by Gerri Hill
“I’m sorry. It’ll take me a while to get used to that.”
“Used to it? I don’t think you ever get used to it.” Tori leaned back and stretched her legs out. “You just have to separate it. It’s no longer the body of a young girl. It’s evidence to catch a killer.”
“Did you find anything else?”
“Until we get DNA back, it’s hard to believe it was the same killer. The first two bodies were clean, except for semen. This one… rope fibers, wood fibers, the knife wound… everything’s different.”
“Maybe he’s just progressing.”
“Yeah. Listen, Jackson is going to get the photos in the database as soon as he can. If we get a DNA match, I think you should set up a meeting with CIU for a profiler. I’ll stay out of your way. Besides what happened last week, me and CIU go back a ways.”
“Is there anybody in the department that you haven’t pissed off?”
“I think I’ve pretty much made the rounds.”
Tori’s cell phone interrupted them.
“Hunter, I think we may have an ID on your girl.” Fisk said.
“Which one?”
“This one. Got a missing persons on a Rachel Anderson. Description fits. I’ve sent a unit over to her parents’ house. You want me to bring them in?”
“Let’s get photos first and we’ll take a look. We don’t need to upset them if it’s not her.”
“Roger that.”
“Come on, Sam,” Tori said, already walking to the car. “Missing Persons got a possible match.”
Tori watched through the glass window in one of the interrogation rooms as Sam spoke quietly with Mrs. Anderson. She had never been good with this part of the job. Too many memories crowding in. But Sam, she had a warmth about her. Tori watched as the woman reached out to Sam, clutching her arm. Tori looked away from the pain. Sam had just told her about her daughter. If it was left up to Tori, she would have just blurted out the news.
“Hunter?”
“Yeah?” She turned to face Malone.
“Mayor’s office just called. They want to meet tomorrow. Have you read the paper?”
“No.”
“Don’t. We get ripped. Seems it’s our fault they didn’t report enough about the first two murders.” He looked at Samantha. “Is that the mother?”
“Yes.”
“You going to question her?”
“Yes. As soon as Sam thinks it’s okay.”
Malone nodded.
“So, she’s working out okay? I’ve never seen you stand on the sidelines before,” he said.
She shrugged. “She’s better at this than I am.”
“Okay. But be quick about it. We need to meet. Do you want me to bring in another team?”
“No.”
“All right. But we’re under the microscope with this one.”
“I have a theory. I’ll know more after we speak with the mother.”
“Let me know.”
Tori returned her gaze to Sam, watching as the mother dabbed at her eyes. She finally moved away from the glass and opened the door. Both women looked up at her.
“Mrs. Anderson, I’m Detective Hunter. I’m terribly sorry about your daughter,” she said.
The woman only nodded, still dabbing at her eyes. Sam still clutched her hand.
“We have to ask you some questions,” she said quietly. She pulled out a chair across from her, then looked quickly at Sam. Sam nodded. “There have been three young women killed. The first two were… prostitutes. We thought that was the pattern.”
“Prostitutes? Surely you’re not suggesting that my Rachel was…”
“No, of course not. We’re trying to find a link between them. We think it’s the same killer. Mrs. Anderson, was your daughter… gay?”
Mrs. Anderson raised teary eyes to Tori, then sobbed. She nodded.
“Yes. She… she told me about a year ago. I couldn’t believe it. My husband, he still… can’t accept it.”
“I understand. I’m sorry.” Tori looked at Sam again.
“Mrs. Anderson,” Sam said. “Do you know if she was seeing someone? Do you know what clubs she frequented?”
Mrs. Anderson shook her head.
“We didn’t talk about it,” she said quietly. “We didn’t want to know.”
“Do you know who her friends were?”
Mrs. Anderson’s eyes widened.
“Do you think one of them did this to her?”
“No, no. We’re just trying to find out where she went, who she hung out with. Where she might have been the night she died,” Tori said.
