Whisper in the Night: An absolutely heart-stopping serial killer thriller

by D. K. Hood

  “Sure thing.” Smithers, a middle-aged deputy with a sunny smile, took out his notebook and copied down the details.

  “What about Kittredge and Anderson?” Agent Martin stared at the whiteboard.

  Jenna nodded. “Yeah, they’ll be coming in as well. We spoke to Kittredge yesterday. We haven’t had time to get out to the Triple Z Bar to check out his alibi yet, but he’s using the same ambiguous excuse he gave us last time. He’s working out at Glacial Heights this week.” She looked up at Martin. “Do you mind riding along with Smithers?”

  “Sure.” Martin raised an eyebrow, and then turned to Smithers. “When you have the info, come get me and we’ll take my vehicle.” He led the way out the door.

  “And me?’ Kane slid one hip onto the edge of the desk. “Kitteridge? He doesn’t have an alibi for last night.”

  Jenna nodded. “Yeah, and bring in Anderson as well, but wait for Rowley to return and go in his cruiser. It’s the better option for bringing in suspects.” She stared at the whiteboard. “I figure it has to be one of those four men but I have a niggling feeling about Miller. He’s the only one of the five men we can put at the scene of Lindy’s abduction. I’ll dig a little deeper into their backgrounds and see if any of them have had problems with women in authority.”

  “It might not be in their records.” Kane rubbed his chin. “Trauma bad enough to impact a personality to the extent of releasing psychopathic behavior usually happens during childhood, so I’d be looking for a foster kid, broken family or a kid brought up by a female relative.”

  Jenna rubbed her aching back. “Yeah, think outside the box, got it.”

  A knock on the door brought Maggie, carrying coffee and sandwiches. Jenna smiled at her. “Thank you so much, Maggie, but I don’t figure I could eat right now.”

  “Then try.” Maggie placed the food on the desk. “You can’t work these long hours on an empty stomach without consequences, and you being shot and all.”

  “Thanks, Maggie, you’re an angel. I’m starving.” Kane gave Jenna a shrug, grabbed the coffee and a packet of sandwiches then headed for the door. He turned to Jenna. “I’ll eat while I’m chasing down the whereabouts of the suspects.”

  Jenna stared after him, and then noticed Maggie’s satisfied expression. “Nothing interferes with Kane’s appetite; he’ll eat after attending an autopsy.” She sighed. “I’m not feeling hungry right now but keep the coffee coming. I’ve a lot of grunt work to do.”

  “I’ve two fresh pots on now.” Maggie smiled. “The hotline volunteers are still taking calls.” She narrowed her brown gaze. “The media will be crawlin’ all over town soon. You want to speak to them or do I tell them ‘no comment’?”

  Jenna pushed the hair from her eyes and leaned back in her chair. “Kane will deal with them later. When they call tell them they’ll have to wait until we prepare a statement.” She palmed her forehead. “Oh, I almost forgot. Can you get someone out to repair the CCTV cameras? They’re out from the library back to Main Street. If you give Wolfe a call he’ll give you the name of someone.”

  “Okay.” Maggie walked out the door and closed it softly behind her.

  Jenna closed both hands around a cup of coffee and stared into the steaming brew. Her back hurt so bad it was an effort to sit in the chair, let alone lead a murder investigation. A soft knock came on the door. “Yes, come in.” She smiled at Emily’s worried expression. “Hi Em, what’s up?”

  “What’s up, she says, as if some crazy man hadn’t just shot her.” Emily’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Dad said you’re lucky you took the rounds in the vest.” She held up a hand. “Before you come up with an excuse, I’ve come by to rub some of this into your back.” She held up a small box between thumb and finger and wiggled it. “Dad says it will help with the pain and the bruising and it lasts around twelve hours.”

  Jenna shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”

  “Dad told me you’d refuse and I was to persist.” Emily turned and locked the door. “I’m helping you, Jenna, if you like it or not.”

  Jenna looked at her determined expression. “Sure. It hurts like hell and I can’t drug myself into oblivion. Tell your dad thanks.”

