by Rick Murcer
Working came out “wurr-king,” revealing his Puerto Rican roots. Certainly not unusual during stressful moments. Chloe did the same thing.
“Yeah, got it. Seems Agent Mikus has a gift with these things because I can’t ever get the damned thing to work.”
“Good, then all of you can hear me. Okay. Here’s the rest of the story. It seems we have at least one body missing—one of the murder victims from the rainforest—and a dead technician lying in the lobby. And it’s a sick mess.”
“Damn. Those two events could be related. Do we know which body is missing?” asked Alex.
“I didn’t get that far. The dispatcher said the caller was in a huge panic. All I know is that someone came in to identify one of the bodies, and they were supposed to be referred to Crouse or me. That didn’t happen, as far as we know. I mean, no one told us.”
“One situation might lead to the other. Do you have the system flagged to be contacted when someone inquires about a body?” asked Manny.
“Yes. For obvious reasons, we want to talk to them,” said Crouse over the radio.
“Of course. I’m wondering if you have access to which records may have been pulled in your system,” said Manny.
“Damn. You’re right. Should have thought of that. Crouse? Can you get Agent Mikus to access those records?”
“I don’t think you’ll have to,” said Chloe.
Manny glanced her way. “Why?”
“This has Fogerty’s MO all over it, and he’d be brazen enough to do it.”
Talk about getting your head out of where the sun didn’t shine. He ran his hand through his hair. He should have considered that.
“I think she’s right,” said Josh, his voice sounding more like a robot than a human through the bouncing static.
“Makes sense,” said Manny. “But we need to make sure.”
“Bingo!” said Dean. “I’m not sure who this Fogerty guy is, but the system was flagged that Amanda Fogerty Griggs had a visitor a couple of hours ago. It says it was her dad.”
The SUV swerved into the right lane and headed to the exit ramp leading to Tai Boa.
“Fogerty is suspected of being one of the largest drug lords in the Caribbean. But he’s so very good at keeping low. He’s like Teflon. We can’t get anything to stick to him,” said Chloe.
“Wow,” said Dean. “Serial killers and drug lords? Great first day on the job.”
“I’ve heard that name, but didn’t know how deep he went. I mean, we’ve got our hands full with homicide,” said Ruiz.
“Grief can do goofy things to people, and it might be true in his case. It was his daughter. But if he did this, he’d be putting his whole operation at risk, and from what I know about these guys, that’s way out of character,” said Manny.
There was a commotion echoing through the short band radio, originating from the other car. Then he heard Dean yelp. “Get out of the way, Mucus,” said Sophie.
“It’s Mikus,” said Dean in the background.
“Whatever. Manny? Manny? Is this thing still working? Okay. Anyway. You might be right, but what about his ego?”
Chloe agreed. “That’s a good point. Men like him are used to complete control and something like his daughter’s murder would certainly challenge him, but what would he gain?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t seem to fit,” said Manny. “Still. It would be—What the—?”
He felt something on his thigh, then realized it was Chloe’s hand. She giggled softly, then wiped the smile from her lips.
“You okay?” asked Alex, turning to him.
“Yeah. Just snagged my finger on the door handle.”
“You’ve got to stop talking with your hands,” said Chloe.
“Yeah. I’ll watch that.”
Ruiz swung around the corner. The street in front of the morgue was throbbing with lights from at least six SJPD cruisers. To Manny, it looked more like a circus than a crime scene.
They parked just as Crouse’s car pulled up behind them. A minute later, Ruiz led them under the yellow-taped entrance and into the lobby.
Manny took two steps inside the building and stopped, trying to get a feel for what had happened. Ruiz made a beeline to the two coroner’s techs talking to two blues. Alex and Dean took out their kits and started taking pictures. Josh, Chloe, and Sophie gathered around two other officers and started throwing questions at them. A job for everyone, and this team did it well.
A few minutes later, he continued toward the center of the room where a bloodied sheet covered the murdered tech.
Why?
Glancing back at Ruiz and the two techs, he could see they were having a somewhat animated conversation. The looks on both techs’ faces spoke loudly. They’d seen something that would send them to nightmare land for months. Manny shook his head. That meant the rest of them would soon see the same thing.
Moving closer to the middle of the room, he gathered more first impressions. The security window glass hadn’t been broken, and there were no signs of any forced entry at the building’s entrance so the killer must have been let inside or had access to the morgue.
Searching the ceiling, the walls, even the restroom doors that were propped open, per procedure, he saw nothing out of the ordinary, but that’s where Alex and Dean came in, wasn’t it? Micro clues could break a case wide open.
The floor, on the other hand, was another story. There were streaks of blood running in more than one direction, and it didn’t make sense.
What the hell?
Before he could look closer, Ruiz motioned for Manny and Josh to join him.
“These two are a little freaked out. They covered the body, but didn’t touch it. They said we’d know why in a minute. They kept saying it was ‘of the devil.’ Anyway, after that they noticed the morgue door was left open. Two of the blues started to go in, saw one of the drawers open with nothing inside, and decided to wait for us. I guess it’s out of their pay grade to get too real.”
