Whisper in the Night: An absolutely heart-stopping serial killer thriller

by D. K. Hood

  Eighteen

  “I’ve gotta go and meet my mom outside the library in ten minutes.” Amanda Braxton rolled her eyes at the message on her cellphone, then glanced at her best friend, Lucy, and shrugged. “I wonder what really happened to Lindy.”

  “On the news this morning they said she walked out of her house in the night and was found dead.” Lucy licked sugar from her fingers. “They didn’t say where they found her, like it’s a secret or something. You’d figure they’d tell everyone what really happened to her.”

  Amanda sipped her milkshake until the straw gurgled on the bottom of the glass. “She’s been telling everyone about seeing a man in her room.” She pushed the empty container away. “Maybe she wasn’t dreaming after all. I know I saw my grandma’s ghost standing at the foot of my bed. It’s been happening over the last few nights, I’m sure I wasn’t dreaming.”

  “If I saw a dead person standing at the bottom of my bed I’d figure I’d gone psycho – sure as heck I’d be out the door running for help.” Lucy’s eyes went round with fear. “Do you figure Lindy thought the man in her room was a ghost too?”

  Amanda glanced at her phone to check the time. “I don’t know. In her nightmare there was a man hiding in the shadows of her room. He was in the corner near the window, but when she ran to get her dad, no one was there. I guess it could’ve been a ghost.”

  “So what’s your grandma’s ghost look like? Is she all creepy with skin hanging off like a zombie?”

  “Nah, she looks like the photo of her in the family room – you’ve seen it, she’s wearing a pink dress.” Amanda sighed. “She looks nice, not like when she was sick in hospital.”

  “Does she say anything?’

  “Nope, she just stands there looking at me and smiling.” Amanda sighed. “She used to tell me wonderful fairy stories about how they dance in the moonlight inside toadstool circles.”

  “They what?” Lucy almost spat her drink over the table and giggled. “I guess she insisted the Tooth Fairy exists as well?”

  “Yes, and I believed her when I was six, not now though.” Amanda leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Lindy told me she thought someone was watching her too.”

  “How creepy.” Lucy shuddered dramatically. “Where? In her room?”

  “Yeah, and sometimes on the way home from school she heard footsteps behind her but when she turned around no one was there.” Amanda glanced behind her and then turned her attention back to Lucy. “Like they followed her from the bus stop or had been hiding in the bushes along her driveway. You know it’s long like ours and it takes time to walk from the highway to the house.”

  “Did she see anyone?”

  “Nope.” Amanda pushed to her feet. “I gotta go. My mom will get mad if I keep her waiting.” She grabbed her phone and a takeout bag. “You sure your mom won’t let you come for a sleepover? I’m sure I can convince my brother to take us riding in the morning.”

  “I’m sure and anyhow, I don’t really want to see your grandma’s ghost.”

  Annoyed by her best friend’s attitude, Amanda shook her head. “Okay then, I’ll call you later.”

  “Yeah, we’ll need to make plans for the Spring Festival dance. You going with Matt?”

  “If Mom will let me. He’s nice. We talked about going fishing one weekend.”

  “Fishing, huh? More like skinny-dipping.” Lucy giggled. “Tell Luke I said hello.”

  “Sure.” Amanda left the café and made her way along Main Street, peering into every shadow. Lindy hadn’t been alone in thinking someone was watching her. The same thing had happened to her and her neck prickled at the memory. Last week on the walk from the highway to her home, she’d heard rustling in the bushes. At first, she’d figured a bear had wandered onto their ranch and she’d pulled out the can of bear spray she carried in her bag, but bears gave off an unmistakable stink and she’d smell it. She’d looked all around but found no trace of bears, no scat or marks on the trees. The only animals she’d found had been a few squirrels bounding from tree to tree and yet it was as if someone was there, hiding in the trees, watching her.

  She pushed past a group of boys hanging outside the computer store, relieved that the town was busy and she didn’t have to walk alone. If what she had heard was true, Lindy had been crazy to open the front door to a stranger in the middle of the night. She should’ve told her parents if she’d figured someone was following her after school.

