Friday Night Frights (Jack and Ashley Detective series Book 1)

by R. D. Sherrill

  “Now needles, they don’t scare me a bit,” Ashley said with a sigh. “Lord knows I’ve seen enough of those in my life.”

  Looking at the cloth and seeing the bleeding had reduced to a trickle, Ashley pressed on in her investigation.

  “What about the Granderson boy?” Ashley asked, looking at the youth still clad from head to toe in the mascot outfit. A coon-skin cap topped the bearded head; the mascot’s clothes were that of a frontiersman.

  The coroner carefully made his way over to the boy’s body and lifted the mascot’s head, exposing a gaping wound on the side of his neck. Blood was now apparent as he finished peeling back the tarp, the crimson stain soaking through the blue and brown outfit, suggesting the victim bled to death from his injuries.

  “From what we can tell before we take off the head piece, he suffered a pair of penetrating wounds to his neck,” the coroner explained. “It also appears he was stabbed multiple times through the suit, meaning whoever did this had a pretty big knife.”

  For the first time Ashley was able to separate the costume from the young victim underneath it, his partially exposed face giving something human to what moments before had left her gripped with terror.

  “And, if you’ll look here,” the coroner continued, pointing to the victim’s hands, “there’s evidence of defense wounds.”

  Ashley forced herself to move closer to the prone youth and was able to see several wounds on the boy’s exposed hands.

  “I’d say you’re right,” Ashley agreed. The defense wounds suggested the teen had thrown up his hands, trying to fend off the attacker. “It looks like he put up a fight.”

  Ashley thanked the coroner and released the crime scene to him, realizing photographs and other evidence collection protocols had already been carried out ahead of her late arrival.

  “By the way, about my little, uh …” Ashley began, still rubbing the back of her head as the remainder of the coroner’s team advanced toward the crime scene.

  “It’s our secret,” the coroner said with a smile. “What happens in Rock River stays in Rock River.”

  While meant as a joke, Ashley hoped the corner’s words were not prophetic. She intended to expose the secrets of Rock River and thereby find who killed her friend and an innocent teenage boy.

  Ashley emerged into the full morning light from underneath the bleachers. The sun’s brightness caused her head to throb, a slight wince passing her lips as her eyes adjusted to the visual assault.

  “Ranger Reynolds?” came the voice of a young patrolman who approached her as she stepped from underneath the bleachers.

  “Yes, I’m Ranger Ashley Reynolds,” she responded as she held up her hand to shield her eyes from the low angle of the sun over the patrolman’s shoulder.

  “Major Cowell wants you to meet him at our police station once you get through here,” the policeman said, pointing back over his shoulder. “The station is right downtown, just a couple of blocks from here. I can wait and take you over there if you want me to, ma’am.”

  Realizing she still had work to do on campus, Ashley refused his offer.

  “I think I can find it just fine, officer, but thanks anyway,” Ashley said as she recalled seeing the station on the way into town. “But, if you know where I might find a member of the school administration, I’d appreciate it.”

  “Well, right over there is the principal of Rock River High,” the patrolman said, gesturing toward mid-field where a man stood in front of a video camera, likely in the midst of a television interview.

  Thanking the patrolman, Ashley made her way across the field, arriving just as the reporter was finishing his interview. She introduced herself to the school principal, Howard Martin. She wasted no time getting to the point, asking Martin about Jimmy Granderson. Given the fact he was murdered along with Jana, Ashley suspected the youth may have been the main target of the killer. Perhaps Jana had happened up on the murder.

  “He was a good kid,” the balding, middle-aged administrator revealed, wiping beads of sweat from his brow, his eyes suggesting he had not slept the night before. “He had good grades and was never in trouble. He’d been our school mascot for the past couple of years. He really enjoyed it. This was the beginning of his senior year. As far as anyone wanting to harm Jimmy, I can’t imagine that. As far as I know, everybody liked him. Who wouldn’t like Pioneer Jake?”

