Our normal workweek began early on Mondays. Weekend incidents had to be reviewed, and we needed to determine whether any law enforcement agencies had requested our assistance. Spelling sat at the head of the table and conducted the usual back-and-forth with us about everyone’s weekend activities before beginning our morning meeting. He opened the black folder his hands had been resting on. All of us had matching folders. He nodded, and we opened ours and followed along.
Inside were three files, each with a photograph paper clipped to the first of four pages of notes, including the initial police report, ME field exam, forensics report, and final autopsy reports. The photographs showed three deceased young women, each with the pads of their fingers burned away, most likely with some type of acid. Their nude bodies had unusually white skin.
Spelling put his fist to his mouth and cleared his throat. “Let’s begin. Take your time reading the full reports after the meeting. These cases were called to my attention because of the similarities between them. At this point, we’re assuming these three ladies met their deaths at the hands of the same individual because of their condition and the proximity of where they were found. All three were discovered within a twenty-mile radius of Gary, Indiana. The skin on their fingertips was burned off postmortem, and most noticeably, nearly every drop of blood had been drained from the first two bodies for sure, according to their autopsies. We’re assuming the third will be the same. Each woman had bruising at their femoral and carotid arteries.”
I shook my head. “That explains the freakishly white skin, and the bruising means their blood was drained while they were still alive.”
Spelling continued. “That’s correct, Jade. The first two women discovered, in order, were”—he looked at the contents of the folder—“Corrine Lionel and Taylor Dorsey. They were found two weeks apart, seven miles from each other, and both in December.”
“Wouldn’t the winter temperatures interfere with determining the actual TOD?” I asked.
“Absolutely. The killer could have kept them alive for months or killed them immediately and had them stashed in a freezer until winter to dispose of them. There wouldn’t be an odor from decomposition or a way to tell when they actually died.”
Cam spoke up as he flipped each page. “So you’re saying they’ve been missing for a while?”
“The missing persons report was filed on Corrine in late October and on Taylor right around Thanksgiving. Corrine was located in tall brush near a quarry on December fourth, and Taylor was found on December seventeenth in an abandoned house in one of the worst neighborhoods of Gary.”
“What about Heather Francis?” Val asked as she looked at Spelling.
“She was reported missing Saturday morning and found yesterday along a path at Marquette Park.”
“Marquette Park?” J.T. flipped to the last page with the rest of us. “I’ve never heard of it.” He took a sip of water then rubbed his nose.
“It’s supposed to be very scenic. It’s a large park along Lake Michigan with paths, beaches, and a pavilion for weddings, that sort of thing,” Spelling said.
“Are any of the locations near each other? Could we possibly draw those parameters in a little tighter?” Maria asked.
“I’m afraid not. Each location couldn’t be farther away or less similar to the other. Seven miles was the closest, and that was between Corrine and Taylor. Heather’s body was found twelve miles from Corrine’s location and nineteen miles from where Taylor was found. Of course, the areas are too remote, or in Taylor’s case, too impoverished, to have CCTV cameras installed.”
“Smart guy,” I said. “He isn’t establishing a dump pattern or location. He could live anywhere, but he’s obviously familiar with the different areas of Gary. How were the girls identified without fingerprints, boss?”
“Not everyone is in the system, especially at that age, unless they’ve been caught in criminal activities. Removing their prints was an odd act to begin with, but the perp was likely trying to buy some time. He wasn’t counting on the DNA profiles. The samples taken from the bodies were matched against the DNA in the missing persons profiles of Corrine and Taylor. At least with them being frozen, their features hadn’t decomposed yet. The parents were able to make positive IDs through photographs too. As far as Heather was concerned, she had only been missing for thirty-six hours before she was found. Other than the obvious injuries and unusual coloring, she still looked like Heather. All three ladies are being held at the government complex building where the medical examiner’s office and morgue are located. Heather’s autopsy is scheduled for today.” Spelling stood and closed his folder. “Gary, Indiana, is requesting our help. Jade and J.T., familiarize yourselves with the information contained in your folders. Val, schedule meetings for Jade and J.T. at the police department in Gary and with the Lake County coroner in Crown Point. Get contact names for them. Let the PD know that two FBI agents should arrive by twelve thirty.” He pushed up his sleeve then looked at both of us. “Yeah, that will give you time to take traffic into consideration and grab a bite to eat.”
J.T. nodded. “Thanks, sir.”
Spelling continued. “Val, set up hotel rooms for them in the area. Text all the information to their phones when it’s done.”
“Got it.”
“Okay, you’ll be leaving immediately. Good luck, and update me every chance you get.”
J.T. and I grabbed our go bags and coffee and climbed into a fully fueled government cruiser that sat in the lot just for these occasions. Gary, Indiana, was close enough to justify the drive since it was only two and a half hours away by car.
I read and took notes as J.T. drove. Every so often, I’d run ideas by him.
“What do you think of demonic cults? Is that still popular with youths?”
J.T. rubbed his chin, as if in thought. “What was the age range between the girls?”
“Hang on a sec.” I opened the folder and double-checked. “Okay, Corrine was twenty-three, Taylor was nineteen, and Heather was twenty-one.”
“Yeah, still pretty young. Even though kids that age think they’re smart, they don’t have the best judgment yet. They’re impressionable, and if the perp was close in age, well—”
“Well, what?”
J.T. raised his brow at me. “Have you ever known a millennial that didn’t trust another millennial? That’s like expecting a pup to be afraid of a car by instinct. Why would they if they’ve never been hit?”
“Good point.” I took the final sip of my lukewarm coffee and jotted down notes. “So back to the cult thing.”
“Sorry, I got a little sidetracked there. So based on the ages of the girls, their closest peers would likely be between eighteen and twenty-five. The outer range could be from seventeen, but probably not younger, up to possibly twenty-eight. And yeah, I do believe demonic cult activity is still popular across the country.”
“So that could include blood sacrifices?”
“Uh-huh, although that would lead us into a really dark culture, Jade.”
“But we have to go where the clues take us, right? Anyway, I’m just throwing possibilities out there, partner. You never know what goes on in this messed-up world anymore.” I paused and thought about my next comment. “Don’t laugh at me.”
J.T. laughed, and I gave him a left eyebrow frown.
He raised his hand in protest. “How am I not supposed to laugh when you just said not to?”
“Whatever. So, what’s your take on vampirism?”
He held back the second laugh. “It’s Gary, Indiana, Jade, not LA.”
I smirked. “Was there a point to that comment? Messed-up people can live anywhere. Look at the freak shows I’ve dealt with in North Bend.”
“All right, you’ve got me there. I concede. Write that down too.”
I did. “What about selling blood on the black market?”
“That’s a good point. We’ll check that out as well. I’m thinking since the police have had several months to conduct investigations on the first two girls, they might have covered those bases already, but it doesn’t hurt to cover them again.”