broke up with him, Tracey deleted his number from her
phone, but his e-mail address might still be in her
computer. Tracey mentioned that he e-mailed her all the
time, even after she asked him to stop. She would block
his address and he would create a new one.”
“Can you give me a description of Mr. Little?”
Rose closed her eyes for a moment, as she focused
on a mental snapshot of the man. “Short, maybe fiveseven or five-eight, dark hair and a tattoo of a dragon on his neck.”
Tom scribbled the description on his notepad and
created an entry to remind himself about Tracey’s
computer. “Did you ever talk to him, Mrs. Howard?”
“Yes, on more than one occasion. I met him in
person the two times we were visiting, and I spoke with
him over the phone a few times before he and Tracey
stopped seeing each other. If he was over her apartment,
he always answered the phone because he was afraid
some other man would call and try to talk to Tracey.”
Tom kept his expression impassive as he listened.
Rose continued. “He was jealous of everything.
Tracey couldn’t even talk to a male friend if she ran into
one at the grocery store, or Jack would lose it. He got
mad once because some young guy at a cash register
smiled at her. He accused her of flirting with him, and
ranted all the way back home. His sick jealousy was the
main reason why she felt she had to break the
relationship with him – he scared her.”
“I see. How did he treat Tracey when you were
there? Did he seem attentive?”
Rose laughed bitterly. “Attentive? That’s not the
right word to describe his behavior toward Tracey,
Lieutenant. The correct term is overwhelming. He kept
an arm around her at all times when people were in the
room; as if he wanted everyone to know she was his
property.”
“Do you know if he is still working at the hospital?”
“I’m not sure. I guess you can check with the
administrators there. I don’t think he was employed by
the hospital; he worked for a landscaping contractor.”
“Good enough. I will check with the hospital.”
Rose leaned back and closed her eyes. Her husband
took her hand into his and caressed it. “I think my wife
is tired, Lieutenant. If you would like to talk further,
maybe we can go downstairs in the lobby while she
rests.”
“That’s not necessary, Mr. Howard. This is enough
for now.” Tom stood up to leave and Mike Howard saw
him to the door.
“By the way, Lieutenant, please give my regards to
Ms. Spencer. She has really been a life saver – Alexis
loves talking to her. She has been kind enough to call
and check on us.”
Tom arched his eyebrow in surprise – Kathy didn’t
tell him about her continued contact with the family. “I
sure will, Mr. Howard. She really is a great person, and I
am glad she and Alexis hit it off.”
“They did. Alexis was very withdrawn when we
first arrived, and she seems more relaxed now, in spite
of the storm that hit our family.”
Tom nodded and smiled. Maybe Kathy was right in
encouraging the little girl to talk. As his mind wandered
to the discussion they had the night before about Alexis’
imaginary friend, he immediately thought of the photos
Kathy showed him before he went to sleep. He was
suddenly curious to know if Kathy had shown the
photos to Alexis. He left the room and took the elevator
down to the lobby. Tracey’s face, screaming from the
photos, was stuck in his mind as he walked to his car.
The sound of his mobile phone shattered the mental
image and he answered by the third ring. The voice on
the line sounded raspy and labored, but the words it
produced hit Tom in the chest.
“I am sorry to bother you, Lieutenant Lackey, but I
think you should know who killed Tracey Newman.”
#
Shannon Brinkley knew she was in trouble. She
suspected it from the moment she ran into an old school
friend at the mall and hugged her in front of Mary.
Mary’s face darkened a few shades when Taylor Martini
almost collided with Shannon, instantly squealed and
threw her arms around her old girlfriend. When Taylor
suggested they eat a late lunch together Shannon tried to
refuse, but Taylor wouldn’t take no for an answer. She
grabbed Shannon by the hand and led her to the food
court, all the while talking non-stop and behaving as if
Mary wasn’t even there. Mary didn’t appreciate being
excluded, especially when the person cutting her out of
the circle was a drop-dead gorgeous brunette from
Shannon’s past. The chemistry between Shannon and
Taylor Martini was almost palpable to her, and it made
Mary sick to her stomach. She pushed her plate away as
if it were covered with slugs and sat in the inside corner
of the booth quietly seething. She answered if someone
asked her a question – and in fairness to her, Shannon
tried to include her into the conversation several times –
but for the most part she felt like an intrusion in a party
for two.
The moment Mary and Shannon got in the car –
after Taylor Martini profusely hugged her old friend and
made her promise to stay in touch – Mary exploded.
