Deviously Sincere (eBook)

CHAPTER THREE

During the car ride, she did not bother to say anything. She could not help feeling that David was slightly correct. They had not proven anything new. This was because the killer did not leave them anything to work with. The only thing that came to mind was an old case that centered on a man named Hyde. He was untouchable until the day someone identified him. The thought of their killer being a copycat had entered her mind in the past, but he was not. The only thing that was similar between the two cases was the female victims and the removal of some organs. Everything else was different. Despite the differences, she could not help but to feel that Hyde held some form of influence over this person. The killer could have viewed Hyde as a teacher or a role model. She had heard that Hyde was very charismatic and had lured over thirty women to their death. Why anyone would want to continue Hyde’s work proved to her that some people were beyond saving.

As they approached the crime scene, she took note of the media that decided to linger around. Even though the body was gone they were still looking for something to report. A quick flash of her badge allowed her to bypass the cops. Her eyes were fixed on the area where the body had been discovered. Nothing else around her at the time mattered.

“From the report, they said the body was discovered right here by the couple.” Tilda spoke mostly to Nathan, not caring if others around her heard anything.

Unlike the last victim, this one had been placed in a park. While the sun shined bright above them, it did not shed light on anything promising. The stone bench that once held the victim’s body was chipped in some areas. The constant rain attributed to the dull gray appearance. The pavement leading up to it was still fairly kept, but a few weed heads could be seen poking through the minor cracks. It was clear that whoever once looked after the flower beds had now turned them over to Mother Nature. The only thing that seemed to be untouched by time was the fountain. While it looked perfectly fine on the outside, the mechanical gears had started to fail under the pressure of time and neglect. Each factor around Tilda was a key ingredient to understanding the mind frame of this killer.

“Despite its appearance, there still is a nice fragrance in the air.”

Nathan was right about that. The flowers that had managed to survive filled the air with a rather pleasant smell. The smell was something she doubted the killer took into mind when he picked the area.

“Nathan, do me a favor and stand behind the bench.”

Once he was in the desired spot she moved so that she was standing in front of the fountain.

“They said that the body was discovered around 7?” Tilda kept her focus on the area in front of her.

“6:50 to be precise. Not many people visit this part of the park until midafternoon.”

“Why is that?” Tilda glanced up from the area to focus on Nathan.

“The factor of the sun comes into play, as well as the water fountain has been known to act up. If people do come to this part they are merely passing by. If people want a romantic view, then it would be wise to make a left turn and visit the new fountain that has been put up. I heard they added more benches and some new flowers.”

In essence, where she was standing was no longer important in the eyes of the public. It once was a nice spot, but after the new fountain was installed less people came to this area. That meant that the body could remain undisturbed until one of the workers came by. Despite the negative factors that took away from the location, it still held a relaxing vibe to it. The wild flowers that had managed to thrive, despite the growing weeds, were appealing to the eye. Even though, she was sure that in time this area would be torn down and something new would be built. Right then, she could not help but to feel as if she was standing in a moment frozen in time. The stages of neglect were apparent, but it had not taken over. There were still signs of some beauty left. It was something about this area that just seemed right to place the body.

“He placed her here because he did not want her to be bothered. With no one coming by it would allow him to get away without being seen as well.”

Nathan was correct about that, but there was more to the matter.

“But why that spot?”

Tilda could not help but ask that question as she looked at the bench. She began moving around towards the other benches and took note of the flowers surrounding them. Some had been completely overrun by weeds, while the others had managed to overcome the weeds and thrive in their own way. Each flower bed shared the same common factor of having some kind of weed inside it. As she neared the victim’s bench, she leaned down and began examining the flowers. On first glance, it looked as if the flowers had managed to fend off the weeds. As she looked closer, she began to realize that things were not as they appeared. She took a quick picture with her phone and then sat down on the edge of the fountain.

“From right here you can watch the sun rise.”

“I am sure you could do that from where I am standing Tilda.”

“He is not interested in watching the sun itself. He is watching as the light passes over the victim’s body. The rays from the sun are erasing all of the darkness and shining forth on his work.”

It held a slightly ritualistic vibe to it and it was something she had not seen before. She paused in her speech to hear what Nathan had to say.

“All the others were placed in areas like this, but the sun was never a factor. There was still a bit of shade around them which could mean that he still had his doubts about them. Around here there is no shade to protect her. She would have been completely engulfed in the sunlight.”

As Nathan spoke her eyes moved down towards the picture she had taken. A masterpiece could never be fully comprehended if a few pieces were missing. If she was truly going to understand him she needed to learn about the flowers that had surrounded the bench.

******

Sybil was sitting at the computer punching in new information when Nathan knocked on the glass door. She had barely looked up from her work when she acknowledged him.

“Give me one second I am almost done.”

Tilda did not bother to say anything since she knew that Nathan was better at getting things from Sybil. She was sure that she could but based off of Sybil’s past actions, she was sure that the woman was jealous of her. She was not dating Nathan, but they were close like any other partner in their field. To help reduce the tension, she allowed Nathan to do all of the talking while she stood in the background and observed the two.

“Take your time; I am enjoying the view.”

“Don’t try to kiss up to me after the other night.”

“You know this case has been keeping me busy. I promise that when I have more free time I am going to take you somewhere that you will never forget.”

Nathan had started to lean on Sybil’s desk, which caused Sybil’s smile to increase. As charming as the scene was Tilda had things to do. She was not about to sit around and listen to the two of them flirt. To grab Sybil’s attention, she cleared her throat lightly.

“Oh, hi Tilda.”

“I hate to interrupt, but I wanted to know if you had any results for us.”

Normally they would be unable to expect any results, but the director had worked things out so that the lab placed anything that came from her group in the front. It was better than waiting the usual time and even though it was helpful, they still were not getting anywhere.

“I was just about to get to that.”

She was sure that Sybil would have gone on flirting, but the look from Nathan told her to stay silent and leave Sybil alone. She allowed Sybil to continue on since Sybil had opened up the folder that had been sitting next to her.

“The victim’s blood work reveals that there were no drugs used on her, but at the same time, other tests have proven that there were. For instance, a test on her blood sugar level revealed that it was low, and her medical history does not mention her having low blow sugar. The contents in her stomach are all flower-based substances. There were some bits of daisies and some baby’s breath which is the same as the other victims.”

It was results like these that annoyed her. Sybil was not to blame for the results, but these results were not going to get her anywhere. It was the same time after time. The only thing that seemed to change was how badly the body was treated. More than anything she had been hoping for some kind of break that would point her in the right direction.

“What about the drug test?”

“We tested for drugs that are normally hard to fine and everything came back negative. There was no Scopolamine in the past victim’s blood stream but I will test this victim’s blood. Since the body is still fresh I can look again for Angel Dust or anything else that can alter a person’s behaviors.”

How this killer was getting people to call their loved ones and speak so calmly was something she had hoped was drug induced. Fear usually caused people to crack, but from her previous interviews, the family members...