by Dan Padavona
“Yeah? So what?” The challenge on Raven’s face dared Chelsey to admit she was investigating LeVar. “He’s my brother, and he’s welcome in my house anytime.”
“So why did he climb out the bathroom window?”
How did she—
Before Raven could react, Chelsey whipped around. Outside, the Chrysler roared to life. Chelsey stumbled onto the front steps as LeVar’s vehicle spit gravel and carved two divots through the grass. The car burst up the driveway and squealed when the tires met the lake road. Chelsey stuffed the gun into her holster.
“God dammit!”
“You want to tell me what that was about?”
Chelsey swirled to Raven.
“How many times has LeVar been to your house? You shouldn’t hide these things from me.”
“You’re acting crazy, Chelsey.” Chelsey opened her mouth and stopped. Raven set her hands on her hips. “No more bullshit. Why are you after my brother?”
Chelsey dropped her arms to her sides and paced.
“I didn’t want to tell you. Erika Windrow’s mother hired me to investigate the murder, and LeVar is my top suspect.”
“That’s ridiculous. LeVar didn’t kill that girl.”
“No? Then why did he run?”
“Probably because you broke into my house with a gun. Where we’re from, someone comes into your home with a gun and starts yelling nonsense, you don’t stick around to ask what the issue is. When were you gonna tell me?”
Chelsey chewed on her response.
“You saw the files on my computer,” Chelsey said. “The modified date changed on the folder.”
Now it was Raven’s turn to go silent.
“I didn’t touch your files.”
“No, but you created the Hugh Fitzgerald document. By default, you saved it to the last folder you opened.”
“Shit.”
“Trust me, Raven.”
“Trust is a two-way street. You’re here because of LeVar, and you didn’t tell me anything about the case.”
“Because you’re biased. You never would have let me investigate LeVar.”
“It’s not bias. I know my brother better than you or the sheriff. He’s not a killer.”
“LeVar runs with the most dangerous gang in the county.”
“Doesn’t mean he killed anyone.”
Chelsey pulled the keys from her pocket.
“I should get back to the office. We’ll discuss this later.” As Chelsey turned to leave, she glared over her shoulder. “If your brother makes contact, you better tell me, Raven.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
The video spread like wildfire across the internet while Thomas reviewed the footage. The killer stood off camera. He zoomed in on Erika Windrow’s face, the head surrounded by burning candles, part of some sick ritual.
“She’s the first, but she won’t be the last,” the disembodied voice boasted.
The killer disguised his speech with a voice changer, deepening the voice so it sounded like something out of a spy movie.
“Can we determine who uploaded the video?” Gray asked behind Thomas.
“He used the name Max Cady as before.”
“What the hell is it with the internet? You can upload anything without revealing your name. I don’t understand how any of this is legal.”
Thomas exhaled.
“They embed EXIF data in images and videos. The data tells us when the user created the image, and often where he captured the footage.”
“So if he recorded this footage in Wolf Lake, we can prove it.”
“Theoretically.”
“Get that information. Then go over the post office footage. If the camera caught LeVar Hopkins shipping the package, we’ll nail him to the wall.”
Thomas downloaded the video and interrogated the file. According to the EXIF data, the killer created the footage two days ago, and the video originated from Harmon. Still, he couldn’t prove the date and origin. If the killer brought the footage into editing software and compiled the recording, the data would refer to when he edited the video.
On a memo pad, he jotted the information down and left it on Gray’s desk. Then he inserted the USB drive into the computer and downloaded the recording. While he waited for the copying process to finish, his phone rang.
“Hey, Thomas. This is Darren at the state park.”
Thomas switched the phone to his other ear and picked up a pen.
“Hi, Darren. Sorry I haven’t gotten in touch with you. We’re up against it at the office with this murder case.”
“Are the internet rumors true? The killer sent Erika Windrow’s head to the Bluewater Tribune?”
“We’re waiting on the ME for verification. But we have every reason to believe it’s her.”
“Any way to trace the sender?”
“I’m working on that right now. We have video footage from the Harmon Post Office. Is there a reason you called?”
“I spotted LeVar Hopkins down your way today.”
Thomas tore another sheet from his memo pad.
“When?”
“About twenty minutes ago.”
“Curious. I can’t track him down in Harmon, and he keeps showing up near my house. What was he doing?”
“He pulled into a driveway on the opposite end of the lake. I did a little snooping, and the house belongs to Raven Hopkins, LeVar’s sister.”
Chelsey’s partner?
“Any chance this Raven Hopkins works for Wolf Lake Consulting?”
“That’s her.”
Thomas rubbed the back of his skull where a headache lingered.
“You there, Thomas?”
“I’m here. Just trying to process a series of coincidences. I need to go, Darren. Thank you for the information.”
“Sure thing. I’ll call you if LeVar shows his face again.”
The internet gave Thomas the phone number for Wolf Lake Consulting. The last person he wanted to call was Chelsey Byrd. But if anyone could give him insight on Raven and LeVar, it was Chelsey. He stared at the number and concocted excuses not to call. Chelsey was Raven’s boss, not her keeper, and she wasn’t obligated to tell Thomas about Raven and LeVar. Still, Chelsey tried to capture LeVar yesterday. She also wanted to question the Harmon Kings member.
