“Yeah, it does, but that’s what happens. These weren’t random attacks. They were targeted. I think our killer is sacrificing these men. Come on, we need to talk to Jimmy’s wife.”
CHAPTER SIX
If these victims were targeted, Ella needed to know more about them. Byford did the driving with Ella in the passenger seat. They went straight from the Medical Examiner’s office to Pike Creek about twelve miles away.
The address was a single-story home just off Cherry Street, a plaque on the wall identifying it as Orchard House. Next to it, it said entrance to 109 round the back. This was the home of Tessa’s sister, where she was staying for the time being.
The agents followed the stone pathway round to the back and opened the gate. Ella searched for a buzzer but didn’t find one. She knocked and waited. From behind the frosted glass, a blurry figure emerged.
“Who is it?” the blur asked.
“Good day, we’re with the FBI. Could we please speak with Tessa Loveridge?”
Ella saw the figure’s reluctance through the fuzzy barrier. The door unbolted and they came face to face with a middle-aged woman, gray hair around a plain face.
“Hi, are you Tessa?” Byford asked.
“No. I’m her sister. Should you really be around here so soon?”
“We need to talk to her. It’s a matter of urgency,” Byford said. The comment caught Ella by surprise. Very abrupt, she thought.
“We’re sorry we have to be here,” Ella jumped in, “but our best chances of catching whoever did this lie with Tessa. We mean no disrespect being here so soon.”
The woman sighed and moved out of the way. She called the agents through into her home. They entered into a carpeted hallway with a lounge to their right.
“Tessa, you’ve got visitors,” the woman said. She pointed towards the front room and the agents followed her cue. Ella walked in to find a woman curled up on a brown sofa. Stale tears clung to her cheeks and washed her makeup down her face. A cup of coffee sat on the table beside her, but it was stone cold judging by the look of it.
“Tessa, I’m Agent Dark and this is Agent Byford. We’re with the FBI. Would you be willing to talk to us for five minutes? We promise we won’t keep you long.”
Tessa had shoulder-length brown hair and a figure that had seen plenty of gym time. She looked in peak physical condition, but emotional was a different story. She nodded her head without even looking at the agents.
“Okay,” she said.
Ella and Byford lowered themselves onto a two-seater couch on the other side of the room. Tessa slowly sat up, turned off the TV and tied back her hair. “Sorry. I look like shit.”
“Please don’t apologize. You look fine.”
“Yeah, right.” Tessa sniveled and wiped her nose. The undersides of her eyes were red raw. “What do you want to know?”
“Could you talk us through what happened last night?” asked Ella
Tessa took a moment to compose herself. She kept her gaze on the floor as she spoke. “I got home from work about two-thirty in the morning. Night shift. I’m a nurse at the hospital. When I walked in, I walked past Jim in his chair. The lights were off, so I guessed he’d fallen asleep in front of the TV.”
“Alright. Then what?” Byford asked. Ella was getting a little annoyed with his hasty tone.
“I went upstairs to get changed and I found an insect in the bathroom. I went to get Jim to kill it, and that’s when I realized he was… gone.” Tessa wiped her eyes as new tears came.
“I can’t imagine what that must have been like. We’re so sorry,” said Ella, showing sympathy before Byford blurted out something abrupt.
“It was hell. I can’t believe it. I think I went into shock. I called the police and ran out into the street.”
Ella knew that Tessa’s first thought at the time was that the killer might still be in the house. A lot of people didn’t want to admit it, but it was human nature to worry that you were next in line. “What can you tell us about your husband? He seems like a good man.”
“The best,” Tessa nodded. “When I got home, he hadn’t put the trash out and I remember getting mad at him. God, I feel like such a fool. Now, I’ll never get to be mad at him ever again.” Tessa’s words were punctuated with sobs. She cupped her hands around her face. Ella jumped out of her seat and sat next to her. It was an expected reaction on her part and Tessa needed to know it was okay to let it all out.
“Jimmy seemed like a great guy, and you had many happy years together. Trust me, when you’re better you’ll remember nothing but the good times. I’ve been there myself.” Ella rubbed Tessa’s arm.
“Have you?” Tessa asked into her hand-mask.
“Yes. When I was a little girl, I found my dad dead in his bed. I won’t lie, it was the worst night of my life, but now I’m just thankful I got to spend a few years with him before he passed. Pretty soon, you’ll think the same.”
Tessa came around. She wiped away the residue on her face with her dressing gown sleeve. “That’s horrible. But you know how I feel.”
Ella looked over at Byford. He looked incredibly uncomfortable. She guessed empathy wasn’t his strong suit.
“It’s gonna be hard for a while but you’ve got people around you. You’ll still struggle with it, probably for the rest of your life, but it gets easier. And if someone tells you to be strong, tell them to get lost because you can cry all you want, whenever you want, okay?” Ella thought Tessa smiled but it was hard to tell.
“Thanks. Nice to know I’m not alone.”
Ella stayed put. “You’re not. And if you tell us everything we need to know, we’ll catch the son of a bitch who did this to Jimmy. We promise.”
Tessa reached out and drank from her cold coffee. It seemed to perk her up. “Not much to tell. He’s a simple man. He’s been an antiques dealer since he was a teenager. If it’s old and rusty, he’ll sell it,” she smiled.
“A true carny,” Ella said, praying Tessa wouldn’t take offense.
“Oh yes. Carny to the bone.”
“How was his business doing?” Byford asked from across the room. Tessa caught his eye.
“It was fine. The thing about antiques is that you only need to sell a few to make good money. Some of that junk went for thousands of dollars.”
“Did Jimmy have any enemies in his trade? Maybe competitors?”
Tessa thought about it for a second. The head shaking began. “Not really. Antique dealers are few and far between. He had some trouble with a few pawn shops, and had he had a few crazy customers, but nobody that would kill him. Jim was a respected man.”
“What was his trouble with the pawn shops?” Ella asked.
“It was only really one pawn shop. Aces & Eights on the high street. Sometimes Jimmy and the owner would have fallings out, but it was minor stuff. They were friends, really.”
It didn’t seem likely, but it was worth keeping it in mind, Ella thought. Plus, there was the money link. Ella got out her phone and pulled up a few pictures.
“Please don’t think of this as insensitive, but did your husband ever trade these kinds of coins?” Ella showed Tessa the coins pulled from Alan and Jimmy’s eyes.