As Darkness Fell

“Which means we’ll learn absolutely nothing,” a reporter standing next to Caroline muttered. “Turner considers reporters disgusting parasites that exist merely to plague him.”

Still, hands shot into the air as Sam joined the chief at the front of the room. He was no longer dressed in the faded jeans and T-shirt, but a pair of gray slacks and a light blue sports shirt, open at the neck. He cleaned up real good.

SAM LOOKED over the crowd and felt an annoying dryness in the back of his throat and a tightening of his muscles. As far as he was concerned, news conferences were a waste of time and a damn nuisance. He should be out in the field tracking down the murderer, not standing here trying to appease a bunch of clueless reporters.

“Do you think this was a crime of passion?”

“I don’t stick labels on murders. I leave that to you guys.”

“Do you think the killer knew the victim?”

“It’s possible.”

“Do you think this is connected to some kind of cult or devil worship?”

“We don’t have any information to indicate that.” Sam pointed at a skinny guy in the back of the room.

“If it’s not some kind of cult murder, how do you account for the marking on the victim’s chest?”

“I’m not jumping to conclusions and I’m not ruling out anything at this point.”

“But you do think it could be some kind of ritualistic killing?”

“Anything’s possible.” How many ways was he going to have to say that before this was over? He glared at the waving hands, then pointed to the woman who’d thrown up in the bushes last night.

“Do you think the killer will kill again?”

Not the question he wanted. Not that he didn’t know the answer. The guy was a walking time bomb armed with a hunting knife. And if Sam said that out loud, he’d send the town into total panic and give the mayor a heart attack.

“I think people should stay alert until this man’s behind bars.”

All the hands were flying now. He glanced at his watch. Five more minutes before he could cut and run. Five more minutes that the killer was walking free.

SAM TURNER was the first to leave the room when the conference was over. Caroline was the last. There was no reason for her to rush to the office and put a story together from the skimpy details that had been provided. The Prentice Times didn’t run a Sunday edition.

She took the side exit, the one closest to her car. That side of the building was deserted, and for a second she had the weird feeling that someone was watching her. She turned and looked behind her. No one was there.

Still, she locked the car doors the second she got in, realizing that this was the first time she’d done that since she’d moved here from Atlanta. Instead of starting the engine, she took out her notebook and scribbled down her thoughts, not in reporter framework, but just in the order they flew into her mind.

A young woman had her throat slashed and blood smeared over her breasts. What would cause a person to do such a hideous thing? Anger? Passion gone berserk? Or had something in the killer’s mind just slipped off center? And would he strike again?

Caroline’s cell phone rang, startling her so that she jumped and bumped her elbow on the steering wheel. She checked the number. It was Becky. She took a deep, steadying breath before she answered, trying to dispel the dark mood that had come over her.

“Okay, I’m a louse,” she said. “I should have called and explained my sudden departure just when the party was starting to get fun.”

“No need. We figured you’d rushed off to a story. Was it the woman whose body was found in Freedom Park?”

“Yeah.”

“I was afraid of that. That must have been totally gruesome.”

“Pretty bad.”

“We’ll have a beer later. You can tell me all about it.”

“You’ll need more than a beer if I do.”

“You sound upset.”

“A little. Actually more than a little,” Caroline admitted reluctantly.

“Maybe you should ask your boss to put you back in your old assignment.”

“Just wimp out?”

“Hey, if it involves murder, I would,” Becky said. “Anyway, I just wanted to make sure you were all right.”

“Fine. How did the rest of the party go?”

“Not a lot happened after you left. We danced awhile. The party started breaking up about midnight.”

“So how does it feel to be the ripe old age of twenty-six?”

“Not bad. I checked for new wrinkles this morning, but didn’t find any. Of course, it could be that my eyes are going.”

“No. I’m already twenty-seven, and I can still read the very small letters they print my name in when they bother to add it to my copy,” Caroline said.

“Tell them to make it bigger or you’ll quit.”

“And who would pay my rent?”

“I’ll lend you money. I have plenty.”

