Blood and Satin (Blood and Satin #1) Read online

  “Some thing?” he said.

  “You need to see the body.”

  “So this was some sort of kinky sex thing gone wrong?”

  “Looks like,” she said. “I hope you didn't have a big breakfast.”

  “No time,” he said.

  “Good.”

  She led him around the bed. With one look, he knew Lin wasn't kidding.

  The first thing he noticed was the victim's head was missing. The man's genitals had been ripped from his groin and placed where the head should be. He had been gutted, his entrails yanked out and spread over him like garland. And there was the smell.

  Dirk covered his mouth with his hand.

  “ID?” he said through his fingers.

  “The driver's license in the wallet says Bruce Madison,” said Lin. “It's difficult to confirm with no head, but the limo driver says the only one who could get in our out was Bruce. We can run DNA to confirm.”

  “Do it,” said Dirk.

  He took in the rest of the room. There was a lot of blood. The dark wood walls and matching floor were coated. It was soaked into the carpets and bedding.

  “I want you to look at something,” said Lin, leading him back to the other side of the bed. “What do you think that is?”

  She pointed to a blur of blood on the floor.

  “It looks like the outline of a person,” he said. “A woman maybe? That's who's missing, right?”

  She nodded. “That was my thought as well.”

  “So where is she?” he said. “Have we determined if any of this blood is hers?”

  “Unless the young woman is the exact same blood type as our victim, unlikely,” said Dr. Davis, their medical examiner. He pushed his thick glasses back onto the bridge of his nose. “I'll have to run DNA to be sure, but I doubt any of this is the woman's. Also, the splatter pattern is consistant with one victim, at least according to Miles. There's some more blood in the small bathroom down the hall. It looks like someone rinsed off in there.”

  “That's a lot of blood, doc,” said Dirk.

  “You saw the body, Detective,” said Davis. “The human body holds approximately six quarts of blood. I think all of it is here.”

  Dirk looked back at the body and nearly threw up the small amount of coffee he'd already drank. Then he noticed the puddle of bile already there.

  “Someone threw up on the crime scene?” he said, frowning.

  “It would be understandable, given the nature of the body, but no, it wasn't one of ours,” said Davis. “I threatened them with suspension and broken fingers if they violated the evidence. More than likely, it belongs to our missing woman.”

  Dirk frowned. Dr. Edward Davis was a slight man, tall and gangly with graying hair. He also wouldn't hurt a fly.

  Davis smiled at Dirk in comprehension. “I told them you would break their fingers.”

  “Ah,” said Dirk. “So do we have a cause of death?

  Lin blinked at him. “I would think that's pretty obvious.”

  “No, the dectective is right,” said Davis. “The heart would have had to still be pumping for this much blood. I would say a combination of blood loss and internal damage. I don't know too many people who could live through that. Also, look at the amount of blood by the head as compared to the rest of the body. The heart had stopped beating by that point.”

  “It would have been a powerful person indeed to tear the head off like that,” said Lin.

  “It looks like this was personal,” said Dirk. “I imagine we won't know more until you get the evidence back to your lab?”

  Davis nodded.

  “Well, what about time of death?” Dirk asked.

  “Hard to say, given the state of the organs. Approximating the amount of time the blood has had to dry and coagulate, and the temperature of the room, I would say between nine and midnight.”

  “And the call was placed at two,” said Dirk, more to himself than anyone else. “So no idea where the woman is?” he asked his partner.

  She shook her head. “The driver did say she was an escort, but he never got a name. He said he never did.”

  Dirk's frown deepened. “He didn't happen to get the name of the agency?”

  “Judy Devais' Premium Escorts,” she said, “says his boss really liked them.”

  “I bet he did,” said Dirk, looking at the bloodied chains and ropes again. Judy Devais had a reputation. She tended to turn a blind eye to illegal activities as long as she got a cut, and a big one at that.

