Deadfall

by Patricia H. Rushford

  “Can you dispose of our test project, Chris?” Mac leaned over and shook the excess water from his head.

  “No problem. I have a place where the coyotes come to dine.

  They’ll enjoy the change from rotten game evidence.”They loaded the carcass back into the Ford pickup, and the detectives again thanked Chris for his help.

  “Let’s get cleaned up, Mac.” Kevin glanced at his watch. “We’ll need to hustle if we’re going to make our four o’clock with Mrs.

  Gaynes.”

  “This will be tough.” Mac pressed his foot to the pedal, moving the speedometer up to seventy-five.

  “Tough? In what way?”

  Mac sighed. “The family has been through so much. Now that we know their son has been shot, we’re going to have to interview them from the angle of a murder investigation. We need to find out if anyone they know owns or has access to a .357 handgun.”

  20

  DANA ANSWERED THE DOOR at the Gayneses’ home when Mac and Kevin arrived. She was wearing a faded pair of jeans and a sweatshirt with the department logo on the front. Her hair, usually tucked neatly in her campaign hat, hung loose around her shoulders. Mac caught himself staring, which would have been okay if Kevin hadn’t noticed. His partner gave him a knowing smile.

  “I hope you don’t mind my being here, guys.” Dana ushered them inside and closed the door. “The family asked me to stay.”

  “The family?” Kevin asked. “More than the parents?”

  “Yes. Brad’s sister, Rachael Skinner, is here, along with her husband, Kip. Vicki asked them both to come so you could talk to all of them at once.”

  “The sister and her husband know Brad’s dead, don’t they?”

  Mac asked. “And that we recovered the body?”

  “Yes, but they don’t know the details about the bullet or the condition of the body.” Dana looked from Kevin to Mac. “Do you have any suspects yet?”

  “Several possibilities. Nothing firm. We haven’t eliminated anyone.” In fact, they’d barely gotten started. Kevin had scanned the reports during their drive back into Portland, highlighting incidents for Mac, most of which he’d already heard.

  “Come on back. They’re waiting in the kitchen.” Dana led the way through the entryway into the kitchen and introduced the detectives.

  Brad’s parents were seated at the table with the younger couple. A plate of cookies sat next to a floral centerpiece. Placemats held napkins and cups.

  “Welcome, detectives. Please sit down,” Vicki said.

  Dana plucked her jacket off the back of one of the chairs.

  Rachael, who was holding a baby, offered Mac a wan smile. She wore no makeup, and the blotches around her eyes left no doubt that she’d been crying. “You helped with the search.”

  “Only the first day, I’m afraid.”

  “What’s the little one’s name?” Kevin asked, looking as though he wanted to pick up the kid and cuddle him.

  “Michael.”

  “Hey there, Michael.” Kevin bent down and gave the kid an animated smile. “How old is he?”

  “A year last week,” Rachael answered. “I need to put him down for a nap. I’ll just be a minute.” She let Michael wave good-bye to his audience before leaving the room.

  “Can I get you something to drink?” Todd asked. “We have a fresh pot of coffee and some cold drinks.”

  “I won’t turn down a cup of coffee.” Kevin pulled out one of the six chairs.

  “Sure, I’ll take a cup. Black, please.” Mac took the empty chair between Kevin and Todd.

  “Would you like anything more, Dana?”

  “No thanks; I’m good.” She lifted what looked like a glass of cola from the table and took a sip. With no available chairs, Dana claimed a stool at the island that separated the kitchen from the eating area. A gas fire made the adjoining family room look warm and cozy. The television set was tuned into a sports channel, but the sound had been turned off. Mac noticed that Kip had the remote at his elbow. He tried to remember if the Blazers were playing. He hadn’t been keeping up lately.

  From the looks of the son-in-law, Kip had done some playing in his high school and college years. He was stocky and about six-two. He confirmed Mac’s suspicions when the talk turned to football and Kip confessed his affiliation with the Oregon Ducks.

