No Ordinary Killer (11 page)

“We could take that to mean that their sweet little
girl has finally come home, sick as it may be,” Cooper said. “Or maybe it was
to reprimand her parents for not having taught her to be more grounded so she
wouldn’t have ended up dancing in a topless bar.”

“No witnesses again,” Arnott added. “Now for the
kicker. The perp removed her heart and it has never been found. It’s been
speculated he may have eaten it.”

“Five days after her body was found, her eyes arrived
at the station. Something we also withheld.” Cooper shook his head. “
He’s watching us.”

“Fuck,” Sparks shouted. “This is one fucked up mess.
Why didn’t we see these similarities years ago? I swear I never made a
connection.”

Cooper turned toward the IA team. “You two have
listened and respectfully have remained silent. We’d all like your objective
take.”

Agent Bicsak laid
his palms on the table. “You guys put on a pretty good show. I don’t have any
comments for now.”

“Well I do,”
Dallas said, standing. “There is a similarity you missed. Look at the victim’s
names. The original Sun River victim was Lisa Helms and the copycat was LeAnn
Haffer. Now look at the Missouri River victims: Steven Okree and Sandy Owens.
One thing for sure, if there is a copycat of the Giant Springs murder, the
initials of the victims will be JB to match Jerry Baskins.”

“Hey, not bad,”
Cooper said. “Anything else?”

“When did the
first murder take place?”

“March 2, 2002.”

“And the Missouri River Murder?”

“May 4, 2004 and the Giant Springs Murder was October
9, 2009.”

“These murders occurred on the same day of the year it
was committed. I hate to say it, but I think there is a murder April 3, 2003,
June 5, 2005, July 6, 2006, etc. You see what I’m getting at?”

“Hell, no,” Weaver stood up. “You think we’re missing
… what … nine or more murders?”

“It’s a guess, gentlemen.”

Maxwell wrote April 3, 2003 on the board and continued
writing with fury. “We’re going to pull an all-nighter team. I want Delores
here on the double.”

“That’s not happening for me,” Sparks stood. “Candy is
gonna pop any minute and I promised her I’d be home tonight. Cooper, you know
your twin sister better than me. If I’m not there, she’ll probably leave me,”
Sparks said.

“If she was smart, Sparks, she’d have left you a long
time ago,” Weaver said.

“No, if my sister had been smart she’d never have
married you in the first place,” Cooper countered to the chuckles from most of
the team.

Weaver slapped his partner on the back. “Go ahead, we
can handle things here. You just call us when your twin boys arrive. Just
remember, you promised to name one after me.”

After the laughter subsided, Cooper pulled a chair up
to the table and sat. “We need to—“

“Okay, I have my coat on and I was at the elevator on
my way home.” Delores dropped her purse on the table with a resounding thud.
“It’s nearly seven and I’m tired, hungry, and cranky. Someone better tell me
why I was called back.”

“Would you be willing to pull an all-nighter with the
guys?”

“Excuse me?”

Cooper laughed. “I’m sorry, that didn’t exactly come
out the way I meant it. The team has brought up some interesting angles on this
case and we need to pull some data. We need you to work your magic in the
database.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No actually I’m not kidding. We are racing against
the clock. I’ll even order pizza in.”

“Well, there you have it, the magic bribe. I’ll have
meat lovers and a Pepsi. Now, where do you want me to start?”

Cooper headed for the door. “Let’s go to your desk.
I’d like you to run a search for all the murders that occurred in and around
Great Falls … no let’s broaden that to Montana … with a pattern starting with …
let’s try January 1, 2001, then run another February 2, 2002, etc. You don’t
have to run a search for March, May, or October.”

“Got it. Anything else while that runs?”

“Now I know why I love you, Delores. Once this case is
solved, I’m going to hit personnel up for a raise for you.”

“Now you’re talking my language. That happens and next
time I’ll buy the pizza.”

Cooper couldn’t help smiling. “It’s a hunch, but call
the boys downtown and ask them to check the Giant Springs men’s toilet
facility. If it’s locked, get it unlocked and have them check it out. If it’s
clean, I want someone watching it twenty-four seven.”

“Megan’s book.”

“You read it, huh?”

“Who hasn’t? Want you to know, Cooper, I don’t believe
you had anything to do with feeding her that information. They should look at …
um … sorry, none of my business.”

“No, go on. I value your input and I won’t get mad,
honest.”

She leaned in close and whispered. “The grapevine
tells that Megan had a lover within the department. He fed her the information
and framed you out of jealousy.”

“That has occurred
to me, too, but who? Who here would be so infatuated with my wife … ex-wife …
that he didn’t care she was married to me?”

“Oh, Cooper,
you’re not thinking straight on this one. He isn’t infatuated with Megan, he’s
jealous of what you’ve accomplished and sleeping with your wife was to hurt
you. It has nothing to do with her. Framing you—discredits you.”

“I think she’s right,” Dallas said, leaning against
Delores’s desk. “The leak is someone close to you and close to this case. He
doesn’t give a flying leap for Megan and her drama. He is working to discredit
you and sleeping with Megan was just the beginning.”

“Okay, so you women saw that. Why didn’t I?”

“You’re too close, Cooper. It’s more of a juvenile
move, to be honest.”

“You’re right, Delores,” Dallas said. “You have your
mind and heart so invested in your failed marriage and trying to keep your
kids, the bigger picture has escaped you.”

“The bigger picture?” Cooper stared at the women.

Dallas shook her head. “It’s like the water balloon
theory with drivers. If you push a water balloon on one side, it will squish
out somewhere else until it bursts. A study showed that crash rates actually
rose in three out of four states when they banned texting while driving.”

“So, I don’t get it, how does that apply to me?”
Cooper glanced at Delores, then back to Dallas.

