“Poole knew that as well.”
“Yeah, but we didn’t worry about it too much until Coppersmith arrived. That’s when I did some research online and found out that he might be a problem. That’s when Poole decided he’d have to cut his losses and get rid of Louise.”
“She was the last one who could connect him to the contract killings.”
“There was no way to know how much the old witch really knew or even if anyone would ever believe her if she did talk. But Poole was a real detail guy when it came to his work.”
“Besides, by then he knew that he would probably be able to find a replacement for Louise in Evelyn’s old Summerlight files,” Gwen said.
“You know about those files, huh?” Riley chuckled. “Wow. Didn’t see that coming. Nicely played. But I get bonus points because I’m the one who hacked into Evelyn’s computer and found those old files. When Poole took the computer that night, he was just trying to cover his tracks. I’m the one who recognized those records for the gold mine that they are. Between you and me, Poole was not exactly a wizard when it came to technology.”
“You’re the one who ran the psychic chat room, aren’t you? You’re Sundew.”
“Bonus points for you. I’m impressed. You and Coppersmith are much farther along than I realized.”
A rush of knowing stirred Gwen’s senses. “Zander Taylor was not Buddy Poole’s only son, was he?”
“Nope. Zander and I were half brothers. Different mothers, same father. Dad slept with a lot of women when he was running that cult.”
“How did he find you and Zander?’
“He didn’t even know we existed. I found Poole. Got curious a few years ago and went looking for possible siblings. I located Zander. He was a budding serial killer at the time. I helped him turn his little hobby into a more challenging game. I pointed out that he needed to be more selective when it came to choosing his targets. I convinced him that it would be more fun for both of us if he hunted others like himself, people with genuine talent. Of course, in those days, he didn’t have the crystal so he whacked people in a more traditional way. He loved poison because it left no trace and because it always took a while for the downers to croak. That’s what he called ’em.”
“Downers?”
“Yeah, like those downer cows in the stockyards. The ones sick with that mad cow disease.”
“I can tell the two of you really bonded,” Gwen said. “How did you both end up here in Wilby?”
“Zander had what you might call a sentimental streak. He knew that I had found him, so he asked me to see if I could track down his mother. Took a while because Poole had pretty well erased her trail after he brought her here to Wilby. But three years ago I found the old witch. Imagine our surprise when Zander and I discovered that good old dad was living here, too.”
“That must have been a touching reunion.”
“Poole was a little concerned when we first introduced ourselves, but as soon as he found out that we knew all about his murder-for-hire business and that we shared his taste for the game, he immediately saw the possibilities. I’m the one who came up with the Sundew chat room concept. I transitioned him from his old-school business model into a state-of-the-art firm. Crazy Louise, on the other hand, was convinced that her one and only son, Zander, was in great danger from what she called his demon father.”
“She gave Zander one of the crystal weapons so that he could protect himself.”
“Well, that, too, but mostly I think she hoped that Zander would whack dear old dad. But Zander was a gamer to the core. Naturally, he started using the crystal in his hunt-the-psychic game. Then, about a year later, Ballinger fired up her study, and the first thing you know, she’s rounded up a whole flock of real talents. Zander went a little nuts.”
“He volunteered for the study. And then he started killing the people in it.”
“Couldn’t help himself, I guess.” Riley grunted. “It was like putting a fox in with a bunch of chickens. Poole and I both got real worried, I can tell you. The whole business was in jeopardy. Oxley may not buy into the paranormal, but he’s not stupid.”
“Too many mysterious deaths in one small town would get any cop’s attention,” Gwen said.
“Zander had the sense to make you look good for the first two deaths, but how long could that go on? Poole concluded that Zander was out of control and would have to disappear.”
“But Zander went over the falls first,” Gwen said.
“Problem solved. The timing could not have been better. Poole was very relieved, I can tell you. So was I. But neither of us could figure out what had happened that day out here at the falls. Just couldn’t picture Zander a suicide.”
“Still, it was convenient for you both that Zander was gone.”
“Oh, yeah. We gave it a rest for a few months, and then we went back to business as usual.”
“Until Evelyn tumbled onto what was going on when Poole left town to attend the crafts fairs. Now Poole is dead, and you’re the one who is trying to clean up.”
“Poole was not much of a father, but he taught me a few things during the past three years,” Riley said, “the most important of which is to pay attention to the details.”
“Why did you hurt Wesley? He wasn’t involved in this.”
“I needed Lancaster to get you out here this morning so I sent you that e-mail from his address, making you an offer I knew you couldn’t turn down. When you took the bait, I got him out here first with a phone call. I told him that you had asked me to pass along a message for you. Something about wanting to meet you out here to talk about his offer. He didn’t ask any questions, believe me.”
“How do you expect to explain my death?” Gwen asked.
“It will look like you and Wesley quarreled over the future of the lab. Everyone in town knows that he wanted to use this place as a set for his pathetic TV series. They also know that you two had a history. It all adds up to a motive for murder.”
“You’re going to kill me and frame Wesley?”
“Thought about using Coppersmith, but to tell you the truth, that guy makes me nervous,” Riley admitted.
“Want some free psychic counseling advice? That’s your intuition pinging you. Pay attention.”
“Don’t worry, I’m paying attention,” Riley said. “After realizing that he somehow managed to whack Poole last night even though the crystal was still fully functional, I knew it would be way too risky to try to use Coppersmith in this game scenario. I’d sure like to know how he survived the crystal, though. Poole had a lot of experience with that gadget.”