  By the time Rachael returned, they all had their coffee. Rachael settled into the chair next to Vicki and held her mother’s hand.

  Vicki sighed. “I guess we should get started. I asked Rachael and Kip to come so we could all get an update and share some of our suspicions with you.”

  “Sounds fair enough.” Mac placed his briefcase on the table and opened it. “As you know, Brad’s disappearance last November has been a mystery to the Oregon law enforcement community for some time. My partner and I have secured the reports from the sheriff ’s office in Hood River County and are familiar with the extensive search conducted at the location where he was reportedly last seen by his girlfriend.” Mac said.

  “Jessica,” Rachael said with venom in her voice. “Her name is Jessica Turner.”

  “Right.”

  “Detective.” Vicki placed a hand on her daughter’s arm. “We’re painfully aware of the reports. I’ve read them so often I can recite them by heart.”

  Mac glanced over at Dana. Her understanding brown eyes put him at ease. “Yes, well . . . Regretfully, Brad was still missing up until yesterday and was presumed to be deceased by way of accidental death or a possible suicide. Yesterday the state police recov-ered Brad’s body in the Columbia River in North Portland. We identified him through his fingerprints and have come to the conclusion he died as a result of criminal homicide.”

  “Criminal homicide?” Rachael stared at him. “What does that mean?”

  Kip got up and stood behind Rachael, hands on her shoulders. He said, “It means someone killed him, honey.”

  “Any unnatural death is considered a homicide by definition,” Kevin told them. “In this case, we believe Brad’s death was caused by criminal means. We think someone murdered Brad by shooting him with a large-caliber handgun. Of course, there is the possibility of an accident or unusual circumstance. Hunting season was in full swing when Brad disappeared.”

  “You’re saying a hunter may have accidentally shot him?”Todd ran a thumb up and down the side of his cup.

  “It’s possible, though there is no evidentiary basis for anything other than murder right now.”

  “I knew Brad would never take his own life, Mom. We all knew.” Rachael reached up and grabbed hold of Kip’s hand.

  “Without going into too many details, there’s no evidence Brad committed suicide or ever went over Wah-kella Falls. There was no trace evidence on the body to support a self-inflicted gunshot wound, though we have no evidence to conclusively rule it out either. However, we feel that’s unlikely.”

  “Where was he shot?” Todd asked.

  “We’d rather not release that information right now, Mr. Gaynes,” Mac answered. “We like to keep details like that inside the department.”

  “Understood.” Todd said the word but didn’t look like he understood at all.

  “Detective.” Vicki leaned forward, arms on the table. “How do you know he didn’t go over the falls?”

  Before he could answer, Rachael asked, “And how did Brad get into the Columbia River?”

  “The wounds on his body are not consistent with a fall from that height,” Mac explained. “We’ve determined that in all likelihood, the creek could not have transported a man of his size down to the river. Also, the falls and creek are above Bonneville Dam on the river. There would be little chance that Brad’s body would be found intact if he were to have gone through the dam. In fact, if he had gone through the turbines, we’d probably still be looking for him.”

  The horror reflected on their faces made Mac wish he could take the last comment back. These people didn’t need to know that. “I’m sorry.” He sighed.
“This is some pretty raw information and may not be something you want to hear right now.”

  “Don’t be sorry, Mac,” Todd assured him. “We want as many details as you can give us.”

  “Please, go on. Tell us everything, Detective,” Vicki answered.

  “This is why I wanted us all together.”

  “Outside of knowing your son was killed, all we really have are theories at this point.” Kevin’s comment reminded Mac that Brad may have been killed by a family member.

  “Can you explain why it took so long to find him?” Kip asked.

  “Um . . . assuming he was killed the day or week he was reported missing?”

  “The Columbia River is vast. There are countless possibilities, but the one thing science can tell us for sure is that Brad’s body was consistent with someone who had been in the water for some time.”

  “I heard he was nude.” Rachael held her mug with both hands and stared at the contents. “Why? Where were his clothes?”

