The group assembled in the conference room and Ben forced his attention back to the case. He tried not to get his hopes up, since the frustration had been building over the last week without a single lead paying off.
Irene held up the evidence bag with the lighter. “We’ve got prints not from the deceased that did trigger in the state registry. Martin Philips is on a road repair crew with the department of transportation. We’re currently working with the Department of Transportation to find out where he’s assigned today so we can bring him in as a person of interest. Obviously, it’s possible he got a light from our dead guy and touched the lighter but not the dead guy. But we’re hoping for a solid lead.”
“Probably not him,” Sheriff Larry said.
“Your reasoning?” Irene asked.
“DOT. If he killed someone, he’d bury the body at night, seal over it with asphalt in the morning. His buddies would never rat him out.” Sheriff Larry looked very pleased with himself.
Ross nodded. “Except a killer like this wants the attention. Taking so many men would take a massive pothole to bury them all on a DOT road job. Killing two that he didn’t bury, he wants people to know. Assuming it’s all one person. Especially if it proves that our killer is a drag queen like Mickey Carlton, the city guy who was taken. We have evidence he was performing in the local bar as well as city bars. Then it seems the duo broke up. Let’s see if this Martin has a closet full of drag.”
“We’ll get a search warrant if we have enough evidence. We do this by the book so we get a conviction. Hate crimes will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Irene said.
Ben leaned over and whispered to Ross. “Is she gay?”
Ross nodded. Ben got the motive, but they had to stop the death and kidnappings.
“Can we speed up the processing on the journal?” Ben asked.
Irene shrugged. “We’re processing things as fast as we can. I know it sucks, but all evidence is important and mishandling it isn’t an option.”
The meeting broke up. Ben called his dad and Charlie. He felt like a caged tiger ready to devour the next clue. Ross’ facial recognition was taking its time as well.
“Confirmed. Mickey is Violets are Blue.” Ross sighed.
“Load Martin’s picture. If he’s Roses, we’ve got our guy,” Ben said.
Ross shot him a look. “We’re one step closer, but don’t think we can go off half-cocked with just this.”
“I know.” Ben nodded as Ross scanned.
“Damn!” Irene grumbled.
“He’s dead?” Ross guessed.
“What? No. Martin is on vacation. Two weeks that started last week, so we have no idea. We need to check with airlines, bus stations and trains,” she said.
“If we think he’s in danger, we should get into his residence. There might be a clue to his destinations there,” Ben suggested.
“Right. Fine. I’ll have Sheriff Larry get the warrant. You two get in place and we’ll email it to you when it’s signed.” Irene headed off.
Ross and Ben headed out to the address Mickey’s employer had provided. The small shack in the middle of nowhere hinted at nothing. There was no car outside. The no trespassing sign on the chain-link fence made it feel quite normal. Ben walked up to the door and pounded on it.
“We should wait,” Ross said.
“Sheriff’s office with a wellness check,” Ben fibbed.
Ross shook his head.
“Well checks can be issued by any concerned citizen. We’re not entering without a warrant,” Ben assured him.
A few minutes later, Ben’s phone pinged. The warrant was in.
“That fast?” Ross asked.
“Small towns. Everyone is fishing or hunting pals. They trust one another.” Ben smiled.
Ross pounded on the door this time. “Police with a warrant. Open up.”
“No one in there.” Ben slammed his shoulder into the door once and again. The door cracked. Ross kicked at the door and it gave completely.
Just then, two squad cars showed up to join in the search and processing of the scene.
Ben and Ross went through the bedroom. Nothing. No dresses or shoes.
“This is wrong. I was sure,” Ben said.
“Maybe he got rid of it all when they broke up?” Ross suggested.
They pulled open all the boxes in the closet.
“Mattress?” Ross suggested.
Ben lifted it. Sure enough. Five fake multicolored roses and a small photo album of the drag nights.
