“Okay. I’ll let you know what I find.”
Frankie laid her cellphone on the counter and stood looking out the window into the dark night. She almost didn’t notice Derek walk up behind her. Sliding his arms around her waist he rested his chin on her head. Involuntary tears filled her eyes.
“Where do we go from here?” Derek asked.
“I don’t know. All I know for sure is I don’t want to just be one of many women you screw.”
“It’s not like that Frankie.”
Turning around to face Derek she said, “Let me put it another way. I’m not sleeping with other men and I don’t want you to sleep with other women.”
“Okay. I will…”
Before Derek could finish his sentence, Frankie’s phone began to ring. “Thomas.”
“I’m in the area where his car pinged, but it’s not here.”
“What do you mean it’s not there?!” Frankie couldn’t believe it. The whole reason they put a tracker on his car was so they would know where he was and could stop him before he hurt someone else.
“I mean, he’s nowhere to be seen. I’m going drive around a bit and see if I can find him.”
“Okay. Do you need me to come out?” Frankie’s question was met with a laugh.
“Girl, stay inside where it’s warm. I’ve got this. If something comes up I’ll text you. Why don’t you try to catch some sleep?”
“Thanks Fitz.”
Frankie noticed Derek had opened a bottle of wine. The cork and foil were still on the counter but he was not in the kitchen. She returned to the bedroom to find it empty. She started to call his name, then heard the water running in the master bath.
“Hey.”
“I thought we could finish our talk over wine in a bubble bath,” Derek said.
Frankie sat on the edge of the tub and looked down at him. She tenderly reached over and brushed his hair aside with her fingers. Derek responded by flinging bubbles at her. He started to laugh as Frankie spit and brushed the bubbles from her face. Derek grabbed her and pulled her into the tub with him, shirt and all. She collapsed against him in laughter.
Chapter 87
Maggie and the driver were the last two people on the bus. Normally she sat in the front and chatted with the bus driver, but she was exhausted from working a double shift at the hospital and just wanted to sit in silence.
“Here’s your stop Maggie. Be careful walking home y’ear?”
“Thanks Milt. Enjoy what’s left of your night.”
“Headin’ back to the barn. Time to call it quits.”
Maggie smiled and waved as she exited the bus. It was barely out of sight when a car pulled up with the passenger side window rolled down.
“Get in the car.”
Maggie huffed at the man driving, “I think you’ve got it wrong.” This wasn’t the first time she’d been propositioned. She knew some of the women in her neighborhood sold themselves for money or drugs, but she wasn’t one of them. “I don’t work the streets.”
“I said get in the car.”
“What is your problem dude? I said I’m not selling what you’re lookin’ to buy.” Maggie continued to walk towards her house.
The man yelled, “Bitch!” as he drove away.
Maggie flipped him the bird and kept walking. “Who the hell does he think he is?” she thought. It had a been a long night and she was ready to go to bed. Maggie didn’t notice the car parked across the street from her house as she walked up to the front door. She put the key into the lock and started to push the door open. A thick arm encircled her waist and a hand covered her mouth to stifle any screams. There was no time for her to react as the man pushed her inside and slammed the door.
Once inside the house Maggie kicked and squirmed but she was no match for the man’s size and strength. He threw her onto the couch and began to punch her body. With each hit, he cursed and called her names. Maggie tried to fight back, scratching and kicking at her assailant, but her feeble attempts were met with harder hits in quicker succession. She lost consciousness as he began to rip the scrubs from her body.
When Maggie awoke the assailant was gone and the remnants of her clothing were strewn across the floor. Stabbing pains permeated every part of her body. Fear consumed her as she looked around the dark room hoping the man was gone. The front door was slightly ajar and her purse lay on the floor by the door. She crawled to the bag, praying her rent money was still inside. Slowly she unzipped the bag and pulled out her wallet. Tears streamed down her face at the sight of the cash.
Chapter 88
Frankie was just starting to doze off when she heard her cellphone chime with an incoming text message.
“Call me if you’re still up. F”
She carefully slid out from under Derek’s arm, grabbed a dry t-shirt and went to the living room. Her call was answered on the first ring. Frankie could hear Fitz’s laughter as he answered.
“What are you still doing awake? Don’t you ever sleep?”
“I was about to but your message interrupted me. What’s up?”
“I never did find your boy but the GPS came back online about five minutes ago. The car is heading back towards his house. I’ll drive by to make sure that’s where he goes.”
“Thanks Fitz. Stay safe.”
“Sure Frankie. Turn your phone off and get some sleep, okay?”
Frankie couldn’t help but laugh, “Yep. Night.”
Once she got a text confirming Sawyer was home she went back to bed, falling asleep with Derek’s arm flung across her body. She was awakened by the smell of bacon frying and coffee brewing. Frankie laid there listening to the sounds of clanking coming from the kitchen. She knew Derek was trying to make her forget about their conversation. He wanted things to go back the way they were. She slipped out of bed to join him in the kitchen.
The morning went by quickly. Frankie was gathering her things to leave when Derek put his hand on her shoulder and said, “I meant what I said last night. I’ll tell her it’s over. I don’t want to lose what we have.”
