Snuff

by E. L. McKenzie

  Nick slept soundly and roused slowly. He awoke to the sound of his chirping cell phone.

  “Uhhhh,” was about all he could offer.

  “Nicholas Lynch?” the caller inquired.

  “Uhhhh.”

  “This is Tom Wylie at the Denver Post.” Nick rose a little more. He couldn’t remember if he had been drinking. That’s a bad sign, he thought. What time is it? As if the time was the key determinant in whether or not he had been drinking.

  “Detective Lynch?” Wylie asked again. Nick was afraid he might have dozed back off.

  “Yes.”

  “As I said, my name is Tom Wylie at the Denver Post. We have not met before, but I am an investigative reporter. I am working on a story that will run tomorrow, and I would like to get a comment from you.”

  “Umhhhh,” Nick said noncommittally.

  “According to my sources, you are working on an investigation of a serial killer.”

  “Shit,” Nick muttered under his breath. This is not going to go well. He was fully awake now, sobering up quickly from his midday misadventures.

  “Would you like to comment on this?”

  “Who’s your source on this?”

  “You know I can’t go there. I assure you, it’s a credible source, and we have corroborated our facts. Would you have some time to meet tonight before we go to press? I would be happy to come to you.”

  Nick replied levelly, “I cannot possibly imagine what could come from us meeting. I have no comment on this story.”

  “A serial killer is serious business in a community. I moved here from Indianapolis and was the lead reporter on the Andrew Truman case. Are you familiar with that case?”

  He was. Andrew Truman had killed twenty-seven women over a period of eight years. While law enforcement knew a serial killer was operating in that area, it took them years to find him, and meanwhile the bodies piled up. The case had rightfully cost a number of politicians and policemen their jobs.

  “Yes, I’m familiar with it,” Nick replied curtly.

  “If you really are,” Wylie said, not sounding convinced, “then you know how slow law enforcement was to react to the initial findings. Beyond that, they were painfully slow in finding the killer. Twelve women died after I first reported the story. I have always reflected on what went so wrong with that case. I’m convinced one of the primary failures was law enforcement’s stubborn resistance to engage the power of the media to get help throughout the Midwest in finding Andrew Truman.”

  Nick thought carefully before speaking. “You may be right about that. Clearly you know more about that case than I do. All I know is what I read and saw, probably mostly from you. However, at this time, I have no comment.”

  Wylie continued to probe, but Nick would not relent. He knew he would see his name online when the story broke and in the paper the next morning; he hoped it would not be on the front page, as it could potentially encourage the killer.

  After the conversation with Tom Wylie, Nick dialed Chief Detective Bosworth and relayed the gist of the conversation.

  “Shit,” Bosworth swore. “Thanks for giving me a heads up. This is about to turn into a shit-storm.”

  “You know that’s true, boss.”

  “I’m going to call the Chief and let him know this is coming. You call Burleson and the Grand Junction folks and let them know about this. Beg those Grand Junction folks to ‘no comment’ all of this. I’m sure they’ll be fine with that; hell, maybe this reporter won’t even find them.” Nick doubted that.

  Bosworth continued. “I want you and Burleson in my office at 8:30.”

  Nick interrupted, “Want us to include Sandy, too?”

  “Dang it, I keep forgetting her. Her, too. I’m sure this article is going to post online in the next couple of hours and feature prominently in the paper tomorrow. The best we can hope for is that it’s not on the front page. So I want the three of you there at 8:30. Each of you should study this article and plan to prep me on all details I should know. I am briefing the Chief at 9:00.”

  “Right, boss, I’ll line it all up.”

  Monday ⌁ day 15

  Sandy Burns brought donuts. The four of them, Bosworth, Burns, Burleson, and Nick, gathered promptly at 8:30 in the conference room Nick had arranged. Tom Wylie did a good job on his research. While concise, the article contained the salient facts of the investigation. It featured in the first screen shot online, and it also received front page coverage, residing at the bottom right.

  Serial Killer in Colorado?

  By Thomas Wylie

  Denver Post Investigative Reporter

  Two related homicides within the past month have led police investigators to conclude a serial killer may be working in Colorado. Steven Blair was found dead in an East Colfax motel two weeks ago. While he died from multiple stab wounds, the murder did not occur in the motel. The body had been thoroughly cleaned and dressed in attire reminiscent of a preacher from the days of the Puritans.

  Then, last week, an unidentified woman was found murdered in a Grand Junction motel. Cause of death has preliminarily been determined to be strangulation. As with Mr. Blair, police determined the woman had been killed at another location and moved to the motel. Subsequent to death, her body was thoroughly cleaned and dressed in attire that appears to mimic the King Arthur era.

  Sources close to the investigation have confirmed homicide detectives from Denver and Grand Junction have formed a team to find the perpetrator of these crimes. “We don’t know yet,” replied Detective Vince Burleson, when asked if there was a serial killer on the loose. “We are looking into the two homicides and will make that determination when we find the killer.”

  Others reached for comment yesterday, including Denver Police Chief Randy Herde, declined comment.

