by Scott Pratt
Lukas walked over to the gauze and picked it up.
“Care to help?” He held up the bandage. “The one-armed man can’t quite do this for himself.”
“Lukas, I’m so sorry. I don’t know if I’ve ever been so embarrassed. But I called, and you didn’t answer. I was worried. I guess I know why you didn’t answer now.”
“Phone was dead. Forgot to charge it last night. It’s charging now.”
Brooke picked up the dressing as Lukas sat down in a kitchen chair. She started removing the old bandage from the wound.
“Sorry I invaded your Saturday like this,” Brooke said. “I should have waited until I talked to you on the phone.”
“It’s okay. Actually, I am hungry, so your timing’s good. And we need to discuss the case. Ouch.” He winced as she tore the tape off the wound. “You better hand me one of those,” he said, pointing to the beer on the coffee table. Brooke handed him a beer.
“Hurts that bad, huh?”
“Only when I breathe.”
She lifted the gauze. “I’ve seen worse, you sissy.”
“And I’ve had worse.”
“When?”
“In Afghanistan.”
“Care to elaborate?”
“No. Want to see the scars?”
“No.”
Brooke finished dressing the wound and stepped back. “There. All done.”
“Thanks, Florence Nightingale,” Lukas said. “Let me grab a shirt real quick, and we’ll take that pie out on the deck.”
As Lukas walked away, Brooke noticed something that looked like an angel and some writing she couldn’t discern on the seat of his sweats. It wasn’t exactly how she pictured him dressing. She picked up the pizza, grabbed a beer, and walked outside to the deck.
The view was beautiful, much like the view at her house. A line of pine trees bordered his property, and her seat afforded a perfect view of the mountains. The sound of the screen door shutting announced Lukas’s arrival.
“I’m starved,” he said. “I see you got extra cheese. Something else we have in common.”
“It’s nice here.”
“I like it. Quiet. Peaceful. Kinda away from everything, but not too far.”
They talked a bit and devoured most of the pizza, lounging on the deck until the cool night air forced them inside. Brooke sat down on the sofa as Lukas went for another round of beers. Returning, he handed her one and sat down in the recliner.
“She’s mad, isn’t she?” Brooke said.
“No, she’s fine,” Lukas said, but he didn’t sound convincing. “She understands work is work. Don’t worry about it. So, what did we learn last night?”
“First, I need to ask you a question. And I don’t want you think I was looking at your ass. But what does the symbol and writing on the back of your sweats mean?”
Lukas smiled. “It says, ‘That others may live,’ and it’s an angel holding the world.” He stood up and turned around, giving her a perfect view of the symbol and what it covered. “See?”
Yeah, she saw, and she liked. “So much for not looking at your ass.”
Lukas laughed and sat back down.
“What’s that from?” Brooke said.
“It’s the pararescue motto.”
“What exactly is pararescue, anyway?”
“It’s a unit that was originally formed to rescue pilots who had been shot down or crashed. We were trained to conduct search and rescue operations in all kinds of environments, all kinds of terrain. Pararescue has evolved over the years and several of the units are now part of the military’s Special Operations Group. The guys are basically combat medics. They go into hot combat zones and pick up Rangers, SEALs, Green Berets, Delta operators, anyone that needs to have wounded soldiers evacuated. They even help with civilians in some extreme cases. Their primary mission is to save lives, not take them, but they’re capable of doing both.”
“So, you’ve been in combat?”
“I have, and I don’t mean any offense at all, but I’d rather not discuss it.”
“No offense taken. Are you sure you don’t wear those sweats just to get women to look at your butt?”
“My butt gets looked at plenty without them.”
“Nice to know you think so much of your butt. So how about we get back to last night? I still have a lot to learn. The guy just came at me, and I didn’t react quickly enough. It all happened so fast. It was a blur.”
“That’s what the code words are for. That’s why we went over them.”
“I guess I wanted to get this thing right so bad, to get some kind of a lead, I let it go too far. And in the process, I learned a hard lesson and almost got you killed.”
“At least it was a lesson we both walked away from.”
“Who knows?” Brooke said. “Maybe we altered our killer’s plans last night and saved a life. Maybe he was out there, and he knows we’re upping the pressure. Maybe he’ll make a mistake.”
Lukas swallowed the remainder of his beer and sat the empty bottle on the table. “I feel like we’re making progress but at too slow a pace. The leads we have aren’t getting us any closer to solving it.”
“Oh, that reminds me. I checked on the red car and the R.O. lead, but I didn’t find anything.”
“What about the patterns? Can you think of anything there?
Brooke leaned back on the couch and rubbed her temples. “I think the abortion clinic and poster are too obvious to dismiss. I’m not sure about the others.”
“The locations could just be places of opportunity or convenience,” Lukas said.
“They could be. But with all the evidence that’s building up, I’m beginning to doubt it.”
