Possible.
Katie read the forensics report and studied the crime scene photos. Everything appeared to be rushed and have an amateurish aspect to it—similar to the fairgrounds scene. All the crime scenes resembled one another. The exaggerated application of the makeup. There were spots of makeup on the clothes and her arms. The placement of the jewelry seemed like an afterthought, as if the killer was trying to make their motive known. That made Katie pause as she thought about all three victims and their connections. However, the Nancy Day signature with the makeup was less pronounced than the others as if the killer wasn’t sure how much makeup to apply to accomplish the level of theater they had wanted. It was as if it was the first time the killer had applied makeup.
The characteristics that stood out to Katie connecting all four crime scenes were: posing of the victims in demeaning positions like broken dolls; a dramatic quality to the crime scenes —almost playful, like a game; items of jewelry hung like trophies that the killer didn’t take; excessive makeup; battered chest, and then the final blow in each case, slicing the throat to let the victim bleed out. It showed control, a need to embarrass, humiliate, abuse, and then kill. The three victims were also linked by the lack of forensic evidence.
Anger. Revenge. Hate.
Katie made more notes and skimmed some of the sections again. Once she had a grip on the crime scenes and forensics she could update McGaven in the morning. She gave her eyes a rest, leaned back on the couch, and allowed herself to fall asleep.
Chapter Fifteen
Friday 0755 hours
Katie arrived at the Pine Valley Sheriff’s Forensic Department and made her way to the cold case office carrying two large cups of coffee. She pushed open the door and wasn’t surprised to see McGaven already working. Usually he was pecking away at the keyboard, but this time he was reading the lengthy reports from the Jeanine Trenton murder with a highlighter pen in his hand.
“Morning,” she said.
He nodded. “Mornin’,” but then realized that she had coffee. “Is that—?” He happily accepted it.
“Yep, your favorite.”
“Occasion?”
“Nothing in particular.”
“I thought you’d be late.”
“Why?” she said, putting her jacket on the back of her chair. “Am I ever late?”
“No, not really.”
“What’s all that?”
“Going through the reports. I’ve also searched the missing persons database but I can’t find anyone who matches our Jane Doe even though the 911 caller said she was missing.”
“Perhaps she’s not really missing.”
“Seems that way. A way to get the police out there. And I’ve been thinking about the third victim, Jeanine Trenton.”
“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about her too.”
Katie sat down and leaned toward McGaven, sneaking a peek at which reports he was so engrossed in. “And?”
“I realized, after reading most of the reports, that there’s quite a bit of repeated information—some of it is worded differently but it basically means the same thing. I think Agent Campbell has had more than a couple of people checking out this case. I mean, a lot of other people.”
“Interesting,” she said, more to herself than McGaven, taking a sip of her strong black coffee. “Remind me again what conclusion they came to? Suspects? Who might have committed the crime?”
“Okay, it came down to a few people—the usual leads.”
Katie rolled her chair closer to her partner and eyed the highlighted sections.
“First, Mandy Davis, the so-called best friend that found the body.”
“Okay.”
“Look, here, she said she arrived at the house after Jeanine didn’t show up at the party. But there are inconsistencies of time and how long it took her to find the body.”
“It was a horrible crime scene. Maybe she wasn’t sure.”
“And they had a falling-out in their friendship two months before the party.”
Katie skimmed the interview. “It’s possible they made up.”
“And…”
Katie read what McGaven was reading.
“They seemed to have an issue with a boyfriend.”
“Hmm… Looks like her friend Mandy was upset after she caught Jeanine with her boyfriend, Brady Randall.”
“That’s not good. Where was the boyfriend?”
“He has a solid alibi. He was at a conference in Indiana at the time. Verified by the hotel, conference people, and he was seen on security cams.”
“That doesn’t mean he couldn’t have had someone else kill her. Who were the other possible suspects?”
“I guess there was some issue at Community Health Alliance where she worked as an assisting nurse for those who are on assistance or social security.”
Gulping more than half her coffee, she said, “What kind of issue?”
“It was a lot of back-and-forth talk, but from what I could gather, it sounded like a hostile work environment,” he said and flipped through more pages. “There’s background on the staff, but it reads like a boring book. Nothing that stands out.”
“So our victim stole her best friend’s boyfriend and her work place was antagonistic.” Katie leaned back. “That could open up a whole host of other suspects—for all kinds of reasons—hate, revenge, jealousy. So what about neighbors?”
“Most are retired, except for next door. A Mrs. Sadie Caldwell who is also retired, but she’s…”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“She’s on record for calling the police on two occasions because of a loud party.”
“Not a big suspect list.” Katie was disappointed that after all the manpower and time that had gone into the investigation, this was all they had come up with. “So what did the profiler have to say?”
“How did you know there’s a profiler?”