“Maybe Mickey did break Martin’s heart. Maybe Marty was just doing drag for Mickey?” Ross wondered.
“Would you do drag for me?” Ben teased.
“Never in a million years,” Ross replied.
“Same.” Ben nodded.
A uniformed officer walked into the room. “We found a fire pit out back with some sequins and stuff in it,” he said.
“We’ll be right there.” Ben bagged the evidence and was finally excited for more.
* * * *
With the evidence, including fire pit remnants of gloves and dresses, Ross and Ben returned to the station.
All the proper stops were finally being pulled out. The pinging of Martin’s cell phone and the pulling of all records. An APB out on Martin’s car as well as Martin himself.
Even the DOT was alerted that if Martin should come in contact with them for any reason, they had to pass this on.
“Next of kin?” Larry asked.
“None. Looks like all his family moved away or died.” Ben was on the computer.
Ross’ facial recognition hit on Martin as Roses are Red. “The name is poetic.”
“Get down to that dive bar and see if anyone knows anything more about him. Bug Charlie again and make sure you got all he knows,” Larry said.
“Fine.” Ben led the way.
Ross followed. “What’s the point?”
Ben shrugged. “I just want to get out of there. Sitting around waiting for searches and phone calls. I feel like he’s been active for all that vacation and he has these men.”
Ross got into the driver’s seat as Ben buckled himself in. “Do you think he was rejected by them all? If he was with Mickey, why would he be looking for another guy? I guess some couples have an open thing.”
“Not us,” Ben said.
“Don’t tease me,” Ross said.
Ben sighed. “I never stopped comparing other guys to you either. Never stopped loving you. But life gets in the way—if your mom was sick, wouldn’t you move to Nevada?”
Nodding, Ross pulled onto the two-lane country road. “I get it. I do. But you have to make some choices for yourself or you’ll resent him one day. We’re not abandoning anyone, but privacy and a little breathing room aren’t too much to ask for.”
“Did you say we?” Ben asked.
“Am I scaring you?” Ross teased.
“Getting my hopes up. Among other things,” Ben said.
Ross laughed. “Now? You’re getting flirty now? A high-speed chase would put you in heat.”
“Might. Progress, getting the bad guy—without you, it was the best feeling I had,” Ben admitted.
“Let’s try and separate your sexual release from the day job? I’ll handle that later.” Ross squeezed Ben’s knee.
Ross parked the car outside the dive bar. The party looked like it was back on.
They walked in and went to the bar. Xander was there with a big smile.
“Two waters?” Xander asked.
“Yeah. Charlie around?” Ben asked.
“Back room.” Xander bounced to the music.
“The crowd is back? No fear?” Ross asked.
Xander shrugged. “Only the addicts have turned up dead. People sort of forget.”
“In less than a week?” Ben asked.
“Living in fear is old-school,” Xander replied.
“Thanks.” Ross picked up his water and led the way to the back room.
In the dark areas, pl
enty of hooking up was going on. Charlie sat at his desk, chewing on a cigar and enjoying the noise.
“Hello, boys, what brings you back?” Charlie asked.
“What are you doing? Two dead gay men and a bunch of others missing.” Ben kicked Charlie’s chair.
“We want to know what you know about this guy.” Ross flashed the picture.
“Nothing more than before. Roses are Red. Performed here. Then poof. Gone. I assumed the city clubs had a better offer. She worked with Violets are Blue.” Charlie shrugged.
“And this guy?” Ross flashed Martin’s pic from the DOT.
“Um, maybe. I think he helped me patch the walkway when it cracked. Tried to get me to pave the parking lot. Dirt is good enough for country boys.” Charlie smiled.
“Sure, but what was he like?” Ben asked.
“Like? Never wanted people to know he was a drag queen. Never saw him connected at all to that. He was always looking to hook up in the back room. Glory holes and anonymous sex.”
“No serious boyfriend?” Ross asked.
“No, I think he used to have a wife. Oh well. You two better get to the front or join the backroom party. Ruining the mood,” Charlie said.