Which was quite true. Not only were Becky’s parents well-off, but her grandmother had left Becky a trust fund that ran somewhere in the millions. Caroline wasn’t even sure Becky knew what she was worth. And not only was she rich, she was fun, petite and cute, with baby blue eyes and bouncy blond curls that danced about her tanned cheeks.

“I’ll just keep working,” Caroline said. “It keeps me out of trouble.”

“It won’t if you keep wearing that red dress you had on last night. You were hot!”

“Do you think it’s appropriate for shopping at flea markets? That’s about the only place I go these days, except for work.”

Caroline stuck the key in the ignition as she talked, then noticed a yellow square of paper stuck under her windshield. Not a parking ticket, but some kind of note.

“Let me get back to you, Becky. I’ve got some business to take care of.”

“Okay, but first, what did you think of Jack?”

“Do I know a Jack?”

“He was at the party last night. Cute guy. Blond hair. I saw you talking to him before he left.”

“Oh, yeah. He seemed nice enough. Why?”

“I just wondered.”

And probably wanted to fix her friend up with him. But the guy obviously wasn’t interested, or he wouldn’t have cut out early.

They said their goodbyes and she opened the door and retrieved the note. It was about three inches square with a sticky strip across the back. She might have spoken too soon about how acute her vision was. This time she had to squint to read the tiny, but very neat, print:

I saw you last night in the park. You look good in red. Come to my next party. I’ll be looking for you.

She read the note again, but this time her blood ran cold. My party. Surely this couldn’t be from the deranged bastard who’d killed and cut up the woman in the park. Yet…

She sat there, shaking, holding the note and staring at it until her fingers grew numb. Finally she turned the key and the engine purred to life. She yanked the car into gear, then waited for a black sedan to pass.

Driving the sedan was none other than Sam Turner, talking into a cell phone without even a glance her way. She pulled out quickly and stayed close behind him, not sure that following him was a smart thing, but thinking she should show him the note.

Two blocks later he pulled into the parking lot of the Prentice Bar and Grille. She lingered in the car, giving him time to go in and be seated while she pulled herself together. Her first murder assignment. And now the killer wanted her for a pen pal. It was the stuff of horror movies.

Once inside, it took her a minute or two to locate Sam. He was in a booth in the back, on his cell phone again, one hand cradling a tall glass of iced tea. He looked even more imposing here than he had at the crime scene and the press conference.

“Table for one?”

She smiled at the hostess. “I’m with the guy in the back, the one wearing the blue shirt.” She nodded in his direction.

“Sam didn’t say he was expecting anyone.”

“I wasn’t sure I could make it.” She brushed past the waitress, made her way to Sam’s booth and slid in across from him.

He glared at her but finished his conversation. When he was through, he laid the phone on the table and made eye contact. His eyes were a deeper brown than his short hair, and she had the feeling he could see right through her. But mostly it was the sheer virility of the guy she noticed. He seemed to ooze testosterone.

“The news conference is over,” he said, his tone commanding.

“I don’t have a question. I have information.”

His expression changed very little. “What kind of information?”

She pulled the note from the side pocket of her handbag and slid it across the table toward him. “I found this on the windshield of my car after the press conference. I think you should read it.”

The condensation from his glass of tea had wet his fingers. He wiped them on a paper napkin and picked up the note, careful to touch only one corner. To avoid fingerprints, she was sure. Now why hadn’t she thought of that?

He read it slowly, his expression unchanging. But when he looked up, his gaze was piercing. “Where were you parked?”

“Behind the administration building. Between Cork Avenue and Savannah Street.”

“Did you see anyone when you approached the car?”

“No, but I had this strange feeling someone was watching me.”

“A feeling?”

“You know, just an uneasy sensation. And I’m not usually a nervous person.”

The waitress appeared and put a plate overflowing with a hamburger and fries in front of Sam. Caroline ordered a diet soda, quite certain it was all her stomach could handle at this point.

She waited until the waitress had walked out of hearing range before she asked the question that consumed her thoughts. “Do you think this note is from the man who killed Sally Martin?”

