The Devil's Water: Scenic City Murder Series #1 Read online

  “Thanks for that.” Clutch said. “Where’s Limmel?”

  “He’s on the way. Shoulda been here by now, though.”

  “Looks like I’m not the only one running late today.” Clutch remarked as he looked over at Jeff and smiled. “OK.” He said squatting down to get a level look at the victim. “Guy looks like someone just jumped out and scared him. His eyes are wide and his mouth is almost frozen in a scream.”

  “I think that’s intentional.” Tasha piped up. “Everything we’re looking at right now, gentlemen, has been carefully thought out and plotted. Even down to the facial expression.”

  “Yeah, everything is staged.” Clutch agreed. “Now, it looks like he was shot at pretty close range. Maybe a couple or three feet.” He glanced back up at Tasha. “Don’t you think?”

  “Looks that way to me but Limmel is the expert.”

  “Yeah, I definitely don’t want to step on anyone’s toes so I’ll just let that stay between us.” Clutch smiled at the two of them and then stood up.

  “Looks like a small caliber. Probably a .22. Not enough to blow out the back of his head but definitely enough to scramble his brains around.” he glanced over at Jeff.

  “That’s what I thought too, boss. Notice the trail from the tree back to the grass.”

  Clutch looked down and noticed drag marks. “Gamblin was dragged over here post mortem.”

  “Correct. So I went over there and saw a couple shell casings lying on the ground. Sure enough they were .22’s. I bagged ‘em. I also bagged Gamblin’s cell phone. It was laying near the shell casings.”

  “His cell phone?” Tasha said as her eyes got wide.

  “Yeah, it was laying on the grass over there. I figure it must’ve fallen out of his pocket. Maybe when he got shot.”

  “Where is it?” Tasha asked.

  “It’s in an evidence bag. I have it in the car.”

  “We need to look at the cell phone, Jeff.” Tasha said. “Remember, nothing about this crime scene is an accident. Everything has been carefully and meticulously plotted out.”

  “Sure. I’ll go back to the cruiser and get it.”

  As Jeff left, Tasha turned back to Clutch. “I may be wrong but that cell phone might prove to be very helpful.”

  “Yeah, maybe.” Clutch answered as he peered over toward the other cops who were now standing a good distance away from them. “You know, it’s kind of ironic.”

  “What’s that?” Tasha asked.

  “Well, I was just thinking that the press clearly doesn’t have a heads up on this situation yet. If they did, reporters would be crawling all over the place.”

  “And?”

  “So it’s kinda funny to me that the first reporter down here would’ve been Gamblin. He’d be giving us all a major fucking headache right now. Now that Chattanooga has lost one of its most notorious busybodies, I wonder who will pick up the slack.”

  “Oh, somebody will step up. Some young slick reporter who’s just aching to take Gamblin’s place. They’re like sharks, you know. They’ll even eat their own kind if it gets them noticed.” Tasha smiled at Clutch and placed an arm around his shoulder. “Hey, it’s goes with the job. Right?”

  “Absolutely.” He agreed.

  At that very moment, Clutch heard footsteps behind him and turned to see Jeff Wilder approaching with an evidence bag in one hand and a pair of surgical gloves in the other. “I got what we need.” He said as he handed the bag over to Tasha and gave Clutch the gloves. Tasha held the bag, waiting for Clutch to finish putting the gloves on. “Dammit, I always hated these things.” He said, struggling to get latex stretched across his large hand. “I just hope I don’t tear a hole in ‘em.”

  “Aw you’re just out of practice, boss.” Wilder said as he smiled at his superior.

  “Now.” Clutch said as he snapped the latex in place. “Hand me the bag, Tash.”

  Tasha did as she was told and Mclutcheon opened it extracting the cell phone from its contents. He handed the bag back to Wilder and gazed down at the screen of the cell phone. “There’s a message.” Clutch commented as his brow creased. He pressed a button opening a window of commands. “Let me go down to mailbox.” He said as his fingers moved deftly across the keys. “Ok. The message is from 9:35PM last night.” Both Tasha and Jeff watched as Clutch’s expression turned grave. The creases in his brow became more pronounced as his eyes studied the screen for a full minute.

