TEEN LOVERS: Murder Along the River

by Holly Fox Vellekoop

  “I don’t remember getting there this way,” Pat said.

  “You probably took a road on the other side of the hill,” Carl said. “That’s the way Johnny went earlier. He didn’t want anyone seeing you two going on the same road, what with his new bride and all.”

  “If he’s a good boy,” Pat said. “Maybe I’ll stay with him this time and he can ditch his new bride like he did his first wife. We’ll have some more good times.”

  Carl didn’t answer.

  They drove on awhile before stopping at the top of the hill. Both cars pulled off the side of the road in a deserted area. Without a house or car in sight, woods and underbrush dominated the scene.

  “What are we stopping for?” Pat asked. “This isn’t where Johnny and I used to meet.”

  “I want to check something,” Carl said. He got out and went behind the vehicle where Jamie joined him. They spoke a few words, nodded their heads in agreement, and approached Pat’s side of the car.

  Pat rolled down the window so she could hear what they were saying to her.

  “Get out of the car a minute, Jamie has a message for you from Johnny,” Carl said, opening the door.

  “No. I don’t want to get out. My shoes will get ruined in the leaves and mud. These cost me a fortune.” She looked down at the mess on the ground near the door.

  Carl opened the car door and pulled Pat out by her hair so fast she didn’t have time to think about it.

  Pat was on her back on the ground with Carl straddling her, sitting on her waist. Her arms were pinned under his legs.

  Carl pulled a pistol from his shoulder holster and jammed the gun against her chest.

  Jamie’s foot was pressing down on Pat’s neck before she could utter a word or scream.

  “Johnny has a message for you,” Jamie said. “And this is it.” He stomped his foot down hard onto her neck. He scraped his boot across the ground to clean it off.

  Carl stood up and the two men stared down at the unmoving body.

  “Since I have my gun out, I might as well make use of it,” Carl said. Silencer in place, he fired three rounds into her heart.

  “Good shot,” Jamie said.

  “I practice a lot,” Carl answered.

  Jamie pulled Pat’s cell phone from her purse and put in his pocket. He threw the purse into her car.

  The two men loaded Pat’s body onto a blanket, rolled it up and put it in the back of the SUV.

  Jamie followed in Pat’s car as Carl drove the SUV further into the woods on a dirt lane leading to a dilapidated barn. The men got out and pulled Pat’s body from the back, taking care not to disturb the plastic sheeting it’d been lying on.

  It took a few minutes for them to haul the corpse to an area behind an overgrown house foundation. They placed their load next to a hole in the ground which had some rocks around it.

  “Cool idea Johnny had for this old well,” Carl said.

  Jamie helped him and together they dumped the blanketed body into the earthen hole. A splash was heard when it hit bottom. Pat’s cell phone and Carl’s throw-down gun were next to be flung in. The young men tossed rocks onto the corpse. Rotted logs and debris were put over the opening.

  “You’d never know we’ve been here,” Carl said.

  “That’s because we weren’t,” Jamie said. “It’s already forgotten.”

  At the same time, in the hospital

  Two student nurses were fussing around their patient’s bed. One was checking Paul’s oxygen, setting it to the doctor’s order.

  When they finished with their work, they informed Sheski it was okay to go in to visit.

  When Sheski entered, he saw June on a cot near the window.

  Sheski stood next to Paul’s bed and looked at his boss.

  “He’s doing okay, now,” June said sleepily. “He’s resting.”

  Sheski turned to her and asked, “What did his doctor say? Is he going to be okay?”

  “His prognosis is good. Despite his objections they’d got him to agree to surgery. They took a lot of his stomach and don’t think the cancer spread beyond that, but they’re not sure.” She looked over at Paul. “He knew all along what was wrong with him and he never told me. Just kept putting the operation off so he could finish up this case. If he lives through this, I’m gonna kill him.”

  “You and what army?” rasped Paul.

  “Hey, don’t talk now, you need your strength,” June said. She got up and stood near him. “Try to get some rest.” She kissed his cheek.

