CHAPTER 33
After the police had arrived at Dottie Carling’s home, they took Robert Markham into custody and interviewed Alan and Amanda individually. After giving their statements, they agreed to meet at Amanda's place for a well-deserved drink. It was their first opportunity to speak one-on-one about the incident.
“Here you go,” Amanda said, handing Alan an ice cold Yuengling.
He took a couple of huge slugs and smacked his lips.
“Just what the doctor ordered,” he said. “Cheers.”
Amanda tapped his beer bottle with her wine glass, sat down beside him on the sofa and let out a long sigh.
“Tired?” he asked.
“Exhausted. But the adrenalin is still kicking in. What an experience!”
“You can say that again.”
“How did you know that crazy bastard was at Dottie’s house, anyway?”
“It was just a hunch I had after hearing what was going on through your still-connected iPhone. First the mysterious barcode on the sheet music, then the strange sounds you heard, and finally the sudden disconnect. All I could think was 'what if Markham is there right now?' I almost called 9-1-1, but held off, thinking I might be overreacting. Instead I hopped in the car and flew over to Dottie's house.
“Why did you connect the barcode label to Markham?”
“He's been leaving them as his calling card ever since he murdered Chloe. He's also responsible for the murder of the former Becky Landry's husband in Philadelphia and blowing up your company's CEO's home in Cleveland a few days ago.”
“Jesus, he was the one who did that? When did you find out he was the bad guy?”
“Literally only a few hours ago,” Alan replied. “Everything has pretty much come together all at once in this case.”
“How did you know we were in trouble when you got to Dottie's?”
“The first thing I did when I got there was circle the house and peek inside the windows. About the same time I spotted the three of you in the living room, Mike Draker called me on my cell—I'd been trying to reach him all evening. Mike is a detective with the Columbus PD who I've worked with in the past. When I told him what was happening, he immediately ordered in the troops.
“In the meantime, I knew I had to create some kind of diversion before things got any uglier. Markham was pointing his gun at your head and had just smacked the hell out of Dottie. My plan was to break the window, run inside and hopefully subdue Markham. I don't carry a gun, so all I had was a fucking rock as a weapon. Luckily for all of us, you beat me to the punch. The way you handled that bastard was absolutely stunning!”
“I could never have done it without you. He'd been watching me like a hawk the entire time. That split second you provided was just enough for me to make my move.”
“You are much too modest. Was Tony's abusive behavior by any chance what prompted you to learn self-defense?”
She nodded. “After the breakup, I told a friend about Tony and she strongly suggested I learn how to defend myself, just in case. The funny thing is I've never thought I'd have the nerve to fight back if Tony ever tried to assault me again. Now I actually think I could do it.”
“Oh, I think you could definitely do it!”
Amanda took a sip of her wine. “I still can't believe that monster killed Travis's little girl. I mean, he's obviously an evil, deranged nut case, but to murder an innocent child is just beyond all comprehension. And all for the sake of revenge. Why didn't he just kill Travis instead and spare the child's life? It seems that would have made the most sense.”
“Markham figured that the best way to get back at his victims was to make them suffer some sort of living hell. Killing Travis McPherson would have been too easy—he would simply be dead and that would be the end of it. But killing his daughter instead would make his life one of eternal despair. Chloe's death was just the beginning of the terrific loss and suffering he will have to endure for the rest of his life.
“I think he held the same philosophy for Becky Landry. I still don't know why he had it out for her, but whatever it was, he figured the best way to make her pay was to murder her husband. Hell, they had only been married less than a year and starting their lives together with a newborn child. What better way to make Becky suffer than to eliminate him from the picture?”
Amanda said, “I hate to even ask this, but why do you suppose he didn't murder her baby instead? That would seem more in line with his demented way of thinking.”
“Good question. And for all we know, he may have been planning on doing that later on. Give poor Becky even more reason to suffer for whatever the hell she'd done to piss Markham off.”