  She allowed Emily to help her undress, then clenched her teeth and waited for the pain. To her surprise, the cream worked swiftly, easing the throbbing in her ribs. “That’s powerful stuff you have there.”

  “Yeah, Dad said he used it in the field.” Emily finished and used some wipes to clean her hands. “Any idea who did this to you?” She helped Jenna dress.

  Jenna eased back into her chair. “I have my suspicions but no evidence to back them up.”

  “Why do you figure this maniac is targeting you? It’s not another rejected boyfriend, is it?” Emily squeezed her arm. “I’m always here if you need to talk, you know, woman to woman.”

  “No, it’s nothing like that. Kane believes it’s a man with a problem with women in authority.” Jenna rubbed her temples. “The back is much better, thank you. Now if I could get rid of the headache I’d be good as new.”

  “Well, if you need me, I’ll drop by again.” Emily smiled at her. “Just give me a call.” She headed for the door. “Same goes if Julie is a nuisance, I’ll come and take her over to Dad’s office.”

  Jenna smiled. “She’s doing just fine.”

  “Okay.” Emily unlocked the door. “Catch you later.”

  * * *

  Jenna sighed as the door clicked shut, and stared at the murder books on her desk containing the case files. The thumping in her head didn’t help her sift through the fragments of information swirling through her mind. The items left behind at the scenes were crucial pieces of evidence. Why hadn’t Lindy or Amanda’s parents mentioned them before? A silver necklace would be significant if one of the girls wore it regularly, and surely someone would notice a shawl of that size and color missing. She’d need to show both items to the parents of the murdered girls as soon as Wolfe sent the photographs. She frowned and sipped her coffee. If the items didn’t belong to either of the victims – then what?

  A sinking feeling rolled over her as the implications set in. She’d been left with a “what if” and she’d solved many crimes with a “what if”. Could the shawl and necklace be trophies from the murderer’s previous kills? She allowed the disturbing possibility to percolate into her mind. Both Kane and Wolfe figured the Shadow Man had killed before. Had the killer left behind a few subtle clues to indicate just how many people he’d killed – and gotten away with? Perhaps he believed his kills hadn’t received enough recognition and no one feared him, so he’d play a game with her – and if he won, killing a sheriff and a ton load of teenagers would be all over the news and he’d be famous. If he craved publicity, she sure wouldn’t feed his ego by mentioning his alias. She’d insist the press stop calling him “Shadow Man” and the reason why. Who is he? Jenna sipped her coffee and stared into space. Panic gripped her stomach. Somehow, she had to fit the pieces together and find the killer before he struck again, but without solid evidence it was like trying to build a house from dry sand.

  Forty-Two

  He moved through the crowd listening to the gasps of horror, seeing the terror on some of the people’s faces and the unhidden morbid fascination on others. Parents moved their children far away from the spectacle he’d provided for the town’s entertainment. The quiet conversations from small groups of townsfolk amused him – as if a raised voice might upset the dead! A mark of respect, others might say, but they all stood around gawking at the dead girl – surely averting their eyes would be more respectful?

  As he made his way to his truck, people passing by looked at him and raised their eyebrows or shook their heads as if to draw him into a conversation. He offered them no response – what could he say? “Hey, I see you’re admiring my work.”

  Soon the flowers would arrive and teddy bears with notes of regret pinned to their chests would cover the bench where he’d left Amanda. Did they really believe
she’d appreciate the gifts, or did they make a show of leaving them to impress their friends? No doubt they’d light candles too, and leave them to drip wax over the sidewalk. People would gather for a nighttime vigil to show an outpouring of grief, even if they hadn’t known Amanda, as if praying would suddenly bring her back to life or prevent another girl dying.

  No amount of praying will stop me. No cop is smart enough to outwit me. Many have tried and all have failed.

  He couldn’t understand why women wailed on each other’s shoulders. All crying did was make them look unattractive. Crying never solved anything – in fact seeing them make those funny faces made him laugh. Most of them cried – the girls he’d killed – but at least the last thing they’d seen before the spark of life had faded from their eyes had been his smile.

