Shadow of Perception (17 page)

The ugly Chihuahua stared at him, then dry heaved.
 

“I’ll take that as a yes. Okay then, let’s go.”

Hoping the cold air would wake him, he didn’t bother with a coat as he left the townhouse. He set the dog on the ground, then sat on the front step and thought about the sick woman lying in bed.
 

Even while reviewing the photos, he couldn’t take his mind off of Eden, or their argument. He never did have a chance to tell her there wasn’t a security camera in her bedroom. He’d only said there had been to goad her. He didn’t know why. Maybe because she’d lied to him? Or maybe because she looked sexy when she was all fired up. Hell, even green around the gills, she still managed to make him want her...
 

Them. Naked. Together in her bed.
   

Her looks, he realized, had nothing to do with wanting her. After she’d dumped him years ago, he’d convinced himself that their relationship had been purely physical. Eden had been right, though. When they’d been together, he’d been lying, not to her, but to himself. He’d avoided the truth, too. About his past and his feelings for her. A not so charming childhood hadn’t helped. A failed marriage hadn’t made opening up and spilling his guts any easier, either.

Over the years, he’d often wondered if things between them would have been different had he simply sat down and told her all about himself, about his true feelings for her. He shook his head. If he had talked, would she have, too? After all, he and Eden were a lot alike. She’d been tightlipped when it had come to discussing the past. As for her feelings for him? Aside from telling him she didn’t want to see him anymore, she’d never once said anything about their relationship. At the time, her reluctance to discuss her feelings hadn’t bothered him much. He knew she’d enjoying being with him, and not because of the many orgasms he’d given her. They’d actually gone on dates, rented movies, hung out as a couple. Yes, while skirting the truth.

Brutal pawed at his boot. He looked at the dog, at his missing leg, and then thought about her cat. Their killer had known about Eden’s animals, which bothered him. Had the man been in her house? How long had he been watching her? Aside from that, what about this stalker?

Before scanning through driver’s license photos, he’d reviewed the security camera feed again. This time he’d honed in on the approximate time he’d figured the killer and stalker had been at the townhouse last night. He’d found nothing. Not a car. Not a person. If the killer had noticed the addition of the security camera, had the stalker, too?

He scooped up the dog, then headed into the townhouse. After he set Brutal onto the floor, the dog walked toward his little doggy bed. Hudson stared at the Chihuahua’s three legs, and remembered what the killer had said about Eden demanding perfection from herself, and yet she surrounded herself with flawed people and animals. That she had flaws, but never let anyone see them. She was tough, but a body could only take so much.

He shook his head. How were Eden’s flaws related to the reasons behind killing the two men? Sitting in front of the laptop again, Hudson stared at the photos on the screen. And what in the hell did the sick bastard mean by
there’s no such thing as perfect, only perception
?

Fifteen minutes later, Hudson stood, then headed for the kitchen in search of a soda. Tired of looking at the driver’s license photos, and nearing the time their only link to the killer would be leaving school, he decided to call Lloyd Nelson. New to CORE, Hudson hadn’t had a chance to learn much about the former deputy.
 
But he trusted, albeit reluctantly sometimes, Ian’s judgment. Hudson swore Ian had a sixth sense about people and situations. If Lloyd was good enough for Ian, for CORE, he’d work out fine as Eden’s babysitter.

He winced as he drank the diet soda. Too skinny, and obsessed with her workouts and strict eating habits, of course Eden would have nothing but diet crap in her house. As he dialed Lloyd’s number, then waited for him to answer, Hudson realized that in the two days he’d been with her, Eden hadn’t eaten a thing. Who the hell did that?

Lloyd answered, forcing Hudson to shift gears. He explained to the other man the equipment he needed for the extra security camera Hudson had decided to hide on the property, and then the situation.
 

Within thirty minutes, Lloyd arrived. “That was quick,” Hudson said as he opened the door to the townhouse. “I hate to stick you on babysitting duty, but Eden’s sick and I don’t want to wake her up for this.”

