Rory let the bus go and they returned to Eugene not that much wiser than before. On the way to the Medford airport he called Stacy to report the results. Rory, due to the noise of the helicopter, thought about the case. One thing struck him as strange was the fact a murder was committed just when a bus was arriving or just leaving. Although it made sense that people coming and going would make it easier for a killer to not be noticed. The other fact was that Greyhound really needed to upgrade their CCTV. The ones scanning the waiting area were too far away and not clear. The only real evidence was a male of undetermined age, dressed in an overcoat with a fedora on his head and shiny black shoes.
Ben too was deep in thought about what they'd learned: darn little or did they glean some real information. He realized they really would not get much more evidence about what the perp looked like. If they had witness who could make a police drawing of him would be a giant step in catching this guy. As it was they had little to go on. This was one reason it was so hard to catch
a random serial killer. The difference here might be that this guy had motive and opportunity, but what was the motive? It was not money. It wasn't out of jealousy. Maybe it was revenge, but all of these victims had only one thing in common: homelessness. It was clear that he hated homeless people.
The pilot said, "We're almost here gentlemen."
On the ground Rory made it clear he was starving. Ben and Dan both agreed. They stopped off at the same restaurant that Stacy and friends did. Rory had his usual double breakfast and Dan and Ben a normal sized order. Ben smiled as they all finished at the same time. By the time they left the restaurant they all were sleepy and tired, but they bucked up for the next session at the office.
Stacy was entertaining Dr. Barbara Lindy when they arrived at the office. Apparently she had just arrived as she was taking her coat off. Quietly the three investigators sat down at the conference table to hear what Barbara had to say.
Sharon wished she could sit in, but she had to man the phones and front desk. However, she had a keen ear for listening and put it to use right then. She heard Barbara say, "I'll give you what I think is our killer. He's white male between forty and forty five. Usually these types are loners without family or friends to speak of. He chooses the victims at random because bus stops are easy to find and easy to leave from without being noticed. He has a great hatred for that social level for reasons that are, basically, unclear. Some cases suggest an extreme anti-social behavior. Some are psychotic but can function in a normal way most of the time. Additionally some psychopaths have recessive feelings until something triggers the onset of violence. I realize this is not much to go on, but we find similar cases, but death is really the only common denominator."
"Well we appreciate your input Barbara. If there's nothing else, you are relived of your duty to us." We all watched her leave totally understanding we gleaned nothing from her view of a killer who truly hates homeless folks. Rory had strong emotions that he was relieved that he never took her up on the offer to have casual sex. Stacy was looking at him and he winked at her.
"Okay what do you have to report you three," Stacy said.
Rory said, "We found two witnesses who saw the same dressed man talking to a homeless man or our victim. They both thought he was giving some money to him. The dress concurs with the other witnesses: medium built, medium age, wearing a fedora and new are the shiny black shoes. The bus was there for breakfast and then on down to Redding. At Redding it was lunch time. The last stop was Sacramento for the bus driver. He or she would spend the night and return north the next shift."
"Sharon is working on the bus routes and times for each stop. What else do we know at this point guys?"
All heads hung down without a comment coming. Stacy gave off a big sigh and wondered what the next move might be. Ben's head came up and he said, "It's not difficult to follow a bus up and down I-5. What is difficult is having the two meeting at the same time. That is, a bus coming in and a homeless man sitting there doing nothing. Let's say there's no homeless man there and the bus continues on. Does the killer continue to follow the bus from, say, from Medford to Redding? I don't think so. That would lead to a lot of travel time and expense. Stacy what do you think?"
"I think you're on the right trail. Another one might be that the killer stays in one station area and waits for a homeless man to come in for the night. The killer waits for a bus full of passengers and then makes his move?"
All heads were up and it was Dan who said, "It's impossible to check the passenger list for names as people pay cash sometimes. Could it be our killer rides the bus up and down I-5 waiting for an opportunity to arise?"
