by W L Knightly
Logan knew Finn was just trying to be nice. “I need the job, Finn.”
He wasn’t sure what would happen with Lidia’s estate or if he’d even get anything in the will, not with her son up in arms over the recent changes. He was trying to nail Logan’s balls to the wall. He also wasn’t happy that Logan admitted to being with Hannah the very night his mother was killed. Roland had overheard some of the officers saying how she was the last victim’s sister.
Suddenly, Tad was a victim and not the murderer they’d all pegged him as. The case was open once again.
“I’m sorry,” Finn said. “I know once the investors hear about this, they’ll back out, and while I came here tonight to give you the first payment, I have to do what’s best for their money. If they know I went ahead with all of this going on, they’d have my ass.” Finn’s eyes were soft and compassionate, and Logan knew the guy didn’t mean to kick him while he was down. The kick still hurt, though.
“Fuck, I understand. I just needed some money. Lidia had cut the purse strings about eight weeks ago, and I’m broke as a joke. She was supposed to have me in the will, but her son is using that to pin the murder on me. I’m not sure I’ll even stay a free man for long.”
Finn shrugged. “I could loan you some money.”
Logan shook his head. “I don’t know, man. I’d hate to borrow money and then be locked up or something.”
Finn walked over and eyed the steampunk heart. “When did you make this?”
“This week. I just felt like brushing up on some techniques to gear up for the other project.”
“I like it. It’s fucking nice, man. I think it would be perfect in my office. It’s the right size.” He stroked his chin and walked around the other side of it. “How much?”
“You don’t have to do that, man.” Logan didn’t want a pity purchase.
“Oh, I know. Trust me. But I really love it. How about five grand?”
“Finn, it’s cool, man. I appreciate it, but—”
“Hey, I’m not fucking around. I like the piece, okay? I can’t get it anywhere else. I’ll give you six grand and not a penny more.” He crossed his arms in front of him, and Logan stepped back and looked at the piece.
It was more than a fair price, and it would help him out.
“Okay, man. You’ve got a deal.”
“Awesome. This is badass, man. It’s going to be just right, and my girlfriend is going to love it.”
Logan hadn’t known he was seeing anyone, especially a girl. “I appreciate it.”
“Are you kidding? I just got a steal on some great art. You get things figured out, and I’ll make sure you have work. I have a feeling there will be a few of my friends who want to get their hands on your stuff as soon as I get this baby back home.” He turned to the counter and pulled out his wallet. “I know you don’t take credit, but I just happen to have a blank check.”
The check wouldn’t be for as much as they’d talked about for the movie project, but at least he’d sold something and would have enough money to stay on his feet for a while. “I appreciate it, man.”
“Hey, we’re brothers, remember? We help each other.” He passed Logan the check and then held out his hand. When Logan took it, he gave him a big hug. “You take care, and I’m sorry about your girl.”
“Thanks,” Logan said. “Watch your ass, too.”
Finn walked over and patted the heart. “I think this will fit in my backseat if you have a blanket to protect my seats.” He looked over and smiled. “And I know you want to help me carry it out to the car.”
Logan smiled. “Sure.” They got to work moving the sculpture, which wasn’t as heavy as Logan thought it might be. Once they had it loaded into Finn’s classic car, he left Logan, who then realized he was all alone to grieve.
He thought about Hannah and wondered if the police had gotten to her yet. Once they did, it would be all over for the two of them before it even started.
14
Darek
Lizzy was still pouting about the trip being postponed when Darek had gotten to work the next day. Despite the horrific scene and the fact that Logan was on their radar, she had mentioned the trip at least three times in the first hour of the morning.
So, when they got a call from Dr. Cobb to come down to his office, Darek was excited to go. Meeting with the medical examiner hadn’t always been his favorite thing to do, but it always put Lizzy in a good mood to get new evidence.
They walked into the office, and Dr. Cobb stood over the deceased woman’s body with a huge knife in his hand.
