The Executioner

Forty-Nine

Two distinct groups of crime-scene photographs, separated by a white marker line, were now pinned onto the corkboard in Hunter and Garcia’s office. On the left, the Seven Saints Catholic Church and the brutality of a priest’s decapitation; on the right, the mansion in Malibu and the sadism of a body left to roast in front of an enormous fireplace.

With the discovery of a new body, Captain Blake had demanded a team meeting from now on, every day, at nine in the morning. Hunter and Garcia made it to the office with ten minutes to spare.

The forensics report from Amanda Reilly’s crime scene revealed that they’d found a partial print in one of the rooms upstairs. They’d also found a utilities room and a vacuum cleaner that’d apparently been used recently. The lab report would take a few days to come through.

The information they had so far on Amanda Reilly was basic. Born and raised in Los Angeles. Left high school before graduating and had been in the property business ever since. Her mother passed away seven years ago. Her father was never a strong presence in her life – alcohol and gambling problems. His location is unknown. Amanda was divorced. Ex-husband ran his own restaurant in San Diego. He’d been living there for six years. He was working all through the weekend. Alibi verified. She was also experiencing heavy financial difficulties. Her agency wasn’t doing well. The house in Malibu is owned by a stock market investor millionaire named Dan Tyler.

At 9:00 a.m. Captain Blake entered the room without knocking, carrying a copy of the LA Times.

‘Have you seen this?’ she asked Hunter.

‘I tend not to read newspapers. They depress me.’

‘Well, then this will make your day.’ She calmly placed the paper on his desk with the front-page headline facing up.

Hunter let his eyes glide towards the paper without reaching for it. Garcia stood up and approached Hunter’s desk, curious to read it himself.

THE EXECUTIONER STRIKES AGAIN. NEW VICTIM SCORCHED TO DEATH BY SADISTIC SERIAL KILLER. LOS ANGELES POLICE BAFFLED.

Hunter read the headline in silence before quickly checking the reporter’s name – Claire Anderson. I could’ve guessed that.

As Hunter made no attempt to read the rest of the article, Garcia was quick to snatch the paper from his desk.

‘My question is,’ the captain said, annoyed, ‘how the hell have they linked these two murders together?’

‘She’s got contacts in the police and probably at the morgue,’ Hunter replied casually.

‘She?’ the captain asked with a worried frown.

‘Claire Anderson, the reporter who wrote the article.’

Captain Blake stared at Hunter with inquisitive eyes. ‘By the look on your face, I gather you know her.’

‘We’ve met.’

The captain held Hunter’s gaze for a few seconds, but he was giving nothing away. ‘No one else at the RHD, apart from the three of us, knows that these two cases are connected.’ She started pacing the room. ‘If neither of you talked to her, the tip couldn’t have come from here. Doctor Winston has guaranteed me that only he and three very reliable forensic agents know about the connection. He’s sure the leak isn’t on his side.’

‘It says here,’ Garcia interrupted, reading from the paper. ‘Special Homicide Detective Robert Hunter is leading the investigation. Though he’s declined to comment, there’s no question that both murders have simply baffled the police. The Executioner…’ he paused and raised his eyes at Hunter. ‘Cute name. Who the hell comes up with these?’

Hunter shrugged indifferently.

Garcia continued reading. ‘… The Executioner is now roaming the streets of our city, and once again the police seem to have no real direction, no suspects and, as we understand, no clues. For all our sakes, this reporter sincerely hopes that Detective Hunter gets to the Executioner faster than he did to the infamous Crucifix Killer.’

‘Bitch,’ Hunter said under his breath.

‘All this doesn’t really bother me… yet,’ the captain said, locking eyes with Hunter. ‘I don’t care if this reporter somehow managed to link both cases together. What we must, at any cost, keep from the press is the numbering on the victims. If the press gets hold of that, we’re screwed. We’ll have a citywide panic on our hands. Not to mention the nuclear pressure to find the first two victims.’

‘They obviously don’t know anything about that,’ Garcia said, waving the paper in his hand. ‘Or else it would’ve made the headlines.’

‘And we’ll do our best to keep it that way,’ the captain countered. ‘I want this case completely sealed off. No one else is to have access to this room or the investigation files without you clearing it with me first. Is that understood?’