by Carolina Mac
“You sound excited, Gilly.”
“I am. So excited to have a purpose. Can you come for dinner?”
“Uh huh. I’ll come in an hour or so. Should be right around dinnertime when I get there.”
“We’ll wait for you. I love you.”
“Same. See you soon.”
I ran into the house bursting to tell Moonbeam about the case we had to work on. “Moon, where are you?”
My heart pounded and I panicked a little when I couldn’t find her. I ran through the house and ripped the patio door open and there she was sitting at the umbrella table feeding treats to Zing.
“I have news,” I hollered. “I’ll grab a beer and tell you all about it.”
Moonbeam floated into the kitchen and gave me a hug. “Your face is flushed, dear. What has you so worked up?”
“We’re working, Moon. We are the new team working unsolved serials in Texas.”
“Wow, is all I can think to say to that. I’d better have a glass of wine.”
“Farrell is coming for dinner and bringing some of his things. I think he’s moving gradually so he doesn’t upset his brother.”
“I’ll barbeque,” said Moonbeam. “Just the three of us, we’ll have steak and grilled veggies.”
“Sounds fantastic. Anything you want to cook.” I opened a can of Coors and poured it into a glass. “I can’t wait to start reading the first file. I think I’ll invite Jody over tomorrow morning for coffee and we’ll start on it.”
“Are serial killers our new calling, dear?”
“This may be hard for you, Moon, and I don’t want to put you through anymore agony than you’ve already been through. You can opt out and just keep the home fires burning if that’s what feels better.”
“I may have to pursue that role for a while longer, Gillette. I haven’t quite accepted the idea that Sonny was a serial killer. It’s hard for me to believe.”
“It is difficult. I knew it from the outset and yet, I still fell in love with him. I loved a whole different side of him, Moon.” I teared up and reached for a tissue.
Farrell arrived around five-thirty and we relaxed on the patio with cold beers while Moonbeam put the finishing touches on our steaks.
After repeating my conversation with Chief Calhoun to Farrell, he was grinning and bubbling with happiness for me—for us as a couple—we loved working together and now we’d be able to again.
“Are you starting tomorrow, little girl?”
“I am. First thing. I’ll invite Jody over for coffee and we’ll get started.”
Farrell frowned. “Do you need him, Gilly?”
“He’s out of work and he’s willing. Of course he wants to be paid and I don’t know how much I can pay him. Nothing or next to it.”
“I’m not a hundred percent on that guy,” said Farrell. “He’s nice enough but there’s something about him that doesn’t ring true.”
I nodded and didn’t give away Jody’s secret. Maybe it would be best to work completely on my own. “Moon doesn’t think she’s ready to work a serial killer yet. It’s too soon.”
“Yep, I can see how it might never be a good time for her. I’m a little surprised you’re up for it.”
“I am. I feel I have insight, but I still want to have a conversation with Misty about my new assignment. I don’t want to be letting her down either if she has something pressing for me to tackle.”
Farrell reached over and held my hand. “Slow down, baby girl. One day at a time, okay? Read the file tomorrow and we’ll talk about where you should start. I don’t want you risking your life without me knowing where you are every minute of the day and night. Get me your cell. I’m going to put a tracker on you.”
CHAPTER TEN
Tuesday, November 10th.
Nine Hemlock Way. Elgin.
I woke up at daylight, trailed my hand over the side of the bed feeling for Pete and he wasn’t on his bed. “He’s in the truck,” I mumbled to myself.
Energized by the new case I had to work on, I sat on the edge of the bed and debated whether to start on my own this morning or let Jody in from the get-go.
“I’ll read the file first and form my own opinions before I let tell Jody anything about it. Farrell can feel there’s something off about Jody, but it’s probably just the animal scent he gives off. Jody can’t help if he’s half… what? He never told me what his other half is. That will be fun to find out.”
Enough mumbling to myself. I headed into the shower. Busy day. No time to waste.
