Frozen Past

by Richard C. Hale

  “Sorry,” Luke whispered.

  They had tested the system once with a smaller sized rocket engine that didn’t have the explosive charge. They didn’t want the bang attracting attention until they were ready, but they needed to get the timing down. When John signaled, Jimmy would pull the firing pin. And wait. The system had a failsafe of three seconds before the firing button could be pushed, but once pressed, the engine would fire immediately. It had worked flawlessly and they had all hooted and hollered at the brilliance of it. Now they would see if John could get the timing right for riders approaching rapidly on bikes.

  The creek had calmed down quite a bit, but it still carried more water than normal. The level had dropped considerably and now stood a good two feet below the bottom of the bridge

  Jimmy set the firing unit down for a second to get a piece of gum out of his pocket, just as John made the bird call they all recognized as the signal.

  “Crap!” Jimmy cursed under his breath and snatched up the firing mechanism. His gum fell to the ground, forgotten. Luke watched Jimmy pull the pin and wait the three seconds for the ready light to come on. Ellie leaned against him, anxiously holding him around the shoulders. He could feel her breath in his ear and reached up to hold her hand. They waited for the light.

  * * *

  John cramped up as he knelt in the bushes just up from the bridge. The soreness he felt from the swim in the creek still lingered and his lungs hurt every time he took a deep breath. He had never been that scared in his short life and never wanted to feel that way again, but he didn’t mind making someone else feel it. Especially if that someone was Jason Margot and his friend. What pricks. He would be the first one laughing in their faces after the rocket engine scared the crap out of them.

  John heard a noise and peered around the bush. Jason and his friend were slowly riding up the path and he tensed in anticipation. He knew he had to get the timing right or the two boys would either be past the bridge or not yet to it when the rocket engine was fired. He figured he would count to three after they passed his position and that should be about perfect.

  Suddenly, little Mel Stinson and her brother Robbie came running up the path behind the two bikes. John hesitated not sure what to do. He didn’t want the two little kids anywhere near the action, yet if he didn’t signal shortly, the opportunity would pass. He waited and watched. Just as he was about to nix the whole plan, Mr. Stinson came running up behind his kids and grabbed them both, scooping them up in his arms as they squealed.

  “You two need to wait for your mother,” John heard him say, and watched him turn toward the pool carrying the two little ones back around the bend, disappearing. Just then, Jason and his pal passed his hiding place at a leisurely pace, chatting about dunking some little girl and laughing when she came up crying. Assholes.

  He gave the signal.

  The light came on and Jimmy pressed the button, looking up. Luke could see the two kids riding up onto the bridge as the engine fired. It made a loud ‘whooshing’ sound, streaking away from them toward the two riders.

  They both turned toward the sudden noise and Luke watched as their mouths fell open in shock. The rocket engine impacted the beam just as the front tire of Jason’s bike reached that exact point. The loud bang echoed through the woods. John’s timing couldn’t have been better.

  Jason reacted by reflexively veering away from the loud concussion and steering his bike into his friend’s who kept pace to the left of him. Luke watched in horror as both bikes and riders drove off the side of the bridge into the creek. Jason actually let out a little scream.

  “Oh damn!” Jimmy yelled as he jumped up and ran toward the bridge. Luke and Ellie followed right behind him.

  “I told you guys!” Ellie yelled. “I knew something bad would happen.”

  All Luke could think about was what happened when John went into the creek. They were barely able to get him out in time. How would they rescue two kids who also might be hurt from falling in on their bikes?

  It took them a few seconds to get through the dense woods and Luke could see John approaching from his hiding place. John had a huge smile on his face and looked to be laughing as he whooped and hollered. Jimmy got to the bridge first and stood at the edge looking down. When Luke arrived next to him he was shocked at what he saw. Ellie sank to her knees next to him and said, “Thank God!”

