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HUTCH WAS EXHAUSTED and frightened at the same time. Her mind was on overload and had reached its capacity. Just as she drifted back to sleep, her phone rang. She looked over at Mike, “I guess it was more than a dream.” Mike didn’t even reply. He started to dress. Early morning phone calls meant only one thing—-someone else was murdered.
Hutch let out a sigh as they drove down the barely paved gravel road. This killer must have a good suspension system on his car because these roads played hell on you as they bounced you along. The headlights bounced along the darkened road flashing yellow beams of light along the roadway.
Mike watched the road closely, searching for the flashing lights of the other police cars working the scene. “I don’t see any lights behind me so either the media are already here or they haven’t found out about the murder yet.”
“Let’s hope for once that they don’t know about the murder just yet. I’m tired of fielding their asinine questions.”
Hutch looked around once more. They’d left civilization several miles back. “He has to be from here, or he researched the town well. Most of these back roads don’t even show up on GPS much less maps.”
Up ahead, Hutch saw the flashing lights of the police vehicles. The lights cast a fuzzy glow around the scene. Mike had grabbed a flashlight before they made their way to the crime scene. The moon hung above them, casting shadows all around. Dew clinging to the unkempt grass sparkled from the flashing strobe lights of the police cars that outlined the area. Several policemen attempted to ward off media and bystanders.
***
DETECTIVE LEDET WATCHED as Detectives Bailey and Hutcherson made their way to the crime scene. His day had just started, and stomach acid already boiled up into his esophagus. As Hutch walked up to the crime scene, he popped an antacid into his mouth. He wanted answers now, but she had to wait for daybreak before she could get a better look at the scene.
He passed Hutch the roll of antacids, “Want one?”
Hutch shook her head and nodded to where the reporters gathered, “I see they have already heard about the latest murder.”
“How did they hear about it before us? I swear they are like vultures. They smell blood and start circling.”
One nosy reporter asked, “Did the killer strike again?”
Ledet turned, scowling at the pesky reporter, “Give us time to investigate would you? We just got here.”
Hutch looked at him. They knew how the reporters learned about the murders, police scanners. They were responsible for these jackals making it to the crime scenes before investigators had time to get there. It would be so much easier if they kept the traffic off the police scanners, but it was next to impossible to do.
Hutch looked around the crime scene, “I see I made it here before Dr. Ortego.”
“He is on his way. Something had him tied up at home.”
Dr. Ortego’s wife took a turn for the worse, and the chemotherapy was taking a toll on her body. All they could do for Dr. Ortego and his wife was pray. “Have you checked out the crime scene?”
“I figured I would wait for you. I was worried that if we started traipsing around the scene, it might throw you off. Bryant had to stay back at the office, something about court today. It is just you and me.”
Hutch shook her head, “Well, let’s see what we can find out.”
As they made their way to the crime scene, the crime scene tech van arrived. As they unloaded their equipment, Ledet stated, “They won’t get in our way.”
As Hutch walked over to the body, she stopped. She looked up at the stars, but it’s like her sudden stop had them holding their breath as well. Even the stars had waited for her next move before they twinkled once again in the night sky. Time slowly stretched forward. Goose bumps formed on her body as she brought herself to look at the body. Even though she knew the answers, she still found herself asking, “He took time with the body didn’t he?”
Ledet nodded his head in agreement, “He posed this body. The victim appears to be in her early twenties.”
***
HUTCH TOOK IN THE SCENE before her. The killer took his time in posing the body. Was he playing with them? He had placed one of the victim’s hands over her eyes and the other over her mouth. Her clothing was torn and dirty, as if he dragged her there. Mud clung to her hair and streaks of mud blotched her face. Her face had a bluish hue; almost translucent in appearance. Even though the eyes and mouth were covered, Hutch knew what was underneath. Her delicate lips remained open in a grotesque sneer. Where once had been gorgeous brown eyes with flecks of gold were merely black voids. The air around them was alive with nervous energy. “I guess we won’t know until Dr. Ortego gets here, but I’m certain he removed her eyes and tongue like the others.”
Ledet agreed, “He cut her throat from ear to ear, but there is also blood on her cheeks and chin so I have to agree. I’m unsure why he covered her face the way he did.”
