Read Online The Traveler: Book 5, The Eddie McCloskey Paranormal Mystery Series (The Unearthed) by Evan Ronan - Free Book Online
Authors: Evan Ronan
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looked at each other. Eddie knew he was striking a nerve, but they’d asked him out here to find the truth and not to pussyfoot around and give them the safe answers.
“Why would you look at him?” the chief said.
“A serial stalker and rapist in life translates into a mentally unbalanced ghost in the afterlife. He didn’t die a peaceful death, so that means he’s a deranged ghost with a big ax to grind.”
“Fellov fits the profile,” Christie said. “Perks went after all kinds of women, but most of them were older.”
“Not seventy years old,” Harney said.
“The fifth woman was almost sixty, so we’re in the same ballpark,” Christie said.
While the detectives talked, Eddie watched the chief closely. The man’s face betrayed nothing. He couldn’t tell what the chief was thinking.
Harney shook his head. “Fine, seventy isn’t out of the question. But Stahl doesn’t fit the profile. He’s a thirty-something guy. Perks never stalked or raped any men. And Chief—” Harney stepped forward and addressed Knotts as if he were the only one in the room. “—that is a closed investigation and there is no need to open that file to an independent consultant who isn’t even a licensed PI.”
Christie shot out of her chair. “Stahl was friendly with Kelly Taggert.”
The chief looked past Harney at Christie. “Taggert?”
“Kelly Taggert was Perks’s third victim. Stahl and she dated briefly. At the time, the facts made Stahl look like our guy for the rapes. We questioned him extensively and were close to bringing him in when the next victim came forward with new information that exonerated Stahl.”
Her recall was excellent. So good that Eddie wondered if she’d been the one chasing Perks. He also wondered, briefly, if she’d been one of the cops that had shot the rapist in front of the grocery store.
As gruesome as the crimes were, at least it gave them a plausible lead. In a few short hours, that was pretty good. Last night he’d gone to bed not knowing where the hell to go next, and dreading nothing would turn up at Fellov’s or Stahl’s house when he went back. But right now they had a trail to follow. Perks had a somewhat connection to Stahl and a potential connection with Fellov.
The chief nodded, then addressed Eddie. “I want to make sure I understand. You’re saying that Perks could be a ghost now and is still stalking women. But if it’s Perks then for him to have appeared at Stahl’s or Fellov’s houses, he needed to be connected to those places in some key way.”
“Or Perks is following someone else around. Someone who went to those houses also.”
Christie said, “Hold on. Fellov described the ghost as a woman.”
Eddie nodded. “I know, that’s a sticking point for me.”
“A pretty big one,” Harney said. “And why exactly would he kill Stahl? There’s no clear motivation.”
Eddie just kept on ignoring Harney. “What did Perks look like?”
“Long hair,” Christie said. “Slight frame. He looked like the guy that always got picked last for kickball growing up.”
“He didn’t look like a woman, though,” Harney said. “Chief, are we really going down this path?”
Eddie said, “When we don’t understand what we’re seeing, our brains will pattern the object in a way that it does make sense. Ghosts only vaguely resemble their living selves.”
Harney shook his head. “I repeat: why would Perks kill Stahl?”
In an even voice, Christie said, “I don’t know, but it’s a lead. We can either follow it or not. But we don’t have much else to go on, right now. Do we?”
Harney’s face went red. “We have real police work to do, like contacting known friends and family, tracking whereabouts, confirming stories.”
The chief finally weighed in. “All of which you’re doing, Harney. You’ve already got everything on Stahl. I see no reason why we can’t take parallel paths here. You stick with what you’re doing, Christie stays with
“Why would you look at him?” the chief said.
“A serial stalker and rapist in life translates into a mentally unbalanced ghost in the afterlife. He didn’t die a peaceful death, so that means he’s a deranged ghost with a big ax to grind.”
“Fellov fits the profile,” Christie said. “Perks went after all kinds of women, but most of them were older.”
“Not seventy years old,” Harney said.
“The fifth woman was almost sixty, so we’re in the same ballpark,” Christie said.
While the detectives talked, Eddie watched the chief closely. The man’s face betrayed nothing. He couldn’t tell what the chief was thinking.
Harney shook his head. “Fine, seventy isn’t out of the question. But Stahl doesn’t fit the profile. He’s a thirty-something guy. Perks never stalked or raped any men. And Chief—” Harney stepped forward and addressed Knotts as if he were the only one in the room. “—that is a closed investigation and there is no need to open that file to an independent consultant who isn’t even a licensed PI.”
Christie shot out of her chair. “Stahl was friendly with Kelly Taggert.”
The chief looked past Harney at Christie. “Taggert?”
“Kelly Taggert was Perks’s third victim. Stahl and she dated briefly. At the time, the facts made Stahl look like our guy for the rapes. We questioned him extensively and were close to bringing him in when the next victim came forward with new information that exonerated Stahl.”
Her recall was excellent. So good that Eddie wondered if she’d been the one chasing Perks. He also wondered, briefly, if she’d been one of the cops that had shot the rapist in front of the grocery store.
As gruesome as the crimes were, at least it gave them a plausible lead. In a few short hours, that was pretty good. Last night he’d gone to bed not knowing where the hell to go next, and dreading nothing would turn up at Fellov’s or Stahl’s house when he went back. But right now they had a trail to follow. Perks had a somewhat connection to Stahl and a potential connection with Fellov.
The chief nodded, then addressed Eddie. “I want to make sure I understand. You’re saying that Perks could be a ghost now and is still stalking women. But if it’s Perks then for him to have appeared at Stahl’s or Fellov’s houses, he needed to be connected to those places in some key way.”
“Or Perks is following someone else around. Someone who went to those houses also.”
Christie said, “Hold on. Fellov described the ghost as a woman.”
Eddie nodded. “I know, that’s a sticking point for me.”
“A pretty big one,” Harney said. “And why exactly would he kill Stahl? There’s no clear motivation.”
Eddie just kept on ignoring Harney. “What did Perks look like?”
“Long hair,” Christie said. “Slight frame. He looked like the guy that always got picked last for kickball growing up.”
“He didn’t look like a woman, though,” Harney said. “Chief, are we really going down this path?”
Eddie said, “When we don’t understand what we’re seeing, our brains will pattern the object in a way that it does make sense. Ghosts only vaguely resemble their living selves.”
Harney shook his head. “I repeat: why would Perks kill Stahl?”
In an even voice, Christie said, “I don’t know, but it’s a lead. We can either follow it or not. But we don’t have much else to go on, right now. Do we?”
Harney’s face went red. “We have real police work to do, like contacting known friends and family, tracking whereabouts, confirming stories.”
The chief finally weighed in. “All of which you’re doing, Harney. You’ve already got everything on Stahl. I see no reason why we can’t take parallel paths here. You stick with what you’re doing, Christie stays with
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