The May Day Murders

by Scott Wittenburg

  The same bastard who had just happened to magically show up in Ann’s life at around the same time that Marsha Bradley had been murdered. His disguise was apparently so flawless that Ann didn’t have the slightest suspicion that Rankin could be Jenkins!

  But the $50,000 question was why? Why was Rankin/Jenkins dating his ex-wife? What could be the reason for it? If he wanted to murder her, why would he go through all of this rigmarole instead of simply doing as he had with Marsha Bradley and Sara Hunt?

  Sam had no idea. It made no sense whatsoever. In fact, it made even less sense the more he thought about it.

  He pulled out onto the highway and floored the accelerator. Within a mile he was doing over seventy-five and didn’t give a shit. One solitary thought played over and over in his mind as he sped toward Smithtown:

  Ann is alone in the country with a murderer and the bastard is going to kill her…

  CHAPTER 22

  Ann couldn’t help but smile to herself as she caught Jerry glancing down at her legs yet again. A week ago this would have made her feel uncomfortable or perhaps even paranoid. But she realized now how absolutely puritanical it had been of her to get upset over something so trivial and she knew that Karen, as usual, had been right all along. Men are going to stare at you from time to time and it’s certainly nothing to get all up in arms over. Besides the fact that Jerry Rankin was a gentleman and someone she could trust, she’d also discovered that she actually enjoyed teasing him just a little bit. It was nice having a man admire her every once in awhile-it made her feel younger and more appreciated.

  The white knit mini dress she was wearing could easily have fit into the fashion scene twenty years ago, in fact, she could recall having one much like it back when she was in high school. Jerry had gone bonkers when he had come by to pick her up and first saw her in it and she realized now that although jeans and a sweater may have been more appropriate for a drive though the country on a chilly fall day, she liked the way the dress made her feel almost like she was a schoolgirl again.

  “Are you warm enough?” Jerry asked. “I can crank up the heat a bit if you’d like.”

  Ann looked over at him. “No, I’m fine. The scenery sure is gorgeous, isn’t it?”

  Jerry glanced out the driver’s side window and replied, “It certainly is. It starts getting much hillier the closer we get to Hocking County. It will be even more breathtaking there.”

  “How much longer until then?”

  “About twenty minutes or so.”

  Ann stared out the window and sighed to herself. She hadn’t felt this content in a long while and she knew she had Jerry Rankin to thank for it. After the incident the night before with Larry Underwood, she’d since wondered how she would ever have handled it if Jerry hadn’t been there. If it weren’t for him, in fact, the Underwood boy would never have been caught in the first place and God only knew what else could have happened.

  But her greatest relief was just knowing that she and Amy were safe now-no more worrying about strange noises out in the yard or obscene phone calls in the middle of the night. She had already convinced herself that Larry Underwood had also been the obscene phone caller even though he had denied it. After all, it was just a little too coincidental that the calls started at around the same time that she had thought she’d heard him prowling around in the backyard. She also felt that the calls had seemed to be directed at Amy and not herself, because whenever she had answered the phone, the caller had hung up on her once he realized it wasn’t Amy on the other end. With the exception of the night Jerry had been over when he had called, that is. And that, Ann believed, had been a fluke-most likely because Larry had mistaken her voice for her daughter’s.

  What a scary young man, she thought to herself with a shiver.

  She was very proud of Amy right now-she had managed somehow to still have a great time at the dance in spite of last night’s nightmarish incident. Plus, she had come home on time-well, only a half hour late-and it appeared that she had behaved herself as well. She had been intoxicated in a sense, but not from alcohol or drugs. Instead, she appeared to be on a natural emotional high from the apparent good time she’d had with Jason on her very first real date. As it turned out, Jason ended up being a very nice, responsible young man and Ann was certainly thankful for that.

