Murders of the Zodiac Boxed Set

by Paris Morgan

  “No, ma’am. Should it?”

  “Maybe I’m wrong, but I was always certain that my son was going to do something stupid when he left home. There was something just not right about him.”

  “What was his name?”

  “Henry J. Stevens. Although, he’s more than likely changed it by now. He hated it out here on the farm and couldn’t wait to get to the city.”

  “No, that isn’t a name we’ve come across either.”

  “His father is John Reed, or that was the name he gave me at the time. I was so young and naïve at the time. He wooed me into thinking that I was the only girl in the world. I was fresh off the farm, and he seemed like the real deal. It wasn’t until I realized that I was pregnant that I found out I was only one of his side pieces. He didn’t want anything to do with me or a kid.

  “I never told him I was pregnant, so he didn’t know that Henry was his. I snuck out and returned to the farm here, and he never came looking for me. He had a violent streak, and I didn’t want him getting mad at me. I hadn’t told him my real name when I met him, so that might’ve saved me, but Henry always resented his dad for not taking care of us.”

  “Do you know if he ever made contact with his father?”

  “I’m sure he tried. Remember, this has been almost forty-five years ago, and Henry left home when he was about fifteen. I haven’t seen him since then. Until you showed up, I wasn’t even sure that he was alive to be honest.”

  “What made you think we were here because of your son, Ms. Stevens?”

  “If you ever met him, then you’d know. He had the coldest eyes that would look at you like you were simply an object in the room. No emotion. Something you hear about on those documentaries of serial killers.”

  The teakettle whistled, and she hopped up to pull it off the burner.

  “He wasn’t ever affectionate, and seemed to interact with people as if he was watching only for their reactions. I have to say that he’d learned a lot, and by the time he left, I was beginning to imagine that he didn’t feel emotions of any sort.”

  She passed out the cups as she continued to remember the past.

  “I was always afraid that he was going to kill me in my sleep, but then he left. I stayed up for weeks expecting him to return, but when he didn’t, I realized that I didn’t mean very much to him.”

  “You must have meant more than you thought. He left us a puzzle with pictures of this farm. We traced it from the cows’ tags in the photos. Were there any missing women in the area while he was still living here?” I asked her on a hunch.

  “No, and that was the weirdest thing. I guess I’d always assumed that was the direction that he was headed, but none were ever reported missing.”

  “Did he like girls?”

  “From what I could tell, he didn’t really care one way or another. I just thought he’d take whatever he felt out on girls first.” She shrugged.

  “Thank you for your time.” I started to get up. “If we have any other questions, we’ll call you. In case you think of something else, here’s my card.”

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.”

  “Oh, we learned more today than in several months of digging. Now we’ll have a better understanding of who we’re dealing with.”

  We made our way back to the car.

  “Well, what do you think? Have we found our Zodiac Master, or the bastard son of John Reed?” I threw the questions out as Ryan started back down the long driveway.

  “What if he’s both?”

  “It would explain all the clues and cross connections to the Urban Energy Company.”

  “Also, it could be the reason that he’s bent on taking down Daddy and his company.”

  “We’re going to need to let someone besides us know about this. I’d suggest only telling Adam and Agent Watson the specific details.”

  “Agreed. It’ll give us a few more people looking out for us.” I laid back and closed my eyes, trying to process all the information Ms. Stevens had given us.

  Chapter 7

  Ryan

  Meeting with Adam and Agent Watson to let them know what we’d found out wasn’t going to happen at the complex.

  Leslie and I had taken our phones out of the Faraday bag when we’d reached the city limits.

  “Adam, I’m going to need to meet you for a training session this evening. I just can’t get calm after my drive out into the country.” Leslie wanted to have him meet us, but didn’t want to say why.

  “Yeah, the training area is free, and I can help you run through some yoga to clear your head.”

  “Sounds great. I’ll meet you there in about thirty minutes.” She hung up. “All good. Now, you just have to make sure that Agent Watson sticks with Adam and they both meet us there.”

  “Here.” I handed her my phone so she could send the text since I was still driving.

  “Don’t leave Adam’s side. Important information.”

  “Done,” she announced with glee. “We may not be the world’s best spies, but at least we’re giving it a shot.”

  “I feel much better about this. It will leave the major decisions in the hands of someone much more qualified to handle this kind of thing.”

  “Between Adam and Agent Watson, they should have an idea of what the next step is. I just wish we knew who the clues were in reference to so that we could mark one bad guy off the list,” Leslie groused.

  “Where are we supposed to meet Adam at?”

  “The gym on Fifth Street. They have a few rooms that are kept for high profile people to use for their excising needs. The rooms are soundproof, and shouldn’t have any listening devices in them. We’ll do a sweep beforehand just in case.”

  “Here goes nothing.”

  Adam arrived with a curious Agent Watson in tow.

  “I certainly didn’t expect to see the two of you here. What’s going on?” Adam eyed Leslie with a worried tone.

  “We thought, considering a few things that have come to light, we needed to take extra precautions.” Leslie dropped to the mat on the floor, looking very comfortable.

