“Absolutely,” Ron said. “We also completed the comparative analysis on Mrs. Higgins’ bedding as you requested. We discovered DNA from both women on it, and DNA analysis of the semen we found showed that it came from a man closely related to Ginger.”
“Like a brother?” Ryan asked.
“Exactly,” Ron said. Ryan nodded his head.
“So, we know that a man closely related to Ginger — perhaps a brother — was engaged in sex with one or possibly two women as Bertram’s dead body rotted downstairs in his office. Is that what you’re telling me?” Ryan asked.
“It sure looks that way, Sheriff,” Ron said. By then, Ray Hale, the detective working the case, joined the call and listened to what Ron and Dr. Childress said.
“Glad you could join us, Ray,” Ryan said. “I take it you were at the arraignment?”
“Yes, I was,” Ray said. “And I’m relieved the judge remanded them both into custody. At least we won’t have to worry about them taking off.”
“What have you found so far?” Ryan asked.
“A whole pile of crap,” Ray said. “This Ginger Rodgers is a real piece of work. From the videos and pictures we found, it looks like she and her brother have been doing this sort of thing for quite some time.”
“What?” Ryan asked.
“Well, this looks like the first murder they’ve been involved with, but not the first time they’ve sexually assaulted someone. From what we can tell, it looks like they’ve been doing it for at least a couple years now. Almost as if they were contracted out for this sort of work,” Ray said.
“Any idea who might’ve contracted them?” Ryan asked. Ray shook his head.
“No, none,” he said. “We did find a reference to an ‘AG’ in the text messages on her phone, but we have no idea who that is.”
“What else have you found?” Ryan asked.
“We finally got a response from the California DMV. According to them, Jeremy has a blue 1995 Chevy G10 van registered in his name. I’ve got the license plate number,
and I’ve already updated the APB with that info.”
“Good,” Ryan said. “That should help considerably.”
“I’ve also gotten a subpoena for their phone records, and I’m waiting to get those in,” Ray said.
“What about their computers? Anything on them?” Ryan asked.
“The hard drive on the computer we recovered from the Higgins place was wiped,” Ron said. “We’re working to recover it now, but it could take some time. The computer we got from Ginger’s business didn’t have much. It looks like she used it mostly for business, but she did surf a lot of kinky porn as well.”
“No surprise there,” Ryan said.
“One other thing, Sheriff,” Ron said.
“What’s that?”
“Those whips and that strap-on thing we recovered from Ginger’s business tested positive for blood, feces, and other bodily fluids. It matched Commissioner Higgins’ DNA perfectly,” Ron said. Ryan nodded his head.
“Thanks,” he said quietly. “Anything else?”
“Not at this time, Sheriff,” Ron said. Ray and Dr. Childress said the same thing. Ryan thanked them all and ended the video conference. He sat back in his chair, wrapping his head around the information they had given him. He took another sip of coffee and considered taking an early lunch. His plans got changed when Elaine Bledsoe knocked on his door.
“Sheriff, District Attorney Olmstead, and a Special Agent Jackson are here to see you,” she said.
“Send them in, please, Sergeant,” he said. She nodded and motioned for the two men to enter his office. Ryan stood and shook Marvin Olmstead’s hand, and the other man held a set of credentials.
“Special Agent Thomas Jackson, Homefront Security Task Force, El Paso office,” he said. Ryan shook his free hand and looked at the credentials.
“Please, have a seat,” he said. “Care for some coffee?”
“That sounds great,” Marvin said.
“Please,” Thomas said. Ryan poured them a cup and sat down.
“Homefront Security Task Force,” Ryan said. “Never heard of it.”
“I’m not surprised,” Thomas said. “We don’t usually advertise ourselves.”
“So what brings you here to our little slice of Heaven?” Ryan asked.
“I’m here to follow up on the Form 3573 your Dr. Childress filed,” Thomas said.
“I’m sorry — Form 3573?” Ryan asked.
“My apologies,” Thomas said. “That would be the Chemical Substance Encounter Report as mandated by current law. According to the form Dr. Childress filed, the substance in question was found on the tip of a spear reportedly used to impale a Bertram Higgins.”
“Yes, it was,” Ryan said.
“And the same substance was found in a vial located in the business owned and operated by a Ginger Rodgers. Is that correct?”
“Yes, I believe that’s what Dr. Childress said. Do you have any idea what it is?” Ryan asked.
“We’ve seen a similar compound used before. It’s essentially a psychotropic compound, but this one looks like it has been mixed with a paralyzing agent. A form of this was used on a federal agent overseas,” he said.
“That’s all very interesting, Agent Jackson, but I’m curious to know why the federal government is interested in a local murder case,” Ryan said.
“Fair question, Sheriff,” Thomas said. “The agency I work for investigates crimes like this. What do you know about the marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Higgins?”
