Page 19

Angus's eyes ached as he started another video. Thanks to the casino's facial recognition software, they had a lot of videos of Dawn and Mel together at the casino. They even had them arriving and leaving the parking lot. What they didn't have was video of Mel's car along the highway, but at least they had a timeline. The two had left the casino at nearly two in the morning. At normal speeds, it would have taken nearly two hours to get to the rest stop where Dawn had been raped, then another thirty minutes to get to where they'd found her body. It at least gave them a timeframe to search as they looked through the videos.

"We don't know how long they were at the rest stop. It could have been hours after."

"Could have been, but I got the impression from Dawn it was still dark. I wish we'd asked her for more of a timeframe, but if he hit her in the head before tossing her in the back of the car, I'm not sure she'd know. But at least she could have told us if the sun was starting to rise." Franks took a long sip of his soda that was left over from lunch.

"It's got to be here. We've found him on the road before the rest stop. That leaves us two cameras to where we found her body, and one more before he would have pulled into the main area of Fairway." Angus looked at the time on the video. "I'm looking at everything from three on. I never realized how little traffic is out that way at night."

It took another hour before they'd found the videos they were looking for. In some of the first ones, before the rest stop, Dawn was visible in the front seat as they drove by. In the later videos, it appeared Mel was driving alone. The videos weren't quality, but it would hopefully be enough to get them an arrest warrant. At least they had more than enough to bring Mel Wickman in for questioning.

"Let's go pick him up for questioning. Hopefully by the time we do that, Detective Burns has the judge sign an arrest warrant." Angus stood and shoved his phone into his pocket. "I have no idea if the mayor keeps security around every day or if she just calls them in when she goes out."

"Neither do I. Guess we'll find out." Franks stood. "We can run by his home if he's not in the office. Worst case, we get him later tonight at his house."

"Worst case is he's skipped town, and we don't get him at all. I can't imagine he thinks he can get away with this. He had to have known her body would be found eventually and we'd link him to her." Angus headed out of the office.

"I can't help wondering what he had planned for her after the rape, before she fled from the car. Was he just going to drop her off at home and hope she didn't report it, or was he planning on killing her all along?" Franks pulled out a stick of gum.

"The fact he didn't use a condom makes me think he either figured he could talk her into silence, or he wasn't going to let her live." Angus shook his head as Franks offered him gum. "From what Lance said, there was plenty of bruising from the initial attack when he raped her. People would have asked questions."

"Yeah, and I get the impression Dawn wasn't the type to stay silent over something like this. She would have pressed charges. What I'm wondering is if Mel's raped before. You'd think if he had, he would have had a better plan to cover his actions. He has to know a rape kit would find DNA. Not using a condom just blows my mind. Did he even know if she was on birth control?" Franks sighed. "My gut says something snapped and he attacked without thinking. Once he had her in the car after the rape, he started to realize what he'd done and was trying to think things through. When she leaped out of the car, he panicked again."

Once in the car, Angus started it. He took a deep breath, trying to mentally get himself ready to confront Mel. He hated this part of his job. He never knew how a suspect would react when they went to arrest them. It could be a simple job, and Mel would willingly come with them, or he could run and try to escape. Or the more dangerous option, Mel could choose to fight. That never ended well. Angus couldn't count the number of bruises he'd acquired from taking down a resisting suspect. He'd even had his nose broken once due to an elbow to the face from one suspect.

"Hopefully, human resources didn't tell everyone Dawn was dead and Mel might be thinking he's in the clear for now. He probably thinks the longer it takes to find her body, the less likely people will think of him as a suspect." Franks reached out and hit the button to turn down the air conditioning.

"Wonder what he'd say if he knew Dawn was still around and telling us exactly what happened?" Angus grinned.

"Wonder if news got out that ghosts could stick around if the murder rate would drop?"

