by Andrew Hess
He smiled and led me from the dance floor over to the bar. He signaled for two drinks and handed me one. My eyes were getting heavy as I raised the glass and quickly put it back down.
“Ali, what are you doing here,” a familiar voice said behind me. The girl spun me around and gave the typical motherly stare down before reaming you out for doing something stupid.
“Hey sis,” I replied. I placed my arm around her neck and hugged her.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“I’m unwinding after a shitty day. I just so happened to run into this nice guy here who bought me this drink.”
I thought I sounded like such a smartass; throwing the same attitude Amanda’s given me for the last few years back in her face. But she didn’t move; didn’t flinch; not even a snappy comeback.
Maybe it was because she didn’t hear me or maybe it was because my words came out slurred. “I’m winding a shitty day. Just happened to run a guy drink.”
“I think you’ve had enough,” Amanda replied as she put her arm around my back and pulled me away from the bar.
“Whoa where you taking my girl,” the man asked. “I thought we were having fun.”
I smiled, but Amanda tried pulling me away again. “She says thanks for the drink, but we need to get going.”
The man stepped in front of us holding up his hands. “Come on; just stay for a drink. He shoved the tall glass with pink liquid towards my hand. “Here, I’ll get you one too. What’ll it be?”
“Sorry buddy; it’s not happening; not tonight and not with us.” Amanda stepped aside pulling me with her, but the man kept moving with us; preventing us from getting to the door.
I could feel a hand reaching into my pants pocket. It moved down my leg and grabbed the large leather wallet. Amanda pulled her hand out, placed the object in her left hand and held out for the man to see.
She flipped open the cover exposing my badge. “If you don’t get the fuck outta my way, I’ll make sure you spend the night in jail with our favorite inmate Bubba.”
The man backed off and saw the bartender give him a nasty look. The man shuffled his way into the crowd; allowing us to make our way back to the front door.
Amanda dragged me on her side; scraping my shoes across the concrete. “Where the hell did you park?”
I pointed down the road. She placed me against the wall and searched my pockets for my keys. “I can do it,” I mumbled as I pulled the keys from my pants pocket and handed them to Amanda.
“Do you need help walking or can you make it on your own?”
I tried to refocus my eyes, but saw only orange lights and a blurry mix of cars, trees and what looked like a stop sign. “I’ll be fine.”
I stumbled back to the car and let Amanda take the wheel. She hit the gas; sending us lunging down the block and made a sharp right turn. My stomach was doing summersaults with every quick turn she made.
“Just remember sis; if you puke, it’s your car. You get to clean it in the morning.”
“I hate you right now.”
“Yeah, but this is the only time I get to do this so I’m gonna enjoy every minute of it.” She peeled out onto Route 299 and sped down the road towards Highland. And then everything went black.
Chapter 94
A blurry bright light beamed on my face. I tried to open my eyes, but the sun was too intense for me to see. My hand rose to my face instinctively; trying hard to shield myself from the light.
“Rise and shine,” Amanda shouted as she entered the room. Her voice sounded like it was being blasted through a large speaker sitting next to my head. “Time to get up sis.”
“What the hell are you doing in my room? Why are you here? How’d you get here?”
She laughed. “You don’t remember anything from last night; do you?” She watched me rubbing my eyes as I recollected my thoughts. “You got trashed last night at P&Gs.”
“What? No I didn’t. I only had a few drinks.”
“I don’t know how many you had, but I found you there around eleven last night and you could barely walk.” She handed me a hot mug with steam coming out of it. “So, who was that guy you were hanging out with last night?”
I stared at Amanda from the corner of my eye as I raised the mug to my lips. “I was with some guy last night?”
“Yeah, he was all over you on the dance floor; only I didn’t know it was you until you guys went back to the bar.”
“Oh no, I didn’t do anything; did I?” My mind raced to recall the night. I remembered going to the bar. I was depressed. I had a couple of shots and started drinking the beer tower. That was the last thing I could completely remember. Everything else came back in bits and fragments.
“Whoever that guy was had it bad for you last night. I don’t think anything bad happened, but it was about to.”
“What? What do you mean?”
Amanda told me of how she found me at the bar with this guy and used my badge to scare him away. “Why were you there last night? Why were you drunk?’
I felt like I was seventeen again; caught by my mom for being out all night drinking with friends. All I wanted to do was throw the covers over my head and pass out again.
“I had a bad day.”
“And thought it was the perfect time to piss away everything good in your life.” I turned my head towards her in confusion. “Your love life, your career; hell you could’ve hurt yourself and someone else.”
“Thanks mom, but I wasn’t going to drink and drive.”
She shook her head at me. “What the hell sent you over the edge that bad last night?”
“We got a lead on the case and a suspect’s name. We found out where he lived and went to his apartment.”
“How is that bad news?”
“It was empty; stripped down to nothing. To top it off, the girl across the hall said he left days ago; said he had a family emergency to take care of.”
Amanda’s lively amused face had the life drained from her instantly. She knew the same thing I thought. The killer is on the loose and has gone into hiding.
“What was his name?”