"I like that one," said Rory. He could at any stop change into his disguise and do the deed. After that change back to his regular clothes and nobody is the wiser."
Stacy said, "Let's give this a rest for awhile. Ben go home and take a nap. Dan you too. Go play with the baby and get a good night's sleep. Rory you can drive me home please. Let's gather at 7am for a fresh beginning. I expect all of you to put forth some ideas how to stop this guy."
Rory said, on the way to her apartment, "Super, it seems this case is giving you some trouble. Am I right?"
"A little bit. There's a clue there, but I can't seem to grasp it. You know me I have to take a walk and work it out. However, I don't feel it will do me any good tonight to walk on it. Why don't you go by the motel and pick up your bag. You can stay with me, but no funny business Tall Man."
-5-
Winter kept its stranglehold as the season of power. Spring was just going to have to flex its muscles to nudge winter into hibernation. A persistent but not a heavy rain was falling across the Willamette Valley as Stacy and Rory left the restaurant for the office. As usual Rory had patience with Stacy being quiet and contemplative on cases such as this.
In the office all were gathered around the conference table drinking their favorite brew. Even Sharon was at a chair with her notes on schedules and routes for the buses. Stacy removed her coat and stopped half way to her desk staring at the whiteboard. Rory was almost ready to sit down when he realized Stacy saw something that put a piece of the puzzle together. He instantly felt more at ease. He hated these serial killer cases. For sure a murderer is not in his or her right mind, but serial killer is completely off the scale of reality.
"I know we have darn little to go on, but let's take it from the top one more time. I want to review what the witnesses saw and what the cameras did or didn't see. I want the colors of the coat, hat and pants if possible. The sad part is the witnesses have lost some of their visual thoughts by now. I think Ben and Dan call them and see if maybe they can shed some more light on the evidence. Rory, locate the bus driver who was here when the killer stuck last. I think he might be coming by – no – wait a minute. Let's see if I have it right – he left or is leaving Sacramento this am. Sharon check on – let's see – ah-- his name is Carlos Pearson see when he left and when he arrives in Redding. Rory go to the airport and hire a twin to take you to Redding. Get on the bus and ride up to Medford. Call us in Medford."
"Okay Super I’m on my way. I'll call you just before I'm on the bus," said Rory
"Let's get to work. I'm calling Rhonda to ask her to check on something for me," said Stacy.
Rhonda listened while Stacy told her what she was wanting. "Run a background check on Carlos Peterson who is a Greyhound bus driver. Go back as far as you can. I need it soonest you can Rhonda."
"I'll get his employment record from Greyhound and his resume. That's just for starters. I'll be back with you in a few hours. Ron is here Stacy and wants to speak with you."
"Stacy, the only info I get is some folks are saying, 'Buses stink with horror.'"
Stacy said, "Ron stay in your disguise and fly to Eugene on a business jet. I'll meet you at the airport for instructions." Stacy hung up with excitement as she was closing in the killer."
Meanwhile Stacy, with Sharon went through the bus schedules and cros
s references them with the murders. Stacy could see this was going to be a long drawn out process for sure. "Sharon I'm going to call regional headquarters for some help with their scheduling of buses and drivers. Meanwhile, call Dan I have a job for him"
In a few minutes Dan and Ben both came in to see what was happening. Stacy was on the phone with Greyhound dispatchers. She listened for what seemed minutes without speaking, but making notes on a legal pad. Both men waited patiently. Finally she hung up with a smile looking at them. Ben smiled back knowing the end was near, but not yet wrapped up by her looks.
She said, "Here's what we do guys. Ron is on his way down here as we speak. Dan I want you to go with him to Medford. At the bus station he is going to play a homeless man. You're there to protect him and arrest the killer. Rory is on the same bus that will bring the perpetrator to Medford. Ben you're welcome to tag along and be in on the arrest if you want to."
