Pleasant Harbor

by Thomas Bloom

  “I hate to say it,” Zitweiller said, “but we may have to wait for the next incident.”

  “God, I hope not” Dusty said. “I don’t want to have to drag another body out of the lake.”

  “Look, I’ll stay another day to see if we get a fingerprint match on the second vic. If not, there’s not much more I can do. I’ll go home and wait for your call.”

  After Zitweiller left Dusty and Amanda sat in her office and just stared at each other for a few moments. The old animosity between the two of them seemed to have disappeared. They were on the same team now.

  “Look,” Dusty said. “Let’s go back to what you said a few minutes ago. We’ve both lived here almost all of our lives. Between the two of us we probably know most of the people in the county. Suppose we start to make up some kind of suspect list. I know it sounds almost impossible but we might get lucky. At least we will be doing something.”

  “And suppose we ID some suspects. Then what do we do?”

  “Watch them as much as we can. See if we can find any suspicious activity.”

  “Where would you buy a guillotine,” Amanda asked. “If that’s what he’s doing he had to get it from somewhere.”

  “Actually, that might be a lead. Let me do a web search and see if anyone actually sells these things.”

  Dusty arranged for two deputies to walk the piers and two others to check the river bank on both sides looking for clues. He was sure they would find nothing.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The next day started busy. First Dusty got a call from Roger Whitney.

  “We’ve got a hit on the second victim’s prints. She’s named Amelia Zugman and she is-was- a resident of St. Joseph, Michigan. She was 73 years old. I have a home address. I’ll leave the rest up to you.”

  Dusty immediately got on the phone with the Chief of Police in St. Joseph. He explained his situation and asked for any information the man could supply regarding the deceased. St. Joseph was a town on Lake Michigan a several hour drive south of Pleasant Harbor. The towns were similar in some respects but the St. Joseph area was much more heavily populated.

  An hour later he got a call back.

  “This is preliminary Sheriff. Mrs. Zugman was a widow. She lived alone in a house in the eastern part of the county. It’s not really in the city but it had a St. Joseph mailing address. I have not been able to track down any surviving relatives. I talked to a couple of her nearest neighbors. They both said she was a recluse—hardly ever went out and strictly kept to herself. Her husband passed away years ago. If she has any children the neighbors are not aware of them. I checked our local criminal records. She had one arrest twenty years ago for assault and battery. She beat the shit out of her husband. Seems he was running around on her. That’s probably why her prints showed up on Lansing. No other charges. She’s never even had a traffic ticket.”

  Dusty thanked the man for the information. He was immediately thankful that he did not have to notify a next of kin. He called Zitweiller and made arrangements to meet him in St. Joseph the next morning. He also called the St. Joseph Chief of Police back and asked that he meet them at 9:00 in the morning with a CSI team.

  An hour later Dusty got a call from Amanda.

  “You need to come over immediately. I’ve just had a man walk in who is confessing to the two murders.”

  “What? Who is he?”

  “Just get over here. I’ll have a preliminary work up by the time you get here.”

  When Dusty walked into Amanda’s office she handed him a single sheet of paper:

  Name: Roberto Jiminez

  Address: 1425 Marsh Lane, Pleasant Harbor

  Marital Status: Single. (Lives with mother who owns the home)

  Employer: Fork lift operator for Wilson Industries in Ludington, Michigan.

  Education: Graduated high school in Pleasant Harbor. No higher education.

  Criminal Record: None locally. Checking with State.

  Status: Have not yet processed or printed him. He has not asked for an attorney.

  Conversation so far: He said he wanted to turn himself in for the two murders of the beheaded women. I asked him why he had done it and he just shrugged.

  Opinion: I think he’s a false positive but we need to question him in detail.

  “I agree,” Dusty said. “There’s no way this guy is going to turn himself in. But we need to clear it because the press will be all over this when it gets out. I was planning another press conference as soon as we finish checking out the lady in St. Joseph. Incidentally, we need to do these together going forward. Also, we need Zitweiller to meet with this guy. Do you want to go to St. Joseph with me?”

