The Lady Killer

by Paizley Stone

  “What’s the date today?”

  “The tenth.”

  “That means the anniversary is tomorrow!” She got her phone out to call Captain Rutledge and order surveillance on both the front and back of the building. “Ralph, do you need us here any longer?”

  “No, Laura, I will let you know as soon as I find anything different, and I’ll send the butts out for DNA. Go follow up on any other leads you have. We need to lock this guy up, and it looks like we only have a month to do so.”

  “Thanks for your help. Let’s go guys. We have a lot of work to do.”

  When they left the building she handed the car keys to Dan, and Roy got a sly, little smile on his face. As they drove back to the precinct, her mind was totally absorbed with thoughts of what she was going to do next and what leads to follow. This was the ninth body, and she was no closer to nabbing him. She felt a deep concern for the women of her city and wondered how she would ever make them feel safe again. The responsibility was overwhelming. One small tear trickled down her right cheek, unnoticed by her partners. She needed the appointment she had with Dr. Walsh in the morning. She had almost cancelled it in order to keep working. All too soon it was time to get out of the car and face the reality of the moment. Dan set the keys down on her desk, and they all headed to the break room for coffee.

  “Gentleman, where do we stand on this?”

  Dan was hesitant to say anything negative after his outburst earlier. “Well, with any luck surveillance will catch this guy delivering a rose tonight.”

  “That would be too good to be true! I told the Captain to warn O’Reilly that I wanted every angle covered on that building, including the roof. If he gets by us this time, we’ll know he is on the surveillance team! Burns, how are you doing with that list of men from Indiana?”

  “I could use some help. Man, whoever this guy is, he has balls! I can’t believe that he put the next victim at that same location!”

  “Yes, and that means that he must have known that we didn’t have it under surveillance, which convinces me even more that we are searching for one of our own. Murphy, you’re awfully quiet. What’s up?”

  “I guess I’m just embarrassed about my outburst at the scene today. Sorry, I just couldn’t take it. She was someone we knew, not just some victim. All of the others were strangers to us, until we started looking into their lives. Not that they weren’t just as important, but it wasn’t as personal. One minute she’s flirting and handing me her card and the next minute she’s dead. I remembered her saying that it would never happen to her. And yet, there she was right in front of me. I just lost it!”

  “One thing I said to Ralph a few weeks ago was that probably none of these women thought it would happen to them. The TV reports the news like some type of entertainment. The shows and movies are full of violence. People get used to watching actors blown up and gunned down every day. I think that the average person is so accustomed to it, that I don’t believe it seems real to women. They need to start taking their safety seriously all the time, not just when they know there’s a serial killer on the loose. Some woman, somewhere, is some psycho’s first victim. Tamara Hastings was the first in this string of murders. She tried to hide from this guy, but he found her. That should be a lesson to all of us. Roy, check that list you have for any priors of violence toward anyone, not just spouses. I find it hard to believe that he has been able to hide these tendencies all this time.”

  “Yeah, good idea. I’ll go at it from that angle, and then we can check out the winners.”

  “I’m going down to see how the Captain is coming with that surveillance for tonight.”

  When she was gone, Roy noticed the dejected look on Dan’s face. “What’s up with you, partner?”

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I’m sure that after my little scene today, she thinks I’m questionable as a partner on this team.”

  Roy got a big grin on his face and shook his head. “I can remember being young and in love, with all of the insecurities it brings.”

  “This isn’t a joke! This is serious! She probably thinks I don’t belong here.”

  “Do you want to know how I know that you’re wrong?”

  “Yes, of course, but I don’t think I am.”

  Roy got a smug look on his face. “She wouldn’t have let you drive.”

  “What difference does that make? Maybe she was upset and wanted to focus on the case.”

  “If that was true, then why didn’t she give the keys to me? We have worked together for years, and I’ve never seen her hand someone else the keys. She’s always the one who drives.”

  “Really? That’s the second time she gave me the keys.”

  “I’m impressed, kid, because Peterson has control issues. That must mean she trusts you a lot.”

  As Laura walked into the Captain’s office, he tipped his head down and peered at her over the top of his glasses. “Are you coming to check on me to see if I did a good job of ordering that surveillance?”

  She smiled at him. “No, Sir, I just needed a little reassuring.”

  “I think this is the toughest case we have ever worked on together. Now, to think that one of our own could be responsible is very frightening to me. You’d think that a psychosis like this would be noticed and weeded out, considering all the testing and evaluations our officers have to go through. Maybe our screening process needs to be updated, or officers need to be re-evaluated more often. I’m going to suggest that to the Commissioner right away.”

  “I’m happy to hear that we narrowed the field down to guys from Indiana.”

  Rutledge nodded. “Yes, Burns had me do that for him. How is he coming on that task?”

  “I have him running profiles on them, because I agree with you on the psychosis angle. We have ten all together and only one month to decide which one, if any, is the killer.”

  Captain Rutledge looked concerned. “How are you and your team holding up?”

  “Good. I have an appointment with Dr. Walsh in the morning. Murphy was pretty shaken up by the fact that we had met this latest woman. She even asked him out on a date.”

