Illusions of Death Page 13

“Any other plans for the house, Logan?” his dad asked, dragging him back to those gathered. “Besides giving this sweet girl a place to run herself ragged.” He patted Lucky’s head and slipped her a bite of chicken.

  “Some landscaping while the weather’s good so things’ll take root. And replacing the fence since it’s in bad shape.”

  Karlyn laughed. “Oh, he’s got more plans. He wants to build a deck. He’s also got his eye on a monster gas grill at Costco.”

  Brad whooped. “Beer and BBQ. That’s what makes the South what it is. Add football in the mix, and it’s even better.”

  “What about the master bath, Logan?” his mother asked. “Karlyn said you had plans to rip out the tub.”

  He nodded. “That’ll come later. I want to replace it with a large Jacuzzi bath.”

  “Did you know they put a new bathtub in the White House for William Howard Taft?” Brad asked. “He was over three hundred pounds and didn’t fit into the one Teddy Roosevelt used.”

  “Let’s hear it for a new tub.” Logan raised his Coke can. “Taft won’t have nothing on me when I’m through with what I’ve got planned.”

  “And to our new chief of police,” Mandy threw in as the group raised their sodas. She continued, “Talk at the diner’s running three to one in your favor, Logan. You have this election in the bag.”

  Karlyn laughed. “Now if I were writing this story, Logan would either be killed—or he’d kill his opponent and become a suspect.”

  “I hate to interrupt your get-together, Logan. The door was open, so I came on in.”

  All eyes turned to current police chief Bobby Risedale.

  “Pull up some floor, Chief. We’ve demolished the chicken, but there’s pie left.”

  Risedale shook his head. “Roy’s struck again.” His face was grim. “In the Springs.”

  Silence blanketed the room. Both Logan and Brad stood, setting their food and drink aside.

  Resa voiced, “Was it anyone we know?”

  “It’s the Springs, Resa. Everyone knows everybody here.” Risedale sighed. “We’ve notified her family. It was Beth Marie Sizemore.”

  Logan and Karlyn locked eyes.

  “I can’t believe it,” Brad said as they drove to the crime scene. “I saw Beth Marie at the diner two days ago. She asked about you. Still carrying a torch for her Mr. Quarterback.”

  Logan remained silent. He remembered Beth Marie signing his petition to run, flirting openly with him in front of Karlyn, still hoping they could make a run of it since her second marriage soured.

  Now she was gone. Thanks to the Rainbow Killer.

  “It might not be Roy,” Brad said. “What if it’s the ex she had trouble squeezing alimony payments from? Dick Sizemore could keep all his money if Beth Marie were out of the picture. What if he’s played copycat and made it look like Roy left Atlanta and moved north for the last few murders?”

  “Stop second guessing till we see the crime scene.”

  His partner mumbled something. Logan quickly apologized. “Sorry. I know you’ve seen some of the murder scene pictures. But when Rick took me to Jeanine’s and I saw it in person—someone I knew—it changed everything. And now Beth Marie. We need to get this bastard.”

  They pulled up at the small cottage Beth Marie rented, which stood behind a much larger house. Risedale had told them the owners were on vacation in Spain. Logan remembered Beth Marie bragging at how private it was, inviting him to dinner several times.

  Somehow she’d hooked up with a killer. Beth Marie hadn’t stood a chance against Roy.

  The coroner’s van was parked in the circular drive. Risedale had two patrolmen stationed to keep prying eyes away.

  As they walked through the front room, Logan became convinced Roy was at work. Everything was in place. Roy was an orderly guy. Each previous scene echoed the same pristine neatness. Beth Marie had been a slob. Logan wondered how long it took Roy to bring order to the place—and why it was important to him.

  The chief called out, “In here.”

  They followed his voice to where he stood outside the bathroom.

  “She didn’t show for a lunch date. Her friend said she was flaky that way, so she didn’t think much of it. Texted her several times, but Beth Marie never answered. The friend said her phone was always near her, so it concerned her. Decided to check on her. Got the key from the flowerpot when no one answered the door.

