The Lady Killer

by Paizley Stone

  When Rutledge walked into his office he was surprised to see Laura sitting there. “Detective Peterson, are you waiting for me? Come on in.”

  “Yes, Sir, I was talking with Burns and discovered that Michael Vitale works in the Special Victims Unit. He does fit in with the other Butt Men, but I was wondering how someone with a domestic violence record, even though it was dropped, could get a job in SVU? Roy thought we should talk to him, because in order to collect Vitale’s butts, the killer might be someone close enough to know him personally. But I’m afraid that if he is our guy, he’ll be gone. What do you think?”

  “There’s no way to be sure if Vitale is the killer or just knows him. You’re right, the risk is too high. Don’t talk to him yet. Let me put a tail on him for few days and see what we can come up with.”

  Laura was surprised to hear him say that. “Sir, I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but how can we know who to trust to tail this guy and not have it get back to him?”

  “I have a few tricks up my sleeve, Detective. There’s an old friend of mine who’s retired from the force and doing PI work. He owes me some pretty big favors, and it will all be just between you and me. Don’t even tell your partners. Is that a deal?”

  She smiled at him. “That’s a deal, Sir. I’ll tell Burns that you don’t want the guy interrogated just yet, and that will be the truth.”

  “Good, I’ll contact Fred right now and see if he can start tonight. When I get something, I’ll let you know. You do realize that you can call me with these things, instead of making a trip down here?”

  “I know this is going to sound silly, but I just don’t know who to trust, or who could be listening to our conversations. This way I can see who’s around when we’re talking.”

  “Not silly at all. You’re thinking and being cautious. That’s another reason I consider you a superior detective.”

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  After getting on the elevator, she got an idea and immediately went down to see Ralph. “I don’t think I’ve ever had this many visits from you in one day. I’m beginning to think my wife is right. You find me irresistible, don’t you?”

  “She’s on to me, Ralph, but you’re a married man, and that’s a big no-no.”

  “Poor girl, I guess you will just have to settle for that ridiculous Adonis, Dan Murphy. What can I help you with?”

  “If we took a photo of Michael Vitale, could we do a computer enhancement to see if he looks like Emily Anderson? You know, put a brown wig and horn-rimmed glasses on him, and then another one with a blonde wig like Nancy.”

  “Hmmmmm. That seems very possible to me, good idea. Though, I can’t imagine how he would hide those dark eyebrows.”

  Laura thought for a moment. “Maybe he shaved them off?”

  “Then, how would he come here every day and still look like himself?”

  Laura grimaced. “Do you enjoy throwing a monkey wrench into my ideas?”

  “No, just a reality check. What if we do both of the suspects? The second guy is lighter complexioned and would be easier to disguise.”

  “Okay, maybe one is the Butt Man, and the other guy is our psycho.”

  “A definite possibility, I’ll have Jim get on that right away.”

  Laura looked surprised. “Jim can do that kind of computer work too?”

  “Why do you think he’s my right hand man? This guy is so multi-talented. I don’t know what I’d do without him, and I know I can trust him to do this for me without it leaking out.”

  “Great, that’s what we need. Just let me know when it is done, and please keep it between the three of us for now.”

  “Will do! Now you better get back to your brood. I know one of them will be missing you.”

  She never left the lab when she wasn’t laughing, no matter what she came down there for. Ralph had a way of teasing her and making her forget the unpleasantness for a moment. Good friends like him were hard to find. She wondered if she just took her friends for granted too much. All of them worked together so well. After this was over, she was going to throw a party at her place and invite them all over to celebrate.

  Dan and Roy looked up as she came in and motioned them over to the break room. “We need to have a strategy session, guys. Burns, I talked to the Captain. He doesn’t want us to interrogate Michael Vitale until after he gets finished researching the files. What else can we work on? Do we have any unfinished leads?”

  “What about the idea of this guy dating Amy? Are we just going to abandon that, because of the fact that he was masquerading as Emily?”

  Dan gave him a pat on the back. “Interesting thought, Burns.”

  “Thanks, Murf, what about you, boss?”

  Laura gave that some serious thought. “The only way he could have pulled it off, was if he worked at Searchlight first, dated her and got dumped, then applied for a job as Emily to stay close to her. Burns, talk to that woman Alice, from Searchlight, and see if they have an employment record for either of these two suspects. Murphy, what are you thinking?”

  “I’m wondering if he would even apply at Searchlight with his real identity.”

  “Great thought! Burns, take these two photos down there in person, and ask her if she recognizes either of them.”

  Roy got up and headed for his desk. “I’m out of here. I’ll check in as soon as I know anything.”

  Laura turned to Dan. “So, you and your sister are pretty close, huh? I saw you eating together. What’s with her stealing your pickle?”

  “When we were kids, I loved pickles. Being that I was a late in life surprise, I was a toddler when my three sisters were all old enough to sit at the table for lunch. One day I was fussing in my highchair, and Mom put me down on the floor to play until they finished eating. My head was about level with the table, so I reached up and grabbed a pickle off of my oldest sister’s plate. Everyone laughed and thought it was cute. Soon it became this big game. They would always put an extra pickle close to the edge, so I could grab it. Shelly was just reminding me of it, and telling me that was payback.”

