The Night Killer

Read The Night Killer for Free Online

Book: Read The Night Killer for Free Online
Authors: Beverly Connor
Tags: Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective
sideways toward the ditch before it found traction. Diane heard the mud spattering on the sides and under the vehicle. She sat back in the seat, wet, cold, tired, and depressed.
    “I hope so too,” he said.
    They drove up to the house. It took less than three minutes from where he had picked her up on the road. The water and chocolate were doing some good. Diane was feeling better.
    “I went in as far as the dining room door,” she said. “Short, straight path. I didn’t deviate from the path on my way back out after I found them. I tried the phone near the door. It was dead.”
    He nodded his head. They got out of the Jeep and walked up the steep steps.
    “I didn’t hear anyone in the house,” said Diane, “but I didn’t search it either.”
    “You did right,” he said.
    Deputy Conrad took his gun out of his holster and approached the door. He eased it open with one hand while holding his gun in the other. He slowly walked into the house.
    Diane sat on the porch steps to wait. She clenched her teeth and listened. Just a few steps to the dining room.
    “Oh, Jesus. Roy? Oh, God. Ozella? No.”
    Diane hadn’t imagined it. It was true. They were sitting at the table, heads resting at odd angles, long gashes in their throats. Dead. Diane started to rub her eyes with the tips of her fingers, but stopped and looked at her hands in the dim light. She heard the floor creak and guessed that Deputy Conrad was searching the house.
    She looked out into the night and watched the lightning bugs blink. Mosquitoes were biting and she put her arms under the poncho. She felt the knife. It weighed heavily on her conscience. But not enough to hand it over just yet. The sheriff might not have it examined for blood. It would be clear to him that a stranger out on a rainy night with a knife must be the killer.
    Diane wondered if the killer was the man who attacked her on Massey Road. That seemed more likely. Although he and the Barres weren’t close neighbors, Diane imagined their property adjoined. The Barres’ property was very large, about fifty thousand acres, Diane had heard. That might cause a lot of friction. Many people fought over land ownership and property- line disputes.
    In a few minutes Deputy Travis came out and sat down. He put his head in his hands.
    “Jesus, lady, I was hoping you were crazy,” he said.
    “Me too,” said Diane.
    “I got to get more deputies out here.” He jumped up and rushed behind a large tree. Diane heard him retching. He came back, wiping his mouth with a bandanna.
    “Shit. Daddy’ll never let me live this down,” he said.
    “Leland Conrad is your father?” asked Diane.
    “Yeah. That’d be him,” he said. “He’s out of town. Put me in charge. What a time to be in charge.”
    He went to the Jeep. Diane heard him calling on the police radio.
    “Jason, you and Bob get up here to Roy Barre’s place right now.” There was a pause and static. “I don’t give a shit if it does leave the office empty. Call Shirley and tell her to get her fat ass out of bed and come answer the phone. Get over here, now. Both of you, and I mean now.” There was another short pause. “No, it’s not about the skeleton in the tree. It’s something else. Now get over here.”
    He came back to the steps and sat down next to Diane. “We’ll have to wait for them to come. I don’t want to leave the house unguarded. When they get here, I’ll take you to get your car. While we wait, you want to tell me the story about the skeleton?”
    Diane explained about the tree falling in the rain and the human skeleton slamming against her windshield. She told him about the man grabbing her.
    “That sounds like Slick Massey,” he said. “He’s usually harmless. Lives in that run-down house with his girlfriend. Raises huntin’ dogs. Walker hounds, I think.”
    Diane showed him her scratched arm. “This happened when I was trying to get out of his grasp,” she said.
    “Damn, that looks sore. I’ll have a

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