by W L Ripley
Leo filled up his vehicle and left. Jake walked over to the Mitchell grain elevator and examined the grounds then back behind the plant to the railroad tracks.
Seeing something now and thinking he’d found what he was looking for.
When Jake pulled into her drive Harper was glad to see him. That is until she noticed the corner of his mouth was swollen and bleeding and his clothes were torn and dirty.
“What happened?”
He touched his mouth. “Oh this? Couple of guys wanted me to put high-test in my car and I wanted regular.”
She folded her arms and gave him a look telling him she wasn’t in the mood.
“I guess I should see what the other guy looks like,” she said.
“They’re fine. Lost this one. Hadn’t been for Leo showing up you would be visiting me at ER.”
“Not sure you shouldn’t be there now.”
“Don’t make a thing out of it.”
“Who was it?”
“Barb and Warner.”
“That’s the second one since you came back. Childish to get into fights at your age.”
“When I lose anyway. They didn’t give me much choice.”
She unfolded her arms and reached up and touched his cheek. She told him to sit and left the room. He heard water running and cabinets being opened and shut. She returned with a damp cloth and rubbing alcohol. She cleaned his cuts with the cloth, and he flinched when she dabbed at them with an alcohol-soaked cotton ball.
“Ouch!”
“Quit being a baby.”
He told her about what happened and how Leo had come to the rescue. In the nick of time just like the movies.
Jake asked her if she had some zip-lock baggies he could borrow.
“Why do you need that?”
“I have to go back to the Mitchell grain elevator.”
“Why would you do that?”
“Found something maybe.”
“What do you think you found.”
He shrugged. “Could be a waste of time. But there was some strange residue in Gage’s Charger and I saw something like that on someone’s shoes. Possibly the same thing at the elevator.”
“When did you look at Gage’s car?”
Harper’s dog bounced over to be petted so Jake scratched behind his ears. “Cute little guy.”
“Don’t avoid the question,” said Harper. “How did you manage to see Gage’s car? It’s in the impound area.”
“How do you know where it is?” Jake said, having fun delaying his answer.
“I’m the chief’s daughter and I work in a law office.”
He told her about visiting the impound area with Buddy Johnson.
“They took the carpet out of the trunk?”
“See? You know where I’m going with this.”
“Someone did kill Gage.”
He nodded. “Cigarette ash in the trunk. Gage didn’t smoke. My problem is I don’t know why he was killed.”
She sat for a moment, shaking her head. “Poor Gage. Such a nice fun person. No wonder you’re attracting violence. When did you get like this?”
“Like what?”
“You have an attitude and a death wish. Are you unaware what has been happening to you?” Exasperated now, she said, “Is it worth all this trouble?”
“Trouble?” He smiled at her; his swollen lip made him wince when he did. “What trouble?”
“Don’t patronize me,” she said. “I get worry lines on my face, I’ll poison your food.” She smiled back at him.
“Aw, she cares.”
“Quit putting yourself in these situations.”
“If you think about it, I’m not, rather people are seeking me out. If I’m taking flak it means I’m over the target.”
He told her about how Pam had shown up as he was leaving his house.
She stopped cleaning him up and gave him a sidelong look. “What did she want?”
He told her that Pam said she was the one who called to warn him and that she still loved him. It was quiet for a moment while she considered that.
“I knew it. And,” she said. “What did you say to that?”
He told her.
Harper stared at him in disbelief. She closed her eyes for a moment, a smile forming and then started laughing. “You told her, ‘I believe you’?”
He shrugged, his palms up. “That’s bad?”
Shaking her head now she said, “No woman wants to hear that. I’ll bet that set her on fire.” She smiled again and shook her head. “You are such a guy. I’m sorry for being – .” Her voice trailed off as she searched for the words.
“Jealous?” Jake said. She liked the way his eyes looked when he smiled at her.
“That’s another thing you don’t say to a woman. You really know nothing about the opposite sex, do you?”
“I know I could be falling for you.”
