by Virna DePaul
Still, despite the fact Sorenson had been dismembered and Ryan hadn’t, it was a logical assumption that they’d been killed by the same person, someone who, whether it was coincidental or not—and they were all betting not—had decided to cut off his victim’s eyelids around the time Dr. Bowers was doing the same to his victims.
Even with the frustration pulsing through her, Carrie quietly closed the file she was reviewing and kept her voice calm. She didn’t have to explode for Jase to know how on edge she felt; he likely felt the same way. “This has to end. We have to figure out how he’s picking them. Why he’s picking them.”
“The eyelids are a clue,” Jase said. “They have to be. And that means he’s probably leaving other clues behind, as well.”
“How? He’s changing his method of killing them. Of disposing of them.”
“Maybe that’s a clue in and of itself. The variety. He dismembered Sorenson’s body. Left her head posed on a stump. With Tammy Ryan, he strangled her, then stripped her of her skin, leaving her body intact. In both cases, however, he did things to them that damaged their exteriors. Could that mean anything, coupled with the eyelids? Because unlike The Embalmer, this killer—”
Carrie nodded. “This killer wanted their eyes to stay open while they were alive. But why? According to the coroner, he didn’t actually start taking Tammy Ryan’s skin until she was dead. If that was true for Sorenson, too, then unlike The Embalmer, who supposedly embalmed his victims while they were still alive, this second killer didn’t necessarily want his victims to feel pain.”
“If he wasn’t hurting them while they were alive, what else could he have been doing? Talking to them? But if talking to them was so important, why cut off their eyelids?”
“He didn’t want them to hear him. He wanted them to see him,” Carrie guessed, adrenaline rushing through her veins as they talked and, in her mind, got into the head of a killer more and more. “Maybe they knew him. Or maybe not. Maybe the point was they hadn’t recognized him? Hadn’t seen him the way he thought they should?”
“That makes sense. But what was it they didn’t see?”
“You know,” she said slowly. “The second victim. The way she was killed. It’s like the victim in that horror movie that’s so ingrained in pop culture right now. The one about the cannibalistic doctor. Given that Bowers’s crime was based on a horror movie…”
They went on the internet. Minutes later, Jase nodded. “It makes sense. The eyelids? Horror movie. Stripping the skin off your victim? Horror movie. And as we now know, dismembering a body and propping a head on a tree stump?”
“Also a horror movie,” Carrie said softly. “So he’s a horror-movie buff, too. He’s not copying The Embalmer so much as he’s copying horror movies. The eyelids are just a component of that.”
“Was he copying Bowers or is it just complete coincidence? What are the chances that two serial killers could be killing based on the same horror movie at the same time and not be connected somehow?”
“I’d say it would be possible but for the specificity of the eyelids. I’d never heard of that movie. It’s too obscure. With that detail in common, I think it increases the chances that they knew each other. Or, at the very least, that this second killer knew of Bowers’s crimes and decided to copy them for his own sick reasons.”
“Right. If you’re a horror-movie buff, it would only take that one detail getting out to catch your attention. The Embalmer kills his victims, somehow it gets leaked to the second killer that he’s cutting off eyelids, he decides to do the same thing for whatever reason, but because he doesn’t know the full M.O. of The Embalmer’s killings, or because the embalming doesn’t hold the same significance for him, he decides to wing it and use methods of killing from horror movies. Let’s run with it.”
“Run with it how?”
“Do some word searches on the internet that are related to the horror movies we’ve identified so far. See if there’s any kind of connection with other movies. Or if anyone is talking about murders duplicating horror movies. Do some searches for classified ads. Anyone soliciting actors to act out scenes from horror movies. That kind of thing.”
She nodded. As much as she’d resisted the idea at first, working with Jase was a huge benefit for her. He was smart and was teaching her to think outside the box. Again, she had no doubt she would have eventually thought to do the same things on her own, but who knew how long it would have taken her to do it? They were clearly at their most optimum when they were working as a team, bouncing information off each other.
“So you think the victims might be wannabe actors? I didn’t pick up on that in any of the background information.”
“Could be that we just haven’t asked the right questions. They might not have been actively pursuing acting, but maybe they have some kind of interest in the theater. Some secret passion that someone could have taken advantage of. Since Tammy Ryan was a relative recluse, we should probably start with Susan Ingram. Find out if Kelly Sorenson had an interest in horror movies. And we need to contact the FBI. See if we can get any of their profilers to look over what we’ve got and give us any suggestions.”
Carrie had another thought. “We also can’t forget that Bowers invited his staff to watch movies with him. Who else might he have invited? His patients? We need to talk to his entire staff again. Get a warrant for his medical records and talk to his patients, as well.”
Hours later, Commander Stevens heard back from the FBI. “They agree the horror movies might be a key piece of evidence in the case. They’re happy to help out in any way they can. But I can tell the FBI’s very impressed with the two of you. If what you wanted was to make a good reputation for yourselves and our team, you’re definitely doing that. Good work. But let’s keep the focus on our local victims and stopping the person who’s killing them.”
