“Bring back Johan Luken to the interrogation cells. His lawyer is here to see him.”
“Copy that.” The guard said and turned to Johan. “Guess it must be your lucky day to have so many visitors.”
“It sure feels like it.” was all Johan said.
“Follow me.” The guard said and walked back the way they came. Johan followed the guard to the outside world.
Johan’s lawyer was a woman named Debra Martin. She was the kind of lawyer that someone like Johan could afford. Meaning she was willing to work on favors and money down. She was also in the network of demon hunters that Johan was a part of.
“The bail went through. There were some sort of mix-up which is why you are here an extra day. We should be able to have you out by latest tomorrow afternoon.”
“Is it usual to be inside for a BNE this long?”
“No. It’s not usual at all. You have quite a number of enemies. Is there anything else that I can get you while you’re here?”
Johan shook his head no. “I’m just glad to hear I’m getting out. My fear is that the trail’s gone cold. I’ve been in here too long.”
“You’re not leaving this alone? If you cross paths with him again, he’ll get you locked up for a good long time.” Debra reminded him.
“Things are coming to a head and fast. I have the people I need now and everything’s been set into motion.”
“Let me know if there’s anything else that you need then.” Deborah said and stood up to go.
“I just need to get outta here. If that’s in the works then I’m all good.” Johan said and extended his arm in thanks.
Johan settled back into his bunk and listened to the surrounding jail. The nightly sounds of his fellow inmates settling in for the night calmed his racing mind. Today, however, that wasn’t working. All he could think about was the future. His future with Sara.
With her and Eva’s help there was some chance they could win against Asmodeus. Send him back to hell where he belonged. A future where he and Sara were back together again. They could get married and start a family, leaving the darkness behind them.
He didn’t need to hunt demons. Once Asmodeus was gone, his uncle avenged, he could move on. He should have explained that to her. He wanted the peace she spoke about.
Johan closed his eyes and dared to smile. An image of the Angelino Heights house floated into his mind and he lost the smile. It had taken him months uncovering an address connected to one of Asmodeus’ aliases. And in the end, he hadn’t found the incinerator. He then thought maybe the house was were Asmodeus kept the women when they were alive. But when he had searched the first floor and didn’t find an entrance to a basement, he’d scrapped that idea. The police caught him as he was creeping out the side door.
Through the flurry of getting arrested and worrying that the plan he and Madeleine hatched together would fail, he hadn’t taken the time to think next steps. And his next step was to ferret out Asmodeus’ kill room.
It was either going to be a retrofitted residence big enough to fit a sound stage or, the more practical consideration, would be to rent a warehouse space nearby his kill zone. That designation left downtown Los Angeles or Commerce as the likely places. Downtown Los Angeles was the more likely choice.
Johan put the warehouse as the more likely scenario. He made a mental note of calling Ritchie to ask about the man’s holdings. The killer liked his history though so maybe he would look into the more historical buildings that could house a stage set and a murder room. With that thought, Johan calmed down enough to think about going to sleep.
32
Johan didn’t sleep long before a guard materialized at his door.
“Get up. You need to answer more questions.”
Johan didn’t recognize the guard and his heart skipped a beat. This was not good news. He searched his brain for anything they could get him for and came up empty. He heaved himself off the bunker and followed the guard without saying a word.
The guard led him into a different room and when he saw the face of the LAPD detective, he knew he was about to be interrogated. He stopped inside and saw the detective rearing for a fight. Johan sat opposite him in the only available seat and waited for the detective to unleash on him. The cop was angry, seething beneath the surface.
“How well did you know Lorelei Richards?” The detective started.
“Who are you?” Johan ventured. He hoped he didn’t sound too confrontational.
“My name is Detective Gutierrez and I am one of the detectives on the Madeleine Richard’s murder case. Are you aware that Lorelei Richards has gone missing?”
Johan nodded. He figured the detective would check the visitor logs.
“Sara Caine visited me and let me know Lorelei had gone missing.”
“Did you know her?”
Johan shook her head. “I knew of her. Madeleine spoke about her sometimes but they were estranged the entire time that Madeleine and I knew each other.”
“Estranged? Could that be because you had started a relationship with her mother?” Detective Gutierrez stretched.
“No, that’s not why.” Johan spoke too quickly.
“How do you know that they were estranged?”
“Madeleine told me that her daughter was not speaking to her.” Johan said. He had to be more careful. This detective was going somewhere with this.
“You were arrested six days ago?”
Johan nodded.
“That would’ve been the morning after Madeleine Richards was found dead?”
“I was nowhere near Brentwood when Madeleine Richards was killed. I hope you don’t think that I killed my friend,” Johan said.
“The timing is very suspicious to me.”
“I was staking out an Angelino Heights house for the twenty-four hours before my arrest. I was working under a theory that the owner used the house for illegal activities and have detailed notes of his comings and goings if you want to check my notebook. Intake has it, I believe.”
Detective Gutierrez arched an eyebrow his way. “Illegal activities?”
“The owner of that house is responsible for the disappearances of a number of young women over the course of the last thirteen years.”
“Is that right? Have any of these women been designated missing persons?”
