“Yeah, but I can’t sacrifice my morals or the job I do just to stay in the safe zone. Then I should just quit now because there’s no reason for me to stick around if I’m not going to do the job properly.”
“Before you go all crazy spouting nonsense, let me explain something to you. It’s okay to want to live or to even change jobs for your family, that doesn’t make you a coward. We can still do our job without jumping off the ledge. Let’s take care of the Zodiac Master first and then if we feel like it we can we’ll go after John Armstrong.”
“It’s all well and good for you to say that, but we can’t let either one of them get away with murder.”
“I didn’t say we were going to let them get away, just that it doesn’t have to be you that takes them down. You can’t eat an elephant all at once or you’ll be overwhelmed. You have to eat it one bite at a time.” I popped the seat back in an attempt to relax.
“How do you propose that we eat this elephant?” He asked as the scenery changed from city to rural.
“First we have to catch this month’s killer. Second, find the Zodiac Master and take down his sorry ass. Third, we take a vacation before we come back and let someone we trust decide the best method to take out the big dude. There has to be a reason that the Zodiac Master sent us toward the Urban Energy Company. It could be to take out his competition-family that made him made or he just wants someone to uncover all of the evil that’s being hidden behind the company’s clean image.”
“You make it sound so easy. Shea was just telling me that I was enjoying the extra thrill of the chase, but I’m going to have to disagree with her on that for now.”
“Relax, Ryan. You’ve got what four and a half months before the baby gets here to get all of your super death defying acts. Make sure that you add bungie jumping to the list, I’ve heard it really makes you feel alive.”
“Why do I put up with you?” Ryan grinned, “To think I was excited to have an afternoon with my partner who was going to help me celebrate having a kid.”
I reached over and patted his shoulder, “That is exactly what I’m doing dude.”
He shook his head, “Always have to be difficult don’t you?”
“Why do you think I’m still single? I’m too ‘difficult’ to handle.”
“That’s not what I heard. You had a date with someone.”
“How on earth did you know that?” I asked completely shocked.
“Flora told Shea who told me.” He laughed, “You should be very careful who you tell personal stuff to because they could tell just anybody.”
“I’ll remember that for future reference.”
------
The countryside was beginning to match the landscape from both of our puzzles and Ryan took the exit printed on the directions from Agent Watson.
The directions lead to a dirt road with a fence keeping the livestock from roaming all over the country. Back through the trees a red barn could be seen with a picturesque farmhouse next to it.
“This looks like the place.” I remarked as we crept down the road leaving a dust trail behind for anyone within five miles to see.
“Stealth isn’t going to work out here. Should we use the direct approach?”
“I don’t see that we have much choice. Let’s keep our guns handy, but try charm for a change.”
“Got it. I’m putting on my old lady smile right now. They always fall for it.”
“Whatever.” I rolled my eyes as we approached the house with chickens running all over the place.
The screen door squeaked as an older woman came out of the house followed by three dogs.
“What can I do for you?” She drawled leaning against the porch post. “You just lost or did you have something you needed?”
“We’re not sure how to answer that question. We got a photo the other day that matched this farm, but we have no idea why.” Ryan answered honestly.
“You cops?” The woman asked suspiciously.
“Yes, ma’am. Detectives actually.”
“Hmmph,” She looked us over thoroughly, “You might as well come on in. I’ll put on a pot of tea.”
Ryan and I exchanged glances curious about the shift in her attitude.
“Thank you.” I commented as I followed her inside.
“We’re unsure what we’re looking for, but I think you might already know.”
“I knew this day would come. It’s just about 20 years later than I thought though.” She put a kettle on the stove and started getting out three tea cups.
“Oh, I’m Belle Stevens.”
“This is Ryan Fox and I’m Leslie Boxe.”
“That’s cute. Your boss must have a sense of humor.” She took a seat across from both of us. “I’m guessing that my name didn’t ring any bells.”
“No, ma’am. Should it?”
“Maybe I’m wrong, but I was always certain that my son was going to do something stupid when he left home. There was something just not right about him.”
“What was his name?”
“Henry J. Stevens. Although, he’s more than likely changed it by now. He hated it out here on the farm and couldn’t wait to get to the city.”
“No, that isn’t a name we’ve come across either.”
“His father is John Reed or that was the name he gave me at the time. I was so young and naïve at the time. He wooed me into thinking that I was the only girl in the world. I was fresh off the farm and he seemed like the real deal. It wasn’t until I realized that I was pregnant that I found out I was only one of his side pieces. He didn’t want anything to do with me or a kid.”
“I never told him I was pregnant so he didn’t know that Henry was his. I snuck out and returned to the farm her and he never came looking for me. He had a violent streak and I didn’t want him getting mad at me. I hadn’t told him my real name when I met him so that might have saved me, but Henry always resented his dad for not taking better care of us.”
“Do you know if he ever made contact with his father?”