  “So I’m going to say that your visit to the country was rewarding?” Agent Watson grinned. “Don’t keep us in suspense.”

  “The verdict’s still out as to whether this was part of our Zodiac Master’s history, or if it was more about the history of John Reed. We found the mom of John Reed’s son, Henry Stevens. He hasn’t lived there in years, but his mother is certain that he fits a serial killer’s profile,” I explained, seeing their astonished faces.

  “This is huge. Our serial killer is the son of John Reed, which is how the two cases combine,” Agent Watson exclaimed with excitement.

  “That’s where we run into a problem. John Reed may not know he has a son. Belle Stevens left without telling him, and that was one of the reasons he left her alone on the farm. With the information from Kevin and other sources, we need to determine how we want to proceed.”

  “What are you trying to say, Leslie?” Adam’s brow furrowed as he frowned at her implications.

  “Someone on our team may be working for Henry Stevens, or even John Reed. With the ties to the cartels, we don’t want to be sending information to him through his or their spies. I’m going to suggest that we keep any reports off the radar until we know more so someone doesn’t get killed.”

  “Leslie, that’s a good point. Let’s keep any and all mention of things pertaining to John Reed and John Armstrong off the record for now. We can have a meeting over here if we need to, away from the prying eyes and ears of the FBI. Let’s take what we do know and search for anything we can find on Henry Stevens,” Agent Watson agreed quickly.

  “Why don’t you both go home for the day and report first thing in the morning for a briefing. We’ll get everyone up to date on your ‘findings’, and then start the search. It’s looking like our serial killer is using a chainsaw, but we have no idea what the pattern is yet,” Adam suggested.

  “T
hank you. I’d like one more night at home before heading off on the next leg of this chase.”

  I wasn’t about to offer a protest to calling it a day. I was still tired from the past few days, and more sleep would help me recharge before we started traveling again.”

  ***

  Shea was already home when I arrived, and I walked over to her, wrapping my arms around her expanding waist.

  “Hey, babe. Did you miss me?”

  “Was I supposed to?” She turned in my arms to look up at me with a mischievous grin.

  “Guess not,” I grumbled playfully. “At least I got home before your boyfriend could hide.”

  “Trust me, I can barely keep up with you and this baby, much less another guy on top of everything else.” She pulled out of my arms and walked over to the desk. “I didn’t want to alarm you, but I think you should see this.”

  In her hands was a note.

  I knew immediately who it was from as I took it, trying to keep my hand from shaking.

  Dearest Shea,

  You’re positively glowing with impending motherhood. I’m so happy for you and Detective Ryan. It’s too bad that he’s out protecting everyone else while you’re left to fend for yourself. You’d think he’d want you to be safe. Well, we don’t always get what we wish for. Although, you are safe with me. Others think I’m a monster, but I would never hurt a child. Tell your fiancé that I’ll be checking in on him from time to time.

  Or is he too worried about how Leslie’s doing now that her boyfriend is gone? Maybe he’s hoping to save her again, and that’s why he’s making sure to stay close as her partner. Haven’t you worried about their connection?

  He’s going to have to make a choice. Will it be you?

  Sincerely,

  A Concerned Friend

  “It’s from him, isn’t it?” Shea’s voice trembled with fear. “What does he want with me?”

  “He wants me here, terrorized that something’s going to happen to you or the baby instead of trying to stop him from killing more people.”

  “I’m not a cop, though. Why would I be that important to him?”

  “Shea, honey, it’s because of how much you mean to me. He’s guessing to find out how scared I am. What he doesn’t realize is that when I’m threatened, I don’t run. I fight. When it comes to my family, there’s nothing that I won’t do.”

  “Is there anything I need to worry about between you and Leslie? I feel like he’s trying to make it an issue between us, right?” Shea watched my reaction closely.

  “He’s right that she’s my partner, but you’re my girl. I’ve never even thought about her in that way. I’m a guy, so I compartmentalize things and don’t stress over stuff like that.”

  Shea raised an eyebrow at me. “Really, you don’t stress over stuff? What about this whole being a dad thing? You’re not feeling any stress, huh?”

  “Well, I meant it more in the way that Leslie is my partner, so she fits into that dynamic in my life. I don’t think of her any differently as a woman partner than I would as a man partner. She’s a huge part of my life, just like Jesse was, and if she’s in trouble, I’m going to be there for her. She would be the first person to tell me to get home to you and my future baby.”

  “I wasn’t really worried about the two of you, but that note put a few doubts in my head. Just promise me that you won’t abandon Leslie in a life or death situation to check on me? We’re both counting on you in different ways, and you can’t lose another partner.”

  “I promise to make sure that help is on the way for both of you. I don’t want to have to think about a scenario where I’d have to choose who to pull out of a fire first. Let’s pray that doesn’t happen.” I pulled her close to kiss her, wanting to reassure us both.

  “While we’re on the subject of making promises to each other, will you promise me that you won’t show any houses alone? I haven’t ever put any stipulations on you because I know that you can take care of yourself, but this is different. Someone is watching us with the intent of hurting us.”

