Ninth Grave

by Kathi Daley

  Jack nodded. “Of course. We are here to discuss the email. When I first received it, I didn’t take Sam seriously. He certainly wouldn’t be the first wacko to hunt me down and want to tell me a story. I’m not sure why I didn’t simply delete the email and move on, but for some reason I responded to it and asked for additional information about his victims. The man responded by telling me that all the victims had been killed between June 2014 and June 2018, and that three were buried in marked graves, but the others had never been found. He shared that he was tired of all the killing and ready for it to end. He said that he was willing to provide me with the information I would need to find the burial locations of the victims that had not as yet been discovered.”

  “Why would he do that?” Garrett asked.

  “I’m honestly not sure,” Jack replied.

  “I’m not liking this a bit,” George said. “It sounds like this man is simply luring you into his sick mind game, which I’m sure won’t end well for anyone.”

  “I agree,” Rena said. “It sounds like a trap.”

  “And it very well may be,” Jack agreed. “Sam seemed to indicate, however, that there was a ninth victim who would die if I wasn’t able to stop him.”

  The room fell silent. Jack and I had already discussed the situation in depth, but I could see that the others needed time to process things. We both knew it was risky to engage with the man, but we also worried that if we did nothing and someone who could have been saved died, we would forever feel responsible.

  “So what’s your plan?” George finally asked.

  “Sam sent me the name and address of a motel in Rivervale, Virginia, which he wants me to check in to tomorrow. When I arrive, he will present me with the information I need to find the first victim. Jill and Kizzy are going with me. I guess my plan is to check in to the motel and then see what happens.”

  “Again, I cannot stress enough, I am sensing a trap,” Garrett said.

  Jack glanced at me. I nodded and then answered. “I know this whole thing is risky, but Jack and I have discussed it, and we don’t think the guy intends to lure us to Virginia just so he can kill us. If he wanted Jack dead, he obviously knows who he is and where he lives and works. We don’t know if this guy really wants to be stopped or if he is simply playing with us, but we have decided that if there is a way to stop a serial killer from killing again, we have to try.”

  Garrett didn’t answer, but he didn’t argue either.

  “Okay, so how can we help?” George asked.

  Jack shrugged. “Honestly, I’m not sure. I guess it occurred to me that you all are very good at the research side of things. I might need to call on you if I am unable to figure out the clues provided once we get started. I would be willing to bet that the first body will be relatively easy to find if this guy is legit. It makes sense that Sam will want to engage me right away. After the first body, who knows what we will find.”

  “Have you told Rick about this?” Vikki asked, referring to her boyfriend, Deputy Rick Savage.

  “I had lunch with him this afternoon,” Jack said. “He was uneasy that I seem to have attracted the attention of a serial killer, and he was also concerned that I might end up stepping on the toes of local law enforcement in the towns I visit. He volunteered to make a few calls and smooth the way for us as we go if need be.”

  Clara sat forward slightly. “I am concerned that putting yourself in a position where you will have to connect with this man’s dark side to understand that darkness could be potentially harmful. Not physically harmful necessarily, but mentally and emotionally harmful.”

  “Jack knows what he is doing,” Lorelei countered. “Besides, we all have a bit of a dark side. Even Jack, based on the novels he writes. I suspect he has experience thinking like a serial killer.”

  Jack smiled at both women. “I’m sure I’ll be fine, and I promise to be careful of my physical, mental, and emotional health.”

  The conversation paused and Jack seemed to have said what he intended to, so I invited everyone to hang around for pie and coffee. When Clara had learned that conflicting schedules would not allow for a meal before this meeting, she’d offered to bake several pies to serve after.

  “So, what did you think?” I asked Lorelei, the resident who had been here the longest of the four we’d brought in to the group this evening.

  The older woman smiled. “I enjoyed the meeting very much. When I moved in eight weeks ago, I had very specific reasons for doing so, but being asked to actually participate in the Mastermind group has turned out to be an unexpected yet welcome bonus. Has the group solved many cases?”

  I nodded. “Quite a few in fact. It started with George asking for help from some of the other writers researching a cold case he was using in one of his novels and developed from there.”

  “And you meet every week?”

  I nodded. “Usually. We often share a meal before the meeting, which give us a chance to interact socially as well. In my opinion, this group is one of the very best things about living in this community.”

  “Yes,” Lorelei agreed. “I can see how being a member of the group could be very useful indeed.”

  “Are you all settled in?”

  Lorelei nodded. “I am. It was hard for me to purge myself of the objects I had collected over a lifetime, but now that I have, I find that the items I chose to keep and incorporate into my tiny, one-bedroom cabin mean even more to me than they ever have. When my husband was alive, he never wanted to get rid of anything. I’m afraid that left a place filled with so much stuff that it snuffed the life out of the home we shared.”

  “I’m sorry. I had a neighbor when I lived in New York who was a hoarder. The more he had, the unhappier he became, yet he still refused to give anything away.”

  “That sounds very familiar.” Lorelei sighed.

  “Did you and your husband have children?” I wondered.

