Homecoming Homicides (24 page)

Flippy blanched as she went backstage to retrieve the stole.

“Perfect. Now for the question-and-answer session. Are you ready? Here’s the first question.”

Flippy heard some feedback from the microphone.

“Donny, would you please adjust the mike?”

Donny ambled over to the control room.

“Why are women such whores?” Rodney called out.

Flippy stood still.

“Come on, you know the answer to that question. You had a boyfriend for four years, you were engaged, and yet that very night you went out and slept with another man. Don’t bother to deny it. As I said, I’ve been watching you. Do you have the answer to my question? And I’ll know if it’s not the truth.”

“I was angry at Jack for cheating on me. I was drunk.”

“Then how do you explain sleeping with Luke again?”

Flippy was quiet as she considered her answer. Somehow the man must have been spying on them in Luke’s condo, or else how could he possibly know that?

“I-I love him.” And she knew it was true but she’d never get a chance to tell him.

“Ah, love. I know how that feels. Only it’s all one-sided. I love you, do you know that, Philippa? But if you saw me you wouldn’t give me the time of day. My mother said she loved me. But how did she show it? When I came home from school, I found her in bed with another man. Naked, bodies tangled, doing the dirty deed right in front of me. Of course she jumped up when she saw me, and apologized, but it was too late. The whore had to be punished.”

“So you set your house on fire purposely?”

“Donny, you can leave the room now. Go develop those pictures just like I taught you. I want to be alone with Miss Tannenbaum.”

Donny left the room obediently.

“Did he have anything to do with these murders?”

“Do you see him? He’s as innocent as a babe. He has no idea what’s really going on. I’ve got to protect him. He does help, unintentionally. Lures in the girls, but he’s never been in my workshop. It’s a bit messy in there. I’m afraid he’d slip on all the blood. Of course my older brother is big and strong, and he helps me carry my special sacks to the drop-off points. He doesn’t know what’s in them.”

“So did you murder your mother?”

“Murder is such a nasty word. I did light her bedroom on fire and lock the door and step outside so I wouldn’t hear her screams. Then I relented and opened the door, and when I saw my mother’s beautiful face burning, I put out the fire. I saved my mother. But unfortunately, I was burned in the process. But she paid for her sins. She had to live with her ugly face and her shame until the day she couldn’t live with it anymore. She couldn’t work, couldn’t show her face, couldn’t get a man. So she took my stepfather’s shotgun and shot herself. Blew off her face. I buried her out back. But I miss her. She was the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, until I saw you. You look just like her, you know. That’s why I chose you. Had to have you.”

“Why did you have to kill Traci and the other girls?”

“Now, I’m asking the questions here. But I’ll answer this one last question. Why did I kill the girls? I loved their beauty, their perfection, I reveled in it, but then they had to be punished.”

“So you burned the sides of their faces while they were still alive?”

“Yes, recreating the past. I marked them. I let them think I was going to save them at the last minute, but alas, they couldn’t be saved. You’ll see exactly how it happens. Come now, I’m ready to reveal myself.”

Rodney Willis stepped into view. His face was hideous, all scarred and puffy.

Flippy cringed.

He strode up to her and she turned to run.

“I still have bullets in this gun, so you won’t get far.” She froze.

Rodney grabbed her and twisted her arms behind her back and tied them. He dragged her along the walkway and unlocked another room.

Flippy almost fainted at the sight of it. It was like a medieval torture room. Photos of Traci and the other victims were posted all around the walls. She spotted the body of another one of the contestants, Dana Lyons. Was she dead or merely asleep? Rodney approached Flippy and tried to smother her with a white handkerchief. The room was spinning and then everything went black.

When she came to, she was tied to a table, still dressed in the gown and heels she’d worn in the “pageant,” and staring into the disfigured face of her killer.

“Why are you doing this to me?” she cried, straining against her bonds.

“I already told you. Because it gives me pleasure. And I have so little of that in my life. But you’ll be my last. You can take comfort in that. Usually, I let the girls linger for the better part of a week, starve them, deprive them of water until they’re weak and vulnerable, and then I go to work on them. Burn their faces while they’re still alive, and show them a mirror so they can see what’s left of their former beauty. A little torture, but not enough that they can’t take it, and then, mercifully, I put them out of their misery before I go to work.”