  “Thanks but no. I’d rather stay here in case something more breaks on Mr. Jiminez.

  “He’s in our interrogation room. Let’s go talk to him. And by the way, thanks for including me in the press conference. Just for the record, if you hadn’t offered I would have insisted.” Dusty smiled and bowed.

  Dusty and Amanda walked into the interrogation room together. They each had a cup of coffee. Jiminez had his left hand cuffed to a metal ring in the center of the table. Dusty shook the man’s free hand. “Mr. Jiminez I’m Dusty Donavon. I’m the sheriff of Potawatomie County. The chief here and I are working this case together. Would you like a cup of coffee?” The man shook his head.

  “Mr. Jiminez, “Amanda said. “I’m obligated to tell you that our conversation is being taped.” She pointed at a small camera in the corner of the room. The man just shrugged again.

  “The Chief said you have confessed to the murder of the two women found in the lake. Why don’t you just start from the beginning sir and tell us what happened,” Dusty said.

  Jiminez gave Dusty an odd look. “I hear a voice. He talk to me all the time. He tell me to do bad things. I can’t make him stop. He tell me to kill my mother. I no want to do that so I decide if I kill someone else the voice will stop. I kill the first lady and the voice not stop. I kill the second lady and still the voice. I no want to kill any more so I come here. You need to lock me up.”

  “Why did you cut off their heads?” Dusty asked. “Where are the heads now?”

  “I don’t want to talk about. I no remember much of that.”

  “Look Mr. Jiminez, we appreciate your coming here. But we cannot take your confession seriously unless you can give us some details.”

  “You lock me up now. I hear the voice now. I no want to talk.”

  Amanda said “give us a few minutes sir. We’ll be right back.” She gave Dusty a nod of the head toward the door and got up.

  When they were back in her office she said “what the hell have we got here. This guy could be totally looney. If he confesses but never gives us any details how do we rule him in or out?”

  “I think we’re in over our heads here,” Dusty said. “We need a professional to talk to him. We’re not qualified to deal with this.”

  “I agree. Who do we get and what’s it going to cost. Wait a minute. I just remembered Zitweiller is a licensed psychologist. At least he was. Let’s start with him.”

  “Let’s call him now,” Dusty said. He dialed a number on his mobile and put it on speaker.

  “I’ve got you in my contacts, Sheriff. What’s up now? Is the meeting tomorrow off?”

  Dusty filled the man in on the latest developments. “Amanda says that she recollects that you are a licensed psychologist. After we finish in St. Joseph tomorrow can you come back to Pleasant Harbor with me and talk to this guy? We think he’s totally over the edge but we’re not qualified to make that judgment.”

  “Shit, there goes a golf game and a bridge game. Yes, I am licensed in North Carolina. That’s how I got into profiling in the first place. I could not practice in Michigan but I would not be treating this guy I just would be questioning him under your supervision. I’ll have to check with the Michigan Board but I think I’m okay there. I don’t think for a minute that this guy did it but we have to eliminate him or his
confession will hang over the case and make it more difficult to find the real killer.”

  “Okay,” Dusty said. “Pack a bag and I’ll see you in St. Joseph tomorrow.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Dusty got up in the middle of the night again to make the trip south. He arrived a few minutes before 9:00 AM at the convenience store the St. Joseph Chief of Police had designated as their meeting point. Two police vans were already in the parking lot. A tall heavy set man with a large paunch got out of one of the vans. “Sheriff, I’m John Rogers, Chief of Police of St. Joseph. I’ve got a CSI unit with me. Where is your other man?”

  “He should be here momentarily. Give him just a few minutes. Let me fill you in on where we are so far.” Dusty gave Rogers a summary of the case to date. “Have you developed any further information?”

