I turned to see Carla. She was also stunned. I just hugged her and we embraced in silence. There was really nothing else to say or do. The fire raged on, but was slowly being put out. I realized that my homecoming had now become a series of murders that I had to solve. I also realized that I would be staying much longer in my hometown than I had originally planned. But it was not to reminisce about old times anymore. The murders had to be solved, one way or the other and I was determined to bring the mysterious killer to justice.
…Synopsis…
Book 2
Dick Denton continues on his investigation to uncover the mysterious killer plaguing the town and his school bullies. He decides to warn his old bullies about the danger of the killer lurking in the shadows. However, because of their past history, not all of them are as eager to take Denton's warnings to heart. He also reconnects with his old high school flame Carla Jenkins. However, this reunion is not all roses, as the killer is still at large. Can he protect all of them, while uncovering the mysterious killer's identity before he strikes again?
The Tiny Town Murders Book 2
Chapter 1
Some Warm Milk.
“Are you still up, Dick?”
I turned from my work at the sound of my mother's voice. I had a splitting headache, I was sleepy beyond sleepy, and for some strange reason, I felt my fingers twitching. Maybe I was getting a stroke. It figured. But despite all of it, my mom calling still managed to get me, Dick Denton to smile.
“I'm okay, Mom. I'm just reviewing some stuff.” I called back.
I heard the old stairs creaking and groaning with each step of Mom coming closer to my room. I was amazed that their old house didn't just fall apart like a house of cards after all the years.
“I'm coming up, Dear.” she said.
I smiled to himself. That was mother just being herself. After all these years, she was still overly caring. The sight of my room light still lit at this hour probably worried her. That was mom, for you.
She opened the door and I turned to greet her. She was still pretty fast at climbing up those stairs for her age.
“I made you some warm milk, honey.” she said.
“Thanks, mom.” I said.
She smiled at me. It was still the warm smile I had known after so many years. One of the reasons I went back home was that smile of hers. You could never get a smile like that in the big city. No, that was a Tiny Town exclusive.
“Come on, Dick. Let's talk a minute.”
“Sure, mom. What is it?”
Mom sat beside me and I saw her eyes dart all over the room. She immediately noticed all the papers and files that were scattered around my desk.
“Oh dear. Are all those papers and documents about the death of Kevin and Chet?” she said.
I nodded grimly.
“Yes mom. When someone croaks, there's a lot of paperwork to be filed. Some of them are my own documents and reports that I made. My own personal findings on the case.”
The deaths of Kevin Stephenson and Chet Walker were still very fresh in the minds and hearts of everyone in Tiny Town. Both were young men my age, who were still pretty healthy. There was
indication that they would suddenly just die, but that was what happened. At least with Stephenson, who seemed to have suddenly died of fright. Before he collapsed and died, he was said to have been babbling about seeing snakes, and how they would get him. Then he died, apparently of a massive heart attack induced by fright.
His old buddy Chet Walker also died but not by fright, sort of. While attending Stephenson's funeral, he suddenly ran out saying the dark was out to get him. And yes, he was terribly afraid of the dark. He ran back to his house and lit his house on fire, 'to keep the dark away' and he died in the blaze.
“Do you have to do all that paperwork, son? Isn't it pretty stressful?” she asked.
I smiled at Mom. Her simplicity about these things was refreshing.
“It's more than just paperwork, Ma. I have to observe and record any pattern I can get in these cases. Draw them all and look for clues that can possibly solve the murders.”
“And did you find any clues? Do you think they're murders?”
“What else could they be? These weren't natural deaths. And yeah, I found a ton of clues.”
There was clearly a disturbing pattern emerging in the murders. Both Stephenson and Walker were buddies in high school, running with the popular crowd, or 'the athletic jocks' of the day. They were both relatively healthy before they died, and they also bullied me and a bunch of other kids back in the day, including Davis Tomlinson, who was now a scientist and still living in Tiny Town.
Stephenson and Walker also had heavy doses of norepinephrine, a chemical that induces fear, in their system before they died. This was a clear indication that they were probably poisoned, inducing their mass hysteria that led to their deaths.
“So those poor boys had that terrible drug in their system and it caused them to see things, which led to their death?” Ma said.
“That's generally the idea, Ma.” I said.
“Oh dear. And you want to find the killer? And he's still in town?” she said with much apprehension.
“I can't be sure, Ma. But I think so. Whoever the killer is, probably has an axe to grind with them. Maybe someone who was bullied by them, in the old days.” I said.
“Didn't you have the hardest time forgiving them before? And you were bullied before.” she said.
I stared at Ma.
“Mom! What are you saying?”
The quiet night was broken by Mom's laugh.
“I'm just trying to make you laugh. Sorry son. I just want you to take it easy a bit.” she said.
“I can't do that, Ma. Not when there's a killer loose in town.” I said.
She leaned close to me, and kissed me.
“My father and I raised you well. I'm sure you'll find him. But you should really try to slow down. It's getting late. That can wait tomorrow, you know.”
