Casanova Killer (2 page)

Chapter Two

“We appreciate the assist, thank you sir.” Nate raised the window shade on the Learjet as he disconnected the call. So much for sleeping their way across the country.  His one-sided conversation with the FBI Director of International Relations had already awakened Jerry and Dylan; at least they had made it to Colorado before the call came in.

Nate tossed his cell onto the table separating the four captain’s chairs. “Change of plans, guys. Better get some coffee.” He rubbed the sleep from his eyes as Dylan accommodated the three of them, bringing back three steaming mugs from the kitchenette in the rear of the cabin.

“Thanks,” Nate told him and sipped the warm liquid. “Seems like our unsub has been busy across the pond,” he began.

“Europe?” Jerry felt the cobwebs slowly melt from her brain.

“England, Central London specifically, and the Italian Riviera.”

“Both are playgrounds for the rich and fabulous.” Dylan said wryly. “Our boy likes the finer things.”

“Interpol is sending an agent to work the case with us. Ethan Barnes has been tracking the unsub across Europe, he’ll meet us in San Francisco.” Nate nodded to Jerry. “He’ll be your partner for this one. Dylan and I will work behind the scenes.”

Jerry didn’t care for the idea of pretending to be the mistress of an agent she’d never met before; living in close quarters with a man she knew, respected and yes, even had a small crush on was enough of a challenge. Now she had to get cozy with a stranger. She knew better than to complain; Nate would not be putting her in this position if he had a choice.

“Whatever you say, Boss.” Nodding in Dylan’s direction, she grinned. “He can’t be any worse than this one.”

Grateful for her easy acceptance, Nate nodded. “Barnes has already established a cover as a wealthy playboy. No point in duplicating efforts.”

Dylan, thrilled with the turn of events, decided not to tease Jerry about being an international plaything. “I take it the unsub’s signature is the same?”

“Identical, down to the right to left slice across the neck. His victims are all beautiful brunettes, loaded or wealth-accessible. They spend their time shopping, being pampered or otherwise occupied with the man paying their bills. He killed three in Central London and four in Italy.”

“What about the drop zones, Central London is not exactly filled with remote locations.” Dylan questioned.

“He left the bodies in warehouses, south of the city. That’s all I know, at the moment. Barnes can fill us in on the details, but the Director says he’s confident that our unsub and the ‘Casanova Killer’ are one in the same.”

“You’re kidding, right? Casanova Killer? Jeez, sounds like a bad Gothic novel.”

“Exactly, but that’s how he’s known in Europe. Courtesy of the press, I’m sure. Apparently Barnes was closing in when the unsub disappeared two months ago.”

“Lucky us, he surfaced in San Francisco.” Dylan gathered their coffee cups for a refill.

“What’s his timeline?” Jerry flipped open her laptop and began making notes.

“Six months in London and two months on the Riviera.”

“Three kills already in San Francisco in less than a month. He’s escalating.” Jerry’s fingers flew over the keys.

“He may be compensating for the time he laid low, between Italy and here.” Dylan offered his opinion along with the fresh coffee.

“It’s not unusual for a serial’s initial kills to be spaced farther apart while they perfect their technique,” Jerry added.

“True. It’s also possible that San Francisco offers a more fertile hunting ground for his preferences.” Nate opened the manila folder housing the bulk of the information they’d received from the San Francisco Police Department. “Let’s make a quick profile, based on what we know of his US kills.”

“All three victims are white females in their mid-to-late twenties with similar socio-economic circumstances, though their backgrounds differ. All were brunettes between five feet ten inches and six feet tall.” Nate began reading from the police reports.

“Hopefully the victimology of his European kills will clarify whether or not being a mistress is a crucial part of his signature.” Dylan remarked.

“Any restraint marks?” Jerry asked.

“No ligature marks present on any of the bodies. The toxicology report isn’t back yet on the latest victim, but the first two revealed no signs of drug use. If he’s restraining them, his methods leave no trace.”

“Did he kill them at the disposal site?” Jerry stopped typing as Nate flipped through the pages.

“Yes and no. All three women had their throats slashed at the top of a steep incline. They were still bleeding out when he tossed them down the hill.”

“He must be well over six feet and in good shape, or he wouldn’t be able to maneuver them over the edge so easily.” Jerry added Dylan’s observations to the list.

“Assuming they were not restrained, they must have gone with him voluntarily.” Jerry mused.

“Gives credence to the term ‘Casanova Killer’; maybe he romances them before he kills them.”

“Possibly, but let’s focus on what we know about these murders, charming European moniker notwithstanding.” Nate passed Dylan the coroner’s reports. “No defensive wounds on any of the women. They probably didn’t see it coming”

“So he stands behind them, close enough to slice their throats without them putting up a fight. No restraints and no defensive wounds suggest that the victims were comfortable with him, unless he surprised them somehow.” Dylan reclined his seat and closed his eyes to aid his concentration. “Did the victims have vehicles on site?”

“Good question.” Nate shuffled the papers again. “The victim’s cars were all found at their residences. So he must have taken them to the kill site.”

“What about interviews with friends and neighbors? Any man other than their ‘keeper’ on the scene?” Jerry wrinkled her nose in distaste. “We really need a better word than ‘keeper.’”