  “We'll start there.”

  ~~~~~

  Adelaide pounded on her apartment door. Her keys were in her purse, which was in the limo.

  “Alright, alright,” said Emma, her roommate. Her voice was drowsy and cracked. It sounded like her cold hadn't abated. Adelaide heard the locks turn and the chain pull back.

  Emma peaked out of the crack in the door.

  “Addie?” she said. “Jesus, you look like hell”

  “Just let me in,” said Adelaide. “I'm freezing. I'm tired. And I'm scared as hell.”

  “Yeah,” said Emma. She undid the chain and Adelaide bolted inside.

  “Oh wow, Addie,” said Emma, “you really look like shit. What happened?”

  “Gee, thanks, Em,” Adelaide said. “It's good to see you too.”

  “It was Bruce, wasn't it?” said Emma. “That son of a bitch. Mrs. Devais lets him get away with too much.”

  “Em, he's dead.”

  Emma froze and gave Adelaide a hard stare. “That's not funny, Addie.”

  Adelaide shook her head. Her skin was still damp and she could still feel the blood on her, even though she washed it away. She shivered as a chill passed through her. She wasn't sure if it was the cold or the thought of Bruce's mangled body. “I'm not joking. I woke up and,” she paused and swallowed, “he was ripped to shreds.” Her voice shook as she spoke and she could taste the bile at the back of her throat from the memory.

  Emma covered her face with her hands. “That's blood on your dress, isn't it?” she said, her voice muffled through her hands. She dropped them to her lap. “Tell me what happened.”

  Emma was completely silent while Adelaide told her about the limo drive, and the wine, and the sex. Emma was no stranger to that. She worked for Judy Devais as well. It was where they met. Emma was about the only person Adelaide could have as a roommate. No one else would understand. As long as Mrs. Devais' girls didn't mind and they didn't go blabbing to the world, Mrs. Devais didn't care. Of course, the extra money under the table didn't hurt either.

  Then Adelaide got to the part where he strangled her and she blacked out.

  “That prick,” said Emma. “He deserved to die.”

  Adelaide shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. “No one should die like that, Em. It was horrible. I called the cops and ran. I had to get out of there.” She started sobbing, her shoulders shaking. Emma wrapped her around Adelaide in a tight hug.

  “You're fine,” she said. “Whatever killed that sorry piece of shit didn't get you. He did you a favor, whoever he was. Get some rest.”

  Adelaide looked up at her roommate. “So you don't think I did it?”

  Emma laughed. “I've seen Bruce Madison. No way you ripped him apart. Change your clothes and go to bed.”

  “But the police,” she said. “I should talk to them, give a statement.”

  “And you will,” said Emma, “but first, you need sleep. You can go this afternoon. I'll even drive you.”

  Adelaide nodded. There was no sense in arguing with the woman. Emma was one of those motherly types who wouldn't let you do anything until she had all the details. And she certainly wouldn't let you out of the apartment wihout a good meal and a decent night's rest.

  So Adelaide retreated to her room and changed into a sleep shirt and some fresh panties. However, her rest was short lived. Within thirty minutes, Emma was at her bedroom door.
Adelaide cracked it open and Emma burst through, her cell phone in her hand.

  “It's Mrs. Devais,” said Emma. “And she is pissed.

  Adelaide took the phone and put it to her ear. “Yes, ma'am.”

  “What the hell have you done, child?” said Mrs. Devais. “I have police in my building, in my office. POLICE. I do not like having police here.”

  “Yes, ma'am, I know,” said Adelaide. “I'm sorry. I'll be right there.”

  ~~~~~

  The old woman tapped tapped her well-manicured fingernails on the desk and stared at Detective Gregory. Judy Devais' lips were pursed and her eyes were hard as steel. It wasn't quite a look that could kill, but it could certainly injure.

  She wore an expensive looking dark dress suit and a strand of pearls around her neck. There was a gold watch on her left wrist and a large diamond ring glitter on her right hand. She did well in her business, apparently.

  “As soon as the girl arrives you will leave, yes?” she said, raising her eyebrows into iron gray hair.

  “It depends on her statement,” said Detective Lin. She smiled at Devais and folded her hands in her lap. “We may have more questions for you.”

  “I have done nothing wrong,” said Mrs. Devais. “I run a legitimate business.” Her voice was faintly accented. Eastern European, maybe? It was misleading with her French name.

