Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 129001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129001 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 645(@200wpm)___ 516(@250wpm)___ 430(@300wpm)
“So, he, um…killed Malorie?”
He brightened.
I fought grimacing.
“Yeah, he liked doing that for me. Shelly, she tries to like everybody. That’s the way she is. She’s just a good girl.” The next came through a leer. “A good girl who likes it rough, but that makes it hotter, when she’s a good girl.”
With ease that was chilling, he transitioned back to conversational and continued to tell his story.
“But she couldn’t like Malorie because no one liked Malorie because Malorie was a know-it-all bitch. She knew what everyone should be doing and didn’t mind telling you. She even came to the rec center once and told me what programs I should be offering. Like she and she alone had some lock on all the needs of a community. Swear to fuck, about a dozen times almost burned down that locker where everyone puts their used boxes. Sick of hearing how great that is. Like that locker is single-handedly gonna save us from climate change. Seriously?”
When it seemed he expected a response, I shook my head like I agreed with how moronic that was, although I thought every town could benefit from having a recycling center like that.
That said, I was getting it.
Malorie got attention. Malorie earned respect. Malorie did something people admired.
And he couldn’t have that.
He was the rec center community guy who got grants for kids’ programs.
She was competition.
My head shake was what he needed, because he kept talking.
“So, Tony went down and got her. And Tony killed her and brought her up. I took her out on the lake.” His gaze on me intensified. “I tied her to Bohannan’s pier. That was me.”
He was proud of that.
He was proud of invading Bohannan’s space like that.
That meant everything to him.
I needed this story not to be complete with that.
I needed more time.
I needed to keep him talking.
So I asked, “Did Shelly do Betty’s hair?”
He smirked. “Put that together, did you?”
He knew I did. That was why I was sitting right there.
“Did you…did the people at The Joy of Joy let you borrow their boat?”
“Now,” he started, like he was admonishing me. “Don’t be thinking bad thoughts about Mick and Zelda. They’re good people. I did borrow their boat. But they didn’t know it.”
So he took it and didn’t ask them.
And if it was registered, and they were questioned about it, they could in all honesty say, No, officer, it’s been parked at our shop the entire time.
I wondered, if he thought Mick and Zelda were good people, if he understood on some level he was bad.
I didn’t ask that.
“Did he…did he, that is, I mean, did Tony stalk Malorie at Berkeley?” I went on.
He stared at me like I was crazy. “And maybe get my boy caught? Fuck no. I went down there and set that up.”
“So you hired someone to throw them off?”
“Sure.”
“Why did you pick someone who looked like Tony?”
He didn’t like that question, so much I tensed.
“He didn’t look like Tony. He didn’t look shit like Tony.”
“All right. I didn’t see him,” I placated.
“Well, he didn’t fuckin’ look like Tony,” he muttered, and I sensed he’d slept with that guy too, which could be why that guy helped out.
But Tony didn’t know he did that.
Further, Ray had a type.
“Tony’s alibi for that?” I asked.
One of his shoulders went up. “I let him play. I get it. He needs pussy. But he also needed an alibi, and she was hot, but she was kind of a junkie. Give her good dick. Give her some money. Keep her in blow. Tell her what to do. She does it. Help her disappear. See ya.”
Easy as that.
“So the choice of Malorie and Alice wasn’t about tying them to the situation with Audrey,” I noted.
“Yeah, it was,” he replied. “Thought Bohannan would run around chasing his tail on that one, at least for a while. Thought that coven would get hauled in. Thought they’d look at the dads, because they’re obviously all assholes. Should have known Bohannan wouldn’t fall for that. Should have known they’d never suspect the women. Was counting on that with Betty. But, man, did that set off fireworks. Fuckin’ hell. Those bitches went for it, and they laid those assholes out.”
They certainly did.
“So you…didn’t know you were being taped?”
He grinned. “No way, but I looked hot fuckin’ that ass. I mean, Bob was old, but he was fit, and he loved it. And he had a tight ass, you know what I’m saying?”
I swallowed, and even though I didn’t know, I nodded.
Now the grin was sick that spread across his face.
“Almost gonna miss that guy. He wasn’t gay, not even bi, but he needed it. Would make him suck my dick to get it, and he did it. He’d gag every time, so obviously, I’d fuck his face.” He laughed softly at this treasured memory. “I’d tell Tony about it, and we’d laugh our asses off. Then he’d suck my dick, ’cause Tony didn’t like anyone but Shelly doing that to me. It was like he wanted to erase ol’ Bob, and he was good at it, so for a while, he did.”