by Allen Gates
“I do and if I may add, I actually love to dance.”
“Shall we?” He stood and offered his hand and helped her out of her chair and drew her into his arms. “There is no better singer to dance to, than my boy Frankie.”
As they danced he gradually pulled her closer and she was hoping to keep her initial protective resistance from melting away.
“What am I doing here?” she thought.
He was an excellent dancer and she felt herself getting swept away in the moment. The song “Strangers in the Night” brought a smile from each of them and both felt a little more comfortable with the situation. She placed her arms around his neck and he placed his cheek against hers. When the song ended, she backed up and returned to the couch and picked up her drink. He sat in the chair across and looked at her. She tried not to show her unease.
“I have really enjoyed this evening and I hope we can do this again, Stephanie.”
“I don’t see why we shouldn’t, but I think you should check on my clothes. I’m working the early shift in the morning, so that I can have extra time off in the afternoon. I’m in the market for a home and a realtor is going to show me several for sale around the area.”
“If I can be of service, please don’t hesitate to ask. I do have friends in the real estate field and they would be able to assist you in your search.”
She simply smiled and shook her head yes.
“Let me get your clothes. You can dress in the study.”
When she was dressed and reentered the room, she thanked him and called to Hobo sleeping on the rug.
He watched her closely as she picked up her dog and knowing she was uncomfortable he maintained his distance and avoided the contact he was anxious for. He took her arm as he walked her out and opened the car door for her.
“Good night, Stephanie.”
She watched him in her mirror standing and waving as she drove out of the gate. This was a wonderful night, she said to herself. I think this could be a very good thing.
“What do you think Hobo? Did you enjoy the evening, sleeping in the big house instead of a room?”
Turning her attention back to her situation she wished she could have stayed longer to allow whatever might have happened, happen.
52
HANK WILLIAMS JR’S song “Louisiana Saturday Night” filled the barroom, much to the pleasure of the dancing couple who let out a yahoo.
The lady he was sitting with smiled at their enthusiasm and then asked, “Do you know how to two step, Terry?”
“No but I’m willing to learn.”
“Follow me and we’ll start lesson one. You put your left hand on my right shoulder and your right on my waist and I do the opposite. Now, step forward with your left foot and then the right, and left, right, left. It’s one, two, one, two, three, one, two, three and spin and side by side. That’s good Terry, you’re a fast learner.”
The song ended and a slow ballad by George Jones took them into a slow romantic cheek to cheek dance. That set the tone for the rest of the evening as they danced song after song pausing only to enjoy their ordered drinks. There was a definite chemistry blending between them and he felt it growing more intense as they touched one another.
This will teach Anne a lesson, as he moved his lips across her cheek and onto her lips for the first time. She responded immediately and as they danced they drifted into a mounting wave of passion. It was now a given that each wanted this to continue beyond the dance floor.
53
LON LOOKED UP as he saw the Desk Sargent approach followed by an attractive female.
“Detective Sanders, this is Dr. Stephanie Wearing. There is a situation she would like to discuss with you.”
He waited at his desk as she entered the squad area and looked at her admiringly. She was slim and very nice looking that was accentuated with a touch of class.
“Sit here, Dr. Wearing.”
“Please call me Stephanie, Lieutenant.”
“Very well Stephanie, have a seat.” He stood as she sat and then asked her, “What is the situation that is troubling you?”
He listened intently at the stories of the note and the cars stopping at different times and leaving mysteriously. When she arrived at the point of the story concerning Hobo and the duct tape, he stopped her and called for Anne to join them in the conversation. He brought her up to that point in the story and then asked the Doctor to continue.
“We watched the man that was parked next to us back out, but with the rain and the side window up, we could not see his face.”
“You said we, who, was with you?”
“I was with William Radford.”
Lon looked at Anne and smiled.
“Do you mean Senator William Radford the third?”
“Yes, you seem surprised?”
“I think you can figure that out, Stephanie. The man just lost his wife in a terrible fashion, and you don’t expect to hear his name associated with another woman this quickly.”
“We met completely by accident detective. I happened to visit a spot I heard about along the coast that he frequents often. We struck up a dialogue and I found out later his identity and the terrible tragedy that had happened in his life. I must admit that I felt an attraction to him prior to my discovery of his identity and the tragic death of his wife. I attended his wife’s funeral and we became friends.”
“Finish describing the events concerning the night in question.”
“When William read the note, he immediately suggested that I bring it to the police and turn the situation over to you. He reminded me of the terrible tragedies concerning women in this area.”
“Think back Doc, is there anything else that happened that evening even the simplest thing that you may think is unimportant, but may have some relevance?”
“A car pulled in stopped and then backed out and left. I figured they did not want to be there with other people around. I figured I might do the same if I wanted to be alone”
“So you didn’t find it unusual?”
