by CM Sutter
At three o’clock, Lieutenant Clark came into the bull pen to check our progress. We each sat at our desks. Todd and Billy sat at the empty desks that Detectives Jamison and Horbeck used at night. Clark said he was impressed with our determination.
“Okay, take ten and tell me what you have,” he said.
“In Milwaukee County, we’ve gone through eight names with the parole officers so far. Of those eight, five of them hold down steady daytime jobs and haven’t missed a day of work in six months. One guy has severe back problems, and two live at halfway houses with a ten o’clock curfew. Nobody goes by the nickname Dime,” Todd said.
“Jade, what do you have for Washburn County?”
“So far, boss, not much. I’m going to dig in with Barry Nicolaus a little deeper on two guys he mentioned. I’ll pay him a visit tomorrow. He said both of these guys have past issues with domestic violence and animal cruelty.”
“Anyone else, anything that stands out yet?” the lieutenant asked.
Jack, Clayton, and Billings looked at each other and shrugged.
“Okay, keep it up. Good work, everyone. Oh, by the way, Jade, call Perry and tell him Elise’s body will be released tomorrow.” The lieutenant stepped into his office and closed the door behind him.
I sighed. “That’s good news. Perry can start making funeral arrangements. I hope the craziness is over for a while.”
I called Perry’s house, but nobody answered. I left myself a note to try again in the morning.
By the time we wrapped up our calls to the parole officers, it was after five o’clock. We realized these people held regular work hours, and we were beginning to get more voice mails than real people on the phone.
“Let’s call it a day. There’s no need to leave messages and then call back tomorrow anyway. We’ll start fresh in the morning. Thanks, guys.”
Jack rubbed his eyes and stood up. “I’ll walk out with you, Jade. I’m beat.”
We exited together and walked to our cars parked side by side.
“See you in the morning, partner. Thanks for lunch,” I said.
He got in his car, waved, and drove away.
I realized now that a few things would have to change with Amber moving in. The shoulder holster with my service weapon couldn’t just lie on the breakfast bar as it normally did anymore. I gave it some thought as I drove home. I should keep it in my bedroom from now on. I don’t want to freak her out with it just lying around. I thought about my dad too. I’ll call him tonight after he gets home from work. We need to catch up, and I’d like his take on this killer.
I arrived home and pressed the garage door remote. I waited as the overhead door opened. The door from the garage led into the laundry room with the kitchen just beyond that. Polly and Porky’s cage stood in the dinette and faced the bay window looking out to the side yard. They enjoyed the morning sunshine pouring in from the east. Their birdseed messes were easier to sweep up from the tile floor rather than the carpet. I walked in, removed my shoulder holster, and set it on the breakfast bar. I went to the birdcage and greeted them, just as always. Tonight, Porky hopped on my outstretched finger. I petted him and gave him a kiss. With fresh water and more birdseed, they were content for the night.
I knew there wouldn’t be much of a dinner choice in the refrigerator, but I could get creative if I had to. I pulled open the door and groaned. Other than condiments and a half quart of suspicious-looking milk, the refrigerator stood nearly empty. I ordered Chinese again and told them I’d pass on the fortune cookies. This time, I opted for delivery. I didn’t have the energy to go out again and pick up dinner. With a glass of wine in my hand, I plopped down on the couch and let out a sigh. I checked the time—another hour before Dad would be home from work. I reached for the remote sitting on the coffee table when a sound startled me. A definite thump sounded from one of the bedrooms down the hall.
I didn’t really hear anything, did I? My mind tried to rationalize the sound. I could talk myself out of thinking I heard something. I’m a brave and reasonable woman—it had to be a noise coming from the furnace or the air conditioner or the refrigerator, didn’t it? What the hell was that?
