TITLE: The Light At The End Of A Dark Dawn:  Chapter Four
AUTHOR: Cindy Wylie (RkieFan1960@AOL.com) 
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The song 'My Back Pages' was written by Bob Dylan and is sung by The Byrds. It can be found on 'The Byrds Greatest Hits' CD

SUMMARY: The clues start to slowly fall into place and the killer makes plans for his next victim.
 

CHAPTER FOUR: The Dead Really Do Tell Tales (January, 1991)

'Crimson flames tied through my ears
Rollin' high and mighty traps
Pounced with fire on flaming roads
Using ideas as my map
"We'll meet on edges, soon," said I,
Proud 'neath heated brow
Ah, but I was so much older, then,
I'm younger than that now
Half-wracked prejudice leaped forth
"Rip down all hate," I screamed
Lies that life is black and white
Spoke from my skull, I dreamed
Romantic flanks of musketeers
Foundationed deep, somehow,
Ah, but I was so much older, then,
I'm younger than that now
In a soldier's stance, I aimed my hand
At the mongrel dogs who teach
Fearing not that I'd become my enemy
In the instant that I preach
My pathway led by confusion boats
Mutiny from stern to bow
Ah, but I was so much older, then,
I'm younger than that now
Ah, but I was so much older, then,
I'm younger than that now
My guard stood hard when abstract threats
Too noble to neglect
Deceived me into thinking
I had something to protect
Good and bad, I define these terms
Quite clear, no doubt, somehow
Ah, but I was so much older, then,
I'm younger than that now'
 

Mike was playing chess on a drizzly January afternoon. The girls had gone grocery shopping with Jill and Mike was enjoying the peace and quiet...or at least he was until the doorbell rang. He got up and answered the door, surprised to find Thomas standing there.

"Thomas, hi. Uh, Michelle isn't here," Mike told the young man.

"Yeah, I know. I was wondering if I could talk to you alone," Thomas inquired uncomfortably.
 
 

"I was playing chess," Mike explained as he stepped aside to let Thomas in. He started resetting the board. "We can talk over a game."

Thomas sat down in the chair across from Mike and contemplated the board. "I know we've had this conversation before, but I've really been hoping you'd change your mind about letting me take Michelle out."

"Thomas, I'm really getting tired of having this conversation," Mike sighed in irritation. "You and Michelle have both been told that she can go out on real dates with you when she's 16. Until then, you're both going to have to be content with having chaperones."

"You knew my dad when he was younger so you know that I'm responsible," Thomas protested.

"Reminding me of that fact will most definitely not convince me to let you date my daughter. As soon as she turns 16, you have my permission to take her out. Until then, it's a no go," Mike informed him.

The next morning, Mike was sitting at his desk looking over some of his old case files when Terry and Chris walked in, each carrying a box.

"Hey, we don't have enough room in here, as it is, without you guys bringing in more stuff," Mike objected to the two cops.

"Neil Montgomery got these things from his granddaughter's dorm. We're hoping maybe there's something in here that'll help us find her killer," Terry explained, setting his box down on his desk.

"We don't have any evidence that any of the girls knew their killer," Mike reminded him.

"I know, but girls like to keep secrets. Maybe they were seeing someone that they didn't want their parents to know about," Terry ventured, pulling a book from the top of the box. "This might tell us everything we want to know."

"What is it?" Mike asked.

"A diary. Here," he said, tossing the small, cloth-covered book to Mike. "Since you're basically out of the field these days, you can read."

"Thanks," Mike groused as he rolled his eyes, "but do you know the kind of meaningless crap that girls put in their diaries?"
 
 

"Mike, meaningless crap, as you so succinctly put it, might help us find a killer," Terry uttered with certainty.

Mike sighed as he cut the strap that held the locked book in place and leafed through the pages. Since Chris' return, both him and Willie had been feeling somewhat out of place. Terry had been working the case with Chris, leaving Mike and sometimes Willie to make phone calls and follow up other leads. Mike was finding it hard to accept the fact that he just didn't have the energy to be out in the streets these days. He'd suffered another setback after Christmas when he'd developed an infection that required hospitalization. Since then he'd been feeling okay, just more tired than usual. He'd agreed with Jill's pleas that he end his workday at five o'clock so he could come home, eat dinner and get a decent night's sleep. He thought over where the case had gone since early December.
 
