by BJ Wingate
* * *
Jessica and Tony found themselves in Connor’s domain once everyone had returned to the precinct. Connor stood staring at the body of the young man from the storage unit that was stretched out on the examining table as they walked in.
“So, anything new on this one? Or is it the same as all the other bodies.” Jessica said as she stopped halfway to the table. Tony simply stopped next to her. This was never his favorite part of the job.
Connor glanced up for a minute. “Yes and no. By that I mean it’s the same sort of cut across the throat, but he was definitely facing the killer since he was standing behind the desk at the time.” Connor rested both hands on the edge of the table as he glanced down again. “Also, I think he may have been leaning forward, possibly resting his forearms on the desk as he talked to the killer. Then, the killer simply slashed, fast and hard.” He lifted one hand to point to the slice across the victim’s throat. “This one is a lot deeper than previous ones, so the killer was most likely in a hurry. And I doubt they had planned it too far in advance either.”
Jessica nodded then sighed. She had to get this killer off the streets and soon. The bodies just kept piling up and there didn’t seem to be an end in sight. She glanced at Tony then back to Connor.
“Well, if you find anything else, let me know. CSI is still going over the scene so hopefully they will turn something up as well.” With that, Jessica turned and headed back to her desk. She was frustrated and angry, both at the killer and herself for not being finished with this case. Tony dropped into stride next to her.
“Don’t beat yourself up over this Jessica. This case is unusual, and you know it.” Tony got to the door into the main area and reached to open it but stopped when Jessica hesitated. They were in a hallway between forensics and the main area.
Jessica leaned her back against a wall, arms crossed over her chest and stared at the floor directly in front of her feet. “But I know who the killer is. Or at least I think I do. I just have to prove it and that is what is frustrating. “
Tony stood close to the opposite wall, hands in his pockets as he faced Jessica. “I know. This is always the worst part, knowing what you do and having to prove it. That’s why so often cops, and detectives feel like faking evidence just to get it over and done with. It’s not ethical by any means and most don’t actually do it but they sure want to.”
Jessica nodded. “I know that feeling.” She sighed and shook her head. “I just … I’m tired of being called out to find yet another body and seeing another victim laying in his own blood thanks to this killer. And if my assumptions are right, she probably won’t even go to jail. She will end up in a mental facility somewhere until they decide she is rehabilitated. And then she will get out and there is always the possibility it may happen later in her life as well.” She sighed again. “And the worst part is she doesn’t even know she is doing it herself. I feel for her at the same time you know?”
Tony nodded. Reaching out, he put one hand on Jessica’s shoulder. “Yes, I do know. You feel almost like you are trying to arrest an innocent person even knowing they are guilty. It’s never easy Jessica, but it is part of the job.”
Jessica looked up, met Tony’s eyes and nodded. “You’re right. It is part of the job so let’s get to it.” With that, Jessica yanked open the door to the main room and walked through. Sighing, Tony followed her as they headed to their desks.
* * *
Alyssa blinked open her eyes slowly. She didn’t remember dozing off, but she must have at some point. It took a few minutes to realize she wasn’t at home either. She was behind the wheel of a car parked at a … rest stop? She saw trees and a building, but it was too dark to see it all clearly. Still, that was what it appeared to be. She glanced at the paper in her lap and started to pick it up to scan it a bit better. Suddenly her head began to hurt and then everything went black.
* * *
Two hours after their visit to Connor, Jessica left Tony drinking hot coffee and working on some paperwork for a previous case they had had. He was going to have to testify in court in a week about it, so was making sure of what they had. In the meantime, Jessica went into the room where the officers were viewing the security tapes of the storage facility to see if they had found anything yet. One young female officer glanced around as Jessica walked in.
“Detective Roberts, I was just about to come find you.”
“What do you have?” Jessica walked up to the young officer and glanced at the name tag. “Officer Burns.”
The young lady grinned at the use of her name but sobered fast. “Well the woman - and it definitely appears to be a woman - seems to know where the camera is or is guessing I suppose. Either way she or they keep their face away from it for the most part, but I did find the actual killing.” Officer Burns started the replay of the actual killing as Jessica watched. A woman in a tight-fitting blue dress stood talking to the young man, her back to the camera, head down. She had black hair in what appeared to be a cleopatra cut, a bob that just missed her shoulders. The young man, grinning from ear to ear, leaned his forearms on the counter as he faced the woman. She reached into her purse and suddenly slashed at the young man. He grabbed his throat, as he stumbled back and a minute later fell behind the counter. It was over in a few short minutes. The woman, careful not to touch the counter, leaned to look over at the body, then turned and walked out.
Jessica nodded. “Good, now try to find that woman somewhere in the lot. We believe she has a unit in there and I want to know which one it is.”
“Yes mam.” Officer Burns said and turned her attention to the stacks of tapes again. They had had to find a couple of VCR players since the owner of the storage facility was still using those for his security.
Jessica left the officers to their jobs and headed back to her desk.
