He pulled into the parking lot twenty minutes later. Without traffic, that would have been an eight minute drive tops. He glanced over to see what was available to drive. Most people assumed that detectives drove nice cars, including him, until he went through his training. A detective’s car isn’t supposed to stand out, so they generally used older models of foreign cars. The last few years as a police officer he got to see the inside of the newer chargers, but those days were long gone. At least he got the flashy title. He quickly checked in with dispatch, his supervisor, and listened to messages from last night. Thankfully, there was nothing pressing like this morning. Homicide investigations were never pleasant, but at least the killer had been courteous enough to wait until 4:45. Most murders happened between 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. and it was his turn to be on-call.
After signing off for the car he slide in and checked his route. He was slightly annoyed that he didn’t take his assigned car home yesterday, the scene had been less than five minutes from his house. He had the option to drive it home last night since no one was using it today, but he preferred his escalade with all of its upgrades so he could listen to his podcasts and audiobooks. Mike was already there with a skeletal crew, along with the responding officer and crime scene investigator. He was a little confused at being called out, but Mike must have needed him there for a reason. He dialed Mike’s number as he pulled out of the parking lot. He picked up on the first ring, “Paloma.” “Hey, Mike,” he said. “Hey, there he is. You en route?” “Affirmative just stopped by the station, ETA six hundred hours.” Mike sniffed before responding, “10-4 good copy.” His voice sounded like its usual level of playfulness, but there was something there that Daniel caught. He could have gone solo last year, but he preferred partnering with Mike. They always worked best together. That also meant that he knew when something was off. Something was definitely off. They hung up and Daniel glanced at his GPS. He wondered about this thing sometimes. All he really needed to know was the crossing streets and he kind of let it drone on for the rest. It was nice to have something going in the car, and he wasn’t really feeling music right now. Some coffee sounded good though. Maybe he would stop by that place Celeste liked for a few and grab one after walking the scene and interviewing witnesses. Hopefully, it wasn’t another long morning.
It was two minutes till six when he pulled up to the house. It was a large, one-in-a-half-story ranch style home located in the Canyon Creek area near North Collins Boulevard and Renner road. Most of these homes were built in the early 70’s. The community was mostly made up of older retiree’s and upper-middleclass families. Since all of the new companies started moving to the Plano and Richardson area, many of the homes were skyrocketing in value. His own little three bedroom was now worth over four hundred thousand. He had been tempted to sell it more than once, but honestly, he liked the little place. This particular home looked to be built around the early 1970’s with red brick, white trim, and black shutters. The original windows looked to be replaced with larger bay-style windows and there were two large oak trees growing out front. He reached down and grabbed a pair of shoe covers from his floorboard, his tablet, and recorder. He marked that he had arrived on his tablet for dispatch and stepped out. The street, Forest Grove Drive, was saddled between two major streets and was bordered by Renner Trail to the north─ a popular running trail that went past the homes and branched off to later become University Trail. Daniel knew that it circled around the University of Texas at Dallas’s campus. Mike had briefed him a bit before he got there but he would need to get notes as soon as possible from the witnesses and talk with the neighbors. He would also need to talk with the first responding officer to make sure there weren’t any other witnesses before allowing him to return to his patrol duty. The crime scene investigator had established a perimeter, roped off the space, and cleared the space for Mike to enter. That meant that this was probably pretty cut and dry as far as the homicide was concerned. Though occasionally it also meant that they needed all the help they could get. He’d find out soon enough.
Two officers were positioned on the south side of the home facing the main street on the sidewalk. He recognized one of them, Officer Jeffery Hernandez and his new partner. He’d have to ask Mike who the new kid was and get his badge number. He looked to be in his early to mid-twenties with blonde hair, was over six feet tall, with a muscular build. Definitely ex-military─ his demeanor and stance said it all. Mike had texted that there were sentries stationed at both the entrance and exit and another at the garage door exit. A small crowd had gathered outside on the sidewalk across from the officers. He stepped out of his car and looked to his left. They were only one house away from North Collins Boulevard. He knew the street was tedious to turn out from so if anyone turned in from a main road, they would have most likely traveled south from Renner road, or traveled North on Canyon Brook Drive and then west onto Forest Grove. That area was notorious among locals for being a pain in the ass with all of the newly finished construction. If you went too far north, you would have to wait for the long light, turn left and then drive all the way down to Custer to get back to one of the connecting streets. The area was designed that way on purpose to keep it private from the main road.
With most homicide investigations, it was plausible to believe that the suspect knew the victim, which meant they had been here before and knew about the street’s quirks. He walked toward the front door, careful to stick to the areas that weren’t marked as part of the investigation. He noted that like most homes in the area, it was newly renovated and freshly painted, which meant that it had probably changed owners recently. He finally reached the front door and rapped a few times. Mike was there in seconds. “Hey, thanks for getting here so soon.” Daniel nodded, slipped on his shoe covers, and stepped inside.
