by Jamie Hill
"Brady Marshall! Get oba here and untie me if'n ya wanna keep your spot at numba one."
Mel and Marshall worked together to release her, and help her stand. "Are you hurt, Sheila?" Mel did a cursory examination and didn't see anything besides the ligature marks.
"No, jes a liddle wobbly. Been tied up like dat for a long time."
Nate said, "We're going to send you to the hospital to get checked out. Not taking any chances."
Sheila looked around. "Where's ma clothes? Can't go wearin' dis."
"Here." Mel removed her windbreaker and wrapped it around Sheila. "We'll get you some clean clothes. The hospital should have some but if they don't, we'll bring you something."
"Thankin' ya." Sheila glanced around the room. "Thankin' ya all."
Mel cupped Shelia's face. "We're so happy you're okay. Go with Brady, now. He'll take you to the paramedics."
The woman nodded and allowed Marshall to lead her out.
Nate had wandered over to the walk-in closet and nudged the door open fully. He pulled the chain hanging there and the light bulb illuminated the chilling room. "Jesus freaking Christ," he mumbled.
Mel stepped in behind him. Words escaped her. "Um, yeah. What you said."
The walls were covered with photos of the dead women in various stages of their demise. Red and white school pennants were pinned up amongst them. Dozens of red pom poms littered the floor. A shelving unit held knives with multiple sized blades. All of them were stained with what appeared to be dried blood. "DNA Heaven," Nate murmured.
"Good," Mel whispered, barely able to breathe. She glanced down and spotted a plastic grocery sack on the floor. Colored fabric poked out of it. "What's that?"
Nate leaned over and lifted the bag gingerly. He removed a pink item and looked at Mel.
"Panties." She made a face.
He dropped the items back where they were and glanced at her again. "Were the victims wearing panties when they were discovered?"
"Yeah.Maybe not their own."
He nodded. "More DNA evidence. We're going to have so much on this guy Kansas will have to open up the lethal injection chamber again."
Stone said, "Not sure we've ever used it. We haven't executed a prisoner since 1965, and those were by hanging."
Nate chuckled grimly. "Texas has executed more prisoners than any other state since the 1980s. We have a comedian that says, 'If you kill someone in Texas, we kill you back'."
Mel shook her head. "I'm not sure how I feel about the death penalty, but standing in this room much longer is going to help me decide real fast." She pressed her way out between Stone and Becker.
Marshall stuck his head in the bedroom door. "Hey, I'm going to follow Sheila to the hospital. She's pretty shaken up. You don't need me here anymore."
"Thanks Brady." Mel watched him go.
"He's one of the good guys," Nate spoke from behind her.
She nodded.
He gazed from her to Stone and Becker. "You all are. Hell of a fine job you did here. I hope you all get commendations for this one."
Mel smiled. He was sweet to say it, but they probably wouldn't even get a pat on the back from anyone at the office. "All in a day's work for you?"
He shrugged. "Some days are better than others. This is a good day. So Stone, Becker, we need you to stay here until the CSIs show up. Can't take a chance on any evidence tampering, and God only knows what Burton Webb is doing right now. Mel and I need to get back to the station. I'd like to talk to Dickie before he lawyers up, if he hasn't already."
"We'll hang out here," Stone agreed. "We can catch a ride with one of the uniforms."
"Thanks." Nate gave one last glance around the room before heading out.
Stone elbowed Mel. "He calls you 'Mel'." He grinned.
She stared at him blankly. "That's my name."
"I know, but everyone else calls you 'Curtis'. He calls me 'Stone', her 'Becker', and Brady 'Marshall'. He calls you 'Mel'."
She rolled her eyes, trying to appear nonchalant. "Must be love."
"Might be." Stone waggled his brows.
"Shut up." She tried to scowl but knew it was a pathetic effort. "We gotta go." Mel hurried out, figuring that conversation was going nowhere good. She'd tried to blow it off, but Stone had a way of seeing right through her.
Won't matter after today. The thought struck her like a ton of bricks. The case was solved. Nate would leave. Her stomach churned.
