The People of New York v. Buffy Summers
by: Sam Lincoln (sam@cosmic-hippo.org)
Rating PG-13
Summary: An unusual case crosses the desk of Assistant District
Attorney Jack McCoy.
Spoilers: Post series finale for Buffy. Set in the current season of Law and Order, but no real spoilers.
Disclaimer: All characters from Buffy are property of Mutant Enemy. All characters from Law and Order are property of Wolf Films/USA Studios. Used without permission, blah blah.
The People of New York v. Buffy Summers: Chapter One
-27th Precinct
Tuesday June 10
"The body in the park, what do you have?" Lieutenant Anita Van Buren asked Ed and Lenny. They were meeting in Van Buren's office to review their open cases.
"The victim was a tourist. She came to town for a convention, staying at the Americana Hotel," Ed said as he read out of his notebook.
"Have you found any family?"
"None in the city," Lenny replied. "We're working with the San Francisco PD to see who we can track down on the left coast."
"Give my regards to Dirty Harry," Van Buren quipped. "Now please tell me we have some solid evidence, or a likely suspect."
Lenny shook his head, "No such luck, the body was dumped and CSU didn't find anything. The ME's going over the body right now and hopefully something will pan out there. In the meantime..."
"In the meantime you're going to put together just what this girl did last night, where she went and who she spoke to."
"But LT, this girl was a tourist. We don't know anything about her," Ed protested.
"She stayed at a hotel didn't she?" Van Buren asked rhetorically. "Start there. Look detectives I want this case closed fast and by the numbers. If the sicko who did this kills again we're going to have a circus on our hands, and you can bet your paycheck that the FBI will try to stick its nose in and I don't want that. So get out of here and find some leads."
Lenny nodded, "Sure thing Lieutenant. Come on Ed." The two detectives stood up to leave.
"Hey Lenny," Van Buren called out.
"Yeah?" Lenny asked as he stood in the doorway.
"Just what sort of convention was Miss Dietz attending?"
Lenny chuckled, "You're going to love this. She was here for the annual meeting of the North American Wiccan Society."
"Wiccan?" Van Buren asked for clarification.
"Yeah, as in witches."
Van Buren shook her head in amusement, "God I love this town."
-Americana Hotel
Tuesday, June 10
Ed and Lenny walked up to the front desk of the Americana Hotel. Lenny leaned over and rang the service bell. "So what does a practicing witch do to make enough cash to afford a place like this?" He asked Ed as they waited.
"It's Wiccan, not witch Lenny," Ed corrected his partner. "You'd be surprised. They don't wear pointy hats, they just pray to the earth mother or something."
"When did you become an expert on the occult?"
Ed smiled, "I went out with a practicing wiccan for a while."
"Did you believe any of her mumbo-jumbo?"
"Hell no, but she had a nice ass..."
"Can I help you gentleman?" The desk clerk, a slightly effeminate Latino wearing a well-tailored suit, asked.
Lenny held out his badge, "Yeah, can you tell me if you've seen this woman?" He held up an enlargement of Rachel Dietz's driver license photo.
"Yes, that's Ms. Dietz, she's a guest here...but you already knew that. She's the woman found in the part last night? I heard all about it on the news this morning, just dreadful."
"We were wondering if you could tell us anything about Ms. Dietz?" Ed asked.
"As nice a lady as you could ask for. She always stayed here when her convention was in town."
"What time did you last see her?" Lenny asked.
"Oh let's see, she came down to the front desk and asked about where the new hot clubs were. That was around dinner time. She said she was going to get a bite to eat then go clubbing."
"Did she say if she was going with anyone?"
"Not that she told me."
"Did anyone come to visit her while she was here?" Lenny asked.
The clerk shook his head. "No," The clerk paused. "No wait, there was one person, just a little slip of a thing, blonde, looked like she was in her early twenties. She was asking if there was anyone staying here who was born on a certain day."
"And?" Ed prompted.