  “That's not the word on the street, Mrs. Devais,” said Dirk. “We've heard you turn a blind eye to more than a fair share of ilegitimate dealings.”

  To Dirk's surprise, Mrs. Devais smiled, leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “Why do you not prove it, then, Detective? I have nothing to hide.”

  “Of course not,” said Detective Lin. “But we may need more information on the nature of your clients, any complaints you've had from the girls or maybe their boyfriends?”

  “My girls do not date,” she said.

  “Maybe an ex-boyfriend, then,” said Dirk. “Look, we just want to know who might want to hurt one of your girls or one of your clients.”

  “Unless you tell me what this is about, I could not tell you,” she said.

  Lin leaned over to him. “This old biddie didn't rip the vic's head off. I don't think it'll hurt to tell her.”

  “Yeah, but she may have hired someone,” he said. “Until we get more information, she's a suspect.”

  Lin nodded and straightened. Dirk looked back at Mrs. Devais. Her brow was creased and the steely eyes were back.

  “You are costing me a great deal of money, you know,” she said. “Some of my clients, they do not like your type of person.”

  “You mean police officers?” said Dirk.

  “Whatever you want to call it,” she said. “Officials. It makes them nervous. I do not do anything illegal, but they can be a bit, squeamish, shall we say. They would not be comfortable to be in the same room with you.”

  “Ma'am,” said Dirk. “Do you get clients at five in the morning?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “I get clients at all times.”

  Dirk was about to ask another question when the door opened and a woman slightly taller than Detective Lin walked in. She had dark, curly hair with lightly tanned skin. She was a little on the thin side, but carried herself gracefully. She wore a gray, button up blouse and black slacks.

  He glanced back to Mrs. Devais. She frowned at the sight of the younger woman.

  “This is who you want,” she said. “This is the girl that was with Mr. Madison. Adelaide, what do you have to say for yourself? What did you do?”

  “We'll take it from here, Mrs. Devais,” said Dirk. “Stay by the phone. We may have more for you.”

  Mrs. Devais made a dismissive noise and waved them away.

  “I'm Detective Gregory and this is my partner, Detective Lin. Is there a place we can talk Miss...?” said Dirk.

  “Hunter,” she said. “Adelaide Hunter. There's a conference room down the hall, but I don't think she'll give us a moment's peace if we talk here.” She leaned close to Dirk. He could smell her perfume. Musky and floral. An odd combination to be sure, but it fit for her.

  “Mrs. Devais listens in on everything here,” she whispered. “Can we leave?”

  “Do you not feel safe here?” Dirk said, taking her arm.