He was talking on his phone out by the SUV. He ended the call when she walked up.
She forced a smile. "Another girlfriend?"
Nate tucked his phone in his pocket. "Not letting you off the hook that easy. That was my chief. He says good work on the case and congratulations to the WPD."
"Did he say anything else?" She blinked, hoping the tears she felt welling wouldn't fall.
He shook his head. "Nope."
For the first time, Mel could tell Nate was lying. She let it drop, too emotional to open up the subject just then. "We'd better go. Burton Webb is hiring an attorney as we speak."
"If he hasn't already." Nate repeated an earlier comment. They climbed in the SUV and headed to the office.
* * * *
Nate followed Mel up to the homicide department. They'd stopped on the first floor and discovered Dick Webb hadn't arrived from the hospital yet. The officer on duty promised to call Mel when the suspect arrived.
Police surveillance of Burton Webb ended when Dick was taken into custody. Nate felt sure the father had already begun making arrangements for his son, but he hoped for one shot talking to the perp. If he could get Dick to admit to any of the murders, it'd be the final nail in his coffin.
When they walked into the bullpen in homicide, the room fell silent. One lone person's clapping turned into several, and soon the whole room full of people were applauding and walking over to congratulate Mel and him.
She seemed genuinely shocked at the outpouring, which amused Nate. He didn't think she realized yet the scope of what she'd accomplished. If he was a betting man, he'd wager a promotion was in her future.
Reeder pushed his way through the crowd which effectively sent everyone back to their desks. "Well done." He pumped Nate's hand up and down, then Mel's. "Stone says there's a shitload of evidence."
Nate smiled. Stone didn't say that. Such terminology was the brainchild of Reeder and Reeder alone. He nodded. "The evidence is all there. The place is a Petri dish. CSI should be able to collect a load of DNA samples."
"They did a Luminol test first thing. According to Stone, the whole damn room glowed."
There'd been blood everywhere. Nate and Mel made disgusted faces at each other.
"Suddenly I want to go wash my hands," she said.
"Right there with you," Nate agreed.
"Good work you two. Willis, let me know before you take off. It's been an experience working with you. I told your chief you did a damn fine job." He looked at Mel. "Now the real fun begins for you. Processing evidence and paperwork."
"Can't wait. Excuse me." She turned around as Reeder walked off. "I was serious about washing my hands."
"Following you," Nate assured her. They walked past the war room, where an officer was already taking down the victim's pictures from the bulletin board.
"It's really over, isn't it?" Mel murmured.
"Yep. Thank God."
She stopped and faced him. "And you're really leaving, aren't you?"
Nate's heart lurched. "Mel…." He didn't know what to say.
"I promised myself I wouldn't do this here. I don't want a room full of people to see me cry. We'll talk later. I can't guarantee I won't cry then, though."
He smiled. "Nor would I expect you to. Before you go getting all maudlin, give me a chance to see if I can turn that frown upside down."
"You didn't really just say that." She pushed open the door to the ladies' room.
"Told you I'm no songwriter." He walked past and washed his hands in the men's room. Recalling the disturbing sight
s at Webb's house, he took an extra moment to wash them again. He met Mel in the bullpen.
"Webb's downstairs," she said, grabbing the folder with victim's pictures in it. "No lawyer yet."
"Let's go." They hurried down to the interrogation area and were met by the captain in charge.
"Captain Gray, this is SSA Nathan Willis of the FBI," Mel introduced.
The men shook hands. "Has he asked for an attorney?" Nate inquired.
"Nope.He's only had one request. I guess I should call it a demand." The captain looked at Mel. "Says he'll only talk to you."
"No way." Nate shook his head firmly. "I'm going in."
Mel turned to him. "I can do this. You trusted me before. Trust me again."
"It's not a matter of trust. Guys like this are psychotic. Reality means nothing to him. All he wants is to get inside your head. And I don't want him there."
She stood her ground. "You may not have a choice. If he'll only talk to me, then I should do it. We need to get him to admit to at least one of the murders, right? More would be better of course."