“We’ll let Alex and Dean tell us why the body’s weird, but first things, first. I need a minute,” said Manny.
He walked back to the first set of blood streaks and squatted to look closer. The intruder must have taken out the attendant and, according to the bloody shoeprints, had then entered the morgue area.
Manny frowned.
Why did the killer drag the victim to the middle of the floor, or did she crawl?
After walking around the whole room, his eyes followed the crimson trail to where he suspected the streak had started, then back again. There was another crimson line disappearing underneath the morgue doors. Something was off. That couldn’t be right. That would mean this perp dragged the body from two different directions, or . . .
He came back to where he started and kneeled again.
“What are you looking at?” asked Josh.
“Just trying to get a bead on what happened. This is more than strange.”
“No shit, there. I mean who in God’s name breaks into a morgue and steals a body?” asked Sophie.
“True, but there’s something else going on here. I need to see the morgue section and the empty drawer. It’s like the unsub is trying to confuse us.”
Just then, Alex waved a latex-covered hand at Manny, motioning him over to the body where he had the sheet raised. Dean was crouched beside him, staring. He then began to stroke his beard in the way of someone contemplating great mysteries.
“I guess we’re about to find out about the body,” said Manny.
Walking in Alex’s direction, Sophie, Josh, and the two detectives followed, albeit a bit reluctantly, because no one enjoyed looking at dead bodies. It wasn’t easy to disassociate death from the life that had been the vic’s just hours before.
The things we learn to live with alter the things we can’t live without.
“You got to see this. It’s a first for even me,” said Alex, a disturbed look on his face.
Manny stood between the squatting CSIs and leaned
over.
“The tag says her name is Colita Rodriguez, and she’s one of the night attendants,” said Alex. “She’s been dead only about two hours based on the liver temp, so that checks out.”
Her face was round, pretty, and her eyes were closed, looking like she was truly at peace. He looked further down to her bloodied abdomen, stopping at the lower section of her torso. There were several marks through her green smock that could have been gunshots, which made sense.
Then he saw it.
He heard Detective Crouse gag and move toward the pale brick wall.
“What the hell? How can that be?” whispered Manny.
Chapter-25
Standing just out of range of the throbbing lights and any inquiring eyes that the scurrying blue-clad officers and suited detectives might direct his way, he leaned against the angled palm tree and wondered how long it would take before they discovered his handiwork. Not the obvious, but the subtle, the masterful, the “design” of his little project. No question it’d been risky, and he’d taken precautions, but not too many, because they weren’t needed. Amazing what a little planning and timing could accomplish.
The FBI had arrived to help, and that was good. He’d even wished for it because it opened up a whole new avenue of exposure to his world. In the end, the more awareness he could raise to the plight of his rainforest, the better. However, moving the government into action was like turning a cruise ship on a dime; it simply took more time. He was sure it would take additional “convincing” for the authorities to think more of the public’s safety than the revenue El Yunque generated. Fine. Rome was not built in a day, to be sure. He was more than willing to continue to paint the town red, so to speak. He smiled.
Willing? What a great word.
He felt the heat rise in his body and, even now, was getting hard as he pondered the sacrifices he’d made to his real mistress. It had to be done, but he never imagined the pleasure this venture would birth. Never.
Two of the SJPD cruisers pulled out, sirens and lights maintaining a perfect cadence as they headed east toward the Condado area. For a moment, he felt a tinge of sadness that they hadn’t hung around long enough to appreciate his genius. And make no mistake, it was exactly that. Young Anna had provided the inspiration, even though she hadn’t intended to. The eager, and disturbed young lady thought they shared some delusional kinship that would draw them together in a killing spree to make Gacy look like Tinkerbell. She’d been mistaken.
Shifting against the tree, he wormed his hand into his pocket, touching his full-blown erection.
Anna didn’t understand, and in her state, never would, the nobleness of his endeavor. It wasn’t about the body count, but instead a purpose larger, more encompassing. One needed to understand sacrifice and had to be willing to risk the very life they cherished the most: their own.
Another cruiser pulled out, heading west, leaving the two vehicles that the FBI and detectives arrived in, along with three other SJPD units and the coroner’s wagon. That made at least thirteen people inside. Surely one of them would get it, find the first clue, the first communication leading to his ultimate revelation. But then again, no reason to hurry the progression any faster than necessary. As they say, timing is everything, and no one knew that better than he.
He finally brought his breathing under control and turned to leave, precisely in time to see two men near his vehicle parked at the intersection half a block away. Hurrying in that direction, he pulled the Katana from his slacks and reached the SUV just as one of them pulled back an arm, tire iron in hand, to break out the front window.
“I don’t think you want to do that,” he said quietly.
The second man, a burly twenty-something wearing an amused sneer, turned to him and laughed. “What chu gonna a do, eh, gringo?” With that, the would-be attacker pulled out a knife and brandished it in a slicing pattern.
Taking two steps forward, he raised the Katana high. “I believe mine’s bigger than yours,” he said, moving into an en garde parry, demonstrating that he knew what he was doing.
The confidence of the large man diminished significantly, even more as his tire-iron-wielding partner turned and sprinted down the dimly lit street.
