[Kate Reid 01.0 - 03.0] Unbound

by Robin Mahle

  “So we’re going to release him then; is that right?” Marshall asked.

  “Unless we get the ME’s report indicating differently,” Scarborough started. “But I doubt that’ll be ready before tomorrow. Hell, I’m still waiting on the tox screen and DNA from my Colorado victim.”

  “We’ll put surveillance on him until we get something definitive from the lab.” Scarborough continued. “Whoever did this had to know the roommate was out of the house, but the timing of this is what really gets me. The victim in Colorado was most certainly killed by the person I’m looking for. What I can’t figure out is, if this guy is a copycat, how the hell did he know the details we kept from the media?”

  “Speaking of details, you plan on letting us in on your investigation?” Gibbons crossed his arms as he leaned against the filing cabinet. “If we got the Highway Hunter in town, might be nice to know what exactly we’re dealing with.”

  Katie was reluctant to mention the fact that Nick had emailed her the files late last night. She’d only had time to save them to her flash drive and had planned on reviewing them tonight. But that was before Shalot. Now, she was unsure of where she stood on the matter and needed to speak to Nick in private.

  That might prove difficult with Gibbons, who was hungry for a good collar, and Marshall, who had difficulty letting Katie run on matters of this nature. She’d given him reason to be nervous, of course. It seemed he still hadn’t quite forgiven her for taking off to Sacramento and meeting up with Aguilar without his knowledge. But it had been the only way, in her mind, to find out what Chief Wilson had been hiding. In the end, she was right to do what she did, but sometimes, she didn’t think Marshall believed it had been.

  Nick lifted his cell phone from his shirt pocket. “The rest of my team should be here by now. We need to speak with Agent Myers. She’s put together a detailed profile of what we know now. I expected her to meet us on scene this afternoon, but I haven’t heard back from her.” He scrolled through his calls and messages, double checking that he hadn’t missed her call. “Damn. Excuse me for a minute while I put a call in to her to find out what’s going on.” Scarborough stepped out.

  “So what do you think, Avery?” Gibbons asked. “You think he’s gonna take this over?”

  “Once his team arrives, my guess is they will. I don’t know what more information we can provide. And, to be honest, I’m not sure we really want to be handling this one. The media’s been all over it. Calls have already been flooding the front desk. I’d just as soon they get what they need here and move on.”

  “You know the guy, Katie. What’s your take on it?” Gibbons asked.

  She looked to Marshall. “I, for one, would like to know more about Shalot. We’ve got a connection to him. Me. Can you get me in to talk to him while he’s still in custody?”

  Katie expected push back from Marshall straight away. Instead, she watched as he seemed to be considering the proposition.

  “I think it may be our best chance to determine what we’re dealing with before Scarborough and his people take over,” Marshall replied.

  Did he just agree with her? That definitely came as a surprise. It felt good to have him on her side, instead of keeping her in the background. “Great.” Katie looked to Detective Gibbons. “Let’s not waste any more time.”

  “What do you think our FBI agent is gonna say about this?” Gibbons replied.

  Katie made a move toward the door. “He’ll support it. So long as he gets to listen in. Scarborough’s a good man. He’ll take whatever help is offered and, right now, Shalot is still in our custody, not the FBI’s.”

  The two men followed her out, lagging behind a little. Gibbons grinned at Marshall, slapping his back.

  “That’s quite a woman you got there.”

  They caught up to Agent Scarborough and filled him in on the idea. Katie was right. He agreed without hesitation and they now stood outside the interrogation room.

  Marshall placed his hand on the door knob, knowing Shalot waited on the other side. “Gibbons will be in there with you. So just keep your cool, ask him what we discussed, and if it starts to go south, he’ll get you out of there. Got it?”

  “Got it,” Katie replied.

  Although Shalot hadn’t been officially charged with anything as of yet and was considered “a person of interest,” it was still the first time Katie had been allowed to question a potential suspect.

  Marshall opened the door for them and Katie thought, just for a moment, that he might be reconsidering his earlier hasty agreement.

  “Katie.” Shalot stood from his chair. “What are you doing here?” His eyes shifted between the two of them.

  “Ms. Reid works for the department, in forensics, but since she knows you, she wanted to come and have a word and ask you a few things about Ms. Brown.”

  “Katie, I swear to you, I didn’t kill Lindsay. You know me. I just went to her house to tell her I was sorry for the other night.”

  “No one’s saying you killed her, Edward. These guys just need to be sure you don’t have any other information pertaining to what happened to her.” Katie sat down opposite Shalot while Gibbons stood behind him.

  “You know Katie from a class at UCSD?” Gibbons asked.

  “Yes.” Edward returned his attention to Katie. “I knew you worked here, but I thought you were like a clerk or something.”

  “‘Or something’ pretty much sums up what I do here. I’m an evidence technician. But I’ve worked here for a while now and these guys have put a great deal of trust in me.” She placed her forearms on the table, lacing her fingers. “You don’t have to say anything, Edward. You haven’t been charged with a crime and you have no lawyer present.” Katie glanced at her watch. “And by this time tomorrow, you’ll probably be home.”