  The smile faded from Lorelei’s face. “One. A daughter. We were both well into our thirties when she was born and we knew she would be our only child. She was the light of both our lives. She died when she was seventeen.”

  “Oh Lorelei. I’m so very sorry.”

  Lorelei wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Losing her was the hardest thing I have ever had to endure, but somehow I found a way to ease my pain and managed to get through it. I still think of her every single day. She occupies my first thought every morning and my last every night. For years I thought I’d never find happiness again, but somehow being here has helped me to see that it is time to let go of my pain and move on.”

  I took Lorelei’s hand in mine and gave it a squeeze. “I want you to know I am here for you. We all are. If you need anything at all.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  Rena walked up with Brit. The four of us chatted for a minute, and then Lorelei excused herself. The poor woman. My heart bled for her.

  “So is this it?” Rena asked. “The entire Mastermind group?”

  “Yup, this is it,” Brit said.

  “We do have guests who join us from time to time,” I added. “George’s friend, Meg, who works at the museum, sits in on occasion, and a friend of mine, Brooke Johnson, attends occasionally as well.”

  “I’ve met Brooke,” Rena said. “She is a real go-getter, that one. I really admire the fact that she is able to have a family while maintaining a presence in the community and finding time for her own life. Personally, I have no intention of settling down with a husband and children for at least another decade, but if I do decide to go that route at some point, I hope I can juggle as many things as Brooke does while making it look as effortless as she seems to.”

  “Brooke works harder than anyone I know,” I agreed. “She may make it seem effortless, but based on what I’ve observed, quite a bit of effort is involved.”

  Alex, who’d headed outside to take a call after the meeting, came back in for pie and coffee, and Brit and Rena headed in his direction. Our newest member,
Jax Sheraton, was heading toward the door, and I headed in his direction to get his feedback on the meeting.

  “Heading out?” I asked.

  “Yes. The pie was delicious, but I really must go.”

  “What did you think of the meeting?”

  The man frowned. “I felt that attending tonight was necessary, but I don’t think I will be back. These large gatherings are really not the sort of thing I enjoy.”

  “I understand, and we are happy that you at least gave it a try. Attending the meetings is, of course, not a requirement for living here, but it is a way to get to know your neighbors, so if you change your mind you are welcome any time.”

  “Yes. Well, I guess we will have to see. I came to South Carolina looking for peace and quiet. I don’t anticipate that I will want to seek out the company of others.”

  With that, he turned and walked out the door. I guess I wasn’t surprised that Jax had elected not to stay. There was something really odd about the guy, and from what I had observed even before tonight’s meeting, he was not the social sort at all.

  I was still standing at the door as George and Grayson approached. “Are the two of you heading out?”

  “We are,” George said.

  “I wanted to thank you for inviting me,” Grayson added. “I think I am going to enjoy this group very much. I just hope I can contribute in some way.”

  “Don’t worry.” I smiled. “At one point or another, everyone is asked to pitch in with the research end of things. I have a feeling that before our time with Sam is complete, we are going to need to ask everyone to help out.”

  “Taking a trip based on instructions provided to you by a serial killer does seem like a big risk,” Grayson said. “But I have to admit the situation is fascinating as well. Are all the mysteries you delve into as exciting?”

  Actually, I thought to myself, so far they had been. Fascinating and dangerous. I wondered if this one would turn out to be both exciting and dangerous as well.

  Chapter 2

  After the remainder of the group broke up, Jack, Kizzy, and I headed to the cabin Vikki shared with Rick. A lot had changed since I’d come to Gull Island to help Garrett after he suffered a stroke during a remodel at the resort. At the time, Garrett had been in the hospital with little hope of ever returning to the home he’d lived in his entire life, so I’d moved in and pitched in where I could. After a short time, Garrett’s friend, George, had moved to the resort to help me take care of the various tasks that needed to be tended to on a daily basis. Looking back, I’m not sure I would have made it through those first difficult days without George, who in many ways felt as much like a brother to me as Garrett, a man I’d never met until shortly before I’d moved to South Carolina.

  After a time, George and I were joined by Vikki and Alex. Eventually, Brit and Clara joined us and we became a family of sorts. We’d all lived in the big house until the smaller cabins had been remodeled, at which time everyone but Clara had moved into their own place. Eventually, Garrett’s health had improved to the point where he could leave the local assisted living facility as long as he had help, and he came home. When everyone in the original core group had been settled, we still had ten empty cabins. We decided that five would be set aside for short-term rentals and the other five for long-term leases. Leasing out all the cabins was the ultimate goal, but with each new arrival, I felt as if the family aspect had been somewhat diminished.

  “Good timing,” Rick said, after answering the door we’d just knocked on. “I just got home.” He looked beyond us. “Is Vikki with you?”

  “She’ll be along,” I answered. “She was talking to Brit.”

  “Were you able to speak to the local police in Rivervale?” Jack asked.

  Rick nodded. “I called and spoke with the officer in charge to let him know that you would be in the area researching cold cases for your next novel. The man is a fan of yours and sounded eager to help out however he could, so hopefully, you won’t have any problems.”

