As she opened the gate, revealing the large trash receptacle, a cold breeze caressed her face, making her shiver. She threw the bag into the Dumpster. All at once nothing seemed to be working right. First there was intense pressure in the middle of her back. Her vision blurred and her legs felt so weak that she tried to grab the side of the fence to keep from falling. But her arms didn’t seem to be functioning either. Blackness narrowed her vision as she felt herself falling to the ground.

  * * * *

  “Bob claims the gate was closed when he discovered her,” Officer Dennis Ackerman told Daniel as he stood over the body of Gayle Nelson. She was face down, her head turned to the side, one arm close to her body and the other flung out as though reaching for something. “He says he came out to put his garbage in the Dumpster and there she was. He yelled for his brother, who came running out right away.”

  “Bob seems to be having a run of bad luck, doesn’t he?” Daniel said.

  Dennis met Daniel’s gaze. “Bob’s got a lot of questions to answer, I’d say.”

  The area behind Mulberry Manor was now lit up like a movie set. Spotlights had been brought in to illuminate the crime scene. It was a little after one o’clock in the morning and Daniel had been rousted out of bed by a call from night dispatcher Ron Elam just after midnight telling him that a homicide had occurred. Now the seven-unit apartment complex was crawling with police personnel, including officers Larry Schwartz and Ken Lafferty who were questioning the residents, and Luke Fagan, who was processing the crime scene.

  Flashing lights from squad cars and an EMT unit reflected eerily off the windows along the back of the apartment building. Daniel had ordered Bob and Dick Jackson back into the apartment they shared. Other residents who had come outside to see what all the excitement was about had also been sent back inside. Paramedics Reed Fletcher and Harry Buckner, who were dispatched initially, seemed reluctant to leave even though their services were not needed.

  “Just like Patty Regan,” Luke said, as he examined the body. “Stabbed in the back with an ice pick. Handle is almost identical to the one used on Patty.” He pointed to the Valentine card stuck between her body and the hilt of the weapon. “This one has a Teddy bear on it.”

  Daniel felt his insides twist a little, as though they were being tied into a knot. Turning to Dennis he said, “Go talk to the two Jacksons. I’ll be along as soon as the coroner arrives.”

  “You think it’s a coincidence that both our victims lived in the same apartment complex?” Luke stood up and walked over to where he’d left his metal evidence kit.

  “I don’t believe in coincidences,” Daniel snapped.

  The coroner arrived several moments later. Leaving him and Luke to do their jobs, Daniel walked across the parking lot and into apartment number five where Dennis was interviewing Bob and Dick Jackson.

  “…at eight tonight. I got home about eight-fifteen. Dick was already here. We watched the basketball game,” Bob was saying.

  Daniel assessed the man’s appearance. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a red sweatshirt. He looked tired and haggard. Sitting next to him on the plaid sofa was his brother Dick, who looked just as worn out as Bob. “What time did you take the trash out?”

  Bob looked up at Daniel, impatience flashing in his eyes. “I already told you. Dick went to bed right after the game was over, about eleven-thirty. I stayed up. I’ve been having trouble sleeping since…Patty…” His voice trailed off and his gaze was a little unfocused, as though he was deep in thought. Then he took a deep breath and continued. “I realized tomorrow was trash pickup day here, so I got it all into one bag and took it out. That was about ten minutes to twelve.”

  Dennis’s attention turned to Dick. “Let’s go into the kitchen. Come on.”

  Dick reluctantly got up and followed Dennis, but not before he threw a concerned look his brother’s way. Daniel took a seat in a tan easy chair across from the couch.

  “Divide and conquer, huh?” Bob said.

  “How well did you know Gayle Nelson?” Daniel asked.

  “She’s lived here for five years. In fact, she moved in about the time I did. We were neighborly. Not close. She didn’t frequent the bar where I work. I ordered flowers from her shop several times lately…for Patty…” His voice hitched in his throat and tears sprang into his eyes.

  Daniel thought if he was acting, he was doing a damned good job. “You see her tonight?”

