Chapter 23
TWENTY-THREE
The detectives were quiet on the ride to the Rockview Jail. Each lost in their questions and thoughts about the case.
Katie kept running through what Ames had said at the bar the night before. He’d seemed casual, but there was something underneath it. Men who were cocky usually covered for insecurities, and even fear.
Now they had a name—Shelby Roberts—and a face, it made the case seem more exigent.
If Shelby had been missing for a few months and had been reported missing by her boss at the yoga studio, but her body decomposition was recent, that meant she’d been held against her will.
Katie leaned toward kidnapping. But why?
“Hey, partner,” said McGaven. “Looks like something’s weighing heavy on your mind.”
Katie smiled. “Is this a weird case?”
“Define weird.”
“Unusual, strange, macabre…”
“You got a point,” he said.
She sighed. “I have a feeling something much bigger is about to drop.”
McGaven nodded. “I know.”
“What have you gleaned from Brandon Bates’s notes?”
“Typical three-time loser. Been in and out of jail for most of his adult life. Mostly small stuff like burglary and trespass—then moving up to more serious crimes like running guns and robbery.”
“Okay. But how did the body parts get inside his home?”
“The million-dollar question. In his interviews, he claimed he didn’t know how they got under the house or the sink.”
Katie frowned. “How could he not smell anything? Although the arm under the sink could have been put there after Brandon was taken into custody.”
They neared the jail and proceeded to drive into the visitor area.
“This should be interesting,” she said.
The detectives waited until they were escorted to a meeting room usually reserved for attorneys and families.
Katie ran through her mind how she was going to question Bates.
She was going to lead the interview and planned on being direct to try to push him off his game.
Sometimes things changed when they met face-to-face, but she was ready.
The correctional officer unlocked the steel door that had been painted a horrible orange in another decade.
Katie entered, followed by McGaven. The detectives had a routine that worked well in an interview or interrogation scenario.
Katie would ask questions while McGaven moved around the room.
If you didn’t know McGaven personally, he appeared generally intimidating with his height and serious expression.
Brandon Bates sat at the severely scarred table, his wrists secured with handcuffs that were attached to the heavy tabletop.
He sat up straight, staring aimlessly with his clear blue eyes, as if he was ignoring the detectives’ presence.
His brown hair had been recently shaved.
Both arms were tattooed with colorful depictions of women, guns, and knives.
His hands didn’t move. He remained statue-still, as if it would make the detectives go away.
The guard shut the door.
“Mr. Bates, I’m Detective Scott and this is my partner, Detective McGaven. We’re from the Pine Valley Sheriff’s Department,” she said.
Bates never moved, looked at them, or said a word.
Katie smiled. McGaven took his position in the corner and lurked.
“Mr. Bates, do you understand why we’re here?” she said.
Slowly he turned his attention to Katie. His eyes were distant and it was difficult to tell if he was looking at you or through you. “Yeah… You have some questions…” His voice was low with a definite sneer.
“We’re interested in the human body parts found in the floor of your home.”
“So?”
“Can you tell us who might have put them in your house?”
Bates slammed his fists on the table, making a loud crash. “Look, I don’t talk to bitches. Understand?”
“I hear what you’re saying,” she said calmly.
McGaven moved closer to the table.
“I know my partner here looks like the scary one, but”—her voice turned harsh—“I’m the one asking the questions.” She picked up the empty chair and threw it against the wall.
The crash made everyone jump.
The correctional officer called, “Everything okay in there?”
“We’re fine,” said McGaven.
Katie banged her fists on the table. “I need a few answers from you. Understand?”
“Yeah, okay,” said Bates. He was now paying attention and followed Katie with his eyes as she moved around the room.
“You don’t seem like the type to hurt women. Am I right?”
“No, ma’am. I’ve never hurt a woman.”
“You just steal things, right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“I’m going to make it easy on you. We just want to know who brought those body parts.”
“I… I… really don’t know.”
“You mean to tell me that you don’t know who hid body parts in your house?
Are you serious?” Katie moved around the side of the table and leaned closer to Bates.
“You do realize that someone dismembered a woman’s body and then hid the parts under your floorboards.
” She leaned closer. She could tell by his slight fidgeting he was scared.
It wasn’t clear if it was because of the visit or the person who was responsible for the hidden limbs.
Bates shook his head.
“You do understand what dismemberment is?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s when someone takes a really sharp knife or even a saw to cut up a body.” She took a breath. “That’s what was under your living room floor. And you could be charged with dismemberment or even murder when we get to the bottom of this.”
McGaven picked up the metal chair, set it upright, and then sat down facing his partner.
“Did you cut up a woman?” Katie said.
“No, no way.”
“Well then, who did?”
“I… don’t know his name.”
“Why?”
“I’ve never met him. He gives me instructions on where to hit because he wants weapons.”
“Okay, we’re getting somewhere.” Katie smiled. “What do you call him?”
“Puzzler.”
“And how do you get your instructions from Puzzler?”
“I get notes.”
“What kind of notes?” she pushed.
“I don’t know… like on my car… slipped through a window or on the door at my place.”
“How did you meet him?”
“I didn’t. I just started getting notes written on torn pieces of paper and sometimes napkins.”
Katie moved away from Bates and glanced at McGaven.
“And then what?” she said.
“I didn’t take it seriously at first, but then someone came into my house in the middle of the night… and beat me pretty good, telling me I better pay attention.”
“What did he look like?”
“I couldn’t see him. He had a mask and was wearing all black with a thick coat.”
“Is there anything else? Any detail?” she said.
Bates shrugged. “I dunno.”
“Did he ever ask you to kidnap someone?”
“No.”
“Did he ever ask you to hide body parts?”
“No.”
“No?” she said. “So when did those body parts show up at your house?”
Bates didn’t want to answer, but he finally said, “I received a note on my car that said, Stay away from your house for four hours.”
“And you didn’t think that was strange?”
“No, well, kinda.”
“Kinda?”
“Look, Detective, that’s all I know.”
Katie looked at McGaven. Both detectives moved toward the door.
“Oh, Detective,” said Bates.
Katie turned.
“He did say that if anyone ever came looking for him—they would regret it.”
The words seemed to hang in the room.
Katie and McGaven left and the door was secured again.
“I’ll meet you outside,” said McGaven. “I’m going to check if Bates has had any visitors.”
Katie sat in the car thinking about what Bates had said.
Overall, she believed him. Now they were going to have to piece everything together.
It was appropriate that the killer called himself Puzzler.
It obviously meant something to him and it wasn’t just a nickname.
What she didn’t know was if this man was the same one leaving appendages in Pine Valley.
The passenger door opened and McGaven got in. “Hey.”
“Any visitors?”
“Just his lawyer—twice.”
“Okay.”
“Um, what the hell was that?” he said with some humor but a serious look upon his face.
“What?” But Katie knew what he was talking about.
“As long as we’ve been partners, I’ve never seen you act like that in an interrogation room.”
“There’s always a first time.”
McGaven laughed. “I wish I had a video of that.”
“He called me a bitch and I didn’t want to show weakness… so I amped it up a bit.”
“Amped it up a bit… that’s what you call it?”
“I guess so.”
“Does John know you have this side to you?” He chuckled.
“Okay, what have we learned about Bates?”
“If he’s telling the truth, there’s a psycho out there that calls himself Puzzler leaving body parts at random.”