Chapter 25
We would have him dead to rights as soon as his face popped up on the local news.
After making sure the PD passed that same information along to the Manitowoc news channels, we could double our chances at success.
Their viewing range also covered Two Rivers, and they had a marina too.
If Bill’s detectives were lucky and found footage of him at either marina, they could air that footage along with his driver’s license image.
One way or another, we would trap him like a rat and take him into custody as soon as possible.
What I wanted to know was his why, but we knew why most killers killed—revenge or reward.
When we finally had him in custody, I would ask him what his reason was.
Hopefully, he wouldn’t lawyer up right away.
Renz dialed Bill’s number, waited, and as soon as Bill picked up, made his point.
“Waiting around for somebody to answer the phone at the marina there or in Two Rivers is a waste of time, Bill. Get Greenburg’s permission, send your guys, and get that killer on video or a date stamp and time when he passed through the gate to get to his boat. ”
Renz didn’t mince words. He said what needed saying and ended the call. He was assertive, and that was what the PD needed. Renz gave Bill more than a suggestion. He gave him a shove in the right direction.
“Nice job, partner. We have until the end of tomorrow’s workday to give Taft something to keep us on the case.
The Milwaukee PD will be too far out of their jurisdiction if everything sinister went down eighty miles or more north of here.
Manitowoc or Two Rivers will take over an investigation they don’t know anything about.
As far as I’m concerned, the FBI needs to run the show. ”
Renz grinned. “Says the agent who didn’t want to investigate those body parts at all.”
I grimaced. “Hey, don’t be insensitive. Those body parts were from real women and not so long ago.”
“Sorry.”
I nodded. “You’re forgiven. Now, we need to go to the Trace Motel.”
“Why?”
“To see if Della left anything behind. Maybe the motel stored her stuff in the back. If she owed them money, they may be holding her things in exchange for payment. Plus, it’s doubtful that her family knows what happened to her, and they should be told if we can find any contact information for them.
Maybe the Trace made a copy of her driver’s license showing what town she was from in Iowa. ”
Renz and I headed out. The Trace Motel was a run-down transient motel in West Allis, but for fifty dollars a day, a day or night worker could live there, especially when their boss took most of their earnings.
We entered the dark lobby and approached the counter. The man seated on the other side wore a faded polo shirt with a pin attached to it that read George. He had a cigarette hanging precariously from his bottom lip. He looked up, rolled his eyes, and set the cancer stick in the overflowing ashtray.
George coughed into his fist. “What can I help the cops with today?”
“We aren’t cops,” Renz said. “We’re the FBI.”
The man coughed even harder. “What did I do that brings the Feds here? My books are in order.”
I laughed. “You mean the twenty percent you actually enter into your books? Cash is king at shitholes like this. We aren’t stupid, but we do want information.”
He grunted. “I don’t know anything.”
“Yeah, I bet you do.” I looked around the lobby and behind his counter. “I see a lot of fire-code violations. Maybe I should make a call to the fire investigator for your safety and the safety of your guests.”
“Fine. What do you want to know?”
Renz picked up where I left off. “We need to know everything about Della Moore and if she left her belongings here.”
“Della who?”
I began to dial.
George raised his hands in defeat. “Okay, okay. She’s a month behind in her rent, so I emptied the room, changed the lock, and haven’t seen her since. Some people have no honesty or morality.”
“And you would know,” I said. “I assume you rent your rooms by the hour, too, right?”
He grumbled.
“What did you do with her things?” I cocked my head and waited.
He pointed his thumb over his right shoulder. “All of her belongings are boxed up in the storage room. She isn’t getting any of that stuff unless she pays her back rent.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. We’re taking all of it with us.”
“Hey! You can’t do—”
“We can’t do what?”
“I want to see your badges up close.”
Renz pulled out his FBI wallet and stuck it in George’s face. “Take a good look then go get her things.”
George grumbled again then disappeared into the room at his back. We heard shuffling and boxes moving around. He finally came out pushing a large box with another one stacked on top of it.
“See, that wasn’t so hard. One more thing,” I said.
“What?”
“Check your very accurate books and tell us when she checked in and when you last saw her leave. Also, I don’t suppose you have hidden cameras anywhere since I don’t see obvious ones.”
“Can’t afford cameras, plus anything that would be on them would likely come back to bite me in the ass.”
We pushed the boxes toward the door, then George called out to us. “Where did Della go anyway, and is she coming back?”
I rubbed my brow as I thought about the right words to say. “All we know is that she went north, and it’s doubtful she’s coming back.”
“So why does the FBI care about someone who moved away?”
“Sorry, George, that’s confidential information. I’m sure you can write off that lost month’s rent on your taxes. One last thing. Did Della ever talk to you about her family or a potential boyfriend?”
He chuckled. “Look at me. I’m a sixty-year-old deadbeat motel manager. Della didn’t give me the time of day, nor should she, and I don’t know about anyone else.”
I placed my card on the counter. “My email is on the card. Send me that info about Della’s stay here, or I’ll be back.” I gave him a smile. “That should do it, and thanks.”
Renz opened the trunk of our fleet car. We carried the boxes out and loaded them up. After taking them back to our headquarters, we would begin going through the contents once we elevatored them up to our floor then pushed them to our office.
As Renz arranged an area of our twenty-by-twenty-square-foot office space that wouldn’t cause a trip hazard as we tried to get to our desks, I informed Taft about what was going on then stopped in the cafeteria and bought two coffees.
Back in our office, I set the coffees on my desk then placed my hands firmly on my hips.
Renz looked up. “Now what?”
“Do we have a plan, and what are we looking for?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know, but what I do know is when we find it, we’ll know.”
I laughed. “Whatever that word salad meant.”
“Well, what is important?”
I scratched my cheek. “Finding out who Della hung out with and if she had regular friends or even a boyfriend when she wasn’t working.
Learning her parents’ names and where they live in Iowa would be good information to have too.
Maybe we should call the Iowa DMV and ask about a real driver’s license with a real address.
Her fake Wisconsin one was useless, and the only reason she was in CODIS was because she was likely busted in Iowa. ”
“Maybe her license was revoked. That could be why she got a fake one here.”
“Maybe.” I took a sip of coffee. “I’d love to find some photographs.”
Renz laughed. “Do you think people her age have photographs? Everything is stored on their phones, which we don’t have.”
“She may have had keepsake photos if she didn’t plan to return to Iowa. Let’s get started. Anything that could be important, we’ll put in the trash can. Just remember, it isn’t actually trash.”
I pulled out the old trash can liner, tied the bag, and replaced it with a new one. That was where everything important to Della at some point in her life would go.
As we searched, I asked Renz a question. “Should we go through all of Beth’s things too?”
“I don’t know, Jade. This may be an unnecessary side task to begin with. Maybe those two women were the random picks of the lot. There’s a good chance their deaths weren’t anything more than that.”
“Well, that sucks. It sucks to die but sucks even more if their deaths had no meaning or purpose. They were fulfilling a deranged killer’s lust to murder and dismember their bodies. It stinks to high heaven.”
Renz sighed. “Yes it does, but that gives us even more reason to find that freak and take him into custody.”