by C. M. Sutter
“They were found behind a restaurant by the day shift when they were taking out the garbage. According to the manager, the busboy smelled an extremely foul odor when he lifted the lid. A black bag, unlike the trash bags they use, was inside. Nobody wanted to take on the responsibility of pulling it out and opening it.”
I shook my head. “Can you blame them?”
“Not really, but as cops, we get stuck with that job. Zone 4 drew the unlucky number that time.”
Ron pulled into the parking lot of the raw foods restaurant with the nose of the squad car pointed at the dumpster. “That’s it. Want a closer look?”
“Not at the dumpster but yes to the area.” We climbed out of the car, and I pressed the camera icon on my phone. I walked around the dumpster and snapped a few pictures then took to the sidewalk. Directly across the street was the Wren’s Nest. For a moment, I was able to go back to being a carefree child. I remembered Mom turning in to a driveway that was well hidden by tree cover. By the time the car was parked, Kim and I had already bolted out and were running through the beautifully landscaped grounds. The place seemed so magical then, but now, the area around it appeared run-down and worn-out.
“Something on your mind?”
I smiled at Ron and returned to the moment. “Nah, just reminiscing. The area doesn’t look anything like I remembered.”
“I bet it doesn’t. Want to walk around the block and get a sense of the neighborhood?”
“How about we drive it instead? I’ll take shots out the car window if something catches my eye, and I’d like to see the intersection at Oak Street too. We’ll head out after that since we still have to hit the cemetery and Midtown.”
Once we had settled back in the car, Ron glanced across the console. “Mind if we change it up a bit?”
“How so?”
“Time and traffic. We could use a bite to eat, and a drive-through is fine with me, but if we go to Midtown last, we’ll be stuck in the barrage of cars leaving the city when we do.”
“Yeah, that makes sense, and a burger and fries sounds good about now.”
I searched my phone for the nearest fast-food restaurant and found one a short five minutes away. Holding a burger in his left hand as he drove, Ron continued on toward Midtown.
“I bet traffic coming in and out of the city is a nightmare during rush hour.”
He smirked. “You wouldn’t believe it, and whenever possible, I try to avoid anything downtown that time of day.”
We reached Midtown by three o’clock.
“Do you know where Janine was standing when the john picked her up?”
“I do, but let’s walk the neighborhood first. We’ve questioned everyone in that area so many times since she went missing they avoid us like the plague. They scatter now when they see a cop heading their way, but I’ll point out the spot when we get there.”
Ron parked the squad car in a public parking lot, and we took to the sidewalk.
I lifted my sunglasses then pointed west. “There are really nice high-rise buildings in that direction.”
“You’re right, and crime has been creeping closer and closer to the hotel and restaurant district, and the retailers are tired of it. Right now during daylight hours, you won’t see much going on over there, but at night, it’s far busier, and where we’re standing is pretty active twenty-four seven.”
I looked around as we waited at the crosswalk. “I don’t see anything going on.”
“You won’t as long as we’re in the area. We’re definitely being watched by the pimps. You can count on that. They’re just well-hidden. They saw us arrive, I’m sure of it. We’ve been doing a lot of cracking down on the trade, and that’s why Janine was working undercover in Vice.”
“So the daytime is going to tell me a much different story than what the atmosphere is like at night.”
Ron nodded. “That’s true, but as soon as we leave, they’ll be back on the streets.”
“And Janine was right in the mix?”
“Unfortunately, she was.”
I shook my head. “It takes a brave officer, that’s for sure.” I kept up the pace with Ron as we walked north on Myrtle until we reached Fifth Street, where we turned left.
“We’re actually going to walk in a large rectangle and come back out near the place we parked.”
“Okay, I’m good with that.”
Several blocks later, we turned south on Juniper, and Ron mentioned that we were only a block from Peachtree, where many of the high-rise hotels were located. We continued south until we reached Third Street, where we made a left.
Ron tipped his head as we walked east. “The corner where Janine was last seen is only a block ahead on Piedmont and Third.”
People stood against buildings and trolled the street corners as we approached, but they quickly dispersed once we got closer. I’d imagined those were men and women selling whatever they had to make a buck, and I was sure they didn’t want contact with us. According to Ron, the drug and prostitution industry was a real problem in that area. I snapped pictures of storefronts and second-story windows on every block and often saw people peering out from behind the curtains.
“This is it,” Ron said as we reached the corner where Janine was last seen.
I looked to each corner and beyond. “There’s nothing remarkable about this area.”
“Nope, just redbrick apartments mixed in with a few office buildings and vacant lots.”
I took pictures of every corner and the buildings surrounding them. “Do you know which corner she was standing on?”
“I believe it was that one,” Ron said. He pointed at the southeast corner. “According to the hooker we questioned, Tristan—the name Janine went by—was standing there when she was picked up. Janine also checked in prior to that, and she was within a block of here when she made her last call to the station.”
We crossed the street to that spot. “This area was searched thoroughly for anything that might have belonged to her?”
“Yep, but we came up empty.”
