Leo: Zodiac Killers #9 Read online

  With the driver confessing that the shooting in New Orleans was a hit, he’d have to questions all of the remaining Zodiacs to see who had enemies. Since Justin had gotten gunned down in his home, Darek had to believe that it could have possibly been him with the target on his back.

  “You’re quiet,” said Lizzy, who had been quiet too. “What are you thinking?”

  Darek pulled up at the scene and stopped the car. He looked at her. The flashing lights reflecting off her bruised face didn’t detract from her beauty one bit. “I’m just tired.”

  “It’s been a hell of a day.” She opened the opened the door and got out, and he followed, meeting her in front of the car as she walked into the crowd of officers and onlookers.

  Darek saw the blood as they approached and realized his clothes were still covered in Lizzy’s. Thank God it was dry, but he had to stop her. “Hey, hang back. We don’t want to contaminate anything with your blood.”

  “Shit,” she said as if she had forgotten. “I should have gone home first.”

  “Let’s see if we’ve got a positive ID, and let forensics be your hands.”

  “Good plan.” She rolled her eyes, and he noticed that the others were all staring at her. “Looks like I’ll be the talk around the water cooler in the morning.”

  “Max should be here by now.” As much as Darek wanted to kill the guy for making moves on Lizzy, he knew he had to be on his best behavior. He and Lizzy had both made mistakes, and a hot temper wasn’t going to help anything, especially when Max might have to identify Mia’s dead body. He hoped it wasn’t her. He didn’t want to have to call Bay Collins with that kind of news.

  Lizzy walked up to Darius. “Have you seen Max?”

  “No, not yet. It took us a minute to track him down, but he’s on his way.” The man shook his head and looked over at the body where the forensics team was busy taking photographs. “I called you as soon as I saw her. She’s been stabbed more than a few times. Reminded me of the Zodiac’s victims.”

  “Jesus,” she said.

  “I’ll do the ID,” said Darek.

  “I just thought he could get here quicker; I wonder what he’s up to that he couldn’t beat us here. This is his part of town.”

  Darek was bitter knowing how she knew that and wondered how much time they’d actually spent together. “Yeah. I got this.” He walked over and looked down at the girl. Her face was partially covered by her hair, and while she was very similar to Mia in shape, size, and age, her nose was not the same, and she had a tattoo of a star just under her earlobe. Bay would never let Mia have such a thing.

  “It’s not her.” He stepped away from the body. “I’m positive.” It made him sick the things that people could do to each other, and his nerves were on edge with the victim’s wounds looking a hell of a lot like the Zodiac’s victims. He grabbed the sleeve of one of the forensics team. “We’ll need to have Cobb check out the wounds and go over her with a fine-toothed comb. I want to know if there is any relation between this girl and the other victims.”

  The man nodded as Darek stepped away to see Lizzy. “Well, at least Max and Bay will be happy.”

  About that time, a familiar voice got Darek’s attention.

  “Move the fuck out of the way!” shouted Bay as he pushed past one of the onlookers. “Why didn’t you call me!” He raked his hand through his hair.

  Darek realized he must have been listening to the dispatcher’s radio. “It’s not her. It’s not Mia.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Max walked up next, acting cool as a cucumber. “Where have you been?” asked Darek.

  “Around,” Max said with a shrug. “Darius said you needed me?”

  Darek noticed Bay’s eyes widen, and he knew to make it clear he hadn’t called Max there when he hadn’t informed Bay. “Lizzy wanted you to come and check it out.”

  “You should have called me,” said Bay. “I’ve been worried sick.” He turned to Max, his temper flared and his eyes wild. “That could have been her! And if anything ends up happening to her, I’m coming for you, motherfucker.”

  “So charming.” Max nudged Darek. “You see why she bailed on him. He’s an obsessive asshole. Probably killed her himself.”

