“He kidnaps them, keeps them tied up and drugged or keeps them in a remote place so he doesn’t have to worry about anyone hearing them or seeing them,” Captain Meadows suggested.
Tyler added, “I think we also have to consider that he knows his victims. It doesn’t sound like Maime put up much of a fight. Riley told me the kid she interviewed said the woman dropped off her car and then willingly got into the other guy’s car. Remember, Luke, there was no sign of struggle at Laura’s house either.”
He was correct. Neither it seemed fought their abductor, which did make it seem like it was someone they knew and trusted. Again, Luke thought of George.
The thing that puzzled Luke the most was that if it was George where was he hiding the women? How did he get Maime to voluntarily leave her car in the worst part of the city and what was he doing with these women while he held them before death? Why the fake outrage with Dean? Was it just for show? Each new bit of evidence only yielded more questions.
The detectives started running theories with each other and then Norwalk spoke out louder than the rest. “Luke, are you going to face the facts now or when we have twelve more bodies? There’s a serial killer killing these women. Purvis here just said it. I can head up this investigation if you don’t think you are up for it, you know given your history and all.”
“Luke can handle this case just fine,” Detective Jenkins yelled, pointing his finger at Norwalk. “And another thing. Don’t be running your mouth off to reporters. They have enough inside information. Maybe we should be wondering where it’s coming from.”
Captain Meadows slammed his fist into the table. “Okay, okay enough. Norwalk, you have enough cases waiting on you. You all have enough work to do without all this fighting. Now go and do it.”
The detectives filed out. Purvis promised he’d call when he had additional information.
“You okay?” Cap asked Luke once the room was cleared.
“Yeah, fine,” Luke said, trying to shrug off Norwalk’s comment.
“You know this case better than anyone. You got this. I have faith in you,” Cap reassured as he walked out of the room leaving Luke standing alone in front of the evidence board.
CHAPTER 62
LUKE SPENT ANOTHER HOUR pouring over all the evidence and then went back to his desk. He spent the next few hours with two other detectives hunting down surveillance video at the airport to see if Sara Bloomfield even made it there to catch her morning flight. Then they spent time calling the Bloomfield’s neighbors and tracking databases, trying to hunt down the identities of the other two victims.
They weren’t making much progress. Luke wanted to get George back into the interview room and have another crack at him. That wasn’t going to happen. Under no certain terms could Luke interview George again. George was not forthcoming with information, and his attorney was blocking another interview. They didn’t have enough to arrest either. Luke did the next best thing, he called Cooper and asked to meet with him.
While he waited for Cooper to arrive, Luke made a quick call to Riley who said she was headed to the news station. Luke needed to know who was calling in those tips. He knew the leaks couldn’t be from the police department. They all just found out about the drug. Luke’s only thought was that the killer himself was making the calls. He suggested that to Riley.
When Cooper arrived, Luke filled him in on the medical examiner’s findings. The biggest lead they had right now was that the killer was holding his victims for a period of time and drugging them before killing them. Luke needed to know and know now if there was a place George could have Maime and Laura stashed away.
“You need to pay your client a visit and dig a little deeper,” Luke demanded. “You know George lawyered up and won’t talk to me. Maybe you’ll get further. He’s still your client.”
Luke looked around to see who was listening. He pulled Cooper close, and barely above a whisper said, “It would be unethical for me to tell you to act as an arm of law enforcement, but I think your client is withholding information from you. There are a lot of unanswered questions, most specifically how jewelry with his initials ended up on each victim and if he’s got a place to keep Maime and Laura and the other victims stashed. You have to get him to talk. Time is running out.”
Cooper got the message and got up to leave.
“You can tell him we found his wife’s car, too. Maybe that will rattle him and shake some information loose,” Luke added as Cooper headed for the door.
“It’s confirmed?” Cooper asked surprised.
“The crime scene tech supervisor paid me a visit this morning. He said while they were going through it, they located a wallet and cellphone under the driver’s side seat. The wallet and cell belonged to Maime. Even though some of the car was badly burned, they were able to confirm the make and model was the same as Maime’s. The findings left little doubt it was her car. He guessed whoever did it planned for the car to be totally torched but didn’t stick around and make sure. Maybe, they wanted it found.”
“We’ll get him,” Cooper assured.
“I hope so.”
Luke went back into the conference room to go over Maime’s case just one more time. With the new information about the car and other leads, they had a better timeline of her disappearance.
Luke now knew Maime left work at approximately two in the afternoon. Dean confirmed he picked her up then. They drove around the city for about an hour arguing about whether she was really going to rehab or not. Then Dean said he brought her to the rehab at three-thirty and never saw her again.
Tyler had already confirmed the story with the rehab. The nurses confirmed that Maime was finished with check-in and was shown her room by six in the evening. She had refused dinner. The last time anyone saw her was around seven. The next bit of evidence they had was that by nine-thirty that night Maime’s car was being dropped off on the southside by an unknown man and woman. Dean had told Luke he thought Maime had a spare key. Dean had informed Luke he had taken Maime’s main set of car and house keys when he dropped her off at the rehab, but she was known to keep spare keys around.