  “And found this.”

  Risedale stepped aside so they had a view of the body. Beth Marie was somehow propped up so she stood in the shower, painted a garish green. The color of money. From the looks of it, Roy was back to using piano wire to strangle his victims as Logan searched her from head to toe. Both her eyes were intact, and Logan hoped her tongue remained attached in her mouth.

  “Definitely Roy’s work.” He looked at the crime scene tech dusting the tile for prints. “How’s she held up?”

  “Super glue,” the tech said. “Must’ve used a ton to get her attached to the tile like this.”

  Chapter 24

  Karlyn closed her laptop, unable to focus. Thoughts of Beth Marie’s death clouded her brain. She’d spent last night and this morning scouring everything she could find about Roy’s victims and methods, still toying with the idea of a non-fiction book on the elusive Rainbow Killer.

  She thought of meeting Beth Marie, who’d flirted outrageously with Logan, hoping to renew their relationship. Karlyn hoped she and Logan were in the process of starting up their own relationship, but this interruption from Roy arriving in Walton Springs would put that to simmer on a back burner. Logan would be a man obsessed until Roy was in custody.

  Her cell rang. She grabbed it, ready for some human contact.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey,” said Logan. “Sorry we had to bail last night.”

  “That’s okay. I locked up for you. By now, the paint’s dry. You’re ready to move in, Detective.”

  “Yeah, right. I have no glasses. I need plates and silverware. Pots and pans. Not to mention furniture to fill the place.”

  “I know you’re busy. Want me to go online and pull samples of things you need? I’ll even hit a few furniture stores and take pictures if you trust my taste.”

  “You’re a lifesaver. Brad and I are leaving to meet with the Atlanta task force. My friend Rick Mabry from Fountain Valley is also attending. Right now my priority is catching Roy. The house, the election—all that’s on hold.”

  “I understand. I’ll pull stuff together for when you’re ready. Remember, you don’t need a totally furnished house. A man starts with a recliner, his TV, and a bed. Anything else is secondary.”

  “I appreciate you doing this, Karlyn.”

  “I enjoy stuff like this. Besides, it will give your family and friends ideas on what to buy for the surprise housewarming they’re giving you next Saturday. Which I thought you’d better know about.”

  “Like I’m in a party mood? I have a serial killer on the loose!”

  “You might have Roy in custody by then.”

  “I wish.”

  “And Lucky went home with your parents last night.”

  Karlyn heard his sharp intake of breath. “Damn. I forgot I had a dog. With this investigation, I can’t spend a lot of time with her. Maybe they can keep her for me.”

  ”I enjoy Lucky’s company. Mother’s always gone these days. She could go on runs with me.”

  “You wouldn’t mind?”

  “No. Besides, Jonas Watkins will be relieved. I think he believes I want to steal Hugo from him. He’s accused Hugo of favoring me over him.”

  “Poor Jonas. He’ll miss that dog once his son returns from overseas. Listen, Karlyn, I’ve got to go. I’ll call when we get back from Atlanta.”

  “
Good luck there. I’ll collect Lucky. Talk to you soon.”

  Karlyn couldn’t imagine the pressure Logan would be under with Roy having committed a murder here in Walton Springs. She noticed that he didn’t mention Seth Berger attending the task force meeting. Which meant Berger would use the time to campaign. With the election in two weeks, Logan needed to be hitting the pavement and knocking on doors.

  But catching a killer would come first in his book.

  She dialed the Warner residence. Dr. Warner answered.

  “Hi, it’s Karlyn. Logan called and said he’s swamped with this investigation. I volunteered to keep Lucky and lavish attention on her. Is that all right with you?"

  “Sure is. I just put her in the backyard since we’re headed to church. Come get her whenever it’s convenient. If she stayed with us, she’d be ten pounds heavier from table scraps, which I hear is a big no-no in the dog world these days.”

