Branded for Murder (Scott Tucker Series)

by Dick Waters

  “These young women led different lives as adults in different towns, and it would be hard to believe that with this separation, someone could have developed a reason to murder them.”

  “Our campers arrived as weekly campers, some monthly and only a few for the entire summer. The program lends itself to new campers rather than full season attendees. We opened the camp in mid to late June when public schools let out and went through to the end of August. We have had male counselors from time to time, but sometimes male counselors can be intimidated by girls. Usually the girls are much more organized and good at everything. I’m sure we had at least one male counselor each year as we have both boys and girls at the camp.”

  “We really need you to think about possibly an older person around the camp, who might have been in a position to know them and might have set out to kill them.”

  “No, Mr. Miller, there were no adults at the camp at any time. The camp pretty much ran itself using the counselors. If they needed anything they would call me, and I would deal with that need. We didn’t even use adults to set up the camps for the season. We tried to use boys who had been, or were still, campers. It wasn’t hard work, giving the young men something to feel proud about.”

  “Then how about any of these young men?”

  “No, they were all fine young men.”

  There was a break in the questioning and we talked about her fine property and estate. Rose told us about the grounds and the town in general.

  I felt like I needed to ask a question. “Mrs. Anderson, was there anything that might have happened at camp that could have caused these women to be murdered?”

  We were quiet while Rose obviously was searching her memory. Finally breaking the silence she said, “There is nothing at all that I can think of that would lead these young women to be murdered. I can’t imagine why these two women were attacked and killed. It makes no sense to me at all.”

  “When the police came, did they question you about this?” Mike asked.

  “No, they only asked if I knew Phyllis. I never spoke to the police about Karen.”

  While Mike made some notes, Rose mentioned her daughter was attending school in Boston adding, “I was concerned with all of those strangling cases. I’m very relieved the man was arrested. However, the fact that someone is murdering young women I knew makes me very uncomfortable now. If there was something I could think of which would be of help to your investigation I would let you know.”

  I was very uncomfortable, knowing I was turning red. I felt I should tell her I know her daughter, but I just couldn’t bring myself to mention it. What am I going to do in the future when I’m with Lisa and she introduces us? I know I need to tell Lisa about my being here with Mike.

  Mike thanked her for her time, leaving his card. I wondered as we left what it was like for Lisa to grow up in this home.

  Mike drove down the meandering driveway to the road. “Well Scott…what do you think of your future mother-in-law?” he asked, smiling.

  I didn’t know how to answer so I didn’t. I now wished I hadn’t accompanied him.

  Chapter 55

  “Scott, I’m going to stop at the Derry police station to talk with them about their investigation. I hadn’t realized they were involved with these cases.” He was quiet for a few seconds. “As you know the women lived in Massachusetts. I find it surprising they were questioning anyone about these women’s murders. Doesn’t that sound strange to you? We’re missing something. I would like to find out why they’re involved.”

  Mike was quiet from that point on. It gave me time to think about how uncomfortable I was. I know why we went to see Lisa’s mother, but I assumed Mike was going to ask the questions. When he mentioned their names and I commented that it was Lisa’s parents, I should have declined the visit with him. But I didn’t and now I had to deal with the problem.

  What would be really worse is if Mrs. Anderson mentions our visit to Lisa before I say anything? She just might mention something about two people coming to talk with her from the strangler task force. My mind was reeling. I took a deep breath.

  Mike turned, looking at me. “Is something bothering you?”

  I looked over at Mike, knowing I couldn’t hide anything from him. “I guess I shouldn’t have gone with you to talk with Lisa’s mother. I think Lisa’s going to have a problem with that. I’m concerned about how to bring it up to her.”

  “Well, why don’t you think about it while I go into the Derry police station and talk with them. I’ll leave the car running so you don’t freeze to death. While you’re thinking about how you’re going to bring it up…think about if Lisa ever mentioned anything to you about the summer camp. I’m sure she was too young to remember something around the time these girls were counselors. Oh, by the way…I’m taking my gun with me.” He smiled, leaving quickly.

  I have to get my mind onto other things. I turned the radio on to listen to some music. The music quickly reminded me of Lisa. That’s not working. Let me think about Karen and Phyllis. They were both around thirty-nine. They were counselors in high school, so that meant they were around seventeen or eighteen. That’s twenty-two years ago. Lisa would have been an infant. Maybe Rose was pregnant with Lisa at the time.

  If Rose was pregnant, maybe her attention wasn’t that focused on what was happening at the camp. Maybe she missed something important. ‘Knotty Pine Camp’ is a nice name for a summer camp. Karen, Phyllis and Charlotte must have really enjoyed that camp since they later became camp counselors. Why would they be burned with what looked like their initials? It is funny their initials are the same as the first two letters of the camp name. Charlotte’s initial is the same as the third word. Does this have some significance, and is Charlotte the next target?

  I’ll have to mention that to Mike.