“They got in more accidents because they were moving
their phones out of sight when they were texting, increasing how long their
eyes were diverted from the road.”

Delores tossed her hands in the air. “Cooper, wake up.
You are so absorbed on Megan’s betrayal and this book she’s written, you aren’t
focused like you usually are on the case.”

“Okay, I get it. I’ll re-direct my attention. Let me
know when I get off track. Get started on that search. I need to go back to one
of the crime scenes. I’ll check back with you later.”

“I’ll go with you,” Dallas said.

“I was hoping you would. What about Bicsak?”

“I think he left for his usual dinner and drink.”

“Hmm, he gave me the impression he was all business
and perfect.”

“Yeah, well, don’t tell him you thought that. We all
have our flaws, Cooper.”

“Hell no, I’m the closest thing to perfect you’re
going to find.” He laughed all the way back to the conference room. “While you
guys work out some angles, Dallas and I are heading back to the Missouri River
crime scene.”

“We’re headed to a neighbor at the Sun River Murder,”
Arnott grabbed his jacket. “Weaver here tells me one couple was arguing whether
they saw something. He said no and she was saying yes. I want to know what she
thinks she saw or heard.”

“Best news I’ve heard all day. Once you’re done there
you should call it a day, or I guess a night. We’ll do the same. Maxwell, don’t
you stay here all night. We’ll know more in the morning after Delores does her
magic.”

 
“Wife just
called, I’m heading home.” Maxwell placed a marker on the dry erase board
ledge. “She’s suddenly scared and I don’t have the heart to tell her not to be.
We’ll see you in the morning.”

“Maybe we should wait for Delores. I don’t feel right
about asking her to stay late, then we all head out the door,” Cooper tossed
his jacket over a chair.

“I heard that. Go … I mean it … go do your thing. I
feel safer here than at home. Those elevators lock and so does this office.
I’ll have one of the officers walk me to my car when I’m done. I’ll leave the
reports on your desk and I’ll come in around ten tomorrow. That should give me
enough beauty sleep to function.”

“Delores, don’t leave them on my desk. Lock them up
and I’ll get them in the morning.”

“Sure thing.”

“Has anyone every told you that you’re a peach?”

“Oh, listen to that. Most days I’m barely a
grapefruit. Typical man. My late husband used to say—“

“Please, never quote a late husband, an ex-wife or
even an ex-lover! It’ll get us in trouble every time, Delores.” Dallas slipped
on her coat. “Remind me to take you out for drinks once this case is over.”

“Well, Miss IA Agent, you’re on.”

Cooper liked Dallas even more after that comment.
“Call me if something really interesting shows up. Don’t stay any later than
eleven. Got it?”

“Yes, sir, that’s a promise.”

“You’d better call for an escort, too. I find out you
didn’t and there will be hell to pay tomorrow. Got it?”

“Yes sir. Absolutely, sir. You can count on it, sir.”

“Shut up, Delores,” Cooper said. Her laughter followed
them out the door.

“I like her.”

“I like her, too.” Cooper held the door open. “Her
husband died of throat cancer last year. She worked full-time and nursed him
for four years. You never heard the woman complain once. We all give her a bad
time, but you can be sure we all think she’s something special.”

“May I be frank, Cooper?”

“Always.” He hit the Jeep unlock, the lock click
echoed in the silence.

“What’s with Sparks?”

“Meaning?”

“I don’t know a thing about him. He’s a complete
stranger to me. Yet, I sensed he was holding back. I detected uneasiness and an
edge to his actions.” Dallas slid into the Jeep and reached for the safety
belt.

“You know he’s my brother-in-law and that his wife is
expecting any time. What guy isn’t edgy at a time like that?”

“I’m sure you’re right there. Like I said, I don’t
know the guy. So his wife, Candy, is expecting twins? The two of you are
twins?”

“Yep. She’s something.” He pulled from the parking
spot and immediately checked the brakes.

“You’re close, then?”

“Inseparable. We’ll always be attached in a way. We
sense each other. It’s hard to explain unless you’re a twin. We were close to
Mother but never to Dad. He was stern and demanding. I knew at an early age not
to push him. I think Mother was afraid of him … actually we all were. He was a
strict, no bending the rules cop, at work and at home. That doesn’t mean we
didn’t love him, because we did.”

“Are your parents alive?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Dallas. You know my dad was
shot and killed and mom died last year of breast cancer. It has to be in my
file. What, you thought I wouldn’t tell you or you wanted to see my reaction?
Did I show enough remorse or did you see some hidden anger?”

“Stop it, Cooper. I got your two inch thick file and I’ve
gone through a good portion of it. Truth be known, I was a last-minute choice
for this case. My guess would be Bicsak requested me. I haven’t gotten to your
childhood or relationship with your parents part yet. Sorry to disappoint you.”

“Sorry. I’m getting tired.”

“No problem. I’m getting tired, too, and could
probably have answered you a bit less frosty myself. So Candy’s expecting boys,
huh?”

“That she is.”

“How does Sparks feel about that?”

“Other than being scared to be a father of twins no
less, I’d say pretty happy. He and Candy were having some problems a while
back, but they’ve patched things up. I’d know if she was unhappy.”

“Has it always been like this between you and Candy?”

“Pretty much. In spite of scientific proof saying
twins don’t have ESP with each other, there are times we can sense when the
other is stressed or in pain. All I can say is I’d better not feel anything
when that girl is birthing those boys.” He couldn’t help laughing. The thought
hadn’t occurred to him before and now that it had … it downright scared the
crap out of him.

“That is actually too funny for words.”

“Maybe to you, but I’m more serious than you think.”
Cooper eased to the curb, pulled the keys and opened his door. “Was that a
light to the right?”

“There, I saw it, too. A flashlight would be my
guess.”