  Ashley turned her attention to the time of the murders, since the principal couldn’t provide any possible motive for the student’s slaying. The fact that the bodies weren’t found until several hours after the slayings puzzled the investigator, given the large number of people who packed the stadium to watch the tilt between the heated rivals.

  “That place is off limits,” Martin said sternly as if he were admonishing one of his pupils. “Students and any fans, for that matter, are forbidden from going under there during games. Getting caught under the bleachers can result in ejection from the sporting event, and, if you’re one of my students, three days suspension.”

  “Wow, that’s kind of harsh,” Ashley replied, surprised by the severity of punishment for simply ducking under the stands.

  “Not really,” he explained. “We have had some problems under there over the years. Things like dope smoking and making out went on during games. Plus, the place isn’t sanitary with all the trash that gets thrown down there. Then, a couple years back we had a kid running around under there bust his head wide open on one of those metal cross beams, so we had to restrict it for liability reasons if nothing else.”

  Ashley rubbed the bump on her head, sympathizing with the kid.

  “I’d actually just gotten a call from Jimmy’s mother telling me he hadn’t made it home about the same time we got word the clean-up crew had found the bodies,” he recalled, his eyes starting to well up. “This has all been so horrible. Nothing like this has ever happened in Rock River. I feel so sorry for his mother. She’s a single mom, well, was a single mom. He was her only child.”

  His words hit home for Ashley, who until that moment was more concerned about finding who killed her friend. The fact that the killer had claimed a mother’s only child re-focused the agent. Jimmy Granderson’s blood also needed avenging. But, as the situation would have it, finding the killer would solve both murders, the pair likely killed by the same blade.

  “If I can be of any help, just let me know,” the principal offered. “I want whoever did this to be caught.”

  Ashley paused as she turned to leave, something dawning on her.

  “The game tape, I’d like a copy of it,” Ashley responded, looking up toward the press box atop the bleachers.

  “I’ll have it to you by lunch,” the principal pledged as Ashley walked across the field, noticing the coroner wheeling one of the bodies from under the bleachers, placing the black body bag in the back of the ambulance.

  Across the way, on the other side of the fence beyond the crime scene tape, three girls were watching the body being loaded. One of the teens, apparently overcome by emotion watching the scene before her, was being comforted by her friend who was embracing her while she sobbed. The third girl stood watching in abject disbelief, her hand over her mouth.

  “Did you know him?” Ashley asked as she approached the girls at the fence, the badge hanging around her neck identifying her as a Texas Ranger.

  “Sure, everybody knew Jimmy,” responded the trim, dark-haired student still holding her friend in her arms. “He was a great guy. He moved here a few years ago and fit right in.”

  “He was the best,” interjected the girl who had been sobbing, choking back her tears, her eyes puffy and red from crying. “Everybody liked him. He was so nice and kind. He never hurt anybody. Who would have done something like this?”

  Ashley shook her head, careful not to expose her own distress over the loss of her friend.

  “I don’t know, but I intend to find out,” Ashley said confidently, hoping to re-assure the boy’s mourning friends.


  The third girl, who remained quiet during the exchange as she still watched the loading of the bodies, turned to the Ranger with eyes ablaze.

  “When you find who did it, you shoot that worthless piece of crap between the eyes,” she said through clenched teeth. “Jail is too good for him.”

  Ashley chose not to respond to the girl’s angry request, realizing she and the girl shared the same view of justice in this case. Whoever did this didn’t deserve to live.

  I’ll get him … if it’s the last thing I do.

  WHO CAN YOU TRUST

  Ashley’s stomach growled as she pulled up to the police station in downtown Rock River. The station was a small storefront office wedged between the town’s hardware store and bank. Rock River, she had learned during her short visit, was a small town like so many others in Texas, populated by just over ten thousand residents. On its face, Rock River was unremarkable, an out-of-the-way wide spot in the road.