  As they all settled, Bosworth started with Burleson. “Vince,” he said, “I know you’ve been to all the training, but I want to say this to you one more time. We do not talk to the media. Period. We don’t talk to them about traffic tickets, we don’t talk to them about ongoing investigations, we don’t talk to them about anything. And we dang sure don’t talk to them about whether or not a serial killer is on the loose.” Nick saw that Burleson was getting worked up. Bosworth continued. “Let’s do a little role playing. I’m the reporter, and I ask you a question, pick a question, any question, and you say….”

  “No comment,” Burleson responded, head bowed.

  “No comment,” Bosworth mocked. “Is that so hard? No comment. And when they berate you, do you know what you say?”

  Burleson shook his head; Nick almost laughed.

  “Goddammit, Burleson, you say no comment. Period. It’s easy. Trust me, with the reporters, they’re always about to save the world from plague or introduce world peace, and the only one standing in the way is the person they’re talking to. Shit.” Bosworth walked to the back table, grabbed a donut, and started munching hard while he poured hot, black coffee.

  “There’s nothing we can do about that part now,” he continued. “We are going to pay for those comments, but it’s part of what we have to deal with. All right, I have to see the Chief at 9:00. What do you have?” Although the question sounded like it was meant for everyone, he looked at Nick, who didn’t miss a beat.

  “Here’s what I’ve worked up.” Nick plowed into the details. “Given our comments, we are now working with a serial killer, at least as it goes to dealing with the media.” Bosworth nodded.

  Burleson looked puzzled, “Why’s that, Nick?”

  “What happened with your comments, Vince, is you put us in a position of having to prove a negative, which is pretty much impossible. If we had stuck with ‘no comment,’ the media would have been in the position of proving there is a serial killer, or at least proving we think there is. But with your comments, we have confirmed we think there may be one out there. To make the story go away, we would have to prove there isn’t a serial killer—to prove a negative. That’s almost impossible to d
o. In this case, it’s not worth it. We have to deal with the hand we’re dealt. We now have effectively confirmed there’s a serial killer out there—even if we’re not sure of it ourselves. But that’s the way we have to deal with this. And this is a perfect example of why ‘no comment’ is so important. We’ll end up having to do a lot more work because of this.”

  Burleson’s head drooped, acknowledging his mistake.

  Nick continued, “We are going to have to deal with the media on this. I see it like this, boss, and I think this is the right way to present it to Chief Herde. We will have two phases of dealing with the media. Phase one, which should start today, immediately, is that we confirm limited parts of Wylie’s story, giving validity to what he has pertaining to the two specific homicides, but denying any link to a serial killer. Given our suspicions, of course, the media spokesperson will have to be very careful with words but handled adeptly we can minimize some of the public hysteria caused by having a serial killer on the loose.” Bosworth quietly nodded in agreement. Burleson and Burns watched attentively.

  “Phase two will probably occur”—Nick was on a roll now—“but we’ll have to see. As the investigation continues, one of four things will happen. We catch the killer of Steven Blair, Victor Robinson, Miles Hunter, or Jane Doe in Grand Junction, and figure out at least one of these is unrelated. If that’s the case, then maybe we don’t have a serial killer. But with four cases in the mix now that’s pretty unlikely. The second scenario is we catch the killer, the person who did kill them. Again, game, set, match, no problem. People can talk all they want about whether or not this is a serial killer, but we’re done. The third scenario is we continue to find more homicides that link to this, or other evidence that confirms this is a serial killer. The fourth scenario is that there’s another killing, which is really bad.

  “With the last two scenarios, we move into phase two of the media handling. As you know, I’m no communications expert. If we get to one of these scenarios, the communications team will strategize. I don’t envy whoever takes on this role – glad it’s not me. Here’s how it will likely play out. The Police Department spokesperson would talk openly with the media, focusing specifically on providing one or two trusted journalists the story as it unfolds. The spokesperson would not provide any speculation or confidential information critical to the investigation but would engage the media and the public to help solve the crime. This is extreme, but it’s a good way to make sure everyone is properly informed and undue hysteria does not occur.”

  Nick continued to lay out his plan. “The last piece is the most critical. We have to handle the politicians right. I’ll bet you a dollar to a donut,” he said as he waved the half-eaten chocolate covered donut, “that when you get up to the Chief’s office, the Governor will have called already.” Colorado has a small state feel, and the Capitol building was almost directly across the street from them. It would not be out of the question for the Governor to walk over and talk to Chief Herde. “We have to set this up such that the politicians look like they’re on top of this. I propose that the spokesperson, in addition to working closely with Chief Herde, work closely with the Governor’s office to ensure his thoughts and comments are included before anything is issued to the press. He should get whatever he needs to make sure his constituency is appeased during this investigation, because, at the end of the day, our constituencies are the same.”

  The four of them talked for a while more, tweaking some of Nick’s plans and polishing off the donuts. A little before nine, Bosworth cornered Nick and said, “Great job pulling all of this together. I’d appreciate it if you would go with me to see the Chief.”

