Chapter 19

Inside Cat’s apartment, the killer decided to wait to begin his chore until he was certain the antique shop below had closed for the night. He intended to make a little noise and did not want to be caught in the act. After waiting as long as he thought was necessary, he stood and stretched. Slowly he exchanged his leather gloves for purple latex ones that he had stored in the front pocket of his jeans. As he snapped them in place, he smiled at the destruction he could already picture in his mind.

He pulled the knife from its sheath in his boot and began slicing the pastel-colored pillows that lay neatly on the couch in the living room. The southwestern printed pillows shredded easily, and he spilled their billowy contents out onto the floor. He kicked the rustic pine coffee table over on its side, breaking the Indian pottery that set on it.

He laughed as he threw the heavy wooden sugar mold that served as a candle holder into a rustic hutch that held delicate looking blue and white dishes. After overturning, slicing, and smashing everything that caught his eye, he made his way to Cat’s bedroom. He opened her dresser drawers slowly and began touching all of her clothes. It was thrilling to be this close to her. He picked up a pair of light blue panties and held them to his nose. He sniffed deeply while he buried his nose in them. This in itself had been worth breaking in for, he thought. How arousing it was to have Cat’s personal items against his skin.

He had never been a thief before, but he couldn’t resist the urge to take part of Cat home with him. He stuffed several pairs of panties and stockings into his jacket pocket before moving to her closet. After ransacking the closet and the entire room, he paused to study his handiwork. “My darling Cat, you are going to love what I’ve done to the place!” He made his way to the front door, dodging piles of broken knick knacks that Cat had collected over the years. Just before he opened the door to make his departure, the phone rang. It startled him.

Cussing at the phone, he waited while it rang and rang. Finally, on the fifth ring the answering machine picked up. The caller identified herself as “Miriam, next door.” He swore again, and as he heard the voice of what sounded like a little old lady saying she was concerned. She had heard all the banging and what sounded like things breaking. Her squeaky, old voice sounded scared. She pleaded into Cat’s machine for her to please call back right away. He sighed as he erased the message from the machine. Tightly he gripped the handle of his trusty knife and headed towards the door. He’d have to reassure Miriam that everything was “just fine.”

 

 

While Bronson and Sullivan interviewed the three suspects, Susan, Cat and Cat’s parents sat in Susan’s living room discussing travel plans. They had decided that it would be best if Cat left town for awhile. Susan and Cat would fly to Colorado the next day and spend a relaxing week at a moderately priced spa that Susan had visited numerous times.

“Consider it an early Christmas present,” Phillip said. “Your mother and I were thinking of doing it for you any-way.”

“Practice what you preach, Dad,” Cat reprimanded. “Honesty, remember?” she added sarcastically.

Susan flashed a smile at Cat’s parents. When they had finally convinced Cat that she should go, they quickly made the plane reservations and discussed the various spa packages. They decided upon a five-night deal with every-thing included. The girls were going to lie around in steamy rooms and mud baths. They would get manicures, pedicures, and facials, do some yoga, eat some tofu and get their Zen on. Cat had never done any of that. It actually sounded more like torture, but she was willing to try it at least once. Since it was a gift, how could she refuse? Besides, it wasn’t like she had a job anymore. What difference did it make? Cat remembered that she didn’t have Hannah waiting at home for her either. Her heart ached at the thought. Just that morning, the doctor had told them that Hannah might not survive. She would have to stay at the vets for the better part of a week, maybe more.

For now, Cat’s other best friend, Susan, was taking her on an adventure. Susan was a freelance journalist, so her time was her own. She loved the jet-setter lifestyle and frequently picked up and flew to some destination and wrote about wherever she was. Cat often envied her best friend. She began thinking what it would be like to travel all the time, to have exciting adventures to write about. Cat could feel her energy returning as she made a list of things to pack. They would sleep a few hours then drop by her apartment on the way to the airport to grab a few things. She thought about splurging and buying everything she needed when she got where she was going, but she was too frugal to be so spontaneous. Besides, now that she was unemployed, she’d have to tighten her belt a bit.

Sullivan called just as they made the reservations with the spa. When he heard of their plan, he agreed that Cat needed some time away.

