Classmate Murders - Bob Moats (ready player one ebook .txt) 📗

General Hospital. I asked Buck to drive me there and we got to the hospital around 3 A.M. and they let us go into the room. Trapper had called the hospital and said that we were coming there to protect Penny, so that allowed us in after hours. Buck laid down in the empty bed next to Penny's and I pulled a chair over to her and took her hand and held it tightly. I could feel her hand squeeze mine, then relaxed. I slept with my head on her bed.

Around 8:30 A.M. Trapper came in and shook me. Penny was still sleeping and I didn't want to disturb her. We woke Buck and went to a waiting room that was empty. He worked on his report all night, as he wanted to get it sewed up.

"So, the only thing I'm a bit fuzzy on is Sue Carter's murder, who was the old lady?" Posing the question to us.

I offered, "Maybe Julia was in make up. It definitely wouldn't be Morgan."

"I thought that, but in my investigating, which I am authorized to do," smirking at me, "we found out that Waters was in a motel, in Warren, doing the bump and tickle with John Stafford, the murdered renter they lived with. We found receipts for the motel in his car, and the clerk verified they were there."

I was puzzled, "Why didn't they just use his house? Why a motel?"

"My assumption was Davey was there and she didn't want him to see. That's all I can figure, and maybe why Stafford was killed, Davey was jealous and found out about the tryst. We'll never really know now since they are all dead. But still doesn't answer about the old lady murderer. I guess it was just Davey, in a very good disguise. That's going to be in my report." Trapper stood and said he was going to visit Deacon on the next floor. He told us Deacon was hit in his hip bone, shattered it, may not be the same again, but would walk with a limp. He gave us the room number and said to visit, we said we would. He left, and Buck and I went back to Penny's room.

We walked in to find an old nurse preparing a hypo. She looked startled when we came in, she kept her face away from us. I asked what she was giving her and she mumbled something I couldn't hear, I moved closer. I saw a strand of black hair hanging down from her gray hair. I could see she was well wrinkled, reminding me of the description of the old lady killer of Sue. I turned away and got on my cell phone and hit speed dial for Trapper, he answered, I just said, "get down here, fast," and hung up. I turned back and said to the nurse, “I'd like to call a doctor to get a second opinion on the shot.”

She whipped around and had a gun pointed at us. I looked at Buck and said "And I thought this was really over."

She pulled off the wig she was wearing and yelled, "Damn you Richards, you were a smart ass in school and you haven't changed! It will be my pleasure to kill you, too."

I looked closer at the hag in front of us, it struck me, Alice Stone! I said, "Why, Alice, everyone thinks you're missing?"

"They can all go to hell. I waited years to exact my revenge on the damn cheerleaders for what they did to Nathan. He made me swear to leave them alone, made me promise. I waited till he was dead before I made my move. Julia was already a wreck over her father's confession, but it took me a lot of talking to convince her to follow my plan. My stupid son was all primed for the kill, he was always a bit sadistic. I plotted out everything, I had Julia already involved in one murder, she just went along with the rest. The woman was just a whore, she did anything for a bit of dick. But I did it, killed five of them, now I'm going to finish off Wickens and I can finally be happy."

"You killed Sue Carter, didn't you?" I asked.

She smiled, "That bitch was my one greatest kill, I wanted it for myself. She hounded Nathan and I, whenever we tried to be alone, stupid little bitch. I enjoyed slitting her throat."

"Your son's death doesn't count for something?" I asked.

"Yes, makes me want to kill you all the more!" She raise the gun to fire just as Trapper busted in from a side door, calling for her to freeze, she turned the gun at Trapper, he fired twice, she went down.

"The Calvary finally arrives." Buck said.

The shots brought nurses and doctors in, and Trapper, holding his badge up, told them to all get out of the crime scene. He got his cell phone out and called for reinforcements.

Penny stirred, and said with eyes still closed, "Can I have some quiet here?"

I went and kissed her lips and said "Anything for you, babe".


The End


For every ending, there’s a new beginning.


Watch for Jim, Penny, Buck and Deacon, together again, heading for Sin City. Coming out in “The Vegas Showgirl Murders”

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The following is an excerpt from the next book, “The Vegas Showgirl Murders”.


