Walt Murphy – Part Two – 50

Now Ricky is usually a bit restrained, being an accountant and all.

Okay, strike that. Restraint is not his thing, especially when he thinks I might have been hurt as part of the job I do.

I heard the front door open about half an hour after Tom had left. Yeah, I was still a bit jumpy from all that had gone down, so I was on my feet, ready to defend myself if necessary. It was, but only from Ricky as he practically bowled me over, hugging and kissing me as if we'd been apart for a month, not half a day.  

He finished his attack by stepping back, gripping my arms while he looked me over with a critical eye. "Two arms, two legs, one body, one head, no obvious damage except"—he lightly touched the bandages on my throat. "You made it through in one piece. I'm proud of you. Now…tell me again what the hell were you thinking when you set that up?"

"I missed you too," I said when I could finally get a word in edgewise.

He sagged against me, heaving a deep sigh. "It's over. Right?"

"Yep. Over and done and we can get back to our normal lives." Of course I didn't mention things like trials and the possibility that, with a good lawyer, there was always the chance at least Carlo might get off with a light sentence or probation. Ben? He'd probably end up in the pen, or in a psyche ward, depending on how his lawyer played it. No sense it telling Ricky that. He'd figure it out in time. He is a smart man. For now, well as I told him, it was time to move on.

He looked up at me and gave me that wicked grin that meant he was about to proposition me. "I suggest we start by heading straight upstairs to celebrate 'normal'."

I wasn't going to argue over that idea—so we did. Then we went out for lunch at our favorite restaurant, came home and celebrated again. After all, it's Sunday. What else would two red-blooded men do who have no interest in professional sports on TV? Screw each others brains out. Right? 

The End

Walt Murphy – Part Two – 49

With a bit of effort, I was able to get my cuffed hands in front of me. Then, before calling the cops, I collected the gun and the knife, unlocked the car trunk, and disposed of them there.

As it turned out, I didn't have to call 911. The cop that Tom had assigned to watch me showed up, gun drawn, just as I wrestled my phone out of my pocket.

He took one look at the Donatis, shaking his head. "And Detective Sharp thought you might need my help why?" Then he apologized for not getting here sooner. "After sitting at the restaurant for ten minutes I figured maybe something had happened, so I beat it over here."

"Just in time to help with the clean-up," I said dryly. "Think you can find the keys to these?" I held out my hands. "Maybe in his pocket?" I nodded toward Ben.

He did, freed me, and then used them to cuff Ben, before putting his own pair on Carlo's wrists. Finally, he called in for a pick up and an ambulance. The ambulance showed up first, of course. I got checked out by one of the EMTs who said there was more blood than real damage from the cuts on my throat. He cleaned them, slapped on couple of bandages, and then went to check on Carlo, while his partner was dealing with Ben's broken nose and what turned out to be a cracked jaw.

Tom showed up by the time the EMTs were ready to transport Carlo and Ben to the hospital. After he collected their weapons from my car trunk and bagged them, we went into the house where he sat me down and made me give him a blow-by-blow of what had happened, while he took notes.

    

I finished up by saying, "The only thing Ben didn't do was admit to the murders."

"Unfortunate, but not too surprising. We have the knife though, and my bet is we'll be able to prove it was the one he used on the women."

"You know, I almost feel sorry for Carlo. Despite everything, he did his best to bring Ben up right and he succeeded—until Ms Engel got greedy again. I wonder when he finally realized that it was Ben who had murdered her, and the other women."

"Best guess, the next day, if he's the one who was watching your place and shot at you. Whether he figured it out for himself or Ben told him is still up for grabs."

"With Ben living right here in town, it's fifty-fifty which one did what," I said. "It's pretty obvious though that Carlo had no intention of turning Ben in. Pop psychology, but on some level he was probably glad she was dead and felt it was justified. If he knows about the other murders, and I'm betting he does, they still didn't factor in to his need to protect Ben."

"Or they made him even more protective." Tom shook his head. "From the outside looking in, he was almost psychopathic in his need to do that. I hope to hell I never get that way with my kids."

 

"Hopefully you won't need to. I don't see either of them turning into homicidal maniacs."

