Sinful Crime

by W L Knightly

  She went down the hall as Lang covered her and checked every room.

  “Is there a basement?” she asked. “Maybe she’s doing her laundry. Maybe she walked next door.”

  She walked down the hall toward the back door. Just off the kitchen, there was a door that looked like it was the basement access. She gestured toward it, and Lang nodded.

  Suddenly, there was a noise from the other end of the house. Jo ran toward it. “Dannie?” She kept her gun at the ready and moved forward. “Maybe she’s outside.”

  She opened the front door and stepped back out, calling to him through the house.

  Lang stepped into the hallway to call to her. “Let’s check out the basement, just in case.”

  She looked around just as Lang’s eyes widened. “Lang?”

  She stepped forward just as blood came out of his mouth. Then it dawned on her that someone was standing behind him.

  They pushed Lang to the floor and ran, and she rushed forward, firing over his body and striking the wall. They went down into the basement before she could go after them.

  She hoped they were trapped, but there was probably an outside exit. She dialed her phone, not having any way else to call in. “This is Detective Calloway,” she said. “I’m at 401 Spring Path, Officer Lang is down. He’s been stabbed. Suspect is still on the site.”

  The dispatch went crazy, repeating the call for all units, and soon, she could hear the chief in the background barking orders.

  There was a radio going off in the distance, repeating everything she said to get the others on the way.

  “I’m going to stay on, but I’ve got to go after them,” she told dispatch. “Hold the line.”

  She tucked the phone in her pocket on speaker and moved carefully toward Lang. She felt for a pulse, but there wasn’t one. She closed her eyes and then spoke out for the phone. “Officer down, no response.”

  She let out a breath, knowing it had all gone sideways. She’d convinced him to come, and now he was dead.

  “He’s gone. Suspect is still here.” She looked for Lang’s gun, but it was gone. She kept her voice low. “Suspect is armed with Lang’s gun. I’m going after them.”

  The calls went wild, giving her away, but she couldn’t stop it now. All she could hope was that the suspect couldn’t hear them down in the basement.

  She had to find Dannie, but it didn’t look good for the woman.

  Jo hadn’t seen the killer well enough to identify them, but she could tell it was a man. It could have been her brother, but she wasn’t able to make a clear identification.

  Jo took a deep breath and then kicked the door open. She heard a commotion, things being knocked over and the sound of footsteps. “This is the police. Come out with your hands up!” She eased her way down the stairs, seeing blood on the floor.

  She was terrified, but she moved forward, knowing that she had to find Dannie and check on her. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, she stopped and looked over to the sofa where Dannie was sprawled out, her nude body riddled with cuts on her torso, some looking superficial, others not so much.

  Jo approached, thinking she was dead but ready to make sure. Dannie was pale, her pulse was weak, but she was alive.

  Jo took the phone and put it on speaker. “I need an ambulance. Victim is unconscious. Pulse is weak. She’s been stabbed. I’m still on the hunt for the suspect.”

  She got to her feet and looked across the dark room. “I know you’re still in here. Come out with your hands up, and I won’t shoot you.”

  There was a sound across the room, and she could see what appeared to be empty space on the other side of a stack of boxes. She slowly made her way over, ready to turn around and put the gun in the suspect’s face, but when she moved closer, storage boxes from overhead came crashing down, and she was thrown to the floor.

  Jo struggled to get up, the phone fell out of her pocket, and when she went to get it, her finger accidentally hit the button, ending the call.

  “Shit.” She took a deep breath, and before she could get to her feet, something hit her from behind, taking her back down.

  Chapter 29

  Jake

  Jake was working hard to make sure every bit of evidence was being collected. He had even suited up in one of the forensic coveralls with Kevin.

  “It’s a shame when even the detective needs coveralls,” he said to the head of forensics.

  “Yeah, I don’t usually share,” he said. “But this is a lot bloodier than usual. I’m going to need to bag the letter, and I’m taking it into evidence now that you’ve read it.”

