Blue Moon Rising: A suspense thriller

by Lillian Francken

  “Maria, how did you get the bruise on your face?” Dan asked.

  Maria turned to Dan and shrugged while trying to smile. “I guess the Senator isn’t so dumb after all.”

  “Do you want to press charges? There are laws against spousal abuse.”

  She looked at Dan and sighed as she smirked. “I’ll deny it. Don’t you dare bring this up to him.”

  Maria slammed the door shut leaving Dan to ponder what she had just said. If Maria looked like this, he wondered how Jack Finnigan looked this morning or whether Jack still had a job. No one ever crossed the Senator without getting some pay back. He had a way of getting back at you if he ever felt you did him wrong. So in the end it didn’t pay to cross him.

  CHAPTER 14

  Dan drove along a lonely stretch of country road. He had on old-time rock-n-roll blaring from the radio while his finger tapped on the steering wheel to the beat of the song. As he passed farmers in their fields, he waved to them. This was the life, he thought. Through the years in law enforcement in Jefferson County he had come to know just about everyone in the county. And everyone seemed to be related to someone he knew. The radio went off suddenly, interrupting his solitude. Dan reached for the car radio and turned it off and then answered the call.

  “What is it?” Dan asked.

  “Got a call from Buzz Sheffield.”

  “What does he want?”

  “Said it was important. Something about the O’Connor boy’s disappearance.”

  “How did he know?”

  “Small town. Everyone’s talking.”

  “You didn’t have anything to do with that, did you?” Dan asked.

  There was a long pause. The silence was overwhelming as Dan waited for Mac’s answer. When no answer was given, Dan knew Mac had something to do with the word getting out about who the bones belonged to. Normally Mac’s gossiping ways didn’t bother him. This was different though. For some reason the murderer was keeping tabs on his investigation. He didn’t need Mac divulging pertinent information to anyone who would listen.

  “Well…”

  Dan cut Mac off. He would have to deal with Mac’s gossiping ways later. “What did Buzz say?”

  “Wants you to meet him on the Bayou Drain. Where you guys used to fish.”

  Dan suddenly looked at the radio. “Are you scrambling this?”

  “Oh,” Mac said and then quickly added. “Sorry.”

  “What did I tell you?”

  “There’s been so much going on lately I can’t think straight.”

  “I’ll swing over and see what Buzz wants.”

  Dan was thankful that not everyone in the county knew where he and Buzz used to fish on the Bayou Drain. So he felt confident that although half the county knew he would be meeting Buzz, only a few knew the exact spot. But it still did not set well with Dan at that moment as he put the radio in its cradle and then flipped on the lights and sirens.

  The squad car turned off the highway onto a dirt road. The dusty trail followed behind. In the distance Dan saw the sports utility vehicle parked off on the shoulder of the road. He quickly pulled up and parked in back of it. Dan took the radio out of its cradle.

  “I’ll be out of radio contact for a little while.”

  “You on the Bayou Drain?” Mac asked.

  “Yeah. I don’t see Buzz, though. He’s probably down by the water. Did the medical examiner remove Junior?”

  “Just left.”

  “Maybe Buzz will shed some light on what’s going on.”

  “You be careful,” Mac said.

  Dan glanced at the radio for a moment and then laughed. “Yes, mother.”

  Dan put the radio back in the cradle and then got out. He glanced down the embankment and saw Buzz sitting on a boulder at the water’s edge. Slowly Dan made his way down the steep embankment losing his footing a few times but catching himself quickly.

  He did not remember it being as difficult to get to as a youth. Kelly and he usually fished upstream from this spot because of that reason. He always feared her falling and landing in the water.

  Buzz turned to Dan when he heard loose rocks announcing Dan’s presence. He was smoking a cigarette and from the pile on the ground he had been waiting for hi for a while.

  “Took you long enough,” Buzz snapped.

  “A lot has been happening.”

  Buzz ran his hand through thinning hair. “Tell me about it. Didn’t sleep at all last night.”

