“And did you see that giant cross around his neck?” Johnnie asked. “Could he find a bigger one?”
“And what was all that crap about him knowing Mr.Andrews?” Boggs asked. “I bet you he never met the guy. There’s no way he was feeling a personal loss. No way.”
“I think Mr. Andrews was on some planning committee,” Johnnie said. She keyed in a search on her laptop. “Yeah,” she said a minute later. “He was on the park committee and I bet that’s how the mayor met him. But I’m betting he never did more than pass him in City Hall.”
“We all know he’s a pompous ass and a bigot,” Toni said. “And that he makes no bones about it. The fact that he says he tolerates gays says it all. I’m still not sure how he’s going to cause trouble for us. But for now, let’s try to focus on our maniac here. See if we can find something we missed. I’m positive it’s right in front of us, but we’re just not seeing it.” She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was close to figuring out the missing piece.
They spent the next two hours going over the information they’d already gathered and tried to make some sense of it all.
He watched the news conference with his mother and felt his jaw clench when the mayor finished talking. Hypocrite. How could he say that he was friends with that deviant man? A man who proudly claimed to be the father of a deviant? He excused himself, twisting his ring as he walked. He needed the calm of his sanctuary.
He sat at his desk and tried to pray, but his anger and confusion clouded his thoughts. He had always thought that the mayor was a pious and righteous man, believing the same as he. He’d even campaigned for the mayor in his reelection last spring and attended the morning prayer meetings. He thought he knew the mayor, but now he just felt betrayed. His mission was for the good of all God-fearing people in the United States, and the mayor had said it was shameful that the deviant had been killed. It’s you who are shameful, allowing deviants to work in the police department and fire department. He felt his heart race as his fury grew and realized he was grinding his teeth. He took several deep breaths.
Once his breathing slowed, he dropped to his knees and prayed for guidance. The mayor had vowed to stop the killings and he couldn’t let that happen. Not now, not ever. It wasn’t time. His list wasn’t complete.
He stilled his mind and waited for an answer. It didn’t take long. God spoke to him clearly. Now he just needed a plan. A way to complete this task. And it would be a wonderful accomplishment, to silence the betrayer. It would be like silencing Judas. He smiled.
He rose from his knees and sat at his desk. He would need a little more information. “The Internet is a blessed thing,” he said quietly. It took him less than fifteen minutes to find out everything he needed to know. He knew God would help him.
He spent twenty minutes typing out his mission and his beliefs. He knew if this didn’t end well, he wanted everyone to know about the great things he’d done for the country. He saved the document on a zip drive and slipped it in his pocket. He took his gym bag with him and paused in the living room. “I need to run an errand, Mother. Is there anything I can bring back for you?”
She smiled at him. “I baked some cookies today, but we’re low on milk. Could you bring home some?”
He kissed her on the cheek, as he always did. “Yes. I’ll be back within the hour.”
He drove to the corner gas station and went to the pay phone on the side. The streetlight was burned out and he stood in the shadows of the building as he made the call to the mayor. He was pretty sure this was the mayor’s home number, but he wasn’t positive. He felt anxious until he heard a woman’s soft voice answer the phone. Ah, the wife, he thought. She’ll be better off now that the betrayer is about to be cast out along with his deviant associates.
He altered his voice only slightly and asked to speak to the mayor. Once the mayor came to the phone, he began his story. He told the mayor he was a fellow member and had information about the killings. The unfortunate thing, he’d said, was that it was a good Christian who has realized the error of his ways. And, he continued, it was a member of the mayor’s own staff.
“He has asked me to talk to you,” he said, his voice still disguised. “He wants your forgiveness before he turns himself in. And he has some sort of computer thing to give you. I think he called it a thumb drive. He said he’d deleted it from his computer at work, but that you should have the information.”
There was silence on the other end and he feared that the mayor wasn’t going to fall for his plan. “Are you still there?”
“Yes.” The mayor’s voice was much quieter than it had been at the beginning. There was another long pause. “Where?”
