Murders of the Zodiac Boxed Set

by Paris Morgan

  “Hey, now, you’re doing your best. You can’t beat yourself up about it. He’s the one that’s messed up.”

  “Well, tell that to Kevin, Chris, and Kara. They’re all dead, and I can’t help feeling guilty that I’m still alive.”

  “That’s a natural feeling when someone we love dies. You are not responsible for their deaths. It’s not your fault. You’ve done everything humanly possible to find this guy.”

  “It just feels like I could have done more, you know? I should be doing more, but instead I’m sitting here on my couch with my feet up. How can I feel happy or joyful when I know that he’s out there killing more people every single day?”

  “Maybe he’ll just decide that he’s had enough and stop?”

  “Did you get into some mushrooms or hit your head on something? This is a serial killer you’re talking about. He’s not just going to suddenly decide that he’s done with this game. If anything, we have to worry about him escalating it.”

  “Do you think he’ll keep doing it after he’s been through all the Zodiac signs? I mean, he can’t just continue to do this forever, right? There has to be a stopping point in there somewhere,” he protested.

  “From your mouth to God’s ears, right?” I sighed. “It’s no use to speculate. We’re just going to have to wait around and see where the Pied Piper of serial killers leads us next, don’t we?”

  “I guess so. If only there was some way to predict the future,” he agreed. “At least you got the flowers.”

  “Yeah, thank you.”

  “Now you get some rest and we’ll talk again in a couple days.”

  “I appreciate that. Bye.”

  The couch was so comfy, I sat there for a few more minutes, not really wanting to move. I turned on the TV, telling myself it would only be for another minute or two.

  “We interrupt this program to bring you a special news bulletin for those in or around Georgia. The Zodiac Killer has struck again, and this time he’s taking hearts by the dozen.”

  “That’s right, Jane. We’ve just been informed that over the past week, there have murders every day of this type. So far, the information that we’ve been able to get from the investigators is that only those with a birthday sign of Scorpio need to be worried, as they are the targets. As of now, only women have been killed, but police are cautioning all residents of the state to be on alert for anything out of the ordinary in their surroundings.”

  “Aw, crap. I knew it had been too quiet,” I groaned.

  “We’ve managed to talk to someone who has been working on the task force, but due to fear of retaliation, is unwilling to make their identity known. Now, sir, what can you tell us about these murders?”

  “They’re all connected. Not just these recent murders, but there have been murders for each sign since January. The FBI has just held the information from the public so that they didn’t incite panic or a riot.”

  “What you’re telling us is that the FBI has known about this killer since January and they haven’t done anything about it?” The news reporter appeared to be incredulous.

  “Oh, they’ve been doing something about it. Each month they’ve caught a killer, but this Zodiac Master has been controlling who commits the murders and when. Each month they would track down the killer only to have them commit suicide or be killed moments before we would arrive.”

  “Are you saying the FBI is unable to catch this “Zodiac Master” as you called him?” she taunted the anonymous informant.

  “Not exactly. Until now, they haven’t really had any knowledge on who is pulling the strings. Many of the killers have had connections or been associated with the Urban Energy Corporation.”

  “Would this be the reason for the recent raid on the Urban Energy Corporation’s headquarters?” she inquired, leaning close to the blacked-out figure.

  “It would. In the process of the investigation, a few things didn’t add up, and so the FBI conducted undercover operations to gain the needed evidence to take care of their problem. In the wake of all those arrests and the amounts of evidence, they’ve forgotten their main purpose was to stop this Zodiac Master.”

  “What an idiot! You would think Watson would have brains enough to not only hide his face, but disguise his voice as well. Idiot!”

  My phone rang, and I could only assume it was Adam or Ryan.

  “Can you come in? Make sure it’s through the back entrance because the news vans are already setting up out front,” Adam instructed.

  “Got it. I’ll be there shortly.” I sniffed my shirt. “After a shower, that is.”

  Chapter 7

  Ryan

  When I got the call from Adam, I was pissed off. I mean, we’d been chasing this stupid guy for over nine months, and all I wanted to do was hang out with my precious little baby.

  “Why is it that when the world is going right, that’s when the sky wants to fall on top of us?” I fumed as I drove toward the FBI Headquarters.

  I wanted to burst into the room, but instead I parked toward the back and went in through the tunnel from the parking garage so that I didn’t have to deal with any reporters.

  Adam was moving around the room, handing out stacks of papers. I took a spot on the back wall because the conference room was full.

  “As of now, this has become a manhunt. We were using most of the resources, but the last person in charge of this division wasn’t turning in reports. The heads of our department had no idea the magnitude of our problem until today.” He wiped a weary hand across his brow.

  “The entire building and a few of our fellow agencies are going to be working with us to find or trace this guy. No stone will be left unturned. It’s an official manhunt, and this person has become public enemy number one.”

  Barbie, Mac, and a few others I recognized were sitting toward the front, but I couldn’t see Leslie anywhere.

