Greene County Killer

by Ann Mullen

  “You can get up now,” I said. “He doesn’t know Billy’s truck, so I doubt that he even saw you.”

  “Call Jonathan,” Billy said. “Tell him that Webster is on his way. Oh, and call your mother and tell her we found Savannah. I don’t want her to worry needlessly. I guess Claire hit the nail on the head when she said that we’d be calling to tell them we found the author.” Billy chuckled.

  “You two must be really good if your family thought you’d find me.”

  “We are.” I smiled.

  “We got lucky,” Billy said. “But sometimes that’s all you need.”

  “And we sure do get our fair share of luck.”

  As I opened up my cell phone, Savannah’s stomach growled.

  “Excuse me, but I haven’t had anything to eat since breakfast.”

  I looked over at Billy and said, “I’m starving, too. Do you think we could stop at one of these fast food places and pick up a burger?”

  “We could eat it on the way,” Savannah added. “Of course, I don’t have my purse with me, so you’ll have to buy mine.”

  All three of us laughed.

  “You were abducted and almost killed,” Billy said to Savannah. “We’re on our way to the hospital to get your head sewn up. You look rough. Yet, the two of you want to stop at Burger King.”

  “It doesn’t have to be Burger King,” Savannah said. “I’ll eat anything right about now.”

  “I agree,” I added. “Besides, aren’t you hungry?”

  “Fast food it is,” he replied. “We’ll stop at the next burger joint.”

  Savannah and I relaxed a bit as I made my calls. First, I called Jonathan and warned him about Eric Webster, and then, to be on the safe side, I placed a call to Sheriff Hudson.

  “It’s freaky to know that you have the sheriff’s number on your speed dial,” Savannah said to me.

  “Well, we do have a lot of dealings with the sheriff in our line of work,” I explained. “Sheriff Hudson isn’t the only law enforcement officer who is one of our Fav-5.”

  “I bet not,” she agreed. “I bet you two have a pretty exciting life together.”

  “You could say that.” Billy looked at me and winked.

  I pressed the number for Mom’s house and she answered immediately. “Hello, Jesse. Do you have any news on Savannah?”

  “I sure do,” I replied. ‘She’s sitting right next to me in Billy’s truck. We’re headed to Burger King before we go to the hospital. She’s hungry.”

  “Stop pulling my leg,” Mom demanded. “That’s not a bit funny, Missy.”

  “I’m not joking, Mom. She’s hurt, but she’s going to be fine. She has a bloody nose and a head wound, but the bleeding has stopped.”

  Mom screeched on the other end. I could hear her and my sister, Claire, rejoicing at the good news. Mom sounded as if she was crying when she said, “I’m so glad to hear that she’s safe. Claire said she thought that the two of you were up to something. She said it was unusual for Billy to give up so easily. I told her that he probably had a lot on his mind with the funeral coming up tomorrow. I had no idea that… I thought… oh, never mind. I’m so glad things worked out well. Have they caught that guy?”

  “Not yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”

  “Where did you find her?”

  “He had her tied up in Wayne Avery’s house over in that new development off Octonia Road.”

  “Can you believe that she was so close and no one knew? I’m telling you, Jesse, you and Billy sure do make a good team.”

  “We sure do, Mom. He’s my soul mate.”

  “I’m so glad you have him for a husband. He’s such a wonderful man. I just love him so much.”

  “Me, too!” Claire yelled in the background.

  “Ditto!” Randy hollered. “I love him, too!”

  I could hear the cries of joy in the background. It was, indeed, a monumental occasion. We would have much to celebrate—a life had been saved. Yet, lives had been lost, too. But I wasn’t going to let the sadness set in just yet, if I could help it. I didn’t say anything to Billy about this being a happy occasion. He had too much sadness to bear as it was, and as his loved one, I would help him get through the loss of his brother in the days to come. For now, all I could do was pray for this to come to an end. When Wayne Avery and Eric Webster were locked up, I would relax.