"Doubtful. Most these killers are mentally ill. I doubt fear of a ghost is going to get them to stop. Maybe in cases like this one it would make a difference, but not in our bigger serial killer cases." Angus pulled into the parking lot of the city center. He found a parking spot near the doors and shut off the car. "I really hope he's here. I enjoy perp walking a suspect out of their workplace."

"Especially when we know for sure he's guilty." Franks opened his door.

The two of them walked inside and made their way to the mayor's office again. A girl they didn't recognize was at the desk this time.

"Welcome to the mayor's office. How can I help you?" The redheaded woman looked to be barely out of her teens.

"Hi, I'm Detective Franks. We are hoping to speak with Mel Wickman. He's on the mayor's security team." Franks took the lead as he approached the desk.

"Then he'd be out with the mayor right now. They are at the official opening of that new skate park off Williams. You know the one across the street from the movie theater?"

"The Fairway Theater?" Angus asked.

"Yeah, that's the one. The event is scheduled at four and the mayor is speaking. You can probably catch Mel there, but I don't know if he'll have time to speak with you since he'll be working." She looked at a paper beside her computer. "The mayor will be back here by six. Her security team will escort her into the office, then be done for the day. You could come back then."

"Thanks. We'll try to catch them at the skate park. If we miss them, we'll be back." Franks smiled at the young woman and turned.

Angus followed Franks out after giving the woman a nod of thanks. "This should be interesting. The media will be there. Do we want to wait?"

Franks shook his head. "The media will find out sooner or later anyway. Let's just get him in custody before he runs. We'll do it as quickly and quietly as possible, but I don't want to give him any more time to consider fleeing."

"I hear ya. I'd have been out of the country by now," Franks told him .

"You wouldn't have raped and killed someone so you had to flee," Angus grumbled as they got back into the car.

"That is true." Franks shook his head. "Up until now, this guy has had a good life. It only took one night to destroy it all."

Angus nodded. He didn't feel any pity for Mel Wickman. The man had raped and killed a woman. So far, the only reason that Angus could find was that she wasn't ready to sleep with him yet. No matter the reason, Mel Wickman had committed a crime and there would be no excuse for his actions that would be good enough. He would face responsibility for his actions and Angus would enjoy making it happen.

He headed to the new skate park, hoping they didn't have to park a mile away. He had no clue how popular skate parks were, especially one that was opening on a weekday when people were still at work. At most, he expected a bunch of kids who had just gotten out of school to be crowding the area.

As they neared the area, Angus was glad to see the crowd wasn't very large. A few media vans parked along the curb and the parking lot was nearly full, but he easily found a place to park. They took a moment to make sure they had everything they needed and were walking toward the crowd when Angus's phone rang. He pulled it out and answered. He listened for a few moments, then grinned at Franks as he ended the call. "Amy got us our arrest warrant. The judge was playing golf with the district attorney, and she caught them having drinks. The district attorney says we have enough to charge him. The judge agreed. We've also got warrants to search his house and his car, along with a warrant for his phone records. You got cuffs on you?"

Franks nodded. "Grabbed them just in case he put up a fight coming in for questioning."

"Good." Angus was looking forward to this now. Walking Mel out in handcuffs would be a lot more fun than just escorting him out for questioning. It would draw more attention, but Angus didn't care. As far as he was concerned, he wanted the world to know what Mel Wickman did. Dawn deserved to have what he did to her out in the open for everyone to see.

They casually made their way through the crowds which were mostly kids with their mothers or teenagers gathered together in groups. The media was lined up along one area of the grass, and signs and advertisements were pasted on every pole or tree around the area. The skate park itself was impressive, and Angus thought about how much fun he would have had if there had been a place like this back when he'd been younger. As they got closer to the small stage, he saw the mayor standing with several other people. A long red ribbon was stretched around one area of the skate park, and he saw a large pair of scissors leaning against a tree beside it.

"Do we wait for the ribbon cutting?" Franks asked.

Angus took in the group, trying to decide how long they'd have to wait if they let the event go on before making the arrest. "No one is speaking yet. I say we get this done now. We can get out of here before we have to deal with traffic." He gestured with a nod. "There's the mayor, and that's Mel Wickman to her left."

