When Nancy has appeared at his basement apartment, Todd had gotten some ego gratification that she was still interested in him. However, there was that same fanaticism: the woman had driven over six hundred miles and was going to drive back that night? Even then he had thought that was crazy, but now crazy had a new meaning for him. What if he kept refusing her? Would Todd also end up dead?
CHAPTER FIFTY TWO
Todd was going back to Calypso. He had to know the truth about Nancy Skylar.
The night before he left, he began mulling over all the interactions he’d had with Nancy. Nathan Brumfield was certainly a womanizer, but instead of him having kidnapped Nancy, possibly it was she who attached herself to him. It was sort of odd that such an important businessman would keep seeking her out and risking his reputation. For sure Brumfield had kidnapped Todd’s sister, but maybe by then he was desperate.
Many things now appeared in a different light. Todd realized that often Nancy had suggested other people being responsible for those Calypso killings, for instance Lulu and even Brumfield himself. Anything to divert Todd away from her as a suspect. Then if she can get Todd to fall in love with her she wins double, satisfying her attachment addiction but also getting him away from the case entirely.
The advantage that Todd had was that Nancy didn’t know that he was figuring things out. However, this was a very clever woman. He had to be most careful when he went back to Calypso.
Of course the story about her mother and the Cleveland clinic had been bogus. She had told Todd that the real reason she came to Calypso was to get away from Brumfield. If she wasn’t really trying to get away from him, then why had she come to that small town? Whom or what was she running from?
Todd remembered that she had told him the fantasy story of having grown up in Cleveland, but during the telling she had mentioned something about sometimes going back and visiting her brother. It was the only time she ever mentioned she had a brother. Had she slipped and told Todd a truth without realizing it.
When Todd had searched the Cleveland directories he had been looking both times for a female: Nancy herself and her mother. He now got out his cell phone and began searching that town for a male Skylar. There were five such names where the first name was listed and three names with merely a first initial. Two of those three names were male, so Todd had seven possibilities.
On the fifth phone call he reached a Levi Skylar. When he asked if he had a sister Nancy, there was a long pause. Finally he said, “She used that name a lot. Her real name is Zara. She hated that name because kids and teachers kept calling her Sarah, and either way she was identified as Jewish, which made for persecutions every recess. She told me she was taunted unmercifully. I’m five years older than she, and so I could protect her for a time, but then I went on to high school when she was still in those lower grades.”
“Why did she pick Nancy as a name?”
“Her favorite character in books was Nancy Drew. This girl was so smart she could solve complicated mysteries. The fictional Nancy had intelligence, which Zara always kept telling me the teachers never recognized in her. I think the truth was she rarely studied. Also if she could become Nancy Drew she could have a classy father who in the books was a criminal defense attorney. In a way Nancy Drew was superior to her father, which Zara felt anyway. She never got along with either our mother or father. She never would do what they told her, and even when she was 8-12 years old there were constant fights I remember. Have you found me because she has hired you to do so? If so, tell her I still do not want to have anything to do with her.”
“I have not been hired by her. My name is Todd Henson. I’m a policeman, I think I am on the opposite side she is. Levi, you are her brother. Why have you disassociated yourself from your sister?”
It was an event that happened when Zara was thirteen. I was away in college at the time, and so I do not know what really happened. I was informed of the fire close to the middle of May when I had only a few weeks of my first year remaining. I would have been home in a month, and that’s maybe why Zara did it then. She did not want me to die.”
“You’re saying she set the fire?”
“That’s what I’m saying, but I have no absolute proof. Both my parents perished. What was suspicious was that the smoke alarms had no batteries. My father was religious about those alarms. He changed the batteries every two months. The police supposed he had meant to put in new batteries, took out the old ones and forgot to insert the replacements. You had to know my dad. He was meticulous, a fanatic for detail—almost crazy I used to think. Also when the charred corpses were examined, the ME found tiny pinpricks in each of their arms, like a needle had been inserted. The ME couldn’t conclusively prove it. I think Zara gave my parents a sleeping sedative, and then just to make sure the neighbors didn’t hear the smoke alarms took the batteries out. Then setting the fire was a done deal for murder. That’s why I’ve lived apart from my sister after I finished college. I felt that eventually it was possible that she would kill me because after the fire I told her I was suspicious of her. I moved away from our hometown. All that I’m telling you took place in Toledo. That’s where we grew up. I admit that my parents were very strict, but they were good people and Zara destroyed their lives.”
“Well, Levi, your sister may have killed other people recently. I think I can bring her to justice. If there is a trial, would you testify?”
“I’d have to tell you, I would do so, but it would frighten me. She is very smart in that kind of diabolical way, and she might get acquitted. However, I would not pass up the opportunity to put her away permanently. It has not surprised me when you tell of additional killings. I wish you luck, Detective Henson.”
Todd left for Calypso at six A.M. the next morning, eager to finish this case. He could see the end in sight. Whether it be his end, or that of the case was to be determined. His sleep time last night had been constantly interrupted by waking up. He knew he had a formidable task in front of him. He had 672 miles to think of a plan. By the time he passed, Willy Jessup’s gas station—shut down now—he thought he had the plan. It took him only one phone call to set that plan into motion.
