by Dale Mayer
“Sure,” she said. “We all live here. Well, except Liz. She stays with her boyfriend sometimes.”
He pulled out his notepad. “Liz who?”
They immediately shared the names of their three other roommates.
“Okay, I want descriptions,” he said.
“Can we leave here?” Gabby asked.
Wendy said suddenly, “I want to go out in the living room.”
He looked at each of them, shook his head, and said, “No, you can’t.”
And then Gabby realized. “Oh, my God,” she said, “something really bad happened to somebody out there, didn’t it?”
He looked at her slowly, then nodded and said, “Yes.”
Gabby took a deep breath and then another deep breath, but she felt herself starting to hyperventilate.
Wendy grabbed her friend’s arm and said, “Come sit down. Come on. Come sit down. It’ll be okay.”
“It doesn’t feel like it’ll be okay,” Gabby said. “Don’t you realize somebody died in our living room?” she cried out. “Somebody we know?”
“I know. I know. Let’s sit down.” Wendy pulled Gabby over until the two women sat on the bed. Then Wendy described her other three roommates to Damon. “Liz is tall, like five-eight or maybe five-ten,” she said, correcting herself quickly with a shake of her head. “Long dark hair, almost black. Tessa is smaller, brown hair, a little bit more mousy, scrawny. And Betty is shorter, a little stockier build. Auburn hair.”
He wrote everything down, then nodded and said, “You both stay in here. Do you hear me? Don’t move.”
Gabby stared up at him, her eyes huge. “Who is it?” she asked in a voice barely over a whisper.
“I don’t know yet,” he said. “Promise me that you’ll stay here?”
She looked at the door and wished she didn’t want to see beyond, then nodded. “Yes,” she said, “we’ll stay.”
He nodded, then closed the door and left them alone.
*
Damon walked out from the last bedroom down the hallway, checking on the other two bedrooms, but nobody was in them. For five women, only three bedrooms were in this apartment. At this point he wasn’t even sure who the body belonged to or whether it was male or female. Of course it didn’t help that the head was missing. As he walked back, carefully retracing his steps, he waited for his partner and the forensics team to show up. When he heard noises outside the apartment complex, he pulled out his phone and checked with his partner.
Jake answered, “Yeah, we’re coming up. What have you got?”
“You won’t believe what I’ve got,” he said, “so come in carefully.” As soon as a knock came on the door, Damon opened it and let everybody in.
They all stood at the front door in shock. “Oh, my God,” Jake said. “Where’s the head?”
“I don’t know,” Damon said. “And I also don’t know what sex the body is. Because the whole front of the body had been flayed. The bottom half was wearing jeans, but it was impossible to tell if it was a male or a female from that quick glance.”
One of the guys behind him started to gag.
Damon turned, glared at him, and said, “You will not add to the mess in here, or I’ll have your badge.”
The kid was green, literally, and had only been on the job for a few months. He quickly raced outside.
“Remember,” Jake said. “Not everybody has seen the action you have.” Even Jake’s voice cracked, and his face was a tinge green.
“I know,” Damon said. “I still can’t have him messing this up.”
“Where are the two women who called this in? Are they in their rooms? Are you thinking they have nothing to do with this?”
“I know, at first thought, it seems impossible they couldn’t have been involved because they’re here,” he said. “But they’re not covered in blood, and their rooms are spotless. They also called me, apparently with all this going on in the background. I did hear screaming, but it wasn’t normal screaming, neither male nor female. More like animal screams.”
“Yeah, that fits,” Jake said, staring in horrified fascination at the mess in front of them. “Where’s the coroner anyway?”
“He’s coming,” Damon said. “He’s not too thrilled about being called either.”
“Doesn’t matter if he is or not,” Jake said. “This one is big.”
“The biggest. And that’s not cool.”
“Nope, it isn’t. It won’t change anything though,” he said. “This one will bring the media from all over the world.”
“Shit,” Damon said, “that’s not what we want.” He looked at Jake, who stared at the corpse in fascination. “Jake, smarten up.”
“Oh, I’m here,” he said. “But you know something? This is triggering all kinds of things.”
“What things?”
“Remember when we were talking about serial killers in the past?”
“Yeah. What about it?”
“This,” he said, pointing at the scene before them, “this was the MO of one of them.”
Damon turned to look at what was left of the body. “What are you talking about? Mutilation was the MO?”
“This and, I mean, this right here is the MO. They completely defaced the chest and removed the head.”
Damon stared at his partner, his stomach sinking. “You’re telling me that you had a serial killer here in town with this same MO?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m not kidding.”
“Well, where’s the killer now?”
“He’s dead.”
Damon looked at him shock. “Dead?”
“Dead.” Jake held up his hands. “And heads-up. No one is supposed to talk about that case. Ever.”
Chapter Four
By the time the authorities had spent another three hours in the living room, both women were fed up and frustrated. Nobody would tell them anything, including Damon. When Gabby finally got him back in her bedroom to talk to them, Damon looked at the two women and asked, “Do you have another place where you can sleep tonight?”
