Itsy-Bitsy Spider

by Dale Mayer

  Done, Stefan acknowledged.

  How many have you killed, did you say? she asked David in a conversational tone. Are you looking for somebody to help you kill more?

  She had no idea where her bravado came from. But she could sense Stefan’s approval. What she didn’t want was to find the disapproval of this asshole. David had been fairly easygoing up until now. The only men she’d ever met so far like that were doctors. They tended to have that supercilious attitude. Of course she’d met an engineer once or twice who had been similar. But they weren’t really the killing type of assholes.

  Oh, you’re finally getting it, are you? he crowed. What do you want? A pat on the back for finally understanding what I do?

  But do you understand why you do it? she asked. Motivation is everything.

  She’d learned that in all those years she had helped the cops. They were forever trying to figure out why somebody did something, as if that had more intrinsic value than the how of things. It’d taken her a long time to understand that it allowed them to second guess what the next step would be when they were dealing with killers.

  Of course I know, David said. Because it’s fun. Because it’s fascinating. It was too easy in the beginning, so I had to make it more challenging. After all, I wasn’t about to get caught, so I had to make sure other people would get caught.

  People use other people as fall guys all the time, she said. What’s unique and different about that?

  Oh, dear, you still don’t get it, he said, as if talking to a stupid child. You see? It’s not just that I make them the fall guy, but I get them to do the killing. Why should I get my hands dirty? I find the perfect victims, and I amplify their emotions. I can make anyone do anything. From giving me their brand-new laptops, TVs, paying for my lunch—whatever I want. I’ve gotten three raises the exact same way. But that’s just everyday type things. Making people do bad things to those they love—or hate—is much more fun.

  She could feel Stefan’s shock behind her. Inside, she was stunned. So you find some asshole who’s angry at his wife, and you amplify that emotion so he turns around and kills her? she asked in disbelief.

  Oh, look at that. Gold star for you, he said. That’s exactly what I do. Most of the time I don’t even have to nudge them. I just take that ball of energy, usually red hot, sometimes black, always first-chakra stuff, sometimes into the heart chakra, but great rage, anger, frustration. See? And I pick up those. I can sense them. I can follow them back to where the people are. And I can watch the scenarios going on around them. Sometimes, not every time, he said sadly, but enough times I can add to their energy, build their rage and push them over the edge, so they release that anger burning up inside them. You know it’s not healthy to hold that all in, right?

  And being the recipient of that rage, how healthy is that for the poor victim?

  Well, I really don’t care about the victim, do I? I can’t connect with them. So obviously there’s no feeling or caring. Just think about all the books you read. If you can’t connect with the main character, you toss it, don’t you?

  Just because he was right didn’t mean she had to admit it. But, from his smug chuckles, she figured he already knew. So that’s all you do? she asked, trying to downplay his actions. You find people pissed off at each other, amplify their natural inclination and force them to act?

  I don’t force them to do anything, he said. That’s the joy of it all. I get to kill, but I don’t get caught because, well, I’m not doing the killing, am I?

  She thought about all the people in the world who lived with a certain amount of rage or frustration, or those with quick-fire tempers that blew without any warning. So it requires a heavy emotion for you to act? That’s really interesting.

  And it was fascinating, but she wasn’t at all sure how it would help Reese now.

  Sure. I’ve been working on causing the emotions, so I can have them act, he said conversationally. But it doesn’t work that well. They have to have a reason to really care.

  A reason to really care about something? Like anger, frustration, love, hate?

  Exactly, he said.

  She could almost feel his benevolent nod as if to a favorite student. So you can’t make somebody kill who doesn’t want to kill, she said slowly. But, if they have that murderous intent, or at least are close to that edge, then you push them over.

  Right. And I connect easier with some people than others obviously, he said thoughtfully. I’ve been trying with those who I have a poor connection to, but that connection is everything.

  And what about people who want to do something but don’t have the nerve to do it? Can you give them that extra courage?

  I’ve tried a couple times. But I haven’t been able to make that happen. I’ll keep trying though because that’ll open up a whole new level of entertainment for me.

  Entertainment, wow. Are you that bored in your normal life that you have to set about playing God with other people?

  Oh, I like that, he said. That’s a very nice way to put it. And, no, I’m not bored. I have a ton of challenges. But one can’t always be the savior day in and day out. Everybody has two sides to their personality. I needed an outlet for the other side of mine.

  That makes sense. Too much of a good thing isn’t good. In a secure partition of her mind, she was trying to figure out what the word savior meant to him. That meant he was a doctor? Or a priest?

  Stefan whispered in her ear, Keep asking questions like that.

  And how far away do you have to be? I mean, can you talk to people in Africa? Somebody in Norway, for example? Or does it have to be within the state or within even the town?

  That’s been one of the frustrating things, he said. It really has to be somebody I’ve either seen or worked with before. I’ve tried with those I only know of, but I can’t get the same result. But then, this is all trial and error, and I have to keep trying. Eventually I’ll get better and better. I’d love to think that, if somebody was arguing in Norway, I could have somebody kill him just because I say so. Wouldn’t that be fantastic?

