The Killer Next Door: A Murder Mystery Read online

  Be careful who you trust . . .

  NICHOLAS JORDAN

  The Killer Next Door

  Copyright © 2018 by Nicholas Jordan.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  For information contact:

  http://www.nicholasjordanbooks.com

  1

  “WHERE ARE YOU GOING?” KAYLEE asked the moment she saw her best friend starting to turn left at the crosswalk instead of continuing straight across the street.

  Chelsea came to a stop and turned around to look back at Kaylee. Her hands gripped the straps of her backpack. She cocked her head to the side. “I’m going home. I’ll text you later, okay?”

  “No way.” Kaylee shook her head. “You have to come over to my house. My mom is working late again and I don’t want to be alone all night. Besides, it will give me a chance to show you the drawings that I did last night. I finally finished my sketchbook.”

  “But I haven’t even asked my mom if I can come over.”

  “Just call her when you get to my house. It’s not like she’s going to care. We only live a couple blocks away from each other.”

  “I don’t know.” Chelsea frowned. “Just let me call her first.”

  “Ugh, Chelsea, you’re such a good girl it makes me sick sometimes.” Kaylee marched over to her friend and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Come on already. I can’t believe we’ve been friends for, like, seven years and none of my rebellious nature has rubbed off on you yet.”

  Chelsea laughed, allowing herself to be led across the street. “Did you seriously just describe yourself as rebellious?”

  “Yeah.” Kaylee tucked some stray strands of straight blonde hair behind her ear. “Do you have a problem with that?”

  Chelsea shrugged. “Not exactly the word that I would use. Shoplifting a few times at Target and sneaking vodka from your mom’s liquor cabinet once doesn’t exactly make you a rebel.”

  “Compared to you it does. You’re literally like an angel compared to me.”

  Chelsea laughed again, louder this time. “Oh, I am so not an angel.”

  “You so are.”

  The girls reached another crosswalk, and Kaylee started to lead her friend across, after looking both ways. The suburbs they lived in were almost always quiet. It was an old neighborhood, and most of the people that lived there were elderly and retired. Kaylee and Chelsea were some of the only teenagers in the neighborhood, which was a big part of why they ended up becoming such good friends to begin with.

  “Oh really?” Chelsea smirked. “Would an angel sneak a boy into her room without her parents knowing?”

  “Shut up. Are you serious? You mean Kevin?”

  Chelsea nodded.

  “Oh my God, when did this happen?”

  “Last night.”

  “And why am I just hearing about it now?”

  “Because I knew you would ask me a million questions about it as soon as I brought it up. And I also didn’t want you to say anything at school in front of Kevin. I would be so humiliated.”

  Kaylee was about to say that she wouldn’t have done that, but then she stopped herself when she realized that there was actually a pretty good chance that she would have. She loved Chelsea as much as anyone in the world, and part of the way that she showed that love was through teasing her. She didn’t do it to be mean, and Chelsea had known her long enough to know that.

  “Wow, I guess I should take back the whole you’re an angel thing, huh?” Kaylee said, nudging her friend playfully with her shoulder. “So how did you do it?”

  Chelsea shrugged. “Waited until my parents were asleep of course and then he climbed in through the window. I mean, could you imagine what would happen if my dad came in the room and saw Kevin? He would have thrown him right back out the window.”

  “So . . . what happened? Anything interesting? You know I need to have all of the details.”

  Chelsea rolled her eyes. “There’s really nothing to report.”

  “Nothing?”

  “Okay,” Chelsea cracked a smile, “so maybe not nothing.”

  “That’s more like it. So spill.”

  “We just, you know, kissed a little, but I was so nervous about my parents coming in on us that I didn’t want to go any further than that. So we mostly just cuddled together in bed. It was nice.”

  “That’s it?” Kaylee made a face like just tasting something sour. “Ugh, and that’s why you’re a good girl, Chelsea. I’m sure if we asked any other girl at school, like, none of them would let a moment like that go to waste.”

  “Go to waste? Oh my God, Kaylee, I didn’t invite him over to have sex with him. If I ever have sex with Kevin, then I want it to be special. Not just a quickie snuck in while my parents are asleep down the hall.”

  Kaylee couldn’t help but laugh at the way that Chelsea lowered her voice when she said the word sex as if she were afraid that someone might overhear her. Like there was something wrong with simply talking about it.

  “Why are you laughing?” Chelsea asked.

  “It’s nothing,” Kaylee said. “I won’t bother you about it anymore. Judging by how red your cheeks are already, I think you would rather change the subject.”

  Chelsea touched her cheek and looked away.

  Kaylee didn’t see the big deal with having sex. She wasn’t a slut or anything. In fact, she was still a virgin, but she didn’t get why most girls acted like the first time had to be perfect. Like it was this sacred thing that had to be a wonderful moment when it first happened or their lives would never be the same. The odds of actually having a long and meaningful relationship with the first guy that got into your pants were slim to none.

  “Hey, Kaylee, why is your door open?” Chelsea asked.

