While the detectives concentrated on disarming Ching, Mei pulled a laser-sighted handgun from under her pillow, rolled on her back, and shot Carl between the eyes. Lakeysia returned fire. She put three bullets through Mei’s heart and two in the girl’s brain. A single, well-aimed shot was usually enough to kill a person, but Lakeysia wanted to make absolutely sure. Her thoughts were clouded by the desire for vengeance, and there would be no opportunity to claim self defense later.
Lakeysia knew Carl was dead before she ran to his side. Her partner was wearing a bulletproof vest, but it only protected his body, and the assassin had shot to kill. Everyone on the team, including Lakeysia, had assumed the woman wasn’t a threat. Their poor judgment had cost her fiancée his life.
After the funeral, Lakeysia’s outlook became increasingly cynical and she never had a relationship with a man again. She would later learn Mei was Ching’s top assassin, his ‘go to’ woman for contract hits. It was she who’d murdered the club owner, posing as an escort girl to get him alone in his office. Perhaps that was why Lakeysia was so suspicious of Nicole. She saw every woman she met as a potential killer.
Lakeysia ate her final slice of Hawaiian pizza, and studied the photos one more time. Matthews had documented the warehouse crime scene thoroughly: the ‘12-E’ message, the thief tools on Tasoto’s chest, the ransom note. Lakeysia scanned the prints for clues the murderer hadn’t intended to leave behind, something she might have overlooked. Despite spending two hours with a magnifying glass, Lakeysia hadn’t found a thing. She had learned the perpetrator was careful, intelligent and manipulative, just like Mei Tan. Kyle hadn’t jumped to the wrong conclusion. The killer was definitely a woman. Maybe the one he was getting too close to.
The telephone rang, but Lakeysia chose not to answer. It was probably a telemarketer selling cable TV packages or offering to reduce nonexistent mortgage payments. Her assumption proved to be incorrect.
Thorne left a message on Lakeysia’s answering machine. “Symons,” he said. “Thought you should know. The stakeout team at Miss Tasoto’s home just called in. Something about an intruder.”
Lakeysia grabbed her phone. “I’m on it, Lieutenant.”
“Could be a false alarm. Wilson’s new, a bit jumpy.”
“Wilson? Meagan Wilson?” asked Lakeysia, raising her voice in disbelief. “It’s her first beat. Who the hell decided to put a newbie on duty? The grim reaper?”
Lakeysia slammed down the receiver, retrieved her car keys from under the pizza box, and left her apartment. She was genuinely afraid for the young girl’s life. Dealing with this psychopath was dangerous for anyone, but a rookie like Wilson was hopelessly out of her depth. Like Thorne said, it could just be a false alarm, but deep down Lakeysia knew the threat was for real.
***
Lakeysia’s concern grew when Thorne informed her Travis was also on his way to the mansion. Apparently the killer had called him and threatened Miss Tasoto’s life. Soon after Lakeysia crossed the district boundary into Pacific Heights, three squad cars converged to form a convoy behind her station wagon. She accelerated ahead, turned through the estate’s front gate, and swerved to a halt on the driveway. Uniformed officers joined her by the entrance, armed and ready.
“You three! Go round the back!” she commanded, directing them with her pistol. The wailing burglar alarm made it difficult to issue verbal instructions.
That left Lakeysia two men for backup. She signaled them to cover her as she approached the door, took a pace back, and kicked a spot just below the handle. The door swung into the neighboring wall with a loud crack, chipping the stonework. Lakeysia needn’t have exerted herself. All the locks had been disengaged. Someone was expecting them.
Lakeysia spearheaded the assault. She advanced into the entrance hall, expecting trouble at any moment. The lights were on, and a sliding door open at the far end.
“Check downstairs!” she ordered the others.
While the officers searched rooms on the ground floor, Lakeysia ascended the spiral steps. Dirty boot marks marred the wooden tiles. The footprints formed a trail that led upstairs and across the landing to the master bedroom. Well aware of the killer’s passion for playing games, Lakeysia ignored the tracks, and checked other areas of the upper floor first. Unlike her relatively tiny, one bedroom apartment, there were several sleeping chambers, connecting bathrooms, servants’ quarters and even an observatory.
