CRUEL DECEPTION (Det. Jason Strong(CLEAN SUSPENSE) Book 9)

by John C. Dalglish

  Larry Bostik was home, sitting on the front porch with his mother, when they drove up. They secured the swab, despite his mother telling him to ignore the warrant, and had just gotten back in the car.

  Jason’s phone rang. “Strong.”

  “Where are you?”

  Jason recognized the lieutenant’s voice. “We just served the second warrant.”

  “Well, get back here and drop those off.”

  “Okay, what’s the hurry?”

  “Our guy has struck again.”

  “Where?”

  “Just get back here with those kits; I’ll give you the info then.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” The line went dead and Jason put away his phone. “We have another scene.”

  Vanessa groaned. “Did she tell you where?”

  “Nope, just said to get back to the station with the kits.”

  “Well, I guess you better drive.”

  *******

  An hour later, Jason and Vanessa were on the west side of city, pulling up to the home of Emma Perkins. A small, yellow ranch-style house, with a white roof and matching shutters. The emergency vehicles, patrol cars, and forensic vans crowded in around the building, practically swallowing the tiny home.

  Emma Perkins’s sister had called in the murder, and after clearing the crime tape, Vanessa went over to speak with her. Jason went inside to survey the scene.

  Sophie Perkins, a slight girl of just nineteen with red hair and freckles, sat with her head in her hands. Vanessa touched her gently on the shoulder. “Miss Perkins?”

  A pair of swollen eyes encircled by smeared mascara looked up at her. “Yes?”

  Vanessa sat down next to the young girl. “My name is Vanessa, I’m a detective. The officer over there told me you found your sister.”

  “Yeah,” she sniffled. “We were supposed to have lunch before she taught her class and I came over to pick her up. When she didn’t come to the door, I used my key to get in, and that’s when…” Tears began flowing again, and Vanessa put her arm around the girl.

  Vanessa let the girl compose herself before continuing. “You mentioned a class, what class?”

  “Emma’s a yoga instructor at New Life Spa.”

  “The one on Military Trail?”

  “Yeah, that’s the one.”

  Vanessa opened her pad and made a note. “When was the last time you spoke to your sister?”

  “Last night around nine. We made the plans for today.”

  “Did she sound like everything was okay?”

  “I think so. Everything seemed normal.”

  “Can you think of anyone who would want to hurt your sister?”

  “Absolutely not. She was nice to everyone.”

  “What about a boyfriend?”

  Sophie shook her head. “Not since she broke it off with her ex nearly two years ago. She’s dated a few guys, but nothing serious.”

  “What about her ex? Could he have wanted to hurt her?”

  Again, Sophie shook her head. “No, he doesn’t even live here. They dated when she lived in our hometown, before Emma moved here for the yoga job.”

  “Where’s your hometown?”

  “Corpus Christi.”

  “How did you end up here?”

  “My boyfriend got a job. I moved up with him.”

  Vanessa closed her pad. “Do you need a ride anywhere?”

  “No, Freddy is coming to get me.”

  “Is that your boyfriend?”

  “Yeah, Freddy Gomez.”

  “Okay, Sophie. Here’s my card, and if you think of anything, please call.”

  The girl took it, clutching it between both hands. “I will.”

  *******

  Inside the house, Jason found the same medical examiner’s tech who was at the law office the other day. He was standing over a body lying on the kitchen floor examining the wound as Jason walked in. Jason stopped to survey the scene. Blood was spattered on the walls, just as in the other two killings, and the victim was dressed in some kind of a workout suit. The scene matched almost identically. Her clothes did not seem to be disturbed, and there was writing in blood on the wall. H-E.

  The tech stood up and noticed Jason. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  Jason smiled, acknowledging the gallows humor. “Yeah, we have to stop meeting like this.”

  The tech grunted. “Definitely.”

  “How did she die? The same way?”

  “Yeah. Throat slashed, bled out, probably between midnight and three or four.”

