Faces Of Evil: Vicious Part 6

He worked up the energy to pull off a listless shrug. "What can I say? Mexicans fight like girls." He tossed a look at Harper. "It's nothing. Hydros make sure of that."

Next to her, Jess felt her detective stiffen. Harper's Hispanic heritage was obvious, and Jess knew for a fact there was nothing girlish about the way he handled himself in a physical altercation. She'd take Harper as her backup any time, any place.

"I a.s.sume you have a prescription for those," the detective tossed at the arrogant man. Hydrocodone was one of the most abused pain relievers on the market.

"Wouldn't've mentioned 'em if I didn't." Slater snorted a laugh. "I'm not that stupid."

Jess wouldn't touch that one with a ten-foot pole. "Did you have a physical altercation with your girlfriend, Mr. Slater? Remember, we're recording this interview. You need to be very careful how you answer."

"Don't have a girlfriend."

"Is that right?" Harper countered. "Several witnesses saw you coming and going from Lisa Templeton's home on numerous occasions. She wasn't your girlfriend?"

Slater made a face then winced. "She managed a shop in one of my buildings. Your witnesses must've seen me dropping by her place when she rented the apartment over the shop. She was just a tenant. Not my type at all."

Harper made one of those male sounds that were more grunt than anything else. In Jess's experience, it meant he'd had enough of this guy. She was right there with him.

Jess opened the folder in front of her and removed a series of photos that had been printed from the ones saved on the victim's cell phone. "If this is what you do with the women who aren't your type, I'm confident there are laws against what you save for those who are."

She fanned the photos in front of him. Most of them showed Slater and Templeton in various forms of s.e.xual activity. His face wasn't visible in all the photos, but the tattoos on his chest and shoulders were and that was sufficient to identify him. With Slater this close and his partially unb.u.t.toned s.h.i.+rt revealing a good portion of the Phoenix inked on his chest, denial would be just a little difficult.

He lifted one shoulder in another of those uncaring shrugs. "We had s.e.x. Often. Big deal. She needed lots of favors and this is how we settled things."

Outrage started a resolute climb up Jess's spine. "But Lisa didn't wors.h.i.+p you the way you prefer your women to." The statements made by the victims of his prior arrests had one allegation in common: He wanted me to wors.h.i.+p him. "In fact," Jess went on, "Lisa Templeton was in love with another woman. I imagine that was quite a blow to your manhood."

He snorted. "She was a dumb b.i.t.c.h. Couldn't make up her mind what she wanted. I was done with her anyway."

"Is that why you kicked her out of the apartment over the shop two weeks ago?" Jess folded her arms over her chest and eyed him with blatant suspicion. "You found out you weren't the love of her life and that made you angry."

"That was business," he argued. "She didn't pay her rent on time."

"Had she always paid it on time in the past?" Jess countered. Templeton had lived over the shop she managed for two years. Had one failure to pay on time justified her eviction?

"Doesn't matter. I wanted her out and she got out."

"There are laws that protect tenants, Mr. Slater." Jess leaned forward so he'd know she really wanted to hear his answer to the next question. "Did you break those laws?"

He had the guts to smile even with his split lip. "Didn't have to. She understood what I wanted."

"So the two of you settled that situation too," Jess surmised.

He leaned back in his chair. "That's right."

Jess gathered another stack of photos from the file and spread them on top of the first ones. "Is this how you settled things, Mr. Slater?"

"What the-?" He shoved back from the table, his chair sc.r.a.ping across the tile.

"Did you murder her?" Jess demanded. "Did you crack open her chest and dig out her heart just to feel its warmth in your hands? Or was it a symbolic gesture about the loss of her love?"

Slater shot to his feet. "I had nothing to do with that! I didn't kill n.o.body!"

Jess stood but Harper was already on the other side of the table with a warning hand on Slater's arm. "You need to sit down, sir." Though spoken quietly, Harper's words carried a distinct promise of what Slater should expect if he did not comply.

"Is this," Jess s.n.a.t.c.hed up one of the photos and shoved it toward Slater, "how you settle the issues in your s.e.x life?"

Whatever Rod Slater had done or not done, he went still as stone and glared at Jess with his one good eye. "That's all I got to say without a lawyer present."

"You waived your right to an attorney, Mr. Slater," Jess reminded him, not that it mattered if he'd now decided otherwise.

"I changed my mind." He looked around the room, found the camera high on the wall in one corner and stared directly at it. "I want a lawyer! Now!"

Jess shuffled the photos back into her folder and tucked it into her bag. "You calm down, Mr. Slater." She gave him a sugary smile. "Sergeant Harper will make sure your attorney is notified."

"Take your seat, sir." Harper ushered Slater back into the chair. "Write down your attorney's name and number and I'll get him on the phone for you."

Jess gave Harper a nod and left the room. Lori and Hayes waited for her in the corridor. Both had observed the interview.

"We'll be holding Mr. Slater for a few hours as a person of interest. If he's smart he'll agree to let forensics take a few samples." Jess drew in a big breath. "Meanwhile, Detective Wells, I'd like you and Sergeant Harper to continue questioning the friends and coworkers of both victims. If we can put Slater anywhere near those women on Sunday night, we can push harder for him to agree to submit the samples necessary to eliminate him as a suspect."

