Hot Case

by Patricia Rosemoor

  Returning to the Area 4 office before donning my Goth gear for the evening was one of the hardest things I’d ever done. I wasn’t expecting a grand reunion—not from the detectives who’d held me in so little regard—but I was hoping for a truce.

  Detective Mike Norelli looked up from his work when I walked into the pasty green-walled bull pen and nodded. “Caldwell” was all he said before going back to whatever report he was perusing.

  “Norelli,” I muttered, my lips stiff. Most of the other detectives working the phones or filling out the endless paperwork didn’t so much as glance my way. The only other woman in the room, Detective Stella Jacobek, gave me a thumbs-up. I waved and put my things on my old desk, which I’d been told was still free. I nodded to the man who usually teamed up with Norelli. “Walker.”

  The other half of the violent-crimes tag team gave me a wide-toothed grin. “I knew you couldn’t stay away from us for long.”

  As far as I was concerned, forever wouldn’t have been long enough.

  Detectives Mike Norelli and Jamal Walker were as different as night and day. Middle-aged and beefy, Norelli wore a blah dark suit, white shirt and forced smile. His tie usually held some clue as to what he’d had for lunch. Younger and fitter, Walker had more interest in being a snappy dresser. Today he wore a canary-yellow suit jacket that made his coffee skin appear darker.

  “So apparently you’ve been playing loosey-goosey with the system,” Norelli said.

  I clenched my jaw and turned the grimace into a smile. “Go to hell.”

  “So what you got?” Walker leaned back in his chair and hooked his hands behind his head as if preparing himself for a good story.

  Well, I could give him one if I gave it all up. But I wasn’t there yet.

  So I said, “Another missing body and a couple that aren’t.” Which reminded me to turn in the gargoyle pin to the lab to check for fingerprints. “Suspects? A sexual predator and some wanna-be vampires.”

  “Vampires!” Norelli snorted into his paperwork.

  “Watch it, Norelli, or I’ll let one of them feed on you.”

  Walker snorted. “Hey, Norelli, that sounded like a threat.”

  “Jealous I didn’t include you, Walker?” I asked in an innocent voice. “Oh, I know I make you laugh, but that’s not intentional. And now it seems that I have the last laugh, since I was right about LaTonya Sanford, after all.”

  “Hey, come on,” Norelli growled, “lighten up.”

  Norelli didn’t like to be wrong. Being told he was wrong put him in a bad mood. Or maybe just knowing he had to work with me had been enough to twist his boxers into a knot.

  The two detectives exchanged glances. And while I waited to see what road they were going to take, tension sucked the life out of me. I felt trapped with no way out.

  So when Walker said, “Look, about the Sanford case…you gotta admit it didn’t look good or they wouldn’t have shrunk you,” I breathed a little easier.

  That was probably the closest I could expect to an apology.

  He added, “The important thing is we stop this killer or killers before someone else dies.”

  “Well, something we can agree on at last,” I said. “I need to see what you’ve got.”

  “Not much there,” Norelli growled as he handed me the murder book.

  I spent the next half hour reading the reports that started with the discovery of the homeless man found dead and drained of blood. Not much activity there. While they’d done some interviews, they truly hadn’t canvassed the neighborhood. They’d kept a low profile on the case, as Mom had said. But how long could this be kept out of the media?

  I continued reading. Only when they’d found Raven early this morning had the investigation stepped up.

  Norelli and Walker had even been to Heart of Darkness late this afternoon and had interviewed Desiree Leath, who had seemed truly shocked by the news of Raven’s death. They hadn’t told her how the girl had died, of course, and they hadn’t mentioned the homeless man.

  They’d questioned Jake, as well, which reminded me that I wanted as much information on him as I could get. Starting the process myself, I found no priors and no arrests, a fact that relieved me. When I tried looking him up in the DMV, I could find no records of a driver’s license or plates. I hadn’t gotten a look at his car, so I supposed he could have out-of-state plates. And an out-of-state license. Or a fake name.

