“Round two. Are you ready?”
“Not in a slippery shower. Let me down before we kill each other in here. Can you see those headlines? Later, okay?”
Chapter 26
Officer Allen Manning went to the Strasburg Hotel to visit the newly widowed Teresa Kelsey. He knew she would be there from the conversations he overheard at the station. He also knew the trouble that was about to be brought to his career. Lake and Clayton were pissed that he sent her to the hospital without an officer.
Once at the Strasburg, Allen went to the front desk.
“My name is Officer Manning from the Cromwell Police Department. Would you please tell Teresa Kelsey I would like to see her?”
“Yes sir, I will let her know you’re here.”
Allen happened to notice the nametag on the desk clerk’s pocket. Randall Cummings.
“Randall, do I know you?” he asked, staring at the name tag closer. “Are you from around here? You look vaguely familiar, but I don’t remember from where. How did I not get a chance to meet you?”
Allen stuck out his hand and waited for Randall to offer his up for the handshake. He did hesitantly.
“Nice to meet you Mr. Manning…oh I mean…Officer Manning,” Randall stuttered.
“It’s fine, Randall. This isn’t an official visit, but thank you.”
Randall spoke in hushed tones on the phone before hanging up.
“Mrs. Kelsey said she’d meet you in the café.”
“Thank you, Randall. Have a nice day.”
As he went into the café, he felt very uneasy. He knew that guy from somewhere. He made a mental note of the meeting as he found Teresa already waiting for him. Drink in hand and one for him as well.
“Good thing I’m off duty. Thank you.”
He took the drink and offered a toast, clinking his glass against hers.
“It’s so nice to see you feeling better,” he continued. “You two were together for a long time. Is there anything at all that I can help you with? Do you need help making Martin’s arrangements?”
“How very kind of you. If I find difficulty with anything or anyone, I will certainly contact you. I appreciate the gesture, though.”
“Is there someone bothering you? Just tell me. I would be glad to help.”
“It’s just the thought of those pesky reporters trying to dig up information that is no one’s business.”
“I’ll see if we can put a guard out here to make sure no one that’s not supposed to be here stays away.”
He shuffled in his seat trying to think of how to switch topics. He finally decided just to go for it.
“Had anyone threatened your husband or you, that you know of? Maybe a business partner of yours? Or a person Martin might have had a run in with on the job? You know how it is out there. People will shoot you for a routine traffic stop.”
“I can’t think of anyone at the moment, but I will let you know when my mind clears out from the shock of seeing him like that.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I should let you get some rest. But just know I’m here for you.” He stood to leave, patting her shoulder. “Everything will be all right.”
On his way out of the hotel, Allen paused at the desk where Randall was busy with the computer. Randall looked up from what he was doing and said, “May I help you, Officer?”
“Can I ask a favor of you?”
“Of course, sir. How can I help?”
“If any reporters try to bother Mrs. Kelsey, call me. Right away. Here’s my personal number.”
“I will do that. Glad to help.”
“Thank you, Randall. Have a good one.”
“You as well.”
Until I can remember this guy, Allen thought to himself, it’s good to keep him on my side. Keep him thinking I’m trying to protect Teresa.
Chapter 27
It was easy to dig up the bodies. They were not too far from the cabin and not too deep in the ground. The only extra work was to clear away all the leaves and forest debris that accumulated over the years. There wasn’t much left of them. Not heavy at all, but enough bones on each one for that shock value.
I will carefully put them in the van and take them to the Bradford Theater. I don’t want the boss to yell at me for mixing up the bodies. Everyone knows they will be brought to the morgue to be identified. I can’t believe how excited I am to see them all again. It was such fun to watch them die. Not mom though. I love her. I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t have slapped me. You shouldn’t have said you were going to put me away again.
When they met at the theater, it was agreed that each one of the bodies had a purpose in how and where they would be displayed on the stage. An afternoon class for the town’s seniors would be starting in two days. Just something for the old folks to keep their minds busy. These types of classes were offered several times a year. In two days, they would probably never be offered again.
“You want me to get the furniture from the props room?”
“Yes. A few cushioned chairs, a sofa and a table as well. Grab a few big sofa pillows to put on the floor.”
“Got it.”
“Mom and two children on the sofa. Knitting needles on Mom’s lap. Two more children on the pillows on the floor facing a cardboard television. And dear old Dad, well of course, we will wrap him in Christmas paper and place him in front of the fake fireplace.”
“Won’t that be a nice family reunion scene? Let’s move quickly. We don’t want anyone realizing we are in here. By the way, how did you get the doors open, Boss?”
“It’s called a key, idiot. You didn’t see any broken windows or a busted lock, did you?”
“That wasn’t a very nice thing to say to me,” he mumbled to himself. “I don’t like that word.” He walked away.
Within an hour the stage was set. Everyone was in their places just as planned. Except there was no butcher knife or evidence of brain surgery.