“That’s just how these types of investigations go. And please don’t tell me ‘a white male between the ages of thirty-five and forty-five, single, blue-collar worker, no arrests except for something like trespassing or fighting in a bar, etc.’”
McGaven smiled. “Pretty close.”
Katie let out a loud sigh. “Agent Campbell is correct. They are all trained to investigate the same way, to not to see outside the box—for lack of a better phrase.” She frowned, thinking about killers’ motives.
McGaven handed her the pages he had highlighted.
“Let me see,” she said and skimmed through the information. “It is like they kept repeating the same things… like they didn’t have anything better to do. Making the report look bigger.”
“You can see how they’ve hit a dead end.”
“Let’s start at the beginning,” she said. “We have already spent time with military K9 training, but while we have to wait for information on our victim at the fairgrounds let’s dig deeper into Jeanine Trenton. When we went to her house, all of her personal belongings were gone. I’m still waiting to hear back from the attorney.”
“We might learn something new.”
“Until we get an ID on the vic from the fairgrounds, let’s dig in here.”
“I’ll contact Mandy Davis then,” he said, searching for her phone number. “It’s good to talk to the best friend and she’s had some time to think about everything too.”
“I’d like to know if she knew anything about the sergeant at the K9 training facility.”
“Sounds good.”
Katie reread the reports as McGaven spoke to Ms. Davis, and made several inquiries about Jeanine Trenton’s belongings. She wanted to know what John in forensics had to say about the crime scene. She made arrangements through Agent Campbell for John to receive everything that was collected and also the photographs of Jeanine Trenton.
“We can speak to Mandy Davis at eleven thirty,” McGaven said.
“Great.” Katie slowly shuffled the paperwork around on her desk.
“What’s bothering y
ou?”
“No weapon found. No clear idea even of the type of weapon.”
“Nope.”
“It’s strange. Now, we haven’t completely gone through the two previous homicides yet. But… did you notice that it seemed very textbook with Jeanine? Originally the suspects were the closest friend, boyfriend, and people at work were antagonistic. It could be anyone.”
“Good point,” he said. “But that’s what we’re here for.”
“There’s something not right about this case. I get the distinct impression that we’re missing something—or something is being withheld from us.”
Chapter Sixteen
Friday 1100 hours
Mandy Davis worked in an office building downtown as an administrative assistant for a real estate broker. She had not wanted to meet with them initially, but McGaven had managed to convince her, explaining that it was routine. She insisted that they meet at the park, which was next to her work premises.
The morning was still chilly and overcast, so Katie paced back and forth to keep warm. The park was small with two rows of immature trees and bushes strategically planted and benches along the walking path. It was clean and pleasant. The space seemed generally used for running or walking workouts. As they waited, Katie looked around and noticed that most people who passed by were oblivious to what was going on around them.
A tall woman with long, flowing fiery-red hair approached, puffing on a cigarette which she quickly discarded before meeting with them. Dressed in a tan suit, she looked professional but it was clear that she was nervous—anxious about speaking with them.
“Mandy Davis?” said Katie.
“Yes.”
“Ms. Davis, I’m Detective Katie Scott and this is my partner, Deputy Sean McGaven.”
She nodded at them.
Katie noticed that she fidgeted with her hands and nails frequently.
“I’m sorry it’s so cold, but I didn’t want them to talk at work. You know…”
“Of course,” said Katie as she gave McGaven the subtle signal for him to ask questions.
McGaven gestured for them to sit down on a bench. “Ms. Davis,” he began.
“Please, call me Mandy.” She began to relax a bit. Her shoulders eased downward and she stopped fiddling with her hands.
“I’m sorry to have to ask these questions about your friend Jeanine since you’ve answered them before. But we’re here as cold case detectives and we want to hear from you in person, since you were the one that found her body. Are you feeling up to a few questions?” he asked.
Smooth, thought Katie as she took a backseat to the interview. She stood about ten feet away watching the cityscape, but still hearing the conversation, glancing every once in a while to observe body language.
“Yes, I’m fine,” she said, her voice calm.
“I understand that you were both to meet at a party.”
“Yes.”
“When did you decide to go to Jeanine’s house?”
“Well, she was usually late so I didn’t think much of it at first. Time had got away from me when I realized that Jeanine didn’t show up. It wasn’t like her to completely blow it off. You know?”
McGaven patiently listened and nodded, letting her continue.
“I called her a couple of times but she didn’t answer…”
“You called her from the party?”
“Yes, and then once when I was driving.”
“Did you have any idea that something was wrong? Had Jeanine confided in you that maybe someone was bothering her?”
“No. She wasn’t happy at work, but she had said that she was looking for another job—a small medical facility, she said. That’s just it. She didn’t tell me anything—nothing that indicated someone would want to harm her. I can’t…” She stopped. “I’m sorry, but it’s taken me a while to sleep through the night after finding her…”
“Please take your time,” he said. “We just wanted to clarify a few things. I promise I won’t make you go through every horrible detail.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
“If you can please think back to that night. When you arrived, what did you see?”