"I'm betting he didn't think Ben would—until it happened. I'm sure we'll find out in time, one way or the other." He got up, putting his notepad away. "You'll need to come down to the precinct to sign your statement, once I get it typed up. Now, I have to get to the hospital and question the Donatis, or"—he smiled dryly—"try to while their lawyer fends me off, if they've gotten one."

"Have fun with that. Oh, and where are you hiding Ricky so I can go get him?"

He chuckled. "You know that's a state secret, so I'll have one of my people bring him home."

We shook hands, he thanked me for my help, I thanked him for his, and he left.

Walt Murphy – Part Two – 48

"Don't think about trying anything," Ben said after his father left the garage. He was still behind me, but his hold on my throat had lessened somewhat. I found out why when he told me to put my hands behind my back.

"Hard to do when you're holding me like a lover," I muttered. "Unless you want me to feel you up."

That earned me another cut to my throat. Not deep, but enough to draw blood again. He gripped my bicep hard and stepped back, pressing the point of the knife between two of my ribs.  "Hands behind your back I said. Now!"

So I did. Quickly—even as I tried to move away—he snapped cuffs on one wrist then yanked my other arm hard and finished the job. Finally, he came around to face me.

"I know you," I said in surprise. "You go by Danny. At least at the grocery store."

"That would be me."

He was tall and slender like his parents. Other than that he didn't take after either of them—although as I studied him I could see traces of Carlo in the line of his mouth, and a bit of Ms Engel in the shape of his eyes.

"Why the bit with the food bank?" I asked.

"Those people need help and I can give it to them." He smiled dryly. "If I had to hold a menial job, the least I could do is make it worth while on some level."

"My client said you've been working for her for six months." Since he wasn't holding on to me any more I moved away from him, hoping to find an opening to attack if he lowered the knife, which he still held defensively. "That's would have been around the time your grandfather died."

"Yes."

"Carlo told me you'd grown up to be a fine young man. I took that as an implication you probably went to college and were holding a good job. Was I wrong?"

"No. I was all of that until after grandpa's death."

"What changed?"

I think on some level he wanted to tell his story because he actually replied to my question. "I'd taken time off from my job to be with dad and grandma for a while to help when they needed me to. About a week after the funeral, grandpa's lawyer called dad. He said a woman claiming to be dad's ex-wife had been inquiring about where to find him so she could, to quote, 'Offer her condolences'. He said he hadn't given her dad's address, but that didn't stop us from worrying, knowing my”—his mouth tightened—"mother." He practically spat out the last word and began to pace angrily. "We, well I, because it was my suggestion, decided I should quit my job and move here where I could keep an eye on her."

"You knew she lived here?"  

"She left her phone number with the lawyer. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to track a person if you have that. Something I'm sure you're well aware of."

I was, of course. I was also aware that I didn't have much time before Carlo returned to say he hadn't found anything. First, thought, he'd have to figure out where the safe was, since it was well hidden and somehow I'd neglected to tell them where. Luckily it hadn't occurred to them to ask, but eventually he'd locate if he was persistent. 

"So you found a place to live," I said to keep Ben talking, "and got the job at the grocery store."

He nodded. "After that, it was just a case of using my spare time to watch her." He scowled. "She was one busy bitch." By now he was so into telling his story he seemed to have forgotten about the knife. He was still holding it, but his hand was at his side as he paced.   

I took a quick glance through the window in the side door of the garage to be certain Carlo wasn't on his way back yet. I had one chance, and only one, to take Ben down. If I got lucky. I waited until he was within a couple of feet of me, talking about her job and the men she 'trained'. "Trained being a lose description of what she really was doing," he muttered.

Tensing, I charged him like a rampaging bull. The top of my head hit him squarely in the face and I heard something crack. Not exactly graceful but it did the job. He howled in pain as we both went down. I was at a distinct disadvantage as my hands were cuffed behind me, but I was also on the top of the pile. I heard the knife skitter away and prayed in had gone under the car or the workbench or anywhere else where he couldn't get to it.

