Read Online Truth & Lies: A Queen City Justice Novel by Elizabeth Bemis - Free Book Online
Authors: Elizabeth Bemis
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kept me up too many nights. I’m happy to have your guys on it.”
Sherwood nodded. “Why don’t you give the highlights of your case, and then we can tell you what we’ve learned.”
“Sounds good. On the last Monday in August, construction workers found the body of a Jane Doe in a wooded area about to be razed before construction of new homes began. She was Caucasian. Early twenties. Five-six. Petite. Long dark hair. Blue eyes.”
Even as the sheriff began laying out the facts of the case, a lead ball sank into the pit of Dana’s stomach. How many more women had to die before they caught this bastard?
“Our ME said she’d been dead for at least a couple of weeks. She was badly decomposed, and between the bugs and the local wildlife, there wasn’t much left of her clothes. We traced the label on her top to a Victoria’s Secret. That same top had been sold in that size to hundreds of people in the area. It was available both from the catalogue and in the store, and we just didn’t have the manpower to track down every known sale.
“Tox screen showed no drugs or alcohol, and any biological evidence was long gone. The back of her head was smashed in.”
“Sounds like our guy,” said Jack Falcon, with an unusually subdued tone. He was the unrepentant playboy of the team. He tried to use his combo of charm, dimples, and cobalt-blue eyes on Dana when she’d first moved to Cincinnati. Recognizing the type—in fact, having nearly thrown away her career for someone very similar—she shut him down fast and brutally. Now he treated her with 95% professionalism, and 5% flirting, but Dana figured he couldn’t actually help himself.
Doc spoke. “This feels like his first kill. He’s getting bolder each time. Now he wants us to find them. He poses them. Leaves them in ever more public places. But this woman, he hides in the woods. Why?”
“Do you think he knew her?” Dana asked.
“It’s possible,” said Doc.
A knock on the door interrupted the meeting. “Sorry to barge in, but I’ve got some information you’re going to want.”
A lanky kid in a lab coat who Dana had met her first week but whose name she didn’t remember handed a folder to Sherwood. He opened it and began leafing through pages. His eyes widened. “Skip. Share.”
He didn’t look like a Skip, but he definitely skipped to it when Sherwood told him to.
“We took samples of the blood on the woman on the off chance that the killer cut himself and some of his blood was on her. It was a long shot, but it paid off.”
“Tell me we got DNA,” Falcon said, rubbing his hands together.
Dana felt her own excitement build.
“I don’t know what to make of the results,” Skip said. “The second sample is from another female.”
“Our killer is a woman?” Dana asked, everything in her rejecting the idea.
Doc shook his head. “Women don’t kill like this.” He cleared his throat. “Not very often, anyway.”
“Another victim?” Dana asked. “Did you check the DNA against the other women that have been found?”
Skip nodded. “Yes. And we cross-referenced the sample from the Warren County body as well. No matches. We’re running the samples from the missing girls that you brought back from Croatia now, but it will take some time.”
There was a long moment of silence before Dana spoke. “Has anyone tracked down the clothing that our women were wearing? Do we know the brand and size?”
“It’s all been from large clothing manufacturers who have local stores and do a brisk business. Victoria’s secret, Frederick’s of Hollywood, and a skirt and stockings were likely from the Hustler store but were also available at a number of other retailers. No joy.”
She sighed. “What’s next?”
“What’s going on with your guy?” Jack asked Dana.
“I haven’t found anything that leads me to believe he’s not on the level, but I haven’t gotten the chance to comb through his house yet.” She looked directly at the
Sherwood nodded. “Why don’t you give the highlights of your case, and then we can tell you what we’ve learned.”
“Sounds good. On the last Monday in August, construction workers found the body of a Jane Doe in a wooded area about to be razed before construction of new homes began. She was Caucasian. Early twenties. Five-six. Petite. Long dark hair. Blue eyes.”
Even as the sheriff began laying out the facts of the case, a lead ball sank into the pit of Dana’s stomach. How many more women had to die before they caught this bastard?
“Our ME said she’d been dead for at least a couple of weeks. She was badly decomposed, and between the bugs and the local wildlife, there wasn’t much left of her clothes. We traced the label on her top to a Victoria’s Secret. That same top had been sold in that size to hundreds of people in the area. It was available both from the catalogue and in the store, and we just didn’t have the manpower to track down every known sale.
“Tox screen showed no drugs or alcohol, and any biological evidence was long gone. The back of her head was smashed in.”
“Sounds like our guy,” said Jack Falcon, with an unusually subdued tone. He was the unrepentant playboy of the team. He tried to use his combo of charm, dimples, and cobalt-blue eyes on Dana when she’d first moved to Cincinnati. Recognizing the type—in fact, having nearly thrown away her career for someone very similar—she shut him down fast and brutally. Now he treated her with 95% professionalism, and 5% flirting, but Dana figured he couldn’t actually help himself.
Doc spoke. “This feels like his first kill. He’s getting bolder each time. Now he wants us to find them. He poses them. Leaves them in ever more public places. But this woman, he hides in the woods. Why?”
“Do you think he knew her?” Dana asked.
“It’s possible,” said Doc.
A knock on the door interrupted the meeting. “Sorry to barge in, but I’ve got some information you’re going to want.”
A lanky kid in a lab coat who Dana had met her first week but whose name she didn’t remember handed a folder to Sherwood. He opened it and began leafing through pages. His eyes widened. “Skip. Share.”
He didn’t look like a Skip, but he definitely skipped to it when Sherwood told him to.
“We took samples of the blood on the woman on the off chance that the killer cut himself and some of his blood was on her. It was a long shot, but it paid off.”
“Tell me we got DNA,” Falcon said, rubbing his hands together.
Dana felt her own excitement build.
“I don’t know what to make of the results,” Skip said. “The second sample is from another female.”
“Our killer is a woman?” Dana asked, everything in her rejecting the idea.
Doc shook his head. “Women don’t kill like this.” He cleared his throat. “Not very often, anyway.”
“Another victim?” Dana asked. “Did you check the DNA against the other women that have been found?”
Skip nodded. “Yes. And we cross-referenced the sample from the Warren County body as well. No matches. We’re running the samples from the missing girls that you brought back from Croatia now, but it will take some time.”
There was a long moment of silence before Dana spoke. “Has anyone tracked down the clothing that our women were wearing? Do we know the brand and size?”
“It’s all been from large clothing manufacturers who have local stores and do a brisk business. Victoria’s secret, Frederick’s of Hollywood, and a skirt and stockings were likely from the Hustler store but were also available at a number of other retailers. No joy.”
She sighed. “What’s next?”
“What’s going on with your guy?” Jack asked Dana.
“I haven’t found anything that leads me to believe he’s not on the level, but I haven’t gotten the chance to comb through his house yet.” She looked directly at the
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