by Jessie G
“You never told me what was going on,” Davin accused when Alaric didn’t respond.
“You had enough to deal with.” Back then, Alaric thought he was protecting Davin. Now, he knew knowledge was power. If Davin had known what Terence was capable of, he would have been able to protect himself. Of all the mistakes he made, this was the most egregious.
“I could have helped you.”
“I know.” He always knew, then and now. He just hadn’t been able to overcome his own ego long enough to ask for help. It was a hard lesson to learn and one he would never forget.
As Alaric unlocked the apartment door, Davin touched his arm, a small, sad smile lifting his tired features. “I’m glad he didn’t hurt you or Bethany or your parents. I always feared that he would.”
Floored, he could only watch Davin walk past and wonder how he didn’t understand that Terence had hurt them all by hurting him.
Chapter Seven
Davin
“Is this how he lived?” Davin surveyed the wreckage in shock. “Or did the techs leave it like this from the last search?”
“Hard to tell.” Alaric stood beside him and sighed. “My brother was a mess in every sense of the word.”
That was news to Davin. Even when Terence was drunk or stoned, he always maintained a certain appearance so that it became impossible to tell whether he was on something or not. At least, not until he wanted you to know.
“Remember that girl Mavis…something or other? We went to her sweet sixteen.”
“Mavis?” Alaric look confused for half a minute before he grinned. “Oh. Mavis! Of course, I remember that party.”
Though he knew better, Davin couldn’t stop himself from asking, “What’s that shit-eating grin for?”
“Ah well—” Alaric cleared his throat, but instead of sobering, his smile only got bigger. "It’s probably best to keep that thought to myself.”
The evasion made Davin even more curious and he was sure Alaric did it on purpose. “All of a sudden you’re shy about sharing your thoughts?”
“Not shy at all. I just don’t think this is the place to remind you how beautiful you looked on your knees in that little curtained alcove, sucking me off and daring me not to make a sound.” Alaric practically purred, a sound Davin swore he forgot, and one he absolutely never wanted to hear while standing in Terence’s apartment. “And there you go, shuttering those eyes as if I said something distasteful. You asked, Detective. However, if you insist on responding to my memories so harshly, I’ll keep them to myself.”
“I didn’t mean…” Davin forced himself to stop. He didn’t owe Alaric an explanation and even if he did, this was not where he wanted to do it. “I brought up the party because it was the first time I saw Terence flip between personalities.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean he showed up looking absolutely perfect. His tuxedo was neatly pressed, there wasn’t a hair out of place or a sway in his step. He smiled and shook hands like he was stumping for public office. Hell, if there was a baby to kiss, I’m pretty sure he would have done that too.”
“And everyone was holding their breath, just waiting to see what he would do next.” Alaric grimaced. “You’re right. He could put on a good show and loved nothing more than to lull his audience before going crazy.”
“Exactly.” It wasn’t just that Terence was acting out, he was choreographing his performances. “It was a game to him. Who can I shock today?”
“That was probably his battle cry. Something he asked his reflection in the mirror and I’d bet my last dollar it answered him back.” Alaric rubbed the back of his neck. “Shit, I feel like I need a hazmat suit. There was no reason for him to live like this.”
“He chose to live like this, Ric. No one could have stopped him. Not even you.” Which, Davin knew, would be a hard pill for Alaric to swallow. Stepping over a molding pizza box, he had to admit, “I have no idea where to start.”
“I know where to start.” Both men turned to see Dante standing in the doorway holding up a box of cleaning supplies. “Let’s take out the trash.”
“Dad’s right.” Though Davin couldn’t be sure, Alaric didn’t look happy to see his father and even less thrilled to have to make that admission. “Treat us like one of your forensic teams. Tell us what to look for, what not to touch, and let’s get through this.”
Davin considered sending them away. Could he press the need to bring in another team of professionals when the whole point of this second search was to find out what the first team missed? Yes, he probably could, but he wasn’t going to and if that added another broken rule to his once blank list, so be it. They made being here, in the last place on earth he ever wanted to be, bearable and that’s all that mattered.
“Did you bring rubber gloves?”
Dropping the box just inside the doorway, Dante nodded. “Check.”
“All right, we’ll work our way in from the doorway. I believe the perp is communicating with his victims in advance, arranging a date. Jeremy Hargrove was on a dating site, but no one knows which one. It’s the perfect hunting ground if you have a type and this guy’s list is pretty narrow. All the boys he picked up were similar in appearance—” which anyone who was following the case would know— "as well as other, uh, recreational interests.”
Davin mentally sorted through the details to find something else he could share that would help in their search. “Terence wasn’t high the night he died, and I think that’s important. For him, sex and drugs would go hand in hand, right? We suspect our killer asked Terence—and the others—not to use before their date or, maybe, to wait until they were together. I’m looking for those communications or something that will point me to them.”