I heard my heart pounding in my chest and waited—certain it was my imagination. The horrific images of Morris and Elise popped into my head. I listened again—my ears perked. Another thump sounded. Now I had to do something. I had to act. Luckily my shoes were off, and I could move about without making noise. I crept to my service weapon and pulled it out of the holster. Moments like this made me hate living alone. The hallway light needed to stay off or whoever was on the other side of the bedroom door would see me when I opened it. They’d have the advantage. My years of police training kicked in within seconds. I racked the slide of my pistol and chambered a live bullet. My back was pressed against the wall as I moved silently down the hall with my weapon drawn, trying to determine which room the sound came from. With each step I took, I stopped and listened, then moved on. The last room was the one Amber would use. I pressed my ear against the door. The sound came from inside. I stood against the wall, knowing I’d have to swing the door open and hit the light all in one movement. I took a deep breath and reached for the knob.
“Son of a gun. I don’t believe this crap.” I stopped and listened to the familiar cry of Spaz, pawing and whining on the other side of the door. I lowered my weapon and opened the door. Amber’s cat ran down the hall in a flurry of hissing fur.
“What in the heck are you doing here?” I grabbed my cell phone and called Amber.
“Hi, Sis,” she said.
“What in the hell is Spaz doing here? I almost shot him.”
“What? Don’t you dare shoot my cat.”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were bringing him over already?”
“Jade, have you read any of the texts I sent you today?”
“I was busy making calls all day. I didn’t look at them.”
“I texted you that Spaz was in my new room, and the door was closed. I wasn’t sure how it would work with him and the birds. Better safe than sorry—right?”
“Yeah… smart thinking. I guess I’m just tense lately. I heard a couple of thumps and thought the worst. Spaz must have jumped off the bed or something like that. We’ll figure it out, Sis. I can always put the birdcage in my bedroom until we move.”
“Do you want me to come over, Jade? It sounds like you need some company.”
“Sure, that sounds good. I’m going to call Dad later too. We’ll talk to him together on speakerphone.”
Chapter 24
Amber talked on the phone to our dad while I ate dinner. I never grew tired of Chinese food, but like a generous sister, I gave Amber the pot stickers.
She explained to Dad that she was moving in with me and that we were going out to look at condos again on Saturday. I added my two cents every few minutes and told him about the scare Spaz had given me earlier.
“Amber, honey, don’t forget your big sis is a cop with a big gun.” He laughed when I described how I slinked down the hall, ready to shoot whatever was on the other side of that door.
“All I can say is Amber is lucky I recognized Spaz’s voice and put two and two together. That cat wouldn’t have made it to nine lives with a hole from my gun through him.”
Dad let out a full belly laugh. We chuckled. On a more serious note, I went on to explain to my dad the situation we were dealing with in North Bend.
Amber curled up on the couch and watched TV, leaving the cop talk to us.
“We don’t have any leads to go on, Dad. It’s really frustrating. We find the bodies after the fact, with no idea who he’s after. The bodies are found outside, and there’s no forensic evidence anywhere.”
“No defensive wounds or DNA?”
“Nope, nothing.”
“Sounds like he may have blindsided them, especially if they didn’t put up a fight.”
“I think Elise did initially. Her face was beaten pretty badly, like he punched
her. It’s likely Morris didn’t know anything since his throat was slit. The guy obviously approached him from behind and overpowered him easily.”
“So, what do you have, honey?”
“Only our suspicions. The guy must be six foot or taller and strong. That’s it, Dad, nothing else.” I lowered my voice to continue. “He’s left a dime at each location, though. He wants us to know it’s him. I guess the dime is his calling card since he goes by that name.”
Tom sighed. “Not a lot to work with, honey. He isn’t ready to be caught yet, but he likes the game.”
“That’s what it sounds like. We don’t want to find another dead body, but without more clues, this guy is always one step ahead of us.”
“Keep me posted and stay safe. That goes for your sister too. Watch over her, Jade. Call me anytime you want if you feel like talking about the case.”
“I will, Dad. Love you.”
“Love you too, honey. Tell your sister good night.”
“Will do.” I hung up and sat next to Amber on the couch.
