Caribbean Fire

by Rick Murcer

  “Now what?” asked Sophie, not attempting to hide her vexation.

  Manny pointed toward the city of San Miguel proper.

  “It seems our theory about the killer being finished wasn’t quite right.”

  CHAPTER-33

  “You can’t call them, Granny. Th at’d be, like, totally lame.”

  Haley Rose bowed her head, holding her phone in one hand, a still sleeping Ian in the other arm. They were in one of the private visitor’s rooms at the hospital, awaiting the police artist’s final rendition of Stacie’s attacker, the man who had driven by their house with apparent purpose.

  “Just why shouldn’t we be callin’?”

  Jen paced past her and then came back. “I don’t know. It just seems like we’re jumping the gun. Maybe Stacie didn’t hear him right when he talked to her. Maybe that’s not what the sicko meant. And even if that were true, we’d get protection from the cops, right?”

  “But what if all those maybes are wrong? What if this man has no top to his elevator? What if he wants revenge on your dad for some ungodly reason? Then what?”

  Crossing her arms, Jen frowned then began a tight-lipped smile that eventually flowered.

  “Really, Granny? His elevator doesn’t have a top? That’s your best, ahh . . . analogy?”

  Haley Rose shook her head, repositioned Ian, then returned the grin. “You know what your old granny meant. Don’t think you can charm me out of this one by bein’ clever.”

  “Charm you? Not me. I’m just saying let’s wait and let them enjoy the week, okay?”

  She knew what Jen meant, but this could be far more serious than a weirdo who wanted a closer look at a young woman. She couldn’t shake the thought that Manny had enemies. All good cops do, but his list was even more formidable.

  That was the real issue, wasn’t it? She knew full well that if someone wanted to inflict pain or suffering on someone like Manny, the best way was to go after his family. She’d seen it too many times not to think it a possibility. She’d been left in charge of the wee one and Jen, and by God, she’d make sure nothing happened to them, but she wasn’t stupid either. No one protects a family like a parent.

  “I know, but some things are more important than vacations. Your dad and Chloe would fully agree.”

  “I know that. Hey, I love Ian too, but Dad and Chloe need this time. Don’t you see the look on their faces when they’re working cases, especially Dad? He has to get some of that R and R stuff, or he’s going to explode.”

  Damn. The girl could be an esquire or an attorney already. Haley Rose glanced at Ian, then back to Jen, and sighed.

  “Okay. We’ll wait to see if that drawing of this warped man helps the LPD find him. But if they don’t get him by the end of the day, I have to call.”

  Returning the sigh, Jen nodded slowly. “I guess that’ll have to do.”

  “And that’s against my better judgment.”

  Jen leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks, Granny.”

  “Don’t be suckin’ up, but you’re welcome. I just hope I’m doing the right thing.”

  The commotion down the hall captured Haley Rose’s attention. She scanned the other end and saw Officer Shaw walking with the police artist. They were looking at Stacie’s rendition of the man who held part of her heart in fear. Shaw pointed at the sketch, said something, and watched as the artist nodded in agreement.

  She felt her pulse increase as they got closer. She’d finally get her own look at the man who’d been torturing her thoughts for the last twenty-four hours. She wasn’t sure if that was a positive or negative just yet.

  Standing, she placed Ian in his car seat and turned back to the blues coming their way. The artist had stopped and motioned for Jen to approach. Shaw kept walking toward Haley Rose.

  “What is going on?’ asked Haley Rose.

  “We need a couple more details. It seems that Stacie and Jen didn’t quite agree on a few features that can change the perp’s image significantly.”

  “I see. Why is she talking to Jen again?”

  “We think Jen got a better look at this man and has a good chance of being more accurate with the details. Stacie is still shaken up,” said Shaw.

  “That makes some sense.”

  Shaw moved his hat to the other hand. “There’s something else.”

  “Yes?”

  “We’re really not sure that Stacie heard what she thinks she heard. We had one of our LPD detectives talk to her again and some of the details of her account changed. When we first interviewed her, she may have been in one of those out-of-body states people go into when they’re suddenly stressed.”

  “Whew. Who wouldn’t?”

  “At any rate, we want to take a few hours to discuss everything, and that will give the artist time to make the best drawing possible.”

  Relief from his words wasn’t something she had expected. The feeling was welcomed.

  “Now that sounds sensible.”

  By then, the artist had left, and Jen joined them.

  Shaw continued, “We think so. The fact that there was a similar assault on a total stranger makes us believe Stacie’s attack was most likely random.”

  “Do you really?” asked Jen.

  “I do. People who do what she claims he did just don’t really live in towns like Lansing.”

  “Then again, lad, it may not have been.”

  Haley Rose felt the chill from the familiar voice before she ever saw his face.

  She spun toward the door just as she heard the subtle, sickening sound of a muffled gunshot.

  Shaw fell to the floor, the bullet between his eyes sending him to the afterlife.

  Then he was next to her. His hand on her arm, his gun in Jen’s face, Haley Rose’s heart bursting through her chest.

  That same, unchanging grin propelled her toward a fear most never experience.

