State of Life: A Mystery Thriller Novel (Virgil Jones Book 12)

by Thomas Scott

  Harper motioned for everyone to sit down, then Virgil looked at Sam and said, “What makes you so sure?”

  Sam shook his head. “Don. I’ve known him my entire life, Detective. He lies, cheats, and manipulates at every turn.”

  “That doesn’t automatically make him a murderer,” Murton said.

  “No, it doesn’t,” Sam said. “But that night I punched him out? He admitted it to me. He didn’t get the entire sentence out before Karen shut him up, but he said enough.”

  Virgil looked at Sam, and said, “Speaking of Karen, he says she’s vacationing out in Vegas. Staying at the Bellagio.”

  “Then he was flat-out lying to your face. He came to my house—this was after he threatened to kill me—and told me that Karen was missing.” Sam pointed a finger at Virgil and said, “He killed her. He’s trying to clean up his own mess. There’s no way Karen would vacation in Vegas…ever.”

  “Why’s that?” Murton said.

  “Because she works in the casino at the French Lick Resort. That’s like a coal miner taking two weeks off and spending it at the rock quarry.”

  “Maybe she went there because it’s familiar territory, so to speak,” Virgil said.

  Sam shook his head. “She hates casinos. The only reason she works in one is because the money is good. Besides, I spoke with her boss, and he says she hasn’t been in at all. They’ve already replaced her. So Vegas? Forget it. I’m telling you, she wouldn’t go there, not in a million years.”

  “There’s one way to find out,” Murton said. “Excuse me for just a moment.” He stepped out of the sheriff’s office and made a call.

  Virgil and Harper spent a few more minutes listening to Sam’s story. He was calm, rational, and in the end, very convincing. When Murton walked back in, he sat down, looked at everyone, and said, “If Karen is staying anywhere in Vegas, she’s doing it under an assumed name, which is all but impossible these days.”

  “How do you know that?” Sam said.

  “Because I had our researcher check.”

  Now it was Sam’s turn to be skeptical. “That seemed pretty fast. There are a lot of places to stay out there.”

  Murton tipped his head back and forth. “We have, mmm, certain abilities when it comes to checking these types of things. The bottom line is this: I believe your statement about her not being out there.”

  Virgil touched Sam lightly on the forearm. “I’m going to ask you something, and I hope it doesn’t upset you.”

  “What?” Sam said.

  “If we got an order of exhumation for your father, would that bother you?”

  Sam let out a little chuckle. “No. In fact, it’s something that I’ve wanted done all along. As far as I’m concerned, my father died under suspicious circumstances, an autopsy was never done, and unless we bring him back up, we’ll never get the truth. Not from Don, that’s for damned sure.”

  “Are you married, Sam?” Virgil said.

  “I am. My wife, Danika, is staying with her sister in Chicago. After Don threatened to kill me, we thought he might try to come after her as well, so I persuaded Danni to get out of town for a while.”

  “May I have your cell number, please?” Virgil said.

  Sam recited the number and Virgil entered it into his phone. That done, he looked at Sam and said, “I’d like you to join your wife if at all possible.”

  “It’s possible,” Sam said. “But do you mind if I ask why?”

  “Because I think you’re right. We’re going to rattle your brother’s cage a little, and we don’t want you to get caught up in any of it.”

  “I can take care of myself,” Sam said.

  “I’m sure you can, sir,” Murton said. “But it’s one less thing for us to worry about.”

  Sam didn’t like it, but he eventually agreed. “You’ll keep me updated?”

  “That’s why I wanted your number,” Virgil said.

  After Sam Whittle left the sheriff’s office, Virgil turned to Harper and said, “Do you have a judge in this county who’ll sign an order of exhumation based on our written statement?”

  Harper actually laughed. “I’ve got a judge who’ll sign a ham sandwich with a squeeze bottle of mustard if you want.” Then, “In case that isn’t clear enough for you, swear out a statement, and they’ll pull Dick Whittle out of the ground by this time tomorrow, I guarantee it.”

