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He put his head back and let the vibration tingle through him. He watched as the man pitched forward onto his face. Jasper reached down and easily flipped the man over, onto his back. He grinned as he watched the eyes roll around rapidly and the man’s legs twitched. He brought the hammer down once more and heard the splintering of shattered bone against the hammer.
“Can you guess what we’re having Mr. Guess? Why it’s hamburgers.” He cooed softly.
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Olivia stood back and let the people work. She was excited. The killer had screwed up once more. They found a bloody hand wipe towelette under the car. She was almost vibrating with joy. Now they knew why they’d not found any evidence. The killer was cleaning himself on the spot. And he’d dropped the bloody wipe and that would have his DNA and if he’d ever been arrested or in the military, they’d have him.
She watched the tech bring out the evidence bag and put the wipe in carefully. It was Cynthia Lopez and she had a huge grin on her face. This could be all over in a matter of days. They’d rush the processing of this evidence. The victim was Theodor Guess, and his wife, Diana and their ten-year-old daughter Dakota were in the house. Unfortunately, Diana Guess had found the body.
Olivia had already spoken with Mrs. Guess and nothing new was learned. But Theodor Guess had most definitely been aggressive and abusive with his wife and daughter. Yes, Mr. Guess had gone to a bar. Same MO, and Mrs. Guess didn’t know what bar he’d gone to. The car door was still open, and the vehicle was parked half in the driveway and halfway on the lawn. The man was drunk coming home.
“I’ll get this to the lab asap. We’ll get this guy. Let’s just hope we can do it, before he kills again.” Lopez said.
“Thanks Cynthia, I appreciate it. Time is against us.” Olivia said.
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Les picked up the phone, it was Olivia.
“Hey Olivia. What can I do for you?” He asked.
“We have evidence! Hard evidence.” He heard the excitement in her voice and his heart skipped a beat.
“Jesus, tell me!”
“This is for your ears only. Please do not tell anyone, especially what I’m about to tell you. There was another homicide. Same everything, but the killer used a hand wipe towelette. He must have dropped it while he was cleaning himself. It has a clear hand print and we both know that means DNA. We are working on it now.”
“Oh, thank god, thank god. Oh, this is fantastic. My god, oh this is just wonderful news Olivia.” Les said, his heart soring. It was almost over. They would find this killer soon. He almost wanted to cry he was so happy. He’d not have to look over his shoulder and he’d not have to sleep with his furniture pushed up against the doors.
“We’re just hoping we have the killer’s DNA on file. If we don’t, then we are back to square one.”
“Jeeze, don’t say that. Man, I’ll keep prayers going your way, and hope and hope like hell you catch this crazy man.” Les said.
“Thanks, we’ll need all the prayers we can get.”
“How long do you think it will take? To get a match, I mean?” He asked, making notes, he’d not tell anyone, but he would use it later, when he was authorized to write something.
“Usually two to three weeks. But we are moving this fast forward. There is enough of the evidence that we can have three teams working on it simultaneously. So, we know we have our ducks in a row. It may take as little as two days.”
“God, that’s great. Oh, I feel like I can breathe now.” Les laughed a little shakily.
“Me too Les, let’s just hope this guy doesn’t kill again, before we can catch him.” Olivia said.
“Thanks for calling Olivia, I really appreciate it. Please let me know when you can.”
“Sure will, Les, I’ll talk to you later.”
Les hung up the phone and put his head in his hands. It was all he could do to not cry in relief. His body was shaking and he took deep breaths. It wasn’t over yet. If this guy wasn’t in the system, then they’d be back to where they were. He gripped his hands and bowed his head.
“Lord, please let them catch this guy. Please. The killing has to stop. They need to lock this man up and throw away the key.” He breathed.
He looked up and around the large office. He wiped at his eyes and went back to typing his article. His hands were shaking, but he had a smile on his face. He was happy for Olivia. He hoped she got her man.
