Dead By Dawn

by Juliet Dillon Clark

  “Hi Sandy, this is Lindsay Carter. I’m a private detective looking into an old case. There used to be an Ellen Jericho that lived with you. Do you remember her?”

  The girl said, “I manage these apartments for my mom. How long ago did she live here?”

  “About twenty years ago, I think.”

  “Mom would know then. She lived here and managed the place for Grandma. When Grandma died, she moved into her house and now I’m in charge,” Sandy said.

  “Is she the Sandra an Azul Way?” Lindsay asked.

  “Yep, that’s her,” Sandy answered.

  Lindsay called Sandra next. Sandra answered and Lindsay explained who she was and that she was investigating Ellen Jericho.

  “I remember her,” Sandra said. “She was so much fun. We both worked at Circus Circus back then.”

  “Did she talk about herself much?” Lindsay asked.

  “Not a lot. I think she ran away from home when she was a teenager. I remember I was so envious because my mother was so controlling. I always thought about running away, but I never had the guts,” she prattled.

  “Any idea where she was from?” Lindsay asked.

  “She said she was from L.A.”

  “Did she have roommates?”

  “No, she rented a studio,” Sandra said.

  “Did you meet any of her friends?” Lindsay asked.

  “Yes, she had a close friend from college that lived here. He went out with us a lot. He worked at Circus Circus with us.”

  “Do you remember much about him?” Lindsay asked.

  “His name is Gerry Michaels. He has a landscaping business. Desert Springs or Desert Oasis,” she said and paused. “I can’t remember the name. It’s Desert something. I run into him occasionally at the nursery.”

  “That’s helpful,” Lindsay said. “Anyone else you can think of?”

  “Her boyfriend was going to be a dentist. She didn’t hang around with us much after she met him,” Sandra said.

  “When you get a job at a casino, do they take your fingerprints?” Lindsay asked.

  “Yes, it’s a requirement. They run them to make sure you are not wanted nor have any arrests,” Sandra said.

  “How long ago did you guys work at Circus Circus?” Lindsay asked.

  “Lets see,” Sandra said. “Mid 80s, I think.”

  “Do you know how long they keep those on file?” Lindsay said.

  “I have no idea. I have a friend that works there. Why don’t I talk to her and see if she can give you any information?” Sandra offered.

  “That would be great,” Lindsay said.

  Lindsay busied herself on the computer with Gerry Michaels. She googled his name and the word Desert. She got a hit immediately. He owned a flower shop and landscaping business called Desert Orchid. She looked over the website. It was eye catching. He owned three flower shops in the Las Vegas area, as well as a full service indoor/outdoor landscaping service. He had a page on his website boasting two degrees from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. One in Ornamental Horticulture and a second major in Agricultural Business Management. He had also attended several seminars over the years.

  Her phone rang and she answered. “Lindsay Carter?” a woman said.

  “Yes,” She answered.

  “This is Marge Clarke. My friend Sandra asked me to give you a call,” she said.

  “You’re her friend from Circus Circus?” Lindsay said.

  “Sandra said you had questions about an old employee,” Marge said.

  “I was looking into Ellen Jericho, she worked there about twenty years ago,” Lindsay said.

  “We don’t have files that go back that far,” Marge said.

  “That’s disappointing,” Lindsay said. “I was hoping to get a set of fingerprints.”

  “Why, did she do something?” Marge asked.

  “No, I have a client who thinks she may be someone else,” Lindsay said. “So you wouldn’t have Gerry Michael’s fingerprints either?”

  “Gerry works security here sometimes,” Marge said.

  The remark surprised Lindsay. “I thought he had a successful business.”

  “Does anyone have a successful business in this economy?” Marge said wryly. “He moonlights here because business is slow.”

  “Could I get his fingerprint card?” Lindsay said.

  “Why would you want that?” Marge asked suspiciously.

  “I’m not sure,” Lindsay said honestly. “Just a hunch.”

