Maniacal: A Detective Jade Monroe Crime Thriller Book 1 (24 page)

The lieutenant nodded. “Good to know. So he has some physical quirks, he’s strong, smart, and careful.” Clark wrote it down.

“He takes the victims’ personal belongings—cell phones, wallets, and so on—to make our job more difficult,” Clayton said. “Everyone is killed in a remote area where there are no cameras.”

“Isn’t it odd that he would bring Morris all the way to Washburn County, though? Melissa lived in town, yet she was found outside the city limits. Elise worked in North Bend, but he made sure she was killed out in the country too. For some reason, he wants his victims to be outside the city jurisdiction and in our hands, the county sheriff’s department,” I said. “Think of it, that has to be the reason, or why would he bring Morris here instead of leaving him at the crime scene in Milwaukee?”

“So he’s taunting the sheriff’s department in a way?”

“He has to be, and he leaves that damn dime so we know it was him. You know, I just realized something. It holds true for Elise and Melissa anyway.”

“Go on, Jack,” Lieutenant Clark said.

“We talked about this a few weeks ago with Kyle and Dan. We were trying to figure out the connection between Morris and Elise, then Kyle had mentioned that it might not be a connection with Morris and Elise at all. Maybe the killer is trying to get somebody’s attention. He could know this person was friends with Elise or Melissa. These are targeted acts to get this person to sit up and take notice.”

Each of us stared at the white board, giving that statement some thought.

“He’s doing a damn good job, but I don’t see where Morris fits in with any of this,” I said.

Clayton spoke up. “Okay, let’s take Morris out of the equation. Maybe he was just someone the killer wanted to hone his skills on. Bad luck, wrong place, wrong time, that sort of thing. Did Elise and Melissa know each other?”

I poured a second round of coffee for everyone. “Nope. Melissa wasn’t on Elise’s list of friends or acquaintances. She certainly wasn’t Elise and Perry’s Realtor. They’ve lived in the same house for over ten years.”

“Then there’s only one person it could be,” Billings said. “The connection between them is Jade.”

“What?” I suddenly felt ill. I set the carafe down and reached for my chair. I had to sit and give that statement some thought.

“You might be on to something, Billings,” the lieutenant said. “Jade, Elise was your yoga instructor, Melissa was the Realtor you were working with, and now, somehow the killer knew you were going to Stanley’s and it was your birthday. He wanted to shake you up personally and taunt you with the bottle of wine. I think we’re getting somewhere.”

“But why me?”

“Who knows, but maybe if we put you under the microscope, we’ll be able to profile our killer,” Jack said.

The lieutenant raised his eyebrows. “Okay, let’s go with that theory. Jack, take the lead.”

“Sure. What if the killer has a beef with people in law enforcement? Maybe he’s a misogynist, for Pete’s sake, or what if he doesn’t like authority figures, as in a female sergeant.” Jack entwined his fingers behind his head as he leaned back in his chair. “Let’s put it all together. He doesn’t like women in law enforcement that have authority over people. That fits Jade perfectly.”

“And because he doesn’t like me, he’s killing people? That sounds like a stretch, Jack. Don’t you have to have killer tendencies to begin with?”

Billings added, “Maybe he does and we just don’t know it. Since he’s killed three people that we know of, we can already consider him a serial killer, but now he’s a spree killer too. Somebody like that is even more difficult to track.”

The lieutenant sat down. He had already paced in front of the white board for the last half hour. “Okay, so we’re dealing with a psychopathic spree killer. That’s really going to go over well with the public.” The lieutenant let out a groan. “All right, what about age, married or single, local or not? What about employment?”

“I’d put him between twenty-five and fifty because he’s strong enough to overpower people. He has enough intelligence to catch women off guard through his charm or through a ruse. He must be single to come and go at night. I’d even go so far as to say he knows how law enforcement works. He can hide in plain sight, and he always covers his tracks. He’s never seen on video, and there’s never a speck of trace evidence left behind.” I looked at everyone and waited for input.

“Okay, I think we have a good enough profile to hold a press conference. I’ll set something up,” the lieutenant said.

The phone rang on Clark’s desk. “Hi, Peggy, what do you have? Okay, put her through.”

The boss talked to Deputy Lawrence for ten minutes while he jotted notes. He hung up.