Gabby’s jaw dropped. “Are you serious?”
“I’m very serious,” he said. “After all, somebody has been murdered here.”
The women sagged onto Gabby’s bed, burying their faces in their hands. “We barely got into this place,” Gabby said. “You know what housing is like here.”
“Do you have friends? Somebody with a couch you could sleep on?”
“No,” Gabby said.
“Well, I do,” Wendy said, a little awkwardly.
Gabby looked at her in surprise. “You do?”
She shrugged in an I was going to tell you motion, then said, “Yeah, I’ve been seeing someone.”
“You didn’t tell me,” Gabby said in surprise.
“I haven’t had a chance, and you’ve been kind of depressed lately, so I didn’t want to add to it.”
“Of course I’d have been happy for you,” she said. “That’s crazy. Who is it?”
“Well, that’s the other reason I didn’t want to tell you.”
“Why? I don’t understand.”
And, from what Damon could see, Gabby really didn’t understand. He looked at Wendy and asked, “Who’s the boyfriend?”
She took a deep breath and said, “It’s not a boyfriend.” She winced as she looked at Gabby and said, “I got back together with Meghan.”
Damon caught the startled and then angry look on Gabby’s face, and he realized what Wendy had said. “So is this an ex-girlfriend?”
“Yes,” Gabby bit off, “a woman who was terrible to her.”
“But she has changed,” Wendy said.
“In what way? And why was she bad?” Damon asked. “And please keep to the facts. I don’t want all the drama.”
“She beat up Wendy,” Gabby said. “Is that factual enough?”
He turned and looked at Wendy. “Is that true?”
“She got drunk and hit me a couple times. She was really frustrated because she doesn’t
want to be lesbian.” She shrugged. “But we’re good together.”
“Oh, my God,” Gabby said, then lifted a hand to her chest, shaking her head. “Go to her place,” she said. “You might as well get out of this nightmare. If Meghan has a place for you, take it.”
“I could probably get her to let you stay there too.”
“Hell no. Meghan and I had quite the words after what she did to you,” she said. “I wouldn’t want to sleep anywhere close to that viper.”
“You know she’s not that bad.”
“I know she’s not that good,” she said quietly.
Wendy stood and a little helplessly said, “I would have told you.”
“I know you would have,” she said, “at least when you were ready.” She watched sadly as her friend walked out of the room.
Damon wasn’t exactly sure what to say, but he turned to Gabby and asked, “What about you?”
“I don’t have anywhere to go,” she said. “Can’t I stay here, in my bedroom?” Her voice was ever-so-soft and quiet, but he heard grief inside. He motioned at the doorway, where Wendy had just gone. “Is this likely to be a long-term problem?”
“I don’t know,” she said, “but you can only lead a horse to water.”
He thought he understood what she said but held back from making any comment. This was the last place he wanted to be—in a domestic mess like this, on top of a brutal murder.
“Can you at least tell me who died out there?” she said. “I don’t know which of our friends it is, but we should contact the others.”
“We’re looking for them,” he said. “We’ve already located Liz. She is with her boyfriend.”
“Good, she better stay there,” she said softly.
“That was our recommendation to her.”
Gabby nodded slowly. “Yeah,” she said, “everybody has somebody.”
“What about Betty, does she?”
“Yes, she did. She had a boyfriend. They were kind of off and on. But I think they were more on again lately.”
“Well, hopefully we’ll find her with him,” he said, “and hopefully she can stay there.”
“And Tessa?”
“We’ll find her too.”
“Right, and what do I do?”
“You need to find a place to go,” he said firmly.
“So, by law, I have to leave?” she asked.
He stared at her. “Surely you don’t want to stay.”
“I have no place to go,” she said.
And, for the first time, he saw her for what she really was—a young woman completely alone and caught up in a tragedy. “I’m sure you’ve got a friend you could call,” he said, his voice turning gruff.
“Well, all my friends lived here,” she said, “and yet somehow I stand alone. So maybe they’re not friends so much as roommates.” She walked over to the bed, sat down, and leaned against the headboard.
*
“Gabby, are you sure you don’t have anywhere to go?” Damon’s mind spun, thinking about options.
“No,” she said quietly. “I don’t. How many times do I have to tell you?”
“Pack up something,” he said, “because you can’t stay here. Do you need a garbage bag, or do you have an overnight bag?”
She got up and walked to the closet. She pulled out two suitcases, one carry bag, and opened them up.
In a furious set of motions she quickly emptied the dresser and the closet. She really didn’t have much. In the one suitcase, she put in her boots, along with her ski pants and jacket, all her snowboard gear, minus her board. Damaged in the accident. The other suitcase was for everyday clothing. With that done, she looked at her bedding and said, “The only other thing in the entire apartment that’s mine is the bedding and my toiletries in the bathroom.”
So whatever she had was literally right here.
“Let me go get something for the linens,” he said.
“Garbage bags are under the sink,” she said, as she gathered her bathroom stuff into her carry bag.
