The Garden by markbaylor

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. ISBN-13: 978-1-937600-18-1 LCCN: 2011940338 Cover Design by Wes Moore Typeset by Jenni Wheeler Printed in the United States of America Mill City Press, Inc. 212 3rd Avenue North, Suite 290 Minneapolis, MN 55401 612.455.2294 www.millcitypublishing.com

CONTENTS

PREFACE...............................................................vii CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

THE CHARACTERS...................................1 A KILLER IS BORN: THE GARDENER........20 HIS NEXT FLOWER.................................38 THE BIRTHDAY PARTY . .........................64 WHERE’S MELISSA?...............................78 WHO’S NEXT?.........................................88 THE GARDEN’S GROWING....................101 HELLO, MR. COFFEE............................112 A TOWN FAVORITE IS LOST..................122 PANIC GRIPS THE TOWN.......................132 THE VACATION.....................................147 WELCOME HOME, KELVIN...................162 THE PURSUIT OF A MADMAN..............178 THE NEXT STEP....................................215 A FRESH START.....................................235

PREFACE

:00 a.m…a wind out of the north blew in slightly. He stood waist deep in the murky water. I’m glad I chose

this place to plant my flowers, he thought. It’s cold, dark, and isolated. No one would ever disturb my flowers here; no one would dare go into this garden. As he continued to stand in the water, he saw movement in the distance. I thought I was alone; I thought no one would find my garden. “If you come here, I’ll plant you along with the rest of my flowers!” he screamed. As the wind picked up, the movement in the distance turned out to be some small shrubs, brown in color, near death. A sense of calm came over him and with a sigh of relief he walked out of his garden, anxious to find more flowers to plant. He would be very selective; they would have to meet his requirements. He had a thing for blondes, but his favorites were redheads. He’d go into town tomorrow to find another flower to plant. “This is going to be the best summer ever!” he shouted. “I’m going to find my next flower.” p r e fac e

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“She’ll be even more stunning than the last,” he whispered. “I’ll make sure her hair is even more beautiful and redder than the last. I don’t want to leave my first flower all alone here in my garden. She needs some company.” A smile came on his face as he began his slow, steady walk back to his place. It takes time to get ready. He’d need to make sure he has all his tools for his garden. “I’ll make a list and check it twice,” he said with a grin.

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CHAPTER 1 THE CHARACTERS

veryone who attended church on that beautiful Sunday afternoon left with a sense of joy and happiness. Father

Bailey preached a good sermon that day and made everyone feel good about themselves. The message was straightforward and honest. Mrs. Jenkins had been a member of the local Catholic Church in Montclair for her entire life. She was not a fan of the new priest, but in time he grew on her. Father Bailey was the youngest priest to take charge in more than fifty years. He was elected to the church a day after he turned thirty. He succeeded Father McCallen who had been there for forty-five years. His sudden death rocked the church to its core, but Father Bailey made a great replacement.

~ The Turner family had been faithful members of the church for most of their lives. They were married by Father McCallen. David Turner had been an altar boy. He met Kathy T HE CHARAC T ER S

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there in the church when they were kids. David and Kathy have three sons; David Jr., Matthew and Thomas. They were all altar boys like their dad had been. As a boy, David thought he would grow up to become a priest. Church was very important to the Turner family.

~ As the church was letting out, Mr. Maxwell got into his car and turned the key. No response. He knew he had only a few starts left on that battery before it would have to be replaced. Tom Tucker, the local bank manager, was walking past. Mr. Maxwell knew Tom had jumper cables because just last week Tom had gave him a jump at the grocery store. “Hey, Tom, can you give me another jump?” Tom didn’t see where the voice was coming from at first, but he knew right away who it was. How much longer will this man go on with this mess rather than simply having that battery replaced? This wasn’t the first time Tom helped Mr. Maxwell with a jump, and Tom anticipated it wouldn’t be the last. “No problem, Mr. Maxwell,” said Tom, “be right there.” Tom got into his car, started it up, and pulled in front of Mr. Maxwell’s car. He popped the hood and got his jumper cables out of the trunk. Mr. Maxwell took the cables and did the connecting.

~ “What the hell is taking so long?” shouted Cindy. “It shouldn’t take this freaking long to leave a church parking 2

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lot!” As she finally got to the road she instantly felt relief and thought, Those anger management classes are paying off. Normally she would have gotten out of the car and handled it the old-fashioned way, kicking major butt. Driving home, she anticipated the beers she planned to drink and the football game she’d watch with her boyfriend. JayJay was a good guy. He served in the military and treated her like no other man before. He never put his hands on her in anger and he never cheated on her. This was the first man in her life who actually showed true compassion and respect for her. Cindy never had these feelings before and she made up her mind that she would do whatever it takes to keep JayJay happy and by her side. Her past relationships had all ended badly. The last boyfriend tried to sleep with three of her girlfriends, and her mom! What a loser. Good men are hard to find; and now that she has one, she’ll make sure he stays happy with her. As she drove down the road, a song by her favorite band came on the radio. She turned up the volume and sang along with the music. Just before she exited the highway, her cell phone rang. Cindy looked at the phone and saw it was JayJay calling. She smiled and turned down the music. “Hello, baby, I’m glad you called me,” said Cindy. “Do you need me to pick up anything on the way home?” “No, sweetie, I don’t,” said JayJay, “the beers are cold, the steaks are cooked, and the game is about to start; hurry home!” Cindy smiled and said, “Since you came into my life, Sunday has become my favorite day of the week.” T HE CHARAC T ER S

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JayJay could only smile and reply, “I love Sundays too, but not as much as I love you.”

~ The shift was finally over, the night faded into day like a slow-moving river in winter. Charles “Chucky” Moore was at the end of another lousy shift at the convenience store. “Thank God, the night’s over!” he growled as he left the store. His manager, Mickey Ortiz, just rolled his eyes and went back to his office. “I’m going to fire his lazy ass as soon as I can find a replacement,” he muttered. Mickey and Chucky didn’t get along. Chucky made no effort to hide his jealousy over Mickey being made manager of the store over him. They had both started at the same time. He just chalked it up to another affirmative action hire required by the government. When he arrived home, Chucky parked, walked up the sidewalk, and picked up his morning paper. He didn’t feel like reading it, so once inside he tossed it on the coffee table. A stack of empty pizza boxes and Chinese food containers littered his living room. What a mess, he thought, as he walked towards the bathroom to relieve himself. When he finished, he flushed and went to the kitchen. With no groceries to be found, he realized he had to make a trip to the store. Standing in the kitchen, Chucky became angry. He looked back on his life and wondered why he was still living in this crappy town. He 4

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thought about the chances he had in his life to do better. The thing that haunted him the most was Melissa. She was the only woman who ever understood him. “Why did you leave so suddenly?” he shouted out loud. “Why didn’t you say goodbye?” Chucky thought about how much his life sucked. No woman to love, a lousy job, and no future. What’s the use of living at all? What’s the use to giving a damn? He looked into the back of the refrigerator. Just behind the spoiled mayonnaise, he found a couple slices of pizza wrapped in aluminum foil. “Breakfast is served!” he shouted. One more slice of pizza, one more slice of a shitty life.

~ Terry and Tammy Tompkins were twins. They shared a duplex that their real estate tycoon parents left them on the east side of town. Terry lived on the Dover Street side, and Tammy lived on the Waverly Lane side. They were inseparable as children and vowed that if they weren’t married by the age of thirty, they’d live together and travel the world. Unfortunately for the twins, they both had a severe fear of flying. Their fear began after their parents, Joseph and Jane Tompkins, were killed in a plane crash in China when the kids were sixteen. This was a sad twist of fate for two innocent teenagers. Years of therapy couldn’t shake their fear of flying. Terry came up with a plan to use the Internet to help him and his sister travel the globe and overcome their fear. He was a good student in college and his joy was developing software T HE CHARAC T ER S

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programs. He was designing a software package that would allow people with a fear of flying to use the virtual world to fly like an eagle. He believed that his idea would result in the financial break he and his sister needed. Terry thought that if he was rich enough, fear would no longer be an issue for them. He needed a few more weeks and he’d be ready to present his software to some potential investors. The phone rang and he could see on the caller ID that it was Tammy. “Hello, sis, how are you?” he asked. “What’s up with you?” asked Tammy. “I’m working on our meal ticket to fame and fortune,” said Terry. “Great,” said Tammy. “How much longer before we can present the software to our buyers?” “I think maybe two months at the most.” “That’s real good news, Terry; what do you want for lunch?” “Let’s order some Chinese this time,” he suggested. “I hope one day we can see the Great Wall,” said Tammy. “Don’t worry, sis,” said Terry, “if this software works like I know it will, the Great Wall will come to us!” Tammy could only smile and think that if they had been with their parents, the Great Wall of China would have been something beautiful they might have seen together as a family. Terry noticed the silence and said to his sister, “Sorry, Tammy, I forgot for just a moment.” 6

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“No worries, my brother, one order of orange chicken for you and beef with broccoli for me!” Life together is great, both twins thought, if only mom and dad were here to enjoy the Chinese food with us.

~ “Man, I should have got up and gone to church,” said Lauren. She lay in bed with her fiery red hair covering her face. The whiskey she and her girlfriends drank was still having its effects. She poured herself into bed just shy of four a.m., one of many late nights of drinking at O’Malley’s Irish pub. Even more unusual: she actually woke up alone. Lauren had a reputation for being a party girl, and she never met a bottle of whisky or wet T-shirt contest she wouldn’t try. The digital clock on her nightstand had 2:00 in red numbers. “I better get dressed,” she said as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Her vision was blurry in one eye as she looked across the room. “Oh shit,” she said as she realized that she left one of her contacts in, “I’m going to go blind if I keep this up.” She headed towards the shower. The four-to-twelve shift at the plant is going to suck tonight, especially when I’m still drunk. “One of these days I’ll learn my lesson.” Until then, life as the town party girl rolled on. One more shift at the plant, one more bottle of whiskey to savor. When Lauren arrived at the plant she saw her supervisor, Mark Bailey. He was the older brother of Father T HE CHARAC T ER S

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Bailey, the parish priest. She really liked Mark. She never thought she would have a boss at the plant that showed her the kindness he did without wanting something in return. I wish he wasn’t married, she thought to herself as she approached him. “Hello, Lauren,” said Mark. “How are you doing?” “I’m okay, Mark, but I’m not feeling the best.” “Well, Lauren, if you don’t feel well during your shift, you can always go home. Just let me know, okay?” said Mark. “Thanks, Mark, you’re the best supervisor this plant has ever had,” said Lauren. Mark could only smile as he headed in the direction of his office. Lauren felt good about coming to work now. With this new supervisor, she decided that she would start over again. The biggest mistake she ever made was getting involved with her last boss at the plant. Doug Myerson was a bad supervisor, a drunk, and a womanizer. What was I thinking when I met him for that first drink? I’ll chalk that up to being young and stupid. I hope I can be strong enough not to mess with Mark. Keep it professional. When Mark got back to his office, he could only think of Lauren. She’s so beautiful; why she is working in this plant I’ll never know. She should be a model on a runway in Paris. I guess you got to pay the bills the best way you can. If my wife wasn’t dying of cancer, I probably wouldn’t give Lauren a second thought. “Oh, God, please forgive 8

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my weakness,” said Mark out loud. “I’ll have to give my brother a call; he’ll know what to do.”

~ As the last of the parishioners left the church, Father Bailey made his usual check of the building to make sure everything was in its place before he left to go home. When he went into his office he saw the light flashing on his phone, indicating that someone had left him a message. He pushed the button, “You have one new message,” the machine stated. Father Bailey wondered who would call him during Sunday Mass. He believed that everyone knew the church hours of operation, so this was a little unusual. Oh well, he thought, let’s have a listen. “Beep…Hello, Father Bailey, you don’t know me, my name is Sebastian Coffee. I’ll be in town on Monday, and I’ll come by and pay you a visit, thanks.” Sebastian Coffee…why does that name sound so familiar to me? wondered Father Bailey. He may be one of my dad’s friends. I remember a Coffee family when I was younger that lived in the next town over—Fairfield. “Well, Mr. Coffee, I’ll look forward to seeing you on Monday.” Father Bailey locked the front door of the church and headed to his car.

~ Mickey was content in his position at the convenience store. With the ownership program in his immediate future, T HE CHARAC T ER S

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he felt that if he just sticks with the plan, he’ll become an owner some day. The owner, Mr. Vanderbilt, assured Mickey that he would assist him in his future plans to become an owner. This was a brand new franchise that was doing quite well out West; and, with expansion plans in the works up at corporate, he figured ownership was one signature away. His only drawback at the store was Chucky. That lazy piece of garbage is one more screw-up from being fired. Ever since his girlfriend Melissa disappeared last fall, he went downhill. Mickey believed that Mr. Vanderbilt would have helped Chucky enter into the program as well, if he had only kept himself together. “My goal in life is to get into this program, and not let Chucky ruin it for me,” he had decided. My family is all that matters to me, Mickey thought. “I’ll stop at nothing to get this done for my family.” Just then the next shift arrived for the morning rotation, Beth Peterson and Shelly Adams. Mickey always suspected they were lesbians. No two women are that close, he thought. I can tell that Beth is the man in the relationship because the way she acts. All those tattoos and piercings give it away, no doubt. “As long as they don’t get in path to ownership, I’ll let it go,” said Mickey in a whisper. “Lesbos got to eat too.” “Hey, ladies, how’s it hanging?” asked Mickey. “Same old same,” answered Beth. “I can’t complain,” added Shelly. 10

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“Great, you guys, let’s have a great day today, okay?” said Mickey. As Mickey walked back to his office, Beth turned to Shelly, saying, “Mickey’s a nice guy and a good manager. I just wish he didn’t try so hard to be our friend.” “You are right. If he wasn’t married, I’d give him a reason to enjoy coming to work,” she said, smiling. Beth laughed and said, “I’d join you for that ride; maybe we’d get a raise out of it.” They both laughed and hugged each other.

~ Coming home from chemotherapy was always a tough day for Maggie. She never felt the same after a treatment. “I hate the damn cancer!” she yelled. Her sister Penny looked at the road as she drove, wishing she was any place but here. “I wonder why your husband couldn’t have driven you today,” she said. “Penny, I told you this was the only day Mark couldn’t drive me because he’s training all the new managers in the plant today,” said Maggie. “That’s a lame excuse to me; he’s your husband and he runs the show at the plant. If he wanted to be off, he could have been!” Penny practically shouted. “Calm down, Penny,” said Maggie, “take it easy.” “I’m sorry, Maggie, I actually wish I had a husband like Mark to take care of me.” “Mark has a lot of friends, really good men that’s he’s T HE CHARAC T ER S

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willing to fix you up with if you just give him a chance,” said Maggie. “I know you miss Calvin; we all miss your husband. I just hope one day you’ll let go and let God guide your path.” “I haven’t given up yet. Maybe Mark can find a good man for me,” Penny exclaimed. “I could really use a major change in my life!”

~ The years had been hard on Edna Jenkins and she felt it. She was a woman of stature in the community. Hers was one of the original families that came over on the Mayflower. Some might expect a person with that type of background to have lived a great life. But Edna Jenkins didn’t have a great life or marriage. Her husband came from wealth, but he was abusive to Edna. A month after their marriage the abuse began. It started with a slap and escalated to full-on beatings. When she finally got up the nerve to report the beatings to authorities, her husband “attempted” suicide. Most people in the community felt he did that out of guilt and embarrassment. She knew he did it to save his own ass from possibly going to jail. After a brief stay in a treatment center in Arizona he returned to Montclair a changed man. They didn’t have any kids and he felt the next best thing would be to adopt some children or maybe become foster parents to needy kids. Edna was apprehensive at first because she knew how explosive his temper was. When they got involved with taking care of kids, things were fairly good for the first few years. On the surface, their foster care went well but beneath the smiles and hugs, 12

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her husband was a monster. Edna loved living in Montclair and loved everything that small-town living had to offer. Her family’s wealth assured her a comfortable life. The most passionate interest in her life was the church. It hurt her deeply when Father McCallen died. She felt a special bond with him because he was so close to her. He was the priest she had confessed to about all the horrors her husband did to her and the children. When Mr. Jenkins died, Father McCallen showed her more kindness than any family member or friend, which meant a lot to her. Her husband’s death marked an end to her abuse. She only prayed that the cruelty he carried out on their foster kids would never become public. One day while driving down the road she had an overwhelming feeling of regret and sorrow that hit her hard. She pulled her car over on the side of the road. Edna cried and began reliving all the abuse she experienced at the hands of her husband and all the shame that she didn’t protect the children. At that moment she made the decision to rededicate her life to serving the Lord and the Church. For the rest of her life she’d focus on making her life in Montclair the best she could possibly make it. She’d work in the community to assist people in need and use her fortune to change the lives of others. But getting up on Sunday and going to church would never be the same. She believed that no one could minister to her like Father McCallen had. The new priest, Father Bailey, was a nice enough young man. Edna felt she should be more T HE CHARAC T ER S

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supportive of him and help him make the adjustment. She was the most senior member of the church, and she knew that her voice carried a lot of weight. “I’ll give Father Bailey a call tomorrow and see if he’ll join me for lunch,” said Edna. After church, Edna liked to go the park and feed the squirrels and pigeons. She enjoyed watching all the runners racing around the track at the park, and all the people walking and playing with their dogs. “I wish I was young again so I could exercise and play like everyone else; I miss my youth. Well, at least my animal friends understand me; they stay loyal to me—as long as I feed them.”

~ Due to a serious case of burnout, Tom Tucker had made the decision to leave the city and return home to manage the local bank. When he lived in Boston, he was manager of one of the largest banks in the world. The money was great but the pressure began to take its toll. The job was costing him his health, and almost cost him his marriage. The decision to leave and move back home to Montclair was a welcome one to his family. They had missed the small-town atmosphere along with its much slower pace. The most stressful part of his job now was making sure there are enough deposit slips at the front counter when the customers come in; other than that, life is good. After giving Mr. Maxwell his jump start, Tom made the long trip home. His family was out of town for the week, 14

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visiting relatives; so he was all alone. This didn’t happen too often for him, so he was going to make the most of it. “I’m going to make my house into one giant man cave!” he decided. He bought a case of beer and his favorite snacks to eat during the football game. “I’ll finally be able to watch the game like all men should, with one hand wrapped around a cold beer and the other down my pants!” he exclaimed, while turning up his car radio. Just as he pulled into his driveway his cell phone rang. His wife was calling. “Hello, honey, how are you and the kids?” asked Tom. “We’re doing fine, my love, we miss you,” said Veronica. “Are the boys with you now?” asked Tom. “No, they’re out fishing with their grandpa,” said Veronica. “Lucky boys,” said Tom. “I wish I was there with you guys; it’s going to be a long week.” “Well, I’m sorry to be so rushed with you, honey; I’m on my way to the farmers market with Mom. I’ll call you later, okay?” asked Veronica. “Okay, honey, I understand. Have fun, and I love you,” said Tom. “I love you, too; take care,” said Veronica.

~ Sunday in the Turner home was always the same: after church they came home, did whatever chores that were left to do, and spent the rest of the day watching football. David T HE CHARAC T ER S

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and Kathy were creatures of habit. Their lives centered on the church and their family. David had always been a disciplined person. He decided to raise his children the same way. Kathy was in her last year of graduate school when she became pregnant and decided to withdraw and focus on baby Thomas and his well-being. She returned to school once Thomas started first grade, but it wasn’t so easy. “How’s class coming today, Kathy?” asked David. “This current paper is brutal,” said Kathy. “The professor wants at least thirty-five hundred words, single spaced, and multiple references. He wants us to quote multiple sources as well as provide no less than three flow charts and graphs. I think my brain is going to explode.” “You can handle it,” said David. “You have this class and one more to go and you’ll be finished. Just keep your eyes on the prize and you’ll be okay. Think about all the other papers you’ve done that were even tougher than this one. You were able to knock those out with no problem at all. Stay focused and you’ll win this race.” “I know what you’re saying, David, but every now and then I hit the wall when it comes to my studies,” replied Kathy. “I’ll make a deal with you, Kathy; finish this paper and I’ll treat you to a day at the spa. I’ll order the full treatment too: manicure, pedicure, and a full body massage. How’s that sound?” offered David. “Thirty-five hundred words coming up!” shouted Kathy. 16

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“A day at the spa sounds great to me. Thanks, honey.”

~ Finally, Mr. Jacob Maxwell. He was one of the richest men in town—second only to Mrs. Jenkins in this regard. The major difference between him and Mrs. Jenkins was that Mrs. Jenkins had a heart and Jacob Maxwell didn’t. Mrs. Jenkins was loved by everyone in the town and he hated her for that. Every year she donated money to each and every charity in town. She wanted to help every child. She never asked for anything in return from the townsfolk except for everyone to love and help each other. Mrs. Jenkins wanted the world to know that when you helped others less fortunate than you, you’ll be blessed. Jacob Maxwell left the church parking lot and headed home on his usual route. He went to church because he felt it was the right thing to do, and he didn’t want to go to hell. The kids in the town call him “the Grinch” because he was so mean. He hated kids and he didn’t much care for most adults, either. He made no bones about who he was and what he wanted to do. I hate this town with all my heart, thought Jacob. What I hate most of all is Mrs. Jenkins. She thinks she’s so special because she’s so generous. What a fool. There’s no way I’d give that much money away every year. Why can’t these people get a job and work like real folks. I can’t wait for the day that she’s dead! The first thing I’m going to do is dance on her grave! T HE CHARAC T ER S

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Little did Jacob know that the tumor growing in his brain was the cause of all his migraine headaches. If he would go to his doctor for a checkup, he might have a chance to beat it. He thought if he took an aspirin every day, the headaches would eventually stop. “No sense going to my doctor to have him tell me nothing major is wrong.” When Jacob got to his property, the electronic fence slowly opened and he drove in. He parked his car out front next to the Mercedes Benz. Sunday was the only day he gave his servants off, and the only day he ever drove himself around. He was tough on everyone who ever worked for him and he was especially tough on his personal staff. I should sell this place and move to a tropical island, he mused. I’d love to live out my days in total peace and harmony. “I’ll give my lazy-ass son a call later on,” he spouted. “That boy has no since of direction or motivation. If I had more kids, I’d just have him killed,” Jacob sneered. “I wish I’d never married his mom! Lucky for her she died or I would have had her taken care of too.” Why am I having such murderous thoughts? As he walked inside the mansion, he realized how truly lonely he was. He missed his wife and son. His harsh treatment of them both is what drove her to drink and drive that day. And his negative attitude keeps his son away. My wife would still be alive today if only I was a better husband, he thought. “I miss my son so much,” he exclaimed. The only reason I haven’t put a gun in my mouth and pulled the trigger is because of him. 18

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“Lord, FORGIVE ME!” Jacob shouted. The echo of his voice rang throughout the mansion. A single tear ran down his cheek. He slowly closed the front door. As he walked up the winding staircase, he realized that his time was running out. “Fuck this town!” he said with a grimace. “I’ll never let anyone see me like this…ever!”

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CHAPTER 2

A KILLER IS BORN: THE GARDENER

e wasn’t alone when he came into the world. The birth was especially difficult for his mother. These two were

the only kids to result from this union. He was born 12:30 a.m. on the thirty-first of October, Halloween morning. His twin was born two minutes earlier. His brother was the stronger of the two, ten pounds even. He, on the other hand, wasn’t so lucky. He weighed only five pounds, six ounces, with tons of respiratory and physical problems. One leg was an inch shorter than the other. He was a mess. His parents had to leave him in the hospital for six months before he could come home. His stronger, healthier brother was the joy of their lives, while he was treated like a lab experiment. The medical bills piled up and the parents made the difficult decision to give him up for adoption. The social worker they met with 20

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pointed out some very specific reasons to give up their son. First, the family had a limited single income and their savings were gone. Second, the boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s father was permanently injured in a car accident and left a paraplegic. Third, the monies her husband received from the settlement would only last another three years. Fourth, the weaker of the twins would more than likely require medical care for the rest of his life. Finally, foster care would be the best option for their sickly son, because the state would pick up the cost of his medical care. It was tough decision to make, and they did it reluctantly.

~ He was four years old when he was turned over to foster care. The first family that took him in was in nearby Montclair. They were an affluent family with a pretty big house. Even though he was a sickly infant, the family cared and loved him so. He was in foster care with four other kids in the house. There were two boys and two girls with him in the family. He liked the two girls with their beautiful red hair. The girl with the most freckles was named Melissa and the other was named Cindy. He was the youngest of the group and the most spoiled. This foster family was a loving one, but the father was a strict disciplinarian. One day after a visit from the doctorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s office he arrived home to find his foster father beating his two foster brothers for breaking a window in the house. One of his big rules was to never play ball in the house. The two boys were beaten severely for breaking that rule. When his foster mother A K I L L ER I S B O RN : T HE G ARDENER

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objected to the beating, she got slapped for it. Even as a small child watching his foster brothers’ and sisters’ beatings scared him and at the same time fascinated him as well. He liked the fear and power his foster father had over the family. He wanted to know that feeling.

~ When he was eight years old he felt the physical wrath of his foster father. It was on a Saturday afternoon in the backyard. He had forgotten to move his crutches out of way when he playing in the front room with his foster sisters. They had carried him to the backyard to practice walking in the soft grass. As they played, the kids heard a crashing sound and what sounded like a scream from the living room. His sisters were scared and carried him back into the front room to see their father picking himself up from the coffee table he fell through. His arms were cut and bleeding from the glass in the table-top. He immediately turned towards the kids with anger in his eyes. “I told you, young man, to never leave your crutches lying around,” he said. “Now look at my arms! Because of you, both of my arms are cut. I tripped over your crutches and fell through the coffee table!” “Dad, I’m sorry; please don’t be mad!” “It’s too late, son, you must be punished,” he said. His foster father took him from of his sisters and walked over to a chair at the kitchen table. He unbuckled the boy’s pants and pulled them down to his ankles. The thick heavy belt he 22

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wore would bring him the type of pain that changed his life forever. “This is going to hurt you a lot, so don’t be ashamed to scream,” he said. The first hit brought him pain that he never felt before in his life. The beating didn’t last that long but it did the job. He never left his crutches lying around again. His foster father taught him a very valuable lesson about following the rules. This lesson he’d never forget.

~ His foster father would come home from work or from a business trip and beat the kids for no apparent reason. His physical abnormalities saved him from some of the beatings but not all of them. His foster mother didn’t escape the fury as terror reigned over the family. One day after his final severe beating, his foster mother came to his room and told him she was sending him to another home where he’d receive much better care and treatment. “You should come with me too, Mom,” he said. “No, son, I’m staying here to protect your foster brothers and sisters. Don’t worry about me, son. I’m a survivor,” she assured him. The arrangements were made and he went from Montclair to Boston. As he bounced from foster home to foster home, he began to grow stronger and stronger. Slowly but surely, all his physical issues began to fade away. The difference in leg length was gone by age five. The respiratory problems that A K I L L ER I S B O RN : T HE G ARDENER

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plagued him since birth went away by the time he started kindergarten. Even though he had behavioral problems and trouble working with others, he was an above-average student all through school. The various foster placements put a great amount of pressure on him. As it turned out, he was abused in every home he lived in. His acting out led to him being moved from foster home to foster home. He got into fights with his fellow foster kids and at school. Foster parents complained to the agency about his behavior and how hard it was to handle him. The agency moved him from family to family as he got older and stronger because he became more aggressive and acted out more often. No one seemed to realize that his acting out was a result of the abuse he suffered. He was afraid to tell anyone and the abuse went undetected by the agency and authorities. These events shaped the man he would become. His relationships with women were especially traumatic. At the age of eleven, he was raped by his second foster mother. This woman was a truly disgusting and two-faced individual. She’d take him to the park and play with him like a loving mother. They went to the circus when it came to town, and she read bedtime stories to him each night. The sexual assaults occurred in the dark. The next home wasn’t much better. These foster parents had several other children as well —four girls and two boys. Two of the girls had red hair, and they were mean as hell. These 24

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other kids were a few years older, and constantly bullied him. It was bad enough getting picked on at school, but to deal with this abuse at home as well was more than he could bear. There was an instance when one of the older kids held him down and punched him repeatedly in the face and stomach, grabbed a handful of hair and ripped it out. That was one of the most painful things he’d ever felt. He had blood running down the back of his head and neck that went all the way to his belt. When he told his foster mother about the attack, the first thing she said to him was, “What did you do to provoke this attack? You probably pissed off your foster brother because you’re such a pain in the ass!” That statement hurt him deeply. He was the smallest kid in the bunch and needed protection. The years he spent at this home were especially hard on him. He wished he was a little bigger so he could defend himself. His prayers were answered over one summer when he turned twelve years old. He had grown three inches over the summer and was now just as tall as some of his tormentors. His foster father was a big sports fan who entered all the boys into boxing classes at the local YMCA. He learned all the skills he needed to defend himself at school and at home. The first kid he fought at school was particularly large and used to spit in his lunch almost daily. They met after school in the playground. He beat this boy so bad that the boy missed an entire week of school. Surprisingly, the principal was lenient and only suspended him from school A K I L L ER I S B O RN : T HE G ARDENER

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for three days. In his mind, those three days would be great: no class work and no homework. When he came home from school he got off the bus with a smile on his face. He was proud of what he did and how he handled it. When he walked into the house he was met by his foster father who told him to sit on the couch. “I want you to explain yourself, young man. What were you thinking of when you hurt that boy like that?” “Father, I was defending myself from being picked on by the jerk,” he replied. “This kid has been bothering me every day of the school year. At lunch time, he always comes up and does something to my lunch. Teachers have seen him do it but no one does anything. What was I supposed to do? I’m not going to take any crap at school from anyone!” Without notice, his foster father leaped on him and began to punch him mercilessly. “How dare you embarrass me and this family!” Those punches were so fast and painful the boy didn’t realize what hit him. When he woke up, he was on the couch with an ice pack on his forehead. With the most sinister look on his face, his foster father said, “This, friend, is only the beginning of your punishment. When we’re done with you, you’ll wish you were never born!” When his foster mother arrived home from work she went straight into the kitchen to begin cooking supper. The smell ran through the entire house and, soon after, they all sat down to a lovely meal. The kids talked amongst themselves and the 26

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parents chatted with each other. No one spoke to him at all. He was worried and just ate as much as he could. He thought that maybe this could be his last meal, as if he was on death row. He couldn’t get that look and warning out of his head from when his foster father had said, This, friend, is only the beginning of your punishment, when we’re done with you, you’ll wish you were never born. What did he mean by that? the boy worried. After supper was over, the kids did their homework and watched TV. His foster mother called him in and asked him to help her with the dishes. He agreed and did everything she told him. When the dishes were done and the kitchen was clean, she told him to join the other children to watch television. Time passed and soon it was the kids’ bedtime. They all changed, brushed their teeth, and got into bed. One by one each child got a kiss on the forehead from Mom and Dad, all except him. He didn’t think much of that—only about the father’s comment and the next punishment that was coming. He went to sleep that night with a sense of uncertainty. He didn’t sleep well at all. At 3:15 a.m., he was gently awakened by his foster mother and asked to follow her to the basement. They went down the hall together and down the squeaky stairs to the cold dark basement. His heart was pounding hard and fast. His foster mother took him by the hand and sat him in a folding chair. This chair was especially tall and his feet didn’t touch the floor. There was a slight rustling coming up from behind but he didn’t pay any attention to it. Just when his A K I L L ER I S B O RN : T HE G ARDENER

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foster mother came up and stood in front of him, a hand came over his nose and mouth. In an instant, everything went black. When he regained consciousness, he was totally immobilized. His hands and legs were tied to the folding chair he was sitting in; even his wrists were tied. He had on a blindfold but his mouth was not covered. A very dark, deep voice whispered in his ear, “Are you scared?” His heart almost exploded with fear. He began to cry when out of nowhere a hand came swiftly across his face. “Shut the hell up, you little brat…I’m going to give you a reason to cry in just one minute!” she said. Time stood still; his chest hurt so bad that he thought he was having a heart attack. He began to sweat and tremble. The voice said again, “I hope you like pain…I’m very good at my job and I enjoy it very much. When your parents called me, they told me you were a bad boy and needed punishment. I was surprised because normally when I get a call from them, they are the ones requesting punishment. Don’t get me wrong; I’ll punish anyone who asks for it, but I normally avoid kids and small animals,” she said with a laugh. All of a sudden, without warning, this person began to cut off his clothes with some type of knife. In a flash he was nude. The temperature of the basement made it even worst. It felt colder than when he first came down with his foster mother. “By the way, they call me the Beast, in case you’re wondering. It used to be Big Red because of my fiery red hair, but I didn’t like being mistaken for the chewing gum.” 28

