The man, about her age, said, “May I help you?”
“Do you know if Michelle Swirsky is working here tonight?”
Then the man gave her an odd smile and said, “River, is that you?”
It took Claire by surprise, and she tried to figure out who this man was. She had to admit he looked familiar.
He gave her a broad smile and said, “It’s Bill Shepherd. I used to live next to you in Lake Worth. Remember, my dad gave us rides everywhere.”
Claire nodded and said, “It’s nice to see you, Bill. We have a little bit of a situation. I need to speak with Michelle Swirsky, right now.”
He just continued to stare and smile. “I had no idea you would grow up to look like this. I would’ve been nicer to you as a kid.” He still had a goofy laugh.
“Look, Bill, I’d love to catch up with you later, but right now I want to make sure Michelle is okay. Is she working tonight?”
It finally sank in with the gangly manager that this might be important. He said, “Miss Hollywood? She was here tonight. I haven’t seen her in a few minutes. Don’t tell me she’s followed in her father’s footsteps and ripped someone off?”
Now Claire was starting to lose it. “Bill, we need to cut the small talk. Let’s find Michelle.”
The manager stepped through the door in the back of the small room and then appeared in the store, walking directly to a heavyset, older cashier. He spoke to her and then the cashier next to her. He walked back toward Claire shaking his head. “She went out to grab carts about five minutes ago, but no one’s seen her since.”
They did a quick check around the store and called for her over the intercom, but after two minutes Claire couldn’t wait anymore and got on the radio to tell Hallett she wasn’t here.
This complicated things.
43
Hallett tried to hide his panic after Claire reported that no one at Publix could find Michelle.
He all but screamed into the radio, “Do you see him?”
Darren thought he had spotted the Ford Taurus on Military Trail, but he hadn’t seen it in the last minute. Hallett would never forgive himself if something happened to this girl because he didn’t act quickly enough.
He mashed the button on his handheld radio and called out again. “You guys see him anywhere?”
Then a female voice that wasn’t Claire came on the radio and said, “He made a U-turn and went north on Military Trail.”
Hallett was about to ask who was giving the information when he realized it was Sergeant Greene. Where the hell had she come from? It didn’t matter; they needed the help now.
He punched the gas as Rocky became more agitated in the rear compartment.
Sergeant Greene said, “I’ll keep on Military, you take Lake Worth Road west. We’ll do a grid search if we have to. I’m calling in more help now.”
Hallett got on the radio and said, “Thanks, Sarge. I think I can explain this all in a few minutes. But we need to stop this guy and do it now.”
A few seconds later his phone rang. “Hallett.”
It was Sergeant Greene. She didn’t sound angry, but she said, “You kind of need to explain it to me right now. Just the Reader’s Digest version.”
Hallett continued to search traffic but understood the importance of keeping the sergeant informed. He gathered his thoughts. “All the victims’ fathers were in state custody. Slaton has access to the DOC computers. He tracked the sand into the Ludners’ house and tried to lead us to Arnold Ludner. Plus, Rocky alerted to him when I spoke to him earlier.”
The sergeant said, “I can add something.”
“What’s that?”
“While I was reviewing crime scene photos of the Ludner house, I saw a footprint on the walkway of a boot missing a square exactly like the cast Claire took out at the scene of Katie Ziegler’s kidnapping.”
“Unbelievable.”
“I have crime scene matching them up now. We’ll have an answer tonight.”
Hallett said, “That should help seal it.”
“That’s not nearly enough for an arrest right now.”
“We’re not trying to arrest him, just stopping him for safety reasons. We can’t risk him cruising the streets looking for a victim, and he may have Michelle Swirsky with him right now.”
There was a pause on the line. Then the Sergeant said, “Keep looking. I’ll get marked units over here.”
That didn’t make Hallett’s gurgling stomach feel any better.
* * *
Darren Mori appreciated sitting so high in the Chevy Tahoe. It allowed him to look down rows of traffic and into parking lots easily. He’d just heard a call on the main radio asking for marked units to come into the area and help look for the Ford Taurus. The bulletin included a full description and a note to detain for Sergeant Greene if seen. He knew she was the right person to call. She had been tough but fair from the start, and Darren knew she liked Hallett.
Brutus sat up and let out the occasional bark. The connection between partners told the dog something was wrong. He might not have been trained to intervene in critical situations, but he still knew when his partner was tense. The way Brutus’s head moved back and forth made it look like he was searching traffic with Darren.
He hoped Brutus’s cadaver-searching abilities weren’t going to be needed today. If this asshole really did have Michelle Swirsky, they had to act fast. Unlike in the movies, cops rarely faced situations like this, and Darren was happy he had the entire team out with him. It gave him confidence to know how well they had been trained.
Even though the situation was exciting, it forced him to look on the flip side and consider what that poor girl might suffer. The idea of her trauma, both physical and emotional, pushed Darren harder to get through traffic and cover more distance. He just hoped he was going to make a difference today.
