No Ordinary Killer

by Rita Karnopp

  “That won’t be necessary.” Megan rubbed her eyes with her thumb and index finger.

  “If it would make you feel safer, I’d be happy to do it.”

  “I don’t want the fucking police called,” she said, then hung up without a simple bye. The woman had a way of being so helpful it became annoying.

  Megan double-checked the front door lock, then headed for the bathroom. She turned on the faucet and added a generous sprinkle of Moonlight Walk bath salts. She tied her hair into a tight ponytail and stripped.

  She slid into the warm haven and switched on the water jets. Leaning back into the terry headrest, Megan closed her eyes and relaxed.

  It wasn’t until the cold water interrupted her sleep that Megan snapped alert. She pulled the plug on the tub, slid the shower curtain in place, and turned on the water as hot as she could tolerate. Even a simple soaking turned into a disaster. Megan didn’t like the direction her life was going. Now that this book was finished and she made certain her family was safe, she was taking a long cruise to relax and get away from it all.

  Megan slipped into the plush robe and slippers before heading to the parlor. She stretched out on the sofa and curled her legs under her, then placed several snacks on a plate. The server had already poured her first glass of wine.

  She sipped a good half before taking a bite of cracker, cheese and smoked salami. She absently ate and drank while mulling over whether she’d delved too deep into the mind of her killer. This kind of thing always fascinated her. But there was a shocking difference between imagining the character of a serial killer opposed to actually talking with one. Megan poured herself another glass of wine.

  What struck her most surprisingly, was his powers of manipulation. He threatened horrible consequences void emotion. This disconnection seemed more of a protection than personality. She could tell he loved the game. He was a good character study, giving her incredible insight that she used in her book.

  The tray of food waivered slightly. Megan took a long sip of wine and leaned back. She needed … a break … maybe Neil could go … she shook her head and blinked, but everything blurred. Megan reached over to set the wine glass on the table … and missed it….

  * * *

  Dallas glanced around before making her way to Pete’s Jeep. Cooper remained silent, but she heard his footsteps closely behind. She waited for him to open the door and help her climb into the back seat, hunkering down low. He moved in next to her and closed the door.

  “We headed to my house?” Pete turned the corner and reached for his ringing phone. “Hi, Dad,” he said, then handed the phone to Dallas. “He wants to talk to one of you.”

  “What’s up?” she asked, adjusting the phone so Cooper could hear.

  “The truck you guys parked in Ulm was gone when the guys went to pick it up.”

  “No possible way. How could the killer possibly know—“

  “Tracking device. Damn, we don’t have to play dead anymore. He knows right where we are.” Cooper shook his head.

  “Not exactly,” Gulchinski snapped.

  “Someone drove out of those woods, but that doesn’t mean it’s both of you. The way I see it, this guy is good. He sends a couple of rookie kids to finish you off. He really doesn’t think they’ll figure things out and will definitely set off that bomb.”

  “Right,” Dallas added. “He is giving us the chance to escape before it happens. If we fail, too bad. He loves playing the game, doesn’t he?”

  “So he bugs the boy’s rig, so he knows what’s going on. The boys call in, they succeeded. If they don’t, he knows we’re alive and on the run. If the boys don’t call in and the truck doesn’t move, we are all waiting at the Pearly Gates. Clever bastard,” Cooper said.

  “He isn’t as clever as he thinks.” Gulchinski cleared his throat. “He doesn’t know if you both made it or just one of you. Not knowing will drive him nuts. He’ll have to know. It’s time to set a trap. Give it some thought. We have one chance to make this work. Keep a close eye on Pete for me. ”

  Silence completed the conversation. Dallas handed the phone back to Pete. “If the killer tried kidnapping you at Jamie’s house, what’s to stop him from trying again at your house? I don’t think we should go back there.”

  “Well I do.” Pete stopped for the red light. “Our place used to belong to some rich movie star while he was having a mansion built somewhere in Montana. Anyway, there is so much security setup that no one could get close without trippin’ something off.”

  “Really?” Dallas found that incredibly interested.

  “It’s one of the reasons dad bought the place.”

  “I never knew that.” Cooper yawned.

