Obsessed (9781617732393)

by Gibson, Jo

  “Oh, I don’t mind. It’s so pretty here. And I always bring something for him, even if I can’t see him. I know this sounds crazy, but it makes me feel better to be even this close to him.”

  “I understand.” Miss Danver gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’m sorry, dear. But he’s getting better every day. I’m sure you’ll be able to see him before long.”

  Miss Danver put her arm around Judy’s shoulders and walked her to the door. As soon as the inner door had closed behind her, she locked it and pressed the buzzer to open the outer door. She gave a deep sigh as she watched Judy walk down the path. Her shoulders were drooping, and her pretty blonde head was bowed. It was clear that she was very disappointed, and Nurse Danver imagined her sorrowful face, blinking back tears, as she walked all alone toward the parking lot.

  Nurse Danver sighed again, as Judy rounded the bend and disappeared out of sight. She would have been very surprised indeed, if she’d been able to see the satisfied smile on Judy Lampert’s face.

  Judy was smiling as she pulled out of her parking space. It gave her great pleasure to visit Michael, even if she wasn’t allowed to see him. It was good to know that he was here, behind locked doors. And he’d be here forever, if she had her way. After all, he’d almost ruined her life.

  There was a country-western station on the radio, and Judy sang along as she drove down the road to the freeway entrance. The song was about how painful love could be. Judy smiled wryly. Michael had caused her plenty of pain, but now it was time to put all that grief behind her, and find someone new. Of course she’d have to be very careful to choose someone who would truly appreciate her.

  Judy felt a sudden burst of excitement. She knew her new love was out there somewhere; all she had to do was find him. If he turned out to be unworthy of her affections, she’d simply get rid of him. Just like she’d done with Michael.

  The next visitors arrived within the hour. Miss Danver let them in, and checked them off on the visitor’s list. They were allowed. Carla Fields and Andy Miller didn’t upset her patient at all.

  “Carla, dear?” Nurse Danver held out the gold-wrapped box. “Would you take these in with you? They’re cookies that Miss Lampert baked for Michael.”

  Carla nodded, and took the box. “Of course. Should we let him have one?”

  “He can have as many as he wants,” Nurse Danver told her with a smile. Carla wasn’t as pretty as Judy Lampert, but she was a very nice girl.

  Carla held the box in front of her as they walked down the long hallway, and turned the corner. Then she handed it to Andy. “Do you want to do the honors this time?”

  “Sure.” Andy stopped next to a wastebasket, and, tore the wrapping from the box. He lifted the lid carefully, and frowned when he saw what was inside.

  “She sent another note.” Andy unfolded the piece of blue stationery that had been placed on top of the cookies. “It says, They haven’t caught the killer yet, but I know you didn’t do it. Maybe someone else will get killed while you’re locked up, and then they’ll know that you’re innocent.”

  “What do you think? Is it enough?”

  “No. It’s in bad taste, but it doesn’t prove anything. She’s smart, Carla.”

  Carla nodded. “It’s a good thing Michael didn’t get it. Her last note almost did him in. I’m glad the doctor stopped all his mail, except for the cards his parents send him. Do you think we’ll ever catch her, Andy?”

  “Sure. She’s bound to mess up sooner or later, and we’ll be right there when she does. All we have to do is watch, and wait for her to make a mistake.”

  “And meanwhile, poor Michael is locked up in here.” Carla took the note, and placed it carefully in the pocket of her purse. “Let’s go see him, Andy. Maybe he’s better today.”

  They found Michael in the crafts room, staring down at a tray of paints. There was an easel propped up in front of his chair, but the canvas on it was completely blank.

  “Hi, Michael,” Carla said.

  Carla took the chair next to him, but Michael didn’t seem to notice that she was there. He didn’t even react when Andy took the paintbrush out of his hand.

  “I want you to watch me very carefully, Michael.” Andy dipped the brush in a pot of brown paint. “I know you don’t want to talk, but there are other ways to communicate.”

  Carla frowned slightly as Andy drew some lines on the canvas. Then she gasped as she recognized the design. It was a quiver with five arrows.

