SACRIFICES (4 page)

              Darrin smiles and tells Brad. "This could be the break you were looking for." He pats him on the back. "What do we do now?" He feels Brad’s excitement.

              Brad lays it out like a coach at the Super Bowl. "OK,Tammy take this down. First call Dorothy and fax her that report. Then call Todd, I want him to check, check, and double check all of his background work on the Caruthers girl and then I want him to come back here tonight with all of his findings at seven o'clock. Darrin, I want you to meet with Betty Downs, she's one of the best in the area of dealing with the victims in cases like this. She‘ll also be able to help with a profile on the guy by the way he‘s committed the rapes and hopefully figure out his motive."

              Darrin interrupts. "I thought that Dorothy was helping on the case?"

              "She is, but you can never have too many experts helping out." Brad walks away and turns when Darrin asks.

              "What are you gonna do?"

              "I'm going to talk to the chief. I'm going to Springfield first thing in the morning." Explains Brad as he walks back into his office and closes the door.

LATER THAT EVENING

              Brad waits in his office for Todd to show up and go over the notes from the lab as well as Dorothy's personal notes she gave him. He's taking the 6:55 a.m. flight out of O'Hara in the morning to meet with Springfield's Investigator Marrow. Brad knew only of his rep and heard good things about what he has done.

              Brad figured when he explained everything to Marrow they could help each other out to solve this case. Two heads working together could prove to be beneficial on a case like this.

              Avery walks into the office. "How are you doing Brad?" As he sits down in the chair and hands Brad a file that's growing bigger by the day.

              "I cleared it with Springfield and the Chief. I got you a ticket beside me on the flight tomorrow morning. Do you remember Grady Smith; he was a good cop that transferred because his wife was picked to head up a political committee in Springfield for the Governor?"

              "Sure, he's a good man." Avery smiles as he shakes his head.

              "Well he is going to give you everything he has on the new attack and the girl. I want you to do what you do, and find out any and everything we can on this other victim. I want you to find out where she shops, do her and Mrs. Caruthers share any mutual friends, did they know each other, are they friends of friends, what schools did they go to, I want to know everything we can." Brad sighs then points to his computer screen. “Also, have one of the lab techs do some checking on the possible internet connection. I don’t use the internet but apparently everyone besides me does. Have them check out their computers to see if they know each other that way or…hell I don’t know how that shit works just get someone to check possible connections.”

              "You know me, I'll find out everything I can, I’ll have Tammy get the lab guys to bring in the computers." Explains Avery as he crosses his leg.

              "Hey Brad, what do 'YOU' think where dealing with?" Asks Avery as he leans closer to the desk with great concern in his voice.

              "Between you and me I think we are dealing with a very calculated patient guy. I mean
patient
, a serious individual who has ice water in his veins. You know as well as I do how hard it is to pull off what this guy has done: Two break-ins and two sexual assaults, not one clue, no witnesses. I mean Jesus Christ Todd. This guy committed two crimes over three hundred miles away from each other, you have got to be able to watch, and watch and watch some more to be able to pull off attacks like this. And this guy did it twice. He had to be sure that no one was going to see him coming or going to the house. Yet the son of a bitch, put the victims pants back on, placed a phone close so they could call in the attack themselves. Man, I don't know, I don't think this guy is ever gonna make a mistake. That's why we have to find out a way to link the victims together. If we find a link between the victims then we can try and find him that way."

              "Brad, let's say you’re right, this could be harder then finding a needle in a haystack. He's not territorial, hell he's already three hundred miles from the first attack, at least the first one we know about. What's the stat on that, most serial killers and rapist work areas, I don't know, just a few mile radius's? And don't they typically work the same ethnic backgrounds?" Todd slowly rocks back and forth as he reaches into his shirt pocket to retrieve a smoke.

              "
Ethnic backgrounds,
what's the ethnic background of the girl in Springfield?" Brad asks with an anxious look in his eyes not sure how Todd knows the girls' background and he doesn't.

              Todd reaches into his file and hands him a picture. "It was just faxed an hour ago. It looks clear to me that this girl is of Asian decent. And as far as the other typical predator characteristic, this girl is only 21, the Caruthers girl was 34. Also the Caruthers girl is almost six feet tall; this new girl is only five foot tall. If history tells us anything its most of these losers that kill and rape usually have a taste for similar appearance, age and location. This guy doesn't appear to have a preference whatsoever."

              Brad stands up and feels deflated. He's now wondering if it's just coincidence about the girl in Springfield. Todd tells him as he lights his Camel non-filter cigarette. "If it's any consolation Brad, I think your right. I think it's the same guy. This guy is going to a lot of trouble to stage the attacks down to the smallest detail. He wants us to
know
it’s him."

              Brad sighs and looks at Todd not saying a word. If Brad is right about his gut feeling on this case then it’s going to be extremely tough to solve. Both officers know this. Todd is exceptional at finding info and Brad is relentless when it comes to getting the case solved. With both veterans working this case it might be the only hope the next victim might have.

CHAPTER 4

BRAD JOSTLER AND TODD AVERY ARRIVE IN SPRINGFIELD

             
"There they are." A voice shouts from a distance. Brad smiles and points while Todd grins. "It looks like they'll let anyone fly these days." Grins Inspector Grady Smith. “Here are two of the windy cities finest. Or should I say the windiest guys in Chicago." Grady jokingly grins as he points the two old friends out to his partner.

              "How you doing?" Brad jokingly barks out as he extends his hand to a dear old friend.

              "A lot better than tubby here." Grady softly pats Todd on the belly as he puts his arm around his neck.

