Dead by Midnight (27 page)

Tyler Owens spoke to Lila Newton as he walked up to the nurses’ station. He visited his mother several times a week, sometimes staying five minutes, sometimes half an hour. He usually arrived around 7:30
P.M
. shortly before Lila’s twelve-hour supervisor’s shift ended. Occasionally, he brought flowers or a small gift of some kind for his mother, and he made a habit of bringing a dessert tray once a week and leaving it at the desk for the nurses and aides.

“How’s Mother been today?” he asked.

“She’s had a good day.”

“I don’t suppose she’s said anything yet.”

“No, sir. She tries really hard during physical therapy. She gets out sounds, of course, so it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to talk again. But she becomes terribly frustrated when she tries so hard and can’t form the words.”

“Has she had any visitors today?” he asked.

Lila hated lying and did so only in the sense that she deliberately omitted his father’s name from the list she recited. “Reverend Harper came this morning. And of course you know your wife brought Mr. Clement by earlier this afternoon for their weekly visit. Seeing her uncle always seems to cheer Miss Terri right up.”

“Yes, I believe Uncle Clement was like a second father to her when she was growing up and they were always quite fond of each other.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tyler nodded, then turned and walked down the corridor past the guard at the entrance to the row of deluxe private rooms.

Tyler Owens was a nice enough young man, cordial and mannerly, but never truly friendly. She always felt as if he believed he was better than she was, better than anyone who worked at the rehab center, even the doctors. He certainly wasn’t the man his father was, not as good a man, not as smart a man. And in the looks department, he was pretty much his mother’s son, all blond and beautiful.

Only Terri Owens wasn’t so beautiful anymore.

Lila checked her wristwatch. She needed to begin her shift change rounds. If she started now, she would have more than enough time to check in on each patient in her care. And since at this time of day, patients often had visitors, it was a good way to be seen by the patients’ friends and families and for her to take note of who seldom, if ever, had visitors. Those poor souls, so alone in the world, were the ones she felt the most sorry for.

Fifteen minutes later, as she paused outside the half-closed door of room 107, she heard Tyler Owens speaking softly to his mother.

“I have to go now, Mother. You get a good night’s rest and I’ll be back in a few days to see you. If you need anything, anything at all, just do your best to let someone here know and I’ll see to it that you have it.”

Terri moaned again and again, trying her best to speak.

Lila started to open the door fully and go into the room. But just as her hand touched the door to give it a gentle shove, she saw Tyler reach inside his shirt pocket and remove a newspaper clipping.

“Here it is, as promised,” he told her as he placed the folded clipping into her left hand, the hand unaffected by her recent stroke.

Lila pushed open the door and entered the room. “I’m here to check on Miss Terri before I leave for the evening.”

“Please, Lila, come on in,” Tyler said. “I was just on my way out.” He leaned over and kissed his mother’s forehead.

Sitting perfectly still, no emotion showing on her slightly warped face, Terri gripped the newspaper clipping tightly in her good hand as her son walked past Lila and out of the room.

“Want me to put that away for you?” Lila asked as she paused at Terri’s bedside and held out her hand.

Terri shook her head.

“Is it something you would like for me to read to you?”

Again, Terri shook her head.

“All right, then, is there anything you need before I say good night? Juice? Water? Help going to the bathroom? Another blanket?” She patted the cotton blanket lying across Terri’s legs.

Terri nodded, unfolded her hand and shook the newspaper clipping as if it were a salt shaker. And all the while she kept mumbling, “Mu…mu…mu…”

“It’s something about the newspaper clipping Mr. Tyler brought you?”

Terri nodded again and held up the clipping.

Lila took the clipping from her. The heading read:
MIDNIGHT KILLER SLAYS
4
TH VICTIM
. Lila scanned the brief article. Shontee Thomas had been shot and killed in her fiancé’s Atlanta nightclub. The victim was a former porno star, the fourth one murdered since January. All four murders were believed to be the work of a serial killer dubbed the Midnight Killer by the press because the four victims had all starred in the movie titled
Midnight Masquerade
.

“Merciful heavens,” Lila said. “Why on earth would Mr. Tyler bring this to you?”

Terri patted her chest with her left hand, the gesture speaking for her.

“You’re trying to tell me that you knew these people, aren’t you?”

Terri nodded and again tried to speak, but without success. She then reached over and slapped at the drawer in her bedside table.

“You want me to open the drawer?” Lila asked.

Terri nodded.

