The Face Book Killer Caylin Christo Book 2.

The Facebook Killer Chapter 12 Halloween

Grace Hines was about to leave for the day. Hector was at his Cardio appointment, Caylin and Tony had the day off, and in the weeks following the debacle at Fat Sam's the Big Easy had been surprisingly quiet.
Although for the last couple of hours Grace had been feeling jumpy. Perhaps it was the strange weather, snow was being predicted in the next twenty four hours. Never in all the years she had been living in New Orleans had Grace heard of snow this early, if any snow at all. The last two years the winter's had been pleasent. Chilly at night but fair during the day. This year however, from the end of September there had been a pervasive chill lingering and growing deeper by the day.
The weather channel was speaking of a phenomenon called a Polar Vortex this winter, with the potential to freeze parts of the US that hadn't seen snow for years, including New Orleans. Looks like they might be right for once. Large fluffy snow clouds had been skudding across the sky since lunch time. Now closer to dark they were amassing and the temperature was dropping dramatically.

She was picking up her warm red cashmere scarf when the phone on her desk rang making her jump.
"Detective Hines."
"Yes, Dectective? My name is Frannie Wetherstone, I work at the Magnolia Grove Nursing Home out on Decature?"
"Yes Frannie?" Asked Grace, aware the hair on the back of her neck was stirring. By the time she had finished talking to Miss Frannie Weatherstone they were standing to attention.
Grace hung up from the young woman, called Agent Durant and then called Hector.
They finally might have a name for their killer, Larry Edwards. Grandson to Wilma Ray Edwards also known as Willie. Employed by the Digitech Call Centre right here in New Orleans. Sharon had been right he was a tech geek, if indeed it did turn out to be him.

Grace raced out to her car, she was meeting Sharon and Hector at the Nursing Home. She would need to get in touch with Caylin as well and let her know what was going on. They had all seen him, and if his Grandma had a reliable photo, and of course she would have his address they might have some chance of catching him.
Grace accessed Siri as she drove, "Siri, call Caylin." Grace instructed as she drove down Market Street. Siri called the number and Grace was rewarded by the busy signal. "Damn!" Caylin always turned off her phones when she had a day off. No doubt Tony and Amy would be with her. Should she really bother them yet though? What if it was another dead end?
As she stopped for a red light, Grace decided to wait, if it turned out that this Larry was their boy, then she'd bring them in.
Grace drummed her fingers on the wheel in frustration, the light was taking it's time. As she waited she noticed the first crystalline flakes of snow come floating gently down from the overcast and ever darkening sky.

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Caylin had given up trying to keep the candles alight in her pumpkins she had placed on the porch this morning. The weather had taken a turn for the worst after lunch and they kept going out
Right now they were the least of her concern. She had spent a cosy day at home with Tony and Amy, and Leanne and the dogs. Currently everyone was sprawled out in the living room watching TV. They had been watching movies, now they were tuned the the Weather Channel. It seemed a blizzard was headed their way. Racing down the coast from upstate.
It was a disturbing thought, but that wasn't why Caylin was feeling uneasy. A sense of menace had been surrounding her all day. She was worried sick about Leanne and insisted she come spend the day with them. Using a play date for the dogs as an excuse.
Leanne was still off work on bereavement leave, so it had been easy to get her to come over. Tony and Amy always spent the day with Caylin when they all had the day off. And Caylin and wanted her friends where she could see them.

She was heading into the kitchen to make hot chocolate when the temperature dropped sharply. "Oh no. Now what?" Caylin muttered.
Her cell phone that was resting on the counter suddenly clattered to the floor and slid across to come to a stop at her feet.
Marveling that the fragile iPhone hadn't busted she picked it up and flicked it on. One missed call from Grace. Caylin accessed her voice mail.
There was no message just an exasperated sigh. And a hang up.
She was about to call Grace's number when Amy ran into the kitchen.
"Caylin, Leanne just left!"
"What? Why?"
"She got a text message and said she had to run into her work to sign a form to renew her bereavement pay for the next month. Said her boss wanted to get it fixed up in case the office had to shut down."
Caylin bit her lip. "Is she coming back?"
"Yeah! She left Molly here. Said she'd go fix up the forms with her boss, swing back to her place to grab some extra clothes and then she was coming back. Said she didn't think you'd mind if she waited out the storm with you." Amy replied raising her eye brows.
Caylin knew Amy must be thinking she and Tony might like some alone time. But she couldn't be further from the truth. Caylin wanted her family of friends all under her roof. She needed everyone together. Something was stirring. A spirit was once again within her walls. Trying to tell her something.
"That's fine. I want you all to stay. I'll call her in a minute. Amy, would you feed the dogs? I need to call Grace."
Caylin left the kitchen, heading for her bedroom to make the call. She didn't want to alarm her friends if it was nothing.
She had her hand on the doorknob which was as cold as ice when there was the sound of a clatter in the kitchen and a startled yelp from Amy. "Ah Caylin?" She called out shakily.
Caylin ran to the kitchen to find Tony and Amy and the two dogs staring at the fridge.
Those damn magnets again. Neatly spelt out on the door was indeed a message from a spirit. HE'S BACK!
"Oh my God! Leanne!" Caylin shrieked.
"We'll go catch her at work. We'll bring her back here!" Tony and Amy headed for the door.
"I'll call Grace. Then I'll call you Amy. Keep your phone handy. I'll call Leanne let her know you're coming!" Caylin replied.
She quickly punched in Leanne's number and was rewarded by the theme from The Great Gatsby coming from the chair Leanne had been seated in. She'd run off and forgotten her phone!
Caylin raced to the door to tell the others to hurry, but Tony's car was already pulling into the street. They drove off before she could make them see her.
"Shit! Shit! Shit!" She murmured like a vulgar mantra as she hurried inside to call Grace.
Luckily Grace picked up on the third ring, "Caylin! Thank God! We have a lead!"
"He's back Grace! He's in New Orleans! I got a message!" Caylin almost yelled into the phone.
"Oh my God!" Said Grace. "Where is Tony? Is he with you?"
"No he and Amy are chasing Leanne. She got called into work to sign some forms, the she was gonna go home. They took off after we saw the message, it was the fridge magnets again!" Caylin explained.
"Okay, I'll send a black and white to her work and her home. She'll be fine. Listen, we have a lead. Can you come to The Magnolia Grove Nursing Home? I'm meeting big daddy and Sharon there. A girl who works there thought our composite looks a lot like one of the resident's family members. We could use you there."
"Okay, I'll just feed the dogs."
"Hurry sweetie." Grace said and hung up.

