TIED TO MURDER (Det. Jason Strong(CLEAN SUSPENSE Book 5)

by John C. Dalglish

  “Hello. My mother doesn’t speak English.”

  Vanessa stepped forward. “What’s your name?”

  “Maritsa.”

  “Well Maritsa, my name is Detective Layne and that’s Detective Strong. Is your father here?”

  “No, not right now.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  The little girl turned to her mother and repeated the question in Spanish. There was a rapid-fire exchange between the two before Maritsa turned back to the detectives.

  “She said he goes bowling.”

  “Where does he bowl?”

  Maritsa asked her mother and turned back to Vanessa.

  “Bandera Lanes in Leon Valley.”

  “How often does he bowl?”

  Another turn, another exchange.

  “Every Monday and Tuesday night.”

  Something started bubbling up from the back of Jason’s brain.

  Had all the killings been on Tuesday nights?

  He wasn’t sure, but he wanted to find out.

  Vanessa continued asking questions as Jason looked around the mother, trying to see inside the home. On the wall hung a picture that stopped Jason cold.

  The photo showed three men standing next to a split-rail fence, each holding a trophy, a banner for the National Mexican Rodeo Championships in the background.

  Jason interrupted Vanessa. “Excuse me, Maritsa. Does your father compete in rodeos?”

  She looked confused for a minute, then turned to her mother, and asked her.

  The woman answered with several long sentences, the little girl nodded her head, and then shortened it for the detectives.

  “Not anymore. He used to do it a lot when he and Mama lived in Mexico.”

  Jason turned and walked for the car. Vanessa said a quick goodbye and followed him. “Where are you going?”

  “I saw a photo on the wall of three men at a rodeo, one of which looked like Jose. You remember what Doc Josie told us about the knots used to bind our victims?”

  “Sure, they looked like calf…” Vanessa was moving fast now.

  They jumped in their car and raced for Leon Valley.

  *******

  Jose sat in his car, watching the lights in Ruby and Grace’s apartment. He had never met them in person, but he knew their routine. Within the hour, the lights would be out, and he would be able to move soon afterward.

  He’d not seen any sign of life after they turned off the lights, and he was counting on it meaning they were heavy sleepers.

  Another patrol came down the cul-de-sac and Jose lay down, out of sight.

  *******

  It was after well after eight when Jason and Vanessa arrived at Bandera Lanes. The parking lot was packed with cars and, after not finding a nearby spot, Jason was forced to park on the Huebner Rd. They walked across the lot and into the noisy building.

  Jason spotted the main desk at the far end of the building.

  “I’ll go ask at the desk. Do you want to walk around and see if you can spot him?”

  “Sure.”

  Jason waded through the crowd, resisting the urge to show his badge and clear the way, until he got up to the desk. A young man, probably twenty or twenty-one, finished with a customer and walked over to Jason. “Need some shoes?”

  Jason smiled. “No, thanks. Are you the manager?”

  The young man shook his head. He had to yell over the combination of falling pins and conversation. “You’ll find him working behind the snack bar. His name is Tommy.”

  Jason said thanks and went in search of Tommy. He found him filling soda cups behind the grill counter. His shirt confirmed his name.

  “Tommy, are you the manager?”

  “Yeah, can I help you?”

  This time Jason did take out his badge. “Detective Strong, SAPD.”

  Tommy turned to a girl next to him. “Take over. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  He lifted the countertop gate and pointed at an office across the hallway. Jason followed him.

  Once inside with the door shut, it was much quieter. Jason figured Tommy used this office as his escape. The manager appeared to be in his late forties with a full head of gray hair pulled into a ponytail. His eyes showed a man tired beyond his years.

  “What can I do for you, Detective?”

  “I’m looking for a man; his name is Jose Jimenez. Do you know him?”

  Tommy looked at the picture Jason held out for him.

  “Sure, bowls every Tuesday night.”

  “Is he here tonight?”

  “He was, but I doubt he still is. He bowls in the early-bird league, which starts at five-thirty. They’re usually done by seven.”

  “Is he in the same league on Monday nights?”

  “I don’t think so,” he smiled. “Monday night is ladies night.”

  “So there’s no league he could bowl in on Monday nights?”

  “Not unless he wears a dress.”

  Jason needed to find Vanessa. “Thanks a lot, Tommy.”

  Jason opened the door and let himself out. He was going to leave it open, but Tommy called after him. “Do me a favor and shut the door.”

  Jason pulled it closed as the manager reached for a cigarette.

  *******

  Jason searched the crowd for fifteen minutes before he decided it might be better to wait out front for Vanessa. When he reached the door, he saw her standing there, waiting for him. “Did you see him?”

  She shook her head and dropped in step with Jason as they headed back to the street, and their car.

  “Nope. I guess he isn’t bowling after all.”

  “Not anymore.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “I spoke with the manager. He said Jose bowls in an early-bird league and finishes about seven.”

  “Monday and Tuesday?”

  “Nope, Monday is ladies night.”

  They arrived at the car and got in. Vanessa picked up the file on the seat, apparently thinking the same thing as Jason. After a few moments, she looked at him.

