The Lady Killer

by Paizley Stone

  When she walked into Captain Rutledge’s office and sat down, he started shaking his head. “I know why you’re here, Laura, and I don’t want to argue with you.”

  “Sir, how long have we known each other?”

  He thought back. “Since you were a wet behind the ears rookie, but you shined more brightly than anyone I had ever seen come through that Academy.”

  “In all that time, have I ever steered you wrong on a case?”

  “I know where you’re going with this, Laura. Don’t pull a best buddy routine on me. We have a boatload of evidence on this one. The Commissioner is happy, the Press is happy and I’m happy to have this over with. Please, don’t go stirring up a bunch of trouble, just because you have indigestion.”

  She stood up and leaned against his desk. “Paul, in all the years I’ve know you, I have never disrespected you in any way, but I am telling you that you are very wrong on this one. I know it would be easier to think that it’s over and keep everyone happy, but it’s not. Making the right political move with the Commissioner isn’t going to keep women safe!”

  Rutledge was getting angry and stood up at his desk. “What solid proof do you have? Give me one thing that I can look at and agree with you!”

  “I just know that David Benson isn’t our psycho, Sir!”

  “Fine, Laura, then give me the name of the person who you think is the real killer, and I’ll go arrest them. We have two suspects that we’ve been looking at for over a month. One is Benson. The other is Vitale, and he’s been out of town for your latest flower delivery. Give me something to work with, other than a feeling.”

  “I don’t have a name, Sir, but I had another one of my reoccurring nightmares again last night! This time the monster had bright red nails, because of all the blood that was dripping from them! If I thought David Benson was our killer, I would be throwing a party and celebrating. Instead, I’m afraid that the psycho is still out there planning that next move.”

  “Well, I can’t arrest your dreams, Detective! Now, I want you to take the rest of the day off and go home. Maybe if you get some rest, you’ll come back with a different perspective. That’s a direct order!”

  Laura passed Della Warren, as she stormed out of Rutledge’s office. She couldn’t stand that woman and wondered why she kept running into her all the time. As she made her way out to the parking lot, Dan called her wondering where she was. “Rutledge and I had a fight. He sent me home for the rest of the day. I desperately need some food in the house. I’m going shopping and then head to the apartment.”

  “It’s going to be alright. Burns and I believe in you. We’re looking into your idea about surveillance cameras at Benson’s building. I’ll give you a call later. Get some rest.”

  Detective Warren walked into Captain Rutledge’s office. “Is this a bad time, Sir? Do you need a minute to clear your mind?”

  He let out a big sigh. “No, just a slight difference of opinion. Have a seat. That sure is some kind of manicure you have going on there. Are you sure you’ll be able to fire your gun accurately?”

  Della laughed. “I have a session at the firing range tomorrow. That should tell me. If not, I can always have my nails cut down. The job is more important than vanity.”

  “What can I do for you, Detective?”

  “I figured that since you have that serial case wrapped up, you would have time now to talk about the SVU department. Unless there are still some problems with that case?”

  “No, I think we pretty much have that in the bag. You couldn’t ask for more evidence against someone. And the great part is that he saved us all the trouble of a trial. What’s on your mind?”

  “I was thinking with Stacey gone, that leaves Michael Vitale and me alone. I was wondering if you would consider making me the Lead Detective and then hiring someone else to help us out.”

  Rutledge was taken back a bit by her bold request. “I will take that into consideration, Warren. Normally, it takes a little time to get the wheels rolling on these matters. I think they just buried Stacey a few days ago. We haven’t had time to think about a replacement yet, but I will let you know what we decide. In the mean time, I think Vitale will be back to work tomorrow. If there’s too much for you to handle, we will address the problem then.”

  “Thank you, Sir.”

  Rutledge watched her leave his office. He shook his head and wondered how she could be so cold and emotionless after the loss of two friends.

  Dan was sitting at his desk, when Michael Vitale walked in with tears streaming down his face. “Detective Murphy, can you tell me why David is dead, and my apartment is a crime scene? I just buried Stacey, and now this?”