“Ma..”
I knew that my mother was just concerned. But I had to get all this done. I couldn't sleep with the thought that there was a killer on the loose in town.
“I'm just saying. Well, there's warm milk there to help you sleep. I better go back to sleep myself. Good night, son.”
“Good night, Mom. Love you.”
“Me too.”
Mom left the room and the door closed softly behind her. The warm milk just stood there on the table, almost mocking me. The papers were still in disarray, and I was no closer to getting to the bottom of all this.
Chapter 2
A Changed Man
I woke up with a splitting headache. Yes, I actually managed to get some sleep. I dozed off right on the table. I woke up with my head on my arms. I rubbed my eyes, as the morning sun came down on me.
“Well, I never thought that I would spend a sleepless night working here in my hometown, of all places!”
I stood up from the chair, still a little sleepy and disoriented. I decided I would walk it off. After all, Steve Keifer's house wasn't that far from ours. There was really no place that was far from the other in Tiny Town. That was just part of our small town charm. In many ways this really was a “Tiny Town.”
Walking around town helped clear my head and let me think a little clearer. Unfortunately, there was not much to think about. The murders had been commited and the killer had not really left too many clues to work with. This left me with no choice but to contact the other potential victims and warn them. Maybe they could somehow be careful and stay alive until I figured this all out.
I visited Steve Keifer's house first. There were still fresh memories around him, just as with the others.
As I approached his house , I remembered how they would taunt me and tease me mercilessly. Looking back the jokes were pointless, and with little sense. The pranks themselves were often painful exercises of minor torture and were definitely agonizing. I remembered when they rigged a pail full of crap u
p above the entrance to the classroom. They knew what time I would arrive, and they triggered the mechanism right when I entered. Well, the excrement fell right onto me. I must have smelled for a whole week. They received detention for a full month, a world record back in the day, but it didn't matter. They had gotten away making me look like an idiot. And that was just one of their pranks.
That prank, and many others echoed and replayed in my mind's eye as I walked up to Keifer's front door. I approached the door and rang the doorbell. After some moments, a young girl answered the door. I didn't recognize her.
“Can I help you?” she said.
“Yeah. Is Steve Keifer inside? I need to see him.” I said.
“Who is it?” she said.
“It's Dick Denton.” I said.
“Just a moment.” she said.
She retreated back into the house and called Steve.
“Dad! There's someone to see you!”
So he was a father now. He had a pretty daughter and I was genuinely happy for him, even if the awful memories were still fresh.
It was Keifer who met me outside the door.
“Denton? Dick Denton? Is that you? Man, it's been awhile!” he said.
I smiled politely.
“Hi Steve. I was just..”
“Come on in! Let's talk inside.”
“Okay, sure.”
Keifer lived in a modest house that was not all that different from ours. It had enough furniture to be homey, but it wasn't luxurious. He was also pretty hospitable and accomodating. His teen-age daughter smiled at me as I entered. I smiled back. I sat on the couch.
“Want some coffee? My daughter makes one hell of a cup of coffee.” he said.
I really didn't want any, but Keifer was so persuasive. It was typical Tiny Town hospitality at its best.
“Casey, make Mr. Denton and me some coffee, please.” he said.
“Sure, Dad!”
Casey disappeared into the kitchen and we continued our discussion.
“I heard you're a big shot detective in the big city now.” he said.
“Not really. I just solved some murders that the media drummed up. But I'm really still a small town boy at heart.” I said.
Keifer smiled just as the coffee arrived. I took a sip. Keifer was right. She made the best home-made coffee I ever tasted.
“You're right. This is the best coffee that I've ever tasted.”
“I told you. Casey got her skills from her momma. She was great around the kitchen.”
“Really? How is she?”
I was drawn to the small talk by Keifer's hospitable nature and Casey's coffee. It was a far cry from his other nature that I was more familiar with. The nature of a predator, a schoolyard bully, someone who was more than eager to pounce on the weaker people around him.
The flowing coffee allowed the memories to flow as well. I was brought back to the day when I was reading in the library with Davis. We were always hanging around together, doing research, or studying. Davis was always lost in his science books, while I was already laying the foundations of my detective practice.
I stood up from my chair and walked towards one of the aisles of books that lined the library. Just as I was walking towards the books, I caught a glimpse of Jason, Kiefer, and his other gangmates. I ignored their snickering and laughing among themselves. After all, they always laughed at me at Davis, whether it was behind our backs, or right in front of us. I kept walking towards the books.
And that was when I felt the floor rushing to meet me. It all happened so fast. My foof felt something slippery underneath it, and I just slipped and fell. I fell right on my butt, and it hurt like hell. My butt and my pride were both hurting. I could still remember them laughing really hard in the library.
“Ha! Ha! Ha! I told you, the classic bannana peel trick still works!”