The kid was strong and he struggled to push me off, but I had weight and experience on my side and he was bleeding badly from his broken nose. That, hopefully, would begin to weaken him. I shifted quickly, managing to set myself at an angle so I could bring my cuffed hands around and grab his arm. Then I rolled fast, trying to slam him against the car. Slam didn't happen, but he did hit it hard enough that he gasped in pain. I managed to sit up, drew back one leg and kicked him on the chin just as he was trying to get to his feet.

That was all she wrote for him at the moment, but I still had Carlo to worry about. Using the car as leverage I managed to stand. I made it to the hinged side of the door just as Carlo opened it. Hitting it with my shoulder, I knocked him back. He stumbled, fell, I rammed my foot against the side of his head and he was out like a light.

Me-2, Donatis-0. I could live with that.

Walt Murphy – Part Two – 47

I woke to an empty bed. It took me a moment to get it together enough to realize why. It wasn't that it hadn't happened before. Until a week ago when Ricky moved in, we hadn't spent every night together. Not by a long shot. But now… I guess I'm getting spoiled.

I got up and hit the bathroom to shower, shave and get ready to face the day. After putting on jeans and a tee, I was headed downstairs to make coffee when my cell rang.

"Ricky's safely stored away," Tom said when I answered. "The man I'm putting on you should be at your place in ten minutes."

"What's he look like?"

Tom described him then said, "He'll act like he's a friend who was in the neighborhood and decided to drop by to say hello. You can take it from there." 

   

"No. That's too obvious. Have him go to Annie's Kitchen. It's a restaurant a couple of blocks from me. He can follow me from there."

"Follow you?"

"To a couple of stores and then back home. That should give Ben enough options about when and where to make his move if he watching me."

"Okay. You're driving?"

"Yeah. I don't think he'll just come up to me on the street if I walk, but he might decide to wait for me at, or even in, my car."

"Or get into your house while you're gone."

"He's already had a run-in with my alarm system so I doubt it."

"Does it cover your garage?"

"Nope. So yeah, he might try that. Okay, let your guy know the plan. I should get moving."

"Let's hope this works."

"Tell me about it."

I hung up, decided to forego making coffee as much as I wanted some, and went to get my keys and wallet. Then, after arming the system, I locked the front door and headed to the garage. I used the side door as always, since I kept the remote for opening the overhead door on my car's dash. 

I realized when I got into the garage that I had company.

Yeah, I should have been more aware but in my defense I wasn't expecting them—and it was them, Carlo and I presumed Ben—to show up so soon.

Carlo was leaning against my car, holding a small gun, pointed at me. I didn't see Ben, but I felt his arm snake around my throat. He had a knife in his free hand.

"If you don't want another scar to match this one"—the tip of the knife touched the scar that ran from my left eyebrow to my cheek—"give me what you found."

Carlo added, "We don't intend to hurt you, if you do as he says."

"Uh-huh." I snorted in disbelief even as I tried to figure a way out of the problem I was facing. "I can't give it to you if you don't let me go back to the house."

"Tell my dad where it is, and the security code. He can get it while you keep me company here," Ben replied, not moving his arm or the knife even a fraction of an inch.

"It's in the safe in my study," I lied, "and no way am I giving you the combination."

I tried to move and Ben pulled his arm tighter around my throat. "Is it worth your life?" He pressed the tip of the knife to my throat now, just below the arm around my throat. I felt it pierce the skin and then dampness from a small trickle of blood.

I gave them the numbers they needed because Ben was right; not doing so wasn't worth dying for. Besides, with Carlo out of the picture I might have a chance to deal with Ben.

Walt Murphy – Part Two – 46

"We're both scared," I told Ricky softly, cupping his face with my hands. "But this is going to work and then we can get back to our normal life again."

"I hate to break up this tender moment," Tom said with a bit of a smile, "but Ricky should go pack some clothes and whatever."

Ricky looked at him in shock. "Now?"

"Yeah. The sooner you're safely away from here, the better."

"What about work?"

"Tomorrow's Sunday. If this goes into Monday, you call in sick."

"It's the middle of tax season."

"And? Would you rather call in dead?"

"Okay, you made your point." Ricky sighed and got up, heading upstairs to pack.

"Keep him safe, that's all I ask," I said as soon as he was out of earshot.