  “Does this have anything to do with what happened to Jason?”

  Buzz nodded. “Christ, we were friends. And we just left him there.”

  “Left him? Where?” Dan asked.

  Buzz tossed the cigarette and then broke down. He shook his head, as if not believing what had happened.

  “Want to talk about it?”

  Buzz looked up at Dan. “I had nothing to do with it.”

  Dan studied Buzz for the longest time. “It was that night,” Dan said watching Buzz’s reaction. “Remember, the night you and Alan picked me up before I reported to Little Rock?”

  Buzz turned his back on Dan as if to walk away but then turned around to face Dan. The look on his face was that of a man about to confess a great wrongdoing.

  “I trusted him.”

  “Who?” Dan asked.

  “You got to believe me when I say I had nothing to do with it?”

  “With what? God damn it, tell me?”

  Buzz looked up, he was about to speak when a shot rang out. His head exploded like a watermelon. Buzz fell backward, landing into the water. The water quickly turned red as it flowed downstream.

  Dan rushed to Buzz. He knew it was useless. He had seen kill shots like this in Desert Storm. Right now his first instinct was to get Buzz out of the water. Once that was accomplished Dan rushed up the embankment tripping a few times on the way, making it impossible for him to get a glimpse of the car as it sped away. Dan quickly turned to the squad only to see the tires were flat. He turned to Buzz’s SUV but it too had flat tires. Out of frustration Dan kicked the squad. He limped over to the driver’s door and got in.

  * * *

  Dan sat in the squad, the frustration clearly on his face and in his voice. This used to be a place he came to get away from the ugliness of the world around him. It was a place he took Kelly to, to teach her how to fish. Now he could never come here again without the memory of seeing Buzz in his last moments of life.

  “That’s right,” Dan snapped. “Send the medical examiner out here,” He did not want to explain anything to Mac, not right now and not over the radio.

  “Are we going for a record?”

  “I’m in no mood,” Dan said. Under normal circumstance he might have found humor in Mac’s comment but not now, not after what he just witnessed.

  “Are you going to tell me who it is this time?” Mac asked.

  In reality Mac already knew who Dan was meeting. He just wanted confirmation.

  “Buzz Sheffield,” Dan finally said and then hesitated. “My list of suspects is narrowing.”

  “Yeah, they are all dying.”

  “Mac, not now.”

  “Want me to do anything?”

  Dan thought for a moment. “If any of the boys are near the highway, tell them to take inventory of cars they pass. It might help.”

  “Consider it done.”

  Dan slammed the radio down and then got out of the squad. His forehead perspired, he was not sure if it was the heat or what had just happened. Life for him would never be the same. Too many of the people he knew were involved in this and he wondered if he was too close to sort it all out now.

  CHAPTER 15

  Dan hurried into the living room. He just tossed the gun and hat on the chair next to the door. He was too anxious to see Kelly to bother taking off his shoes. He walked into the kitchen and when he saw Kelly at the table working on a puzzle, he slowed down. Dan walked over to the pot of coffee, checked to see if it was hot, and then took a mug off the mug tree and poured
himself a cup. He turned around and leaned back on the counter and just watched Kelly.

  “Rough morning?” Kelly asked, looking up from the puzzle.

  “Can you tell?”

  Kelly glanced at his shoes. She knew something was bothering him. She also knew it would be difficult getting it out of him.

  “I heard all about it on the radio.”

  “Half the county heard I was meeting Buzz. Mac was supposed to scramble the calls.”

  “Don’t blame him.”

  “It was a simple request.”

  “Under normal circumstances no one listens.”

  “Someone’s been listening now.”

  “Did you get a look at who did it?”

  “It all happened too fast. By the time I was dragging poor Buzz out of the water, the car was already down the road.”

  “Nancy called,” Kelly said, almost forgetting the call. “She wants you to stop by the lab.”

  Dan took a sip of coffee and then looked around the room nervously.