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The Beast put him through one of the worst nights of his young life. The pain was unbearable. He passed in and out of consciousness. He had numerous cuts and bruises. He had to stay home almost two weeks from school to heal from the worst of it. The foster parents reported that he had a severe case of the flu and was out of town with relatives when he caught it. At the end of the school year, he was met by a social worker who told him he was going to a new foster home, and that his stuff had already been moved. When he asked why, she simply told him that his foster family could no longer support all the kids they had and he had to go somewhere else. As he was leaving with the social worker, the principal stopped them and told him he had a phone call. He went into the office and, on the other end, was his foster mother. “I’ll only say this once…if you tell anyone about what went on in the basement, I’ll find you and kill you! Enjoy your new home, you little brat!” The phone went dead so he hung up. Florida was so hot and muggy. He was glad to be in a much warmer climate. Massachusetts is a cold state. A new family would mean a new beginning for him. “Hello, son, how was school today?” “Fine, Dad, I got an A on the math test,” he said. “Congratulations, son, that’s great,” said Father. “We should celebrate and go out to eat dinner.” “Okay, Father, I’ll get my brother and sister,” he said. A K I L L ER I S B O RN : T HE G ARDENER

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He was in high school now and living with a family that truly loved and cared for him. At least it appeared that way. He’d had various encounters with his new foster dad but nothing too severe. They argued before about various things but never once did his new foster dad put his hands on him. The foster dad was going through some difficult issues of his own. He’d been separated from his wife and left on his own to take care of the kids. Over the most recent six months, he had been talking to his wife about getting back together. Excited and scared at the same time, he told the kids to be on their best behavior when she comes back to live with them. It was one of the hottest days of the year. The sun was out and the temperature was rising. The foster father was in such a good mood and he made one of the best breakfasts he ever had. The dad arose from his chair and said, “Great news, kids…Mom’s coming home today!” His foster brother and sister jumped for joy and gave their dad a big hug. But he just sat there, nervous with anticipation. “What’s wrong, son? Is everything okay?” asked his foster father. “Yes, Dad, I’m okay, I’m just a little nervous in meeting my new mom, that’s all.” “Don’t worry, son, she’ll love you just as much as I do.” “I hope so, Dad, I’m the newest member of the family and maybe she won’t like the new addition.” “Nonsense, son, she’ll be pleased and fall in love with you like I did.” As his foster dad gave him a hug, he felt a 30

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sense of joy. Could someone finally come into his life and show him the meaning of love? Could this be the first woman in my life that I can call Mom? These questions would soon be answered upon arrival of flight 7070 from Dallas, Texas. Apparently, she had gone there when she left his foster dad. As they stood at the arrival gate, he was so nervous he went to the bathroom three times. He hoped to have a nice lady who will love him and comfort him no matter what. Suddenly, his foster sister screamed, “Mommy… Mommy!” She ran to a tall, attractive redheaded woman. To be honest, she was one of the most beautiful women he ever seen. “Hello, baby girl, did you miss me?” she asked. “Yes, Mommy, I sure did,” she exclaimed. “How’s Mommy’s big boy doing? Aren’t you glad to see your mother, sweetheart?” she asked. Her son burst into tears and began to cry. “Yes, Mommy, this is the happiest day of my life.” “Well, well, well…I see somebody finally lost all that weight he’d been carrying. I’m glad to see that I won’t have to bury my fat-ass, overweight husband.” Before he could reply to her nasty comment, she walked up to him and kissed him passionately. She whispered in his ear, “Let’s try to get this right this time. If I go again, I will never come back.” He dropped his head and said, “Yes, honey, I won’t make the same mistakes again.” A K I L L ER I S B O RN : T HE G ARDENER

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She slowly turned and said with a half-smile, “So who’s the handsome young stud in front of me?” The ride home was uneventful. His nerves had calmed down slightly but not enough to stop him from sweating like a pig. He had the feeling of being watched, and his instincts were correct. Several times during the ride home, he noticed she was staring at him in the rear view mirror. Seeing her do this made him feel uncomfortable. This felt like the longest ride home of his life. When they arrived, he immediately got out and headed for his room. His foster dad caught him by the arm and said, “Hey, son, where you going in such a hurry? Let’s spend some time with your mom, getting reacquainted.” “Okay, Dad, no problem,” he said. “Just let me go to the bathroom and I’ll be right back.” While in the bathroom, he splashed water on his face to try to calm down, talking to himself in the mirror. “You can do this…be nice and let the day go by without pissing off anyone.” Dinner went by without a hitch and bedtime came just in time. Around midnight, as he was drifting off to sleep, a gentle knock was heard at his door. The knob turned and in came his new foster mother. She was wearing only her bra and panties. He rose up startled and in shock. She said to him, “Relax, stud, I just wanted to say good night and sleep well.” She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead. “Now I’m going to screw your dad’s brains out, so if we wake you up, let me apologize in advance.” 32

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She walked away and shut the door behind her. For the rest of the night, the noises of their lovemaking kept him awake. He stared at the door all night, hoping and praying that she didn’t come back. The summer went by slowly for him. The pool at their house added to the pressure of being there with her. Each and every day she lay out in the nude. She was truly beautiful and had an amazing body. Her red hair glistened in the sun, along with those amazing breasts that looked fabulously tanned. On numerous occasions he witnessed his foster parents having sex by the pool. Sometimes it even happened with all the kids at home. They didn’t seem to care if they were being watched. As the days dragged on, they began to have little disagreements and small arguments over money, the kids, and the house. He left the room as soon as everything got heated. One day during an argument, she slapped him hard. He thought for sure that his foster dad would hit her back, but he just simply walked away. On several occasions at night she came into his room and talked to him about his foster dad. Every time she was only wearing her bra and panties. One night in particular changed his life forever. It started on a Sunday morning while the family was getting dressed to go to church. At the last minute, his foster mother decided she wasn’t going to go. This really upset his foster dad and an argument occurred. He’d seen her slap his foster dad before; but this time she punched him with a closed fist right in the mouth, splitting his lip. A K I L L ER I S B O RN : T HE G ARDENER

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At first, he tried to walk away as usual, but she grabbed his arm and screamed, “Don’t you walk away from me, you coward. Be a man and face me!” Without warning, his foster dad turned as quick as a cat, striking her in the face with a closed fist. He followed that up with a punch to the stomach. She went down screaming. His foster dad ordered him to take his brother and sister downstairs and wait in the car. Ten minutes later he came and got into the car. “It looks like Mom won’t be coming to church with us this morning.” Just before they pulled out of the driveway, she came to the door completely naked. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, “I’m going to make you pay for this…you son of a bitch….you’ll pay for hurting me!” “Fuck you, bitch!” his foster father yelled back, “I hope you burn in hell!” When the family returned from church, they weren’t speaking to each other. This went on for about two weeks. The late night visits to his room stopped during that time as well. The boy was happy about that but, at the same time, nervous as well. He wondered to himself, What’s next? Summer came to a close quickly but, living in Florida, he couldn’t really tell the difference. All the stores in the area and a lot of the houses were decorated for Halloween. The kids were excited to go trick or treating. After school was over and night fell, it was time to go out and get some candy. Halloween was a very good night; all the bags were full and 34

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the goodies tasted great. Dad seemed to be a little preoccupied during their walk around the neighborhood. When they got back to the house, Mom was nowhere to be found. She stayed in the bedroom and didn’t come down to see the kids. It was a long evening and they all went to bed. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary to him, so he felt comfortable when he went to bed. At approximately 1:00 a.m., his foster father entered his room. He was asleep and didn’t hear him enter the room. As his dad pulled back the covers, he began to awaken. His dad put a rag over his nose and mouth. It smelled funny and he went unconscious. When he came to, once again like the nightmare he experienced with the Beast he was back in the basement tied and bound to a small bed. Both his mom and dad were present in the room. They were both naked and standing over him. She leaned in and said, “I know you’re wondering why you’re here…well, it’s quite simple…your dad is being punished for hitting me! Don’t be afraid, my son…I know that you’ve seen me naked by the pool and I know you’ve seen us having sex as well. I want to give you a memorable experience.” She smiled. This event burned his soul to its core, becoming the defining moment in his life. An innocent child was transformed into a monster. He was completely helpless as they took their turns with him. His dad made no effort at all to stop her as she had her way with him. The worst pain was when his stepdad A K I L L ER I S B O RN : T HE G ARDENER

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rolled him over and entered him repeatedly. He screamed out in agony with the hope that someone would hear his cry. Unfortunately, help never came. The nightmare lasted all night. When morning came, the parents went upstairs, leaving him tied to the bed. His little brother and sister got on the school bus without him. His parents went to work while he stayed tied to the bed all day. They made him pee into a bucket and only fed him dry bread and water. They assaulted him again, and again for several more days. One night they even brought in a video camera and recorded the abuse. He wondered how anyone could be this cruel. How could anyone put someone through hell and go about their daily lives as if nothing is going on? Before they released him, they had one more final horror to unleash on him. When they came down into the basement, they were naked as usual but this time they brought his foster brother and sister into the basement. She leaned over him and got really close to his face. “I want to use this time as a teaching moment for our kids. I hope you don’t mind.” He cried out, “You people are fucking evil…how can you do this to innocent kids? How can you do this? You are sick!” His foster brother leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. His sister did the same thing and whispered in his ear, “This isn’t our first time… Mother and Father do this all the time. You’re not the first foster big brother or sister we’ve been with.” His heart was beating fast in his chest. This night was even worse than that night with the Beast. The little brother 36

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and sister both got undressed and hugged their parents. “Shall we begin?” Mother asked, grinning. The entire family had their way with him. In total, he spent an entire week in that basement. The torture ended with him being released to another social worker and a threat of death being made to him by his foster parents if he ever revealed what happened. He spent his senior year of high school in an all-boys home. He managed to graduate with his class and leave Florida. “The fucking sunshine state, my ass,” he exclaimed, as the Amtrak train pulled out of the station. When he left Florida he made the decision to go to Washington D.C. to start his new life. He used his intellect to pursue a great education. He knew well how to charm people. He’d learned the hard way how to not make waves when he tried to avoid the beatings and other abuse he had endured for so long. He worked hard to pay for school and ended up with degrees in math and science as well as his teaching certificate. He taught locally in Alexandria, Virginia, for the first couple of years but he felt the pull of returning to Massachusetts. He wanted so much to find some sort of peace. As hard as he worked on school or at teaching, he remained tormented by demonic memories and a powerful desire for revenge. To the outside world he was a pleasant and attractive man; but beneath the surface, a storm was brewing. That storm would shape the rest of his life.

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CHAPTER 3 HIS NEXT FLOWER

“I

hate this town,” he said. “This place reminds me of every foster home I’ve lived in.” He stood at the edge

of downtown Montclair, looking at the fading streetlights, wondering if this was the life he really wanted to live. “I miss my garden already,” he said. “This town will be the home of my greatest achievements. I’m going to make these people pay for being born and living in this shithole. I never thought I’d see so many redheads in one place in my life. This will be sweet!” The gardener surveyed the landscape of the town. He needed to find each and every possible entry and exit point. He needed to scope out all the critical hiding places, and make sure to limit any potential mistakes. The last thing I need to do is getting caught over something simple. If I go down, I’m going to make sure I give these hick cops a tough case to crack. That shouldn’t be too difficult. They probably have a tough time getting somebody’s cat out 38

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of a tree. Kelvin smirked. Nevertheless, I’ll make sure I plan out each and every hunt. Patience is the key. After conducting his survey, he found the perfect hideout— isolated and dark. It was in a part of town that very few people came through or paid attention to. An old abandoned shed would be the place where he’d do his business. This would be the place he’d prepare all his flowers for planting. I like what I see. This place will bring me much joy. He decided to make this place a lot more livable for him and all his “flowers” when they come by. A little paint here, a little repair there, and I’ll be all set. He decided, I need to go out and see how many different points I can access my green house…no sense in setting myself up for failure from day one. I need to go into town and pick up some supplies for my new home. I need to blend in with these people. I definitely don’t want to stand out in the crowd. I’ll need to find a nice apartment or townhouse to live in, maybe even a duplex. As long as my neighbors aren’t too loud or nosy, I won’t have a problem. I don’t want to plant any weeds in my garden. He drove into town and picked up a local paper. He needed a nice inexpensive place to live in, and a job. He’d go back to his storage area in Fairfield, the next town over, to get all his stuff. Time is money; he needed both to prepare.

~ If only the employees at Smith, Jones, Baxter, and Matthews Realty knew who was calling, they’d never have His N e x t f lo w e r

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answered the phone. “Hello, and thank you for calling Smith, Jones, Baxter, and Matthews Realty; this is Shannon, how may I help you?” “Good morning, Shannon, I’m new in town and was looking for a house to possibly rent or buy. I checked out the local paper and just didn’t find anything I liked. Can I make an appointment to see some properties?” “Yes, sir, you sure can. How’s about tomorrow around 10:00 a.m. sound to you?” “That’s fine with me, Shannon. I’ll be there.” “Great, sir, can I get your name and number?” “Yes, my name is Kelvin Kettle,” and he gave her his number. “That’s my cell phone number obviously. I don’t have a home number to give you, but I hope that’ll change in the coming weeks.” “Mr. Kettle, I’ll make you a promise; we’ll find you a great place to live and you’ll truly be glad you chose our firm to help you.” “Great, Shannon. If you break that promise, you’ll have to take me to lunch, okay?” “It’s a deal, Mr. Kettle; lunch sounds great,” said Shannon. “Great, have a wonderful day, Shannon,” said Kelvin. “Thanks, Mr. Kettle, you do the same,” said Shannon. “By the way, Shannon, my dad is Mr. Kettle; you, my dear, can call me Kelvin, okay?” “Okay, Kelvin, take care.” Shannon smiled and hung up the phone. She believed that this client would be a quick 40

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sale for the firm. Kelvin sounds like a really nice guy and is enthusiastic about finding a home. Any realtor should be able to close this one in no time. As the sun shined through the front window, it glistened off her freshly cut, red hair. Shannon wasn’t born a redhead, but she had decided to make a change after her divorce and subsequent move into town. Fairfield had bad memories for her and she had to get away from that asshole, Doug Myerson. She knew she made the right call. Doug getting fired from the plant last year was the last straw for their relationship. She thanked the Lord that she didn’t have any kids with him; that would have made the experience even worse. Moving back home to be with her family made this job even sweeter. Grandma was beloved by the town, and it didn’t hurt to have that Jenkins last name. She only wished she had that natural red hair like Grandma. Oh well, she thought, I’ll take my color from a bottle; it’s not the same as being born with it, but it’s the next best thing. “Grandma, you rock!” Shannon smiled.

~ Kelvin picked out a suit to wear for the meeting with the realtor. “I’ll go with the gray and pinstripes,” he said. “I’ve always gotten compliments on this suit. Most ladies say it brings out the color of my eyes.” He smiled and picked out his shirt and tie. The shoes he chose were his penny loafers, basic black in color. “I’m so His N e x t f lo w e r

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excited about tomorrow,” he said. “It’s going to be hard to get some sleep.” She sounded nice, thought Kelvin. I hope she’s not a redhead; that would really suck. I don’t want to rush my schedule—but, at the same, I’ve never been one to turn down an opportunity if it presents itself.

~ Kathy, the office manager and senior partner at Smith, Jones, Baxter, and Matthews Realty, was always the first to arrive at the office each day. She lived about four blocks down from the office, so it was easy for her to walk to work, even when the weather was bad. She enjoyed her job very much, and helping people find the right housing was a high priority for the firm. Kathy always got the coffee going first thing, so everyone would have a fresh cup to drink. The other partners suggested she let Shannon make the coffee, but Kathy said, “Shannon has enough to do. I don’t mind making coffee to take one less thing off her plate. Besides, if I can make it at home for my husband, then I can make it at work, too.”

~ His alarm erupted in a loud, shrill tone. Kelvin hit the button and rolled out of bed, feeling great about today. I’ll go by the office and meet the realtor and see the pretty-sounding Shannon. “Oh what a beautiful morning…..oh what a beautiful 42

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day,” he sang. “It’s gray suit time!” He showered and quickly dressed. I can’t wait to get a real home; I don’t feel comfortable getting dressed up so close to a place I plan to use for “harvesting.” He had two hours before the meeting, which was more than enough time to relax and wrap up any loose ends before he allowed his face to be seen in Montclair for the first time in years. Meanwhile, Shannon arrived at the office right behind Kathy, as usual. The coffee smelled great. “Good morning, Kathy, how are you?” asked Shannon. “I’m fine, thanks. So who’s our first appointment with today?” “It’s with a Mr. Kelvin Kettle,” said Shannon. “He’s looking to either buy or rent in town.” “Great, I have four or five places I can show him this morning and an additional three or four on standby, if needed,” said Kathy. “What time is he coming?” “He’s scheduled for ten o’clock,” replied Shannon. “How’d he sound on the phone to you, Shannon? Enthusiastic or not so serious?” “Oh my goodness, this man sounded like he’d make an on-the-spot buy if the location was right. The first couple of places will do the trick, I bet.” “I hope you’re right, Shannon, I’d love to start off today with a sale. That will give me something to talk trash about at lunch with the other partners.” His N e x t f lo w e r

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“Believe me, Kathy; you’re going to have a great lunch today. You’ll be toasting Mr. Kettle with your iced tea!” The women laughed, high-fived each other, and returned to their offices.

~ As Kelvin drove into town, the bad memories came rushing back to him. He hadn’t realized how much he hated this town and the events that led to his departure. “I’d love to find that bitch, the Beast, again! I’d cut her fucking head off for what she did to me!” He gripped the steering wheel so hard that he almost broke it. “I have to calm down. I have to get it together. I can’t let them see me angry. I can’t let them see me sweat.” He pulled his car over and took a drink from the bottle of water he had on the seat. No one was around to see him, and there’d been no traffic on the road. “Small towns do have advantages after all,” he said.

~ “How much time do we have, Shannon?” asked Kathy. “He should be arriving in about ten minutes,” said Shannon. The two women were now joined by the rest of the office staff. All the partners were in, and the phones were busy with customers in the lobby. “Mr. Kettle is our first appointment on today’s schedule,” said Shannon. 44

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The sedan pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop. Kelvin checked himself out and was pleased with what he saw. “It’s show time!” He got out, shut the door, and looked at his reflection in the window of his car. “I look great,” he confirmed. “This suit is one of the best investments I ever made.” The sliding doors open as he entered the building. He strolled up to the front counter and with a big smile said, “Good morning, I’m Mr. Kelvin Kettle. I have a ten o’clock appointment.” “Good morning, Mr. Kettle, I’m Shannon and we talked on the phone yesterday. How are you doing?” “I’m fine, Shannon, it’s nice to meet you,” said Kelvin, noticing her hair. “It’s nice to meet you too, Mr. Kettle,” replied Shannon. “By the way, Shannon, Mr. Kettle is my father. You can call me Kelvin,” he said with a grin. “Oh, that’s right. I forgot, I’m sorry, Kelvin,” said Shannon. He took a seat close to her desk. He was taken aback on how attractive Shannon was. My goodness she’s beautiful! Look at that red hair; it’s magnificent. He tried to control the roar of thoughts in his head. He fought with all his might to stay focused, but it was a losing battle. “I just found my next flower,” he whispered.

~ “Good morning, Mr. Kettle, I’m Kathy Baxter, the office manager and a partner of Smith, Jones, Baxter, and Matthews His N e x t f lo w e r

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Realty, nice to meet you.” “Nice to meet you, Kathy; I’m Kelvin Kettle and I’m here to find a home.” “Great, sir, I have about four properties lined up this morning in various parts of town for you to look at. Are you ready to go?” “Yes, I am,” said Kelvin, “let’s ride.” He waved goodbye to Shannon and left with Kathy. They rode around town in Kathy’s’ car to look at the various properties. The fourth place was a nice two-bedroom duplex on Dover Street. The house was move-in ready and available immediately. Kelvin decided to take it. Kathy was thrilled. As they left the property, he waved at a thirty-something couple standing in a yard two houses down from his. They looked like they were related in some way. “This is a really nice location, not too far from downtown and close to shopping,” said Kelvin. “I’m glad you like it,” said Kathy. “Our receptionist, Shannon, was right; she said you were pretty enthusiastic about buying a property right away.” “She was spot on,” said Kelvin. “Great to know you have such an intuitive employee working in the office.” “I agree; we were so happy to have Shannon back in the office. After a nasty divorce she went through, she needed a fresh start. We are very lucky to have her,” said Kathy. “She seems to be a really nice person,” said Kelvin. “She said that if I didn’t get a property, she’d buy me lunch. So I 46

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guess I’ll be eating alone today.” “I don’t think she has any lunch plans, Kelvin; you could still ask her out,” said Kathy. “Okay, then, when we get back, I’ll ask her to lunch,” said Kelvin. “I’m sure she’ll go,” said Kathy with a wink. “I think she might like that a lot.” They both laughed and headed back to the office. Kathy was happy and excited about what the rest of the day had in store.

~ When he returned to his place, he was excited. He knew he had to move fast. I’ll go over to Fairfield to my storage lot and get my stuff. I’ll begin my move this weekend. As he stood in his dark, dank place, he thought about how much easier it will be to separate his regular life from his “harvesting” flowers. “Step one is complete; now it’s time for step two: finding a decent job in the town. I wonder if the local junior high or high school could use a good substitute.” He decided that would be the perfect cover for him. He’d read that the district had been restructured and the schools here had picked up a tremendous number of additional students. “I’ll swing by the high school and show my credentials to the principal to see what he thinks,” he said. “This could be a great place to work.”

~ His N e x t f lo w e r

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“Hey, Shannon, you were right. I didn’t have to show the remaining properties to Mr. Kettle; he picked the fourth one in the group. He was very anxious to close the deal. Nice call, way to go!” “Thanks, Kathy, he just sounded like a winner on the phone,” said Shannon. “By the way, you may be getting a call about going to lunch in the immediate future,” said Kathy with a smile. “I hope so, Mr. Kettle is an attractive man and I didn’t see a wedding ring on his finger either,” replied Shannon. “Be prepared. My physic powers tell me your phone will be ringing with a lunch invitation tomorrow,” said Kathy. “Great, I need time to get my hair and nails done; I could be having lunch with my future husband,” laughed Shannon. “Shannon Kettle does have a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?” “I’ll call a wedding planner!” shouted Kathy. “HERE COMES THE BRIDE…ALL DRESSED IN WHITE,” she sang. “You can wear white, can’t you?” asked Kathy with a grin. “I’d wear a clown suit if it means getting married,” laughed Shannon.

~ Longview High School was located on the south side of town just past the deli and across the street from the junkyard. Kelvin was excited about the possibility of being a teacher in Montclair. Teaching had been one of his career goals after pilot or musician and he thought he was a pretty good teacher. The following morning, he parked his car in the guest 48

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parking spot and headed toward the office. He entered the building and followed the arrow pointing to the principal’s office where a blonde receptionist sat behind the counter. “Good morning, sir, how may I help you?” she asked. “Good morning, I’m Kelvin Kettle and I have an appointment with Principal McCormick.” “Yes, he’s expecting you; please have a seat and I’ll let him that you’re here,” she said. “By the way, my name is Carolyn Stevens.” “Nice to meet you, Ms. Stevens,” said Kelvin graciously. “I’ve ordered a new nameplate plate for my desk, I’d thought it be here by now,” she said. “That’s okay, the simplest of things seem to take the most time,” said Kelvin. The door just to the left of the reception desk opened and a large man with a beard appeared. His face was wrinkled and he looked several years past retirement. “Hello, you must be Mr. Kettle, I’m Principal McCormick.” “Hello, Principal McCormick, it’s nice to meet you,” said Kelvin. “Come on into my office and let’s talk,” said the principal. “I looked over your credentials and you have an impressive background. Because the school year has already started I can’t bring you on as a full-time teacher without school board approval. But with your experience, there shouldn’t be any problem getting approval. If you are interested, I can have you start right away as a substitute first. When can you start?” His N e x t f lo w e r

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“I can start tomorrow,” said Kelvin. “Great, Mr. Kettle, I’ll have you come in and take the science class for the rest of the week,” said Principal McCormick. “I’ll be here at 7:00 a.m.,” said Kelvin. The two men shook hands and Principal McCormick introduced Kelvin to his human resources administrator to have him set up in the payroll system. After all the forms were in order, Kelvin headed to his car, smiling. “Phase two is now complete. Now I can focus on my next flower. I’ll make that call to Shannon to have lunch.” As he drove out of the parking lot, as sense of relief came over him. Everything is happening so fast. Is this a good sign of things to come? When he arrived at his place, he parked his car in the back where no one could see it. He went inside and got out of his “lucky” gray suit. “I’ll head over to Fairfield and bring my first load of stuff back to my new house,” he said. “Once I get moved in, I’ll be able to start harvesting my flowers.”

~ The office was busier than usual. Shannon’s phone was ringing off the hook. Call after call after call was coming in. “I hope Kelvin calls me or this day is really going to suck,” she said. No sooner than she said that, the phone rang. “Smith, Jones, Baxter, and Matthews Realty, this is Shannon, how can I help you?” she said. 50

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“Hello, Shannon, this is Kelvin Kettle; how are you?” he asked. “I’m fine, Kelvin, how’s the job search going?” “I will substitute at the high school for now. Once the school board approves me, I’ll be a full-time teacher,” said Kelvin. “That’s great news. That was fast! I’m so happy for you, Kelvin!” “I’m calling to see if you’re free for lunch today, Shannon.” “Yes, I am free for lunch, Kelvin; what time should I expect you?” “I’ll be at your office around eleven-thirty to pick you up,” said Kelvin. “Great, there’s a pretty good diner down the street from our office. How’s that sound?” asked Shannon. “That’d be fine, I’ll see you at eleven-thirty,” said Kelvin. “Okay, eleven-thirty it is!” Shannon hung up the phone and walked back to Kathy’s office. “Guess what? Your physic powers were correct. Guess who has a lunch date today?” “Let me guess, is that someone you, perhaps?” asked Kathy. “You’re correct, Kathy! It’s me,” said Shannon with a grin. “Should I contact the wedding planner or wait until the date is over?” asked Kathy. “To be on the safe side, let’s contact the wedding planner and have her on standby,” said Shannon. The women laughed together and Shannon began to dance back down the hall. His N e x t f lo w e r

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Kathy yelled out, “Shake it, baby, shake it! MAKE SURE NOT TO SHAKE IT FOR KELVIN ON THE FIRST DATE!” Shannon turned and said, “I’ll shake it for him on the second date. I don’t want him to think I’m that easy,” she laughed. The other women in the office all stood up and applauded Shannon. She smiled and returned to her desk. “I hope this works out,” she whispered. “I miss this feeling of happiness.” The devil knows no happiness, only pain. Death comes with a smile, a dozen roses, and hungry for a meal.

~ Kelvin took his time driving to pick up Shannon; he wanted to get to know her before he went any further. She was a beautiful, sweet women and he wanted to make this one special. He wanted to make sure he did this flower right. “I want to plant her with all the care and love I showed the first flower. I hope this diner’s food is as good as she claims,” he said. “I’m tired of eating microwave meals and take-out.” When he arrived at her office, Shannon was already out front. She smiled and waved to him as she walked towards his car. She looks great, he thought. That beautiful red hair looks fabulous. “Hey, Kelvin, are you ready to go?” Shannon asked. “Yes, I’m starving,” said Kelvin. The couple drove and had their lunch at the diner. The meal was pretty good. Shannon had the lunch special, which 52

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was the baked salmon; and Kelvin had a grilled chicken salad which turned out to be very tasty. When he drove Shannon back to her office he felt good about their conversation. She had everything he was looking for. He gave Shannon a friendly hug goodbye and she gave him her number and invited him to call her later. As she walked up to the building, he watched with desire. She had a very nice build under her dress and he looked forward to the day he would see it without clothes. He grinned. Man, she has nice legs and that ass looks so firm. I can’t wait to have her; it’s going to be so good.

~ “So, Shannon, did Kelvin get down on one knee to propose or did he just chicken out?” asked Kathy. “Oh my, Kathy, will you give it a rest?” said Shannon. “Ask me that on our second date and I’ll have an answer for you.” Then she laughed. “Speaking of chicken, he did have that for lunch. Once again, Kathy, your physic powers were dead on.” Kathy laughed and clapped her hands. “I told you, Shannon, I know what I know. Listen to me and I’ll have you married by the end of the month!” All the women laughed and wished Shannon the best in her pursuit of Kelvin. Shannon stood up from her desk and bowed to the applauding crowd.

~ His N e x t f lo w e r

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Kelvin was pleased with his first encounter with Shannon. I’ve got to plan this out just right. I must make no mistakes on this one. I can’t get caught on day one; I don’t want this pleasure to end that quickly. As he unpacked the boxes from his storage area, he realized that he had to form a relationship with this woman. He must blend in so that, when she is finally harvested, he can play the grieving boyfriend and not the obvious suspect. “I’ll have to call on my acting skills to pull this off—win the crowd. Win her heart and take it from her while it’s still beating,” he sneered. “I must love her quick, win the support of her friends and family, and then destroy them all!”

~ As their romanced blossomed, time stood still, and life took on a new purpose and meaning for Shannon. She never felt this way in her life. Kelvin was a godsend to her. She never thought she could feel this way about any man before he came along. In her mind, he was the perfect partner, strong, sensitive, and caring. She got really excited when he talked about having kids one day and how much he wanted to be a father. After a multitude of dates, he finally told her that he loved her. Shannon wept with joy as they embraced passionately. My plan is working to a tee, thought Kelvin. She’s in love with me! It’s time to harvest this flower for my garden. My first flower has been all alone now for a while. She’ll finally get some company. 54

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He came up with the ultimate plan, he thought. He read about a romantic bed and breakfast that he’d invite Shannon to. That’s where I’ll let everyone think we’re going; but actually, we’ll never even leave town. As he reached for the phone book to find the number, he was overwhelmed with sense of joy and peace. It’s been a while since he took a life and missed that feeling of control and power. He longed to see that expression on her face, the one just before death. This sensation gave him a rush like nothing else he could imagine. He remembered his first flower’s face; she was beautiful, and she died a beautiful death. Ring Ring…“Hello, and thank you for calling the Pinewood Bed and Breakfast, this is Pamela, how can I help you?” “Good morning, Pamela, I’d like to make a reservation for this coming weekend, please,” said Kelvin. “Yes, sir, when are you expected to arrive?” asked Pamela. “I’ll be coming in with my girlfriend Friday morning and we’ll be checking out on Monday.” “A four-day weekend sounds nice, sir; let me get your credit card to hold your reservation,” said Pamela. Kelvin gave his credit card number and Pamela gave him his confirmation number for the room. “The plan has been put into motion,” he said. “Now it’s time for the actors to take the stage!” Kelvin hung up the phone and dialed Shannon’s number at work. He planned to ask her to go away for the weekend because he wanted to have a romantic getaway with her. His N e x t f lo w e r

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He reached Shannon and she accepted the invitation for the weekend. “Now for the ultimate play on emotions!” he shouted at his garden. Kelvin knew that people from Montclair liked to eat at the diner downtown for lunch. He remembered a jewelry store that was across the street from the diner. He planned to go downtown to the jewelry store and make sure he was seen by some of Shannon’s co-workers, buying a diamond engagement ring at lunchtime. They would go back to the office and tell Shannon what they saw. He assumed that she would believe the reason for the weekend getaway was to propose marriage while at the bed and breakfast. “My plan is foolproof,” he exclaimed. “I love this time of year; it’s always good for harvesting.”

~ “OH, MY GOD, SHANNON…YOU’LL NEVER GUESS WHAT WE JUST SAW DOWNTOWN!!” shouted Dorothy. Shannon almost fell out of her chair. Dorothy seemed so excited about what she just saw that Shannon had to stop and listen. “What the hell are you screaming about, Dorothy?” “You won’t believe what I just saw at the diner,” said Dorothy. “What did you see?” asked Shannon. “While I was eating my lunch, I saw Kelvin across the street at French’s Jewelry store looking at diamond rings!” said Dorothy. 56

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“No freaking way!” shouted Shannon. “I’m serious,” said Dorothy. “Melanie was with me and she saw it, too. Tell her, Melanie, you saw him too, right?” “That’s right,” said Melanie, “I did see him.” Shannon fell back in her chair with disbelief. “Could this be why he wants to go away for the weekend? Could he be planning to propose to me at the bed and breakfast?” Just then Kathy came running out of her office and asked, “Is it true, you guys saw Kelvin at the jewelry store, looking at rings?” “It’s true,” said Melanie and Dorothy. All the women jumped up and screamed together. Shannon fell back in her chair and tears ran down her face. Kathy hugged her and said, “I told you he was special; I told you he’d be the one.” “I can’t believe it…he’s going to ask me this weekend,” said Shannon. “I’m so happy.” “Here comes the bride,” sang Kathy. “Here comes the bride.”

~ At his place of harvesting, Kelvin made preparations for the flower’s arrival. He made sure all his tools were available and ready. “Let’s check my list to make sure I’m set: one roll of duct tape, handcuffs, one large plastic tarp, one knife, one hammer, one shovel, a pick ax, one vacuum cleaner, six cinder blocks, rope, and one bottle of bleach. I’m all set. I’m ready to pick this flower!” His N e x t f lo w e r

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The week leading up to their trip seemed to drag on forever. Shannon felt that if she had to wait any longer, she’d just go to Kelvin and ask him to marry her. When Thursday night rolled around, she picked up the phone and called Kelvin. “Hey, Kelvin, I’m on my way. I’ll be at your house in twenty minutes.” “Great, Shannon, I’m almost finished packing my stuff,” said Kelvin. “This is going to be the best weekend of our lives,” said Shannon. “You have no idea,” said Kelvin. He hung up the phone and smiled to himself.

