THIRTEEN
The sun was filtering in through the blinds in the front room. I had slept on the couch with my clothes on. I had been too tired to even make it to the bedroom. My hair was matted down and I had all kinds of gunk in my eyes when I finally managed to sit up.
I wobbled into the bathroom and wondered who had plastered a picture of the Wicked Witch of the West on my mirror. Was I actually that shade of green? I decided my only hope of looking half way decent was to take a shower.
I let the hot water run over my head and down my aching body for a good fifteen minutes before I felt like I just might live. After drying off and doing something with my hair, I almost looked human. Someone must have taken down the picture so I could see a girl who looked a little more like Angie Bartoni reflected in the mirror.
I brushed my teeth, flossed, and did my other girly things. After all I was now seeing Ben fairly regularly and I couldn’t be a slob all the time. I even put on some blush and a little more lipstick than usual. Good Lord. I almost looked like a girl.
This Angie still does not wear low cut blouses, tight skirts or high-heels like those bozos on television. No latex jumpsuits either. Every time I see a show with some woman in one of those I have to ask myself, is that for real? How hot is it inside one of those things? How stupid do they think we are? Oh wait, I know the answer to that.
I headed out, fired up the Austin Healy and drove back to the office. Traffic was a bear. Everyone was in a hurry. The Indianapolis 500 Pole Day time trials were tomorrow so I guess everyone wanted to get things done today and knock off early.
I, on the other hand, didn’t really mind. I was just enjoying the day with the top down, puttering along. One guy was on my bumper for several blocks and was getting annoyed at my speed I guess. At the next stoplight he pulled up beside me.
“You drive like an old fart,” he yelled.
I held up my badge and just smiled.
He rolled his window back up and made a quick turn. Problem solved.
The press was six deep when I got to the station. They had all learned about the Miller’s confession and wanted a blow by blow account. I fought my way through the crowd and finally made it inside.
“What a zoo,” the desk Sargent said.
“Morning Allen. Those people have no manners.”
“Tell me about it. They were here at 6:00 a.m. Dan had to shove a couple of them out of his way.”
“Dan’s in?”
“Came in a few minutes ago.”
I headed upstairs to find Dan at his desk with his usual cup of coffee. I made a beeline to the coke machine and got my Diet Coke.
“Quite some night,” Dan said.
“You look like hell,” I replied.
“Couldn’t sleep. I can’t believe we actually got Kenny Miller to confess.”
“Well we did and it was good police work.”
“Yeah on your part.”
“Our part. We are in this together. I though you realized that by now,” I replied.
“Doggone Angie, I still have so much to learn. How you developed your instincts is beyond me.”
“Some of it is gut, some of it is experience and some of it is pure luck.”
“I don’t know if I will ever be able to handle situations like you do.”
“Dan, you don’t have to. You handle them your own way, like you did with those two morons in the cafe. You reacted as you thought best and it worked beautifully. I might have done something different. In fact I would have. I couldn’t knock that guy out like you did.”
He just sighed deeply. Just then my phone rang.
“Detective...”
“It’s me.”
“Oh, hi Ben.”
“Say, this has been some sensational week you’ve had. First the robbery and now you got Miller. I am constantly amazed at you, Angie Bartoni.”
“Why thank you Doctor Warman.”
“So, are you freed up now?”
“Not quite. I still have the teenage girl’s murderer on the loose out there. I should have more time, however. Like maybe tonight if you’re up for it?”
“I’m sure I can be,” he said.
“Stop it. You’re making me blush,” I said whispering.
“What time and where?”
“You pick and let me know. I’ll be ready.”
“How about just a pizza and some wine. Nothing elaborate,” Ben said.
“You eat pizza? Do you even own a pair of jeans?”
“Sort of. I mean I could get some, I guess.”
“Just kidding. How about Giadarios at 7:30 p.m.?” I said.
“I’ll be there unless you want me to come pick you up.”
“I think I should meet you just in case I am running a little late.”
“7:30 then. Love you.”
“See you there,” I said.
Damn it. I did it again. Would someone please slap the crap out of me and get my head on straight. This man is wonderful and I’m being an idiot.
FOURTEEN
“It’s about time you woke up Heather,” the man said standing over her.
Nothing made sense. She remembered going to get the flashlight then...oh my God. He hit the back of her head and then she was sliding down the side of the van. For the first time she realized that she was naked and strapped to a bed. The guy standing over her had on some stupid mask. Did he really think he was Batman?
“Who are you?” she said, trying to keep her voice calm.
“Your friend, your companion, your teacher, I am your everything my darling Heather.”
“How do you know who I am?”
“Kids are so dumb. You think you are immortal, that nothing can ever happen to you. Like parking your car so far out where there is no light. I mean, that is just plain dumb.”
“I have to park in that lot.”
“True, but you always want to park near the path to the band field to save a few precious steps. Of course that is the area with the least lighting. So you risk your safety to save twenty yards of walking.”
“Look, just let me go. I won’t tell anyone. I promise.’