“Don’t tell me you found the murder weapon in that mess of gashes.” Darek walked up and stood next to the body, while it took Lizzy a bit longer than usual to walk over.
“No, this is something I keep around here for comparison,” Cobb said. “If you’ve read the other reports closely, you have seen where I said I thought the knife used was of considerable size.” He turned his eyes to Darek as if accusing him. “I’ve compared this fixed, six-inch blade to the others, and I think it’s a bit bigger, but not much. I think a five or five and a half was used. And I don’t mean just on her. I mean on every victim.”
Darek covered his mouth with his hand. The smell was becoming more than he could handle. “So, there is one murder weapon, and the same person is committing all these crimes?”
Dr. Cobb stepped back and put the knife back in its sheath. “From the looks of it, yes. But that’s not to say that multiple killers couldn’t use the same weapon. This particular stabbing, though, was much more brutal than the others, as if the killer was in a different mindset than during the other killings.”
Lizzy folded her arms like she had a sudden chill. “And what about the brand?”
“It’s a match to the one found at the scene, and the dimensions of the symbol matched the other symbol’s dimensions. The style is also similar, which tells me it was the same as the other, and they are apparently two of a matching set.”
“And if there are two, there could be one for each symbol of the zodiac?” Darek went ahead and asked what he knew Lizzy was thinking.
Cobb nodded. “Yes, and there was something else. That report from the doctor was true. I looked her over and found advanced cancer in her breasts, her lungs, and her kidneys. Well, in the parts that weren’t sushi. I’d bet it’s in her brain as well, though I haven’t made my way that far in yet. This one is going to take some time.”
Darek frowned. “So, she didn’t have long to live, just like Logan Miller said. I can’t see a man cutting up the woman he loves like this for an inheritance when she’s just a few months from the grave.”
“In my opinion, I don’t think he did it.” Dr. Cobb turned to Darek. “He would be a dumb SOB if he did.”
“I agree, Doc.”
Lizzy turned and walked out of the room, and Darek and the doctor exchanged a look.
Cobb shook his head. “You know, I’ve seen these cases rattle the best of us. I’ve even had some haunt me from this table. This is what, the fifth now? Granted, that jumper wasn’t the same, but it was just as ugly.”
Darek thought about the old man who raised Lizzy. He had died and probably had suffered a slow, painful death, which she watched. Seeing the poor woman, who was dying anyway, must have triggered something in her.
“I’ll talk to her,” Darek said.
“I think you should. She’s a good girl, and usually tough as tacks, but she’s obsessing.”
“Obsessing?”
“Oh yeah, she’s been down here a few times without you, detective. She’s asked questions and proposed all sorts of theories.”
“I’ll have a talk with her.” Darek was dumbfounded and didn’t know what Lizzy was thinking by digging deeper without him. But then again, he had secrets of his own.
He walked out and found her leaning against the wall. “Are you okay?”
She sniffled. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just needed some air. The smell was horrible, and to be honest, I didn�
�t really like seeing her that way.”
“Yeah. You know, if you ever need to vent about these cases off duty, you can. I mean, I know you think about it away from work like I do. We can get together and talk whenever you want. Dinner, a drink, a walk; I’m up for anything, and I hope you don’t take that the wrong way.”
Lizzy nodded. “You’re a good friend, Darek. And no, I don’t take it the wrong way. I tend to get carried away with my thoughts at times, but these cases, you think they’d be easier to solve.” She took a deep breath and pushed away from the wall. “I’m ready to talk to Logan Miller and that alibi of his. I still think there’s something up with that.”
Darek couldn’t believe it, either. He knew Tad would roll over in his grave if he knew Logan was putting it to his sister. Then again, maybe Logan wasn’t plowing Hannah. Although if that wasn’t it, what was he doing with her? Was he just helping her through a hard time? Darek couldn’t believe that. There had to be more, and that was why he couldn’t wait to ask some questions of his own. “Yeah, I’m ready for that, too.”
