by BJ Wingate
“Excuse me. Can I help you?” Jessica’s soft voice cut through the noise better than anything else would have. All four of the men before her stopped talking at the same time. The sandy haired man turned to face her.
“I want to know what is going on. Where is Calvin? Is he in trouble or something? Tell me damn it!” He started toward Jessica and Tony stuck his hand against the man’s chest.
“Hold up there buddy.” Tony said in his no-nonsense voice. The man glanced at Tony but turned back to Jessica.
Jessica stepped off the last step to face this man. He was easily three inches taller than she was even in her heels. “What I think we need first, sir, is your name and who Calvin is to you.”
The man blinked, looked at Jessica, then Tony and the uniforms and back to Jessica. “My name is Robert Carver. Calvin and I have been friends for a long time. We were out drinking last night, and I wanted to make sure he had made it home safe.” Robert ran a hand through his hair, messing it up a bit. “So, did Calvin make it home? Where is he? Can I talk to him?”
Jessica sighed. “Let’s step outside Mr. Carver.” She motioned toward the door and, laying a hand on his arm, kept his attention away from the living room.
Jessica and Robert stepped outside the front door with Tony in their wake. Motioning to a chair that sat on the small porch, Jessica indicated that Robert should sit down. At first, he hesitated but then did as she suggested.
“I’m sorry to have to tell you this Mr. Carver, but your friend Calvin is dead. He was murdered late last night or early this morning.” Jessica watched as his eyes went wide with shock.
“How? By whom? I don’t … I don’t get it. We were out having a good time last night. Then I realized just how late it was and headed home.” Robert Carver looked ready to jump up again and Jessica moved closer to try and keep him in the chair.
“We don’t know by whom he was killed Mr. Carver, but I’m hoping you might be able to help us in that.” Jessica still carried the wedding picture in her hand, and she showed it to Robert. “Is this Mr. Douglas’s wife?”
Robert glanced at the picture. “Ex-wife. She ran off on him then mailed the divorce papers for him to sign. He didn’t even know where she was. Still doesn’t. He had to send them back to a P.O. Box.” He ran his hand through his hair again. “If she was involved, I can see her killing him, but she had already taken him for most of what he had. He moved in here after all that. This was his parents’ house.”
Jessica nodded. “We surmised that. Only one room in the house was changed. The bedroom where he slept, I assume.”
Robert nodded. “Yeah. Calvin thought it would be disrespectful to them if he changed it all. But he wanted to. Then again, he didn’t really have the money for all that either.”
At that moment, two men came out the front door with a stretcher and the victim’s body in a body bag. Robert literally pushed Jessica back a step to stand up.
“Where are they taking him? I … I’ll have to see to the arrangements for him.” Robert swallowed.
“He doesn’t have any living relatives to do that?” Jessica said as she watched the body being loaded into the morgue wagon.
“Not really. There are a few cousins out west somewhere, but they never really stayed in touch. Calvin and I were close enough that I know what he wants … wanted that is.” Robert sighed and pushed his hand through his hair again.
Jessica nodded and got Robert’s address and other information. Then she told him to go talk to the morgue wagon driver before they left, and he bounded down the stairs to do exactly that. Once he was out of earshot, Tony leaned toward Jessica a bit, eyes on Robert.
“Think he had anything to do with it?” Tony asked quietly
Jessica shook her head. “No, he was too upset. I didn’t tell him how his friend was murdered though. I’d like to keep it that way. Just in case he is a particularly good actor. We can bring him into the office later for further questioning.”
Tony nodded and went back inside. Jessica stood watching as Robert got the information from the morgue wagon driver. He reached out and touched the side of the van as they started to drive off then stepped back. He stood there watching the van drive down the road before turning to look back at Jessica for a minute. After that, Robert walked to his vehicle, a late model Chevy SUV, and drove off.
Jessica found herself hoping that Robert Carver would be okay. He seemed like a nice man who had really cared about his friend.
Seventeen
Alyson drove down one street and up another looking at houses, imagining how they might be furnished inside and how she would furnish one. On one street she had to go a lot slower as traffic was barely moving. It wasn’t long before she found out why. Half the street at one point was crowded with police cars and most of the people driving by kept looking over to see what was going on. As she passed, she glanced over herself just in time to see a black bag on a stretcher being loaded into a van. She could see the letters Mor on the side, but part was blocked by the open back door. When a man pulled the door around to close it, she saw Morgue on the side of the van and gasped. Had they just loaded a body in the back of that van? What had happened? She blinked and started to speed up, but the traffic was still going slow, so she meandered with it. A short time later, as she turned a corner, she saw the Morgue van drive by her.
At that point, Alyson started to feel sick to her stomach so she headed home as quickly as she could get there. Once inside her small apartment, she was ill and rushed to the bathroom to throw up. After that, she walked to the living room, settled on the couch and turned on the news. Nothing came across about a murder, at least not yet, so she watched a movie or two while waiting for the evening newscast to come on.
