Branded for Murder (Scott Tucker Series)

by Dick Waters

  “That’s right Charlotte. You’ve come back to see me, or vice-versa. I hope it’s not too cold in here.” He moved, looking at her body again. He could see her closing her eyes, not wanting to watch him. “Charlotte, you need to keep your eyes open and watch me. I don’t want to hurt you, but if you don’t do as I say, I will. Now, are you cold?”

  She nodded. The tears were still cascading down her cheeks.

  “Good. That’s a good girl.” He went over to the stove, put some more logs inside and came back over to her. “It will be warm enough in here soon. Don’t look away from me. I want you to see what you girls left as a reminder of each of you. I’ll remind you only once more…do as I say or you will regret it. She looked at the scars of where they had branded him. She started sobbing, and he said, “Yes it did hurt. It’s been a pain for many years now. That’s why you’re here. Oh, by the way…you’ve got the job. Simplest interview you’ve ever had, right? I said, RIGHT?”

  She nodded, and he could tell she was trying to ignore his nudity.

  He got up and returned with a bottle of baby oil. “Remember what you girls did with this?” He watched, as she obediently nodded. He started dripping the oil on her body, but was in no rush. The cold oil made her flinch as it landed. He couldn’t stand it any longer, and was soon rubbing it all over her. “You are even more beautiful than I remember. We have much to reminisce about. He started dripping the oil on his own body, rubbing it all over himself.

  He watched her eyes darting around the cabin. “You know what happened to Karen and Phyllis. There are only two things that can save you. One is to be rescued, but I think we can rule that out. The other is that I let you live. They weren’t rescued, and they didn’t do anything that prevented me from killing them. I have more hope for you, but you are the only one who can control your fate. Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

  She was glistening from the light coming in the back window. His body was now shining all over. He could tell she was forcing her eyes wide open, but he closed his as he lowered his body down onto hers.

  Chapter 78

  She went running up to her room, with Judy following. Soon she was pulling a newspaper apart, taping it up to the window.

  “That son of a bitch is not going to see me again,” Lisa said.

  Judy sat on the bed, watching her friend hang each newspaper section until the window was totally covered. “Do you feel better now?” Judy asked.

  She didn’t answer, but went into the bathroom and hung some newspapers across that window also. When she came back into the bedroom and saw Judy staring at her, she collapsed on her bed. She felt the bed buckle as Judy came over to comfort her.

  “Lisa, it’s going to be okay. They know who he is now. Nothing is going to happen to you.”

  She looked at Judy’s face, and replied, “None of us know what is going to happen. Those other women were killed and who knows what else happened to them. I’m scared Judy. I’m really scared. If the guard is truly Jimmy Ballou and he’s the killer…he’s only here to kill me.” She couldn’t hold back the tears any longer.

  Judy was trying to comfort her, but she was sobbing uncontrollably, having trouble breathing. Her chest was expanding, but air wasn’t coming in. She was making strange sounds.

  Judy ran to the door and yelled, “Mike, Scott we need some help here. QUICK!”

  Mike beat me to their room. He saw what was happening to Lisa. He quickly grabbed a small paper bag, holding it across her nose and mouth. “Lisa, take a deep breath. Take a deep breath! Do what I say, you’re going to be okay but you need to take a deep breath. That’s it, that’s it.”

  I had never been in Lisa’s room before. With Mike’s help, she was starting to breathe normally. I noticed the newspapers on the window and looked at Judy. She mouthed ‘just now’ to me. Mike stood up and walked over to the door. I sat down on the bed and Lisa dove into my arms.

  “Lisa it’s going to be okay. We know who he is now. He’s not going to get anywhere near you.” As I said those words, Mike headed out of the room.

  *.*.*

  He approached the female guard. “I’m sorry for all of the confusion. My name is Mike Miller and I’m with the Boston Police department. We need to get in contact with your supervisor or somebody at your security company. Can you give me the number where I can talk to somebody there?”

