Lethal Connections, page 13
Gina looked as if she were debating her choice. “Even so, don’t get any stupid ideas while I’m gone, got it?”
Mark brought the staple gun up to his head as he saluted Gina. Then when he noticed what he had done, he quickly put it back down on the table next to him. “Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing.”
Gina stepped closer to Lance as the two started to make their way out of the morgue.”Do you suppose I should install a nanny cam?”
Lance grinned at her. “Couldn’t hurt. You could always put in a requisition for a live feed camera for the morgue.”
“And what would I put down for the reasoning? To make sure the dead don’t walk off on their own?”
“Something like that.”
As they made their way into the Special Investigations Division office, Lance turned on the interactive display on the back wall. The whiteboard illuminated, and three case folders were projected on the screen. Each folder was labeled with the last name of the victims: Wilcox, Bennet, Reynolds. Lance pulled a photo of each victim from their respective folders. He picked up a smart pen and started to number each photo.
“Wilcox was our first, Bennett came next, and last, Reynolds.”
“Based on preliminary findings, we know that Wilcox was actually killed last.” Gina picked up a smart pen and wrote the number one above it.
“And his cause of death was?” Lance knew all of this, but starting from the beginning sometimes gave him a fresher perspective. Having a different sounding board worked too.
“He had two puncture holes that resembled the size and circumference of a snake bite. The venom released into his bloodstream caused him to choke to death.” Her voice was matter of fact as usual.
“And victim two?” Lance pointed to Bennet’s picture.
“He must have had a higher dose of the venom. His throat was swollen, probably from a severe vomiting spell. He had intestinal bleeding and a brain hemorrhage.”
Lance could not help thinking that was a hell of a way to go. Nothing about that was natural. None of it was. “Victim three? Based on the order of discovery.”
Gina smiled at him before answering. “Was actually killed first. It’s easy to see based on the amount of necrotic tissue.”
“And the face melting?”
“A combination of the lancehead venom and sulfuric acid.” Gina opened a link in a browser window, then typed in the search engine to pull up a location on a map. “The venom came from a snake that’s only known habitat is here. Snake Island, or Ilha da Queimada Grande. It’s thirty-three kilometers off the coast of Brazil.”
“That’s a long way from Louisiana.” Lance would never be caught dead near Snake Island, or alive for that matter, for if he did, he would probably be one of the island’s tragic victims. With so many venomous snakes littering the island, he would be lucky to get out alive.
“And extremely difficult to get to. The Brazilian government has forbidden anyone from exploring the land.”
“And yet somehow they have arrived here.” Lance had been trying to find a way to trace the illegal importation of exotic breeds of animals. That was easier said than done because smugglers found private routes to enter the States. On the rare occasion, animals were found smuggled in containers hidden in luggage on commercial flights, but those were few and far between. He could not imagine what it would be like to work for customs, opening an unsuspecting baggage to find something crawling inside it. That would probably stop the blood pumping in his chest.
“Smugglers, more than likely with extensive knowledge in how to retrieve them. With one snake per meter, that’s only about three feet away from possible death at every turn.”
“Not somewhere I’d ever want to visit.” Lance could understand why officials kept people from traveling to the island.
“These snakes go for up to thirty-K each.”
Lance whistled. “Almost makes the payout worth the risk. So, the victims all had some form of venom in their system. And Reynolds shows the most?”
“Yes. His numbers were off the charts, but that’s not the most disturbing part. The victim was most likely alive when it happened.”
Lance felt that sentence cover the air with its finality. Who in their right mind would ever inflict that kind of death on someone? A crazy lunatic, more than likely. Did Sasha fit that bill? Or was it one of her cronies who did it? “Sounds like a painful way to die. This seems the more violent of the three.”
“It also appears less methodical than the others.”
“How so?”
Gina paused before responding as if choosing the right words. “Almost as if the other two were secondary targets. If I were to kill someone—”
“Planning something?” teased Lance.
Gina grinned. “Always. And never.”
Lance snorted softly. “Remind me never to get on your bad side.”
Gina winked at him. “Precisely. But...as I was saying. If I were to kill someone in a fit of passion or rage, I would want to find a way to deflect my attack by making it look like we have a greater problem on hand.”
“I could see that, but there is another angle we have to consider.”
“What’s that, Sergeant?”
Lance opened up a photo of an African American woman in her early thirties. Her exotic features were accentuated by how her hair was pulled away from her face. She wore her hair wrapped up in a black scarf that wound around the back on her head. Around her neck was a necklace with a diamond skull hanging just above her chest, accentuating the dip between her breasts in the low-plunged shirt. “Sasha Volari.”
“Queen of the underworld,” added Gina nonchalantly.
“What’s that?”
“She’s made headlines on the dark web.”