"It's you I'm worried about. What you did was beyond stupid."

"Can you think of another way to make Ben finally show his face?"

"Unfortunately, no. Wherever he is, whatever name he's using, he's managed to keep well hidden. And his father seems bent on protecting him no matter what."

"As I said, Ben is his life."

"I can understand loving your kid, but he's taking it to extremes, if we're right."

"And with luck we'll find out soon enough if we are."

Ricky came back downstairs at that point with a travel bag slung over one shoulder. Tom stood, waiting for Ricky to join him. Before he did, Ricky came to stand in front of me.

"You will be careful, and call me every hour, and don't try to lose the man Tom sends as your backup or whatever they call it and…"

Getting up, I wrapped my arms around him. "Not sure about calling every hour, but yeah, I'll be careful. I'm not stupid."

"Right now that's still up for debate," he said with a small smile. "Just remember I love you and I prefer you alive and kicking to the alternative." Putting his arms around my neck, he kissed me hard.

I returned it, savoring as I always did the taste and feel of him. Then, gently, I unwrapped his arms, telling him, "I love you too. Now go. Tom's waiting."

With a deep sigh, Ricky gave me another kiss, a fast one, before heading to the door.

"I'll be in touch in the morning," Tom told me. "And arm this." He tapped the alarm box.

With that, he and Ricky were gone. I watched until they drove away before closing the door, setting the alarm, and going into the kitchen to throw out our half-eaten sandwiches. Somehow with all that had happened, neither Ricky nor I had managed to take more than a couple of bites of them. Grabbing another beer, I went back into the living room. I needed to go over my plan one more time—what there was of it. I hadn't been lying when I told Tom the farthest I gotten with it so far was my phone call to Carlo. I had ideas floating around in my head, but nothing concrete—yet. So I drank my beer and plotted.

Walt Murphy – Part Two – 45

"Wait a minute. When did you tell him that? Oh hell. That's what you did to—how did you put it? Light a fire under Ben, figuring Carlo would tell him?" Ricky looked as if he didn't know whether to shoot me or just make me move to the farthermost corner of the world where I'd be safe.

"Yeah. And with luck it'll work."

Ricky appealed to Tom, saying, "Can you do something? Please. Give him some… I don't know… Protection maybe?"

"Walt might not be the one who needs it. One of the messages, if I remember correctly, threatened that someone would die if Walt didn't back off. And you were the only one here when Ben tried to break in."

"But he couldn't have known that," Ricky protested.

"If he was watching the house and saw Walt drive away, he would have."

"He did kill someone," I said quietly. "The woman at the Elite Gym. That happened the same night I got that message."

"It might be coincidental, if Carlo was the one trying to scare you off to keep his son safe," Tom pointed out.

"I wonder if Ben told him that he'd killed Ms Engel," Ricky said. "Or if Carlo just presumed it had to be him."

"We probably won't know until this is over," I replied.

"So, Walt, did you have a plan beyond telling Carlo you'd found something of Ben's?" Tom asked.

I shook my head. "More like a hope Ben would come after me to get it."

Tom nodded, looking at Ricky. "I'm putting you in protective custody until this is over."

"Just a minute now," Ricky said angrily. "Why me?"

"Because Ben might, probably will, come after you to get to Walt. With you out of the picture, he'll have to go directly to the source, so to speak."

"No way in hell," Ricky spat out.

I took his hands, gripping them tightly. "You have to, because Tom's right. Ben's crazy. He has to be to have killed the other women. He'd have no second thoughts about using you as a bargaining chip to make me give up whatever he thinks I found—and then killing you afterwards just to show me who's 'boss'. If that happened, we'd never catch him. He has to be forced to come straight to me."

Ricky swallowed hard. "I don't like this one damned bit."

"I'm not exactly happy about it either, but it's the only way. At least I can handle myself."

"Give him body armor," Ricky practically ordered Tom.

"That can be arranged."

"And protection?"

Tom nodded. "I can afford to put one man on him."

Ricky, being Ricky, of course had to say, "He better not be 'on' him." Then he quickly apologized, adding, "That was stupid, but I get that way when I'm scared."