They went back to the bar, and Ross started counting.
“What?” Ben asked.
“If we add up all the missing and dead, including us, we get a dozen. Creepy number with the rose association,” Ross said.
Ben sighed. “So you think he’s done?”
“Done taking men, yes. Unless he’s crazy enough to try for us… But he’s not done killing them,” Ross replied.
Chapter Twelve
Crashing in the conference room after a marathon of talking to Martin’s coworkers and what family he could find in Nashville, Ben was no closer to finding any information.
“Nothing?” Ross asked.
“No one knows where he might’ve gone or anything about drag. I hate outing people, but this guy…how is he doing this?” Ben asked.
Ross leaned back in his chair. “I’m not doing much better. He’s not traveling by air or train. Nothing on bus station footage. I agree he might have an accomplice. This isn’t Violets are Blue?”
Frowning, Ben sipped his coffee. “That would mean they made up and went Bonnie and Clyde on people. Why?”
“Examining the profile, the man behind these crimes is feeling helpless and alone. He’s connected to his community but feels on the fringe of multiple communities, so he’s not truly deeply involved with one. He’s been rejected many times, had many relationships, but feels he’s always missing the mark. Off a tragic breakup, he’s trying to figure out what to do with his life. His motives are revenge or removal.” Ross shrugged.
“Removal?” Ben asked.
“Like he’s getting rid of all of the men who know he’s gay. But he’d have gone after Charlie. Unless…” Ross trailed off.
“Unless what? Charlie is fine. We have an unmarked car covering his place,” Ben said.
“What if…and I hate to suggest this, because it’s insane. But what if Charlie is in on it with Martin? Both of them are alone. Never seem to find love. Charlie could be throwing us off the scent, and Martin is handling the men,” Ross said.
Ben frowned. “Handling them? You meant torturing. Why did we get roses and not get taken?”
“It’s possible Charlie is protecting us from that last piece,” Ross said.
“That just feels off. Not like Charlie at all.” Ben shook his head. “We’re grasping at straws.”
Irene stormed through the conference room. “Who let that bumpkin take over?”
“What?” Ross asked.
“Sheriff Larry is on TV.” Irene flipped the TV on in the conference room and found the local news.
“We need the public to be aware of this mass kidnapping and murder suspect. Gay men are the target, and everyone should be aware. Tell your family and your friends, be careful. The Rose Man, as we’ve dubbed him, leaves a calling card, but we’re never sure when or where he’ll be back. He knows the schedules of his targets and everywhere they are. We believe he’s been stalking and studying them for months or longer. We’d hoped to catch this guy without causing any public panic, but now we need the help and attention of our citizens. If you know of a missing gay man in your life, call us. We have one suspect but need your help to find him.”
Martin’s picture flashed on the screen.
“If you’ve seen him in the last twenty-four hours, please call. Sheriff Larry cares about all of our citizens and we will bring this maniac to justice,” Larry said.
As Larry walked back from the conference, Ross got in his face.
Ben jumped in between them. “Not now.”
“What? He went public without consulting the FBI. So much for cooperating in good faith,” Ross shouted.
Irene stalked up to Sheriff Larry. “He’s right. You owed us a heads-up if nothing else. We can pull this case from your hands and you’re asking us to do that.”
“No, we’re not. Truly. The people here trust Larry. He’ll win re-election in a landslide. If they know something, they’ll come forward. If he tells them to be careful, they’ll listen. He was trying to avoid a panic by handling it quietly before,” Ben tried to explain.
“Look, we’re all worn out. Let the fresh troops handle it overnight and we’ll get some rest,” Larry said.
“After that display?” Ross demanded.
“He’s right. We’re all frayed, and it’ll show in our actions.” Irene shook her head. “I’ll brief the new guy and let him run things overnight. Come back fresh in the morning.”
Ben sighed. “I do need to check on my dad.”
