“I can try, but it wouldn’t matter. The road up the mountain is blocked in two places by mudslides. No one can get through until the road is cleared.”
“What were you doing driving in this storm?” Justin Trent asked.
Samuels hesitated before answering Trent’s question.
“I don’t want to alarm you, but Victor Zelko, an inmate at the state hospital, escaped just before the storm broke. I’m part of a group hunting for him.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Sheila Monroe gasped when she heard the name of the escaped inmate, and everyone looked at her.
“Who is Victor Zelko?” Corey Rockwell asked.
“Zelko is a deranged actor who went on a killing spree,” Sheila said. “The press called him the Chameleon because he used a disguise each time he killed. The police didn’t figure out that a serial killer was at work for a long time because eyewitnesses gave completely different descriptions of the killer in each case. When a forensic expert found wig hairs and other indications that the killer had been disguising himself, the focus narrowed to a delusional actor who imagined that he had a grudge against the victims.”
“Wasn’t Zelko found not guilty but insane?” Robin asked.
Sheila nodded. “He was committed to the state hospital. Soon after, he set a fire and escaped. Some inmates and a guard died,but Zelko and two inmates got away. He killed once more before he was recaptured.”
“How do you know so much about Zelko?” Samuels asked.
“I researched Zelko’s case for Frank because an innocent man was blamed for one of his murders.” Sheila looked at Samuels. “How did Zelko escape again? Wasn’t he kept in solitary confinement after his last escape?”
“Zelko’s very resourceful. He faked an injury. When he was in the infirmary, he killed a doctor and disguised himself so he looked like his victim.”
“This is no time to interrogate Detective Samuels,” Frank Melville said. “Justin, you’re about the same size as Mr. Samuels. Do you have some dry clothes that will fit him?”
“I do.” Justin stood up. “Come up to my room, Detective.”
“Luther, follow them and take charge of Mr. Samuels’s wet clothes,” Frank Melville said. “Then tell Mrs. Raskin to prepare a room for our guest.”
Frank turned to the detective. “When you’re ready, come down and we’ll give you dinner.”
“Thanks for everything,” Samuels said.
Frank smiled. “No need to thank me. Now, go get out of those wet clothes.”
Justin and Samuels left the dining hall with Luther in tow.
Nelly stood up. “With your announcement, Dad, and Detective Samuels’s dramatic entrance, we’ve certainly had enough drama for one night. Does anyone want a stiff drink?”
Several of the diners raised their hands. Nelly went into the kitchen with the drink orders, and everyone started talking about the escaped madman. The conversation died down when the woman waiter came out of the kitchen with a tray of drinks. Shewas handing out the last drink to Corey Rockwell when Justin Trent and Detective Samuels walked into the dining room.
“I tried the landline,” Justin Trent said. “It’s down.”
“I’m not surprised,” Sheila said. “This storm is creating havoc.”
“You look much better,” Frank said to Samuels. “I bet you’re starving.”
“Some food would be great,” Samuels said.
Nelly came out of the kitchen, and Frank told one of the waiters to bring Samuels a meal. No one disturbed Samuels while he ate, and Nelly tried to divert everyone’s attention away from the storm and the escaped killer by asking Sheila and her father about their wedding plans.
“You must be exhausted,” Frank said when Samuels cleared his plate.
“I could use some sleep,” he admitted.
“I think we all could,” Frank said.