Homecoming Homicides (19 page)

He’d been a little brutal with her, dragging her down to the station for questioning right after Jack had been hurt, but he was more scared than angry. That’s just how he showed it. It had been a close call, one he didn’t want to repeat.

And if it was the same killer, what if he was still after Philippa? It made sense. He had discussed this at length with Chief Bradley and with Jack Hale and his wife. Actually, Jack Hale was not a bad guy. They had a lot in common. Both had backgrounds as cops; both were going to law school. And Crystal Ball Kate? What a knockout. No wonder Jack had been attracted to her and she was the world’s darling. And brains—the woman had those in spades. She was fixated on the idea that Flippy was the target, and she talked about the killer’s scars, although she didn’t know if they were real scars or psychological scars. Her predictions weren’t always specific, but since it was on her recommendation that Flippy was accorded police protection, he would always be grateful to her.

Chief Bradley had fallen under the spell of Crystal Ball Kate and would have given her the moon if she’d asked. So he had happily authorized the protective watch for Philippa. He had assigned Luke as her personal bodyguard, although Flippy didn’t think she needed protection. But then neither had Melinda Crawford or Traci Farris or any of the other dead girls.

Katherine was spot-on about the latest victim, a beauty named Mary Louise Crabtree. They had surrounded the site of the body dump but had missed the killer by minutes. The media hadn’t yet gotten hold of the news, but when they did, all hell would break loose, again. The vultures would be swarming around the girl’s apartment, picking over scraps of maudlin interviews with those who had known her and those who hardly knew her. He dialed Flippy’s number, then reconsidered. He wanted to tell her in person. Maybe he just wanted to see her again. She should be picking up her mother at the airport right about now, and he had arranged for his partner to tail her, although she didn’t know it.

Chief Bradley had insisted he take the night off, since he was logging in so much overtime. He was beat and decided to take the chief up on his offer.

Perfect timing, since Flippy’s mother was in town. Flippy would need to take action, hold a press conference, work her magic, kick some media butt. But not tonight.

He had to admit she was a pro at what she did. The reporters respected her, the families revered and depended on her. She was a natural. The university should be thankful they had her. But damned if he’d ever admit that to her.

He spent most of his time now scared to death someone was going to snatch her away. She probably thought he was gruff and uncaring, but he didn’t want to make her nervous.

He couldn’t wait until this whole ordeal was over, until the killer was dead or behind bars. And then he could breathe easy around Flippy.

Chapter Fifteen

Flippy watched the jet taxi down the runway at the Graysville Community Airport and then waited for her mother at baggage claim. It was a small airport, which made it easy to pick up passengers. Flippy typically traveled light, with only one carry-on bag in the overhead compartment and a purse. It didn’t matter if Barbara was traveling for one night or ten nights, she’d need to check her luggage.

Barbara’s face broke into a broad smile when she saw her daughter.

“Philippa,” she cried.

“Mom,” said Flippy, hugging her mother. “You don’t mind if I call you Mom, do you?”

“Not here. I don’t know anyone in this place.” Missing in her description, but understood, was the word “godforsaken.”

“It’s so nice to see you. Do you have a hotel reservation for me?”

“Yes, at the Graysville Inn. It’s not the Ritz, but it’s nice. They serve fresh chocolate chip cookies at night. I had to pull in a favor to even get you a room. The networks have taken every available room in Graysville.” Flippy took her mother’s bag and carried it to the car. As soon as she’d mentioned the networks, she knew she’d made a mistake.

“The networks?” Barbara inquired. “Are they here for that Homecoming Homicides case?”

Flippy frowned but didn’t answer the question, and Barbara had already moved on to the next topic.

“So, when am I going to meet your young man?”

“Mom, you make him sound like something out of a Jane Austen novel. Actually, he does remind me of one of her characters. He’s a real Boy Scout. Or more like Dudley Do-Right.”

“Ooh, a Canadian Mountie. I can’t wait to meet him. He sounds interesting. Is he good-looking?”

“Actually, I never thought about him in those terms, but yes, he’s pretty spectacular.”

“Not as cute as Jack, I’ll wager.”

“Well, let’s face it, no one has a mug like Jack Armstrong.”