"Let's do this." Franks stood a bit straighter as they headed in that direction.

Angus used his badge to weave his way past the police officers who were guarding the V.I.P. area where the mayor and city council were standing. As they got closer to the mayor, Mel Wickman and another man moved in front of her, blocking Angus and Franks from getting closer.

"Can we help you, gentlemen?" Mel asked. "Mayor Anderson is getting ready for an event."

Angus held up his badge. "Actually, it's you we came to see, Mr. Wickman."

A flash of fear showed in Mel's eyes before he forced it back. "I'm sorry, but I'm working right now. This will have to wait."

"This can't wait." Angus reached out and took Mel's arm. "Mel Wickman, you are under arrest for the murder of Dawn Belamy." He quickly pulled Mel's arm behind his back.

"This is insane. You can't arrest me. I'm working." Mel struggled to break away. "If you'll just wait until this event is over, I'll be happy to speak with you and clear this up."

Franks took Mel's other arm and between the two of them, Angus and Franks managed to get the handcuffs on a squirming Wickman. "Stop resisting or we'll add another charge."

The man that had been standing beside Mel stepped forward. "It's okay, Mel. Go with them and get this cleared up. I'll watch over Eden."

Eden Anderson, the mayor of Fairway, stepped closer. "What is this about? You're arresting my head of security. I need him. I'm sure we can clear up whatever this is about after this event is over and everyone is gone." She cast a glance over at the media who were now starting to pay attention to what was going on.

Angus didn't let on how much joy doing this in front of the cameras gave him. "Mayor, I can have one of our officers step in to cover Mr. Wickman's position if you need."

"I need my head of security." The mayor's voice raised.

"I'm sorry, this is more important." Franks started to read Mel Wickman his Miranda rights.

"This is insane. Mel is my head of security. You can't arrest him. What do you think he's done?" The mayor stepped closer to Angus.

"Step back, Mayor," Angus warned.

"I'm your superior." The mayor narrowed her eyes.

"Then you are welcome to report me. I'm doing my job. I'm sure the public will love to see you interfering with the arrest of a dangerous suspect." Angus nodded toward the cameras that were on them.

The mayor huffed but took a step back. "What is your name?"

"Detective Young, Ma'am." Angus met her angry gaze. "Now, would you like an officer to assist your security team, or do you think they can handle keeping a bunch of media members and twelve-year-olds from attacking you?" He was pushing his luck, but his hatred for the mayor ran deep. This woman had done more to hurt the city than help it. He gestured to a group of teens with skateboards in their hands that stood waiting to use the new park.

"We've got this." The other security guard stepped forward. He looked at Mel. "We'll follow up with this as soon as we get back to the office."

The mayor nodded. "We'll have you out as soon as I can call the chief."

Angus wanted to laugh, because there was no way they'd get Mel out. Not with the evidence they had against him. But instead of replying, Angus gave a nod to Franks and the two of them escorted Mel away from the crowd.

Several members of the media followed Angus and Franks. It wasn't often Angus wanted to make the news, but in this case, he would be happy if the media caught the mayor's protests and gave Dawn the attention she deserved after being killed by this guy.

Franks paused by one of the officers they both knew. "Mr. Wickman needs a ride to the police station. You able to give him one for us?"

"I'd be happy to." Officer Daniels turned and unlocked his car before opening the back door of his squad car. "Where do you want him?"

"Interrogation." Angus smiled at Mel. "We have a ton of questions for him."

"Not without my lawyer," Mel grunted as he was put in the back of the car .

"As you wish." Angus wondered if the mayor would supply her staff with an attorney or if he would need to hire his own. If the mayor got him one, Angus was going to be furious that his tax dollars were going to pay to help this killer. While he was pretty sure the city would only pay for a defense attorney if something happened while on the job, he didn't put it past the current mayor to ignore rules and try and take care of those closest to her.