Luke had called Maime’s father who quickly confirmed Dean’s story. Luke still couldn’t wrap his head around why they never told the police this information from the start. Edwin wouldn’t answer that question. Luke guessed it had more to do with protecting his own reputation. Luke wasn’t a parent, but he couldn’t imagine being more concerned about his reputation than the life of his child. No matter how much grief and embarrassment she might cause.
Luke wasn’t positive if Maime dropped her car off herself or whether it was a man and woman who had kidnapped her. He had no reason to believe she didn’t do it herself and then left with an unknown male. Clearly, she was familiar with the neighborhood, having purchased drugs from there.
If it was Maime, Luke knew identifying the man who was with her that night was going to be critical. Riley didn’t think anyone got enough to get a description. Luke was going to ask her to take some photos of George and Dean back to Orlando Knight and his crew to see if he could at least identify which of them bought her drugs. Luke had no reason to believe it was anyone other than one of them, even though they both denied it. They were both caught in one lie after another.
Luke had no way to account for Dean either that night and most specifically from the time he left work around seven. Dean allowed the cops to go through his phone records, and after a quick search, Dean had placed only one call that night and that was to Maime’s father.
Luke was still waiting for Verizon to provide the report on the victims’ and George’s cellphone locations. Luke stared hard at his notes, trying to connect the dots. Constructing timelines allowed Luke to step back to see the pieces of evidence that were missing. He knew that like a puzzle, it would just take a few more bits of evidence for some of it to start making sense. He just hoped it came before there was another victim.
CHAPTER 63
I DECIDED TO CALL F
IRST before going over to the news station because I didn’t want a repeat of being locked out like the day before. I had three people to interview – Janelle, her news director and whoever took the initial tip. When I called ahead, I explained some basic information about who I was and what I wanted to make sure the right people would be available. I didn’t give enough away that they’d refuse a meeting though.
On my drive to the station, Luke confirmed the news tips were accurate and his suspicion was that maybe the killer was calling in the tips. That was a clear sign to me that the killer wanted all of us to know what he was doing. Maybe he wanted recognition or maybe he just wanted to show us he was more in control than we were.
When I arrived, I was met by Janelle and Dave Brockton, the news director. I didn’t like Janelle on sight. She came from money and it was fairly obvious from the Jimmy Choo stilettos to the way she walked. Not my kind of journalist. They weren’t gritty enough and often would just buy the story instead of dig for it. Before I could say a word, Janelle struck the first blow.
“We know that you are George Brewer’s ex-girlfriend. Are you willing to give us an exclusive interview?” Janelle asked eagerly as she ushered me into Dave’s office.
I was not surprised. Although this was not information that had been made public, people knew, of course. I did wonder where they got this information. If it was information that came from the same tipster, it meant the killer was close enough to me or others closely linked to the investigation to know that information. Between what happened with George earlier today, and now this, my nerves were shot.
Janelle and Dave stood side by side waiting for my answer. They seemed quite eager to interview me. I quickly corrected their assumption without confirming or denying their information.
“I think there’s been some confusion. I’m only here to discuss some news tips you’ve been provided. We can start with where you heard about a relationship between George and me.”
“News tips?” Dave asked, cocking his head to the side reminding me in some ways of my yellow lab Dusty when he is listening intently to what I’m saying.
“Yes, you’ve been at crime scenes very early. At the police press conference yesterday, Janelle asked Detective Morgan about the victims being held and drugged with succinylcholine. Now this assumption I’ve had a previous relationship with George. It’s important to know where this information is coming from,” I explained, remaining calm and professional.
“We can’t give out our sources. You should know that,” Janelle said with a condescending tone I wanted to smack out of her mouth.
“I understand that in a normal circumstance you cannot share that information. We have reason to believe the information you were provided may have come directly from someone with prior knowledge of the victims and this case.”
Dave got up and closed the door. I was hoping he would be more willing to share information than Janelle. He sat back down and explained again that they couldn’t share that information. Janelle launched into a diatribe about journalistic ethics, and how if they reveal their sources, no one will share with the media. She seemed to like hearing herself talk.
I wasn’t really a fan. I wanted to explain to her that I knew all about journalistic ethics, but I held my tongue and took a different approach.
“You understand that by withholding this information you are putting the case in jeopardy, and therefore, the missing victims more at risk. We still have two missing women. You might be able to help save their lives. Withholding this information to keep your ratings up is putting people’s lives at risk.”
“How so?” Dave asked.
“Can you at least provide me with how the tips came in?”
“We’ve had both emails and calls,” Dave explained.
“Are they from the same source? Do you have a name?”
“Yes, it appears they are the same person. They never gave a name,” Dave said. He waved me off. “We are really on shaky ground here. I don’t think we can share further.”