  “It’s fine. Thanks for letting me read it.” He appreciated anything he didn’t have to wait for.

  Kevin smiled. “I knew you’d bug the shit out of me if I didn’t. And with this being Jo’s dad, I didn’t want to make things any tougher.”

  “Yeah, word spreads fast in this department.”

  “I heard you used checkpoints. He had to be closer than you thought.”

  “Yeah, I’ve underestimated him. He’s clearly not hiding out far. I’ll see if Milner will let us go door to door. But I’m sure whatever FBI douchebag they send in will want to take charge.”

  “Sorry,” said Kevin.

  Jake shook his head. “Oh, don’t get me wrong. I welcome the fool. But I’m just bitter his ass wasn’t here from the start.”

  Kevin stood looking up at the body. “I hear you.” He turned toward Jake. “It’s time we get him down. Did you get all the photos you wanted?”

  “Yes. I don’t know how I’m going to keep those from Jo. She’s bound to see something in the file. It’s horrible. She just got her father and was supposed to be protecting him, and now he’s dead. She’s not going to get over this anytime soon.” Things between them were just looking up.

  “You care about her. You’ll help her through it.”

  “Yeah, I guess I’m just pissed off that I have to.”

  “Did you get photos of the heart?” Kevin asked as he was about to move it into a bag.

  “Yes, not that I’m showing her that. I don’t want her to know about the letter, either.”

  Kevin nodded, but he didn’t look like he agreed. “You know she’s going to ask, Jake. I wouldn’t hide anything. And what do I do if she asks me?”

  “You tell her to come to me about it. I want that situation handled with kid gloves. There are things she doesn’t need to know.”

  Gary came in with a roll of plastic. “Are you ready for this?”

  “Yes,” said Kevin. “Spread it out. Then go ahead and put the body bag on top of it. Get it close for the transfer. I’m not sure how much of him will stay together. He’s nearly bisected. The spine is all that’s holding his lower body in place, and it’s been under such extreme weight.”

  Jake was glad that Jo wasn’t around to hear any of it. It was so bad that a few of the other officers had to step out more than once, and Jake couldn’t even stare too long. Knowing the victims always made it tougher, and there wasn’t any kind of sick satisfaction in the moment—even if you hated them.

  Kevin took a deep breath and then put on his mask. “Here.” He passed one to Jake. “Get this on, and we’ll do this.”

  Jake couldn’t wait to get it over with. He knew once this part was done, he could go out to Jo and take her home and tuck her in. He was glad that she wanted him to go to her house with her, and he couldn’t imagine leaving her alone after all she’d been through. Even if she wanted to go back to taking things slow, it was fine with him as long as she was okay.

  But as he glanced up one more time at her father, he couldn’t help but think of how close he’d been to having her. He hoped that wasn’t the closest he’d ever get. A selfish thought went through his head. You really know how to cock block.

  He couldn’t help but think the man was somewhere in Hell, laughing at the idea of keeping Jake Thomas out of his daughter’s pants.

  Gary, who had already suited up before Jake, stepp
ed over, as did one of the other officers who had volunteered to help. It would take all four of them, and Jake hoped the damned body would stay together when they moved it.

  “Okay,” said Kevin. “We’re going to let him down slow. Jake, you get the legs, and Gary, you and Officer Brown wait for his shoulders. We’ll let him down easy. I still have work to do.”

  Jake couldn’t believe how heavy the legs were. Even though the body had been mutilated, the lower portion nearly ripped from the top, the dead weight caused from blood pooling made it difficult.

  Once they had him in the bag, Jake stared down at him. There was blood coming out of his eyes, and they were still bulging behind his barely open lids. “He finally got you,” whispered Jake.

  The Hangman had almost completed his game, and there was only one more victim left to protect. The very one he hated the most.

  “I’ve got to get with Milner about next of kin. How long do you think it will take the ME to get him presentable?”

