Frozen Past

by Richard C. Hale

  She finally smiled at him. “Let’s figure this out together. There’s got to be a way we can tell if it’s him or not.”

  Jaxon’s desk phone rang and he picked it up. “Jaxon.”

  “It’s Holt.” Jaxon rolled his eyes and Sally chuckled. Apparently she could hear his voice from her desk. “I’ve got some interesting information for you.”

  “Shoot. I’m going to put you on speaker so Sally can hear.”

  “The Russians were not very forthcoming on our request for information. I wouldn’t count on anything coming out of Moscow, but we’ll sit for a few days and see if they bite on our offer.”

  “What offer?” Jaxon asked.

  “We promised them we’d back off of an investigation into their activities associated with a scam coming out of Western Iran through Dayton, Ohio. Nothing political, it’s all about money. They’ve been silent so far.”

  “How can you promise that?”

  “We lie.”

  “Alright. That doesn’t help me.”

  “The other thing you asked about has proven more lucrative. I’m optimistic this will help in the cold case in Indiana as well as your cases in Fairfax.”

  Jaxon looked up at Sally who raised an eyebrow. “Sounds promising. What have you got?”

  “An I.P. address and a physical address.”

  “You’re serious.”

  “As a heart attack. We’re going to Indiana in two hours. Benton’s agreed already and has cleared you. You two need to get your butts to Dulles and you’ll fly out on a company plane.”

  Jaxon was grinning and Sally joined him. “Where do we meet you?”

  “It won’t be me. As section Chief I get to coordinate, not participate. The agent I’ve assigned will meet you at the Custom’s office in two hours.”

  “Who is it?” There was a pause and Jaxon thought he hung up.

  “It’s Victoria. She’s worked on the cold case and is the most up to date on it. Problem?”

  Jaxon swore under his breath. Sally smiled.

  “Still there, Jaxon?”

  “Yeah, I’m still here. Alright. Two hours.” And he punched off.

  After a couple hours of racking their brains, William Smith actually made it easy for them. He texted Ellie.

  Eliana Pemberton is not your real name.

  She began to cry.

  “He’s just messing with you,” Luke said, holding her against him. “You know that, right?”

  She nodded against his chest, but then raised her eyes to his. “He’s right, though.”

  He searched her eyes and saw something in them that confused him. “What do you mean? Eliana’s not your real name?”

  “No, Eliana’s my name but I was born Eliana Ann Worthington. My mom’s maiden name is Pemberton and when my father left her, she had it legally changed back to it along with her children.”

  “Why would she do that? I mean I guess I could understand her changing her name, but why yours?”

  “She hated him. She told us she didn’t want any part of him left in our lives. He abused her, left her for dead, then took every bit of savings they had and left her penniless.”

  “I’ve never heard this before.”

  “I usually don’t make a habit of telling people. It just doesn’t occur to me. I’ve been Eliana Pemberton as long as I can remember.”

  “When did she tell you?”

  “When I was nine.”

  “We were in third grade.”

  She nodded. “Do you remember the week I missed school because I had the mumps?”

  “Yes.”

  “I wasn’t sick. I was upset. She had just told me.”

  “I remember. You were sad for like a month after that. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I was embarrassed. My family was messed up and I felt small. All I wanted to do was hide.”

  “You must have been young when he did all this,” Luke said.

  She nodded. “I don’t remember him. I’ve only ever seen one picture of him. Patrick remembers him a little. He doesn’t talk about him much though. He was four when our Father left. I was two.”

  “I’m sorry Ellie. That sucks. All this time I thought he was dead or something.”

  “He might as well be.”

  “Who knows all this?”

  “My family, my grandma I guess, probably my aunt and uncle. Not many.”

  “Then how did William Smith know it?”

  “I don’t know. That’s why I’m so upset. I could care less about my father. This asshole seems to know everything about me and I want to know how.”

  Luke smiled.

