by Amy Shannon
Aggie stood in the window, watching him leave. Dammit! I pushed too far. Maybe what is going on is just in my head. He’s working for me, that’s it. She was about to close the curtains, when she noticed the shadow across the street. He stood there, under the shadow of the large tree, dressed in black. She watched until he disappeared, but then it glittered and glimmered in the moonlight, as he turned toward the bushes of the neighbor’s home. A belt buckle, a silver belt buckle, shaped like a small caliber gun. At least that’s what it looked it. That was something. She closed the curtain and headed down the hall to her office.
Jake walked into his home, tossing his jacket on the coat rack by the front door, and carefully laying his Stetson on the shelf by the door. He walked through the living room, turning on the turntable of the stereo, blaring Elvis Presley, and dropping the box that he got from Aggie on the floor by the sofa. He walked into the kitchen, turning on the coffeemaker and grabbed his large plain black mug from the dish strainer. He stood there and stared until the coffee was finished. He filled the mug half way filled with Jameson. He filled the other half with coffee. He drank the cup down, not recognizing the heat from the coffee, and poured himself another cup of the same.
He turned up the sound on the stereo, listening intently to I’m so lonesome I could cry. He sat on the sofa that was in the middle of the living room and faced the television. He pushed off his cowboy boots with his feet and put his feet on the table. He was about to turn on the Blu-ray player but stopped. He turned on the local news, keeping the volume louder than the record player.
What the hell did I do? I walked out on her because of Elaine. That was wrong to do. I probably hurt her. Dammit! His eyes focused on the telephone, on the stand next to the sofa. He picked it up and dialed Aggie’s number, but only got her voicemail. “Uh, Doc, I’m sorry I left. I, uh, I’m not sure why I left early. I hope to see you tomorrow,” he hung up the phone. Damn.
He turned off the television and then the record player. He grabbed his empty coffee mug and headed through the kitchen. He turned off the coffeepot and rinsed out his mug, setting it in the dish strainer, and headed toward his bedroom door.
He removed all of his clothes and tossed them in the hamper that was in the corner of the room. He walked over to the queen-sized bed, pulled down the black and white print comforter, followed by the black blanket and white top sheet. He got into bed, resting in the middle, where his head met the pillows piled high. He reached over to the right nightstand, turned on his alarm clock for the morning and He pressed down the play button on his cassette player that started to play Marvin Gaye’s Greatest Hits. He pulled the sheet and the blanket over him, covering his naked body up to his chest. He picked up the paperback book that was on the nightstand on the left side of the bed. He removed the bookmark and started the next chapter in The Lone Gunman: A Sniper’s nest, this iteration set him on chapter 15, and tonight, he would end on chapter 20.
As he set his book in the nightstand, he heard a bang! Outside his window. He sat up quickly, and tossed the blanket aside. He got out of bed, and hurried toward the kitchen and out the back door. He stood on the back porch, naked, staring down at the bundle at the bottom of his steps. Goddammit! He thought, when he walked down the steps and opened the black trash bag. The pungent scent made him step back, but the silver lone star on top of the lifeless torso kept him focused.
He hurried into the house, ran into his room, and quickly got dressed. He grabbed that flip phone he hated so much off the dresser and dialed 9-1-1. “This is Jake Dalton, I need police at my home.”
“Is this an emergency?” The dispatcher asked.
“Of course it is. Someone left a dead ... torso ... in my yard.”
“You sure it’s dead? Did you do CPR?” the dispatcher sounded like she was reading a script.
“It’s a torso, how can it not be dead?” Jake sighed heavily. “Just send the police, now.”
“Who was this again?”
“Private Security Investigator Jackson Dalton. Former Texas Ranger, yes, the police and not the team, and I was also a marine.”
“You said your name was Jake?”
“That’s what I’m called. Who is this? Why are you giving me a hard time?”
“Police Chief Lutz said you’d call with bad info or whatever. I’m just making sure I’m getting this right.”
“Well, just send Lutz here, and he can make that call.” Jake hung up. “Idiots,” he stared at the phone in his hand, and dialed Aggie’s number.
