Chapter 1
Lucas Philips looks around at his new house. He had just moved out of his parent’s place. The house was two stories and had seven rooms, a bathroom in each and one not, a kitchen with an island, and a good size living room. Lucas has gray eyes and raven-black hair. He unpacked quickly and went for a walk. When he got to the park he paused to look at a bluebird. As he did he noticed a pregnant woman sitting on a bench. With blonde hair. He couldn’t see her eyes at the moment. She was watching a young child play. After a few minutes of watching her, he went over.
“Hello.”
The woman looked at him. Goodness! She has green eyes. “Hi,” she said, politely.
“I’m Lucas Philips.”
“Kaitlyn Chapper.”
“Your first,” he asked, motioning to her midsection.
She smiled. “Nah, this is my second. My first is over there.” She pointed to the slide. A girl about three was getting off the slide. She had the same hair as her mother.
“She’s cute. How old is she?”
“Three.” He guessed correctly then. “Her name is August. I hope you don’t find it rude but how old are you?”
“Twenty, you?”
“Nineteen. Where do you work?
Nineteen, he thought. “I’m a detective. Where do you work?”
“I am a writer.”
“Married?”
She shook her head. “August! Time to go home. It was nice meeting you, Mr. Philips.” He watched her walk away, thinking. She seemed nervous, He thought to himself, is it because she found out I am with the law? He went home and tried to sleep but couldn’t. All he could do was think about her. Giving up on sleep, he went on his computer and googled her. Turns out her parents were murdered by a store manager. They died when she was thirteen. She was then put in an orphanage. She ran from that orphanage when she was sixteen.
Probably when she was pregnant with August, he thought. He dug deeper and discovered that the manager had gotten bailed out. The manager had found Kaitlyn and had raped her. He hadn’t gotten arrested for it. August’s father was the same person who killed her parents. Lucas had arrested the store manager a month ago. Lucas made the decision that he would go to the park again. Hopefully, I’ll see her there, Lucas thought. With that thought, he went to bed. In the morning he made himself breakfast and coffee. After eating he put coffee in a travel cup and left.
She was there, sitting on the same bench. He went over to her.
“Hello, Miss Chapper.”
She looked at him and smiled. “Hi, Mr. Philips. Nice to see you again. Did you come here just to see me?”
“Yes. I found something out about you.”
“Like?”
“Your parents, the store manager, and who August’s father is.”
She sighed. “How?”
“First, I am a detective. Second, I googled you. They put most of the things on there.”
“Ah, the web. You can find anything there. They let him go. He didn’t get any jail time for raping me.”
“Yeah, they let him go. What no one seems to realize, however, is that I had arrested him a month ago. I can assure you that he is still in jail.” He will stay that way, he added silently.
“You did? That’s great! I was worried he would come after me and take August.”
“Who is the father of the child you are currently carrying?”
“Zack Graph…What?” She had noticed that he had started.
“Zack is wanted for murder. It’s my current case.”
“Oh.”
“Do you know where he is?”
“No, I saw him nine months ago. When he got me pregnant. When did he commit murder?”
“Four days ago. Do you know any of his friends?” Lucas had found that sometimes the friends of the killers helped them hide.
“Jennifer and Jessica Rogers. They’re twins. They were a package deal. If you were friends with one you had to be friends with the other one.”
“Those are the two he killed. Anyone else?”
She thought for a minute. “Jade Philips and Bella Snides.”
His sister? He needed to call Jade. “Bella is dead, too. Did he only have female friends?”
“Sadly, yes. I wonder why he killed his three closest friends?”
“He wasn’t close to Jade or you?”
She shook her head. “I have August, I couldn’t go to all the parties. Jade didn’t like the parties. She said she would rather study instead. So he made her the researcher.”
“Researcher?”
“Yes. She looked up when there was going to be a party. Or other stuff. Is she related to you?”
“She’s my younger sister. What other stuff?”
“Weather, crimes, and animals. He loved animals. Even volunteered at an animal shelter.”
Lucas wasn’t happy that his sister knew this guy. “I need to call my sister. Thanks for your help, Miss Chapper.”
“Call me Kate. I don’t think I helped you much. Also, you might want to check on his house in Mojave, California.”
“I will and you helped me a bit. Bye.”
“See ya.”
He went straight home. His sister knew his killer! He grabbed his phone and called her. She picked up on the third ring.
