Beyond Secrets, The Art of Murder: A Madison Hart Mystery (Madison Hart Mysteries Book 1)

by DB Jones

“Okay, if she didn’t drive off, then she left with someone, willingly or unwillingly.”

  Madison popped the trunk, got out of the car and slowly walked to the back of the car. The trunk was ajar. Madison reached in, so not to disturb any prints, and lifted it open. The only thing in the trunk was a spare tire. Someone had detailed the car and based on what Ms. Cramer’s apartment looked like; Madison was leaning toward the idea that this woman walked most everywhere and rarely used her car.

  Josh shook his head. “What young woman walks everywhere? This is certainly not your typical college girl. I’d like to talk to some of the neighbors and take some photos of the inside of her place.

  “Let’s snoop around a little more in the apartment. I want to see what’s inside of her dresser and desk.”

  They went back up to Lois’s apartment and found a few of the neighbors standing outside their doors, looking toward the parking garage. Josh stepped up to one of them and flashed his badge.

  “Are you here because the car alarm went off?” one of the neighbors asked.

  Josh stepped up closer to the neighbor. “No. We’re here investigating the disappearance of your neighbor, Ms. Cramer.”

  Several of the other neighbors, overhearing what he said, joined in on the conversation. One lady, from the apartment next to Lois’s, slowly approached. “She was such a nice lady. Is she dead?”

  “At this point, it’s only a missing person’s investigation. What can you tell me about her?”

  “I don’t know her well, but every morning she walks to Rollins College to attend classes. I think she told me she was getting her Ph.D. in psychology,” another woman said. “I would usually see her early when I went to get my paper. She always had a smile and a warm hello for me.”

  “Did she have any visitors, other than her parents?” Madison asked.

  An older woman stepped up closer. “I never saw anyone visit. She was a very serious young lady. You don’t see much of that in the young people these days.”

  Josh added. “Do you know if she had any hobbies or interests outside of the home?”

  An older gentleman leaned in. “Come to think of it, before she came up missing, I passed her one evening on her way out, and I asked her where she was going. She told me she was attending a lecture at the college. But I forgot what she said it was about.”

  A woman from the back of the crowd chimed in. “She told me that she was taking a new class at night.” “I can tell you she sure was dressed up for a class, but then again, Lois was no ordinary young woman. She was serious about everything she did.”

  “Well, thank you for your help. If any of you can think of anything else, please give me a call.” Josh passed out his card among the neighbors.

  As Madison and Josh entered the apartment, one of the elderly ladies hollered out, “I sure hope you find her alive. She was such a nice neighbor.”

  Josh nodded his head.“We’ll do our best.” Then he closed the door behind him.

  “I’m not feeling real optimistic that we’re going to find this young woman still alive. She is a creature of habit, and the evidence just isn’t adding up. I’m going to check some more in her bedroom.” Madison entered Lois’s room.

  Madison pulled out the top drawer of the dresser, and it too was well organized. There were a few pieces of jewelry lying in a slotted black velvet tray, and not costume. And next to that box was a smaller one of make-up and a few jeweled hair clips. There was a clip in the drawer that resembled the one Ms. Cramer was wearing in the photo. Madison bagged the clip as well. On top of the dresser, there was a decorative, hand-carved, oriental box that held a brush and some decorative combs. Madison was surprised to see that the brush still had hair tangled up in the bristles. She photographed the contents of the box and bagged the brush.

  The rest of the drawers were full of clothing, neatly folded. There were no notes or pieces of paper that one would normally see in someone’s dresser. Nowhere in the apartment was there any indication of what this woman did in her leisure time. It was as though the only things Ms. Chambers did there was study, bathe, and sleep. “This seems so odd for a young woman.” She glanced around the room. “I think we’ve got all we’re going to get here. I’d like to run these items over to the forensic lab before we head back to the office.”

  Josh grinned at Madison. “I can hear the wheels spinning in that brain of yours. You’re onto something, aren’t you? That’s why you want to go by your office.”

  “I have a few more things I want to jot down on our board. Something is formulating, but I’m not quite sure what it is. I was hoping if we could stand back and look at our board, something will click.”

  Our board, she said. I like that. “Well, let’s get going. I’m getting a little hungry. How about we grab some take-out before we head to your office?”

  Madison smiled. “That sounds good.”

  When they arrived at the lab, Josh stayed in the car and ordered some sandwiches to go while Madison delivered the items they collected from Ms. Cramer’s apartment. “How soon can we get the results?”

  The woman in the lab took the sealed bags from Madison. “We’re working on some other evidence Maitland sent over, so we’ll add these to that order.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  Madison returned to the car, and Josh was thumbing through some papers. “I took the liberty and ordered us some sandwiches. I didn’t know what you liked, so I ordered a couple of things. If you don’t like any of it, we can get something else. I knew you were eager to get to the office.”

  “I’m sure whatever you ordered will be fine. You’re right; I am eager to get this information we gathered up on the board.”

  As they pulled up in front of Madison’s office, the skies opened up, and a deluge of rain came pouring down. “Crap,” Josh barked.

