Sequel: We'll Be Okay ›
Race Against Time
Shaken
I went up the elevator with the photos, shaking. This 'Dressmaker' fellow was going too far. Threatening NYPD? He was stupid. I ran tests on the photos. It took four hours, but I was finally done. By now, I could barely keep my eyes open. I felt a hand on my back and I turned around. Jo set down a cup of coffee for me.
"Hey, kid, how you holding up?" she asked cheerfully.
"Don't be so cheerful, it's too early", I complained. I took a swig of the coffee.
"That bad?" Jo said. I nodded.
"My mom's dog is leaving my apartment", I replied.
"Aw, are you fond of him?" Jo asked.
"Hell no. He's wretched. My poor Lab has to sleep on the floor, otherwise the little rat goes ballistic", I replied. She smiled sympathetically.
"Where are you on the photos?" she asked. I sighed.
"I think it was a Nikon D300 SLR", I replied. I had finally gotten a match.
"Alright, so what about the note?" Jo asked.
"Type-written on the computer, except for the back, which has no match in any handwriting database", I replied.
"So far, we've discovered that the killer likes using heavy metal songs to switch up his MO", Jo said.
"Power metal. I wonder if the other bodies had notes too, and we had just missed them", I replied, leaning against the counter.
"Two bodies were found in Central Park. One in the north end, the other in Strawberry Fields. The other body was found after a costume party. Think someone took the notes, thinking they were interesting?" Jo asked. I shrugged.
"A lot of people get morbid fascination with murder. Maybe they thought it was a prank?" I said.
Ugh, it was too early to be thinking hard.
"Could be, but we have to tread carefully. A lot of people are claiming harassment", Jo replied. It hit me.
"Wait, what if it's not a party, it's a club? Some kind of themed club?" I said. I pulled up evidence photos and looked through them.
"That would explain some of the odd outfits, and how a lot of the same people are at the same place", Jo replied.
"Nikon has a registry for their cameras. If I could get the list of that potential club and cross-reference it with the registry, we could get a match", I realized.
"So early in the morning and you're using your head already. Very impressive", Jo said.
"Coffee helps. This case just keeps getting more and more perplexing", I replied. I took another sip of the coffee. I ordinarily hated coffee, but I was welcoming this.
"Never a dull moment, I agree", she said. Lindsay came in.
"Good morning all", she greeted brightly.
"Don't be so cheerful, I have a headache from thinking too hard", I said.
"Mac got her up at three am and she's been on photos since three thirty", Jo explained. Lindsay looked through the photos.
"Wow, someone went through a lot of trouble to get these", she commented. I could tell she was trying hard not to talk about the subjects, but her brown eyes were burning with curiosity.
"Yeah, probably stood on my fire escape. What's surprising is Lazlo will bark at anything but when it really matters, he's only focused on keeping Boomer away", I replied bitterly. I glared at the little Chihuahua in the photos. Danny came in.
"That scene was hell", he said.
"Try having my morning. I've been going over these photos and this note for the past four hours. I don't feel one bit sorry for you", I replied. He looked over my shoulder at the photos.
"Damn, this guy just won't quit, will he?" he said. I shook my head. I flicked on the black-light and flipped over the note.
"Man, this just won't get any easier, will it?" he said. I gave him a dry look.
"I don't know how you manage", I retorted. Lab techs were clocking in and getting to work.
Mac came in.
"You got anything on those photos?" he asked.
"After long last. It was a Nikon D300 SLR", I replied. He nodded.
"This isn't too hard to get your hands on", he said.
"Not without a name. Nikon requires all its consumers to register with them, as well as their cameras. I couldn't get the list without a subpoena", I replied.
"Alright, I'll get a request. Any other leads?" he asked.
"I think the costume parties is some sort of club, so we'll have to ask about that. I'll go if I have to to get this done", I said.
"Only if you're absolutely up to it. I don't want you passing out on the streets in the middle of interviews", Mac replied.
"I'll go with her", Lindsay offered.
"Good, O'Riley's probably going to assist you on this one. Flack's got his hands full in other interviews and how the killer got those photos", Mac replied. I grabbed my jacket and keys.
"You might want to get dressed too. T-shirts and sweatpants aren't exactly professional", Mac said. I rolled my eyes.
"Let's go", I said to Lindsay. She nodded and walked with me to the truck, O'Riley close behind us..
"So, you and Don, huh?" she said as we got into the truck.
"You're not the only one ribbing me on this", I replied, starting the engine.
"I'm not poking fun. I'm glad he's happy, after all that's happened to him", Lindsay said. I couldn't deny I was curious now.
"What's happened?" I asked.
