Delusional

by Terri Breneman

  “Cathy told us our guy was using a list, or maybe two lists, right?” Toni said slowly. “And maybe it is like we thought, the Fairfield Human Rights Campaign. Either way, I think that means he’s already picked out his victims. Maybe we can find the link here.”

  “Well, I was able to find out the name of the doctor and dentist of Maggie and John,” Patty said. “Completely different. Not even in the same medical building, so I guess that angle’s out.” She shrugged.

  “Crap,”Vicky said.“That would have been perfect.I was really liking the crazy doctor idea.” She held an imaginary microphone in front of her face. “Local dentist drills his victims with rocks.” She smiled. “Obviously the stress of this case is getting to me.”

  Johnnie laughed. “Well, the media isn’t helping much,” she said. “Did you see that idiot on Channel Four last night? She worked herself into a frenzy describing the murder of the dad guy. What’s his name again?”

  “Joshua Andrew,” Patty said.

  “At least we’ve been able to keep the connection out of the media,” Vicky said. “Captain Billings did a really good job at that press conference about Mr. Andrew. And of course no one knows about the prostitutes or Amy Judge.”

  “What about the noisy neighbor?” Boggs asked. “Will she talk to the press? She obviously saw Amy duct taped to a chair.”

  Vicky grinned. “I kind of told her that Amy’s girlfriend was a bit nuts. I acted like I was confiding in her and told her not to spread that information around. If I read her correctly, she will have told the entire neighborhood that story by now. Anyway, Captain Billings didn’t release anything about the victims being duct taped or stoned.”

  “Very clever about the neighbor,” Toni said. “Aside from the panic this would cause in the community, I think that a lot of press would add to this guy’s delusions.”

  “How so?” Patty asked.

  “He might start thinking that he’s invincible or that the news reporters were actually congratulating him,” Toni replied. “When you’re really delusional, you only hear what you want to hear and twist everything else. For example, if someone flipped this guy off, he’d never think it was because of his own conduct. He’d probably think that the guy was jealous of his greatness. And it just gets more and more out of control.”

  “How the hell did you work with these crazy people?” Johnnie asked. “It makes my head spin. I’ll stick to regular crime, thank you very much.”

  “But, Johnnie, you think like criminals,” Toni said. “You have to if you want to figure out either their next step or maybe where they’re hiding. So you do work with crazy people.”

  “And you hang out with us,” Vicky added. “Let’s see what we need to do.” She flipped through her notepad. “Patty and I will show some photos at the health food stores and see if we get any hits. Plus, we’ll keep digging into all these guys. And, Toni, if you’ll check out old court documents to see if we can find a diagnosis for Mevin?” She jotted down a couple lines and put the tip of her pen in her mouth. “Am I missing anything?”

  Patty had her own notepad. “You said Claire would call you if Amy woke up, right?”

  “Yeah. And she’ll be notified if it happens when she’s gone from the hospital.”

  “Then it sounds like we’ve done all we can do right now,” Patty said as she closed both her laptop and her notepad.

  “Let’s talk about something happy for a few minutes,” Toni said. “I need to know what you guys are bringing for Thanksgiving.”

  “Claire and I are bringing apple pie, wine and some weird bread,” Vicky said.

  Toni had grabbed a pad of paper and a pen from the bar. “What the hell is weird bread?”

  “I have no idea but it’s something that Claire is making.”

  Toni grinned as she wrote down the items. She looked at Patty.

  “I’m going to bring a corn casserole,” Patty said. “It’s an old family recipe. And some kind of dessert. Maybe brownies.”

  “Sounds perfect. What about you?” She looked at Johnnie.

  “I’m thinking that a case of beer and a couple cases of soda would be good for me,” Johnnie said.

  “Old family recipe?” Boggs asked.

  “Absolutely,” Johnnie said. “My family drinks a lot.”

  Toni laughed. “Works for me. Dinner will be at about two o’clock, but feel free to come over at noon. Football will be on every television, but if you come early you’re also agreeing to work.”

