Tracking the Butcher

by William Joiner

  “Of course, Honey,” Elgie said. “I’ll see you at our home away from home. I’ll be there when you get in. I don’t want to leave you and Michelle alone.”

  “Okay, Elgie, if you think that’s best.”

  “I do. See you later.”

  “Elgie,” Lieutenant Gray said, “Doctor Brooks is here.”

  “Okay, I want to talk to him. Tell him I’ll be right there.”

  Elgie left Lieutenant Gray’s office to speak to Doctor Brooks.

  “Doctor Brooks, I forgot to tell you on the phone, don’t bother with the other DNA tests. I think we can be fairly sure that we have our man. Now, all we have to do is prove it and catch him before he kills again.”

  Tuesday Elgie gets up at five in the morning, goes to his AA and task force meetings.

  “Good morning once again all,” Lieutenant Gray said. “I’m sorry to report—on second thought I’ll let Doctor Brooks deliver the news.”

  “Thank you, Lieutenant Gray,” Doctor Brooks said. “At Lieutenant Reynolds’ request, I tested an anonymous DNA sample and compared it to the known DNA profile of the Butcher. It matched. The DNA sample was collected without the subject’s knowledge. The anonymous DNA belongs to Justin McBean. It’s official, Detective McBean is the Butcher.”

  “What do you mean McBean is the Butcher?” Bywater said. “Are you sure you didn’t make a mistake on that DNA? Are you sure that hair belongs to the Butcher? The test could have been wrong. After all, you didn’t get it directly from McBean.”

  “Yes, I’m sure,” Doctor Brooks said. “There’s been no mistake. Lieutenant Reynolds says it’s McBean’s DNA and I have no reason to doubt him. But to be thorough, Lieutenant Reynolds had all of McBean’s things swabbed by my staff and me to ensure there is no mistake prior to a trial, if there is one.”

  “Why didn’t we know you were investigating McBean? I’m his partner I should have known.”

  “We weren’t sure if he was safe,” Lieutenant Gray said. “The umpire had to make the call, that was done with the DNA analysis. Elgie didn’t want to ruin a man’s career without proof of wrongdoing.”

  “So, all of us were DNA tested to catch McBean?” Detective Harkness asked.

  “The other DNA tests have not been done,” Elgie said. “There’s no need to test the rest of you and the polygraph is unnecessary as well.”

  “So, you’re sure that McBean is the Butcher?” Bywater asked.

  “Yes,” Doctor Brooks said, “there’s no other explanation of why that hair was in the grave. Not just on a victim, but in the grave—then he ran rather than provide a DNA sample, which is very good circumstantial evidence on its own.”

  “Okay,” Elgie said. “with that information in hand after the meeting, I’ll call Captain Greer and request that a warrant be issued for McBean’s arrest and I’ll inform the media as well. Actually, you can call a press conference, Lieutenant Gray.”

  “No, that’s okay,” Lieutenant Gray said. “Call the press conference yourself and don’t forget to give them the numbers for the tip line as well as the task force office.”

  “Won’t you be there?” Elgie asked.

  “No, I think I’ll sit the bench on this one. I don’t want to try to explain how it is that I had the Butcher on my staff and didn’t know it, but you did. It might be a little embarrassing.”

  “I have no plans on giving the press that information.”

  “Yeah, but they’re going to ask, I know I would. Just tell them the truth. Just try not to make me look too bad.”

  “I don’t see how you can look bad in this situation at all. There’s no way you could have known he was the Butcher.”

  “Yeah, but you called the play right. You saw it was a foul ball when I thought it was a line drive. You solved this case while I sat on my hands. I know you want to be magnanimous and not take all the credit, but you earned it, and you should stand alone when you make the announcement that the case has been solved.”

  “Okay, Quinn and Lucas, I want you both by my side for this press conference. You both were instrumental in helping to solve this case, and I think you should take the credit for your participation.”

  “I didn’t really do nothing, Boss,” Quinn said. “Lucas was the one who came up with the profile that Detective McBean fit. Come to think of it, I shouldn’t call him detective anymore.”

