by BJ Wingate
* * *
Jessica Roberts arrived at her desk on Monday morning only to be called to the captain’s office. Tony, her partner, was already there. Briefly, she wondered what was going on.
At the open door, she hesitated. “Captain? You wanted to see me?” Jessica glanced at her partner then concentrated on the captain.
Captain Raymond Murphy was a middle-aged black man who had made captain quite a few years before. Jessica figured he was probably close to retirement age though he would never admit to that. He stood at least six-foot-tall with closely cropped black hair that he tended to smooth his hand over when anxious or nervous. He did that as she stopped in the doorway.
“You had that case the other day, the woman with her throat slit? You arrested the husband on that one?” Captain Murphy put both hands on his hips as he met Jessica’s eyes.
Jessica walked the rest of the way into the office, stopping in front of the captain’s desk. “Yes sir, I did. We found a knife with possible blood on it that belonged to the husband, and we also found that they had had an altercation at a local bar before that.”
The captain nodded. “Well, we have another one. Murder that is. This is a young black man found in the park, throat slit, just off the path in one of the darkest areas.” He handed her a report done by another detective.
Jessica flipped through the papers and notes, scanning what was found at the scene. “It does seem to be the same MO. But what do the two have in common? Other than the method of attack.”
The captain sighed and ran a hand over his head. “That is about it so far. I want you to take over this case as well. See if you can find a connection between the victims. If you don’t find one, then we can write it off as coincidental.”
Nodding, Jessica and Tony left the captain’s office and headed to their respective desks. Settling in at hers, Jessica looked across at Tony Davaco. “Does the Captain think we have a serial killer or something? I mean it’s only two bodies.”
“Yeah, I know.” Tony picked up a cup from his desk, took a sip and made a face. “Cold. I hate cold coffee.” He got up and headed to the break room for a fresh cup, Jessica right behind him. “He was being weird about this one for some reason. Usually, we get three or four bodies before someone thinks serial killer.” A couple of uniformed officers went by them on the way out of the break room and Jessica glanced at them.
Jessica nodded as she fixed herself a cup of hot tea, adding two spoons of sugar. She watched as Tony poured the cold coffee out, refilled his cup and added five spoons of sugar to it. “You’re going to get diabetes using that much sugar in your coffee.” He waved a hand at her and added a bit of milk to the coffee while stirring it.
“Been hearing that for a long time but it’s never happened.” Tony took a sip of his coffee, sighed with satisfaction and headed back to his desk. Again, Jessica followed.
Jessica carried her tea to her desk and set it down away from the files she had there. She picked up the folder of the young man’s death and flipped through the pictures that had been taken. Apparently, the body had been discovered early in the morning, around five A.M. to be exact, by a young couple looking for a spot for a quickie in the park. Looking at the up-close picture of the wound she found herself wondering it if was the same person.
Sighing she picked up her cup and took a sip of the hot tea. “So, Tony, what is your take on this? You think it might be the same person? Or just a coincidence.”
Tony shrugged. “Could be the same person or someone saw the news about that woman and did a fast copycat. Anything is possible at this point.” He flipped through the papers himself. “Same direction for the wound. Done from behind like the woman. That was told in the news release. Still, if you want to kill someone, especially in a public place and don’t want to have to walk around covered in blood, that is the way to go.” He dropped the papers and sat back. “Maybe we should go check out the location ourselves. Maybe we’ll spot something no one else did?”
“Sounds good to me. “Jessica retrieved her purse from her desk drawer, drank half the tea and headed for the door with Tony right behind her.
Six
In the park, Jessica stood and looked at the path that was so close to where the body had been found. Then she turned and looked at the bushes and trees that lined the side of that path. If not for the amorous couple, the body might not have been found for a day or two. The grass looked to have been recently mowed so that would not need to be done any time soon. Plus, with the days growing colder, it might not be done again until spring. And if the weather turned worse, who was to say an early snowfall might not have hidden the body for even longer.
Jessica sighed and walked over to where Tony was hunched over, both hands on his knees as he examined the area where the body had been found.
“See anything interesting?” Jessica said as she stopped beside him.
Tony straightened up to his full height. “No more than the experts found. When that couple stumbled on the body - and from what I’ve been told that is exactly what they did – they messed up any usable footprints in the grass. Whoever did this followed the young man to this area and slipped up behind him.”
Jessica checked what she had written down earlier. The young man hadn’t been that tall but not exactly short either. Five feet eight inches and the cut seemed to be from someone stretching up over his shoulder. That or he had leaned back towards them.
“I don’t know. A short man perhaps? Or a woman?” Jessica glanced at Tony as he shrugged.
“Women don’t usually do this sort of killing. They tend to use poison or guns, not knives. Too messy.” Tony shrugged again and looked around at the area. “This doesn’t feel preplanned either. A killing of convenience maybe?”
Jessica looked around as well. “Maybe. The killer might have been coming down that path, the young man could have come in here to take a leak though according to the report there wasn’t any evidence of that. And if he did lean his head back for some reason, why do that? Even for a woman?”
