Thank you for all of your support for my previous stories! This one is a case story with a side of Shandy sprinkled throughout. The team works to solve a series of murders before the killer can claim another victim. It's longer than my others (6 chapters total), and it's my first foray into a case-heavy story. As always, all feedback is welcome.
I do not own Major Crimes or any of the fabulous characters. That honor belongs to James Duff and co. I just enjoy writing about them!
Chapter One
Early mornings were hard enough, but early mornings at the site of a body dump were even worse. Andy pulled up to the solemn crime scene with a drink carrier full of to-go cups of coffee. It was the good stuff from that expensive coffee shop Sharon liked. He figured if he had to be up this early for something this gruesome, then he would definitely need some strong coffee. He brought a few extras because, prior to the early morning call, he had been in a good mood. Actually, he had been in a really good mood. He and Sharon had a fabulous night out at dinner and a movie and ended up back at her condo. They spent some time together on her couch. Remembering that particular make-out session brought a smile to his face, but it was the simple words spoken between them that had him floating on a cloud the rest of the night. They had finally said those three little words that had haunted them both since his accident more than six months ago. He was sleeping happily at his house when his pain in the ass partner called him about a body in a popular neighborhood park. Since Provenza had also mentioned that he had alerted their captain that her presence would be required, Andy was sure to pick-up her favorite coffee drink and set it aside for her.
As Andy approached the scene, he waited for a patrol officer to lift the yellow crime scene tape so he could duck under it. He gave the young officer a nod in thanks and continued down the wooded path. The sun was just coming up over the hills to the east illuminating the scene, so Andy could detect a rather large police presence up ahead. He inwardly cringed when he saw Taylor and looked around until he spotted the media off to the left behind the tape.
"Ah, Flynn, how nice of you to finally join us," Provenza greeted him. "At least you brought coffee," he added grabbing one of the cups out of the drink carrier.
"Sharon here yet?" He asked his partner.
"No, the Captain is not here, but Taylor and his media fan club are," he said annoyed.
"Which explains your lovely mood," Andy retorted. Provenza scoffed and continued walking towards the body. As they got closer, Andy spotted Sharon entering from the other side. She walked carefully attempting not to muddy her expensive heels. She had a look of slight disgust on her face, and Andy knew it had nothing to do with the gruesome scene. Despite it, she was beautiful, and Andy found it hard to focus on anything else. Even with her awkward walk, she was a sight to behold in her heels and skirt that was perfectly paired with her blouse and jacket.
"Good morning, Lieutenants," she greeted them as she approached the scene. "For the record, I made you incident commander so I could avoid trekking through mud at the crack of dawn," she said with a purse of her lips.
"Believe me, Captain, it was not my idea to call you down here," Provenza answered looking in Taylor's direction. "Apparently, the media is having a field day with the location of the body, and Taylor is starting to sweat the 'high profile' nature of the murder," Provenza explained. She approached the body and filed in next to Andy. He silently handed her the cup of coffee he was saving for her. She thanked him before taking a sip and savoring it.
"Ok, so what do we have?" She asked glancing at the body in front of her. Kendall was on scene kneeling down doing his preliminary evaluation. Sharon was drawn to the disturbing sight before her. The young woman's body was partially clothed and lying in an unnatural position like she had been posed, but the thing that caught her attention was the red ribbon tied into a perfect bow around the victim's neck.
"Early morning jogger found the body and called it in. Apparently, he tripped over our victim's arm which was lying across the path here," Provenza explained indicating the jogging path next to the body.
"So the killer wanted her found as soon as possible," Andy stated.
"But she wasn't killed here?" Sharon asked.
"No, there's no sign of trauma here or the greater area around the body," Kendall interjected. "Plus, I'd say she's been dead at least 12 hours," he continued.
"Which means she was killed while the park was still open last night," Sharon concluded.
"Tao and Sykes are still sweeping the neighborhood, but there's no indication that anyone saw or heard anything last night. And this park is very popular, Captain, especially at that time of night. People get home from work and come over to run and let their kids play on the playground right through there," Provenza explained indicating the brightly colored structure at the end of the path.
"So, he killed her somewhere else and dumped her body here overnight," Sharon stated. "Cause of death?"
"I'd say asphyxiation, but Dr. Morales will be able to tell you more," Kendall said. "Oh, and it looks like she was raped," he added. Sharon closed her eyes and nodded. She turned and walked away from the body. Provenza and Andy followed.
"I'm going to check in with Chief Taylor. Andy, follow the body to the morgue and I'll meet you there, please. Lieutenant, if you could make sure we canvass the entire neighborhood. Hopefully, someone saw something. Keep me updated," she said before turning in the direction of her superior officer.
After talking to Taylor and listening to him drone on and on about the media scrutiny surrounding the case and the affluence of the neighborhood where the body was found, Sharon finally made her way to the morgue. She quickly draped the blue gown over her suit and entered the room. Both Dr. Morales and Andy turned in her direction.
"Captain, glad you could join us. I was just about to get to the worst part, and that's saying something," Morales greeted her. She nodded for him to continue. "Kendall was right about the cause of death and the rape, but I'm finding signs that she was raped more than once," he added.
"More than once, as in, by the same attacker?" Sharon asked.
"More than likely. She was raped repeatedly over what had to be several days," he explained. Sharon and Andy looked at each other.
"So this sick bastard kidnapped her, raped her, and then murdered her?" Andy asked with anger simmering just below the surface.
"Looks that way, but there's more. See the red ribbon," Morales said indicating the perfect bow around her neck. "The killer used it to strangle her and then tied it into that bow. The ligature marks match perfectly," He continued.
"Son of a bitch. What kind of psycho are we dealing with here?" Andy asked almost afraid of the answer.
"The kind who does this to more than one woman," Morales answered stepping away from the body and moving over to his computer. "The MO was creepy enough that I took a chance and did a little search. This is the first victim to come through our morgue, but there are three open cases with matching MOs. One in Santa Barbara and two in San Diego," he explained. Sharon's eyes widened and her face tensed.
"So, you're saying we have a serial rapist-slash-killer on our hands?" She asked.
"It looks that way," Morales said sadly.
"And he takes his victims and holds them for days while he rapes them over and over before finally murdering them and dumping their bodies. Great!" Andy said annoyed as they exited the exam room.
"Which means that he could be choosing his next victim right now. We need to get the case files from Santa Barbara and San Diego. Damn it! We're already behind," Sharon said irritated as she forcefully removed her blue gown and started towards the elevator. Andy just shook his head equally irritated. Things were going to get worse before they got better. Andy could just feel it in his gut. Why did the serial murdering dirtbag have to pick Los Angeles, he wondered as he hurriedly walked towards the elevator with his captain leading the way.
Somewhere in a dark room a single voice can be heard coming from the solo source of light. A small television illuminates the room and a man sits in front of it glued to the news report playing on the screen.
Police aren't saying much about this morning's grisly discovery in a popular neighborhood park. Assistant Chief Russell Taylor would only confirm that a body had been found. The victim's identity and cause of death were not released pending notification of next of kin, but neighbors in this wealthy subdivision are certainly on edge today..
The man in the chair wasn't very interested in the report. In fact, he had tuned out what the bubbly news reporter had just said. His focus was singular. It was on the auburn haired woman in the background of the shot. The one standing next to the body he had dumped hours earlier. The one holding the coffee cup and speaking with the two older gentleman. She was beautiful. She was exquisite. She was exactly what he wanted, and he would have her. After all, he always got what he wanted.
TBC