Steve Demaree - Dekker 09 - Murder on a Blind Date by Steve Demaree
Authors: Steve Demaree
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between the Comstocks, who
own the dating service, and the Wyckoffs. They live only a couple of blocks
from each other, but I haven't found anything yet that tells me they know each
other. Well, that's all I have for now. I'll send all of this to you and you
can see what you can make out of it."
I hung
up, waited five minutes, then headed to the computer. I found Sam's e-mail,
opened the attachment, and printed the information. I planned to look it over
and then call Lou.
I spent
fifteen minutes looking over what Sam had sent me and had come to one
conclusion. Someone in this picture was a beast. Up to this point we had
assumed that it was one of the women who went out on a date with the two
missing men, whom we later found had been murdered. But did this tie in with
Lou's kidnapping? The people were murdered in the same way. If so, was one of
these women capable of hoisting Lou and dumping him in her trunk along with the
dead man and woman Lou woke up to find beside him in that house? Did some woman
dump Lou and his newfound dead friends in a one-of-a-kind house in the Smokies,
then drive back to Kentucky ? But then two of the latest
victims were women? Or were they the latest victims? Or did they die first?
Could it be that we didn't know about them as soon as the others?
Then
another thought penetrated my mind, or escaped from it. Could the murderer be
someone who was jealous because someone they knew used this agency? If so, why
would they go about murdering all these other people? Was it strictly to cast
suspicion in some other direction? Was that the reason Lou was kidnapped? Or
could it be someone who has something against the couple who own the agency? Maybe
because they are making a lot of money? I still couldn't figure out how Lou's
kidnapping fit in with the dating service murders. Lou had never used that
dating service. Had he?
I
realized the case had too many suspects and it was time to call in the cavalry,
so I picked up my phone and dialed.
"Hello,
my good friend."
"Sorry,
Cy. I'm not going to take your place on the next date."
"It's
nothing like that, Lou. But if you do change your mind, I'll consider it."
"Okay,
what does your frozen mind need from me?"
"How
about your presence?"
"I'm
not delivering food to you."
"I
mean I need another inquiring mind to help me solve this case."
"I'll
see if I think of someone, but my mind hasn't been inquiring."
"Remember
who came to Gatlinburg to pick you up?"
"And
remember who paid back that debt by making sure you lived through that night at
The Cheesecake Factory?"
"I
saw you only one time that whole night."
"See
how good I was at remaining undercover? That was me behind the potted plant."
"I
don't think there was a potted plant."
"Okay,
I was the guy cleaning the case that housed the cheesecake after you slobbered
all over the glass."
"So,
are you coming over here, or not?"
"Or
not."
"You're
not going to help me?"
"I
didn't say that. I've been solving your cases for you for years while you
receive all the glory. So, do you have anything new?"
"Yeah.
Sam found some more people who didn't make it through their dates alive, and
some other information about the people who contacted the agency for a date,
and he e-mailed it to me in an attachment."
"Fine.
E-mail me what he sent you, and if you aren't capable of doing that, call Sam and
tell him to send it to me, too. Or you can bring your copy over here and stop
by and pick up lunch on the way over."
I told
Lou I would e-mail it to him and that I would see him in the spring, but to let
me know if he is kidnapped again.
"Oh,
and Cy, I have another message. This one is 'both live in the same neighborhood.'"
"Both
live in the same neighborhood what? Is someone murdering people because of
where they live, rather than something to do with that dating service?"
"I
don't think so, Cy. Remember, the one guy lived in Morehead."
"But
both of whom live in the same neighborhood? I don't think any two of
own the dating service, and the Wyckoffs. They live only a couple of blocks
from each other, but I haven't found anything yet that tells me they know each
other. Well, that's all I have for now. I'll send all of this to you and you
can see what you can make out of it."
I hung
up, waited five minutes, then headed to the computer. I found Sam's e-mail,
opened the attachment, and printed the information. I planned to look it over
and then call Lou.
I spent
fifteen minutes looking over what Sam had sent me and had come to one
conclusion. Someone in this picture was a beast. Up to this point we had
assumed that it was one of the women who went out on a date with the two
missing men, whom we later found had been murdered. But did this tie in with
Lou's kidnapping? The people were murdered in the same way. If so, was one of
these women capable of hoisting Lou and dumping him in her trunk along with the
dead man and woman Lou woke up to find beside him in that house? Did some woman
dump Lou and his newfound dead friends in a one-of-a-kind house in the Smokies,
then drive back to Kentucky ? But then two of the latest
victims were women? Or were they the latest victims? Or did they die first?
Could it be that we didn't know about them as soon as the others?
Then
another thought penetrated my mind, or escaped from it. Could the murderer be
someone who was jealous because someone they knew used this agency? If so, why
would they go about murdering all these other people? Was it strictly to cast
suspicion in some other direction? Was that the reason Lou was kidnapped? Or
could it be someone who has something against the couple who own the agency? Maybe
because they are making a lot of money? I still couldn't figure out how Lou's
kidnapping fit in with the dating service murders. Lou had never used that
dating service. Had he?
I
realized the case had too many suspects and it was time to call in the cavalry,
so I picked up my phone and dialed.
"Hello,
my good friend."
"Sorry,
Cy. I'm not going to take your place on the next date."
"It's
nothing like that, Lou. But if you do change your mind, I'll consider it."
"Okay,
what does your frozen mind need from me?"
"How
about your presence?"
"I'm
not delivering food to you."
"I
mean I need another inquiring mind to help me solve this case."
"I'll
see if I think of someone, but my mind hasn't been inquiring."
"Remember
who came to Gatlinburg to pick you up?"
"And
remember who paid back that debt by making sure you lived through that night at
The Cheesecake Factory?"
"I
saw you only one time that whole night."
"See
how good I was at remaining undercover? That was me behind the potted plant."
"I
don't think there was a potted plant."
"Okay,
I was the guy cleaning the case that housed the cheesecake after you slobbered
all over the glass."
"So,
are you coming over here, or not?"
"Or
not."
"You're
not going to help me?"
"I
didn't say that. I've been solving your cases for you for years while you
receive all the glory. So, do you have anything new?"
"Yeah.
Sam found some more people who didn't make it through their dates alive, and
some other information about the people who contacted the agency for a date,
and he e-mailed it to me in an attachment."
"Fine.
E-mail me what he sent you, and if you aren't capable of doing that, call Sam and
tell him to send it to me, too. Or you can bring your copy over here and stop
by and pick up lunch on the way over."
I told
Lou I would e-mail it to him and that I would see him in the spring, but to let
me know if he is kidnapped again.
"Oh,
and Cy, I have another message. This one is 'both live in the same neighborhood.'"
"Both
live in the same neighborhood what? Is someone murdering people because of
where they live, rather than something to do with that dating service?"
"I
don't think so, Cy. Remember, the one guy lived in Morehead."
"But
both of whom live in the same neighborhood? I don't think any two of
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