She paused the TV and turned to me. “Jade, I’ve been doing some serious thinking.”
“Really, about what?” I got up and grabbed the wine bottle off the kitchen table. I brought it to the living room and filled both our glasses.
“I want to change my major to a criminal justice degree. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I want to follow in your and Dad’s footsteps. Having a minor in behavioral sciences will come in handy too. I think someday I’d like to be an FBI profiler.”
“Wow, I’m speechless. I had no idea, Amber. I’m so proud of you, honey, and Dad will be too. Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
“I’m positive. I can start with criminal justice as my major in the fall. I’ll figure out what additional courses I’ll need to take. To be honest, I was never that keen on being a shrink in the normal sense of the word, but I do like the idea of figuring out how people think. Being a profiler, somewhere down the line, sounds exactly like what I want to do with my life. I know I have to go through the ranks and proper channels. Once I graduate, I intend to enroll in the police academy.” Amber chuckled. “I looked at the requirements to be a cop. I have to pass a psychological exam by a licensed psychiatrist. Maybe I can shrink the shrink.”
“Knowing you, you’d probably try.”
“So, would you be willing to tell me about the murder case you’re working on?”
“Honey, I can’t tell you any more than what we’ve told the press. Those details are already in the newspaper. You aren’t a cop yet, and we can’t let certain things get out. I’m sorry. If there was anything I thought was a danger to you, of course I’d let you know. I promised Dad I’d keep you safe.” I caught a glimpse of Spaz crouched low, slinking toward the birdcage and ready to pounce. “Yeah, that isn’t going to work. Want to help me carry the cage into my bedroom? There’s no way in hell Polly and Porky are going to be Spaz’s evening meal.”
“Sure. Sorry Spaz had to come early. Mom said he was already getting into her yarn.”
Amber finally left at ten o’clock. She had early classes, and I was usually up by six thirty anyway.
“Sorry about tonight, Jade. Just think how fun it will be to look at condos together on Saturday, though. Cool, right?”
“Very cool. Oh, I don’t know if Mom mentioned it, but we’re all going out for dinner together Saturday night for my birthday. Don’t know where yet—she’s picking the place. Anyway, bring over your clothes and a few things you can’t live without Saturday morning. Melissa said she’d check in with us before we meet up.”
Amber grabbed her purse and keys. “Thanks for the pot stickers and not shooting Spaz.” She grinned. “Night, Jade.”
I hugged her. “Thanks for stopping over, Sis. I don’t seem to sleep well lately, so I’m hitting the sack now. Good night.”
Chapter 25
I was thankful for the six hours of sleep I got—most nights, four seemed to be my best, if I was lucky. Every night, I’d toss, turn, and punch my pillow until I was exhausted enough to fall asleep. Ideas bounced back and forth like ping-pong balls in my brain until I started writing them down so I could dismiss them. A full day lay ahead of us once we all got to the office. We would finish up our phone calls and hit the streets, hoping to talk to anyone that knew of someone named Dime or had heard of anything suspicious related to the killings.
A stop at the gas station for a jumbo coffee encouraged me to indulge in a box of two dozen doughnuts to share throughout the bull pen and with the tech boys. They were more than helpful, and I truly appreciated everything they had done for me. I never pictured myself drinking a jumbo gas station coffee, but my life was changing, and I’d get by just fine.
I placed the large box of doughnuts on the table at the back of the bull pen. Hopefully they’d last longer if they weren’t on Jack’s desk. I chuckled at the thought. I’d never known anyone who was as unhealthy an eater as Jack, yet he was muscular and never got sick. He was strong, had endurance, and could outrun most eighteen-year-olds.
I looked at the clock above the door. Todd and Billy should be downstairs by now. It was after eight. I’d invite them upstairs for doughnuts since they were so helpful yesterday. My heart told me to invite everyone. We were all involved in this case, like it or not. I stopped by Doug’s office. He wasn’t there but Jason was. Kyle and Dan were just getting in. I told all of them that plenty of doughnuts were upstairs, and if they wanted any, they’d better go now. Jack, Clayton, and Billings should be arriving any minute, and Lieutenant Clark had already grabbed his pick of the bunch.
