Arsonist

CHAPTER 29

Stanton sat in a chair across Lieutenant Daniel Childs’ desk. Captain Phillips was out and Chin Ho had delegated the task of yelling at him to Childs. Stanton watched as Childs rose twice and paced around the room, his muscles bulging underneath the tight long-sleeved shirt he had on. He finally sat back down and folded his arms in front of him on the desk.

“You’re off this case.”

“Danny, I know what I did was risky. But the only way I could get the help we need was to run a segment like that.”

“You had one of the uniforms give a photo of the family to the news. Them kids’ grandparents called us. We hadn’t had a chance to notify next of kin yet. That’s how they found out all six of their grandkids was dead.”

“I’m sorry, but it wouldn’t have been any easier coming from you.”

“What did you say?”

“Danny, this isn’t an accident. This is a pattern. We have something unique here, something we haven’t dealt with before. Benny is useless on this case. I need Emma to help me on this.”

“Who the fuck is Emma? That professor you brought in on the last one? Well you ain’t got to worry about it ‘cause I’m giving this case to Nate and Slim Jim. Now get the fuck outta my office.”

“Danny, you and I go back a long ways, you know me. Do you really think I’m wrong about this?”

Childs shook his head. “That’s your problem, man. That’s why I’m sitting in this chair and you sittin’ in that one even though you ten times the detective I was. It don’t matter if you’re wrong or right. You gotta do things the way the higher-ups want. You think I don’t know they fuck up your cases? You think I don’t know dope dealers go free every damned day ‘cause we gotta get approval to spend sixty dollars for flash money to make a fake buy? You think I don’t see the captain’s friends getting let off of DUIs and bar fights just ‘cause they know him? Don’t forget I been a cop longer than you. I know it all, man. And I’m telling you it don’t matter.”

Stanton rose. “It does matter. And if you don’t do anything about it, you’re no better than them.”

Stanton got into his car and drove away from the precinct well over the speed limit. He didn’t feel like working any cases or speaking to any victims right now. He felt like getting his board and heading out into the ocean and being alone on the waves, if they would have him. But his cell phone rang incessantly and interrupted his thoughts. He answered and it was Melissa, his ex, asking for changes to child support payments this month, then his psychiatrist’s office called to confirm his appointment for tomorrow, and then Gunn called.

“Hey, Stephen.”

“Hey, man. I just heard we’re off the arson cases.”

“Yeah, well, what can you do.”

“Oh, man. Why is it I get scared when you act defeated?”

“What?”

“You’re not stoppin’ on these cases, are you?”

“They’re heading in the wrong direction. And who’s going to solve them? Benny? We used to have a Metro Arson Strike Team and now we have Benny?”

“Metro Arson cost us an arm and leg my friend. You like makin’ more than someone at McDonald’s? Then I suggest you not complain. Now look, get this shit outta your head. I ain’t gettin’ suspended ‘cause of a couple of fires. Besides we got somethin’ more interestin’ on our plates.”

“What is it?”

“Western called over and asked for some help on a scene. They thought it was a fuckin’ massacre but it turned out it was just one vic, a young woman. I’m headed down there right now. You should come too, the news is already there. Supposed to be some fucked up shit.”

“I appreciate you trying to cheer me up with…that, but I think I’m heading out to surf.”

“All right, look, they asked me for help but this sounds like one sick fuck. I need your help.”

“What do you care about a case out of Western? It’s not our jurisdiction, let them handle it.”

“Oh shit. Look who cares about proper procedure and jurisdiction now? It’s my fuckin’ ex-wife’s case.”

“I thought you weren’t speaking?”

“I thought so too, but she called and said I may be able to help her. Can you come?”

Stanton sighed. “Yeah, sure, just text me the address. I’m on my way.”

Thirty-five minutes of sitting in traffic later, Stanton pulled up to Maplewood Drive and drove down the street. Crowds had gathered behind the police tape. He watched their faces, their reactions. Some had brought out lawn chairs.

Several police cruisers and a CSI van were parked nearby. Stanton walked to the tape and showed his badge to a uniform he didn’t recognize. The man was large, muscular beyond comfort, and asked him a few questions about what he was doing here rather than just letting him through which was custom. Stanton politely answered his questions and heard someone call his name behind him. Gunn ran up and went to duck under the police tape when the uniform stopped him.

“What are you here for?”

“What? Fuck you dickhead. Get the fuck outta my way and go write some traffic tickets.” Gunn brushed past him and got up next to Stanton. “You see Erin yet?”