  “You’re not the police. I don’t think I can give you that,” Marge said.

  “What if I promise to run them and give them back? No one will know they are missing,” Lindsay said.

  Marge sighed. “I could get in a lot of trouble for this.”

  “Could you overnight them to me and I will send them back the following day,” Lindsay said persuasively.

  “Okay,” Marge agreed. “Just don’t get me fired.”

  Lindsay gave her the information to overnight the fingerprint card.

  Chapter 42

  Charles Davenport sat in his office staring out the window deep in thought. There were too many people around who were questioning the past. It was becoming deeply disturbing to him. He was having a hard time sleeping again. After his son David had been murdered, he had felt the same gloom and depression set in. Back then, he had attributed it to grief. Now, he didn’t know what to think. Maybe the anxiety had been brought on by the remembrance of all of the chaos that had surrounded that time in his life.

  Charles had lived a simple life, for the most part. His father had been a prominent farmer when he was growing up. Charles Jr. worked on the ranch for extra money. His father taught him leadership skills, as well as ranching skills. Somehow, his father had managed to expand his empire. Charles felt like a failure compared to his father. Since he had taken over, the ranch was an ever-shrinking commodity. He had sold pieces of it to cover his mistakes.

  The mention of Bing Taylor’s name brought back some old memories. Bing and his sister, Beatrice, had lived on his father’s ranch for as long as he could remember. Bing’s mother had died when he was young and Charles’ mother, Hattie, had been a surrogate mother to all of them. Charles remembered that his father had purchased the land in Shandon because his mother wanted to build their dream home there. Back then, Shandon had been in the middle of nowhere. Hattie was a farm girl at heart. Life in Shandon would have suited her. The land had been purchased and the plans were in progress to build a home there, when Hattie became ill. She was diagnosed with leukemia. A year later, she was gone. Charles Sr. was left to run his empire and raise his only child without a mother.

  Charles Sr. was always a hard working man, as was Bing Taylor’s father. The kids were raised, for the most part, by a housekeeper hired after Hattie’s death. Charles Jr. and Bing were inseparable playmates. The only time they argued was when Charles friend, Marty, came over to play. Marty rounded out the threesome at school also. Marty could be a troublemaker. Bing and Charles got into many fights because of Marty’s big mouth. Marty, Charles thought, had always been a manipulator. Charles knew he had control issues. He always had to be right. He always had to win. As he aged, he realized that much of this behavior came with a price. In retrospect, some of the price tags for winning had become too heavy over the years.

  Why had detective Taylor asked about Bing fathering Letty’s child? Charles knew that Bing was sterile. Why had he gone along with the silly assertion that Bing was the father of Letty’s child? Charles knew that Marty had fathered the child. He remembered when Marty told him. He had been furious that he had touched her. Letty had been Charles childhood sweetheart. She had been his first love. Charles had always been protective of her, even after they broke up before he went to college. So, why had Marty not admitted that to the investigator?

  Charles looked at the clock on his desk. It was three o’clock in the afternoon. He thought, too early for a scotch. If I have a drink this early, Elizabeth will know something is wron
g. Charles got up and walked to the window. He looked at the expanse of grapevines covering the hills around his home. If only he had humored David and helped him with his dream. Would things have turned out differently? David had wanted so badly to move out to that farm in Shandon. Maybe Charles could have persuaded David to plant the grapes on some of their land. Too many maybes, he thought. Maybe if David had never met Shelly. Maybe, if Charles Sr. had never bought the Shandon property for Hattie.

  Lizzie’s voice brought Charles out of his deep thought. “What?” he responded.

  “You seemed so far away just then,” she remarked.

  “I was just thinking about David,” he said sadly.

  “Dear, we can’t dwell on it now. We spent such a long time being angry at Shelly,” she said.

  “I know,” he replied. He turned to face her. “Do you ever wonder if maybe we missed the point?”