  “Not beyond what I gave you yesterday. So both these women were found floating in the lake, nude and beheaded?”

  “That’s it. We had no scene to work with in the first case. We’re pretty sure she was abducted from a bar in Lansing. I’m hoping for something here but of course we don’t know if she was actually taken at her home or someplace else.”

  Just then Zitweiller drove up. They proceeded to the site led by the CSI van. When they got to the woman’s home the two technicians got out and started to walk the dirt and gravel driveway, one on each side off the dirt tracks.

  “So what? They’re looking for tire tracks?” Dusty asked.

  “That or anything else. We’ve had no rain in several days so they probably don’t have much to work with.”

  One of the techs took out a camera and snapped several shots. “Just two partial tire prints in this soft spot. One of them is probably the owner’s. The other, who knows?”

  They found the front door closed but not locked. One of the techs opened it using a wrench on the spindle to avoid smearing any prints. Inside they were met by one very unhappy dog. He was a yipper not a biter. Dusty went into the kitchen and found a bag of dog food. He filled the dog’s bowl and also filled a water dish. The dog had left several deposits in the middle of the kitchen floor which Dusty decided to ignore for the moment.

  The techs spent about an hour dusting for prints. Dusty and Rogers gingerly walked around looking for anything out of place. The woman had not been the best housekeeper but there was no sign of a struggle. After the techs had dusted the woman’s computer and desk they went through her papers. There was nothing that gave any indication of an issue with another person. There was no sign of a will and no indication of any other family member. Zitweiller had just wandered through the house without touching anything.

  When they were done the techs summarized their findings. Many of her prints and a couple of others. No sign of a struggle, no weapons and no drugs. The only thing that’s suspicious is that the front door knob appears to have been wiped clean.

  “So what do we do with all this stuff if we can’t find a next of kin?” Dusty asked.

  “Someone will show up. They always do. If she left a will then it’s easy. If not the estate has to go through the court. For the moment we just lock it up. I’ll take the dog to the local pound. Poor guy doesn’t look very adoptable. They will probably end up euthanizing him.”

  “I want to take her computer,” Dusty said. “I’m no good with that stuff but I’ll send it to the State Police lab in Lansing and see what they can find.” Rogers shrugged his acquiescence.

  As they were leaving the house one of the techs stopped in the middle of the porch and bent to look at one of the boards. “What’s this” he said as he took a knife and pried something out of the crack between two boards. He held up what appeared to be a small flat piece of plastic which was square on one end and round on the other. “It’s the base of a woman’s high heel. She could have lost it any time but maybe someone dragged her off the porch and her heel caught in this crack.” The tech put the evidence in a small plastic bag.

  “Thanks for your help Chief. We’ve got a complicated jurisdictional issue here. One body found in Potawatomie County, a second body found in Pleasant Harbor, a confession from a resident of Pleasant Harbor and the dead are residents of Lansing and St. Joseph. I don’t want to be presumptuous but I’d like to keep control of the case with the understanding that I will fill you in on everything as we go along.”

  “That’s fine with me Sheriff. I’ve got plenty on my plate. Besides you have the bodies and the confessor. If I turn up anything more I’ll let you know. Why do I have the feeling that there may be more of this? This is about as sick a thing as I’ve seen.”

  “Chief Stevens agrees with you. I’m afraid you may both be right. I’ll stay in touch.”

  Zitweiller followed Dusty back to Pleasant Harbor. They got in at mid-afternoon. Dusty drove directly to Porky’s for a late lunch.

  “I’d like to get started with this guy as soon as possible,” Zitweiller said. “I’m missing a lot of golf. I’ve cleared this with the Michigan Board. I’m good to go as long as my questioning is under your supervision and directed at the case. I can’t treat him.”

  “Okay, I’ll call Amanda and let her know were on the way. You can have him alone but we’ll watch and listen in on the remote.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  One of the deputies brought Jiminez into the interrogation room and handcuffed one arm to the metal ring in the middle of the table.