“Okay, I guess I’m done, then. I’ll compile all my pictures and notes later and see if I get any clues from what I’ve collected. All that’s left is the cemetery and then back to the station.” I gave Ron a quick smile. “I really appreciate you spending the day with me.”
“Not a problem, and I like mixing things up now and then, anyway.”
Ron headed south on Piedmont Avenue. The very street where Janine was last seen took us south to Memorial Drive, where we turned left. I hadn’t realized just how close to Mom’s house the cemetery actually was. South of I-20, Piedmont Avenue turned into Hank Aaron Drive, which was two blocks from Mom’s house, and the cemetery was less than five minutes away.
Ron turned in at the main gates and followed the winding roads.
I rubbernecked from left to right. “This place is enormous.”
“It is for sure and has been around since the 1850s.”
Knowing that the Fulton County Butcher had dumped body parts so close to my family home was a bit unnerving, but I’d keep those concerns to myself.
“This is where the bag was discovered.” Ron slowed to a stop and pulled the keys from the ignition. We stepped out of the car, and I joined him at the pathway. “It was back here. The groundskeeper found it behind this third structure.”
I walked with Ron to the mausoleums and stared at the third one. My mind returned to the dream I’d had of driving in the fog. A sound popped into my mind that I hadn’t paid attention to before. I turned and walked to the wall at my back, where I noticed a train station directly behind the cemetery.
“What is it?”
“Train whistles, wheels churning, and brakes hissing. I heard those sounds in a dream but had forgotten it until this very moment.” I took several pictures then asked Ron if he would drive the perimeter of the cemetery. I needed to know if I had been there before in my dream world.
“So just follow around the walled area as far as I
can go?”
“Yeah, I have to see if the image in my mind is real or just a dream location.”
Once we cleared the main gates, Ron turned right. He glanced up at the street sign about the same time I did—Oakland Avenue. We both shook our heads, and he continued on. I studied the view to my right, but nothing about it seemed familiar. He turned around and went back to Memorial Drive.
“I don’t think Memorial Drive is what I’m looking for. It’s too busy, plus in my dream I was looking right. Turn left at the next street and see what we get.”
Ron drove slowly down Carroll Street, but something about it was still wrong. Maybe my idea held no merit at all. He inched along then followed the left-hand curve at Boulevard. I leaned forward and stared past him out the driver’s window.
“Hold on. Something just flashed in my mind.”
He pressed the brakes and came to a stop.
“Okay, go to the end of the street and then turn around. I need to see how the area looks from the right side.”
“Sure thing.” Ron made a U-turn on Boulevard then backtracked the way we had just come in.
“Stop! It’s right there.”
He pulled against the curb and shifted into Park, just as I had done in my dream.
I grabbed the door handle and climbed out, then Ron rounded the car and walked alongside me.
“What is the cemetery telling you, Kate?”
“I know this is the place from my dream. I saw a man dragging a black bag that looked very heavy. I lost sight of him then, but now I know it was because the wall blocked my view.” I walked to the chest-high wall and pointed over it. “The next day, the bag of legs was discovered behind the mausoleum.” My eyes darted left and right, just as they had in my dream. I felt as though we were being watched. “I’m ready to go. There’s something about this place that makes me feel really uncomfortable.”
“Sure thing. We’ll head back to the station. I’m sure you’ll want to touch base with Sergeant Masters.”
I checked our surroundings as we walked to the car. “Thanks, and I have a lot of information to discuss with him.”
Chapter 32
A block away, Greg rolled up the window and placed the binoculars on the seat. When he saw them climb into the squad car and leave, he started the truck and tucked it behind a building.
It’s odd that the cops are here again. Their forensic team went over every inch of the cemetery days ago and found nothing, and what is it about that woman that looks so familiar?
He enjoyed watching the investigation unfold from a distance and needed to stay one step ahead of the police. His project would be complete soon, and nobody would ever be the wiser. He wouldn’t need to cut up women for body parts anymore—although it was a new experience that he enjoyed—and he’d live his life in peace and harmony with the woman he loved once again at his side.
Back at the house, Greg sat at the table and read over the directions on the box of hair dye. He needed to inject Tristan with a sleep sedative first, dye her hair the perfect shade of black, then begin the process of removing her legs. Each one would take hours of labor-intensive work, cutting through skin and muscle, clamping and closing veins and arteries so she wouldn’t bleed out as Lola did, and finally sawing through bone. That was just to remove the leg, then it would have to hang for a bit so the blood could drain. He’d inject the limb with embalming fluid as he had with the torso and arms, and they seemed to be holding up well. He had to be extremely careful working with Tristan. The clock was ticking down to the last day, and there wasn’t enough time for a do-over. Everything had to be perfect.
When he heard a vehicle’s door open and close, Greg rose from the table. From the kitchen window, he saw the Overnight Express delivery driver place a box on the porch. He watched as the man drove away, and dust from the van’s tires swirled and dispersed above the trees. He stepped out, retrieved the box, and took it inside. He was excited to see the contents—the yellowish-green eyes had arrived.