My hair still damp, I hugged Moon in the kitchen. “Did you let Pete out of the truck?”
She giggled. “I didn’t think of it.”
“I’ll run out and do it before he does anything dumb. Be right back.” I ran around the side of the house and opened the driver’s door of the big Peterbilt that was an unwelcome part of my landscaping. I wanted to get rid of at least the trailer with the brightly painted carnival mural plastered all over it. It took up a large chunk of my two acre property and it had drawn looks from Farrell the last two times he’d been here.
“Did you forget about me, babe?”
“Nope. I just got out of the shower and came here first.” I squatted down and held Pete in a hug. “I love you, Pete. You too, Sonny.”
Pete licked my face.
“Don’t lick me.”
The dog ran off towards Moonbeam’s garden and I ran back inside the house for breakfast.
“I like having breakfast, just the two of us,” said Moonbeam. “The house is quiet and tidy and we can draw a relaxed breath.”
“I’m going to start on my case today, so I’ll be super quiet. Reading and making notes, that’s as noisy as I’m going to get.”
“Are you officially a Texas Ranger again, dear?”
I nodded. “Uh huh. Working on my own until I need help with an arrest, then I call Farrell and his men. I’m a long way from that.”
“Do you need an office?”
“What I might do is buy a desk for my room. I have space in there for a desk and a chair.”
“You could use the spare room.”
“I don’t want to do that yet. What if Ardal decides to move here permanently?”
“He might decide to do that, although he does talk a lot about the ranch and his horse.”
“He loves his job and I don’t expect him to give it up. He can come stay with us whenever he wants.”
“Do you think Rufin will come back?” asked Moon. “He acted strangely when we were in New Orleans. I realize he hurt you.”
“Doesn’t matter now. Farrell and I are back together and we’re staying together. Rufin can blow smoke out his traitorous ass.”
Moonbeam laughed. “You go ahead and start your work. I’ll tidy up and then weed the garden. We were away so long the weeds are out of control.”
I took the file and my second cup of coffee into the dining room and opened up the thick folder Chief Calhoun had given me. Beginning with the first murder, a girl named Karen Vanderland, from Ballinger, Texas, I started by writing her name at the top of my page.
Karen was tall, five feet eight. Slim, and pretty, with long auburn hair and amber eyes. Two years ago, at the time she went missing, Karen was nineteen. She attended community college and lived at home. All of her friends, classmates and teachers had been interviewed and there was nothing for the police to go on. No body. No Karen. No clues.
The only suspect the police had was Vince Agostino. At the beginning of summer, he had come into town with a highway construction crew and was staying at a local motel with some of the other laborers. The company he worked for was rebuilding a section of route sixty-seven in Ballinger. Harrison Paving.
Two or three of Karen’s friends told the police Karen had met Vince Agostino at Buffalo Bill’s Roadhouse just outside of Ballinger. A spot where all the college kids went to drink and dance.
Karen’s best friend, Lana said Karen had a wild crush on Vince and she talked about running away w
ith him when he moved on.
In her interview, Lana said, “Karen was serious. She wasn’t kidding about leaving with Vince.”
Karen’s parents never heard of Vince Agostino and were certain Karen would never run off without telling them. They were convinced she was too level headed to do anything foolish.
I was getting into the case and making notes of things I wanted to check out when Jody came ambling across the back lawn. I could see him from the dining room window and debated whether I’d let him in or not.
Feeling a pang of guilt for not being neighborly, I blew out a breath and met him at the patio door. “Hi. I wasn’t going to let you in because I’m working.”
Pete growled long and low. He didn’t like Jody one bit.
“Got any coffee for your lonely neighbor?”
Hating the interruption, I didn’t bother smiling. “Help yourself. I’m working in the dining room.”
“Sure. Didn’t mean to interrupt you.”
Jody followed me with his coffee and sat quietly at the opposite end of the table waiting for me to speak.
