Chapter 13

At 5:00 p.m., Francis's black Motorola began vibrating in his right pants pocket. He picked up and answered it.

All Mark heard was a "Hello" a bunch of nods followed by a "Mhmm" or "Very good" and then a quick "Goodbye" as Francis put down the phone.

Mark looked towards Francis, curious on who had just called him.

"That was the coroner," said Francis, stuffing the phone back into his pocket. "Mr. Burke died at around eleven as well and the prints on the knife were confirmed to belong to Mrs. Rhinert."

"Well at least we know that Sandra killed Bill," said Mark, satisfied.

Francis nodded.

"Now we can confirm that she was having an affair and probably some dispute resulted in Mr. Burke's death."

Mark nodded.

"Now all we have to do is find that gun and this case is solved."

"That shouldn't be too hard," said Francis. "It's either Mrs. Burke or Mr. Rhinert. My guess is Mr. Rhinert, but then again Mrs. Burke was pretty enraged when she found out her husband was dead."

"You see that's what doesn't make sense," explained Mark. "If Sandra and Bill died around the same time, then how come Josephine just discovered her husband's body today?"

"To make it look she just came back from her friend's house. Even if we called her friend's place, we would probably still get a story that she was there even though she wasn't."

"But why wait today? She could have easily made it look like she discovered him yesterday or the night of the murder."

"Maybe she knew about Mrs. Rhinert and decided to wait before she threw another body on us."

Mark scratched his chin as Francis let out another small puff of smoke. He then stared at his cigarette and asked,

"Do you think Mr. Rhinert smokes?"

"Maybe," said Mark. "I don't think Josephine alibi's fake because I still don't quite get why she would've hid her husband from us."

"Maybe she and Mr. Rhinert were working together. There are so many possibilities and once we find that gun we'll know which one killed Mrs. Rhinert."

"Detectives!" cried Lucifer, as he stepped out of a light brown Lincoln MKZ.

A man with short cut brown hair wearing a dark green suit with a matching tie and shiny black shoes, stepped out of the driver's seat carrying a light brown briefcase and followed Lucifer as he walked up to the two detectives.

"What brought you to this cottage?" asked Lucifer pointing to the dark red cottage.

"We found another body," replied Mark, as the man stood beside Lucifer.

"Wow, having a fun day, aren't you detectives?" asked Lucifer, sarcastically.

Francis and Mark didn't reply so Lucifer went on.

"This here's my lawyer."

Lucifer pointed to the brown haired man.

"Name's Larry Fields," said the man, as he stuck out his hand towards the detectives.

Neither of them shook his hand, but Larry didn't seem to care as he dropped it.

Larry had small black beady eyes, a large nose, and a mouth that was more conducive to sneering rather than smiling. 

"Larry is here just in case you two decide to provide false accusations in my name," said Lucifer, smiling for the first time.

"Lucifer," said Mark, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Did your wife by any chance smoke?"

Lucifer pointed a long black finger in Mark's direction as if Mark had just committed a crime.

"You'll be happy to know detective that my wife doesn't smoke nor do I and you may search my cottage if you don't believe me, but the only ashtray we have in our house is for guests and hasn't been used for many years. It's up in a small cupboard which I can show you if you would like to check it for prints."

Lucifer was really enjoying himself as if he had just won the lottery.

Mark gave him a fake smile.

"That won't be necessary."

"You sure? I have no objection."

Now Mark felt he was in court, which was exactly what Lucifer wanted him to feel, so Mark replied blandly,

"I'm sure."

"May I ask who died?"

"Bill Burke, husband to Josephine Burke. Do you know them?"

"Of course Bill and Josie!" cried Lucifer. "Lovely couple, used to come over to our place sometimes and play Euchre. I'm so sorry about her husband, how'd he die?"

"He was stabbed by your wife."

"Oh, " said Lucifer, not looking at all surprised. "Did you find out why detective?"

"She was having an affair with Josephine's husband."

"Guess my wife couldn't wait for death to do us part. It would make sense why she was always leaving the cottage. Hardly ever saw her at dinner. But I didn't care, she was free to do what she pleased and she has a lot of friends here in Orchard Park. Do you have any idea who shot my wife?"

Mark shook his head, but by the way Lucifer was acting, he seemed to be very close to an answer.

"When was the last time you saw your wife Mr. Rhinert?" asked Francis.

"Last Friday," replied Lucifer. "Kissed her goodbye and went on my way to court in Toronto, where I was dealing with a case."

"And you were never suspicious of your wife having an affair?"

"Like I said to Detective Flinn, I just assumed she was meeting and greeting friends."

"Was your wife fond of air fresheners, red roses, and books by Charles Dickens?"

"Yes, why, did you find those items in my bedroom and I assume the bedroom of the Burkes?"