  Some guy I’d never seen before took over speaking as Adam stepped to the side.

  “As of now, I will be running this operation with Agent Dalca here. He has been instrumental in keeping this group focused on the trail of our killer. The previous leader, Agent Watson, has been arrested and was released on bond yesterday. Obviously from the voice, we know that he’s the one who gave the interview to the press.

  “We are unable to do anything to Agent Watson at this time, but we now have an agent who is handling the situation with the utmost regard. We’re not here to assign blame, but this is a matter of great urgency.”

  Adam stepped back in front and began to catch everyone up.

  “This investigation is going to be focused on a few things for the next few days. A team will join our office in Georgia, so that we can go over the crime scenes and find out who is doing these killings. Detective Leslie Boxe,”—who waved from the corner where she’d taken refuge—“and Ryan Fox will be working with them because they are the most familiar with the Zodiac Master.” I gave my own wave from the back.

  “A second team will be here and continue to work on and process all the evidence that we’ve uncovered from our raid of the Urban Energy Corporation. Mac, who works for the Dallas PD, is going to be working with Barbie, one of our own from cybercrimes over the next few days to help everyone get it all taken care of. Are there any questions?” Adam asked, surveying the room.

  “What makes you think we can catch this guy when you’ve spent the past ten months trying?” someone from the middle of the room questioned.

  “I don’t think—I know we can. We’ve had the lead a few times and been so close that it’s only a matter of time. He’s not happy that we’ve been closing in, and with the added eyes and ears, we’ve got this. While we didn’t want all the extra publicity, this is actually going to give us an advantage. He doesn’t want the world knowing about him, or he’d have already informed them of his activities. It’s harder to slink around when you’re infamous. The hotlines are going to be ringing with false leads, but as with all cases in the past, there may be a hint of trut
h in what they’re telling us. So be careful, and pay attention to details,” Adam cautioned. “Please, check with your assigned leaders for more instructions,” he then advised, dismissing everyone from the room.

  Thankfully, most of the people present headed for the doorways, but the people assigned to teams one and two lingered a little longer.

  Adam came to join me as Leslie and ten others waited for further instructions.

  “Did you put me in charge and forget to tell me about it?” I complained.

  “Nope. This is Leslie’s gig. You’re technically on paternity leave and won’t be going with her. I’m having you be the liaison between her and the office here to make sure that we have all the necessary details.” He gave me a tired smile.

  “I’m relived and disappointed at the same time,” I joked, knowing that being able to go home to Shea and my baby at the end of the day would be what kept me sane during this process.

  Leslie stepped up to take over.

  “We’ve been doing a lot of the same things each month. A few of you have been here for that, but old or new to the game, I want ideas of how to catch this guy. What can we try? If we’ve done it, I’ll let you know. There are no bad ideas. Hit us with them.”

  Adam stood back with his boss and watched the process.

  “They’re really good at this. I’m surprised that you haven’t found him or them yet. When this is all over, I’d like a chance to talk to her about your suggestion for the future,” he whispered to Adam while Leslie fielded ideas.

  I raised an eyebrow. The poor Dallas Police Department wasn’t going to be getting their detective back anytime soon. I wondered what the FBI was going to give them in exchange for losing their detective? Whatever it was, the FBI would certainly be the big winner of that deal.

  “Just a suggestion, but do we have a description that we could circulate of who we’re looking for?”

  “Ah, your name?” Leslie pointed to the raised hand.

  “Agent Heath, ma’am.”

  “We don’t have an exact description of the man. Each month it’s been a different killer, swapping out male and female, that is until this summer when he changed things up to throw us off. At the moment, we are working off the premise that it’s a man killing women. Our victims are consistent with that as well,” Leslie explained patiently.

  “So we have a man that is killing women? What’s he doing it with?” A woman raised her hand. “I apologize. I’m Agent Gina March.”

  “Agent March, the reports said that he’s taking their hearts out and leaving them at police stations. Before they called us, all stations had been put on alert, but he’d still managed to drop them off. One of the things we’re going to do is collect all the video footage of each station and run it to see if there are any similarities.” Leslie looked around, waiting for another question or idea.

  “If that’s all for now, I suggest that you grab a suitcase and be at the airport in…”—she glanced at her watch—“…three hours, ready to fly out.”

  “We have a meeting with the Governor of Georgia and the task force they’ve assembled over the last ten days. I’ll have the case files for you to go over when we get on the plane. Adam chose you because you’re all fast studies. I hope you can keep up.” Leslie dismissed them and turned to me.

  “Are you upset that you’re not going with us?” she asked when the group had fluttered away.

  “Nope. Don’t you have to go pack?”

  She smiled. “Are you kidding? When I saw the news report, I brought my suitcase with me. This case is getting bloodier each month. He’s ripping out their hearts? What kind of monster is he?”

  “That list you came up with does say tear out the soul of your enemies. I guess that was the closest he could come up with for a soul.” I let a wry laugh.

  “It would be if they were people we cared about, but if we’re not his target, then who in the world is he trying to hurt?” she mused aloud.