He nodded, walked out to the kitchen, and came right back with a garbage bag. She quickly packed up her little bit of bedding and then said, “I don’t even know where to go, and I can’t afford a hotel overnight.”
He looked at her in surprise.
“I’ve spent all winter working, and all it does is give me a roof over my head and food on the table, sometimes,” she said quietly. “I came here to work for the winter, so I could enjoy the boarding. And somehow everything went absolutely wrong.”
“Come on,” he said. “I’m sure I can find you a place for the night.”
“I could stay here,” she said again hopefully.
He shook his head. “No way. That can’t happen.”
“Damn.” Finally she nodded.
“Don’t move. I’ll pick up the bags and take them outside.” He grabbed both suitcases and looped the trash bag through his fingers, leaving the carry bag with her. “I’ll be right back.” He walked out with them, stopped in the hallway when he saw Jake walking toward him, and said, “Don’t let her leave.”
“What are you doing with those things?”
“Taking her out of here for the night. Everybody else has gone.”
“Good,” he said, “this is ugly.”
“Yeah, and she’s got no place to go.”
“What will you do with her?”
“I was thinking about my aunt’s house. There’s the room over the garage.”
“I thought you were renting that out.”
“Yeah, but I haven’t yet,” he said. “So it’s empty at the moment.”
“Slippery slope, you know? She’s now somebody in need.”
“She is,” Damon said. “So what else am I supposed to do? Turn her out on the street?”
“No room in the shelters either,” he said. “I just checked.”
“I know. I double-checked too. Every one of her friends has a friend to stay with, except for her.”
“Fine,” Jake said. “I won’t let her out but hurry up.”
Damon walked down the steps, loaded up her gear into the back of his car, and raced back up. By the time he got there, she stood outside her apartment door, now shut to her.
She wrapped her arms around her chest and stared at him in horror. “They held up a blanket as I went past. Is it that bad?”
“Yes,” he said, “it’s that bad.”
She didn’t say another word and followed him downstairs. He noticed that she at least had her winter coat and winter boots on. “Did you have anything else in there?”
“No. Not even food,” she said. “I usually buy enough just for a day or two. I grabbed the last of the muffins that Tessa made this morning for breakfast.”
“Are you that broke?”
“The rents are really high here,” she said. “If I want to keep a cell phone, then, yeah, it’s that bad.”
“You need another job then,” he said.
“Wouldn’t that be easy?” she said. “Except I’m really clumsy and don’t do well in a restaurant environment. The bookstore is perfect, but Jerry doesn’t have enough hours for me.” Damon helped her into the front seat of his car. She asked, “How come it’s not a cop car?”
“It is, but, because I’m a detective,” he said, “it’s unmarked. I’ve got all the lights and sirens, if I need them, just not out on display all the time.”
“Oh,” she said, settling beside him.
“You ready to go?”
“Sure,” she said, “but where to?”
“I’ve got a place for you,” he said, “at least for tonight.” And he started up the engine and drove off.
“Where?” she asked suddenly.
“My aunt’s house,” he said. “There’s a studio above the garage.”
“In this town you could rent that for like five grand a month,” she said almost bitterly.
“And I’ve thought about it,” he said, “but it needs some work done, and I haven’t got that f
ar yet.”
“Well, at least now you know you could,” she said. “And thank you. I really appreciate it.”
“It’s fine,” he said. He pulled up to his aunt’s place, and she looked at it in shock. “Wow, this is gorgeous.”
“It is. I haven’t decided if I’ll sell it yet.”
“Is it yours then?”
“Yeah, it is,” he said. “My aunt died a couple years back, and the estate was tied up for a long time. But it’s mine, free and clear now.”
“Lucky you,” she said.
He looked at her, gave her half a smile, and said, “I’d do anything to have my aunt back. Including giving this all back. She was everything to me.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know what that feels like.”
“No? Too bad. Everybody needs the security and love of family,” he said. “Come on. Let’s get you inside.”
Chapter Five
Gabby walked into the open side door and up the inside stairwell. She was grateful for indoor steps, given the wintery conditions here. At the top, she opened the suite door and stopped in amazement because, when she thought about a room over a garage, she certainly wasn’t thinking about the quality high-end furnishings that this complete suite appeared to have. Granite countertops were in a tiny-ass kitchen; what looked like leather furniture was in a small living room with a big TV and a small gas fireplace. The bed in the corner was partially surrounded by tapestries, giving privacy, but, at the same time, making the one room seem divided, so somehow bigger. She shook her head, looked at him, and asked, “Are you sure you want me to stay here?”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”
She frowned. “Because you could get a lot of money for this.”
“It’s been sitting idle so far,” he said. “And, yes, I could rent the place, but again we’re back to not having made those decisions yet.”
“Wow,” she said, “lucky you.”
He snorted. “Well, let’s make that lucky you right now.”
“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “I really do appreciate it.”
“You okay here for the night?”
“I’m fine,” she said quietly. “Not a whole lot left of the night anyway.”