She smiled, then said, “I believe you.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Leaving Harper Jake stopped by Paradise PD to speak with Chief Cal Bannister. Jake wanted to share his thoughts on Gage Burnell’s death. He intended to lay it all out – the scene at the creek, the missing carpet in the trunk of the Charger, the cigarette butt and ash and finally the residue on the brake pedal and carpet which may match what he found at the Mitchell grain elevator.
It was all moot when Cal stopped him.
“You’re not going to want to hear this,” Cal said, from behind his walnut desk, his papers and flyers neatly arranged as a checkerboard. He picked up a pipe from a pipe holder affixed to an ashtray and began filling the pipe with Borkum Riff. “Sheriff Kellogg just arrested a man for the murder of Gage Burnell.”
Jake fished his shirt pocket for cigarettes that weren’t there. He said nothing for a moment.
Cal nodded at Jake. “That’s right. Homicide.”
“Admitting to it,” saying it more to himself. “Odd. When?”
“An hour ago.”
“No,” Jake said. “When did Doc decide against Gage’s death being an accident?”
Cal screwed up his face, exhaled. “That? I don’t know.”
“I believe it possible Gage was killed in town then transported to the scene of the accident.”
“What?” Cal smiled and said, “You sound like a cop instead of a troublemaker which most would call you at this point. But you have insight. I’ve got your dance partners in the holding cell.” Cal placed a hand on his chin, framing his mouth with thumb and forefinger. “So, let’s hear what you’ve got.”
Jake shared his findings. The cigarette ash, the missing trunk carpet, the residue on the brake pedal and Steve Barb’s tossed away cigarette. Cal listened without interruption, as immovable as an Egyptian monument. When Jake finished, they both sat quietly for a moment. Pipe smoke hovered in the air between them.
“First,” said Cal. “Who let you in the impound area?” Jake gave him a look and Cal said, “I don’t want to know, do I? Okay, how does anything you told me establish a homicide occurred in town?”
“A guess,” Jake said. “Consider I’ve been targeted? I believe it is happening because I’m close to something someone doesn’t want known. I found this.” Producing a baggie filled with what he’d found at the elevator he handed it to Cal. “I found the same substance in Gage’s car. Removing the carpet liner from the trunk suggests, to me, the killers transported Gage in the trunk. Blood residue would show up had they not.”
“Killers? You think there’s more than one?”
“The killer couldn’t drive two cars. One driver to transport the body and Gage’s car and one to pick-up the driver. One man would have a helluva time trying to lift Gage into the trunk then take him out and drag him to the creek.”
“That assumes quite a bit.”
“You explain it then.”
Cal, his pipe stuck in the corner of his mouth, nodded slowly. “Pulling the carpet is hard to explain, but it doesn’t mean Gage was in the trunk. The sediment you have her
e is from the elevator, but dozens of locals walk through the place daily.”
“Gage was a big boy. What’d he weigh? About one eighty? You ever drag one hundred eighty pounds of dead deer out of the woods. That’s a lot of dead weight.”
“Still, Kellogg says he has the killer.”
“You don’t find that convenient?”
“Meaning Kellogg decides at this moment to change the accident to homicide after you ride him about it and start an unauthorized investigation?”
Jake sat back. “Auxiliary Police. That’s me.”
“It’s thin. But not bad.”
“Would give you jurisdiction to investigate. You can mount an investigation at your discretion.”
“A parallel investigation. That’ll piss off Doc.”
“A bonus. My guess is they don’t want to know what really happened and want it to go away. Doesn’t necessarily mean Kellogg is complicit; might only mean he’s worried where a real investigation would lead. Who does Doc have in custody?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can we go see the guy?”
Cal stood and set his PPD hat on his head. “Thought you’d never ask.”
Kellogg was less than excited to see Cal and Jake.
“What is he doing here?” said Kellogg jamming a thumb in Jake’s direction.
“Works for me,” Cal said.
Jake suppressed the urge to flash his auxiliary police badge. Probably not that impressive.