“You loco,” the man breathed and quickly followed after his compadre, moving quite well for a man of his stature.
“You have no idea, my friend, no idea at all.”
Driving off, he felt more than exhilarated.
He was about to bring all of San Juan to its knees.
Chapter-26
“Yeah, I’ve got to admit, I’ve never seen three arms on a body, not even in LA. Two heads once, but not three arms,” said Dean.
“What?” said Sophie. She grabbed Josh’s arm as she, he, and Chloe stepped closer to the body. Ruiz took one look and then put his hands on his hips, his face never changing expression.
Manny filed that expression, or lack of one, away for future reference. Even the most hardcore cop had to have some reaction to something this gruesome.
Shaking off the initial shock of seeing a third arm protruding between Colita’s chunky thighs, Manny stooped next to Alex.
“Obviously, it’s not hers, so what’s going on?”
“Don’t know yet. Dean, help me lift the body and pull this arm out.”
“Okay, but let me get two more shots of this. Might need a new wallpaper for my laptop.”
“Oh, that’s sick,” moaned Sophie.
Glancing up at her seemed to take Dean into a fantasy world all of his own, and Manny wasn’t sure he wanted to go there with the new CSI.
Dean explained, “I’m sorry guys. It’s how I cope with this junk. I need to keep reminding myself there are better sides of the human race than we see in this business, so I joke some.”
“I get that,” said Josh. “But let’s exercise a little more control.”
“I’m working on it.”
He took two more photographs, then slung the camera around to his back. “Ready.”
The two CSIs grunted as they turned the body away from them. Dean strained to hold up one side of the hip and a leg, as Alex shone his flashlight underneath the swollen buttocks.
“Hang on buddy, got to make sure there’s nothing underneath her that could taint evidence or get us killed.”
“I-under-sta-nd. Ju-st- hur-ry.”
Satisfied that it was safe to dislodge the arm, Alex pulled, then pulled harder. As the third arm dislodged, Alex fell to his rump, but he kept the arm from hitting the floor, then regained his stance.
“Not bad, Dough Boy. It looked like you’d be sprawled on your ass halfway back to Miami,” said Sophie.
“I’m full of surprises,” he answered, already studying the arm through his dark-rimmed glasses.
Dean let go of the body and wiped at the sweat on his forehead, turning toward Alex.
“It’s definitely female, maybe twenty-two to twenty-five.”
“Yes, you’re right. Been dead for less than thirty hours, and look at this.” Alex pointed to the back of the hand. “A dragon tattoo. I remember seeing that on one of the victim’s pictures.”
“It belongs to Amanda Griggs,” said Manny. “It’s hard to forget that one.”
“The cut that severed the arm from the body is even cleaner than I saw in the other crime scene photos. Amazing,” said Alex.
“May I?” asked Dean.
Dean took the arm gently away from Alex. “I saw a couple of these in LA. This is no doubt a sword cut. I had a little time before you guys flew in so I went back to a case file and matched them up. Very similar, but not exact.” He pointed to the top of the arm. “See the striations running away from the cut? That says the killer was behind and above the victim, probably antemortem, but we need a lab to make sure.”
Grinning, Alex turned toward the others. “This guy's going to work out fine.”
“Okay, we can talk about the details when you two finish examining the bodies and we all get your report. But let�
�s get back to basics first. How was this woman killed?” asked Manny.
“You’re right,” agreed Alex, moving back to the body. “There are eleven holes in her smock, one in her throat, and two in her uterus. I thought they were gunshots at first, but they’re not. She was stabbed.”
By now, the others had put on their cop faces and were all business. Turn it off. Turn it on. Manny was one of the best at it, but this crew wasn’t far behind. “Stabbed with what?” asked Josh.
“I’m not sure yet,” answered Alex. “See this puncture up here, by her shoulder? It looks as complete as any. By that, I mean the thrust was straight on and will leave a complete impression of the weapon.”
“It looks similar to the wounds we saw in a couple of the files,” noted Manny.
“It does, but not exactly. This could be a long knife or some kind of dagger, but we’ll get it ID’d when we get into our database and compare it with what we have on record,” said Alex.
“That’s not all,” said Dean. “We’ve got traces of fibers, a few hairs, and God knows what else we have to get collected and analyzed. One never knows what the science will tell us.”
“Yeah, we hear that all of the time,” said Sophie, smiling at Dean.
Manny thought the man was going to fall over. Dean swallowed hard and could only nod.
“Any theories as to why this was staged like this?” asked Chloe. “If it was Fogerty; why his daughter’s arm and what was he trying to say?”
“There’s some sick symbolism here. Maybe it was a way to say we screwed up and let his daughter die,” answered Manny. “I’m not sure yet, but it’ll come to us, or . . .”
Stepping back, Manny’s eyes followed the blood trail on the floor for a third time. Turning to the morgue, he pointed. “Your people said there was a body missing?”
Crouse pulled out a notepad. “Yeah, it was in drawer twenty-four.”
“These streaks are bugging the hell out of me. Why drag her around, then take her into the morgue, then drag her out again?”
“Only one way to find that out. Let’s see what’s going on in the morgue,” said Josh.
