Promises in the Dark (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“The last meal, was it their dinner or a snack?” Jo adjusted her facemask. “I’m wondering how long the bomber was in the house before the explosion and as the table was set, did he arrive before dinner?”

“It was a typical meat and potatoes dinner.” Wolfe pushed the gurney toward Emily. “No snacks. The adults had wine with their meal.”

Jenna glanced at Jo. “So why was the table set for dinner?”

“Like I concluded before, it was part of his fantasy.” Jo folded her arms across her chest. “He wanted to recreate a scene in his past maybe. He likely incapacitated the husband, raped the wife in front of him and then made them sit around the table as if everything was normal.”

“I’ve seen this before.” Kane frowned. “Well, read about something similar. The killer is recreating something he witnessed maybe, or what happened to him.”

“Possible.” Jo looked at him over her facemask. “Or it may be symbolic. He was restrained and raped as a child perhaps. What happened to him was at dinner time and nobody did anything to help him, they just sat around the table. The raping of the woman in front of the husband is significant. The hatred he had toward her is palpable.”

Jenna looked from one to the other. “Are you saying Mrs. Wood was the target of his hate and not Mr. Wood? If so, this changes everything.”

“They’re just theories at this time, Jenna.” Jo moved to her side. “I could also say, he wanted to show his dominance over a weaker man by violating his wife in front of him. Both theories carry weight. The problem is with only this case to go on, we have nothing to compare it with.”

“What about the DC bombings?” Kane narrowed his gaze. “Apart from the detonator this is nothing like any of the other crimes.”

“Yeah, it is. The method he used is almost a signature.” Carter scratched his head. “I still figure it’s the same guy but as you would say, he’s escalated to rape and brutality.”

“Let’s not forget, kidnapping.” Kane shook his head. “His crimes are becoming quite a list.”

Thirty-Two

A prickle of discomfort slid down Jenna’s back as the body of Mrs. Wood slid into the metallic drawer. The woman had suffered and then died a horrendous death. How could they catch this killer, when he moved around like a ghost? She gathered her professional mask around her and looked at her team. The autopsy on Sophie Wood would be traumatic and she wanted to be through as soon as possible. “Okay, we can discuss the killer’s list of crimes later when we have more time.”

“Next we have the body of Sophie Wood.” Wolfe removed the sheet.

The familiar Y-shaped autopsy stitched wound was evident and Jenna shot Wolfe a look. “You’ve already completed the autopsy? Why didn’t you tell me? We should have been here.”

“I’m sorry, Jenna. I made the call.” Wolfe indicated to Webber. “I didn’t have time to haul you out but Webber lives close by and acted as the law enforcement witness. I dropped by to run some tests last night and the body was deteriorating rapidly so I completed a full autopsy, diagnostic tests, X-rays, and ran a tox screen.”

Something inside Jenna was glad she didn’t have to watch the dissection of the young woman. “I trust your judgment. What did you discover?”

“As you were here for the preliminary, you know some of the findings. My conclusions are, Sophie Wood was restrained since going missing, she hadn’t eaten. I believe she cut herself free using a sharp rock or something similar and escaped. She has incisions to the palm of the right hand consistent with holding a sharp object. The bruising on her face is consistent to a punch or slap and it happened at least twenty-four hours prior to her death. There is evidence of prolonged rape. I found no trace evidence from her attacker anywhere on her body.” He looked at Jenna. “She struck her head during the fall. I can prove this by the microscopic fragments of rock in the headwound. This would have rendered her unconscious and as I found lake water in her lungs, she drowned. I can’t determine if she fell or someone pushed her over the falls. So, my ruling for cause of death is open. The time of death is estimated about two hours prior to the discovery of her body.” He covered the body and slid it inside the drawers.

“No semen?” Carter pushed a hand through his hair.

“Not a trace.” Wolfe looked at him.

“Then he must have left a pile of condoms somewhere.” Carter’s eyes flashed. “Rapists aren’t that careful.”

“If he had her tied up, he could have taken his time.” Kane’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Wolfe. “Same as Mrs. Wood. Did you find anything on the bedsheets?”

“I found no trace of foreign DNA.” Wolfe met his gaze. “Did anyone check the garbage at the Woods’ house?”

Jenna shook her head. “Not that I’m aware.” She looked at Carter. “Did you check the bedrooms?”

“Yeah, and I checked the trash in every room but I didn’t see a condom.” He stared at his boots. “You sayin’ this guy breaks into a house, ties up the husband, casually rapes the wife using a condom, and then flushes it down the toilet?” He shook his head. “He wouldn’t have had time. There were two kids in the house, the wife would’ve been screaming. It makes no sense.”

“Yeah it does.” Jenna looked at him. “An armed man comes into the house, and a mother would do anything to protect her kids. I bet she didn’t make a sound. She would have cooperated.”

“It didn’t look like she cooperated.” Emily Wolfe’s brow creased into a frown. “If she did, it didn’t stop him brutalizing her. Same as with Sophie.” Her eyes flashed with contempt. “For heaven’s sake, she has muscle deep bruises on her thighs. He wanted to hurt her.”

“Emily, you can’t get emotionally involved with this case.” Wolfe removed his gloves and facemask and then tossed them in the trash. “I know it’s difficult but you must see the case from the outside looking in. If you don’t, you’ll miss vital evidence. You must be compassionate but non-judgmental and only consider the facts that are before you.”

“I am, Dad, and I see injuries consistent with a brutal attack over a sustained period on a fifteen-year-old girl.” Emily ripped off her gloves and glared at him. “This wasn’t a grab, rape, and run type of man. This person played with her like a cat does with a mouse.”

“Maybe so but you need to be objective.” Wolfe huffed out a long sigh. “Go and take a break. We’ll talk later.”