“No because like I said earlier it has happened several times.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, twice I was on the beach area and I heard a car pull in, park and stay a short time, and the next thing I know I hear them leaving. Both times, I heard the car door slam which means they must have left their car. After a while I heard the door and the car start again and they would leave.”
“How long have you been going to this spot?”
“I’ve only been here for two weeks, so about five maybe six times.”
“Senator Radford is right to warn you, Doctor. You need to be more careful about being alone in an isolated spot like the one you are describing. How did the night end?”
Stephanie felt the blush race over her face as she looked over at Anne. She recounted the evening from her shower to the dance and the friendly, good-night. She noticed the detectives quick eye glance over to his partner as if to say, “See what I mean.”
Desiring to clear up any misconception, she said, “There was nothing unusual in our time together detective. I was simply drenched and he dried my clothes and we sat in the study and had a drink. He played a Sinatra CD and asked me to dance, which I accepted, and he remained a perfect gentleman. When I finished my drink he walked me to my car and still the gentleman opened the door. He made an invitation to meet at the same location over the next few nights.”
“How about in the house, did he give you a tour and how about the rooms? Did anything seem unusual or strange to you?”
“Well, when I was searching for the upstairs laundry room, I opened a door which I assumed to be his mother’s. I mean it was like a shrine. I felt it a little unusual to maintain a deceased person’s room. The other strange thing was the appearance of a depression on her bed as though someone had been laying there. When I started back down the stairs I stopped to view the varied array of pictures displayed on the wall the entire length of the stairway.”
/> “I was taken with the large number of pictures of his mother. She would be beaming in some and then haggard looking or troubled in others. At times she seemed obviously very unhappy. I could be way off base on that conclusion.”
“That’s everything, Detective. Now I had better get moving, I needed to be at the hospital early and here I am, late again.”
“We need you to keep thinking of your acquaintances to try and determine someone who might be harassing you and then we’ll need to talk to you again very soon, Doc, to help you find an answer to your problem with this mystery note writer. In the meantime, stay alert and lock your car.”
They watched her leave, before starting a conversation.
“What do you think, Anne?”
“Somebody is definitely watching her for some reason. It seems obvious they are trying to find her alone. He probably got close at some time and her barking dog created a problem for him, so he decided to create a concern for the dog hoping she would leave it at home. The sad thing is she will probably do just that.
“This lady may be in serious trouble Lon. I don’t think this person is our killer, but someone who has selected her for some reason. I think when we get back from Nevada, we’d better take a closer look at her situation and protect her as best we can and hope nothing happens to her while we’re gone.”
“That sounds sensible, Anne. We can’t do more than we did by warning her about being there alone. Speaking of trips, are you all set; and by the way, I picked up the travel arrangements. I have good news and bad news. The bad news is we’re in the same room. The good news is there is just a king size bed.”
54
SITTING ALONE HE knew the urge was getting stronger and with each passing day it became harder for him to control. There had been too many occasions with an unsatisfactory result. He knew in his present state he had to be extra careful to prevent a mistake because of this craving inside pushing him to act. He needed the darkness, so he convinced himself to go to work and then carefully layout the plan for his next conquest.
He was in a lack of sleep state and found it difficult to focus on his driving as everything became irrelevant, except the image of his next potential victim, which could be any female that he met on a dark street in the city.
“Stop it,” he said to the evil one. “You’re going off the deep end and you’ll cause me to make a mistake and wind up in prison or the gas chamber. Get your mind back on track and your patience will reward you in the end.”
55
THE DETECTIVES CONTINUED to discuss the circumstances surrounding the Doctor’s situation after she had left the station. Anne asked Lon what he thought their next move should be.
“Let’s save the answer to that question for our return from our trip. Right now I think we should go into an interview room where it’s quiet and go through Marie Radford’s computer and review the messages she shared with her killer on the internet. There may be a word or a phrase or even a mention of a location that might give us a clue to this guy’s identity.”
“Can you handle the heat of the eroticism, Lon?”
He just smiled at her and picked up the computer.
They listened quietly through the tame first postings of daily emails between the two. It was evident as they continued to listen that the sexuality was growing with each message they shared. They finally arrived at the point where each of the messaging pair began graphic eroticism describing fantasies in explicit detail. After each exchange they would end with a question asking each for their answer to be in explicit descriptive words that made Anne blush and act out fanning herself.
“Wow, they were hot and heavy,” she said looking over at Lon. He sat smiling at her and she ignored his innuendo.
“How could a woman of her stature get so entangled with a stranger like this out of the blue and arrange a meeting to have sex?”
“I don’t get it either Anne. A sophisticated lady married to a high profile successful politician would most certainly be aware that there is a crazy maniac running around killing women.”
