Pretty Broken Dolls by Jennifer Chase
Chapter Nine
Tuesday 0415 hours
The sheriff’s deputy ran up to Katie and McGaven.
“What do you have?” said Katie.
“Shoes,” he said breathlessly.
“Shoes?” she said.
“Yes, and blood.”
“Show us.”
Katie grabbed a walkie-talkie.
The deputy led them to an independent concession stand. It would have been easily missed on a general search. It was located between two buildings and in a darkened area. “Wait,” he said. He turned on his flashlight and trailed the beam along the walkway. There were bloody barefoot prints leading away from the stand. Sitting in the ordering window were black, two-inch-heeled shoes.
“Let’s get John over here to document this and collect evidence.”
“I’m on it,” said McGaven as he jogged back to the main area.
“Anything else?”
“No. As soon as I saw this I didn’t want to touch anything.”
“Okay.” Katie began to examine the area, waiting for John. There were some bloody fingerprints on the side of the food cart. She looked for any jewelry, but there was nothing.
“What have you found?” said John, as he approached with his gear and lights. One of the technicians, Rob, began taping off the area.
“Bloody footprints along the walkway, and fingerprints. Those shoes. I haven’t found anything else.”
John took his digital camera and began taking photographs for documentation.
“I’m going back to the main crime scene. I’ll let you know when we’re done with our initial assessment.”
“Ten-four,” he said with a smile.
As Katie made her way back to the victim’s location, she heard a radio communication coming from Deputy Pendleton’s radio.
“Found something at the livestock area,” said another deputy.
Katie turned around and followed Deputy Pendleton. They hurried down adjoining rows of pens where large animals were housed. She was surprised that the searching deputies could find anything, given how huge the area was.
Katie spotted a couple of deputies waiting for her.
In the first pen—which was near the judging and presentation area—was a ring tied to a yellow ribbon. It swung slightly in the cool breeze. The dark stone was something like jade or a garnet, she wasn’t sure.
It was like participating in a crime-themed scavenger hunt—never knowing quite where the evidence would be located. There was a playful quality about it.
Katie made sure she was on the correct radio channel before she requested the crime scene unit to cover this location. As she walked back to the primary location, several theories ran through her mind. It felt as if the killer was trying to make each scene bigger than the last. The fairgrounds were usually frequented by hundreds, if not thousands, of people during the season.
Maybe there’s something important to the killer about this choice of location.
It connects with fun, family, and children.
But why a year apart?
Anniversary of something?
Katie knew that every passing year meant something to the killer. And as the victims were becoming more beaten-up and the throat-slashing neater and more experienced, it left her with a ton of evidence. Unfortunately, that’s what the killer wanted.
She glanced around and observed everyone working—all except Agents Campbell and Haley.
“What’s up?” asked McGaven.
“More evidence. Bloody fingerprints and bare footprints. John is working it.”
Turning to her, he said: “Hey, what’s up with you tonight?”
“Well, it’s actually morning and soon the sun will come up.”
“Something wrong?”
“It’s a bit overwhelming and I’m still thinking about the gas incident,” she said softly. “Now, it feels like all eyes are on us. Let’s get back to work.”
McGaven was going to say something, but held off.
Katie looked around for the agents and the sheriff, but they seemed to have disappeared and left the fairgrounds.
Katie and McGaven moved to a quieter and darker area as to not be overheard.
“We’re not going to know any more until the vic is on the exam table and John has tested the evidence,” she said.
“Who do you think did this?”
“You want me to rattle off a preliminary profile?”
“You bet.”
“I don’t like to do that, but there are some things that stand out to me.”
“I’m not going to hold you to it,” he said. “Just between you and me.”
“I think the killer is someone who has endured abuse. The vic’s body has some severe wounds. I think the killer has maybe gone through some horrific ordeal, or maybe someone close to them has—maybe someone they care about was murdered. The force is excessive, suggesting anger or rage—look at the severe damage to her arms, and what I assume to be broken fingers, as she defended herself.” She paused to think about the entire area. “And they are creating these crime scenes in a way that makes sense to them—it’s a way of working out their demons for everyone to see. Quite literally in our faces. Every year is telling—like an anniversary. Maybe it’s during a time period where the inciting event or events happened.”
“What else? I know you have more suspicions.”
“Not really.”
“C’mon, Katie, I can read you fairly well now—I know that you have more insights.”
Katie glanced around to make sure that their conversation was still private. She looked at the dead woman as John documented the scene and the medical examiner’s office waited to extract the body. She watched as the flash of the camera bounced around the area in a hypnotic display.
“And…”
“It all seems almost juvenile in execution. The over-exaggerated makeup and the long list of clues that don’t really go anywhere—yet. We have more about motive, signature, and posed crime scenes. It takes time and energy to do this.”
“So what’s his motive?”
“The killer is playing with us.”
“I would have to agree, but from previous crime scenes that we know of, there won’t be another killing for a year.”
“There’s something different about this one. It seems more personal, more exaggerated with the sad clown face and the jewelry found further away from the body… as if the killer is working towards something. I can’t pinpoint it." Katie watched as John dusted the Ferris wheel car for fingerprints and the technician dusted the area around the controls.
“Interesting. I like it when you describe your first impressions—it’s telling and I can see where your intuition comes from.”
“There’s still a ton of evidence we need to sift through in all the cases to see what will fit the puzzle this killer has left for us,” she said. “We need a lead to push us to the next level.”
“But…”
Katie remained quiet.
“Something is weighing heavy on you…”
“My gut. It’s just a gut instinct related to why and how Agent Campbell is here.” She couldn’t dismiss the way he kept checking up on her, or that he seemed to be watching her every move right now. “But the theater of the crime scenes is telling me that everything isn’t what it seems. I think this crime scene indicates that the killer is escalating and that means it’s possible that the next murder—and there will be another, if we don’t catch them—could be sooner.” She paused. "And there will be another victim soon.”