by Joan Rylen
The deputies looked at one another. Young said, “I think it’s best we wait for the coroner and crime scene techs to show up. They get pretty pissed when it comes to people trampling their scenes.”
“I’ve got to pee,” Kate said and started to stand up. “I’ll go down that way, so as to not trample anything.” She pointed in the opposite direction from where Wendy and Lucy had gone.
“I doubt you’ll be here much longer, but I do need to get everyone’s contact information before you take off,” Young said, helping Kate to her feet. She quickly gave it to him. “The coroner is usually pretty quick, so be on the lookout. He’s a maniac on a bike.”
“Thank you,” Kate said.
“Vivian can give you my info,” Lucy called to Young. “I’m going with Kate. Buddy system.” The two headed downhill. “We’ll be back.”
Wendy gave Young her contact information, then Vivian gave him hers and Lucy’s. As she finished, she said, “I can’t imagine y’all have a lot of crime out here.”
“We have the same stuff the big cities have, just less of it, but finding a jawbone and possibly more of the skeleton, now that doesn’t happen every day. We haven’t had anything like this in the 15 years I’ve been with the department.”
“What about any missing persons?” Wendy asked.
Young knitted his eyebrows and paused before responding. “We had a teen go missing about eight years ago. Never found him. Then there was one woman who went missing about five years ago. We never could figure out if she just ran off and left her husband or if there was foul play.”
Before Wendy could ask any more questions, the whine of more dirt bike engines could be heard. Stokola and Young turned their attention down mountain and waved when two more bikes were visible.
Kate and Lucy rejoined the group just as the bikes pulled to a stop alongside the others. The riders got off, both wearing backpacks. Stokola introduced them as Brian Moreno, the coroner, and Jamie Doda, crime scene tech and photographer. Moreno was briefed by the deputies while Doda listened and got her camera out of her backpack. She pulled her long, sleek brown hair into a ponytail, then both officers put on gloves and yellow crime-scene booties over their boots.
Moreno pushed a small, bright orange flag in the ground beside the jaw, and the photographer got to work taking pictures.
“Done,” Doda said after several clicks. “I need to get video, too.” She backed up and walked around the area, talking into her camera. Eventually she walked closer to the bone, zooming in, then turned and gave a thumbs up.
Moreno turned to the girls. “Can you take us to the spot the dog led you to earlier? We don’t need you to stay, just show us the area.”
Lucy reached to take Austin’s leash from Vivian. “I think I could find it again, but it would be best if he led the way.”
Vivian didn’t want to be separated from her friends again, especially now that the cops were there, and she held tight to Austin’s leash. “Is it okay if we all go?”
“Sure,” Stokola said, so the group took off, leaving only Young behind with the jaw.
On the way up mountain, the coroner, Moreno, said, “I can’t have my crime scene jeopardized, so please show us the tree but stay back. In fact, you’re probably free to leave after this. Stokola?”
She nodded. “If we need anything else from you, you’ll hear from Deputy Young or me.”
Austin started pulling harder on the leash, dragging Vivian along. Kate lingered behind. The tree with its roots exposed stood out from the others, and Vivian could see where Austin had been digging. Goosebumps covered her arms, although the temperature hadn’t changed.
Wendy pointed to the tree and stopped walking. “That’s it.” She looked at the coroner. “I hope you’re able to find something.” She turned to Stokola. “Especially if the person has been missing.”
“We’ll do our best,” Stokola responded. “You girls can go now. Thank you for calling this in. I know it’s not how you wanted to spend your afternoon.”
“It wasn’t what we had in mind when we started out, but we’re happy to help,” Vivian said, and then the girls turned to leave.
“Just to confirm,” Moreno called. “You didn’t recover any bones from this site?”
Wendy sighed. “No, but do you mind if we stay over here and watch you work? We won’t get in the way or interrupt you.”
“You don’t want to stay for this,” Moreno said. “We’ll do a grid search in addition to digging around the tree. It’s a long, tedious process. You’ll be bored to tears.”
“You’re probably right,” Wendy said and turned to leave.
Vivian grabbed her arm. “I don’t think we want to see what turns up. I’m done with body parts for the day, thank you!”
12
The girls hadn’t gone twenty feet before a muscular, mid-thirties, sandy blond guy approached. He moved with agility, and his hiking boots looked well worn. His Red Hot Chili Peppers T-shirt was ripped on the side, and Vivian could see part of the six-pack that lay beneath.
He nodded to the girls as he passed. “Good afternoon.”
Vivian stopped to look at his backside. Baggy, khaki cargo shorts hid his rear, but muscular calves indicated nice muscles farther north.
“You digging for dinosaur bones, Stokola?” he teased. “I heard Young’s call on the radio and figured you could use some volunteers for this one.”
Stokola greeted the man with a handshake and a shoulder hug. “Larson, good to see you. I think we can probably use your help. We’ve got a jaw with a silver filling, and I suspect there’s more to be found.” She tucked some stray strands of hair back into place and fluffed the back. “Could be scattered around. The dog was digging at the roots of that tree.”
“So they found the bone?” Larson asked and glanced in the girls’ direction.
