Mystery and Crime Fiction posted July 3, 2018 Chapters:  ...13 14 -15- 16... 


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The detectives discover a second suspect

A chapter in the book Granny's Revenge

Conspiracy Theory

by Mistydawn


Summary
Matilda just lost her Grandson to a drunk driver.
Granny is getting ready to kill her fourth victim when a group of people stumbles out of the bar. She flees, leaving one victim alive. He dies in a hospital, mumbling Granny. Everyone believes he's talking about his own relative and not the killer. Granny tries to stop a drunk in the park. A cop sees what she's doing and arrests her. She talks herself out of trouble then receives an award for taking down the Nanny Bandit. A waitress catches her; she decides to make her a partner. A nurse sees blood on her dress. Granny explains, there was an accident at the park. Jackie catches granny in the act so Grany decides to make her a partner. Together they kill over a dozen.

The Berryville detectives find a dozen victims in the alley and ID's a lady who's arguing with one of the victims. They bring her to the station. The police found bloody clothes, wig and the murder weapon in Matilda's things

Granny is hiding behind the bushes anxiously waiting for her next target to approach. I've been looking forward to this for a long time, she thinks. She nervously adjusts the grip on her cane. This is what drove me to get better, the reason I pushed so hard. Granny wipes her sweaty forehead across her sleeve. The sun went down hours ago, but it still remains hot and humid. That's it you damn lush, keep on walking this way, she thinks as she shifts her stance. Hearing footsteps behind her, she spins around. She sees a tall dark stranger drawing near. Granny anxiously glances towards her victim and then her intruder.

"What are you doing?" a booming voice asks.

Granny drops her weapon; it bounces across the dry cracked soil. How am I going to explain this? Sweat rills from every pore of her body as she tries to think of an excuse.

"What are you doing?" the intruder asks again.

That voice, it sounds so familiar. Granny tries to recall where she's heard it before as she studies her large rounded build. "Jackie?" she questions.

"I decided to wear a disguise this time, make sure I don't get caught."

"I wish you would've told me instead of scaring me to death."

"Sorry about that." Jackie chuckles.

"We'll talk about that later, right now I have a more important issue at hand." Picking up her cane, she turns towards her victim.

"Who are you waiting for?" Jackie asks as she glances around the bushes.

"The sorry sack of crap that killed my family," Granny explains, resuming her stance.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Watch and learn dear child, watch and learn."

"I want to help." Jackie protests, as she stomps her foot in the dirt.

"You'll have plenty of opportunities tonight." Granny smiles.

"Like last night?"

"It'll be more than that. We're going to get everyone we can."

***

Jerry sees bolts of lightning flash across the sky as he heads to his car. I hope another storm isn't headed our way. He wipes his sweaty brow. We haven't had a break from this heat in nearly two weeks and summer is still a ways away, Jerry concludes, wiping his face again.

"That was a big waste of time," Jeff grumbles, as he stomps across the parking lot. Jerry and Jeff interviewed the entire staff in hopes they'd get a lead, but everyone claims they didn't see a thing. To make matters worse, their cameras lost its signal in the storm.

"Maybe not." Jerry holds up a small piece of paper.

"What's that?"

"It's the name of their waitress that didn't show." He takes his phone from his pocket, as he continues, "The owner said she was out back for quite a while before she asked to go home. So I decided to look her up, and this is what I found." He hands Jeff his phone.

 "Just because she's black..."

Rolling his eyes, Jerry snatches his phone away. "No, you idiot, look at her rap sheet." He scrolls to the second page and then gives it back.

Jeff scans page after page of charges. "They're all nonviolent," he says as he continues to scroll down the list.

"Maybe she's advanced her skills, practicing what she's learned in prison. Her sudden violence could stem from her traumatic childhood." Jerry grabs his phone; presses a few keys and then hands it back. "My gut says she's good for this and it's usually right."

"Let's see what she has to say."

******

The squad room is dark and empty except for the detective's workstation in the far corner of the room. Rachel and Joe are working side by side, trying to piece a timeline together of their most recent victims.

Joe is trying to concentrate on the task at hand, but with Rachel sitting right beside him, he's finding it difficult to do. She's a real beauty, a living work of art. With her long auburn hair, big brown eyes, and her gorgeous smile. He studies her cute pouty mouth. I'd give anything to feel those sweet lips against mine in real life like I do in my dreams. Joe thinks as he relives their romantic encounters. If only my fantasies were real, he sighs as he gazes into the darkness.