Officer Daniels shut the back door and turned to Franks. "You following?"

"We are. We'll be right behind you. I'm half tempted to transfer him to the county jail now and deal with him tomorrow." Franks shook the officer's hand.

Angus followed Franks to the car, ignoring the few questions that were thrown out by the media. Let them dig for information or better yet, confront the mayor about what was happening. As he started the car, Angus looked over at Franks. "He's lawyered up. We'll get nothing out of him."

"No, but we can scare him a bit. We'll serve him with the search warrants and let him know we have teams going through his home today. He can sit in holding, waiting for his attorney while we search. It's almost better this way. We can come in to speak with his attorney with all the evidence laid out in front of him." Franks leaned his head back. "If we find his car damaged this is a slam dunk. With the video evidence we have, it's undeniable she left the casino with him."

Once back at the station, they walked behind Officer Daniels as he escorted Mel Wickman inside. Angus wasn't surprised to find Captain Marshall waiting for them inside the doors.

"The chief wants to know why the mayor is blowing up his phone." Captain Marshall watched as Mel was led down the hall toward the interrogation rooms. "I've updated him on the case, and he's got your back. There's nothing the mayor can do right now other than be a pain in the ass."

"He's already asked for his lawyer. We'll serve him with the search warrants and let him make his phone call. He can sit while we search his home, and hopefully, his car," Franks told him.

"We've requested his phone records, but that could take a few days. We've got more than enough to move forward without them. Do you expect to find anything at his home?" Captain Marshall asked.

"No, I don't think Dawn was ever at his house, but you never know what he's got there. What I'm hoping for is his car. Officers searched the parking lot at the city center and didn't see it. He's either already taken it in for repairs or is hiding it somewhere. I hope it is in his garage." Angus ran his fingers over his short hair. "We need to get a sample of paint from his car to match with what the medical examiner found."

"You've got a solid case on this one, but I have to ask, how did you find a suspect so quickly?" Captain Marshall smiled. "Did you have help on this one?"

Angus laughed. "We might have. Once we spoke to her best friend, the one she left as an emergency contact at work, we would have had the name anyway. The friend knew she'd been seeing Mr. Wickman and assumed she'd gone to the casino with him. Our source just filled in the blanks." Angus could see the interest in his captain's eyes. Ever since they'd let on that Angus's mother could see ghosts, the captain had been taking a closer interest in most of their cases.

"She still around?" the captain asked.

"She is. Not here right now that I know of, but I can get hold of her if we need her," Angus admitted.

"I'm looking forward to Friday night at your place. Maybe I'll get a chance to meet her too?" Captain Marshall looked hopeful.

"Perhaps. I'm not sure about her plans." Angus had no idea if Dawn would stick around once she was sure Mel would pay for his crimes. "But I promise you won't be bored. We have others who plan to be there to visit with you." He hadn't filled the captain in on Senator Gifford's idea of assisting the narcotics unit. That could wait until Friday.

"I've told my wife a bit about this. She's as thrilled as I am. I've sworn her to secrecy and warned her not to tell anyone about this. She keeps gloating that she's known all along there was life after death. I never knew. I thought she'd think I'd lost my mind. I don't know who is more excited about Friday." Captain Marshall shook his head as if forcing himself to refocus. "Anyway, get your warrants served and your evidence ready. The district attorney will be sending someone here to witness the questioning and has asked to be updated. He's also expecting calls from the mayor, but we're all behind you on this."

"Thanks." Angus smiled. "The evidence is solid. I'll be surprised if he can even bail out until trial."

"So will I. But be ready for anything. I've seen people get bail who never should have," the captain warned. "Nothing is set in stone, and we don't know what ties Mel might have because of working with the mayor."

Angus nodded. "Call us if anything pops up. We'll speak to Mr. Wickman and head to his house."

"Copies of the warrants are on your desk." Captain Marshall walked toward his office.