"Well, I told her that even if the hotel kept those sorts of records there was no way I was going to tell her."
"When was this?" Lenny asked.
"Oh a couple of days ago now. The thing is that I mentioned it to Ms. Dietz, since she knows a lot about astrology and those sorts of things, and she said that day was her birthday...you don't think that..." the clerk's voice trailed off.
"No, we don't," Ed said quickly, "thank you for your time. If you can think of anything else here's my card." He handed the clerk a card. "We're also going to that list of clubs you sent Ms. Dietz to."
The clerk nodded, "Of course." He reached into the desk and removed a photocopied sheet of paper. "Here, I get a little kickback from the club owners for pointing people in their direction."
Lenny took the paper, "Thanks."
"What do you think, should we start putting out an APB for petite blondes?" Lenny asked Ed as they walked out to their car.
"Could just be another convention-goer looking for a hook up," Ed pointed out.
Lenny opened driver's side door and glared at his partner. "And you've been on the job how long? You know as well as I do that if somebody is asking around about a murder victim that person is probably involved."
"Granted, but the blonde didn't even ask about Dietz by name, it's probably a coincidence. Besides, how do you suggest tracking her down?"
"Let's start at the first club on that list and see how many petite blondes were there last night."
-The Aviary
Ed and Lenny entered the club and walked over to the bar. They stayed out of the way of the cleaning crew who paid the detectives no mind.
"Hey, come on guys, we're closed!" The bartender called out.
"And this says I don't care," Lenny shot back as he held up his badge.
"Oh sorry, what do you need detectives?" The bartender asked.
"Recognize this girl?" Ed asked as he held up the photo of Rachel Dietz. "She might have come through last night."
The bartender took the picture and stared at it. "Yeah, she was here last night. Didn't stay too long, had a couple drinks, went out on the floor then split."
"Did she leave with anyone?" Lenny asked.
"Yeah, a guy, 'bout six two, black hair, somewhat dark complexion, look pretty built."
Ed and Lenny shared a look, "And when was this?" Lenny asked.
"Around ten or eleven I guess."
"Ok, one last question, were there any petite blondes in here asking about birthdays?"
The bartender frowned, "There were a lot of blondes, but none asking about birthdays."
"Thanks for your time," Lenny told the bartender.
"So are we looking for a blonde woman or a dark haired man?" Ed asked Lenny after they left the club.
"Oh that's easy," Lenny replied. "Both. Come on, let's go see if the ME has anything for us."
-Medical Examiner's Office
Tuesday, June 10
"Rachel Dietz, she was in good shape if you ignore the gaping hole in her chest," the ME told Lenny and Ed.
"So what killed her doc?" Lenny asked.
"Massive blood loss from the removal of her heart," the ME replied.
"You mean she was alive when that sicko cut her open?" Ed asked in disbelief.
"It gets worse," the ME sighed, "I ran a tox screen, it came back negative." She handed Lenny a clipboard.
Lenny looked over the clipboard. "Negative for what?"
"Anything, there were no anesthetics in her bloodstream, other than a small amount of alcohol."
"She wasn't just alive, she was awake?" Lenny asked in horror.
"I'm afraid so, there are no marks or contusions on her anywhere to suggest she was knocked out. This girl was awake for the whole ordeal, or until she passed out from the pain of having her ribcage opened." The ME paused to collect herself. "Death was nearly instant once the aorta was cut. The bruises on her wrists and feet indicate that she was tied up."
"Were there any fibers, prints or anything on the body?" Ed asked.
"Sorry boys, no such luck. If you can find the murder weapon I can match that up. I can also tell you this was done with surgical quality instruments. If you want to start anywhere I suggest medical supply stores. There can't be many people buying rib spreaders in the city."
Lenny nodded, "Thanks doc."
"Just find this guy fast. I've seen some nasty stuff, but this takes the cake."
-27th Precinct
Tuesday, June 10
"She was what?" Van Buren asked in disbelief.
