Tracking the Butcher

by William Joiner

  Elgie stepped out and spoke with Mr. Lopez. He informed the audience about the Butcher Tip Line and provided the phone number again. He also revealed that LAPD Headquarters had received a call from someone they believe was the Butcher. He told the audience about the threat to kill after midnight to warn the public of the potential danger.

  As the night went on, Kim made several arrests for solicitation of prostitution. However, she hadn’t gotten anyone that was out of the ordinary or tried to manhandle her in any way. Not one potential killer in the bunch. Emily Kendricks and Angie Harris were both able to identify their attackers. Elgie interviewed both of them.

  The first to be identified was the one that beat Angie Harris. The Sheriff’s Department had a laptop computer and miniprinter in the corner of the room where Elgie checked the suspect for priors. The man, who had been identified as Paul Rodson, had previous convictions for assaulting a prostitute and solicitation. Elgie read the suspect his rights, which he waived. Elgie began the interview.

  “Mr. Rodson, you have been positively identified as having assaulted another woman on the same street you assaulted the woman you went to jail for just a few months ago. Yes, we ran your record, and you’re in deep doo-doo. This is your opportunity to help yourself. If you admit to assaulting Angie Harris, I’ll make sure that the district attorney’s office knows you cooperated. They’ll probably make you a deal to avoid a costly trial.

  “If you go to trial, you’ll probably do at least three years in the penitentiary. You have prior assaults on your record, and that’ll count against you in the sentencing phase of your trial. And if you think you’ll win at trial, think again. The woman you beat is willing to testify. We also have hospital records, photos of the bruises, and a composite sketch that looks just like you. So, Mr. Rodson, how do you want to proceed?”

  “That girl, what’s her name, attacked me. Admittedly, I may have gone overboard, but she was fighting me. I had bruises and a black eye. I didn’t go to the doctor, but I have friends who saw it, and how scratched up I was. She scratched my arms and my face and tried to bite me. I’m telling you she fights like a wildcat. I think she must have been on drugs.”

  “Your story is that you were just defending yourself. Is that it?”

  “Yeah, that’s right.”

  “I don’t believe you and neither will a jury after they see the photos and what you did to her. That’s not self-defense, that’s assault. Now if you come clean, maybe you’ll have a chance. Because all the wounds I’m talking about are not consistent with a person trying to defend themselves. The wounds you inflicted were brutal and intentional.”

  “Look, I’m telling the truth, that bitch attacked me out of nowhere. I was only trying to protect myself.”

  “I don’t believe you, but even if you were telling the truth, you’re still guilty of assault because you hit her more than was necessary to get her off you. In addition to that, no one is going to believe that Ms. Harris attacked you without a weapon. I’ll tell you what, we’re going to talk about something else. You see, the assault on Ms. Harris was on December twenty-third, and one week later another prostitute was beaten, just like Ms. Harris and the woman you assaulted before. Except you stabbed her, didn’t you?”

  “Okay, I’ll admit it. I have a problem. I like to beat women. The only reason I stabbed that other girl was because she pulled that knife on me. I never carry a knife.”

  “Really, what about when you beat and stabbed Audrey Simpson on December thirtieth?”

  “I don’t know any Audrey Simpson.”

  “I know you didn’t know her. You don’t know any of the women you attack. You always pick strangers. Do you really expect me to believe that the only girls you’ve hurt are the ones where you got caught? Come on.”

  “Look I remember I beat up that girl on the twenty-third because it was two days before Christmas and I was going to my parents’ home for the holidays. I was there from Christmas until New Year’s Day. You can call them and check it out.”

  “Where do your parents live?”

  “Palm Springs.”

  “You could have driven up here from Palm Springs, killed Audrey Simpson, and made it back while your parents were asleep.”

  “Wait a minute, you never said anything about killing anyone. I never killed any girls.”

  “Why did you say, girls? I was only talking about one. Are there others we don’t know about?”

  “No, I just said girls because I thought you were going to blame me for some other girl’s murder.”