  “It sounds like you had a good childhood.”

  “Yeah, it was pretty cool being raised by four women. I got fussed over a lot.”

  “That explains your sensitive side. Where was your dad?”

  “He was a high powered CEO, who was gone most of the time. He cheated on my mom and broke her heart. I guess she stayed with him for us kids.”

  Laura was surprised. “Wow, has that made your sisters leery of relationships?”

  “My oldest sister is married, has three kids and is very happy. The other two are still trying. I think the experience has made them more cautious about whom they date, and it has made me want to be monogamous, so I don’t hurt someone the way my mom was.”

  “Hey, there goes my phone, maybe it’s Roy with some news. Peterson…. Already? I’ll be right there.”

  Dan had a curious look on his face. “Something good?”

  “Come down to the lab with me. I want to show you the results of my latest weird idea, but it has to be our secret for now.”

  Ralph was surprised to see Dan and Laura walk in together. “Are we letting the big guy in on our secrets?”

  “Yes, I needed another opinion.”

  Ralph had an unmistakable twinkle in his eye. “At least that’s your excuse.”

  She ignored his comment. “Cut to the chase, where are the photos? I’m dying to see them.”

  Jim produced a folder with four photos in it, two of Michael and two of David Benson, who was the second suspect. They spread them out on the lab table, and Dan started to chuckle. “Good idea, Peterson. Vitale doesn’t look great as a woman, but who is this other person?”

  “Yes, I have my doubts whether Michael could pull this off, but the other guy is our second suspect, David Benson. He doesn’t look half bad, does he? What do you guys think?”

  Ralph stood there rubbing his chin. “It’s a possibility, but I’m not completely convinced.
Take these with you, along with the photo of Emily, and see what the Captain thinks. I certainly wouldn’t pick the mousy brunette up in a bar, but that Emily person is not exactly a hot babe to begin with. The one that looks like Nancy is much better.”

  “Remember guys, he was posing as a woman to befriend his victims, not pick up men.”

  Dan was looking at the pictures with doubt in his eyes. “The bartenders at that place downtown thought Nancy looked pretty good.”

  “Maybe they need glasses, Murphy. Let’s go see what the Captain thinks. Then maybe we could take a trip downtown and show the pictures to Sam and Bob.”

  “Great, then I can buy you a drink while we’re there!”

  Ralph and Jim shared a knowing glance, as they watched the two of them leave.

  In the Captains office, Laura showed him the photos that she had made up. “Interesting concept, Detective. I hate to rule out Vitale, just because he doesn’t look that good as a woman, but I would love to know how his butts wound up at Amy Montgomery’s crime scene. This other guy doesn’t look too bad.”

  She was happy that he agreed with her. “That’s what we thought, Sir. Murphy and I were thinking of taking these photos down to the bar that Nancy and Sheila used to frequent, so we could show them to the bartenders. We wouldn’t let them know that it’s a man; just ask them if they think one of these is her. What do you think? Would that be tipping our hand?”

  “No, I think as long as you approach them with the idea that it’s a woman, we should be fine. Your ingenuity always amazes me, Detective. Good work. Let me know what the results are. And why don’t you two have a drink while you’re there. It might relax you, so you get a better night’s sleep.”

  She was suspicious that he had talked to Ralph. “Thank you, Sir, we will do that.”

  When they got back upstairs, Roy was sitting at his desk. He told them that Alice didn’t recognize either of the men as having worked at Searchlight. “Thanks for making the trip, it was worth a try. Murphy and I are going down to Sam’s bar to show them some photos. Do you want to come along?”

  Dan was standing behind Laura, making gestures for Roy to pass on the invitation. “No, thanks. I need to get home and spend some time with Sara.”

  “Okay, just didn’t want you to feel left out.”

  “That’s alright. You two single and available people ought to go out for a drink together.”

  “Thanks for being so subtle, Burns. Murphy and I will have one for you also.”

  After Roy’s remark, the ride down in the elevator seemed a bit awkward. Dan just looked at his feet, and Laura thumbed through the photos. When they got to the parking lot she handed him the keys, and he just smiled. The bar was unusually quiet, so they had no problem talking to Sam and Bob. She showed them the photos and explained that they were computer generated from descriptions. Both men agreed that the one of Michael Vitale had a chin that was too square, but thought the one of David was a definite possibility.

  Bob looked thoughtful. “I don’t know about you, Sam, but if you put some bright red lipstick and rouge on the woman, it could be Nancy. The glasses need to be bigger though.”

  Dan just had to ask. “Didn’t you both say that you thought she had a good body?”

  Sam cupped his mouth away from Laura and leaned toward Dan. “You know, Detective Murphy, you’re right. Great rack on that one, but what a mouth! Wouldn’t be worth it for me.”

  They ordered two glasses of wine and went to sit at a table by the window. Laura watched Sam, as he washed some glasses at the other end of the bar. “That Sam sounds like a Mafia hit man when he talks.”

  Dan laughed. “You are so funny! How many Mafia hit men have you known in your life?”