“No, I just got here.”

The house was large, three stories with a yard. There was a car parked in the driveway and the driver’s side door was open. They made their way up past the car and glanced in before going inside the house.

Music was playing somewhere; a classic rock station. Gunn’s ex-wife Erin Dallas was standing over a pattern of blood spatter on the wall, directing the forensic techs as to what she wanted done. Another tech was walking around the house with a camera filming the scene and there were a couple of other detectives there. A newspaper reporter sat on the couch with a laptop, his press badge dangling from his neck.

“How you doin’, baby?” Gunn said.

“Steve, I’m glad you came. Hello, Jon.”

“It’s good to see you, Erin.”

“You too.” She turned to Gunn. “So you want the quick rundown or you guys wanna explore for a bit? Don’t mind the music; it was playing when we got here.”

“Just tell me what you got.”

“One victim, twenty-three, Monique Gaspirini. She’s, well, what’s left of her is upstairs in the bedroom. Let’s head up there.”

They followed her through the house, forensics giving them some booties and latex gloves to put on. There were masks as well and everyone coming down the stairs were wearing them, but Gunn and Stanton declined.

As they walked past the kitchen, Stanton looked over and saw one of the techs taking photos of a frying pan that was on the burner. Something was in the pan and he stopped and looked more closely: it was a human heart. Part of a heart anyway and Stanton noticed the other portion on a plate that was on a dining room table in the adjacent room.

“You fuckin’ kiddin’ me?” Gunn said when he saw what Stanton was looking at.

“It gets worse,” Erin said.

They climbed the stairs and saw stains on the carpets; they were boot prints, outlined with blood. At the top of the stairs they turned left into a bedroom and Erin opened the door which was half-closed.

The room looked like the back of a butcher’s shop. Blood and hair and organ and other tissues were smeared on the walls. Something was nailed on the closet door, it appeared like a kidney. On the bed were the remains of what Stanton could only guess was once a human being.

“If you notice,” Erin said, pointing with a pen she held in her hand, “the face is missing. We haven’t found it yet but he, or they, might’ve taken it as a trophy.”

“It’s one man,” Stanton softly said.

“How do you know?”

“There’s only one set of boot prints going down the stairs.” He leaned down, closer to the bed. Though her legs were still there, they had been severed from her torso.

“You ever seen anythin’ like this?” Gunn mumbled.

“No,” Stanton said, rising.

Gunn turned to Erin. “Why did you call us out here, Er? You got enough man-power without us buttin’ in.”

“I’ve never…I don’t think I’m the best qualified for this type of case. I’m happy to do it and I can figure it out as I go, but I could use a head start. If I went to other detectives in my precinct, well, it’s hard enough being one of only six females in homicide. I don’t need to go begging for help too. They’d lose respect for me. But I also know what I don’t know. And I don’t know what this is.”

Stanton swallowed and turned to the only window in the room. He walked over to it and looked outside. You could see down onto the street. A tech walked in just then and began filming and taking measurements.

“All right,” Gunn said, “we’ll help you. What d’ya need?”

“Just what I said, a head start. We’ve notified the family and are talking to all the neighbors but it doesn’t sound like anybody has anything to say other than they’re shocked.”

“She have a boyfriend?” Stanton asked.

“Yes, but we haven’t been able to get ahold of him. One of the neighbors identified a man she saw here a few days ago but it could be her boyfriend. She’s working with a sketch artist right now to get us a face.”

Stanton noticed something on the victim’s right shoulder. He approached and bent down over her. His heart was racing; he never knew if the dead were truly dead and hardly anything would have frightened him more than one of them sucking in breath, crying for help when there was nothing he could do.

“Look at this,” Stanton said. The other two crowded around and looked at what he was pointing at. It was a small circular wound on the flesh.

“Cigarette?” Gunn said.

“No, but it’s definitely something involving heat. The outer dermis is completely melted away.”

“Huh,” Erin said.

The tech behind them said, “I need photos of her back if you guys want to help me lift.”

Erin nodded and they gently lifted the girl up as the tech took photos. Stanton glanced at her back; it was filled with the circular burn patterns.

“ME will be able to tell us more,” Stanton said. “I’d like his autopsy report as soon as it’s done, as well as any forensics reports.”

“You got it,” Erin said. “Anything else?”

“Yeah,” Gunn interjected, “keep your gun next to you at night.”