"Awake," Ed confirmed, "Man, I can't wait to see them sick a needle in this guy."
"You still have to catch him," Van Buren noted. "Where are we on that?"
"So far two choices, "The blonde or the brunette, and that's all we have."
"Then go out there and get some more," Van Buren said. "And quickly, One Police Plaza has started making noise that Major Cases is better equipped to handle this investigation."
"You're not going to let them hand this case to that ghoul Goran?" Lenny exclaimed.
"If you two can't give me something more than 'maybe a blonde' there's not a whole lot I can do," Van Buren sighed. "Look do you think this blonde thing is for real?"
"It could just be a coincidence that the blonde was looking for someone with the same day of birth as the victim." The tone in Lenny's voice left little doubt how he felt on the matter.
"This guy was the last person to be seen with Rachel Dietz," Ed pointed out. "At the very least he might know something more about what happened to her."
Van Buren nodded, "Point to Detective Green. Find out who that guy is and what he knows."
"Hey you don't need to tell me how to do my job!" Lenny snapped.
"I should hope not," Van Buren shot back. The phone on Van Buren's desk rang. "Yes?" She asked into the phone, "Okay, they'll be right there." She hung up the phone. "Rachel Dietz's parents are here."
Ed, Lenny and Van Buren met Mr. And Mrs. Dietz's parents in one of the precinct's interview rooms. The couple was a distinguished pair who favored the understated trappings of the truly affluent.
"Thank you for coming all this way Mr. And Mrs. Dietz," Van Buren said, taking the lead in the interview. "I know this is a difficult time for you, but we need you to look at this photograph to confirm out identification of the body." She reached into a folder and removed an eight by ten photo of Rachel Dietz's body lying in the morgue.
"Oh god, Rachel!" Mr. Dietz exclaimed.
"Yes, that's my daughter," Mrs. Dietz said. She was obviously doing everything she could to retain the air of dignity she presented. "When can we have her body transported back to San Francisco?"
"As soon as the ME signs off on the remains," Van Buren assured them. "Now my detectives are going to ask you some questions about Rachel. It might seem like they're trying to find something wrong with her, but they're not. Right now the only way we're going to find the person who did this is by recreating your daughter's actions in New York."
"And you're going to ask us if our daughter was some kind of a degenerate?" Mrs. Dietz asked sharply. "Did she do drugs or something else that would put her in with an unsavory crowd?"
"Not those exact words," Lenny admitted, "but something like that."
"I'm sure Rachel smoked pot, or took peyote or mescaline, but only for religious reasons. She went on vision quests, and the drugs aid them."
"I'll bet," Ed muttered.
"But as far as I know Rachel never bought drugs from a pusher. They were gifts from her friends in the community." Mrs. Dietz insisted. "My daughter was not some drug fiend."
"And our labs agree," Van Buren said soothingly. "Do you know if your daughter had any enemies, a jealous ex-boyfriend, anyone who might have a grudge against her?"
"No, everyone loved Rachel, she had this presence about her...she loved everyone unconditionally and people responded to that. I always said she must have absorbed some residual LSD from my hippy days because Rachel is a flower child. She believes...believed that we are all connected."
"Our daughter was a good person," Mr. Dietz exclaimed. "She might not have gone to church, but she was a good soul, an innocent. The fault here lies entirely with the sick bastard who cut my little girl open. You find this guy and you put a bullet in his head."
"That will be for the courts to decide," Van Buren replied.
"She was so happy to make this trip. She kept saying it was the start of a new day, a new beginning," Mrs. Dietz said.
"Do you know why she felt this way?" Ed asked.
"I think it had something to do with that earthquake a few months ago. You know, the one that destroyed that town. What was it called, Sunville? Something like that. It affected Rachel, well, it affected a lot of people. We all thought it was the One you know. And when it turned out not to be it was like a weight was lifted from her shoulders. She was so excited about this convention..." Mrs. Dietz sobbed quietly.
