Murders of the Zodiac Boxed Set

by Paris Morgan

  I was impressed that Joe wasn’t backing away from his anger, but continued to act like this was normal, and maybe it was.

  “We could use a few more heads to see if they have any other ideas and help with a second set of interviews. Someone somewhere saw something,” Joe concluded.

  “Well, you’re going to get what you asked for. Ft. Worth has requested that we send someone over there to work with them. So, Boxe, you’re going to split your time between the two stations. Nick and two others are going to be assigned to you because this killer has to be taken down before the news gets ahold of the story. We don’t want women who were born during this month to be living in fear.” He looked between the two of appraisingly.

  “I’ll want a daily report on my desk about what’s going on with our investigation and with theirs.” He pointed contemptuously in the direction of Ft. Worth.

  “Yes, sir,” we both responded.

  “That will be all. You’re dismissed.” He motioned us out.

  I waited until we were out of hearing range. “Is he always so pleasant?”

  “He’s not known for being nice, but he knows how to get the job done. He’s not a fan of the homicide division’s chief because they dated the same woman at the same time. She dumped the boss and stayed with the one over there. It’s like a rivalry between the two cities’ homicide divisions. They both want to be the one to have their name showing the best ratings,” Joe explained, unwrapping his now cold burger and taking a bite.

  “Guess I’ll leave now and spend the afternoon over there, seeing if Ryan has anything that I can help with.” I gathered the files that I had out, not looking forward to this inner-city cooperation.

  ***

  Most of my afternoon was spent getting permission and filling out forms that would allow me access to the Ft. Worth building. Then, finding my way around to where each of the murders had taken place. I was parked in front of the third one when my phone rang.

  “Hey, how’s it going today?” A smile unconsciously broke out on my face.

  “Good. I was just wondering if you might like to do something tonight?” Jerome’s deep voice sounded loud in my car.

  “I wish I could, but I was up until almost three last night, and then had to be back in early this morning. I’m exhausted, and I don’t want to rush into things like we were doing last night. I’m not trying to blow you off, I promise.”

  “Ah, I was wondering how late that call kept you out. What if we went to a movie so you could relax and not think about this case? No pressure. Afterward, you can go straight home and sleep.”

  “That might actually work.”

  A hired car pulled up across the street, distracting me from our conversation.

  “Jerome, I’m going to have to let you go. I’ll text you if things are wrapped up before seven and we’ll make plans. Bye.”

  I hung up quickly because Noah Preston was getting out of the vehicle and walking a young lady up to her door. Now, why would he be over here when he worked in Dallas at three in the afternoon? Snapping a few photos with my phone, I started to send both Ryan and Joe the pictures when I realized that this was something I didn’t want them to know about.

  Instead, I dialed the number that Nick had given me. “Hi. I know we’ve never met, but I was given your phone number.” I paused while he spoke. “I can meet you in about an hour at the coffee shop. Thank you.”

  Watching Noah get back into the car, I decided that I was going to call it a day and follow him to his destination. He seemed to be the missing piece to my puzzle, and the only link I’d found so far.

  ***

  Unsure if his driver had spotted me, or if Noah had already planned to return to work, I was disappointed to find myself outside of his company’s massive building back in Dallas.

  A glance at my watch showed I still had almost twenty minutes to meet Ford at the coffee shop, and I wanted to give Noah a chance to get inside before I left.

  He went straight to the elevator, where he was met by his assistant before the doors closed and I lost sight of him.

  Still trying to make a decision, the driver got out of his vehicle for a smoke. Jumping out of the car and acting lost, I walked toward the elevators and consulted my phone. Then, shaking my head, I walked back in the other direction and leaned over the side of the garage.

  “Excuse me, sir, could you help me?” I headed closer to him. “I’m trying to find the energy department for a meeting, and I think my GPS has taken me to the wrong place.”

  I placed my phone where he could see what I’d typed in only a moment before.

  “I’m not sure if it’s the same energy place you’re looking for, but there’s an energy company in the main building. It’s not a department, though.”

  “Oh, thank you. I don’t want to be late to my appointment.” I patted his shoulder. “You have a string on your hat. Here, let me get that for you.” I stood on my tiptoes and slipped a small dot under the band of his hat. “All set.”

  Waiting on the elevator, I waved and turned the tracker on as the doors closed.

  It was showing up loud and clear. If he was Noah’s driver, then I’d have a good idea where he drove to after work. Making use of the blind spot from the parking garage, I had a car ordered and at the curb, ready to take me to my meeting with Ford.

  This way, I’d be able to come back afterward and see if Noah was still in the building.

  ***

  The coffee shop was mostly deserted at this time of day, except for a student or two working on papers since it was close to one of the campuses downtown.

  Knowing that more coffee was the last thing I needed right now, I ordered tea and sat down to wait for my contact to arrive.

  Ford walked in, and there was no doubt that he was my contact because of his confident demeanor.

  “Well, you’re as gorgeous as Nick said you would be,” he complemented.

