Heart of Fire

by Carter, Dawn

  It was not her style to make idol threats, but with the recent rash of killings she was spooked, and when she tried to counsel some of the other girls to consider a change with her, came up with a solution for them to share a house together, get real jobs and all go back to school, they laughed. One even went as far to say, how can I afford to buy my drugs then? She told herself no matter what the others said, she was getting out, and to her surprise, Sally one of the new girls who hooked to feed her children agreed to join her, she told Hollywood, she was in line for a house and assistance, and if they put their money together, they could make it. Hollywood was delighted, she had an exit strategy, she just needed a little bit more money to pull it off, but she was not sure how long it would take to make it, since her visit with Danni, each time a car pulled to the side of the road, and the man would asked for a quick fuck or a blow job, she would hesitate, and if the man was really sleazy she would say no.

  She made a mental note to talk to Sally and see how long it would take to get the housing assistance. Just as she reached the long stretch of gangway that led to the street she hesitated, she thought she heard footsteps, when she stopped and listened, there was no noise. She smiled and shook off the uneasy feeling and as soon as she turned the corner and her apartment building came into view she gasped in horror, a sudden burning pain shot into her back. She screamed and cried out as her head was yanked back by her hair. She was forced to come face to face with the person who assaulted her, she blinked back in shock. “You, why?” But the words trailed as she felt a blade slice across her throat. She wrapped her hand tight as the blood came spurting out. She stumbled a few feet forward but lost her balance and fell to the ground. She crawled on her hands and knees the rest of the way to the sidewalk in front of her building, her life force oozed from her down into the sewer drain painting the sidewalk on its way. She tried to pull herself up but her attempt failed when a foot pressed heavy on her back and held her in place. Another sharp pain shot into her back as the blade entered and pierced her right lung. She coughed as the blood filled her lung she choked out another cry as she lay twisted on the curb. She knew the end was near as she listened to her attacker laugh as the knife plunged in her one last time. Her bleach dyed hair soaked red with blood as it drained from the gash across her throat. Still holding on to life, she scratched the letters DA in blood on the sidewalk before her body collapsed and became limp. The street was empty and dark and only the light that silhouetted her limp frame shined dimly from the end of the street. She watched in horror as the light grew darker while the last of her body’s life force slipped from her.

  First on the scene was Detective Lancaster, he had just finished a bust on the next street over and was heading back to the station when he saw her limp lifeless body. He immediately coordinated a search of the area then taped it off with a block radius to keep on lookers away. Lights and sirens filled the surrounding area. Lieutenant Hagerty pulled up as soon as the crime scene investigators did. Side by side, they discussed what needed to be done. He pushed through the crowd with force as he cleared the path. “Don’t leave nothing unturned,” he ordered as he lifted the tape for the team to get under.

  The flashes from the cameras could be seen down the block. Onlookers gasped as the body was removed and the pool of blood became visible. Channel Ten News stood in the background reporting the tenth killing in the past year.

  “This is Rebecca Olivares reporting from the corner of Jackson and North Fourteenth. The Night Walker strikes again taking the life of the tenth victim. The identity of the victim is unknown at this time. Officials stated they will transport the victim to Lubbock for an autopsy first thing tomorrow. Stay tuned as more details are revealed.”

  Danni woke from a sound sleep as she heard the news flash. She sat up in a panic and cleared her vision as the scene was displayed on the television screen. She reached for her phone and dialed Frank’s number, but there was no answer. She left him a message asking him to get the details of the murder. She shot out of the bed, and put on the clean street clothes she wore earlier. As soon as she reached the car it occurred to her that Annabel was still in a sound sleep. The main focus now was to get to the scene before all the evidence was washed away. She approached with caution surveying the area. Lieutenant Hagerty stood on the sidelines and supervised the investigation. Danni casually strolled up alongside of him. He did not notice her at first which gave her an opportunity to see the bloody inscription on the walkway.

  “What we got Hagerty?”