“Now let’s get out of here and watch the Cromwell Police think they are doing a great job solving two murders. Surprise!”
Chapter 28
Cromwell Senior Citizens Arts Club met on a weekly basis to draw, paint, and put on a little show for the area now and then. They were a creative group of people. They approached the theater on Tuesday afternoon ready to rehearse a song and dance show that everyone agreed (for a change) would be a tremendous amount of fun.
Sometimes there were 12 seniors. Other times maybe 20. Nice size group for a senior citizen club. This time all of them wanted to partake in the fun. They entered through a side door that led to a meeting room, where they all took a seat. They were discussing the particulars of the show. Roles, what music to play, the dance moves, etc. Once that was done, they headed to the stage to evaluate where everyone should be positioned during the production. It was a tremendous amount of preparation. When Alice, the group’s leader, along with a few others started up the steps to the stage, she was puzzled.
“What is going on here? No one told me there was another show taking place at the Bradford.”
Suddenly, there was a blood-curdling scream from one of the other women.
“Dear God! These are real bodies!” shouted John, a senior in his mid-eighties. He began gasping for breath and clutching his chest.
Leaning in for a closer look, Alice shrieked, “Lord almighty! He’s right!”
“Call 911,” John whispered before falling into the arms of two men standing nearby.
Screams of sheer terror were coming from the ladies. Men were ushering them off the stage as fast as possible. Alice, knowing she was the leader, kept yelling orders to everyone, not really knowing what the hell just happened herself. The two men got John outside to the fresh air before he collapsed.
“Help is on the way! Hold on, John.”
They each took turns doing CPR on him.
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“Did anyone call 911?” Alice yelled.
Within minutes, police cars came from all directions. Reese and Emerson came to a screeching halt. Reese jumped out and ran to the man lying on the ground and took over CPR until the paramedics arrived. They stabilized him and put him in the ambulance.
“Hopefully, they can save him,” Alice said.
“And you are?” Clayton asked.
“I’m Alice Warner,” she said through tears. “I’m in charge of the show that is scheduled to be playing here soon.”
“One of the officers will take a statement from you, Ms. Warner.”
Both Reese and Emerson walked into the building where all hell was breaking loose. The seniors were all talking at once. They were visibly shaken. Their nerves shattered. Camera flashes were going off everywhere to capture the evidence and crime scene.
“Officer Manning,” ordered Lake, “please take these people into the meeting room and get their personal info along with statements about this afternoon’s events. No one leaves until we clear them. Got it?”
Manning knew this order was strictly meant for him after the incident with Teresa Kelsey. Allen wanted to slam Lake’s face into the wall for making him feel like more of an ass than he already did. Teresa had acted like she really passed out. What was I going to do, stop her from getting medical attention? Moron.
One by one, the seniors were released and told they would be contacted if further information was needed. Alice was the last to make a statement. Allen had known her for a long time, so taking her preliminary info was fast.
“Tell me what happened when all of you arrived here today. Did you see anyone else in the building?”
“No, I didn’t, and I don’t believe anyone else did either. But you would have to ask them. Who do you suppose those poor people are or I should say…were? What a disturbing scene, to walk onto that stage thinking it was set up for a different show and then suddenly realize they weren’t props. The bodies, they were laid out to look like…well I don’t even know how to describe what they looked like.”
Avoiding her question, Allen continued. “Can you tell me how you knew they were real bodies? I mean did you touch them at all?”
“No, I did not touch anything, damn it! I may be old, but I’m not stupid,” she stiffened, “John yelled they were real, grabbed his chest in pain and all hell broke loose. When I looked closer for myself, I knew he was right. I’ve been to enough theater productions in my lifetime to know what a fake set of bones look like. More plastic than real. These weren’t plastic. By the way, being a senior citizen just means I have a whole lot more life experience than you. I’m not stupid. Are we done here?”
“I’m very sorry, but all of us are just trying to piece together what happened and making sure no stone is unturned. We will be contacting you if we need any more information. You can go now, and Alice, thank you. You are indeed a smart woman. Are we okay?” he asked with a little wink.
With that she turned to walk out and, as she did, gave him a shy grin.
The M.E. arrived quickly, as well as her associate, Bill.
“Sara, I hope you will be able to give us cause of death and how long they have been dead. More importantly I also need to know who they are. Our relatively small city is turning into a big city crime spree.”
“They don’t look fresh, that’s for sure. May take some time to get you those answers Detective Lake, but we will get on it as soon as we get these victims back to the morgue. Please make sure all these bodies, at least what’s left of them, are bagged separately. That way we will be able to piece them together. Without causing a jigsaw puzzle effect, I hope.”
Once again reporters were on scene in a flash. Trying their best to get answers and to get an award-winning story. And that it would be. Once again, the response, no comment, from police.
“Another body placed in front of a fireplace,” Lake mused. “Wrapped in holiday paper. If we can just figure out what that one piece of the equation means, we might have a better chance of cracking this case.”