  Madison opened her car door and bolted for the front door. She fumbled with her keys but finally got the door opened and then turned to see Josh still sitting in the car, looking out of the window, as if he was waiting for the rain to stop.

  Madison spread her papers out on the table and shuffled them around until she had them in the order she wanted. Then one-by-one, she transferred the information to the whiteboard in the appropriate column. As she continued adding to the lists, she heard the roar of thunder and the pounding of the rain intensify. She glanced out the window at Josh still in the car. “By the time he decides to come in, he is going to be totally drenched.”

  Suddenly, she heard the car door slam and her front door open. His wet shirt clung to his well-built body. Madison stared at him and then laughed. “You look like a drowned puppy seeking refuge.” He just stood there dripping, not sure he should continue any further into the room.

  Madison laughed. “Nice look, Detective Logan, but I think you ought to go home and change. I don’t need you dying on my floor from pneumonia. Oh, and I would advise bringing an umbrella when you return.”

  “You think?” Sorry about the mess. I’ll be back shortly. I only live down the road. Oh crap, I left the sandwiches in the car, too.”

  “Just bring them in when you get back.” She tilted her head, and a grin widened across her face.

  Josh darted back to his car, jumped in and slammed the door. Madison could only imagine how wet the seat was going to be. She envisioned Josh changing into some dry clothes, then sitting right back onto the saturated seat. Finally, she turned toward the piles of information on the table and started writing the data on the board. The more data that came in, the clearer her profile of the type of person they were looking for emerged.

  The killer was targeting women that had similar habits and lifestyles, but there was something still missing that would connect them, and she was close to finding that missing piece.

  Josh returned and pulled into the parking lot. Madison expected to see the back of his pants completely saturated from sitting on the wet seat of his car, but he casually walked in as if nothing happened.

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nbsp; “I’ve got an umbrella in the car this time.” He walked over to the table and set the sandwiches down. “I’ll bet you’re starving by now. I know I am. Let’s eat, and you can tell me what new developments you’ve come up with on our victims, or unsub. He pulled a chair up to the table.

  Madison noticed his pants were dry. “When you left here, you were soaked, and I assumed your car seat would be, too.”

  “Yes, it was. I piled up some towels and then exchanged cars at the station before I came back. Betty said she’d have the seats dried out in no time, so I left it with her.” Josh grinned as he opened the sandwiches out on the table.

  Business as usual for him, he was ready to eat and get back to work. He bought ham and swiss on rye, roast beef and a turkey with provolone cheese. “Take your pick. I didn’t know which you’d like, but figured you’d like one of these.”

  “The turkey will be fine. Thank you.” She reached for the sandwich.

  Madison was just about to go over the new items on the board with Josh when her cell phone rang.

  “Agent Hart.”

  Then there was silence as Madison listened to the person on the other end. Her eyes widened, and she dropped her jaw down almost gasping. “What?” Whatever was being said to her was apparently unexpected.

  Josh was anxious for her to get off the phone. She put down her phone and set her sandwich on the table and walked up to the board. “You’re not going to believe this,”

  “Well, what is it?”

  Madison stepped up to the board and picked up the dry-erase pen and started writing down a name. “They just identified our victim.” She scribbled the name, Lois Cramer.”

  “How did they find out so soon?” Josh asked with a puzzled look on his face.

  “You know the evidence I dropped off at the lab this morning?”

  “Yeah. What about it?”

  “The lab just ran the tests the same time they ran the DNA for our Jane Doe #1, the woman we found in the canal. I’ll be damned; they were the same person, and she is one of our missing women. I knew it; there was a connection.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  She plopped down in the chair and just stared at the board. She was too excited to eat. All she could think about was continuing the investigation as soon as possible. This new information is what she was waiting for, and she was driven more than ever to find the connection between all these missing women. Though it was getting late in the day, she couldn’t wait to check out another woman on their list. They had now, identified two of the five pictures that Jim had given her. Both women, most likely, were shot by the same person. “These women knew their killer and felt comfortable with him. Josh, will you finish that sandwich. Let’s see what else we can uncover today.”

  She grabbed her purse and file folder and then headed for the door. Josh put his lunch down on the table while choking down what he was chewing on and ran to catch up with Madison. Good grief, this woman never stops. She’s like a bulldog. When she latches onto something, she doesn’t let go. He closed the door behind him. “Hey, you want me to lock the door?” he yelled out.

  “Yes,” she replied as she got into the car and waited for him.

  “Who’s next?”

  “Cora Franklin. She’s the next one missing in our timeline.”

  Chapter 10

  The day was winding down, but Josh and Madison could not stop. Suddenly there was an urgency to find out all they could about these women. Lois Cramer had been positively identified as one of the missing women, and there was a strong possibility that the other women were dead as well. They were determined to learn all they could about the days before each of their disappearances.

  Cora Franklin went missing on September 6th. Lois Cramer was the first missing victim found, and she was reported missing on July 23rd but not found in the lake until four months later. Her body badly decomposed. Had it not been for the collection of evidence in her apartment, Lois may still be the Jane Doe #1.

