AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I will. I promise.”
John ended the call and collapsed in a chair in the bullpen.
He paid for their services and tried to get them out.
Sitting straight up, he caught the eye of Tiberius, who entered with a laptop in hand. “What?”
“What is the profile again on this killer? A guy who believes prostitutes lure him into sin, then he gets angry at them for it and beats them, removes their eyes ’cause of the verse about them enticing men through their eyelids—batting the eyes.”
“Was that a question?” He crinkled his nose. “I’m confused.”
“Jimmy Russell tries to help the holler girls, but they don’t accept his offers and he pays for their services. He knows medical stuff. He has access to sutures and morphine. Is he religious?”
Ty’s eyes widened. “I don’t know.” He typed furiously on his phone, then the swoosh of a text being sent went out. “John, if it’s Jimmy Russell...he’s probably with Vi.”
That was what terrified him most. But she didn’t know it might be Jimmy. Why would he want her? She wasn’t his target. Prostitutes were. She might be safe with him against Cecil, if it was Cecil who had wrecked the ambulance and killed Chris. “I can’t wait on a background search from your analyst.” He stalked to the jail. Regis was lying on his back, eyes closed. “Jimmy Russell. What do you know about him?”
Regis opened his eyes and sat up. “Jimmy? He’s a good dude.”
“Is he religious?”
“I suppose he still is. His mama definitely is...although she was kind of a slut according to the rumor mill. Why?” He swung his legs over the cot and leaned his elbows on his knees.
“Like a prostitute?”
“No. Like affairs with married men who sometimes took care of her financially.” He grinned. “Well, I guess that’s the definition of prostitute, huh?”
“Sounds like.”
Regis batted the idea away with his hand. “It was rumors. Jimmy was golden. Always at church, quoting Scripture and gospel-do-gooding, even went to semin...ary...” He sat up straight as if information hit him.
“He went to seminary?”
“Yeah. Him, Wendell and D.J. But D.J. quit and went to med school, and Jimmy came home and went to paramedic school. Funny, huh?”
Nothing about this was funny.
“You don’t think it’s Jimmy?” Regis said. “I thought it was Cecil. Cecil had Bella Dawn.”
Cecil had Bella Dawn, but she’d lived longer than Blind Eye victims. “It’s possible Bella Dawn was his first abduction and assault. He saw the opportunity. He was at the bar that night too.” They weren’t dealing with just one killer but one up-and-coming serial rapist and potential killer, and one serial killer—the Blind Eye Killer.
John beelined it back to the bullpen. “We have two different men doing two different things. Not in conjunction with each other. Cecil probably has no idea who the Blind Eye Killer is, and the BEK probably had no clue what Cecil has been up to until now.” Violet had only been transferred from the clutches of one sicko to another.
“Jimmy was expelled from seminary for sexual immorality. Soliciting and fornicating with a prostitute. It’s on his record, but they didn’t press charges.” Ty rubbed his chin and cheeks. “He fits like a glove. He’s attracted to them. Pays for services and regrets it, but he can’t help himself for going back. He offers to get them out of the business and the life—it’ll save him and others from succumbing to their wiles and sinning. But they won’t get out. Because they don’t think they can. They’re too afraid. And he pays again. This time, he’s enraged. If they’d let him help them, he wouldn’t have sinned, failed again. It’s their fault. In a fury, he beats them, and then he makes sure they can’t see. They can’t allure anyone else. If they won’t be saved, he’ll pronounce judgment.” Ty shook his head. “What will he do to Violet?”
“Nothing. As long as she doesn’t put the pieces together.”
Or had she already? Her concerns about Ruby not being at the cabin might have been her connecting the dots.
And Jimmy Russell might have picked up on that.
Tuesday, October 24
12:47 a.m.
“How do you know Ruby won’t take over?” As far as Violet knew, Ruby hadn’t told anyone of her plan to leave the holler and quit the family business.
“What?” Jimmy asked. “I just don’t see it.”
