Fallacy (Detective Jade Monroe 3) Read online

  The situation was out of control and getting worse with each newly discovered body, and the killer’s brutality was escalating at an alarming rate. The profile we intended to put together and present to the media later would hopefully strike a chord with somebody. We needed to apprehend the perpetrator before more people became victims.

  My phone rang as I drove. Jan was calling from dispatch.

  “Jade, I’m trying to get a hold of Lieutenant Clark, but he isn’t answering. It seems like nobody at that crime scene can hear their phone ring.”

  “It’s pretty chaotic there right now, Jan. What can I do for you?”

  “Two separate calls came in to me from the police department. I know the PD is on the scene too, and they probably don’t know their own dispatch is trying to get through to them. Anyway, two men were reported missing this morning. One is a Larry Taylor, and the other is a John Leiter. Both men are from the county. Looks like Larry Taylor lives in North Bend, and John Leiter lives near Allentown.”

  My involuntary groan sounded through the phone lines. “There’s a good chance those missing men could be the victims at the church. Jack and I will be there in five.”

  I hung up and slapped my open hands against the steering wheel as I drove. A few minutes later, I pulled into the parking lot and squealed to a stop. As I climbed out of my car, Jack pulled in and parked.

  I lifted my sunglasses and perched them on my forehead. “Jan called as I was driving.”

  “And?”

  “And she said she received a call from North Bend PD’s dispatch saying two men had been reported missing this morning.”

  “Terrific. Did the calls come in from their wives?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s see what Jan says.”

  We entered the building and headed to the dispatch desk behind the reception counter. Jan told us that the message from the police department’s dispatch said the calls came in from the men’s wives prior to the breaking news on TV.

  “This has already been broadcast? The news doesn’t even have the facts yet,” Jack said with a moan.

  “Apparently they know enough. Somebody must have leaked something to them. It could have been one of the people that happened upon these men this morning. The press is calling it the work of the North Bend Carver,” Jan said.

  “What? Oh my God. That’s going to start a citywide panic. Text me the names, phone numbers, and addresses of the wives that called in. Jack, what do you think? Should we get Jamison and Horbeck in to help? We don’t have enough manpower here. Everyone is tied up downtown.”

  “You’re second in charge, Jade. It’s your call. I’ll go downstairs and see if Todd and Billy are ready to go.”

  I dialed Lee and Brian at their homes. They had both just gotten up and hadn’t seen the news coverage that leaked out. I gave them a quick briefing and told them to meet us at the apartment complex in Barton. I’d go over more details with them then.

  Jack and I headed to the Lakeview Apartments, and Todd and Billy followed us. I rolled down the passenger window even though the day was turning into another scorcher. All I needed was a quick breeze to blow across my face and a gulp of fresh air to fill my lungs.

  We arrived at the apartments and parked in a visitor’s slot. Mr. Crane greeted us when we entered the manager’s office. Todd and Billy were only a minute or so behind us.

  “Mr. Crane, how many cameras are at this complex?” I asked while we waited.

  “There are eight cameras in total. They’re scattered among the parking lots, and there’s one in front of the clubhouse and another in front of the office.”

  “Do you know which camera faces the parking lot for the E building?”

  “Yep, it’s camera five.”

  “Okay, good. It looks like our tech crew is here. Can you show them to the control room, please? Todd, Billy, we need footage from Sunday night. Ring me when you have a dark truck entering and exiting the E building parking lot. Jack and I will wait outside.”

  “Got it. It would be after dark, then?”

  “Yeah, focus on anytime between ten and midnight.”

  Jack and I stepped outside and found an umbrella table in the shade to wait for Jamison and Horbeck. We each grabbed a bottle of ice water from the vending machine before we sat down. I cracked mine open and took a deep gulp. Behind us, the swimming pool looked so inviting. I would have given anything to spend a relaxing day in the pool at my own condo’s clubhouse, but for now, thoughts like that would have to wait on the back burner. I’d settle for a cold shower later on. Ten minutes passed, then Jamison and Horbeck pulled in and parked next to our cruiser. Jack waved them over.

  “Guys, what do you have?” Horbeck asked.

  “Two more murders, and the rage and intensity are escalating. This is the worst we’ve seen yet. The two men were found on the benches in front of St. John’s.”

  “No shit?” Jamison said.

  I nodded. “The media is already having a field day with this, and we haven’t even held a press conference yet. According to Jan, two calls were patched through to her from the police department. Coincidently, two men were reported missing by their wives just this morning. What are the chances of them being our vics?”

  Jamison answered, “Pretty good, I’d say.”

  “Right. We have a million things to follow up on. I’m going to need you guys to conduct the interviews with the wives and get their statements. We don’t definitively know if these men are the husbands since they were both found nude without any ID. I’m having Kyle fingerprint them and see if they’re in the system. I wouldn’t want the wives to have to visually identify them if we don’t have to.”

  “That bad?” Horbeck asked.

  Jack whistled. “It’s more than bad, man. It’s macabre, gruesome, and much worse than the first two murders.”

  “Okay, we’re on it.” Jamison pulled the car keys out of his pocket.

