“Yes. With regard to the wounds, this time the cuts were inflicted over a shorter period of time, as though he rushed, or there was less time between each cut.”
“So, he’s either escalating or he was in a hurry to move on,” said Lucas with a grim expression. “This means we could have less time.”
“He could have been in a rush to reach his real target in Chelsea. He might take his time again with her.” Lucas glared at her. “This is a good thing, Lucas. It means we have more time to find her. The quicker we do, the lesser the injuries.”
“I hope you're right. Anything else?” Lucas asked the ME.
“Not at this stage. I’ve only done the preliminary. I’ll let you know if I find anything else inconsistent.”
“Thanks, Dave.”
“Was he working somewhere? Where was the flour coming from? Why isn’t there any this time?” Maggie now sounded as aggravated as Lucas felt.
They were waiting impatiently for the lift to take them back to their floor.
“He must have been working somewhere using an alias.” He paused. Lucas turned to Maggie as a thought entered his mind. “Wesley Robinson and Chad Wilson are the same person.”
Chapter 29
Chad Wilson
Friday
“Of course, that’s why there’s no flour on Anna’s body, because he kidnapped her after he stopped going to work. Wait, the sketch doesn’t look like the photo and they didn’t recognize him,” said Maggie. “
“It’s an old photo. I wouldn’t have guessed they were the same person.” He held up the photo and the sketch. “See the nose is wrong. Different face shapes. Maybe he’s had his face altered. Sarah and Charlotte didn’t recognize him, and they said Chelsea didn’t appear to either.”
“Didn’t Jenkins say that the manager and the girl couldn’t agree when they described him?”
“Yeah, that could explain the differences. Maybe if I’d shown Chelsea...”
“Don’t beat yourself up, they didn’t recognize him when he came to the house. If it is Robinson, he’s made some changes.”
“Let’s go the Bakery and Café. Someone might recognize him or know what kind of car he drove.”
“If only I’d thought of this yesterday. We could have been onto this sooner. It should have clicked when we were going over the notes, but with everything going on.... I have to be more focused than this. It is so obvious now!”
“I missed it too, partner. Even if we’re sure they are the same person, we have no clue where he lives. They still may not be the same guy.”
“I’ll call Peterson and Stewart to let them know that Wesley could be Chad, just in case they come across him while doing their door-to-door, and they can ask the neighbors about both names.”
“Good idea. We haven’t briefed them on our updates yet.”
The same assistant was at Ben’s Bakery when they arrived.
“Hello Detectives,” she said after they walked in. “How can I help you?”
“We just need to ask you a couple of questions about Chad Wilson,” Maggie began.
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Do you recognize this man?” she asked showing her a photo of Wesley.
“It looks a little like Chad, I think.” She looked closely at the photo for a moment. “He looks younger there, but it could be him.”
“Did you ever hear him referred to as, or use the name Wesley Robinson?” Maggie said.
“Not that I remember.”
“I assume no employment records have turned up?” Lucas asked.
“No.”
“Do you know what type of car he drove?”
“Yeah, a dark blue sedan, um, a Ford, I think.”
“Are there any other details about the car that you can recall?” Maggie asked.
“No, I don’t remember the registration number or anything. I just remember the car because I’d seen him arrive in it and thought it was a nice car.”
“You don’t remember anything else about him?” Lucas demanded impatiently.
“No, I don’t.” She glared at him.
“That’s okay. If you think of anything else give us a call. Thank you for your time,” Maggie said.
“Sure thing.”
“Take it easy, Lucas,” Maggie said once they were outside. “We need all the information we can get and being rude is not going to get us anywhere. I know you’re worried about Chelsea, but you have to stay cool.”
He nodded. “I know. I’ll try and keep my emotions in check.”
“Good”
They went into the café and were fortunate enough to find the waitress who informed Maggie about Chad. She had the same ‘could be him’ recognition as the bakery assistant towards Wesley’s photo but didn’t know what type of car he drove. She thought he’d always walked to the cafe and couldn’t recall ever seeing him in a car.
As they were driving back to the precinct, a call came over the radio from a uniform who’d found a car parked outside an abandoned building. The officer called in the registration number, its description and its location.
“That street runs behind Chelsea’s house and it’s the kind of car we’re looking for,” Lucas said.
They waited for the dispatcher to come back with the findings and she told the officer the vehicle was reported stolen three weeks prior. The officer said he would have the car brought to the impound lot.
Maggie jumped on the radio and advised the officer the car could be part of a murder investigation and it needed to be checked for evidence. The officer said he would make sure it was organized for them.
“Could he have been this close to her all along?” Maggie asked him.
It’s like he knows when I’m home.
Lucas cursed.
“What?”
“Chelsea told me when the calls came in, she’d been just leaving or just getting home. He also called once when she would normally be at the shop. She said it was like he knew when she was home. I assumed he was stalking her and was making the calls from the pre-paid phone while watching the house. It never occurred to me that he could see her from where he lived.”