“She left the house about nine. She said she’d be home by midnight. She was rarely out later than that.”
“Did she have a computer?” Sam asked.
“Yes, of course. She needed it for school.”
“We’re going to need her computer, Mrs. Anderson. What about a cell phone?”
“Yes, she had one.”
“We found her car in a parking lot in Fair Park. There wasn’t a cell phone. Did she have it with her?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” Sam smiled gently at her, then glanced at Tori. “I think that’s all for now. Do you want me to call your husband?”
“No. I should do it. But will you stay with me?”
“Of course. I’ll stay until he comes.”
“Will we… will we need to identify her?” she whispered.
“No.”
Tori stood up, then touched Sam’s shoulder.
“Can I have a word?”
Sam nodded. “I’ll be right back, Mrs. Anderson.”
They closed the door behind them, their eyes locking together. Tori saw a hint of tears in Sam’s.
“Thank you for doing that. I know it was tough.”
“It broke my heart.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
Sam nodded, then folded her arms across her waist.
“So, not hookers. Lesbians?”
“Well, we have two of each, I think,” Tori said. “If we can find out more about Crystal, then we can be sure. Malone wants to meet with us as soon as her husband gets here. Tomorrow, the mayor’s office is visiting. They want a report.”
“Okay. But I want to stay until the husband gets here.”
“That’s fine. I’ll go write this up and give the lab a call, see if they have results back yet.”
Sam nodded. She touched Tori’s forearm as she walked past, squeezing gently. Tori’s eyes followed the slim fingers as they wound themselves around her arm, then watched them slip away just as quickly. As she walked to her desk, her hand touched her skin where Sam’s fingers had been.
It was different. She wasn’t used to people touching her. Not like that. Not so casually as if it were second nature. Sam was obviously an affectionate person and touching was part of it. She should have known that from their time spent in the tunnel. Sam’s hands had been on her for nearly two hours.
God, who would have thought she could ever tolerate this? She smiled as she opened up the file on her computer. She’d known Sam three weeks. And in three weeks’ time, Sam had become more of a partner to her than all the others combined. Sam ignored her moods, ignored the rumors she’d heard about Tori, ignored the fact that she was gay. And if Tori wasn’t careful, they would end up being good friends. When’s the last time that happened?
She typed quickly, making the few notes of their conversation with Mrs. Anderson. Then she picked up the phone and dialed the lab. It had only been a few hours, but she would push.
“It’s Hunter. Is Jackson around?”
“He’s still in the lab.”
“Can you page him? I need to know if you have anything yet. We got a positive ID on the victim,” she said.
“We got it. Rachel Anderson. It’ll be a couple of hours on the report. He’s put a rush on it, Hunter.”
“Call me as soon as you get it.”
“Don’t we always?”
“Sara, who are you kiddin
g? If I didn’t hound you to death, I’d have to wait days.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll call, Hunter. The Mayor’s office has already been checking on it.”
“What? Why the hell did they call? It’s not their fucking case,” she exclaimed, her voice rising.
“Hey, the Mayor outranks you, okay?”
“Call me first,” she growled. “I mean it.” She slammed the phone down. “Idiots.”
“That had to have been the lab,” Samantha said as she pulled out her chair. “What’s going on?”
“Mayor’s office called them instead of us. You wouldn’t think a few hookers getting whacked would stir up things quite so much,” she said.
“I thought we decided it wasn’t because they were hookers.”
“They don’t know that.” Tori stood and grabbed the file and the reports she had printed out last night. “Come on. Let’s go over it with Malone.”
“You know, if you want to skip the workout tonight, I won’t mind,” Sam said as she followed Tori.
“What about your upper body?”
“What about it?”
Tori stopped and stared, her eyes moving slowly up from Sam’s waist, pausing briefly at her breasts, then up to her face.
“Well, it looks fine to me. You’re the one that thought it needed work.”
Sam put her hands on her hips.
