Case #1: Romeo
Chapter 3
Behind the Miami Airport
Miami, Florida
October 4, 2002
9:24
PM
“It’s
Romeo….” Logan’s words echoed
in her head repeatedly as she watched the figure of a man advance closer and
closer towards her.
Hope’s heart skipped a beat every time the figure took a
step towards the phone booth. She
backed into the corner of the booth and wedged herself in-between the glass and
the phone. At first she didn’t
realize that cowering in the corner of the booth made her even more vulnerable
to her shadowy assailant. Hadn’t
all of those horror flicks she had watched in her life time taught her anything.
Apparently not, she was cowering in the corner instead of bursting out of
her glass encased cage and making a run for it.
Hope watched as her assailant, whose face was still covered
by shadow, slowly slid open the sliding glass door of the booth removing the
only wall of protection that was dividing them.
Hope closed her eyes, and willed herself to wake up.
This had to be a dream that was the only thing that made any since to
her. The last few hours had to be a
dream. She would wake up in no time
in the comfort of her bed; but, when her assailant placed his hand on her
shoulder she realized that she wasn’t dreaming and that this was real.
“Please don’t kill me,” She whispered tears streaking her face.
“Hope!” Her
assailant replied. “It’s
me…Chris.”
Hope relaxed a little when she heard his voice, but just to
make sure that her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her she slowly opened her
right eye and took a peek.
Hope opened her other eye. “What the hell were you thinking?” Hope screamed hitting her boyfriend Chris violently on the
chest with her fists.
Her grabbed her arms and forced them to her side.
“I’m sorry,” He said sincerely.
He shook her gently in an attempt to calm her.
“I am truly sorry Hope. I
never meant to scare you.” He
leaned in and tried to kiss her, but she turned her head away from him.
“But you did Chris.
You scared me to death. I
thought you were-,” A lump caught in her throat and she couldn’t finish her
sentence. Instead, she just cried.
Realizing what he had done Chris apologized to her again.
“I’m sorry baby. I
forgot what today is.” He
released her arms and hugged her tightly.
“Three years-,” She choked out. She felt so safe in his embrace, so loved.
“Three years ago today…,” She forced herself to finish her
sentence. “…that Faith was
murdered by Romeo.”
Chris tightened his embrace and then gently released her.
“Come on,” He said taking her by her still trembling hand.
“Let’s get out of here.”
She huddled up close to him as they made their way back to
the lobby of the airport.
Sleuths Headquarters
Atlanta, Georgia
October 5, 2002
7:34
AM
Logan
North exited his office when he saw Toni McIver enter the Sleuths Headquarters.
She was dressed in a black pants suit, which was accented by a red blouse
underneath, giving her a hint of power. Her
dark brown hair flowed freely over her shoulders and it bounced lightly as she
walked towards him.
“I didn’t know if you would show up today or not,”
Logan started. He mentally prepared
his apology for standing her up a day earlier.
“I apologize for yesterday. I
was held up, and I didn’t have your number.”
“I figured as much,” Toni replied trying to mask her
sarcasm with humor.
“Again I apologize.”
Toni waved it off. “No
need, I forgive you. I know how
hectic detective work can be.”
“On that note,” Logan stared turning away from her and
walking over to a vacant desk. “This
will be your work area.”
Toni
joined him by the desk, and sat her purse on top of it.
“If you need supplies; paper and such it’s located in
the storage closet.” Logan
motioned towards a door located in the far left of the building. “If you need anything else I’ll be in my office going
over some case files.” Logan
smiled and quickly returned to his office to work on the Romeo Case File.
“Okay,” Toni said to herself. “What exactly is it that I am supposed to be working on?”
She pulled out her chair, and sat in it and stared ahead
waiting for someone to fill her in on her duties.
The double doors of the Sleuth Headquarters opened inward
in unison, and Jason Arquette, another one of Logan’s employees walked in.
Noticing Toni sitting at her desk, he walked over to her and introduced
himself. “Hi, I’m Jason
Arquette. You must be the new
detective.” He extended his hand.
“Toni McIver and yes that would be me,” Toni replied
shaking Jason’s hand.
“I see that Logan has already gotten you started on your
first assignment.” He smiled at
her. “Nice and boring isn’t
it?”
Toni nodded her head.
“When do I get started with the interesting stuff?
You know the guns and the bad guys.”
Jason laughed. “Just
as soon as a case comes in and you are finished with all this paperwork.”
“I’m very much done with all of my paperwork.”
“Then how about we go get out of here and go get a cup of
coffee…my treat.”
Toni smiled, and stood to her feet.
“I would like that.”
The Golden Arms Hotel
Atlanta, Georgia
October 5, 2002
11:00 PM
“Why
is it that you decided to come with me to Georgia, again?” Hope asked, as she and Chris entered their hotel room.
“Business!”