  “Lucky could stand to gain a few pounds. I’ll stop by while I’m out running.”

  “I’ll put her leash on the front porch in the mail box. You’ll need to get her food at Logan’s place.”

  “Thanks, partner.”

  Karlyn changed and stretched and then set out. As usual, Jonas sat on his porch. Hugo bounded down to join her. She trotted up to Jonas.

  “I’m off to pick up Logan’s dog, so Hugo better stay here today. I’ll bring Lucky around soon so they can sniff each other out.”

  “Sounds good,” Jonas told her. “I’ll distract this big lug so you can take off.” He looked at Hugo. “Want a milk bone, boy?” Jonas opened the door. Hugo raced by. “Safe to go,” he called.

  She ran to the Warners and collected Lucky’s leash before going around the back. The dog ran over to greet her.

  “Let’s go have some fun,” she told her.

  She put in another two miles and returned home, sliding her key in the lock.

  When she turned it, though, she noticed the door was unlocked. She knew she’d locked it when she left. Maybe her mother had returned home and forgotten to lock it as she often did.

  Karlyn entered the kitchen cautiously. Lucky’s ears perked up, as if the dog listened to the sounds of the house. With the Rainbow Killer having been in Walton Springs the day before, an unlocked door was an invitation to trouble. She patrolled downstairs. No murderers lurked in the shadows. She returned to the kitchen and gave Lucky a bowl of water while she downed a Gatorade.

  Karlyn headed upstairs, leaving Lucky to explore the house. When she reached her bedroom, she peeled her T-shirt off and was about to do the same with her sports bra when she screamed.

  Mario Taylor sat perched in the middle of her bed as if he hadn’t a care in the world.

  Chapter 25

  Karlyn exploded. “Why the hell are you here? How did you get in? Get off my bed! Get out of here!”

  Mario laughed. “You’ve always been an Ice Queen, my love. Little to no emotion. Now a Drama Queen? Why the sudden change?”

  He hopped off the bed and moved toward her, eyeing her appreciatively. Karlyn grabbed her T-shirt off the floor and pulled it on. Sex had never been their problem. Just the fact that he liked to have it with women other than her.

  And the only man she wanted to be intimate with was Logan.

  Lucky appeared at the door, a low growl sounding in her throat as she stared at the stranger.

  Mario chuckled. “What a scrawny mutt. Not your style at all. You deserve a regal Great Dane or German Shepherd by your side.” He turned his nose up. “Not . . . this mongrel.”

  He grasped her elbow. Lucky growled again, her eyes bouncing from Karlyn to the man as she assessed the threat.

  Karlyn remained calm. She didn’t want to set the dog off. She should have predicted Mario would show up when he found it impossible to reach her.

  “Leave now,” she said in a non-threatening tone, “or I will press charges against you for breaking and entering.”

  Mario produced the house key from his pocket. “From the proverbial flowerpot. I don’t think you could make a case.”

  “A lucky guess.”

  “Or the beautiful Martha told me where to find it.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “She wouldn’t,” she ground out. At least Karlyn hoped her mother wouldn’t.

  Lucky bared her teeth. Karlyn was afraid Mario would hurt the dog if she tried to protect her. Lucky was still an underfed baby. He could issue a swift kick to the pup’s head that might kill her. She wouldn’t put it past her ex.

  “Let go of me. I’ll get Lucky. You’ll leave.”

  Karlyn moved the minute Mario dropped her elbow. She stepped back and swept Lucky up in her arms. She glared at him, anger permeating her body.

  He smiled, his white, even teeth perfect against the dark Spanish looks inherited from his mother. His height and lean build came from his father, an American art professor who met his wife while on sabbatical in Spain. Unfortunately, the couple died in a car accident. Mario’s aunt spoiled him from the age of four, giving him a sense of entitlement he never lost.

  She missed that when they met. All Karlyn saw was charm, intellect, and a sweetness she now knew to be false. Mario missed his calling when he chose to paint. He should have become an actor instead. It surprised her he hadn’t thought of it himself. He would relish walking the red carpet. Gaining attention from the paparazzi.

