The situation was crystal clear. Jess was in danger from both sides of the law.
As Dan returned to the conference room silence fell over the group. He ignored the quiet and settled in his seat at the head of the table. “What have I missed, Sergeant Harper?” His attention zeroed in on his detective.
Harper exchanged a look with Jess who was seated next to him.
“Deputy Chiefs Hogan and Black have divided the city and the surrounding communities into quadrants. The search teams consist of three officers each. One by one the locations will be searched and the results reported to the search commander who will report directly to Chief Hogan.”
Hogan nodded. “We’ve already cleared several areas. Property owners are cooperating. So far no issues to slow us down. No demands for warrants. Thanks to the preliminary media blitz, the citizens of Birmingham are already responding to our call for help.”
Dan was grateful for any good news. “That’s what we want to hear.”
Deputy Chief Black gestured to the flat panel television mounted on the wall. “We’ve just watched the first press release with our public relations liaison officer and Ms. Coleman. I’ve also received several notifications that some of the same groups and organizations that rallied to help with the search for the missing young ladies have stepped up to offer their support.”
“If,” Jess jumped in, “we can have folks like those walking the streets with flyers with both Detective Wells and Spears’ photos – business to business, house to house – we can keep the pressure on. . . maybe make it more difficult for him to come out into the open and snatch another victim.”
“But if he stays hunkered down,” Harper countered, “how are we going to find him?”
Harper was running on emotions. Dan couldn’t fault him for that; he was halfway there himself. Who was he kidding? He was already there.
Jess didn’t look directly at Harper as she spoke. “The existing profile on the Player is that he is compelled to begin his ritual once each year, taking six victims over a period of eight to ten weeks. Since he has deviated from the pattern the Bureau has tracked as far back as five years, we can’t be sure what his next move will be. But whatever that move is,” she turned to the man at her side, “we can’t make it easy for him.”
“Excuse me.” Harper pushed back his chair and exited the room.
Jess would have followed him but Dan shook his head. Harper was having a difficult time with this investigation. He no more belonged on this task force than Dan had belonged on the last one that convened in this room. But Dan would not refuse him the opportunity to do what he could unless he lost it completely.
For the first time since he resumed his place at the table he allowed his gaze to fully meet Jess’s. He knew before she said a word she was about to ask the question he did not want to answer.
“What about the Bureau? Is there a reason Manning is MIA?”
Everyone gathered at the table swung their attention to Dan and waited for his answer.
“The Bureau will be conducting a separate investigation.” He turned his palms up as if it weren’t really such a great mystery. “After the media’s scrutiny on their handling of the case with Spears, they appear to be looking for close containment.”
Griggs and the others adopted that who-cares look. Jess, on the other hand, understood that something was up. Dan did not look forward to the conversation that would follow this briefing.
“Meanwhile,” he said, turning his attention back to the more immediate matter, “I’ll meet with Gina Coleman in a couple of hours for that sound bite she wants to air on the evening broadcast. We need to get this done.” He surveyed the faces in the room. “As with all cases, time is our enemy, but never more so than now. Typically we’re dealing with many unknowns, that’s also different in this case. We have a firm idea of what we’re up against. We know how this will go down if we don’t stop him.”
Harper entered the room and took his seat. He didn’t make eye contact with Dan or anyone else. That was another conversation he didn’t look forward to but it grew clearer all the time that it was going to have to happen.
“Agent Harris briefed us earlier on Spears’, aka the Player’s, MO. No need to rehash that just now.” Dan indicated the case board on the other side of the room. “If anyone has specific questions, hang around. Otherwise, let’s get the job done.”
Mayor Pratt stood and all eyes shifted to him. “Just let me say, ladies and gentlemen, that I am very proud and impressed by your rapid movement on this case. For the sake of Detective Wells and our community, I expect quick results.”
With that, the mayor took his leave.
Nice speech but it boiled down to one warning: he wanted this taken care of yesterday. That was something Dan imagined everyone in the room had in common. He stood, shuffled his notes together and hoped Jess would wait until they were alone before launching her interrogation.
