Shoot to Kill

by James Kipling

  “You know how to take pain,” he said with a sadistic smile. “I appreciate that in a man, Nate, I really do, and I must say I’m enjoying our time here together. However, if pain isn’t enough of a motivation for you, I’ll have to find something that is.”

  “Might as well kill me now,” Nate growled. “I’m not telling you shit.”

  His heart sank as he saw Cecily’s henchman return with Arianna in tow. Despite her bound wrists and disheveled appearance, she remained calm as he shoved her to stand beside her brother. It was clear she was resigned to her fate. Cecily leaned over Nate and grinned. “You know how to take pain,” he leered, “but does she?” Without warning Cecily’s arm shot out and he delivered a stinging backhand blow across her face. Nate winced as he watched Arianna’s head rock back. If it hadn’t been for the man holding her she would have fallen. Instead she shook her head slightly and stared off into the distance, refusing to show any weakness or fear.

  “What kind of man are you, Nate?” Cecily taunted. “A real man would never allow this to happen to a woman he cared about.”

  “A real man wouldn’t hit her in the first place,” Nate spat back.

  Cecily waved a dismissive hand in the air. “Nonsense. She is a disobedient, traitorous bitch and always has been. She is of no consequence to me. But you, you impress me, so as a thank you for not crying and begging, I will spare her life if you will simply cooperate and tell me what I want to know.”

  “He’s lying,” Arianna insisted. “I’m dead no matter what you do!”

  This time it was Cecily’s fist that smashed into her jaw, but to Nate’s surprise she took it without a sound. It was clear this wasn’t the first time her brother had struck her. Cecily was just pulling his fist back for another punch when Elias Ciervo walked into the room. He shot Nate a disgusted look before turning to his son. “Enough,” he said forcefully. “Let your sister go. I’ve already learned who he went to see in that apartment building.” Elias looked back at Nate and smiled cruelly. “Your sister is very beautiful. A promising young detective, just like yourself. Such a terrible waste.”

  “She doesn’t know anything,” Nate growled. “But if you touch her I swear I’ll kill you.”

  Elias chuckled. “Rest assured I won’t be the one touching her. No, I have someone in mind that would enjoy touching her much more than I.” He turned his attention back to his son. “Leave him here to think about the mistakes he has made, Cecily. We have no more need of him. His sister will be able to tell us everything we need to know. She is your concern now.” Elias turned and left the room. Cecily and the others, including the dead-eyed man with the skillful knife, followed obediently, leaving Nate alone in the meat locker. As the door shut behind them and the room went to black, Nate’s heart fell with the realization that his decision to run to Hazel’s apartment had likely gotten her killed.

  §

  Hazel and Owen were still sorting through the files in silence when the phone began to ring. Owen watched as she answered it, hoping it was the hospital with news about their surviving victim. When she hung up he raised a questioning eyebrow and she smiled and nodded. “Kelly Mathis is awake. Even better, the nurse said she insisted on speaking to whoever was in charge of the case.”

  Owen flashed her a rare smile and stood up. “Then let’s give the lady what she wants. With any luck she can tell us something about this bastard and we can finally close these files.”

  Hazel quickly led the way out of her office and down the hall. As she passed her stepfather’s office she saw he hadn’t come into work yet. He’d insisted they keep her mother in the dark about Nate’s situation, but she knew it was only a matter of time before her Mom figured out something was wrong. Perhaps he’d come to the same conclusion, changed his mind, and stayed home to bring her mother up to speed. Hazel hated feeling so helpless. She wanted to be out looking for Nate, but she understood why her stepfather had insisted she continue working on The Slitter cases. The rat who blew Nate’s cover could be any of the LEOs she passed on the way to the parking lot, and she couldn’t risk letting them know she knew what was going on.

  Traffic was bound and snarled all the way to the hospital, and if they’d been in a squad car Hazel would have flicked on the lights and sirens. Instead they were in her unassuming detective’s car, which did nothing to part the crawling traffic jam. At last they arrived at the hospital, only to find the parking lot every bit as jammed as the freeways. By the time she finally found a parking space, she was ready to scream.

