The Skin - Chapter 2 - Above
Show notes
Chapter 2 • Detective Helen Louisiani arrives at a luxury penthouse apartment where two bodies have been found. One of them is supermodel Mia Wong … Thank you for listening. To learn more about Heinke Digital Audiobook Podcasts and its author, Christian Heinke, please visit heinke.digital
Show transcript
00:00:00: [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:00:04: The following podcast contains strong language and adult
00:00:07: themes and is intended for mature audiences.
00:00:12: Listener discretion is advised.
00:00:23: Heinke Digital presents The Skin, Show Me What Lies Beneath.
00:00:31: An audio book podcast by Christian Heinke.
00:00:51: [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:00:54: [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:00:58: [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:01:05: [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:01:11: [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:01:16: Chapter 2, Above.
00:01:25: As Detective Helen Louisiani stepped
00:01:27: through the tall Rococo-style wrought iron gate
00:01:29: into the driveway of the River House,
00:01:31: she was nearly run over by a speeding police car.
00:01:35: She wasn't a very tall woman, but this hadn't
00:01:37: happened to her in a long time.
00:01:39: She jumped out of the way just in time.
00:01:42: The driver honked and gesticulated angrily.
00:01:45: But when he noticed the police badge
00:01:47: pinned to the lapel of her black coat,
00:01:49: he slowed to a walking pace, eventually
00:01:52: parking at the edge of the courtyard
00:01:53: next to the other cars.
00:01:55: From a distance, Helen recognized the unmarked limousine
00:01:58: of her colleague, Davis, and at the same time
00:02:01: heard the rattle of a helicopter.
00:02:03: She looked up.
00:02:05: The TV station logo was too far away to see.
00:02:08: So the vultures are already circling, she thought.
00:02:11: I have to hurry.
00:02:13: Once inside the spacious lobby, she
00:02:14: had to show her badge three times.
00:02:17: Yes, I am a small woman, she fumed inwardly.
00:02:20: Yes, my voice sounds like I'm not
00:02:22: old enough to order a beer.
00:02:25: Yes, I made it to Homicide.
00:02:27: Thank you.
00:02:29: Finally, she reached the elevators.
00:02:31: What floor, she asked one of her uniformed colleagues.
00:02:35: Her high-pitched voice echoed in the lobby,
00:02:37: sounding even more unnatural.
00:02:40: But the young man either didn't hear her or simply ignored her.
00:02:44: Then Helen realized why.
00:02:46: He was green in the face.
00:02:48: He was holding a crumpled handkerchief.
00:02:51: She wasn't expecting a pretty sight.
00:02:53: 14th, he said, a little shy when he
00:02:56: caught her gaze, but her mind was elsewhere.
00:03:00: 14th.
00:03:02: Of course, she thought, and stopped in front
00:03:04: of the open elevator door.
00:03:06: For someone like her, who couldn't stand elevators,
00:03:09: this was clearly the wrong city.
00:03:12: Are you all right?
00:03:13: The policeman asked when he noticed her hesitation.
00:03:17: Helen grinned and licked her lips.
00:03:19: Everything's fine, she replied.
00:03:21: Then she turned and walked to the door marked staircase.
00:03:27: Despite her sore calves and labored breathing,
00:03:30: Helen felt fine when she reached the penthouse.
00:03:33: She was agile and tough.
00:03:34: Helen had even run the city marathon twice
00:03:37: in a respectable time.
00:03:39: Wow, she exclaimed.
00:03:41: She certainly wouldn't be claustrophobic here.
00:03:44: Helen couldn't remember ever seeing an apartment
00:03:46: this big in Manhattan.
00:03:48: As she walked through the rooms, she
00:03:50: passed one wonder after another.
00:03:53: A dressing room the size of her own apartment in Jersey,
00:03:55: filled with women's shoes.
00:03:57: Hundreds of women's shoes.
00:03:59: Lined up like cars in a parking garage.
00:04:02: Well, if her partner Davis's brief phone call was correct,
00:04:06: the owner probably wasn't going anywhere.
00:04:08: Clothes and accessories took up five other rooms
00:04:11: in the city palace.