“Congratulations on the arrest,” Jake said, going for sincere. He extended a hand. “Sorry for doubting you.”
Kellogg gave a sidelong look at Jake’s hand. “You’re with PPD? How’d you manage that?”
“Temporary,” Cal said. “Can’t deny he has the background and he isn’t charging me. Good work on your arrest. How about it, Doc? We see your killer?”
Kellogg thought for a moment before nodding. “All right. Come on.” He walked them back through the lock-up to a door with a small window, a fretwork of wire within the heavy glass. “There he is,” said Kellogg. “Terry Bill Pennell. I’m sure you’ve arrested him before, Cal.”
Jake looked through the window at the tattooed man with a scrabble beard, bed scrambled hair and zig-zag tattoos down one arm. What struck Jake was not the man’s appearance but the size of Pennell.
“That’s him?” Jake said.
“Yep. He’d made threats on Burnell’s life and we found Burnell’s credit cards on him. Used one of them and we ran it down.”
“So,” Jake said, looking askance. “This is the guy, right?”
Kellogg guarded now. “What’re you getting at?”
“Terry Bill managed to overcome Gage, drag him out of his car, and drown him? Wow. Terry Bill must have superpowers no one knew about. Gage was a pretty tough guy. And a guy size of a bag of potato chips manhandles him?”
“We have the credit cards and the threats.”
“So how did this guy, looks like a meth addict on a diet, manage all that?”
“There was a blow to the back of Burnell’s head that may explain it.”
“Really? The coroner didn’t mention that when asked.”
“He missed it,” said Kellogg, his jaw set. “And that’s another thing. You had no right to inquire about that. You’ve been doing a lot of things you should not, that is, you haven’t had standing to ask.”
“So, how did Terry Bill get back to town? Did he walk? He had to have help. Do you have an accomplice yet?”
Kellogg looked confused for a moment. “We’re working on it. That okay with you?”
“It’s peachy. You care if I take a look at Gage’s vehicle?”
“That’s secured evidence.”
“Carpet was torn out of the trunk. Why would anyone do that?”
Kellogg’s face darkened and his ears rose as the skin around his jawline tightened. “How would you know that?”
“Anonymous tip.”
“You know you’re a goddamned nuisance? We have the credit cards; we have the dead body and that’s all there is to it. Like to stir things don’t you, Mister Big Time Texas Ranger. Always thought you were smarter than everyone, didn’t you? But not this time. I’m through explaining things to you. The sooner you leave town the better I’ll like it. Now, get out of my jail.”
“Look, Doc, it took two men to drag Gage out of the car and drown him or drag him into the creek, not to mention the beating Gage was given. Was the blow you mention on the left or right side of Gage’s head?”
“You’re not listening.”
Kellogg stomped away leaving them to stand by the lock-up door.
“I think he’s warming up to me,” Jake said, watching Kellogg leave.
Cal was shaking his head slowly. “I’m gonna have to throw in with you that you’re on to something. I don’t know how I missed it.”
Jake nodded at the window of the lock-up. “You know what? Kellogg’s gone. How about we interview the perp while we’re here?”
Cal pushed back his hat. “Doc’s not going to like that. But, why not?”
“We’re not going to get on Doc’s good side, anyway.” Jake knocked on the window. “Hey Terry Bill. Got a second?” Holding up a pack of Camels now. “Yours if you talk to me.”
Pennell stood and shuffled to the windowed door, there was a small opening at the bottom of the window. “Yeah? Okay.”
“First we talk. How did you kill Gage Burnell?”
“Man, I didn’t do that. I look like a killer?”
“They come in different shapes and sizes. There’s no particular look.”
“Man, I’m mindin’ my own business kickin’ back in my trailer with a bottle of wine and a joint when Kellogg and his brown shirts crash my door and go all ISIS on me. Shit. Telling me I’m under arrest for murder. I say, ‘murder’, who’d I kill? They don’t give a shit what I’m tellin’ ’em. They rough me, cuff me and bring me here. I had to eat the roach ’cause I thought that was my bust. Burnt my tongue. Have no idea what’s goin’ on. Havin’ a bad day, man.”