  “Where did you hear that?” Mac cut a quick look at Dana, who shook her head to verify it wasn’t from her.

  “I told her,” Vicki said. “The medical examiner’s office called me today and asked about making arrangements for Brad’s funeral. They said he had no personal effects and had arrived at the morgue without any clothing.”

  Kevin nodded, obviously a little perturbed that they had released pertinent information. “We don’t want that kind of information to get out, in the event there is some clothing evidence out there. We especially don’t want the media to know and then have the evidence disappear. We don’t plan on doing a press release on this yet. We want the killer to continue to think the body is at the bottom of the river.” He paused and took a sip of his coffee. “On the matter of the clothing, though, it is entirely possible the bloating of the body or the river current tore the clothing from his body. Water victims often are recovered nude, even ones who have tight clothing like jeans or neckties.”

  “I think we’ve heard enough.” Rachael pinched her lips together. “What I want to know now is where you’re planning to go from here. I mean, it’s been two months. Isn’t the trail going to be cold?”

  Mac got a nod from Kevin to go ahead. “You’re right to a certain extent. We are at least two months behind. We don’t know much about Brad, so we have to learn everything we can about him rather quickly. We already have a great deal of background from the county reports. We know he was an accomplished skier and was living up in the Mount Hood area with Jessica. On the forensics side, we know the caliber of weapon that inflicted the wound; in fact, we possess the bullet and will be able to compare it if we obtain a suspect weapon.”

  “Assuming there is something to compare it to.” Todd leaned back in his chair.

  “That is a concern, Mr. Gaynes. Hopefully it’s not twenty feet underwater or sawed up and dumped.”

  Kevin cleared his throat as a signal to Mac to back off. They needed to be careful not to give the family members any ideas. They couldn’t eliminate anyone at the table or within Brad’s circle of friends without a thorough investigation. The truth was always stranger than fiction. Kevin had experienced meetings with grieving family members before, only to end up arresting one of them down the road. “The topic of the firearm leads me to ask a rather uncomfortable question,” Kevin said. “Do any of you own a handgun?”

  Rachael and Kip looked immediately at Todd.

  “Yes.” Todd folded his arms, his jaw set. “I have two deer rifles and keep a handgun in my bedside table. If you’re suggesting I killed my son, you’re crazy.”

  Vicki smoothed her slacks over her thighs with both hands.

  “Why don’t you go and get them, Todd? They’re only doing their job.”

  “Would you mind showing us?” Kevin asked. “It will only take a few minutes.”

  “Sure, come on upstairs.” Todd pushed back his chair and seemed none too happy. Kevin followed him.

  “Anyone else?” Mac directed the question toward Kip and Rachael.

  “We don’t own a gun,” Rachael said.

  “How about Brad?”

  “I don’t think so,” Vicki answered. “Um . . . do you know about his arrest record?”

  “Yes, the arrest for drug possession?”

  “That’s a long story,” Vicki replied. “But yes, he was arrested for drug possession. Because of the felony conviction, he couldn’t possess any firearms. To my knowledge, he and Jessica didn’t have any guns in the house.”

  “Brad didn’t like guns,” Rachael said. “And I won’t allow one in our house. Kip would have to find a new place to live if he wanted one, especially with the baby.”

  Kip’s jaw moved in annoyance. Mac suspected that even though Kip didn’t own or want to own a gun, he didn’t like his wife telling another man what she would or wouldn’t allow him to do.

  Kevin and Todd returned. From Kevin’s demeanor, Mac suspected that Todd’s firearms were in the clear.

  “Folks,” Kevin said, “you asked where we’re going from here, and I’ll be blunt. Speaking from a purely statistical viewpoint, most people who are murdered in our country are killed by someone they know. With that in mind, we would be negligent if we did not conduct a thorough interview with each one of you to document your stories and account for your time.”

  “You’re not suggesting that one of us . . .”