* * *
Bill Slaton Jr. tapped the brakes on the Taurus before he turned. It was a habit his father had taught him when he was a teenager. Unless it was an emergency there was no reason not to warn the drivers behind. He had drummed the use of turn signals into the young man’s head the way he had a thousand little things that had carried into Junior’s adulthood. His father had screwed him up in more ways than Slaton could keep track of. Maybe Karen Olson had done worse, but he doubted it.
He turned into the parking lot, then took almost a full minute to survey the area. The lot had a tendency to be packed with homeless people and day laborers, but this time of night the laborers had gone home and the homeless were working the street corners. Slaton didn’t know the story on the real estate but imagined one owner controlled the gas station, tiny strip mall, and other outparcels because he couldn’t imagine why they would all close down at the same time. He hadn’t seen active business in the plaza for at least eighteen months.
The lot looked clear.
Michelle had hardly let out a whimper, but Slaton wasn’t fooled. He already knew what she was capable of doing and wasn’t going to take any chances this time. He pulled through the lot with the intention of parking behind the office at the rear, but someone had piled trash in that exact spot. He could see broken wooden pallets and a half-burned, thin mattress and hoped that meant no one was living inside the abandoned office at the moment.
He could see no light coming out from the slits in the plywood covering the windows and saw no activity in the vicinity. He didn’t mind taking the extra time to check the area because he knew it would also serve to disorient Michelle in the blindfold. However Slaton dealt with Michelle tonight, he couldn’t leave the blindfold behind. There could be a load of forensic evidence stuck somewhere in the mass of dish towels, duct tape, and cotton. He’d incinerate it later, but right now, he didn’t want to rush, so he could enjoy the feeling of power that was surging through his body. Slaton wanted to burn every moment of it into his memory for later use in his fantasy life. He intended to lie low for a long time after this. His visit from former detective Tim Hallett t
oday had actually spurred him on to take action. If the cops really did doubt Arnold Ludner was the right suspect, it didn’t matter if he struck tonight or not.
Slaton finally selected a spot away from the road between the office closer to the strip mall and another outparcel that looked like it was used to store equipment. He thought the car might be more difficult to see from the road.
The biggest risk, the one that scared him the most, was the walk from the car to the office. It wasn’t far, and the lot was poorly lit, but he couldn’t risk anyone noticing a girl with a hood over her head. He took a moment to pull on blue rubber gloves, then take one more quick look around the lot. Without a word, he opened his door and pulled Michelle out the driver’s side.
As soon as she stood, he said, “Walk with me or I’ll put three bullets in your belly and let you die painfully. Then I’ll go to your house and get your mother, too.” The little talk had its desired effect. She straightened up and matched him step for step. Once he was behind the office he breathed easier. He pushed on the loose board his probationer had showed him and shoved Michelle through into the dark, musty interior.
He popped on a tiny LED flashlight and could tell no one had spent the night in here in some time. He shoved Michelle onto some old blankets spread out on one side of the room.
He couldn’t ask for anything more perfect.
* * *
Hallett had done a lot of surveillance over the years, especially the month he’d spent in narcotics. He’d lost suspects before and learned how to look for them when it happened. Every parking lot and side street was a potential hiding place. The difference was when he lost someone they were following because of dope, no one sweated too much about it. The suspect would turn up again, and even if he didn’t, it wasn’t like a young girl’s life depended on it right at that moment. That added stress affected every aspect of the search.
One key difference right now was that he did not believe Bill Slaton realized anyone was looking for him yet.
Claire had stayed at Publix to gather more information and try to contact Mrs. Swirsky.
Sergeant Greene had called for more units, but a knife fight at a local bar had tied several up. Right now it was just Darren, the sergeant, and Claire helping Hallett look for the rogue probation officer.
The sergeant had an analyst back at the D-bureau trying to find Slaton’s home address. That was the next place they intended to send someone.
Hallett felt ill at the prospect of what could happen. Rocky sensed his partner’s discomfort and paced in his compartment, letting out an occasional whine.
Then Darren came on the radio and said, “I might see his car. We’re west on Lake Worth road by the closed Shell station.”
Hallett said, “I’ll be there in less than a minute.” He punched the gas and felt the SUV tilt as he weaved between two insanely close cars. An old man in a Cadillac honked at him and shot him a bird.
Rocky let out a short howl.
“It’s gonna be all right, boy. We’re gonna find her.”
* * *
Bill Slaton tried to decide if he should strip her or not. His original plan was to just shoot her to relieve the feeling that she had conquered him. Then he considered strangulation. He had gotten such a charge out of choking the life out of Tina Tictin that it appealed to him. The only problem was that here he didn’t have the luxury of water washing away any possible DNA evidence. Even though he had been careful, he knew how forensic scientists could lift samples from almost anything.
But at this moment, staring at the terrified girl who was completely disoriented by the blindfold, he considered his usual treatment before he decided how to end it for the conceited young woman. When he was finished, she wouldn’t be on TV bragging about how she humiliated him.
As he weighed his options, Michelle mumbled, “Why are you doing this?”