Before he decided, the copying process ended. Calling up the recording, Thomas scanned the video at high speed until the time code on the top right approached eleven o’clock. A flurry of activity kept the workers behind the counter busy. The line stretched out the door. Two minutes before eleven o’clock, a black youth in low hanging jeans and a t-shirt entered the picture at the back of the line. He held a square cardboard box in front of him. Thomas froze the image and enlarged the frame. Doing so blurred the picture and added noisy artifacts. But he saw the emblem on the youth’s right arm. HK—Harmon Kings.
The youth wore a baseball cap, pulled low over his brow to conceal his face. This wasn’t LeVar Hopkins. The kid wore his hair short, and he appeared small compared to the people waiting in line. Thomas captured the image and saved it to the disk drive. Maybe the lab could enhance the gangster’s face.
The gang member moved two steps closer to the counter. A woman in heels and a long coat eyed him with trepidation. When the postal worker called the youth forward, the boy glanced at the camera. A quick swivel of the head. But it was enough for Thomas to freeze the video and capture a better photo. Now he saw facial features, including a crooked nose and a face splattered with freckles. So young. This kid wasn’t older than fourteen, and Thomas doubted his name was Henry Washington. Why was he in the Harmon Kings? The idea this kid hacked Erika Windrow to pieces, filmed the remains, then mailed the head to the newspaper didn’t sit right with Thomas. The kid on the security footage wasn’t a hardened criminal or murderer.
Perhaps Gray was right about LeVar. The faux Henry Washington might have delivered the box under LeVar’s orders. Whoever the boy was, Thomas needed his name.
He
picked up the phone and dialed Wolf Lake Consulting before he talked himself out of it. Chelsey answered on the second ring. She sounded out of breath, as if she ran into the office moments ago.
“Chelsey, it’s Thomas.”
A quiet moment.
“What can I do for you?”
“You didn’t tell me LeVar Hopkins’s sister works for Wolf Lake Consulting.”
“Is it important?”
Thomas waited until Maggie walked past.
“We’re after the same perpetrator. Help me out, Chelsey. I haven’t lived on the lake in over ten years. Now I discover Raven Hopkins lives a mile from my house, and the top suspect in Erika Windrow’s murder is Raven’s brother. You realize how many LeVar sightings I’ve fielded in the last week?”
Over the phone, he heard Chelsey tap her nails on the desk.
“Raven doesn’t believe her brother murdered Erika Windrow.”
Thomas glanced over his shoulder. Gray sat in his office, and Aguilar ran the blender inside the kitchen.
“The sheriff believes the Harmon Kings are involved.”
“How did he determine that?”
Should he tell her about the post office footage?
“Eyewitness at the Harmon Post Office. Someone with an HK tattoo mailed that package to the Bluewater Tribune. There’s a new video, Chelsey.”
“Oh, no. Did he kill again?”
“Not yet. He posed her head among candles and uploaded the video.”
“That’s disgusting. Why?”
“Probably to gloat. We can’t catch him, and he’s toying with us.”
“Send me the link.”
“I’ll send it through your contact form. Is that okay?”
He didn’t want to ask Chelsey for her cell number.
“Yeah, that’s probably the best way.”
Did he hear disappointment in her voice?
“I need to speak with Raven.”
“She won’t talk about LeVar, Thomas.”
Gray sauntered past. Thomas waited until the sheriff rounded the corner and lowered his voice.
“If she believes her brother is innocent, she needs to tell me what she knows and how I can get a hold of LeVar.”
“Don’t hold your breath. LeVar is a hard guy to find, and he likes it that way. I’ll pass along the message. But I suggest you drive to her house. She’ll avoid you, otherwise.”
“Okay, that’s what I’ll do. Shall we keep the lines of communication open on LeVar Hopkins?”
“Only if you share information with me.”
“You have my word, Chelsey.”
“Promise me.”
“I promise.”
“Then we have an agreement.”
“Thank you.”
His insides buzzed when he hung up the phone. Three times he’d spoken with Chelsey since he returned to his hometown, and he couldn’t get her out of his head.
Yet he sensed evasiveness. Did Chelsey intend to catch LeVar on her own?
CHAPTER THIRTY
Two days of sunshine had allowed the ground to dry. After a long day at the office, Thomas rented a sod cutter and grabbed supplies at the hardware store. When he arrived at Naomi’s house, he unloaded 2x6 boards behind the house and built a pile. Removing the grass would have taken hours with a spade. The sod cutter proved its worth as he cut a long path from the backyard toward the lake and a bisecting walkway into his yard.
The sod cutter rumbled like a motorcycle, and the noise brought Naomi into the yard to observe. She demanded to pay for the supplies. Thomas declined since it had been his idea.
After he carved a shallow path, he laid the boards and framed the future walkway. As he set the frame in place, the deck door slid open, and Scout lifted herself over the lip and coasted down the ramp. Naomi followed with two glasses of iced tea. Thomas cut the motor and wiped his forehead on his t-shirt.
