“JASPER, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU want now? I can’t do anything to help you, and you know that, Boy,” I reprimanded.
“Just listen, Officer Randel. I have to do the right thing. Please come up and talk to me, and bring Officer Willy with you. I don’t want anything anymore; I just gotta do the right thing.”
Yeah, that’ll be the day when a punk like Jasper Murdock doesn’t want something, the little shit. “I can’t come until next week on my day off, ‘Boy’. Why don’t we talk over the phone?”
“There’s no privacy. The walls have ears and so do the phones, Hawk. I need to see you really, really bad. This is the most important thing I can do. I know you don’t believe me after all I’ve done, but I’ll prove it to you; I don’t want nothin’. Next week might be too late. Remember what happened to Benito, the little Cuban? Well, I don’t want to end up like him.”
“Hold tight, Jasper, and I’ll be there as soon as I can.” It was two days later before Wells and I could clear our schedules to go together. I had no idea why Jasper wanted me to bring Willy with me, but I did know that he was under stress and seemed overly anxious. He was still recuperating from his own belly shiving when they killed Benito.
Wells asked, “What’s goin’ on with our little buddy, Randel? He scared of his own shadow? He hasn’t been playing with rattle snakes again has he? Haw!”
“No, but he’s always wantin’ to tell us who’s behind the murders of these women, like he’s privy to some special information. I’m getting’ damned tired of his bullshit, wantin’ some favor for his information, but this time, he said he doesn’t want anything. What do we know about those last two young women’s murders, Willy?”
“The last one, a little Italian woman, about twenty-five, was wrapped in plastic and dumped in David area three nights ago. The one before that was a tall Russian dancer, a real beauty I think, but her face was so hacked up that they had to use her dentals to identify her; her boyfriend didn’t even recognize her. She danced for Fancy Legs Two. You might even know who she was.”
“You mean the Crazy Legs Two, Wells? That’s hittin’ close to home for Caitlan Devereaux. What was the Russian’s name?”
“Don’t you watch the news, Randel?”
“Why? I’m not interested in what happened yesterday. I’m too busy with today.”
“Like hell you are. Her name was Geruth Maximillian. The girls called her Maxie.”
“Hell, I know her. She’s the girl that was so nice to Caitlan; a helluva a good dancer too. Tell me about her.”
“The best they can tell, Maxie finished her shift; the bouncer walked her to her car, and watched as she drove away. The bouncer came back inside, but Maxie was never seen alive again. Her car was found about four blocks from the Crazy Legs, in a vacant lot; the doors were open, the wheels, battery, radio, everything was stripped before the po-lice got there, so there weren’t many clues. Someone could have been in the back seat, or someone could have stopped her. It’s not a good area, Hawk.”
“Yeah, I know. And where was she found?”
“Out near the Apex, about four days later. She was dumped in the trough of the median at an emergency turn around, naked, but with her clutch purse and her ID. The chain of the purse was wrapped around her neck and she was strangled after she was sexually assaulted. Seems to me someone wants us to find out who’s doin’ this crap, Hawk.”
“How long ago was it that they found her?”
“That was about ten days ago, I think.”
“And three days ago for the Italian woman. Whoever it is, is workin’ harder and faster. I wonder why Caitlan or Ms. Kathleen didn’t say anything to me.” Of course, I’ve been a real hard ass and haven’t been answering my calls lately. Maybe they did try to contact me. I’ll bet Ms. Kathleen is scared shitless for her little niece. “I’d better have Roscoe check in on them. You know how squeamish those women can be. And how about the other woman, Willy? What do they know about her?”
“She was a housewife, and a mother of three little boys. She had been shopping at the mall and never returned home. Her station wagon was left in the parking lot, and her packages were inside and the doors were locked. Security reported it after everything was closed up late that night, but there was no call for a missing vehicle, so it went unnoticed until the report came out about her having gone missing. Then she, her name was Wanda Page, was found in David area behind the K-Mart docking area. A semi-truck driver pulled in to wait to unload when the late crew came on. He said it’s common for drivers to park and sleep until the dock workers come in. He said his lights hit on something shiny in front of him and he became curious, then found her body wrapped in plastic from head to foot. He said she had the damnedest looking smile on her face though. It was because her mouth had been slit from ear to ear and was gaping open. Her eyes were wide open too. He told Officer Hatch from Homicide that it was the most gruesome thing he had ever seen, and that he couldn’t get that look out of his mind.”
“Sounds perverted and crazy to me, Wells. We’re looking for a mad man, and we’d better find him quick. Hell, I know that there are a lot of beautiful women in this city, but they are all goin’ to be scared to leave home until this bastard is caught. What is Hatch doin’ about all of this?”