Lila opened the drawer and there beneath a silver mirror and brush and comb set lay several other newspaper clippings. Lila eased them out of the drawer and hurriedly skimmed each article. They were all about victims of the same serial killer.

When Lila looked at her again, Terri patted her chest.

“Oh, sweet Jesus. You’re trying to tell me that you were in that movie?”

Terri nodded as tears misted her eyes.

Lila laid aside the clippings and grasped Terri’s hand. “I don’t understand why Mr. Tyler brought you these. He told the staff, of course, about the killer and that you were in the same movie as the victims. But we assumed you were to be kept in the dark so you wouldn’t worry. We immediately tightened security to make sure you’re kept as safe as possible. I don’t know why Mr. Tyler…” Lila huffed. “There was no reason for you to know, no reason for you to worry.”

Terri frowned and shook her head frantically.

“If you’re concerned about that crazy man getting in here, don’t be. You’re well protected here, Miss Terri.”

A lone tear escaped her left eye and trickled down her cheek. She tried again to speak, but when all that came out was a mumble of moans and groans, she pulled her hand out of Lila’s, laid her head back against the pillows, and turned to face the opposite direction.

“Oh, you poor dear.” Lila picked up the newspaper clippings and placed them back in the drawer. “I don’t know why your son would bring those articles and show them to you, but I’m sure he had a good reason.”

Lila walked out of the room, all the while grumbling to herself. “You’d think he’d want to keep his mother from learning that such terrible things had happened to people she knew. The last thing Miss Terri needs while she’s recuperating is to find out that she could well be on that crazy man’s hit list.”

During the past couple of weeks, Lorie and Mike had fallen into a daily routine oddly resembling that of an old married couple. Minus the sex, of course. They took turns preparing their meals and shared in the household chores. They read the morning newspaper together and considered it a good day if neither Lorie nor the Midnight Killer was mentioned. Although a stray reporter showed up at least once a day, for the most part, the press didn’t bother them, nor did nosy neighbors. Of course, Buddy Pounders had caught a couple of teenage boys spying on Lorie’s house through binoculars and they admitted they were hoping to catch a glimpse of Lorie naked.

She had overheard Buddy tell Mike, “They had copies of that flyer of Lorie from
Playboy
. You can imagine what they’ve been doing.”

She didn’t want to imagine, but she knew. Boys and men alike often gazed at photos of naked women while they masturbated. Just when she thought there was a chance for Mike and her to put the past behind them, her past came back with a vengeance to put her in her place.

And just what was her place?

In hell, of course, with all the other wicked women.

Lorie’s day-to-day life would be boring if not for Mike’s presence. The sizzle sparking between them kept them both on edge, each acutely aware of the other. She lay in bed at night and thought about how close he was, just down the hall, only a short walk away. So close and yet so far away. And it was driving her crazy knowing that all she had to do was go to him, touch him, kiss him, offer herself to him.

Whether she showered or soaked in the tub, fantasies of a naked Mike joining her aroused her unbearably. When she closed her eyes, she could almost feel his big hands caressing her wet, naked body. She could feel his warm breath at her ear, his moist lips sucking at her breasts, his tongue stroking her intimately.

If their hands accidentally brushed or their bodies touched even for an instant, she felt a jolt of sexual electricity ignite between them. At odd moments, she sensed him staring at her. When she looked at him, their gazes would lock and each knew what the other was thinking.

Once a day, never at the same time, Mike escorted her outside for a short walk around her house. That morning, she had picked the last of the blooming tulips and daffodils from her flower garden and, once back inside, had trimmed the stems and placed the flowers in a crystal vase filled with water. The arrangement now graced the center of her kitchen table, where she and Mike were eating lunch.

Lorie wanted to return to work, but had agreed with Mike that it was best to wait for a while longer before resuming her normal schedule. Confinement at her home meant safety. It was easier to protect her in that type of controlled environment. At Treasures, she would be dealing with the public, and that public would include not only customers, but curious townsfolk, overeager reporters, and judgmental activists from the Women for Christian Morality organization. The WCM had done everything short of running her out of town on a rail when she’d come back to Dunmore nine years ago. Recently, she had received so many phone calls from reporters, both TV and newspaper, and publicity-seeking leaders of WCM that all her calls were now diverted to Powell’s and monitored by the agency. It was a better solution than unplugging all of her phones during the day.

Mike alternated between working out of her home and going into his office during the day. Even though he was Lorie’s bodyguard, he was still the sheriff, and with that title came certain responsibilities he couldn’t delegate. But by suppertime each evening, he was always there with her and stayed all night. In his absence, the deputy on duty checked on her at regular intervals, and she never went outside.

