by Becky Durfee
“It’s nice to be here,” she replied.
“I was thinking about something before you came,” Zack said. “I want you to hear me out before you say anything.”
“Okay,” Jenny replied, instantly becoming nervous.
“I want us to live together.”
Jenny’s whole body tensed. “What?”
“Not like a couple,” Zack replied. “But in like a duplex or something. Or a house with an in-law suite. I’ve got it all figured out. I’d pay you rent, and I’ll take care of the yard. I could fix things that break around the house. I’d be good to have around, you know.”
Jenny’s mind raced.
Zack lifted up onto one elbow. “You are planning to buy your own place anyway. I figure you could just as easily buy a place that has some living quarters for me. That way I can make sure you’re okay, and we don’t have any more episodes like we did tonight.” He kissed her shoulder. “I couldn’t handle another night like tonight. Ever.”
Jenny remained silent as she contemplated Zack’s argument.
“And how about this,” Zack continued. “I’d even promise to never have sex with you again if that’s what it took for you to agree to this. That’s how serious I am.” He stroked her chin with his finger. “I love you, and I don’t want anything to happen to you. Even if it means I have to give you up.”
The L-bomb. This was much more than Jenny could handle, although she certainly had to admit she was flattered.
“You’re asking me to make a life-altering decision on a night when my emotions are running very high. Can I give this some thought and get back to you?” Jenny asked.
“Of course you can,” Zack said. “I don’t expect an answer right now.”
To lighten the mood, Jenny added, “I had actually decided I shouldn’t live alone, too, but the solution I came up with was to get a dog. A big dog, like a German Shepherd or something.”
“I’m better than a German Shepherd,” Zack said playfully. “I come housebroken. I don’t shed. I won’t chew up the furniture. I won’t bite any visitors, or sniff anyone’s crotch…”
Jenny giggled. “Okay, okay, I get your point.”
“I might hump your leg, though, from time to time. Especially if you’re dressed real pretty.”
She gave Zack’s ribs a playful nudge.
He lay back down and nestled his chin against her shoulder. “Seriously, are you doing okay? As scary as my night was, yours had to be a million times worse.”
She reached her hand around and placed in on Zack’s arm. “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t going to haunt me for a long, long time. I saw a man kill himself tonight. Even if he was an asshole, it was still a tough thing to witness.”
“I’m sure.”
“And knowing it was real and not a vision…” Jenny shuddered.
“Not to mention how scared you must have been when you were in his car. Did you think you were going to die?”
Jenny sighed. “Yes. A few times. Especially there at the end. I thought for sure he was contemplating killing me.”
“I can’t imagine how that must have felt.”
“I believe horrible might be the word.”
“So why do you think he offed himself instead of killing you?” Zack posed.
“I told him we were on to him,” Jenny confessed. “I told him I was an FBI agent and we knew he was guilty. I said the cops would be coming after him, and shortly after I said that they showed up, by some miracle. When he saw the police come, he knew he’d been caught, and I guess he wanted to take the easy way out.”
“The coward’s way out.”
“I’d thought of that, too. The families of the victims won’t ever have the chance to look at him and tell him what a piece of shit he is. I mean, in one sense it’s good that he’s dead and will never hurt anyone again. But I hope the families don’t feel cheated.”
“I think after all this time they’ll just be grateful to have answers. But I’ve got to say I’m impressed with your quick thinking. You just may have talked your way out of certain death.”
“It was the only defense I had. He took my phone. I couldn’t get out of the car. I had to come up with something.”
“But claiming you were an FBI agent…that’s pretty good.”
“I’m a teacher, remember,” Jenny said with a smile. “And teachers are smart.”
Chapter 21
“Hi Susan,” Jenny said as she picked up the phone.
“Hey Jenny. I see you made the papers again.”
“Did I?” She couldn’t help but smile. “It’s been six weeks.”
“It’s an article about Jeremy Stotler’s release from prison, but you’re mentioned in it.”
“I am so glad that kid’s out of jail,” Jenny replied. “I can sleep so much more soundly now.”
“So is there anything else new. Anything that hasn’t made the papers?”
“Well, I actually got a call just yesterday that the DNA from Angela Velasquez’s fingernails came back as a match to Orlowski. Officer Johnson spoke to a detective from Trenton, who said the families of all three victims are satisfied that Orlowski was their guy, even though there was only evidence linking him to one of the murders. It would have been too much of a coincidence that the murder spree lasted only while he was in town if he wasn’t the one doing it.”
“Are you going to go up there?”
“Maybe. I’m not sure,” Jenny said. “If the families are happy with the results—like it appears they are—I may not. Oh…” she added. “I almost forgot. I also got a call from Officer Fazzino in Connecticut. He interviewed Orlowski’s ex-wife, and she had something interesting to say.”
“Oh yeah?”
“It turns out our little friend Orlowski suffered from impotence. It wasn’t a problem when they first got married, but as the years went on he had more and more trouble performing. He eventually reached a point where he couldn’t achieve an erection at all…except when the sex was violent. Then he could see it through.”
“Really? That’s pretty telling.”
“Indeed. It certainly gives us a motive,” Jenny reasoned. “You know, I think back to a conversation I had with Orlowski where he talked about infertility being an issue in his marriage. He said his wife left him so she could be with a man who could provide her with a baby. Knowing what I know now, I would bet his wife left him so she could be with a man who could have sex with her without choking her.”
Susan laughed. “I never questioned why she left.”
“Actually, as much as I hate to admit this, I could see how he might be a perfectly regular husband or neighbor. If you didn’t know he was a serial killer, you may have never been able to guess it. He seemed so…normal.”
“That’s what makes this so frightening,” Susan noted.
“I know.”
“So how is house hunting?”
“It’s okay,” Jenny replied. “It’s hard to find exactly what we’re looking for. There aren’t too many places with a full-service in-law suite. In fact, we’ve decided to try to move a little closer to my family and a little further from his. I want to be near my dad because of his heart, and Zack wants to be away from his dad because of his attitude, so we’ve switched our focus to Tennessee.”
“Moving out of state together? You sound like a couple,” Susan remarked.
“We’re not a couple. We’re just friends.”
“Jennifer…”
“Okay, so maybe we’ve had a few liaisons. But we’re still just friends.”
“Mmm-hmm,” Susan replied skeptically. “We’ll see how long it is before that in-law suite is empty.”
Jenny giggled. “I don’t know about that. He’s a great guy and all, but he’s very irresponsible. He might just be a really good fling.”
Jenny heard her phone beep, so she pulled it away from her ear and discovered her mother was calling. “Susan, I hate to cut this short, but this is my mom calling. She never calls in the middle
of the day. I can’t help but think something is wrong.”
Susan, a mother herself, said, “I totally understand. Call me back whenever.”
“Thanks, Susan.” Jenny switched lines, her blood running cold with anticipation. “Hi Mom,” she said nervously. “Is everything okay?”
To be continued in Shattered.
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