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Olivia sat in Chief Skilter’s office. She was waiting for him. He was in the Assistant Chief of Police, Graham. They got the results back and they got a hit off the DNA. She was almost shaking, she was so happy. They would get this bastard off the street. Maybe they could find out why he’d done all these murders. Thirteen! She wondered if it were a fellow police officer. Was that why Chief Skilter was talking to Graham? She wondered if it was a cop, who was it? Was it someone she knew? Christ. She hoped not.
Her mind was thinking about the take down. She wondered where the killer lived and if he were at work. Was he here? It was Saturday, so maybe he was at home. Did he have a family? Did he live in a stand-alone house or apartment? What would the logistics be to take him down safely? Would he resist? If he was a cop, would he try to shoot his way out? If he had a family, would he hold them hostage?
Jesus, that was a horrible thought. Would he fight and would they have to kill him? If they did, they would more than likely never know why he’d done all these horrible things, though Olivia was sure she knew it was the domestic abuse angle.
She looked at her watch. Brightwater and Littleton were in the task force office. They were just as excited as she was. She felt almost giddy. She’d wanted to tell her husband, but thought better of it. He’d be afraid knowing that she was going to arrest the man. She didn’t want him to worry for her.
She wasn’t worried however, she’d be surrounded by officers as well as the two detectives. They would have to approach carefully, no sirens. Depending on the structure of the house or apartment, they’d have officers at each of the egress windows and doors. They’d not have the killer slip away.
She couldn’t believe it, this nightmare was almost over and the families could know that the man who killed their loved one, was put away. Even if the families didn’t care, Olivia did. She and her family could rest easy and she smiled. So, could Les. She knew he’d been terrified and she’d seen the relief when he’d been sent back to his office and off the case until it was over.
She couldn’t imagine the terror of finding that tooth at his home. She’d have sent her family to stay some place else. She shivered at the thought. She looked up when Chief Skilter walked in. He looked slightly pale and his mouth was flat across. She wondered if the Assistant Chief of Police Graham had stepped on his toes, or if the killer was indeed a police officer.
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Olivia stood at the apartment door, she dreaded this and a small fission of fear eel’d its way through her. She didn’t want to believe it, but the DNA evidence was conclusive. He was the killer. She looked behind her, there were several uniforms to the left and right of the door, as well as Detectives Littleton and Brightwater. They too had been stunned and were dubious. Was this really the killer and had the man been that good at duplicity? Christ.
Olivia nodded to those around her, and she knocked on the door. It was only a brief thirty seconds or so until the door opened. Les stood before her, surprised and then smiled welcoming. A warm light in his eyes.
“Hey Olivia, what a nice surprise. Please, come on in.”
Les stepped back into the apartment and Olivia went in, and as Les went to shut the door, several uniformed policemen, with their weapons drawn, followed with loud orders for Leslie Pigg to get to the ground, and place his hands behind his head. Olivia watched Les’s face go from warm greeting to complete shock and dismay.
“What? Wha…what’s going on Olivia?” He asked, looking at her, fear now entering his eyes.
“Please listen to the uniformed policemen and I’ll explain once they are finished. This is for your own protection.” She said.
“Okay, Olivia.” Les said confused and got onto the floor of his apartment, and put his hands on his head. A uniformed policeman stepped forward and took Les’s hands and pulled them down and around and placed handcuffs on him. Then the officer patted Les down, searching his pockets and waist and ankles for weapons.
“Please, help him up and sit him there on the couch.” Olivia ordered calmly, though she felt far from calm. Several officers helped Les up and walked him to the couch. Olivia ensured that the men didn’t rough him up. She still had her doubts about this whole thing.
“Olivia, what on earth is going on?” Les asked, his face rigid with confusion and hurt.
“Les, before you say anything, I need to read you your rights. You’re under arrest for the thirteen murders the task force has been investigating.”
“What!? Wait, what?” Les cried shocked, all color leaching from his face. Olivia read him his rights as he sat before her in stunned silence, his eyes filling with tears of betrayal and fear.
“Do you understand these rights as I have told you Les?” Olivia asked softly.
“Yes, but I don’t understand Olivia. I didn’t do this? I didn’t.” Les said, almost in a daze.
