Motor City Trick
written by:
DG Hear

Motor City Trick By DG Hear

I wasn't sure what category to put this story in. This is a story where a number of murders take place. In other words, this is a ‘Who done it?' type of story. You may not want to read this story if you don't like this kind. A special ‘Thank You' to my friend Estragon for editing this story and making it a much better read.

Chapter 1:

‘It was a dark and stormy night.' It seems when I was a kid, every scary story started out with those words. I've had a lot of nights start out like that in my life. I'm John Wayne and I'm a cop; I've been one for fifteen years. I know people laugh when they hear my name, but there's not much I can do about it.

I've worked out of a few of the Detroit precincts. The worst has always been on the night shift in the downtown areas. During the day it's business people hustling from one business to another. Crowds of people around Cobo Hall or the Renaissance Center. Down around the Penobscot Building it was business people all doing their thing.

At dark everything changes. Within just a few blocks of Downtown is some of the dirtiest, nastiest areas possible. Hastings, Second Street and many other areas are known for their dope dealing, prostitutes selling their asses and the area where many of the Detroit homicides take place.

Deals gone wrong, pimps protecting their whores, dope sellers protecting their areas, it all seems to take place in an area of downtown Detroit. I'm sure a lot of readers have heard about 8 Mile Road, which has been turned recently into a similar area. It's the dividing line between Detroit and what they call the suburbs. I've grown up my whole life in the city.

It got so bad that this year they cancelled the State Fair which was held near 8 mile and Woodward Avenue. I never missed going to the State Fair, it was a great loss to the city.

I've been on the downtown beat for quite a few years now. This area changes you. I've been married and divorced twice. At first women think marrying a cop is different but they soon find out it's not a job for a family man. I can't tell you how many times I've been shot at. It's hard not to take some of those feelings home with you. The marriages that stay together must be really special. I hope that someday I can have one of those.

I now live alone in an apartment just outside of downtown off Jefferson Avenue. It's cheap enough and suits me fine. I always sleep with my gun in the nightstand next to my bed. I hope I never have to use it at home, but I won't be afraid to.

Recently there have been a rash of violence on our beat. Usually it would be prostitutes who were beat up or even killed. There's always the dope addicts that are out of it and cause trouble, but this was different. It seems a number of businessmen have been killed while having sex in their cars.

Their vehicles would be parked in an alley or under a bridge. Always in a deserted or broken down area. In the last five cases their throats were slashed with a razor. Their vehicles were turned off and they would be on the passenger side seat. Their trousers and briefs were pulled down and they had just come into a condom.

At first we figured it was pimps or possibly even prostitutes doing the killing. Because of the economy, there were many more out selling their asses. We soon found out that the money would be gone but the wallets, credit cards, and their jewelry would still be left at the scene. So it had to be something other than theft.

I was assigned to a task force to talk to the hookers and pimps to see if we could find out anything. I hated it when we had to ball-bust these women. I knew most were on drugs, and a good percentage were unwed mothers.

We've pulled them in every now and then on raids when the mayor or Chief of Police made a proposal about cleaning up crime in the street. I really didn't care at all for the pimps but felt sorry for a lot of the women. It was a way of life for them. They couldn't make near the money they took in a day of hooking if they were working in a fast food restaurant or a grocery store.

The problem was, the ones with pimps gave half or more of their money to the pimp. It was suppose to be for protection and unfortunately the drugs they needed. Many would get beat up for not bringing in enough money. I can't tell you how many times charges were filed and later dropped.

Lately though, there have been a lot more independent women on the streets. They weren't giving their money to anyone. A few pimps were found on the wrong end of a knife or gun. A lot of these prostitutes were banding together. I've noticed instead of pimps there have been Madams in charge. For a fee they would really help the women get their drugs and bail them out when necessary.

Most of the Madams were hookers at one time and really knew the ropes. Sometimes we even had a Madam-pimp war on our hands. The Madams seem to have won most of them.

We talked to everyone we could to find out about the businessmen being killed but weren't able to get any good leads. It's funny when you think about it. Hookers were killed every month and we were sent out to check them out. Most cases ended up in the cold case file. Now a few business men were killed and a whole lot of investigating was going on.

Our task force had determined that it must have been a hooker getting even with Johns but we had no idea why, let alone which prostitutes might be involved.

They didn't have a habit of squealing on each other, which made the job even harder. I actually became something of a friend to some of the hookers. I wouldn't say they trusted me, but they did joke and wave to me when I went by. A few would talk to me. Instead of taking them to the precinct to talk, I would often go to one of the diners and buy them a meal while we talked.

