Cause of Death (Det. Annie Avants Book 1)

by Renee Benzaim

  "I think we need to pay Joseph a visit," Annie said.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Tuesday, 21 August 2012, Early Evening

  Along the outside perimeter in the back of the Pumpkin Center Market stood a garbage dumpster. It was late summer and almost time for the weekly pick-up. The dumpster was full to overflowing with the vegetables that grow in abundance in California's Central Valley.

  Piled next to the dumpster, because of lack of room inside, were two stacks of open-topped crates full of rotting tomatoes.

  Most of the folks in this little farm community had their own gardens, and tomatoes were easy to grow. Hence, the excess rotting tomatoes set outside next to the dumpster.

  The parking lot where the store was located had several other businesses fronting Taft Highway, as well as some rundown houses and apartments behind the store, separated by a blacktopped driveway.

  Several of the residents owned dogs - big dogs - and they didn't always get along.

  On this particular day, three large, angry dogs were brawling all over the driveway between the back of the market and the houses. They were mean and vicious - snarling and snapping at each other and attacking with their strong jaws and teeth.

  As they ran along the driveway, heedless of where they were going, they ran into the two stacks of crated over-ripe tomatoes, sending them flying all along the fence line and partially onto the driveway. The dogs paid them no mind as they mucked about in the rotten tomatoes, squashing them all over the driveway and along the fence.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Wednesday, 22 August 2012, 7:00 AM

  The man pulled his SUV up behind the jacked-up, parked trailer of a trailer-tractor rig. It was still early, so there wasn't a lot of traffic on this part of Wible Road, just south of the Taft Highway. There were several businesses in the area, but most of them weren't open yet.

  In any event, the fields on both sides of the road were planted in corn, which was getting close to harvest and reached higher than his head. The only way someone would see him is if he or she were traveling on Wible Road.

  When he visited Carmen early this morning, she was comatose and barely alive. He quickly took a piece of the yellow nylon rope and strangled her. Then he removed the ropes binding her wrists and ankles, as well as the duct tape that covered her mouth, but left the cord around her neck. His last step was wrapping her in an old blanket that he didn't plan to leave at the scene.

  He opened the door on the passenger side of his SUV and reached in to pull out Carmen's body.

  He carried her over to the beginning of the cornfield and unrolled her body just at the edge of the corn, but where the trailer would be between her and the road.

  He laid her out with care, on her back, just like the first one.

  They'll find her soon enough, he thought, but why make it easy. I want to get away from Wible Road before someone comes along and calls the cops, but I don't want to leave her lying there in the hot sun.

  When he finished, he scuffed out his footsteps as best he could. As much as he hated to do so, he decided to drop his boots off at the Goodwill out on White Lane. On the other hand, maybe I should pick one further away, he thought. But who would look at a Goodwill for my boots?

  He hopped back into his SUV and headed north on Wible towards the Goodwill. He pulled into the side driveway and dumped his boots into a collection bin. Then he rummaged around for something else to put on. An old pair of Nike shoes caught his eye and, he was in luck, they were just his size.

  Just as he finished lacing up the Nikes, a young kid drove up and parked next to the building. He jumped out of his car in a flash and walked over to the driver's side door of the SUV.

  "Can I help you with something? We don't open until 8AM," he said.

  "Naw, I was just dropping something off."

  "Oh, OK," the kid said. "I have to be careful. A lot of homeless people come around and dig through the bins looking for stuff to wear before I get the chance to move the new stuff inside each morning. It's a real headache."

  "I can understand," the man said. "I'll leave you to your work, then," and he drove off.

  The young man stood there staring at the blue SUV. I could swear I saw him lacing up shoes, he thought. I'm going to check the bin and see what's new.

  He went over to the bin and was surprised to see a pair of fairly new boots near the top. They were a little dusty, but hardly worn, and they were his size.

  "Well," the boy said to no one in particular, "there's no harm in taking a little something for myself, now is there?"