“Detective Symons! Out here!” The shouts originated from the back garden.
Looking through a landing window, Lakeysia saw four cops standing around a half naked, red haired female. It was Officer Wilson. A Hispanic man lay on the grass beside her, face covered in blood. From the way the other cops tended to his wounds, Lakeysia surmised he was still alive. Meagan – being left alone - wasn’t so lucky. Lakeysia’s worst fears had been realized. On her very first day of real action, the rookie had fallen victim to a serial killer.
It took all Lakeysia’s professionalism to contain her anger and keep a cool head. She saved her mourning for later, and retraced the footsteps back to the master bedroom. Lakeysia took cover behind the wall, and slid the panel open with her foot, keeping both hands on her gun. She pivoted round, checked the ceiling beyond the doorway, and stepped into Miss Tasoto’s fantasy world.
Lakeysia had seen hundreds of bedrooms in her career. Most of them belonged to drug addicts and other lowlife scum, but this one could be marketed as a Japanese emperor’s palace. Furnishings included a velvet shrouded, four-poster bed, an outside balcony, and a closet the size of a typical hotel room. Nicole’s play zone was every teenage boy’s dream. In addition to the latest console systems, it had everything the avid gamer could possibly want: a cinematic TV screen, seats for four players, light guns, network linkups, and a library of software from the entire Dragonsoft collection.
Lakeysia had no interest in any of this. She stayed by the entrance, ignoring the obvious footprint trail that led to the en suite bathroom on the right. The connecting door was partially open, but Lakeysia suspected the killer had set a trap. She proceeded with caution. Her first port of call was the bed. Lakeysia slowly approached the velvet drapes, pulled them aside, and thrust her gun forward. The linen sheets were freshly made and undisturbed. If the murderess was still around, she was lying in wait elsewhere.
Squelching feet alerted Lakeysia to the woman’s presence. The second clue was the sound of a wardrobe door clicking shut, and the third was a faint, feminine shadow on the bed sheets. The killer was standing right behind her, wielding a long weapon two handed. Lakeysia knelt down, as if to look under the bed. Having made her play, she quickly dropped to the floor, rolled over, and aimed her pistol at the woman by the wardrobe.
It was Miss Tasoto. She was dressed in a peach bathrobe, and her face and hair were soaking wet. The weapon she carried wasn’t a sword, as Lakeysia had first thought, but a twin-barreled shotgun.
“Nicole! It’s me.” Lakeysia kept her pistol aimed at her, just in case.
Nicole lowered her shotgun. “Detective Symons. Thank God. She was right here, in this room. I was taking a bath when the alarm went off.”
Lakeysia placed a finger to her lips, motioned Nicole to remain still, and opened the bathroom door. She concentrated on potential threats ahead, theorizing that if Nicole wanted to kill her, she would have pulled the trigger already.
The air inside the bathroom was saturated with swirling steam, making it difficult to see. Being a wealthy person’s abode, the silver-plated shower fittings were a few cuts above the norm, and the tiles were ceramic instead of plastic. The steam got progressively thicker towards the tub: a ten-foot wide, circular pool with glowing, crystal-shaped lights embedded in its decorative rim. The surrounding floor was damp from condensation, and the muddy footsteps terminated near the edge.
Once again, Lakeysia searched the least obvious hiding places first. She drew back the shower curtain to check for concealed intruders. Discovering no surprises, she grabbed a
bottle of designer shampoo, and threw it against the bathtub rim. She heard the glass container roll back and forth along the tub’s interior before coming to rest. Either nobody was hiding inside, or the killer was an expert at dodging projectiles. Assuming the worst scenario, Lakeysia sprinted across the wet floor, slid next to the bathtub, and aimed her pistol over the edge.
The hot water valve was open. Steam evaporated from an ankle deep pool inside the tub, clouding Lakeysia’s vision. The level remained more or less constant, with water draining out through the plughole at roughly the same rate it poured in. Lakeysia shut off the faucet, and wiped condensed vapor from her eyes. As the steam cleared, she noticed something written on the tub’s bowl. It was a message in blood, still wet and fresh. Alas Poor Rebecca.
Lakeysia holstered her gun, and switched on her radio. “This is Symons. Get somebody over to the Dragonsoft office tower in Twin Peaks. Right away.”