* * *
Vanessa knew the police had found Calvin’s body. She hoped that Robert wouldn’t tell them about her being with them at the bar but there was that possibility. She couldn’t be sure if Robert would go back to the same bar that night, but she would watch and wait to see if he did. Maybe comforting him would help her feel better about Calvin. She would have to bide her time until that evening to find out for sure.
* * *
Back at the precinct, Jessica added one more picture to the board and one more location to the map. The house where this one had occurred was outside of the others. Could the killer be searching for better areas? Or was it perhaps because of the victim himself. If the killer followed him home that might be why it was so far outside the normal range. She debated that idea with herself for a time. Then her phone rang.
“Jessica Roberts.” She answered.
“Jessica, its Connor. Just got a call for another body. They didn’t think this one tied into the Slicer’s MO, but it does or seems to. You might want to head out here.” He rattled off an address and Jessica wrote it down with a sigh.
“Thanks Connor. Tony and I will head out now.” With that Jessica hung up the phone, went and found Tony in the break room and together they headed out.
This one was in a trailer park and from the smell as they walked in, it was obvious the victim hadn’t been discovered for quite a while. Connor met her at the door and offered both Tony and her a little vial with a cream to put under their noses. It didn’t cover the smell entirely, but it helped.
“Okay, so what do we have this time?” Jessica said as they slipped the paper covers on their shoes.”
“This one is a bit different.” Connor stated. “For one thing he was apparently killed here in the kitchen and dragged back to the bedroom.” He indicated an old blood spill on the kitchen floor and the drag marks. “Doesn’t seem as if it was an easy thing for the killer to do either. The dragging I mean. Whoever it was stopped a few times as you can see from the bigger blood stains along the hall.” He pointed them out as Jessica and Tony followed him back to the bedroom.
As they stopped just inside the bedroom door, the first thing Jessica noticed was the state of the body. It was bloated and dark as if it had lain in that
spot for some time. The killer obviously did this to conceal the body but why this one when she or he hadn’t bothered with the others? She glanced around the room and saw the closet door half open.
“What’s with the closet door?” Without waiting for an answer, Jessica stepped past the body and pushed the door the rest of the way open. A few female clothing items hung inside, and some lay on the floor in the bottom. She took note of that fact before opening the other side. Men’s clothing was hung on that side. The victim’s obviously. The women’s clothing, what was there, were too small to have been his, if he were a crossdresser that is. What was more interesting was that it seemed as if a lot of the clothing was missing. Had someone taken them before the victim was murdered or after? Could it have been a woman and she took advantage of the clothing left here by … who? An ex-wife? Lover? Who? That was something she needed to check into when she got back to the precinct.
Back at the precinct, Jessica talked to the captain briefly then addressed all the uniforms about to go on duty for the evening shift.
“Okay, this is what we have so far.” Jessica started quietly. The uniforms all watched her as she spoke. Tony stood off to one side. “The killer that the media has nicknamed the ‘Slicer’ could be a woman or it could be a small man who cross-dresses. Either way this person is deadly. He or she uses a thin bladed knife to slash their victim’s throats and appears to like doing so with the victim facing away. Now we understand that you won’t know who the victim is, but we do want you to keep an eye out around any and all bars in your areas. If you see a couple leaving together sort of keep an eye on them. You may or may not be able to prevent a murder that way.” She hesitated for a minute. “Above all else, be safe out there.” She nodded to the watch commander who took over and gave assignments out.
Eighteen
Alyson was tired. She seemed to be all the time anymore and considering the amount of sleep she was getting she couldn’t understand why. The idea her doctor had had about sleepwalking made her wonder if that could be true, so she called her mother’s house early on Saturday morning but didn’t get an answer. Maybe her mother and her current boyfriend were out and about. That or they were ‘busy’ at home and not answering the phone. Alyson settled in to watch the TV for a bit and the news came on.
“A man’s body was found in a trailer late yesterday afternoon. Reports say the victim had been there for at least several days but the exact time has not been released as of yet. The identity of the victim is being withheld pending contact with family. This was the second body found on the same day, the other one having been found earlier in the day. Both men are thought to be the victims of the Slicer, as some are calling the killer. In other news …”
Alyson changed the channel at that point. As much as she liked keeping up with current goings on in the world, two murders in one day was a bit much. She settled in a bit better on the couch and found a good action movie to watch, hoping the noise would keep her awake. It didn’t.
Two hours later, Alyson was awakened by the ring of her telephone. She answered it groggily. “Hello?” She was surprised to hear her mother’s voice on the other end.
“Hello mom.” Alyson said softly. “You got my call?”
“Well, no, not exactly. I’m not at home.” Mary Elizabeth, Alyson’s mother, sounded unsure of herself for some reason. Alyson got up, went to the kitchen, fixed herself some buttered toast which she put on a paper plate that she carried to the couch. “What do you want this time.” She settled in expecting a long-drawn-out story.
The humph that came from the other end was definitely her mother. “Why do you always say that? As if I only call when I need something?” Mary Elizabeth said, sounding indignant.
Alyson sighed. “Maybe because you do. Last time you asked for money. The time before you said you were trying to get away from the man you were living with and needed a place to crash. That time I left you alone in the apartment and came back to find you had taken a few things you thought you could sell and left. So, I ask again, what do you want mother.”
