Page 20 of Scorched (Killer #2)
Elise stared down at him as he lay snuggled in his twin-sized bed, the exact match of his brother’s beside him. Her heart swelled with the pain and love she felt for her sons .
Brandon knew. All this time, she’d avoided talking with Brandon about what had happened back in North Dakota.
She’d hoped he’d forgotten, that his young mind would let it go.
Maybe he wouldn’t remember the news reporters pushing microphones into his mother’s face, asking her if she’d known that her husband had been killing women.
He’d probably seen the reports on television displaying the picture of his father, calling him the Dakota Strangler. What must that have done to him? And for Brandon to hold that inside all this time must have been hard.
A lump choked her throat. She struggled to swallow past it.
She’d thought moving this far south, where no one knew her and her sons, would safeguard them from the torment of the press. Never in a million years had she imagined that her husband might still be alive and want revenge on her for hiding his sons.
Elise scrubbed at the tears now streaming down her cheeks.
Would this nightmare ever end?
She trudged into the living room and stared around at the scattered toys, shoes and books, with no desire to clean.
The familiar creaking sound the house made occasionally made her jump.
A cat squalled outside the window, sending shivers up and down Elise’s arms. Despite her desire for independence, she found herself clock-watching, waiting for Paul’s return.
In the meantime, she couldn’t sit around twitching at every noise.
Elise switched on the television to mask the noises of the encroaching night. No sooner had she tuned into a favorite sitcom and settled into her lounge chair, than she got a shock during the first commercial break.
A San Antonio anchorman looked into the camera, but Elise felt as if he were talking directly to her. “Another young woman was found murdered in the Guadalupe River this afternoon. Stay tuned to the news at ten for more on this breaking story.”
Elise’s heart fisted in her gut, churning the mac and cheese she’d eaten for dinner into bile. The sick bastard had killed Mary Alice. She doubled over and moaned. No. This couldn’t be happening.
A soft knock sounded from the front door, jerking her out of her anguish and back into stark terror.
Her heart hammering in her chest, Elise leaped to her feet and ran for the door. Her hand paused on the knob. She didn’t have a peephole to identify the person on the other side. “Who is it?” she said, inwardly cursing how much her voice shook.
“Elise, it’s me, Melissa Bradley.”
Elise crossed to the window and parted the vinyl blinds.
Agent Bradley stood in her faded blue jeans, crisp white blouse, navy-blue wool blazer and mock-ostrich-skin cowboy boots. Behind her stood an older man in sweatpants and a sweatshirt with Kendall Country Sheriff written in bold black letters over his right breast.
Darkness crept in on the quiet street, edging out the last rays of sun.
Wind buffeted the gnarled live oak in the front yard.
For all her neighbors knew, two normal people had shown up to pay Elise Johnson a visit.
Not that it mattered. Elise couldn’t keep her identity a secret much longer.
Not when the lives of more women were at stake.
She sighed and unlocked the deadbolt, relieved and apprehensive at the same time. “Please, come in.”
Melissa entered with a camera around her neck, carrying what looked like a toolbox. She turned to the man behind her. “Elise Johnson, this is Kendall County Sheriff Thomas Engel.”
The sheriff held out a meaty hand and nodded. “Ms. Johnson. I understand you’ve had some trouble. I’m here to help.”
Elise shook hands with the sheriff dreading the questioning to come, yet knowing it had to be addressed. “If you’ll follow me. Please try to keep it down, the boys are sleeping.”
“We’ll make this as painless as possible. Unfortunately, some of this stuff can be messy.” Agent Bradley nodded. “Lead the way.”
When Elise opened the door to her bedroom, a cold wave of dread swept her all over again. The lettering hadn’t changed since Brandon found it earlier that day, yet it hung over her bed, taunting her with an oppressive threat.
Melissa set the toolbox on the floor, then started snapping pictures. “Has anything been disturbed since you found it?”
“No.” She hadn’t even gone into her room since Alex and Kendall had been there.
“Good.” Melissa covered the room’s every angle and closed in on the writing on the wall.
Elise tried to imagine what the room looked like from Mel’s viewpoint. A full-sized bed in the middle of the room. Only one pillow, fluffy yellow bedding and a child’s action figure lying on the nightstand. Lonely, female, single parent without a sex life.
On her limited budget, Elise had gone for soft and feminine decor.
The exact opposite of what Stan had insisted she buy for their bedroom.
She hadn’t wanted to be reminded of her former husband in any way whatsoever, preferring to completely erase him from her existence.
So much for erasing him. “Sheriff, the news said another woman was found this afternoon.”
“Good news travels fast.” The lines around his eyes deepened. “Bad news even faster.”
“Was she a blonde, Sheriff Engel?” Elise asked, her voice barely above a whisper, as her gaze traveled over the writing on the wall and her mind rolled over the words the killer had spoken on the phone only a few short hours ago .
The sheriff stared at the message on the wall and nodded, his lips set in a grim line. “Yes, ma’am.”
“And the woman from the other day?” Elise knew the answer before she asked.
“Blondes on both counts.” The sheriff flipped open a notepad and jotted something down. “Seems we might have us a serial killer with a penchant for blondes on our hands.”
Blondes by the name of Alice.
Elise stood outside her bedroom, not sure she’d ever be able to sleep there again. “Whoever killed those two women was in this house.”
Melissa dropped to her haunches beside the toolbox and flipped the metal latches open. “I have a locksmith on his way. Should be here any minute. The boss wants to make sure you’re rekeyed and secure before you go to bed tonight, or we could move you and the boys to a safe house.”
A small amount of relief loosened some of the tension in her shoulders. “No thanks. New locks will be sufficient.” At least she could rest somewhat assured the killer wouldn’t have a key to the new locks.
Elise paced the hallway, stopping to peek in on the boys who slept oblivious to the visitors. Thank goodness. How would she convince Brandon that everything was all right when their world was falling apart around them?
When she returned, Melissa was brushing black powder on surfaces throughout the room. “I’m sorry, this is a mess, but I’m hoping we’ll find a fingerprint or two.”
“I don’t mind. I’d like to know how he got in,” Elise stated.
“We would, too.” Melissa dusted black powder on the wall near the writing. “Did you check all your windows and doors before you left this morning?”
“Ever since I got the first note, I’ve been very careful to lock everything.”
“Are you certain the kids didn’t unlock a window or leave a door unlocked?”
“I double-checked everything before we left for school.”
Melissa shook her head. “Then he’s either good at lock-picking or he’s got a master key similar to what a locksmith would carry.”
“Are you telling me new locks won’t keep him out?” Elise laughed, although no amount of humor reflected in the sound. “That’s reassuring.”
“I’d get the new locks, just in case he’s gotten hold of one of your keys from somewhere.”
“Where?”
“Do you leave your keys with a garage attendant when you get your oil changed?” the sheriff asked.
“No, I only leave my car key.”
Sheriff Engel made a note on his pad. “Do you keep a spare house key anywhere?”
“Only at school in my desk drawer and I keep that locked when I’m not there. ”
“Have you checked that lock lately to be sure someone hasn’t tampered with it?”
“No, it never occurred to me.”
“I wouldn’t put it past this guy.” Melissa shrugged. “I wouldn’t put anything past this guy. You might consider buying a big dog or a gun.”
“I’m seriously considering a gun.” Then she told Mel and the sheriff about her phone conversation with the killer.