Hutch walked around the crime scene, getting a feel for the scene. “She wasn’t killed here?”
Ledet agreed, “No, there isn’t enough blood at the scene. I’m not sure why he chose this area to pose her. There isn’t a lot of foot traffic here. If not for the truck driver pulling over to take a leak, I doubt we would have found the body any time soon.”
“Come daylight, someone would have seen her when driving by.”
Mike looked around, “I’m not so sure. Even during the day, it would be difficult to see her back here. Are we sure that the truck driver isn’t the doer?”
Ledet shook his head, “Crime scene techs are searching his truck, but he is pretty shaken up. I don’t think he expected to find a body. From what he said, he did not notice her until zipping up his pants. Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. When we drove up, you could tell that the ground had been recently disturbed. Perhaps the killer had dragged her body this time instead of carrying her. This area doesn’t have a lot of traffic at this hour. I suspect our truck driver hoped to take a leak and then maybe catch a little shut eye before getting back on the road.”
As Mike and Ledet talked, Hutch continued to walk the scene. The image of a man appeared before her, but he was shrouded in black. As he dragged the body, he slashed the air with his knife. Hutch exclaimed, “I think he is trying to silence the victims. It is possible that the ghosts talk to him, tormenting him. That may be why he removes their tongues. As far as the eyes go, they are referred to as the windows to the soul. He could be trying to collect their souls in his own way, or he is attempting to keep them from seeing what he does. They are indeed haunting him.”
Hutch turned away from the body and looked over at the horde of gawkers crowding the crime scene. Did he pose the body for the media? Was the killer counting on the body being detected early on?
She tried to read the energy here at the crime scene. If only she could get a feel for this killer, but he seemed to be able to keep himself hidden from her. By his demeanor, though, the ghosts talked to him. She tried to hone in on him as he posed the body. Suddenly, he stopped and looked back. She swore he looked directly at her. A chill passed through her as he looked in her direction before finishing with the body. Why did he look back? Did something catch his attention last night? She instructed one of the crime scene techs, “Scan this area well, please. Let’s see if someone else was here last night.”
Mike came over and asked, “What do you have?”
Hutch replied, “It may be nothing, but while he posed the body, he turned and looked right where I am standing.”
“This is the second time you mentioned that he seemed to look back where you were at. Do you suppose he can sense you?”
Hutch shook her head, “I don’t think so. I can’t explain why he looked back.” Hutch moved to where the killer had stood to see if she could get a sense of what he may have heard or saw. “The ghosts of the other victims are following him. Even though he removed their eyes, they have somehow attached themselves to him. I believe that is why he slashed the air earlier. He thought he had silenced them, but it must have been unsuccessful. If only they would talk to me. Maybe one of them knows who he is or even where he lives.”
Hutch tried to get their attention, but they remained focused on the killer and what he was doing at the moment. She must wait for them to reach out to her again. There had to be a way to get them to talk to her.
As Hutch finished, Dr. Ortego pulled up. As he walked over to them, she saw the depression etched on his face. He shook his head as he observed the body, “She was so damn young.”
Ledet nodded his head in agreement, “We waited for you to get here before we did anything with the body.”
“I am sorry it took me so long. I had to wait for my daughter to get to the house before I could leave.”
Hutch put a hand on his shoulder, “We understand Dr. Ortego. It’s okay.”
He looked at her with an attempt of a smile on his face, “Well, let’s see if this guy removed her eyes and tongue shall we?”
As he carefully moved her hands, he placed a baggie over each in case there was any trace evidence they could use. “It’s your guy. The eyes and tongue were removed with surgical precision. As with the others, he slit her throat first.”
***
THE KILLER SLIPPED into the ever growing crowd of bystanders and media gawking at the crime scene. He caught the commotion on his radio and decided to stop by to watch as they investigated his handiwork. He found this almost as thrilling as the kill itself.
From where he stood, he observed the technicians taking pictures and the coroner examining the body. He watched in fascination as the female detective walked around the crime scene instead of looking at the body. Could it be that she couldn’t bring herself to look at his handiwork? A broad smile came over him at that possibility. As he watched her further though, he realized that wasn’t the case. Occasionally, she looked back at the body before continuing to walk the perimeter of the crime scene. The way she carried herself wasn’t like the other detectives. She was getting a feel for the actual crime scene and not worried about the body.
