Middle River Murders (9 page)

“That’s enough, you bunch of goofballs. Y’all are acting
silly.” I walked over and sat down at the kitchen table and ignored them.
“What’s the plan for the day?”

“We’ve had breakfast, so we’ll be leaving in about an hour,”
Claire said. “As soon as I get the kids packed up, in the car and ready to go,
we’ll be heading home.”

“I’m sorry you guys have to leave,” I said, smiling at Benny
and Carrie. “I’ll miss you.”

Benny walked over to me and said, “We have to go to school,
but we’ll come back soon, Ant Jess.” He stood on his tiptoes and kissed my
check. He turned, looked at Claire and asked, “Won’t we, Mama?”

“Probably sooner than you think, Benny,” Claire replied,
scanning the room. “I’m sure something will happen, and we’ll have to return;
it always does in this family.” She smiled and ushered the kids upstairs.
“Let’s go pack our bags, kids.”

“Ah, can’t we stay a little longer?” Benny asked, his voice
trailing off as he and his sister followed their mother upstairs.

By the time Claire and the kids left, we had our plan mapped
out. Mom would go home, settle in a little bit (and probably spend some time on
the phone or in person with Eddie), and then I’d come over around
noon
. Billy would take care of Maisy and Ethan. Hopefully, by the
time I left the house there would be plenty of breast milk in the refrigerator,
but just in case, Claire, terrific mother that she is, had anticipated the
possible need and purchased several cans of ready-to-feed soy formula. The cans
were stored in the cabinet next to Maisy’s baby food.

Billy assured me he could handle everything, but just to make
me feel better, Sarah and Chief Sam had volunteered to come over and spend the
day just in case we had to call him to come save our lives. He couldn’t be in
two places at one time.

Mom and I would go to the funeral and then dinner, all the
while trying to get everything we could out of Daisy Clark. To avoid suspicion
about my attending the funeral of someone I didn’t even know, we decided to
tell Daisy that Mom needed my support and asked me to come along—hope you don’t
mind… yadda, yadda, yadda. The rest we’d play by ear.

And, of course, I’d have to carry my breast pump with me. Mom
said I’d be sorry if I didn’t. We didn’t know what the outcome of the day would
be, and it would be best if I were prepared for anything. So, as an added
precaution, I slipped my 9MM in the side compartment of the tote bag. You just
never know…

Well, there’re two things for sure other than death and
taxes: mothers are always right and things don’t always go exactly as planned.

Mom left around
nine o’clock
.
Less than forty minutes later, she had arrived home and was talking on the
telephone to us.

“You’re not going to believe what I found in my mailbox,
Jesse,” she said, her voice sounding strange. She was talking a mile a minute.
“There were several flyers… let’s see… one, two… seven flyers about missing
dogs and… and here… two missing cats in the last two weeks right here in
Dogwood
Valley
.”

“That’s a lot of animals.”

“And that’s not all. Before I’d check my box here, I stopped
at the post office to check my box there. You know I rented a box at the post
office just for my monthly checks after we had that rash of mail thefts from
our mailboxes down by the road. I went to all the trouble of changing my
mailing address on my checks… that was a real pain, just so they wouldn’t come
to my mailbox here.”

“Slow down, Mom and get to the point.”

“While I was at the post office, I noticed three flyers on
the bulletin board of missing pets. There were pictures of the animals, and all
of them were from
Dogwood
Valley
.
When I looked over the flyers here, none of them resembled any of the ones I
saw at the post office. That’s a total of ten missing pets. Don’t you think
that’s weird?”

“Mom, you live in the mountains. Here animals go missing all
the time. Some just run away, while others either get hit by a car and wander
off into the woods to die. Some get picked up by the dog warden.”

“Getting picked up by the dog catcher is different. You can
go to the pound and get your dog back. The owners of these animals probably
already checked with the pound before posting these flyers. What about Cole’s
dog, River? Someone shot him.”

