The Butcher and the Wren(22)

Leroux nods and leans forward with his elbows on his knees. He answers, “That is exactly what I think.”

“Should we try to have the festival canceled? Is that even possible this late in the game?” Will questions.

The lieutenant shakes his head and leans back in his chair, responding, “No way. Technically, it has already begun. There are hundreds of people converging on New Orleans as we speak. It’s an all-day event.”

Leroux points to the flyer and clarifies, “This advertisement is specifically referring to the events beginning at four p.m.”

“So, there is time to get people out of there. We really don’t know the extent of what he has planned. The best-case scenario is a body drop, but we could be looking at something much worse,” Will adds, concerned.

“An evacuation might cause mass chaos,” Wren interjects, holding up a finger for emphasis.

“Dr. Muller is right. Any move like that is going to spook him. If this asshole has something planned tonight, he will notice if the place starts emptying out prematurely. Besides, a mass exodus would cause chaos and panic. This community is already on edge. They don’t need to be chased away by a ghost,” the lieutenant decides, stroking his chin and feeling the flyer between his fingers. He stands and walks around the other side of his desk. “Let’s get a team together. I want every officer we can get on this. Hell, let’s get the administrative team suited up. I want that festival surrounded in rows, like shark’s teeth. No one moves without eyes on them. If people have an issue with it, remind them that there is a possible serial killer turning people into pulled pork.”

Leroux turns to Wren and instructs, “Muller, grab your team to come with us for this.”

The lieutenant nods and passes through the door of his office, agreeing, “Absolutely. Get them on the phone. We need you on the scene right from the jump.”

“Of course. I’ll get them rolling now.” Wren pulls out her phone and sends texts to the members of her team she wants to summon.

She follows Leroux and Will into the hallway, listening to them fill in a few officers nearby. In what seems like an instant, the scene inside the station has changed from business as usual to a state of heightened urgency.

“Get in here, Leroux. We don’t have time to waste staring into the abyss.” The lieutenant waves a giant hand and disappears into the conference room.

Leroux walks into the conference room with Wren following close behind. Everyone is buzzing. The air feels thick with equal parts adrenaline and nervous energy. The lieutenant’s booming voice cuts through it like a machete.

“Here it is,” the lieutenant declares, slapping the jazz festival flyer onto the bulletin board that has been wheeled in front of the room. He stabs a tack into it and turns to face the group. “This is where the killer responsible for the Seven Sisters Swamp and Twelve Mile Limit murder scenes will likely be tonight. If his own breadcrumbs are to be believed, he plans to ruin more innocent people’s lives. Leroux and Broussard, get up here.”

Leroux and Will exchange an anxious look but follow the orders of their superior. The room has started to dissolve into chaos as the news washes over everyone at once. Leroux hates standing in front of a room. Wren can already see the red splotches appear on his collarbone. He, like she, prefers the solitude of research and individual legwork to the immense pressure of sharing vital information with a large group. Leroux clears his throat and gestures somewhat broadly to the flyer stuck to the bulletin board.

“So, we have found a pretty definitive match for the piece of paper found on the last victim’s body. It is from this flyer for the jazz festival downtown today. Based on what we have discovered to be an emerging pattern across these crime scenes, it is extremely likely that there will be a body drop at the festival or somewhere around it.”

A young patrolman raises a finger in the air and lets his elbow drop on the arm of his chair with a clear sense of skepticism. “How the hell is this guy going to even consider dropping a dead body at a huge festival? So far, he has been doing his drops at night. Are we supposed to believe he has suddenly escalated to this level of confidence?” he asks as his face twists into a look of exasperation.

Will pipes right up before Leroux can.

“Listen, no one is saying that we know exactly what his plan will be. If we knew that, we would already have our own television show, and no one else would die,” he jokes.

The room snickers and the heckler turns his head to the side in a snarl. Leroux grins, too, but quickly returns his focus to the situation in front of him. Wren can see that he wants to say more. She wishes he would.

“All we know is that all signs point to something big happening at the festival. Now, whether it is a false alarm or a prank is not really pertinent here. We can’t take the risk, and I don’t think anyone will fault us for acting in a massive way here,” Leroux confirms.

The room seems to agree that overreacting is highly preferable to possibly risking more lives. The lieutenant uses a deep, stern voice to silence the mumbling. “This is priority number one now. Everyone is to have their eyes open and their radar up at this event. If I see a phone in one of your hands tonight, I’ll make you eat it,” he warns.

Snickers fill the room again, followed by anxious chatter as Leroux and Will begin to explain the plan of attack. Will smooths out a map of the festival site and tacks it up on the board.