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LEDET WAS DEAD ON HIS feet as he walked into his house. Every step he took right now felt as if he had lead in his legs.
As he walked into the kitchen, he noticed that it was after midnight. He reached into the refrigerator and grabbed an ice cold beer. This was what he needed to wind down from the day he’d had.
While sitting at the bar and drinking his beer, his mind automatically wandered back to the case. These women’s faces haunted him. This son of a bitch didn’t leave them any evidence to follow. That bothered the hell out of Ledet. How could you kill so many women and not leave any trace evidence? This son of a bitch had to make a mistake soon; they always did.
He was getting more brazen and more vicious with each of his kills. The cooling off time in between the killings was getting shorter and shorter. The killings were closer together now. He would soon make a mistake, and when he did, Ledet would be there to slap the cuffs on him.
The next morning Ledet woke up feeling even more exhausted than when he went to bed. The inviting aroma of fresh blueberry muffins and coffee welcomed him into his favorite coffee shop. The blueberry muffins smelled too good not to try this morning.
When the waitress handed him his coffee and muffin, he smiled because both were nice and hot. He found a table near the back and reached into the bag for his treat. He slathered it with butter before biting into the tempting muffin. Sweetness and warm blueberry flavor burst into his mouth. He chewed slowly, savoring every bite. The complementary flavors of sweet berries and slightly salted butter somehow managed to put a smile on his face.
Just when Ledet thought his day had started to pick up, Bryant greeted him at the door. “The captain wants to see us in his office pronto.”
Ledet had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. If the captain wanted to see them in his office, it meant the powers that be had brought in the FBI. The captain was getting a lot of heat from the mayor’s office to bring in the FBI, especially since this was a multi-jurisdictional case. The other city had no problem turning the case over to New Orleans. Hell, crime had been just as bad there. They didn’t want or need another murder investigation. The public outcry and media coverage had been so intense that Ledet knew it was only a short time before the FBI would be brought in though.
Ledet was surprised to see a man dressed casually at the captain’s desk. Whoever this man was he didn’t look FBI, “Where is Detective Hutcherson?”
“She called this morning to say she was going to walk the crime scene one more time. Something still didn’t sit right with her about the latest crime scene.”
The captain just shook his head, “Well, I hoped that you would all be here for this impromptu meeting. Go ahead and shut the door so we can get started.”
After the door was shut and everyone seated, Captain Ron Hensley made the proper introductions, “Detectives, I would like you to meet former FBI profiler Alex Hamilton. Alex this is Detectives Ledet and Bryant.”
After greetings were made and hands shaken, they settled back down in their chairs, “Alex has come to offer his services in this case. The catch is he doesn’t want anyone to know that he is here helping.”
Alex went on to explain, “I was once a profiler with the FBI, but I have since started my own private consulting business.”
Bryant looked him over, “Wait a minute, didn’t you help solve several cases here in Louisiana and don’t you write books about those cases?”
Alex nodded his head in agreement, “Something like that. I started writing true crime fiction to make the public aware of how these serial killers work and making them aware of the dangers. Most of the proceeds from sales go to the families of the victims. A trust has been set up for scholarships for the victims’ children.”
Ledet listened to what this profiler said, “Why is it you don’t want your appearance here known?”
Alex replied, “Your captain has informed me that you are using a psychic. If the media discovers that I am working on this case, there is a strong possibility that they will get nosy about what is happening with this case. So far, you have managed to keep Detective Hutcherson’s abilities out of the paper, but I fear with my appearance, it will be harder to hide her true nature. If the media knows I am here, they will question your every move; they will accuse the captain of doubting his team and calling in a profiler to help solve crimes. With the extra media attention, there is always a chance someone will talk.”
Ledet shook his head, “I am sure Hutch will appreciate your concern. There are only a handful of us who know Hutch has certain ‘gifts’ shall we say; no one below Bryant and I know about her ‘gift’ and we plan on keeping it that way. That is also the way Hutch wants it. She fears that if the other officers discover she can see and talk to ghosts they will treat her differently and I agree. Cops tend to rely on gut instincts and not something they can’t understand.”
Alex asked, “And you don’t mind working with a psychic?”
“After seeing what this monster did to those poor girls, I don’t care if you claim aliens abducted you in the middle of the night. I am willing to listen to what you have to say. Especially, if you help me solve this case. You may be just what we need to solve this case. Hopefully, you can tell us what makes this guy tick.”
Alex replied, “I must admit this is the first time I have worked with a psychic. I am skeptical about the whole thing. I always relied on physical data and analysis. I understand you have had several supernatural cases here lately, but I have a hard time wrapping my mind around it; however, I am willing to give this a try. The end result is that we all want to see this killer stopped.”
