Tori laughed as she lifted the mattress. “You’re a man and single, that’s why.” When she saw the porn, she pulled the magazine out. “Looks like your officer liked reading material.”
Detective Lester was appalled when she started flipping through it, and then tipped her head to look at the pictures. “Knock it off.”
She glanced up. “What? You don’t like hooters?” Tori turned the magazine towards him. Where he only thought she was pretty, Tori had served with raunchy soldiers and men in the FBI. She could hang with the best of them when it came to talking trash.
He was getting flustered. “I think it’s safe to say that Officer Jersek is clean.”
Tori shook her head. “I beg to differ. This is some kinky magazine,” she pointed at the one centerfold. “I don’t think he’s into ‘clean’.”
“You know what I meant! I wasn’t talking about his sex life!”
Tori shrugged. “You want to take this in and question him on his sexual habits?”
“Absolutely not! A man’s porn is a private thing. What happens in the privacy of the home, between two people, should stay there!”
That made her grin. “My, my, Detective. I do believe you told me more than I was asking. Want to share?”
He became more flustered and red at her statement.
When he couldn’t even come up with a reply, she winked at him. “Don’t even try. I worked for the FBI. What I’ve seen would make you blush even more,” she added, walking from the room. “This was nothing.”
He watched her walk away.
“Damn Littlemoons. You three make me want to drink.”
Sunday Afternoon
They reconvened back at the office to wait for the full team to meet up. What they really needed to do was sit down and begin to see what stood out in all the information that they had gathered.
The walk through of the victim’s home hadn’t given them anything new, so it looked they needed to talk it all out until something popped.
Everyone glanced up as Tori strolled in.
Julian was up and out of his chair at his wife’s arrival. “Hey, honey. I missed you,” he said, as she moved into his arms.
“I missed you too, Jules,” she replied, nuzzling his neck. “It’s not as much fun searching places and watching interviews without you,” she whispered in his ear.
Julian’s body reacted to the scent of his wife and feel of her against his body. Without looking at the other people in the room, he gently laid his lips over hers in a ‘welcome back’ kiss.
Justin started laughing. “So much for not making out in the workplace.”
Vivian grinned. “I think newlyweds are cute,” she stated, and then started giggling.
Justin winked at her, as he moved closer to her side.
Tori regretfully pulled away from the kiss. “Later,” she murmured to her husband.
Julian couldn’t wait. “Tell us about your adventure?”
She allowed him to lead her to a chair. “It was fun. I tormented Vivian’s partner at every opportunity, especially when sex came up.”
Julian dropped his pen and stared at her. “What?”
“I said,” she began, before being cut off.
“I know what you said, Victoria. I want to know why you were discussing sex with another man.”
Tori kissed him on the scowling mouth. “We searched Officer Jersek’s house. The discussion was in regards to the officer’s sex toys and condoms.”
This conversation wasn’t really getting any better.
“Oh, and the porn magazines with the naked women.”
He closed his eyes and tried to remain calm. “You’re never leaving my side again. We were apart for a whole four hours and you managed to get into trouble. You’re grounded.”
Everyone in the room began laughing, especially when Kane and Christina walked in and stared at them like they were crazy.
“What did we miss?” Kane asked.
“Overall or in general?” Justin said.
“Overall,” the large man answered.
“We had another woman go missing, Tori talked sex with another man, and Vivian and I got married.”
Kane’s cup paused halfway to his mouth. “Pardon?”
Even Christina was staring incredulously. “You talked sex with another man?” She completely ignored the marriage comment. She was used to people getting hitched fast. Look at Elizabeth and Ethan. That had happened in four days, and it ended just fine.
Tori started laughing. “I did, but how about we discuss the case?”
Julian agreed. “Yeah, let’s.”
Pulling out the file, Vivian started flipping through the information. “We have three women abducted and one of them killed. The houses were clean, so we know that he is definitely not going there after taking them.”
“He’s pulling them over,” stated Tori. “But how?”
Justin offered his opinion. “If it’s a cop, they can use their lights and stop them.”
Vivian contemplated it. “I’d go with that, except the police cars in Delta Falls all have onboard cameras that can’t be tampered with by the officers. Suspecting that, we already had all the cars checked. No one turned them off or messed with them. Our on duty cops are in the clear.”
Tori leaned against her husband and ran her hand up and down his leg. “Who said that they’re on duty?”
That had merit.
“Plus, you can go online and order a set of lights. If the perp is putting it on his dash and using his high beams while behind the women, they won’t know the difference. As far as we know, all three were inebriated. That’s going to make it harder to form rational conclusions and focus on the small details.”
“That could be why he’s doing this at night,” Kane stated. “Who’s going to not pull over when they see lights?”
“I would and I probably wouldn’t even question it,” admitted Vivian.
Justin didn't like that idea at all. “You’re not going anywhere without me.”
Tori laughed, since his comment had just mimicked the one her husband had made.
Yeah, they certainly were twins.
