by Robin Mahle
But the law in this town had come to know the building as Hotel Oxy, where the drug was bought, sold, and consumed at alarming rates. It was the logical first stop in their search for Joanne Waverly at the behest of her mother.
“She’s probably here along with Tommy.” Slocum stepped out of the driver’s seat. “Let’s go take a look.”
“Right behind you.” Lazaro followed as the two made their way along the sidewalk. “You ever feel like getting out of here?”
“What? You mean get out of Crown Pointe?”
“Yeah.”
“No. I was born here. I know damn near everyone. I ain’t going anywhere.”
“Even with this shit? All the drugs?”
“Yeah. Even with all the drugs. I’m not deserting these people. They need us. They need our help.”
“I reckon so.”
They arrived at the manager’s office. Slocum walked inside and waited for his partner to join him. Both were slightly taken aback by the odor. They knew the manager well and had become as accustomed as one could to the man’s lack of personal hygiene.
“Afternoon, officers. What can I do for you?” The manager sat at his desk and peeked out from behind his woefully outdated computer.
“Afternoon, Travis. We’re looking for Joanne Waverly. You seen her ‘round lately?”
The manager cast his eyes upward at the ceiling and appeared to be staring at a water stain. “No. No, sir. I don’t believe I have.”
“What About Tommy Conroy? Any signs of him?”
The man shook his head again. “No, sir. Although they don’t come here too often, from what I can tell. Why? They in trouble or something?”
“Or something. Just looking for them is all,” Slocum replied.
“Well, you know the usual suspects are always lingering around, but I ain’t seen those two in some time.”
“Okay then. We appreciate your help.” Slocum turned but stopped short. “Do me a favor and give us a call at the station if you do catch sight of them.”
“Will do. You both have a good day now.”
As they left the office, Slocum began, “Let’s just take a walk around. They might’ve slipped in without ol’ Travis spotting them.”
“Sure. Whatever you say, boss.”
An unassuming man appeared troubled as he walked inside the police station. His gray wool Stetson in hand, he continued in but didn’t see anyone. “Pardon? Chief Tate, you available?” The man’s soft voice didn’t match his tall, rotund appearance, but it did carry well enough inside the small station as the chief emerged from his office.
“Charlie? What are you doing here? Everything all right with the missus?” The chief offered his hand.
“Yes, sir. She’s doing fine. Save for the fact that our Andy’s gone missing.”
“Pardon?” The chief’s hackles raised.
“He didn’t come home last night, and of course, the wife’s nervous something’s happened.”
“Come on into my office, Charlie. Tell me exactly what’s going on.” The chief ushered the distraught father to the chair. “When was the last time you heard from Andy?”
“Oh, I’d say around four o’clock yesterday. He came home from school, just like usual. Maggie was home already. Her shift at the store was over. I was still working at the courthouse, though.”
“How’s that going for you, by the way?”
“Oh, real good. They keep me busy. It’s nice to be busy again, that’s for sure.”
“Glad to hear. So, where did Andy go after he came home from school? To a friend’s?”
“Maggie says he was heading toward the corner store for a pop ‘cause we just ran out. Kid drinks way too much of it. Anyways, he never did come back.”
“And you’re just now coming to me?”
“Well, I did think Maggie was overreacting. I came home from work and we made some calls to his friends. The thing is, it seems Andy’s been slipping through our fingers more often than not lately, and I just figured this was one of those times. He’s sixteen years old. You remember when you were sixteen, Chief?”
“Yes, sir, I do. But those were different times. You know we’ve got our hands full in this town now.”
“I am aware of the problem. I didn’t reckon Andy was mixed up in any of that.”
“I’m sure he’s not. I’ll tell you what, I’ll call out to the boys. They’re running around anyways, and I’ll ask them to take a drive and see if they can spot him. Or maybe have them talk to Grif there at the store and see if Andy ever showed up there yesterday.” The chief stood. “I’m sure he’ll turn up soon in any case.”
“I know you’re right.” The man stood only inches shorter than Tate. “I appreciate you taking the time, Chief.”
“Not at all, Charlie. You and Maggie take care and I’ll be in touch soon, you hear?”
“Yes, sir.” He tipped his head. “Evening.”
Chief Tate watched Charlie get into his Ford pickup. Thoughts swirled in his head. Two missing kids in as many days. Maybe three, if Tommy Conroy doesn’t turn up. Something was amiss. He hoped to God there wasn’t a bad batch going around. These kids didn’t have two pennies to rub together, so whatever money they could scrounge usually bought the cheapest version of the drugs. It was generally laced with Fentanyl and was some kind of dangerous combination. “Son of a bitch.” He pressed the button on his radio. In a department this size, the chief wore multiple hats. Dispatcher was but one. “Slocum, you copy? Over.”
“At your service. Go ahead, Chief.”
“Where you boys at?”
“Just leaving Hotel Oxy.”
He closed his eyes. “I wish you would stop calling it that.”
“Sorry, Chief.”
“I just had a visit from Charlie Walcott. Says his son Andy didn’t come home after a visit to the store for a pop yesterday afternoon. I’m gonna need you two to check out the corner store.”