  “Sounds fair to me,” Vicky said.

  The conversation turned to previous Thanksgiving dinners and they all tried to top each other for having the worst family gathering.

  “It was a perfect day,” Vicky began. “That chilly kind of day with beautiful blue skies and leaves falling.” She was obviously getting into a storytelling mode. She grinned. “We were gathered at my parents’ house, but my sister was in charge of roasting the turkey. She and her husband were stoned out of their minds, although I doubt my folks realized it at the time. My sister forgot to take the giblets and stuff out of the turkey and somehow the paper bag that they come in caught on fire. That damn turkey stayed in the oven forever, but when it came out it was blackish on the outside and still raw on the inside, despite the burnt bag. I’m thinking it wasn’t thawed.The mashed potatoes were chunky, just about as bad as the gravy. My mom was drunk before the turkey even went in the oven. For dessert we had frozen apple pie. My mom just let it thaw, didn’t cook it.”

  “Holy crap,” Toni said, still laughing. “You totally win.”

  They told a few more stories, but none came close to Vicky’s family fiasco. It was a nice way to try to forget the task at hand— catching a serial killer who was targeting gays.

  Chapter 14

  Toni had been sitting at her desk for only about fifteen minutes on Wednesday morning when Charlie called.

  “Hi, Toni,” he began. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on Frank Watson and I’m thinking he’s our guy.”

  “What makes you think so?”

  “Well, I can’t really say,” he said. “But he said a few things in group therapy that really pissed me off. He has inappropriate thoughts, that’s all I can tell you. Have there been any more incidents?”

  Toni realized she needed to tread carefully. “You’d have to check with Detective Carter about that,” she said. “They only come across my desk after they’ve been arrested.”

  Charlie sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Oh, well.”

  Is he really that disgusted with Vicky just because she’s gay, she wondered. God, that really pisses me off. She tried to shake the feeling and concentrate on what he was saying.

  “Hey, why don’t I tail the guy? Then I could call it in when I see him go up to a house.”

  “I don’t know, Charlie.” She appreciated his enthusiasm about trying to catch the imaginary Peeping Tom, but his treatment of Vicky and anyone he perceived to be gay was upsetting, to say the least. He was getting on her nerves.

  “If I followed the son of a bitch,” he continued, “I could keep him from hurting some woman.”

  “That’s probably true,” she said, trying to think of an excuse. She didn’t want him harassing an innocent guy. “But there might be some problems if I tried to put you on the stand. You’re also his therapist, remember?” She was congratulating herself for thinking of that.

  “Oh, you’re right. Maybe if I just try to keep close tabs on him? You know, making notes about his schedule and maybe I’ll do a sign-out sheet for the van,” he said.

  Now that’s something we could actually use, Toni thought. If Mevin’s the one,then having a record of who had the van,or didn’t have the van would help. “That’s a fantastic idea, Charlie.”

  “I’m going to do that now,” he said. “Let me know what I can do. And I’m more than willing to sit on a surveillance team. Unofficially, of course.” He paused for a moment. “And I hope you and Jake can make the trivia night fundraiser this weeke
nd. We’re expecting a big crowd.”

  “Oh, gosh, Charlie. We won’t be able to make it.” She tried to sound somewhat sincere. If Charlie wasn’t such a bigoted ass, a trivia night fundraiser was something she and Boggs would love to do. “Jake has to go out of town,” she added. “And I don’t like to go places without him.” She snickered to herself.

  “I completely understand,” Charlie said. “I’ll let you know when we have another one and maybe you can make it then. Who knows,” he added, “you might be married by then.”

  “A girl can only hope,” Toni replied, suppressing a giggle. She couldn’t wait to tell this to Boggs. She thanked Charlie, but felt a bit unsettled after hanging up the phone. She knew he was trying to help catch a Peeping Tom and that was admirable. But she also knew that he wouldn’t have given her the time of day if he thought she was a lesbian. It was only her lie about her relationship with Jake that enabled her to get the names of his clients. She called Vicky to update her on Charlie’s plan.