“Detective Symons?” Nicole called out, entering the bathroom. “What’s wrong?”
Lakeysia barred her path, but the girl had already seen the message. “Oh God!” she cried. “Rebecca. No! Please. Not Rebecca. Please God, no.”
Nicole stumbled forward. She collapsed in Lakeysia’s arms, eyes flooding with tears. The detective embraced her, giving the girl a firm shoulder to cry on. Miss Tasoto buried her face in Lakeysia’s suit, making it awkward to tell if her mourning was real or merely staged.
Lakeysia was having second thoughts about Nicole’s guilt. If this was a performance to gain her trust, then it was flawless. It was possible Lakeysia’s opinion of Miss Tasoto had been coloured by events that led to Carl’s death. Or perhaps Nicole really was a brilliant actress, an assassin even deadlier than Mei Tan.
***
Paramedics lifted Officer Rico Asante onto a stretcher, and wheeled him towards a waiting ambulance. He was barely conscious, having received emergency on-location surgery. In truth, he probably wished the psycho had strangled him instead of his partner. Rico’s severed arm and stomach wound had been disinfected and bandaged, and his other limbs encased in plaster. Should his physical wounds heal, the memories and nightmares would haunt him forever.
Additional bandages were wrapped around Rico’s head, but they didn’t erase the killer’s message. The bloody red lettering had diffused through the white cloth. Lakeysia jotted the ‘18-A’ clue down in her notebook. She stood outside the ambulance’s rear doors, with a female Hispanic officer at her side. The woman waited with her cap off and head bowed, a mark of respect for her fallen comrade.
As the paramedics pushed Rico into the ambulance, the officer asked him a question in Spanish. Lakeysia had a basic knowledge of the language, enough to understand her simple query. “Who did this?”
“Un demonio hermoso con los ojos verdes,” coughed Rico.
His response was beyond Lakeysia’s translation skills. She turned to the Hispanic woman. “What did he say?”
“That the killer was a beautiful demon with green eyes.”
Lakeysia grasped Rico’s hand. “Appreciate the tip.”
Medics connected Rico to a blood drip, and closed the ambulance doors. Lakeysia watched the vehicle drive away, wheels tearing up the garden.
“Rico’s my best friend,” the Hispanic officer told her. “You nail the bitch responsible, you let me know.”
Lakeysia glanced up at the master bedroom window. Two images were silhouetted on the curtain: a man and a woman. The figures embraced and became one.
“Oh, we’ll catch her,” said Lakeysia. “My partner and I are working on it day and night. You say you’re the guy’s friend?”
“His only real one. Nobody’s got much time for Rico.”
“Have some pity for the new girl. Think you could make friends in a day?”
Lakeysia looked across the garden, to the spot where the paramedics sealed Meagan inside a black body bag. Her mobile telephone beeped. She checked the digital screen. The caller was Lieutenant Thorne, the perennial bearer of bad news.
***
Kyle wiped Nicole’s face, and wrapped a towel around her hair. The girl was in shock. She sat on her bed, facing away from the bathroom. Nicole couldn’t keep still, and the mattress springs creaked whenever she shifted her legs.
“Everything’s fine.” Kyle knelt in front of Nicole, and brushed a spot of water from her cheek. “You’re safe now.”
“No. I’m not,” she sobbed. “That’s what you said this morning. You told me she wouldn’t come back.”
Kyle sat beside the girl, allowing her to rest across his lap. “I want you to think carefully, Nicole. Do you have any idea who this woman might be? What her agenda is?”
“No! I don’t know what her agenda is!” Nicole screamed, sitting up. “I don’t even know who she is. You’re the detective, aren’t you? You find out!”
Heavy footsteps came from outside the bedroom. Lakeysia marched through the door and straight up to Nicole. “They just found Rebecca,” she said bluntly. “She’s dead, electrocuted in her office.”
“Oh God,” cried Nicole.
If Lakeysia was sympathetic, it didn’t show. “Or should I say your office? Seems our mutual friend made a stop in Twin Peaks tonight, bumped off your secretary and the night watchman. Funny isn’t it? How all these deaths seem to revolve around you. I wonder why.”