Vivian gave a little wave and smiled.
Larson and Stokola talked a few more minutes before he wandered over to the girls, who hadn’t left as instructed.
“Who was the lucky girl playing fetch with the golden retriever?” he said with a grin.
Vivian raised her hand. “Me, and I may never play fetch with my dog again. I’m too afraid of what I’ll get back.”
Austin loped up to Larson who bent down and scratched behind the dog’s ears, flopping them around. Larson’s voice turned playful. “Who’s a good boy? Who deserves a treat for finding the bone?”
Austin started licking Larson in the face and almost trampled him to the ground.
Larson stood, wiping his face on his sleeve, and patted Austin’s side. He looked at Vivian. “He was just doing what was natural, digging, chomping on bones.”
“It’s just best when they’re not human,” Lucy said.
The girls laughed and Kate made introductions, Austin included. “We’re visiting and thought a hike would be just what we needed today. You know, take in the fall foliage, get some exercise, help with a police investigation, that sort of thing.”
Vivian looked toward Moreno who was excavating the dirt under the roots with a small shovel, then looked at Larson, who was still petting Austin. “We got more out of this hike than we bargained for, but things are definitely looking up.”
Larson laughed. “You never know what you’ll find out here. I love to hike and I’ve found some interesting things over the years. You’ve got to heed the Boy Scout motto and always be prepared.”
“So you heard Deputy Young’s call?” Wendy asked. “Are you a police officer?”
“No, I’m a volunteer fireman. We’re part of search and rescue, and we pitch in with emergencies or situations like this.”
“What is there for you to pitch in and do?” Lucy asked.
Larson pointed up mountain to where the crime scene tape had been hung in a 30-foot radius around the tree. Doda was busy taking pictures while Moreno pulled tools out of his bag. Five more guys arrived and started setting up big spotlights and running extension cords to a generator.
“You’ll work all night even though this isn’t a fresh crime?” Vivian asked.
“It’s freshly found, and we have to gather all of the evidence and info as quickly as we can,” Larson said. “I’ll probably go from here directly to work in the morning for a half day because I have an event tomorrow with the fire department. Good thing I’m off from both the day after that.”
“What do you do?” Kate asked.
“I’m a line repairman for the electric company.”
Vivian cringed outwardly and inwardly. “I can’t function without sleep. I don’t see how you do it.”
“Doesn’t happen often. I’ll sleep in the day after tomorrow, although the weather should still be warm enough to take the boat out on the lake. Will you still be in town? Want to go?”
The girls looked at each other. “Sure, that sounds like fun!” Vivian said. “Wear your fireman outfit. I can’t resist a man in uniform.”
Larson looked at Vivian with a mischievous twinkle. “Give me your number and I’ll get you details tomorrow.” They exchanged numbers, then he said, “I’d better get to work. I might be here as a volunteer, but Moreno treats me like he pays me a six-figure salary.” He laughed, gave Austin a final pat on the head, then winked at Vivian as he walked off.
Lucy slapped herself in the forehead. “Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. We find a piece of a decomposed body and you’re ready to make out with the first hiker to come along.”
Vivian grinned. “He wasn’t just any hiker. Did you see his legs? I bet his ass is picture perfect.”
Groans all around.
“What? I’m single!”
“Just making the best of a bad situation, huh?” Lucy butt-bumped her. “Come on, let’s move.”
The girls passed the crime scene techs who had begun to lay out a grid; two worked in one quadrant, while two others worked in another. Doda took pictures while Larson and the techs got started digging in another section. Two more sheriff deputies arrived along with three men in street clothes, and Moreno put them all to work on the grid. The girls watched the action a few minutes until Kate said, “I’d like to use a real toilet the next time I feel the need. Can we head back?”
Larson bent over as Vivian admired. He straightened and she turned to leave. She giggled as they headed down the mountain. “Did y’all see the size of his feet?”
Lucy rolled her eyes. “I didn’t pay attention to his feet.”
Vivian looked around at them and grinned. She just couldn’t help herself. “I bet that fireman has a big hose.”
13
The girls hiked past Deputy Young, who looked bored babysitting the jawbone, and down the mountain to the car without incident. No more porcupines, tricky streams or body parts, though Austin sniffed the tracks of several somethings and left his mark on the mountain more than once. Vivian didn’t want to find out what the somethings were, so she held his leash firmly until they got to the trailhead.
“I’m looking forward to a long, hot bath,” she said. “When the water cools, I’m going to drain the tub and fill it again.”
“I’m ready for a nice, mellow bottle of wine,” Wendy said. “At a minimum.”
Lucy rubbed her cheek. “I can’t wait to use my Clarisonic. Wash off the jawbone funk.”
“You didn’t even touch it, Lucy,” Kate said. “I’m just looking forward to using a real toilet. Is that too much to ask?” She dug in the right-hand pocket of her red North Face jacket, then in the left pocket. She patted her pants pockets before saying, “Uh, guys, I can’t find the car key. Did I give it to someone to keep track of on the hike?”
“I don’t think so,” Wendy said, patting her pockets.
Vivian and Lucy checked theirs, too, and Lucy checked her CamelBak and backpack.