****

In this part of town Halloween became a big thing. On the Friday or Saturday nearest Halloween, we would actually close off about four major blocks in town and let the partiers have the streets. It would be a gala bash for the hookers, gays and lesbians as well as anyone else who wanted to party in the streets.

They would be dressed in full costume to near naked. This was the one night of the year that belonged to them. The streets belonged to them. Onlookers had to stand behind the barricades on the sidewalks. The partiers would go from bar to bar and do their thing. There was loud music and dancing in the streets. It was like a mini Mardi Gras and only went on the one night.

The last couple of years Ghouls and Vampires seem to be the hottest costumes of the year. The almost-naked partiers got the loudest cheers. I'm not into the gay and lesbian scene but my motto is, ‘if they aren't breaking the law, I don't care what the hell they do'.

The police officers were there to mainly protect the partiers. We would see the transgender female and male impersonators all doing their thing. There were hundreds of partiers and a thousand spectators.

For the last ten years I worked that night, and really never saw much trouble. This year I had an idea about checking out the other streets in the area for those hookers that didn't attend the party. I'll get back to telling you more about the Halloween party night later.

The last five businessmen that were killed had no connection with each other. All seemed to work at different firms in the downtown buildings. The only thing in common was going to hookers for sex late at night. Also, all the victims were married.

The murders took place about once a week. All were done on different days and the actual killings were always done in the vehicles and in a deserted area not far from the prostitution row, as we called it.

I did get a few stories about a new hooker that played it alone. She stood away from the regular hookers, and I was told pulled a gun on one of the pimps that approached her. I heard from three of my informants that she didn't look like a hooker. That meant she was either very new or possibly might be a plant.

I checked with our Captain and he told me we had two plants, who had been on the street but they hadn't done any stings in our area. They were doing stings in the 8 Mile area. They are used to pick up Johns every couple of months. Neither of our girls fit the newest hooker's description that my snitches mentioned.

****

My life has had a lot of ups and downs. I caught my first wife cheating on me. Lucky I was a cop, cause I would have killed the son of a bitch. In my second marriage, my wife couldn't handle my job. I really was involved in fights and shootouts. She wanted me to quit and work in a factory, but it wasn't me. I lived to go to work each day. I guess I needed the adrenalin rush my job gave me.

I've been single for a few years now. I have a sex life, and one woman who is kind of my girlfriend. We don't talk shop very often; she doesn't want to know what I did each day. She lives in the same apartment building as I do. She lives on the third floor and I live on the fifth. Neither of us wanted any commitments and knew living in separate apartments was the way to go.

We had rules we both went by. No dropping in without calling first. We didn't have keys to each other's apartment. Lastly, we didn't talk much about our past relationships unless one of us really wanted to say something about it. We did see each other a few nights a week. Usually Saturday night was our night to actually go out.

Our apartment building was five stories, with twenty to thirty apartments on each floor. We did have a private parking lot for just our building's residents. I could honestly say I didn't know five people in our building. I met Susan at the mailboxes in the entrance way a couple of times and that's how we became friends.

Susan works in one of the downtown offices as a secretary. Actually she was an accountant but helped out in other departments when necessary. She only told me a little about her past.

First, she moved into our building a little less than two months go. She found out her husband of four years was cheating on her and got another woman pregnant. He said he didn't love the woman but it just happened. I remember her telling me what she told him. It sounds funny now but I didn't think she meant it that why when she first told him.

"Oh, you just happen to be in a motel room with this women. You just happen to unzip your pants and pull out your cock. The slut looks at your cock and accidentally drops her panties and sits on your cock. Next thing you know you're planting your seed in her pussy.

"Go fuck yourself! You made your new bed and you can sleep in it."

The next day Susan said she moved out. She couldn't afford the rent of the condo on her own paycheck. She did take a goodly amount of the furniture with her. She took half the checking and half the savings they had. The following day she filed for divorce; it's now pending.

She checked with the banks and had her name removed from any credit cards. She said, "Thank God, we paid our bills each month."

Susan has lived here going on three months and we've been seeing each other for the last six weeks.

Her soon-to-be-ex has been bothering her. He wanted to apologize and get back with her but she wanted nothing more to do with him. Once, about a week ago, he got into our building. Someone must have rang him in or he waited for some delivery service to have the door opened and snuck in.

They began arguing in the hall and she was going to call the police after he pushed her. When she went to dial 911 he left the building. She never made the call. When I saw her that evening I told her to get a restraining order against him. I never met the man and he'd best hope I never do. I had strong feelings for Susan.