  Virgil and Murton made a quick run back to the school to speak with the same woman they’d met earlier. Fortunately, they got there just as she was leaving. They ended up talking to her in the parking lot.

  Virgil looked at her and said, “Mrs. uh…sorry, I don’t think we ever got your name.”

  She gave Virgil a friendly smile and said, “Ryder. Beth Ryder.”

  “Okay…sorry. Listen, Mrs. Ryder, you said your husband is the caretaker out at the local cemetery, is that right?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’d like to ask a favor. I want to make it perfectly clear that you’re under no obligation whatsoever to participate or cooperate with us regarding what I’m about to ask. Do you understand?”

  “Of course,” Ryder said. “What is it?”

  “I’ll need your word that you’ll keep this under your hat until tomorrow.”

  “I can do that.”

  “The cemetery is going to do an exhumation tomorrow,” Virgil said. “I assume your husband would play a part in that?”

  “Yes, he absolutely would. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it’s part of his job.”

  “I also assume that if he knows about it in advance, that would be something the two of you might talk about.”

  “Sure,” Ryder said. “We talk about our jobs all the time.”

  “Okay, good,” Virgil said. “Here’s what I want you to do.” When Virgil told her the rest of it, she smiled, and said, “It sounds sort of sneaky. I like it.”

  “So you’ll do it?”

  “I won’t be in any danger, will I?” Ryder said.

  Virgil shook his head. “Not at all. Even though I don’t think it’s necessary, we’ll have someone very close by. You’ll be perfectly safe.”

  “Talk to you tomorrow then,” Ryder said.

  Murton drove them out to the French Lick Resort, where they booked five rooms. “Cora isn’t going to like the bill.”

  “Then I’ll pay for it myself,” Virgil said. Once they were settled into their respective rooms, Murton knocked on Virgil’s door. When Virgil opened up, he was already on the phone with Cool.

  “Listen, Rich, I need you to head back up to Indy and get Ross and Rosencrantz back here as quick as you can. They don’t know you’re coming yet, but I’m going to speak with them as soon as we’re done. Don’t worry about duty hours or any of that because I’ve got you a room at the French Lick Resort. So get back, grab Ross and Rosencrantz, and the three of you head over here.” Virgil gave him his room number, then ended the call.

  Next, he asked Murton to call Becky and have her get two rental cars lined up. As Murton was doing that, Virgil called Rosencrantz. “Rosie, Cool is on his way back to pick up you and Ross. Grab your go-bags and get to the airport. In fact, before you do that, go into Murt’s office, and mine, and grab our bags as well.”

  “You got it, Jonesy. You on to somebody?”

  “It’s likely. I’m sixty percent there. Maybe seventy. But I want you guys down here. We’re going to put a twenty-four-hour watch on someone. Where are you and Ross at regarding the other coaches?”

  “We’ve spoken with most of them over the phone. There are a few we haven’t been able to locate yet.”

  “Any useful information?”

  “Yeah, I think so, but I’ll let you decide.”

  “Meaning?” Virgil said.

  “Is the guy you’re sixty to seventy percent on named Don Whittle?” Rosencrantz said.

  “Yeah, and now I’m at ninety-five percent. Grab the bags and get down here, quick as you can. Meet us at the Orange County Sheriff’s offi
ce in Paoli.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  While Virgil and Murton were waiting for Ross and Rosencrantz to arrive, they decided to do a casual pass of Don Whittle’s house. Whittle lived in Prospect, which turned out to be nothing more than a smattering of houses on a few quiet streets near the intersection of Highways 150 and 56. Virgil found Whittle’s street, then drove at a normal speed past his residence, which was a small ranch-style home that appeared neatly kept.

  “Gonna be tough to set up here without being spotted,” Murton said.

  “Maybe,” Virgil said. Then he pointed to his left. “We might be able to use that. Grab a picture of the sign.”

  Murton took a quick picture of the sign, and then Virgil rolled through the intersection and they headed east, back to Paoli.

  Murton brought up the picture of the sign, handed his phone to Sheriff Harper, and said, “Do you know this guy?” The picture showed a For Rent sign, complete with a realtor’s face and name, along with a phone number.