  He could tell that the guy was losing control. “What are you talking about, Vitale?”

  “I heard on the news that David is the serial killer, and I know that isn’t true.”

  Dan wasn’t sure what was going on, so he motioned for Roy to come over to them. “This is my partner, Roy Burns. Tell us why you don’t think that Benson is our psycho.”

  Vitale sat down and looked Dan right in the eyes. “David and I lived together. We were lovers! I would know if he was the killer, wouldn’t I?”

  Roy was shocked. “Man, we thought he lived alone! There wasn’t anything in the apartment that looked like a second person lived there.”

  “That’s because I took most of my things with me, when I left for Indiana.”

  “But your address is different than David’s.”

  Vitale looked down at the desk and shook his head. “We were afraid of getting fired, if the department found out that we were gay, so I maintained a separate place for show. I actually have it sublet to a great lady. My full time residence was at David’s place.”

  Dan’s head was reeling. He took out the photos of the living room and gave them to Michael. “So, none of this stuff was there when you left?”

  “No, I’ve never seen any of this before. He was framed for these crimes. I know him. He wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

  Dan gave Roy an imploring glance and figured that he didn’t have anything to lose at that point. “I’m going to be honest with you, Michael. We narrowed down the suspect list to guys from Indiana with violence records, who are also six feet tall and weigh around one hundred seventy pounds. You and David were our two main targets, because you are the only two guys to transfer into our precinct from there in the last year. We also know that there was a bug planted in our office and had video of Stacey raiding our desks. Since it looked like our leak was coming from SVU, we were mainly focused on you, even though you didn’t look great in a dress.”

  Michael was appalled. “What are you talking about? I don’t wear dresses! You think just because I’m gay that I wear dresses?”

  Dan felt bad, because that had come out wrong. “No, not at all! Being gay had nothing to do with it. We thought our psycho was dressing up as women to get close to his victims. We aren’t going to judge you for your sexuality.”

  Michael thought for a moment. “You know, Della is from Indiana, and fits the rest of your criteria. Have you thought about looking at her? Did you know that she and Stacey were lovers, and she didn’t even want to go to the funeral?”

  Dan slapped himself in the forehead and reached for the phone. “Ralph? This is Dan, and I have an emergency! Can you have Jim take a picture of Detective Della Warren, do a quick photo shop as Emily Anderson and get back to me immediately? Thanks.”

  Roy swallowed hard. “Damn it all! If this turns out to be what I think it is, we’re going to have to apologize to Laura big time. Man, have we been off base! When you think about it, everything kind of fits in place. Where is Laura anyway?”

  Dan felt his heart do a giant flip-flop and fear welled up inside him. “The Captain sent her home for the day! I need to get over there right away! Burns, you and Michael get down to Ralph’s lab and look at those photos. If it’s a possibility, then let the Captain know immediately. He needs to find Della and hold her.”
>
  “Will do, buddy. Get out of here, now!”

  Dan raced to his car and took off. He was upset with traffic and trying to hurry. All he could think about was that Laura might be home alone and unaware of the danger she was in. His phone rang, and it was Roy. “Hey the pictures are a match! It has been her all along, and she isn’t here.”

  Dan had panic in his voice. “What do you mean she isn’t there? Where in the hell is she? Have you looked everywhere?”

  “Michael went down to SVU, to stall her until we could get the Captain involved, and she wasn’t there. We’ve even looked in all the bathrooms.”

  “Get those pictures to the Captain, and have him send a SWAT team to Laura’s place right now! We don’t know that Della is there, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. If he argues with you, tell him he will have to account to me if something happens to Laura!”

  “I’m on way to his office right now! You can depend on me, Murf. Don’t worry; we’ll get her in custody.”

  Ralph and Roy burst into Rutledge’s office without knocking. “Sir, look at these pictures! It has been Della Warren all along. She isn’t in the building anywhere, and Laura is alone. Dan is on his way over there now, but we need to send a SWAT team, just in case.”

