by Bill Bernico
“H-O-R as in…” Matt said, but came up empty and winced. He saw the waitress coming back to take their order. He looked at Tom. “Maybe we’d better change the subject before I lose my appetite.”
“Good idea,” Tom agreed.
The two men finished their lunch with small talk about friends and family, cars, sports, television and anything else not related to police work. A few minutes before one Matt checked his watch and told Tom that he had to be getting back to his office. They parted company at the curb and Tom drove back home. Matt moved his car half a block to the parking lot behind his office building and returned to his office to find it empty.
Benny had left a note on Matt’s desk, letting him know that he was once again out tailing his subject and digging a little deeper into Karen Landry’s life. He was back by three; armed with a little more information about the interesting couple he’d seen the day before.
“How’d you know?” Benny said when he saw Matt.
“How’d I know what?” Matt asked.
“I mean, what made you think that the woman I saw might not be a girlfriend?”
“Why, what did you find out about her?” Matt said.
“You’re not going to believe this,” Benny said. “But Karen Landry is Alfred Wooster’s daughter. Oh man, if I had taken that information back to his wife…” He didn’t have a finish for that thought.
“So now what?” Matt said. “So he’s going to see his daughter. So what? Maybe he also has a girlfriend on the side. Did you ever think of that?”
Benny was silent now, his eyebrows furrowing.
“What is it?” Matt said.
“When I initially talked to Mrs. Wooster,” Benny began, “We got to talking about her and her husband and their family. Only she told me they didn’t have a family. She said she and Alfred never had any kids.”
“Maybe this Karen is from a previous marriage,” Matt suggested.
Benny shook his head. “No, she told me that she married Alfred right out of high school more than twenty years ago. Neither of them has been married before, unless…”
“Unless Karen is a daughter he never knew he even had,” Matt said. “How old did you say this Karen looked?”
“Early twenties,” Benny said. “Are you thinking she could have been a result of some high school girlfriend he might have had way back when?”
“Either that or maybe he had an affair early on in their marriage and Karen was the result,” Matt said. “Now that’s something that could put a strain on any guy’s marriage.”
“This simple case just got un-simple,” Benny said.
As the two men sat there pondering the possibilities, the office door opened and Lieutenant Cole walked in. He was holding several manila folders.
“Kevin,” Matt said. “We were just talking about the trouble married men could get themselves into if they’re not careful.”
“Which is why I stayed single,” Kevin said. “Life’s just too short to always be worried about what you might say to set her off.”
“Her?” Matt said. “Which ‘her’ are we talking about here?”
“Just ‘her’ in the generic sense,” Kevin explained. “Uh, Matt, can I see you for a minute. It’s about that thing we talked about the other day.” He shot a quick glance at Benny.
“It’s all right,” Matt said. “You can talk in front of Benny.”
Kevin hesitated and then decided he would. He stepped over to the sofa and sank into the leather folds and opened the top folder. He looked at Matt. “Remember the case we talked about?”
“Remember it?” Matt said. “It’s the stuff nightmares are made of. What about it?”
“We found a third victim,” Kevin said.
Matt looked puzzled now. “Third? You only told me about one victim. What happened to number two?”
Kevin closed the file and pulled the second folder out of the stack, opening it on his lap. “Number two was an elderly woman who had her head bashed in. She…” Kevin stopped when he saw the look on Matt’s face. “What is it, Matt?”
“Go back to your third victim for a minute,” Matt said. “By any chance was she strangled and raped?”
Kevin’s eyes got wide now. “What did you say?” He was standing now, toe to toe with Matt.
“I said, was she strangled and raped by any chance?” Matt repeated.
“You’d better explain and do it fast, Mister,” Kevin said. “We only found her an hour ago and nobody has any of the details on this case yet. How did you find out?”
Matt held up both palms toward Kevin. “Whoa, settle down there,” he said. “Are we talking about the same case here?”