“I don’t have a clue, Randel. I’ve been as busy cleanin’ up the city as you have. Murder isn’t on our list of crimes to follow through on, remember.”
“Yeah, yeah, I realize that, but somethin’s gotta give. Let’s go in and see what our ‘Boy’ has to say.”
Jasper ‘Boy’ Murdock, ‘Boy’ because his mama, the mother of ten kids, was too tired to give him a name, was looking gaunt, peaked and exhausted, but he looked surprisingly at peace. “Thanks for coming, Officer Randel, and Officer Willy. How you doin’?”
“Cut the crap, Jasper, and tell me what’s so important.”
“Okay, Officer Randel. I don’t want anything from you but a promise
when I get outta prison.”
I scooted my chair back and stood. “Bullshit, ‘Boy’, no promises! I’m outta here. Come on Wells.”
“Wait, Hawk. You’ll want to make this promise. I want you to help me find a good job and a decent place to live.”
I guess I can listen for a minute, I thought. I’m already here. “Hell, your parole officer will help with that.”
“Yeah, but I want you and Officer Willy to kinda take me under your wings so to speak so I can stay straight. I’ve found the Lord, Randel, and the chaplain and I have a plan for my life. I know I’ll need help when I get out, so I want you two officers to be my mentors.”
“Mentors? That’s a big word for you, ‘Boy’.”
“Yeah, but I know what it means. You can teach me what you know about bein’ a righteous guy.”
“Only you can do that, Jasper,” commented Willy Wells. “You’re the one that’s in control of your life, not us.”
“Me ‘n God; but I need some one to be like, and I can’t think of nobody better than you two po-licemen. You’re my heroes.”
“What did you call us up here for, Jasper? We don’t have all day.”
“Is that a promise then, Officer Randel?”
“We’ll see. It sounds good. Wells, make a note. When Jasper’s parole comes up, tell me and I’ll kick his butt all the way to Dallas if he screws up again. How’s that?”
Elated, Jasper jumped so quickly that the guard was astonished and rushed forward. “Hoorah! It’s a done deal. Now, just listen to what I have to say, Officer Randel.”
I motioned to the guard that everything was under control and then Jasper began. “I’ve been tryin’ to tell someone since I was in county jail that I know who’s been doin’ those murders of those women, Officer Randel. But nobody wants to listen to a con. There’s a guy named Blade. I shared a cell with him once in juvie and again in county. He’s a bad dude, Hawk. He bragged a lot, but I think the things he said made sense. He told me about the murders of some girls and how he had taken dead bodies and dumped them in different places. I thought he was just a liar at first. Then one day, I was watchin’ the news back at my mama’s and what they said, matched with what he told me. Then, when I was on the way to Indian Springs…do you remember? When I told you I wanted to talk to you about that little girl that you found in the desert, nobody would listen. But, Officer Randel, I thought then and I know now that Blade dropped her there. And he dropped those other women in the culvert and under the bridge and in the dumpster. I don’t know how many there have been now but he’s the one they use to drop the bodies. Sometimes he bragged that the women weren’t even dead when he got them, and he had what he called fun with them before he iced them.”
“Whoa, whoa up there ‘Boy’! What the hell you talkin’ about? Who the hell is this Blade?”
“He’s a punk, like me, but he’s crazy, kinda mad crazy. He likes to torture people, even cuts himself. He lives with his mama and daddy in Vegas. Randel, if he finds out that I told you, he’ll try to kill me. But, I know that it’s the right thing for me to do, to tell you even if something happens to me. He can’t keep on killing like he does. And… he’s involved with some real bad dudes. There’s a whole ring of them.”
“Wait, Jasper. Don’t say another word. We need to get this down on tape and have someone in here to take notes. Wells, call the guard.”
Willy motioned to the guard that came and attentively listened to what I asked him to do. He returned within five minutes with a male transcriptionist and another guard. We were ushered into an observation room where the warden was present. Jasper was chained to his chair for our and his protection and the warden advised him that his lawyer was on the way. The state patrol led the way for Jasper’s lawyer and then were served drinks as we waited for him to join us. Unafraid, Jasper told his lawyer what he had already told us and the lawyer sat silently for a few minutes and then advised Jasper Murdock that he could go ahead with his disclosure. Thirty minutes later, after the warden assured us that Jasper would be safely held in isolation, and his lawyer guaranteed us that Jasper would cooperate, we took our leave. “Officer Randel,” Jasper queried, “you won’t forget your promise, will you?”
“No ‘Boy’ you have Willy’s and my word. You stay safe now, and remember to keep your nose clean, hear?”
“Yes siree, Officer Randel and Officer Willy. Thanks. I feel like a real man now. See you guys later.”
Shaking my head, I surmised, “You never know, Willy! You just never know!”