  “I could hear your mom and sister in the background,” Billy said as I punched in the number for our house.

  “They’re happy we found Savannah. According to Claire, she was sure we’d find Savannah.”

  “We got lucky.”

  “It doesn’t matter. What matters is that she’s safe from that killer,” I replied as I waited for someone to pick up the phone on the other end. But no one did. I let the phone ring several times before I closed up my cell phone.

  “What’s the matter?” Billy asked.

  “I just called the house and no one answered. Billy, I’m worried. What’s going on over there?”

  “I’m sure everything’s all right. Try again.”

  I opened the phone and tried the number again. On the second ring, Helene answered the phone.

  “Hello,” she said.

  “Helene, this is Jesse. How are the kids? I just called and you didn’t answer. I was beginning to worry. Is everything okay?”

  “We’re fine,” she replied.

  Her voice sounded funny. I could tell there was something amiss. I felt that she wasn’t alone and that whoever was there shouldn’t be. Just in case, I thought I would play a little name game with her. She’s a smart woman, I thought to myself. She’ll pick up on it right away. “How are the dogs? Are they okay?”

  “Oh, they’re just fine, but your cat, Duke, gave me a fit until I put him outside.”

  “Okay, then,” I said, my stomach churning. “Tell that darn cat to behave himself, and we’ll be home in a couple of hours.” I said good-bye and closed up the phone.

  “What was that all about?” Billy asked with a concerned look on his face. “Who is Duke?”

  “There is no Duke,” I said, my hands trembling. “I knew something was wrong by the tone in her voice, so I played the name game.”

  “What’s the name game?” Billy asked.

  “I can’t believe you don’t know about the name game,” Savannah said. “You being a P.I. and all. You see it happen all the time on television on some of those detective shows. It’s a trick to see if someone’s there that shouldn’t be, or a way to cover up something.”

  Ah—she watches television—a woman I could appreciate! She understood right away what was going on.

  “I told Helene that we’d be home in a couple of hours just in case someone was listening in. That should buy us some time to figure out what we’re going to do before we get there.” I looked at Savannah and said, “I’m sorry, but…”

  “You don’t have to say a word. I won’t bleed to death, or starve. Do what you have to do. I can hang in there as long as I have to.”

  “Head home, Billy! There’s trouble brewing!”

  Billy put the pedal to the metal and sped down Rt. 29. By the time we got to Charlottesville, we had put a plan together. Whatever was wrong, I knew I could count on Billy to save the day—he always does.

  Chapter 24

  The closer we got to home, the more concerned I became. I knew something was going on, but I didn’t know what. Not knowing was the worst. As Billy drove along the dirt path on the backside of our property, Savannah and I had to hold onto each other to keep from bouncing off the seat. The ride was rough. The path was filled with potholes.

  “This sure is a rugged ride,” I said. “Perhaps one day we should consider filling in some of these holes.”

  “No,” Billy replied. “That’s the whole point of having a back way to our house. No one knows about it and if they do, they sure will have a hard time negotiating the holes and the trees.”

  “O-o-h!” I said, closing my eyes and prayin
g we wouldn’t hit that big tree we were heading into. When I opened them, we had passed the tree. “That was close!” I looked at Savannah. “You can open your eyes now.”

  “I think I’ll just keep them closed until we get to where we’re going.” She snickered.

  “I understand.”

  We made it to the end of the path. The back of our house came into view. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary except the car parked behind it.

  “Whose car is that, and why is it parked behind our house?”

  “If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was my housekeeper’s vehicle,” Savannah said, surprised. She sat up straight, unbuckling her seatbelt, and then pulling herself up closer to the dashboard. “She drives a car just like that one.”

  “Now that I think of it,” I said. “I was wondering where your housekeeper was the whole time you were being snatched from your car… right in front of your house. Did she not see you out there? Didn’t you toot your horn?”