  Owen seemed unmoved by the delays, or perhaps he was just too deep in thought to notice. She wondered what he was thinking about. “Owen,” she asked hesitantly, “everything ok?”

  Without looking at her he gave a brief nod. “Yes, I’m fine.”

  Hazel bit her lip as she studied his face. She knew perfectly well he wasn’t fine. It occurred to her that he might be hiding something from her, but she couldn’t be certain. The Owen seated beside her wasn’t anything like the Owen she’d once known and loved, and she wasn’t sure she knew him at all anymore.

  They got out of the car together and headed into the hospital. Owen flashed his badge at the receptionist, who waved them down the hall after only a cursory glance. The antiseptic smell of the hospital made Hazel feel slightly ill but she tried to ignore it. Ahead, she spotted a familiar officer seated next to one of the doors. Hazel recognized her as Officer Paige Laganosky, one of Percy’s classmates from the academy, and also his girlfriend. The platinum blonde came to her feet as the detectives neared, her kind blue eyes betraying her concern for the woman she’d been assigned to guard. “Detectives,” she greeted them quietly. “Ms. Mathis just woke up and she’s pretty upset. The nurse said to tell you not to agitate her. They called her mother and she should be here in about an hour.”

  “Thanks Paige…erm, Officer Laganosky,” Hazel said, hastily correcting herself as she opened the hospital room door. Inside, looking small and broken in the hospital bed, lay a deathly pale woman with distant brown eyes. As the two detectives approached the bed, her eyes seemed to come into focus and she turned her head towards them.

  “Kelly,” Hazel said gently, “I am Detective Hanson and this is Special Agent Jones. The hospital called and said you were ready to talk to us about what happened last night.”

  She nodded once. Owen pulled a chair next to the bed and took a seat. “When you came home last night, was it the same time you normally get home?”

  “No,” she croaked hoarsely, her voice still suffering the effects of the attempted strangulation. Between her bruised throat and broken face, Hazel was surprised Kelly could speak at all. “Last class canceled. Got home hour early,” she rasped. “Stopped at …the library…research paper.” Tears began to form in her eyes. “Should have...gone home...sooner...could have saved her.”

  Hazel quickly looked away, unable to stand the naked pain in the woman’s eyes. She doubted Kelly could have stopped the murder of her sister; more likely both girls would have ended up dead if she’d gone home earlier. It wouldn’t do any good to tell Kelly that though, not that Hazel would have known how. Dealing with victims and families of victims had always been the hardest part of the job for Hazel. She would have preferred to leave the woman alone to heal, but they couldn’t wait for that.

  “Kelly, I know it’s hard, but can you tell us anything about the man you saw?”

  Her eyes took on a haunted look and she turned her head to stare at the wall. “Tall…brown eyes…so cold.”

  “He felt cold?” Owen looked confused.

  “Cold eyes,” Kelly whispered. “So cold…until he hurt me…then they burned.” She exhaled painfully and turned back to face them. “Sounds crazy.”

  Hazel shook her head. She understood exactly what Kelly was trying to describe. They had a monster on their hands. “Not at all. He feeds off the suffering he causes. Now, you remember that he was tall and had brown eyes. Can you recall anything else about
his appearance?”

  Kelly’s eyes closed, and for a moment the detectives thought she had slipped out of consciousness. Just as they turned to leave, her voice wafted up from the bed. “He was tanned…nose been broke…more than once.” Hazel turned back and put her ear down to the bed. Kelly’s voice was weakening and she didn’t know how much longer the battered woman could last. “He was a nightmare,” she whispered.

  “Was the security system activated when you came home?” Owen asked.

  “Yes,” she whispered. “My father insisted…had to enter code...when I came in…when I saw…I saw…” her voice cracked and at last the tears came pouring down.

  Owen and Hazel shared a look of understanding. The security system had been disarmed when police arrived on the scene, but now they knew it had been active at the time of the murder. It proved Morgan Mathis had known her killer, had let him in the apartment and then reset the security system just as she always did.