“This is Doctor Constantine,” she wearily answered.
“Doc, it’s Jake,” he took a sigh of relief, knowing she was alive and not the torso in the bag. He wasn’t sure what the star meant, but it could be a Texas Ranger star, but he didn’t want to speculate.
“Jake, what’s wrong? I got your message, but I thought I’d talk to you in the morning. I must’ve been in the shower when you called. It’s kind of late, I was in bed.”
“Uh huh, me, too. I mean, I was in bed, but now, I’m not. I’m sorry, I guess I’m not making much sense. Someone dropped a body, well, torso in my backyard. Woke me up. I called the police but they’re giving me a hassle right now, under orders from Lutz. I don’t know what’s going on with him, but I can’t deal with that. I thought that you should come here, you know, to the crime scene, because it’s a crime scene, not because it’s my home, or whatever.”
“Jake, you’re rambling. I didn’t know I made you so nervous,” her voice smiled.
“Ever since I met you, but more because of last night, or earlier, I should say. I’m sorry about before. I really am.”
“We’ll discuss that later. I’ll be there in ten; I just haveta get dressed.”
“Uh huh, I did, too.”
“Oh, so you’re not standing in your yard, in your pajamas?”
“Nope, don’t wear clothes to bed,” he sighed. “If the neighbors were watching, they got a show.”
“Interesting,” she smiled. “I’ll see you.”
He hung up and sighed. Too much information again. What is it about that woman?
10
Aggie, carrying her black doctor’s bag in her hand, hurried over to Jake, who was standing on the steps of his back porch. “Where’s the police? I thought you said ..,” she stopped. “They didn’t show up yet?”
He shrugged, “I guess Lutz holds more of a grudge than getting cases solved,” he sighed. “Maybe you should call; you might get more of a response.”
“This is ridiculous. The cops should be here. Never mind, I’m calling Sheriff Olsen,” she pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and began to dial.
“Oh, here they come,” he sighed.
“How long?”
“Twenty minutes or so,” he sighed. “Doc, it’s all right.”
“No, it’s not,” she turned and walked toward the front of the house, with her phone still to her ear. “Nels, it’s me. Agatha Constantine. There’s a problem here, in Clarksville that I reckon you need to deal with,” she started to explain as Chief Lutz and two officers walked passed her, without even acknowledging her presence.
Lutz walked over to the bag, placing his gloves on his hands, and opened it. “Yup, dead torso. You did this?”
“Really? Ya reckon I’m gonna cut up whoever this is and put it outside my own door?”
Lutz stormed up the stairs and glared into Jake’s eyes, but Jake didn’t back away, especially since he towered over Lutz. Jake crossed his arms, glaring back at the Police Chief. “Uh,” Lutz stepped back quickly. “You were so bent on catching this guy called I-ssarius or whatever, but maybe you wanted to get the attention away from you.”
“It’s I-car-us, you know, like the mythic who flew too close to the sun with his wings made of wax, and you think I’m a killer?” he grunted.
“Don’t know myths or whatever, only know facts,” he sighed. “And you did show up here six years ago.”
“And the murders started a few weeks ago, and now I
’m the killer? Well, then you should go, right? Before you’re next.”
“I’m not some young girl,” Lutz snapped.
Jake was about to open his mouth when Aggie stormed up the stairs. “And neither is this person in the bag. It’s an older person, the skin is slightly wrinkled and sagging.”
The two men faced her. “Gender?” Jake asked.
“You should know,” Lutz groaned.
“You know, just back off,” Jake snapped, putting his hand up. “Let the doctor speak.”
“Oh, please,” Lutz grunted. “Officers, what do you have?”
“Uh, what do you mean, sir?” Officer Lemansky asked. “We’ve got a half body in the bag.”
“Didn’t you look around the yard or in his house?”
“Hold on, you can’t search my house without a warrant,” Jake said.
“Hmm, must be guilty,” Lutz snapped, and headed down the stairs. “Seal off this yard, get the CSU tech here to analyze, and I want a warrant for his house.”
“Yes, sir,” Officer Lemansky looked at his partner. “Uh, sir...”
