by Dobi Cross
“What about the link between the victims? Have you found anything?”
“I haven’t discovered any connections so far but I’ll keep digging.”
“What about Silas? I haven’t heard back from him.”
“He’s out-of-town for a case, but I know he hasn’t been able to get the name of the witness. That detective Morris is really holding it close to his chest. I’m sure we’ll hit pay dirt soon. But you have to stay safe till then, okay?”
Zora nodded in assent.
Marcus gave a quick wave and was gone.
Zora closed the door and leaned against it in relief. She had presented a bold front to Marcus, but to be honest, she had been a little scared by the note.
But she was running out of time and her life was on the line. Any moment now, her name would leak out.
Contrary to what Marcus thought, she couldn’t sit back and do nothing.
She had to save herself.
She would continue investigating till she exposed the truth.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The man entered his apartment and walked straight to his closet. He removed the hooded jacket he wore and stuffed it behind his clothes at the back. He would burn it later. He had so many that it would not be missed.
A hacking cough racked through his body, exacerbated by the strong smell of garlic wafting in from the open windows. His lungs seemed to fight his desire to breathe in. His Indian neighbors were at it again.
He pulled his handkerchief from his jeans pockets and coughed into it. Once the coughing stopped, he examined the handkerchief. It was tinged with red blood. He stuffed it back into his pocket and then walked over to the windows to close them.
He had almost been caught by Zora Smyth.
He had been surprised to see her snooping around the parking garage. She definitely had gumption, not being afraid of the possibility of police officers being around. She would have had a lot of explaining to do if she’d been caught.
Not that he cared. Especially since she reminded him of someone. A person that he hated. It would have worked out perfectly for him if the police had caught her. That way they would close the case and never bother to find him. He, on the other hand, had a legitimate excuse for being in the area. But she would have remembered who he was if she had seen him. And that was something he could not afford right now.
She had picked up something from the floor, but he wasn’t sure if it was the pin. And there was no way to find out. It wasn’t a good idea to go back to the crime scene. And as much as he hated to lose the pin, it wasn’t a priority for him. His desire for revenge ranked higher on the scale, and searching for the pin could put it at risk. If they ever traced it to him, he could always claim that he had lost it there. And it wouldn’t be suspicious since he had a legitimate reason for being in that parking lot.
He rubbed his hands together and blew a warm breath into them. The apartment was freezing as expected. The nights were now getting colder. And the cold tended to slow him down and caused a deep ache in his bones. He hadn’t been sleeping well these days, and the cold weather tended to make it much worse.
He searched his closet for his red sweater and pulled it on. It had been an ugly Christmas gift from her, his loved one. And he’d hardly worn it before. Now, he liked to wear it often, and it made him feel closer to her. He couldn’t afford to forget her.
His heart hurt just thinking about her. He tried to dwell only on how she had always looked, but all he could see was how she had been at the end, her body bent like a rag doll.
His vision clouded, and he ground his clenched teeth. Those who had hurt her needed to be punished.
There was no way he would stop now.
No, there would be no mercy for them until he was done.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Drake looked down at the file in front of him. Tiny had done a good job of pulling together all the information he could find on the two cases. His contact at the police station had been very helpful. Well, he’d had no choice, since a significant amount of Drake’s money flowed into his pockets.
Drake opened the file and began to read through the reports. Even though the victims died in what seemed to be two different circumstances, both victims had been injected with formalin. Their blood results had also yielded a high level of Rohypnol. Yet there was no evidence of sexual intercourse in either case. It was unusual to use both formalin and Rohypnol as the weapons of choice in the deaths. Drake wondered what message the killer was trying to send.
He continued scanning the reports. The police suspected that the killer must have been a relatively young man given the strength needed to subdue both victims; someone who most likely worked out in one form or the other. There was also evidence of a struggle in both cases but no DNA or prints had been left behind. The killer had been careful.
Drake could see that a medical student had been identified as a potential suspect in the case. Zora Smyth was her name, according to the reports. He looked at the attached photo. She was pretty with guileless eyes that drew him in. There was something about her that reminded him of someone he knew, but he couldn’t place who it was. He felt a stirring within himself as he continued to gaze at the picture, a magnetism that drew him to her.
He shut down any further thoughts about her and closed the file. He had promised himself that he wouldn’t lose control again. Not while the company was at stake.
He opened the drawer on the right to place the file in it but changed his mind. He opened the file again, extracted the picture, and then placed the file in the drawer. The picture, he tucked into his wallet. He would keep it with him for the meantime.
Drake rested his elbows on his desk and steepled his fingers. So far, it seemed the police didn’t have a lot to go on. There was also not enough information in the files to confirm that the cases were related to what he was thinking.
He pressed the hidden button on his desk. A moment later, Tiny stepped into his office, wearing a black button-down shirt rolled up at the sleeves with black pants.
“I need you to keep an eye on these cases and let me know once there are any updates.”
“Yes, sir,” Tiny said.