 

DECEMBER 1990: MEETING WITH NEIL MONTGOMERY

The guys and Lt. Ryker had driven out to Marina Del Rey on a windy December afternoon. The former aide to the police commissioner lived on a boat in the harbor. He invited them all onboard.

"It's been a long time, Eddie," he told his old friend as they shook hands.

"I know. I'm sorry we have to meet under these circumstances. Neil, this is Det. Chris Owens. He's investigating the death of your granddaughter. He's here because we think there's a connection to a case the SCPD is working," Eddie explained.

"I don't know what I can tell you. I got a call on July 13th telling me that they'd found my granddaughter in an alley. She had a part-time job working in a restaurant on the waterfront. They think whoever killed her grabbed her after she'd gotten off work that night. They say she was killed somewhere else and dumped in the alley," Montgomery concluded, his face crinkling with pain.

"Was she seeing anybody?" Chris asked.

"She had a boyfriend before she left for Seattle but they hadn't seen each other in over a year. I don't think she was seeing anybody up there, at least not anyone she ever mentioned to me," Montgomery stated.

"When was the last time you saw Karen?" Chris asked, glancing at his sheet for the girl's name.

"She was here in May for my birthday. I raised her after her father died," he explained.

"What about her mother?" Mike inquired.

"Her mother died two years after George did. She got hit by a drunk driver while coming home from work one afternoon," Montgomery told the men. "The university is supposed to be sending her things back to me. As soon as I receive them I'll notify you so you can see if there's anything that'll help you out."

<><><><><><><>

Now they had a diary, which was at least a beginning. Willie walked in a few hours later and spied Mike kicked back in his chair, reading.

"What're you doing?" Willie asked curiously as he poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down.

"Invading a young girl's privacy," Mike murmured.

"The Montgomery girl's stuff, huh?" Willie guessed, looking around.

"Yeah. I thought that once a girl got past the age of 16, they quit keeping diaries," Mike grumbled.

"Some do, but I guess there are some who feel they can't tell their secrets to anybody else but their diaries. Let's just hope she tells us something," Willie remarked.

"Well, so far we've got class schedules, crushes on professors and gossip about some guy she worked with at the restaurant. Well, this'll make nice, dry reading when I get tired of mediating arguments at home," Mike complained, closing the book and putting it aside.

"So, where's Cagney and Lacey?" Willie asked jokingly.

"Probably off protecting the streets of L.A. from old guys like us," Mike lamented. "Do you ever get the feeling that the world is a tuxedo and you're a pair of brown shoes?"

"All the time," Willie chuckled. "Speaking of being old, what did you tell my son about me? He said bringing up the fact that you knew me when I was younger was a bad thing to bring up when he asked to date Michelle."

"I just remember your track record," Mike pointed out. "Look, Willie, Jill and I think the world of Thomas. He's like one of our kids, but I can't let him date Michelle. Not yet."

"I know, but it's hard to accept when you're 17 years old and you love the girl next door," Willie sighed.

"I know they really don't want to hear this, but some day they'll thank me," Mike smiled.
 
 

When Mike walked into the house in Burbank that night, he could tell that Hell was well in session by the sounds coming from upstairs.

"Savannah, for the hundredth and last time, stay out of my room!" Mike cringed as he heard Michelle shrieking at her younger sister.

"Daddy's home!" Mike yelled, closing the door as Savannah came running down the stairs.

"Daddy! Michelle said she's going to kill me!" Savannah insisted, trying to hide behind him.

"I didn't say that! She won't stay out of my things!" Michelle accused, running down the stairs after her.

"I know this is a stupid question, but where's your mother?" Mike sighed.

"She went to pick up MK from her piano lesson," Savannah told her father.

"Whose turn is it to cook dinner?" He asked.

