Free Murder at Willow Slough by Josh Thomas

Most officers have a hard time when they’ve got a Gay-related murder. You’re overworked to start with. The victimology is harder with Gay people. Parents may not know their kids are Gay, or who their friends are. Friends won’t talk half the time, all they know is ‘cops’ and they want zero to do with you.
    “If this case isn’t Gay, isn’t related to the others I’m following, I’m history. But it does sound like the others a little, and one possible marker is that hyoid.”
    “Hyoid was crushed. How did you know about that?”
    Jamie recited them from memory. “Michael Cardinal, Shelby County, 1987. Strangled, hyoid broken. Riley Jones, 1988. Strangled, hyoid crushed. Four similar in Quincy County, Ohio, 1989 to 1995. Stillwater County, Ohio, 1995. Defiance County, Ohio, 1993; identified 1996, Barry Lynn Turner. Let’s see, who am I leaving out?” Jamie gazed at the video camera hanging from the ceiling. “Ah. Kelvin.”
    “I get the picture. No other contusions, lacerations, no signs of a struggle.”
    “Rats. My cases never show signs of a struggle. Yet they’re all young, healthy men who could fight back if they had to. If they were able to, that is. Which makes the drug screen all the more important.”
    “I know.”
“Make sure the lab screens for all known animal tranquilizers.”
“Huh?”
    If Jamie explained this he’d give out too much information. “You must screen for animal tranqs. If the victim is drugged, by something you wouldn’t ordinarily test for, it may be why he never fights back. The victims don’t have a chance, because the killer puts them to sleep surreptitiously. Easy to kill someone that way. Don’t stop screening if you come up positive for marijuana, keep looking. Marijuana didn’t put that guy out; something else did. Something fast-acting. Entice the victim with reefer, then five minutes later he’s sound asleep. Look for animal tranqs.”
    “Gee.” Kessler made a note of it. “Were any other victims found to have something in them?”
    “I know of six positive for marijuana. The animal tranq’s never been done, but it’s logical; everyone else let their tissue samples get away. Talk to Bulldog Sauer of the Quincy County prosecutor’s office. Here’s his card.”
    Kessler had Xeroxed all the cards, so he checked off Detective Sauer. “I will. Thanks for the tip.”
    “Sergeant, you might have Victim Number 13.”
    “That’s why I’ve got this case.” Kessler looked him in the eye. “You wanted to know, I’ll tell you. I’m sorry for pussyfooting around before.” Jamie nodded, all ears. “We’re halfway between the crime scene and Indy, if there is any possible connection with these other murders, which is a big if. If there’s no connection, it goes back to Rensselaer for disposition. If there’s a connection, we get in some new blood, maybe a different investigative team can come up with something. Probably not, but it’s worth a shot.” And then the threat. “You tell anybody else that, much less put it in the paper, I’ll cut off your access to every trooper in this department.”
    Jamie wrote, kept eye contact. “You should go off the record before you say things I can legally use.”
    Kessler glared at him, ticked off, stirred up.
    Jamie relaxed, got smaller. “I’m here to help, sergeant, as well as to get a story if there is one. I understand you need confidentiality, and I appreciate getting a straight answer. Do your work, I won’t use the quote till you’re ready. Meanwhile I’ve seen every one of these crime scenes, talked to every investigator on every case. Think about it; it’s my readers who are getting hammered. My paper’s got a stake in this. We want these cases solved, that’s all. If I can help, I will. You tell me if I can help.”
    Kessler backed off, glanced at the mirror on the opposite wall. He knew Campbell was watching; so did Jamie. “It’s very, very preliminary. No one’s calling it serial yet. I