Perfect Sinners

by Rick Murcer

  Ellen’s ears perked up. Work was always better than emotional chaos for her, especially now. She was more than glad to shift gears. “About these murders?”

  “Yes. Henry?”

  Henry looked at The Father, at the ebony face of the man who had brought The Father to the apartment building, then at Brice and Bella.

  “Go ahead. We always ask you to repeat what happened anyway,” said Brice.

  Henry exhaled. “Yes sir. Ma’am. You’ve no doubt noticed the blood on my jacket. I think some of it came from inside when we-we found Glen and Cheryl and Joel. I’m sorry if I tainted your crime scene. I-I really was overcome with emotion. I’d never seen anything like that. Not even when I was walking on the wild side of addiction.”

  The man glanced over to The Father. “I may have run into the killer, literally.”

  “Explain,” said Brice.

  Henry touched something under his shirt and then began to speak with a disquieting calm. Ellen’s first reaction to his demeanor was that he’d been trained well in the art of speaking under duress, but she also knew that people possessed a full spectrum of reactions and defense mechanisms to extreme trauma.

  “Glen was keeping up with me, then his knee began to hurt. I went ahead of him, after making sure he was fine. We were running out of time to get back to the service with Cheryl and Joel, and I was a little worried why they hadn’t shown up. So I was in a hurry. A minute later as I came around the corner…” He pointed in a direction past Ellen’s right shoulder. “I ran directly into a man and went down. Both of us did. He had blood on his jacket. I could have gotten some of these stains from him, I guess.” Again, he deliberately pointed out the stains on his coat.

  Ellen continued to study him.

  “I was out of it for a second. I think I hit my head on the sidewalk and saw stars. The next thing I knew Glen was standing over me trying to get me to come around. I remember trying to get up but couldn’t right away. I told Glen to go see if Cheryl and Joel were okay and that I’d get there.”

  “Why did you say that to Glen?” asked Brice. He’d stolen the words right out of her mouth.

  Henry didn’t blink. “The blood on this guy, I guess. I just felt something was wrong.”

  Brice nodded and motioned for him to continue. She could tell he was giving Henry a close look as well. Again, people handled this type of situation differently so they needed to wait for him to finish to get the total picture.

  “I tried to get up again and had to sit back down. Finally, I was able to clear my head and went to the apartment building.”

  “How long was that?” asked Ellen.

  He shrugged. “Maybe five or ten minutes total. I’m not really sure.”

  “I can understand that,” said Brice. “Keep going.”

  “After I got up, I felt a little steadier and walked to the apartment. I got there and went inside. The door was open and I-I saw all of them on the floor. Looking like-like that.”

  Their witness bowed his head and covered his face with his hands.

  Brice looked at Ellen, then to Bella, then to Big Harv, then back to Ellen and nodded his go ahead.

  From that action alone, she could tell that each of them thought there might be a hole or two in Henry’s story. But maybe not as big as the one Ellen was about to ask about. She stepped toward him. “Henry. I know this is difficult for you. I’m feeling some of that emotion, too. But I have a question for you.”

  He looked up at her. “Yes, anything, Miss Harper.”

  She caught The Father’s frown out of the corner of her eyes. It wasn’t the frown of disapproval or even anger. It was more of the thoughtful kind. Like he too was questioning his convert.

  “Henry, you said you got the blood on your coat after you ran into the man on the corner, right?”

  “Yes, that’s right. At least I think so.”

  “Then you sent Glen onto the apartment while you gathered your wits.”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. What I don’t understand is how could the man that ran into you have blood on his jacket when Glen was still alive?”

  Henry’s eyes darted back and forth, obviously very uncomfortable. “I don’t know. Maybe he followed Glen back to the apartment. Or maybe there was more than one killer?”

  Henry bent down, keeping his eyes downcast. As he did, she saw the silver cross fall out from around his neck.

