The Lady Killer (15 page)

“Hey, Murf, be careful what you wish for, huh?

Dan gave Roy a very angry look. “What in the hell do you mean by that?”

“You said that you hoped you never had to interview her again. Looks like you got your wish. I didn’t mean anything by it. Just seems strange to me, you know?”

The three of them couldn’t believe what they were seeing, and all of the implications were just starting to sink in. Laura noticed that the symbol the killer left beneath the body looked like a baby pig. “Is that pig real, Ralph, or some kind of weird toy?”

“No, it’s real. What kind of comment do you think that’s making about the victim? Looks to me like it’s a pickled, lab-experiment specimen, but I won’t know for sure until I do some testing.”

Dan was standing there with his jaw and fists clenched. He was angrier than he had ever been in his entire life. “What the hell gives this guy the right to do these kinds of horrible things to women? I don’t care how insincere or phony she was, no one deserves this! When I find this sick bastard, I’m going to shoot him dead, I swear!”

Roy grabbed Dan and walked him outside. “Hey, man, you have to hold it together! Don’t let anyone see you lose it like that. We have no idea who this guy is. If he’s on the force, he could be one of those cops who are securing the scene. Do you want to give him the satisfaction of knowing he got to you?”

“No. Thanks for getting me out of there, Burns. I’m not sure if I’m cut out for Homicide. I go home and have nightmares after one of these scenes. I’m in constant fear for Laura and my sisters. Maybe I should go back to catching the B & E guys. All they usually take are material objects, which can be replaced. There are no words for what this guy takes.”

“I understand how you feel, kid, but not all murderers are like this guy. Most of the time it’s a jealous lover, or a cheating spouse who wants their freedom. I’ve been working homicides for many years now, and I don’t have the stomach for what this guy does either. But I do know one thing. I want to catch this psycho and get him locked away permanently, as soon as possible. I also know that Laura Peterson is the one to find him, if anyone can, and she needs our help doing that. You don’t want to let her down, do you?”

“You already know the answer to that one. That’s why you asked it.”

He gave Dan a reassuring slap on the shoulder. “Okay, then let’s get back in there and see what we can do to help.”

When they went back inside, they found Peterson still talking to Dr. Foote. “Hey, guys, everything okay?”

“Yeah, Murf and I just wanted to do a little private strategy session.”

“Thanks, Roy. Are you alright, Murphy?”

“Yes, I will be. I don’t mean to bring up a sore subject, but have you looked in the freezer yet?”

Panic filled Laura’s face. “Ralph?”

“Yes, Detective Peterson, that’s the first place I looked after I saw the body. I figured that I would spare you the shock of finding something else by yourself. There’s nothing in there.”

“What’s the date today?”

“The tenth.”

“That means the anniversary is tomorrow!” She got her phone out to call Captain Rutledge and order surveillance on both the front and back of the building. “Ralph, do you need us here any longer?”

“No, Laura, I will let you know as soon as I find anything different, and I’ll send the butts out for DNA. Go follow up on any other leads you have. We need to lock this guy up, and it looks like we only have a month to do so.”

“Thanks for your help. Let’s go guys. We have a lot of work to do.”

When they left the building she handed the car keys to Dan, and Roy got a sly, little smile on his face. As they drove back to the precinct, her mind was totally absorbed with thoughts of what she was going to do next and what leads to follow. This was the ninth body, and she was no closer to nabbing him. She felt a deep concern for the women of her city and wondered how she would ever make them feel safe again. The responsibility was overwhelming. One small tear trickled down her right cheek, unnoticed by her partners. She needed the appointment she had with Dr. Walsh in the morning. She had almost cancelled it in order to keep working. All too soon it was time to get out of the car and face the reality of the moment. Dan set the keys down on her desk, and they all headed to the break room for coffee.

“Gentleman, where do we stand on this?”

Dan was hesitant to say anything negative after his outburst earlier. “Well, with any luck surveillance will catch this guy delivering a rose tonight.”

“That would be too good to be true! I told the Captain to warn O’Reilly that I wanted every angle covered on that building, including the roof. If he gets by us this time, we’ll know he is on the surveillance team! Burns, how are you doing with that list of men from Indiana?”

“I could use some help. Man, whoever this guy is, he has balls! I can’t believe that he put the next victim at that same location!”

“Yes, and that means that he must have known that we didn’t have it under surveillance, which convinces me even more that we are searching for one of our own. Murphy, you’re awfully quiet. What’s up?”

“I guess I’m just embarrassed about my outburst at the scene today. Sorry, I just couldn’t take it. She was someone we knew, not just some victim. All of the others were strangers to us, until we started looking into their lives. Not that they weren’t just as important, but it wasn’t as personal. One minute she’s flirting and handing me her card and the next minute she’s dead. I remembered her saying that it would never happen to her. And yet, there she was right in front of me. I just lost it!”

“One thing I said to Ralph a few weeks ago was that probably none of these women thought it would happen to them. The TV reports the news like some type of entertainment. The shows and movies are full of violence. People get used to watching actors blown up and gunned down every day. I think that the average person is so accustomed to it, that I don’t believe it seems real to women. They need to start taking their safety seriously all the time, not just when they know there’s a serial killer on the loose. Some woman, somewhere, is some psycho’s first victim. Tamara Hastings was the first in this string of murders. She tried to hide from this guy, but he found her. That should be a lesson to all of us. Roy, check that list you have for any priors of violence toward anyone, not just spouses. I find it hard to believe that he has been able to hide these tendencies all this time.”