  *.*.*

  About thirty minutes later, Mike came out of the police station. He immediately pulled the car out of the parking space and said, “Well, I found out how they were involved in the case. Do you remember Mrs. Jacobs mentioning Karen’s uncle? He was a volunteer fireman when he responded to her parents’ crash, realizing it was his relatives as he was fighting the flames. Well, Karen’s dad was on the Derry police force. When they learned of her strangling, they decided to do their own investigation about any possible connection, and talked to Rose.”

  “Mike that’s very interesting, but I have something as interesting.”

  “Scott, please hold that thought. We’re headed over to talk with Helen Ryder. I called her from the police station. She only lives thirty minutes away. Okay, what’s so interesting?”

  I turned to look at Mike to see his reaction. “Mike, the murdered women’s initials are the same as the name of the camp. Maybe the burn mark is not the women’s initials, but the initials of the camp. That would make Charlotte the next target.”

  I watched him turn quickly and smile. “Well aren’t you playing Mr. Detective? That’s a very interesting observation. If we go with your theory, that leaves Helen out as a potential target. However, I called and she’s available to talk with us. Nice work again Scott. Now if you could only figure out what you’re going to do about the Mrs. Anderson scenario, you’ll be okay.”

  *.*.*

  Thirty minutes later, we were pulling off Baboosic Lake Road, onto a very small tarred road, then quickly onto a dirt road. We could see glimpses of a large lake between the trees. In summer the lake would be hidden behind foliage, but we could see the white expanse of the lake. There were men fishing on the frozen lake, bringing back memories of fishing with my dad the same way when I was growing up.

  We were headed deeper and deeper into the woods, with the lake still a reference point. Mike had given me the directions, so I was helping spot the small road signs to guide him.

  I yelled, “That’s the address on the mailbox you just passed.”

  Mike grumbled to himself as the road took a bend. He must have been debating whether to back up to the driveway or turn a
round. He quickly put the car into reverse, rocks hitting beneath the car, backing up until he passed the driveway. He turned quickly off the road onto the dirt driveway. We were looking at a rustic one-story ranch home. It was perched on the side of a hill above the lake, with a wonderful view.

  A German shepherd came running to greet us.

  A woman appeared at the front door, yelling, “Harry, that’s enough! Leave them alone! It’s okay!”

  Harry quickly came to a stop, turned and headed back toward the voice. We opened the doors and slowly headed in her direction while the woman had control of the dog.

  “He’s a good watch-dog, but he wouldn’t hurt a flea. His size certainly keeps the salesmen away. Hi, I’m Helen Ryder.”

  Mike introduced us.

  “Please come inside. This is Harry. Harry be nice, and don’t carry these gentlemen away. Go lie down. How can I help you?”

  “We were talking with your former dance teacher, Mrs. Jacobs. She gave us your name along with the name Charlotte Williams.”

  “Yes, that’s what you said on the phone.”

  “We are part of the special task force investigating the New England Strangler cases. We helped capture the guy who confessed to those crimes. We’re looking into Karen’s and Phyllis’ deaths now,” Mike announced, carefully choosing his words.

  “I cannot get over the fact that both of them are gone. We were so close growing up, staying somewhat in touch over the years.”

  I felt comfortable asking, “We were hoping that you could give us some background on Karen and Phyllis, specifically related to any problem they might have had with anyone.”

  “Are you kidding? They were like Girl Scouts! Other than some pranks at school, which they told me about, there really weren’t any problems.”

  “Please think back when you were all together. Was there any incident where someone might have had a motive?” Mike asked.

  “Phew, I can’t think of anything that would be enough to consider someone wanting to kill them.”

  “We have enough evidence that points to the same person killing both of your friends. We are trying to find a connection to anyone with a motive.”

  “I thought it was strange that they were both strangled, but to be honest, I just considered it a coincidence.”

  We continued talking, though Helen was no help in providing us with any additional information. Mike then trained his focus on Charlotte. “We are trying to get in touch with Charlotte Williams, but have been unable to reach her.”

  “I know Charlotte was planning to go out of the country on an assignment.”

  “What kind of assignment?”

  “She maintained a close tie with the National Association of Camp Facilities. She works with girls and boys camps to set up how they do business and things like that. She has never married, taking her job around the country, and now internationally.”

  “Do you have any idea of where she was going?”

  “I think she might be in Bermuda.”

  Mike asked some additional questions, but nothing materialized from those questions. “Thanks for the information and your time. If you hear from her, we really would like to talk to her before too much time goes by. Would you please keep my card handy? Call me collect if you hear from her, or recall anything that might be important.”

  We were about to leave when I thought of something else to ask. “You were not one of the counselors at the summer camp. Can you tell us anything about that as far as the others are concerned?”

  “No, they really didn’t share much with me, or in front of me, as they knew it made me feel like the Fourth Musketeer, since I did not work with them—if you get my drift?”

  “What about their initials. Is there anything in particular you can think of related to those?” I persisted.

  “That’s an interesting question. The three of them were always burning their initials into things around the camp. Since their initials were the same as the camp, they marked their items and other things with K-P-C.”

