Tracking the Butcher

by William Joiner

  “We weren’t able to find out much because the press was there,” Kim said. “The media got wind of the girl who was dead, then wasn’t. For them, this is a double story. First, there’s the brutal attack, then there’s the supposed to be miraculous recovery. At least that’s the way they’re reporting it.”

  “Well, there goes our opportunity to keep Ms. Chambers’ survival under wraps,” Elgie said. “There were two weeks between the West Hollywood murder and the attempted murder of Ms. Chambers. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that his period of gratification is two weeks. Unfortunately, we’re going to have to move fast to get witnesses and suspects and get statements from them and alibis if they have them. Since Ms. Chambers is still alive, he may want a substitute. We should also clue the media and the public in on the fact that this man has killed before and is likely to kill again. First I need to call Captain Greer to be sure she’s okay with it.”

  Captain Maggie Greer spoke sharply with a raspy sounding voice.

  “What’s going on, Elgie?”

  Elgie explained the situation and asked if she wanted to wait and give a prepared statement. Or could they just informally advise the media about a potential serial killer.

  “Look Elgie, you know that you don’t have to clear it with me to talk to the press. You’re at the scene, tell them what you want the public to know. If you keep this quiet and someone else gets killed because you didn’t warn the public, you’d have to say something then—so why not now?”

  “Right, Captain, I’ll make a brief statement.”

  Upon returning to the crime scene Elgie, Kim, and Connors parked on the opposite side of the street and approached the horde of media staked out in front of the crime scene waiting for something to happen or get an official statement. One of the TV reporters recognized Elgie and grabbed his cameraman by the arm and hurried over to introduce himself with the cameraman taping.

  “Hello Lieutenant Reynolds, I’m Geraldo Lopez. May I have a few words about the situation here. I understand that a young woman was butchered, declared dead, but was not. She is currently in the hospital. Is this information correct?”

  “You have some of the basics right. The woman is currently in surgery, but she wasn’t dead or declared deceased by anyone. I cannot disclose her location for security reasons. Also, I can’t give you her name until her family’s been notified.” When the other reporters saw Mr. Lopez interviewing Elgie, they came running over and placed their microphones near Elgie’s face. “Can you guys back up a little bit.” The reporters complied.

  Geraldo Lopez’s cameraman put his hand to his earpiece, then spoke. “We’re going live in five, four, three, two…” the cameraman pointed to Geraldo Lopez. Chet Atkins Anchor of the Channel Three News spoke.

  “Our own Geraldo Lopez is on the scene of a brutal attempted homicide. Geraldo, can you fill us in on what’s going on there?”

  “Yes, Chet, a short while ago a woman was brutally beaten, stabbed multiple times, butchered really, and left for dead. She was in fact thought to be dead. Los Angeles County Coroner’s Investigator Andrew Long stopped short of declaring the woman deceased while he awaited the arrival of the paramedics to make the declaration. In the meantime, they discovered that she was alive. The woman is currently in an undisclosed hospital, and her name is being withheld pending family notification.”

  At this point, the other television reporters contacted their stations, and several went live as well. One of the newspaper reporters asked Elgie a question.

  “Is this attack an isolated incident?”

  “No, it isn’t. My colleague Detective Quinn Kim can fill you in on that.”

  Elgie stepped back as Detective Kim stepped up.

  “I was informed by the West Hollywood Division of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department that there was a similar attack two weeks ago,” she said. “That woman died on the scene. I cannot go into detail except to say the attacks appeared to have been committed by the same perpetrator.”

  One of the other television reporters asked a question.

  “Detective Kim, were these women prostitutes?”

  “At this time, they appear to have been.”

  “Are we talking about a potential serial killer?”

  “Yes, I believe so.”

  Another newspaper reporter asked a question.

  “Lieutenant Reynolds, what are you calling this killer?”

  “I hadn’t given it much thought, but I think Mr. Lopez’s assessment was correct. These women were butchered. Let’s just call him what he is: ‘the Butcher.'”

