The tone became more somber. “All right, I have to go see the Governor,” Herde said. “Nick, you’ll need to be prepared to spend some time over there. I suspect the Governor will want you to handle most of this through his Chief of Staff, but I’ll let you know when I get back. You’re right, it is important to keep the Governor involved in this as we go.”
The winter dawn slowly crept across Christine Crawford’s east-facing window. After sitting quietly for over an hour in the one chair in her master bedroom, playing the role of full-on creep, The Doctor rose and spoke.
“Good morning, Christine.”
Dr. Christine Crawford woke with a start, staring down the barrel of the largest gun she had ever seen. She started to scream, but the guy holding the gun held his finger up to his mouth. “I wouldn’t do that,” he said calmly.
“What do you want?” she demanded.
“It’s very simple, really,” he replied. “I want you to drink this.” She saw he was holding a glass in his other hand. She also noticed he was disguised and wearing gloves. She looked at the glass ominously.
“Don’t worry, you know all about this,” he said, holding up the glass. “Sally Winfield told you.”
“Mr. Wylie, thanks for agreeing to meet with me,” Nick began in his new capacity.
“Call me Tom, please. I appreciate your having me over.” Nick had called Tom Wylie and invited him to discuss the investigation. Wylie arrived at the Denver Police Headquarters in under an hour. “I had a conversation with our Chief of Detectives and Chief Herde. They’ve asked me to handle any questions you might have regarding the two cases you outlined in your article this morning.”
Wylie nodded. “Great, Detective, I’ll look forward to dealing with you.”
Following the advice of Bosworth and Herde, Nick did not volunteer anything. Rather, he allowed Wylie to ask the questions, and he responded as they had all agreed. He confirmed that the two cases looked suspiciously alike, and that the Denver and Grand Junction police were working cooperatively.
“As far as a serial killer goes,” he said, almost mockingly to dissuade Wylie from pursuing this further, “that’s pure speculation right now, and not someplace we’re going to go. If the two cases are related, and we’re not certain they are, but if they are, it still doesn’t imply a serial killer. As you know from working cases like this, just because two people were killed in similar fashion at different times and in different places, it doesn’t really mean we have a serial killer. For all we know, these two people could be related; we still haven’t identified the female. The most likely answer is probably something simple. Serial killers are rare. I would not speculate that is the case here.”
Nick was talking too much, and he knew it. That was not like him, but he didn’t want Wylie getting people all worked up over a serial killer. Bosworth and Herde had agreed it made the most sense to have him meet with Wylie alone. The more people involved, the more it added credence to Wylie’s story. Right now, he wished he had some reinforcements.
“But Detective, you would agree this could be the work of a serial killer,” Wylie pressed.
“Off the record,” and Nick emphasized off, “I would agree. It could be a serial killer. It could be two killers. It could be the Pope. It could be anyone, and we don’t know until we have it solved. On the record, we don’t have enough information at this time to speculate that this case might be the work of a serial killer.”
“Detective, let me ask you one final question.”
“Shoot.”
“As I’m sure you well know, the definition of a serial killer is someone who kills three or more people in separate incidents with some time between the killings. So here’s my specific question. Do you have a third murder you are investigating that might be related to these other two?”
And there it was. Nick was worried this question would come. Herde and Bosworth were dismissive. “He’ll never ask that.” Nick couldn’t imagine he would not ask. They had prepared a weak answer.
“We are looking high and low across Colorado to see if other cases fit this profile. We have not extended beyond Colorado at this point. Let me assure you that if another case arises, I will call you before any other reporter.”
Technically, Nick dodged. He didn’t say there wasn’t a third one. He simply stated less relevant facts. To him, this was manipulative and dishonest. To his bosses, this was necessary to allow law enforcement the best chance of solving this case. Fortunately, Wylie did not follow up on Nick’s obfuscation.
As the day progressed, Nick received calls from three of the four major networks in town along with many print and online journalists. He downplayed Wylie’s story. It did not receive any media attention that night.
Bosworth already had Burleson and Burns in tow as he walked by Nick’s desk and announced, “Nick, we’re heading to the video room. Evidently the Governor’s about to have a press conference. I think this is something you won’t want to miss.”
Nick compliantly jumped up and followed the others. As they were tuning to 9News, Chief Herde walked in. “This is going to be bad. I’m telling you now, this is going to be bad.”
“This is Gloria Gonzalez reporting live from the State Capitol, where the Governor only an hour ago called this press conference. Apparently, he has a special announcement to make regarding an ongoing homicide investigation.” The camera panned away from the reporter and showed the Governor moving toward the podium. “And here’s the Governor now.”
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, thank you for being here today. And I want to thank the good citizens of Colorado who have been gracious enough to tune in to this most important announcement.
“As the leader of this state, I take my responsibilities very seriously. There is nothing more precious to us as Coloradans or as Americans than our safety. Before anything else, it is my responsibility to ensure each and every one of you are able to carry out your daily activities without threat to life or limb.”