  Elizabeth looked bewildered. “What do you mean?”

  “What if the police were telling us the truth about the kids’ deaths?” he said.

  “But, we know that they weren’t,” she said angrily. “Why all these mixed emotions?”

  “It’s all coming back up. All of the questions. Maybe with time, I have gained some distance and perspective,” he said.

  Elizabeth glared at him. “I think time has made you forget who your friends are and what the facts really were.”

  Charles shook his head and turned back toward the window to gaze at the grapes again. “Maybe, maybe not,” he said to Lizzie in a dismissive tone.

  She stared at his back for a moment and left the room in a huff.

  There was something that was nagging the edges of Charles’ unconscious. Something the detective had asked him. Had Marty ever been to the ranch in Shandon? Charles knew that he and Bing had been there. They went to clear brush every fire season. They earned spending money doing the hard labor in the blistering heat. Had Marty ever gone with them? The answer was eluding him.

  Chapter 43

  The FedEx package arrived the following day. As promised, Gerry Michaels’ fingerprint card had been sent from Las Vegas. Lindsay bathed and dressed Evan. Jeff ’s mom was going to take him for the day while Lindsay worked. After dropping Evan off, she headed out to the station to meet with Ray.

  Ray, who was sitting at his desk, saw Lindsay enter. “Back so soon?” he said.

  “You know I can’t stay away,” she said teasingly.

  “What can I do for you princess?” Ray asked.

  She opened the FedEx envelope and pulled out the fingerprint card. “Can we have the crime lab run these right away?”

  “They are pretty backed up. We still haven’t input the ones you brought me last week.” Ray said.

  “Here’s the deal. I need to put these back into the mail tonight. Can we at least get them scanned?” she asked.

  “Yes, can you tell me why?” he asked.

  She explained about the woman in Santa Clarita who may or may not be the sister of a client. “This man is an associate of the woman in Las Vegas.”

  He looked at her with a pained expression. “That’s not much. He is probably who he appears to be.”

  “He probably is. Something about him bothers me. He appears to be a successful business man, but he’s not. He is the only link I have to Ellen Collins that goes back further than her husband. Can you just humor me?” she asked.

  Ray rose from his desk. “I’ll walk you down to the lab.”

  Lindsay flashed a smile. “You mentioned the prints I brought in from the Shandon crime scene. They still haven’t been run?”

  “No, we’re backed up. Besides, I told them it was an old homicide from another county. We’ve got to solve the current cases before we go delving into old ones,” he remarked.

  “But, they will get to them?” she said.

  Ray wisecracked, “I am sure as soon as they see your bright and shiny face, the lab guys will drop everything and solve your old case.”

  Lindsay laughed at his remark. “Okay, I get it. I’m being too pushy. Just get these into the system and tell me that they belong to Gerry Michaels and I will get out of your hair.”

  The lab was bustling when they entered. Ray and Lindsay went into the area where fingerprints were scanned and entered into the system. Ken Parker was the tech that was working. He saw Lindsay and got up from his seat to give her a hug. “How are you?” he asked.

  “I’m good and you?” she said as she hugged back.

  “I’m good,” he remarked. “We miss you around here. You were always the nicer of the two of you.”

  Lindsay smiled. “I know, sometimes Ray lacks social skills, but he is a crack detective,” she joked.

  Ray let out an exasperated sigh. “Excuse me you two. I am standing right here.”

  Everyone laughed. Lindsay handed Ken the card. “Can you scan these for me?”

  “Sure. Are these from a crime scene?”

  “No, they are part of a missing person’s case. It’s the only link I have,” she said. “I need them scanned right away. I have to send them back to Nevada tonight.”

  Ken took the card and scanned the fingerprints in while they waited. “So, you already know who they belong to?”

  “I think I do. I just need confirmation.”

  Ken handed the card with the prints back to Lindsay. “Where did you get that?”