"Mine, but..." Michelle started to stammer

"Whatever it is, I don't want to hear about it," Mike interrupted, pointing towards the kitchen. "Get into the kitchen and get dinner started. Just one night I'd like to come home and not have to play negotiator between you and your sisters. Savannah, stay out of your sister's rooms. They don't have anything that you need and if that's makeup on your face, get upstairs and get it off right now," he ordered her.

"I'm going to be a little kid forever!" She grumbled as she made a face.

"You will if I have my way about it," Mike muttered quietly as he began leafing through the mail.

He was sitting in his recliner still reading Karen Montgomery's diary an hour later when Jill and Mary Kate walked in.

"Hi, daddy!" Mary Kate greeted him as she kissed him. "What're you reading?"

"A diary," he answered.

"It isn't mine, is it?" Mary Kate asked, horrified.

"No. Is there something in yours that we shouldn't know about?" He teased.

"Daddy!" Mary Kate blushed beet red as Mike laughed.

"Go set the table," Jill instructed her as she curled up in the recliner beside her husband. She leaned close to him and rested her head on his chest.

"I came home and had to stop World War III from brewing. Savannah was in Michelle's room again," Mike explained.

"Speaking of Michelle, guess what came in the mail today?" Jill remarked in a voice filled with dread.

"I saw them," Mike sighed as he placed the diary down on the table. "Look, I can only deal with one crisis at a time and report cards will just have to wait until after dinner."

"So, who's diary are you reading?" Jill asked curiously, glad for the change in subject.

"One of the dead girls. I tell you, if what our girls write is any indication of what's in this diary, I'm surprised they don't bore themselves to death," Mike commented.

"Well, I guess it'll work better than a sleeping pill if you have trouble sleeping tonight," Jill smiled as she rubbed his arm before taking his hand and squeezing it.

Later that night, Mike was in bed reading the diary once again while Jill was in the shower. He came across some passages that caught his attention. He was deep in thought when Jill came out of the shower.

"I thought you said it was dry reading," she commented when she saw the look on Mike's face.

"It was until just now. What kind of a name is Drake?" He asked.

"You're kidding, right? It sounds like a character on a soap opera. Why, who's Drake?" Jill wanted to know.

"I'm not sure, but Karen Montgomery sure mentions him a lot starting with her entry for May 20th. She talks about him almost every day until the 25^th, which must've been when she came down to visit her grandfather. On June 12th, she starts talking about him again and things must've started getting ugly with him."

"Ugly? How?" Jill asked as she climbed into bed.

"I'm not sure. In her entry for June 17th, she says she's trying to break things off with him but he won't take no for an answer. She says he's angry because he wants to have sex and she's not ready. I wonder if he got angry enough to kill her," Mike mused out loud.

"It's possible. It'd be easier if she gave this Drake a last name," Jill commented.

"Yeah, I know. There's no last name, no description. The only thing she says about his age is that he's older than she is, which could be anywhere from 25 on up," Mike sighed, putting the diary down and turning out the light.

"Do you think the other two girls kept diaries?" Jill asked, snuggling up against her husband.

"I don't know. I'll call tomorrow and find out, since that's what Terry and Chris have relegated me to these days. Making phone calls and coffee," he said bitterly.

"They're just worried about you, Mike. Once you finish treatment, you'll get your stamina back in no time," she assured him as he kissed her.

<><><><><><><>

A tall, attractive man sat in the back of the church watching the choir. The soloist was the one he really had his eye on. He had to play things a little more carefully this time. The other three times he'd acted too quickly and too carelessly. He looked at the sheet of paper he held in his hand, reading everything he'd learned about his quarry. He had to stop these young girls before they married and ruined their husband's lives, just as his former sister-in-law had done when she'd lied about her past to her husband.
 
 

The next day Michelle was sitting at a table in the library working on a paper when she heard someone call her name. She looked up to see a nice looking older man in a pale blue shirt and blue jeans approach her table. He was fairly tall, with brown hair and brown eyes.

"Michelle? You are Michelle, aren't you?" He questioned cheerfully.

"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" She asked cautiously, not recognizing him.

"I hear you sing in the choir every Sunday. Have you ever thought of singing professionally?" He asked, sitting uninvited in the chair across from her.