I hugged him. "And when you're being silly, or have had one beer too many, or…"

"Okay. Yeah. Still…"

Walt Murphy – Part Two – 44

I filled Tom in on everything I knew, or thought I knew, and gave him my notes to back up what I'd told him.

"Interesting," he said when he finished reading.

"That's it? Just interesting?"

"Since I've come to some of the same conclusions, yeah, it's interesting that you have too. It means I, we're, probably on the right track. Then only problem is finding Ben. Or whatever he's calling himself now. His father is being very tight-lipped."

"I wonder," Ricky said pensively. "Maybe Carlo thinks the same thing? That Ben's the one who killed Ms Engel?"

I nodded slowly. "It would explain why he's not willing to give me, well us"—I glanced at Tom—"Ben's name or where he's living. The best I've gotten out of Carlo is a hesitation when I asked if Ben lives in the area, before he said he didn't."

"Hardly conclusive," Tom pointed out, "but still telling."

"My thought exactly. He could be in Louisville, close to Carlo, or up here, or anywhere in between."

"Or in Timbuktu, but my guess is you're right. He'd have to be close by considering all he's done in the last week or so."

"Just because we are playing guessing games here, have you checked out Carlo Donati's whereabouts during the relevant times?" I asked Tom.

I could tell he was resisting rolling his eyes when he replied, "Of course. Mr Donati was back in Louisville on Sunday. That's confirmed by his pastor and two golfing buddies. Tuesday he had meetings with various clients at his business. Again, that's confirmed by the clients. The last meeting ended at approximately six pm. He'd have been hard pressed to make it back up here in time to kill the woman in the Elite Gym parking lot."

"Two hundred miles at sixty miles per hour would take approximately three and a third hours, and that doesn't take into account slower speeds in town," Ricky told us.

"The math whiz strikes again," I said, chuckling. "Still, if he's right and I'm sure he is, that would put Carlo here around nine-thirty pm if he left directly from work." Something else occurred to me. Something I should have checked. "Do you know if he owns a motorcycle?"

"He doesn't. He has two cars, a 2012 Chevy SUV that he uses for business, and a BMW sedan, presumably for personal use."

"What color?" I asked.

"You think I keep info like that in my head? Why do you care anyway?"

"Number two on my list."

Tom took a look. "Okay. Hang on." He made a call and asked whoever answered to go to his desk and check his notes on Carlo Donati. A couple of minutes later he hung up. "Medium green."

"So it could have been him," Ricky said. "Or Ben, if he borrowed the car, with or without Carlo's say-so."

I nodded. "Easier to use than the cycle for staking out the house. Presuming of course it was Ben and not just someone visiting the people across the street."

"What if…?" Ricky took a swallow of his beer.

"You gonna leave us hanging?" I asked.

"I just had a wild idea. What if it's both of them? They both had a reason to want Ms Engel dead."

"You're right, that is wild," Tom said. He turned to me. "You've talked with Carlo on a personal level. Do you think he'd be involved if it meant keeping Ben safe, or to muddy the waters?"

"Yeah, I can see that happening," I said after a moment's though. "I think Ben is his world and always has been. But—I don't think Carlo would kill anyone. Take a potshot at me and watch the house? Yes. Maybe even come up with the messages to try to make me back off. Especially if he thought Ms Engel's murder was the only one. He could have convinced himself she deserved it."

"What about someone trying to break in here?" Ricky asked.

"My best guess is, that was Ben. Carlo sounded surprised when I told him Ben had dropped something during his visit here."

Walt Murphy – Part Two – 43

"I think you're right," Ricky said after reading my notes and listening to my explanation about why I thought Ben was the killer. "Are you going to show this to Detective Sharp?"

"He's probably already come to the same conclusions."

"But you don't know for certain."

I shrugged. "Nope. I'll stop by the precinct on Monday and give him a copy."

"Call him now. We're talking about a murderer here, not someone who runs red lights."

"Red lights?" I chuckled.

"You know what I mean," he grumbled. "This is serious. What if Ben decides to strike again? What if…if he's gotten a taste for killing now?"

"I'm working on that."

