Ripped in Red (8 page)

13

C
assidy followed Colin’s directions to a large apartment complex on the edge of Conway. From the looks of the place, Vince Smith had fallen on hard times.

Wood trim in need of paint, white siding grayed from the weather, a pool thick with slime, and more rusty automobiles than should be in one place. Weeds claimed every patch of ground that sported a bit of dirt. The sign out front stated luxury apartments for lease. Must be a lot less.

Side-by-side, she and Colin climbed stairs to the third floor. Cassidy stood off to one side while Colin rapped sharply on the splintered door. The man who answered had more tattooed skin than not. A scar, covered by a snake tattoo, disappeared down his shirt.

“Vince Smith?” Colin flashed his badge. “Mind if we ask you a few questions?”

“What about?” The man reeked of cigarette smoke.

“Something that happened at college a long time ago. The attack of Maureen Monroe ring a bell?”

“That night haunts me.” He stepped aside and waved them into an apartment so clean Cassidy had to take another look outside to make sure she hadn’t entered an alternate dimension. “Have a seat,” he said. “Y’all want a soda or water?”

“No, thank you.” Cassidy perched on the edge of a dark brown leather sofa.

Colin took a chair across from her.

Vince sat in a chair angled to face the one Colin had chosen. “That was such a long time ago, man.” He rubbed both hands down his face.

“Did you know Maureen?” Cassidy kept her gaze glued to his face.

“Yeah, we went out a time or two. Sweet girl.” He shook his head. “She wasn’t much of a partier, but wasn’t a prude either. She could have fun…when it was called for.”

“Did you see who she left the party with?”

“Nah, I was drunk as a skunk. Spent most of my college life that way. Ended up getting dropped from my classes. Me and my buddies heard her scream, then some guys carried her out of the trees. She was covered in blood.” He shuddered.

“Was there anyone there you didn’t know? Anyone who stood out?” Cassidy glanced at Colin, glad to see him taking notes, then transferred her attention back to Vince.

“A lot of people.” He frowned. “It was one of those mixer things where students could get to know each other. We had Freshmen to Senior there. There’s no way I could have seen everyone.” He drummed his fingers on the arm of his chair. “There was this one guy. Pretty good-looking, I guess. He kept going from girl to girl, flirting and offering them drinks.”

“Can you describe him?” Cassidy leaned closer.

“Dark hair, blue eyes, maybe. When he came up to the girl I was hanging with, I run him off.”

“Did he talk to Maureen?”

“Yeah.” His eyes widened. “I could tell she was only being polite. Wasn’t really into the guy. I looked over there a couple of times, just in case she needed me to get rid of him, but they were laughing and seemed to be getting along. When they disappeared, I didn’t think much of it. Man, do you think it was him? Could I have saved her?”

“You were one of the male students who didn’t return to the party when Maureen was found. Where were you?”

“Passed out with the girl I was hanging with. After seeing Maureen, finding out what happened, well, I drank a lot more.” He hung his head. “I had to erase the image of her, you know? I’ll never forgive myself if I could have done something.”

In his condition, Cassidy doubted he could have done much. She handed him a business card. “Please call if you think of anything else. Anything at all that might help us find this guy.”

He took the card. “Why are you looking after all these years?”

“We believe he may be responsible in the death of another young woman.” She stood and offered her hand. “Thank you for your time.”

He shook her hand. “I’m sorry I couldn’t do more.”

They at least had a description of sorts. Not that they could take the word of a drunken college student twenty-five years after the fact, but it was more than they had when they arrived. That, and the fact her mother might have left willingly with her attacker.

“Do you know whether they did a tox screen on my mother?” she asked Colin once they stepped outside. “What if this man she was laughing with slipped her something?”

“The same thought occurred to me. I didn’t see anything in her file, though.”

Since she hadn’t been killed, most likely the screen hadn’t been scheduled. Either that or her mother hadn’t gone to be tested. She sighed and climbed back into the jeep.

