Corktown (21 page)

70

Madero proved to be helpful by securing a search warrant in under an hour from a friendly judge. Our plan was to toss every square inch of that house. I didn’t care if Katherine was supermom; everyone makes mistakes. I was banking on it.

Solis and Madero started on the main level. I headed upstairs, straight for the master bedroom. I wanted to know how Mr. and Mrs. Serial Killer lived.

They had a typical room. It was spacious, with wall-to-wall carpet and a custom walk-in closet with built-ins. In the center of the room, a king-size bed had half a dozen throw pillows neatly arranged on it. Off to either side were a couple of sitting chairs. The en suite had a separate bath and shower, dual vanity, and a toilet. So far, nothing stood out as odd. Except Preston had more hair product than any man should be allowed to have.

Katherine had a separate makeup vanity in the corner of the room. I sat on the crushed velvet seat and skimmed the top of the table. Everything was neat and in its place. Nothing uncapped, uncovered or unscrewed—the complete opposite of my bathroom counter. She was so perfect.

Her taste in makeup was a little of everything. Her jewelry was nice—not out of this world, but Preston had been generous. Katherine owned one bottle of perfume, Chanel. I remembered smelling it on her when we first met.

In the walk-in closet, I half-expected to find something creepy, something that screamed “horror couple.” But I didn’t. She even had great taste in lingerie. I closed the drawer and made my way to the end table near the bed. I could tell she slept on the right. The left side had a larger dent in the bed.

I opened the tiny drawer.
Customized woodwork
. I noticed the pink rabbit first.
Sheesh, how much more perfectly boring and stereotypical could they be? They killed people for Godsake.

I grabbed a tissue from a box on the table and used it to push aside the toy. Under a few pieces of paper, I discovered a tiny leather-bound booklet. Using another tissue, I removed it from the drawer and flipped the cover open.

Bingo!

71

Written inside the book were dates going back at least five years. Next to each date, in the same neat penmanship, were GPS coordinates.
What have you been up to, Katherine?

I headed to the basement where Solis and Madero were. “I found something interesting,” I said.

“So did we,” Solis replied. He and Madero were standing next to a butcher-block table large enough in size that Madero could lie on it.

Solis pointed to the four corners. “Fasteners. One could easily strap someone down to this table if they wanted.”

I took a closer look. The wood looked weathered, like it had been washed over and over. There were small chips and nicks around the edges. Lastly, their were hundreds of shallow grooves on the surface I could only imagine were left by the tools of Preston’s trade.
His man cave?
“Well, we know where they made their kills while hiding.”

Solis pointed to my hand. “What’s that?”

I opened the notebook and flipped through it, showing Solis and Madero the dates and the coordinates.

“How far back does it go?” Solis asked.

“At least five years. There must be hundreds of entries.”

Solis scratched at his chin. “And each entry has a different location attached?”

“Looks like it.”

“My money says this is where they buried bodies. If they killed them here, they still had to deal with the disposal of the bodies.”

“Why don’t we look behind curtain number one?” Madero said, pointing to a large padlocked storage. “I got bolt cutters in my car. I’ll be right back.”

Solis flipped through the pages of the notebook. “That’s a lot of bodies. Why would they keep track of where they buried them?”

“It’s about keeping order. I’m guessing each body has its own private plot. Neat and orderly.”

“Only one way to find out for sure,” Solis said, holding the notebook up. “Follow the coordinates.”

Madero returned with the bolt cutters. One grunt later and the lock landed on the cement floor with a thud. We all stared at the freezer, wondering who would open it. Finally Madero straightened his jacket and stepped forward. He grabbed the door with both hands and lifted up.

“What the hell is that?” he said.

72

After hearing Madero’s reaction, Solis and I reluctantly took a step forward. Inside, there were five or six clear plastic bags filled with frozen red goop. It’s the best way I could explain it.