  Jason heard the click of a camera, and flashes started going off around him. He looked at the photographer. “Make sure we get some good shots of the writing.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Jason walked around the body and went down the hall, checking each room as he went. The third door opened into a spare bedroom and Jason found an open window. The screen was cut.

  When he got closer, he found a blood smear on the window frame. The killer had left the same way he came in. He went back to the tech and made sure samples would be taken of the window sill. Next, he went outside to the backyard and looked at the window used for entry.

  Vanessa joined him. “Find something?”

  “Yeah, it looks like the point of entry. Did the girl give you anything?”

  “I’ll fill you in on the way back to the station.”

  Jason turned and looked around the backyard. A chain-link fence was the only barrier to an alley that ran out of sight in both directions. The detectives walked back along the fence, looking for footprints or car tracks, but found nothing worth making a plaster cast.

  An officer came into the backyard looking for them. “Detectives!”

  . The officer was shaking his head as they walked toward him in the middle of the yard. “So far, canvas of the neighbors has produced nothing.”

  Jason nodded. “Thank you.”

  Vanessa looked at her partner. “Well, was it there?”

  “Yes.”

  “What did it say?”

  “H-E.”

  “H-E, like ‘he’?”

  “That’s right. You gonna go in for a look before we leave?”

  “Yeah, I’ll meet you at the car. We need to visit a yoga spa.”

  “Okay…Are you thinking about taking up yoga?”

  “Funny. Apparently our victim worked there.”

  “Meet you in the car.”

  *******

  New Life Spa was located in a strip mall not far from Lackland Air Force Base. They parked near the door, which was located on one end of the six-shop strip mall, and climbed out into the late afternoon sun.

  Going inside, the detectives found themselves in a small entryway, with a reception desk on one side, and a three-quarter wall on the other. The wall was made of large glass blocks and Jason could see the distorted shapes of a group doing yoga on the other side.

  Vanessa walked up to the desk and tapped the silver bell. A woman in her mid-to-late thirties came out from behind the wall. She wore a full body spandex suit with stocking warmers and ballet slippers. Her brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She greeted them with a big smile.

  “Welcome to New Life. What can I do for you?”

  Vanessa was still standing by the desk and pulled out her badge. “My name is Detective Layne, and that’s my partner, Detective Strong. Is the manager in?”

  “I’m the manager; actually I’m the owner. My name’s Lindsey Roland.”

  “Is there somewhere more private where we can talk?”

  Lindsey Roland’s smile disappeared. “Uh…sure. Follow me.”

  They walked into a large room with wood floors, white ceilings, and numerous ceiling fans turning slowly. A huge mirror covered one wall and shelves were placed around the outer edges of the workout floor. Some held workout mats, others towels, and the large unit at the back had the sound station on it. Music played non-stop as a handful of women positioned themselves in a way that Jason thought would break his neck.

/>   On the far side of the workout floor, the owner opened a door leading to an office. Once inside with the door closed, the music faded into the background. The owner sat in her chair behind the desk and offered two other seats to the detectives. Jason stayed standing by the door, notepad open, but Vanessa accepted. “Miss Roland…”

  “Lindsey, please.”

  Vanessa smiled. “…Lindsey. We’re here about one of your instructors, Emma Perkins.”

  “Is she okay?”

  “No, I’m afraid not. She was found dead today.”

  Lindsey’s eyes filled with tears. “I knew it. She never misses a class without calling. I knew something had to be wrong. What happened?”

  “She was murdered.”

  “Murdered!”

  “Yes. Someone broke into her home and killed her. Her sister found her this morning.”

  “Oh, poor Sophie.”

  “Lindsey, can you think of anyone who would want to hurt Emma?”

  The owner reached for a towel behind her and wiped her eyes. “No…no. I mean she was nice to everyone. I never even saw her argue with anyone.”