  Darek couldn’t help but notice that Max wasn’t broken up over the idea, nor was he upset or worried over Mia. He pulled Bay away and spoke quietly. “Go home, Bay. This isn’t Mia; you got the information you came for. Now go home, and if she turns up, dead or alive, you have my vow that you’ll be the first person I call.” He walked Bay through the crowd, leaving Max and Lizzy with the body.

  When they got to his car, which was sitting with the door wide open, the keys still inside. Bay took a deep breath. “Do you think it was the killer?”

  “I don’t know. It could be. But look, I walked you out here to tell you something. I went to call Justin about the hit theory, and when I did, Brandy told me some terrible news.”

  Bay’s eyes narrowed as Darek tried to find the right way to tell him. He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one else had walked up on them. Then he met Bay’s eyes. “Justin’s dead.”

  “What? How is that even possible?”

  “Brandy said he was gunned down in his home.” Darek knew that didn’t make a lot of sense, and the randomness was just too unbelievable.

  “Holy fuck. Who was it? Do you think it was the killer?”

  “I don’t know. With Justin dead, there aren’t many of us left.” The thought scared Darek. “Carter, Lane, and Ethan have to be notified. I want them to take every precaution they can. We lost Corey and Justin since the meeting, and with the shooting happening so soon before he was gunned down at home, I’m wondering if he could have been the reason for the hired hit. Surely, he had some enemies.”

  Bay shook his head, and Darek wondered if it even bothered him at all. “It makes sense if his death was a random home invasion, which I hardly think is the case. What about that Betty person? He had no idea who that was. She could be anyone.”

  “Look, we’ll talk about it, okay? I’ll call you in the morning, and hopefully by then, I’ll know if this case has Zodiac written all over it. So far, it’s not looking good for that line I’m walking. It’s growing thinner by the minute. I just need you to stay at home and try to calm down.”

  Bay got in his car and started it up. Then he looked up at Darek, who stood by his open door. “I’ll calm down when she’s safe.” He let out a breath. “I’ve never felt so much at once when I thought that could be her.”

  Darek doubted he’d ever felt much of anything but anger and annoyance and was surprised that he’d admitted it to him. The two had become reluctant friends. “I know, man. Get home and get some rest. I’ve got to get back to the investigation.”

  He turned and walked away as Bay shut his car door, and he looked into the crowd of onlookers to see if anyone looked like they might be capable of committing a crime like this. The old adage about the murderer returning to the scene wasn’t always true, but many times, it was.

  Lizzy waved him over, and he took a deep breath and joined her. “Did they find anything?”

  “Not yet. I wanted you to see this.” She pointed down to the girl’s wrist where another tattoo was.

  “What’s that say?” He couldn’t quite make out the font, and with the amount of blood coating her wrists and arms, it was hard to tell if that was the entire tattoo.

  She crossed her arms. “I think it says Antonio, so let’s hope that’s her boyfriend and a possible suspect.”

  “Hey,” said Max as he nudged Darek. “If you don’t need me, I’m heading out.”

  Darek couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What’s with you, man? You used to live for shit like this. Now you’re late to show, and you’re the first to leave?” Darek also wanted to mention that he had not wasted any time moving in on his girl but didn’t think he needed to make his day any more complicated.

  “Sorry, I’m just not feeling it.” Max looke
d out over the crowd, not meeting his eyes. “Besides, I have company at home. I want to get back before she bails, and you two have it under control.” He started to walk away, and Darek followed.

  “It’s not Mia, is it?” Darek wouldn’t put it past him to know exactly where she was.

  Max narrowed his eyes at Darek. “Come on, man. You really think I’d keep that from you?”

  “I don’t know, man. I don’t think we’re as close as we used to be, and you didn’t seem to wonder for a moment if this girl was Mia. Didn’t you care about her?”

  “It didn’t cross my mind that it could be her. I’ve honestly gotten over her. I mean, I hope she’s okay, but she dumped me. I’m not one to sit around pouting. You know how it is. You moved on pretty fast from Lizzy.”

  Darek couldn’t believe he was going to go there. “Yeah, funny you should mention that. It’s yet another reason I wouldn’t put anything past you.”

