Family Ties Mystery Series Box Set
Page 46
The entire trip was made in silence. Hazel really had nothing to say, in fact she barely knew what to think. Everything seemed to go by in a blur, the events of the morning already seeming like just an extension of her earlier nightmare. Hazel did not know what to say – hell, she didn’t even know how to think. Everything was a blur. She was in a daze. She wanted to confide in Owen the way she once did, but she knew that she wouldn’t be able to tell him anything. The Owen she was sitting next to was not the Owen she grew up with. This man was a stranger.
As they pulled into the station, she took a moment to pull herself together and push her emotions deep inside. To her surprise, Owen reached over and caught her chin with a forefinger, turning her to face him.
“Hazel, everything is going to be fine. Nate is smart and he knows what he’s doing.”
He and her stepfather kept saying that to her, and she was beginning to wonder how much of it was to reassure her, and how much was to reassure themselves. She tried to smile but it wouldn’t come, and she settled for simply gazing back at him with a blank expression. Owen let go of her chin and they sat in silence for a few minutes.
It was Hazel who finally broke the spell. She got out and headed for the building, not looking back to see whether Owen was coming with her. It was only 7:00 a.m. but her lack of sleep and the morning’s events were already beginning to take their toll on her. Owen caught up with her and they headed up the stairs, bypassing the elevators. Hazel had gotten stuck in one when she was twelve, and the panicked feeling had stuck with her all these years. As a result, she avoided elevators whenever possible.
Once in her office, she quickly unlocked her desk and removed four files, arranging them neatly across the top of her desk. Owen pulled up a chair beside her and waited patiently as she opened the first one. She suspected he knew everything she did, but decided to proceed as if he came to the table with no knowledge of the case.
“First victim is Kim Barnes – that we know of anyway,” she added, remembering Jacob’s comments from the day before. “Murdered in her home October 28th, 2008 while her husband was at work. His alibi checked out. The victim was beaten, multiple lacerations and stab wounds, her fingerprints removed, and finally her throat slit. Victim had three cracked ribs, and her nose, right eye socket, and both wrists were broken. ME*2 listed death as drowning, resulting from aspirating the blood from her carotid artery. She would have exsanguinated soon after if that hadn’t happened though. Up until that point, the stab wounds were deep enough to cause pain, but not enough to cause death. Bastard wanted to keep her alive while he played. Eight-month old son was asleep in the other room and was not harmed.”
“Any indication of forced entry?”
“Nope, nothing. We assumed it was someone she knew because according to her husband, she kept the security system on when she was in the house. Any attempt to gain access through a window or door would have set it off. Whoever it was, she let him in.”
“You said the husband’s alibi checked out.”
“He was the first one we looked at, but it’s airtight. There are security cameras all over his office complex, and plenty of tapes showing him exactly where he said he was. Plus, by all accounts he had no reason to kill her. Happily married, no secret life insurance policies, no jealous mistresses hidden in the wings.”
“So who else would she let in? You talked to friends and family of course.”
“All of them, and more than once. All the interviews are recorded and we have them stored downstairs. We came up with nothing. Everyone loved her, no motivation anywhere. And since our killer left the crime scene spic and span, we had no evidence of any kind to go on.” Pointing at the other files on her desk she sighed heavily. “Each one reads exactly like this, at least until you get to Mathis and then it deviates only because the sister came home and interrupted things.”
Owen leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers together under his chin as he replayed the case in his mind. “So the guy comes over and they fix dinner, then sit down and eat. Except instead of an after-dinner mint, he likes to wrap things up with a little torture and murder. Was there any evidence the women fought back?”
Nodding, she pulled up the document with the stomach contents. “We can’t be sure. Tox screen showed no sign of date rape drugs so you would think there had to be some sort of fight, but the injuries are the same for the most part, which rules out a prolonged struggle. All of the scenes were carefully cleaned up afterwards so it’s difficult to know for certain.”
“And no signs of sexual assault?”
“Not any. Given the seemingly romantic aspect of his ‘wine and dine’ ritual, you would expect so, particularly when you factor in that all the victims shared a similar appearance. That’s their only connection so far – their looks. As far as their lives and relationships go, there’s nothing that ties any of them together at any time. ”
Owen maintained a disinterested expression as he thumbed through the files, but something about the cases kept niggling at him, something familiar. He pretended to be absorbed in the file in his hand, but his mind was elsewhere. Do I tell her? He was under orders to keep Hazel and the rest of her department in the dark, but as the light bulbs began to go off in his head, he set the file down and made a decision.
Chapter 3
They hadn’t removed the blindfold before dragging him off to be bound to a chair, but he didn’t need his eyes to know where he was. The freezing cold forced itself into his bones within minutes of entering. He was in a meat locker, and he was screwed.
Footsteps approached, coming to a stop beside him before ripping his blindfold off. Blinking, he tried to focus on his surroundings as his eyes tried to adjust to the dim light. He spotted Cecily Ciervo standing off in the corner, but instinct told him his real concern was the man standing in front of him studying him with cold, disinterested eyes.
