Midnight Caller - By Diane Burke Page 0,37
that.”
Tony arched an eyebrow. “Why’s that?”
“I used to date Ms. O’Malley. I’d find it awkward asking her about Carol.”
He dated Erin? Hmm, he hadn’t seen that coming.
“We didn’t part on the best of terms,” the doctor continued. “Although I’ve run into Erin a few times since the breakup and it seems to be water under the bridge, still…” Stone shrugged. “I don’t think Carol told her we were dating.”
Tony studied him with new interest. Was Erin still harboring feelings for this man? Why did it end badly? And who ended it?
“Why’s that? Is Carol the kind of person who would date someone her best friend still cared about?” Tony asked.
“Of course not.” Stone straightened in his chair. Obviously outraged at the question, he glared at Tony. “Carol was a wonderful human being. And fiercely loyal to the people she loved.” He shook his head. “She was certain Erin was finished with me long before we started dating. It was my feelings for Erin she questioned.”
Tony tented his fingers against his lips and rocked back in his chair. Thoughts ricocheted through his mind like a fired pinball. After a moment, he sat upright. “You said ‘was.’”
Stone looked puzzled.
“You said Carol ‘was’ a sweet human being. Do you have any reason to believe she still isn’t, Doctor?”
The man sputtered. “No, of course not, I…”
Tony waited.
Tears welled up in the doctor’s eyes. He pulled a small velvet box from his pocket and flipped it open to reveal a stunning diamond ring. “I planned to propose. Carol wouldn’t have stood me up. Something had to happen to her.”
Tony poured the doctor a glass of water. “Did Carol know your plans?”
“We’ve had several general discussions. About marriage. About children.” Stone sipped his water before continuing. “Truthfully, Detective, I’m so in love with the woman I don’t know how she couldn’t know.”
Surprised by the man’s show of raw emotion, Tony softened his voice. “Do you have any specific reason to believe something happened to Ms. Henderson? I understand not meeting you for your date was unlike her. But is there anything else I should know?”
Dr. Stone’s shoulders slumped forward. He looked defeated and weary. “Carol’s been receiving anonymous phone calls. She filed a police report a couple of weeks ago.”
The hair on the back of Tony’s neck stood up. That’s why Carol’s name had been so familiar. He’d overheard Spence telling Winters he was going to check it out to see if there might be any connection to their victims. They’d discovered all the victims had received calls, but the information hadn’t been obvious because some of the women had reported it to the sheriff’s office and others reported it to their local police department.
The doctor’s eyes darkened, anger evident in his voice. “Then she started receiving anonymous packages. Rotten fruit. Dead flowers. All accompanied by threatening notes. The last box contained pictures of Carol with her head cut out of the pictures. She reported it to the police.” Stone rubbed his eyes, lack of sleep evident on his face. “Your department took it seriously. Unfortunately, they said there wasn’t enough evidence for them to arrest anyone. They would continue to investigate and hoped to produce a lead. Meanwhile, they warned her to be cautious where she went and who she spoke to. Now she’s missing.”
Tony held his head in his hands. His stomach twisted. Carol’s image, Amy’s laughing face and Erin’s smile all spiraled through his mind. He prayed for strength, for wisdom. How was he going to tell Erin that he believed her best friend had become a victim of a serial killer? And that his gut told him she was next?
Erin heard the crunch of gravel and looked up from watering the plants to see her aunt approach. “Hi. Where are the kids?”
“Watching a video in the living room. Still no word from Carol?” Tess asked.
“No, and I’m worried. I was concerned when I knocked on her door this morning and found she hadn’t come home last night. But now I don’t know what to think. No matter how much fun she had last night, she would have at least called by now. You know how protective she is about Amy.”
“I know. I’m worried, too. Maybe we should call someone.”
“Who would I call? She’s not scheduled to work. She’s not answering her cell. I don’t know who this ‘Mystery Man’ is.” Erin stooped down and wound up the hose. “Why did she have to be so secretive? I can’t believe she’s been seeing