Classmate Murders by Bob Moats (best authors to read TXT) 📖

from. I looked over to Buck, he heard it too, and was looking up. Suddenly I saw Buck leap off the stool and crashed into Penny, Ben and their chairs, knocking them off to the side. Barely seconds after, a light bar came crashing down in the same spot where Penny and the guest sat. I jumped forward to the stage, Deacon came tearing through the curtain from behind the set and we stood looking up.

I couldn't see anything in the dark. I yelled to get lights turned up over head. The stage crew was scrambling around, and someone flipped on the work lights. The stage lit overhead but we couldn't see anything on the catwalk. Then I saw a flash of movement off the side of the rigging. Buck was up, helping Penny and Ben up off the floor. I called to Buck, pointed to the direction of the movement, and headed that way. I yelled to Deacon to watch Penny, he moved over to her. Buck and I went around back and heard a door slamming, we went that way. We were chasing a ghost, ever ahead of us, but we followed. Down halls and through other sets in the station. I didn't realize how many rooms and places there were in the small looking building. We came to the last door we heard close, crashed through it with guns drawn. We came face to face with the gate guard, on break, smoking a cigarette, now looking shocked.

"Wow, this no smoking thing is getting serious," he said, shaking.


*


Chapter Twelve

Penny and her guest were resting in her dressing room. The audience was told it was just an accident and asked them to be patient, while they fixed the problem. I called Trapper and relayed the incident to him, he said he couldn't do much, since we were in Southfield, but to have the local police call him for any questions about the connections with his cases. I told him we weren't planning on bringing in the local police. We already knew it wasn't going to help. He had to agree and said to keep him informed. I asked how Linda was holding up, he said they moved her to a safe house despite her protests.

Penny and her guest were relaxed now and ready to finish the show. The show must go on, was the old adage. They went out to the applause of the audience, no sign this time. The show was finally finished and the audience left feeling excited by what had happened. We asked Ben to join us in the dressing room for a talk. Outside the dressing room, I stopped Buck.

"OK, something is bothering me. How did the killer know we would be back here and how did he have time to get the "accident" set up."

"Beats me, he must be psychic," Buck said, rubbing his bald head.

"I need to check and see if Penny's phone was somehow being tapped, it's the only way he could have known. She called here yesterday about coming back. That would give the killer plenty of time to figure out his moves."

"Makes sense to me," Buck agreed.

We went into the dressing room, I sat next to Brooks. I reached into my pocket and turned on my Palm Treo, pushed the side button which started the record function. I started the conversation.

"Ben, first I want to tell you that was no accident out there."

His eyes narrowed, but said nothing.

"There is someone killing former female classmates from my old high school. Penny is one and has had two attempts on her life, counting today. There have been four women already killed by this person and we believe it may be connected to Julia Waters."

Now his eyes went wide and spoke, "I have nothing to do with Miss Waters, I have no connection to her."

"I'm not accusing you of anything. We just want to know, if you can tell us anything about her," I assured him.

"Julia Waters is a woman of high stature, in our community. She has crusaded to fight abuse of women, and men also. I can not believe she would be involved in something as low as murder," he defended with an air of arrogance.

He continued, "Besides, I don't know much about her. I know she came to Michigan often, as her late father lived here, and has been in the Detroit area numerous times staying at her summer home in Lake Orion."

That caught my attention. I looked at Buck since I knew Buck used to live in that area for a few years and had friends there. Buck asked if Brooks knew where in town she lived, he said he didn't. Buck said he'd make a few calls and see what he could find. He went out to make a call.

"You never spoke to her?" I asked Ben.

"No, I heard her speak, at a symposium once, but never got to talk one on one." He was looking nervous now. His eyes were darting around and wouldn't make eye contact with me.

I took that cue, "You seem to be holding something back, Benjamin. You seem nervous about something. Maybe you knew Julia better than you admit." Deacon thankfully moved behind me in Brooks' line of vision. The sight of the huge cop made him squirm a bit more. "Interesting you would know about that summer home, since you said you didn't know her that well."

He said nothing. I continued, "You also mentioned her late father, he just passed away four months ago. Do you keep up on people you hardly know?"

He stood up and said, "I don't have to answer your questions, you aren't the police, well, maybe he is," looking to Deacon.

