Donors

by C. M. Sutter

  “Here they come.” I tipped my head at the three of them on the other side of the glass wall. Detective Fitch opened the door and said good morning. She took a seat across from J.T. Andrews sat next to me, and Captain Sullivan sat at the head of the table.

  The captain leaned back in his chair and stretched. Then he locked his fingers behind his head. “Okay, let’s hear the latest.”

  Andrews spoke up. “We walked the trails on foot until two a.m., sir. Four patrol units joined us with two canines, and three units in squad cars drove along James Street and around to the back of the lake. We didn’t find a body, a piece of clothing, or anything that appeared disturbed. Everything will be checked again now that it’s daylight. But up to the point where we called it a night, we didn’t find a thing.”

  “What about her vehicle?” I asked.

  “The forensics team has it in the evidence garage and went over it throughout the night. There’s no sign of a struggle or unidentified prints inside.”

  “What was the position of the seat?”

  Detective Fitch responded. “It was in the correct position for a woman who’s five foot three, Agent Monroe.”

  I wrote that down then remembered from the newscast that Molly Davis was indeed five foot three. “I watched the segment on the news last night. What was the event that was supposed to take place in her honor?”

  “According to the officer who took the statement from her parents, she was promoted at her workplace to assistant manager. Her folks were throwing a party for her.”

  J.T. wrote that down. “Where did she work?”

  Fitch checked her notes. “At First Federal Bank on Sixth and Montclair.”

  “Did her folks say anything about the frequency of her running at those trails?” J.T. asked.

  “Actually they did. They said she went there often.”

  “So maybe somebody had been watching her. Any CCTV cameras in the area?”

  “Unfortunately not, Agent Harper.”

  Captain Sullivan spoke up. “So what’s the plan for today on this newest abduction?”

  “May I bring something up, sir?”

  “Go ahead, Agent Monroe.”

  I took a sip of coffee to wet my throat. “First off, we have to keep in mind that this person isn’t holding these ladies for ransom. Their lives are in danger every second he has them. That much is obvious from the bodies that were found. Because of the weather, we don’t know how long they were dead prior to being dumped. He could have kept them alive for minutes, days, or weeks, except for Heather, but we just don’t know. What I do know is there’s no time to waste. We could actually find this girl before he kills her and drains her blood, if it is the same man. Does your department have anything at all on this guy, even one tiny clue to go on?”

  The room fell silent.

  “I guess I’ll take that as a no. Has anyone checked into cults?”

  “Cults? Suggesting what?”

  “I’m suggesting that somebody has a reason to drain these women of their blood, sir. If these abductions were only about murder, the girls could be killed in any manner of ways and dumped. Chances are they wouldn’t necessarily be nude, either. The ME said none of them were sexually assaulted. And what about their cars? What happened to them? Has anyone even looked for them? Corrine and Taylor’s cars were never located, or at least they were never documented as being located. They could have been parked at the killer’s home for all we know. Was there ever a BOLO put out for the vehicles?”

  J.T. nudged me under the table with his foot. I felt my face getting hot, and he probably saw it.

  I took a slow, deep breath. “I’m sorry, but these have been open cases since Corrine went missing in October. The police department isn’t any closer to solving these crimes than they were on day one. And since Corrine went missing, two more young ladies have died. Just yesterday another woman disappeared under suspicious circumstances. I asked for one tiny clue, so I’ll ask again. Does anybody know anything?”

  Andrews responded with a touch of sarcasm. “In our own defense, Agent Monroe, Corrine and her car were missing. She could have been a runaway. Anyone at her age legally has the right to disappear.”

  I shook my head in impatience. “And nobody thought it odd that three weeks later, it happened again with Taylor?”

  Detective Fitch replied that they didn’t. “It wasn’t until the bodies were found that we knew it was an abduction, and that was a good time later. The cars didn’t seem important by then.”

