Kentucky Murders: A Small Town Murder Mystery

by Larry Parrott

  Lee shook his head and turned toward his truck.

  Chapter 19

  Zack stood in front of the Social Services building. His right arm was around Kate’s shoulders. Jimmy held onto his left leg and Zack stoked his hair. They watched the ambulance pull away with Agent Simpson inside.

  “I can’t believe this happened.” She turned to face Zack while Jimmy stepped over forming a group hug. “My God, Zack. They had guns and shot an FBI agent.” She buried her face into Zack’s chest. “We could have all been killed.”

  Zack held his family. He didn’t know how to respond.

  “Excuse me, Sherriff?”

  One of his men stood nearby. “Sherriff?”

  After a few more seconds Zack released his hold on his family.

  “Ah, sorry.”

  “It’s okay. What is it?”

  “The roadblocks are up but we don’t have anything yet. We had a report that a vehicle may have been driven into the lake out at the point.”

  “Who reported it?”

  “A man who lives along the other side of the lake saw the lights.”

  Zack turned to Kate who continued to hold their son and appeared to be shivering in the now cool night. “Kate, I’ll have Johnny follow you home. Are you okay to drive?”

  Kate nodded.

  “I’ll check in with you later. Okay?” He leaned over and kissed her forehead. “I love you.” He rubbed Jimmy’s head as he looked up at him. He turned to the deputy. “Please make sure they get home okay.”

  Kate and Jimmy went off to her car with the deputy.

  Zack stood there just looking into the night. Others had either gone inside or gotten into cars to leave. He looked up at the clear, star-filled sky and sighed. His family’s life had been threatened. He looked down and shook his head. Now his only ally who could help solve this mess was in the hospital and the girl they were trying to protect was in the hands of killers. How could everything have gone so badly?

  He got into his car and headed for the lake.

  Chapter 20

  From the lake shore Zack watched as a scuba diver surfaced from the black water and gave thumbs up. Tripod lights had been set up twenty yards in either direction, making the scene seem surreal. The winch operator responded to the signal by flipping a switch. A cable, one end hidden beneath the water’s surface and the other connected to a winch at the back of the tow truck, tightened with a whip that sent a splash of water six feet in the air. The motor whined as lengths of cable disappeared onto the winch’s reel. The driver held a rag around the cable as it fed in, apparently to keep the water from rusting out his system.

  A few seconds passed before the roof of a van broke the surface of the water with a whoosh. Slowly the body of the van came closer and closer to the shore and rose farther and farther out of the water.

  Zack stood and waited. Eventually a rusty 20 year old van stood on the grass before him, water streaming off it. Once most of the flood water had subsided, he stepped up to the van and grabbed the side sliding door handle with a gloved hand. He jerked the door open and another gush of water erupted from its interior. Zack expected fish to come flopping out onto the grass. Instead, a body spilled onto the wet ground with a splash and a thud.

  Zack jumped back, soaked to his knees. Lying before him was a dead thirty-something white male with a hole in his abdomen. The hole had been washed clean of blood by the lake water. He wore blue jeans, a dark t-shirt and work boots. Zack leaned down and shined a flashlight on the bottoms of the boots. These were probably a match to one of his sets of shoe prints found out at the farm. That was one APB for boots he could cancel, he thought sarcastically.

  He looked at the face, but he had to turn away. The man’s mouth hung open like a sleeping mouth-breather. Even worse was the soggy skin, all white like those pictures he’d seen of the bodies of drowning victims that had washed ashore after days in the water. But this guy had probably not drowned. He reminded Zack of a poorly made wax figure in some cheesy museum.

  A car pulled up, the headlights cut off, and Rachel got out. “Another one?” she asked.

  “Yeah, and I think this is one of the guys we’re looking for. You should find Agent Simpson’s bullet inside him.”

  “I’ll check it out and let you know. Find an ID yet?”

  “Well, I opened the side door and the body fell out. I stopped there because I didn’t want to compromise your crime scene any more than I have already.”

  “Thanks.” She went to work with her camera taking pictures of the body, while Zack walked over to the van. He peered through the open side door and shined his light. Along the far wall, partially covered by a wet blanket, the front half of a double-barreled shotgun protruded.

  Zack called over his shoulder, “And it looks like we found one of the murder weapons.”

  He turned to Rachel who paused from taking pictures. “I need to know ASAP who this guy is and if these tires match those tracks from the farm, Rachel. If they don’t match, we’re looking for another truck or van.”

  “Will do.”

  ---

  After leaving the lake Lee headed for the nearest pay phone. He received his instructions from the voice on the phone. In one hour he would finally put a face with that voice at the place this had all begun, the farm.

  Getting to the farm on Riker’s Road took twenty minutes. As Lee approached, he saw no signs of life in the house. The two large barn doors and the small door to their left were all closed. He drove along the driveway which curved left of the house and straight to the barn. No car was parked outside. It had been almost exactly an hour since he’d spoken with the money-guy who appeared to be late, or had parked either inside the barn and closed the doors, or down the road like Lee and Donnie had done a few nights earlier. Lee pulled up to the barn and cut the engine.

