Return to Murder

by John Osipowicz

  Nancy had stopped at quite an open area on the map. Todd had no idea where she was headed. It could be into the town of State College or further out into the countryside. And was this a place merely to switch cars, and actually she was eventually heading hundreds of miles elsewhere? Todd had hit a tall brick wall, with no clue where Nancy’s final destination was.

  Suddenly he had an idea. There was a person who knew Nancy fairly well. He first called Chief Trimble to get authorization to do this, and then he called the Cook County jail in Chicago where Nathan Brumfield was waiting to go on trial for kidnapping charges. Todd emphasized that his Chief had backed up his decision. “I want to talk to Brumfield for only ten minutes. It could a multiple murder case in this area.”

  The warden asked for details, but then when Todd explained that he was at the moment trailing a serial killer, the warden was persuaded. “We’re glad to supply help for our Philadelphia brothers,” he said. Todd noticed the haughty puffed-up tone, but attitude didn’t matter as long as he could talk to Brumfield.

  Nathan also was a bit arrogant. “Well, Detective, I never thought you’d be asking a lowly prisoner for aid. I guess you’re not good enough to do this on your own.”

  “Yes, verbally punch me if you want, but remember the woman I’m trying to catch. Nancy Skylar is the woman who betrayed you.”

  “For sure she did that, and then she lied about our relationship. That woman pursued me, not the other way around. The fact that it went down as a kidnapping is a joke.”

  “You did kidnap my sister.”

  “I admit to that. In fact I’m mulling over pleading guilty to the charge, skipping the trial, so I can get a reduced sentence. My lawyer is currently working out the details. You’re telling me Nancy is a killer?”

  “Of multiple people.”

  “I may not be the best person in the world. I’ve cheated on both my wife and clients in my business, but I don’t condone murder in any form. I will help you if I can. At the moment I can’t think of any close friends that Nancy had. I was attracted to her partially because she was a loner like I was.”

  “So far I’ve followed her as far as near a little town called State College where Penn State University is,” Todd said.

  “Wait a minute. One night when we went out for dinner we were joined by someone Nancy went to college with. That woman was from somewhere up in the middle of Pennsylvania. And she had become a professor. Maybe she’s teaching up there. At the moment I can’t remember the lady’s name. I wasn’t attracted to her so I think I dismissed her most of the night, not paying much attention to her.”

  “Think, man. Think.”

  “That’s what I’m doing. I have trained myself to remember names by clues so I can recall all the people I’ve ever done business with when I re-meet them. This lady ordered an enormous dessert at our meal and ate the whole thing, so I associated her name with a candy bar. Now I can’t remember the name of the candy bar. I’m sure she wasn’t one of the Three Musketeers. It wasn’t that candy bar.”

  “Nathan, this isn’t the time for jokes. I’m waiting out here on the highway.”

  “Of course. Sorry. I’ve lost perspective in here. I have a lot of time on my hands. There’s no hurry for anything. I have been doing more reading, though than I ever have. I’m getting into philosophy. I--.”

  “Nathan, this isn’t about you.”

  “Sure, Detective, I apologize. I can only be myself.”

  “Let’s have a little less self.”

  “I remember now. It was a Snickers candy bar. But I can’t remember how I connected it to her name.”

  “That might help, Nathan.”

  “It’s the best I can do. By the way, I can send you titles of some of the philosophers I’ve read. There’s--.”

  “Goodbye, Nathan.”

  Todd called up the Penn State professors’ directory on his Smart Phone. He scanned up and down the list. At first nothing popped up. The third time he reviewed the list, he came across a name when he said it out loud it sounded like Snickers. She was a professor named Melinda Strickers, whose photo seemed to place her at about the same age as Nancy. He googled her current address, which was just a dozen miles away from where the tracking device had pinpointed before it shut off.

  Todd was going to pay a visit to Professor Strickers and hope for the best.