  She looked him in the eye. “I woke up next to a man who was ripped open and put on display. I don't feel safe anywhere, Detective.”

  ~~~~~

  The ride downtown was quiet. Adelaide supposed there wasn't much they could say. She wasn't even sure if she was under suspicion. She didn't see how. She was a tiny thing compared to Bruce Madison, but she knew she needed to be honest. As honest as she could be.

  She looked at the dectectives again.

  Detective Lin looked a little mean. Though, if Adelaide were a small statured woman in law enforcement, she'd be mean too.

  Were circumstances different, she might find Detective Gregory attractive. He had dark blond hair, gray-blue eyes, and a strong chin. She could tell from the outline of his clothes he was in good shape.

  But she couldn't take her mind off last night.

  She let out a sob and she shoved her fist in her mouth to cover it.

  Gregory turned in the passenger's seat. “Are you alright, Miss Hunter?”

  She dropped her hand and sniffed. “I'm fine. It's just been a bad night and I'm just a little tired.”

  “It's been a long night for everyone,” said Lin, glancing at her with the rearview mirror. Her eyes were angry.

  “We'll get your statement and get you home as soon as we can, ma'am,” said Gregory.

  Lin rolled her angry eyes.

  Adelaide nodded as the car whined to a stop outside the police station. Gregory opened the door and Adelaide hesitated.

  “You're safe here, Miss Hunter,” he said.

  Detective Lin snorted.

  “I'm grateful for what you and your partner are doing for me,” Adelaide said. “I'm sorry to be so much trouble.”

  “You're fine,” said Gregory. “My partner's just a little cranky. We all are. No one's gotten much sleep tonight.”

  “Yeah,” said Adelaide. “This is a bad day for a lot of people.”

  “Especially Bruce Madison,” said Lin.

  Adelaide froze. She opened her mouth to say something, apologize maybe, but no sound would come.

  “That's enough, Jennie,” said Gregory.

  They led her inside the station and to their office. There was a small conference room with a set of chairs and a metal table. It didn't look like the interrogation rooms Adelaide saw on the TV shows, so she felt a little better.

  Detective Gregory opened the door and gestured for her to sit down. “Would you like some coffee?”

  She shook her head and took a seat. “No, I just want to get this over with and go home.”

  Gregory and Lin sat across from her, each with a notepad and pen. Adelaide took a shuddering breath.

  “This should be short and sweet,” said Gregory. “How did you know Bruce Madison?”

  “Oh god, so that was him, wasn't it?” Adelaide said.

  Lin raised an eyebrow. “So you were there?”

  “Yeah,” said Adelaide nodding. “I'm not trying to hide anything.”

  “Then why did you run?” said Lin.

  Adelaide's eyes went wide. “You saw the room, right? I had to get out of there.”

  “But not before a quick whore's bath in the sink,” said Lin.

  “There was a lot of blood,” Adelaide said. “I panicked. I had to get it off me.”

  “Easy, Lin,” said Gregory. “So how did you know Bruce Madison?”

  “Bruce is...was a client.” She licked her lips. “He wasn't the nicest man, a little rough, but he paid well.”

  “Did he ever pay you for sex?” said Lin.

  Adelaide blinked. “I'm sorry?”

  “Did he ever pay you for sex?” said Lin.
“It's a simple question.”

  “Am I a suspect or something?” said Adelaide.

  “You're not being charged with anything,” said Gregory. “We've seen the room. We know he was into some kinky stuff. We just wanna know what happened.”

  “Yeah, we had sex, sort of,” Adelaide said. “He didn't pay me for it. I passed out and when I woke up, the room was, well, you said you saw it. You know.”

  “I don't think I'll ever forget it,” said Gregory. “But you don't remember anything? You didn't see anyone that was out of place?”

  Adelaide shook her head.

  “You mean to tell me you slept through all that?” said Lin with a frown.

  Adelaide swallowed and looked away. “This isn't easy. I'm not used to talking about my job like this, not to an outsider. I don't want to get anyone in trouble and I can't afford to lose my job. Not right now.”

  “Doesn't seem like much of a job,” said Lin. “That room wasn't any place I want to wake up, with or without the blood and I can't imagine you'd want to run right back to it.”

  “Look,” said Adelaide,” just promise me you won't arrest any of the other girls or send them to prison or anything like that.”

  “If you're protecting the murderer...” said Gregory.

  “No, no,” Adelaide said, slapping her hands on the table. It was cold under her palms, made of slick, brushed steel. It made her realize how terribly cold she was. She wrapped her arms around her. “I don't know who killed Bruce.”

  “Then what are you worried about?” Lin snapped.

  “What we do,” said Adelaide, her voice shaking, “it isn't always legal.”

  “You don't want us to press charges against Judy Devais or any of her girls?” said Gregory.

  Adelaide nodded.

  His partner grabbed his arm and whispered something in his ear. Adelaide could almost hear it, but not quite. Something about another detective's case. Gregory shook his head. “They'll have to find something else. We've still got a murderer out there and he could kill again. Guy like this isn't happy with one messy death. This case takes priority.”

  He turned to Adelaide. “Anything you tell us will only be used in the murder investigation.”

  Adelaide nodded again and smiled weakly. She tookd a deep breath and told them everything. She was amazed how steady her voice was. Maybe she was too tired to cry anymore. What she really wanted to do was scream.

  When she finished, Detective Lin gave her a dour look and said, “Do you have any proof?”

  “Jennie,” said Gregory, “the girl's been through a lot already.”