"Mel…." Nate frowned, his resistance already wavering. She had an extremely persuasive way about her. "I don't like this one bit."
"Objection duly noted." She removed her Glock and handed it to him. They watched Webb for a moment through the two-way mirror.
"Stay on this side of the table," Gray said.
"Yes, Captain." Mel flashed one more glance at Nate and left the room.
His heart rate increased tenfold when he saw her walk in with Webb. He tried to calm his breathing but it wasn't easy, and took a lot of effort. His ears perked up when Webb spoke.
"You came!" The man smiled at Mel.
"Yeah, I'm here Dick. I understand you wanted to talk to me."
"Call me Dickie. My mother always called me Dickie."
"And look what happened to her."
Nate drew a breath. "Not sure flippant is the approach we want to take with him," he murmured.
"She's a smart cookie," Gray answered. "Let's see what she has up her sleeve."
No emotion whatsoever registered on Webb's face. "You look like her. Pretty long blonde hair. My mom always wore it down. Will you take your hair down for me?"
"Don't do it." Nate gritted his teeth.
Mel inhaled then expelled the breath, shaking her head. "I don't think so Dick. I mean, what have you done for me? You killed four women, and poor Sheila—"
"I didn't hurt Sheila," he interrupted. "She's a hooker. I paid her for the night. Ask her if I hurt her. She'll tell you. We were playing a game."
"Those games didn't end well for the others, though, did they?" Mel removed pictures from her folder one at a time and laid them on the table. "What about Donna Leonard? She looked pretty rough when they found her."
His eyes registered interest for a second, then nothing. "I don't know her." His face was once again an emotionless mask.
She spread out the other photos. "Rhonda Jensen? Linda Mains? Sissy Warsaw?"
Webb's gaze flickered from the pictures back to her, and he simply stared.
"What was the significance of the cheerleader uniforms? Did you date a cheerleader in high school? Did the relationship not end well?"
"My mom was a cheerleader." He smiled. "I saw her yearbook pictures. Sometimes she wore her hair in pigtails. Do you ever wear pigtails?"
"Not exactly my style. So Dick, we keep going back to your mom. You speak of her fondly. Why in the world did you want to kill her?"
His face registered confusion. "What do you mean?"
Mel leaned in and spoke clearly. "I mean, why did you take a knife and slice her throat? Was it because of the man she was with? Were you unhappy that she cheated on your dad?"
"I don't remember. Was that before I went in the hospital? Those doctors did things to my mind. I forgot lots of stuff."
"You don't remember slicing your mom's throat from ear to ear, and sitting in her blood until your dad came home?"
He smiled pleasantly, his face still blank.
She tapped the table near Sissy's picture. "Sissy Warsaw was the last victim. She was a waitress, not a hooker, did you know that? Did you meet her at Daily Joe?"
"Your eyes are pretty. Not the same color as my mom's, but still pretty. You should wear more makeup."
"You like makeup, Dick? Sissy wore a lot of it. Did you like that? Is that why you chose her?"
"My mom's breasts were bigger than yours, but otherwise you're about the same size."
"Son-of-a-bitch," Nate muttered.
Mel seemed to take it in stride. "Now that's kind of disturbing. Did you see your mother's breasts, Dick?"
He licked his lips.
Nate's jaw dropped. "Holy Jesus, Mary and Joseph." Realization dawned on him at the same time it must have struck Mel. He clenched his fists into tight balls.
"Oh my God!" Mel leaned forward again. "Did you do things with her when she was naked?"
His face reddened. "She was mine. That guy shouldn't have been there."
"Oh, Dick," Mel's face fell. "That's so wrong. You were just a boy. Your mother should have never allowed that to happen."
"She was mine," he repeated fiercely.
"Did your dad know? I can't believe he would have—"
"Daddy mustn't know!" he shouted.
Nate jumped. He cleared his throat. He would have been embarrassed except both Mel and Gray jumped too.
Webb was shackled to the chair at his hands and feet, and the chair was bolted to the concrete floor. He still managed to rock back and forth. "Daddy mustn't know! Daddy mustn't know!"