  “We both have been instrumental in the successful conclusion of this investigation,” Lucas said. “You have been there from the onset of this endeavor, you aided in the development of the first profile. You deserve every acolyte that I or anyone else is entitled to.”

  “There’s also something I haven’t mentioned,” Elgie said. “I didn’t want to say anything in case I was wrong. I wanted it to only be my head on the chopping block. But Detective Quinn Kim is the person that actually collected the DNA sample.”

  “Yeah, I swabbed the coffee cup all right,” Quinn said, “but it was on your orders.”

  “Still,” Elgie said, “you’ve been on the case since day one, and you played an important role in solving the crime. I want you by my side.”

  “What about the rest of us?” Detective Harkness asked. “Aren’t we going to be part of the press conference?”

  “Yes,” Elgie said, “I think you should all be present for the press conference. But my team ought to be a part of it too. You see the problem. We’ll have a lot of people near the podium with nothing to say. Quinn and Lucas have been on this investigation from the beginning and helped develop the information I used to zero in on McBean. They are also my former partners, and I hope my future partners as well. I want them at my side. They also can answer questions about the development of the profile and the information that they entered in ViCAP.”

  “What’s ViCAP?” Detective Weinberg asked. “Sorry for my ignorance, but this is my first detective assignment.”

  “ViCAP is the Violence Criminal Apprehension Program,” Quinn said. “It does exactly what it sounds like.”

  “To be precise,” Lucas said. “It tracks violent crimes and associates crimes that may have gone undetected previously. It mostly tracks violent serial offenders. It is similar to the duties of our crime analyst, but her endeavors are on a local basis. Also, her job is to predict trends in crime and criminal activity. I don’t know if ViCAP does that. I don’t think so.”

  “Oh, that’s what a crime analyst does,” Weinberg said. “I was wondering about that too.”

  “Good, with that out of the way, let’s get back to catching McBean,” Elgie said. “Bywater, you were his partner. What do you know about his habits?”

  “Not much, really,” Bywater said, “we didn’t socialize outside of work although it wasn’t for lack of trying. He was just never interested. He always said he was busy after work. Now I know what he was busy doing.

  “As to the press conference, I think I’ll sit this one out. I know they’re going to ask me if I’m a detective, why didn’t I detect that I was working with a serial killer?”

  “Oh, that’s right,” Harkness said. “I think I’ll sit it out too.”

  “Doctor Brooks,” Elgie said, “I’ll need you there to talk about the DNA findings. They’re going to want to know the odds that the test is wrong. I won’t mention that I suspected him before the DNA results.”

  “You should,” Lieutenant Gray said. “You knew he was the Butcher before the DNA. You’re the one that ordered the DNA test in the first place.”

  “He’s right,” Doctor Brooks said, “they are going to want to know what prompted me to perform the test. By the way, the odds of it not being McBean who matches the DNA sample is thirty-billion to one. That’s more than the population of the whole planet—it’s a good solid match. It’s especially good when you consider that there’s only a small part of the DNA strand that is tested called the hypervariable region. The rest of the DNA just tells the cell how to make a human being. The hypervariable region tells the cell how to make a specific person.”


  “Great,” Elgie said, “that’s exactly why I need you there, Doctor Brooks, I’ve never heard of hyper whatever DNA. I’ll call the media liaison and have him set up the press conference. I hope to have it within the hour. Before they get the press here. I need to call Captain Greer and make sure that she puts the papers in terminating McBean so I can say former detective. I can also have a photo of him blown up for the press conference. Oh, I forgot, the media liaison does that. I also need to call his wife and tell her that her husband, the man she loves wasn’t the man she thought he was at all, but a serial killer. I have to tell her before she learns about it from the news. That’s all I have—I need to get to work. The floor is yours, Lieutenant Gray.”