  Max smiled. “I guess she told you. Hey, you can’t blame me for that. She’s the one who came on to me.” He held his hands up. “Talk to her, man.”

  As he walked away, Darek wasn’t sure if he knew the man anymore. Funny how things changed.

  Chapter 3

  Carter

  As Carter walked through the fellowship hall of his church on his way to his office, he wondered if someone had turned on the heating unit by mistake. The air felt thick like a blanket, and he was nearly about to perspire by the time he crossed the large auditorium and found his way to the front of the building where Peggy sat behind a large window at her desk.

  The older woman, who was now probably in her early fifties, had been his father’s mistress years ago and had been a faithful employee of the church for nearly twenty years. And while she was at one time a very attractive woman, the years of keeping secrets had taken its toll on her physically. She had permanent lines from the scowling expressions she reserved for Carter since his father’s death, which was when he stepped up to the pulpit to take over. The other fine lines and wrinkles were from not knowing whether Carter would keep his word and keep her employed or if he’d find a way to throw her out on her ass.

  As if. She didn’t know it, but he’d promised his old man on his deathbed that he would take care of Peggy, and more than that, she knew too much. The only way to get rid of her was to kill her, and he had a feeling old Peggy would just come back to haunt him, or worse, be waiting in Hell for him when his time came to bust its gates wide open.

  “What’s the thermostat set on?” he asked. “It’s so hot we’d make the devil feel right at home.”

  “It’s the air conditioning,” said Peggy. “I tried to call you earlier, but you didn’t answer your phone.”

  He tried to avoid Peggy like the plague, and she knew it. She also knew his preference. “You could have texted me. I’ve told you a million times if I don’t answer, it’s the best way to get in touch.”

  “I’ve got a new phone, and I haven’t figure out how to work it yet.”

  “Not my problem, Peg. Have Eddie come to see me.” He walked into his office and shut the door, certain that Peggy was cursing under her breath. He had hated her since he was a boy, running up and down the church pews and playing in the baptismal.

  He smiled looking at the mess he’d left his desk in, and while he tidied it up, he thought about power-fucking Keely and how hot it had been when she’d taken it hard and dirty. He had truly found the perfect little broken angel for his amusement.

  Ava hadn’t found it amusing at all that he had been in the meeting so late and let him know about it when she showed up for their rendezvous. He had hoped to blow her off now that her entitlement was getting out of control, and she was becoming less and less easy to manipulate. He needed his women malleable, easy to control and ready to conform to his needs and desires, all while being completely discreet.

  Ava had gotten sloppy lately. Showing up to his office when she felt like it and making accusations that, while they were true, were certainly none of her concern. He had told her from the start it would never be more than just a little fun.

  He finished straightening up and tossed a few things into the trash. Then a knock sounded on his door. “Come in,” he called, knowing the familiar knock was Eddie Landon.

  Sure enough, a moment later, the older man walked into the room. He had been Carter’s father’s right-hand man and had been like an uncle to Carter since the day he was born. “Hey, Peg said you were here. I was going to come and talk to you about the air unit. It’s been giving us problems, and well, I didn’t want to say anything to Peggy, but it damned near burned the place down this morning. I found it smoking, and it seems the main power board in it is fried.”

  “Have it replaced. It should be under warranty, right? We just put the damned thing in five years ago.” He had built the new Church, which was supposed to be state of the art, but apparently, they had gotten a bum air unit.

  Eddie raked his hand through his salt and pepper hair. “It’s not under warranty. The building is nearly six years old, and we only had a five-year warranty. Hopefully, I found it in time, and they can just replace the circuit board, but if not and the unit is fried, it’s going to cost quite a bit for a new one. Money we can’t afford to spend right now.”

  “We couldn’t fall back on one of the others?” There were other units in the church. If all else failed, maybe they could use the board from one of those.

  “No, each unit is specific to its building, and the one that’s out was already pushing it to feed that large of an auditorium. None of the others are big enough.”