~ Friday morning at Smith, Jones, Baxter, and Matthews Realty started off like any other day. The phones were busy with calls and the staff was busy helping clients. Everyone in the office took turns answering the phone whenever Shannon was out of the office. Kathy had just finished with a client when the phone rang. It was her turn to answer the phone so she took the next call that came in. “Hello, this is Kathy with Smith, Jones, Baxter and Matthews Realty, how may I help you?” “Is Shannon there, Kathy?” “I’m sorry, she’s not here. Who’s this?” “Oh no, Kathy, it’s Kelvin. Shannon never showed up last night for our trip…she called me and said that she’d be at my house in about twenty minutes. That was the last I heard from her!” 58

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“Oh God, Kelvin, I think we better call the police,” said Kathy in a panic. “I’ll do that now,” said Kelvin. “I’ll call around and ask if anyone has seen her,” she said in a quivering voice. But Kathy knew Shannon would never have stood up Kelvin. She feared the worst.

~ Twenty-four hours earlier, an innocent life was taken. She was young, beautiful, and full of joy. Shannon believed she found the man of her dreams. Instead, she came into contact with a monster. This monster took her life in a blink of an eye. This monster was born of pain and suffering. This monster comes bearing a smile and full of charm. Little did Shannon know that Prince Charming was the devil’s son. This devil planted her in his garden right next to another innocent life. “And now there are two,” he said. “You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

~ The clock on the wall had chimed at the top of the hour. He looked and saw it was 7:00 p.m. on the dot. He saw the headlights of Shannon’s car through his window. His hands began to sweat as the time was near. He opened the door and greeted her with a smile and kiss. “How was your drive?” he asked. “Fine,” replied Shannon. As she entered the door she saw his bags by the door. His N e x t f lo w e r

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“I’m all ready to go; just let me get my map,” said Kelvin. “Okay,” said Shannon, “I’ll go to the bathroom and we’ll get going.” As Shannon went to the bathroom, Kelvin walked past the door to the bathroom. He picked up the hammer from the shelf and waited. When the toilet flushed and the water from the sink began to flow, he knew he had only seconds. When the door opened and Shannon came out, she turned left, heading down the hall toward the living room to help Kelvin with his bags. In an instant, like a bolt of lightning, the pain shot through the back of her head. Shannon fell to her knees and everything went black. The last image she would ever see was a painting hanging on Kelvin’s wall of a waterfall that she gave him on his birthday. They had talked about taking a trip to the tropics to actually visit and stand under a waterfall. He really loves that painting, was her last thought. What a lovely trip that would have been, what a lovely time they would have had. He took her keys so he could drive her car. The monster moved quickly, he wrapped her head in plastic so no blood would spill on the floor. The duct tape came in handy as he wrapped her body from head to toe in the plastic tarp. He picked her up and carried her lifeless form to the back of the house. He turned off the back lights and placed the body on the back steps. His car was parked in the attached garage. He turned Shannon’s car around in the driveway and backed it into the backyard. He placed her body in her car. He went 60

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inside and changed into his “harvesting” clothes. His heart pounded with excitement. “I finally have my next flower for my garden,” he said. “Life is good.” One of the main reasons he chose this house was that it sat back an additional fifty feet from his neighbors’ house from the road. It had a tall hedge on all sides so the house was completely blocked off from the view of his neighbors and passersby on the road. He could virtually move in his front yard and backyard without being seen by anyone. Luck must be on my side, he thought. This is the perfect weekend for harvesting. One of his next-door neighbors was out of town on business and the one on the other side of his house was gone to a family reunion. There would be literally no witnesses to report seeing Shannon coming in or leaving his house. After he changed clothes, he got into her car and drove to his garden spot. He parked and took the body to the edge of the cold, dark water. He unwrapped her body and examined it thoroughly. Like his last flower, he had to have one last goodbye with it before he would plant it. Sex with a dead body would not appeal to most people; but to him, it was better than when the woman was alive. When he finished, he took off the condom and put it in a plastic bag. He’d flush it later at his house. He rewrapped the body in the plastic tarp again and used duct tape to wrap it up. He took the six cinder blocks and tied up the body with the blocks and rope. He took her body His N e x t f lo w e r

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and lifted it up to test the weight. He placed her back on the ground and tied another piece of rope around her neck and under her arms to make it easier to drag the body into the water to plant this flower next to his first flower. When he was finished, he surveyed the area and made sure he picked up any loose items that could be used as evidence. He had covered the car seats with plastic so no evidence would be traced back to him. He drove Shannon’s car to an all-night do-it-yourself car wash and washed it thoroughly. No part of the car was left untouched. After that, he drove the car to a rest area and parked it in the back. He sat in the car with the seat back so he wouldn’t be noticed. After what seemed to be an eternity, he casually got out of the car and entered the woods behind the rest area. He made his way back to his house within a couple of hours. He took a shower, changed clothes, and had something to eat. “I don’t have to worry about my first flower anymore; now she has someone to keep her company,” he said. After he finished eating, he watched television. “I’ll call her job tomorrow and tell her boss that she didn’t show up for our trip. I’ll pour on the bullshit real thick. I’ve got to sell this one real good,” he said. He felt good that this harvest went so well. “If they all go like this, I’ll be happy as hell!” he shouted. The garden lay silent. The harvest was complete. It had its next flower. This flower is special. This flower had its place in 62

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time. This flower was named Shannon. “Hi, my name is Shannon, what’s yours?” “Hello, my name is Melissa, nice to meet you!”

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CHAPTER 4

THE BIRTHDAY PARTY

he entire town was abuzz with activity. Shannon’s disappearance was big news. Kelvin had been

interviewed several times and the media reported that he was ruled out by the police as a suspect. That news set well with him. As he looked in the mirror after his last interview with the authorities, he said, “…and the Academy Award goes to….Kelvin Kettle!” He laughed and walked from his bathroom to his living room to watch television. Earlier that day, he drove around town and saw all the fliers posted with Shannon’s picture. He went as far as to participate in a few of the searches in the woods with a group of volunteers. He made sure he guided them far away from his garden.

~ Meanwhile, across town, Ms. Jenkins and Tammy Tomkins were having lunch at the local diner. Tammy said to 64

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Ms. Jenkins, “At the last town council meeting it was agreed that the entire town wants to throw you a birthday party, and I was asked to discuss it with you. I know this might not be an appropriate time but I wanted to run that by you.” “I think something like that should wait until we find out what happened to Shannon,” Edna said. “I hope folks will understand.” “I’m sure that everyone will understand, of course, under the circumstances,” Tammy said. “I can’t believe the entire town wants to throw me a birthday party and my precious granddaughter is missing.”A tear rolled down Edna Jenkins’ face. “I love this town so much. I just hope everyone understands that the time for celebration will have to wait. My granddaughter is the only thing on my mind right now.”

~ Her shift was finally over, Lauren walked slowly through the plant toward her car. She took a minute to stand by her vehicle and take a deep breath. The cool air filled her lungs and made her feel better. She spoke out loud, “I hope this car starts; I just want to get home and go to bed.” “If it doesn’t start, I’ll give you a ride home,” a voice from behind said. Lauren turned quickly, it was her supervisor. “Mark, you scared the hell out of me,” she exclaimed. “Sorry, Lauren, I didn’t mean to scare you. Why don’t you get in and let’s see what happens.” t h e bi rt h day pa rt y

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Lauren got into her car, turned the key, and nothing happened. It wasn’t a battery problem, but something more serious. “I should have taken my car in last week when I had a chance. The mechanic that did the oil change said he noticed something wrong and I ignored him because I thought he was trying to get an extra fee for additional work.” “I’ll give you a ride if you like,” offered Mark. “Okay, that’d be fine with me, thank you,” she said. They got into Mark’s car and left the parking lot. The security guard waved them through and they headed toward the highway. In the beginning of the ride home, there was silence. Neither spoke; this silence made the ride seem even longer. Finally, Mark said; “I’m glad you were able to work the entire shift, Lauren; I was a little worried about how you were feeling.” “It was a tough shift. I have got to stop going out the night before I have to work the swing shift,” said Lauren. “It’s time to grow up and stop acting like a teenager.” “It’s okay in moderation and if you use good judgment when doing it,” said Mark. “You’ll be okay if you do that.” “Thanks, Mark, I’ll take your advice into consideration the next time my girlfriends call me to go out,” said Lauren. “If I were you, I’d take the night off and stay home,” said Mark. “Get some rest; do your body some good.” “Don’t worry, Mark, the way I feel, I can’t wait to get to my bed and go to sleep. I’m going to unplug the phone and sleep for a week.” 66

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Mark smiled as he took the exit to Lauren’s house. At her house, he pulled into the driveway. “Have a good sleep, Lauren, I’ll see you in a couple of days, okay?” “Thanks for the ride, Mark; I’ll give you a call.” “Don’t worry about the car either; I’ll call the shop when I get home and have the car picked up for you to get worked on.” said Mark. “Like I said before, you’re the best supervisor the plant ever had.” “Thanks, Lauren, I appreciate your support.” Lauren smiled and turned to go into her house. Mark smiled back and watched her go inside. She looked back over her shoulder and gave him a friendly wave goodbye. He waved back and pulled out of the driveway and headed down the road back to the highway. Lauren went inside and tossed her keys on the living room table. She sat on her couch and wondered what her life would be like with Mark in it. “He’s such a nice guy. I hope his wife appreciates him,” she said. “I’ll say one thing, though; if Maggie makes a single mistake with Mark, I’ll swoop in and take him faster that a fat kid on a plate of cupcakes!”

~ Mark drove home thinking about the ride with Lauren and their conversation. I’m glad I called my brother for some advice. Having a priest for a brother is an advantage. This temptation is hard challenge to beat. “I just need to focus on Maggie and her t h e bi rt h day pa rt y

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chemotherapy, and I’ll be fine. I have to help my wife beat this cancer. I can’t let her see me distracted in the least.” As he got closer to his exit, all he could think about was Lauren. He thought how beautiful she is. My brother said to keep it professional at all times and I’ll be fine. Easier said than done! “Temptation is a BITCH!” shouted Mark.

~ Maggie gave Penny a hug and thanked her for the ride. “I’m sorry to be such a pain,” said Penny. “I want to let you know that I have your back, Maggie, not matter what.” “I know you do, sis, I know you do,” said Maggie. Penny got into her car and left to go home. Maggie went into her kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. She went to phone and saw the red light on, indicating she had a message. She pushed the button and the answering machine sounded: “You have one new message.” “Hello, Maggie and Mark, this is Tammy. I’m calling to let you guys know that Mrs. Jenkins’ birthday celebration this weekend has been cancelled. Please pass it on to your friends and family, okay? Mrs. Jenkins is pretty upset about her granddaughter’s disappearance and doesn’t want to celebrate until she knows Shannon is safe. Please call me if you have any questions, thanks.”

~ 68

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Mark pulled into his driveway and saw the light on. “Maggie must be back from chemo,” he said. He walked inside the house and called out for Maggie, “Are you home, honey?” “Yes, I’m in the kitchen.” They hugged each other and sat at the table. “So how did the treatment go?” “Same old same, no changes,” said Maggie. “I know you hate this stuff, Maggie, but don’t quit, okay? We’ll beat this cancer together,” said Mark. “You’re the reason I won’t quit,” said Maggie. “I can get through with you here.” They hugged each other and began to cry. Mark and Maggie knew they were in for a fight. The cancer had been caught early but that didn’t guarantee that she’d beat it. All they have is each other now and, in the end, that’s all they really need.

~ It was a slow day at the convenience store. Beth and Shelly were good at their jobs and could get customers in and out pretty quickly. Mickey was thankful for them and felt at ease when they were on shift. He knew things would go smoothly during the day. Unlike his relationship with Chucky, he felt that these women liked their job and enjoyed coming to work. Just as Mickey left the front counter, a horn blew loudly from a passing car. It was Chucky driving by, heading to the grocery store. t h e bi rt h day pa rt y

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“Asshole alert,” shouted Shelly. The car pulled in at the grocery store across the street and Chucky got out. He waved to them and Beth gave him the one finger salute. “Nice touch,” said Mickey. “I just want him to know he’s appreciated,” said Beth. Chucky went into the grocery store and picked up enough food to last two weeks. He was sick of takeout food and he didn’t want to get sick. I’ve missed too many days as is and I don’t want the assholes across the street to find a way to get rid of me, he thought. He drove home, unpacked the groceries and cleaned up the kitchen. The living room was next and when he was done, the house was spotless. For his work, he filled up two large garbage bags with all the trash. “I can’t let my place get this dirty again,” he said. “If Melissa was here, she wouldn’t put up with this for one second!” Tears were beginning to form in his eyes when he noticed a picture of Melissa on the wall. “I’ve got to be strong,” he said. “She’ll come back, I just know it.” He went over and kissed the picture tenderly. He placed it back on the wall and took the garbage out. Chucky didn’t have much in his life, only hope. He hoped with all his heart that Melissa would return to him. If she doesn’t, he was afraid he’d die.

~ 70

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Tom Tucker’s most recent week of bachelordom was coming to a fast end. Veronica and the kids were due back Friday evening. He surveyed his house and knew he had to get busy. Pizza boxes littered his entire house. The trash can was overflowing with beer cans and bottles. The Chinese food containers were stacked on the counters. “I’ll have to work out nonstop for the next three months to get rid of all the excess fat from the junk food!” It took Tom almost five hours to clean up the house. He finished by spraying some Lysol in the kitchen and bathrooms. He lit some scented candles to have a nice smell in the air when Veronica walked in. To keep from getting busted, he took the three bags of trash down to the land fill and deposited them himself. “No sense in leaving evidence,” he snickered. When he got back to his house, he saw Veronica’s car coming down the road. “Just in time,” he said with a grin. “One more close call.” Veronica pulled up and parked her car. Tom’s sons got out and gave him a big hug. “Welcome back, you guys, did you miss me?” asked Tom. “Yes, we did, Dad, very much,” said Tom Jr. “I missed you, too,” said Lance. “Okay, boys, grab your bags and take them to your rooms and unpack,” said Veronica. “I’ll be up to check on you in a bit.” “Okay, Mom,” said the boys. They grabbed their bags and ran into the house. t h e bi rt h day pa rt y

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“How was the drive?” asked Tom. “It was okay,” said Veronica. They kissed and went into the house. “Wow, honey, the place is spotless,” said Veronica. “Did you take the trash to the dump like before?” They both laughed and sat on the couch. “I could never get anything past you,” said Tom. “That’s right,” said Veronica.

~ David had the largest accounting firm in town. Known as the “tax guru” by everyone, he is very proud of his firm and all the young accountants he has on staff. His firm is one of the top accounting firms on the East Coast, and every accounting major at the local college would kill to get an internship there. He was especially proud of his wife Kathy for going back to finish up graduate school. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me, he thought. She’s a great mom to our three sons and is truly the love of my life. “I’m really looking forward to attending Ms. Jenkins birthday party,” said Kathy. “She’s really a great lady.” “I agree,” said David. “I could never thank her enough for what she did for me. When I tried to get a bank loan in the beginning to start my firm, all the banks in town said no. Ms. Jenkins gave me the money to get started. I’m so grateful to her. It’s funny now, if you look at it. All the banks come to me now to manage their accounting needs. Every manager treats me like freaking royalty. How ironic is that?” 72

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“Pretty cool to me,” said Kathy. “Well, your majesty, shall we let the boys know about the party and go pick out a present for Mrs. Jenkins?” asked Kathy. “Sure thing, I’ll get the boys,” said David. As Kathy was about to get her sons the phone rang on the wall. “I’ll get it, honey,” Kathy said. David went to the closet to get his jacket. In a few minutes Kathy came back with a sad look on her face. “Is everything okay, honey,” he asked. “That was Tammy Tompkins on the phone,” she said. “Mrs. Jenkins party has been cancelled,” she said.

~ “Sundays are always the best day of the week, just ask any priest.” This was a quote that Father Bailey remembered from seminary school. He could never remember what instructor that said it, but how could anyone argue with it? As he put up his feet on the couch after a long day, something on the left caught his eye. “URGENT,” the red letters popped up in his vision like a strike of lightning. He looked at his credenza; a large envelope lay on top of this weekend mail. The envelope had the word “URGENT” in red capital letters. Just as he was about to take a closer look at the envelope, the phone rang. “Hello, this is Father Bailey, how can I help you.” “Hello, Father Bailey, this is Mrs. Jenkins; how are you?” “I’m fine, Mrs. Jenkins, how are you?” he asked. “Are you excited about your birthday party coming up? The entire town t h e bi rt h day pa rt y

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is coming out to celebrate you and all that you mean to us.” “I’m sorry, Father, I’ve decided to cancel my birthday party until I can find out where Shannon is,” Edna said. “Of course I am grateful, but I hope you understand.” Father Bailey said, “Of course, Edna, of course.” “Listen, the reason I called you, Father, is to ask if you could meet me for lunch tomorrow.” “Yes, lunch would be fine, Edna,” said Father Bailey warmly. “How’s the diner downtown at noon sound to you?” “That will work for me,” said Mrs. Jenkins. “I’ll meet you there, okay?” “It’s a date,” said Father Bailey. Father Bailey was glad to meet Mrs. Jenkins for lunch. He wanted to offer her any comfort and support she needed. She had played a critical role in his being named as the new priest for the Montclair Catholic Church. As he walked towards the bathroom and turned on the water to take a bath, he thought, Poor Edna Jenkins, she sounds so worried about her granddaughter.

~ Sebastian Coffee sat in his Fairfield City hotel room, staring out of his window. He was wondering if Father Bailey received and opened the letter he had mailed that week. He thought to himself about how he should have just attended the church service and talked to him afterward in person. He hadn’t been back to Montclair in more than twenty years. As far as he was concerned, the best thing that happened was 74

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when his family left. He missed his brother Kelvin, but he understood his family’s decision to let him go. Kelvin was sick all the time, and the financial strain he put on his family was too much to handle. If only he just died, Sebastian had thought. The world would be a lot better off without him. “I should just call the priest and get this over with; I shouldn’t be such a wimp about this.” He paced back and forth in his room. He’s always had a tough time delivering bad news to people. He hated being the one to receive the brunt of all that emotion. One word, one letter, one message, Montclair will never be the same.

~ Jacob sat on the side of his bed. He was feeling a little emotional from thinking about his wife and son. He missed them both terribly. I’ll call my son later on to see how he’s doing, he decided, as he had done so many times before, but never did. The phone rang as he sat on the side of the bed. Jacob walked over and picked it up. “Hello, who’s this?” “Hello, Mr. Maxwell, this is Tammy Tompkins, do you have a couple of minutes to talk?” “Hello, Tammy, I do have a few minutes to talk,” said Jacob. “Let me start off by saying that I still feel the loss of your dear parents. They were friends of mine and I never had the chance to tell you this at the time. I respected your parents tremendously and miss them very much.” t h e bi rt h day pa rt y

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“Thank you, Mr. Maxwell, I appreciate that,” said Tammy. “The reason I’m calling is to let you know that Mrs. Jenkins’ birthday party has been cancelled.” “I’m sorry to hear that, Tammy,” Jacob lied. “Give her my best, will you?” “Okay, Mr. Maxwell, I will. Take care,” said Tammy. Jacob hung up the phone and stood, looking at himself in the mirror. He smiled with the thought of Mrs. Jenkins being in pain. He didn’t like the fact that her granddaughter was missing, but he was okay with her being in pain. He hated her with a passion and wished there was a birthday party so he could jam a piece of cake right into her face. He went to his liquor cabinet, grabbed a bottle of scotch, and poured a drink. He drank it straight with no chaser and it burned as it went down. He turned and looked again at his angry face in the mirror. He walked to the window and stared out in the distance. “I wonder if the town would give me a birthday party,” he said. “My biggest rival has a birthday on the same day as mine. What fucking dumb luck is that?” Jacob saw a picture of his son on the wall and it made him think. The only call he wanted on his birthday was from his son. He couldn’t care less about anyone or anything but his son. “I put that boy through so much hell that, if he doesn’t call me, I wouldn’t be surprised. Jake Jr., son, please call me on my birthday,” he voiced his wish out loud. He thought about how the kids around town called him the Grinch. That bothered him a lot. If I were a nicer person, 76

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would the kids call me something different? “God, if you’re listening to me, do me one thing before I die; give me the strength to do something nice for someone in this town. I don’t care who it is or what’s it about. One act of kindness before I die is all I ask.” He dropped to his knees and continued to pray. He hadn’t prayed in more than twenty years. His rage turned to sadness as he knelt on the floor.

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CHAPTER 5 WHERE’S MELISSA?

he morning sun had risen slowly over the horizon. As they lay in bed, holding each other close, the world

around them stood still. He gently brushed her hair away from her face. As he watched her sleep, he thanked the Lord for her. This woman, who came unexpectedly into his life, totally changed him for the better. Each and every day revolved around getting better, and being a better man. It’s said that finding a good woman can bring man bliss for fifty years. Never has he felt so full of bliss and joy in his life. “Good morning, sweetie, it’s time to get up for work,” said Chucky. “Five more minutes, baby, okay?” said Melissa. He smiled and let her rest a little longer. If it was up to him, he’d let her stay in bed with him forever. Each moment away from her seemed like an eternity. They had met by accident one day at a downtown intersection. Melissa made a left turn when a dog ran out in front of her car; she swerved to 78

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miss the dog and hit Chucky’s car. He got out of his car with the thought of kicking the person’s ass who just hit his car. It was love at first sight. Melissa asked, “Are you okay?” Chucky could only stand there with his mouth open. Her beauty took his breath away. “Yes…yes, I’m fine,” he said. From that day on, Melissa and Chucky never left each other’s side. After six months of dating, they moved in together. They had a lot in common. They were both coming out of bad relationships and had been single for the same length of time. Melissa and Chucky even shared the same birthday. Chucky liked his job at the convenience store but he wanted to get the day shift so he could be with Melissa at night. Mickey promised him a change was coming once he got approval from corporate. Beth and Shelly who worked the day shift were willing to switch with him because Beth was looking to go back to college to finish her Master’s degree, and Shelly was having some daycare issues, and her mom was looking to move in with her. This was the perfect setup for Chucky; soon he and Melissa would have similar hours and could be home almost at the same time every night. Melissa was glad to have Chucky in her life. It didn’t matter to her that he worked at a convenience store; he was a driven man who had ambition. He told her about an ownership program that was available for the franchise. Mickey was going into the program, and he was going to be next in line. w h e r e ’ s m e liss a ?

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The owner of the store liked him and Mickey, and promised to assist them both in becoming future owners. Chucky was a little disappointed that Mickey got the manager’s job but he was fine with the promise of becoming an owner in the future. Melissa told Chucky that, when he goes into the program and becomes an owner, she would go to whatever town the new store was in. “I’ll follow you anywhere,” she had said. That really touched his heart to a point near tears. “I have the best woman in the world. This is going to motivate me to go through this program and become an owner.” Chucky was on top of the world, he had the most wonderful woman in the world, and would be a future franchise owner.

~ The devil spent a week following his flower. He knew where she lived, what time she left home each day to go work, where she got her hair done, and even where she worked out. “I have to pick the right time and place to harvest her,” he said. The route she took every day was a rural one. There was very little traffic and no house, just farmland. The main crops were corn and wheat. He had to come up with a way to lure her away, and then do his business. He remembered an old movie he saw one night when he couldn’t sleep. The character pulled his car to the side of the road and lifted the hood to pretend he had broken down. When the person he wanted to kill stopped to see if he needed assistance, that’s when he struck. “The perfect scenario,” he said. The road she drives to work was similar to the one in the movie. “I’ll fake car trouble 80

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and hopefully, she’ll stop. If she does, I’ll take her then. My garden is in the same area as the road, so it wouldn’t be that far of a walk to plant her.”

~ “Good morning, honey, time to rise and shine,” said Chucky. “Okay, my love, I’ll get up,” said Melissa. Melissa got ready for work and Chucky prepared breakfast for her as usual. They had plans for the weekend to go to Fairfield and do a little shopping. Chucky had a strange feeling as he walked Melissa to her car, like something bad was going to happen. The sky was dark and overcast as though it was about to rain. Melissa noticed it as well. “Looks like a storm’s coming in,” said Melissa. “I believe you’re right,” said Chucky. She got into her car and started it up. Chucky leaned into the window and kissed her passionately. She said, “Easy, cowboy, save that for tonight.” He smiled and said, “Yes, ma’am.” As Melissa backed her car out of the driveway, she stopped just short of the road and gave Chucky a look that she had never given him before. This look made him even more afraid that something bad was going to happen. She rolled down the window and said, “Goodbye, Mr. Moore, I’ll see you on the other side.” She smiled and rolled up her window then headed to work. A cold chill ran down Chucky’s spine. Melissa never called him Mr. Moore and w h e r e ’ s m e liss a ?

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never said “goodbye” as if she was never coming back. Two bad omens at the same time made him sick to his stomach. “I pray that I see you again, my love,” he whispered. “I couldn’t imagine my life without you.” Just as he finished those words, the sky opened up and it began to rain. Chucky stood in the rain until Melissa’s car was out of sight. The rain was cold as it began to soak through his night clothes. He went inside and sat on the couch. The hallway mirror caught his attention. He stood up, wiped the rain from his face, and began to cry. “I’ll miss you, my love…save a place for me on the other side.”

~ “I love the rain,” said the devil. “It always makes me smile.” He had been on the side of the road for about twenty minutes. No cars had passed during that time. His hood was up and he was soaked through his clothes. Everything was in place. He saw the vehicle lights in the distance, approaching fast. He got out with a wrench in hand and bent over as if he was working on the car. As the lights got brighter, he knew it was time. He turned in the direction of the oncoming lights and began to wave his hand. The car slowed to a stop. It was his flower. She looked even more beautiful up close. “Are you okay, sir?” Melissa asked. “Thanks for stopping; my car died. Can you give me a ride into town so I can get it towed to the garage?” asked the devil. “Sure, hop in,” said Melissa. He took a couple of steps to get into the car then stopped 82

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and walked back to her window, saying, “Can you help me take the package out of my trunk and put it into yours? It’s a wedding present for my niece. She’s getting married in Fairfield tomorrow and I don’t want to it to get broken by a bumpy tow truck ride.” “Okay, let me pull over and I’ll give you a hand.” Melissa parked her car behind his, got out, and began to walk to the back of his car. As he reached in to get his jacket he tossed her the keys to open the trunk. Just as she was opening the trunk, the devil struck. He hit her in the back of the head with the hammer he had tucked inside his coat. Melissa fell to the ground like a stone, completely unconscious. He put her in the trunk face down. He quickly duct taped her hands and legs together. He took some plastic and wrapped her head to keep the blood from spilling in his trunk. He took the keys from her pocket and pulled her car completely into the wood line. It would be hard to see from the road. By the time it’s discovered, it will be too late because this flower will already have been planted.

~ Chucky felt uneasy all day. He couldn’t wait until lunchtime so he could go downtown to see Melissa. He got dressed and grabbed his keys, heading for the door. Just as he reached for the doorknob the phone rang. “Hello,” said Chucky, “who’s calling, please?” “Chucky, this is Margaret, is Melissa okay? She didn’t come into work and we’re kind of worried.” He dropped to w h e r e ’ s m e liss a ?

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his knees with fear. His worst nightmare is about to come true. Oh, my God, she’s gone! “Margaret, are you telling me that she didn’t make it to work today?” “Yes, I am; she never came in,” said Margaret. “Okay, Margaret, I’ll see if I can find her and I’ll give you a call back,” said Chucky. He hung up the phone and sat on the couch. Chucky picked up the phone and called her—no answer. He made several trips up and down the road without seeing her car just off the road in the wood line. “I should have never let her go to work today; I should have never let her leave,” he said. Every minute that went by seemed like an eternity. My Melissa is gone for good, he thought. My soul mate has been taken from me. He cried the hardest he’d ever cried in his life. Mickey, Beth, Shelly, and other people in town came by to comfort him, but it was never enough. This event changed Chucky. The joy he had, and the bliss he found, disappeared. The “lover boy” nickname that his co-workers gave him went away. This man, who once had the world in the palm of his hands, lost all hope for life. It is said that a man without hope is a dangerous man. He was dangerous because he had nothing left to live for.

~ The devil parked his car carefully in the woods. He removed his flower from the trunk of his car. He threw Melissa’s body over his shoulder and began the slow careful walk back to his garden. He laid out the plastic tarp that he’d 84

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use to wrap the body in, and placed her on it. He stripped off all her clothes, put on a condom, and entered her repeatedly. To his surprise, the body was still alive and breathing. He took his hammer out and struck her in the head over and over again until she died. When he finished, he wrapped her in plastic, then the tarp, and made his way into the garden. He planted her with six cinder blocks and some rope. “My first flower is harvested,” he said. “My career as a gardener has just begun. I wonder how upset her boyfriend is about now. I wonder if he’s crying like a baby or is so oblivious to what’s going on around him that he doesn’t even miss her.” After he cleaned up himself as well as the surrounding area of his garden, he quickly left the scene. As he drove down the road, he saw her car still parked where he left it. “I guess no one’s aware of what’s going on,” he said. This is going to be easier than taking candy from a baby, he thought. “Small towns rock!” he shouted.

~ The sunrise couldn’t come fast enough for Chucky. One more day of searching for Melissa. The town was covered with flyers with her picture, and with his number as the point of contact. The picture on the flyer was one of his favorites of her. That big beautiful smile would be hard to miss. The police called him daily with updates of the search, which usually ended in disappointment. Two whole weeks had gone by when the police contacted him about finding the car. w h e r e ’ s m e liss a ?

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“Mr. Moore, this is Officer Daniels here. We found Melissa’s car in the tree line about two miles from your house. It was reported found by a local hunter out looking for deer.” “Did you find anything in the car? Was Melissa in the car?” asked Chucky. “No, sir, she wasn’t with the vehicle. We’re running tests on the vehicle for fingerprints and DNA samples,” said Officer Daniels. “When we have some new information, we’ll call you.” The car was only two miles from the house. My love was only two miles away from me when she disappeared. Chucky slammed the phone down in anger. “How in the hell could this have happened so close to the house? This is all my fault; I should have never let her go to work that day,” he screamed. Tears ran down his face. At that moment, something changed in Chucky. The devil took control. From that day forward, he wouldn’t care about anything or anyone. He began to question his whole existence. Maybe she didn’t want to be with me after all. Maybe she planned this whole thing.

~ The devil sat in his car adjacent to one of the large wheat fields along the road where he took his first flower. He heard that the car was found a few days earlier and no further information was available about her disappearance. “I like how this is going. If I can get away with this cleanly, I can get away with anything!” he declared. “I think 86

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I’ll take some time to plan my next harvest. I want to make sure that I’m as careful as can be. No mistakes guarantees success,” he said with a grin. The town of Montclair had a new resident. He’s pure evil, driven by hate and motivated by pain and suffering. The only question the devil had on his mind was, WHO’S NEXT?

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CHAPTER 6 WHO’S NEXT?

elvin sat at an empty table in the rear of the diner, waiting for Kathy to arrive. She wanted to meet with him to talk

about Shannon. He wasn’t worried at all. He wasn’t a suspect in the case; the police and media took care of that. “I have to play this real cool,” he whispered. I have to

continue the bullshit a little while longer. Kathy entered the diner and walked directly toward him with a look of concern on her face. She sat at the table after giving him a hug. She smells real good, he thought, almost well enough to harvest. “I’m glad you could meet me,” said Kathy. “I want to know how you are doing.” “I’m hanging in, I guess,” said Kelvin. “I miss Shannon so much. I can’t understand how she could just disappear like that and not tell anyone where she is.” Tears began to form in Kelvin’s eyes. He grabbed a napkin and began to wipe. “I know that you’re hurting now, Kelvin,” said Kathy. 88

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“Just be strong and things will get better. I’m sure Shannon will be found soon.” “I hope so,” he said. “I’m glad the police and media took me off the suspect list. I got tired of my co-workers at the high school, and the kids, acting so strange around me. I’m not a murderer. I was at the jewelry store, buying her an engagement ring. I was going to propose at the bed and breakfast that weekend. I hope the police find out some new information soon. All this waiting around is driving me crazy.” “It’s going to be okay, Kelvin, don’t worry,” said Kathy. “Listen, I have to go to a meeting back at the office; but if you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me, okay?” They both stood and she hugged him hard this time and gently kissed him on the cheek. Her lips felt soft and she had a nice feel to her. As Kathy walked away, he watched and thought how nice her body looked. “I’d like to get some of that,” he whispered. Out of nowhere, a voice spoke to him, “Stay focused asshole, she’s not who we want!” He quickly snapped back and sat back down. I’ll have to go out tomorrow and do some hunting, he decided. My garden needs more flowers!