“I’m sure he tried. Remember this has been almost forty-five years ago and Henry left home when he was about fifteen. I haven’t seen him since then. Until you showed up I wasn’t even sure that he was alive to be honest.”
“What made you think we were here because of your son, Ms. Stevens?”
“If you’ve ever met him then you’d know. He had the coldest eyes that would look at you like you were simply an object in the room. No emotion. Something you hear about on those documentaries of serial killers.”
The tea kettle whistled and she hopped up to pull it off the burner.
“He wasn’t ever affectionate and seemed to interact with people as if he was watching their reactions. I have to say that he’d learned a lot and by the time he left, I was beginning to imagine that he didn’t feel emotions.”
She passed out the cups as she continued to remember the past.
“I was always afraid that he was going to kill me in my sleep, but then he left. I stayed up for weeks expecting him to return, but when he didn’t I realized that I didn’t mean very much to him.”
“You must have meant more than you thought. He left us a puzzle with pictures of the farm. We traced it from the cows’ tags in the photos. Were there any missing women in the area while he was still living here?” I asked her on a hunch.
“No and that was the weirdest thing. I guess I’d always assumed that was the direction that he was headed, but none were ever reported missing.”
“Did he like girls?”
“From what I could tell he didn’t really care one way or another. I just thought he’d take it out on girls first.” She shrugged.
“Thank you for your time.” I started to get up, “If we have any other questions, we’ll call you. In case you think of something else, here’s my card.”
“I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.”
“Oh, we learned more today than in several months of digging. Now, we’ll have a bette
r understanding of who we’re dealing with.”
We made our way back to the car.
“Well, what do you think? Have we found our Zodiac Master or the bastard son of John Reed?” I threw the questions out as Ryan started back down the long driveway.
“What if he’s both?”
“It would explain all of the clues and cross connections to the Urban Energy Company.”
“Also it could be the reason that he’s bent on taking down daddy and his company.”
“We’re going to need to let someone besides just the two of us know about this. I’d suggest only telling Adam and Agent Watson the specific details.”
“Agreed. It will give us a few more people looking out for us.” I laid back and closed my eyes trying to process all of the information Ms. Stevens had given us.
Chapter 7
Ryan
Meeting with Adam and Agent Watson to let them know what we’d found out wasn’t going to happen at the complex.
Leslie and I had taken our phones out of the Faraday bag when we’d reached the city limits.
“Adam, I’m going to need to meet you for a training session this evening. I just can’t get calm after my drive out into the country.” Leslie wanted to have him meet us, but didn’t want to say why.
“Yeah, the training area is free and I can help you run through some yoga to clear out your brain.”
“Sounds great. I’ll meet you there in about thirty minutes.” She hung up, “All good. Now you just have to make sure that Agent Watson sticks with Adam and they both meet us there.”
“Here.” I handed her my phone so she could send the text since I was still driving.
“Don’t leave Adam’s side. Important information.”
“Done.” She announced with glee. “We may not be the world’s best spies, but at least we’re giving it a shot.”
“I feel much better about this. It will leave the major decisions in the hands of someone much more qualified to handle this kind of thing.”
“Between Adam and Agent Watson, they should have an idea of what the next step is. I just wish we knew who the clues were in reference to so that we could mark one bad guy off the list.” Leslie agreed.
“Where are we supposed to meet Adam at?”
“The gym on Fifth Street. They have a few rooms that are kept for high profile people to use for their excising needs. The rooms are soundproof and shouldn’t have any listening devices in them. We’ll do a sweep beforehand just in case.”
“Here goes nothing.”
Adam arrived with a curious Agent Watson in tow.
“I certainly didn’t expect to see the two of you here. What’s going on?” Adam eyed Leslie with a worried tone.
“We thought considering a few things that have come to light we needed to take extra precautions.” Leslie dropped to the mat on the floor looking very comfortable.
“So I’m going to say that your visit to the country was rewarding?” Agent Watson grinned, “Don’t keep us in suspense.”
“The verdict’s still out as to whether this was part of our Zodiac Master’s history or if it was more about the history of John Reed. We found the mom of John Reed’s son, Henry Stevens. He hasn’t lived there in years, but his mother is certain that he fits a serial killer profile.” I explained to their astonished faces.
“This is huge. Our serial killer is the son of John Reed which is how the two cases combine.” Agent Watson exclaimed with excitement.
“That’s where we run into a problem. John Reed may not know he has a son. Belle Stevens left without telling him and that was one of the reasons he left her alone on the farm. With the information from Kevin and other sources, we need to determine how we want to proceed.”
“What are you trying to say Leslie?” Adam’s brow furrowed as he frowned at her implications.
“Someone on our team may be working for Henry Stevens or even John Reed. With the ties to the cartels, we don’t want to be sending information to him through his or their spies. I’m going to suggest that we keep any reports off the radar until we know more so someone doesn’t get killed.”
