Murders of the Zodiac Boxed Set

by Paris Morgan

  “Kevin was right. He’s using this to misdirect us and split our resources.” Adam turned to me. “We have to win both cases. They’re so interconnected at this point, it will be hard to have enough evidence to build a strong case.”

  “Then we should get to work, but I’m going to have to advise we start again in the morning because I’m barely going to make it home as it is. Live to die another day, or something like that.” I’d forgotten about my mustache until Adam chuckled, slapping me on the back as he walked to the door.

  “You got plenty of sleep today, or least it was long enough to get marked.”

  “Aw, I’m never going to live this down, am I?”

  “Nope. Look on the bright side, at least you’ve passed the initiation phase.”

  “Oh, that’s real comforting.” I followed them out of the conference room and turned out the lights.

  ***

  Somewhere in Upper Oregon

  The list of men that had gotten on my bad side had grown over the years. I was going to make them all pay, but I was starting with the last on the list and working my way to the first boy that had ever hurt me.

  Tommy Chance hadn’t known how to treat a woman. They were just objects that he kept around for his own pleasure. He was the tough guy that nobody messed with, and certainly not a woman.

  When he’d received the message, along with a key that his birthday present was waiting for him at the town’s only motel room he knew immediately what would be behind the door. He entered, confident that all of his dreams were about to come true.

  A bottle of the best wine the town had to offer was sitting on the dresser with a note: Drink me.

  Tommy figured, why not? It was his birthday after all, but instead of using the glass, he took a swig out of the bottle.

  “Hey, are you ever going to come out of there?” he yelled at the closed bathroom door. “I’m not going to get any younger out here.”

  “Oh, don’t worry, it’ll be worth it,” a familiar voice answered from the bathroom.

  Tommy looked toward the sound through blurry eyes. “Honey, is that you? I thought you left me for good.”

  “You know me, I could never turn down the best thing that ever happened to me.”

  “See? I knew you’d come around,” he mumbled, feeling lightheaded.

  “Let’s celebrate your birthday, baby. Drink up.” She smiled seductively.

  “Sure, baby. Why do you still have all your clothes on?” He looked a little closer. “What kind of clothes are those?”

  His head landed on the pillow behind him as he went unconscious.

  “The best kind of clothes, baby.” Her voice mocked him, loaded with sarcasm. “The kind to kill you with,” she added, pulling her safety glasses down to keep the blood out of her face.

  “Maybe the next guy will learn to respect me a little more.” The sound of the TV playing loudly helped to cover the noise of the chainsaw.

  When she finished wrapping his dismembered body parts into sealed packages, she took the tarp with the bedding underneath, being careful not to drip onto the carpet.

  A shower in the motel’s bathroom washed away anything extra. Putting on clean clothes, she left a note for the cleaning lady.

  “Here’s enough money to cover the missing bedspread so you don’t get blamed for it.”

  With a quick stop to leave one of her packages sitting on the park bench, she was on her way out of town to track down the next man on her list who needed to be taught a little lesson.

  The tarp with all of the evidence was the last thing on her to-do list, so stopping for gas, she dumped everything into the trash bin.

  ***

  Chapter 6

  Leslie

  Mac was waiting for me at the park bench a little ways from the college we’d both attended.

  “Hey, Square. How’s it going?” he asked, using my nickname.

  “Good, Peg.” I hugged him. “How’s the undercover operation panning out?”

  “Have a seat. It’s a little more complicated than any of us were counting on.” Mac handed me one of the coffees he’d brought for us.

  “So, you know I was supposed to be the back-up in case something happened to Kevin.”

  “Well, that, and to dig around on your own. I’m guessing that you’ve found something?” I inhaled the wonderful scent of coffee before taking a sip.

  “I planted our program inside the computers to run independently, gathering information.”

  “Mac, this was supposed to be aboveboard so we can prosecute the guy when we’re done,” I protested.

  “Come on, Leslie. You know that he’s never going to make it to trial, much less to prison.

  “That doesn’t mean we can take the law into our own hands. We can’t become vigilantes, deciding the fate of others. That’s not how justice works.”

  “Just look at what I’ve got and tell me that you’re still mad at me.” He handed me a file.

  The streetlight was close enough that I could read most of what was in the file.

  “John Reed is John Armstrong? That’s huge. And Noah Preston is his son? Well, that explains his promotions into the main part of the company. This is still something that I need to tell my superiors about and let them take action.”

  “Finish the file,” Mac commanded.

  I read the last page, and the color drained from my face.

  “Now do you understand? He’s killed so many agents, and has others working for him all throughout every agency and police forces. This isn’t a battle you can fight with the law and evidence. He’ll kill you before you can even think about getting close to him.”

  “No.” I shook my head. “Mac, you can’t spy on him. You have to disable the program and get out. This isn’t worth your life.”

  “It’s not, but someone has to do it.” He grinned. “You know, I’ve always wanted to be out in the field doing something dangerous. Now, I can be.”