Her life was in a state of nerve-racking limbo.

And she and Mike had run out of idle chitchat days ago. Now conversation between them was strained to say the least. They both struggled to find something to talk about, often resorting to the weather.

“Looks like it might rain,” Mike said.

“Uh-huh. I think the weather forecast on the ten o’clock news last night predicted a fifty percent chance of thunder-showers by this evening.”

“We could use some rain.”

“We sure could.” Lorie picked up the half slice of her grilled cheese sandwich and took a big bite.

Mike scooped up a spoonful of hot tomato soup and brought it to his mouth.

Lorie took a sip of iced tea. “Your mom is bringing supper again tonight when she and the kids come over for a visit.”

Mike nodded. “Uh-huh.”

“You really should be at home with Hannah and M.J. instead of here babysitting me.”

“There’s no need to discuss that again,” Mike told her.

Lorie voiced a concern that had been tormenting her. “What if I’m not his next victim? What if he’s chosen someone else? Do you plan to stay with me indefinitely?”

“If that’s what it takes. But I’m counting on Powell’s and the FBI finding this guy before he strikes again.”

“God, I hope so.”

“It’ll happen. I know it will.”

She forced a smile and then concentrated on eating lunch.

Mike glanced at his wristwatch. “It’s nearly one. We can take our apple pie in the living room while we watch
As the World Turns
and find out what Carly and Jack are up to today.”

Lorie laughed. “You’re the only man I know who’ll admit he has ever watched a soap opera.”

“Hey, I grew up with a mother who never missed an episode of
As the World Turns
and still doesn’t. She records the show if she can’t watch it when it airs.”

“Yeah, I know. She’s the one who got me hooked on the show when I was a teenager. Sometimes I catch it on my lunch break, and if not, I watch it on my DVR in the evenings.” Lorie sighed.

“You miss work, don’t you?”

“God, yes. I love being at Treasures. And I know my not being there is putting a burden on Cathy, and it’s an added expense having to hire extra help.”

“You know why you can’t go into town yet, why being at Treasures is a really bad idea.”

She blew out an exasperated breath. “I know, I know. Reporters and curiosity seekers would descend like a swarm of locusts if they knew I was there. Not to mention all those Bible-spouting, narrow-minded fanatics who think I’m the devil’s spawn.”

Mike looked at her and she knew he wanted to reach across the table and take her hand. But he didn’t. He wanted to comfort her. But he didn’t.

“It’s okay,” she told him. “Really. I can be a good girl and follow orders if that’s what it takes to keep me alive.”

“It won’t be forever,” he told her.

“I know, but right now it seems…” She paused, brought her hands together in a prayerlike gesture, and lifted them to her lips. After releasing a pent-up breath, she gazed down at the table, avoiding direct eye contact with Mike. “I never realized how much I wanted to live until recently. It changes your perspective on everything when death is staring you in the face. If I…” She emitted a grunting chuckle. “Scratch that thought. Not if I live through this, but when I live through this, I’m not going to waste any more of my life trying to make up for my many sins.”

“All the time you’ve wasted is partly my fault. I couldn’t stop punishing you. I could have been a friend to you. Mother and Molly tried to make me see reason. I should have listened to them and—”

“No, you shouldn’t have. It wouldn’t have worked, our trying to be friends. There was a time when I thought I wanted us to be friends, that friendship would be enough for me. But I was lying to myself.” She looked right at him. “That’s why our being cooped up together like this is bound to lead to trouble. Please, Mike, for both our sakes, leave and don’t come back. Let me hire another Powell agent as my bodyguard.”

Mike glanced away, finished off his sandwich, and then stacked his dirty dishes and carried them to the sink.

She shot up out of her chair. “Damn it, Mike, don’t you dare ignore me.”

He dumped the dishes into the sink, the silverware clanging against the stainless steel, and then he gripped the edge of the sink with white-knuckled strength.

She came up behind him, determined to make him answer her. “I can’t stand this. Having you here is tearing me apart. I want you to go.”

He spun around so quickly that he nearly knocked her down. As she wavered unsteadily, he reached out and grabbed her, his hands clutching either side of her head. Staring into his blue-black eyes, she held her breath as he lowered his head and took her mouth in a hungry, devouring kiss.

