The Devil's Water: Scenic City Murder Series #1

BOOK: The Devil's Water: Scenic City Murder Series #1
8.7Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

 

 

 

 

 

THE DEVIL’S WATER

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

CHAPTER 21

CHAPTER 22

CHAPTER 23

CHAPTER 24

CHAPTER 25

CHAPTER 26

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 28

CHAPTER 29

CHAPTER 30

CHAPTER 31

CHAPTER 32

CHAPTER 33

CHAPTER 34

CHAPTER 35

CHAPTER 36

CHAPTER 37

CHAPTER 38

CHAPTER 39

CHAPTER 40

CHAPTER 41

CHAPTER 42

CHAPTER 43

CHAPTER 44

CHAPTER 45

CHAPTER 46

CHAPTER 47

CHAPTER 48

EPILOGUE

 

PROLOGUE

 

It was raining in downtown Chattanooga. The dark blue sedan moved slowly through the parking lot as lightning flashed across the sky. Inside, the man checked his watch. 7:15. He was making good time. He turned into a parking space in front of the apartment building and noticed that her lights were on. He watched as she stood in the kitchen window washing up dishes from dinner. He cut the headlights off and listened to Steely Dan’s FM on the radio.
No static at all.
He smiled as he ran a hand across his unshaven face. The pizza box was lying on the seat beside him. He twisted the keys in the ignition, turning off the motor.
Let’s do this.
He grabbed the pizza box and opened the car door.

He was standing in a downpour as he rang the doorbell. Ten seconds passed before the pretty woman came to the door.

“Yes?”

“Pizza delivery.” He said with a grin. She looked at the pizza box he was holding in one hand.

“I didn’t order pizza.”

“Well, there must be some sorta mix up then. I’ll need to call the store.” He looked up at the sky as the heavens continued to pour down. Another lightning flash. He shivered. “Look ma’am. I don’t have my cell phone on me and my car is way over there.” He pointed toward his dark blue Ford. “Would you mind if I used your phone?”

She glanced down and there was a slight pause. He shivered again. “OK.” She finally said and opened the door further to grant him passage.

“Man, it’s a nasty night.” He observed as he stepped into her foyer.

“Yep.” She walked past him into the den. “Now the phone is just right over here.” She said, her back to him. She heard the door close. “What’s the number?” She asked as she heard footsteps behind her.

“I’ve been watching you.” He whispered. She turned toward him as he reached for her. He put his hand across her mouth. “I know who you are, Macy.” He said, his breath hot in her ear. She tried to scream but he pressed his hand harder against her teeth. Her gums were mashed and she tasted blood. He placed his arm around her neck and struck her underneath her left ear. Her eyes fluttered and then shut. She dropped to the floor.
No time to waste.
He reached in his jacket pocket and removed a pair of surgical gloves and hypodermic needle. “Now let us begin.”

CHAPTER 1

 

Lieutenant Daniel A. Mclutcheon was in no mood for phone calls. His head hurt like hell and he was convinced it was because he hadn’t drunk enough coffee. Nevertheless, when the phone rang, Mclutcheon picked up on the first ring. “Clutch here.”

“Boss, we have a situation.”

Mclutcheon recognized the voice of Jeff Wilder, his youngest detective.

Jeff always used the word ‘situation’ when matters were serious.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s been another abduction at the Sun. Her name is Macy Garcia. The apartment is as clean as a whistle. No sign of forced entry and nothing is out of place.” Jeff said solemnly.

“Well, maybe Macy split town.” Mclutcheon said as he unwrapped a BC powder and poured it down his throat.

“Don’t think so boss. Perp left his calling card. Just like before.”

Mclutcheon sat back in his swivel chair and let out a long audible sigh.

“We’re dealing with a serial predator.” He finally said. “Hold on. I’ll be down there in a few.”

“Oh, and boss?” Jeff spoke as Mclutcheon was hanging up the phone. “There’s a reporter here from the paper. Somebody called the press.”

“Shit.”

“He’s asking a bunch of questions and he won’t back off.”

Mclutcheon rubbed one temple and processed for a moment.

“OK. I’m on my way right now.”

Sun Apartments was a two level structure located in a poorer section of the city. The outside of the building looked dated as it hadn’t been remodeled in nearly three decades.  It mostly housed minorities though there were a few blue collar whites. Mclutcheon was very familiar with the complex, having made several arrests there for domestic disturbances when he was a beat cop.

He wheeled in and noticed a cluster of cars down toward the end of the parking lot. Amongst them were a couple of police cruisers. As he pulled into a space, he saw Hank Gamblin talking with Jeff Wilder. Gamblin was the reporter for the local paper and he had a history of hectoring young detectives for information. He would do almost anything for a story.

Mclutcheon exited his car and slammed the door shut. Gamblin and Wilder were standing about 30 yards away but, even from that distance, Mclutcheon could see the veins standing out from the young detective’s neck.

“Wilder, go back inside” the lieutenant said as he came to stand between the two men. He glanced at Gamblin who wore a smug look on his face. Gamblin’s hair was slicked back into a club at the base of his neck. Mclutcheon always thought that he looked just like the rat he was.

Wilder nodded at his boss and turned to walk back inside the apartment.

“Lieutenant Mclutcheon, I was just having a little chat with your detective. He hasn’t been too terribly helpful.” Gamblin said. “Perhaps you can tell me what’s going on?”