Tony shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe this is a random one. Maybe they knew each other, had had a tiff, maybe thought to make up in here, you know and bam one kills the other.”
Jessica shrugged. “Anything is possible at this point.” She glanced at her watch. “Let’s get some lunch. There is a great deli over on the east side of the park.”
Tony frowned. “But we’re parked on the west side!”
Jessica laughed as she started walking east. “The exercises will do you good. Come on, I’m hungry.” She kept walking knowing that Tony would follow, which he did. Together they headed to the deli Jessica had mentioned.
* * *
Alyson sat at her usual table at the deli where she loved to eat lunch. Her salad sat in front of her, half-eaten, her book was open in her hand. She looked up as the bell over the door dinged and a couple walked in. Both were dressed fairly nicely; the woman even wore a dressy suit. As they ordered their lunch the man moved his jacket to get his wallet and Alyson gasped. He had a gun in a shoulder holster under his left arm. That was unusual enough to keep her attention for a few minutes.
Alyson continued to watch them as they talked quietly waiting for their food. The woman was striking with strawberry blond hair and fair skin. She found herself wishing she looked half that good. When they turned from the counter to sit at a table in the center, Alyson tore her eyes off them and back to her book but not before the woman had met her gaze. Embarrassed to be caught staring, Alyson forced herself to ignore the two until it was time to head back to work. At that point, she gathered up her things, left the usual tip on the table and walked past the couple on the way to the door.
“Still have to at least consider a woman as the killer.” The man was saying. “Even if it is rather unusual.”
Alyson blinked and kept walking. Killer? Were they discussing a murder? She had seen something on the news last week about one but that had been ruled as a domestic killing, hadn
’t it? And hadn’t the husband been arrested for it? She shook her head as she walked out the door and headed down the sidewalk toward work.
* * *
Jessica had seen the woman in the deli staring at her. It wasn’t that unusual. She had often been told she could have been a model or even an actress with her looks, but it had never been what she felt was right for her and so, here she was. A detective on a murder investigation. Two murder investigations, she mentally corrected. Tony had been speaking as the woman walked by on her way out and the woman had flinched a bit. Jessica had taken note of the browns in her clothes and her brown hair. That woman would have been shocked to know of a murder so close by. Jessica sighed, finished her lunch, then she and Tony walked back to their car with him complaining about the distance the entire way.
Jessica considered all of the evidence so far. A woman in an argument with her husband ends up dead. His weapon, his home, his wife. Ninety percent of the time in cases like that, the husband was the most likely suspect. He definitely had the attitude and anger issues to insure it. And they still hadn’t been able to verify his supposed alibi. And yet a woman had approached the wife in the bar and left with her. Now there is a young man, in a park, killed in a similar way. Could be a woman and yet the method was not consistent with the way women normally killed. It was bothersome at the least.
Back at the precinct, Jessica and Tony headed to see Connor Jensen first thing to see if he had managed to ID the young man from the park. The woman they already knew was Mary Jacobson. As they walked in, Connor was just finishing up the examination of the young man.
“Got anything for us Connor?” Jessica walked up on the opposite side of the table where the body lay.
Connor glanced up at them. “Well, we already know his throat was slit which is the cause of death. And I found this.” Connor lifted the young man’s left arm to show a tattoo of a raven on his upper arm.
Tony looked a little closer. “Gang tattoo?”
Connor nodded as he laid the arm down again. “Yes, and it’s a newer one. The Ravens aren’t that big or that bad yet, but they are gaining in numbers.” He pulled his gloves off and tossed them in the trash. “The computer is checking for facial recognition as we speak.” A ding had him turning his head. “And I think we got a hit.”
Connor walked over to the computer on the far side of the room followed by Jessica and Tony. “Okay, we have a name. Reggie Gomez, age nineteen, a few juvenile offenses, nothing since he turned eighteen.” Connor hit a few keys on the computer. “And I was right, that tattoo is the Ravens sign. Apparently, our victim had just joined not too long ago.” Connor straightened up and looked over at the body. “Maybe he was in the park to earn his place or something and instead got taken out himself.”
Jessica frowned. “How do you know he joined recently?”
Connor nodded toward the body. “The tattoo is still a little red around the edges indicating that it’s not that old. Probably was still hurting some as well. Or if not hurting, probably itching like crazy.”
“So, could this be a rival gang maybe? Or would they even do that sort of thing.” Jessica was making notes as she spoke. She looked up as she finished.
Connor shook his head. “Not as far as I know. That park is part of the raven’s territory so another gang would have to intrude to do it. And if they did, we would know about it. They tend to do things loud and public if they are out to make a point.”
Tony nodded. “Thanks Connor. Let us know if anything else turns up.” Tony turned toward the door, but Connor cleared his throat.
“There is one thing. The knife used. Not the same as the last one. This one has a thin blade, almost like those ones you can get to slice tomatoes with. Flimsy but effective if used right. And extremely sharp.”