“Another missing kid?”
“That’s right. I take it that means you didn’t have any luck locating Joanne Waverly?”
“No, sir. Not yet.”
“Damn. All right. How many more places you need to check out?”
“Still need to hit Devil’s Den,” Slocum replied “Not sure what to do after that. Guess I’m hoping we’ll find her there.”
“From your mouth to God’s ear. All right, then. Keep looking and find out if Griffin saw Andy Walcott yesterday afternoon.”
“Ten-four.” Slocum placed the radio back in its cradle, but before he had a chance to speak, Lazaro turned to him.
“Another one?”
“Guess so.”
“Chief think they’re related?”
“You heard him, same as me. He just said go talk to Griffin. So that’s what we’ll do.” Slocum turned around the patrol car and headed south toward the corner store. “Hell, maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll have seen Joanne Waverly too.”
“You think so?” Lazaro asked.
“No. I don’t.”
On the edge of town, surrounded by towering Sweet Birch and the Kentucky Coffee tree, a clearing appeared. Trailers dotted the open area and were in various stages of disrepair. Most were uninhabitable, but were still home to those desperate enough, which were not in short supply here. This was Devil’s Den, named for the nearby single mine shaft that had been abandoned almost thirty years ago after it collapsed and killed five miners.
“Pull up behind this one. It’s empty.” Dawn Murphy was twenty-five and had recently been let go from her job at the local elementary school. She’d been a server in the cafeteria for two years, and in those two years, attendance at the school had dropped by nearly a quarter. The kids were aging out and going into the middle school and no one was moving into Crown Pointe. The dwindling population meant they no longer needed Dawn, even though she’d been an exemplary employee. Now she was lucky to get twenty hours a week at the local grocery store.
“You sure no one’s there?”
/> Dawn’s companion, which was all she could ever see him being, was Steven Schiller. He was thirty, divorced, and never got around to visiting his two kids, who lived in the next town over. “I’m sure. Just pull in here.”
“All right. All right.” Steven rolled to a stop just behind the tin awning that had partially collapsed. Behind the trailer were two lawn chairs. They weren’t the only ones who frequented this particular location. Just the only ones today.
Dawn stepped out into the crisp air. A few dead leaves crunched underfoot as she walked atop the dried soil. It hadn’t rained in the past couple of weeks. January usually brought with it a few inches of rain, but it was slow in coming this year. She sat down on one of the lawn chairs and grew concerned it wouldn’t hold her weight. Considering she scarcely broke the 90-pound mark, that suggested the chair was definitely worse for wear.
Steven soon joined her.
“Well?”
“Oh, right. Here.” He handed her the can of pop. “I put two, twenty mils in there. Ground ‘em up. They been sitting for a couple of hours. Should be ready to go.”
“Twenty mils was all you could get?”
“Yeah. Som bitch wouldn’t give me the eighties I wanted. Best I could do.”
Dawn tossed back the can of Coke and leaned into the chair, waiting for the high, but got a wild hair and turned to Steven. “Hey, you wanna go into the shaft?”
“What? Now?”
“Why not? Come on. It’ll be fun. I haven’t been inside in years.”
“I guess so. I mean, shit. What else we got to do?”
She pushed off the chair and helped Steven up.
The abandoned mineshaft was about the distance of two football-fields away and boarded up. But people always took them down and went inside as far as they could till they hit the collapsed section. It was like a rite of passage for the kids in town.
“I see it. Just ahead.” Dawn began to jog closer. “Come on, slowpoke.”
“Christ, Dawn. This ain’t no damn race. Besides, I’m just starting to feel good. I don’t want to run off my high.”
“You ain’t gonna run it off with this little bit of distance.” She reached the entrance and ducked under one of the boards. “Holy shit. It’s cold in here.”
“I didn’t bring no jacket. I don’t want to freeze my balls off in there.”
“Stop being such a baby, Steven. Just get in and maybe I’ll show you something nice.”
He hunched over and followed her in. “Finally, something worth my time.”
Only a few feet in and the light faded. The air grew damp and the ground was soft and black.
“Man, it’s just like I remember,” Dawn said. “See, you ain’t originally from around here. But this was the place to be. Us kids would play around in here. They used to have some tracks but they pulled up what was left after the collapse. Now it’s just a hole for another few feet.” She turned to face him, and in a creepy voice added, “A deep, dark hole.”
Steven moved next to her and reached for her crotch. “You mean like the one you got?” He smiled.
“Don’t be so disgusting.” She slapped his hand away.
“What? You said you was gonna show me something.”
Dawn continued inside, and the darker it became, the more she used her hands to guide her along.
“Don’t be going too far now, you hear? Place is still a damn death trap,” Steven said.
“Jesus!” Dawn pulled her hand away. “What the hell?”
“What? What is it? Some damn rat? I told you this was a bad idea. Damn creepy-ass place.”
Dawn pulled out her cellphone and turned on its light, pointing it at the earthen wall. Her eyes widened and she dropped her phone, screaming at the top of her lungs.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
She pointed to the wall and he aimed his own cell phone at it. “It’s a body, Steven. Jesus H. Christ, what are we gonna do?”