"Meaning?" He shot me a questioning look then shook his head. "Now what have you done?"  

"Tried to light a fire under him so he'd show his face."

"Are you crazy?"

"Sometimes."

"Walt…" He glared at me. "Call Sharp. Now!" He even took out his phone and tried to hand it to me. "If Ben takes the bait you'll need protection."

"I can handle things."

"Famous last words. Call Sharp or…or you're cut off for the rest of what could be your very short life."

"Threatening me?" I asked with a slight grin.

"Not a threat. A promise. Damn it, Walt, I don't want him killing you."

"I'm not too partial to that idea either."

I knew Ricky was right, although I was just as worried that he could be the target. Not that I'd tell him. Of course, being the smart man that he is, he'll probably figure that out for himself any time now.  

I used my phone to call Tom. He wasn't working but I asked the dispatcher to get a message to him that I needed to talk to him ASAP. The last time I'd done that was during the theft case. When he returned my call this time, about ten minutes after I'd talked to the dispatcher, his first words were the same one's he'd used then.

"This better be damned important."

"Ricky thinks it is," I replied.

"Meaning you've gone and done something stupid?" I could hear a trace of laughter in Tom's voice. "Okay, tell me." I'd barely started when he said, "Hold that thought. We need to talk in person. You're at home?"

"Yep."

"Okay, I'll be there in fifteen, give or take. Presuming my wife doesn't kill me first for leaving in the middle of supper."

I glanced at the time and realized it was still fairly early in the evening. What with telling Ricky everything, I hadn't even thought about the fact it was dinner time.

"Sandwiches," I said the second I hung up, heading to the kitchen.

Ricky got the idea and five minutes later we had what would pass for our dinner tonight. I'd just taken the first bite of ham and cheese when the doorbell rang. I went to answer, still chewing, and let Tom in.

"Now you know how I feel," Tom said dryly. "Got another one of these?" He tapped my beer on the coffee table as he sat in the chair across from the sofa.

I went to get him one and then we got down to business.

Walt Murphy – Part Two – 42

Friday, I actually did stay away from anything concerning the late Ms Engel. I do have a business to run and in that respect there was more than enough to keep me busy.

Saturday I went in to work with the intention of getting back to the Engel case, even though, as such, it didn't exist anymore. Well except in my head and for the cops. I wondered if Detective Sharp had been able to locate Ben. Getting that information from Carlo Donati would probably take an act of congress, or the threat of filing obstruction of justice charges against him.

I considered asking a guy I know who has 'friends' at various cell-phone providers for help. I've used him before when I wanted to gain access to someone's phone records. Legal? Probably, well definitely not. Do I do it anyway? Yep. Chances are Tom had already done that with Donati's records but I knew for certain he wouldn't tell me if he had. So I called my guy and laid out what I needed. He said it could take a couple of days to find out anything, which I'd already figured. Still, it was one step in the right direction if it worked.

Next on the agenda, putting a time-frame to my contacts with the killer. I knew in a general way, but spelling it out might show me something I'd missed. So I did.

1 – Saturday night – Ms Engel murdered

2 – Sunday the potshot at me/Ricky – green car in front of house

3 – Monday – first message from killer

4 – Tuesday – second message after my lunch with Caiazzo – that night the woman at the Elite gym was murdered

5 – Wednesday – the attempted break-in at the house

There had been nothing more since then, but that didn't mean the killer wasn't watching me, or tracking me somehow. I pointed the cursor at number four. Was her murder the direct result of my not backing away? I sure as hell hoped not.

Looking at the list I added:

Friday: My initial contact with Carlo Donati, first by phone and then in person. The first woman murdered.

Saturday: Carlo was in the city because he visited my office again. My 'date' with Ms Engel at the bar was followed by her murder later that night.

Sunday: Carlo could still have been in town. I didn't know Milano existed at that point, so he didn't know about me. Presumption but probably true.

Monday: Same holds true about Milano as for Sunday. Called Carlo but that doesn't say he was in Louisville since it was to his cell phone.

Tuesday: Lunch with Caiazzo. Only knew about Milano at that point. No contact with him until after the second message. Called Carlo about son. Got the brush off. Second woman murdered.

