S.O.S. Perk (S.O.S. #6)

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Perk rolled up in front of the Nelsin home, not hiding his presence this time as he marched right up and knocked on the front door.

A few seconds later it opened to a panicked looking Jeremy

“What the fuck?” the kid snapped out, peering beyond Perk at the long driveway. “Why are you here? You want to get me in trouble?”

An interesting choice of words. What kind of trouble could Jeremy possibly get into from having a visitor?

“What do you mean?” Perk asked snidely.

“My, uh, family discourages drop-ins,” Jeremy scowled.

Perk brushed off the kid’s concerns. “Then it’s a good thing I have the schoolwork you missed today in my car to make this look legit.”

“Are you fucking nuts?” Jeremy replied. “That’s a lame-ass excuse. My parents aren’t stupid. They know I can get anything I need for school, online.”

“Are they home?” Perk tried to peer in through the door, unsuccessfully.

“Nope. But my Mom will be here soon.”

“Then don’t worry about it,” Perk came back jauntily. “Because what I’ve got is a chart your Chem-group has been working on; something that can’t be completed by you via computer.”

Perk held up a finger to forestall any more naysaying, turned and trotted to his car. From his back seat he retrieved a two by three-foot poster he’d managed to snag from a person in one of his classes who’d mentioned having to get it to Jeremy.

He’d magnanimously offered.

Yeah , Perk had been dropping the kid’s name all over the place today, trying to shake something loose, and had gotten lucky. With the uncompleted project, he’d had a concrete reason to go to Jeremy’s house to allay any parental concerns in case they got nosy.

When Perk returned to the door with the large, unfinished poster, Jeremy looked a little less sour.

“Fine. Give it to me, say what you need to say, then go.”

Okay. The kid still wasn’t exactly welcoming.

“What? You don’t want to hear details on how I got rid of Kaelyn?” Perk taunted, handing over the chart. He knew Nelsin had to be jonesing over how Perk had accomplished the hit.

“Well,” Jeremy swallowed nervously. “Maybe you can come in for a little while. As long as you have this excuse for being here.” He backed up to let Perk in the door, placing the chart on a hallway table.

Perk was done being treated as an unwelcome presence.

“You know,” Perk growled, “you owe me. You said if I took care of your little ‘problem’, you’d cut me in on your deal.” Perk prowled forward, not letting the prick off the hook.

Jeremy wouldn’t meet Perk’s eyes. That was a bad sign.

“Well…” Jeremy prevaricated.

It was time to turn up the heat.

“You thinking of going back on that promise?” Perk snarled.

“No! I’m…working on it.”

Clearly, the kid lied, but Perk knew exactly how to get to him.

“Good. Because I broke into your locker yesterday after school,” Perk informed Jeremy.

“What?” Jeremy’s eyebrows went up. “Why?”

“Because I had a feeling you’d tell me you changed your mind about letting me in on shit, and I knew I’d need something not only to make sure you didn’t renege, but also for self-preservation. So I came up with a plan.”

Jeremy looked shaken.

“And what was that?”

“Yesterday, once I was certain that you’d done the kidnapping, I figured if I offered to get rid of Kaelyn for you, you’d be more likely to cut me a piece of your business. But I also figured I’d need some insurance so you wouldn’t chicken out. So, I stole your laminated library card from your locker.”

Jeremy covered his eyes with one palm. “Why?” he choked out.

“So I could roll it up inside Kaelyn’s sleeve before I ditched her body,” Perk replied smugly. “Now, if anyone happens to get a tip on where her remains are,” Perk winked, “it’ll look like she swiped it off you then hid it in a place the cops could find it in case anything happened to her.”

Perk enjoyed watching the panic move across Jeremy’s face, the little asswipe.

He hadn’t so much as twitched when Perk had said he’d “gotten rid of Kaelyn”. Jeremy’s reaction was all for the supposed evidence Perk had planted to incriminate him.

Nelsin eventually straightened, attempting to regain the upper hand. “Fine. I get it. But don’t worry. I’m working on getting you into my…network.”

“Good. Because it was a lot of work covering up your mess.”

Nelsin licked his lips and his eyes took on a speculative glitter. Perk wanted to groan. He somehow knew the kid was about to want dirty details.

“Answer me one question,” Jeremy posed. “Did you have any…fun with Kaelyn before you…” Jeremy trailed off.

Oh, the asshole could talk sexual assault, but couldn’t say “murder”?

“Before I killed her?” Perk stated, not pussyfooting around the terminology. The prick needed to own up to what he’d fomented.