  “For God’s sake Clutch! What is it?” Tasha spoke in a loud voice.

  Clutch held the phone out for her to see and Wilder moved over beside her. The message read:

  “Dead rat. Kiss, kiss… Bang, bang. You are up next. Then we’ll Begin the Beguine. Ta-ta 4 now. DWK.”

  “Holy shit.” Tasha finally said as she looked over at Jeff who was still staring at the screen. “That’s a threat.”

  “Yeah, but to who?” Clutch asked as he lowered the phone and stared at her sternly. “Could be any of us.”

  “Well, I don’t think anybody should take any chances.”

  “Well, what the heck is DWK?” Wilder asked as he glanced back and forth at the both of them.

  “Devil’s Water Killer, I assume.” Tasha answered. “So let’s dissect this a second. Dead Rat. I guess he had no more respect for Gamblin than we did.”

  “Hell, he has no respect for anybody or anything. That’s why he’s doing this shit.” Clutch stated.

  “Kiss kiss, bang bang. I got the ‘bang’ part. Two shots. What about the ‘kiss’ part?” Tasha continued.

  Clutch took a deep breath and exhaled. He was staring at Tasha with a very serious look on his face. “I think the answer is revealed in the next few words. DWK said that we’ll Begin the Beguine.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Tasha asked. “I’ve never heard that term.”

  “It’s not a term, Tasha. It’s a love song written by Cole Porter. It’s about a guy who yearns for his lover. He wants her back in his arms so they can Begin the Beguine. As the lyrics go on, he remembers the times they were together. It’s a sweet song but, in this instance, it’s fucking creepy.”

  “OK. So what does Cole Porter have to do with anything and why is DWK hung up on old romance songs?”

  “Because this message was for someone specific. It wasn’t just meant for anyone. Understand?”

  “No, Clutch. I don’t understand. As a matter of fact, I’m fucking clueless. Care to enlighten me?”

  “Tasha, this message was for you.” Clutch said. His face was grave and dark. “He wants to Begin the Beguine with you.”

  “What?” Tasha asked as her eyes widened with shock. “That doesn’t make any sense. I don’t know Gary Berndt. I’ve never fucking met the guy.”

  “Trust me. He’s talking about you. You’re the only female whose name is out there in the papers. You’re the one that’s very connected to this case. You’re the hot shot ex FBI agent. He’s trying to romance you.” Clutch paused a second and looked over at Wilder. “Hell, he ain’t romancing me or Jeff. Think about it.”

  “He wants to romance me so he can kill me.” Tasha finally stated after a moment of silence.

  “Yeah, I think so. Now what do you make of DWK? Why isn’t he calling himself by his name?” Clutch asked her.

  “Well, that’s an easy one. I think that probably Gary has grown pretty full of himself. He’s read the papers and watched the news. He knows that he, Gary, is basically a schmuck who couldn’t get into Psy Ops or the military. He knows he’s a failure. The only thing that Gary lived for was his grandmother’s affection. After she died, he invented this new persona. A very deadly one. Now that the press has given a name to it, he’s embraced it. Now he’s an important guy. Someone you don’t want to mess with. He’s the Devil’s Water Killer.”

  “Makes sense.” Clutch agreed. He looked back over at Jeff who had been silent for awhile. “Wilder, I want you to get back to the precinct and run DWK’s cell phone number. We’ll probably hit a dead end but
maybe we could trace it back to Berndt. Folks use burn phones for this type of shit and I’m sure Gary already had that figured out. Doesn’t hurt to check though. Check any other messages he might’ve left on it too.”

  “Sure thing, boss.”

  As Wilder turned to leave, Clutch noticed a dark government vehicle traveling at a snail’s pace on the gravel trail leading down to where they were standing. He turned back to Tasha. “Limmel finally arrives.” He said smiling.

  “Yeah, I’d love to stay and chat but I need to get out of here. Class calls.” Tasha remarked as she checked her watch. They began the trek back to the Volvo just as Dr. Limmel and David Campbell emerged from their vehicle.

  “Hello, gentlemen. Running a little late?”

  “Traffic was horrible and we got a late start anyway. The morgue was slammed today.” David said as he grabbed a large black leather bag from the back seat of the car.

