CHAPTER THREE

 

The meeting lasted more than three hours. There was plenty of heated debate and opinions on keeping The Woods safe. Local firefighter Julian McKenzie stood at the podium.

The husband and father of three cleared his throat. “I just want to say that I support the actions the police are taking to catch this killer. I know they probably haven’t done enough to ease anyone’s fears that this thing could just go on and on, but we need to stand behind them.”

“Are you sure you aren’t secretly on their payroll?” Marvin asked.

Julian chuckled. “Not unless you know something I don’t. And if you do, don’t tell my wife or I’ll be in the doghouse for sure!”

Selene, who was standing beside him, grinned. “Julian, I’m sure your secret, if there is one, will be safe with Marvin.”

“Right, and about a hundred others,” Julian said, before growing serious again. “Anyway, I may not be a cop, but as a fireman I know we all share the same concerns for doing what’s best for our community and the people who live in it. I applaud Dennis Cramer and everyone else on this case for putting their personal lives on hold till it’s solved.”

Next up was Todd Foxworth who represented The Woods Business Association. The spa and salon owner gave Selene a friendly pat on the shoulder.

“I think every business owner in this room would agree that having a serial killer in our midst is definitely bad news for business,” Todd said. “And I can tell you that women in and around The Woods are thinking twice about getting the spa treatment and their hair worked on these days—”

“The news is bad for business and our personal lives,” Selene said, so as not to exclude the residential establishment. “Our community is being affected in every way by this.”

“You’re absolutely right, Selene,” Todd said. “And it was good of you to organize this meeting.” He turned back to the gathering. “I don’t mean to diminish the threat to any woman living in The Woods. But I’m here to speak on behalf of those of us who are trying to make a living in this part of town and counting on the dollars you folks bring in to stay afloat. We need to get past our fear and show this killer that we’re not going to just lay back and allow him to destroy everything we’ve worked for.”

There was a spatter of applause.

“Well I think we should offer a reward to help catch the killer,” Elisa said. “If someone knows something, it might be a way to encourage them to come forward—”

Selene thought it was a good idea. Reward money had worked successfully elsewhere in the country to solve crimes. And even if she suspected that most of the people in attendance were inherently cheap, she felt the community could afford to offer a nice reward, if it meant catching this serial killer.

“How much money?” Selene asked Elisa.

Elisa shrugged. “I don’t know. I suppose something that won’t put us all in the poor house, but enough to make a strong statement that we’re determined to end this nightmare.”

* * *

“Fifty thousand sounds like a good starting point,” Quinn Herrera said, as though bidding for a painting. It didn’t seem unreasonable, and was certainly something the well-to-do people of this community should have no trouble coming up with.

But Quinn’s suggestion was more than simply being a good neighbor. He wanted to show Selene that he was just as serious about fighting the forces of evil in their midst as she was.

It wasn’t so long ago that Quinn believed his life was over for all intents and purposes. He had lost the only woman he thought he’d ever love in such a cruel way. And he’d blamed himself. Then an attractive, sweet woman named Selene entered his life and taught Quinn what it meant to live and love again. Marrying Selene had been the smartest choice he’d ever made.

Forking over some of their savings for a cause they both deemed more than worthy seemed like a small price to pay.

“Why not make it a hundred grand?” suggested Todd. “I’m sure The Woods Business Association would be happy to kick in half the amount.”

“Two hundred thousand would be even better,” Marvin said. “A similar crime happened last year in Portland, Oregon. A couple hundred G’s got some people talking pretty fast—and the police ended up getting their man in no time flat!”

In the end, they settled on a three hundred and fifty thousand dollar reward for information leading to the arrest of the killer.

A citizen patrol group was established to walk and drive around the neighborhood. The belief among many was that the killer must be from outside their community, finding it difficult, if not impossible, to accept that he could be one of their own.

Selene was surprised when Marvin, Julian, and Todd nominated Quinn as the director of the newly formed group called The Woods Citizens Against Crime. Quinn looked equally taken aback, but dutifully accepted, as no one else volunteered for the job.

The gathering had already begun to disband when Selene thought of something else.

“Just one more thing...” Selene said, catching everyone’s attention. “Although the killer has only targeted adult women, no one knows if he will start to go after others he considers vulnerable. So, just to be on the safe side, I think everyone should drive their kids to school or at least make sure they get on and off the bus safely. And there should also always be an adult present when children are outside playing, especially when they’re at The Woods Park.”

She wondered if they could ever feel safe in their community again.