  It was amazing, she thought, how everything seemed to be turning around for the better ever since she’d met Jerry Rankin. He was always there for her, it seemed, when she really needed someone around. And he knew all the right buttons to push to make her feel appreciated and whole again. Jerry not only respected her but also seemed to know all the right things that made her tick-her likes and dislikes, her innermost feelings about certain things, even obscure little things. Like his suggestion that they go bowling last night. Although Ann hadn’t bowled in over twenty years, Jerry somehow seemed to know that she would enjoy it. It was almost as though he’d known her for years, and yet they’d only just met a few weeks ago!

  But what really amazed Ann was the uncanny parallel between the story line of the romantic novel she had just finished reading and her relationship with Jerry. The heroine in the novel had been so much like herself-forty-ish, recently divorced with a teenage daughter to raise on her own. The heroine had moved to a new town to start over again and had just happened to run into a tall stranger and began dating him. The heroine had been hesitant at first in pursuing a new relationship, just as she had with Jerry, but things started happening quickly and before long she’d discovered that she was falling in love with him. In all that time, they had remained platonic until the heroine finally realized that she had put it off long enough.

  And where, of all the places, had they finally ended up making love to each other? None other than the stranger’s country retreat!

  Talk about coincidences!

  This didn’t mean that she had any intentions whatsoever of going to bed with Jerry Rankin today-she was still a very long way from even considering sex with him at this stage of the game. But wasn’t it amazing how similar the book had been to her own experiences? She had been so fascinated by the outcome of the book that she was tempted to ask Jerry if he’d ever read it before. But Ann wisely elected not to. She would only have embarrassed him. After all, men don’t read romance novels!

  “Look, Ann!” Jerry exclaimed, suddenly slowing down the car.

  Ann looked at where he was pointing off to the side of the road. A deer and her two fawns were scuttling off though the woods.

  “Wow, aren’t they beautiful?” Ann breathed. They sat and watched as the deer bounded out of sight.

  “That’s the second time I’ve seen deer since we left. The other time was the one I saw lying dead in the road a few miles back,” Jerry said.

  “That’s so sad.”

  The car sped up again as Jerry floored the accelerator. “It’s a shame that the poor beasts are so ignorant. When they see a car coming at them, they panic and get quite confused. But if they had just an ounce of intelligence, they’d be able to quickly assess the situation and get the hell out of the way before they got plastered.”

  “Jerry! What a horrible thing to say!”

  He looked over at her and pouted like a child who had just been scolded. “I’m sorry Ann-I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just being truthful-wild animals basically are ignorant.”

  “Well, I disagree. I think the problem is us-if we didn’t build these highways and cars that go so fast, the animals wouldn’t be in such danger. They’re only trying to survive and we’ve made it that much more difficult for them.”

  Jerry shrugged. “Okay-I have to agree with you there. I’m actually sorry I ever said anything in the first place!”

  Ann didn’t want the afternoon to be ruined over a petty argument. “I’m sorry too, Jerry. I shouldn’t have lashed out at you like that. I realize now what you were saying… I think.”

  She forced a smile, turned and looked out the window again. She realized now that it wasn
’t so much what Jerry had said but the way in which he said it that had irked her. Almost godlike. Something about that troubled her for some reason-it just didn’t seem like something Jerry Rankin would say…

  She felt his hand touch her arm and she turned to face him.

  “I truly am sorry, Ann. Will you forgive me?”

  His eyes were pleading with her. Ann smiled and replied, “I forgive you Jerry. It’s no big deal!”

  “Thanks. How about some music?”

  Ann nodded and began skimming through the CD’s in the console. She saw a half-dozen titles-all ‘60s classics. She selected The Mamas and Papa’s Greatest Hits and handed it to Jerry.

  “I really like them,” she said.

  “Me, too,” Jerry said, inserting the disk into the player.