  Before they could ask any more questions, a frantic woman burst into the room and rushed to the bed. “Oh God, my sweet baby!” she cried as she reached for Kelly’s hand. Hazel moved aside to allow them room. “You must be Mrs. Mathis,” she said gently.

  “Dr. Mathis,” the distraught woman corrected, her eyes never leaving her daughter. “Oh Kelly,” she crooned softly, clutching her hand to her chest. “You’re safe now, baby. Everything is going to be ok.”

  “No,” Kelly sobbed. “Morgan…she’s dead.”

  Dr. Mathis looked away quickly, struggling to keep her composure. Hazel felt her own heart catch at the sight. She could only imagine what the woman was going through, with one daughter dead and the other barely alive.

  “I know, baby,” she attempted to sound soothing. “I know. But you’re still alive and I’m here now, and we’re going to get through this.”

  “Unfair,” Kelly whispered. “Logan was about…to propose…she didn’t know yet…everything was perfect…now she’s gone…and it’s not fair.” Dr. Mathis lowered her head and wiped her eyes with a tissue.

  “Who was this man Morgan was seeing?” Hazel asked gently.

  “Logan Peters,” Dr. Mathis replied. “His father was the owner of the building they’re in. Wonderful young man, so caring. He would have made a wonderful husband for Morgan.” Dr. Mathis turned to Hazel as if she had something else to say, but froze and stared at something behind the detectives. The distraught expression on her face vanished, and one of hatred quickly took its place. Hazel looked around to see an older man standing in the doorway. She recognized him at once: David Mathis, one of the premier defense attorneys in the state. Tension filled the room as the two glowered at each other.

  Mr. Mathis was the first to break off the glare, going around the detectives to the opposite side of the bed and kneeling down beside it.

  “Kelly,” he said, ignoring his ex-wife. “Sweetheart, it’s Daddy. How are you, baby?”

  Kelly’s animosity towards him quickly became apparent as alarm buzzers on the monitoring equipment went ballistic. Within seconds two nurses rushed into the room, one heading straight for Kelly while the other demanded everyone leave the room. “But that’s my daughter!” Mr. Mathis protested angrily, but the nurses weren’t interested. Despite his attempts to resist, he soon found himself standing outside the room with everyone else while the nurses quickly stabilized their patient.

  “I can’t believe they won’t let me in to see my own daughter,” he huffed angrily, causing Dr. Mathis to snort loudly. ”Oh please,” she snapped. “You’ve been so busy with your perfect new life that you haven’t bothered to see the girls in years. Not until one is murdered and the other is in the hospital do you bother to show up, and then you expect what, respect? Love and adoration?”

  “I’ve been there for them every step of the way,” he snarled, taking a step towards his ex-wife. “When they needed money for law school, I was the one signing the checks. And I didn’t see you shelling out any money for that apartment either!”

  “Money! That’s all that matters to you, isn’t it?” Dr. Mathis spat. “Well, let me tell you, money can’t buy you memories. Those cost time, and time was always too precious for you to waste on your family. All those nights you left us home alone for your whores, and then you left us for good so you could have a shiny new family with your bimbo. Small wonder your daughters want nothing to do with you!”

  “Do you see what I have to deal with?” he complained, looking to the detectives for support. “She’d just as soon throw a skillet at me as let me in the house after the divorce, but now it’s my fault I never came by for Sunday supper.”

  “Don’t you dare try and throw all this on me! And quit trying to get everyone on your side. These police officers saw who was at Kelly’s side first! I wasn’t the one home screwing his whore while his daughter was in surgery!”

  Seeing Mr. Mathis was about to lose control, Owen quickly stepped in between the combative pair and put a warning hand on the man’s shoulder. “This solves nothing,” he said calmly, “and you winding up in jail for assault on your ex-wife won’t help us find the person responsible for this.

  Mr. Mathis yanked his arm free and glared at Owen. “You want to know who is responsible for this? Take a good look at her then!” he spat nastily. “If she wasn’t such a vindictive bitch none of this would have happened!”

