Page 103 of M for Murder

Rodney Boone wheeled round to greet them with a humourless smile, registering the looks of surprise on their faces.

The blond man blinked hard. ‘Sweet Jesus!’

Max’s jaw dropped as he stared at the man in front of the dresser. It was Rodney Boone, there was no doubt about that. He looked the same as his picture. A little older, hair a little greyer, but still the same.

What he hadn’t expected was to find the infamous serial killer sitting in a wheelchair.

Captain Trent recovered quicker, stepping into the room, still covering Boone with his revolver. Max knew it was possible the wheelchair could be a trick, intended to lull them into a sense of false security.

‘Rodney Boone?’ Trent barked.

The serial killer nodded in answer.

‘I’m placing you under arrest on eight counts of murder. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say, can and will be used against you…’

Rodney listened as the policeman read him his rights, taking a final look around him, knowing he would never see the attic room again. They had seemed shocked to find him in a wheelchair and he guessed that they probably believed it to be some kind of trick.

It was no trick though. Little Jennifer had hurt him badly when she’d rammed the butcher’s knife into his back and Clifford had told him in no uncertain terms that he would never walk again.

That was why it was good that there was someone to finish the alphabet for him. Someone who wanted to see his work completed.

The police had caught him now, but in his heart of hearts Rodney Boone knew that it wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

By the second time Max had called, Joel had already pulled out the files on Boaz.

The officer’s birth year was September 1963, which would have made him two months old when Myron White was killed. A call to his parents at their home in Florida established that he had been adopted.

Mrs Boaz wasn’t forthcoming with the information. She and her husband had wanted a son to add to their all-girl family and when they adopted Victor, they’d decided to raise him as their own. She claimed that as far as Vic was aware, they were his birth parents and she made it clear that she wanted to keep things that way if at all possible.

Although she didn’t know the names of Vic’s real parents, she did confirm that they had adopted him from the Wyefield Children’s Home.

Could it really be true? Was Victor Boaz really the baby brother of Rodney Boone?

Max’s second call was to tell Joel that they’d arrested the serial killer. As suspected, he was being hidden by Clifford Turner, the other brother. Was it possible that all three brothers were somehow involved in the Alphabet Murders, past and present?

Until they found Vic, they really had no way of telling.

During his conversation with Max, Joel had discussed Lawrence Parker. The man had now been held for almost forty-eight hours and they had to make a decision about whether or not they were going to charge him.

If Kylan Parker was telling the truth, her husband had solid alibis for two of the murders. Given the new evidence that had recently come to light about Boone, the decision was made that for now they would release him, and after getting off the phone Joel went down to the holding cell to tell him.

As he expected, Parker took the news with a knowing smile.

‘You finally decided to believe me, Agent Hickok?’ he said mockingly, as he stepped from the cell.

Joel scowled at him, wishing he could leave the man in there and throw the key away. ‘We’re not done with you yet, Lawrie. Just think of this as a temporary reprieve.’

‘Have you found my wife yet?’ Parker asked, ignoring his comment.

‘Yes, she’s safe.’

‘Where is she? In Seattle?’

‘That’s not for you to worry about and don’t start getting any smart ideas about trying to find her either. I don’t want you to leave town until we’ve cleared up our enquiries.’

Joel escorted him to the front desk and watched him collect his belongings. From the corner of his eye he saw Angell looking on in disgust at the whole proceeding.

Although she had initially been on Parker’s side, her opinion of him had changed drastically after he’d come onto her. Then when the call came in from Emma Keeley’s friend, Renee Lewis, she had finally started to believe that he could be responsible for the murders. Unfortunately, they didn’t have enough to charge him with, especially since his wife had just provided him with two alibis. Joel hoped for Kylan Parker’s sake that she was telling the truth. If by chance her husband was the Alphabet Killer, then it was very possible that she had just signed her own death warrant.