Ghost Peppers Chapter 22

Chapter 22

As they stepped into the station, Detective Greg Thompson called out to them from across the room. “Clifford! Peppers! You’re going to want to see this.”

Tony and Penny exchanged a quick glance and hurried over to Greg’s desk. He gestured to his monitor, where a grainy but clear image from a doorbell camera was frozen on the screen.

“This is from the Rodgers’ house the morning of the murder,” Greg explained, tapping the screen with a pen. “The timestamp says 7:31 a.m.”

The image showed a man walking up the driveway toward the house. His face was partially obscured by a baseball cap, but enough of his features were visible for facial recognition software to work its magic.

“We ran it through the database,” Greg continued, spinning his chair to face them. “And we got a hit.”

Penny leaned in, her heart pounding as Greg pulled up another screen. A mugshot filled the monitor, the same man but without the cap. His name was displayed in bold letters: Frank McCormick.

“Who the hell is Frank McCormick?” Tony asked, his tone sharp.

Greg leaned back, crossing his arms. “Small-time crook. Petty theft, some breaking and entering, and a restraining order filed against him about five years ago, he did do time for assault once. Nothing that screams serial killer, but definitely a guy that can be violent.”

Penny’s stomach churned as she stared at the mugshot. “He was a patient of Jackie’s years ago, when she first started.”

Tony looked at Penny, “did she share anything with you or offer any clues about him, his family?”

“No, she said he was a creep, he would peek into my bedroom window when I was younger. She also said his sister Tiffany committed suicide and blamed Jackie,” Penny replied sighing.

Tony looked at Greg, “do we have any idea where this guy lives?”

Greg nodded. “Yeah, he’s local. Lives in a run-down place off Route 1. And get this—his last known employer was an Amazon distribution center.”

Tony cursed under his breath. “That lines up with the witnesses seeing an Amazon truck at the scenes.”

Penny straightened, her voice firm. “We need to bring him in. Now.”

“Already working on it,” Greg said, gesturing to his phone. “I’ve got a unit heading to his address now. Figured you two would want to take the lead when he’s brought in.”

Tony clapped Greg on the shoulder. “Good work. Penny and I will head to the school to serve the search warrant to Julia Stein. If anything comes up, notify us immediately.”

As Greg turned back to his screen, Tony and Penny stepped away, moving toward their desks and grabbed the search warrant. Penny’s mind raced, the pieces of the puzzle finally starting to come together.
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The sun was shinning brightly through the glass doors of Wells High School as Penny and Tony strode quickly through the bustling hallways. Students milled about, their laughter and chatter creating a stark contrast to the weight of the detectives' mission. The faint smell of cleaning products lingered in the air, mingling with the scent of freshly brewed coffee from the teacher’s lounge nearby.

Reaching the nurse's office, Penny rapped sharply on the door. A younger woman in scrubs opened it, a look of shock at the unexpected visitors.

"Good morning," Tony said, flashing his badge. "We’re here to see Julia Stein."

The woman hesitated, her voice mixed with confusion. "Ms. Stein isn’t here today. She called in sick this morning."

Penny exchanged a glance with Tony, her jaw tightening. "Do you know if she left any indication of where she might be?"

The woman shook her head. "No, sorry. She didn’t say anything, just that she wasn’t feeling well."

Tony sighed, pulling out a folded document. "We have a search warrant for her office. Please notify the Principal, we’ll need access immediately."

Moments later, they were ushered into the cramped, but orderly office. Julia’s desk was meticulously clean, a polished oak surface adorned with neatly stacked folders and a computer terminal. A corkboard hung on the wall, pinned with cheerful reminders, schedules, and motivational quotes that now seemed out of place given the gravity of the situation.

Penny moved swiftly, setting her bag down and powering on the computer. "Let’s see what secrets Ms. Stein has been hiding," she muttered.

Tony stood behind her, arms crossed, scanning the room with a vigilant eye. "Think she bolted because she knew we were onto her?"

"More than likely," Penny replied, her fingers flying over the keyboard. "She probably didn’t expect us to come here this early—or to have a warrant this quickly."

The computer loaded to a password-protected login screen. Penny smirked, retrieving a small USB drive from her pocket. "Good thing I have this little program—I’ve got just the trick to bypass this."

Sliding the drive into the port, she ran a program designed to bypass simple encryption. Within seconds, she was in.

Tony leaned over her shoulder as Penny navigated through Julia’s files. "What are we looking for?"

"Anything that ties her to Frank McCormick," she said, her tone focused. She scrolled through various folders labeled "Health Records," "Personal," and "Administrative."

Then she found it—a folder buried within another labeled innocuously as "Invoices." When she clicked it open, a stream of emails appeared. Each one was addressed to Frank McCormick.

Penny’s pulse quickened as she opened the most recent message. The chilling instructions mirrored the pattern they’d seen in the murders, down to the details about pillowcases and lingerie. The sender’s tone was cold, manipulative, and precise, berating Frank for his failures and demanding absolute compliance.

Tony cursed under his breath. "This is it. This is the smoking gun we’ve been waiting for."

Penny scrolled through more emails, her jaw tightening as she read. "She was giving him everything—the locations, the names, even what to do with the victims. Julia was pulling the strings all along."

She paused on a particularly damning email, one sent just the night before. "The Douglas family. She gave him their address. They’re next."

Tony’s face darkened. "We have to move now."

Penny nodded, disconnecting the USB drive and tucking it into her pocket. They left the office in a rush, their footsteps echoing through the empty hallway as they made their way to the car.

Sliding into the passenger seat, Penny dialed dispatch. "This is Detective Peppers. We need immediate backup at 145 Ocean Heights Lane. Potentially active murder scene. Suspect may still be on site."

Tony floored the gas pedal, the unmarked car tearing down the road toward the Douglas home.

Penny’s grip tightened on the door handle, her mind racing.

"We’re getting close, Tony. Too close for her comfort."

Tony nodded grimly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "Then we finish this. Today."