  She looked at him. “I’m sorry but I have to ask what all of this is about. I need to file a report. Right now I have no idea what to record.”

  “I can understand your confusion. If I can use your phone here I can explain it once to your supervisor and you’ll soon understand as well. Can I please have the number?”

  She didn’t reply but dialed the phone. “Yes this is Alice. I have a Boston Police detective over at the Chase dorm and he needs to talk to you. Can I put him on?”

  She handed him the phone, saying, “Sergeant Collier.”

  “Sergeant Collier, this is Mike Miller, I’m with the Boston Police department. We are part of the task force trying to locate the new strangler. We’re here to talk to one of your guards—Andy Lincoln. He’s not here, but we need to know where he is, and where he lives.”

  “Well, I don’t know what Andy has to do with any of this. However, he has taken some days off since he has several days of accumulated vacation. I can’t say where he is. He lives close to the Chase dormitory. In fact he does double duty. He’s a live in night guard at the prep school behind the Chase dorm. It’s the building right across the alley. Andy is one of our best guards, working for us for three years now. He can be a little strange at times, but he’s not someone who would kill anyone.”

  “Thank you sergeant. If we need anything more we have your number. If you see him before we do please ask him to get in touch with the Boston PD as soon as possible.”

  He hung up the phone, signaling me to follow him. When we were in a quiet area of the reception area he finally whispered, “Scott, he lives in the building behind here. He’s a live in night guard at the prep school.”

  I tried to control my reaction. Lisa mentioned the display she saw in the building behind here. That must be him. “Where is he?”

  “He went on vacation, and they don’t know where he went.”

  I got a chill up my back. “Mike, you said the stakeout at Helen’s wasn’t successful. Do you think we should call the other woman’s parents? I forget the other woman’s name.”

  “It was Charlotte Williams, but she’s out of the country. However, I see where you’re going with this.”

  “Mike if it’s not currently Lisa, and wasn’t Helen, the only one left is Charlotte. He could still be after Helen, or maybe he took a vacation to visit Charlotte. I don’t like the feeling I have in my gut.”

  “I hope you’re not coming down with detectivitis.” He smiled, going over to talk with Paul.

  *.*.*

  Paul gave Mike the Williams’ phone number in New Hampshire. Mike placed the call with operator assistance.

  “Mrs. Williams, this is Mike Miller. I’m a detective with the Boston Police department. We’re investigating the recent strangling cases, and want to talk to your daughter. We understand she’s currently out of the country, but would still like to talk with her. Can I speak with your husband?”

  “He’s deceased. Mr. Miller is she in danger?”

  “We don’t believe so, but we want to speak with her to make sure nothing out of the ordinary is going on. May we have the number please?”

  “Just a minute and I will get it.” He could hear her opening a drawer. “Here it is Mr. Miller. Do you have a pencil?”

  He wrote the number down. “Thank you, Mrs. Williams.”

  “That number is the facility she works for. They will have to get her to the phone. It may take a few minutes.”

  “I want to thank you again. Does your daughter ever head to New England?”

  “She does, but not that often. She might be coming soon for an interview at a camp in
New Hampshire…oh; I wasn’t supposed to mention that. The man asked me to keep the opening a secret, to avoid many people applying for it.”

  Mike took a deep breath, asking as calmly as possible, “Mrs. Williams do you remember anything about the call? I won’t be telling any candidates about it.”

  “Well it wasn’t but a few days ago. I think his name was Mr. Kelley, but I would have to think about his company name.” She paused, and he waited patiently. “I think it was National Camp Management or something similar. He didn’t leave a number. I gave him Charlotte’s number. He was quite polite and thanked me. He said she had the position based on her qualifications, if she could do a face-to-face interview. I don’t know what happened since then.”

  “Mrs. Williams that is very helpful. If you hear from your daughter please call us at this number.”