~ “It’s unfortunate that Mrs. Jenkins cancelled her birthday party,” Terry said. “I’m sure the town will understand that.” “I agree,” Tammy said. “I’m sure that everyone understands, with her granddaughter being missing and all.” “I wouldn’t feel like celebrating either if I had a family member missing,” Terry said. who’s next?

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The twins sat outside of their duplex and ate their lunch in the sunshine. They couldn’t help to think about the disappearance of Shannon just a few weeks ago. How could someone just vanish like that without a trace? “I wonder if anyone has seen or heard anything from the police about Shannon,” mused Terry. “I haven’t heard anything from anyone around town,” said Tammy. “They did find her car in the woods, which is really scary to me. I just hope she’s okay. This weekend won’t be the same without her.” “I know, everyone’s been on edge around here,” said Terry. “Do me a favor, sis; make sure you keep your doors and windows locked at night, okay?” he said. “I wouldn’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.” Tammy gave her brother a smile of concern. She knew he was right to warn her. You can never be too careful these days. “You’ll never know who’ll be next,” said Terry. Just a few houses down from the twins, Kelvin was getting out of his car. He saw the twins and waved to them. Terry waved back and turned to Tammy, saying, “Poor guy, he must be going through hell right now. The day before you’re going to propose marriage, your fiancée disappears. I would be out of my mind wondering where she is and how she’s doing.” “Do you think I should go and say something to him?” asked Tammy. “I’d give him another day or two then go by for a visit,” said Terry. 90

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~ As Kelvin walked into his house, he noticed Tammy sitting with her brother. She’s a very attractive woman. I wonder if she’s married or dating anyone. He went inside and poured himself a drink. “I think I should get to know my neighbors a little better. Maybe I could get some sympathy sex from that pretty neighbor of mine,” he said with a devilish grin. He dropped a few ice cubes in the glass to cool his scotch. She has the features I like, tall, athletic build and, of course, that flowing red hair that makes her perfect! “I think lunch at the diner downtown sounds like a great way to open up. I’ll take a couple of days and then pay her a visit.”

~ JayJay sat in his car outside the health clinic while Cindy attended her anger management class. He thought about how much she’s changed since starting treatment. They don’t argue anymore and she’s more open to talking about things rather than arguing about them. It’s been a real godsend, he thought. “I like the new and improved Cindy.” Her session ended at noon so they decided to go to sushi restaurant by the docks and have lunch there. “Nothing like some good sushi to ease the pain of therapy,” said Cindy. “I’m so proud of you, Cindy, the decision to go seek help for your anger has made all the difference in the world to me,” said JayJay. “I love how it has helped you out.” who’s next?

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“It feels nice to talk about stuff rather than scream about stuff,” said Cindy. “As my therapist said to me, the calm way is the best way.” “I agree,” said JayJay with his mouth full of sushi. “Don’t talk with your mouth full,” said Cindy. “I don’t want to go to the hospital because you choke on a piece of fish.” They both laughed and JayJay almost choked. They finished their lunch and headed home. JayJay decided to clean the gutters on the house to get an early start on his weekend chores. Cindy grabbed a ladder from the garage and began to wash the windows. Knocking out some housework on the day off gave them a chance to free up some additional time for the weekend.

~ As Kelvin turned to go back to the kitchen, something caught his eye. He turned back around and noticed the heavenly body on a ladder across the street from him. “Oh, my goodness,” he said. “I forgot about that babe that lives there. Cindy is her name, I think. She’s living with that douche-bag of a boyfriend. If I decide to take her, he better not get in my way or I’ll plant his ass in the weed part of my garden.” Kelvin made an evil sneer. He didn’t like killing men because he figured that all men were treated like he was by women. He thought all men shared equally in pain when it came to women. The only way he would ever kill another man was if the man got in the way of him taking a flower. If JayJay was to get into his 92

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way, he’d be dealt with severely. Kelvin sat in his kitchen and debated about who he should take and when. The garden needed another flower, and time was of the essence. His tools were always ready to go, so it was just a matter of timing. “I need to be as careful as possible,” he said. “With Shannon gone, I have to be even more cautious.” He knew he had to approach the next women in a manner that would bring the least amount of attention to him. “I’ll have to take the chance and be seen in public with her in order to pull this off,” he said. “No matter how I do this, it’ll be worth the risk.” Kelvin made a tuna sandwich and went back into the living room. He turned on the television just in time to catch part of the noon report. The reporter on TV was a blonde with a big smile and bright teeth. She was joking with the weatherman about his forecast for the weekend. After they finished, she said, “There’s still no word on the disappearance of local resident Shannon Miller. The police are still hard at work following all leads in this case and, as soon as any new news becomes available, we’ll report to you first.” “No news is good news,” said Kelvin. “The little they have, the better it is for me.” The tuna tastes even better with that news, he thought. “So far so good!” he shouted and laughed.

~ who’s next?

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Cindy finished all the windows on the outside of the house while JayJay finished the gutters. “What do you want to do next?” she asked. “You feel like painting the rest of the garage?”asked JayJay. “Not really, my dear, that’d take the rest of the day.” “How about we get rid of some of that junk in the garage?” suggested JayJay. “Okay, that sounds better and it won’t take as long as painting,” said Cindy. They went through each box and threw away all the useless junk from each. This chore took about two hours and it freed up a lot more space in the garage. “I can’t believe it,” said Cindy, “I can park my car in here now and not in the street.” They moved all the junk to the curve for the garbage men to pick up in the morning. “I hope the police don’t come by and say something about this pile,” said JayJay. “Don’t worry, honey,” said Cindy. “They have more important stuff to worry about than some boxes on the side of the road.” Cindy was so right. The police were stumped with no leads and no witness to speak of. Each officer assigned to this disappearance case was frustrated. “I can’t believe we have no witnesses or leads,” said the police chief. “No one just vanishes like that.” “I agree, sir,” said his lieutenant. “If we don’t find something soon, the FBI will come in and take this case from us.” 94

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“I don’t know about all that but, to be on the safe side, let’s conduct another search of the wood line where her car was found,” said the chief. “Good idea,” said the lieutenant. “We don’t want the community thinking we stopped trying and gave up.” The lieutenant called all the available officers together along with some volunteers from town and they went back out to the area the car was found and searched again. They brought more dogs, but still nothing came up. If they would have gone a further into the woods, they would have come across an unusually sinister body of water—water that covered the bodies of two innocent women taken by a madman. Another press conference was held by the chief of police explaining and providing details about the latest search. The police chief looked tired. He worried that the missing woman would be found dead, but he chose to keep those thoughts to himself.

~ Tammy was finishing up some chores around the house when the phone rang. She checked the caller ID and it was Terry. “Hey, sis, what’s up?” he asked. “Hello there, what’s up with you?” asked Tammy. “Nothing much, I’m just finishing up the final program changes on our software program,” said Terry. “We’ll finally be ready to present next week.” “That’s great news,” said Tammy. “I know the buyers will like this and want to invest. By the way, I’m glad you called. who’s next?

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I’m going to pay Kelvin a visit today and ask him to lunch. What do you think?” “Sounds like a good idea to me,” said Terry. “Spending some time with a beautiful woman will take his mind off things.” “I hope your right, bro; I need to spend some time with a man other than you, no offense,” said Tammy with a laugh. “I’m not offended, sis, I hope he gets lucky,” laughed Terry. “I hope he tries,” said Tammy. “This dry spell is making me crazy.” They both laughed at each other and hung up the phone. Tammy thought how attractive Kelvin was. If he wanted to come home with her, she wouldn’t have a problem with it. “Dry spells suck,” she whispered. She thought about how fragile and helpless he must feel. I’ll give him a shoulder to cry on, she thought. If it leads to something more then I wouldn’t feel bad about it. There’s nothing wrong with a little sympathy sex. “He’s so close; he can walk down and give me the business.” She laughed. It was a day off for the teachers, so Kelvin had lots of papers to grade for his classes. He’d received approval by the school board so he was now a full-time teacher. He was in the middle of grading when the doorbell rang. He got up and answered the door. “Hello, Kelvin, I’m Tammy, your neighbor from down the street. How are you doing?” she asked. “I’m fine, Tammy, what can I do for you?” asked Kelvin. “I came down to see if you would like to have lunch with 96

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me today,” she said. “I’m in the middle of grading papers and tests, but I can take a break, no problem,” said Kelvin. “Come inside and I’ll get my jacket.” Kelvin went back to his closet and got his jacket. They left and headed downtown to the diner. Tammy had the special, which was the grilled salmon with baked potato and green beans. Kelvin had a T-bone steak with mashed potatoes and gravy with a side of cauliflower. They ate and talked briefly about Shannon. Tammy didn’t want to upset him by dragging that up. Kelvin did tear up during that conversation so she quickly changed the subject. She asked him if he’d like to come over for a late night drink. He accepted and set the time for 8:00 p.m. Tammy dropped him off at his house and made her way back home. The phone rang and it was Terry. “Great news, sis, the investors like our software and want to meet me tomorrow in Fairfield, can you believe it?” “Oh my, Terry, that’s great news!” said Tammy. “I’m heading to Fairfield tonight to get set up for the presentation,” said Terry. “Do you need me to go with you?” asked Tammy. “No, sis, I don’t; I got Marty and his son Jacob to help me present. I just need you to pray for me, and we’ll be okay.” “No problem,” she said, “no problem at all.” Tammy decided not to tell Terry about Kelvin coming over later. I love my brother but some things are better left private. who’s next?

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~ “A late night drink with an angel,” he said aloud. Kelvin paced back and forth in his living room. This is perfect, he thought. “If I’m going to take her, I better make sure her brother doesn’t come by for an unexpected visit,” he sneered. “He lives right next door so I’ll have to be as quiet as a field mouse.” I’d like a little sex before harvesting. No sense passing up on some “free” loving. He got excited with the thought of his next flower. “One more in my garden makes three— three little pigs!” He laughed. “Three fucking whores!” he screamed. “I’ll finish grading all these tests and homework assignments first, and then I’ll get ready for some late night fun.” If Terry knew what his sister was doing, he would have waited to leave in the morning instead of that night. He would have definitely come by to check on her. Some secrets can get you killed. Unfortunately for Tammy, this was one time she should have shared with her brother.

~ As he stepped out of the shower the clock on the wall read 7:30 in bright letters. He dried off and dressed quickly. Jeans, a collared shirt, and his jacket will do for this date, he thought. No sense in getting all dressed up for this encounter. He walked down the street to Tammy’s door and rang the doorbell. I hope she’s wearing something sexy, he prayed to himself. I’ll get a few drinks in her and pour on the bullshit 98

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thick. I’ll even throw in a few sympathy tears for good measure. Maybe she’ll feel sorry enough for me to get lucky. He smiled. The door opened up and she was wearing miniskirt with a T-shirt. From what he could see, she wasn’t wearing a bra and those breasts looked large. Holy shit, he thought. “Come on in; you’re right on time,” said Tammy. As Kelvin walked passed her he noticed the perfume she was wearing and it smelled great. He noticed the bottle of wine that was opened and the two glasses that were already poured. As he turned to say something to Tammy, she jumped into his arms and kissed him hard. The kiss was long and passionate. He thought to himself, I’m getting lucky tonight. “What was that for?” he asked. “It looked like you could use a kiss,” said Tammy. Kelvin smiled. They sat on the couch for a while, drinking three bottles of wine and talking until midnight. When Kelvin looked at the clock on the wall, it was past midnight. “Well, Tammy, thanks for the drinks, I’ll be heading back home now,” he said. “Before you leave, I have something to show you,” said Tammy. “Wait right here.” She got up and went back to the bedroom. She got undressed and lay on the bed. “Kelvin, can you come back here for a second?” He got up and walked back to where he heard her voice. He walked in and there she lay on the bed, naked. He smiled and said. “Well, it looks like my night will last a little longer.” It was around 2:00 a.m. when he decided to strike. While who’s next?

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Tammy was asleep, he got up, went over to his jacket, took out the hammer, and stood over her. She looks at peace, he thought. He actually thought about having sex with her one more time before taking her, but he changed his mind. A single strike to the temple was all it took. She began to convulse slightly then she stopped altogether. He went to the kitchen and found some plastic wrap in one of the drawers to wrap her head. Once he did that, he rolled her up in her bedsheets and laid her in the hallway. He looked in the hall closet, found some fresh sheets then made up the bed. He put the wine glasses and bottles into a plastic bag to take with him when he left. Because his house had the giant hedge row around it, and sat back from the other houses, he was able to move Tammy’s body with no problem. He went back to the house and cleaned up any additional evidence that might have been left behind. The trip out to his garden was uneventful. He planted his new flower without any problems. “And now there’s three,” he whispered. The devil has struck again. One more life lost, one more flower planted.

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CHAPTER 7

THE GARDEN’S GROWING

he morning came quickly as it always does. His students’ papers and tests were graded and he went throughout

the day with no major issues to deal with. The principal commented on how good a job he’d been doing. Kelvin smiled and left the building for the day. With no school work at home to do, he felt good about having a night off to relax. “I hope there’s a good movie on television tonight,” he said. He pulled into his driveway and went into his house. After changing clothes, he made himself something to eat. He watched the evening news and nothing was mentioned about Shannon or anyone else for that matter. “I’m safe at home!”

~ While driving back from Fairfield, Terry was wondering where Tammy was and why she wasn’t answering her cell phone or home phone. “I hope she’s okay. She probably stayed over at a friend’s house or something.” Tammy usually T HE G ARDEN ’ S G RO W I N G

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did that when he went out of town on business. Even though they lived next door to each other, she didn’t feel comfortable staying at home alone when he was gone. Terry arrived at his house and unpacked his bags. He checked his messages on the phone and made himself a sandwich. After he finished eating, he went next door and knocked on her door. He remembered the spare key and opened up the door. He called for Terry several times but got no answer. The house looked like it always did, neat and clean. He checked all the rooms and Tammy was nowhere to be found. “She’s got to be at a friend’s house.” He left her a note to call him when she gets back in and then he left. Terry was so excited because the investors made him an offer for his software program. We are going to be rich, he thought. “I hope she calls soon, I want to tell her the great news.” The day wore on with no call from Tammy. Terry paced the floor, wondering aloud, “Where in the hell is Tammy? She should have called by now.” Terry started calling around to ask if anyone had seen Tammy. He picked up the phone to call Shelly and Beth. “Hey, Beth, this is Terry, how are you?” he asked. “I’m fine, Terry, what’s up?” asked Beth. “Listen, I’m looking for Tammy, have you seen her today?” “No, she didn’t call me or Shelley at all,” said Beth. “I know that she stays with you guys sometimes when I 102

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go out of town on business and that’s why I’m calling,” said Terry. “Well, Terry, she didn’t stay with us last night and I haven’t seen her in a couple of days,” said Beth. “I’ll call you if I see her, okay? Take care.” “Thanks, Beth, tell Shelley I said hello,” said Terry. He hung up the phone and sat down on the couch. The clock on the wall read 1:15. Terry decided to make another call to another one of Tammy’s friends to see if she was there. He looked out of the window and saw Cindy and JayJay coming out of the house. Maybe they saw Tammy last night, he thought. Terry got up and opened his door. “Hey, Cindy and JayJay, did you guys see Tammy last night, per chance?” “Hey, Terry, no, we didn’t see Tammy last night,” said Cindy. “I looked outside last night when I got up to get something to drink and the light was on in the living room,” said JayJay. “Tammy is a night owl, Terry, you know that; so it wouldn’t be unusual to see the lights on like that right,” said Cindy. “Yes, you’re right, Cindy; let me know if you guys hear from her today, okay?” asked Terry. “We sure will,” said JayJay. Terry stepped back inside and sat down on the couch again. The clock on the wall read 1:40. A feeling of fear swept over him as he continued to look at the clock. One of the last things he talked to Tammy about was being careful and keeping her doors and windows locked. Could something have happened to her while he was out of town? he wondered. T HE G ARDEN ’ S G RO W I N G

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“Where the hell is my sister?”

~ “Well, well, well, I see that big brother has made his way back home,” said Kelvin. He noticed that Terry had parked his car on the street instead of the driveway. He wondered if he noticed his sister was missing or not. “I bet he’s climbing the walls now, wondering where she is,” he said with a grin. “He doesn’t know that she’s dead.” He continued to stand by the window, watching the house. Three women lost their lives by his hands and he felt great about it. These women were young, beautiful, and innocent, and he couldn’t care less. The devil felt great and he wanted more. Kelvin made up his mind that he would go out today and do some hunting. “I must find my next flower,” he whispered. “My garden needs more flowers; my garden has to grow!” The power he felt over these women was overwhelming. He could go out to his garden at any time to visit them. In his mind, he was in complete control of his surroundings. He was master of his domain. The gardener had found a home in Montclair. “So many flowers to plant, so little time,” he said with a grin.

~ Terry got up off of the couch, grabbed the keys to his car and headed for the door. He made the decision to look for her around town. “Maybe I’ll run into her downtown,” he said. “Maybe she forgot her cell phone or she’s staying with 104

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someone whose number I don’t have.” He got into his car, turned the key and it started. He drove off and headed downtown. “I hope I see her soon,” said Terry. “This is just so unusual for her not to call or leave a note.” Terry spent the next couple of hours driving all over town. He checked in at the hospital, bank, and post office, asking everyone if they had seen Tammy, with no success. Finally, he decided to go by the police station and report her missing. When Terry walked into the police station it was busy with activity. A large officer with sergeant stripes was behind the desk, typing on the computer. Terry decided to approach this officer to make his report. “Excuse me, officer, can I talk to you?” Terry asked. “Sure, sir, how can I help you? I’m Sergeant Pike.” “I returned from and overnight business trip in Fairfield and my sister is missing,” Terry said. “Do you have a picture of her?” Sergeant Pike asked. Terry reached in his pocket and took out a picture of his sister. He gave it to the officer who looked it over. “I’ll let the chief know we have another missing woman. He’ll add her to the missing person’s list,” Sergeant Pike said. The officer continued looking at the picture for a moment. “Is there something wrong, officer?” Terry asked. Sergeant Pike said, “I see she has red hair,” like the other missing woman, “This will definitely mean something to the investigation.” Terry said, “Here’s my business card, please give me a T HE G ARDEN ’ S G RO W I N G

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call if you hear anything.” “We’ll be in touch,” Sergeant Pike said. After making the report, Terry drove back home and made a few more calls. No one had seen Tammy at all. He sat on the couch with tears in his eyes. “My sister has disappeared and no one acts like they give a damn,” he murmured. “No one gives a shit except me!”

~ “I wonder where he went today,” said Kelvin. “I bet he was all over town searching for his sister with no luck at all.” The thought of the pain Terry was feeling made Kelvin feel even better about himself and what he did. He could hardly wait to go out hunting today. His heart pounded with excitement. He changed clothes and went out to his car. Just before he could get inside and drive off, the noise of an opening door sounded from behind. He turned slightly in the direction of the noise to see it was Terry. “Excuse me, Kelvin, but have you seen Tammy today?” asked Terry. Kelvin turned to completely face Terry, and replied, “No, I haven’t seen her at all. Is everything okay, Terry? Is Tammy all right?” “She’s been gone for most of the day and I haven’t heard from her at all,” said Terry. “If you see her can you ask her to call me?” “I sure can,” said Kelvin. “I’m heading downtown and, if I see her, I’ll tell her.” 106

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“Thanks, I appreciate it.” Terry turned and went back to his house. Kelvin smiled and left in his car. He drove along the same road where he harvested a previous flower. He smiled when he saw the place where he left the car parked in the woods. He continued on downtown and decided to go to the sushi restaurant and sit outside. That way he could observe all the people walking by and maybe pick his next flower. After a couple of hours of people watching, he decided to leave and go back home. No passerby caught his eye or his interest. “I’ll go home and chill.”

~ Cindy and JayJay sat in their living room, watching television. The evening news ended with a brief comment about Shannon with no further leads to report. They both looked at each other with a sense of sadness. “I can’t believe that no one has seen or heard anything about Shannon,” said Cindy. “I know,” said JayJay. “It’s like she vanished into thin air.” They both held each other close and couldn’t help but feel afraid. “I hope that Terry can find Tammy. This is starting to feel like something out of a horror movie.” “You’re right,” said Cindy. “If anyone else goes missing, I’m leaving town.” They both laughed and at the same time held each other even tighter. Melissa has been gone for quite some time and now we can add Shannon and possibly Tammy to that list. T HE G ARDEN ’ S G RO W I N G

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This was about to become a very serious situation for this town. JayJay turned to Cindy and said, “How scary would this be if there was a serial killer in town? How bizarre would that be?” “I tell you what, if there was one, I’m getting the hell out of town as quickly as possible,” said Cindy. “I’m not going to wait on the police to do anything or tell me anything, I’m just going to leave.” “Well, let’s not jump to conclusions. Let’s wait to see what’s happens,” said JayJay. They looked at each other and both wondered about what or who might be next. Only time will tell for this town.

~ As Kelvin walked into his house, he was disappointed about not finding his next flower to harvest. He stood in his doorway feeling a little sad. He looked around at his neighbors’ houses when all of a sudden it hit him. “Cindy, she’s right here under my nose. How could I have missed such a beautiful flower within arm’s reach?” he exclaimed. He quickly shut his door and sat in his recliner. He knew that if he took her, he’d have to take her boyfriend as well. They were always at each other’s side. “I don’t like killing men but, in order to take this flower, I’ll have to make an exception.” The next flower harvest would take some additional time and preparation. “I cannot fail,” he said. “I have to come up with a way to separate them in order for me to take her.” The plan had to be done in a way so as not to bring attention to him 108

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in the least bit. When’s the only time in which they are apart? he wondered. When’s the only time that they aren’t in each other’s faces? As Kelvin thought about this he flipped the channels on his TV. A commercial came on about a religious retreat in Fairfield in two weeks. “That’s it! I’ll take her on a Sunday when she goes to church. I know that JayJay works part-time on Sunday and he’ll be at the house for a bit. I’ll have to take her in between church and home. I just might use the same scenario like before. My car might have to breakdown again,” he said with a grin. “Sunday bloody Sunday” sang the devil. Sunday would be the day of the next harvest.

~ Their shift at the convenience store ended as usual. Beth and Shelley waved goodbye to Mickey and left the store. They got into their car and drove toward home. “I hope Terry can find Tammy,” said Beth. “I don’t like all these women going missing in this town all of a sudden.” “You’re right about that,” said Shelley. “This stuff is straight out of a horror flick.” The women drove along the same road where Shannon’s car was found. “There’s the spot,” said Shelley as she pointed. “I won’t be taking any walk in the woods anytime soon, that’s for sure,” said Beth. “I hope Shannon and Tammy come back soon; this mess really creeps me out,” said Shelley. T HE G ARDEN ’ S G RO W I N G

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“I’ll be sleeping with my gun tonight for sure,” said Beth. “My pit bulls will be ready to go if someone tries to come into my house,” said Shelley. “They’ll rip anything to pieces.” The rest of the ride home was done in silence. Neither woman spoke. They were too busy thinking about what might be happening in their town. What if a psycho killer is on the loose? What if these women were killed by some maniac? This town would be the perfect place for that. A stranger could come here and blend in with the locals, earn their trust, then start killing us one by one! Both women thought this was a nightmare scenario but a scenario that could well be true. Shelley and Beth wouldn’t get much sleep tonight at all. Could their sleepy little town be stalked by a serial killer? Could they be the next victims? Only time will tell.

~ Kelvin drove the road to look for the best place to strike. He liked the spot he used before but he didn’t want to take a chance on it again. “I know what I can do. I’ll go to church, have my car break down, ask her for a ride, then take her on the road,” he said. “Wait, that’s too risky to try.” As he drove along the road, he thought over and over about how he could take Cindy without being seen, much less caught. “I got it, I’ll wait until JayJay goes to work, then I’ll come over and ask her to drop me off at a certain location before she goes to church,” said Kelvin. “I’ll take her along the way.” He smiled a big smile of confidence. This plan will 110

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work because I can come to her house and not be seen by any neighbors or passersby. This plan will work because it has to. Kelvin spent the remainder of the day looking for the best spot to strike and to prepare his tools. “It’s harvest time again!” he screamed.

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CHAPTER 8

HELLO, MR. COFFEE

s Father Bailey prepared his sermon for the coming Sunday service, he replayed the old messages on his

answering machine and wondered whatever happened to Sebastian Coffee. The man had left a message many weeks before, but never showed up. Father Bailey reflected, “I changed my schedule around to see that man, and he never showed up.” He finished up his sermon and left it on his desk. As the day passed, he had several meetings with his associate priests and nuns. They discussed various events planned for later on in the year and their individual assigned tasks. The schedule for the remainder of the month was discussed and who was next to go on vacation. The last meeting ended and everyone went home for the day. Father Bailey made his final corrections to his sermon, locked the church, and went home. As he traveled along the way, he suddenly remembered the letter marked “URGENT” that he’d noticed 112

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but never opened after he’d been distracted by his call from Edna Jenkins. “I better find out what was so urgent as soon as I get home,” he said.

~ Meanwhile, Sebastian Coffee was a man on a mission. He thought about Father Bailey and the meeting he didn’t keep. “He has never contacted me. Maybe he never got my letter.” While Sebastian sat in his hotel room, he thought about what to say to Father Bailey when they finally got together. “How do I tell this man about the note? How do I explain the history and the events surrounding my brother?” My parents were desperate. They did what they thought was right when they gave up my twin brother, he thought. The medical bills were crushing our family. With Dad in a wheelchair and Mom earning minimum wage, they had no choice. “They had no choice but to give up Kelvin; it was the right thing to do at the time. Who could have guessed what might happen?” Sebastian contemplated his life and his future while he sat in that hotel room. He wondered if the Lord would ever forgive his family for what they did to his twin brother. He wondered if he and his parents could forgive themselves.

~ H e llo, M r . Co f f e e

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Father Bailey listened to the news on the car radio on the way home. The national news was as bad as it always is. The local news focused on a story about the missing women: “Good evening, I’m Marie Long reporting a new detail in the Shannon Miller disappearance. There are still no solid leads in this case. A second woman has gone missing in Montclair and the police have added her to the search as well. The woman’s identity hasn’t been released yet, but a new detail may be connected with the disappearance of Melissa Palmer who has not been heard from in six months. Each of the three missing women has a distinctive feature in common; each of the women is in the mid- to late-twenties and they all have red hair. A coincidence or a clue? Police are unwilling to comment on that as yet. When we have further news to report we’ll be sure to deliver it to you first. This is Marie Long reporting; Goodnight.” “What the heck is going on in this town?” said Father Bailey. “These families are at their wits end by now.” Father Bailey arrived home and grabbed a cold drink from the refrigerator and headed to his credenza in the study to find the letter marked “URGENT.” He tore open the letter. It was a single piece of paper with only one paragraph. The entire message was written in all capital letters in red ink, same as on the outside of the envelope.

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PLEASE FORGIVE OUR MISTAKE SO MANY YEARS AGO. WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO GIVE OUR BABY

AWAY.

EVEN

THOUGH

HE WAS BORN WITH A TWIN BROTHER, WE COULDN’T KEEP THEM TOGETHER BECAUSE OF THE MEDICAL COSTS. WE NOW KNOW THAT THE TIME HE SPENT IN

VARIOUS

FOSTER

HOMES

TURNED WHAT WAS A SWEET CHILD INTO A MONSTER. WE BELIEVE THAT THE MONSTER HAS RETURNED TO TOWN TO SEEK REVENGE AGAINST THE FOSTER FAMILY WHERE THIS ABUSE BEGAN. WE COULDN’T FIND OUT THE NAME OF THE FAMILY BUT WE KNOW THEY WERE PRETTY WEALTHY. PLEASE CALL THE FAIRFIELD GARDEN HOTEL, ROOM 507. H e llo, M r . Co f f e e

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~ A chill ran down Father Bailey’s spine. He looked out of the window next to the couch. The moon shown through the branches of the oak tree next to his house. He read the letter once more. “Why would someone give this to me and not the police?” he wondered. He began to pace the floor, not knowing whether to call the number, or call the police. He weighed the possibilities. Was this a hoax? Was this a crazy person? Was it possibly a true story? What would this mean to the town? Was this information connected to the missing women? “What to do, what to do,” he wondered. He decided to sleep on it.

~ The next morning, Sebastian could not stand it anymore. He got up, dressed, and left to go see Father Bailey. I’ll get this over with before Sunday gets here when I know he’ll be totally tied up. The elevator ride seemed to take forever. It stopped on each floor as he went down to the lobby. Just before the elevator got to the lobby, a large man with his equally large wife and poodle got on. The elevator shook with the excess weight. The large man turned to Sebastian and said, “I hope we don’t get stuck on this thing; that would truly suck.” His wife laughed and turned to Sebastian and said, “If we get hungry while we’re stuck, we can always eat my dog!” They both laughed loudly as Sebastian just smiled and nodded. 116

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The elevator stopped in the lobby and he got off quickly. The large couple waved him goodbye as they headed for the basement parking garage. He made it to his car and pulled out of the hotel parking lot. Traffic was light so he’d probably make it to Montclair in less than two hours. “I hope he’s read the note by now,” he said. “I hope he waits to go to the police before I can talk to him.” The drive to Montclair won’t be long, but the explanation will take a lifetime.

~ Father Bailey woke up sure that he should call the number and find out more about the “URGENT” letter. He phoned the Fairfield Garden Hotel and asked from room 507. There was no answer so he called back the main desk to try to learn more. The receptionist said, “I’m sorry, Mr. Coffee is not in.” Aha, thought Father Bailey, I wonder if this is the Sebastian Coffee who said he was coming to see me weeks ago but stood me up. “Would you like to leave a message?” asked the receptionist. “I just saw Mr. Coffee leave through the lobby about a half hour ago.” “Yes, please,” said Father Bailey. “This is Father Bailey. Please tell Mr. Coffee I’m sorry I missed him for the meeting we had scheduled.” “Okay, Father, I’ll make sure he gets the message,” she said.

~ H e llo, M r . Co f f e e

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The sign read five more miles till the Montclair exit. Those last five miles dragged on like a melting glacier. Sebastian took the exit and made his way to the church. “I hope he’s around to talk,” he said. When he arrived at the church the parking lot was empty. He thought he could catch the priest at the church doing some work, but he wasn’t that lucky. “I’ll try his house next,” said Sebastian. “I hope he’s home now.” He pulled out of the church parking lot and headed down the road toward Father Bailey’s house. He pulled into the driveway and stopped his car. “I’m so freaking nervous,” said Sebastian. Father Bailey heard a noise from outside his house. He got up and went to the window. A tall slimly built man was headed directly for his front door. Father Bailey opened the door just before the man rang the doorbell. “Hello, sir, I’m Father Bailey, how can I help you today?” “Hello, Father, my name is Sebastian Coffee. I hope you’re not too upset with me for not coming by like I said, or calling you.” “At first I was, son, and then I realized I’m in the forgiving business,” said Father Bailey. “Come in please.” Sebastian entered the house and took a seat on the couch. “Can I get you anything to drink?” asked Father Bailey. “No thanks, Father, I’m fine,” said Sebastian. “Let me get straight to the point of my visit. By the way, Father, I think you should sit down for this one; it’s not easy news to share.” 118

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Father Bailey sat down on the end of the couch, turned to Sebastian, and said, “Before we begin, tell me why you didn’t show up like you said you would. I changed around my schedule to make sure we had time to meet.” “I’m sorry, Father Bailey, I changed my mind at the last minute and simply didn’t call you. I wasn’t sure I was doing the right thing. I want to apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused you,” said Sebastian. “That’s okay; it didn’t mess up my day too bad,” said Father Bailey with a smile. “In the future, just call me if you can’t come.” “Yes, Father, I’ll call you, I promise,” said Sebastian. “So, my friend, tell me your story,” said Father Bailey. “I wanted to speak with you that day but I got scared,” said Sebastian. “So later, I sent you a letter marked ‘URGENT’ because our family feels that something has to be done.” “You should never be afraid to talk to a priest, Sebastian; that’s part of our job to listen to problems and give advice,” said Father Bailey. “Can you please tell me the story behind the letter and your family’s concern, Sebastian?” Sebastian got up from the couch and began to walk toward the window; he was rubbing his hands and pacing back and forth. “I can see this is hard to talk about, so take your time,” said Father Bailey. “Okay, Father, when I was born I had a twin brother,” said Sebastian. “He had a lot of medical problems and my parents H e llo, M r . Co f f e e

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gave him up to foster care. My parents kept track of him off and on because the foster family was local. My brother bounced around from foster home to foster home. When he was a teenager, he got sent to some southern state—Florida or Alabama, we believe—and we lost track of him. It has taken several years to find any trace of him, partly because he changed his name. I wrote the note because I believe my brother is in Montclair to seek revenge against his original foster family where he experienced some serious child abuse,” said Sebastian. “My son, how do you know this? What makes you think he’s do that? Who abused him? What evidence of this do you have?” asked Father Bailey. “My family hired a private investigator to do some checking for us. My parents are elderly and not in good health. They have been tormented with guilt about their desperate decision to place my brother in foster care, and now they are tormented with what that may have caused,” said Sebastian. “He discovered that several kids in the foster homes where my brother had lived had been subjected to some pretty awful psychological and sexual abuse and even torture.” “But that doesn’t prove that he’s coming back to seek revenge against his abusers, does it, Sebastian?” asked Father Bailey. “You’ll need a little more proof than that before the police would take an interest in this situation.” “I understand that, Father, but the private investigator found some additional, more frightening information, which 120

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made me come here,” said Sebastian. “We found the journals my brother kept. He wrote in graphic detail about each time he was abused in each of the foster homes he lived in. It was some of the most disturbing reading you could ever imagine. The thing that caused the investigator and me to be more concerned was that my brother vowed to take revenge on the families and even the townspeople where he’d lived in. He talked most harshly about how the women abused him, and how he wanted to track down and kill every woman with red hair. His journals are full of his revenge scenarios.” Father Bailey sat up straight hearing that in light of the news he’d heard on the radio the night before about the three missing women. But not wanting to rush to judgment in case Sebastian’s twin was an innocent man, he asked, “Isn’t it possible that your twin could have written down all those threats out of frustration and anger?” “That’s what I want to believe too, Father, but if you read his journals, you’d certainly know my concern,” said Sebastian. “I think I have go to the police and at least talk to someone about this, but I thought talking to a priest would be a safe first step in case I am totally wrong.” “I understand, Sebastian,” said Father Bailey. “If you would like me to, I will go to the police with you.”

