by Paris Morgan
Atlanta had had three murders, while all the others were in small towns surrounding it. I was willing to bet he’d stayed in one place, driving to his victims and returning back to his hotel.
“Here.” I pointed to the map where three pins were sticking out. “I know it’s dumb, but let’s see if any of the hotels had a man between the age of 30 and 40 staying there for the past week.”
“We just checked for the nights of the murders. You think he was there all week? That would have thrown us off by quite a bit.”
“Yeah, I think we should check out the hotels in that area. How many of them are there?” I questioned.
“Six. We’ll get started on it,” he assured.
“A couple of us will go with you,” I insisted. “Better than sitting here twiddling our thumbs.”
“I hear ya.” He got us into a few vehicles and we set out to canvass the area.
Two hours later, we were at the last hotel when we hit pay dirt.
“Um, yeah. We had a guy that age stay for about a week. Checked out yesterday after the news aired about all these killings,” the clerk offered helpfully.
“You wouldn’t by any chance have security cameras, would you?”
“Nah. Not much use for those things around here,” he scoffed.
“Could we look at the room he used?” I questioned.
“Sure. It won’t do you much good because the ladies already cleaned it. You’re welcome to try, though.” He shuffled around and handed me the room key.
“Thank you,” I acknowledged, while Officer Williams radioed for the crime scene techs so they could dust and print the room.
“Oh, he had a lady with him that last night,” the clerk called after us.
“The whole time or just that one night?”
“He came and checked out, but asked if we could let the lady know he’d gone. I don’t remember seeing one at all that week, so I’m sure it was just the one night.”
“That’s really helpful.”
“Certainly. We don’t want the reputation of housing killers.”
“No, you don’t,” I agreed.
We went to examine the room, but unless he left prints, there wasn’t anything left for us to find.
“Are there any places to eat or get a drink around here?” I asked Officer Williams.
“The only place to get a drink is about three blocks over. I don’t know if they serve any food, but they might.”
“I’ll want to check and see if they have any cameras. He went over there and picked up a woman. Now, why he didn’t kill her is a mystery to me, but I don’t think she was on his list.”
“Then she’s a very lucky woman. I’m curious how you knew his age range?”
His question made me pause. I’d been looking at this like the Zodiac Master himself was doing the killing. It would be out of character, but I’d been so focused on him that I hadn’t realized I’d given him an age range.
“Sorry, that’s just been the age of most of our previous killers or recruits. Having one of them pick up a women is a little unusual, but I guess everyone needs to destress on occasion.”
Officer Williams gave me a strange look as he nodded. “Right.”
“I’ll have someone get the traffic cams and see if we can piece together a vehicle so we can put out an all-points bulletin.”
We headed back to the main police department where the task force had been headquartered to look at the results.
“Okay, so the clerk said that the man checked out yesterday. He wasn’t really specific, but it had to be before noon. So let’s go backward until we find a rental or other vehicle that matches the time frame.”
“He gave us the make and model, and believed the SUV was blue .”
“I think that’s it there. The one that leaves about eight in the morning. Can we follow it and see where it goes?” I pointed in excitement to the screen.
“I’ll have the traffic guys do that so we can see where it ends up. He can’t be from around here, or he wouldn’t have needed to stay in a hotel.”
“That would be a correct assumption. Were there any murders reported last night?”
“Not in the state of Georgia.” He shook his head. “We need to check the state border cameras for his SUV. If the techs can get a license plate number, then we’ll be in business.”
I loved his enthusiasm, but I’d dealt with the Zodiac Master for far too long to underestimate how careful he was.
The fact that there was a trail to follow meant that one of his recruits had screwed up. I didn’t want the recruit, I wanted the head honcho.
Chapter 9
Leslie
The phone rang, waking me up from the few short hours of sleep I’d managed to get after being up all night, tracking the killer’s car with the Atlanta Police Department.
“Hello?” I moaned groggily.
“Leslie, its Adam. There’s been another murder in Tuscaloosa.”
“He’s moving west. We’ll get on the road as soon as I can get everyone up and together. We’re still missing a day in there with no one ending up dead.”
“Probably hasn’t been discovered yet. There are a lot of towns between Atlanta and Tuscaloosa. How is it going with the task force over there?”
“It’s, uh…very political. I don’t know how you do this all the time and not step on the toes of others.”
“Very carefully,” he replied with a chuckle.
“I’ve got a few feelers out to check on some background information, because there’s no way he started out doing this only ten months ago. He had to have had some practice.”
“The chances of us finding that are one in a million.”
“Yeah, I know,” I agreed through a yawn. “But I had to try.”
“We’re running searches for anything that sounds like our Zodiac Master’s name. Any variation of Henry Stevens is being researched to see if we can find him. Ryan got the idea that he probably didn’t change his name, but might be using a variation.”
“Oh, that sounds wonderful.” I started the coffee pot, hoping it could help me wake up.