“Were you just checking me out?”
Tori grinned. “Of course not. I did that the first day.”
Sam stood rooted to the spot as Tori walked into the Lieutenant’s office.
“Kennedy? You going to join us or what?” Malone called.
She walked in, intentionally bumping Tori’s arm as she sat down next to her. She was rewarded with a quick grin.
“Okay, let’s hear what you have,” he said.
“Jane Doe Number One. Street name Lorraine. Strangled. Left in Dumpster in East Dallas. Got DNA on four semen samples. No matches in the database. Jane Doe Number Two. Street name Crystal. Strangled. Left in Dumpster in the downtown area. Semen match from first Jane Doe. Now, Rachel Anderson. Left in Dumpster in Little Mexico.” Tori glanced up. “Belly ripped open. She’s the only one of the three that was naked. We got rope fibers and wood fibers. Rachel Anderson was bound. All three were sodomized.” She looked at Malone. “Rachel Anderson wasn’t a hooker. She was gay, according to her mother. The tattoo on Lorraine, it traced back to a gang symbol in New Orleans.” She handed him the copy she’d found on the Internet last night. “The tattoo was altered. The symbol at the bottom indicates she was a lesbian, too.”
“So you don’t think someone’s knocking off working girls?” he asked.
“No. I don’t think it’s random, either. We need to find out something about Crystal. Maybe she was a lesbian, too. That could be our angle.”
Malone leaned forward. “They were hookers, Hunter. Forgive me for my ignorance, but are lesbians hookers?”
“Everybody’s got to make a living, Lieutenant.”
“Unless you get something on this Crystal, I don’t think that’s going to fly. Besides, you don’t really know about Lorraine. Could just be a female thing, this tattoo. Could be, the whole thing is random and it’s just a coincidence that two of them were hookers.”
“We all know that serial killers don’t do anything randomly. Something has to link them.”
“Maybe just the fact that they are women,” Samantha suggested.
“No. They’re all young, under twenty. It’s not random. If it were random, chances are one of them would have been older. Why three teenagers? There has to be a link,” Tori said.
“Find out something about Crystal or verify that tattoo, Hunter. We meet tomorrow at ten. They’ll probably send Jenkins,” he said.
“Are you serious?”
“Most likely.”
“Who is Jenkins?” Sam asked.
“Mayor’s task force,” Malone said. “He and Hunter aren’t exactly kissing cousins.”
“And who is?”
“Very funny,” Hunter said dryly.
“What about the profiler? I think we should bring someone in.”
“Yes. I’ll meet with them,” Samantha said.
Malone looked at Tori. “That okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I’ll call CIU. Get me something else, Hunter.”
“We’re working on it.”
“What are we working on?” Samantha asked as they walked back to their desks.
“I’m going to hit some women’s bars tonight, show our pictures around.”
“I guess you mean we’re going to hit some bars tonight,” Sam corrected.
Tori stopped. “That’s not necessary. I can do it.”
“I’m sure you can. But you’re not.”
“Sam, there’s no need for you to come along. I’m just going to show the pictures around, see if anyone knows them.”
“Goddamn it, Hunter. We’re partners. If you’re going out, then I’m going out.”
“You have… a life. You have someone. There’s no need for both of us to be out at midnight.”
“What the hell does that have to do with it?” she demanded. “We work together on this one. And don’t throw up the fact that I have someone,” Samantha said. “That’s lame.”
“Okay. Then how about the fact that you won’t fit in? People are more likely to talk to me than to you.”
“I’ve seen you talk to people. I don’t think that will be true.”
Sikes walked over and stood between them, grinning.
“You girls fighting again? Need a referee?”
“Get lost, Sikes,” Tori said, glaring at him.
“Whoa, Hunter, calm down. Just trying to stop a catfight here.”
Tori turned and strode purposefully into the ladies’ room. Samantha followed.
“You can’t keep doing this,” Samantha said.