Anne stood and began going back over their emails. Then she said to her partner. “Let’s analyze the invitations from the perp. The lady refused his first and the part I can’t wrap my mind around is he seems to be warning her not to except and even gives her an out. It’s like he’s trying to discourage her from doing this. What do you think?”
“I agree. Listen to this.”
“Marie, you’re taking a chance on really messing up your life, but I want you desperately. Always remember this, we could one day regret our decision, but If you’re ready to risk it all, then so am I. Let’s set a day and place.”
“That doesn’t sound like a serial murderer.”
“Why would a killer try to warn a possible victim of the potential life damaging act she was about to engage in? Anne, this is not our guy! Even if it is, I have a hunch that he knows Mrs. Radford, but she doesn’t realize that he knows her.”
“Think about it, the name Brick Allen, doesn’t seem like a very realistic name to me.”
Anne said, “This definitely brings a very diabolical addition to our case. We have our work cut out and with the profile of this lady we had better get a break in this case and soon.”
“On second thought,” she said, “we need to create a break.”
Lon knew she was right. “You know what is about to hit the fan from the mayor on down if we don’t catch this maniac soon. Let’s go through everything one more time and then listen to more interviews. By the way partner, excellent word, diabolical.”
56
THE SENATOR WAS given a mixed reception when he walked into the office the next morning.
“You need to answer some important correspondence, Senator. There are phone calls to return, emails, and stacks of letters and special requests in your file tray. I handled all that I could, but we only have a few weeks until the senate goes back into session. She looked at him ready to correct his excuse and recognized his depressed look.
Then, in a more caring tone, she asked, “How are you really doing?”
He knew she truly cared enough to be worried for him.
“I understand your concern for me Margie. Look I’ve been out of sync and neglecting my duties lately, but I know with your help I’ll get back on track.” He recognized the change in her expression with the softness of his remark. She shook her head in approval and he went into his office.
Going through his phone messages, he discovered that most of them were personal messages of condolence over Marie’s death and required no return call. Most of the mail correspondence was from constituents, giving their opinions on various conditions in the state and suggestions on how to vote on up-coming bills.
He managed to clean up all the items requiring his immediate attention. Trying to stay totally focused on his duties at hand he could not keep his mind from reverting to an image of Stephanie. He was concerned that he wasn’t using good judgment and could further draw attention to himself as a suspect. He knew that, for image sake, he had to be careful about getting too fond of that lady. Keep yourself under control; she is going to be here for a long time. He leaned back in his chair and thoughts of Marie came into his mind.
“What should I do, Mother? I know you had a problem with Marie, but I do miss her, but now I think I like this woman and I think I plan to see her tonight at sunset.”
57
ANNE WALKED INTO the Rainbow and greeted Johnny who always seemed overly glad to see her.
“Hey, don’t you ever go home, she asked him?”
“That’s the problem with owning your own business, lady detective. You have to be here night and day. What can I get you, Anne?”
“Think I’ll have a gin and tonic.”
“Coming up; say, how tight are you with that Terry guy?”
“We’ve been together a few times, why?”
“He hooked up with a gal last night. He left with you, but about a half hour later he came back. H
e made contact with her and after dancing a few times, they left together. I hope I’m not messing things up by telling you this. You’re my favorite customer and I felt I should tell you in case there is something starting up between you.”
“Thanks for the heads up, Johnny; it will help me with my future decisions.”
His eyes flashed to the right in a signal action and Anne knew that he was saying Terry had walked in. When he sat in the seat next her she turned and smiled at him.
“It’s good to see you, Anne.”
“Well it’s nice to see you, Terry. How was your day?”
“It was one of the best and very productive. I was at my persuasive best today and had a very good sale percentage with my clients.”
“You must have gotten a lot of sleep last night. You’re all hyped up and full of spit and vinegar. What time did you get to bed?”
Terry winced and looked into her eyes and then over at Johnny who was smiling at Anne and he knew he had told her about the night before and decided to face it head on.
“Actually, I didn’t get a lot of sleep. I met a lady here last night and after dancing with her most of the night, we went out for something to eat. Then I went home.”
“I guess she didn’t require you to stay all night.”
“Very funny Anne; I hope you got plenty of sleep.”
“Oh, yes and I was in the office bright and early and even more important for me it was the first time I actually beat my partner to the station.”
Turning serious he said, “Listen, Anne can we sit at a table and talk?”
No, but we can sit right here and discuss anything you feel needs saying. I don't have much time, I have to get home.”
She recognized the tinge of anger appear in his eyes. She had seen it before and it threw up a warning to his overall mental state.
“It's not like you to be in such a rush to get home. What's going on?”
“My partner and I are flying to Nevada tomorrow morning to interview a potential source of information that could give us some insight into the man we’re looking at in the serial killings that’s all over the headlines.”
