by C. M. Sutter
“You look a hell of a lot better now,” he joked.
“Meaning I looked like crap before?”
He laughed. “No, just tired. I’ll admit, I took a short nap too. Ready to go in?”
“Sure am. I’m hungry. I’m going to check out the business center after dinner. I brought the flash drive with me.” I patted my purse as we entered.
“Evening folks,” the hostess said, “a table for two?”
“Yes, please.” J.T. allowed me ahead of him as we followed the hostess.
“How’s this? The fireplace tables are popular.”
“I like it, thanks.” We took our seats, and she handed each of us a menu.
“Your waitress will be over shortly.”
J.T. sat quietly until the hostess walked away. “Can I trust you alone in the business center?”
“You mean because on our last case, I skipped out of a computer room and went solo to check out a hunch and nearly ended up in a world of hurt?”
“That’s exactly what I mean. Actually, I should do my paperwork in there too so I won’t be tempted to watch TV. Spelling is expecting a lot by tomorrow.”
We paused our conversation when the waitress approached the table.
“Hello. I’m Jenna, and I’ll be serving you this evening. Can I start you out with a drink?”
“I’ll have a glass of Manifesto Zinfandel, please.”
J.T. ordered a Guinness, then the waitress left. “Manifesto, really?”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I couldn’t resist. Who knows, it might be delicious. I think I’m having the salmon with wild rice and broccoli. How about you?”
“I’m going for the stuffed pork chops and mashed potatoes.”
“Yeah, that sounds good too.” I leaned across the table so I could whisper. “What are you thinking now that John Pratt is dead?”
“Well, we don’t have a positive ID yet. The dead man could be somebody John killed at his own home. Maybe he needed the guy’s car and money.”
“Maybe. Who’s going to make the ID?”
“Spelling said the neighbor agreed to, but keep in mind, the dead man is partially decomposed. I don’t know if he has prints in the system or if they can even pull a viable print off of him. I guess Spelling will inform us once he knows something definitive.”
An hour later, after a delicious meal and two glasses of Manifesto wine, we both sat in the business center. J.T. grabbed a computer to write his document in Notepad, and I inserted the flash drive in the port of the computer across from him. I was happy that we were the only people in the room so we could speak freely if we needed to.
I leaned in and studied the footage with my fist supporting my chin while J.T. tapped away on his keyboard. My cell phone sat on the desk next to me.
“Damn it, I shouldn’t have had two glasses of wine. Watching this video is making me tired.”
“I’ll get us a couple of coffees.”
I looked up at J.T. “Thanks, partner.”
He walked out just as my phone buzzed. The screen showed Spelling was on the line.
Chapter 42
I tried to sound alert as I answered the call, but I needed that coffee badly. “Hi, boss.”
“Jade, we have confirmation on the identity of the body at John Pratt’s house. It’s him. From what PD on-site described, the man was tall but definitely not someone who would have weighed two hundred seventy pounds or more. They also said he had short black hair and no facial hair at all.”
“Crap. That just threw a wrench in the John Pratt angle. So somebody is impersonating him for whatever sick reason. They may have taken his money and ID too.”
I heard Spelling sigh. “At least the leads are continuing to come in. I got a call from the Thomasboro Police Department about a half hour ago. They put the gas station video of Todd Johnson filling up his tank and walking inside to pay on all the news stations. They included his name and the description of his gray Buick LaCrosse too. A call came in to their tip line from Indiana. Apparently, a coworker of Todd’s saw the news broadcast and contacted the local police, who transferred the information to us.”
“Okay, so he’s from Indiana. We can add that bit of information to the digital freeway signs. Hopefully, the killer is still driving the Buick. We need to get that information to all the county and state patrol officers too.”
“Already done, Jade. How’s it going on your end?”
“J.T. just stepped out to get us some coffee, and I’m watching the truck stop surveillance tape again. I’ll let him know the news about John Pratt as soon as he gets back.”
“Okay. If anything else pops, I’ll let you know.”
