Epilogue
I HAVE COME TO LEARN that murder investigations always have loose ends and questions that cry out to be answered. Always. But not this time. I was home one night about a month after we buried Chris. I had finished dinner for one, fed and walked Her Sweetness, when there was a knock on the door, a single, authoritative rap. I hadn't buzzed anyone up from downstairs, so I went and looked through the peephole before I opened up. I couldn't believe my eyes. It was Nicholas Jenks. He had on a blue blazer over a white shirt and dark gray slacks. He looked as arrogant and obnoxious as ever. "Aren't you going to let me in?" he asked, then smiled as if to say, Of course you are. You can't resist, can you? "No, actually I'm not," I told him. I walked away from the door. "Get lost, asshole." Jenks knocked again, and I stopped walking. "We have nothing to talk about," I called loudly enough for him to hear. "Oh, but we do," Jenks called back. "You blew it, Inspector. I'm here to tell you how." I froze. I could feel my eyes blazing, heat burning the back of my neck. I walked back to the door, paused, then opened it, my heart beating fast. You blew it. He was smiling, or maybe laughing at me. "I'm celebrating," he said. "I'm a happy fella! Guess how come?" "Don't tell me, because you're a bachelor again." "Well, there's that. But I also just sold North American rights to my latest book. Eight million dollars. Then the movies paid four. This one's nonfiction, Lindsay. Guess the subject. Go ahead, take a stab." I wanted desperately to punch Jenks out again. "And I'm the one you have to share your news with? How goddamn sad for you." Jenks continued to grin. "Actually, I came here to share something else. You are the only one I want to share this with. Do I have your attention yet, Lindsay? You blew it big time, babe." He was so creepy and inappropriate that he was scaring me. I didn't want him to see it. What did he mean, I blew it? "I'd offer you a drink, but I hate your guts." I smirked. He threw up his hands, imitated my smirk. "You know, I feel exactly the same thing toward you. That's why I wanted to tell you this, Lindsay, only you." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "Chessy did what I told her to do, right up until the very end. The murders? We were playing a terrible, wonderful game. Tragic husband and wife kill happy, innocent husbands and wives. We were living out the plot of a novel. My novel. You blew it, Lindsay. I got away clean. I'm free. I'm so free. And now I'm richer than ever." He stared at me, then he started to laugh. It was probably the most sickening sound I'd heard in my life. "It's true. Chessy would do anything I wanted her to do. All of them would- that's why I picked them. I used to play a game where they barked like dogs. They loved it. Want to play, Lindsay? Ruff, ruff?" I glared at him. "Don't you feel kind of inadequate- playing your father's old games? Joanna told me." "I took things way past anything my father ever imagined. I've done it all, Inspector, and I got away with it. I planned every murder. Doesn't that make your fucking skin crawl? Doesn't it make you feel inadequate?" Suddenly, Jenks was putting on plastic gloves he took out of his jacket pockets. What the hell? "This is perfect, too," he said. "I'm not here, Lindsay. I'm with this sweet little liar of a bitch in Tahoe. I have an alibi bought and paid for. Perfect crimes, Lindsay. My specialty." As I turned to run, Jenks took out a knife. "I want to feel this going inside you, Lindsay. Deep. The coup de grace." "Help!" I screamed, but then he hit me hard. I was shocked at how fast he moved and how powerful he was. I slammed into a living room wall and almost went out. Martha instinctively went after him. I'd never seen her bare her teeth before. He lashed out and cut her shoulder. Martha fell over, whining horribly. "Stay away, Martha!" I screamed at her. Jenks picked me up and threw me into my bedroom. He shut the door. "There was supposed to be another bride and groom murder while I was in jail. New evidence was going to slowly re423 veal itself. It would become clear that I was innocent- framed. Then I'd write the book! But Chessy turned around and double-crossed me. I never respected her more, Lindsay. I almost loved her for it. She showed some goddamn guts for once!" I crawled away from Jenks, but he could see there was nowhere for me to go in the bedroom. I thought I might have a broken rib. "You'll have to kill me first," I told him in a hoarse whisper. "Okay." He grinned. "Glad to oblige. My pleasure." I crawled hand over hand toward my bed, the side facing a window on the bay. It was hard to breathe. Jenks came after me. "Stop, Jenks!" I yelled at the top of my voice. "Stop right there, Jenks!" He didn't stop. Why should he? He slashed back and forth with the knife. Christ, he was enjoying this. He was laughing. Another perfect murder. I reached under the bed to where I'd fastened a holster and revolver, my home security system. I didn't have time to aim, but I didn't have to. Nicholas Jenks was stunned, the knife poised over his left shoulder. I fired three times. Jenks screamed, his gray eyes bulged in disbelief, then he collapsed dead on top of me. "Burn in hell," I whispered. I called Claire first- the medical examiner; then Cindy- the best crime reporter in San Francisco; then Jill- my lawyer. The girls came running. The End
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