  An hour later he was in that neighborhood. 404 Clarendon Lane was an attractive Georgian style home with a two car garage. There was a car in the driveway, but Todd had no way of knowing if it always belonged to the home. He had to be cautious. He wasn’t going to go straight up and ring the doorbell and be shot dead if Nancy was in there. He would check with the neighbors about the car.

  No one was home in 408, so he went to the other side, 400. He was careful to park a block away and then traverse the backyards in approaching the neighboring houses. 400 Clarendon was at an angle to 404, so there was not a direct view to the porch Todd was now standing in. He rang the bell only once before it was answered by an elderly lady a little bent over. He had seen a plaque impaled onto the brick which said, The Tooty Residence. The name was unusual. Despite the seriousness of what Todd was doing, he had to smile. “Are you Mrs. Tooty,” he asked?

  “Yes, I’m Ruthie.”

  Oh my gosh, Todd thought to himself. She’s Ruthie Tooty. He broke out laughing.

  “What’s so funny?” the lady said in a kind of whistling voice which kept Todd breaking up. He controlled himself. “I’m sorry, ma’am. It was just a private joke. I wanted to ask you about that car in the driveway. Does it belong to the owner of that house?”

  “Wait a minute, I’ll get my glasses.”

  Even with the glasses she squinted. “No. Miss Strickers has a red one.”

  Ma’am, I’m a policeman, and--.”

  “You don’t look like a policeman.”

  “Well, I am. Here’s my identification card and badge.”

  She grabbed his wallet and squinted at the picture. “It doesn’t look like you.”

  “The picture was taken five years ago. It is me.”

  “I’m eighty-eight next month. If you are a thief and will kill me at least I’ve lived a long life. Come on in.”

  In a room off the hallway, Todd put himself down on the most uncomfortable piece of furniture he’d ever sat on. It was as if the springs wanted to push into his butt. The lady of the house was perched on a high-backed chair that would fit very well into a castle. Todd had to get to the explanation or why he was here. “Mrs. Tooty, I--.”

  “Please call me Ruthie. That last name of my husband has been the bane of my existence. I’ve always felt like a tugboat.”

  “All right, Ruthie, the car you pointed out belongs, well, sort of belongs to a criminal I’m chasing, and I’m afraid that if I make advances toward the house she will hold Miss Strickers hostage.”

  “Oh, goody, a real crime drama. My husband, Anderson, never wanted to go anywhere. I was married to him for fifty-one years, and at least fifty of those years were exceedingly dull. I would like a little excitement.”

  Todd wasn’t going to ask her why the first year wasn’t dull. “Ruthie, what I would like to do is stay in your house for the time being to see if either Miss Strickers or the person I’m chasing leaves. Then, I’ll have a better chance of capturing Nancy.”

  “Nancy. That’s a nice name. We had a cat once named Nancy.”

  “Well, the lady there who belongs to that name isn’t too nice. She’s murdered a few people.”

  “Wow, danger, just like in the movies. I’m excited, Mr. Todd.”

  “Now I just have to figure out how to capture Nancy without getting everyone killed.”

  “Why not use the tunnel?”

  “The tunnel?”

  “The person who built this house also built the one next door for his three sisters. He was a bachelor, but extremely wealthy and so he had his sisters live next door free of charge. We get bad storms here in the winter so to make
their get-togethers easier he built a tunnel connecting both houses. Eventually the sisters either died or moved away, and rumor had it that the man then rented out the house only to attractive young women. After they would get settled, he would use the tunnel and pop into their house unannounced and offer them a rendezvous with him that no one else would know about it. Often he got slapped and was told to go home, but at times he succeeded in winning the heart and the bed of his neighbor. He lived to the ripe age of ninety eight, so all that sex must have benefited him. Anyway that’s the story the real estate agent told my husband and me when we were thinking of purchasing. Anderson had his usual prudish reaction to the story, but I very much liked the tale and urged him to buy the house.”

  “Did you and Anderson ever use the tunnel?”

