Talia Devine's POV
St. Paul Police, Homicide Division
Friday, September 24, 2021
Another morning, another update with the brass. My partner, Detective James Maloney, looked like he'd aged a decade in the past week as he started the meeting. The Chief had a meeting at City Hall, but her spokesman, Captain Lewis, was here. Assistant Chief Fordham of Major Crimes and Captain Mike Cullen of Robbery/Homicide, our chain of command, were up in the front. The County Attorney wasn't here, but he'd sent an assistant.
No one looked happy after what had already been a long and trying week.
"Before we get to the kinky shit, let's hear about the crime scene information. Jack?"
Detective Parker opened up his notebook. "BCA is still pushing through the hair and fiber evidence, working those found in the bedroom first. So far, we have 27 unique and unknown hairs found in the bedroom. The majority, of course, were matched to the victim and Lars Anderson. They also got a DNA match on the semen stain on the sheets to Lars. Combined with the lack of vaginal tearing or semen deposits in the victim, it's unlikely the perpetrator forcibly penetrated her during the attack."
"Did the autopsy rule out any sex, Jack? If the victim had sex before the murder, especially if it was consensual, it changes things."
Jack nodded. "It's possible, especially if he wore a condom and took it with him. I'd say unlikely. The evidence points towards torture as a motive, not sex."
"Anything matching David?"
"One hair found on the blanket matches his DNA."
Everyone looked at him for more. "We've got his DNA at the crime scene?"
"It's not that simple," Jack replied. "Her parents confirmed the quilt was a wedding gift, handmade by her aunt. The hair was on the bottom side of the blanket."
"It's not definitive proof he was there," the County Attorney agreed. "It's too easy to explain away and not nearly enough for an arrest warrant."
"Wonderful. Yvonne, was there anything in the coroner's report that hinted at previous BDSM activities?"
"I asked specifically about that after the photograph came out, and the answer was nothing recently. There was some faint scarring on the buttocks and the backs of the thighs that could be consistent with that activity, but it was fully healed and not conclusive. The coroner did say that unless the whipping were severe enough to cut skin or raise welts, any marks would fade within hours."
"And Lars was on a road trip the previous four days," Maloney replied. "Talia, did anything useful show up in her electronic records?"
"Nothing obvious," I replied. "Most of the victim's private messages were with Lars or her friends. After reviewing her history and speaking with her friends, we identified four previous boyfriends, none of whom she remained in touch with after the breakup. Tracy had not complained about any of them being abusive, nor do they have records or red flags. She hadn't dated a man twice in over a year before meeting Lars at a charity event in February. Her girlfriends kept urging her to get out more, especially after turning thirty-five."
"Is that a problem?"
"The median age of first marriage for a woman is now twenty-eight, thanks to an entire generation of men in deferred adulthood, living in basements and uninterested in relationships, while women pursue degrees and careers. Of course, you've probably been living together for years before. That means you picked them when you were twenty-five and dragged them to the altar in time," Yvonne replied. She was in her forties and had more divorces than any other Homicide detective. The average in the detective room was two. "By your late twenties, you're grabbing for the best guy left on the shelf like it's Black Friday. At thirty, you're in the discount aisle, one step away from the crazy cat lady starter kit," Yvonne intoned gravely. "At thirty-five, your chances of finding a good man plummet. Most men your age are already married or interested only in hookups, and divorced women are out in force. Divorced men come complete with three kids and an unstable ex-wife. The older men are looking for trophy wives, and you're no longer young and beautiful enough to compete. At forty, finding a decent man is roughly equivalent to hitting the lottery."
Gulp. I was 29, in a high-stress job, and already had a cat. No wonder Mom was worried about me. "Tracy was thirty-six and a successful career woman. Her girlfriends loved Lars and thought she hit the jackpot with him. Younger, rich, and good-looking? Some women will do almost anything to keep a man like that happy."
Captain Cullen interjected. "No evidence she was cheating on him?"
"No, sir," I answered. "If she was, she kept it hidden from everyone."
"What about Lars," the Captain asked.
"He's a professional hockey player," Hank answered. "The one-hundred-mile rule was in play for him, though he was discreet about his affairs. Lars admits to having sex with multiple women while on the road. He swore he didn't cheat on her in Minnesota since his engagement. He said he was discreet about it, practiced safe sex, and Tracy never knew about it."
Nice. All men cheat if they can get away with it. "What did he say about the bondage stuff?"
"He said she asked him to buy those things to spice up their sex life. I walked him through her condominium, including the drawers. Everything was there except the cuffs and ball gag the BCA took. When I described to him how the killer marked up and tortured the victim, he almost got sick. He said he was always careful not to leave visible marks or break the skin because Tracy would be furious with him. When she asked him to tie her up and flog her, he learned how to do it right."
"How the hell do you learn that," I asked.
"He hired a Dominatrix for private lessons in her dungeon," Hank replied. "He said the photograph was taken there without their consent. I asked for details, but he refused. The training agreement with the Madame included privacy provisions."
"Compel him to give us the information!"
"It's not that simple," the lawyer in the room said. "We have no evidence the dominatrix was involved in ANY crime, including the murder. You've already ruled Lars out as a suspect. Any statements would be voluntary, and Lars declined. I'm sure this Dominatrix had a lawyer review the commercial contract stipulations regarding privacy."
"Is there any way to get her name?"
She shrugged. "I'm sure the taking and leaking of the pictures were against their agreements. We'll never know unless Lars files suit against the Dominatrix for damages."
"So we're at a dead end with Lars," Maloney concluded. "The toys and the sex are a recent development and legal between consenting adults. Where are we on David Hardin?"
"Up to twenty-seven matches to the book now that the ex-husband's DNA is at the crime scene," I said as I marked up the spreadsheet on the board. "When will we go public with the parallels to the book? It might bring in a solid lead." Left unsaid was the 'if it doesn't leak first.'
