Hello Again

by Brenda Novak

  “I understand why she’d crave justice,” his father said. “I really do. But putting you away isn’t going to change the past, and it certainly won’t change her life as it is today. She’s recovered and gained a lot of fame and opportunity from that terrible incident. It’s given her a solid career. So what’s the point?”

  “There is no point,” Jasper replied. “I mean … maybe if I was really a danger to others, as she claims. But I’m not.”

  “She has to say you’re a danger. Then tracking you down is about protecting the innocent, which is far nobler than sheer revenge.”

  Hearing his father talk like that made Jasper a lot more comfortable. He hadn’t lost his parents’ support. “What did Sergeant Murphy say?”

  “I wasn’t the one who talked to him. He left before I got home. But I’m looking at the business card he gave your mother right now.”

  “He left her a card?”

  “Yes.”

  “As if he expects to hear from her?”

  “I guess.”

  “Is Mom with you? Can you put her on the phone?”

  “She’s inside the restaurant. We’re in the middle of having dinner with some friends.”

  Jasper began to pace in the dim, enclosed space. His van was parked outside at the curb, so his wife’s Mustang was the only vehicle in the garage, but that still didn’t leave a lot of room. “What phone are you using?”

  “My friend’s. I told him mine was out of battery and I needed to step out to make a quick business call.”

  “Mom didn’t mention the sergeant’s visit in front of your dinner companions—”

  “Of course not. I could tell something was wrong with her on the way over, before we met up with them. So I kept asking, and she finally told me about Sergeant Murphy.”

  Finally? “Why would she hold back?”

  “I guess she didn’t want to upset me, didn’t want to ruin the evening. I would’ve let you know instantly, but since I couldn’t use one of our phones, I had to wait until it would seem natural to ask for someone else’s. Fortunately, when I said mine had died Mom piped up that she hadn’t brought hers and Jared, my partner on some oil deals, offered his.”

  “So you’re talking on Jared Somebody’s phone?”

  “Yes.”

  “Thanks for being cautious, Dad.”

  “No problem. We’re in this, too, you know. If they catch us communicating with you, they’ll charge us with obstruction of justice. They’ve told us that.”

  “They won’t catch you. They haven’t yet, have they? We just can’t get sloppy. That’s why I asked.” Jasper couldn’t afford to let any problems crop up now. He was just about to move in for the coup de grâce. The funny thing was, Evelyn had worked with so many psychopaths over the years that even his parents wouldn’t know it was him when he finally killed her.

  “I can’t erase this call from his call history,” Stan was saying, “so if Jared happens to reach out because he doesn’t recognize this number and he’s curious or something, say you’re Chase Johnson and that you and I are involved in a housing development project together.”

  “Will do. Anyway, I don’t have much time, either. So why don’t you tell me what Mom had to say about Sergeant Murphy.”

  “She just said he tried to upset her. To spook her by telling her that you’re out there, killing more women.”

  Jasper had bumped into Sergeant Murphy—or Amarok, as the locals called him—when he visited Hilltop back before Hanover House ever opened. He hadn’t liked the trooper from the beginning, but he’d liked him even less once he’d realized that Amarok and Evelyn were together. What the hell did the trooper think he was doing, traveling all the way to San Diego to bother Stanley and Maureen? “That’s crazy,” he said. “No way could I be hurting anyone. Hillary would know if I was going out at night. She wouldn’t put up with that for a minute. And I work during the day.”

  “That’s what I told your mother, but he had some pictures with him,” he said.

  Jasper felt a muscle begin to twitch in his eye. This wasn’t what he wanted to hear after his first day back at work. Having to return to that damn prison was hard enough after being off for six days—and making the most of those days. “What kind of pictures?”

  “Photographs of several women who’ve been murdered.”

  Curling his free hand into a fist, Jasper pivoted to head back across the cement floor. “Where did he get those?”

  “I guess he got them from the police or something. Your mom said the victims looked like Evelyn—same color hair and body type. And Sergeant Murphy claimed the bodies were found just outside of Phoenix.”

  Although his father didn’t add not far from where you used to live, Jasper knew that was the reason behind this call. Amarok had managed to shake their faith. Now they were looking for reassurance, and Jasper didn’t have a lot of time in which to soothe their fears. Hillary could come looking for him any second. He’d promised to help the girls with homework while she took a bath. She said he owed it to her after being gone all week.

  “That has nothing to do with me, Dad,” he said. “I have a family now, a family I adore. I would never do anything to threaten their peace and happiness.”

  Jasper guessed his father would respond to that argument because he would never allow anything to threaten his own family. Stan felt what most men felt—and what Jasper couldn’t.

  “I know,” his father responded. “It’s a beautiful family, too.”

  Jasper had provided them with pictures. His folks were so excited about being grandparents, even though they couldn’t see Miranda and Chelsea in person due to the risk and the fact that Hillary didn’t even know they existed. The photographs Jasper showed them on the rare occasions they met also made Hillary, Miranda and Chelsea seem real, helped his parents to believe he was the normal husband and father he purported to be.

