I got in my car and drove off.  It felt good to put that bastard in check.  Now he needed me.

I looked at the time.  11:00pm. I dialed Charlotte’s number.  She didn’t pick up.  I assumed she probably got tired of waiting and went to bed.  That sounded like a good idea about right now.  Crime scenes drain a lot of energy from a person.  I figured a good hot shower and a late night snack would help prepare me for the morning meeting.  The chief probably ordered the captain to give the assignment to Burncutt.  I didn’t mind at all.  However, I couldn’t wait to see their faces in the morning after Burncutt told them about the killer calling me.  It was a small personal victory that was short-lived.  There was a killer out there somewhere who directly called me disguising his voice and threatening to kill again.  Many More!

I had to get this bastard.  I tried Charlotte’s number again.  She picked up.

“Hello?”

I heard sadness in her voice.

“Hi Charlotte, are you ok?”

It sounded like she was fighting tears. “Oh yes, yes, I’m ok.  What’s up?”

She tried to hide her crying by pretending to have a cold.

“Hey if it’s a bad time, I could call you back later.”

“Oh no-no,” it’s alright, I’m glad you called.

“Jared?”

“I’m here, Charlotte.”

“How about lunch tomorrow at Johnny’s, is that ok with you?”

“That would be fine Charlotte.  Besides, you have to be at the press conference in the morning. I looked at my watch.  It was after midnight.  “And we need our sleep.”

“Ok baby, I’ll see you there.”

She hung up before I could kiss or say “Ok.  Bye.”

Something was wrong, but I respected her privacy.  I liked Charlotte and I wanted to always be there for her if she needed me.  I placed my phone in the console and turned the radio up to catch the news.  92.9 WTUG was playing the quiet storm.  Peabo Bryson’s “Can You Stop the Rain from Falling,” was playing.  How ironic I thought considering my windshield wipers were working fast and hard to clear the pounding rain from my windshield.

I was concerned for Charlotte but my focus was on this case. Whoever this guy was, he was very bold.

                                                             Chapter 3

The morning came fast.   I woke up to the Isley Brothers song, “Voyage to Atlantis,” playing on the radio.  I always kept the alarm clock set for the radio to wake me up so I could catch some of the Tom Joyner Morning Show.  Tom Joyner is a civil rights activist and along with Sybil Wilkes and Comedian J. Anthony Brown, they bring News, Entertainment, and Good wholesome fun to every household. They bring news and entertainment to radio every weekday morning.  As Tom was giving out the lucky numbers for his yearly Fantastic Voyage cruise, I got up and stretched, loosening my joints up for some calisthenics exercises, hoping to strike it lucky for the umpteenth time.  After I was done, I turned on the coffee pot and then went into the bathroom and started the shower.  My face felt like an SOS pad.  After I showered and shaved, I put on my black Ralph Lauren knockoff Polo shirt with the embroidered badge, my 511 Khaki pants, and my black low quarter tactical boots.  I poured myself a cup of coffee and turned on the TV to see if anything about the murder last night made the headlines.  It did.

ABC 33/40 was running the story.  I turned the volume on the radio down and used the remote to turn the TV volume up.

“Police need your help on the murder of Julia Middlebrooks whom is the wife of District Judge Robert Middlebrooks.  Her body was discovered last night next to her car on Alabama route 298.  Police are not releasing any details at this time. A press conference is scheduled today at 10:00 AM at the City Hall Conference room.   Officials are asking anyone with information about this crime to call Crime Stoppers at (205) 41-CRIME again the number is (205) 412-7463.”

I turned the volume down.  The way I looked at it, the story was well handled, and would not create a public panic.

I finished my coffee and put the cup in the sink along with the other dirty dishes I had been promising myself I would wash.   I turned the coffee pot off and grabbed my keys off the counter.

The rain had slacked up some but was still falling and made it difficult to get anywhere in the city fast.  I didn’t mind it much.  Driving in the rain is everyday stuff in Alabama.  I started to run everything through my head again.

Why the judge’s wife?  Could it be somebody out for revenge and mistook Julia Middlebrooks for her husband?  Why did they not rob her, with all that Jewelry? 

And—the big one--why call me?

I checked my phone and saw that I forgot to leave it on charge last night.  Thoughts ran through my mind.  Had he tried to contact me again?  How could I have been so careless?

I plugged the dead phone into the charger.  The phone came to life.  There were notifications of couple of missed calls and one voicemail.  I felt a knot in my stomach.  I looked at the list of missed calls.  One was from Burncutt and the other was from Captain Davis.  I smiled.  This day should be very interesting.

I tapped the icon for voicemail to listen to the message.

“Detective Jackson, this is Capt. Steve Davis. Give me a call once you get this message.  The time is 7:00 AM.”

I looked at my watch.  It was now 8:50 AM.   I dialed the number.

“Homicide Division, Capt. Davis?”

“Hello Capt., Detective Jackson returning your call?”

“Detective Jackson, I need to see you in my office when you get here.”

“Ok Capt., I’ll be there as soon as I can.  I’m at the mercy of the weather and over cautious drivers.”

“Alright, I will see you soon.”

He hung up.

Yep, this was definitely going to be an interesting day.

*   *   *   *

9:00 AM.  Lakeview Lane was quiet except for the rain hammering the pavement.  Lakeview Lane was an upscale neighborhood where mostly doctors, lawyers, and retirees lived.  The kids were already at school and some adults were at their place of practice.  It was common to see service trucks parked at people’s homes during the day.  Nobody thought twice about seeing a pest control truck in the driveway of 1114 Lakeview Lane.

The man got out of the truck and walked up to ring the doorbell.  He was a nondescript little man, but muscular, with oddly bushy blonde hair and a moustache and beard in a sandy red color.

Sheila Durham peeped through the living room blinds.  It puzzled her to see a pest control truck at her house on a Tuesday.  The usual schedule was once a month and on Fridays.  He must be lost, she thought.  She opened the door.

“Can I help you?”

The Reaper was stunned by woman’s beauty.  She was a redhead about 5’6” and 125 lbs.  She wore black stretch pants and an orange workout shirt that was already drenched in sweat.

“Yes ma’am, I’m with Billy’s Pest Control and I’m giving out flyers to promote our business.”

“Well we already have Orkin but thanks any—“

“Yes ma’am, I understand,” he interrupted.  “I just want to give you this flyer and also see if you were aware of that dead garden snake in your driveway?”

She gasped.  “Oh, my God!  Where-where is it?”

“Right there in front of my truck and it looks like it was headed toward the front door.”

He paused to let his words sink in to her.  She looked at where he pointed to and saw the flattened snake lying in front of his tires.

“Eek—can you take it away with you when you leave, please?”

Now the game was set.

“Yes ma’am, and since he was a little one, would you like me to quickly check around inside your house just in case his parents may have somehow got inside?” Sound polite, he thought. Sound helpful.

“OH YES! Please do.” She was buying it.