“Uh, huh. That.” Jeremy nodded, but his macabre excitement over what Perk might tell him, was palpable.

Perk fought back a cringe as he made shit up that would satisfy the kid’s ghoulish needs. “Yeah. I had some fun. I made her suck my cock.” But he wasn’t about to linger on that fictitious claim. “Then when I finished and she was still on her knees, I picked up an oar and bashed her head in.”

“An oar?” The kid’s fingers twitched as if he were wielding it. “Where were you?”

Perk grinned evilly. “I took her to a marina south of here. There was a dingy with oars, and I rowed us out into the darkness. After she was through draining me, I stove her brains in. Then I found a small anchor in the bottom of the boat and attached it to her legs. When I tipped her over the side, she sank like a rock. Bye, bye problem,” Perk gloated.

“That’s…efficient.” Jeremy adjusted the front of his jeans.

Fuck. The kid was a sicko, getting off on those details.

Perk would have liked nothing better than to punch the smirk right off the asswipe’s face, but he had a role to play.

“Yup. It was pretty awesome if I do say so myself.” Perk managed to agree without retching, but he was through with Jeremy’s lurid questioning. “Now, let’s get down to business because I’ve proven I’m serious. I did my part, now you do yours.”

“I told you, I’m working on it,” Jeremy whined.

Perk glowered at him. “You better be. Because if you don’t cut me in on shit pretty much immediately, I’ll drop an anonymous tip to the cops about seeing somebody in a boat last night in the girl’s location. And remember, when they drag up her body, your ID will be on her.”

Jeremy closed his eyes and scrunched up his face. “Getting you onboard is not just as simple as saying you’re in,” he backpedaled.

“Oh, it’s just that simple,” Perk told him, crossing his arms over his chest.

“No,” Jeremy demurred. “I have to…ask the person I’m working for if it’s okay to bring you on board.”

“Then do it,” Perk replied.

“But…they might not agree.”

“Then you’ll go to jail,” Perk told him with a cheeky sneer. “So I guess you’re going to have to be pretty convincing. Tell them if you’re taken into custody, they’ll have no one to do their cyber-dirty work at school any more. And they won’t like it if while you’re being questioned by the cops, you spill the beans on them.”

“Crap, Dude. They…wouldn’t like that.”

“Exactly.” Perk waited Jeremy out.

“Okay. I’ll do what I can,” the kid whined. “But right now you have to leave.” He kept eyeballing the driveway nervously.

“Fine. I’ll give you until Monday,” Perk told him. “But you better show up at school, or I’ll hunt you down.”

“Right. I—”

At that moment, a car sounded from down the long driveway, and Jeremy began dancing from foot to foot. “Listen. That’s got to be my Mom.” He pointed to the poster Perk had brought. “We need to use your excuse. She won’t like that you’re here. You were just here dropping off that homework, right? You won’t say anything to her about…”

“About what?” scoffed Perk. “About killing a girl you were holding hostage in your basement?” He threw back his head and laughed. “What am I, an idiot? No. I won’t say anything, but you better be cool. Act like I’m your new best friend, because I have a feeling we’re going to be spending a bunch of time together once you get me into your network, and I don’t want her keeping me out of your house.”

“Yeah. Yeah,” Jeremy huffed. “Just stay quiet and let me do the introducing, after which you’ll bug out. Immediately.”

Perk wondered why Jeremy was so worked up. It was just the kid’s mother, and it wasn’t as if friends didn’t visit friends after school. Unless… Was his mom suspicious of Jeremy’s activities?

There was an interesting thought.

The Mercedes that pulled up in front of the house was a new model; top of the line. Perk wondered what the kid’s parents did for a living. He knew the FBI had probably looked into the couple by now, and he made a mental note to ask.

When the car door opened, and a long, sleek leg appeared, Perk snorted to himself. When a gorgeously coiffed blonde appeared, Perk had to hold back a snicker.

It looked like Jeremy—the nerd—had a MILF.

“Keep your mouth shut and follow my lead,” Jeremy whispered nervously.

Geeze. Did his hot mother beat him or something?

“Hi Mom,” Jeremy greeted.

She looked at him, then Perk, with a kind of suspicious curiosity.

“This is Dude. He was just dropping off a poster I’m supposed to work on. It’s due Monday.”

A perfectly arched brow went up as the elegantly dressed woman approached. “Jeremy, I’ve never met this young man before,” her cultured voice replied. “Where have you been hiding him?”