She told me she was embarrassed when many of her neighbors were looking out into the hall, yet no one interfered. That's the way it is in our city.

The Saturday before our annual Halloween street fair, our precinct has our own Halloween or costume party. I asked Susan if she would like to go with me. For the last three years I've gone by myself, and my co-workers are always joking about me trying to take their dates.

It wasn't true but it did make me feel a bit funny, not taking a date. Susan said she would go with me but reminded me that she was technically married, although separated. It would be another month before her divorce was finalized.

She agreed to go to the party with me. I dressed as an old time cop from the 1920's and she dressed as a hooker. Damn! She looked fine. She told me to put my tongue back in my mouth but she did smile. Her costume was a mini skirt with a large slit on the side that showed a lot of leg. A very low cut top which showed a lot of boob. She wore a bright red wig.

If she were to stand on the corner she would be picked-up in a second. She wore shades, so hopefully as we left our apartment no one would recognize her. She was a brunette but was wearing the bright red wig. I swear, she turned me on and I was sure she knew it.

The party was great and all my co-workers wanted to dance with Susan. They said they wanted to make up for all the time I danced with their dates. All my friends told me she was a keeper; I had to agree but we were taking it a day at a time. Susan went along and we had a great time. When we got back to her apartment she invited me in.

We kissed and she slowly did a strip for me. It didn't take long for me to disrobe and join her on the bed. We didn't need much foreplay because we were doing it all evening. The sex that night was wonderful. Her pussy was so hot and I did my best to hold off as long as I could. I did make sure she reached two orgasms.

We lay together for a while after making love. We had a rule that we wouldn't spend the whole night together. We were trying to just be friends with benefits but it was becoming much more. I kissed her goodnight and headed up to my apartment.

On Monday I received a call from her. She had just gotten home from work and she said she is sure someone had been in her apartment. My partner and I, her name was Jenny Avery, went to Susan's apartment. The place didn't look all that much disturbed. Sue told me that the clothes she wore to the party and a few other sexy outfits she had were missing, including a few of her wigs.

"Sue, do you keep a key hidden outside your door somewhere?"

"Yes, under the mat," she replied.

"Whoever took your things must have checked there. Most people hide a key under a mat or above the door. Please, don't leave a key out in the hall. Someone must have found it and took your things. I just don't understand why they left all your electronics and just took clothes, it doesn't make a lot of sense.

"You should call into the station and file a report. It's just to have it on record in case something shows up. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine now that you're here. Will I see you later?"

"Sure, I'll pick us up something to eat and we can spend the evening together. Now get that key and don't leave it out."

Jen and I knocked on a couple of doors but no one said they saw anyone around Sue's apartment. Most people worked during the day. Jen and I headed back to the precinct. Our shift was just about over.

Lately we rotated our shifts. We would work a month on day turn, a month on afternoons and a month on midnights. It gave everyone a break from the night shifts. Jen, my partner, was a married black woman. It worked out good for us since we were always in mixed neighborhoods. It was hard for anyone to say we had favorites or picked only on certain people. Even though we joked with each other, our relationship was strictly professional. She is a great partner and we always had each other's back.

On Saturday we, Jen and I, were asked if we would work the afternoon shift because that was the day they were going to celebrate the downtown Halloween parade and festival. As I mentioned earlier, they would rope off a number of streets for the partiers to do their thing. It was the one night of the year that they wouldn't get hassled for what they called being themselves.

I mentioned to Sue that I would be working the late shift and I would appreciate it if she didn't go anywhere near that area. She said she would stay home if I promised to stop by after work so we could spend some time together; I agreed I'd be there.

On Thursday evening I received a call from Sue that her husband had just left. He got into the building when someone had ordered a pizza. She told Dave, her soon to be ex to get out and leave her alone. A number of neighbors came out of their apartments when they heard the two arguing. He slapped her and she yelled out that she wished he was dead.

She went back in her apartment and called me. I rushed down to her apartment but the bastard had already left. Sue had a cold pack on her cheek. She cried and said she just wished he would leave her alone. He was drunk as usual. I told her to go and get a restraining order on him the next day. I stayed with her till midnight and we cuddled and watched a movie. I then went upstairs and went to bed.

She called me on Friday and said she got the restraining order. She had a copy sent to his office. He called her at work but she didn't take his calls.

On Saturday I told her I would see her around midnight. Jen and I were keeping an eye on the street party along with a few dozen other officers. The street party went on and was like we expected. The oddest and weirdest people were prancing up and down the streets. With some of the transvestites and cross-dressers it was hard to tell if they were men or women.