***
After Mike briefed him, he was caught up with what the crew knew. The first responding officer had already been interviewed by Mike and had shared all of his notes. After reading over them, Daniel already started piecing some things together but would need to interview the witness and neighbors before building a more solid case. Officer Jared Dayton had done an excellent job in questioning the witness and keeping them from talking with anyone else, however, Daniel would still needed to question them. Often when someone is questioned directly after a homicide they struggle remembering everything right away. Especially after being attacked by the suspect. According to Mike, the witness was also the victim’s older sibling. She was described as an Asian-American female with dark brown hair, brown eyes, average build, and approximately twenty-eight years old. She lived two blocks east of the victim on the same street. He would go by her house after he finished walking the scene with Mike and the crime scene investigator. It was more than likely Detective Brown, since this was typically the area assigned to her. Mike was being oddly quiet as he led Daniel to the back yard. They paused before exiting the house and Mike nodded at the investigator.
“Detective Brown can take it from here. I’ll need to hand everything over to you from here on out.” Daniel blinked at Mike, “Why?” Mike sighed heavily, rubbing at his eyes. “I’m─ involved.” His eyes dropped to the floor and it took Daniel a second to realize that Mike’s eyes were tearing up. “Jesus,” he said, “how involved?” Mike sniffed and quickly swiped at his eyes. “Enough to know that I’ll need to file for a divorce and lawyer up.” The shift in the room was palpable as Daniel hardened his gaze. In an instant he went into detective mode, “How long has this been going on, Detective Paloma? Were you here when it happened?” Mike’s face darkened as he locked eyes with Daniel, “look, I know that I fucked up, but I did not kill this girl.” Daniel said nothing, staring down at his partner. Mike sagged and then looked outside, “six months.” Daniel tried to keep his anger in check. He knew Melissa and the kids, this would kill her. “Jesus, fucking Christ Mike. What the hell were you thinking? You and Mel─” “Don’t you dare lecture me. You have no idea what’s been going on in our liv
es.” Daniel rolled his eyes. “Spare me. The last time I talked with Mel everything was going fine between you two.” Mike shook his head, “She never likes you to worry, and you know that. We have been talking about a divorce for over a year now.” Daniel was shocked. How could he be so out of touch with his closest friend? Then he remembered that it had been just over six months since he started to obsess over Celeste’s disappearance.
He remembered all those times Mike had called wanting to hang out and he declined. This was probably something Mike would have talked to him about, had he of been a real friend to him. He suddenly felt incredibly guilty. He couldn’t do this now, it would have to wait until later. Daniel shoved down his emotions and looked at Mike’s face─ he saw genuine remorse, and a man that was defeated. This wasn’t his partner being a detective, this was a man that was about to lose everything. He reached up and squeezed Mike’s shoulder, “has detective Brown been made aware?” Mike nodded, looking outside. “Yes, Sandra knows. I made a full statement with the responding officer and her. They’ll be in touch with me later.” He turned and walked back toward the front entrance. He paused and looked back, “find out who did this to her. Catherine didn’t deserve this.” Mike’s voice threatened to break on the last word and he quickly turned back and disappeared from sight.
Daniel turned, took a few deep breaths and then walked out of the back door. Sandra was crouched next to the victim, pointing out something on the victim’s body with the coroner. He nodded and then stood as Daniel approached them. “Detective Wallis,” Daniel reached out and shook his hand, “Detective Yates, long time no see.” “It’s not detective anymore, Dan. But I appreciate the gesture. Been a coroner now for two years.” Daniel smiled and looked over at Detective Brown. “What’s the word, birds?” Don looked over at Sandra and then back to Daniel. “Well, I just got here a little while ago. It was a slow night, so came as soon as I got the call. Detective Brown can take it from here, I’m going to go ahead and help the crew prep the gurney. Just got a call a few minutes ago and we need to head over to the next location soon.” He smiled, “was nice seeing you again Dan. You take care of yourself.” Daniel smiled back, “same to you.” Daniel turned to Sandra. “So, I gather this was pretty cut and dry if the coroner is already leaving.” She looked up at Daniel. There was something there that he didn’t like. “I called you out here for two reasons. One, as I’m sure you have already been briefed over, is that you are a close friend and partner to a potential suspect in the case.” Daniel remained quiet, but inclined his head. “Two, you remember those cases that you’ve been investigating that happened earlier in the year─ the ones where the victims were drained of their blood?” Daniel nodded, “yeah.” “This is the first one like them that’s happened since April.” Daniel let out a long sigh and rubbed at his eyes. Jesus, another one. He was really beginning to hope that the killings had come to a halt.
He and Mike had been assigned to the case and had been trying to figure out─ well anything about it. After learning what he had this past year, he was beginning to suspect that it had something to do with Celeste. It didn’t help that the murders stopped after she disappeared. In one way, it at least meant that she wasn’t involved. Or that she’s come back. Daniel shook the thought as soon as it came. It wasn’t going to help thinking of her that way. There were never any eye witnesses to these─ until today. Suddenly, he couldn’t wait to interview the sister. She was definitely someone that could shed some light on this case. Maybe even clear Celeste and put his conscious at ease.