“Nothing,” Lucy reported. “Do you think you could have dropped it on the trail?”
“I hope not.” Kate looked back at the trail and shook her head.
“Maybe it’s in the car,” Vivian said.
Wendy peered through the passenger window to their rental. “Yep, there it is. Right there on the seat.” She tried the door handle. “Locked. We just need a slim jim or something similar. We can pop the lock.”
“At least it’s not lost,” Kate said, relieved.
Vivian looked toward several sheriff cruisers parked close together. A deputy stood outside one of them. “I’ll be right back.”
The officer strode to Vivian as she approached. His name tag read Dawson. She smiled and said, “Hi, there, we seem to have locked our keys in the car. Would you happen to have a slim jim?”
He looked over her shoulder to the other three girls standing outside the SUV. Kate turned to the side, showing off her baby bump. Austin wagged his tail.
“I sure don’t, ma’am,” he said and reached for his radio, “but let me call someone for you.” He told dispatch he needed a locksmith pronto. He turned back to the girls. “We don’t want you stranded out here. Strange things have been known to happen on this stretch of road.”
Kate, who had been watching Austin sniff a pile of leaves, snapped her head toward Dawson. “What sort of strange things?”
He shook his head and sighed. “Oh, I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s just a legend, but I’d feel better if you were out of here before dark.”
Vivian took a step closer to the SUV, wishing she could somehow transport herself through the door. “Is there a giant man-eating bear in these woods?”
“It’s Bigfoot, isn’t it?” Lucy asked. “There’s a show on Discovery Channel, I’ve been watching it. I knew he existed!”
Dawson looked solemn. “No Bigfoot, but what I’ve heard is just as scary. Years ago a young woman was sexually assaulted, beaten, then dragged behind a car ’til she died. People swear her ghost runs up and down this stretch of road at night, screaming to get away from her attacker. No one in their right mind walks or bikes through here at night.”
Vivian took in a sharp breath. “Oh my god! Did they catch the guy?”
“Yes, and he hinted, but never confessed, to murdering several others. Though they investigated some missing persons cases, the detectives were never able to prove anything.”
Vivian shivered. “We won’t be out here at night, you can count on that.”
A white paneled van with JD Locksmith painted in navy block letters stopped behind the girls’ SUV. A tall guy with a beer gut, brown hair and a scraggly goatee got out and walked over. “Did you call for a locksmith?” he asked.
He and Dawson shook hands. “Hi, Jeremy, this is the vehicle we need you to pop the locks on.”
Jeremy peered into the driver’s window, then opened the back doors on his van and dug around. He came back with a deflated bag with a tube coming off one end and a black ball on the other end to pump it up. In his other hand, he held a long, thin rod with a hook on one end. The girls stood back as he pried the window away from the frame enough to slide the flattened bag through. He then began pumping the black ball, and the bag separated the window and frame wide enough for him to slide the thin rod through. He hooked one edge of the driver’s lock and gently pulled it back toward him. The rod slipped a few times, but he had the door unlocked in less than a minute.
“Wow, that’s impressive,” Vivian said. “I’ve never seen a thing like that. Good work.”
Jeremy tipped an imaginary hat to her and opened the car door. “Hope you don’t need my services again, but here’s a card in case you do.” He reached in his front pocket and handed a card to Lucy, who stood closest to him. “I perform other services as well.”
Lucy turned red and took the card but didn’t have a comeback other than, “What do we owe you?”
“Let’s see, for 45 seconds work, plus gas, let’s say fifty bucks.”
“You take credit cards?” Lucy
asked.
“Nah. I’ve been meaning to get that Square card swiper, but haven’t. How about I give you my ‘damsel in distress’ discount. Shall we say twenty bucks?”
Lucy pulled a twenty out of her backpack and handed it to him. “You’re sweet. Thanks.”
Jeremy laughed and walked back to his van. “Enjoy your stay,” he called, then got in his van and drove away.
The girls said goodbye to Deputy Dawson, and Kate got behind the wheel. She drove to the nearest gas station for a pit stop. Once back in the car, she said, “We’d better go by the shelter and drop Austin off.” She put it into drive and pulled in front of the shelter a few minutes later.
The faint glow of a computer screen was the only light coming from the front window. Vivian hopped out of the SUV. “I’ll go see if anyone’s here, just in case.” The door was locked, so she knocked and waited a minute. No answer. She got back in the SUV. “Guess we’re bringing a boy home tonight. Hope Tracy and Brandon don’t mind.”
Kate pointed the car toward Turlington Farms. “He’s so cute, I bet they won’t.”
14
Tracy greeted the girls as they got out of the car. Austin was the last to emerge. “Hi, there,” she said. “And who is this?” she asked, scratching under his chin and rubbing his head.
Wendy explained that they’d ended up with the shelter dog a little longer than anticipated. “Is it okay if he stays the night?”
“Sure he can. I’ve got some scraps he’ll enjoy. I’ll go get him a bowl of water, too.”
Before she turned around, she took in their appearance. “Are you girls okay?”
“I’m heading up,” Kate said and started up the porch. “I need a shower.”
“Right behind ya,” Lucy said.