“This is a cold case I’m working on. Four murders with the same suspect, but no evidence. This is what I’ve read so far.” I gave him a quick recap.
“Interesting. Did you find out if there was room for me in the budget?”
“Not yet. I haven’t talked to Misty. I’m working on this file today and I want to get through it because Farrell and I are discussing it tonight when he comes for dinner.”
“I get it. You want me to piss off and leave you alone.”
I looked straight into Jody’s pale, pale blue eyes and wondered if they were wolf eyes. “I’m just getting into the case and I’m not ready for help yet. Are you any good researching online?”
He smiled and showed me the dimple in his cheek. “Pretty good. I fool around online when I have free time. I’m a bit of a hacker.”
“Uh huh. Hacker, shifter, moonshiner, what else, Jody? What am I missing?”
“Nothing else. That’s all she wrote.”
“Somehow, I don’t think it is.” I scribbled a name on a page of my notepad, tore the page off and handed it to Jody. “Go see if Harrison Paving is still in business and if they are, where are they working now.”
“How much are you paying me for this research?”
“That cup of coffee. Nothing else.”
“Jeeze.” Jody wandered back home and I got back to work.
I can’t pay him out of my paycheck, and I’m not going to try. I’m not supporting my neighbors.
Moonbeam walked through the room and took my empty cup after Jody left. “Is he being a nuisance, dear?”
“Interrupting my train of thought, Moon. I was making good progress.”
“Perhaps you do need a desk in your room. Somewhere you could close the door.”
“I think you’re right.”
Back to work and praying for no more interruptions. According to the police report, Harrison Paving worked in Ballinger for another week after Karen Vanderland disappeared and Vince Agostino worked every day. He wasn’t absent once.
Sonny never missed a day of work at the carnival. Killing girls was part of his everyday routine.
The night Karen went missing, she went dancing at the roadhouse with a group of friends. Sometime after midnight, Lana couldn’t find Karen. She checked the ladies’ room and Karen wasn’t there.
Lana recruited a couple of the guys they were with and they checked outside the building and Karen was nowhere to be found.
In her statement, Lana said Karen was dancing with several different men and she hadn’t noticed her friend with any one guy in particular.
The detectives on the case asked Lana if Karen had been dancing with Vince Agostino and Lana said she didn’t remember seeing Vince that night. She didn’t think Vince was at the roadhouse.
With nothing else to go on, the Missing Persons’ cops hauled Vince in for formal questioning. All he had done was dance with her a couple of times and not the night she went missing. They had no evidence against him but they had no other suspects.
My skin tingled, I was so excited to read Vince’s statement.
Detective Heck Hambly: “Take a look at this picture, Vince and tell me what you did with Karen.”
Vince Agostino: “The tall redhead? Yeah, I danced with her a few times. We were in town for a few weeks and the college kids all hung at the same bar we did. That was as far as it went. A few dances. Nothing more. I didn’t do nothing with her. Sue me.”
Detective Heck Hambly: “Her friend says Karen had a crush on you. Are you saying you didn’t take advantage of that?”
Vince Agostino: “Correct. I like to have fun, but in my job I move around a lot. I don’t get involved with the locals. Ain’t fuckin worth it.”
Detective Heck Hambly: “Where were you the night of June third?”
Vince Agostino: “Same place I was every night. In my motel room. Two guys can tell you I was there. Want their names and numbers?”
Detective Heck Hambly: “Sure do. Write them down for me.”
Vince’s alibi checked out and they let him go. They had no reason to hold him.
“Huh.”
I sat and stared at that section of the file. Vince didn’t seem guilty to me, but he did seem smooth and rehearsed like Sonny. After killing so many times, Sonny’s answers took on a sameness.
Pushing my foot against Pete under the table, I woke up my dog. “Sonny, I need to ask you a couple of questions.”
“I’m sleeping, babe.”