He smiled. Not only was the mayor a Judas, he was obviously doing something else that was either illegal or immoral. The message he’d received from God was right, of course. The mayor was dirty. He gave a location to the mayor, indicating that he’d be there with the killer in fifteen minutes.
He got back in his car and waited. He knew that if things didn’t go well, they’d find the zip drive in his pocket. He didn’t want there to be any doubt that God had spoken directly to him and that he was God’s special messenger. He said another prayer and headed off to the meeting spot.
The mayor’s car was already there, parked in an alley behind a warehouse. He’d circled the block and did not detect any police officers, but he couldn’t be sure. He pulled his car up next to the mayor’s, their driver’s side windows together. He rolled down his window and watched as the mayor did the same.
“Hello, Judas,” he said. He could see his breath in the cold night air.
He thought the mayor looked momentarily confused, then terrified as he saw the muzzle of his nine-millimeter gun. This time it sounded much louder than a firecracker, probably because it was inside his car. It only took one shot, and the mayor slumped. He pulled out a Bible from his gym bag and tossed it inside the car. He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should use the myrrh oil, but decided against it. He didn’t want to touch this man, this betrayer of God. He looked straight ahead and drove away, stopping at the convenience store for milk.
Toni was getting herself another beer when Vicky’s phone rang.
“It’s Captain Billings again,” Vicky said. After a few one-word answers, she closed her phone. “The mayor’s been shot. He’s dead. It’s probably our guy. He left a Bible.” She filled them in on the details she knew.
“What the hell?” Toni was confused. The mayor was known for his conservative values and he was a member of The Fellowship. Why would the maniac target the mayor when they seemed to share the same distorted views, she wondered.
“Are we going to the scene?” Patty asked.
“Captain Billings has the same crime scene unit there and he’s already talked to the mayor’s wife himself. He said that she told him the mayor got a call and then went out. He didn’t tell her where he was going. He’s got a dump on the phone.”
“So our guy was somehow able to lure the mayor out.” Toni tapped her finger on her lips. “But why? It must have something to do with the press conference.”
“I wish we could watch it again,” Patty said. “Maybe we missed something.”
“Hey!” Boggs grabbed the remote. “I had the DVR set to record that game show at seven.”
“You watch game shows?” Johnnie asked, snickering.
“Yes, I do. That stupid one where they have to jump through a hole. It cracks me up.” She found the show and hit play. “The press conference was only about ten minutes long,” she said.
They stared at the television and watched the entire thing again. No one said a word. When it was over, Boggs stopped the recording.
“I didn’t hear anything,” Johnnie said.
“The only thing that stood out to me was the fact that he felt a personal loss regarding Mr. Andrews,” Toni said.
“Which was total bullshit,” Boggs added.
Toni nodded. “Okay, let’s assume that our m
aniac watched the press conference.”
“But why would he be so pissed at the mayor?” Patty asked. “I mean, the mayor said he’d get to the bottom of this, do you think that’s what set him off?”
“I don’t think so,” Toni said. “He would expect the mayor to say that. We all did. The only thing that surprised any of us was the bit about Mr. Andrews.”
“I’m not sure I follow you,” Patty said. “Is it just me?”
“Me, either,” Johnnie said.
Vicky shrugged.
“Okay, here’s what I’m thinking,” Toni continued. “And it’s just a guess. But like I said, we all expected the mayor to say he’d do what he could to stop the murders. Our killer might think that the mayor was just saying what he needed to say. Just like us. Does that make sense?”
Everyone nodded. “In other words,” Patty said, “the maniac assumed the mayor would say that even though he secretly agreed that the killings were a good thing?”
“Exactly,”Toni replied.“But I think it pissed our guy off when the mayor seemed genuinely upset about Mr. Andrews.”
“Oh, I get it,” Boggs chimed in. “That would look like the mayor approved of Mr. Andrews, right?”
