BEFORE HE NEEDS

by Blake Pierce

  It was rare that a suspect got to her for such obscure reasons. Samuel Netti had not hurt her or affected anyone she knew. It was simply his character—a man that was skilled at manipulating women and using the nature of human sexuality to his advantage.

  All of that is true, she thought. But there’s something else there, Mac. You know it. You feel it…so what the hell is it?

  In her mind’s eye, she saw the beds of the murdered couples. She thought about someone the couples knew coming into the house and killing them.

  Just like with Dad, she thought.

  And that was it. At the heart of it all, Samuel Netti would usually not bother her any more than some other random sexual deviant. But the fact that this case was echoing her father’s own case had her worked up more than she cared to admit.

  Get a grip, she told herself. This is just like any other case and, as of right now, you’re still mostly in the dark.

  She took a series of deep breaths and started back for the door. As she did so, the door to the observation room flew open. Rodriguez came rushing out, his cell phone held up to his ear. He looked very alarmed, almost excited.

  “Agent White,” he said, his voice edged with worry. “There’s been another murder.”

  “A couple?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where?”

  “Where is it again?” Rodriguez asked whoever was on the other end of the line. After a few seconds, and a very confused look, Rodriguez said, “Thanks,” and then ended the call.

  “Where is it?” Mackenzie asked.

  “Well, it’s weird as hell…but these bodies are on a cruise ship.”

  “Is it on the water or docked?”

  “On the water. But it’s coming back to port as we speak.”

  “So the murders occurred while it was at sea?”

  “No way to know,” Rodriguez said. “But we do know that these bodies are fresh. They were likely killed within the last several hours.”

  Suddenly, Mackenzie did not feel the creeping fingers of exhaustion creeping in. With a fresh murder and a confined area, this case just got much more accessible.

  She opened the interrogation room door, ignoring Samuel Netti completely. Her eyes found Ellington and she saw that he was registering her excitement.

  “Come on,” she told him. “It looks like we’ve got a ship to catch.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  At Mackenzie’s instruction, no one was allowed to leave the cruise ship. As a result, she saw hundreds of people milling around the decks as she parked her car in the cruise line’s luggage and equipment lot alongside the ship’s docking platform. Two patrol cars from the Miami PD rolled into the lot behind her. They were not running their sirens or flashers, not wanting to further alarm the passengers. As far as Mackenzie knew, none of the passengers had been informed of why the cruise had been turned back to shore just a few hours after heading out to sea.

  Mackenzie walked toward the ship entrance she had been instructed to. There, a man with a rather rotund belly hanging over the waist of his jeans stood waiting for her. When he saw Mackenzie and Ellington headed their way with Rodriguez and a few of his officers behind them, he walked toward them with his hand extended for a shake.

  “Hi, Agents,” this man said. “I’m Bill Hudson, head of ship security.”

  Introductions were made all around and then Hudson quickly escorted them onto the ship. Inside, three other members of ship security joined them, along with Rodriguez and the five officers he had tasked to come along. At first Mackenzie thought so many people would be overkill, although she had requested a few of Rodriguez’s men to help with questioning duties when it came to speaking to all of the passengers.

  But as soon as they made their way out of the loading area and cargo holds and onto the decks, she was glad they had the extra bodies. Several of the security members and the Miami PD had to part a lane for her and Ellington to walk through down a small corridor that led to the ship’s central elevator.

  Mackenzie and Ellington went up with Rodriguez and Hudson while the other officers and security members remained on the lower floors. It wasn’t until they were out of the elevator and walking down the long and narrow hallway of the third floor that Hudson started to talk. Even then, he spoke in whispers despite the fact that all passengers had been asked to vacate the third floor upon docking.

  “We had security and most of the crew call all passengers out to the decks for the safety briefings,” Hudson said. “Standard stuff. We do it on all cruises. And we stress it really hard—so much so that we have crew members go through every floor, knocking on every door to ensure everyone takes part. But, honestly, it’s also something we do to make sure there’s nothing shady going on. It lets us snoop around the hallways while everyone else is out on the decks.”

  Hudson came to a stop at room 341 and took a keycard out of his pocket. He did not insert it yet, though. With a heavy tone to his voice, he continued. “One of our room service crew members checked this room during the safety briefing and found the bodies. Just to let you guys know…it’s pretty gruesome. I’ve never seen anything like it, so this is new to me.”

  With that, he slipped the keycard in and opened the door.

  Mackenzie and Ellington stepped inside first. Rodriguez followed behind them with Hudson trailing reluctantly behind. The room was small, as were most cruise line rooms, but tidy. The exception, of course, was the bed. Like the other three beds Mackenzie had seen at crime scenes in the last two days, it was a disarray of sheets and blood.

  She approached the bed cautiously. The blood was still fresh so it glistened wetly in the soft overhead glow of the cabin’s lights. She was about to ask Hudson the identity of the victims but found that she didn’t need to.

  “Shit,” she breathed. “Ellington…”

  “Yeah,” he said, sidling up beside her. “I recognize them, too.”