"Yeah, but I've been told that that dream will have to wait until after high school. My dad says school is my job right now. I still don't know your name," she pointed out.

"Oh, I'm sorry. My name's Roman," he told her.

"Roman?" Michelle made a face. "Your mom sure didn't like you much."

"Yeah, I know. It's an old family name," he laughed. "Someone told me that things are pretty crazy in your house right now. I mean, with your dad being sick and all."

"Who told you about my dad?" Michelle asked warily.

"I just heard it. Look, if you ever want to sing for the hell of it, I have some connections that could let you have some studio time," he offered.

"I don't think so. I mean, I don't even know you," Michelle told him.

"I told you my name's Roman. How much more do you need to know?" He asked, slightly offended.

"Look, I have to go. My mom's picking me up soon," she said, hastily gathering her books up off of the table and running for the exit. She'd lied about Jill picking her up, but the truth was, the man was starting to make her uncomfortable. She was halfway to the bus stop when she saw a car slowly approaching her out of the corner of her eye.

"Michelle! Please wait! I didn't mean to scare you," Roman called out his open window.

"Look, I don't know you and you don't know anything about me," she told him in a shaky voice.

"I know a lot more about you than you think I do. Your name is Michelle Danko and you have two younger sisters. Mary Kate is 13 and Savannah is 11. Your father's a cop and your mother's a nurse. Your birthday is December 16th. You sing in the church choir and in the glee club at school. Your boyfriend's name is Thomas Gillis and he plays varsity basketball. Am I leaving anything out?" He asked.

"How do you know all of this about me?" She gulped, turning pale.

"I ask a lot of questions and I usually don't have any trouble getting the answers," he responded. "For the record, I'm not a pervert. I just heard through the rumor mill that things are rough at home right now and you could use a friend."

"Like I'm supposed to believe you when you tell me you're not a pervert," she commented, rolling her eyes. "If I tell my dad about you, he's probably going to run a make on you and he'll find something on you."

"Why would you want to tell your dad about me, Michelle? All I've done so far is offer to be your friend. Why is that a crime?" He wheedled in a too-innocent voice.

"Look, I have to go. If I'm not home by five, I'm going to get grounded," she announced as she started walking once again.

"I can give you a ride. I'll even drop you off blocks away so nobody sees you with me," he offered.

"No, thank you," she refused.

"Can I at least give you my pager number? In case you change your mind about wanting to sing in a real recording studio," he held a card out of the window.

Michelle stepped over and reluctantly took the card from his hand and looked at it. All it had on it was his first name and a phone number. After she took the card, he rolled up his window and sped off down the street. Michelle tucked the card into her three-ring binder and ran for the bus stop.

That night Michelle was lying on her bed writing in her diary when there was a knock on her door.

"Yeah?" She called, hurriedly closing her diary as Mike walked in.

"I need to talk to you about your report card. I meant to do this last night but I never got around to it," he announced, sitting in the chair at her desk.

"I know my grades have come down but I'm working to bring them back up," she explained.

"You're going to have to do better than that. Until I see an improvement in your grades, no more glee club and no more staying up late on the weekends," he told her, getting up and walking toward the door.

"That isn't fair! Why am I always the one getting punished around here? I never see you doing anything to Mary Kate and Savannah!" She yelled at him.

"That's because they keep their grades up," he reminded her. "And, if you think you're the only one being punished around here, you're so far off of the mark that it isn't even funny."
 
 

Jill was in hers and Mike's bedroom when Savannah walked in. Jill looked up and smiled as the little girl approached the dresser where Jill was sitting.

"Is something wrong, Savannah?" Jill asked.

"No, I'm fine. When do you have to go back to the doctor to try to have a baby again?" Savannah asked.

Jill smiled at the question. She and Mike had explained to the three girls how they were trying to have another baby. Savannah seemed to be the only one of the three genuinely excited about the idea.

"I go back next week. Why?" Jill asked her.

"I heard daddy saying that if this doesn't work, you can't try any more," she said in a quiet voice.