  “You know what I think? I think you killed another girl first. You didn’t mean to, but when you did, you felt a rush like you’ve never felt before. You just had to do it again. Just like beating women, when you did it once, you had to keep doing it.”

  “Alright, I have a problem with hitting prostitutes, but I always pay them. That’s what they’re there for, to please men. I just happen to get pleased by hitting. Admittedly, I went a little too far with that girl on the twenty-third, but I was just mad because she kept hitting me and scratching me. I’m telling you the truth, I never killed anybody. Now I’m tired of talking. I want a lawyer.”

  “Good, you’re going to need one because I’m going to find your other victim. The one you stabbed that didn’t show up to court because she was afraid of you and I will get her to testify. And I’m going to find that first woman you killed. I’ll see you in court…for murder.”

  A short while later Emily Kendricks identified the man that pulled a knife on her who had identification giving his name as Alan Reader. The interview went about the same as Mr. Rodson’s, except this one had a better story.

  “Yes, I pulled a knife on her because she was going to try to steal my wallet. When we got to the red light, she hugged me and felt for my wallet and found it. I had it hidden in the middle of my back stuffed in my pants because I know these women will steal from you if they can. I was pickpocketed by a prostitute before. That’s why I’m cautious now. And I carry that knife to scare these women away if they try to steal from me. I would never actually use it.

  “Anyway, I was scared that she would take my money, so I pulled the knife and was going to tell her to get out of the car. Before I could, she threw open the door and ran. She even left the door open. That’s how quick she wanted to get away. Look, I’m just a normal guy with a normal job and a normal life. I’m a Catholic, I go to Mass every Sunday, and I go to confession regularly. I would never intentionally hurt anyone. The only reason I get prostitutes is that I like the fact that I’m in control. That is until one steals from me. One time one of them put something in my drink that knocked me out, and she stole all my money. I just don’t want to be a victim again, that’s all.”

  Elgie went over to the table in the corner and shuffled through some papers until he found the one he was looking for. He then went back to the suspect.

  “Is your name Alan Reader?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “It looks like you have no convictions and no arrests. You’re as clean as you could be. Just give me a moment.”

  Elgie went back over to the observation room and addressed Emily Kendricks.

  “Did you hear all that?”

  “Yeah, I heard it.”

  “Is there any truth to what he’s saying?”

  “Yeah, but it wasn’t like he said. I don’t steal from my Johns. It’s not worth it. I’d rather have them come back to date me, not come back to shoot me. Yes, I hugged him, and yes, I brushed his wallet, but I wasn’t looking for it. If I was looking for it, I would’ve started with his back pocket. It’s starting to seem like this whole thing is a big misunderstanding on both our parts.”

  “Thank you for your honesty. Deidra, would you get one of the deputies to take Ms. Kendricks and Ms. Harris home.”

  “No worries, I’ll take care of it.”

  Elgie went back to the bait room.

  “Mr. Reader, you’re in luck. Ms. Kendricks verifies your story. She says
she wasn’t looking for your wallet. If she were, she would have started with your back pocket. That makes sense to me. I would think the first place a person would look for a wallet would be the back pocket. Did she touch your back pocket, Mr. Reader?”

  “No, I guess she didn’t. I accused this woman falsely and pulled a knife on her for no reason. That’s fucked up.”

  “It’s an honest mistake. I just want to tell you that carrying that knife is a bad idea. Eventually, someone’s going to either make you use it or hurt you for pulling it on them. I suggest you get rid of it.”

  “I think you’re right. This could have turned out much worse if that girl had lied. I would be in trouble, wouldn’t I?”

  “Yes, sir, you would.”

  Elgie went back into the observation room and spoke to Deidra.

  “So, what do you think about your interviews, Elgie?”

  “I think Paul Rodson is obviously the type of person we’re looking for, at least outwardly. Then Alan Reader pulled that knife on Ms. Kendricks. She was away from the other girls when he picked her up just like we believe the Butcher does. He had a good excuse prepared, and it was plausible. But he fits Doctor Connors’ profile in that he has a history of solicitation of prostitution because he admitted it. He could just be too clever to be caught so easily.”