“Um, when I got there it was about eleven, maybe eleven thirty. I pulled into the driveway and it was dark. Very dark.”
Katie knew the police report had said it was closer to 12:30 a.m. She watched Mandy’s mannerisms when she answered McGaven’s questions.
“Dark outside or inside?”
“Both.”
“What about next door?”
“I don’t…”
“When you drove up, did you look next door? And was it light or all dark?”
“It was dark. I’m pretty sure. The neighborhood was dark, but Jeanine’s house didn’t have her usual motion lights or flower-bed lighting, and there wasn’t any light from the inside that I could see.”
“What did you do?”
“I walked up to the porch and…”
“And what?” he gently pushed.
“It’s funny, I didn’t remember it at my initial interview with the police, but something crunched under my shoes. I remember thinking that I didn’t want to cut my feet because I was wearing sandals.”
“What do you think was crunching under your feet?”
“I don’t know, something like glass, I guess.”
“Could it have been a light bulb?”
She looked confused.
“For example, from the outside light?”
“I guess.”
“Okay, what else did you see?”
Mandy looked at a couple walking by as if she knew them but she then quickly looked away. “The door was slightly open and her screen looked broken. She was very particular about her house and her things, so I guess I thought it was strange.”
“Why didn’t you call the police right then?”
“I didn’t think there was anything wrong. I know now, of course, I should have gone back to my car and called 911, but…”
“I know these questions are tough even after a year, but any small thing you might remember that you didn’t think at the time was important could be very helpful to us.”
“Of course. It’s okay.” Her voice was shaky.
“Did anything seem strange or disarrayed once you were inside?”
“What do you mean?” Her demeanor changed, and there was a definite edge to her voice.
“Like, was there anything out of place? You said that Jeanine was a tidy person.”
“Um…” she stammered. “Well, I remember a green vase, maybe it was blue, I don’t know.”
“A vase?”
“Yeah, it was on the floor and it seemed strange—out of place.”
McGaven moved a bit closer to Mandy, his expression sensitive and understanding—intended to make her feel more secure. Katie watched him and knew that he would be outstanding in any area of law enforcement. She was lucky to have him as a partner.
“I don’t know, the place just gave me an uneasy feeling,” she said.
“I’m sorry, I have to ask you about this. It was in the statements that Jeanine was dating your boyfriend.”
Mandy remained quiet, almost stoic, as she sat there. Her jaw clenched. “I know what you must be thinking. The original detective asked me about this too…” She pushed her wavy hair back. “Yes, she dated my boyfriend after we broke up. I don’t know why everyone gets this wrong. Brady and I broke up, and then he started dating Jeanine.”
McGaven paused. “It had to put a strain on your relationship with Jeanine.”
“No… well, yeah, it did for a bit. But we had known each other for a while and our friendship was more important.” She looked away as she spoke. “They only dated for three months anyway.”
“What about Jeanine’s experience in the army?”
Mandy shrugged. “I don’t know much. I mean, I knew that she was in for two years.”
“Working as a K9 trainer,” added McGaven.
“Ye
ah, I guess.”
“She never talked about it?”
“Not really. She loved dogs and would foster sometimes, but that’s all I know.”
“Was she dating anyone at the army training facility?”
She shrugged. “Not that I know of. She was pretty quiet about her time in the army.”
“Does the name Sergeant Anthony Serrano mean anything?”
“No. I’ve never heard that name.”
“I see. One more question, for now. Can you think of anyone who might have wanted to hurt or take revenge on Jeanine? Anyone at all?”
“No,” she said. “I’ve thought about this ever since… ever since I found her that night. Oh God…” she trailed off.
“Anything you tell us is confidential, I promise you,” said McGaven as he appealed to her sensitivities.
She wiped a tear away. “Like I said, I’ve thought about this a lot. She said that she was having trouble with her next-door neighbor, but nothing that would make her… murder her.”
“What did she say about the neighbor?”
“It’s what she didn’t say. When I would come over, she would usher me inside because she didn’t want the neighbor to see us. At least, that’s what she said.”
“Anything specific?”
“No, it was little things.”
“Like?”
“She made sure her curtains and blinds facing her neighbor’s house were always closed. She would hurry me inside and close the door quickly, locking it immediately. Just little things like that.”
“If we have some follow-up questions, may we call you?”
“Of course,” she said. Then Mandy took McGaven’s arm. “Please, please find out who did this. I miss her every day.”
McGaven stood up. “We are doing everything we can. Thank you, Ms. Davis.”
Mandy hesitated for a moment, as if she wanted to tell them something more, and then decided against it. She turned and headed back to work.
Pretty Broken Dolls: An absolutely gripping crime thriller packed with mystery and suspense (Detective Katie Scott Book 6) Page 10
