by C. M. Sutter
We entered the bull pen, and I dropped to my chair. My notepad was still on my desk where I’d left it Friday night. I flipped the pages to Mike Cole’s interview and read through the information again out loud. “I’m going to call him right now.”
Mike answered on the third ring. I heard the TV playing in the background. It sounded like sports.
“Hello.”
“Mike, Sergeant Monroe calling from the sheriff’s department.”
“Hello, Sergeant. Hang on one second.”
He left the phone, and I heard the TV volume go down.
“Sorry about that. I have a habit of turning the volume up too high when I’m watching basketball. I guess it comes from having the bar TVs muted most of the time. Sometimes I actually like to hear the play-by-play action. I’m recording it, so we’re good. Okay, what can I do for you?”
“Mike, it’s about the guy at the bar on Tuesday. Is there anything else you thought of since we spoke? Anything, even if it seems insignificant, might help us catch our killer.” I stared at the notes again from the interview we had conducted at Mike’s apartment. “I’m not necessarily saying the man at Eddy’s is him, so please don’t spread that rumor. We’re just checking every possible lead we can get.”
“Sure, I understand. Hmm… I did think it was odd that he mumbled to himself, almost like he was talking to somebody. The guy gave me the creeps. Oh yeah, and he cracked his neck like three times in fifteen minutes. That’s really all I can think of, Sergeant.”
I wrote the additional information in my notepad and thanked Mike. I felt Jack’s searing stare as he stood next to the coffee machine. I looked up.
“Well? And do you want some coffee?”
“Yes, please.” I shook my head as if to clear the thoughts that were stirring in my mind. “He added that the weirdo at the bar also mumbled to himself and cracked his neck a few times.”
Jack laughed and dragged his fingertips through his hair. “Damn, that sounds just like Doug.”
“Ya think? Whatever… people mutter all the time, at least I do, and I crack my neck. All this damn tension settles in my shoulders and neck. I’ve cracked it so much lately it sounds like popcorn popping.”
“Yeah, me too.”
My desk phone rang. “Hello, Sergeant Monroe, how may I help you? Deputy Silver?” I glanced up at Jack and mouthed a thank-you when he brought a fresh cup of coffee to my desk. “Yes, either Adriana Cruz or Leon Erikson, the Realtor that opened the house for us. Somebody has to know something about Melissa’s next of kin. Neither of them has names or phone numbers of her family? All right, get her address then. We’ll search her house. I’m sure we’ll find something there. Thanks.” I hung up.
“What did he say?” Jack dropped down into his desk chair.
“Nobody at Realty World has information on Melissa’s family except that some relative lives in Iowa. Her purse, cell phone, and appointment calendar are missing. According to Adriana, Melissa normally kept all of that in her briefcase. I think we should call the boss. He can get Billings and Clayton to go through Melissa’s house.”
Jack agreed. “Relax for a few minutes. I’ll call the lieutenant.”
Jack’s conversation with the lieutenant was short. They were just finishing up at the house, and the lieutenant was heading back to the station. Kyle, Dan, Doug, and Jason were on their way back too with the body in the van and the car on the flatbed. Two deputies stayed behind, and the North Bend PD offered us assistance with forensics. Their investigators had already arrived at the scene. The lieutenant said he’d make the call to Clayton and Billings and get them over to Melissa’s house right away.
Jack’s desk phone rang a few minutes later. Brian McKinney, the manager at Stanley’s, was calling. “One second, Brian.” Jack put his hand over the receiver and told me who it was. “Brian, I’m going to put you on speakerphone so Sergeant Monroe can join the conversation. Go ahead and tell us what you have.”
“Sure thing. Anyway, Sweet Melissa Sweet Sparkling Red Wine has its own website. Apparently their products can be ordered directly from their site by wholesalers, retailers, restaurants, and private individuals. Our daytime manager takes care of orders, so I spoke with him.”
I scooted my chair next to Jack’s desk to make sure Brian could hear my questions. “Brian, it’s Sergeant Monroe here. Does your daytime manager order directly from the website or a wholesaler?”
