Detective Webb stood just inside the man's garage, a cotton handkerchief in his hand covering his mouth. He'd seen some pretty horrible things in his many years working in the Sheriff's Office but this was pretty rough. He looked closer at the partially digested head among the other body parts and spotted something that he hoped nobody else saw. He stepped into the cool night air and made a brief call on his cell.
"I'm at a house on Old Hickory road, off old route 35. I need you to come and see me.... Yes I know but it's important. I'll text you the exact address," he said then hung up.
"Will they take my hides? You told me I could trust you, David, who did you call?" asked the man.
"You found something I'm sure wasn't meant to be found, Joe. The lady I called will set it right," replied David.
"She sounds like an awesome lady, why am I here, Detective?" said Cathy.
Both men jumped, they didn't hear or see any approaching cars.
"Fuck me, no matter how many times you've done that to me, I'll never get used to it. The head in there, I'm guessing someone who should have stayed missing?" said David
"What makes you think it was me?" replied Cathy.
"Take a closer look at his neck, or what's left of it."
"Ah, who else knows, was this called in?" said Cathy after looking.
"No, he called me directly, we help each other out, I get tips about people running and dealing drugs up and down the river, in return I turn a blind eye to the alligators Joe here takes without a permit. He's a good man, I've known him a long time."
Cathy looked at Joe then smiled at David.
"Well, I'm glad you called me. The bag of cash your friend found in the body of his latest kill doesn't need to be reported. Joe, please go inside and fetch me a garbage bag from your kitchen."
"Please tell me you're going to talk to me about who you're getting rid of this time," said David when Joe was out of earshot, a concerned look on his face.
"Yes, I'll take a ride back to town with you and tell you where to find the evidence and information to close your College Street killer case. Joe here will be asked to forget he found a body and instead remember finding a drug runners bundle of cash, about $25k and only called you to be sure it was okay to keep it," replied Cathy.
"You're cleaning up the river now too?"
"Just a few of them, you know my Code, Detective."
"Got it."
"Here you go, Ma'am," said Joe, handing Cathy the bag she wanted.
"I want you to look into my eyes, Joe. You're going to walk to the edge of your long driveway there and smoke one of those cigarettes you have in your shirt pocket. By the time you're done, you'll come back and David will have an answer as to whether it's okay to keep the money you found and you won't remember ever seeing me," she said, softly.
"It's a lot of money, I could help pay for my sister's surgery, I'll be smart though, I know how to not draw attention," said Joe. He walked away, lighting up as he did.
"I won't be long," said Cathy.
David was waiting at the entrance of Joe's garage when he returned, the body parts that were in the alligator's stomach replaced with bundles of cellophane wrapped cash, just over $25k she'd taken from a killer, a man who mercilessly gunned down a couple of boaters who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Cathy watched from the dark as the man hugged David then waved him off as he drove away. He stopped less than a mile up the road and opened his passenger door.
"Mmm, you cleaned it up since the last time, no week old junk food containers to make your car smell wonderful," she said as she sat down.
"I remembered your heightened sense of smell," he replied with a grin.
"Do you need to forget what you saw?"
"No, if it means closure to College Street, I'd see it again. Talk to me."
"He hadn't killed in a while, I was hunting him but he went dark for years and only resurfaced a few months ago. The 3 missing girls are gone, I'm sorry, I couldn't get to him in time but his laptop, heavily encrypted, will detail where he put the bodies. He mapped all of them, would drug, rape then kill them, stuff their bodies in oil drums and dump them in the deepest parts of the river. His laptop was in a room behind a bookshelf, I made him open it and tell me what he did. Tomorrow you're going to get a call from his cleaner, she'll tell you she saw a light that he left on and she accidentally opened his hidden room. She saw you on TV, pleading for the public's help finding the missing girls and thought you should be the first to know."
"You said encrypted, is there a cypher or something to help open it?"
"I have faith in your men, Detective, if I did any more, you'd have to start paying me," she said with a smile.
"Is this someone we could have caught without you?"
"He was very careful, covered his tracks extremely well but his fetish for trophies is something that will convince you. I can't bear to think of how many more he would have killed. Just, don't be the one to open the deep freeze in that room."
"Fuck. Is Joe ever going to remember?"
"He won't even realize the new alligator I left for him is a little bigger. I got sloppy, I'm sorry. I'll try not to leave puncture marks on any more I have to remove."
"You are quite the woman, Miss Catherine, I'm glad I'm on this side of you."
"It's Cathy, Detective, I haven't gone by Catherine since before you were born."
"I know, despite being acutely aware you could snap me like a twig, I can't help teasing at times."
"Stay safe, David, thank you for calling me. Despite my hatred for these little things, I'm glad you did. I'll get out here."
David stopped his car, letting Cathy out and she was gone before he closed her door.
She watched him on the news in the days that followed, detailing how an accidental find by a cleaner led to closure in cases of 19 missing women. The suspect having kept a detailed log in a computer deciphered by the Police Department's cyber team and the FBI. They would eventually get to the last 3 girls and evidence suggesting he fell into the water while dumping them and was killed. Alligators would be hailed as the final, fitting end to an evil man and Detective Webb the unrelenting seeker of justice to bring closure to the many families.
A week or so later, Cathy sat on the roof of the dockside warehouse, a boat passed by, 'The Grand Marie' painted on the bow. She smiled, remembering a Marie she knew a long time ago.
* * *
"We are at port, Mistress Victoria. My men are eager to fetch your luggage if you'd like to freshen up," said the Captain, waking Victoria and Catherine from their nap.
"Well, I'm sure they're hoping to get at least some of the money they lost to me playing poker last night as a tip but please give them this when we are gone. They are all wonderful, hard-working men and were of great company to my sister and I," replied Victoria, handing the Captain a bag with envelopes addressed to each of his men. The Captain laughed.
"You'd think with all the time between ports they'd learn to play a little better."
"Men have more tells than we do, Captain, once you know where to look, it's hard to hide them from me."
"Do we have time to make love again?" asked Catherine when the Captain left.