  Elgie, Kim, and Connors walked through the crowd of reporters to the barricade tape. Elgie spoke to Sergeant Pool who was still at his post. They went over to the evidence collection coordinator, and Elgie introduced himself and his teammates. The coordinator gave her name—Sergeant Georgia Prescott. Elgie asked Sergeant Prescott if they had found anything of value to their investigation. She said she had.

  “We found one of Ms. Chambers’ teeth with a substance that looks like cowhide. The type of cowhide found on work boots or work gloves. We called the hospital to ask them to check Ms. Chambers’ teeth for anything foreign. They said there was a gum-like substance on her bottom, front teeth. We suspect it is probably from the sole of a work boot like the one I mentioned before. It appears she had been kicked in the mouth.

  “I asked the hospital staff to collect the substance, and they said they would follow police procedure and photograph the substance on her teeth, remove it, and put it in an evidence bag for us.”

  “Thanks for your help, Sergeant Prescott.”

  After visiting the crime scene, Elgie thought it was time to go pick up the files from the West Hollywood Sheriff’s Station. Kim called Detective Ronald Franks who informed her that the copy of the files was ready.

  When Kim, Connors, and Elgie arrived at the station, Kim picked up the files.

  “There is an office set up for you to examine the files,” the desk officer said. “It’s down the hall, first office on your right.”

  They entered a large office and took seats at the conference table.

  “Doctor Connors, would you look at the file and see if you can come up with a profile of our killer?”

  “Yes, I’ll try. Please permit me a moment to peruse the documents.”

  Doctor Connors studied the file regarding the murder of a known prostitute named Audrey Simpson. He also checked the Bad Trick List and found she hadn’t made any complaints. The interviews the detectives had conducted didn’t add any information they didn’t already have, which wasn’t much. The medical examiner’s report stated that the victim’s fingernails were clipped very low, lower than one would do themselves. The M.E. concluded that the killer probably cut her nails because she had scratched him.

  “I’ve reviewed the files, and it appears that I have sufficient information to give you a preliminary profile of the Butcher. It is likely that the perpetrator is a regular patron of the prostitutes on Sunset but kills some prostitutes and not others.

  “The reasoning for that conclusion is if he were trolling the boulevard and every time he picked up someone, they failed to return. They would ascertain something was amiss—especially with them keeping that Bad Trick List. The same applies if they never observed him procure any services from the young ladies. They would absolutely know he was dangerous. What he most likely does is he hunts like a lion after a gazelle. They select the gazelle that’s away from the herd. This killer’s selection process is the prostitute’s proximity to the pack. The ones away from the pack are picked off. That is the one he selects to practice his perverse style of butchery.

  “This offender is a sadistic individual. The use of the knife is indicative of sexual dysfunction. Since he doesn't rape the girls he just stabs them, it could be an act of penetration. Maybe he’s impotent, but that isn’t likely because he presumably has sexual intercourse with the other purveyors of sexual gratification. Of course, he could kill f
or an entirely different reason or no reason at all. Don’t pay any attention to all that. I’m just thinking out loud. I really believe he kills just because he likes to kill. And he uses a knife because he wants to torture them. Which is part of his fantasy, but that’s only speculation. An educated guess. There is not enough data here to develop any substantial conclusions.”

  “Since he is likely a regular trick he may have been arrested for solicitation of prostitution,” Elgie said.

  “That’s true,” Doctor Connors said. “Also, he may have been arrested as a juvenile or in his early twenties as an abuser of animals. The rationale for this conclusion is that this is a common behavior of serial killers in their formative years. The longer he tortured animals, the less cautious he was and most likely at some point he got caught. Based on his current level of competence I would assume he is between the ages of twenty-five and forty.”

  “Great job, Doctor Connors, we have a place to start,” Elgie said. “We can check for solicitation of prostitution cross-referenced with animal abuse arrests. To be thorough, we should check into Norman. In his mind, he was dumped two weeks ago by a prostitute and maybe he was killing a surrogate. What did Audrey Simpson look like?”