Lloyd shrugged his massive shoulders. “I don’t mind at all.”

As Hudson put on his coat, he watched the other man. At six foot, two inches, Hudson had never considered himself short, until he’d met Lloyd. The guy had at least five inches and fifty pounds on him. With his ridiculous muscles, and long, white hair, Lloyd reminded him of Thor, minus the hammer.
 

Yeah, Lloyd would serve well as Eden’s babysitter. Intimidating, even with a three-legged Chihuahua sitting on his lap, Hudson couldn’t imagine anyone willing to mess with Lloyd. Then again, a pissed-off Eden could be just as intimidating.
 

“Don’t I know it,” Hudson mumbled as he shoved his hands into his gloves and thought back to how she’d berated him over the Winters case.

“Sorry, what did you say?” Lloyd asked from across the room.

“Nothing.” Hudson headed for the door. “Call if you need anything. ”

“If Eden wakes up while you’re gone, do you want me to give her a message?”

Hudson stopped, then glanced down the hallway to Eden’s bedroom door. Knowing Eden, and how she needed to be fully immersed in anything she was involved with, he realized no message would help save his ass.
 

*

Hoping Mama had opted for an early afternoon catnap, Pudge quietly slipped inside the house. After all, they had an appointment to make.

“That you, Pudge?” Mama asked over the blaring TV.

hate her hate her cant let her see you hate her

“Yes, Mama,” Pudge said. “Give me a minute. I have to use the bathroom, then I’ll make you lunch.”

Pudge reached the bathroom, then closed the door. Needing to remove any evidence of Murugan Punjab, Pudge quickly went to work.
 

“I need to leave soon, but Mama…”

sleep put her to sleep
 

“Damn it,” Pudge whispered, and stared at the mirror. “I told you I’m not killing Mama.”

sleep didnt say kill sleep

Face now cleaned, Pudge said, “You’re right. She needs to go to sleep. And I have just the thing to help.”

Minutes later, Pudge entered the kitchen. Dirty plates filled the sink and table, stale food covered the counter, and dirt tarnished the floor. Pudge ignored the mess and rummaged through the cabinet that held Mama’s medications. After finding and crushing the pills that would put the fat bitch to sleep, Pudge opened the refrigerator and pulled out the mayonnaise. Once the crushed pills were mixed with the mayo, Pudge made Mama a sandwich, grabbed a bag of barbeque chips and a grape soda, then headed for the living room.

“Here’s your lunch,” Pudge said, and set the food on the tray.
 

Mama frowned. “No snack cakes? What’s a meal without dessert?”

Pudge eyed the half dozen empty boxes of brownies, Swiss rolls, Twinkies and cakes. “Go ahead and eat. I’ll bring you one.”

“Don’t be stingy,” Mama said over a mouthful. “Bring the whole box. And some ibuprofen, three of them. My ass is hurtin’ today.”

 
more give mama more

Pudge entered the kitchen, opened the cabinet, then pulled out the bottle of ibuprofen.

sleep give mama more sleep

Pudge considered the amount of crushed pills in Mama’s mayonnaise and the amount of time before the medication would take effect. Directly ingested, the sleeping pills would knock Mama out fast, but would that be too many pills at once?
   
 

do it do it mama wont know wont know do it now now

“Shh,” Pudge hissed, then opened the bottle of sleeping pills. “You better hope this doesn’t hurt her. We can’t afford for Mama to die of an overdose. The police might start looking into what we’ve been up to, and that can’t happen. Not when we’re so close.”

too fat mama too fat to die from pills needs elephant tranquilizer too fat

Pudge smothered a chuckle. “You’re so bad.”

With three sleeping pills in one hand, a box of snack cakes in the other, Pudge walked back into the living room and nearly gagged. “Here you go, Mama. Smells like your colostomy bag needs to be changed. Why don’t I move your tray aside and do that before you finish your lunch?”