“Or a body.”

“Mom! You’re naughty. Jack’s available now, by the way, if you’re interested. But Luke has other qualities. The best one is he’s not a cheater. Or at least I don’t think he is.”

“Don’t bring up your father on this trip.”

“That was never my intention.”

“I’ve been reading about that poor girl, your friend Traci.”

“They had a memorial service for her yesterday. Actually it’s been a pretty brutal couple of days.”

“Well, I’m glad I’m here. I’m going to take you and Luke to a nice dinner. Did you make a reservation?”

“Yes. We really don’t have any time to spare, but I got us in at a restaurant I think you’ll like.”

Flippy pulled out of the parking lot and caught up with her mother in the ten minutes it took to get to the hotel.

“You’re looking good, Philippa,” Barbara said.

“Luke thinks I’m too thin and that I don’t eat enough. He likes his women to have some meat on their bones. That’s how he puts it.”

“Don’t let yourself go. You still have some good years ahead of you. You might want to do some modeling.”

“Mom, those days are over. I don’t want to model. I don’t want to enter any more beauty pageants, for heaven’s sake. I have a job I like and I’m very good at it.”

“Are we going to see your place first?”

“Well, I thought we could pick you up at your hotel later, then go over to Luke’s, I mean our place, for some drinks and hors d’oeuvres and then out to dinner.”

“That would be lovely. I’ll have time for a quick beauty nap. Did you talk to your sister about the wedding yet?”

“Yes, I called her and told her she needed to stop acting out and let you have the wedding you want, even though it
is
her wedding.”

“You didn’t call her yet, did you?”

“Mom, I’ve been a little preoccupied. But I promise I’ll do it tonight.”

“Have you eaten lunch yet?” Flippy asked as they pulled up to the hotel.

“I had something before I got on the plane. I’m not hungry. I think I’ll check into the hotel, freshen up, and wait for you to pick me up.”

“We’ll be by at around seven.”

Flippy hugged her mother again and brought the luggage in to the front desk while her mother checked in. Then they said their goodbyes.

Flippy drove back to her office, only a few minutes away, and greeted the homeless guys in the front.

“You’re back.”

“The police picked us up,” said a new man, a middle-aged guy who said his name was Chuck.

“Did they treat you okay?”

“They fed us, gave us some new clothes and blankets they had collected. But we couldn’t stay there forever. We wanted to come back.”

“That’s good.”

“I applied for a job,” Chuck announced.

“That’s wonderful. Doing what?”

“Well, working construction in one of those government works projects. It doesn’t pay much. It will barely keep a roof over my head.” Chuck laughed. “But it’s respectable. I’m glad to have the work.”

“What did you do before you got to Graysville?”

“I was an engineer, but I got laid off and I never could find another job.”

“All you need is a break. Congratulations.” Flippy made a mental note to ask Luke if he had any extra clothes he could spare for Chuck.

“Are you warm enough out here?”

“It’ll be fine with our new blankets.”

Flippy went to the office, got her messages from Misty, and waited for Luke to come by. They were going to stop at the outdoor chapel on Lake Mary. It was a famous university landmark and a favorite place for weddings. The chapel was beautiful and so was the view. Students picnicked there and tailgated during football season. An unlikely place for a body dump, but this killer was unpredictable. He had managed to elude them so far.

Luke came by and popped his head into her office.

“Ready?”

“Yes. I just dropped my mother off at the hotel.”

“I’ve prepared the appetizers, and the wine is chilling.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

“I had a cleaning service come by, so the place is spotless, except for Cruz. I hope she doesn’t make a mess. Does your mother like dogs?”

“Not on her own carpet, but she’s probably fine if they’re peeing on someone else’s carpet in someone else’s house.”

“Before I meet her, I need to ask you something. Are we supposed to be sleeping together?”

“What?”

“Well, I mean, I know we’re sleeping together, well, we haven’t technically slept in the same bed yet, but does she think we’re sleeping together? I mean what is our relationship?”

“I don’t know. What
is
our relationship?”

“Well, I know what I’d like it to be. You’re my girlfriend. Are you okay with that?”

“That was pretty sudden, but yes, I’m okay with telling my mother that.”