H e llo, M r . Co f f e e

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CHAPTER 9

A TOWN FAVORITE IS LOST

s the sun rose slowly in the sky, the birds began their morning serenade outside Cindy and JayJay’s bedroom

window. “Maybe we should think about moving that bird feeder to the other side of the house,” said JayJay. “I like birds but they wake us up every morning at the crack of dawn.” “The birds are fine right where they are,” said Cindy. “Besides, they’ve made sure I was never late for work.” “That’s true but sleeping in has become quite a challenge,” said JayJay. As they lay in bed, JayJay was thinking about the tough day of work that lay ahead. Cindy was thinking about church and watching football afterwards. “Shall we do the German bratwurst this time or something else?” asked JayJay. “Bratwurst sounds great to me,” said Cindy. JayJay got up and got dressed for work. He kissed Cindy goodbye and said he’d call her as she left church. Cindy got 122

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dressed and blew a kiss to her bird/alarm clocks outside her window. She headed outside to get into her car to go to church. “Hey, Cindy, you got a second?” The voice came from across the street. Cindy turned around and it was Kelvin walking towards her. She didn’t realize how tall he was until he got close. “Hey, Kelvin, how are you doing?” asked Cindy. “I’m fine,” said Kelvin. “Listen, can you give me a ride, my car is dead in the garage. I know you’re going to church now and where I have to go is along the way, would you mind dropping me off?” “Sure, Kelvin, no problem, hop in,” said Cindy. Kelvin smiled and thanked her. He took a quick look around and saw no one out front or looking out of their windows. He got into her car with his bag of “stuff” he was carrying to the meeting. Kelvin noticed how beautiful Cindy was and how she could do much better for herself than being with JayJay. He didn’t like JayJay because he reminded him of a couple of the foster kids that used to pick on him and beat him up. As the car carrying Cindy and Kelvin sped along the road, he noticed they were just passing the spot where he took Shannon. A smile of joy came over his face. No one will ever find her, he thought. Cindy noticed him smiling and said, “Why so happy, Kelvin? Are you up to something fun this morning?” “No, I’m just in a good mood,” he said. A T O WN FAV O R I T E I S L O S T

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All of a sudden, like a gift from God, a loud noise sounded outside of Cindy’s car. Pow…the rear tire exploded on the passenger’s side. Kelvin smiled with joy at having to change the tire. Cindy pulled the car over just a few feet from where he took Shannon. “Oh man, a flat freaking tire,” said Cindy. “I’m going to be late for church.” “Don’t worry, Cindy,” said Kelvin. “I used to work in a garage in my younger days; I’ll have you back on the road in no time.” Kelvin got out and took off his jacket. Cindy popped the trunk and together they took out the spare and the jack. As he began to change the tire, Kelvin knew this was the perfect spot to take Cindy. History repeats itself, Kelvin thought as he slowly changed the tire. He watched Cindy checking her watch, and prayed that she didn’t call anyone to let them know she was going to be late. Kelvin finished changing the tire and laid the flat tire against the rear bumper. He went back to the front seat and slipped the hammer behind his back so Cindy couldn’t see it. He came back to the trunk and picked up the tire to put back inside. Cindy came over to help move some of the stuff she had in the way of the tire. As she bent over to help Kelvin with the tire, he struck. The hammer came down just below her left ear, knocking her into the trunk. Her body fell in a way that only her feet hung out of the back of the car. He lifted her feet into the trunk and rolled the flat tire into the wood line. Suddenly 124

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he heard the sound of an approaching car from behind. Kelvin spun around quickly to see who was coming down the road. That move would cost him dearly because he forgot to close the trunk. As the car got closer he realized his mistake and quickly turned and closed the trunk. The car slowed to a stop and his heart nearly stopped at the same time. “Is everything okay, son?” she asked. The voice sounded so familiar to him. Where have I heard that voice before? he wondered. It sounds so familiar. He slowly turned to see the withered, elderly face of his first foster mother, Mrs. Jenkins. Oh, my God, he thought. What the hell is she doing here? “Good morning, madam, everything is fine here, just had to change a flat tire,” said Kelvin. “Oh, I see,” she said. “Hey, son, what’s that sticking out of the trunk of your car, it looks like a dress or something.” Kelvin froze in his tracks; he realized he made a huge mistake by rushing to close the trunk. “Let me take a look and see what you’re talking about, madam,” he said. As he walked back to the car, the elderly woman got out to take a closer look, he assumed. His heart beat faster and faster as she got closer. He went around to the driver’s side and hit the trunk release. The trunk popped open slightly but didn’t open all the way. The elderly lady approached and placed her hands on the trunk to open it. Having left the hammer on the ground next to the trunk Kelvin quickly moved to the rear of the car and picked up the hammer. The elderly lady opened up the A T O WN FAV O R I T E I S L O S T

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trunk and screamed, “Oh my God! What’s this woman doing in your trunk? Is she dead?” Kelvin didn’t blink an eye. He took the hammer and struck Edna Jenkins directly in the back of the head. She fell like a stone. Mrs. Jenkins was dead before she hit the ground. Kelvin picked up her lifeless body and placed it into the trunk on top of Cindy’s. Luck would have it that no other cars were coming along the road. Kelvin prayed that the elderly woman left the keys in the car and she did. He took Mrs. Jenkins car and pulled it further into the woods than he did with Shannon’s car. He took out a rag from his bag and wiped down the steering wheel and door that he touched. He walked quickly back to Cindy’s car and drove it down the road and pulled into the woods to remove and prepare the bodies for harvesting. He placed Cindy’s body over his shoulder and carried her to his garden. He came back and did the same for Mrs. Jenkins. He didn’t have sex with his former foster mother; he simply planted her in the garden. Cindy was not so fortunate. He stripped her down, put on a condom, and did his business. When he finished, he prepared her body in the usual way and planted her next to Mrs. Jenkins. He cleaned up the area around his garden and headed back to the car. He knew he had to get rid of Cindy’s car completely so he drove it out of town and parked it behind some abandoned buildings just outside of Fairfield’s warehouse district. He got as much of the blood out of the car as he could, but didn’t have the right 126

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cleaning supplies to do a thorough job. He figured with no DNA evidence to link him, he was okay.

~ As the bratwursts sizzled in the pan, JayJay was feeling great. Work at his part-time job went well. He liked cooking on Sundays for Cindy. They always cooked and watched football together after she came home from church and he finished his work. He always called her after church to make sure she was okay and on the way home. He liked to gauge when to start the meal so it would be hot and ready when she got home. JayJay looked at the clock on the wall and it read one fifteen. Father Bailey always ended his midday mass at one o’clock sharp, so JayJay knew to call Cindy at one-fifteen. He picked up the cordless phone from the wall and dialed her number. The voice mail came on and he didn’t leave a message. “I wonder where she is,” he said aloud. “She’s probably still talking to Father Bailey or someone else from church.” JayJay continued to cook and get the meal ready for Cindy’s arrival. When the clock on the wall was reading two o’clock, he was concerned. He called her number three more times and the voice mail picked up every time. JayJay took the bratwursts and wrapped them in foil. He placed them into the oven to stay warm. The salad and dessert went back into the fridge. Two more hours passed without a word from Cindy. Panic set in as JayJay picked up the phone and called the police to see if any accident reports had been made regarding any cars fitting the description of Cindy’s car. He decided to call Father A T O WN FAV O R I T E I S L O S T

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Bailey to ask if he had seen her or knew where she might be. “Hello, this is Father Bailey, how can I help you today?” “Good afternoon, Father Bailey, this is JayJay, Cindy’s boyfriend, how are you today?” “Hello, JayJay, I’m fine; what can I do for you?” asked Father Bailey. “I was calling to see if Cindy made it to church today. It’s four o’clock and she hasn’t made it home yet,” said JayJay. Father Bailey felt a cold chill down his spine. He wondered where Cindy was, too. Unless she’s sick, she never missed church. “JayJay, I don’t mean to upset you but she never made it to church today. I figured she was probably sick or something, that’s why I didn’t call her.” “Thanks, Father Bailey, I’ll make a few more calls to see if she changed her mind and get back to you,” said JayJay. Before Father Bailey could respond, JayJay hung up the phone. Oh, my God in heaven, please tell me where Cindy is, pleaded JayJay.

~ Kelvin sat on his couch, his heart still pounding from the events earlier in the day. “I almost got caught today,” he said. “I’ve got to be more careful in the future.” He looked out his window at the clouds; they came in several shapes and mysterious forms. He wished he could float up to them and ride one far away. What am I going to do now? He paced back and forth in his living room, furiously 128

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rubbing his hands. Sweat poured down his forehead as he continued his nervous actions. “I can’t believe I didn’t get caught, I can’t believe it,” said Kelvin. “I must be the luckiest son of a gun on the planet.” He went to the bathroom, stripped down, and took a long hot shower. Kelvin got dressed in a sweatsuit and sat on the couch. He turned on the television to watch the news, but nothing was said about any missing persons or new crimes. How could I be so careless? How could I let myself be so careless? The time went by quickly and he spent the rest of the day watching TV and wondering whether anyone really saw him. He wondered if he cleaned Cindy’s car up well enough to have removed any evidence that could link him to the murders. “I’m so stupid! I should have just taken her at home and not on the road. I could have broken into their house, killed JayJay then taken Cindy. I can’t be so stupid next time.” One close call is one too many.

~ Nightfall came quickly to the town of Montclair like a speeding train. JayJay sat in the kitchen with tears in his eyes. Cindy was nowhere to be found. He called all of her friends and family members with no luck. The meal he’d prepared was a distant memory to him now. “My love is gone away,” he sobbed. “Cindy, please call me!” he shouted. JayJay put his head on the kitchen table. He stared at the cabinets and thought about the weekend they spent putting in A T O WN FAV O R I T E I S L O S T

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those cabinets. It was a really good weekend for them. They had so much fun together and they saved a ton of money doing it themselves. He thought about the police report he filed only a few moments ago and wondered if they would do anything at all. Shannon is still missing and now my Cindy. “I hope she calls me soon,” said JayJay. “I’ll die if something bad happened to her.” The tears began to flow even harder down his face. “It’s so late; maybe I’ll go out and drive around to see if I can find her,” he said.

~ Kelvin stared at the picture of the waterfall that Shannon gave him when they were dating. He wanted to take a trip to actually see one soon. “I need to just go on vacation to a nice tropical paradise. My nerves are really bad and I need to relax.” As he sat on his couch, he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking. Kelvin had never felt so afraid in his life. The feeling was strange but familiar at the same time. When he was growing up in foster homes, he felt this way all the time. He hated how this old feeling brought back so much sadness and pain. “These freaking bitches almost got me caught,” he murmured. “The next flower I harvest will be done with a lot more care and planning.” Kelvin lay on his couch, staring at the ceiling, wondering if he should just quit and move somewhere else. “A new town sounds nice, but if I left now, I’d probably draw unneeded attention to myself. I’ll go out tomorrow and ride around 130

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town to see if anything new is going on. I just might have lunch at the diner to listen to a few conversations for some information.”

~ The clock on the kitchen wall read eleven thirty as JayJay woke up from his emotional nap at the kitchen table. He didn’t realize he had fallen asleep at the table. He got up; walked back to the bedroom, took off his shoes, and got into bed. As he lay there, JayJay thought about the conversation he and Cindy had about a potential serial killer coming to town and killing one by one. “Oh my God, he came and killed Cindy,” he whispered. The tears flowed down his face as he stared into the darkness. “If the police don’t find this son of a bitch, then I will,” he said. “I’ll have my way with him, and then fucking kill him like he killed Cindy.” JayJay got angrier and angrier as he continued to stare into the darkness. There would be no sleep for him tonight. But Cindy was asleep forever in a cold, damp watery grave. Five flowers were now planted in the garden. The devil took another young life and got revenge for a lifetime of abuse. The town of Montclair will never be the same again.

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CHAPTER 10

PANIC GRIPS THE TOWN

he police chief and his lieutenant sat in the conference room, looking at the map of their town. A red pushpin

marked the residences of the three missing women. The oldest pin marks where Melissa lived with Chucky. Chucky had been ruled out a suspect long ago. “I can’t believe all these women have disappeared from this town,” said the police chief. “This is a bizarre situation,” said the lieutenant. “Chief, you don’t think we have a serial killer in town, do you?” “I sure as hell hope not,” said the chief. “If we do, we better call in the FBI as soon as possible. As a matter of fact, I think I’ll do just that.” As the chief dialed the number and spoke to an agent, the local mailman, Bartholomew McArthur, was dropping off mail and picking up some packages. The door to the chief’s office was open and he heard most of the conversation between the chief and the FBI agent. 132

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“Oh shit,” whispered Bartholomew, “we have a serial killer in our town. I better tell my wife to be careful.” Beulah McArthur was the town gossip and local busybody. She loved to stick her nose into other people’s business, whether they asked for it or not. She liked to sit in her living room with the blinds partially drawn and use her binoculars to spy on her neighbors. She once saw some “monkey business” between her neighbor and the UPS man. Beulah called her neighbor’s husband at work to report that the delivery man was having an affair with his wife—she’d seen him stop by at lunch time and stay well over an hour. It was later found that the UPS man was his neighbor’s nephew home from college. He was working part-time to make some extra money over the summer. Beulah looked pretty foolish over that incident; however it didn’t stop her from spying! As she stared through her binoculars, the phone rang loudly and it made her jump in fear. “Hello, this is Beulah, how may I help you?” she asked. “Hello, honey, guess what?” said Bartholomew. “What’s going on, Bart? I’m kind of busy now,” said Beulah. “I don’t have time to waste talking to you.” “Listen B, this is serious,” he said. “I was making my daily drop when I overheard the police chief talking to an FBI agent on the phone about a possible serial killer in town. Can you believe that?” “You’re so full of crap, Bart,” said Beulah. “There ain’t any serial killer in town, that’s a load of crap! He was probably PAN I C G R I P S T HE T O WN

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talking about something else and you misheard him.” “Listen to me, you idiot; I’m telling you the truth,” said Bart. “I heard practically the entire conversation while I was there.” “Okay, honey, I’ll make some calls and see what I can find out,” said Beulah. “You do that,” said Bart. “I’ll see you tonight when I finish work.” Bart hung up the phone and continued with his deliveries. Beulah hung up the phone and sat in her recliner. “That Bart is so stupid,” she said. “The likelihood of a serial killer coming to this town is like me getting any prettier; it just ain’t going to happen!” She laughed and headed to the kitchen to get something to eat. She went to the cabinet and took out a couple cans of soup to heat up on the stove. After she opened the cans, she emptied them in a pot and set the burner on medium heat. “Let me see, what can I eat with my soup? I’ll guess I’ll make a salad.” As she made the salad, something in the corner caught her eye. Beulah turned and it was an old newspaper from last week. The picture on the front cover made her shake with fear. The article had a picture of Melissa and Shannon on the cover. The article went into detail about their disappearances. It also talked about Tammy being unseen for at least two weeks. “Oh my God,” she said. “Three women are missing. Maybe my dumb-ass husband has a point, maybe there is a serial killer in town.” She began to shake with fear. 134

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The police chief wouldn’t make a call like that without some hard evidence or something, she thought. “Maybe Bart was right; a serial killer is living amongst us as we speak.”

~ The final delivery was made on Bartholomew’s route and he drove slowly back to the post office rear parking lot to drop off his mail truck for the day. He refueled it as always to save time on the next day’s mail delivery. As he walked to his car, one of his co-workers called out his name and asked, “Hey, Bart, did you hear about the serial killer that’s in town and how he’s already killed three women?” “Yes, Bruce, I did hear that because I was in the police station when the chief called the FBI,” said Bart. “As a matter of fact, I called my wife Beulah and told her about what I heard. I see by you asking me this, she’s already called your wife and everyone else in town, spreading this rumor. I wouldn’t get too carried away by this; it’s probably nothing.” “I’ve had at least three other guys ask me about it because their wives called them,” said Bruce. “It looks like Beulah has been burning up the phone lines.” Bart just shook his head and walked away from Bruce. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Bart,” said Bruce. “Tell Beulah to stop gossiping,” he said, laughing. When Bartholomew pulled into his driveway, he could see Beulah on the phone with an excited look on her face. “I bet that pain in the ass is on the phone, calling every person she knows to tell them what I told her. I should have kept my PAN I C G R I P S T HE T O WN

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mouth shut. I guess that’s what happens when you’re married to the town busybody.” As Bart parked his car, Beulah came to the door and waved to him. He waved back and began to walk up the path to the house. Beulah came out with the phone attached to her head like it was glued in place, and said to him, “Yes, Mom, he just got home, I’ll let him tell you what he heard.” Bart took the phone from her and instantly hung it up. He grabbed Beulah by the arm and pulled her back into the house. “What the hell is wrong with you, stupid? And why did you hang up on my mom?” demanded Beulah. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you a damn thing,” said Bart. “You have the biggest mouth in the entire town.” “This is important, Bart, people need to know,” said Beulah. “How many people have you called today?” asked Bart. “I called at least a dozen or so since lunch,” she said. “You big-mouth hag, I knew I should have kept my mouth shut until more information was available,” he said. “I bet by now the entire town knows about this and will be calling the police, asking questions.”

~ Bart’s assumption was absolutely correct; the police have received thirty-three calls about the serial killer since he hung up with the FBI agent. “How in the hell did this get out so damn quickly?” asked the chief. “I want a meeting of all my officers right now!” he screamed to his lieutenant. 136

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“Chief, I can tell you right now, I didn’t say a word to anyone,” said the lieutenant. “I’ll do whatever I can to help you find out who leaked the information on the potential killer.” “We better get this under wraps as soon as possible or we’ll all be out of a job,” said the chief. When the chief got home, his wife met him at the door. She didn’t say a word; she just hugged him with tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong, honey? Is everything okay?” he asked. “Tyler, please tell me if what I heard is true about this serial killer.” “Samantha, don’t worry about it; I’m working on the missing person cases and decided to call the FBI for some assistance. I talked to them about how these missing women cases are similar to a serial case I studied that’s all,” said Tyler. “Who called you about this, Samantha, if you don’t mind me asking?” “Beulah McArthur called me, honey,” said Samantha. “She called me right around one o’clock or so.” Tyler hugged his wife again and went to the bedroom to change clothes. He thought to himself, How the hell did this woman find out so quickly? Then it hit him like a ton of bricks, while he was making the phone call to the FBI, he remembered Bart the mailman making his delivery. “Beulah is married to Bart. He must have called her after he heard me on the phone with the FBI. I’m going to kick his ass tomorrow when he comes in to pick up the mail!” PAN I C G R I P S T HE T O WN

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Tyler changed clothes and called up his lieutenant to let him know he found out who the leak was. “Listen to me, LT; when you see Bart tomorrow, I want him held in place until I talk to him, understand?” “Yes, sir, I’ll hold him until you talk to him,” said the lieutenant. The chief hung up the phone and said, “Fucking Bart, I’m going to make him pay for starting this rumor.” He punched the pillow on the bed in anger, picturing Bart’s face. He left the bedroom to go comfort his wife. “This serial killer mess is going to get worse before it gets better,” he said.

~ Bartholomew McArthur had been a postal employee for twenty years in the town of Montclair. He’d heard his share of rumors and gossip along his route but nothing remotely close to a serial killer possibly being in town. I wonder if any new news will be going on in the police station this morning. As he pulled into the parking lot of the police station he noticed two officers standing outside of the station. He didn’t think anything unusual about that so he parked his postal truck, grabbed his mail bag, and headed for the front door. As he approached, the larger of the two officers stepped forward and said, “Good morning, Bart, the chief needs to see you right away.” The other officer stepped forward and grabbed him by the arm and began to squeeze slightly. 138

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“What’s this all about?” asked Bart. “I didn’t do anything wrong.” The officers led him into the conference room where the lieutenant was waiting for him. “Have a seat, Bart, the chief will be here shortly,” said the lieutenant. “What’s going on Marcus? Why are you guys treating me like this? I haven’t done anything wrong. This is harassment.” As Marcus tried to calm down Bart, the chief walked in, holding a hot cup of coffee in his hand. He got right into Bart’s face with the meanest, scariest look Bart ever saw in his life and said, “Sit your sorry ass down, now, before I fucking knock you down!” Bart and Marcus both got instantly silent and gave the chief their immediate attention. “I personally received forty-four calls at home last night about a serial killer being in town,” said the chief. “Each person that I asked where you heard this rumor said your wife Beulah! Let me ask you a question. Did you hear my conversation on the phone to the FBI yesterday when you were delivering the mail?” Bart hung his head in shame but was quick to answer the chief. “Yes, sir, I did hear your conversation with the FBI. After I left the station, I called my wife and told her.” “Because of you and your big-mouth wife, this entire town is in a state of panic,” said the chief. “I have to go before the media today to tell exactly what’s going on with this story. I got a call from the hotel manager last night and he told me that PAN I C G R I P S T HE T O WN

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news crews from CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC have already booked rooms in the hotel last night. Tell me, Bart, why I shouldn’t throw your sorry ass in jail for this. Do you realize what you’ve done?” Bart continued to stare at the floor with his head down. He realized he made a big mistake by telling his wife. He knew she couldn’t keep her mouth shut if her life depended on it. “Chief, I’m sorry for what happened,” said Bart. “I’ll get control of my wife and put a stop to all of her calls, I promise.” “You better get your fucking loud-mouth wife to shut her big fucking mouth or I’ll throw you both in jail, do you understand me?” shouted the chief. “Now get the hell out of here and finish your route.” Bart got up but kept his head down. As he reached for the doorknob the chief said one final thing to him. “Bart, look at me.” Bart opened the door and turned to the chief with his head still held down. “Yes, chief.” “Don’t beat yourself up over this, just get your wife to stop calling people, okay?” “Okay, Chief, I will,” said Bart.

~ Kelvin sat at the end of the counter of the diner. He chose not to get a booth or a regular table to sit and have lunch. The diner was packed with people and the waitresses were busy taking orders and dropping off freshly prepared food from the kitchen. An elderly couple sat on stools one seat down from 140

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him, whispering to each other about something important. Kelvin couldn’t make out what they were saying but the woman looked very upset. Finally, the elderly man turned away from his wife and looked directly at Kelvin. He leaned slightly in Kelvin’s direction and said in a raspy, grizzled voice, “Hey, son, did you hear there might be a killer in town?” Kelvin almost fell out of his chair with that statement. The elderly man looked very serious when he made that comment. “No, sir, I haven’t heard about that,” said Kelvin. “When did you hear about this, sir?” “My wife and I are in town visiting her sister when a friend of hers called with the news,” said the old man. “Who’s her friend, if you don’t mind me asking,” said Kelvin. “Her name is Beulah McArthur and she heard it from her husband Bartholomew who’s a mailman,” said the old man. “Beulah is my wife’s sister’s friend.” “Wow,” said Kelvin. “I better be careful around town. I don’t want to be next.”

~ When Bart finished his route he drove back to the post office and got into his car to drive home. He never felt so embarrassed and humiliated in his life. He turned the key in the ignition and his car started up immediately. As the engine ran, he thought about what the chief said to him in the conference room. Beulah had really messed things up for him and the town with her big-ass mouth. “I’m going to kick her ass when I get home!” PAN I C G R I P S T HE T O WN

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The drive home was fast as he pulled into his driveway. History repeats itself because the front window blinds were open and he could clearly see Beulah on the phone again spreading the rumor. He put the car in park, turned off the ignition, and got out. Bart slowly walked up to the door with rage building up inside of him. He opened up the front door and stepped inside his house. If Beulah only knew what was on his mind she probably would have gone to stay with her mother. “Hello, Bart, how was your day?” Before Beulah could say another word, Bart struck with lightening quickness. The smack was hard and fast. It knocked Beulah down to the floor right over the coffee table. The phone flew through the air like a foul ball in a baseball game. She bumped her head on the side of her recliner. For a moment all she could see were stars floating all around her. “You stupid bitch,” said Bart. “I should kick your ass. Do you realize what you’ve done with all your gossip?” Bart stood over Beulah with clinched fists. He never felt so angry in his whole life. This was not the first time he hit Beulah, either. He struck her about two years before for nearly breaking up a marriage over one of her rumors. Beulah slowly got to her feet, still a little dazed from the hit. “What did you hit me for, you asshole? What the hell did I do?” asked Beulah. “Because of your gossip, the entire town is in a panic,” said Bart. “The police chief almost arrested me and threw 142

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me in jail because of your big fucking mouth. He told me specifically to tell you to stop all the phone calls or else he’ll arrest us both; do you understand that?” Beulah took a few steps and sat down in her recliner. She looked out of her window, wondering about the mistake she made. “I’m sorry, Bart, if I got you in trouble. I got so excited and carried away with the news of the serial killer I couldn’t control myself.” Bart came over, picked her up, and hugged her. He looked her deep in the eyes, kissed her softly, and said to her, “Don’t make any more fucking calls or I’ll be the one coming after you.”

~ Kelvin left the diner after talking to the elderly couple at the counter. He drove home as fast as he could. He passed by a CNN news truck on the way. The driver and passenger looked very young and excited. They were probably on the way to set up for their first report. Kelvin parked his car and went directly inside to his bedroom. He pulled out a suitcase and began to pack a bag. “I guess it’s time to take a vacation.” The conversation he had with the elderly couple really shook him up. He knew he had to take a break from “harvesting” and lay low for a while. He called the airport and made a reservation for a flight to Tampa, Florida, for his minivacation. A rental car was reserved as well to drive around town. He booked a week at the Hilton hotel right along the beachfront so he could do some serious people-watching. He PAN I C G R I P S T HE T O WN

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was cleared as a suspect in the disappearance of Shannon, so he felt he was clear to leave town without being looked at in a negative way. When he hung up the phone and began packing the next bag, a knock at the door sounded. He walked over and asked, “Who is it?” “It’s JayJay; I need to talk to you, Kelvin.” JayJay’s voice sounded angry to him. But he wasn’t worried about JayJay at all. “What the fuck does this asshole want?” he whispered. “This better not take too long; I got a plane to catch.” He opened up the door and there stood JayJay. He looked terrible with his puffy eyes and unbrushed hair. He looked like he hadn’t slept in a week. “What can I do for you, JayJay?” asked Kelvin. With a very low, shaky voice, JayJay asked, “Have you seen Cindy? She’s been gone for a week now. I made a police report, but there’s been no word yet.” “I’m sorry to hear that, JayJay,” said Kelvin. “I haven’t seen her since we last talked at your house, remember?” “Yes, that’s true, but I thought I’d come by and ask,” said JayJay. As he stood in the door, JayJay looked like he was out of his mind. He wobbled back and forth like he was about to fall down. “If I see or hear anything, I’ll let you know, JayJay.” “Okay, Kelvin, thanks,” said JayJay. He slowly turned and walked away. 144

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Kelvin closed his door and watched JayJay through his window walk back to his house. “What a piece of shit! I should kill him and plant him next to Cindy.” He walked back to his bedroom to finish packing. He watered all his plants and took out the trash for the garbage men to pick up. He called the post office to hold his mail for the week he’d be on vacation. “Florida, here I come,” he said with a grin.

~ As the press conference ended, the chief of police walked back to his office a battered man. He never faced so many questions in his life. Those reporters didn’t hold back one bit with their questions. The lieutenant could see the pain on the chief’s face and felt bad for him. “Excuse me, Chief, but what’s going to be our next move?” asked the lieutenant. “I don’t have a clue, Marcus, I don’t have a clue,” said the chief. Marcus felt a little different because the chief never called him by his first name before. “I think we should conduct another search of the woods again,” said Marcus. “This time we should go a little deeper in the woods and get a lot more volunteers.” “That’s a good idea, Marcus,” said the chief. “We need more bodies if we’re going to search deeper in the woods. Make sure you get guys with hunting dogs, preferably hound dogs because their sense of smell is so much better than the average dog.” PAN I C G R I P S T HE T O WN

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“Okay, Chief, I’ll get on this right way,” said Marcus. “I want the media and the town to know that we’re trying to do something for them,” said the chief. “Once the FBI gets here I’ll be more than happy to pass this mess on to them.” The lieutenant smiled and patted the chief on the back. The chief went into his office and closed the door. He looked at his degree on the wall and wondered if he made the right career choice.

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CHAPTER 11 THE VACATION

he plane landed at the Tampa airport without incident. Kelvin made his way to baggage claim and found his

bags. The rental car was convertible Mustang cherry red in color. He always wanted a sports car and he planned to get one soon. Kelvin made his way to his hotel and checked in. The suit was as he imagined with a hot tub and flat-screen television. He unpacked his suitcase and changed into a pair of board shorts and T-shirt. I want to head to the beach and check out the women, he thought with a grin. If I’m lucky, maybe I can find a potential “flower” on the beach. He smiled with that notion as he headed for the lobby. The elevator opened and it was filled with several people. No one spoke at first until a man in the back said, “Did you hear about the serial killer in Massachusetts, it’s all over the news.” Kelvin stood silent and wanted to hear as much information as he could. T HE vac atio n

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“That’s crazy,” said someone else. “Just because a few people go missing doesn’t mean someone’s whacking off people!” She was right, he thought. Just because people go missing don’t mean they’re being killed. He stepped off the elevator and walked through the lobby. He looked into the bar and saw several people gathered around the television. A news report was on CNN. The report pictured all five women that were missing, from Melissa to Mrs. Jenkins. A cold chill ran up his spine as he stood and watched with everyone else. Kelvin left the hotel and headed for the beach. He wanted to put his mind at ease by watching some skin in the sunshine. He was not disappointed. The beach was loaded with women, all of them beautiful and tan. He found a good spot to lie out and watch all the nearnaked lovely bodies. “I should just move down here to live,” he whispered. “I could set up in Tampa and harvest till I drop.” Kelvin smiled and continued to watch the women around him. He didn’t think about the news report for the rest of the day. Little did he know that a firestorm was raging back in Montclair, and he’d be at the center of it.

~ JayJay sat on the front steps of the walkway leading to his house. He hadn’t shaved in over a week. All he could think about was Cindy and where she was. “She’s gone and I’m lost,” he whispered. The thought of taking his own life ran 148

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over and over in his mind. He’d bought a gun a few years back when there were several robberies in the neighborhood. “I should just go inside, take the fucking gun, and blow my own brains out. What the hell else do I have to live for?” As he continued to sit in front of his house, he looked down the block at his neighbors’ house. He remembered seeing Kelvin loading suitcases into his car and leaving to go on a trip. He thought about the conversation he had with Cindy when she mentioned going to visit Kelvin and possibly taking him to lunch. She felt bad for him because of Shannon’s disappearance. “What if that bastard had something to do with Shannon’s disappearance and my Cindy’s as well?” he wondered. “With all this stuff going on in town, why would he all of a sudden jump up and take a trip. Does he have something to hide?” JayJay stood up and walked back inside his house and headed to the bathroom. “Time to get my shit together,” JayJay got into the shower and washed thoroughly. He shaved and got dressed in clean clothes. When he finished, he looked at himself in the mirror and said, “I’ve got to be strong for you, Cindy, I’ve got to find out what happened to you!” He sat down on the couch and began to think about what he could do to help find Cindy and the other missing women.

