Murder at the Inns (A Springvale Mystery)

By Pattie Zamen

A serial killer is murdering brides and grooms on their wedding night. After the third set, Detective Kaleigh Maloney is having the FBI forced on her. She has had problems working with them in the past, and is not looking forward to doing it again. However, she knows the killer needs to be caught, and reluctantly agrees.

Jeremy DeWitt is the lead FBI agent on the team. He has been used in the past by female officers wanting a leg up on their career. Kaleigh gets his attention, and when she becomes victim of several attacks, the protective side in him comes out. Can they get past their differences and work together to catch the killer?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pattie Zamen
• Release date: Feb 9, 2015
• ISBN: 9781311197016

Pattie Zamen

Pattie Zamen was born and raised near Detroit, Michigan. She has a variety of hobbies, but the one constant is reading. She enjoys both Mysteries and Romance and loves to combine both in the books she writes. Presently she is living in Arkansas with her husband Ray.

Book preview

MURDER at the INNS

A Springvale Mystery

By Pattie Zamen

This book is published by Pattie Zamen at Smashwords.

Copyright 2015 Patricia Zamen

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments events or locales is entirely coincidental.

Chapter One

She quickly undressed sliding the heavy gown off her body, followed by the slip and bustier. Taking a deep breath for the first time since the morning when she dressed, she looked in the mirror and tried to decide how she wanted her hair. Out of the fancy bun, or leave it up? Up, the hair would be out of the way, but the bobby pins were still digging into her scalp. Deciding she wanted to be comfortable, she quickly removed them, leaving the ponytail. Glancing at the bathroom door, she paused, listening to the sounds coming from the room. Checking the clock on the table she sighed, he was taking a long time. Pulling on the peignoir gown she received at her bridal shower, she felt the soft silky white material gently glide down her curvy frame.

Licking her lips, she wondered when he was coming. Turning off the lights then moving onto the bed, she waited for him.

The faint light coming through the cracks in the curtains showed him approaching. Moments later, he was there. She reached up but he stopped her, her eyes widened, her breath caught in her throat, and her bottom lip began to tremble.

Present time

Kaleigh Maloney sighed as she pulled into the parking lot. Glancing around, she saw several other vehicles there, immediately recognizing the forensic team and the initial responding officer’s vehicles. Springvale, Michigan was a midsized town, and when the new hotel was built a few years ago on the outskirts, anticipation was people from nearby cities like Jackson or Ann Arbor would come for a break from the city. Kaleigh even recalled hearing talk from the town supervisor hoping to draw people in from the Detroit suburbs who wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of big city life, and enjoy a pleasant weekend away. Springvale was a nice quiet town where the neighbors knew each other and people left their doors unlocked when they were home. Or at least they used to.

The area beyond the hotel going away from the city was open fields. The scent of growing corn filling Kaleigh’s nose, putting the thought of corn on the cob on her mind, and her mouth began to water. The faint sound of traffic heard in the distance attesting most people were already at work. Miguel was to meet her here, but she didn’t see his car in the lot, yet. Scrunching her eyes, and then blocking the rising sun from her eyes with her hand, she scanned the lot one last time. The black Mustang was hard to miss. It might be ten years old, but Miguel loved the vehicle and took a lot of time to keep it both looking and running good. Not noticing anything else out of the ordinary, releasing a heavy sigh, her head drooping, swallowing hard, not sure if she wanted to see what was waiting for her in the hotel.

Exiting her green Chevy Malibu, she put the window up, and shut the door. Standing beside her car, she felt the hairs on her arm start to tingle. Rubbing her arms, she felt eyes boring into her back and she quickly turned, trying to catch whomever it was watching her. With the hairs on the back of her neck standing on edge, she took one last look around and headed on into the hotel’s modern structure. Stopping just inside the building, she looked back out into the lot, trying to catch a glimpse of the person watching her, a flash of light reflecting off the lens his binoculars, or something, which might give away a location. With nothing to go on, she shrugged off her intuitive suspicion and went further into the hotel. Walking through the lobby, her footsteps ringing on the grey streaked marble floor, she barely noticed the artwork on the walls, or the simplistic design of the hotel. Murmurs could be heard from the alcove seating area, where several people were huddled together on the red velvet couches and chairs. Large bay windows giving a spectacular view to the sun made caused her to regret leaving her purse and sunglasses in the car.

Nodding to the officer who was talking to the desk clerk, she checked her watch while moving over to the elevator bank pushing the call button. Hearing the ding just before the elevator car arrived brought her out of her thoughts, and she entered. As the doors were about to close, Miguel slid in.

