JACK AND THE GIANT KILLER Read online

  “Really?” Replacement rolled her eyes. “You might want to rethink that.”

  “Alice.” Jack put his hand on her arm, but she shrugged it off.

  “No, Jack. They need us. You’ve had training in this.” She turned back to the mayor. “He also solved the White Rock murders, and he caught the Buckmaster Pond killer.”

  Morrison cleared his throat. “With all due respect, Madam Mayor—”

  The mayor held up a hand and stared at Jack. “Why did you have the cameraman video the crowd?” she asked.

  “The man you’re looking for is a serial killer. Serial killers fall into three categories, and this one is organized. Look, he planned all this because of what you said, but he had to put that plan together fast and execute it. He normally abducts his victims, kills them in one place, and disposes them in another place. That puts him in the organized category. He’s the kind of killer who comes back and watches the scene. He could be here right now. The police will need video and license plates.”

  The mayor studied Jack and then turned to Morrison. “Undersheriff Morrison, I expect you’ll be needed here for a while. I also expect you to be at my office with a full briefing at seven this morning. There will be a press conference at nine.” She eyed Replacement up and down. “I expect the two of you there as well.”

  Replacement smiled.

  Jack didn’t.

  “Madam Mayor,” Morrison began. “This is a police matter, and while I personally have the utmost respect for Mr. Stratton, he doesn’t have—”

  “Undersheriff.” The mayor’s terse tone cut him off. She looked back at the sign and the body hanging there. “So far I’ve seen Mr. Stratton has exactly what I need, and I will not debate my actions with you.” The mayor turned to Replacement. “Ms. Campbell. Seven o’clock.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  A KAWAH Bag

  Jack stood next to Morrison, who rubbed the back of his neck and paced.

  “Half the town doesn’t have power, and I have to be in that half. Do you have any idea how mad Sheriff Collins is going to be?”

  “Kinda.” Jack nodded and tried not to make a face. “Didn’t your cell go off?”

  Morrison huffed. “Of course not. The night a psychopath does this and I’m caught with my pants down. Collins is going to nail me to the wall.” Morrison clicked on his radio. “This is Undersheriff Morrison. I want an ETA on the ME, forensics, the DA, Castillo, and every other division I’m waiting for.”

  There was a long pause before the dispatcher answered. “ETA on the ME is ten more minutes. Officer Darcey just located Castillo and will be bringing him shortly, forensics is en route, and the DA just called and is heading your way.”

  “Do they really need all that?” Replacement whispered to Jack and he nodded.

  “And what was that?” Morrison thrust his hand back where the news van had parked. “A special task force?”

  “You weren’t here.” Replacement pointed her finger at him. “Jack was just trying to cover for you.”

  “Hold up, kid.” Jack shot her a look to be quiet. “Bob, the last person I want jammed-up is you. We pulled in, and it was only Billings. People were running all over the scene. I was talking to him, and it just happened.”

  “I know you were trying to cover for me, but think how I can even bring this up to Collins, let alone what he’s going to do.” Morrison groaned. “I was sleeping. I was using my cell all day, and it was charging, but when the power went out…I’m going right under the bus.”

  Jack pointed at Replacement. “You saw something.”

  “What?” Her eyes went wide.

  “Before the fire truck came.”

  “The tracks.” She rushed over to where the fire truck was still parked. “Stupid fire truck.” Both of her hands went to the side of her head.

  “What did you see?” Jack stood beside her and stared at the turned up mud.

  “Tire tracks and footprints.”

  Morrison frowned. “The rain probably ruined them but they’d have been nice to have.”

  Jack scowled and looked under the fire truck. “We won’t get anything now. Do you remember anything about them? Were there more than one set of tracks?”

  Replacement’s brow knit together as she glared at the mud. After a minute, she shut her eyes, and then shook her head. “I didn’t even get a good look. I know I saw tire tracks and footprints, but I’d be just guessing on how many or how big they were.”