  “Thanks, Elgie. If no one else has anything, you can get to work. Nothing, good—play ball. The hunt for Justin McBean begins.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  At the press conference, hard questions were asked that Elgie didn’t want to answer because it made the task force look bad, but there was no way to avoid them. He told them that McBean was no longer a police officer and that he suspected McBean based on Lucas’s profile. He also said that Quinn helped develop the first profile, which was the basis for all the refinements. He also stated that she collected the DNA sample that led to the identification of Justin McBean as the Butcher. After the press conference, Elgie called Vanessa at the hotel. She decided to work from there since she was concerned about Michelle being at the hotel with the one officer. Even though the officer was there, McBean had attacked her when she was being guarded before.

  Two weeks had passed with no sign of McBean. There were reports of him being sighted from Mexico to the wilderness in Alaska. All of these tips had to be checked out by the local police where the sightings occurred to no avail. At one point the police at the Canadian border arrested a man attempting to enter Canada with a passport with the name Justin McBean, but it was not the correct Justin McBean.

  Elgie’s arm was healing well, and the doctor told him that he could stop wearing the sling and wear a brace instead to protect the shoulder while it continued to heal.

  “Hi, Vanessa, it’s me again,” Elgie said.

  “Oh, hi, Ralph, my husband’s not home, you can come over.”

  “Very funny, Vanessa. Now on to why I called. I would like you to get a copper compression recovery shoulder brace for me. The doctor said I could get out of the sling now, and I need to get out of this sling in case McBean tries to get physical when I catch him.”

  “Alright, it’s against my better judgment, but I don’t want you to be an easy target either. This man has already tried to kill you once. I don’t want him to succeed this time.”

  “Don’t worry, Honey, I have no intention of letting him get me by surprise again.”

  “Good, all I can say then is go slay the dragon, Dear and I love you.”

  “I love you too. I’ll see you when I get home.”

  “Will you be home early tonight?”

  “Yes, probably so, I want to be sure I’m ready for the Butcher, or should I say, McBean. I hate to use foul language, but his ass is mine. I’ll get him.”

  The fifteenth day after McBean going on the run was hectic. There were more sightings of McBean: one from El Centro, just north of the Mexican border. There was even another call from Alaska saying he was camped out in the wilderness outside of Anchorage. Those were followed up by the local police but were dead ends. Then Sergeant Pool took a call from San Francisco.

  “Lieutenant, there’s a Lieutenant Alvarez from San Francisco who wants to talk to you about a killing up there.”

  “Put him through,” Elgie said. “Hello, this is Lieutenant Elgie Reynolds, Lieutenant Alvarez, I understand you have a murder that’s of interest to me.”

  “Yes, there was a murder of a woman, her body was dumped at the Bart Station on Market Street. Propped up against the wall that’s around the escalator going down into the station. She was discovered by a passenger who noticed she was bloody. Our medical examiner determined that this is a Butcher victim. She says there were twenty shallow knife wounds on her tummy, a deep one under her belly button, and a stab through the heart. Is that your man?”

  “Yes, that’s him, I’m coming up there. Can you have someone meet me at the airport?”

  “Yeah, I can do that. Just call me and give me your flight number. I’ll pick you up myself. I assume you want to see the crime scene?”

  “Definitely.”

  Elgie called Lucas in the task force office.

  “This is Doctor Connors, who’s calling, please?”

  “It’s me, Elgie.”

  “Oh, what can I do for you, Lieutenant?”

  “I want you and Quinn to join me on a trip to San Francisco. The SFPD believe McBean has killed a woman there.”

  “I surmised he couldn’t forego the need to create pandemonium for long. I’ll ask Lieutenant Gray. I’m going to put you on hold for a minute.” Lucas was back in less than a minute. “We’re clear to go. Shall we meet you in the tip line office?”

  “Yes, that would be great. See you in a minute.”

  Elgie called Vanessa. “Hi Vanessa, I just called to tell you that McBean struck again in San Francisco. Quinn, Lucas, and I are going to follow up.”

  “Can you stop by the hotel on your way? I have the shoulder brace for you.”

  “Thanks, Babe. You know, I’m always glad I married you, but it’s days like today that I really think about how lucky I am. Some cops’ wives worry and make the officer worry too. I know you worry about me, but you know I take my job seriously, and I’m cautious. You knew when you married me, you married the job too.”