  Bob shook his head. “I came straight home from the bar and started watching the game with Dick.”

  There was a knock at the door. Bob got up and answered it. Paul Carmody and Reed Fletcher stood on the front stoop.

  “We wanted to make sure you guys are okay before we take the unit back to the station,” Paul said.

  Daniel stood up and turned around. Both men looked half frozen, yet they’d stayed around to support their fellow paramedics. In spite of how he felt about Lloyd Fletcher, Daniel had nothing but respect for his son, Reed.

  “Come on in,” Bob told them, stepping back so they could enter. “I think we’re finished here, aren’t we…Chief?” He stared hard at Daniel.

  “For now,” Daniel said, rather sharply.

  Dennis came back into the room, followed closely by Dick, who had a look of consternation on his finely chiseled face.

  Daniel hesitated at the door, his hand on the knob. “I’ll want to talk to you again, Bob. I’ll let you know when.”

  “I told you before, I have an attorney…” He stopped suddenly, a sound like a sigh escaping his lips.

  “Yeah, I think your attorney might be a little busy now, mourning the death of his fiancé, don’t you?” Daniel asked. He held Bob’s gaze for a few seconds, then opened the door and preceded Dennis out of the apartment.

  At a little before four a.m. they were all gathered in the squad room. Ken and Larry had returned from breaking the bad news to Gayle’s loved ones. Gayle’s body had been properly bagged and tagged and was by now at the ME’s office. Luke had processed the crime scene, which was now cordoned off with yellow tape. The spotlights had been returned to the station. The Dumpster would remain unemptied until its contents had been examined, which would happen once the day shift arrived. Until then, Daniel had ordered a padlock be placed on the gate to the fenced in area where the trash receptacle sat.

  Luke had brewed a fresh pot of coffee, a cup of which Daniel now gratefully drank. “We need to compare notes and find out where we stand.” He focused his attention on Ken Lafferty. “You went to Rosewood and notified Gayle’s mother. How did that go?”

  Ken exhaled slowly. “Terrible. Mrs. Nelson just lost her husband two years ago. She’s devastated. I hated to leave her alone. We finally got hold of the other daughter, Jenny, who is a nurse and was on duty at the medical center in Rosewood. She came right away. Neither of them could think of anyone with a grudge against Gayle. Of course they were almost hysterical, so I didn’t expect to get much out of them tonight.”

  Daniel looked at Larry Schwartz. “How did it go with Mark Cardosa?”

  Larry shook his head. “He wanted to go right to the crime scene. I practically had to cuff him to keep him from bolting out the front door. I finally convinced him it would be a bad idea. He claims he dropped her off at home after a Friends of the Library meeting. That was about nine-fifteen. He then went to Marietta to meet with a client. He said he just got home minutes before I arrived.”

  Luke made a huffing noise and looked at Daniel. “You buying that? Kind of late for a business meeting, wouldn’t you say? If that’s where he was at all.”

  Daniel agreed. “We’ll bring him in for an interview tomorrow sometime. I want to hear more about this client he was meeting in Marietta at that time of night.” He thought for a moment. “What about the neighbors? Anything there?”

  Ken and Larry exchanged glances. It was Ken who answered. “The general consensus was that everyone more or less minded their own business. They were cordial, but not close.”

  “Except Bob Jackson and Patty Regan, of course,” Larry added.

  “Seems like everywhere we turn there’s Bob, doesn’t it?” Luke said.

  Daniel agreed, but he knew better than to jump to conclusions. He definitely wanted to talk to the other people who were at the Friends of the Library meeting. He knew his mother was a member, but wasn’t sure if she’d attended. He’d drop by in a few hours for breakfast again and find out. It was now his opinion that the killer had to have stalked his victims for a while before killing them. Both these murders had been committed with too much precision to be just random acts of violence. Maybe Gayle noticed someone strange hanging around and mentioned it to a friend.

  “Okay, Ken, Larry—you might as well write up your reports, then get back out on patrol. You still have a few hours left on your shift. You both did a good job tonight.” He got up and went into his office. Luke followed, closing the door behind him.