  CHAPTER-37

  Aaron turned down his I-pod and removed his headphones as he finished the last full body spin wrapping up his own personal version of Dance Until You Drop.

  Waiting was a necessary part of being an FT, everyone knew that, but that didn’t mean one had to endure without doing something else, like listening to some great tunes and burning some calories with moves he prayed no one ever saw but him. Not even Ellen.

  He placed the ear pods in his lab coat pocket and sighed. He loved the old-school jazz and blues. Even some of the new stuff was okay. But nothing came close to the great ones like Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and The Duke. Not for him.

  He stood still as the clock ticked down to thirty seconds. When the process was complete, the chip would be fully programmed with the DNA sequence and subsequent mapping of all the important markers on the blood sample. Then he would run it through CODIS and pray for a hit.

  Most people thought it was automatic, kind of like fingerprints processed with IAFIS, that hits were a given on the data base. But that wasn’t true for either system. They barely get a one out of three hit ratio. The hit ratio had come a long way since the late nineties, however, when maybe one out of seven DNA samples turned up a match.

  The intensity of hard core, cold case work based on biological evidence collected at the scene had grown, something he had first-hand knowledge about, had upped the chances of getting a good hit. Even partial DNA matches that led to relatives of the suspect had helped law enforcement.

  The prayer part was an old habit left over from childhood Sunday School. What the heck, it couldn’t hurt. A little faith added to the hope and hard work. He’d picked that up from his parents.

  The clock’s alarm went off, releasing a low, penetrating buzz that wasn’t loud but everywhere at once. Sometimes, it would creep him out when he was reading or into a tune. It always reminded him of the theme from X-Files.

  Aaron pushed away every distracting thought and concentrated on the task at hand. Man, he loved this work. It was better than hitting a fastball four-hundred feet. Well, almost.

  After snapping on a new pair of blue gloves, he reached for the first lock that secured the thumb drive containing the new encoded chip, released it, then gently removed the rectangular shape from the USB slot. He raised it high and looked at it like a jeweler who had just been handed the Hope diamond to verify its authenticity.

  “We’ve got you now, I hope,” he whispered.

  He then swung around to leave the small sealed room, almost stepping on Beaux who had settled near the hinged side of the door. He stumbled as he side-stepped the dog, the drive popping high into the air to his right.

  The thought that people could see their whole lives flash before their eyes was never more real to him. In the proverbial blink of an eye, as the out-of-body feeling invaded his total being, he saw Ellen ripping his heart out with her bare hands because he’d dropped the drive, ruining the chance to match this killer’s DNA.

  Calling on all his athletic prowess, he dove like a shortstop heading into the hole. He wasn’t going to be able to reach it. Not on the path he was currently on.

  Shifting in mid-air, he stretched out his fingers to their max length.

  God, please don’t let this happen.

  He strained with all he had.

  At the exact moment he hit the hard, tiled floor, he saw the drive bounce off the tip of his index finger, spiral and spin in place, then settle into the palm of his hand.

  The accompanying thud was both gratifying and horrible. He had the drive secured, but the air that w
as near and dear to him had been driven from his lungs.

  He lay there awaiting, not so patiently, for its return. A few seconds later, with Beaux’s nose inches from his face, he took a small breath, then a bigger one. Nothing had ever been sweeter, except the feeling of the drive in his hand.

  Finally, he rose from the floor and took one more deep breath. He rubbed the dog’s ears. “I’m good, Beaux. Let’s get this done.”

  Five minutes later, disaster averted and Beaux at his heels, he slid the chip into the desktop that was connected to the FBI’s data bases, banged the keyboard with the CPD’s ID sequence, then hit enter as he sat down in the leather swivel chair, eyes glued to the screen.

  The hard drive began its familiar cyber song, unique unto itself, while he waited.

  He wasn’t exactly sure what baited breath meant, but given his experience a few minutes ago and the level of anticipation coursing through his nerves, he was sure he’d trampled it a time or two.