  “This is an old employee card from Circus Circus in Las Vegas,” she said.

  “It must be quite old, since they have different procedures for monitoring employees now. It’s all computerized,” he said.

  “How soon until you know something?” she asked.

  Ken chuckled. “Is my answer ever any different? I’ll call you as soon as I have something.”

  Ray interjected, “Did you do anything with those prints I brought down a couple of days ago?”

  “I haven’t had a chance to enter them. They’re not a priority.”

  “I understand,” Lindsay offered. “I’ll wait to hear from you on these.”

  Lindsay left the crime lab and headed for the nearest FedEx store to send the fingerprint card back to Las Vegas as promised. After she filled out the envelope and paid for the package, her cell phone rang. It was Ken Parker. “Your prints came back to a Gerry Michaels in Las Vegas.”

  “That’s who I thought it would come back as. Thanks for your help.” Lindsay said with disappointment in her voice.

  Chapter 44

  Beatrice Taylor put down the telephone receiver. The phone call from Charles Davenport had left her confused. He was in the neighborhood and wanted to drop by for a consultation. He wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  She could hear the door open in the reception area. Her assistant and her paralegal had both called in sick for the day, leaving Beatrice to answer the phones. One of the disadvantages of being a one-woman office was that there wasn’t much support staff to cover when there was an absence. Charles entered the reception area. Beatrice noted that he looked nervous and fidgety. This was not Charles’ normal demeanor. He usually strived to be confident and in charge. He wasn’t exuding that confidence today.

  “Come on back,” she said, motioning toward her office.

  Charles followed her into the bright office and took a seat across from her. “What can I do for you?” she asked.

  “My grandson has hired a private detective to find his sister Kelly. Were you aware of that?” he asked.

  “I was. She came in and asked me some questions about how your son acquired the ranch,” she said. “A police detective also came by to see me.”

  “Yes, I know the body of my high school girlfriend and her baby were found at the ranch,” he offered.

  “What does that have to do with your visit?” Beatrice asked.

  “The detective I spoke with mentioned your brother,” Charles said.

  Beatrice nodded her head waiting for him to continue. “Look, there is no easy way to say this. I know that my son was given a package when
my dad died. Do you know what was in it?”

  Beatrice moved forward in her chair. She paused for a moment. She had to decide if this was the time to bluff or not. “Yes, do you want to talk about it?”

  Charles was startled by her reply. He was hoping that she had not read what was in the package. “Can you discuss it? Doesn’t it violate some sort of privilege?”

  “Not at all, your father is dead,” she said hoping to get him to talk.

  “David brought the package to me before he died,” Charles said.

  “He showed it to you?”

  “He showed it to me. I was so ashamed to admit Marty and I had raped that girl. I was even more ashamed that your dad took the fall,” he said.

  “How did David react?” Beatrice asked softly.

  “He was angry. He was ashamed that I had let something like that happen.”

  “Did you repair the damage before he died?” Beatrice asked.

  “No, I never got the chance. He told me to leave him alone,” Charles said.

  “I heard that you were trying to buy the ranch from him,” Beatrice said.

  “I was brokering the deal for someone else,” Charles said. “There was a large sum of money in it for me if I was successful.”

  Beatrice sat back in her chair. “So, why did all of this bring you here?” Beatrice asked.

  “David told me about the bodies buried under the house,” Charles said.

  Beatrice used her best poker face to hide the fact that Charles had just dropped a bomb. “He found this out from the package your dad left,” she said as more of a statement than a question.

  “Yes, but you knew that if you knew what was in the package,” Charles said.

  Beatrice didn’t answer. Finally after a long silence she said, “David knew who killed the people under the house.”

  “Yes, he did. He threatened me and told me if I ever contacted him again that he would release his grandfather’s letters,” Charles said.

  “You never contacted him again?” Beatrice asked.

  “No, I didn’t. Three weeks later he was dead,” Charles said.