Their next stop was an expensive community in North Little Rock. They pulled into the long drive and parked next to a red Ford convertible.

Cassidy squelched a bit of car envy and led the way to the front door. She pressed the bell and waited. When several minutes passed, she knocked. “Where to now?”

Colin dug through the mail in the mailbox. “He’s probably at work. We need to find out where that is. Nothing here.” He replaced the mail.

“Can I help you?” An elderly man came around the corner of the house, a shovel in his hand. “The Halers are working.”

Colin flashed his badge. “We need to speak with Mr. Haler. Do you have the address of his job?”

He shook his head. “It’s something, something, Haler. A law firm.”

Colin grinned. “We’ll find it from that. Thank you.” He started to take Cassidy’s elbow, then dropped his hand.

Good grief. It wasn’t like touching her would burn him or anything. Oh, that’s right. He didn’t need his painkiller right now. Well, next time he had a nightmare, she’d yell loudly from the doorway! No more getting too close. She was the one who would get burned.

~

Colin rolled his head on stiff shoulders and wished for a good night’s sleep. He had a prescription from the last counselor he’d seen, but after Cassidy’s nighttime visit, then the pipe bomb, he needed to be alert. Hopefully, he’d sleep that night from sheer exhaustion.

“Haler looks like he does well for himself,” he said, studying the brick two-story office building in front of him. “Funny how people in the same class at college can take such different routes.”

Cassidy made a noise in her throat and pushed open the double glass doors. “Let’s hope he has a minute to speak with us.”

Colin shot out an arm to hold the door open, then followed Cassidy into the plush waiting room. Their shoes clipped across the marble floor.

A receptionist smiled at them from behind a oak desk. “Welcome to Larson, Moore, and Haler. How may I help you?”

Colin showed his badge again, thinking he might as well wear it around his neck. “We need to speak with Daniel Haler, please.”

“Let me see if he is available.” Her smile never wavered as she punched buttons on her phone. “Mr. Haler, the police are here to see you. May I send them in? Thank you, sir.” She beamed up at them. “He’s busy.”

“Tough.” Cassidy glanced at a sign. “We’ll show ourselves in.” She marched down a long hall.

Colin shrugged at the lovely receptionist, smiled, and followed the Bull Dog. “You get more with sugar than vinegar.”

“I’ve heard that.” She continued to the elevators and pressed the button for the fourth floor. “You can remain the good cop. I’m comfortable with my role.”

The elevator doors opened and they stepped inside. Immediately, tension filled the space as the doors closed.

Colin kept his gaze locked on the numbers flashing above the buttons. He would have to find a way to be alone with Cassidy without feeling like a boy with a crush. One who had snuck a kiss while playing Truth or Dare. He remained still while the doors opened and she stepped out, then followed her to the right.

A brass plate on a glass door announced they’d found Daniel Haler. Cassidy shoved open the door, bypassed a wide-eyed girl behind a counter and marched into the man’s office. “We’re Detectives Monroe and MacKenzie. Thank you for seeing us.”

The man’s face darkened. “I said I was busy.”

Colin stepped forward to diffuse a situation that could spiral out of control. “Sir, this is important. We only want a few minutes of your time.” He closed the door and took a seat across from Haler, motioning for Cassidy to do the same.

“We’re here about an assault on a Maureen Monroe that happened while you were at college.” Cassidy tossed a business card on his desk.

“I had nothing to do with that.” The man scooted his chair back a foot. “I barely knew her.”

“Where did you go that night?” Gone was the nice officer who had questioned Smith. Cassidy was sharp as nails and about as friendly as a pit bull.

Colin bit back a grin. This was the woman he’d met over the first victim’s body. This hard-nosed partner he could deal with.

“I was at the party.” Haler’s brows drew together.

“After Maureen was brought to the on-campus clinic, you were one of the few men not spotted again for several days.”

His gaze flicked around the room. “I…don’t know where I was.”

“Do you have any scars, Mr. Haler?” Cassidy gave him a shark-like grin. “From a knife, perhaps?”