  “Human kind?” I guessed.

  “From the reports I was able to look at, the police in Georgia have confirmed that none of the women who were dead have anything in common except the date of their births. They are issuing a warning to all females with a Scorpio birthdate this week to be on the lookout.”

  “That’s just going to cause panic.” I shook my head at the chaos they were going to be dealing with.

  “I know, but they might be able to save someone if they stay with family or change their routine even slightly.”

  “Yeah, that’s not going to be easy because you never know where he’s going to be next. With our luck, he won’t even stay in Georgia now that it’s been on the news.”

  She snapped her fingers. “That’s it! He’s going to go to another state where he can get a few more under his belt. There’s too much publicity for him right now in that state.”

  “Will you start working on where he might go next? There has to be a pattern that he’s following that we just haven’t seen yet.”

  “I can do that. I’ll let Shea and Flora know that it will be late before I’m back so they can keep an eye on each other,” I promised.

  “Great. Now, to go see if we can find something that everyone else in law enforcement missed.”

  “Good luck with that.”

  ***

  Used to being left behind the past few months, I’d found that I enjoyed the quiet where I could concentrate a little more on what I was doing without interruptions.

  It only took a few minutes of looking at the board in what I had been claiming as my office to realize something that we’d missed.

  “Adam, can you come here for a moment?” I couldn’t keep the excitement out of my voice.

  “Yeah, be right there.”

  He must have been close by, because it was only seconds later that he knocked on the door.

  “What’s up?” he asked as he walked in.

  “Look at my board and see if anything pops out at you from the past few days.”

  I was hoping that he would see the connection I’d just discovered.

  “Our guy, the one we’ve been combing the countryside for, is Henry Stevens. Agent Watson’s lawyer is Henry James. What if he, the Henry Stevens, was sitting right there in our interview room?” Adam slapped the wall in frustration.

  “How did we not see this?” I kept examining my board for anything else we could have missed. “Can we ask him to come in, or do we go pick him up?”

  “Let’s wait until tomorrow. He’ll be fresh, but we’ll be as well. Give him a call and let him know that we’re going to need to see him again. In fact, call Agent Watson and have him come in, but we’re not putting them together,” Adam ordered.

  “This way, they’ll think it’s about the TV interview and we’ll have him here to ask all the questions we want.” I grinned as I rubbed my hands together in anticipation.

  “I know it’s getting late, but can you do a few searches to see what Henry James ESQ. has been up to for the past year?”

  “Sure. I’ll do a little digging, and hopefully something will match up.”

  Adam gripped my shoulder. “This could be the break we’ve been waiting for. Either way, it will give us a new direction to check out.”

  Excited, I stayed a few more hours to dig into his background. Henry James was about the right age, and had been working at the law firm that retained John Reed as a client. There was a corporate firm that took care of the company’s needs, but the fact that there was a connection was important.

  He appeared to take frequent trips around the country, but for the past few days had been in the Dallas area. He couldn’t have been committing the murders himself, but it wasn’t that hard to get his newest recruit to do it while giving him an alibi.

  No children or family was listed on the bio information of the firm’s website, and a deeper dig yielded nothing out of the ordinary.

  With no money to speak of, he’d put himself through Rice University and came out with a law degree. Th
e firm he was at had been his only job over the past decade.

  I really wanted this to be him, but there weren’t any reports or signs that this Henry James could be capable of murder. Following the same theme, I did a search for all Henry’s, or variations, in the state of Texas. Considering that he’d been born here, and had an obsession with Leslie, it was safe to assume that he was located here.

  Over one million people had that name or a variation, but it dropped significantly when I narrowed the search results.

  Anyone who was under twenty-five and over sixty were ruled out due to their age. That left a list of men of about one hundred thousand to wade through.

  Tired from all of my explorations and late night feedings, I decided to call it a night.

  If we weren’t able to get the information we needed from our interview in the morning, then I’d already have part of a list to work with.

  ***

  Arriving about thirty minutes before our interview was supposed to begin, I felt strangely energized. Being with my new little baby and giving Shea a much-needed break made me feel appreciated.

  I walked into the interview room, confident that we were about to uncover a mastermind. Adam joined me after directing Gavin to a separate room where he could wait until we were done.

  “Maybe next time, he won’t give interviews to the press about cases,” Adam grinned.

  “Don’t count on it. I think he enjoys causing us problems.”

  “Nah. It’s mostly me he doesn’t like. He felt I was competition, or was reporting back to our boss about him, which wasn’t true, but we can’t help what other people think.”

  We entered the room, and Henry James put down his phone. “It appears that my client has arrived, but he’s not in the room with me. What’s going on?”

  “Well, Mr. James, we have a few questions for you that he doesn’t need to be here for.” I began explaining his rights, but he interrupted me.

  “Look, I know my rights, and don’t need a lawyer present considering I am one. Now, can we get on with your questions? I can’t breach lawyer-client confidentiality.”