Behind The Lies, Mark Beckner [classic books to read .txt] 📗

for finding forensic evidence left by the assailant is extremely low. Whoever it is, he is careful not to leave any trace of his existence.

Garcia and Ricci go to the upstairs flat above where the victim lived to see if the occupants heard or saw anything over the weekend. They meet a single mom of three kids by the name of Naomi Madison. Ricci explains the reason they are here.

“I heard,” Madison tells them. “When I seen all the commotion this morning I went out to see what was goin’ on.”

“Ms. Madison,” Ricci asks, “did you see or hear anything at all over the weekend? Anything you can tell us may be important.”

“It’s been unusually quiet down there the last two days. It’s usually a busy place, with people coming and going. You do know he sells drugs, right?”

“Yes, we do. When was the last time you noticed or heard activity downstairs?”

“Oh, I’d say Friday night. I heard some shoutin’, but not for long.”

“Are you sure it was Friday night? Could it have been Saturday morning?”

“Let me think…..Yeah, probably early Saturday morning cause I remember it waking me up. But I couldn’t tell you what time.”

“What exactly did you hear?”

“It sounded more like a scream. A man screaming. Again, it was really short, and I didn’t hear what was said.”

“Thank you, Ms. Madison. If you think of anything else, please call us.”

As they are walking away, Garcia asks, “What do you think?”

“I think our victim was killed early Saturday. Probably laid there for two days until cousin found him.”

“Yeah, same as the last two. Seems the Candy Man likes to work weekends. Specifically early in the morning on Saturdays.”

After a pause, Ricci responds, “It would seem that way, wouldn’t it.”

Back at the station, Commander Marshall calls everyone into his office for the missed meeting, including Detective Jackson.

“Okay,” starts Marshall, “what do we know about our latest victim?”

“We know he lived alone in the lower flat and apparently dealt drugs from the same location,” offers Ricci.

Jackson speaks up, “William Logan, thirty-one-year-old black male, goes by Billy, has been on our radar. He’s been known to deal in all sorts of drugs, primarily selling from his house. We weren’t able to get anyone on the inside to build a case on him, but we do believe he was the source of drugs for several overdoses in the area.”

“No surprise,” says Ricci angrily. “These unrighteous assholes are like tigers who prey on our youth.”

“Okay Mike, tone it down a bit,” admonishes the Commander.

“Well it’s true,” Mike continues, “do you know how many kids in these neighborhoods have had their lives ruined by drugs?”

“We all do Mike, but right now let’s focus on finding our killer,”

“Alright,” says a frustrated Ricci, “Clearly, the M.O. fits our Candy Man Killer to a T. Same type knife, placed squarely on victim’s chest.”

“Yes,” adds Sgt. Pennington, “but at a couple of scenes, the knife was next to the body. Does it just fall off?”

There was a pause in the room before Ricci speaks up. “In all the attacks inside a home, the knives have been found on the chest. In only two attacks were the knives found on the ground, both of which were in alleys. My guess is whoever this Candy Man Killer is, he’s not in such a hurry to get out of a house as he is to leave an alley. Much more dangerous to kill someone outside, even at three in the morning. Inside behind a closed door, he can take more time to be sure the victim is dead. Therefore, when he places the knife, the victim never moves again. Outside, the victim may not be completely dead when the suspect feels he needs to get out of there. So, in at least two cases, the victim probably moved, causing the knife to fall off his chest.”

Impressive, thinks Garcia, that is very insightful. I wouldn’t have thought of that.It’s almost as though he can get inside this guy’s head. That’s what experience teaches you. He looks around the room and others seem to be nodding in agreement, probably just as impressed.

Garcia chimes in, “According to the condition of the body and autopsy, the Coroner believes the death occurred early Saturday, sometime between two and eight in the morning.”

“Makes sense,” adds Sgt. Pennington.

“Where is this Snowman character?” asks Marshall. “Weren’t we supposed to pick him up for questioning?”

“Yes,” replies Jackson, “but we haven’t been able to find him. I think he got word we were looking for him and went into hiding. My sources aren’t saying much. There is fear amongst the dealer networks.”

“Try harder,” demands Marshall. “We need to make an arrest. This has gotten the attention of the high brass and even the media is calling. I’ve hesitated doing a press conference because I didn’t want to overly alarm the neighborhoods, but I think it’s time. I’ll have Jackie set it up for tomorrow. Oh, and we’re going to start meeting twice a week. I expect some progress by this Thursday. Now, let’s get to work.”

Back at their desks, Garcia says to Ricci, “the Commander seemed a little pissed.”

“Yeah, he’s being pressured to get this thing resolved. He may be waiting a long time.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Look at what we have, not much of anything. Unless this Snowman character pans out.”

Garcia understands Ricci’s negativity but is also getting tired of it. Garcia likes to keep a positive attitude, always believing the answers will come if they just keep at it. He figures as the pressure continues to build and with the community now more engaged, the Candy Man Killer is bound to make a mistake.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Commander and Sgt. Pennington hold a press conference about the Candy Man Killer. Marshall announces the existence of a serial killer targeting drug dealers in the west side neighborhoods. They reveal the method of killing, but do not identify the brand or type of knife used. They do not want whoever the killer