  “All the killings occurred on Tuesday nights.”

  Jason fired up the car and Vanessa put the light on the roof. It was nearly ten.

  Chapter 17

  Jose moved as quickly and quietly as he could. The women had already been asleep over an hour and he wanted this over. Slipping his key into the lock, he slowly turned it until he felt the lock release.

  After checking to make sure he wasn’t seen, he cracked the door and stepped inside. Using the system that had been successful up to now, he stood in the entranceway, listening for the sounds of sleeping. A nightlight in the hallway cast enough glow for Jose to see where he was going.

  He could hear steady breathing from the first room, but the door of the bedroom at the far end of the hall was closed. He decided to enter the far bedroom first.

  Creeping down the hall, thankful for carpeted floors, he passed the first room and made it to the door of the second. Twisting the knob very slowly, the door opened a crack.

  Previously, he’d been able to jump the victim and surprise them before they could put up a struggle, but he didn’t have that luxury this time. He didn’t want to wake the woman in the first bedroom.

  Once inside the room, he shut the door, and let his eyes adjust to the darkness. The one he knew as Grace lay on her side, facing away from him. He moved toward the bed.

  *******

  Vanessa called police dispatch while Jason navigated the dark streets. They were on the 1610 loop, heading for Orchid Village on the north side of town.

  “This is Detective Vanessa Layne, who is this?”

  Jason couldn’t hear the answer.

  “Okay Officer Briggs, I need you to call the patrols in the area of Orchid Village, and give them the following information.”

  Jason focused on driving as Vanessa gave the officer the description and plate number for Jose Jimenez’s vehicle.

  “I need you to pass the information on to them and hav
e the patrols search the complex for the vehicle. They’re to report immediately if they discover it. Give them my number and have them call me directly.”

  Vanessa waited for a response before hanging up, then turned to Jason. “He must have stalked the victims on Monday night, and then attacked them on Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.”

  Jason jammed the brakes, waiting for a car to clear the intersection, before stepping back on the gas.

  “Yeah. Clearly, his wife would not be able to keep tabs on him because of the language barrier. She couldn’t just call the bowling alley and ask for him.”

  Vanessa’s phone rang. “This is Layne.”

  Jason still couldn’t hear the other end of the conversation, but Vanessa’s reaction told him they’d found the vehicle.

  “Which cul-de-sac, Officer?”

  Vanessa looked at Jason. “Butterfly Lane.”

  Jason recognized it immediately. “That’s Ruby and Grace’s street! Tell him to park behind the vehicle, and call in backup, including ambulances.”

  Vanessa relayed the message while Jason looked at the time. Nearly ten-thirty, but they were less than two minutes away. When Vanessa hung up, Jason had an idea. “You have the number for Ruby and Grace in the file?”

  “Sure. You want me to call them?”

  “Yes.”

  Vanessa found the number, dialing as the complex came into view.

  *******

  Jose had just finished tying Grace up when the phone started ringing. He froze.

  Looking back through a crack in the door, he saw the one called Ruby come out of her room. She was walking away from him as she went to answer the phone. He jumped up, but she got to it before he got to her.

  “Hello?”

  There was a pause as Jose closed the distance between them.

  “Fine, Detective Layne…”

  Jose hit her like a linebacker, knocking the phone to the floor, and pinning Ruby against the wall. Her head hit a shelf and she went limp.

  He didn’t know if she was dead or just unconscious, but he had no time to check.

  Leaving Ruby on the floor, he hung up the phone, and pulled the garbage bags he’d brought with him from his pocket. He rushed down the hallway to finish off Grace.

  *******

  Vanessa’s face grew pale as the phone went dead. “He’s inside!”

  Jason sped down Butterfly Street. He could see the officer parked behind Jose’s vehicle. They came to a stop, jumped out with guns drawn, and raced for the apartment.

  *******

  Jose burst back into Grace’s room to find her lying on the floor, next to the bed. She had rolled off, trying to get free. Her eyes flew wide open when she saw him come back in.

  He grabbed her, dragged her back onto the bed, and slid the garbage bag down over her head. Pulling a large piece of tape from the roll, he looped it around her neck and started to pull it tight.

  Suddenly, pain exploded in his head, and everything went dark.

  *******

  Jason and Vanessa burst through the front door. “Ruby! Grace!”

  “Back here!”

  They didn’t know where Jimenez was and had to move cautiously. Jason called out. “Where’s Jimenez?”

  “Gone.”

  Jason looked at Vanessa and pointed to himself, then the bedroom. Then he pointed back at his partner and toward living room. Vanessa nodded and moved to check the front of the apartment.

  Jason moved down the hall and pushed open the bedroom door.

  Ruby lay collapsed against the end of the bed, unconscious. Next to her hand lay a large, glass paperweight, the size of a softball. Blood covered one side of it.

  He checked her for a pulse.

  She’s still alive.

  Jason moved to Grace. She still had the bag over her head, but the tape hung loosely. When Jason removed the bag, Grace blinked several times before she saw her sister laying there. “Ruby! Ruby!”