Madero lifted up a bag. With overhead light hitting the bag, it was easier to decipher the contents; the bag contained at least one arm. But what stood out the most was that it had been sliced into quarter inch thick slices like a piece of salami.

We picked through the other bags. Each one had mostly recognizable body parts made up of frozen slices.

Madero motioned to a band saw against the other wall. “Now we know what the big saw is for.”

“They do this in research,” Solis said. “I saw a documentary on TV where a serial killer left his body to science. They froze the body and would slice it up like this, except they were slivers, almost transparent horizontal cuts through the body to study.”

“I think I saw that one,” Madero chimed in. “They could cut thousands of slices from the brain and give it to other researchers, right?”

“Yeah that’s the one. What’s the guy’s name?”

“I dunno, but he was a crazy killer. It was a huge coup to get him to say yes.”

So quickly I lose them.
“I hate to break up this feel-good party the two of you are experiencing, but could we focus?”

A quick count gave us five bags total. The victim was female—the carved out breasts gave it away. My best guess is the Carters hadn’t had time to get rid of the body. Madero called it in while Solis and I continued to poke at the bags.

“I’m guessing this victim was one of Preston’s scheduled feedings. When he’s done, they slice them up, bag them, and freeze them until they can get them buried.”

“Unless someone’s sifting for bone fragments, they would never know a body was there once it decomposed,” Solis added.

I held up the notebook in my hand. “I bet this is private land. There might even be a cabin on the property.”

A siren whirring followed by tires screeching grabbed our attention. “Sounds like the gang’s here.”

Madero led the way up and briefed the uniforms as they entered the house. I could hear him telling the sergeant to get a perimeter set up. He also asked for the ETA on the forensics team. I felt a tap on my shoulder.

“Agent Kane, I bet you have a GPS navigator in your rental,” Solis said with a raised eyebrow.

Before I could answer, Madero appeared.

“The sergeant on duty passed on a message. Lieutenant White is on the way. Doesn’t want us to go anywhere until he gets here.”

“That’s too bad,” I said. “We got a case to solve.”

73

The three of us piled into my rental and we drove north on I-75. Solis opened up the booklet and punched in the coordinates of the most recent date logged. The area was up north, in the sticks, as they say. Solis tried a few more coordinates, and they all came up in the same vicinity, an area on the north side of Loon Lake. According to my talking GPS unit, it would take three hours to get there.

I had time to think during the drive. My partner entered my thoughts, again. When I realized Katherine was the other killer, I knew she had killed Wilkinson that night. I’m sure she didn’t hide her approach. She probably knew he would be confused to see her there. His defenses would be down. That’s how she got the jump on him that night. He was a sitting target and didn’t even know it.

“What’s the plan?” Solis asked. “There are four of them and three of us.”

He counted the children. “We should assume Katherine might have more tricks up her sleeve. Let’s not underestimate them.”

Madero cleared his throat. “Are we trying to apprehend them or put an end to this?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, glancing back at him through the rearview mirror.

“Well, assuming they’re armed and dangerous. Taking them alive might be more difficult than taking them out.”

I didn’t need to think my answer over. The two had killed a lot of innocent people, including Wilkinson. “We take no chances.”

My phone chimed, signaling I had a text message.

“You want me to check that? Might be important,” Solis said.

It wasn’t. Lucy had her own ring tone. “It’s Lucy. I can’t text and drive.” Plus, I didn’t feel comfortable with Solis digging past the tampon in my purse. On the other hand, if it had been Wilky in the front seat, I would have made him buy me a box. Thinking of that made me mentally chuckle, but it also lowered my mood.

• • •

It was nightfall when we reached Loon Lake. We had just rounded the eastern shore and had started heading west when Solis said to slow down.

“We’re coming up on a couple of the locations.”

“You’re telling me bodies were dumped on the side of the road?”

“No, it’s inland, but I’m betting there’s a small dirt road that will take us into the woods. I’m sure they didn’t hike in.”

A few moments later Solis pointed ahead. “There. You see the opening?”