The detectives nodded.

"Yes, she always liked to keep any place she stayed fresh and clean. Once we went to my aunt's and she completely fussed over putting those damn air fresheners all over the house. I never minded her very cleanliness ways though and to books of Dickens, she loves Dickens and once she's reading, something very important has to force her to put it down. To her one of those important things was when I was leaving for Toronto. She was reading David Copperfield at the time and put it down to say goodbye to me outside and to give me a kiss before I left."

"Did she get back to the book?"

"How would I know detective? I left just after. I don't see why it would matter."

"Mr. Rhinert, we have seen two bedrooms so far, yours and the Burkes' and in each we have found a Charles Dickens book that was placed facedown on the bed along with a vase of roses and air fresheners all over the wall."

"Well, she loved red roses and always kept a vase in our room and for the Burkes', she must have been staying there a long time because it's not the same with the air fresheners, she doesn't place roses in a room as soon as she gets there. And as for the whole placing-books-facedown-scenario, that important event that interrupted her, must have been killing Bill. Did you say what the time of death of Bill was? I know the time of death of my wife."

The detectives shook their heads.

"It was around the same time as your wife."

Lucifer then suddenly realised what Francis and Mark were getting at.

"So I assume that you think I killed my wife once I found out about the affair, and killed her just after she killed Bill. I probably waited outside the bushes as I watched her go into the cottage and then run out. Then as she headed towards me I stuck a gun in her chest and fired. Soon as I realised there was blood all over my white shirt I tried to hide it under the Mabels' dock so they couldn't find it. Very clever detectives, except for one flaw: I was in Toronto at the time of the two murders and my alibi is solid, if you called the Hilton."

"Hey Luce!" cried a tall black man, who looked exactly like Lucifer as he waved to him as he walked towards the lawyer.

"Now if you detectives excuse me, I'm going to talk to my brother, who hasn't seen me in days."

Francis and Mark eyes widened as Lucifer trotted over to the tall black man who was wearing blue jogging shorts, a green T-shirt, and white Adidas sneakers.

They watched as the brothers hugged each other and talked amongst themselves.

The two detectives moved closer to the side of the cottage, to avoid Larry's stares and ears.

"Do you think Mr. Rhinert did it?" asked Francis, talking quietly.

"It looks like it, but the brother seems suspicious," said Mark, quietly.

"How so?"

"I have a feeling that they could have been working together. Lucifer could have killed Sandra and then used his brother as a second alibi, so he could also tell us that he left for Toronto and he'd also have the lawyers trying to cover everything up."

"That's an interesting theory," stated Francis.

"Detectives! What are you doing all the way over there?" cried Lucifer as he and his brother headed towards Mark and Francis. "This is my brother Davis."

Lucifer slapped his brother on the back before Davis stuck out his hand towards the two detectives.

"I heard about Sandra. Terrible news, just terrible," said Davis after Mark and Francis shook his hand.

He had curious blue eyes that went from one detective to another as if he was trying to see through them.

"There's been a second murder that was just discovered, bro," said Lucifer, as he motioned to this lawyer to join him.

"Who was killed this time?" asked Davis, curious, as Larry ran over to join Lucifer.

"Bill Burke," replied Mark.

"Bill Burke?" cried Davis, surprised. "That nice fella'? He never hurt nobody."

"It's been confirmed that Sandra killed him."

"What a b***h, I never thought that woman was right for my brother right from the start, but he still married her. Didn't I tell you Luce?" asked Davis, turning towards his brother. "That girl was bad news and I knew some day she would cheat on you and she didn't even like the man she cheated on so killed him."

"We still don't know who murdered Sandra."

"Well it shouldn't matter if you do, that woman deserved what she got if you don't mind me saying."

"I don't think anyone deserves to die, Davis."

"No one deserves to die, but some deserve to be punished."

Mark wasn't sure what to believe: if Davis was defending his brother, or accidentally letting it out that he killed Sandra, or that he just never liked the woman.

"I still hope you detectives find the killer," said Lucifer. "Unless you still think it's me."

"They think it's you, Luce?" asked his brother, shocked.

Lucifer nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets. That's when Mark noticed that something was bulging from his left suit jacket pocket and just as Lucifer explained,

"But I keep telling them that I was�""

Mark interrupted him with,

"Lucifer what's that in your pocket?" as he pointed to the bulge.

Lucifer reached into it and pulled out a small black cassette tape. Lucifer stared at it in complete surprise.

"What the hell's that doing there?" cried Lucifer, as he stared at the tape as if it were mud on his shoe.

"May I see it?" asked Mark, as Lucifer handed over the tape.

As he and Francis glanced over it, they noticed that there was the word, Scream hand writing scratched in with large red messy handwriting on the front of the tape.