  Harper chuckled and said, “Do I ever. He’s one of our reserve deputies. Does a little real estate on the side, among other things.”

  “Think he’d let us set up inside?”

  “Let’s find out,” Harper said. He grabbed the phone and made a quick call. “Yeah, Kenny, it’s me. Can you get down to the station, right quick? Yeah? Okay.” Harper ended the call, looked at Virgil and Murton, and said, “He’ll be here in ten minutes.”

  “Why didn’t you just ask him over the phone?” Murton said.

  Harper tipped his head, looked away for a moment, then said, “Well, you sort of gotta know Kenny before I can answer that.”

  Kenny, it turned out, was a bit of a deal-maker. When Virgil explained what they were doing and asked if they could set up in the house, Kenny looked at him and said, “I don’t think there’s any monetary reason in the world why we couldn’t work something out. How long do you need it for?”

  Virgil shrugged. “I’m not sure. Probably no more than a couple of days. Three or four, tops.”

  Kenny pushed out his lower lip, then rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. “I guess I could see my way clear to letting the state use it for, oh, I don’t know…how’s five hundred a night with a three-night minimum sound?”

  Murton, who’d seen Virgil’s negotiation skills first-hand, dropped his chin to his chest, and thought, Oh boy. Here we go.

  Virgil couldn’t quite believe what he’d just heard. “Five a night with a guarantee of fifteen? I’ll tell you what that sounds like. It sounds like a fucking rip—”

  Murton stepped forward, put his hand on his brother’s arm, and said, “Virgil?”

  Virgil turned, looked at Murton, and said, “What? The guy’s a county deputy and he’s trying to rip us off.” Then he turned back to Kenny, and said, “I’ll give you—”

  Murton had to intercede again. “Virgil!” Then to Kenny: “How about we step outside for a minute and figure this out?”

  Kenny shrugged, said, “Sure,” and walked outside with Murton.

  Harper looked at Virgil, and said, “What was that all about?”

  Virgil shook his head and didn’t answer. Five minutes later Murton and Kenny were back inside. “We’re all set,” Murton said. “We’ve got the place for as long as we need it, free of charge.” He winked at Virgil and tossed him the keys to the house.

  Virgil looked at Murton, and said, “How’d you swing that?”

  Kenny looked at Virgil, shook his head in a sad sort of way, let out a little chuckle, then left.

  The sheriff looked at Virgil, then Murton. “Would one of you please tell me what the hell that was all about?”

  Murton grinned, jerked a thumb at his brother, and said, “This one here? He’s what you might call negotiation-challenged. We were working a case one time, and he tried to park his truck in a valet spot…”

  Virgil didn’t want to hear it. He let Murton and Harper trade stories while he went outside and called Sandy. He told her what was happening with the case, what they had planned, and that with a little luck, he’d be home in a day or two.

  “Promise me you’ll be careful, Virgil Jones.”

  “I will. I always am. The boys doing okay?”

  “They’re fine. They’ll miss you. I’ll miss you.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it.” They spent a few more minutes getting caught up on all things marriage-related when Virgil saw Ross and Rosencrantz turn into the parking lot. He told Sandy he loved her, and that he had to go. When he walked back inside with Ross and Rosencrantz, Harper looked right at Virgil, laughed out loud, and said, “Forty bucks, huh? It’s a good thing your brother was here. Kenny would have taken you to the cleaners.”

  Virgil let everyone have their laugh, then they all went into the sheriff’s conference room and got down to business. Virgil looked at Rosencrantz, and said, “Tell me how you got to Don Whittle.”

  “Exactly the way you thought we would, although we didn’t yet know it was him. When we matched up the missing girls who fit the profile and contacted their coaches, it became pretty obvious he was our guy because every girl who went missing had previously participated in a meet against Whittle’s team.”

  “I’ll tell you something,” Ross said, “it almost got by us. It would have if it weren’t for Nicky and Wu.”

  “In what way?” Virgil said.