  “So, you think that Alan Reader is a possibility?”

  “Yes, because the Butcher is cunning; that’s evidenced by the fact that he has committed murders without leaving any evidence behind. That’s hard to do with the state of forensic science today. Also, the Butcher is cool under pressure; that’s evidenced by the fact that he took the time to cut Audrey Simpson’s fingernails after he killed her. He stood there in an alley with a dead body and clipped her fingernails. That also means he brought nail clippers with him to the murder scene, so he’s prepared.”

  “Are you saying that Reader came prepared to be caught?”

  “Yes, if he’s the Butcher, I think so. Of course, he could be exactly as he appears.”

  “And what about Paul Rodson? He has a history of violence against women.”

  “Yes, but he’s gotten caught it’s unlikely he just got lucky on these other murders. Believe it or not, Reader makes a better suspect than Rodson. Of course, the Butcher said he would strike after midnight, and it’s not quite midnight yet. It could be that neither one of them is the Butcher.”

  “Why didn’t you press them? Both of them?”

  “Like I said, the Butcher’s cool under pressure. Going at him hard would have gotten me nowhere except to tell him I suspect him. But if either one of them is the Butcher, hopefully, the close call will keep him inside for the rest of Friday night and early Saturday morning.”

  Kim continued working the street away from all the other decoys to act as bait for the Butcher. Around twelve-ten Saturday morning, a man drove down the street and picked her up. Kim told the man to go to the motel, but he refused. Instead, he drove into an alley and pulled a knife.

  The man moved across the seat next to Detective Kim and pressed the knife against her side.

  “Get out of the car, bitch. Slowly.”

  Kim complied as the man kept the knife against her side tight enough that she could feel the point puncturing her skin. Once they got out of the ca, the man backed Kim behind a dumpster and into the corner. She knew her back up stood at the ready but had orders not to move until the man tried to attack her. He had no way of knowing that the man had the knife against Kim’s side. Then the man spoke.

  “I’m going to cut you up, bitch,” the man said. “I’m going to do you like the other girls.”

  That was the cue, her backup should be on his way to the alley. It would take him less than a minute to get there. In the meantime, Kim kicked the man in his testicles. He dropped the knife and bent over while holding his crotch. The detective grabbed the man’s shoulders. Pushed him back and hit him on the left side of his jaw with a right hook knocking him down. Kim then pulled her gun from a thigh holster and said: “you’re under arrest.” The backup unit just arrived in time to see the detective pull her weapon.

  “You don’t seem to need any help. The least I could do is cuff the suspect.” The deputy addressed the man. “Come on, get up,” the officer helped him up. “Put your hands behind your back.”

  Then Kim heard the familiar sound of handcuffs closing; it was comforting. The backup officer searched the man for weapons and found none. After the arrest, the suspect was taken to the motel where Kim interviewed him. First, she read him his rights, then asked if he wanted to waive them. He said no.

  “I don’t want to talk to you. You hit me for no reason. Why did you do that? I’m going to file a complaint with the sheriff’s department.”

  “I don’t work for the sheriff’s department, I’m an LAPD detective. I’m Detective Quinn Kim. What’s your name?”

  “Alexander Deorader.”

  “Okay Mr. Deorader, do you have any identification?”

  “Yes, it’s in my wallet.”

  “I’m going to take the handcuffs off you so you can get your identification.”

  Deorader stood up, took his wallet out, and handed the ID to Kim. She told Deorader to sit back on the bed while she went to the computer to run him for priors. Mr. Deorader had no record.

  “Well, you don’t have a record, but for some reason, you pulled a knife on me, forced me out of the car, and put me into a corner by a dumpster. What’s that all about?”

  “You were supposed to scream. Why didn’t you scream? You know that’s part of the game.”

  “What game are you talking about?”