  Her mom was waiting outside the library in her red SUV. Amanda climbed inside and smiled at her. “I brought you some cookies.”

  “Thanks.” Her mom started the engine. “If I’d known you’d be at Aunt Betty’s Café I’d have dropped by to collect you.”

  Amanda gaped at her. “In front of my friends? They’ll figure I can’t go anywhere without my mommy.”

  “Sure, I understand.” Her mother gave her a knowing look. “Believe it or not I was a teenager once myself.”

  “You know Lindy, the girl that died?” Amanda decided to bite the bullet and tell her mother her worries. “She told me she had nightmares about a man in her room and thought someone was following her along her driveway after school. I dream about Grandma and I had the same feeling on our driveway too. I look around but there’s no one there.”

  “You’ve an overactive imagination triggered by what Lindy said to you before she went missing.” Her mother smiled at her. “Dreaming about Grandma watching over you is hardly a nightmare and I often feel the same when I’m in the wooded parts of our ranch. The wind in the trees and the animals make strange sounds and the trees cast long shadows. It makes it creepy even in the daytime.” She smiled at her. “Don’t worry, you’re normal.”

  Amanda heaved a sigh of relief. Normal she could handle.

  Nineteen

  As Rowley led the way onto the football field, his gaze set on a tall athletic man, who stood out among the other workers laying artificial turf. From the janitor’s description, he had to be Mason Lancaster. He strode toward him with Walters close behind and took in the man. Undeniably handsome, with bronzed muscular arms, but years of working outdoors had wrinkled the skin around his eyes. As they approached, a worried expression crossed Lancaster’s face and he stepped away from the other men.

  Rowley pulled out his notebook and kept his expression bland. “Mason Lancaster?”

  “Yeah, what can I do for you, deputies?” Lancaster waved a gloved hand toward the other men. “We’re kinda busy here.”

  “I won’t take too much of your time.” Rowley led him some distance away from the other curious men. “I need to ask you a few routine questions.”

  “In relation to what?” Lancaster pulled out a bandana, wiped the sweat from his face, and then removed his hat before turning to catch the cold breeze blowing from the mountains.

  All the advice Kane had given him about body language and attitude poured into Rowley’s mind. He assessed the man standing before him. Lancaster appeared relaxed now but he’d seen a different expression when they arrived. “We’re investigating the Lindy Rosen case and speaking to anyone who may have been in contact with her in the days leading up to her death.”

  “Lindy, yeah, I knew her.” Lancaster gave him a direct look and shrugged. “As well as I know any of the students that hang around me like butterflies all semester.” He shook his head. “Terrible thing her being murdered like that, she was a pretty little thing.”

  Murdered? A cold chill trickled down Rowley’s spine. Could he be looking into the eyes of a killer? “Ah, we don’t have a cause of death. Do you know what happened to her?”

  “Me? Heck no.” Lancaster replaced his hat. “I assumed when a girl goes missing then she’s found dead, someone murdered her – wouldn’t you?”

  Rowley straightened. “Nope, I’d wait for the ME’s findings. She could have been sleepwalking, tripped over a log and banged her head for all I know.” He eyeballed him. “When did you last see Lindy?”

  “Hmm, not sure, some of
the girls came by at lunchtime before spring break to say goodbye.” Lancaster stared into the distance and smiled as if to himself. “The guys call them my fan club.”

  “Yeah? Many of them come by alone?” Rowley cleared his throat. “Have you dated any of them?”

  “Nah, they’re just kids.” Lancaster snorted. “It’s been the same since I injured my knee. The older women see me as a liability, figure I can’t make the big bucks any longer, but the kids, they see me as a football star and a celebrity.”

  “I guess they would.” Rowley frowned. “Have you seen any strangers hanging around the school, or hereabouts?”

  “People are coming and going all the time.” Lancaster glanced at his crew, who were standing around gawking at them. “Will this take much longer?”

  “No, I have a couple more questions.” Rowley made a few notes. “Can you account for your whereabouts on Sunday night?”

