Forgive or Forget

Chapter 5

-Detective Mike Riggs-

We've had ten murdered women cases here in Baltimore in the last year. All of the women have been blonde-haired, blue-eyed women. All were strangled and left naked in different areas of Baltimore.

I'm without a clue. No DNA, no fingerprints, nothing. Who the hell is this guy?

"Detective?" The front desk officer peaks into my office.

"Yes?" I reply.

"Liza Kane's mother is here to see you," he informs me.

"Send her in," I sigh.

The mothers and fathers of the murdered women are constantly in contact with me regarding their daughter's cases' progress.

Mrs. Kane enters my office, "I'm so sorry to bother you."

"You're never a bother, Mrs. Kane," I lie.

She smiles, but it doesn't reach her eyes.

She sits across from me, "I just needed an update on Liza's case. I haven't heard from you in a while."

Shit! I can't tell her that we don't have any new leads.

What the hell do I say? "Believe me when I tell you that your daughter's case is my top priority. I have some things that I'm working on, but nothing definitive yet. I'm sorry, Mrs. Kane. I wish I had more to tell you."

Her head drops. She looks like I just kicked her damn dog.

"I understand." She stands. "Thank you for all of your hard work. I hope that someday we'll have justice for Liza."

I stand and reach my hand out to her, and we shake. "Me too, Mrs. Kane, me too."

After promising her that I'll keep her posted on anything new, she leaves my office. I sit back down at my desk; my mind goes to Liza Kane. She was this asshole's last victim. He has a type. If my daughter had blonde hair and blue eyes, I would lock her away until I found this bastard.

The front desk officer returns. "Detective?"

"Yes, Kent?" I reply with a little more irritation than I meant to.

"This just came across the teletype. I thought you would want to see it." Kent hands me papers."

"Thank you, Kent," I say annoyed.

"You're welcome, Detective." Kent once again leaves my office.

I begin to read over the document Kent just handed to me. My eyes widen with every line that I read. It is from the Philadelphia Police Department regarding a serial killer, my serial killer. The M.O. (Modus Operandi - Latin, which translates to Mode of Operation) in the Philadelphia area is identical to my cases.

Five blonde women with blue eyes and each of them was strangled and left naked throughout Philadelphia. All of them and my victims were wearing nothing but bright red lipstick. Well, damn. It brings this case to a whole new level.

I look through the document and see that their serial killing began about a year ago as well. I see that Detective Hank Lynch is the Detective assigned to the Philadelphia cases. Right away, I pick up my phone and call the phone number below his name.

The phone rings a couple of times before someone picks up.

"Detective Lynch."

"Good afternoon, Detective Lynch. My name is Detective Mike Riggs of the Baltimore Police Department. I think that we might be chasing the same serial killer."