Murder at Cape Dissappointment

Cape Disappointment, Washington, 2021

The victim was a white male, approximately 34 years old. The killer staged his body face up in a rugged area of Benson Beach. His legs and arms were outstretched and pinned to the ground. The killer took his time carving the words “number one” into his chest. The cause of death, likely the knife that was plunged into his heart. Detective Dell Azad from the Long Beach Police Department was the lead.

Back at the office, Det. Azad assembled a team to investigate the murder. He had just sat down with a cup of fresh coffee when his phone rang. It was from a traffic officer.

“Ah, detective, we found another body near the Beard’s Hollow overlook.”

Dell rounded up his partner, and they headed out. The body was a white male, approximately 40 years old. The cause of death appeared to be from a single gunshot wound to the head. Over the course of the next four days, four more bodies turned up at various locations. There were no signs of a significant struggle, and no apparent motive. The randomness of the murders suggested to Dell at least, that except for the first victim, all were simply random acts. That murders were extremely rare around Ilwaco had not yet registered with Dell. His partner, on-the-other-hand, was keenly aware that they may very well be dealing with a serial killer. They identified the other victims:

Ethan Cummings, 40, strangled

Beverly Napier, 39, gunshot to the chest

Stan Nimowitz, 43, bludgeoned to death

Phillip Zigler, 32, stabbed

They had not yet identified the first victim, which should have raised flags since it was the most deliberate, the most complicated, and definitely not a random act. Dell Azad was not projecting a level of proficiency that comforted the team.

Dell went home that night and reflected on the events of the week. What he saw did not please him. Someone or someones had murdered six people in as many days, and he had no idea where to start as far as finding the suspects.

“So why now?” he pondered to himself. “Why on my watch?”

His life partner, Catrin Archana, could see how distraught he was and came over and massaged his shoulders.

“Geez, babe, you’re as tight as a drum. It has been a rough week, huh?”

“Yea! I’m hoping something breaks loose soon,” he said.

They went to bed and made love. It was the stress relief he needed. Hopefully, it cleared his head enough that he’d go into the office the next morning and at least make it appear as though he had a plan. He didn’t, and it showed.

At the office the next morning, he gathered the team to go over notes and to brainstorm. It was unfathomable that in a city that had recorded zero murders over the last ten years, that suddenly six freaking murderers showed up and did their dirt. Or, heaven forbid, they were dealing with a serial killer. In his mind, none of the evidence pointed to that, so he suggested they go with the multiple murderer theory. His partner was the first to point out the obvious. That the first murder was in no flipping way a random act. He suggested they not dismiss the serial killer angle just yet. Everyone seemed to agree, and the look of defeat on Dell’s face spoke volumes. He simply did not appear to possess leadership abilities.

Later that morning, he received a call with the IDs of the first two victims. That gave him the mental kick he needed to pull himself up and begin acting like a cop. Though all the victims were local, there was nothing about any of the names that jumped out at him. He gave the completed list to the team and asked that they figure out who they were. And most importantly, why was the first killing so dramatic?

⁂

The room was mostly dark, lit by a single shaded 60-watt incandescent bulb. Someone near the light was feverishly scribbling on a piece of single ruled paper. Whoever it was, breathed erratically and occasionally grunted like an animal. It was as if whoever it was may have been on a mind-altering drug, or perhaps battling schizophrenia. There was someone or something else in the room as well, but remained in the shadows. Shuffling and scratching sounds showed it was bound, maybe gagged, definitely trying to escape. Its whimpering pleas for help had no effect on its captor.

⁂

Ben Savoy, Dell’s partner, came running to his desk. He was extremely excited to report that he had just spoken to a man that saw the last victim, Phillip Zigler, jogging west on Lake Street before heading north on Williams Avenue. Dell, hellbent on being the dull knife in the rack, didn’t make the connection.

“Well, don’t you see, Dell? That means we missed the killer by mere minutes after we got the call.”

“And?” Dell responded.

“Evidence, my man, we never covered Lake Street. I say we get a team up there ASAP.”

Ben, showing his exasperation with Dell, didn’t wait for his input. He got a team together and headed out to scour the area for evidence. He had an uneasy feeling about Dell’s attitude. While he’d never been mistaken for a top cop, he’d never shown as much ambivalence to a case as he had with the current one. Something was smelly, and Ben vowed to figure it out. For one, he disagreed with Dell’s insistence that there were multiple killers. For a town that as far back as recorded history documented had never had a single murder, that idea was nonsensical.