Heath Leroy despised the devil and all the sinners who worshipped him by committing evil. His father had once been the vilest of sinners and well on his way straight to hell, but praise be to God, Grant Leroy had found Jesus. The Son of God had spoken personally to his dad and called him to preach the Gospel. Heath counted himself blessed among men that his father had shared that special anointing with him, bringing him also into the glory of the Almighty. He had been a boy of seventeen when he had been reunited with his father, a man he’d seen very little of for most of his life. His parents had divorced when he was seven, and his only memories of his family together were of his mother and father screaming at each other.

Working side by side together, his dad and he had shared God’s message with the people of Kentucky, his father’s home state. They had started out small, going from town to town sharing the Good Word with anyone who would listen. Within a year, they had been able to rent a building in Louisville to house the Redeemer Church. His father’s charismatic personality combined with the Lord’s helping hand had quickly catapulted their small congregation into a group so large that they had been forced to rent a larger meeting place.

His father had sent him to college and two years ago, at twenty-one, he had become an accountant and now managed the Redeemer Church’s finances. He was proud to say that their net worth was in the multimillions. With that kind of wealth, they were able to reach so many more people, people who needed to be saved.

Heath knew he had been saved by the grace of God and not through any action on his part. He himself was not without sin, but he fought the good fight every day of his life. A man could not give in to temptation, especially when that temptation was his own father’s wife. Avoiding Renee wasn’t possible. As long as he worked with his father, he couldn’t escape her or the burning desire he felt whenever she came near.

He treated her with the greatest respect and he understood that her affection for him was that of a stepmother for a stepson. But how he wished she wouldn’t hug him or give him sweet kisses on his cheeks or smile at him with such tenderness. Whenever he caught himself staring at her, longing no doubt obvious in his expression, he chastised himself for his evil thoughts and stayed for hours on his knees begging for God’s help.

Just as his father had been able to overcome the evil inside him, the evil that coerced him into a life of depravity, Heath struggled to overcome the wickedness his father had passed down to him, an evil born and bred in the pornography business. If it were within his power to completely erase such evil from the world, he would. But for now, he had to settle for what he could do to save others from that most vile of all depravities.

Heath entered the Redeemer Church office complex, having come directly from a business lunch where he had interviewed Larry Williamson, a local contractor who had a spotless reputation as a God-fearing family man. The Redeemer Church had bought land down in LaRue County, five hundred acres on which they planned to build a youth camp. The church’s largest contributors had pledged a quarter of a million dollars each for the construction costs. Heath was eager to see his father and discuss his recommendations for hiring Williamson Contractors.

He passed through the outer office, pausing only long enough to speak to the two secretaries as he made his way straight to his father’s inner sanctum. His father’s assistant, Maggie Stevenson—a plump grandmother of six and a good Christian woman—was nowhere to be seen, which undoubtedly meant that she was still on her lunch break.

In his eagerness to talk to his father, Heath didn’t bother to knock before he opened the office door. What he saw stopped him cold before he took one step over the threshold. Completely naked, her breasts thrust forward and her thighs spread wide apart, Renee sat on the edge of his father’s desk, which was positioned so that Heath had a sidelong view from his stance in the doorway. Grant Leroy, his tailor-made slacks hanging loosely on his hips, stood between his wife’s legs and was pumping into her like a jackhammer boring into concrete.

Transfixed by the sight, Heath couldn’t move. As he watched the intimate act between his father and stepmother, he became aroused, his penis hardening to the point of pain.

Dear God in heaven!

Run, you fool, run.

He managed to get his feet to cooperate long enough to turn around, but when he heard Renee’s orgasmic cries, he couldn’t stop himself from glancing over his shoulder. When he did, she looked right at him as she panted and sighed and gripped his father’s hips, urging him on to achieve his climax.

Swallowing hard, Heath stared at Renee with what he knew was a stricken expression on his face. She had caught him watching them, but did she know that he longed to be there, between her legs, in his father’s place?

Behind his father’s heaving back, she shooed him away with the backward wave of her hand. She had given him a reprieve, silently telling him to go away before his father caught him.

Heath hurried past Maggie’s desk and through the outer office, careful to keep his back to the secretaries so they wouldn’t see his erection. Once safely inside his own office, he closed and locked the door. He immediately dropped to his knees and prayed.

Lorie had spent the rest of the day unable to think of anything other than the kiss she and Mike had shared after lunch. Just remembering the kiss sent her pulse rate into overdrive. It had begun passionately untamed. Hard. Hot. Deep. But it soon became a sensuously lingering expression of their need for each other.