Murder Stalks (31 page)

Looking across the field, he watched as
Janice focused on her work. They were lucky today. The killer,
normally fastidious about his staging, had been sloppy. An
impression of a left shoe was two feet from the body. Could it be
the killers?

Janice noticed it right off when they
arrived. She said nothing about the hands missing from the victim,
nor had she mentioned the lifeless stare from the young woman.
Instead, she pointed at the print, threatening anyone who stepped
within five feet of the impression.

Rex moved towards the other cops hunched
over the body. Samantha Chambers had been reported missing at two
forty this morning. At four, the call had come in. A transient
worker had tripped over the young victim on his way out of town.
Identifying the body had been easy. One look at the picture her
parents had given them, and he knew the Chambers would never see
their daughter again.

“
Sekorski, have you
checked to see if she was raped?” Rex asked. He held his breath,
waiting for Sekorski to answer.

“
No, I haven’t looked.”
Sekorski turned his head and blinked rapidly. Protective glasses
covered his eyes.

Rex hated when he had to wear protective
glasses. They fit in such a way it was impossible to wipe tears
away. Drawing in a deep breath, Rex swiped at his eyes. The powder
on the latex gloves stung, but he didn’t care. He wouldn’t cry
right now.

Sekorski focused on the girl, his hands
moving to part her legs. He blew out an explosive breath as he
stood up and looked Rex in the eyes. “No, no rape.”

“
Thank God.”

“
Thank God for what?”
Michael Rains asked as he approached the group.

“
She wasn’t
raped.”

“
What difference does that
make? She’s still dead,” Michael said.

“
Yeah, she’s dead but the
parents don’t have to live with the knowledge that she was
raped.”

“
Rex, do you know where
Tony was last night?” Sekorski asked with his eyes
averted.

“
He was at my house until
about ten-thirty. Why?”

“
What if he did this?”
Sekorski asked.

“
We already went over
this. There is no way he could have carved the ‘L’ on his own
back.”

“
What if he has an
accomplice? Someone who helps him clean up? Maybe he and Marissa
are in this together.” Sekorski moved to the other side of the
victim, rolling her over and checking under her body.

“
No way. Marissa would
never kill anyone.” Rex watched the ME pull something out from
under the body.

“
Maybe you don’t really
know them,” Rains said.

“
What you guys are
suggesting is impossible. Tony isn’t a murderer. I was with him
until ten-thirty last night. Sure, he doesn’t have an alibi for all
of the murders, but he didn’t do this.” Rex shook his head. “Not
possible, no, not Tony.”

“
No, it’s not impossible.
Maybe his accomplice isn’t Marissa. What if he had the victim carve
an ‘L’ on his back? Maybe he talked her into it then killed her.
Then he drank the drugged water to make it look like he had been
out when she died. How well do you really know Tony?” Rains
asked.

“
I know Tony. He has more
empathy and caring for others than anyone I’ve ever met. He’s an
honest guy, not a murdering bastard. If he is the killer, what
sense does it make for him to murder the victim in his own bed, and
then call me?”

Rains shrugged. “Just a way to throw you
off.”

“
That seems pretty
extreme,” Rex muttered.

“
Didn’t he question you at
one point?” Sekorski reminded Rex. “Maybe that was another way to
throw you off.”

“
You know he doesn’t have
an alibi for any of the murders. His alibi for last night isn’t
solid. Sure you were with him last night, but he left at ten-thirty
by your own admission. He had the time,” Michael said.

“
No, I’m not going to do
this. Tony is not the killer.” Rex bit his tongue to stop himself
from saying more. Anyone out there could have done this. Hell,
Sekorski could be the killer.

“
Janice, what size shoe is
that imprint?” Sekorski called out.

“
From my measurements,
it’s a size thirteen. Looks like Nike tread,” Janice said over her
shoulder as she snapped more shots.

“
What size does Tony
wear?” Michael asked.

“
Damn.”