Chapter 29
“It’s okay, my precious little one, I’m here to love you like you asked in your letter to Santa. I will see right through you and touch you with my warm body and love you. Now close your eyes tight.”
Kei Lien screamed in pain as this monster of a man climbed on top of her and brutally raped her for the first time and then, with tenderness, washed her with warm water and told her not to tell anyone because this is what she asked for in her letter to Santa. He then said to her, “Now say you’re sorry.” She did as she was told.
Kei Lien was forced into this life of torture, which she believed was her fault. Like he had said, she asked in her letter for someone to love her.
Kei Lien was born to Asian parents that loved her very much. So much so that they wanted her to have a better life in a free country, the United States of America. They had heard if she went to America, she could be anything she wanted to be without fear. They made a deal for adoption with a group unknown to them and probably unknown to most of the families looking for better lives for their children. A local store owner told them that adoption was quick and easy. Word came of a couple that would take Kei Lien to a new home and would pay the parents a good deal of money for letting her go with them to the States. The deal was done. She was only one year old.
When Kei Lien was brought to America, her new family showered her with love. They taught her the good in life, love, and laughter. She was happy. They gave her a nice home to live in with a beautiful bedroom of her own. Pink everywhere, lace pillows and a nightstand that held a little Golden book titled, The Night Before Christmas. They bought her new clothes and taught her to speak English. Claire and Adam Chandler were loving parents in every way. They even taught her how to write to Santa Claus every year, something most American parents look forward to. It was a new life, a good life, for Kei Lien. A life she would not have had living in a foreign country as a female.
Her new mom, whom she loved like no other, had taken ill. During an unexpected pregnancy, Claire started to have very painful cramping in her lower abdomen. Then a slow trickle of dark watery blood ran down her legs. Claire knew she had to get into bed and get her feet up. Within an hour, the pain in her abdomen had become unbearable and the bleeding was even heavier. There was no doubt that she was going to give birth prematurely. Kei Lien was a child, a frightened child, who tried desperately to help her mother. They both cried. Claire, because she knew what was happening to herself and her unborn child, and Kei Lien, because she couldn’t stand to see her mother in pain. Claire told her daughter to run and get help. She tried to get her father’s attention. Screaming at him waving her arms around frantically, but he could not hear her past the roar of the lawn mower. By the time Adam finally came into the house, it was over. She had lost the baby during the birth. Claire tried to protect her daughter from seeing the blood and the pain she was having during the miscarriage to no avail. It’s something you can’t un-see. Two hours later, Claire was gone as well. She had lost too much blood. Her beautiful daughter sobbed uncontrollably. She was barely ten years old.
Kei Lien was now left with a very angry father. His mind, now focused on the tragedy in his life, took his frustration out on this mere child. The child he once loved but now no longer wanted.
By the time Kei Lien was 13 years old, she had already written many letters to Santa, all asking for someone to love her. Each time, the answer would be delivered by her father. On occasion, it would be a total stranger that arrived. She would watch helplessly as each one paid to be her gift. They would tell her to close her eyes and be quiet and not to tell anyone. When they were done with her, the father would bathe her in warm water to stop her from crying and then he would say, “This is your fault. This is what you asked for. Now say you’re sorry.”
She was nearing the age of fourteen when she began to gain
a bit of weight around her middle. She had no idea why she felt sick in the morning. She was not allowed to attend school after her mother died, so there was no education on pregnancy and babies. Adam Chandler realized what was happening to her and assumed the child wasn’t his because of the other paid encounters. He found a wire coat hanger, unwound it, and inserted it into her to get rid of the baby and said to Kei Lien, “It’s the right thing to do.” A memory of her mother trying to be brave, for the sake of her little girl, flashed before her eyes. Someone, help me, she thought to herself through rivers of tears. Please someone help me. But no one did. He then washed her with warm water while she screamed not only in pain, but at the horror she had just witnessed.
Chapter 30
Kei Lien and Daniel took their time on the three-mile hike through the woods. They stopped not too far in so they could refresh with some food. It was the first time Daniel was able to have a conversation with her and get to ask a few questions.
“What happened in that house that made your father attack you like that?” he asked gently. “Have others, besides the Sergeant, done this to you as well? You must be close to my age. Why did you stay so long?”
Kei Lien struggled to keep all that she knew inside for fear everyone would know this was her fault.
“Please help me to help you,” Daniel continued. “I know it can’t be easy. I want to be your friend and friends tell each other things that they would never tell anyone else.”
She thought to herself…do I trust him? this young man that I know nothing about? Is he just another gift? Is this just a game my father wants me to go along with? He did try to help and get me to safety. He did leave food for me. And he hasn’t tried to touch my body at all. All of this did make her feel good about him.
“It’s all because of my letters to Santa. It’s all my fault.” She began to sob. “All I asked for my whole life was for someone to love me. That’s why these men came to my house and that’s why my father would also hurt me.”
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