Taking the steps two by two, I headed to our lower level as soon as I arrived at work, anxious to find out if Don had gotten the toxicology report back. A short knock on his office door announced my presence, and he turned his head away from the computer and tipped his chin at me.
“Come on in, Jesse. I’m sure you’re here about the tox report, right?”
“Did you get the findings yet?”
“They just arrived in my in-box. Let’s take a look together, and then I’ll print out a copy for your department.”
I scooted the roller chair next to Don’s desk and took a seat. He slipped on his reading glasses, I did the same, then he opened the attachment.
“Uh-huh. That’ll definitely do the job. A combination of sodium hydroxide and benzodiazepine.”
“Layman’s terms, please.”
“In simple terms, it’s sleeping pills and lye, as in drain cleaner. I imagine the man was either forced to swallow drain cleaner, or he was already unconscious from the sleeping pills when it was poured down his throat.”
“Whoa.” I shook my head in disbelief. The killer was far more vicious than I’d originally imagined. Removing fingertips and smashing teeth to the point of making a person completely unidentifiable was already a sadistic act, but pouring drain cleaner down someone’s throat was beyond evil. “So which do you think came first?” I realized it didn’t matter in the end, but I was curious.
“Probably the drain cleaner so the victim would either be dead or near death when the perp destroyed his teeth and fingers. The killer wouldn’t be able to complete those steps unless the victim was somehow subdued.”
I gave Don a concerned stare. “We really need to find that maniac and quick. I just hope John Doe wasn’t a preview of what’s still to come.”
Don hit Print then spun his chair and retrieved three copies of the tox report he’d printed out for me. “Give one to Lutz and keep a couple for your files. Now I can go ahead with the full autopsy. The effects of the drain cleaner should show in his esophagus and stomach lining and will substantiate that lye was the cause of death.”
I thanked Don and headed upstairs, taking the back way to our bull pen, but stopped at Lutz’s office first to give him a copy.
Good, his door is open.
After rapping on the doorframe, I entered. “Hey, Boss.” I slid the sheet of paper across his desk.
“What’s this?”
“I stopped in Don’s office before coming upstairs. He just got the tox report back.”
“Really?”
I followed Lutz’s eyes as he skimmed the report. “Holy shit.” He rubbed the wrinkles that had just popped up on his forehead then scrunched his face at me. “Drain cleaner?”
I shrugged in disgust. “Apparently, and it takes a certain kind of evil to be that sadistic.”
Lutz stood. “Have the John Doe team meet me in the conference room in ten. I want to hear how the tip-line calls went, anyway.”
I was about to recap our interviews for the commander, but I would save that for the whole group to hear. After our powwow, Frank and I would drive to the addresses on record for Miles Jamison and Conrad Beaumont to see if anyone was home.
We entered the conference room carrying our necessities and then took our usual seats. A cup of coffee sat in front of each of us along with a notepad and pen. Lutz had conducted a short roll call and updates with the rest of our unit, then he walked in and sat at the head of the table.
“Okay, a quick update for all of you as well. Don received the tox report this morning, which confirmed the COD as drain cleaner. He’ll conduct a full autopsy, and the damage to John Doe’s stomach lining and throat will definitely tell him that lye passed through the deceased’s mouth and traveled to his stomach. There may be more when the urinalysis report comes in, but that’s yet to be seen.” Lutz gave Frank a glance. “What have you got, Mills, as far as tip-line leads?”
Frank balled his hand into a fist, held it to his mouth, and cleared his throat before speaking. “Jesse and I were pretty busy answering calls last night for, what, a couple of hours?”
I nodded.
“We chose a handful as the most credible calls, and of those, we went out and interviewed three people before ending our work night. There was one more caller who said the missing man was her dad and that he’d been gone for several weeks.”
Lutz scratched his cheek. “Not sure about that one, Frank.”
“Right, and that’s why I called her back and requested she email me a picture of the man in question, which I haven’t yet received.”
Lutz turned to me. “Okay, Jesse, take it from there.”
“Sure thing. We interviewed a man who at four thirty yesterday morning saw two people pulling a wagon alongside Bixler Park.”
Lutz’s eyes lit up. “And?”
“And although he thought it odd, he chalked it up as homeless people walking from one squatting location to another.”
“Hmm… I suppose it could have been. How about a description?”
“Nothing. He said it was too dark, and the only reason he saw them at all was because his headlights caught them for a second as they were turning the corner. He said they were both wearing dark-colored clothing and hoodies, essentially only looking like moving shapes in the night.”
“Not very helpful but still interesting. Why was he driving around at that time?”
“Red-eye from Miami. He was just getting home and said he only lived four blocks from the park. He saw the police presence later when he went out to get groceries, put two and two together, and then called the tip-line number after watching the news broadcast.”
“Got it. What about the other two?”
Frank shuffled his notes and began. “We talked to a woman who thought the man was an old neighbor of hers. He was a widower and didn’t have any family in the area, which would explain why a missing persons call never came in for John Doe. He moved away after his wife died, and the woman who made the call lost touch with him. We’re going to follow up and bang on his door as soon as our meeting is over.”
Lutz wrote that down. “Good, and the last person?”
I finished our findings. “That was a guy who thought the victim looked like a bookstore owner. Guess the caller frequents the place often and said it’s been closed up for nearly a week. No notes on the door as to why the store is closed. We’re going to give his residence a check too.”
“Okay, conduct those follow-ups and let me know. Henry and Potter, I want you to walk the route those people with the wagon took. Look for evidence on the ground and cameras on buildings.” Lutz turned to me. “Give Henry the street they were on before you guys head out.”
“Roger that, Boss.” I jerked my chin at Frank. “He’s got the route in his notes.”