“Cole said River had a habit of getting into people’s trash,
and around here, a dog that becomes a menace usually winds up getting shot.
Cole wasn’t surprised at what happened to River… sad… but not surprised.”

“I’m telling you it’s not the same. I’ve been home twice in
the last two weeks and there was nothing about missing pets. Now I’m getting a
slew of flyers. All of a sudden animals are mysteriously disappearing. There’s
something weird going on around here.”

“Just calm down and we’ll talk about it when I get there,
okay?”

“I don’t like it, Jesse. I’ve been reading one of those
college books of yours on how the criminal mind works and it said that most
serial killers started out torturing and then killing small animals like dogs,
cats, and even squirrels.”

“When have you found time… oh, never mind. Are you thinking
Crazy Daisy’s been around?” I chuckled.

“Laugh if you want to, but I don’t like what’s happening here
one bit.”

Mom obviously was upset and I wasn’t making matters any
better. I felt bad for not taking her concerns seriously, so I said, “I’m
sorry, Mom. I can tell this has you upset. I’ll talk to Billy about it before I
leave and see what he has to say. If you’re scared, lock your doors and
windows. I’ll be there soon. I just need to get dressed.”

“I hope you plan to wear something nice. We’re going to a
funeral.”

“I can’t wear my jeans?”

“Now you are making fun of me.”

“Yes, I am. I love you, Mom. Lock up your house and I’ll be
there as soon as I can.”

“Please hurry up. I’m a tad uneasy.”

“I’m on my way.”

I hung up the phone and went to the bedroom. Maisy and Ethan
had already been changed, fed, and were under the watchful eye of their father.
Ethan was asleep in his crib and Maisy wouldn’t be far behind him. I was
comfortable with leaving. Billy is such a good father, I thought to myself. He
truly can handle anything.

I pulled out a pair of black dress pants and a white silk
blouse from the closet, and while doing so, I heard the faint sound of a tiny
voice say, “Da-Da.” I threw the clothes down on the bed and ran to the hallway.
I found Maisy standing in front of Billy with his large hands outstretched as
she took two steps toward him. She fell just as he grabbed her.

Billy and I stared at each other and grinned with delight.

Maisy put her arms around Billy’s neck as her head rested on
his shoulder. She yawned.

“Daddy, I guess your daughter is growing up. It’s time to buy
her a brand new car.”

“She has to learn to ride her horse first.”

“Oh, that’s right. I forgot about the horses. I guess the car
can wait.”

When Billy was remodeling the house, he also built a stable
out back and bought two horses. We named them Rusty and Dusty. Rusty is a red
stallion and Dusty is a tan mare. Hopefully, there’d be a little Rusty/Dusty
running around before too long.

Billy said the horses were for the kids, but he was the one
who rode them. He also got Mom to ride one—once. Claire loved to ride horses,
so she let both her kids ride as well. I was pregnant and couldn’t, but Maisy
and I loved to watch. I almost freaked out one day when I caught Billy riding
with Maisy strapped to him in one of those papoose contraptions. She loved it,
but that was her one and only adventure on horseback since. I told Billy she
had to wait until she was older, and to satisfy me, he agreed.

I ran my hand through Maisy’s blond, curly hair and then
kissed her on the forehead. “She’s getting sleepy, Daddy. I think she needs a
nap. I’ll take her.”

I took Maisy to the nursery, laid her in her crib, and within
seconds she had drifted off to sleep. I looked over at Ethan and smiled.
Children really do change your life… and all for the better. I turned and
walked out of the room.

Billy was waiting for me in the hallway. “What about me?” he
asked. “Where’s my kiss?”

I stared into his loving eyes, rose up on my tiptoes and
kissed him passionately on the lips.

He immediately took me into his arms. His kisses were
overwhelming—between that and my uncontrollable desire to have him touch me, I
didn’t refuse when he picked me up in his arms and carried me to the bedroom.
Our lovemaking was passionate and oh, so satisfying.