  “Sure, boss,” he replied. It had been a long time since he had genuinely impressed his boss, anyone really, and it made him feel very good.

  Bosworth rapped on Chief Herde’s door. “Come in.” Nick followed Bosworth into the Chief’s spacious office. Herde looked up from his desk and visibly reacted to Nick’s presence. Having known the Chief most of his life, Nick immediately understood things were not quite as they appeared on first glance. Bosworth sensed the question and immediately defended his decision.

  “Chief, I brought Nick along because he has developed a plan for handling the media, and I thought it might be appropriate if you heard it from him firsthand.” They were walking toward the Chief’s desk.

  “Let’s talk over here,” Herde said, rising from his chair and indicating the sitting area laid out comfortably behind the entrance to his office. As he turned, Nick flinched as he saw Governor McFadden sitting on the couch behind the opened door. Nick now understood why Herde had reacted negatively to his presence.

  “As you might suspect,” Herde continued, “this article has caused quite a stir. The Governor came over first thing this morning. He is as interested as I am in understanding the status of the investigation and knowing what we’re planning to do.”

  Governor James McFadden stood, and they all shook hands. While Nick had never met the Governor before, he had heard all about him from both Phyllis and Jenny—all the good stuff from the former and the bad stuff from the latter. He was less imposing in person than on television. He nevertheless was clearly in a bad mood.

  “Chief, Mr. Governor,” Bosworth started appropriately.

  McFadden immediately interrupted. “Goddammit. What the fuck is the matter with you people?”

  Lynch and Bosworth were both taken aback. They were unprepared for an attack, particularly before they even had an opportunity to state their cases.

  “Where the fuck have you been, Lynch? Why the fuck haven’t you gotten this dumb-ass crime solved? How fucking hard is it to find one fucking killer? Or do you solve all your crimes at the bar?”

  Nick’s ears pricked up at that. No doubt he had a problem, and he knew it. But how did the Governor know that Nick had a drinking problem? He hadn’t had enough time this morning to do any kind of background on Nick, and it would take quite a bit of time to find that. Was it Herde? Or was it Phyllis? Surely it wasn’t Jenny.

  “I don’t need this shit,” the Governor continued. He stormed around Herde’s office for a few more minutes until he exhausted himself. Though he was surprised, Nick was at some levels amused. Finally, McFadden plopped back down onto the couch and glared defiantly at the other three.

  “Uh, Mr. Governor,” Chief Herde started, “how about if I work through the detail with these gentlemen, and I’ll come over to the Capitol as soon as we’re done and brief you on what we have?”

  “Goddammit,” McFadden screamed at no one in particular as he rose and stormed out of the office.

  “Jesus Christ,” Herde said once he was certain the Governor was gone.

  “What the hell was that all about?” Bosworth asked.

  “I don’t know. I should have figured out some way to warn you,” the Chief continued. “But he showed up about 8:45 and charged in, ranting and raving. I had no idea what to do with him. I’ve met that guy one time in my life, at a cocktail party. I apologize, gentlemen, that was completely inappropriate. Please, sit down and let’s work through this. Nick, I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Thanks, Chief,” Nick responded simply.

  Nick and Bosworth proceeded to fill the Chief in on what they had discussed earlier in the morning. Herde concurred with the approach with some minor changes.

  “Chief,” Bosworth concluded, “we have one more important matter to deal with in all of this. We need to make a decision as to who will be the spokesperson for the department.”

  “I was thinking about that,” Herde replied. “That’s a problem with no replacement for Johnson.” The department’s long-time spokeswoman, Anita Johnson, had recently left the department for a similar position in a warmer climate. They were in the process of culling through the final candidates and making a job offer, but that would not help for this situation.

  “I’ve given that some thought, Chief,” Bosworth said. “I believe Detective Lynch would do an excellent job
handling that, at least until we have the new person on board and fully up to speed; hopefully this case will be done by then.”

  Nick almost fell out of his chair. He didn’t even like having to take speech in college.

  Herde beamed. “I think that’s an excellent idea. He could use the support services of the public relations group and handle the specific media interactions himself. It would lend an air of credibility and seriousness to the investigation. Yep, great idea Phil, I’m with you.”

  “And given the seriousness of this investigation,” Bosworth added, “I’m going to have to pull staff from lower priority work anyway. So what I want to do is make Nick the head of the investigation team. While he’ll be responsible for coordinating and overseeing the whole investigation, it will actually reduce his workload because he won’t have to be involved in any of the day-to-day work. This will free up time for him to handle the media piece as well. Given his position, he won’t need to spend any time understanding the intricacies of the case; he’ll already know.”

  Herde nodded agreement. Nick wondered if he was actually in the room.

  “Uh, guys, do I get a vote in this?” he asked.

  “Sure you do,” Herde laughed. “Let’s go ahead and vote now. All in favor of Nick doing this, raise your hand.” He and Bosworth both raised their hands. “All opposed? Looks like the yeas have it two to one.” Nick felt his true calling was investigatory work, but he was complimented by the confidence shown in him by his boss and his boss’s boss, his best friend.