  “You do realize it’s only Fitch and me on the case full time, Agent Monroe? You have to cut us some slack.”

  “I’d hate to have the families of the dead girls hear you say that, Detective Andrews. Anyway, we’re here now, and we intend to make progress in days, not months.” I looked at the captain, who hadn’t said much during the meeting. “Captain Sullivan, if you’re serious about catching this guy, I’d suggest putting more officers on the case.” I glanced from Fitch to Andrews. “Who interviewed the department coworkers at the hospital where Heather worked?”

  “They don’t work the weekend shifts,” Fitch said.

  “And they don’t have houses where you could have gone to conduct the interview?”

  She gave me a blank stare.

  “See where I’m going with this? Now back to my second question. Do any of you know anything about cults in the area?”

  Captain Sullivan rubbed his temples. “There’s a local group of troublemakers that go by the moniker Crimson Clan. You can take that name any way you want. I don’t know if it’s just what they call themselves or if it’s an indication of some type of cult.”

  “Who runs it?”

  “A punk by the name of Alex Everly. He’s someone to start with, and he has an extensive jacket.”

  I wrote down the name. “Good, now what about people claiming to drink blood, vampires, that sort of thing? Are there vampire raves in Gary?”

  Andrews laughed as he slapped the table with his open hand. “This is Indiana, not Transylvania.”

  “So you don’t actually know?”

  Andrews stared at me without speaking.

  “Okay, Agent Harper and I are going to spend the day checking on those types of places. We’ll conduct the interviews with Heather’s coworkers at the hospital too. I hope when we reconvene later, you’ll have found out something new with the Molly Davis situation. I’d suggest calling private tow companies and junkyards about the cars too, but that’s just my opinion. The killer may have left his DNA behind.” I stood and jerked my chin at J.T. “Come on. We have work to do.”

  J.T. and I left the building and headed to the parking garage.

  “You know you’re going to get a call from Spelling soon,” he said.

  “Why, because the captain is going to tattle on me for being too harsh?”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly why. You were out of line in there, Jade.”

  “J.T., we’re here to help find the criminal, not babysit and do all the work for the police department. These are grown-up law enforcement officers. They’re supposed to know how this works. It’s been more than three months since Corrine went missing, and they don’t have any leads at all? That doesn’t sit well with me.” I stopped in my tracks just before we reached the car.

  “What’s wrong?” J.T. asked.

  “We have to go back inside. We need computers to work with and a location for Alex Everly. Let’s head to the tech department. They can let us use their extra computers for a while.”

  Chapter 14

  Sam had to work that day from noon until five. He rose early to get Adeline squared away with breakfast. He helped her to the living room and started the coffee. With her sheets changed and her freshly washed clothes in the bathroom along with the shower chair, Sam returned to the kitchen to start breakfast.

  “Have you checked on your guest this morning?” Adeline asked.

  “Yeah, she’s asleep or pretending she is. After breakfast, I’ll get her si
tuated. Tonight, I’ll start the gradual blood draw and rearrange the room. I need a few more tables or armchairs to actually set this up as an enterprise that will support us for a while. I’ll see what’s available at the secondhand shops.”

  “How can you handle three girls at once, Sam? They’ll need to eat and use the restroom.”

  He smiled. “Have some faith in me. I can do it. Even if I only sell two pints a week, that’s six hundred bucks, and I’d be staying way under the radar. We’d do okay on that much money, Mom. The girls will be given a lot of electrolytes and iron. I’ve researched this, and it’ll be fine. But first I have to set up the room and find a couple more women.” Sam pulled the skillet out of the lower cabinet. “I’m making fried eggs, bacon, and toast”—he looked over his shoulder—“your favorite.”

  Sam carried a cup of coffee to the couch where Adeline sat and placed it on a coaster on the side table to her left. He snugged an afghan around her exposed legs.

  “Sorry it’s cold in here, Mom, but the electric bill is too expensive. I have to keep the thermostat set below seventy degrees. I can get you another blanket.”

