Third Eye Watch (A Serena Shaw Mystery) (12 page)

“Thank you for calling me,” Audrey told Ed.

“We found your card and thought it may be relevant to another investigation. The body is by the dumpster. The owner’s daughter noticed two feet when she had gone out to throw trash; when she saw the feet, she didn’t run away like others might have. Oh no, she had just dropped the bags and boldly investigated”, he told them.

“It’s those damn television stores like CSI and NCIwhatchamacallit, that turn civilians into amateur criminologists,” he grumbled.

“Then she called 911 from her cell. Thankfully, she says she didn’t touch anything. We’ll see. We’re waiting for the ME, but in the meantime, you can take a look at the crime scene. Come on, I’ll take you there.” Ed marched forward, and Audrey kept pace with him; while Sam walked slower, letting his eyes linger on the short woman and the two waiters who were sitting on the floor outside the restaurant as they looked around them, talking in hushed undertones.

A uniformed cop was squatted by the dumpster, picking up garbage that was strewn around the dead body. When the uniform saw them, he got up, nodded at them, and stepped aside, giving them access to the crime scene. Ed too excused himself, telling Audrey that he’d be inside the restaurant, talking to the owners.

The dead body was lying face-up, and parallel to the dumpster, partially propped against it, so that it’s entire length touched the dumpster. White shorts covered his family jewels, but the upper torso was bare, and so were the feet, which were bound with a thin black wire. His face was severely bruised, but the features were recognizable, which meant that the killers didn’t care if the body was identified.

It was Fredrik.

Sam pulled on the gloves that Audrey handed him, then squatted down by the body, making sure not to get too close so as not to contaminate the crime scene in any way.

Fredrik’s left arm was splayed on his chest, palm down, and Sam could see that his fingers were badly bruised, and more than likely, broken. The right arm was not visible, as it was trapped underneath his body.

Sam’s eyes took in the area and noted that there was no blood anywhere on the body, which suggested that the body had only been dumped there. The killing had taken place elsewhere.

He stood up and stepped back a few steps, letting his mind clear of thoughts as he leaned against a light pole, staring at the crime scene in front of him. Audrey came to stand next to him and stood silently, knowing from past experience that Sam was trying to pick up sensations that would aid in the investigation.

Sam’s gaze flicked to Fredrik’s face, and he wondered why anyone would want to kill a man who had just arrived from another country, who wasn’t involved in anything criminal that Sam was aware of, who…

Three men stood in the center of a room, facing a man who slumped forward in a chair. The door opened, and faint music wafted in, then faded, as the door closed behind a man of average height who walked slowly towards the men in the center of the room. He spoke to the men, and one of them handed him something. The man then leaned forward and grabbed the slumped man’s hair, revealing Fredrik’s bruised and bleeding face. Then he held up the object in his other hand, as he turned Fredrik’s head towards it.

Fredrik did not appear to be conscious. The man let go of the hair, and threw the object at him, which then fell to the ground. It was a photograph, and it had landed face-up, revealing Sofia’s face.

Fredrik slumped forward again. The man turned towards the men behind him and shouted something at them, gesturing animatedly towards Fredrik.

One of the three men circled the chair; then stood behind Fredrik, pointing his gun to the back of Fredrik’s head. All four men watched as Fredrik twitched, then fell silent as the life drained out of him.

Sam felt his body jerk, and felt slightly disoriented; he put his hand out to regain his balance when he felt a pressure on his arm. He looked down to see a hand grasping his arm tightly; then shifted his gaze to see Audrey watching him with a worried look. He smiled weakly, and then leaned back against the pole for another moment.

Visions didn’t come to him that often anymore, but something had triggered this one. In his visions, he never heard the words; only saw things as they unfolded, the images grainy as if the quality of the film had been degraded from overuse, or time; or both. But today he had seen Fredrik’s face clearly, although the other men’s face had been shrouded in shadows.

He loosened himself from Audrey’s deathly grip, and forced himself to walk to the body and squat down again.

He had already noted that Fredrik had been severely beaten from the bruises that covered his entire body. Now that he knew where to look, he leaned closer to Fredrik’s head, being sure not to touch anything, but he still couldn’t see behind, without moving the head with his hand. He had gloves on but decided against touching the body, unwilling to contaminate or compromise the crime scene in any way.

So he couldn’t locate the entry point of the bullet, and he also didn’t find any exit wound on his forehead, but based on his vision he could guarantee that the ME’s report would state that a single gunshot wound to the back of the head caused Fredrik’s death.

He rocked on his heels, wondering why anyone would want to execute Fredrik. Then he stood up and nodded at the uniform, telling him that he was done.

“Let’s get out of here. I’ll fill you in when we are outside”, he told Audrey as he purposefully strode away from the crime scene.

“What should I tell Ed?” Audrey asked, keeping pace with his brisk stride.

He paused, then said, “Fredrik’s passport should be around here. It may have fallen out when they dumped him. Ask Ed to have the uniforms sweep the parking lot again.” Then he glanced back towards the body and said: “Or, it may be still on him, tell them to look underneath or inside his shorts.”