  Forty-Three

  It had taken some time to track down Anderson as he moved from job to job, but with Rowley’s help, Kane delivered him and Kittredge to the interview rooms, then went to the kitchenette to pour himself a coffee. He leaned against the counter and listened to Rowley.

  “You’re the profiler and I figure after listening to you, I’m starting to understand how different psychopaths are to normal people.” Rowley held up a hand. “Yeah, I know not every psychopath becomes a killer and they can have multiple mental disorders, but one thing I’ve noticed, they don’t stick out in a crowd.”

  Kane sipped his coffee. “That’s the problem. Most of them could easily be a best friend or the nice man next door, who’s dismembering people in his cellar.” He indicated with his thumb to the interview rooms. “Take Kittredge and Anderson. Both men agreed to come in for questioning and they chatted like old friends on the way here.” He shrugged. “Either of them could be our man because the charm of a psychopath is why so many are never caught. They slip under the radar so easily.”

  “I’m not so sure about Kittredge.” Rowley poured coffee from the jug into a cup. “He’s got a smart mouth but figures his remarks are funny when they’re actually sexist and crude. Some women obviously think he’s attractive, though. He’s overconfident and self-assured and reminds me of Ted Bundy.”

  “Yeah, his lack of empathy places him on the list.” Kane put down his coffee and opened a jar containing Jenna’s chocolate chip cookies. “We pulled in Packer because he’s the quiet one, the likeable guy. Everyone he’s worked for trusts him inside their houses. Pedophiles like to get close to children, and he makes a point of getting to know the kids in the houses where he works. The only problem I have is Lindy’s killer didn’t sexually assault her, which possibly leaves him without a motive – although we don’t know exactly what happened to Lindy. Packer could be the type that prefers to take pictures to show his friends. They come in many types. Any one of them or none of them could be Shadow Man.”

  “Why do you figure they kill?” Rowley helped himself to a cookie.

  “A few years ago, I interviewed a man who’d dismembered his victims while they were alive.” Kane’s head filled with the man’s confident attitude, his need to be one of the boys. “I asked him why he tortured the women.”

  “What did he say?” Rowley raised one eyebrow.

  Kane frowned. “He said he’d never killed a woman who hadn’t deserved it.” He met Rowley’s gaze. “This is the kind of personality we’re dealing with. No remorse, no real motive for killing, but I’m guessing he’s using Jenna as an excuse for killing the girls.”

  “How so?”

  “I figure he’s reliving something in his past.” Kane dunked his cookie in his coffee, and then popped it into his mouth. “A woman did something so bad to him as a kid, it warped his mind. I figure he’s not getting any satisfaction from killing the girls. He wants to kill Jenna because she’s a person in authority and he’s using the girls as bait.” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t mention it before but out at the Old Mitcham Ranch, someone didn’t just shoot at Jenna, they put two rounds in her back. Her vest caught it but she’s pretty banged up.”

  “Oh, Jesus help us.” The color had drained from Rowley’s face. “We can’t protect her twenty-four hours a day. Holy cow, you know how stubborn she is. She’ll want to take him down no matter how much danger she’s in.”

  Kane straightened. He’d expected Rowley’s reaction and kept the information from him until they’d secured the suspects. “Wolfe took a look at her and figures she’s bruised, and Walters and the deputy from Blackwater know what happened. I needed help getting her into the office, so we closed in around her.” He sipped his coffee and watched Rowley’s expression go from shocked to mad. “There’s another thing you need to know. The killer is messaging Jenna – he told her he didn’t intend to kill her yet. I figure he wants her to play a game with him first.”

  “Oh, this just gets better by the second.” Rowley pushed a hand through his hair, making it stick up in all directions. “You can’t keep the suspects here indefinitely unless we charge them with something. How do you intend to keep her safe?”

  Kane had already given this some thought. “After we’ve interviewed them, I’m hoping we’ll have enough to charge one of them. If not I’ll take her home then you can release them. The ranch is safe; no one can get in there.”

  “That’s fine for today but what about tomorrow?” Rowley gulped down his coffee. “He could be anywhere at any time.”