“What is it now?” Lutz turned to where the officer was pointing. “What the hell?”
A tall man, dressed in a black suit, with matching tie, and a white Stetson on his head, gold star-shaped badge hung tightly from his belt, walked toward the back of the house. “Aggie, thanks for calling me,” he walked up the steps and kissed her cheek.
“Nels, this is Jake Dalton,” she introduced the Sheriff to Jake.
Jake shook his hand. “Nice to meet you, Sheriff.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Sir,” he nodded, tipping his hat slightly.
“You know me?” Jake raised an eyebrow.
“Only by reputation, from the Rangers, Marines, and of course the great work you do in security ‘round here,” his Texan accent was very thick and fluent. “I use-ta work with a friend of yours, uh, Smitty. I mean Joseph Smith. We worked in corrections tah-gether before he went off on his own to be a famous writer or whatevah.”
“He’s a good guy, I’m always readin’ his work. So, Doc, I mean, Dr. Constantine called you, why?”
He turned toward Lutz. “You and your men are dismissed. I’ll s’pect ta meet you at the station in one hour.”
“It’s two in the morning,” he muttered.
“I’m glad ya know how to tell time. One hour, Lutz,” he commanded.
Lutz stormed down the stairs, around the body, and motioned for his men to follow him.
“I’m glad you called, Aggie. So, what’s going on here? Does this haveta do with the Icarus case?”
“I’m not sure, but I reckon so. As I explained, I hired Jake to help me find my stalker, and I, we, think, uh, we’re pretty sure, it could be the same guy they call Icarus.”
“And ta-night, I hear a noise just as I was gettin’ ready to go to sleep. I came out here, opened the bag, and then went inside to get dressed and call the cops. I called 9-1-1, and then I called Aggie. She got here before the cops did.”
“I’ll call in the forensic team to check the yard,” Nels said. “You got a stalker, Mr. Dalton?”
“I’m not sure, but I reckon this guy is trying to send me a message,” he sighed. “He must know I’m either working the case or working for Dr. Constantine.”
“Is this my fault?” Aggie said. “He was there, outside when you left my house tonight, I mean earlier.”
“You two, dating, or somethin’?”
“Uh, no,” Aggie explained. “He had supper at my house and then I showed him my files. We were working, that’s all. I saw the shadow and then his belt buckle, it looked like a gun or somethin’.”
“A gun?” Jake raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure it was a gun?”
“That’s what it looked like. Uh huh, it was definitely a gun.”
“If you saw it again, could you be able to identify it?”
“Maybe, I don’t know. Why?”
“Uh, we should get this body outta here and then this yard processed. Is there another way into the yard besides walking along the side of the house? It seems to be all fenced in.”
“There’s a door at the end of the yard that leads to the alley. I use it to take out my rubbish, since they pick up in the alley and not the street. I usually keep it locked.”
“Good to know,” he said, pulling his cell phone out of his pocket, and heading down the stairs.
“I’m sorry ‘bout all of this,” Jake said. “I didn’t know you knew the Sheriff. You two close?”
“We met at a county function two years ago, and became friends. I know his husband, Robin. He was the former Medical Examiner, but retired early due to a car accident.”
“Oh, sorry,” Jake said.
“Why? You jealous?”
“I don’t get jealous,” he gulped. “I’ve got a collection of belt buckles. I should show them to you. See if one matches what you saw.”
“You have one with a gun on it?”
“Two actually, but I hardly wear either one. The gun actually holds one bullet, for emergencies, but I’ve never shot it.”
“Uh, I should see that,” she sighed. “Jake, we need to talk.”
“About?” he stepped back, drilling his hands into the pockets of his denims.
“Us,” she sighed. “About earlier, about right now.”
“Well, later then, not now. Too much to do right now,” he headed into the house.
“I’m not Elaine,” she whispered, following him in the house. “Jake, where are you?”
“Here,” he stood in the doorway of his bedroom. “I didn’t reckon you’d see my room, uh, I mean, my home this way. I wanted to invite you here, you know, for supper or somethin’.”