“Good night, boss.” I clicked off and smacked the desk with my open hand. We were back to square one. I went back to staring at the screen. The composite sketch sat to my right. I thought about Jane’s words and how the killer had tried on several caps in the gift shop. I remembered her saying that was the only time she briefly saw him without a hat. The surveillance feed in the gift shop showed him near the mirror as he tried on several baseball caps. The camera mounted on that wall’s top corner caught only his left shoulder and back. It was the closest image I’d see of him, and I knew that since he was only inches from the camera, he had actually taken off the yellow cap to try on others. I kept watching, willing him to back away from the wall, but he didn’t. He turned to show Jane, according to the way his movements looked on the video feed, but he made sure to stay behind the camera lens.
J.T. returned with the coffees and placed one on my desk.
“How’s it going?”
“It’s aggravating. He’s literally inches from the camera but at the wrong angle. If he was two feet farther from the wall, we’d see his face.”
J.T. huffed. “You know damn well that’s deliberate. Let me take a look.”
I scooted my chair to the side and let J.T. have a turn. “Yeah, I see what you mean. He even turned around, but I still can’t see his face.”
“I know.” I carefully lifted the lid and took a sip of coffee. “That damn guy is a ghost.”
“Nah, we’ll figure it out. There’s no way in hell he’s going to outsmart us.”
I moaned. “He already has, and the victim count proves it.”
“I’ll be damned. Jade, take a look at this!”
I leaned forward, my eyes peeled on the screen. “What? What did you see?”
“Look.” J.T. pointed at the far right side of the screen. “When he turned and took off the black cap to put the yellow one back on, there’s a good five seconds when he doesn’t have on a cap at all. That full-length mirror across the room by the entrance shows him from head to toe. Granted, it’s from a distance, but his face shows up for a few seconds. It’s the first actual photograph we have of him without a hat on.”
“Oh my God, I don’t believe this. I’ve been so focused on him standing at the mirror next to the camera, that I didn’t see the other mirror at all. It’s thirty feet away, though. Push the zoom slider.”
J.T. did, and the image pixelated.
“Shit. Do you think the tech department can get it clearer tomorrow?”
“I’m sure they can. We’re going to get a break after all, Jade.” J.T. squeezed my hand, and a smile lit his face.
My phone buzzed on the desk. I looked, and it was a text from Amber.
Do you have time to talk?
I knew it would be late before I went back to my room, and by then Amber would likely be asleep. A quick phone call now and I could check that off my list.
“J.T., do you mind if I take five minutes?”
“Nah, go ahead. Nothing is going to change in five minutes, anyway.”
I dialed Amber’s cell phone. “Hey, sis, how are you doing?”
“I’m okay. Did you catch the bad guy yet?”
“I wish I could say yes, but unfortunately we haven’t. I think we may catch a lucky break, though. I’ll know more if our tech department can help us out tomorrow.�
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“You’re coming home tomorrow?”
“Yep, then the real work begins. Tonight, we’re staying on the outskirts of Chicago and leaving in the morning.”
“Good, because your mail is piling up. Oh, by the way, are you holding out on me with a secret boyfriend?”
I chuckled. “Right, and I have time for that. Why do you ask?”
“A hand-addressed envelope was in today’s mail, and the return address had J.P. written on it, nothing else.”
“Shit! John Pratt.” I smacked J.T.’s arm to get his attention. He turned, his eyebrows furrowed.
“Who is John Pratt?”
“Hang on a sec, Amber. Okay, I put you on speakerphone so J.T. can listen in. Where was the letter postmarked from?”
“Hold on. I have to get it.”
“What’s going on?” J.T. asked.
“A letter came to my house today with the return name only as J.P.”
“You’re shitting me.”
I shook my head. “No I’m not.”
Amber returned to the phone. “Okay, I’m back. The postmark is Matteson, Illinois.”
“Son of a bitch. Amber, grab some latex gloves and put them on. There’s a box on the shelf above the washer where my go bag usually sits. I want you to carefully open that letter and read it to me.”