“Of course. That’s what Madeleine, and I were looking into. Three young UCLA students went missing in the early nineties. He switched to actresses in recent years.” Johan said. He might as well lay everything on the table for the LAPD. If they thought they could pin Madeleine’s murder on him, then he needed to tell that what was really going on.
“Did your cohort Sara Caine know about this?” Detective Gutierrez said.
Johan paled. He’d assumed that Sara told the police everything she knew. By the look on Detective Gutierrez’ face, Johan was wrong. Sara didn’t tell them a thing.
“She’s working the same case with you, isn’t she?” Detective Gutierrez prodded.
“Our investigation is an informal one. One that Madeleine Richards tried to get your attention on for a number of years. I am a private citizen helping another private citizen look into the disappearance of young women. I don’t have a detective’s license nor do I want one.” Johan said.
“You have any proof this man took these women?” Detective Gutierrez asked. He jotted several things into his notebook.
“If I did, I would have come to you already.” Johan said instead.
“Do you know who could have snatched Lorelei?”
“The man who took her also took these other women. The same man who killed her mother. I don’t know why or how he got to her but I bet you that’s where she is. And if that’s the case, then you only have about three days, four days tops, before she will be another body.”
“How do you know about this timeline?” Detective Gutierrez asked. Johan looked at him and wondered how he should respond.
His hunch was that the man kept the women ali
ve for three to four days as he prepared for his shoot. By Johan’s calculations, the girls wouldn’t be able to perform if he kept them longer. Holding them captive wasn’t the point, anyway. The point was to get them on camera as quickly as he could to get their life source.
“I don’t have proof. It’s a hunch.” Johan said. “But then again, I’m just an amateur and a private citizen looking into something like this. It’s much bigger than me.” Johan said.
“Do you have this man’s name?”
“You’ll see that the house on Angelino Heights number 365 Bluebird Lane is owned by a holdings company called Pickford holdings. If you notice the last name, it’s not his. It belonged to Mary Pickford, a silent film star. His name is an amalgamation of the silent film stars, Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin. Charlie Pickford is not his real name but I’ve been unable to track his real name.”
“I’ll look into this but make yourself available to us. We need to talk to you again.”
“I didn’t kill Madeleine Richards, Detective Gutierrez. She was my friend and colleague.”
“That’s what all the guilty men say.” Detective Gutierrez said and stood up. He banged on the door.
“I’m done.” He said. The door opened to two guards waiting to escort him out. Johan let go of his breath. He wasn’t sure what kind of trouble he had gotten Sara into but at least now the police would know exactly what they were dealing with when they were looking for Lorelei’s kidnapper.
33
Sara Caine pulled her bare legs off Ritchie’s leather couch as he went down the list of all his findings. It wasn’t a long list. Sara glanced at Eva sitting next to her and knew by the look on the other woman’s face, she was communicating with Anderson. She was barely paying attention.
“I followed the information you got from Johan down the rabbit hole and boy, it was a rabbit hole. The Angelino Heights house is owned by a holding company named Pickford Ltd. When I looked into who owned Pickford Ltd., I found another two different owners, a Charlie Pickford and a silent film star long dead, Doug Fairbanks. They were both dead ends. I can’t find a public record that matches the man we’re looking for. I can keep looking but I’m thinking the Angelino House is a distraction from where he’s keeping and killing his victims.”
“Do we have a floor plan for the house?” Eva asked.
“Not for this specific house. I researched Victorian homes built around the same time period here in Los Angeles. None of them have a space big enough to hold the kind of kill room we’re looking at. Basements were not popular here either.”
“He’s not shooting the movies there. Got it. But he could keep the girls there while he prepares. He’s the type to prepare, trust me.”
“Do we want to stake it out? I checked to see if Pickford Ltd. owned any other properties but I came up with zilch.”
“If our guy is so obsessed with the silent film era then could he be using another historical building from that time as his base of operations? The silent film, the actual film stock, the house are all from then. This has to be part of his process. Many of the buildings that silent films used as locations are still standing in downtown Los Angeles.”
Sara thought that was a good jump in logic. Eva nodded in agreement and Sara couldn’t help grinning.
“Johan is still holding something back though,” Eva said, turning towards Sara. “You know that, don’t you?”
“No, I don’t.” Sara said and was surprised by the anger in her own voice. “He told me everything. I’m sure of it.”
“Don’t be blinded by who he is. Think about this logically.”
“I’m not blinded and I’m telling you he told me everything. I’ve known him for over fifteen years. Don’t you think I’d know if he was holding something back?” Sara said through gritted teeth.
“No, you wouldn’t.” Eva’s emphatic response hung in the air between them.
He turned to Eva. “What does Johan know you’re not telling us?”
“I’m not sure. Something got this killer spooked enough for him to get sloppy. He left Madeleine Richards’ body like that for a reason. The girls’ bodies have never turned up. Why did Madeleine’s? What did her and Johan stumble onto in the last several months? Johan knows something and either he’s not willing to share yet or he doesn’t understand its relevance. Not yet, at least.”
“Are you thinking he might not see the clue himself?” Sara asked.
