Her Final Watch (A Detective Blanchette Mystery Book 2)

by Marguerite Ashton

  Lily scrawled down the department of corrections number in her memo pad. “Custody classification? Is that like a security rating?”

  “Correct. The inmate was classified as a number five.”

  “What is a number five?”

  “Five means they are considered less of a threat. The worker’s name was Zina. I’ll leave her a message to call you back. She’ll ask for the DOC and should be able to help you from there.”

  Lily held the phone to her ear without speaking for a moment. Why would a person busted for possession not be placed in the general population? Being considered not dangerous, understandable; she was okay with that. But once you’re in the system, that’s it. The end. It never leaves your record. What happened to Jasmine Brooks’ record? No one’s record can just be deleted unless…it is done deliberately.

  “Thanks for your help.” Lily provided her contact information and hung up the phone. She looked down at the subdials on her watch, spinning as the seconds ticked away. Time is something I don’t have.

  She slipped a photo out from underneath the pile and tacked a picture of Ariel on her cork board. She had to believe she was getting somewhere.

  Lily’s body drummed with pain. Fatigue sapped her strength. She’d tossed and turned last night and the night before. Even though her body fought to stay awake, if given the chance, she’d lose. All she wanted to do was lay her head down on the desk and take a five minute nap. Yes, a catnap would be nice. Lily lowered her head into the crook of her arm and closed her eyes.

  A knock on the cubicle perked Lily up. She swiveled around in her seat to see Alec with a look of amusement on his face. “You startled me.”

  “That’s because I caught you slacking on your detective duties.”

  “What did you find out?” Lily asked, covering a yawn.

  “The brother-in-law stated that Ariel was hanging out with a girl named Diamond Reese, who manages a strip club in Jefferson, who also did time at Braden.

  “Diamond’s boyfriend’s name is Mikey Surace. He lives in Palmyra. Apparently, Diamond and Ariel worked at a gentleman’s club in Jefferson. The same club they worked at before they were busted with marijuana in their lockers.”

  “That’s stuff we already know. Except, how would Kyle know about the raid?”

  “I called him on it. He stated he was at the club when it happened.”

  “Did he tell you the name of the club?” Lily asked.

  Alec shook his head. “Swears he doesn’t remember. Claimed he was high when he went with a friend who so conveniently, no longer lives in Wisconsin. When I asked for a name he didn’t give me one.”

  That’s code for wanting to protect someone. “It has to be the club where Ariel worked. There’s no employment record for her anywhere else … give me a quick sec.” Lily swung her chair back around, picked up her desk phone and dialed Evan’s extension. “Evan, get together a list of all of the strip clubs in Jefferson and double check to see if On The Edge is one of them. Thanks.”

  Lily cradled the receiver and turned back to face Alec and Jeremiah. Sleep would have to wait.

  Surace. That name was sure to make law enforcement antennas stand on end. Lily remembered the dozens of stories her dad shared about the Surace Family when she first joined the force.

  Though she had come upon many bad guys, she’d never had to deal with people who were a part of organized crime—except that one time at the Hawk’s Nest, a sports bar owned by the Suraces. It hadn’t taken her long to realize that she wasn’t as captivated in person by the mob as she was watching movies about them.

  Lily stood and faced Alec. “During my time as a patrol officer, along Highway 26 and downtown Fort, Dad asked me to keep an ear out for anything regarding the Surace Family. I think Dad had an informant. He never told me the person’s name, just that if I was approached and given information about the Suraces to contact him privately, not over the radio.”

  “You think our victim worked for the police?”

  “It’s a possibility. Let’s just slow down and figure this one out. Everything is coming at us way too fast. There’s a lot of information, and I want it processed in steps.”

  Alec’s eyes glinted. “This is what we’ve been waiting for. A chance to close a high profile case like this, in less than two days, is a godsend. Usually, an informant is registered in the computer under the detective. The chief of police should have the information. If we don’t close in on these bastards now, who knows who this person will kill next.”