“No, nothing, I swear.” Terror filled his eyes.

“Do you mind visiting the restroom with Detective MacKenzie? Or would you prefer a search warrant?”

“I have nothing to hide.” He lunged to his feet. “Fine.” He unbuttoned his shirt. “I was stabbed a few years ago by a disgruntled client. You can check my medical records. I pressed charges. What’s this all about anyway.” He fixed his shirt. “That girl’s attack happened a long time ago.”

“Sir.” Colin held up his hand to halt Cassidy from further questioning. “We believe her attacker may have recently killed another woman. Anything you can tell us will be greatly appreciated.”

He settled back in his chair. “I was there as a spy.” He shook his head. “The dean wanted to know who brought drugs to the parties on campus. I’d drink, then go in the bushes and throw up, then start the process all over again. I was purging when I heard a girl scream. I didn’t know at the time that it was Maureen. When I parted the bushes, a guy was running away holding his face. Blood was everywhere. I got sick for real and fell in my vomit. By the time I was conscious, it was all over and she was being cared for.”

Colin glanced at Cassidy. Hope shone in her eyes.

“He was holding his face?” she asked.

“Yeah, like this.” Haler cupped his cheek. “That’s all I could tell. Oh, and he had dark hair.”

Cassidy jumped to her feet and reached across the desk to shake his hand. “Thank you.” She took a deep breath and left the room.

Colin shrugged at Haler and joined her in the hall. “Talk about doing a one eighty.”

“We now know any injury my mother caused him was to the face. I say that’s a huge step forward. Now, we can check hospital records of that night without questioning every single person stabbed that night.”

“Do you get many stabbings around here?”

“We didn’t get much of anything around here…until recently. Not in Clear Springs, anyway.” She pressed the button on the elevator again.

The tension was somewhat relieved as Cassidy continued to talk of what they’d learned. Excitement laced her words. “We can get the FBI to help us track down knife victims and interview the names we find. I mean, I’d like to have a go at all the names we find, but the interviews will go a lot faster with five people instead of two.” She glanced up at him and fell silent.

He hadn’t meant for her to catch him looking at her as if she were the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. He hadn’t wanted her to see in his eyes how he was growing to feel about her. Especially after the other night. He cleared his throat and looked away.

“I think having help is a good thing.” He closed his eyes and prayed for strength.

14

T
he conference room echoed as five people made phone calls to hospitals and clinics within a fifty mile radius of the college. Cassidy set her pencil down and stretched. It would have definitely taken just her and Colin forever to go down the list. Once they had their suspects, she prayed she would be the one who got her mother’s attacker. She rubbed her hands together. She’d love to get her hands on him.

Colin looked up from his phone and laughed. “You look pleased with yourself.”

“Plotting revenge.” She smiled. “Two more locations on my list.” She reached down and scratched behind Rosie’s ears.

“I’m finished. I have five names to visit.”

She frowned. It wasn’t a competition, yet she looked at it as one. She quickly made the remaining calls, came up with zip, and then stood, glancing at Ingram. “Do we take the names we each have?”

“You two take yours. We’ll take the rest. No one interviews anyone alone,” he said. “Understood?” He cast a stern dark-eyed gaze around the table. “In fact, I think it wise that the two of you take Weston with you. The danger to Monroe is too great.”

They all nodded and gathered their things.

While Cassidy didn’t need a babysitter, having a third person around would help keep things less tense between her and Colin. Maybe her and Weston could be friends. She could use a girlfriend. Especially the other night. Hashing over her feelings for Colin, sharing a bottle of wine, talking about…what did close friends talk about?

She studied the cool, but beautiful features of the FBI agent. She didn’t look like she was in the market for a friend. Smith and Weston rarely spoke, unlike Ingram.

“We’ll take the rented SUV,” Weston said. “The killer knows Monroe’s vehicle. Knocking on the door and flashing our badges is all the announcement we need.” She marched out of the building ahead of them.

