(2008) Compulsion

by Jennifer Chase

  A truck almost cuts Emily off; Leo takes the turn with considerable speed barely missing Emily’s Jeep. He slams on the brakes and rolls down the window.

  Surprised, Leo says, “Hey Em where are you going? I thought we had an appointment this morning?”

  “I’m so sorry Leo I forgot; something came up. I’m going to be out of town for a few days.”

  “No biggee. I’ve got another appointment close by.”

  “I’ll call you to reschedule when I get back.”

  He smiles showing one of his shiny gold teeth, “No problem. Catch you later.”

  “Bye.”

  Emily eases up her electric window and drives on.

  She looks in her rearview mirror and watches Leo take the turn down her street and disappear out of sight. With the monotony of the road, her thoughts return to the missing little girl. If she doesn’t make any stops, she should arrive in Paso Robles in two hours.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Friday 0800 Hours

  Rick doesn’t have any trouble finding the crime scene. There are many emergency vehicles already there with both marked and unmarked police cars parked along Larkin Valley Road. The detective finds an available space a little distance from the dirt road entrance to the crime scene. There’s nothing like a grisly crime scene to take his mind off of his impending divorce. He exits his vehicle.

  A uniformed deputy approaches the detective, “Detective, the scene is a ways up the dirt road, and we’ve secured the entrance and the crime scene until you arrived.”

  Rick was pleasantly surprised that this young deputy was thorough and eager to work. He couldn’t remember his name. The detective looked at his nametag: Monahan. “Thanks Monahan. You first on the scene?”

  “Yes sir. I received a call from the property owner that he found the body.”

  “Have you interviewed the owner?”

  The deputy looked at his notebook and said, “Yes, he has about sixty surrounding acres and was checking for broken fences early this morning when he discovered the body.”

  The officers began walking up the dirt road, which was evidently used for additional access to the property for utilities or livestock. Rick regards the entire area in order to get a feeling for why the killer would choose this exact location. It was rural with native wildlife, and no one would see him doing his killing. There was something else that bothered the detective. The killer obviously wanted the body to be found. But how did he know that the body would be found today? Maybe he didn’t. This might prove to work in favor of the investigation.

  The crime scene detectives Rick and Ken had recently arrived at the scene and were already talking loudly and joking with other officers about the crime scene. Detective Lopez ignored the inappropriate comments for a moment while he continued to assess the scene.

  Deputy Monahan explained, “It looks like there were tire tracks up to the fence, but they were deliberately destroyed.” He continued, “It looks like he used a shovel and possibly a rake by the way the dirt is pushed aside and these marks.”

  Rick studies the loose dirt and agrees with the deputy’s assessment. “Good work Monahan.”

  The deputy smiles at the detective with renewed confidence.

  As Matt approached Rick, he said, “The part time crime scene photographer they just hired last week called in sick today. What do you want to do?”

  Rick looks around for Deputy Monahan and spots him talking with another deputy. ”Deputy Monahan.”

  The deputy jogs back over to the detective. “Yes detective.”

  “You any good with a digital camera?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “I want you to take photos of the crime scene and surrounding areas. Take overall photos, then medium distance and close up shots depicting the scene. Can you handle it?”

  The young deputy is thrilled to be a part of the crime scene investigation of a serial killer. “Yes sir.”

  The detective gives the deputy his keys. “There’s a digital camera with an extra battery on the floor of the back seat of my car.”

  The deputy takes the keys, “I’m on it.” He leaves.

  Matt says, “Well now that’s settled.” He shows the detective the body. “It’s been staged. It’s like the perp is trying to mock us in some perverted way.” He explains further, “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  Rick carefully enters the crime scene area through the broken barbwire fence and notices that there is what appears to be blood and maybe fabric on some of the sharp twists of barbwire. “Make sure that Deputy Monahan gets photos of this Matt.” The detective gestures to the potential evidence.

  “No prob.” Matt continues on to an open clearing beside a tree.

  Rick stops dead in his tracks and takes in the killer’s demonstration. He has personally walked more than sixty homicide crime scenes, but nothing has prepared him for this presentation. It made him think of a Hollywood movie that has been presented over the top with a horrifying and dramatic display of serial killer victims. He thought that this scene would rival Hollywood’s depiction.

  The thirty-something woman is completely nude and propped up in a sitting position with her right arm tied above her head. The thin rope is then affixed to the tree. Her legs are neatly folded underneath her body. Her left arm is completely missing; a haphazard cut through her shoulder joint leaves a grotesque opening. Her head is bowed where her face is obscured. Even more disturbing is the arm that lies across her lap. She appears to be gazing down at it.

  Matt interjects, “There’s no doubt that we have a serial killer huh?”

  Ken joins the conversation, “A preliminary search of the crime scene didn’t reveal any clothing, purse, or identification of the vic.”

  “Keep looking”, Detective Lopez instructs. “There’s more evidence here than meets the eye.”

  Deputy Monahan takes photos of the body and moves closer to get photos of the rope, knots, and severed arm.

