“Either of them known for... I don’t know...pissing off the neighbors? Cheating, stealing, complaining about others?”

“From everything we’ve gathered so far, they were model citizens, nice and kind to everyone, living on their pensions. They were both teachers. No known enemies. And their maid had been with them twenty years. Similarly well-liked in the area, beloved by her employers who depended on her.” Ryder paused and drew a deep breath. “The Axeman—the Axeman all those years ago—his murders and assaults were random. Just random.”

To kill like this randomly... They were truly dealing with something terrifying.

But they were way too early in the investigation to know anything, even to come up with any kind of a real theory.

“Let’s hear the doc,” Ryder suggested. Dan observed Dr. Vincent’s initial examination and listened to what he had to say. He watched as the photographer worked diligently to take any picture they might need in the future. As the crime-scene investigators moved through the house, they were looking for anything, any clue.

The killer had used a knife and an axe. Mrs. Rodenberry had nearly been decapitated, the slicing on her throat had been so powerful.

“What was his mode of entry?” Dan asked.

Despite being Dan’s own age, Ryder winced in a way that added years to his countenance.

“He used a chisel to take out a panel on the back door, the kitchen side door. He left the panel and the chisel on the back steps,” one of the CSIs said. “And the axe.”

“Just like the damned Axeman,” Ryder said. “That bastard always said he was a specter or a demon of some kind—a spirit, uncatchable and unkillable.”

“Ryder, come on! Of course, anyone coming here to commit a murder or murders might have looked up stories about the past. What was known about the Axeman was well-documented. Except, if I remember right, there wasn’t that much known. The police were grabbing suspects without evidence, they were so desperate,” Dan noted. “They didn’t have the same tools available that we have today.”

“True. So this twisted history buff could be from out of town or homegrown,” Ryder said. “Either way... Dan, is there anything different here from...from what you saw in Florida?”

“Just the mode of entry. In the Keys, no one ever knew how the killer or killers got on the boat unless, of course, they were already on the boat.”

“Right. The one suspect claimed there had been a mysterious couple with them. Then again, if the boat was on the water, how would anyone get on or get away without another boat?”