Page 33 of Their Wicked Games

“Stabbed?” Mr. Nolan looked at Kane and scrubbed both hands down his face. “When did this happen?”

Jenna handed him a glass of water and sat beside Mrs. Nolan. “We don’t have the time of death. We came straight from the scene. The medical examiner will make a determination after the autopsy.”

“Did your son have any enemies or anyone who had a reason to harm him?” Kane leaned against the counter.

“No, everyone loved him.” Mr. Nolan shook his head slowly. “He even mowed old Mrs. Jones’ grass and never asked for a cent. He was always happy and generous.”

“So, what happened between the two of you recently?” Kane cleared his throat. “Why did you need to ground him?”

“He wasn’t doing his chores, is all.” Mr. Nolan shrugged. “You need to keep a firm grip on teenagers. First, it’s not taking out the garbage, and then it’s a downward slide. I was constantly reminding him that he needed good grades for college. It’s not all about football.” He gave Kane a long look. “I know some parents allow their kids to go out and stay out without any regard to what they’re doing. We have rules in our house to keep our boys on the straight and narrow. He wanted to go to a party with his girlfriend to make up after they’d had a fight, and I grounded him. It wasn’t like him to disobey me and climb out of the window. I know where he was going. He was heading to a party at the high school. I imagine he would have taken the alleyways as a shortcut. He was complaining to me that the party started at ten and he’d have Betty-Jo home by eleven-thirty. His girlfriend is the captain of the cheerleading team. He was concerned that she would hook up with one of his friends.” He let out a long sigh. “I tried to explain that if she couldn’t be trusted with his friends, she could never be trusted. He was the quarterback and had girls falling all over him, yet he wanted the captain of the cheerleaders. Betty-Jo was a status symbol, I guess.”

Jenna listened with sympathy, glad the couple had calmed down at last. “Did he take his phone? We didn’t find anything other than his wallet.”

“No.” Mr. Nolan stared at his hands. “I confiscated his phone and his laptop. He had no way of communicating with her at all. It was only for a few days and it’s the only type of punishment that works. I don’t believe in beating my children.”

Saddened, Jenna took her phone out of her pocket. “You shouldn’t blame yourself. You were only doing what you considered to be best for him.” She looked at Mrs. Nolan. “I can arrange for you to see Miles at one this afternoon to identify his body. Would you like me to call Father Derry or your minister to accompany you?”

“Yes, and please call Father Derry.” Mrs. Nolan got unsteadily to her feet and cleared the table. “I need to keep busy.” She looked at her husband. “Don’t just sit their staring into space. Call Miles’ friends and see if anyone saw him last night. I’ll make a fresh pot of coffee.”

Jenna stood. “We’ll go outside to make the calls.” She followed Kane out of the open front door and turned to him. “She is like a drill sergeant. Have you noticed she hasn’t shed a tear?”

“You wouldn’t fall to bits and lie around wailing either.” Kane thumbed a number into his phone. “She’ll wait until she’s alone. Some people never shed a tear. I’m not sure that it’s healthy but everyone deals with tragedy in their own way.”

As Kane walked down the pathway with his phone pressed to his ear, Jenna made the calls. Wolfe would have Miles ready for viewing at one and Father Derry was on his way. She would wait until his arrival before returning to the office. After slipping her phone inside her pocket, she waited for Kane to disconnect. “Mr. Nolan is calling Miles’ friends. I’ll ask him to email me a list. We know that Alicia Palmer was known to all our suspects. The first three victims attended the same high school as Miles. I would be interested to see if he knew Bill Ripley as well.”

“If Ripley knew all of the victims and everyone on the crossbow teams, it’s a link we can’t ignore.” Kane stared blankly at the open front door. “That’s just too much of a coincidence. If we discover he’s one of Jimmy Two Cents’ pen pals, we have a slam dunk.”

Nodding, Jenna stared at him. “It seems to me that Bill Ripley has just moved to the top of our suspects list.”

THIRTY

Excitement shivered through Jimmy Two Cents as he pressed the phone to his ear. His mouth watered at the exquisite detail delivered by his protégé. He could almost taste the victim’s fear and smell the steam rising from his entrails. Hand trembling on the receiver, he glanced left and right. He’d earned extra time for his phone calls and to his delight the guard had walked way down the end of the corridor. Of course, anyone listening in would hear exactly what he wanted them to believe. The conversation always centered around hunting and in these parts what they were discussing was a normal topic of conversation. Along the way, he offered his usual amount of encouragement, too much and he would lose the dependence his protégé needed, too little and the man at the end of the line would refuse to do his bidding. He needed the contact. His memories often faded, and without his trophies, he had nothing to trigger the delightful details of his kills. Craving more information, he picked his words with care. “It was brave of you to stun the young buck. Getting that close, he might have injured you.”