~ Kelvin laid out for most of the day, soaking up the sun and enjoying the view. He had several conversations with various women trying to “get lucky” with the hopes of some T HE vac atio n

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meaningless sex with a stranger. He spent part of his day trying to work on one young lady in particular with long blonde hair and very large breasts. She was a little resistant at first but agreed to meet him later for drinks. As he showered off the sand and suntan lotion from lying out at the beach all day, he smiled as he shampooed his hair. “I can’t wait to get my hands on those big tits and fuck her brains out,” he shouted in his empty hotel room. He got dressed and headed to the bar in his hotel. The tall voluptuous blonde was waiting for him at the bar. “Hello, handsome, how are you?” “I’m fine, my dear, you look amazing with all your clothes on,” said Kelvin. She stood up and gave him a big hug. He was surprised at how tall she was. They were eye to eye and she wasn’t wearing heals. “How tall are you?” he asked. “I’m six feet two inches,” she said. Kelvin was six foot three and a half. She’s perfect, he thought. They had several drinks together at the bar and even ate dinner at the hotel restaurant. “Would you like to take a walk, my dear?” asked Kelvin. “Yes, that sounds nice,” she said. They walked along the beach for several hours, talking about their lives and history. It was around 1:00 a.m. when Kelvin said to her, “Well, my dear, it’s late; we should call it a night.” “So your hotel room or mine?” she said with a smile. Kelvin smiled and kissed her softly. They went back to 150

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his hotel room and made love passionately. As they slept, he held her close to him with her head resting on his chest. He thought about making Tampa his home, based on this experience.

~ JayJay paced back and forth in his living room, the thought of Kelvin having something to do with the disappearance of his beloved Cindy made him angry. “I know what I’ll do; I’ll break into that bastard’s house tonight and look for evidence. If I can find something that can link him to these women, I’ll take it to the police and get his ass thrown in jail.” JayJay had taken an entire week off from work so he was ready to go back to it. “After I finish work tonight, I’ll go hunting,” he said.

~ “Good morning, sweetie,” said Kelvin. “It’s time for breakfast.” “Five more minutes, okay? Just give me five more minutes,” she said. Kelvin smiled and brushed her hair away from her face. He smiled and thought to himself how lucky he was. She slept in his arms for another half an hour before they finally got up, took a shower together, and got dressed. They went downstairs and had breakfast together in the hotel restaurant. “I have a question for you, Kelvin.” “What is it, my dear?” asked Kelvin. T HE vac atio n

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“Do you remember what my name is?” she grinned with anticipation. Kelvin had that deer in the headlights look because he honestly couldn’t remember. She smiled at him and said, “My name is Candy because I’m so sweet. At least that’s what my mom tells me, anyway.” Kelvin laughed and apologized for not remembering. “You are sweet and your mom is right for naming you that.” Breakfast ended late and they walked around town, holding hands and exchanging stories. “Would you consider moving to Tampa if an opportunity presented itself?” asked Candy. “I’ve been thinking about it ever since I met you,” said Kelvin. “I could use a change in my life.” She smiled and held his hand even tighter. “If being with you is part of the option for Tampa, I’ll just stay and not go back,” he said. “What about all your stuff at home? Don’t you want to go back and get that first?” she asked. “I’ll just buy all new stuff to put in our house,” he said. “How does that sound to you?” “Not very smart,” she said. “If you are serious about moving back here, I’ll wait for you, so you can do the right thing and pack up your stuff.” Kelvin smiled at her and kissed her cheek. They continued their walk and did a little shopping. This is the best day ever, he thought. 152

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“I just came to Tampa for a vacation, I didn’t expect to meet my soul mate,” he said. “I just wanted to lie out and get some sun, I didn’t expect to meet my soul mate, either,” said Candy. They stopped and kissed each other hard.

~ The full moon lit up the night sky as JayJay’s shift ended quickly. He got into his car and drove with conviction. He was determined to find some kind of evidence linking Kelvin to the missing. If I’m wrong, he thought, I’ll be the first to apologize. He parked his car in the driveway of his house, went inside, and changed clothes. He grabbed a pair of gloves so he wouldn’t leave any fingerprints behind. He went to the hallway closet and got out his toolbox. He took a wrench from the toolbox and stuck it into his pocket. JayJay got his digital camera from his dresser drawer to take pictures just in case. “I’ll break in his back door with this wrench to make it look like a break in by some random criminal.” JayJay went to his kitchen and made himself a sandwich. “No sense breaking the law on an empty stomach. This will give me more time so I’m not seen by anyone.” He finished his sandwich and turned off all the lights in his house. He went out of the back door, locking it behind him. Due to his military background he went straight to the ground and began to low crawl to Kelvin’s house. The house between theirs was occupied by an elderly T HE vac atio n

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couple who just happened to be in California. The house had a very sophisticated alarm system with motion detection so JayJay knew he had to be careful not to set off the system, alarming the police to come out. The crawl was long and slow as JayJay made his way to Kelvin’s house. He got up and brushed himself off. JayJay took out the wrench and quietly broke out the window adjacent to the back door of Kelvin’s house. He reached inside and unlocked the door. “Here goes nothing,” he said as he entered the house.

~ Candy had appointments, so she left Kelvin’s room to take care of them. “I’ll call you when I’m done, okay? We’ll have dinner later,” said Candy. “Okay, honey, I’ll be out and about, so call my cell if I’m not in the room.” “Stay off the beach, mister, understand? I don’t want some woman stealing you from me,” she said, laughing. “Don’t worry, Candy, you have my heart,” said Kelvin. Tears quickly formed in Candy’s eyes. She hugged Kelvin and kissed him softly. She left and he sat on the bed, thinking about his future. “What the hell am I doing?” he asked. “I shouldn’t be getting attached to anyone now.” His anger grew as he stood looking at himself in the mirror. “I could never make her happy. I’m a fucking killer who would probably kill her, too!” He stormed into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. The mirror in the bathroom didn’t help much 154

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because all he could see was a monster in the reflection, and not a man. “I know what I need to do, I need to go and find a flower to harvest. I need to soothe my rage and taste blood! After I finish with Candy tonight, I’ll go out and have some late night fun,” decided Kelvin. “No sense in coming to Florida and not having fun,” he added with a devilish grin.

~ JayJay searched each and every room with a fine-tooth comb, finding nothing. “There’s got to be something here that connects the dots,” he said. He sat in the hallway floor, staring at the picture of the waterfall painting on the wall. The painting is beautiful, he thought. “I should steal that and keep it myself,” he whispered. As he began to get up, something caught his eye. There was a dim light coming from beneath the floor, directly beneath the painting. He walked over and got down on his knees to take a closer look. He touched the wall and it was loosely attached. He took his pinky finger and placed it against the corner of the crack with the light. His finger went in between the floor and the wall just enough to allow him to pull the wall out. He pulled slightly on the wall and the panel came loose. It was perfectly cut to fit without being seen. This small compartment would make a great hiding place. The panel from the wall was placed on the floor and JayJay looked inside. There was a small bag stacked on top of several rolls of large plastic wrap and canvas. He opened up T HE vac atio n

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the bag and found several rolls of duct tape, handcuffs, large twist ties like the police use in addition to their handcuffs, and a hammer. “I’ll take some pictures of all this shit just in case anything can be used to pin this mess on this bastard.” JayJay took out all the canvas and plastic and took pictures of it. He took the contents of the bag and took pictures of all the items as well. The hammer caught his eye because of the deep dark stains it had on the claw and what appeared to be some hair or string on it. “These stains look like blood and that’s either hair or string on this hammer,” JayJay noted. “Nasty fuck,” he said. “He can’t even clean his own tools after he finishes using them.” Because JayJay was so meticulous and a neat freak, he was able to place everything exactly back in its place. The panel was put back properly as well without fingerprints or stains to be found. JayJay left Kelvin’s house and low crawled back to his place. “I’m glad I found that stuff in his house,” he said. “I bet if I took that stuff and had it tested it would probably come back belonging to someone he killed.” “This bastard is hiding something; I just know it.”

~ Kelvin went out looking for a hardware store to buy some “tools” to do some work around the house. At least that’s what he told the guy behind the counter. He bought a hammer, roll of duct tape, three rolls of plastic and canvas. He placed the items in his rental car and drove back to his hotel. He met Candy for dinner and they had sex again that night. 156

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She couldn’t stay because she had to take her mom to see the doctor in the morning, so she left. That worked for Kelvin because he didn’t want to sneak out and possibly alert her to his intentions. He spent several hours driving around until he turned down a street that looked familiar. As he passed by several houses it all came back to him. “Oh my God, this is the street of my worst foster home.” He pulled his car over and began to cry uncontrollably. All that pain came rushing back to him like a runaway train. I wonder if those monsters still live here. He pulled his car back on the road and began to slowly drive down the street. To his surprise he found the “house of horrors” that he had lived in. He parked his car across the street and sat in it. Two of the houses on the block next to where he parked had sale signs in the yard. No lights were on so they appeared to be unoccupied. He sat and watched the house for a moment and thought about how he nearly died inside that house. All of a sudden, the front light came on and an elderly man came out. He had a small dog on a leash that began to walk out of the house. Kelvin’s heart began to beat harder as the man pulled the dog along the walkway. The door opened up again and an elderly woman putting on a jacket came out behind him. They began to hold hands and walk the dog down the sidewalk across the street from him. “Those two fucking monsters are still alive,” he growled. “I won’t kill a flower tonight, I’ll fucking kill these two T HE vac atio n

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asshole abusers!” They passed his car on the opposite side of the street with their dog in tow. He waited until they got by and turned the corner. He got the hammer out and a piece of plastic and duct tape. “I’ll cover my face in this plastic and when the time is right, I’ll strike.” He waited a few minutes before he began to follow them. He was surprised on how long they walked the dog and how they didn’t turn around for quite some time. They turned a second corner with no streetlights for at least fifty to sixty feet. There were two houses that looked partially damaged by fire and unoccupied. “This is where I’ll take them.” He drove his car up and parked it just back from those two houses. He wrapped his face with the plastic and tape and ran full speed down the sidewalk. He turned the second corner and saw them slowly walking along, not paying attention to their surroundings. He ran faster towards them and they didn’t even turn around. The dog stopped and began to wag its tail as Kelvin approached. The elderly man pulled the leash and the dog began to walk again. The last thing either of them would ever hear would be their dog barking in the night. Kelvin leaped in the air, striking the man first and pushing the woman to the ground with his body weight. The dog jumped in the air and began to bark at him. He hit the dog with one strike of his hammer, killing it instantly. Before the woman could roll over and see what was going on, he struck her next in the head. 158

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The adrenalin was pumping hard in his veins as he moved the bodies to the abandoned houses. He took the dog as well and threw it into one of the rooms. He found two chairs and duct-taped both bodies to the chairs. He whispered to the elderly couple. “Pay back is a bitch.” He took the hammer and beat them about the head until nothing was left but bloody piles of flesh. The local coroner will have a difficult time identifying these bodies, he thought. Kelvin went out the back of the house and made it to his car. He got in and drove back to the hotel. He took off his clothes, to burn later on. The clothes were wrapped in some of the plastic he had to make them easier to ignite. The hammer was left at the scene next to the dog. “No sense in bringing evidence with me.” Kelvin took the service elevator up to his floor and got out. He walked to his room and took a shower. “I love reunions,” he said with a grin. “These two fucks deserved to die.” Kelvin stood in the shower, washing himself when he said aloud, “I wonder how many other kids got abused like I did.” As he finished up his shower, he felt good about what he did. No other kids will suffer anymore. “Now I can move to Tampa and be with Candy. I’ll go back to Montclair and turn in my resignation to the school. The principal will be disappointed—but ‘love’ calls.”

~ JayJay sat in his living room and watched television. He wondered why Kelvin had those items he found inside that T HE vac atio n

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wall compartment. I can’t be sure he even knows they are in there. “There has to be some connection between those missing women and Kelvin,” he said. “I refuse to believe that fucker is innocent.” JayJay walked back to the bedroom and sat on the edge of his bed. The blinds were open and the oak tree outside swayed back and forth from the wind blowing through it. The bird feeder that Cindy made had a beautiful bright red cardinal sitting in it. The bird was eating some seed when it turned and made eye contact with JayJay. “I wish you could fly me in the direction of Cindy,” said JayJay. The cardinal sat still and continued to look at JayJay. He walked toward the window looking closer at the cardinal. It was like they both needed to reach out to each other; the cardinal seeking something more than just being a bird, and JayJay seeking answers to where Cindy was. “Mr. Cardinal, if you believe I’ll find answers to where Cindy is, please give me a sign,” said JayJay. A single tear ran down his face as he began to open the window. The cardinal continued to look at JayJay. When he opened the window and leaned out slightly, the cardinal flew from the bird feeder and landed next to him on the window sill. JayJay looked at the beautiful bird and had a thought: “Cindy, is that you?” The cardinal walked slowly up to him and climbed on his hand. JayJay didn’t move because he didn’t want to frighten his new friend. The cardinal continued to sit on his hand and look directly at JayJay. 160

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JayJay began to cry when the cardinal flew from his left hand up to his left shoulder. The bird gently pecked JayJay on his ear twice and then flew back to the bird feeder. A gift from God himself was delivered to JayJay at that moment. He dropped to his knees and began to pray for Cindy and himself. JayJay stood up and looked at the cardinal once again. The beautiful bright-red bird stopped eating, turned again, and looked at JayJay as if it wanted to speak. The wind began to pick up and the cardinal flew away into the sky. “Thanks, Cindy, that’s all the motivation I need. I won’t rest until I uncover the truth,” said JayJay. He closed the window and went back to the living room. JayJay sat on the couch and looked at Cindy’s picture, and said, “I promise, my love, to find answers, or die trying!”

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CHAPTER 12

WELCOME HOME, KELVIN

elvin held Candy’s hand as they drove to the airport. He was in a terrific mood on his way home. In his mind, he

felt ten feet tall and bulletproof. Candy turned to him and asked. “How are you feeling this morning, Kelvin, did you sleep well?” “I feel great, Candy, and I slept like a baby,” said Kelvin. “I’m glad traffic is moving fine so I don’t have to worry about being late or even missing my flight.” There were no traffic issues to speak of so Kelvin and Candy made it to the airport with no problems. The rental car got dropped off and she walked him inside to pick up his ticket. Once Kelvin got his ticket, they found a couple of seats to sit and talk before his flight left. “I have to tell you, Candy, I never imagined I’d ever meet someone like you,” said Kelvin. “I just wanted to come to Tampa and relax; I never thought I’d meet my potential wife.” Candy smiled and asked, “Wife? Are you sure you want 162

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to take it to the next level so quickly?” “Let’s be realistic, Candy, if I move to Tampa, I’ll want to be with you, and hopefully our relationship will lead to marriage. I want you to know that I’m serious and not playing games with you, okay?” “Wow, Kelvin, I’m glad to know that you won’t be playing with my head as well as my heart,” said Candy. “I’ve been hurt too many times in the past and I don’t want to go through that again.” Kelvin leaned in and kissed Candy with all the emotion he could muster. When he pulled away, she was in tears. “Please don’t break my heart, Kelvin, I wouldn’t know what to do if you did,” said Candy. “I’ll be going back to Montclair to begin my transition back to Tampa,” said Kelvin. “I’ll call you when I land and we’ll go from there, okay? I promise.” The announcement came overhead that it was time for boarding. Kelvin kissed Candy goodbye and made his way to the gate. Candy smiled and waved goodbye to him and slowly turned and walked away. Kelvin handed his ticket to the attendant and boarded the plane. His window seat was above the wing and he liked that spot. The plane backed away from the gate and lined up behind two other planes that were taking off in front of it. When Kelvin’s plane left, Candy began to cry. She wondered if he would really come back. “Please don’t break my heart, Kelvin, please come back to me,” she whispered. WE L C O ME H O ME , K E LV I N

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As she left the airport her phone rang loudly. On the phone was her mother. “Hello, Candy, has your friend left yet?” “Yes, Mom, he has,” said Candy. “Do you think he’ll be back?” “I pray that he does,” said Candy. “I do, too, honey,” said her mother. “Would you like to come by for some lunch?” “I’d love to. I’ll be there in about half an hour, okay, Mom?” “Okay, sweetie, I’ll make your favorite.” Candy hung up the phone and focused on the traffic as she drove. “I hope this guy doesn’t break my baby’s heart,” said her mother. “She deserves some happiness.”

~ As the plane reached altitude, Kelvin sat back and thought about what Candy had said: “Please don’t break my heart.” Those words burned to his memory. How can I pull this off and not break this woman’s heart? In order for me to do this, I have to be smart. The school year is almost over so I can simply tell the principal that I’ve accepted an offer at another school district and plan to move at the end of the school year. I can then pack up all my stuff and put the house back on the market. I’ll use the same realty company that sold me the house to sell it for me again, no problems. Kelvin’s plan seemed simple enough and it made since to him, the transition from Montclair to Tampa should be a breeze. 164

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~ For the first time in the town of Montclair’s history, the entire town turned out for the town hall meeting. Most of the local businesses shut down during that time and all of the schools in the area were on a half-day schedule as well. It was so many people there; they had to move the meeting to the local high school stadium to fit everyone. The mayor and the police chief spoke about the situation, but didn’t answer any questions at first. An agent from the FBI was present but also didn’t take any questions. The police chief would only say that the case is being worked by local and federal law enforcement and that any and all leads will be thoroughly investigated. Several town people stood up and yelled to the mayor about not releasing any new information about the killer. The meeting lasted for almost three hours before everyone finally made their way to the parking lot of the stadium. Tom and Veronica Tucker walked through the parking lot, holding hands. They both had concerned looks on their faces. “I hope the police and FBI catch this guy,” said Veronica. “I’m afraid to go out by myself thinking I could be the next victim.” “Who knows? This guy might start killing men next, for all we know,” said Tom. “I think tomorrow I’ll be going to get that gun I’ve been putting off buying.” “Good idea,” said Veronica.

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Beth and Shelly left together in Beth’s car. “I’m scared Beth,” said Shelly. “Would you mind if I come and stay with you for a couple of days just to be safe.” “I was just about to ask you the same thing,” said Beth. “You bring your pit bulls with you and I’ll pick up some more bullets from the sporting goods store.” “It’s a deal,” said Shelly.

~ As they drove home from the meeting, David and Kathy Turner said very little to each other. Their three sons David Jr., Matthew, and Thomas talked the entire ride home. “I hope the murderer doesn’t come to our house,” said David Jr. “I’ll beat him with my baseball bat. “That’s right,” said Matthew. “I’ll run him over with my bike.” The two boys laughed and high-fived each other. Baby boy Thomas asked his mom, “Mommy, what a murderer?” “Thomas, a murderer is a very bad person who kills people,” said Kathy. “Will the murderer come and get me, Mommy?” asked Thomas. “Don’t worry, son,” said David. “I’ll make sure the bad guy won’t get any of us; don’t worry.” Kathy turned to her husband and whispered, “Promise you’ll keep him from getting me, honey?” “Don’t worry, dear, I’d kill this bastard before I’d let him hurt you.” David had a look on his face that Kathy had never 166

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seen before, and that made her concerned. She’d seen him angry, but nothing like this. That look told her that he was serious and would kill anyone to protect his family. She felt safe with David and hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

~ “That was some meeting, eh, honey?” said Maggie. “I’ll say,” said Mark. The Bailey’s drove back home with Penny in the backseat. Mark looked in the rear view mirror and noticed that Penny looked preoccupied. “Is everything okay, Penny?” “I’m okay, Mark,” said Penny. “This serial killer mess is scary to me.” “You can come and stay with us, if you like,” said Mark. “That’s right,” said Maggie. “I don’t want to be any trouble,” said Penny. “Nonsense, it would be our pleasure,” said Maggie. Penny sat in the back and looked out the window. She really didn’t want to impose on her sister by staying with them, but she knew she’d be able to sleep better at night not having to worry about some killer waiting for her when she came home from work. “Okay, you guys, I’ll stay until this mess is straightened out.” “I think that will be for the best,” said Mark. “I agree, Penny,” said Maggie. “Stay with us, and we’ll all sleep better at night.” The three of them drove along the road with a sense of urgency and fear. They all knew that if the killer wanted to WE L C O ME H O ME , K E LV I N

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take anyone of them, he could. Mark didn’t own a gun and Maggie refused to have one in the house. Mark thought to himself how this might be a good time to buy one but decided to wait to talk to Maggie about it until they were at home and more relaxed. Timing is everything.

~ Lauren had just stepped out of the shower and was drying off when she heard a noise from outside her door. She quickly grabbed the .38 caliber pistol from her dresser drawer and moved toward the front. She picked up the cordless phone to prepare to dial 911 to alert the police. “If that fucker is outside my door, I’ll blow his ass away,” she said. Lauren took the pistol twice a week to the range downtown to practice and became a pretty good shot. She was confident on how to use it and knew she could kill someone if necessary. The noise got a little louder as she approached the door, which made her a little afraid. Lauren grabbed the door knob and said, “Here goes nothing.” She opened up the door as quickly as possible bringing up the gun to the ready. To her surprise the noise she heard were two neighborhood dogs wrestling around with each other on her front step. One of the dogs had a collar. When they saw her they stopped wrestling with each other and came and sat in front of her. “You guys almost got your cute little heads blown off!” Lauren learned over and read the collar on the one dog to get the number to call the owner. The owner thanked her and 168

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came over in ten minutes to pick up the dogs. Lauren finished getting dressed and drove to work. “I’m going to talk to Mark about this serial killer shit when I get to work. Some crazy fucker running around town killing women is nothing to joke around about.” When Lauren pulled into the parking lot at the plant, she went straight to Mark’s office. “Hey, Mark, you got a second to talk?” “Sure, Lauren, come on in,” said Mark. “Listen, Mark, this serial killer mess has got me really worried because I live by myself. I wanted to ask about getting some day time work if it’s possible.” “Well, Lauren, I just got off the phone with corporate and got approval to move all the female employees to the day shift until further notice. It has to be on a volunteer basis though because of the union contract. I’m making the formal announcement tomorrow morning.” “Thank God for that,” said Lauren. “That’s why I say you’re the best supervisor this plant has ever had. The last boss we had, Doug Myerson, would have just said tough shit to all us women.” “No worries, Lauren, I got your back, along with the rest of the ladies.” “Thanks, Mark, I’ll sleep easy tonight.” Lauren got up and headed to the door as Mark followed. Without warning she turned around and gave Mark a big hug and kiss on the cheek. WE L C O ME H O ME , K E LV I N

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He smiled and said to her, “Have a great shift, Lauren; I’ll be talking to you later.” “It’s great already,” said Lauren. She walked down the hall and stopped by the bulletin board to read some of the announcements. Mark stood and watched her before she disappeared on the plant floor. He returned to his desk and stared at his computer screen. She smelled so good and her body felt so nice pressed against his. “I wish she would have done more than just hugged me,” he whispered. “That woman is truly going to test my strength.”

~ Bart the mailman came into the convenience store with a large package addressed to Mickey Ortiz. Chucky was working the counter when he walked in. “Hey, Chucky, how’s it going today?” “It would have been going better if I didn’t have to cover for Beth and Shelly.” “Is Mickey here? I have a package for him; it’s from the corporate headquarters.” Chucky got quiet because he knew it was Mickey’s ownership packet that came into the mail. He thought to himself about how he should be getting one and not Mickey. “He’s in the back,” said Chucky. Bart walked to the back and knocked on Mickey’s office door; “Come in,” said Mickey. 170

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Bart opened up the door and came into the office. Mickey was behind the desk doing some paperwork. “Here’s a package for you, Mickey, it’s from the corporate headquarters.” Mickey sprang to his feet and screamed. “Hell, yeah, man, it finally came!” He grabbed the box from Bart’s hands and began to open it. “Well, Mickey, good luck with that and congratulations,” said Bart. “I’m going to finish my shift.” Bart left Mickey’s office and headed out the door. He waved to Chucky and got into his truck and left for the next drop-off. Chucky stood behind the counter, tired and angry. He knew that Mickey would be talking trash for the rest of the day about receiving his package. “Fuck it,” Chucky said. “My time will come.”

~ “Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We’ll be landing in a thirty minutes so please turn off and store away all electronic devices. Flight attendants, prepare for landing, thanks.” Kelvin put on his seatbelt and raised his chair back into the upright position. He looked out of his window and smiled to himself. He felt good about coming home and getting back to work. I think I’ll let the principal know about my plans first thing in the morning. No sense in waiting on it, he decided. After the plane landed and stopped, Kelvin got off and went to baggage claim. As he waited for his bags to come through, he noticed a newspaper stand adjacent to the WE L C O ME H O ME , K E LV I N

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stairwell. The front page of the paper had the pictures of all the missing women. Seeing the pictures really made him think about his future. I should just turn right around and go to the ticket counter, buy a ticket back to Tampa, and forget about my stuff at home. He found his bags and headed to the parking lot. The drive home was longer than usual because of several construction areas along the road home. Kelvin arrived home to a cold empty house with little of anything to offer. “If I was with Candy, she’d be here to greet me at the door with a kiss and dinner on the table,” he said. “At least I’d hope she’d make dinner for me.” He smiled to himself with the thought of having a woman at home to take care of him daily. He thought about his life as a loner and how much more happier he’d be with a woman and, one day, a family of his own. “I sure as hell wouldn’t abuse my kids! Anyone who tried to hurt them would end up dead!” he said with a grin. “I’d make sure that they would be loved beyond measure.” Kelvin began to open up the blinds and windows of his house to get some fresh air flowing. He watered all his plants and pulled out his vacuum cleaner to vacuum the rugs and carpets. All of a sudden, he saw something by the kitchen table that looked like glass. He put his bags down and walked toward the kitchen. When he there, he noticed the back window had been broken. “Some piece of shit broke my window,” he said. “I hope these fuckers didn’t break in and steal something.” 172

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Kelvin spent about an hour looking through the house, but everything was as he left it. He debated on whether or not to call the police and file a report but in the end, he chose not to. “I’ll call a contractor to come out and fix this window,” he said. “Those neighborhood kids playing ball probably did this. No harm, no foul.” He found a cardboard box and cut a piece out to tape over the broken window. “This should hold until I can get this fixed.” After he taped up the window, Kelvin called a contractor in the phone book to come up the next morning to repair the window. He spent the next three hours cleaning and freshening up the house. “This place needs to get some life back in it,” he said. After all his work was done, Kelvin made something to eat and watched a little television. “I’ll watch the news to see the latest on the missing women. I’ll call Candy in a few minutes to let he know I’m okay. I don’t want her to worry about me.” He smiled.

~ JayJay sat up in his bed with a new sense of purpose in his life. The thought of finding Cindy was the only thing on his mind. He turned and look out of his window at the bird feeder. There were several birds in the feeder but no cardinal to be found. “You’ll be back to visit me, Cindy, I just feel it,” said JayJay. He walked to the living room and looked out the window down the street at Kelvin’s house. To his surprise, Kelvin’s car was parked in the driveway. JayJay rubbed his sleepy eyes to WE L C O ME H O ME , K E LV I N

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make sure he wasn’t still dreaming. The anger rose up in his body like a runaway freight train. “Well, well, the killer has returned. I’m going to make you pay, you fucking murderer!” JayJay sat on the couch to calm himself down. He didn’t realize how fast he began to sweat until he touched his forehead. “Okay, JayJay, what’s the plan?” he asked himself. He began to pace back and forth in his living room, asking himself over and over again, “What to do, what to do.” As hard as he tried, no answers came. He began to realize that seeking revenge for Cindy would not be the answer she’d want. He walked back to the living room and sat on the edge of the bed. The birds were singing loudly as he listened to their music. “I guess I’ll go get something to eat,” he said. As JayJay began to walk out of the bedroom, the mirror caught his eye. In the reflection of the mirror, he could see the bird feeder. To his surprise the cardinal had returned to eat. He spun around and walked to the window to see the bird. He opened the window slowly so he wouldn’t frighten the birds. A few of them flew away but the cardinal and a few others remained. Just as before the cardinal turned and looked at him. “Give me a sign my friend, give me a sign,” he said. The cardinal flew to the window sill and landed next to his hand. “Holy smoke, it’s happening again.” The cardinal turned and chirped in the direction of the bird feeder. A beautiful sparrow flew and landed directly on JayJay’s hand. 174

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“Is this your friend, Cindy? Should I get someone else to help me?” JayJay asked. The sparrow began to chirp and peck JayJay’s hand. “What are you trying to tell me, Mr. Sparrow? I shouldn’t do this alone or what?” he asked the bird. At that moment, the doorbell rang. JayJay turned and said, “Stay here, Cindy, with your friend, I’ll be right back.” The sparrow jumped off his hand and stood on the sill next to the cardinal. JayJay slowly walked back up the hall to answer the door. “I can’t believe this is happening,” he said. “What are these birds trying to tell me?” JayJay left the bedroom and quickly headed to the door. He opened it up and Terry Tompkins was standing there. He’d been crying and looked very upset. “Can I come in and talk to you, JayJay?” asked Terry. “It’s about Tammy.” “Before we do that, let me show you something,” said JayJay. The two men walked down the hall towards JayJay’s bedroom. He motioned to his lips as to signal Terry to be very quiet. The men slowly entered the bedroom and stood side by side. The cardinal and the sparrow were still on the window sill, waiting. “HOLY MOSES!” said Terry. “That’s the same sparrow that came to me in my birdbath out back!” What are you talking about?” asked JayJay. “When Tammy disappeared I was outside at the birdbath WE L C O ME H O ME , K E LV I N

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in our backyard,” said Terry. “I was feeling really bad and wanting to see Tammy again. I asked the Lord to send me a sign that I’d find out what happened to Tammy. All of a sudden, this sparrow landed on my hand and then flew up to my left shoulder. This bird pecked me on the ear twice and then flew back into the birdbath. It stood there, staring at me for the longest time like it wanted to say something. I never saw anything like that in my life. I knew it was a sign from above, it has to be.” “I can’t believe this, Terry, that cardinal did the exact thing to me,” said JayJay. Both men looked at each other for a moment and then looked at the birds. The sparrow and the cardinal continued to look at JayJay and Terry without being afraid. Other birds flew into the bird feeder and began to eat the bird seed. This moment was so overwhelming for both men that they began to weep. They hugged each other and sat on the edge of the bed. JayJay turned to Terry and said, “These birds are a sign from Cindy and Tammy that our answers to their disappearance are close by.” “You’re right,” said Terry. “The answers are close, I just know it.” JayJay got up and headed for the living room with Terry right behind him. The two men stopped at the window as JayJay pointed to the house down the block. “Our answers are in that house. I have a gut feeling that Kelvin had something 176

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to do with the disappearance of Cindy and Tammy. I just have that feeling when I’m around that guy, he’s fucking creepy.” “Ever since he showed up to town, all these women went missing,” said Terry. “Tammy made a comment about going out with him because she felt sorry for Kelvin because Shannon disappeared. All of a sudden, she’s gone.” “You’re right about that. Cindy felt the same way and all of a sudden, she’s gone,” said JayJay. “I’m telling you, man, that fucker has something to do with it. I just know it.” The two men stood up and shook hands. At the same time the two birds faced each other and flapped their wings. “Let’s get that bastard,” the men said together. The cardinal and sparrow flew back to the bird feeder and began to eat some seed.

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CHAPTER 13 THE PURSUIT OF A MADMAN

ather Bailey sat motionless in his office with his back to the door. He looked at the cross mounted on the wall and

said, “My lord, five women are missing and presumed dead. Sebastian must be right; this abused soul has returned to seek vengeance against this entire town.” Father Bailey debated whether or not to go to the police with this information. Sebastian had asked Father Bailey to give him a few days to think about how to approach the police. He was sitting tight in a Fairfield hotel, conflicted about the validity of his suspicions about his twin brother, but if he was right, his own life would no doubt be in danger. He hadn’t called Father Bailey back yet and the priest was more and more concerned about the urgency of this situation. “I don’t want to risk Sebastian’s life and expose the source of the information but 178

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I have to do something. There are days when being a priest really sucks.”

~ Sebastian sat on the end of his bed, watching television. More information was given during the evening news about the missing women. The report mentioned that each of the women had red hair and that all were from Montclair or the surrounding area. They reported the ages of the missing women and the timeline of each disappearance. Four of the women were in their twenties; but now that the elderly Mrs. Jenkins was missing, authorities were puzzled. Sebastian sat up, “Oh no, has he found his foster mother? Dear God! Five lives taken in one town, five lives lost forever. My brother is a madman. I have to stop him.” Sebastian turned off the TV and lay back on the bed. The ceiling had a mosaic pattern that made his head spin. He got up and went to the window. He wondered where his brother was living and what type of work a killer would do in between murdering innocent people. I wonder if maybe the priest has already gone to the police.