  This is getting ugly. Hazel was about to call for Officer Laganosky to remove Mr. Mathis from the hallway when a nurse emerged from Kelly’s room with a furious scowl.

  “Keep your voices down before I call security!” she snapped. “This is a hospital, not Jerry Springer!” She fixed a stern glare on each of them in turn. Satisfied she’d gotten her point across, she relaxed slightly and turned towards Dr. Mathis and Hazel. “She’s stabilized and asking for you two, BUT,” she added quickly, “if her blood pressure spikes again I’ll have to ask you to leave at once. She’s been through a lot, and she’s a tough young lady, but her body can’t handle any additional stress on it now, understood?” They nodded their understanding, and the nurse stepped aside to allow them both into Kelly’s room. Hazel shot Owen a look before closing the door, and he gave a quick nod before heading after Mr. Mathis.

  Dr. Mathis resumed her position beside Kelly’s bed as Hazel moved towards the foot. She cast about in her mind for the right words to help ease their pain. “I want you both to know, nothing you could have done differently would have prevented this.” Dr. Mathis turned her head away, but Hazel saw a flicker of hope appear in Kelly’s eyes, and so she went on. “It isn’t like the movies, where the killer secretly hopes to get caught and leaves clues, or he’s stupid and can easily be tripped up. This guy, he’s sick but he’s also extremely intelligent and methodical. I don’t mean to sound callous, but if it weren’t for your neighbor interrupting things, you’d be dead and once more we’d have nothing to go on.”

  Dr. Mathis turned to face Hazel, her eyes wide with sudden understanding. “The man from the news reports, the one they call The Slitter, it was him?” she whispered fearfully.

  “We can’t say for certain, but so far everything points to him. If it is, then Morgan was his fourth victim. I only hope Kelly can help us make sure there isn’t a fifth. Tell me, did Morgan have a lot of friends?”

  “Everyone is …WAS…Morgan’s friend,” Kelly said. “Morgan was always well-liked.”

  “But,” her mother added, “Morgan only ever associated with them at school or work. She wasn’t a homebody and rarely had people over. She preferred to go places.”

  Hazel made a mental note of that. “Was she a fighter? Would her attacker have a hard time subduing her?”

  “Oh yes,” Dr. Mathis nodded vigorously. “She would have fought hard.”

  “One last question then, and I’ll leave you two alone. Evidence supports that our killer didn’t break into the apartment, and Kelly verified that the security system was armed when she came home. Is it possible he knew the sec
urity code? Is there anyone you can think of other than Kelly and Morgan who would know the security code to the alarm system?”

  “Her father knows it, as do I, but that’s all. Well, Logan does but he would never do anything like this.”

  “Of course not,” Hazel assured her. “I just have to look at this from every angle, that’s all.” She stood up and placed a hand on the doorknob, pausing to think of the right thing to say. Expressing sympathy never came easy for her. “I want you both to know I am so sorry this has happened to you, and I promise I won’t rest until we catch the guy.” She pulled a card from her pocket and set it on the rolling table by the window. “If you remember anything, anything at all, please call me.”

  She closed the door behind her and looked down the hall to see Owen still talking to a very agitated Mr. Mathis. Even though she’d never met him before, she’d heard enough stories to have developed a healthy dislike of the man. He was arrogant, which was typical of those in his profession, but it was more than that. She’d heard he was the sort to always throw someone else under the bus for his own actions, and after seeing him blame his wife for their daughter’s death, she believed it. There were other stories floating around about him as well, stories that suggested he was dirty, that he’d only won so many cases because he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty.

  He didn’t seem pleased to see Hazel coming to join them. “Why are you wasting time harassing me?” he spat in her direction. “Why don’t you go do your job and catch the bastard that murdered my daughter?”

  “We ARE doing our job,” Hazel replied coolly. “Asking you questions is part of it, as any lawyer worth his paycheck should know.”

  “You better watch that attitude, sweetheart,” he warned. His eyes narrowed as he took a step towards her. Just like Brooks, she thought dryly.