“How the hell should I know?” Nicole asked, turning to Kyle. “First you accuse me, now your stupid partner. I’m not the one who killed them.”
“Hey!” Kyle said, shifting the blame to Lakeysia. “Nicole’s been through hell tonight. Knock it off.”
Lakeysia ignored him. She grabbed Nicole’s bathrobe, and yanked the girl forward. “Why are you protecting this woman, Miss Tasoto? You know her? Eh? She a friend of yours? Or are you holding out because you haven’t found a scapegoat yet?”
Kyle chopped away his partner’s hands, stood up, and locked eyes with her. “Lakeysia, we need to talk. Now.”
“All right. Let’s talk.” Lakeysia said. “Me and Travis are going to step outside. Leave you to mourn the dead. You know, this woman’s one smart bitch. Must think she’s real brave killing a rookie, an old man, a secretary. But I’ll get her. Want to know why, Miss Tasoto? I’ll tell you. Because I’m smarter than your lover boy. Don’t play innocent with me.”
Kyle followed Lakeysia outside, and closed the door behind her. “I don’t appreciate the way you assaulted Nicole back there,” he said, lowering his voice. “I realize the girl might seem like a reincarnation of Mei Tan to you, but that doesn’t make her a killer.”
“What? You don’t want me touching up your girlfriend? She might not be guilty, but that woman’s hiding something. And I want to find out what that something is before more people turn up with body parts missing. Part of my job description. Yours too, in case you forgot.”
Kyle wasn’t swayed by her arguments. “That doesn’t justify what you did.”
“Someone’s gotta be the bad cop. Eighteen. That’s how old Meagan Wilson was. Same age as your girl. Want Miss Tasoto to get choked to death? No? Then you find out what she’s holding back. Use a more delicate hands-on approach if you like, whatever it takes to get the dirt. See you later, Travis. I’m gonna comb the crime scene for clues.”
“Yeah. Why don’t you do that?”
Kyle stepped back into the bedroom, and slammed the door in Lakeysia’s face.
***
Police had established a perimeter around the Dragonsoft office tower. Nobody was allowed past the cordon without authorization, and three burly officers verified the ID of everyone who wished to enter. A couple of news vans were parked next to the patrol cars out front, and Lakeysia spotted one prominent TV anchor making a live report. Word of the killings was starting to spread, but the press vultures hadn’t showed up in full force. Yet.
Lakeysia drove as close to the building as possible. She had no wish to discuss the lack of progress with television reporters. Lakeysia presented her shield to the office
r on duty, ducked under a web of crime scene tape, and entered the lobby. Matthews and his female assistant had already arrived, and were dusting the night watchman’s body and desk for fingerprints. It was a tedious but necessary task nobody expected to bear fruit.
“His arm’s broken,” said Matthews, examining the corpse. “So is his neck. Guy didn’t stand a chance.”
Lakeysia slipped on her surgical gloves. “Fairness isn’t a word in this nut job’s dictionary. You should see her latest escapade. She strangled a rookie cop to death, then sliced his partner up for good measure. Broke a few bones first. Apparently, it’s not enough to kill her victims. She has to get up close and personal.”
“Seems you were right about the killer being a girl.” The way Matthews said it betrayed an old fashioned view of the fair sex. The good doctor had trouble believing a woman could be capable of such violence. Murder maybe, but not brutal torture.
Lakeysia had no such problem. “Or maybe an Amazon,” she speculated. “You tell me, doc. How strong would a pretty little thing have to be to pull this off?”
“Hard to say. Any strong adult, male or female, could have easily beaten up this man.” Matthews’ opposition was slowly waning. “This was an act of precision rather than brute force. I’d say the killer’s an expert in some martial arts discipline, but don’t ask me which one.”
“A kung fu addict, eh? Maybe she learned the moves from one of those fighting games.”
Lakeysia watched herself on the security monitor. A camera was on the ceiling opposite, pointed straight at her.
Matthews read her thoughts. “We already checked the footage.”
The doctor’s assistant pressed some buttons. One image showed a recording of the murder. The killer was a tall woman dressed in black motorcyclist’s leathers. Long, blonde hair masked her face, and she was careful to avoid looking at the camera.
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