“From what I’ve heard, it started going south when she returned from a retreat about three years ago or so,” Ryan said.
“A spa retreat?”
“That’s what I was told. Why? Is that significant?” Ryan asked.
“That’s how MMAS recruited their people,” Thomas said. “Did you find any paperwork mentioning MMAS? Invoices? Statements? Anything?”
“First off, what’s MMAS?” Ryan asked.
“It stands for the Mutual Marital Assurance Society,” Thomas said. “It was started several years ago by a female lawyer named Mona Larsen. She divorced her husband for adultery but didn’t get the desired outcome. So, she set out to punish husbands who cheated on their wives. The group grew and morphed into a domestic terror organization. They’ve terrorized and brutalized thousands of men over the years. They’re also responsible for the deaths of quite a few men.”
“So, you think this MMAS has something to do with Commissioner Higgins’ murder?” Ryan asked.
“Not directly,” Thomas said. “The corporate entity known as MMAS was brought down quite some time ago. But there are still elements and spin-offs of the group working to realize their goals. There are also copycat groups operating all over the world.”
“I see,” Ryan said, not knowing whether or not to believe what Thomas just told him.
“I know you have Mrs. Higgins in custody, along with an accomplice,” Thomas said. “I assume you performed a full search when you brought her in.”
“Of course,” Ryan said.
“Did you find a subcutaneous capsule on her?” Thomas asked.
“A… what?” Ryan asked.
“Did you find something embedded under her skin?” Thomas asked, clarifying his previous question.
“I don’t know that we searched for anything like that,” Ryan said.
“Might I suggest that you do? Especially around any of her major arteries,” Thomas said. Ryan looked at Marvin.
“Can we legally do that? Or would it be considered a violation of her rights?” Ryan asked.
“I don’t see any reason why you can’t do that, Sheriff,” he said after mulling it over for a few moments. Ryan picked up his phone and dialed the number to the women’s jail. Deputy Ruby Alexander answered the phone.
“Deputy, this is Sheriff Caldwell,” he said.
“What can we do for ya, Sheriff,” Ruby asked.
“Listen, I need for you to do a detailed search on Mrs. Higgins and Ms. Rodgers,” Ryan said. “I know you’ve already searched her, but I’m specifically looking for anything that might have been embedded under her skin, like a capsule or something. I’m sure it’ll be extremely small. You probably should get the on-call doctor and a female nurse to work with you.” Ryan looked and saw Thomas gesturing.
“Could you put that on speaker, please?” Thomas asked. Ryan pressed a button and put the headset down.
“Can you hear me, Ruby?” Ryan asked.
“Yeah, Sheriff, I can hear ya fine,” she said.
“Deputy, this is Special Agent Thomas Jackson. Listen to me carefully. When you do the search, be very, very careful. I strongly recommend using a portable X-ray machine if you have one. Look closely at the carotid artery. If you do find anything, have the doctor extract it very slowly. Don’t let your subject jerk or slap at it. This is extremely important. Do you understand what I’ve just told you?”
“Yeah, I got it,” she said. “What do you think it might be?” Thomas looked at Ryan before answering.
“Poison. A very fast-acting poison,” Thomas said. They could hear Ruby gasp at the other end of the call.
“I understand,” she said. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Call me when you’re finished,” Ryan said.
“I will, Sheriff.” Ryan ended the call and looked at Thomas.
“What the hell do you mean, poison?” he asked.
“MMAS was a ruthless organization that brooked absolutely no disobedience or failure,” Thomas said. “They were known for embedding poison capsules under the skin, usually next to the carotid artery. Then they would implant a chemically-enhanced hypnotic suggestion. Upon hearing or seeing a certain phrase, the victim would slap at the neck, popping the capsule. The poison would enter the bloodstream, killing the victim almost immediately.”
“Oh my God,” Ryan said. “We’re still looking for Ginger’s brother, Jeremy. That means they may have done the same thing to him.”
“I doubt that, Sheriff,” Thomas said.
“What makes you say that?” Ryan asked.
“To MMAS and those who followed, men aren’t even considered human beings,” Thomas said. “To them, men are little more than chattel property, worth less than your farm animals. Some would be useful for breeding or sexual entertainment, and others might be good as providers, but nothing more. Chances are, they wouldn’t even trouble themselves with this Jeremy character.”
“That’s monstrous,” Marvin said, shocked.
“Yes, they are best described as monsters. Of the worst kind,” Thomas said. “Do you still have their phones?” he asked Ryan.
“Yes, we do,” Ryan said.
“Can you get them here, please?”
“Of course,” Ryan said. He picked his phone up and called Ray, who answered on the second ring.
“Hale,” Ray said.
“Ray, this is Sheriff Caldwell. Do you still have the cell phones we got from Trudy Higgins and Ginger Rodgers?”