“We brought in Gavin Watson’s lawyer because his name is Henry James, which is how Ryan got the idea. Pretty sure that was a bust. The DNA didn’t match, so now he’s looking through all the possibilities in the area.”
“Well, at least that makes sense. I have Galen looking for cold cases that were never solved, and I even asked Jerome if he could search the newspaper database.”
“Do you really think that’s wise?” Adam sounded doubtful.
“What? To have Jerome help, or to be looking back that far for his first few kills?” I asked defensively.
“Mostly, I’m not sure we should be having a civilian working on our case with us. It hasn’t turned out well in the past,” he warned.
“True, but I knew that he could get me the information quicker than if any one of us spent hours looking into it.”
“All right. I’m just saying I’m not for it. It’s up to you, though.”
“Understood. I wanted to go out and interview that family in California from seventeen years ago, but it looks like I’ll just have to make a few phone calls instead.”
“Yeah. At the moment, I would have to agree that we can’t spare you for a trip like that. I also don’t want you off somewhere by yourself. It’s too dangerous right now.”
“Thanks, ‘Dad.’” I laughed at him. “I’ll make sure to take the pepper spray with me when I go out at night.”
“Laugh all you want. I just want to make sure you’re safe.”
I sobered up. “I know, and I appreciate it. Hopefully, with all of our different directions, we’ll finally meet in the middle with the Zodiac Master just standing there, waiting for us.”
“Wouldn’t that be amazing? Anyway, I’ve got to get back to overseeing this stuff, which I hate, by the way. See what you can find out in Tuscaloosa.”
“Aye aye, Captain.” I gave him a jaunty salute, even thou
gh he couldn’t see it.
It took an hour to gather all of the team and get them into a couple of rental vehicles, ready to head out.
By the time we’d reached the city and met up with their overworked detectives on the scene, it was obvious that we were only about a day behind the killer.
“We were able to trace that SUV you described, and it was found abandoned two streets over from the crime scene,” Officer Flint informed us. “We’re looking for prints, but since he abandoned it, it’s highly unlikely that he wouldn’t have wiped it down first.”
“Is the scene the same as the other murders?” I inquired politely.
“I believe so. I’m not sure that he’s using a scalpel to take out the heart. Instead, he’s cutting a small hole and yanking it out with his bare hand, according the coroner. It was just a preliminary exam, but it looks like that’s the case.”
“He’s escalated to make it more violent,” I murmured aloud.
“That’s the way it appears to me. What made him amp it up?” Officer Flint wondered.
“Good question. I’d like to know that answer to that myself, but I’m going to say that it was because we made that raid on the Urban Energy Corporation.”
“Why would that make him upset?”
“Because it’s his dad’s company, and he takes anything that happens to it personally.”
“If you know who he is, then why aren’t you arresting him?” Officer Flint seemed confused.
“John Reed didn’t know he had a son, or hasn’t acknowledged him, so the son decided to go on a killing spree. We don’t know who he is, but he’s always giving us clues that lead toward his dad.” I gasped as my hand flew to my mouth. “It is him! Excuse me, I need to make a call.”
I walked farther down the block to get a little privacy and dialed Adam.
“It’s him,” I whispered with excitement.
“Who’s him?” Adam asked, not understanding what I was saying.
“Our killer, the one here in Tuscaloosa. It’s the Zodiac Master. I’m betting that since he had so much trouble with the past two almost killing me, and then trying to double cross him, that he’s doing the killing this month himself. That’s why he went from making incisions in the victims to ripping their hearts out—literally.”
“You don’t really think he’s doing the killing himself, do you?”
“I think he is. Unconsciously, I’ve been using what I know about him all month, and maybe there’s a reason for it.”
“He waited ten months to start killing? How would that make sense?” Adam tried to follow my train of thought.
“Look, each month his killers have kept to his rules, right? Then, in August with Virgo, the guy disappeared. He’s seen the Zodiac Master, and that would have been frustrating. And then when we raided the Black Tie Club, he had Zesty kill Kevin for it before he took her out. She was going to talk to me and tell me who he was.
“He can’t trust his recruits. They’re not following his rules and doing what he says. If they go rogue, then he isn’t staying with his timeline, and for someone who’s had everything planned out so perfectly, that would be more than enough to make him step in.”
“If what you’re saying is correct, then we have a chance to actually catch him. Do you have any idea where he might go from there?” My excitement had rubbed off on Adam.
“No, he ditched the SUV. I’ll be looking into other vehicles, but it’s a long shot. If he knew enough to get rid of it, then it’s not likely he’ll leave a trail behind for us to follow.”
“In his favor, it’s been all over the news. He had to know it was only a matter of time before we figured out what he was driving.”
I sighed as the news vans moved into view. “I’ve got to go. The press is here, and I want to get inside before they start questioning us.”
“Keep us posted.”
“Will do,” I answered as I went back to face the music.