“Doing what?”
“Taking over. Making all the decisions. We’re partners, Tori. Why the hell don’t you want me going out with you?”
Tori shoved her hands into her jeans and turned to look in the mirror, meeting Samantha’s eyes in the reflection.
“Because the places I’m going, I don’t want you at.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re not… nice places.”
“They’re bars.”
“Leather bars. Sex bars. Not dance clubs,” Tori said.
“And you think I’ll judge you?”
Tori shrugged.
“Do you frequent these places on off hours? Are you afraid someone will recognize you?”
“No, of course not.”
“Then?”
Sam walked over and turned Tori to face her.
“I’m not going to judge you based on what I might see tonight, Tori. There are plenty of straight bars that I wouldn’t set foot in. What’s the difference?”
“We need information, Sam. If you go in, looking all wide-eyed and shocked, no one’s going to talk.”
“I’ll be fine. And if someone hits on me, I’ll trust that you’ll take care of them.”
Tori allowed a smile to touch her face and Sam grinned in response.
“Okay. You can go. But… change clothes. Jeans. We need to start about ten.”
“Okay. Meet you back here?”
Tori nodded and watched her walk away. She wondered what Sam would tell Robert.
“Gay bars?”
“Yes, Robert,” Samantha said. She cradled the phone as she pulled on her jeans. “I’m sure it’ll be after midnight before we’re done. I’ll call you tomorrow sometime.”
“Why don’t you just come over here when you’re done?”
“Because it’ll be late, Robert.”
“I could wait up. It’s Friday night, Samantha.”
She bent her head back and stared at the ceiling. Why was he being difficult?
“Robert, please. I’m too tired to argue about this. When we’re done, I’m coming ho
me and going to bed. I’m not coming to your apartment. Now, we’ll talk tomorrow.”
“How will I know if you’re okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be okay? We’re going to some bars, asking questions. That’s all.”
“Samantha, anything could happen. I think you should at least call me when you get home.”
“Why are you doing this?” she asked quietly.
“I just… worry about you. You’ve had this job barely a month and we’ve hardly seen each other. When we do, you’re always tired. I just don’t like what it’s doing to us.”
“You really want to have this conversation now?” She sat down on her bed and crossed her legs. “This is my job, Robert. Not eight to five. Just like yours is not eight to five. It’s not like I’m going out for a night of fun. I’m working,” she said.
“I know. I’m sorry. I know this is important to you. But… I want to be important to you, too.”
She sighed. It shouldn’t be like this. It was getting much too complicated. He was acting like she was going out on a date, for Christ’s sake.
“Robert, you’re blowing this out of proportion. I’m just working late. That’s all. Now, I’ve got to go. I’m going to get a quick dinner, then head out. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay. I’m sorry. I love you, Samantha. Please be careful.”
She squeezed her eyes shut. “I love you, too,” she murmured.
She tossed her phone on the bed, staring at it. She was actually surprised by his reaction. When she was still with Assault, she’d had to go out nights on numerous occasions. She never recalled him being this upset by it. Of course, she’d never willingly gone out. She’d always wished she could stay home. With him. This time, it was her choice to go out. In fact, she’d had to practically beg to go out with Tori.
Chapter Sixteen
Samantha walked into the squad room, finding Tori exactly where she thought she’d be. Sitting at her desk, staring at the computer.
Tori looked up, her eyes moving over Sam. Faded jeans, boots, tight T-shirt tucked inside, black belt. No bra? Well, she certainly looked the part.
“Do I pass?”
“Better than me.”
Sam’s eyes flicked over Tori. She had changed into black jeans and a dark shirt. She looked as powerful as always.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “You look nice.” She sat down at her desk and opened the bag she carried. She pulled out containers of Chinese food and tossed Tori a fork. “I took a chance that you hadn’t eaten.” She shoved one of the boxes at her. “Shrimp and chicken, both. I wasn’t sure what you’d like.”