What are you? Some kind of supersleuth? That particular DMSO cream is manufactured through Pharma PT Gema in Jakarta, Indonesia. It’s not made in great amounts and can only be purchased through mail order. It claims to be a solution for sports lovers who wish to remain active without fear of joint or muscular pain.
The FDA in the States hasn’t approved it except for stem cell research, etc. One interesting side note: in some men, especially, it can cause a garlic-like body odor and taste that can be very pungent.
Luckey’s breath caught. The victim who’d written her plea for help in her own blood had mentioned that her captor smelled of garlic. That had to be why.
Luckey wrote Stan back, thanking him for his genius in finding the manufacturer so fast.
Next he found the Gema company web page on the internet. They advertised their various products and used international express mail carriers for delivery of their goods. Armed with that information, Luckey phoned TJ and explained where his investigation had taken him. He asked for two favors.
First, he needed TJ to contact the Jakarta authorities, who would order the Gema staff to cooperate with Luckey to pinpoint the man who’d ordered the product. Second, he wanted TJ to get a warrant so he could search the records of merchandise that had been received in Austin from Gema through carriers such as FedEx, DHL or UPS, in order to track the recipient’s name and address.
Once TJ assured him he’d take care of it, Luckey called Gema’s contact number and told the receptionist that he was phoning on a serious police matter and needed to speak with the head of the company ASAP. The person on the other end said she would pass on the message to her superiors. Luckey couldn’t wait to find an address on the purchaser, who was likely also the same person who’d killed the last victim, if not all four women.
The night couldn’t pass fast enough for him.
After his shower the next morning, he dressed in a checked, button-down shirt and jeans. Once he’d eaten breakfast he put Persey out in the corral to graze. With the house locked up, Luckey left in his Volvo to go pick up Ally. His pulse raced just thinking about her.
When he reached the ranch and she opened the door to him, she looked good enough to eat. He knew it was an overused expression, but in this case it was true.
“Hi, Luckey.”
“Hi, yourself.” She’d pulled her gorgeous black hair back in a clip. Her emerald earrings matched the long-sleeved green blouse she was wearing with a black skirt.
She always looked so polished. It shook him all over again that if he hadn’t taken this trafficking case, he would never have met her. The first chance he got, he would thank his brother for talking to him about the body he’d found on his beat.
“You realize you look like a world-class fashion model. Who would ever believe you’re a college professor fluent in multiple languages?”
A smile broke out on her face. “Who would believe the day would come when I’d be helping a real Texas Ranger on a case?” He was coming to realize she had a hard time accepting a compliment. “Dad gave me the information you wanted. It’s in this briefcase.” She reached for it. “I’m ready.”
They walked out to the car and Luckey held the door for her, then put the briefcase in the backseat. “I’ll thank your father later. Have you eaten this morning?”
She nodded. “I just finished breakfast. What about you?”
“I’m good.” He drove out to the main road and headed for Houston.
“Have you had any breaks in the case yet?”
He shot her a glance. “As a matter of fact I have. I don’t think I ever told you that Dr. Wolff found traces of some kind of topical painkiller cream on the sleeves of the victim’s dress. It indicated that the person who dumped her body had the cream on his hands.”
“That’s an amazing find.”
“Yeah, the doc loves his job. I asked the forensics expert at Ranger headquarters to identify the brand. Stan determined that it wasn’t a cream manufactured here in the States, so I asked him to make some inquiries in Asia. And guess where he found it?”
Luckey felt her lavender-blue eyes fasten on him. “China?”
“No. Indonesia.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it. “There’s more. It’s only sold through a mail-order business. Stan said that the cream is often used by athletes with sore joints. He also provided an important detail. He said that it causes a strong garlic odor in some men.”
“Luckey!” Ally’s cry resounded in the car’s interior. “The young Chinese girl who wrote that message on her dress said the man smelled of garlic. That has to be the reason why she made reference to the Komodo dragon.”
“Exactly. I’m convinced this guy operates here in Texas somewhere when he’s not out of the country, kidnapping victims. I’ve got a call in to the pharmaceutical company in Jakarta. If they can’t help me out with the guy’s address, then we’ll get a judge to issue a warrant and I’ll go over the records of every shipment from Jakarta coming through the express mail carriers here in Texas. Eventually, I’ll find a name and address.”
“I know you will.” The conviction in her voice was personally gratifying to him. “Whether he’s Indonesian or Chinese, I bet he is blond. How many girls has he done this to? Wouldn’t it be something if one of the young employees working at the orphanage had a terrible secret she didn’t dare share? What if these girls could be helped!?
?? Ally stirred in her seat and suddenly undid her seat belt. “I’m going to get the folder from my briefcase.”
Before Luckey could pull off the freeway, she turned around and leaned over to get what she wanted. In the process, her flowery scent assailed him. Once she’d strapped herself back in, she opened a binder.
“Dad gave me this copy of the orphanage personnel records for you to keep. While you drive, I’ll read every application out loud. They each have a photo. Anything that raises a red flag I’ll pull for you...unless you’d rather do this on your own.”