by Susan Harper
“Gee, thanks,” Felicity groaned and went to plop herself down on one of the two large couches. Jack and Autumn followed suit.
There was a knock on the door, so Agent Toft went over. There was an exchanging of some words with the agent on the other side before opening the door. Jefferson entered looking rather wide-eyed. He shook hands with the agent who had escorted him to the safe house and then that agent departed. Jefferson made his way over to everyone else and found a seat by Felicity. “So, this is different,” Jefferson said. Felicity was not amused with his attempt at making light of the situation.
“I’d say so,” Felicity said and crossed her arms. “I’m guessing you were at the shop when they came to pick you up?”
“Yeah,” Jefferson said. “They had me lock the place up. Looks like we’re going to lose a lot of business this weekend.”
“Honestly, that is the least of my concerns,” Felicity said, eyeing the door. “Until everyone is here, I don’t think my heart is going to stop racing.”
“Agreed,” Jack said anxiously. “Ugh, did they really have to take our phones? I’m already getting bored just sitting here. Couldn’t I at least mindlessly scroll through my phone?”
Agent Toft pointed toward the television. “You get three channels. Also, there’s a deck of playing cards sitting by the TV.”
There was another knock on the door. Agent Toft rose and once again had his familiar exchange with the new agent. The door opened, and an overly-dramatic Veronica entered first, with Dawn and Monte trailing behind. “So we are on some psycho’s hit list?” Veronica exclaimed, dropping down next to Jack. “Like, why? Because we helped Felicity with one case? Is that it? Or is it because we’re all just being punished because we’re friends with Felicity? I mean, what is the thinking behind this guy’s motives?”
“Relax,” Jack attempted to tell her, but Veronica was on a roll.
“Honestly! I’d like to see this guy. Probably some loser who has got some sort of morbid crush thing going on, right? Probably saw her picture in the paper and got all obsessed with Miz Vigilante Sleuther over here. Who is this guy?” Veronica questioned. “And what did Whitney even say to the guy to get herself kidnapped?”
Only a few minutes went by before Brittany arrived. The girl’s eyes were red, and her face was wet. The room got quiet when she entered, and Jack jumped up to meet her and offer an embrace. Brittany was quick to try to clean her face up, and Agent Toft offered her some tissues. The group sat on the couches attempting to console the distraught youth. “Do you think Whitney is okay?” she asked Felicity directly. “I mean… He wrote up a hit list! And he circled her face? What does that mean? Why didn’t he just try to kill her like he did with Candice and Nadine? Why kidnap her? Do you think she’s still alive?”
“I hope so,” Felicity said.
“I mean, I know what she put all of you through. And me. And I know I helped to put her in jail, but I still don’t want anything to happen to her!” Brittany exclaimed. “She’s still my sister, you know?”
“We know,” Autumn said and reached over to hold Brittany’s hand. “Whitney’s a tough girl. Whatever she said to her attacker did buy her some time. That much we do know. From what Felicity tells me of what she saw in the video, whatever she said probably saved Candice and Nadine’s lives. He was there to kill, but she had him so flustered that he changed his plans.”
“Whitney did always have a mouth on her,” Brittany said with a slight grin. “Right, Jeffrey?”
Jefferson nodded and a slight grin crossed over his face. “Your sister has some serious guts, Brit. She won’t go down without a fight. That much I do know.”
“Yeah!” Veronica said. “Dawn and I knew Whitney for a long time. That girl will give this guy a run for his money. Y’all’s daddy was a Navy man; I know he taught you girls how to fight.”
“You know it,” Brittany said and sunk into Jack a bit; Jack placed his arm around her. “Dad had the two of us sparring back in the day. If this creep gets too close, she’ll break the guy’s jaw with her right hook.”
Jack laughed slightly. “Do you have a special move too, Brittany?”
Brittany held up both fists and made two playful punches in the air, still leaning back into Jack. “Oh, of course. I get you with my right, and then I surprise you with my left. No one ever expects a surprise attack from a lefty.” It was good that they were managing to keep Brittany in good spirits.