“Possibly. Something spooked the killer enough he killed someone and left her body behind. That is significant. On top of that, her daughter went missing. I’m presuming the same perp has her. Madeleine and Johan precipitated this chain of events. That’s what we need to get to the bottom of.”
“It’s the film reel.” Sara said. “That’s the key. Janice crossed paths with this killer. She found those film reels. She’s the key.”
“And she was also murdered. We’ve been running with the assumption that Johan involved Janice. What if it was the other way around? Janice brought the film reels to Johan.”
“Isn’t that what I just said.” Sara couldn’t help herself. Ritchie shot her a look. Sara didn’t want to back down thought. She was tired of Eva making her out to be some fool. She leveled her gaze at Eva and waited for her response.
None came. The women glared at each other.
Ritchie broke the stalemate. “Do you know how that investigation is going?” Ritchie asked Eva.
“No, I don’t. But I’ll check with my contact at the LAPD. I’m thinking they have made little headway. We would have heard something if an arrest was imminent.”
“We need to figure out where Janice got that film reel from,” Sara broke in. “I’ll ask Johan tomorrow.”
“He’s getting out of jail tomorrow,” Eva said.
“How do you know that?” Sara asked.
“I’ve kept tabs on him to make sure he didn’t disappear again. His lawyer is excellent and got him out earlier than I expected. You should get to the jail as soon as it opens. That way he can’t sneak off again.”
“He wouldn’t do that.” Sara cut in.
“He will try to protect you and go after Lorelei’s kidnapper on his own.” Eva said matter of fact.
“No, he won’t. We’re a team.” Sara reiterated. She thought back to the conversation they had earlier. Sara was on this case for a reason.
Johan had a plan. He had only alluded to it but what was he going to say? He was in jail and Sara believed the guards listened in on everything they spoke about.
Eva placed her hand on Sara’s. “I’m not telling you this to make you upset. He most likely doesn’t realize he’s staring the answer in the face. But when he does, he will do everything to protect you, Sara. His biggest weakness is going it alone and not giving you the credit you deserve. You can take care of yourself.”
“But he brought me on this case. He would have better protected me by letting me be.”
“This isn’t something he’s fully cognizant of. It goes way deeper. He wants it both ways. You and I both know it doesn’t work that way.”
Sara nodded. She heard the truth in Eva’s words. “He’s in danger, isn’t he?”
“We have to get to him first. He’s next. I feel it in my gut,” Eva said. Sara shivered with the thought.
“Then we have to stop him.” Sara said.
34
Johan grabbed his belongings from the small window and nodded at the guard. It hadn’t taken his lawyer long to get him bailed out, and he was thankful for that. He hoped the killer’s trail hadn’t gone cold. William had assured him he knew where Charlie Pickford was.
Johan took a calculated risk in breaking into Pickford’s house. He hadn’t expected the second silent alarm system and knew it was his own damn fault for not canvassing the property properly. That was a grave mistake he would never make again.
He’d been rushed and made a judgment call as he felt he was running out of time. Madeleine Richards contacted Pickford after discovering
he’d had a relationship with the last UCLA girl that disappeared. There was something hinky about Madeleine’s discovery but she was dead now too and he’d never know what she’d been holding back.
Johan stepped out into the cool night air and breathed a sigh of relief. His claustrophobia caused him constant panic and never wanted to be stuck in a jail cell again.
He walked towards the Metro line and wished the talk with Sara had gone differently. He knew she would be upset when she found out this case was tied to her father. Yet, somehow Johan had dismissed that knowledge as he formulated the plan with Madeleine. The outcome was too important.
It should have been obvious that there was something else going on beneath Sara’s refusal to investigate her parents’ murders. No one made such an abrupt turnaround without a push. Asmodeus being behind it was not a surprise. The demon was devious, cunning.
Johan didn’t blame her for making that deal with him to get out of limbo. He wished she’d told him though as he could have saved both of them a lot of heartache. Asmodeus had gone back on his promises numerous times. They wouldn’t have lost so many months if she’d been honest. He shook that thought off and focused on the task ahead. No use in those thoughts. It wasn’t like he’d be able to change the past.
His court date was in four days time. It was enough time to gather enough evidence to either put the man away or prove his innocence. Johan knew he wasn’t innocent though. He’d seen Asmodeus in the man’s eyes.
Charlie Pickford went under many aliases and the house in Angelino Heights was just one of his many stash houses. But Johan’s cursory search proved that it wasn’t the place where he kept the women, nor where he kept his camera equipment. Everything would be different once they sent Asmodeus back down to hell. Sara could finally let go of the past. They’d have a future.
He walked down to the Metro station and took the Red line into Hollywood. His car was parked a short walk from the station. He’d phoned William from the jail for more information. William was sure he had a way to prove that Charlie Pickford was a launderer of money for the porn industry as well as having dealings with the Russian mob and moving girls in and out of Los Angeles. The whole thing stunk to high heaven and Johan would figure out how to nail Charlie Pickford to the wall in any way he could.
Silent Death: A Chilling Serial Killer Thriller (A Caine & Murphy Thriller Book 3) Page 11
