Thomas O`Callaghan - Bone Thief

The thought rocketed to Driscoll’s consciousness. Did the killer know that? Was that why he dumped the Benjamin woman in the waters under the bridge? Was there some sort of distorted significance to the drop site?

The Sixty-first Precinct located Sarah Benjamin’s car. It was collecting parking tickets at an expired meter on Emmons Avenue and East Twenty-first Street,” Margaret reported as she sat beside Driscoll’s desk. “That’s Restaurant Row. I’m running her photo by every hostess and waiter. Maybe we’ll get lucky. And since the last call she made from her car was to a telephone inside the shopping mall, I checked the incident reports at the mall for that day. They logged in two arrests for shoplifting, and nothing more.”

“That’s dead end number seventeen and eighteen. But who’s counting?” Driscoll grumbled. “Do me a favor, call your buddy, White, over at the Computer Investigation amp; Tech Unit. See what they’ve got on the two victims’ computers. They seem to be taking their sweet time. I thought you said White had a thing for you.”

“Speaking of computers, your postman’s ringing.”

“My what?”

“Your computer. You have e-mail.”

Driscoll rolled his chair over to the monitor and typed in his password. His correspondence flashed on the amber screen.

It’s me, Moira. I’ve been burning the midnight oil. Peel open your sun-soaked eyes and see what I see. It’s all about first dating. That’s what the drop sites have in common. They’re where the women first encountered their first love. Did you know that Amelia Stockard once dated Newark’s Commissioner of Sanitation? That explains the sanitation dump. And now, hold your breath, Lieutenant, ’cause…

I’ve made contact with him!

Shocked? Bewildered? Awed? You should be. Surprise! Your killer’s got a name. It’s Godsend. And check out the ad he’s placed on a bulletin board:

WOMEN OF GOTHAM, WANT TO REKINDLE YOUR FIRST LOVE?

Where is he? Your Romeo? Your Lancelot? The one who first taught your heart to skip a beat? YOUR FIRST LOVE! LE GRAND AMOUR! Gone now but never forgotten, and I can arrange the meet. Just imagine that. For the modest initiation fee of just $99.95, you’re on your way. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by. And more importantly, act today!

Could she be right? thought Driscoll. Had this precocious teen really unearthed the murderer? Was this what the victims had in common? Had they all been lured to their deaths by some fiendish Internet psycho, only to have their bodies recovered at the site where they had once rendezvoused with a first love? Moira’s pace was astounding. And if on target, so was her find.

He reached for the desk phone and pounded in her number. Moria answered on the first ring, and once Driscoll greeted her, continued to show off what she had learned. “Deirdre McCabe’s screen name was DeeDee22 at America Online. Monique went by Candy-Ass at Netscape. And the tea heiress picked Chamomile33 at Juno. The Benjamin woman was out of the pattern. She has no online service. She never went near a computer, but I’ll bet the waters under the Brooklyn Bridge have some significance.”

“More than you know, Moira. You’ve beaten our technicians at their own game. How’d you get this?”

“Women are savers. They save their love letters. I downloaded their e-mail and retrieved all of their correspondence with Godsend.”

“So let’s see. You burglarized the hard drives of the victims’ computers, stole their passwords, and downloaded their correspondence. Do I have it right?”

“You really live up to your name, Detective.”

“I want all that stolen data in my office. Within the hour!”

“I already sifted through it. It doesn’t reveal the killer’s identity.”

“OK. You arranged this exchange. Suppose you tell me the next step.”

“I wanna be the one to collar him.”

“What!”

“I wanna nab the bad guy.”

“Moira, need I remind you you’re barely fourteen?”

“There you go again with the age bit.”

“What you did was illegal.”

“I did it to help you. Take the present, will ya?”

An awareness struck Driscoll. This young girl, who had shown up the Department’s technical experts, was putting herself in harm’s way. She was delusional in thinking she could apprehend the killer. But, there seemed to be no stopping her. Was he to blame? Was he so blinded by the memory of his daughter Nicole that he overlooked the caution flags and invited Moira into the chase?

“Lieutenant, go back to your screen. Check out my response to Godsend’s ad-”

“Oh, Jesus!”

Dear Godsend,

Your ad sounds soooo…tempting. Are you for real? I mean, really track down my first love? I’d just die to know what became of Donny Tesorio. You bet I’m interested. What’s next? Light the way.

Signed, Excited

Bet you’re riveted to the screen now, Lieutenant. Wait! There’s more. Feast your eyes on our demon’s reply.

Dear Excited,

Not only will I deliver Donny Dearest, but, for the unfathomable fee of just $249 (minus your $99.95 initiation fee), I’ll guarantee an experience of a lifetime. If you’re still “excited,” I can send you a questionnaire.

Godsend

Dear Godsend,

A query at the tip of my tongue, O valiant prospector. Surely gold isn’t your only reward in your mission to reunite ancient lovers? What fuels this passion? Answer my question and put my soul to rest.

Excited

Dear Excited,

Rest in peace, my child. I once loved a sister, a comrade at heart, a first love, and prime mover of my soul. Departed to other climes, never to return.

Godsend

Godsend,

Saddened am I. Rush me the questionnaire.

Excited

NAME

AGE

ADDRESS

Married? Yes…. No….

Happily? Yes…. No….

How do you rate it?

Poor…. Fair…. Satisfactory…. Excellent…. Going steady? Yes…. No….

How do you rate it?

Poor…. Fair…. Satisfactory…. Excellent…. How often do you think of your first love?

Once a night….

Once a week….

Once a month….

Why do you want to hook up with your first love?

A journey down memory lane….

Revisit my first kiss….

Reminiscences of our first intimacy….

All of the above…. *** After reviewing your application, I’ll ask you to scan me a photo of yourself, Excited, along with Donny’s. It will help me find your first love. And you’ll let me know exactly where you were when you celebrated your first date.

Lieutenant, he had their photographs. That’s how he stalked them. He knew where they spent their first date. That’s where he dumped them. Now, feast your eyes on my application:

NAME Catherine Palmer AGE…. A woman never tells

ADDRESS…. 278 Carroll Street. Brooklyn, New York

Married? Yes…. No (X)….

Happily? Yes…. No….

How do you rate it?

Poor…. Fair…. Satisfactory…. Excellent…. Going steady? Yes…. No…. (SORT OF)

How do you rate it?

Poor…. Fair (X). Satisfactory…. Excellent…. How often do you think of your first love?

Once a night…. YOU BET!

Once a week….

Once a month….

Why do you want to hook up with your first love?

A journey down memory lane….

Revisit my first kiss….

Reminiscences of our first intimacy….

All of the above…. XXX It’s been almost nine years since our last kiss.

Stay awake, Lieutenant!

Dear Catherine,

It’s soooo faaaabulous to know you, darling. Your reason for rekindling your first love is inspiring. I was touched. What a torch! Requests like yours are a thrill. Makes me glad I chose genealogy as my hobby. Next, give me the scoop on Donny. I want the low-down on the scrumptious hunk of burning flesh with the killer lips. Answer me this: Where did you and your lover-boy spend your first date? And now is the time to scan me his photo. Include some candid snapshots of your lovely face as well. For it’ll then be time to let the show begin. Remember, it’s magic. Keep your eye on the hat, young lady. Abra cadabra!