“I won’t Justin. You don’t have to worry. I like to spend my nights with you. I won’t be out drinking at a bar.”
Christina began to giggle. When they all looked over at her, she stared back. “Come on! I didn't make a comment. Doesn’t that count for something?”
Julian continued on, “This fits, if it’s a cop.”
Tori shook her head. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I saw the interview and searched Tony Jersek’s home. It doesn’t fit. He doesn’t have a basement or garage and there were too many holes in his alibi.”
“You don’t think it’s him?”
She shook her head. “Sorry, but I don’t.”
“Could it be another cop?”
Vivian didn't have an answer for that. “My partner is checking them all out, but there are quite a few cops in Delta Falls. This may take a while.”
Julian thought about it. “We know that the boot print at the first and third scene looked like cop shoes. They had that aggressive tread.”
“If it’s an officer, that fits,” Vivian said.
“What do we know about the women?” asked Christina. “Working for the FBI all those years, I noticed that they usually will tie together one way or another.”
Justin pulled out the three files that they had been given by Vivian. “Victim one, Melissa Lagerfeld, is an ER nurse.”
Tori pulled out a piece of paper and wrote her name in one circle.
“Our second victim, Tawny James was a dental assistant.”
She added another circle and placed the deceased woman’s name in it. “Okay, next.”
“Our third victim, Bridget Green, was a receptionist in a medical office.”
Tori turned it around. “All three worked in a ‘medical’ related field. “Two of them,” she pointed at the first two women before continuing, “date
d paramedics.”
“Okay, so until then, they were all connected. At any point, they intersected,” stated Vivian.
“Yes, the aberration is that the third woman was dating a cop,” Tori added.
“So, the person doing this is switching it up?” Justin asked. He was more of a tracker like his brother. This cop and solving crime thing was a little out of his element.
Julian shrugged, unsure how to answer that. When he was a deputy, there weren’t a lot of abductions or murders in Red River. In fact, there was only one case, and the FBI handled it.
Vivian shook her head. “Or he’s slipping up. First, he makes a mistake and kills one woman, and now he picks someone away from his perceived epicenter.”
Justin wasn’t getting it.
Tori could see his confusion. “He may be trying to throw us off, or the women are the ones that are connected and not the men.”
Christina pulled out a pen. “I can start comparing the three victims to find something they have in common, but without technology, it may take a day or two.”
“The man taking these women is giving us a few days in between, so we do have a little wiggle room,” Vivian said. “Not much, but some.”
“I wish we had more time between the dreams,” Tori said. “Then, we could stop him before he goes under into his hidey hole.”
“Yeah, I wish too,” Vivian said.
Tori started to think about it. “Someone found the woman’s car this morning. Maybe we should do a personal interview to see if that individual saw anything. Even the smallest little tidbit might give us something.”
Vivian agreed. “I can call my partner and get the person’s name.”
Julian stopped her as she stood. “When will the report be in on what was in that syringe?”
She glanced down at her watch. “It probably won’t be ready until later tomorrow afternoon. I can ask for a rush, but it comes down to how busy the lab is.”
“I wish I had some high-tech equipment. I could get you the information in less than four hours,” Christina offered.
“Yeah, well, welcome to the low tech world of private investigation,” Julian added, grinning. “On this one, we need to let the cops and lab do their thing.”
“I hate being prisoner to other lab work,” she answered. “I was trained by the Blackhawks to hustle or get my ass kicked.”
Kane heard the little waver in her voice and the guilt overwhelmed him. Yeah, she’d left a job that she loved to be with him, and he was worried it was going to fall apart. In fact, he was pretty sure it was only a matter of time.
“I’ll call,” Vivian said. “I have a few friends down there, so I’ll see what magic I can make happen.”
It was the best they could hope for at that point.
When Vivian moved to the other room to make the call, they continued working.
“Are we going to follow up on the little rumor that Josh Devaul was a cheating bastard?” Christina asked as she tried to not dwell on the FBI and what was once her high-tech lab.
“Yes, we need to,” stated Julian.
“Vivian and I can take him tomorrow. We should be able to get something out of him.”
Christina interjected, “Tomorrow, there’s a memorial for her. I saw it on the news.”
Tori liked that idea. “You can hit him right after it. He’ll be more vulnerable, and you’ll break him easier.”
Julian stared at his wife. “You’re vicious and like a rabid attack dog.”
She grinned. “I worked for Elizabeth too. It’s a habit.”
Christina offered her a fist bump. “You can’t be deprogrammed. It’s some southern mojo that she has over you. I liken it to voodoo. Half the time, you never see it coming, and it knocks you on your ass.”
Julian laughed. “Hey, I’ve seen her in action. There’s no need to explain.”
Just then, Vivian returned. “Okay, so I talked to my partner, who by the way is all worked up because he was forced to deal with Tori. It seems you have him all stirred up and hot under his very starched collar.”
She grinned. “It’s a skill.”
