Winslow chuckled.
“Oh, is that what he says? ‘Honest baby, I’m innocent,’ don’t fall for that. The police found the murder weapon in his locker; that proves he’s guilty.”
“Why were you in the basement?”
“What?”
“You took the elevator down to the basement, why?”
“I went down to talk to Manuel. The heat is acting up in my apartment.”
“Then why didn’t you get off the elevator to talk to him?”
Winslow reached over and touched her on the cheek.
“I got distracted.”
The door behind him opened and Juliet peeked out.
“Oh, hi Jessica, I thought I heard voices, but I didn’t realize that it was you.”
“Well, hello there,” Winslow said, as his eyes roamed over Juliet.
“Hello,” Juliet said. “You’re Howe Winslow, aren’t you?”
“Yes I am, and what’s your name?”
“I’m Juliet.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
Juliet smiled back at Howe Winslow as Jessica pushed passed him to walk into the apartment.
“It was nice meeting you, Howe, but Juliet and I have things to do.”
“What about dinner?”
“I told you, I have a boyfriend.”
“What about you, Juliet?”
Jessica eased the door shut.
“She’s seeing someone too, goodbye.”
After the door closed, Juliet scowled.
“Why did you shut the door in his face; he was really cute.”
“There’s something off about him, him and Manuel.”
“What about Manuel, did you talk to him?”
“I did, but he was drunk.”
“Did he hit on you?”
“No, but he did mention you. You were right; he has a thing for you.”
“I knew it. He stares at me whenever I see him.”
“Are you packed?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go.”
The two girls soon stepped onto the elevator and descended to the lobby.
Minutes after they left the building, a faint creaking sound came from the inside of Juliet’s closet. After a slight hesitation, the door eased open and a lone figure peeked around the doorframe and surveyed Juliet’s room, while listening for sounds of occupancy.
Once the man was convinced that he was alone, he walked about the apartment, going room to room. As he reentered Juliet’s bedroom, he went over to the laundry basket on the side of the dresser.
After reaching into it, he brought out a pair of her panties and pressed them against his nose, to breath in the musky scent. A moment later, he lay atop her bed, lost in fantasy, while rubbing himself with the soiled cloth.
***
Over dinner, Jessica told her boyfriend about her conversation with Manuel; she also told him about Manuel’s strange disappearance. Sitting alongside them, was her father and Juliet.
“I heard a similar noise yesterday morning. Manuel was nowhere to be found then too. Afterward, I figured he had left through the fire door at the rear of the building.”
“But he never left the room.”
“Maybe he slipped out while you were headed for the stairs?”
Jessica shrugged.
“I guess it’s possible, but it doesn’t seem likely that I wouldn’t have heard his footsteps. Oh, and, Daddy, I met that boy you like so much, Howe Winslow.”
“Stay away from him, baby, do you hear me, you too, Juliet.”
“Ah, so I see you’ve changed your tune about him, why is that?”
“I learned some disturbing news about him today. If it’s correct, then he might also be the one who planted the murder weapon.”
Jessica put down her fork and leaned forward.
“Why do say that?”
Dr. White filled his daughter in on the conversation that he had in Jeff Roman’s office, he concluded by describing the fight with Dynamo.
Juliet smiled at him.
“You beat him up with one punch?”
“Two actually,”
“You must be very strong,” she said, as her eyes roamed over him.
“Juliet?” Jessica said.
No answer,
“Juliet!” Jessica said, but louder.
“Huh? Oh sorry, what did you say?”
“Promise me that you’ll stay away from Howe Winslow. I know you think he’s cute, but he sounds dangerous.”
“Are you kidding? After what your father just said I’m not going anywhere near him, and I’m so glad that you’re letting me stay here with you.”
“I want you both to stay here until the police arrest the right person.”
“We will, Daddy, but are the police seriously looking for another suspect, or are they just going through the motions?”
“Despite the arrest, not everyone in the department is convinced that your boyfriend is guilty; it’s just a matter of time until they find the right man.”
“Yes, but in the meantime they’ve labeled him a killer and he’s lost his job.”
“I know, but all we can do is wait and be patient.”
Jessica sent her father a nod, even as a plan of action formed in her mind.
CHAPTER 20
THE PRESENT
Detroit, Michigan
Cynthia McGraw glanced about the coffee shop and spotted Jessica sitting alone in a booth by the window. As she joined her, Jessica smiled.
“Sergeant McGraw, thanks for coming,”
“Hell, call me Cynthia, and where’s that hunk of a husband of yours?”
“I wanted to talk to you alone, and by the way, I’m Jessica.”
“So, Jessica, what’s up?”
Jessica began to speak but was interrupted by the appearance of the waitress.
“My name is Rhonda and I’m your server, now, what would you like?”
