Picture Perfect

Chapter 43

Hayley, Kayla, Chyler and I worked for another two hours without much progress. We went over every scrap of information we had plus what John had given us from the FBI database again but we weren't coming any closer to an answer.
Hayley was obviously frustrated, "I don't get it! How can someone be this fucking good every time? It doesn't make sense."
"Well we don't often investigate serial killers. The only other one in the city I can thing of was before our time with MPD." I replied.
"I say we drink ourselves silly cause going over this stuff is getting us nowhere." Hayley suggested.
"You guys have at it. I definitely live further away than walking distance so I'll refrain." Chyler said.
I laughed, "Honestly between this house and Kayla's across the alley there are plenty of beds to crash in if you need to."
"Can I get everyone another round?" Hayley asked and we all nodded.

We spent the next hour or so just joking around and drinking. I was almost able to forget there was a crazy psycho gunning for me and my family.
Our fun was interrupted by a text Chyler got from Cassidy. "Guys, Cassidy's friend found out what portrait studio those picture came from."
    "Holy shit, that's huge." Hayley said and grabbed my laptop. "What's the place?"
    "Visual Image Photography in Milwaukee. It's on North Ave if that helps." Chyler informed us.
    Hayley busily typed away. After finding the companies web site she looked pissed.
    "What's wrong Hayley?" Kayla asked.
    "The site has no employee information."
    "I'll call it in, maybe the computer geeks can find something." I suggested.
    "I'll see if Cassidy's friend can dig up anything more too." Chyler added.
    "Did she say why it took so long to come up with the studio?" Hayley asked Chyler.
"She said the pictures were processed in a private studio. Apparently there are only a hand full of studios who allow their photographers to expose pictures off site." Chyler said as she typed away on her phone.
After I called in what we knew Chyler received another message and said, "I'm not even gonna ask how they found out this info."
"What?" We all asked intently.
"There are three employee's whose names are attached to these family pictures." She said as she pulled up the full email.
I looked over her shoulder as she opened the document from Cassidy's friend. There were three pictures and three names, all women. I yelled, "Son of a bitch!"
Kayla and Hayley both jumped to their feet and saw what had made me so upset.
Chyler remained in the dark, "What's wrong?"
I couldn't speak so Kayla informed her, "That second one is Ashlee's ex, Jenna."
Hayley chimed in, "Yeah she's been on my suspect list."
Chyler looked slightly stunned by this bit of information but tried to keep the focus on work, "Well, umm. I guess in the morning Ash and Hayley should go interview these three women."
"Not me." I quickly responded.
"Why not Ash?" Chyler asked.
"Besides my personal link to Jenna, I'm technically off this case."
"Right, so Hayley can go interview these women and report back tomorrow night?" Chyler said tentatively.
"I'll take Jameson with me." Hayley responded then looked at Chyler. "Think we could get a search warrant so we can look around the portrait studio without a hassle?"
"I'll see what I can do first thing in the morning." Chyler replied.
"Sounds good to me." I replied, then looked to Hayley and Kayla who nodded. "Good! Now that's settled lets talk about sleeping arrangements. Obviously Kayla can walk home but you two are staying. I'll take the air mattress, Hayley the futon and and Chyler you can take my bed."
"Ashlee, I don't want to put you out. I can sleep on the air mattress." Chyler replied.
"Don't worry about it. The air mattress is set up in Bash's room up here. I sleep on it a lot when he stays here so it's fine." I said with a smile. "So how about another round before bed?"
Hayley laughed and said, "At least one more round."
"I'm out ladies. I have a husband waiting on me. Night." Kayla said then left.
Hayley and I looked at Chyler. She laughed and said, "Why not? I'm not going anywhere tonight."

The killer woke up early, anxious for her day to begin. With any luck Ashlee would go into work and find the envelopes she had sent to the detective. Some may think she was tempting fate by sending pictures of her potential victims to the lead detective but she saw it as an added challenge.
As she made her way to one of the families homes she noticed an unfamiliar car in the driveway. It didn't take long to figure out who the car belonged to: there were two people she recognized as detectives from the homicide unit at the door talking to the father. To the killers dismay neither were Ashlee.
Both the other families lived within five minutes of the first family so she decided to swing by the other houses to see what was going on. Sure enough at the other two houses there were unfamiliar vehicles and people. The only thing that bugged the killer that neither Ashlee or Hayley had made appearances at any of the three homes.
The killer decided to swing by Ashlee's house and check on the camera. Ash she parked a few blocks away her phone rang.
"Hello?" she said confused, she was on vacation this week so there was no reason work should be bothering her.
"Hey, there are some police officers at the studio who want to talk to you and your team. Is there any way you can swing by? The other girls are on their way in." The killers boss said.
"Um sure. It'll be about half an hour or so though." The killer replied as evenly as she could manage.
There was a pause which she assumed was her boss relaying that information to the police. Finally her boss came back on the line, "That's fine, just get here as soon as you can." And then she hung up.
The killer sat in her car dumbfounded. "How the fuck did they figure that out so fast? And how the fuck did Ashlee get my envelope? Because obviously that's why the cops are on the correct path. She never left the god damn house though." The killer yelled as she pulled up the live video feed from Ashlee's house. The last time she checked the video it had been yesterday afternoon. She was immediately pissed off at herself for her lack of diligence. After scrolling through a couple hours of footage she found what she was looking for. Two women arrived that she didn't recognize. One of the women had files and envelopes in her hand.
The killer decided she had wasted enough time and started the car. After this meeting with the police she would figure out who those mystery women were. She was slightly nervous about what would happen at the studio but her confidence outweighed her uncertainty. "I'm too good to be caught before my plan is complete!"