  “You know when I scare you, and you scream. The louder you scream, the more I pay you. Haven’t you guys heard about me? All the girls know who I am.”

  “Okay, I’m going to put the cuffs back on you. Have a seat, and I’ll check out your story.” Kim went over to the observation room. “Senior Seals, is Deorader telling the truth about this knife game?”

  “I’ve heard about something like that, but I’m not sure that’s the guy. He could just be saying that to get out of trouble. Since this guy has never been arrested and he’s not on the Bad Trick List, he could be telling the truth.”

  Back in the bait room, Kim continued questioning Deorader.

  “You’re telling me you pay girls to scream?”

  “Yes, as bizarre as it may sound, that is what I like.”

  “And what do you do, masturbate after the screams?”

  “I don’t think I want to go into that. It’s my personal business. I’m through talking now. Either you’re going to give me a citation and let me go, or you can arrest me for my little game. What’s it going to be.”

  “You’re going to jail until we can verify your story or you bail out. If you bail out and get a court date and if your story checks out, we’ll call the district attorney’s office and let them know.”

  Kim went back into the observation room to check in with Elgie.

  “So, what do you think, Boss?”

  “I think we have three good suspects: Alan Reader, Paul Rodson, and your Mr. Deorader.”

  “What about his knife game?” Kim asked.

  “If that’s true all that means is that he puts the prostitutes at ease with him,” Elgie said. “If they think it’s a game, he can easily get them into an alley, on the side of a dumpster, and attack them with no initial resistance. Everything he did with you is consistent with the behavior we are attributing to the Butcher. It would explain how he got Audrey Simpson into the alley and behind a dumpster. High-priced prostitutes don’t have sex in alleys. Once they went into that alley, she would have been suspicious, but she wasn’t.”

  “So, I’m not crazy. I kept thinking that knife game stuff was just too good an excuse for the way he attacked me. When he got me behind that dumpster, I thought ‘this is the guy.’ I’m glad I was right. So, what are we gonna do with him?”

  “Nothing, for now, we have three suspect
s. All of them seem good for it. We’ll just have to do some real detective work to prove if either of them is the Butcher.”

  After Deorader was taken into custody by the sheriff’s department, Kim went back out on the street catching other dates, but not a murderer in the bunch. Or at least it didn’t appear to be. On her last time in, it was time to call it a night.

  “It’s almost one in the morning,” Deidra said. “It’s time to pack it up.” Deidra got on the radio and told Deputy Warren to have the decoys brought in—they were preparing to leave.

  “One quick thing, Deidra,” Elgie said. “I want to know if we can take over the Audrey Simpson case since she is one of the Butcher’s victims?”

  “Of course, I’ll tell the senior deputy in homicide and have him send you the file.”

  “That’s not necessary, I already have a copy.”

  “Then you’re all set.”

  Upon their return to the tip line office, Elgie had a few words for Kim and Connors.

  “You did a great job out there today, Kim,” Elgie said. “And Doctor Connors, thank you for covering the office, did anything happen we should know about?”

  “No, Lieutenant, everything was fairly quiet in your absence. That is until your scheduled appearance on television. That is to say, your voice was on television. That’s when things got hectic, but there were no telephonic communications that required in-person formal inquiries.”

  “Great, you guys go on home now, and I’ll see you in the morning at nine. But stay by the phone, it’s early for the Butcher, he said he could pick up a cheating wife at a bar, and they’re still open for another thirty minutes. He may strike again this morning.”

  He was out again hunting but only for harder prey this time. Not really harder prey, in some ways easier prey. He didn’t have to find one alone, they were all alone. These women that come to these clubs to cheat on their husbands. They would sit and wait for a man to come over to them except the enterprising ones who had a few too many drinks would venture over to the lone man at the bar. It wasn’t much time left before the bars closed so he had to select the right spot for his hunt. He would find a woman easy because she was still sitting alone close to last call. He went into a club and found his prey alone in a corner booth. He’d have sex with her and kill her in the morning. He’d have to be late for work. It takes time to clean up and dump the body.