“Yeah, good idea. I’ll go at it from that angle, and then we can check out the winners.”

“I’m going down to see how the Captain is coming with that surveillance for tonight.”

When she was gone, Roy noticed the dejected look on Dan’s face. “What’s up with you, partner?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sure that after my little scene today, she thinks I’m questionable as a partner on this team.”

Roy got a big grin on his face and shook his head. “I can remember being young and in love, with all of the insecurities it brings.”

“This isn’t a joke! This is serious! She probably thinks I don’t belong here.”

“Do you want to know how I know that you’re wrong?”

“Yes, of course, but I don’t think I am.”

Roy got a smug look on his face. “She wouldn’t have let you drive.”

“What difference does that make? Maybe she was upset and wanted to focus on the case.”

“If that was true, then why didn’t she give the keys to me? We have worked together for years, and I’ve never seen her hand someone else the keys. She’s always the one who drives.”

“Really? That’s the second time she gave me the keys.”

“I’m impressed, kid, because Peterson has control issues. That must mean she trusts you a lot.”

As Laura walked into the Captain’s office, he tipped his head down and peered at her over the top of his glasses. “Are you coming to check on me to see if I did a good job of ordering that surveillance?”

She smiled at him. “No, Sir, I just needed a little reassuring.”

“I think this is the toughest case we have ever worked on together. Now, to think that one of our own could be responsible is very frightening to me. You’d think that a psychosis like this would be noticed and weeded out, considering all the testing and evaluations our officers have to go through. Maybe our screening process needs to be updated, or officers need to be re-evaluated more often. I’m going to suggest that to the Commissioner right away.”

“I’m happy to hear that we narrowed the field down to guys from Indiana.”

Rutledge nodded. “Yes, Burns had me do that for him. How is he coming on that task?”

“I have him running profiles on them, because I agree with you on the psychosis angle. We have ten all together and only one month to decide which one, if any, is the killer.”

Captain Rutledge looked concerned. “How are you and your team holding up?”

“Good. I have an appointment with Dr. Walsh in the morning. Murphy was pretty shaken up by the fact that we had met this latest woman. She even asked him out on a date.”

“I have to admit that walking into a crime scene with an anonymous body is much easier. You can remain more objective, and it doesn’t cloud your judgment.”

“Does that make us insensitive robots, Sir?”

“No, Detective, that makes us professionals who can turn off our emotional attachments in an effort to do our jobs more effectively. That doesn’t mean that we stop caring. What time is your appointment in the morning?”

“She’s seeing me early, as a favor, since this case needs all of my attention. I should be in a little after nine.”

“Go home and get some rest. Come see me when you get in. I keep thinking that I should be putting more people on this case. At the same time, that means more chances of information getting leaked out to our psycho friend. It’s a dilemma! Let me think about it over night.”

“I’ll see you in the morning, Sir.”

She went back upstairs to say good night to her team, and sent them home also, after telling them she would be a little late getting in the next day. Dan walked her to her car, just to make sure she was safe. “Not that it’s any of my business, but why are you going to be late coming in tomorrow?”

She looked down at the ground, trying to decide what to tell him, and thought that the truth was the best course to take. “After my nasty break up a couple years ago, I started seeing a therapist for awhile. My ex was bi-sexual and sleeping around. I had to deal with so much anger and trust issues, not to mention the HIV scare. I’m still getting tested every three months. Now, with this case rattling my nerves, I’ve started seeing her again. If I let my fear take over, it will get in the way of doing my job. You need to take the same approach to your anger.”

“Yep, that incident earlier wasn’t my finest hour, was it? I feel like I let you down, and I’m beginning to doubt whether I should even be in Homicide.”

She looked straight into his eyes. “Dan, only you can decide whether you want to be on our team. What I can tell you is that I trust and depend on you at a time when every man in this precinct is a suspect. With my trust issues, believe me that’s a huge compliment. I have faith in you. Promise me you won’t change departments, at least until this case is over.”

“How could I not be here for you? I had heard about your ex from Burns.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not judgmental. I don’t care what someone’s sexual persuasion is. I just want the man I’m with to be heterosexual. Somehow, I don’t feel that I could ever be enough for someone who is bi-sexual. Also, he was cheating on me regardless of whether it was a man or woman! How could I ever trust someone who wouldn’t be honest or faithful?”

“I’m so sorry that happened to you, but I want you to know that you can always trust me. Now, go home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

CHAPTER 11

L
aura’s session with Dr. Walsh went well. She was in a much better mood than when she woke up that morning. As she drove along, she thought about the case and what their next moves would be. She was happy that Dan had been so open with her about his fears, and that he would stay with her, at least until this case was finished. Somehow, his size and strength made her feel safe, and his warmth and sincerity created a trust in her that she never thought she would feel again. It was hard for her to believe that on a beautiful spring day like this, some psycho was stalking his next victim. She had to find out which cop was the rotten apple.