Killer Scents (8 page)

Chief Thomson now stood in front of the boards shaking his head. “I have to say, in all my
years on the force, this is one of the most baffling cases I’ve
seen
.” He rest
ed
on the table edge, file in hand. “We’ve had five murders over the past couple of months and we don’t have
a
shred of evidence that might bring us closer to finding The
F
lorist.

Dark circles under the chief’s eyes told of the to
l
l this case had
taken
on him. Over the years
,
Becca had grown
to think of him
as
so much more than just her boss.

He is family.

“Our resident profilers
are going to tell us their take on this madman. Hopefully they’ve seen something we might have overlooked.
”

Dylan and Carol
were the male
-
female extension of each other.
Both of them d
ressed in black
g
oth-like attire,
which included a
piercing through one eyebrow and
spacer
s in their ears like black holes.
T
hese aspects alone set them apart from others, but it was
their
snow
-
white hair and piercing blue eyes that commanded attention wherever they went.

D
ylan
stepped forward first. “I think it’s best to start by looking at the significance of each of his rituals. We believe a revolver is used to keep his victims in check
and
avoid any chance of a physical altercation. That doesn’t mean he’s not more than capable of holding his own.

“Each step he makes is for a specific reason—from how he lays the
m
out on the couch to his need to clean their faces before leaving. Their heads are taped down to ensure a perfectly executed shot.”

“We feel each step is something he feels he
must
do
,
” Carol intervened. “We’re convinced the objects in their mouths are clues
as
to why
these particular people were chosen by him.
With Sandra
we found
birthday cake. With Derek, a hospital gown
. The
basketball netting
and so on
...
. E
ach
item
means something to him.”

“Why does he sew their mouths shut? It’s not like they can tell us who killed them
,
” Danny, one of
several
uniformed officers scattered about the room
,
asked.

“It’s for one of two reasons
:
either he doesn’t want them to speak at all or simpl
y
to keep the objects in their mouths.”
Carol turned back to the boards.

Becca’s stomach churned.

“The single gunshot, specifically between the eyes
,
is to ensure there is no chance of survival and to complete the picture. He
takes
great pride in how they look before
he leaves
them.”

Dan cleared his throat. “The
single
flower
is like a period at the end of a sentence.
Each bloom is
chosen for individual reasons.
We strongly believe there is
a
common
thread between these victims.

Becca hung on every word, agreeing with everything. Unfortunately it brought them no closer to finding the son-of-a-bitch.

“Professor Davies gave us the meaning of each
bloom
. I took the liberty of printing off a few copies
of his findings
. The killer didn’t buy these
from y
our neighborhood
florist
.” Randy passed the printed pages around the room. “The professor believes the killer has extensive knowledge of
horticulture
or at least the
species
we’ve seen
. He also
needs a climate
-
controlled place to grow them—like the
greenhouses
Professor Davies
use
s
to grow hydroponic
s
.”

Chief Thomson slid off the table and resumed his place at the front of the room while Dan, Carol and Randy seated
themselves
. “I think our main focus is to find the
link
between these cases. Polly, start with phone records.
Let’s
see if we get lucky and find a
common
number. Randy and Becca, find out if this guy would need to buy anything on a regular basis to sustain a grow-op sophisticated enough to produce these
species
.”

“I’ll see if we can get another appointment with the professor.” Randy scribbled in his notebook.

Chief nodded in agreement.
“Maybe we should check out the student work
ers
. Find out if it’s possible for them to take
something
from there without drawing suspicion. Do they even grow the
flowers
we’re looking for? That should keep us busy. Call if any of you come up with something.”

“How long will it take you to compare phone records, Polly?” Becca asked on their way out of the room.

“Maybe an hour
,
if I don’t run into any snags.” She cracked her ever
-
present gum.

“Call me when you’re done?”
Becca pressed.

Polly smiled, revealing a mouthful of metal. At forty years old she wore a full set of braces. “You betcha.”

Professor Davies stood at the bottom of his porch staircase, leaning heavily on his cane.