Dylan grinned, but his eyes remained closed. “Take your pick: Sugar Daddy, Main Squeeze, Companion, John…” his voice trailed off.

“’John is inaccurate, they’re not prostitutes, not in the strictest sense of the word. These women were not doing anything illegal.” Jerry protested.

“One of the men paying the bills was not married, so ‘mistress’ is also inaccurate across the board. Let’s not get hung up on semantics. Call the boyfriends ‘companions.’” Nate looked up at Jerry. “To answer your question, no, the first two victims did not have a new man in their life, at least according to the few interviews that the police conducted. No info on the latest victim.”

“We should dig a little deeper. Chances are good that at least one of the woman confided in her best friend, if she was seeing someone other than her companion.” Jerry made a few notes.

“Good idea. We’ll re-interview their closest friends.” Nate nodded at Jerry. “Though you’ll probably have better luck getting close to them while you’re undercover.”

“What, you think there’s some sort of club or local hangout for mistresses?” Dylan laughed.

“No, smartass, but Jerry will be new in town, she’ll need to join a yoga class or frequent the same spa or whatever it is these women do all day.”

“Yoga. Yuck.” Jerry made a face. “I could get behind spa visits, though. It’s been awhile since I’ve been pampered. This assignment may not be so bad after all.”

“You’d better hope that none of the besties are into dancing. I’ve seen your moves.” Dylan nudged Jerry with his toe.

“Besties? What are you, thirteen? And I’ll have you know I can cut a rug with the best of them. You’re just jealous that I’ll be spending my days with the ladies who lunch while you’ll be hitting the pavement or twiddling your thumbs on surveillance.” Jerry sneered at him, but he missed it.

“Cut a rug? What are you, sixty?” Dylan chuckled, but still didn’t open his eyes. He knew that keeping them closed would only make Jerry more aggravated. “Besides, I’d much rather investigate the unsub than attend fancy-schmancy parties and work on my tan.” Dylan peeked at Jerry beneath his lashes, smiling at the thundercloud covering her face.

“At least I’ve got sense enough to fit into those fancy-schmancy parties. It’s a good thing Interpol is sending their own agent, maybe now we won’t blow the cover.” Jerry sniped.

Nate was accustomed to Dylan and Jerry’s back and forth, so it was easy for him to ignore their banter as he scanned the remaining contents of the police files. There seemed to be a lot of information missing, either by a transmission mistake or through shoddy police work. Surely the locals interviewed more than one neighbor and one friend of the first two victims. He made a mental note to request the complete files when they landed.

“Okay, if we assume the victims go with him willingly and are comfortable being close to him, then he’s either part of their social circle or he meets them through their daily activities.” Nate tapped his fingers on the armrest.

“He could be anything from a valet at a restaurant they frequent or the guy installing their cable.” Dylan sat up and reached for his laptop. “We should check for any overlap during the last month of their lives.”

“Sure, check, but I doubt that a woman who’s living a life of luxury, courtesy of one man, would be willing to risk that falling apart for the cable guy.” Jerry knew in her gut that she was right. “However, she might be willing to trade up.”

Dylan and Nate both looked at her. “Trade up?” Nate voiced their common question.

“Sure. Better looking, more money, maybe even marriage material so she can get the whole enchilada, not just the peripheral pocket change.” Jerry considered her theory before continuing. “Maybe our unsub is not only part of her circle, but the crème of the crop. Or at least he’s making it appear so, to her.”

“So the unsub infiltrates her world, entices her to date him with a bigger bank account and his single, ready for marriage status, then goes in for the kill. Literally.” Dylan nodded his head. “I like it, it fits.”

“It’s definitely a possibility.” Nate agreed. “We’ll know more when we get Interpol’s take on their unsub.” Nate stroked his chin absently, a sure tell that he was in deep thought. “That scenario also fits the unsub’s European moniker, Casanova Killer. You may be onto something, Jerry.”

“Based on that theory, I think we should extend the age range of the standard profile in a case like this from a white male in his mid to late thirties to one in his mid to late fifties.” Dylan stretched his long legs into the aisle.

“Agreed.” Nate nodded, Jerry typed as Nate continued. “We know that his signature here is the same as for his kills in Europe. Selecting victims with similar physical characteristics, leaving them in plain sight in remote locations, killing them with a left to right slash across the throat and his socio-economic preferences are the primary factors that led Barnes to believe he’s relocated to San Francisco.”

“He’s either simulating wealth, or he is wealthy. If he’s playing a role, the props for that lifestyle are not cheap; he’d need a lucrative source of income just to buy the wardrobe and transportation to pull it off.” Jerry stopped typing and considered the situation. “His source of funds could be from other criminal activities. I mean if your passion is killing, then what’s to stop you from robbery or dealing drugs?”

“Barnes may shed more light on that, but it’s a good point. We’ve caught more than one serial by following the money trail.” Nate nodded. “But if he’s dealing, it’s high end. I doubt we’ll find this one on the street corner.”

“That brings up another point. I wonder how sure Interpol is that his first kills are the three in London. It’s rare for a serial to start off without leaving a trace. He could have begun with prostitutes or other high-risk victims in order to perfect his craft.” Dylan yawned and stretched.