“Did you check into the man like I requested?”
“Yes, I did. He is still working at the same place. He looks much more frail now than before that I doubt he is the killer. There is also no evidence that he works out.” When he saw Drake’s raised eyebrows: “The reports indicated that the killer kept his body in top form. I had him followed and so far I’ve found nothing out of the ordinary. But I’ve asked some guys to keep an eye on him.”
“Okay, keep digging into the people around him to see if there is any person of interest. I’m not yet convinced these cases are related to us, but I’m not going to take any chances.”
“I’ll let you know if I learn anything new.”
Drake dismissed him with a wave of his hand. Tiny would do his job, but Drake needed to keep an eye on the case as well. The niggling doubt at the back of his head persisted.
And Drake had learnt to trust his instincts.
He was sure he would find something of importance sooner or later.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Zora sat across Marcus in the local gourmet coffee shop. It was two blocks away from her apartment and served specialty coffee from various far-flung places around the world. Zora loved to come here when she didn’t have time to make her own coffee. She loved the cool ambience with its simple mint green and chocolate brown decor, the smell of freshly ground coffee mixed with fresh homemade bread, the comfortable chairs set in nooks, and the large windows that filled the space with natural light. Zora sat in one such nook on the far left.
She’d had no classes today; the school gave the students a day off once a month. It was a tradition that had been going on for about ten years. And today had been that free day for this month.
Zora had been happy not to go to class—she had begun to lose interest; the Martha Adams case consumed her every
waking thought. She didn’t have to go and pretend she was listening when her heart was clearly not there.
She had stayed indoors all day without really achieving much, so she had been relieved when Marcus had called to meet with her.
Zora picked her cup of coffee and inhaled deeply. The sweet jasmine and peach floral notes from the Ethiopian Guji coffee wafted up her nostrils. She took a sip and its tea-like body filled her taste buds and warmed her body. She inhaled deeply. The Guji coffee was not her favorite, but it was a close second. Zora took another sip and then felt Marcus’s eyes on her.
“I could watch you all day,” he said, his voice low and soothing. “You do love your coffee.”
Zora felt a smile tug at the corners of her lips. “It’s one of my favorite things in the world.” The aroma of the coffee helped calm her. She needed to hold onto this piece of happiness even as her world was turned upside down.
The smile left her face as the memory of the case crossed her mind. She set the cup of coffee on the table and leaned back on the chair. “Have you found anything?”
Marcus pulled his notes from his satchel and scanned through. “I didn’t find anything fishy in Martha Adams’ background. She was single, lived alone, and worked at the Collmark group as a Senior Human Resources Manager; she was promoted a year ago. She was last seen leaving her office building before she ended up on your dissection table. Even though she wasn’t the best co-worker, she didn’t seem to have any enemies.
“Professor Oakley, on the other hand, seemed to have had issues with money. He had a specific amount leave his account every month, and we traced it to a group involved in racketeering and blackmail. So it is safe to assume that he was being blackmailed before he died.”
Zora leaned forward and put her elbow on the table. “Any ideas on what he was being blackmailed for?”
“I haven’t found anything yet, but I’m sure I will pretty soon,” Marcus said as he took a sip of his own coffee and grimaced. He wasn’t really a coffee drinker.
Zora could also see that he had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. “You look exhausted,” she said.
“It’s nothing.” Marcus flipped through his notes. “The bad news is that I didn’t find any similarities between Professor Oakley and Martha Adams.”
Zora slumped in her chair and tried to hide her disappointment. She took another sip of her coffee. It now tasted ashy to her. She grimaced as she swallowed.
“Don’t worry, Zora. I’ll keep checking to see if something pops up. I do have some good news.”
Zora leaned forward. She noticed his gorgeous grey eyes shining with excitement.
“I got the forensic results back from my friend regarding the pin. He didn’t find any DNA on it. However, each pin was sold to an actual veteran, and my friend was able to use the number imprinted on the pin to track down the name of the person who bought it.”
Zora sat at the edge of her chair. “Who was it?”
Marcus looked at his notes. “His name is Danny Thompson, and he is a security guard for the Collmark group.”
“Bingo!” Zora almost jumped up from her seat. “Martha Adams worked at the same company. So it’s likely that this case might have something to do with the Collmark group.” She smiled at Marcus. “Awesome work.”
Marcus closed his notes and leaned forward. “Zora, I think we should turn this information over to the cops and let them take it from here. I don’t want you to do anything that might put you in danger. Two people have already died, and I’d rather you’re not added to that list.”
Zora fingered her pendant. “Okay, I’ll back off a little, but I’m still going to keep an eye on how things are going.”
Marcus sighed. “I can’t convince you otherwise, can I?”
Zora gave a tentative smile and said nothing.
“I’ll meet with the detectives later today and tell them everything. Promise me you’ll call me before you do anything.”
“I will.” Zora reached across and patted his hand. “You don’t have to fret about it.”