Franks and Angus turned to go down the hallway to their office. Once there, Angus took a seat. There was no hurry, and making Mel sit in an empty room, cuffed to a table would mess with his mind. Angus was all for that. Let the man sweat a bit.

"Coffee?" Franks asked.

"Thanks." Angus held his cup out, then started looking over the warrants for Wickman's house, car, and cell phone records. "Once we get phone records, that will back up all the video evidence that Wickman was at the casino and traveled the highway where we found Dawn. It also will hopefully show calls and texts between the two, showing a relationship between them."

"Are we telling him now what we have against him?" Franks asked.

"Nah, let's wait until his lawyer shows up. Let him sit and worry for a few hours. If he's going to refuse to talk to us, we'll refuse to tell him anything until his lawyer is with him." Angus pulled a folder out of his drawer and filled it with blank pages, then put the warrant papers in there as well. It would make Mel think they had stacks of information on him. They wanted him to be nervous and scared.

"Let's do this. I still have a cat to pick up later tonight. The sooner we're done, the sooner I can get Pix adapted to her new home." Franks downed his coffee in three gulps.

Angus did the same and stood. "Want me to go with you to get the cat?"

"I think I'll be okay. Sierra knows what I need and should have it ready for me. I'm more nervous that Pix won't like my place and might revolt by tearing up all my furniture." Franks followed Angus out of the office.

"Dawn can come over and help her adapt if you want," Angus offered, sure that Dawn would drop by anyway to check on her cat as long as she remained around.

"No, I need to learn how to do this on my own. Hell, it's just a cat, right? It's not like it's a baby or something. I'm not going to kill the thing off as long as I feed it and give it love."

"And change the litter box." Angus grinned.

"Yeah, that too. Better than diapers I guess," Franks grumbled as they made their way down the hall.

Angus paused outside the interrogation room. "Ready? "

"To hear him yell and threaten us, sure." Franks rolled his eyes. "Let's get it over with."

Angus pushed the door open and sure enough Mel started to yell at them.

"I'm going to have both your badges. You took me away from my job protecting the mayor. She'll have both of you fired for that." Mel glared at them. "I want my attorney."

"We'll let you call him in a moment." Franks walked farther into the room. "You sure you don't want to answer a few questions first?"

"I'm not saying a damn word until my attorney gets here. Is Eden here? I need to see her." Mel shook his hand where the cuff was connected to the table. "And take this off. I don't deserve to be chained to a table."

"No, you deserve much worse." Angus smiled. "Here is a little reading material for you while you wait for your attorney." He pulled the warrants out of the folder and set them down in front of Mel. "Any questions?"

"Fuck you." Mel grabbed the papers, and his face paled for a moment, but he quickly recovered. "You have no right to go into my home."

"Those papers say we do." Franks leaned against the wall and smirked. "You care to tell us anything before we go in?"

The look that Mel cast them said everything.

"Okay then. We'll send someone in to let you make a phone call. We'll be back when your attorney shows." Angus opened the door.

"Where is Eden?" Mel asked .

"If you mean Mayor Anderson, I am guessing once she finds out what you've done, she'll be happy to wash her hands of you. She does worry about her public image. And someone told me she liked Dawn. She's probably not that happy with you right now. I wouldn't count on her support." Franks waved.

"Wait, I have to talk to Eden. Tell her I need to speak with her." Mel tugged on the chain holding him to the table once again.

"Your attorney can contact her for you. She won't be allowed in to see you." Angus stepped out the door.

Franks followed, closing the door behind him. "Does he really think the mayor can save him from a murder charge? A traffic ticket, maybe, but not murder."

"This is one of those cases we may never understand," Angus said as they headed back to their office. "Let's get to his house, find his car, and get everything in order. My goal is to have Mel's attorney see the evidence and let Mel know he has very few options."

As they gathered their things and left to head to Mel Wickman's home, Angus thought about how quickly life could end. Dawn thought she had years of living ahead of her, and in just a few minutes, everything changed.