Evil Never Dies

As soon as Lizzy said her goodbyes, Jimmy motioned for her to come with him, letting her know they had Zachary Tucker back from the hospital with his broken leg set and they were about to interrogate him. She followed Jimmy deeper into the task force offices, to an already crowded ten-by-ten dimly lit room adjoining the interrogation room.

Behind the glass, she saw Ke

“How long has Claire Kerley been staying with you?” Mitchell asked Zachary.

“I don’t recall.”

“How did she come to be in your house?”

“She was hitchhiking, so I thought I’d give her a ride. She told me she hated her family and her boyfriend and she wanted to get high. She’s a sassy one.”

“So you brought her home with you?”

“I did.”

“Tell us about the wine cellar.”

“What would you like to know?”

“It looked as if you did some renovating. Tell us about the bolts and cuffs that were found embedded in the walls. The ones with your fingerprints all over them.”

“Oh, that. It was Claire’s idea.”

“She asked to be hung by metal cuffs?”

“She certainly did.”

“You painted her portrait, is that right?”

“Of course. Lovely Claire wanted something different than the others, so I gave her exactly what she asked for.”

“Speaking of the others, let’s talk about some of them. I would like to start with Lorry Jo Raciti, the woman found near the American River, not too far from where you live.”

“I don’t recognize the name. Never met her.”

“Maybe this picture will help jog your memory.” Mitchell slid an eight-by-ten color photograph of her body in front of him.

“Ahh,” he said.

“You remember now?”

“Perhaps,” he said, transfixed by the photo.

“So, what were you thinking after you killed her?”

Zachary didn’t say anything. Merely leaned closer for a better look.

“We have your journal in our possession. No reason for you to keep it all bottled up. It’s over, Zachary.”

The killer had yet to take his eyes off the woman he’d killed by the river. “I was thinking how lucky she was to be one of the chosen ones.” Zachary looked up and smiled at Ke

Jessica looked over her shoulder and made eye contact with Lizzy.

Jimmy gave her the thumbs-up.

They had their man. He had just confessed to a murder.

There was a pause during the interrogation when Zachary asked for an energy drink, specifically a Red Bull. He refused to go on until his request was fulfilled.

The questioning went on like that for another two hours. Zachary Tucker/Jake Polly seemed more than content to talk about his victims as Mitchell held up one picture after another.

“So why did you kill them?”

“It’s my calling.”

“Killing is your calling?”

“Definitely. I am surprised it took you people so long to find me.”

“Why is that?”

“I left you enough clues.” He gestured to all the pictures scattered across the table. “It was all there, all these years, pointing in my direction.”

When Mitchell asked him about Gillian Winslow, the therapist his parents had hired and assigned as Zachary’s trustee, Zachary decided he’d given them enough information. “I think I’ll request a lawyer now. I want the same deal as the Green River Killer.”

“What deal is that?”

“I want life.”

“Anything else you want to tell us before a lawyer is appointed to you?”

“Yes. I want the world to know that nobody out there really gets it.”

“Nobody gets what, exactly?”

“Evil never dies.”

“Can you explain?”

“Of course. You can catch a killer like me and throw away the key, but there’s always someone else out there slicing and dicing, killing people just because they can. Me,” he said, pointing to his chest, “I am a natural born killer. I killed my own sister, and if given the chance, I would do it again.”

Lizzy could see now why she hadn’t recognized Jake Polly from Hayley’s sketch. Kathryn had been right about his magnetism, and that was something most artists just couldn’t translate to paper. Since Kathryn had seen him last, his nose had definitely been broken, maybe more than once—by his victims, Lizzy hoped. His hair was short and straight, much different from the thick, wavy hair Kathryn had described. Zachary had no facial hair whatsoever.

But they had found him, and that’s all that mattered.

“Good work,” Jimmy said. “That’s officially a wrap for me.”

There was a mischievous glint in his eye.

“You’re finally going to retire?” Lizzy asked.

He jingled the coins inside his pants pockets. “That’s right. I want to learn to sail. I want to travel and spend time with the grandkids.”

“Good for you. I hope you really do it this time . . . for your sake.”

“What about you, Lizzy? Are you going to keep fighting the good fight?”

“Nope. I’m finished being a PI. It took losing Jared to realize this isn’t the life I want to lead, and that’s something I’ll never forget.”

Jimmy looked surprised. “No more investigative work?”

“I’ve had enough. And Zachary Tucker is right.”

“About what?”

“Evil never dies. It never ends. Jared knew that. He got it. But me? I kept thinking I could make a dent.” She shook her head. “It’s impossible. For every evil person caught and locked behind bars, there’s two more waiting on the sidelines.”

“You made a difference, Lizzy. That counts for a lot.”

“Thanks, Jimmy. I’m wishing you the best. Stay in touch, will you?”

“I’ll send you a postcard. Let you know what I’m up to.”

They came to their feet, smiled at each other, and then he gave her one of his comforting bear hugs.

Mitchell came out of the interrogation room. He raised his arms and tried to get a kink out of his shoulder. His eyes were bloodshot. “Lock that crazy son of a bitch up until he has a goddamn attorney. We’ve got what we need for now.”

Jimmy and Mitchell stepped to the side and shared a few words before Jimmy headed off. Three officers brought Zachary Tucker out of the room. His arms and legs were now chained to his wheelchair.

“Hey, Lizzy Gardner,” he said cheerily, metal chains clinking as he gestured her way. He looked at Mitchell. “Can I talk to her for a minute?”

Mitchell looked at Lizzy, who nodded her approval.

Mitchell motioned for the guard, letting them know it was OK to push Zachary that way.

“What? No privacy?”

“Never again,” Mitchell told him.

Zachary set his wicked gaze on Lizzy. He looked as if he wanted to hypnotize her with his eyes. “Good thing you caught up to me when you did, because your niece was on my mind.”

Lizzy didn’t flinch.

“I bet you’re thinking the same thing I think every time I have my next victim in sight.”

“What’s that?”

“Kill, kill, kill, kill.”

“No,” she said. “That’s not what I’m thinking at all.”

“Tell me, please.”

The corner of her mouth turned up slightly before she said, “I’m thinking about you spending the rest of your life behind bars, hopefully in solitary confinement, every day alone with no one to talk to, no freedom whatsoever.”

“And how does that make you feel?”

“Very happy.”

“You talked to Kathryn, didn’t you?” he asked.