I guess it’s true what they say about forbidden love, or sex.
It’s always so wonderful. The thought of what the doctor had said about getting
pregnant so easily after giving birth didn’t enter my mind until… well, by then
it didn’t matter.

Spice Cat jumped up on the bed and meowed loudly.

Billy and I came back down to Earth and stared at each other,
realizing what our uncontrollable lustful desires had caused us to do. We both
giggled. As they say, it was way too late to cry over spilled milk. I kissed
him lovingly one last time before jumping out of bed and heading to the
bathroom. Thirty minutes later, we had both showered and I was headed out the
front door… damp hair and all.

I had forgotten to tell Billy about Mom’s concerns that an
animal serial killer might be on the loose in
Dogwood
Valley
—a mistake I would later regret.

The drive to Stanardsville seemed as if it took forever. The
closer I got to Mom’s house, the more I became concerned about her earlier
fears. She was upset when she called and I should’ve rushed right over.
Instead, I was doing the forbidden, too soon, hanky-panky with my husband. I
felt ashamed that I had put my sexual desires ahead of my own mother. Guilt was
overtaking me.

“Stop!” I said out loud. “I’m letting my imagination get the
best of me. Mom’s fine. Everything’s fine.” My thoughts drifted back to Billy
and our intense lovemaking. I broke out in a sweat. “I’ve got to stop thinking
about…”

As I crossed over the
South River
Bridge
, I saw the weirdest thing. A man was
walking up the road in the direction of Mom’s house, and he was carrying a
shotgun. I slowed as I neared him so I could get a good, long look. I hit the
lock button on my car as I pulled up beside him.

“Is everything okay?” I asked as I pressed the button to roll
the window down slightly. “Are you out hunting?”

“That’s right,” the scruffy man said. “I’m looking for my
dog.”

Brazenly, I asked, “What’s the gun for?”

He stopped, looked at me and said, “You ain’t from around
here, are you? No, you couldn’t be, or you’d know that everybody carries a
gun.”

“Yes, I am. We live up the road around the bend,” I replied.
I wasn’t about to tell him I was visiting my mother who lived alone when she was
at home.

“Ah, I know who you are. I see you got a new car, huh?”

I was a little stunned that he knew me, or knew of me. I
didn’t say anything.

“You ain’t got to be afraid of me,” the man said. “My name’s
Rupert Hawkins. I’m a friend of Eddie’s. Your mother lives in that big, white,
two-story house on the left that sits back off the road. She has a nice place.
Eddie talks about her all the time. Are you the daughter who just had a baby or
the one from D.C. with the two kids?”

“I’m the one who just had a baby.” I don’t know why I started
spilling my guts, but there was something about this man that seemed honest.
“My name is…”

“Jesse,” he said. “Live here long enough and you’ll know
everything about everybody. Please tell your ma Rupert said hello and not to
worry. We been keeping our eyes on her place. Let me give you a warning, Jesse
and be sure to tell your ma this. If you bring your dogs here to visit or leave
them with her, don’t let them out of your sight. My dog’s been missing for two
days. Ain’t like him. He runs loose, but he knows when it’s time to come home.
Used to be you could let your dogs or your cat out and not have to worry about
them. Not anymore. Somebody’s snatching up our critters. And I ain’t the only
one with a missing dog.” He pointed in the direction ahead of us. “Why, just
the other day, Vernon Riley up the mountain said he seen an old white, beat up
pickup truck stop in the middle of the road. A guy got out and picked up a
black and tan and then tossed him in the front seat. Then the truck took off
like its tail was on fire. Excuse my language.”

“What’s a black and tan?”

Rupert laughed. “A black and tan’s a coon hound. Sorry, I
just thought everybody knew…” He laughed again and then said, “I don’t mean to
poke fun of you.”

“It’s okay. I’m not offended.”