“Smell don’t bother me. Now hush up,” Mama ordered, and raised the volume on the TV. “I’m trying to hear this. You can change my bag after I’m done with my lunch and the show’s over.”

“Yes, Mama,” Pudge said, and with disgust and anticipation, watched Mama swallow the sleeping pills. Unable to watch Mama eat, or endure the vile odor, Pudge left the living room for the privacy of the bedroom. Once the door had clicked shut, Pudge looked in the mirror.
 

soon slice dice slice dice

Pudge opened the closet and pulled out an old suitcase. After opening it, and staring at the disguise, Pudge smiled.

welcome back doctor dread welcome back
 

*

 
Hudson climbed out of the Trans Am the second Evan Pope exited the school bus. He waited a moment until the bus had turned the corner, then followed the kid up the walkway to his house.

“Hey, gotta minute?” Hudson asked.

Evan shifted the backpack to his other shoulder and flipped his long, straight bangs out of his eyes. “Who are you?” he asked, then looked to his house.

“I’m a private investigator.”

Evan glanced at the house again, then took a few steps toward him. “No shit?”

“Yeah, no shit,” Hudson said. “I have a feeling you know what this is about. Don’t you?”

“Look. I didn’t know what was in the package. This guy just, like, told me to deliver it. He said it wasn’t anything bad, ya know, like drugs or a gun or something.”

Nothing bad. Only the filming of a man’s torture and death. “I know,” Hudson assured the kid. “But what was in that package could have an impact on the case I’m working. Did you see the man who gave you the package?”

Evan shook his head, causing his bangs to fall forward again and reminding Hudson that he too could use a haircut. “Naw, it was dark. I was on my route, delivering papers and, like, the guy just came out of nowhere. Scared the crap out of me.”

“What was he wearing?”

“Am I gonna get in trouble for this? I promise I’ll give back the money. I just can’t afford to have an issue with the cops. I’m a senior and applying to colleges. If I end up with a record, I—”

Hudson held up a hand. “You’re not in trouble. Just tell me everything you can about the man and was this the first time you’ve done a delivery for him.”

“Wait—there’s other packages?”

Hudson shrugged. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“Take it as a hell no. As for the guy, he was about as tall as you. He had on a big coat so I couldn’t guess his weight. He had on a baseball cap, black, and a scarf pulled up high around his neck, almost to his mouth.” Evan knocked the hair out of his eyes. “Like I said, it was dark, so I couldn’t see his face.”

“What about a car?”

“There were cars parked on the street, but there’s always cars parked on the street. I couldn’t tell you what kind or color.” Evan shrugged. “I never pay attention to that kinda stuff. I just wanna finish my route so I can get home and eat before school.”

 
Dead end. Not that Hudson had high hopes the kid would have pertinent information which would help them find the killer. Their doctor had already proven to be adept at covering his tracks.
 

“Thanks for your time, Evan,” Hudson said, then pulled out a small notepad from his jacket pocket and wrote down his cell phone number. “Call me if this guy asks you to make any other deliveries.”

Evan stuffed the paper into his back pocket. “So you’re not going to say anything to my parents about this?”

Hudson didn’t see the point of involving the kid’s folks. He hadn’t done anything wrong, and he hadn’t seen anything of any value. Then a thought occurred to him.

“How much did the guy pay you?”

“Two hundred dollars.”

“That’s probably a nice chunk of change for you. And you didn’t question this…delivery?”

 
Evan held up both of his hands. “Are you kidding me? Of course I did. I asked him about the drugs and guns thing, and like I said, he told me it wasn’t anything illegal. Then I asked him what it was and he was like, just a DVD for a friend. He said it was one of those extreme makeover shows, ya know where they take ugly people and make them perfect.” He flipped his bangs. “I was like, why don’t you take it to her yourself? And he was like, because I wanna surprise her. Sounded like a stupid surprise, but for two hundred bucks, what do I care? Right?”