What forms beyond clouds? Part 4

By late afternoon, the case was starting to pick up speed; the identity of both disemboweled victims had moved the investigation along considerably. All through the day, the sun had burned hot through the window panes and the afternoon saw the squad room in a cluster of papers and folders, the buzz of telephone calls and keyboards clicking with the occasional grunts and sighs. The room was warm with the scent of afternoon coffee, freshly brewed and brought out from the break room by Buzz.

Mike Tao lounged back in his chair and turned away from his computer screen. He covered a yawn and worked the kinks in his neck before he addressed the team.

"I found something interesting," Mike started. He waited a breath as everyone looked up.

Once he knew he had their attention, he continued, "Now, both Martin Brooks and Bill Lawrence have a sealed juvenile record from 1983. They were 15 at the time."

Julio swiveled around on his chair to better face him. The other detective had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt and undone the top buttons of his shirt as the day had progressed. "Juvenile records? Both of them? Sounds suspicious."

Mike tapped a few keys and changed the screen back to the old records he had found collecting dust in some obscure corner of the internet, "Suspicious, yes I'd daresay. It's a rather dicey connection between the two."

Martin Brooks, as it turned out, had a long list of questionable clients with Bill Lawrence among them.

Amy Sykes joined the conversation from her own desk, "So not only are Bill and Martin old high school friends and Martin recently represented Bill in a lawsuit, and won on meager grounds from what I can read, but they also both had sealed juvenile records?"

"And they both ended up dead with their entrails hanging out," Julio stated with an askew smile, "I'm thinking revenge killing. It takes guts," here Julio paused and the dark smile grew, "to pull guts out of people."

Mike shook his head at the humor but he felt the corners of his own mouth turn upwards.

"Revenge for what, exactly? Brooks' defense of Lawrence in court? Or revenge that has something to do with the sealed juvenile record?" Provenza commented from behind his crossword puzzle, the newspaper held up in front of him, while his legs rested on the edge of his desk.

"Both could be motives," Mike supplied.

Provenza lowered the newspaper, his expression thoughtful. "Maybe it's something completely different; something personal. Maybe the wife found out about the affairs? Maybe Old Billy boy was in on the affairs? Hmm?"

Mike caught Amy rolling her eyes, a smile prominent on her lips.

"Maybe," Mike shrugged, not really convinced it was as simple as that.

Mike quickly highlighted the case number on the page on his screen and then informed the others, "I think the juvenile record might play a larger role. It's the same case number on the records for both men and the recent lawsuit against Bill Lawrence was in connection to stalking and assault charges, right."

"So maybe whoever Bill Lawrence stalked and beat up, decided to take matters into their own hands when the case was dismissed in court," Andy said from his desk. He was turning pages in the many folders from the December case, trying to tie it together with Brooks and Lawrence.

"That would be Daisy Higgs," Amy quickly provided, "and the case only got dismissed because an eyewitness changed their testimony at the last moment."

Mike shook his head in sadness at that piece of information, the action mirrored in Julio's darkened expression and the downturned mouth on Andy.

"Oh, it doesn't get any more questionable than that; eyewitnesses changing their testimony at the very last moment," Provenza commented with a dramatic flair as he swiveled on his chair. "I would bet my pension that there was either blackmail or bribery involved."

"Possibly, but it gets worse," Amy agreed, her eyes on the procedural readings from the trial in her hands. "Daisy Higgs lost her job because of a broken arm and other injuries from the assault. She missed out on a lot of work. She worked the nightshift at a local factory and when she was fired, she lost her health insurance as well. Her lawyer was working pro bono on the case."

"Where is Daisy now?" Andy asked.

"Good question, lieutenant," Amy replied with a sad look, "homeless, I think. There's no forwarding address and she lost the apartment she used to live in when she couldn't pay rent."

"Maybe her lawyer will know where she is," Andy shrugged, "who was the prosecutor?"

"A…," Amy looked down in her notes, "- a Gavin Q Baker. The third."

Andy chuckled and then expelled an amused, "Damn."

Provenza let out an anguished groan and Mike could not help but smile at their antics, sharing a look with Julio who also found their behavior amusing.

"What?" Amy looked around confused, "You all know this Mr Baker?"

"You could say that," Andy grinned playfully. "Mr. Baker, the Third mind you, defended me back in the day and," here Andy lowered his voice, "he happens to go out with our Captain, occasionally."