The hookers were out in full force showing their asses, tits and pussies. I have to admit it was quite a sight, sort of a Wal-Mart of sex. It was near eleven o'clock when Jen and I got a call to check a couple of the back streets. We were told there was a parked car in the alley with someone just sitting in it.

When we got there we saw a man sitting on the passenger side. He was dead. His trousers were down and his cock was out in a condom. He must have just come when his throat was cut, which looked to have been done with a razor.

We called it in and quickly asked for a CSI team to be sent out. All we did was secure the scene and look around for possible witnesses. We spotted a drunk sitting next to a pole, maybe fifty yards away. Jen stayed with the victim as I went to talk to the homeless man.

"She tried to cut me," he yelled out. He had on layers of shirts and coats that had a big slash across them.

"What did you see? Was there a woman here a few minutes ago?"

"She tried to kill me. She swung that razor at me and cut my clothes. I just wanted to touch her pretty red hair."

More police and the CSI team showed up within minutes. Jen and I tried to talk to the homeless man, but he was quite intoxicated. He told us his name was Lester and we did get quite a bit of information out of him, if any of it was true. He kept saying he wanted to touch her beautiful red hair. It made me think of the wig that Sue wore to the party the week before.

He didn't see her kill the victim. He was leaning on her car, which was under the bridge. When we asked him what kind of car it was he kept saying it was a silver Honda. He could tell by the insignia. It had a big H on it. He had no idea what year it was but he did point in the direction she left. She would have had to be going down Jefferson Avenue.

Even though it was a long shot we put out an APB (all points bulletin) on any silver Honda going down Jefferson Avenue. We told them we were looking for a female possibly dressed like a hooker. Any other people, they could just take down their information and we could check it later.

I knew I would be late seeing Sue so I called her apartment to let her know I would be late. I didn't get an answer and wondered where she might be. I left her a message and told her I would be late but that I would be there.

The homeless man told us that the red haired woman was beautiful. He could see most of her tits and that she had on a really short skirt. When we asked him about her facial features all he could say is she wore dark sunglasses and had really nice big tits.

"She tried to cut me. Did I tell you that?" He kept repeating the same thing over and over. We were pretty sure we wouldn't be getting much more information from him. We had another unit take him to the station and get his statement on paper. We promised him another coat and a meal if he would go along with the officers.

I told the officers to go by one of the homeless shelters and get him another coat. We did need his for evidence, even though we didn't expect much from it.

The CSI team gave me the shock of my life. They gave me the driver's license of the deceased victim. It was Dave Bailey. By what I knew about where he lived, I knew it was Sue's soon-to-be-divorced husband.

One of our units said they just spotted a silver Honda pulling into an apartment complex at Jefferson and Grand Boulevard. They wanted to know what we wanted them to do. There was a woman getting out of the car but she was dressed in slacks and going into the apartment.

That was where Sue and I lived. I told the officers to just get the license number of the vehicle and see who the owner was. It would tell us what apartment the person might live in. I was sure it was Sue. What was she doing out at this hour?

When I told the Captain that the deceased was my girlfriend's husband he told me I wasn't to do any of the interviews. He was sending another team of officers over to question her. He didn't want me to talk to her until they were finished.

Chapter 2:

Two Detectives were sent to talk to Sue. They knocked on her door.

"John, is that you?" Sue asked.

"No Mrs. Bailey, it's Detective Smith and Detective Cook. We're here to talk to you. May we please come in?"

Sue looked through the peephole and knew the two Detectives from the party the week before. As she opened the door she asked. "Is John ok?"

"Yes, he's fine. He'll be here in a little while. We need to talk to you first."

"About what? You're scaring me!"

"We'll explain everything to you in a few minutes. We have a couple of questions we need to ask you first. Where were you this evening?"

"I was home all night. John was coming over after work. I did leave about an hour ago and went to Tim Horton's and got a Latte and some pumpkin pie for John; he loves pumpkin pie. The receipt's right there on the counter."

"Mrs. Bailey..."

"Please call me Sue. I met you both at the party last week. It's Tom and Ben isn't it?"

"Yes it is. You wore a red wig to that party didn't you?"

"Yes, it was stolen along with some of my other clothes last Monday. John had me file a report. It should be on file. Please tell me what this is all about."

"Mrs. Bailey, I mean Sue, I'm sorry to have to inform you that your husband was found dead downtown tonight."

"What? Dave is dead? What happened to him?" Sue seemed quite surprised the detectives told me later. She looked sad but didn't cry.