Why doesn't Joe take the hint and ask me out? Can't he see I'm interested? I've done everything but come right out and say it. Maybe that's what I should do, tell him how I feel. She starts to ask him when another thought occurs to her. What if he's not interested? Can I handle that rejection? What if he's the one I'm destined to be with; my Mr. Right, my dream come true?"  Rachel and Joe start to speak at the same time.

"Joe I..."

"Rachel... Go ahead."

"No, you go ahead."

"I...I was just wondering..." Joe hears heals tap across the wood. He turns to see a small silhouette moving towards them. I can't let it happen again. Turning towards Rachel he quickly blurts out, "Would you..?"

"I'd love to." Excited, she leans in and kisses him.

I'm in heaven, Joe thinks as he pulls her in closer.

"That's one hell of a kiss," Sharon says.

"You'll never believe what just happened," Rachel breathlessly replies as she pulls away.

"What, what?"

"Joe asked me to marry him." Rachel winks.

"M... M... Marriage?" Joe stutters.

"Congratulations, you two."

"I can't believe it, my dreams have finally come true."

"M... M... Marriage?" Joe repeats as his face turns pale.

Rachel turns towards him. "It'll just be a small wedding with a few friends and family."

"I'd love to help you plan it." Sharon volunteers.

"But I... I..." Joe tries again.

"You're not getting cold feet already, are you Joe?" Sharon laughs.

"I... I... Didn't... I mean..."

Rachel sees Joe shaking. "Think I should let him off the hook?" Chuckling, Sharon nods. "I know you were only asking me out on a date."

Joe puts his hand on his chest. "Don't scare me like that."

Sharon and Rachel laugh.

"Did you find anything?" Joe questions, still trying to recuperate from the prank.

"I found a few things. The blood on Matilda's cane matches several of our victims." She hands them a report. "The DNA from the hair came back to a Jackie Harris. She has a record a mile long, it started when she was twelve." She hands him a second piece of paper.

"It looks like she spent half of her childhood in juvie," Joe says.

"The other half was dodging foster care." Sharon hands them a list of addresses. "She never stayed with a family for more than a few months."

"What happened to her parents?" Rachel questions as she scans the page.

"The police report claims that her dad killed her mother and then held her and her two sisters hostage in an abandoned cabin where he beat and raped them for days.

"How awful."

"Her horror doesn't end there. She was placed in several homes that were just as bad as the one she came from."

"What happened to her sisters?"

"They ended up with their Great Aunt in West Virginia."

"Why didn't she take Jackie too?"

"No one knew where she was."

"Another kid fell through the cracks in our broken system." A scary realization occurs to her as she scans the photos. This could've been me and Emma. Rachel suddenly recalls her horrid childhood. How she and her cousin Emma were forced to have sex to support her mother's coke habit until DFS took them away. If only DFS had saved them sooner. Rachel thinks as she wipes a tear from her cheek.

"Are you alright, Rachel?" Sharon questions, nudging Joe.

Joe sees the crime scene photo's shaking in her hand. He reaches over and takes them away.

She glances up at Sharon and then over at Joe. "I...I will be in a minute," she says. Just when I thought I had a handle on my emotions too, Rachel thinks. Aggravated, she dries her face.

"The DNA found on our victim matches the swab taken from Matilda." Sharon hands him a final report.

"So Matilda and Jackie are working together to kill all the drunks?"

"It'd make sense, Joe, since Matilda's Grandson was killed by a drunk driver and Jackie was abused by drunks most of her life."

"I'll have the guys pick her up for questioning."
 

Characters
Granny, the killer, lives in assisted living after losing her family, being injured by a drunk driver. 
Matilda lives in assisted living. She just lost her grandson to a drunk driver.
Marge, Matilda's friend.
Liz and Lisa nurses at the facility.
Nancy, nursing assistant
Jackie waitress at the dinner, Granny's partner in crime.
Stinky, Rachel's pet skunk.

Berryville PD
Joe, Sergeant
Jerry, Detective
Rachel, Detective
Jeff, Detective
Kirk Forensic analysis
Sharon, Medical Examiner



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