“Okay.” Alaric nodded slowly and Davin could see he was mulling over what was said in search of the details that were missing. The man was smart, and if the rumors were true, connected enough to bypass official channels if he really wanted to know. “You’re hoping for a laptop or cellphone or any electronics that were missed the first time, but if we find a note with a name or a website or a phone number, that would work too?”
“Exactly, and don’t overlook the simple items like matchbook covers and napkins.”
Marching orders received, they each took a bag and worked outward with Dante going toward the kitchen, Alaric toward the living and dining rooms, and Davin toward the bed and bath. They worked in silence, save the rustling of plastic, methodically sifting and sorting for any little clue. In the bedroom, Davin stripped the sheets and used a second bag to preserve them for evidence, though he doubted the killer had come over for a quickie prior to the arranged date.
“I’m done in the kitchen. Need a hand?”
“Yeah, grab a side. I want to flip this mattress.”
Dante walked to the far side of the bed and together they stood the mattress up against a wall. “Do I even want to know what those stains are?”
“Probably not. Let’s flip the foundation and see what’s crawling under here.”
“I’m going to need a tetanus shot after this.”
As they lifted, they could see the mess under the bed matched the rest of the apartment, but it was the sudden thud from inside the frame that caught Davin’s attention. “Did you hear that?”
With the box spring propped up against the wall, it was easy to rip through the fabric stapled to the frame to reveal the backpack laying at the bottom. When Dante reached for it, Davin grabbed his arm. “I don’t know what’s in that bag.”
“You know my boy was an exhibitionist who didn’t try to hide his vices. Alcohol abuse, drugs of all kinds, sex with whomever, whenever and wherever the mood struck. If he didn’t care to hide those things from his family, then you and I both know what’s in that backpack is infinitely worse.” Dante gave him a pointed look and added, “You don’t have to protect us anymore.”
“I’m not.” Or, at least, he shouldn’t be because they weren’t his to protect any more.
Finding out that Alaric knew was devastating enough. This? Davin didn’t know how to handle everyone knowing the truth about the worst moment of his life. “Dante—”
“Wait.” Dante held up a hand and shot a quick, guilty look at the door. “Ric would tell me this isn’t the time and he would be right. You don’t need this from us now. But, Davin, know that Claire and I never believed Terence’s story.”
Despite not wanting to go down this road, he couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Ric did.”
“What’s going on?” From the bedroom door, Alaric took in the two of them and finally settled his glare on Dante.
Unwilling to be in the middle of whatever they had going on, Davin responded before Dante could. “We found a backpack hidden in the box spring.”
As Alaric crossed the room to stand between him and Dante, Davin started retrieving the contents, calling out each item he found. “Flash drives, a couple of iPads, and several burner phones. One, two…four passports with matching identification and, without counting, it looks to be about five thousand in cash.” Holding up a bag of pills to the light, he counted. “A baker’s dozen of oxy and an annual planner.”
Dropping everything else back in the pack, he started flipping through the planner in search of clues and found more than he bargained for. Nearly every day had a notation in Terence’s tight scrawl. Mostly first names and dollar amounts, the occasional phone number in the margin, and a three-digit code that Davin recognized immediately.
“Was he dealing or gambling?”
“Either. Both.” Alaric sighed, sounding more tired than Davin could ever remember hearing him. “When it comes to my brother, it’s probably best to assume that if it was dangerous or illegal, he was all over it.”
Davin didn’t want to feel sorry for the Bennetts and he especially didn’t want to feel anything for Alaric, but he couldn’t stop the pang those defeated words brought him. All their money and power wasn’t enough to save Terence from himself or stop him from hurting anyone else, and their helplessness struck a familiar chord.
As one of his victims, Davin had been helpless the night Terence targeted him, but not in the years since. He not only could have done something, he purposefully put himself in the position to be the person to do something. Yet, even with the backing of the MPD, he never found the courage to face his attacker.
Annoyed with them for bringing that feeling to the forefront and himself for being in this situation at all, he angrily flipped through the pages in the planner. The notes were blurring together, and while it was a wealth of information, he needed something to stand out.
“Ah…there you are.” He was flipping so fast he almost missed the small sticky note over the first few days of December. When he went back, it took him a full minute to realize what he was seeing. The letters had been traced over so many times, the paper tore. Terence came back to this note often. Lingered over it. It was important to him and Davin was betting it was the key to his case.
“What’s…” Dante began, but Davin was already digging out his phone.
When the line was picked up, he practically shouted at the analyst in charge of the Computer Forensics unit. “Juan, the site is called mingling dot com. Terence Bennett went by the handle classy rental, one word and the at symbols for A’s. The password is B U R L O V A H. Read it back.”
Davin listened, nodding as Juan dutifully rattled off the information, then asked the all-important questions: did he obtain the information through official channels or were they waiting for a warrant?
“Both. The family gave me access, so you can log into that account immediately. In the meantime, I’ll call Hurley and get a warrant for the company’s database. Juan—” Davin paused to make sure his voice wouldn’t crack. He needed to express how important it was for the tech to get started now without giving away how personally invested he’d become. “I’ve got floor seats for the Heat if you find what I’m looking for. Okay? Close enough that you’ll be wiping the sweat off LeBron’s forehead. I’ll be there in thirty. Don’t let me down.”