Back upstairs, the guys were gathered in the bull pen around the table. Somebody had brought napkins in from the lunchroom, a great idea since some of these were sticky, filled doughnuts. By the time Kyle, Dan, and Jason made it upstairs, the first dozen were gone.
“Okay, guys, as soon as we finish our breakfast treat and wash our grubby little fingers”—I grinned—“we can get back to where we left off on the phones yesterday. After that, we’ll hit Settler’s Square and a few of the parks.”
“Sounds good,” Clayton said. “Billings and I will walk through Regency and Riverside Parks.”
“Yep, those are the parks I would have suggested anyway. Jack and I will take Settler’s Square and all of downtown. Let’s make calls until eleven, then hit the streets.”
We picked up where we’d left off yesterday. Talking to parole officers seemed to be the most logical and reliable way to get information. They would have an extensive file on each person we asked about, plus they could tell us anything that seemed off about them. They’d have had face time, one-on-one experience with each person they were assigned to. That in itself would be valuable information for us.
I checked the notes I had left on my desk. One was to follow up on two guys with the Washburn County parole officer I spoke to yesterday. Both could be persons of interest. I also had written myself a note to call Perry. We would release Elise’s body today to any funeral home he chose. I’d contact him first before I got too involved with the other calls. My mind drifted back to last Thursday night and how I’d enjoyed the yoga class with Elise. That was the last time I saw her alive. I remembered her larger-than-life personality and the happy smile she wore when she conducted those classes. I shook my head.
“Jade, is everything okay?”
I hadn’t noticed Jack staring at me.
“We’ll get this sicko. I promise you and the residents of North Bend. They need to feel safe in their own community,” Jack said.
“Sorry, I was just thinking back to last Thursday. I teased you about joining me at my yoga class. That was the last night I saw Elise alive.”
“Do you need a minute? We can get started on our own. I know you need to call Perry.”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll be right back.”
I found a quiet interrogation room and closed the door behind me. I sat down, took a deep breath, and dialed Perry’s number.
“Perry, it’s Jade Monroe.”
“Hello, Sergeant. I just got the kids off to school.”
“How are you holding up?” I regretted asking the question once the words left my mouth. I knew he wasn’t doing well, but I didn’t know what else to say.
“Well, you know. The kids are having a tough time.” He began to cry.
I rubbed my forehead and dug my fingertips into my temples. “Perry, have you decided on a funeral home yet? Elise’s body can be released today if you’ve picked one.”
I heard Perry clear his throat.
“I’ve already talked to the funeral director at Myram & Frank Funeral Home on Forest Street. They just need you to contact them. They said anytime is fine, then I’ll go in after that and make arrangements with them.”
“Okay, not a problem. I’ll call them as soon as we hang up.”
“Have you made any progress, Sergeant Monroe?”
“Not yet, but we’re working hard on it. We’ll catch him, I just can’t say when.”
He paused, and silence filled the phone line. “Okay, Sergeant. I guess that’s it, then. I’ll call the funeral home in about an hour and set up a time to go in.”
“Thanks, Perry. I’m going to call them right now. Goodbye.”
I headed back to the bull pen with even more determination, sat down at my desk, and called the funeral home. After that, I called Barry Nicolaus, the parole officer I spoke with yesterday, to make an appointment to see him. He told me I could come in immediately if I had time.
“Guys, I’ll be back in a bit. I’m going over to the courthouse to follow up with Barry about these guys I flagged yesterday.” I grabbed the sheets on the two guys and left.
With the courthouse right next to the sheriff’s department, I took the sidewalk and entered through the east corridor hallway. The parole officer’s office was on the second floor. I entered and told the receptionist, Nancy, I had an appointment with Barry.