  This all begged the question which gnawed at Ashley all morning: what was Jana doing in Rock River? She hoped Major Cowell could clarify things as she spotted him standing in front of the police station, his large frame and black cowboy hat unmistakable. He was the perfect example of what a Texas Ranger should look like in Ashley's eyes. He was a harkening back to old times, something which always reminded her of her father.

  Spotting Ashley climbing out of her car, Major Cowell threw up his hand, ending his conversation with the policeman he had been speaking with near the front door of the station.

  “Walk with me,” Cowell said in a reserved voice, taking Ashley by the arm. His tone was different from his normal booming voice. Even in his normal conversation, it was well-known around the office that he could be heard throughout headquarters, even when he wasn’t yelling at someone. “It’s about time for lunch. Are you hungry? I hear there’s a diner just down the street.”

  Whisked away by her boss, Ashley went along without a word, still wondering about his unusual behavior. She had been around the major enough to realize he was rarely reserved, his demeanor always making him the unmistakable alpha male in any room.

  “What you’re about to hear stays between us. Do you understand, Agent Reynolds?” the major half asked and half ordered by his tone as they walked casually toward the downtown café.

  Nodding her head in agreement, Ashley raised her brow. Her curiosity was piqued by the cloak and dagger actions of the veteran lawman.

  “Jana was on something big,” Major Cowell declared, still speaking in an uncharacteristically low voice. “That’s why she was here. This is where the trail led her.”

  “What trail?” Ashley asked, sensing he was about to reveal the answer to what had been gnawing at her all day.

  “The trail of a serial killer,” he responded. His answer surprised Ashley since she generally knew of such investigations in her role as one of the department’s foremost profilers. Such cases were something she would normally be consulted about, even if she wasn't a lead investigator in the case.

  “I know, we’ve been keeping it under wraps,” he said, almost reading Ashley’s mind. “We didn’t realize we had a serial until a couple of weeks ago, after the third victim.”

  “Third victim?” Ashley asked, looking up at Major Cowell as they continued walking. “There’s been three already?”

  Cowell paused on the sidewalk before they crossed Main Street to the café, looking Ashley in the eyes with a sober gaze.

  “I’m sorry to say, but there's more than that,” the major revealed. “There’s been one for each week of the season. Two this week, counting Agent Ferrell.”

  “Each week of what season?” Ashley wondered aloud.

  “Football season,” Cowell answered, his wind-beaten face strained as he squinted in the late morning sun. “Our killer has hit football games since week one like clockwork.”

  Ashley stood quietly for a moment, eyes locked with her boss, a look of disbelief on her face.

  “Why haven’t I heard about all this?” Ashley asked as she counted up the victims with her fingers. “I mean, counting today, that’s six victims.”

  Cowell removed his hat, running his hand through his salt and pepper hair as he looked around the street.

  “This is Texas, Ashley,” Cowell began as he placed his hat neatly back on his head, adjusting the brim to its normal angle as he looked nervously off into the distance. “Football is king. If we went public with our suspicions, that could start a panic, or even worse, it could cause folks to take matters in their own hands. Imagine it: vigilantes, cop wannabes and armed parents at ball games all around the state. More people would probably get killed by mistake by trigger-happy cowboys than our killer is killing.

  “No, even if we went public it wouldn’t stop football season in Texas. It'd just make folks more paranoid. Besides, we just realized we had a serial killer. If we don’t do something soon, we may have no choice but to go public regardless of the consequences. The fact we have a dead ranger means it will probably bring everything to the forefront.”

  Major Cowell knew it was only a matter of hours before the case in Rock River would go public in a big way. Once it was announced a ranger had been killed, the press would be all over the story. Questions would follow as to why she was in Rock River and what connection there was between the officer and the teenager who were killed.

  “I don’t understand,” Ashley began. “That still doesn’t explain why this hasn’t been discussed within the department.”