  “No worries. I’m fine.”

  “Want the TV on?” He handed her the remote and went back to the kitchen to flip the bacon.

  “What’s her name?”

  Sam responded from the kitchen. “The girl in the room?”

  “Yeah, her.”

  “Molly Davis, why?”

  “They’re showing her picture on the news. You didn’t touch her car, did you?”

  Sam came around the corner with the dish towel in his hand. “No, I had no idea which car in the lot was hers.”

  “Good, because the cops took it to the evidence garage at the police department.”

  He waved away the comment and returned to the kitchen to start the eggs. “They aren’t going to find a body this time, Mom. That ought to confuse the hell out of them. They’ll think her disappearance is linked to someone else. It’s better that way, and it’ll earn us some much-needed cash. Want breakfast out there or in the kitchen?”

  “Here is good, then you don’t have to mess with the wheelchair.”

  “Sure thing. I’ll sit out there with you.” Sam carried two plates into the living room and placed Adeline’s on a TV tray. He refilled her coffee and put a juice box next to her cup. “After breakfast I’m going to bring Molly in here to use the bathroom, but I’ll blindfold her first. She doesn’t need to see you. Are you all right with that?”

  “I suppose for now. I can’t wait until this is over with, Sam. I don’t like other people in our house, and I don’t like what you’re doing to them.”

  “I know, Mom, I know.”

  Chapter 15

  We reentered the building and read the directory panel on the wall. The tech and forensics departments were on the fourth floor but down a different corridor on the west side of the building. We headed that way.

  “We’ve never met anyone in tech or forensics, Jade. We should have cleared it with the captain first so he doesn’t feel like we’re stepping on his toes.”

  I sighed and put away my irritation with the department for a minute. J.T. was right. We’d have more help if we played nice, at least on my part.

  “Okay, I’ll call him. I’m the one who was out of line. We don’t even know the person’s name that runs the show in there.” I dialed the captain’s office phone, and he picked up immediately. “Sir, it’s Agent Monroe calling. I’m sorry for my attitude earlier and wanted to let you know we’re standing outside the tech department. We’re going to need to use a few computers in order to track down some of these questionable people.” I paused and paced while the captain spoke. “Yes, sir, and we’d really appreciate that too.” I clicked off.

  “So, what did he say?”

  I grinned and gave J.T. a poke to the arm. “You’re a smart guy, John Thomas Harper.”

  He chuckled. “So you kissed and made up?”

  “Yeah, pretty much. He’s heading over here to make the introductions, and he’s bringing along Alex Everly’s file.”

  Captain Sullivan rounded the corner a few minutes later with a folder in his hand. I gave him an appreciative smile.

  “Let’s start over as a team. What do you say, Agent Monroe?”

  “I say yes. Thank you, sir.” I reached out and accepted Alex Everly’s file.

  “Come on.” He tipped his head and pulled the door handle. “I’ll make the introductions.”

  Captain Sullivan led us into the tech department. Inside, we found three long rows of tables, each with a half dozen computers filling the space and the same number of people sitting behind them. One shelf, built into the wall at waist level, held five additional computers with chairs in front of them.

  The captain pointed in that direction. “Those are the extras in case anything goes on the fritz. Help yourself to them, but let me make the introductions first.” Captain Sullivan tipped his head to the left, and we followed. “Charlie, can you break for a minute?”

  A man who appeared to be in his thirties stopped the conversation he was having with a female at a computer station. He popped his head up and walked toward us. Captain Sullivan put his hand on my shoulder. “Charlie Eustis, these are FBI Agents Jade Monroe and J.T. Harper. They’re here to lend a hand in these abductions and murders. Charlie is in charge of this department.”

  Charlie stuck out his hand, and we shook it. “What can we do to help, agents?”

  I smiled. “Glad you asked. First, we’ll need to use two computers for maybe an hour or so.”