  Daniel sat down behind his desk and looked up at his second in command. “Did you find anything at the crime scene that might help us catch this nutcase? We’ve got two victims now, and the good citizens of Crescent Falls are going to want some answers sooner rather than later.”

  Luke put his coffee mug on the corner of Daniel’s desk. He began to pace back and forth. “I dusted the gate and the sides of the Dumpster. I got lots of prints, of course. We bagged her hands, but I can tell you right now that I doubt she had a chance to touch her killer. She was stabbed from behind, as you saw. The same MO as Patty. I have a feeling the ME’s report will read about the same, too. We’re dealing with a very organized killer who is able to surprise his victims before they even know what hit them.”

  “They both lived in the same apartment complex. Maybe it has something to do with that. Did they see something they shouldn’t have? Hear something incriminating? We need to check out those residents thoroughly,” Daniel told him.

  “Including the Jackson boys,” Luke said.

  Daniel nodded. “Especially them. Also, I’m not happy with Cardosa’s story about his whereabouts tonight after he dropped Gayle off. It smells fishy. I’m going to send an officer to bring him in for an interview later this morning.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Adelaide wasn’t surprised to find Daniel at her front door on Wednesday morning.

  “I heard all about it on the early news. Come in. You look dreadful,” she told Daniel as she stepped quickly into the warmth of the foyer. The temperatures had dropped even more overnight, with a high of only eighteen predicted for today. She eyed him with concern. “Did you get any rest at all?” She took his coat as he slipped it off. By the time she’d hung it up in the closet, he had disappeared. She found him in the kitchen, pouring himself a mug full of coffee.

  “I slept for about an hour in one of the jail cells. Those beds are awful, by the way,” he told her. He sat down at the table and began sipping at his coffee. “I briefed the day shift then came straight here.”

  “I’ll fix you some breakfast.” She went to the refrigerator and got out a carton of eggs and a package of bacon. “I just got off the phone with Ethel. Neither of us can believe Gayle is gone, and in such a horrible way. I’m assuming what they said on the news is true, that she was killed in the same way as Patty Regan.” She got out a skillet and put several slices of bacon in it, then turned on the burner.

  “It’s true. There was a Valentine.”

  Oscar came into the room doing a crazy sort of dance as he tried to stretch and walk at the same time. He purred loudly and rubbed his body against Daniel’s chair leg.

  Adelaide put a splatter shield over the top of the skillet, then joined her son at the table. “Yes, that was mentioned on the news, unfortunately. I know you wanted that detail kept from the press.”

  Daniel groaned. “Damn. That information could only have come from inside the department.”

  “Your mole is hard at work, Daniel.”

  “When I find that son of a bitch, I’ll make sure his tattletale days are over.”

  Adelaide got up and went to check on the bacon. It was browning nicely. She took a small mixing bowl from the cupboard and broke three eggs into it, stirring them swiftly with a fork. After removing the bacon from the skillet and placing it on some paper towels, she scrambled the eggs. Once the meal was ready she put it on a plate and brought it to her son.

  She sat down across the kitchen table from him. “Okay, Daniel. You’re not here for breakfast or to tell me about the murder, since you know I start my day by watching the news. So what’s up?”

  Oscar was meowing insistently at Daniel’s feet now. He broke off a small piece of bacon and put it on the floor. Oscar sniffed it, then carried it off to his cat bed next to the refrigerator. “We know that Gayle was at the Friends of the Library meeting last night. I need to know who else was there and if she seemed nervous or said anything out of the ordinary…like she’d noticed someone following her or gotten any suspicious phone calls lately. Anything.”

  She told him who else was at the meeting. He took a small notebook and a pen from his shirt pocket and jotted down the names. “She made a suggestion about the Friends setting up a booth at the July fourth festival to generate more revenue. Later, she talked about her wedding. Oh, and Mark picked her up. Evidently he was nervous about her going out alone at night with a killer still on the loose.”