  “That’s where you come in, Agent Reynolds,” Cowell responded. “Agent Ferrell was onto something. What it was, I don’t know since she came here hot on the trail of the person she believed was our killer. One thing she did tell me the last time she reported in was that she had reason to believe our killer had a connection inside our department.”

  “The Rangers?” Ashley asked.

  “Exactly,” he responded. “That’s why everything has been kept on a need-to-know basis. Very few of us know about this, that’s why all the secrecy today. We don’t know who she was talking about or even if her information was accurate. She was supposed to brief me today about everything she'd learned, but whatever she knew died with her. What this all means, Agent Reynolds, is we have to be careful what information we reveal within the department until we find out who is associated with our killer.”

  Cowell unceremoniously crossed the street after dropping his bombshell, leaving Ashley standing deep in thought before she realized her boss had left without her. She dashed back to his side as he entered the diner. Their conversation continued in hushed tones as they sat across the table from one another.

  “Why me?” Ashley asked, realizing there were many other rangers who could have been called upon for what was sure to be a high-profile case.

  “Because you and Jana were close,” Cowell shot back. “I figure she trusted you more than anybody in the department, so you’re the obvious choice to take over the case. Plus, you’re a damn good ranger from what I’ve seen from your years with the department. A little green, a lot to learn, but you have some really good natural instincts.”

  Ashley couldn’t help but smile at the compliment from the person she respected most in law enforcement.

  “Don’t get full of yourself, Agent Reynolds,” Cowell scolded, cutting his eyes at her over his menu. “We’re looking for a calculating killer who has shown he’ll kill anyone, even a cop. I don’t intend to lose another ranger.”

  His warning was sobering since Ashley was not a field agent like Jana but was instead a profiler. She spent most of her time probing crime scenes, looking for clues or spending endless hours at a computer screen in the comfort and safety of her air-conditioned office. She had long envied Jana in her role as a field agent, that is, until this morning. What she saw under the football bleachers earlier made her re-think her career goal. Perhaps profiling, solving cases from the harbor of an office, was her calling.

  “The media will be watching this one close too, esp
ecially if they make the connection between the football game murders and Agent Ferrell,” Cowell warned in a deep tone. “We have to do this by the book. We can’t go off half-cocked and bring him in over the back of a horse. I know Jana and you were friends but you have to put that in check. If you don’t think you can do that, tell me now.”

  Ashley had never killed anyone. She hadn’t even pulled her weapon, other than at the shooting range. However, in this case she knew she would have little trouble squeezing her trigger and dispatching her own version of frontier justice if she felt she could get away with it. Sure, it wasn’t very professional but the killer had made this personal. Despite her true feelings, Ashley put on a brave face, assuring her boss she would be able to separate her feelings for her friend and the job to which she was being charged.

  “I can do it,” Ashley assured the major. “I’ll bring him in … alive.”

  Cowell placed his menu on the table in front of him and leaned forward, giving Ashley a serious look.

  “No, you won’t be bringing him in,” Cowell said authoritatively. “Your job is to find out who is responsible for the football game killings.”

  “What?” Ashley asked with surprise in her voice as she assumed she had been called in to solve Agent Ferrell’s murder.

  “Since Agent Ferrell was one of our own, the accepted practice is to have another agency investigate and prosecute the case,” Cowell revealed, his tone suggesting he wasn’t keen on the idea either. “Her murder is now the jurisdiction of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.”

  Ashley’s eyes narrowed at the thought of the case being let "out of house" since the Rangers had long been one of the most respected law enforcement agencies in the world.

  “But …” Ashley began only to be cut off the major.

  “The decision has been made, Agent Reynolds,” Cowell announced with finality in his voice. “Your involvement in Agent Ferrell’s case will be purely one of a liaison capacity, helping coordinate between the two agencies while you work on catching our serial killer. Of course, when you get down to it, the person you're looking for is one and the same, so you and your partner will have a similar goal.”