  He shot around and looked at her confused. “What are you doing here? I thought you were out of town?”

  “I got back into the city today.” A smile crept across her face which hid her deception. Danni did not lie to him, she was not in the city, she was in the country, and she did just drive back in today.

  “Good, I want you on this. The Mayor is breathing down my neck to find the son of a bitch,” he huffed. “They should have the evidence bagged and processed by tomorrow.” He continued with a sigh, “This is the tenth woman Pacelli; we got to get this guy.”

  “I’m still on vacation until Monday, but I’ll pick everything up and check out a few leads.” Danni knew it was time to get bring him into the investigation. “Hey Hagerty, let’s go get some coffee.”

  The puzzled look made Danni laugh. She was so busy giving him a hard time any change in her personality would confuse.

  “You pick a hell of a time to go on vacation Pacelli,” he smirked and nodded his head. “Where too?”

  “I saw a little dinner a few blocks down on the boulevard.”

  They both casually got in Danni’s car and pulled off. “No coffee, just need to get you out of ear shot,” she confirmed his suspicions.

  Danni explained each event to date as they transpired. She watched his left brow raised astonished by what he was listening to. She explained how they went into hiding and how she involved the Fed’s. By the time she finished he was flustered. The anger was apparent on his face. The thought of the security risk and a possible bad cop irritated him but he had his suspicions. That is why he put her on the case. He may not be a fan of female officers but he was sure she was a good cop. He felt like a proud dad as he looked at her. When she was assigned to his division he fought it with everything he had. He told himself she would not make it and that made it easier when he had to change the locker room from all male to unisex. But, over the years, she had proven herself to be as capable as the men if not ever better.

  “Good Job Pacelli.” He smiled as he patted her on the shoulder.

  She was a little taken back since he had never acknowledged her performance in the past. She smiled her appreciation. “I’ll take you back to your car. I need to get back to the hotel.” She handed him her new cell number as he got out. “Call only from a pay phone,” she instructed, and smiled as she drove off.

  His demeanor shocked her and she was a little upset with herself for giving him a hard time in the past. It occurred to her he was on her side and willing to help in anyway. That is the way it should have always been, she thought but dismissed it just as fast. “Time to get back to the hotel and wake up Annabel, we need to get the investigation going,” she said aloud as she dialed Frank’s number. She was prepared to leave another message but he answered.

  “Danni, did you see the news?” his question was urgent.

  “Just left the scene and Hagerty is on our team.”

  “Are you sure he’s on the up and up?” the hesitation in his voice expressed his suspicion.

  “Yeah, he is,” the shame in her voice was apparent.

  “Good, text his number to me and I will get a hold of him in a few hours. I am going to send one of the guys to the lab to make sure none of the evidence disappears. This is now an official FBI investigation Danni. I’m not trying to step on your toes but since I have been using resources here, it caught the attention of my superiors.”

  “This is my case Frank.”

  “You’re s
till a part of it and you will still get the collar, I’ll see to that,” he reassured. “I’ll see you tonight as planned. Make sure you wear the tracking device as instructed. It’s my ass on the line now if anything goes wrong.”

  She grunted as she disconnected the call. “Fuck!” she snorted. Just she pulled into the hotel parking lot, she flipped the car around. She needed to take control of this case and was going not going to let anyone take it away from her. She sped towards the interstate flashing her lights along the way. She mused how easy people got out of her way as she flew past. It did not take long before she pulled in her parking space at the precinct. She took the back stairs up to the lab, and watched through the glass window as the evidence was sorted. She waved for one of the technicians to open the locked door. He shook his head in defiance as he pointed to his watch. Noting the sign that stated no unofficial personal allowed between the hours of eleven p.m. and six a.m.

  He stepped out the door after she pounded on the window several more times. “You know the rules Pacelli.”

  “I don’t give a rat’s ass about the rules; I have a murder to solve. Just give me the damn pictures and I’ll sort the rest later!” She had no time to debate. At least the pictures would give her a little bit of missing information.