Shannon was driving since Mary’s truck was in the
shop, and Mary screamed at her the whole way home.
Shannon was scared. It wouldn’t be the first time Mary
hit her, and Shannon was petrified; she wanted to say
something to defuse the situation, but fear kept her
tongue tied. When they pulled into the parking lot in
front of the apartment building, Mary got out first, and
said she was going for a walk. Shannon ran upstairs, her
heart beating wildly, and for a moment she considered
locking Mary outside. But of course, doing that would
anger Mary even more, and from previous experience
Shannon knew better than to do something like that –
Mary would retaliate.
She opened the door and walked inside. The living
room was dark and cool, and Shannon passed it without
turning on the light, as she headed to the kitchen to get a
glass of water. Her throat was parched and she felt
dizzy. The fingers of her right hand went instinctively to
her eye, and they touched the bruise Mary had given her
just the other day. She couldn’t go on like this any
more…something had to change.
Her mind shot in a million directions as she
desperately tried to come up with a plan fast enough to
save her from another beating, but unfortunately it
didn’t come up with one quickly enough. When the front
door slammed, Shannon felt her insides twist and her
heart beat so fast she thought it would explode.
“So, did you call your girlfriend while I was gone? I
saw her giving you her number. Do you think I’m
blind?” Mary’s voice thundered in the silence of the
room and echoed inside Shannon’s head until her ears
rang.
“No, of course I didn’t. Taylor is only someone I
went to school with. There was never anything between
us.”
“Oh, really?” Mary walked quickly toward Shannon
until she was only a few inches away from her. “Is that
why the two of you couldn’t take your eyes off each
other?”
Shannon started to weep. “It’s not true, Mary. We
were just happy to catch up. That’s all…”
Mary snickered as if she found Shannon’s words so
ridiculous they were amusing. She got close enough that
Shannon could feel her hot breath on her face. Mary’s
smile suddenly turned hard and bitter and her eyes
flashed an anger Shannon had never seen before. It’s
going to get worse every time…she is going to kill me.
“That’s all? That’s all you can say for yourself? You
stupid little slut!” Mary’s eyes became small dark slits
and her voice came out as a hiss. She grabbed Shannon
by the shoulders and dug her fingers into her skin.
“Mary, you’re hurting me! Let me go!”
Mary released her grip. “I’m hurting you? Really?
This is nothing, Sweetheart. The good stuff is yet to
come.” She ran her hand over Shannon’s head, closed it
around her untied hair, and yanked hard. Shannon
screamed and started sobbing. “Please don’t hurt me…
you know I only love you, Mary. I’ve never loved
anyone like you, not even Tracey…” The moment she
uttered those words, Shannon was sure she had dug her
own grave. Mary dragged her by her hair to the living
room and ripped off her shirt before she threw her on the
couch. “Show me then. Show me you love me more
than you loved Tracey.”
Shannon continued to cry as Mary pulled off her
pants and her head disappeared between her legs. She
felt a wave of nausea wash over her. She didn’t want to
be there, but by now she was so trapped she didn’t know
where to turn. She should have listened when Tracey
told her to kick Mary out once for all.
#
Tom dialed Parker’s mobile phone number and
tapped his fingers against the steering wheel of his car
while he waited for his partner to pick up. When Parker
got on the line, his voice was as unhappy as always, but
Tom ignored it.
“Parker, have you found anything about Jack
Little?”
“Not yet. Lots of people with the same name, but
their ages don’t check.”
“Tracey Newman’s mother believes Jack Little
harassed her via e-mail. We need to get her computer.
Do you think we can get Judge Harris to sign a warrant
by tonight?”
Parker huffed. “That old goat has probably already
gone home, but I will call and check.”
“Thank you. Also, I just got a call from a woman
who claims to know Tracey’s killer.”
Parker whistled. “Yeah? Who is she?”
“I’m not sure. She wouldn’t give me her name. She
said she doesn’t want to get involved but she knows the
killer. She called me from a payphone.”
“Seriously? I didn’t think people even used
payphones any more. So, how are you going to get in
touch with her?”
“She said she is going to call me back tonight at
nine. I guess I will have to wait for her phone call.”
“Strange bird, that one is. Sounds like she watches
too many police shows. Probably just a weirdo.”
Tom laughed. “Yeah, maybe you are right, but we
can’t afford to take anything for granted.”
Parker’s voice sounded more cheerful now. “I agree.
No chances. I’m going to call Harris right now. Wish me
luck.”
“Good luck, Parker. Call me as soon as you know
something. I am going to call Brad Johnson and see if I
can talk to him.