  “It all happened so quickly that I didn’t have time to make it to the security beam or toot the horn. I was terrified. Having someone block you in and then jerk you out of your car is a little unsettling. I banged my nose on the car window.”

  “Ah, that’s why you have a bloody nose.”

  “Stupid, huh?”

  “Not considering what you’ve been through.” I handed her my cell phone. “Here, call your housekeeper and see if she’s at home.”

  Savannah punched in the numbers for her house and waited for someone to answer. After several seconds, she closed up the phone and handed it back to me. “All I got was the answering machine.”

  “I guess that settles it,” Billy said. “Why would your housekeeper be parked in our backyard? Tell me something about her.” He turned and looked at Savannah.

  “She’s worked for me for about a year. Her husband died just before the time my car was stolen. She was alone, and I was frightened, so we teamed up. I can’t believe that she’s involved in this mess. She’s always been so loyal. She takes care of my house and anything else I ask of her. She even screens my calls and picks up my mail.”

  “I’m wondering how she knows us,” I said. “You only met my mother the other day. It’s not as if you’ve been friends with her for a long time.”

  “I told my housekeeper about you guys,” Savannah said. “When I got back home that night, I told Vera that I had run into a snowbank and that your mother and her friend rescued me. I told her all about Minnie and her family. Your mother can be an open book sometimes. Pardon the pun.”

  “She is friendly. Once she likes someone, she doesn’t hold much back.”

  “Why didn’t you call Vera for help when you ran off the road?”

  “She refuses to own a cell phone. She was out Christmas shopping. She didn’t get home until after I did. It’s kind of funny,” Savannah went on. “I was scared about what was going on with the murders, so Vera and I sat up late drinking hot chocolate and talking about it. I thought she was my friend.”

  The look on Savannah’s face was so sad. She had put her trust and friendship in someone who had turned against her, someone who had obviously lied to her and who wasn’t really her friend at all. I knew it must’ve hurt, so I tried to comfort her.

  “Don’t worry about her anymore. You have us for friends now. You don’t need her kind, but you might have to hire a new housekeeper.”

  A smile came to her face. “Your mother was so right about you. You have a way of turning a situation around and making it not seem so bad. No wonder she adores you.”

  “I’m her daughter—she has to.”

  “Wait a minute,” Billy said. “We don’t know that she’s part of this. She might be an innocent bystander. Suppose that she saw what happened, couldn’t do anything about it, and then decided to come to us for help.”

  “Why didn’t she just call the police?”

  “She might have and we just don’t know about it. I think we should give her a chance to explain.”

  “Billy, you always look on the bright side,” I said. “I, for one, think we should storm the house, break down the door, and then hogtie her.”

  Billy looked at me as if I’d lost my mind. When he realized that I wasn’t serious, he replied, “I really don’t feel like repairing another door. Before I go in and put a bullet in her head, I’d like to hear her side of the story. She might have come here for help.”

  His statement about putting a bullet in her head really got our attention. We both gasped at his words. I looked at Savannah and said, “He’s not serious… about the bullet.” I looked at Billy. “Are you?”

  “Change of plans,” he said, ignoring my question. “Jesse, I want you to turn this truck around and go home as if nothing is wrong. I’ll get out and slip in through the back door.”

  I looked at him with raised eyebrows, and said, “You want me to back up this truck? You can’t be serious. Ha, ha. You made a joke, big buddy.”

  “Oh, that’s right. I forgot that your ability to back up an automobile is as bad as your…”

  “Don’t go there, pal.”

  “What’s he talking about?” Savannah asked. “Is there something I missed?”

  “Let’s just say that I’m backing-up-challenged as well as being cooking-challenged.”

  “To say the least.” Billy snickered.

  I gave him the evil-eye, a look that wasn’t missed by Savannah. “Hmm,” she remarked. “I’ve seen that look before. I can back up the truck and turn it around if you want me to… I think. This is a pretty big truck.”