  “We’ve been sworn to secrecy,” he laughed.

  “Okay,” Dallas said. “We lay low, and work on the case. He’s a control freak and will have to try and find out who survived the cabin. We just may have upset his plan. He’ll get agitated and slowly unravel. It’s like a chess game. He has to understand the next move before proceeding.” They had a slight edge for the first time since this whole ordeal began.

  “Listen up, I’ve pushed the garage opener. We’re a block away. Lay low in case someone is watching the house—”

  “Stop talking,” Dallas shouted. “Don’t let him see you lips move. Act natural.”

  Pete flipped on the radio. The bass vibrated the windows. He sang and moved his body to the rhythm. The garage door squealed slightly as it shut down in place.

  “Don’t move after you shut it off. Listen.” Silence responded. They remained still … one minute … two minutes … three minutes … ten minutes.

  “Pete,” Cooper whispered, “How come we don’t hear Bucket barking?”

  “Garage is soundproof.”

  “What? You’ve got to be kidding.” Dallas sat. “Why didn’t you tell us that earlier, Pete?”

  “You told me not to talk.”

  Dallas laughed. “Guess I did. Well, children. Let’s go into the house single file. Cooper first, then me. You, young man, will stay right where you are until we case the place. Don’t use your phone and … just sit still. Got it?”

  “Yep. I’ll take a power nap.”

  She couldn’t help smiling. She liked Pete. “Come on, Cooper, let’s do a room-by-room search. Pete, what’s the first room past that door?”

  “Kitchen.”

  “Good. We’ll grab a couple of knives. We’ll be right back, Pete.”

  “You might want me to turn off the house alarm. Damn thing … darn thing punches one annoying siren.”

  “Where exactly is this alarm and what’s the code?” Cooper asked, shaking his head.

  “Right inside, to the right. Take a guess.”

  “Come on you two. We don’t have all day here.” Dallas waited by the door, tapping her foot.

  “2-10-10?”

  “You got it.”

  Dallas glanced at them. “Date Packers won Super Bowl XXIV. Good one.” She noticed Cooper’s dimpled smirk. She hoped it impressed him. “Come on, enough already.”

  She patiently waited while Cooper inched the garage door open and head for the alarm. “Stop,” she whispered, then motioned Pete over. “Shouldn’t that light be red?”

  Pete nodded.

  “Is it possible it wasn’t set?”

  Pete shook his head and mouthed the words, n-e-v-e-r.

  She motioned with her palm for him to stay, entered the house and closed the door. They moved as one into the kitchen. She eased a nine inch bone saw from the butcher’s block and handed it over to Cooper. She chose the ten inch carving knife for herself. He glanced right and she checked the area to the left. Fifteen minutes later Dallas opened the garage door and motioned Pete inside.

  “Nothing?” he asked.

  Dallas didn’t miss the boy’s tense posture. “Absolutely no one. The killer wanted us to know he could get inside without anyone knowing. Another mind game. We’ve steered clear of all the windows. We want you to g
o around the house and pull all the blinds and drapes.”

  “So we have to ask, how could he have done it?” Cooper leaned against the door jamb “There is no sign of breaking in and no alarms sounded or Gulchinski would have told us. Where does that leave us?”

  Dallas gently stretched her aching shoulder “We get our guys in here and search for bugs; audio and visual. We don’t discuss anything until that’s—“

  “Dad, we need a team at the house to search for implanted devices. We’re fine. The alarm wasn’t set—“

  “Dad—“

  “Dad—“

  “I’m sure I set it. I haven’t told anyone, not even Jamie.”

  “I believe Pete,” Dallas said. “The killer wants us to know he can come and go as he damn well pleases. It’s part of his game. He’s proving how clever he is. He wants us looking over our shoulders.”

  “He’s doing it again,” Cooper said, tossing the knife on the counter.

  “Doing what?”

  “He’s refocusing our attention away from the case. Every minute we lose is every minute he gains. He realizes we’ll call in the boys to sweep this place. How long do you think that will take? How many will recognize us? In two hours he’ll know what he wants.”