  “Thanks, guys. Call me when you’re finished. I’m texting you the names and addresses right now.”

  I got up and threw my empty water bottle in the nearest recycling receptacle. Jack followed at my back.

  “Let’s go inside where it’s cooler,” he said. “We’ll check on Todd and Billy’s progress.”

  I wiped my clammy brow with the back of my hand and headed for the office door. “Yeah, good idea.”

  Mr. Crane led us to the control room, where he’d left Todd and Billy twenty-five minutes prior. We walked in and thanked him. He closed the door as he left.

  “Anything yet?” I asked.

  Billy answered for both of them, “We’re just coming up on eleven o’clock. Nothing before that even though we had to double check a few of the vehicles coming in and out. These cameras leave a lot to be desired. I’d say super-discount-store quality at best.”

  “That’s awesome. The young lady that had to wait for the truck to pull out of her spot did say she thought it was around eleven o’clock.” I pulled up a chair as close as I could get to the computer screen in the cramped room. Jack stood behind me and leaned in. “There! A vehicle is pulling in. That’s probably Brenda Miller. Go slow, Todd.”

  He nodded and slowed the feed down.

  “It’s a small car like Brenda’s,” Jack said. “Colors are hard to make out. Too bad the parking lot light isn’t closer.”

  We watched as a small car passed the camera in the second row of the lot. Brake lights flashed, then stayed on.

  “She’s holding her foot on the brake. Son of a gun, there it is. Can you freeze that frame, Billy?” I asked.

  “Sure thing.”

  We stared at the truck that had backed out.

  “What do you guys think? Is that the same truck on the footage by the university?”

  Todd nodded. “Yeah, it looks like it to me. Billy, what do you think?”

  “I agree. We’ll make a copy of this tape and compare it to the one we have from the ATM. A side-by-side comparison will tell us.”

  “There�
��s a back entrance to the parking lots. They must have come in that way, otherwise they would have passed the camera. Okay, can you advance the footage slowly? I want to see if that blond girl shows up getting into the truck. Stop there, Billy! Back it up just a smidge. Yep, there you are. We got our mystery girl’s face on tape. Is there any way to zoom in on her face without losing the sharpness?”

  “Probably back at the station with our own equipment.” Billy jotted down the time stamp—11:07 p.m. “Okay, we’ll get this copy back to the tech department and start working on it.”

  We thanked Mr. Crane for his help and headed back to the station.

  “So we’re pretty sure it was the same truck that went by the ATM camera and pulled out of the apartment complex. We know what kind of tires are on it, but what we don’t know is who owns it,” Jack said.

  “Right, but we’re tightening the noose. Crap! I don’t believe I just said that.” I dug my thumbs into my temples. “Anyway, we do know there’s at least one woman, a younger-looking blonde, that’s involved in these murders. We can add that information to the profile.” I looked at the clock in the cruiser, and it was closing in on eleven. “I almost forgot about the press conference. We don’t have time to go back to the station. Head to St. John’s.”

  Chapter 36

  “Feel like going for a drive?” Alice asked as she folded the checkerboard in half and put it back in the box.

  “We never cleaned up the workshop, Mama. I saw a bunch of flies buzzing around through the windows when I walked past earlier.”

  “Never mind that. We’ll worry about the workshop tonight when it’s cooler in there. Go upstairs and see what Mandy is doing. I want her to go with us. I don’t trust that girl one bit anymore, so we need to stay in her good graces. Tell her I’m buying lunch.”

  Mariah ran upstairs and returned a few minutes later. “Mandy said okay, but she didn’t look happy about it.”

  “I don’t care how she looks, I just want to keep an eye on her. We’ll have lunch first then swing by the church. It will be amusing to see how much of an uproar we’ve caused.”

  “Can I drive?”

  “Because you’ve been so helpful, yes, you can drive. Later, we have to think of somewhere to dump Larry and John’s cars.” Alice noticed a spider scurrying across the kitchen floor. She crossed the room and smashed it with her bare foot then picked it up and tossed it in the garbage can.

  From the house, it took ten minutes to reach the green North Bend city limit sign—population 22,158. Mariah turned into the tucked-away restaurant Alice instructed her to drive to. The small, nondescript cafe sat behind another business that shared a driveway. The parking lot was unseen from busy Washington Street.

  Inside, the cafe was abuzz with chatter about the horrific scene described on every news channel in southeast Wisconsin. From what Alice and the twins heard, everyone feared for their lives. Mariah chuckled into her hand.

  Alice gave her a stern look and whispered across the booth, “Shush, young lady. We’re trying to fit in, so act horrified.” Alice smiled with her hands cupped along the sides of her face so nobody would notice.

  “Go ahead and look through the menu, both of you.”

  “I’m not hungry.” Mandy sat nearest the window and looked out. Her hands were folded on the table.

  Alice glared at the twin who was her eldest daughter—by two minutes. “Suit yourself, but I don’t want to hear any whining later. We’ll be busy cleaning the workshop, and I don’t know if I’ll feel like eating after that.”

  Mariah giggled again and gave her mother a napkin. “Your arm is bleeding, Mama. You shouldn’t scratch it so much. Anyway, I’m having a grilled cheese sandwich, fries, and an iced tea.”