  “What about the Teen Lovers case?” Paul barely got it out before his strength waned.

  “Forget it,” Sheski said. “We’re not talking work with you until the doctor says you can. And if you can’t follow the rules, we’re not coming to see you anymore.”

  Paul forced a weak smile at that last statement.

  After his visiting time was up, Sheski left by way of the ER to go to work. The sun and fresh air felt good after being inside the hospital.

  An ambulance, lights flashing, rolled up to the ER doors as Sheski was walking away. He looked over but couldn’t see who was in it.

  Paramedics removed a gurney from the back of the vehicle.

  Sheski could hear someone telling an ER physician who came out to assist, “It’s an old guy from the high-rise. No need to rush. He was dead before we got to him - heart failure.”

  Sheski didn’t see the deceased Kenneth Adams under the sheet.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Harrisburg, PA,

  “She’s young,” the policeman said, looking at the driver’s license photo and information found in a purse in the abandoned car. “According to this and the owner’s card, her name’s Patricia Riley.”

  “She’s good-looking,” another policeman said, peeking at the photo on the license. He put it down and looked through her purse. “No woman leaves her purse behind like this. Not unless she’s in a hurry or was forced to. I wonder where she is.”

  “She could be anywhere,” one of them said. “No one found anything else here or on the river bank so divers are due to start searching the water. If she’s there, they may or may not find her. Over the years, the Susquehanna River has carried off a lot of people.”

  Their search of Pat’s car didn’t yield much. The only fingerprints they found were hers.

  At the barracks

  Back at work, Sheski and Mike were relieved not to have Pat Riley around. Without her, everything was better.

  “Have your heard?” Debbie asked Sheski.

  “Heard what?”

  “Pat Riley’s missing.”

  “Missing? What do you mean missing? She was supposed to meet with an internal investigative team. Didn’t she show up?”

  Mike entered the room.

  “Who didn’t show up?” Mike asked.

  “Pat Riley’s missing,” Debbie repeated. “She didn’t make it to her meeting this morning. When her lawyer went to her house to pick her up, her car was gone and so was she.”

  “You think she skipped out on this?” Sheski asked. “That doesn’t sound like her style. The last we heard from her she was vowing to fight for her job.”

  “That’s not all,” Debbie said. “I heard her car was just found at a rest stop across the river from Harrisburg. It was empty except for her purse.”

  “That doesn’t sound good. No woman leaves her purse in her car. And Pat made a lot of enemies during her short career,” Mike said.

  “I wonder what happened to her,” Sheski said. “Let us know if you hear anything else, Debbie. It’s late and we’ve put in a long day. We’re both tired and ready to go home.

  At a Harrisburg office

  Johnny answered his cell phone, anticipating good news.

  “Yes?”

  “It’s done,” Carl said. “Everything you asked for.”

  “Thank you, Carl. Job well done. Tell Jamie and Jackie I said, ‘Thank you.’ Your payment’s on the way.”

  Johnny hung up the phone. No dou
bt about it. She never knew who she was dealing with. There’ll be no more talk about Haight Ashbury now.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sheski and Lana were at her home discussing their upcoming wedding. Now that Mike and Lillian’s baby was home and doing well and Paul was out of the hospital, they wanted to get their wedding plans finalized. Catalogues of wedding invitations and catering brochures were spread across the table. Guest lists were being compiled and Lana still had to shop for a dress.

  Any leads on Pat Riley’s whereabouts?” Lana said to Sheski.

  “None,” Sheski said. “Her home and car were processed and so far, the police have nothing. Absolutely nothing. No one saw her leave and no one reported seeing her car turn into that rest area to park. No solid leads have come forth since her father offered the reward money. It’s as if she went invisible.”

  “What about suspects? People she harmed in the past. Men she dated. Co-workers. Anything there?” Lana asked.

  “Everyone who was a suspect in her disappearance has an alibi.”

  “I didn’t wish her harm,” Lana said. “But I’m not surprised this happened. Her risky behavior got her in a lot of trouble.”

