The Braille Killer (An Alice Bergman Novel Book 1)

by Daniel Kuhnley

  “You traitorous little thing.”

  I smile. Dracula has emerged. “You talking to me or Guenter?”

  “Guenter. He must’ve bailed on me when you arrived earlier.” The seat cushion moans when Veronica plops down on her brown leather recliner.

  “Do you blame him? The cute guys always flock to me.”

  “You wish! You’d better watch it, or I’ll start lining up the uglies for you again.”

  “So…” So much for a jack-in-the-box. “I have a confession.”

  Veronica shifts in her chair. “I likes me some confessions. What you got, girl?”

  “I can’t… I’m…” Man is this hard.

  “Do I have to go over there and beat it out of you? You know I will.”

  My chest tightens, and I think I might start crying. “I’m blind. There, I said it.”

  Veronica laughs really hard. When I don’t join her it morphs into a chuckle and then stops altogether. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  My body jerks as I try to hold back the tears but it’s a quick battle and I don’t win. I sob and cough, my words spewing out in bursts. “I woke up yesterday and couldn’t see anymore.”

  Veronica gets up off her recliner, picks Guenter up off of me, and sets him on the floor. He whines and barks once. She crawls into the chair with me and we hold each other. She strokes my hair and I cry into her shoulder.

  “I’m so sorry, Ally. Have you told Seth or your mother?”

  I sniff. “Only Seth. I had no choice but to tell him because I needed a ride. I’m pretty sure Mother knows though. You know how she is.”

  “It didn’t just happen overnight, did it?” I know that tone. It’s more of a statement than a question.

  “It started about ten days ago.”

  “That explains the glasses and cane. I knew something was up. Why didn’t you just tell me?”

  “I’ve been so busy and under so much stress the last two weeks that I didn’t want to talk to anyone about it. I’ve been having migraines and thought it might be related. I was hoping it’d just go away.”

  “Have you talked to your doctor about it?”

  “Ugh. You sound like Mother, Vee.”

  She squeezes my head in the crook of her arm. “Don’t lump me into that camp just because I care about you, Ally.”

  “I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me.”

  “Dang straight it was.” She kisses my forehead.

  “I saw several doctors last week. Nothing’s changed. No answers.”

  “Sorry, girl. If I think of something, I’ll let you know.”

  “Vee… there’s something else I need to tell you, but I’m not sure if I can.”

  She pulls away and strokes my cheek. “There ain’t nothing you can’t tell me. You know that. We be like yin and yang. Butter and toast. Peanut butter and chocolate. Pepperoni—”

  “Yeah, I got it after the first pairing of things.”

  “So lay it on me then. What’s got you so wound?”

  “It all has to do with work and the case Seth and I am working. And me.”

  “And?”

  “What I’m about to tell you stays between us.”

  “As in you, me, and Seth?”

  “No! As in you and me. What I’m gonna tell you Seth doesn’t even know. He can’t know. Do you understand?”

  “I hear what you’re saying, but it doesn’t compute. Seth is your partner and boyfriend. If this is about work and the case you’re working, shouldn’t he know?”

  “No. I mean yes, most of the time. Not this though.” I sigh. “Forget it Vee. I don’t want to get you involved either.”

  Veronica nudges my shoulder. “Oh hell no. You don’t start something heavy like that and then get to brush it under the rug. You lay it on me, or you’ll be spending the rest of your life tied to my bed until you do. I’ll go Misery on your ass if I have to. We clear?”

  “Fine, but you gotta promise you’ll never tell Seth even if he begs you or threatens to torture you.”

  She presses her forehead against mine. “Never a soul. Girl Scout Cookie honor or whatever.”

  “Do you remember what happened to me ten years ago?”

  “Yeah, you got your sight. How could I forget?”

  “Yeah, but do you remember Denise?”

  “The girl that died at your doctor’s office, right?”

  “Yeah.” I close my eyes. “Ever since that day, I’ve received a package on the anniversary of her death. The package always includes a note in braille and some sort of picture or object.”

