CJ moved to the table and watched as Cooper opened the envelope and pulled out a manila file folder.
By the time Braddock returned with the coffeepot and three mugs hooked on his fingers, Cooper had a number of photos and reports spread across the table.
“Thanks, partner,” she said as he set the cups and the pot on the rustic table amid her display.
CJ leaned down, took a closer look. “Crime scene photos?”
“That’s right.” Cooper poured herself a cup of coffee. “All believed to be Nash’s work.”
CJ shuddered, drew back. She noticed that there wasn’t one of Shelley. She was glad.
“Did you drive through the village before coming here?” Braddock wanted to know.
“I did. Chief Spencer gave us the two cops you asked for. Metcalf is watching the alley behind the Patterson house and Wallace has the front.” She reached into her back pocket and pulled out a folded-up envelope. “By the way, Lusk stopped by and stuck this on your door.”
“Why are they watching the house?” CJ had just assumed that since she wasn’t there, the surveillance wouldn’t be necessary. She accepted the envelope and opened it. “The key to the clinic.” Good. Part of her was glad she hadn’t had to face Juanita to get it.
Braddock passed CJ a cup of coffee, then poured one for himself. “If Nash gets any ideas about checking out your story, he won’t have any luck getting into the house.”
“Good point.” CJ hadn’t thought of that. Good thing she wasn’t a cop. She placed the key on the table. Braddock picked it up and tucked it into his pocket. “That’s one obstacle out of the way.”
“Okay.” Cooper gestured to her display of photos and reports. “All of the murders, including Shelley’s and Banks’s, have similarities. The murderer took a souvenir of sorts. Tongue, ear, foot, hand, et cetera. With Kimberly’s murder, he did the same, but he also left a written message—like the E. Noon or No One messages that have been left thistime.” Cooper shrugged. “Sort of, anyway.” She picked up the evidence photo of the note Braddock had gotten when his niece went missing and placed it atop the others. “The one thing that these two recent murders have in common that none of the others do is the staging. That’s the part that doesn’t add up to me.”
“Maybe he’s trying to be clever,” CJ suggested. “He gets off on making other people look stupid. Maybe he thinks this is like an in-your-face thing directed at Braddock and you.”
Cooper downed a slug of coffee. “That’s a definite possibility. He likes kicking us in the teeth. There is also the possibility that it isn’t Nash.”
“But when you consider the most recent victims,” Braddock offered, “the one thing all three have in common is Tyrone Nash.”
“And living in the village,” CJ added. “Each was involved in drugs and prostitution.” She steeled herself against the emotions that tried to pound her composure. “Shelley was turning her life around, but ...” She moistened her lips. “Those activities were still a part of her recent history.”
Braddock tapped one of the photos. “The other sticking point is there was no signature at the scene where Celeste’s body was discovered.”
“Tyrone definitely killed her,” CJ protested. “He as much as said he did when he threatened me. Carter Cost had a motive for wanting Shelley out of his way, but even if he had killed her, like you said,” she directed at Braddock, “he had no reason to kill Ricky or Celeste.”
“Just because we haven’t found the signature yet doesn’t mean it isn’t there,” Cooper argued. “The ME may find something on or in the body that we missed.”
“True,” Braddock allowed. “What we need now is to make Tyrone believe that CJ has something real on him. Maybe get him in a better negotiating posture.”
CJ was counting the hours until her meeting with Tyrone. She tried not to be nervous, but her efforts were failing miserably. “He’ll want at least a glimpse of the tape as proof.”
“Exactly.” Cooper walked over to the bags she’d brought with her. “On my way here I stopped at Walmart.” She looked from CJ to Braddock. “We’re going to make some porn.”
“Okay.” Cooper sat back on the wood beam. “Hand the camera up to me.”
Braddock stood on the bed and extended the handheld video camera to his partner. “You need anything else up there?”
“That’ll do it.” Cooper flashed one of those cheeky grins of hers. “Everything else is up to you two.”
CJ felt her pulse skip. This had seemed like a really good idea when Cooper had come up with it. But now CJ wasn’t so sure.
“You’re still okay with this?”
CJ met the question in Braddock’s eyes. Suffered a moment of doubt. Why was she second-guessing herself? It was the right thing to do. “I’m good. Let’s do it.”
“You’re going to have to look naked,” Cooper reminded from her position on the ceiling beam.
Yeah ... that was the problem.