  “I’ll have another vest for her by then – it’s a new design – and I’ve a helmet coming for her as well.” Kane rinsed his cup in the sink and placed it on the rack. “I won’t leave her side for a second until we catch this animal.”

  “Good.” Rowley placed his cup in the sink. “When are you going to start the interviews?”

  Kane grimaced. “As soon as I’ve spoken to the media, then with any luck they’ll leave us alone.” He indicated with his chin toward Jenna’s office. “First we check in with the boss.”

  He hustled to Jenna’s office and tapped on the door. “Anderson and Kittredge are in the interview rooms.”

  “Good.” Jenna lifted her pale face. He could see dark circles under her eyes. “Shut the door, will you, Rowley?”

  Kane dropped into a seat. “What’s up?”

  “Wolfe sent me the images of the chain and the shawl.” Jenna swallowed. “I contacted the parents of the victims and asked if they belonged to their daughters. The answer was in the negative.” She met his gaze. “Wolfe’s examined both items and found human blood on both of them. He’s running tests now.”

  Kane groaned. “They’re trophies from previous kills.”

  “Yeah, that’s the same conclusion I had.” Jenna leaned back in her seat, grabbed her ribs and moaned in pain. “Dammit!” She took a couple of breaths, and then lifted her chin as if defying him to say anything. “I’ve asked Agent Martin to search the databases for crimes with similar items missing and he is using the computer in the control room. He already sent the images to his head office for assistance.”

  Kane leaned forward. “Jenna, you’ll work better if you have something for the pain. There’s codeine in the first aid kit.”

  “Okay, okay. I’ll take something. I guess I’ll need to appear normal for the interviews.” Jenna gave him a determined look. “If it’s one of the men we’ve hauled in for questioning, I don’t want him figuring he’s winning.” She pushed a piece of paper across the desk to him. “Don’t go searching for pain meds for me. Rowley can find me something. I want you to deal with the press before they start invading my office. I’ve written a statement. If they want any more info, it’s ‘no comment’. If they insist on knowing about the men we brought in for questioning, you’ll have to tell them we don’t have any suspects yet. As none of them were brought in in handcuffs, they’ll believe you.”

  Kane nodded. “I’m sure they will.”

  “What do you have for me, ma’am?” Rowley leaned forward.

  “Run the office while we’re interviewing the suspects.” Jenna glanced down at her notes. “Give Wolfe a call and
ask him when Amanda’s parents can view the body.” She cleared her throat. “He’ll probably prefer to speak to her parents personally, so ask him to notify us when he’s obtained a positive ID. I need to know the possible cause of death ASAP, before I interview the suspects – even if it’s not conclusive, an approximation will do.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” A worried look crossed Rowley’s face. “I figure I’ll go chase up those pain meds first.” He got up and headed for the door.

  Kane scanned the press statement. It was concise and easy to memorize. He placed the document back on her desk. “Have you had time to dig up anything new on the potential suspects?”

  “Not yet.” Jenna reached for her coffee. “I’ll take the meds then spend some time going over their files. I’m in no hurry to interview them. They can cool their heels for a time until I’m ready.” She took a sip, grimaced and placed the cup on the desk. “I’m so used to go-cups keeping the coffee hot. Lately, by the time I get around to drinking coffee it’s cold.”

  “I’ll get you a refill as soon as I’ve dealt with the press.” Kane straightened. “What’s your plan for the interviews?”

  “I figured I’ll go in alone and have you outside observing through the window.” Her lips twitched up at the corners. “I don’t want them to believe they’ve scared me, and you’ll be outside decoding their body language.”

  No way. Before Kane could object, a sharp knock came on the door. It opened slowly. Agent Martin stood in the doorway.

  “I’ve some information on the items found at the scene.” Martin stepped inside, closing the door behind him. “Both items are listed as missing from the bodies of two women murdered last year. Christine Pullman and Joy Coran. The strange thing is, the women were both out of different counties and there’s been no connection between the murders until now.”

  Mind reeling from the information, Kane cleared his throat. “Time of year the same?”