"He was killed downtown, supposedly by the serial killer that has been killing a number of men while having sex with them. A witness mentioned that the women wore a red wig or had red hair. He also mentioned she drove a silver car, possibly a Honda. Your vehicle pulled into this lot while we were looking for vehicles that matched the description."

"You think I killed Dave? God knows, I could never do that. Besides our divorce would be final in a couple of weeks. I just went to get pie for John, honest! Look at the receipt."

"Sue, we needed to check on your whereabouts seeing you had the red wig, a car matching the description that we had. But, most of all you were married to the victim."

"God, it wasn't me. It's true that I no longer cared for him but I would never kill him. You have to believe me."

"Sue, we would like permission to search your apartment and your vehicle. We can get warrants but we hope we don't need to."

"No, if it will help, go ahead and search the place. My car keys are on the counter." Sue sat there while the detectives searched her apartment and two patrolmen searched her car.

When they were finished there was a knock on the door. Sue opened it and I walked in. The detectives phoned me and said they were done searching her place and found nothing that would place her at the scene, or any of the clothing she said was stolen. They did ask her to come down to the precinct the following day. They needed to ask her a few more questions.

After the detectives left, I hugged her and told her how sorry I was that she had to go through the interrogation. I wanted to be there for her but since it was her husband who was killed, I wasn't allowed to.

We sat on the couch and I told her what Jen and I had found. She was sad, but she no longer loved Dave. She got up and brought me my pumpkin pie. After eating it I sat and cuddled with her for a couple of hours before going to my apartment. The rules are the rules.

I knew that they wanted to ask her about her whereabouts the nights of the other murders. It was all standard procedure. The problem was most of the murders were in the late evenings and early morning and Sue was usually home alone. Even when I was with her, I would go to my own apartment around ten in the evening. I could vouch for her that far, but I knew better than to lie.

Being a cop I had natural instincts about killings, knowing the spouse is always one of the main suspects. I didn't want to think about Sue that way but had no choice. My mind wouldn't let me think differently.

The following day I drove Sue down to the precinct, but again wasn't allowed to be there during questioning. Sue asked if she was a suspect and was told it was standard procedure but she was a person of interest because of the witness' description of the woman he had seen. She was dressed the same as Sue was at the Halloween party.

When asked about the dates of the other murders, Sue thought back and said she couldn't remember what she did most nights other than we watched TV and I went home and she went to bed. It neither helped or hurt her. There still wasn't any physical evidence.

While I was waiting for her, I saw Lester, the homeless man. They wanted to question him again also. They had him glance into the room where Sue was sitting but said nothing about her. It wasn't a line-up, just wanted to see if he noticed anything about her.

I talked to Lester and even gave him one of my cards. I figured it was near useless but I told him if he ever saw the redhead again or her car to call me. I knew it was a long shot but we had nothing to lose.

****

After Sue and I left the precinct she told me she would be gone for a week or so. She had to go back to Dave's condo and take care of everything. She was still his wife and would be held responsible.

Her sister Carol volunteered to go with her. They had to take care of the funeral arrangement and all other payments and expenses. I knew it was going to be a rough week for her but she was still the spouse and a good person.

They contacted Dave's employer and found out she was still his beneficiary and first contact. She talked to her lawyer who was handling her divorce and had it stopped. He in turn contacted Dave's lawyer and explained the situation.

Sue thought it best if all transactions went through her lawyer. She had him named executor instead of her, so there wouldn't be a lot of problems with Dave's family. He had two brothers and a sister. His parents were also still living. She knew they were like vultures and would fight her every step of the way, getting anything and everything they could from her.

She decided to let them have everything Dave owned. She already had taken her things when they separated. She set up the funeral and had all the arrangements made. All monies still owed Dave would be sent to the executor and he would make the payments.

The funeral was to be Thursday, so on Wednesday night I bought some Chinese food and took it over to Dave's old apartment where Sue and Carol were staying. They were happy to see me. For the last few days they were working trying to get all Dave's affairs in order.

They looked exhausted, but Sue was trying to do what she believed to be right. She had already contacted the landlord and told him the apartment would be cleaned for inspection by the first of the week. Then he could do a walk-through and send their initial security deposit to the executor.

At the funeral Dave's parents would hardly talk to Sue. They said if she was a better wife Dave wouldn't have gone after prostitutes and still be alive. Sue knew it would be useless to argue with them.

