Chapter Thirty-Three

They crowded around Malone's desk, shuffling the visitor's chairs to fit them all. Tori tipped her chair back, leaning against the wall as she watched O'Connor and Tucker. There was something going on with them. First of all, they sat as far away from each other as possible, which Tori found strange. Normally, they were practically joined at the hip. And secondly, they weren't looking at each other. She arched an eyebrow as she casually glanced at Leslie's hand. No ring.

No ring?

"Okay, let's go over it," Malone said. "I finally got the approval for the twenty-four hour tag on your John Doe. I had to pull in favors on this one, seeing as how he's not even a suspect."

"His brother--"

"Yes, the mystery brother--or sister, depending on his mood." Malone looked at Casey. "O'Connor, I understand you two talked to him on Friday. Why don't you fill us in?"

O'Connor crossed her legs and glanced over at Leslie quickly. "Well, as everyone knows, we'd been looking for John all week. We finally spotted him Friday afternoon. In a dress."

"What the hell?"

"He said it was his turn to be the sister. Basically, whenever Patrick wants him to be the sister, he leaves the dress. So when John wakes up and the dress is there, he knows he's to be the sister."

"And what's the purpose of that?" Sikes asked.

"We have no idea," Leslie said. "John doesn't know why, and he doesn't ask. He merely does as his brother tells him."

"You think it could be for an alibi?" Tori asked. "I mean, if John is seen on the street in the dress, they'll just assume it's Patrick, like always."

"I think the dress is a quirk of Patrick's," Leslie said, "but I don't think it's the norm for him."

"John kept saying they were opposite," Casey said. "When he's awake, during the day, Patrick sleeps. At night, he sleeps, and Patrick is out and about. And they don't normally sleep together."

"John said Patrick stays inside, where it's cold and dark. The hole in the wall," Leslie said.

"A warehouse?"

"There are plenty of abandoned buildings. They would be cold and dark."

"John is like a child," Leslie said. "He sees things in black and white. When we asked him where Patrick slept he said the hole in the wall. That's because that's what he sees. He doesn't see a building or a warehouse, or whatever. To him, he sees Patrick going into a hole in the wall."

"And I got the impression he was afraid of that hole," Casey added.

"Tell Malone about the twin part," Tori said.

"Oh, yeah. Not just brothers. He said they were twins."

"Identical twins?" Malone asked. "Are you kidding me?"

"Not identical," Leslie said. "Their DNA is different."

"I don't understand."

"Yeah, I checked with Mac," Tori said. "Identical twins have identical DNA. John's DNA sequence suggests it's a relative, thus his brother. Mac said identical twins come from one egg that splits, so it's essentially two of the same egg. Fraternal twins start out as two separate eggs. They could end up looking alike, but they won't be identical."

"Mac told you all this and you actually understood?" Casey teased.

"Hey, I'm not as dumb as I look," Tori said as she tossed a pen at her.

"No. It's just that I've been with you before when Mac's explaining DNA. I've seen the blank look on your face."

"Kids, can we focus on this, please?"

"Sorry, Lieutenant," they said in unison.

"Okay, we have three murders associated with this. The other case...four months ago now?" He shuffled through his files. "The one Donaldson and Walker had. Yes, Christine Farmer. Twenty-six. Cascade apartments. Then we go nearly three months before we got Dana Burrows, the college student, at Stone Ridge apartments. Now, Rhonda Hampton, again at Cascades. All women in their twenties, all lived alone."

"All on ground floor units," Sikes added.

"None of the women were raped, yet semen was found on each victim," Tori said.

"Don't forget about Rudy Bobby," Casey said. "Our homeless guy was killed with the same murder weapon as our girls."

"And the matching fiber," Leslie reminded them.

"Right. There was a fiber found on Dana Burrows," Malone said. "It matched the blanket covering the homeless guy."
"Tox on Rudy Bobby showed cocaine. Something that John said," Casey said, glancing at Sikes. "Not you. The other John. He said Patrick gives him money. And he said Patrick is out and about at night, not during the day. Piece that together with the fact that the others on the street are afraid of Patrick--"

"Drug dealer?"

"I wouldn't say dealer. I'm guessing more of a carrier. And I'd bet Rudy Bobby stole some from Patrick and that got him killed. Maybe Rudy Bobby was following him around, saw stuff he shouldn't. Maybe he followed him to the apartment, saw the murder, went inside--"

"Unknowingly left a fiber," Leslie said.