  “Would you mind if we had company for Sunday’s barbecue?”

  “Anybody I know,” Kelly asked, teasing her father.

  “No. But you could get to know her,” Dan said looking at Kelly for her reaction.

  “It’s about time. I was going to ask you how your date went, but I guess if she’s coming for Sunday dinner, it went well.”

  “It’s just awkward talking to you about my date.”

  “Why, you always want to know about mine?”

  “That’s different,” Dan laughed.

  She smiled up at her father. “I’m glad it went well.”

  Dan set his coffee down. “If you don’t mind I’m going to take a run up to Little Rock. If Nancy calls again, tell her I’ll stop by the lab when I get back in.”

  “You’re bothered by all this, aren’t you?”

  Dan shook his head. “Used to be a nice place to live.”

  “Still is.”

  “Make sure you keep the doors locked after I leave.”

  “That bad?” Kelly looked up with concern.

  “Four dead bodies in three days aren’t good for the numbers.”

  “There’s only one person doing the killing. You get him and it all stops.”

  “I wish I had your optimism.” Dan said with a puzzled look. “Things don’t add up. Buzz was going to tell me something about Jason.” Dan hesitated for a moment and then continued. “But how does it figure into the Ames boy? Then Junior killing himself. If that’s what happened.”

  Kelly got up from the table and walked over to her father. She wrapped her arms around him. Dan kissed the top of her head. He was thankful he had her to come home to, otherwise he didn’t know how he would survive when things didn’t go right.

  * * *

  Dan stood outside the Medical Examiner’s lab. The door was locked but Nancy’s Outback was still parked in the lot. He pressed the button again. Finally the familiar voice on the intercom answered his call.

  “Who is it?” Nancy asked.

  “It’s Sheriff Harter.”

  The buzzer going off indicated the door lock had been released. Dan quickly pulled open the door.

  Dan walked into the lab as Nancy shoved the slab back in the wall unit. She shut the door and then turned to Dan.

  “You’re locking the outside door now?” Dan asked as he watching Nancy closely.

  “You bet, at least until all this settles down.”

  “That’s a smart move,” Dan added.

  “I called you earlier.”

  “Yeah. I got your message, but I had to check something out.”

  Nancy walked over to the desk. “What do you want first?” she asked.

  “At this point, I don’t really care.”

  “Got the results from Junior’s shirt. It was the Ames boy’s blood.”

  “Figured as much.”

  Nancy picked up the clipboard. “You’re not going to like this one though,” she added.

  “I’d ask you not to tell me, but I’m afraid you wouldn’t listen.”

  Nancy handed Dan the clipboard. “Junior’s neck was broken, but not consistent with a hanging.”

  “Shit! I was so hoping it was suicide,” Dan said, thinking for a moment. “No one claims to have seen anyone enter the jail.” Dan shook his head. “With Maria out front everyone was watching her.”

  “Maybe you can get her to talk,” Nancy said.

  “Judging by the bruise on her face, and her not wanting to press charges, I think she knows enough to keep her mouth shut. At least for now.”

  Dan flipped through the pages. “Anything else?”

  “All I can do is tell you what I know,” she said.

  Nancy shrugged her shoulders. She took the clipboard from Dan and set it back on the desk.

  “Who do you think would do such a thing?”

  “I’m narrowing the field down.”

  Dan walked away, but then turned and looked at Nancy for the longest time before speaking.

  “You were going to tell me something the other day,” he said.

  “I was?” She asked with a puzzled look.

  “About Alan Maxwell.”

  Nancy turned away before answering. “It was a long time ago, seven, maybe eight years ago. I said it was nothing.”

  “It had to do with the disappearance of that boy up in Little Rock.”

  “How did you find out?”

  “I got an old Army buddy working for the FBI up in Little Rock. I had him do a little checking for me.”

  “I’m impressed,” she said.

  “Do you want to tell me about it now?”