  “Never mind,” Billy said. “I’ll do it. If I let you do it, Jesse will be mad at me for a week.”

  “That’s not true.” I grunted. “It’ll be a lot longer than that.”

  In three swift maneuvers, Billy turned the truck around in the small pathway and had it heading in the opposite direction. He put the truck in park, and left it running while I got out and walked over to his side. He opened the door, got out and then hoisted me up into the driver’s seat. He kissed me and then said, “You know I love you, `ge ya. Be sure to put your gun in your coat pocket and be careful. I’ll be your backup, so don’t do anything rash. Okay?”

  “My gun’s in my pocket. You can count on me.”

  “I know I can,” he said and then disappeared into the woods.

  “I hope you know how to use that gun,” Savannah said. “I’ve always been afraid of guns. I wouldn’t allow one in my house, but you can bet that’s going to change. After this is over, the next thing I’m going to do is buy one.”

  “That’s a good idea. If you’d like, I could help you pick out one and then we could go up to Chief Sam’s target range to practice.”

  “Would you really?”

  “Sure,” I said as I buckled my seatbelt and waited for her.

  Once she was buckled in, the two of us bumped and tossed our way down the path, discussing Chief Sam’s shooting range on the backside of his property and the gun she was going to purchase.

  “I don’t need anything fancy,” she said.

  “I say, go big—or go home.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If you’re going to own a gun, you need one that takes as little effort as possible to use, because if you hesitate or miss, you could die. If there ever comes a time when you have to shoot someone, make your shot count. Always keep in mind that you never point a gun at someone unless you intend to shoot. Pretending could get you killed, and so could a small caliber gun. A 9MM or a .38 will do the job just fine.” I quickly glanced at her. “For you, I would suggest a revolver, something simple.”

  “You sure do know your guns.”

  “No, not really. All I know is that I want one on me in case I ever need it. Other than target practice, I’ve only shot at someone once.” I thought for a minute. “Maybe twice. I can’t remember.”

  “Have you ever killed anyone?” She stopped, and then said, “I’m sorry. That’s none of my business.”
>
  “It’s okay,” I replied as I continued to drive down the small path. “A while back, Billy and I were working on a case. The couple we were investigating broke into my house with the intention of killing anyone who was there at the time. Thank goodness, my dog, Athena, surprised the man and woman, giving me the opportunity to get off a shot.”

  “And you killed one of them?” she surmised.

  “No, actually, I killed both of them.”

  “With just one shot? How did you do that?”

  “The bullet hit the man at an angle in the side of his neck, severing an artery, then passed through and hit his wife square in the forehead. It was a lucky shot.”

  “I’d say! Wow! That’s one for the books.”

  I chuckled and asked, “Am I going to read about something like this in your next book?”

  “You might,” she replied. “It’s a good kill. I’m always looking for a way to bump off a character.” She laughed and then asked, “Have you read any of my books? I noticed that you had one stuffed in your purse. I’m flattered.”

  “That’s my mom’s book. I started reading it, but I haven’t gotten far. I liked what I read, and when I get a chance, I plan to finish it. I have to give it back to my mother. You signed it for her, and she really liked that.”

  “Your mother is a very nice person.”

  “Thank you. I love her.”

  I pulled out onto the main highway and headed back toward our house. The truck handled beautifully. I was a little leery of driving such a big truck considering there were still patches of ice on the road, but it was smooth going all the way… until I turned onto Bear Mountain Road. The truck fishtailed, shattering my confidence. I tried to do as Billy had told me many times. I turned into the skid and regained control. I slowed to a stop and just sat there, my hands trembling.

  “Whew! That was freaky. I thought for a minute you were going to lose it.”

  “I did, too.” I held out my hands so she could see them. “I’m still trembling.”

  “Take your time and get it together. It’s hard to drive after almost losing it. Just take a deep breath.”