  His yellow teeth flashed wider. “Good to see ya, darlin’. It’s been far too long.”

  CHAPTER-34

  The man made his way down the stone steps after he exited the office. He stood beside the curtained window, watching until the cop turned the corner.

  So they want to talk about the recent murders. Talk to him, specifically. Good.

  “You’re an expert on the Mayan culture and could offer some insight,” the inspector had told him.

  The inspector was right on both accounts. He had to admit he was simply brilliant when it came to such things as studying ancient cultures. He supposed it came from the desire to understand human motivation and how it connected with human actions and interactions. It was fascinating what people were capable of doing, given proper motivation.

  He laughed quietly.

  That fact was one he understood better than most. Stepping away from the window, he headed back to the now empty office and strolled to the very rear. He then unlocked the large steel door and moved into the research room.

  Walking to the locked cabinet under the middle table, he bent down, turned the combination lock, and opened the door. He tilted his head to get a better view of two of the most beautiful objects he’d laid eyes on. Timeless. Priceless. Linked by the reason they were created.

  He placed one in his belt, the other in his pocket, and pushed the door closed.

  The meeting with the police was in less than two hours. That was more than enough time to do what he had to do. Again.

  CHAPTER-35

  “I’ll say this, Josh . You all know how to show a woman a good time,” said Belle, climbing into the police cruiser’s front seat.

  “It’s not every day we get new folks in the BAU, so we need to take advantage of our opportunities to scare the living daylights out of you,” said Josh.

  “Yeah, and it’s just like I keep telling you about these damned planes. I’m walking back to Lansing,” said Sophie, climbing into the driver’s seat.

  Recalling his own plane-crash experience a couple of years prior, Josh nodded. “You might be right about tha
t. But until they perfect teleportation, this is what we have.”

  Then he climbed in the back beside Manny. His friend was smiling, but Josh knew where his mind was streaming. And it wasn’t with the near-death experience that had become somewhat common in the BAU’s adventures.

  “First, let me apologize for this thing screwing up your time off. I tried to keep him off you for a day or so,” Josh said.

  “That ship has sailed, so we need to move on. People dying and cops in need trumps a little vacation time,” answered Manny.

  “Maybe. I just hate it that it got this far. But like you said, we’re in it now. Where are you with this unsub?”

  Manny stared at his hands then looked up at Josh. “Not where we want to be. Most of the time we have an idea about these guys, and we’re pretty accurate generally. Just when I think we have this guy figured, he does something else. Why kidnap another person now?”

  “Hey, this ain’t a precise science. We thought he might be done; he’s not,” said Sophie.

  “Apparently,” said Manny, turning back to the window.

  Josh wasn’t sure what to read into Manny’s voice. Yet, he knew that’s when the man seemed to do his best work. He took the crazy, unexplainable, and found the connection.

  Sophie flipped the police emergency light switch, put the car in gear, and burst out of the parking lot, driving like only she could.

  “Whoa,” said Belle, laughing.

  “I warned you about her,” said Josh.

  “You did.”

  “What do you mean, you thought he might be done?” asked Josh, looking back to Manny.

  “We thought the killer’s traits as serial killer were less important than his obvious spree-killing aptitude. The two bodies in one setting could have, and maybe should have, been his grand finale,” said Manny.

  “With that in mind, most spree killers don’t care who the victim is, but this guy, well I’m not sure, based on what we’re seeing, right?” said Belle.

  “You’re right, Belle, and this heated rush of murder in less than seventy-two hours, ending with two dead, fits the classic profile for a spree killer. But now, there’s another woman missing from downtown. She was a clerk at a pawn/antique shop, and the kidnapping has me guessing on just what kind of psycho this is. Serial killer or spree killer or hybrid,” answered Manny.

  They flew around another corner. Josh clutched the armrest and waited for Sophie to straighten out the vehicle.

  “Is her profession out of whack with the rest of the victims though? I saw some parts of the victim files on the way here, but not all of the information was there,” asked Belle.

  “That’s probably a good question. We’re still trying to find a common connection, other than we think he knew the victims.”

  “So he could be a purpose killer instead of a spree killer?” asked Belle.

  “Yes. But this abduction doesn’t feel like a serial killer action. It doesn’t fit his profile, either. It’s like this kidnapping is some kind of afterthought. Like he’s trying to confuse us or gone off the whole devolution trail. I don’t think that’s the case, either. Afterthoughts, to spree killers, can be dangerous and get them caught, so they don’t go there,” said Manny. “I’m trying to sort this out.”

  “But since we don’t have a tight connection with the vics, our profile could be skewed when it comes to his motivation,” said Sophie.

  “That’s the problem. It could. When we were in Vegas, Mike was misleading us because he knew what to do as a cop. Yet, his own psychosis wouldn’t let him get away from what he was truly about. No matter what he tried to portray to the outside world, his twisted motivation fell into a killing category we can identify. This last act is different because the killer has crossed lines that make no sense to me,” said Manny.

  Josh listened to his friend talk. There was no emotion, other than for finding the killer. He’d be a liar if he said this side of Manny didn’t make him nervous on a couple of levels. But that ability, or will, was what gave the BAU an edge. The Manny Williams edge. Yet, at what eventual cost? This man was going to get his vacation, come hell or high water.

