Lei sat in the conference room with Stevens, Jeremy, Lieutenant Ohale, the two new detectives, and Hiro Harada the following morning. Across the table sat Puna station’s commanding officer, Captain Brown, Lono Smith, and his partner Brett Samuels. Stevens had called the meeting to request that they combine the Mohuli`i investigation with Mary Gomes’ homicide. A box of malasadas, round Filipino donuts dusted with sugar, sat waiting to clog arteries.
“Okay.” Stevens continued with his summarization of the main points, looking down at his notes. He’d asked her to keep track of the discussion, so Lei got up, uncapping a marker to make notes on the whiteboard. “We think these cases are the same doer for several reasons. One: the method. All three women were drowned. Two: all three victims were drugged with Rohypnol. Three: they were restrained. Four: all of them had evidence of sexual activity. Five: they all had trace evidence of baby wipes on their bodies, showing careful attention to cleanup.” Lei wrote fast, wishing she could see the expressions on the faces of the other investigators, and feeling conscious of eyes on her ass.
“Now for the differences,” Lono said, taking over. Lei drew a quick line dividing the board and began another list. “One: the method of restraint. The girls were bound with t-shirt strips. Mary Gomes was restrained with handcuffs. Two: Gomes was kidnapped and raped over days. The girls weren’t identified as missing prior to their bodies washing up, indicating they weren’t held captive like Gomes was. Three: the girls had very little evidence of violence other than sexual activity pre-mortem, while Gomes was pretty banged up.”
Lei took a relaxation breath in through her nose, out through her mouth, the chemical smell of the marker bracing as smelling salts against memories of drowned faces flashing through her mind as she wrote.
“Four: the victim profiles are different,” Lono went on. “The girls were young, easy pickings for a sexual predator. Mary Gomes was mature, a law enforcement officer, experienced in self defense, and armed.”
Stevens picked up the rhythm. “Our main suspect so far in the Mohuli`i case, Kelly Andrade’s stepfather James Reynolds, has a solid alibi for the time frame when Mary disappeared.” He gestured to Jeremy.
“He was at work, witnessed by a dozen people. The wife says he was never gone at night during the time frame Gomes was missing,” Jeremy filled in.
“He’s got a helluva defense lawyer, and what we have on him is thin, namely a motive for the girls and an incriminating photo of them,” Harada chimed in. “I didn’t have enough to even issue an arrest warrant.”
“Then there’s what Lei turned up that could be practicing on the part of our perp. She found two kidnap rapes within the last six months that look like the same M.O. as Mary Gomes, only without the drowning.”
“Yeah.” Lei turned around and confirmed. “Stevens and I re-interviewed these two rape victims and filled in a little more information.”
Lieutenant Ohale’s slight nod indicating she go on gave her confidence. “The victims remembered being cleaned up with baby wipes. Handcuffs and Rohypnol by injection were used on them. Cassie Kealoha remembers being posed and photographed; she said she thought he dressed her because she had strap marks on her feet. She also saw a black ski mask.”
The group seemed to be digesting this.
“Possible Reynolds did the girls, and the Campsite Rapist did Mary Gomes?” Jeremy used Lei’s moniker.
“Campsite Rapist,” Captain Brown said thoughtfully, reaching over to pluck a malasada off the pile. The brass on his uniform gleamed in the overhead lights, and Lei thought he’d left his hat on to add height to his short, fireplug build. He was Captain over the entire Hilo District, and Ohale’s commanding officer as well as Puna’s. “The media better not get wind of this. That nickname has a catchy ring to it.”
“So far they don’t seem to have put the two crimes together,” Stevens said. “I hope we can keep it that way. We don’t want this guy knowing we’re lining up the dots.”
“So are we in agreement there’s enough in common with these crimes to indicate the same doer?” Lono asked.
Nods around the room and finally Captain Brown said, “Possibly. At this point we have to pursue all leads. Considering how much possible evidence we could have, hardly anything is turning up-Gomes’ dump site, Uli`i Park, is coming up dry for trace, so is her body. So even though Reynolds isn’t fitting with the Gomes murder, and technically his alibi is holding up for the girls, with that photo he’s our best suspect.”
“I think we all agree these rapes were a warm-up for the Gomes murder,” Lono said. Lei noticed somewhere along the way Mary’s first name had been dropped-getting some distance from the vic, she thought with a pang. “What’s not really fitting for me are the Mohuli`i girls.”
“Nothing to do but get out there and do some police work,” Ohale said. Captain Brown stood, and everyone else did as well.
“Get to it, people. These women need justice.” Brown spun and marched out of the room, a tugboat setting the course.
“We’ll focus on Gomes. Keep us posted on any developments,” Lono said, following Captain Brown out.
“You got it.” Ohale sat back down, looked around at his team. “Okay. What’s next?”
“I got the warrant on Reynolds’ CPA office and he has a storage facility as well. Pretty interested to see what we turn up there.” Stevens wolfed down a malasada. “Damn, these are good. What are they, donut holes?”
“Filipino food. They do good with fried stuff but watch out for the month-old pickled eggs,” Harada said, gathering his papers into a leather portfolio. “Find me some physical evidence and I’m happy to sign Reynolds’ arrest warrant.”
“Let’s get to it,” Stevens said. “Jeremy and Lei, you’re with me and we’ll take the storage facility. Pono, you and the guys do the business office. Let’s bring it in, people.”
Lei capped the marker and set it in the tray, following Stevens’ broad shoulders with her eyes as he left the room.
Jeremy stood up and moved into her space, his eyes hard on her face.
“Don’t fuck with my partner.” His voice was a hiss.
“I’m not,” Lei stammered.
“He doesn’t need some bitch messing with his concentration. If something goes wrong with this investigation you’re going down for it.”
Before she could respond he was moving away with a swift athleticism she’d never really noticed before. Cheeks burning, she followed him out, still groping for a comeback.
Stevens waved the warrant at her above the cubicle wall.
“Step it up, Texeira, we got evidence to gather.”