“Did you ever confront Thomas about Penny?”
“Yes, the following day. I never told Thomas she was at my place, but I think he figured it out. Thomas stopped by my house to pick up some paperwork for a repair required on a milling machine. I didn’t get a chance to warn Penny, but when she came out of the kitchen and Thomas saw her in my home, he became enraged.
“Then he turned on me and told me I shouldn’t be with her. He said Penny wasn’t mine to keep and he wanted her back.”
“Why didn’t you confront him sooner?”
“Because Penny didn’t want me to. She said he gave her the creeps.”
“Why didn’t you call the police?”
“He threatened to make me hurt. I never asked what he meant, but I assumed that he meant he’d dispose of me like he did the others.”
“Others?”
Victor opened up his pack of cigarettes, seized one of the nicotine sticks and lit up. “Thomas is crazy.”
“What others, Victor?”
“Like the two women found out on County Road K.”
“Did he tell you he killed them?”
“No. Just referenced that I’d be dead like them. So when he came to me the next day and told me Penny had an accident and he needed a place to put her, I gave him permission to hide her in the crawl space.
“A few hours after the call, I met Thomas and another guy, unlocked the brewery, and left. This guy Thomas was with—I met him before, when Thomas started working for me. I think Thomas introduced him as a brother. Anyway, that was the last time I saw Thomas Sanchez.”
“Why were you cleaning up the utility closet?”
“There’s a buyer coming to look at the place on Monday.”
“You were going to sell knowing there was a dead person behind the walls?”
“Look, I just wanted to get rid of the place.”
Lily’s cell vibrated on the table. She looked at the text from Morgan.
“Victor’s telling the truth. I talked to the realtor who provided me the link for the listing.”
Lily pushed the top button on her phone and the screen went black. “Were you ever with the deceased?”
“No. I allowed her to stay in my home and that was it. Nothing else.”
“You didn’t have sex with her or anything that would correlate to you being with her?”
“Never. No sex. Nothing.”
While Victor took a few sips of his juice, Lily did a mental breakdown of his replies. She was starting to believe him. However, one thing dangled in the front of her mind, like a flashing red light at a railroad crossing. She stood, lifted her chair and placed it in front of Victor so that they were only inches apart. “There’s one thing you still haven’t told me.”
“I’ve told you everything.”
“Whoa. I’m not dumb and neither are you. In case you haven’t guessed it yet, we run in the same circles here. You come from money and so do I.”
“I know that. I know a lot about your family.”
His response stunned Lily. What did he mean by that? It was obvious he was trying to play with her emotions. Just like she was playing with his.
“At times, the more money we have, the more powerful we feel. Here you sit finalizing a divorce, the nagging bitch forced you to sell your brewery so she could get what she believed was hers. You’re strapped for cash, you make a deal with Sanchez and his brother. Maybe they offered you money to keep you quiet?”
Suddenly, Victor placed his hands over his face and sighed.
“Body counts are rising and I need you. I need you and I need a name. What is the brother’s name?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s bullshit, Victor. You do know.”
Victor took his hands down from his face and stared at Lily.
Lily could see the intensity in Victor’s eyes. She had him right where she wanted him. “You want something. What is it?”
“I want protection.”
“And I want a name.”
“I don’t have a fucking name. All I know is that he’s a cop.”
Chapter 16
November 15
Lily’s watch read 1:22 a.m. “Hauser should’ve been back by now.”
Morgan checked her phone. “We’ve only been here for five minutes. Besides, it has to be important if he had us meet him here this late.”
“What’s your problem?” Lily asked.
“Nothing. I’ve just got a lot on my mind. And this case, it has my mind going all the time. All I think about is this damn case,” Morgan said.
“After this is over, we’ll take our vacation and have a girls’ night out.”
Everyone must be feeling the weight of this case. I sure am.
Lily’s interrogation with Victor had sapped what energy she had been able to muster. She was going on eighteen hours of no sleep and the way things were going, it might be another five before she could go home.
Hauser strolled in, beaming as he entered the office. “Joan at the front desk told me I had company. I’m beginning to wonder if the two of you believe in sleep.”
“It’s almost one-thirty,” Lily replied. “If you give me the short version, I’ll be in bed by two.”
“Sure you will.”
Lily asked, “Are you telling me that you get the full recommended eight hours?”
“Heck, no. However,” Hauser said, “I at least know when to call it quits for a day.”
“Hey ladies!” Pete said, coming inside and handing Lily a folder. “I went out and had a drink with a friend of mine who works at the crime lab. He said they’re getting pushed about this case from all angles. Especially from the mayor and district attorney’s office.”
“It’s that damn election. I’m hoping my case isn’t being used for political gain.”
“He also shared with me that the DNA from the semen found at County Road K has strong similarities to Tanya’s.”
Lily quickly scanned the photos. “So, the perp’s a relative?”