“Beautiful day,” Naomi said, setting the drinks on a picnic table. “Except you won’t take my money, and I feel guilty you’re doing the work for free.”
“It’s no trouble. The ground finally dried, so I wanted to finish the project while the weather cooperated.”
Naomi’s eyes kept shifting to her daughter, as though she wanted to speak to Thomas without Scout present.
“Good afternoon, Scout,” Thomas said, smoothing the soil. “The backyard seems in better shape. Why don’t you check out my guest house? I unlocked the door.”
The girl glanced at her mother for approval. Naomi nodded.
Scout pushed across the yard. When she was far enough away, Naomi turned to Thomas.
“I’m worried about Scout.”
Thomas sipped his iced tea.
“Why are you worried?”
“It’s this amateur investigation hobby. At first, I considered it a positive. Scout doesn’t have friends at school, and I worry she’s observing life rather than participating. Solving crimes, making friends on these forums, it seemed like a good thing for Scout. But now I’m worried. She won’t admit it. But I’m positive she’s trying to catch the crazy person who dumped the body in the lake. She’s secretive, and she hides her computer screen when I come into her room. I’m worried she’ll see something on the internet and it will affect her forever. She’s only fourteen.”
Thomas set his ankle on his opposite knee.
“You’re right to be concerned. The horrors that make it onto the internet turn my stomach, and I’ve worked too many murder scenes to count.”
She bit her lip and swiped the hair off her brow.
“Thomas, I saw the video.”
“Erika Windrow’s murder?”
“Yes. A friend sent me the link, and for reasons I can’t explain…I made a mistake. I turned the video off after ten seconds. That was long enough. I haven’t slept a wink since. Do you think Scout saw the video?”
Thomas thought back to his conversation with Scout yesterday. He didn’t want to betray the girl’s trust. But he felt obligated to protect Scout.
“She did.”
Naomi covered her mouth.
“What? She told you?”
“Yesterday, while we walked. She didn’t want you to find out. But I wouldn’t promise to keep her secret. I should have told you sooner.”
Naomi swallowed.
“That’s not your duty. You’re not her father. But I appreciate you looking out for her. How did she seem to you? Was she upset?”
“She has it in her head that the killer will revisit the scene.”
“Is that a legitimate concern?”
Thomas lifted a shoulder.
“It’s unlikely. But I live next door, and I’m friends with the state park ranger. He lives up the ridge and monitors the lake.” Thomas glanced toward the guest house. The door stood open, and Scout’s shadow wheeled past the window. “Would you like me to speak to Scout about what she saw?”
“That would mean a lot to me. I just don’t want her getting in too deep. She can’t trust everyone she meets online, and some of these crime scene photographs…”
Naomi’s fingernails dug into her jeans.
“I’ll speak with Scout when she returns.”
“You’re a good man, Thomas. One week next door, and you treat us like family.”
Her words unearthed unwanted memories. He’d followed his own path and fought to please his parents, and they’d labeled him a failure. Now he was an adult, and a chance to make amends stood before him. Yet fate had snatched the opportunity away. His father was dying, and the family business would follow him to the grave, if Thomas didn’t come up with a solution. He finished his drink and cleared his throat. Scout exited the guest house with a wide grin. After she closed the door, she wheeled back to them.
Naomi patted Thomas on the shoulder and took his drink.
“I’ll get you a refill. Be right back.”
Scout reached the picnic table at the same time Naomi closed the deck door.
“What did you think of the guest house?”<
br />
The girl’s eyes lit.
“That was beyond cool. It’s like an entire house, but miniaturized. Do you ever spend the night?”
“I did many times when I was your age.”
“I sat at the window while the sailboats moved across the lake.”
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
“The best.”
“When it’s finished, maybe you and your mom can camp out and spend the night.”
“Are you serious?”
Thomas smiled and looked toward the structure, memories of his aunt and uncle leaving warmth inside his chest.
“The guest house is for family and friends, and anyone who needs a place to stay. You can stay on one condition.”
She swiveled to face him.
“What’s that?”
“You don’t watch murder videos on the internet.”
Scout lowered her head.
“Does Mom know?”
“She worries about you. Those videos are too much for me, and I’m a sworn deputy to Nightshade County.”
She fidgeted in her chair.
“But I can catch him.”
“That’s my job, not yours.”
“We know what we’re doing. You should join the sleuthing forum. There are a lot of smart people on the site.”
“That’s another thing. Your mother wants you to cut back on the investigating. Stick to less intense crimes.”
“She’s treating me like a baby.”
Thomas leveled his eyes with Scout’s.
“No, she’s keeping you safe. You’re not an adult. Slow down.”
She moved her gaze to the lake road. Her hands gripped the chair arms.
“Is there something you need to tell me, Scout? If you’re still worried about the killer returning, I promise I won’t let anyone hurt you or your mother.”
Her eyes glistened as she took a deep, shuddering breath.
“Don’t most serial killers begin by killing animals?”
The question stunned Thomas.
“Not always. Why do you ask?”
“There’s a girl I correspond with. She goes under Harpy, but I don’t know her actual name. Harpy investigated a creepy guy who posted videos over the last year. He killed animals.”