Felicity was tapping her foot. She kept waiting to hear the door knock and for Brian to enter. She felt like they were somewhere near Atlanta, so Brian should have already been retrieved by now. There was a knock on the door, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Agent Toft went to answer, but Felicity was disappointed to see only Agent Ryan entering with boxes of pizza in tow.
“Aw, how sweet!” Veronica exclaimed. “Thank goodness. I’m starving.”
“Figured I’d run and get you all something to eat before I head back to Coweta,” Agent Ryan said as he handed the boxes off to Agent Toft. Toft placed them on the kitchen counter, and the group slowly made their way over to the smell of hot pepperoni pizzas.
“Where is Brian?” Felicity asked, staring Agent Ryan down as she entered the kitchen area.
“He is in the middle of a court case,” Agent Ryan said. “Don’t worry. There are FBI agents all around the building waiting to pick him up when court lets out.”
Felicity had a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Agent Ryan, before you leave, could I ask you some questions?”
“If it will make you feel better, sure,” Agent Ryan said and then helped himself to a slice of pizza. “You’ll have to excuse me. I haven’t eaten since lunch yesterday.”
“You’re fine,” Felicity said as her friends attacked the pizza boxes themselves. “I was wondering if you could tell me about serial killers.”
“What do you want to know?” Agent Ryan asked.
“Give me a brief introduction to the subject,” she said.
“All right,” he said, chewing on a bite of pizza. “Almost all serial killers are men. Typically white. Rarely will you see a female serial killer. Typical age is late twenties to early thirties. That’s just a general demographic of your typical serial killer. There are a handful of those who step outside of that demographic.”
“What causes a person to be a serial killer?” Felicity asked.
“A number of things. It typically stems from a difficult upbringing, but that is not always the case. A trauma could be a trigger. A head injury. Certain mental disabilities as well. Many serial killers have killed someone long before their actual serial killer days begin,” Agent Ryan began. “Most don’t just jump into the serial killer game upfront.”
“So you mentioned something about the type of serial killer you were looking at…missionary or…revenge?” Felicity asked. “Could you explain that to me?”
“Missionaries want to clean up the world. At first, we highly suspected that was what we were going for. He was targeting criminals, so we assumed that in our killer’s head, he was wanting to finish what you started. You put these people in jail, and in a way, he felt like he was doing you and the world a service. Perhaps he admired your work. He probably followed you in the papers, and in a way, he might have thought that he was impressing you by helping you clean up society, getting rid of people he considered to be infectious.”
“And revenge killers?” Felicity asked.
“Simply put, they kill for revenge. The killer kills people whom he feels have wronged him in some way. We believe our killer started out as a missionary-motivated killer, but whatever it was that Whitney said to him seems to have pushed him into the revenge category. If we knew what it was she said to him, it would be beneficial in narrowing down his identity.” Agent Ryan wiped his hands on some of the napkins he had brought, having just finished his slice of pizza. “I have to say, Miss Overton, that you are quite a professional individual. I’ve never seen anyone so calm in a situation lik
e this. I’m very impressed.”
“I try,” Felicity said quietly.
“I think I’m going to leave you with that,” Agent Ryan said, heading for the door. “Try not to get too bored. Like I said before, I have been locked away in a safe room on more than one occasion. It’s not fun.”
Agent Ryan left them, and once they all finished up their pizza, they wound up sitting around the living space again. Jefferson dealt them all into a card game to attempt to alleviate some boredom. They were into their second game when Felicity noticed that Veronica had moved beside Jefferson and had begun some rather flirty banter. It made Felicity quite uncomfortable, though she was not quite sure why.
Felicity watched the two of them closely, and much to everyone’s amusement, Jefferson seemed to be scooting away from Veronica. The two of them were seated on the floor across from everyone else by the coffee table. “So, Jefferson,” Veronica sang. “Do you have a date to Dawn and Monte’s wedding yet?”
“No,” Jefferson said. “I think I’m just enjoying being single for now.”