“Where’d you get your information?” Kevin said impatiently.
“I was talking about a different case,” Matt explained. “If you remember, my brother-in-law, Tom Bowers works on the Burbank Police Department and he’s the one who told me about three murder victims that they came across up there. That’s what threw me. Your first victim was nearly decapitated, right?”
“Yeah,” Kevin said. “Where are you going with this?”
“Hang on, I’m getting to that,” Matt said. “And your second victim was found with her head bashed in, right?”
“Yeah.”
“And I didn’t know anything about your third victim,” Matt said. “In fact, you never even told me the details surrounding your second victim, so when you mentioned that she’d had her head bashed in; I remembered what Tom had told me about their three victims. And the third one…”
“…Was strangled and raped,” Kevin said, finishing Matt’s thought. “It looks like we may have a copycat murderer either here or in Burbank. I’ll have to check with their captain and see what day and time their murders occurred. Obviously the later murders would indicate where the copycat is doing his killing.”
“Uh, Kevin,” Matt said. “There’s one more thing. The second…”
Benny just stood there, his mouth hanging open.
“What is it, Benny?” Matt said.
“I was just thinking how trivial all this makes my case seem,” he said. “Kinda makes you put things in their proper perspective, don’t it?”
“Doesn’t it?” Matt corrected.
“Huh?”
“Never mind.”
“There is one more detail that I just thought of,” Matt said. He told Kevin about the red lipstick letters drawn on each of the Burbank victims’ foreheads.”
“H-O-R,” Kevin said. “If this guy’s trying to spell whore, he forgot the W. Unless it stands for someone’s name or who knows what.”
“Or if there was a victim before the first that hasn’t been found yet,” Matt said. “Maybe she has the W on her forehead. Let’s just hope there aren’t supposed to be eight victims in all and that he’s trying to spell ‘Horrible’.”
“Thanks, Matt,” Kevin said. “I’ve really got to run now and check into this.”
“Kevin,” Matt said. “Can you keep my brother-in-law out of all this? I don’t want to get him into any trouble his first few months on the job.”
“I didn’t hear this from you,” Kevin said. “I owe you that much anyway. If you hadn’t told me about all this, we might not have made the connection. Don’t worry; I’ll keep him out of it.”
“Thanks, Kevin,” Matt said just before Kevin left the office.
When they were alone again Benny sat on the edge of his desk and looked at Matt. “I take back everything I said about this job being dull at times.”
The rest of their day was relatively uneventful and by the time they both went home, their imaginative minds were both racing with the possibilities connected with the murder cases.
Matt got home at quarter to six to find his son, Nicholas shooting baskets in the driveway. The ball fell through the netting and bounced toward Matt as he emerged from his car. He stuck out his foot and kept the ball from rolling into the street. Matt bent down, picked up the ball and tossed it at the hoop. He missed and Ni
cholas scooped it up, tossed it upward and sunk another basket.
“Good shot, Nicky,” Matt said.
“Quick game?” Nicky said.
Matt held up one hand in resignation. “Maybe another time,” he said. “I’m kind of beat.”
“I’ll give you a six point lead,” Nicky said.
Matt stopped in his tracks and turned toward his son. “So you think I’m so old that I need a six point lead?” He slipped out of his jacket, unbuckled his shoulder holster and wrapped it inside his jacket. He laid the bundle on the front seat of his car and rolled up his sleeves. He turned back to Nicky. “You can keep your six point lead. I don’t need it.”
“Tell you what,” Nicky said. “I won’t make you chase around the court for a real game. How about if we just play a quick game of horse?”
“Horse?” Matt said.
“Horse,” Nicky repeated. “You know, where the first guy makes a shot and the second guy has to duplicate it.”
“I know what it means,” Matt told Nicky. “The game’s older than I am. Who’s going first?”
“We flip for it.”
Matt pulled a quarter out of his pocket and tossed it in the air. As it tumbled over and over, Matt said, “Call it in the air.”