“Ten four.”
Tom clicked the red button on his phone to end the
call, and immediately dialed the number Shannon gave
him for Brad, but he got his answering machine, so he
left a message. He decided to go back to Tracey’s
apartment – warrant or not, Shannon Brinkley seemed
agreeable to letting him in without too many formalities.
He drove north on Capital Boulevard and damned
himself for not taking a different route when he got
stuck in traffic near the intersection with Sumner
Boulevard. The nearby mall was considered a blessing
by many who purchased homes in the area, but it was a
curse for anyone trying to drive through there during
rush-hour traffic. He finally made it through the next
two intersections and sped until he got to Perry Creek
Road. He turned right and drove quickly to the
apartment complex, and he parked his car in one of the
spaces farther away from the building – he certainly
didn’t want to occupy one of the spots assigned to the
residents who were probably, by now, ready to go home
after a long day. If anything, growing up in a small town
taught him good manners; and, he thought smiling, what
the town didn’t teach him, his mother surely did. Mrs.
Lackey had no tolerance for poor manners or lack of
consideration toward others. He went up the stairs two
steps at a time and knocked on the door. No answer,
even though the lights were on inside. He knocked again
and waited, his ear close to the door to see if he could
detect any sounds coming from within. He heard
someone weeping softly, so he knocked once more.
“Police! Please open the door!”
He stood by the closed door, uncertain of what he
should do. He couldn’t just barge in, and yet his instincts
told him he needed to do just that. He was ready to
knock again, when the door opened. The sight of
Shannon Brinkley made him suck in his breath. Her hair
was disheveled and she had on a powder blue robe
stained by the blood that ran profusely from her cut and
swollen bottom lip. Her eyes were red from crying and
the fear in her eyes was intense enough to make Tom
shiver. “Ms. Brinkley…what happened?”
The gentleness in Tom’s tone crumbled Shannon’s
resolve to keep quiet and she collapsed against his chest
sobbing. Tom held her up and walked her toward the
living room where he helped her sit on the couch. Torn
clothes were abandoned on the floor beside it. When he
noticed that Shannon’s eyes darted from side to side of
the room and back to the open front door, Tom went
quickly to close and lock it, then he returned to the
couch and sat beside Shannon.
“Tell me what happened, Shannon. Who did this?”
Shannon continued to cry as if she didn’t hear him,
but before he could ask again, she raised her eyes and
looked into his face to see if she could trust him. Her
voice was as small as the vo
ice of a wounded child. “It
was Mary. She got jealous because I ran into a friend
from school, and she accused me of liking her.”
“Has she ever done this before?”
Shannon nodded, and she pulled down the shoulder
of her robe to expose a large scar. “I got this when she
threw me into the kitchen table one night. I hit the
corner and I had to go to the hospital to get stitches.
That night she was mad because I told her that Tracey
didn’t want her to stick around as much as she did.”
A light flickered in Tom’s mind. “Tracey didn’t get
along with her?”
Shannon laughed bitterly. “Who could get along
with her, Lieutenant? She is mean and hateful, and she
doesn’t think twice about using violence to get her
way.”
“Shannon, do you think it is possible that Mary
harmed Tracey? She obviously felt Tracey was an
obstacle in her relationship with you.”
Shannon licked her bottom lip and grimaced when
she tasted iron from the fresh blood that continued to
seep from the wound. “I’ve wondered about that too,
Lieutenant. Mary hated Tracey. She was sure there was
something going on between the two of us, and she went
through my things constantly, looking for evidence.
When she didn’t find anything she got even angrier and
accused me of hiding things from her.”
Tom paused to think for a moment. Everything was
moving too fast for him to properly process the
possibilities.
“Shannon, could I take Tracey’s computer? I know I
should have a search warrant, and my partner is working
on it, but could I take the computer in to be analyzed?
Your cooperation would save us a huge chunk of time.”
Shannon nodded. “I don’t see why not.”
Before he got up from the couch to go to Tracey’s
room, he asked: “Where is Mary now?”
“She went to work. She has a lot of debt she is
trying to pay off, so she is working graveyard shift
because it pays more. She took my car because hers is in
the shop.”
“Do you want to go ahead and press charges,
Shannon?”
Shannon shook her head. “No. It’s going to be okay
now. After the pressure has been released she is good for
several days.”
Tom didn’t insist. From previous experience with
victims of domestic abuse, he was well aware that
pressing charges unless the abused victims were fully
Killer in Sight (A Tom Lackey Mystery) Page 9
