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THE DETECTIVES WERE sitting around the conference room table talking about their recent unsolved cases. It had been two weeks since the last murder, and they still had no clues about the woman who committed these heinous crimes. From the fibers left on the body, they knew she used a black silk scarf to gag her victims with, and black fur lined handcuffs to restrain them to the beds. The men were married and obviously cheated on their wives. Each crime scene looked the same. Somehow, the woman managed to drug the champagne, most likely to make them easier to handle, and apply the bondage.
Landry had a feeling most of the men were up for the game she offered; this could be what turned them on to the escort service they called. The police have still run into a road block as to which one it was that the men called.
Thankfully, this latest string of murders were their only cases to investigate. Stewart’s criminal element was taking a hiatus at the moment. With this current case, though, they were all grateful for a lull in the drive by shootings and such. It won’t be long before the heat starts getting to everyone, and the homicides began to rise again. Landry had to admit that when the sweltering heat of summer beat down on you, it could be tough to stay sane under the best of circumstances. For some reason, criminals found it impossible, and that was when the trouble really began around here.
Sheriff Tyrell Williams walked into the conference room. Sheriff Williams was a big man. He most likely weighed close to two hundred and fifty pounds, but because of his height, he carried it off with ease. Landry held Sheriff Williams in high regard. It couldn’t be easy being one of the only black sheriff in this area of Louisiana. He fought hard to overcome the race card that some of Stewart’s constituents threw his way, but the man was a damn fine sheriff. Since his election, crime has dropped by twenty percent, which may not seem like a lot, but to those working the cases, it was a significant decrease. One of the first items on his agenda when he became Sheriff was to start a gang division. The fellow officers that volunteered to join that division were a tough bunch, but in the last year the city saw a big decrease in gang activity. Sheriff Williams showed no mercy to the criminals, regardless of color. He also increased the amount of officers working on removing drugs from the streets. He did some research and found grant money to help with drug busts. He was definitely keeping his word to the people of Stewart.
Landry, who had his chair leaned so far back that the slightest movement could knock it over, exclaimed, “What’s up Sheriff?”
“We’ve got another murder at The Windsor.”
Landry stood up and stated to the other detectives, “We’ll go work the crime scene if y‘all want to keep going over the evidence we have.”
The office was starting to get stuffy. Landry wanted a bit of fresh air, plus he may get lucky, and Dr. Renault might be working the case. She would brighten his day, even if he would never work up the nerve to ask her out.
As soon as Landry and Benoit stepped outside, the stifling heat was like a slap in the face. The humidity must be high today. No sooner than they walked outside, they began to sweat,but Landry could smell rain in the air, and he hoped that would bring a little relief.
When they arrived at the crime scene, forensics was busy processing the scene. Several technicians were busy dusting for prints and gathering evidence. They work with swift, practiced movements. A young man was busy photographing the crime scene from several different angles, making sure not to miss anything.
Another victim in another compromising situation. Walking into the crime scene you almost felt like an intruder. More often than not, murder victims know their killers; however, this time Landry suspected the killer was a stranger to the victim. Landry also believed the body was left in this position for shock value; to let everyone know he died in a compromising position. He had yet to figure out why she took the restraints with her though.