After the Evil – A Jake Roberts Novel (Book 1)

by Cary Allen Stone

  Could she have been relative? A mistress?

  Mrs. Abrams could answer those three questions. I have to answer Mika’s.

  “I thought I was in love, but I guess I was just in lost.”

  It’s my only answer. It will have to do.

  “I don’t know what I was thinking, because I hate to fly, it’s inherently dangerous. I would have had to deal with all of the security screenings, wandings, and taking off my shoes. And that was just to get into her house.”

  Harmon and Mika crack up and I escape further interrogation. Harmon can’t resist the opportunity to skewer me.

  “I thought you told me you were starting to bend to the left, so you needed a right-handed woman to straighten you out,” he says.

  It sounds like he hasn’t fallen all the way into the dark hole. He still has his sense of humor.

  “I said a right minded woman.”

  Superior rank, or not, he is going to pay for that remark in front of Mika later. Right now, the charm is like a magnet. We pile into the car. Harmon insists on driving. Mika and I don’t care if he drives. Mika reaches across the front seat, and asks for the charm, so she can take a closer look at it. I hand it over. I can see a ray of hope in her eyes as she studies it. I have a feeling in my gut.

  What is it about that name?

  Harmon decides to go for the flashing lights, and siren, as he becomes impatient about getting back to the station to see what the little jewel reveals. The excitement is growing in each of us. It’s small, platinum, and hanging on a chain, but it’s something, after months of nothing. It may very well turn out to be insignificant, but right now, we are tingling with anticipation. Mika is first out of the car. I follow Harmon. He is actually shoving uniforms out of the way. The dash isn’t over until we are behind the closed doors of Harmon’s office.

  He grabs the phone and the file. He punches in Mrs. Abrams’s number. Each time the telephone rings, the second hand on the wall clock freezes. No answer.

  “Damn it! Where is she, some charity event?”

  Harmon is close to exploding. I can tell because he never swears. Mika is pacing like a caged animal. The feeling we have something intensifies.

  * * *

  “Why don’t I meet you in your room after I get ready?”

  She threw out the suggestion and he didn’t hesitate to agree driven by his basic male urges. As the handset hit the cradle, Parker did a victory dance. His blood was flooding his veins so much he decided to pass on the Viagra. He had no idea he was being stalked like prey.

  Parker never imagined it would go so perfect, and it was throwing off his timing, his entire routine. He stopped dancing and began to prepare for her arrival. He unpacked the candles, and the massage oil he brought along on every flight just in case the opportunity presented itself. He hustled around desperately trying to create an intimate atmosphere inside the otherwise boring, conventional hotel room. He reviewed the important memory items––compliment, be spontaneous and sincere, and savor the moment.

  She’s hot.

  Two flights down, Lori’s choice was the mid-thigh red dress. She had awesome breasts, but there was no doubt in her mind that Parker was a legman, and her killer legs would keep him off balance.

  Killer legs. How funny.

  In any case, she was determined to make the night one that Nick would remember for the rest of his life, as brief as that was going to be. A few well-placed sprays of perfume and Lori wanted to rock.

  He’s a bad man, mommy.

  Lori cracked open her hotel room door. She heard Benjamin and Bobby out in the hallway. They were just leaving their hotel room and heading out to a dance club. She watched them walk just far enough down the hall to feel safe to hold hands. As soon as she heard the elevator doors close behind them, she took another look in both directions to see if it was safe to venture out. It would be tragic for Megan to see her now. It was fortunate that Parker’s room was two floors up. Still, getting there unnoticed would be a challenge. Convinced that the coast was clear, and prepared for the events of the evening, Lori set out to accomplish her goal. As she quietly closed the door to her room, she wondered what Jake would think when he found out that Gates wasn’t, and that she was, the “Who’s Your Daddy” killer.

  She had to put the thought out of her mind. She was good at that. As strong as her feelings were for Jake, and craving a normal existence, she knew deep inside it wasn’t possible. She had to let him go.

  You were the one, Jake Roberts.

  As she passed, the elevator the doors opened and startled her. A young couple exited quickly wrapped in a cuddling embrace. She watched them kiss their way to a room near hers. She saw Jake’s face on the young man’s and her own face on the girl’s. Not wanting to attract attention, Lori decided to use the stairs. Dressed the way she was, she could easily have been mistaken for a hooker. Holding tightly on to her purse, she climbed the two floors it took to get to Parker’s room. Inside her purse, she carried only the minimum tools necessary to accomplish her diabolical task.

  Just what do you think you’re doing? How many times have I told you that you have to plan? You’re going to ruin everything for us.

  Lori did not answer. There was no planning anything, anymore. She had to do Parker for what he had done to Megan. He deserved everything he was going to get and more. There wasn’t time to prepare. The avenging angel was willing to take the chance.

  Don’t listen to her, mommy. He hurt me.

  “I know baby, mommy knows what to do.”

  She whispered, but her voice magnified and echoed in the hollow stairway. She looked for security cameras. The fire door to Parker’s floor was all that stood between her and her goal. She slowly cracked the door open enough to scan the hallway. Seeing it was clear, she looked for his room number, the one she saw on the sign-in sheet when they first arrived. Fortune was with her when she found Parker’s room only a few doors down from the stairway. That was going to be helpful later when she would have to flee from the scene of the savage, brutal crime.