"That's true. But, if it doesn't work, that's okay, too. We have you and your sisters," Jill assured her.

"I want you to wear this next week. It's a mustard seed. Jen said that mustard seeds are lucky," Savannah said, handing Jill a locket on a thin gold chain.

"You'd really like to have a baby brother or sister, wouldn't you?" Jill guessed.

"I've never gotten to take care of a baby before. I can help, can't I? I mean, if you're able to have a baby?" Savannah pleaded.

"Of course you can help," Jill said, hugging her. "Thank you for the necklace."
 
 

The next day, Michelle was having lunch with her friends at school when the subject turned to boys. She was still burning from her conversation with Mike the night before.

"Have you ever thought of going out with an older guy?" Michelle asked her friend, Audrey.

"What're you talking about? You're already going out with Thomas Gillis. He's a junior and is on the basketball team," Audrey reminded her.

"We don't really go out. I mean we can go to the movies if his sister and brother or my sisters tag along. My dad's so old-fashioned that he won't let me date until I'm 16. He grounded me last night because my math grade and English grade weren't up to his expectations. He hates me because my stupid sisters are geniuses," she bemoaned as her friends stared at her.

"So, what older guys are you talking about, anyway?" Audrey asked, trying to get Michelle back on track.

"I don't know. Older like out of school, I guess," she elaborated as her friends stared.

"Ooooh, that's too old!" Her friend Stacy said, making a face.

"What if he was that old but still cute?" Michelle pointed out.

"You mean like Tom Cruise cute? I might date a guy who looked like that," Stacy admitted.

"Why are we talking about dating cute older guys, when you already have the guy that most girls in this school would give their right arm over," Audrey told her.

"I don't know. I was just thinking that after next year, Thomas goes away to college and that still leaves me with three years of high school and no boyfriend. I'm just thinking ahead," Michelle hedged, taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Well, if you ever want to get off of being grounded, you'd probably better think of ways to bring your grades up. I can help you study, if you want me to," Audrey offered.

"No, thanks," Michelle demurred, shaking her head. "I've been told to report to the library for two hours of hitting the books every day. At least it gets me out of having to help cook dinner," Michelle lied, not wanting her friends to know her real reason for going to the library every day.

She'd paged Roman that morning and left a message for him to meet her at the library after she got out of school that afternoon. She knew that she was dead meat if her father ever got wind of what she was doing.

<><><><><><>

Mike and Willie were sitting in Mike's cubicle the next morning going over what Mike had learned from Karen Montgomery's diary.

"Okay. She met some guy named Drake, no last name, at The Green Parrot, where she worked as a waitress. She probably met him sometime before May 20th but didn't start dating him until after that date. He was older and started pressuring her into taking their relationship to the next level, which she didn't want to do," Mike stated, writing all of the information down on a dry erase board.

"Her grandfather never heard her mention the guy to him," Willie added.

"We need to find out if the other two girls kept diaries," Mike told his new partner.

"Mike, one of them was 14 years old. What is an older guy going to want with a 14-year-old...never mind," Willie broke off as Mike glared at him. "Well, are you up to taking a ride out to see an old friend?"

"Yeah, let's go," Mike told him, grabbing his jacket.

In February of the previous year, Kevin Lassitur had been shot and seriously wounded trying to apprehend a robbery suspect. Paralyzed from the chest down and confined to a wheelchair, he was happy to see his former academy classmates until they stated the purpose of their visit.

"I know this is painful, but we're investigating two other murders. We're trying to find out if the girls knew their killer and if they did, if they're connected in some way. We need to ask you if Sara kept a diary," Mike asked the grief stricken man.

"I don't know. I mean I know she did when she was younger, but I don't know about now. They sent her stuff to us after Christmas, but Molly and I couldn't bring ourselves to unpack anything. It's all still in her room," he told them.

"Kevin, I know this is painful, but if it'll stop this guy from going after another innocent girl..." Mike broke off.

"Look, I'll have Molly go through her things when she gets home. If she finds a diary, I'll make sure you guys are the first to get it, okay?" He interrupted bitterly.
 