Pete nodded. “They’re pretty sure, but are running it once more to be sure. Also, the boot prints at County Road K matched the muddy one forensics found at the brewery.” He reached into the folder and produced two pictures. “If you look side to side and front to back, you will notice everything is identical including the cuts and tears. This one is the ten and a half.”
“Sanchez is a size twelve.”
“Could be his brother,” Morgan chimed in.
“I went through the employee records. I don’t remember seeing the name Sanchez twice,” Lily said. “Were boot prints found in the first case from six months ago?”
“Sure were,” Pete said. “After reviewing everything, I’m inclined to agree with you; I believe the killer is the same person for all three victims. The cause of death is the same. In my report, I listed the attack as ritualistic. The fact that the killer intentionally inflicted pain, causing the victim to suffer, reveals sexual sadism.”
Lily closed the folder and turned to Morgan. “Our perp took his time, demonstrating methodical planning. Everything he did—wiping down and positioning the bodies, and choosing their final location—reflects his attention to detail.”
“Can you tell who died first?” Morgan asked.
Hauser said, “I’m going to say Samantha was killed first. Remember, Tanya was—”
“His favorite. Yeah I got it.” Lily’s phone buzzed on her hip. It was a text from Detective Keys.
“I have information. Call me immediately!”
Lily held up the file. “Is this my copy to keep?”
“Yes,” Pete said. “But you didn’t hear any of this stuff from me.”
“I’ll wait for the official call from the lab,” Lily said, yawning. “How much longer before we know anything about my latest vic found at the brewery?”
“I can’t get to her for at least four days.” Hauser said. “We’re still behind.”
“Will you answer my call on the third day so I can get
an update?”
Hauser expelled a breath. “Maybe.”
*
November 15, 6:00 p.m.
The quaint buffet room at Koshkonong Hills Supper Club was located in the rural countryside, making it a secluded place for people who didn’t want to dine in the city. One-hundred and fifty-year-old hand hewn beams framed a thirty-five-foot fieldstone fireplace in the repurposed dairy barn.
In the former hayloft, a two-story open air dining room displayed upscale rustic appeal. Antique reclaimed wood topped the tables and bar.
Unsatisfied with her ex-lover’s answer to her question, Ibee Walters leaned forward and stared at Landon while he sliced into his T-bone steak. “Why won’t you tell me the truth?”
“Because I’m not here to talk about Deena.”
“You should talk about Deena. Get her the hell out of your system. Isn’t that what you tell your clients, Doc? You follow her around like a lost puppy.”
Landon put down his fork and knife. “Have you heard anything from Collin about that tip you gave him?”
“No. I don’t think he trusts me.”
“I trust you.”
Ibee downed her glass of wine. “That’s because you know all of my secrets.”
“What does Collin know about you?”
“Too much.” She sized him up as he finished his second vodka and seven. “To make it worse he has something on me and I want it back.”
“Join the club. He has something that is really mine, but has always been his,” Landon said, turning the empty glass around in his hand.
“Deena.”
“Nope.” He signaled the waitress and ordered another drink.
A punch of suspicion swamped Ibee as she planned what to say next. If it’s not Deena, then who or what is it? Lily? At the moment none of it made sense and she didn’t care about her ex’s attraction to a woman twenty years his junior. All she cared about was getting a commitment from him so she could push Collin into getting rid of the damaging information that would ruin her career. “I think you can help me with my bad situation with Collin. It’ll be a win-win for both of us.”
Hilarity from a couple behind them pierced the silence between them as Landon thumbed his ear, looking around at the other diners nearby. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about hinting to Internal Affairs that Collin’s on the take with the mob.”
“That’s a stretch. I don’t believe that and neither do you. And there’s no way anyone else would either.”
“There’s always a way. You have the head investigator’s ear in I.A. You do your part and I’ll step in and handle the rest. It’ll be a good way to rattle Collin’s cage.”
The waitress came back, placed Landon’s drink in front of him and left.
“Whatever he has on you must be pretty bad.”
“Let’s just say Detective Collin Blanchette’s way of upholding the law differs from mine. His way is black and white and mine dips into shades of gray. And as long as he holds on to the info, I have to walk the black and white line.”
“Humph. How does this help me?”
“How about we go back to my place, have a couple of nightcaps and finish talking. Private time between two old friends?”
Landon downed his drink, blew out his cheeks and smiled. “That’s very generous of you.”
“I’m in a generous mood.”
*
Defense Attorney Dotson Wells quickly flipped up his menu and watched as Ibee and Landon strolled out of the restaurant, arms linked, with smiles that would make an old couple reminiscence about how it used to be.
He hadn’t heard everything, but he’d heard enough.
Chapter 17
November 16, 6:44 a.m.
The next morning, Ibee stepped out of the bathroom dressed in a red and white colorblocked sheath dress, nude thigh-high stockings and tennis shoes. A night out that included sex and strategic conversation was a lot better than committing to a single person for the rest of her life.
She stopped by the octagonal fish tank that held her clown knives. Such beautiful creatures. Today was going to be a good day. Content, she looked over at Landon spread out on the bed. “Wake up. I’m going to drop you off at your car and head to work.”