“Les, we have the arrest warrant and the search warrant. Littleton and Brightwater will search your apartment, vehicle and storage unit in this apartment complex. Do you understand Les?” She asked.
Les nodded, and she saw that he was in complete shock. Olivia turned and nodded to the men to begin. The officers turned and scattered.
“Please tell them to be careful, this is some kind of mistake Olivia. I didn’t do that, I didn’t hurt or kill anyone. Please. Jesus. Please.” Les said, his voice trembling, tears beginning to slide down his ashen face.
Olivia’s heart pulled, and doubts raged through her. Could they be wrong? He couldn’t be that good an actor, could he? Jesus, this was so crazy. She sat down in a chair across from him, as the officers went about silently, tearing the apartment apart. She noted that they were respectful and careful with the items in the apartment. She was glad.
“Look Les, the DNA evidence is clear cut. Your DNA was on the bloody handwipe that we found at the crime scene.”
“The handwipe? My DNA? Oh my god. That’s impossible. Olivia, I’m being set up by the killer. First, he put that tooth on my windshield to scare me and now this. Don’t you see? He’s setting me up. My God, he’s setting me up to take the fall for the murders.” Les choked out and began to cry, great sobs.
Olivia was torn, he seemed so broken up and the look of betrayal on his face was genuine. No one was that good an actor, were they? Could he be right, could the killer even now be out there, laughing his ass off, having found a patsy for his crimes? If the killer was in fact a cop, he could have easily gotten into Les’s trash.
The killer could have easily gotten the used handwipe towelette and used it at the last crime scene, planting that evidence for them to find and use against Les. Everyone used those things, they were convenient. Hell, she used them all the time. She shivered. And what if the killing stopped? Did that mean that Les was the killer? Or that the killer moved on? Had the bloody handwipe been a plant, to set Les up for the fall?
She was too close to this to see clearly. She and Les had become close during the investigations. He’d brought up some very good points, but were they subterfuge? Leading the detectives away from himself?
“Les, look, if this is all a set up, then we’ll get to the bottom of it, I promise.” Olivia said earnestly.
Les shook his head. “I know you would Olivia, but this will be out of your hands. We both know it. I know it looks like I did it, but I have no motive. I didn’t know any of those men. I had no connection, other than to get assigned to work with you.” Les said, sniffing and wiping his eyes on his shoulders.
“Let’s just see how this plays out Les, and we’ll make sure you get a good lawyer.” Olivia said and got up, she wanted to talk to Brightwater. Les sagged back on the couch, a look of stunned bewilderment on his face, his eyes watching the uniformed officers tear apart his life.
“Pete, what do you think? Les says that he thinks the killer is setting him up. Jesus, if he is guilty, he is the best damned actor I’ve ever met.” Olivia said, looking over her shoulder at Les.
“I know, I just don’t make him for this Olivia. It is just too easy. That bloody handwipe being left behind. Really, do you think after all this time the killer would have been that stupid or careless to leave it? I’m kind of leaning toward Les being set up. Especially after that tooth on his windshield bullshit.” Brightwater said, looking past Olivia.
“There isn’t much we can do, but follow procedure on this. By the book, and no mistakes. Make sure Marty catches everything on camera.” She said, of their videographer. She watched as Marty Fig moved about the small apartment, ensuring that there was a record of the search. He’d been filming Olivia and Les talking.
Olivia walked back over, and sat down in the chair again. Les was now silent, staring at the floor. He’d stopped crying but was pale, the color having left him completely. He looked like a wax figure, still and silent on the couch.
“Detective Shin?” A uniformed officer called her from the bedroom. Olivia got up and walked into the bedroom. She noted that it was indeed a man’s room, with little adornments. Only a few photos and a beautiful wooden model of a shrimp boat, setting on the dresser. She looked at the officer, it was Reeder. He looked as upset as she felt.
“I found this.” He said, and opened a box and Olivia sucked in her breath, her heart slamming into her chest hard. Inside the box was a hammer and twelve bloody teeth.
“Jesus Christ.” She hissed low.
