by Boone, Lisa
“He hated Natalie,” Roger said solemnly. “Right before she died, I heard her tell Todd that she didn’t want him hanging around his creepy brother and that he was going to have to make a choice. They started getting into it and then she told him that she was leaving him. Well, that made Todd mad, so he hit her and told her that he’d kill her before he let her leave him. She started to fight back and then that’s when he began to choke her. It took both me and Neal to pull him off her. I’d never seen Todd act like that before.”
Ivy crossed her arms in front of her chest. “I had. He could go from zero to sixty just like that,” she said snapping her fingers. “Allison and I were in the garden when we heard the men yelling at each other. As soon as I heard the ruckus that was going on, I called the police and they hauled Todd off to jail.”
“About an hour later,” Roger said, “I found Natalie’s body by the train tracks. Well, it was pretty obvious she had just been murdered, so I started looking around and there was Alex standing at one of the windows upstairs looking down at me. Never saw Alex after that. I hope I never have to see him again.”
“If I were you two,” Ivy said, “I’d go talk to Allison and make her tell you where Alex is. I bet she knows.”
Roger made a face at his wife. “Allison’s not going to talk to them. She’s too proud. You know the way Todd turned out—going to prison for trying to murder this girl,” he said gesturing to Madison, “—it embarrassed Allison. She’s not going to want to be reminded of it.”
“She ought to get over herself,” his wife grumbled. “Everyone in town knows what happened. Pretending it didn’t won’t wipe out anyone’s memories.”
“No, it sure won’t,” Roger agreed, “but she still won’t talk about him or his brother.” He turned back to Ethan and Madison. “Neal might, but you have to get him away from Allison first.” He leaned forward a bit conspiratorially. “There’s a pool hall about a block from here. Neal likes to sneak off around about five and go down there to have a few drinks so his wife doesn’t know.”
Ivy rolled her eyes. “Allison would have to be blind as a bat not to know that. He comes stumbling home around midnight every night.”
“He don’t come stumbling home at midnight,” Roger argued. “He’s not that bad.”
Ivy grumbled something unintelligible.
“Go talk to Neal,” Roger said to Ethan. “I doubt he’s kept in contact with Alex, but you never know.” His eyes softened as he looked at Madison. “I hope you find Alex, Miss. I really do. There’s just something not right about him.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
4:30 P.M.
Madison sat on the bed and balanced her computer on her knees. After speaking to Roger and Ivy, they had found a nice little restaurant near the interstate, had dinner, and talked to some of the locals. Only a few had known Todd and no one admitted to knowing Alex.
So, after dinner they returned to the inn with the hopes Neal would be more willing to talk about Todd and Alex than his wife was.
Unfortunately, as it turned out, Allison must have forewarned Neal about Madison and Ethan’s presence. While polite, he made sure to change the subject whenever Alex’s name was brought up. It wasn’t until Allison joined them that Ethan finally threw in the towel and they retreated to their room.
Less than ten minutes later, a note addressed to Ethan slid under their door.
According to the hastily scrawled message, Neal wanted to meet Ethan at the pool hall in ten minutes.
Deciding that Neal might be more willing to open up to another man about his nephew’s problems, Madison decided to stay back.
She looked down at her laptop with a grimace. There was absolutely nothing on the web or in any of the legal databases that she had access to about Alex Sampson or Alex Abbott. She doubted she’d be able to find much about Alex’s juvenile record since those types of records were always sealed, but she had hoped something more recent would turn up.
It was becoming clear that he had a nasty habit of leaving a trail of dead bodies wherever he went, but surely, he had been arrested at some time, she thought with a sigh as she stared down at the screen.
When she didn’t find anything in the legal databases, she decided to search for his name through news articles. The only ones that appeared, however, had to do with his parents’ murderers and most of that information they had gotten from Pearl the night before.
She leaned her head back against the headboard and closed her eyes for a moment to rest. She had just started to relax when she heard the sound of someone scraping something along the wall behind her head.
Her eyes flew open and she turned to look over her shoulder as the scraping sound returned. She followed the sound as it ran from one end of the wall to the other.
Wondering what it was making the noise, she leaned her head closer to the wall, but jerked back when she heard a loud thump as though someone had hit the wall right next to her head.
She slid the computer off her knees and cautiously glanced toward the connecting door between her room and the next.
The scraping started again, setting Madison’s nerves on edge, as it went from the window to the connecting door and then stopping.
Madison curled her hands into fists as she waited for whoever was in the other room to make another noise.
It’s not him, she thought to herself. He doesn’t know I’m here. Even if his aunt called him, he couldn’t have gotten here by now.
Madison unclenched her fists and started to relax as everything went quiet. She was just about to return to her computer when there was a knock on the door.
She stared at the door for a moment before cautiously approaching it and looking through the peephole.
Roger stood on the other side waiting for her.
Breathing a sudden sigh of relief at seeing a friendly face, Madison opened the door. “Hi, Roger.”