  “It says here she was blond, five-seven, one-hundred-ten pounds.”

  “Ms. Chambers is five-four around one-hundred pounds with strawberry blond hair,” Elgie said. “Blond hair makes it close enough. It’s hard to find a strawberry blond. What do you think?”

  “That sounds okay,” Kim said, “but how do we prove it—or disprove it?”

  “First we find Norman and work from there,” Elgie said.

  As the team left the Sheriff’s Station, the rain stopped. The clouds began to drift away, and the full moon showed itself. It felt like a brand-new day full of hope. Their optimism would prove to be premature. They had no way to know what type of mind they were dealing with.

  Chapter Four

  “I’m hungry,” Detective Kim said. “Are y’all hungry?”

  “I’m not, how about you, Doctor Connors?”

  “I am a little hungry.”

  “What time did you two start work?” Elgie asked.

  “We came on at eight this morning, Boss,” Kim replied. “Or is that eight yesterday morning? Yeah, yesterday morning.”

  “Well, I think you two should go home and get some rest, and I’ll follow up with Doctor Biggs when he finishes in surgery. That shouldn’t take too much longer. You can drop me off at my house, and I’ll see you back at LAPD Headquarters at four this afternoon.”

  “Will do, Boss,” Kim said.

  “Oh, I forgot,” Elgie said, “we need to be sure that this offender doesn’t have any victims elsewhere. So, before you go home use ViCAP to enter the information on West Hollywood’s homicide and our attempt. Make sure to input as much information as possible including the photos from Audrey Simpson’s murder and autopsy and Michelle Chambers’ photos from the crime scene. And of course, Connors, you’ll have to enter your profile and whatever information Kim may want to add.”

  “Alright, sir, we’ll see you at four at Headquarters,” Connors said.

  “Oh, and why don’t you guys stop and get something to eat.”

  When Kim dropped Elgie at home, Elgie went straight inside, down the hall to his bedroom where Vanessa was on the computer.

  The computer they had in the bedroom was the one that Vanessa used for her work as a financial planner. Elgie also used it for work, so it was password protected, and documents were encrypted.

  “Hello, Elgie.”

  “Vanessa, why are you still up?”

  “Because I thought you would come in and I wanted to see you,” Vanessa said in a soft voice, one Elgie thought was sensual no matter what she actually said. “I know you’re usually out most of the night when you’re on a case, which is all the time, except when you were on desk duty. You worked regular hours for once. The only problem was you were miserable at work, but happy at home. I loved that—the happy at home part, not the miserable at work part. I also love the fact that you go out like a knight from mythology and slay the dragons. Only your dragons disguise themselves as human beings. I guess you’d call it a mixed blessing.”

  Elgie and Vanessa sat and talked for some time. Something they seldom have time to do because of Elgie’s work schedule.

  While Vanessa and Elgie had been talking for over an hour and enjoying each other’s company Elgie’s cell phone rang.

  “That was the hospital. Doctor Biggs says Michelle Chambers made it through surgery and is resting comfortably. She should be awake in a couple of hours.”

  “Is she the one that they’re talking about on TV?”

  “Yes, that’s her.”

  “The miracle girl. Is that her?”

  “The miracle girl?”

  “Yeah, that’s what they’re calling her because she was dead, then alive.”

  “Well, she was never really dead, she just appeared that way.”

  “That’s the way they’re reporting it on TV,” Vanessa said.

  “They’re exaggerating. She’ll be awake in about two hours, and I plan to be there. Her family won’t be there, someone should. Besides, she’s a victim and a witness. She’s the only living person we know of who’s seen the Butcher.”

  “Do you mind if I go with you? I promise I’ll be quiet.”

  “Sure, I’d love for you to come. Are you going to drive?”

  “No, you go ahead and drive.”