Alaric and Dante didn’t move as he hung up and dialed the next number, this time putting the phone on speaker as he thumbed through the loose pages stuck in the back of the planner.
“I was wondering if you forgot about me.” Hurley answered on the second ring, her usual no nonsense tone sounding overly loud in the otherwise silent apartment.
“I wish I had something to call you about days ago.” Davin understood that she wanted regular updates. He just didn’t see the point when he didn’t have anything to give her.
“And now?”
“You may want to call in your assistant to take down notes because you’re not going to want to miss a detail.” As Davin launched into his theory, taking her step-by-step through the killer’s plan, through each execution and all the false leads, he could feel it pulling together finally. Deep in his gut, Davin knew he had it, and he knew Juan would get him a face.
“Shit, Monroe, no wonder you haven’t called me.”
“I want this guy before he can kill again. There are too many sex clubs, too many beaches and we don’t have the manpower to cover them all. The Bennetts gave me access to one of the accounts and Juan is working that angle now, but we need the database. He can’t do all his fancy cross-referencing shit without it.”
“Give me an hour.” She hung up without another word and Davin stood, reenergized and eager to get back to the precinct.
Before he did that though, he had to give Dante and Alaric something for being there with him. Very carefully, he repacked the backpack with everything except the planner. Then he pulled the sticky note off December’s page, crumpled it up and tossed it in with the rest.
Giving his back to Dante, he faced Alaric. “You know I have to go. If I can take this guy tonight, stop him before he takes another life...”
“You will. There isn’t any doubt in my mind.”
Alaric’s confidence always made Davin feel like he could do anything and now was no exception. “Thanks. Uh… If you find anything else…”
“I’ll bring the box to your office when we’re done.”
“Okay. Thank you.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before stepping in closer and lowering his voice. “I don’t think Terence was selling or gambling.”
With that cryptic statement, he handed over the planner, shouldered the backpack, and walked out.
On the drive across town, Davin arranged for Heat tickets to be dropped off at the precinct, uncaring of the cost. As promised, the courier was waiting when he walked in, grateful to take his money and be gone. It wasn’t often you could call a scalper and have tickets delivered to a police station, but they’d come to an agreement years ago when he discovered a little incentive always helped. Certain he could hold up his end of the deal, he headed straight for the Computer Forensics Unit, determined to breathe down Juan’s neck until he had what he wanted.
“Was my fan club watching?” Juan didn’t look up when he entered.
“Yeah, they annoy me.”
“Who doesn’t? You got my tickets?”
Pulling the pair from his back pocket, Davin waved them in the air. “You got me a face?”
“Almost there.”
Juan always appeared to be one with his equipment, those long, deft fingers flying over the keyboard with a touch so gentle it could almost be considered a caress. Was it any wonder the other techs were often caught staring in awe?
“Your girl got those warrants in record time. I’d barely begun knocking on the back door when I got a call from some guy at Mingling asking where he needed to send the data. Took all the fun right out of my day.”
“Well, we’re not the feds,” Davin reminded. “Slipping in through the back door makes any evidence we find inadmissible.”
“Still, it was a
real buzz kill and Mingling looked like it had some pretty sophisticated security. I was getting a little woody just thinking about what I could do to it.”
“Are all computer guys as horny about technology as you are?”
“If not, they’re doing it wrong.”
“Wise ass. Stop fooling around and get me a—” Juan turned his monitor around with a flourish— “face.”
“This little catch goes by the name Mastermind with a one for the I. He likes traveling, dancing, and long walks on the beach.”
“Fucker probably likes piña coladas and getting caught in the rain, too.” When Juan shot him a baffled look, Davin waved his own stupid joke away. “Who’s he chatting up for tonight?”
“I’m working on it.”
“Work faster, Juan. Our only hope is to get to his target before he does.”
“Go do some detecting, Detective. I’ll have what you need before you need it.”
“I needed it an hour ago.”
“Go!”
Davin swapped the picture Juan printed for the tickets and headed to the Captain’s office to discuss his plan for apprehending their killer. Once the mark was identified, things would move fast, and he wanted to have every contingency covered before then. When he reached SVU, James had gathered together a team he’d successfully worked with before. Murder wasn’t the standard in SVU, but while he’d never been forced to give a case over to Homicide, he was more than willing to call in the experts to better the chances of success.
Chapter Eight
Alaric
I’m going after this guy tonight. Won’t be home if you feel like breaking in again.
Alaric could only laugh as he read the text from Davin. After taking all the trash to the dumpster outside Terence’s apartment building, he’d driven to the precinct with the box of suspect items. An officer at the desk told him Davin couldn’t be disturbed but offered to take the box for him. With no choice, he left and went to the family home, determined to clear the air about Terence once and for all.