  “What?” Kaylee was interrupted from her thoughts. She hadn’t even noticed that they were only about fifty feet from her home. And sure enough, Chelsea was right. The front door was wide open.

  Feet coming to an abrupt halt, Kaylee just stared with narrowed eyes. What the hell was going on?

  “Maybe your mom came home early from work,” Chelsea said.

  That was possible, although Kaylee couldn’t imagine why her mom wouldn’t call or at least text her first. Another possibility was that Kaylee just forgot to close the door when she left that morning for the bus. Kaylee would love to say that she wasn’t that careless, but being realistic, it might have slipped her mind.

  “Come on,” she said to Chelsea before heading straight towards her house at a brisk pace. She slowed only enough to glance over her shoulder and make sure that her best friend was following.

  Chelsea was, but she was also lagging behind. Kaylee could tell just by looking her in the eyes that she was nervous, which was understandable, but Kaylee didn’t think there was anything worth getting spooked about.

  When she reached the door, Kaylee stopped in the doorway and then took a peek inside. Didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. No sign that anyone had forced their way into the house or moved anything around in the foyer.

  “I must have forgotten to close the door when I left for school,” Kaylee told Chelsea, hoping that would ease her concerns.

  “Yeah. I guess . . .” Chelsea followed Kaylee inside, walking at a more cautious pace with her h
ead on a swivel.

  “I’m going to get a soda.” Kaylee shut the front door and then walked across the foyer towards the kitchen. “Do you want anything?”

  “Um, yeah, sure. I’ll have one too.”

  “Alright. I’ll grab it for you.”

  Kaylee entered the kitchen and made a beeline for the fridge. She grabbed a couple of cans from the bottom shelf. Then, as she was shutting the refrigerator door, she heard a thud.

  It came from somewhere upstairs.

  The sound had barely even registered in her ears when Chelsea popped into the kitchen.

  “Did you hear that?” Chelsea asked.

  Kaylee glanced at her friend and right away noticed that the nervousness had made a reappearance in her eyes. But Kaylee was trying to not freak out. After all, there was no telling for sure what that sound was. It could very well have been just the house settling.

  “I think we should get out of here and call the cops,” Chelsea said.

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Chelsea. I’m sure there’s a—”

  She never finished her sentence. The same thumping sound cut her off. She and Chelsea both glanced up at the ceiling before looking at one another again.

  “Okay, now I’m definitely calling the cops,” Chelsea said, reaching into her pocket and taking out her phone.

  “Wait,” Kaylee reached out her hand and placed it on Chelsea’s arm to stop her. “I know what it is. I bet it’s just the stupid cat.”

  “The cat? Are you sure? That didn’t sound like a cat to me.”

  “I’ll go check.” Kaylee started to leave the kitchen.

  “Wait.” It was Chelsea’s turn to grab her arm. Yanked her to a stop. “Don’t go.”

  “Why not?”

  “I have a bad feeling about this. Let’s just call the police. We can go to my house and wait—”

  Another thud upstairs, followed by what sounded like heavy footsteps. Kaylee again exchanged a look with her best friend, and then, as if they could read each other’s minds, they both rushed out of the kitchen. Kaylee dropped both sodas on her way out.

  They reentered the foyer and hurried towards the front door, but they were only about halfway across when suddenly the sound of footsteps drew Kaylee’s attention to the stairs directly across from the front door.

  She felt compelled to look. Even when there was a voice in the back of her head telling her to just keep going and Chelsea—who was holding on tightly to her hand—not slowing on her way to the door.

  And when Kaylee looked, she saw a man rushing down the steps, looking to be in just as much of a hurry to get out of the house as they were. He held a duffle bag in one hand.

  When Kaylee and the man met each other’s eyes, both of them came to a stopped. They probably only locked eyes for a matter of seconds, but she would never forget his face. Blue eyes and sandy-blond hair, he looked so young. He couldn’t be much older than her and Chelsea. And there was desperation in his eyes.

  Who was this man?

  What was he doing here in her home?

  And what happened next was so unexpected that Kaylee had zero time to react. The intruder reached behind his back, and when his hand reappeared, it was clutching a pistol. He held the gun in a shaky hand and pointed it at Kaylee and Chelsea. That desperate look in his eyes now extending to the rest of his face. His lip quivered and his nostrils flared.

  Kaylee didn’t move. She held on to Chelsea’s hand. Her heart raced. There was no more wondering who this man was or what he was doing here.

  He was obviously a burglar.

  It was the kind of thing that she saw on the news, but it never even crossed her mind that it could happen to her. And now that it had, she had no clue what to do, so she only stood there, holding her best friend’s hand while silently praying that the burglar would leave without harming either of them.

  It didn’t matter to her what he stole. All that she could think about in the eerie silence that followed the man pulling out the gun was her and Chelsea’s safety.

  “Get out of the way,” the burglar barked.

  It was only then that Kaylee even noticed they were standing between him and the front door. She stepped aside, and expected Chelsea to do the same, but her friend held her ground.

  What was she thinking? Was she just too scared to move or was she being defiant? Now was not the time for either.