  The CODIS search screen was moving so quickly that the blurred images seemed to hypnotize him. Yet, there was nothing as hypnotic as anticipation. He felt like Christmas morning was right around the corner.

  The seconds grew into minutes. With each segment of time that steamrolled over the screen, his hope dwindled. He knew the odds, but a divine intervention would be welcomed.

  The screen sputtered to a stop. The display then fluttered, changed colors from green to red, and then matter-of-factly showed that there was no match for the DNA sample.

  He raised his fist to hit the computer desk, when the whir of the computer’s hard drive kicked in again. Almost immediately the screen resolved to a bright green and teal.

  94.7 % MATCH LOCATED. PLEASE SELECT THE ATTACHED FILE.

  Moving like his hands had been recently reattached, he finally guided the mouse over the file and clicked the file symbol.

  The face of the young man who, in all probability owned the DNA that came from the blood sample, came to life. Vividly.

  Aaron’s eye grew wide. He quickly read the name. Looked back at the face and read the name again. After repeating his comparison, a third time, he looked at Beaux, exhaling like people do when they’re exasperated. “This my friend, is as goofy as a three-headed snake.”

  Beaux barked softly, like he understood.

  He reached for the phone in his pocket, shaking his head. Ellen wasn’t going to believe this one.

  Hell, he couldn’t either.

  CHAPTER-38

  Calista Forest tilted her head back, her eyes matching the black sequined gown draped over her thick body. There was intellect in those eyes, but Amanda saw more.

  Fear? Anxiety? Or maybe a repulsion that was a love child of those two emotions. Either way, the good Councilwoman wasn’t pleased to see her in this setting.

  Like the professional politician she was, she quickly buried any tension that may have revealed itself. She smiled at her with teeth worthy of any toothpaste commercial. “Hello, Amanda. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  She curtsied. “Hello to you, Councilwoman Forest. There wasn’t any way I wanted to miss this gathering. And, well, the setting is to die for.”

  Another quick dart of the woman’s eyes showed her that the Councilwoman didn’t care for her choice of words.

  She smiled to herself. If the Councilwoman hadn’t cared for that quick innuendo, she could only imagine how Calista Forest would react to the rest of the evening.

  “You are oh so right about that, Amanda. Our host has the most wonderful home. Not to mention the guest list has some of my favorite people.”

  “And supporters,” she answered.

  The three people standing near the Councilwoman laughed at her comment. She joined them. But she’d been far more serious than any of them had imagined. She liked to laugh as much as most. Tonight wasn’t one of those times. Mixing business with pleasure was as off limits to her as drinking and driving.

  She then looped her arm through the Councilwoman’s and smiled down at her. “Can we take a short walk? I promise not to hold you up too long.”

  “Certainly. Anything for my constituency.”

  They began to walk away from the wonderful aroma of hors d’oeuvres and the sounds of the string band playing softly at the head of the room.

  “What in God’s name are you doing here? We said we’d meet tomorrow at a much less visible location. Everyone will see us together and put two and two together if this thing goes south,” hissed the Councilwoman, somehow maintaining some semblance of a smile.

  She squeezed Calista’s round arm. “I’m glad to see you as well. She moved close to her ear. “Don’t ever tell me where I can go, when I can go, or what may or may not happen. You wouldn’t be where you are if it wasn’t for me, you stupid bitch. Or have you forgotten the troubles your opponent had to endure before the election?” She eased away from her ear, speaking softly. “Perhaps you need a reminder.”

  “N-no. I didn’t—”

  “Shut up. I don’t want you to speak. Just listen.”

  After a look that grew to full-bore fear, the Councilwoman regained her composure and nodded.

  Good God, such fear. She could never live in that state. But it takes all kinds.

  “My sources tell me there will be a few new developments in the case involving your dead nephew. Apparently, the CSU is better than I gave them credit for being. But, as always, I’ve got another way to change the CPD’s focus and get us to where destiny has made a way.”

