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DETECTIVE PAUL LEDET thought he was dreaming when the phone rang. As he went to answer the phone, he glanced over at the alarm clock and saw it was barely three a.m. He groaned. A call this early in the morning meant a homicide. “Ledet speaking.”
He listened as the dispatcher relayed the information. “I’m on my way.”
As he jumped out of bed, he called his partner, Detective Max Bryant, “Our killer struck again. He left the body shoved under a car on the Pontchartrain Causeway.”
Detective Bryant stated, “I’ll be waiting outside for you.”
Ledet didn’t even bother jumping in the shower. He grabbed the outfit he’d taken off a few short hours ago and headed right back out the door. It was going to be one of those days. He dreaded that he was about to ruin a family’s Christmas.
After he had picked up Bryant, they headed straight to the crime scene. By the time they arrived, the scene was in complete chaos. The media had learned about the murder and were at the scene. There were also more than a dozen police cruisers, and several police officers were trying to keep everyone away from the scene.
As he walked to the car, he noticed that the body was still under the car. One of the younger officers working the perimeters replied, “Sir, Dr. Ortego just called to say he is almost here. He is having a hard time getting the van around all the media.”
Bryant exclaimed, “Get these media vans out of the way so that the crime scene vans can get in here. Let’s not keep Dr. Ortego waiting.”
It took ten minutes to get the media to move further away from the scene so that Dr. Ortego and the crime scene techs could get in with their vans.
As Ledet spoke to the responding officer, he could tell this was his first homicide. The poor guy had never seen this amount of carnage before. He thought when he stopped behind the automobile he would be assisting a stranded motorist. At first, it appeared to be an abandoned car, but while radioing for a tow truck from his cruiser, a shape from under the car caught his attention. Upon closer inspection, he became disturbed by what he found.
“Sir, how could someone do that? Her eyes were removed.”
This case would leave a permanent mark on the young rookie’s mind. As Ledet looked at the body, he told the young rookie, “At least the killer slit her throat before removing her eyes. She was probably dead before she hit the ground.”
Ledet hollered out to one of the crime scene techs, “Make sure you photograph the crime scene from every angle. We need accurate measurements on the position of the body. I want plenty of pictures. Don’t worry about how many rolls of film you use, just get it done.”
To the responding officer, he instructed, “Make sure you take plenty of notes on everything you saw before, during and after the discovery of the body. Don’t leave anything out. No matter how insignificant it seems, it may prove to be vital evidence afterward.”
Another crime scene tech was combing the area for evidence. Ledet instructed him, “I want you to catalog everything you take. Mark down everything in the immediate vicinity. Write down what type of debris you removed and where it was removed.”
To everyone, he stated, “I want to be overly thorough with this crime scene. Take your time and be careful. I don’t want anything missed. Understood?”
They chimed in unison, “Yes, sir.”
He watched the flurry of activity around him. A set of tire tracks was found near the rear of the car. At least the responding officer had followed protocol and kept his eight foot distance from the car. They were able to get a few good pictures of the tread. Other than that, there wasn’t sufficient evidence for them to go on.
As Dr. Ortego got out of his van, Ledet noticed how much he had aged recently. His hair started to gray and thin. He asked Ledet, “What have we got?”
“We have a dead body under the car. The body hasn’t been moved. We wanted you to have a look first.”
Dr. Ortego asked, “And you are sure it is your killer?”
Ledet nodded his head, “You can tell right away that her eyes are missing.”
Dr. Ortego's assistants removed the body. “I will have the autopsy reports for you as soon as possible.” He continued to bark orders to his personnel before leaving the scene.
By the time Ledet made it back to the office that afternoon, he had found the young woman’s parents at his desk. Mr. Breaux looked at his wife, “Why don’t you stay here? I can do this by myself.”
She shook her head, “No, I want to do this with you.”
Ledet asked, “Mrs. Breaux, are you sure about this? You don’t want to remember your daughter like this.”
She shook her head, “No, I must see her. I have to know it is her.”
Ledet hated that they would spend their Christmas holiday identifying their daughter’s body instead of celebrating the season with family.
Dr. Ortego met them in the reception area of the coroner’s office. “Dr. Ortego, this is Mr. and Mrs. Breaux. Mr. and Mrs. Breaux this is the medical examiner, Dr. Ortego.”
Dr. Ortego shook each of their hands, “I’m sorry we have to meet under such a somber occasion. If you would sign in please, I will wait for you in the back. Detective Ledet will bring you back when you are ready.”
Before entering the morgue, Detective Ledet knocked on the door to let Dr. Ortego know that they were there. He opened the door, “You can come in. She is ready.”
Ledet led them into the room. Inside the room stood a steel table with a sheet covering a prone figure. An involuntary shiver ran through Ledet’s body. He despised this aspect of the job. The morgue was so cold and impersonal. The air smelled of chemicals and death. There was no possible way to bring comfort or to ease the pain of those left behind as they came to identify the body.
Mrs. Breaux moved towards the table in slow motion. Dr. Ortego pulled back the sheet. Mr. Breaux wrapped his arms around his wife as she took in a sudden breath. Her face turned white as a ghost just as her eyes rolled back, and her knees buckled.
Thankfully, Mr. Breaux had his arms around her just as she went to faint. Dr. Ortego rolled the wheelchair over to her. Detective Ledet helped Mr. Breaux settle her into the chair.
Dr. Ortego reached into his pocket and broke out the smelling salts. He waved it under her nose. She woke up suddenly and pushed his hand away from her, “I’m fine now.”
Dr. Ortego asked, “Are you sure?”
She nodded her head, “Really, I am fine. I never expected that reaction, but it was more than I could take.” She wiped the tears from her eyes “My poor baby. Do you know what happened to her?”
Detective Ledet put his hand on her shoulder, “Mrs. Breaux, please don’t do this to yourself. She didn’t suffer if that will help you, but as far as how she died, we needed to keep that to ourselves until the investigation is complete. I hope you understand that?”
She nodded in understanding, “I don’t know what I will do without my baby.” Great, heaving sobs shook her body. Dr. Ortego handed her a box of tissue from his desk as her husband took her in his arms.
He despised this part of the notification - the tears and the emotions. He was not good at providing comfort. Until they stopped this killer, there would be more notifications. This killer was just getting started.
Mr. Breaux applied a firm grasp to Ledet’s shoulder, “Please find the monster that did this to my daughter. She didn’t deserve to die this young and especially in this manner.”
Ledet patted Mr. Breaux’s back, “I promise I will do everything in my power to find the person responsible for your daughter’s death.”