I went to the funeral along with my partner Jen. We were dressed in street clothes as to not attract attention. We paid our condolences and mentioned we knew both Dave and Sue. Dave's parents weren't happy when we gave Sue a hug. I knew it made Sue feel good that we were there for her.

We went to the back of the room and stayed for the service but didn't go to the cemetery. We had to work that afternoon. Sue told me later that she told Dave's family that they could stop by his apartment and take anything they wanted. She didn't need or want any of it.

After the funeral, his family came by and took most everything. All the furniture and even all his clothes, which Sue thought about giving to the Salvation Army. In two days they had the apartment totally stripped, leaving nothing.

They even started to take the stove and refrigerator but Sue told them it belonged to the landlord and they would have to pay for it; needless to say they left it. Sue told me the sad part was that no one in Dave's family even said thank you. They blamed her in some odd twisted way for his death.

Sue called a cleaning company to come and clean the apartment. She and Carol were worn out. She had to come home Friday night, since they had nothing to sleep on. After the cleaning the landlord was to do a walk-through and their initial deposit of a thousand dollars would be sent to the lawyer.

****

During the time Sue was gone, our team got together to see if we could find any links between the sex murders that we knew about. Also some of the differences might be important.

Our first victim was Michael Berkshire. His body was found in a parking garage where he worked. His throat was cut deep, more than likely with a razor. He was fifty years old and managed a sales agency. He lived in an upper class Grosse Pointe area. His wife was the wealthy one in the family.

She owned a chain of exercise gyms and spas that she bought with help from her very rich parents. She was in her mid forties and in very good shape. They had two kids that were now away at college.

Mrs. Berkshire had called in that her husband had not come home the night before. Usually there is a twenty-four hour period before filing a missing person's report. Because of her clout, they acted on her report immediately.

Her husband's vehicle was found in the parking garage of his building. His throat had been cut. He was sitting on the passenger side of his vehicle; his pants were down and he had come in a condom. There weren't any fresh prints in the vehicle other than the victim's. They tested for vaginal fluid on the outside of the condom to hopefully match a DNA but the hooker must have used some type of KY jelly or other cream that made any sample useless.

There were a few blood drops leading to another parking spot but it was the victim's blood. When Mrs. Berkshire agreed to talk to us she had her lawyer present. After that, she said her lawyer would handle any further questioning. Her two kids were off at college at the time and her servants all said she was home the previous evening.

The next four victims were all similar. The husband/victim worked in a downtown office. They all lived in the suburbs and had teenagers at home. All four were notified the next day that their husbands were found dead. All four wives were home with their families at the time of the murders.

The husbands were all sitting on the passenger's side of the vehicle, all had their trousers down and were wearing condoms. All had ejaculated before having their throats cut. Their vehicles were found on side roads and alleys not far off the main drag. It meant the killer must have had a get-away car near the killing site.

Our sixth victim was Sue's soon to be ex-husband Dave. He fell in a similar category of the last four. The difference was we had something like a witness in Lester, and a possible getaway car being a silver Honda.

We realized that all escape routes after the murders led toward Jefferson Avenue. We did find some tire tracks leaving a couple of the scenes but they were standard tires and were on most late model Hondas, as well as many other cars.

We did notice that, with a few of the victims including Dave, the prostitute had sex with someone else before the victim. Multiple semen samples were found in four of the six cases. Our first victim, Michael Berkshire, and our third victim, Tim Evans, were the only two where no other semen was found on the outside of the condom. That meant that the hooker didn't use condoms with every trick.

We weren't having much luck. We checked and none of the wives drove a Honda. Most had vans or SUV's. Mrs. Berkshire drove a Cadillac. Everything led back to a hooker that wore wigs and was well built, according to Lester. Other hookers remember seeing her but didn't associate with her; she kept her distance. We kept up patrols, looking for any hookers that seemed like they might not belong.

We even interviewed a few of them but had no reason to hold them. We were getting very frustrated. The Captain even put on a couple of extra units to go through side streets and alleys looking for vehicles, which we normally didn't do. It was a dangerous place for cruisers to go without any reason.

****

I talked with Sue on Saturday when she got home. She asked me if they had any new news? I told her "No" but that we put more units out on patrol. She asked me if she was still considered a suspect and I told her she was listed as a person of interest. She just shook her had and I gave her a hug.

Later that evening, the shit hit the fan.

Chapter 3

I explained to Sue that I wouldn't be stopping by tonight since I wouldn't be getting off till after midnight. She mentioned that she planned on catching up on her sleep anyway.

It was a busy night. Some were still celebrating Halloween. The way some women of the night dressed, every night was Halloween. It was a busy night and we were still talking to some of the prostitutes. That along with doing our regular patrol made for a quick night.

