by West, Shay
Eli threw on his jacket as he and Ava walked to the elevators. The weather was supposed to be in the mid-seventies, but he had lived in Colorado his whole life and knew the temperatures could change on a dime.
“Do you really want to go to the victim’s office again or did you want to get away from Platt?” Ava asked as they drove out of the parking garage.
“Little of both, actually. Platt can be a real bear when the press is breathing down his neck. Guess I don’t blame him. I’d hate to have to deal with those vultures.”
“Oh, they aren’t so bad if you know how to handle them.”
“And I suppose you know how to handle them?”
Ava shrugged. “I’ve had my share of interviews. My old precinct had me give press conferences whenever they could. Captain said I looked better in front of the camera than anyone else. Said I had a way with the reporters that made them back off.”
“Now that’s something I’d love to see.”
The university where Forbes worked wasn’t far from the precinct. Traffic was light at this time of day and they made it with minimal conversation. Eli was shocked to find he wanted to ask Ava something, anything, so he could hear her rich, smooth, throaty voice. His ex had a high-pitched voice that he’d found cute when they first met, but had grated on his nerves as the years wore on. He had never said anything to her; he wasn’t completely nuts. Just tuned out most of the time when she spoke.
Probably why she cheated on you, asshole.
Eli silently sucker-punched the voice in the throat, stuck a knife in its belly, set it on fire, and tossed it off a bridge. The last thing he wanted was to feel sorry for his lousy excuse for an ex-wife or start blaming himself for what happened. He was messed up as it was; no need to add self-recrimination to the mix.
He shoved thoughts of his ex to the side and focused on Ava. He wasn’t interested in a relationship, not even a one night stand, but he had to admit she was smoking hot. And totally out of his league, which was why he felt safe harboring the “what ifs.” Not to mention that office romances were a strict no-no.
Ava appeared to sense his eyes on her; she met his with an unflinching gaze and the same smirk that seemed to have taken up permanent residence on her face. Eli merely smiled and looked back out the windshield.
Eli parked the car and they walked to a building marked as Administration. A perky woman wearing gigantic eyeglasses was able to direct the detectives to the building that housed the IT department. Someone else showed them where Gerald Forbes spent most of his time.
The office space looked as if no one had worked there for over a decade. Gerald had no family pictures, no cutesy mugs made by a child, nothing personal at all. A Doctor Who desk calendar was the only thing with any personality in the entire space.
“Hey, can someone get me onto his computer?” Eli yelled.
“Only the boss man can do that. I’ll go get him,” one of the techs answered.
Out of habit, Eli showed his badge to the man who arrived. The man grabbed the mouse and gave it a little jiggle to wake up the system. He typed in a username and password, then motioned for Eli to take a seat.
“It’s logged on as Gerald.” The man shook his head. “I still can’t believe he’s dead. I mean, he’s Gerald, ya know?”
Eli nodded, but didn’t speak, unwilling the interrupt the man if he wanted to talk.
“He’s just so ordinary, boring, you might say. Never got caught looking at websites he shouldn’t.” The man put up his hands when he saw Eli sit up straight. “Not that kind of website! I just meant things like Facebook and Twitter. The university knows people look at those sites, but they aren’t supposed to use the university computers for that kind of stuff. Danger of viruses and Trojans and all that. Gerald was one of the few who actually followed that rule. Work computer for work only. The man was practically a saint.”
Eli checked the computer and found nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing on the hard drive not related to Gerald’s work as an IT tech was a personal calendar filled with everything from doctor’s appointments to his volunteer time at the local homeless shelter.
The man really was a saint.
As he and Ava walked back to the car, Eli’s blood pressure crept up as the images of Gerald’s ruined body flashed through his head. The man worked hard, kept his nose clean, hell, even volunteered to feed homeless people, for Christ’s sake. It didn’t seem fair for someone to kill poor Gerald, let alone steal his organs.
“I don’t know about you, but I want to nail the son-of-a-bitch that killed Gerald,” Ava said as she yanked the car door open.
Eli smiled grimly as he opened his door. “Damn right.” He paused before he got in. “Hey, why don’t you drive back to the precinct. I need to do my thing.”
Ava raised an eyebrow. “Your thing?” She left the door open and walked toward him around the front of the car.
“Yeah, my thing. I disappear into my head and it helps me get deeper into the case.”
She bit her lips, clearly holding back a smile. “I see. Well, I’d be happy to drive while you do your...thing.”
Eli got into the passenger seat, ignoring her comment. It felt weird to not be behind the wheel, but he couldn’t be distracted and drive at the same time. The last thing he needed was to take out some innocent pedestrian or smash into a van full of nuns.
As Ava drove, Eli leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes. Now that he knew a little more about the victim, he thought his magical brain might regurgitate something that would help him crack the case.
Gerald got ready for work, dressing in his usual drab slacks and shirt. He drove his nondescript car to the university, parking in the same spot he did every day, walked to his desk and began his usual routine of helping students and staff retrieve email passwords, access the common drives, save damaged hard drives. After a long day behind a computer, Gerald left for the evening, eager to arrive at his destination: the homeless shelter down the street. He smiled for the first time that day, relaxed and happy to be helping someone in need. After working several hours, he went home, heart and soul filled once again so he could work another day.