"Lucifer," said Mark, as he had now found another piece to the puzzle. "Why don't we go to your place and play this tape."

"But I don't have a cassette player," interjected Lucifer.

"I have a feeling you do," said Mark, as he and Francis walked up the dirt road heading up towards the Rhinert cottage. As they neared it, they saw that Fred was still guarding the path.

Mark and Francis were not surprised when they found that the cottage door was unlocked. It was one of the reasons why Fred was guarding.

"Search the house," said Mark to Francis as Francis disappeared into the Rhinert's bedroom

Larry quickly went up to Mark and said,

"I'm sorry detective, but you cannot search Mr. Rhinert's place without a warrant."

"I think this tape qualifies as a warrant," said Mark, flashing the tape in the lawyer's face.

"No, I'm sorry, but that does not qual�""

"Found it!" cried Francis, from the bedroom, as he brought out a small silver tape recorder that was wrapped around with a black cord.

He placed the tape recorder on the table and plugged it into the socket in the wall. Lucifer stared at them speechless as Mark handed Francis the tape and put it in the tape recorder.

"Detectives! What you are doing is illegal and I won't stand�""

That's when Lucifer put up his hand to shush him.

Mark found it pretty funny that Larry had just been standing there, holding his briefcase, and screaming at him and Francis.

"Relax Larry, I'm not pressing charges. Someone put that tape in my pocket and is trying to frame me. And Sandra and I never had a tape recorder in our bedroom or in this cottage. So, why don't we listen to see what's on that tape," said Lucifer, to his lawyer.

Larry nodded, as if he was a small child being told to behave.

Francis pressed the play button on the tape recorder and only heard static.

"Maybe it wasn't rewound," Francis suggested as he pressed the rewind button and watched as the numbered dials went backwards until they hit zero, which took about ten seconds.

Francis then pressed play again, and heard a loud blood-curling scream come from the speakers and then a deep voice say,

"The tale of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley."

Francis stopped the tape.

"Well I think we found out where that scream came from," said Francis, as he took out the tape and placed it on the table.

"Scream?" chorused Lucifer, Davis, and Larry.

"We forgot to tell you," said Mark speaking to Lucifer, "that during the night of the murder, the Mabels heard a blood-curling scream around eleven-thirty in the evening, but Sandra wasn't pronounced dead until eleven."

"The Mabels are old," said Davis. "Who knows when they heard that scream. It could have been closer to eleven. Therefore, it could have been Sandra screaming not this stupid tape."

"You think I played that tape after my wife was killed?" asked Lucifer, ignoring his brother.

Mark and Francis nodded.

"But why would I have played the tape after I had already killed my wife?"

"We don't quite understand that," said Mark.

"If I killed her, why not let her make her own blood-curling scream than have a tape do it for her?"

"We don't know. Maybe she died before she could scream."

"Even if that were true, why have a tape at all? Why bring attention to the issue? Why not just let the police find out in the morning instead of having them come that night?"

"Maybe you wanted the police to come straight away so the case could be quickly solved so you could get rid of your brother that night for some reason who you'd hope be accused."

"What would be my evidence?"

"That tape and the gun you might've hid in your brother's house while he was sleeping."

"How did all that cigarette smoke wind up on my wife when neither of us smoke?"

Mark had no idea and he wasn't even sure about the accusations he was making against Lucifer. This case just didn't make sense and he wanted it solved and out of the way.

"Like it or not detective, you have no evidence on me except that tape, which anyone could have planted," said Lucifer, pointing at the black cassette.

Mark had to admit that Lucifer had looked pretty surprised when Francis had found the tape recorder, but he knew that he could've been trying to prove his innocence.

"Why don't we go to my brother's place and have a drink? I think you detectives are tired and are not thinking," suggested Lucifer.

Mark and Francis nodded. Maybe they weren't fit to solve this case.

But Davis looked hesitant as he said,

"Luce, don't you think I should invite people to my house, not you?"

There seemed to be worry in his blue eyes.

"Relax, Davis," said Lucifer as he patted his brother on the back. "What d'ya got in there, a tiger? Ignore my brother detectives. He's only thirty and tends to be very nervous when it comes to people visiting his house. Why, he nearly had a heart attack when I took Sandra there for the first time. But she was soon right at home when she filled the place with air fresheners like she always does when she visits. My brother hasn't taken them down since. His place isn't exactly a trailer park but is close, but at least now it smells like lemons. But you must have been to messy houses before, and the only reason I don't want to stay here is because it gives me the creeps now that Sandra's gone. So what d'ya say Dave, you gonna help a brother out?"

Davis nodded his head, but to Mark, his blue eyes told him that there was something else besides air fresheners in that house.