  It made no sense and seemed rather unreal, but Mackenzie was looking down at the very recently murdered bodies of Jack and Vanessa Springs.

  ***

  Her mind reeled with the realization as a million thoughts seemed to go racing through her head. As she took in the scene, now also noticing splatters of blood on the carpet and walls, she glanced back into her memory, trying to recall everything the Springses had told them. Had they mentioned a cruise? Had they mentioned a vacation?

  No, she thought. But Vanessa did tell me that they had another swinging event coming up very soon.

  “Mr. Hudson, what’s the nature of this cruise?”

  “Just a normal Caribbean cruise,” he answered. “Three days and two nights. Adults only.”

  “Were there any privatized events scheduled?”

  “No. It’s just the usual cruise fare. Shuffleboard, dancing, mixology courses, things like that. What are you looking for, exactly?”

  Rodriguez pulled out his phone and started texting someone. “I’m checking with the station,” he told them. “Maybe there’s a history of swinging events on these cruises.”

  “Swinging?” Hudson asked. “What do you m—wait. Swinging…like sex stuff?”

  “Yes,” Mackenzie said. “Had you heard rumors of anything like that?”

  “No. I mean…that’s sort of taboo, right? Are there cruises that actually do that?”

  “I doubt they advertise it,” Ellington said. “But apparently, yes.”

  Hudson seemed to dwell on this as Mackenzie continued to take in the scene. Like the other scenes, it was apparent a knife was used. There was no precision, no art to it; it had simply been a savage and violent act.

  She saw a few drops of blood splattered on the carpet, including one that sat just below the bathroom door. She walked over to it and opened the door. Inside, two hand towels lay on the floor. One of them was matted in blood. A few toiletries from a fallen travel bag were also on the floor.

  “Evidence of a struggle in here,” she said.

  Ellington and Rodriguez came over to have
a look while Mackenzie returned her attention to Hudson.

  “On a cruise like this, who would be the one that plans the events that take place onboard?”

  “The events coordinator. She’s speaking with the captain right now, trying to sort through the mess of having to turn back around.”

  “Can you please bring her to me?” she asked. “I’d like to speak with her.”

  “Of course,” he said. “Give me five minutes.”

  He left quickly, already pulling his phone out of his pocket to place a call. Mackenzie returned her attention to the Springses. Jack was completely nude. Vanessa wore a yellow bikini that was mostly covered in blood. She saw that Jack’s hand had been placed on Vanessa’s thigh.

  A carbon copy of the other crime scenes, she thought. But on a cruise ship, they might have answered the door for anyone. Still…the killer has to be on the ship somewhere.

  It was an exciting thought, but there was yet another that halted it. She went back to the bathroom. She couldn’t see where much of anything had been taken out of the travel bag before it had spilled. Nothing was on the small counters or sink. She went back out into the room and looked into the drawers. They were all empty. Their suitcases sat along the far wall, with the identification tags still on the handles, placed there when checking in for the cruise.

  “What are you looking for?” Ellington asked her.

  “Evidence that they had unpacked,” she said. “I’m trying to get a gauge on when they were killed—at sea or before the boat even pulled away from the platform.”

  “You’re thinking the killer acted before the chip departed?” Rodriguez asked.

  “It’s a possibility,” she said.

  It was depressing to hear it coming out of her mouth. Just like that, the hope of the case being simplified by having the killer isolated on a cruise ship was dashed. While she wasn’t quite back to square one, it felt like it.

  And the more she looked, the more certain she became that the Springses had been killed shortly after arriving in their room. Vanessa had just enough time to change into her bikini. Being that Jack was naked, Mackenzie assumed he had been attacked in the bathroom while getting ready to change. That or his being nude was some sort of symbolic gesture made by the killer—a gesture that Mackenzie could not yet decode.

  As she tracked the blood on the floor and the bathroom, she got a better picture of what had happened. One of the Springses—presumably the nude Jack—had been killed in the restroom and then moved to the bed so they could be posed in this carbon copy pose that had been present at the other scenes. The killer had come in invited and left without any of the other hurried occupants of the third floor any wiser.

  Hudson came back into the room with a frantic-looking woman trailing behind him. She was dressed in crew member attire and looked to be in her early fifties.

  “Agents, this is Dana Crosby, the events coordinator,” Hudson said.

  Mackenzie wanted to waste no time. If the killer had managed to get off of the boat before it embarked on its brief journey, time was literally slipping away with every second.

  “Mrs. Crosby, I’m wondering if there were any private events scheduled for this cruise.”

  “Yes, there was, actually,” she said. “I was looking into it when Bill called me. It was just a reunion of some childhood friends, I believe.”

  “And did money have to pass hands to book such an event?”

  “Yes. Five thousand dollars was paid per night to have the lower decks club for two hours on both nights.”

  “How many people were supposed to take part in that event?” Mackenzie asked.

  “In the neighborhood of sixty people,” she said. “Mostly married couples, I believe. I’m working to get a full list of those attending. The Springses were among them, though. I know that for sure.”

  “And who paid you the five thousand dollars per night?” Mackenzie asked.