“Didn’t Peterson and Stewart canvass all the houses on her street?’
“Yes, but there were a couple of houses where no-one answered. I’ll ring Peterson now. They’re closer than us. They can check the building then canvas the street where the car was found. Chelsea’s house has windows front and back, so it’s possible he was living behind her.”
“And we can check the other houses on her street.”
The first house they stopped at was down the road from Chelsea’s and seemed unlikely as a possibility due to its location. Her house was only partially visible, but anything was worth a try. The lady living in the house hadn’t seen anything and didn’t know Chelsea or Elle. She also didn’t recognize Wesley Robinson’s photo.
They knocked on the door of the second house across the road from Chelsea’s and next door to the last house they needed to visit. A short, blond lady answered the door.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“We hope you can, Ma’am. I’m Detective Johnson and this is Detective Hudson. We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions about your neighbors across the street.”
“Oh yes, Chelsea and Elle. Very tragic what happened to her.”
“You knew Elle?”
“Only to say hello or wave. Chelsea too.”
“Chelsea was kidnapped last night by the man we think killed Elle.”
“Oh dear, that’s terrible! She seems like such a lovely girl.”
“She is,” said Lucas. “Were you home last night, Ma’am?”
“No, I’m a doctor at the local hospital and I work long hours. I was on call last night and was at the hospital from around five yesterday until about one this morning. My name is Helen, by the way.”
“We’re sorry to disturb you so early, Helen, but we’re trying to find Chelsea,” Maggie said.
“That’s
okay. Please ask me what you need to.”
“As you weren’t home you probably can’t help us with what occurred last night, but the weekend that Elle went missing, did you see anything?" Maggie asked. “That was the weekend before last.”
“No, I’m sorry I’m not going to be much help there either. I actually had the weekend off, so I went to visit my sister and was gone from Friday night till Sunday night.”
“Do you know anything about the person who lives next door?” Lucas asked her pointing to the neighbor on her left.
“No, not really. He lives there alone as far as I know. He must be a shift worker like me as I’ve seen him leave the house at odd times during the night. I remember because I found it strange that he sometimes went out on foot in the middle of the night and didn’t use a car.”
“What does he look like?” Lucas asked her with urgency.
“Um, he has dark hair and is medium height. The few times I’ve seen him he was wearing a baseball cap, so I couldn’t really see his face. He seems to keep to himself and he’s quiet.”
“Have you ever seen him bring any women to the house?” Lucas asked.
“Once, she was a pretty little thing with dark hair.”
“Do these photos look like any of the girls he brought here?” Maggie asked showing her photos of the four brunette victims.
“Um, it could have been, but they all look quite alike don’t they. I didn’t get that good a look I’m afraid, but it’s possible.”
“When was this?”
“Um, last week sometime. May have been Wednesday of last week but I can’t be certain.”
“Do you recognize this man?” Maggie asked, showing Wesley’s photo.
“He looks a little familiar.”
“Could he be the man living next door?”
“Well the hair color is wrong, and I haven’t ever really seen his face properly.”
“Is there anything else you can tell us about him?”
“I can’t think of anything.”
“Do you know if he’s home at the moment?”
“I don’t know.”
“Thank you for your help, Helen,” Maggie said and handed her a business card. “If you think of anything, no matter how small, please give me a call.”
“I will. Have a nice day, Detectives.”
“Is it possible he lives right there?” Lucas said.
“It’s possible but the description doesn’t match.”
“Even if he’s not our man, he may have seen something.”
They knocked on the door and got no response. Lucas walked around to the back of the house, checking all the windows as he went, but the blinds were all down. At the back of the house was an alley which would be used as a service road to the garage, also in the rear. If someone wanted to get in and out undetected, they could.
He came back around the front and there was still no response at the front door. Maggie saw the look on Lucas’ face and knew what he was thinking.
“You can’t go in there, Lucas. We don’t have probable cause and if it’s not the right house, you’ll have a serious problem.”
“But what if it is, Maggie? She needs me, and she could be right here.”
When he took a step forward, she grabbed his arm
“We’ll continue looking, try to find a reason to go in there or we just have to wait for him to be home and answer the door. We don’t know for sure and we have to be before we can do what you’re thinking of doing.”
“How can I wait?” He shrugged off her arm.
“Lucas, if you go in there and you’re wrong, you could be taken off the case. You won’t be able to help her at all if that happens. Think about it.”
He frowned. His eyes went between Maggie and the door until they finally came to rest on her.
“Fine, you’re right. I’m just going out of my mind.”
As they got back into the car Maggie called Peterson to discover the abandoned building, where the car was found, had been searched and was empty. They were also part way through canvassing the street, so Lucas and Maggie went to give them a hand.
After making no headway with their interviews, they tried the house on Chelsea’s street again and there was still no response. Peterson and Stewart left for the evening and would continue with their interviews in the morning. Two detectives were assigned to stay on the house and watch for any movement. They would also keep knocking until they got an answer, in case he arrived home through the back. Lucas and Maggie went back to the station. They needed to start from scratch.