Captain Hensley replied, “If it makes you feel better, we were all skeptical of this supernatural stuff at first. But after seeing it with your own eyes and working the cases, you become a fast believer. These cases helped broaden the scope of what we believe is possible.”
“Well, I want to give you a basic rundown of what I came up with so far. I would like to review the files in more detail once we are done though.”
Captain Hensley agreed, “Of course.”
“Well, as you know, most serial killers here in the United States are male Caucasians in their mid to late twenties. They tend to suffer from antisocial personality disorder. The killer may appear to be charming on the outside. You are dealing with what the FBI refers to as a signature killer. He likes to leave a calling card if you will. Up until recently, the killer did not inflict any pain or suffering on the victim. That has all changed. I agree with Detective Ledet that this killer is escalating. He will continue to incorporate the same, if not more, amount of violence in his other kills. It gave him a high that he will continue to seek out. The fact that these women have similar physical characteristics means they remind him of someone in his life. It could be his mother or an ex-girlfriend, but a woman at some time in his past hurt him and hurt him bad.
“This guy kills for a specific reason. It isn’t for sexual stimulation, and I don’t see it being for monetary gain. There is a deep seated reason, but I am unsure what that is right now. I believe there may be another reason he takes the eyes and tongue, but the main reason is so he can keep track of his successes. There is a chance he takes them so he can reminisce about each kill. He could be showing someone his trophies to prove he recently killed. Just remember, my profile is still in its infancy, and I don’t have a lot to give you. I hope that by this afternoon I will have more.”
Ledet asked, “What if he took the eyes and tongue to his mother or significant other? Maybe, he wants to show her what he can do, and if she doesn’t watch it, he will do the same thing to her.”
“There is the chance that he already killed the person these women remind him of. However, he could be leading up to the moment when he kills the one these women represent. Something happened to him in his past that caused him so much pain and hatred that he is taking out the source of his pain, women. He may be like a lot of serial killers who do this for some warped sense of need. There is a chance he will eventually try to get caught. He may even try to arrange it so he is killed in the line of fire as he won’t have the courage or strength to kill himself. He will consider this his punishment for the wrongs he has done.”
Ledet’s jaw clenched as he listened to what Alex Hamilton had to say. They could not wait until this killer’s own debauched sense of justice kicked in. The killer knew this too, and that gave the killer an advantage. If only they had the manpower to protect every woman here in New Orleans.
When Ledet and Bryant got out of their meeting, they found Hutch in the conference room with several boxes of evidence sitting around her. Ledet asked, “What is going on?”
She looked up at him, “I decided to examine the personal effects of the victims. It’s something I have never tried before, but if I touch them and concentrate perhaps I can pull some detail off of them.”
Ledet informed her, “The captain brought in a profiler.”
He saw her pale at the very word, “He brought in the FBI? Do they know about me?”
“Relax; he is a personal consultant and a skeptic. He isn’t sure he even believes in your ‘gift’, but he is open.”
“Well, hopefully, he has an idea on who this killer is because I sure don’t. This guy keeps taunting me instead.”
Ledet asked, “Where do you want to start then?”
“I will begin with the first victim. It would be nice if he left something of his behind besides the car tracks. If I could hold something of his, maybe it would help me get a clearer picture of him.”
Hutch picked up a piece of clothing the first victim had worn, keeping it in the evidence bag she held it close to her. The poor young woman never had a chance to feel fear. She was dead before she even hit the ground. Hutch replied out loud to no one in particular, “This guy never hesitated when he killed her. It was one clean cut. She died almost instantly.”
Ledet responded, “That is what Dr. Ortego said.”
She asked, “If this were his first kill, then shouldn’t there be hesitation marks? Even when he removed the eyes and tongue, he did it with surgical precision; there was no hesitation. He came prepared. He knew he would kill someone that night. He had the tiny jars with him.”
She tried to concentrate on the killer more than the victim, but she could not change her focus. Frustrated she moved on to another victim’s clothing. There had to be something here that helped them. Why couldn’t she just look up from the victim’s dead eyes and see the killer? If only she saw the killer with the same clarity as she saw the victims and the gruesome murders.
Hutch picked up the formal autopsy report and reviewed it; perhaps reading it would give her more insight into the killer. According to the report, there were multiple stab wounds and lacerations covering her face, neck, chest and abdominal region. There were a few slash marks on her arms, but those were noted as defense wounds. The young woman had fought back. Once again, there was not enough physical evidence to point out their killer’s identity. There were almost ninety stab and slash wounds not including the slit to her throat and the removal of the eyes and the tongue.
Whoever did this was a sick bastard. In her opinion, knives were the most vicious form of weapon for murder; you had to be up close and personal with the victim. In some cases, you had to look the victim right in the eye as you killed them. Then you had to feel the knife as it pierced the skin and the blood as it ebbed from the body. This guy wasn’t squeamish about blood.