  “That I can do give me a minute to print them off.” He rolled his eyes shutting and locking the door behind him.

  She waited patiently as he made the prints and almost pulled his arm out of socket as she snatched them out of his hand

  Danni decided she wanted to be in the solitude of the hotel room as she looked over the pictures. She grabbed an empty evidence bag and a magnify glass, note pads and labels.

  “Pacelli?”

  A female voice caught her off guard.

  “Travis, I thought you worked second shift. What are you doing here at this hour?” She looked at the clock on the wall and noted it was a four fifteen a.m., Danni made a mental note of the time.

  “I heard about another murder, I wanted to see if they needed any help with the investigation,” Travis chimed never taking her eyes off the package of pictures. “I thought you were on vacation Pacelli?” she inquired lightly.

  “I am. Well I was.”

  “Oh, so then, um, do you need any help with the investigation?” she stuttered.

  “I got this Travis, but thanks anyways.” Once down the hall, Danni stopped long enough to collect her thoughts. “This stinks,” she mused and wrote down the officer’s name. ‘Wendy Travis, four a.m. was in forensics. No reason to be there. If she wanted to assist, she would have gone to homicide.’ Danni looked over her notes, she would not add to the list of suspects until ruled out. She turned around and stormed back to the lab. Conner had just walked in with bags of the evidence, she needed help and she knew she could trust him. He was a reliable source of information who knew how to keep his mouth shut. When she approached the locked glass room, she tapped on the window. He pranced around and waved as he walked towards the door.

  “What’s going on Pacelli? You’re looking good girl,” his flamboyant display wavered when he spoke to her.

  “I need your help on the down low.” The smile of acceptance encouraged his prancing.

  “Girl you look good. Did you find yourself a new friend?” He walked around her. “Mhmm, you sure did. You’re getting yourself some.” He bobbed his head as he looked her up and down.

  “Focus Conner, I will tell you all about my sex life after you help me out.”

  “Anything for my favorite dyke honey.”

  Danni had to plaster a fake smile to hide her annoyance. “Has Wendy Travis been in here a lot lately?”

  Conner’s face became serious; he knew if she was inquiring about another officer being in the lab, it was serious. “I’ll be right back,” he said as he reached in the door and grabbed the log book off the entrance table. “Travis,” he repeated scrolling down the last few weeks on the sign in log. “Yup, here we go, she started to come down here and helped about a week ago.”

  “Really?” Alarms went off in her head. “What day was the first time she came down here?”

  “Thursday morning was the first time. I remember that, she had to pass security protocol and I ran it. Here it is. I still didn’t file it yet. We were processing the evidence from the murdered prostitute and she wanted to help.” He looked at the sheet and noted the file was from the same day. “I know why I didn’t file it that was the day the pictures were erased off the flash drive you sent in. We had I.A. breathing down our backs. They needed the information on everyone who was in here when it happened.”

  “Keep this under wraps Conner. I need to look into a few more things. Can I get a copy of what you got?” Her smile disappeared as she pointed to the papers and the book.

  She waited for him to return with the photo copies. She smiled and patted him on the back when he handed them to her. “You want me to call you if she shows up later?”

  “Conner, you’re brilliant. Yes, call me. I need to find out what she is up to. Don’t let her near my evidence again. Understand?”

  “Girl I’ll scratch her eyes out if she even tries to get near it.”

  “Oh lord, don’t do anything to get your ass kicked. I’ve seen you fight.” She let out a hearty laugh. “I’ll text you later with my temporary cell number. Remember don’t let her near my evidence.” Danni locked eyes with him. “Oh shit, you can do something else for me.” The new plan flashed in her head bringing a half smile. “You think you can run her number and see who she has been calling or who has been calling her?”

  “If she comes back I can since we all have to check our mobile devices in the locker. I can load it and log it and she will never know.” He stood satisfied by the deceptive act he had yet to commit.