"Or maybe he saw the murder and blackmailed Patrick, trading his silence for cocaine," Sikes suggested.

Casey nodded. "Might be more plausible than stealing it, you're right."

"I still don't get the dress thing," Malone said. He looked at Tucker. "You said a quirk of his, but not the norm. What are your thoughts?"

"I think, like Tori said, it's some sort of alibi. I wouldn't be surprised if he's in the dress when he kills his victims. We've all been wondering how he gets inside their apartments. Dressed as a woman, a young woman at that, would probably be fairly easy to get them to open their doors." She looked at Casey. "If anyone spots him coming or going, they've spotted a woman."

"And maybe getting John to wear the dress occasionally allows Patrick to be on the streets during the day posing as John. I got the impression from John that Patrick is rarely out and about during the day. So on the occasions when he does want--or need--to be out, he gets John to wear the dress, and Patrick morphs into John, leaving the real Patrick still under cover."

Tori stared at her, shaking her head. "Jesus Christ, O'Connor, I think you've taken a few too many psychology classes. He morphs into John? You don't think he's just a punk who gets off dressing like women?"

"I think Casey's right," Leslie said. "It goes beyond playing dress-up. And I know we've never met Patrick, don't even know what he looks like, but I would think, as John says, they are quite opposite. I think he's very intelligent, whereas John is not. I would assume he is calculating, meticulous. John is childlike, simple, and therefore easily manipulated. I think the dress is just part of the game. I don't believe he does it for any emotional reasons."

Malone leaned back in his chair, slowly rubbing his bald head, watching them. He met Tori's eyes and raised his eyebrows. She shrugged.

"Captain wants us to bring CIU in, along with a profiler," he said. "Personally, I hate when CIU gets involved." He glanced quickly at Tori again. "Sorry. No offense to Sam."

Tori smiled. "I feel exactly the same way, Lieutenant."

"Good. Then let's try to wrap this up. Twenty-four hour detail. You decide how you break it up. No one goes out alone," he said, casting a look at Casey. "If we need help, I can try to pull someone from another squad. I'd suggest Donaldson and Walker, but--"

"We can manage, Lieutenant," Tori said quickly. "Like you said, let's try to wrap this up."

"Very well. But I want you to keep me posted. I've got a meeting with Hagen over at Narcotics, want to see if maybe this Patrick guy is on their radar."

"Yes, sir."

"I mean it. Let me know what you get. The captain wants an update by the end of the day. I'm guessing we have a couple more days before CIU and a profiler come calling."

"Well, Leslie and I are going to head over to the shelter," Casey said. "We want to talk to Maria again. She knows John. She may not know Patrick, but maybe she knows Patty. "

"Looks like Sikes and I get the first shift then," Tori said as she stood. She pointed at Casey and Leslie. "You two need to get some rest this afternoon if you're taking the night shift."

"An afternoon nap?"

"Yeah, O'Connor, you're going to wish you had a nap when two a.m. rolls around and you're cruising the streets."

"Okay. So we'll switch out at what? Seven? Eight?"

"Let's say eight. And take a radio in case we need dispatch."

"Ten-four," Casey said with a grin.

Tori walked out with Casey, nudging her shoulder. "So? You have a good weekend?" she asked quietly. She was surprised at the slight blush that colored Casey's face.

"Yeah. Good," she said. "You?"

"Uh-huh. Sam hauled me around looking at houses."

"Sorry I missed that."

"Yeah. I was hoping you'd call me and persuade me to go to the lake yesterday."

"Yeah, well, I had...you know, laundry and stuff to catch up on."

Tori laughed. "You're so damn cute, O'Connor."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"That means I'm a detective, hotshot."

Casey arched an eyebrow.

"She's not wearing her ring."

Casey blushed again. "Look, please don't say anything," she whispered, then took a step back as Leslie walked over.

"I'm ready if you are."

"Yeah, sure. All ready." She walked away, then turned back. "See you at eight, Hunter."

Tori watched them go, smiling.

"What's up with you?" Sikes asked.

"Nothing."

"Did you notice Tucker didn't have her ring on?"

Tori laughed. "Oh, yeah. I noticed."

"What's up with that?"

"What would be your guess, Sikes?"

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