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AS LEDET WALKED INTO the police station, he reached for his antacids. He didn’t know how his partner did it. His stomach was killing him. This case had him tied up in knots. Maybe, if he could keep his emotions out of it, they would solve this case. His head was hurting so bad that he felt as if it would explode at any moment.
He walked over to the receptionist. “Brenda, you don’t happen to have any ibuprofen do you?”
As she dug through her purse, she asked, “What’s wrong? You got another headache?”
“No, I thought it would be fun to watch you go through that monstrosity of a thing you all call a purse.”
As she handed him the medicine, she snapped, “You don’t have to be such an ass about it.”
He felt like such a heel. He rubbed his temples in an effort to relieve his headache. “I’m so sorry. You are right. I shouldn’t take it out on you. I’m irritable and don’t feel well. My head feels as if a marching band is inside of it.”
She looked at him sympathetically, “Why don’t you do like your partner? You have all been burning the candle at both ends and deserve a few hours to yourself.”
“Bryant left?”
“He left a few minutes ago.”
As Ledet poured himself a cup of coffee, he wondered why Bryant didn’t tell him he was leaving early. He looked at the ibuprofen before washing them down with the coffee. He winced as the bitter coffee hit his already aggravated stomach.
He sat down at his desk and took his phone off the hook. He also turned his cell phone on quiet. He needed a few minutes of peace and quiet. He had to stop his mind from its frantic racing and rest.
He leaned back in his chair and waited for the ibuprofen to kick in. Even though he was trying to force his mind to stop thinking about the case, it automatically went back there.
He picked up his phone and slammed it back on the base. This wasn’t getting him anywhere. Even when he tried to rest, his mind wandered right back to the case, as if it was on autopilot. He opened the file and reviewed the information once again. He must stay focused. It still bothered him that their killer was suddenly wearing a mask in the visions that Hutch was having. Could there be more to it than he didn’t want her to see his face? What if it was because she knew him? What if that was why there was such a close connection there?
Alex Hamilton knocked on his door, “Everything okay?”
“What are you still doing here? I figured you would have gone back to your hotel room.”
Alex shook his head, “Something just isn’t sitting right with me about this case. The fact that this killer is masking his face in Hutch’s visions has me concerned. If this was a total stranger, why would he care? Even if she could describe him to a sketch artist, we would still have to find him. No, there is more to it than that.”
Ledet stared at the pictures up on the murder board, “I am missing something I know it. He killed some and literally left them where they dropped, but others he dumped in the water. We know Hutch saw more jars than we have bodies, so there are more bodies out there. Some of these women have been stalked while others were killed spontaneously. What does this all mean?”
Alex informed him, “I have a theory. What if he killed and left those at the scene because he knew there was no trace evidence? Those left in the water was because he feared there was some trace evidence that he needed washed away. We also know he has started to lose control. He’s not as cautious as he once was. There is a chance that some victims will never be found. Maybe he doesn’t want those bodies found. Maybe, something went wrong, and he wasn’t sure if he left trace evidence on them; evidence he knew he couldn’t erase without bringing more questions.”
Ledet drew in a sharp breath, “You think he is a cop don’t you?”
“I haven’t ruled it out; it has me wondering because Hutch saw the taxi signs, but this guy is overconfident. It is as if he sees himself as invincible; however, I think he is finding it difficult to control the hunger growing inside of him. I also believe he blames Hutch for these feelings. His killings are becoming more frequent. He needs constant gratification. The satisfaction of the kill isn’t lasting long anymore.”
Ledet’s voice grew bitter, “To tell you the truth, I suspected a cop earlier, but I ignored my gut instinct.”
“I just keep thinking about how he killed mostly from behind. He knew to not leave any trace evidence and even when he viciously murdered these last women, there still was no trace evidence. There should at least be something under their nails, but it was almost as if he took the time to clean up after himself. The other possibility was that we could be looking at a forensics specialist or someone who works in the coroner’s office. Hell, it could be anyone who has knowledge of how these cases work.”
Ledet scratched his head, “The problem is nowadays everyone knows about forensics, but I have a feeling you are right. We need to look at someone with personal knowledge of the law enforcement field.”
Ledet felt sick. He went over in his mind what Hutch had said about the killer’s house. Something had been nagging him since she described it. He jumped up from his desk, “I know who the killer is and Detective Hutcherson is in grave danger if I am right.”
Why in the hell didn’t he see it before? The killer had been right in front of their eyes the whole time. He felt like such a fool. The lack of emotion that he showed on cases should have been an indicator that something wasn’t right. Now, he had a head start on them.
Picking up his phone, he called Detective Hutcherson. He exclaimed out loud, “Shit, she isn’t answering her phone. That isn’t like her.”
Next, he dialed Mike’s phone, “Is Hutch with you?”
Mike informed him, “No, she went home. I got called out on a case right as we were leaving.”
“Do me a favor. If you hear from her, please have her call me as soon as possible.”
“Yeah, I can do that, but if she isn’t answering her phone, leave her a message. She may be in the shower.”
Ledet didn’t tell Mike about his suspicions right then. There was no sense worrying the man if he was wrong. He gave his cell phone to Alex. “Keep trying Grace, please.”
Alex hit redial while he felt the power of the Dodge Charger kick in and the scenery became one long, continuous blur.
Alex prayed that they arrived in time.