Wednesday: Frank Milano shows up here first thing in the morning, thanks to Caiazzo.  He could have remained in town. But as stated above, he didn't know I was looking for him until Caiazzo contacted him. Presumptively.

Thursday through today: No contact with/from killer.

At this point I could almost rule out Frank Milano. He didn't know I had anything to do with Ms Engel until after I received the messages. Of course it was possible he'd been stalking her with the intention of killing her, if he lied about when they ran into each other and she attempted to blackmail him again. In that case he could have followed her when she came to my office. Possible, but not probable, to my way of thinking.

So my money was on Carlo Donati or Ben. A toss-up but I'm betting on Ben. He had the most to lose—and a bigger reason to hate Ms Engel—than Carlo did. If Carlo had talked to Ben on Friday, telling him that his mother was searching for him, it could have triggered the killings. He, Ben, does a practice run Friday night—either to see if he has the guts for it, or to try out his plan for getting rid of his mother. Either way works as a motive for the first murder. Since he knows about me, thanks to Carlo, he decides to try to scare me off. Should I let it go to my head that he thinks I'm smart enough to figure out he's the killer? Probably not. He's just covering all bases to keep from being caught.

Now all I have to do is find Ben. Uh-huh. If Tom hasn't, and I think he'd have told me if he had, given that I was a target of sorts, what the hell chance do I have? Only one. Figure out how to get Ben to show his face again.

I picked up the phone and called Carlo.

"Mr Murphy," he said coldly when I identified myself. "What now?"

"I'd like you to give Ben a message for me."

After a brief pause, he said, "If I hear from him, I'd be glad to."

"Tell him I just found something he dropped when he paid a visit to my house. If he wants it back he should give me a call. It would be in his best interests if he did."

"He visited you?" Carlo sounded shocked.

"In a manner of speaking. He'll know what I mean."

"I'll…let him know."

"Thanks."

With that, I hung up.

Now it was just wait and see if Ben took the bait. I printed out my notes, shut down the computer and headed home.

Walt Murphy – Part Two – 41

"Three suspects? Mr Donati, his son and…?" Tom said, looking as if it pained him to even have to ask.

"Frank Milano. One of her ex boyfriends."

Tom frowned. "Milano as in the mob Milano?"

"Amedeo Milano's son. Ms Engel blackmailed him a while back and the father paid her off. Frank thought that was the end of it until he ran into her the night before she was murdered. And why the hell am I telling you this instead of making you find out for yourself?"

Tom smirked. "Because you're a good citizen?"

Both Ricky and I snorted.

After chuckling at our response, Tom got back down to business. "So—about Mr Milano. How did he just happen to run into her again?"

I filled him in on what Frank had told me and how I managed to find out about him in the first place. Tom looked disgusted that he hadn't come up with that information on his own.

When I was finished he thanked me, somewhat half-heartedly, then blew it by telling me, "You are to back off now. Understand. For your own good. The next time the killer might do more than just try to break into your place. He might succeed."

"If it was him, and not a random burglar," I pointed out.

"Do you really believe it wasn't him?"

"No," I had to admit.   

"So you're going to keep your nose out of it now?"

I shrugged, earning me a glare from Tom. "Look," I said, "the fact I seem to have gotten under the killer's skin might lead to my finding out who it is—if he keeps up with the messages. One thing I know already, he rides a motorcycle. It's black, where it isn't covered with dirt—and that included the license plate. Maybe a Harley but I'm no expert. Not tricked out." I described what I could of the driver, which wasn't much.

"And if he does go after Ricky again?"

"I can handle myself now," Ricky said adamantly.

Tom cocked an eyebrow. "Walt gave you some pointers? Good if he did, but it's one thing to know and another to put them to use when it comes down to the nitty-gritty."

Ricky nodded. "I know, but if it's me or him…"

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," Tom said. "It's less likely to if Walt…"

"Backs off. I got it," I said.

"Then do it." Tom stood, going to open the office door. Getting the message, Ricky and I started to leave. Tom stopped me momentarily, saying, "If you find out anything else…"

"You'll be the first to know, I promise," I replied with a grin. He knows me too well.