  Rick realizes that keeping this crime scene from the public is going to be almost impossible. To the crowd of officers, “Alright everybody listen up. No one comes in or out of this crime scene unless I say so. And nobody speaks to the press or the public. That’s means friends, family, girlfriends, spouses, whatever. Understand?” The crew responds with nods and continues to perform their duties.

  Rick approaches the body careful not to disturb any evidence and looks closely at the type of rope used and the severed arm. He was sure that this arm was from the last victim, but he’d have to wait until the medical examiner turned in his report. There was the same tearing on the back of the neck and upper shoulder area as the previous victim. The woman appears to have been dead longer than eight hours.

  He definitely knows that this killing was the work of two killers because there are too many conflicting behavior patterns. One distinct pattern was the need to make an elaborate display, where the killer spent quite a bit of time with the victim before and after the actual death. He posed her and even cleaned some of the blood from the gaping wounds. It was almost like making an art project for a gallery display. This individual wants recognition, something that he feels that he’s never gotten and now he’s found an outlet that will give him just the notoriety that he craves.

  The other killer was extremely erratic and frantic about his contribution to the crime scene; often making the scene more disorganized by his inconsistent behavior. He wants something that’s more personal and even Biblical in his mind. He’s more of a traditional serial killer, if there’s such a thing, and feels that his victims give him the much needed power in his quest for supremacy.

  Rick takes in depth notes and sketches of the crime scene as Ken and Matt process available evidence. As the crime scene investigation continues, it becomes obvious that it’s only a matter of time before the killers’ strike again, depositing this victim’s arm at another crime scene. It was going to be a race between the cunning killers and the determined po
lice.

  Rick re-evaluates the overall crime scene and evidence before releasing the body to the coroner’s office. He watches a couple of autopsy technicians cut down the body and load her into a body bag. They carefully package the severed arm in a small heavy plastic bag for transport.

  The pieces of the serial murder puzzle are waiting for a resolution and are screaming to be deciphered. Rick struggles with his instincts and the politics of the local county government. The processed evidence must be couriered to the San Jose Crime Lab to be properly identified for DNA and any matching samples for when a suspect is identified. The detective wonders if the two killers will be two friends that decided to kill for fun and games; or, will it be two people who met by accident and found out they have the same morbid interest in killing.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Friday 1045 Hours

  Emily pulls off highway 101 onto Sixteenth Street in Paso Robles. She would have been there sooner, but she chose to stop for gas and to grab a quick bite to eat. She stocked her car with drinks and high protein snacks in case she got a promising lead right away. Then she won’t have to worry about missing a meal. Riding shotgun next to her is a new laptop computer, running with a wireless Internet access ready for any search that she might need.

  It’s a bright, sunny day and under any other circumstances it would have been a nice day to visit one of the greatest wine growing areas in the United States. Paso Robles is a continually growing community that offers a variety of growth potential.

  Emily keeps her focus on the street that little Susie Williams was abducted from. She didn’t have to search long to find where the little girl disappeared. Banners, toys, photos, and fliers state that they wish her safe return home soon and that they love her. Emily clocked the distance from the school to her home, and it’s barely three quarters of a mile. Houses were sparse in this neighborhood compared to the more populated areas in other directions. There would be fewer children walking in this particular direction and more opportunity for a pedophile to strike without being witnessed.

  Emily pulls over to the side of the road to use her laptop computer and compare notes on the previously registered sex offenders in a twenty miles radius who prefer children, specifically young female children. She also had a list from a law enforcement database, thanks to her friend and confidant Sergeant Mike Sullivan in Indiana. Her first search with certain detailed parameters comes up with more than twenty possible suspects. As she narrows her search, three prominent suspects emerge. The three suspects are all in different cities of Paso Robles, Santa Maria, and Morro Bay.

  The first suspect works at a grocery store in Paso Robles. Emily turns her Jeep around and heads in the direction of the grocery store and then the home residence of her first suspect to see if he’s visible and track his movements before dismissing him altogether.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Friday 1445 Hours

  One of the least favorite job duties for Detective Lopez is visiting the morgue to view an autopsy of a homicide victim. The only thing worse is if the victim is a child. The Santa Cruz County building stands alone in the downtown area. Below all of the typical county offices is the morgue, a small compact quarters that houses the dead.

  Rick sets off to the macabre space known as the “tombs” to see what his second serial homicide victim has to say. He has known the medical examiner, Doctor Todd Grainger, for ten years and is amazed by how he can carve bodies up, remove vital organs for study, and still able to keep a great sense of humor about life. Working homicide investigations has definitely made an impact in Rick’s own life. He sees the world as more of a violent and destructive place. What people are capable of doing to another person sickens him.

  The distinct smell of cleaning agents hits Rick’s senses immediately. He grimaces, swallows hard, and proceeds. He sees Doctor Grainger with an autopsy technician working on his case. The doctor is dressed casually and doesn’t resemble a typical medical examiner with his baggy pants and bright yellow deck shoes. His long blonde hair is pulled back in a tight braid that falls down his back. He’s upbeat and performs his duties seamlessly.

