The Zodiac Killer Read online

  “I can’t wait to see this guy’s shop,” Darek said. “I’m betting on a much darker décor and maybe some whips and chains.”

  “You think so?” she asked. “I was thinking tacky art; maybe a few nudes?” She gave a little laugh that told him she was fucking with him.

  “We’ll see. We might both be wrong.”

  “I’m guessing it’s bad,” Lizzy said. “Yolanda looked like she’d seen a thing or two in her life. If she was so offended that she didn’t return, it’s because there’s some kinky shit going on.”

  “You’re obsessed with kinky shit.” Darek would never get enough of teasing her about that.

  “You’ve never tried anything kinky? I don’t believe that. You totally seem like the finger up the butt type of guy.”

  Darek nearly choked on his laugh. “I’ve done a little anal. My wife’s not opposed.”

  “No, I meant up your butt.” Her face was red as she laughed, but he shook his head.

  Darek didn’t deny anything, but he was rendered speechless.

  “Come on, you’ve never tried anything slightly kinky?” she asked.

  “Like what? No, wait. We better not go here. Talking to Max about my sex life is one thing. Talking to you about it is another.”

  “Fine. Maybe you’re right.” She gave a little shrug and laughed now and then throughout their trip downtown.

  He wondered what was going on in that mind of hers and knew he damned well better leave it alone.

  13

  Darek

  Victory tattoos was a much nicer shop than most they’d been to. The place had a sterile feel out front. The walls weren’t weighed down with lots of tattoo designs, and cheap incense didn’t hang thick in the air. Instead, the front was set up like a waiting room, and any artwork was displayed in a sleek black frame which hung in groupings around the room. The sign on the wall above the register said Victory in bold letters, and a painted was curled beneath it to read Inks and Kinks. There were photo albums on a large rack and a small cluster of chairs under a sign that said consultations.

  Darek felt a nudge and looked up to see an archway that led to a different section. Instead of heading right in, they walked up to the counter and rang the bell.

  A younger guy came out and flipped his hair as he approached the counter. He was waifish and thin and wore a spiked collar and black skinny jeans. “How can I help you today?” His voice was soft and effeminate.

  “We’re looking for Victor Barnes,” Darek said. “Is he in?”

  “Do you have an appointment?”

  Darek shrugged. “No. Do I need one to say hello?”

  “Well, it’s just that he’s not here. Are you getting some ink? We have lots of hot new designs for couples. Perhaps you’d like me to show you around. You might find something you want in the next room.” The guy looked around Lizzy and smiled at Darek. “We have a great collection of toys.”

  “Sure.” Lizzy turned and reached out for Darek’s hand before he could open his mouth. “Let’s go see.”

  Darek took her hand and played along. Walking into the other room was like stepping into a different realm. The air even felt a little thicker, and the place was crowded with mannequins dressed in black studded leather and rubber gimp suits, displays of every kind of sex toy imaginable, and more importantly, a counter with custom-made collars and even some leashes and other monogrammed pieces of clothing. Darek’s eyes went to one that read in bold letters, “MEAT.” Another beside it read, “SLUT.”

  “If you see anything you like, I’ll be so pleased to help you.” The young man glanced over his shoulder and then back to Darek.

  Darek turned and saw a display of large, needle-like rods. “What are these?”

  The guy's eyes lit up. “Those are sounding rods.” He opened the case and took one out, handing it over the counter to Darek.

  “And what are these for? Body piercing?” He’d noticed a display for piercing out in the lobby. It had never been his thing, and he didn’t have a single piercing on his entire body.

  The man giggled. “No, they aren’t sharp, as you can see.” He tapped his finger on the blunt end. “These are made specially for penis insertion.”

  Darek went pale. “You mean this gets stuck in a penis? Like through the piss hole?” He was not only shocked, but outraged.

  Lizzy gripped his hand and squeezed. “You’ll have to forgive him. He’s not much on CBT.”

  Darek didn’t even know what CBT was.