Both women decided on just coffee and after the waitress brought their cups, Jessica leaned forward and spoke.
“I have a theory that I want to walk past you.”
“Let me hear it.”
“We know that every one of the victims was successful, but they also shared another trait, they were all from well-to-do families, and I believe that it’s this fact, and not their resemblance to each other or their success that unites them in the eyes of our killer.”
“Are you saying that the killer has a link to each of the women’s past?”
“Not a link, so much as an obsession over them.”
“I worked alongside one of the FBI agents assigned to this case and we spent days combing through each woman’s past, looking for anyone who had a connection to all of them, and we found nothing.”
“You know their histories well?”
“I could recite them verbatim without looking at my notes.”
“Speaking of notes...” Jessica said, as she took a piece of paper from her purse that displayed each of the victim’s family history, parents, siblings, school’s attended, church affiliations and the like.
“While two of our victims came from divorced parents, they all had loving, supportive father figures in their lives. In every case, that love and support continued until the day they died, and played no small part in their ability to become as successful as they were.”
“You’re saying that they were all daddies’ girls?”
“Yes, exactly, each of these women had a father who doted on them.”
McGraw nodded.
“Yeah, yeah, you know you’re right. Four of the victims lived in homes that they were given by their fathers, while the first victim, Trisha Collins, still received regular monthly deposits from her father, despite the fact that she was highly successful, and of course, they all had their college educations paid for.”
“I think that this is the tie that binds our victims together. I think that their killer has a deep hatred of anyone they think has had it better than they have, particular
ly due to paternal involvement.”
“Okay, I can see that, but then why go after women? I would think our man would be more inclined to go after men, the type with trust funds.”
“Maybe the killer isn’t a man.”
“A woman? Wouldn’t that be unusual?”
“Yes, but far from unprecedented,”
“What made you think of this?”
“The lack of video evidence caused me to wonder how our killer could be so certain that they weren’t being filmed, and then it occurred to me that they would have no fear of discovery if they were able to doctor the film.”
“Yes, but how could they possibly do that? They would have to have access to our—”
McGraw stopped talking and stared at Jessica.
“Are you saying the killer is a cop?”
“How well do you know Captain Wilde?”
“Robin?”
“Yes.”
“Robin and I went to the academy together.”
“So you know her background?”
McGraw fell back in her seat.
“Robin grew up dirt poor after her father abandoned her and her mother, but no, Jessica, no I can’t buy that, I mean she would have to be psychotic.”
“She treated me well the other day, right up until the moment she found out that I was following in my father’s footsteps, after that she grew cold, insulting even, also, there’s the way she treats Steven. She seems to hate him for the fact that his father helped get him his job.”
“She does have a chip on her shoulder, but I can’t buy her as a murderer.”
“Are you two close?”
“We aren’t now, but we were partners once. I would bet my life that she’s not the killer.”
“Who else would have enough access to the video from those garages, enough access to alter them without anyone noticing?”
McGraw gave the question some thought, and then answered.
“There are at least two others, but I doubt that they would have the expertise to do it.”
“I’m going to Captain Haggerty with this when I leave here.”
McGraw put a hand on her arm.
“No, please, there’s got to be another explanation.”
“Agent Stiles is having that video tested now. I’ll hold off talking to Haggerty until we know the results of the tests.”
McGraw released her and leaned back in her seat as she gazed out the window. Outside, the usual bustle of a city street went on, as a parade of cars, trucks, buses, and people paraded along the avenue.
“Whether that video was altered or not, there’s got to be another explanation. Robin Wilde is not a murderer.”
Jessica stood as she dropped money on the table.
“You’re leaving?”
“We both are, let’s go dig a little deeper.”
CHAPTER 21
THE PAST
Boston, Massachusetts
When they returned to the hotel after having dinner, they told Jessica’s father goodnight, and then he walked Jessica and Juliet to their room.
After Juliet went inside, Jessica spoke to him in the corridor.
“I’m going to stay here tonight, Juliet is still nervous and I think it best if she wasn’t alone.”
“All right, but I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too,” she said, and kissed him.
They separated, but as he was walking towards his room, she ran to him and took his hand.
“Are you afraid? I mean about going to jail, does the thought of that frighten you?”
“Of course it does, because it would mean that we’d be separated.”
She placed a hand on his cheek.
“I won’t let that happen. One way or another, I’ll find out who’s framing you.”
“No, stay away from that building, whoever is framing me is very dangerous, and if you went back there and something happened, I’d, I—”
Jessica kissed him again, and while still holding his hand, she began pulling him toward his room.
“I can’t stay the night, but I can visit.”
He smiled, and then ushered her inside.
***
Hours later, Jessica entered her hotel room and found it dimly lit. The only light came from a dull glow spilling from the bathroom, which had a built-in nightlight.