“Since we don’t have a ton of people asking for that wine in particular, we order a case at a time off the website. Sweet Melissa is on our wine list, though, which shows up on Stanley’s website along with our menu.”
“Got it. So what you’re saying is, it’s a dead end? You guys order directly from Sweet Melissa, plus anyone can look online to see your wine list from Stanley’s website?”
“Sorry, Sergeant, but that’s really it in a nutshell.”
Jack thanked Brian and hung up.
Chapter 38
Lieutenant Clark buzzed himself through the security door and into the bull pen. He turned the wand on the blinds—the glaring afternoon sun had already come around the building.
“Jade, I need you to gather your family together later and have them stay at your house for the time being. I’ll station two deputies on your residence, one during the day and one at night. It’s all we can spare. We have to find this maniac, even if it means working around the clock.”
“We still need to come and go, boss. We all have jobs.”
“Understood, and I’m sure you’ll explain to your family how important it is for them to watch their backs at all times. If anything seems off or someone looks suspicious, I expect an immediate phone call to the officer I’m assigning to you. I want your family members to have his contact information. I’d prefer it if everyone took time off and stayed put, but that’s your call.”
“I want to work, Lieutenant. We need everyone on this case, don’t we?”
Lieutenant Clark sighed and scratched his neck. “You’re right, we do. First things first, though, we need to give a press statement. There’s too much speculation out there. We want folks to be safe and keep a diligent watch on their surroundings. We have no idea who this killer is targeting. Right now, we have to come up with the best profile we can to give to the press. It’s going to be tough since we have no witnesses to anything. I’m calling Clayton and Billings in to help us brainstorm. I’ll have a couple of deputies take their place searching Miss Mately’s house.”
Clayton and Billings arrived at the station at two thirty. The five of us sat in the lieutenant’s office with the door closed. We wracked our brains trying to come up with a suspect profile to give the media.
The lieutenant pulled the white board and easel out of his coat closet. I couldn’t remember the last time he used it.
On it, he wrote each victim’s name, the chronological order of the murders, where the bodies were found, and the cause of death.
“Okay, it’s fair game here guys. Throw out everything you know.” He waited.
“It seems that our murderer uses something related to the deceased to kill them,” I said.
“Good point, Jade. So what is that telling us?”
“That he’s an opportunist, he doesn’t want anything traced back to him, or he’s done his homework,” Jack said.
We all chewed on that statement.
“He’s strong, has endurance, plus he must have a certain amount of charisma to get Elise and Melissa’s attention. But he has a few quirks too. Apparently, the bartender at Eddy’s said he cracks his neck and mumbles to himself,” I added.
The lieutenant nodded. “Good to know. So he has some physical quirks, he’s strong, smart, and careful.” Clark wrote it down.
“He takes the victims’ personal belongings—cell phones, wallets, and so on—to make our job more difficult,” Clayton said. “Everyone is killed in a remote area where there are no cameras.”
“Isn’t it odd that he would bring Morris all the way
to Washburn County, though? Melissa lived in town, yet she was found outside the city limits. Elise worked in North Bend, but he made sure she was killed out in the country too. For some reason, he wants his victims to be outside the city jurisdiction and in our hands, the county sheriff’s department,” I said. “Think of it, that has to be the reason, or why would he bring Morris here instead of leaving him at the crime scene in Milwaukee?”
“So he’s taunting the sheriff’s department in a way?”
“He has to be, and he leaves that damn dime so we know it was him. You know, I just realized something. It holds true for Elise and Melissa anyway.”
“Go on, Jack,” Lieutenant Clark said.
“We talked about this a few weeks ago with Kyle and Dan. We were trying to figure out the connection between Morris and Elise, then Kyle had mentioned that it might not be a connection with Morris and Elise at all. Maybe the killer is trying to get somebody’s attention. He could know this person was friends with Elise or Melissa. These are targeted acts to get this person to sit up and take notice.”
