*****
Piper was checking her e-mail when she learned that RomeoBoy was on-line from her buddy list.
She clicked on the box to connect.
RomeoBoy: We played a good show Friday. Were you there? ;)
Princess2014: No. I had other plans. But I’ve been meaning to go. Please be patient.
RomeoBoy: No problem. Would you like to meet again for coffee?
Jo-Jo stretched out on Piper’s big bed, paws in the air. Robin was at her office on a Sunday, so Piper was alone, although Bobby mentioned he would stop by.
Piper sighed, typed in her response:
Princess2014: Coffee is okay, but I don’t know what day. I’ll have to get back to you.
Ariel’s response surprised her:
RomeoBoy: Are you okay with this?
Piper was not sure what Ariel meant at first, and thought carefully before typing.
Princess2014: I just want to go slow. I have my mom and school to think about.
RomeoBoy: I understand, I’ll IM you later. Bye.
Piper could not tell if Ariel was upset or not, but Piper had been avoiding her for days, and maybe she had finally taken a hint. Piper knew she was not ready for any kind of a relationship, and did not want anyone pushing her.
Piper was ready to go off-line when the e-mail prompter appeared, letting her know she had new mail. She was not surprised to see Justine’s e-mail address and ‘Ravisher’ in the subject line. She opened the message:
“The wrong piggy has been caged. He wasn’t the only guy here that hated his parents, there’s so many more. How do I know? Come for a visit...”
Piper shook her head. Another file to send Bobby. She had been surprised that Garcia had never checked up on Justine’s recent visitors. The last thing she needed was for him to come around, rehashing the past around her mother. Robin could never know about her going to Haven Rest to visit Justine. Robin had threatened to hire someone to watch Piper while she was working, even her father would go along if Justine was involved. Piper thought about dealing with her father, and shuddered. She only spoke to him three times a year now, his new home and wife in Falls River.
She sat back in her chair, thinking about what Justine meant by a piggy being caged.
Who could she mean? Piper thought.
She was still wondering when her cell phone rang next to her keyboard. She picked it up, checking the caller I.D.:
Bobby.
*****
Cal had spent most of Saturday working at his office, then met friends for drinks and dinner. He slept late Sunday, forgetting about his mail until he returned from the grocery store.
He used his key to open his mailbox in the downstairs hallway by the back door to his unit. He searched through his mail until he came to a small brown envelope, his name and address written in block letters. He could feel something bulky inside, at the bottom.
He took the envelope and the rest of the mail back to his apartment, stopping at his kitchen table.
He opened the flap with his thumb, slipping two fingers inside, pulling out a folded sheet of copy paper. He opened the paper, expecting a formal letter, but saw only one phrase, printed in the middle:
OCT 10-FIND ME
He put the paper down on the table. His mind was still considering the possibilities when he reached for the bulk at the bottom. He felt the plastic bag, carefully pulling it out.
A small sandwich bag with no seal, rolled up at one end. Cal held the bag between his fingers. He studied the contents, which were soft under the plastic. He thought he was looking at a piece of meat, maybe chicken, starting to turn gray.
Cal stared some more before he realized what he was holding. He dropped the bag to the table and grabbed his cell phone, dialing Garcia’s number, his heart pounding. “Ben, I got something in the mail. I think its Emily Watts’s earlobe.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Sonya was waiting for the school bus Monday morning when she saw a motorcycle roar through the morning mist, turning out of Barb’s driveway. The Harley passed her, and she did not miss the long mane of brown hair.
Shawn must have spent the night, she thought.
Aron was out of bed, taking his place at the couch, cup of coffee in hand. Bill would sleep a few extra hours, giving Aron some peace while he ate his breakfast and showered without Bill asking him the time every ten minutes or if he had fed Helga.
He noticed the motorcycle passing Sonya as she stood at the end of the driveway. Bill had commented on the number of bikes coming into the neighborhood.
“You’d think Wayne was alive again,” he said. “But the guys stopped coming around as much after the babies were born. Things quieted down.”