  I needed to get home and get ready for tonight, so I asked a support officer to keep digging for me. I wanted anything she could find on him. Anything. I told her to broaden the search if she had to. Our system was connected to nationwide data banks. She assured me that the results would be ready for me first thing in the morning. I also gave her Thora’s gargoyle pin and asked her to get it to the lab.

  Then, turning my attention back to the murder book, I said, “Norelli, you missed something here.”

  “What?” he growled.

  “LaTonya Sanford. I don’t see anything in this report about her. She was the first victim.”

  “But she wasn’t a case.”

  “Good thing I put together a murder book for her anyway. You might want to loosen up and use it.”

  Before he could comment, I dived back into his notes, hoping to find a pattern. But other than both victims being a couple of quarts low, as Mom had put it, and both being found in the vicinity of Heart of Darkness—within a quarter of a mile—the murders might have been committed by two different people. The man had been drained through two puncture holes in his neck, while Raven had been drained on the inside of her arm, near the elbow. The other difference being that Raven had been raped, while there was no evidence of sexual assault with the homeless man.

  I glanced up to check out my partners-in-solving-crime. Norelli was still at his paperwork and Walker was on the phone, no doubt trying to track down information of some kind.

  I closed the book and walked it back to Norelli.

  “We need to talk about tonight,” I said, swinging into take-charge mode. “I need four people, two plants—one in the bar, the other wandering the stores in the mall until they close—and two in a car outside.”

  Since they’d done the interview with Desiree and Jake, the only way Norelli and Walker could be players in the undercover scenario was if they took the car duty—boring, boring, boring. So there was an upside to the situation, after all.

  “Can you get me what I need?” I asked.

  The middle-aged detective saluted me. “Yes, ma’am!”

  “C’mon, Norelli,” Walker said. Then he turned to me. “You gonna wear a wire?”

  “A wire’s not necessary, at least not at this stage.”

  “What if you get in trouble?” Norelli asked.

  “Then I’ll whistle real loud.”

  “Still a smart-ass,” he grumbled.

  Maybe I was, but after what I’d gone through with these guys, who could blame me? “Can you get me the men or not?”

  Walker said, “We’ll get ’em. We’re working in the spirit of cooperation, right, Norelli?”

  “Yeah, right,” the other detective growled back.

  Yeah, right.

  “Cracking this case is gonna look good on my résumé,” Walker went on. “I see a promotion in my future.”

  Dream on.

  It would be me who would see that justice was done and that LaTonya Sanford could rest in peace at last.

  Chapter 9

  Jake kept an eye on the woman calling herself Silke all night. Of course now he knew her name was Shelley Caldwell and that she was Silke’s sister.

  The night before, he’d been aware of Silke being inside the apartment—he’d heard her moving around—and he’d feigned leaving so he could eavesdrop and learn what he needed to know. Unfortunately, a couple had entered the building and had given him a hard stare before he’d heard more than her name and the fact that the two women were sisters. He’d left before there’d been an incident. He didn’t yet have all the pi
eces of Shelley Caldwell, but he would.

  Since her shift had begun, Shelley had been flippant with him as usual.

  The more he saw her, spoke to her, argued with her, the more she piqued his interest.

  She looked in his general direction without meeting his gaze and said, “I need a couple of Bloody Cosmopolitans and a red wine.”

  “Is that it?”

  “That’s all the customers asked for.”

  “What about you? What do you need?”

  As if unable to help herself, she looked directly at him. “A break.”

  Thump-thump…thump-thump…thump-thump…

  He was in tune with her heartbeat. Her scent tantalized him. His skin grew sensitive; even the callused pads on his fingertips sizzled as if electrified. And when he really looked at her, Shelley took on an unearthly glow.

  He filled the order and set it on the counter.

  If she noticed anything untoward, she didn’t react to it. Then she simply turned away from him, tray and drinks in hand.

  He watched her make her way up the stairs and to the table next to Mowry’s. The wanna-be vamp watched her with hungry eyes, too, but Jake knew she wouldn’t be sucked in by him. She had her own agenda.