  “I’m not the agent in charge of you, so I don’t have any real authority. With what you’ve just given me, I’m going to have to let Ryan know so he can help watch your back as well. We knew there might be a possible connection to the Golden Company, but not that it would run this deep.”

  “Kevin’s not all that he seems to be, so you watch your back as well. I don’t know what he’s hiding yet, but I’ll figure it out.”

  I hugged him. “This is so not what we were expecting when we left college for the real world.”

  “Right? Who knew that you were going to become some fancy detective consulting for the FBI on serial killer cases?”

  “Whatever. It’s not like you aren’t the best hacker I know, and if I’m saying that it’s something, because I’m pretty good myself.”

  “If we’re done with this mutual admiration session, I’ve got to get back so I can sleep. I’m due in early at my ‘job’.”

  I threw my arms around him again and whispered, “Be safe.”

  He patted me awkwardly. “You know it.”

  Just as quickly, he walked away, disappearing into the darkness.

  The file he handed me was still clutched in my hand. I was going to read through it once more before I destroyed it. I couldn’t take the chance of the wrong person reading it. We’d been compromised, and I wasn’t taking a chance with Mac’s life.

  ***

  Nothing happened during the night, but I was hesitant to speak about more than the basics on the serial killers. There were ears everywhere, and it was the only option I had right now to make sure that my friend stayed alive.

  Agent Watson had called a meeting with a few possible ideas of who we were looking for this month.

  I tried to hide my yawn as we all filed into the conference room for the briefing.

  “I see that you’re still sporting a nice mustache.”

  “Can it,” Ryan grumbled.

  “Feeling a bit sensitive this morning, are we?” I joked.

  “It was a long day, and an even shorter ni
ght,” he groaned, sliding into the chair next to me.

  “Do we know anything new?” I raised my hand, wanting to get out of there.

  “We do. There have been a few mysterious packages left at different locations in the Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming areas. They appear to contain the remains of male victims that have gone missing. Each one has a note with the victim’s identity and the reasons they’re dead.”

  “The individual police stations have now placed these as a potential serial killer in the system and asked for our help. I’m send local teams to investigate and get back to me with copies of the notes and other information.”

  “Any word on how they were killed?” Ryan asked from beside me.

  “Their bodies have been dismembered. Most of the autopsies are still being put together, but for now, they’re speculating on someone sort of saw, or possibly a chainsaw to be exact. The men were alive when the killer started to dismember them, so we’re looking for someone who isn’t squeamish.”

  “Pretty cold-blooded. Aren’t we looking for a woman?”

  Agent Watson paused to consult the files. “Based on what we know, I would say yes. There isn’t any indication that a woman was involved from the different police stations. They’re scratching their heads on this one.”

  “Do you want us to go up there?”

  “Not yet. I think we’re going to let the teams do a little groundwork first. At the moment, there are only four bodies that we know of, so it could just be a fluke.”

  “Or there could be more and we just haven’t found out about them yet,” Ryan suggested.

  “True, which is why we’re sending out a memo to all the stations in the area that if they have a similar case, to please let us know.” Agent Watson continued. “At this point, we should have ten or more bodies if this is our killer.”

  “Wonderful. And we’re just now finding out what we’re dealing with for the month. This crap gets crazier and crazier.” I knew it wasn’t the FBI’s problem, but it wasn’t great that the killer was just running around on the loose either.

  “While we’re waiting on confirmation from the teams, I want you two to check out a farm where the tags from the cows pinged. Go see if there’s anything that rings a bell. It may be a dead-end, but it never hurts to check it out.”

  “Yes, sir. We’ll get all the information that we can.”

  “I’ve had Martha send it to your phones. It will be just what you both need, a drive in the country.”

  “Very funny, sir.” Ryan hopped up and headed for the door. “Coming?”

  “Absolutely.” I followed him out of the room.

  “What’s your hurry?” I asked, eyeing him with worry.

  “No reason. I’m going to sweep the car for bugs first so we can talk freely.” Ryan pulled out a device that would help to make sure his car was clean.

  “Sounds like a plan. We should get the address and turn our phones off so we can have a private conversation.”

  “Don’t tell Shea that or she’ll be worried about us.”

  “Nah, she likes you too much to think you’d do something like that to her.”

  “Aw, that makes me feel good, and that I’d better mind my P’s and Q’s.”

  “Here, put your phone in this bag.” Ryan held out a metallic bag toward me.

  “What is it?”

  “A Faraday bag. It’s closes off all signals and tracking devices that might’ve been implanted.”

  I nodded my approval. “We’re going to have to start taking more precautions. I had a meeting I’d like to tell you about on the drive.”

  “I’m all ears.” He zipped the bag and put it on the backseat floor.

  “There’s a man that runs the cartels named John Armstrong. It just so happens that he’s John Reed. My guy found out that they’re one and the same.”

  Ryan turned to head out of town. “That’s exactly what Kevin said last night.”

  “You saw Kevin? He’s okay?”

  “So far. He’s carefully going through files and trying to match dates when John Reed was away from the company to when John Armstrong was sighted with the cartels.”