  “Done. What else?”

  “How would you go about getting into somebody’s social media account without knowing their password?”

  He chuckled. “Yeah, we deal with that more than you’d realize. We can do it. All we need is a bit of information about the person.”

  I looked at Captain Sullivan. “I forgot to ask if we could pull up the name Bobby or Robert Lang to see if he has a criminal record. He’s the son of the owner of the lumberyard Corrine worked at, and according to her parents, she thought he was creepy.”

  “We can do that while we’re here. Shall we get started?”

  “That would be great.”

  J.T. spoke up. “I’ll take care of that while you give Charlie everything you know about Corrine so we can get into her social media account.” He handed me his notepad that contained the information he had taken down at the Lionel house the night before.

  I sat with Charlie and read everything we’d been told about Corrine. He wrote as I read off her birthdate, parents’ names, dog’s name, best friend’s name, street address, mother’s maiden name, high school she attended, and so on.

  “Okay, I’ll get started with this, Agent Monroe, and see if anything pops.”

  “Thanks.” I walked to the counter where J.T. and Captain Sullivan sat. I pulled up a chair and took a seat to J.T.’s left. “Find anything on Bobby Lang?”

  “Nah,” J.T. said, “he’s clean, just a creep, which isn’t illegal.”

  “So now what?”

  “We’re going to pay Alex Everly a visit today. But right now I want to see if there’s any information about Crimson Clan or other groups in the area who consider themselves vampires.”

  “I’ll admit, I never thought my department would be digging in to something like that,” the captain said.

  I heaved a deep sigh. “Welcome to our world, sir.”

  J.T. leaned in closer to the screen. “What’s this?”

  “What?” I scooted my chair a few inches to the right. The captain did the same on the other side of J.T.

  “Check this out. There’s actually a vampire rave website, and it shows members, what state they’re from, and the gatherings they hold. This could prove to be very useful information. Let’s print out the names and addresses for members in this area and see how many people we’re dealing with. I’m curious to see if Alex Everly is on that list.” J.T. clicked on Indiana and narrowed
the search to a twenty-mile radius of Gary, then he hit Print next to the member roster. “We have to start with something manageable and go from there. I don’t want to spend too much time barking up the wrong tree.” J.T. stood and retrieved the printout from the machine. He glanced down at the list. “There aren’t many names in a twenty-mile radius, but it looks like they all identify themselves by aliases.”

  I waved off his concern. “We’ll track them down. What’s most important to know is if they’re really drinking blood, and it they are, if it’s human.”

  The captain clicked through the photographs posted on the website. “That’s him.”

  I leaned over his shoulder. “Who are you pointing at?”

  “Right there, that’s Alex Everly. I know that face, but it looks like he’s going by the name Massimo on this site.”

  I smirked. “Seriously? He must think highly of himself.”

  J.T. raised his right brow. “So Massimo isn’t just a name, it has a meaning?”

  “Sure, most names mean something. Massimo is a variation of the Italian name Maximus. It means the greatest.”

  J.T. chuckled. “We’ll see about that.”

  Captain Sullivan continued reading. “He posted online about a ritual at eleven o’clock tonight at Dasher Point.”

  “Do you know the place?” I asked.

  “Absolutely. It’s an abandoned steel mill on the outskirts of the city toward the southeast.”

  “Okay, find out everything you can on Alex Everly and his known associates, especially the local people that belong to this group. We’ll plan a coordinated surveillance on their activity tonight. If any blood shows up during their powwow, they’re all getting arrested until it’s tested to see if it’s human or not. Let’s meet back here later. We’ll hold off with Alex’s interview for now. We don’t want to spook him.” I gathered my things. “J.T. and I are heading to the hospital to interview Heather’s coworkers. Have Charlie keep you informed about Corrine’s social media site and if he was able to access it. Your detectives should follow up on the cars and Molly Davis.”