  * * *

  At this time of the year, the cornfields were just about ready for harvest. The bright morning sun of California's Central Valley promised another day of hot, dry desert weather.

  But for now, the air was fresh and pure, as only the breath of dawn can be.

  A slight breeze swayed the corn stalks and caused the golden corn silk to shimmer in the light.

  It also brought another scent. The scent of death.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Wednesday, 22 August 2012, Noon

  Annie arrived at J's Place on Calloway Drive at the same time Noura Zapata pulled into the parking lot. Noura and Annie were good friends and they tried to have lunch a couple of times a month.

  Annie loved eating at J's Place because it served the kind of food she grew up eating in Arkansas: black-eyed peas, cornbread, sweet potato pie, fried chicken, cobbler, and fried catfish just to name a few of Annie's favorite dishes.

  Noura preferred Mexican food, but quickly learned to like Annie's southern soul food if it was prepared well. And at J's, it was.

  They settled in, ordered, and caught up with the latest gossip in their lives since their last get-together. There was the potential for a conflict of interest in their friendship, due to their jobs, but they had an agreement not to discuss any case in which they both might become involved. So far, it seemed to be working out well.

  Annie was always careful not to give away too much information on a case that was "live" in the event that Noura's boss eventually became the attorney of record for the person accused of the crime. Most of the time, however, the criminals Annie dealt with were assigned attorneys through the Public Defender's Office.

  "So, tell me what you can about this new case," Noura said, as they sipped their sweet tea.

  "It's strange. The victim died of an aneurysm to the brain, which was brought on by extremely high blood pressure, supposedly caused by the venom of the more than ten black widow bites on her lower body, below the waist. The fact that she was nude and apparently dumped in the vineyard makes the death suspicious. At the moment it's classified as a homicide. We sent the samples to the lab we use in Philadelphia for a tox screen but the results aren't back yet. We also scanned her prints through the databases, with no results. Laine's TI group found a boot print and a tire track, and they are analyzing trace evidence found at the scene. We believe she lived in San Diego prior to hitching a ride with a truck driver, who dropped her off in Pumpkin Center on August 3rd.

  "It's really too early in the investigation to draw any conclusions at this point, or know in which direction to move towards."

  "That's tough. The last thing the SO needs is another unidentified 'Jane Doe', especially with the political climate in Kern County as volatile as it always is. Our new District Attorney seems to be doing a good job. At least in the dealings I've had with her office.

  "What are you going to eat today?" Noura asked, as she read the menu.

  "Such choices! I think I'll have fried catfish, black-eyed peas, cornbread, and peach cobbler."

  Noura laughed. "Feeling a little homesick today?"

  "Yes, I guess. But those are some of my comfort foods and I'm frustrated with this case."

  "So what about it has you so frustrated? It's not like you to be so unsettled."

  "Because nothing is happening. No matches to her fingerprints, DNA matching will take a while, and the lab we sent t
he tox screen to is always backed up."

  Their orders arrived and they took the time to enjoy their meals without discussing such gruesome topics as autopsies and death.

  Just as Annie finished her cobbler and coffee, her cell phone rang. She looked at the readout.

  "It's Sgt. Collins. She probably wants to know when I'll have the case wrapped up. I think she's voting for natural causes," Annie said.

  "Hello Sergeant."

  "Good afternoon, Detective. I hope you enjoyed your lunch because I've got another one for you."

  "Another one?"

  "Another body abandoned in a field west of Pumpkin Center, south of Taft Highway, on Wible Road."

  Annie put down her coffee cup with a thump and pulled out her notebook and pen.

  "What can you tell me?"

  "The body was spotted at the edge of a corn field, in plain sight of the road. It hasn't been there long, and no one approached the body because it's easy to see from the roadway.

  "The postmistress for Pumpkin Center spotted it during her lunch break as she returned to work. She pulled over to get a closer look and when she realized what it was, she called 911."

