Murderer's Mockery

Joe is pacing back across his office floor. The space is full of souvenirs, a reminder of Berryville's humble beginning and all the city's hardships. From its early days of struggling to establish a stable economy to natural disasters, the city has navigated countless obstacles that would've been a downfall for most towns. With the relentless efforts of its residents, Berryville is thriving today. 

When he hears a knock on his door, the captain turns to find Jeff in the doorway, a sullen look on his face. Kirk follows in behind him.

"Sir, we just got a call about a body at the old Tyson plant." 

"Please tell me it isn't the sergeant." Joe collapses on the worn leather couch, his complexion growing increasingly ashen as memories of him and Rachel fast forward through his mind. Their first kiss under the full moon's light. The first date, how they danced the night away under the starry skies. The birth of their daughter and son. Their excitement over the new baby. Not again, he thinks. His first wife and unborn child died in a car accident years ago. A loss he wouldn't have recovered from if it hadn't been for the support of Jerry and his crew.

"No, sir. The victim is a twenty-something male bludgeoned to death." He pulls up a picture on his phone, hands it to his superior, and continues. "According to the crime scene photos, he looks identical to Jason." 

"I want you to take the lead on this, and Kirk, you assist."

"Copy that, captain."

They no sooner close the door when Bonnie bursts into the room, tears streaming down her ashen face. "Is it true, Joe? Is it true? Rachel is missing?" 

Jerry steps through the entryway before he can say anything. "She figured it out on the way over," he explains. 

He glances up at his mother-in-law, who's on the brink of a nervous breakdown. "We're doing everything we can to find her."

Plopping beside him, she takes his hand and says, "You said we were all safe."

"I thought we were, but the killer had an accomplice we were unaware of."

"Had, boss?" Jerry asks, running his fingers through his hair, a habit he's picked up from the captain.

"Patrol found a body we believe to be his. Jeff and Kirk are heading over now."

Bonnie's face brightens. "Maybe Rachel killed him trying to escape." 

"I'll let you know as soon as I hear more. In the meantime, I think it's best to take you and the kids to the Safehouse until we are sure." 

***

A chill hangs heavily in the late evening air. The meteorologist said this would be the coldest night yet, and it felt that way. Then again, Christmas is less than a month away, another busy time for them, with burglaries, shoplifting, and DWIs.

The detectives pull up to the old chicken plant to find forensics processing the scene. The perimeter is secure, and the rookies try to hold the onlookers back. Jeff zips up his coat as he heads across the parking lot. 

"Who was first on the scene?" he asks as he approaches a couple of officers talking in the yard's corner.

"We were detectives. We saw the door was ajar, so we checked it out."

"Did you see anyone?"

"No, sir, but we found drag marks from the back to the center of the plant."

"We also found shoe prints in the dirt. Forensics is casting it now, the second officer adds."

Nodding, the first continues. "We asked, and only one neighbor saw anything, but I don't believe it pertains to his death."

"How can you be so sure, son?"

"He said a few teenagers went in around midnight and that he threatened to call the cops if they didn't leave. They spouted off a few obscenities and left."

"The neighbor, Mr. Jackson, claims he kept watch on the plant expecting them to return, but they never did and that he called it a night a little before two."

"He denied seeing the victim when he went in," the second officer finishes.

"Did anyone else see anything?"

"No, sir, but we'll continue to canvas the neighborhood."

"I'd appreciate it."

Stepping up beside him, Kirk says, "According to body temp and rigor, Sharon believes his time of death is between midnight and four. She said she should be able to narrow it down when she gets him to the lab."

"What's the COD?"

"Blunt force trauma. There is a trace amount of blood on the floor and drag marks from the door to where they found the body. I think the murder took place somewhere else, and this is the dumping ground."

"Did they find any evidence?"

Kirk shakes his head. "Nothing, and from what I gather from foot patrol, no one saw or heard a thing."

"Were they able to get an ID?"

"Jack Mann. His last known is Florida, an apartment he shares with his mom, Cassie Jenkis, Roy's ex-wife." 

"So he must be the son Roy was referring to." He glances down the road and says, "The only working cam is at the intersection of Freman and Main."

"It's all we got at this point."

"What about the shoe print?"

"It was a boot sold at Walmart over four years ago."

***

Rachel wakes up to find her hands tied to a canopy bed. She groggily glances around the sparsely furnished room, looking for a way to escape. A pink and white vanity is across from her, with Disney princess stickers neatly arranged along the outer glass. A matching dresser sits on the opposite side. Powder-pink floral design covers the walls, a perfect background for the Disney princesses' pictures over the top of the flowery pattern. The carpet and drapes are a slightly darker shade. This is identical to my childhood bedroom. Bonnie and Max insisted she decorate her room when she first came to them. Teen idols later replaced the posters, but the remaining furnishings were untouched. How would he know what it looked like? A horrid thought comes to mind. Has he been spying on me all this time? But how? She suddenly recalls the life-sized teddy he'd given her on her ninth birthday. It was the only present she'd gotten from him. Did it have a hidden camera somewhere? She's picturing the toy when she hears the squeaky stairs.

"My sleeping beauty is awake, I see." Keven smiles as he walks through the door. "Are you hungry? Because I could make you something before I leave."

"So you can poison me again? No thanks."

"That was only a one-time thing to bring you home safe."

"So you say?"

"Suit yourself. I have some unfinished business in town. I should be back shortly." He steps into the hall, turns, and says, "If you get out of your restraints, which I imagine you will, I wouldn't try to escape if I were you. There's an electric current running through all the windows—triple the milliampere of what the tasers use, so one zap, and you won't be moving anytime soon.

"You can't hold me like this forever."

His eyebrows raise when he says, "Once you realize what a great guy I am, you'll decide to stay on your own."

"Never."

"We'll see, he chuckles. Be thinking about what you want for dinner. I'm sure you'll be hungry."

Rachel is plotting out her escape when she hears the front door open and close. This may be my only chance. She's struggling to get out of her restraints when she remembers his warning about the windows. It could be a lie, but what if it's not? She glances at the cord. One problem at a time, she tells herself. She moves her thumb diagonally across the center of her hand, then twists her wrists back and forth as she pulls. She feels the line cutting deep into her skin when she jerks. Every muscle in her arm screams in pain as she continues to work herself free. The right side gives. Pulling her thumb further, she cups her remaining fingers and tries again. The course rope gives a little more. I'll be home soon. She smiles as happy memories replay. Her recollections give her strength and courage in her time of need. Rachel suddenly recalls what Jason had said. The way he smiled when he showed her the badge. The horror hits her. "I'll never see Joe again." She sobs.