  Veronica jerks back and the entire chair tilts sideways before righting itself. “Okay, not only is that creepy, but why wouldn’t you let me in the loop on this?”

  “I didn’t want to freak you out. Besides, I don’t think about it very often.” It’s not entirely untrue.

  “How long have I known you, Ally? Thirteen years or so? I know when you’re lying. You don’t look at me.”

  I open my eyes. “Better? It isn’t for me. Still can’t see you.”

  “You know what I mean. Just continue.”

  “Okay, so each letter is like a poem, and the poems always blame me for Denise’s death and tell me I need to confess.”

  “Damn, that’s messed up. That chick fell to her death on accident.”

  “I know, but I haven’t gotten to the worst part of it.”

  “Well spit it out.”

  “The note last year told me that it was my last chance to confess. The note this year said the blood is on my hands. The same day a young blind girl was murdered.”

  “Holy…”

  “Yeah, exactly. Ten years and then he murders someone. I can’t tell Seth now because of everything that’s happening. I wish I’d told him two years ago.”

  “Wow. Don’t know what to say to that.”

  “Yeah, but it gets worse.”

  She squeezes my thigh. “How the hell does it get worse from there?”

  “I removed evidence from a crime scene.”

  Veronica sits up. “What the—”

  “And this morning I received another package and another dead girl surfaced. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

  “You’ve gotta tell Seth, Ally.”

  “No! That’s why I’m telling you. So Seth doesn’t need to know.”

  “And what am I supposed to do about it?”

  “Help me solve the case and nail this bastard.”

  “And how are we supposed to do that when you’re on mandatory leave?”

  “I’ve got a storage unit…”

  “You’ve got a what?”

  “Yeah, it’s got all the letters and objects the killer has sent me over the last ten years.” My voice is full of desperation, but it’s all I have left at this point. “I need you to help me go through it all again so that we can figure out who he is and where to find him before he kills another little girl. I need your eyes, Vee.”

  “What you need is a psychiatrist.”

  “Are you gonna help me or not?”

  “Ugh.” Veronica gets up and the chair shakes. “Do I really have a choice at this point?”

  “Nope. That’s why you’re my bestie.”

  “Until the end, my friend. I think I might need to see a shrink by the time this is over.”

  I laugh. “Luckily for you, I know a good one.”

  Veronica exhales loudly. “I’m guessing you want to go over to that storage unit of yours tonight.”

  “The case won’t solve itself.”

  “Fine. Let me throw on some clothes and we’ll go have ourselves a merry old time.” I hear her pad away.

  I shout, “Love you, Vee.” I imagine she gave me the one-finger salute, but I wouldn’t stake my life on it.

  Guenter jumps back up in the chair with me and nuzzles my neck. “And I love you too, little guy.”

  * * * * *

  Veronica’s
arm is locked around mine. “This place is freaky, girl. You’ve been coming here for ten years by yourself?” Her voice is barely a whisper over the buzzing lights.

  Our footsteps echo down the corridor and we sound like a heard of goats, bleating every time the lights flicker. I clutch Esther in my free hand—that’s what I’ve decided to name my new black cane. I didn’t like the name Rico had given it. Too manly. Too not me.

  “Seven years, and it’s definitely creepier when you’re blind.” My mind focuses on storage unit 109. “Be on the lookout for anyone hanging around or following us.”

  “You asking me to haul your butt back out the front doors?”

  “We’ll be fine.”

  We stop, and Veronica presses the button for the elevator. It dings and opens immediately. We clamber into it and the doors close behind us.

  “Third floor,” I say.

  Veronica presses the button and the elevator jerks as it begins its ascent. Ten seconds later it comes to a halt. I’ve ridden the elevator in this facility enough times to know that we’ve stopped way short of the third floor.

  The doors slide open. “Good evening, ladies.”

  Veronica squeals and nearly jerks my arm off. I raise Esther, ready to strike.