His reply was short and a little cryptic, which made Hope
wonder why he had really accompanied her. Did
he have some other ulterior motive? Or was he just concerned for her well-being?
Hope didn’t know the answer, but she was determined to find out.
“Really…what kind of business are we talking about?”
“Just stuff…” His
voice trailed off as he walked into the bathroom of the hotel.
“Just stuff...” Hope
replied in a mocking whisper she only meant for herself to hear.
“I heard that!” He
splashed warm water on his face and shut off the faucet.
He patted his face dry with a rather drab hotel towel as he
walked back into the room. “What…No
apology?” He joined Hope on the
bed and took her hand in his.
Rolling her eyes playfully, she replied in a nonchalant
matter. “Sorry.”
“Not exactly what I was hoping for…but, I think it will do for now.” He winked at her and stood to his feet.
“I better
get going if you want me to be back before two in the morning.”
“Wait! Where
are you going?”
“Out…on business…we’ve already discussed this
Hope.” She could sense a little
irritation in his voice.
She felt defeated. Because
she knew that no matter what she said or how much she pleaded with him that he
would go anyway. “I don’t want
to be here…not…not by myself; especially with this sick Son of a Bitch
running around pretending to be Romeo.”
“You’re a smart girl.
I’m sure you’ll fare just fine by yourself for a few hours.”
“You don’t even care that I am scared to death even
being in this city again do you! And
now you want to leave me here alone…to…to fend for myself. What’s so important about this business you have to tend to
any way? Are you in cahoots with
Romeo or something?”
Chris had already opened the door to the hotel.
“I’m not the bag guy.” He
replied. He took one last look at
her, and he walked out of the hotel closing the door behind him.
Hope’s eyes welled with tears as anger boiled inside of her. Hurling a pillow across the room she shouted after him. “Don’t you come back…I mean it…I never want to see you again you Son of a Bitch.”
Annie Donaldson's Home
Atlanta, Georgia
October 6, 2002
12:12
AM
“Are
you coming in or not?” Annie
Donaldson asked. She stood in the
open doorway of her house and the only reason she was still standing was because
she supported herself by holding on tightly to the door.
He
nodded and followed her inside.
“I’ll
be right back.” Her words were
slurred. She had obviously had too
much to drink.
He
nodded, again.
“You
sure don’t talk much do ya big guy?” She
giggled. “That’s okay.
We won’t be doing much talking anyway.”
Her arms flailed wildly as she talked.
He
watched as she entered her bedroom, and once she had fully closed the door
behind her he looked around the room quickly, sizing up the place, and looking
for anything that could be lethal.
His
lips curled into a menacing sneer and he walked over to the piano.
This was the perfect weapon.
Five
minutes later Annie emerged from her room and joined him in the living room, he
was now sitting on her couch. “I
see you made yourself feel at home?”
Again,
he nodded his reply. And he
methodically contemplated his next move. He
knew that he had to catch her off guard…and then proceed quickly with her
murder.
Getting
up from the couch he walked over to where she stood, by the entryway into her
bedroom. Unbuttoning the first few
buttons on his white dress shirt he hinted to her as to what he wanted; and, to
what he knew that she wanted. Sex!
Her
eyes would have widened with surprise in a sober state, but with the excess
amounts of alcohol in her system her eyes just seemed too fluttered.
He
slowly, provocatively, unbuttoned a three more buttons revealing his tanned,
muscled chest. That almost of a swimsuit model, Annie thought as she pawed
at the last four buttons on his shirt drunkenly.
She
started in for the zipper on his pants, but he stopped her.
She wouldn’t be getting that far, he knew.
He couldn’t chance leaving behind any more DNA; he had already gambled
enough just being in her house.
She
looked up at him and giggled excitedly, thinking that he was toying with her.
Little did she know that he actually was toying with her?
He loved “playing” with his victims.
She
tried to unzip his pants again, but this time his hand struck her across the
face. Her blonde hair tousled as
she violently hit the floor. She
held her jaw for a brief second then she began to scamper across the floor of
her bedroom trying to make her escape, but it was too late.
He had her now. And he wasn’t like a cat with a mouse; he would “play”
with her until she was dead.
As
she crawled on all fours across the floor he took the piano wire from his back
pocket that he had borrowed from her piano.
Walking up behind her he put the piano wire around her neck, using the
wire as a rein, he jerked back on it violently.
Using
the wire he pulled her up to her feet, and he tightened the wire.
Blood was pouring from an open gash in her neck and she violently
struggled for air, but it was no use. In
that instant she sobered and then died.
He
loosened his grip on the wire and it fell from his grasp and her body made a
sickening thud as it hit the floor.
Satisfied
with his work, he took a rose from a bouquet that he had given to her earlier
and threw it to the ground. It
landed in a puddle of her blood.
Placing a cassette into a nearby stereo he hit the play button, and an eerie waltz began to play, and he grabbed his shirt and left.