Hey partner, he said in greeting.

Hey you, it looks like you had a late night? Kaleigh observed with a raised eyebrow, taking in the scruff on his face, tousled black hair, and the faint dark circles under his brown eyes.

Yeah, well, you know me. He shrugged his shoulders while leaning his six foot well toned frame against a wall, watching the numbers on the elevator rise.

Reaching the top floor, the doors opened revealing plush red carpet and a table with a small sculpture on it of a woman sitting under a tree reading a book. Above it was a mirror with a large gold antique frame so people exiting the floor could check themselves one last time before getting on the elevator.

Exiting the elevator, Kaleigh looked to her left, seeing nothing of interest there, she looked to the right. There, witnessing several officers and a small crowd standing outside the door to what she presumed to be the honeymoon suite, she wondered if it was too late to escape. Heading in their direction, she felt Miguel fall in beside her. Together they proceeded to the room and the gathered crowd. Kaleigh felt her feet sink into the plush carpet as if to hold her there, away from the room. Nodding to the officers at the door restricting access to the gawking people who were a few feet away, she stopped and retrieved a pair of booties they wore to protect the crime scene from any contamination from their own shoes. Leaning against a wall, she put on the booties, Miguel doing the same next to her. Walking back to the door they each signed in then obtained and donned a pair of latex gloves. Taking a deep breath, Kaleigh braced herself for what she was about to find, and then walked through the door.

Entering the room, she took her time scanning the area around her. A bathroom was on the left, and if the previous pattern held true, the male would be in there with a broken neck. The faint drip of water tickled her ears, about the only sound in the room as people worked quietly and efficiently at their jobs. Glancing in, she saw the body still there and a forensic technician working around it while he gathered evidence. The tall man with the shaved head looked up at her and nodded before turning back to his work. Catching the scent of death, and seeing the vacant eyes of the man who appeared to be pleading with her for help, Kaleigh felt a slight shiver go up her spine. Deciding not to crowd the tech, she whispered a quick prayer for the man and his family then continued into the main room.

Reaching the main room, Kaleigh’s eye was caught by a wedding dress covering an accent chair in the corner, a filmy veil lovingly situated on top. Its white glow seemed shockingly brilliant against the darkness of the walls. A contrast between the sense of love, hope, and beginning of life, and the ugly brutality of death filling the room. A well-worn brown suitcase sat open on the table, a white bustier sticking out. Taking a quick perusal, Kaleigh saw a brightly colored top. Peeking from just under it was what appeared to be a pair of well-worn jeans? Not wanting to risk moving things before they were fully documented by the forensic specialists, Kaleigh moved to the side and finally looked at the female.

Walking up near the bed, Kaleigh noticed the bride laid there, arms at her side, her legs spread slightly with blood between them, soaking the sheets. Not wanting to have the smell of death in her nose, Kaleigh took shallow breaths through her mouth. The coppery scent of the blood filling the room caused her eyes to water. Blinking to clear them, she went back to reviewing the scene.

The once white silk peignoir was up around her waist, with a small part down by her legs. It acted like a wick, drawing the blood up into the fabric, a stark contrast. Noticing the bluish tinge to her lips and fingers, the marks around the neck against the pale skin, she knew the cause of death was most likely manual strangulation just like the other women. Her blue eyes stared vacantly at the ceiling, her long blonde hair splayed around her head. Lowering her head, Kaleigh closed her eyes and mentally documented the scene in her mind. Movement at the door drew her attention, and turning around she saw the medical examiner entering the room. Nodding to her, Kaleigh paused to see which body Dr. Beattie would go to first. After a quick glance in the bathroom, Mary Beattie headed towards the bed. Stepping back to give the blonde slim doctor room, Kaleigh shifted to the side so she could still see what was going on but not be in the doctor’s way.

Touch my corpse Detective?

You know me Doc, eyes only until you and the techs are done, replied Kaleigh.

Turning to the closest tech, she asked, Touch my body, Sally?

Pictures and sketching only so far Doc, we know better.

Glad to see you all know proper protocol, Mary stated sternly, but her slight smile showed she was just trying to lighten the mood. Turning to Kaleigh, she continued in a more somber tone, So what have you noticed so far, Kale?

The marks around the neck, the bluish tinge to the lips and finger nail beds, I would say possible manual strangulation. The blood between her legs could be a result of her being a virgin. On the prior two cases, there was no sign of any object rape or mutilation to the genital area, so unless he has escalated or this is a different perp, I would say the blood is from the hymen breaking.