  “Whoa, I’m so sorry. Didn’t mean to give you a fright.”

  My heart is racing, but I know that voice. “Bill?”

  “Oh, hey Alice. Good to see you again. Who’s the beautiful woman hanging on your arm?”

  I lower Esther. “This is my girlfriend Veronica.”

  “Pleasure, I’m sure,” says Veronica.

  “Oh, wow. Didn’t realize… well, you know. Hey, I’m not judging though. Makes sense now with what happened before.”

  I roll my eyes. “Don’t be a twit, Bill. We’re not lesbians.” At least not both of us.

  Veronica kisses my cheek. “Says you.” I can only imagine what kinds of gestures she’s making.

  “You alright, Alice? You seem different somehow.”

  “Long day, Bill. You gonna get in or just stand there?”

  “Oh, right. Sorry. Headed down. I’ll catch it again on the way back. Stop by anytime.”

  The doors slide closed and we’re ascending once again. “Don’t ask, Vee.”

  “No wonder you’ve never brought Seth over here.” She nudges me in the ribs. “Got an ugly on the side. What happened before?”

  I’m about to lay into her in our playful banter way, but the elevator lurches to a halt, dings, and the doors slide open. “Saved by the bell.”

  We exit, and I guide Veronica to the left. “Three forty-seven is my unit.”

  “Oh, you got something? Bring it, girl.”

  “I could take you down so far that you’d be looking up for days just to see the surface. Even my uglies are better than your have-nots.”

  “Burn—” Veronica yanks me to the side of the corridor. “Keep walking,” she whispers.

  My pulse rises. Why does this place have to be so creepy? I reach for my gun but of course it isn’t there. Not only am I blind but I’m on administrative leave as well. What kind of irresponsible dolt would let me carry now? Then again, Esther is the deadliest weapon I’ve ever wielded.

  Veronica pulls me to a stop. I can feel her breath on my ear. “I think the creeper’s gone,” she whispers. “Hand me your keys before he decides to come back around.”

  “I can open it. The dials are in braille.”

  “Keys are faster.”

  “Fine.” I pull a wad of keys from my pocket and she takes them from me. “It’s the one with the trapezoid-shaped top.”

  “Got it.”

  “Once we’re inside the unit we can lock it from the inside.”

  “That seems a bit odd. Why would they lock from the inside?”

  “I modified it so that no one can disturb me.”

  I hear the lock click open and slide through the metal ring. “Or kill you.”

  Veronica hands me the lock and keys. She grunts, and I hear the door roll up. I duck inside the unit and move out of the way. The door rolls back down and thuds against the concrete floor.

  “There’s a bar on your right attached to the door. Do you see it or feel it?”

  Veronica grunts and hits the door a few times. “I think I found it.”

  “Good. Shove it toward the wall.”

  The sound of metal scraping metal fills the enclosed space and ends with a thunk. “You’ve gotta find a better place, Ally. I will not be coming back here with you.”

  “Help me solve this case tonight and we won’t need to come back.”

  Veronica grabs my hand. She’s trembling. “Ugh. I ain’t no Nancy Drew, but I’ll do what I can to help.”

  “Vee, what did the guy in the corridor look like?”

  She shudders. “Girl, my skin’s still crawling. He was beyond a creeper standing in the shadows. He made that Bill guy look like the nicest, sexiest man on the planet.”

  “Sounds pretty bad. Sometimes it pays to be blind. Did you get a look at his face?”

  “More than I wanted. Almost lost it when I saw his Freddy Krueger mug.”

  I freeze and can’t breathe.

  “Ally are you okay?” She touches my shoulder and I flinch.

  My grip on Esther tightens. “We need to go back out there and find him.”

  Veronica drops my hand. “The hell you say? I ain’t going back out there until it’s light outside.”

  “We have to, Vee. I think he might be our guy. Besides, there aren’t any windows in this place.”