  “I have to admit that walking into a crime scene with an anonymous body is much easier. You can remain more objective, and it doesn’t cloud your judgment.”

  “Does that make us insensitive robots, Sir?”

  “No, Detective, that makes us professionals who can turn off our emotional attachments in an effort to do our jobs more effectively. That doesn’t mean that we stop caring. What time is your appointment in the morning?”

  “She’s seeing me early, as a favor, since this case needs all of my attention. I should be in a little after nine.”

  “Go home and get some rest. Come see me when you get in. I keep thinking that I should be putting more people on this case. At the same time, that means more chances of information getting leaked out to our psycho friend. It’s a dilemma! Let me think about it over night.”

  “I’ll see you in the morning, Sir.”

  She went back upstairs to say good night to her team, and sent them home also, after telling them she would be a little late getting in the next day. Dan walked her to her car, just to make sure she was safe. “Not that it’s any of my business, but why are you going to be late coming in tomorrow?”

  She looked down at the ground, trying to decide what to tell him, and thought that the truth was the best course to take. “After my nasty break up a couple years ago, I started seeing a therapist for awhile. My ex was bi-sexual and sleeping around. I had to deal with so much anger and trust issues, not to mention the HIV scare. I’m still getting tested every three months. Now, with this case rattling my nerves, I’ve started seeing her again. If I let my fear take over, it will get in the way of doing my job. You need to take the same approach to your anger.”

  “Yep, that incident earlier wasn’t my finest hour, was it? I feel like I let you down, and I’m beginning to doubt whether I should even be in Homicide.”

  Sh
e looked straight into his eyes. “Dan, only you can decide whether you want to be on our team. What I can tell you is that I trust and depend on you at a time when every man in this precinct is a suspect. With my trust issues, believe me that’s a huge compliment. I have faith in you. Promise me you won’t change departments, at least until this case is over.”

  “How could I not be here for you? I had heard about your ex from Burns.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not judgmental. I don’t care what someone’s sexual persuasion is. I just want the man I’m with to be heterosexual. Somehow, I don’t feel that I could ever be enough for someone who is bi-sexual. Also, he was cheating on me regardless of whether it was a man or woman! How could I ever trust someone who wouldn’t be honest or faithful?”

  “I’m so sorry that happened to you, but I want you to know that you can always trust me. Now, go home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  CHAPTER 11

  Laura’s session with Dr. Walsh went well. She was in a much better mood than when she woke up that morning. As she drove along, she thought about the case and what their next moves would be. She was happy that Dan had been so open with her about his fears, and that he would stay with her, at least until this case was finished. Somehow, his size and strength made her feel safe, and his warmth and sincerity created a trust in her that she never thought she would feel again. It was hard for her to believe that on a beautiful spring day like this, some psycho was stalking his next victim. She had to find out which cop was the rotten apple.

  After she stepped out of her car, she just stood there letting the sun warm her face for awhile, before she had to go into the gloomy precinct building and face those files. As she walked into the lobby, the desk officer called to her. “Detective Peterson?”

  She turned and looked toward the desk. “Yes, Annette.”

  “I have a delivery here for you. It just came in.”

  She froze in her tracks when she saw a long, narrow, white box sitting on the counter. “Where did this come from?”

  “A florist just delivered it. Got a cute guy on the hook? He must have been a first date. The vase with the two dozen red roses is later on in the relationship.”

  Laura took out her phone and called Ralph. “I just got a flower delivery here in the lobby! Please send someone up here from CSU immediately, and make sure it’s some you trust.”

  “I’ll send Jim up right away. Have you opened it?”

  “No!”

  Ralph didn’t want her doing that alone. “Wait until I get there.”

  She hung up her phone and turned her attention back to the desk. “Annette, did you get a description of this delivery guy?”

  “Why, did I do something wrong?”

  “No, but I need to know how many people have touched this box since it arrived.”

  “Just me and the delivery guy, as far as I know. We should have video of him on our lobby camera. I’ll get a copy of it for you right away.”

  Ralph and Jim arrived in the lobby and handed her a pair of gloves. She opened the box carefully. Inside was a single, long-stemmed, red rose along with a type written note that read, “You are getting too close, be careful”. Ralph took the box from her and handed it to Jim. “Take this down to the lab and dust for prints. As soon as you get something, let me know. Annette’s prints are on file, so we can rule them out immediately.”

  “I’m on my way, shouldn’t take long, Dr. Foote.”

  “Thanks, Jim.” He turned his attention to Laura. “And how are you doing, young lady?”

  “It was a good day, until I walked in here.”

  “I say that to myself every day. We need to go talk to the Captain.”

  When they walked into Rutledge’s office, he knew that it had to be bad news. “Seeing the two of you at the same time isn’t a good sign, is it?”

  “Sorry, Captain, but Laura just got her anniversary rose delivered here.”

  Rutledge was infuriated and looked at Laura. “By who?”

  “A florist, Sir. I have the name, and Annette is getting us a copy of the lobby video, but he was just the delivery boy. Ralph and Jim are going to take care of any prints.”