“It’s hard to say. That’s obviously what he wants you to think.”

“But who else would write something like this?”

“Any time there’s a murder like this, it brings out the weirdos.”

“You talk as if you’ve seen a lot of murders like this one.”

“I’ve seen my share. What about you, Miss…?”

“Kimberly, but you can call me Caroline.” She hesitated, hating to admit the truth but seeing no reason to lie. “This is my first one.”

His face remained unreadable. “Are you with a newspaper or a TV station?”

“The Prentice Times.”

“I thought Doreen Guenther handled their crime beat. Not that Prentice had much of a crime beat before now.”

“Her mother’s ill. She took a family-emergency leave.” The waitress returned with Caroline’s drink. She slipped the straw between her lips and took a huge sip, needing to soothe her dry throat. “So what do I do now?”

“I’ll take the note and try to get some prints off it, but I doubt I can, since you mishandled it.”

“I didn’t know it might be from the killer when I tore it off the window.”

“If you get another, I want you to lift it by one corner and put it in a plastic bag. And call me immediately.” He took a business card from his shirt pocket and passed it across the table. “Use the cell number. And just for the record, I wouldn’t publish the fact that the killer may have contacted you.”

“Why not?”

“Whether the note’s a prank or from the killer, publicity is likely to spur him on.”

“So I may just keep getting these notes?”

“It’s hard to say.”

“Do you ever say anything definite?”

“When I have something definitive to say.”

Yeah, well, she was beginning to wonder if he had a clue what he was doing or if he was just faking the whole experience bit. Which didn’t make her feel any better, considering she was getting fan mail from a killer. “Why me?” she murmured more to herself than to Sam.

“You didn’t exactly fade into the crowd in that getup you had on last night.”

“I was at a party when my editor called and told me to head straight for Freedom Park. I didn’t have time to change into something appropriate for a murder scene.”

“No reason to get huffy with me. You asked why you were singled out. I was just answering.” Sam slid his plate in front of him and switched his attention to the loaded sesame bun. She figured that was her invitation to leave.

She took another sip of her drink, then wiped her hands on her napkin. The man was too calm. If he thought she’d heard from the killer, he should be doing something. She wasn’t sure what, but she wasn’t a detective. “Aren’t you going to ask for my phone number in case you think of something else to ask me?”

“Your number’s easy enough to get.”

“It’s unlisted.”

He took another bite of his burger.

She stood and slung her handbag over her shoulder.

“One more thing, Miss Kinnerty.”

“Kimberly. Caroline Kimberly.”

“Miss Kimberly, whoever killed Sally Martin is a very dangerous man. Don’t try to be a hero.”

“That, Detective Turner, is the farthest thing from my mind.”

“Keep it that way.”

And that was it. Not even a thank-you for coming to him with the information, though she knew there were some reporters who wouldn’t have. They’d have played along with the killer in an effort to get a really big story.

Instead, she was playing with Sam Turner. She was certain it was not going to be a fun game.

SAM WATCHED Caroline walk away, a thousand memories tramping through his mind, none of them welcome. He wasn’t sure what it was about the reporter that reminded him of Peg. They didn’t look the same. Peg’s hair had been long, whereas Caroline’s was short, and the color of wheat, whereas Caroline’s was more like café au lait.

But something about Caroline reminded him of Peg and that was enough reason to make sure he kept his distance from her. Something that might prove very difficult if she became his link with a killer.

He’d lost his taste for the burger, but he finished it, anyway. He ate from habit, the way he did a lot of things these days. Eat and sleep and breathe. Go through the motions.

Let it go, Sam, or it will eat you alive.

That had been the police psychiatrist’s advice after Peg’s death. Shows how little the shrink knew about him. Except for the motions, Sam was already dead. And there was no letting go.

IT WAS HER DAY OFF, so when Caroline left the Grille, she went home, glanced at the day’s mail and made herself a salad that she barely touched. Nothing she did took the murder or the note off her mind. Finally she took a glass of chardonnay and climbed the stairs to the second floor to tackle cleaning the huge hall closet, a task she’d put off ever since moving in. But today the thought of escaping into someone else’s old junk seemed more of a reprieve than work.