  "I'm on my way," Annie said.

  "I already called Tom and he'll meet you there."

  "Thanks, Sergeant. Bye."

  "Well, we've got another body, apparently dumped in Pumpkin Center."

  "I'm glad you finished your lunch before she called," Noura said.

  Maybe, maybe not, Annie thought, as she headed for her car.

  * * *

  An hour later, Noura sat in her office and stared at the storage boxes of files and binders she prepared for the trial of Manolo Alcantar. Her betrayal of her friend Annie weighed heavily on her heart.

  She walked over to her window and looked down on Truxtun Avenue and the Superior Courthouse across the street, the icon of everything she strove for in her professional life as a Paralegal.

  What was more important, she wondered. Her loyalty to her brother, Tito, the integrity of her job and her values, or her loyalty to Annie?

  She stood still for several moments while she contemplated these things.

  Deep in her heart, she knew that eventually she would be bound to tell Annie the truth about her betrayal.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Wednesday, 22 August 2012, 1:15 PM

  Deputy Coroner James Shillings, Tom and Jesse, the forensics van, and three patrol units were already at the scene when Annie arrived. She was glad to see the perimeter already set up and only Deputy Schillings near the body, taking pictures.

  As she exited her car, two media vans from local news stations arrived. They parked across the road from the crime scene and the reporters exited quickly with their cameramen right behind them.

  "Detective Avants," Stella Lopez from Channel KGET News called out, "What do you have?"

  "Don't know yet, Stella. I just got here myself and I don't have any comments to make at this time."

  "Do you think it's related to the other body that was dumped near Lamont?"

  Annie bristled, but kept her composure.

  "Now come on, Stella, how could I know that when I just got here?" she smiled and turned to walk away.

  Stella lowered her microphone and said, "OK, thanks. Just keep us posted."

  * * *

  Tom and Annie walked over to where Deputy Baker had established the entry to the crime scene and was managing the crime scene log.

  "Good morning, Deputy Baker," Annie and Tom both said at the same time.

  "Morning Detectives," she said as she handed them the log to sign in.

  "Did you notice anything unusual when you and Deputy Hermosillo arrived?" Annie asked.

  "No. The postmistress, who called in the body, was parked across the street where the media vans are now parked. She stuck around so we would know where to go. No one else was here yet. Deputy Hermosillo took the pulse of the victim to make sure she was, in fact, deceased, but that's all that we did. Deputy Hermosillo called it in as DOA and dispatch sent the rest of the team. Deputy Coroner Schillings is doing his initial examination now and taking pictures and videos."

  "Thank you, Deputy. Did anyone notice any tire tracks or footprints?" Annie said.

  "There were tire tracks right behind that tractor trailer and footprints going into the cornfield where the body was located. The body, as you can see, is just at the edge of the cornfield and wasn't difficult to spot. Of course, everyone parked away from the scene so as not to obliterate any tire impressions and we set up a path to the body that didn't interfere with the shoe prints. Laine is going to cast them. She isn't positive, but she says they look similar to the boot prints found in Lamont."

  "Good work, Deputy," Tom said, as he and Annie moved towards the body.

  "Hi Deputy Schillings," Annie said as she approached the Deputy Coroner.

  "Hi Annie, sorry to meet again so soon under these circumstances."

  "Yes, I feel the same way. But, it's our job to take care of these unfortunates."

  "Does anything stand out so far?" Tom asked. He pulled out his camera and begin taking a few photos of the victim for his own records.

  "Not yet. Her body temperature indicates that she hasn't been dead for more than 12 hours, but that's only approximate. I noticed that it appears that she was strangled. You can see the yellow cord still embedded in her neck. The forensic pathologist will be more precise. I've already taken urine, blood samples, and bagged her hands after taking her fingerprints. Once I've finished examining and documenting the condition of her body, and videotaping the crime scene, I'll take her, and any additional trace evidence I've found, to the morgue and sign her over. You can follow up with the morgue supervisor later. I'll send you all of my reports as soon as they are ready."