  “Look, Michael.” Andy was very serious. “We know the arrows didn’t kill them. We need to know what kind of weapon she used. It’s very important.”

  Carla held her breath as Andy held out the brush to Michael. Was he well enough to tell them? Or were they pushing him too hard? It was a big gamble. If Michael retreated back into his shell, it would take months to bring him back.

  “Please help us, Michael.” Carla patted him on the shoulder. “We can’t do it alone.”

  Michael’s hand began to tremble. And then he reached out to grasp the brush. He dipped it into the black paint and drew a stick that was shaped like an “L.”

  “What is it?” Carla turned to Michael with a frown. “Can you tell us, Michael?”

  Andy drew in his breath sharply, as Michael’s head dipped in a nod. Michael’s hand moved again, dipping the brush into the pot.

  His hand raised slowly and he chose a blank spot on the canvas. And then he started to print, in bold block letters. TIRE IRON.

  “She killed them with a tire iron?” Andy looked excited. This was a real breakthrough. “The tire iron was the blunt instrument ?”

  Michael nodded. He raised the brush to the canvas again. MINE MISSING. CHECK HER CA . . .

  The word trailed off in a smear, and Carla reached out to take the brush from Michael’s trembling fingers. He was clearly exhausted. But Michael waved her away, dipping the brush in the paint once more. This time he used bright red, and the drops that fell from the brush looked like a trail of blood.

  They held their breaths as the tip of the brush touched the canvas again. The brush strokes wavered, but Andy and Carla could clearly make out the words that Michael laboriously painted. STOP HER BEFORE SHE KILLS AGAIN!

  The Crush II

  This book is for “Dollar Bill.”

  With special thanks to: John, Lois, & Neal,

  the good people from V.N.A., Marian, Iris & Trudi,

  Danny & the laptop, and Ruel.

  Prologue

  Judy Lampert had never been so mad in her life. Her face was red, her heart was pounding, and she felt like screaming in pure frustration as she knelt down on her adoptive parents’ immaculately kept lawn and peered through a gap in the hedge. There was a party going on next door. She’d seen her friends pull into the driveway and get out of the car, carrying platters of food. But she hadn’t been invited!

  It was August in Southern California, and the afternoons were bright and sunny. The broiling heat of July had passed, and it was no longer necessary to run the air conditioning twenty-four hours a day. It was perfect weather for a party, and that seemed to be what was happening next door. Cars had been arriving for the past thirty minutes, pulling into Mr. and Mrs. Warden’s driveway and parking in front of the house.

  Judy had been in her bedroom suite when she’d heard music coming from the patio next door. It wasn’t the type of music that Michael’s parents would enjoy. This was rock music, excellent rock with a driving beat that made Judy’s feet tap and wiggle with the desire to dance. But why were Michael’s parents hosting a teenage party when their only son, Michael, was locked away at Brookhaven Sanitarium? It just didn’t make sense.

  The gardener had just watered the lawn, and Judy felt moisture seep through the knees of her jeans. That didn’t matter. She had several new pairs hanging in her closet, and she had plenty of time to change clothes before she went to her night job at Covers, the teenage nightclub in Burbank. Getting her clothes wet didn’t bother Judy in the least. Her primary co
ncern was finding out exactly what was happening next door.

  Judy parted the scratchy branches of the boxwood hedge so she could see most of the patio. Her drama teacher at Burbank High was sitting on a tall director’s chair, surrounded by several people from Covers. Mr. Calloway owned Covers, and most of his staff were students. As Judy watched, Linda O’Keefe, one of the singers at Covers, grabbed Mr. Calloway’s hand and pulled him up to dance with her. Linda had sung several duets with Michael before all the trouble had started.

  As Judy watched, Andy Miller, the short-order cook at Covers, whirled into view. Andy was dancing with Carla Fields, and they looked so funny, Judy almost giggled out loud. With his carrot-red hair and the extra inches around his waist, Andy wasn’t any girl’s dream guy. But he could certainly do better than Carla!