“You targeted the main suspect. That’s the biggest break of the case. I get you want to take the collar, but sanity is important too.” Ross held up his hand and walked away from the confrontation.
Ross gathered his stuff and headed for the door. Ben followed him out.
“Stay safe,” Ben said.
“Come with me,” Ross suggested. “Better to have backup.”
“I can’t. I need to check on dad. You could stay with us,” Ben teased.
Ross frowned. “I don’t want to make him take another sleeping pill. You know he does that just to block us out, but it’s dangerous if there’s a chance of trouble or an intruder. Not that we’re that noisy, I don’t think.”
“Okay, we’ll survive one night apart. Have a good one,” Ben said.
“I’m willing to try, Ben. I want this, but we’d need our own space,” Ross said.
Ben nodded. “Let’s finish this case then deal with it.”
“There will always be another case,” Ross said as he went over to his car.
Ben had a gnawing feeling in his gut but no plan of action to make it go away. The news conference had been a Hail Mary and Sheriff Larry hadn’t consulted anyone else. It was done now, and Ben could only do his best to protect the people he loved. If only he could corral them into the same space… Nothing was easy.
* * * *
Takeout dinner in hand, Ross was extra observant as he locked his car and headed to his motel room. Nothing looked out of place, but with the information being public, and the criminal having tagged Ross’ car with a rose, he had to be careful.
Ross unlocked the door, flipped on the lights and everything seemed normal. He placed his food on the desk and turned on the TV.
When he turned back to lock the door, he saw the gun. Ross grabbed for his sidearm.
The killer fired into the floor. The silencer made it seem like it was part of the TV noise. Ross held up his hands.
“Marty, or should I call you Roses?” Ross asked.
The man smiled. “Marty is fine. Drag wasn’t really me. I tried though. Sit.”
Ross sat on the bed. “What did I do to get on your list? Or get a rose?”
“Ah, yeah. I didn’t want to do that. I mean, we never dated. I never asked you out.” Marty waved the gun like a creepy wizard sw
inging around his wand.
It made Ross tense, but he tried not to show it. “Then why?” Ross wanted to keep him talking.
“Gun! Phone!” Marty held out his free hand.
Ross handed over his gun and his phone. “Tell me. What did all those men do to you?”
“Everyone wants a Calvin Klein model. I don’t look like that. Never did. In my best shape, I never looked like that.” Marty picked through the food.
“Most people don’t. That’s crap Hollywood puts in your head. They used to focus on women, but now everyone has to look gorgeous or feel like crap. But it’s not true. The right person sees the real you,” Ross explained.
“What’s it like?” Marty began eating Ross’ dinner.
Ross watched every movement of the gun and Marty’s beady little eyes. The guy had already proved he’d shoot. It was too dangerous to try and grab it. Better to make friends.
“What’s what like?” Ross wanted to drag out the chat.
“Being gorgeous. Hot. All the guys want you. I heard them talking about you at the bar,” Marty said.
“I’m just new in town. But not really—I grew up around here,” Ross replied.
“I know, Ben had dibs on you forever.” Marty slurped Ross’ soda. “Diet? Really? You don’t need it.”
“I don’t like stuff that’s too sweet. Sorry. Who did you talk to about me that said Ben had dibs?” Ross asked.
Marty shrugged. “Guys. Have you ever felt invisible? Like people just answer you or invite you to shut you up?”
“College freshman year was sort of like that. You have to find where you fit in. It’s not always the dorm where you get assigned.” Ross did his best, but his other weapon was on his ankle and that much movement would make Marty shoot up the room. The guy had his finger on the trigger like it was a TV cop show.
“College? Didn’t go. I didn’t really have the brains, and my mama didn’t have the money.”
“I’ve still got loans. You got a good job with the state. Nothing to sneeze at.” Ross could play the loser if it helped.
“You came back for Ben?” Marty scratched his head with the gun.
The Rose Man Page 10