00:04:13: This is more like a warehouse than a penthouse,
00:04:15: Helen thought.
00:04:16: She reached the pool.
00:04:18: Reflections of water danced on the ceiling.
00:04:21: Guests had the luxury of a hot tub
00:04:23: and the convenience of a steam sauna.
00:04:25: The whole nine yards.
00:04:27: Not bad, she whistled through her teeth.
00:04:31: Davis, who had been standing by the bloodstained glass
00:04:33: door leading to the terrace talking to a guard,
00:04:36: only now noticed Helen.
00:04:38: He walked over to her.
00:04:40: Glad you could get here so quickly, he said mockingly.
00:04:43: He was already wearing rubber gloves.
00:04:45: She clenched hers.
00:04:47: I tried, OK?
00:04:49: He nodded sympathetically.
00:04:51: You should get over it.
00:04:53: She knew what he meant.
00:04:54: Her claustrophobia.
00:04:56: I'm here, aren't I?
00:04:58: She replied irritably.
00:05:00: She wasn't in the mood to argue with him right now.
00:05:03: She had claustrophobia and vertigo.
00:05:06: So what?
00:05:07: So is she, she asked.
00:05:10: Davis realized she was changing the subject and nodded.
00:05:13: Mia Wong and her lover, Victor Adams.
00:05:16: Shit, Helen swore loudly.
00:05:18: That explained all the fuss.
00:05:20: She could tell by the narrow look on Davis's face
00:05:23: that he had guessed what she was thinking.
00:05:25: He looked even more tense and tired than usual.
00:05:28: Did somebody tell Chief P, she asked.
00:05:31: That was what they called her boss, Chief Phillips.
00:05:34: Yes, I've already spoken to her.
00:05:37: As soon as we're done here, I'll give her the details
00:05:39: for the press conference.
00:05:40: I was thinking 11 o'clock.
00:05:43: Sounds good.
00:05:44: The city's press policy had changed,
00:05:46: especially with such a high-profile victim,
00:05:49: and especially about this case.
00:05:51: If they hadn't given the pertinent information
00:05:53: to the media themselves,
00:05:55: the intrusion on the journalists would have been unbearable.
00:05:58: They willingly fed the boa before it put them in a headlock.
00:06:01: It only worked when the investigators
00:06:03: delivered results fast enough.
00:06:06: But in this case, it wouldn't be a problem.
00:06:09: Is this her apartment?
00:06:11: She asked.
00:06:12: No, it belongs to Victor Adams.
00:06:14: He's some bigwig at a media company, Davis explained.
00:06:18: Was, Helen corrected him.
00:06:20: And do we have a knife again?
00:06:22: Yes, a kitchen knife.
00:06:24: Staff?
00:06:25: Had the day off.
00:06:26: Apparently they wanted to make themselves at home.
00:06:29: And where is it?
00:06:31: In the bedroom, on the bed.
00:06:33: And you're sure he's our guy?
00:06:35: No doubt.
00:06:36: The method and the arrangement of the body are the same.
00:06:39: But why, she asked.
00:06:41: We may never know.
00:06:43: Let's be glad it's over.
00:06:45: Glad isn't quite the right expression, don't you think?
00:06:48: Davis shrugged.
00:06:50: You want to see him?
00:06:51: He's in there.
00:06:52: Helen thought, then shook her head.
00:06:55: No, I want to see her first.
00:06:59: Mia Wong's torso leaned against the railing.
00:07:01: Her thin, endless legs stretched out.
00:07:04: Helen's gaze shifted to the disfigured body,
00:07:06: and she had to swallow.
00:07:08: This spot offered a breathtaking view of the East River
00:07:11: and the Queensborough Bridge, tall and tall.
00:07:14: Damn it.
00:07:15: She had to pull herself together.
00:07:18: She had already lost one battle in her fight
00:07:20: against the phobia today.
00:07:22: And that was enough.
00:07:24: She forced herself to focus on the dead, mutilated supermodel.
00:07:28: Helen had seen many deaths in her long career,
00:07:30: including horribly mutilated victims.
00:07:33: But now she understood why the young officer
00:07:35: had thrown up in the lobby.