  He looked over at the girl and decided to not to take her inside with him. She’ll be fine right here for now.

  He got out and scanned the area for movement. Before entering he walked to one side of the barn and looked. Nothing. He walked along the side toward the back and poked his head around the corner. Nothing along the back. He worked his way all the way around the barn and didn’t find anyone hiding out. Back up front he approached the small door on the left. He paused at the door and listened for any movement inside. Still nothing. Lifting the latch, he swung open the door and stepped inside.

  ---

  Sharnita’s legs tingled, then her arms. She struggled to open her eyes and suddenly felt like she would throw up. She spit and coughed at the nasty taste in her mouth and the smell in her nose. She tried to reach her hand up to wipe her face and realized her hands were connected with a plastic strap around them. Where was she? She sat up and looked around. It was their house and their barn where she had played. She was in a truck that she didn’t recognize. Now more fully awake, she began to feel around in the truck for something to help her get free. She opened the glove box and found a small knife under some papers. She started to work on the strap holding her wrists. It wasn’t easy, but finally the plastic broke and she pulled her hands free. Next, she worked on the one holding her feet.

  A few minutes later she was standing outside the truck and looking around. She was confused and scared and didn’t like being alone. She hugged herself because it was so cold. She had to get to the house. She hurried across the grass to the steps at the side of the house. The side door was locked so she went around to the front. It too was locked. She pounded and waited but no one answered. Where is everyone?

  She jumped off the porch and went around back.

  Chapter 21

  Inside, the barn was pitch black. Lee felt around along the door jamb for a light switch and found one, but flipping the switch produced no light. He wished he’d thought of bringing a flashlight. He wished he’d done a lot of things differently over the last few days.

  Now what? “Hello? Is anyone here?” He listened. “I’ve got the girl outside. Just pay me my money
and I’m out of here.”

  Nothing.

  Lee squinted in the darkness and couldn’t see a car parked in the barn. Maybe the money-guy was late. He looked down at his watch, felt along one side and found the tiny button that illuminated its face. He had spoken to the mysterious voice on the phone precisely one hour and fifteen minutes ago. Where was he?

  Lee stood there in the darkness listening. The scent of damp hay mixed with fumes from some sort of fuel, gasoline or diesel, filled his nostrils. A tractor was probably parked somewhere nearby, hidden from his view.

  Maybe it was time to cut his losses, dump the girl, and go pick up his daughter. The money he had collected so far could at least get them started and would last for a while; although, the rest of the money would have made their first year together much easier. Lee wasn’t getting a good feeling about how this situation was going to turn out. His eyes were adjusting and he could now see light from outside filtering through the cracks between the wood slats covering the barn wall and the thin gap around the doorway. The light wasn’t enough to see by, but just enough to break up the darkness.

  Lee decided to leave and turned to find the door handle.

  A whoosh of air came down toward him. The heavy object that struck his head was probably a shovel. Lee went to his knees, stunned, dazed. He realized he hadn’t been hit by a shovel after all when he felt the sharp tines of the pitch fork penetrate his clothes and sink deep into his stomach. Pain overcame him and he fell back onto the cold dirt floor.

  His attacker withdrew the weapon, and Lee heard it clank to the ground nearby, having been tossed aside after serving its purpose.

  Lee clutched at his abdomen with his hands and felt the wetness of his own blood. He rolled painfully onto one shoulder and stared into to the blackness.

  He heard the door creak open and light beamed through the breach. When Lee turned his head, he saw the outline of a man framed in the doorway. The dark ghostly figure stood still, looking back at him. Then its hands came together and a match flame erupted. Lee saw a glint of a man’s unrecognizable face in the fluttering match light before the he tossed the burning stick across and onto the ground near Lee. The fuel Lee had smelled earlier burst into flame, and within seconds the whole interior of the barn glowed with yellow heat. Lee watched helplessly as the door closed and the ghoul disappeared. As his clothes caught fire and the heat and smoke burned his lungs, he pictured his daughter running toward him, her arms held out to embrace him.

  ---

  Sharnita pushed through the yellow tape and opened the damaged back door. She hurried through the kitchen and into the living room.

  “Mom, Dad? Mommy?”

  Where were her parents? Was she having another nightmare? She wanted to go and sleep with them so she wouldn’t be alone anymore, and she wouldn’t be scared.

  She walked over to the stairway and began to climb.

  ---

  He could see the flames through the cracks in the barn walls, smell the smoke, and feel the heat that had just begun to penetrate the cool evening. He turned and walked toward the truck.

  The passenger door hung open, no girl inside. After a quick look in all directions, he turned and walked toward the house.

  A window at the side of the barn exploded and flames leapt out of the hole, searching for fresh air to fuel them. The fire climbed the outside of the red painted barn wall as he reached the open back door of the house.

  ---

  Zack sat on the living room couch, his arm over Kate’s shoulder, her face buried in his chest as she sobbed quietly.

  “Don't worry, Kate. Jimmy is safe now and we’re going to find Sharnita and this bastard. The State Police have roadblocks set up all around the county so he can’t get far. We identified the guy we found out at the lake and we’re pretty sure we know who his partner is. It’s only a matter of time before we get him. Don’t worry.”