“You threaten Gage Burnell?”
Terry Bill snorted, then said, “Don’t even know the man. I mean, I see ’im around but it’s not like we hang out. Besides, Burnell’s a crazy fuck. I’m gonna threaten somebody like that?”
Jake smiled letting Terry Bill know he was on his side. “They say you had his wallet and credit cards.”
“Yeah, that? Fuck man, that’s a hell of a thing. Nobody’s gonna believe me when I tell how I came by that.”
“Try me.”
“Was in my fuckin’ mailbox.” Terry Bill stopped and watched Jake for a reaction. Jake raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. Somebody put it there. Had eighty-three dollars and those cards in it. I thought wow, my lucky day.”
“You didn’t think maybe turn it in?”
Terry Bill snorted. “You fuckin’ kiddin’? Money falls outta the sky and I’m going to be Joe Citizen? I don’t have a job and need the bucks. Stupid to use the card.”
“What do you weigh?”
“What?”
“Your weight.”
Dubious now. “I get a prize?”
Jake held up the cigarette pack. “Sure.”
“About hundert’ thirty five.”
Jake gave Cal a look. Cal chewed his lower lip. Jake handed the cigarettes through the slot and started to leave.
“Hey,” said Terry Bill. “What about me? I didn’t do nothin’.”
“More than you think,” Jake said. “You helped me and that may help you. Only thing you’re guilty of is theft and ugly tatts.”
“Aw man, why you goin’ that way?”
“Believe you’re about to become a free man. Happen to know a good lawyer.”
“Dude. You do that and I’ll buy you a carton of smokes.”
“Afraid you’d steal them.”
“’At’s right, give Terry Bill shit alla time. Everybody on my ass today.”
“I’m trying to quit myself.”
As they were leaving Cal said, “Terry Bill didn’t do it, did he?”
“Nope,” Jake said. “He did not. You have a cigarette?”
Chapter Thirty-Four
“How about these accommodations, huh?” Jake said to Steve Barb and Robby Warner as they sat in the holding cell at Paradise P.D. Jake and Cal had returned to Cal’s office after leaving the sheriff’s office. Barb and Warner were lounging on the hard benches in the cell. “Cal runs a clean hotel.”
“Whyn’t you fuck yourself?”
“I’m at a loss how to counter such a witty comeback?”
“We’ll be outta here in a couple of hours,” said Barb.
“Sooner,” Jake said. “You answer some questions.”
“How’s that?”
“I’m a forgiving guy. Maybe I drop the charges and you two ballerinas go back to scratching your pelts with your mouths hanging open.”
“Why would you do that?” said Robby Warner.
“You know a guy named Terry Bill Pennell?”
“Yeah, he’s a doper. Little popcorn fart.”
They didn’t know Terry Bill had been arrested. Filed it away.
“Either of you see Gage Burnell the night of his accident?” Keeping back the homicide determination.
“Why you keep asking that?” said Robby who then looked at Barb.
Barb said, “We didn’t kill him.”
Jake saying, “I ask if you saw him, you say you didn’t kill him? It’s like talking to grade school kids. You’re answering questions I didn’t ask. Just like the day at Vernon Mitchell’s. Everyone wants me to know they didn’t kill Gage. What kind of cigarettes you smoke, Barb.”
“What’s that to you?”
“Want to see if you’ll lie to me. You strike me as an individual who would lie even if the truth would be better.”
“Not tellin’ you nothin’.”
“Double negative, Barbie boy. Not useful in proper discourse.”
“You’re so fucking smart, aren’t you?” said Barb, jumping up from his seat. “You don’t know shit ’bout nothin’.”
“Enlighten me. Oh, I’m sorry. I mean, tell me what I’m missing.”
“Shut up, Steve,” said Robby. “Shit. He’s pumping you.”