  “Days. Whoever wants to see him isn’t going to get a pretty sight. I’d recommend the wife not come.”

  “I’m sure his son will.” He wondered if Kyle would take it badly or not. He might just get off on it, the sick fucker.

  He hated that Kyle was the only family Jo had on her father’s side. He would ask Milner if he could be the one to tell Kyle about his father’s death. If he could get him to cooperate, they just might be able to use the asshole as bait. But Jake wasn’t sure he’d buy it.

  Gary zipped up the bag after putting the bag with the heart in it into the body bag with the senator. He and Brown went to get the gurney, which would help get him out of the old building.

  Jake looked down at his coveralls and saw the blood on them. The stark contrast was like a horror movie. The smudging nearly looked staged. “Can I take this off?” He didn’t want Jo to see him that way.

  “Yeah, that’s all I needed you for. If you’re done, you can go.” Kevin stood in his stained coveralls, jotting down notes on the clipboard.

  Jake stepped out of the booties which covered his shoes, and then he stripped off his coveralls and wadded them up for the trash. The last thing he stripped off was his gloves. He still felt dirty and covered in the senator’s blood. He looked around the room at the aftermath. “What a fucking mess.”

  Kevin and the others lifted the bag onto the gurney when they came in with it, and Jake stopped them before they could go any farther with it.

  “I don’t want this taken out past Jo,” he said. “I’ll go out to her before you come out, okay? Let me leave first?”

  Kevin nodded.

  “Jo’s not here,” said Officer Duncan, who had been observing and keeping unwanted people away from the scene.

  Jake was surprised to hear it but gave a nod. “She probably had Lang take her home.” He glanced at his watch. It had already been almost two hours. And there was still work to do for the others.

  About that time, Duncan’s radio sounded off. “Attention all units, officer down at 401 Spring Path.” He was barely able to make it out with the noise around him from the others talking.

  “Whoa,” said Jake, holding up his hand for a moment. “Listen.”

  There were others who stopped in their tracks, and Jake listened as the address was called out again. Sam, who stood beside him, grabbed his arm. “401 Spring Path is Dannie’s house.”

  Jake narrowed his eyes. “You mean, front-desk Dannie?” Lord, what has she gotten herself into now?

  “Yes, and that’s not the worst of it. Jo went there. With Lang. She thought her brother was seeing Dannie, and then she said something about him being the one who killed Bodin.”

  Jake began putting things together in his mind. Dannie had been acting out lately, showing up on scenes, asking lots of questions, and then there was the friend of a friend who had been assaulted. Kyle. Kyle had been assaulted.

  “Holy shit,” he said. “Kyle is the copycat!” What had been a joke before wasn’t anymore, and the only thing he could think about was the dispatcher’s words: “officer down.”

  “Kevin, I’ve got to run.” The man looked at him like he understood, and Jake turned toward Sam. “You. Come with me.” He was going to need backup, and he needed to know exactly what had happened while he had been busy with the senator’s murder.

  They ran out to the lot, and Jake realized his car was missing. He looked around the lot, wondering if he had parked it in a different spot, or perhaps Jo had moved it. But it wasn’t there. “Dammit. They took my car. What the fuck?” He looked at Sam. “You drive.”

  Sam didn’t put up any fight. “This way,” he said, leading him to his squad car. They got in, and Jake buckled up for what he knew would be a fast ride. Sam turned on the siren.

  “Don’t let up on the gas until you get there,” he said.

  “Not a problem.” Sam peeled out of the parking lot of the old building as Jake’s heart pounded. He hoped they would get there in time.

  As he sped across town, he dialed Jo’s number but got no answer. “No. No. No. Answer the phone, Jo. Answer the phone.” Not knowing if she was alive or dead had him in a panic. He glanced over at Sam, who looked like he wanted to murder someone as much as Jake. “Tell me everything.”