“Leslie that’s a good point. Let’s keep any and all mention of things pertaining to John Reed and John Armstrong off the record for now. We can have a meeting over here if we need to, away from the prying eyes and ears of the FBI. Let’s take what we do know and search for anything we can find on Henry Stevens.” Agent Watson agreed quickly.
“Why don’t you both go home for the day and report first thing in the morning for a briefing. We’ll get everyone up to date on your ‘findings’ and then start the search. It’s looking like our serial killer is using a chainsaw, but we have no idea what the pattern is yet.” Adam suggested.
“Thank you. I’d like one more night at home before heading off on the next leg of this chase.”
I wasn’t about to offer a protest to calling it a day. I was still tired from the past few days and more sleep would help me recharge as we started traveling again.”
------
Shea was already home when I arrived and I walked up putting my arms around her expanding waist.
“Hey, babe. Did you miss me?”
“Was I supposed to?” She turned in my arms to look up at me with a mischievous grin.
“Guess not.” I grumbled playfully, “At least I got home before your boyfriend could hide.”
“Trust me, I can barely keep up with you and this baby, much less another guy on top of everything else.”
She pulled out of my arms and walked over to the desk, “Although, I didn’t want to alarm you, but I think you should see this.”
In her hands was a note.
I knew immediately who it was from as I took it trying to keep my hand from shaking.
“Shea, you’re positively glowing with impending motherhood. I’m so happy for you and Detective Ryan. It’s too bad that he’s out protecting everyone else while you’re left to fend for yourself. You’d think he’d want you to be safe. Well, we don’t always get what we wish for. Although, you are safe with me. Others think I’m a monster, but I would never hurt a child. Tell your fiancé that I’ll be checking in on him from time to time.”
“Or is he too worried about how Leslie’s doing now that her boyfriend is gone? Maybe you’re hoping to save her again and that’s why you are making sure to stay close as her partner. Haven’t you worried about their connection?”
“He’s going to have to make a choice. Will it be you?”
“It’s from him isn’t it?” Shea’s voice trembled with fear. “What does he want with me?”
“He wants me here terrorized that something’s going to happen to you or the baby instead of trying to stop him from killing more people.”
“I’m not a cop though. Why would I be that important to him?”
“Shea, honey. It’s because of how much you mean to me. He’s guessing to find out how scared I am. What he doesn’t realize is that when I’m threatened, I don’t run. I fight. When it comes to my family there is nothing that I won’t do.”
“Is there anything I need to worry about between you and Leslie? I feel like he’s trying to make it an issue between us, right?” Shea watched my reaction closely.
“He’s right that she’s my partner, but you’re my girl. I’ve never even thought about her in that way. I’m a guy so I compartmentalize things and don’t stress over stuff like that.”
Shea raised an eyebrow at me, “Really you don’t stress over stuff? What about this whole being a dad thing? You’re not feeling any stress, huh?”
“Well, I meant it more in the way that Leslie is my partner so she fits into that dynamic in my life. I don’t think of her any differently as a woman partner than I would as a man partner. She’s a huge part of my life just like Jesse was and if she is in trouble I’m going to be there for her. She would be the first person to tell me to get home to you and my future baby.”
“I wasn’t really worried about the two of
you, but that note put a few doubts in my head. Just promise me that you won’t abandon Leslie in a life or death situation to check on me? We’re both counting on you in different ways and you can’t lose another partner.”
“I promise to make sure that help is on the way for both of you. I don’t want to have to think about a scenario where I’d have to choose who to pull out of a fire first. Let’s pray that doesn’t happen.” I pulled her close to kiss her reassuring us both.
“While we’re on the subject of making promises to each other, will you promise me that you won’t show any houses alone? I haven’t ever put any stipulations on you because I knew that you can take care of yourself. This is different, someone is watching us with the intent to hurt us.”
“If you were any other guy that had made that suggestion, I would have laughed in your face. This isn’t you trying to be all macho male so I’ll do my best to watch my back so you don’t have to worry. You need to be focused on the case and not on me.” She laid her head on my shoulder.
“I’m not even going to suggest that you just stay home until the baby is born. Just don’t get into a taxi or ride share unless it’s life or death because that’s when you’re going to be the most vulnerable. He’s waiting for the perfect opportunity to fall into his hands.”
I laughed, “This is going to sound really paranoid, but don’t discuss your plans out loud when you’re in the house. I think he has eyes and ears on us. You know extra stuff that you tell people to make them feel comfortable about you? That’s all information that he can use against us.”
“Is it really that serious of a situation?”
My finger tilted her gaze up to meet mine, “You know I wouldn’t mention it if it wasn’t.”
“This isn’t the first threat he’s made against me is it?”
“No. I didn’t want to worry you. I also didn’t want to be the super paranoid jerk fiancé that asked you to give up your life because someone made a threat. This guy isn’t playing around. We know he targeted Jesse and I don’t want to lose you as well.”
Cancer: Murders of the Zodiac Page 6