Cereal Killer

Kevin,” she said. “Exactly how many of your girlfriends did you involve in these murders of yours?”
    His face, already crestfallen, fell a few more notches. He didn’t reply.
    But Leah did. “What do you mean?” she said, bristling. “What do you mean by ‘his girlfriends’?”
    “That’s right, Leah. Plural,” Savannah answered. “He’s been playing hokeypokey with a little nurse at the hospital. She even helped him dump Tesla off a cliff, and she hid his bloody jeans after he killed Kameeka. She says they were ‘in lo-o-ove.’ ” She gave Leah a tight smile and cocked her head sideways. “Tell me, Leah... are you two in loo-ove, too?”
    Leah jumped off the bed and landed in front of Kevin. “Is that true?” she shouted in his face. “Have you been screwing somebody else? Have you?”
    Kevin didn’t say a word.
    “I think he’s exercising his right to be silent,” Savannah said.
    Leah’s face went from red to purple, her eyes practically bugging out of her head. “Answer me, Kevin.” She slapped him hard across the cheek.
    Dirk made a movement toward her, as though to stop her, but Savannah shook her head, and he hesitated.
    “If you have been,” Leah was saying, “I’ll find out and then I’m going to tell them everything. I swear, Kevin, I will!”
    Kevin’s face flushed as dark as hers as he glared down at her. “Oh, yeah?” he said, his voice low, his tone ominous. “Well, if you do, I’ll tell them how you knew all about it long before I did it, and you didn’t do a damned thing to stop it. That would make you an accessory.”
    Kevin turned to Dirk. “It would, wouldn’t it?” he said. “Wouldn’t that make her an accessory?”
    “No way!” Leah shouted. “I didn’t know about Kameeka or Tesla until afterward. I thought it was just going to be Caitlin. I...”
    Suddenly, both Leah and Kevin seemed to realize what they had just said. Their faces went from purple to white.
    What a colorful couple, Savannah thought. And chatty, too.
    Dirk looked across the room at Savannah, and they both started to laugh. “Don’t you love it?” he asked her.
    “It’s what I live for, darlin’,” she replied. “It’s what I live for.”
     
    * * *
     
    Dirk and Tammy sat on Savannah’s sofa, watching the eleven o’clock news. Next to them, Savannah was relaxing in her easy chair, one cat on her lap, the other keeping her feet warm on the footstool. The bowls of popcorn in their laps were nearly empty, but their cups were overflowing with satisfaction and more than a little plain old conceit.
    “Did that sister of yours find her way home?” Dirk asked, kicking off his shoes and propping his feet on her coffee table.
    She didn’t object. At least he was taking off his sneakers first these days. There was hope for him after all. “Yes, Mari called half an hour ago. She made it home in one piece. Lover Boy Lester didn’t pick her up at the airport like he said he would. Seems his wife wouldn’t let him out of the house.”
    “Doesn’t sound good,” Tammy said.
    “Never does where Marietta’s men are concerned.” She glanced at the TV screen and saw a familiar face. “Hey, hey,” she said. “Here we go.”
    “Kevin Connor”—the Los Angeles news anchor was saying—“... arrested today for the murder of his wife, the plus-sized supermodel, Caitlin Connor, and her friend, another model, Kameeka Wills. Although he will be represented by famed defense attorney, Marvin Klein, the district attorney says he has an excellent case against Mr. Connor, which includes both forensic evidence and witness accounts. He has also been charged with the attempted murder of a third model, Tesla Montoya, who remains in the hospital in stable condition after being rescued from a mountain road above Oak Grove. It is alleged that Connor dumped her there after a brutal attack.”
    “Ah... Kevin’s not looking too happy there,” Tammy said as they showed the standard “perp walk” footage.
    “At least he’s got his pants on,” Dirk said. “I hate havin’ to arrest naked guys. Girls, I don’t mind, but buck-naked guys give me the heebie-jeebies.”
    “Hey, listen,” Tammy said, pointing to the TV.
    “A second suspect, famed talent agent Leah Freed, is also under arrest,” the female anchor continued. “Authorities believe she and Kevin Connor were romantically involved and that she was a co-conspirator in the Connor murder.
    “Caitlin Connor was originally believed