  “At the moment we haven’t established an M.O. So bring it down a notch and stay on the same page with me during this investigation.” Lily sighed. Was this going to happen every time they worked a case together? This wasn’t the first time Alec didn’t agree with a decision she made. “We still don’t know anything. These are all theories and we sure as hell can’t secure a warrant on theories.”

  Sergeant Owen appeared in the doorway. “Blanchette. Weber. Is there a problem?

  “No sir,” both detectives said in unison.

  “Blanchette, let me see you in my office.” Sarge did an about face and stalked off.

  Damn it. Lily followed and within seconds she was in Sergeant Owen’s office, standing before him. “My apologies. I let it get out of hand. I’ll handle it better next time.”

  “Don’t apologize. At least not now. Alec’s impassioned speeches are the only thing showing some form of sensitivity underneath all of that muscle he carries around. He wants this guy too. Hell, we all want to find the dick responsible. From what little I did hear, you’ve learned something else. Talk to me.”

  Lily quickly summed up all of the information she and the other detectives had gathered over the last few hours, including the strategy she thought best to handle the case. “I want to know if Dad had an informant, but I don’t want to tip my hand in this investigation if the Suraces were involved. I thought it’d be easier to take it one step at a time, at least until we know for sure. “

  As she talked, hunger pangs tore at her stomach without mercy. Sarge’s half-eaten pastrami bagel and the steam from the hot soup sitting on his desk reminded her that the last time she had eaten was early this morning when she’d stopped by Hindle Cafe for coffee. The scone was still sitting in the cup holder in her truck.

  Sarge rocked on his heels. “If Collin had an informant, I wasn’t made aware of it. Your dad and I rode together for eleven years straight before I decided to become a sergeant. And there wasn’t much that we didn’t know about one another.”

  “Did you check to see if Ariel was a cultivated source?”

  “No. But I will. I do remember your dad and I being part of an investigation that happened over a span of eight weeks. It had to do with bad blood between the Suraces and one of the heads of the three families. It was your father’s determination that helped to find the real killer—a member of the Leoni family.”

  A knock on the door ended their conversation. “Hauser called, they’re waiting on us,” Jeremiah said.

  “Please let me know what you find out about Dad.”

  Lily followed Jeremiah out the door.

  Chapter 5

  11:06 p.m.

  Diamond Reese shoved the remaining barley bar in her mouth and finished it off with a few gulps of almond milk. At twenty-seven she had screwed more politicians and wise guys than she could count. Everyone knew that the more you put out, the more money you made. As far as she knew, she was the only stripper and former escort in the county who’d survived that dangerous life and moved up into management.

  The decision to work at the On The Edge strip club had been a good one. It was a ticket out the trailer park and away from the druggies that hung around her parents.

  She could hold her head high, knowing she didn’t owe nobody nothing—not Mikey, not mom or her meth-head minions.

  Diamond looked at her cell phone. Break time was over. In ten minutes she’d repeat what she’d been doing for the last seven hours. Smile pretty
, rub shoulders with her ex-boyfriend and finish booking dates for the willing ladies who were as desperate as she once was.

  Light from Diamond’s phone flashed in her face for the sixth time; for the sixth time she sent it to voice mail. Kyle Weeks had been blowing up her line for most of the night. Earlier, she thought Mikey had caught a glimpse of one of Kyle’s incoming calls. But at the time there was nothing she could do.

  The door to her office swung open. “A customer is claiming you sent him the wrong girl. Come out here and handle this,” Mikey said buttoning up his white vest.

  “Dammit.” Diamond grabbed her phone, tucked it between her ample cleavage, and followed Mikey out of the office.

  Just before midnight, Lily and Jeremiah entered the red brick building of Jefferson County Medical Examiner. The sanitized smell clung to Lily’s nostrils, churning her stomach. She shoved her hand into her jacket pocket, pulled out a tube of fragrant cream, and applied it to her upper lip. Sitting through this autopsy wasn’t going to be easy.

  The cherry blossom scent was refreshing and the only thing she could tolerate. First, Evan’s cologne. Now the smell from the morgue made her want to puke in the nearest trashcan.