Mary Elizabeth sighed. “Okay, if you must know, I’m at the police station.”
Alyson blinked. “At the police station? What did you do? Are you being arrested?”
“No, well, not exactly. I, um, I stabbed Leroy. I didn’t kill him mind you and it was in self-defense but, you know.”
Alyson closed her eyes then frowned. “Who is Leroy? And how did you come to stab him?”
Mary Elizabeth hesitated a minute. “I … um … it’s a long story and I’d really rather you come down here instead of me trying to tell you all of this on the phone. And I may need a lawyer.”
“A lawyer, really. Was the stabbing in self-defense?” Alyson took a bite of her toast and waited.
“In a way. I really don’t want to talk about this over the phone. Can you be a dear and come down here? Please?” Mary Elizabeth actually sounded contrite for once.
Alyson considered her options. She could say yes, find out what station her mother was at, then call and find out exactly what was going on or she could just ignore it. Let her mother rot for a change. Briefly she considered just leaving her there.
“Fine mother, which station are you in?” Alyson got a pen and a piece of paper to jot the address down on. “Okay I know where that one is. But a lawyer? Mom I don’t have money enough for that. If they say you need one you will have to take what they give you. I have to go change clothes before I head down there so hanging up now. Talk soon.” And with that she hung up the phone.
Alyson waited a few minutes then called information and got the number of the station. She called and asked about her mother stating that she had a call from her and was wondering what was going on. Briefly she was told that it was a domestic problem. That the two, her mother and a man named Leroy who claimed to be living with her, had been fighting. Mary Elizabeth had told them that Leroy had started choking her and to get free she grabbed a steak knife and stabbed him. Leroy was now in the emergency room and was going to make a full recovery. But he was wanting to press charges against Mary Elizabeth for attempted murder.
Exactly one hour after Mary Elizabeth had called Alyson, Alyson was sitting in the station waiting to talk to a detective and see if she could take her mother home.
Nineteen
Jessica looked at the new case file someone had dropped on her desk. Basically, it was a domestic problem having to do with a woman stabbing the man who claimed to be living with her after he choked her. Jessica sighed and read over the statement given by one Mary Elizabeth Harding, aka Mary Elizabeth Roberts, aka Mary E. Jenkins. Jessica shook her head wondering if the woman had actually married three men or had just lived with them. She glanced at the file she had pulled out on Mary Elizabeth and read it over. The woman had a rap sheet for drug use, being arrested for prostitution, as well as several noise violations and other small petty things. How the woman remained free was anyone’s guess. She flipped a page and saw a notation that Mary Elizabeth had a daughter Alyson.
Jessica glanced at the birthdates of both women and quickly figured out that Alyson would be twenty-five or so now and Mary Elizabeth was in her early sixties. She glanced at the picture of Mary Elizabeth that had been taken earlier. The woman didn’t look that old. Her hair had to be dyed to be that shade of red and she obviously wore heavy makeup. She had also been wearing a bright red silk blouse over a short black skirt. She must have had Alyson later in life than most women did. Jessica sighed again and stood up, having received word that Alyson Harding was in the waiting area.
Walking out to the area, Jessica looked around and spotted a woman wearing dark brown pants and a brown v neck sweater with the neck of a white t-shirt peeking out. That had to be Alyson. She was so totally opposite of the woman in holding. Vaguely Jessica remembered seeing her or a woman very much like her the day the body of the young man had been found in the park. She couldn’t remember off hand exactly where she had seen her, but she would remember, even
tually.
Jessica walked over and stopped in front of the woman. “Alyson Harding?”
Alyson looked up. “Yes, that’s me.”
Jessica nodded. “Come on back with me so I can give you a rundown on what’s going on with your mother.”
Alyson nodded, stood up and followed Jessica through a door and into a noisy area. At a desk piled with papers and stuff, she was offered a chair and sat down beside the desk.
Jessica took her own seat. “Okay. This is what we have so far. Apparently, your mother, Mary Elizabeth was residing with a Mr. Leroy Arnold. At least that is what he says. She says he was just spending a night or two then going home. We have yet to find out where that home is or should be. Anyway, they got into a fight. He says she was wanting him to do something he didn’t want to do, and she says he was trying to rape her. She grabbed a knife and stabbed him in the leg. Not enough to do serious damage but enough to make him let her go and back off. She went running out the front door screaming for the police and a neighbor called 911.” Jessica took a breath and sat back.
Alyson shook her head sadly. “I’m sorry if my mother is causing problems.”
Jessica’s eyebrows went up. “Problems. I suppose you could look at it that way. Have you ever known her to act in this way before?”
Alyson looked up at Jessica blinking her eyes. “I … ah … well, that’s to say … .“ She stopped and looked at her hands in her lap. She was clutching her handbag so tightly her knuckles were white. “My mother has always had a problem with men. By that I mean she likes them a bit too much. They don’t always feel the same way towards her. Well, not really. They do for a time but when she starts being a bit too … needy they tend to dump her, and she goes into a rage.”