"Thank you very much Mr. and Mrs. Dietz," Van Buren said. "If we need anything else we will be in touch. An officer will take you back to your hotel."
As the Dietzs walked out of the interview room Detective Morales entered. She dropped a large pile of paper on the table in front of Lenny and Ed. "Here you go," she said.
"What's all this?" Ed asked.
"San Francisco PD just faxed over their interviews with Rachel Dietz's friends and coworkers."
"They're certainly efficient," Lenny noted as he stared at the piles of paper.
"And we get to read all of it," Ed told his partner, "After we head back to the Aviary and talk to a few more people."
On their second visit to the club the cleaning crews had finished their work and now the staff was bustling about getting the club ready for the night's business.
"Hello again," Lenny told the bouncer, "We need to talk to all your waitresses who worked last night."
"Go on in, they're all here," the bouncer replied.
Lenny and Ed walked up to the first waitress they saw, "Excuse me," Ed said, "Do you recognize this woman?" He held out the picture of Rachel Dietz.
"Yeah, she was here last night. This the broad you found dead in the park? Roy was talking about how you two were in here earlier."
"Roy also mentioned she left with someone, did you happen to get a look at him?" Lenny asked.
"You mean Lover boy?"
"Lover boy?" Ed asked.
"That guy's a regular, comes in once a week, chats up a few ladies. I've never seen him leave with anyone till last night. You don't think he?"
"At this point we can't say anything for sure. What can you tell us about the guy?" Ed prompted.
"He was a real odd ball, tall, dark hair, wasn't bad looking, but he just seemed..."
"Odd?" Lenny suggested.
"Yeah, odd. Like this one time, the guy comes up to me and asks me what my sign was. I've been hit on by a lot of guys, but that's the first time I've ever heard anyone try that line."
"What did you tell him?"
"The truth, Sagittarius."
Lenny nodded, "We're going to need you to come down to the station and talk to a sketch artist."
The waitress's eyes widened, "So this guy really is the killer?"
"Right now we just want to find the guy and talk to him," Ed insisted. He handed the waitress his card. "If you could go down to the station tonight we'd really appreciate it."
The waitress nodded, "Sure thing, anything I can do to help."
"Well that was a start," Ed said to his partner as they left the club.
"I would have liked a name," Lenny groused.
"Hey man, any leads in this case are a good thing," Ed replied. "And I think I just found the mother lode." He pointed up at a surveillance camera. "Hey!" Ed shouted at the bouncer, "does that thing record onto a tape?"
-NYPD Video Lab
Tuesday, June 10
"Okay detectives, here we go." The video technician said. "At eight o clock we have our victim entering the club." The technician cued the tape to the indicated time. "She then leaves two hours later with this guy." He advanced the tape to show Rachel Dietz walking away from the camera. Walking next to her was a tall man with dark hair.
"Do we have any shots of his face?" Lenny asked.
The technician shook his head, "Not leaving the club, it'll take some time to find out when he got in since I don't have a face to work with. I can give you his approximate height and weight though."
"Yeah, do that," Ed told the man.
"Okay, you're looking for a guy who's about six feet three inches tall, and weighs about 220 pounds."
"Six three, 220, well that narrows the search down," Lenny quipped.
"Give me a couple of hours and I might have something for you," the technician said apologetically. "Until then this is the best I've got."
Ed nodded, "Page me as soon as you have something," he instructed the tech.
"I always do," the tech replied as the detectives left the lab.
"Now what?" Ed asked Lenny.
Lenny stifled a yawn. "Bed, there isn't anything more we can do today but spin our wheels."
"Ok, I'm going to look over that stuff we got from San Francisco for a little while."
"Don't burn yourself out," Lenny cautioned. "A case like this can eat you up in a hurry."
"Hey I'm cool, just doing what LT said, closing the case in a hurry."
"If you say so, hey maybe tomorrow we'll catch a break."
-to be continued-