“Don’t you get tired of that when all of our friends are in relationships?” Veronica asked.
“Not really,” he said, and Veronica touched his arm.
“Aw, come on, Jefferson,” Veronica teased. “You’re telling me that if I asked you, you wouldn’t want to date me?” Jefferson snorted a laugh, but then his cheeks turned red by the insulted look on Veronica’s face. Felicity could feel some tension from the group. She was certain Jefferson did not mean for the laugh to be so audible.
“Um…” was all he managed to say.
Veronica crossed her arms; she looked embarrassed. “And why not?”
“Well, I mean, if you want to be my date to Dawn and Monte’s wedding, that’s cool,” he said, and Felicity could tell he was wishing this conversation was being had in private. “We can go as friends.”
Ouch, Felicity thought.
“But you would never actually want to date me?” Veronica pressed.
“Honestly, Veronica? You’re an awesome woman and all, but I don’t think it would work out. We’re good as friends, if that’s okay with you,” he said, avoiding all eye contact.
Veronica shrugged. “Yeah, okay.”
A few more hours went by after the uncomfortable conversation, and Veronica eventually wound up heading into the bathroom in the middle of yet another game of cards. Jack had turned on the television at this point, but with only three channels to choose from, it was not nearly as entertaining as the card game. While Veronica was in the restroom, Jack leaned over to Jefferson, who was now seated on the couch. “So why not Veronica?” he asked, and Felicity could feel the entire group of friends shift curiously.
“She’s just not my type,” Jefferson said.
“Why not?” Dawn asked. “She’s funny. And totally beautiful. You two get along really well.”
“Honestly?” Jefferson said softly.
“No, lie to us,” Monte said sarcastically, earning himself a quick smack on the arm from Dawn.
“Now look, I think of Veronica as a good friend, so don’t take this the wrong way…but she is kind of annoying sometimes,” Jefferson said.
“Dude,” Jack scorned. “Why would you say that about Veronica?”
“You all think the same thing,” Jefferson said. “It’s just this one thing, though. Something I wouldn’t be able to look past if we were to actually date. She is super smart, academically speaking. I mean, obviously, she’s a nurse who heads up the NICU at a hospital. But she is just so ditzy. I didn’t know her back in high school, so I don’t know, but I get the impression she was one of those high school girls who acted dumb so her boyfriend could feel smart. I’m not attracted to that sort of personality. Like I said, I love Veronica. She’s my friend, but I would never date her because she’s just so ditzy and that would get on my nerves after a while. She’s book smart, but I wouldn’t ever call her…smart, you know?”
“That’s harsh, man,” Monte said.
“Would you date Veronica?” Jefferson asked defensively.
“I’m marrying Dawn,” Monte said.
“If you weren’t, though,” Jefferson said. “Would you date her?”
Monte blushed. “I guess not.”
“Okay, what about you, Jack?” Jefferson questioned. “Do you think the whole dumb blonde routine is cute, because I don’t, but that’s her game.”
“Not really,” Jack admitted.
“Okay. Well, some other guy is going to think it’s cute. I don’t,” Jefferson said.
“Veronica does have a tendency to turn into a thirteen-year-old girl whenever she dates someone,” Autumn said. “She has valley girl syndrome. Some men are attracted to that sort of thing, but I don’t know why.”
“Yeah,” Dawn agreed. “She’s been that way since high school. Certain boys loved it. Some guys just don’t like smart girls, and Veronica figured that out pretty young. She’s really smart, but she does act ditzy with her boyfriends.”
“We went to a club last week,” Brittany said. “It was kind of embarrassing the way she acts when she flirts. Like she feels like she has to act stupid to get a man to like her.”
“What were you doing at a club?” Jack questioned. “You’re only twenty.”
“Stop reminding me how young your girlfriend is, Jack,” Autumn said. “It weirds me out.”
“And don’t be such a nark,” Brittany retorted.
“Look, I really don’t want you all to get the wrong idea. I think Veronica is smart, but…well…I don’t want to date a woman where I’m going to feel like I’m on a babysitting gig every time we go out on a date. It’s just not attractive to me.”