She wondered to herself if he was serious and if their relationship might actually be moving in a more permanent direction.
Frankie put her hand on his and said, “That’s a start, I guess.”
Chapter 89
Frankie stood in the empty squad room and stared out the window. The cold and cloudy scene matched her mood. The morning with Derek had been pleasant but she was still unsettled about the way things were left. The day shift said the phones had been quiet and she hoped the trend would continue. Mia texted and said she was going to take the night off so Frankie had the office to herself. She loved Mia but was not ready to talk to anyone about Derek. She needed time to process everything.
With a sigh, Frankie returned to her desk and pulled out the files on the cases the Perpetrator Information Center had sent to her. One by one she reviewed the reports looking for links to Sawyer or his other victims. She watched videos and listened to audio statements. With a notepad in hand, she made notes on things to follow-up on and interviews to attempt. Although the victims spanned age and race, the pattern was consistent. The victims were all women. All of them were engaged in activities that created some level of vulnerability. An unknown man approached them in a nice car and offered them a ride. If they declined his offer he would force them inside the car. Most of the crimes occurred at night and all of them occurred within a core area.
Frankie was thinking about grabbing a sandwich when the phone rang, breaking the silence, and causing her to jump in her seat.
“Sex Crimes, Detective Thomas.”
She listened as the patrol officer provided an overview of the scene he was dispatched to. Before Frankie could ask any questions, he said, “I’ve never seen anything quite like this. Not on a rape call.”
“Where’s she at?”
“They just loaded her into an ambulance. Want me to call Crime Scene?”
“No. I’ll call them. Did you get a co
nsent to search signed by the victim?”
“I did not. I’ll grab it before they leave then hold the scene for you.”
“Great. Thanks. I’ll run by the hospital then have Crime Scene meet us there.”
“Copy.”
Frankie grabbed her coat, bag, and a protein bar and headed out into the cold evening. Frankie pulled into the parking garage of the hospital just as Maggie was being unloaded from the ambulance. She followed the paramedics as they pushed the gurney into the examination room.
“Thirty-four-year old woman with complaints of head, neck, back and abdominal pain. Probable sexual assault. Pain is at a 6. Pain meds administered en route. No known allergies,” the paramedic rattled off information the nurses and doctors would need.
The nurse looked at the broken and battered woman and said, “Maggie?”
A barely perceptible nod was followed by a cough.
The nurse touched her hand and said, “We’ll take good care of you sweetie.” Turning towards Frankie she said, “She’s one of our nurses.”
Frankie made note of her name and stood by while the nurse got a medical history. When the nurse assured her Maggie was stable Frankie walked closer to the gurney and said, “Ma’am, I’m Detective Frankie Thomas. The officers out at your house called me. Can you please tell me your full name?”
“Maggie…Lachey.”
“Can you tell me what happened?”
Maggie laid there quietly for a few moments without responding. Softly she said, “I’m not really sure.”
Frankie sat down on the stool next to Maggie’s head. “Tell me anything you can remember.”
An involuntary grunt escaped her lips as she adjusted her body. Her voice was hoarse and low, “I took the bus home from work last night. Sometimes I catch a ride from a friend but last night I stayed late and didn’t want to make my friend wait. A young boy had been brought in after a car accident. He was scared and his parents were quite a way out so I stayed with him until they got here.”
“That was very thoughtful of you.”
“He was just a kid…” Maggie’s voice trailed off.
“You said you took the bus home?”
Maggie nodded. “I ride the bus all the time. I was about a block from the house when this guy pulled up in his car and tried to proposition me. He thought I was a prostitute, but I told him to buzz off. I ain’t no whore.”
Frankie nodded.
“I got to my house and that’s when things get fuzzy. I felt someone behind me after I got the front door open. It was dark in the house and he threw me onto the sofa and started hitting me. Every time he hit me he cursed and called me a name. I don’t know how many times he hit me before I finally passed out.”
Maggie began to sniffle.
“Were you able to see the man’s face?”
“No. It was so dark and he took me by surprise. He just kept hitting me.”
“It’s okay. Did you notice anything about his body? Any tattoos, scars, or odors?”
Maggie closed her swollen eyes and lay quietly, tears sliding down her ashen cheeks. Several minutes passed before she said, “He smelled like cologne. It smelled familiar, like I’ve smelled it before. I’d probably recognize it if I smelled it again. And I think he had a scar or something on his arm.”
Frankie had a sinking feeling she knew who Maggie’s assailant was. “What else do you remember?”
“When I woke up he was gone. My clothes were off and I felt…he did…something…to me. I had gone to the bank before work so my rent money was in my purse. I thought he might have robbed me but then I saw my purse lying on the floor. I grabbed it to check.”
“Was it all still there?”
Maggie nodded. “I don’t think he even touched it.”
“What did you do next?”