  She made a mental note to add to her research agenda to see if it was safe to be in a morgue while pregnant. She’d find that out right after she looked to see if a genetic predisposition of serial killers could be inherited. Even though she planned to give up her baby, she would do everything in her power to give birth to a healthy boy or girl.

  Lily and Jeremiah continued down the hall toward the elevators.

  “You look like you belong in a milk commercial,” Jeremiah said.

  Lily smiled. “And you’re no Morgan.”

  “Ah, it’s like that?”

  Lily shoved the tube back into her pocket.

  “Are you sure you want to sit in on the autopsy?” Jeremiah asked pushing the up button. “Being pregnant and all, it might be a bit much for you.”

  “Thanks for your concern, but I’m still not discussing my personal life with you.” Lily stepped into the elevator. I’ll be okay. I have to. It’s Ariel’s turn to speak.

  Finally, the rough ride came to an abrupt stop. Slowly, the doors slid open, and the detectives stepped into a waiting area where a woman seated at the reception desk held up her index finger. Lily nodded and led the way down the brightly lit corridor.

  “What was that?” Jeremiah asked.

  “We need to go to Autopsy Room One.”

  They spied Hauser waiting outside the exam room, donning a white lab coat and a face shield.

  “I didn’t think you two were coming,” Hauser said.

  Lily grabbed a face mask off the stand next to the door and handed her partner one. “I got hung up in Sarge’s office.”

  “What’s with the cream, Lily? You never wore it before.” Hauser put an apron on over his scrubs.

  Lily put on her face mask. “Yeah. I hope I’m not coming down with the flu.”

  Hauser pushed open the door; Lily and Jeremiah followed him inside. As they proceeded into the room, they passed three operating tables lined in a row, each loaded with discolored bodies waiting their turn to be dissected. The wretched expressions that had settled on the faces of the dead as rigor mortis claimed their entire bodies was all that was left of what was once a living being.

  Lily’s stomach churned as they reached the final table, which held the body of Ariel Weeks. Formaldehyde and antiseptic mixed in the air, giving the morgue a foul odor. She wondered if that was the smell Morgan had never gotten used to. The cream’s not working.

  With her sensitive nose and churning stomach, Lily wasn’t sure how much longer she could take being in there.

  A male pathologist, known for his rockabilly hairstyle, candor, and the ability to think outside the box, pushed a rolling cart loaded with clean instruments and positioned it near the workstation.

  “Pete, our favorite detective is back and she wants answers,” Hauser announced.

  Rockabilly Pete looked up and flashed a quick smile. “As always. I see Lily’s got a new partner on her arm.”

  Lily nodded. “Meet Detective Jeremiah Mills.”

  “What’d you say, Pete, can Mills stay?”

  “I guess. He’s probably not as sassy as our dear Morgan was, but seeing as no one could ever replace her, he’ll do. Besides, having another male around sure does help level things out around here.” Pete pulled down his face shield.

  Jeremiah adjusted his face mask and suit. “Is this the initiation for every new person that comes through?”

  Hauser chuckled. “New people don’t come through here often. Good luck and welcome to the team.”

  Hauser was right. Jeremiah wasn’t Morgan, but he was officially a part of the investigative team.

  Pete finished arranging the tools on the table as Hauser reached above his head and turned on the recorder located above the corpse. “Frank Hauser, Deputy M.E. is preparing to perform an autopsy at Jefferson County Medical Examiner’s office on Monday, December twelfth. The time is 12:12 a.m.” Hauser pulled down his shield.

  Lily watched as Hauser began with the external examination, recording the physical description of the victim and photographing visible scars and tattoos. As Hauser went to remove the collar from around Ariel’s neck, a flush of adrenaline tingled through Lily’s body. The welded braids on the choke chain had dug into the woman’s skin.

  Hauser examined Ariel’s neck. “Whoever did this wanted her dead. A lot of force was applied. The hyoid bone is broken.” He continued to poke at Ariel’s extremities. “But the rest of the bones in Ariel’s body seem to still be intact.”