“I learned this morning, as I read my newspaper, as many of you probably did as well, that there may be a serial killer amongst us. I will not sit by idly while a killer lurks. As the leader of this state, the person you trusted most with your safety, today I am announcing a task force to find this nefarious killer and bring him or her to justice. We will ensure your safety here in Denver and throughout Colorado.”
“That son-of-a-bitch,” Randy Herde said, incredulous.
“Don’t think that’s going to sit too well with the Mayor,” Bosworth said, laughing.
The Governor continued, “I am asking my Chief of Staff, Marilyn Burg, to head this task force. She will be working with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, the Denver Police Department, the Grand Junction Police Department, the Montrose Police Department, and others as she might deem appropriate.” The Governor motioned toward the familiar figure of Marilyn Burg as he spoke.
Those in the video conference room visibly reacted to his mention of Montrose. That cat had not stayed in the bag long. Nick was surprised Pueblo had not been mentioned also.
“Ladies and gentlemen, there is no need for alarm. We will find this killer and justice will be done. At this time, I would be pleased to answer any questions you might have.”
The first reporter asked, “Mr. Governor, with a serial killer on the loose, what precautions should people take?”
McFadden looked puzzled. “What a jack-ass,” Herde spoke to the television.
“That’s a good question,” he answered. “You know, that’s exactly why we formed this task force. To ensure people will know the answers to important questions like that. Next,” he said, turning away so he wouldn’t have to consider the answer to that question any further.
“Mr. Governor, do you have a composite sketch of the suspect?”
“No, we do not,” he replied. “But we do hope to have one within the week.”
“He’s talking out of his ass,” Bosworth said. “We’re going to have a sketch of somebo
dy who may or may not even exist. What the hell, there’s another election coming up somewhere, sometime. Give them what they want.”
The questions continued for another twenty minutes until Marilyn Burg herself called an end to it. She assured the crowd that moving forward she would handle all media for the investigation.
Bosworth turned to Nick, smiling, “Looks like you can go back to your day job.”
“God, what a jack-ass,” Herde said, shaking his head. “I have to go talk to the Mayor. He’s going to have a fit.”
The group dispersed, but Nick knew they would reconvene shortly, minus Chief Herde, to figure out where to go next.
The Doctor chuckled as he watched the Governor’s news conference over and over. The mention of Montrose made his day. Well, well, they may actually be starting to do their jobs. It wouldn’t be too long before they started connecting all the dots, and it would be even more fun then.
He wondered when Nicholas Lynch would finally make the connection. Maybe he already had.
As Nick sat at his desk, Jillian Vargas approached. “You got a minute?” she asked.
“Umhhhh, it’s a little nuts right now. Can I give you a call in a little bit, maybe tomorrow morning?” He really did not want to deal with her.
“This is something I really need to talk to you about,” she said, emphasizing you. Maybe it had something to do with Alisha, Nick thought, although he had given up hoping for that a long time ago.
“Okay, Jillian. What’s up?”
She looked around the crowded room. “Not here. Let’s go to one of the conference rooms.”
Again, Nick followed compliantly.
Jillian began. “I’m going to tell you something I probably shouldn’t. I’ve done something I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t help myself. You have to promise me two things, though.”
Nick nodded noncommittally.
“Two things. First, you can’t tell anyone what I’m going to tell you. I mean it, not anyone, not ever. You have to promise me that.”
“This is about Alisha, isn’t it?” Nick asked.
“In part, yes, it is.”
Nick sat, the energy sucked out of his body.
“You have to promise me, you can’t tell anyone. Not even Phyllis. You have to promise.”
“No one, ever.” He would decide later whether or not he wanted to keep this promise. He owed Jillian Vargas less than nothing.
“The second part of this is going to be harder. I’m going to tell you some things and show you some things, and I’m afraid you’re going to go crazy. You can’t go crazy. You have to promise me that, too.” Nick’s nerves were edgy. What was coming?
“I won’t go crazy.”
“I’m going to tell you about the day we found Alisha.” Nick felt as if he had been punched in the stomach. He did not know if he was ready for this, even now. He sat forward, fear in his eyes.
“You have to understand, there are never any homicides in Eden, ever. I was pulling duty for homicide, forensics, the evidence room, and pulling a full shift as a beat officer. The town simply didn’t have any budget, and we were all going a million different directions.
“We got the call from the motel about 3:00 in the afternoon. I wasn’t the responding officer, but they called me to do a forensics work-up. I didn’t get there until almost 4:00 because they couldn’t find me. I was at the grocery store and didn’t have my cell phone with me, didn’t figure out they were looking for me until I got home.” Nick didn’t know where she was going with all of this but decided to let her talk her way through it all. He was enraptured, anyway. He wanted to know every detail she could provide.
“Nick, I’m so sorry. When I got to the scene, I can’t tell you how many people had been in that room. Any chance of getting solid evidence was gone. I don’t know if you remember, but it had rained for about a week straight. Everything up there was muddy. Those are nice people up there in Eden. Several people went in and thought they could save Alisha, so they tromped through there in muddy boots and touched everything in the room. Even if we did get evidence out of there, it could never be used in court. A second-rate defense attorney would get it all thrown out because the scene had been so utterly corrupted. You know the gig.