“So, let’s get back and give her a call.” Lizzy headed down the hallway, and Darek caught up.
“Do you think that Logan Miller is guilty?” he asked.
“I’m not sure. It doesn’t make sense for him to kill her, so not really. But with something this brutal, there’s no telling. Maybe he was distraught that she was dying and leaving him? A moment of anger? A lapse of sanity? It had to be something.”
They continued talking while they left the medical examiner’s office and headed back to the station. When they walked in, Max was at the counter talking with a young woman, and when she turned around, it was Hannah Halston.
Darek nudged Lizzy, who was busy greeting one of the other officers. “Looks like we won’t have to call her in, after all.”
“Interesting.” Lizzy hurried over and got the woman’s attention. “Ms. Halston. We were just about to call you.”
“Well, good,” Hannah said. “I’ve been trying to get something from this guy, but he won’t tell me anything. I heard there was another murder in the Zodiac case, so unless you think that my brother is stabbing people from the grave, you need to tell me what you’re doing about clearing his name.”
Lizzy nodded. “As I said, we were just about to call you.”
“So, you do have information?” Hannah was as hard-hitting as Lizzy, and Darek knew things were about to get really heated.
“Perhaps we should go somewhere we can talk,” he said.
Hannah turned around and realized that there was a roomful of people in the busy station lobby. She cleared her throat and straightened her back. “Lead the way.”
“Thank you,” Darek said. “Right this way.”
He led Hannah and Lizzy down the hall to the interrogation room, where he pulled out their chairs on opposite sides of the table and then stood beside the table to play mediator.
Lizzy wasted no time. “Do you know Logan Miller?”
Hannah nodded, her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Yeah, I know him. He was a friend of Tad’s. We reconnected at his funeral. We started talking, and he’s helped me through some tough days.”
“So, you knew Mr. Miller before your brother’s death?”
Hannah shrugged. “Not well, but Tad had known him for years and talked to him on the phone quite a bit. I had met a few of the guys he hung out with when my stepdad and I went to get him from camp. He talked about those guys all the way home.”
“He did?” Darek was a little shocked to hear that. He hadn’t gone home and told anyone about anything that had happened at camp. Of course, being the last one to join the group on the very year the ritual was performed, it wasn’t exactly the best time to be bragging.
“Oh yeah. He didn’t have a lot of friends, other than his Camp Victory crew.” Hannah rubbed her hands together and trembled. The interrogation room was either too hot or too cold, but never comfortable. Darek was sweating bullets.
“He knew Logan from Camp Victory?” Lizzy asked, turning to meet Darek’s eyes as if to say, see, I told you.
“Yeah. Why did you ask about Logan?”
“You don’t know?” Lizzy looked a bit confused. “Then how did you know there was another murder? The press hasn’t leaked a connection yet.”
“No, but I’m a nurse, and I have friends down in Dr. Cobb’s office. They told me a lady came in. I had asked to be notified.”
“I see. You have no idea who the woman was, do you?”
“Was she related to Logan? A rich aunt or something?”
“No, according to him, she was his girlfriend. The two had been seeing each other for a few years, and even though he’d spent the night before with you, he’d gone over to see her the next morning and found her dead.”
Hannah covered her mouth, and her face twisted into an expression of horror. “He didn’t say he had a girlfriend. We’ve been talking since the funeral.”
Lizzy leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. “So, you’re in a sexual relationship with Mr. Miller? A blossoming romance?”
“I thought we might begin something. He’s a good guy. If something happened to his girlfriend, then that wasn’t him. That was whoever hurt my brother.”
“Logan Miller lied to you, Hannah. Probably just to get you into bed, and you think he’s a good guy?”
Hannah was twenty kinds of confused, and each one of them read clearly on her face as she shook her head and closed her eyes. Darek felt sorry for her. She had just lost her brother, and whatever comfort she had found with Logan was coming back to bite her in the ass in a big way.