  The newest victim is now cleaned up and laying on a stainless slab. The visual inspection has been underway. Blood and other fluids had been drawn for testing, and the body X-rayed, weighed, photographed, and measured. Trace evidence is of forensic importance in a homicide case. Head and pubic hair is combed for any vital evidence transferred from killer to victim. In this case, transferred from killers to victim. The hands had been carefully bagged for any possible evidence from her killers. The autopsy tech is scrapping her nails for any flake of skin or foreign matter that would identify a suspect. Afterwards, the body will be fingerprinted to assist in identification.

  Doctor Grainger looks up, “Ah, the detective who likes to bring me jigsaw puzzle homicide victims.”

  Solemnly, Rick responds, “Any medical examiner can have an ordinary homicide. I thought I’d shake things up a bit.”

  “Indeed.”

  “What do you have for me?” The detective looks away from the body as his stomach tightens.

  “Both homicide victims died due to strangulation and their larynx crushed with quite a bit of force. They had been strangled just enough for them to pass out many times before their actual demise. And their arms were removed after death.”

  “Sexual assault?”

  “Yes, same as the first. The rape kit is being sent along with the trace evidence to the San Jose Forensic Lab.” He adjusts his glasses, “You know the routine; should take a week or more.”

  The Doctor begins the internal examination with a “Y” incision down the front of the torso.

  Rick grimaces, “Anything unusual I should know about?”

  “Except the fact that you’ve got a really sick asshole out there killing women and taking their arms? No, nothing. I’ll have a report for you ASAP.” He begins to open the chest for examination starting with the lungs, throat, esophagus, trachea, and upper spine. His assessment is methodical and scientific based on his extensive experience.

  “Thanks Todd.” The detective turns to leave almost in a panic.

  “Oh detective?”

  Rick stops and turns.

  “The first severed arm?”

  “Yes what about it?”

  “It was roughly frozen for more than six months before it was left at the crime scene.”

  “Six months?” The detective’s mind begins to process other homicides in the past and missing persons. “We haven’t had any homicides missing an arm.”

  “That’s precisely my point. There’s most likely a body or parts of a body still frozen somewhere.”

  Detective Lopez reflects, “Another homicide victim.”

  “Bingo.” The doctor is now emptying a thick sticky sludge of stomach contents into a stainless bowl.

  “Thanks.” The detective turns to leave as quickly as possible before the doctor begins removing more organs.

  There’s not much for Rick to do now, but hope that the forensic evidence will demonstrate some significance in the investigation. Matt and Ken are canvassing both areas in hopes of turning any eyewitnesses who might have seen a suspicious car or van around the crime scene. He doesn’t have much hope and his frustration is building. He feels completely helpless in this investigation because he knows that it’s only a matter of time until there’s another victim. The killers may be stalking their new victim right now. That thought discourages the detective. He tries hard to push the negative thoughts from his mind; instead, his thoughts turn to Emily and her nuisance neighbor. He decides to go to narcotics and coordinate a sweep of the neighbor’s house.

  * * * * *

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Friday 1600 Hours

  After Emily dismissed her first possible pedophile suspect, she headed south on Highway 101 and then cut west on Highway 46 to the coast, and then south along the coastal hi
ghway to Morro Bay.

  Morro Bay is a beautiful coastal community housing barely ten thousand residents along the historic coastal road of Highway 1 in California. Crime is not something this community endures, it is more reminiscent of some of the larger surrounding cities. It is best known for its one hundred seventy-six meters high volcanic plug called the Morro Rock. It is home to one of the largest bird sanctuary and estuary in the state. Tourists visit this quaint community to view this prominent Rock and to dine at one of the many seafood restaurants along the esplanade.

  One of the last known residences of her number two pedophile suspect is a farm in the Cayucos area just north of Morro Bay. It’s rural and very sparse in population. Most of all, it would be a perfect place to keep a child captive and then dispose of the body without anyone ever knowing.

  Timothy Dunne, age thirty-seven, wasn’t a registered sex offender, but had many priors for indecent exposure, loitering, trespass, and committing lascivious acts with minors. He had been seen in other surrounding cities hanging around schoolyards and community parks watching children mostly under the age of ten. He had held countless odd jobs over the past fifteen years: handyman, carpenter, and deliveryman. His recently deceased parents had left him a small rundown house on twenty acres.

  It didn’t take Emily long to find out using a computer search everything about Timothy Dunne from where he went to High School, his divorce in 1998, and that he currently takes several medications for antisocial personality disorder and depression. She gets his date of birth, address, and vehicle license plate off the small subcompact parked in front of the house.

  Emily finds an ideal parking spot camouflaged by trees on an adjacent property to the dilapidated little farm. She spies through a pair of binoculars and sees Timothy, who has Susie Williams with him. The child appears to be unharmed and not restrained in any way, but that could change at any moment. She watches the man pace back and forth as the child sits expressionless at a dining table staring straight ahead.