Murder by Numbers
Rycliff
Murder by Numbers
Chapter One
Lt. Mike Hammond, detective in charge, determined that this would be the killer’s last victim. He is going to see that whoever is behind these murders will pay for it. He has a daughter who is in the same age range of these victims. Every time he sees them he can only think of how relieved that she isn’t the one lying in the bed dead. He looked at the body of the young girl. She is naked, with her hands handcuffed together, and then attached to one of the bedposts with a length of rope. The number 3 carved into her chest. The cut numeral is large approximately six or eight inches in its overall length and, about six inches in overall width. The incision is also deep and very precise. There are no bruises or any other marks on the body. All the hair on her head and pubic areas has been shaved, that is this sick bastards MO, such a weird anal-retentive part of these murders that didn’t make sense to anyone. The so far nameless girl was the third victim to be killed by this monster, that the newspapers had dubbed the Murder by Numbers Killer. The body looked as if it has been cleaned there is no blood on it; the bed and floor a different story.
Mike gagged as he studied the gash in the young woman’s chest. He turned her body over very carefully, as to avoid disturbing it any more than absolutely necessary, and looked for anything else that might help them determine what happened here. She was unable to supply the needed answers. There were no tattoos, no birthmarks, nor any stretch marks. It was maddening how anyone can kill without a trace. After the crime scene investigators and photographers were done. He allowed the coroner to take the body to the morgue. He looked at his watch; it was after 6:30 in the afternoon. It had been another long day. Theoretically he was off duty at 4:00 PM. But that would not be the case, anymore. Now, he would have to start the paperwork and make the preliminary report before going home. It would be past ten before he finally was able to leave the station and start the drive across town to his small, lonely residence.
Mike got up earlier then he would’ve liked. It is four o-clock in the morning. He stumbles into the small bathroom across the hall, and begins his daily routine. As he stands in front of the mirror looking back at his face with bloodshot eyes, and a thick mass of stubble, he realized that the twenty plus years he has spent on the police force hasn't been kind to him. Not that he is any stranger to the face that greets him, but it always looked like his hair is a shade grayer and his face had developed a few new deeper lines and that the eyes are just a bit more bloodshot. Well to be honest the bloodshot eyes were not caused by being on the force, well not a direct cause anyway, he thought. No deep down inside he knew the reason for those eyes, it was the same reason his wife left him over fifteen years ago. The demon, as she had called it. Alcohol. No he would not admit to being an alcoholic because he wasn’t. He simply needed to drink to forget the horrors of seeing gruesome sights every day. So he resigned himself to living another day and took his razor and shaved the stubble off his face, poured some hot water over his graying and thinning hair, combed it, brushed his teeth, gargled with some mouthwash, and decided he could get away with just some deodorant. Next he went to his room, rummaged through his dresser. He finally found some clean underwear and managed to find a pair of clean socks. He would need to do the laundry soon, the pile of dirty clothes was piling ever higher, and it was getting tougher to find clean clothes again. He picked a tie that was not stained; and found his last clean shirt that basically matched his tie enough to wear without being mistaken for a bum. He decided that yesterday’s pants still hanging over the chair were clean enough to wear again, so he did so.
Mike Hammond was not lazy, or not by the usual definition, he simply didn't have to impress anyone anymore. His wife had left him, she could not take the long hours, a phone call in the middle of the night announcing he would be coming home late again, nor could she take the drinking. Mostly she couldn't take the drinking, and the self loathing and doubt that it brought on. She was constantly telling him “You’re just asking to go to an early grave!” maybe he was, he thought to himself, so what. Nor did he have to impress his superiors; he had been tapped for Captain, but turned down the promotion, he would have liked to have the money, but then he would have been off the streets and behind a desk. That, he thought would be bucking for an early death. His only impression he wanted to make was on the scum he put away, he had always loved watching Colombo on TV, and he thought that he was the perfect detective. Colombo always had “just one more question.” Mike knew that in reality every crime had hundreds of questions, and you never got the advantage of having a suspect who would answer every one of them for you, like Colombo always had for him. But he, like his TV idol had a sterling career, he had put away over a three hundred murderers in his career. 305 to be exact. So over 22 years that averaged out to 13.86 murderers per year. He thought about that for a second while taking one last look in the hall mirror before stepping out the door. “Only 13 per year, man it sure has seemed to be a lot more than that.”
Mike made his way out to the car; ready to fight Houston traffic, he needed to get into the precinct early. He needed to look at the autopsy report and get copies of the photos from last night. He wanted to see if he had missed anything significant. He hadn’t of course but there was a very dead young lady and he wanted the killer off the street as soon as possible.
He got to his desk, just as a messenger was coming to deliver the faxed report to him. He sat down to read the report from the coroner. The report for Candice Mayers, age 22 was not exactly that helpful. According to the coroner she died from a myocardial infarction, simply put a heart attack. The report did say that it estimated, that it might have been brought on by the sexual activity, (not forced, according to the M.E) the report continued, it read: The gruesome stab wound and subsequent carving of the chest was done post death. The angle entry indicates it was accomplished left-handed. The precision of the post mortem wound, which penetrated deep into the heart, shows that great force was used. Note this would have been a killing blow if not for the actual cause of death. Disfigurement e.g. the numeral 3 carved into the chest cavity was done with extreme precise movements. The incision is 1 ¾ inches deep by ½ inch wide very detail oriented individual. Meticulous. Reasonable to assume suspect, may likely be a medical professional, possibly a surgeon or someone who studied to be a medical professional. No DNA evidence of any kind was found. Swabs were taken from the vaginal cavity as well as saliva samples. None showed positive for DNA other than subject. Assumable that a condom was used during intercourse. No traces of skin under subjects finger nails, conclusion no struggle ensued. No other visible bruises, marks or contusions to report, with the exception of moderate blunt trauma to the vaginal canal. But once again not conclusive nor indicative of sexual assault. Only other irregularities were found in the Toxicology Report. This stated that higher than normal levels of epinephrine and tyramines were found to be present in the blood, which could be indicative of a trigger for a myocardial infarction. Summary Death was caused by MyoCardial Infarction, which may have been caused by stress, anxiety, or extreme fear. Then the body was mutilated by a sharp object, possibly a straight razor or similar thin bladed weapon. After being stabbed deeply through the chest and heart, nearly cutting the heart in half. Note weapon used to penetrate the heart was not the same as was used for the carving of the chest. The knife used to stab the victim was more than likely a large butcher style knife, and was of superior grade and quality. Officially death was caused by murder, but unable to conclusively determine trigger for myo cardial infarction.