***
The minute I walked through the door of the house, I could tell that there was a spirit there. It wasn’t obvious to anyone else, but there were indications by the way the hairs on my arms stood up.
I barely glanced at the body with the word “Zodiac” written on the wall above the headboard before excusing myself to use the front bathroom. I didn’t need to use it, but the space would give me a chance to communicate without having everyone looking at me.
With my back to the wall, I closed my eyes and concentrated on letting the words flow through my barrier.
“I’m here to help. Can you tell me what happened?”
“He came in and killed me. What more do you need to know?” her voice asked in a scoffing way.
“What did he look like? How did he get you to lay there while he took out your heart?”
“Oh…” She paused. “I think he followed me inside when I came home last night. He held this smelly rag under my nose from behind me. I couldn’t see him then.”
“Okay. So you were standing up, and he must have carried you to the bedroom. Could you see anything after you were dead?”
“Um, not really. It took me a few minutes to figure out I was dead to start with, but he was still standing there, holding my heart in his hand.”
“Thank you. I know how difficult doing something like this can be. Was there anything unusual that you noticed?”
Her essence brightened just a little as she thought of something. “He was kind of tall and smelled good, you know? I couldn’t smell anything the first time, but after I was dead, there was this aroma of that popular cologne. It was like he was going out on a date or something after he was done.”
I shook my head in agreement, because that was just what I’d expected from the Zodiac Master.
“Oh, he was really good looking. If he’d have just knocked on the door or asked to use the phone, I’d have let him in. I mean, if I’d have known he was a killer then, of course not. But he didn’t look like a dangerous kind of guy.”
“Yeah, I was afraid of that.”
“Hey, I’m seeing this bright light. Am I supposed to head toward it?”
I grimaced. “Yep. You must have given me everything you know. Go in peace.”
Seconds later, the bathroom felt empty, letting me know she was gone.
“That wasn’t very helpful, but it did tell me a little bit more about him,” I grumbled as I opened the door and went back out to deal with the local police.
***
There wasn’t much more that we could do until he struck again, and while I hated waiting, it was going to give me a chance to do a little more research.
Which was why when my phone in the hotel room rang, I was startled. Everyone that would want to get a hold of me had my cell phone number.
“Yes?”
“There’s a message at the front desk for you.”
“I’ll be right down.” I hung up and collected my phone and gun just in case. Normally, I wouldn’t even consider taking more precautions, but after all I’d seen these past few months, it never hurt to be prepared.
I arrived at the desk and asked the clerk for the message. He handed me a card with my name and room number written across it.
“Did you see who dropped this off?”
“It was just a delivery service.”
That made it worse because it meant someone who wasn’t in our group had my room number.
I slid my finger under the flap and pulled out the card.
Thinking of you, it proclaimed on the outside. I flipped it open and had to stifle my shock.
We need to meet. Back alley, ten minutes.
There was no name or signature, but somehow I knew it was the man the entire city was searching for.
The question was, did I call for backup knowing he was dangerous, or go alone so that he didn’t run away?
I turned back to the counter. “Can I leave you a message for someone on the team?”
“Certainly.” He held out a sheet of paper for me to write on.
“Thank you.” I quickly jotted down a message for Agent Heath and folded it, writing his name on the front.
“Wait ten minutes before calling him, not a minute longer. Understand?” I looked at the clerk to make sure he got it. “This is a matter of life or death.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll make sure that he gets it,” he replied with a nod.
Knowing that was the best I could do under the circumstances, I went toward the back of the hotel and out the door leading to the alley.
My finger was resting on the trigger of the pepper spray container I had clutched tightly in my hand.
“Hello?” I called quietly so as not to alert anyone else.
“I see you made it,” a deep voice growled from a small gap in the bushes lining the alleyway.
“Yes, I’m here. What do you want? Who are you?” I demanded.
“Inquisitive little thing, aren’t you?” he chuckled.
“Wouldn’t you be if you received a message from someone and there was a killer on the loose?”
“No, because I’d know I was safe due to the fact that I’d already had my birthday, effectively crossing me off the list as a potential victim.” He laughed. “Also, because I have no intention of hurting you. You should know that already.”
“How would I know that? Because for some weird, sick reason, you’re bringing me gifts of the dead as presents? Not all girls like dead women when a guy is trying to win them over. Did you ever think of doing just flowers or chocolate?” I taunted him.
“You didn’t respond well to them.”
“Flowers with threats aren’t really nice either,” I shot back. “Why am I here?”
I had a crazy thought. “Let me take you in and I’ll promise to come talk to you at least once a month for the first year.”
“Ha! Once you discover who I am, you’re going to be so disgusted that you’ll break you’re promise.”
I took a deep breath. “I’d love to tell you what you want to hear, but this isn’t about your ego or mine. If it will save lives, then I’m willing to do anything that will move things along. Since you’ve studied me so thoroughly, you should know that I’m going to keep my word.”