  “So, we’ll buy another unit.”

  “With what?”

  “We don’t even know if there is a problem, Eddie. You’re worrying for nothing. Besides, I’ll just preach about giving. Throw a little guilt on the flock, and they’ll cough it up.”

  “You might want to rethink that. Most of our congregation are hurting right now. Besides, your father never preached about giving when he’d just gotten a new car. It looks bad.”

  “The car was voted in as part of my salary,” said Carter. “It was their idea.”

  “I’m aware, and while many of the elders and deacons believe you are more than deserving, there are those who believe that you are spending the church’s money a bit too frivolously. The television costs, the dues on the private jet, the trips you’ve been taking. This last one was spur of the moment and unplanned. Some of them are hearing complaints, and it’s making them ask me questions. Something has to give, and I’m afraid it will be you.”

  Carter’s temper flared. How dare they question him? He had always put the church first. “I’m their star. They can’t get rid of me. So what that I took a personal trip? Surely the men can understand that I have a right to go and see an old friend. And I did work while I was in New Orleans. I even stayed a few extra days to make sure that I counseled one of our former members.” He had also spent a lot of time checking on his friends. The shooting had come out of nowhere, and he had never been so glad to miss a free meal. He might have been killed. Perhaps it was divine intervention or just pure dumb luck.

  Eddie gave him a pleading look. “I’m just saying, you need to slow down. I don’t want everything you’ve worked for to implode. Kingdoms fall a lot harder and faster than they are built.”

  Carter recognized the words were his father’s, but he couldn’t imagine all that he’d built being taken away by a simple air unit. “We have millions.”

  “Our money is tied up with production and airtime since we’ve gone televised, and we’re millions in debt. You depleted everything for the down payment and fees of building this church, and while we have some money coming in, many of our top guarantors have left the congregation because you can’t keep your dick in your pants. We’ve spent thousands in hush money to keep you from getting sued.”

  Carter had had a few fallings out with several of the men in the church over the past year, but he hadn’t been worried about it making
too much of an impact. It was the hush money he knew would come back to bite him. But those women were mostly liars. “Okay, I get it. Just get someone out, and let’s see what we’re dealing with.” He wasn’t even sure what kind of money he was talking about. He wouldn’t stress over anything until he knew what was going on, and even then, he’d let someone else stress for him. “We’ll have to prepare Todd for tomorrow’s sermon. I want him in the pulpit again.”

  Eddie shook his head and gave him a sideward look. “That’s three Sundays in a row, Carter. You need to preach this Sunday. That’s another thing everyone notices, you know? You’re not earning your salary if you’re not preaching.”

  “Oh yeah? And have they noticed that I’m the one who made this church what it is?”

  “With their money, and it’s that kind of attitude that’s going to make them replace you.”

  Carter laughed it off. “They can’t do that. This is my father’s church, my church, and I’m going to remain the pastor here. None of them will replace me. I’m adored by the elderly here, the ones who watched me grow up and their children? They were all my friends and classmates. They loved me. Besides, Todd is an okay stand-in, but he’s not got what it takes to make this place what it is.”

  Eddie shook his head. “The elderly who adored your father have all died, Carter, and their children, the ones you went to school with, they are all moving farther and farther away from the church. You’ll be lucky to have a handful of your classmates left in the community by the end of the year. The new people? Most are single women, all drawn in by your good looks. They don’t make any money, much less tithe.”

  “Get us someone here to look at the unit, and I’ll preach next Sunday. Besides, Todd’s on a roll.”

  Eddie opened the door. “They come for your word, not his. But that could change if you let him keep talking. And will you please at least be in attendance? I’m not sure I can keep covering for your ass.”

  Carter hadn’t planned on being in attendance but decided it was the least he could do. With his wife out of town, he had been doing the Wednesday Bible studies so he could see Keely. “Fine. I will be there.” He waved his hands to shoo Eddie away. “I’ll prepare a special prayer for our air unit, but I need us up and running for tomorrow.”