Dark web? What was Gina talking about now? And how did it have anything to do with this case? Was she holding out on him? He eyed her skeptically, wondering what else she had withheld. “Why is that not in my files?”
“The dark web sometimes deals with unsubstantiated rumors. It’s filled with conspiracy theories that are hard to prove or disprove.”
“So, tell me what you’ve learned.” Knowing Gina, it would be enough to fill a library. This was precisely why he liked having her by his side during tricky investigations. Her role as coroner was just a small slice of her acumen.
“Sasha Volari is the queen of her operation. Something she finds to be of greater importance than the title drug lord.”
“That explains the queen of diamonds.”
“She’s also known to be highly involved in black magic.”
Of course, she was. With all the arrows pointing at Sasha, she was either the one responsible or the target of someone who knew her very well. Another drug lord trying to control the business in the streets? Even so, all of this information didn’t bode well for the woman. “That makes her our number one suspect. From the poppets to the jar found in the tree, all these things could connect directly back to her. Were there any prints or DNA linking them to her?”
Gina shook her head. “None. Whoever placed them was extremely careful not to leave any traces behind.”
“Still, it makes her our number one suspect. Is there anything else that can connect her to the victims?” At this point, Lance was doubtful. If she were such a criminal mastermind, she would have made sure that none of the cards pointed to her. Then again, maybe she didn’t care so much about the consequences. People who were drunk on power often overlooked these things. Besides, it could be a statement to anyone who crossed her. But how were these men connected?
“On Reynolds, there were remnants of small crystals on his face. The lab has identified these as having a component of Cloud 9.”
“Bath salts?” Lance had seen them take over the streets in the past few years. People would try anything to get high, even if it meant drinking a bottle of bleach. Brain cells need not apply these days, apparently.
“Yes. Laced with cathinones and a trace of black mamba venom.”
“Why would it contain venom?” This was something new to him. He had never crossed paths with this information before. Was it really buried so deep that he could not find it? How easy had it been for Gina to find out this information? That woman made him feel like a toddler sometimes, with her ability to find and store information in that head of hers.
“Sometimes venom can be used as an additive to extend a high with less withdrawal after. In some places, cobra bites are a high commodity.”
“People pay for that?” That was some messed-up shit. Lance could not imagine paying someone to let a snake sink its fangs into his flesh. That was most definitely not on his bucket list any time soon, especially considering the carcass that had ruined his sheets. He was half tempted to replace the mattress as his brain kept telling him the snake’s venom was still drenched into it, ready to ooze right into the pores of his skin.
“Those that can afford to. It’s not cheap.”
“So, these drugs are laced with venom. I’ve done a little research on Volari. She’s got several licenses for exotic reptiles, none of which are venomous. But that doesn’t mean she isn’t hiding them somewhere.” That woman had to have a lair of vipers somewhere. The key to everything was finding it.
“True.” Gina seemed to be debating his comment. “You’re less than likely to find them in plain sight, but you never know.”
“I’ll get a warrant to check her premises for reptiles of any kind.” That and any illicit drugs that could be linked to the murders.
“You’ll need a herpetologist to help differentiate between the venomous and nonvenomous,” suggested Gina.
“Is that a volunteer?” It would be much easier to work with Gina than to bring someone else into the mix. She knew the case almost as well as he did, sometimes better, considering her intricate workings on the human bodies in the morgue.
“Sure. You know me. I’m fascinated by them. Plus, it allows me to use one of my other degrees for once.”
Lance shook his head ruefully. “I always knew you were an overachiever.”
“I find it easier to consider myself a lifelong learner.”
“Me too, but most of my knowledge comes from the streets, not a book.” He had never been a fan of book learning, really. His eyes usually glazed over when he tried to read through any textbook. Lance would much rather learn through experience.
“Two infinite resources,” agreed Gina.
“Thank you for your help, Gina. Looks like we’ve got enough of a lead to make some headway. I’ll let you know when I’ve secured the warrant.”
“Any time. Happy to help.” Gina nodded to him as if she understood he was dismissing her.
Lance watched her leave the room, then turned back to the board. All these lines crossed over in different places. He just had to figure out what points on the lines intersected. How were they all connected? This case was not getting any easier. If anything, the more he learned, the more it weighed on him.
Chapter 20
The early morning sun was warming the sky when Lance and Gina made their way down a winding road. Lance kept his eyes trained on the road, not really paying attention to the music on the radio. It was just background noise at this point. Gina sat in the passenger seat next to him, staring out the window with a thoughtful look. That was the status quo for Gina. Lance doubted she had a moment when her mind was not racing a thousand miles per hour.
“You ready for this, Gina?”
Gina blinked and turned to look at him as if she had not remembered she was in the car with someone else. “I suppose. It’s a first for me. I’m never involved in interrogations.”