His first stop was to the bar where he knew he would find Lulu. They talked for fifteen minutes, and she agreed to go along with the plan. They went to the rooming house to get her ready and then they both drove together out to Nancy’s house.
Nancy answered the door with a very serious look on her face. “Todd, it’s good to see you, but here I am putting the final touches for this week’s newspaper and I get a call from your Chief. Tremble is his name?”
“Trimble. Ebenezer Trimble.”
“He told me that he wants me to come to Philadelphia for a DNA swab.”
“Yes, he’s sent me to bring you there. I told him I could do it here in Calypso, but he wants it official under controlled conditions in our lab.”
“What’s this all about Todd?”
“It seems that in the crime scene for Billy’s murder they’ve discovered trace DNA that they didn’t know they had. The lab went through all their evidence again and found a new sample. When they plugged that DNA into the national system, your name came up.”
She acted surprised. Todd was sure it was an act, and this woman inside was beginning to worry. Now came the crucial part. Todd had thought that since Levi had told him Nancy had spent a wild youth there must have been some transgressions where her DNA was taken. He held his breath as Nancy verified the truth of it.
“Yes, my DNA is in the system. I used to hang around with this guy who had a great desire for stealing cars. I loved riding along with him in these new beauties. One time we went across state lines and so when we were caught the FBI fingerprinted me and took my DNA. That was a heck of a long time ago, Todd. I think I’ve given up my bad girl ways.”
“That may be, Nancy. That’s why my Chief wants to make sure. The other part of this is that the DNA name that came up was actually Zara Skylar. There was a not
e in the FBI report that often you used the alias of Nancy. The Chief doesn’t want any confusion on that matter. So your DNA will be taken in Philly, and he will be able to see if yours matches.”
“I never liked the name Zara. Keep calling me Nancy.”
“Of course. I’m sorry about all this Nancy. I’m just the messenger here, but I am authorized to bring you safely to Philly. My car is outside waiting, but I want you to finish this week’s newspaper. I’m not in a hurry. I’ll wait.”
Nancy, with an awkward step looked out the window. “Who’s that in the car with you?”
“Oh, that’s Lulu. I want to make sure that we get back to Philly without incident. I’m sure you would cooperate, but there are those gender problems of the bathroom stops and also possibly feminine problems. I thought it would be good to have another woman along with us. So I asked Lulu to accompany us. She’s closing the bar down and taking a week’s vacation. It’s been O.K.’d by my Chief. Because of budget cuts these last two years he doesn’t have additional personnel from our office to help me.”
“Lulu is just a kid.”
“She’s nineteen, Nancy. I would imagine at that age you would have called yourself an adult.”
“I suppose so. Really I think I was an adult at ten.”
Todd’s idea to bring Lulu along was partly for the control issue like he said, but also her presence with Nancy knowing she had killed her mother and friend would put additional pressure on the woman once called Zara. Todd’s hope that Nancy might making some slips and Lulu would be right there to witness it. Of course Lulu was most eager to go along since Todd told her that they would be transporting the probable killer of Ma and Walt. Lulu actually said, “If I can help bring that murderous woman off the streets for good, my life will be complete.”
During the next hour Todd did not let Nancy out of his sight. He went downstairs with her as she printed the hard copies of the paper for distribution, and then bundled them on her back porch for the truck to pick them up later in the afternoon. Then he watched her print up the final on-line edition from her computer.
“You’d better take a week’s worth of clothes,” Todd said. I don’t know how long this is going to take.”
“What happens if my DNA matches what was found at the crime scene?”
“Then I read you your rights, and you are charged with the murder of Billy Jessup. Again, I apologize, but I’m just doing my job. Of course there would be a trial and you would be entitled to a lawyer. I don’t know what the outcome of all that would be. It’s out of my hands.”
“Yes, as you said, you’re just the messenger.”
“Right.” Todd could feel Nancy’s anger building up. He was going to drive straight through to Philly with no overnight stop, in order to increase the pressure. He figured with no speeding involved it could take eleven hours, during which the riding itself could get tedious. He was hopeful that she actually would try to escape which they could also use in the trial. However, his main hope was that Nancy would begin talking to Lulu during those bathroom breaks, maybe even trying to make a deal with the kid. He had told Lulu to be ready for something like that.
When Nancy finally got into the car she gave Lulu an icy look and said nothing. Lulu merely said, “Hello, Nancy.” Todd had told the girl to low key the entire strip and let Nancy be the aggressor.
CHAPTER FIFTY THREE
The first bathroom break after four hours of driving was uneventful.
During those hours neither woman struck up any kind of conversation. Nancy sat in the front passenger seat and was not handcuffed. Lulu sat in the back where she could observe Nancy’s reactions, however slight they might be. After two hours of driving Nancy’s only words were, “This is rather weird. Two people whom I know well are driving me toward possible jail time.” Neither Todd nor Lulu responded.