  Gibbons’ eyes sharpened as he appeared to focus on one of the cameras in the corner.

  In the adjacent room, Marshall and Agent Scarborough sat in front of the monitors and picked up on Gibbons’ concern.

  Scarborough folded his arms and waited.

  Marshall seemed to have the same sentiments. “She’s good.”

  “That she is,” Scarborough replied.

  Katie gauged his reaction. She attempted to put him at ease, wanting to convince him that she was on his side and was no threat. It seemed her technique might have worked. “They need to find the person who killed Lindsay and they think you can help. Can you help us, Edward?”

  Shalot’s eyes softened and his face relaxed. “I don’t know what more I can tell you that I haven’t already told Detective Gibbons.”

  “You’ve always been very kind to me, Edward. I can’t imagine a reason why Lindsay would have filed a restraining order against you. Is there anything you can tell us about that?”

  He seemed to stiffen at this inquiry. “I don’t know why she did that. Sure, we had a little argument last week, but no harm done. She went home and that was that. Then the sheriff’s department shows up at my door, handing me a restraining order.” Edward began to shift in his seat. “Look, I just went to her house this morning to see if I could clear things up with her. That’s all.” His sigh was audible. “You know what having this on my record will do to my career, Katie? I just had to convince her that I was sorry for the disagreement.” His shoulders fell and his head dropped into his hands. “Christ. I didn’t kill her, Katie.” He closed his eyes for a moment. “You should have seen her body. Who the hell could do that?”

  Katie looked to Gibbons, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. Was Edward Shalot just at the wrong place at the wrong time? There was still one question that Katie needed to ask.

  “I don’t know, Edward, but that’s what we’re trying to find out.” She paused for a moment. “Can you tell me, did anyone else know you were dating Lindsay? Any of your friends or other classmates?”

  “We’d only gone out a few times. I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone that I can recall. Her roommate knew, of course.” He seemed to tur
n a shade darker. “I know she was the one who told her to file that damn order against me.” Edward looked straight into Katie’s eyes now.

  “You gotta help me, Katie. My career will be over before it has even started if my name isn’t cleared. Just please get me out of here.”

  “I’ll do what I can, Edward. I promise.” Katie looked to Gibbons, signaling that she was finished. “Just hang in there, okay? This will all be over soon.”

  Gibbons held the door open and Katie did a final turn to Edward. “Thank you for talking to me, Edward. You’ve been a great help.”

  They walked into the monitoring room, leaving Shalot on his own.

  Katie wasn’t sure if she’d accomplished all that had been set out, but she felt as though the others would see what she had seen.

  “That was very well executed, Kate. I don’t think I could have done a better job,” Marshall said.

  “Yes. Very impressive, actually.” Scarborough looked to the other detectives. “I don’t know what you two think, but I don’t think Shalot’s our guy.”

  “No.” Gibbons stared at the monitors and watched Edward. He was shifting, knocking his knees, and maybe even had a little sweat building on his forehead. It was clear the man was nervous and terrified. “He didn’t do it. He’d have to be a complete idiot to kill her after a restraining order, then show up the next morning to call it in. But I still think he’s holding something back from us. Did you see how he reacted at the mention of the roommate?” He cast his glance to the others once again. “Any chance we can get into his house before he’s released?”

  Marshall looked to Scarborough. “The guy had a restraining order filed against him from the victim. We had cause to bring him in. We’re not going to need a warrant to get into his house with probable cause.”

  “You’re right, but we need to act with extreme caution here. Get a judge to issue one anyway. I want to be sure our bases are covered. No charges have been filed against him yet. It might be a gray area, since he won’t be present at the time of the search.” He looked to Gibbons. “My team is here and I’ve got to meet them on scene in thirty minutes.”

  “Okay, boss,” Marshall began. “Gibbons and I will handle the warrant. In the meantime, Kate, why don’t you accompany Agent Scarborough, since you’re already familiar with the scene. I’d still like to have a local presence there for the time being.”

  “I agree,” Scarborough replied. “Would be glad to have you with us, Katie.”

  9

  A RUNDOWN MOBILE home perched on top of rusted jacks was one of only a handful still remaining in the otherwise abandoned trailer park on the outskirts of town. The men inside, two millennials who were still wandering through life, assuming that the world had given them the shaft, sat on a stained floral couch amid a cloud of smoke.

  “We gotta go soon if we’re gonna do this tonight.” Ty wrapped his lips around the joint again and inhaled deeply.

  “Yeah, all right. You’re not too fucked up, are you? Can’t screw around with this shit, you know that.” Marcus extinguished the joint, waving the smoke away from him. “Let’s get the hell out of here, then.”

  There were no street lamps along the adjacent road and only a couple of windows were illuminated from the other derelict trailers. When they stepped outside, the air was still warm, hardly cooling at all from the heat of the day.

  “Jesus, I don’t remember it staying as warm as it has this late in the fall.” Ty walked the few steps over to their car and inserted the key into the door lock. “You ready to do this?”

  “I’m ready.” Marcus yanked on the door, its hinges squeaking loudly enough for everyone in the park to hear. “Let’s go.”