"I'd like that Stacy. What set you upon knowing who the killer was?"
"I'd like to hold that thought Ben. You never know what might happen to blow me out of the water."
-6-
Rory, dressed causal with a backpack, boarded the bus in Redding. His seat wasn't the best as most passengers were huddled around the front portion of the bus. Just before he boarded the bus he texted Stacy his situation. She texted him back saying to keep an eye on the bus driver. Not knowing the reason why he did as instructed. From his seat he could see the driver in the large mirror just above the drivers head. Meanwhile he checked out the passengers the best he could. It was a two and half hour ride from Redding to Medford. Rory took out his I-pad and pretended to play a game on it. About every five minutes or so he glanced out the window and casually looked at the driver. It was more than once he caught the driver looking at him. After that Rory took a nap setting his inner clock for a thirty minute snooze.
Stacy saw Ben, Dan and Ron off at the airport with plenty of time to set the scene down in Medford. She did not want to alert Rory as that might have made him look suspicious to the driver or any other person who might be a serial killer.
Rory woke up as the driver announced Medford in twenty minutes. A stream of passengers made their way to the back to relieve themselves; Rory included when it was his turn. He intended to be the last passenger off to thank the driver for a nice ride. He would loiter about to see what the driver did all the while pretending to call someone on his cell phone.
Rory let all the passengers go ahead of him as he pretended to fuss with his backpack. He hurried up the aisle and said, "Sorry I'm so slow. By the way, nice ride up. I enjoyed the smooth steady ride." Rory got off and then turned around to see the driver pick up a small overnight bag. He turned to Rory and Rory added, "By now. Have a safe journey." Rory then had a very good look at the driver from head to toe. He went to the entrance and dug out his cell to make a call.
He saw the driver go to another door that he learned later was the drivers office and a lounge area. Rory went inside and immediately saw Ben and Dan seated some distance from a homeless man. Ben gave him a slight shake of the head and returned his gaze to a newspaper. Dan was reading a pocket book. Both men blended in nicely with the other passengers. Rory gave the homeless man a good look and the homeless man looked at him and winked. Rory was startled. Then it dawned on him it was Ron being the bait for the killer.
In Eugene, Stacy could not remember a time when she was not involved directly in the apprehension of a perpetrator. Here she was over a hundred miles away from the end of the case, she hoped. Sharon brought her a green tea and asked, "Relax Stacy. Those guys will do the job just fine. Emma called and I'm to call after it all goes down."
"Thanks for the tea. I'm calling Cathy and ask her to come over and sit with me if she's not busy. Would you call Marsha and see if she can talk on the phone?"
Stacy called Cathy and asked what she was doing. If she had time come over and play the waiting game with me, she told her. Cathy said, "I'm on my way."
Then Rhonda called with an update on the bus driver, Carlos Pearson. "He's been with Greyhound for two years. Before that he was a long haul driver for a major company. I talked to the company and found out he was asked to leave voluntarily due to verbal abuse to their customers. Before that he was in the security business in Iraq. He was let go for abusing the poor people who lived there. He's single and has no family that I could find."
"Many thanks and we've set a trap for him in Medford. If all goes well we'll have him in custody in a few hours."
In Medford at the bus station, Rory had sat down playing with his cell phone. He texted Stacy informing her he had made contact with Ben and Dan who were watching Ron as the potential target of the killer.
Rory looked up as a man with a dark blue overcoat and fedora came through the door. The fedora was low over his eyes and when Rory looked down at his feet, sure enough, he was wearing patent leather shiny black shoes. The same ones he saw the bus driver wearing. He walked directly to Ron. Ron was pretending he was sleepy. A paper bag was sticking out of his side pocket indicating a wine bottle was evident. Ron slowly woke up. He heard the man say:
"Hello my friend. Today is your lucky day. I've a gift for you that will knock your socks off. I've some 100 proof vodka for you. Here take it and enjoy. I'll watch you take a swig to see the satisfied look on your face."