Each of us stared at the white board, giving that statement some thought.
“He’s doing a damn good job, but I don’t see where Morris fits in with any of this,” I said.
Clayton spoke up. “Okay, let’s take Morris out of the equation. Maybe he was just someone the killer wanted to hone his skills on. Bad luck, wrong place, wrong time, that sort of thing. Did Elise and Melissa know each other?”
I poured a second round of coffee for everyone. “Nope. Melissa wasn’t on Elise’s list of friends or acquaintances. She certainly wasn’t Elise and Perry’s Realtor. They’ve lived in the same house for over ten years.”
“Then there’s only one person it could be,” Billings said. “The connection between them is Jade.”
“What?” I suddenly felt ill. I set the carafe down and reached for my chair. I had to sit and give that statement some thought.
“You might be on to something, Billings,” the lieutenant said. “Jade, Elise was your yoga instructor, Melissa was the Realtor you were working with, and now, somehow the killer knew you were going to Stanley’s and it was your birthday. He wanted to shake you up personally and taunt you with the bottle of wine. I think we’re getting somewhere.”
“But why me?”
“Who knows, but maybe if we put you under the microscope, we’ll be able to profile our killer,” Jack said.
The lieutenant raised his eyebrows. “Okay, let’s go with that theory. Jack, take the lead.”
“Sure. What if the killer has a beef with people in law enforcement? Maybe he’s a misogynist, for Pete’s sake, or what if he doesn’t like authority figures, as in a female sergeant.” Jack entwined his fingers behind his head as he leaned back in his chair. “Let’s put it all together. He doesn’t like women in law enforcement that have authority over people. That fits Jade perfectly.”
“And because he doesn’t like me, he’s killing people? That sounds like a stretch, Jack. Don’t you have to have killer tendencies to begin with?”
Billings added, “Maybe he does and we just don’t know it. Since he’s killed three people that we know of, we can already consider him a serial killer, but now he’s a spree killer too. Somebody like that is even more difficult to track.”
The lieutenant sat down. He had already paced in front of the white board for the last half hour. “Okay, so we’re dealing with a psychopathic spree killer. That’s really going to go over well with the public.” The lieutenant let out a groan. “All right, what about age, married or single, local or not? What about employment?”
“I’d put him between twenty-five and fifty because he’s strong enough to overpower people. He has enough intelligence to catch women off guard through his charm or through a ruse. He must be single to come and go at night. I’d even go so far as to say he knows how law enforcement works. He can hide in plain sight, and he always covers his tracks. He’s never seen on video, and there’s never a speck of trace evidence left behind.” I looked at everyone and waited for input.
“Okay, I think we have a good enough profile to hold a press conference. I’ll set something up,” the lieutenant said.
The phone rang on Clark’s desk. “Hi, Peggy, what do you have? Okay, put her through.”
The boss talked to Deputy Lawrence for ten minutes while he jotted notes. He hung up.
“They found an address book at Melissa Mately’s house. Lawrence just spoke with Melissa’s mom in Iowa and told her the news. Apparently, the last time Mrs. Lawrence had any communication with Melissa was Tuesday around six p.m.”
“Sounds like it must have taken place while she was driving to Oriole Lane,” Jack said.
The lieutenant responded. “Well, I think we have our first actual lead. The mother said Melissa texted her. Here is the text her mom received, verbatim.”
The lieutenant began to read. “Hi, Mom, I’m on my way to show a really expensive property. This man, David Ingles, and his family are moving here from Philadelphia. It sounds promising. I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Maybe I can come and visit sooner than I thought. Love you.”
I nodded. “That’s the type of ruse we were talking about. Nobody from Philly is committing these murders. He led her on that he wanted to see the house. How could Melissa resist? The commission would be huge if she sold it.” I groaned at the image. “She went out there voluntarily and was probably really excited about it.”
Lieutenant Clark picked up his phone and called downstairs to Todd in the tech department. “Todd, I need you to do a criminal database search in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin for a David Ingles. Hell, make it a nationwide search. We can always narrow it down once we get the results.”