“
Well, word has it you’re the man to see when it comes to posies.” Randy rocked on his heels, pulling on imaginary suspenders.

The professor chuckled
lightly. “Well, I don’t know about that, but unfortunately this old body isn’t what it once was. I’ve asked my right
-
hand man, Jacob
,
to show you around.”

A
jeep
-
like vehicle ambl
ed
up the road toward them. The driver parked a few feet
away
and jumped out from behind the wheel, offering his hand.

“This is Jacob. Jacob
,
this is Detective
s
Bates and Talbot.”

“Nice to meet you both.” Jacob
shook
Randy’s hand and then
Becca’s
.

She
couldn’t put a finger on it, but there was something off about this friendly worker.

“Hop on! I’ll show you the fields first.”

Sensing her reluctance
,
the professor took her hand and ushered her to the jeep. “Don’t worry. Jacob will take good care of you. We’ve been using these Mules for years to get
around
the
acreage
. 
Sometimes I think h
e knows
more
about how things run
around here than
I do. Ask him anything.”

Becca
climbed up onto the seat and
gripped the crash bars of the open box truck, turning her knuckles white. Jacob drove them to the far end of a row of
glass structures
where a field of flowers in
a
riot of red, pink and yellow stretched for as far as the eye could see. Unfortunately, their escort
’s jitters
left
her feeling a little uptight
, unable
to enjoy the beauty before them.

“In another month or so this will all be gone and we’ll grow everything in the
greenhouses
.”

“Do the students
perform
all of the work or is there a regular crew?” Rand
y
asked
.
H
e knelt and cupped a vibrant yellow bloom in his hand
, a
gentle touch
Becca
hadn’t expected
from
him.

A shiver crept up her spine and she glanced back just in time to catch the tail end of a man walking between the glass structures.
There were workers all over the farm. Why had this particular man set off her cop-sensor? She’d best keep alert in case he showed up again.
She shifted h
er attention back to their guide.

“Okay, now I’ll take you to see the
greenhouses
.” He stepped up behind the wheel. “The first one is close to the set
-
up needed to grow the flowers you
’
ve spoken to my boss about. Of course
,
what you see here is on a much larger scale.”

Randy stared off into the distance, seemingly lost in a world of his own. He’d barely spoken a word to her since
they
arriv
ed
.

Maybe it’s me, but there is definitely something off kilter here
.
She was usually very good at reading people, but these three men had her scratching her head.

Inside the first
house,
a fine mist sprayed over a vast array of
flo
ra
. Her gaze
was
drawn to the orange-red gladiolas.
How can something so beautiful hold such a painful memory? Will I ever be able to
appreciate their beauty again?

“Do you have a list of the
flowers
in that notebook of yours?” Becca reached for the book.

Randy pulled it tight to his chest. “Of course I do.” He licked the tip of two fingers before leafing through the pages.

Jacob perused the list on the page Randy held open for him. “Yes, we grow all of them, except for those
.
”

Randy’s reaction left her a little dumbfounded and more than a little curious
about
the contents of his notebook.

“Except for which one
?
”
Becca asked.

Jacob eyed her curiously, as if her
question was unexpected. “Lilacs
, t
hey aren’t something easily produced hydroponically. Outside, the shrubs
only blossom for a short period in the spring. The only way to extend their flowering time
is to grow a variety of lilacs. Regardless, even the most revered grower might extend the period from two to six weeks tops.”

“When were the last blooms out this year?” asked Randy.

The worker stroked his jaw. “Probably around two weeks ago. You still have a nice shade bush once they stop blooming.”

With her curiosity piqued, she considered the new details.
The killer left behind a lilac almost three weeks ago, so it’s very possible he took them from a bush outside?

Her brow creased. “Are there many Lilac trees
in this part of the country?”

“In Ontario you’ll find the most lilacs in the Cornwall, Ottawa regions. I’ve seen a handful of bushes around here. In fact, we have a patch right here on the
property
.
If the soil
is loose
enough,
t
hey pretty much take care of themselves.”