  “Well, the money didn’t come to me. I was just the liaison. But booking and scheduling was my duty.”

  “Did you meet the person that booked the club?”

  “Yes. She’s currently being questioned by some of Bill’s security guys. As I was coming down to meet with you, I believe I saw some of the police also heading her way.”

  “Where is she right now?”

  “On the pool deck on the top floor.”

  “Could you take me to her?”

  They made their way back out into the corridor and packed into the elevator. Things felt rushed and hurried as their little group went up: Mackenzie, Ellington, Crosby, Rodriguez, and Hudson. But that was fine with Mackenzie. Working at a fast pace made her feel like she was getting somewhere. Even when they stepped off on the upper pool deck and the suspicious glances of the ship’s attendants fell on her, she felt like their gazes were pushing her along, closer to closing this case.

  Dana Crosby led them to where several uniformed men were speaking with a young woman. She was quite striking, her blonde hair falling perfectly along the sides of her face and over her shoulders. She was dressed in a bathing suit that wasn’t quite as tight and revealing as the one Vanessa Springs had died in. Mackenzie guessed her to be in her early thirties.

  Mackenzie made her way through the small crowd of security officers and policemen. She showed her ID quickly, watching as Ellington did the same beside her.

  “I’m Agent Mackenzie White,” she said quickly. “I understand that you had organized some sort of event to take place during the cruise. Is that correct?”

  “Am I in some sort of trouble?” the woman asked.

  “Not if you’re honest with us. We believe the murders onboard are directly related to a sensitive case. I have no time to waste and honestly won’t tolerate anything less than cooperation. So please don’t try to paint a prettier picture than the one I need to see. This event…what was it really?”

  The woman frowned and Mackenzie realized that she had not even asked for the woman’s name. She corrected this immediately, not wanting to seem impersonal and cold. “What’s your name?” she asked.

  “Alexa Myers.”

  “Alexa…listen. The couple that was murdered…I know the sort of things they were into. So just tell the truth. As long as you aren’t connected to them in any real way, your involvement with this can end right here by this pool.”

  With a sigh, Alexa nodded and said: “It was a swingers event. We called it Coupling Couples. It was an invite-only kind of thing.”

  “And how was it decided who would be invited?”

  “I got hooked on this whole thing awhile ago and somehow ended up being the sort of leader of a group of swingers. We started having two events a year—usually at my house, but, as it got bigger, at private venues.”

  “And I assume this is what you had rented the club below decks for?” Mackenzie asked.

  “Yes.”

  Mackenzie turned to Dana Crosby. “Did you have any idea about this?”

  “Absolutely not.” The disgust on her face was genuine. Mackenzie believed her and sort of pitied her.

  “Alexa, I need a list of everyone onboard that was invited to that event.”

  “I…I can’t,” she said. “I have to respect their privacy.”

  “Was there a contract signed?” Mackenzie asked.

  “No.”

  “Then that’s a non-issue. Mrs. Crosby has people running around the ship, trying to put a list together. But if you could just hand over a list, you’d save us hours of work and potentially help us get that much closer to catching a killer.”

  Alexa looked all around the deck, then glanced up to the darkness of the night sky. “Shit,” she said.

  “Alexa?”

  “It’s in my room.”

  “I’ll escort you to get it,” she said. “Mr. Hudson, would you mind coming along as well?”

  Bill Hudson, also looking rather disgusted (but maybe a little intrigued, too) nodded. Alexa led them away from the pool and back to the elevators. Macke
nzie looked back down the deck to where Ellington was speaking with Rodriguez and, behind him, the ship’s guests mingled in a nervous chatter.

  She glanced at her watch and saw that it was 1:07 in the morning.

  Looks like it’s going to be a sleepless night. She stepped into the elevator with Alexa and Hudson and they headed down. She wondered if the killer had used this elevator. She wondered if the killer knew Alexa.

  And worse than all of that, she wondered how far away the killer was, escaping through the streets of Miami, while she was chasing her own tail on a cruise ship.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  While Mackenzie had accompanied Alexa to her cabin, Ellington had been working with Rodriguez and some of the other members of Bill Hudson’s security team. When they all reconvened in Hudson’s small and cramped quarters below deck, Mackenzie had a printout of the participants of Alexa’s swinging event. Meanwhile, Ellington had learned a few rather depressing things about the ship’s security system—mainly that there wasn’t much of a system at all.

  There were three cameras on each floor. They were positioned in a way that captured the length of each arm of the hallways. There were a few others on the pool decks and in the large lobby that connected the four different dining locations, but that was all. Really, though, that was all they needed.

  Hudson pulled up the feed from the camera along the stretch of hall where room 341 was located. As he rewound the footage to go all the way back to when the Springses entered their room for the first time, Mackenzie started looking over Alexa’s list. Alexa, who had been asked to come along in the off-chance that their camera footage revealed anything and she might be able to provide a name to go with a face, stood at the opened doorway of Hudson’s office. She was quite nervous but seemed to be holding herself together well.

  While looking over the list, she kept an eye out for any familiar names: Kurtz, Sterling, Carlson. None of them showed up.