Eight in the Box by Raffi Yessayan Read Free Book Online

go breaking into the house, why don’t you guys call for a marked car so everyone knows we’re the good guys?”

 
    CHAPTER 12
    F umbling through the junk piled on his nightstand, Alves found his cell phone and answered it on the fourth ring. “Yeah.”
    “He slid his arm in through the dryer vent.”
    What time was it? Four fifty-six, according to the bedroom clock’s digital readout. Was that Wayne Mooney’s excited voice booming in his ear?
    “The exhaust vent for the clothes dryer is so close to the basement door, you can reach right in, knock off the hose and unlock the door. I just did it myself.”
    Sergeant Mooney was at the McCarthy house at five in the morning?
    “That’s how he got into the house without waking Susan McCarthy. That’s why the only struggle was in her bedroom, when he startled her awake. She didn’t let him in. She was being watched, probably from overgrown shrubs at the house next door. The killer knew she was alone and he knew how to get in the house because the dryer vent was right in front of him.” Mooney finally took a breath.
    Silence.
    Alves glanced at Marisela. Such a beautiful name, but she liked to be called Marcy. She seemed to be breathing regularly. Good. The phone hadn’t woken her up. Maybe she was finally getting used to the calls at all hours. He watched her closely in the dim bedroom light. Maybe her breathing was just a little too regular. She hadn’t stirred since he’d picked up the phone, hadn’t shifted to accommodate his body’s movement. She was pretending to be asleep. “Sarge, do you know what time it is?” Alves tried to keep his voice down. “What are you doing out there?”
    “Woke up at two and couldn’t get back to sleep, so I figured what better time to come out here than the middle of the night, just like the bad guy.”
    “The neighbors are going to think the killer’s back.”
    “I have a marked unit with me. This is our first break, Angel. Now we know the footprint by the cellar door is probably his. And the dryer vent has rough metal edges, so there’s a possibility he left some hair or fiber evidence when he reached in to open the door. The crime lab’s coming to check it out. What size was the footprint?”
    “Ten and a half, New Balance.”
    “I’m going to the New Balance Factory Store in Brighton as soon as they open. I know they sell irregulars. Back in the day, I used to buy my running shoes there. Nice discount for anyone in the BPD Runners Club. They should have no trouble figuring out the sneaker model. Maybe they can tell us where and how many might have been sold locally in the last couple of months.”
    “Should I meet you there?”
    “No. I want you to keep working on how these two women crossed paths with the killer. Have you run it through ViCAP yet? There have to be some other missing-persons cases where foul play is suspected.”
    “Nothing there. I even spoke with an FBI agent in Quantico to make sure I hadn’t missed anything.”
    “Then go back and look at our unsolved homicides and missing-persons reports from the past year. Look for successful, divorced women who lived alone or were home alone the last time they were seen alive. This isn’t the first time our guy has killed. He’s killed before and he’s decided to start taking the bodies and leaving the blood behind for us.”
    “Sarge, I don’t think serial killers change their MO.”
    “I don’t think he has changed his MO, he’s still developing it. He’s performing some sort of ritual that he’s perfecting. There are some sick thoughts going through this guy’s head, and I’d say he’s getting more daring with every kill. The first time he probably left the body right where it was and took off in a panic. Or maybe he dumped the body. I’m sure he didn’t start by killing Michelle Hayes, draining her blood and taking her body.”
    “I’ll give it a shot and let you know if I come up with anything.”
    He brushed the long brown hair