  “We have to keep an open mind. We still don’t know what happened,” Sheski said. “As I’ve told you before, Lana, there’s no such thing as a perfect crime. If someone’s harmed her or anything else, somewhere there was a mistake made. I can only hope the mistake is found. No parent should have to wonder what happened to their child. Even one like Pat.”

  “About the Teen Lover’s case. What’s going to happen to Bill Davis, Jr.?” Lana asked.

  “I can’t be sure. That’s still undecided. Our office has been cutting him some breaks because he cooperated with testimony and evidence. He’s been an asset to this community since his graduation from college. As he said, he’s not the same person who stood under the goalposts with John Deadly and Cal Kelly that night. He’s a different man.”

  “You can be proud of yourself, Tommy,” Lana said. “You and Mike closed a case that meant a lot to this community, not to mention the governor.”

  She was especially proud of the commendations he and Mike had received from Harrisburg for their work on Teen Lovers.

  “I’m just sorry we didn’t get to nail Kenneth Adams and John Deadly for their parts in it,” Sheski said. “Kenneth is the one who paid John Deadly to murder Joey Beck. I’d like to think Kenneth’s fatal heart attack came from his knowing he’d paid someone to kill an innocent boy and knowing his daughter’s death was his fault. It’s a shame he didn’t live through it so we could’ve done something about it.”

  “Well, as you know, things don’t always work out the way we’d like them to,” Lana said. She was pleased her relationship with Tommy was turning out to be as wonderful as she’d hoped.

  “I’m still curious about the rest of the details of what happened to Shirley and Joey at the football field. Maybe someday, we’ll learn everything that happened there,” Sheski said.

  Today, the retired Sheski was thinking about the Teen Lovers

  Reviewing what he knew of this old case and seeing the photos of Shirley and Joey were difficult for Sheski. Even though it was awhile since they undertook trying to solve it, he felt sorry they’d never discovered all the details about the murders.

  The victims and their families weighed heavily upon Sheski’s heart. He said a silent prayer for this innocent, murdered couple and decided to never revisit the Teen Lovers case again. It was too painful.

  Sheski thought about the complexities of his work and how sometimes they were unable to uncover everything because of the passing of time and the deaths of witnesses.

  Sheski had another concern related to this case.

  I still wonder what happened to Pat Riley.

  Addendum

  November 26, 1954,

  In the morning, John Deadly had told Joey Beck he had something important to show him and to meet him at the football field at 10:00 PM. Joey was to tell no one, not even Shirley. Deadly said it would take just a few minutes and he’d be glad he showed up.

  Deadly deliberately left his own car at home so it wouldn’t be seen coming or going to the field. He’d just bought a new 1955 Oldsmobile Super 88 two-door Holiday Coupe. It was a beautiful turquoise and white with leather interior and flashy colors which would be easily identifiable. The money he earned for taking care of Joey tonight would pay for much of the car’s purchase price. He planned for the balance to be covered with money from some of his other jobs.

  Deadly had insisted on Kenneth Adams paying him immediately when he said he’d do the job. Kenneth obliged. It was a lot of easy cash he made doing something he enjoyed. Deadly hadn’t ruled out making a living doing this.

  Why work at jobs like my parents did for a measly wage when there’s fast money out there to be made without working so hard? This would definitely be a good career choice for me.

  Deadly wanted Shirley and Joey to be walking so he didn’t have to deal with Joey’s car later. When he disabled Joey’s Mercury he made sure what he did was something not easily found or fixed. He had lifted the Mercury’s hood and cut the lower end of the battery ground cable. Deadly reasoned correctly it’d be unlikely Joey’d see what was wrong if he checked it out in the dark.

  Deadly had been following the couple after they left the dance at the high school on Front Street. Leaning lovingly against each other, the couple walked down to Water Street along the river, stopped at a park bench and sat down for a few minutes. Once in awhile the teen lovers kissed as they sat close together looking out at lights from Riverside sparkling across the water.