  “Dreadful.” Dr. Limmel agreed. “And now we have a very nefarious situation on our hands.”

  “Yes sir.” Tasha agreed.

  “You guys have fun.” Clutch said as he and Tasha passed the two men.

  “It’s what we live for.” David said as he glanced back over his shoulder and winked at Tasha.

  Once they were in the Volvo, Clutch turned to Tasha and put his hand on her lap. “Listen, I want you to be extremely careful.” He said offering up a very serious expression.

  “Oh, I always am. Miss Cautious. That’s me.” Tasha laughed. She looked back over at Clutch who was gazing at her sternly.

  “Hey, this isn’t funny. It’s nothing to be flippant about. Berndt has focused in on you. He’s abducted and killed at least two women. He almost killed a third.”

  “Well, if he comes at me, I always have my trusty .38.” Tasha said as she patted her purse. “I take it with me everywhere I go.” She smiled at Clutch hoping he would lighten up.

  “I’m gonna put one of the guys on you for awhile.” He said. His expression was unchanging.

  “Oh for Pete’s sake, Clutch! I don’t need a babysitter. I’m fine on my own. We’re not even absolutely positive that your read on that note is correct.”

  “I ain’t taking chances. Like it or not, a detective will be camped out at your apartment starting tonight.”

  “I don’t want someone watching me all the time! That’s gonna make me feel weird. I like to do my own thing. I don’t want him to crimp my style.”

  “You won’t even know he’s there.” Clutch insisted. “Go on about your daily life. Just know that if Berndt is watching you, my guy will be watching him and we’ll nail him.”

  Clutch put his key into the ignition of the Volvo and started the car.

  “You’re not going to take ‘no’ for an answer are you?” Tasha asked. She watched Clutch maneuver the car back on to the gravel trail. His jaw muscles were working again. He glanced over at her. His expression was very dark and serious.

  “In a word…no.”

  CHAPTER 30

  It was dusky dark. The sun had set behind the mountains some time before and night was approaching. Pretty soon the moon would be out and coyotes, which had migrated to Tennessee, would be howling. Looking out of a small bedroom window, she could see the bare branches of a tree shaking as the cold wind blew them back and forth. Before long, she wouldn’t be able to see branches at all. The window would provide her no comfort in knowing that there was an outside world. It would, once again, be solid black. Then she would be left to her imagination for the duration of the night. Day after day it had gone on like this. She wasn’t sure how long. She closed her eyes and drifted in and out of sleep. She knew that the best way through the situation was to take herself out of the situation one way or another. She had applied the technique many times before when she’d been at work.

  Time passed. She heard noise coming from somewhere below her. He must be home she thought as she heard footsteps coming up the stairway. The floor creaked and groaned under the weight of him as he walked down the hallway. He passed her room and she heard him close the door at the end of the hall. He was in the bathroom. Soon, she heard the water pipes and knew he was taking a shower. He would visit tonight. He always did after he bathed. He would come in to her room and it would last for what seemed like hours. Then, he would leave just as he came. All of it done in complete silence. There was nothing left to do but wait. She could almost hear the seconds ticking by in her head.

  She knew he had made a mistake before. She remembered how angry and frenzied he was when he unchained her and made her get in the trunk of the car. “Hurry!” he had said, his eyes wild and frantic. She had no choice. She had wanted to run away. She had wanted to flee just like the other girl who had been in the basement with her. Now, she had missed her chance and she knew she was all alone. Sometimes, she wondered how long she would be kept in the small bedroom on the second floor. Other times, she knew that it could end any day. He would tire of her just like all the other girls and then he just might use the gun he threatened her with from time to time. Then, she figured, it would be lights out and she had almost shocked herself by growing resigned to it. Maybe, if there was such a thing as reincarnation, she would come back and be dealt a better hand than the cards she ended up with this time around. Maybe too, he would come back as a black prostitute who had all the odds stacked against him. Perhaps there was justice in the afterlife and beyond.