Aron was watching Sonya get on the bus when the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Mr. Neslund, this is Cindy at WorkStaffing. We have some work for you...”
“Oh. Really?”
“Harper’s department store needs some help in men’s clothing. They get busy at Christmastime and need some part-time help. Are you interested?”
Aron yawned into his coffee. If he took the assignment, his unemployment benefits would be effected, but not revoked. He would have to work evenings and weekends, leaving Bill and Sonya alone. However, he welcomed the idea of getting out of the house.
“Sure. I’ll check it out. What time do you want me there?”
*****
“You want the Press to run the date?” Cal asked.
Garcia looked over at his supervisor, Captain Brian Schultz. Ten years Garcia’s junior, Schultz was physically fit, bald, his glasses square-shaped black frames. He had a nerdy quality that was better suited for computer programming than police work.
“Seems too good to refuse, Cal,” Schultz said.
“But how do you know the Ravisher isn’t just playing with you? He could decide not to take a victim in October...”
They were all sitting at Schultz’s desk in his small office, paper cups of coffee in front of them. Garcia had insomnia for the last few nights, and the delivery of Emily’s earlobe to Cal only worsened his stress. The new mayor and the district attorney, tired of the public pressure, wanted the Ravisher found.
“Every thing you’ve mentioned is possible, Cal,” Garcia said. “But for the Ravisher to make this kind of move, by sending you a personal message, tells me that he’s getting as sloppy as I knew he would. He expects us to play along; he’s enjoying this, and wants us to inform the public. Eventually, he will start sending more messages, convinced he’s smarter than us. It’s important that we let him believe this for awhile. I want you to communicate with this guy, let him get used to you, and we can get closer to him.”
Cal sighed, then nodded slowly. “I can build a story around the date, and I’m sure Burt will be fine with it, but he may want more incentive...”
Garcia and Schultz knew this was coming, typical of Burt Snyder, the current and last editor of the Marine Press.
“Such as?” Schultz asked.
“The meth lab explosion at the trailer park.”
The Marine PD had kept all press away from the story. The explosion, proceeded by a shooting, killed five people and injured more at Getty Estates in Fruit Ridge County. Cal, after two years, was not able to dig any information out of Garcia. Following the heavily-guarded clean-up, one of the victim’s wives came forward about her husband making and selling meth for years, with connections to the Blue Diamonds as far as Florida and New Mexico. She told the police what she knew in exchange for staying out of jail and keeping her children. Her confession led to testifying in a trial that put her in the Federal Witness Protection Program.
Schultz shook his head. “The FBI’s involvement keeps us from discussing the meth case with you or any other—”
“It’s been two years,” Garcia said.
“I just want to do a retrospective piece,” Cal said. “I could speak to so
me of the locals who were effected. I don’t have to bring up the FBI.”
Garcia and Schultz exchanged a look, and Cal wondered how many strings would have to be pulled.
Schultz pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “I’ll have to talk to someone at the Bureau. Maybe I can get permission for a story.”
Both cops did not miss the look of conquest in Cal’s eyes. “Great. Burt will have the date in tomorrow’s paper, I’m sure. I’ll go right up to his office and call you back soon.”
Garcia could hear Cal humming a happy tune as he walked down the hallway. Garcia took his lukewarm coffee back to his desk. He pulled out a notepad, ready to begin organizing the chaos before tomorrow.
*****
Aron had left for his temp job at Harper’s, so Bill decided to check on his plants in his shed.
The shed was old, made of metal, white paint peeling, the flat roof intact enough that Bill’s plants could not be seen from above, but Bill had to cut out a small window in the back for sunlight to come in.
Bill received a surprise as he pointed the flashlight at the long wooden table, still covered with a layer of potting soil and empty water bottles.
All eight of his plants were gone.
He blamed the first group of people that came to mind. “Damn kids. Don’t their parents know what they’re doing half the time?”
The memory of the drive to Ernie’s farm had disappeared from Bill‘s mind.