  “If you were any other guy that had made that suggestion, I would have laughed in your face. This isn’t you trying to be all macho male, so I’ll do my best to watch my back so you don’t have to worry. You need to be focused on the case and not on me.” She laid her head on my shoulder.

  “I’m not even going to suggest that you just stay home until the baby is born. Just don’t get into a taxi or ride share unless it’s a life or death situation, because that’s when you’re going to be the most vulnerable. He’s waiting for the perfect opportunity for you to fall into his hands.” I laughed. “This is going to sound really paranoid, but don’t discuss your plans out loud when you’re in the house. I wouldn’t put it past him to have eyes and ears on us. You know, extra stuff that you tell people to make them feel comfortable about you? That’s all information that he can use against us.”

  “Is it really that serious of a situation?”

  I tilted her face up to mine. “You know I wouldn’t mention it if it wasn’t.”

  “This isn’t the first threat he’s made against me, is it?”

  “No. I didn’t want to worry you. I also didn’t want to be the super paranoid jerk fiancé that asked you to give up your life because someone made a threat. This guy isn’t playing around. We know he targeted Jesse, and I don’t want to lose you as well.”

  “I promise to do everything you’ve asked.” She buried her face in my chest. “Just do the same, and be extra careful.”

  “You have my word,” I muttered against her hair.

  ***

  The rest of the night, I tossed and turned, thinking about the note the Zodiac Master had given to Shea.

  I’d never considered Leslie as girlfriend or sidepiece. I wasn’t even sure what to call it, really. She’d just seamlessly fallen into place as my partner. She pushed me to expand my horizons, and it hadn’t taken long for us to start working as a team.

  With a variety of partners over the years, some for a few weeks, and others for a few years, I’d only ever seen them as coworkers. Sure, they had been friends, and some were people I still considered family, but I wasn’t the type of guy that thought about other women romantically because I was already in a committed relationship.

  If that was really the case, though, why did I feel so guilty when I read that note? Was there something I was missing? Shea was the one I’d chosen to share my life with. Hell, we were having a baby together, so why was this bothering me so much?

  Not really finding an answer to my musings, I continued to stare at the ceiling, hoping that I would see something hidden there to explain all the things running through my head.

  Only shadows met my gaze, giving me a sense of foreboding, which was unusual because I didn’t believe in all that mumbo jumbo.

  ***

  Chapter 8

  Galen

  When I heard the news that Brian O’Leary was missing, I knew that she’d done it. She was my ex-girlfriend, and the ex was for a very good reason. She was completely crazy. I was certain that she had something to do with it, but getting proof was going to be much more difficult.

  While I was in no position to actually get proof, I needed to be ready for when she came for me. I could feel it in my bones that I was going to be on her target list, and as each new report of a body being discovered, killed in the same way, I knew my time was running short.

  I didn’t like people in the general way, which meant that I had to interact and deal with their drama. The forest where I’d built my home made it possible to interact with people on my own terms.

  Occasionally, when the need for human connection took hold, I would wander down the mountain, easily finding a logging crew that would be in need of an extra pair of hands for a couple of months. I never lasted long, but that was when I’d met her.

  At first, she seemed to make the world around me brighter with her smile. Then, after about six months of dating, I started to see a few re
d flags. It had been ten years, and I still kept track of her because I knew that one day she’d come back for me. I put together a plan, hoping that I could survive long enough to evade her, but now I was going to set a trap so she didn’t continue to kill men who had dated her.

  Mary Ann had her own thoughts about how a relationship should go, and speaking to anyone that wasn’t her hadn’t been on the list. Once she laid claim to you, you couldn’t talk to anyone or do anything without her. She wanted to be with you twenty-four seven.

  I’d gotten off easy because I’d been sleeping in the loggers’ quarters at that time, so she assumed that I didn’t have a home to take her to. When I left in the middle of the night, she had done a little digging and discovered my cabin.

  An unpleasant visit and a restraining order later, Mary Ann was a memory. She’d moved on to other communities, and left a trail of men behind her. What she hadn’t counted on was that most of the men who left the civilized world to become loggers out in the isolation of the wilderness were easy pushovers. She’d wanted puppets that she could control, but loggers had to be tough and didn’t do things the way she wanted them to.

  When I’d left civilization early on to hide from my own demons, I’d kept a few of the modern conveniences, such as a satellite, internet, and world news. I might not want to interact with humans on a personal level, but I did want to know what was going on in the world. Maybe one day I’d heal enough that I could handle being a normal part of society, but I wasn’t going to let Mary Ann be the one to dictate when that would be.

  Twenty men had lost their lives so far because I hadn’t spoken up. I looked at the map and put another pin in a city only fifty miles away. If you didn’t know where to look, you wouldn’t be able to tell what she was doing.

  My instincts as a profiler couldn’t be helped, no matter how long I’d been away from the game. They may have been dormant because I’d suppressed them and ignored the warning signs, but this had gone on long enough.