“Can you help me with something important?”
“How important?”
“From now on you’ll be helping me solve some serial murders.”
“Are you going to pick my brain dry?”
“Something like that. Come help me.”
“What’s the question?”
“Were you ever interrogated by the police?”
“A couple of times. I didn’t like it, and the cops had nothing on me. I made sure of that. I never made a mistake.”
“Tell me about your first kill, sugar. I want to know what mistakes you made when you were a rookie.”
Pete growled. “Okay, let me think. I have to go a long way back.”
“No hurry. Take all the time you need.”
“Are you talking to your dog?” Jody waltzed right in to the dining room carrying his laptop. He sat down on the other side of the table and filled me in on Harrison Paving.
“They are still in business and right now they are paving a piece of highway near Junction.”
“Can you access their employee records?”
“If I want to.”
“I want you to want to. Vince Agostino. See if he still works for them.”
“I think you’re taking advantage of me.”
“Nope. You’re wrong. It’s the other way around. I’m too nice and you’re taking advantage of me.”
“What’s your game anyway, Jody?” I waited for an answer and there wasn’t one.
Moonbeam brought us sandwiches and tall glasses of sweet tea at lunch time and we kept working.
“Thanks, Moon. I’m rolling and I don’t want to stop and lose focus.” I took a bite out of my sandwich and started reading the second murder case.
Pam Jackson, twenty years old. Tall with long auburn hair. She lived in a trailer park near Guthrie, north of Abilene with her boyfriend, Warren Leiko.
At the time of her death, Harrison Paving was reconstructing a failing strip of route eighty-three. The road construction crew stayed at the Super 8 Hotel in Guthrie and the men hung out at Charlie Brown’s Bar and Grill.
Pam and her boyfriend hung out at the same bar with their friends. One Saturday night, Pam and Warren went to the bar with two other couples from the trailer park and by the end of the night, Pam was nowhere to be found.
The police hauled Warren in and questioned him for two days. He cried and swore he loved Pam and didn’t do anything to h
er. All of the friends with them at the bar swore Warren was with them the whole evening.
A week later, Pam’s body turned up in the White River. The autopsy showed she had been raped and manually strangled.
“Huh,” I said out loud and Jody glanced up from his screen. “Did you find something?”
“Nope.”
Farrell showed up around five after Jody had gone home and we had a beer together before dinner. I gave him a quick recap of everything I had learned about the first two girls.
“Jody found out Harrison Paving is still in business and currently they’re working out near Junction. Do you know where that is?”
“Sure do. Is Vince still on the construction crew?”
“Yep. Jody hacked into the personnel file and confirmed it.”
Farrell smirked. “Is he a hacker? What else is he, Gilly? The guy is setting my teeth on edge.”
“He’s a lot of things,” I said. “I don’t have him figured out yet and he’s pissing me off asking me about paying him all the time. I’m not hiring him and I’m not paying him. I can’t afford it.”
“Did he hang around all day?”
“Most of it and he kept asking me if he was getting paid. I told him the most he was getting from me was a cup of coffee.”
“Attagirl.” Farrell tipped up his Shiners and finished it. “I spoke to Misty about him and she said she’d talk to him again to see if he could be useful to your team.” Farrell paused for a moment giving it some thought and shook his head. “I don’t want him on your team, little girl. Something about him that I definitely don’t like.”
I shrugged it off. “One day with Jody was enough for me. I don’t think he has any particular skills we need.”
“You are pissed at him.” Farrell chuckled. “He didn’t put any moves on you, did he?”
“Nope, nothing like that. Sonny wouldn’t put up with that. Pete would rip a chunk out of him.”
“Good to know. I can’t be here all the time, even though I want to be.”
I leaned over and kissed Farrell. He was so sweet and protective. “I want to read the other two cases before I go charging off thinking Vince Agostino is our guy. He didn’t even rate a formal interview in cases one and two.”