  Madison read aloud the last address of Cora Franklin. Josh widened his eyes. “I know exactly where that is.” Cora lived very close to the University of Central Florida in an apartment complex. When they arrived, there was a young man coming out of the apartment. Josh approached him. “Is this the apartment of Cora Franklin?”

  “It was, but she doesn’t live here anymore.”

  Josh stepped closer to the man. “Can you tell us where she moved to?”

  “Who wants to know?”

  Josh showed the young man his badge and ID.

  “Sorry, dude, but we get some strange characters around here sometimes, and since the woman disappeared we’re all a little nervous. No one has heard from Cora since the night she left. Her parents finally came and got her belongings so management could rent the place again. I moved in right after that.”

  Madison showed the man her FBI badge. “Would you mind if we had a look inside?”

  “Is she dead?”

  “Why do you ask that?”

  “Well, you’re the feds, and that usually means something serious.”

  “Can we look around?” Madison asked again.

  “Sure, but the place is a mess. I’ve been studying a lot and haven’t had time to clean up.” He escorted Madison and Josh into the apartment. “I doubt that anything in here is going to help you. There’s nothing left of hers.”

  Madison walked into the bedroom and glanced around the room. It looked like a typical college kid’s room which didn’t give them a clue how Ms. Franklin lived. Just as Madison was leaving, she spotted one small earring on the dresser. She called the young man in to ask him about it. “Is this your girlfriend’s?”

  “No. I found it in the closet when I moved in and stuck it on the dresser. I thought it might have belonged to the lady who lived here before, and since there was only one, I thought she might come looking for the other one. I don’t know why I kept it, I just did.”

  “Would you mind if we take it?”

  “You can have it. I don’t think the lady is coming back.”

  Madison bagged it, placed it into her jacket pocket, and started toward the door. The young man asked again, “Do you think she’s dead?”

  “Thank you very much for letting us have a look around the apartment. If you hear of anything, please give us a call.” Josh handed the young man his card.

  It was nearly 8:00 p.m. by the time they returned to Maitland. “Now I’m hungry, but I’m afraid those sandwiches aren’t any good anymore. You feel like grabbing a bite?” Josh asked.

  “Sounds good. I’m tired but hungry. We can continue this in the morning. I would still like to check out what we can on this Cora.”

  Josh continued driving toward the station house on Maitland Ave. The road turned near Lake Lily toward 17-92.

  “This lake brings back memories of my childhood.” Madison watched the crowds walking their dogs along the path that circled the lake. There was music being played on the small platform jutting on the shore, and food trucks lined up on the upper path to the lake.

  “Hey, would you like to grab something here?”

  “You know, I’d like that. I need some time to wind down. I can’t get this case out of my mind; I need a distraction, it would do me good.” Josh pulled up and parked.

  They headed along the vendor’s path checking out the variety of foods. There was everything from hot-dogs to Tai food, which is what Madison ended up getting. Josh stopped in front of the Italian truck and ordered some linguini with clam sauce. They sat at a small table in front of the landing over the lake where a trio was playing jazz. Madison sighed. “This is perfect.”

  Josh opened his meal. “Now, all we need is a bottle of wine.”

  “I’ve got some back at the office. I’ll fix us a glass while we recap what we have at this point.”

  “I’m up for that.”

  The cool evening wind started to pick up, and Josh didn’t want a repeat of what happened that morning.
“I think we’d better leave before another storm comes.”

  Madison chuckled, thinking back to Josh standing in the doorway dripping wet. “Yeah, good idea.”

  They tossed the Styrofoam plates into the trash and hurried to the car. They got back to Madison’s office just before the skies opened up with another downpour of rain. Josh stepped up to the board as Madison went to the back and pulled a bottle of Merlot out of the fridge. “This is all I have. Hope you like red wine.” She uncorked the bottle.

  “Wine is wine.”

  “I’m not too picky, except I don’t care for the white wines. You might as well not drink any wine if you’re going drink white wine. I prefer a hearty wine, like a Cabernet.”

  But Merlot is good, too,” he immediately interjected as Madison poured their glasses.

  Josh quickly changed the subject. “Okay, explain to me what you’ve added to the board. I see you put a name to our Jane Doe #1. I am beginning to see some similarities between our victims. I guess the first thing we’ll do tomorrow is see what we can dig up on the other women.”

  Madison handed him a glass of wine and stood there staring at the board. She stood with one hand on her hip and the other bringing her glass of wine to her lips. “Well, we have identified the first missing woman; she was a victim of a homicide. We also suspect that she was killed by the same person who killed Ms. Hill.”

  Josh stood up and walked closer to her. They were transfixed on the board, sipping their wine and not saying much of anything. Then Josh stepped up closer. “So far, we know that some of these women were supposed to be meeting someone the night they disappeared.” He furrowed his brow. “Yet, no one knows who. I find that a bit mysterious. They each seemed to have a secret, but what was it?” Josh took another sip.

  “Yeah, I find it curious that none of the people that knew these women, had any idea they had someone special in their lives and were on their way to see that person the night they disappeared. That’s not a coincidence.”

  Josh tilted up his glass and took the last sip. “Another strange trait is that, so far, they all seemed to be obsessed with neatness. Maybe a little too much.”