  Joey Beck and Shirley Adams. Deadly hated them. They were everything he wasn’t - popular, good-looking, and living with their natural parents.

  By choice, Deadly was alone, where he wanted to be, earning some cash and in charge of someone else’s fate. He didn’t want to go to the dance with the other students tonight. He didn’t like crowds. Girls only interested him for one thing. He was never going to marry one. He was sure of that. He didn’t understand this “being in love” thing other teenagers were experiencing, having never felt those emotions. Deadly felt nothing for anyone but himself. He lived for the high of being in control and manipulating others for what he could get out of them. He didn’t like hugs and kisses or any kind of affection. Not even from his adoptive parents - especially not from them since he knew they weren’t even related to him.

  His nights of spying on the young couple at Shirley’s home had been fun. He hung around in the dark, watching many of his classmates and neighbors. A couple of times he thought those nosey neighbors the Sams were watching him from their window seat. If he had to, he’d deal with them, too. They’d have it coming for sticking their noses into everyone else’s business.

  Deadly got excited observing others in secret as they lived out their lives, not knowing he was nearby. Sometimes he took items from them just for fun as he did in the local businesses. He had a stash under his bed of all kinds of things the stole. Tonight he was carrying a Bowie knife he’d shoplifted from a sporting goods store. “The owner deserved it,” Deadly would tell Cal. “He’s too stupid to keep his stuff from being stolen.”

  Deadly had an income so he didn’t have to steal, but he did it anyway for the excitement and the kicks. It gave him a great sense of superiority, believing he was too smart for anyone else to catch him at it. So far he’d been proven right. No one was aware of all the criminal activity he’d done in his young life. He was certain they’d never find out.

  Deadly knew Shirley had to be home by 11:00 PM so he assumed she and Joey were going somewhere to be alone when they’d left the dance. The timing of his moves tonight was important. He had it all planned out.

  Joey was concerned about his 10:00 PM rendezvous with Deadly. He didn’t like him. Joey thought he was evil, but Deadly had a way of making him feel he’d better do what he asked. Joey reluctantly agreed to meet him after telling D
eadly that whatever he had to show him had better be good. He decided he and Shirley would go to the school dance, enjoy the evening there and leave before 9:00 PM. That would give them plenty of time to get to the football field where his meeting was planned. He hadn’t told Shirley about it because she hated John Deadly and was afraid of him.

  After sitting on the bench awhile the couple got up and walked along the river. They could hear the hum of the old steel bridge as cars cruised back and forth from Danville to Riverside. The couple left the park and went up Ferry Street, past the library and turned down an alley beside the YMCA. It was dark and deserted. Every now and then, they’d stop and kiss, holding each other tightly.

  Deadly followed far enough behind them so he wouldn’t be seen. If they slowed down, he did too, staying close to the buildings. Once in awhile when he got near, he could hear them talking to each other.

  “Where are we going?” Shirley asked.

  “I just want to be alone with you for awhile before I have to meet someone.” He felt bad Shirley had to be out in the cold weather. “I’m sorry we have to walk because my car won’t start. I’ll hold you close to keep you warm.”

  Joey wanted to spend as much time with his girlfriend as possible, so decided to take her with him to the football field. He loved her a lot. Many nights, he’d plan their future together. College, marriage, children. He wanted it all for him and Shirley so he was careful to respect her parents’ curfew. Joey intended to be with Deadly for only a short while. He’d deal with him quickly and still have time to be with Shirley afterwards before she had to be home.

  Deadly was surprised when he saw the couple walking down West Mahoning Street instead of Joey taking Shirley to her home. Mr. Adams had said his daughter wouldn’t be out with Joey tonight This was unexpected and meant a change of plans..

  While Shirley’s presence was unplanned, Deadly thought having her with Joey was something he could easily handle. He liked challenges and was convinced he could deal with just about anything. Besides, Shirley would make the night more interesting for him. If she got in the way, it was their problem not his. He laughed to himself as he thought about asking for more money from Ken Adams since his daughter was now involved.