  As California Dreaming oozed out of the speakers, Ann sat back and stared out the window, enjoying the autumnal scenery of southeastern Ohio. She noted that the terrain had become hillier and when they entered Hocking County, the highway wound up and down the foothills. The leaves on the trees were at their peak of color and it reminded her a lot of the hills surrounding Smithtown. Hocking county was in fact mid-distance between Columbus and Smithtown but further to the east and she wondered if perhaps these hills were part of the same range that made up the State forest in Smithtown.

  Before long, Jerry pulled onto a blacktop road that entered the forest region. The scenery along the road was truly spectacular as they meandered through the foothills. The woods were thick with oak, maple and elm trees, their leaves strikingly rich in color as the slanting shafts of afternoon sun radiated through the branches here and there, showcasing their delicate beauty. Ann and Jerry spoke very little, both content to sit back and enjoy the serene majesty of the wilderness. They had been in the forest for nearly fifteen minutes when Jerry slowed down as they approached an unmarked dirt road that forked off to the left. He pulled onto the road and drove a little way until they came up on a heavy gate blocking the road. Jerry threw the gearshift into park and got out.

  “Is this your driveway?” Ann asked.

  He glanced over and smiled. “Guess you could say that. I own this road as well as much of the land beyond.”

  But I thought that this was state property.”

  “Not anymore. We just passed the forest boundary line a quarter mile or so back.”

  Ann watched as Jerry stepped over to the gate, took a key from his pocked and unlocked the padlock. He swung the gate open and returned to the car.

  “I’m impressed already!” Ann exclaimed as Jerry threw the car into gear and drove a few yards past the gate.

  “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!” he grinned slyly before he got out again and locked the gate.

  “How long have you owned this?”

  “About six months. There are advantages to being in real estate-I got this place for a steal!”

  They pulled away and drove along the road for a couple of minutes until they approached a clearing. When they emerged from the tree lined road, Ann gasped.

  The first thing she saw was an enormous field of recently mowed grass. The field was flanked by lush stands of timber and near the center and to the right was a huge pond, complete with lily pads and a working fountain. Beyond the pond stood a good-sized A-frame house in the distance on top of a knoll.

  “My Lord! This is wonderful, Jerry!”

  “Thank you. I thought you’d be impressed.”

  Ann stared out the window in awe as they drove toward the house, unable to believe the beauty and remoteness of Jerry Rankin’s country estate. When he had first mentioned it to her, he never let on that it was any way near as enchanting and expansive as this and Ann suddenly had the feeling he’d done this on purpose-just to ensure that she would be absolutely floored once she actually saw it. His ploy had worked like a charm.

  Driving along the pond, Jerry said, “It’s fully stocked with bass, catfish and blue gill. I don’t suppose you like to fish, do you?”

  Ann grinned. “I used to love fishing when I was a little girl! I sort of grew out of it though, I guess.”

  “Maybe you’d like to try it again and see if you still enjoy it,” he suggested, eying her expectantly.

  Ann flashed back to the times when she used to go fishing with her father as a child and a warm wave of nostalgia swept over her.

  “I just may want to do that,” she replied with a smile.

  In another minute they rounded a curve in the road and pulled up beside the house.

  “Here we are,” he proclaimed.

  Ann stepped out and stood for a moment, surveying the surroundings. The A-frame house looked even larger than she’d imagined it to be.

  “I never dreamt it would be so gorgeous. You’ve created you own little island here!”

  “I’m glad you like it. Well, let’s go inside and I’ll show you around.”

  Ann followed him onto the deck and through the front door. The first thing that caught her eye was the sunken living room that nearly took up the entire east side of the first floor. Straight ahead from her was a large kitchen and to the right the dining area as well as sliding glass doors opening to a solarium, complete with a Jacuzzi. To her immediate right was raw space with the exception of a couple of oil paintings hanging on the wall and a spiral staircase leading upstairs. There wasn’t a single wall separating any of the interior rooms and that feature lent a light and airy atmosphere to the space.