  “That might help,” Vicky said. “Although I seriously doubt he’d actually sign out the van to go and kill someone, we might be able to eliminate him. For example, if we knew that someone else had that van Monday night, we’d know it wasn’t him.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Toni said. “I hate lying to him about both the Peeping Tom and Jake, but we could use the information.”

  “Agreed,” Vicky said. “I’ll keep you posted on my end.” She hung up, as usual, without saying anything else.

  Toni began her own investigation by looking up all the court documents pertaining to Mevin Murran. Most of the time, documents relating to someone’s mental health were filed under seal and the general public was not allowed to see them. Fortunately, she was not the general public and she was able to view everything on her computer.

  After almost thirty minutes, she hit pay dirt. Mevin’s defense counsel had filed a sentencing memorandum with the court a year ago when he was convicted of the assault. It requested leniency based on his childhood and mental health issues. She printed the document and tucked it in her briefcase to review later. She was due in court in less than fifteen minutes for a preliminary hearing and the rest of her day was equally as busy.

  The man left his job around four o’clock on Wednesday afternoon with a smile on his face. He felt like he was walking on air. God had been sending him messages through music all day. On his way to work he heard the song “Still the One.” Later in the morning he heard “Killing Me Softly” in the elevator and then “The Sound of Silence.” He spent his lunch hour sitting outside in the cold drizzle praying for guidance. He was puzzled at first until he realized that these messages were about his personal list of people to cast out, not God’s list. He immediately understood the messages and couldn’t help but grin. It took all the restraint he could muster to finish out most of his workday.

  He drove home, gave his mother a kiss on her cheek and headed straight to his sanctuary. He was almost too excited to concentrate on his task. He twisted his ring as he sat at his desk. He knew he needed to do some research, but he also knew that God would protect him. It only took about an hour for him to make his decision with two possible backup targets. He went into his bedroom to change his clothing just a few minutes before his mother called him down for dinner. He quickly found his 9mm handgun in the top of his closet and grabbed a box of ammunition next to it. After loading the weapon, he put the ammunition back in the closet. He tucked the gun behind his back in the waistband of his jeans and pulled his sweatshirt over the bulge. He located the silencer for this gun in his top drawer and slid it in his back pocket before going downstairs to eat his mother’s meatloaf, mashed potatoes and lima beans.

  After finishing his dinner, he made an excuse to his mother and left. He had to sit in his van for several minutes just to calm himself. He prayed for another five minutes before driving to his first, and hopefully only, destination.

  He knew that the deviant lived in a four-family flat. He prayed that she lived alone, but if need be, he’d kill whoever was there with her. This was his list, after all. He picked her as his first because she flaunted herself as a sinner to the entire community. She was a firefighter and had saved a young girl earlier this year. She was interviewed on the local news and she actually told the reporter that her partner was also a firefighter. He almost vomited when the camera panned over to another woman. He couldn’t believe that the fire chief allowed such things and that the news would blatantly report it. Maybe they reported it so that I could do my work for God. That realization made him smile.

  He got out of his van and pulled on an old sweatshirt jacket, zipping it all the way up. He walked up to the front of the building with his gym bag in his hand. As like most of the four-family flats on the west side of town, there was a single door that led to the interior doors. Once inside he pulled out his gun and quickly screwed on the silencer. He slipped the weapon into his front waistband this time, before taking a quick look around. He twisted his ring before knocking on the door. He could hardly contain his excitement.

  When the door opened, he recognized her immediately from the news report, and he felt his heart beat faster. He delivered his rehearsed line perfectly and stepped across the threshold. “This is a delicate investigation,” he continued. “Several women have complained about harassment by the Deputy Fire Chief. Is it okay for me to talk to you here? Are you alone?”

  “Yes,” she said. “It’s just me here right now. We can talk in the living room.”