“They found an address book at Melissa Mately’s house. Lawrence just spoke with Melissa’s mom in Iowa and told her the news. Apparently, the last time Mrs. Lawrence had any communication with Melissa was Tuesday around six p.m.”

“Sounds like it must have taken place while she was driving to Oriole Lane,” Jack said.

The lieutenant responded. “Well, I think we have our first actual lead. The mother said Melissa texted her. Here is the text her mom received, verbatim.”

The lieutenant began to read. “Hi, Mom, I’m on my way to show a really expensive property. This man, David Ingles, and his family are moving here from Philadelphia. It sounds promising. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Maybe I can come and visit sooner than I thought. Love you.”

I nodded. “That’s the type of ruse we were talking about. Nobody from Philly is committing these murders. He led her on that he wanted to see the house. How could Melissa resist? The commission would be huge if she sold it.” I groaned at the image. “She went out there voluntarily and was probably really excited about it.”

Lieutenant Clark picked up his phone and called downstairs to Todd in the tech department. “Todd, I need you to do a criminal database search in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin for a David Ingles. Hell, make it a nationwide search. We can always narrow it down once we get the results.”

He hung up, then picked the phone up again and called Susan Adams, who wrote the sheriff’s department press releases. He got her voice mail. Like most of the administrative staff, she didn’t work on Sundays. “Susan, Lieutenant Clark here. I need you to write a press release on the North Bend killer first thing in the morning. Meet me in my office at ten o’clock, and I’ll go over everything with you.”

The lieutenant checked the time on his desk clock. “Okay, it’s almost five. I’ll let Doug know to get the forensic dentist in here tomorrow. We aren’t going to let anyone make a visual identification of Melissa in the state she’s in. I’ll keep in touch with the mom. Everyone, go home, get some rest, and we’ll start with fresh eyes in the morning. Jade, call your family, tell them to grab what they need, and get to your house. I’m putting Collins on your home beginning at six o’clock. Once he’s in place, I’ll have him give you a call so you have his contact number.”

Jack and I walked out to the parking lot together. There was a chill in the air. The breeze coming from the east off Lake Michigan made me shiver.

“Cold or nervous?” Jack asked.

“Both I guess. I’m looking forward to the time when I can say I live in a sleepy little town where nothing happens.”

“I hear you. If you need—”

I interrupted Jack and smiled. “Thanks, but I do wear a gun, you know, and I’m a pretty good shot.”

“Yeah, you’re a tough one, Jade Monroe, I’ll give you that. Actually, I was going to say if you need to talk.”

I nodded. “Thanks, partner. Jack?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re welcome to hang out at my place with us. Amber said they were bringing dinner over.”

“Thanks, but I’ll take a rain check. I feel like turning in early tonight.”

Dime started a new page in his notebook. He wrote the person’s name on a folder tab and pulled the sticky backside off. He pressed the tab against the outer edge of the notebook page.

“There, that’s perfect.”

He had been following his next victim for a few days. Now that Melissa had been found, the cops would be busy trying to keep the community calm. He’d have free reign to carry out his next act while they were preoccupied with her. He knew his next victim’s routine pretty well, and he’d put his idea into motion soon. There was no way he’d give Jade Monroe time to rest.

The radio played his favorite blues channel as he relaxed on that wooden chair in the basement. The local news broke in and interrupted the music. He took a sip of beer and listened. He couldn’t help smiling. The breaking news stated that a body had been discovered in a barn near the small town of North Bend. A well-known and respected local Realtor was found dead earlier today just east of the city. The name wouldn’t be released until the next of kin was notified.

He laughed a full belly laugh.
Found dead, huh? Put your generic, nondescript spin on it if you want. We wouldn’t want to start a citywide panic, would we? I’ll admit, it would be fun, though, if John Q. Public really knew how she and the others met their demise.

Dime rose and walked to the bookcase. He gave it a forceful shove to the side, then pulled his chair over and sat. With a beer in his hand, he smiled into the gaping hole in the wall then took a sip.

I was more than angry. I couldn’t save the lives of two women I knew and cared for and one young man I had never met. They had no say in their demise. They were just innocent victims. Dime couldn’t be left on the streets much longer. I was sure he’d strike again.