The question was asked without so much as a twitch of her frosted lips, but Perk’s radar was pinging. There was something off about Mrs. Nelsin, and it wasn’t the fact that she was blatantly checking out his face and torso from top to bottom, with an emphasis on bottom. Could she make it any clearer that she was staring at his package?

“He’s new at school, Mom,” Jeremy told her. “And he was just leaving. He has…stuff to do.”

Luckily, Perk had enough control over himself not to pop a boner while she’d ogled his jeans. Thank God she eventually gave up her perusal to acknowledge Perk to his face.

“It’s nice of you to bring work to Jeremy,” she stated, her voice still cold. “What’s your real name, young man? I’m assuming it’s not ‘Dude’.”

“Thomas Perdudan, Ma’am,” Perk offered, walking forward and sticking his hand out for a shake. She took it and held on.

“Well, Thomas, I enjoy meeting Jeremy’s friends.” Was she going to check into Perk’s bio? He certainly hoped so. SOS had spent a lot of time making it appear impeccable.

“I hope you’ll come back and visit us again soon when you can spend more time,” the woman added.

The invitation was fake as fuck.

“Count on that, Ma’am,” Perk replied, not acknowledging her acerbity. Since he now had an open invite from the matriarch—albeit a counterfeit one—he’d be up Jeremy’s ass every day until he uncovered exactly what he needed.

Mrs. Nelsin finally released his hand, but not before she’d—straight-facedly—stroked his wrist with one, extended finger.

Gross. Was she hitting on him?

Even if he wasn’t supposed to be high school age, the inappropriate contact would still creep him out. And what a bunch of mixed signals this woman gave off; cold, but horny? How was that even possible? He wondered how many of Jeremy’s friends this woman had fucked?

It made sense, now; Jeremy not wanting buddies to hang around, and Perk almost felt sorry for the kid. How would it be to have a mother who hit on your pals?

Pretty awful.

Perk turned to Jeremy. “So, I’ll see you in school on Monday?” he asked, “unless you want to hang out on Sunday. I’m busy tomorrow, but I’ve got nothing planned after that.” Perk let him know without saying it, that he expected to hear something soon about being let into the “business”.

“I’ll call you,” Jeremy said, clearly urging him to leave.

The dynamics here were all very intriguing.

“Okay. See ya.” Perk turned back to Mrs. Nelsin just to be polite. “It was nice meeting you, Ma’am.”

“Please,” she purred, her lids dropping to hooded. Kind of like a snake doing a charm-dance. “Call me Jennifer. And yes, come again, soon.”

“Uh, right. Well. I g-g-gotta go,” Perk stated stutteringly.

Instead of bringing the woman down a few pegs as he would have done in a real-life situation, he dry-licked his lips instead, and pretended to stumble over his own feet as he made his way to his car, as if he were aware and nervous she was interested.

But one thing was completely apparent.

Something wasn’t right in the Nelsin household.

As soon as Perk was safely out of the driveway, he rang up the two FBI agents who’d been watching the house. “This is Perk.”

He nodded to them on his way past the construction van where they sat in the Bureau’s surveillance unit. “Tell me about the comings and goings at the house today.”

“Other than the mother leaving this morning at eight AM, there was no further activity until you showed up, then her.”

“The father?” Perk questioned.

“We haven’t seen him.”

The guy could be off on a business trip.

“Thanks.” Perk hung up.

It was time to call someone more computer savvy than he, and insist that Mr. and Mrs. Nelsin’s backgrounds be scrupulously researched, if a first foray hadn’t turned up anything. This time he’d throw the task to Mizzay. Rumor had it she was a little butt-hurt over not being part of the op so far, due to Rory’s illness. But as of this afternoon, she’d called in and let everyone know she was back on the clock.

He hit her number.

“Mistah Perkins,” she greeted. “Howze things?”

“Getting more and more interesting, Mizzay. Did Del bring you up to speed on everything that’s happening?”

“He did. And I’m anxious to dig in. You gut anything for me?”

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Perk grinned. He assumed Mizzay was also cracking a smile. “I need you take a harder look at our suspect Jeremy’s parents. Jennifer Nelsin, and… I don’t know the father’s name, but you won’t have any trouble finding it,” he teased.

“Nope. I won’t,” Mizzay returned. “Any reason you want these two looked at? I’m assuming they’ve already been investigated.”

Perk thought about it. “Just a feeling,” he told her after a few seconds. “Something about the household’s dynamics seem…off. I think they warrant a second look.”

“Well then, I’ll do my best,” she replied. “Nevah discount your hunches, Mistah Perkins.”