Audrey nodded and went to find Ed, while Sam exited the parking lot, letting his gaze roam around the parking lot and its surroundings; looking for clues that may jump out at him. Literally, he thought wearily, trying to ignore the throbbing in his head. Visions left him drained, and he winced knowing that it would take him a couple of days to recover.

Thirty minutes later, Audrey came out, just as the Medical Examiner’s van was pulling into the parking lot. They glanced at each other, then ducked out of sight and hurried towards their vehicles. Tanner, the ME was a great guy, but he liked to talk, and they knew that if he caught sight of them, they’d be here for another few hours. Audrey bypassed her car and got into the passenger side of his.

“What the hell just happened, Raina?” she demanded in a sharp voice, but he could see the look of concern on her face.

He leaned back against his seat and told her about the vision.

“So we know how he was killed, but not who killed him.”

“Right.”
“But why would anyone kill him?

“The photograph that I saw, leads me to believe that he asked one question too many about Sofia. Lena had said she was going to investigate, remember?

“Yes, that is the logical answer but why kill him just for asking questions?” Audrey asked.

“Maybe he got too close to the killers? Did you call Lena when you drove down here?”

“I tried calling her on my way here, but I didn’t get through to her. Hopefully she’s in the wind and not captured by the same people.”

“Did Ed tell you if they had found a phone on him?”

“No, why?”

He shook his head, something was nagging at him, but he couldn’t put a finger on it, something else he had seen in his vision. 

“Do you want me to drive you home?”

“No. I’m ok. I’m going back to Serena’s, she’ll still be up.”

“You don’t look so hot right now, are you sure you want her to see you like this?” Then she narrowed her eyes at him and exclaimed, “You told her!!!”

When he didn’t respond, she shook his arm, “You told her? Oh my God. You have never told any of your girlfriends before.”

He smiled at her sheepishly.

“So what did she say when you told her? What exactly did you tell her?”

“I’ll tell you about it some other time, Special Agent Nosy.” He teased.

Audrey punched him lightly on his arm; then punched him again and opened the door. Sam laughed, forgetting about his throbbing head, and watched her get into her own vehicle and start it. When Sam pulled alongside her, she lowered her window, and gestured to him to do the same.

“Try not to run off anyone off the road in your hurry to get to Serena’s.”

He scowled at her and raised his window; then waited, knowing what was coming next. He laughed when he saw her Suburban leap off the pavement, and disappear soundlessly around the bend. His partner was so predictable; she loved to have the last word, and she loved to make an exit. He drove off at a more sedate pace, pulling into Serena’s apartment complex a few minutes later.

A PLATONIC NIGHT

He knew Serena would still be awake, it was barely midnight and she was a night owl. But he still texted her as he approached her apartment complex, wanting to be sure.

“You still up?”

“Yes,” she responded promptly.

He rang her doorbell five minutes later.

“I need a shower first,” he held up his hands, not allowing her to hug him.

Dropping a backpack on the sofa, he took off his jacket and draped it on a chair, then took off his shoulder holster and gun, and placed them on the coffee table.

Then avoiding Serena’s watchful eyes, he walked to the master bathroom, closed the door, and stared at himself in the mirror. His eyes were red-rimmed and he looked haggard, as if he hadn’t slept in days, even though four hours ago he had been relaxed.

I hate visiting crime scenes, he thought. The dead bodies didn’t bother him so much. It was what came to him during those visits that he hated, emotions and stray thoughts.

And the visions, God, the visions!

He hadn’t had a vision in almost a year and had hoped that he had finally been rid of them, but then today happened. He knew the visions were important aids in his investigations, and they had helped him find many criminals. But the effect they had on his mind and body made him selfish; he desperately wanted them to stop.

He stepped out of his clothes, placing them on the counter neatly. Then he turned the shower on, testing the water temperature with his hand before stepping inside, and stood under the pulsating stream.

He undid his ponytail, and used Serena’s shampoo to wash his hair, hoping Audrey did not get close enough to smell it; or he’d never hear the end of it. Adjusting the water temperature to cold, he leaned forward and braced his tall body against the shower wall. The cold water helped cool his heated skin.

Turning the shower off, he grabbed a red plush towel from the closet in the bathroom and began to dry himself off. He wiped the condensation off the bathroom mirror with a paper towel and noted that his eyes were no longer red. Then he rubbed his hair vigorously, and used Serena’s hairbrush to comb it back.

He wrapped the towel around his waist and leaving his hair untied, left the bathroom. His backpack with spare clothes now sat on the dresser in the bedroom.

Ever since he had worked his first crime scene, he had started carrying spare clothes, shoes, and toiletries in his car. They had come in handy many times.

He pulled on white running shorts, and a black T-shirt with FBI emblazoned across the back in bright yellow lettering. He bought a dozen each year, and handed them out to his family and friends, keeping a couple for himself.

He entered the living room where Serena sat on the sofa, leaning forward, and engrossed in a show on television. She wore pink shorts and a pink tank top, with the words DIVA written across her chest. She was also wearing eyeglasses for her nearsightedness. He knew she hated wearing them, complaining that they made her look like a schoolteacher; but he had told her she looked adorable in them and that he wished his schoolteachers had looked like that which had earned him an “Eeew”.