“I love that line. Please just let me go. I promise I won’t tell anyone. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard that I would be rich.”
“Please. My mom had a heart attack just a month ago. If something happens to me she will die,” Heather pleaded.
“And that means what to me? Nothing, that’s what. Unless...”
“What. What do you want?”
“I want you to do as you are told. I want you to say the things I tell you to say. Say them like you really mean it. I want you to treat me with the respect I deserve.”
“I can do that. I will if that’s what you want. Please. All I ask is that you let me live. Will you do that?” Heather pleaded.
“You must be convincing.”
“I will. I’ve been in two school plays. I am really good at doing what I’m told to do,” she insisted.
“I guess we can always see. I’m not promising anything just yet. What happens depends totally upon you. If you don’t do as I tell you or whine and balk then that will be on you. Do you understand?”
“I do. Just tell me what you want me to do.”
“Well I think I would like to see some of your cheerleading drills.”
“My what?”
“You know. Your cheerleading routines.”
“That’s all?” Heather asked.
“That’s all for now. Why don’t you show me how you cheer for the crowd at the games,” he said and started taking the straps off of her.
“Oh, and one more thing. If you dare to try and run it will bring a very harsh punishment. You do not want to see me get upset.”
“Okay. Some music would help,” she said.
“Sorry, no music but don’t let that stop you. I’m sure I’m going to enjoy it.”
**
“Detective Roberts,” I heard Dan say.
“Really? I see. Wh
en? No, that’s really good police work. We will be right there,” he said hanging up.
“What’s up?”
“Looks like we have another abduction. Sixteen year old Heather Armstrong never made it home from cheerleading last night. Her dad found her car in the lot with the valve stem cut off. Her backpack was still sitting in her car.”
“You get the car, I’ll let the captain know and meet you downstairs.
“Got it.”
I headed to the captain’s office and interrupted a conversation with Dell.”
“Excuse me Bartoni. Does my talking bother you so much that you can’t wait until I am finished?”
“Captain we have another missing girl, same age, same High School.”
His mouth dropped open and he just looked at me. Evidently it was okay to interrupt him.
“Damn it! I am so sick of these perverts. Alright, get the alert out and I’ll notify the other agencies.”
“Okay. We are on our way to talk to the parents.”
“Let me know what’s happening,” he said.
“Always do,” I answered as I headed down to meet Dan.
It was a beautiful day with hardly a cloud in the sky. The wind had a little chill to it but all in all it was a nice spring day. I jumped in the car and off Dan went. While he drove I put the address in the onboard GPS.
“Not too far from here. Walker Drive. That’s what, maybe a mile from where Alyssa lived?” I said.
“Not much further than that. Evidently this girl is slightly older. Sixteen according to the parents.”
“Man, we have to get this guy. It’s only been a few days since we found Alyssa. I think he is on a roll,” I said.
“Hopefully someone saw something while she was at practice.”
“We can always hope. We need to do a background check to see if any other state has had similar occurrences. It just seems strange that the abductions would begin all of a sudden.”
“Maybe he just snapped and has lost control,” Dan suggested.
“I don’t think so. He is pretty well organized. Plans them out rather than picking a target of opportunity. That means he has probably done this before someplace else. That may not do us one bit of good but it couldn’t hurt to inquire.”
Twenty minutes later we pulled up in front of the Andersons’ home. I was thankful that no news trucks were there. Only the one police cruiser was parked in the driveway. Smart cops. I liked them already. They had even called it in over the landline to keep anyone from listening in.
We knocked and were immediately let in by a big Sargent Cotter according to his name tag.
“Hey Sargent, thanks for getting ahold of us. Nice job.”
“Thanks. This is my partner, Lenny Striker.”
“Nice to meet you Lenny. You both did an excellent job of keeping this on the down low.”
“Are you the detectives?” a rail thin woman asked, coming up to us and putting her hand on my arm.
“Yes ma’am. You are Heather’s mother?”
“Yes. Heather is such a good girl. She always comes home right on time. We knew she would be a little later. Thursday nights are always the longest because they have to rehearse with the band members.”
“I see. And when did you decide to report her missing?”
“I called 911 at 11:00 o’clock. I told them my daughter had not returned home. They shifted me to Missing Persons. They said they couldn’t do anything for 48 hours. Can you imagine having to wait 48 hours to find out if someone will start looking for your child? Aren’t most crimes more difficult to solve after 48 hours? So how is this going to help get my Heather back?” she asked.
Man. Talk about a rock and a hard place. She was right. We really do try to put a great deal of effort into the first 48 hours. The solve rate takes a significant drop for every hour after that.
“Mrs. Armstrong what we really need to concentrate on is getting Heather back as quickly as possible. Is Mr. Armstrong here?”
“Yes. He is sitting at the kitchen table. Why don’t you come on back,” she said.
“Thanks guys. Please get me a copy of your report when you can,” I told the officers and released them.