  “Yes, some people find it very intense and stimulating.”

  Lizzy noticed a pair of high heels with large spikes on the sole, as well as a stiletto heel. “These look like they could do some damage.”

  “If you’re not careful, yes, they could. My domme nearly punctured my nut sac with a pair just like them.” The boy tucked his chin and then fanned himself as he blushed. Darek felt his face turn blistering warm.

  Lizzy glanced over and patted his back. “I’d like to know more about the collars. Are they available for custom order, and who makes them?”

  “Why, yes. Victor is the talent behind those. Aren’t they stunning? I want one so badly, but they are really expensive.”

  “I can imagine.” Darek looked at the tooling on the leather, the added studs and crystals, as well as the daintier ones that had lace and decorative stitching. The letters were either embroidered in cloth or tooled into the leather. Some had buckles and others lobster claw clasps. There were chokers, too, and some were even fancier, in gold and sterling silver.

  “Eli?” A voice sounded from the other room, and a young woman walked in, scowling at the younger male. When she saw Darek and Lizzy, her eyes went wide. She couldn’t have been more than nineteen years old, with crayon-red hair and piercings through her dimples. “Eli, I need you to go take care of the register. I’ll handle these clients.” Her voice was firm, and Eli scampered away like a mouse.

  “Are you interested in purchasing a collar?” She had a worried look on her face, and it didn’t escape Lizzy.

  “Would that be a problem?” Lizzy asked.

  “No, it’s just that our owner is the one who usually approves the orders, and he’s not around today. He’s gone out of town.”

  “We came in hoping to talk to him,” Lizzy said. “Do you have any idea when he’s going to return?”

  “No. I don’t.” Her eyes shifted to the back room, and Lizzy gave Darek a knowing look.

  “Well, I’m Detective Blake, and this is Agent McNamara. We’re investigating a crime.” He took the envelope from Lizzy and opened it up to take out the photo.

  The girl stared at the envelope and swallowed hard, like she knew what was coming. Darek had to ask. “Have you seen these already?”

  “The dead girl from the news, right? I saw them. I didn’t know blood could be so dark.”

  “These are different images. No blood, just a tattoo. I want you to look at it and tell me what you think of it.”

  The girl closed her brown eyes and took a deep breath. Then she opened them and looked down at the image.

  “Is this Victor’s mark?” Darek said with a firm tone as he pointed out the tiny V.

  The girl held out her arm, and it was covered with inky swirls of rose vines, and Darek spotted the tiny V next to one of the thorns. “He did mine. That’s his signature.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t see him doing anything like this.” She held her hand to her stomach.

  Darek felt pity for the girl. The man was obviously someone she looked up to, whether it was a healthy relationship or not. “I’m sure you can’t. And we aren’t sure who did this, but I need him to contact us as soon as possible to clear his name and tell us anything he might know about it. Is there anyway we can call him?”

  “I have his number, but he doesn’t like to be disturbed unless it’s an emergency, and he hasn’t been answering his phone.”

  “I’m going to need you to give me the number,” Lizzy said.

  T
he girl shook her head and started shaking so badly that Darek wondered if she’s been abused by the man. “I’m not supposed to do that.”

  Lizzy pegged her with a hard stare. “I’m not asking. I also need your name.”

  “I’m April.” Her voice was barely a whisper.

  “Is there a book around here, April, where Victor keeps information on the people who order his collars? Surely, there is some record of payment, special instructions, and designs?” Darek hoped if he kept pressing, the girl would snap.

  The girl shook her head again. “It’s not here. That’s why I was worried you’d want to order a collar. Victor took the book with him.” She must have known how guilty that sounded. The guy leaves and takes his order book, the only thing that might connect him to the dead girl.

  Lizzy leaned in closer as if to intimidate the girl. “Does he take it often? Or does it usually stay here in the shop?”

  “It usually stays here, unless he’s going to meet with a client.” Fat tears ran down the girl’s cheeks.