  * * *

  Emily, who is Emily?

  It seems like I just heard the name somewhere, but I can’t place it. The charm holds my complete attention as it dangles from the chain. It hasn’t been touched by any of us. After I saw it hanging on the drain cover, I had the presence of mind to preserve it for analysis. Harmon hangs up the phone.

  “Mrs. Abrams said she doesn’t have any relatives, friends, or associates named Emily.”

  Mika suggests a list of possibilities.

  “Maybe we’re on another wild goose chase. Maybe it was there since the place was built.”

  “That house, forget the crime scene, is spotless. There isn’t as much as a toothpick out of place. Someone would definitely have noticed the loose drain cover if for no other reason than to get it repaired,” Harmon says.

  Full of hope, I agree with him.

  “It had to be left there during the commission of the crime. And I don’t think anyone would have seen it during the initial investigation, because I only saw it by accident.”

  “Did Gates ever mention an Emily?” Mika says.

  “Not that I recall. We can read through the transcripts though and see if he did.”

  “What about the car? Did they sweep it like the bathroom, or should we go tear it apart, too?” Mika says.

  “They were pretty thorough, but we can always take another look. It seems to be a good day for second looks,” Harmon says.

  His huge frame collapses into the high-backed leather chair behind the mahogany desk that used to be Ed’s. Something is making my eye twitch and rubbing it only makes it itch more. The new detective chick knocks on Harmon’s door. Five foot five, azure eyes and golden-haired Melissa walk in.

  “Yeah, what did you find out?” Harmon says.

  “No Emily’s mentioned in the transcript, Chief.”

  “Thanks Melissa, tell Williams to bring me the other item we talked about, the, you know, the––
”

  Harmon’s impatience was getting the best of him.

  “The cloth?” she says.

  “Yeah, bring it in here, will you?”

  She bolted out of the office and headed for the crime lab. Where she really wanted to be was headed out to the streets to catch bad guys, but like Ed before him, Harmon felt the need to protect Melissa a little longer from that.

  “What did you want that for?” Mika says.

  “There were some questions earlier about the—”

  “HOLY SHIT!”

  My raised volume unravels both of them.

  “What’s wrong with you, man? You scared––”

  Harmon stops in mid-sentence. His eyebrows clench as he reads my face.

  “What is it, Jake?”

  Mika continues patting her chest to settle down, while she waits patiently for the rest of my revelation.

  “Jake, breathe, WHAT?” she says.

  “Emily, a silver Lexus, the CD, Abrams the psychiatrist, the abusive missing husband, and the daughter’s suicide.”

  I put it all together. I make sure it makes sense before I tell them.

  “WHAT, WHAT?” Harmon says.

  Mika tugs at me. I reach out and take her hands. My mind is racing trying to remember, to recall, and to separate the days all at the same time.

  “I KNOW WHO THE KILLER IS!”

  I say it, but I can’t accept it. I feel an eerie chill run my spine almost like I’m an accomplice somehow. I kissed her, held her in my arms. I was falling in love with her. I wanted to spend the rest of my life––

  “Say it Jake, what?” Harmon says.

  I regulate my breathing and focus. I can’t believe what I am about to say to them.

  “A daughter named Emily. The girl committed suicide a few years ago for reasons she never said, but I think I know why now.”

  “Who,” Mika says.

  “The killer drives a late-model, silver, foreign car––a Lexus.”

  Nobody is speaking now except me.

  “When I was there, I found a CD, the exact same CD in her collection.”

  I shake my head because the initial exuberance of the revelation is wearing off. The ex-husband abused her and disappeared, that’s the reason why she was seeing a psychiatrist, a Dr. Thaddeus Abrams.”

  I can’t say the rest. I’m looking at Mika.

  “LORI POWERS!” she says.

  “Jake, are you sure?” Harmon says.

  “It all fits. It’s as clear as glass now. She’s a flight attendant.”

  I turn toward Mika. The pieces fit.

  “I bet if you track her flights, she was in every town your victims turned up dead in.”

  “Jesus, Jake,” Mika says.

  “Where is she now?” Harmon says.

  “Home, as far as I know. I went over to her place for dinner last night and we started talking about Gates. She started defending him––defending him. She said I needed to try to understand why he did what he did. I told her she was wrong because of Ed. She broke it off. I left pissed. That’s how I ended up at Chipper’s.”

  Mika gently makes an observation.

  “She must have really loved you, Jake.”

  “What?”

  I’m not ready for female intuition right now.

  “No, I mean she really must have loved you, probably more than you will ever know,” Mika says.

  “I don’t get it, what are you saying?”

  Mika walks over and sits down beside me. She nods toward Harmon who moves to stand in front of me. Her hand slides across to take mine.

  “Jake, if you’re right about her then I think she must have really loved you, because you are a law enforcement officer, a man in a position of authority.”

  From my hand, hers slides up my arm and around my shoulder. There was a gentle, sympathetic look on her face.