As Ava pulled into the parking garage, Eli had to admit that he had nothing. For the first time in all his years as a detective, he had no gut instinct as to who had killed Gerald Forbes.
CHAPTER 4
THE NEXT FEW WEEKS passed without any leads in the case of Gerald Forbes. Frustration and badgering from his Captain caused Eli to drink more than usual, which, of course, meant pounding headaches and angry outbursts. Not even his sexy partner could distract him. The case gnawed at him and, even though he would never admit this to a living soul, it worried him. Most nights ended with him tossing back a few too many drinks. Each time the phone rang, his heart rate would skyrocket, certain he was getting the news of more victims. When the call finally did come, it wasn’t from his Captain; it was from Ava.
“You awake, Elliott?” she asked.
“Don’t call me Elliott. I hate that name,” he said automatically.
“I don’t see why. Elliott is a perfectly nice name.”
“My ex used to call me that. She was the only one who did.”
Ava was silent for a moment. “I see. Well, get your ass down to the station. I found something you’re gonna want to see.”
Ava refused to elaborate, so Eli was forced to drag himself from his warm bed and move his stubborn body through the usual morning routine, though several hours earlier than he was used to. Why did she have to call so early? His mouth was dry and his tongue covered in a slimy film that made his stomach lurch. Though he wanted to scrub his mouth with something akin to a chainsaw, he settled for his toothbrush, brushing so vigorously he was surprised he didn’t draw blood. He gargled mouthwash, hoping it would be enough to kill any remaining halitosis, so he could speak to people without them dropping dead.
The sunlight hurt his eyes, even through his aviators. He wanted to go right back inside an
d crawl into bed. Instead, he trudged to the car and slammed the door, regretting that decision when his head nearly exploded from the noise.
When the pounding in his head settled to a dull throb, Eli put the car in gear and headed to the precinct. The crawl of traffic and the idiocy of the other drivers put him in an even fouler mood; something he didn’t think was possible on this particular morning.
Eli decided to skip his morning coffee and breakfast sandwich. His stomach felt as weak as a newborn kitten and he wasn’t about to toss his cookies in front of his new partner. And the idea of eating a greasy bacon and egg sandwich really didn’t sound appetizing in the least.
He grunted when his fellow officers called out greetings. They knew enough to leave him alone with his misery. It wasn’t like this was the first time he had come into the office grumpy and hung over.
“Whatever it is that made you call me at this hour had better be good,” he said to Ava as he walked up to his desk.
“Oh, it’s better than good. Although I suppose that depends on your definition of ‘good.’ ” Ava said, using air quotes on the last “good.”
Eli merely looked at her without blinking.
She sighed. “Come with me.”
He followed her to the large whiteboard that contained all the information they had gathered thus far pertaining to the murder of Gerald Forbes. The first thing Eli noticed when he got close enough to see it was that there were a lot more papers up there than he remembered.
“What’s all this?” he asked.
“These are other cases with an MO similar to our Mr. Forbes.”
“That’s not possible. I checked and there were no other cases that matched.”
“No other cases in this city. But I contacted the FBI on a hunch and found the mother lode.” She tilted her head to the side. “Well, not the mother lode exactly, but at least a few cases that might shed some light on ours.”
Eli looked carefully at each of the pictures, his mind absorbing the details despite his hangover: four other people, scattered from coast to coast, all missing organs, none with any physical evidence, and all with witnesses claiming to have seen a strange flash of light, some before coming across the bodies, some afterwards.
“Well, I’ll be damned.”
“That’s pretty much exactly what I said.”
“Does the Captain know about this?”
“Yup. He’s the one who insisted I call you.”
“Damn right you should have called me.”
“So I’m forgiven for waking you from your beauty sleep?”
Eli stared at her lips, curled in her typical half smile. Funny, I never noticed that little mole before.
“Captain wants us to go over this new evidence, make sure there’s not something I missed,” Ava said, bringing him out of his daydream.
“Did anyone find a stone like the one you found?”
She frowned. “I don’t remember seeing anything about that, but I can call the precincts to touch base.”
“Good idea.”
Eli hated going over the endless folders of evidence, witness statements, background information, time lines, and alibis. It made his eyes squint and his head hurt just about as bad as it did after a night drinking whiskey.
He noticed something and shuffled the papers on his desk around until he found what he was looking for.
“Take a look at this.” He handed the sheet of paper to Ava.
“What am I looking for?”
“Take a look at the dates of the deaths of the victims from Cincinnati and Los Angeles.”
Eli walked back to the white board and circled the dates in red marker, making them stand out.
Ava’s eyes widened. “Oh my God, are you kidding me with this?”
“Kidding with what?”
Eli glanced up at Captain Platt and motioned him over to the white board.
“There’s a little snag in our serial killer theory. See here?” He pointed to the dates he’d just circled in red.