Cassidy tossed Colin a surprised look. “Do you think she’s upset to play bodyguard?”

He shrugged. “Let’s just get through the day.” He leaned close, giving her a teasing whiff of his musky cologne. “I think she has a thing for Ingram.”

“Really?” Cassidy glanced at the other two men. “Interesting.”

“Maybe we can get her to open up to us.” He winked and held the front door open.

Her heart did a somersault. Relieved to not feel the usual tension between them, she hurried to the SUV and got in the backseat with Rosie. The dog had found an empty spot in Cassidy’s heart. She couldn’t imagine going anywhere without her now.

The moment Colin’s seatbelt clicked into place, Weston began barking orders. “I do the talking. I knock, announce myself, and enter any residence first. There are vests in the back. Each of you are to wear one. Do not pull your weapon for any reason unless I pull mine first.”

“What if the suspect fires first and you’re down?” Cassidy couldn’t help the jab. “Can we think for ourselves then?”

Weston glared at her through the rearview mirror. “Keep your wits and sarcasm. Today could very well be the day we catch a killer.”

Cassidy squelched any thought of them being friends. Oh, well. She had Rosie. She didn’t need anyone else. Instead, she stared at the back of Colin’s head and thought of things that might be possible…if she let her guard down. Which she had no intention of doing.

“Remember. I take the lead,” Weston reminded them as they pulled in front of a well-maintained home built in the 1950s. She cast a warning look over her shoulder at Cassidy, then exited the vehicle.

Cassidy told Rosie to stay and followed the agent and Colin to the front door. She stood a few feet away from Weston and peered through a crack in the curtains. “Television is on, but I don’t see anyone.”

“Get away from the window.” Weston shook her head. “Bullets shatter glass.”

Cassidy sighed. She wasn’t an imbecile, but unless they were very lucky and the killer was actually at home with open curtains, she didn’t think they were in much danger.

They were just turning to leave when an African American man answered the door. A knife scar ran from his temple past his eye.

“FBI.” Weston showed her badge. “We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

“I’ve not had any trouble in years,” the man said. “Ask what you want from out here.”

“How did you get that scar?”

“Gang fight.” He crossed his arms. “But I don’t live that life no more.”

“He doesn’t fit the profile.” Weston thanked him for his time and headed back to the SUV.

It went that way for most of the day. One after the other they ticked off the names on their list as non-suspects.

Frustration gnawed at Cassidy the way Rosie chewed on a rawhide. The killer had to be close. He had to have a scar down his face. While all the men they’d interviewed were the right age, it was obvious most of them weren’t the killer. Half of them had never gone to college and had received their wounds in fights and accidents.

They stopped for lunch at a fast food Mexican place and ate in the car. Colin had been unusually quiet the first half of the day.

“I have two names left on my list. One is a man in his mid-fifties,” he said. “The age is right. He received thirty stitches on the left side of his face twenty-five years ago. The other man is also in his fifties and the scar is along the neck. He almost bled out, according to the ER records. My guess…we visit the first guy. Maureen may have wounded her attacker, but I just don’t feel like she could have gotten in a good enough whack to almost kill him.”

Weston turned in her seat. “I’ve read your file. You have good instincts. Both of you do. So, if that’s what your gut is telling you, that’s where we’ll go next. I need to check in with Agent Ingram.” She exited the car and punched numbers into her cell phone. Immediately a grin spread across her face.

“So she can smile,” Cassidy said. “I was starting to wonder.”

“You don’t reign as Ice Queen anymore. Not with her around.”

“Who calls me that?” She stabbed a piece of carne asada with her plastic fork.”

“Everyone. I did, too, until…” he sighed. “Now, you’re the Bull Dog.”

“Ugh. I prefer Ice Queen.”

“Sorry, but you’ve been knocked off your frigid throne.” He leaned forward and peered closer at Weston. “Something’s wrong.”

The agent slid back into the driver’s seat. “We have another body. Interviews will have to wait.” She cursed, thrust the vehicle into drive and sped down the highway.