He got up as if to end the meeting.
I didn’t budge. “Have you found anything odd about these tips?”
Janelle turned to Dave. He nodded and sat back down probably realizing I wasn’t letting them out of the conversation that easily.
Janelle explained, “They came from the same phone number and email address. We seem to be the only one getting this information. As you stated, we are often the first one at the crime scenes.”
She paused for a moment and seemed unsure if she should go further. Then with uncertainty in her voice, she said, “We’re there even before the police.”
“Have you given any consideration as to why that is?”
“We thought at first there was a leak in the police department. Then yesterday at the press conference, when Detective Morgan acted like he didn’t know what I was talking about, we decided the tips probably weren’t coming from the cops. Detective Morgan obviously didn’t know the information. He’s not that good of an actor,” Janelle detailed.
That much was true. Luke had a hard time with his poker face in situations like that. Get him in the room with a suspect, he can lie, but for some reason, any other time, he wears everything on his face. When Luke called earlier, he gave me enough leeway to share whatever I needed to get the information. I decided I wasn’t getting anywhere fast with these two and needed to throw down my ace.
“I’m going to share something with you. This information must remain off the record for now. Detective Morgan said he’d give you the exclusive to run it when he is ready to release the information if you agree. Agreed?”
Janelle and Dave looked at each other. Then both nodded in unison.
“Janelle, when you asked Detective Morgan about the victims being held and drugged with succinylcholine, he was surprised because they had not uncovered that information yet. It was confirmed this morning from the medical examiner’s office. That means that there is a very good chance that whoever is providing you with the tips is involved in the case. It may even be the killer.”
CHAPTER 64
I WATCHED AS JANELLE SWALLOWED VISIBLY at that realization. Dave looked distressed. Nobody, even a seasoned journalist, wanted to harbor a killer. There were possible legal implications, but broader than that, it was a moral issue. I’d been faced with similar situations in the past. Many journalists had and some even went as far as to sit in jail to protect their sources. I was hoping this wouldn’t be the case here.
“If this is true, why aren’t the police here?” Dave asked.
“This goes beyond source confidentiality. We are trying to close ranks and keep this quiet even within the police department. We won’t share the information you disclose to us. But we need to know it. Please call Detective Morgan if you don’t feel comfortable sharing it with me. He’ll confirm he asked me to be here.”
Right in front of me, they openly debated for several more moments whether to trust me or not. Then Dave got up, walked over to his desk and pulled a manila folder out of the top drawer. He came back to the table and handed it to me.
“It’s all in there. We got the first one the day Maime LaRue Brewer went missing. Then several more calls and emails came in. The number isn’t blocked. From what we can figure, they come from a prepaid cellphone. When we call it back, there is no voicemail or anything. It just rings and rings. We even tried to trace the IP address on the email, but they are routed all over the place. One message said it came from China, another from Russia and several others from New York and California.”
“Is it a male or female that calls in the tips?” I asked.
“Male,” Janelle interjected. “It’s the same voice. You can tell it’s not a real voice. I mean it sounds almost mechanical, but you can tell it’s male.”
“I’m going to need copies of this,” I said, patting the contents of the file. “Is there anything else you can tell me?”
Dave looked to Janelle and then explained, “The calls and the emails a
re directed to Janelle. When he calls in, he won’t speak to anyone but her. We noticed that she is similar in age to some of the victims.”
“It’s creepy,” Janelle said, wrapping her arms around herself. “It’s my job so what am I going to do?”
A thought occurred to me just then so I asked, “Does the caller sound like anyone you know? Think about how this person talks, the sound of their voice and words they use.”
Janelle thought for a few moments and then shook her head no.
I went on, “I know you interviewed George Brewer when Maime first went missing. Did you get any feeling or any sense it was him that was calling?”
“Not at all,” Janelle said confidently. “It’s not someone who is familiar to me. He doesn’t remind me of anyone. It took us a few tips before we even realized it was serious. The caller continued to ask for me. Then as we kept getting to crime scenes first, we knew it was real. We just didn’t know what to do.”
I got up to leave taking the folder with me. I cautioned them to call Luke the minute they got another call or email.
CHAPTER 65
THE LAST THING COOPER WANTED was to be alone with George. He had really grown to hate the man. While Cooper wasn’t known for his temper, he really wanted a chance to beat George to a pulp. He was pretty sure Luke did, too.
Earlier that day, he had called Riley to get an update and see when they’d meet up. Riley didn’t sound like herself at all so Cooper pressed for a reason why. Finally, Riley gave him the full update of everything that had happened, adding reluctantly that George had grabbed her in anger and hurt her.
Riley also confided that George’s parting remark about Luke was what had her freaked out the most. She couldn’t understand why George would be spying on her or driving past her house late at night. Riley said the way George said it was not casual and friendly or even inquisitive. She said George sounded hostile. Riley said it was the first time she’d ever seen him like that.
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