It was almost midnight when Jen and I were headed back to the station. As we walked in the door the desk Sergeant called to me and said I had a phone call. I was rather surprised, since no one ever called me at work. I answered the phone and it was Lester, the homeless man.

"Patrolman Wayne, this is Lester. You gave me your card and said to call you if I even saw that woman or her car again."

"Yes Lester, I gave you my card. Did you see the woman and her car tonight?" I asked.

"I didn't see her but I did see her car, you know the silver Honda. It was parked on a side street off the main road."

"How long ago did you see it Lester?"

"Maybe an hour or so. I don't have a watch."

"Why did you wait so long to call me?"

"No one would let me use their phone. I finally walked down to the all night diner and I gave them your card and asked them to dial you. They hesitated but finally called."

"Stay where you are Lester. I'll have a patrol car stop by and get your statement and you can have a free meal on me."

I called Detectives Smith and Cook; they were patrolling the downtown area tonight also. I told them what Lester said and they headed to the place where Lester last saw the car. We hoped we weren't too late: we didn't want another victim.

Their vehicle was unmarked; we didn't want to scare our possible suspect away. Jen and I headed back to our cruiser. We figured we could help with backup if needed. We sent another patrol car over to get Lester's statement and I told them to see he got something to eat. I would reimburse them later.

Jen and I received a call from Detective Smith. He said as they were going down the street they were passed by the Honda. It was driven by a woman with a blonde wig. They didn't get a good look at her but they turned around and were now following her. They also said they passed a parked car with someone sitting in it. We were to go check it out.

We were afraid that our killer struck again. As we turned the corner the parked vehicle started moving. We turned on our lights and he stopped. We asked him to get out of the car.

He was a college-aged man and was scared that we stopped him. He finally told us he had sex with a prostitute and she had just left in her own car. We talked to him and found out that he had been with this same hooker a number of times. Sometimes she wore a red wig but today it was blonde.

She drove a silver Honda and she always wanted sex on the side streets.

"She wasn't like the other women," said the man. "She was older and beautiful. She always wanted me to sit on the passenger side and I didn't have to wear a condom unless I wanted to. I never did, it felt to good when I came in her."

Another patrol car pulled up and we told them to take him to the station and get his statement. If he went along and answered all their questions we wouldn't charge him with solicitation. He readily agreed to tell us anything we wanted to know.

We received a call from Smith and Cook. They said the vehicle they were following was going up Jefferson Ave. They weren't able to make out the plates because the number was blocked. They could have pulled her over for that but wanted to see where she was going.

"John, she's pulling into your apartment parking lot. We'll confront her after she parks." Jen and I were only a few minutes behind.

When we pulled up they had the woman standing outside of her car. She was definitely dressed as a prostitute. God, I prayed it wasn't Sue as we pulled up. She was built similar to Sue but the closer we got I knew it wasn't her. I looked at the woman and realized that it was Madeline Berkshire. Her husband was the first victim. I pulled Detective Smith aside and told him who she was.

They had asked her for her driver's license and proof of insurance. When she said she didn't have that with her, she was asked to get out of the car. They now had probable cause to check her vehicle. They removed a small green purse from her front seat. It contained both a handgun and a barber's straight razor.

She wasn't speaking at all. They found a key to room 321 also in her purse. We all went up to the room. Once we opened the door we could see that she didn't live there. The room was filled with clothes that a prostitute would wear. We figured this was just a place where she changed her clothes before going home.

When I told her that I knew she was Madeline Berkshire, she said she wanted her lawyer. The Detectives took her down to the station and we had our crime scene investigators check out the apartment as well as her vehicle.

Due to all the commotion, a number of people came out of their apartments. I looked down the hall and saw Sue and asked her over. We told everyone else to go back to their apartments.

Sue looked in the apartment and said she saw some of her clothes that were stolen as well as her wigs. She cried and I took her into my arms. I walked her back to her apartment and told her I would see her in the morning.

****

Mrs. Berkshire did get her lawyer. At first she tried to deny everything but sitting there looking like a hooker didn't help any story she tried to come up with. Her lawyer said she must have had a nervous breakdown. We did get her to finally talk.

It all began when she found out her husband was cheating on her. One evening after work she put on some sexy clothes and went to meet him in the parking garage. She told him she was his prostitute and he could have her for a hundred dollars. He liked the idea of role-playing and went along with her.

She had him move to the passenger side seat and pull his trousers and briefs down. She said she told him she only did safe sex, and made him wear a condom. He was really getting into the role-playing.

