Free No Ordinary Killer by Rita Karnopp Page A

something there … maybe I didn’t want to see the truth.
Maybe I could have stopped all this from happening four years ago.”
    “Are you saying Josh and Cooper—“
    “I’m not saying anything. You’re the investigator on
the case. I’m saying check everything out, from the beginning. Form you own
opinion and get your own proof. I’m saying it’s something I should have done.
I’m not making excuses. Just know Cooper is like a son to me. If you prove me
wrong, and he’s involved, don’t cover it up. A man has to … be responsible for his
actions.”
    “I don’t think you’re wrong, Vilas. I think Cooper is
innocent. I will prove it.”
    “I’m counting on you, Dallas. Don’t go in with
blinders on … I made that mistake.”
    “Meaning?”
    “You know my meaning. We’re here. You take care of
your business … and I’ll take care of mine. If you ever need someone to talk to
or bounce things off, I’ll be the one you can trust.”
    “Thank you, Vilas. I mean that.” She unbuckled her
seatbelt and glanced over at her new friend. He slammed the truck door and
headed toward a group of men standing outside the crime scene tape. She closed
the door and took a deep breath. He’d emphasized objectivity, open-minded, and
unbiased. She could do this. Dallas
headed toward the small, run-down house.
    Withdrawing a notepad and pen, she opened the front
door and stepped inside. Silence … dead silence surrounded her. Men’s voices
slowly made their way to her from down the hallway. Dark spots on the carpet
were most likely blood pools. She jotted size and location down. By the
elongated pattern, she surmised the perpetrator had run down the hallway with a
bloody knife extended in either his or her right hand. The killer was
right-handed.
    “Fortune, I was just going to call you.”
    Turning around, Dallas
waited as Art Bicsak hurried toward her. “Like shit. I don’t know what you’re
up to, but we’re a team. You get a call, you call me. I get a call, I call you.
Does any of this sound vaguely familiar?”
    “Now, Dallas,
you’re jumping to conclusion. You had a rough night. I was merely going to
check things out here first, then I was going to share my findings with you. I
don’t think Reynolds or Arnott should be poking around without at least one of
us keeping an eye on them.”
    Art’s cheeks were flushed. His overboard apology told
her he had no intention of sharing his information. Without giving him a
response, she turned and headed back down the hall. “Watch your step,” she
noted softly, “There’s blood spatter everywhere.”
    “Yeah, I see that. Where are Reynolds and Arnott?”
    “I don’t really know. I just got here myself. I heard
voices, then I noticed the blood trail on the carpet here. You called my name
and here we are.” She stepped aside as Art pushed open the bedroom door and
abruptly stopped.
    Dallas froze in place as she slowly scanned the
blood spattered room.

 

 
 
    CHAPTER NINE

 
 
    Megan dropped her keys and both grocery bags on the
counter before digging her cell phone out of her pocket. “Hello.”
    “Good lord, girl, what is going on there?”
    “Hi, mom. What do you mean?”
    “Well, you’re on TV and they’re accusing you of being
responsible for those murders. I’m afraid for me and the twins. Do you realize
that you haven’t even called them in two weeks? Cooper calls them almost every
night.”
    “Well good for him.”
    “Don’t be so sarcastic. He’s always been a good father.”
    “So you’re saying I’m not a good mother?”
    “I didn’t say that either, dear. I’m just saying it
helps when you call. I wanted you to know that I still haven’t gotten the
grocery check you were going to send. You know I can’t pay the bills without
money.”
    “Mom, I’ve been busy. This hasn’t been easy. I mailed
the check yesterday and … well, the twins don’t have much to say when I call
anyway.” She rolled her eyes upward and