“Heads,” Nicky said just before the coin hit the cement. It was heads. “Looks like it’s me.”
Nicky started out tame enough and stood at the free throw line. He eyed up his shot and tossed the ball underhanded. It sailed up in a perfect arc and swished through the netting. Nicky retrieved the ball and tossed it to Matt. “Your shot.”
Matt took his place at the free throw line and held the ball overhead.
“Uh uh,” Nicky said. “Underhand, like I did.”
Matt sighed and tossed the ball underhand. It bounced off the backboard and straight into the net. He smiled and tossed the ball to Nicky.
Nicky decided to up the ante and stood an additional three feet back and a bit to the right. He bounced the ball once and tossed it overhead. The ball hit the sweet spot on the backboard and bounced into the net. He got the rebound and tossed the ball to his dad.
Matt found the same spot on the cement that Nicky had shot from and bounced the ball once, looking to Nicky for approval. Matt tossed the ball over his head. The ball hit the backboard and then bounced off the rim and missed the basket.
“That’s H for you,” Nick announced proudly. “My shot.” He took up his position again at the free throw line but turned his back to the net this time. He bent his head back until he could see the net before tossing the ball over his head. It bounced once and fell into the net. Nicky got a big smile on his face now and threw the ball to Matt.
“Are you kidding me?” Matt said.
“What’s the matter, Dad, not limber enough for a shot like that?”
Matt accepted the challenge and stood with his back to the net. He tried leaning backwards but couldn’t bend his back that far and had to guess about where the net was. He tossed the ball backwards and it missed the backboard completely, bounding off the garage door.
Nicky scooped the ball up and smiled at his dad again. “That’s H-O for you, Dad.”
“Uh, yeah, I get it,” Matt said. “If I miss the next one it’ll be H-O-R and if I miss another one it’ll be…” He stopped in mid-sentence and stared off into space. A shiver ran up his spine. H-O-R, he thought as he scrambled toward the house.
“Dad,” Nicky yelled after him. “We’re not done yet.”
“You win,” Matt said, and hurried into the house.
“Well, hello to you, too,” Chris said, as Matt stepped right past her and picked up the kitchen wall phone.
“Hi,” Matt said, holding up one finger before dialing the twelfth precinct. Kevin had already left for the day and the desk sergeant asked if Matt wanted to leave a message for him. Matt said he didn’t and hung up.
“What’s going on, Matt?” Chris said.
“Hang on,” Matt said. “I have to reach Kevin right now.” He dialed Kevin’s cell phone and got him on the second ring. “Kevin, it’s Matt. Are you on your way home?”
“I’m almost there,” Kevin said. “What is it?”
“Turn around right now and come over here to my house,” Matt said. “I think I have a theory you might be interested in. He looked over at the kitchen door. Nicky was just coming in now. Matt turned away from Nicky and said in a lower voice, “It’s about that matter we discussed earlier. I think I may have something for you.”
“I’ll be right there, Matt.” Kevin said and closed his phone. He made it to Matt’s house in less than ten minutes and parked behind Matt’s car in the driveway. Matt hurried out to meet him and the two men sat there in the driveway with the windows closed and the doors locked. Kevin turned to Matt. “You sounded like you’d found the cure for cancer.”
“Not quite,” Matt said, and went on to explain about the basketball game of horse he’d just played with his son. When he told Kevin about not being able to duplicate two of Nicky’s shots, Kevin looked at him and furrowed his brows.
“What does this have to do with the case we discussed in your office?” Kevin said
“After I’d missed the second shot,” Matt explained. “The score was Nicky nothing and me; well I had H-O. If I missed another shot, my score would have been H-O-R.”
Kevin sat up straight in his seat. “That’s got to be it,” he said. “The copycat killer is playing some sort of sick game of horse with the first killer. He’s trying to duplicate the first guy’s murders. Good grief, that means there are supposed to be at least five murders in all.”