Thunder rumbled in the distance as she opened the closet door and breathed in the musty odor. No telling what skeletons might climb out when she started rummaging through the tattered boxes. The good thing was, they wouldn’t bear any of her DNA. The bad thing was, neither did any other skeletons she knew anything about.

Wrapping her arms around a large box that sat on the closet floor, she tugged until it was out in the open. The tape that held it closed was brittle and peeling, and it took only a yank to loosen it.

The box was carefully packed, full of sealed plastic pouches. She opened one and pulled out the contents. Yards of teal satin spilled out. It took her a few seconds to realize it was a dress.

Standing, she held the dress to her shoulders to get the full effect. The full skirt hit just above her ankles, hiding most of her legs, but the neckline was plunging. A gown fit for a formal party in the late 1800s—or perhaps a madam in a fancy brothel.

The dress appeared in too good a condition to be authentic. More than likely it had been made for the annual spring pilgrimage event, when many of Prentice’s historic homes opened their doors to the public. It was traditional for the hostesses to dress in the style of the period during which the houses had been built.

Caroline had first met Becky at one of the pilgrimages three years ago, her first year as a teacher. She’d brought a group of her students down to tour the houses and Becky had been one of the guides.

They’d hit it off from the moment they met, more because they were so different than because they were alike. The friendship had paid off in lots of ways. Becky was the one who’d told Caroline about the Times looking for a reporter back when she’d lost her teaching job.

Stripping off her slacks and sweater, Caroline lifted the dress and fit her head inside the opening, letting the dress slide into place. The full skirt swirled about her legs as she danced over to the antique mirror and stared at her reflection. The distortion of the wavy glass was more pronounced than usual in the grayness of the cloudy afternoon, giving the shimmering dress a luminance that seemed almost magical.

The moment ended abruptly at the gong of the doorbell. She wasn’t expecting anyone. But then, she hadn’t been expecting a call to a murder scene last night or a note from a weirdo today, either.

Lifting the full skirt, she hurried down the winding staircase. The doorbell rang again before she got there, this time prolonged. She stopped at the door and looked through the peephole. Sam Turner.

And if he thought her outfit last night was a bit much, imagine how he’d react to this one. She started to yank the low-cut bosom up, then changed her mind and tugged it lower, leaving lots of exposed cleavage and little to the imagination. Might as well shock the detective all the way. Too bad she didn’t have on her stilts.

She swung open the door and smiled up at him. “Hello, detective.”

SAM ROCKED back on his heels, speechless. Whatever he’d expected, it wasn’t this. “Am I interrupting something?”

“No, I’m just relaxing. Care for a mint julep on the veranda?”

He didn’t answer, just worked to drag his gaze away from the pink mounds of flesh peeking out of her dress. Another fraction of an inch and her nipples would have been staring back at him.

“That was a joke, Detective. There’s not a mint or a julep in the house. I was just cleaning out a closet, found the dress and tried it on.”

“Good. I thought you might be expecting Rhett Butler.”

“No. I hate men who don’t give a damn.” She opened the door a little wider. “Now that you’re here, I guess you should come in.”

“Just for a minute.”

“Were you able to get prints from the note?”

“Only one set besides mine on the right edge.”

“And the one set would have to be mine.”

“It appears that way.”

“I doubt you came all the way over here to tell me that.”

“No. I have a proposition for you.”

“I don’t sleep with cops.”

“Good, since I wasn’t going to ask you to. I’d like you to take a run over to the crime scene with me.”

“You want me to go to the park where Sally Martin was murdered?”

“That’s right. It won’t take long.”

She took a step backward. “I’d rather not go back there, Detective.”

Now that surprised him. Every reporter he’d ever known would have been salivating at the possibility of visiting the scene of the crime with the lead homicide detective. “It could be important, Caroline.”

“Why?”