Mr. Armstrong was almost as big as Dan. He had huge arms that looked like ham hocks. I saw Dan kind of raise his eyebrows.
“I’m detective...”
“I don’t mean to be rude,” he interrupted, “But I really don’t care who you are. All I want from you is to find my daughter and get her back home. That would be the best thing for everyone concerned. Like I said, I don’t intend to be rude but believe me, who you are matters little to me. All I want to know is, can you do your job before I become involved.”
“Sir, I know you are upset and have every right to be. One thing I can tell you is that we really are good at what we do. I don’t know and can’t promise that we can save Heather but I do know we will give it a hundred and ten percent. What I can tell you for sure is that we will find the guy and we will put him down,” I said looking into his eyes.
He looked back at me then nodded his head.
“Have a seat,” he said at last.
FIFTEEN
“Boy, I really feel for them,” Dan said as we left the Armstrong house.
“Even though we say the words about how we understand what they are going through it isn’t exactly the same thing.”
“Poor Mrs. Armstrong. She looks like a good wind would blow her away. This certainly can’t help much,” Dan said.
“You’re right but don’t for one minute think that it didn’t impact Mr. Armstrong just as much. I know he is a big strong guy but right now he is dead on the inside,”
“Then we need to get their daughter back to them.”
“Amen to that,” I replied.
When we got back to the station I called the lab and lit a fire under their butts to get anything they had processed a.s.a.p. So far everything was still in boxes.
“Hey Dan. Let’s run out to the abduction site. I want to look around.”
“CSI has already hauled Heather’s car in.”
“I know but I want to take a look around for myself.”
“Sure. It beats paperwork and being cooped up in here,” he said.
We drove out to the High School and parked in the back lot.
“They need more lights and video cameras out in the lot,” I told Dan.
“I agree but you know what the problem is.”
“Money,” I said.
“Yep. We can spend billions on a new plane that may or may not get approved but we can’t afford to fund education the way it should be. No wonder we are falling further and further behind the rest of the world. We are so short sighted. These kids are the future, not some experimental government program. Someone said if the government was put in charge of sand the Sahara Desert would run out in less than five years. They manage to mess up everything they touch,” Dan said.
That was a lot of pontification for Dan. This must really bug him but he was right.
We got out and just walked side by side for forty of fifty yards out and back to the lot. We did that probably ten or twelve times and found all kinds of useless items. Pens, pencils, and some things I didn’t want to touch. It was on our last trip that something caught my eye.
“Hey,” I said to Dan, “Over here.”
“That looks like a phone battery.”
“Yes it does. Go get an evidence bag and gloves. I want to bag it to have it checked for fingerprints.”
“You think that is why they can’t get a signal on Heather’s cell phone?” Dan asked heading for the car.
“It can’t hurt to have it checked out.
When he came back I put the gloves on and put the battery in the evidence bag and noted its location, time, date of discovery, and Dan’s and my name. It gave us new hope so we made another five passes before we finally gave up. By now it was getting late and the light was fading.
On our way to the station we stopped down at
the lab and gave then the battery. I looked at my watch. I needed to get a move on if I was going to meet Ben on time. I went to the locker room and changed into jeans and a casual sweater. I had brought a necklace but decided against it after studying it in the mirror. It was too big and flashy for what I had on. I slipped into a pair of open toe, wedge sandals. I refreshed my blush and lipstick, took my hair out of its ponytail and brushed it out.
I certainly wasn’t going to make the cover of a fashion magazine but it wasn’t all that bad either. I headed out to meet Ben.
When I got downstairs Sargent Allen yelled out, “Looking good Bartoni,” as I walked by.
“Thank you kind sir,” I replied.
“Hey, I’m serious. You really look good.”
“I appreciate it. Have a good one.”
“Looks like you might as well,” he said laughing as I blushed and headed out the door.
I hopped into my Healy and headed off to meet Ben. I saw his car when I pulled into the lot. I glanced at my watch. I was right on time. I pulled the tonneau cover over the Healy’s interior and went inside.
He saw me when I came in and waved me over. I slipped in across from him.
“Wow. You look great,” he said.
“It’s the candlelight.”
“I don’t think so. Boy, you have been really busy. I’ve seen you on the television more than in real life. Even the newspapers had yours and Dan’s pictures in them almost every day.”
“Well one thing I can tell you for sure, that stuff isn’t helping us one bit when it comes to finding Heather Armstrong.”
“She is the latest victim?”
“Yes. She was snatched from the parking lot at her high school. They don’t have enough lighting or any security cameras in that area. It was a prime spot to grab someone if that’s your thing.”
“I read that the school was pretty freaked out. Two girls abducted just a few days apart. Parents are up in arms.”
“I can’t say that I blame them. I would be too if I had a daughter at that school.”
“Any clues at all?” he asked.
“So far we have nothing. One girl said she thought she saw a van near where Heather had parked but didn’t know the make, model, or even the color. It was too dark.”
ONE TOO MANY - ANGIE BARTONI CASE FILE #9 Page 6
