On some occasions, detectives, my dog would become very uneasy and growl or whimper as if he sensed someone near.”

  “You're new here to the area,” Anne noted. Let’s talk about the men you have had contact with that might be infatuated with you or someone that may have been infatuated with you and overly friendly including the men you work with at the hospital.”

  94

  SLOWING TO A speed well under the posted limit, gave him ample time to pull over and view the parking area. Seeing no indication of anyone around him, he decided to take advantage of the emptiness and set the stage for the final act in his plan. He drove on to his usual off-road place which was a very obscure lane about eight hundred feet further up the road. The sound of weeds and small bushes scraping along the bottom as the car passed over them was deafening and irritated him. He checked his mirrors and stopped when he was hidden from passing autos. He turned off the engine and leaned back in the seat.

  “Will you be here tonight? I will be here waiting for you.”

  He checked his watch and realized he was much too early for her usual arrival time. He picked up the stack of photos and began staring intently at each paying close attention to her differing facial expressions. He saw no indication of fear on her face as she walked or lounged on her blanket.

  95

  HESITATING BEFORE RESPONDING to the detective’s question, Stephanie attempted to recall the male acquaintances she had dealings with.

  “There is Lenny. I held a disillusioned opinion of him at first contact. He seemed to be everywhere I went in the hospital.”

  “Why did you say, at first? Has something happened to change your mind?”

  “I finally confronted him in conversation and made him realize that we would never be anything but friends at work and he accepted that. Since then I have grown to like him. I enjoy sitting at lunch or on breaks and talking. I realize now that I misjudged him.”

  “Has he shown up at places that caught you off guard? You know, like when you were with someone else, or at a place that you felt he shouldn’t have been familiar with.”

  She hesitated not wanting to give the right answer for fear of hurting Lenny. “I have to say yes.” She then described the incidents at the beach where she was expecting someone else and he appeared explaining that he had followed her there just to talk about work. Then there was his strange appearance at a diner and she explained the incident and the aggressive response of Senator Radford against Lenny because he was talking to her.

  This story brought troubled looks between the detectives. Lon picked up on the instant anger turning to rage by the senator and related it to the statement made by his ex, Beth Radford, “He’s like a Jekyll and Hyde.”

  Anne waited and then broke his mental silence with, “Let’s talk about the relationship between Senator Radford and you.”

  “Well let’s start with my having broken off all future contact with him.”

  “That’s interesting. I’ll bet he acted weird about something which caused you to arrive at that decision. I would bet that he tried to dominate you in some way, or he was suspicious of some event in your past.”

  Stephanie was caught off guard at the astuteness of the detective.

  “I am amazed detective that you are right on both counts. I was so shocked when he described us as a couple and that my actions were against his acceptable principles. When I suggested that he was totally out of line, he began to belittle me as a loose woman.”

  “Describe his face when he was defining your moral character, Doc.”

  “I felt like he was looking at me, but was talking to someone else. His face was hateful and I thought he was describing some person he pictured in his mind and forgot that I was standing in front of him. It was like I was his wife or lover and he just caught me cheating on him.”

  “I can picture what you're saying. I finally see what my partner has seen all along that there is a dark side to him that emerges at the mention of an unfaithful partner.”

  Lon wanted to ask the question, “How far she thought he would go,” but she would not have the inside knowledge described in detail by Beth Radford, so he talked around his question.

  “William came to see me at the hospital to apologize, but the fear on my part was still there even though he was completely humble. I left with the realization that I wanted no furthe
r contact with him.”

  “Will he honor that?”

  “I can only assume so. However I cannot prevent casual encounters at the beach where we originally met. He frequently spends time there.”

  Yea, with Mommy, Lon thought.

  “Why are you smiling Lon,” Anne asked?

  “Sorry, I was picturing him on the beach with other people in his past.”

  Anne gave him the, “You are reprehensible look” and he accepted it with a look of, “Okay I was out of line.”

  “Could it be the senator writing the notes, Stephanie?”

  96

  TERRY REMAINED SITTING in the chair lamenting over the situation. He couldn’t understand why he was still sitting there languishing over how to gain the attention of another while there is a lovely lady in the other room desiring his attention. You know the answer is simple you can’t have the other and that’s a challenge and you can’t walk away from a challenge.

  “Terry,” came softly from the other room. He answered and began unbuttoning his shirt as he walked to the door. Her glasses were down on her nose and she was shuffling through personal papers. He stared at her and knew their relationship was never going to work.

  “How can I help, Cassandra?”

  He walked to where she was sitting and placed his hands on her shoulders.

  “I do not understand some of these important papers in my husband’s files.”

  “Forget those files, he said. Pulling her chair out from under the desk, he took both of her hands and pulled her to her feet and drew her strongly against him. She started to resist but his closeness against her removed her business mind and she melted against him.

  “Listen Cassandra, I don’t feel like talking about your husband’s estate right now. I mean, come on let’s get lost in a wild eyed no holds barred spur of the moment sexual session that lasts all night long.”