  “Yes, I did, and I’ve never regretted it. I’ve loved every day. See you soon, Hun.”

  “Okay, see you in a few.”

  “Lieutenant,” Lucas said, “we are prepared to depart.”

  “Great, just let me grab my coat. We’ll take my car, and you two should stop by your homes on the way to get an overnight bag.”

  “That’s fine, sir,” Lucas said.

  “Sounds like a winner, Boss,” Quinn said.

  “Come to think of it,” Elgie said, “I should have Vanessa and Michelle drive us to the airport. We’ll be picked up when we return with McBean.”

  “Michelle Chambers is staying with you and Vanessa?” Quinn asked.

  “Yes, she is,” Elgie replied.

  “You two have adopted this girl, haven’t you?”

  “I guess you could say that.”

  Upon their arrival in San Francisco, the three were met by Lieutenant Alberto Alvarez who was prepared with a squad car to take them to a hotel and then to the crime scene.

  “Do you want to go to the coroner’s office as well?”

  “Yes,” Elgie said, “that would be good, perhaps I can take a look at the body.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be happy to show it to you,” Lieutenant Alvarez said. “And I mean she’d be happy. She enjoys having people who actually want to see a body and hear what she has to say about it. She’ll love having visitors.”

  “Lucas, Quinn, would you two like to join me at the coroner’s office?”

  “Yes, I would most certainly like to accompany you to the coroner’s office,” Lucas said.

  “How about you, Quinn?” Elgie asked.

  “I’ll go, but I’m gonna wait outside. I don’t need to see no dead bodies. I got enough of that in L.A.”

  “Okay, on to the crime scene, we can go to the hotel later.”

  When they arrived at the crime scene, Elgie inspected it closely. It was still barricaded, and the scene had not been disturbed.

  “There’s a lot of blood here,” Elgie said, “but not enough for her to have been killed here. Isn’t this street busy all the time?”

  “Yes, it is,” Lieutenant Alvarez said. “Unfortunately, the way she was placed, you had to be up on her to know she was dead. The only people walking around here at night are the homeless. They may hav
e just thought she was sleeping.”

  “Do you know who she is?” Quinn asked.

  “Yeah, she’s a known prostitute. Her name is Molly Sudden.”

  “He’s retreated to targets of opportunity,” Lucas said. “That indicates that he is breaking down mentally. He’s killing from compulsion, and he’ll kill again as soon as he locates an acceptable target for his perversion.”

  “Will it be another cheating wife?” Elgie asked.

  “It could be any woman that he can pick up at a night club,” Lucas replied. “He’ll be careful, however, because his photograph is prominently featured on television and the newspapers in Los Angeles. Now he’ll be front page news in San Francisco.”

  “I see,” Elgie said, “I find it hard to believe that the Butcher could have committed this crime and not be covered in blood. Someone must have noticed. Lieutenant Alvarez, can you make sure McBean’s picture is on the front page of the newspaper in the morning?”

  “He’s already on the front page and on the news,” Lieutenant Alvarez said.

  “Great,” Elgie said, “I’m sure someone will recognize him. He has to be staying somewhere, and he’ll be seen and has been seen. With his picture out there, someone will call the police. He won’t be able to hide for long.”

  Next stop was the coroner’s office.

  “Hello, Lieutenant Reynolds, it’s good to meet you. I’m Medical Examiner Ava Potter. Come along, you can introduce me to your friends on the way.”

  “This is Detective Quinn Kim. She’ll be staying out here. And this is Doctor Lucas Connors, he’ll be going in with us.?”

  “That’s wonderful,” Medical Examiner Potter said, “I like to make a presentation to more than one person. I don’t get very many visitors down here. Just the detectives who have to be here to witness the autopsies of their victims. They usually stand outside of the glass and watch from a distance like Lieutenant Alvarez is going to do. We’re here.”

  “Okay, you can take the sheet off the injured region,” Elgie said. “I assume all of the stab wounds are above the waist?”

  “Yes, they are. This is consistent with your victims in Los Angeles. Here you’ll see the shallow stab wounds.”