One o'clock in the morning, the patrolman had been gone for hours. Charles picked up the phone, dialing. Neil answered sleepily on the third ring. "Hey." Charles said.
"Hey, Charles!" Joy filled Neil's voice. "Hey! You're back."
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm back. Why don't you come over for a few minutes?"
*****
Neil never saw it coming. Charles had opened the door, smiling, standing aside, letting Neil walk through. In the same moment the door shut, Neil felt himself being lifted and slammed into the wall. Charles had a few inches on him, and was a lot stronger, he held Neil by the throat. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?" Their faces less than an inch apart.
Neil's face crumpled and he began to cry. "I'm sorry Charles, I'm sorry." His body sagged against the wall, Charles released his grip, and Neil sank to the floor. "Oh God, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Charles stood over him, resisting the urge to kick the life out of Neil. After a moment, Charles sank down to the floor, next to Neil. He pulled his knees almost up to his chest, laying his arms on them, so his hands dangled. "Tell me what happened," he said quietly.
Neil sniffled twice and wiped his nose with his arm, his fear ebbing. "I did just like you said. I went to the gym, and there she was. . .at least I thought it was her. She looked just like the picture."
Charles nodded his head slowly. "Yeah. They were twins. I didn't tell you about her, she wasn't supposed to be there." Charles felt his throat tightening, threatening tears. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "She wasn't supposed to be there."
"So. . ." Neil continued, "when I saw the news . . .I knew it wasn't the right one."
"But why did you go ahead and kill Cynthia?" Charles asked, sitting up a little.
Neil's voice came out tiny, like a small child looking up at an angry father. "So you wouldn't be mad at me."
Charles slumped back against the wall, sighing. It was a sigh of regret, of hindsight. A sigh that said 'I should have known better.'
*****
From across the street, they watched Neil leave Charles' house. Bobby glanced at his watch. "It's three. He was in there for an hour and a half." Both detectives watched Neil walking until he turned the corner and out of sight. Alex turned away from the driver's side window and faced Bobby. His eyes seemed to be looking in the direction of the corner, but his focus was somewhere else.
"Lovers?" Alex asked.
Bobby took another moment, working something out in his mind. "No." He answered, and then paused, his mind still turning. "No, I don't think so. His reaction to Connie's murder made me think he was in love with her." He paused. "Let's go home, get some sleep." He sat back in the passenger seat, and covered his eyes with his right hand, his elbow propped against the door. Alex started the engine and with one final glance to the Parker house, headed toward Bobby's apartment, to drop him off.
*****
"So the husband's involved?" Captain Deakins asked when Alex finished telling him about the previous nights "stake out".
"We think so." Alex answered, "His reaction to his wife's death seemed phony, maybe even rehearsed, but the reaction to the sisters murder was real enough."
"So. . . Deakins paused, working the scenario out in his head. "the husband hires someone to kill his wife. 'Here's her picture, she'll be at the gym' but doesn't tell the killer she has a twin, because the twin never goes to the gym. So the killer goes to the gym, see's the sister, does her . . .then, what? Learns on the news he's got the wrong girl?"
Bobby shrugged. "Maybe." It was the first time he'd spoken since he'd said 'Good morning' to Alex.
"So he kills the wife, thinking that we wouldn't notice twin sisters being killed on the same day in the same manner?"
Bobby shrugged again. "There might be two killers." Suggested Alex. Deakins looked over at Bobby, who was sitting near the office window.
"Is that what you think?"
Bobby looked up, his surroundings coming in to focus, as if he'd been to lost in deep thought to realize where he was. He considered the question for a moment. "No." Then more convincingly, "No it's the same guy."
The office was quiet for a moment, as they all pondered how dim-witted the killer must be. Deakins broke the silence. "Pull Parker's phone lugs, find out who that was at his house last night."
"Hey, Charles!" Joy filled Neil's voice. "Hey! You're back."
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm back. Why don't you come over for a few minutes?"
*****
Neil never saw it coming. Charles had opened the door, smiling, standing aside, letting Neil walk through. In the same moment the door shut, Neil felt himself being lifted and slammed into the wall. Charles had a few inches on him, and was a lot stronger, he held Neil by the throat. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?" Their faces less than an inch apart.
Neil's face crumpled and he began to cry. "I'm sorry Charles, I'm sorry." His body sagged against the wall, Charles released his grip, and Neil sank to the floor. "Oh God, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." Charles stood over him, resisting the urge to kick the life out of Neil. After a moment, Charles sank down to the floor, next to Neil. He pulled his knees almost up to his chest, laying his arms on them, so his hands dangled. "Tell me what happened," he said quietly.
Neil sniffled twice and wiped his nose with his arm, his fear ebbing. "I did just like you said. I went to the gym, and there she was. . .at least I thought it was her. She looked just like the picture."
Charles nodded his head slowly. "Yeah. They were twins. I didn't tell you about her, she wasn't supposed to be there." Charles felt his throat tightening, threatening tears. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath. "She wasn't supposed to be there."
"So. . ." Neil continued, "when I saw the news . . .I knew it wasn't the right one."
"But why did you go ahead and kill Cynthia?" Charles asked, sitting up a little.
Neil's voice came out tiny, like a small child looking up at an angry father. "So you wouldn't be mad at me."
Charles slumped back against the wall, sighing. It was a sigh of regret, of hindsight. A sigh that said 'I should have known better.'
*****
From across the street, they watched Neil leave Charles' house. Bobby glanced at his watch. "It's three. He was in there for an hour and a half." Both detectives watched Neil walking until he turned the corner and out of sight. Alex turned away from the driver's side window and faced Bobby. His eyes seemed to be looking in the direction of the corner, but his focus was somewhere else.
"Lovers?" Alex asked.
Bobby took another moment, working something out in his mind. "No." He answered, and then paused, his mind still turning. "No, I don't think so. His reaction to Connie's murder made me think he was in love with her." He paused. "Let's go home, get some sleep." He sat back in the passenger seat, and covered his eyes with his right hand, his elbow propped against the door. Alex started the engine and with one final glance to the Parker house, headed toward Bobby's apartment, to drop him off.
*****
"So the husband's involved?" Captain Deakins asked when Alex finished telling him about the previous nights "stake out".
"We think so." Alex answered, "His reaction to his wife's death seemed phony, maybe even rehearsed, but the reaction to the sisters murder was real enough."
"So. . . Deakins paused, working the scenario out in his head. "the husband hires someone to kill his wife. 'Here's her picture, she'll be at the gym' but doesn't tell the killer she has a twin, because the twin never goes to the gym. So the killer goes to the gym, see's the sister, does her . . .then, what? Learns on the news he's got the wrong girl?"
Bobby shrugged. "Maybe." It was the first time he'd spoken since he'd said 'Good morning' to Alex.
"So he kills the wife, thinking that we wouldn't notice twin sisters being killed on the same day in the same manner?"
Bobby shrugged again. "There might be two killers." Suggested Alex. Deakins looked over at Bobby, who was sitting near the office window.
"Is that what you think?"
Bobby looked up, his surroundings coming in to focus, as if he'd been to lost in deep thought to realize where he was. He considered the question for a moment. "No." Then more convincingly, "No it's the same guy."
The office was quiet for a moment, as they all pondered how dim-witted the killer must be. Deakins broke the silence. "Pull Parker's phone lugs, find out who that was at his house last night."