  Carla was the assistant manager at Covers, a nice girl, but not the type that any boy would look at twice. Carla had nondescript brown hair pulled up into a bun, and she wore horned-rimmed glasses. Today she was dressed in her usual outfit, a baggy skirt and an over-sized blouse. Carla came from a poor family and her clothes were all thrift store bargains. She didn’t own anything that fit her properly.

  Judy watched for a moment, and then she shrugged. Carla and Andy looked as if they were having fun. Perhaps it was a good match, after all. They were both born losers, and no one else would even think of dating them.

  Alberto Cordoza, one of the waiters at Covers, came out of the house carrying a platter of snacks. Judy had gone out with Berto while Michael was dating his sister, Nita. Berto hadn’t approved of Nita’s romance with Michael, and neither had Judy. She’d wanted Michael for herself. But then Nita had become the fifth victim of the “Cupid Killer,” the name the police had given to the serial killer who’d left arrows at the scene of the murders, thrust into the dead victims’ chests.

  Since all the murdered girls had dated Michael, he was the prime suspect. But the police couldn’t arrest him now, not while he was at Brookhaven Sanitarium for psychiatric evaluation.

  Judy’s eyes were drawn to the red and white banner that was strung over the patio. It said “WELCOME HOME” in big block letters. Could this mean that Michael had been released? No, that was impossible. Surely someone would have told her. The banner must be for someone else. But who?

  Just then, Judy spotted Vera Rozhinski, the bartender at Covers, mixing her special non-alcoholic fruit drinks behind the patio bar. Vera’s parents had sent her off to visit her grandmother in New Mexico, right after the Cupid Killer had struck for the fourth time. Of course Vera hadn’t been in any danger. She’d never dated Michael, and she hadn’t been serious about the contest the other girls had started.

  Judy frowned as she thought about the contest and how much grief it had caused. Michael had just broken up with Liz Applegate, his girlfriend at U.C.L.A., and the contest had started as an effort to cheer him up. All the Covers’ girls, with the exception of Judy and Carla, had decided to make a play for Michael. The object had been to date him for two solid weeks, and Deana Burroughs, a singer at Covers, had almost won. But the Cupid Killer had murdered her the night before she could be declared the winner.

  That should have been enough to warn the other girls away, but no one had believed that Deana had been murdered just because she’d been dating Michael. Judy had tried to convince them that the contest was dangerous, but no one had listened. They’d all assumed it was a random killing, until it had happened again.

  Becky Fischer, the club comedienne, had picked right up where Deana had left off. She’d dated Michael for over a week before she’d been killed. Mary Beth Roberts, their featured dancer, had been the third victim. And that was when everyone at Covers had started to panic.

  Judy had told everyone her theory, that the arrows the killer left behind were a warning about the dangers of love. But no one had paid any attention to her. Despite Judy’s warning, Ingrid Sunquist, a waitress at Covers, had dated Michael next, and she had been the next victim. Finally, Berto’s sister, Nita, had fallen prey to the Cupid Killer.

  Over a month had passed since the last murder. The police still suspected Michael. It was true that there had been no more killings while he’d been behind locked bars, but that didn’t prove that he was the killer.

  Judy had gone out to Brookhaven every week, even though Michael’s doctor wouldn’t let her in to visit. It was a terrible misunderstanding, and she needed to talk to Michael to straighten it out. She’d signed the complaint that had sent him to Brookhaven, but she’d only done it to save him. The police had been ready to arrest him, and Judy had known that he wasn’t the Cupid Killer.

  She’d thought the whole thing out very carefully. Michael had no alibis for the times of the murders, and he might have been convicted if he’d gone to trial. Since California had the death penalty, Michael might have even been executed. Judy had saved his life by signing that complaint, and once she’d explained it, she was sure that Michael would agree. Sitting behind locked doors at Brookhaven was a lot better than pacing the floor on Death Row!

  Judy drew in her breath sharply, as she caught sight of Michael’s parents. Mrs. Warden was much thinner, and her hair was almost completely gray. Mr. Warden hadn’t changed all that much, but Judy knew he was probably suffering just as much as his wife. It must be terrible to have a son accused of murder, a son who was locked up in a mental institution.