He continued with what he had to say. “Now it could’ve been
the man’s dog, but I bet my money it ain’t. Irvin said his hound went missing
just about the same time my dog did, and that was the same day
Vernon
saw the coon hound get snatched up.
It sounds too coincidental to me. The guy in the pickup truck had some woman
with him. She’s probably in on it. I’m pretty sure I know who the man is, but I
ain’t pointing no finger, yet… not until I get me some proof. Then I’m calling
the sheriff.”

“Thanks for the advice,” I said. “I’ll tell my mother what
you said. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Hawkins.”

“Call me Rupert. Everybody does.”

“Okay, Rupert. Again, thanks for the tip. We’ll keep our eyes
open. Just in case we run into him, what’s your dog’s name and what does he
look like?”

“His name’s Gus,” Rupert said. “He’s a German shepherd. I
call him Old Gus, `cause he’s been around for a long time. I hate to think some
jerk would cut his life short when he ain’t got much time left on this earth anyway.
It ain’t right. If I find the guy who took my dog, he’d better leave town in a
hurry.”

“I hope you find Gus,” I said as I waved and then drove away.
I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Rupert wave.

He’s a decent fellow, I thought as my mind went into a
tailspin. My heart started to palpitate, something that used to happen just
before a panic attack would strike. I hadn’t had one of those in… I don’t
remember how long. The thought of a panic attack made things worse. My
adrenaline was up. I pulled into Mom’s driveway, and barely got the key out of
the ignition before I threw open the car door. I jumped out of my
Toyota
and ran up the steps to Mom’s front
door. I fumbled with the keys, searching for the right one, but my hands shook
so badly that I dropped them.

Mom opened the door and when she did, I rushed inside. I went
right to the kitchen to get a drink of water. My mouth was dry and I felt
jittery inside. I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water
from the sink. I turned the glass up and didn’t bring it down until it was
empty.

“What in this world…”

“Lock the door, Mom.”

Mom, seeing the look of concern on my face, did as I said and
then walked back to the kitchen.

We both sat down at the table and waited a few seconds until
I could catch my breath.

“What happened, Jesse? You look like a mess.”

“I am a mess, Mom. Where’re those flyers you were talking
about?”

“I put them on my desk, just in case I found one of the lost
animals. I know you think…”

“Please, go get them.”

“You’re starting to scare me, Jesse. What’s going on?”

“I think you were right about the serial killer.”

“What serial killer? Are you talking about Daisy? Oh, Jesse,
she doesn’t have anything to do with the missing pets. She kills people, not
animals.”

“God, you said that so calmly, as if killing people was the
norm.”

“You really are upset, aren’t you? I’m calling Billy.”

“No, don’t, Mom. Let’s talk first.”

“Okay, you go first.”

“When you told me about all the missing dogs and cats, I
didn’t think much about it. I even forgot to say anything to Billy. I’m sorry,
Mom. It just slipped my mind.”

Heaven forbid that I tell her what I was really doing at the
time.

“Anyway, after I crossed over the
South River
Bridge
by the mailboxes, I met a man named Rupert. He was carrying a shotgun and
looking for his dog, Gus. He says to tell you hello, by the way.”

“Old Gus is missing?”

“You know this man?”

“Sure, I do, honey. He’s Eddie’s friend, Rupert Hawkins. He’s
an old
Greene
County
boy, as they call themselves. He was born and raised here. I asked him why he
never moved away and he said,
‘This is my home and I love this place. Why
would I want to leave?’
Most people who were born in
Greene
County
don’t want to leave. I don’t blame them. It’s beautiful. The mountains are
beautiful and the people are so nice.”

“I hate to tell you this, Mom, but I think there’s a psycho
running around
Greene
County
killing innocent animals. Is one of those flyers from Rupert? Is Gus’s picture
on one of those posters?”

“No, I would’ve recognized the name. Besides, Gus is a German
shepherd and there weren’t any pictures of those in the flyers.”

“All I can say is keep on reading those books of mine. You
were right about the profile of a person who hurts or kills animals. They start
out with killing defenseless animals and then they progress to people. They
lose interest in the animals. They want a challenge. They want to see if they
can bring down a person as easily as they can an animal. That’s when they
crossover and become serial killers, and once they succeed, they don’t stop
until they get caught.”