  Soon Hauser moved on. He began methodically performing the internal autopsy with tools that seemed so cool and final amid the air conditioned room and bright lights.

  Low chatting among the technicians helped to calm Lily’s nerves. The queasiness in her tummy lapped like Lake Michigan waves.

  As she began taking notes, objects in the room twisted and turned, circling her in an erratic frenzy. The stainless steel instruments hanging on the wall jumbled together like a display of fighting tools. It was as if she was on an out of control merry-go-around that couldn’t be stopped. “I’m feeling—”

  Jeremiah reached out a steadying hand and guided her out of the room.

  Lily sat down in a chair further down the hall. “Sorry. I’m tired.”

  “Stay here. I’ll finish out the autopsy.”

  After a pause, Lily nodded. She leaned back and closed her eyes.

  About an hour later, Jeremiah walked up to Lily and handed her the case file. “Hauser’s on his way out.”

  She sat up straighter, fully awake. “You didn’t have to stay for the entire autopsy.”

  “Yes I did. You got some rest, didn’t you?”

  Lily took the file. “Does he believe Ariel was raped?”

  “No. There’s no bruising, nothing that would indicate otherwise. But he wants us to wait for the report before we assume anything.” Jeremiah sat down next to his partner. “If you need me to come back for the autopsy on our John Doe, I will.”

  Lily’s muscles weakened. “Thanks. After our briefing with Hauser, I’ll go home, freshen up and rest a few hours. Then I’ll take back over and you can go rest.”

  “You told Hauser you have the flu. You think he believed that?”

  “I don’t care what he believes. Don’t tell anyone about what happened back there.”

  Jeremiah threw up his hands. “Sarge won’t hear anything from me.”

  Five minutes later, Hauser joined them, trailing the odors of the morgue.

  Lily’s phone vibrated on her hip. She removed it from its case and read the text from Sergeant Owen. “Your dad never had an informant registered to him.”

  She gave Hauser a pointed look. “Weeks served time at Braden.”

  “It looks like you were right about the tattoo.”

  “You knew I was right. Now that
we’ve gone through all the formalities, I’d like it if you leveled with me. What does Ibee have to do with my case?”

  “Let’s go to my office.” Hauser turned and walked back in the direction towards the waiting area.

  As Lily and Jeremiah entered the room, Hauser took a seat at his desk and retrieved a file out of his desk drawer. “Two days ago, I collected a body on the bank of Lake Koshkonong. She’d been strangled just like Ariel Weeks, with a leash tied to a tree.” Hauser pulled out a photo and slid it across his desk toward Lily. “I found this on her.”

  Lily looked at the photo of a business card with On The Edge etched in red lettering. “That’s the same club my victim worked at.”

  “Her name was Venus. Just turned eighteen a few weeks ago. She was clutching a Christmas list when we found her.” Hauser took the photo back, placed it in the file and returned it to its spot in the drawer. “On it were the names of her parents. She’d finished Christmas shopping when she was killed.”

  “Did Ibee call you?” Lily asked.

  “Ibee did more than that. She showed up at the scene and identified the body,” Hauser said. “I thought you should know, but if anyone asks, you found out on your own.”

  “Of course.” Lily walked toward the entryway. “When will my autopsy reports be ready?”

  “Late afternoon.”

  Lily said, “Call my cell and land line until you reach me. Remodeling is going on at home, and I can barely hear myself think.”

  A soft smile spread across Hauser’s face. “You should just move.”

  Lily shook her head. “I fell in love with that house before him. I’m not letting go of my Victorian.”

  Lily exited Hauser’s office and met Jeremiah at the elevator. “Sounds like the A.D.A. is hiding something.”

  “It’s always something with her.”

  Jeremiah said. “Most likely they’re connected. Is the Koshkonong case in our jurisdiction?”

  “No. It belongs to Jefferson County.”

  In no time they were in the Charger with Jeremiah at the wheel, driving along the dark country road. The humming of the tires on the road played like a somber lullaby in Lily’s ear, putting her to sleep.