“Have we ruled out the pimp war theory?”
“I think so,” Brooke said. “It just doesn’t fit. First, there’s no connection between the pimps here and in Kingsport. And when I interviewed Nelasco, he seemed genuinely afraid. If he knew anything, I think he would have spilled it.”
“And the rope lead?”
“It’s a long shot.”
Brooke’s cell phone pinged. It was a text from her mom wondering where she was.
“Damn, it’s later than I thought,” she said. “I need to pick up Sierra.”
Lukas stood and walked her to the door. “Are you good to drive?”
“I’ve had two beers. Of course I’m okay to drive.” She turned to face him as she stepped out on the porch. “Before I go, I wanted to thank you for last night.”
“For what?” He looked genuinely confused.
“For just being there for me.”
“Oh. No problem. And thank you.”
“For?”
“Changing my bandage. And noticing my butt.”
Chapter Eighteen
The man marveled at the clarity of the cameras. The placement was pretty damned good, too, considering he was an amateur. The cameras were advertised as having a range out to forty meters. He estimated his cameras were at about the fifty range, but they were still remarkably clear. They served his purpose well. He could see what he needed to see.
He sat in the spare bedroom of the apartment where he had his computer set up. The video feed came through his computer monitor. He cycled over and over between the cameras.
“Where are you tonight?” he whispered to himself. The clock on the wall over the computer showed it was after eight. “You’re out late, young lady. Where are you?”
He felt the anger rising like lava from a long-dormant volcano. He wondered where she could be. After last night, he would have thought she would be at home spending time with her little girl. That’s where she should be, not out carousing like a trollop.
He got up from the computer desk and walked to the living room. He turned up the volume on the scanner. Maybe she was still wor
king. Did he miss something? He doubted it. He walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water.
As he stood in the kitchen drinking, he could tell the images on the computer screen were changing from the reflections on the wall in the dark room where the computer was located. He hurried to the room to check the monitors.
He watched as the two figures disappeared out of sight toward the front of the house. A moment later, he saw lights switch on in a steady pattern throughout the house. He’d done some closer reconnaissance of the house, so he knew the layout. First, a light in the living room, then the dining room, followed by the little girl’s room, and finally the master bedroom. He inched closer to the screen as if it would improve his view.
Shortly after the lights were switched on, they were extinguished in the same order. He could see shadows through the blinds. From what he could discern, the TV in the living room had been switched on. He let the footage run for a few more minutes just to make sure there was nothing else he could learn. Satisfied, he turned off the monitor, ending the night’s surveillance. He ambled over to his well-worn recliner and adjusted the volume on the scanner. He listened to the calls go out as the various cars were dispatched and wondered what must be going through the minds of Brooke Stevens and Lukas Miller.
Who would find the next body? That must be a worrisome thought for them. He was still ahead. He was winning. He had no doubt he would win in the end. The thought gave him a deep sense of satisfaction.
He had carefully orchestrated everything. They’d tried to stop him, but nothing had worked. He almost felt sorry for them.
“I believe it’s time,” he whispered. He closed his eyes and sat listening to the scanner for a few more moments. It was quiet. He nodded his head in the darkness. The quiet wouldn’t last for long.
Chapter Nineteen
Three days after Lukas was stabbed, he was back on the job. He’d worked the case as much as possible from home by running down leads by phone and conferring with other agencies about serial killers targeting prostitutes. He checked and rechecked his case files, especially those concerning Razzy, to see if he could make any plausible connections. He spent hours poring over the files and had re-organized the murder book, going over the pictures again and again. The caveat to being back in the office was that he wasn’t allowed to get out except for mundane paperwork details, but he was not going to let what little momentum they had stagnate. He was seated at his desk going over the reports from Friday night’s sting when his cell phone rang. It was Danny Smart.
“Hey, Danny, what’s up?”
“Not a whole lot with me, but word on the street is you’ve had an interesting few days. Do you care to confirm or deny?”
“There’s no way the truth could possibly compare to what’s been going around, and I’d hate to spoil your fun.”
Smart chuckled. “Seriously, how are you?”
“I’m good. A little sore, but every day it’s a little better. Got any good news for me?”
“I need to return your jump drive and I’ll be happy to share what I think. Unofficially, of course. Can you swing by?”
“Sure. Be there in an hour.”
Lukas was anxious, so he arrived at the FBI field office early. Smart met him at the rear entrance to the building.
“Let’s do this out here.” He pointed at his car, which was parked close by. Smart handed over the jump drive as they climbed in.
“So?” Lukas said.
“I read the case notes and looked over the photos, read the bios of the victims, the whole deal. Now, before we go any further, remember, this is off the books. It’s in no way official or binding. And, as with all profiles, it’s only accurate to a degree, and—”
“I know, I know. Hell, Danny, I’m not asking you to sign a prenup. Just tell me what you think.”