  “You’re the perfect profile of her victims, and yet she ‘spared’ you. She didn’t want to hurt you emotionally, or physically.”

  Mika’s statement starts to hurt, a sucker punch I feel right below my ribs. If what Mika is saying is true, I’m lucky to be alive.

  Harmon shifts into overdrive. He punches a finger into the intercom.

  “Call them all in, now!”

  Wendy on the other end of the intercom dials the extension of the dispatchers downstairs. Within minutes, every detective in the precinct is told to report to the house.

  Mika watches me. She understands the conflict of emotions going on inside of me.

  “I’m sorry, Jake.”

  * * *

  Nick barely heard the knock on his door. Lori didn’t want to draw attention from the other guests at the hotel, although she was certain after Parker was found, she would be the prime suspect. He tried to be as presentable as possible under the circumstances. The sport shirt was new, and so were the khaki slacks, but the navy blue blazer had some miles on it. His hair was perfectly groomed after the shower. The captain was as GQ as he was going to get. He opened the door with a gratuitous, charming smile.

  “Hey Lori, you look great!”

  His brow crunched together and his mouth formed an “O” as she twirled to provide a panoramic view. She carefully accentuated her breasts with a deep breath, and pointed a toe at the end of a long, shapely leg.

  “Okay?” she said.

  It was more of a purr. Not wanting to appear overly aggressive, she nevertheless stepped inside his room quickly.

  “So, where is this incredible, tantalizing restaurant you’re tempting me with? You said it was within walking distance. I hope it’s not too far for these heels.”

  She watched his eyes travel down her legs.

  “It’s not far at all, close actually. The specialty is King Crab legs, mounds of them that will make you quiver.”

  He was still admiring hers.

  “I speak with authority.”

  “Captain Parker, that sounds to me like you would know exactly what to do if there were great legs right in front of you.”

  She raised her eyebrows and added a pouting mouth to her suggestive exclamation.

  Right then, Nick knew how the evening would end. While he had originally planned to be the one doing the seducing, he quickly realized that he was the one being seduced. He decided to let her play it out.

  “Nick, please.”

  “Nick.”

  She smiled.

  While he saw her as just an easy flight attendant, she was still an exceptionally beautiful woman with an awesome body. He didn’t plan on a long affair with her anyway. He didn’t know much about her, and wasn’t interested in her personal life. He just wanted to play.

  “Are you ready to go? I have a table reserved for 8:30. The place is usually packed by nine,” Nick said.

  As he spoke, he pictured himself walking through the front doors with her on his arm. The other men would be salivating with envy. He liked that. It was part of his modus operandi to wine, dine and be seen. It was mental foreplay for the master. She surprised him and piqued his curiosity. He never anticipated she would be spontaneous and unpredictable.

  “We could, unless...”

  She looked deeply into Nick’s eyes.

  “Well pretty lady, what did you have in mind?”

  “Why don’t we order up room service, something to get the evening started, say champagne?

  We still have plenty of time before the reservation, and you said it was a short walk.”

  He read the playful look on her face and it intensified his expectations. If this went right, he thought for the price of a bottle of champagne, he might save the price of an expensive dinner, and still score. Pilots only thought about sex and money. Cheap dates were a win-win. He smiled and reached for the telephone.

  “Yes, could you send up a bottle of your finest champagne to Suite 753? Thank you.”

  He dropped the handset down.

  “I have always believed it is best to give the lady what she wants.”

  The grin
on his face has a devilish twist to it.

  * * *

  Shouting orders faster than any of us can get them done, Harmon believes that any further delay could cost another life.

  “Call Judge Thornton, he’ll write a search warrant.”

  Mika is on a conference call with Wellington in Quantico. I can hear him trying to interrupt, but she tells him to shut up. Wellington got spanked.

  “Follow up with her airline. Call her supervisor. Find out if her schedule coincides with the murder dates and locations. Call me as soon as you have something.”

  She slams the phone down and looks at us.

  “There, that’ll get the ball rolling.”

  Harmon asks me if Lori is still home.

  “As far as I know she is. She’s not supposed to fly until tomorrow afternoon. The only other place she might be is at the cemetery. She visits her daughter regularly.”

  I try to sound as if I have a clue about her life. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her, but I’m astounded by how much I don’t know about her. The floor is filling up with detectives. They keep looking at Harmon to see what’s up. They know it has something to do with the “Who’s Your Daddy” killer, but he was dead. Finally, Harmon addresses them.

  “All right people, listen up. There has been some new information that suggests Michael Gates was not, repeat not, our serial killer. It appears now that he may very well have been a copy cat killer. We now believe the perp to be a female named Lori Powers. We have an address and we’ll head there right after this briefing.”

  Melissa interrupts him.

  “Sir, the search warrant has been signed by the judge and will be transported to the residence. It will be there by the time you arrive.”

  “Thanks detective. Okay, here’s how it’s going down. Jake, I want you to make it look like you’re just visiting and draw her out. The rest of you will take up positions out of sight, and be ready to move on Jake’s signal.”

  He gets my reassuring nod.

  “Agent Scott is still tactically in charge of this case. You will follow her commands to the letter. I will only be on site as an official observer.”