  “It would be so nice to have her back in New Hampshire again.”

  “I beg your pardon Mrs. Williams. What do you mean?”

  “Mr. Kelley said the position included camps in New Hampshire, which is why her experience made her the best candidate.”

  “Thank you Mrs. Williams, you’ve been a huge help. I wish you and your daughter many happy times together.”

  I was standing next to Paul. I could see Mike’s strange reaction to something just before the call ended.

  Mike waved for us to follow him. Once we were in a quiet area again, he announced, “We’ve got a problem. I think Charlotte Williams may be in New Hampshire for what she thinks is an interview. The interview is with Jimmy Ballou. Do either of you have any thoughts?”

  Chapter 79

  He was enjoying his time with Charlotte. This was worth twenty-two years. He had already made love to her several times. She wasn’t resisting the way he had expected.

  They were sharing the same cot, but she was still tied to the bed. “Charlotte, when we were together during your private time with me, I really liked you. You seemed to enjoy yourself. I thought there was something special between us. You said I was special, and you would always remember our time together. Do you remember saying that?”

  She tried to answer, but the gag was preventing her from replying.

  He removed the gag, warning, “Don’t try anything funny. Nobody can hear you, so don’t yell. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  For the first time he could actually hear her voice. “Jimmy, I remember saying that. I think of what happened at camp frequently. I’ve never been with any man since. I have a girl friend and we’re…well we’re more than friends. I guess you could call us lovers.”

  He pushed himself away from her. “You mean I’m the only man who has ever made love to you?”

  “When we were together at camp that year, I got lost in the moment and what we were doing and when I forced you to make love to me that was the only time…well until now.”

  “Do you want to tell me more?”

  “Yes, but I’m not sure how.” She pulled on the ropes, but he didn’t react. She continued, “I liked what you were doing with my body. I remember now what it was like years ago, and well…I liked it. It’s not the same with a woman.” He started to play with her body, but couldn’t tell if she was enjoying it or playing along.

  “Charlotte this may seem odd, but I never got you out of my mind since what happened at camp. None of the others…well they didn’t make love to me. Yes, they experimented but it wasn’t what I felt with you. I think I fell in love with you years ago, and would like to be with you for the rest of my life. Does that sound believable?”

  She nodded, not saying anything more for several minutes. Then she whispered, “Do you think we could be together for the rest of our lives? I think we could. I think I could stay with you. Don’t you want me by your side for many years to come?”

  They were quickly making love again. For some reason he really believed she was serious about this. He tested her some and she seemed to react the way he wanted her to. He needed to give this some thought. “Charlotte I need to think about this. I hadn’t expected you to care about me the way I care about you.” He got a towel that he brought from the hotel, wiping the baby oil off her starting from her arms, down to her feet. He stood up, doing the same to himself. She looked at him and smiled. He was getting excited again.

  He went to the stove, putting another log on the fire. He put his jeans and shoes on, going outside, looking at her before he left. She smiled at him again. He didn’t know what he was going to do. He needed time to think.

  Chapter 80

  Mike made a call to the New Hampshire State Police to discuss Jimmy Ballou kidnapping and potentially killing Charlotte Williams. He gave the officer the name of the camp and it’s location in Campton. Before Mike got off the phone, they had radioed a cruiser covering that area about what might be happening.

  “Scott, please take Paul’s car back to the task force office and leave the keys with Colleen. Paul’s coming with me to New Hampshire. I just got off the phone with the New Hampshire State Police. A cruiser is already headed to the camp in case Charlotte is indeed there. We have to leave. I’ll try to reach you later at your apartment or here at the dorm.”

  “Okay I’ll take care of the car.”

  *.*.*

  Mike was glad he had a full tank of fuel, as it was over a two hour drive to the main town of Plymouth, and several minutes from there to where the camp was located.

  “Mike what do you think about all of this?”