  She turned away from him, and as she walked toward her living room, he pulled out his gun and shot her in the back of the head. He’d been inside for less than five seconds.The sound of the gunshot was a little louder than he remembered, but not too bad. Just a little louder than a firecracker. No one would think twice about it in this neighborhood. He looked at her lifeless body on the floor. There was no question that she was dead. He opened his gym bag and carefully put his gun in the bottom. He slipped on a pair of latex gloves and pulled out a Bible. He said a short prayer before placing it next to the body. After placing the myrrh oil on her neck, he was ready to leave. He was very disappointed that the gunshot ruined an opportunity to place the oil on her forehead, but he felt good about his mission. Once he’d closed the front door behind him, he pulled off the gloves and shoved them in his front pocket. As soon as he got to his car, he took off the jacket and quickly tied it up in a knot, casually throwing it in the passenger seat. He drove away feeling very satisfied and was humming the song “Still the One” quietly to himself. On the other side of town, he tossed the jacket in a Dumpster behind an Italian restaurant. He figured that whatever spatter was on the jacket would look similar to pasta and sauce. He was back home in less than an hour.

  Chapter 15

  “Your cat just stole a carrot,”Toni yelled from the kitchen. She followed Little Tuffy into the living room and saw the carrot in the middle of the room. Boggs was sitting on the couch watching a college football game. Toni stopped and pointed to the chewed orange stick on the rug and repeated her statement.

  Boggs almost spit out her beer, laughing. “My cat? Since when did he become my cat?”

  “Since always,” Toni replied. She picked up the carrot. “I turned my back for one minute and he took it right off the cutting board.”

  A flash of gray fur went past both of them. Little Tuffy had another carrot stick in his mouth. He had picked up speed as he flew across the rug, but as he attempted to negotiate a turn on the hardwood floor, he ended up skidding into the sliding glass door. He dropped the carrot but kept on going. Toni laughed so hard it took her a couple minutes to realize that he was on the kitchen counter once again. By the time she got back to the kitchen Little Tuffy had yet another carrot stick and was heading up the stairs.

  “I guess I have to guard all vegetables,” she said, still laughing.

  Boggs had brought the stolen carrots back in the kitchen, including the one he left on the steps. “Fir
st asparagus and now carrots. He’s such a strange cat,” she said. “I think he comes from your side of the family.”

  “I’m going to take that as a compliment.” Toni finished cleaning the carrots for their lunches and put them in the refrigerator. She sat at the kitchen island and took out her list of things to do for Thanksgiving. Boggs sat next to her as they planned their first holiday gathering. When the doorbell rang, they both looked at the monitor, somewhat puzzled.

  “I wonder what Vicky wants,” Boggs said as she headed toward the front door. “And why she didn’t call first. That’s not like her.”

  Vicky came in the kitchen and dropped an overnight bag on the floor. Toni knew it was the one she always kept in her car in case she had an unexpected hot date. She sat next to Toni. “I need a beer,” she said quietly.

  Boggs grabbed one from the refrigerator and opened it for her. “What happened?”

  Vicky took several gulps before answering. “Linda Dahl is dead.”

  “Firefighter Linda?” Boggs asked.

  Vicky nodded slowly.

  “Was there a fire?” Toni asked. She’d never met Linda, but had heard both Boggs and Vicky talk about her. She and Vicky had gone to high school together.

  Vicky said nothing and downed the rest of her beer. She held the empty bottle up in the air. “I’m spending the night in your guest room, so keep them coming, Boggs. I left a message for Claire, so she might call here.”

  “What happened?” Toni asked again. She grabbed a handful of tissues from a box on the counter and set them next to Vicky.

  “It looks like our maniac has changed his method,” she began. “She was shot in the back of the head, inside her apartment. The Bible was there.” She took another drink. “We didn’t know for sure it was the same guy until the M.E. found myrrh oil on her neck. I had him check.”

  “On her neck?” Toni was confused.

  “There wasn’t a forehead left,” Vicky said, her face pale. She took several more gulps of her beer. “Her partner found her this morning. She’s also a firefighter.”