The Killing Ground: A Foxx Files Thriller

by Syd Parker

  Matt smiled. In the five years he and Jordan had worked together, he had grown to appreciate her sixth sense. It had helped them out of more than one tight spot, and he wasn’t about to start doubting it now. If Jordan wanted to make an early morning visit, then he was all for it. Besides, from the sound of things, they were going to need every advantage available.

  Chapter 2

  Jordan pushed a hand through her dark hair, trying to brush it out of her blue eyes. She was weeks past needing a haircut, which only added to her street hardened look. She flicked her eyes to her wrist, noting that Matt was his typical ten minutes late. Per Assistant Director Mitchell, she and Matt were getting an early start on last night’s case. She pulled Detective Rebecca Foxx’s card out of her leather jacket and fingered the plain type. She wasn’t sure what kind of woman she expected Detective Foxx to be, but she was pretty damn sure she wasn’t going to like the FBI’s intrusion into her case.

  She shoved the card back in her pocket and let out a loud breath. “Fuck, Matty, where are you?”

  As if hearing her sharp words, he came tearing into the parking lot, bringing his car to a screeching halt beside Jordan. He exited the car with a sheepish grin. “Sorry, Jordie. I was getting fuel.” He handed her a cup of coffee and loped around to the other side of her Nissan. “Come on, we’re late.”

  Jordan grunted loudly, stifling her biting reply. They rode in silence to the Area 5 on Grand. The Chicago Detective Division, or CDD, was located in Area 5 of the Chicago grid. Grand Central, as dubbed by its location on Grand, covered all of northwest side of the City. It was part of the Bureau of Investigative Services or BIS. Detective Foxx worked in the Detective Division. The CDD handled the criminal investigations for crimes such as murder, rape or those related to narcotics, gangs or organized crime.

  Jordan pulled into a freight zone on Racine Street and stuck an FBI parking tag in her window. She caught Matt looking at her comically. “What?” She asked innocently.

  He rolled his eyes. “Nothing.”

  Her only response was a smirk. Hell, Jordan knew if they couldn’t use their position with the FBI for something as harmless as parking in a freight zone, she knew there was no chance the FBI’s name would carry much weight with the Chicago Police Department either.

  Jordan wasn’t sure what she expected to find when they walked into the precinct, but none of the Barney Fife misconceptions existed here. She glanced quickly around a small waiting area then focused her attention on the officer who occupied a small corner of the room. Jordan knew the CDD would resent their intrusion. She cast a smile in his direction, hoping that the smallest civility would work to smooth over their involvement. “I’m Special Agent Gray, and this is Special Agent Riley with the FBI.” They flashed their badges briefly, more in a show of attempted camaraderie than necessity, as the FBI’s jurisdiction outweighed the CDD’s territory. “We’d like to speak with Detective Foxx.”

  Had Jordan not been paying rapt attention to his response in an effort to gauge the request, she might have missed the almost imperceptible rise in his eyebrow. She decided to attribute it to the FBI’s surprise visit and not as his opinion of Detective Foxx. She would wait and make her own opinion. She knew all too well that while women had made it a long way in a man’s world, yet they continued to struggle with narrow—minded assholes that still felt a woman’s place was at home. Perhaps Detective Foxx had bucked the system and the opinion that her fellow detectives and officers shared was that of a woman who was more forthright than she should be—a bitch to put it simply. Whatever the case, she would make that determination herself, and not based on the candid response of a youthful desk jockey.

  “I’ll see if she’s in yet.” He picked up the phone and dialed slowly. Jordan shot Matt a sideways glance and stifled a chuckle. She stole a glance at his badge and smirked. Officer Jackson was showing his ass. He wanted to let the FBI know who was in charge here. After a short, hushed conversation, he hung up the phone and sighed loudly. “You’ll have to wait, Detective Foxx is tied up. She’s really not sure how long she’ll be.” He nodded at two chairs nearby. You’re free to wait…if you want.”