  “Because of the second chance you gave me, I’ve made good,” Jasper insisted. “I could never tell you how grateful I am for how you’ve stood by me all these years, Dad. I don’t take that lightly, would never make a mockery of your love by hurting someone else. I don’t have any desire to act out because I don’t do drugs anymore—not even experimentally, like I did back when … when everything went so wrong.”

  “That’s what I told your mother.”

  “It’s true. Thank God I can’t remember what happened. I was so high … it’s all a blur to me.”

  Fortunately, he didn’t bring up the fact that he couldn’t have been high the entire time—for days in a row—or someone would’ve noticed. His parents seemed content to overlook what they could. “That was a tragedy for everyone—including us,” his father said. “People don’t think we’ve suffered, but we’ve lost regular association with you, our only son. We can’t even get to know our daughter-in-law or our grandchildren.”

  “I feel terrible about that. But it could’ve ended much worse, if not for you.”

  “We believe in you, son. We always have.”

  Stan sounded convinced and satisfied. Jasper had managed to pacify him. But that didn’t mean Evelyn’s cop lover would leave them alone. “You don’t think Amarok will come back, do you? Mom told him to stay the hell away, didn’t she?”

  “Amarok? Who’s Amarok?” his father asked.

  Jasper’s breath lodged in his throat as if it had suddenly congealed there. He’d been so stressed about Hillary coming out to find him in the garage and jumping to the conclusion that he was calling another woman—or whatever else her jealousy inspired—that he hadn’t been monitoring his words carefully enough, and now he’d screwed up.

  Shit! What was he going to say? He hoped the sergeant’s nickname had been given in the press or on the Internet somewhere—possibly attached to a quote regarding Hanover House coming to town. If it wasn’t and his father decided to check, it’d look awfully strange that Jasper had somehow known Sergeant Murphy’s nickname.

  His saving grace was that his fath
er wasn’t likely to check, he told himself. Even if he did, Jasper would cover for it somehow. He’d gotten away with lying to his parents for most of his life, hadn’t he?

  “Isn’t that what you said his name was?” he asked, hoping to make up for the slip.

  “I said it was Benjamin Murphy,” his father clarified.

  “Sorry. We don’t have that great of a connection. I must’ve misheard you. Or I picked that up in some news report or something.” He could hear his wife calling his name from the back door of the house, checking to see if he was in the yard. She was coming; he had to go. “Listen, thanks for letting me know what’s going on. But I have to get off the phone. I promised Hillary I’d help the kids with homework tonight.”

  There was a pause that seemed to be filled with renewed uncertainty.

  “Dad?”

  “Right. No problem. Of course. And don’t worry. Everything’s fine here.”

  Jasper let his breath seep out in relief. “Thanks. Tell Mom not to talk to anyone connected to Evelyn or the police. Why put herself through the grief?”

  “I’ve told her that a million times.”

  “So why’d she let this guy in?”

  “She said he was … different, more convincing somehow.”

  “He’s after the same thing all the other cops are. Stay away from him.”

  “I doubt he’ll be back. He lives in Alaska, so it’s quite a trip.”

  The distance didn’t matter. Amarok seemed determined. He’d made a bold move, flying all the way to San Diego to approach Stanley and Maureen.

  One that required nerve.

  And one for which Jasper was determined to make him pay dearly.

  11

  When Amarok’s call came in, Evelyn was in the conference room analyzing the brain scans with Dr. Ricardo. Her colleague walked out to get a cup of coffee so she could have a few minutes to talk. She turned away from the laptops they’d set up and stood and stretched her back as she did so. “How’d it go?” she asked Amarok.

  “Better than I expected,” he replied.

  She walked over to the large expanse of windows and gazed out at the tall chain-link fence, topped with razor wire, and illuminated by the perimeter lights. “That’s encouraging.”

  “I believe Maureen feels bad about what her son has done and wonders if she should’ve acted differently. It’s Stanley who’s standing in the way.”

  “He’s the one protecting Jasper?”

  “Well, they both are. She’s sticking with her husband, for the time being. But the good news is that she seems to be struggling with her conscience.”

  Could that be the case? Would the Moores ever be willing to face the truth about their son? “Really?”

  “That’s how it felt to me.”

  Evelyn was almost afraid to get her hopes up. She’d waited so long for any kind of justice. “What’d she say to give you that impression?”

  “She said Stan wouldn’t like that she was talking to me. Yet she did talk to me. And I learned that they do have contact with Jasper.”

  “She told you that?”

  “In so many words. She said he couldn’t be out murdering people because he’s now ‘happily married.’”

  “Oh God. As if the two are mutually exclusive. I guess she’s never heard of Linda Yates, Darcie Brudos or Judith Mawson.”

  “I’m sure she hasn’t. I don’t know who they are.”

  “Well, I’m sure you’d recognize who their husbands once were. And so would Maureen Moore.” Evelyn pitied the poor unsuspecting soul who was now living with the man who’d not only slit Evelyn’s throat but also started the fire meant to consume her body. After all these years, she could smell the smoke as if it were sweeping through the room where she stood at this moment. “I’m sorry for whoever he’s drawn into his web.”

  “I’m more worried about the kids.”

  “He has kids? That’s even worse news.”

