Page 77 of Royal
Chapter 18
Gray
Phoenix asked me to accompany him and Luke to the small town in Oklahoma where the new victim had been found. He wanted to investigate the crime scene and look at the body, just to make sure it was, indeed, the same killer.
I had no authority across state lines, but he said my experience with the case could help the police department there. That was the top priority: catch Ameinias so he couldn’t hurt anyone else.
Officers from my department had gone to scope out the festival, just to make sure the people were safe. I’d intended to go to the festival with Royal, but it made me feel better to know my men were on-site if something were to happen. Ruby had the day off, but she was attending with Yuna, so she’d still be there.
The drive to Oklahoma was about an hour and a half, and by the time we got there, it was nearly noon. Stereotypes were bullshit, but the town looked exactly like one of those rinky-dink southern towns from the movies with all the rednecks, farms, and rundown gas stations.
Thankfully, the farther we drove into town, the more civilized it became. A lot of banks, grocery stores, and old houses. One Wal-Mart and a million fast-food restaurants.
Once we arrived at the police station, we got out of the SUV and went inside. The officers gave us suspicious looks. Some looked like they didn’t want us there at all. Many of them glared and others narrowed their eyes. One of them spat tobacco in a Coke can as he eyed us.
“Damn. Is this how we looked when you guys showed up at our station?” I asked Phoenix.
He gave me a tightlipped smile. “They actually look friendlier than you did.”
“Sorry.”
His eyes gleamed with the smile he didn’t let surface.
I felt like I’d made a friend in Phoenix. There wasn’t tension between us, and none of that ‘my gun is bigger than yours’shit. We understood each other, both professionally and on a personal level.
Phoenix greeted the chief of police before introducing me and Luke.
“One of my guys found the body late last night,” the man said, putting his hands on his hips, fingers resting on his gun. Like he was telling ushewas the man in charge. “Got a call from a concerned citizen. They thought the woman was drunk and had passed out near the water. Upon closer inspection, that’s when it became clear she was dead. Blood all over her. When I saw the flowers, I remembered the story out of Addersfield about the Vanity Killer using ‘em with his victims.”
“So, you gave the story to the papers right away?” I asked, not impressed by him in the least.
“I don’t appreciate your tone.” He glared at me through his glasses. “I did what I thought was best for my community. If the killer is here, they need to know.”
“We’d like to see the crime scene,” Phoenix said, shifting the focus back to him. Probably before I could piss anyone off. “And any photos taken before the scene was disturbed. We’d also like to see the body.”
A shame we hadn’t been able to get there before they’d moved the body and contaminated the scene, but we had to make do with what we had.
The chief looked like he was going to say something snippy, but he held it back. An FBI agent was way more intimidating than me, and the man apparently knew when to shut his pie hole.
“Who’s the officer that found the body?” Phoenix asked.
A younger cop whose name badge said Smith walked forward. “I did, sir.” He had short blond hair and a rounded face. Judging by the fear in his eyes, I’d guess it was the first dead body he’d seen. “Do you want me to take you to the scene?”
Phoenix nodded. “That’d be excellent.” He looked at the chief of police. “I’d also like information on the victim when she’s identified.”
After getting back into the SUV, we followed behind Officer Smith’s cruiser. Phoenix didn’t say much as we drove to the location. I liked that he wasn’t much of a talker, because I wasn’t, either. Sometimes I liked the silence. It helped me gather my thoughts.
The day was hotter than the average for May, and as we parked and started walking across the grass, I felt the back of my neck start to sweat. Great. We went from allergy-infested spring straight into a summer heat. The only season I liked was fall. Not too hot or too cold, and it didn’t storm much.
I caught myself and shook my head. As usual, I was a bitter bastard who hated pretty much everything.
“This is where I found her,” Officer Smith said, pointing to a spot near the muddy riverbank.
“How was the body displayed?” I asked.
“She was on her stomach, face down in the mud, and her clothes were torn to shreds.”
“Wait.” Phoenix snapped his head toward the officer and walked closer. “She was dressed?”