  Jordan caught Matt’s eye again and nodded silently. They read his signal loud and clear. The CDD was not bowing down to the Feds. That was okay with Jordan. She had an immense reserve of patience when the situation called for it and today, the situation demanded it. If Susan Mitchell wanted their help finding Julie’s attacker, no amount of snubbing from Chicago’s finest was going to deter them. They sat down and waited, eyeing the invisible battle line that was slowly being drawn in the sand.

  “Agent Gray.” Jordan’s head came up, and she focused on the woman who had just called her name. She made a show of checking her watch, letting Detective Foxx know right away that the thirty—five minutes they had waited was unacceptable, but she stopped short of letting the irritation show in her features. “Special Agent.” Jordan’s emphasis on Special was her way of setting the tone for this meeting.

  Matt stood up beside her and smiled easily. “Special Agent Riley. Thank you for agreeing to see us, Detective Foxx.” He offered his hand and Detective Foxx took it begrudgingly. This was their thing. Jordan played the bad cop to Matt’s good cop. So far it had worked, but one look at Detective Foxx’s face let them know immediately that whatever game they played, they would lose.

  “Against my better judgment.” She led them to her small office. From her glass office, she could see every desk in the house and Jordan could tell from the looks of the officers occupying those desks, Detective Foxx was not well liked. Respected, feared maybe, but not liked, and certainly not a woman that appreciated the FBI stepping over any lines. Jordan liked that about her. She understood that and in the few moments it took them to get settled, she studied Rebecca Foxx. The first thing a person would notice was her red hair, fiery would describe it well. Look away too quickly and they would miss the emerald-green eyes that Jordan thought might be beautiful if they ever smiled. She was thin, slightly shorter than Jordan’s five foot eight frame, but underneath her shapeless jacket, she looked lean and defined. The lines around those green eyes spoke volumes. This was a woman who had lived a lot of years in what Jordan guessed was sandwiched into about thirty years. If she was ever outside of the sallow white lights, and she smiled, Jordan decided she would be a beautiful woman.

  As if sensing she was being watched, Detective Foxx looked up from the pad she was scribbling on and met Jordan’s inquisitive eyes. For a brief moment, a look of understanding passed between them. She leaned back in her chair and regarded the Agents thoughtfully. “I wouldn’t have even allowed you to stay, but when you look in the eyes of someone’s whose whole life has just been shattered, you figure that if ever there were a time to let the Feds come sniffing around in our investigation, this may be the time.”

  Jordan shifted imperceptibly and she saw Matt’s leg jump. Detective Foxx’s statement caught them completely off guard. They had assumed that getting the CDD to give them anything would be a fight. She opened her mouth to speak, but stopped when a hand was held up.

  “This is still our case, but even I know, the FBI has resources at its disposal that we just don’t have. You would have to live in a cave to not know that funding for the city police departments is way down and we just don’t have the manpower to cover a case like this.” She sat up quickly. “Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not handing this case over, and when it’s solved, the Feds don’t take credit, but you will have the full cooperation of the CDD.”

  Jordan breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m glad to hear that, Detective Foxx.”

  Detective Foxx took a moment to study Jordan. “Just so we understand each other, I’m doing this because my number one focus is catching the son of a bitch that attacked Julie Keppler and killed those other women.”

  Jordan’s temperature climbed a notch. She resented the fact that Detective Foxx had to clarify the reason they were all there. This wasn’t an exercis
e in pissing off the CDD. Jordan could not care less about jurisdiction. She wanted the asshole just as much as Detective Foxx did, probably more.

  Matt turned, sensing her agitation. “Detective Foxx, I think you will find that is our goal as well, and we have no plans to take the investigation away from the CDD. We are merely offering the FBI’s resources, as you call them and asking for some shared information in return.”

  Jordan hid a smile. Good old Matty, always riding in on his white horse as the good cop. She watched Detective Foxx’s face for a sign that she wasn’t immune to his charm and good looks. She spotted nothing.