  So who was she really, beyond her name? And what was her investment in playing detective?

  One way to find out. He’d stick to her like glue.

  With or without her permission.

  Jake’s watching me all night was unnerving. I didn’t need that extra burden of knowing I was already being watched.

  At first I hadn’t spotted the undercover officer, which in my book was a case of good news–bad news since I was still conflicted about going official with the investigation. Eventually, I spotted Hanson at the bar nursing a beer. I hardly recognized him in a black T-shirt and his hair pasted up with gel.

  The officers in the unmarked car were parked outside a few doors down—a male and a female officer who were putting on a lovey-dovey performance. Well, hopefully it was a performance. Not that I wanted them here at all, but since I was ordered to cooperate, I wanted the best outcome, which meant they needed to focus on something other than their libidos.

  Between the meeting with Mom and having to report in to the Area 4 office, I hadn’t gotten any downtime before I’d had to do my transformation and get to the bar. Silke had been as devastated as I about Raven. To her credit, Mom had actually told Silke about the poor girl’s death, so I hadn’t had to go over the details.

  For some reason, Chung seemed to be absent tonight. I still wanted to rip him apart with my bare hands, only I didn’t have the energy. Luckily, my adrenaline kicked in on high, keeping me going, and now, as I approached the owner’s office in hopes of getting some information out of her, my adrenaline level felt as if it was about to skyrocket.

  “Desiree, do you have a few minutes?”

  She turned to me, her pale, gaunt features glowing softly in the dim light. “What is it, Silke?”

  Her calling me by that name was a reminder that I had to play it as my twin would. “I need to talk to you about something.”

  Sitting behind her desk, her long blue-black hair surrounding her shoulders like a luxurious cape, Desiree extended her hand. “Sit.”

  I took the seat across from her in a ladylike manner as Silke would. The walls and ceiling of her office were painted the deepest blue as if to complement her. Curlicues of metal supported the thick sheet of glass that was her desk. Myriad pillows of dark hues enriched the black leather of the chairs and couch.

  Before I could say anything, she did. “I assured you I would take care of Hung Chung.”

  “I…it’s Raven,” I said in Silke’s soft voice, making it quake a little, speaking as if I didn’t know Desiree had already been questioned about the murder. I wanted to read her for myself. “She was raped and killed and someone t-took her blood.” I twisted my hands together and did my best to blink tears into my eyes when I murmured, “S-so shocking.”

  Desiree’s eyes widened slightly—as if she were shocked that I knew—but other than that, she didn’t react. “The luck was not with this girl.”

  “What about Hung Chung?” I asked, notching up my nervous demeanor a bit. “What if he finished what he started? Wh-what if he comes after me next?”

  “Chung was not responsible for this tragedy.”

  “You don’t really know that.”

  “Oh, but yes,” Desiree said, meeting my gaze. “Last night, Chung was with me.”

  My heart began to thud. “With you?”

  “Until dawn.”

  At which time, Raven had already been dead.

  I was still staring. I wanted to make sure I got this right. “Chung didn’t force himself on you?” If so, I would do my best to get her to make an official complaint.

  When Desiree said, “No man would dare try,” her smile was confident.

  I could hardly believe it. She’d actually chosen to be with a would-be rapist. She’d said she would take care of him, and rather than castigating him, she’d rewarded him with herself? What kind of a woman was she? One who gave me the creeps, that was for certain.

  I forced out a Silke smile. “I guess I was mistaken.” I paused only a second before asking, “You wouldn’t have any idea of who…?” I let the question dangle.

  “Such a pretty girl? Anyone,” Desiree said, as if being pretty equated with being a killer’s target.

  I nodded and rose. “Well, if you think of anyone else…”

  Desiree caught me with her gaze, and I froze where I stood. For a moment, I felt as if my mind were wrapped in cotton.

  “I do not need trouble here, Silke. You understand this, yes? There is no reason for the authorities to think the killer is someone who frequents my establishment.”