“
What size does he wear?”
Sekorski’s voice rose. “Damn it. The missing evidence. The clues
pointing to his own daughter’s death. Shit.”

“
Stop. He isn’t guilty.”
Rex rubbed his hand over his face. His mind tumbled over the last
few weeks. Tony had been wound tight, tighter than usual. He had
been jumpy and angry. After Ashley died he had withdrawn from
everybody, not just Marissa. The letters from Sally, had Tony
forged those? Questions swirled in his thoughts.

How well did he know Tony? No parents, no
family. He had been an angry asshole when they had met. Tony had
been jealous of Rex in the beginning. Of course, Tony would deny
it, but Rex had known. Then Marissa had come along and Tony had
changed. Had the anger stayed with him, only surfacing once Marissa
left? Could Tony be out to make others pay for his own stupid
mistakes?

Oh God, Ashley. Had Tony killed his own
daughter? If Tony had shown up where she was camping, she would
have gone off with her daddy. He could have knocked her out and
watched as the mountain lion attacked her. Rex turned from the
group and swallowed down the bile in his throat.

“
Rex, you have to bring
him in for questioning,” Sekorski demanded.

“
It’s
circumstantial.”

“
But this isn’t.” Janice
held up a set of keys.

Rex turned around and gasped. He started
shaking his head, a quick denial on his lips.

“
What are those?” Michael
asked.

“
Damn it, they are Tony’s
house keys. Ashley made the key fob in preschool,” Rex
said.

“
Do you want me to bring
him in?” Michael offered.

“
No, I’ll take care of it.
Sekorski, what did you find under the victim’s body?”

“
It’s a payment stub for
the municipal water park.”

“
Ah hell.” Rex pulled out
his pen and documented the scene. He wrote notes about the body,
the placement of the victim. He jotted the information about the
shoe and the key fob. His heart wasn’t in it. He felt like his
world had ended.

His head pounded. How could he ever believe
that Tony was capable of murdering anyone? He bent down beside the
print. A size thirteen Nike, just like Tony wore. Tony’s shoes were
worn at the heel. Rex watched as Janice drizzled the pasty dental
stone into the impression.

“
It’s not him,” Janice
said under her breath.

“
What?”

“
I heard what Sekorski and
Michael were telling you. I would believe Sekorski was capable of
this before I believed it was Tony.”

“
What about the
keys?”

“
Planted.”

“
What makes you so sure?”
Rex bent down next to Janice, watching her fill the impression with
dental stone.

“
What makes you so
unsure?” Janice countered, her face set in a scowl as she
concentrated on filling the impression with the thick
paste.

“
How long till this
sets?”

“
The time varies. It’s a
bit moist out here, the dirt’s wet and the air is humid. I would
say an hour or so.”

“
What if it is Tony?” Rex
ran his hand through his hair. He stood, no longer able to maintain
eye contact with Janice. The closeness they shared over the last
week had grown into deep love. He couldn’t hide his true feelings
from her, but he couldn’t face them at work either.

“
Rex, do you believe Tony
could do this? I mean really, look at this girl,” Janice
whispered

“
Janice,
don’t.”

“
No, you need to look at
her. Look at her body, the way she’s laid out.” Janice talked in
hushed tones, keeping her eyes on Sekorski and Michael.

“
God, how could
he?”

“
That’s my point. Tony
couldn’t have. He doesn’t have it in him.”

“
Why are you whispering?”
Irritation shot through Rex. He balled his fists and placed them on
his hips.

“
Tony needs an ally in the
department. Go and talk to him. Bring him in for questioning, but
don’t for one minute believe he did it.”

Rex stared at the victim’s body. His heart
clenched in his chest. How could he doubt his friend? But how could
he ignore the evidence?

The stub from the municipal water park could
have come from anyone, but Rex knew the pool was Tony’s favorite
workout spot. The keys being found with the body would cinch the
deal in any other investigation, but they were Tony’s house keys,
not his car keys. Maybe Tony had left them at his house. Rex’s mind
threw out arguments, debating the facts with what he knew about
Tony.