“Why not? I can do whatever I want to you.” Then he thought about what he had just said. He really could do whatever he wanted. It didn’t matter what his father thought of him. He had the power and ability to change this girl’s life any way he wanted. For the first time with one of these girls, he felt as if he might actually prove he wasn’t a dickless wonder. He might make use of his penis. His father had a stronger effect on him than he gave the old man credit for. Calling him a dickless wonder had awakened something inside him. Now the questions fell to a more practical point. Did he have the time? Was it safe? Slaton chuckled. Hell no, nothing was safe. No one was safe. His own mother couldn’t protect him. Just like Michelle’s mother could do nothing to protect her.
In a way, he liked to think this was just more justice for her father, just like the other girls. They had all scoffed at the laws society had laid down and gotten whatever minor punishment some high and mighty judge passed down. He didn’t want it to be easy for those men who sold drugs or stole money.
He reached in the dim light toward Michelle and started to yank off her pants.
44
Hallett pulled next to Darren Mori on the edge of the parking lot. He hadn’t called for help yet. They wanted to make sure before they pulled everyone off the search. He knew the sergeant had heard Darren call out and would come looking for them in a few minutes if she didn’t hear anything more. They could see the Taurus but had no idea where Slaton was. The car was empty, and there were several small buildings as well as the strip mall close by. To complicate matters, there was a man-sized hole in the wooden fence at the back of the lot that Slaton could’ve used to cut through to a safe house.
Hallett didn’t want to alert the probation officer that they were in the area. He and Darren had only whispered and turned their radios all the way down. Rocky and Brutus were both on six-foot leads, straining to get moving. They knew something big was happening.
Rocky sniffed the air. Belgian Malinois were not known for their scent discrimination or air-scent tracking skills, but Rocky seemed to be changing everyone’s perception of the breed’s ability. Even Brutus was testing the air. He had no business being on a lead in a situation like this.
They moved quickly to the Taurus, and Rocky immediately picked up something, turning to the right and straining at the lead. There was no wind and no wildlife to distract him. He had definitely latched on to a fresh scent.
Hallett and Darren exchanged glances as Brutus pulled Darren another direction. Brutus wasn’t specifically trained as a tracking dog, but he had certain instincts innate in all canines.
Hallett whispered, “Stay in sight.”
Darren nodded as they both eased off at slight angles from the car. Hallett was careful to step lightly and listen. He could almost tune out the normal traffic sounds as he paused after each step, listening for anything unusual. It seemed odd no homeless people were in the area and there were no crack dealers to scare.
Brutus startled him when he let out a bark from Hallett’s left side.
* * *
Bill Slaton had Michelle’s pants off when he sensed something outside. Still in a daze, Michelle let out a quiet moan of fear, prompting Slaton to pounce on her and clamp his hand across her face. He savored the panicked sound of her trying to suck air through her nose, but he realized this was not the moment to sit back and enjoy things. He listened.
A dog barked somewhere close by. He had to wonder if it was a police service dog. Probably just a neighborhood mutt. Either way he couldn’t ignore it. He couldn’t sit here and enjoy the few quiet moments with this girl who had plagued him. He was annoyed when he struggled to his feet and pulled the Beretta from his pants.
He had to snatch a peek into the parking lot.
* * *
Rocky tugged Hallett toward the small abandoned building. Hallett struggled not to have tunnel vision and focus only on the run-down cement structure. He scanned the parking lot in front of him and swiveled behind him before looking over to catch Darren’s attention and silently guide him toward an outparcel as well.
Hallett’s palms were sweaty as
he rested his right hand on his Glock. He rotated the holster safety forward for instant access to the pistol.
A noise to the left attracted the attention of both deputies. Hallett drew his pistol as a thin black man stumbled through the hole in the fence. As soon as the man looked up, he froze, staring at the dogs, then disappeared back through the fence.
Hallett now concentrated on the one building. He considered how they should approach it tactically. There were no doors on the side facing him, and if he went around one end and Darren the other, they could be in the crossfire. He wanted to let Rocky get closer. He also didn’t want to risk Michelle getting hurt.
Then, out of the corner of his left eye, he saw Darren react and reach for his pistol as he released Brutus’s lead and the dog charged forward.
* * *
Rocky looked around this place with hard, unnatural ground that was rough on his paws and the buildings that popped up out of the ground. There was almost no grass and only a few trees that looked like they were dying. But Rocky had a scent. A scent just like the day in the tall grass. It was two people, a predator and someone who was scared. Really scared. Rocky knew the predator was the bad man from the building. The bad man. Rocky knew what to do. He tried to communicate it to Tim, pulling him toward a small building to the side.
Not only did he have a scent, Rocky could hear quiet human sounds that meant fear and sadness. They were coming from inside the building, and he was cocking his head to hear the sound as best he could. That’s when the loud noise startled him. It only took him a moment to realize it was one of the loud things that Tim carried on his belt and made a noise like thunder.
Rocky turned and saw Brutus charging.
This didn’t look like a game to him.
* * *
For a moment, Bill Slaton thought he might have startled a homeless guy, but as soon as he stepped through the small opening, he saw the deputy with the dog on a leash. Fleetingly, he recognized the deputy from the search at the Ludner house.
Scent of Murder Page 28