“You don’t look so good, Lenny,” Cecily gloated as he walked over towards him. “Or should I say, Nathan Gabriel Hanson, undercover cop? I always thought you smelled like a pig. And now look at you, all tied up and nowhere to run. And for what? Did you honestly think you could do anything about us?” Cecily spat between Nate’s feet. “We’re not like those other clowns you’ve busted in the past. We were ahead of you at every turn.”
Nate kept his mouth shut. He knew Cecily wanted to see him grovel and beg, but he wasn’t about to go down that road. Getting no response, Cecily pressed further. “It’s over for you, but if you tell me what I want to know I’ll make sure things go a whole lot easier. Just tell me why you went to that apartment building. Who did you meet in there? Might as well tell me now and save yourself a lot of pain. My people will find out anyway.”
Nate stared steadily at Cecily. He knew it was just a matter of time before the Ciervos found out about Hazel, but he’d be damned if it was going to come from him. His silence didn’t seem to bother Cecily much. If anything, he seemed pleased by Nate’s refusal to cooperate. Motioning to the man in front of Nate, he shrugged apologetically. “You leave me with no choice then.”
Three times the knife flashed forward. His torturer moved with lightning speed, but as the blade sliced into his abdomen it seemed as if time slowed down to a crawl to allow him to feel every screaming nerve and sliced cell with exquisite clarity. The pain was excruciating, but instinctively he knew none of the cuts were deep enough to do any real damage. Clearly this guy was a pro, and something told him he was in for a long night.
They went back and forth like this for what felt like hours. Cecily would ask questions, Nate would say nothing, and then came the knife. Ignoring the questions was easy, the hard part was not passing out. His chest and abdomen were covered with skillfully delivered cuts, and his shirt and pants were soaked in his own blood. At last Cecily grew bored with the pointless interrogation. Whispering something to one of the thugs waiting on the side, he waved the man off, then returned to Nate’s side.
“You
know how to take pain,” he said with a sadistic smile. “I appreciate that in a man, Nate, I really do, and I must say I’m enjoying our time here together. However, if pain isn’t enough of a motivation for you, I’ll have to find something that is.”
“Might as well kill me now,” Nate growled. “I’m not telling you shit.”
His heart sank as he saw Cecily’s henchman return with Arianna in tow. Despite her bound wrists and disheveled appearance, she remained calm as he shoved her to stand beside her brother. It was clear she was resigned to her fate. Cecily leaned over Nate and grinned. “You know how to take pain,” he leered, “but does she?” Without warning Cecily’s arm shot out and he delivered a stinging backhand blow across her face. Nate winced as he watched Arianna’s head rock back. If it hadn’t been for the man holding her she would have fallen. Instead she shook her head slightly and stared off into the distance, refusing to show any weakness or fear.
“What kind of man are you, Nate?” Cecily taunted. “A real man would never allow this to happen to a woman he cared about.”
“A real man wouldn’t hit her in the first place,” Nate spat back.
Cecily waved a dismissive hand in the air. “Nonsense. She is a disobedient, traitorous bitch and always has been. She is of no consequence to me. But you, you impress me, so as a thank you for not crying and begging, I will spare her life if you will simply cooperate and tell me what I want to know.”
“He’s lying,” Arianna insisted. “I’m dead no matter what you do!”
This time it was Cecily’s fist that smashed into her jaw, but to Nate’s surprise she took it without a sound. It was clear this wasn’t the first time her brother had struck her. Cecily was just pulling his fist back for another punch when Elias Ciervo walked into the room. He shot Nate a disgusted look before turning to his son. “Enough,” he said forcefully. “Let your sister go. I’ve already learned who he went to see in that apartment building.” Elias looked back at Nate and smiled cruelly. “Your sister is very beautiful. A promising young detective, just like yourself. Such a terrible waste.”
“She doesn’t know anything,” Nate growled. “But if you touch her I swear I’ll kill you.”
Elias chuckled. “Rest assured I won’t be the one touching her. No, I have someone in mind that would enjoy touching her much more than I.” He turned his attention back to his son. “Leave him here to think about the mistakes he has made, Cecily. We have no more need of him. His sister will be able to tell us everything we need to know. She is your concern now.” Elias turned and left the room. Cecily and the others, including the dead-eyed man with the skillful knife, followed obediently, leaving Nate alone in the meat locker. As the door shut behind them and the room went to black, Nate’s heart fell with the realization that his decision to run to Hazel’s apartment had likely gotten her killed.
§
Hazel and Owen were still sorting through the files in silence when the phone began to ring. Owen watched as she answered it, hoping it was the hospital with news about their surviving victim. When she hung up he raised a questioning eyebrow and she smiled and nodded. “Kelly Mathis is awake. Even better, the nurse said she insisted on speaking to whoever was in charge of the case.”
Owen flashed her a rare smile and stood up. “Then let’s give the lady what she wants. With any luck she can tell us something about this bastard and we can finally close these files.”