  “No. Anderson had his way and got it boarded up. .Anderson’s concession to me was for us to go through it once, and then he blocked it off. As far as I know, though, the connection between the houses is still there. You’ll just have to remove the boards at both ends. We’ve told every person who has owned that next-door house about the tunnel but everyone has left it alone. There’s just no more adventure in modern society.”

  Todd went down in the basement with Ruthie for her to show him the entrance. “Those boards look pretty solid,” he said.

  “I may be able to help you there. After Anderson passed away nine years ago, I got myself a crowbar and strong hammer in case a mature older person of the male gender would move in next door; then I could use the tunnel and surprise him. I would want him to be single and handsome of course. Anderson was handsome. The two occupants of that house these last years have been single, but both were female. I can be a companion to a woman, but I do not want one for a bride, like I’m seeing these days on TV. Thus, the tunnel has stayed boarded up. Wait down here, and I’ll get you my tools.”

  It took Todd over an hour, but he finally got the boards pried out, revealing a hole he could walk through. If the other end was this tough, he might be making too much noise for any kind of surprise entrance into Melinda Strickers’ abode. When he said this thought aloud, Ruthie was gone for a minute and came back with a drill. “Each year I waited with this drill for my Prince Charming,” she said. “At least now, it can get some use.”

  CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR

  The tunnel had no lights. Twice Todd bumped into the wall on curves. His eyes gradually adjusted to the dark and he saw the twelve-foot high boards on the other end.

  His drilling sounded very loud, but he had the echo of the tunnel. He hoped it wouldn’t be heard inside Strickers’ house. The hole was now big enough to crawl through, and he did so. He was in what looked like the end wall of a laundry room. He could see steps next to the far wall. Those steps led to a closed door. He got to that door and drew his gun.

  He slowly opened that door, took two steps forward, felt a sharp pain at the back of his head and total darkness closed in.

  It sounded like a low roar; he opened his eyes to see a tall slim woman being pushed up against the wall by a familiar woman. “Might you not have told me there was a tunnel leading to your house?” she screamed. “Why did you think that was unimportant?” Her eyes turned toward Todd. “Ah, Sleeping Beauty has awakened. Get up! In case you’re wondering about your gun I have it in my pocket. Get over here.”

  Todd didn’t have much choice. The wild look in Nancy’s face told him she could shoot him if he blinked the wrong way.

  The tall lady spoke. Her voice was soft but full of anxiety. “What are you going to do with him? This complicates things.”

  “There’s no complication at all,” Nancy said. “I’ll just kill him.”

  “Not in my house. The cleaning lady was here yesterday.”

  “Melinda, am I holding the gun or are you? It seems that I’m the person in charge, and you’re to do what I say.”

  “When you called me I didn’t know you had all this baggage. Why are you running from the cops?”

  “This woman has killed a number of people,” Todd said. “She will kill you also when you’ve outlived your usefulness.”

  “Shut up, Todd.”

  This was not good. Nancy did not seem nervous at all. Todd knew that he and Strickers didn’t have long to live. When he had gone up to the front door of the first neighbor’s house, he saw through the living room windows that the furniture was covered. They could be away on an extended vacation. Of course the house on the other side had Ruthie, whose advanced years might even cause her to forget Todd was ever in her house. It was Friday night; unless Melinda had Saturday classes, she wouldn’t be missed for two more days. Nancy had a safe haven until she could formulate her own plan.

  They were in the dining room. For the first time Todd noticed a dog lying under the long polished table. It looked like a German shepherd. It had size, but the fact that it was at the moment sleeping did not look as if it were going to defend its master from this present peril.

  Todd looked around for some kind of object to hurl. There was only an alabaster statue almost as tall as he was at the entrance to the living room. He probably couldn’t pick it up with two hands, much less throw it. Time was really running out now, as Nancy pointed her gun at Todd’s chest. “There’s no reason to keep you alive any longer. I have to think of where I’m going next, and you’re a large distraction.”

  “Wait a minute!”

  Todd was startled by the forcefulness of Strickers’ voice. She had walked in front of Nancy to face her. “I have one question for you, Nancy,” she said.

  “Melinda, you’re wasting time. What is your question?”