  “Sunday? Yeah, I was with one of my girlfriends, Angela Pike. She’s one of the teachers here, lives out on Pine, number seven.”

  Pine Road ran parallel to Stanton Road and was around one mile from the Rosens’ ranch. The time Lancaster was at his girlfriend’s home was critical. Rowley noted her name and address, and then lifted his attention back to Lancaster. “What time?”

  “We had dinner at the Cattleman’s Hotel, left there around nine, I guess.” Lancaster’s forehead creased into a frown. “I spent the night with her but left early to get ready for work. She’ll be home now if you’re planning on checking out my story.”

  Rowley closed his notebook. “Okay, that’s all for now, thank you for your cooperation.” He turned and walked away with Walters.

  “I figure we need to hunt down Angela Pike and see what she has to say.” Walters looked grim-faced. “He was in the area at the time Lindy went missing.”

  Rowley made his way back to his cruiser. “Yeah, he ticks a few of the boxes. In the area and he knew Lindy. She likely would’ve trusted him. We’ll go see if Miss Pike is at home.” He pulled open the car door, slid behind the wheel and then picked up the radio mic. “I’ll call in and let the sheriff know where we’re heading.”

  He listened with interest as the sheriff gave him the details of the Kittredge interview. “He doesn’t remember her name? What a sleaze.”

  “How close are you to the Triple Z?”

  Rowley cleared his throat. “Not far. We could swing past there, and then go see Angela Pike on Pine.”

  “Yeah, it would save you driving out there in the morning. And I’ll text you the address of Sean Packer. I want you to speak to his wife and get a statement from her confirming her husband was at home on Sunday night. He lives closer to town, so you can swing by there on the way back to the office.”

  “Roger that.” Rowley disconnected and turned to Walters. “Looks like we’re heading out to the Triple Z, to find a mystery woman who sleeps around.” He scratched his cheek and stared into nothing, thinking. “I can’t see any woman offering up that kind of information. Any ideas?”

  “Yeah, I figure I’ll leave the questioning to you.” Walters snorted a laugh. “Oh boy, this is gonna be fun.”

  Twenty

  Jenna was having one of those days that seemed to drag on forever and was virtually running on caffeine. She eyed the steaming cup of coffee on her desk with apprehension. Although exhausted in mind and body, the explosion had left her feeling as if a truck had run her over and she doubted she’d sleep again tonight. At times like these, she wondered why she’d gone into law enforcement in the first place, then she glanced up at the crime scene photos of Lindy Rosen and felt ashamed. The girl’s eyes held a plea for help. She took a long drink of her coffee. “Whatever it takes, Lindy, I’ll bring your killer to justice.”

  She picked up her phone and called Wolfe. He’d promised the autopsy report by five and he never let her down. “When can I expect your report on Lindy Rosen?”

  “If you drop by in the morning, I’ll have a preliminary report.”

  Jenna drummed her fingernails on the desk. “It’s taking longer than usual. Any problems?”

  “I’ve run into a few complications.” Wolfe sighed. He sounded tired as well. “First up, the Rosens didn’t want me to perform a post. I had to explain that in homicide cases, it was up to my discretion and I didn’t need their permission. I figure the idea of someone messing with their child was too much to bear.”

  “I can’t imagine anything worse than losing a child.” Jenna glanced back at the image of Lindy. “I’m sure you explained the process.”

  “I did and Emily was very helpful. She sat Mrs. Rosen down, gave her a drink and explained she would be there with Lindy during the examination. It made it a bit easier on her.” Wolfe cleared his throat. “The autopsy isn’t why I’m waiting to report my findings – yes, it was a homicide, but you already know that. I wanted to check my readings and make sure the majority of forensic tests are completed before I make my assessment.”

  Jenna frowned. “That’s unusual, what’s causing a problem?”

  “Time of death.” Wolfe sounded distracted. “The facts presented to me don’t add up to the timeline we have of what we believe happened to her. I’ll go through everything again and explain in the morning in detail. Right this moment, nothing is making sense.”