Landon moaned.
“Which one did you fantasize about during our hour long sexathon? Deena or Lily?”
“For crying out loud,” Landon said, sitting up and resting his head between his hands. “You’ve got a serious problem.”
“My problem is now your problem. And if you don’t find a way to help me get what I need from Collin, I’ll make sure Julius has enough material on you to splash your taste for a girl young enough to be your daughter to cover the front page of the Rock River Daily.”
*
8:50 a.m.
With Morgan at the wheel, the Charger traveled south on Highway 89, headed into Fort Atkinson. For the second time, Lily dialed Detective Keys as they slowed down behind a combine taking up half the road.
“Where are you?” Keys asked.
“I’m on the highway. Why?”
“We were able to retrieve the emails exchanged between Tanya and her customers from the escort service. And the emails we recovered are not parent friendly.”
“Explicit?”
“Yeah. The IP address was traced to Melli’s Coffee. But it’s an open Wi-Fi network. They don’t use username or passwords so there’s no traceability unless we’re allowed to set up a tracer at the coffeehouse. Then, the next time CtryGeek23 sends an email, we can get CtryGeek’s MAC address. However, Melli’s is a popular place among college students, that’s a lot of addresses.”
“So the coffeehouse is like a haystack and my perp is the needle.”
“Yes. Although, if we can find a location where CtryGeek23 needed to sign in using a name and password, we can crosslink the mac address, whittling down your pool of suspects. Like the university, an office, or a motel. As long as they’re not using a different device each time they log on to the server.”
“Give me a second,” Lily said, rubbing her temple. “You’re saying the MAC address is tied to the computer of the person who’s on the network. In order to determine who the person is, the network needs to be secured?”
“Correct. Think of it as matching a bullet to a gun. Here we can match an IP address to a device’s MAC address. I just love data mining.”
“I don’t. You’re saying if CtryGeek23 sends an email from a place requiring a username and password like a hotel, then that might be our chance of finding him?”
“Yes.”
“But anyone who’s stayed at the motel previously can pull up in the parking lot and log on.”
“See, you know some of this stuff.”
“When it’s in plain English, some of this stuff is common sense, which means the killer might know exactly what they’re doing.”
“Not everyone has common sense. And Whitewater is an older town. Family owned businesses, bed and breakfasts, older motels, might not think to add the extra security for the internet.”
“So where do we go from here?”
“Not far. I’ll see what we can do about that tracer,” Keys said, letting out a sneeze. “Bless me. Now, the information this guy used to sign up for his email and social networks are hokey.”
“So much for hoping he’d use his real name.”
“The exchanges between Tanya and CtryGeek23 are not what concerned me. She had at least four customers. Two of them were suits from Chicago. The third is an English professor in Madison. She was out of town when the murders happened.”
“She?”
“You heard me. The last one threw me for a loop. I searched the database to be sure. When it came back with his name I knew I’d better give you a call.”
“Who?”
“I’m looking for my sheet. Hold on.” Detective Keys placed Lily on a brief hold and returned to the line. “He’s a member of the FAPD. Xavier Martinez.
/>
“He used his personal email to respond to the ad and then continued to communicate with her afterwards. The last email shared between them was a week before she was killed. She wrote, ‘“I can’t see you anymore.”’ And he replied, ‘“I had a great time.”’
“Okay. Thanks.” Lily hung up and turned to her partner. “Martinez was a customer of Tanya’s. I was always suspicious of his lame excuse about touching the bodies.”
“We don’t want to tip him off that we know that, yet. Which means the investigation being done on Martinez will continue until there’s something more concrete.”
“You’d think Martinez would start getting nervous. He knows that eventually we were going to find out about his email.” Lily paused and added, “There’s one thing that I can’t put my finger on. How does Martinez fit into this puzzle? It doesn’t make sense. There’s no DNA match, nothing but a fingerprint.”
“Yep. Ibee won’t touch it.”
Lily sighed and stared out the window at a lady standing at a gravesite in the cemetery. She began thinking about the parents of her victims who would soon be doing the same thing. It wasn’t fair. And with the holidays around the corner, it made it ten times worse. Eventually, when the time came, she would also share in their pain, along with the heartache of not having her sister or dad seated at the dining room table for Thanksgiving.
Lily turned toward Morgan. “The only thing Martinez is guilty of is touching the bodies and setting up sexual services with Tanya.
“All the cases are linked. We’re still waiting for Hauser’s autopsy on the body at the brewery. I’m sure it’s related to this investigation. Thanks to Victor, we know that Thomas Sanchez, with the help of this brother, was responsible for what happened to Penny.”
“Stop right there,” Morgan said. “Remember what Victor told you? He said Sanchez’s brother was a cop.”
“Brother? They don’t even have the same last name.”
“Maybe they’re half-brothers. Or step-brothers.”
“Martinez is on desk duty. His shift is ending soon. We need to get back to the station, now!”
Promised Lies (A Detective Blanchette Mystery) Page 11