“For starters, a black male doesn’t fit the profile.”
“Okay. Who does?”
“I believe you’re looking for a white male, mid-thirties, give or take five, above-average intelligence, has a steady job he likes and is good at. Probably not married. He obviously doesn’t care much for women, or at least prostitutes.”
“Are we looking at a lone wolf killer?”
“I think so. He might have some help, it isn’t unheard of, but this is probably the work of one man. The increased violence and mutilation to the bodies show an escalating psychological disorder.”
“What about patterns?”
“Not much there, really, other than the vics are all prostitutes along with one other thing I’ll get to in a minute. This guy had some serious problems in his childhood or early adolescence. My guess is his mother was a hooker. And a lot of these serial killers survived attempts on their lives by one or both parents. That anger turns to rage, the rage smolders over time, and eventually it boils over, and they act out. This guy is escalating, which tells me his psyche is deteriorating at an accelerated rate. The body at the mayor’s house was a grandiose gesture. He thinks he’s smarter than you guys, and he’s toying with you. That was pure contempt for law enforcement. That was a sign that he thinks he’s invincible.”
“Which means he’ll make a mistake soon. He’s becoming overconfident.”
“Maybe, but there’s something else you missed that might play into catching him.”
Lukas thought about the patterns he’d examined, all the evidence he’d gone over and over and over.
“What did we miss?” Lukas said.
“All of the victims had children.”
Lukas leaned back. Children? What could that mean? He reached into his pocket and started rubbing the jump drive between his fingers as though the information contained within it would magically reveal some answer. But what Smart was saying was true. All of the victims had children, and he and Brooke hadn’t made the connection. It was right there.
“What’s it mean?”
“I’m not sure, but there’s one thing I’m sure about. He isn’t through. I don’t know when or where he’ll strike next, or how, but he won’t quit. He can’t. He’s on a high right now. He’s enjoying this.”
“Maybe he’s enjoying it too much,” Lukas said. “Maybe enough to get careless.”
“I hope so,” Danny said, “but I hope you don’t have to wait until he kills again to find out.”
Lukas shook his head and let out a long breath. “Mama said there’d be days like this. Thanks, Danny. I won’t say a word to anyone.”
The drive back to the station gave Lukas more time to think. He dialed Brooke’s number, and she answered almost immediately.
“How’s the arm?”
“Better. I talked to Danny Smart.”
“Is he done with the profile?”
“I don’t want to go into it over the phone. Can you meet me somewhere?”
“Sure. I’m hungry. How about Lucky’s in thirty?”
“I’ll be there.”
Chapter Twenty
Brooke listened quietly as Lukas went over Danny Smart’s assessment. When he was finished, she sat there with a blank look on her face. She was disappointed they had both missed the child connection, but at least it was something that might be considered another lead. It wasn’t much of a lead – sort of a cryptic lead – but it was information they hadn’t recognized previously, so it was something new.
“I can’t believe we missed that,” she said. “Damn, it seems like for the past week every time I turn around I’m feeling like I’ve made a rookie mistake. You know what? We need to turn the tables on this guy. It’s high time someone else started feeling stupid.”
“Calm down, tiger,” Lukas said. “I know how you feel. I felt the same way when Danny dropped that little tidbit on me.”
Brooke was silent for a long minute. Then she said, “Okay, looking on the bright side, we have a new lead. Where does that leave u
s?”
“Nowhere,” Lukas said. “Square One.”
“I love your optimism.”
“Just being realistic. We’re no closer to him than we were on day one. So, he kills hookers who have children. His mother may have been a prostitute. She may have tried to kill him. So, what? None of that identifies him. None of it really helps us.”
“It’s been over a week since Razzy,” Brooke said. “The next one will happen soon. He knows he has us on edge, and Agent Smart is right. The killer is on some kind of high, like he’s going through a manic phase. We need to get back out on the street. I’ll talk to my people and see if we can get an operation going for tonight. Are you in?”
Lukas glanced at his right arm and slowly back to Brooke with an incredulous look.
“Shit. I forgot. You can help me in the ops center. That’s not against the rules, right?”
“They won’t let me near an operation right now. Captain Hunter made it clear – no action. If I get another injury, it had better be a paper cut or a coffee burn. That’s the deal I had to make to get back to my desk. Besides, I’ve got something I really need to take care of tonight. It’s important.”
He noticed that they both had only eaten half of their meals. Their appetites disappeared when Agent Smart’s findings made their way to the forefront of the conversation. Lukas pushed his chair away from the metal table.
“Will you be working as a handler?” Lukas said.
“I’ll be overseeing the whole thing. We’re short-handed even with you. Without you, we’re like a three-man basketball team. I think we’ll work your turf this time, though. Any advice?”
“Not really. Our guys know the area well, so they should be able to bring you up to speed.” Lukas glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to run. Be careful. Call me if anything breaks.”