There was no way his friend could have
killed these women. He would talk to Tony this afternoon. Somehow
or another he would get the answers to vindicate his friend. After
he amassed the evidence, no one would ever again question Tony’s
innocence.

Chapter 32

The sun was higher in the sky than she
expected. Ally rolled onto her back and groaned. She was sore. Her
arms ached when she pushed off of the bed. She stumbled to the
bathroom and threw a handful of water onto her face. The shocking
cold cleared her head.

With both hands braced on the sink, she let
the water drip off of her face. It couldn’t be avoided it any
longer. She raised her head to stare into the mirror. Purple
colored one of her cheeks. Michael had been right. She was a
freak.

She hadn’t been expecting him when he showed
up on her doorstep, actually in her bedroom, around three this
morning. She woke to find him freshly showered, standing at the
foot of her bed.

“
Michael, is that you? How
long have you been here?” she’d mumbled.

“
Ally, I need
you.”

“
Mmmm. I’m tired. Could
you turn off the lamp?” She’d closed her eyes and rolled over,
making more room on the bed.

A cool draft chilled her skin. She looked up
and saw him holding the sheets above her, staring at her body. A
scowl marred his feature. She should have remembered. Why couldn’t
she have put away her toys?

“
Michael, I’m getting
cold. Come to bed.”

“
What is the meaning of
this?” His voice chilled her.

“
What?”

“
Who was here earlier
tonight?”

“
I’m tired, can’t we talk
later?”

“
Damn it, Ally,” he
yelled. “I want to know who was with you earlier.”

The overhead lights flashed on. She pulled
the pillow over her head, protecting her eyes from the bright
light. Michael’s strong hands grasped the pillow from her and
pulled it off of her head. She yelped, as he ripped the covers from
the bed and flipped her over onto her stomach.

He pushed her into the bed and held her in
place. Anger boiled deep inside of her, threatening to spill out as
he ripped the underwear from between her legs. His fist forced the
cloth against the side of her face.

“
You filthy bitch. Who was
here? Who do these belong to?” Flecks of saliva hit her
face.

“
No one was here.” She
struggled under his weight and pushed with both hands, but she
wasn’t strong enough to buck him off. She tried again and finally
knocked him off. With Michael’s weight gone, she flipped her body
over and tried to slide off the bed, but he was too quick. He
covered her again and pressed her deep into the bed. Anger turned
his eyes dark.

She struggled, trying to free herself from
his grasp. With his hands holding her arms down, his legs snaked
around her, forcing her body to still beneath his weight.
Defiantly, she lay naked below him. His body responded to her
writhing. Disgust filled her. How had their relationship come to
this?

“
I want to know, and I
want to know now. Whose underwear were you wearing?”

“
I was wearing my
own.”

“
What in the fuck are you
talking about?” Michael said through gritted teeth, his face only
inches from hers.

“
Damn it, the underwear is
mine,” Ally screamed. Her heart pounded and fear engulfed her. For
the first time in years, she knew a man could overpower her and
hurt her if he wanted to. He hit her twice and then took her so
roughly she almost considered it rape.

Now, with Michael gone, staring at her
reflection in the mirror, she wondered why she’d ever started
dating. She touched herself between her legs and tears came to her
eyes. She hurt.

At one point she had cried out in pain. He
hadn’t stopped his relentless pounding until he spilled his seed
inside of her. He hadn’t used a condom. Fear had kept her quiet.
She knew she should have told him to stop, to find protection, but
she hadn’t.

After he was done, she lay still beside him
while he fell asleep. Later, when he woke her from sleep again, he
apologized for his behavior. Like a dog, she had lapped up his
apology, and made love to him again. How could she have been so
stupid? Ally pushed herself away from the mirror, unable to stare
at her reflection any longer. If Michael came back tonight, she
would take him in a heartbeat. She was just another stupid bimbo
looking for a good lay.