  Lizzy’s hand cracked down on the counter. “Fine. Now about that number. I’m going to need an address as well. You can cough it up, or I can get it on my own.” She was done playing nice. Darek glanced up to see that Eli was peeking around the corner.

  April turned and spotted Eli. “I don’t have his address. I’ve never been to his house. But I do have the number.” She jotted it down on a pink post-it and passed it over to Lizzy.

  “Thank you,” she said, tucking it into her pocket. “Eli?”

  He sauntered over and took April’s hand. He stared down his nose at Lizzy as she looked him up and down.

  “What do you know about a girl named Alicia David?” Lizzy asked.

  “I heard about that on the news. I don’t know her.”

  “Have you ever seen her come into the shop? Did Victor make an appointment with her for the tattoo? Do you have any record of it around here?”

  “No, I would have remembered her. I work the ink side, and April here works the kink side.”

  “Do you happen to know Victor’s address?” Lizzy asked.

  The guy seemed just as terrified as the girl. “No, I wish I could say I was that close to Victor, but I’m not. He’s very particular about his private life, and well, my mistress would never allow me to go to another Dom’s home.”

  “Not even socially? Not even your boss’s house?” Darek found that hard to believe.

  “Some don’t understand our relationship, but it works for me.”

  “Until she steps on your balls with spiked shoes and punctures a nut, right?” Darek didn’t care how insulting he sounded, and Eli turned his nose up and rolled his eyes.

  Lizzy cut her eyes to Darek. “We’ll be in touch.”

  Darek wasn’t done with the girl and was shocked when Lizzy turned and headed out of the place. He caught up after giving the girl one last look. “You mean that’s it? You’re not going to grill the girl for more information?”

  “She’s shaking like a leaf, and the guy isn’t going to talk after you insulted his lifestyle. We’ll be better off going after a warrant to search the guy’s place.”

  “Let’s hope that doesn’t take all afternoon.”

  “We have our guy. I can feel it.” Lizzy’s eyes were lit up like Christmas morning, but Darek couldn’t be happy.

  He didn’t know a Victor Barnes. He wondered if the name would mean anything to Bay. If it did, then there’d be no denying the guy was trying to fuck with them. He wondered if the others had told anyone, a friend, a cousin, their wife.

  Darek knew he could never confide in Megan about such a thing, not without her ratting him out as she kicked him to the curb, but it wasn’t farfetched to think that one of the other men might have. Love held many secrets. So maybe what he and Megan had wasn’t love after all.

  They had just gotten back to the station when his phone rang. He glanced down and noticed it was Pine Grove calling.

  “Detective Blake.” He held his breath hoping it wasn’t the dreaded phone call.

  “Detective, this is Carla down at Pine Grove. Your mother took a little spill, but she’s all right. Per policy, I need you to come down and see her. She has a little scrape on her leg, and the doctor has already seen her.”

  He released the breath, and Lizzy put her hand on his arm as her eyes narrowed with concern.

  “I’ll be right down. Give me about half an hour.” He hung up the phone and scrubbed his face.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah, it’s my mother. She had a little spill at the home, got a little scratch, and now, they need me to come down.”

  “Do you need me to go?” She tilted her head and met his eyes. If only his wife could be so caring.

  “No, it’s okay. It’s just precautionary to make sure she’s all right. Do you think you can get our warrant while I try to get back to you as soon as possible?”

  “No problem. I’ve got this. You go take care of your mother.” She gave him a pat on the back and headed inside the police station. He turned around and headed to his car.

  14

  Darek

  On the way to Pine Grove, he couldn’t stop thinking about the evidence. Everything was pointing to Victor Barnes, and it just seemed too easy. Not only did the guy leave his distinct signature, but he just so happened to leave ink behind at the scene, and whatever else the DNA would match up, now that they had his identity. He also made the collar and just happened to have skipped town. Either Lizzy was right and this was kinky sex gone bad, or someone was fucking with him.