 

Going back to the precinct, they made one more call to the Lacey residence. When Birgitta Lacey came on the line, they asked her the same question that they'd posed to Kevin. The question of whether Corey had kept a diary.

"I think she had one," Birgitta told Willie. "If I find it, I'll have my husband bring it to you. Do you know who killed our daughter?"

"No, ma'am, but we're looking at some leads," Willie promised her as he hung up. "I can't believe she doesn't remember us."

"Well, it was a long time ago and that's probably one chapter of her life that she'd like to remain closed," Mike sighed.

"Are you okay? You seem a little more tired than usual," Willie commented.

"I am a little tired today. I'm just thinking about Jill's doctor's appointment next week. If she doesn't get pregnant this time, that's it," Mike stated.

"I thought you were the one who wasn't too keen on this baby thing," Willie remarked.

"I wasn't, at first, but Jill has her heart set on having my son and you know how I hate to disappoint her," he admitted.

<><><><><><>

Michelle decided that she'd meet Roman after school in the public library. Then she'd go home and write about him in her diary. She'd been living around men who were perfect gentlemen for almost five years and she found that Roman was no exception. She liked the idea of having a secret from her sisters and her friends. That was Roman's only request of her. He told her he knew how upset her parents would be if they knew about him, so he thought it was best if they kept things quiet for the time being.
 
 

A week after their conversation with Birgitta Lacey, Mr. Lacey came to Mike's cubicle one afternoon, holding a small, cloth-covered book in his large hands.

"My wife said you were curious about Corey's diary. We found this in one of her drawers," he told Mike, holding it toward him.

"Thank you, Mr. Lacey," Mike replied in a hoarse whisper as he accepted the diary.

"Are you all right, detective?" The man inquired.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll try to get this back to you as soon as I can," Mike promised as the man nodded and left.

Mike stared at his calendar and the ugly red circle around today's date. Treatment day. Mike rubbed a weary hand over his face and threw the diary on his desk in disgust as Ryker walked in.

"Can I come in?" The lieutenant asked.

"Lieutenant, please sit down," Mike forced a smile and indicated Terry's vacant chair. "What brings you out here?"

"I came down here to have lunch with a friend. So, what'll it be? Turkey on wheat or chicken salad?" Eddie asked, producing two sandwiches from a paper bag.

"My wife sent you," Mike guessed as Eddie nodded. "Give me the turkey."

"She said you have a treatment scheduled for today so she knows you won't eat tonight. Where are your partners in crime?" He questioned, looking around.

"Terry and Chris are out in the field and Willie's off today," Mike answered, taking a bite of his sandwich.

"So, how many more months of chemo do you have left?" Eddie asked conversationally.

"Five," Mike answered, his mouth full. "Then I have radiation treatments after that."

"I've been talking to Jill a lot lately. Have you given any more thought to coming in with Trap and me? I could always use the extra help. Especially the extra experienced help," Ryker told him.

"The thought does go through my mind, especially on days like today when I know all I'm going to have to look forward to later is a night of puking my guts out, plus three days of bone wrenching exhaustion. But during the two weeks when I don't have treatments, I find that I actually enjoy coming in here, even if all I do all day is stay on the phone chasing down leads," Mike declined politely.

"Well, the offer is always open if you ever change your mind. Since I'm already here, how about a ride to treatment? It'll save Jill the trip," Eddie offered.

"I'd like that. Thanks," Mike accepted gratefully.

<><><><><>

Mike was sitting in his recliner on the oncology ward that afternoon with his headphones firmly in place, reading Corey Lacey's childish scrawl. The last entry grabbed his attention and he asked the nurse for a telephone.

"Mr. Lacey, this is Detective Danko. I was just reading Corey's diary and I have a question. Did she say anything to you about an older man who was bothering her?" Mike demanded.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact. She said some joker started hanging around the football field while they were having cheerleader practice. She said he wouldn't leave her alone," Mr. Lacey confirmed. "She told me his name was Brady. Does that help you any?"

"A little. Thanks," Mike answered, hanging up. "Only that isn't his real name," he muttered to himself.
 

Return To Chapter Three    Continue To Chapter Five