Flippy struggled on the table.

“It’s all documented on the videotape.” Rodney flicked a switch and the lights went out. Images of Rodney with his victims appeared on a large screen. Bound, she had no choice but to watch it, the way he’d captured each of his victims, bound them, burned them, their last walk down the runway, the torture on his workroom table, and the bodies deposited at the dump sites. The footage of Traci was the hardest to watch.

“And I am most sorry about you,” Rodney lamented. “Because I do love you, you know. In fact, I worship you. I would do anything for you. But would you love me back? Could you?”

Flippy felt the bile rise in her stomach. Then she spit in his face.

“Feisty. I like that. You know I don’t take sexual liberties with my women. Not that I don’t want to, but I can’t. That ability was taken away in the fire. But I get my satisfaction in other ways.”

Flippy sagged. The full realization that no one was coming to rescue her made her sad. She’d miss Luke the most. She’d never see his face again, and now that she knew she loved him, she wouldn’t have the chance to tell him. And that was real torture.

Rodney freed one of her hands and placed something in it.

“Okay, you can hold the mirror, Queenie’s mirror.”

Rodney struck a match and held the flame to her face, bringing it closer and closer, till it was only inches away.

“What a shame the flame will mar such beauty.” She could feel the heat, and she shrank away and then he touched the fire to her face and she cried out.

“It will only hurt for a minute. Once I’ve marked you as mine, no one else will want you. No one else will be able to stand looking at you. Not Jack, and I see you’re still wearing his ring. Foolish girl. And not Officer Luke. And then, once you realize I’m all you have left, we can be together and we will be happy.”

“Flippy, are you in there?”

“Luke!” she cried, trying to turn toward his voice. “Over here!” Luke rushed to her side as Rodney looked up and laughed. He held out the flame and with his other hand drew his gun, but Luke was faster. He knocked the flame out of Rodney’s hand and they struggled for the gun. The flame lit the rug on fire and started to spread, licking the drapes and igniting the wooden furniture. Then Luke had the gun, but Rodney escaped the room like a rabbit.

Luke untied Flippy and set her upright, touching her hair, and her face, trying to convince himself she was really there in front of him.

“Are you okay? I was scared to death when I couldn’t find you.”

“I’m fine, but you got here just in time. Rodney Willis is the killer. I can prove it. Look around. He has the photos of all the dead girls. And he has a video. It’s all there, all the murders, the torture, all on a video. Get it, Luke.”

“We don’t have time for that—this place is about to go up.”

“Get Dana. She’s one of the missing girls. She’s over there on the floor in the corner.”

“Flip, we don’t have another second to spare.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Chuck, the homeless man, running toward the motionless girl.

“I’ll get the other girl. You take care of Miss Tannenbaum,” Chuck said.

“But your evidence, it’s all here.” The pictures of the contestants were curling into ash, melting in the intense heat.

“You’re the only thing I care about. The police are on their way. That freakshow bushwhacker shot my partner Matt and left him to bleed out in the field down the road. The paramedics said he was going to be okay. Matt was coming after you. He was riding on the bus.”

“How did you know where to find me?”

“Kate called me and said you were in trouble. But we can talk about that later. Let’s get out of here.”

They fled the burning room, and when they got outside, Dana was lying on the grass, choking, but the paramedics had revived her. Chuck was holding Rodney.

“What is Chuck doing here?”

“I deputized your homeless friend. I’ll explain later.” Luke grabbed Rodney by the throat.

“You’re going down, dickhead.”

There were screams from the house.

“My brother Donny is in there,” Rodney said, and before Luke could cuff him he broke away from Luke’s grip and ran into the flames.

Flippy heard police and fire truck sirens approaching, but the wooden house had gone up like a matchstick. It was too late to save it. There were more screams, and Rodney came running through the flames with his brother wrapped in a sheet dripping with cold water. He carried his brother to safety, but Rodney himself was on fire, and Flippy would never forget the piteous screams that came out of him. Police raced to get to him, but they were too late. Finally, he was quiet, and there was only a burning hulk where there had once been a man.