  I can see how, from your point of view, it would be. It would certainly gum up police investigations all over the world, she said, trying to interject more humor. Anything to keep him talking. And anything to keep his interest away from her son. Stefan, where is Kirk? Is he not here yet?

  He’s almost here. I’m protecting your body while we get you here. Normally we can’t touch anybody when they’re in this level of trance. If your silver cord is separated from your body, then there’s no going back to it.

  She remembered reading something about it but hadn’t considered it in the light of what she was currently doing. But it made sense. Thank you, she said sincerely. I don’t care about my life. But Reese needs his chance to live.

  But David was spouting off again. You know? That’s been part of the fun. I haven’t been able to kill dozens in a year, although that’s my goal for next year, to actually take on a dozen. Last year it was only ten. It took me a couple years to make the first one happen, he said, irritated. Imagine if I could’ve done this a whole lot earlier. But I didn’t even know it was something anybody could do.

  She mentally tallied up the number of murders he’d been involved in and shook her head. What was your first killing?

  That was a while ago, he said still in a conversational time. About the time I connected with you.

  She froze. Sorry?

  Remember that case where all those women were murdered, and you were desperate to save the one? You did catch the right guy, by the way, but that last murder, he hadn’t intended on killing the woman—he’d planned on letting her go. And I didn’t know it at the time, but I was really responsible for him killing her.

  She wanted to scream at him. I worked so hard on that case. I was desperate to save her.

  Right, and I think that’s when we first connected.

  Hopefully thinking thoughts only to herself, she repeated Connected? So how many doctors or c
lergy members do I remember interacting with? More than she expected showed up at her readings, but she never got names, just flashes of a man with a collar or someone in a doctor’s white coat. And, when dealing with them on police matters, it was surprising to have them pull her aside to ask her the odd question. Is my wife cheating? Will my congregation grow? She shook her head, back to the present.

  David continued to speak, quite happy to hear his own voice. You were screaming at the ethers, looking for help, looking for anyone, anything that could help you solve this case because you were desperate to keep her alive. You know? I think it’s that desperation of yours that allowed me to funnel into the killer’s frustration about how you were getting so close. But he really did not intend on killing her. I’m afraid I’m the one who hit that switch and threw him over so he crossed that line. Afterward, as I thought about it, I realized just what happened. Of course that was the perfect storm, that was the perfect set of circumstances, the perfect victim, the perfect killer. But I hadn’t realized the connection with you. Maybe I tapped into your energy then, and that’s what gave me the ability to kill, not so much with my own skill but with the addition of your skill. His voice slowed as if pondering that thought. No, that wouldn’t make me happy.

  Her heart sank. That was so not what she wanted to hear. She’d tried desperately to save that poor woman. And to think she might have had a hand in killing her was more than she could bear.

  Her son murmured in her arms. Instinctively she shielded him with more energy, more love. She could feel her own energy fading, but it didn’t matter as long as she kept him safe. She could feel Stefan protesting behind her. But she wouldn’t tolerate anyone hurting Reese, not again.

  That’s a daunting thought, she said faintly. I must have been very strong back then.

  Of course you were. But completely off the wall. Sending out all kinds of pain and anger, he said cheerfully. There was, of course, that connection. That kinship to you. And back then you just, you know, you didn’t feel the same thing, and I can understand that because you were so focused. Still, I could use that desperation. I’ve been dabbling with my psychic abilities for a long time. But when you use them always to the good, and suddenly you’re presented with that idea of using them for something other than good, well, it becomes a tantalizing thought you can’t let go of. So I watched you for the whole case. Then your whole world fell apart. It was fascinating. I’m sure you don’t appreciate it, but I decided to try something. You were in so much pain, more than I needed to feed on because—of course—your pain was my joy. But you had so much pain, I wondered if I could channel it—use it to affect the way people viewed you. In particular those you worked with at the station. Their actions, their attitudes, how they treated you. Especially Kirk. I mean, any real sane man would have no excuse for not standing by your side when you’re going through such a bad patch. Not if he loved you. … Did you never wonder why he left?

  She was reeling from the fact that David knew Kirk. Of course I knew. I sent him away. I was a mess on a downward spiral, not suicidal, but not far off, she admitted quietly. She knew Stefan was listening in, and of course that was part of the truth he was so intent on getting at.

  I wondered about that. See? I probably could have made you flip that switch too. But I didn’t really understand what I was doing. I would get one guy to treat you with a cold shoulder one day because that’s all I could manage. The next time somebody would be spreading gossip because that’s all I could manage. Kirk was kind of a triumph. But I picked him in a low spot. I picked him at a time when he was done. He was fed up, didn’t know what to do anymore, and he just wanted a clean start. So I gave it to him.

  She could feel her body shivering with the shocks as they came. She’d assumed Kirk had accepted her decision and left. Now she found out Kirk hadn’t been following his own thoughts.

  Stefan seemed to wrap his arms around her and give her a hug. He whispered, Hold steady.

  Is that the truth? Or are you playing with me now?