“I wish I had been the officer that took that call that day. I would’ve saved the scene for you. I’ve blamed myself ever since. I know it’s not my fault, but if I had at least had my cell phone with me….” She let the words trail off. Nick waited. If she was asking for absolution, he wasn’t providing it today, not right now anyway.
Although she clearly hurt, Jillian wasn’t crying. “I told myself then I was going to get the son-of-a-bitch who did this. The other thing I should tell you. We concluded that Alisha wasn’t killed at the motel. She had been killed at another location. After she died, she was cleaned thoroughly and dressed in clean clothes.”
“What kind of clothes?” Nick asked.
“She was dressed like an early aviator, like Amelia Earhart.”
Nick remained silent, knowing more was coming.
“Here’s the punch-line. I took something from the crime scene.” This was a no-no, a felony in Colorado.
“When we examined Alisha, I found a single hair, inside her shirt. I figured it was nothing, but it was all I had. I’ve saved it all this time.”
“Why didn’t you follow protocol with chain of custody?” Nick asked.
“The scene was so corrupted. And this was chilling. I don’t know, but somehow it seemed right.”
Nick nodded, waiting, knowing even more was coming.
“We didn’t get anything on Steven Blair, but, Nick, they found a hair on Jane Doe in Grand Junction, too. I got the DNA results back this morning. It’s the same fucker.”
Nick knew he could go one of two directions. Either he could go find this asshole, or he could go to the bar. He never hesitated. Wild Turkey lost.
“Thanks Jillian,” was all Nick said as he stood and walked out.
The Doctor reviewed the script one last time, working against his detailed checklist. Everything was in order. The rooms were prepared, the costumes finished, the cameras positioned. This would be his most elaborate production to date. He knew he was growing as an artist, expanding his horizons.
As with film in the early parts of the twentieth century, his reality pornography, which he liked to call it, was expanding by leaps and bounds with each new undertaking. He knew he would not be alone much longer, that competition would invariably intercede. He laughed as the mad thoughts pulsed through his brain.
With another Coalition of Values seminar starting in Sacramento, he should have no problem recruiting additional talent. The RV was packed, and he would roll shortly. With additional players recruited, he would fully stock his stable of actors for the foreseeable future. With all the publicity, he knew his time was drawing short. He needed to work quickly.
After his conversation with Jillian, Nick had returned to his desk, redoubling his efforts to find this killer. “You got a minute?” came the voice from behind him. This is starting to feel like déjà vu, he thought as he turned and eyed Vince Burleson.
“Sure, Vince, what’s up?” he responded.
Vince looked around. “Not here. Can we go into one of the conference rooms?”
This is déjà vu, he said to himself. To Burleson he said, “Sure,” and followed him into one of the empty conference rooms.”
“Nick, I’m pretty sure I’ve found another case,” Burleson started as soon as the door closed.
“Let’s see what you have,” Nick replied, fully engaged.
Burleson began laying out documents and talking at the same time.
“I’ve been trying to find similar cases. We know they’re out there; this guy must have done this before. But, like us, somebody found in a cheesy motel where it looks like a hooker or john gone bad, well, it doesn’t get a lot of attention, or even very good documentation. Detectives might not put in their database somebody was
found wearing old-timey clothes. We didn’t.”
As Burleson blathered on about all he was doing to find similar cases, Nick thought about Alisha. What was in the database about her? Had they mentioned she had been cleaned up after the murder? Placed in the room? Dressed? Given what Jillian told him, he would know very soon.
Burleson continued. “Since the Governor’s announcement, I’ve called every law enforcement agency in the state. But you know how that works. Probably three fourths of them I left a detailed voicemail. Maybe they’ll check it. And maybe it’ll be the right person. And maybe he or she will be interested and have a little time. And maybe he or she will call back. It’s a lot of maybes.” Nick smiled. Burleson was finding out what it was really like to be a homicide detective. Most of the work was boring, unrewarding, frustrating, and the worst part was, you had to do most of it over and over again.
“But I did get a call back from Pueblo yesterday, and I got this file this morning,” Burleson said proudly as he pointed to the table. “I’ve spent the morning going through it. I didn’t want to show it to you until I was sure. But I’m certain this is our guy, at work again.”
Nick studied all the documents slowly and thoroughly. He pulled out his notes on The Doctor, comparing them to this most recent case. Motel room acquired by unknown actor. Check. Room paid for with cash. Check. Body placed quietly on top of bed. Check. Murder occurred elsewhere. Check. Body thoroughly cleaned. Check. Period piece outfit. Check. No luggage or other signs of occupancy of the room. Check.
“Vince, you’re right, there’s no question that this is our guy. This happened over a year ago. He’s been working for quite a while.” Burleson nodded enthusiastically.
“I need to tell you something,” Nick said. “This guy also killed my daughter, Alisha. Jillian Vargas investigated the crime. She told me a few minutes ago. We’ll see the murder book shortly, and I’m certain you’ll come to the same conclusion. We have to add her to the list of victims we have.”
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