“Should we call Billy?”

“Yes, I think so. I want him to know about this.”

I got up and walked over to the wall phone, thinking the same
thing I do every time I look at mine. We need to move into the twenty-first
century and get rid of this antiquated piece of equipment. We need to replace
it with a portable one. Cell phones are the real deal. I dialed my house and
Billy picked up after the second ring.

“Hello, `ge ya. Don’t you just love Caller ID?”

“Hi, Billy. Is everything all right?”

“It sure is. Maisy and Ethan are still asleep and Mom and Dad
are here. We were having a drink.”

“What kind of drink? You’re not drinking alcohol, are you?”

“I’m not, but Dad was having a beer. Give me some credit, `ge
ya.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just so upset.”

“What’s the matter? Is it Daisy? Is there a problem already?”

“I just found out there’s someone snatching up people’s dogs
and cats in
Dogwood
Valley
.”

“What? That’s… “

“I know it sounds weird, but Mom had several flyers in her
mailbox about missing pets and down the road from Mom’s house I met a man
carrying a shotgun. He said he was looking for his dog. He told me about other
missing dogs. He said he knows a man who saw a guy pick up a dog that looks
just like a dog that’s turned up missing. Mom told me she read about people who
torture and kill small animals and then start on people. I know you think this
is nothing…”

“Hold it, Jesse. There might be something to your fears, but
you also have to remember that there could be a neighborhood bear running
around. These mountains are full of them and it’s not quite time for them to go
into hibernation. When any kind of animal has a run-in with a bear, the bear
usually wins. Just keep your eyes open for the four-legged and the two-legged
dangers out there. Play it safe and don’t trust anyone you don’t know. If a
stranger shows up, don’t let him in.”

“I wouldn’t do that anyway. You should know better. You
taught me well.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I assume you’re armed.”

“As I said, you taught me well.”

“Then be careful. Keep your cell phone on and tell your
mother to do the same thing.”

“Will do, heap big master of the house.”

“That’s Honorable Warrior to you, `ge ya.”

“I’ll keep in touch. Love you.”

I hung up the phone, walked back over to Mom and sat down.
“Billy said there could be a bear in the vicinity. That might explain why all
those pets are missing. Billy said when a bear tangles with an animal, the bear
always wins. I should’ve thought of that.”

“It makes sense to me,” Mom said, relieved. “I like the
thought of a bear running around, as long as I don’t encounter one, much better
than I do the idea we might have a maniac in the neighborhood. I guess we both
jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

“In case there’s something fishy going on, we’re going to be
on the alert for anything even slightly out of the ordinary.”

“I should go change clothes,” Mom said. “I don’t want Daisy
and her husband to show up and have to wait on me.”

“Why don’t you bring me those flyers first?”

“I’ll get them, but I don’t think you’ll recognize anyone.”

“Recognize who—the dog or the name of the owner?”

She looked at me strangely, as if she was trying to figure
out whether or not my question was supposed to be a joke, and then she laughed.
She walked out of the room and when she returned, she was carrying a pile of
papers. She handed me the papers and then said, “You look nice in those black
dress pants. I guess you don’t own a skirt.”

“I hate wearing skirts.”

“I know,” she said under her breath as she headed to her
bedroom.

I took the flyers and examined all of them closely. Finally,
I discovered a common element in all of them other than the fact that they
lived in
Dogwood
Valley
—they
all went missing on a Wednesday. To me, that wasn’t a coincidence. What’s the
probability that all of these animals would go missing on the same day of the
week? The plot thickened. I also noticed that none of them were young—no
kittens or puppies. All of them were listed as past the age of two. Was that
the magic number? Possibly, the thief didn’t want young ones. My mind started
to wander as I began to envision a man who had been attacked by a dog, possibly
as a child or maybe as a teenager, and when the anger of it all overtook him,
he started getting revenge. I shivered at the thought.