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Chapter 8

  • Chapter Eight
  • Carson stepped out of his car and walked up the victim’s drive way, Ellie still on his mind. There was yellow tape around the house and a police barricade keeping the reporters and the on lookers out. He walked into the house- an air of dread hung inside it. Police officers were all over, processing the house. Paloma and Doran were seated with a man he assumed to be the victim’s boyfriend. He walked up the stairs and spotted Kevin, Gwen and Richard. He was sure that was where the murder was committed. The tied up naked body and the blood on the bed and wall confirmed it.
  • “What the hell happened here?” He asked, putting on his latex gloves. He walked around the room and looked through her things, trying to get a feel of the victims’ personality.
  • “The victim was tied to the four corners of her bed with her bras. We aren’t sure yet but I think it’s safe to assume she was sexually assaulted, probably after the suspect beat her up,” Kevin offered.
  • Carson stared at the battered woman’s bloody face. His chest tightened as he thought of Ellie lying there in the victim’s place. He took a deep breath as he tried to refocus and get his composure back. “How old is she?”
  • “Twenty four.”
  • Carson took another deep breath, the weight on his chest heavier. “What about the other victims?”
  • “Well, so far the youngest is twenty three and the oldest is twenty six. I looked through the photos of the victims we’ve found so far. It’s like any girl the suspect considers attractive is a potential victim.”
  • “Do they have anything else in common?” He wished the answer was yes, he would be able to eliminate her and breathe a little easy.
  • “No.”
  • “Damn it! Where are those files?”
  • “Back at the office.”
  • “Speaking of women, how’s your girlfriend?” Gwen asked, without looking up from her note book. Carson looked at her sensing the hostility in her voice, and he wasn’t the only one.
  • Richard’s eye brow rose with curiosity, “Why did you say it like that?”
  • “Last night we found her on stage dancing with two strippers, drunk out of her mind.”
  • “It was her twenty-sixth birthday,” Carson defended, “We all did wild things at twenty-six.”
  • “I didn’t.” Kevin objected.
  • “Yeah, we know.”
  • “So she’s practically half your age. Carson, are you having a pukey mid life crisis?” she jeered.
  • “She’s ten years younger than me Gwen, you know that.”
  • “How are you two doing?” Richard baited, “Those two weeks must have affected the relationship in some way.”
  • “We are doing just fine,” Carson smiled sweetly, “There is no rush, and we’re taking it one step at a time.”
  • “Is that code for ‘she’s holding out’ on him?” Kevin asked. He then exclaimed loudly when Gwen and Richard nodded in response, “Dale Carson, you’re slipping!”
  • “No I’m not,” Carson jumped, with a bruised ego, “She’s just different. I want to take my time with her, see how it goes.”
  • Richard chuckled, “Carson in a steady relationship, that I’d pay to see.”
  • “I give it a month.” Gwen said, with such conviction it bothered Carson.
  • “How about we get the asshole that did this before you start placing bets on my relationship?” The thought of Ellie being the psycho’s next victim bothered him. How he wished he could just lock her up in his house forever to keep her safe. He wouldn’t be able to stand it if something like this happened to her.
  • “I’m going back down stairs to see what Paloma and Doran have. Kevin, walk with me.” The two disappeared leaving Gwen and Carson alone with the body.
  • “Hey, what are you doing?” Carson asked, under a whisper.
  • “What are you talking about?” she returned, with a blank look.
  • “You are taking cheap shots at Ellie. Is this about us? We agreed, no strings attached, remember?”
  • Gwen looked at him intensely, then after a moment her gaze softened, “I know, I just don’t like being replaced without notice, and besides I’m just looking out for you.” She smiled at him before she left the room. Carson wasn’t sure he believed her, but he wasn’t going to probe.
  • ****
  • Ellie looked at her phone message confused. Dale had sent her weird messages before but this one was on a whole different level of strange.
  • “What’s wrong?” Kris asked, stepping behind her.
  • “Dale’s weird message... he says we shouldn’t go out alone, it’s safer to walk together.... are we in high school again?”
  • Kris laughed sitting back on the couch. “He’s sweet and just worried,” changing the channel from Two and a Half Men to CNN, “We have a serial killer in Georgetown,” she went on pointing to the screen. Ellie sat next to her, her eyes glued on the screen, “Is that Dale?” Kris asked, stunned.
  • Right next to the man speaking on the podium, Dale stood next to him, his sun glasses on and his face held stiff and hard. His hands were held behind his back like a soldier in a parade. He looked like a different person, stern and emotionless, a complete opposite to the man she was cuddling with a few hours ago.
  • “He’s a cop?” Ellie whispered, genuinely surprised. She buried her face in her palms; this was the last thing she wanted.