“Nothing. I lay on the floor by my purse and cried. I think I passed out again because next thing I knew it was daylight and my neighbor was knocking on the door. I grabbed my scrubs and put them on and answered the door.” Maggie took a deep breath and exhaled. “Max lost it when he saw me. He started asking me what happened, but I couldn’t really say anything. He sat with me for a while to let me calm down before he called the police. I wasn’t sure I was going to call y’all at first but Max told me it was the right thing to do. And I was hurting pretty bad and needed to go to the hospital. He waited with me ‘til the ambulance got there.”
“What can you tell me about the man or the car that approached you.”
“Not much, really. It was a pretty nice car. Not real big. Like a Volvo or a Honda. He was clean cut. Black guy. Pretty big. His head almost hit the ceiling of the car.”
“Would you recognize him if you saw him again?”
“Maybe. It was pretty dark inside the car.”
“Okay. Is there anything else you can remember about the attack?”
Maggie considered the question thoughtfully before saying, “No. Wait, I don’t think he had gloves on.”
“Great. I’m going to go back out to the house. I’ll stop by when we are done so I can bring you your keys, okay?”
Maggie nodded. “Thank you.”
Chapter 90
Frankie called Sergeant Baker on her way to Maggie’s house.
“I know it’s him Sarge. I don’t know how he did it, but I know it’s him.”
“Did she identify him?”
“I haven’t shown her a line-up yet. I suspect she will identify him as the guy that propositioned her, but I’m not sure she can identify him as the guy that raped her. She said she didn’t get a good look at his face in the house. Somehow, he figured out the GPS is on his car and disabled it. That stupid……”
Calmly Baker said, “Or it malfunctioned. All we know for certain is that he disappeared for a while. Unfortunately, we don’t know where he went during that time. Finish the scene, show her a line-up, then write up a search warrant to get his cell tower information. Maybe we can put him there that way.”
Frankie sighed. She knew Baker was right, but also felt like Sawyer was the man who attacked Maggie. Maybe she’d get lucky and someone would remember seeing him or his car on the block.
The block was dark when she pulled up and parked behind the first responder’s car. The house was an old craftsman cottage painted gray with black trim. A deep front porch led to the door. Plenty of room for someone to hide unseen. The yard was small and there was no garage or cars parked in the drive. Frankie made notes on her notepad as she waited for Crime Scene to get there.
Frankie grabbed a pair of latex gloves and headed towards the house. She stopped on the porch when she saw the Crime Scene van pulling down the block.
“Hey Frankie!”
Frankie turned to see two technicians walking towards her, notepads in hand. Following Rhino was a young man Frankie had never seen before.
“Blake – Frankie. Frankie – Blake.” Turning to Blake, Rhino said, “Get used to her face. If shit’s going down she’s probably somewhere in the vicinity.”
Frankie laughed, looked at Blake, and said, “He’s not wrong.” She quickly brought the pair up to speed on the current case.
“You think it’s related to that other guy.”
“I’d bet money on it but I don’t know that I have enough to make an arrest today. This guy is really pissing me off.”
“Let’s see what we’ve got,” Rhino said. “Maybe he slipped up and left something behind.”
Frankie led the way through the front door. She expected the living room to be in disarray but the only thing out of place were the cushions from the couch. “It doesn’t look like he tossed the house. She was unconscious when he left. She said her purse with her rent money was still here. I think it’s safe to say robbery wasn’t the motive.”
Rhino instructed Blake on notetaking and photography while Frankie made notes of her own. She didn’t touch or move anything until they had documented and collected trace evidence. As they were moving the couch cushions Rhino asked,
“You think these are the panties she was wearing?”
Frankie looked where he was pointing and said, “Yea, I’d say so. She doesn’t seem the type to leave dirty undergarments lying around.”
Frankie was about to put the cushions back on the sofa when a flash caught her eye. She took a second look and noticed a thick gold chain lying on the floor.
“Blake, can you snap a picture of this?”
“Whatcha got Frankie?” Rhino asked.
Frankie had her cellphone out taking a photo, “A gold chain. It doesn’t look like a woman’s but I suppose it could be. It could also belong to the suspect.”
Once they collected the chain they did a walkthrough of the rest of the house. There was nothing out of place in the bedrooms or the bathroom. There were two glasses that appeared to have been used in the kitchen. One sat upside down in the sink and the other sat on the counter with water still inside.
“Can we…”
Frankie didn’t even get to finish the question before she noticed Rhino taking photographs of the glasses. She watched as he collected swabs from the rims of the glasses and dusted the exteriors for fingerprints.
Chapter 91
Frankie put together a photographic lineup of Sawyer and printed off a photograph of the necklace. When the nurse called to say they were finishing up with the exam Frankie asked her to have Maggie wait.
As Frankie walked to the car her cell phone alerted her to an incoming text message.
“Have time for dinner?”
“Working a case. Maybe later this week.”
“That’s odd,” Frankie thought aloud. “Derek never wants to have dinner when I’m working.” She didn’t have much time to think about it before her phone started to ring.
“Sex Crimes. Thomas.”
“Got any sex?”
“Hey Killer. No, we don’t have anything to report tonight.” Frankie wished she could tell the local news reporter, Gary Kinder, to warn the community about Sawyer but knew she couldn’t.
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