  “So is that why you and Munoz set up the interviews?” asked Josh.

  “Yes. I know we weren’t involved in this investigation from the beginning, and I’m not sure we would have any more idea who is doing this than we do now. No profile is flawless, but we need a place to start.”

  “You’ve got Alex and Dean busy too, right?” asked Belle.

  “Dough Boy and the Bearded Wonder can come in handy from time to time,” said Sophie.

  “If this profiling exercise doesn’t work out, we could be in trouble. Dean and Alex are hard at it, but it could be tough sledding to gather good evidence here,” said Manny.

  “You don’t sound hopeful with the forensics,” said Belle.

  Glancing her way, Josh saw that she was picking up on Manny’s words and appeared to be heading to the next step. The interaction between these two could be interesting.

  “Tainted scenes that have been run over several times by locals, especially in hot climate environments, don’t typically yield much. But those two are better than most,” answered Manny, taking a quick look at Belle himself. He caught her insight.

  This could get really interesting.

  “I’m not sure about Alex, but I know for a fact Dean has some skills,” Sophie said, grinning.

  “TMI, Lee. TMI,” said Josh.

  “Just saying.”

  “You can tell me more when we get some girl time,” said Belle.

  “That works for us,” said Manny.

  Josh looked at Manny. The man had already gone back to staring out his window, his mind now deep in a world Josh only saw superficially. Then again, who else experienced this profiling dominion like Manny?

  A moment later, Sophie slammed on the brakes in front of the beige, rundown policia building where the suspect interviews were to take place. She wheeled into a parking spot and turned off the vehicle.

  Leaning over the driver’s seat, arm resting on the edge, she sighed. “Okay. We’re here. Let’s do this right.”

  As they exited the car, Josh thought about the accident at the airport, the screwed up vacation for his unit, and the fact he had to leave his family for this ride. No pluses there. Seemed like destiny owed all of them a few breaks.

  It was time to collect, he hoped.

  CHAPTER-36

  In the time it had taken for Haley Rose to recognize the attacker, her mind’s eye had gone back to when she and Ennis Preston had first met. He’d seemed so harmless those years ago. Quiet, yet funny, handsome as the devil, with his bright, blue eyes and long, brown hair, and a consummate gentleman.

  But that had changed in something akin to a lightning strike after she had a casual conversation with one of her guests and laughed out loud at something the guest had said.

  Ennis overheard. What transpired over the next few minutes still fell on the wild side of crazy for her.

  His face reflecting an evil she’d not seen in any man, Ennis had grabbed her guest by the throat, lifted him from the floor, and dragged him through the front door. She ran after him, screaming to let the man go. He shoved her aside as if she wasn’t there. She still had the scar on the back of her head where she’d hit the staircasing.

  When she’d recovered from the motes of stars doing the two-step in front of her eyes, it was over. Her guest was dead, strangled, and Ennis sat on the long bench outside of the front doors. She'd never forget how he simply stared at his feet, talking softly under his breath to no one in particular. She wanted to speak to him, but the demon she’d seen raise its ugly head prevented her from moving in his direction. Two minutes later, the police arrived and cuffed Ennis, placing him in the rear of the car.

  He’d been convicted, of course, but not before it was determined that he was off his rocker and not responsible, completely, for his actions. After he was locked away, she began to receive two or three l
etters a week for the next fifteen years or so. She’d returned every one without opening it.

  She never saw him again—up till now, that is.

  Her mind ran with the thoughts that this man had been Stacie’s attacker and Jen’s stalker. It didn’t take a genius to realize that Ennis had been after her, Haley Rose, and that his actions toward the girls were some sort of message for her, one she didn’t really understand.

  She guessed she should have been shocked. She wasn’t. Surprised, yes, but given her experiences with men over the last two years, an appearance of a crazy ex-lover who should still be in prison seemed to be par for her course.

  She turned toward him, and he let her.

  Jen was right in her description of him—he was good looking for his age. His white hair was still his, and for the moment, he seemed to be in a normal state of mind. “Ennis, what are ya doing, man?”

  He smiled. “Ahh. After all these years, you’re as beautiful as ever. We’ll talk more, darlin’, after we leave this place.”

  “You know this creep?” said Jen, not taking her eyes from the gun.

  Ennis’s face contorted into an ugly smile. “Careful, young one. Unless ya want to end up like your cop friend there, get me?”

  Jen nodded, but no fear showed in her eyes.

  Reaching to Haley Rose’s chin with his other hand, he searched her face and smiled. “Of course, she knows me, lass. She never mentioned her soul mate to ya?”

  Calling upon all of her strength to not slap his hand away, Haley Rose smiled. “Ennis, please get the gun out of her face. Then we can sit down and talk.”

  He laughed, looking to the ceiling then back to her. The laugh brought Haley Rose’s heart to full chill.

  “Like I said, we’ll talk. First things first, give me your cell phones, now.”

  Jen handed hers over to him. Haley Rose reached out, and he gently took hers from her hand, hesitating as he did, adding an almost shy second glance.