"Not for me to say", she replied. We pulled up to a gym.
"This is where Flack and I saw Jesse Khan. Let's see if he'll be a bit more cooperative", Lindsay said. We got out and walked in.
"Jesse Khan? We're here to ask you a couple more questions", she said, holding up her badge.
"Ah, Detective Messer, what a lovely surprise", the man said, giving her a once-over. I cleared my throat, holding up my badge.
"This may seem like a silly question, but do these parties happen often?" I asked. His eyes trailed lazily over my body, obviously not trying to conceal it.
"Yeah, we're known as the Party Animals. Damn girl, do you work out?" he said. I rolled my eyes.
"And as far as Evangeline Shaffer goes, was she with anyone at the party?" I asked.
"Yeah, she was dressed up like that chick from the Phantom of the Opera. She always liked an audience when she did it, she was doing someone dressed up like Marc Antony, some new guy. I didn't get his name", Jesse replied, his eyes on my chest.
"I didn't catch your name", he said.
"Detective Pacino with the New York Crime Lab", I replied. His eyes widened and he suddenly looked very frightened.
"Uh, yeah. Lemme know if you need any more questions, I'll answer them, no problem", he stammered. I knew he knew the Pacino name.
"If you think of anyone else at that party, give me a call", I said, slipping a card to him. He nodded quickly and looked at me and Lindsay.
"You got a boyfriend?" he asked, winking at me. I gave him a harsh look.
"Don't make me arrest you on harassment of officers, Mr. Khan", I retorted.
"Will you use your cuffs?" he asked slyly. I had zero sleep last night, I didn't want to handle him.
"Give it up", I replied, turning and walking out. We drove back up to the precinct and I closed the door.
Don grabbed my arm as I walked past.
"We got a lead, you wanna take this suspect?" he asked. I glared at him.
"I just had to deal with a lecherous suspect, I'm really not in the mood for more people right now", I replied.
"You're tired, I get that, but you still need to do your job", he said. My hackles rose, but I tried to curb the venom from my tongue.
"I know I still have a job to do, Don. I didn't say I didn't have a job to do", I replied in a low voice through my teeth. His eyebrow rose.
"We can't let this guy get under our skins or he's won", he said.
"This isn't about that. I am going to go to the lab now before I lose my temper and yell at you, which is something I really don't want to do", I replied.
"Will you please go talk to that suspect?" he asked. My temper flared.
"I don't have to ask nicely, you know", he added.
"I know and I appreciate that. I still have stuff to go over in the lab which will now have to wait. If Mac says something to me, it's on you", I retorted icily. His eyes were wide. I had never spoken to him like that before and I instantly felt sorry. I mumbled an apology before walking to interrogation. I sat down in a chair and faced a suspect.
"My name is Detective Pacino, thank you for agreeing to come and answer a few questions", I said as politely as I could. The man glared balefully at me.
"I didn't know they let gangbangers into the NYPD", he retorted. It took everything in my power to ignore that. I wasn't a gangbanger.
"I understand you had a relationship with Evangeline Shaffer", I said.
"Yeah, we screwed on occasion", the man replied with a sick smile.
"Where were you last night between the hours of eleven thirty and twelve?" I asked.
"What's it to ya?" he sneered. I leaned forward onto my elbows and gave him a hard stare.
"Because if you do tell me, we'll be able to eliminate you as a possible suspect. And you won't have me or anyone else in the NYPD darkening your doorstep for a while", I replied. He was squirming a bit. I smiled.
"I was at home alone", he admitted. Damn.
"We're going to need a sample of your handwriting", I said. He shook his head vehemently.
"I know my rights, I can refuse", he replied.
"If you have nothing to hide, surely you wouldn't object to something that could cut you as a possible suspect", I said innocently. He glared at me balefully before scrawling out his name in cursive.
"We're going to need that in print", I said. He wrote out his name. Alexander Shane. I took the paper, smiling.
"Thank you, Mr. Shane, I hope you have a lovely day", I said, standing up.
"This is borderline harassment, you know that, right?" he sneered.
"As long as you have nothing to hide, we'll respect your wishes", I replied, holding the door open for him to go back to lockup.
I walked out, growling. People moved out of my way as I went up into the elevator.
"You okay?" Adam asked as I got out.
"Yeah, I'm fine. What you got so far?" I asked.
"Well, the pictures were taken with a Nikon D300 SLR like you said, but it was taken by an amateur. Unfortunately, half the list of the Nikon registry is full of fake names, so that gets us nowhere", he replied hesitantly. Of course, getting a name would've been too easy.
