Chapter 4 – The Penny drops
Joe Martini sat facing the large window of his office on the forty
second floor holding a large cut crystal glass that held a decent three finger
measure of his favorite single malt scotch whisky. A balding man of Fifty five
who was once a large man but due to health issues was now a slender frame,
standing a very average five feet six inches tall. But to underestimate Joe was
to underestimate how far he will go to get what he wants, and he didn't get
‘The Executioner’ as a calling card for being nice to kittens.
Another silhouette was standing in the dark shadows behind him as if
waiting to pounce, but there was no menace in the actions only the aura that
the person was emanating.
The figure spoke from the darkness in deliberate and precise tone that
had an air of confidence and demanded respect.
“So am I to understand Mr. Martini that you want your little problem to
disappear?”
Joe, unfazed spun slowly away from the view out his window to face his
visitor, not looking directly at the apparition, but instead leaning forward to
pick up an envelope that was stuffed with cash.
“I want it done quickly and cleanly with no trace evidence back to me,
my family or my business, is that clear.” He said as he tossed the tightly
wrapped package to the figure.
“Do you want to count it? I assure you it’s all there, ten thousand now
and ten thousand when it’s confirmed.”
Joe then slowly spun back around again taking in the view and sipping on
the still full measure of scotch in his glass.
The door to his office opened and closed without any further
conversation and Joe smiled, but it was quickly replaced by a cold shiver that
made its way to the base of his testicles. His reputation was gained through
the manipulation and cruel treatment of others and enforcing that his will was
done unto others as he saw fit. The person that was just in his office was a
lethal and cold blooded contractor who had a secret weapon he wished he had
himself, a cold blooded and seemingly unseen killer.
The figure made its way out of the office space and down multiple
flights of stairs to the street below where it melded unseen into mire that was
society going about its daily recourse. Stopping at a black Chevrolet parked in
a side street, the contractor slid deftly into the driver’s seat, and dialed a
programmed number on the disposable mobile phone.
*
Luke Dennis was mid autopsy when Jake buzzed himself into the brightly
lit room that labeled Autopsy room three.
“Morning sleepy head and how are we today?” Luke said not looking up
from the bone saw as it finished cutting through the last rib.
“A little tired Luke, but no more than usual.” Jake paused then followed
with the work questions.
“So give me the lowdown Luke what has our little friend here revealed to
you this morning that he didn't share with you last night.
“Ok, it’s pretty much as we thought Jake” he said as he removed his
rubber gloves and placed them in the correct waste receptacle marked with a red
lid.
Luke handed Jake a mobile tablet device of some description that held a
series of digital pictures taken before he had arrived and now digitally place in
the deceased file.
Standing together at a spare bench top, Jake flicked through the images
one at a time looking on with a dispassionate eye that he had trained himself
to do after so many years of viewing dead bodies.
Jake flicked to one particular close up image of the puncture wound
found on the right hand side lower chest.
“Ok so we can see here a very well defined and perfectly executed entry
into the victims’ chest cavity between the ribs. If you look at the next
picture you can see it left a very clean and almost surgical entry wound.” Luke
said as he slid his finger to the left on the glass screen.
“Ok so we know we are dealing
with someone well trained and precise as well as, I assume female?” Jake stated
emphatically.
“The DNA taken from the saliva a single red hair all point to a single
assailant of female origin.” Luke replied.
“Have we had a hit yet on the DNA data base?”
“Not as yet but the team are working around the clock to see if we can’t
get a hit.”
Jake looked at his associate with a deeply furrowed brow that gave away
the internal cogs springing into action inside his mind.
“I know who this is Luke, I am sure I know who is killing these people but
I can’t prove a thing yet.” He said looking Luke straight in the eyes.
The two moved back to the open body cavity where donning a new pair of
latex gloves Luke removed the rib cage and went back to the job of determining
cause of death.
Jake watched on in passive awe as the coroner removed each organ
individually, weighed each one and commented into his recording device for
later transfer to the written report.
“Jake look here you can see the entry into the lung and the final piercing
of the right ventricle, here that ultimately killed him.” Luke said holding the
now immobile heart in his hand.
“So do you think this was random or is there more to this Jake?” he
finished.
“At this stage it looks like a random murder, but as this is the third
of its kind in the last two months I have the team looking to see if there are
any connections to the murders.” Jake stated
“Well Jake I’m no detective but I would say we have
a serial killer on our hands, and a female at that, which can make it harder to
track as they tend to be more dispassionate than their male counterparts!” Luke
commented as he laid the liver on the scales beside him.
“Well I have to go Luke the young
woman who found the body will be in soon to finalize her statement, who knows
we might get lucky.”
*
Louise reached for her phone as the generic ringtone of the supplied
phone burst to life. The caller id was blocked as normal and her heart raced as
she hit the green phone symbol.
Without speaking or acknowledging the caller she listened knowing she
was not required to make conversation.