“Jade, you’re freaking me out.”
“Just do it, hon. It’s really important.”
“Okay, I’ll be right back.”
I stared at J.T., and my eyes began to water. I braced myself and knew what to expect.
“Okay, are you ready?”
“Yes, and try not to destroy anything. You have the gloves on, right?”
“Yes, I do. The envelope is one of those long ones, like a business-sized envelope. Okay, it’s open, and I’m pulling out the letter. It’s folded in thirds. Jade, I’m shaking.”
“You’ll be fine. Go ahead, Amber. Read it to us.”
“Okay, here goes.”
I hear congratulations are in order, Jade. It’s been a while since we’ve spoken, and word on the street is now you’re an FBI agent. That makes me want to laugh out loud. Is your new gun as big as your ego? You didn’t look so tough at your old man’s funeral, and apparently you haven’t gotten any smarter, either. Doesn’t seem like being an FBI agent has helped. People are dying left and right around you, and you haven’t done a damn thing. I’m leaving bread crumbs, you idiot.
I heard Amber’s sobs through the phone line. “Jade, it’s him. I don’t know if—”
I interrupted. “Amber, finish the damn letter. I swear to God, I’m going to kill that son of a bitch.”
She continued through cries of anguish. She could barely read it.
I’ve been waiting for you to act on the letter I left with your old man’s lifeless body. Did you forget what it said? I’ve been waiting patiently for you—well, not really. I’ve been keeping busy these last few weeks, but now I’m growing bored. Remember the last few sentences of that letter? How about it, Jade? Wanna play?
“That’s the end of it, Jade. I’m scared.”
I wiped my eyes and tried to compose myself for Amber’s sake. “Okay, hon, listen to me carefully. You have to get a grip. You can do this, Amber. You’re a cop, remember? As soon as we hang up, I want you to call Jack. Have him come over right away. Show him the letter. I want him to stay with you or you stay with him until I get back. Promise me you’ll do that. Let Jack handle this. He knows what to do, and he’ll get officers out there to watch our house and mom’s house too. Tell him to call me after you’re secure. Do it immediately, Amber. I have to go.”
“Okay, I’m calling him now.”
“Make sure the house is locked tight and the alarm is set. Grab your gun and keep it by your side.” I hung up and stared at that image again. “It’s him, J.T. I just know it, and he’s taunting me.”
“We need proof, Jade. Once we capture him, I don’t want anything to go wrong due to technicalities. Think hard. His prints aren’t on file. What can we use to prove it’s Max Sims?”
“We have the letter at my house.”
“That’s not enough, and you know his prints won’t be on it.”
“We have evidence that he didn’t have time to destroy.”
“When, like what?”
“He ran from me at the cabin in Green River Falls where he killed Theresa Gardino last summer. We surrounded him and he was nearly caught. He fled in a stolen truck and got away, but he didn’t have time to pick up after himself before he left. We already knew who we were chasing, but we collected everything left behind, anyway. It was a horrific crime scene. Max always wore gloves, it’s just what he does, but his DNA was on the cups and silverware.”
“And you have it?”
“Yes, in the evidence room at the North Bend Sheriff’s Department. Our forensics lab entered his DNA into the national database at that time.”
“Okay, what do we have right now that we can compare it to? We’ve been chasing him all over the Midwest. He didn’t have access to Jane’s purse, and we’ve already sent that back to the crime lab, anyway. Everything else that was in the truck, he’s gotten rid of. What’s left?”
“The sock! We have the sock in the car with the bag from the hospital. The man’s dirty sock that was jammed in Jane’s mouth has to be his. We don’t have time to sleep. We’ve got to leave for Milwaukee now. We can have the forensics lab compare the DNA from the sock to what’s on file for Max Sims.” I winced as I held my side. I realized now that those pains I had been feeling were pains of familiarity when I viewed the sketches, I just hadn’t realized it then. “We can’t let him get away this time. That bastard has to pay for his crimes.” I took a deep breath, dismissed the pain, and grabbed my phone. I began texting.