              "Tubby my ass, I'd still kick your little ass." Growls Todd as he puts his old buddy in a simulated headlock and gives him an old fashioned noogie.

              "Watch the hair old man, some of us still got a little bit left." Grady smiles and says as he rubs the top of Avery's head.

              "Excuse my manors. Todd, Brad, this is my new partner, well I shouldn't say ‘
new’
we've been working together for 3 years, Mr. Bill Thomas." Grady introduces as everyone extends his hands and begins gratuitous palm squeezing.

              "It’s nice to meet you Bill." Brad grins and shakes his hand.

              "Yeah it’s nice to meet you." Adds Todd as they all smile and shake hands.

              “What do you two say to Bill and me taking you guys out to breakfast, my treat?” Grady smiles at his old friends.

              "I'd say we better jump on this Brad, I doubt if
this
guy ever utters those words again." Avery smiles as they walk toward the parking lot of the Springfield International Airport.

              After a long breakfast and a lot of catching up, the four officers’ head back to the station to get serious about why they’re all together. Brad and Grady go talk in private in Grady’s office while Detective Bill Thomas shows Todd around the precinct.

              "Grady what do you gather from what you've found out so far?" Brad casually inquires as he leans back in the chair in Grady’s office.

              "The young girl was just married about 5 months ago. She doesn't work; she's a housewife, her husband's older than she is by about 14 to 15 years. He's an executive at the Springfield Savings and Trust. She works out at the neighborhood health club, no kids. Her family is from Peoria, where she went to high school. No enemies to think of, no reason to think she's fooling around. Her husbands got a lot of money and she's just a sweet young girl from what we gather after talking to everyone we interviewed." Explains Grady as he hands Brad the sheet he was just reading from.

              "What kind of neighborhood does she live in?" Brad asks as he flips the page grasping for anything.

              "Ritzy new sub-division, top shelf, her hubby was just promoted to number two man at Springfield's oldest bank.” He kicks his feet up to the desk and leans back.

              "Not bad, you've really done your homework, I taught you well." Brad smiles as he rocks back and forth in his chair.

              "I don't mean to question your judgment Brad, hell your one of my personal hero’s but isn't all of this a little premature. I mean we really don't even know if these cases are at all related." Grady asks as he takes a sip of his Diet Coke.

              "Maybe, but my gut tells me that this guy is just getting started. I don't know why but it was all just so neat and clean, almost perfect. You don't go to all of the trouble this guy did for a one time hit. You go to all this..." Brad grabs his phone as it vibrates in his shirt pocket. "Excuse me a minute, Brad Jostler here." He opens his phone.

              Grady stands up and walks over to the miniature fridge in his office behind the door and pulls out two cans of Light beer and put one down in front of Brad. It’s basically after hours so he figures what the hell. He listens to Brad as he nods his head and says things like how long ago, and what else. The usual talk when you’re being told something.

              "Ok Tammy thanks." He closes his flip phone and places it back into his pocket.

              "Well what's the word from home? Was that the Tammy that worked in administration when I was there?" Asks Grady as he gathers from Brad’s expression that the news wasn't good.

              "Yeah, that's the same Tammy." He looks away and takes a deep breath. His mind is somewhere else at this moment.

              "What's up?" Grady persists as he can't help but tell that Brads preoccupied by the phone call.

              “Well I don’t think I was too far off with my first instinct, Tammy just said she received a call from the Peoria Police Department. Similar case, same MO, and, and.” Brad takes another drink, actually quite a long drink, still appearing like he‘s seen a ghost.

              "And what?" Grady stands up and walks to the front of the desk and sits down in front of Brad‘s chair.

              "Peoria said it happened yesterday afternoon. And Tammy just said she received another call that the Bloomington PD had a similar case just about an hour ago. I guess the news is spreading quickly through the state because as soon as they got the call they called my precinct." Explains Brad as he finishes his can of beer and leans up and places the can on the desk. Brad shakes his head as he looks up at the lights.             

              "Was it the same as the rest?" Grady can’t help but feel deflated by this news.

              "They were exactly the same,
every last detail
." Brad shakes his head.

              Grady shakes his head in disbelief. "What are we going to do now?"

              Brad sighs. "We put together a task force over the whole state and keep compiling everything we can, that's all I can think of, we’re gonna need to get the approval of the Governor for something like this?" Brad asks as he walks over to the window and lets out a long breath of air and closes his eyes.

              Grady nods his head. "My wife is at his house tonight they’re having a banquet. I'll place a call right now to get the ball rolling." He picks up the phone and dials the Governors mansion.

              Brad excuses himself from Grady's office and calls Todd Avery from his cell phone in the hallway and fills him in on the new developments in the case. By the time the news came on at 10:00 o'clock, it was the top story. It was even mentioned on all the major network new programs. This was turning into a statewide manhunt for someone that was so smart that even though they raped four different women from four different towns and got away with it four times. This guy hasn’t left one clue and hasn’t been seen by anyone. Now the search isn’t for a rapist, it’s a search for a serial rapist.

BACK AT THE FIFTH PRECINCT CHICAGO ILLINOIS-NEXT DAY

             
Brad walks into the office of the Chief of the Fifth Precincts and takes a seat in front of the desk. The Chief is involved in a conversation on the phone so Brad looks at the headline of the Chicago Tribune that says;      
MANHUNT STARTS FOR SERIAL RAPIST.
Brad looks over the article while the Chief finishes his conversation with someone who he talks too with what appears to be great respect for by tone of his voice.