I sipped more of the hot coffee from the mug and placed it on the table next to the couch. “Nick…Nick DeFalco.” In a gasp Amanda cupped a hand to her mouth. “What is it? Do you know him?”
“Sort of; he dated a girl from my dorms. I think her name was Brianna. She lived next door to Rachel and Nicole.”
“I know; she told me all about him yesterday.” I grabbed Amanda by the hand and pulled her down until she squatted beside the couch. “I don’t want you going anywhere alone. Stay with Shawn until we catch DeFalco.”
She nodded her head profusely and wrapped her arms around me. And then I did something I didn’t normally do. I hugged her tightly and told Amanda I loved her.
Chapter 95
There was a slight overcast early Friday afternoon as Kevin walked up the path to the Mohonk Lighthouse. It was a familiar path. The last time and the only time he had ever walked it was with Christina. His eyes locked on the rocks leading to the Lemon Squeeze. Seeing the massive cliff reminded him of how stubborn he was and how he wanted to prove himself to Christina only to realize he needed help.
“I can do it this time,” he said under his breath as he approached the wall of the cliff. He looked up at the sky, took a deep breath and took his place between the two walls; grabbing the ledges with his hands and feet. “This one’s for you.”
He scratched, clawed and climbed his way to the top; finding it easier the second time around. Sweat poured off his body as he made it to the top; letting the cold November air cool down his body.
“Stupid winter,” he shouted as a shiver ran down his body. “I hate the damn cold.” He looked down at his cell and saw it was two minutes to noon and hurried over to the lighthouse.
Kevin thought he would see a small crowd gathered either in front of the lighthouse or maybe near one of the cliffs, but found no one; just a small pink tent set
up near the entrance.
“Hello,” Kevin shouted as he moved towards the tent. “Is someone here?” The only reply came in an icy cold wind that hit him hard in the back.
The tent caught his eye again. Was this their idea of a joke or was it their version of a memorial? Kevin’s suspicion was increasing by the moment. He moved cautiously towards the tent and found the zipper half open.
He thought about the night he spent with Christina. He let Marty help set up the tent and placed two sleeping bags inside. It was a tight fit, but it was perfect for them. Kevin wrapped his arms around Christina and held her close. They talked quietly for a few hours while the others slept. Then they slipped under the sleeping bags and melted into each other with a slow sultry kiss.
Kevin lingered in the tent too long. There were footsteps hurrying towards him. He tried to get back to the opening, but fell to the ground. The tent collapsed around him. He could hear the zipper closing as he fell backwards and was dragged with the tent.
“Nick, you son of a bitch. I’ll kill you.”
“That’s what you think.”
Mark grabbed a large stone from the ground next to the lighthouse and smashed it over Kevin’s head. His body fell in a heap of pink fabric. He was motionless and at the mercy of the man who killed three women; including the woman Kevin loved.
“Damn you’re heavy,” Mark gasped as he dragged the tent towards the edge of the cliff. “But thankfully this is where we say our goodbyes.” Mark shoved the tent over the edge and waived as Kevin’s body tumbled down the mountain; smashing against the rigid rock walls.
Mark let out a creepy smile and evil laugh as he watched the pink tent fall until it was beyond his sight. “Time for the real fun to begin.”
Chapter 96
I made it to the station by noon. My hair was a curly mess and had to be tied up in a ponytail just to keep from looking like I just rolled out of bed. My eyes were red and glassy with dark circles under them. No amount of makeup could hide the shame I felt coming into work after a horrible night of binge drinking and bad choices.
“Where’ve you been,” Rodney asked as I took a seat at my desk. He got up from his chair and rested his hand on my shoulder.
I placed my arms on my desk and buried my face in them. “Go away,” I moaned. “I’m not in the mood.”
“What’s the matter with you?”
“I had a shitty night that I’d like to forget about.”
I could feel Rodney’s fatherly stare; wondering what happened last night that had me so upset. He gently patted me on the shoulder. He leaned in close and whispered in my ear.
“I don’t know what happened to you last night, but if you wanna talk about it I’m here for you.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled.
“Good, now that’s outta the way. You need to get yourself ready. The Lieutenant wants to get everyone together to discuss the campus killer case.”
I dug my head deeper between my arms and sighed. I wasn’t ready for a meeting and I didn’t even know where to possibly look to find the killer either.
“Come on it can’t be that bad,” Rodney said as he grabbed me by the arm and dragged me to my feet.
My eyes burned a hole through him; telling him he had no idea what he was talking about. If he only knew what happened last night, he would…well, he’d tell me I was an idiot and got what I deserved.
“You’re right; let’s go.” I placed my feet firmly on the old tiled floor and walked towards the Lieutenant’s office.
His eyes locked on to me before I could get too close. He waived everyone forward and shouted for the other officers to gather around.
“I wanted to update everyone on the campus killer case. As of last night, we’ve canvassed most of New Paltz, talked to the majority of the residents and have yet to turn up anything on our suspect. Most of the community doesn’t recall seeing him or knowing anything about him. As of this moment, I suspect he may have left town completely.”