Julian stared at her. “Yeah, well you better not get used to whipping out that little trick. Your husband might get pissed off. In fact, it will definitely make him mad.”
She winked at him. “Duly noted, babe. I’ll try and keep that in mind next time I’m alone with a detective.”
He went to object, but his sister-in-law cut him off.
“It seems that the lab will be done processing by tomorrow, and that’s with the rush. I was able to get the man’s name that reported the car on the side of the road. His address is coming soon.”
“Great,” Justin said.
“A Lenny Walters reported it this morning on his way home from work.”
Justin nearly fell out of his chair. “Wait, did you say Lenny Walters?”
“You know him?” Julian asked.
“Uh, you could say that.”
“How?” Tori asked.
“I served with him in the military, and he’s my contact at the hospital.”
“Wait, you mean that he’s the one who has been giving you the information on Melissa and the paramedics?” his brother asked.
“Yeah, that’s him.”
They all looked around at each other and no one needed to say what they were thinking. From the looks on their faces and stunned silence, it was quite clear.
“That’s a pretty big coincidence,” Vivian said finally, as she sat beside her husband and took his hand in hers. She imagined that the news didn't sit well with him.
“Yeah, it’s too big of a coincidence,” he said. This made him incredibly sick to his stomach.
No one at the table was going to disagree.
Chapter Twenty Three
At first, they let him have a moment to think it through. While Justin paced the room, no one spoke. If his friend and informant at the hospital had found the abandoned car, there had to be a connection or valid reason.
When he finally relaxed, his brother went to his side. “How about Tori and I interview him, and you and Vivian take Josh Devaul?”
He shook his head. “No, Jules. Lenny and I served side by side. I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not possible. He can’t have anything to do with this.”
Julian patted him on the shoulder. “Bro, I know that you believe that, but you’re too close to this one.”
His body tightened, and he could feel anger welling up. “Can we discuss this alone?”
As if on cue, Kane and Christina stood. “We’ll cut out, boss. Call us if you need anything.”
Julian glanced over. “I want you to work on the connection between the three women tomorrow morning. We may not meet up here first thing.”
They nodded and closed the door behind them.
The click sounded loud in the room.
“Do you want me to go too?” Vivian asked, before anyone could start talking.
Justin glanced over. “No, you’re my wife. Stay.”
Tori even flinched at his tone, and she gently patted Vivian on the back.
He faced down his brother. “It’s not him. I’m telling you that right now. The man risked his life to help us out when we had wounded soldiers. The person doing this is crazy and taking lives. It doesn’t fit.”
Julian knew that this was an emotional powder keg, just waiting to go off. “Justin, I’m not saying that he did do it. I’m saying that as investigators, we need to look at everything that comes across the desk to eliminate the possibilities. It’s the job, and it isn’t going to always be comfortable.”
Justin glanced over at Tori and Vivian. “It’s not him.”
Julian didn't want to upset his brother, but he really had no choice. “Being a soldier isn’t easy,” stated Julian. “You don’t know what state he came home in. The man you knew then, and the man you know now, may not be the same person.”
You could have heard a pin drop in the room. Even Tori tensed
at his words, knowing where he was taking it. Yes, the killer may be crackers, but did Julian see them both as damaged and crazy too?
“So, is that how you view me? Out of my mind?” Justin practically raged.
Julian stared at him. “You’re my brother and I love you, but let’s face it, you didn't come back as the same man you left.”
Justin took a step closer. “Really?”
If anything, it was baiting a tiger, and Julian knew it. “Yes, really. You don’t know what’s going on in that man’s head. By finding the car, we need to take a closer look at him.” He would have asked Tori and Vivian their opinions, but he didn't want to paint a bull’s-eye on either of them. He was treading into the eye of a very violent storm, and knew what was coming.
Justin moved into his twin’s personal space. They were now staring at each other, toe to toe, and eye to eye. “Why don’t you just say what you’re thinking, Julian, and stop alluding.”
He stood his ground. Part of loving his brother was accepting his temper. It wouldn’t be the first time that Justin lost it and a fight ensued. “I already did.”
Justin could feel the rage welling up in him, as the confrontation was becoming inevitable.
When he moved closer, Julian warned him. “Don’t do it, Justin.”
Anger beat at him and the rage filled his vision.
“This is proof of my prior statement.”
It was all that it took.
Justin lost total control.
He lunged at his brother, and they toppled backwards onto the conference room table. There was a startled gasp from the women.
Tori had just enough time to pull Vivian out of the way, before the men almost fell onto her.
They struggled briefly, before Julian got his brother locked in his arms. He hissed in his ear. “This is what I’m talking about. Go the hell home, Justin.”
He released him and stepped back. Justin didn't wait for him to say anything else. He walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him.
“Are you okay, Julian?” Tori asked, moving towards her husband.
“Yeah.” He hated that he had to prove his point that way, but it was the only way to get through to his brother.
Blood Red Rage (LIttlemoon Investigations Book 1) Page 34