Chapter 30
Despair
Friday
After opening heavy eyes, Chelsea blinked several times. Disorientated, she took in her surroundings. The room was dim and unfamiliar. The goose bumps on her skin suddenly made her aware of the cold.
What happened? Where am I?
There was something dry and sticky near her lips while her chest throbbed and stung. When she attempted to a lift her hand to her face, she realized her wrists and ankles were bound.
As she remembered, despair engulfed her. The crazed killer, the one who thought she should know him, had cut her and this was the source of the severe ache. Her mouth and left eye felt swollen where he’d hit her. She glanced down to see her clothes were in tatters and did little to hide her nakedness. Her mind, although cloudy, began to regain its memory, bit by bit. Who was this man? She searched her memory trying to find the answers. Why did he seem vaguely familiar while being a complete stranger at the same time?
Then she remembered Charlotte and prayed she was all right. She’d begun to devise a plan of escape when the man walked into the room.
“Well, you’re finally awake.”
“Can’t we work this out?” Chelsea pleaded urgently. “We could leave together – run away. You don’t have to do this. I can access my trust fund and we can use it to escape.”
Chelsea didn’t know what he wanted but she hoped this was it. She had to try everything.
“What, you think we can be together? Do you think this is what I want from you? Didn’t you listen to me? Why would I want to be with you now? It’s far too late for that. Even if that was what I wanted, I’ve killed five people, six including the cop. You are my final mission. I don’t want to spend time with you. I want you to scream in pain. I want to see you suffer and I want to watch you die as I slit your throat.” He snickered. “You’re a rich bitch, and soon everybody will know.”
Terror seized her chest and stole her breath. His words echoed in her mind as fear overcame her. Then suddenly an image flashed through her mind and she remembered. She knew who he was. Andrew Smyth. From school! The dirty, scruffy guy who hung out with Wes before they started dating. People used to say how similar they looked.
“You’re Andrew Smyth.” His expression changed to betray the truth before he could hide it from her. “I recognize you. We were at school together.”
“Very clever, Princess. We did go to school together. So, you do remember me. Who would have thought? You always looked down your nose at everyone - such a snob. So beautiful though. Too good for me.”
Chelsea looked at him earnestly. “What did I ever do to you?”
“You really don’t know?”
Chelsea frowned. “No, I honestly don’t.”
“You treated me like I was a nobody. Like I was worse than a nobody.”
“I didn’t know you.”
He smirked. “Well you’re about to get to know me much better…” He started to unhook his pants.
Quick, Chelsea. Think of something. “Weren’t you friendly with Wesley Robinson at school?”
He stopped. “Wes? Yeah, you could say we used to be friends. Actually, we were team. He was my cousin”
Was?
He spat out an ironic laugh when she frowned.
“You didn’t know Wes was my cousin, did you? Of course, you didn’t. He wouldn’t have admitted knowing such low life as me. He became far too good for me. When he
met you, he immediately broke off all contact with me because I was never good enough to be around someone like you. Mind you, neither was he, but you probably didn’t know that. If only you knew the truth. We were tight, Wes and me, once. We were family and we were both treated like shit by our families. Our mothers were sisters and they both left us to the mercy our drunken, abusive dads. We suffered in the same way. We were like twins. People said they couldn’t tell us apart. The only real differences between us were that I didn’t get lucky with you and he killed his dad.”
Chelsea gasped. “Wes? I don’t believe you,” she protested.
“Yeah, he slit his throat. He called me after and I saw for myself. I visited him every week while he was in juvie. Then after he got out and met you a few years later. I never heard from him again. That is how he repaid me for my loyalty to him, for our years and years of friendship. For our love for each other. That is what you rich bitches do. You tear people apart for your own amusement, and you don’t give a shit. You even enjoy it. It’s all about you, isn’t it? There’s nothing in the world of a princess other than her. You get everything you want at the expense of others.”
Chelsea couldn’t believe it. All her composure fell away. She couldn’t believe this man’s hatred, his twisted mind. She screamed and fought against her bindings.
“You’re insane!” She screamed, realization pulsing through her veins.
Andrew grinned wickedly. “So, there was Wes, my best friend, my cousin, my world, and along you came. With your beauty, your fancy rich world and that was it. No more Wes. He wouldn’t talk to me. Wouldn’t have anything to do with me. I soon got the message. But then I decided it was time to send some messages of my own, so I let him know our friendship was really over.” Andrew’s mouth lifted in a sardonic smile. “I slit his throat. That was fitting, wasn’t it?”
Chelsea’s heart nearly stopped, and her eyes stung with tears. Wes was dead? He hadn’t left her? This maniac had taken away her love, for what? Because he was jealous? Because he resented Wes’ happiness. Resented that Wes might have, for once, been able to enjoy the good things in life, the things her family had worked hard for and were willing to share with the people they loved, no matter who they were? He had destroyed her life once and now planned to do so again.
Rich Girl (Broken Wishes Series Book 1) Page 19