“Yes, I think so.” Toni took a sip of her beer. “Everyone in Fairfield knows that the mayor is a bigoted asshole and that he’s a mile right of conservatives.” She shook her head. “How the hell did he get elected anyway?”
“Because the Democrat running against him died,” Vicky reminded her.
“Oh, that’s right. Anyway, when the mayor acted like he was a personal friend of Mr. Andrews, that must have thrown our guy for a loop. He might have even felt betrayed by someone who believed the same as he did. That’s my best guess right now.”
They talked about the possibilities.
Vicky’s phone rang again. “It’s Captain Billings again.” She talked for several minutes, then closed her phone. “He said that the call to the mayor came from a pay phone. He sent some uniforms over there and no one saw a damned thing. It’s on the side of a gas station. There aren’t any cameras there. We’ve got squat.”
“I don’t suppose the mayor’s wife knew anything?” Johnnie asked.
“No, not as far as I know,” Vicky said. “We’re no closer now than we were after the first murder. Damn it.” She slammed her beer bottle down on the coffee table. “Oh, jeez. I’m sorry.”
“No worries, sweetie,” Toni said. “We’re all a little on edge.”
“We’ve got three good suspects, but no evidence,” Vicky said. “We’ve only got the last three on a license plate and our gut feelings. That’s not enough to question any of them. I don’t want them to know we’re looking at them.”
“Especially not Peter,” Boggs added. “He’d bolt for sure.”
“I’m leaning toward Peter as our guy,” Johnnie said. “Mostly because of the evidence, or lack thereof. I think he’s showing his badge to get in. And he knows enough not to leave anything behind. Plus there’s the whole Fellowship thing. If we could only figure out how he’s getting the insulin.”
“That seems to be a big key,” Vicky said. “But there’s no way to find out who is getting it. Claire talked to her supervisor and she said that the hospital isn’t missing any.”
“We know that Mevin is a diabetic,” Patty added. “But it doesn’t seem likely that he’s using his own insulin. He’d get really sick, wouldn’t he?”
“Yeah he would, ”Vicky said.“Damn it.What are we missing? Let’s go over this again.We have Joe Jackson the creepy neighbor, Mevin Murran the defrocked nurse with a bad temper, and Peter Johnson the asshole.” She flipped open her notebook. “The only thing we know for sure is that each one of them has, or has access to, a dark colored Ford van with the last three on the plates being six, six, six.”
“We know that the only way Peter got his job was through the mayor,” Boggs added. “Who is now dead. I can see Peter doing that. And the mayor would definitely meet with Peter, don’t you think?”
“True,” Toni said. “But wouldn’t the mayor’s wife have recognized his voice?”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Boggs said. “Unless the son of a bitch disguised his voice.”
“Instead of trying to place one of these guys at a scene, why don’t we try to eliminate one of them?” Patty said. “Maybe that would be easier.”
“Well, Peter and Joe work during the day and all the murders took place in the evening,” Vicky said. “Except for Linda.” She blinked back tears. “Hers was in the late afternoon.”
“Maybe we can check Mevin’s schedule at Christian Hospital?” Johnnie said. “He does shifts, so maybe he was at work when one of the murders happened. It seems unlikely that he could leave in the middle of his shift and get back without someone noticing.”
“I can do that,” Vicky said. “At least it’s something.”
Toni sighed, then reached for her now empty beer. She looked at the bottle and set it back down.
“Do you want another one, babe?” Boggs asked. “Anyone?”
Toni shook her head. The others also declined.
“I just feel like I’m missing something obvious and it’s driving me nuts,” Toni said. “I’m positive this guy is working on two lists, just like Cathy said. Linda and the mayor are definitely on the second list. Maybe this list is more personal to him. He shot them and didn’t do the stun gun or stoning thing. Maybe Linda either did something or represented something that pissed him off. Same with the mayor. The others seem to be on a different kind of list. I’m just not understanding what it is, but I know it is very important to him.”