When Dell got home that evening, he felt as mentally whipped as he ever had been. He could not seem to pull his head out to save his life. Even he was embarrassed by the way he had mishandled the case. He figured a hot shower would make things better. Catrin was not home, so he could take his time. He went into the bedroom to change and noticed something on her nightstand. Curiosity compelled him to look closer.

Ben and his team were going doo-to-door asking neighbors and business owners if they saw anything the night of Phillip Zigler’s murder, and while they didn’t turn up anything substantial, they didn’t come away completely empty-handed. One lady saw Zigler, an avid runner, veer off his normal course. She thought it strange, and even stranger, that someone followed.

“Why was that strange, Ms. Roberts?” Ben asked.

“Well,” she giggled shyly. “We’re not exactly a community of runners,” she smiled. “We all know Phillip and knew that he never deviated from his course.”

Ben gave a reassuring smile that he completely understood as he noted her comment. He, of course, asked if she could identify the person following Phillip and got the expected answer. Back at the station, he stayed behind and compiled his notes and asked the team to do the same first thing the following morning.

What Dell found on Catrin’s nightstand was her yoga top. He didn’t know why that caught his attention until he went to place it back on the table. There was blood along the right side. He didn’t dwell on it and was about to head for the shower when his phone rang. It was Ben, and he was as excited as a bee who had just landed in a bucket of Kool-Aid.

“Our killer, ole buddy, is a woman. And I think I have evidence that shows she killed at least five of the victims. You better get down here, man,” he said as he… “No, wait! What are you doing? Noooooo!”

There was a gunshot. The sound of something falling to the floor, followed by someone disconnecting the call.

Dell turned to leave when Catrin walked in. She saw him holding her yoga top and immediately went defensive.

“What are doing with that, luv?” she asked calmly.

“With what?” He asked without thinking about the top he was holding.

“Don’t screw with me, Dell. Why are you holding my top?”

Her tone had changed to one he was not familiar with. He had never seen her so animated. Taken aback by her tone, he looked at her in bewilderment and before he could get another word in; she pulled a gun from her purse and ordered him to get on his knees. The scene was shocking, but he complied. She casually disarmed him of his weapons and then ordered him to roll over onto his stomach. She wasn’t taking any chances of him using his training to overpower her.

“What is going on, Catrin? Why are you doing this?”

“Shut up,” she snapped. “Don’t talk.”

Her entire demeanor had changed in a split second. It was as if he didn’t even know who she was. She had a crazed look in her eyes, a finger to her lips as she talked unintelligibly to herself. It sounded as if she was trying to talk herself out of doing something. She ordered him over to a corner of the room and gagged him. He was whimpering, trying to get her attention. She turned off all the lights in the room except for a small table lamp as she began feverishly writing a note. She continued nervously, frantically talking to herself. None of it made any sense. Suddenly, her conversation with herself stopped. The room went dark. And he could hear her slowly coming towards him.

At that moment, he figured out what was happening. She and a likely accomplice committed the murders, and she figured Dell saw the blood on her clothes and assumed the same. He hadn’t, but that he eventually would, was enough for her to take action.

“Why Catrin?” he asked calmly. “Why’d you do it?”

“Because it’s what I do, luv. I’ve done it for as long as I can remember. I get urges. Sometimes I can control them. Sometimes not.”

“So what about Ben? Is he…”

“Is he what?” She sounded confused.

“Is he dead? Did you have an accomplice kill him?”

“Dell, I have no idea what you’re talking about. But I’m sure you understand I can’t let you go.”

Dell began breathing erratically, showing his fear. Catrin was unmoved.

“Please, Dell, let’s not prolong this. You know I have no choice.”

“Fine,” he said. He had prepared himself and was determined not to beg. “Before you do this, though, I have to know about the first victim. Why did you go through all the drama to stake him to the ground and leave notes?”

“Don’t know what you’re talking about, luv. I’m not that dramatic. Your town may have another problem,” she said as she raised her gun and pulled the trigger.

K.R. Eaton - Murder at Cape Disappointment

Short Stories by K.R Eaton