The Night Monster_ A Novel of Suspense - James Swain [106]
“Mouse explained the deal to me that night. He told me that I was a substitute for a nurse who Lonnie had fallen in love with when he was in a mental institution. My job was to give Lonnie his medicine, and shoot him up with steroids. I also had to measure him every few days to make sure he wasn’t growing anymore. I also had to cook, and keep the place clean. If I did my job well and kept Lonnie happy, Mouse said nothing would happen to me.”
“Were you sexually assaulted?” Linderman asked.
Seppi sucked hard on her cigarette. “No. Mouse wanted to sleep with me—he said so a bunch of times—but Lonnie wouldn’t let him. I was Lonnie’s girl.”
“Did Lonnie rape you?”
“The steroids shrunk up his balls.”
“How did you manage to escape?”
“They screwed up. One day Mouse went into town, and Lonnie stayed behind. It was hot outside, and Lonnie had been lifting weights in the yard. He came inside, and told me he wasn’t feeling well. I gave him a cold drink and suggested he lie down on the couch. He went and lay down, and fell asleep. I walked past him a couple of times, and rang my bells. He didn’t wake up.”
“Is that when you ran?”
“Not right away. I was scared. I knew what had happened to Mouse and Lonnie’s other victims. But when I realized this was probably my only chance, I left.”
“Where did you go?”
“I went straight to Sheriff Morcroft. He listened to my story, then put me in his cruiser, and took me to my momma’s nursing home. He told me he was sorry about what had happened, but because of the insurance claims, he couldn’t draw attention to the town. When we got to the nursing home, he told me he’d kill my momma if I made any trouble.”
“What did you do?” Linderman asked.
“I went home and cried for two weeks. Then I took the hostess job at The Sweet Lowdown, and got on with my life. It was strange. Folks in town just acted like nothing had happened. After a while, I started doing the same thing.”
Lying on the coffee table was a folder containing the missing person reports of the other victims. Linderman spread the reports across the table.
“What happened to Mouse and Lonnie’s other victims?” Linderman asked.
Seppi looked at the reports, and the color drained from her cheeks. The victims’ faces stared up at her. Seppi’s expression turned strangely vacant, and she turned sideways on the couch, and stared at the wall.
“They died,” she muttered.
“Did Lonnie kill them?” Linderman asked.
“Yeah. There was a small cemetery behind the house where he buried them. He liked to put flowers on their graves.”
“So the other four victims are buried at the compound?” Linderman said.
“There were five,” Seppi said.
The suite grew silent. I saw Linderman’s jaw clench.
“Tell me about the other victim,” Linderman said.
“She was right before me,” Seppi said. “They kidnapped her down in south Florida. I saw her sneakers lying around one day.”
“Running sneakers?” Linderman asked.
“I think so. They were blue Nikes.”
“When would this have been?”
“About five years ago.”
“Is she buried … with the others?”
Linderman’s voice had cracked. He switched off the tape recorder, and rose quickly from his chair. Wood and his assistant looked at him in alarm.
Linderman did not respond to their stares. Instead, he walked to the living room’s glass slider. Opening it, he went onto the balcony.
“Excuse me,” I said.
CHAPTER 54
went onto the balcony to check on Linderman. He was holding the railing with both hands, listening to the night sounds. I placed my hand on his back.
“You doing okay?” I asked.
“Not really,” he said.
“You can take a break, you know.”
“I’ll be all right. Just give me a minute.”
I lowered my hand and stared into the darkness. Many times I had tried to imagine the torturous existence he and his wife had led since their daughter’s disappearance. Each time I had come up short.
“I’ve thought about this day for a long time,” Linderman finally said. “In the beginning, I prayed that I’d find Danny alive, and I’d bring her home and our lives would go