"Dick." Mel tried to calm him. "Stop it. You'll hurt yourself."
Tears streamed down his face. "I never told him, Mama. I swear I never told him. Hold me, Mama. Please hold me."
Nate sensed Mel's pain. Child abuse was horrendous enough, but when the child's own mother was the perpetrator, it was nearly too much to bear. He didn't blame Mel for having a soft heart. But the damage to Dick Webb was done. He needed serious professional help, and there was nothing they could do for him except see that he'd never be free to hurt anyone again.
He also needed a doctor. Blood oozed through the bandage on the man's arm.
"This is over." Nate went to next room and opened the door. "Let's go." He motioned to Mel.
"I'm not finished," she protested.
A voice from behind replied, "Yes, you are."
Nate turned to see Burton Webb and a man in an expensive blue suit who had to be a lawyer. They stood next to Captain Gray. The attorney spoke. "Mr. Webb has no further comment."
* * * *
Nate paced in front of Mel's desk. "He admitted nothing."
Mel folded her arms across her chest. "He made one startling admission."
He paused to look at her. "I know. That was bad. It actually does wrap up a few loose ends. Trish Burton had an inappropriate relationship with her teenaged son. She didn't know about his undiagnosed mental condition, and ended up dying because of it. He wasn't in the hospital long enough to heal. He's never gotten over it. Webb is killing his mother over and over again when he dresses these women in a cheerleader's uniform."
"But why these women? The reports said Trish was in her thirties when she died. Why is Webb choosing fifty years olds to dress up and murder?"
Nate shook his head. "I don't know. That might be a question for the prosecutors to answer. It's in their hands now."
"I suppose." She rubbed her hands over her arms.
Nate sighed. Mel looked as tired as he felt. It was only one p.m., but they'd had a busy day. "Hungry? It's past lunch time."
She screwed up her face. "Not at all."
Reeder approached and glanced at Nate. "You still here?"
"Leaving soon," he said. He wanted to say get off my ass but never would.
"You started those reports yet?" Reeder asked Mel.
"Just getting ready to."
He nodded and walked away.
Nate rolled
his eyes. "We're taking a break. Come on." He led her by the small of the back to the door.
"Where are we going?"
"Away from here. We need to clear our heads."
She stopped walking. "No, I need to get busy processing evidence. I have a lot to do."
"Mel." He squeezed her wrist. "There's nothing that has to be done now. Everything is under control. For the sake of your mental health, you've got to get out of here for a while. One hour. Come on. The work will still be here when you get back."
She looked around, then shrugged. "I guess you're right. I could use a break to clear my mind."
They walked to his SUV and he drove to her house.
"What are we doing?" Mel asked. "I thought we were getting something to eat?"
He smiled. "You said you weren't hungry. I decided on an alternative way to spend the hour."
"Nate, no." She planted her feet on the floorboard and refused to get out. "I can't think about this yet."
He walked around to her side and opened the door.
"Melanie, listen to me. Every part of the case is in someone else's hands right now. Yes, you'll have more work to do later, but for the next hour, we're going to set it all aside. I'm not sure yet when I have to leave. The chief wants me to come back immediately. I'd rather go tomorrow, so we can have one more night. But it's not certain yet."
She gazed at him sadly. "So I'd better grab this opportunity while I can?"
He smiled and shrugged. "I just know I want to hold you. It's been an exhilarating, exhausting day so far. Not sure what lies ahead. So for now, I just want to hold you."
She took his hand and stepped out of the SUV. They went inside and undressed, and without saying anything, both headed straight for the shower.
Mel pinned her hair into a bun and climbed in. She adjusted the water temperature and reached for the soap.
Nate slipped in and drew the curtain. He inhaled as she ran the smooth bar over his skin tenderly, taking care not to miss an inch. By the time she'd finished, he was so aroused he could barely stand the excitement.
He took the soap and lathered her in return. His hands glided over her smooth, slick flesh and he couldn't resist squeezing every so often.
Mel smiled and before he'd finished, pressed her body against his.