  “What do you want me to do?”

  Again, the terror in Calista’s voice dove deep into Amanda’s heart, pissing her off even more. No wonder women struggle getting their fair share.

  “I’m glad you asked. It will be very simple. After you do what is required, the dominoes will begin to tumble and we will all get what we want.”

  She smiled at the Councilwoman. “Well, most of us.”

  Just then, there was a commotion to their right as a waiter’s cache of champagne shattered on the marble floor, the silver tray creating a rather musical, at least to her, display of jangles and clanks.

  The overdressed crowd, gold and diamonds displayed in the most decadent manner, turned their heads to see what had transpired.

  Well done.

  “Councilwoman?”

  Amanda and the Councilwoman turned toward the source of the deep voice.

  “I wanted to thank you for being who you are and for coming this evening,” said the good-looking forty-something gentleman dressed in a tight-fitting black tuxedo.

  “Well thank you. I appreciate that.”

  He then raised the weapon in his hand and aimed between her eyes.

  CHAPTER-39

  Ellen looked at Henry. “Where did you get that cross?”

  “What?” asked Henry, his eyes narrowing.

  “I need to know where you got that. Each victim had one. That makes the crosses a common thread.”

  Henry’s eyes began to dart side to side as he moved closer to The Father.

  The Father patted Henry on the arm, his eyes full of compassion, then he stepped toward Ellen. “I can tell you where they came from. I give one to every person who makes a profession to change their life. I want it to remind them that change isn’t easy, but God will help. To give them something that builds inner strength for the difficult journey ahead.”

  “Everyone? Could someone have stolen one?”

  The Father stood a bit taller. “That’s not likely. I keep them in a safe place in my office. Only a few people know about them They’re real silver. Besides, I trust God to keep them for His purpose.”

  Brice stepped beside her. “You mentioned that you’d lost too many members already. What did that mean?”

  “Just what I said. We have transients, of course. People who say one thing and do another. They mean well, but sometimes the devil has them deep in his hand. They move on. I recognize those people. The children I’m speaking of, the people that really want to change, they
come back. They ask for help.

  “Recently, we’ve lost four of them. That’s why I sent Henry and Glen out to Cheryl’s place.”

  “What do you mean lost?” asked Brice.

  “You know what I mean. Do you think that the police have the only hotline to what happens in the underbelly of this city? Of course I knew we lost Ramona and Ben.”

  He bowed his head. “And we know of the two young women found at the cemetery today. Their names were Gloria and Stephanie. My staff and I had been working with them to give them tools they needed to break away from the disgusting world they called home.”

  Ellen watched The Father speak and sensed his honesty and even wisdom. He knew what he was talking about. Somehow, that gave her a comfort. Knowing that Joel had spoken to this man, and that he had, at least on some level, trusted him, was a plus.

  Finding out your ex, who was still your ex, had drug addiction issues that probably led to his murder had been far from her mind a couple of hours ago. It rains on everyone. But she never expected that storm.

  Ellen cleared her mind. She’d think about all of that in the days and months ahead. But for now, they had leads and had to get to work.

  “We’ll need all the information you have on all of the victims, Father. And we’ll want to question your staff. I hope you won’t force us to get warrants,” said Brice.

  “We will not. We are on your side.” He frowned that knowledge frown again. “I’ve lost many people over the years, so this isn’t new. Yet, I can’t stop from losing a piece of my heart when it happens.”

  “I understand,” said Brice softly.

  She touched Brice on the arm then nodded to Bella. “You two are the detectives here. You don’t need me to do the follow up on all this information. Not yet, anyway.”

  She picked up her case from the sidewalk. “Marcie’s crew will process the other murder scene inside the apartment. Right now, I need Henry to take me to where you met up with this suspect. I can’t wait any longer. The more we can learn about this guy, the better chance we have to put him away.”