  “We are not suggesting anything, Mrs. Gaynes. We work for Brad at this point, and we intend to do our duty. I’m sure you can see the logic in our reasoning. Mac and I need to start with Brad’s family and friends before we move on to strangers.”

  “I understand.” Vicki dropped her gaze to the table.

  “It isn’t fair.” Rachael scowled at Kevin. “We’ve been through so much, and then to have you question us like this . . .”

  “Rachael,” her father said, “they have to get the whole story.” He returned to his seat at the table. “We were all at home when the call came from Jessica. Vicki and I met Jessica and the authorities at the falls area. I called Rachael and Kip. They wanted to come, but I told them not to. I promised I’d keep in touch, and Rachael came out the next day to help with the search. Kip stayed home with the baby.”

  “It isn’t that we suspect you; it’s just that you may hold the key or have information that is crucial to the case without knowing it,” Kevin added, seating himself in the chair next to Mac.

  Rachael nodded and looked into her cup, swirling the drink with her hands.

  “Can you account for the hours prior to Jessica’s call?” Kevin’s tone had softened some. “He was last seen at four-thirty. Jessica didn’t call until nine.”

  Kip cleared his throat, anger evidenced in the color of his cheeks and the set of his jaw. “Incredible. You’re thinking that we had plenty of time to find Brad and Jessica—somehow watch for Brad to leave, kill him, dump the body, and get home?” He shook his head. “I’m going up to check on Michael.”

  Rachael watched him go then got up. “I’ll be right back.”

  Mac made a note to find out how Brad and his brother-in-law got along.

  21

  SORRY ABOUT THAT,” Vicki offered. “Kip gets a little hotheaded at times. I know how he feels. It’s a stretch by any means to think any of us had anything to do with Brad’s death. We loved him. You should be looking at Jessica.”

  “We will, ma’am.” Kevin took a sip of his coffee. “As I said, we’ll be ruling out the family and spreading out from there.”

  “Sounds like you have some pretty strong feelings about Jessica,” Mac said.

  “I never have liked her; she was such a drain on my Brad. Every step forward he would take, she would drag him two steps back. I suppose you know she went back to California.”

  “We’re aware of that, yes. Has anyone talked with her since she moved south?” Mac asked.

  “Never.”Vicki spat the word out. “I’ve tried calling a few times, but she’s never there. At least that’s what her
aunt tells me.”

  “Would you folks mind giving us formal statements?” Kevin asked. “It would be helpful if each of you gave your account of Brad’s disappearance individually.”

  “Of course,” Vicki said. “You can use the front room.”

  At that point, Dana decided to leave. “I have an early shift tomorrow.”

  Mac gave her an I’ll-see-you-later look.

  Vicki hugged her. “Thanks so much for being here for us.”

  “Happy to do it. You have my card, so give me a call anytime.”

  Kevin and Mac split up then, interviewing Brad’s relatives one by one. Kip had gotten over his anger and apologized for the scene. Mac questioned him about his relationship with Brad.

  “You want the truth; I’ll give it to you straight. Brad was a spoiled brat. He refused to get a decent job—I even offered to bring him into my computer business as a partner as a favor to Rachael. Don’t tell any of the others I said so, but Brad’s been going down the wrong road for a long time. He was irresponsible.

  He drank too much and I don’t know for sure, but he might have still been doing drugs too.”

  “His family seems to blame Jessica for his problems.”

  “Humph.” He looked around before answering. “When I first met Jessica, I thought she’d be just what Brad needed. If you ask me, it was him corrupting her.”

  “Really?” Mac noted the comment on his pad. “So despite what the family says, you liked Jessica.”

  “Just don’t let my wife know. Todd and I have kept a low profile about her, seeing how Rachael and her mom feel. We both figured Jess was okay. Bottom line? I don’t think Jessica killed Brad.”

  “Do you have any ideas who might have?”

  He slapped his palms on his thighs. “Not a clue. Maybe that trucker Jessica told the sheriff about. Maybe Brad did get hit with a stray bullet. Stranger things have happened.”