  “Are you going to kill the dog also?”

  “What kind of dumb question is that?”

  “It’s not dumb. I’ve had Ozzie for eight years. When you kill us and leave, our bodies might not be found for weeks. He’ll starve to death.”

  “No, I’m not going to kill your precious Ozzie.”

  “Then before you kill us, there’s a purple food packet on the kitchen counter. Can you pour the packet into the bowl on the floor? See, it’s by the side of the stove.”

  “Melinda, your trick of trying to divert my attention is not going to work. Both of you, get in the kitchen and sit at the table—at that other end of the table. I’ll do the packet, and at least Melinda you’d know you’ve done your good deed for the day before you die.”

  “Thank you, Nancy.”

  The dog heard the dry food hitting the metal bowl. He lifted his head, rose up and stretched. Then as Nancy kept pouring, he took two leaping bounds and went for her throat.

  He knocked her down causing the gun to go flying under the table. With a horrible screeching yell Nancy tore him off of her and started running for the front door with Ozzie in hot pursuit. She pushed that statue over, momentarily stopping the dog's momentum.

  The entire action has taken maybe five seconds. Todd has been so shocked by the sequence of events that he didn’t move. He was still sitting at the table like an obedient boy.

  “Grab her gun!” Melinda shouted. “She’s getting away.”

  Todd had to crawl to get the gun, and once again up on his feet he began running toward the now open front door. By this time, Nancy was already in the car. Through the open passenger window she fired three shots, splintering the door frame. A sliver of wood hit Todd’s cheek, but the bullets themselves missed.

  Nancy in reverse screeched down the driveway. Todd ran out onto the porch firing his gun, but she was already out onto the street. She fired two more shots at him, but she was too far away.

  Next door from an upstairs window he heard, “Yippee! Go get ’em cowboy!” Ruthie was enjoying the show.

  By this time Melinda was out on the porch. Todd was going to cut through the backyards to get to his car. “Take my car,” Melinda said throwing him the keys and clicking a remote in her hand to open the garage.

  “What’s with your dog attacking like that?” Todd asked running into the garage.

  She f
ollowed him in. “Six months ago I had a home invasion. They took valuable stuff and pistol-whipped me. During these months I trained Ozzie to attack the person who was putting that purple packet of food in his dish. I had ten purple packets, each laced with tons of salt. They tasted ugly. Then I kept a spare packet always available on the counter. This is the first time I tried the experiment with a real adversary.”

  By this time Todd had backed her car out the driveway. Melinda ran alongside.

  “There’s only one way out of this road and it goes right to Route 322. Turn left when you hit that highway. The other way is in toward the town. She won’t go that way. The road is straight for a long stretch of miles. If you drive very fast you should catch up to her. Good luck.”

  Maybe Todd wouldn’t have caught Nancy because he has wasted time listening to Melinda. However when he got to that turn into Route 322, there were two smashed cars by the side of the road. The guy standing by his smoking car said, “Some crazy lady ran into us coming out of that side road. I thought her car was disabled, too, but she got it started. She just left the scene.”

  It took Todd only ten minutes of speeding before he could see the all-white Buick ahead of him. Apparently she had not changed cars, just somehow disabled the tracker. He was doing eighty and gaining. Possibly because the other car was much older it couldn’t be pushed much beyond seventy.

  The highway was straight like Melinda had said, but then sharp curves began as they ascended into the hill country. Todd didn’t feel he could maneuver this unfamiliar car he was driving well enough to be able to try to bump Nancy off the road, so he kept following.

  Twenty minutes later, Nancy’s stolen car began to slow down, and then after another mile came to a dead stop, rolling onto the road’s shoulder. What kind of trick was she up to now? Todd wondered. He pulled up behind her and started to get out. Nancy jumped out of her car. A shot pinged off his door. If he was counting correctly that was it for his gun, and he was right. As he approached, she kept pointing the gun at him, but there was only empting clicking. Seeing his drawn gun, she threw her weapon angrily down on the ground and put her hands up.