Chapter One

It took about a month for Penny to finally get past the terror of the classmate murders, she hurt deeply. The evil half-siblings, Waters and Morgan were both dead and gone, along with Alice Stone, and I stayed by Penny everyday, nursing her back to normalcy. Buck would visited her home a couple times a week to see how she was doing, talking to her about everything else, distracting from the subject. Deacon wanted to come by, but was still recovering from numerous surgeries to replace his hip and joints, and would be in therapy for a while. Penny and I did visit Deacon as often as his schedule allowed, since Penny owed her life to him as much as the rest of us. After we would visit Deacon, Penny would get a little depressed, seeing Deacon in such a way. I would remind her he was a cop, and they can get hurt in any number of ways, and they accept it. It helped a little, but she needed to heal.

I finally convinced Penny to go back to the studio and do her show again.

The first day we rolled into the studio, she was shaking, but her groupies were there to make her beautiful, the crew welcomed her back with a big cake and the audience love was there. Her faithful viewers wrote in supporting letters, after hearing of her ordeal, and her biker fan club came to her first show and cheered her on. Luther gave her a big bouquet of flowers from the gang, Penny broke down on camera and cried. She was going to be alright.

When the story broke about the murders to the news wires and networks, we had received contact from a few production companies who felt it might make a good cable movie. Buck wanted Hulk Hogan to play him. Penny just thought we were all nuts, but added she'd like to see Jaclyn Smith play her. I wanted to play myself, everyone just laughed.

My mother was reading the story I was starting to write, about the murders. I decided to make a book out of it, so I sat down and started banging it out on my laptop, while it was fresh. She was glad I didn't tell her about the killers when it was happening. My brother had agreed to take over my duties at our parent's house and I sort of moved in with Penny. Sort of, meaning it wasn't a permanent move, yet, because Penny and I wanted to take it slow. I was there to take care of her at first, then it just felt comfortable.

Newly promoted from Sergeant to Lieutenant, Trapper also helped me to enroll in a course at the local community college towards getting a P.I. license. I just had to do it. He gave me his blessing and also helped get me a CCW permit. I couldn't carry a gun yet till I had finished the course, that was his conditions. Penny thought I was living out some adolescent fantasy, a hero worship for Magnum, P.I. sort of thing, I just wanted this before I died of old age. Which I felt I was getting closer to everyday.

One afternoon Penny came home all excited. She told me that there was interest in putting her show into syndication nation wide. Her studio had been working towards it, since she was now known across the country for the ordeal we went through, and they had reserved a booth at the big summer NABP convention in Las Vegas. I had lived in Las Vegas for about sixteen months back in 2003 and I knew a bit about the NABP National Association of Broadcast Programing, conventions. Stations across the country go to promote their shows to the networks and the networks try to promote their shows and to sign up stations to become affiliates. That was a simplification, but summed it up.

Penny said they were sending her and me out to Vegas, all expenses paid to work and promote her show. She said I was going along to protect her from harm. She laughed, I was offended. We had about four months to get her ready for the big event, and it would give me time to finish my course. She said that she would start to get more important guests now on her show, to add some flair to promote it. In the past she would occasionally book big name stars when they came into Detroit, but now the stars were wanting to get on her show to meet Penny. I hoped all the hoopla over the classmate murders didn't die out before we went to Vegas, stories come and go, and are soon forgotten.

"Vegas, Baby!" Buck yelled out when he heard our news.

I grinned and said, "Don't get too excited, you weren't invited." Buck looked crushed.

Penny came in as I was saying that, and offered, "Well, Buck, we're being flown out on the corporate jet, so if you wanted to go, it would be a free ride. But you'd have to find a place to stay out there, I'm not sharing my luxury room at the MGM Grand with anyone but Jim."

Deacon, who was sitting on Penny's couch, spoke up, "Well, if I can get the same offer for the flight out, Buck and I could stay at my sister's house, she lives in Las Vegas. I'd like to visit her." Buck's eyes went wide, and sat there with that walrus smile of his.

Buck was now starting to bringing Deacon with him on his weekly visits to Penny and me. Deacon was finally released from the hospital, but still doing therapy for his hip, and had a cane to walk with for now. He bought a heavy, black cane with a serpent's head on the top, it suited him. What he didn't tell anyone, but me, it was a sword cane, twist and pull the handle and out came a long, thin pointy blade.

Penny smiled, "Deacon, the plane has a weight limit." She giggled.