  He decided to call Bay before he let his mind get the best of him.

  He hated dialing the guy’s number and the fact he had to keep the guy in his contacts at all, but that was what happened when you made friends with the devil.

  The phone rang, and he prepared himself for the usual attitude. Bay did not disappoint.

  “This had better be good.” Bay’s voice was more aggressive than usual and breathy, too. Darek wondered if the guy was at the gym or working out his cock instead.

  “I won’t keep you. Do you know a tattoo artist named Victor Barnes?”

  Bay made a sound of frustration. “No, I don’t. I don’t know any tattoo artists. Now stop calling me. This case has nothing to do with the past, Darek. It’s in your fucking head. Part of your fucking mental problems. I hear they run in the family.”

  He wanted to punch the guy, especially considering where he was headed, but he didn’t have time. He turned into the parking lot of Pine Grove. “There are too many coincidences.” He was just about to explain when Bay cut him off.

  “You’re playing six degrees of separation and being paranoid.” The phone went dead, and he punched the steering wheel. He had to wonder if the guy was right.

  Was this just paranoia?

  He went inside and met Carla at the front desk. The smiling face of the older woman was still full of concern and regret. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Blake. I didn’t see what happened, but a few others said she tried to kick off her shoe. I’m not sure why.”

  “Her socks must be turned wrong. She’s highly sensitive to that kind of thing. Drives her nuts.” He remembered a time in the grocery store when his mother stopped pushing the cart and kicked off her shoe to straighten her sock. She had hopped around for ten minutes trying to get it right. Once she’d gotten her foot back in the shoe, he had to tie it for her three times to get it just right.

  He walked into the room and found his mother sitting by her window. She turned to him, and her entire face lit up. His heart warmed, but then she called him by his father’s name. “Thomas!”

  “Hey, no, mama. It’s me, Darek.” He patted her hand.

  “Darek.” She giggled and looked out the window. “I have a son named Darek. He’s so handsome.”

  “Yeah, mama. It’s me. I heard you had a fall.” He glanced down to look for a scrape, but her gown was too long.

  “I’m looking forward to the
Fall. Darek will be home, and I want to take him apple picking at Grundy’s.”

  He remembered the trip to Grundy’s Orchard as a kid and wished he could go back to a simpler time in his life when his dad was still gone, and it was him and his mother against the world.

  “Where is Darek?” He pulled up a chair to see what she’d say. Many of their conversations didn’t make any sense, but he knew the company he gave her was the most important part. And he did like the memories of his youth. Sometimes, they weren’t accurate, and she’d even spilled a few secrets here and there about his father’s cheating and how she lied to get out of a ticket. He’d also never known his mother was a waitress at one point. “Is Darek in school?”

  “I have a son named Darek.” She smiled and looked out the window. “He comes to see me. Brings me chocolates.” He’d only brought his mother chocolates one time, but now, he’d have to bring them more often.

  “Yeah, is he a good kid?” He hoped he liked her answer. Sometimes, he wished she had a filter.

  “He’s my bright boy. He’s bound for greatness. The girls are going to love him, too; he’s so handsome. Teri across the street has a crush on him.”

  He let out a chuckle, wishing he could stay there all day and listen to her ramble, but he had to get back to work. “So, she likes him, does she?”

  “Yeah. He’s out at Camp Victory in Virginia.” The words echoed in his head like a gunshot. Camp Victory. Victory Tattoos. Ink and Kink. He remembered the painting on the wall and realized that Victor wasn’t the connection. Victory was. Someone was fucking with him.

  Dammit.

  His mother continued to chatter on. “He loves it there.” She looked Darek dead in the eyes. “His father wants him to go into the service, but I want my boy to follow his own path.”

  “He will. He’s pretty headstrong.”

  “Yeah, Thomas is headstrong. Headstrong.” She rocked in her chair, and her eyes focused on something through the window. Darek wondered if he’d lost her for good, but then she turned and smiled. “You look so much like my husband.”