  “Call that florist immediately, and find out who sent that rose to you. Get any records they have, and I want a copy also. This guy isn’t going to invade my precinct like this!”

  “Unfortunately, I think he invades it every day. He works here, Sir. I’ll get everything to you right away. Right now I would like to go update my team about this latest development.”

  “Go ahead, Laura, and keep me informed of your every move. This is another direct threat, as far as I’m concerned, and worse than the first one. Ralph, I want anything you can get from that box and note.”

  When she got off of the elevator, Dan and Roy were waiting for her right at the door. “Hey, Murf and I just heard the news about the rose! Are you okay?”

  “How did you guys hear about it already, when it just barely happened?”

  Dan looked at Roy. “Burns heard it from Stacey Morgan.”

  “Roy, who is Stacey Morgan?”

  “She’s the Lead Detective who works in SVU and specializes in domestic violence. Short, blonde, cheerleader type, remember? We’ve been pumping her for information on our DNA subjects. She knows about the case, so she called me wanting to know if I knew anything more. I told her we hadn’t even heard about the rose yet.”

  “Murphy, call down to Annette, and ask her how she happened to leak this to Stacey. Make sure to tell her that from now on, any correspondence directed to me is completely confidential!”

  “Got it!”

  “Burns, how well do you know Stacey?”

  “Pretty well. I’ve worked with her on different cases over the years.”

  “How much does she know about this case?”

  “Just what Murf and I needed to tell her, so we could get more info on the Butt Men.”

  “I’ve only met Stacey a couple of times. Do you trust her?”

  “Yes, I’ve known her for about five years. She is good people.”

  “Okay, don’t tip our hand about thinking that it’s a fellow officer, but let her know that we want to keep this all confidential and not to talk about it to anyone. You can tell her that we don’t want anything to leak out to the Press, okay?”

  “Sure, I’ll tell her right away. Gosh, this is creepy. We don’t know who to trust any more.”

  “Tell me about it! I’m going to call the florist and see who sent that rose.”

  When Dan came back to Laura’s desk, he found her sitting there with her mouth open and the phone still in her hand. “What happened? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

  “I may have. The florist said the rose was sent to me by Emily Anderson!”

  Dan made a small gasp. “For real?”

  “That’s the name on the invoice. Burns, here’s an address for that florist. Run down there and get a copy of the invoice. If they have a security camera get a copy of the video, and get your ass back here, ASAP!”

  Dan watched Roy leave. “What can I do?”

  “Did you talk to Annette?”

  “Yes, Stacey just happened to call right after you and Ralph left the lobby. Annette said she didn’t know it was confidential, and that from now on she would keep her mouth shut. Take it easy on the girl. She doesn’t know that we suspect an insider. I’m sure all the women who work here are scared to death of this guy and constantly talking about the case.”

  “Exactly right! And our guy could be casually standing by a desk, or water cooler, and be hearing the gossip. I could just kiss you for figuring that out!”

  Dan’s face lit up with a big grin. “Any time, Detective!”

  Laura knew she was blushing and felt very uncomfortable. “Sorry, Murphy, I didn’t mean to make that sound like sexual harassment.”

  “Believe me, I wouldn’t find being kissed by you to be any type of harassment.”

  Laura got up from her desk qu
ickly and announced that she needed to see Ralph. Dan stood there and watched her leave. He thought about how much he wanted to kiss her, and how chicken he was to even try. Maybe when this case was over, he would get up enough courage to ask her out to dinner.

  When she burst into the lab, Ralph was a little startled. “You look flustered. Is the note that came with the rose bothering you?”

  “Yes, but not as much as the stupid thing I just said to Dan!”

  Ralph wondered why she was so upset. “What on earth did you say?”

  “He came up with a great theory, and I told him I could kiss him for it. As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I could have killed myself!”

  “Hmmmmm, you say things like that to me all the time without causing yourself bodily harm. Pray tell, what is the difference? Could it be that you actually want to kiss him?”

  She gave him a disapproving look. “Okay, fun is over! The rose was sent to me by Emily Anderson.”

  “Amy’s previous assistant, who you suspect of being a man?”

  “Yes! Anything on Amy’s crime scene yet?”

  “Only that I put her time of death around five in the morning. She hadn’t been dead very long when we found her, less than twelve hours.”

  Laura grimaced. “Something is bothering me about all of this. We found the body so fast and in a place that we would never have looked, because it was vacant and already used twice before. Who called it in to the police?”

  “I don’t know. I was just two blocks from there when I got the call. A beat cop was on the scene when I arrived.”

  “What were you doing in that part of town?”

  “I got a call saying that uniforms had found a dead body in the street. When I got to the address, there was nothing, not even a patrol car. That’s when I got the call for our latest.”

  “He’s playing with us again, Ralph! Don’t you see? He wanted you close to the real scene. I need to track down that beat cop. Did you get his name?”

  “Let me look it up and give him a call. I also called the delivery guy, and he’s coming in to give us his fingerprints. There were only two sets on the box. One was Annette’s, the other is probably his.”