"On it, Chief," Lori said.

Before the detective could ask the question Jess knew would be next, she went on, "Officer Cook and I are going to the ME's office to see what Dr. Baron has for us." Probably not very much but anything would be better than nothing. And that was what they had right now, a little speculation and a whole lot of nothing.

"I'd like to accompany you, Chief," Hayes piped up.

He was standing right there and still she'd forgotten to include him. Where was her mind? "That's a good idea, Lieutenant. Go back to the office and let Cook know we're heading out. I'll be right there."

When Hayes was on his way, Lori said, "I did some follow up on Ellis's background and found some interesting facts from his past."

"In this country or another?" Something about the man bothered Jess. Whatever it was, he'd camouflaged it too well for her to get a handle on it, but it was there. The way he balanced his rough edges with all that elegance didn't ring true. Twenty years in Europe certainly would have influenced his speech, and possibly his overall manner. Maybe that was what she was picking up on.

"This one," Lori clarified. "He had a friend whose older sister was murdered by her father who then turned the gun on himself. Ellis was visiting the friend and apparently saw the whole thing. The mother of the murdered girl insisted she had no idea why her husband would have done such a thing. But one reporter maintained throughout the investigation that there was a cover up."

"Is the reporter still alive?" If so, Jess wanted to speak to him.

"He died a few years ago."

"What about the mother?"

"She still lives in the family home in Boston with her son."

A trip to Boston might be in order. The image of Spears elbowed its way into her thoughts. Not that she was going anywhere, but she could send Harper. The outrage that had camped at the base of her skull started to tighten her muscles, making her want to scream. Spears had her right where he wanted her. She was virtually his prisoner. She couldn't go to her apartment. She couldn't go anywhere alone.

Take a breath. Focus on the case.

"Keep digging. The tragedy in Ellis's past might not be connected-he may have nothing to do with these murders, but at least one of our victims was close to him. We need to know all we can about him if for no other reason than to eliminate him as a suspect. Find out what he did with these Old Masters in Europe."

"Will do." Lori glanced down the corridor and then grinned. "I guess you like Clint."

"He's motivated," Jess said, "I'll give him that much. As long as he works hard and fits in with our team, I'm happy." A frown creased her brow. "I was surprised he just showed up at the office. I guess he wanted a transfer badly enough to keep tabs on the comings and goings of department personnel."

Lori made a face. "Probably. He's been pretty unhappy for a while."

"Well." Jess hefted the straps of her bag higher onto her shoulder. Was it her imagination or was it heavier today? "Maybe SPU will be able to change that for him. He agreed to a probationary period to see how things work out."

"He's a good guy," Lori said, almost to herself.

Jess started not to ask but her curiosity got the better of her. "Did the two of you have a... thing?"

Surprise, then amus.e.m.e.nt sparkled in Lori's green eyes. "We'll talk about that sometime. Over a margarita." She glanced past Jess to the interview room. "I should give Harper a hand."

Jess hoped they could have that chat without the margaritas otherwise they would be waiting about seven months or so.

As she headed to her office, she wondered if Clint Hayes had ever attended an autopsy. She would soon know if he had the stomach for the business of murder.

Jefferson County Coroner's Office, 3:15 p.m.

"This took some patience," Dr. Sylvia Baron said as she surveyed first Lisa Templeton's body and then Alicia Burgess's.

To her utter frustration, Jess's stomach had started that annoying churning again. She breathed through her mouth and prayed she would get through the next few minutes.

Okay. Baron mentioned patience. Focus, Jess.

She couldn't argue the point the ME made, but patience wasn't a word Jess would have used when describing this killer's work. Vicious and relentlessness was more what she'd call it. The evil that committed violence this savage against another human was determined to accomplish some goal only he understood. The real question was: what was his or her motive?

"Both women were intoxicated based on the alcohol levels in the vitreous humor," Sylvia continued. "I won't have the full tox screen results for a day or two. No traces of s.e.m.e.n or male pubic hair. Neither had eaten for several hours prior to their death. No other health issues so far." She gestured to the damaged torsos. "The wounds on both bodies are consistent with the hand tools found at the scene."

"Has your estimate on time of death changed for either victim?"

Sylvia met Jess's gaze. "Are you asking me which one I believe died first?"

"If one killer did this," Jess wasn't convinced that was the case, "one victim had to die first. If not, we may be looking at two killers working in concert." The sheer number of prints, however smeared and possibly unreadable, seemed to indicate more than one killer. When Jess had more evidence back from the crime scene unit she might be able to make that call, but not yet.

"If I had to pinpoint TOD that precisely-unofficially, of course-I would say Burgess died first. But it's too close to call. We're talking four or five minutes max between the murders. I can tell you that after a close examination of the wounds inflicted, if two killers were involved, they're both right handed."

It wasn't much, but it was a starting place. The killer or killers were right handed and wore about a size seven shoe. It was a beginning.

