The Fourth Monkey: A twisted thriller you won’t be able to put down. J.D. Barker

      Porter walked over to the laundry basket and felt a towel near the center. “Still warm.”

      Nash nodded slowly. “So somebody phoned her, told her we were coming …”

      “That would be my guess. She probably cleared out right after getting the call.”

      “That doesn’t mean there’s some big conspiracy. She might just be an illegal like Dr. Watson over there suggested, and he didn’t want to see her get deported,” Nash said.

      “I’m not a —”

      Nash cut him off with a wave of his hand. “I bet she’s still close, then. We should post someone to keep an eye on the place.”

      Nash’s phone rang, and he glanced at the display. “It’s Eisley.” He tapped the Answer button. “This is Nash.”

      Porter took the opportunity to dial his wife. When he got voice mail, he disconnected without leaving a message.

      Nash hung up and dropped his phone into his front pants pocket. “He wants us down at the morgue.”

      “What did he find?”

      “Said we needed to see for ourselves.”

       14

       Diary

      “Would you like honey in your oatmeal, dear?”

      Mother made wonderful oatmeal. Not the prepackaged kind, no sir. She purchased raw oats and cooked them to a magical deliciousness and served them with toast and juice at the little breakfast nook in our kitchen.

      “Yes, Mother,” I replied. “More juice too, please?”

      It was a little past eight in the morning on a sunny summer Thursday.

      I heard a gentle knock at our screen door, and we both turned to find Mrs. Carter standing on the stoop.

      Mother grinned. “Hey, you. Come on in.”

      Mrs. Carter smiled back and pulled open the door. Thanks to the bright sun, I saw the outline of her legs through her dress as she stepped over the threshold. She gave my shoulder a squeeze and smiled before walking over to my mother and giving her a light peck on the cheek.

      I have to say, after yesterday, it was fairly tame. However, I did catch a glance as it passed between them.

      Mother stroked the other woman’s hair. “Your hair looks absolutely stunning today. I’d kill for hair like that. I’m having an Irish coffee. Would you care for one?”

      “What is Irish coffee?”

      “My, my, you are young in the ways of the world, aren’t you? Irish coffee is coffee with a splash of Jameson whiskey. I find it’s the perfect pick-me-up on a warm summer morning,” Mother told her.

      “Whiskey in the morning? How devilish! Yes, please.”

      Mother poured her a steaming cup of coffee, then took down a little green bottle with a yellow label from the cabinet I was not permitted to open. She removed the cap and topped off the mug before passing it to Mrs. Carter. I couldn’t help but notice that their hands lingered together a moment longer than one would think necessary.

      Mrs. Carter took a sip and smiled. “This is to die for. It must do wonders during the winter.”

      Mother looked at the woman and tilted her head. “Isn’t that the same dress you were wearing yesterday?”

      Mrs. Carter blushed. “I’m afraid so. I desperately need to do laundry today.”

      “I can’t let you go through the day in yesterday’s clothes. Follow me.” She stood and started for her bedroom, taking the bottle with her. “I have a few dresses I don’t wear anymore. I bet they would fit you perfectly.”

      Mrs. Carter smiled at me and chased after Mother, her Irish coffee in hand. I watched them disappear down the hall, Mother’s door closing as they stepped inside.

      For the briefest of moments, I considered staying there at the table and finishing my breakfast. After all, it is the most important meal of the day. As a growing boy, I understood the importance of nourishment. I didn’t do it, though. Instead, I tiptoed down the hallway and put my ear to her door.

      Nothing but silence came from the other side.

      I went outside and circled the house.

      Mother’s window was on the east side, above a large rosebush shaded by an old cottonwood. Careful to ensure I could not be seen from the street, I positioned myself to the side of the tree and turned to the window. Unfortunately I was still rather short, my thin body that of a boy, and only the ceiling of the room was visible from that angle.

      I quickly ran to the back of the house and returned with a five-gallon plastic bucket. Placing it upside down beside the tree, I climbed atop and again turned to the window.

      Mrs. Carter’s back was to me, watching Mother as she dug through her closet with the ferocity of a dog creating a hole for its favorite bone. When Mother emerged, she held three dresses. Words were exchanged, but I was unable to make them out, as Mother’s window was closed. She wasn’t one to open her bedroom window, even at the peak of summer heat.

      Mrs. Carter reached behind her head and untied the bow that held the back of her dress together. My breath caught in my throat as the thin material fell away. Aside from thin white cotton panties, she was naked. Mother handed her one of the dresses, and she slipped it over her head. Mother then stepped back and appraised the other woman. She produced the small green bottle with the yellow label and drank directly from it. She shivered, grinned, and handed the bottle to Mrs. Carter, who hesitated only for a moment before bringing the bottle to her own lips and taking a drink.

      I knew what alcohol was, but I couldn’t recall ever seeing Mother drink, only Father. It was commonplace for him to pour a drink or two after a long day at work, but not Mother. This was new. This was different.

      Our neighbor handed the bottle back to Mother, who drank again, then passed it back, the two of them laughing silently behind the glass.

      Mother held up one of the other dresses, and Mrs. Carter nodded with enthusiasm. She removed her dress and walked over to Mother’s large mirror, holding the second dress against her chest.

      My heart quickened.

      Mother stepped up behind her and brushed her hair to the side, revealing the curve of her neck. I peered in as Mother kissed her ever so tenderly on that spot where neck meets shoulder. Mrs. Carter closed her eyes and leaned back slightly, pressing against her. She dropped the dress to the floor. In the mirror’s reflection, I watched as Mother’s hand inched up the other woman’s stomach and found her right breast.

      Unlike Mrs. Carter’s, Mother’s eyes were open. I know this because I could see them. I could see them staring back at me in the mirror’s reflection as her hands drifted down the length of the other woman’s body and disappeared within her panties.

       15

       Porter

       Day 1 • 10:31 a.m.

      The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office was on West Harrison Street in downtown Chicago. Porter and Nash made good time from Flair Tower and parked in one of the spaces out front reserved for law enforcement. Eisley had instructed them to meet him in the morgue.

      Porter had never been a fan of the morgue. Formaldehyde and bleach seemed to be the air freshener of choice, but there was no disguising