~ “Hello, this is Father Bailey, how can I help you.” “Good morning, Father, this is Sebastian.” “I’m glad you finally called, Sebastian, I think you have to go to the police now. Something is very wrong and we can’t stay silent any longer, and risk more lives.” T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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“I know; you’re right,” said Sebastian. “I just didn’t want it to be true. And I thought maybe you had gone to the police.” “I was sitting here debating whether I could approach the police with the information you gave me. But I know the police will ask me where I got this information. But I cannot tell them about you without your permission. Isn’t that why you came to a priest with this in the first place?” “Yes, Father. I have to find a way to stop this, but I’m also afraid of what my brother would do if he hears I turned him in,” said Sebastian. “I understand, Sebastian. But waiting may mean more women are harmed.” “I thought maybe he’d stop if Mrs. Jenkins was his real target…I don’t know.” “Pray on this, Sebastian. And call me again tomorrow, please.” Sebastian hung up the phone and sat on the edge of the bed. He wondered how this could end. He looked up again at the mosaic pattern on the ceiling of his hotel room. Oh dear God, please don’t let him hurt any more women. And please protect me from my brother! Sebastian walked over to the window and looked up at the sky as a plane passed overhead. “I hope my brother is caught. He needs to be stopped.” The stream of white smoke from the tail of the plane made it look like an arrow shooting from a bow. He wished he could be on that plane flying off to some unknown destination, away from this horror. 180

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~ JayJay and Terry watched the birds eat in the feeder. The cardinal and sparrow ate with each other while other birds chirped and wrestled for space on the feeder. “These two birds are amazing,” said JayJay. “I know, man, it’s kind of creepy how they are eating together and none of the other birds are messing with them or their space at the feeder,” said Terry. “I have a feeling we’re closer to the truth than we realize,” said JayJay. He thought about what he did at Kelvin’s house and whether or not he should tell Terry about it. He looked at Terry and decided to wait to tell him when all of a sudden the two birds flew back to the window sill and began to stare directly at them. JayJay changed his mind and decided to tell Terry. At the same moment, Terry turned to JayJay and said, “We ought to break into his house and look for evidence that could link him to the disappearances.” That statement nearly knocked JayJay to his knees. “What did you say?” “I said we should break into his house and look for evidence to link that fucker to these women,” said JayJay. The two men looked at each other with a deep connection. The cardinal and sparrow flew to an adjacent tree just outside of the living room window. The men went back to the living room couch and sat down. The birds sat on the branch and looked at them through the window. T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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“Terry, I have something to tell you,” said JayJay. “I did break into his house the other night and searched it from top to bottom.” “Did you find anything worthwhile?” asked Terry excitedly. “I found a secret compartment below a painting in the hallway of his house. When I looked inside, I found a hammer and handcuffs along with several rolls of plastic and tarp. I took pictures of all the items with my digital camera.” “That’s good. Did you find anything else?” asked Terry. “Yes, I did. The hammer had dark stains on it and some string or what appeared to be some hair on it. He could have used that hammer to kill someone. But I don’t know for sure that it was blood or hair, and we can’t know for sure that Kelvin even knows the compartment is in his wall.” Terry listened intently and said, “We need to figure out how to use that information.” The two men continued to consider their next move.

~ Meanwhile, the contractor and Kelvin were wrapping up their business. “Well, Mr. Kettle, I’m all finished with the window,” said the contractor. “It looks great, sir, how much do I owe you?” asked Kelvin. “That will be, with the glass and labor, a total of twentytwo dollars even,” said the contractor. 182

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“Okay, let me get my checkbook.” Kelvin returned a few minutes later and gave the contractor a check for the repair. They shook hands and the contractor gave Kelvin his business card, took his tool box, and left in his pickup. “This better not happen again,” said Kelvin. “I’ll make those kids sorry they ever messed with me, if I have to.” Kelvin swept up the debris from the window repair. He went to the living room and turned on the television to watch the news. Nothing new was said about the missing women. He thought about going out and searching for his next flower to plant. It’s been a while since I’ve visited my garden. I wonder how close anyone has come to finding it with all the searches in the woods. Sitting on the couch, he began to feel sleepy. He took off his shoes and lay back and slowly drifted off into the darkness of sleep. He dreamed of his next flower and how wonderful it would feel to take complete control of another life. He smiled the most evil of smiles as the dream made him blissful.

~ “I have an idea,” said Terry. “Let’s go and ask the police where they have conducted searches in the area. Then we can take that information a little further…” “What exactly are you talking about?” asked JayJay. “They have made several searches with dozens of volunteers with no luck at all. What makes you think the two of us will do any better?” T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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“Sometimes, even the most observant persons can step right over the answers they seek,” said Terry. “I think that if you and I go out, we just might get lucky.” “Okay, Terry, I’m willing to try anything,” said JayJay. The two men drove in JayJay’s car to the police station. “I wonder if our bird friends will be here when we get back,” mused Terry. The two birds had flown away from the tree when JayJay and Terry drove away. “I have a feeling they’ll follow us to the police station,” said JayJay. When they arrived at the police station parking lot, the cardinal and sparrow where already perched outside the station on the limb of a large oak tree. “Holy smoke, look at that!” JayJay pointed toward the birds and froze in his tracks. The two men looked at each other and shook their heads. “I’d say we’re on the right track,” said JayJay. They went inside and met with one of the officers who had been on several of the searches. He pointed out to them on a map where they had searched so far. The one spot that stuck out was an area with several small bodies of swampy water that posed a genuine threat to anyone’s safety. The officer gave them a copy of the map, but urged the men not to search on their own in any of the swampy areas. “Please leave that to the official search parties.” They nodded as though they agreed and thanked the officer. As they headed home, the two birds must have left too, 184

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because when the men pulled into the driveway, the cardinal and sparrow were back in the tree outside JayJay’s house. “I see that Cindy and Tammy are watching over us,” said JayJay. Terry smiled and blew a kiss to the two birds. The birds began to sing a beautiful song and flapped their wings in a joyous manner. Looking away from them, a single tear ran down Terry’s face as he headed for the door. JayJay came over and put his arm around his new friend, “Don’t worry, Terry, we’ll find our girls. Let’s go inside and look at this map, the answers are somewhere close.” The two men went inside with a new-found sense of hope. The cardinal and sparrow will make sure there next move will be the best move.

~ Sebastian took a walk outside the hotel to get something to eat. He’d tried the entire menu on the hotel restaurant since he’d been here, and wanted something different. He walked around Fairfield’s restaurant district until he found a Chinese restaurant. The buffet smelled great and the waitresses were cute. One waitress was particularly flirty with him. He wondered whether to ask her if she’d be interested in meeting later for a drink. As he was about to pay the bill, she said to him, “Make sure you check the bill thoroughly to make sure it’s correct. And look on the back, sir.” She smiled and walked away. Sebastian looked on the back of the check and her name, Mia Ling, and a phone number was handwritten under a T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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scrawled message, “Please come back soon!” He turned around and she was smiling and waving to him. He smiled back and nodded. As he walked back to his hotel room, Sebastian smiled. “I can’t believe she gave me her number. I’ll call her as soon as I finish a few errands.” Sebastian did a little shopping at the local stores and went to the post office to mail his parents an anniversary card. “I’ll call them before I give Mia a call.” Although his mind was still heavy with worry about his current predicament, he decided, “I think from now on I’ll be eating Chinese in this town.”

~ Kelvin got up from his nap feeling refreshed and rested. “I need to go out tonight and look for my next flower for my garden. I don’t need to worry about news reports—they can’t say there were any murders because no bodies have been found—and there won’t be. I planted my flowers well…I’ll start downtown and work my way back toward the school.” He took a shower and changed clothes. “I’ll go to the diner first to scope out the locals and then maybe go by the university to see if any co-eds meet my expectations.” He felt happy thinking about the idea of killing some young woman. His heart began to race with excitement as he planned his hunt. “There’s nothing like a fresh kill.”

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The map the officer gave JayJay and Terry had all the areas marked that had been searched and how many times each area had been covered. There were a few spots left unchecked that were clearly marked. “Look at this area around these swamps,” said JayJay. “They haven’t been checked at all,” said Terry. “I think we should go and check out each one and see what’s there.” “Seems to me that these little swamps would make a perfect place to hide a body or two,” said JayJay. He didn’t want to admit it to Terry, but he was pretty sure there was little to no hope of finding the missing women alive. At this point his goal was to find proof that Kelvin was a murderer. “I have some hip waders and a canoe at my uncle’s house we could use,” offered Terry. The two men rolled up the map and headed to Terry’s uncle’s house and picked up the canoe. They drove to the spot where Shannon’s car had been found. They used the map to plot their course to the first small swamp. They had to carry the canoe on their shoulders to the first swamp. They carried their equipment in backpacks. They brought a couple of ropes with hooks attached, which could be used to drag a body out of the water if necessary. Because of the late start, they only had enough time to search two of the three swamps that day. The men dropped the canoe in the first swamp. “Well, Terry, are you ready for this?” asked JayJay. “I guess I am,” said Terry. “I hope we don’t find anything; T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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because if we do, I’m going to pass out.” They began their search at the first swamp, which was the furthest away from the highway according to the map. The decision was made based on the amount of daylight they had to work with. It took the two men four hours to thoroughly search the swamp. Over half of the swamp was waist deep and the rest had to be searched by canoe. The next little swamp was entirely waist deep and didn’t require the canoe. It took about two hours to check. It was right around 7:00 p.m. when they stopped. “It’s getting dark and hard to see out here,” said Terry. “Let’s check the last swamp tomorrow?” “Good thinking, Terry, I don’t want to miss one single inch of that swamp.” They left the canoe and equipment at the second swamp instead of carrying it back to the truck. During the ride home, there was little conversation. Terry dropped off JayJay at home and drove the truck to his house and parked out front. He walked back down to JayJay’s house and they sat on the front step. “That was exhausting work,” said JayJay. “It sucked,” said Terry. Both men felt that the work they did was thorough, and if the final swamp didn’t yield any bodies, they’d be out of luck. Around 8:00 p.m. Terry said, “I’m going to take a shower and go to bed early.” “Good idea,” said JayJay. “What time do you want to get 188

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started on the last swamp?” “Let’s get started around seven,” suggested Terry. “Okay with me,” said JayJay. The two men shook hands and parted company. As Terry was walking down the sidewalk JayJay said, “Look who’s back.” Terry turned toward JayJay and saw the cardinal and sparrow and said, “Our guardian angels are back!” The birds were perched in the tree outside JayJay’s house, singing together. JayJay looked at Terry and smiled. “We’re still on the right track,” they said together.

~ Kelvin sat in the diner, eating the special of the day. A new waitress was working at the time and she was beautiful. He was amazed at how tall she was. She looks at least six feet or taller, he thought. She’s as tall as Candy. After he finished his meal and paid, he left the diner and was heading to his car when he heard a voice from behind, “Hey, Kelvin, where you headed?” Kelvin turned and it was Shannon’s boss, Kathy, walking toward him. “Hello, Kathy, how are you?” “I’m fine. How you holding up?” she asked. “I just got back from Florida,” said Kelvin. “I needed some time away to clear my head.” “Well, you look good,” said Kathy. “I’m sorry I missed you; I don’t like to eat alone.” “I tell you what, I didn’t have dessert, so I’ll go back inside T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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with you and have dessert while you eat, okay?” suggested Kelvin. “Great, let’s go,” said Kathy. The two of them went back inside the diner and ate and talked for a while. When Kelvin left Kathy to go home, he was surprised that she gave him her cell phone number to talk. I thought she was married. Instead of going home, Kelvin drove down to the local university and took a stool at the end of the counter of the coffee shop. There were so many pretty young women of all shapes and sizes, Kelvin thought he’d died and gone to heaven. He ordered a second cup of coffee when a tall slim blonde girl approached him and asked, “Is anyone sitting here?” “No, just me,” said Kelvin. The young lady sat down and ordered a cup of cocoa. “Hello, my name is Kelvin. What’s yours?” “Hello, I’m Tabatha.” Her smile was bright and beautiful. Kelvin took a sip of coffee and thought to himself, Batter up!

~ Sebastian talked to his parents for almost two hours on the phone. He wished them a happy wedding anniversary and hung up the phone. He didn’t talk too much about his trip to Fairfield because he didn’t want to scare them. They didn’t think anything unusual about that. His next call was to Mia. The phone rang twice before she picked up. They talked for a while and decided to meet for a 190

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late movie downtown. He quickly showered and headed down the street to meet her. She arrived wearing a red dress and heels. Mia was a truly beautiful woman and looked even more so than she did in the restaurant. “Hey, Mia, I’m glad you could make it out for the movie,” said Sebastian. “Thanks for calling me,” said Mia. They hugged and went inside the theater. Sebastian was happy that she held his hand the entire time during the movie. Afterwards, they had a late dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. “I was so delighted that you gave me your number, Mia, that made me feel really great,” said Sebastian. “I don’t normally do that sort of thing,” said Mia, “but you seemed to be so nice that I decided to take a chance.” They left the restaurant and spent the rest of the evening walking and talking. Mia looked at her watch and it read twelve fifteen. “Well, Sebastian, I have to work tomorrow so I have to call it a night.” “Okay,” said Sebastian, “I’ll walk you to your car.” In her car, Mia rolled down the window and said, “Call me tomorrow, or come by the restaurant for some lunch if you can.” “I was just thinking that,” said Sebastian. Mia smiled and pulled out the parking space. Sebastian turned and was headed toward the hotel when he heard the car stop. He looked back and saw the car door fly open and T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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Mia jump out and run toward him with a big smile. Before he could speak, she threw herself into his arms and kissed him. Her lips were so soft and tender; Sebastian nearly fell over in her embrace. She pulled away and ran back to her car, where she turned and said, “Just thought I’d give you something to make sure you come by for lunch tomorrow.” She winked and waved, got into her car and drove off. Sebastian stood on the hotel steps with a big smile on his face. Then he thought about his brother and his smile faded fast.

~ The morning seemed to take forever for JayJay. The sun rose slowly in the eastern sky like a caterpillar crossing the dew covered front lawn. JayJay sat on the end of his bed, already dressed and ready to go. He opened up the blinds to see the cardinal sitting alone in the bird feeder, eating. “Good morning, Cindy, I hope you slept well,” said JayJay. The knock on his door was loud and he knew it was Terry. JayJay threw a kiss to the cardinal and said, “Wish me luck.” He grabbed his jacket and headed to the front door. Terry stood with bloodshot eyes like he hadn’t slept either. “You look like hell, Terry; did you get any sleep last night?” “Not a fucking wink,” replied Terry. “I kept seeing Tammy’s face. I think we’re going to find something in that last swamp. And, by the way, the sparrow was in my birdbath this morning again.” “Don’t look now, but both our friends are here,” said JayJay. 192

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Terry turned to his left, and there sat the cardinal and sparrow in the tree in front of JayJay’s house. “They look ready, so we better get going,” JayJay said. The two men got into Terry’s uncle’s truck and headed back out to the swamp. The walk through the woods was slow and methodical. The foliage surrounding the swamp was thick as they dragged the canoe and equipment through the bush. They put on their hip waders and decided to test the depth of the swamp. For the most part, the swamp was just under waist-deep. As they walked from one end to the other they stepped on several long heavy objects that appeared to be evenly placed in the swamp. “This is a little creepy to me,” said Terry. “What the hell is down under the water?” asked JayJay. The two men looked at each other in fear when all of a sudden the birds showed up. The cardinal and sparrow began to chirp loudly and flap their wings. “They’re trying to tell us something…” said Terry. JayJay took the rope and hook and was able to hook onto something large under the water, but no matter how hard he pulled the object didn’t budge. He walked out of the water and wrapped the rope around the tree for leverage. Terry got behind him and they pulled the rope as hard as they could. At first they had no luck but they repositioned the rope for added leverage and tried again. The object began to drag slowly through the water until it got to the edge of the swamp. “Let’s pull this thing out all the way to get a better look at it,” said JayJay. T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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They both grabbed one side and pulled it out. Whatever it was had thick canvas wrapped around it and was tied with rope that was attached to heavy cinder blocks. “Whoever put this into the water meant for it to stay there,” said Terry. “That canvas looks familiar,” said JayJay. “I’ve seen it somewhere before.” They pulled out the object and untied the cinder blocks. JayJay used his Swiss army knife to cut away at one end of the canvas. He cut through the first couple of layers when he got to a point where he could grab put both hands on the opening to pull it apart. “Here goes nothing,” he said. He gripped both sides of the cut canvas and pulled as hard as he could. The canvas ripped open and to his and Terry’s horror were two skeletal feet in between clear plastic. A couple of the toes were partially intact and the nails were covered in bright-red nail polish. “Oh man!” screamed JayJay as he dropped the object and fell back. Terry instantly threw up and turned, shielding his eyes. “Holy shit!” screamed JayJay. “We better call the cops right now.” Terry turned and ran in the direction of his uncle’s truck. JayJay ran after him. They reached the truck out of breath and scared to death. “That son of a bitch Kelvin murdered them and put their fucking bodies in this swamp!” screamed Terry. 194

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“I’m going over to his house and kill the bastard!” “Hold on, don’t be an idiot,” said JayJay. “Let’s calm down and get ourselves together. Call the cops first, and then we get the bastard.” The two men sat on the tailgate of the truck and waited a few minutes before they made the call. Shortly, thirty or more police officers and a dozen FBI agents arrived on the scene. Representatives of the media soon arrived, including CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC. The police kept the media back as they did their gruesome duty. The remains of five women were pulled from the swamp—all of them wrapped in the same materials and tied to cinder blocks. While the bodies were transported to the coroner’s office, the noon news reports carried the story of dead bodies being discovered in a swamp just outside of town. Specifics would not be confirmed until positive identifications could be made.

~ Terry and JayJay were still sitting on the tailgate of the pickup, their heads down. The truth had to be faced. Their loved ones were dead; they were never coming back. Their grisly find was the proof. The cardinal and sparrow landed on the side of the truck and looked at JayJay and Terry without chirping or moving. Terry looked sadly at the birds and said, “Now what?” “These birds have stuck with us all this time, helping us find the bodies. I hope they stay around until we close this thing out,” said JayJay, his eyes bloodshot and angry. T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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The birds flew away as an officer came over to the truck and asked the men to come to the station to give their statements. So, they drove to the police station and took care of the paperwork as requested. Once back at home, the men sat out in front of JayJay house again accompanied by the cardinal and sparrow. JayJay’s turned to the two birds and said, “Can you show us where the killer lives, you guys?” A sudden wind picked up and blew hard. The two birds flew from the tree in JayJay’s yard and landed on the gutter on the side of Kelvin’s house. “Look where they flew! I knew it!” said JayJay. The birds chirped loudly and flapped their wings. Terry burst into tears and fell to his knees. “Don’t worry, Terry, I have a plan,” said JayJay. He helped Terry to his feet and they went inside. The cardinal and sparrow remained on Kelvin’s gutter for the remainder of the day. In JayJay’s living room, the two men contemplated their next move. “These birds have been right so far, and I trust them now,” said Terry. “If we plan this right, we can help the police catch this bastard,” said JayJay. “I tell you what; let’s get something to eat and we’ll go from there,” said Terry. JayJay went to the kitchen and got a menu from the local Chinese restaurant. They placed their orders and watched the news on television while waiting for their food. 196

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~ “I knew I still had it,” said Kelvin. “I wondered if I could still pick up college chicks and I proved myself right.” The young lady he met at the coffee shop was his latest victim. He used his looks and charms to lure her in and then kill her. Kelvin had prepared the body in the normal manner and decided to plant her along with the rest at nightfall. He picked up the body and placed it in the closet in the guest bedroom. “Sleep tight, my love, and thanks for a wonderful night.” Kelvin grinned that evil grin and walked back to the living room. “I guess I’ll take a shower and go downtown for some lunch.” Before leaving, Kelvin decided to check the news just in case. The television came on to a commercial so he got up to get a drink from the refrigerator. When he sat back down the commercial was over and the report came on: “If you’re just joining us, here’s the latest on the missing Montclair women. Five female bodies were discovered this morning in a swamp off rural Route 6 just south of town. These five bodies are believed to be those of the five missing women of Montclair. Until positive identifications can be confirmed by the state coroner, we cannot assume these are the women. How the bodies were discovered is unknown at this time, and police are not releasing any further information. As soon as any new information is given, we’ll bring it to you live.” Kelvin became lightheaded with the news that his garden had been discovered. “How in the hell did they find T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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my garden?” he screamed. “I’ll fucking kill the bastards that touched my flowers!” The rage boiled over as he flipped over the coffee table and began to tear his living room apart. Kelvin punched the walls and kicked over chairs and tore pictures from the wall. When his tantrum was over, the room appeared to have been hit by a hurricane. Kelvin stood in the middle of the mess, breathing heavily and sweating as he tried to gather himself. “Oh, shit, what am I going to do with this fucking dead bitch in my closet?” He wondered if he should move the body now in broad daylight or wait until nightfall. “I better clean up this shit in case I get company.” Kelvin began the slow process of straightening out the mess he created. When the job was done, the place almost looked back to normal. “I need to sit down and plan my next move.”

~ Father Bailey sat at his desk with a heavy heart. “I have to call Sebastian.” The phone rang several times before Sebastian answered the phone. “Hello, who’s this?” “Hello, Sebastian, this is Father Bailey. Have you seen the news?” “No, is another woman missing?” “The police have found five bodies in a swamp just off rural Route 6 in Montclair.” 198

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“Oh my God, Father,” gasped Sebastian. “You were right all along, Sebastian, looks like your brother has returned and taken revenge.” “I want your permission to go to the police. I want to meet with the chief along and tell him what we suspect and ask him if there is a way to keep you out of this.” “You can tell them about me; that’s fine, but if they can just keep my identity a secret until he’s caught, I’d feel much safer,” said Sebastian. “I want you to stay put in your hotel while I go and talk to the police,” said Father Bailey. “Okay, please let me know what he says,” said Sebastian. Father Bailey hung up the phone and grabbed his jacket. As he drove downtown to the police station, he thought, How am I going to explain this to the chief of police and the FBI that the serial killer who’s already killed five women has a twin brother in the next town over.

~ Terry and JayJay finished their lunch at the kitchen table. “How are we going to pin this mess on that bastard?” asked Terry. “When I broke into Kelvin’s house, I took pictures of what I found, remember?” said JayJay. He got up and went to his bedroom and found the digital camera he used when he broke into Kelvin’s house. Terry looked at the pictures and gave the camera back to JayJay. T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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“I knew something caught my eye, the tarp that the body was wrapped in matches this picture I took in Kelvin’s house,” said JayJay. “If we can go back into his house and get a sample of this tarp and give it to the police and have them test it, maybe it will be a match and connect Kelvin to the murders.” “I say we wait until that fucker leaves for the day and then we go over and get that sample to give to the police,” said Terry. “Okay with me, let’s wait until tonight,” said JayJay. The two men shook hands and went to the living room to watch the news. The cardinal and sparrow were perched in the tree outside the living room window. “Our friends are back, I see,” said Terry. “Yes, they are,” said JayJay. The birds were singing loudly and flapping their wings. “I guess they approve of our plans, huh?”

~ Father Bailey waded through the sea of media, trying to get to see the police chief. An officer met him at the front desk and escorted him back to conference room where a meeting was breaking up. All the officers and invited guesses left the room. Some knew Father Bailey and shook his hand as they left. Finally only two people were remaining in the conference room: Father Bailey and the police chief. “I’m glad you could see me on such short notice, Tyler. By the way, how’s Samantha doing in all this mess?” asked Father Bailey. 200

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“She’s like all the women in town, Father, scared out of her mind,” replied the chief. The chief looked disheveled and weary from all the attention his office was getting. “We got the bodies out and the state coroner has positively identified them as the five missing women. The FBI is making the announcement now. We did get some usable DNA off of the bodies as well.” “That’s good news,” said Father Bailey. “So tell me, Father, why have you come to see me?” asked Tyler. “What I’m about to say has to be held in the strictest of confidence,” said Father Bailey. “I was contacted by a young man who claims to be the brother of the serial killer. He has some pretty convincing information about the killer’s motive as well. As a matter of fact, he’s the killer’s twin brother.” The chief was very interested. “Where is this guy? If we know what he looks like, then we’ll know what the killer looks like.” “I understand that, Tyler, but there are confidentiality issues—it’s why he came to a priest instead of directly to the police.” “Look, Father, I understand, but you can’t sit on information like that. Five women are dead. I need to at least get a look at him so we’ll have a positive ID on the killer,” said Tyler. “Okay, but he wants it kept mum that he’s involved. Is that possible? “ T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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“If that’s what it takes to get a break in this, okay,” said Tyler. “I’ll call him now and set up something,” said Father Bailey. The men shook hands and walked out of the conference room. Just before leaving the building, Father Bailey turned to the chief and said, “Please keep this between us, Tyler, this young man could be killed if this gets out to the media.” “I understand, Father.”

~ Kelvin sat in his living room, outwardly calm and relaxed, but deep inside he knew he had a major problem. Not only had his garden been discovered, but he now has a freshly killed body stuffed in his closet. For a brief moment he thought about just going to the airport and flying to Tampa to be with Candy. “I miss her,” he whispered. He wondered if any moment the police and FBI might kick in his door with guns drawn and arrest him. He briefly considered suicide as an option to escape from this madness. “No, if these fuckers want me, they’ll have to kill me,” he said with an evil sneer. “I might be a fucking monster but I’m no coward; suicide is out of the fucking question.” He looked in the mirror and decided he needed to check out his options for where to dump the body. It wouldn’t be too smart to get caught with the evidence. “I’ll take a ride down to the docks or the warehouse district to revisit spots to dump off a body,” he said. “Maybe 202

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I’ll find a new garden in the meantime.” He smiled with that thought, but he knew his time was running out. “I just might plant this flower then head to Tampa to be with Cindy. I can start my new life once I get rid of this body.”

~ Sebastian was excited about seeing Mia for lunch. She was a breath of fresh air to him, especially under the circumstances. He’d been out of a relationship for quite some time. He arrived at the restaurant and parked out front. Inside he was greeted by the hostess who sat him in a booth near the back. “I was told to put you in our most intimate spot,” she said with a friendly smile. “Thanks,” said Sebastian. As the hostess walked away, he watched her leave. She had a really nice figure and her hair hung all the way past her waist. Out of nowhere Mia appeared and surprised him with a hug and a smile. “I see you looking at her, young man, don’t get any ideas!” “She has the longest hair I’ve ever seen,” said Sebastian. “I bet you could just imagine yourself tied up in that, huh?” teased Mia. “As a matter of fact, I could,” he teased back. “What time does she get off work?” “For the record, my hair was longer than that until I cut it recently,” said Mia. “Wow, I would have loved to have seen that,” said Sebastian. T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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“I’m not cutting it anymore, so if you stick around long enough, you might get to see it grow back.” “Question: do I have to wait until it’s that long before you tie me up in it?” asked Sebastian. “Let’s have lunch first, and I’ll tie you up later—if you’re into that sort of thing,” said Mia. They both laughed and hugged each other. When lunch was over, Mia walked Sebastian out to his car. She kissed him softly and held him close. “You’re going to make it really hard to leave when my business here is done, Mia,” said Sebastian. “That’s my plan,” said Mia. They kissed again and Sebastian got into his rental car. “Can I see you later?” asked Mia. “Of course you can,” said Sebastian. “I’ll be counting the seconds.” Mia waved goodbye and headed back into the restaurant. Who would have thought out of all the madness I’d meet such a wonderful woman? wondered Sebastian. He drove away from the restaurant feeling a sense of joy and, at the same time, fear. “Before I’m finished here, I have to help the police catch my brother. I can’t move on with Mia until that’s done. I owe her that much at least.” He drove around Fairfield for an hour longer before he headed back to the hotel. “I’ll call Father Bailey to check in and see what the next move is going to be.” When Sebastian got back to his room the phone was 204

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ringing. He ran to catch it. “Hello, who’s this?” he asked. “Hello, Sebastian, it’s Father Bailey, do you have a minute?” “Yes, Father, what happened?” “I just met with the chief of police and I told him about you and your brother. I explained to him that you guys were twins and that your brother is likely responsible for the murders. He wants to meet with you to see what you look like. He feels that would greatly help him to catch your brother—once he gets a look at you. What do you think?” “That makes sense of course, Father, but I want him to meet me here in Fairfield; and he must come alone without any media and other officers. Also, I want you to come with him. If my identity gets out, the media will be hounding me, and I’ll be my brother’s next victim.” “Okay, Sebastian, I’ll call the chief,” said Father Bailey. “Stay in your hotel room and I’ll call you back with the time.” “Okay, Father, I’ll be waiting for your call.” Father Bailey called the chief of police and set up a meeting with Sebastian within an hour. The chief drove his own personal car to the hotel in Fairfield and took several pictures of Sebastian for use in the search. The chief assured Sebastian that his safety would remain a top priority. “Thank you for helping us out with this situation, Sebastian,” said the chief. “We’ll use these pictures to find your brother.” T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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“I know you need some real evidence to convict him, because just my word isn’t enough,” said Sebastian, “but I do have his journals if you need them. I just hope you don’t.” “I aware of the evidence issue, Sebastian, and we were able to get some DNA off one of the bodies and a single fingerprint from the plastic wrap around one of the bodies,” said the chief. “If the DNA and fingerprint match his, he’s as good as sitting caught, that’s a fact!” “I hope you’re right, chief, I truly do,” said Sebastian. “I’ll be looking over my shoulder until you catch my brother.” The chief and Father Bailey left his hotel room, heading back to Montclair. I hope they catch him soon. I’ll never find peace until they do, thought Sebastian.

~ The sun set in the western sky like a slow moving river. JayJay and Terry watched Kelvin’s house with the intensity of an African lion stalking a wildebeest. “Look, JayJay, the bastard’s leaving,” said Terry. The two men watched Kelvin get into his car and drive away, heading toward town. “Now’s our chance,” said JayJay. The men bolted out of the house to Kelvin’s. “How are we going to get in?” asked Terry. “We’re going to fucking break the damn glass window in the backdoor like I did before,” said JayJay. “And I’m not going to be as careful this time.” 206

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He found a rock beside a bush in the backyard, picked it up, and threw it into the window. The glass shattered with ease. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and reached in and turned the lock. They entered the house and went directly to the area below the painting on the wall where he found the secret compartment. “This is where I found the hammer, handcuffs, plastic, and tarp,” said JayJay. Like before, the compartment opened up with ease. He took out a roll of plastic and a roll of tarp and cut a large chunk from each. He grabbed the hammer which still had stains on it as well as what looked like hair. “The police can compare those to the bodies. If they match, his ass is grass.” “Great,” said Terry. “Put everything back like you found it.” The items were placed back as though they were never touched. JayJay said, “Let’s look around one more time to see if we can find anything new.” “Okay, man, but let’s be quick about it; I want to get the hell outta here,” said Terry. The two men went in different directions, looking in each room. Just as JayJay was heading toward a back bedroom, Terry cried out with a loud yell, “HOLY SHIT, HE’S GOT A FUCKING BODY IN THE CLOSET!” JayJay ran back to see what Terry was talking about. When he entered the bedroom, Terry was standing as still as a statue with a look of horror on his face. The closet door was opened and a body wrapped in the same tarp he took a sample from was there slumped on some boxes. T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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“This motherfucker is sick. He has another body in his fucking house!” said JayJay. “We need to call the cops right now!” screamed Terry. They closed the door and ran out of the house. Back at JayJay’s house, they sat on the couch in shock. “We won’t need these fucking samples now because this bastard has a body in his house!” said Terry. “Before we go to the police with this, let’s look at this thing like a defense attorney would,” said JayJay. “What do you mean, like a defense attorney would? We have enough evidence to put the animal away for the rest of his life,” said Terry. “Here’s what I mean: First we just broke into his house and gathered the evidence that would be used to convict him. Second, we probably violated a few of his civil rights. Third, if we go to the police with this, we’ll probably get our asses thrown in jail for breaking into his house-and he’ll go scot free,” said JayJay. “So what the fuck are we supposed do then?” asked Terry. “We can’t just sit on this shit. We have to tell someone now!”

~ The chief sat at his desk, looking at the photos of Sebastian and wondering what his next move was. He thought about how he would handle this new information and how it could be leaked to the media. “But I promised to protect this man,” he mused. As the chief continued to look at the pictures, an officer came to his office with some paperwork. 208

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“Chief, Principal McCormick is here and wants to talk to you,” said the officer. “Send him in,” said the chief. The principal walked in with a look of concern on his face. He sat down directly in front of the chief’s desk. “Has there been any new information on the killer, chief?” “I have some new leads that the FBI is working on as we speak,” said the chief. “That’s good news, Chief. I just thought I’d stop by and get some direct information to tell my wife so she can stop bugging me,” said Principal McCormick. “Tell your wife the situation is well in hand, and thanks for stopping by,” said the chief. The principal stood up and the chief did as well. They shook hands and parted ways. As the principal turned to leave, he noticed the pictures of Sebastian on the chief’s desk. “Why do you have pictures of one of my teachers on your desk?” he asked. “What are you talking about?” asked the chief. “That picture is one of my teachers, Kelvin Kettle,” said Principal McCormick. “He’s very good with the kids.” “He’s one of your teachers at the high school?” asked the chief. “Yes, that’s right,” said the principal. “Is he in some kind of trouble or something?” The chief answered, “No, the man in that picture has done nothing wrong as far as I know. That’s all I can say for now.” T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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The principal went on, “I hope you’ll tell me if there is something I should know about my staff.” Staying calm, the chief nodded reassuringly, but said nothing, and the principal left the office. The chief then ran down the hall to find one of the FBI agents and brief him on the new information. An emergency meeting was called between the officers of the Montclair police department and the FBI. Sebastian’s pictures were passed around the room to everyone present with instructions to arrest on site. A quick check on Kelvin’s driver’s license was done and his address was located by an officer. The lead FBI agent stood up and made one final comment before the meeting ended, “We have to take this man alive. There can’t be any mistakes on this one.” The entire police force and the FBI headed towards Kelvin’s house to make an arrest. Media news vans followed the crowd from the rear.