"If," Jess moved back to the timing, "Burgess died first, that would mean Templeton watched the woman she loved be murdered." Holding her breath, Jess leaned down to study the woman's wrists with the aid of the bright lights. The lighting at the scene had been less than optimal. "And yet there's no indication she fought her restraints." Jess straightened away from the body and dared to breathe. "Was she that intoxicated?"

Sylvia considered the question for a moment. "Not in my opinion. I have a scenario I'm working on, but what are you thinking?"

"That both victims were unable to struggle," Jess suggested. "Burgess didn't fight her restraints as the belt tightened around her throat. Templeton didn't react physically while her lover was being murdered or when it was her turn. How could you have an object pushed that far down your throat and not fight back? Any bite marks on the," Jess shrugged, "object?"

"You mean the neon pink d.i.l.d.o?"

Jess rolled her eyes. Couldn't Sylvia just answer the question? Hayes cleared his throat and stared at the floor. Cook s.h.i.+fted from foot to foot but didn't take his eyes off the pretty medical examiner.

Sylvia surveyed her audience. "Is there a problem, gentlemen? We're all adults here. Professionals. A woman has needs, and sometimes she has to get creative to fill those needs."

Hands in his pockets, Hayes rocked back on his heels as if he might have several pertinent responses for the ME's comment. Cook, however, just stared at Sylvia. Maybe stared wasn't the right word. He gawked like a teenage boy who'd never seen a naked woman before.

The trouble was, Sylvia was fully dressed in one of those sleek, stylish sheaths she always wore beneath her lab coat. She looked like a million bucks and Jess imagined that Cook was enthralled. But this wasn't his first visit to the coroner's office. Why was he suddenly infatuated with the ME? Most cops were ready to clear the room when they heard her coming. Or maybe it was the talk of s.e.x toys. Jess certainly hadn't taken Cook for a guy so easily fl.u.s.tered.

"Is that a yes or a no?" Jess asked, hoping to maneuver the conversation back on track. She needed fresh air... soon.

"No teeth marks," Sylvia confirmed. "She deep throated without resistance."

If a pin had dropped, the sound of it hitting the floor would have boomed like an explosion.

"So it's possible both victims were paralyzed," Jess proposed, her patience thinning. "They may have been aware of what was happening on some level but unable to struggle?"

"That's my thinking," Sylvia said. "I'm looking for drugs in that category. Most of the date rape drugs are hard to detect, but if one was used, I'll find it."

"He wanted them to see death coming," Lieutenant Hayes chimed in.

The deep sound of his voice startled Jess. She had to keep reminding herself they had a new man on the team. She was glad he hadn't taken one look at the two dissected bodies and made a run for the nearest sink.

"Or she," Jess countered. "Either way, the killer knew the victims and wanted them to suffer as much horror as possible before they died."

Cook stepped forward, pausing closer to Sylvia than to Jess. "We may be looking for a former lover."

"Bad choices can certainly come back to haunt us," Sylvia agreed.

The way Cook watched Sylvia as she spoke clarified the situation for Jess. The much younger man was smitten with the sophisticated ME. Jess needed to have a talk with him. He was on the verge of biting off way more than he could chew. Sylvia Baron was way, way, way out of his league.

"Officer Cook, drop by the lab and give them a push," Jess said, breaking the awkward silence. "We need whatever new evidence they may have discovered."

He snapped out of his l.u.s.t coma. "Yes, ma'am."

He took one last lingering gaze at Sylvia before stumbling off. The ME smiled. When she turned to Jess, her face was a little flushed. For Pete's sake, was she actually interested in Cook or just flattered? Sylvia should have learned her lesson about relations.h.i.+ps with cops after the unpleasant split with her ex. Jess did a mental double take. Didn't say a lot for her and Dan rus.h.i.+ng back into that minefield. But, then again, they had extenuating circ.u.mstances.

Don't go there, Jess.

Sylvia turned off the spotlights over the bodies. "I see you have a new shadow, Harris. Is this your bodyguard?" She sized up Hayes, her approval written all over her line free face.

Had the ME had Botox injections? Next time Sylvia was in friend mode, Jess intended to ask her. She resisted the urge to reach up and smooth her own lined brow with the back of her fingers. Getting old was no fun. She was going to be really old by the time this child graduated college. That rolling in her stomach took an extra deep dip.

"Harris?" Sylvia repeated. "I was asking about this tall, dark and silent type you brought along."

Jess gave herself a mental kick for getting distracted. The distraction was immediately replaced by frustration. "He is not a bodyguard." What was with all the flirting? Maybe Sylvia Baron needed a man in her life. Before Jess stuck her foot in her mouth and said as much, she reminded herself of all the things she needed. Like a baby carriage. Oh G.o.d.

Jess wished her mouth weren't suddenly so dry. "This is Lieutenant Hayes. He joined SPU today."

Stripping off her gloves with far more fanfare than usual, Sylvia said, "Aren't you lucky to land a spot on the department's new dream team, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, ma'am. Very lucky." That smoky voice of his oozed with charm.

Men. They were all alike. Or maybe Hayes always used a suave tone when speaking to women. Maybe old habits were hard to break.