  ‘Well, what do you think so far?” Jerry asked.

  “Awesome,” was all Ann could say.

  “C’mon,” he said, taking her by the hand and leading the way into the solarium. After showing her the hot tub, he led her to the staircase. Ann stopped and paused to look at the paintings, surprised to see that they were signed by Jerry Rankin.

  “You didn’t tell me that you were an artist!” she exclaimed as she studied one of the paintings.

  “I’ve dabbled a bit,” he replied modestly.

  “Dabbled? These are really good, Jerry!”

  “Thank you. I’m still trying to develop my own style-believe me it isn’t easy. My instructors all thought hat I was a little too fond of Picasso.”

  “Who cares? How long have you been painting?”

  “I took it up while I was in Europe. I used to sketch all the time when I was a kid and my parents were anything but encouraging-so I decided to take it more seriously and studied for a few years in Paris.”

  He started moving toward the staircase and Ann followed behind.

  “Let me show you the upstairs.”

  Jerry waited until Ann reached the landing and said. “This used to be just like the first floor-void of any walls dividing up the rooms. But I decided to break it up into separate rooms to make it a bit more functional.”

  Ann nodded and followed him down the hall to the first door on the left, which was the master bedroom. It was good sized, tastefully furnished and offered a nice panorama of the hills through the enormous plate glass window. Off to the side was a full bath that was shared with the adjacent room. Jerry led her through the bathroom into the next room, which was smaller and totally empty.

  “One of the two spare bedrooms” he explained as they walked back out into the hallway.

  They crossed the hall to another room. Jerry opened the door and Ann let out a gasp. Inside was a miniature equivalent to a fully equipped gym with every kind of exercise machine and weight lifting apparatus imaginable.

  “I like to keep fit,” Jerry smiled.

  “I’ll say,” Ann replied.

  Jerry closed the door and led Ann to the last room. “This is my study, you might say,”

  The room was every bit as large as the master bedroom and looked like it could be the control room for NASA, with numerous computers and peripherals arranged in clusters on the long counters running along the length of the walls. At the far end, against the window, sat another counter with what appeared to be a ham radio along with a vast array of sophisticated look
ing diagnostic equipment.

  “Good God, Jerry! What is all of this?” Ann asked.

  “Toys,” Jerry replied simply. “Just a bunch of toys that I like to tinker around with.”

  Ann stood over to one of the computers and looked it over. Although she wasn’t very familiar with computer hardware, she could tell that this was serious, ultra-expensive equipment.

  “What on earth do you use all of this for?”

  Jerry came over and stood beside her. “I like to keep in touch with what’s going on in the world. It’s almost like having the entire world at your fingertips.”

  “That’s pretty apparent. But why in a country retreat?”

  He looked at her peculiarly. “Why not?”

  Ann suddenly felt stupid for asking the question and smiled nervously. “Well, I’m certainly impressed. I didn’t realize you had so many hobbies, Jerry. I’m surprised you find the time to sell real estate!”

  He said quickly, “It’s not as though I’m here that often, but it’s nice to come here whenever I can and get away from it all. Isn’t that what getting away is all about? Relax and do the things you most enjoy doing?”

  He had a point and she had to agree. But she also wondered what was left to furnish his home in Dublin. Jerry Rankin’s “retreat” looked more like permanent residence than a place to just drop in from time to time.

  When they returned to the hall, Jerry walked over to the staircase and pointed up to where it dead-ended into a hatch-like door set into the ceiling.

  “My studio loft is up there. I’m in the process of renovating itI’m afraid I’ll have to show it to you some other time.”

  “That’s a shame,” Ann said. “I’d love to see it.”

  “Perhaps next time,” he said flatly before descending the stairs.

  Ann glanced upward and wondered what renovations Jerry could possibly be doing to his studio that would prevent her from at least getting quick peek at it. Perhaps he was just sensitive of her seeing his paintings in progress? Possibly…