It was Steve. He was the one who planted the bannana peel on the floor. And I fell for it. As with most
of their sick tricks, I just stood up silently, and I took it. Looking back now, I know I should have done something, but back then, I was just too timid to fight back. It was just one of many incidents where Davis and I were taunted and embarrassed. It didn't matter that the librarian later got on their case and gave them detention. Jason and his gang never really cared about detention. What was important was that they got their pranks in.
“She.. she's moved on.”
The soft voice of Kiefer brought me back to reality from my reminiscing.
“I'm sorry.” I said.
“It's all right. It was a long time ago, and I just raised my daughter on my own.” he said.
I could not believe what I was seeing. It was difficult to believe that this was once the man who bullied me and other kids relentlessly. The memories of his being a bully seemed so distant and so far back. The reality now, was that he had changed greatly. I didn't really take the time to know Steve Keifer that well, and I could have been wrong, but my first impressions of him since last we met, was that he had changed. A lot. Maybe even more than Jason Norris. I was pleasantly surprised.
“Look, Dick. I know me and my friends were terribly cruel to you and your friends back in the day. I'm sorry for all that. We were kids, and I guess we just weren't mature enough to have our heads on straight.” he said.
“It's okay. That's all in the past.”
“Listen, Keifer. I came here to warn you.” I said.
“Warn me?”
“Yes. I'm sure you've heard of how Stephenson and Walker died recently.”
“Of course. Everyone heard about it. It was really terrible.”
“Well, I've taken it upon myself to discover their killer.”
“Killer? They were murdered?”
He almost choked on his coffee.
“If you saw them when they died, it was terrible. They died from fright. And my investigations led me to determine that they were pumped up with norepinephrine, a chemical that induces fear.”
“Whoa. That's terrible.” he said.
“I know. They were your friends. I don't know it for certain, and I can't prove it, but you and your friends may be in danger. Be careful and call me immediately if you stumble upon anything suspicious.” I said.
I handed him my card.
Keifer took my card.
“All right. I'll be sure to tell you if anything comes up.”
“I better get moving. I need to tell the others and continue my investigations.”
“With someone like you on the case, I'm sure it'll be wrapped up in no time.”
“Thanks for the coffee. Take care.”
“You too.”
We shook hands and I left the room. I thought about how Keifer had gone a long way from our high school days. It was definitely a refreshing change of pace. I guess people did change over the years. It just made my job of finding the killer even more urgent.
Chapter 3
The Bullies Now
The last bullies on my list were David Gray and finally Jason Norris himself. I placed Norris last on my priorities, simply because he probably knew the urgency of this matter and was most likely already taking precautions. I wasn't able to warn Stephenson and Walker simply because they were the first victims. Now, maybe Kiefer, Gray, and Jason would still have a chance.
David Gray's residence was old and untidy. The gate was rusty, the walls had cracks, and the windows needed to be repaired. The house didn't age gracefully through the years, but I hoped Gray like Kiefer did. Unfortunately, I would be very disappointed.
The doorbell wasn't even working so I simply rapped on the gate. After several loud taps no one was answering and I almost gave up. But someone eventually answered. From afar, I noticed that it was David Gray. He still resembled the bully of old, but he looked terrible. He was wearing a sando and torn jeans and was reed thin. His hair was uncombed and a mess and when he approached me, I noticed that he had a strange smell. His eyes also looked glazed and red. I could immediately tell that Gray was
n't all there and possibly abusing himself.
“Who is it?”
“David Gray. It's me, Dick Denton.”
“Denton? Dick Denton from high school?”
I was surprised that he even remembered. He seemed so out of it.
“Uhm, yeah. I'm a detective now and I was just..”
That was when Gray lost it.
“So what? You're here to show off? You think you're some kinda big shot?”
Gray suddenly errupted in anger. I was shocked and surprised, but looking back, I probabably shouldn't have been.
“David, no. No, that's not it. I'm here to..”
“To show off? To laugh at me when I'm down? Well guess what, Mr. Big Shot? It ain't gonna happen!”
Gray was now in my face and shouting. I could smell beer, drugs, cigarettes, and all kinds of sin on his breath.
“Jesus Christ, Gray! You don't understand..”
“I don't understand? I don't fucking understand? Oh no! No way, man! You're the one that doesn't understand! And you're the one that should step out of my property, goddamnit!”
I realized that Gray was completely out of it. I knew now that there was no reaching out to him. There was just no reasoning with someone who had slid so low.
“Listen, I'm just going to go now..” I said.
“No, you're not! I'm gonna make you pay! I'm going to make you pay for trespassing on my property and showing off!”
It happened so fast. Gray opened the gate and charged at me.
“I'm going to kick your butt so hard just like high school!” he said.
“Don't do this Gray!” I warned.
“Shut up! Just shut up!”
He rushed me. But his charge was wild and erratic, without any direction and just full of rage. It was pure and uncontrolled force. I had dealt with a lot of perps high on drugs, or worse in my time. His wild rush was nothing I couldn't handle. He threw a punch at me. I sidestepped the awkward charge and punch, grabbed his arm then gave him a knee to his groin.
The Enemy Outside Page 4