Sandra cleared her throat and averted her gaze, “Look, Daniel. I know Mike didn’t do this. But he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. We now have a witness that put him here after the victim’s sister was attacked. Come take a look at this.” Sandra walked over to the body by the pool and crouched down, pointing to the girl’s neck and shoulders. “Do you see it?” Daniel followed her hand and then looked down at the girl’s face. She was incredibly attractive with long, dark hair and light brown eyes. A glance told him that she couldn’t have weighed more than a hundred pounds. She was wearing a black one piece swimsuit and her hair was still damp. This girl definitely fit the suspect’s usual MO. She was, like the others, pale and completely devoid of blood. There were two distinct symmetrical holes on her neck that were roughly one inch apart, and was surrounded by a set of smaller holes that bordered the incisions. They appeared to be bite marks, just like the others, with several rows of teeth marks. The teeth marks, like the others, were at an angle. Which meant the animal theory of retractable teeth was still likely the case. He paused, looking at her shoulders and then her neck. Everything had been like the others except for one major difference. This time, there was more than one set. His head jerked up and he looked at Sandra, “There’s more than one?” She shook her head, “As far as I can tell. There’s something else.” Daniel knew that she would say that, he could see it both in Mike’s eyes and hers. “Both the victim’s sister and Mike have said the same thing. But the department won’t accept their statements as fact.” Daniel stared at her for a few moments before speaking. The switch was instant, “were the witnesses separated from each other when the first responding officer arrived?” Sandra nodded, “you have all of Mike’s notes, take a look at them.” Of course. He had been thrown pretty hard by what happened that he forgot to go over the notes. “I’ll take a look at these and then go to interview the witness.” Sandra nodded, “You might want to go grab some breakfast and read over them. It might take a while.” She paused and then shook her head, “I know that we are supposed to take eye witness accounts seriously, but these were a little hard to believe.” That was saying something coming from a crime scene detective. Especially one that had recently moved from Dallas County to the nice, quiet suburbs of Richardson. They had crime, like every other city, but these homicides were getting ridiculous. The feds would definitely be involved this time, if they weren’t already. He would know soon enough.
He stood with her as they both walked toward the back door. “I’m going to go grab some food after I talk with the sister first. Want to get everything in order before I read over Mike’s notes. Just in case there was something in his statement that might sway me to ask the victim.” Sandra nodded, holding the door open for him. “Smart. I think that’s wise advice before you read my own notes as well.” He raised an eyebrow as he stepped inside. “What’s got our lead investigator so spooked?” She shook her head, “Nope, not touching that until I need to. You’ll have my statement in these. I’ll let you be the judge.” She handed him her report and was gone in seconds. He walked outside and noted that the crowd had doubled since he had arrived. His hopes for this being a short day was quickly vanishing like the darkness. The sun was nearly up and already he knew that it would set before he got home.
13 The Devil’s Touch
Luci nodded, “Yes, in fact. The first to be damned and cast from heaven.” Scott grit his teeth. “Luce, if you expect me to believe all of this─” Luci held up her hand, “I don’t expect you to believe anything. You believe what it is that you want to believe. I’m merely offering the truth.”
Scott’s mind was whirling. This was too much─ too much. Why did everyone expect so much of him? He was fucking human, nothing more. A man desperate for answers as to why his only family was now missing, the love of his life long dead. And now, the woman he was quickly falling for is thought of as one of the most horrible creatures known to man. Not falling for, he admitted, in love.
He stood suddenly, sleep was completely out of the question. Luci stood with him as he strode over to his shoes. “What are you doing?” he didn’t answer, slipping both of them on and then grabbing his keys. “Scott─” he didn’t even look at her before he was out the door. He crossed the hall and pressed the button for the elevator, hoping that she didn’t follow. He relaxed as the elevator arrived and the door opened.
** *
It was still fairly early when the Shikansen pulled into th
e station. The bullet train had made very good time, less than two and a half hours. Scott was glad that they still had a few more trains running to Kyoto Station tonight. He quickly checked in with his driver. He was still waiting for Scott outside. Trains running from Kyoto to Ise Grand Shrine wouldn’t be running again until morning. It was time to go talk with the bug-eyed woman. No more lies. He needed to know what was happening with Celeste. If she even was Celeste anymore. Part of him feared that Kiwako had taken over, another part of him just wanted to know what had to be done. She was still his daughter, and a part of him, no matter what. There had to be something good left in her, he had seen it. He had seen the way Daniel looked at her and spoke about her, he believed it too.
Scott stepped from the bus and walked into the well-lit station. Most of the shops were closed down, except for a few workers behind the information counter. Even they appeared to be getting ready to leave for the night. They smiled at him as he passed through the gates. He returned the smile and waved. He always loved the way the people treated one another here. It was a courtesy he wished was there when he passed people back at home. There was always a sense of wariness to people in Dallas.
Hell's Gate: Resurgence Page 7