  “No,” I found myself agreeing.

  “So you will not be making trouble for me by telling others of Raven’s death or your theories.”

  “No, of course not.”

  I left the office half-convinced to give it up, as if Desiree had somehow taken hold of my mind. But the loud music and smokey smell of the bar shocked me back to myself, and I realized Desiree had seemed more worried about the police than about Raven’s death. Was there something she didn’t want them to discover? Or did she simply fear the bad press as I knew she would?

  Even functioning at a low level, I couldn’t stop my mind from going over what I knew. If Hung Chung couldn’t be the murderer…My gaze strayed to Elvin Mowry.

  As if the pretty boy knew I was staring at him, he turned and smiled. And waved me over.

  I asked, “What can I get you?”

  “Away from here.”

  “You want me to call you a taxi?”

  “I wish you to leave with me tonight. I have been watching you, Silke. You are the most fascinating woman here. I shall have a gathering at my place when the bar closes. I promise you shan’t be bored.”

  “Not this time,” I said, forcing a smile. “I didn’t get enough sleep last night. A girl needs her beauty rest.”

  “Or enough makeup so it doesn’t matter,” piped up one of Mowry’s followers.

  “I shall give you a rain check, then,” the cult leader said. “But do not keep me waiting too long.”

  Was that a threat? I gave him a quick smile and moved off to another customer waving me down.

  So Elvin Mowry was having a gathering. Something involving bloodletting?

  Energy coming back in a rush, I knew I had to find out.

  Mowry and his band—two other guys and a young woman—were the last customers to leave Heart of Darkness. I hadn’t seen the girl with them before tonight, and she wasn’t dressed like a Goth. I wondered if she was a new convert. She also looked as if she’d had too much to drink, which would impair her judgment.

  Since I’d already done the required setup for the next day, I exited the bar. I looked around for the backup team, but they’d already dispersed, so I was on my own. I’d told my lieutenant
that I wouldn’t be back at Area 4 until I had some sleep, so no one was expecting me.

  The night held a chill that got to me. The temperature had dropped and the winds had picked up, all in preparation for a cold front and summer thunderstorm predicted for the early-morning hours. I wrapped Silke’s cape tighter around my shoulders and tucked my chin into my chest as I hurried after Mowry. The vampire cult members were traveling on foot. At Lake Street, they crossed under the el tracks and continued north. Either they’d parked way off the beat or were within walking distance from their “nest.”

  I wondered where the nest idea had come from. I guess it had something to do with vampires that supposedly turned into bats, but I wasn’t really certain. Did bats have nests? I thought they hung around and watched the world from their topsy-turvy perch. Nests reminded me of birds, which reminded me of Raven, which reminded me that I might be dealing with one or more murderers.

  I had no intention of putting myself in danger. I was merely on a fact-finding mission. I wanted an address on Mowry, and I hadn’t been able to do it the conventional way. I figured he must be using an alias. He and all the others I’d tried to check out. Including Jake. I wondered what kind of vitals we would get on him using the CPD system. By morning, I would know everything there was to know about Jake DeAtley.

  The night was dark, especially away from the main drag. Ahead, there were only a few streetlights and some of those were out. Through the clouds, the moon shed an eerie blue glow along the open space. An old manufacturing building was boarded up, its square-block-sized parking lot deserted.

  That’s where Mowry and company were headed.

  Another chill shot through me as I quickly decided to fetch my car, which was parked a short distance away on Lake Street, as usual. Though I blamed the wind, the chill went deeper than bone and I reluctantly recognized it as fear.

  Fear was healthy, I reminded myself, a cop’s best friend. Fear kept you alert. Hopefully alive.

  I wanted to know where Mowry lived or at least where he and his minions congregated for the gathering he was hosting tonight—I slid into the driver’s seat of my car and quickly hit the lock. I started the engine and backed the car into the intersection. I didn’t switch on my lights, which would warn the pseudo-vampires that they were being followed. I turned north to do just that.