Rarities Unlimited 03 - Die in Plain Sight

so she’ll probably be tied up in the ER for a while.”
    “Damn. Is she going to be all right?”
    “Officer on the scene couldn’t say. Why don’t you head out to the school first, talk to him if he’s still there? Name’s Reggie Garfield. You can swing by the hospital in the morning.”
    “I’m on my way. What’s the address?” Sean scribbled the information on a tablet while attaching his pager and cell phone to his belt. “I owe you big time, buddy.”
    “I know.” Banjo’s tone said he would enjoy collecting. “You want me to call Burke for you?”
    “Not yet. His lady friend got back in town last night and is leaving again tomorrow, so he’s probably, ah, engaged right now. Anyway, I’ve been working the other two cases most recently. I’ll give him a call when I get a feel for whether this murder is related to the others. I’ll have my cell phone on if you hear anything more.”
    Sean hung up and headed out the door. He reached the scene of the murder within thirty minutes. Despite the factthat it was nearly 3 A M ., gawkers were gathered around the site, drawn by the flashing lights and predawn activity. They were held back by yellow crime scene tape, with a uniformed officer on the other side.
    Sean pushed his way through a knot of milling teenagers. “Jesus, where are your parents? Let me get through, here—and go home!”
    Even though he was a head taller and much stronger than the teens, they gave him a lot of attitude. He ignored it, flipped open his ID for the uniform on duty, and asked, “Where’s Garfield?”
    “Over there,” the cop said, pointing toward a heavyset patrolman by the victim’s body.
    “Officer Garfield?” Sean called out to him.
    “Yeah.”
    Sean approached him, ID in hand. “Detective Sean Richter. I’m with the Homicide Cold Cases Unit. I want to see if there might be some overlap with this murder and a couple of ongoing investigations.”
    “What makes you think there’s any connection? Forensics hasn’t even assessed the scene yet.”
    Obviously Garfield was feeling a little protective of his crime scene. But if the cases were linked, Sean’s claim would take precedence.
    “Similarities in the victim’s physical profile, cause of death, and a hunch,” Sean said. “If you’ll tell me what you know about this victim, I’ll get out of your hair and wait for the report to come out. I just wanted to see the crime scene myself.”
    Garfield raised his eyebrows. “Victim is in her mid-twenties, dark hair, slender build. No sign of sexual assault, but we’ll wait for the medical examiner to confirm. Cause of death looks to be multiple stab wounds to the abdomen.Her purse was found nearby, wallet inside. Credit cards, driver’s license, and eighteen dollars in cash. She has gold jewelry as well, so I’m thinking robbery wasn’t the motive.”
    “Do you recognize her from the streets? Does she have any kind of record?”
    “Nah, she’s not a working girl. The name on the ID comes back as a teacher at this school, Renata Mendes.”
    Sean processed the information. The victim’s physical profile fit with the other cases, all young Hispanic females. But not the teacher bit. The two other murdered women had been drug addicts who had sold their bodies to support crack or meth habits. “What kind of stab wounds?”
    “Big ones. Lots of blood.”
    “Any defensive wounds?”
    “Not so you can tell. Looks like the perp was a strong guy, and he probably surprised her.”
    That fit. “Who reported the murder?”
    “Now that’s the funny part. Seems there might be a witness. In fact, that’s what sent us up here in the first place.” He briefed Sean on the incident with the woman injured at the Suds ’n Studs club.
    “Were you able to speak to her?” Sean asked over the sudden squawking of Garfield’s radio.
    “Nah. She was out cold when I got there, but people on the scene confirmed what she said right after she was found.” Garfield reached up to silence the radio on his shoulder. “My gut says she saw something that scared her half to death. She’s in the ER right now.”
    “Thanks. I’ll take a look around, then get out of your way.”
    Sean turned away and went to the victim’s body, whereevidence technicians were just starting their work. They bustled around, testing equipment and setting up freestanding lights to illuminate the area for the video cameras.
    While the techs worked on the lighting, Sean borrowed a flashlight