  Oh, wow. Now that’s an interesting twist. No, it is the truth. I had a lot of fun with you back then, but then it got so damn boring. When you didn’t do anything but mope around the place, I had to get rid of your place. So I managed to do that without any trouble. And once I had you completely isolated, I thought maybe we could have a stronger connection. But instead you just got weaker and weaker. It was really pathetic.

  A trill laugh filled the room. But you surprised me. After ignoring you for a few years, I saved you again. You were a real mess. Sick, sick, sick. Almost dying actually. You probably should thank me for keeping you alive.

  She could feel her heart hammering against her chest. This was what she needed. This was what she was after, the truth about what happened to her in the hospital. Did you have something to do with keeping me in the coma? she asked, deliberately avoiding the one question she wanted to ask.

  No, no, no. Your body was already in shut-down mode at that point. I mean, how absolutely foolish of you not to go to Kirk. He was the father. I mean, the least he could have done was pay.

  And then she remembered something else Kirk had said had happened. So who did you use to change the password on Kirk’s bank account so I couldn’t access the money?

  Well, who does all his banking and stuff when he’s too busy? Katherine. And she’s so easy to deal with. She hates you. She really hates you. Made her an easy target. I got her to do all kinds of things, he said happily.

  And why does Kirk’s sister hate me so much?

  She’s jealous. Because, when Kirk is with you, she feels like he doesn’t love her.

  Queenie bowed her head, almost groaning because, of course, that was so very true. She’d told Kirk that many a time too. Does she know what she did?

  I hope so. Because there’s that hatred inside her. You play with it enough, and she’s quite happy to do nasty little things. She’s not a killer though. Killing takes that special threshold. Maybe if I could work with her long enough. But she doesn’t really have anybody in her life worth killing. Unless I get her to kill Kirk. That would be quite a magnificent trip because she loves him so much. On the other hand, she hates you so much that it would be easier to have her kill you.

  Instead you just decided to torment me, is that it?

  That was her avenue of choice. All she could think about was the fact you were in a coma, and Kirk was really worried about you, and she was afraid he would get sucked back into your life again.

  So she targeted my son?

  Well, she did, although I had to help her a little with that. You know how difficult it is to forge signatures?

  It’s very difficult. She almost choked on the thought.

  But nobody really looks at signatures, do they? Not until something actually happens. But to find your signature on the cremation order, now that was an interesting twist. Because, of course, you had been awake off and on. It was possible you’d signed it. And you’d just blanked it all out. Grief will do that to you, you know? His tone was back to conversational. The teacher trying to teach his students about his great accomplishments.

  And then how did you get my son to another family?

  I’m pretty sure, if you’ll track Kirk’s sister’s friends, you’ll find that a couple friends removed is Maggie’s sister. And Maggie really wanted a little boy.

  So somehow you manipulated everybody to make that work?

  When people have this passion inside, they’ll do all kinds of things. When I said a little boy was desperately in need of a home, Maggie piped right up. Kirk’s sister, Katherine, couldn’t resist the chance to move him into somebody’s warm loving arms.

  Would she remember doing that? Does she know what she did?

  Like a bad dream, he said. Although I don’t know. Maybe she does remember. Maybe it keeps her up at night in horror. That would be fun, wouldn’t it?

  She didn’t know what to say. To think of such a monster in her midst, yet only in ethereal form,
didn’t help her one little bit. And the woman in the lake? Her name was Bonnie Jenkins by the way.

  Well, of course you know who killed her as you spoke to him already. His name is Paul Grogan if you want to look him up. He’s not a nice person. That’s what made it so easy to get him to do my bidding. But I thought the handkerchief would be a personal message. Connecting me to the Handkerchief Killer. Surely you could’ve connected me to those murders with that, but apparently I am way too subtle for you.

  This is incredibly convoluted, she cried out. How could anybody figure this out?

  You’re quite right there, he said with a note of satisfaction. And that’s why I’m so accomplished. I’m just getting better and better. Once I realized how I could kill, well, that was a starting point. It took me a couple years to figure out how to get someone else to kill again. Very frustrating years, I’ll have you know. He sounded slightly put out. But now that I’ve got it, I’ve got it. And that makes life so much more fun.

  Blue? she asked, still hung up on the handkerchief he’d used. Why blue?

  Blue was my own twist on the case. I was sure you’d figure it out, but …

  And the little boy? she asked, adding strength to her voice. What did he do to deserve to die?

  What little boy? he asked, his tone suspiciously neutral.

  You remember, she murmured. Or at least maybe you remember the people who kicked you out of his space. And easily I might add.

  Stefan whispered in her ear, Easy, you’re prodding a tiger. The boy is doing fine now. And it took two of us to get to the bottom of the problem. I’ll contact the police and get this Paul Grogan picked up.

  Good. She’d like to see that man pay for what he did. Although she struggled with David’s participation in the case. Pushing him wasn’t likely smart, but he was too arrogant and complacent for her liking. The little boy is doing fine by the way. There are many excellent energy workers out there. You could learn a lot …

  His silence brewed with palpable anger.

  Her words had to smart. But she’d do anything to stop him. Yet she had to be careful to not push it. At least until help arrived. So what are your plans from here on out? She desperately tried to figure out who could possibly have been around at the time of those cases who would have had such an influence on her.