He carried the box to the operating room and slid the scalpel under the tape to open it. Inside and individually wrapped in tissue surrounded by bubble wrap were two glass eyes meant to complete his Kamila, the woman he’d been missing for the past year. He carefully peeled back the bubble wrap as his excitement mounted.
“What the hell is this?” He cursed in frustration at what was cupped in his hand. The eyes were wrong, and he couldn’t use them. “Those sons of bitches! She already has blue eyes, damn them. This isn’t what I ordered.” Greg ripped the invoice from the box and picked up the phone. That company was about to get an earful, but the sound of angry screams coming from the second room disrupted his call. Tristan wanted out, and he had promised to release her hours earlier. “That’s it. I need to deal with her first.” It was time to sedate her and dye her hair. He’d place a new order for eyes, and he’d insist on overnight delivery. With the syringe filled with sleep medication, Greg dropped it in his pocket and entered the second room.
She spewed her hatred as soon as he cleared the doorway. “You sick son of a bitch! You said you’d release me today, yet I’m still here!” Janine kicked the sides of the cage over and over again, causing it to dent outward.
He sucked in a long breath to reduce his anger. He couldn’t let on that anything was wrong. “Calm down, Tristan. I told you I was busy earlier.”
“That was hours ago, and I’ve had enough. Let me go now!”
“I’m a man of my word, so back up against the links, and I’ll unlock the cuffs.”
Janine scooted across the cage floor and pressed her wrists against the wires.
“Now sit still. The key is small, and the lighting in here isn’t that great.”
Greg pulled the syringe out of his pocket and sank the needle into her neck. She cursed as she jumped out of his reach, but he was sure that enough of the sleep medication had entered her body to render her unconscious for a while. Greg would dye her hair then give her another dose that would last through the first surgery.
Chapter 33
Dave Masters offered me a bottle of water as we sat in his office. “So, Ron showed you both dumpsites today?”
“He did, and the ones from last Halloween too. I took plenty of notes and pictures. The puzzling thing is the amount of times the word oak was used. It comes up in street names, the cemetery name, and Oakland City, of course. I know it holds some importance to the killer, I just need to figure out what that is.”
Dave rubbed his chin as he listened. “That is odd, but to a crazed killer who may have OCD and a number of other mental issues, associating that word with every dismemberment might make perfect sense.”
“I suppose so. I have plenty of material to go over tonight, plus I have to explain all of this to my boss in Wisconsin.”
“Jack Steele?”
I smiled. “Yes, Jack. He’s a very understanding man and believes in my ability to help solve cases. He’s seen my work firsthand many times.”
“I bet he has.” Dave cracked the seal on his water bottle and took a gulp.
I frowned with thoughts of the cemetery.
“Something come to mind, Kate?”
“Remember the dream I told you about?”
“The one of the man with the meat cleaver?”
“Yeah, that one, and it turns out the man in my dream was at the cemetery. Something about being there gave me a heavy feeling in my chest, and then there was the train station. The memory of the train sounds was suppressed until I heard it again from behind the cemetery. That was the only location today where I felt something odd.”
“It is a cemetery, though.”
“Right, but I’ve been to plenty of cemeteries in my time. Ron drove around the perimeter for me as I viewed it from every angle. Then I found it. It was the same spot and exactly how I remembered in my dream.”
“But we already know that the Fulton County Butcher put those body parts there. That’s been established.”
“That’s cor
rect, sir, but what wasn’t established was the connection my dream had to the actual event. Don’t forget, I dreamed about the scene before the body parts were found.”
Dave raked his hair as he stared at the ceiling tiles. “Holy shit, Kate, that just gave me goose bumps.”
I smiled. “I get goose bumps every time the pieces come together. What that’s telling me, and the most important thing of all, is that I’m on the right track, and my dream world is aligning with the real world. I had an eerie feeling while we were there too, almost like we were being watched.”
“Did you see anyone?”
“No, but I was happy to leave. I have a gut feeling, though, that the killer is somewhere nearby.”
Dave glanced at the wall clock. “You’ve got a lot to process, Kate, and a boss to update. Why don’t you call it a day? I have to wrap up things with my squad and see what, if anything, shook loose today in locating Janine or getting one step closer to the killer.”
“Sir?”
“Yep?”
“Has the coroner given you any details as far as age of the torso and legs and how long they have been detached from a living body? And do either set of legs belong to that torso?”
“All good questions, and the only thing I’m sure of at this point is that the legs found in Oakland City were from a female between twenty and thirty according to the ME. Not much help, I know, especially if the victims were indeed prostitutes since most working ladies are between those ages, anyway. I hope to have more answers tomorrow.”
I gave the sergeant a confident nod and walked out with my gear. I had a lot to cover with Beth and my family when I got home, but most importantly, I needed to call Jack. I pulled over a block from the house and made the call to the sheriff’s office back home. I wanted to speak candidly to my boss without anyone listening in on the conversation.
Jack answered on the second ring. “Hey, stranger, you must be having a good time since we haven’t heard much from you. Are you ready to come home, or are you extending your stay?”