He was stepping out of the shed when Helga started barking. He heard the sound of a motorcycle engine and the tires crunching up his driveway.
The biker, wearing no helmet to cover his head, was Shawn. He came all the way up to Bill’s fence before turning off his Harley.
Bill, up close, recognized Shawn, but he was not sure from when or where.
“Hi, Bill,” Shawn said.
“Hi.”
Shawn got off the bike, and walked towards the gate. Helga, growling softly, continued to watch him.
Bill shrugged. “Don’t mind her...”
“She’s just being protective.”
“You can open the gate.”
Shawn let himself in the yard. “Bill, I got some bad news. About Ernie.”
Bill, at the mention of Ernie’s name, could feel the memory, like bowling pins, line up in his head. “What about him?”
“He’s dead. Jimmy Hepler found him out there. Somebody shot him.”
“Oh, no. Poor Ernie.”
“Nothing was taken from his place, Jed was inside. Carrie was going to get him from the pound, but the cops told her to wait.”
Bill shook his head. “Who would want to kill Ernie?”
“Probably over his crops. The police seized all of it. There’s going to be a lot of unhappy pot-heads in Marine.”
“Yeah. Too bad.”
“Where’s your brother?”
“At a job, I think.”
“Barb tells me that he helps you.”
“Yes, he does. His daughter–my niece–lives with us.”
“Do you know my name, Bill?”
“I don’t recall...”
“It’s okay.”
“I wonder if Ernie’ll get a funeral.”
“Maybe the Diamonds can put something together. Are you left alone during the day, Bill?”
“Not usually. But Aron needs a job, Sonya goes to school.”
“My name is Shawn. Shawn Kallis.”
“Sounds familiar, but I can’t say for sure...”
“Maybe I’ll come by when Aron is home.”
“Okay.”
“Take it easy, man.”
Bill and Helga watched Shawn leave the yard, shutting the gate behind him, and got back on his bike. He started the Harley and turned around in the driveway.
Bill entered the house before Shawn was back on the road. Who Shawn could be meant less to him than realizing the location of his plants. If all of the crops were seized by police, then Bill’s plants had also been taken. Bill shook his head. A shame, although he had plenty of time to grow more before Christmas.
He looked at the remaining hunting equipment on his couch. He could place a free ad in the Marine Buyer’s Guide, and have the remaining rifles and knives sold in a week.
He pulled out a small notebook and a pen. No use in waiting for Aron. He sat down at his chair, and started writing his ad, putting the words together before he forgot.
*****
Sonya walked off-campus to Mack’s store with Piper and Bobby. They went to the wooded lot with their sandwiches and sodas. Sonya had brought her cell phone with her, checking her messages. Aron left the first, letting her know he would be working for the day at Harper’s department store at the Four Winds Mall. She was surprised; selling men’s ties seemed a bit beneath her father. She checked the second message, from Cal.
“Sonya, I need you to pass this on to Bill and Aron. Ernie Shafer was found dead out at his farm. I‘ll try calling Aron later. Love you. Bye.”
“Sonya?” Piper asked.
“Yeah?” Sonya put her phone in her pocket.
“Bobby has a doctor’s appointment, and I don’t like to be alone at my house right now. Could you come over tonight?”
“Sure. If my dad can take me.”
“The doctor wants to look at my fingers,” Bobby said. “If he takes the splints off, I can wash my hair with both hands and zip up my pants easier.”
“And Rick is off the hook,” Piper said.
Bobby shrugged “In his own way, he’s sorry. I think he’ll stay on his own for awhile.”
“Is he taking his meds?”
“Who knows?”
“If Rick isn’t a Blue Diamond, why is he allowed to hang out at the club-house?” Sonya asked.
Bobby handed his sandwich to Piper to unwrap for him. “The Diamonds can let buddies in on certain nights. Rick mentioned going there on Wednesdays.”
“Not on the weekends?”
“I don’t think so.”
“It makes me wonder about Justine’s father, but I can’t recall what day of the week he attacked Jimmy Hepler. But it was late at night.”