  Rutledge picked up the photos and studied them for a few seconds. “Damn it, Burns, she was right, and I wouldn’t listen to her! If anything happens to that girl, I will never forgive myself!”

  “That’s alright, Sir, you won’t be able to feel a thing, because Murf will kill you before you have time for regrets.”

  Rutledge picked up his phone and ordered the SWAT team sent to Laura’s apartment. “Well, Ralph, are we doing the right thing? Can we be sure that Benson wasn’t a suicide?”

  “Absolutely! I’m almost certain that Benson didn’t kill himself, he had help.”

  “Then we better get over to Laura’s place right away!”

  Laura hated grocery shopping more that any other household chore. Normally, her complex had shopping carts in the garage, so that residents could wheel their purchases into the elevator and up to their apartments. Since all of them were gone, she was forced to ride up to her place with her hands full of flimsy plastic bags. As she got her door unlocked, one of the bags broke and apples rolled onto the floor. Just then, she heard the elevator door open again, and a hand with long red nails picked up two apples. She looked up to see Della Warren standing right beside her with a bottle of wine. “Looks like you need a little help.”

  Laura stood up, not knowing how to handle the situation. She didn’t like Della. There was something about the woman that she just didn’t trust. “Thanks, I keep thinking I should get those environmentally friendly cloth bags, but the baggers hate them. What are you doing here?”

  “I came over for a little victory toast. Your long drawn out case is over, isn’t it? I saw you leaving Rutledge’s office earlier, and you looked upset. He was telling you to relax, so here I am with alcohol. A couple of glasses of this, and you’ll feel no pain!”

  Laura carried her groceries into the kitchen and set them on the table. “Have a seat on the couch. I only have a couple of items for the refrigerator. The rest can wait until later.”

  “Great, bring in some glasses when you come.”

  Alone in the kitchen, she took down two glasses and grabbed a bottle she had already opened. There was something about the, “feel no pain”, statement that didn’t settle well with her. Was she just being paranoid to think the bottle Della brought was spiked with more than wine? She walked casually into the living room and sat in the chair. “I thought we’d finish up this one that’s already open first, if that’s alright.”

  “The more the merrier!”

  Laura uncorked the open bottle and poured wine into the two glasses. Della had an unsettlingly weird smile on her face, as she sat on the couch staring at Laura. “Where’s that jock of yours today?”

  The last two messages from the psycho flashed before Laura’s eyes, and terror struck through her like a lightning bolt. Of course! Della’s size and stature was like Emily and the crazy shopper lady. It was all becoming clear, and she knew she had to play it cool. If only she hadn’t locked her gun in the glove compartment before shopping. Her next few moves could mean the difference between life and death. At last, she had a name for the monster she had been chasing all these months, but she might not live to utter it out loud. “What are you talking about?”

  “You know, Murphy, the big goofy jock.”

  “Oh, him? He was only around here to protect me while we were chasing David. Now that we have the case solved, I’m happily on my own again.”

  Della eyed her carefully. “That’s not what I hear around the precinct. Everyone is saying that the two of you are an item.”

  “How long have you worked there?”

  “Almost a year, why?”

  Laura knew she was still playing that same cat and mouse game and forced a laugh. “Then you have definitely been there long enough to know that it’s one big gossip mill. Last year they had me romantically linked with Dr. Ralph Foote, if you can believe that.”

  Della’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “So, you don’t have any special man in your life?”

  “No, after I threw my ex out of here three years ago, I gave up on men!”

  Just then, Laura’s phone started to vibrate. She looked down, and her heart jumped when saw that it was Lumpy. “Excuse me for a moment, Della, I have to take this.” She smiled and then picked up her phone. “Hello, Burns. Are you calling to bother me? The Captain gave me the rest of the day off to relax.”

  Dan froze on the other end of the phone. “You’re in trouble, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, I certainly am. Della brought over a bottle of wine for a victory toast. So, we’re going to have a nice relaxing ladies night. We’ll probably go out to dinner later.”