Gamblin was a diminutive man and stared up at the lieutenant with a shit eating grin. Mclutcheon wanted to stomp on him like a bug.

“This is official police business, Gamblin.”

“Well, I know but an anonymous source says it looks like there’s a serial kidnapping case going on in our fair town.”

“No comment.” Mclutcheon returned harshly.

“Well, what can you tell me about the letters that have been left at the crime scenes? What is the perp trying to tell you?”

“No comment.”

“Well, often in cases like this the kidnappings escalate into murder. Do you have reason to believe this could be a murder investigation?”

“Look” Mclutcheon said, his voice steady, “There is no comment at this time. I’m certainly not willing to speculate on this. What I will do, though, is run your ass in if you continue to interfere with this investigation. Leave my detectives alone.”

Mclutcheon watched Gamblin slink back to his car and climb in. He watched the vehicle exit the parking lot and finally turned back toward the apartment building. “Damn” he said to himself. His headache had started easing off but after the exchange with Gamblin he was starting to feel it again. He walked up to Macy Garcia’s door and opened it.

The apartment was just as Wilder had said. Clean as a whistle. There was a cop there taking pictures. “Get everything” Mclutcheon said as he walked back toward the bedroom. Inside, Wilder stood by the bed. There, lying neatly on one of the pillows was a plain piece of notebook paper with a pen. Mclutcheon leaned down to where he could read the note:

FROM HELL

Catch me when you can, Mishter Lusk

“I have no idea what that means. Guy can’t spell for shit though” Wilder began, his face was etched with concern.

Mclutcheon stood up and took a deep breath. He looked at his detective. “Whitechapel, 1888. The “From Hell” letter. It was a letter Jack the Ripper sent to a guy by the name of George Lusk. Lusk was the head of the vigilance committee at the time.”

“Yeah but why is our guy sending this letter now?”

Mclutcheon  looked down at the letter. “You know Jeff, that sentence was the only one in the entire letter the Ripper spelled correctly. Aside, of course, from the word ‘mister’. ” He paused and looked back up at Wilder. “I think it means our guy is serious. Just like the Ripper was in the fall of 1888.”

Jeff Wilder held a plastic bag in his hand. “Bag the evidence, Jeff.”

“Okay boss”

Mclutcheon turned toward the door to leave. “But I don’t think we’ll have to worry about Macy Garcia anymore.”

“Why is that?” Wilder asked.

“Because I’m pretty sure that she’s dead.” Mclutcheon said as he shut the door behind him.

CHAPTER 2

 

The next day, as Mclutcheon was sorting his files, the phone rang. He answered and knew immediately who it was. The low husky voice was unmistakable.

“Yes chief”

Ryan Skopic was an old beat cop like Mclutcheon had been. He had risen in the ranks and had formed a whole lot of political connections in his many years on the force. Now he was the chief of police and, Mclutcheon thought, a damn good one.

“Clutch, tell me what I need to know.” Skopic said without a greeting. It was always like Skopic to get directly to the point.

“Well, we have three missing women. They’ve all been abducted from the Sun.” Mclutcheon started.“There’s always been a note left at the apartment and the apartments are always clean. No forced entry. Spotless.”

“Well, Hank Gamblin is crawling my ass to try and find out something. He’s been calling my office all afternoon.”

“You gonna have to make a statement chief?” Mclutcheon asked but already knew the answer.

“Well, I’d like to hold off as long as possible but it was bound to break if a body was found and a body has been found.”

Mclutcheon let out a deep breath.

“Macy Garcia was found on the bank of the Tennessee River. Right beside the Devil’s Water. Couple of fishermen found her.”

Mclutcheon knew the exact spot. The Devils water was a small inlet known for its deep water and tide pools along with its treacherous bank. It had claimed many lives over the years.

“I wish I had known about this.” Mclutcheon said, mildly annoyed.

“Jeff Wilder called and told me.” Skopic said. “You might want to have a little talk with him.”

“Yes, chief.” Mclutcheon returned.

He hung up the phone and thought about it for a few minutes before calling Wilder in. He felt himself calming down after considering Wilder’s youth, inexperience and zest for justice. Mclutcheon reasoned that Wilder had never worked this sort of case before. No reason to be too hard on him.

Mclutcheon picked up the phone and dialed Jeff’s office. “Wilder here.”

“Hey Jeff. Listen, I know you didn’t mean anything by it but all information on this case goes through me first. I’ll take it to the chief. That’s the chain, you know?”

There was a pregnant silence. “Okay boss. Sorry about that.” Jeff replied.

As he got off the phone, Mclutcheon thought about his young detective. He was bright with an excellent future ahead of him in law enforcement. He was also a good person. Mclutcheon had known tons of smart folk who weren’t. He thought about the perp. Mclutcheon figured he was a garden variety sociopath. A bad seed. Now three women had been abducted and one of them was found on a lone rocky bank beside the river.
Just thrown out like trash
.

BOOK: The Devil's Water: Scenic City Murder Series #1
8.7Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Mail Order Misfortune by Kirsten Osbourne
Vital Parts by Thomas Berger
Hostile engagement by Jessica Steele
The Strange Maid by Tessa Gratton
All the Little Liars by Charlaine Harris
Realm 05 - A Touch of Mercy by Regina Jeffers