  “But that girl …”

  “If he was going to hurt her he wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble of kidnapping her. I really think this can still come out okay, honey.”

  “You think so?” She sat up and rubbed her puffy eyes.

  “I do. But I need to get back out there. I want to call the hospital first to see if Tina --“

  “The FBI agent,” said Kate.

  “Yeah, if she’s out of surgery yet. Then I want to help in the search. Will you be okay for now?”

  She stood and walked toward the kitchen. He followed.

  Opening the refrigerator, she said, “I guess we’ll be all right. Go ahead.”

  He picked up the phone and dialed the hospital. Agent Simpson was out of surgery. It had gone well and they were able to repair her leg with no permanent damage. She was still asleep but could possibly be awake and able to talk in a few hours.

  “Good news,” said Zack as he hung up the phone. “Agent Simpson is going to be all right.” He walked over and kissed Kate on the forehead.

  She reached up, hugged him and held on. He returned the hug as she spoke. “Be careful, Zack. We can’t lose you.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” He stepped away as she released her grip. “I’ll have my phone if you need me.” He walked through the living room. Stopping by the front door, he retrieved his gun from the locked drawer and holstered it. He slipped his phone into his pocket, checked to make sure he had his keys, wallet, etc. and nodded wordlessly to Kate as he opened the door and exited the house.

  Chapter 22

  When Zack arrived at the station he found that more information on the case was coming in. They no longer needed to identify the killers with the tire tracks and footprints. Those items would only confirm what they already knew: one dead and one on the run. They had identified the dead suspect as Donald Moyer and the fleeing killer as Lee Dunlap. Dunlap’s trailer had been located, searched, and found empty. The girl wasn’t left behind at the mobile home so she was probably still alive, hopefully. They had found blood and other evidence that the assailant had bandaged his partner. They figured that once he saw how serious the wound was he decided to cut his losses and dispose of his accomplice in the lake when he switched vehicles. The officers who had searched the killer’s home said he must have left in a hurry by the way he’d plowed down the carport support. His neighbors hadn’t been much help.

  Zack wondered where he would be going. He had the girl, but what was his plan for her? It didn’t make sense that he would have gone to all this trouble to get her unless he was going to do something with her other than just keep her for himself; although, that was a possibility. Maybe he planned to sell her? That had to be it. Money could be the motive.

  Motive appeared to be the former District Attorney angle. The dead husband had worked in Lexington for about ten years. DAs who convict criminals often risk the possibility of retaliation by those convicts sometime in the future. Ten years would mean a lot of pissed off criminals, and it would be enough time for many of them to have gotten out of prison by now.

  Zack sat at his computer and looked at the list of suspects’ names the FBI had emailed to them. Moyer was not on the list. He had been busted for a minor drug violation, but hadn’t been convicted. Dunlap had done time in prison for murder and had gotten out recently but he wasn’t on the list either. Neither suspect had child molestation or any kind of sex-related crimes on their record, thank God.

  Zack was filling in more and more of the puzzle, but still hadn’t verified the question of motive. It would have been too easy for Moyer’s name to have shown up on the list of suspects. If Zack knew why this was all happening, then he might be able to figure out what was in store for the girl.

  What about cellmates? Maybe he was doing a favor for a friend or paying back a debt.

  Zack called the prison. Ten minutes later he set the phone receiver down and sat quietly for several minutes staring at the wall and not believing the information he had just been told.

  The killer had had only two cellmates during his time at Kentu
cky State. One of his cellmates was Tommy Ray, the same Tommy who had been Kate’s former boyfriend…the Tommy Ray who had gone to prison for the attempted murder of Zack. But what did Tommy have to do with these killings? Zack pulled up Tommy’s court case in the computer. The dead lawyer had prosecuted Tommy’s case. He went back to the list of suspects. Tommy’s name wasn’t listed for some reason? He would have to look into why, but now some of this was starting to make sense and he’d found a local tie to the case. Since Tommy was still in prison and obviously wouldn’t talk, they would need to capture this killer to fill in the blanks. There was still the other unanswered question: Why kidnap an innocent girl?

  Zack’s phone buzzed with an internal call and he scooped it up. “Yes?”

  “Sheriff, we just got a call. There’s a fire out at the farm on Riker’s Road where those people were killed. And Sheriff, we also got a call from the FBI. Agents-a lot of agents from the sound of it-will be arriving in town within the next few hours.”

  “Okay, thanks. I’m on my way.”

  ---

  Sharnita wondered if she was dreaming. She couldn’t remember what had happened the last few days and just wanted to be back with her mom and dad. She entered her parent’s bedroom and found everything was all messed up. There were no sheets on the bed and some big drawing she didn’t recognize was marked on the wall. Little numbers were lying around in different places and there were dark stains on the mattress, floor, and walls.

  She began to feel weak and her legs seemed to give out on her. She crumpled to the floor in a sitting position, her back leaning against a far wall.

  --footsteps slowly shuffling down the hallway in the other direction, toward her parents’ room.