  The two boys were sitting in the mud on the other side of the creek. Their bikes lay to the side with one halfway in the water, its back tire spinning as the current rushed through the spokes. They were covered in mud, but appeared to be unhurt. John stopped next to Jimmy and bent over with his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath. He was laughing between gasps. Jimmy started laughing too and then Luke joined them in relief. Ellie, apparently, did not think it was funny.

  Mr. Stinson ran up behind them with Mel and her brother in tow. “What was that noise?” He said. “Are you kids ok? It sounded like a gunshot!”

  It was then he saw the two boys below and began to put two and two together. He rushed over the bridge and down the embankment, helping Jason and his friend up the slope with their bikes. Jimmy and Luke followed to help. Ellie stood there as Mel came up to her and grabbed her hand. John didn’t move.

  “You two ok?” Mr. Stinson asked Jason and his friend when they made it back up to the path. They nodded, but said nothing. Mr. Stinson walked onto the bridge and looked down at the wire that was still attached to the support beam. A small charred area blackened the wood at the point of attachment. He looked up at Luke and his group of friends.

  “What did you guys do?” he asked.

  “We just wanted to scare them,” Jimmy said. “We didn’t know they would drive over the side of the bridge.”

  “You kids could have killed them,” he yelled angrily. “You know that, right?”

  “They almost killed me this morning!” John said, just as angry. Luke couldn’t believe he was talking to an adult like that. “They came barreling over the bridge while we were sitting on it and Jason kicked Ellie out of the way. She fell into me and I fell off into the fast water. You saw how strong it was this morning right? I almost drowned and they didn’t even stop.”

  “That still doesn’t give you the right to endanger their lives.” He looked at Ellie who was holding his daughter’s hand as she hid behind her leg. “And Ellie, I can’t believe you’d be a part of this. Does your mother know what kind of people you hang out with? Maybe I need to call her.” He noticed his little girl and said, “Mel, come here.” The little girl didn’t move and she shyly shook her head.

  “Now!” her father demanded and she reluctantly left Ellie’s side and went to her father.

  “We’re sorry Mr. Stinson,” Ellie said, as tears began running down her cheeks. “We didn’t mean for this to happen.”

  “You should be telling these boys you’re sorry, not me,” he said.

  “I won’t,” John said defiantly. “They owe us an apology.”

  “What is your name young man?” Mr. Stinson demanded.

  “John Besner. Do you want my phone number too? I’m sure my dad would love to talk to you, especially after you take up with the two boys who tried to kill me.”

  “Who tried to kill who?”

  The voice made them all turn and Luke’s heart sank when he saw Detective Jennings and his partner standing with Mrs. Stinson.

  “Just what the heck is going on here?” Jaxon said. “We heard a gunshot.”

  Chapter 19

  Jaxon and Sally had spent the rest of the morning with the forensics team at the Lolly residence collecting the video data and scouring the yard and bushes next door for any clues. They had been able to preserve the video surveillance data but had pretty much struck out on any evidence left by the killer around the surrounding environment. Burt looked very anxious as the crew trampled through his and his neighbor’s yard. Jaxon kept reassuring him they would damage as little as possible. When it was all said and done, th
e grass looked a little beat down and the neighbor’s hedge had some leaves misplaced, but the majority of the yards looked unscathed. The neighbor had not been home.

  They were just about to leave the scene, saying their goodbyes to the Lolly’s, when they heard what sounded like a gunshot. Jogging off toward the sound, Jaxon radioed in as he ran that possible shots had been fired and they needed back-up. That order was quickly canceled when they discovered the scene at the foot bridge. Jaxon was highly amused.

  After the eldest of the teenagers explained what had happened and what they had done, Sally smiled at Jaxon and he almost chuckled as he turned away from the kids and the Stinson family. Kids! What next? He thought.

  Turning back to address the small group, he tried to put on as stern a face as he could. “You kids do know this could be considered assault, right? Maybe even assault with a deadly-uh-rocket engine.” He heard Sally snort behind him and struggled to keep it together. “This is serious stuff.”