“But are
you
okay with that?”

“Yes.” Flippy smiled, and he leaned over and kissed her.

“I saw that,” Misty said. “Why is it all the good guys are taken?”

“I don’t know. You seemed pretty chummy with the owner of DaVinci’s.”

“Oh, Riley? He’s okay. But he’s married to his job. He’s too serious.”

“I’ll bet he could be the right guy if you let him know you’re interested.”

“He knows, all right. But he isn’t doing anything about it. You don’t see any ring on this finger, do you?”

Luke smiled.

That reminded Flippy she needed to return the ring to Jack. She didn’t want it anymore. Maybe she’d just put it in the mail. But no, that was too cold. She didn’t hate Jack anymore. Maybe she could fix him up with Misty. No, she couldn’t do that to Misty, not to any girl.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Misty.”

“Bye, you two. Have fun.”

Flippy waved to Chuck and the rest of the guys as she and Luke got into the car and drove off.

“Luke, did you get that list of current and former employees at the university, anyone who would have access to university buildings?”

Luke made the turn toward the chapel.

“Yes, it’s in the file in the back seat. Why?”

“I just want to cross-check something.”

“You have anything you want to share?”

“Just a hunch. Not yet. Thanks for bringing them back.”

“The homeless guys?”

“You know who I mean.”

“I had them checked out and deloused. Not really. Just clean and fed. Turns out a couple of them had pretty respectable jobs. It’s just the economy. Everyone is down on their luck.”

“You see, that’s what I’ve been telling you.”

“Maybe you’re right. Maybe they are providing some protection for you. Safety in numbers.”

They pulled into the park and drove up to the chapel.

“It’s lovely here,” Flippy said.

“Is this where you want our wedding?”

“You’re crazy.”

“Crazy about you.”

Flippy blushed. “Are you going to charm my mother tonight?”

“I’m going to try to.”

“She’s pretty hard to please, but you’re a pretty likeable guy.”

“Thanks.”

They walked to the chapel. There was a lot of activity. Students studying, walking hand in hand, reading.

“This location might be just a little too busy for him,” Flippy noted.

“But he’s clever. He could drive up, blend in for a while and when no one’s around, make his move.”

“We can’t rule it out,” Flippy said. “It would be horrific to put a dead body in this beautiful place.”

“That’s what would appeal to his inner sickness,” Luke said, making more notes. “I think we have every possible landmark location staked out. But we have to find him before he dumps the bodies. He doesn’t kill them here. He does it somewhere else. I’ve got my guys tailing every one of the girls who is still living in Graysville. It’s going to be hard for him to snatch anyone. I guess we’d better head home so we can get dressed and pick up your mother.”

When they got to Luke’s condo, Flippy grabbed the list from Luke’s car. She was anxious to see if Rodney Willis was on it, but Luke snatched the file first.

“Tonight is about us—and your mother. We’ve had enough work for today.” The file lay on the living room table. Cruz was nipping at their heels.

“Let me take her out,” Luke said, “while you start getting ready.”

Flippy went into the guest room to change. When she came out, she found Luke and Cruz in his bedroom.

Luke emerged from his bathroom in a tailored suit that made him look like a model out of
Gentlemen’s Quarterly
.

“Wow,” she said. “You look great. I didn’t know you owned a suit.”

“I own several,” Luke said. “And you, well, you look amazing, like a beauty queen.”

Flippy laughed. She had taken a long time dressing to impress Luke and her mother. She was still trying to impress her mother.

Cruz was nipping at Luke’s heels.

“Cruz, sorry, girl, you’ll have to wait here. We’ll be right back. I’ll bring you a nice juicy bone,” he promised.

“Flip, I noticed your engagement ring is still in the box in your room.”

“I’m planning to give it back or send it back. I just haven’t gotten around to it.”

Luke smiled.

They arrived at the hotel right on time, and Barbara was waiting in the lobby.

“Mom, this is Luke Slaughter. Luke this is my mother, Barbara Tannenbaum.”

“What a knockout,” Luke raved. “Like mother like daughter.”

Barbara blushed. “Well, aren’t you sweet to say that. Did Philippa tell you I was a beauty queen, too?”