So this is the third case. You know, Captain’s going to want to call in the Feds, Miguel stated, joining the conversation as he moved to stand by Kaleigh.

Kaleigh frowned as weight settled on her chest. She had bad experiences working with the FBI before. Most of them felt they were superior to the local police department, and some took great pleasure in treating her like a mindless slave. Shaking off the doom and gloom feeling, Kaleigh threw back her shoulders and straightened her spine.

Which means they’ll try to take over our lab, sighed Sally. Ok to take a sample of the blood Doc?

Yes, and bag the hands to be safe. Liver temp puts the time of death at approximately midnight. Lividity is set, so she has not been moved. Let’s see what happened to her husband, Mary commented, wiping off the temperature probe with an alcohol wipe and then waving it slightly to air dry. Picking up her kit, she walked towards the bathroom. Kaleigh and Miguel trailing behind the tall doctor still taking in all the room could tell them.

Standing outside the bathroom to avoid risking contaminating the small room, Kaleigh and Miguel stood on either side of the door, watching the doctor complete her examination.

I would put his death around the same time, possibly thirty minutes or so prior. Neck appears to be broken. Let’s bag his hands and get them both down on my table. Standing up, she exited the bathroom removing her gloves and headed to the hallway just as two men came into the room, carrying body bags.

Stepping into the hall Kaleigh saw the crowd had yet to disperse. Motioning to one of the officers, she went back into the room with him following her, just out of earshot of the crowd.

Are those people from this floor?

Yes ma’am. We’re waiting for the hotel to free up a room or two where we can take them one at a time for their statements. We’re also in the process of trying to see who was in the rooms below this one, so we can get a statement from them as well.

I’d like them out of the hall before the bodies are removed, if possible. Can you check on the status of those rooms?

Nodding, the officer headed downstairs. She went back into the main part of the room in time to watch the men from the medical examiner’s office gently adjust the long blonde hair into the bag then close the zipper around the female victim. She knew this once vibrant young woman had a name, and in time, she would know it and call her by name. But, when she saw the actual bodies, she preferred to distance herself, and use the term victim, or in the case of this now apparent serial killing, the male and the female. She would mourn their loss later. Now she had a job to do.

Back in the hallway, she saw the officer who was down by the check-in desk when she came in. He juggled several things in his hands, including what appeared to be several key cards for different rooms. Kaleigh felt her jaw relax as the stress of crowd being there while the bodies were taken out, was not an issue now. His arrival meant the crowd would be gone shortly. She noticed he didn’t have on any booties, so she caught his attention. Motioning to him, he silently followed her down to the other end of the hallway. Kaleigh led him almost to the opposite end and away from the crowd, where they couldn’t be overheard.

I have the printout of when the couple checked in. I also have temporary access to three rooms on two different floors to use for questioning potential witnesses.

Good work. Take two officers with you, and put all the people standing outside the crime scene in the room on the separate floor. Take their statements separately in another room and then put them in the third one. They’ve probably already started talking to each other, but station one of the officers in the actual room where they are waiting to give the statement. Have him try to keep them from talking to each other. Once they’ve given their statement it doesn’t matter if they talk, but position an officer in there as well, since their talking to each other might help them to recall more information we can use.

You going to join me? he asked.

Bob, we both know you could have been a detective if you wanted to. You’ve been to all the interrogation seminars. I trust you to get good recorded and written statements from them.

Yes Ma’am. I won’t let you down, with a nod of his balding head, he passed over the printout then preceded her back down the hall.

Kaleigh re-entered the death scene as she heard Bob take two of the four officers outside in the hallway, and round up all the people leading them off to the elevators.

Thanks Detective. Now we can get the gurneys in here, said the taller of the two clean cut men as he nodded to the other, who left the room.

Yes, and get the bodies out of here, so I can fully examine the crime scene.

Leaning against the wall, she sensed Miguel standing next to her. Holding the print out so they could both read it, they noticed the bride and groom checked in at 10:34 PM. They reserved the room for two days. No calls were made and no room service ordered. The room was reserved in the name of John Smith Jr. The reservation was made three months ago with a notation of a late check-in, and the reservation was held by his credit card. There was no listing of the entries to the room.

"I’ll go back down and check. We need to know who’s been in the room, or at least when the last time someone entered the room prior to the newlywed’s arrival. We also need to know if any entries were