She walked over to Juliet’s bed and touched her on the shoulder, when her friend didn’t stir; she gave her a little shake.
“Huh? Oh, Jessica, what’s wrong?”
Jessica sat on the side of the bed.
“I need help. I’m going back to the apartment house to look around, and a second set of eyes would really come in handy.”
“Do you think it could be dangerous?”
“Yes, but I’m hoping that two is safer than one. Will you help me?”
“If I say no, would you still go back there alone?”
“Yes, I have to find out who’s framing my boyfriend.”
Juliet stared at her for a moment, before sitting up and pushing back the blanket.
“Give me a few minutes to get ready and then we’ll go.”
***
He awoke to find himself alone in bed. He turned his head and breathed deeply as he realized he could still detect her scent upon the pillow. As he rose from the bed and padded toward the bathroom, he heard voices carry from the parking lot beneath his window.
Curiosity caused him to go and see who would be leaving the hotel at such a late hour, and just before they disappeared beneath the roof of the car, he saw Jessica and Juliet.
He pounded on the window while calling her name, but he was at such a height that the gesture was useless. Then, the headlights came on and the car sped toward the parking lot’s main exit.
He had little doubt where she was headed and dared not take a chance that the two girls were simply going out for a late night snack. He grabbed his keys from atop the dresser and then realized that his van was still at the parking lot across the road from the apartment house.
After tossing on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, he went for help.
Dr. White opened his door with a bleary-eyed gaze, but when he explained to him what had happened, the doctor came wide-awake and reached for the phone to call the police.
After making the call, the doctor threw him the keys to his rented car.
“Bring the car around to the front of the hotel and wait for me.”
“Right,”
“I’ll be right there, so don’t you dare leave without me.”
“I won’t, but hurry.”
He rushed from the doctor’s room, and when the elevator seemed to be taking an eternity to reach him, he abandoned it and raced down the stairwell. Just as he pulled the car in front of the lobby, he looked on in shock as Dr. White ran towards him while wearing only boxer shorts and a pair of socks. The rest of the man’s clothes were gripped tightly in his hands.
As the doctor climbed into the back seat and began dressing, he barked an order at him.
“Stop gawking at me and drive.”
“Yes sir,” he said, as he sprinted the car out onto the main road.
“Damn that girl, I told her she was to stay here until the police solved the case.”
“It’s my fault. She’s only going back there to try and prove my innocence.”
“I should have known she’d try doing something to help you. Lord knows that I would have done anything for her mother.”
“You understand that, doctor, that she and I are truly in love, and that we plan to marry someday?”
“I’m not blind, boy, but if you ever call me Daddy I’ll belt you one in the mouth.”
He grinned at his future father-in-law in the rearview mirror, even as his foot pressed down harder on the accelerator.
CHAPTER 22
THE PRESENT
Detroit, Michigan
The entire Task Force was assembled in the conference room at the precinct, as Jessica approached the video screen with
a remote control in her hand. Upon the screen were the five faces of the victims, each one looking so like the next, that one could not help but think their appearance was the driving factor that caused them to be chosen by their killer.
If one thought that, one would be wrong, and Jessica was determined to show those gathered before her that another factor, one that was deeper than mere surface appearance was what was really behind the victims’ fates.
“First, I’d like to thank everyone for coming. I’ve been told that a few of you had a rare day off and your appearance here only underscores your dedication to catching this killer.”
She turned and gestured at the screen.
“As most of you know, all video of each crime scene location gathered by the various security cameras was scrutinized by the department. On a hunch, I also sent a copy of the film to the FBI lab.”
From a rear corner of the room a figure stood; it was Captain Wilde.
“Why did you send the film to the FBI lab? Are you impugning my department?”
“No, Captain, not at all, however, the FBI does have equipment that your lab doesn’t.”
“And did they uncover anything that we missed?”
“As a matter of fact, yes, but I’ll let Special Agent Stiles explain.”
Stiles walked up to stand beside Jessica, he then held up a plastic case containing a DVD.
“Our lab uncovered the fact that the video from all of the crime scenes had been digitally altered.”
Captain Wilde shook her head vehemently.
“That’s not possible! I and I alone had access to the various videos we received from the crime scenes and I personally copied each one onto that copy of the master disc you’re holding, and I can assure you that I never altered anything.”
Captain Haggerty stood and joined Jessica and Stiles at the podium.
“When Dr. White and Special Agent Stiles came to me with their evidence, I had the FBI search the computer in your office. They uncovered an encrypted file containing photos of the first victim, Trisha Collins, the photos showed Miss Collins naked, terrified, and tied to a chair.”
“What? That’s not possible,” Wilde said, as she stepped closer. “And neither is what you’re saying about the video. I never altered anything, and I would never kill anyone for God’s sake.”
Jessica walked over to Wilde and stood before her.
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