  “Nick hasn’t been around enough women. He doesn’t have a very high standard.” I let the sarcasm roll off my tongue. The only way to deal with someone that had the kind of presence Ford displayed was to put up a wall to keep his charm from slipping past.

  “You have the correct idea. Oh, it would be so much fun to see you let loose at our club. But I’m afraid that you would never make it long undercover. It would have to be of your own free will, and there are too many variables for that kind of project right now.” Ford ran a finger up and down my arm, sending shivers over my body.

  “What can you tell me about Noah Preston?” Unsure of how this worked with Nick, I decided that a forward or honest approach was the best way to work with most people.

  “Straight to the point. No room for gray, everything must be black or white.” He gave a quick frown before he slipped the charm back into place.

  “I’m sorry. I don’t have any patience left. We have women who have been murdered, and I’m pretty sure that Noah is involved, but I just can’t put my finger on any real evidence. I know it’s a big ask to tell stuff about a mutual friend, but I’ve got to find a way to stop this killer before he takes another life,” I pleaded.

  “Smart and passionate as well. Hmm, I can’t fault you for being suspicious of Noah. He’s, what shall we say…a player? But not the good kind. He’s a user mostly. Someone who has just enough power to be dangerous, but who doesn’t really know how to use what he has available to him. We have very strict rules at the club. Noah has friends that overlook when he strays over the line or too close to the rules for the rest of us. We can’t really do anything unless we see him do something at the club. I believe that he is keeping his more distasteful activities off-sight and avoids trouble from the board.”

  “He just doesn’t sit well with me. He’s too suave. Now, you are very charming and make women want to do whatever you demand, but he has more of a fake charm that can change when no one’s looking.” It clicked what I’d been feeling when I’d seen Noah.

  “Astute of you to notice that. I’ll ask a
round and see what those who’ve worked one of his private parties have to say, and if there’s a way for you to get what you need.” He started to stand. “I will warn you, though. You seem to have common sense. Noah Preston is a snake and can strike with no warning. He has very powerful friends, and if they find out that you’re interested in him, they can make life miserable for a new detective. Tread carefully.”

  With that cryptic warning, he was gone before I could process everything he’d said. My gut feeling seemed to be right on target. Noah Preston wasn’t a good guy, but was he the one behind the murders?

  He certainly deserved another look, but that would have to wait until tomorrow, after I went to the movies and got some sleep.

  Chapter 6

  Jerome was waiting outside the theater, ready for a relaxing evening. I hoped that I wasn’t making a mistake by letting my guard down.

  “You made it. What kind of movie do you want to watch?” He gave me a quick hug.

  “Something light and funny, no death or guns involved,” I sighed wearily.

  “There’s a comedy starting in ten minutes,” he suggested.

  “Done.” I handed the ticket seller behind the glass my card.

  I scooped up the tickets and headed straight to the ticket taker, but he put a hand on my arm. “Don’t you want something to snack on?”

  A few minutes later, we were settling into our seats with drinks and popcorn.

  “This is so weird. I’m not used to going to the movies with a guy.” I placed my drink opposite Jerome, and turned back to find the armrest gone.

  “I thought you could be more comfortable without it there.”

  “So is this your way of sliding an arm behind me when you stretch?” I grinned at his none too subtle attempt for us to get closer.

  “It’s not like we have a lot of people watching what we’re doing.”

  “All right.” I surprised myself by leaning my head on his shoulder and putting my feet up on the seat in front of me.

  Three previews later, and I remember shaking my head, knowing I’d dozed off for a second.

  “What did I miss?” I sat up, trying to wake up.

  “Only the entire movie.” He grinned as the lights came on.

  “You’re serious?” I slapped at his arm. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

  “Really? I knew you were exhausted and needed the sleep. Plus, it’s been a while since I’ve had a girl curled up in my arms. It was nice,” he answered sheepishly.

  Stretching, I managed to get most of the kinks of my shoulders and neck. “Now that I’m awake, do you want to get dinner?”

  “If you don’t think it’s too forward, I’d like to pick up something and go back to my house. You mentioned you needed to do some research, and that’s what I do for a living. So maybe we can eat while you get some insight into your case,” Jerome offered generously.

  “Wow! That would be amazing. I also promise I won’t fall asleep on you after dinner.”

  “Great, it’s decided then. I know just the place and can call an order in while you drive over to pick it up.”

  “This dating thing might not be as bad as I’d thought when I signed up for it.”

  ***

  Dinner was over, and instead of trying to seduce me, Jerome brought a laptop over and sat it on the coffee table in front of us.

  “Some things I have folders on because the magazines or papers do a lot of stuff based on certain subjects. What are you wanting more information on?” His fingers hovered over the keys, ready to type in whatever I said.

  “Okay, I’m going to give you a subject that keeps coming up, but you can’t speak about it to anyone,” I warned. This would be a good test to see if he could keep things to himself. A good relationship between us wasn’t going to work if he wasn’t trustworthy enough to ignore things he might pick up on from my job.

