The Flower Petal Murders

The first body was atypical in law enforcement terms because it had been left in an open field where it was bound to be discovered. To make certain it was found as left; someone called the LAPD division and informed them where it could be located. The first body was left in Jeff’s division and he and his partner were assigned to the case.

Rather than hide the body of a naked woman, the murderer left it in a vacant field. The body was covered with red rose petals and red rose blossoms. To compound the irregularity, the woman’s breast and pubic area had been left uncovered. What was the significance? A clue, in the form of two initials, was left on the yoga mat and another initial in the dirt. Again, what was the relevance? The killer had been meticulous, leaving the body on an expensive yoga mat with the feet facing east.

Jeff was tall at six feet, three inches. He was well built and weighed two hundred and twenty-five muscular pounds. Working out at his gym three days a week kept him in good physical condition. The women in his division thought he was extremely handsome, with light brown hair and fascinating gray eyes. His partner was shorter and less handsome. Jeff was by far the cleverer of the two and suspected this carefully planned murder might be the first of a repeater, a serial killer.

Jeff’s suspicions were vindicated with the second body, this time left in a different division; causing interdivision rivalry. This body was also naked, covered with red carnations petals and blossoms. Again the breasts and pubic area had been left uncovered. Jeff was doing his best to keep the media from discovering that a serial killer was on the loose. His hopes for keeping the media in the dark were dashed when he was contacted by Cinda, a reporter for Los Angeles Magazine. Cinda was a strikingly beautiful young Black woman who was as clever as Jeff. She put two and two together and came up with serial killer. She offers Jeff a deal that he cannot refuse.

To compound Jeff’s problems, the clues continue to point to religion, rather than serial murder. Why would a religious organization be murdering young women and leaving a trail of clues for Jeff to follow? Another naked young woman is found, covered in red flower petals, with clues again pointing toward religion; possibly a new religion. If Jeff is going to prevent any more young women from being murdered, he will have to find the killer and do it quickly. Just as important, he needs to keep him and Cinda from becoming the killer’s next victims.

THE BODY WAS a nude woman: five feet, five inches tall, average weight. She had long brown hair and moderate breasts. The body had been carefully placed on an expensive yoga mat. There were no visible scars or tattoos. She appeared to be somewhere near twenty-five years old. The body was covered with red rose petals and rose blossoms. The body had not been dumped in the empty field, but meticulously laid out. Whoever killed her wanted the body to be found just as he left it. The letters JS were on the yoga mat.

WHEN JEFF ARRIVED at the crime scene, the first officers on site had strung yellow police tape around the body, in a square about thirty feet by thirty feet. Neither the coroner nor a CSI unit had arrived as yet. Jeff, Sgt. Jeffery Allen, was the senior sergeant in the LAPD 77th Division Homicide Unit. He had received the call about the murder on his cell phone rather than the radio. The dispatcher wanted to keep the media in the dark as long as possible.

Jeff was tall, six feet, three inches, with light brown hair and piercing grey eyes. He was thirty-four years old, well-built and worked out at his health club three days a week. The women in his division described him as very handsome. He motioned for the patrol sergeant who had monitored the crime scene until he arrived. He knew the sergeant from their days in a patrol car.

Jeff complained mildly, “Jim, there are footprints everywhere.”

“I know. Unit One Baker Nine answered an anonymous call about a dead body in an open field. They must have walked around the body, looking for clues, before they put up the yellow tape. They called me as soon as they saw what they had.”

Jeff’s partner arrived onsite. He did not offer an explanation about why he was late. His name was Bob Reynolds. He was shorter than Jeff at five feet, ten inches. Rather than work out three days a week, he ran a mile instead; three mornings each week. The women in the division described him as adequate, and that was being generous.

Jeff returned to the patrol sergeant, “Call for another unit to block that entrance road. I don’t want any media people getting to the body.”

“Alright.”

“And put a tent over the body. That way a TV chopper can’t get an aerial shot.”

The patrol sergeant said, “I’ll take care of it.’ He left to accomplish what he should have thought of himself.

Jeff said to his partner, “It might be a good idea to confine your love life to your off duty hours.”