  “You figured it out, Della is the killer. I’m on my way, and I’ll be there in less than five minutes.”

  “Great! What are you and Sara doing tonight?”

  “The SWAT team should be right behind me. Don’t leave there with her under any circumstances, even if she has you at gun point! I’m going to ring your bell soon. When I do, answer it and get out of the way.”

  “That sounds like fun. You deserve a night off too. Murphy? No, I haven’t heard from him. What did you do, lose him?”

  Dan had never been so frightened in his entire life. He loved Laura and wanted to be there for her. “I’m about a minute away now. Pretend you are hanging up, and then set the phone down on the table, so I can hear what’s going on. Just make nice with her until I get there. Whatever you do, don’t drink her wine!”

  “Okay, go have fun with Sara. Now that we have that serial case solved, you can forget about work for one night. Bye.”

  She set the phone down and turned to Della. “I’m very sorry about that. One thing about being Lead Detective, the troops are like your children. If you ignore them they get rowdy. I didn’t mean to be rude.”

  Della picked up her glass of wine but remained stiffly seated on the couch. “Thanks for apologizing. Most women wouldn’t have even noticed they were being rude. I can’t stand inconsiderate people!”

  Laura sensed that Della was getting irritated. “So, Della, I’ve never gotten a chance to spend time with you, or get to know you. Have you heard that Murphy is leaving Homicide? Why don’t you think about coming to work with us?”

  Dan pulled up in front of Laura’s building and ran up the four flights of stairs, so that the noise of elevator doors opening wouldn’t alert Della. He knew that the element of surprise was the only thing he had on his side, and he was listening for the right moment to strike.

  Della softened her posture and relaxed into the couch. She eyed Laura with an almost seductive look. “Would you like to spend more time with me?”

  Laura smiled softly. “Yes, I might really like having another woman to work with. The testosterone level around there lat
ely certainly has been overwhelming. I could use a little feminine touch.”

  Dan chose that time to ring the bell.

  Laura acted surprised. “Let me get that. I didn’t hear the elevator; it must be my neighbor from down the hall. I’ll just be a minute.”

  She opened the door and stepped aside. Dan jumped in with his gun drawn, and Laura watched the scene unfold in slow motion. She saw Della drop her glass of wine and reach for her gun. At the same time, Dan yelled, “Della, it’s over!” Then his gun discharged. Della’s body slammed back into the couch, as her gun fired into the ceiling, and then it dropped from her hand. She laid there with blood oozing from her chest, which was as red as her nails.

  Right on cue, the elevator doors opened, and the SWAT team ran into the living room. Dan lowered his gun. “Be careful guys, she is extremely dangerous, and I’m not sure if she’s dead.”

  The next person to enter the room was Captain Rutledge. He saw Laura standing there trembling, while she stared at Della’s lifeless body. “Dan, get her out of here, please.”

  Dan took Laura’s hand and led her out into the hallway, just as Roy and Ralph arrived on the scene. “Thank God you’re okay! Man, Laura, I’m never ignoring your gut again! Are you alright?”

  “Thanks, Burns. I will be, now that this is really over.”

  Captain Rutledge walked over to them. “Dr. Foote, I believe you are needed in there to pronounce time of death.”

  Ralph nodded his head. “I’m sorry to say this, Paul, but in this instance, it will be my pleasure.”

  Rutledge took a credit card out of his pocket and looked at Dan. “This is my expense card. Take her to the downtown Hilton, and get her the best room they have. She can’t stay here until we release this place as a crime scene. I want the two of you to have dinner in the hotel, and then relax for the next couple of days. All expenses are on the precinct.”

  Laura looked at him anxiously. She was feeling remorseful after her outburst in his office. “I’m sorry I disrespected you earlier today, Sir. I never want to fight with you again.”

  “No, Laura, I’m the one who owes you an apology. I’m with Burns. I’ll never ignore your gut again either. Now go in, pack a few things and get out of here. Exceptional work, you two.”