Hazel quickly led the way out of her office and down the hall. As she passed her stepfather’s office she saw he hadn’t come into work yet. He’d insisted they keep her mother in the dark about Nate’s situation, but she knew it was only a matter of time before her Mom figured out something was wrong. Perhaps he’d come to the same conclusion, changed his mind, and stayed home to bring her mother up to speed. Hazel hated feeling so helpless. She wanted to be out looking for Nate, but she understood why her stepfather had insisted she continue working on The Slitter cases. The rat who blew Nate’s cover could be any of the LEOs she passed on the way to the parking lot, and she couldn’t risk letting them know she knew what was going on.
Traffic was bound and snarled all the way to the hospital, and if they’d been in a squad car Hazel would have flicked on the lights and sirens. Instead they were in her unassuming detective’s car, which did nothing to part the crawling traffic jam. At last they arrived at the hospital, only to find the parking lot every bit as jammed as the freeways. By the time she finally found a parking space, she was ready to scream.
Owen seemed unmoved by the delays, or perhaps he was just too deep in thought to notice. She wondered what he was thinking about. “Owen,” she asked hesitantly, “everything ok?”
Without looking at her he gave a brief nod. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Hazel bit her lip as she studied his face. She knew perfectly well he wasn’t fine. It occurred to her that he might be hiding something from her, but she couldn’t be certain. The Owen seated beside her wasn’t anything like the Owen she’d once known and loved, and she wasn’t sure she knew him at all anymore.
They got out of the car together and headed into the hospital. Owen flashed his badge at the receptionist, who waved them down the hall after only a cursory glance. The antiseptic smell of the hospital made Hazel feel slightly ill but she tried to ignore it. Ahead, she spotted a familiar officer seated next to one of the doors. Hazel recognized her as Officer Paige Laganosky, one of Percy’s classmates from the academy, and also his girlfriend. The platinum blonde came to her feet as the detectives neared, her kind blue eyes betraying her concern for the woman she’d been assigned to guard. “Detectives,” she greeted them quietly. “Ms. Mathis just woke up and she’s pretty upset. The nurse said to tell you not to agitate her. They called her mother and she should be here in about an hour.”
“Thanks Paige…erm, Officer Laganosky,” Hazel said, hastily correcting herself as she opened the hospital room door. Inside, looking small and broken in the hospital bed, lay a deathly pale woman with distant brown eyes. As the two detectives approached the bed, her eyes seemed to come into focus and she turned her head towards them.
“Kelly,” Hazel said gently, “I am Detective Hanson and this is Special Agent Jones. The hospital called and said you were ready to talk to us about what happened last night.”
She nodded once. Owen pulled a chair next to the bed and took a seat. “When you came home last night, was it the same time you normally get home?”
“No,” she croaked hoarsely, her voice still suffering the effects of the attempted strangulation. Between her bruised throat and broken face, Hazel was surprised Kelly could speak at all. “Last class canceled. Got home hour early,” she rasped. “Stopped at …the library…research paper.” Tears began to form in her eyes. “Should have...gone home...sooner...could have saved her.”
Hazel quickly looked away, unable to stand the naked pain in the woman’s eyes. She doubted Kelly could have stopped the murder of her sister; more likely both girls would have ended up dead if she’d gone home earlier. It wouldn’t do any good to tell Kelly that though, not that Hazel would have known how. Dealing with victims and families of victims had always been the hardest part of the job for Hazel. She would have preferred to leave the woman alone to heal, but they couldn’t wait for that.
“Kelly, I know it’s hard, but can you tell us anything about the man you saw?”
Her eyes took on a haunted look and she turned her head to stare at the wall. “Tall…brown eyes…so cold.”
“He felt cold?” Owen looked confused.
“Cold eyes,” Kelly whispered. “So cold…until he hurt me…then they burned.” She exhaled painfully and turned back to face them. “Sounds crazy.”
Hazel shook her head. She understood exactly what Kelly was trying to describe. They had a monster on their hands. “Not at all. He feeds off the suffering he causes. Now, you remember that he was tall and had brown eyes. Can you recall anything else about his appearance?”
“Was the security system activated when you came home?” Owen asked.
“Yes,” she whispered. “My father insisted…had to enter code...when I came in…when I saw…I saw…” her voice cracked and at last the tears came pouring down.
Owen and Hazel shared a look of understanding. The security system had been disarmed when police arrived on the scene, but now they knew it had been active at the time of the murder. It proved Morgan Mathis had known her killer, had let him in the apartment and then reset the security system just as she always did.
Before they could ask any more questions, a frantic woman burst into the room and rushed to the bed. “Oh God, my sweet baby!” she cried as she reached for Kelly’s hand. Hazel moved aside to allow them room. “You must be Mrs. Mathis,” she said gently.
“Dr. Mathis,” the distraught woman corrected, her eyes never leaving her daughter. “Oh Kelly,” she crooned softly, clutching her hand to her chest. “You’re safe now, baby. Everything is going to be ok.”
“No,” Kelly sobbed. “Morgan…she’s dead.”
Dr. Mathis looked away quickly, struggling to keep her composure. Hazel felt her own heart catch at the sight. She could only imagine what the woman was going through, with one daughter dead and the other barely alive.