  Jason could see Grace was, for the most part, okay, and he needed to get to Vanessa. He untied Grace. “Stay put, shut the door.”

  Coming out of the bedroom, down the hall, and into the living room, he caught sight of Vanessa going out the patio door.

  “Vanessa! You see him?”

  “No, but I know he came this way. There’s blood on the doorframe.”

  Jason ran toward the front door. “I’ll go around from the parking lot, you follow him.”

  Darkness made for poor visibility, and Jason didn’t know which way to go first.

  *******

  Jose spotted the patrol car behind his vehicle as soon as he rounded the corner of the building. Ducking back out of sight, he touched his head. Blood covered his fingers.

  He doubled back, heading for the rear of the complex, when he heard footsteps coming toward him.

  Grabbing a rock, he pinned himself to the side of the building.

  *******

  Jason stood trying to figure out which direction to go. A yell from the far end of the building alerted him to a struggle. He ran toward the sound, coming upon Vanessa on the ground, holding her head.

  Jose reached for Vanessa’s gun but Jason already had his out. “Jose! Don’t do it!”

  The gardener slowly stood up, leaving the gun on the ground. The officer stationed in the parking lot showed up and cuffed Jose, while Jason covered him.

  Jason moved to Vanessa, who was just standing up. “You okay?”

  “I think so. He was waiting for me when I came around the corner. I think he hit me with a rock.”

  Jason could see blood trickling down the back of her neck.

  “You need to go to the hospital.”

  “No, I’m okay.”

  “Whatever. You’re going.”

  She signified her agreement by sitting back down. An ambulance tech came up and started working on Vanessa. Jason went to check on Ruby and Grace.

  Sprinting up the stairs, he found them being tended to by a different ambulance crew.

  “How are we doing, ladies?”

  Ruby looked up at him. “Did you catch him?”

  Jason smiled. “We did. Were you the one who hit him?”

  “Yes. The jerk flattened me from behind.”

  Jason laughed. Ruby seemed like she’d be just fine. Grace pointed at Ruby. “My sister saved my life.”

  Jason nodded. “Isn’t having family around great?”

  Grace nodded. “The best.”

  Chapter 18

  Back at the station, Jason called Sandy to check on Penny. His wife was asleep. “It’s late, what time is it?”

  Jason looked at his watch. “Eleven-thirty.”

  “Is everything all right?”

  “Yes. We just busted the Orchid Village killer, so I’ll be a while longer. How’s Penny?”

  He could hear rustling, then a snuffling sound.

  “She’s good. I fell asleep on the couch and she stayed right next to me.”

  “Tell her I’m jealous.”

  He could feel, more than hear, his wife smile. “We miss you, too.”

  He hung up just as Vanessa came back from her visit to the hospital.

  “How’s your head?”

  “Thirteen stitches, but I’ll live.”

  He stood up. “They’re putting Jose in interview room three. You want to go with me?”

  “Sure, let’s do this.”

  When they entered the room, Jose looked like a different man. The bravado of their previous meetings was gone. Vanessa leaned against the wall as Jason sat across from the gardener.

  The first question was the most important to Jason. “Why Jose? What did these women do to deserve this?”

  Jose looked at Vanessa, but refused to make eye contact with Jason.

  “I had to do it.”

  “Why? Was it a compulsion?”

  “No.”

  Jason wanted to feel sorry for the man—he was defeated and sad—but the memory of small Tabby was too strong. This man, whateve
r the reason, was a killer.

  “How did you gain access to the units so easily?” Jose didn’t respond, nor did he look away from Vanessa. Jason tried again. “Why are you and Marcus Winston such good phone buddies?”

  At this, Jose looked at Jason.

  “I want to make a deal.”

  Jason was caught off guard. “A deal? For what?”

  Jimenez now stared at Jason, unflinching.

  “If you want to know what this was all about, I’ll tell you, but I want something in return.”

  “I can’t authorize a deal on my own, but I’m willing to listen. What do you have to tell us?”

  “Nothing until I get a guarantee.”

  “Okay, why don’t you tell me what it is you want?”

  Jose, who was back to avoiding Jason’s eyes, stared at Vanessa.

  “I want a green card for my wife, and a promise she won’t be deported.”

  Jason knew the surprise on his face. He hadn’t expected the request to be so selfless. The usual request by someone in Jose’s position was to have the death penalty taken off the table, or leniency from the judge.

  Jason thought of little Maritsa. “What about your daughter?”

  “She was born here.”

  “Jose, I can’t promise something like that.”

  “Then take me back to my cell, I’m done here.”

  Vanessa tapped Jason on the shoulder, nodding at him to go outside. Jason followed her and shut the door. “What’s up?”

  Vanessa looked over Jason’s shoulder, through the one-way glass, at the gardener.

  “Do you want me to call the lieutenant?”

  “Yeah, see what he thinks about the request.”

  “What do you think he’s got to offer us?”

  “My guess is Marcus Winston.”

  She pulled out her phone while Jason went back in with Jose. He sat down opposite the gardener.

  “Jose, if I’m going to get approval for a deal, I need some idea what information you’ve got.”