But if they’re not coincidences …
She suppressed a shudder as she considered the possibilities.Just as Wightman was obviously thinking, perhaps this “Goatman” killer hadclaimed at least four victims so far, not just two. That would mean there weretwo undiscovered graves out there somewhere.
And of course, there was still the killer’s lingering threat:
THE GOATMAN IS STILL HUNGRY.
HE WILL FEAST AND SINGAGAIN
ON THE HALLOWED EVE.
And Halloween was tomorrow night.
This killer’s schedule sped up, Riley realized. Therewould be no more gaps of a couple of years between murders. He was on an annualschedule.
And the clock is ticking.
Before Riley could ask any questions, the sheriff’s office phonerang. When he answered, Riley could tell that he was talking to hisreceptionist—and judging by his tone of voice, he wasn’t at all happy.
“Oh, God,” he groaned on the phone. “Not her again! Howthe hell did she find out …?”
He shook his head and said to the receptionist, “Well, I guess it’spublic knowledge now, damn it. What a pain in the ass. Just tell Madge I’ll getback to her as soon as I can.”
The sheriff rolled his eyes as he listened.
“Well, keep telling her that every time she calls!” hesaid.
The sheriff let out a deep sigh and said, “OK, put her through.”
He covered the receiver and said to Riley and Ann Marie, “I’msorry, I’ve got to take this call. I’ll be right back with you.”
Soon Riley could make out another voice babbling irritably on thesheriff’s phone.
In reply, Wightman said, “Yeah, Madge, we found another body justthis morning. And it looks like … well, we’re sure, really … that it’s Yvonne.”
Riley could hear more shrill chatter.
Then Wightman said, “Damn it, Madge. I just came from the crimescene myself. I didn’t have a chance to call you and let you know. And frankly,I’ve got other priorities. For one thing, I had to call the M.E.”
The chatter got louder and shriller.
Wightman said, “Madge, you’re not helping. I’ve got work to do.If you want me to find out who killed Yvonne, you’ve got to let me do my job. I’mhanging up now. Goodbye.”
He hung up the phone and stared at it in exasperation.
Then he looked at Riley and Ann Marie and said, “I’m sorry forthe interruption. That was Madge Torrance, Yvonne Swenson’s next-door neighbor.She means well, I guess, but she’s a busybody, and she’s got a head full oftheories and doesn’t know what she’s talking about. I’m afraid she’s going tostart making a thorough nuisance of herself. We’ll just have to try to ignoreher.”
Riley’s ears perked up at the sheriff’s words. “She’s got ahead full of theories.”
Another thing she’d learned over the years was that evencrackpots sometimes have important ideas.
“I want to talk to her,” Riley said to Sheriff Wightman.
“Huh?” Wightman said with surprise.
“Is she at home?” Riley asked.
Wightman shrugged and said, “Well, yeah, but—”
“Good,” Riley said. “Let’s drive right over and pay her a visit.”
Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed Yvonne Swenson’s casefolder off the desk, then headed out the door with Ann Marie and SheriffWightman hurrying after her.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
As soon as Riley had pulled in and parked behind the sheriff’scar, Ann Marie reached over from the passenger’s seat and tapped her arm. Thenthe young agent pointed to a window in Madge Torrance’s little house.
“Agent Paige, look,” Ann Marie said with a slight giggle. “SheriffWightman said she was a busybody.”
Following her partner’s direction, Riley saw what she meant.
A pair of suspicious spectacled eyes was peeking out at the carsfrom behind a curtain.
I guess Wightman is right, she thought.
She figured that not much happened in this neighborhood that thewoman didn’t find about. She just hoped that some of that neighborhood gossipmight turn out to be helpful.
When the two agents and the sheriff got out of their vehicles andwalked toward the house, the curtain fluttered and the eyes disappeared.
The house was a modest duplex with two front doors and a singleroofed porch across the front. One of those doors swung open as soon as theystepped up on the porch.
A tiny, elderly woman wearing a bathrobe and smoking a cigarettepopped out of the door and confronted Wightman.
“I didn’t expect you to show up,” she snapped. “Not after theway you talked to me on the phone just now.”
Wightman grunted irritably.
He said, “Yeah, well, coming here wasn’t exactly my idea, Madge.”
He introduced the woman to Riley and her partner.
“FBI, huh?” Madge said with a note of stern approval. “Well, it’sabout damn time someone called in the big guns.”
Shaking a finger toward the sheriff, she turned to Riley and AnnMarie. “Maybe the two of you can teach this yokel a thing or two about how todo his job. Come on inside, the three of you.”
Riley and her colleagues followed Madge into her apartment. Rileyalmost coughed in the thick haze of cigarette smoke and noticed that an ashtrayon the coffee table was overflowing with cigarette butts.
Madge herded Riley, Ann Marie, and Sheriff Wightman into acrowded threesome on her small couch. Then she sat down in a rocking chair andpuffed away at her cigarette.
“I guess Wightman here told you I was the one who first reportedYvonne missing. I knew something was wrong by midnight that night. She was alwayshome by then, no matter what else might be going on. And I called thepolice right away, but they blew it off. Nobody got worried until she didn’tshow up to school the next morning.”
Madge added with a grunt, “I guess Wightman has also told youwhat a pain in the ass I am. Well, the feeling’s more than mutual. I’m tellingyou FBI gals, this guy’s a public menace.”
“Now look here—” Wightman began to protest.
But Madge paid no attention to him and continued to address Rileyand Ann Marie.
“My neighbor’s dead because he didn’t do his goddamn job. If he’donly listened to me two years ago, Yvonne would still be living next doorinstead of the noisy, smelly bums who inhabit that place now. It’s a damnedshame.”
Riley leaned forward and said to