  “Dad, we don’t want you to call anyone. Uncle Cooper thinks that’s exactly what the killer wants us to do. He wants to know who survived. Got ya. Bye.”

  Dallas nodded. “Good call, boys.”

  “I’m going to set the alarm.” Pete stomped to the back door.

  “Stop. Don’t touch it,” Cooper yelled.

  “I agree. It could be a trap … or worse. We can’t take any chances. Okay, so you call your dad and ask for one guy he knows he can trust. He should wear a disguise: mustache, hoodie, and even glasses if he doesn’t wear them. Have him come over, call ahead and we’ll have him park in the garage. Before we open that garage door, Dallas and I are going to hide in the back of the Jeep. And, Pete?”

  “Yeah?”

  “That’s the last call you make on that phone. This killer is savvy. He knows every move we make. I think he’s taken years to set this plan in motion. We have to start thinking like him. We need to project his next move.”

  “Maybe we should go to a hotel or a safe house?”

  “Pete, you watch too much TV.” Cooper pulled a tall stool out and leaned on the kitchen island.

  “Oh, you mean my Jeep is bugged and he’ll know exactly where I go?”

  “Damn,” Dallas snapped. “I didn’t think of that. Have the sweeper check the Jeep, too. Is there any other place we can hide while the guy checks this place out?”

  “If I wanted to hide in here, I’d choose the attic. It’s totally—” Pete opened the refrigerator and stopped in mid-sentence. “What the fuck?”

  “Pete!”

  Dallas ran and pushed Pete aside. “Well, I didn’t see that coming. No doubt our boy was here.”

  “Is that a real hand?” Pete asked, backing away.

  Cooper closed the refrigerator door and dropped to his knees. “I … I recognize … my God, Dallas … it’s not possible.”

  “What’s wrong, Uncle Cooper?” Pete asked, his tone wavering.

  She knelt beside Cooper and rubbed his back. “Please don’t tell me it’s someone you know or you’re close to you.”

  “That’s Megan’s wedding ring.”

  “That’s Aunt Megan’s hand? No way.” Pete vomited on the floor.

  “Why don’t you go to the bathroom and rinse your mouth out and wipe your face down with a cool cloth. It’ll make you feel better. Make that call to your dad and tell him what we’ve found. After that go ahead and pull those blinds like we asked. Come back here when you’re done. Okay?” Pete nodded and fled without a word.

  “I’ll clean this up,” Cooper said, getting to his feet.

  “I would, but it’s pretty hard with one hand.” She walked over and sat on a stool. “So, just in case we decided not to reset the alarm, or have a team to check the place out, there is always option three. We have to call this one in.”

  “It’s Captain Gulchinski’s house, so FBI will need to be called in on this. They find us and we’re all in a heap of shit.”

  She watched as Cooper rinsed a cloth in the sink and wiped down the floor. “Having kids has given you valuable training.” She barely got an acknowledgement. “If that is Megan’s hand, we might have to face she is dead.”

  “She could still be alive or it’s Megan’s ring on some other woman’s hand. She would never paint her fingernails that dreadful fluorescent green.” He sobbed into his palm.

  “The killer might have, though. Cooper, this isn’t you fault. If you fall apart now, he’s won. You’ve been right all along. It’s been one damn distraction or drama after another and—“

  “This is more than a fucking distraction. Megan might have been tortured and killed by this monster and … and if I’d have been doing my job instead of allowing myself to be distracted by you, I might have caught him by now.”

  “You’re way off track there buster. If you think I’m going to sit here and listen to that bullshit, you’re sadly mistaken. I have not been a distrac—“

  “The hell you haven’t. Every fucking thing that has happened has been a distraction. He knows just what he’s doing. Now he’s added you to the mix. If he even thinks I care anything about you, you can kiss your career goodbye. From now on I want you to bite my ass every step of the way. If I say white, I want you to say black. If I say yes, your answer is no. If I ask for a file, you tell me I can’t have it. I want everyone around us to see I really can’t wait for this to be over and for you to get off my ass.”

  “That’s a good plan, Uncle Cooper. I could tell you liked her right away. Don’t help her with her chair or ask how her shoulder is. It shows you care.”