Vicky glanced at her watch. “I don’t think there’s anything else we can do tonight,” she said. “I think I’ll stop by the mayor’s house and give my condolences to his wife.”
Johnnie raised her eyebrows at that comment.
“In other words, I want to see what she knows,” Vicky said. “I know that Captain Billings already talked to her, but I just want to get a feel for her.” She stood. “And Claire is getting off a little early tonight,” she added. “I want to make sure I have enough time to get ready.”
“Enough said,” Boggs replied with a grin.
“Patty and I are going to head out also,” Johnnie said, draining the rest of her beer. “She’s beating me at Detective Firebrand.”
Toni and Boggs walked them out and locked the doors behind them. Boggs made sure the alarm was set and double-checked all the doors. “I’m getting a bad feeling about all this,” she said quietly. “We usually know more than this. I feel like we’re completely in the dark.”
“I know. Me, too. But it’s hard to figure out what’s going on in the mind of a crazy person. They don’t do what you expect them to do. You almost have to think crazy to even get a clue.”
While Boggs got the coffee ready for the morning, Toni grabbed a bottle of water and sat at the island. Mr. Rupert sat next to her.
Boggs seemed to notice her frustration. “Hey, babe. Why don’t we make a list of what we have to do before Thanksgiving? And I guess we need to start a grocery list.”
Toni smiled and retrieved a pad of paper and pencil from the island drawer. Boggs knew her well. She always felt better if she could make a list. Any kind of list. She routinely made lists for cleaning the house, grocery lists and Christmas card lists. “Let me grab the Thanksgiving food list from my briefcase,” she said excitedly. “I’ll redo it and then we can see if there’s anything we’re missing.”
Her briefcase was in the mudroom and she quickly retrieved the crumpled piece of paper. She sat back down at the island and started a fresh list. She handed the old one to Boggs, who was now sitting next to her with a bottle of lemon water. “Here, you read off what we have so far.”
Boggs started to read off the items.
“Wait,” Toni said. “I need a bigger pad of paper.” She pulled out a legal pad from the drawer. Boggs gave her a puzzled look. “I need to divide everything up, y
ou know, main dishes, sides, desserts. And I need room to put down who’s bringing what.”
Boggs chuckled and waited for her to make the different headings on her list. “Okay, I’m ready.”
They went through the old list, then stared at the huge list of food.
“I think we’ll be able to feed the entire neighborhood,” Boggs said.
Toni laughed. “And Mom thought we wouldn’t have enough. I think we’ve got everything covered. We’ll need to get out the turkeys from the freezer tomorrow and put them in the fridge. The ham too. Okay, let’s start our grocery list. I think we should go on either Monday night or Tuesday night after work. It will be a zoo on Wednesday.”
Boggs took the small pad of paper and began writing.“I’ll need two heads of cauliflower and sharp cheddar for my casserole.” She jotted those items down. “I wonder if I have enough bread crumbs.”
Toni hopped down and checked the pantry. She was feeling wonderful. Even though there was a maniac out there, she was safe at home with the woman she loved. And here they were, getting ready for their first Thanksgiving dinner. She was overcome with emotion and wiped away a tear. She opened the door to the pantry and looked on the shelves. “You’ve got an unopened can here,” she informed Boggs. “And we only have one can of turkey broth. Better put that on the list.”
“What about cream of chicken soup? We both need that for our casseroles.”
“We only have one can.” She picked up a box of Minute Rice and shook it. “And put rice on the list.”
“What about the stuff for stuffing?”Boggs asked.She laughed. “Stuff for stuffing.”
“Mom said she was bringing that,” Toni replied. “And the ingredients for dressing.”
“What the hell is the difference?”
“One is fixed on the stove top or in the turkey and the other in the oven,” Toni said. “I don’t like either, so I really don’t have any idea. Do you like stuffing?”
“I like to eat it once,” Boggs answered. “But I’m not wild about it. It’s just something I think you should eat on turkey day.”
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