  Veronica groans. “I’m sorry, but I didn’t sign up for chasing down psycho killers in some creepy-ass storage facility. I’m a nurse, Ally, not some badass ninja detective like you.”

  I sigh. She has a point. “You’re right. Do you have a cell signal in here?” I’m pretty certain of the answer she’ll give me, but she does have a different service provider than me.

  “No service,” she whispers. “This just keeps getting better by the minute.” She squeezes my forearm hard. “We’ll die in here, won’t we? No, don’t answer that.”

  “You’re gonna be just fine. Take a deep breath.”

  She takes several deep breaths. “How am I supposed to help you do anything in the dark?”

  I peel her hand off of mine. “Don’t move. I’ll turn on the light.”

  “I’m sorry, but it would suck to be blind.”

  I walk over to my desk. “I never thought it was that bad growing up, but I had nothing to compare it to. However, after having sight for the last ten years, I’d say there are advantages to both.”

  I locate the battery powered lantern and switch it on. “Welcome to my secret world.”

  Veronica gasps. “Holy cow, Ally! A real life crime board. I feel like I’m on an episode of Castle or something.”

  I smile. “Some things on TV are actually credible. Crime boards like this one organize case facts and help make it solvable.”

  Veronica grabs my arm. “You and Denise? I don’t understand, Ally. We need to have a serious talk.”

  “I know, Vee.” Searing pain ripples through my entire body. “There were some things that happened in my life that I could never tell you about.”

  “I get that we all have secrets, but this is crazy. I had no idea you were ever into girls, especially not ones like her.” I can feel the hurt in her voice just as much as I can hear it. “You should’ve told me.”

  “Take a closer look at that photo. Do I look happy?”

  She lets go of my arm and walks over to the board. “You’re… crying. What happened?”

  “Remember the week of school I missed toward the end of our senior year?”

  “Yeah, you said you had the measles or something.”

  “I know what I told you, but I lied.” I sit down in my chair. “Denise and this guy I’m hunting raped me and beat me so bad that I spent an entire week in the hospital.” />
  “Why didn’t you tell me? You know I would’ve been there for you.”

  Tears well in my eyes. “I was so embarrassed and ashamed of what they did to me that I repressed the memories.”

  “And that’s why you were seeing Dr. Strong, isn’t it? It was never about the dream study.”

  “Honestly, it was both. I started having such bad nightmares that I was afraid to sleep for several months. Music is the only thing that saved me. The therapy helped unlock my memories.”

  Veronica walks over and smooths back my hair. “Well I’m glad that bitch died. If she hadn’t, I’d go hunt her down right now and take her out.”

  “Now you understand why I have to find this guy?”

  The steel in her voice calms me. “Completely. Walk me through each of these letters. Maybe I can help you discover something you’ve overlooked.”

  I wipe my eyes and stand. “I’ve read and analyzed every word of those letters so many times but there seems to be no real substance to them.”

  “We don’t think the same way though. That’s the reason you got me involved, right?”

  “That, plus you can see.”

  “There’s that too. How about we start with you reading the letters since I don’t know braille.”

  I walk over to the corkboard and begin reading the letters from oldest to newest. Several times Veronica stops me, and we ponder the meaning of a verse but neither of us comes to any sort of revelation on any of it.

  I kick my chair into the desk. “This is what happens every time. Nothing but brick walls. I feel like torching the place and just walking away.”

  Veronica hugs me from behind and rests her chin on my shoulder. “You and I both know there’s no quit in you. You’ll get this figured out. I’m certain of it.”

  I lean my head against hers. “And how many more girls will die in the process? He seems to be killing another girl every ten days. It’s all my fault and I feel helpless to stop it.”

  “The only possible way this could even be remotely your fault is if you did kill Denise. If you didn’t, you should tell the police. Or at least Seth. You didn’t though, right?”

  “Sometimes I wonder if I did. Maybe this psycho is right in blaming me.”

  “I know for a fact that you didn’t even if she deserved it. You’re not that kind of person. You value life, even for those undeserving of it.”