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

the second classmate to die, like there will be more. I have to find out what Dee and Joyce had in common to make him put them on his list."

"Where you gonna start?" He asked.

"I don't know, I would like to be able to see the emails he sent to Dee, though."

"You'd have to get to her computer to do that, huh?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure the police have her computer by now."

While I was talking with Buck I was getting my laptop online. I opened my mail program, scanned down the list and my eyes caught an address that I recognized. It was from Dee. I felt that chill again and told Buck to hold on. I downloaded it and opened it up and read. I told Buck about it, then read it to him.

"James, I'm waiting for the police to come to my place, I just called them. You haven't called so it's ok if you don't. I didn't give you much warning. I got a threatening email and I put off calling the police, so when Joyce said you worked for some detective company, I thought you might be able to help. After I sent you that last email I got another threat and I decided to call the police. I've attached the emails so you can see what I was worried about. I know it's been 42 years since I saw you last. I had hoped when we got into high school that you would contact me, but you didn't so I figured you weren't interested anymore. Life sucks doesn't it. Well, if you'd still like to call, or not, you have my number. Take care, Dee."

"Damn internet, this email was delayed from the first email she sent me. Crap, and she was interested in me back then." I lamented.

"Man, what a cruel blow. But she said she sent you the email threats?"

I was already opening the attachments, there were just two. I read them to Buck.

"Hello Dee Wittenfield, You don't know me but we are connected. I just wanted to send a friendly warning: You are honored to be the first classmate to die!"

and the second:

"Dee, I've been watching. Hiding in your room won't stop me, oh and don't call the police or I'll rid you sooner."

"He was goading her to call the police." I said realizing when she didn't call them after the first email, he had to get her motivated. "He wanted to have the police there when he did it. Two blows, one to Dee and one to the cops."

I was opening up the email headers to see if they were the same and told Buck what I was doing.

"Yep, same headers as before. Came from whipit and sent out of the Pompo Deli. I think I need to take a trip there and check out the set-up." I told Buck.

"Hey buddy, I'll meet you there, it's not far from me." He was excited.

"Yeah, well don't go in till I'm there. See you shortly,” and hung up. I threw on some clothes and left a sticky note on my door in case Mom needed me in the night. I quietly slipped out the back door. It was a bit after 8 P.M. and my taste buds were missing that first beer of the night, but I knew they could wait till I got back. I drove out Groesbeck Hwy. toward Mt Clemens to where the Pompo Deli was located just below the city limits putting it in Clinton Twp., which was the jurisdiction of Sgt. Trapper. I had no idea of how to reach him this late and I didn't really want him around, to be honest about it. I pulled into the parking lot and spotted Buck's SUV, big man, big vehicle. He must have spotted me, since he got out as I was pulling up. Buck stood about one head taller than me and I was at five-ten, putting him well over six foot. I hoped he didn't have his .38 in his belt and asked. He said he didn't, but he then said it was in the car. He was licensed to carry concealed so it didn't bother him or me I guess. I wasn't expecting any trouble to need a gun. We entered the deli and it was about half full of people eating, talking and some working on their laptops. There were six desktop computers along a wall for those who didn't have a computer. Buck and I took a table by the workstations and the waitress was quickly there. I ordered a Pepsi and Buck got a Diet Sprite. Why diet I couldn't figure, he was thin enough, although most of him was muscle.

"This is eerie, the killer was right here sending out his threats." I whispered to Buck.

"Why are you whispering, it's noisy enough in here? No one is even close enough to hear."

"I don't know." I said louder now. "It just seemed the right thing to do. Besides the killer could be here right now."

"I hope he is, I'd like to kick his ass right up to his throat", he snarled.

I was looking around the room, ruling out people by their looks. The killer had to be strong enough to choke Dee to death, so the wimpy geeks were ruled out. Honestly, I wouldn't know what a killer even looked like. All my crime books left that to my imagination. On TV, they were all the last person you would suspect, not very outstanding looking. One thing I did check, earlier at home, was the time and date the emails were sent from here. The waitress came back and dropped our drinks. I stopped her.