She moved back over to the body, staring down at the face, as if memorizing the face. At first, it upset him that the body had been found so soon. However, he may have to turn this into a little game with the detectives.
As he watched the detectives work, the voices started up once again in his head. He placed his hands over his ears in an attempt to silence them. Now was not the time to draw attention to himself.
A chill moved over Hutch. She looked up to see several of the victims standing over the body.
The killer watched in horror as the ghosts appeared over the body. This time, though, they seemed to be reaching out to the female detective. He stood frozen in place as one woman lifted her arms and pointed in his direction. Not wanting to take any chances, he decided to leave.
The killer sensed the female detective heading his way. He must find out if she could talk to ghosts. Right now, though, he must leave before she discovered his identity.
Thankfully, he parked his car further away from the crime scene than needed. He ducked into the woods to return to his car.
Once satisfied that he wasn’t being followed, he pulled over to a convenience store parking lot to gather his thoughts. He must find a way to silence these ghosts, especially if they had found someone who would listen to them. He must learn more about this female detective. He wouldn’t have anyone putting a stop to his killing.
***
HUTCH LOOKED UP JUST in time to see a man walking away from the group of bystanders. She took off in his direction.
As Hutch looked around to see where the man went, Mike walked up behind her, “Our killer was here, watching the crime scene. We need to see if the crime scene techs managed to get a picture of him in the crowd.”
“You believe that was the killer you followed?”
“Yes, I am positive. The ghosts of the victims appeared to me while Dr. Ortego looked over the body. They wanted to get my attention and pointed to where he stood in the crowd.”
Mike walked over to the tech taking pictures, “Once you get the photos of the crowd developed, please let me know. I believe our killer was here.”
The young tech nodded his head, “Yes, sir. We will get on that once we make it back to the office.”
This killer was turning into her own personal nightmare, killing these poor women right under their noses. So far, they hadn’t been able to stop him. Why kill two in the open and the last one by the bayou? Could it be he knew her and didn’t want her body found right away?
As Mike drove back to the police station, Hutch laid her head back against the seat. This was the first time that visiting a crime scene had left her this emotionally drained. She felt tired and old. All she wanted was a cup of coffee and a quiet room. The sun was high overhead and beat down on the car.
Mike saw how much visiting the crime scene affected Hutch this time, “Do you want to go home for a while instead?”
Hutch nodded her head yes. As soon as they entered the house, she turned on the lights. The dark bothered her lately. It probably had something to do with this case. She opened the curtains in the living room and let the afternoon sun into the tiny room.
She walked into the kitchen to find Mike brewing them a pot of coffee. The kitchen was her favorite room in the house. It was always bright and airy. There was no place for the ghosts to hide in this room. No matter how many cases she solved or how many victims she put to rest, there were always more waiting on her.
As Hutch sipped on her coffee, she told Mike, “The killer surprised the victim. She didn’t expect him to kill her. I get the feeling he picked her up from the airport, but I can’t be certain of that. I had a hard time reading this particular crime scene.”
“Why do you think that is?”
Shrugging her shoulders, “I don’t know. It was as if the evil this killer generates prevented me from seeing too much.”
“This never happened to you before?”
Hutch shook her head, “No, not after a murder took place. Normally, I can picture the scene as it happens, but with this killer, it is different.”
***
HE WOKE UP EARLY, WANTING to read the morning paper as soon as it was delivered. He rushed out the front door as soon as he heard it hit the ground. On the front page was the story about the recent murder. He knew the article would run; the murder was on everyone’s lips yesterday.
He wondered if the news of the body would be picked up by the media across the country. When he turned on the TV, the local stations here were already airing the news this morning. He planned on searching the web to see if the news had hit the internet.
It was such a rush yesterday to be in the thick of the pandemonium he caused. He didn’t like that the new detective sensed his presence. She could tell his exact location. A new plan formed in his mind. Anticipation bubbled up inside of him at the very idea of what he intended. This case was about to get even more personal for her, and she better be prepared.