  Dallas smiled. “Pete, you have great instincts. I guess we’ve risen from the dead, Cooper. That is until one of us kills each other.” Cooper’s forced smile didn’t fool her. She glanced at Pete’s cell phone. “Pete, do you ever talk with your Aunt Megan anymore?”

  “Not really. When she and Uncle Cooper divorced, she stopped having anything to do with us. My mom said that happens sometimes. Cooper is part of our family … so she divorced us, too.”

  Dallas handed him the phone. “Why don’t you just give her a call and when … if … she answers, ask her if she knows where Uncle Cooper is.”

  “Sure,” he said, taking the phone and punching contacts, then Megan’s number. He looked up and shrugged. “I was going to delete it, but I keep forgetting. Here, I’ll put it on speakerphone.” Pete pressed a button and ringing filled the silence.

  “You’ve reached author Megan Reynolds. I’m either working on my next novel or at a book signing. Your call is important to me. Leave your name, number and short message and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Bye.”

  “Hey, Aunt Megan, this is Pete … Gulchinski. Um … I know it’s been a long time. Sorry. I’ve been trying to reach Uncle Cooper and my dad wouldn’t let me call his cell. Can you contact him and ask him to give me a call? I appreciate it. Bye.”

  “Nice job. Might not—“ Dallas jumped. They all looked down at the phone. The call was coming from Cooper Reynolds. “Shit … I mean … answer it.”

  “Hi, Uncle Cooper?”

  “Cut the crap and put him on the phone.”

  The voice was muffled, but it was definitely a man.

  “So, you’ve finally stopped hiding like a scared woman and had the balls to call. I’m sort of impressed.”

  “Shut the fuck up and listen. You have exactly three and a half hours to get to Garnet Ghost Town. Tell no one. Call no one. Come alone. You don’t follow my instructions and the twins and their grandma will burn up like a match in the wind.”

  “Is Megan dead?”

  “Funny you should ask that. Really, do you care, Cooper? You tossed her out on her ass. Pretty ass at that. Oh, I know how she betrayed you and di
d you the wrong song. Instead of forgiving, you were her judge and jury. You have always judged. If something isn’t perfect, you don’t want it anymore.”

  “Was that Megan’s hand in the refrigerator? Come on you bastard, brag a little. You’ve been leading me around by the nose for months … and since I wasn’t looking … maybe years. Who are you and why are you trying to destroy me?”

  “What would you say if I told you I paid some druggy on the street five hundred dollars for that lady’s hand? I use the word lady loosely. I’m surprised you recognized the wedding ring, although I was hoping you would. Did it almost make you shit your pants when you saw it?”

  “Fuck you!”

  “No, fuck you. When I’m done, you’ll have a private suite at the penitentiary of your choice. Well maybe not your choice. Your life will be destroyed … just like you destroyed mine. You better get on the road, cowboy. Time’s a wastin’”

  The dial tone screamed. All three of them stared at it, almost afraid to touch it. Dallas picked it up and pressed end. “Now we’re getting somewhere. Pete, we need to borrow your Jeep.”

  “Like hell. You heard him. Tell no one. Call no one. Come alone.”

  * * *

  Darkness surrounded her. Megan fought the slamming headache that nearly brought her to tears. Good God, she was in the trunk of a car. Her skin itched everywhere it touched the blanket she was wrapped in. She was allergic to wool, but that was the least of her worries. The car hit a bump, then it seemed to be slowing down, then picked up speed again. Fear filled her like never before.

  She had done everything he had asked of her. The book was finished and submitted to Jessica. He promised … she stopped for a moment. What did he promise? That he had something special planned for her. That she would be more famous than she could imagine.

  Her thoughts froze. It suddenly became clear now. He was going to use her as one of the victims in her book. Which one? Her breathing increased.

  Would she be left naked and hanging by the neck like Ella Burquist in the Bannack Murder, or would she be displayed naked and spread eagle on Samantha Brown’s grave site in Marysville like Sarah Betravek? Did the killer save the last murder for me? Would she be found naked, posed in a provocative position left for the first visitors at the fire warden’s cabin at Garnet Ghost Town? Is that where the killer was taking her right now?