"If we could get a hold of that camera, we'd be able to get this case tied up with a pretty little bow", I muttered. Danny came off the elevator, limping a bit. He pointed to me.
"You, come with me. We got another body", he said. I growled. Two bodies in one day? This was insanity...
"Hey, kid, how you holding up?" she asked cheerfully.
"Don't be so cheerful, it's too early", I complained. I took a swig of the coffee.
"That bad?" Jo said. I nodded.
"My mom's dog is leaving my apartment", I replied.
"Aw, are you fond of him?" Jo asked.
"Hell no. He's wretched. My poor Lab has to sleep on the floor, otherwise the little rat goes ballistic", I replied. She smiled sympathetically.
"Where are you on the photos?" she asked. I sighed.
"I think it was a Nikon D300 SLR", I replied. I had finally gotten a match.
"Alright, so what about the note?" Jo asked.
"Type-written on the computer, except for the back, which has no match in any handwriting database", I replied.
"So far, we've discovered that the killer likes using heavy metal songs to switch up his MO", Jo said.
"Power metal. I wonder if the other bodies had notes too, and we had just missed them", I replied, leaning against the counter.
"Two bodies were found in Central Park. One in the north end, the other in Strawberry Fields. The other body was found after a costume party. Think someone took the notes, thinking they were interesting?" Jo asked. I shrugged.
"A lot of people get morbid fascination with murder. Maybe they thought it was a prank?" I said.
Ugh, it was too early to be thinking hard.
"Could be, but we have to tread carefully. A lot of people are claiming harassment", Jo replied. It hit me.
"Wait, what if it's not a party, it's a club? Some kind of themed club?" I said. I pulled up evidence photos and looked through them.
"That would explain some of the odd outfits, and how a lot of the same people are at the same place", Jo replied.
"Nikon has a registry for their cameras. If I could get the list of that potential club and cross-reference it with the registry, we could get a match", I realized.
"So early in the morning and you're using your head already. Very impressive", Jo said.
"Coffee helps. This case just keeps getting more and more perplexing", I replied. I took another sip of the coffee. I ordinarily hated coffee, but I was welcoming this.
"Never a dull moment, I agree", she said. Lindsay came in.
"Good morning all", she greeted brightly.
"Don't be so cheerful, I have a headache from thinking too hard", I said.
"Mac got her up at three am and she's been on photos since three thirty", Jo explained. Lindsay looked through the photos.
"Wow, someone went through a lot of trouble to get these", she commented. I could tell she was trying hard not to talk about the subjects, but her brown eyes were burning with curiosity.
"Yeah, probably stood on my fire escape. What's surprising is Lazlo will bark at anything but when it really matters, he's only focused on keeping Boomer away", I replied bitterly. I glared at the little Chihuahua in the photos. Danny came in.
"That scene was hell", he said.
"Try having my morning. I've been going over these photos and this note for the past four hours. I don't feel one bit sorry for you", I replied. He looked over my shoulder at the photos.
"Damn, this guy just won't quit, will he?" he said. I shook my head. I flicked on the black-light and flipped over the note.
"Man, this just won't get any easier, will it?" he said. I gave him a dry look.
"I don't know how you manage", I retorted. Lab techs were clocking in and getting to work.
Mac came in.
"You got anything on those photos?" he asked.
"After long last. It was a Nikon D300 SLR", I replied. He nodded.
"This isn't too hard to get your hands on", he said.
"Not without a name. Nikon requires all its consumers to register with them, as well as their cameras. I couldn't get the list without a subpoena", I replied.
"Alright, I'll get a request. Any other leads?" he asked.
"I think the costume parties is some sort of club, so we'll have to ask about that. I'll go if I have to to get this done", I said.
"Only if you're absolutely up to it. I don't want you passing out on the streets in the middle of interviews", Mac replied.
"I'll go with her", Lindsay offered.
"Good, O'Riley's probably going to assist you on this one. Flack's got his hands full in other interviews and how the killer got those photos", Mac replied. I grabbed my jacket and keys.
"You might want to get dressed too. T-shirts and sweatpants aren't exactly professional", Mac said. I rolled my eyes.
"Let's go", I said to Lindsay. She nodded and walked with me to the truck, O'Riley close behind us..
"So, you and Don, huh?" she said as we got into the truck.
"You're not the only one ribbing me on this", I replied, starting the engine.
"I'm not poking fun. I'm glad he's happy, after all that's happened to him", Lindsay said. I couldn't deny I was curious now.
"What's happened?" I asked.
"Not for me to say", she replied. We pulled up to a gym.
"This is where Flack and I saw Jesse Khan. Let's see if he'll be a bit more cooperative", Lindsay said. We got out and walked in.