He hung up, then picked the phone up again and called Susan Adams, who wrote the sheriff’s department press releases. He got her voice mail. Like most of the administrative staff, she didn’t work on Sundays. “Susan, Lieutenant Clark here. I need you to write a press release on the North Bend killer first thing in the morning. Meet me in my office at ten o’clock, and I’ll go over everything with you.”
The lieutenant checked the time on his desk clock. “Okay, it’s almost five. I’ll let Doug know to get the forensic dentist in here tomorrow. We aren’t going to let anyone make a visual identification of Melissa in the state she’s in. I’ll keep in touch with the mom. Everyone, go home, get some rest, and we’ll start with fresh eyes in the morning. Jade, call your family, tell them to grab what they need, and get to your house. I’m putting Collins on your home beginning at six o’clock. Once he’s in place, I’ll have him give you a call so you have his contact number.”
Jack and I walked out to the parking lot together. There was a chill in the air. The breeze coming from the east off Lake Michigan made me shiver.
“Cold or nervous?” Jack asked.
“Both I guess. I’m looking forward to the time when I can say I live in a sleepy little town where nothing happens.”
“I hear you. If you need—”
I interrupted Jack and smiled. “Thanks, but I do wear a gun, you know, and I’m a pretty good shot.”
“Yeah, you’re a tough one, Jade Monroe, I’ll give you that. Actually, I was going to say if you need to talk.”
I nodded. “Thanks, partner. Jack?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re welcome to hang out at my place with us. Amber said they were bringing dinner over.”
“Thanks, but I’ll take a rain check. I feel like turning in early tonight.”
Chapter 39
Dime started a new page in his notebook. He wrote the person’s name on a folder tab and pulled the sticky backside off. He pressed the tab against the outer edge of the notebook page.
“There, that’s perfect.”
He had been following his next victim for a few days. Now that Melissa had been found, the cops would be busy trying to keep the community calm. He’d have free reign to carry out his next act while they were preoccup
ied with her. He knew his next victim’s routine pretty well, and he’d put his idea into motion soon. There was no way he’d give Jade Monroe time to rest.
The radio played his favorite blues channel as he relaxed on that wooden chair in the basement. The local news broke in and interrupted the music. He took a sip of beer and listened. He couldn’t help smiling. The breaking news stated that a body had been discovered in a barn near the small town of North Bend. A well-known and respected local Realtor was found dead earlier today just east of the city. The name wouldn’t be released until the next of kin was notified.
He laughed a full belly laugh. Found dead, huh? Put your generic, nondescript spin on it if you want. We wouldn’t want to start a citywide panic, would we? I’ll admit, it would be fun, though, if John Q. Public really knew how she and the others met their demise.
Dime rose and walked to the bookcase. He gave it a forceful shove to the side, then pulled his chair over and sat. With a beer in his hand, he smiled into the gaping hole in the wall then took a sip.
Chapter 40
I was more than angry. I couldn’t save the lives of two women I knew and cared for and one young man I had never met. They had no say in their demise. They were just innocent victims. Dime couldn’t be left on the streets much longer. I was sure he’d strike again.
I pulled into the garage and lowered the overhead door before getting out of my car. Amber, Mom, and Bruce should be here soon, and I needed to set up the guest room for Mom and Bruce. My mental energy was spent, yet I had to explain a few things to my family. They would only get the generic version—nothing more. Some information needed to stay quiet. Only law enforcement knew the way Dime killed his victims and what he used as a calling card. That bit of information had to stay within the sheriff’s department.
I fed Spaz and the birds. They all got hugs and kisses, yet I probably needed the affection more than they did.
Amber said they were picking up dinner from Tony’s and would be here by six. She ordered two large pepperoni-and-black-olive pizzas and three two-liter bottles of Coke. I poured myself a much-needed glass of wine and waited. I looked at the mantel clock on the shelf above my TV. The six o’clock chimes would sound any minute.