“Chief Burnett.”
Tara’s voice floated above the hum of conversations and the rustle of papers as the rest of the task force prepared to leave. Again she hovered at the door.
Christ. What now?
Dan motioned for her to join him at the conference table. She moved hesitantly through the disbursing group. That she didn’t smile had frustration banding more tightly around his chest.
“Chief, a local florist just delivered a huge bouquet for Agent Harris.” Tara chewed at her lip. “Security brought it up. They said it’s okay but considering the package this morning. . .”
“Thank you, Tara.” Dan snagged Harper who was already moving toward the door. “Come with me.”
Thankful Jess was deep in conversation with Griggs, Dan cut through those milling in the corridor, Harper keeping step. Tara followed close behind.
She’d been right about one thing, the bouquet was massive. Right up front was a small white envelope tucked at the end of a clear plastic holder with Agent Harris scrawled across the front.
But security had been wrong. It was not
okay
. After this morning, any delivery addressed to Jess was considered suspicious.
“Did you open the envelope?”
Tara shook her head.
Harper withdrew a pair of gloves from his pocket and handed them to Dan. His heart rate climbing, he pulled on the gloves and reached for the envelope. It opened easily, not taped or glued. Inside was a small card. . . a business card.
Belinda Howard
. Howard Realty. Had Jess bought a house or condo. . .?
“What’s this?” Jess barged into the huddle. The rest of the task force had stalled at the bank of elevators.
Dan showed Jess the name written on the envelope, then the business card that had been tucked inside.
She frowned. “Who is. . .?” She shot a look heavenward, blew out a breath. “My sister.” She fished in her bag for her cell, then stabbed at the screen. “She invited her friend the realtor over for dinner last night. Why would she send me flowers?” Jess shook her head. “I swear, the woman is – hey, sweetie, this is your aunt Jess. I need to speak to your mother.”
Dan tried to relax. This was probably nothing more than Jess’s sister going overboard with the sisterly thing. But, they needed to be sure.
“Lil, what’s the deal with this realtor friend of yours?” Jess nodded. “Yes, Belinda.”
Griggs sent a questioning look at Dan. Dan pointed to the envelope, then the flowers and finally Jess. Then he shrugged.
“She told you what?” Jess shook her head again. “Lily, listen to me. I did not buy a house. I did not make an appointment to see a house.” Jess rolled her eyes as she listened some more. “Where did Belinda say she was meeting me?. . .
What?
” The color drained from Jess’s face. “Do you remember his name?”
Dan felt the tension start to build once more.
“You’re sure a man called Belinda?” The big bag Jess lugged around slid down to the floor. “Absolutely positive?”
Dan and Griggs exchanged a worried look. This was not sounding good.
“Forget that part, Lil, for Christ’s sake. You’re sure that’s the street?” Jess nodded. . . her expression clouded with worry. “What kind of car does she drive?” Another pause. “Okay. Okay. Gotta go.”
She ended the call and turned to Dan, her eyes filled with resignation. “Belinda Howard called my sister just two hours ago and told her I might be buying a house. She said I was meeting her at one to view a listing but that it was a surprise so Lily wasn’t supposed to say anything until I told her. Belinda said a man made the appointment but Lily couldn’t remember his name.”
Griggs stepped forward. “I take it you didn’t make this appointment.”
Jess shook her head. “Not even close. My sister invited this realtor lady to dinner last night. She gave me the whole sales pitch. That was the last time I saw her and I certainly haven’t heard from her today.” She gestured to the flowers. “Why would he. . . how would he know. . .?”
Apparently Wells wasn’t the only one Spears had been watching
. Dan touched Jess’s arm to draw her attention back to him. “Did anything happen that might have given Spears the idea there was a connection between you and this realtor?” Spears had been watching Detective Wells
and
Jess.
She thought for a moment. “I don’t. . . wait. . .” Her face lit with realization. “She hugged me when she was ready to leave. You know, one of those things everyone down here does.” The misery in her eyes twisted Dan’s heart. “He’s got her, Dan. He’s got Belinda Howard.”