  “Good job.” Jack patted her shoulder and she pouted. “Seriously, kid. Most people end up making up something so they don’t feel stupid. You could have said small footprints, and we’d be looking for a little guy and it would be all wrong and a waste of time. Good job.”

  Replacement grinned.

  Jack looked over the landscaped gravel that covered the area under the sign. “With all of the people walking around and all the gravel, getting any footprints is going to be near impossible now. Have we reached out to his towing company?”

  Morrison nodded. “His name is Greg Freeman. Twenty-four. The call came in to Pat’s Towing at nine.”

  “Did they get specifics?”

  “A male called in for a tow. Said he was driving a light-gray Lexus and the car just died. The caller said it was parked at the Welcome to Darrington sign on Westbrook.” Morrison looked over his notes. “I’m putting a BOLO out for the Lexus.”

  Jack shook his head. “Do it, but I think they’ll be pulling over the mayor. She drives a gray Lexus. She ticked him off, so that’s probably another dig. Did the towing company get a callback number?”

  “Yeah. He left it, and they took it off caller ID too. It came back to a Dixie Barker. When the tow operator couldn’t get Greg on the phone, she called the other number listed for Dixie. Turns out she’s a thirteen-year-old girl who lost her phone recently.”

  Replacement shivered next to Jack. He started to take off his jacket but she smiled and shook her head. “Yours looks wetter than mine,” she chattered. “We’ll have to remember to keep raincoats or something in the trunk.”

  Jack scribbled PERK in the notebook that Morrison had given him.

  “What’s a PERK?” Replacement asked.

  “Personal Emergency Relocation Kit. It’s what you want. They call it lots of different things: a GO bag, a battle box, or an INCH bag.”

  “INCH bag?”

  “It’s an I’m-Never-Coming-Home bag. I’ll get you one. I had one in the Impala. I should have gotten one for the Charger.”

  Replacement grabbed his notebook and wrote: “Get a KAWAH bag.”

  Jack raised an eyebrow.

  Replacement grinned. “Keep-Alice-Warm-and-Happy bag.”

  Jack chuckled. “It’s three. I’m going to take her home and run over what we have.”

  “I’m good,” Replacement protested.

  “Your lips are blue. Shut up.”

  “You’ll want access to the computer systems,” Morrison said and Jack saw the slightest dimple start to appear on Replacement’s cheek. “I’ll call IT and have them email it over.”

  “Would you mind making the call now, Bob? I want to go over them before I talk to the mayor.”

  Morrison yawned and nodded. “Excuse me. Sure thing. I’ll also have Castillo comb through the footage the cameraman took. That was quick thinking on your part.” He pulled out his phone and hesitated. “It’s good to be working with you again, Jack, but when Collins comes back, I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

  “When’s that? Where is he?”

  “Texas. He’s there for two weeks, but he left a week ago. There’s no way to get in touch with him. Doctor’s orders. His blood pressure had gone through the roof.”

  “This isn’t going to help,” Jack said wryly.

  “I wouldn’t think so.” Replacement shivered and shook her head.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  It’s Evil

  Replacement dashed across the living room as Lady trotted behind her. Jack
wanted to chase her too. He watched Replacement peel off her wet jacket and fumble with the buttons on her shirt. Sighing, he stopped at the closed bathroom door.

  “I’ll put some coffee on,” he called out before he headed back to the kitchen.

  Fifteen minutes later, Replacement appeared, wrapped in her fluffy bathrobe. She scooted over to the computer and cooed as her hands wrapped around the warm coffee mug.

  “Thank you.” She grinned. “I can finally feel my fingers.”

  Jack put his hand over the mouse. “I got the log-in from IT. The report on Davis is difficult to look at. I don’t think you should look at Daniel’s report.”

  Replacement stared down into the coffee cup and then shook her head. “If we’re going to catch this guy, I need to.”

  Jack took his hand off the mouse.

  Replacement scanned the report while Jack looked over her shoulder. “Ray’s wife, April, said it was close to ten p.m. when he went outside.” Replacement pointed at the monitor. “They were watching a movie and Ray remembered he hadn’t yet checked the mail.”