  “Is that the only way? You can’t just run her phone records?” She stood confused as she saw her plan flop.

  “If you get me a warrant I can.”

  “Dude, this is on the down low, not going to happen.” The frustration grew with the realization she would have to get it the old fashioned way.

  “No promises Pacelli, I’ll do what I can.”

  “That’s all I can ask for Conner. Thank you, I really appreciate everything you already did.”

  His heart sunk when he saw the defeated look on her face. “You know what. Leave it to me. I’ll get it for you. When all this is over, I want to meet her.”

  “Meet who Conner?”

  “Your new friend that has you looking this good,” he puffed out his bottom lip, flipped his hand in the air and walked around her shaking his ass.

  Danni leaned in closer. “When all of this is over, you bring your man, and all four of us will go for a drink.”

  “And, you can buy the first round.” The sound of his laugh filled the empty hallway.

  “I will buy the drinks all night if you get me that information.”

  “Oh girl, then you better let me get to work.” He waved her off as he strutted back in the lab.

  “Take my new phone number and call me when you get something,” she said writing it on a piece of paper and handing it to him.

  “Girl give me a few hours and I will have what you need,” he half smiled and turned around with his hands on his hips and trotted back into the lab.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  The corridor leading to the hotel room was eerily quiet. Danni assumed all the guests were still in a sound asleep. She looked at her watch and shook her head, dismayed as the hands came into focus, six a.m. and she had to head back to the station by ten. “Shit, I better get some sleep.” The door creaked as it opened, she tip toed in as quietly as she could, and to her surprise Annabel was still fast asleep. Praying she did not wake her, she was too tired to think any more realistically, there was nothing else she could do until the lab reports came back.

  Annabel sighed as she felt Danni’s body relax. She was upset at first when she woke to find Danni gone, but when the morning news reported the events of the
night, she knew Danni was there in the middle of it watching everyone’s move. At first she was upset and paced back and forth, but knew it would raise suspicions if she showed up with Danni when she was supposed to be on leave. She could not go back to sleep, so when she was sure Danni was not going to wake up, she crept from the bed, and opened the envelope she saw her lay on the table. She opened it and had to put her hand over her mouth as she looked at the brutal killing.

  She could see something was different, to confirm she pulled the previous murder pictures and laid them side by side. The body placement and wounds were nothing alike. The murder of Hollywood appeared to be more like a crime of passion, not the planned orchestrated murders in the past, this was different she mused shuffling through the two sets. She squinted as she eyed Hollywood’s corpse with the magnifying glass, Annabel could see where the killer put her foot and she was sure it was a woman by the size of the imprint it left on her back. She could see where she was held in place when the final blow was made. She observed where the foot was, there was no blood splatter which left her with the conclusion it landed on the killers shoes.

  The buzzing from the phone on the nightstand made her jump afraid it would wake Danni up she snatched it off the table. The name flashed across the screen, Conner from forensics. “Hello,” she whispered taking it into the bathroom. “No she’s asleep but I can take a message for her.” The response was not what she wanted to hear. He needed to speak to Danni and he needed to speak to her now. She crept over to the bed and tapped Danni on the shoulder. “Hey sleepy head, Conner is on the phone and he said it’s important.”

  Danni rolled over and took the phone from her and had to clear her voice to be heard. “Pacelli, what you got for me dude?” Through the haze that clouded her mind, she listened to his findings, she had to ask him to repeat his last statement because she was not sure he said what she thought, and after he repeated it again, she shot out of the bed. “You’re fucking kidding me?” She shot a glance towards Annabel. “Get my other phone!” she demanded as she tried to focus on the rest of the information he was giving her. “I’ll be there in a few minutes Conner. Don’t let anyone see what you found.” The phone flew from her hand onto the bed. She grabbed her crumbled jeans that lay on the floor. “Get ready now!” her voice trailed as she ran to the bathroom.