It made sense that Nick DeFalco would flee the area. He had to know after Christina’s death that the police would begin to question their judgment on the other two cases and look deeper into them. But something just didn’t feel right to me; something felt incomplete.
“Maybe he’s hiding somewhere in Ulster County,” I shouted. The others turned their heads toward me. Crap, why did I say that out loud? I tried to turn my head; ignoring the appalled looks I was getting from my fellow officers. I knew my comment would mean more time out in the field; more time canvassing the neighborhood; even looking into the surrounding ones as well and none of them wanted to do that.
“Did you have something to add Detective?” The Lieutenant’s beady little eyes stared right at me. It was the same look I got when I told him my suspicions on Rachel Walker’s case and again when I refused to accept Nicole Sherman’s death as a suicide.
“I think we need to look at people he had a past with; friends, enemies; someone that might let him stay for a night or two.”
I could hear the crowd of officers talking quietly to themselves; wishing I’d just shut up for once, but I couldn’t. I needed to find Nick DeFalco.
“What are you suggesting?”
“Let’s start with his landlord and other housemates from Oakwood; maybe one of them can point us in the right direction.”
“I did that yesterday,” Rodney replied. “No one except two girls even knew who he was or that he lived there. They never met any of his friends and Nick never spoke of any.”
“What about the landlords?”
“He rented from the same people for the last few years. They said he never gave them any trouble, but begged them to find him a place away from the house on Grove Street.”
“Grove Street?” Everything hit me at once. His old apartment was in the same house as Kevin and Christina’s rooms. He took out his anger and vengeance against Christina by killing her. “It’s Kevin; Kevin Graham is his next target.”
“Whoa, you think he’s gonna strike again,” an officer asked.
“That kid is long gone by now,” another replied.
Rodney stepped in the middle of the circle holding up his hands. “Hold on a second; hear her out.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s the only one that said these cases were all homicides since the beginning and I trust her judgment.” Rodney looked back at me and nodded his head.
“Go ahead Detective,” Lieutenant Esposito said. “The floor is all yours.”
I pieced everything together for the group; connecting the dots from Rachel and Nicole’s deaths to Christina’s and how Brianna told me all about Nick’s anger and resentment towards each of them.
“Kevin is the only other person Nick had issues with that’s still in New Paltz that we know of. I say we have someone keep a tab on him.”
“So you wanna use him as bait?”
“If it means saving his life and catching the killer, absolutely.”
Chapter 97
We arrived at Kevin’s house just after one. Rodney stood behind me as I banged on the front door.
After the fifth knock Rodney grabbed my arm. “Maybe he’s not home.” I looked up at his worrisome eyes and shook my hand free from his grasp. “Do you have his number? We can call him and bring him down to the station; tell him what’s going on.”
I sighed heavily and reached for my phone. I had Kevin Graham’s number saved in my caller history and sat on his porch while the phone rang for a minute before his voice answered.
“Hey, you know the deal; leave a message.”
I heard the beep and gripped the phone tighter. Anger flowed through my voice as I left him a voicemail; stating we needed to talk and that he might be in danger. I prayed with every passing minute that he’d call back; let me know where he was so we could bring him in safely.
Rodney grabbed my elbow and led me back to the car. “Come on; we should head back to the station.”
“What about Kevin? We should have someo
ne watching his house in case something happens while we’re gone.”
“We can have a car swing by and watch the place.”
As I entered the driver’s seat, I heard dispatch calling in a ten seventeen; a homicide and it wasn’t far from where we were. My heart leaped into my throat. I prayed it wasn’t Kevin; prayed it wasn’t another one of Nick DeFalco’s victims; prayed that this nightmare would come to an end.
Chapter 98
Rodney sped down Route 299 until we saw the long line of police cars, ambulances, and traffic blocking our way from getting closer.
“Guess we gotta do this on foot,” I smirked and gave Rodney a halfhearted laugh.
“How about I wait here and you check it out?”
“Nice try partner; you’re coming too.”
We were parked a half mile down the road; keeping a safe distance from the crime scene as well as the traffic. I wanted to run down there, but knew Rodney wasn’t up for another run. The last time nearly had him collapse in front of me.
We walked at a brisk pace down the road and badged our way through the taped off area near Mohonk Mountain. We were escorted up a path which kicked dirt and rocks into my plain black kitten heel shoes.
Rodney walked ahead as we drew closer to a pink tent that lay broken at the foot of the mountain. He put on a pair of gloves and looked inside.
Rodney gagged at the battered, bruised and mutilated body inside the tent; choking back the vomit that was now stuck in his throat. He stood up and shook his head at me. I could see in his eyes something was wrong. It wasn’t just another victim; not just another one of Nick’s victims; it was the one we needed to catch the killer. I walked closer to the bag, but Rodney held me back. “Don’t go over there Ali. You don’t wanna see it.”
I pushed him aside and stared at the battered man that was my only hope of taking down Nick DeFalco. Kevin’s bloodied and smashed in face lay lifeless on two fluffy pink pillows. His clothes were ripped and shredded from the fall while bones broke through the skin on his arms and legs.