  “According to his mother, he’s a real family man these days.”

  “Makes me sick.”

  “Do you think they’re in danger—or are they too important as a cover?”

  “Using them as a way to hide might be enough to keep them safe. But … I can’t even begin to guess. With someone like Jasper, anyone he associates with—or bumps into—could be in danger. He’s a cold-blooded killer. Someone who enjoys inflicting pain on others. Someone who actively looks for opportunities to indulge his sick fetishes. So it all depends on what strikes his fancy in any given moment, and what he thinks he can get away with.”

  “If I get the chance to talk to her again, I’ll let his mother know the children he’s raising could be in trouble. Maybe then she’ll open her mouth.”

  “Jasper’s wife and kids are probably dying of emotional starvation, even if he isn’t hurting them physically,” Evelyn mused.

  “I’m surprised such a cold, selfish guy can keep a wife.”

  “If I know him, he’s making sure she thinks the failings in their marriage are her fault. He blamed me the entire time he was torturing me. If I hadn’t been so nosey. If I hadn’t shown up when I did. If I hadn’t shoved my way in and spotted Marissa, Jessie and Agatha dead. On and on. You asked for this, Evelyn.”

  “His days are numbered, babe,” Amarok said, pulling her back from the precipice of those memories. “We’re getting closer. His mother also gave away the fact that he’s living in Arizona, and I got the impression that it’s not far from where those five bodies were found.”

  “Just like you suspected.”

  “Just like I suspected. I might’ve gotten more out of her, but Stan came home. That spooked her so much she rushed me out the back door so he wouldn’t see me.”

  “Wow. She really is concerned about how he might react.”

  “No doubt Jasper has caused a fair amount of turmoil in their marriage.”

  “I’m glad you went down there, Amarok. For the first time, we have somewhere to start looking.”

  “When I called the detectives in Peoria to tell them there may be a connection, they mentioned that there was an attempted abduction in Casa Grande two days ago.”

  “Casa Grande?”

  “It’s south of Phoenix, not quite part of the metropolitan area but close. Some woman escaped a man who threw her in his van—a man who was wearing a mask.”

  That sounded familiar, but a lot of rapists and murderers wore masks. “How’d she get away?”

  “The details are still murky, but I’ve been told she jumped out while her abductor was merging onto the freeway. And she has the same hair and eye color you do, like the others.”

  “How far is Casa Grande from Peoria?”

  “About an hour and twenty minutes.”

  “That’s not very close. It may not be related.”

  “It’s within the realm of possibility. You know how people move around metropolitan areas. Anyway, the detectives are willing to have her look at the age-enhanced photo of Jasper, so I figure it’s worth a shot.”

  “How will that help? Didn’t you say her abductor was wearing a mask?”

  “Maybe she won’t be able to identify him as the man who threw her into the van, but she should be able to tell us if she’s ever seen him before. If he’s been following her, or he works at the same place she does or lives nearby, that’d be a notable coincidence.”

  “True.”

  “Maybe Jasper has moved. Or he works in Casa Grande. To get to Casa Grande, you just take Ten South.”

  “So you e-mailed the detectives that photo?”

  “No. I told them I’d bring it with me.”

  “Now you’re going to Phoenix?” she asked in surprise.

  “It’s not too far out of the way.”

  “I already have to sleep by myself tonight.” She was partially teasing and knew he’d get that, but she did want him home.

  “I’ll be back before you know it.”

  She could hear the smile in his voice. “Have you had a chance to c
all and check on your dad?”

  “I have. He’s fine.”

  “Good.” She ducked her head and lowered her voice because Dr. Ricardo had come back into the room. “I love you,” she murmured.

  “Then marry me,” he said, but he didn’t wait for her to respond. He disconnected.

  Dr. Ricardo indicated the computers. “You ready to get back to work?”

  She returned the cordless phone to its base and sat down, but Russell Jones poked his head into the room, interrupting before they could make any progress.

  “There you are,” he said when he saw her.

  She studied him. “You’ve been looking for me?”

  “When I was coming back from my last interview, Dr. Wilheim said you were downstairs, so I thought you were still busy with the brain scans.”

  “We’re taking a look at some of the results.”

  “And?”

  “We can’t draw any conclusions yet. We haven’t even created our baseline.”

  “Everything takes time.”

  “Exactly.”

  He didn’t leave, but neither did he indicate why he’d been searching for her. He shoved his hands in his pockets and stood there, leaning against the doorjamb.

  “Did you want to speak to me?” she asked.

  His gaze shifted to Dr. Ricardo and back to her before he responded, which meant he was hoping to have a word in private. “If you have a minute.”

  Rather than make Dr. Ricardo feel he had to leave the room again, Evelyn got up. “Sure. Let’s go to my office.”

  Russ had gained at least fifty pounds since she and Fitzpatrick first hired him. He wheezed as he followed in her wake, as if crossing the reception area had become almost too arduous for him.

  She stood back in order to give him sufficient room as she showed him in. Then she closed the door. “How’ve you been, Russ?”

  “I’m holding my own.”

  “I mean on a personal level. I know it was hard on you when … when Sally decided she wasn’t coming to Hilltop.”