“Unfortunately,” Jase responded, “we haven’t found out much more. None of the victims are movie buffs. Sorenson enjoyed the occasional horror movie, but she liked a wide variety of genres. It doesn’t show a link between Sorenson and Ryan.”
“I’m sure you two will figure it out. Just keep working it. But you can’t continue to work it alone. You both look exhausted. I know you’ve been burning the midnight oil for days straight. You need to take a break.”
“We can’t take a break, sir. Not with a second victim just having turned up.”
“It’s not a suggestion, it’s an order, Carrie. You know the protocol. We give our detectives several days to get a jump on these cases, but you’re not superhuman. You’ve already solved one complicated serial-killer case. You need to pace yourself if you’re going to solve this second one. We’ll bring in a couple of detectives from SFPD who’ll work under you, following up on the leads that you’ve already set in motion. It’ll be just enough downtime so you can actually get some sleep and some food into your bodies. I don’t want to hear another word about it, do you understand?”
Carrie nodded. Jase said, “Yes, sir.” However, they looked at each other, plainly not happy with the turn of events. When Commander Stevens left, Jase turned to her. “It’ll take him a couple of hours to get a team of detectives in place and ready to roll. In the meantime, I’ve been thinking of a few things and wanted to run them by you.”
“Go ahead,” she said. “I’m all ears.”
“Remember when you mentioned the eyelids earlier? The fact Sorenson’s killer cut them off while she was still alive? That the killer wanted her to see him? On the outside. Maybe he picked them for the same reason, something to do with their exteriors. Something we’ve missed. The Embalmer picked women with light brown hair. What do Sorenson and Ryan have in common? We’re missing something.”
“Let’s look at their ‘before’ photos again.”
They did. And once again came up empty.
Frustrated anew, Carrie stood and began to pace. “The only thing I see is that Kelly Sorenson was gorgeous, and, even though I wouldn’t have thought it was po
ssible, Tammy Ryan was even better-looking. Also in her favor was that she was a competitive athlete. How helpful is that?”
“Maybe more helpful than you’d think,” Jase said slowly.
“Really?” she asked doubtfully.
“Let’s go with it for a second. He’s picking them for how they look. No resemblance at all, but the second even more beautiful than the first.”
“It might just mean he was attracted to each of them.”
“But with the eyelids, with the idea of him wanting them to see him, when they hadn’t before, I think it increases the chances that the person we’re looking for isn’t as good-looking. Or at least, is someone these women wouldn’t be interested in.”
“So that means what? That we’re looking for someone who isn’t attractive?” Carrie asked. “Isn’t that a huge stretch?”
“Think about it. Remember what I told you? That my childhood affected why I date the women I do? Serial killers usually have some trauma in their background that they’re trying to deal with through the murders. Something about beautiful women ignoring him plays a part in this guy’s M.O. And I’m betting it’s not just them ignoring him because that wouldn’t trigger the type of rage that would warrant slicing off someone’s eyelids.”
“So if they didn’t ignore him, they rejected and ridiculed him?” she clarified. It really did make sense, she thought. “According to Susan Ingram, Kelly Sorenson described her client that night as a ‘charity case.’”
“Maybe she wasn’t the only one to think so. Maybe he’s been ridiculed his whole life. For some kind of physical defect?”
“Bowers was a plastic surgeon. Someone who’d be contacted to fix a physical defect.”
“Right. But what if this defect was something he couldn’t fix?”
“How long until we get that warrant to look at Bowers’s medical records?”
“Not long. So we need to look for records of someone with a physical disability?”
“Not just any disability. Something on the outside. Something that would make others react violently to him, and as such make him take out his resentment in a violent way, as well.”
* * *
BRAD TOUCHED HIS FACE, which felt smoother than it had in years. Tammy Ryan had been the right choice. The rush of power he’d felt when he’d begun to cut her had been exhilarating. The end result miraculous. His scar was almost gone now.
He wasn’t crazy. He was just smarter. Smarter in ways that most people couldn’t understand. Smarter than even Dr. Bowers.
Of course, Bowers hadn’t seen it that way. He’d been arrogant enough when he’d just been a doctor, but a doctor who was killing women and evading the police, too? Hell, he’d thought he was some kind of God.
Yet, that’s exactly how Brad felt now. And if Brad was a God, if he was smarter than Bowers, who was smarter than the police, then that meant that Brad was smarter than the police, too. So why not have a little more fun with them? Amp up the ante even more. After all, perhaps that was to be his final test. Who was stronger and more powerful than a bunch of cops?
Him, that’s who.
That’s why he’d started planting his clues on the internet. He wanted to give them a fighting chance. If they were smart enough to discover his clues, it would make things more exciting. It would be an ultimate challenge. Proof of his superiority. That he could so easily evade the police. Dupe them. Just like he was duping them now.
People thought they knew him. Everyday, they saw him. Talked with him. Probably dismissed his importance without thought. That wouldn’t happen for much longer. Not anymore.
He didn’t care about his own physical perfection. That was just a means to an end. But she cared. And she was all that mattered.
Brad’s blood rushed through his veins in anticipation of seeing her again.
Maybe he’d be merciful with Tony Higgs. Forget the fact that Nora fawned over him.