“Ten if you count both players,” Matt said. “But so far the second killer had duplicated all three of the first killer’s murders. Why in the hell would the Burbank victims all have the red lipstick letters on their foreheads?”
Kevin thought about that for a minute. “These are a couple of sick bastards,” Kevin said. “Maybe the same rules that apply to the basketball version don’t apply to murders. Suppose the second guy is just duplicating the first guy’s murders and marking them with the letters as a way to signify that he’s done it.” Kevin sighed. “Holy shit. We’re going to be in for a couple more grisly murders unless we can stop these guys, and I mean now.”
“What can I do to help?” Matt said.
“You’ve already helped with this latest information, Matt,” Kevin said. “These guys are dangerous so I’d prefer if you stayed out of it. In fact, I’m going to have to insist. All I don’t need is to have to deal with you getting killed. We’ll take it from here, but thanks for your input. Look, I’ve got to get back and call the Burbank Police Department.” Kevin started his car and Matt slid out.
Matt returned to his house, leaned with his back against the kitchen door and let out a deep breath. Chris came over to where he stood and leaned in close. “Trouble?” she said.
“Big time,” Matt replied. “I’ll tell you about it later when the kids are in bed.” He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight.
“Dad,” Nicky said. “Are we going to finish our game of horse?”
Matt released Chris and looked at Nicky. “Maybe some other time,” he said. “I’m really tired now.”
“Okay, Dad,” Nicky said. “But just remember that you already have H-O.”
“I will,” Matt said, remembering that one other player is already up to H-O-R. He hoped Kevin and the Burbank police would be able to stop the game before anyone else died.
The following morning at the office, Benny told Matt he’d be going out again on his case that involved the man with the mysterious daughter.
“Have you determined whether or not this Wooster fellow also has a girlfriend on the side?” Matt asked. “After all, that was the main reason his wife hired you.”
“I followed him every day since I found him with his daughter and there is no indication that there’s any other woman in his life,” Benny said.
“Then you have to go back to Mrs.
Wooster and tell her exactly that,” Matt said. “Whatever else happens as a result of the long-lost daughter is Mr. Wooster’s business and that is between him and his wife. Your part in this is done. Go over there and file your report and then come back here and make out your bill.”
“What about the daughter?” Benny said.
“What about her?”
Benny sighed. “Just when the case was starting to get exciting I have to bow out.”
“That’s how the game is played,” Matt insisted. “If he’s having problems because of this girl, that’s between him and his daughter or him and his wife.”
“I guess,” Benny said. “But it was turning into the kind of case I could really have sunk my teeth into. All right, I’ll stop by and see Mrs. Wooster. I should be back in an hour or two, depending how it goes.” And with that, Benny headed out the door.
Matt’s phone rang, startling him out of his deep thoughts about the horse killers, as he came to think of the two murderers. “Cooper Investigations,” Matt said.
“Matt, it’s Kevin. Listen, I have Captain Lindsey from the Burbank Department in my office. He’d like to talk with you, if you wouldn’t mind.”
“Is this how I stay out of it?” Matt said with a tinge of sarcasm.
“I know,” Kevin said. “It’s not how I’d have preferred it, but I think you should hear what he has to say. There may be a way you can help with this case after all.”
“All right,” Matt said. “Where do you want to meet?”
“Can you come to my office?” Kevin said.
“I could,” Matt said, “But I’m waiting for another call. Can you two come here? It’s on the way back to Burbank for the captain when we’re finished.”
“He’s not going back to Burbank right away,” Kevin said. “We have a few points to iron out here in Hollywood first.”
“Hold on a second,” Matt said, putting Kevin on hold. He flipped backwards through his desktop calendar and found the number of the guy who was supposed to call him later that day. He took Kevin off hold and said, “Let me call my guy and I’ll call you right back.”
Matt hung up the phone and immediately picked it up again, dialing the number on his calendar. “This is Skip,” the man who answered said.