  “I got a call from her. She was already at the house. They couldn’t find Dannie, and I guess they were afraid. They asked for a way in, and I told them about her spare key. I guess they went in, and her brother was there. I don’t really know.”

  “Maybe Dannie shot them for walking into the fucking house. She’s always been impulsive.”

  “No, Dannie doesn’t even own a gun. It could have been anything, Jake. A burglary in progress, I don’t know.” He stared intently at the road ahead and continued toward the scene. “Maybe it’s Lang down. Not Jo. Not that it’s any better, but I hope she’s okay. I feel responsible.” Sam hit the steering wheel of his cruiser.

  “She had no business going into the fucking house. She should have called me. She should have had me on her six. This wouldn’t have fucking happened. I swear, if this is her brother, I’m going to kill him.”

  “Maybe he went crazy with his father’s death.” Sam shrugged behind the wheel, his intense focus on the road.

  “I’m not sure if he even knows about it. Milner was keeping it quiet for the processing. She didn’t want the FBI on it until we were done. I’m done with this fucking department, Sam. I’m getting out just as soon as I can get my paperwork through.”

  “I’ve been thinking the same since these murders started. Everyone sees it, you know? The corruption. Just no one wants to say anything.”

  “Well, it’s got to stop. Now that Senator Young is dead, there isn’t anyone pulling the strings. The death of a senator? The FBI will be all over this. It’s too far reaching for them not to be. We’ll probably end up with some asshole who’s going to come in at the last minute and take credit for everything me and Jo have done. I’m not going to let it happen.”

  Deep down, he really didn’t care if he had any credit as far as anyone else was concerned, but he wanted him and Jo to both go out with good records and not some stain created by someone else.

  “Well, I have your back, my friend.” Sam slowed the car and took the next exit.

  “How much farther?”

  They couldn’t get there fast enough.

  Chapter 30

  Kyle

  Kyle had never been lucky, but when the junk on the top shelf of Dannie’s basement fell on top of Jo, taking her to the floor, he smiled with satisfaction and felt like luck was on his side.

  He still hadn’t revealed who he was, but now, since he had the chance to kill his sister, he thought it wouldn’t hurt. The gun evened everything, putting them on a level playing field, and perhaps by the time the cops got there, he’d add another victim for the Hangman to take the blame for.

  He didn’t think method mattered anymore. Hell, the Hangman was a freak. He could be doing all kinds of weird shit. Be
sides, his plans were to leave town with his father as soon as he took care of Kendra.

  He watched from the other side of the basement, where he hid behind an old trunk, as his sister got to her feet. She quickly moved behind some of the very boxes that had fallen on her. “I know you’re still in here. Come out with your hands up.”

  “Can’t do that, sister.” Kyle wished he could see her face as she realized who he was.

  But her next words surprised him. “I thought that was you, Kyle. I was going to come and see you later and tell you about Dad.”

  “I don’t need you to tell me anything about our father. I’ve known him our whole lives, and I know more about him than you do.” He grinned, taunting her. He considered taking a shot just to scare her, but she’d had more training. He was going to have to be careful not to get shot.

  “He’s dead, Kyle. I’m sorry to have to tell you that, but I just left the scene.”

  Kyle’s face fell from his cocky grin. “You’re lying. It’s not nice to tell such lies about your own father, sis. You’ll feel horrible when it comes true.” He grew nervous with her silence.

  “It’s true,” she said, her voice breaking.

  The call he’d overheard had been for a homicide, but he had no idea it had been his own father’s death he used for a cover to do those things to Dannie. He had seen it as his golden opportunity but didn’t know it was at his own expense. He suddenly felt as if he had no safety net. There was no one left to bail him out.

  He hated his sister. “Don’t pretend you ever cared by crying your fake crocodile tears. You didn’t know him like me. This isn’t your loss. It’s mine.”

  “You’re right. He knew you better. He raised you. But he was my father too. He wanted me in his life, and we did the best with what time he gave me.”