Face pale, she turned to the others. “Liberty Park Lane in Vestavia Hills. She drives a black BMW sedan. Unless one of you made this appointment for me as a welcome home surprise. . . it has to be him.”
To Dan, she added, “She’s short. Pretty. Forty-five, maybe. A little on the plump side.”
“She isn’t his type?” Dan understood.
Jess shook her head. “Evidently, she doesn’t have to be. She’s connected to me and that’s all that matters to him right now.”
Dan dragged a hand over his face. Spears was changing the game again.
And moving faster and faster.
Liberty Park Lane, Vestavia Hills, 5:05 p.m.
Jess stared at the message written in blood. Uneven streaks had raced down the pristine tan wall, giving the hideous message a ghoulish appearance.
It’s a killer deal, Jess
.
“Narcissistic, bastard.”
She turned her back to the message and considered the small crimson puddle on the hardwood. Not much larger than a saucer, the kind socialites like Katherine Burnett used when serving tea to her guests.
Jess rolled her eyes. The high-class neighborhood reminded her of Dan’s mother. Just went to show what stress could do to the brain. Jess’s had obviously turned to mush.
That was a distraction she could do without even as badly as she wished she could escape this nightmare. But there was no escaping.
Closer inspection confirmed the blood on the floor had coagulated. No spatter pattern.
Shoe covers making a swiping sound against the wood floor, Jess walked around the puddle and studied the symmetrical circle it made. No surges, splatters or spurts around the edges to indicate there had been a struggle or any sudden movements at all. Almost a perfect round pool of velvety red.
Jess dragged a pair of gloves from her bag before setting it on the floor near the wall on the other side of the room, away from any visible evidence.
“How much longer?”
Pulled from her concentration by his deep voice, she glanced at Burnett who waited in the doorway separating the great room from the entry hall. The two of them had already walked the entire two-story house. But she wanted a closer look at this part before the techs did their business.
And she needed to lose herself in the crime scene. She couldn’t do that with him near. He. . . distracted her and, much to her dismay, he was a distraction she didn’t seem quite strong enough to ignore.
She was well aware that the crime scene unit waited outside. “Tell them I need five minutes.”
“Five, Jess,” Burnett warned, “and then they’re coming in.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Evidence techs could be a pain, especially when they didn’t know the background of the investigator traipsing around their scene, risking the possible contamination of evidence.
Jess squatted down and inspected the floor near the blood a little more closely. Rolling down to her hands and knees, she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and leaned her face close to the floor. There was a smudge or smear blurring the shiny surface.
She needed more light. Back on her feet she moved to the windows on the side of the house facing west and adjusted the blinds. “Better.”
On the floor in the middle of the room was Belinda Howard’s purse, its contents purged as if she’d dropped it there. Likely startled by the man who had shown up in Jess’s stead. Howard’s cell lay inches away from the rest. She had received a call from a private number shortly after noon. When tracked down, Jess suspected it would lead to another prepaid phone registered to Jessie Harris. Spears liked adding all sorts of little digs at her with his methods.
She surveyed the large open room again.
No. . . Spears hadn’t shown up after Howard’s arrival. If he had, judging by where she’d dropped her purse, she would have seen his approach from that big window and known a stranger had arrived instead of Jess. But that hadn’t happened. He had already been in the house when she arrived. He’d watched or listened as she’d gone through the steps of preparing for the showing. Ready and anticipating Jess’s arrival, Howard had probably crossed the room to peek out the window. Spears had stepped from his hiding place and she’d whirled around. . . dropped her purse.
Jess glanced around the empty room. “Hmm.” But there was no handy place for him to have hidden.
Shoe covers swishing, she shuffled back to the entry hall. A door under the staircase opened to a coat closet. Jess closed herself in the closet and shut her eyes. She relaxed her body. Breathed deeply. She could hear Burnett speaking in low tones to someone outside the front door.