He gave her a big smile. “I think I may have found a picture of Alex. A current one too.”
Madison’s smile matched his. “That’s wonderful,” she said holding out her hand.
Roger shook his head. “I don’t have it, but I know someone who does. Zach Winters says he’s got one. Taken about six months ago. I had no idea Alex was in town, but apparently he was here for a couple of days before taking off again. Anyway, Zach says he’ll let you see it.”
“Oh, I could kiss you.”
“Aw, don’t get too excited just yet.”
“Why not?”
“Zach’s a bit of a pain in the…” He paused stumbling over his words. “Pain in the neck I guess would be the polite way of phrasing it. He’s the type that likes to cause trouble just for the sake of trouble. That’s probably why he and Todd were as tight as thieves growing up.”
Madison crossed her arms in front of her chest. “How much money does he want?”
Roger gave her a sheepish look. “Two hundred.”
“Where can I find him?”
“His father owns a body shop down the street. Just make a right. Can’t miss it. If I were you, I’d leave now. He was just closing up for the day.”
Madison bit her lip. “Will he be in tomorrow?”
“I don’t think so. He said something about going out to the lake this weekend.”
Making a snap decision, Madison texted Ethan, letting him know where she was going and why before picking up her coat and following the kindly old man out the door, thanking him profusely for his help.
A worried frown appeared on his face as they entered the elevator. “Are you sure you don’t want to take your young man with you?”
“I would like to, but I can’t let this opportunity pass.”
Roger’s frown deepened. “I’d go with you but I’ve got to get back to Ivy. She gets scared at night now.”
Madison gently touched his sleeve. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”
He didn’t seem convinced as he looked at her. “Don’t go inside the body shop. I don’t think Zach would do anything
, but he’s not the nicest of guys.”
They stepped into the lobby with Roger looking even more worried than when they had entered the elevator.
“Oh, and Miss, stay away from the train station after dark. This place used to be safe, but in the last ten years or so, things have really started to fall apart. There’s been some trouble in this neighborhood lately.”
She looked at him curiously, as he stood in front of the elevators clearly torn as to whether to go with her or go to his wife. “What happened?”
“A couple of young ladies were attacked back there a few days ago. One died. The other’s alive but not doing so good. They haven’t caught the guy yet.” He shook his head sadly, as they walked toward the front doors. “Downtown used to be beautiful this time of year with the Christmas lights and the shoppers, but everyone’s moved away. It’s like a ghost town now.” He stopped and glanced out the window. “It’s getting dark out there. If Winters doesn’t help you, just come right back. He could have been lying to me and I don’t want you to get caught outside around here after dark.”
“I won’t and thank you so much, Roger, for your help,” Madison said feeling a little nervous as she pushed open the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk.
She glanced at the sun hovering just over the trees in the distance and quickened her steps towards the Winters’ Body Shop sign at the end of the street. When she was within a few feet, her gaze travelled past the sign to the empty parking lot next to the building where she noticed two police cars sitting, each facing the opposite direction from one another. Feeling a little better about her decision, she approached the door.
She was just about to pull the handle when a large man in his late twenties with bright red hair, three days’ worth of stubble on his cheeks, and wearing overalls, appeared through the window.
He flipped the open sign to closed before stepping out, and slamming the door shut behind him.
Madison backed up a step as he turned around and inserted a key into the lock.
“Are you Zach Winters?” Madison asked.
The man looked over his shoulder with a scowl. “Are you that lawyer Roger was telling me about?”
“Yes, he said you had a picture for me.”
Winters turned around and gave Madison a long leering look. His thin cruel mouth twisted into a half smile. “Maybe. Depends.”
Madison felt a surge of annoyance course through her. “On what?”
He leaned back against the door and crossed his arms. “On how much it’s worth to you.”
Madison had to tip her head back to look up into the man’s face. “Roger said you wanted two hundred.”
“Old Roger made a mistake.”
“So, how much do you want?”
He brought his hand up to his mouth as though he was giving it serious thought. “Seven hundred.”
Madison’s eyebrows rose up to her hairline. “For a picture? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
He shrugged casually. “Alex owes me money.”
Madison crossed her arms. “For what?”
“I took care of him when he got released from the funny farm.”
“He was institutionalized? Where?”
“How should I know?” he asked with a sneer. “He just showed up on my doorstep out of the blue saying he was out.”
“When was this?”
Zach looked heavenward. “I don’t know. March, April, May, June. Who knows? All I remember was that it was warm outside, so being the good friend that I am, I opened my door to him. I let him sleep on my couch. I even gave him a couple of dollars to get a hot meal. Then one day, I woke up and find he’d ripped me off. Stole five hundred dollars from me. Not to mention my ID. I guess I got off lucky, though.”
“What do you mean by that?”
He licked his lips as a distasteful look crossed his face. “Usually when Alex steals someone’s ID, he kills them. Becomes them.” His voice softened suddenly as he said, “I got off lucky. Why don’t you just go home and leave me alone?”