“I see it.” I slowed down and made a right onto a bumpy two-track. Twenty feet in, we came upon a steel gate. Madero got out and checked the gate. He shook his head as he walked back to the car. “It’s locked up good. Should have brought the bolt cutters.”

“A couple of the locations are up ahead, maybe fifteen feet and another fifty feet into the forest,” Solis said. “I bet both sides of the road are lined with plots.”

I exited the car and stretched for a bit. It felt good after the long drive. The climate up north was cooler and drier than the city. I drew a deep breath and my lungs filled with an earthy, woodsy scent. I looked around and saw that we were surrounded by a thick tangle of trees and brush. The two-track was the only swath that cut through them. The full moon up above helped, but it barely penetrated the forest, leaving it dark and uninviting. The small flashlight I kept in my purse wasn’t strong enough to lead a hike into the woods, but I pocketed it just in case.

“This road has to lead us somewhere,” I said. “The plots will have to wait.”

Finding the Carters was a priority. We started walking. About twenty minutes in, Solis held up his arm and motioned for us to move over to the side.

We didn’t question and did what he said. We hid in the brush for a few seconds before he waved us up to his position. Solis pointed down the curved road. “There’s a cabin up ahead.”

I could barely make out the lines of the structure. Solis had an eagle eye.

We hugged the tree line near the side of the road and made our way forward. I couldn’t tell if anybody was home. I didn’t see any cars parked out front, but we still hadn’t rounded the curve in the road.

As we got closer, the trees around us dispersed and revealed a clear view of the wooden cabin. Sixty feet of open land separated the cabin from our position. The building wasn’t very big, maybe seven hundred square feet max. It appeared to have a small second story, either a loft or attic. There were no markings or an address or a welcome sign touting “The Carters”—just the glow.

I noticed the Range Rover parked near the rear of the building. “That’s their car.”

“If they’re home, they’re being awfully quiet,” Solis said.

“Either that, or they’re waiting for us.”

74

A few anniversaries ago, Preston had purchased his and hers ATN PVS7 night vision goggles. At the time, Katherine didn’t see the value in them. Tonight changed all of that.

From inside the cabin, Preston kept watch on the three individuals. He had come to refer to them as the three amigos. The thought of having three to play with excited him and made him eager to get going with their plan. Katherine came down the stairs and stood next to her husband. He looked like a little boy on Christmas morning, eager to open his presents under the tree. It didn’t take her long to spot them.
So clever they think they are.

Preston saw them early on and watched their slow trek toward the cabin. Step by step, they crept along the side of the road, unaware they had a spotlight on them the entire time.

Upstairs in the tiny attic, the boys were asleep, behind a locked door for their safety. They were not part of the plan. Katherine couldn’t risk it. They had already done a wonderful job earlier—distracting the police officer. She had no choice then. That was a worst-case scenario, but she had dutifully planned for it. Just like she had for the scenario they were currently facing. Katherine was a bit surprised when only the three showed up; she had expected more manpower.

She double-checked both guns, making sure the magazines were fully loaded. The two SIG Sauer 228s outfitted with laser sights were a gift from Katherine, spurred by Preston’s purchases. He’d reacted to these gifts the same way she had to his—what’s the point? He loved his scalpel; it had served him well for so long. Why a gun? He was deadlier his way.

But Katherine said it was all part of the plan. So he learned how to fire it, how to load it, even how to clean it. They did it together; it was often their date night.

Dressed in black from head to toe, guns strapped to their thighs, goggles on top their heads—they were ready. Preston gave his beautiful wife a loving kiss. When they broke apart, he decided he wanted another, but she stopped him. “There will be plenty of time to play after we’re finished.”

The plan was to exit through the back of the cabin and head straight to the cover of the trees. From there they would split and circle around the house and flank the three amigos who were still occupying the same spot out front, figuring out a plan of their own—one Katherine thought would be pathetic at best. Before they stepped outside, Katherine turned a small lamp on inside the cabin.