* * *
Vanessa slammed her fist on the steering wheel of the car, tossed the newspaper ads into the passenger seat, started the car and pulled onto the main road. She had gone through all of the papers and found one that looked promising. Now she had an idea of where she wanted to go so, she simply headed in that direction. She needed to get this done. She was having a hard time keeping her temper in check lately and she wasn’t happy about it. Not happy at all.
Thirty-Six
Alyssa woke up in the morning at her usual time. The alarm was going off on the table by her bed and she snapped it off, yawning as she did. She got up, wandered into the bathroom for her usual morning routine and stopped dead in the doorway. She had a brief vision of something she had seen, had it been the previous day? No, it had been night, hadn’t it been? But she never drove at night if she could help it. Maybe it had been a dream. Well, more like a nightmare maybe. She had been having those lately. She started wondering if she should find a doctor to talk to. A psychologist? Yes, that was what they were called. Her mother was in a mental hospital now, so she had problems. Was that sort of thing hereditary? Alyssa didn’t know but she decided to check into it.
Once Alyssa was ready, she went off to work and did her job just as she usually did. The boss kept looking at her strangely for some reason though. Alyssa didn’t let it slow her down. She finished half her stack of work by lunchtime but didn’t leave as she usually did. Instead, she got out the sandwich she had packed that morning, took a bite, and started researching mental health to find out if it was indeed hereditary.
Alyssa soon found out that some mental disorders could be hereditary. She had had panic attacks in the past and that was one of the ones listed on the site she found. There were a few that she dismissed out of hand, but others had her researching further. The word psychosis caught her eye and she began reading the section on that. Some of what it said could apply she supposed but she wasn’t sure. She glanced at the clock to see her lunchtime was almost up. She finished her sandwich, did a quick check of local psychologists in the area, then went to the restroom before getting back to work.
* * *
&n
bsp; It was a new day for Jessica. Arriving at the station, the first thing she found was a message from Connor that he had found something else on the young man’s body from the storage facility. A second message came from Officer Burns concerning the security tapes. Tony wasn’t in yet and wouldn’t be for at least an hour, so Jessica headed off to see Connor first.
Walking into the forensics lab, the first thing Jessica noticed was the absence of the victim’s body. Must be in cold storage. Connor was sitting at a desk to one side as she walked in and glanced around at her with a smile.
“Good morning,” Connor said without moving. Jessica walked over to see what he was working on at the desk.
“I had a message that you found something?” Jessica said quietly. She hadn’t slept too well the previous night. She had kept dreaming that the ‘Slicer’ had found a new victim and it was someone Jessica knew.
“Yes, I did.” Connor turned his chair slightly and indicated for Jessica to have a seat on the second chair that stood next to his desk. She did so and waited.
“We know the killer is using wigs to cover his or her identity and I know you believe it’s a female. For a time, I wasn’t so sure but now we have proof of that.” Connor watched Jessica’s face as he dropped that bomb.
Jessica sat up just a little straighter. “How?”
Connor looked smug as he picked up a small evidence bag from his desk. Inside was a single hair. “This hair isn’t from a wig. The reason I know that is because there is a root attached. I found it last night on the shirt of the victim. I have tested it and the DNA proves it’s from a female.”
Jessica frowned. “But that could be from a girlfriend too couldn’t it?”
Connor set the bag down. “It could but I sort of doubt it. For one thing its dark brown and I have a feeling the young man may have preferred blonds.”
Jessica looked at Connor skeptically. “Now why would you say that?”
Connor shrugged. “Just a hunch but it means we would need to find out if he had a girlfriend and what she looks like to be certain.”
Jessica smirked. “By we you mean me don’t you.”
Connor smiled a bit. “Well, pretty much. Shouldn’t be too hard to prove or disprove.”
Jessica nodded. “True. Thanks Connor. I’ll start looking into that.” Jessica got up and headed off to find Officer Burns.
Jessica found Burns in the breakroom with two other uniformed officers. When they saw Jessica heading their way, the other two excused themselves and left.
Jessica stopped in front of Officer Burns. “I had a message that you found something else on the tapes?”
Officer Burns nodded. “Yes, mam. The same person that did the killing was seen near one of the units but never entered it, so we aren’t sure about it. It’s a good guess that she does though.”
Jessica nodded. “A good guess won’t get me a warrant to examine the unit though and I doubt the owner will give us access without one.” She sighed. “Thank you, Officer.”
“Yes, mam.” Officer Burns nodded and, picking up a full coffee cup, left the break room.
Jessica fixed herself a cup of jasmine tea – she often carried different tea bags with her so she could have what she wanted – and went back to her desk. Time to try and locate information on the latest victim.
Checking her records, Jessica found the name of the young man was Dale Young. He had been a college student during the day and worked at the storage facility in the evenings. Since it was slow at that time, he had been able to study while he worked. Now he was deceased simply because he had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Jessica contacted Dale’s parents first. They had already been informed of his death of course but not all of the circumstances surrounding it. The mother was too distraught to talk over the phone without crying every few minutes, so the father finally took over the call.
