A Little Harmless Submission(2)
“Yeah, but I can take the rest of the kid’s statement. Why don’t you get over there with the body, talk to the geeks?”
Rome wanted to correct Jack’s use of the name, but decided to ignore it. Jack was the kind of cop that would use the science CID gave them, but hated it just the same. It was one of the things that had always been a bone of contention between the two of them. Thank God Jack wasn’t Rome’s responsibility anymore.
“Sure. I got up to the part where he and his other underage buddy parted ways because of a hot girl.”
Jack shot him a grin. “Hey, it happens.”
Rome chuckled as he turned and worked his way toward the scene. He could just imagine what it had been like for a woman to walk down the alley. Lights illuminated the dark corners now, but it would have been gloomy, dank…not to mention the smell of rotting food and booze. No one, whether woman or man, would walk down this alley without a purpose in mind. And definitely not alone.
The first person to notice him was Tim Takewodo, a first-rate detective with the CSI. He had been the lead on all the investigations so far, and having him there made Carino feel somewhat better.
“Hey, Carino. Glad to see that you got the call.”
He nodded. “What ya have?”
Tim’s smile faded. “Raped. Beaten, strangled. Coroner will have to give us the exact way she died. Panties are missing again.”
He shot Tim a look.
“Yeah, I’m guessing manual strangulation like the others, and I’m sure he also used a scarf. I’m sure we will find the same fibers on her. I take it you know her?”
He looked back down at the young woman. He had seen her at Rough ‘n Ready once or twice. “She looks a little familiar. I didn’t recognize the name, but since I started working homicide, I haven’t had as much time over at Rough ‘n Ready.”
It was a half-truth. Rome was avoiding his friends. He’d had to distance himself from his friends to make sure there were no questions later. He had learned a long time ago to never take anything for granted. He knew in his gut that Micah and Evan had nothing to do with this, but he needed that separation to make sure they didn’t get tangled up in the investigation.
“They have a lot of new members, and with the new club opening on the other side of the island, they had to hire new people. She might be one of the newbies.”
Tim sighed. “I’d lay odds. And this makes the fourth one.”
Rome nodded, knowing it would prick the interest of the FBI. Dammit, he wasn’t in the mood to deal with the feds. They would definitely come in and take over the case. “Find anything new?”
“Nope. Again, we can’t be sure she was raped until there’s a kit done.”
Rome wanted to argue. Because the first three women had been regulars or worked at Rough ‘n Ready, people thought they were into any kind of rough sex. Because a person was into BDSM didn’t mean they would do something stupid. In fact, a lot of times, people in the life were smarter than most about that part of their life. Anyone with any sense wouldn’t end up having sex in an alley of Kuhio Street. It was one of the rougher parts of Honolulu. Why leave the nice, warm environment of Rough ‘n Ready and wander into a backstreet that would leave them vulnerable? Didn’t make sense, but it was his job to make it make sense.
Rome glanced around. “Have you seen a car nearby that might be hers?”
“They did a search. Haven’t found it, but that doesn’t mean anything. You know if she was club hopping…”
She could have parked anywhere in the area. Tonight’s weather aside, a person could probably bet on warm enough weather to make it from here to at least a bus stop.
“Thanks, Tim.”
He turned and saw the coroner had arrived. The sooner they got the poor woman out of here, the better. And then maybe they could find the bastard who did it.
Rome looked out over the crowd, wondering where the son of a bitch was hiding.
· · · · ·
Maria Callahan pretended to be reading something on her computer as she waited. Still, she couldn’t stop her toe from tapping. She wasn’t very good at waiting. It was one of the few lessons her father had failed to teach her. It was hard to be patient when something that could make or break your career was being decided.
She knew this was The Dom. Maria grimaced. That name irritated her, but reporters thought it was catchy. Damn reporters were making it damned hard to catch him. These new killings in Hawaii were him. She could feel it to her bones. Besides that, she had done enough research to know it was him. Her plan could work, and for once, she had worked up the nerve to approach her supervisor about it. It was unorthodox, but it could work.