said uncertainly.
Kyle waited as a huge eighteen-wheeler thundered past. ‘I mean, I don’t know why ... why I never told her. If anybody should have known ... it should have been her. I just never did. Tell her. Now I know why.’
‘Okay. You know you can talk to me, honey.’
‘Something happened, Lindsey ... something happened when I was young. In the little town that I grew up in. Remember, I told you about it often. The little town, I mean.’ Suddenly Kyle felt like a drink again. ‘There was a killer, in my hometown, when I was young. Not just any killer. He was a serial killer.’
Lindsey gasped audibly. ‘Oh my God. Are you serious?’
‘Yes. So ... there was this serial killer. Some twisted sicko, I don’t know. The local kids gave him this ... stupid name ... Daddy Long Legs.’
‘Oh my God, Kyle. I’ve heard of him. That guy in the 80’s.’
‘Yes, that’s him.’ Kyle swallowed hard a few times, wishing for a bottle of bourbon in his hand. ‘He killed ... and did terrible things ... he killed ... a couple of boys in this little town. I can’t remember, I think about nine boys or something like that.’ Kyle paused, unable to continue.
‘I don’t understand, baby. What does this ...’
‘He killed my brother, Lindsey.’
Lindsey began sobbing. When she spoke, Kyle could hear her hand over mouth. ‘No, Kyle. No ...’
‘He took my brother. And he killed him. And I never saw him again. And ... and ...’
‘Oh my God, baby, I am so sorry.’
‘He took my brother and killed him ... and then the killer disappeared. Forever. And nobody solved the murders ... and he just disappeared. And my brother was his last victim.’
Lindsey was sobbing uncontrollably. ‘Please come home. Please. I mean, after the funeral and everything. Please come home. When everything’s done. Please come home. I will take care of you. You know I will. I will take care of you and never let anyone or anything hurt you ever again.’
In the background Kyle heard Thabo shouting. ‘What’s wrong? What the hell is wrong?’
‘Please come home, baby. I will never hurt you. Not like that bitch.’ Lindsey gasped sharply at her own outburst. Kyle realised he had never heard her swear before. ‘Oh God, I’m so sorry,’ Lindsey said with genuine contrition. ‘I’m sorry, Kyle, I didn’t mean that. She’s not a – ’
‘She is. She is a bitch. You’re right ... she is.’
‘She hurt you,’ Lindsey said. ‘You gave her the world and she hurt you.’
Kyle stood up and wiped dust from his pants. ‘Yes.’ The phone was beeping in his ear. When he looked he saw the battery was failing.
‘Kyle, please tell me that you’ll come back ... and let me look after you.’
‘You’re a good woman, Lindsey. One of the best I have ever known. Ever.’
‘Kyle?’
‘Yes, Lindsey.’
‘I love you.’
And then the phone died. And Kyle was standing next to the N1 highway, heading for the town that took the life of his brother all those years ago. The town that now also claimed the strange inexplicable life of the woman that was his mother.
Nine
In the autumn of 1988, Daddy Long Legs took his last victim.
In time ... he would pass from history into infamy.
In his wake, he left a town forever altered by his disease. He left a community shaken to its very core. And left nine children, dead and mangled. Their loved ones broken and bitter.
After the disappearance of Benny Boonzaayer, there would be two more victims. Hannes Croucamp and of course, Ryan Devlin – brother to Kyle ... and apple of his mother’s eye.
No-one could, at the time, guess that Daddy Long Legs had taken his last life. As with each of the murders, panic and hysteria erupted in the little town. And the weeks and months that followed the disappearance of Ryan Devlin were marked with the usual paranoia, fear and obsessive vigilance. Strangers were treated with open hostility. And neighbours were eyed with suspicion. The
Kyle waited as a huge eighteen-wheeler thundered past. ‘I mean, I don’t know why ... why I never told her. If anybody should have known ... it should have been her. I just never did. Tell her. Now I know why.’
‘Okay. You know you can talk to me, honey.’
‘Something happened, Lindsey ... something happened when I was young. In the little town that I grew up in. Remember, I told you about it often. The little town, I mean.’ Suddenly Kyle felt like a drink again. ‘There was a killer, in my hometown, when I was young. Not just any killer. He was a serial killer.’
Lindsey gasped audibly. ‘Oh my God. Are you serious?’
‘Yes. So ... there was this serial killer. Some twisted sicko, I don’t know. The local kids gave him this ... stupid name ... Daddy Long Legs.’
‘Oh my God, Kyle. I’ve heard of him. That guy in the 80’s.’
‘Yes, that’s him.’ Kyle swallowed hard a few times, wishing for a bottle of bourbon in his hand. ‘He killed ... and did terrible things ... he killed ... a couple of boys in this little town. I can’t remember, I think about nine boys or something like that.’ Kyle paused, unable to continue.
‘I don’t understand, baby. What does this ...’
‘He killed my brother, Lindsey.’
Lindsey began sobbing. When she spoke, Kyle could hear her hand over mouth. ‘No, Kyle. No ...’
‘He took my brother. And he killed him. And I never saw him again. And ... and ...’
‘Oh my God, baby, I am so sorry.’
‘He took my brother and killed him ... and then the killer disappeared. Forever. And nobody solved the murders ... and he just disappeared. And my brother was his last victim.’
Lindsey was sobbing uncontrollably. ‘Please come home. Please. I mean, after the funeral and everything. Please come home. When everything’s done. Please come home. I will take care of you. You know I will. I will take care of you and never let anyone or anything hurt you ever again.’
In the background Kyle heard Thabo shouting. ‘What’s wrong? What the hell is wrong?’
‘Please come home, baby. I will never hurt you. Not like that bitch.’ Lindsey gasped sharply at her own outburst. Kyle realised he had never heard her swear before. ‘Oh God, I’m so sorry,’ Lindsey said with genuine contrition. ‘I’m sorry, Kyle, I didn’t mean that. She’s not a – ’
‘She is. She is a bitch. You’re right ... she is.’
‘She hurt you,’ Lindsey said. ‘You gave her the world and she hurt you.’
Kyle stood up and wiped dust from his pants. ‘Yes.’ The phone was beeping in his ear. When he looked he saw the battery was failing.
‘Kyle, please tell me that you’ll come back ... and let me look after you.’
‘You’re a good woman, Lindsey. One of the best I have ever known. Ever.’
‘Kyle?’
‘Yes, Lindsey.’
‘I love you.’
And then the phone died. And Kyle was standing next to the N1 highway, heading for the town that took the life of his brother all those years ago. The town that now also claimed the strange inexplicable life of the woman that was his mother.
Nine
In the autumn of 1988, Daddy Long Legs took his last victim.
In time ... he would pass from history into infamy.
In his wake, he left a town forever altered by his disease. He left a community shaken to its very core. And left nine children, dead and mangled. Their loved ones broken and bitter.
After the disappearance of Benny Boonzaayer, there would be two more victims. Hannes Croucamp and of course, Ryan Devlin – brother to Kyle ... and apple of his mother’s eye.
No-one could, at the time, guess that Daddy Long Legs had taken his last life. As with each of the murders, panic and hysteria erupted in the little town. And the weeks and months that followed the disappearance of Ryan Devlin were marked with the usual paranoia, fear and obsessive vigilance. Strangers were treated with open hostility. And neighbours were eyed with suspicion. The
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