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HUTCH LOOKED UP FROM her desk to find Detective Ledet watching her. “How in the hell did this guy go through life being a law abiding citizen then all of a sudden he is a serial killer?”
Hutch shook her head, “That’s been bothering me too. I had a vision last night. I saw the jars in his special hiding place. There were more jars there than we have bodies. He has been doing this longer than we realize. For some unknown reason, he has become brazen and doesn’t care if we find the bodies.”
“How many jars did you see?”
“I keep playing the vision back in my mind, but the numbers change. There were at least ten pairs, but there may be more.”
Ledet let out a long sigh, “Son of a bitch, why haven’t we found those bodies?”
“I’m not sure. That may explain why I have been seeing so many ghosts. I thought the images of the women were distorted, but it may be they all tried to crowd into the vision.”
“I will put another run through ViCAP. We have to be missing something. He may have killed in another small town and they never entered the data into ViCAP. It sure as hell makes it hard when we have no trail to follow.”
As Hutch listened to Ledet speak, frustration dripped from every word he spoke. At least she was not the only one desperate to stop him.
Hutch’s desk phone rang, and she knew another body had been found.
When Ledet, Bryant, and Hutch arrived at the scene, they were greeted with flashing strobe lights from the numerous police cruisers. Bryant replied, “It looks as if half the police force is here.”
Hutch nodded her head in agreement. Ledet asked the young officer working the scene, “Who found her?”
“A fisherman going out this morning saw her car here and went to see if she needed help with getting down her kayak. He thought maybe she had a little trouble this morning since normally she was already out on the bayou. From what he said, the victim was here every morning. She mentioned to him before that she was training for a kayaking race on the bayou.”
The detectives made their way across the uneven terrain to the crime scene. The coppery scent of blood and the odious smell of death hung heavy in the air. Dr. Ortego saw them coming and walked over to them. Bryant asked, “Does she match the same physical description as the others?”
Dr. Ortego replied, “She could be related to the last victim. They are similar in appearance. There was a lot more physical mutilation done to her body.”
Hutch let out a long sigh, “He stabbed her over and over didn’t he?”
Dr. Ortego replied, “Yes. She was killed and left here. He had a lot of rage for this victim.”
Hutch nodded her head in agreement, “She fought back. Not only did it anger him, but it also excited him. I fear that any future victims will show the same amount of mutilation.”
Dr. Ortego continued, “There is something else. We found a pair of panties stuffed in the neck wound.”
A chill ran through Hutch. She didn’t see that in her vision, “Was she sexually assaulted?”
“Not that I can tell. When we get her back to the morgue, I will do a thorough exam. She was dressed and wearing a pair of panties. I think the killer brought these with him.”
Dr. Ortego handed Hutch an evidence bag containing the panties. She couldn’t attest to it since they were covered with blood, but she informed him, “I think these are the underwear he stole from the house that night.”
Ledet replied, “I don’t like that he is making this case personal with you.”
Hutch agreed, “I don’t like it either. I haven’t figured out how he knows I see him in my visions. He is peering directly at me now. He can find my exact location.”
After they examined the body, the coroner’s assistants prepared the body to be removed. As they loaded the body into the van, Hutch walked the crime scene. She tried to isolate herself from what happened around her. It was surreal to her how the sun continued to shine, and the birds continued to sing with this grisly murder having taken place right here. The world should stop for a few seconds and pay respect to the recently departed.
She heard the crime scene technicians and officers talking, but it was as if they were far away instead of right next to her. The mist took over her vision as she watched the killer appear. He walked the same trail that Hutch had just walked on. She called out to Rayne, “If you are near I could use your help. Maybe between the two of us, we can finally see him.” She took a deep breath and centered her mind to concentrate. Slowly, the mist moved.
She saw the young woman as she got out of her car. The killer took her by surprise. She immediately fought back. The fear emitting from her was infectious. Hutch’s heart pounded in her chest. She screamed and fought back with everything she had. He took her small figure for granted and was caught off guard by her strength.
As the girl continued to struggle with the killer, Hutch honed in on his face. She let out a sigh of disappointment. Once again, a plain white mask covered his face. It shined eerily in the early morning sky. The more she struggled, the more animated he became. Hatred poured from him as the woman fought back. The more she fought back, the angrier he became.
The young woman’s sobs echoed along the bayou. Hutch knew what came next, and she wished she could block it from her sight. As the knife entered her body, it cut through the woman’s skin as if it were butter. There was an explosion of blood all around them as the knife continued to be plunged into her flesh. Blood spurted and in some places gushed from the open wounds. A gurgling sound escaped her pale lips; the look of shock and terror frozen on her face.
Hutch tore her eyes away from the woman’s body and stared at the killer. Even with the mask, she hoped to see something that led them to him. The killer’s body shuddered with excitement at the carnage he’d just caused. He became overly aroused by the intense pain that he caused this fool of a woman.
Rage coursed through Hutch as she watched the killer. This woman did not deserve to die such a violent death. She did not deserve to have her life cut short. This evil being in front of her didn’t deserve to walk this earth. She wanted to see him suffer for the torment, fear and pain he inflicted on these girls. She wished she had access to one of the soul collectors Joshua and Bianca used; she would unleash it on this monster.
As the vision dissipated, Hutch called out to Dr. Ortego, “She fought back. There may be DNA under her nails.”
As Hutch came out of the vision, Ledet and Bryant were walking her way. Both men had been walking the perimeter of the scene. Ledet reached for his antacids, “You okay?” she asked.
“Yeah. These scenes are getting to me.” Ledet looked over at Bryant, “What about you mon ami? Are these scenes getting to you yet?”
“Mon Dieu, these crimes are the biggest headache of my career yet.”
As the two detectives talked, Hutch sensed a change in the air. There was a charge that wasn’t here before. The killer was here, somewhere nearby. She scanned the crowd in search of any black figures hovering nearby, but she saw nothing but normal, everyday people for once. Did he let his true self show and she couldn’t pick him out of the crowd? She called one of the crime scene techs over and asked, “Can you please take several pictures of the bystanders today? I don’t want anyone missed.”
“Yes, ma’am.”