  They’d been following her around for the past couple of days, learning her routine, deciding on which spot would be the best place to make it happen. They didn’t know if the woman had a family, didn’t know if she had kids, and didn’t care either. She had been chosen and that was just her dumb luck.

  “I see her; there.” Ty pointed as the woman emerged from her office in the strip mall, locking up the small dental clinic where she worked as a hygienist. “Wait till she’s closer to her car.”

  Marcus wiped his brow as sweat formed. He wasn’t sure if it was from the heat or just nerves. He knew the deal. It had to be done. They had all agreed. But now that the moment was actually here, he was apprehensive; scared shitless, more like.

  “We do it like we talked about, Marcus. I’ll approach her from the front, then you come around the back.”

  Marcus nodded and they both stepped out of the car.

  The woman turned her head at the screeching sound in the distance. It was the car door that caught her attention. Her eyes widened as she attempted to see what lay ahead in the darkness. She began to pick up her pace and was now only a few feet away from her car.

  “Goddammit!” Ty whispered. “Now we gotta go after her.”

  The men began their approach and she spotted them emerging from the dark. They were just feet away from her. She dropped into an all-out run, trying to make it to her car.

  “Go on. Take her from the right, I’ll head straight,” Marcus said. His adrenaline was pumping fast now, fueling his desire to catch the woman, all fear evaporating.

  The woman screamed. But only for a moment.

  “She’s gonna wake up, man. Come on; don’t be a pussy.” Ty secured the woman to the bed. It had already been lined with rubber sheets and plastic as had the walls and floor. There could be nothing left behind. That was the deal.

  Marcus pulled the knife out of the drawer in the kitchen. They’d agreed that it had to be that one. He walked back into the bedroom where the woman lay comatose. Ty had hit her hard and she’d been out for almost five minutes. He would do it again if she stirred. “I got it.”

  “Good. You know what to do.” Ty stepped aside. “It’s gotta be like the others. We need to show all those fuckers out there that they’re living a lie. Religion, politics; none of that shit matters. We’re part of the Five. They’ll see what chaos really is.”

  He leaned over the woman. Bruises were already forming on her face and arms, and even on her thighs where Ty had gotten too rough. “The Five is all that matters.” Marcus closed his eyes and upon opening them again, began to press the knife into her chest, just below her breast. As soon as the knife pierced her skin, she woke up and began to scream. Ty did exactly as he was supposed to so Marcus could continue.

  Marcus sliced open her pale skin, down to her navel and up the other side. Blood spilled out over her chest and stomach, pooling onto the plastic sheet beneath her, eventually dripping onto the floor. She would not awaken this time. The pain would have been too much for her body to take.

  When he was done, the grotesque symbol was complete. Now, they had to wait. Wait for her to lose enough blood and eventually die. Then, Marcus and Ty would make the early morning drive up the I-10 and place her as carefully as the others had been.

  No telling how long it would take before she would be discovered, but they’d call it in themselves if it took more than a few days. The body wouldn’t last long in this heat. The animals would have a field day and they would need to be sure their masterpiece wasn’t destroyed.

  It seemed that getting the warrant was presenting itself to be a greater challenge than the two detectives believed it would. The hour had grown late and it was questionable as to whether the judge would even get off his couch to fulfill the request. But in the end, they had convinced him of the urgency of this situation as media attention had grown considerably and the sooner they could rule out Shalot as the Highway Hunter, the better—for everyone.

  Edward Shalot’s apartment building was tucked away in an older, less desirable neighborhood about twenty minutes from the college campus. Marshall and Detective Gibbons drove up along the street side of the building. Only a few of the windows were still illuminated at the late hour.

  “Let’s see what we can find.” Marshall stepped out of
the vehicle.

  They walked along the concrete path toward the arched opening. The old Spanish architecture had begun to crumble with age and lack of proper maintenance. Inside the opening was a courtyard dotted with a few benches and the centerpiece was a pool.

  Marshall and Gibbons stood in the middle of the courtyard in search of apartment 2741.

  “Over there.” Gibbons pointed to the second floor in the right corner of the complex.

  The pathway was sparsely lit and, in fact, the moonlight offered better illumination as they made their way up the stairs to the second floor.

  “Don’t suppose you’ve got an old credit card handy?” Marshall asked. “Otherwise, we’re gonna be busting out a window.”

  Gibbons pulled out his wallet and retrieved a misshapen card that had obviously seen its share of locks. “As a matter of fact, I do.” He finagled the card in between the lock and the door jamb, working to open it.

  Marshall scanned the area, ensuring no one was watching. A moment later, he heard the click of the lock.

  “We’re in.” Gibbons pushed the door open, exposing a darkened room. He felt along the wall for a switch, finding it near the front window that he was grateful had been spared.

  The room lit up, revealing a sparsely decorated space, leaving no doubt that a single man lived there.

  “I’ll go back to the bedroom,” Gibbons said. He began walking through the hall toward the single bedroom and, once inside, he spotted the files spread along the small desk in the corner. Gibbons approached the desk and began pushing around the files. Immediately, his stomach dropped. It was then he realized what they were dealing with.

  “Avery, I think you should come in here.” Gibbons opened one of the files.