  “Why are you smiling?”

  “Let’s ask him how he knows.” And he explained what he wanted to do.

  Chapter 29

  The private jet touched down in Valparaiso, Indiana, four hours later and a car picked them up at the ramp. Victoria had remained mostly silent on the short flight, but did fill them in on the old cold case. When she described the bruising around the mouth and the Diethyl Ether, Jaxon interrupted and asked where the body had been found.

  “In a small pond. It had frozen over and some kids had seen something beneath the ice. They got their parents and in turn the parents contacted the local sheriff’s office.”

  “How did you find the boy’s parents after so much time?” Sally asked.

  “Very similar to yours,” Victoria said. “The local Police Department called the FBI after a few months. We were able to narrow the time of death down to within a year and we found him using missing person’s files from the surrounding counties and states. Of course, I wasn’t involved then. I was still with the FCPD. This was 2001.”

  The year was not a good one for Jaxon. Victoria either. Just the mention of it brought the temperature down in the cabin a few degrees. Nobody said a word for the rest of the flight.

  They arrived at the local sheriff’s office and met with the detective who had handled the case back in 2001. His name was Vernon Scoggins. Jaxon disliked him immediately. He was bald, overweight, and wore sneakers with his suit. He chewed tobacco and chose to spit the juice into an empty Zephyrhills water bottle he carried around with him. Jaxon swore if the son-of-a-bitch spilled one drop on him, he would break his leg. Victoria seemed to like him.

  Holt had discussed the information they had obtained through the web-cam’s manufacturer with Scoggins and his chief, so they knew what the three of them were there for. Scoggins told them the address associated with the computer I.P. address was in a section of town known for its extracurricular activity, mainly prostitution. The house was currently under surveillance, and per the FBI’s instructions, no one was to interfere with anyone entering or leaving the premises. So far the place had been quiet as a tomb.

  Public records showed a deed recorded under the name of Walter Peacock. Contacting the owner had been relatively easy, but the information he provided on his renter proved useless. The tenant, William Smith, paid in cash every six months through the mail and the only contact information he had provided listed a name and address which did not exist. William Smith apparently did not want to be bothered. Mr. Peacock could not remember ever meeting the tenant. Scoggins said the man sounded drunk on the phone.

  Scoggins told them the neighbors had very little information about the man except to say he usually showed up late at night and was very white.

  “White?” Victoria asked.

  “Yes,” Scoggins said. “You know-pale-albino-I don’t know. One guy told me he’s only ever seen him from a distance and his face was very white.”

  Jaxon and Sally shared a look.

  “What?” Victoria said looking back and forth between the two.

  “Our perp looks to be wearing a white Halloween mask on the two surveillance videos we have of him,” Jaxon said. “At first I thought he was albino, but Sally said it was probably a mask. I think she’s right.”

  “Could be our guy, right?” Scoggins said.

  No one answered.


  “The plan is to wait until he shows up,” Victoria said, “and then move in. If he doesn’t show, we get the warrant to search the place. Right now, we sit tight and wait.”

  “Great,” Jaxon said. “Can we at least join the surveillance team?”

  “No,” she said. “I don’t want anybody spooking this guy. We wait for the call.”

  Three hours had passed and everyone was on edge. Jaxon noticed Sally was on her third cup of coffee and Victoria was sucking down Diet Pepsis like they were going out of style. Jaxon kept busy with a crossword puzzle.

  Victoria walked over and sat next to Jaxon. “You know, you haven’t said more than five words to me the last six hours.”

  “Actually, I said seventeen.”

  She smiled. “That bad, huh?”

  “Torture,” but he didn’t smile. He was in no mood for playful banter with his ex-wife.

  “So, how is Reverb?” She asked.

  “Old and nearly dead.”

  “I miss him.”