  “I have no doubt, Special Agent Riley, that you have every intention of manhandling this case.” She mustered a fake smile, turning Matt’s political correctness right back on him. “Rest assured, that would hinder the successfulness of this joint investigation.”

  Jordan gave her a mental tick mark. Detective Foxx was all for a joint investigation, as long as she controlled the information being shared with the FBI. That and Matty’s normal charms didn't affect her in the least. “Detective Foxx, I give you my word that the FBI’s involvement is under the radar. You won’t see the normal bullying tactics. We can’t risk the public knowing that we have an interest in this case. And believe me when I tell you, we are just as interested in catching the UNSUB, so whatever assistance we can provide each other will be handled with professional courtesy.”

  Detective Foxx studied Jordan’s face a few moments longer, weighing her words. Naturally wary, she was trying to put the common good ahead of her natural instincts to protect her turf. Finally, she decided she could take her at her word, but she left no doubt as to the consequences if the FBI pushed her too hard. “I hope I don’t regret this, Special Agent Gray. Nothing shuts the CDD up faster than hearing that information pertinent to an investigation has been leaked.”

  Jordan nodded. “Understood.” Jordan hated this political BS, but in this case, it was necessary. What she really wanted to do was flash her badge and tell Detective Foxx to go fuck herself, or at the very least, Jordan could take care of that. Without the glare, she would probably register on Jordan’s radar anyway. Maybe when this is over, I can show her who is boss. But instead, she was here playing nicey nice and her badge meant nothing.

  Jordan hid a smirk. She’d had a weakness for redheads. There was a definite air about Detective Foxx. Maybe she would try a different tactic. She always got more Intel from someone when their badge was on her nightstand. She leaned forward and licked her lips, her blue eyes holding Detective Foxx’s emerald-green ones. “So now that we got that all straightened out, what do you have for us?”

  Matt watched Jordan out of the corner of his eye and swallowed a laugh. Whatever she saw in the Detective, he didn’t share her opinion. Although she had ignored him completely, so maybe she was a lesbian. It surprised him to see her roll her eyes in reply to Jordan’s subtle advances.

  “Let me guess Agent Gray, this is the part where I’m supposed to swoon because you are so handsome and give up my hand in this case?” Rebecca leveled her gaze at Jordan. “Let me let you in on a little secret. I didn’t get where I am today by getting weak in the knees every time some badge with a power trip batted their eyes at me. You can put your dick back in your pants.”

  Matt snickered, and Jordan rewarded him with a glare. He suddenly realized that maybe he did have a shot with the lovely Detective Foxx. “Sorry.” He muttered under his breath, all the while trying to mask the smirk on his face.

  Jordan felt the heat rise in her face. It had been a long time since someone put her in her place like that. Properly chastised, Jordan dropped her eyes playing the penitent role to appease Detective Foxx. She regretted her decision to throw sex into the mix and hoped for the sake of the case, she didn’t fuck up the Detective’s offer to share information. “Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot, Detective.”

  “I don’t play games, Agent. I know this whole adorable bad-guy routine is something you’re used to getting your way with, but I can assure you, I am no more interested in you than you are in Agent Riley.”

  Game, set and match to Detective Foxx, Jordan thought. Very quickly, the rules of the game had been established. Jordan was benched before she even had the chance to swing. “Very well, Detective. No games.”

  Again, Rebecca’s emerald eyes studied Jordan, this time looking beyond the façade and into her soul. This time she was almost convinced she had the upper hand…almost. “Agents, the information that I’m going to share with you is highly confidential. It stays here. Don’t make me regret this.”

  They both nodded. They did not need to be told that protocol dictated that the information they received here would definitely be shared in their own circles, but it would stop there.

  Rebecca pulled a file out of her drawer and opened it up. She handed Jordan a thin file. “We don’t have much. So far, he’s been clean. No DNA left at the scene."

  “No sperm?” Matt asked incredulously. “Not even trace amounts? Nothing?”

  “That’s what I said, Agent Riley. This guy’s good…or was.” Rebecca smiled mysteriously. “Until last night’s case.”