  * * *

  Laine DelMonte and the other forensic evidence technicians were standing by their van waiting for the Deputy Coroner to finish his field exam of the victim before they proceeded with their evidence collection. Working with her this day, in addition to Mike the photographer, was again, Olivia the videographer and George and Merilee, two of her evidence technicians.

  "Hi, Laine," Annie said as she walked back to the van. "Hey, guys," she acknowledge the others standing around.

  "Well, Annie, here we are again," Laine said. "This is not fun. Deputy Hermosillo said it's another Hispanic female, younger than the one in Lamont. She's nude as well and has what appears to be insect bites on the lower part of her body. Mike will get close ups of each bite as well as documenting them on his body diagram. This will supplement the photos that Deputy Schillings takes. That's about all I know at this point. We'll see what Deputy Schillings reports. Deputy Baker found some boot prints and tire tracks and I sprayed them so they will harden and I can cast them. The soil is dusty this time of year, so I have to be careful that the impressions don't blow away."

  Annie turned and walked back towards the 2nd patrol unit where Deputies Jones and Kamaguchi stood, waiting for some direction.

  "Afternoon, Deputies," Annie said as she got closer. "Have either of you talked to the postmistress who found the body?"

  "Not yet, Detective," Deputy Jones said. "She waited here until we arrived and then went back to open the post office after her lunch break. I told her not to discuss this with anyone and that we would be down to take her statement as soon as you arrived on the scene."

  "Good. Talk to her and then canvass the other businesses and residences in the area to see if anyone saw anything suspicious. The corn will have hidden the scene from the nearby businesses, but maybe someone saw a suspicious vehicle go by. Also, talk to the owner of Happy Gas. He has cameras that point to the pumps. Maybe they also cover part of the roadway. I know we don't have a time of death and don't know exactly when the victim was put here, so look at anything during the last 24 hours. If we need more, we can look at them later. My feeling is that the perp dumped the body here when it was still dark.

  * * *

 
Deputy Jones parked their unit at the side of the post office, next to the minivan of the postmistress.

  They walked into the small contract post office. There wasn't much there except one wall of rental postal boxes, a couple of tables, and the grill in front of the back part of the office where the postmistress worked. As soon as she heard the bell tinkle over the door, she walked up to the grill. There was one patron retrieving his mail from his box and they approached the counter as soon as he left.

  "Hello, deputies," the postmistress said. "Now is a good time for us to talk because it's not usually busy for another hour or so."

  "I'm Deputy Jones and this is Deputy Kamaguchi. Can you start by giving us your name, address, and home telephone, and then we'd like you to go over the exact sequence of events that led you to the discovery of the victim."

  "Sure," she said. "My name is Ruth Mason." When she finished providing all of her information, she continued.

  "I live about 5 miles south on Wible Road and close the post office each day between Noon and 1 PM so I can go home for lunch. Today was no exception.

  "As I returned to the post office, a little earlier than normal, about 12:45 PM, I noticed a trailer from a tractor-trailer rig parked on the east side of the road, on jacks.

  "I started to look at the side of the trailer to see whose it was when I noticed what appeared to be a body just about at the line where the corn starts to grow. I slowed down to get a closer look, before the trailer was blocking my view, and when I couldn't, I pulled up in front of the trailer, staying on the blacktop.

  "From that vantage point, I could see someone lying there. I didn't go any closer and I really didn't register any details. I went back to my van and called 911. Then I did a u-turn and pulled up on the west side of Wible Road. It was only a few minutes until the first patrol cars arrived. I pointed out to a Deputy Hermosillo the location of the person.

  "He walked carefully over to the location, leaned down and seemed to take his or her pulse, and then signaled his partner to start wrapping yellow tape around the corn stalks to the front and the back of the trailer.