~ As Kelvin drove around looking for a spot to dump the body in his closet, all hell was breaking loose at his house. The police and FBI were on the way, JayJay and Terry had collected evidence against him, and his luck was running out. The new life with Candy was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment. When he arrived at the docks he found an abandoned boat that was partially submerged at the end of the pier. “This looks like a nice place to dump a body,” said Kelvin. 210

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He parked his car and got out to survey the spot. There was a place he could park his car and not be seen by passing traffic. “I can put my car here and carry the body through those shrubs adjacent to the dock until I reach the end. I’ll only be exposed for about thirty seconds until I get to the boat. I can just toss the corpse over in it and walk away.” Satisfied with his plan, Kelvin got back into his car and headed back to his house. “I’ll dump this body then call the airlines and make my reservation for Tampa. I’ll call Candy and let her know I’m on my way. Fuck my shit in that house; I’ll buy all new shit in Tampa. I want a new start, so I’ll buy new stuff.” As Kelvin drove home he was satisfied with himself and what he was about to do. He wanted to start over and today is the day to do it. He didn’t care to be in Montclair anymore. “Maybe being in love can help me stop killing,” he said. “Or maybe love can help me do it better!” He grinned at that idea. “Look out sunshine state; here comes Kelvin!”

~ JayJay and Terry sat on the couch, still confused about how to proceed with this horrible information. “So what the hell are we going to do, JayJay?” “I don’t know, but we better think fast or this bastard will get away with murder—at least six murders now.” They walked back to the bedroom and stood in front of the window near the bird feeder. No birds were there and the feeder looked old and empty. “I wish our friends were here to T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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guide us,” said Terry. Just as JayJay said, “I do too,” the cardinal and sparrow appeared in the bird feeder. They began to sing and flap their wings. JayJay opened the window to get a closer look at the two birds and he heard sirens in the distance. “Are those sirens?” asked Terry. “Yes!” said JayJay. The two men walked back through the living room and headed outside in time to see a hoard of police cars stop in front of Kelvin’s house. At least fifteen officers spread out and surrounded the house. “Look at that shit, man!” said Terry. “Someone must have tipped them off about that son of a bitch,” said JayJay. An FBI SWAT team crashed through the front door and a Montclair SWAT team came through the back. “I hope they find the body and the evidence in the wall,” said JayJay. “Let’s go over and see what’s going on,” said Terry. The two friends tried to get closer to the house, but the police wouldn’t let them through. The media didn’t have much luck either—they were held back by the police. The body that Kelvin left in his closet was found and brought out. The cameras were flashing around JayJay and Terry. To their delight, the compartment was discovered by an FBI agent as well, and all the contents were removed from inside. JayJay and Terry were relieved. They wouldn’t have to 212

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tell the police and risk being arrested.

~ Kelvin drove toward his house with confidence knowing that his new life was about to begin. He felt great thinking he had one more flower to plant and he’d be free. He was just about to exit from the freeway when he saw all the flashing lights from police cars in the distance. “Oh SHIT! They’ve found me!” he screamed. Kelvin quickly pulled his car over to the side of the road. He suspected they were at his house, but he needed to be sure. He decided to drive his car down the road and park in the woods, and then he’d hike through the woods from the back to his house. To his dismay, his worst fear had been realized. The police and FBI were swarming around his house. He saw the body of Tabatha being loaded into an ambulance and taken away. Kelvin fell to his knees in the wood line and began to cry. His future was in great jeopardy now that he has been discovered. “I have no choice now. I’ll go to Tampa and be with Candy…I don’t want to break her heart.”

~ At the town hall meeting, everyone was buzzing with the news that the serial killer had been identified as Kelvin Kettle, one of the newer teachers at Montclair High School. The fingerprints taken from one of the pieces of plastic found on one of the bodies was an exact match to Kelvin’s fingerprints taken when he was hired. The plastic and tarp found in his T HE P U R S U I T O F A MADMAN

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house matched that same plastic and tarp found on each one of the bodies pulled from the swamp. The next big challenge now put to the police and FBI was to find Kelvin Kettle and arrest him for the brutal murders of all fiveâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;now six, women. That task would be easier said than done.

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CHAPTER 14 THE NEXT STEP

he news of the serial killer was all over the national media. Kelvin knew he was on borrowed time. The drive

to Tampa was long and hard. He stayed off the main highways as much as possible and he always wore a hat and sunglasses to protect his identify. At one of his overnight stays at a hotel room he bought some hair dye and changed the color of his hair. He bought some contacts to change his eye color as well. “I just want to see Candy and try to work something out with her.” The ceiling of the hotel room that night had water spots on it and the paint was faded. The room wasn’t very clean but he knew these types of hotels would provide him the ideal hiding places until he got to Florida. He made up his mind to call Candy to see how she was doing and let her know he was okay. The phone rang twice before she picked up. “Hello, Candy, this is Kelvin, how are you?” T HE n e x t st e p

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“I’m fine, Kelvin, how are you doing?” she asked. “I’m on my way to Florida as we speak. I’ve made up my mind to be with you and I’m moving today.” “Oh my goodness, Kelvin, that’s great news! What time does your flight arrive?” “I’m driving to Tampa because I have a bad ear infection, and my doctor said that the pressure from the cabin of the airplane would make it worse,” said Kelvin. “Wow, that’s awful, Kelvin, I hope you feel better,” said Candy “What state are you in now?” “I just crossed over from Maryland to Virginia,” said Kelvin. “I still have a long ways to go to get to Florida, so be patient and hold on.” “I will, sweetie,” said Candy. “I can’t wait to see you; so be safe.” Kelvin knew he had quite a bit more driving to do, but the payoff was waiting in the end. Don’t worry, Candy, I won’t break your heart by not coming and I’ll kill anyone who tries to stop me. Nothing or no one will stop me!

~ A meeting was held with the families of the victims, and the decision was made to have an immediate funeral at the town hall for all five women. The entire town came out and all the businesses closed down for the day. Several people spoke about each one of the women during the funeral. The last speaker of the evening was Mr. Jacob Maxwell. “It was 216

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no secret that Mrs. Jenkins and I didn’t get along and, quite honestly, didn’t like each other. She was beloved by this town as much as I was hated. She stood for everything good and I stood for the opposite. As I stand here today, I have to confess that I’m going to miss her very much. I may not have cared for the woman, but I did respect her and her way of doing things. She brought the best out of me every time we competed against each other, both she and her husband when he was alive. I don’t know what I’m going to do now that she’s gone. I’m going to miss our rivalry.” He slowly walked back to his seat, sat down in his chair, and quietly began to weep. Everyone who knew Mr. Maxwell was shocked to see him so emotional over Mrs. Jenkins death. This was no act, and Mr. Maxwell was truly sincere and meant every word he said.

~ The ride home from the funeral seemed to take forever for Mr. Maxwell. When he arrived at his home he told the driver to take the rest of the day off because he wouldn’t be needed. When Jacob walked into his house, he was startled to see suitcases sitting by the door. “Who the hell is in my house and whose bags are these?” he asked. “They belong to me, Dad. Remember, you bought these bags when I was leaving for college?” said a voice from the top of the stairwell. A cold chill struck him as he looked up and, at the top of the stairs, stood his son. “Oh my God, Preston, when did you get in?” T HE n e x t st e p

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“I got in this morning, Dad, and I drove straight to the funeral. Those words you spoke about Mrs. Jenkins were really nice. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.” “I meant it, son; it wasn’t a joke. That woman was a pain in the ass, but she was tough as nails, and I’m going to miss her being around and pissing me off.” Preston walked down the stairs toward his dad with a big smile on his face. He had missed his dad and decided on the way home to visit that they had to talk about their issues and work out their problems. He wanted to be closer to his dad, being he lived alone in this big house and his mom was deceased. Mr. Maxwell hugged his son and began to cry. “I’ve missed you, son, so much. I’m so sorry for being so hard on you over the years.” “I forgive you, Dad, and I love you very much,” said Preston. “By the way, I never blamed you for Mom’s death, either.” Mr. Maxwell looked up at his son with a sense of relief and joy. He cried even harder after hearing those words. “Thanks, son, I always wondered about that.” “Why don’t you and I get something to eat and then go out and visit Mom’s grave? I brought some flowers to leave for her.” “Okay, son,” said Mr. Maxwell.

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“Can you believe that son of a bitch lived next door to us?” asked Terry. “It’s hard to believe that a serial killer was actually living in our neighborhood and even teaching our kids at the high school,” said JayJay. “This is some crazy shit, man, I wonder where that fucker went,” said Terry. “I hope they catch the bastard as soon as possible.” “I just don’t want anyone else to get killed by that fuck,” said JayJay. As JayJay and Terry sat on the front stop of JayJay’s house, the cardinal and sparrow flew in and landed in the nearby tree. The birds began to sing the most beautiful tune either man had ever heard. “I guess now we all can move on with our lives,” said JayJay. “But I miss Cindy so much.” “I miss Tammy, too,” said Terry. “My sister meant everything to me and I hope she rests in peace with our parents. But I doubt this town will truly have peace until the killer is caught.” “None of us will be safe until that happens,” said JayJay. “I wonder where he is,” said Terry. All of a sudden the cardinal and sparrow stopped singing and landed at the feet of JayJay and Terry. The two men looked at each other in shock. “This is so creepy,” said Terry. “It’s like these birds understand what we’re saying,” said JayJay. T HE n e x t st e p

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Terry addressed the birds, “So my friends, which direction did Kelvin go in?” The cardinal and sparrow looked at each other then flew to the top of the house. The trees surrounding JayJay’s house made it hard for the two men to see they went to the back of the house to see where the birds had flown. JayJay had an oldfashioned weather vane on his house that he had forgotten was even up there. To the men’s shock, both birds had landed on one of the directional arrows. “Oh wow, look at where they are perched,” said Terry. “They are both sitting on the south arrow.” The two birds sat there looking at JayJay and Terry as if to answer their question. “Do you think this means he went south?” asked Terry. “These birds have been right every time during this whole mess,” said JayJay. “They’re probably right now as well.” The two birds spent the remainder of the day perched on the south arrow. Even after they flew down to the bird feeder to eat, they flew right back to the south arrow as if to tell JayJay and Terry that Kelvin was heading south. That’s when the two men made up their minds that they would join in the hunt to catch this killer.

~ The traffic on I-95 was heavy and slow. The sign at the border read, “Welcome to North Carolina” as Kelvin drove into the rest area. “I’ll use the bathroom and call Candy to let her know I’m a little closer to seeing her.” 220

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The bathroom was crowded and he had to wait to use the urinal. An old man stood next to him and tried to strike up a conversation as he relieved himself, “This place is really crowded, huh, son,” said the old man. “Yes, sir, it is,” replied Kelvin. “If I had to hold my piss any longer, I’d have messed up my pants,” said the old man with a laugh. “I think I did,” said Kelvin. The old man laughed even harder as they finished. After they washed their hands and dried them, the old man wished Kelvin a safe trip and left the bathroom. “Funny old man,” said Kelvin. “I wish I had a grandpa like that. He’s probably funny as hell when he’s liquored up.” Kelvin made it back to his car and called Candy on the phone. “Hello, Candy, how are you?” “I’m fine, Kelvin, what state are you in now?” she asked. “I just crossed into North Carolina and I’m at the rest area.” “You’re making really good time, Kelvin; you should be here before midnight.” “I hope so, I hate traveling alone. I wish you were with me,” said Kelvin. “Don’t worry, honey, you’ll be here soon,” said Candy. Kelvin hung up the phone and drove out of the parking lot, heading south towards Florida. “Once I get through this state and then South Carolina, I’ll be home free. I can start my new life with my new lady,” he said with a smile. T HE n e x t st e p

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Only a few miles separated Kelvin and Candy from being together. The drive will go smooth for the Monster of Montclair. He hopes the new life he seeks will go even smoother.

~ Beth and Shelley arrived at the convenience store for their shift. Chucky was sweeping the floor when they arrived to relieve him for the day, “Hey, Chucky, how was your night last night?” asked Beth. “It was nice and quiet,” said Chucky. “I didn’t get too many customers at all.” “I know you enjoyed that, huh, Chucky?” said Shelley. “One thing I’ll never do is complain about having a slow night,” said Chucky. “Well, we’re here, so go home and get some sleep,” said Beth. “Okay, I will,” said Chucky. He put the broom back into the closet and headed to the door. “Hey, Chucky, wait a minute,” said Shelley. She walked up to Chucky and gave him a hug. “I’m sorry about Melissa. I really miss her, too.” “Thanks, Shelley, that’s means a lot,” said Chucky. Beth came over and hugged Chucky also. A tear ran down his face as he left the convenience store. He thought about Melissa, and the final moments she was alive. The anger rose to the surface with the thought of Kelvin being the killer. “That bastard came into this store and bought stuff and got 222

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gas here,” he said with an angry sneer. “If I didn’t need to keep this lousy job, I’d track down that murderer myself. If he comes back here again and I see him, I’ll fucking kill him with my bare hands, I swear.” Chucky drove from the store to the cemetery to lay flowers on Melissa’s grave. He cried with the sight of the new headstone as he laid the flowers in front of it. “Rest easy, baby, I’ll always love you.” Chucky knelt down and began to pray. “Lord bless and keep Melissa safe in your arms. Forgive me for my sins and for what I said about Kelvin earlier. You’re the only one that will judge him and I leave that up to you. Finally, Lord, save a place for me on the other side to be with Melissa.” Chucky drove back to his empty house and sat on the couch. The picture of Melissa was there, looking at him with a big smile. “I miss your smile and your laugh, sweetie,” said Chucky. “I hope to see your smiling face when I die.” He walked to the bedroom took off his clothes and went to sleep. His rest was interrupted by a visit from Melissa. The dream he had of her made him smile and cry at the same time. “I love you, Chucky,” she said. “I love you too, Melissa,” whispered Chucky.

~ “I can’t believe your twin brother is a freaking serial killer,” said Mia. “I can’t believe he really killed all those women in Montclair.” “It’s true, Mia, I wouldn’t lie about something like that,” T HE n e x t st e p

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said Sebastian. “I wanted to tell you this now and not have any secrets between us.” “Mia, this really bothered Sebastian and he came to me for advice and counsel,” said Father Bailey. “He didn’t want it to interfere with your possible future together.” “I don’t know if I want a future with someone whose brother is a serial killer,” said Mia softly. She stood up and looked out the window of the hotel restaurant. Sebastian turned to Father Bailey with a look of pain. He didn’t want to lose Mia. Mia turned to Sebastian and said, “But I can’t blame you for what your brother has done. He’s not you, Sebastian.” Sebastian rose to his feet and Mia came over and hugged him tight. “So does that mean you’re leaving me?” he asked. “The question is, Sebastian, are you leaving me?” she asked. “I will make Fairfield my new home if you’ll have me,” said Sebastian. Mia smiled and kissed him passionately. “Excuse me, young people, but I am a priest and I can do a quick ceremony if you like,” offered Father Bailey, laughing. Mia and Sebastian both laughed with Father Bailey. “Let take it one step at a time,” said Mia. “Give me a chance to get to know this man first, and then we’ll go wedding dress shopping at a later date.” “So I guess I’ll have to wait on my bachelor party, huh?” said Sebastian. 224

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“That’s right,” said Mia. “Can I come?” asked Father Bailey. The three of them laughed and sat back down at the table. A waitress came over and asked if they were staying to eat. They all agreed and placed an order. As the waitress brought their drinks to the table, a falcon landed on the tree outside of the restaurant window. “Wow, that’s good luck,” said Mia. “He looks like you, Sebastian.” Sebastian’s jacket matched the color of the falcon feathers, which made Father Bailey smile. “She’s right, Sebastian, you guys look alike,” said Father Bailey. “That’s me, the great falcon,” said Sebastian. “You can call me The Falcon Man.”

~ At the offices of Smith, Jones, Baxter and Matthew Realty, the mood was somber as the employees struggled to get through another day without Shannon at her desk. The news and subsequent funeral of their coworker made everyone realize just how precious life is. Kathy sat at her desk, feeling miserably guilty. She had encouraged Shannon to go out with this guy, and that lead to her demise. “It’s my damn fault she dead. It’s my fault she was killed!” Kathy cancelled all her appointments for the remainder of the day and went out to Shannon’s grave. Shannon was buried next to Mrs. Jenkins and her husband. “Your grandmother T HE n e x t st e p

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was an awesome woman, Shannon, and I know she was very proud of you,” said Kathy. She placed flowers on both graves and stood up and began to cry. The wind began to pick up and the trees swayed slowly back and forth. Kathy knew how much Shannon loved the outdoors and the trees reminded her of Shannon’s smile. “May God bless and keep you, Shannon, I’ll miss you always.” As she walked back to her car she noticed a couple of squirrels chasing each other around the cemetery in the most carefree of ways. The squirrels reminded her of how she should live the rest of her life, as carefree as possible.

~ The chemotherapy session went well for Maggie. Mark was able to drive her to the session but wasn’t able to have dinner with her. “Mark, would you mind if Penny came over for dinner tonight?” asked Maggie. “Not at all, Maggie, she can come over; that’s fine with me,” said Mark. “I’ll have to go in early tonight to the plant anyway, so you’ll have someone to keep you company.” “I’m glad this serial killer mess is over now, but I won’t sleep too easy until they catch this guy,” said Maggie. “I agree, I changed all the females’ shifts around at the plant to ensure none of them were working at night,” said Mark. “I won’t change it back until this guy is caught.” “Good idea, Mark, this nut case might come back to town and kill again,” said Maggie. 226

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Mark dropped off Maggie at home and headed to the plant for his shift. Penny came by for dinner and she seemed to be a bit preoccupied with her thoughts. “Is everything okay, Penny? You seemed to have something on your mind,” asked Maggie. “I’m fine, Maggie, I just don’t feel like myself today. This serial killer mess is freaking me out. To have someone like that in our town is so surreal,” said Penny. “I haven’t slept a wink since this became public.” “Don’t worry, Penny, they’ll catch him soon,” said Maggie. “No one like that will stay free for long.” “I hope you’re right, Maggie, I hope you’re right.”

~ When Mark got to the plant, Lauren was in his office. She looked so beautiful and her smile could melt any man’s heart. “Hey, Mark, how are you doing?” asked Lauren. “I’m sorry to be waiting at your office when you get here, but I wanted to talk.” “I’m fine, Lauren, what’s on your mind?” Mark opened his office door and Lauren followed him in. Her perfume smelled really good. “Are you still going to let all the women work days until the serial killer is caught?” asked Lauren. “Yes, I am,” said Mark. “I don’t want to take any chances with the women working at night while this guy is still running around.” T HE n e x t st e p

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“I can’t complain about working the day shift, Mark, because it has really made a difference in my life,” said Lauren. “But I also realized that it’s really you that has made the real difference in my life. You have been so kind and understanding.” She stood and moved toward Mark and put both her hands on his chest, and was about to kiss him when Mark took each of her arms and gently pulled them away from him. Having her so close was intoxicating, but at that moment Mark realized exactly what he wanted. “I’m sorry, Lauren, as lovely and wonderful it would feel to kiss you, the truth is, I am very much in love with my wife,” said Mark. “I won’t be kissing anyone else.” Lauren gave him an embarrassed smile and said, “Well, I’m disappointed, but I guess I’m not surprised, Mark. You have always been a true gentleman. I hope you will forgive me for being so forward.” “Of course I will, Lauren. I’m happy to have you working here,” said Mark, “And I want you to stay safe, especially with Kelvin Kettle still at large.” Lauren smiled and said, “Thank you, boss.” As she left, Mark said, “Make sure you keep your doors locked, Lauren, okay?” “Don’t worry, Mark, I’ll do that and my keep my gun by my bed,” said Lauren. She waved and disappeared into the parking lot. Mark returned to his paperwork and other duties as supervisor. He had a wistful smile as he thought about turning 228

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down the chance to be with the woman he’d been fantasizing about. He decided to call Maggie just to say, “I love you.”

~ The motel sign read VACANT as Kelvin pulled into the parking lot adjacent to the front office. This motel was located just across the South Carolina border on Interstate 95. He had driven for eleven straight hours and was too tired to continue. “I’ll sleep here and leave first thing in the morning.” He checked in with the desk clerk and got his key. The television was on in the back and a picture of his face was on the screen. “That guy looks real scary, doesn’t he, sir?” said the clerk. “I wouldn’t want to meet up with that guy,” said Kelvin. He took his room key and headed to his room. The door squeaked when he opened it and the room had a funny smell. “What a fucking dump,” said Kelvin. “I hope I don’t catch anything, sleeping in this bed.” Kelvin decided to keep his clothes on and only take off his shoes. “I’ll sleep on the top of the bed and not get under the covers. With my luck I’d probably catch crabs or something in the rat shit of a room.” He called Candy to tell her where he was and what was going on. “Hello, Candy, it’s me,” said Kelvin. “Hi, Kelvin, where are you now?” “I’m at a motel in South Carolina just over the border,” said Kelvin. “I’m really tired now so I’m taking a rest break before I go for the final push.” T HE n e x t st e p

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“Good idea, Kelvin, get some rest and then get to me in one piece,” said Candy. “Okay, my dear, I’ll be in touch,” said Kelvin. “Have a good rest, honey,” said Candy. Just before hanging up, Kelvin surprised her by saying, “By the way, Candy, I love you.” “Oh, Kelvin, I love you, too,” said Kathy. As Candy hung up, her mom came into the room. “I love you, huh? It’s that serious already?” she asked. “Yes, Mom, it is,” said Candy. “I hope it works out for you, honey, I really do.” “He’s the best, Mom, and I know you’ll really like him.”

~ Kelvin’s thoughts wouldn’t let him rest. “What the fuck is going on with me? Why can’t I sleep?” He got out of bed and went to the window. There were only a few cars in the parking lot, which made him a little nervous. “I wonder if that fucking clerk recognized me. Maybe I should go and kill his ass just to be sure.” He went to the bathroom to relieve himself. When he was finished he got back into bed. “Okay, dumb ass, this should be easy for you, because you have nothing to worry about.” He rolled over and finally drifted off to sleep. The thought of seeing Candy made him smile and he slept deeply. One more long drive and he’d be home free to start over fresh. Candy and his new life were so close now that he could taste her kiss and smell the ocean air. 230

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~ The police had wrapped up their check of Kelvin’s house and secured it after they were finished. The house was sealed off with the yellow police tape stating “DO NOT ENTER.” The two men decided they would go back into the house and look for something that would guide them to where Kelvin had escaped to. “Are you ready to do this?” asked Terry. “Hell, yeah, man, let’s do this!” shouted JayJay. They walked over to the house and went in the backdoor. Surprisingly, the door was left unlocked. They guessed someone must have forgotten to lock it. They searched all over the house, looking for clues to track down Kelvin. “I can’t believe that we haven’t found anything yet,” said JayJay. “I know this is bullshit,” said Terry. They continued to look through old mail and other stuff left behind by Kelvin. JayJay got tired of looking and sat down on the couch. “I guess the police took everything of value in this house,” he said. “I better check in the couch cushions for spare change.” Terry laughed and went to check another back room while JayJay took the cushions off the couch to check beneath them. He threw the cushions on the floor and ran his hand along the back side of the couch and he felt something with his hand. “What the hell is this?” The object was lodged pretty tight in the couch. JayJay reached a little deeper to get a grip of the object and pulled it out. To JayJay surprise it was a cell phone. T HE n e x t st e p

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“Hey, Terry, come out here, I found a cell phone in the couch.” Terry came running from the back with a look of surprise on his face. “Turn that fucker on to see if it still works.” JayJay pushed the button on the phone and it came on. It had two bars displaying on the screen, showing that it still had a charge on the battery. “Let’s check and see how many numbers he called on it,” said Terry. JayJay scrolled down the number list, which only contained ten numbers. All of the numbers were local except one. “I wonder who’s at this number here. Should we call it and see who picks up?” asked JayJay. “Hell, yes, see who it is,” urged Terry. JayJay pushed the call button and it rang several times when the voicemail picked up: “Hello, you’ve reached Candy. Leave a message and I’ll call you back, thanks.” “The voicemail has a woman by the name of Candy on it,” said JayJay. “I wonder who the hell is Candy, and where does she live?” “I wonder if she knows Kelvin,” said Terry. “Let’s hold onto this phone and try to call her later tonight to see if she’ll pick up,” said JayJay. “If she does, we’ll act like we’re friends of Kelvin’s and we’re looking for him.” “Good idea, man, we don’t want to be too obvious about this,” said Terry. “Let’s get the hell out of here,” said JayJay. 232

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They left Kelvin’s house and went back to JayJay’s to plan what to say when “Candy” answers the phone. “This phone could lead us to where he’s at,” said JayJay. “This Candy could be an old girlfriend, sister, or family friend, so we better play this just right,” said Terry. They held on to the phone and placed it on the table. “Let’s order something to eat,” said JayJay. “Okay, we can plan better on a full stomach,” said Terry.

~ Interstate 95 is long winding road that will lead to salvation and a new beginning and a fresh start. Kelvin cheered and clapped his hands behind the wheel as he crossed over the Florida border, heading to Tampa. “Only a few hours to go, and I’m home free,” said Kelvin. His car had only a quarter tank of gas so this meant he had to stop one more time. He found an exit to refuel his car and to get something to drink. “I’ll make this last stop and I won’t have to refill again, so no more risky stops.” He pulled in and filled up his car and bought some bottled water. There were several newspaper boxes outside, and at least two newspapers had his picture on it with a featured article. “Son of bitch, this shit has followed me here,” said Kelvin. “I can’t believe it got here this fast.” He left the store and got back on the highway for Tampa. “I’ve got to play this just right here in Florida. I can’t let this ruin my life with Candy.” T HE n e x t st e p

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Kelvin’s thoughts changed to joy when the saw the sign that read: TAMPA 75 MILES. “Seventy five more miles to go and I start my new life with Candy. I know she’ll ask me about changing my hair color so let me think of something that doesn’t sound suspicious.”

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CHAPTER 15 A FRESH START

“H

ey, Mom, did you hear my phone ringing?” asked Candy. “I thought I heard it going off while I was

in the shower.” “I think so but I’m not sure because I was running the vacuum cleaner earlier so I don’t know.” “I’ll go check and see if it was Kelvin,” said Candy. She went upstairs and got her phone and noticed that the missed call was the old number Kelvin had when they first met. “Why would Kelvin call me from this number?” she wondered. “I’ll call back because he could be really close and need directions to my house.”

~ JayJay and Terry were sitting on the couch, eating Chinese takeout and watching television. They we’re still eating when all of a sudden the cell phone began to ring. a f r e s h st a rt

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“Holy shit, someone’s calling the phone!” shouted JayJay. He picked up the phone and looked at the number. “It’s Candy!” “Oh, shit, man, answer it,” said Terry. JayJay pushed the button to answer the call, “Hello, hello?” “Hello….Kelvin? Is that you?” asked Candy. “No, this is Tommy, a friend of Kelvin’s, have you seen him?” asked JayJay. “How did you get this number?” asked Candy. “Kelvin forgot his cell phone and I’m calling each name and number listed in order to get in touch with him and get his phone sent to him,” said JayJay. “Okay, Tommy, I understand, and I appreciate what you’re trying to do,” said Candy. “Kelvin is on his way to see me here in Tampa and I just spoke to him a couple of hours ago.” “Great, Candy, what’s your address and I’ll FedEx it to you tomorrow morning?” offered JayJay. “Okay, Tommy, my address is 30303 Patriot Farm Way, Tampa, Florida 33601,” said Candy. “Thanks for your help, Candy, I’ll send it first thing in the morning,” said JayJay. “Okay, Tommy, thanks for being such a good friend to Kelvin, and I’ll be watching for the package.” “You’re welcome, Candy,” said JayJay. “By the way, can you do me a favor when the package arrives at your house?” “What’s the favor?” asked Candy. 236

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“You can’t tell Kelvin you spoke to me, I want it to be a surprise, okay?” asked JayJay. “Okay, Tommy, I take it that Kelvin’s a little forgetful when it comes to the little things?” “That’s right, Candy, he’s a little forgetful, so that’s my heads up to you,” said JayJay. “Okay, Tommy, I’ll keep it a secret, and thanks for your help. Take care,” said Candy. “You too, Candy,” said JayJay.

~ Candy went downstairs and sat on the couch. Her mom came over and sat down next to her. “So did you find out who called you?” she asked. “Yes, Mom, it was a friend of Kelvin’s whose FedExing his cell phone to us. Kelvin forgot it,” said Candy. “That’s nice of him.” “Yes, it is, so don’t tell Kelvin. I want to surprise him when it gets here,” said Candy. “I won’t say a word,” said her mother. The two women sat on the couch and watched television. “I hope Kelvin calls soon; he should be pretty close to us by now,” said Candy. “He should be almost home.”

~ “Holy shit, that sounded like his girlfriend on the phone; can you believe it?” said JayJay. “What did she say, man?” asked Terry. a f r e s h st a rt

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“She lives in Tampa and she’s waiting on Kelvin to get there to see her,” said JayJay. “That bastard must be driving to Tampa and not flying because he’d get caught at the airport.” “Holy shit, man, we got to get this information to the police as soon as possible,” said Terry. “We can give them the address and they can notify the Tampa police who can arrest his ass as soon as he pulls into the driveway.” JayJay stood and walked to the window, looking out at the tree in his yard. The thought of turning this information over to the police made the best sense to him, but a different thought popped into his mind at the same time. Taking revenge for the death of Cindy ran strong through his mind. He turned to Terry and said, “Why don’t we go to Tampa and get that bastard ourselves?” “I don’t know about that, JayJay, I want this bastard dead as much as you do, but I don’t want to go to jail for killing him.” “I’d like to take that chance,” said JayJay. “We’ve done more to catch this killer than the police and FBI together.” “The investigation is still fairly new. It’s not fair to bash the cops for not catching him yet,” said Terry. “I know that, Terry, but we could go and get this fucker and come back to Montclair without being noticed,” said JayJay. “I say we call the cops and let them handle this,” said Terry. “Let the system handle this.” “Fuck the fucking system!” screamed JayJay. “That 238

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motherfucker needs to die and die screaming for what he did to us and the rest of this town.” “Calm down, you sound like a fucking psycho asshole,” shouted Terry. “I’m pissed too, but you and I aren’t murderers—he is.” The two men stood in the living room, facing each other, not saying a word. All of a sudden the cardinal and sparrow appeared on the tree outside JayJay’s house. “I see our two friends have joined us,” said Terry. “Well, let’s ask them what to do,” said JayJay. “Follow me.” Both men went back to JayJay’s bedroom and he opened the window. The cardinal and sparrow flew from the tree to the bird feeder outside. The birds began to eat and chirp, but stayed in the feeder. “Okay, Cindy and Tammy give us a sign about going to Tampa,” said JayJay. “If we should go to Tampa and get the bastard that killed you, come over and tell us.” “This is crazy, JayJay, these birds aren’t going to come over and talk to us,” said Terry. The sparrow quickly stopped eating and flew over to the window and began to chirp loudly in the direction of Terry. “Well, well, I see that Tammy is on board with the idea,” said JayJay. The sparrow then flew through the window and landed on Terry’s shoulder. JayJay stood without moving a muscle. The sparrow pecked him twice on the ear and flew back to the feeder. a f r e s h st a rt

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“Holy shit, that was fucking bizarre,” said Terry. “So what do you think now?” asked JayJay. Terry sat down on the bed and shook his head in frustration. “I think this is the weirdest situation I’ve ever been involved in.” “So is it road-trip time or what?” asked JayJay. Terry stood up and walked to the window to watch the birds. He turned to JayJay and said, “It’s road-trip time.”

~ Candy was on the couch when the phone rang. “Hello, Candy, how are you doing?” asked Kelvin. “I’m excited to see you, Kelvin, where are you now?” “I just took the Tampa exit and I’m now on Highway 75,” said Kelvin. “What’s my next move?” “Okay, Kelvin, stay on 75 for another three miles then take the Maxwell Road Exit,” said Candy. “Once you take the Maxwell Road Exit, stay on that for five miles then turn on Patriot Farm Way and my house number is 30303. It’s the brick house next to the daycare center.” “Great, Candy, I’ll be there in about twenty minutes,” said Kelvin. “Great! I’ll be waiting, honey,” said Candy.

~ The drive took about twenty minutes as Kelvin guessed. He pulled into the neighborhood and easily found Candy’s house. The daycare center was right next door and that made him smile. He thought that, if they have kids, this daycare 240

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center would be the perfect location. He parked his car and got out. The door opened and Candy came running out and into his arms. She kissed him hard and long. “I know you’re tired from the drive, Kelvin,” said Candy. “How’s your ear feeling?” “Much better, thanks for asking.” “Welcome home, Kelvin, welcome home,” said Candy.

~ A new dawn brings a new beginning. A new day means another chance at life. The Monster of Montclair has a new home and a new love in his life. This tortured soul brought death to the small town of Montclair while seeking vengeance for his tortured childhood. In his mind he felt justified in his action. In his mind he accomplished his mission. He thinks he got away with the murders, but justice knows no boundaries, justice knows no limits. The lives he took will have to be answered for. These crimes can’t and won’t go unpunished.

TO BE CONTINUED…..

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