  “How so?” Jordan asked quickly.

  “Last night he got spooked and pulled out…so to speak. The condom came off inside the victim…” Rebecca saw Jordan wince. “I’m sorry, I mean Ms. Keppler. It’s the first break in the case we’ve gotten.”

  “It usually happens that way, Detective.” Jordan opined. “The UNSUB thinks he’s the first smart criminal and bam, he does something stupid.”

  “Did you get a hit in the Combined DNA Index System?” Matt interrupted. Jordan was emotionally involved already. He didn’t think that her relationship with their boss was any closer than his. Sure, they were both lesbians, but that hardly qualified them as best friends. However, he knew his partner, and she was already invested in this case more than she should have been. That’s when agents got sloppy, overlooked things, made mistakes when their brain stopped controlling the shots, and their heart took over.

  “No, if our suspect has committed crimes before this, he’s never been arrested.” Rebecca thumbed through several more pages. “The only thing that kept Ms. Keppler alive was a homeless guy. It turns out they were in his alley. Spooked the perp before he could kill her.”

  Jordan swallowed the lump in her throat. Here they were talking about Julie as if she were just another victim, a number in the CDD’s or FBI’s database, like she was just one more faceless person in a long line of faceless people. She was frustrated beyond belief. She had never had to put a face to the victim, never had to personalize the case. She felt a mixture of helplessness and fury swirling around inside her gut. Her next words were spoken through gritted teeth. “How many?”

  Rebecca looked confused. “How many what?”

  “Victims. How many victims were there before Julie?”

  “Six.” Rebecca let the number sink in. She could tell it shocked them. “At least that we could tie to this case. That’s over a span of two years. If he changed his MO at any time, we wouldn’t have tied it back to this one.”

  Matt leaned forward. He could see Jordan’s hands clenched on the arms of her chair, and he needed to give her a chance to cool down. “What’s his MO?”

  “This is where it gets bad.” She looked at Jordan, concern on her features. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”

  Jordan nodded her head. She forced herself to exhale, realizing that she had been holding her breath, only seconds from passing out. “I need to. If I’m going to be any help, I need to know what this monster is doing. I need to be able to get inside his head.”

  Rebecca nodded. She didn’t know the exact nature of Special Agent Gray and Assistant Director Mitchell’s relationship, but she imagined it went beyond the normal working acquaintance. “From what we can piece together from time of death, he strikes at night. He carries a knife, most likely forces them into an alley with that. Forces them down on the
ir stomach, slits their throat, and as a final, demeaning blow, rapes them and takes the baby.”

  Jordan bit her lip. The more she found out, the angrier she got. She took several deep breaths and willed herself to calm down, stay impersonal and focused. “Any similarities?”

  “They were all pregnant, other than that, nothing. Didn’t work together, didn’t travel in the same circles. Not much to go on.” Rebecca smiled ruefully. “You can see why I want to catch this guy. He’s a fucking monster.”

  “Can we get a sample of the DNA?” Jordan asked quickly. “We can run it in the National DNA Index System and see if we get a hit.”

  “Sure, as long as…”

  Jordan put her hand up. “I know, as long as it stays in this office.”

  “Most likely he will strike again soon.” Matt interrupted the latest push for power. “We have to figure he’s pissed off about Julie. He’s going to be out for blood, get his retribution for not getting the kill.”

  Jordan had to give consideration to Matt’s idea. His major in college had been psych and had he not wanted to be in the field, could have had a perfectly decent career as an FBI profiler. Hopefully, they could put that to good use. She gave him a cautionary glance to keep him from divulging anymore. The FBI could have secrets just as easily as the CDD. “What’s the time frame between each victim?”

  Rebecca checked her notes. “At first, he was sporadic. The first three averaged every six months. The latest three happened within the last six months.”

  “So one every two months. He’s moving further away from reality, and it’s upping his need to kill.” Jordan rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Think you can provide us with a copy of the file? It’s for research.”