  Jason looked at his notes. “Does the name Nikki Bostik ring a bell with you?”

  Lindsey shook her head. “No, I don’t think so.”

  “How about Lori Mason?”

  Another shake of her head. “No, why?”

  “They may have a connection to Emma’s death. Did you ever hear Miss Perkins say she needed or had talked to a lawyer?”

  A third shake of the head disappointed Jason. Despite the obvious connection between all three crime scenes, they still couldn’t explain why or how the victims had been chosen. If it meant the women were indeed random victims, things just got a lot more difficult.

  “When was the last time you spoke with Emma?”

  “Yesterday, after her one o’clock class.”

  “And she seemed fine?”

  “Yeah. She was her normal bubbly self.”

  He pulled out a card. “We would like to have a list of all her students for the last three months. Can you get that for us?”

  “Sure, but it will take me a couple hours. I’ve got to finish this class and do another.”

  Jason circled one of the numbers on the card before handing it to Lindsey. “That’s our fax number at the station; can you send the list there?”

  Lindsey stared down at the card, looking without seeing, and nodded. “Sure…”

  Vanessa scanned the office. “Did Emma have a locker?”

  “No… we just used those shelves on the wall, the ones by the bathroom. No one ever comes in here.”

  Vanessa looked in the direction Lindsey pointed. Three modular shelves were mounted on the wall at the far end of the office and they were empty. Vanessa stood. “If you think of anything, please call.”

  The owner nodded, still staring at Jason’s card.

  As they walked out of the office and across the workout floor, Jason spotted a series of photos along the back wall. Above the photos, in painted wood letters, were the words: Our Instructors. Second from the left was the photo of Emma Perkins, her big smile lighting up a pretty face. Jason shook his head.

  “Sometimes there’s just no understanding why.”

  He turned in time to catch the look on Vanessa’s face. It was a sadness he recognized. “Sorry.”

  “Don’t be, sometimes there is no understanding why.”

  Chapter 7

  First thing the next morning, Jason and Vanessa were in the basement, going over the Emma Perkins’s autopsy report. Doc Davis was tired from a long night in the morgue and he continuously rubbed his eyes as he spoke.

  “Appears to be the same weapon, this time from behind like the first victim. Again, there was no sign of sexual assault, nor were there any defensive wounds. She probably never knew what hit her until she was lying on the floor.”

  Jason took the file offered by Doc. “Thanks. Are you going to go home and get some rest?”

  “I hope so. I need to finish something up first.”

  “Good, because you look asleep on your feet.”

  Doc gave the detectives a tired smile. “Yeah, well, if you two would catch this guy, I might be able to get some rest.”

  “We’ll do our best to accommodate you.”

  Vanessa opened the door and held it for Jason. They went directly across the hall to Doc Josie’s lab. As they came through the door, Jason saw a young lab intern touch Doc Josie on the shoulder. Pulling her face away from the microscope, the doc thanked the girl, then got off the stool.

  Jason looked at her accusingly. “Did she just warn you we were coming in?”

  Doc Josie shook her head. “No, she just warned me that you were coming in.”

  “That’s not fair! How am I supposed to sneak up on you with other people standing guard?”

  The doc laughed and looked over her shoulder toward the intern, then back at Jason. “She’s new. I told her if you scared me while she was on duty, she was fired.”

  Vanessa giggled. “That’s fantastic.”

  “We’ll see how fantastic,” Jason said looking at the intern across the room. “And you better not fire her.”

  Doc Josie walked into her office and came back with two folders. She handed the first to Vanessa. “I’m afraid neither DNA profile from yesterday is a match for our suspect.”

  “Dang! Nailing that Tyler punk was going to be my Christmas present to myself.”

  Handing the second one to Jason, Josie summarized. “Emma Perkins. No hair or fibers found on the victim. The writing had no fingerprint ridges, indicating gloves again, and the blood you found on the spare bedroom windowsill was the victim’s. It must have transferred from the gloves when he was climbing out.”

