“Melanie, you’re totally blowing this out of proportion. I didn’t—”
“You’re one to talk — you’re the freak-out
I was still fuming when Billy called a half hour later. I thought once John was dead that would be that, but they’re still working backward to learn more about him — Billy said it helps them with other serial killers. They’ve found out quite a bit, but not what I’d expected, which was a basement full of corpses and stacks of porn tapes. His house was tidy, in a bachelor kind of way, and the only tapes he had were videos on hunting. But it doesn’t look like he spent much time there. He didn’t have anything personal around, no photos or keepsakes, and he slept in a sleeping bag on top of his mattress.
They tried to match some missing-women cases up to where John may have been during certain years — he lived a nomadic life — but nothing connected. People who’d hired him said he was pleasant enough and always had a joke at the ready. But he got in fights with a few customers over the years who he felt had “tricked” him out of his payments. We were right about one thing: he was known in most of the towns he’d called me from. He was also an avid gun collector and a member of a few gun clubs.
I said, “Did you find the one he used to shoot Evan?”
“The ballistic report said the shell casing recovered at the scene was from a Remington.223. It matched up with some found at other crime scenes, so we know he was shot from the same gun, but it wasn’t with John’s belongings. We’re checking with a few gun dealers, but I doubt we’ll ever find it. By the way, did you ever finish that cherry table you were working on? I saw one just like it at an antique store the other day that needs refinishing. Think you could look at it sometime and tell me what you think?” “Sure, how much did they want?”
The rest of the call we talked about antiques, then Evan beeped in to ask me something, so I had to go. But later, when I was trying to clean up the shop, I remembered John telling me the Remington.223 was his favorite — and that it was being repaired. How did he shoot Evan with a gun he didn’t have?
The front door banged. Evan was home. While he packed his hockey bag with clothes to take to the lodge, I sat on the bed and told him about my morning, starting with the fight with Melanie.
“I can’t believe she acted like that when I asked her about John.”
“I told you to let it go.” He rummaged through his drawers, tossing socks into his bag with his good hand — his left arm was still in a sling.
“I just asked her a simple question.”
He glanced over his shoulder with his eyebrows raised.
“Sara, your questions are never simple.”
“I wish you weren’t going back to the lodge.”
“Me too. I have to get a ride up with Jason and he drives like an old man.” He laughed, but I glowered. “Baby, come on, I haven’t been up there in weeks and everything’s a mess. You said you wanted to get back to work too.”
“I tried after Melanie left, but then Billy called and I started obsessing again.”
“About what?
“Billy said the shell casing they found at your lodge was from John’s Remington.223, but they can’t find the gun. Then I was thinking about it later and John said that gun was getting repaired. Don’t you think that’s weird?”
“He probably had a couple of them and ditched one right after he shot me.”
“Maybe … but I got the feeling he really loved
“Well, no one else would’ve shot me.”
I paused for a moment. “You know, it’s weird that John only injured you. I got the impression he was a good shot — he never missed a victim before.”
“Baby, it was him.” Evan went into the walk-in closet, came out with a few pairs of jeans, shoved them in his bag.
“I know. Just saying the gun thing’s weird.… We still don’t know for sure he attacked Nadine — she wasn’t shot, which was totally John’s style, just hit in the back of the head. And she never saw who did it. I wonder if they ever followed up on any of her patients. Maybe I should talk to Billy and see what he thinks.” “Sara, leave the guy alone.”
“What does
“You must be driving the police nuts. The case is over but you’re still pestering them.” He went back into the closet and came out with another pair of jeans. “Where’s my Nike baseball cap — you were wearing it yesterday?”
“I don’t know, but I can’t believe you just said that. I’m not pestering them, I’m
“Fine. I’ll get out of your way, then.” I stood up.
“You don’t have to leave, just talk about something else.” But I was already walking out of the room.
I was staring at a table in my shop, thinking about everything Evan had said and working myself into a complete lather, when he came to find me.
He said, “I’m going.”
I studied the grains in the wood, traced them with my fingers.
“Come on,” he said.
He came over and wrapped his arms around me.
I was stiff in his arms. “I’m pissed at you.”
“I know, but give me a hug anyway.”
“I hate that you don’t take anything I say seriously.”
“That’s not true, Sara. I just wish you didn’t read so much into everything.”
“So you think I’m just overreacting?”
“Let’s see, you accused your sister of chatting up a serial killer and now you think someone else shot me for no reason? Hey, maybe it was
Tears of frustration stung my eyes. “I’m just saying we don’t know—”
“Baby, Jason’s waiting outside. I’ll call you tonight, okay?”
“Fine, go.”
He left a couple of hours ago, and I was so riled up I spent the entire time until our appointment going over the case in my mind again. I even went back over all my notes, the time line, everything. This gun thing is making me insane.
So maybe I’m just grasping at straws, mostly because Evan didn’t take me seriously, and maybe the gun thing isn’t important, but I called Billy and told him something was bugging me about the case. He was in the middle of a meeting but said he’d stop by later. Why can’t Evan be like that? Billy never makes me feel like I’m some drama addict.
SESSION TWENTY-FOUR
Now you’re going to make me cry. I understand you need some time off before you decide whether to move