  “The timelines I just spoke of?” Rosencrantz said. “They weren’t exactly matching up with many of the earlier girls. Sometimes more than a month would go by before anyone went missing.”

  “How did Nicky and Wu put it together?” Virgil said.

  “How else?” Ross said. “They’re computer geeks. They were working the list based on social media profiles, while Rosie and I were working on the earlier cases. Eventually, it became clear that prior to social media, it took Whittle longer to track down the girls. He probably had to stalk them the old-fashioned way.”

  “How many young ladies are we talking about here?” Harper asked.

  “Nearly thirty,” Ross said.

  Harper rubbed his face with both hands, then said, “Dear God. Do you mean to tell me that I’ve had a monster living in this county right under my nose the whole time?”

  “It looks that way, Wes,” Virgil said. “But not for much longer. We’re going to put a twenty-four-hour watch on Don Whittle. Ross and Rosencrantz, I want you guys to take the first shift.” He slid them the keys to the rented house, then gave them Whittle’s address. “The rental is two houses down, on the other side of the street. You’ll see the sign. Go now, and keep a constant watch on his house. We’re not sure if he’s there now or not.”

  “I’ve got a blocked line,” Harper said. “Why don’t we call his house and find out?”

  Virgil tipped a finger at the sheriff. “Good idea.” He pulled up the information Becky had given him, then relayed Whittle’s home number to the sheriff. When Harper made the call, no one answered.

  “He might be outside,” Harper said. “But he’s not answering. He does have a bit of a gambling problem, from what I’ve heard, so he might be at the casino.”

  Virgil looked at Ross and Rosencrantz and said, “Murt and I will keep an eye out at the resort, but we’ll have to be careful because he’s seen us.”

  Ross and Rosencrantz stood to leave, then Ross said, “If he’s seen you guys, maybe we should split the shifts the other way.”

  “That’s not a bad thought,” Murton said. “The problem is, Virgil and I have been running almost non-stop. We need the rest before tomorrow.”

  Virgil nodded. “Murt’s right. Besides, we won’t be looking for him at the casino. I’ll get with their chief of security and let his team keep an eye out with their cameras. All we’re going to do is grab something to eat, and get some sleep.”

  “What if he’s there, and sees you?” Harper said.

  Virgil turned his palms up. “What if he is? He knows we’re in town helping with the
Jodie Carter case. The resort is a logical place to stay. I don’t think it matters. After tomorrow it might, but it won’t make any difference tonight. Ross, Rosie, go. Murt and I will switch out with you at the school tomorrow morning. You guys take him there and we’ll already be in place and waiting.”

  And that’s exactly what they did. At six-thirty the next morning, Virgil and Murton parked near the same intersection as before, one that gave them a clear view of the faculty parking lot. Twenty minutes later they took a call from Ross who let them know that Whittle was headed their way.

  “Hang back quite a bit,” Virgil said. “I don’t want him to see you.”

  “Not the first time we’ve worked a tail, Boss-man. Rosie has four cars between him and us.”

  “Okay, just be careful. What’s your ETA?”

  “Unless he stops for coffee or something, you’ll see us roll past in about ten minutes.”

  “Good enough. Once he’s in the lot, go ahead and get some sleep. There are room keys waiting for you at the resort.”

  “What time does the show start?” Ross said.

  “Right when school gets out. That’s 2:45. He should be out on the track by three. I’ll want both of you in place before he gets out there…so let’s say in the bleachers at 2:30, just to play it safe. Remember, all you have to do is make sure he doesn’t hurt the woman who’ll be speaking to him. Her name is Beth Ryder. It’s highly unlikely that anything will go wrong, but I promised her she’d be protected when she drops the bomb on him. After he leaves, Murt and I will take it from there. You guys can hang at the resort until it’s time to go back to the rental and put him to bed. Understood?”

  “Got it,” Ross said, and then he was gone.

  Virgil and Murton spent the entire school day watching Whittle’s van, making sure he didn’t leave, even though it wasn’t likely that he would. Virgil kept in contact with Harper and his end of the operation, and when it was time, told him to get started.