  “What’s to tell? The cops had Alan Maxwell as a person of interest. The Senator pulled strings. Before I knew it, the Senator whisked his little golden boy out of town,” Nancy remarked and then laughed. “The next thing I heard, Alan married this rich widow and became respectable.”

  “How certain were you that Alan was involved?” Dan asked.

  “It didn’t matter. Although…”

  “Although what?”

  Nancy shook her head in frustration. “I don’t know. There was more at stake,” she said while raising her hands. “Politics. What can I say?”

  “I remember in high school, Alan always came to school with bruises. He claimed it was from breaking mustangs or a fight with someone. But no one ever was able to substantiate any of it. And I think he had a fear of horses.”

  “And no one did anything?”

  “It was a different time.”

  “Abuse breeds abuse.”

  Dan frowned. “He was a kid just like me, I can’t believe he killed Jason. Christ, they were friends.”

  “Maybe you can get him to talk to you.”

  “Yeah, before more people turn up dead.”

  “Did your friend have anything else to say?” Nancy asked.

  “No, but I’m having him check a few things out for me.” Dan glanced around and then turned to Nancy. “You about ready to leave?”

  “I guess.”

  Dan took Nancy by the arm. “I’ll walk you out,” he said.

  Nancy looked up at Dan. There was concern in his voice and on his face so she did not argue. She too had been a little more concerned about her safety in recent days. Hence the locked lab door after everyone else left for the day.

  As they left the building Dan walked Nancy over to her Outback. She took out her keyless entry unit and pressed the button to unlock the doors.

  “I enjoyed dinner last night,” he said looking down at Nancy.

  “So did I.”

  “Would you like to come over Sunday for a cookout? You can meet my daughter.”

  “Only if you promise to stop drumming up business for me.”

  Dan smiled. “I promise.”

  Dan opened Nancy’s car door but before she could climb in Dan pulled her into his arms. He cupped the bottom of her chin with his free hand and kissed her gently. He stopped suddenly.

 
“I’m sorry.”

  Nancy kissed him back and whispered softly, “Don’t be.”

  Dan pulled her closer and kissed her long and hard. He so missed the warmth of a woman’s body. This felt good and natural.

  CHAPTER 16

  Dan slept restlessly as he tossed and turned the whole night through.

  In his dream, Dan was walking down the dark country road, the full moon shone brightly in the distance. There was movement in the underbrush. Dan ran until he was out of breath. Suddenly there was a flash of light coming at him.

  Dan suddenly sat up in bed. Lightning illuminated the room followed by the clamor of thunder, picture frames rattled on the walls. Dan had trouble catching his breath and wondered why that dream always haunted him when things did not go right.

  * * *

  Dan entered the Sheriff’s office. Mac was sitting at the radio. He turned to Dan and pointed to the cellblock door. Dan looked over in the direction Mac was pointing to. There, standing near the cellblock door with mop and pail in hand, was Ester Cratchet. She turned to Dan.

  “Morning, Sheriff,” she greeted Dan with a big grin.

  Dan turned to Mac and then glanced back at Ester, who disappeared through the cellblock door and shut it behind her.

  “What’s going on?” Dan asked.

  “Says you hired her.”

  “When?” Dan asked.

  Mac raised his hands. “Maybe the other day.”

  “But there’s no money in the budget to clean this place.”

  “You tell her,” Mac argued.

  Dan raised his arms in frustration, and then quickly turned to Mac before Ester came back.

  “How much is in petty cash?”

  Mac opened the left hand drawer. He took out the old metal box and then opened it. Mac quickly counted the money.

  “Fifty-five bucks,” Mac said, looking up at Dan.

  Dan quickly reached into his pocket, pulled out a twenty, and tossed it into the open box.

  “At noon send her home,” he pointed to the money before continuing. “This is all I can afford to pay her,” he added and then walked to the door.

  “Where are you going?” Mac asked.

  Dan turned back to Mac. “Remember, I got a murder to solve.”