  Zitweiller came in carrying a spiral notebook. “Good afternoon Mr. Jiminez. My name is Edward Zitweiller. I’m a licensed psychologist and Sheriff Donovan and Chief Stevens thought I might be able to help you with the voices you’ve been hearing. What can you tell me about these voices? Do you hear them all the time? What exactly do they say to you? Do the voices sound like anyone you know? Are they male or female or both?”

  “Not all the time but many times during the day. Just one voice. It sounds like a man but I don’t recognize. He more whispers than talks. He tells me to do bad things.”

  “What are some of things he has told you to do?”

  “He tell me to kill my mother.”

  “Does he say why you should do this?”

  “No. Just to do.”

  “What kind of relationship do you have with your mother? I understand you live in her house. Is that right?”

  “I was married once but we divorce. My mother alone in big house so she say live with her and save money.”

  “Do you get along with your mother?”

  “She my mother.”

  “I understand that but do you have a good relationship?”

  Jiminez shrugged. “She my mother.”

  “So when you say she’s your mother you mean she still treats you like a little boy?”

  Jiminez just stared at the far wall.

  “Has the voice stopped since you killed the two women?”

  “No. I think that would make it go away but still voice says to kill my mother.”

  “Okay, let’s talk about something else. Tell me about your job.”

  “Drive forklift in warehouse. Load and unload trucks.”

  “Are you a good employee? Do you have any problems at work?”

  “No trouble. Do job and they leave me alone.”

  “Do you hear the voice at work?’”

  “Sometimes. I try not to listen.”

  “Do you talk back to the voice?”

  “Yes. Many times. Tell him to go away but he not go.”

  “Does your employer know you hear the voices?”

  Jiminez just shrugged.

  “How about your mother? Does she know you hear the voice?”

  “No. I never tell her. Then she will want to know what the voice says.”

  “Do you have a girlfriend Roberto?”

  “No. Since wife leave I have no one.”

  “You said ‘leave.’ Was the divorce by mutual consent or did she just walk out on you?”

  “She have other man. They leave town together. I hear they go to Chicago. She file papers
later.”

  “What does your mother think about all this? Does she want you to get married again?”

  Jiminez stared at the wall awhile. Finally he said “she want me to marry and give her grandchildren.”

  “Do you understand Roberto that if you don’t give us enough information about the killings so that we can believe you that we may not be able to hold you in jail?”

  For the first time Jiminez looked animated. “I tell you I do it. You need to keep me locked up. I don’t want to kill any more. I no want to talk about. I am very unhappy about this.”

  “Okay Roberto. I think that’s enough for today. I’ll see you again tomorrow.”

  The three of them met in Amanda’s office.

  “I have no idea what to think,” Dusty said. “I don’t think this guy is playing with a full deck”

  “Ditto,” Amanda said.

  “Well, ‘no full deck’ is not a professional diagnosis but I think you’re pretty close. But that’s not the issue. We’ve already agreed that the real perp is not together mentally. The issue is did he do it. I think not but I can’t be sure. We need to talk to his mother and his employer. After we do that I’ll take another shot at him. I’m not an attorney. I don’t know where we stand with a guy who confesses to a crime but refuses to say how he did it.”

  “I’m not an attorney either,” Dusty said. “But I wouldn’t take this to the DA with what we have now. We have one pressure point. We know Angel Patterson was abducted from a bar in Lansing between eight and nine on the fifteenth of this month. If we can establish Roberto’s whereabouts on that night any place other than the bar in Lansing then he’s not our guy. Let’s see his mother and his boss tomorrow.”

  Chapter Twenty

  The next morning Dusty and Amanda picked up Zitweiller at his hotel and they drove to the home of Maria Jiminez. It was a large two story dwelling in an older part of town. While it appeared fairly well taken care of it was in need of some upkeep. The roof had obviously seen better days and some paint was starting to peel on the sideboards.