  More time passed and the tinge of gray in the evening sky had vanished to black. Flo figured that he would visit very soon. He always waited until she couldn’t see anymore. She knew he could see her though, because he had the goggles. That gave him a huge advantage. Flo pulled on the chains which were attached to the bed posts. The cuffs were fastened tight around her wrists and ankles. They wouldn’t budge and she had bruises from trying to free herself. She wasn’t quite sure how the other woman had escaped. He must’ve let his guard down with her. Flo was sure he wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

  She felt sleepy again and her eyelids began to droop. She was drifting off when she heard footsteps outside the bedroom door. Now, with the sudden shot of adrenaline, she was wide awake. She listened to the door open as it creaked on its hinge. He was inside and she knew that he was looking at her. Examining her like a bug under a microscope. Maybe she could elicit some sympathy. It had never worked before but she could try. “Gary?”

  No answer.

  “Gary, these cuffs are hurting. Would you please loosen them a little? I’ll do anything you want. Please.” She lay there for a full minute in silence waiting for a response. Clearly, he wasn’t going to answer her. He never had and he probably never would. “Gary, I have family. I know they miss me. I doubt they even know I’m alive. I don’t want to die here. I want you to do the right thing and let me go.”

  Again, there was no answer.

  Flo heard the bedroom floor creak as he walked across it. He was close but she wasn’t sure how close. Suddenly, she felt hot breath on her neck. “No.” he whispered into her ear.

  “Please Gary! Look, I know you’re a good man. You just got all caught up in this, right? You don’t want to hurt anybody.” She pleaded as she jerked on her cuffs again. “Please, these cuffs are hurting me! I need your help!” she screamed as desperation began to take over. Hot tears welled in her eyes and began rolling down her cheeks. Frustration, humiliation and defeat had gotten the best of her and she began to sob. “Please, Gary. Please let me go.” She begged.

  He was laughing now. A high pitched maniacal laugh. He was enjoying this. He liked seeing her beg. He liked to control her. “No.” he repeated.

  Flo jerked her arms and legs back and forth, once more, to try and free them. The chains and cuffs held firm as she flailed. She was accomplishing nothing but making her wrists and ankles hurt even more than they already were.

  Still, there was the laughter.

  “Help me!” she screamed at the top of her lungs to anyone who might be able to hear her. “Help me! Please God
somebody help me!” She twisted and jerked back and forth. She looked toward the black window that she couldn’t even see in the darkness. The small black window with the big tree outside. The one with no leaves on its branches. How many times had she wished someone would climb the tree and see her laying there, completely nude, in cuffs and chains. “Goddammit, Help me! Somebody!”

  Her cries were making her voice scratchy and her throat hurt. She knew he didn’t care and that knowledge made her angry. The rage boiled up within her needing to be released. It came out all at once. “Goddamn you son of a bitch! Goddamn you Gary! May you rot in hell, you fucking bastard!” she screamed. In one last futile attempt, she jerked as hard as she could on the chains which bound her to the bed. “You’ll pay for this! You hear me? You’ll pay!”

  At that moment, the laughter stopped and he was on top of her. He pressed his hand against her mouth, mashing her lips against her teeth. His breath was hot in her ear. “Shhhh.” He whispered calmly. He was in total control. Finally, after a couple of minutes, he removed his hand from her mouth and got off the bed. She heard him moving around in the dark. “What are you doing?” she asked.

  There was no answer.

  “I said ‘what are you doing’, you motherfucker!” she screamed once again. She stared at the black void, waiting for his next move. Suddenly there was a bright orange light in her periphery. She turned toward it and it almost blinded her. Flo stared stupidly at it for a moment before it finally occurred to her that he had lit a candle by the bedside. She watched the flame dance on its wick as shadows played along the walls of the bedroom. She could smell the familiar scent of a burnt matchstick and noticed it laying by the candle which wasn’t more than two feet from her face. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she could see movement to the left of her. Now, he was standing right beside the bed close to her. He had taken the goggles off and was wearing a type of mask over his face. Other than that, he was completely nude.

  Flo had never seen a mask like it in her life. It looked almost like an animal but it had human features as well. It had an elongated tongue and large ears. The mask appeared to be made of metal. It covered his entire face and neck. Flo wondered, for a moment, where it had come from. Had Gary bought it? If so, where?