Jessica nodded and smiled. “Thanks.”
Jessica and Tony left the morgue and went back to their desks to work on paperwork and do some research on the Ravens gang.
Seven
Vanessa strolled into the bar around eleven p.m. on a Saturday night and walked to the far end. The form-fitting blue dress was new and lower in front than anything else she had worn. That young man from the park had had quite a bit of cash on him. Enough for her to get this outfit and a few others. Not that the money was the reason for what she did, of course. It was just a nice incentive. Her brown hair fell in waves to her shoulders and the bangs just brushed her eyebrows. She slid onto a stool and smiled as the bartender came over. She ordered a rum and coke, light on the rum and slid the right amount across the bar. It had been two weeks since that young man in the park. She had had a few things to do during the time since then and now she was going to try something a little different this time.
As Vanessa sipped her drink, she glanced around the bar at the various people there. Several booths held couples, most of whom seemed fairly happy. Not that she wanted to repeat the first experience. That had been a test and it had gone wonderfully. Her only real reason for doing that one was the woman had stated that she almost hoped for it. Besides, she didn’t expect to find someone else as easy to handle. At two of the tables sat a few men, none of them alone. A few often turned and looked her over but none of them seemed to have the guts to make a move. She sighed and sipped her drink again.
Vanessa was alone at the bar which was probably not normal. The bartender kept sneaking looks at her from where he was washing a glass at the small sink behind the bar. Vanessa could swear he had washed that same glass at least five times already. She shook her head. Maybe tonight was a bust.
Finally, with her drink only half gone, Vanessa got up, nodded at the bartender, and walked out of the bar. This was a definitely a bust unless one of those men came after her. She didn’t think she could handle more than one though so hoped it wouldn’t be two or three together. She headed down the street keeping her pace easy and steady. No sounds from behind her so she glanced back. No one had exited the bar after her. She headed for the closest bus stop but hesitated when she saw a man looking under the hood of a car. She debated for a minute then strolled over.
“Having problems?” Vanessa glanced at the engine then smiled at the man. She had no idea what could be wrong but why not chat. He was reasonably good looking with blond hair and sparkling blue eyes which was definitely a plus.
“Not really. Been trying to sell this thing for a few months and tonight decided I might be better off just setting it on fire.” He grinned at Vanessa then tilted his head. “You in need of a car?”
Vanessa stepped back and looked at the blue Chevy sedan. She didn’t know much about cars but if it ran and could get her where she needed to go, she was all for it. “Well to be honest I could use one just don’t have a lot of spare cash.” She smiled as she turned to face him again.
The man leaned a hip against the front grill and rubbed his chin a bit. “Well, we could do payments I suppose. A small amount every so often or maybe even take it out in trade?” One eyebrow went up at that one.
Vanessa sighed. “I wish but hubby wouldn’t be too happy about it. The payments might be an idea though. How much were you thinking? And considering you were thinking about setting it a-blaze I’m sure it won’t be too much.” She ran a finger lightly over his shoulder.
He laughed. “Oh, I see how it is. You like to play the game but not finish. Fine. Tell you what, you got - oh let’s see – twenty on you for a down payment?”
Vanessa opened her small bag, rooted around for a minute and pulled out a twenty. “As a matter of fact, I do. Do I get a receipt or bill of sale or something?”
He nodded as he took the twenty. “Sure. I’ll even be nice and leave the tags in place until you can get your own.” He fished out a pad of paper, scribbled a few lines on it and handed it to Vanessa. She looked over what he had written and smiled.
“Thank you,” Vanessa said softly. “Keys?” She held out her hand.
He dropped the keys in her hand then smiled. “Can I get a ride home maybe? Or perhaps
somewhere else?”
Vanessa laughed. “Sure.” She was liking this more and more.
Together they got into the car with her driving. Vanessa let him give her directions to the outskirts of town where a trailer park was. At one of them, he had her pull in.
“This is mine. I, ah, can make some coffee real fast if you’re interested.” He sat still and waited.
Vanessa licked her lips, smiled and nodded. “Sure. I wouldn’t mind a coffee.” Together they entered the trailer where a small black dog laid on the couch. It lifted its head and wagged its tail as they walked in but that was it.
“You can call me Duke and the dog is Tipsy. I named her that because of the little tip of white on her tail.” Duke walked into the kitchen area and put the pot of coffee on. Vanessa looked around at the trailer. Small and tidy, not what you would expect from a man living alone. That had her thinking.
“You live here alone?” Vanessa walked over and scratched the dog behind the ears. The dog was cute and very friendly.
Duke glanced at her then turned his back as he got two cups down and milk from the refrigerator. “I do now. That car was my wife’s. She ran off with someone about two months ago. No clue where she is.”
Vanessa turned and watched Duke as he made the coffee. He was a little taller than she was in her heels. This was going to be a little different. She slipped a hand into her purse to make sure the knife was there.
Duke glanced around at her again then proceeded to pour the coffee into the cups. “How do you take your coffee?”