  The two detectives wore matching looks of disappointment as they turned to leave. Just before going out the door, Jason turned and called out to the young intern. “She won’t fire you!”

  The lab tech smiled. “I’m not taking any chances.”

  Doc Josie grinned at Jason. “I only hire the smart ones.”

  *******

  Jason and Vanessa were about to get off the elevator on the third floor when they saw Lieutenant Banks coming toward them. “Hold the door, we have an appointment!”

  She came on the elevator and pushed the button for the fourth floor. “The captain wants to see us.”

  Jason and Vanessa exchanged surprised looks but they rode up in silence. When they reached John Patton’s office, Mary Faldo was playing gatekeeper as usual, but she told them to go directly in. Banks tapped on the door and opened it.

  John Patton sat behind the oversized desk, smiling broadly when he saw the two detectives. “Jason, Vanessa, great to see you.” His smile disappeared. “I’m sorry to hear about what happened, Vanessa.”

  “Thank you, John.”

  He stood up. “Follow me.”

  Patton led them through a side door into a conference room. They all took seats around a large table, and then the captain looked at Jason. “I want an update on the case with the bloody writing.”

  Jason took out his notepad. “There are three victims, all killed with a single slash to the throat, all died from bleeding out. There’s been no sexual assault in any of the three cases. The writing is done post-mortem, as much as twenty minutes after death, and the killer is wearing gloves. We found a pair near the second crime scene.”

  “How do you know the writing is being done that long after death?”

  “Doc Josie ran an experiment. She noticed that even though some of the blood spatter was covered by the writing, it hadn’t smeared, which means it had time to dry.”

  “That’s why she’s the best; nothing gets by that woman. Please continue.”

  Jason looked back at his notes before continuing. “We had a connection between victims one and two, victim one was a client of victim two.”

  “What sort of client?”

  “Legal. Victim two was a lawyer.”

  �
��And victim three?”

  “So far, we’ve been unable to make a connection.”

  Patton looked at Vanessa. “What about the writing? Does it mean anything?”

  She nodded. “We think so, but haven’t been able to put our finger on what.”

  “Tell me again what was written?”

  “Scene one had K-C, scene two had A-T-T, and scene three had H-E.”

  “What’s your best guess?”

  Vanessa shrugged. “Before we had the third victim, we found that both of the first two used AT&T for their phone service, so we did an extensive search for Kansas City area codes.”

  “And?”

  “No luck.”

  “So with the letters at the third scene, does that point at anything?”

  “Not right now, but we haven’t had much time to process it since yesterday.”

  John Patton looked at his lieutenant. “Sarah, let’s call a press conference for this afternoon. We’ll put the three victims’ pictures out to the public and see if they can make a connection.”

  “Okay. Do you want me to take lead on this presser?”

  “Yes, but I don’t want any mention of the writing. We don’t want to start a panic about a bloody serial killer with a calling card. Let’s see if anyone makes a connection between the victims first.”

  “Will do. You want these two present?”

  Patton laughed. “Sure, why not? We don’t want them missing out on the fun.”

  Jason and Vanessa rolled their eyes at the same time. “Thanks a lot, Captain!”

  *******

  The news conference was scheduled to take place at four o’clock, in plenty of time for the story to make the evening news and to be in the morning papers. Jason, Vanessa, Banks, and Patton rode down in the elevator together. Banks was the only one carrying any notes.

  Jason had been to a handful of press conferences run by Sarah Banks before and she was the best. Maybe not from the reporters’ point of view, but for a detective, he loved how she got them in and out with no unnecessary time wasted.

  The pressroom, an old patrol briefing room, was still laid out like a classroom, with rows of desks and white concrete walls. The department hadn’t spent any money to make the press corps comfortable. Most of the desks were full, and TV cameramen were shoulder to shoulder along the back wall, when they filed onto the makeshift stage at the front.