  “Yes sir,” they all chimed in. All except the one kid who fumed off to the side. John was his name if he remembered correctly. Jaxon sent his best glaring stare John’s way and the kid eventually looked down at his feet.

  “And you two,” Jaxon pointed to the kids with the bikes, “kicking someone off of a bridge into a flooded creek could also be considered assault. You have to learn to share the road-uh path-with other pedestrians. They have the right of way. You hear me?”

  They both nodded but said nothing. One of the kids, the one covered from head to toe in mud, looked about to cry. He was doing his best to hold it together.

  “Alright, I want to hear apologies from all of you and then sweep this thing under the rug. Let’s go.”

  Mumbled ‘sorrys’ worked their way around the group and Jaxon was glad to see the John kid even joining in.

  “Good. Let’s all try to get along now. Don’t make me have to pay a visit to your parents.” Jaxon pointed to Jimmy and then John. “You two, dismantle this little project you have attached to the bridge and carry it back to your house. Harrison and Pemberton, I need to talk to you.”

  The girl and boy looked at each other and then walked over to where Jaxon and Sally were standing off to the side. Stinson walked up and said, “That’s it? You aren’t going to do anything to these kids? Maybe I should talk to their parents if you aren’t. They almost got someone killed!”

  “It was a prank gone wrong,” Jaxon said. “I’m not going to make this more than it was and create more hardship for these kids than already exists. They seem to be genuinely sorry for what happened and it doesn’t appear they meant any serious harm. It’s your prerogative if you want to seek out their parents. I can’t stop you. I just think it’s best to let it go.”

  “Fine,” Stinson said, and turned to leave. “Come on kids. We need to get home. Who knows who else will rig some bomb or trap and get someone else hurt.”

  “Daddy! I want to stay with Ellie!” Mel said.

  “No!” Stinson said, pulling her by the hand, “Ellie is not coming over again, ever!”

  The little girl started crying as her parents led her home. Ellie Pemberton watched her walk off and started to cry herself. Jaxon actually felt a twinge of pity for the girl.

  Luke watched Jimmy and John dismantle the rocket launcher and thought to himself, How in the world could it have come to this? He couldn’t believe how quickly things had taken a turn for the worse and he never would have predicted the outcome.

  Jaxon was saying something to his partner, who Luke now knew as Sally, but couldn’t hear the conversation. He knew they were talking about him and Ellie, but he hoped they were going to let them go. Luke looked over at Ellie who had fresh tears running down her cheeks and reached out and grabbed her hand.

  “Are you gonna be ok?” Luke asked.

  She nodded but didn’t speak. He couldn’t tell what was going through her head, but he knew she was angry at him for getting her into all this. Hell, she was probably angry at all three of them. Now, she had lost a babysitting job and embarrassed herself in front of a family she really liked. Luke felt she would probably never be able to gain her respect back from them. She probably wouldn’t even try.

  Jaxon turned back toward them and scowled as he looked them over. “You two keep showing up in all the action in this neighborhood. Do I need to be concerned?”

  “No, sir,” Luke said. Ellie just shook her head. She had dropped his hand when Jaxon started talking.

  “I like you two,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean I enjoy our little get-togethers. The less I see of you two, the better. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” Luke said. This time Ellie spoke too.

  “Good. Now what really happened here? Is there more to this than I’m seeing?”

  “No,” Ellie said. “Not really. It’s just like Jimmy said. We didn’t mean for anything bad to happen. I realize now how stupid we were.”

  “Me too,” Luke said. “The two kids on the bike just made us mad and we wanted to get them back. It was dumb.”

  “This friend of yours, John,” Jaxon said, pointing, “do I need to be worried about him? He seemed pretty angry.”

  Luke shook his head. “No. He’s probably more scared than angry. I think his close call in the creek shook him up pretty good.”