  “Did he mention that Noah Preston is his son?”

  Ryan let out a whistle. “That would explain a lot, like his sense of entitlement for one thing.”

  “Yeah, my source also mentioned that there are lots of DEA, FBI, and CIA agents on his payroll, so we need to be smart. Those who have tried to uncover stuff about him have died.”

  “Kevin’s being careful, but none of this actually helps us with our current case. He’s still working to find the connection, but at least we know to tread lightly and watch our backs,” Ryan added.

  “True, but we’re going to have to bring in more people if we want to follow this lead.”

  “I don’t know if we should even pursue this information. It’s something that you and I aren’t even equipped for, or supposed to be chasing. Not that I don’t want to take down the big bad or get justice for his victims, but I want to be alive when my kid’s born.” Ryan grimaced as the words left his mouth. “That came out wrong.”

  “No, you just spoke what was in your heart. Don’t be ashamed of wanting to be around for your kid. Hell, there are tons of dads that don’t even want anything to do with their kids.”

  “Yeah, but I can’t sacrifice my morals or the job I do just to stay in the safe zone. Then I should just quit now because there’s no reason for me to stick around if I’m not going to do the job properly.”

  “Before you go all crazy and spout nonsense, let me explain something to you. It’s okay to want to live, or to even change jobs for your family. That doesn’t make you a coward. We can still do our job without jumping off the ledge. Let’s take care of the Zodiac Master first, and then if we feel like it, we can go after John Armstrong.”

  “It’s all well and good for you to say that, but we can’t let either one of them get away with murder.”

  “I didn’t say we were going to let them get away, just that it doesn’t have to be you that takes them down. You can’t eat an elephant all at once or you’ll be overwhelmed. You have to eat it one bite at a time.” I popped the seat back in an attempt to relax.

  “How do you propose that we eat this elephant?” he asked as the scenery changed from city to rural.

  “First, we have to catch this month’s killer. Second, find the Zodiac Master and take down his sorry ass. Third, we take a vacation before we come back, and let someone we trust decide the best method to take out the big dude. There has to be a reason that the Zodiac Master sent us toward the Urban Energy Company. It could be to take out his competition/family, or he just wants someone to uncover all the evil that’s being hidden behind the company’s clean image.”

  “You make it sound so easy. Shea was just telling me that I was enjoying the extra thrill of the chase, but I’m going to have to disagree with her on that for now.”

  “Relax, Ryan. You’ve got, what, four and a half months before the baby gets here to do all your super death-defying acts? Make sure that you add bungie jumping to the list. I’ve heard it really makes you feel alive.”

  “Why do I put up with you?” Ryan grinned. “To think, I was excited to have an afternoon with my partner who was going to help me celebrate having a kid.”

  I reached over and patted his shoulder. “That’s exactly what I’m doing, dude.”

  He shook his head. “Always have to be difficult, don’t you?”

  “Why do you think I’m still single? I’m too ‘difficult’ to handle.”

  “That’s not what I heard. You had a date with someone.”

  “How on earth did you know that?” I asked, completely shocked.

  “Flora told Shea, who in turn told me.” He laughed. “You should be careful who you tell personal stuff to, because they could turn around and tell everyone.”

  “I’ll remember that for future reference.”

  ***

  The countryside was
beginning to match the landscape from both of our puzzles, and Ryan took the exit printed on the directions from Agent Watson.

  The directions led to a dirt road, with a fence keeping the livestock from roaming all over the country. Back through the trees, a red barn could be seen with a picturesque farmhouse next to it.

  “This looks like the place,” I remarked as we crept down the road, leaving a dust trail behind for anyone within five miles to see.

  “Stealth isn’t going to work out here. Should we use the direct approach?”

  “I don’t see that we have much choice. Let’s keep our guns handy, but try charm for a change.”

  “Got it. I’m putting on my old lady smile right now. They always fall for it.”

  “Whatever.” I rolled my eyes as we approached the house with chickens running all over the place.

  The screen door squeaked as an older woman came out of the house, followed by three dogs.

  “What can I do for you?” she drawled, leaning against the porch post. “You just lost, or did you have something you needed?”

  “We’re not sure how to answer that question. We got a photo the other day that matched this farm, but we have no idea why,” Ryan answered honestly.

  “You cops?” the woman asked suspiciously.

  “Yes, ma’am. Detectives, actually.”

  “Hmph.” She looked us over thoroughly. “You might as well come on in. I’ll put on a pot of tea.”

  Ryan and I exchanged glances, curious about the shift in her attitude.

  “Thank you,” I commented as I followed her inside.

  “We’re unsure of what we’re looking for, but I think you might already know.”

  “I knew this day would come. It’s just about 20 years later than I thought, though.” She put a kettle on the stove and started getting out three teacups.

  “Oh, I’m Belle Stevens.”

  “This is Ryan Fox, and I’m Leslie Boxe.”

  “That’s cute. Your boss must have a sense of humor.” She took a seat across from both of us. “I’m guessing that my name didn’t ring any bells?”