“Hello?”
“Jade, we need to talk. Now!”
“About what?”
“Oh. I don’t know. How about Zack Graph, the killer I’m after?”
“Oh.”
“You knew him,” he said flatly.
“Yes.”
“Do you know where he is?”
“No.”
“Were you going to tell me?”
“I didn’t know you were after him! If I had known, yes I would have.”
“Jade, he killed three of his friends. I need you to tell me the full story. Right now.”
“Okay.” She inhaled. “Ten months ago Kira, my BFF, convinced me to go to a party. I usually never went. But she was adamant. Zack was there. He had Jess, Jen, and Bel with him. He came over to Kira and me and introduced himself. He then asked Kira out. She declined. He asked me if I would be his friend. I said yes. He introduced me to his friends and we had fun. Nothing illegal. Soon Kaitlyn-or Kate as she preferred- joined the group but didn’t go to all the parties. She had a two-year-old to watch. Though by now August is three. I didn’t go to the parties at all.
“He asked me to do research for the group. When the next party was, the weather, crimes, and animals. Before you ask, the crimes were ones recently committed. He liked keeping up with the news. Kate and I got out of the group after a month. She was pregnant and I was done being his research servant. Luke, I swear I haven’t seen him since.”
“I’ve met Kate. Were they together?”
“Not. He forced her and she didn’t know who to go to. So she turned to me. We’re still friends. I told her to go to the cops.”
“Why didn’t she?” He should be asking Kate this but he would have to wait until the next day and he didn’t want to wait. Though he’ll ask Jade for Kate’s number later.
“Seriously? She doesn’t trust them. After hearing her story. I agreed with her. She has had a hard life.”
“You agreed? Thanks for the confidence, sis.”
“I trust you, Luke. You know that. I just agreed that some cops are untrustworthy. I told her my brother would arrest and she still said no.”
He sighed, this was getting difficult. He would solve the case though. No matter how hard it will get. “The store manager is in jail. Zack will be going to jail once I find him. Can you give me Kate’s number?
“Yeah, it’s 776-405-9841.”
He wrote it down. “Thanks, Jay.”
“Why did you just get it from her? You said you had met her.”
“I did.”
“Then do you like her? Were you too embarrassed to ask?”
“Jade!”
“You do! Finally.”
“You tell her and you will be very, very sorry.”
“I’ll tell her for you, don’t worry. It will be fun to tell her. Who did Zack kill?”
“You will not and Jennifer and Jessica Rogers and Bella Snides.”
“He killed his three closest friends? Damn. Wait! That could mean Kate’s next.”
“Kate was raped by him, Jay. That’s not being close.”
“True but… Luke, Zack doesn’t know about the baby. If he finds out…”
“Crap! Okay. You call her, Jay. Both of you need to come to my place so I can keep you safe.”
“Okay.” She hung up. He started pacing. He now had to think up a plan. Or just come up with it as it happens. His phone rang. It was Jade. “When?”
“Tomorrow. We will be there then. I hope you are prepared to take care of a kid too, Luke.”
“I am, When tomorrow?”
“Morning. Ten o’clock.”
“Okay, see you then.” They hung up. He went back to pacing. He would need things for the kids. So he grabbed his keys and left. At the store, he grabbed legos and dolls. He grabbed a crib. Then checked out. On the way home Jade called again. “What’s up?”
“Are you going to be able to handle a kid?”
“I said yes.”
“I know, but you could just say that and not mean it.”
“Is this really why you called? Don’t you have packing to be doing right now?”
“Yes. I’m done but I will be picking Kate up tomorrow. She needs that much time.”
“Jade, I will be keeping everyone safe.”
“Me, Kate, and August? You’re amazing, Luke. But you’re not superman.”
“I never said I was.”
“You can’t protect everyone.”
“Not trying to. Only going to protect three people and a fourth when it’s born.”
“I know you will try.”
“Not try. Will.”
“Luke, like I said you’re not superman. Though you are a good detective. Five cases in one year. You solved them all quickly.”
“It’s my job.”
“I know and you’re good at it.”
“I like it.”
“I’ll let you go. Bye.”
“Bye.” They hung up again. Lucas paused to think. Then he unloaded everything from the car and put together the crib. Then he made dinner for himself and watched a movie. After the movie, he did the dishes. Then got on his computer and tried to research but he was tired. So he just went to bed.