  “He was expecting a birthday present for his sons,” Jack read aloud as he straightened up. “The police found it still in the mailbox.”

  “April went outside at ten fifteen and found the body,” Replacement said.

  Jack put his hands on her shoulders. “So April went to look for Ray and found him near the mailbox.”

  A click of the mouse brought up the autopsy photo. Replacement winced. Ray’s corpse was lying on the table. A dozen wounds on his back were numbered and circled.

  Replacement began to read. “The blade was thick, approximately six inches long with a drop point.” She looked back at Jack. “What’s a drop point?”

  “A drop point slopes from the handle to the tip.” He tried to use his hands to describe it, but Replacement shook her head. “It’s a hunting knife,” Jack explained. “The thicker tip is better for cutting and skinning game.”

  Replacement grimaced and turned back to the screen. “The first wound here,” she held her finger over a deep, wide gash high on his back while she continued to read, “cut his spinal cord. These two intersecting wounds came after. These wounds,” her fingers moved to three additional places, “would have all been fatal in a short amount of time.”

  “Does it say how fast he died?” Jack asked.

  They both scanned the page, but Replacement found the paragraph first. “They estimated time of death within five minutes of the first wound.”

  She clicked to the next page. It was the first crime-scene photo. Ray Davis lay on his back near the end of the fence. The second photo was a close-up. His eyes were open and stared straight ahead.

  “April said she ran and knelt down beside him. She could see all the blood and knew he was dead.”

  “Back up. What about the car?”

  Replacement scrolled down and then stopped. “Here’s a transcript: I called to Ray and then heard a car door close.” Replacement read aloud. “I couldn’t see the car because of the fence but I saw the brake lights glow through the leaves of the maple tree. I thought he might have just been talking to a neighbor so I called out again, but he didn’t answer. When I walked to the road, I saw him lying there.”

  Jack leaned forward while she continued to read. “I ran over to him and saw all the blood. I thought the car may have hit him, but you could see that he…” Replacement’s voice trailed off.

  Jack silently read the rest of Davenport’s notes where he detailed April breaking down and crying inconsolably. He looked at the close-up of Ray lying in the dirt outside his house and then exhaled loudly. What kind of evil kills a man and leaves him face up in the street? Jack reached out and scrolled to the page that showed the wounds on Ray’s back. “Can you bring up both those pictures?” he asked. “The autopsy one and number thirty-four.”

  Replacement moved the pictures so they displayed side by side on the monitor. He stared at the crime-scene photo. Ray Davis’s body lay in the dirt just off the blacktop from the street. He was on his back, with his arms at his side and his eyes wide open.

  “What do you have, Jack?” Replacement leaned closer.

  “Davis is on his back.” Jack closed his eyes as he pictured the street.

  “Yeah.” Replacement pointed to the photograph. “See, he’s looking back toward his house.”

  Jack glanced at the photo. Davis’s head leaned slightly to the side, and his eyes were focused straight ahead.

  “No. The killer rolled him over.” Jack felt the hair on his neck rise. “One of the first blows severed his spine. I need to ask the ME. I would think he couldn’t roll himself over after suffering a wound like that.”

  “Maybe April rolled him over to try to help him,” Replacement said.

  “I don’t think so. She said it was obvious he was dead. If he was face down, I don’t think she’d say that. Plus, look at the blood on his body.” Jack pointed to a few different spots.

  “There isn’t much blood on him. There’s a lot under him.”

  “Exactly.” Jack stood up. “If April had turned him over, he would’ve been on his stomach for a while and would be covered in blood. But if the killer stabbed him, then quickly turned him onto his back, there would be a lot less blood.”

  “Why’d the killer roll him over?” Replacement wondered aloud.

  As Jack walked to the window, his reflection stared back at him. He peered into his own eyes and the darkness beyond. He didn’t answer.

  “Maybe he’s doing it for a power trip?” Replacement offered up. “Or to gloat? Why do you think he did it, Jack?”