  Laura had to laugh at herself also. “None, I guess I’m just stereotyping him from movie characters that I’ve seen. He belongs in a bar.”

  “Yep, he is pretty much the womanizing bar type. So, how do you think David Benson would look in a padded bra? Do you think he prefers satin or lace?”

  She almost choked on her sip of wine. “Warn me before you say something like that!”

  “I’m sorry. Was the image too much for you?”

  She was laughing and almost couldn’t answer him. “It’s an image I want to quickly forget. Seriously though, we’re getting nowhere on this.”

  Dan was happy to be out with her and feeling very playful. “Don’t get discouraged. At least you have eliminated me as a suspect, but I still wonder about Burns.”

  “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you?”

  “No, that’s my ace in the hole, if I ever need to blackmail you, or something.”

  She looked deeply into his eyes for a moment and then back down at her drink. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”

  Feeling brave, he reached over and took her hand. “Are you ever going to let me get any closer, Laura?”

  “It’s complicated right now. I’m so worried about this psycho hurting people I care for.”

  “Is that the only reason, or do you just not like me that way?”

  She looked at him briefly, blushed and then stared at her wine. “Dan Murphy, I think that you are one of the most wonderful people I know.”

  “Great, then I’ll take that as a maybe I might be interested someday. Hey, there’s hope!”

  They drove back to the precinct to get his car, and then he insisted on following her home. When they got there, he walked her up to her apartment and asked if he could come in and talk to her for a minute. “I’m worried about you, Laura.”

  “Thanks, it’s nice to know that I have you in my life to protect me.”

  “I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I’ve come up with an idea.”

  She was afraid it might be something romantic and answered cautiously. “I’m listening.”

  “We need to have a secret code.”

  She threw her head back and laughed really hard, for the first time in a long while. “Are you trying to rival Ralph Foote in ways to cheer me up?”

  “No, actually, I was serious. Hear me out. Let’s say that I called you on the phone, and you were in trouble, but couldn’t say so because of who you were with. You could call me Burns, and I would know that you needed help.”

  She looked at him, trying to decide what was really going on in his mind. “You are serious about this, aren’t you?”

  “I’m dead serious. Suppose the killer showed up here at your apartment, and you needed help, and I just happened to call. That would be our signal.”

  “What if the killer was looking at my phone and saw your name on my caller ID, instead of Burns?”

  “Change it in your contacts section.”

  She gave him a pained look. “You know me and phones.”

  Dan was exasperated and reached for her phone. “Give it to me.” He played with it for a minute, then handed it back and called her.

  She looked down at the screen and saw “Lumpy” in the caller ID, and then she laughed again. “Who is Lumpy?”

  Dan was afraid that she wasn’t taking him seriously enough. “You know, like in the movie ‘Scrooged’. Haven’t you ever seen it?”

  “Yes, it is absolutely one of my favorite movies, but I think you are far more handsome than Bill Murray.”

  He was surprised to hear her say that and half afraid that it was only the wine talking. “Do you think so? I think he’s pretty cool and looks like Richard Burton.” He waited for her to get his little joke, but she didn’t laugh. “Anyway, if you are ever in trouble when I call, just say ‘hello, Burns’, and I will know you need help.”

  “Can I start calling you Mr. Bond?”

  “No! And you can’t start calling me Lumpy either. It has to be our secret.”

  She looked at him seriously. “Thanks, Dan. I can see that you’ve put a lot of thought into this, I really do appreciate you taking care of me.”

  “We have to keep you safe.” He bent over, kissed her on the cheek a
nd then walked out the door. “See you tomorrow.”

  CHAPTER 13

  Laura woke up early, and laid there thinking about that one, sweet kiss on her cheek. It was innocent, like a boy on a playground might have given you when you were five. Dan was a complication in her life. On one hand, he was more than she wanted to deal with. On the other, he was something delicious that she wanted to explore. All she needed was the courage to try again. Suddenly, the reality of her current cases came intruding in on her consciousness. “God, you have to stop daydreaming and get to work. Besides, if you go in there you get to see that gorgeous hunk.”

  She shook her head as she realized that she was talking to herself again and wondered where she was going to get the energy. This psycho was wearing her down. Was it prophetic on Captain Rutledge’s part that he had hired Dan for their department? She remembered how hard she had fought against having a new guy to train. Now, it turned out that he was desperately needed to help fight her latest nemesis, but she had no idea who that was. Laura got out of bed and jumped in the shower. She was tired of her waking thoughts constantly being about this psychotic murderer.

  When she got to the office, Dan was by himself in the break room. She was happy about that, because she wanted to have a talk with him. “Hey, thanks for the help you gave me last night. I know that we broached on some interesting topics, but I really am afraid of this psycho. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to you, because of your association with me. We just don’t know who this guy is, or when he might be watching us. So, I think we should act totally professional toward each other when we’re at work.”

  He looked deeply into her eyes. “And when we’re not at work?”

  She could feel herself blushing. “Let’s take that one day at a time. My top priority is solving these murders. Until then, I can’t pursue a personal life. It isn’t that I don’t think about you that way, it’s just that now isn’t the time or the place.”