Brad turned to look at the container that held the eyelids of his first two vic—donors. Instantly, he imagined it filled to the brim.
No, he hadn’t had mercy on them. He couldn’t have mercy on anyone else.
Mercy was for the weak.
Tony Higgs had to die.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
HOURS LATER, EVEN AFTER Jase and Carrie had thoroughly instructed their replacements on the facts of the case and what they should be following up on, Jase asked Carrie to stay at the office for a little while longer to talk things out.
“We believe he picked Tammy Ryan because she was even more beautiful than Kelly Sorenson. If we forget the movie that involved the eyelids for a minute, the other two movies, the ones he incorporated into his murders, explore the theme of beauty, too. That’s not coincidental. So he enjoys subtext. Layers. Riddles. Someone like that is going to think he’s smarter. Smarter than us. Smarter than the whole damn world. What’s the best way to prove that? By playing with the whole world. Taunting them with clues.”
Carrie nodded in understanding. “You’re talking about the internet.”
“Exactly. I’m suggesting he might be leaving clues on the internet. But not just any clues. The horror movies are significant to him. Someone who’s a movie buff would be interested in sharing that interest with others. Making the movies part of his riddles. So I asked Larry Tanaka to do some searches on the web. He’s been looking for anything having to do with horror movies, but in particular horror movies that have a common theme of beauty.”
Larry Tanaka was a computer forensic tech for DOJ. One of the best they had. “And he’s found something?”
“He thinks so. He’s on his way up to tell us right now.”
“Carrie! Jase! You’re not going to believe this.”
Carrie glanced up. Tanaka rushed toward them, several papers clutched in his hand. The compact Japanese American always moved as if he’d had one too many cups of coffee, which was hilarious considering he didn’t touch the stuff. Or refined sugar. Or meat. Larry referred to his body as a temple and treated it that way.
“We found your guy on the internet.”
“What?” Both she and Jase exclaimed at the same time. They’d been hoping for some good news, but this?
Tanaka shook his head. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to get you so excited. We don’t know who he is, but he’s been bragging about his crimes. The guy’s a fucking nut job. You know Michael Miller, down in Vice?”
She didn’t blink at Tanaka’s abrupt change in topic. It was typical for him, but the information he often found was well worth the tangents everyone had to endure to get it. “Sure.”
“He’s been working a child-porn case, searching for predators on the net. Came across an interesting blog. You know, it’s like the other social networks out there, only for freaks. Do you know there’s an organization called the Kevorkian Clan? They advocate ‘voluntary population reduction.’ Altruistic suicide. God, people are twisted.”
“I’m interested in one twisted person, right now,” Carrie prompted.
She and Jase looked at each other, and the amused glint in Jase’s eyes suggested a shared joke between them. She was so tempted to smile back but forced herself not to. He was dangerous to her in more ways than one. She couldn’t forget that.
“Right, right. Anyway, Miller came across this site. Didn’t know if the guy was just another nut but didn’t want to take any chances. He started looking for word patterns and figured out a code. Based on that, he deciphered a whole bunch of gobbledygook words into blog posts that actually made sense. He compared the dates of his blogs to our homicide reports, and presto, they matched up. Kelly Sorenson and Tammy Ryan.”
A rush of excitement and hope slammed into her, and she greedily latched onto it. It had been devastating for her to think that she’d stopped The Embalmer only to realize that another killer had taken his place and was proving to be just as elusive, if not more so. With the long hours they’d been putting in, she wasn’t sure how well she and Jase could stay at the top of their game befor
e something had to give.
This could be the break they’d been waiting for. But a blog? Why would the killer be stupid enough to blog about his kills? As a general rule, serial killers were smart. They had to be to get away with multiple crimes. But most of them did get caught. Eventually. It was only a matter of how many victims had to be sacrificed before that happened.
For half a second, Carrie’s mind went somewhere she rarely let it. To memories of a man who’d thought he could get away with raping her. She hadn’t let him. She’d done the right thing by turning him in, but she’d been shocked by how their friends had turned on her. She’d somehow become the bad guy, and it had changed her life enough to make her want to start over. To leave. To prove that she didn’t need him or anyone else. Not so long as she had herself. Her strength. And afterward, she’d continued to do the right thing regardless of what it cost her.
Just like shooting Kevin Porter had been the right thing to do.
“—we can use to track him?” Jase finished asking.
“We don’t know yet. In terms of the content, he doesn’t give much away. In fact, he was obviously trying to be careful, never giving away the type of information that could be used to track or identify him. He’s been blogging about movies, in the guise of movie reviews, but see how his blogs have used the key phrases you had me look for? Things like the movie titles. And other words having to do with beauty. Beauty and strength.”
“Strength?” Carrie asked.
“Yes, apparently that’s what floats his boat. Not only beauty, but being the strongest. You know, the whole Darwin survival of the fittest philosophy. Does that fit with your victims?”
“It does,” Jase confirmed. “The two women he’s killed have been gorgeous. Sorenson was a runner. Tammy Ryan was a competitive softball player.”
“Then I’m betting the guy will be an athlete, too,” Tanaka said.