“It went down, so I gutted it.” The voice on the end of the line quivered slightly. “It just looked at me, like it couldn’t believe what had happened. It was on its back and its legs were running in the air. I watched for a time and then stabbed it in the heart. It would have been easier using my crossbow.”

Savoring every word, Jimmy Two Cents checked the time. He didn’t have much longer to set the next task. Each step forward, he increased the level of difficulty. He’d thought long and hard on how he should proceed. He did not intend to lose his protégé but being able to manipulate him and see everything through his eyes was too tempting. The next kill would be dangerous but the rewards greater. Trying to hide his excitement, he cleared his throat. “I hear the pigs have been increasing in town of late. Now they’re dangerous, so your crossbow would be the best choice. You could strike at a distance or lure them into a trap. I’m sure you’ll think of something interesting. Call me when you’re done and tell me all about it. I’ve really enjoyed our conversation today. It takes me back to old times. When I talk to you it’s just like being there. I sure miss hunting in the forest.”

He waited for his protégé to disconnect and then leaned against the cold brick wall gathering himself. His hands still shook and he pushed them into his pockets. The images he’d been given would feed his memories for years to come. When the prison guard came over to escort him back to his cell, he smiled at him as if he were an old friend. “It’s sure good to talk about hunting. I can almost feel the mountain air brushing against my cheeks.”

“If you’d stuck to hunting, you wouldn’t be here.” The guard didn’t put the shackles on him but walked beside him with them dangling in one hand, jingling as they walked. “The warden wants to speak to you.” He held up the restraints. “He figures you’re trustworthy enough not to jump across the table and attack him.” He gave him a sideways look. “Seems some hotshot behavioral analyst is writing a book and wants to interview you. I told him you wouldn’t spill your guts to anyone, but apparently this young woman has a way of extracting information.” He burst out laughing.

Grinning, Jimmy Two Cents straightened. “Most guys in here would spill their guts just for the scent of her. She sounds like an intriguing challenge.”And maybe someone my protégé can kill.

THIRTY-ONE

Emotionally drained, Jenna carried the takeout they’d collected from Aunt Betty’s Café and dumped it on the table in the conference room. From the information added to the whiteboard, her team had been busy. She went to the counter and poured two cups of coffee and added the fixings. After placing the cups on the table, she looked around at the group of people, all of them engrossed in what they were doing. She sipped her scalding coffee and sat back in her chair with a sigh.

“That bad, huh?” Carter removed the toothpick from the corner of his mouth and peered into the sacks containing the takeout. He pulled out a ham on rye and removed the plastic wrap. “Jo has some news for you.”

“Yeah.” Jo dragged her eyes away from the screen and looked at Jenna. “We can visit Jimmy Two Cents tomorrow morning at eight-thirty. The warden doesn’t honestly believe that we’ll get any information out of him but said he’s easily bribed. He has a long visitors waiting list and wants more time on the phone speaking to his pen pals. All of his calls have been monitored and none of them have given up any type of information whatsoever. He never speaks about the murders and makes no reference whatsoever to any of the victims.”

“You know as well as I do, Jo, most psychopathic serial killers love to relive their kills.” Kane waved his egg salad sandwich toward the whiteboard. “I figure he’s speaking in code. The next time he receives a phone call, maybe you need to get a copy. You need to remember he has access to other prisoners, who for a favor would ask their visitors to pass on messages. In prison information is currency, traded for favors, protection, and benefits.”

“I’ll keep that in mind when we speak to him.” Jo helped herself to a donut. “Carter will be taking us in the chopper, so we can be back here for Miles Nolan’s autopsy at two.”

Exhausted, Jenna nodded. “That’s great, thank you. I had a thought when we were over at the Nolans’. Do all the victims know each other? Think about it. It’s likely they all met the local dentist’s assistant, but the three in the forest and Nolan all attended the same high school.” Jenna sipped her coffee. “Our suspects know each other, but they have two solid links to the victims. Alicia Palmer could have overheard conversations between the dentist and the victims about going fishing.”

“But not Miles Nolan. She’d been murdered before him.” Kane shrugged. “Why would the killer murder her if she was a good source of information?”

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