~

“This isn’t The Dragon’s work.” Colin stared at the knife wounds to the victim’s face. “He would never mar her beauty.”

“One of his followers?” Cassidy squatted next to the body. “There has to be either followers or copycats either doing his bidding or with agendas of their own.”

Which would make it extremely hard to find and arrest them all. He knelt next to his partner and studied the body close up. “She reeks of alcohol. We need to visit the bars in the area. See if anyone recognizes her.” He glanced around the area. “No purse.”

Cassidy tapped the woman’s hip. “I think her ID is in her underwear.” She shrugged at Colin’s glance. “Where else is she supposed to carry it? Turn around.”

He averted his gaze while she fished out the woman’s ID. “Same last name as one of our other victims.”

“Sisters?” He took the driver’s license. “We might have finally gotten a break.”

“Find a common enemy.” Cassidy pushed to her feet. “Do that first or interview scar face.”

“That’s cruel.”

“It’s nothing compared to what I’m going to do with the man when we catch him.” She stepped aside while the emergency personnel zipped the body into a bag. “I think he distracts us with dead bodies to keep us from getting too close.”

“How so?” Colin leaned against the side of the SUV.

“Well…” She took her bottom lip between her teeth.

Colin took a deep breath to halt the effect of what even that small gesture did to him.

“We find out that he’s scarred in the face and start interviewing. We find a body—” She held up a hand to stop him from saying anything. “I know this woman was killed before we started knocking on doors. The point is…he’s one step ahead all the time. He’s smart enough to know we’re low on law enforcement personnel and that dropping crumbs like some perverted Hansel and Gretel, he can keep us from zeroing in on one thing.”

“She’s right.” Ingram joined them. “I’ve called for reinforcements. We’re stretched too thin. They should arrive in the morning. I know all this is out of your jurisdiction, Monroe, but I appreciate the hard work.”

“Why not Colin’s jurisdiction?”

“He’s been a detective a lot longer and was almost recruited by the FBI.” He gave Cassidy an indulgent smile. “You’re learning on one case what it took us to learn over several.”

“Lucky me.” She exhaled sharply. “Let’s use those computer skills of yours, Colin, and watch this latest video before we knock on more doors. We can visit the bar later.”

“Yes, boss.” He grinned at Ingram. “At least she’s pretty.”

The agent laughed. “Lucky man. You’ve got both the women.”

There was only one he wanted, though, and she shied away like a skittish horse if his hand so much as brushed hers. He chuckled along with the other man, hiding his feelings, then left to join the women.

Several minutes later he’d located the video. “See how the killer stands? It’s definitely the same woman who killed this victim’s relative.”

“Why haven’t we seen videos other than The Dragon and this woman?” Weston asked. “Do you think she’s his only accomplice?”

“No. There were the ones who set off the bomb on Main Street, then the man pretending to be a photographer. There’s no telling how many followers he has.” Colin kept his gaze glued at the screen. “Last time, it was almost as if she was performing for someone. I don’t think our dragon is there this time.”

“She’s flying solo?” Cassidy leaned closer, her hair brushing Colin’s cheek.

He took a deep whiff of floral-scented shampoo. “That’s why she’s taking her time with the face.”

“That looks like a scalpel.” Cassidy tapped the screen. “She could work in the medical field.”

“We can’t call every doctor’s office in the state of Arkansas. We need something else to narrow our search.” He scanned the edges of the video feed. Trees, trees, and…wait a minute. He squinted. “Does that look like a car in the bushes?”

Soon he was flanked on the other side by Weston. If he wasn’t so enamored by his partner, he’d be in any man’s dream. He shook off his thoughts. “A dark blue sedan?”

“I can’t make out the license plate.” Weston straightened. “Forward to this email. I’ll have our technicians take a look. Maybe they can zoom in enough to read the numbers.”

A mere second later the video was soaring through cyber space. They may have gotten another break.

He crooked both arms to the women. “Let’s go catch a killer.”