  “The why isn’t too important to me.” Jack stared at his reflection. “The fact that he watched him die is.”

  Jack noticed Replacement’s expression change as she realized what happened. She wrapped her arms around herself and cringed. “That’s horrible.” She shuddered.

  “It’s evil. I need to confirm with the ME, but that would mean the killer stabbed him then stayed there and just watched him die. He didn’t leave until April came out and scared him away. That was a long time to stand over a murder victim.”

  Jack stared off into the darkness while Replacement turned back to the report. After a few minutes, he looked back at the kitchen clock and rubbed his face. “Can you pull the report on Daniel? We’re rapidly running out of time before the press conference.”

  The keyboard clicked and the monitor’s screen changed. “There’s a list of test results still outstanding on the first page,” Replacement said. “It says this report has only the initial crime scene findings.”

  Jack read down the rows of medical jargon and frowned. “They have a lot of material to test.”

  “It says the body has been transferred to the state lab. Why?” Replacement asked.

  “Standard procedure. They need the results as fast as possible. That probably means Neil Fredrick went to the capital while they ran the tests. Either that or he sent Mei.”

  “Who is Neil Fredrick?” she asked.

  “He’s the medical examiner. Mei’s his assistant. One of them would’ve gone with the body.”

  Replacement nodded and then reached for the mouse.

  Jack touched her arm. “You sure you don’t want me to drive?”

  She nodded.

  The first crime-scene photo came up and Replacement recoiled. The torso lay on its stomach in a torn open green trash bag. Jack stepped over, changed the screen, and started to read.

  “Let me go over this, and then I’ll summarize, okay?” He squeezed Replacement’s arm.

  She nodded and stood up. “Do you want a glass of water?”

  “No thanks.” Jack scanned the text. “The victim was stabbed four times in the upper and mid-back. They haven’t determined the weapon but believe a sharp blade was used for dismemberment.

  “Only the torso was recovered. They searched the surrounding area with dogs in a six-man grid.” Jack scrolled to the next page and tried to block the scre
en from Replacement’s view. “The torso had been exposed to the elements and…” Jack silently read the portions that detailed that animals had eaten part of the corpse. He jotted down a list of things to ask Mei: what tool was used to dismember the victim, were there any other apparent wounds, could they tell the time of death—his list continued to grow.

  Replacement came back over and handed him a glass of water.

  “There was a great deal of foreign matter both on the outside and inside of the bag. The bag itself was nondescript with no identification numbers.” Jack exhaled. “I need to talk to Morrison and see when the report will be ready.”

  Replacement looked back at the clock and rubbed his shoulders. “Why don’t you go take your shower? I think we could both use a break.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  They’re Not Safe

  Jack and Replacement paced around the conference room while they waited for the others to arrive. There was one long table that could seat a dozen in the high-backed leather chairs that ringed the table. A projector hung from the ceiling and three separate whiteboards were mounted on three of the walls. The fourth wall was a row of windows that overlooked downtown Darrington.

  The door opened and the mayor’s assistant entered with a tray of coffee, muffins, and fruit.

  “Thank you.” Replacement smiled.

  The woman nodded and turned to Jack. “Vicki Young.” She extended a slender hand. Vicki wore a dark-blue skirt, button-up matching blouse, and modest heels. Her makeup and shoulder-length brunette hair softened the squareness of her face. She was attractive, but not more so than the mayor, Jack noted.

  “Jack Stratton.” He shook her hand.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you in person. Your name has crossed my desk repeatedly for the last few months, and I was curious.” She looked him up and down.

  “Alice Campbell.” Replacement nodded as she opened a bottle of water.

  Vicki’s eyes locked with Jack. “The mayor will be in shortly. She’ll expect a rundown of the facts from you. Undersheriff Morrison has already provided his report, but he’s still on the scene. Stick to the facts and if you present problems, have a solution at hand. The press conference is at nine. She’ll want to go over the details beforehand and polish any statements. She’ll also expect you to attend the conference as well.”