  “No worries. You’re so far off the record that I won’t even remember what I looked up for you.” He mimed zipping his lips and throwing the key away.

  “I need to know more about the birth sign Aquarius.” I took a deep breath, hoping I wasn’t about to lose my job.

  “Okay. Well, I do know a little bit about it. Most papers run a horoscope reading daily or weekly depending on your sign. You can also access that online and get a daily reading from one of the top psychics in the states.” He pulled up a few sites for me to look at.

  “These look like generic things that might happen to anyone in the course of a day. It’s just a gimmick for someone to come back on a daily basis or pay more money to have a personalized reading,” I muttered suspiciously.

  “Each city has a sign based on its latitude and longitude, when it was established, among other things.”

  “See if you can find what sign Dallas has, or Ft. Worth,” I urged, interested in the results.

  “It says here that Dallas and Ft. Worth are Sun Aquarius signs. Does that mean something to you?”

  “Yes,” I answered shortly. “Each of the murders that we’ve uncovered have been done when the sun was still up. I hadn’t even thought about it. The bodies might not have been discovered until after dark, but each attack was during daylight hours. What else does it say?”

  “Hmm, there are lots of details about love and which partners are the best matches. Each sign even has a preferred flower and color.”

  “What flower is the one for Aquarius?” I had a sinking feeling that it would be orchids.

  “Orchids are the sign’s flower.”

  “Shit!” I didn’t cuss that much, but there were times when it was needed.

  “It says that they hate injustice and work well with innovation, philanthropy, conserving energy, and making the world a better place.”

  There was that word ‘energy’ again, and it was coming up more than once. But I turned my focus back to what Jerome was describing.

  “They tend to be very independent while not wanting to be alone. They may settle for the wrong person simply so they’re not by themselves. Most work well with others in a team situation, but don’t like having an overbearing boss that will cause them to rebel.” Jerome had no idea how many things she could use to find reasons why these women had been murdered.

  “There’s more technical stuff that has to do with the rotation of the sun and the alignment of the stars, but most of that is over my head. It would take a few hours before I could gather enough information for it to make sense to someone without that kind of background. Psychics are often firm believers in people’s signs and what it means for their futures.”

  “Unbelievable. I’m going to have to go back to the psychic and see what kind of information she may have that could help me get into this killer’s mind.” I had a way to get Flora’s contact info, but I was pretty sure that it was going to mean having a conversation with Ryan to get to the bottom of her story.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to overwhelm you with so many details. This is so fascinating.” Jerome could barely pull himself away from the computer screen.

  “Why don’t you keep doing some research and I’ll go home and get some rest? I think my nap worked for a small while, but I’m starting to fade again.” I got up and grabbed my bag from the side of the couch.

  My words brought his attention back to the present. “Don’t go.”

  “I have to. Even though you’re amazing, I need some rest because I don’t think this killer is going to stop anytime soon. Thank you for a lovely evening. I’m sorry I fell asleep during the movie,” I apologized, walking to the front door.

  He joined me, but put a hand on my arm to stop me from leaving. Instead, he gave me a kiss that had my toes tingling from the heat of it.

  “You don’t play fair,” I groaned, reaching for the door handle to escape what could become a welcome moment in his bed.

  “Nope, no pressure. That was just so you wouldn’t forget about me while you sleep.” He gave me a cocky grin.

  “Have no fear, I couldn’t forget something tha
t steamy even if I wanted to.”

  Tearing myself away, I raced to my car and slid behind the wheel, feeling like I’d escaped something.

  Yeah, a night of amazing sexual pleasure.

  That brought me back to the present because my phone beeped with an update on where Noah was at the moment. So much for a night of sleep.

  Chapter 7

  I arrived early enough to type up my report for the boss with some information about similarities between the murders, and the fact that they had all been done during daylight hours.

  Joe wasn’t in yet, but I still had the drive over to the other station to meet Ryan.

  While I was driving to Ft. Worth, trying to avoid the traffic going to work, I replayed the trail Noah had left behind. I’d managed to intercept him and follow behind at a discreet distance. He’d gone to the club while I’d been at Jerome’s, but when I found his vehicle ahead of me, he’d pulled into a housing section where two of the murders had happened.

  He’d walked a woman up to her door before going back to the car and pulling away. Since I’d seen that she was alive when I left, I had to wonder how long he toyed with them before he had them murdered. I was pretty certain that he wasn’t the one actually doing the killings. It would be more likely that he’d have them disposed of by someone he trusted.

  Someone cut in front of me, reminding me that I needed to have something grounded in reality.

  When I’d walked into the other station and gone through all the security checks, it was like I’d started all over again.

  Ryan’s office wasn’t difficult to find since I’d been there before, but he was walking out as I was about to knock on the door.

  “We just caught one, and the neighbors are the ones who called it in. You can ride with me.” His commanding tone made me bristle inside.

  “Sure,” I managed to respond politely.

  Unlike most of the other murders, this one was on the bad side of town at an apartment.