  “Thank you, sweet pea. I’m going to have the same.”

  The waitress arrived with three glasses of water, took their orders, then left.

  Mandy looked up at the TV behind the lunch counter and saw the news broadcast from that morning playing on a continuous loop. She took a sip of water then turned her head and stared out the window again.

  Chapter 37

  We filed into the conference room in the administrative building at the church. Minister Harland gave us carte blanche to use the facility as a staging area and meeting place. All of the events there had been canceled for that day, anyway.

  The only people absent from our meeting were Horbeck and Jamison, whom I’d sent out to interview the wives of the two missing men.

  Clark began since we didn’t have much time to get an accurate description out to the public. Our profile needed to be completed and presented to the press in an hour. The room was crowded, and a number of policemen lined the walls with their arms crossed over their chests.

  Lieutenant Clark, Captain Sanders, and Lieutenant Colbert from the PD sat at the first few seats of the long conference table. Detective Miller from the police department, Jack, myself, Clayton, Billings, and a dozen or more officers, as well as Lena and Jason, were in attendance.

  Since this case had just crossed into the city’s jurisdiction, the North Bend PD wasn’t up to date on what we had already gathered. Clark took charge of telling them what we knew so far.

  “We received a letter from the killer ten days ago,” Clark said. He read it aloud for the PD.

  The rustling of pages turning told us most of them had their notepads out and were ready to take down everything.

  “From the way the killer writes, it sounds like there could be religious undertones or possibly southern roots. Cheating seems to be the theme of the letter as well as the message left on these latest bodies. From what we’ve learned so far, we’re leaning toward a female or multiple females as our perpetrators. I’d go out on a limb and say multiple females, maybe even a family.” Clark picked up his water glass and took a sip. “I’m sure all of you know Jade Monroe, our sergeant at the sheriff’s department. Jade and her group of detectives have been actively gathering information on these perps since the first body was found a week ago. I’m going to let her fill everyone in on the details they have so far. Jade, if you don’t mind.”

  Lieutenant Clark sat, and I stood to take over.

  “Hello, everyone, and I’m sorry we have to gather under such terrible circumstances. Here’s what we know so far. The vehicle used by our perp is a dark green crew cab pickup. According to the plaster mold we made at the second site, the tires on the vehicle are BFGoodrich All-Terrain truck tires. The truck is likely around ten years old, give or take a year or so on either end. It doesn’t have a cap on it, but it could possibly have a tonneau cover since the bodies are likely transported in the back. We don’t have plate numbers or anything that could easily identify that vehicle in particular.”

  Lieutenant Colbert from the police department spoke up. “Has anyone caught a glimpse of the truck’s occupants?”

  “Good question, sir. As a matter of fact, our tech team is working as we speak to enhance a video we caught of a female getting into that vehicle. What we can tell from the original footage is that she looks to be in her early twenties, tall, slender, and has light blond hair. We’re hoping our team can clean up that image of her so it can be included in the press conference and go on the air.”

  An officer from the back waved to catch my attention. “What does the brutality and carving mean? It looks like a rage killing, so is there a connection between any of these men that you know of?”

  I took a drink of my water as he spoke, then nodded when he finished his question.

  “That’s a connection we haven’t made yet, but clearly there is one, at least in the mind of our killer or killers. The representation of some form of betrayal or infidelity is evident in the damage or removal of the hearts, brain, eyes, tongue, and teeth of these victims.”

  “Without sounding flip, wouldn’t there most likely be another appendage removed if it was about infidelity?” the officer asked.

  The group smirked and nodded.

  “I totally agree, but
we aren’t in the head of our killer quite yet to know what drives them. Now, there is a significant difference between the first victim and the rest. Our John Doe had his fingers removed, which none of the others have. That tells us a very personal story, meaning the killer doesn’t want us to figure out who he is from fingerprints. Chances are if we did, it would lead us right to the killer. We’re inclined to believe he may be victim number one and likely the husband. The only thing we have found out so far, and it hasn’t been verified yet, is his name could be Dean and the family could have previously lived in Madison. Also, something that could be very important is that, at least with victims one and two, the damage to their bodies was done with tools one would likely find in any home workshop. We’ll know more about our latest victims after the autopsies.”

  “So the killings could have taken place right at their house and the bodies transported to the dump site?” Captain Sanders asked.

  “Yes, sir, that’s most likely what happened.”

  “And these killings really could be the act of a wife and maybe even a daughter?”

  I turned my head to face him. “Most definitely, Captain. Given the fact that John Doe is between forty-five and fifty years old, and the young lady in the video looked to be in her early twenties, she could easily be a daughter.”

  Clark coughed into his fist and stood. “Okay, that’s all we actually know so far. Let’s get this profile together. Anyone with an idea or opinion, please speak up. The floor is open.”

  Chapter 38

  The door at the back of the room squeaked open. All heads turned when Horbeck and Jamison stepped in. They made their apologies for being late and found empty spots along the wall to stand.

  Clark nodded and addressed them. “Guys, what did you learn about the missing husbands? Could our latest victims be them?”