  “Thanks, Rick,” Jack replied. “It will be a lot easier to figure this all out if we have the cooperation of local law enforcement. I suppose that it is still possible that this email could be a hoax, but my gut tells me it is more.”

  “It sounds like the guy could be legit. I guess all you can do is follow the first set of clues and see where they lead. Call me on my cell when you arrive at the motel tomorrow. I’m not sure where this journey will lead, but I want to be involved every step of the way.”

  “We really appreciate that,” Jack said. “I wish I had a better handle on exactly what to expect, but to this point Sam has been rather vague.”

  “I’m sure that was intentional,” Rick responded. “The guy probably needs to get a feel for whether he can trust you to carry out his instructions as he intends them to be carried out. Serial killers tend to be methodical, and often times ritualistic. I think we can assume Sam will want things done in a specific manner.”

  “Jill and I have discussed it, and we have decided to take things one step at a time. We’ll play the game this guy wants us to play as long as we feel safe doing so. If at any point we feel threatened or that Sam is just playing with us and doesn’t really know the location of the remains, we plan to abort and come home. In the meantime, we will be looking to you for direction.”

  “I’ll do what I can. I want you to promise to stay in constant contact. I want to know where you are heading and what your plans are every step of the way. If something happens and you do get into trouble, I need to know where to find you.”

  Jack and I chatted with Rick for a few more minutes and then said our goodbyes. Vikki was heading up the walkway to her cabin as we walked away from our conversation with Rick, so Jack continued on with Kizzy and I remained to say goodbye to her.

  “So you’re really doing this?” she asked, a look of concern on her face.

  I nodded. “We are. Rick and Jack plan to stay in constant contact. If it seems like we are in danger of any kind, we’ll leave at once.”

  “I know this goes without saying, but be careful. I have a bad feeling about this whole thing. It seems too weird to me that a serial killer would contact Jack and simply offer to give him the burial locations of his victims.”

  “I agree that it does seem odd and we will be careful. I’ll try to call you every day. Don’t worry if it doesn’t work out that I’m able to call, but I will try.”

  Vikki smiled. “I would appreciate hearing your voice every day, just to assure myself that you are okay. You know I’ll worry.”

  I hugged my best friend. “I know. I’d worry too if it was you going off after a serial killer. We’re leaving early in the morning, but I’ll try to call you once we get to our first destination. I think Jack said that Rivervale is about a ten-hour drive, so I imagine we’ll arrive in mid- to late-afternoon by the time we stop for meals and fuel and bathroom breaks for Kizzy.”

  “Are you sure you want to bring Kizzy? I can keep an eye on her if you want.”

  “I appreciate that, but I think it will be comforting to have her along. Besides, you have that book signing in Savannah later in the week.”

  “That’s true,” Vikki admitted. “And I plan to stay over at least one night. I hoped that Rick would come with me and we could make a weekend of it, but he has too much going on to leave the island right now.”

  “Is he still trying to figure out who is burglarizing local businesses in the middle of the night?”

  Vikki nodded. “The thief seems to know which establishments have cameras and security systems and which don’t, so he suspects the thief is scouting out his targets ahead of time. Rick has been campaigning with those businesses without cameras or security to install them, but not everyone is willing to do so. Of course, Carson’s Jewelers has one of the most sophisticated security systems on the island and it was hit last week, so maybe the thief is upping his game.”

  I frowned. “It does seem odd that whoever is hitting these businesses
would jump from a string of mom-and-pop business with little-to-no security to a jewelry store.”

  “Yeah, the whole thing has Rick confused. So far, the thief has managed to get in and out of the businesses he vandalizes without leaving any prints or physical evidence. I think Rick is pretty frustrated.”

  “The guy will slip up, and when he does, Rick will be there to catch him.” I glanced toward my cabin. I supposed Jack and Kizzy were back from their walk. “I should go.”

  “Before you do, I wanted to ask you about Jax. I know he moved in over a week ago, but tonight was the first time I actually spoke to him. What exactly do you know about him?”

  “Not a lot. I know that he lived in Hollywood before moving here and he said on his application that he was looking for a quiet place to retire. He writes psychological thrillers, although I have yet to read one of his novels. Is there a reason you are asking?”

  Vikki blew out a breath. “You know I try to mind my own business and I’m not one to gossip, but Brit mentioned to me that she thought that Jax was an odd sort of guy and I found myself agreeing. I know he is new to the resort and still trying to get settled in, and he doesn’t really know any of us, but Brit lives in the cabin directly next to his, and she told me that he never seems to sleep.”

  “I suppose he might be suffering from a case of insomnia due to the move.”

  “Perhaps. Brit told me that he paces around his cabin all night long. Not that she is awake all night to pay attention, but on those occasions when she has woken after going to bed, she’s glanced at his cabin and can see him moving around through his unshaded windows. She shared with me that there is something about his overall presence that she finds disturbing. I haven’t given him a lot of thought, but after our conversation, I have to admit I’m curious about the odd hours he seems to be keeping.”

  “Maybe he likes to sleep during the day,” I suggested. “Writers do at times keep odd hours. Jax writes psychological thrillers and horror; maybe he finds inspiration in the darkness.”