"Hi, you are?"

"Stacy." she replied.

"Do you get a regular crowd in here, Stacy? I mean a lot of repeat customers?" I asked.

"Yeah, we get a few of the same people, I just don't really get into their lives. They're mostly engrossed with the internet."

"Did you work last Sunday night around 10 P.M.?"

"Yeah, I was here, seems like I'm always here, with everyone calling in sick. You know they aren't sick and with jobs at stake now days, they shouldn't be messing around, know what I mean?" She rambled.

"Yeah, I understand. But back to Sunday night, was anyone here on the computers acting strange?"

"Honey, they all act strange. Especially when they are downloading porn. We just look away, so I don't pay much attention. Say, the police were in here this afternoon asking about the same questions, you a cop?"

"No, just a concerned citizen. You read today's paper about the woman who was strangled yesterday?" She nodded. "Well, she got a threatening email that looks like it may have been sent from here."

The waitress just stared at me, then look shocked. "You mean to say the killer was right here? The cops didn't say anything about that!"

"Maybe, it looks that way. Could you help by keeping an eye out for suspicious people and let me know?" I handed her one of my website business cards and she took it like maybe I was the killer. "I think he was here three different times and may be back for more."

She didn't speak, just walked away looking distressed.

"I think you got that girl all flustered." Buck smiled.

"Well, if I stir up some people, it may make the killer do something stupid."

"Or do something stupid and kill you." He gave me his trademark big grin, making his mustache flair out like a walrus.

We drank our drinks and Buck filled me in on all the goings on at the dealership making me more contented that I no longer worked there. After a while I told Buck that I was a bit tired and had a beer calling me at home so we said our so longs and went off into the night.

I snuck back into the house, seeing the sticky note still on my door, went in and undressed again. I snapped open a can of beer and opened up my email program again to look at Dee's letters. I did a new scan of my email and noticed a new one had come in while I was gone. What hairs were left on my bald head were tightening up as I saw the sender's name, whipit. I downloaded and read the letter.

"Richards, you're getting too nosey, drop it or you'll be on the list too!"

*


Chapter Four

Now I was concerned.

This was getting too close to my home. He didn't say I was going to die, but he implied I would be on the list if I didn't back off. Should I back off or was this a challenge to me? I figured Buck was still up and called him. I read the letter to him.

"You want me to come down with my pistol and camp out in your drive?" He was concerned.

"No, I'm not on the list yet and I think he is wanting to go after that list first without adding to his load." I had just put human life into a load, not meaning to do so.

"Well, any suspicious activity around your place, you call and I'll be there!"

"Thanks, Buck, but I'm only three blocks from my local police station, I'm going to call there and see if anyone wants to hear my story." I said to relieve him. We said our good nights and I called the Clinton Twp police, instead of my local cops. I asked if possibly Sgt. Trapper was around and was told he wasn't. I left my name and cell phone number and asked if they could call him and have him call me. It was an emergency, about the classmate killer. They said they would and I sat back staring at the email.

About fifteen minutes later my cell phone rang, it came up on caller ID as "private number". I hate to answer those calls but figured Trapper wouldn't want people having his number.

"Hello." I said into the phone.

"Richards, what do you want?" He sounded tired.

I related the whole night from when I left his office and I could hear his grumbling as I went on.

"Who told you that you could start your own investigation!" He exploded. "You're not even licensed to investigate!"

"I wasn't investigating, I was asking questions for my own benefit. Just to ease my mind." I countered. "Besides now you have something more to draw him out."

"I'm not using you for bait, Richards, so get that idea out of your head and don't pursue it anymore!"

"Well the date-time on the header of my email says that he was in the deli while I was there. He sent it out just after I left." I could imagine what the waitress would have said had she known that. "He would have had to know me or how would he have sent the email so quickly, and why did he assume I was asking questions about him?" I thought about the waitress, she could have gone around talking to people about my being there.

"Well I doubt he's still there. But I'll have Becker drive me by there to have a look, we're in the area checking out a few leads on another case, the crap never rests. It will probably just chase him out, if