  He took a deep breath before answering. “Paul, I think we might be too late to intercept Jimmy, but maybe we will be lucky. We’re assuming the so called interview is going to take place at the camp, but it could be anywhere. The police are going to go to the camp, but will also start checking the hotels and motels in and around Plymouth for Charlotte Williams. There is no telling what name Jimmy is using, or if he is actually staying at a hotel.”

  “He played us well didn’t he?”

  “It looks that way. While we were focused on Helen Ryder, he was busy setting a trap for Charlotte. I hope we’re not too late.”

  Mike was now in the passing lane on Route 93, just outside Boston. He had his blue light on the roof flashing. He noticed Paul looking calm and collected, but at this speed he knew it was just a façade. Traffic wasn’t heavy at this time of day. “Paul, would you get on the radio to let dispatch know what is going on? Tell them to expect a call from the New Hampshire State police and to patch them through to us, or relay what they find.”

  Chapter 81

  It was cold outside. He left the cabin without his shirt. However, he was not feeling the cold, and wanted to go to the swimming hole. He needed to clear his mind. Charlotte indicating that they could spend the rest of their lives together was an unexpected twist. He tested her, and she really seemed to be sincere. How could he pull off being with her since he had committed two murders already?

  Soon he was looking at the swimming hole, with the clear water rushing by. There was ice on the edges of the river where the water was moving slower. He brushed the snow off a large rock under a tree at the end of the path. Sitting down, all he could think of was Charlotte and what they had experienced since being together. Then he remembered the girls swimming and frolicking like innocent maidens. His breathing was labored, and he could see his breath. That’s when he decided to do something he hadn’t planned on.

  He took off his jeans and shoes, quickly heading to the moving water. He knew it was going to be the shock of his life, but he thought he needed to clear his mind. He dove in and couldn’t believe how cold the water was. He wondered what in the world he was thinking. Immediately, he did a combination of swimming and walking as fast as he could, to get out of the water. He hit the shore, trying to get out of the freezing water. The ice on the edge prevented him from climbing out.

  He needed to get out or he would freeze to death. He dove onto the ice, sliding to the edge of the shore. He quickly stood up and ran across the small snow covered beach. He looked down and his body
was a bright red color. He could see his breath still, so he was still alive. His body was smoking in the cold air. He tried to dry himself off, but the water drops on his body were ice crystals. He thought of Charlotte’s warm body and what the heat of her body would feel like.

  His jeans were hard to put on over his bare legs, but he got them on and zipped up. He put his shoes on, now feeling warmer. He wondered if he was actually warming up, or was it the thought of Charlotte waiting for him. He made up his mind that they would be together for as long as they could be. He was going to return to Bermuda with her and hide. She would be glad to hide him with her, but what about her girlfriend? He was going to have to find a way of getting rid of her. What about Lisa Anderson? He couldn’t take the chance of killing her. Maybe he could do that before leaving?

  It was quite a distance back to the cabin. He would get some clothes in his car, which was parked by the town well. He was jogging to his car. He unlocked the door wondering why he had locked it in the first place. He quickly opened his duffle bag, taking out a heavy woolen shirt. He thought he heard something in the distance. He stopped fumbling with the shirt, to listen more closely—“son of a bitch it’s a police siren,” he yelled.

  *.*.*

  He jumped into the car, started it up, and headed out of the camp following the plowed road. He had already discovered that the plowed road came in off the main road to the town well and continued around the camp to the rear exit. If the siren wasn’t coming to the camp, he could double back, but he couldn’t risk staying there. The noise of the police car was getting closer. He stopped the car within sight of the main road, rolling down his window.

  He saw the police car fly by with its lights flashing off the stand of pine trees around him. He heard the cruiser decelerate, and then the squeal of tires as it braked for the other entrance. He counted to ten and started the car. He quickly drove the remaining distance to the main road, but didn’t head west towards the camp’s main entrance. He headed east toward Waterville valley and another way out of the area.