  “Just move out of the way,” Kaylee whispered in her friend’s ear, practically pleading with her as she gave her hand a squeeze.

  But Chelsea still didn’t move. Why wouldn’t she just move?

  Then all of a sudden, Chelsea’s phone started to ring in her hand. The ringtone, some annoying pop song that Chelsea adored and Kaylee couldn’t stand, sounded a hundred times louder than it actual was in the dead silence of the foyer.

  But it was nothing compared to the sound that echoed through the foyer just moments after—the deafening bang of a gunshot that sent Kaylee’s heart straight to her throat.

  Then Chelsea’s hand tensed for only an instant before her friend collapsed.

  The world feeling as if it were suddenly moving in slow motion, Kaylee wrapped her arms around Chelsea, catching her before she could hit the ground. She fell to her knees and held Chelsea, looking into her eyes. The terror she found there confirming Kaylee’s worst fear. And a quick inspection of her best friend’s body revealed a gunshot wound right in the center of her chest. Deep red blood leaking out of the wound and soaking her shirt.

  “Oh God, oh God, oh God.” Kaylee reached into her pocket for her phone. Started to dial 911. “Stay with me, Chelsea. Stay with me.”

  The burglar had already rushed out of the house, but Kaylee hardly even noticed. She was only focused on Chelsea. She brought the phone to her ear and then listened to it ring just twice before hearing the voice of the operator on the other end.

  “911. What’s your emergency?”

  “Y-you have to help me,” Kaylee said. “My friend’s just been shot.”

  2

  “I THINK YOU’RE REALLY GOING to be happy here. I’ve heard a lot of great things about this neighborhood. It’s very modern and safe. The perfect place for a real fresh start.”

  Kaylee didn’t even look at her mom while she was talking. She just stared out her window and watched the blandest landscape she had ever seen pass by. Only flat, desolate desert dotted with shrubbery. Craggy mountains in the distance.

  Yeah . . . looks like this is going to be a really lovely place for a fresh start, Kaylee thought, rolling her eyes.

  Moving was not her idea, but she really didn’t have a choice when her mom had made the decision pretty much the day the break-in took place. And since Kaylee had no reason to stay, she didn’t fight her mother’s decision.

  “I know it’s summer right now,” her mom went on, using that exaggeratedly cheerful voice that Kaylee hated so much, “but I checked out the new high school that you’ll be going to in the fall, and I got to say it’s really impressive. I mean, it was only built a handful of years ago, and it’s supposed to have great faculty and a gorgeous campus. I really think you’re going to love it.”

  Lucky me . . . Kaylee had pretty much avoided thinking about going to a new school up to this point, and she didn’t want to start right now either. Nor did she appreciate the subtle hints that her mother loved to drop about how she should be moving on and looking to the future.

  “Kaylee? Are you even listening to me?”

  “Yeah,” Kaylee answered after hesitating a handful of heartbeats to make her mother wonder if she would actually answer or not . . . but she still didn’t look at her.

  “Well, you know you could answer me next time at the very least.”

  “Noted.”

  Her mother sighed. “I thought we talked about this, Kaylee. We agreed that we were going to make an effort to make this a fresh start, remember?”

  “What if I don’t want a fresh start?”

  “And why wouldn’t you?”
/>   Kaylee shrugged. She would rather this conversation just end already. In fact, she would rather her mom just shut up altogether so that the rest of this awful drive could at least be a little less awful.

  “I know that you miss Chelsea.” Kaylee’s mom reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder. “What happened to her was tragic, but it’s been over three months. Don’t you think she would want you to find a way to be—”

  “Let’s not,” Kaylee interrupted her mother, shrugging her hand off and finally looking at her for the very first time. “I’m not going to talk about that.”

  Her mother sighed, turning back to the road ahead. Both hands on the steering wheel. “I understand how you feel, Kaylee. I really do. And I know you won’t believe me right now, but there will come a time when you can put the past behind you and move on with your life.”

  “I don’t want to hear that, Mom.” Kaylee looked out her window again. “And stop acting like you know what I’m going through because you have no idea.”

  “That’s not what I’m trying to say. I just want to make sure you understand that it’s okay to move on with your life after something tragic happens. You won’t be a horrible person if you choose to keep on living your life. I mean, Chelsea would want that for you.”

  “You mean like the way you moved on with your life after Dad left you.” Kaylee shot her mom a cold stare. Her words were harsh, but her mom had struck a nerve and Kaylee couldn’t help but strike back.

  “That’s not fair.” Her mother’s expression changed in an instant. Lips twisting into a frown. “Those two situations are not the same at all.”

  “You’re right, Mom. They’re not the same. What I went through—what I’m still going through—is way worse, and you clearly don’t understand that.”

  “That’s not true. I do understand, and that’s exactly why we’re making this move. So that both of us can move forward and leave the past behind. That’s all that I want. Isn’t that what you want too?”

  “No.” Kaylee shook her head while swallowing the lump she suddenly found in her throat. “I want Chelsea back . . . so I guess that means that neither one of us will get what we want.”