  Daniel made a huffing noise. “Well, the kill method was identical to Patty’s. Bob Jackson also found Gayle’s body. That makes him a real person of interest in my eyes. He claims he got home from the bar around eight-thirty and watched a basketball game with his brother, who was already home. Dick went to bed around eleven. Bob claims he couldn’t sleep so he stayed up. He decided to take the trash out around eleven-fifty, found her and called nine-one-one. We don’t have the ME’s report yet, so we don’t know the exact time of death. Cardosa told Larry that he dropped Gayle off at her apartment at nine-twenty.”

  Adelaide nodded. “That would be about right. She left the meeting at nine-fifteen. Mark was very impatient. He kept honking his horn. She claimed he had a late meeting with a client in Marietta.” She could see the sour look on Daniel’s face. “You think that’s a bunch of hooey too, don’t you?”

  “We’re going to have a talk with him later this morning.”

  “Have you found Pete Hicks, Patty’s ex-husband?”

  “Not yet. But the MOs are the same in both murders, and what reason would he have to kill Gayle Nelson?” Daniel finished his food and took the plate to the sink where he rinsed it off. “You want some coffee?” He turned with the decanter in his hand.

  Adelaide had already downed two cups with her muffin earlier but felt the need for more caffeine. “Sure. My mug’s on the counter.” Once Daniel was settled across the table from her again, she said, “You know, Pete Hicks could have killed a stranger to get the suspicion off of himself.”

  “He’s not that smart, take my word for it. No, there’s something else at work here. I can feel it. How would the killer know Gayle was taking her trash out at that hour anyway? No, these murders were planned and precisely carried out. We’re dealing with someone who is very organized.”

  “I just can’t picture Bob Jackson as a killer.” She took a drink of coffee, wishing she’d opted for herbal tea. The brew tasted bitter in her mouth. “Gayle had so much to live for. I just can’t believe she’s gone.”

  Daniel patted her hand. “I’m sorry, Mother. I know she was a friend of yours.” He got to his feet. “I need to go home and take a shower then get back to the station. None of us are resting until these cases are solved.”

  And neither am I, Adelaide thought as she followed her son to the front door.

  * * * *

  When Adelaide arrived at the Crescent Falls United Methodist Church at a little after nine-thirty, she stopped in the office first to say hello to Marsha Burns.

  “Oh, Adelaide, isn’t it awful about Gayle?” the petite, auburn-haired secretary said the minute Adelaide walked in the door.

  Since taking over the job in January, Marsha had made a few changes to the office décor. The file cabinets that used to sit across from the desk had been moved to a spot along the wall next to the door. The old table with the mail slots had been removed and a wall-mounted mail rack had been placed on the wall opposite the desk. Adelaide had to admit, the office seemed roomier now, less cluttered.

  “Gayle was a friend of mine. I’m still in shock,” Adelaide said. She checked her mail slot but found nothing there.

  “You know, I just signed a lease for apartment number two at Mulberry Manor. I was going to be living right next door to Gayle. We ran into each other in the parking lot the other day and agreed to have lunch sometime.” Her voice trembled slightly.

  “I knew you were thinking about moving from Rosewood to Crescent Falls, but didn’t realize you’d made the decision already. I’m very glad.” Marsha didn’t look so happy about it right now, she noticed.

  “I’m not so sure I made the right decision, Adelaide. I mean, both those murdered women lived at Mulberry Manor. I have to admit I’m a little afraid.”

  Adelaide tried to reassure the woman but wasn’t sure she succeeded. Before she could say anything further, she heard voices in the hallway. Moments later, Reverend James Preston entered the office followed by a tall, muscular African-American man wearing a pair of jeans and a red sweater over a white shirt. His black hair was close cropped and his dark brown eyes turned up slightly at the outer corners.

  “I thought I heard your voice, Adelaide,” James said jovially. “I was just giving Andrew the twenty-cent tour.”

  So this was the new associate pastor. Adelaide like his looks at once. He appeared relaxed and confident.

 

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