“Did you know any more of your brother’s friends?” Darek asked.
Hannah shook her head. “I don’t keep in touch, and most of them didn’t show up to his funeral, so I’m not sure if I’d say they’re his friends anymore.”
“Could you give me any names?” Lizzy asked. “Maybe if I had names, I could look into some of them. The only connection that Logan and Tad seemed to have was Camp Victory. I think that someone from that camp, maybe the person who branded your brother’s arm, is responsible.”
Darek walked around the table to sit next to Lizzy. “There was a branding iron found in the woman’s house. Have you ever seen Logan with anything like that?” He knew that Logan would be protective of his mark, as they all were lately.
“No.” She shook her head.
“Do you know what he does for a living?” he asked.
“Yes, he’s an artist. He works with metal. You should see his work. It’s amazing; he’s very talented.” Darek could see the stars she had in her eyes for him, and the uncertainty of regret, as well. She wore her expressions openly, and he didn’t know how she’d keep this little meeting from Logan.
“Our theory is that he made the branding irons that have been found so far,” Lizzy said. “And just so you know, we found out that his birthday is the seventh of February. He’s an Aquarius.”
Hannah met Lizzy’s eyes. “Good to know. I’ll make sure and send a card.”
Lizzy met her gaze, leaning in as if to prove she wasn’t backing down. “If you’re still alive by then. But you know, I can’t help but think that maybe you had more to do with all of this than you’re letting on. Maybe you murdered this lady. Took all of your rage over losing your bother and your sick fuck of an uncle and got rid of your man’s girlfriend like you did the others. Maybe you and Logan did the other murders together, but when he wouldn’t let go of his mistress, you hacked her up.”
Darek was floored that his partner had made such a wild accusation, and if she had done it to shake Hannah up, it didn’t work.
Hannah got up and flattened her palms on the table as she leaned in close enough for Lizzy to smell her breath. “You should stop reaching and figure out who the fuck did this to these people. Because it isn’t me, and you already know that. Stop wasting your fucking time. And mine.”
Darek walked around and caught Hannah’s arm gently. �
�Thank you for coming down. We’ll be in touch.”
As Hannah stormed out, he put his hands atop of his head and turned to Lizzy. “Are you out of your fucking mind? That woman is a victim, and you just accused her of killing her fucking brother, who she cried her fucking eyes out over the last time she was here.”
“Sometimes, people aren’t who they seem to be. We don’t know her; she could be a mental case. I’m just throwing out ideas.”
“You’re obsessing! And you need to calm down about this case.”
“Admit it. Admit that I’m right about Virginia. Those guys have that camp in common, and I can promise you, it’s not a fucking coincidence. I’m going to prove it, Darek. So, you’re either with me, or get the fuck out of my way!” She pushed past him.
As she hit the door, he called out to her. “I’m on your side, Lizzy. I already told you I have your back.”
“Then start acting like it. I appreciate you supporting me on the Virginia trip, but I need you to start seeing this case for what it is. Revenge.” She turned and walked away, leaving him behind to think about what she’d said.
He hated knowing more than her, and he didn’t know which one of them had it worse. He who had all the evidence, or she who only had parts of the puzzle.
15
Logan
Logan was surprised when he hadn’t been called in to talk to the police, but he knew it was coming. For whatever reason, they were taking their time. He knew he needed to call Darek and talk to him beforehand, but he still hadn’t decided if he should call Bay like Finn suggested.
He wasn’t entirely sure he could trust the guy. Not only had Hannah opened his eyes, but something didn’t line up with the whole Tad situation. If she said that Bay was helping him and he still managed to throw himself out a window, then something was really fucked up.
He had avoided calls from Roland all day but read the hateful messages the guy was leaving. He knew he needed to get a lawyer soon because the man was threatening to sue for the firehouse, and if he somehow remained a free man after all of this, he was going to need a place to stay.