“Nancy Thompson and Gerald both killed on the same day, sometime between the hours of two and four in the morning. Christ!” Platt rubbed his smooth head and paced in front of the white board. “This isn’t just a snag. This blows our theory out of the water.”
Ava shook her head. “So we don’t have a serial killer. But there’s no way we have separate killers with the same MO. I mean, what are we talking here? Killers who live in different cities, removing organs from dead bodies?”
Eli rubbed his face. “It’s the only thing that fits the evidence. One person can’t be in two cities at opposite ends of the country at the same time. The question is, do we have one original killer and a bunch of copycats or do we have separate killers who know one another?”
“There’s something we’re missing with this case. See if there’s anything that connects our victims, even if it seems farfetched. There’s got to be some common ground with all these victims. Stay in touch with the FBI. We need to keep on top of any more murders that might pop up in the future,” Platt ordered.
Eli nodded and shared a glance with Ava. They both knew they wouldn’t be going home anytime soon. There were four other victims besides Mr. Forbes, all from different cities, with different jobs and backgrounds. Trying to find common ground would mean lots of phone and computer time.
“Better call for take-out. We’re gonna be here awhile,” Eli said.
***
“My ear is numb,” Ava said as she hung up the phone.
“Did you find out anything?” Eli asked.
“Nothing we didn’t already know.”
“Okay, so here’s what we have so far: five victims, all from different cities, three women, two men, three Caucasians, one African-American, one Asian. Four killed in the middle of the city, another in a park, one was a heavy smoker, one a heavy drinker, one health nut, the other two middle-of-the-road; different blood types, different jobs, no connections between any of them other than the fact that they were all killed by blunt force trauma and their organs removed. Did I miss anything?”
“Only the light the witnesses said they saw.”
“That’s what is bothering me. It’s the only thing that’s consistent.” Eli rubbed his eyes. “Who knows, maybe aliens did it.”
“Ha ha, very funny.”
“What else do we have? The light and that strange stone you found.”
“I doubt the stone has anything to do with the case.”
“You’re probably right. Well, I’m going home for a few hours’ sleep. You coming?” Eli asked as he grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair.
“I want to contact the FBI and see if they can help us compile a complete list of murders that fit our killer’s MO. I have a sinking feeling we’ve only seen the tip of the iceberg,” she said, pointing to the pictures of the five victims taped on the white board.
Eli gave a half wave as he walked away. Part of him wanted to go back and ask if Ava wanted to come back to his place and have a drink. But he ignored that voice in his mind and headed for the elevators.
He continued the fantasy of Ava coming back to his apartment for a nightcap as he drove home. It felt strange to be thinking about a woman in this way. He hadn’t even been interested in sleeping with a woman since his ex left. There hadn’t been anyone but Vicki. She’d been his dream from the moment he had laid eyes on her. The woman had been so out of his league as to be in another solar system, but he had pursued her anyway, despite her trying to keep him at arm’s length.
Even though he could grudgingly admit that the job had kept him away more often than not, she had known what she was getting into when she agreed to marry him. Eli was pretty sure that was why he hated her so much. She knew what marrying him meant, and she still had the nerve to weep and say that he wasn’t there for her, that she needed a man who was around more, who could put her first, blah, blah, blah. Her inability to take responsibility for her choices made him swear off women. What was the point if the next one w
ho came along would leave him eventually as well?
And yet here he was fantasizing about undressing his partner and carrying her naked body to his double bed. He shook his head, knowing he was too exhausted and couldn’t afford to be this distracted while driving home.
As he pulled into his driveway, Eli was surprised to find his headache gone and his wits sharp. Even though the new evidence didn’t seem to lead anywhere, Eli knew it was only a matter of time before he cracked this case wide open.
CHAPTER 5
TANI WALKED to Keena’s room, his mind preoccupied with the next Harvesting job. Master Kelhar had sent a messenger earlier that morning, requesting his presence as well as that of his partner.
As he walked down the flower-lined path, his thoughts churned as much as his stomach. Keena wouldn’t be happy about being called for another job. The last one had bothered her. Tani had to admit it had bothered him too. The thought of taking another life and brutalizing the body made him want to throw up.
But he had to do his duty. His family’s status depended on it. No one had ever refused a job, at least not that Tani knew of. The other Harvesters seemed to be perfectly at ease with what they did.
He knocked softly on Keena’s door, trying to think of a way to break the news to her that they were set to go on another Harvesting. She opened the door with a smile that lit up her face. Tani’s own smile withered when hers faded and his heart ached at seeing the fear in her eyes.
“We have to go again, don’t we?”
Tani shuffled his feet. “Master Kelhar wants us to come to him within the hour.”
“Is it really necessary that we go so soon? Why can’t he send some of the others?”
“They are all out already.”
Her eyes widened. “All of them? There’re more than twenty Harvesters. We’ve never all been gone at once.”
“I guess there are a lot of people who need the organs.”
“I don’t want to go,” she whispered as she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Maybe we should talk inside?”