"What? Who?" Amy turned around to look at the empty office of the Captain, "Captain Raydor? She's dating a lawyer?"

Mike shook his head; Amy was clueless at times.

Provenza rolled his eyes and then loudly proclaimed, his voice gleeful, "God no, Sykes. Gavin Baker is gay. And for the record, Sykes, whatever the Captain does in her free time it's none of our business."

The old man was not looking at Sykes but glaring at Flynn, "And I'm sure the Captain would like to give Mr. Baker a call herself once she gets back from…," Provenza looked around. "Where the hell is she?"

"Meeting with Taylor and Pope," Andy said without preamble and then shrugged when Provenza continued to glare at him.

Provenza grumbled something inaudibly.

Amy spoke up, "Do we really think that Daisy Higgs, who is 5.4 and in poor health by the way, managed to lure both Martin Brooks and Bill Lawrence to Griffith Park and then killed both men?"

Mike answered, "I wouldn't say it was beyond the realm of possibilities. We have seen a number of murders committed where the killer was of slight built and appeared to be physically unable to kill anyone but managed to anyway. Maybe Daisy had help? Maybe she hired a contracted killer?"

"With no money?" Amy shot back. "Hitmen don't exactly go around doing work pro bono."

"Doctor Morales said the men were likely drugged, right?" Julio intervened.

"Yeah," Andy replied, "Only the toxicology report won't be in until next month, so we won't know for sure."

"If she drugged them – with sedatives – it is possible for her to have done it. Though there is still the question about how she got both men out to the Park? And why were the bodies killed miles apart?" Mike wondered, "And why disembowelment as a method of killing? It's a very messy, direct method."

"Maybe Martin Brooks tried to get away and he ran through the park before she caught up with him?" Julio wondered out aloud.

"Everything you've said Mike, makes sense if we look at the disembowelment as a contained event, but what about the double homicide from December? How does it fit in?" Andy asked. "I mean, if Daisy Higgs is a suspect, then we have to assume she killed the two men in December as well. From what I can tell, there's no link between the two men from December and Lawrence and Brooks."

Mike leaned back in his chair, pensive, "No link at all?"

Andy cleared his throat, "There's no direct link as far as I can tell. The similarities in the two double homicides are uncanny though. We have two double homicides, all four men in their late forties and then we have the Lawyer/Client angle in both murders as well. Dennings was a lawyer and Brooks was a lawyer and they were both defending their clients on charges of stalking and battery of some kind and," Andy briefly turned a page in the initial report from Lieutenant Renner, "… and in both cases the lawsuits were otherwise dismissed."

"We're definitely talking about a vigilante killer then," Julio intervened. "Someone who doesn't agree with what the court ruled. Or maybe someone who knows both Daisy Higgs and the other woman who was assaulted."

"That seems highly likely," Mike agreed, "or it could be a copy-cat killer? The two cases could be separate?"

"The existence of the guilty tattoos weren't made public in December," Andy replied, looking thoughtful, "Although, looking at the method of killing, then it could be two separate murders. Dennings and Reginald died from a very high overdose of opiates."

Mike hummed, taking in all the new information.

Andy continued talking, "James Reginald from December had a long history of drug abuse, battery charges and domestic violence and a reputation of being a not so nice man. In contrary to that, Bill Lawrence appeared to be well-liked on the surface. Before the court case against him, there were no other complaints sans the juvenile record."

"Perhaps Bill Lawrence was better at hiding his true nature. The sealed juvenile record seems to suggest so," Mike ventured.

"We need to compile a list of suspects for the December case as well," Provenza said. "Starting with the girl who lost the lawsuit. Let's focus on her and Daisy Higgs for now, and their close relatives and friends. Maybe Daisy Higgs had a boyfriend at the time, or a brother."

"And we need another warrant," Andy sighed, "For Denning's law practice and clients."

Provenza nodded, "Until all the warrants go through, let's first see what the wives have to say about their husbands. Hmm. Patrol is bringing in Mrs. Lawrence and Mrs. Brooks about now."

Provenza put aside his crossword puzzle and then waved a hand at Mike to get the murder board covered.

Mike quickly got up from his chair and grabbed the control to get the boards covered, taking the opportunity to stretch his back.

…