Luke handled her as if she were breakable. He checked and rechecked her as police sirens and ambulances signaled their approach.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Really, I’m fine,” Flippy assured Luke, leaning up against him.

The police had Donny and Dana on stretchers, and the EMTs were treating them for smoke inhalation.

“What will happen to Donny? I don’t think he knew what was going on in that pageant of horrors. I think his brother was the mastermind.”

“I don’t know, Flip. If that’s true and there were extenuating circumstances, then maybe—”

“But he has no one now.”

“What did I say about that bleeding heart of yours? Now let’s get you home where you belong,” Luke said, wrapping his arm around Flippy.

“Where is home?”

“With me, of course,” Luke said, flashing a smile and dimples that weakened her willpower and plunged her deeper in love with the man.

“Dudley Do-Right to the rescue?” She smiled.

“Every story has a happy ending.”

“We have to make one stop before we get home,” Flippy said.

“Where to?”

Flippy touched the ring on her hand and looked at Luke.

“To return this.”

“You’re wearing Jack’s ring again?” Luke frowned and his dimples disappeared.

“I took it with me so I could give it back.”

The dimples were back in full bloom. “And I’m going to replace it as soon as possible with my ring. How do you feel about that?”

“Sounds perfect,” Flippy said.

A cloud of dust signaled the arrival of another patrol car. Jack, Katherine, Chief Bradley, and Flippy’s director rushed out of the squad car and crowded around her.

“Sorry we’re late to the party,” said Chief Bradley, wrapping Philippa in a bear hug. Are you okay?” Flippy blushed.

“I’m fine, Chief Bradley.”

“Philippa, what possessed you to come out here all alone?” yelled Director Beckham. “I thought we had an arrangement. You were going to call me before you took any action.” The director was stern-faced, and then she did something totally out of character. She hugged Flippy and kissed her forehead.

“You scared me half to death, Philippa.”

“I had to be sure, Director, before I notified you.”

Kate hugged her next. “I was so frightened. I was afraid you weren’t going to make it out alive.”

“You don’t know how close I came to death. If Luke hadn’t come along when he did, I wouldn’t be here.”

“I owe a lot to Kate,” Luke admitted. “She was a big help. Plus, you left a trail a mile wide in the folder on your desk and with the imprint of this address on the notepad in your office.”

The chief patted Luke on the back. “Great work, son. I’m going to see that you get that promotion to detective. And Philippa, you solved the case, with a little help from Crystal Ball Kate. After you’ve had a chance to recover, I want you to be the one to make the announcement that we’ve solved the case of the Homecoming Homicides. And if I’m not mistaken, Elizabeth, it’s going to mean Philippa also gets a substantial raise in salary and position. That’s a number one performance you delivered.”

Flippy smiled and squeezed Luke’s hand.

Kate, apparently relieved that the whole ordeal was over, took the chief aside. “Chief Bradley, do you ever get up to Atlanta? There’s someone I’d like you to meet.”

“Is she hot?”

The director rolled her eyes.

“She’s smokin’,” Jack assured the chief, as he watched the remains of the dilapidated house of horrors burn to the ground. “Looks exactly like my wife.”

“I think we ought to introduce Chief Bradley to my mother—I mean, to Juliette. They’d make a nice couple. I think they could have a future together.”

“If you have a thing for psychics, then you’ll love Kate’s mom,” Jack agreed. “That woman is eerie-scary the way she can predict the future.”

“Can’t wait to meet her,” Chief Bradley said. “Let’s set this up sooner rather than later.”

“I think I can accommodate you. I’ve got a proposition I want to discuss with you back at the office,” Jack said.

“Great. But right now I’ve got me a serial killer case to put to bed.” He looked at the charred body in the grass. “That the guy?”

“That’s the killer,” Flippy confirmed. “Or was. His brother is the one in the ambulance. You’re going to want to question him as an accessory or a witness. I’m not sure which. And there’s the last missing girl, Dana Lyons, in the second ambulance. She’s traumatized, but alive, and Chuck, here, is responsible for carrying her out.”