00:07:37: It was a rare sight.
00:07:39: All right, she thought.
00:07:41: The obvious first.
00:07:43: Like Inez Diego, Victor Adams had used a knife
00:07:46: to rip the skin off his girlfriend Mia Wong's body.
00:07:49: It lay torn around the body like wet wrapping paper.
00:07:53: Signs of a violent struggle indicated
00:07:55: that Mia had been conscious during the procedure.
00:07:58: At some point, she had lost the strength to resist,
00:08:01: and the killer had been able to finish his gruesome work
00:08:04: in peace.
00:08:05: Only then had he slit her stomach.
00:08:08: Helen stumbled.
00:08:10: The wound on her stomach is different from the one
00:08:12: he made on Inez Diego.
00:08:14: Davis bent over the body.
00:08:16: You are right.
00:08:17: I didn't notice that before.
00:08:18: It's all covered in blood.
00:08:20: Helen took a step toward the body and felt dizzy.
00:08:23: Damn it, she hissed and grabbed Davis's wrist.
00:08:27: Would you rather go inside?
00:08:29: He looked at her worriedly.
00:08:31: No, I'm fine.
00:08:33: Now the railing was between her and the yawning chasm.
00:08:37: She sighed.
00:08:38: This wasn't her day.
00:08:39: She examined the shockingly mutilated body.
00:08:43: She is so thin, she thought.
00:08:45: Even in photographs and on television,
00:08:47: the models looked thin.
00:08:49: But like this in reality, the woman's body
00:08:51: looked emaciated and as light as paper, just skin and bones.
00:08:56: And her clean-cut boyfriend, Victor,
00:08:58: made sure that when she died, only the bones would be left.
00:09:02: Well, at least the bastard can't do any more damage,
00:09:06: Davis remarked soberly.
00:09:08: That's true, Helen muttered, still looking at Mia Wong's
00:09:11: body.
00:09:12: But he still has those arms.
00:09:15: She felt Davis's hand on her shoulder.
00:09:17: Don't blame yourself, Helen.
00:09:19: We've only been working on Inez Diego's murder for a week.
00:09:23: We hadn't even considered Victor Adams a suspect.
00:09:26: And yet he did it, 100%.
00:09:29: He grinned.
00:09:31: She had known Davis for four years
00:09:33: and knew exactly how to interpret that.
00:09:35: We caught him in the act?
00:09:37: She asked incredulously, raising her eyebrows.
00:09:40: He nodded.
00:09:43: Davis led her into the bedroom.
00:09:45: He took a remote control from the nightstand
00:09:47: and showed it to Helen like a magician showing
00:09:48: a prop before a magic trick.
00:09:51: Well?
00:09:52: Helen asked impatiently.
00:09:54: Watch this.
00:09:56: He pressed a button.
00:09:57: A gasp escaped her lips as the picture frames on the walls
00:10:00: suddenly came to life, leaving her
00:10:02: in awe of their clever disguise as flat screens.
00:10:06: They all showed the same thing, a video that obviously captured
00:10:09: different camera positions in this room.
00:10:12: The video showed Victor Adams lying in bed.
00:10:15: Mia Wong emerged from the adjoining bathroom.
00:10:18: She was wearing an almost transparent negligee.
00:10:21: She lay down on the bed with Victor and kissed him.
00:10:24: He hugged her.
00:10:25: His hand slipped under the thin material.
00:10:28: Helen turned and looked around the room.
00:10:30: She saw no cameras at first.
00:10:32: But using the rapidly changing angles of the video as clues,
00:10:36: she recognized half a dozen small holes
00:10:38: in the ceiling and walls.
00:10:40: Davis grinned.
00:10:41: Cool, huh?
00:10:42: They used to use mirrors.
00:10:44: This is all the rage now.
00:10:45: Six cameras, six angles, switching one at a time.
00:10:48: Picture changes every five seconds.
00:10:50: You won't even find a clip like that on cable TV.
00:10:53: Who needs it?
00:10:55: Helen shook her head.
00:10:56: I find it odd, to say the least.
00:10:59: But it's very useful to us.
00:11:01: Davis pointed to one of the umbrellas.