“I’m sorry to be bothering you both this way Mr. Young but I need to know if your son had had a girlfriend,” Jessica said quietly then waited. She could hear him talking to his wife in the background for a minute before he came back to the phone.
“Mary says that yes Dale has … I mean had a girlfriend. Her name is … what did you say her name was again?” There was mumbling in the background. “She says the girl's name is Deanna Kelly. Hold on she is looking up the girls’ number for you.” Another minute went by then Mr. Young came back and rattled off a phone number. “Does that help? Can you use that to find out who did this to our son?”
Jessica hesitated. “I sincerely hope so Mr. Young. I will do everything in my power to bring them to justice.”
“You do that Detective. You do that.” Mr. Young hung up without another word and Jessica slowly set the phone down. As she did, Tony sat down at his desk, coffee in hand.
“Getting a few leads?” Tony asked then sipped his coffee.
Jessica nodded. “Maybe. Connor found a woman’s brown hair on the last victim and the killer was seen near a storage unit but not entering or leaving it. Still, I think I’m right about this. I really believe that she is keeping her secret in one of those units. Just have to find out which one.” She sighed. “Now I have to tell Connor he was right. He said he had a hunch that the last victim’s girlfriend would be blond, and she is.”
Tony smiled as Jessica called Connor to tell him he was right.
Thirty-Seven
Vanessa was cautious about going to the storage facility. She had done so last night mainly to switch cars. She had already looked to make sure there were no cameras where she stored her car so that was a fairly safe area. She had done some shopping and simply left the bags in the car under a blanket. Things were not going well. It had been stupid to kill the kid that worked the front desk there at the facility itself. She should have watched and waited for him to leave and caught him somewhere else. Too late to be thinking that now. And to get to her unit without being seen she might have to take out a couple of the cameras she had recently spotted.
Sighing, Vanessa pulled into the parking lot of a slightly more upscale place than she usually went to. She had on a nice suit, dark blue skirt that was maybe a little shorter than some, dark blue jacket and a pale blue silk blouse that was still a little sexy. She smiled, smoothed the straight black hair down over her shoulders, got her black bag that matched the black heels she was wearing and headed inside.
Vanessa stopped just inside the front door of the place. Men sat at the bar and tables talking business from what she could see and hear. A few women were there as well but she ignored them. She walked down the bar and took a seat on a rather plush stool and set her bag on the seat next to her. The bartender walked down to where she was and smiled.
“What can I get you?” He said softly. Vanessa found she liked his voice.
“Rum and coke please, easy on the rum. I still have to drive home.” Vanessa smiled at him as he nodded.
“Coming right up.” The bartender moved a short distance away and made her drink for her then set it in front of her. He told her the cost and she put the cash on the bar for him.
Vanessa sipped her drink and glanced around at the other people in the place. Not many looked to be getting drunk, but a few were arguing over one thing or another. Most were in pairs or sets of threes, so they had probably come in together from their jobs. Even the ones at the bar itself were together or so it seemed. The bartender had moved down the line refilling drinks for the patrons at the bar and had also done a few orders for people at the tables who had walked up to get refills. Then he wandered back down near Vanessa and stood leaning his forearms on the bar.
Vanessa looked at the bartender quietly. He was of average height she supposed. Around five eleven maybe six feet tall. He had dirty blond hair combed back and neat and pale blue eyes. He glanced sideways at her catching her in the act of studying him. He smiled.
“I could use the old line of what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this, but I don’t think that would work on you.�
�� He teased softly.
Vanessa chuckled. “No, it probably wouldn’t but it never hurts to try.” She winked and he grinned at her.
“My name is Joe. I know. Sounds like a cliché doesn’t it.” Joe smiled and Vanessa found herself liking his smile.
“Yes, it does. But for some reason I don’t think you deal in cliché’s” Vanessa sipped her drink again quietly.
Joe pushed up to his full height as a man came over to get a refill. He took care of that and then glanced at Vanessa. “I have to admit I’m curious about something.”
Vanessa raised one eyebrow. “Oh? About what exactly.”
Joe leaned on the bar again but a little closer to her this time. “I find myself wondering what it was about me that you were studying so hard when I caught you at it.” He grinned.
Vanessa blushed. “Oh that. I was just thinking that your eyes are so unusual.”
“Ah.” Joe stood up once more as two men got up from a table. Instead of heading over for a refill they headed for the door calling out to a good night to Joe. After the door closed behind them, Joe rested against the edge of the bar again. “You mean because my eyes are so pale in color?” Vanessa nodded then waited for him to explain it, if he could. “My mother once told me that we had a member of our family that was born an albino. You know what that is right?” Vanessa nodded. “Okay, well she thought that maybe I was partially that way. The eyes didn’t pick up as much color as some do.” He shrugged. “I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it makes a good story.” He grinned and Vanessa laughed.
“Yes, it does make a good story.” Vanessa sipped her drink again. “This is particularly good by the way. Just the way I like it.”