She straddled his lap and he began fucking her.

"Do you like my pussy?" she asked.

"Yes, I love it. Fuck me you slut. Give me that pussy." He was getting into it now.

"Is my pussy better than your wife's?"

"Hell yes, it's the best pussy I've ever had," he replied.

"Do you cheat on your wife a lot?" she asked.

"Pretty often but you're the best. I could fuck you all night." He was still role-playing but she was taking it seriously.

"You fucking cheating son of a bitch," she said to him.

As he was coming she took out a razor and cut his throat. His face looked surprised and he died almost instantly, bleeding out. She was covered in blood also as she got out of the vehicle. She quickly went to her car and took off her bloody clothes and put them in the trunk and drove home.

The next morning she called the police department and reported her husband missing.

Her lawyer said she had a mental breakdown and if they would let him talk with her he would agree to let the Detectives listen to her statements. They agreed to go along since she said she had nothing else to say to them. She would only talk to her lawyer. She spoke to her lawyer with the detectives present. She acted like they weren't even there. They all agreed to have her statements recorded, so we listened to the rest of her story.

After burying her husband she was not the same person. She worked by day but at night she didn't like being alone. She would drive downtown and become a prostitute. She talked with some of the hookers and paid them top dollar for some of their outfits. There was no way she could be seen in a store buying that kind of clothing.

She also needed a place to change clothes. She couldn't be seen in Grosse Pointe wearing those types of clothing. She was one of the honored business people in her community. She found an apartment about half way between downtown and where she lived.

She would be a hooker for a couple of hours to satisfy her urges and then drive to the apartment and change back to her appropriate clothing. She would do this a couple of times a week.

The vehicle she drove, the silver Honda, belonged to her son. After the death of her husband her son asked if he could drive his father's vehicle. They had it all cleaned and even replaced the seats and her son drove it to college. From that day forward whenever Madeline drove a car for hooking, she used her son's Honda.

I might add at this point that the crime scene investigators also checked the trunk of her Cadillac and found blood spots that matched that of her husband.

She began killing when she found married men cheating on their wives. Whenever that happened she would talk dirty to them and slit their throat. Otherwise, she preferred the young vibrant college men and even told them they didn't have to wear condoms if they didn't want too. Some did and some did not.

She made the married men wear condoms. In most cases they wanted to wear them anyway, but she insisted. The few that she killed were only the ones that would tell her how worthless their wives were and they preferred hookers. It did something to her mentally, and she would take out the razor and slit their throats.

When asked about taking Sue's clothes and wigs she said that she saw Sue leave her apartment one night dressed as a hooker. She was running out of sexy clothes and decided that during the day she would go and take some of Sue's outfits. Since she thought Sue was a hooker, she didn't think she would report the missing clothing or wigs. She saw where she hid her key under her mat.

The apartment had garbage bags full of the clothes Madeline wore that were stain with blood. They knew it was more than enough to connect her to the murders.

Mrs. Berkshire was arrested on six counts of murder. Her lawyer said she is mentally incompetent to stand trial and had physicians statement agreeing with her mental state. She is at the present time in a mental facility. Time will tell if she ever gets out and stands trial for the murders. As for now we did solve the cases.

Madeline's friends and family were shocked when the word got out that she was the killer in the Downtown Murders as the news media put it.

Epilogue:

It's been almost a year since Mrs. Berkshire was caught and charged. Sue and I both agreed that we wanted to be more than just close friends. We got married six months ago and now live in the suburbs of Sterling Heights. I transferred to the department and now work day-turn and am home with my wife every night.

Sue is an accountant for a local agency. She still doesn't want me to talk about my work. I'm happy with that and do my best to not bring my work home with me.

Sue and I make love a few times a week but cuddle on the couch and watch TV together all the time. On Saturdays we usually go out with family or friends. Her sister Alice and her family live just down the street. Alice said that I was the best thing that ever happened to Sue. I know she's the best thing that ever happened to me.

Halloween is coming up and our precinct is having a costume party. I asked Sue if she wanted to go and she said, "Sure! But I'm not going as a hooker." She did smile at me when she said it.

So, I ended up taking Wonder Woman to the Halloween party. I dressed as Spiderman. Sue told me at the party that, "You think I'm Wonder Woman now, you just wait till I get Spiderman in my bed tonight."

I do have to admit it was a Super Night. I'm pretty sure we started our family.

Life is good especially when you can share it with someone you love and trust.

Thank you for reading my story Comments are welcome and appreciated DG Hear