"Jesse Khan? We're here to ask you a couple more questions", she said, holding up her badge.
"Ah, Detective Messer, what a lovely surprise", the man said, giving her a once-over. I cleared my throat, holding up my badge.
"This may seem like a silly question, but do these parties happen often?" I asked. His eyes trailed lazily over my body, obviously not trying to conceal it.
"Yeah, we're known as the Party Animals. Damn girl, do you work out?" he said. I rolled my eyes.
"And as far as Evangeline Shaffer goes, was she with anyone at the party?" I asked.
"Yeah, she was dressed up like that chick from the Phantom of the Opera. She always liked an audience when she did it, she was doing someone dressed up like Marc Antony, some new guy. I didn't get his name", Jesse replied, his eyes on my chest.
"I didn't catch your name", he said.
"Detective Pacino with the New York Crime Lab", I replied. His eyes widened and he suddenly looked very frightened.
"Uh, yeah. Lemme know if you need any more questions, I'll answer them, no problem", he stammered. I knew he knew the Pacino name.
"If you think of anyone else at that party, give me a call", I said, slipping a card to him. He nodded quickly and looked at me and Lindsay.
"You got a boyfriend?" he asked, winking at me. I gave him a harsh look.
"Don't make me arrest you on harassment of officers, Mr. Khan", I retorted.
"Will you use your cuffs?" he asked slyly. I had zero sleep last night, I didn't want to handle him.
"Give it up", I replied, turning and walking out. We drove back up to the precinct and I closed the door.
Don grabbed my arm as I walked past.
"We got a lead, you wanna take this suspect?" he asked. I glared at him.
"I just had to deal with a lecherous suspect, I'm really not in the mood for more people right now", I replied.
"You're tired, I get that, but you still need to do your job", he said. My hackles rose, but I tried to curb the venom from my tongue.
"I know I still have a job to do, Don. I didn't say I didn't have a job to do", I replied in a low voice through my teeth. His eyebrow rose.
"We can't let this guy get under our skins or he's won", he said.
"This isn't about that. I am going to go to the lab now before I lose my temper and yell at you, which is something I really don't want to do", I replied.
"Will you please go talk to that suspect?" he asked. My temper flared.
"I don't have to ask nicely, you know", he added.
"I know and I appreciate that. I still have stuff to go over in the lab which will now have to wait. If Mac says something to me, it's on you", I retorted icily. His eyes were wide. I had never spoken to him like that before and I instantly felt sorry. I mumbled an apology before walking to interrogation. I sat down in a chair and faced a suspect.
"My name is Detective Pacino, thank you for agreeing to come and answer a few questions", I said as politely as I could. The man glared balefully at me.
"I didn't know they let gangbangers into the NYPD", he retorted. It took everything in my power to ignore that. I wasn't a gangbanger.
"I understand you had a relationship with Evangeline Shaffer", I said.
"Yeah, we screwed on occasion", the man replied with a sick smile.
"Where were you last night between the hours of eleven thirty and twelve?" I asked.
"What's it to ya?" he sneered. I leaned forward onto my elbows and gave him a hard stare.
"Because if you do tell me, we'll be able to eliminate you as a possible suspect. And you won't have me or anyone else in the NYPD darkening your doorstep for a while", I replied. He was squirming a bit. I smiled.
"I was at home alone", he admitted. Damn.
"We're going to need a sample of your handwriting", I said. He shook his head vehemently.
"I know my rights, I can refuse", he replied.
"If you have nothing to hide, surely you wouldn't object to something that could cut you as a possible suspect", I said innocently. He glared at me balefully before scrawling out his name in cursive.
"We're going to need that in print", I said. He wrote out his name. Alexander Shane. I took the paper, smiling.
"Thank you, Mr. Shane, I hope you have a lovely day", I said, standing up.
"This is borderline harassment, you know that, right?" he sneered.
"As long as you have nothing to hide, we'll respect your wishes", I replied, holding the door open for him to go back to lockup.
I walked out, growling. People moved out of my way as I went up into the elevator.
"You okay?" Adam asked as I got out.
"Yeah, I'm fine. What you got so far?" I asked.
"Well, the pictures were taken with a Nikon D300 SLR like you said, but it was taken by an amateur. Unfortunately, half the list of the Nikon registry is full of fake names, so that gets us nowhere", he replied hesitantly. Of course, getting a name would've been too easy.
"If we could get a hold of that camera, we'd be able to get this case tied up with a pretty little bow", I muttered. Danny came off the elevator, limping a bit. He pointed to me.
"You, come with me. We got another body", he said. I growled. Two bodies in one day? This was insanity...