Todd thought to himself that the words reflected the fact that the reality of what was happening was beginning to dawn on Nancy. If she didn’t try to make some kind of break for freedom, she might be spending the rest of her life behind bars. The two people whom I know well part could be that she was already in her mind trying to work out some kind of deal with these people who might think of themselves as her friends.
Todd could just kick himself for having slept with this woman. His hope was that by the time of the trial there would be so much evidence against Nancy that his bedding aberration would be only a slight bump in the road. Nancy had been clever, though, putting him into a compromising position and making any testimony he gave sound weak. Todd felt that this trip itself would tell the tale of whether Nancy would get convicted or not because of course the truth was no DNA evidence had actually been found at the Jessup crime scene. So far, then they were winging it on the seat of their pants, practically kidnapping Nancy themselves, with the Chief putting his job on the line setting up the plan.
The key would be Nancy’s reactions during these next few hours.
After four more hours, the second bathroom break started things happening. Lulu again accompanied Nancy to the bathroom, with the ladies room for this gas station being in the back. After Todd himself went to the Men’s room and then waited out front while the car was being gassed up, he knew that too much time had elapsed.
He ran to the back. The rest room door was wide open. There was Lulu on the tiles bleeding from her neck. It looked serious. At the same time he heard some yelling on the other side of the building. He quickly phoned 911 and gave their location on the Pennsylvania Turnpike about fifteen miles from Pittsburgh. Inside the station, now there was an older man yelling at the clerk to also call 911.
“Some lady clobbered me from behind and took my car!” he shouted. “Get the police here quick!”
For Todd in the space of five minutes things were spiraling out of control. The clerk did call 911 for the man, and then ran with Todd back to that bathroom to attend to Lulu. The kid did have some first aid training and together both of them were able to stop the bleeding. When Todd had first seen Lulu on the bathroom floor her sweater was pulled way up exposing the recording wires. “She destroyed the tape,” Lulu said. “I don’t know how she caught on. I guess I was asking her too many questions. She punched me, ripped the wires and pounded the cartridge with her heel. The tape wouldn’t have done us any good anyway because she didn’t really say anything incriminating. I tried, but I failed to get her to talk about her involvement with Billy.”
“It’s not your fault, Lulu. This woman started very young, I think becoming an accomplished criminal.”
“What did she stab me with? How could she have had any weapons?”
“I did watch her closely the entire time we were in the house,” Todd said, “even when she went upstairs to pack. But there by the door is the weapon, a common nail file. I’m not touching it. I’m leaving it for the forensic people when they arrive.”
The medics for Todd’s emergency call arrived. When Todd was sure Lulu was in good hands, he ran back to the front. The old guy was still ranting both about his car being gone and at the same time about the police not showing up immediately.
Todd told him he was a cop. “Talk to me about your car, sir.”
“It’s an old Buick Regal. Snow white exterior and interior. I loved that car. 180,000 miles on it.”
“When the cops come they can put out an APB on it.”
“What the hell is an APB? Speak English.”
“It’s an all-points bulletin to have various other law enforcement groups to on the lookout for the vehicle.”
“When those other cops come, if they ever do, I have some good news to tell them and some bad news.”
“Tell me the bad news first.”
“There’s a gun in the glove compartment. I once had the car almost carjacked but I drove away with the gunman hanging on to the door. I was glad he got scraped pretty good. After that I bought my own gun.”
“That is bad news. What’s the good news?”
“After that near ca
rjacking incident, I got a tracking device installed in the car. I can find that car with the app I have installed in my phone. Look, see here, she’s heading north.”
“Sir, I know the woman who stole your car. I was bringing her into Philadelphia on another charge. Here’s my phone. Can you load that app on it, and then can you transfer your car information also to my phone? I can leave right away and begin tracking that woman.”
“Sure, I’ll do that. Get my car back, Buddy.”
The loading took two minutes. The local police still had not arrived. Two 911 calls from the same location had possibly confused the dispatcher. Todd told the man he would do his best to get his car back.
Todd’s car was gassed up and ready to go. To hurray the process up Todd just shoved a wad of bills into the attendant’s hand. “Keep the change,” he said, and thirty seconds later he was back on the turnpike. He had checked on Lulu as she was on the stretcher being loaded into the ambulance. She was conscious and seemed to be breathing well.
“I’ll live, Todd. Go get my mother’s killer.”
On his cell, Todd kept following Nancy’s progress into the middle of Pennsylvania. There wasn’t much variance in her path. It was as if she had a particular destination in mind. She seemed to be heading for the town of State College, where Penn State University was located.
The path kept showing up on the screen for the next ten minutes, but suddenly the line stopped moving. For another ten minutes there was no further movement. From what Todd could figure, the location was still at least twenty miles outside of town. Then the screen went dark. She had turned off the car. Why would she have stopped there? It was an area of only open farmland. Todd knew what had happened. She had switched cars, not because she knew there was a LoJack tracking device under the hood, but so that the police would not know which vehicle she was now driving.
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