“I think it will be good for you to get out of here for awhile,” he told her. He wanted to say that he would miss her and that he didn’t want her to go, but she needed this, he decided. “Are you planning on going home before you fly out?” He didn’t want her returning to her apartment alone. He wished they were already out of town.

After laying eyes on Chaz Rodriquez and Warren Garrison, he was afraid for her. Not to mention the slime ball, Rick Hurley. He realized it could be any of them terrorizing her. They all had the opportunity and ability. He hadn’t decided if Chaz had motive, but the other two clearly did.

“Yes, our flight leaves at 1:05 p.m., so we’ll just run up there, grab some things and head back to the airport. I think we’ll have plenty of time.”

“Well, I would really appreciate it if you didn’t go alone. I didn’t have anything to hold my suspects on, and I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Nothing had turned up on the search warrants executed on Rick’s house or the radio station, except for the discovery of Rick’s adult porn, some misdemeanor marijuana and a lot of alcohol. From the look of Rick’s house and the stashed bottle at the station, Rick might have been an alcoholic, but Sullivan wasn’t too sure about him being a stalker and killer. Rick had suddenly disappeared though, and that was troubling Sullivan.

Chaz was an ex-con. He had spent time in prison for drugs, possession of stolen property and intent to distribute a controlled dangerous substance. He didn’t have an alibi for the night of the murder or the night when the dog was nearly killed. Chaz said he was attending an AA meeting when the harassing phone call at the station had taken place. He was one to keep close tabs on, Sullivan decided.

Warren was a different animal altogether. He could be their guy. He had an alibi for every event. He also tried too hard to please during the interview. He was polite and respectful until Bronson pushed him about the alleged rapes in his past. There was a moment that both detectives discussed afterward that sent chills up their spines. It was when Warren answered the rape questions and his smile remained plastered on his face. His eyes were dead and emotionless. They discussed the possibility that he was a sociopath and possibly psychotic.

“Sometimes, you just have to go with your gut on these things,” Sullivan had told Bronson. “My gut says this guy is a rapist. Let’s get with our sex crimes unit and find out about any unsolved rape cases. We may have opened a new can of worms here.” Bronson agreed and contacted the sex crimes unit himself. He sent them Warren’s information. The detectives decided to go home, rest and meet back at Headquarters at 9 a.m.

Cat reassured Sullivan that she wouldn’t go alone to her apartment. Susan would go with her to pick up her things. She promised him that if she needed anything she would call the local police department. They disconnected the call after a few minutes of stalling on each end. Several hours later, after a fitful night of haunting dreams, Cat roused herself off of Susan’s couch and splashed warm water on her face. She pulled her hair back and secured her hair in a ponytail. She took a quick shower and brushed her teeth. She dabbed on a little eye makeup and studied her reflection in the mirror.

Criticizing her frizzy hair, a blemish that had appeared overnight on her chin and her overall shabby appearance, “What does he see in you?” she asked herself out loud. “He is way out of your league.”

When Cat walked into Susan’s kitchen she found Susan making muffins and brewing some strong, black java. “Ummmmm, smells good,” Cat purred.

“Don’t you look cute,” Susan greeted her with a chipper smile. “Breakfast will be ready in a minute. Are you getting excited about our trip?” she asked with a smile.

“Yes and no,” Cat confessed. “I slept terrible. I don’t really want to leave town with my dog in the hospital. Besides, I feel like I’m running away from my problems. I still can’t believe I got fired from my job last night.” Her shoulders slumped forward; she would have started to bawl if Susan hadn’t lovingly grabbed her shoulders.

“Listen, kid, everything changes, that’s life. Instead of focusing on all the bad, focus on the positives.”

“What positives?” Cat asked pathetically.

“Well, for starters,” Susan said while pointing at Cat with a spatula, “your parents are paying for your vacation, you get to find a better job and a gorgeous man is crazy about you. What do you have to complain about?”

Cat blushed and looked somewhat innocent with big questioning eyes. “You really think he’s crazy about me?”

Susan just laughed. “Don’t be silly, Girl, that boy has it bad for you.”

After eating their blueberry muffins, Cat and Susan drank their coffee and finished getting ready for their big day.