  “He’s lucky to have friends like you guys,” Jaxon said. “You saved his life. He could’ve died in there.”

  Luke shrugged, not sure what to say. He knew John had been lucky.

  “Do you guys remember our little conversation a couple of months back?” Jaxon asked.

  Luke could see Ellie nodding and he said, “Yes.”

  “Anything jog your memories since then?”

  “No, sir,” Luke said.

  Jaxon looked at Sally. “It’s important guys,” Sally said. “Even the smallest thing might help us. You didn’t see anything?”

  Luke and Ellie remained silent.

  “We’ve been given some new evidence,” Jaxon said, “and we know you two had nothing to do with the murders, just so you know. You aren’t suspects. We just need a little help filling in the blanks.”

  Luke watched Ellie open her mouth, look at him and then shut it again. Jaxon shook his head. “Alright, let us know if you think of something. Here is our number again in case you lost the other one.” He handed them each a business card, then turned and left, heading back toward the pool area.

  Chapter 20

  Jaxon and Sally were at the station going over pictures from the missing person’s files. They had been searching through the files since late December without a single hit. They had even expanded to the surrounding counties and were currently going through Prince George’s County in Maryland.

  Looking at pictures of thousands of missing persons was a tedious and time consuming task and Jaxon was about to go blind from it. He put down the shot he was holding and rubbed his eyes. He had a headache spreading from the back of his neck into the crown of his scalp. He needed a Coke.

  “I’m getting a drink,” he said. “You want anything?”

  “A Diet Pepsi,” Sally said. “Here…” she grabbed a dollar and stuck her hand out to him.

  “I got it.” He waved her hand away and walked around his desk.

  “Thanks!” she yelled after him.

  The John Doe had been a thorn in their sides. He had never had this much trouble identifying an individual before. He couldn’t understand why they were having such bad luck. The fingerprints came back negative and this led to a suspicion Jaxon had in regards to the age of the boy. Nowadays every mother out there had their kids fingerprinted, photographed, and even DNA typed, anything they could think of in the unlikely event they would have to report their child missing or even provide some kind of identification should the worst happen. He’d even heard of some parents having chips implanted underneath the kid’s skin so they could be scanned into a computer system like a dog or a cat.

  This trend was only about fifteen to
twenty years old though, and this made Jaxon sure they were searching for a name that had been in the database for over twenty years. Somebody had kept the kid frozen for a hell of a long time.

  The decapitated dog had provided little usable evidence as well. The fingernails they had pulled from the skin of the dog had in fact belonged to the John Doe. After running DNA on the skin found underneath the kid’s fingernails, the lab called and told Doc Barstow it was animal DNA. Specifically that of a dog. A poodle mix. It only took a few minutes afterward to match up the missing fingernails of the kid to the ones they pulled from the dog. The problem was the kid had been dead for quite a while and the dog was recent. Dead end. This asshole was smart. He was throwing all kinds of empty leads at them to slow them down and it was working. He felt like he was spinning his wheels for naught.

  Doc Barstow had been frustrated too. He was used to seeing things that most people considered appalling, but when he explained what the perp had to go through just to get the John Doe’s fingernails embedded in the dog’s skin, it set him off.

  That had been five months ago and they had little reason to visit the morgue since then. John Doe was still on ice there and would remain in the morgue until they either identified him or they no longer needed the body.

  Jaxon walked back into the investigations department and put Sally’s Diet Pepsi on her desk.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  “Don’t mention it,” he said and grinned.

  Sitting back down at his desk, he grabbed another stack of photos and started leafing through them.

  “I’m getting a headache,” she said.

  “Can’t be worse than mine.”

  His phone rang. “Jaxon.”

  “It’s Halson. Found something interesting on the fibers in the Doe/Bannon case.”

  “Shoot,” Jaxon said.

  “Some of the fibers pulled from the filtered pool water match the clothing on the Doe boy and then some do not.”