  Mike looked at me to see if I had any more questions, and then at Helen. “Thanks again. If you get any thoughts on some kind of a connection you think we should be aware of, please call and again if you hear from Charlotte, call us as well.”

  Harry, who was sitting at the door waiting for us to pass him, greeted us again. He must have weighed over a hundred pounds. When he jumped on me, I was looking up at him. He was like a small bear.

  Helen yelled at him, “Harry get down…these men don’t want to dance with you. Come over here,” she said, with a laugh. The dog went over and sat down beside her.

  When we were in the car we waved to both of them. I guided Mike out of the maze back to the main road.

  Mike wasn’t saying anything. I wondered if he was upset with me.

  “Scott thanks for asking her about those initials. I think we can now speculate why the women were branded.”

  I looked over at Mike, not getting his point.

  “Scott, I think the killer was branded by the women. He is now getting revenge for it. I might be way out of line, but if the women were branding their items and other things…just maybe they decided to brand him for some reason. The branding of the women in their pubic area seems to fit the scenario. What do you think?”

  “Ouch!”

  *.*.*

  Driving back to the office, Mike was strangely quiet. “A penny for your thoughts,” I said, breaking the silence.

  “Well Scott, I’m glad you asked her about the burned initials. The whole thing is starting to form a picture now. I think we might have to pick Mrs. Anderson’s memory, to see if she can remember anything that might have happened between the girls and someone at the camp.”

  “I’m glad I could help a little. Speaking of helping, I had another thought. This ties in with how I’m going to bring up the subject of questioning Lisa’s mom. The women who were killed were about thirty-nine years old. They would have been in high school twenty-two years ago.”

  Mike considered my input, responding, “Yeah, that’s about how I figure the timing.”

  “Well, Lisa would have been just born, or maybe her mom was pregnant. Lisa is twenty-two now. If she had either just given birth, or was still pregnant, maybe that would jar Mrs. Anderson’s memory. It also might have been a distraction to anything going on at the camp.”

  “Scott I like having you with us on the task force. I guess that means we’re going to have to question Rose again. Have you figured out how you’re going to bring up the fact we met with Lisa’s mom?”

  “I’ve been giving that a lot of thought. I guess the best thing to do is to see her as soon as I can. If Mrs. Anderson mentions anything to Lisa about members of the task force questioning her, before I mention something, my goose is cooked. It could be cooked regardless.”

  Chapter 56

  I was just about to shower, when the phone rang. I ran to get it. “Hello.”

  “Hi Scott, this is Lisa. What are you doing?”

  “If you called a minute later I would have been in the shower.”

  “That creates an interesting picture. Why don’t you hop in the car just like that and I’ll be waiting for you.”

  “Actually, I wish you were here and you could wash my back.”

  “So does that mean you’re coming to pick me up?”

  “You’re funny. How about I take a rain check and you can wash to your heart’s content.”

  “How soon can you get here? I have a serious case of Scottitis…I really miss you. Sleeping alone is a real bore. Can we see each other tonight?”

  “I’m on my way.”

  “I don’t think you’re coming dressed like that. I think you’re chicken. However, I will tell the girls to keep their eyes pealed for you, and maybe a show.”

  “Please don’t dare me to do it…you might just regret it. I’ll be on my way shortly.”

  “Scott, please hurry.”

  *.*.*

  She ran to her dorm
room, scaring Judy when she burst in.

  “What’s with you, that you’re in such a hurry?”

  “Scott’s coming. I dared him to come dressed like he was.”

  “So what’s so special about that?”

  “Well he was about to step into the shower, when he answered the phone. If he does come like that, you would all be amazed.” She started removing her own clothes. Judy stared at what she was witnessing.

  “Lisa, what are you doing?”

  “I’m dressing for the occasion.” She went to her closet, looking inside. “I guess I could use the excuse I just don’t have a thing to wear.” She looked at Judy, who had her mouth wide open. “Judy, I think my pea coat is too short for this outfit, can I borrow your London Fog raincoat?”

  “You certainly can. Is that all you’re going to wear?”

  “No silly, I’m going to wear my high heel boots,” she said, laughing.

  “You’ll freeze your butt off.”

  “Only from the front door to the car.”

  “You know, the next time the three of us go to the bakery shop we could all dress that way. It might be exciting. What do you think?” Judy said, smiling.

  She didn’t answer. Looking at her image in the mirror, she decided she needed to put a scarf on. She tucked it into the top of the rain coat, tied the belt, opening the top button. “Now, doesn’t this look presentable?”

  Judy studied her and then shook her head. “It would be if you were looking to be a hit at a strip-poker event. What have I created?” They both laughed, hugging each other. “You have really fallen for this young lad, haven’t you?”

  She turned, opening the raincoat. “Do you think he will be able to tell?”

  *.*.*

  She was anxiously awaiting Scott’s arrival, wondering whether he was going to do anything out of the ordinary. She felt uncomfortable wearing a buttoned raincoat in the reception area, but she knew it was going to be worth it.