“There’s a first time for everything.” Although, Lance didn’t plan on her doing much of the interview. She was there to check over any specimens they found on the premises. With what he had learned about Sasha so far, her snakes were almost a part of her personal identity. It made sense that she would have them all over the house. Lance could handle it as long as they were in their proper cages. If they were free-roaming all over the house, he was out.
“I still think I’d rather deal with the dead than the living. They’re more predictable.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.”
Gina’s eyebrows raised comically. “I’m not worried. I know how to handle myself, Sergeant.”
“I’m sure you think you do, but until you are in a situation, you never know what you’ll end up doing.”
“Like shooting a snake that’s five feet away from you?” Her smirk told him she was ready to keep going if he pushed the topic.
“You never know. Just because you think you’d be all calm and collected staring into their eyes, when it actually happens, adrenaline takes over.”
“So, you’re trying to tell me you don’t have a phobia of snakes?”
“Phobia? Not a chance.” Was his dislike of slithering creatures a phobia? He didn’t think so. It was merely a preference that the two of them didn’t exist together in the same place in time. What was so wrong with that?
“And I’ve got an oceanfront property in Missouri I’d like to sell you.” Her face twisted in a grin that made it clear she didn’t believe him in the least.
“You can think what you want.”
“I usually do.”
“Looks like we’re here.” Lance nodded to the right.
The estate of Sasha Volari was a two-story stucco building that had a well-manicured lawn surrounded by landscaping that must take a few hours of upkeep a week to make it stand out from the other houses nearby. The fence surrounding it was bright, intermixed with black wrought iron.
Lance parked his car on the side of the street and looked over at Gina. “You ready for this?”
“I was born ready, Sergeant,” Gina assured him, although she did seem a little more skittish than usual.
Lance opened the gate leading to the estate, and the two of them started up the walkway to the front entrance, which had a covered balcony hanging over the front porch. When Lance knocked on the door, a slight shuffle of feet could be heard on the other side before the door opened.
“Good morning. How may I help you?” An older woman answered the door. Her hair was slicked back into a tight bun, and she was dressed in all black from head to toe.
“I’m Sergeant Knight with the St. Bernard Sheriff’s Office. This is my associate. We’d like to speak with Sasha Volari.”
The woman’s eyes filled with fear momentarily before they clouded over with her sense of duty to her mistress. “I see. One moment, Sergeants.”
The woman closed the door on them, leaving both of them standing on the porch waiting for her return. Lance could not help but notice the smile on Gina’s face. “Something funny?
“Well, that’s a first.”
“What?”
“The first time anyone called me a sergeant, Sergeant.” Her second use of the word sergeant only highlighted the humor in the situation.
Lance snorted and shook his head. “Try not to let it go to your head.”
“Why? I’ll end up like you?” she teased him.
“You should be so lucky,” he returned.
“Don’t think I could hack it?”
“No. I didn’t say that, but—”
“I’d like to see you do my job.” Gina was now giving him more than a passing stink eye.
“No, thank you.”
“That’s what I thought.”
“Can we just agree that we’re better suited to our own professions?” Lance didn’t plan on getting into a pissing match with anyone, especially with someone who would probably find a way to slide a snake in his jacket when he was not looking, just to mess with him. Although Gina would never put a real one in. She would be too afraid he would shoot the damn thing. That idea made him force back a small chuckle.
“What’s so funny, Sergeant?”
“Not a damn thing.”
Before Gina could probe deeper, the door opened once more. The housekeeper barely made eye contact before she ushered them inside. “This way, Sergeants.”
They were led through the main floor from one room to the next, Lance taking in the little details as they passed through each one. Sasha appeared to be a fan of black and gold, as each room had embellishments with those two colors, from the black couches to the gold sashes on the black velvet curtains. Lance didn’t care for the extravagance, but he was not here to take notes from her personal decorator.
The tour stopped just outside the solarium when the housekeeper turned to face them. “Madame Volari is inside the solarium here. She is expecting you.”
Madame? Did she need a title? It was not a proper French title, for all his research indicated that Volari was single; therefore, the appropriate surname would have been mademoiselle. This was far beyond a French flair. Perhaps it was more indicative of her role in acquiring escorts for her customers. It dug deep just thinking about it because that was the same role Lexie could be fulfilling while doing her stint undercover in Volari’s ring. The two of them were on the outs right now, justifiably so. Lance didn’t appreciate that she had been keeping so much from him. He had been nothing but honest with her from the get-go. From here, it was clear their relationship had hit the dying stage. If only Lexie could see that.
As Lance opened the door leading to the solarium, he was surprised to see the room was filled with sunlight from the ceiling to the floor. Large windows surrounded the room on the three outer edges, letting in the light from outside. Various plants were staged around the room, giving an air of a garden paradise. Throughout the room, chairs and small tables were placed in strategic places. It made Lance wonder if this was one of her meeting grounds with her bigger clients or perhaps her underlings.
