Journalstone's 2010 Warped Words for Twisted Minds Read Free Page A

shook her head and stepped aside. “C’mon in.”
    Vaughn, who’d been looking through the yellow pages for law firms, got to his feet as they entered the living-room. “How’re you and the gnomes doing?”
    Trish, standing behind their neighbor, shot him a seething look.
    “Just lovely, dear,” she smiled. “I was coming back from the senior center and noticed that pest control truck still sitting outside. I didn’t know they worked this late.”
    “We just wanted to do some last minute maintenance,” Vaughn lied casually. “You never can be too careful. The van’s having electrical problems, so it might be the battery.”
    “Your exterminator might want to get a jump or something,” she offered. “They clean our side of the street tomorrow morning and I’m sure he’d hate to end up getting a ticket. I heard they’ve gone up to $75 dollars!”
    “We’ll definitely give him the heads up when he gets back,” Trish assured her.
    “I’d love to stay, but I’m expecting a call from my daughter in a bit,” she sighed, walking with Trish toward the foyer. “I must say that I love what you’ve done with the place. It’s a wonderful home, and it would’ve been a shame to let it go to ruin after that tragedy eight years ago.”
    Trish gently touched the woman’s shoulder, keeping her voice calm. “What tragedy?”
    “The Pimbleton Case? It was all over the news for months. I’m surprised you haven’t heard about it. They really should’ve given you the story when showing the place, not that it would have any effect on the home itself. I mean, a house is still a house. But, people have a right to know when they’re investing a great deal of money.”
    “What happened?” Vaughn inquired, clearly worried.
    “They lived here for several years, and one day the father up and murders his wife and daughter without a second thought. The police made the newspapers keep the details scarce, but he supposedly did something so terrible to the bodies that the coroner wasn’t certain how they even were killed.”
    Vaughn glanced at Trish, who looked noticeably pale. The reason for them finding this house at the more-than-reasonable rate was now sickeningly apparent.
    “Did they catch the husband?”
    “Oh yes,” Mrs. Bondelli nodded. “Someone like that, they can’t just let stay at large. He ended up in a hospital out in Carroll County for people that aren’t right in the head. I’m sure his aunt that came to visit the family for a while must’ve been especially hurt by what happened. I can’t recall her name, but I think she was from Europe or someplace.”
    Unfortunately, she couldn’t provide any more information that was helpful. They both walked her to the door and watched her disappear down the sidewalk.
     
    *  *  *
     
    Pied Piper, who informed them the next morning that they’d heard no word from Malik, sent a second technician with a tow truck to retrieve the van and equipment. He assured them that the proper repairs would be made within 48 hours, as well as the fee cut in half for the inconvenience they’d experienced.
    They might’ve missed the impromptu home invasion that night had Vaughn opted to take the beltway home, the 45-minute traffic deadlock having spared them the whole ordeal. But, Vaughn, being compelled to take the scenic route home after having dinner at Chevy’s, got him and Trish home mere minutes after the intruder arrived.
    Malik’s handiwork had temporarily silenced their alarm system, so they’d made it a point to leave the living-room light on. Having entered the foyer they were in the process of removing their coats when the man in the dirty scrubs jumped Vaughn.
    “You moved her!” His breath reeked of cigarettes and halitosis.
    “Moved who?!” Vaughn struggled to throw the wild-eyed man off him until he pressed the paring knife to his throat.
    “Get off him!” Trish was now brandishing the aluminum bat, ready to bash their intruder’s skull