Poppy Harmon and the Pillow Talk Killer by Lee Hollis (famous ebook reader .txt) 📗

corpse with a pillow covering her face . . .” Poppy took a deep breath before pressing on, “. . . because it was eerily similar to a string of unsolved murders that occurred in Los Angeles back in the nineteen eighties during the time I was starring on Jack Colt.”

“Oh my . . .” Violet gasped.

“Yes! Of course!” Iris cried, slapping her knee. She turned to Violet and Matt. “I was in Germany at the time but I remember reading all about it in the papers.”

“The murders got a lot of press coverage because the three victims were all pretty young actresses working in Hollywood,” Poppy explained. “They were all asphyxiated with a pillow and left in their beds, and so the perpetrator became known as—”

“The Pillow Talk Killer!” Iris shouted.

Poppy nodded gravely.

Matt leaned forward. “Did they ever catch the guy?”

“No,” Poppy said. “There was mass hysteria in Hollywood, every young starlet was living in fear during that period, scared that they might be next. At the time, I was living in a friend’s guest house and so I moved to a more secure high-rise in Westwood with a couple of girlfriends. We figured there would be safety in numbers.”

“Wow, how have I not heard about any of this?” Matt wondered.

“Were you even born yet?” Iris asked sharply.

Matt shook his head.

“Then case closed on that!” Iris snapped.

“There was a massive investigation, the FBI was called in, but in the end, the killer was never caught. They could not even be certain the murders were carried out by the same person. There was a theory floating around that maybe the second two murders were copycat killings,” Poppy said.

“Since they were actresses just like you, did you happen to know any of the victims?” Matt asked.

“One. We had gotten acquainted at a few casting offices where we both auditioned for small roles on the big shows at the time, Dynasty, The A-Team, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, this was a couple years before I got cast in Jack Colt. But I remember how shocked I was to hear on the news a few years later that she had been the third victim.”

“Then she must have been the last victim,” Iris said. “The killings stopped after three,” Iris said.

“Yes, she was. Her name was Linda Appleton,” Poppy said.

“Linda Appleton,” Violet said, scratching her chin. “I don’t think I have heard of her.”

“She never did any consequential role, maybe a toothpaste commercial and a tiny walk-on role on The Dukes of Hazzard, if I recall correctly,” Poppy said. “Of course there is no telling what she might have become if her life hadn’t been cut so short.”

There was silence in the office.

Poppy could feel her emotions bubbling to the surface, tears starting to pool in her eyes, but she managed to keep it all in check.

“I hadn’t thought of Linda in years, not until I discovered Danika’s body. I would not allow myself to believe there was any connection between the two murders despite the similar crime scenes. How could I? Those murders occurred almost forty years ago, but then today . . .”

Poppy hesitated.

“What, Poppy?” Violet asked gently.

Another deep breath, and then Poppy forced herself to go on. “Today I was reading Danika’s obituary online and there was a mention of her grandmother and the notorious circumstances surrounding her death.”

“Linda Appleton!” Matt gasped.

“What?” Iris howled. “That cannot be a coincidence!”

“Do you think the killer has come out of retirement after all these years?” Violet asked.

Poppy shrugged. “Who knows? But there is an obvious connection, and I intend to find out exactly what it is.”

“Count me in!” Matt said, jumping to his feet.

“Poppy, what can we do? I’m sure the police are well aware that Danika is . . . was Linda Appleton’s granddaughter, and are already investigating,” Violet said.

“I’m sure they are,” Poppy said matter-of-factly, “But that does not mean we have to sit idly by and wait for them to find the answers.”

“It’s just such a violent and disturbing case,” Violet said, scrunching up her nose with distaste. “I do not think the Desert Flowers Detective Agency should be in the business of hunting for serial killers. It’s too dangerous and gives me the willies.”

“I agree with Violet for once,” Iris huffed. “Let the police and FBI handle it. This is way above our pay grade.”

“I understand completely,” Poppy said. “If you two want to sit this one out, I absolutely respect your decision. But this is personal to me, and so I hope you respect my decision to launch my own probe.”

Matt put an arm around Poppy. “Don’t you worry, Poppy, I’ll be your wingman on this.”

“Thank you, Matt.”

Violet’s bottom lip quivered, upset that she might be letting Poppy down. Iris noticed and rolled her eyes with a heavy sigh. “I knew you would cave, Violet! You are such a wet noodle!” Iris turned to Poppy. “We are a team. We will do this together.”

“Group hug!” Matt cried happily.

They all stared at him, but then gave up and embraced as a group.

Poppy exhaled, full of relief knowing that she would not be alone in this because she instinctively felt in her gut that she was going to need all the help she could get.

Chapter 17

Sherie Rogers.

Theresa Brooks.

Linda Appleton.

Poppy sat on her couch, which was still wrapped in the movers’ plastic, cradling her laptop, staring at the names of the three victims of the notorious Pillow Talk Killer. She knew when she had returned home from the office she should have got cracking unpacking boxes and setting up her new home, but she couldn’t help herself. She fired up her computer and started googling old articles from the 1980s detailing the horrific exploits of the Pillow Talk Killer. The haunting memories of that tense and frightening time came flooding back in Poppy’s mind as she scrolled down through the vintage news coverage of the panic sweeping Hollywood, the pressure on the police to find the killer, the added security at all