  “Okay, we’ll drop by at nine, will that give you time?”

  “Sure, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Jenna disconnected and leaned back in her chair. Wolfe usually gave time of death by calculating the temperature of the body, so something else had happened to make him mistrust his findings. A knock on the door brought her out of her thoughts. “Yes, come in.”

  “Rowley and Walters are back.” Kane indicated behind him with his thumb. “Do you want them in here to give their report now?”

  Jenna glanced at the clock on the wall. It was past five. “Yeah, it’s late and we still have to go speak to Anderson. It’s been a long day and I’m dead on my feet.”

  “Do you want me to order Chinese for say six-thirty? We’ll pick it up on the way home.” Kane rubbed his belly in an unconscious move. “Save worrying about dinner.”

  “Yeah, I’m too sore to cook and too exhausted to eat but Chinese would be nice for a change.” Jenna smiled at him. “Then get back in here. I’ll wait for you.”

  “Roger that.” Kane hustled out the door.

  A few moments later, Rowley and Walters came to her door. “Sit down; Kane will be here in a moment. I’ve added all our potential suspects’ interview data to the files. Make sure you upload your information before you leave tonight. Rowley, you’ll be in charge first thing in the morning, I’m attending the autopsy report with Kane.”

  “Before we start, something has come up that needs your attention.” Rowley pulled out his notes. “It came about when we spoke to Noah McLeod. He admitted to involvement with one of the students.” Rowley went on to explain what had happened.

  Jenna listened in astonishment. “So McLeod figured you were there because of a complaint against him?”

  “Sure thing. He almost messed his pants when he saw us coming.” Walter chuckled. “Don’t think he’ll be leaving town anytime soon – Rowley put the fear of God into him.”

  Jenna frowned. “How so?”

  “I told him you’d have the FBI on his tail if he left town.” Rowley cracked a smile.

  “Did I miss anything?” Kane walked into the room with Duke on his heels, closed the door behind him and took a seat.

  Jenna explained, and then looked at Rowley. “Get him in here first thing in the morning for questioning. Walters, go see the parents of Jocelyn Smythe and explain the situation, speak with the girl if possible, get a statement, then I’ll turn it over to the DA. He’ll likely want to charge him.”

  “Where was McLeod when Lindy Rosen went missing?” Kane turned to look at Rowley. “He might be our man.”

  “He doesn’t have anyone to verify his whereabouts on Sunday night. He lives
alone, said he stayed home and watched TV.” Rowley leafed through his notes. “He admitted knowing Lindy Rosen but said she was chasing after Mason Lancaster, the ex-football player.”

  Jenna nodded. “Then we’ll need to interview him about that as well when you bring him in. Ask him what was on TV on Sunday night; he should remember what he watched.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Rowley made a few notes.

  They discussed the interviews with all the potential suspects, finishing with Rowley’s talk with Mason Lancaster. Jenna leaned forward on her desk. “So did his girlfriend corroborate his story?”

  “Yes and no.” Rowley glanced up from his notes. “She said the last time she recalls seeing him was around eleven. She fell asleep soon after, then woke up and found him gone. That was a little after one. She noticed the time because he usually leaves around six if he has to go to work the next morning. I asked her if he’d called her today and she said her mother had just left and she turns off her cellphone during her visit so if he did call, he didn’t leave a message.” He frowned. “We dropped by the Cattleman’s Hotel and they went through the credit card receipts and found he’d paid for their meal around nine, so that part of his story is true.”

  “So he was in the area, knows Lindy and mentioned her attraction to him. He believes he has an alibi. I wonder if he tried to call his girlfriend to corroborate his story? If so, I bet a dollar to a dime he didn’t figure on her cellphone being off when he called.” Jenna pushed to her feet, went to the whiteboard and added Mason Lancaster’s name. “I think we have a suspect.” She turned to look at Rowley again. “Did you find the mysterious lady at the Triple Z?”

  “Nope but we found Bob and he said Kittredge is in the bar every night and picks up women regular. He doesn’t recall which woman or any particular night, said the days all roll into one.”