  “You came for money. You’re out of luck,” she said bluntly.

  “I came for you, mi querido. Life without you?” He shrugged. “I had the love of my life and foolishly let her go.”

  “Did you mention me to the hot model you’re banging?”

  He shrugged. “She’s gone from my life. I love no one but you. I worship your beauty.”

  Karlyn snorted. “I’m above average if I apply mascara and fix my hair. Don’t act like I’m some Greek goddess you can’t live without. You sniffed out other women on our honeymoon.”

  “You’ve never been average, querido.”

  “I’m not your darling, Mario. I’m not your anything. What I am is serious. Get out. Leave town. It’s over.” She sighed. “So over. And give me that key.”

  Mario eyed her with interest as he placed the key in her upturned palm.

  “You’ve found someone new. I can tell because you’re blushing. You can’t lie to me, Karlyn. I know you too well.”

  He continued to study her. “You’re cautious by nature. But you look different. Could you already have slept with him so fast? Hmmm . . . who is he? A small town banker, perhaps. Or a news editor. A literary type would appeal to you.”

  Karlyn decided to tell him about Logan. Maybe if he could get through his thick skull that she’d already moved on, he would do the same.

  “I’m seeing a detective who will arrest your sorry ass for trespassing in a nano-second,” she said evenly, still trying not to alert Lucky. “I’m able to keep Lucky back, but with Logan? There’s no holding back.” She grinned. The thought of Logan making mincemeat out of Mario appealed to her immensely.

  He gave her an indulgent smile. “If you change your mind, I’m staying at a charming bed and breakfast on Maple. Mrs. Camille Attaway’s. Ciao.”

  Karlyn counted to fifty as she listened to him go down the stairs and open and close the front door. Tension coiled through her shaking body.

  Lucky stared sadly at her, as if she could feel Karlyn’s emotional pain. She buried her face in the dog’s fur. “I’m not mad at you, girl. I’m mad at him. He’s a loser who knows how to push my buttons. That makes me mad at myself.”

  Either she would be the death of Mario Taylor, or he would be the death of her.

  “Call her, buddy. You know you want to.”

  Logan stopped at the light and looked at Brad. He wore a knowing grin.

/>   “I can tell. You guys are getting tight. And today’s been a long day.” Brad ran a hand through his hair. “If I even hear the name Roy in the next forty-eight hours, I will run screaming from the station. Much less think about serial killers and murders and decent people losing their lives to this drifter.”

  “What do you mean? Drifter?”

  His partner shrugged. “I don’t mean it in a literal sense, like he’s blowing through and will be in another state next week. I’m thinking how he’s drifting north after so many murders in the city. Moving up the map. You gotta wonder why.”

  The light changed. Logan moved with the traffic. “In all the years I’ve seen this kind of stuff, I’ve never understood why.”

  “Why?”

  “You know. Why a person would harm another person. I don’t see how they can look at someone and perform such savagery.”

  Brad sighed. “Research proves most serial killers were abused as kids. Maybe they aren’t treated as human from a young age. In turn, they don’t see others as human. But why they mutilate, stab, burn? Enough of the gory talk.” He pulled out his cell. “What’s Karlyn’s number?”

  Logan told him. He concentrated on the road as Brad dialed, trying to push away thoughts of what Carson Miller had done to Ashley and Alex. In his book, Miller wasn’t human. He was an animal.

  “Hey, Karlyn. It’s Brad. Yeah. Doing good. We sat all day looking at gruesome pictures and hearing all kinds of nasty things. I think Logan could use a break. They didn’t feed us. You can probably hear our stomachs growling over the line.”

  Brad paused and laughed. “Well, I could. Anything. I would eat garbage if it had garlic sprinkled on it. Hmmm. That sounds nice. Thanks.” He looked at his watch. “Probably twenty, twenty-five minutes. Okay. See you then.”