“You’d think one of the other Diamonds would have noticed Philip Kent hanging around,” Piper said. “Those guys would have told him to leave.”
“Unless he was helped,” Sonya said. “Hiding in a vehicle, or behind the building...”
“Someone else? Another Diamond?”
“Maybe Jimmy was set up?”
Bobby rolled his eyes. “Eat your sandwich, Sonya.”
Sonya looked down at the wrapped chicken salad sandwich in her hand. She disliked these sandwiches, the bread was dry. “Philip Kent needed a victim to make him look good, but the police couldn’t prove that he was behind his wife’s kidnapping and rape.”
“The only way they could prove it is if one of the men Kent supposedly hired came forward. No one did.”
They ate their lunches in silence until another group of students came through the trees, the lot now covered in a carpet of fall leaves. Sonya recognized Kaitlyn and her boyfriend Dane Lock, wearing his letter jacket, another couple behind them.
Dane’s gaze passed over Piper and Bobby, but neither of them looked away, knowing the seniors wanted the wooded space to sneak a joint or make out before going back to class.
Sonya turned around, looking Dane in the eye. “You better save what you have. Might be awhile before you can buy more.”
Kaitlyn gave her a confused look, but Sonya kept her gaze on Dane’s soft, handsome face. His lips curled into a smirk. “What?”
“Ernie is dead, so the dealers will need to find a new supplier. Pass it on.”
*****
“Whatever suspicions the police had about Philip Kent hiring men to hurt his wife were never mentioned in the articles,” Sonya said.
She and Piper were sitting at the piano bench at Piper’s house.
Sonya, before Aron brought her o
ver, studied the articles once again. Justine never gave any testimony, but a doctor came forward, who had tested her blood for drugs. Angela Kent made her husband sound like a good man, their marriage solid.
Piper smiled, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Sonya, but I keep thinking about what you said to Dane Lock...”
“Dane’s a jerk. Kristen told me.”
“Why does your cousin like him?”
“I don’t know. Kaitlyn’s a cheerleader, and Dane plays football.”
“She likes being a part of that...”
“The status quo. I can understand why, I know her mother.”
Piper pulled down the cover on the piano keys. “Do you think Trey Winstead could really be the Ravisher?”
“He doesn’t seem like the type,“ Sonya said. “True, he was a patient at Haven Rest, and he did some kind of weird art with cut-up photos of women’s faces, but that’s not enough proof. The police have to prove that Trey was around the victims at the time of their attacks. A link, between him and all three girls.”
“Kristen said she saw him at her church.”
“He also works at Metal Concepts, but Kristen never met him. He was also a stranger to Jess and Emily.”
“What about the knife?” Piper asked.
“I gave Cal the serial number, and he passed it on to Garcia.”
“Did you call Cal back?”
“I forgot. I was in such a hurry after I got home, and Uncle Bill seemed confused. He said some guy had stopped by, telling him Ernie was dead. I already knew that, but Dad was trying to get Uncle Bill to explain who the guy was. Uncle Bill said he was a Blue Diamond; Barb’s boyfriend, Shawn.”
“How did your uncle come to know the Blue Diamonds?”
“He knows a few, including Ernie. Everyone in Marine knows a Blue Diamond, right?”
“That’s what my mom likes to say.”
“Have you received any messages from Justine lately?” Sonya asked.
“Not for the last few days.”
“If Trey is arrested, maybe she’ll leave you alone.”
Piper smiled. “I can only hope.”
Piper and Sonya were sitting close at the small bench. Piper reached over, taking some of Sonya’s long red-orange hair between her fingers. “Have you ever considered a perm?”
“I got a perm once. My hair is too thick already, and it was a mess, frizzy and uncontrollable. I begged my mom to get it cut, and she gave in. I wore my hair short the rest of the year.”
Piper did not let go of Sonya’s hair as she leaned in, her lips brushing Sonya’s in a quick kiss. Sonya’s expression remained neutral as she tried to comprehend what just happened.