“What are you doing?”
“Texting Amber. I want Jack’s opinion. He saw Max as often as I did, and even though the image of the man in the gift shop is from a distance, I need his take on it. The last time I saw Max, he was bald and had a clean-shaven face. We have to wait until Jack gets to my house, but I want him to look at it on my computer, so I’m forwarding this screenshot to my email at home. I’m telling Amber to set it up, have Jack look at it, and call me right away. I have to know Amber is safe too.”
“Good idea but take a breath, Jade. Max Sims has run out of luck. He’s going to be captured, one way or another.”
“Yes he is, and preferably he’ll be captured and dragged away in a body bag.” I pulled the flash drive out of the computer. J.T. sent what he had typed out to his email at the office. He shut down the computers, and we headed to the door.
“Come on. Let’s get our bags and go. We’ll update Spelling after you get off the phone with Jack.”
We had a good two-hour drive ahead of us, and it was already closing in on nine o’clock. Our forensics lab and the tech department had a night shift that worked in our downtown building. J.T. called as he drove, and they were awaiting our arrival. The forensics department said they’d have everything set up and ready to go for the DNA comparison. I needed to keep my phone line clear until I heard from Jack.
My phone rang ten minutes into our drive. I pulled the phone out of the cup holder and checked the screen. I looked at J.T. “It’s Jack.”
J.T. nodded and changed lanes to get on the interstate.
“Jack, I’m putting you on speakerphone. We’re heading to the FBI headquarters in downtown Milwaukee, but it’s going to take another few hours. What’s your opinion of the picture?”
“Well, for one, Amber is really rattled. I know she saw Max up close and way too personal, but she’s a mess. I’m not going to ask her to weigh in on this. Actually, I made her drink a shot of whiskey to help settle her down, but she showed me the screenshot on your computer. Without that letter to go along with it, I’d have a hard time being certain it’s Max. But the letter kind of confirms it, in my opinion. By the way, I put the letter and the envelope in a plastic bag a
nd sealed it. What’s the J.P. connection?”
“John Pratt. He actually grew up in North Bend but moved to Arkansas in 2005. He’s the same age as Max.”
“Okay, that makes sense. He was probably an old friend of Max’s and, being that far away, didn’t know the recent happenings in North Bend with the Sims family crimes. Max was probably looking for a place to hide out while he was on the run.”
“Exactly, then Max killed him and took on his identity. Anyway, with computer software and tech magic, we’re hoping the tech department can bring that image into better focus. Off the cuff, just by looking at him, what do you think?”
“The size and weight definitely look right. He did have hair and a beard the first day we met him at the farm, but we were there all of, what, five minutes? Then he changed his look again after that.” Jack groaned. “I can’t say one hundred percent, Jade, but if that image was sharpened up without the pixelation, I bet we’d know for sure.”
“But your gut instinct?”
“My gut says it’s Max. Do you have a location on him or know what he’s driving? I can get a BOLO out for Washburn and the surrounding counties.”
“The last car we know of is a gray Buick LaCrosse. I’d put it no older than four years. The tags are from Indiana, but we don’t have the plate number.”
“Don’t worry. It’s a start. Do you think he’s heading this way?”
I gave that some thought. “He’s been driving north all week. I doubt if he’s going to veer off course. Why send the letter if he intends to disappear again?”
“Why send the letter at all? He’s just giving you a heads-up.”
I sighed. “I don’t know, Jack, maybe because he’s a sick son of a bitch and he’s taunting me. Please take care of Amber until I’m back and put somebody on my mom’s house too. You never know who he’s going to go after next. I’ll update you on our findings tomorrow. Right now I need to call Spelling.”
“Sure thing, and be careful, Jade.”
I clicked off the call with Jack and immediately dialed Spelling. I explained everything we had found out in the last hour. He said he was leaving home and would meet us at the downtown location when we arrived.