Caylin hurriedly poured kibble and gravy into two bowls. And the dogs eagerly ate up their dinner.
She was racing to the door with her keys in her hand when she heard the sly whisper of plastic on vinyl. Caylin turned and looked through the arch way to the kitchen. A new message appeared on the fridge, TOO LATE.
"No!" She gasped and plunged out into the frigid evening air. Leaving Jerry and Molly to gaze soulfully after her as she backed down the drive way.

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Leanne climbed out of her car and hurried to her front door. She decided to grab her extra things real quick then swing by the office and then back to Cay's place. She wanted to grab Molly's snuggle cat. The dog wouldn't sleep without the funny stuffed animal. Even though the toy was shaped like a cat, Molly was surprisingly gentle with it. Cuddling it between her front paws and resting her chin on it for sleep.
Lea rushed in, grabbed Molly's toy off the floor and hurried into her bedroom. She grabbed some random comfy items, and her favorite warm sweater, as she ran back into the living room she fumbled in her coat pocket for her phone. It was gone. It must have slid out of her pocket when she was at Caylin's damn! She decided to keep moving when she realized something was wrong.
The living room was very dark. It was coming onto twilight but there had been enough light spilling through the door for her to see by. Now the room was enshrouded in shadows. The door was closed, she'd left it open. The wind couldn't have blown in shut, that side of the house was well sheltered.
Frowning as she approached the door, she noticed the dirt on the cream shagpile. And the shape of a man's boot.
She knew. It was him. The man who had killed Donna. He'd come back to get her when they least expected it. She felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. She turned to quietly flee out the side laundry door when something soft but dense collided with the side of her head, and everything went black.

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Caylin screeched to a stop in front of the nursing home and raced inside. Hector and Grace were waiting in the foyer. Sharon had not arrived as yet.
As Caylin reached them, a lady in her forties came over looking startled at Caylin's appearance until Grace explained. Then showed them to the TV room. It had been cleared except for one attractive elderly lady, with soft silver hair pulled into a bun and a face like peach cobbler.
"Willie? These people would like to speak to you dear, about your grandson?"
Willie smiled widely at the three of them and said, "Larry? Why you just missed him! Saints be praised. He was laid up sick, had me scared near to death! But he just came by to explain and bring my treat!" The old lady exclaimed. Peach tea, and Maccaron's. Grace went cold. The same thing he had ordered the day she had unwittingly run into him the coffee shop.
He had just been here, they had missed him again.
"Mrs Edwards, where is Larry going now?" Hector asked.
"Why?" Willie asked in suspicion.
"We just think he may be able to help us with a case we're working on." Grace replied gently kneeling beside her chair.
At this Willie beamed with pride. "Of course, such a smart boy! Well he said he was on his way to pick up his girlfriend Leanne."
Caylin went white and felt her head begin to spin. Her cheeks went numb and she couldn't get enough air.
Mrs Edwards looked at her with concern, "Are you alright dear?" With that visions of her friend dismembered and dumped into an unspeakable drum full of chemicals paraded across her mind.
Her vision went hazy as as Mrs Edwards got up from her chair yelling at Hector to catch the young lady, she was going to faint.
And faint she did. The horrible message on her fridge blinking on and off in bright red neon as her vision clouded and all went black. TOO LATE, TOO LATE.

As Hector raced to grab Caylin as she fell, the date on the wall calendar didn't go unnoticed by Grace. Young Miss Weatherstone had been a day out. It was October 31st. Halloween.
Just like in that old movie by John Carpenter, the night he came home.
As Hector tried to bring Caylin round, and the blizzard began in earnest, Grace felt the suffocating feeling of impending doom.
She shook it off and turned back to the grandmother of a serial killer, "Willie? Where does Larry live?"