  They talked for another two hours, then they left for the hospital. As Elgie backed his blue Honda Civic out of the garage, he thought about the fact that he hadn’t driven much in quite a while. The reason was simple—he had been drinking, and he never drove while he was drinking or hung over. His parents were killed by a drunk driver when he was ten. He decided then and there that he would never drink and drive or allow anyone else to do so if he could help it. Over time he had gotten out of the habit of driving, except to and from work. On their way to the hospital, Elgie and Vanessa didn’t talk much, they just listened to the radio and sang along with several of the songs. Neither one of them could hold a tune, but they didn’t care. They were having fun.

  When Elgie and Vanessa arrived at the hospital, they stopped at the front desk and asked for Doctor Biggs. The doctor introduced himself, and Elgie introduced himself and Vanessa.

  “Ms. Chambers made it through surgery and is resting comfortably. When she awakens, we’ll know how much brain damage she suffered. By what I see in the EEG Ms. Chambers seems to be okay, but that doesn't tell us everything. Only time will tell us that.

  “I believe the nurse told you the perpetrator, whoever this person is, intentionally deflated her left lung. We have inflated the lung and will continue with oxygen to keep it inflated while the lung heals. The other wound below the belly button ruptured her intestinal tract. I used dissolving sutures to close up that wound.

  “We gave her some medication to help bring down the swelling in the cerebral cortex,” Doctor Biggs looked at his watch. “She should be awake in about fifteen minutes. You’re welcome to wait if you’d like.

  Vanessa looked at her husband, then replied, “Yes, we’ll wait.”

  “I’d better call Michelle’s roommate and let her know what’s going on,” Elgie said.

  The phone rang, and Jennifer Park answered.

  “Hello.”

  “Hi, this is Lieutenant Reynolds. I have good news, Ms. Chambers made it through surgery. The doctor says she’s resting but should be awake in the next fifteen minutes or so.”

  “That’s good news alright—I’ll come down to the hospital right now.”

  “Okay, we’ll see you when you get here. Goodbye.”

  In about ten minutes Nurse Wood came out to the waiting room. Ms. Park hadn’t arrived.

  “Lieutenant Reynolds, Ms. Chambers is awake.”

  “Thank you, may we see her?”

  “Of course, just follow me.” Nurse Wood conti
nued. “Keep in mind that the left side of her face is badly swollen, so she can’t speak very well. Fortunately, her jaw wasn’t broken. Otherwise, the oral surgeon would have had to wire her mouth shut. However, her two front teeth will have to be replaced with implants. Also, she’s been on oxygen to stabilize the lung her attacker pierced. And speaking of that, Ms. Chambers must use an oxygen tank for at least two weeks after she gets out of the hospital.”

  “Is she in pain?” Vanessa asked.

  “No, she’s not in pain because of the morphine, and we’ll give her some more pain medication before that wears off. However, she is a little groggy from the morphine.”

  “Will she be coherent enough to understand what’s going on?” Elgie asked

  “Yes, she’s awake and aware of where she is but has no memory of her past at this time. That may change as the swelling of her brain comes down more.”

  “So, she’ll understand when I tell her the Butcher may try to come back and kill her?”

  “Hello Michelle, I’m Lieutenant Elgie Reynolds of the Los Angeles Police Department, but you can just call me Elgie. Are you beginning to remember anything?”

  When Michelle spoke, she opened her mouth cautiously due to her swollen jaw. That and the grogginess from the medication made her hard to understand.

  “No, I don’t remember anything except my name, and that’s because the nurse said it, and it sounded familiar. It’s really fucked up that I don’t even know who I am. I would be cryin’ except I don’t really know what to cry about because I don’t know what I’m missin’. I could be glad I don’t remember. At least that’s the thoughts that are swirlin’ around in my head anyway.”

  “Your roommate, Jennifer Park, is on her way down to see you. Maybe, she’ll look familiar to you. I also have your wallet here with your identification. I didn’t go all the way through it. You might want to do that. Maybe there’s something in it that’ll help you remember.”

  “I hope so.” Michelle turned to Vanessa. “Are you a cop too?”

  “No, I’m Elgie’s wife. My name is Vanessa.”

  “Hi, Vanessa. Now I know two people. I’m really on a roll.”