just rise and rise, until it snaps. Something happens. A line is crossed, a decision is made, and instead of walking back to an empty home, the man walks across the street and through the open door and upstairs. And there he finds...
Finds what?
I slapped my gloved hands together and started walking back to where I had parked earlier, feeling a need to get someplace warm and strip off the heavy clothes and drink some tea and forget about things for a while, for in those past few seconds, I had gotten into the mind of a rapist, and I didn't like it one bit.
And I also didn't like knowing that I would probably have to do it again, before this was all over.
Chapter Seven
The day after my visit to Newburyport and its grumpy police inspector, I returned to the small city in the company of Felix Tinios. I was a bit touched when Felix had joined me back in Tyler, for not only had he brought along a 35mm Canon, but he also had a camera bag with him as well, so he was quite up to playing his part. And I was also surprised when I noticed the shoulder holster and weapon as he clambered into the passenger seat, his long gray winter coat being unbuttoned.
"Carrying?" I had asked. "We're just looking over Kara's place today, maybe ask a few questions. Seems like a waste of firepower."
"Maybe so," he had said. "But we're going to visit a crime scene, and we're going to start asking questions that you and I hope will lead to some creature who gets his kicks out of raping women. I just like to be prepared in case he answers the second or third door we knock at today."
"And you have a concealed-weapon permit for Massachusetts?" I had asked. "Word is, they're hard to get in our sister state."
Felix grinned. "For the unconnected, you're right." And I had left him alone.
Now he looked over at me as we crossed over the Merrimack River, and he said, "So, what was the point of talking to the police inspector? You figure he was going to roll over and give you everything, maybe even a suspect's name, maybe so you and I could finish this by the weekend?"
"Hardly," I said, taking the first exit off the bridge and maneuvering my way up to High Street. "It's just that it was something that had to be done, getting the first interview out of the way. I didn't expect total cooperation, but I was looking for an idea of where his head was at."
"And besides his shoulders, where is the inspector's head resting these days?"
"He said this is a screwball case, and he wouldn't tell me anything more than that, and I think he was about two minutes away from tossing me out of his office."
"Well, I can see you're glad you got that out of the way."
"You better believe it."
I pulled into the small parking lot belonging to Kara's apartment house. Her car was still parked there and was the only vehicle in the lot. A chest-high wooden fence and some brush surrounded most of the lot and a tiny backyard. We got out, Felix carrying his camera bag and me with my reporter's notebook, and we went around to the front door and I pointed up to the second floor. "That's Kara's apartment up there."
"What room do those windows belong to?"
"Living room."
"Are there windows for the bedroom and bathroom?" Felix asked, his head tilted back, looking up at the windows and the surrounding homes with a practiced eye.
"We'll see once we get in."
We walked up a brick walk and through the front door, which was unlocked. Felix shook his head. "Easy and open access. Jesus. Anybody could come in here."
"Anybody did, last week."
I closed the door behind us. There was a small foyer, and a door to the left with a tiny brass knocker and a nameplate with a piece of white cardboard that said HENRY in careful block handwriting. Before us was a set of stairs and to the right, green trash cans with black covers. I reached up to knock and Felix held my hand back.
"Let's give it a while, why don't we," Felix said. "I want to look around firsthand, get some impressions, and
Finds what?
I slapped my gloved hands together and started walking back to where I had parked earlier, feeling a need to get someplace warm and strip off the heavy clothes and drink some tea and forget about things for a while, for in those past few seconds, I had gotten into the mind of a rapist, and I didn't like it one bit.
And I also didn't like knowing that I would probably have to do it again, before this was all over.
Chapter Seven
The day after my visit to Newburyport and its grumpy police inspector, I returned to the small city in the company of Felix Tinios. I was a bit touched when Felix had joined me back in Tyler, for not only had he brought along a 35mm Canon, but he also had a camera bag with him as well, so he was quite up to playing his part. And I was also surprised when I noticed the shoulder holster and weapon as he clambered into the passenger seat, his long gray winter coat being unbuttoned.
"Carrying?" I had asked. "We're just looking over Kara's place today, maybe ask a few questions. Seems like a waste of firepower."
"Maybe so," he had said. "But we're going to visit a crime scene, and we're going to start asking questions that you and I hope will lead to some creature who gets his kicks out of raping women. I just like to be prepared in case he answers the second or third door we knock at today."
"And you have a concealed-weapon permit for Massachusetts?" I had asked. "Word is, they're hard to get in our sister state."
Felix grinned. "For the unconnected, you're right." And I had left him alone.
Now he looked over at me as we crossed over the Merrimack River, and he said, "So, what was the point of talking to the police inspector? You figure he was going to roll over and give you everything, maybe even a suspect's name, maybe so you and I could finish this by the weekend?"
"Hardly," I said, taking the first exit off the bridge and maneuvering my way up to High Street. "It's just that it was something that had to be done, getting the first interview out of the way. I didn't expect total cooperation, but I was looking for an idea of where his head was at."
"And besides his shoulders, where is the inspector's head resting these days?"
"He said this is a screwball case, and he wouldn't tell me anything more than that, and I think he was about two minutes away from tossing me out of his office."
"Well, I can see you're glad you got that out of the way."
"You better believe it."
I pulled into the small parking lot belonging to Kara's apartment house. Her car was still parked there and was the only vehicle in the lot. A chest-high wooden fence and some brush surrounded most of the lot and a tiny backyard. We got out, Felix carrying his camera bag and me with my reporter's notebook, and we went around to the front door and I pointed up to the second floor. "That's Kara's apartment up there."
"What room do those windows belong to?"
"Living room."
"Are there windows for the bedroom and bathroom?" Felix asked, his head tilted back, looking up at the windows and the surrounding homes with a practiced eye.
"We'll see once we get in."
We walked up a brick walk and through the front door, which was unlocked. Felix shook his head. "Easy and open access. Jesus. Anybody could come in here."
"Anybody did, last week."
I closed the door behind us. There was a small foyer, and a door to the left with a tiny brass knocker and a nameplate with a piece of white cardboard that said HENRY in careful block handwriting. Before us was a set of stairs and to the right, green trash cans with black covers. I reached up to knock and Felix held my hand back.
"Let's give it a while, why don't we," Felix said. "I want to look around firsthand, get some impressions, and
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