The Eyes Die Last by Teri Riggs Read Free Book Online Page A

uniforms.  Wrapping herself in his pressed brown uniform shirt felt good.  She’d shuffled over to her mother’s bed, the hem of the shirt dragging on the floor.  His familiar scent still lingered on the cotton cloth as she played.  Old Spice, his favorite.  The large uniform hat wobbled from side to side on her head as she excitedly shook her mother’s arm. 
    “Look at me, Momma, I’m Da.  Don’t I look like a real policeman?”  Kennedy would never forget the look of shock on her mother’s face when she woke up. 
    Horrified, her mother had sat straight up in the bed and howled like she’d been struck by lightning.  When she finally caught her breath, she’d yelled, “Kennedy Marie O’Brien, you take that off right this minute.  Don’t you ever get into your father’s things again.” 
    Tears had welled in her eyes.  “Momma?  Did I do something bad?” 
    Momma had pulled her onto her lap.  “Sweetie, you’ve got to be a good girl for me for just a while longer.  If you’ll try to be the very best little girl ever, Momma will feel better in no time.  Can you do that for me?” 
    “Okay, Momma.  I’ll try.” 
    But her mother had killed herself that afternoon. 
    She knew it was stupid, but Kennedy couldn’t shake the feeling that she must not have tried her very best to be the best little girl. 
    Kennedy squeezed her eyes shut, blocking the tears that threatened to fall and embarrass her. 
    She took a deep breath.  “Tell me what you remember about the last guy from the LVTVS newsroom who got mail from a killer.” 
    “That was some bad shit.  Tenuta and Sparks caught the case.  They chased the killer for close to a year.  Hadley Cox tortured and killed at least a dozen women that we know of.  The man was a pervert. 
    “Cox sent photos and letters to the evening anchor at the station, filling him in on all the gory details of how he murdered and dismembered his victims.  Eventually, by using the information in the letters, Jimmy and Sparky got the bastard.”  
    Kennedy watched Wilder’s face scrunch and nod while he flexed his fingers one at a time.  He was doing the math.  He finally said, “That was maybe four or five years ago.  Cox got the death penalty, but the state never got the pleasure of executing the sick fuck.  Somebody else beat them to it by sticking a six-inch shank in his gut one night after lock-down.”  
    “Why’d Cox send the letters to the news station?” 
    “He didn’t just send the letters and photos to the news station, he sent them to one specific newscaster.  Cox started dropping clues to the anchor to pass on to Jimmy and Sparky.  Said he thought the poor, dumb schmucks could use all the help they could get if they ever planned to catch him.  He either wanted to be caught or was one cocky son of a bitch who thought no one could touch him.”  
    “Apparently he was wrong.”  
    “Damn right he was wrong.”  
    “What about the newscaster?  Who was he and what happened to him?”  Kennedy quickly added, “Or her?” 
    Wilder smiled.  “The news anchor’s name was Hershey.  Ed Hershey.  Like the candy maker.  He became quite the celebrity around Vegas.  Hell, he became a headline himself for a while.” 
    “Got his fifteen minutes of fame?” 
    “Hershey got a little more than fifteen minutes.  He did the talk show circuit and made the covers of several magazines.  Got him a trophy wife and lots of friends in high places.  Did a few commercials that made him some big bucks.  He bought a hot little sports car and a large house with a Summerlin zip-code.  It was even rumored he was in the running for one of the coveted network anchor spots.”   Wilder scratched his head. 
    “And then...  what?  Don’t keep me waiting for the grand finale.”   Kennedy never did have patience for long, drawn out stories. 
    “Six weeks after Cox’s trial was over, Hershey’s fame took a nose dive.  He