“Starbucks on the corner of fifth and main in one
hour, Table four.” The voice said before
the phone went dead yet again.
Louise looked in the mirror and the
face that looked back at her smiled in such a way that she almost recoiled from
the sinister vision before her.
“Jenny it’s time to go to work.” she said to herself as she ran the red gloss
over her moist lips.
*
Jake sat at his desk reflecting on the murders and the thought that the
perpetrator was known to him. Less than one year ago he had come across a
strange murder that sent him and his then partner and lover Julie on a wild
ride to catch a killer that almost killed me and destroyed her mind.
Julie will never be the same again and even after six months of treatment
for stress and anxiety she was on permanent disability leave and seeing a
shrink twice a week to help her heal her emotional wounds.
Me I have a three inch scar on my back where the knife was plunged into
my flesh between shoulder and ribs that filled one lung with blood and had me
on my back for ten weeks.
I should have gone after her that night, but Julie was hurt and I didn’t
want the other officers to see her the way she was all trussed up and abused,
so I stayed with her instead of catching that bitch.
“Jake, wake up buddy we have a lead on our victims.” Captain Strong said
as he popped his head out of his office door.
I snapped out of my flashback and moved swiftly past the partitioned desks
to the Captains door. It was one of those old fashioned offices with half
frosted glass and his name emblazoned on the outside.
Entering the sparsely decorated room I saw the captain now sitting
behind his battered old oak desk and a man in his forties, tall a hint of gray
on each temple suggesting age but not a line on his chiseled face.
“Jake this is special agent Anthony DeBlasio; he is currently heading up
the underworld crime task force for the FBI.”
Holding out his hand towards me he said smiling. “Tony, please call me
Tony, Anthony is reserved for my mother.”
“Pleasure to meet you Tony, but why is the FBI interested in this
particular case?” I said quizzically.
As we sat down Tony handed me a copy of the FBI files and some of our
own data collected so far on the case.
“Jake, as you are aware you now have three murders all committed we
think by the same assailant, so we have a serial killer in our midst.” He paused
turning a few pages.
“But what you don’t know is that the three deaths are not random, it
took us a while but the three men murdered so far all have a link back to organized
crime, and in particular the Martini family.” He concluded.
“So Luke and I were right there is more to this than meets the eye.”
“Sure looks that way Jake.” The Captain interjected.
“And there are a few things that we know so far for certain, the
murderer is quick and proficient, has no regard for life, and uses sex to lure
her victims into a state where they are easy prey.” Tony continued.
“We are not sure of the murder weapon as yet but I have Luke Dennis and
his team on that as we speak, and I haven’t said anything yet but I have a
strange feeling this murderer is known to us already.”
Agent DeBlasio and the Captain both looked at me in unison.
“Do go on Jake.” Captain strong said as he lent forward in his chair.
“Well the information I have so far is sparse bit we know as you said
Tony that the murderer is a woman, she is talented in killing and evading
detection and isn't currently on our DNA register.”
I took a couple of deep breaths and opened an older file I had brought
in with me.
“Louise Davis.” I said as I placed the document on the desk for the
other two to view.
“That deranged bitch that kidnapped Newsome and stabbed you in the shoulder,
the mad cow that murdered her own friend on camera?” the Captain said looking
at me.
“The same; I know it sounds weird but she basically dropped off the face
of the planet and took up her Jenny persona and disappeared out that door and
has never been seen since.” I finished.
Agent DeBlasio read over the context of the report and asked if he could
keep it and check the fingerprints at the three scenes to verify if Louise was in
fact, at all three crime scenes.
“So let me get this straight we have three dead men all murdered the same
way by a woman who we think could be the fucked up alter ego of a sexed up mad
woman, all linked to the Martini crime family?” Captain Strong now thinking
asked the obvious question.
“So DeBlasio, how are they linked to the family?”
He picked up his copy of the FBI reports and turned a few pages. “Go to
page five and we can follow from there.” He replied.
We sat and talked through the evidence for over an hour and the underlying
evidence all pointed to all three man owing in excess of half a million each to
the family by way of poor business loans or gambling debts unpaid.
I shook hands with the new Agent and walked back to my desk to find Luke
standing ready with his iPad full of pictures.
“About fucking time Jake!” he said
“What have you got for me Luke, please no more gory pictures of dead
bodies, I’ve had enough for one day.”
He looked excited and as he flipped the screen I know in an instant what
he had for me. It was a hit on a partial print taken from the toilet stall
where Steve Lucas was murdered.
Jenny Dials was the name on top of the report with a photo of a plain
looking blond woman who was picked up for soliciting nine months ago and let
off because she said she was looking for her sister working the streets.
“Luke you my friend are a fucking genius.” I exclaimed as I lent in and
kissed him on the cheek.
“Follow me there are two gentlemen still in the Captain office who would
love to see this.
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