  He looked up from the puzzle and searched her face. She hadn’t so much as asked about the dog in ten years. Reverb had only been two years old at the time of Michael’s death and he distinctly remembered a time before that when she said the dog had to go. The only reason he eventually stayed was because Michael adored him. She couldn’t break his heart, but she was angry at Jaxon for weeks because he went behind her back and brought the dog home without consulting her.

  She was smiling and he wondered if she genuinely meant what she said. Probably not.

  “I thought you hated him,” he said, turning back to the puzzle. “You’ve never come to see him.”

  “It’s not for lack of trying. I can’t even get you to return my calls much less answer the door.”

  “You’ve knocked on the door?”

  “Three times.”

  “Wow-three times in ten years. You must have wanted to see him pretty bad.”

  “I’ve wanted to see you,” she said.

  He looked her in the eye, expecting her to look away, but she held his gaze with a strange look on her face. One he hadn’t seen in a long time. It brought back a flood of memories; times that had been good, but now seemed bitter in the light of the florescent lamps. He didn’t know what to make of this conversation and hoped it would end soon.

  “Me. The dog. We’ve both been there. I’ve never heard you knock.”

  “Maybe you weren’t listening,” she said, cocking her head slightly and giving him the little grin that used to drive him crazy. Now, it was just pissing him off.

  “What? Is there supposed to be some deep meaning in there? Because I’ve missed it. What is it, Vick? What do you want?” His voice had grown louder and he saw Sally look up and Scoggins staring.

  “Apparently you’re still deaf,” she said, getting up. “I’ll try pounding on the door next time.”

  “You do that.” And she walked away.

  The radio crackled to life. “We’ve got a visitor.”

  Time to move.

  Luke and John were hunched over his desk watching the blip creep up the street behind Luke’s house. Ellie was sitting on the bed and Jimmy was standing looking out the window. Luke’s room faced the rear of the house and even though there were quite a few trees in the backyard, you could still see headlights if a car drove into the cul-de-sac behind them.

  “I got lights!” Jimmy said.

  “That’s him,” Luke said. “Is he stopped?”

  “Yeah-the lights just went out.” Jimmy stepped back away from the window and looked at the computer. Luke pointed to the blip that was now stationary on the map.

  “Alright, remember,” Luke said, “this is just for verification. We don’t want him to see us. John, set up the three way call with me and Jimmy. When we’re in position, Ellie, you send the Facebook message and we’ll see what he does. Come on Jimmy.”

  Luke and Jimmy left the room and Luke’s phone vibrated first. He had the earpiece in and he said, “Got ya’ John.”

  “Roger,” John said, and put Luke on hold. When the three way was set up, they were all linked, and Luke and Jimmy went out the back door, splitting up. Luke went to the back of his fence slipping through the hole between it and the hedge, and snuck around the tennis courts to a spot he could easily see the car, yet remain hidden. The night was moonless, and the darkness, oppressive. Luke shivered in his spot despite the warm, humid air.

  Jimmy went in the opposite direction, hid in the neighbor’s backyard and watched from around their fence. When he was in place he said, “I can see the car. He’s still inside.”

  “Yep, he hasn’t moved,” John said.

  “I got him too,” Luke said. “I can’t make out his face but I see his silhouette. Tell Ellie to send the message.”

  What Luke hoped for was that the killer owned a smart phone. When Ellie sent him the message on Facebook, he should get some kind of notification. At least if he was as meticulous as Luke thought he was. Then they would watch and see if he would use the phone while they observed him. Visual confirmation was their only option at this point. They did not want to alert him to the fact they knew his cell phone number.

  A few minutes went by, and Luke asked, “Did she send it?”

  “Yeah,” John said. “Give it a minute.”

  Luke’s legs were starting to cramp from the position he was in, and he shifted a little trying to get comfortable. A soft glow of light showed inside the car and Luke could see him bring what must be a phone up to his face. Luke was shocked at what he saw. The man was completely white. His face, hair, and lips looked to be the shade of vanilla yogurt. He wasn’t even sure if he had any hair.