I pulled into the garage and lowered the overhead door before getting out of my car. Amber, Mom, and Bruce should be here soon, and I needed to set up the guest room for Mom and Bruce. My mental energy was spent, yet I had to explain a few things to my family. They would only get the generic version—nothing more. Some information needed to stay quiet. Only law enforcement knew the way Dime killed his victims and what he used as a calling card. That bit of information had to stay within the sheriff’s department.

I fed Spaz and the birds. They all got hugs and kisses, yet I probably needed the affection more than they did.

Amber said they were picking up dinner from Tony’s and would be here by six. She ordered two large pepperoni-and-black-olive pizzas and three two-liter bottles of Coke. I poured myself a much-needed glass of wine and waited. I looked at the mantel clock on the shelf above my TV. The six o’clock chimes would sound any minute.

The key turning in the front door got my attention. I needed to put on my confident-sergeant face and ensure my family we’d all be fine.

“Hello, sweetheart.” My mom entered first and hugged me. Bruce followed with the pizzas and set them on the breakfast bar. Amber came in last, carrying the mail that had been sitting in my mailbox for who knew how long.

“Here’s your mail, Sis. I guess my change of address hasn’t kicked in yet. Looks like you got a few birthday cards mixed in with the bills.”

“I’ll look at them later. Let’s eat. I don’t remember if I’ve eaten anything since breakfast.”

“Let me get the table set up. You just relax, honey. Amber, will you pour the soda and get out some plates?”

“Sure, Mom.”

Spaz wrapped his tail around Amber’s legs and meowed while she set the table. Amber chuckled. “You’ll get plenty of attention after dinner, crazy cat.”

After we ate, I explained the situation to my family. It was in our best interest to remain in the same residence for now. We didn’t have enough extra deputies to put on both houses, and although I didn’t feel that I was in immediate danger, I did agree that for whatever reason, Dime might be targeting me.

Our evening consisted of me showing my family a few tactical maneuvers if they were ever caught alone and off guard. I explained to Amber that I was signing her up for self-defense courses soon. She would need to know some moves anyway if she was serious about eventually becoming a cop.

“I’ll even take the classes with you, Sis. It never hurts to brush up on self-defense training.”

“Thanks, Jade. That’s something I was always interested in learning. Now I have no excuse to put it off.”

“As long as we’re on the subject, I want you to think of the type of personal handgun you’d like. Maybe tomorrow night we’ll look at a few online. I’ll explain which are my favorites for women and why. A pistol is going to be my gift to you for wanting to go into law enforcement. You may as well get an early start on learning how to handle your weapon. Actually, going to the gun range and practicing is a lot of fun.”

Amber’s eyes lit up. I could tell she would be a good cop in time, and I was proud of her.

“I’m really looking forward to it, Jade. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

We all turned in after the ten o’clock news. There was a brief segment about a woman being discovered in a barn at a residence that was for sale, but since we hadn’t disclosed any details to the press, they didn’t have much to report. We said good night, and I closed my bedroom door, brushed my teeth, and climbed into bed. I hoped my family would sleep well. I was exhausted.

Talking to someone other than Spaz, Polly, and Porky during my morning routine was nice. Bruce had already left, so Mom, Amber, and I ate breakfast together. Since Amber didn’t have classes until eleven o’clock, she took over the cooking detail and made each of us an omelet and toast.

“I have to go. Both of you, check in with Deputy Richards if, and when, you leave. He replaced Collins at six this morning.”

“Jade, you didn’t look at your birthday cards that came in the mail,” Amber said as she loaded the dishwasher.

“Oh yeah, guess I forgot.” I dropped the accumulated mail in my lunch bag with intentions of chucking most of it. I’d look at the birthday cards and pitch the junk mail if I had a chance during lunch.

Just as we’d thought, there wasn’t anyone in the nationwide criminal database named David Ingles. That name alerted twice, once in Kentucky and once in Oregon, but only for traffic violations and unpaid parking tickets.

We gathered in an interview room at ten o’clock with Susan Adams to go over the key points for the press conference being held later in the afternoon. Our brief description gave Susan an estimate of age, weight, and height. We added the few quirks the perpetrator had, and the fact that he might wear a dark-colored hoodie. We ended with a plea to the public to call the North Bend sheriff’s department or police department immediately if they saw anyone or anything that seemed suspicious.