“Why is it that I’m worried when I hear that?” Marcus packed his notes into his satchel. “I have to return to the office before your mom looks for me.”
Zora’s spine stiffened. “She has you on a short leash, doesn’t she?” she said.
Marcus gave her a piercing glance, got up, and slung his satchel on his shoulder.
Zora rose as well.
“I’ll see you later. Stay safe, okay?” Marcus said.
Zora nodded.
Marcus gave her a quick side hug and strode out of the coffee shop.
Zora sat down again and leaned back in the chair. The Collmark group. She had read about them briefly while browsing a news article online. Collmark group—an investment firm that had forced the management of a biotech company to trigger a “poison pill” strategy to prevent a hostile takeover. The biotech management had offered a preferred stock option to its shareholders, allowing them to exercise their purchase rights at a huge premium to the company, which made the cost of the takeover prohibitive. Collmark group had been compelled to back down from the takeover.
But little else was known about the company. Maybe Silas might know more. He had deep roots in this town. He was away on a client’s case today, so she’d ask him tomorrow when he got back.
She pulled out her phone and clicked open the search engine. Collmark group, let’s see what else I can dig up about you.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Tonight had been a great night for Calvin. He had finally bagged the deal, and the profits to the company were enormous. He’d been able to manipulate the other party to leave key terms on the table. They still didn’t know what had hit them. That was what Calvin was really good at. He wondered what would happen when they realized what they had lost.
Calvin laughed. He had become the envy of his colleagues. Tom had congratulated him. Sarah had been elated. Now that she had a chance of getting a larger office space, he trusted her to spread the news through the office grapevine.
He could already see lots of money—his bonus—pouring into his account. He inhaled deeply. The smell of money was in the air. And he already had plans for what to do with it.
The way into the exclusive H Club was now open to him. It had been a long time dream of his. It was rumored that the club not only looked at the depth of a prospective member’s pocket, but also at the extent of the person’s proven influence in Lexinbridge society. Calvin didn’t know what specific criteria they measured these two factors against, but he was sure that he had earned his way in.
The news about the deal would hit the financial community before sundown. H Club would have heard by now; they certainly had their pulse on everything. Now, he had the chance to be connected to Lexinbridge’s elite, the folks whose word was law in the town. His star could only rise higher from there. He imagined all the women that would be flocking to his side once he joined. It was a great day indeed.
Calvin had been so excited that he had already treated himself to a special bottle of 1970 Napoleon, which he kept hidden in one of his desk drawers. One shot had turned into two, and then three, and Calvin knew he couldn’t drive himself home.
Calvin loved his life right now. He couldn’t believe how much it had changed. He’d been a senior associate at Beckett & Schubert, where his chances of making it to the top had been slim. There had been too many cutthroat associates just like him and only one partnership slot. Calvin had done the math, so when an opportunity opened up a year ago to move in as in-house counsel for the Collmark Group—where he didn’t have to work as hard to make the same amount of money—he jumped ship, terrible affair aside. Now, his decision was paying off, and in big chunks. Yes, his star was definitely rising.
Calvin swayed on his feet as he pressed the button to call the elevator. The building security had informed him that his car service was waiting upfront. He could hardly see straight, but he didn’t care. This was his night to celebrate, and nothing co
uld stop him from doing so. He was sure most employees had left by now; he could still walk straight even if he encountered anyone. He would definitely not be the hot bad news for tomorrow’s office grapevine.
Calvin just wanted to go home and rest. It had been a long day. Tomorrow would be enough time to celebrate more. And maybe the H Club would have sent him an invitation by then. His face split into a wide grin just thinking about it.
The elevator pinged and the doors opened. He saw that the elevator was already occupied. Drake Pierce, a vice president in the company, stood at the back of the elevator with his bodyguard by his side.
Calvin knew who Drake was. He was someone no one wanted to cross. He was very ruthless and practically had the board of directors in his pocket. Everyone knew the old man’s influence was waning; Drake was really the person in control. And his bodyguard was always by his side.
Calvin shivered. The bodyguard gave him the creeps. He had met him face-to-face once before and he didn’t like him then. But it had been necessary at the time. He could imagine the guy crushing people with his large meaty hands. The long jagged scar on his face did not help in lightening its ferocity.
Calvin stepped into the elevator and greeted Drake, who barely acknowledged him. One would think they hadn’t met before from the way the guy looked at him with disinterest.
Calvin turned to face the elevator doors as they closed shut, and the elevator moved downwards. He held his black briefcase in front of him with both hands and only looked ahead.
He could feel eyes boring into his back. His back twitched, and he used all his efforts to keep still. He couldn’t tell if it was Drake or his bodyguard staring at him. One thing he knew, he would not allow the rudeness of Drake Pierce or his bodyguard to affect his mood tonight. After all, if all went well, he and Drake could wind up as members of the same club. And he wasn’t sure how much influence Drake had on who joined. There was no need to get on his bad side.