Deacon moved forward, towering over Brooks and spoke softly, "Yeah, I am, and I think you need to go to meet the investigating officer of four murders. He's gonna need to officially ask you some more questions. Do you think your colleagues might wonder about that?"

"Is that a threat!" He demanded.

"No, it's police protocol, you may even make the papers, that we were questioning you in regards to a quadruple murder investigation." Deacon was playing it to the hilt.

Brooks sat back down. I peeked around Deacon and asked if there was anything more he'd like to say.

Deacon stepped back and Brooks just stared at the floor. He then looked up to me, in the eyes and said, "Julia and I were having an affair about six months ago. We did meet at the symposium and she sort of attached herself to me. She was staying at her summer house and she would call me at my home, not even caring if my wife was there, and demand we see each other. She was crazy. You remember that movie 'Fatal Attraction'? God, it felt like that. Finally, the day she got a call about her father dying, she stopped bothering me. She went to Bad Axe, to see him. After that, I didn't hear from her again, except she called me about two days ago. She said she was in town and wanted to see me. I told her it was over and she just laughed and said I was nothing to her and hung up. That's why you surprised me with your question about her, Miss Wickens. I wasn't expecting you to know about her."

"Could also explain why you were included in the murder attempt today. That light bar would have gotten you and not just Penny." I was deducing.

"She wouldn't try to kill me, would she?" The panic was in his eyes now. "Damn that bitch!."

"Gee, Ben, sounds like you might want to cooperate with the police now. Just to save your own neck." I kept at him.
He was silent for a long time. Buck came back to the door and signaled me to come out. I did.

"What'cha got?" I asked.

"Well, my friend Stryder said he knows Julia Waters real well. Seems most the boys in and around Lake Orion knows Julia. If you know what I mean," he grinned, handed me a paper with Waters' address, then asked, "How's Mr. Fancy Pants doing?"

"Well, he was also knowing her real well too, and he confirmed that she's back in town." I looked back into the room, Brooks was quiet on the couch and Penny was watching me from her chair. I smiled to her, she waved her little finger at me.

"Think we need to take a ride up to Lake Orion?" Buck asked.

"Yeah, but I think we need to bring Trapper in on this, with some reinforcements." I was being cautious.

"I'm also amazed, that Brooks just happened to be on the show today, him being involved with Waters. Something more is going on. I'm calling Trapper in on this now." I said and took my phone out and went down the hall, Buck went into the dressing room.

I got hold of Trapper and briefed him on everything since I last talked to him about the attempt. He said he would see if he could get a search warrant for Waters home, I gave him the address that Buck gave me. I asked him about Brooks, he said he would send a car to pick him up and take him in to protective custody, which meant a warm cell for the night. Trapper said he would call when he got the warrant, knowing our little gang would just show up there anyway. He hung up again without a good-bye. I went back to the dressing room.

I told Brooks that I talked to the investigating officer and he was sending protection for him. He thanked me, and went quiet again. I took Penny by the hand and led her out into the hall.

"Penny, who sets up your guests for the show?" I asked.

"Davey Morgan is the person who schedules the guests. Why?" She replied.

I asked where we might find him. She took my hand and we walked through the maze, that Buck and I had ran through earlier. We got to an office and went in. There was a girl sitting at a desk, and stood when Penny and I walked in.

"Hi, Penny, glad you're all right," she beamed.

"Thanks, Joy, is Davey in? I need to ask him about today's guest."

"Yeah, that was strange, he set up this guy Brooks, at the very last minute, bumping another guest and then said he had to leave. Brooks came in and I had to take him to the studio," she looked a bit overwhelmed.

"So, just when did you see him today?" I asked.

"Not since early this morning. He left around 8:30 and didn't come back till after the big excitement in the studio, then left for the day, he said he wasn't feeling well."

I looked at Penny, asking "How well do you know this Davey?"

"He's been with us for about three months. He does good work."

I looked at Joy, gave her one of my website cards, and asked her to call me if Davey came back again. She said she would. I grabbed Penny again and we went back to the dressing room. I told Buck about what we had just found out. I sat facing Penny.

"OK, earlier someone tried to drop a bunch of lights on you and