  “I can see his cell phone!” Jimmy said, excitedly. “He’s doing something.”

  Luke then heard Ellie’s phone ringing through the connection with John.

  “Her phone is ringing,” John said.

  Luke watched as the man put the glowing phone to his ear, then the light went out and all he could see was his silhouette. He listened carefully but could only hear the sound of Ellie’s voice, but not the conversation. At least at first.

  Her voice rose and she started yelling. “I don’t want that!” she shouted. “You leave them alone! Please don’t hurt anyone else! Hello?! Hello?!” and then Luke heard the sound of her crying.

  “You guys better get back in here,” John said.

  They were down from the house about a hundred yards, crammed in an unmarked van with two other detectives. A small SWAT team was set up and waiting behind the house next to their guy’s shack. That’s exactly what came to Jaxon’s mind when he saw the place. Run down, piece of shit, shack. The roof sagged in the middle and what was once a porch now resembled a listing or sinking boat. One lone rusted chair stood on its side in the section that remained intact. The windows were mostly glass, but one just to the right of the main entrance was covered in plywood. The yard was overgrown and weeds poked up through cracks in the broken driveway. No vehicle was visible.

  The night was quiet except for a lone dog barking somewhere in the distance. Movement caught his eye and a drunken man weaved down the street approaching the van from their right. He moved past and they could hear him mumbling to himself. Something about Layla wantin’ to blow Henry, but Henry don’t know no Joe.

  “He’s been in there how long now?” Victoria asked one of the detectives.

  “Twenty minutes.”

  There were no lights on in the house and no movement had been seen since the detectives observed a darkly dressed individual enter the residence from the rear. He had crept along the street near the front of the houses as he made his way to the shack. They said he looked like a man not wanting to be seen.

  “Alright, we move in two minutes,” Victoria said, and opened the van door exiting to the street. Jaxon, Scoggins, and Sally followed.

  They each had an earpiece and radio, and wore Kevlar vests and FBI Jackets. The SWAT team would move in first, then Jaxon and Sally would follo
w with Victoria and Scoggins. They remained hidden from view behind the van, but Jaxon peered around the rear of the vehicle and watched as the SWAT team moved silently into place at the front and rear of the shack. It was like watching shadows as they crept around the plants and trees in the yard.

  Jaxon’s cell phone vibrated. Victoria glared at him, but he pulled it out and read the text message. His knees suddenly felt like jelly. The text message was from him.

  I know where his ears are. You’ll have them soon. My gift.

  Jimmy caught up with Luke in the backyard and they went up to his room where John was doing his best to console Ellie. She leapt into Luke’s arms when he stepped in the room. He held her tight and stroked her hair softly trying to calm her. She finally looked up at him and said, “He’s going to kill somebody tonight.”

  “What did he say?” Luke asked.

  “I asked him how he knew so much about me and he ignored the question, but told me with that creepy voice he has that one of my friends would be gone tonight.”

  “Who?”

  “He didn’t say.” She looked around at all of them. “We can’t let him. We have to call Jaxon now. We know this guy,” she pointed out the window, “is him.”

  “Let’s do it,” Luke said and pulled out his cell phone and the business card Jaxon gave them. He walked over to his desk and glanced at the computer program showing them the position of the killer. His phone was still in the same spot. Luke hoped that meant William Smith was there too. Just then a little window popped up on the computer screen showing some text.

  201106172012 OUTGOING MESSAGE SENT TO 555-432-2020

  MESSAGE COMPOSITION AS MMS

  BODY OF TEXT:

  I KNOW WHERE HIS EARS ARE. YOU’LL HAVE THEM SOON. MY GIFT.

  END OF MESSAGE.

  “What the hell is this?” Luke asked no one in particular.

  “Oh,” John said. “That same kind of thing popped up when he called Ellie’s phone. Her phone number showed up along with all these numbers and then went away when the call ended.”