Madison glanced back toward the police cars, making sure they were still there before asking, “How does he become them?” When he didn’t answer, she reached into her purse and pulled out a couple of twenties.
Zach’s eyes zeroed in on the bills in her hand. “Makes himself look as much like the guy he just killed and then he moves across country so he doesn’t have to worry about their family and friends noticing there’s been a switch. He’s real smart. Studies the person. Then when he has their mannerisms down, he kills them,” he said slicing his finger across his throat. “He can be anyone.” He snorted. “He can’t be me though.”
“And why’s that?”
“I don’t think he wants to deal with my creditors or my parole officer.” He laughed. “I guess I’m just a lucky guy.”
“I guess so.”
He scowled suddenly as he plucked the twenties out of her hand and stuck them in his pocket. “That’s right. See, he stole from me and I think I deserve to be made whole. That’s what you lawyers call it, don’t you, made whole? That’s what I had to do the last time I was in court.”
“Ah, and you expect me to be the one to reimburse you?”
“Yeah, why not? You’re the one who wants the picture.” He pursed his lips together as his eyes settled on the diamond pendant around her neck. “But now that I think about it, seven hundred doesn’t really cover all my pain and suffering. Price has changed. I want a thousand.” He licked his lips. “You look like you can afford it.”
Madison shook her head. In any other circumstance, she would have walked away, but her life depended on finding out as much information as she could about Alex Sampson. “I don’t have a thousand on me. I can manage two hundred right now.”
He leered down at her chest. “I might be willing to accept another form of payment.”
She felt a shudder go through her body. “Not happening. Take the two hundred or forget it.”
He shrugged one shoulder. “I’ll forget it then.”
“He’s going to kill me—”
“So what? Do you know what he’d do to me if I helped you?”
“I thought he was your friend—”
“Alex doesn’t have any friends, only victims. Todd was my friend. He was a good friend too. I know who you are,” he said bending from the waist and snarling into her face. “I know you’re the one who got Todd arrested.”
“Because he tried to kill me.”
“I don’t care. If you want that picture, I expect to be compensated for it.”
Madison stood there, her annoyance quickly turning to anger. She slipped her watch off her wrist. Her necklace came off next. “These are worth far more than a thousand dollars.”
He held the jewelry in his grimy hand as a slow smile playing around his lips. “It’s a start. Come back Monday with some more.”
“I don’t have until Monday.”
“Oh, that’s too bad,” he said as he stuffed the jewelry into his pocket.
“Okay,” Madison said in annoyance, “I’m going to tell you what’s going to happen here. If you don’t give me what I just paid for, I’m going to start screaming bloody murder.” She jerked her thumb towards the parking lot where the two police cars sat. “Those nice officers over there are going to hear me and come running and the first thing I’m going to say is that you stole my jewelry. Now I’m pretty sure you are well acquainted with our judicial system, so you know what’s going to come next.”
He gave her a smug look. “You can’t prove it’s yours. It’s my girlfriend’s birthday next week and I’ve been saving up to by her some real nice jewelry.”
“My name is engraved on the back of the watch.” She smiled prettily. “It was a graduation present.”
His gaze shifted from Madison to the police car and back again as he considered her threat.
“Never mind,” Madison said as she started to raise her hand and signal the police.
“Fine,” he hissed as he
turned and unlocked the door, “but I want that two hundred too.”
“Where are you going?”
He sighed heavily. “The picture’s still on the memory card stuck in the camera, and the camera is in my desk drawer.”
Madison planted her feet. “I’m not going in there with you.”
“I didn’t invite you, lady. Wait here.”
She held out her hand. “Give me back my jewelry. You can get it back when I see the picture, and if you are lying to me…”
“You’ll what?” he asked with a sneer as he stepped through the threshold.
“The jewelry, Winters,” Madison said, “now please.”
He took the jewelry out of his pocket and slapped it into her hand, causing her to wince before turning around and slamming the door in her face.
Slipping the jewelry into her coat pocket, she leaned back against the wall and anxiously waited as the minutes passed by, one after another.
When the streetlights started to come on as the sun dipped below the horizon, she turned around and banged her fist on the door.
She pulled her fist back from the door when she heard a voice call out in irritation, “Hold your horses.” Blowing out a disgusted breath, she turned her attention back to the police cars just as both disappeared down the street.
“That’s just great,” she muttered to herself. Realizing that if Zach knew that the police weren’t within yelling distance anymore, he might balk at giving her the picture, she reluctantly walked inside the body shop.
“Winters, if I don’t see a picture in five minutes I’m leaving and you can kiss your money goodbye.”
She stood on her tiptoes to look through the grimy window, which led to a small office behind the counter. Winters sat behind the desk, his back turned away from the window.
“Winters!”
There was no response.
She walked behind the counter and pushed open the office door. “I don’t have all day.”
Still, Winters didn’t move.
Madison felt a chill run down her back. She eased the rest of the way into the office looking around her as she did until she was beside the desk.
Winters was staring at the back wall. His face covered in blood.