“I wonder if he targeted Becky because she wasn't let go from the company while his wife was,” Amanda said “And if Markham somehow knew she was having an affair with Travis, it would make him even saltier. He would immediately assume Becky had been spared because the boss was sleeping with her.”
Alan's eyes widened. “Jesus, that's got to be it! Becky hadn't been with UrbanGroup nearly as long as Markham's wife had, yet she didn't get axed. I should have caught that. How could I have missed it?”
“Maybe because you're not looking at this through a woman's eyes,” Amanda offered. “Travis McPherson isn't above hitting on female members of the staff—that's pretty much common knowledge. I also happen to know it first hand. And the first thing I thought when I'd learned that Becky Landry was his mistress, I knew why she'd been able to keep her job. Wouldn't have made any difference what department or what her job description was. She was secure.”
“Did McPherson hit on you?”
“Not exactly. But I would never put it past him.”
“Lecherous bastard! Surely you'd put him in his place if he ever tried anything, wouldn't you?”
“Why Alan, you sound like you might be a little jealous!”
“Let's just say I would mess him up if he ever so much as lays a hand on you.”
“Oh, so you're not jealous,” she chuckled.
“Well, maybe just a little,” he grinned, feeling himself flush. “Anyway, back to Markham—any idea why he was after Dottie Carling? That has also stumped me.”
“Apparently she offended him one day. He and his wife encountered Dottie at a restaurant and she basically emasculated him by insinuating that his wife was the true breadwinner of the house and that he was basically a fuckup just tagging along for the ride. That rubbed him the wrong way, so he decided to make her pay.”
“By having you stick a bunch of barcodes all over her? I don't get it.”
“I think I do. He wanted to pay Dottie back for humiliating him by turning the tables. He robbed poor Dottie of her dignity by forcing her to strip down naked right there before our eyes. Can you imagine how self-conscious she must be of her body? Then to take it even further, he rubs it all in her face. He orders me to cover up what he referred to as her “gross fat” with his calling cards. I think he wanted to make it clear when they found her body that he had been the one in control; he was the one who got the last laugh.”
The reality of how things could have turned out suddenly hit Amanda for the first time.
“I never thanked you for saving us, Alan. I am so grateful—”
“I didn't save you—you saved yourself.”
“It wouldn't have turned out this way if you hadn't shown up.”
“We don't know that.”
“I know it, trust me. Give yourself some credit here!”
“Okay, I'll give us both credit for being a good team. We worked very well together.”
“We did, didn't we?”
“Yup, and now I wish I would have included you in this investigation from the very beginning. Had I shared with you what was going on, I could've solved this thing much faster.”
“You really think so?”
“I do. You look at things differently than I do. Call it womanly insight or whatever—it seems to complement my way of thinking, which certainly has its flaws. I could have definitely used your input early on.”
“I'll take that as a huge compliment. Thank you.”
“You don't need to thank me, I really mean it. The next time I take on something like this, I just may consult you from time to time. Would you mind that?”
“Not at all—I'd be flattered!”
“What would your consultation rate be?”
“Negotiable. It would depend on what the, uh, status of our relationship might be at the time.”
“Can you clarify that?”
“You're going to sit there and make me say it?”
“Say what?” he toyed.
“That maybe we should spend more time together. There, I said it!”
“I would really like that.”
“Me, too.”
Alan leaned over and kissed her. Her response told him everything he needed to know. This girl is a keeper.
He pulled away reluctantly. “I'm going to have to make a call to my client,” he said.
“She will be thrilled to know that you've caught the bad guy.”
“She'll be even more thrilled when I tell her your part in his apprehension. And you probably won't be able to get Travis off your tail once he hears it!”
“I'm not worried about that. I'll just warn him that my man is gonna mess him up if he so much as lays a hand on me.”
“Would that be before or after you kick him in the nuts?”
They both burst into laughter.
The End
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