“I’d like you to show me exactly where you were at all times last night. Where you parked your car. Which areas of the park you were in, that sort of thing.”

“I was only there a few minutes.”

“Long enough for the killer to see you, if in fact he was the one who wrote the note. You may have seen him, too, without realizing it. If we go back there, I can get a better feel for where he may have been standing while he was watching you. It might even trigger a memory of something you’ve forgotten.”

“I didn’t talk to anyone except cops.”

“Look, I know this won’t be as much fun as playing dress-up, but I have a dead woman, a brutal killer on the loose and no leads. Now are we going to stand here and quibble, or are you going with me?”

“Since you put it that way, I don’t have a lot of choice. I’ll need to change first.”

“A good idea.” Hopefully into something that completely covered her breasts. “Make it quick. The storm’s blowing in fast.”

She turned and hurried away, leaving him standing by the door. Her skirt swished about her ankles, making soft, crinkly sounds that seem to slide under his skin.

What the hell was it about her that got to him like this? Or had it just been too damn long since he’d been with a woman?

Not that it mattered. He had a killer to catch.

A killer who had Caroline Kimberly on his mind. It was no time for Sam to be lusting after her, too.

Chapter Three

There was no bloody body waiting, but Caroline found the park even more ominous and cryptic than she had the night before. Dark clouds, heaving with moisture, rolled and tossed in the wind, and bolts of not-too-distant lightning were followed by rumbling claps of thunder, adding to the eerie feel.

A group of teenagers carrying skateboards stopped to watch them as she and Sam got out of the car. Her imagination flew into overtime and she tried to picture one of them wielding the knife and cutting Sally Martin’s throat. But the innocence on their faces made them seem incapable of such brutality.

Sam glanced their way, then appeared to dismiss them as inconsequential. “It’s going to pour soon, so let’s get started.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Where did you park your car last night?”

“Down the block, near that big oak.” She pointed to a tree whose branches canopied the narrow neighborhood street.

He didn’t bother to wait for her, just strode off in that direction, his gaze scanning the area. Once under the tree, he threw back his head and stared into the branches above him as if he expected the killer to be sitting there, waiting. “Was there anyone standing nearby when you got out of the car?” he asked when she finally caught up to him.

“There were clusters of onlookers everywhere, but I didn’t notice anyone in particular.”

“Did anyone speak to you?”

“Not then.”

“You’re sure?”

She tried to think back. Her mind had been on so many things when she arrived last night. Her photographer. The lights of the police cars and the TV cameras. Her inexperience in such a situation. Still, her memory was usually good for details. “I don’t remember speaking to anyone until I reached the gate. I showed my ID to the cop who was standing guard, and he took one look at my dress and said I should go back to the party unless I had a strong stomach.”

“So you marched right in?”

“It’s my job.” It still was, so she looked around, trying to take in as many details as she could. The park took up a full city block. There were baseball fields to the back, a jogging track, trees and walkways and a play area with picnic tables off to the right, near a wooded area. That was where the body had been.

Across the street from the park were small houses, mostly brick fronts with touches of stucco. A few had porches. A middle-aged man sat in a porch swing in the house directly across from them, watching them as he swayed back and forth. It was a natural thing for him to do, but still, his gaze made her uneasy.

“Do you think the killer was watching me even before I entered the park?”

“Possibly.”

“From one of the houses?”

“He could have been watching from any number of spots. A house. Sitting in a parked car. Crouched behind someone’s bushes. From the edge of the wooded area. But more likely he was just mingling in the crowd of bystanders.”

And if the guy had been there last night, he could be out there somewhere now. She could all but see his eyes. They’d be dark, piercing, threatening. “Do we have to go inside the park?” she asked, anxious to get back in the car and drive away.

“It would help. Just retrace your steps, and I’ll follow you.”

They walked back to the gate as another bolt of lightning hit, this one way too close for comfort. Once inside the gate, she headed straight for the area where she’d first seen the body. “I started to follow the lights from the TV crew,” she said. “That’s when you spotted me and told some cop to order the broad on stilts out of here.”