They all heard a footstep, and turned to see Veronica standing behind the couches with her arms crossed and a scowl masking a saddened expression. “You guys really think that about me?” she asked.
Felicity silently thanked God that she had kept her mouth shut during Jefferson’s explanation. “Veronica…” Jefferson started to stand, but Veronica rolled her eyes.
“Sit down, moron,” she said. “Jefferson, I think I’ll find someone else to take me to the wedding. Or just go by myself. I don’t really even care now.”
The group was quiet. Their card game ended because everyone was too uncomfortable to speak with one another after obviously hurting Veronica’s feelings. Another hour went by, and they were all growing close to losing their minds.
Jefferson wound up opening the cabinet in the corner. He smiled and turned to the group that had been mostly silent since Veronica had walked in on their conversation about her. “Hey, guys! Check it out—a collection of VHS tapes!”
“Old school,” Jack said. “Is there a VCR we can hook up?”
“Yeah,” Jefferson said, pulling it from the cabinet. “You guys want to watch a movie?”
“What’s a VHS tape?” Brittany asked, and everyone glanced uncomfortably in her direction. Brittany laughed. “You guys, I’m kidding.”
“Thank God,” Jack said.
Jack and Jefferson hooked up the VCR to the TV while Veronica sifted through the cabinet to pick out a movie. “Comedy or drama?” she called over her shoulder.
“Comedy!” was the general census of the group.
Agent Toft had pushed Jack and Jefferson aside to help them hook up the VCR. They were apparently taking too long for his taste. Veronica suddenly shrieked and came sprinting over to the group. “Felicity! This one has your name on it!”
Agent Toft, having just finished up with the VCR, came over to her. “Let me see that,” he said and snatched the tape away. Felicity came and stood by him as he examined it.
On the side of the tape, it was labeled in red marker, “For Felicity Overton.”
Chapter 8
“This safe room has been compromised!” Agent Toft exclaimed as he placed the VHS tape down on the coffee table. “I’m calling Agent Ryan. All of you stay put. There’s a landline phone in the back. Do not watch that
tape. Alert me immediately if there is anyone trying to get inside.” The man hurried into one of the back bedrooms.
“Well, we are of course going to watch it,” Felicity said, snatching up the VHS tape.
“He said not to,” Jack warned.
“No offense, Jack, but if I had listened to you back on my first case, Kirk Mont would probably still be at large,” Felicity said as she rewound the tape.
“I’m a small-town cop you chose to ignore,” Jack said. “These guys are FBI. If they tell you to leave something alone, they are certainly not kidding around.”
“Oh, shut up Jack,” Monte said. “Felicity, play the tape.”
She pressed play, and as soon as she did, she was jolted back in surprise by the sound of a woman’s screams coming from the television. “Whitney!” Brittany exclaimed, the first to recognize the woman on the television.
It was an image of a well, and Whitney was struggling at the bottom to stay afloat. “Let me out! Let me out!” Whitney cried repeatedly.
Felicity glanced back at her friends. Jefferson looked pale, and he reached out and put a hand on Brittany’s shoulder. Jack reached around and wrapped his arms around Brittany completely. Dawn looked away, burying her face in Monte’s chest while Monte stared wide-eyed. Veronica fell into the couch, closing her eyes and covering her ears. Autumn stood there, stoic as ever.
Whitney was not really like the other criminals they had put away. She had conspired to kill her own husband and frame Jefferson for the crime, but she had dated Jefferson when they were kids. She was Brittany’s sister. Veronica and Dawn had been friends with the woman since high school. Felicity and Autumn had even started to become friends with her before she had tried to kill Nick. They knew her quite personally.
Agent Toft came darting back into the room, his gun drawn at the sound of screams. “What is this?” he exclaimed. “I told you not to watch this!” He looked at the television. “That’s Whitney Fontant!” he shouted and proceeded to stand there watching the film. “Our killer must have stashed this in here for you to find.”