Ron with lolling head smiled a dirty toothy smile and said, while holding out his equally dirty had, "Thank the Lord. This gift is too much. I've nothing in return for you." Rory saw him take the paper sack and peek inside. And then from nowhere Ron gave off a big sneeze and the sack with bottle fell to the floor breaking. He looked up at the gift giver and said, "Jesus now look what I did. I feel like crying, but with two nods of his head, Dan, Ben and Rory were on the perpetrator in a hot second.
Dan read Carlos Pearson his rights while placing handcuffs on him. Ben gathered up the broken glass and what liquid that was left for evidence. Rory called Stacy. "We got him Super. No struggle and we've the evidence to send him away for life. Good job and how did you know it was the driver?"
"I'll tell you later Tall Man. Meanwhile, don't lose him," she said laughing. She sat back and Cathy saw that satisfied smile that she only wore when a case was solved.
"Well Stacy another feather in your hat. Or I should say bonnet like an Indian Chief. I'll call Marsha and see what she's doing."
Stacy called Connie and said, when she answered her private line, "We got him in handcuffs Connie. At least this one didn't get away from us."
"Good work all of you. I suppose as usual you're taking a few days leave?"
"Yes, down to visit my father and an old friend down there too."
"Ah, you don't think I know who that is but I think I do. He fishes a lot off the jetty and he's known to you as Smiling Sam. I'm sending you a US Marshall's Deputy's badge to give him for his outstanding help over the years. Have fun and see you when you return."
Next thing she did was call Barbara the profiler. It was a short and sweet conversation with Stacy saying the killer would be in Portland soon.
Stacy and Cathy waited for the investigators to return with their catch of the day. At the office they sat Carlos Pearson down and attempted to interview him. He was reluctant to say the least thing, but he did want to know what he did to attract their attention to him. "There were two things Mr. Pearson. First was the fact you knew the video systems wasn't what he should be; and second is your patent leather shiny shoes. After that I check your background and bus schedule discovering you just happen to be there or just left when the homeless men died. What do you have against homeless people Mr. Pearson?"
For a long time he was silent. Stacy was about to turn off the recorder when he said, "In Iraq I saw thousands of beggars and homeless roaming the streets looking for handouts from Americans. I wanted to shoot them all dead. Most were able to work if they put their minds to it. Here we were dumping millions or billions into a place that isn't fit for man nor beast. That's w
hen I came up with the idea of poison when I came home. I don’t understand why our country tolerates the homeless. They scare ordinary people. Do you ever see a regular working person sitting next to a homeless man on a park bench or in a bus station? I think we should give them their own city in Death Valley. That's about all I have to say except, I might cut a deal about some other things I know,' he said with a sick twinkle in his eye.
Dan took him to county jail until the next day they would transfer him to Portland.
Rory said, "It was the shiny shoes, huh Super?"
"That was the main thing. Another thing was how did he know a homeless man would be in a given bus station. He'd note a particular homeless man who on more than one occasion would be resting his backside. If he was hanging around the bus station, someone might call the police, as he might look like a sex pervert dressed the way he was. Hence the killer had to be, or most likely, was riding the bus. You can figure out the rest Tall Man.
Ron said, "I didn't want to touch my lips to the liquid because even that small amount can kill a person. So, I quickly thought, drop it and break it. The evidence would still be there."
Rory called Rhonda. Stacy called her father. Rory and Rhonda left the next morning for Bandon by the Sea. The last call she made was to the reporter giving him the 'scoop'.
~~~~~
Next up for US Marshall Stacy Foreham and her team is a murder in her hometown of Bandon, Oregon. It seems the new Chief of Police is disliked by someone or maybe more than one. He is found one morning in his office with a long knife in his heart. And, to add insult to injury, he was scalped!
The title is: "Murder at the Police Station".
Murder Mysteries Series Seven Page 10
