Cereal Killer

Drew to get herself in trouble.”
    “No, wait a minute....” Savannah caught a glimpse of shining golden hair sticking above a star jasmine bush next to Leah Freed’s modest beach cottage. “There she is. What’s she doing?”
    “I believe she’s peeping in the window.”
    Savannah laughed. “One of these days I’ll have to mention to her that it’s a crime.”
    “Like you don’t do it.”
    “Not for fun... not like your buddy Tumblety.”
    “Eh, don’t bring up a sour subject. I’m still pissed that I can’t bust that creep for these murders.”
    “Well, now you can arrest Connor.” She pointed to the silver Maserati parked across the street. “That should make it up to you.”
    “Barely.”
    He parked the Buick a little farther down the block, and they got out.
    Avoiding the front of the house, they sneaked around to the side of the building, where Tammy was hiding in the bushes.
    “Ps-s-st. Hey, Sherlock,” Savannah said.
    Tammy whirled around, her eyes wide with excitement. She looked enormously relieved to see them. She beckoned vigorously.
    “Take a look,” she whispered, when they ducked behind the jasmine with her. “They’re... you know... doing it.”
    “Doing it?” Savannah thought she must have heard wrong. “Leah and Kevin are doing it?”
    “Big time. Look!”
    Dirk sniffed. “I don’t wanna look. I’ll barf.”
    “Well, I wanna look! Move over,” Savannah said.
    She peeped through the window, and even though the pardy drawn curtain concealed much of the scene, she could see enough outflung, bare limbs and piston action to know that Leah wasn’t getting murdered. Quite the contrary, in fact.
    “I don’t believe it!” she said. “I could’ve sworn those two hated each other! ”
    “And you know what else?” Tammy said, practically dancing in her shorts.
    “What else?” Savannah asked her.
    “Before they started, you know... that... they opened the envelope, the one he took out of Tesla’s mailbox. Inside was a cassette tape. They listened to it, and they were laughing.”
    Savannah’s eyes narrowed and her face hardened. “Oh, they did, did they?” She turned to Dirk. “Let’s bust these bastards.”
    “How do you wanna do it?” he asked her, his eyes as cold as hers. “One in the front, one in the back, or both of us through the front?”
    Savannah stepped back and surveyed the exterior of the cottage, trying to guess at the interior layout. “If we break in the back door, we can probably nail him before he can get out of the bedroom and out the front door.”
    “I’ll go to the front, just in case he runs out that way,” Tammy offered.
    “He might be armed, Tammy,” Savannah said.
    “Hell, Van,” Dirk said, glancing in the bedroom window. “I can bust a door down faster than that. If he bolts out the front, he’ll be lucky to be dressed.”
    “That’s true. Let’s go.”
    Savannah had to give Dirk credit for one thing: He was excellent at breaking in doors. He had it down and they were inside in four seconds.
    In another two, they were standing at Leah Freed’s bedroom door, looking at the startled, horrified, and quite naked couple on the bed.
    “Now there’s a sight that’ll haunt my dreams,” Savannah said as Dirk rushed forward, grabbed Kevin, and shoved him face forward onto the bed.
    “You’re under arrest, Connor,” Dirk told him. “As I’m sure you know, you have the right to remain silent. And we both know you’ve already got yourself a fancy-dandy attorney who ain’t gonna get you off, ’cause I’ve got you good, buddy. Real good.”
    Savannah walked into the room and picked up a silk robe that was lying on the floor. Tossing it in Leah’s direction, she said, “I want you to know, in spite of this new development, you’re still gonna pay me every penny you owe me.”
    “What is this?” Leah exclaimed as she climbed into the robe. “What’s going on here?”
    “Like you don’t know,” Savannah said. “Like you didn’t help him set this whole thing up.”
    “What thing?”
    Savannah gave Leah a long, hard look, then shook her head. “Boy, a model decides to leave you and you take it really personally, huh?”
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    When Dirk had Kevin cuffed, he pulled him to his feet, where he stood in all of his naked glory.
    Savannah averted her eyes, but not before noticing that Kevin Connor had at least one quality that women might have found desirable.
    “So,