“Yeah, I found it up in the back of the closet. There was a shoe box on top.” Reeder said softly.
“Did you get this Marty?” She asked, looking at the cameraman.
Marty nodded and zoomed in on the contents of the box. She could see smears of blood on the hammer. It had been cleaned, but still had residual smears. She could clearly see a bloody print on the hammer’s long body. If Les were innocent, then those would be the killer’s prints and wouldn’t match Les. If Les was the killer, then the bloody print would match him and they had their murderer.
“Marty, go into the living room. I’m going to show Les this and the contents, I want you to focus on his face and body language. No matter what happens, keep that camera on him.” Olivia ordered.
“Yes mam.” Marty said and left the room.
Olivia took out a set of gloves and took the box from Officer Reeder. She looked at the officer, his face was worried. This had upset him as well. It upset the hell out of her, but she had a job to do and needed it done correctly. They couldn’t screw this up for all their sakes.
“Officer Reeder, I want you to stand beside Mr. Pigg. Don’t interfere with him, I want to see what he does. I also want you to watch his face.”
“Yes mam, I can do that.” He said, and both went into the living room, Olivia carrying the box. The box was old, it was made out of a heavy cardboard, lacquered. It held the hammer, teeth, plyers, and other tools. There was also curls of wood shavings, as from the wooden boats that adorned the small apartment. It was in fact a wood carving and wood model tools. Used to build wood models. She also saw tiny nails, a long-handled blade, like an Exacto-knife. There were also loose blades in the bottom of the box.
Les looked up as she came to stand in front of him. He looked at her, questioning and then the box, his face a puzzle. In her peripheral, she saw Marty, and knew he was filming Les.
“We found this.” She said softly, watching his eyes, and opened the box to reveal the bloody teeth and hammer. She’d not known what his reaction would be, but the inhuman scream of pain, fear and incredible terror and shock washed over her like a tidal wave. Les’s face seemed to cave in on itself and the scream went on and on and then his eyes rolled back and he passed out. Olivia looked down, smelling the sting of urine. Les had pissed himself.
“Jesus Christ.” She said, shaken by the scream, it was unlike anything she’d ever heard before, like a man being torn apart. The hair was raised along her body. Looking around the room, she saw that all had stopped and the men around her were pale and shaken. She’d not been the only one affected by the scream. The raw terror in that scream had skittered down her spine.
“What do we do?” Detective Littleton asked, his eyes wide and the color blanched from his face. He looked like bleached bones.
“Wait for him to wake up.” Olivia said, her voice trembling a little. That scream, that horrible, terrible scream. She’d watched Les’s face, he’d been so shocked and horrified at what he saw. Once more, she didn’t think he was acting. Did the killer set him up? Was Les correct? Had he been set up to take the fall for thirteen murders? Olivia heard Les’s moans and looked down at him, he was beginning to roust. He was slumped back on the couch, his pants stained in urine.
“Les, Les, are you okay?” She asked softly and looked over at Marty, to make sure he was filming.
“Les?” She asked again as she watched his eyes flutter open. Les looked at her, then around him. Then something extraordinary happened and the hair all over her body began to raise once more, standing as stiff as the bristles on a toothbrush.
Leslie Pigg’s face began to cave, his forehead wrinkled forward and his eyes narrowed. His lower jaw jutted out and his head shrunk down into his shoulders, while at the same time his neck thickened.
“Hello O-li-vi-a. I see you found my treasures.” The voice was deep, deeper than Les’s normal speaking voice. It also had a gravelly pitch to it, just as Mrs. Weatherby had described.
“Les?” She asked, her mouth suddenly dry.
“Naw, I’m Jasper Irons. I’m the constant companion. Puuusssh me puuullll you, puuusssh me puuullll you.” He said the last part softly in a hissing voice and the hairs on her body tried to jump from her slender frame. She felt the tingle at the back of her neck and at the end of her vestigial tailbone, that ancient remnant of the prehistoric self. She saw that officer Reeder’s arms were peppered in gooseflesh, so she wasn’t the only one that felt the primeval threat.
