Part 33 (1/2)
”Most of it.”
Kevin sighed. ”You didn't read the last paragraph? At the time, he'd told his superiors that he'd 'gotten into the head' of the man! Thought like him.. .moved like him!”
She looked at both of them a bit blankly. ”Okay, isn't that what FBI profilers say they have to do when they're trying to solve crimes?”
”It's scary! That's what it is,” David said.
”David! The guy was a good cop!”
”So why did he leave?”
”I don't know. Maybe he didn't like being in the head of a serial killer!” she said.
”Or maybe...” Kevin murmured.
”Maybe what?”
”Maybe it was too much like his own,” David said.
”Oh, please!” Toni said, tossing the paper down.
”He found the first body,” Kevin said.
”And the second body was found in the forest, as well,” David said.
”You're sick, both of you!” she accused them.
”Maybe,” David murmured. He hesitated, looking at Kevin. ”But.. .he's a local hero type here, Toni. I mean, if he was up to something, everyone in this village would protect him. Maybe he doesn't even know he's a lunatic.”
She stared hard at both of them, then tapped the paper angrily with drumming fingers. ”It seems to me that he saved a number of young lives. And with very hard and painful work. Good Lord! He caught a couple. Can you imagine that, a husband and wife working together, luring innocent young victims!”
Unfortunately Ryan and Gina chose that precise moment to come walking cheerfully into the kitchen.
”'Morning, all!” Ryan said, then stopped dead, his expression quizzical as he realized that the three were staring at them.
”What are you all doing?” Gina demanded.
”Reading the paper,” Toni said.
”Seems our host captured some really serious killers at one time,” Kevin said.
”A married couple.”
Gina turned to the three of them, outraged. ”So you're looking at us as if.. .as if being married makes us guilty of something?”
”No, don't be ridiculous,” Toni said.
”That would be d.a.m.ned ridiculous!” Ryan said. ”What? Gay people never kill other people?” he demanded.
”Sure, they do,” Kevin said calmly, grimacing. ”Statistically, they kill other gay people.”
Toni groaned. ”Don't worry, the Keystone Cops here aren't after the two of you. They're convinced now that I have to be careful around Bruce.”
”I was just thinking that maybe you shouldn't be quite so close to him,” David said with a sigh.
”As in sleeping with him on a nightly basis,” Kevin added.
”I thought that he was the one who caught the killers?” Gina said.
”He was,” Toni said flatly.
Gina arched a brow and looked at David and Kevin.
David threw his hands up. ”Look, what do we really know about this guy?”
”Oh, let's see!” Toni said. ”He's rich, owns half the village. People here are very loyal to him. He was with the police. And he's been d.a.m.ned decent to us, since he could have thrown us all out on our b.u.t.ts!”
David looked down his nose at her. ”My dear, Toni! We know that you're solidly infatuated with the man. But let me ask you this. If he's so rich, why does he own a ramshackle castle?”
She sighed. ”You two, it's just silly to be so worried about this guy. All right, let me fill you all in on something, having to do with the state of the castle. He was engaged once to a woman who was in love with the place. It was her dream to fix it up again, make it magnificent. She died, and he lost heart. And that's why he's ignored it. It's probably why he still spends so much time out of the area, even out of the country.”
”It sounds.. .reasonable,” Gina said.
”Oh, yeah, I just about hear violins,” Ryan murmured.
”Hey! That borders on the entirely insensitive!” David protested.
”How do we really know anything around here, though, especially when it comes to our host?” Gina murmured.
Kevin glanced at David and then at Toni. ”You've got to admit, we really don't know much of anything. And then...well, you do see the guy with a sword in your nightmares.”
Toni instantly stared at David. ”You--you traitor! You weren't supposed to say anything about things I told you in confidence.”
”I didn't! Well, of course, I talk to Kevin. Especially when I'm really worried about you!” David said, defending himself.
She groaned.
”Now I really don't know what any of you are talking about!” Gina exclaimed.
Toni groaned again, laying her head on the table.
”Somebody better tell us,” Ryan said.
Toni lifted her head, not about to let David do her explaining. ”I've had some nightmares, very real nightmares, about the legendary Bruce coming back and standing at the foot of my bed with a sword, okay?” She glared at David. She didn't want anything else about her past spread any further than it had already gone.
”And see, there's the thing. Thayer told us about the old woman in the cemetery the other day,” Kevin said softly.
”Now Thayer has a mouth on him, too!” Toni muttered.
”Oh, yeah! That's right!” Ryan said. He looked at Gina. ”Remember? He was talking about how he and Toni had just met Lizzie and Trish, and then this weird old bat comes in with her son and daughter-in-law, and rambles about the old Bruce being up from his grave, running around the countryside, finding women and strangling them as he had his wife.”