“I’d like that. If you don’t want me to go in there, or be here, I can just have you photograph the buckles.”
“Uh yes. Uh, no, forget it. You should see it. In person,” he sighed. “Just wanted to prepare you.”
“For what?” she walked over to him, and smiled lightly.
“I’m just a simple man, but I like things a certain way, that’s all.”
“We all like things a certain way. Jake, you don’t haveta explain yourself to me. I’d like to see your buckles.”
“Oh, and my bed is slightly mussed up, I was asleep. I usually have it made neater.”
She followed him into the bedroom, her smile not changing her face as she looked around the room. It was perfectly neat, and his bed, had the blankets pulled over the sheets, but the comforter was neatly folded at the foot of the bed. “It’s a nice room,” she smiled. “Not messy at all. Nothing out of place.”
“Well, as I said, the bed is mussed up,” he walked over to the display of the buckles. “These two both have guns in the buckle, and the guns work. It was designed by a Marine buddy of mine. He likes working with silver and he designs a lot of buckles as well as silver jewelry for men. The ranger buckles were standard issued, but the others, he designed for me.”
“I think they’re beautiful, and I like that they’re displayed. You always wear one?”
“Uh huh, except now,” he looked down at his beltless denims. “Guess I wasn’t thinkin’,” he smiled.
“Earlier, was that an invitation?”
“Oh, for supper?” he led her out of the bedroom to the kitchen. “If you still want to.”
“I’d like that,” she smiled. “This evening? And we can talk, about anything but this case."
“I’d like that, uh, if that’s what you want,” he sighed. “I’m sorry. Doc, I-I ..,” he stopped when Sheriff Olsen knocked on the opened back door.
“Uh, sorry to interrupt, but the crime scene techs are here. I also asked Detectives Rogers and Leroy to work this case. The sheriff’s office will be covering all of these cases from now on.”
“Thank you,” Aggie said, as she and Jake walked out to the back porch. “I’ll call in my assistant to help remove the body,” she looked at Jake. “Later?”
“Later. Yo
u gonna autopsy it tonight or wait ‘til morning?”
“I’m up, might as well do it now,” she smiled.
“Can I, uh, do you mind ..,” he sighed.
“If you wanna observe you, can,” she nodded, taking her phone out of her pocket, and dialing. “Sam, it’s me. I need you at Jake Dalton’s house. Uh huh, behind the agency. We got a body, well, part of one,” she walked down the steps toward the body.
Nels put his hand on Jake’s shoulder. “The detectives ‘ll have a few questions for you, as this is a crime scene and you can’t investigate this on your own. But, continue on the other cases, hell, I’ll hire you as a consultant on it, if you want.”
“I’m working for Dr. Constantine.”
“I know, her stalker thang, and she’s prob’bly right. That is one smart woman. She’s a good woman, too. Anyway, talk with the detectives. Then, around ten am or so, come to my office and we can discuss the details.”
“Uh, sir, why you doing this?”
“Lutz has been on his way out for a while, and I know he’s got major issues with you. That man couldn’t tell his ass from a hole in the ground. I don’t wanna know the details of your history or whatever, but it’s not just you who he has problems with. Anyway, I don’t want these cases screwed up because of some vendetta or whatever. I want them solved and I want girls to stop ending up dead around here,” he walked down the steps and turned around, looking up at Jake. “Ten am.”
“Yessir,” Jake nodded, watching Nels walk toward his detectives, and then out of the backyard.
The two women detectives approached the stairs, as a man dressed in a blue jacket that read Morgue in white letters printed on the back of it, walked over to Aggie, while pushing a gurney. On top of the gurney lay a black body bag.
Jake sat on the porch, watching as Aggie and her assistant removed the body from his property. The two women detectives walked up the stairs. “I’m Detective Jan Rogers, and this is my partner, Mary Leroy. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?” She tapped her black pen on the end of her chin. She didn’t smile, matching her stoic, calm demeanor.
“Go ahead. I’ve nothing to hide,” he sighed. “I’m sorry, whatever you need to ask, go ahead, and do. Just tell me when I can clean where the body was.”