00:11:04: Here it comes.
00:11:05: Helen looked again.
00:11:07: Victor Adams kissed Mia Wong, whispered something in her ear,
00:11:11: then got up and left the bedroom.
00:11:13: Mia Wong collapsed on the bed.
00:11:16: Helen swallowed.
00:11:17: They were now watching the last minutes of this woman's life.
00:11:21: Like many crime victims, Mia had no idea what
00:11:24: was about to happen to her.
00:11:26: Run away, Helen screamed in her mind.
00:11:29: But the opportunity had already passed.
00:11:31: Someone had already skinned and killed Mia Wong.
00:11:34: Victor Adams had returned to the bedroom and into the frame.
00:11:37: He was holding a large knife.
00:11:40: Mia Wong had a questioning look on her face.
00:11:43: What are you doing?
00:11:44: Helen read her lips.
00:11:46: Hey, what?
00:11:48: Then Victor Adams stabbed her.
00:11:50: Mia turned to the side, and the knife grazed her shoulder.
00:11:53: She screamed.
00:11:55: Blood spurted from the gaping wound.
00:11:57: Mia jumped out of bed and ran out of sight of the cameras.
00:12:00: Victor got up and followed his girlfriend.
00:12:03: He was completely calm and seemed emotionless.
00:12:06: Davis fast-forwarded the footage.
00:12:08: The camera records no change for half an hour, he explained.
00:12:13: That wasn't entirely true.
00:12:15: There was a small change as the blood on the sheet dried quickly.
00:12:19: The darkness grew, approaching pitch black.
00:12:22: Then Victor Adams came back into view.
00:12:24: He was covered in blood from head to toe.
00:12:27: He sat on the edge of the bed and began cutting himself with the knife.
00:12:31: He would switch hands, cutting with his right and then his left.
00:12:35: Then he would lie down and open his wrists with two quick vertical cuts.
00:12:39: He spread his arms.
00:12:41: The blood seeping from his veins drew an arc across the sheets.
00:12:45: Victor Adams closed his eyes.
00:12:47: A few minutes later, the rising and falling of his chest slowed and
00:12:51: then stopped.
00:12:52: He was dead.
00:12:54: That's it, Davis murmured.
00:12:57: I don't know about you, Dave, Helen said after a while.
00:13:00: But I need a break now.
00:13:01: By the time they reached the 36th floor,
00:13:06: Davis was lighting his second cigarette.
00:13:08: He held the door open for Helen as they stood at the entrance to the roof.
00:13:13: She looked out.
00:13:14: From here, the Queensborough Bridge resembled the pale spine of a skeleton.
00:13:20: Helen shook her head.
00:13:22: I'll stop here if you don't mind.
00:13:24: He didn't mind.
00:13:25: He handed her the cigarette without a word.
00:13:28: They stood there for a while, smoking in silence.
00:13:30: What do you think?
00:13:33: He finally asked.
00:13:35: Helen stared into the distance.
00:13:37: I don't know.
00:13:39: None of it makes sense.
00:13:41: But we have the perpetrator on tape.
00:13:44: Let's wait for the DNA analysis.
00:13:46: That will only confirm it.
00:13:48: You know that.
00:13:50: It was him, Helen.
00:13:52: But why?
00:13:53: What reason would a man like Adams have to do such a thing?
00:13:57: We've had similar surprises before.
00:13:59: Yes, but this one is different.
00:14:01: It's too smooth.
00:14:02: It's too perfect.
00:14:03: He didn't even blink when he hurt her.
00:14:06: A person doesn't just tick off and then behave so precisely and
00:14:09: without scruples.
00:14:11: Okay, Helen, let's set aside the obvious facts.
00:14:14: Tell me what your instincts tell you about what happened down there.
00:14:17: Helen shook her head.
00:14:18: I don't know, Davis.
00:14:21: I just don't know.
00:14:21: [MUSIC]
00:14:25: Thank you for listening.
00:14:27: To learn more about Heinke Digital Audiobook Podcasts and
00:14:30: its author Christian Heinke, please visit Heinke.digital.
00:14:34: [MUSIC PLAYING]