  As Judy watched, Vera smiled at Michael’s mother and handed her a drink. And Mrs. Warden put her arm around Vera’s shoulder. So this was a welcome home party for Vera. But why were Michael’s parents hosting the party?

  Judy reached out and pushed the rest of the branches aside. Now she had a full view of the patio. Someone was sitting on a stool by the doorway, and she gave a little cry of surprise as he turned her way. It was Michael! Michael was out, and no one had told her! She had a right to be at his welcome home party. After all, she had saved his life.

  It was agony to watch all her friends having fun, and to know that Michael was with them. Judy knelt on the damp ground for what seemed like hours, feeling terribly sorry for herself.

  At last, the party began to break up, and Judy watched as the guests left, one by one. Now it was just the Warden family, and Judy leaned closer so she could listen. Michael’s parents didn’t say anything important, just how glad they were to have Michael home. Judy was almost ready to go back to her house, when she heard something that made her heart race in her chest. Michael’s parents were talking about a dinner invitation. If they left Michael alone, she’d have a chance to talk to him!

  “Are you sure you don’t want to join us for dinner?” Mrs. Warden reached out to take Michael’s hand. “The Jacobsons invited you, too.”

  “No, thanks. And don’t worry about me. I’m going to take a drive up Laurel Canyon and spend some time at the lookout. I promised Dr. Tunney I’d start working on my music again, and I’d like to have one song finished before I go back.”

  “Well . . . all right.” Michael’s mother looked disappointed, but she smiled anyway. “Whatever you think is best, dear.”

  Michael glanced at his watch. “Hey . . . it’s almost six-thirty. Don’t you have to be there at seven?”

  “You’re right.” Michael’s father stood up. “We’ll see you when we get back, son. And if you need us, just call.”

  “Are you going to stop at Covers for the show?” Michael’s mother looked concerned.

  “No, Mom. Dr. Tunney doesn’t think I’m quite ready for that. He doesn’t want me to run into . . . well, you know who. I talked to Mr. Calloway, and I told him I want to perform again. But he understands why I can’t do that right now.”

  Judy’s hands were trembling as she released her hold on the branches. Now she knew why she hadn’t been invited to the party. It was the same reason Michael wouldn’t be going to Covers to see the show. Michael didn’t want to run into her!

  It was terribly unfair, and there were tears in Judy’s eyes as she walked back to
the house and changed into clean jeans. She could see the driveway from her window, and she watched as Michael’s parents got into their car and drove off. There was only one thing to do. It would take courage, but she’d never been afraid of a challenge. Now that Michael was alone, she’d march right over there and confront him directly.

  Judy squared her shoulders and hurried down the stairs. She walked resolutely across the lawn again, and stepped through the gap in the hedge.

  “Hi, Michael.” Judy put on her best smile, but Michael didn’t look very happy to see her.

  “Judy.” There was a frown on Michael’s handsome face. “What are you doing here?”

  Judy’s smile wavered, but she managed to keep it in place. “I came to say welcome home. And I understand why you didn’t invite me to your party. You don’t realize that I saved your life.”

  “You what!?”

  There was a shocked expression on Michael’s face, but Judy ignored it as she rushed over to hug him. “I’ll explain it all in a minute. But first I want to know about you. How long will you be home?”

  “I’m on a weekend pass.” Michael stepped back, out of her embrace. “And I was about to leave. I have to . . . uh . . . be somewhere in less than an hour.”

  Judy knew that was a lie, but she didn’t let on that she’d eavesdropped on Michael’s conversation with his parents. She just smiled and moved toward Michael again. “That’s okay. This won’t take long, and I have to leave soon, too. The show starts at eight, and I have to set up for the new singer.”

  Michael looked very uncomfortable, and he took another step back. “Sorry, Judy. I really don’t have time to talk.”

  “I just wanted to explain why I signed that complaint to get you locked up at Brookhaven. You see, I knew the police were going to arrest you for the murders, and it was the only way I could keep them from doing it. You’re safe at Brookhaven, Michael. They can’t put you on trial if the doctors say you’re crazy. Now you can understand why I had to do it, can’t you?”