“Mother of God.” He aimed his phone farther down into the walls of the abandoned shaft. “Wait. Oh no. Dawn, I think there’s…” He moved closer and gasped before turning away and heaving out his guts.
Dawn looked at what he’d seen. She covered her mouth and tears streamed down her cheeks. She trembled before finally turning to Steven. “We got to get out of here.” She started toward the light at the end of the shaft. The entrance that she was more desperate to reach, as though someone might emerge from the hole and take her and Steven too.
Reaching the end, she reappeared into the light of day, with eyes stinging from tears and the bright sun. Steven soon followed. Both seemed jolted back into sobriety.
“We have to tell the police.” Dawn paced a four-foot area in front of the shaft. “Did you see them? It looked like they got eaten by rats or something. We have to tell someone now.”
“Just forget about it,” Steven said, pulling her away and back toward the trailer. “Forget what we saw, okay? You want them to start asking questions as to why we was here? No way am I going back inside. Three strikes and I’m gone. You know that, right?”
“Steven, we can’t leave them there. We’ll just tell them we were here messing around. Not that we were getting high. We’ll just wait until the drugs are out of our systems, okay? Then we’ll go.”
“No. It’s too risky. I don’t need that kind of heat on me, Dawn, and you know that.” He marched toward the trailer. “We’re leaving right now and never coming back here.” Upon reaching the car, he opened the driver’s side door and waited. “You coming or not?”
She eyed him. “This isn’t right.”
“Just get in.” He slipped inside and turned the engine. When she remained standing in front of the car, he raised up his palms.
All she could see was his lips move as if asking her, “Well?” She finally walked to the passenger side and stepped in. “Fine. We’ll go. But I ain’t never coming back here again.”
“Fine by me.” He shoved the gear shift into reverse and kicked up leaves and dust before finally speeding away.
4
As a profiling apprentice, Kate expected a certain amount of grunt work to be handed her way. And she was not wrong. But the arrival of Eva Duncan, the woman and team member with whom she hadn’t yet become familiar, offered an unexpected reprieve from the monotony.
“Reid, you have a minute?” Duncan stood in her doorway in a dark pencil skirt and white blouse with her hair pulled away from her face. The woman was a sight to behold. All at once, she portrayed strength, beauty, and most of all, was unlikely to take guff from anyone. And it didn’t hurt that she spoke with a mild Chicago accent that came off as fairly intimidating.
Kate liked her already. “Sure. Please come in.”
“Thanks. I know you handled assorted duties at the WFO. Any chance you’re familiar with ViCAP?”
“Funny you should ask.” Kate eyed the pile of papers on her desk. “I just happen to have several case files that I’m entering into the system now. And yes, I’m very familiar with the database.”
“Good, because I wanted to run something by you.” Duncan laid a file on Kate’s desk. “I’m working on a theory that would require some restructuring of the database and would include additional markers but reduce the amount of questions on the questionnaire.”
“I remember back at San Diego PD, no one wanted to enter a case because it took almost an hour to do so and rarely yielded results.”
“Exactly my point. Because far too few law enforcement agencies use it. Combine that with the budget cuts to the program, nearly two-thirds of the training staff has been cut. It all adds up to a failed system. Nothing like ViCLAS the Canadians use.”
“But the difference is, the Canadians mandate the system be utilized. And they’re not shy in funding it. Therein lies the problem. It always comes down to money.”
“That’s not a problem I can solve. If our higher-ups pulled their heads out of their asses once in a while, they could, but that’s a conversation for a
nother day. Theoretically, though, if we can reduce the size of the questionnaire, it should garner at least some additional support,” Duncan continued.
“Assuming it covers the same information, yes. But why are you working on this? I know it’s part of BAU. Have you spoken to the program manager?”
“Not yet. I wanted to talk to you because you’re the only other agent in our unit who has worked for local law enforcement besides me, and I know a little about your background. I know how the system brought you closer to finding the man who abducted you.”
“That was where I first learned of the program.” What Kate failed to mention was the man who brought it to her attention. A man she still dearly missed. “I think this is very good idea and you should take it to the program manager. Any help we can get in improving the effectiveness of the system will make not only our jobs easier, but will make it easier for us to help the local guys.”
“There’s one other thing, would you mind reviewing the questions? Maybe there’s something I haven’t thought of.”
“Absolutely. I’d love to help.”
Duncan studied Kate for a moment. “Look, I know the challenges you face being here. This job is hard enough without having people think you got it because someone was playing favorites. But don’t ever let anyone tell you that you don’t belong here.”
“You speaking from experience?”
Duncan pushed up from her seat. “You could say that. I’ll leave this with you. No rush. I know you’re still getting your feet wet.” She began to leave but stopped short. “I’m glad you’re here, Reid. Sometimes the testosterone levels get pretty high in here. We need to keep that in check.”
Quinn appeared in the doorway as she began to leave. “Duncan, how are you?”
“Doing just fine. Catch up with you later?”
