Free to Kill

by Julie Mellon

  When they entered the back door of the church, Katie spotted a man in the room where the search for Barbie had been coordinated. He appeared to be about six feet tall with blonde hair and blue eyes. Something about him looked familiar. He was mopping the floor in long lazy strokes. Clearing her throat to get his attention, she asked, “David?”

  The man looked back at them for several long seconds before he nodded, putting the mop back in the bucket. He waved them over to a table and sat down. “You’re here about Lainie.”

  Katie instantly perked up at the use of the nickname. “Her father called her that. How long have you known Elaine?”

  “We met about a year ago. She’s my little sister.” David’s words were spoken softly. He never made eye contact but sat still, staring at the tabletop.

  Katie and Michael exchanged glances, both of them stunned. That had been the last thing they expected David to say. “I don’t understand. Can you explain that to me?” Katie asked. But the admission immediately fit. He looked very similar to Elaine, and even more so like Evelyn.

  “My mother left my dad when I was about five. He wasn’t the nicest guy. She didn’t take me along. See, mom was having an affair and the guy didn’t know she was married. When mom found out she was pregnant, she knew it wasn’t dad’s kid, so she up and left. Guess I wasn’t that important to her, either. I joined the military the minute I turned eighteen. I also couldn’t wait to leave him. When I came back from Afghanistan, I found out dad had died. There wasn’t anything left for me in Kingston Springs, so I looked around. I don’t like people much and I have my disability pay from my service. I don’t need much to live. I’m a simple guy. I like solitude and honest work. I found this position, which is volunteer and it fit my needs.” David paused and looked around the room. He looked like a lost little boy sitting there.

  “About seven months ago, little Austin had a school project about his family tree. Lainie helped him dig around and she came across the record of my birth to her mom. She tracked me down.”

  “So you two have been getting to know each other?” Michael asked quietly.

  “We got together on Mondays so she could go to my therapy appointments with me. See, I have a bum leg from an old army injury. I had to have surgery about a year ago and I’m still going to therapy so I can use it properly. Hurts like hell. Then on Wednesdays we would get together for dinner before she came to church. We always met at the Waffle House by the interstate. I could walk there from my place even though she always offered to pick me up. If I had been here that night, no one would have hurt her.” He finally looked directly at Katie, his eyes haunted.

  “I doubt there was anything you could do. Even if you had been scheduled to work, you would have been long gone by the time she was abducted. We still don’t know how he got her out of the church without being seen. What about Evelyn? How does she feel about having a brother?” Katie asked.

  “I don’t think Lainie had told her about me yet. Evelyn is always nice to me when she comes in the church. But she’s not as outgoing as Lainie was. Guess Evelyn and I both got that from our mom.” David looked up with sad eyes. He had just found a family and now it was once again taken from him.

  Katie and Michael stayed a little longer talking with David, though they both knew he wasn’t responsible for either abduction or Elaine’s murder. He seemed so lost and lonely that neither of them wanted to leave him. Finally David indicated that he needed to get back to work, so the agents stood to leave.

  As they passed into the hall, Katie continued across into the room that still held all the yard sale items. The sale was scheduled for this coming weekend. Katie began to pace the aisles, once again trying to figure out how a person could get another person out of the room without knocking anything else over. She had Michael try again to carry her out of the room, but it still was difficult to do without causing more of a mess than just the one table.

  When they finally gave up and turned toward the door, both Father Joe and David stood watching them with interest. Smiling sheepishly, Michael explained what they were trying to do. Father Joe laughed. He said, “I have been wondering about that since I saw you two doing this the other night. I never would have thought of something like that. It does seem strange now that you mention it. There was not a thing out of place except the toys on the back table.” He shook his head ruefully as he finished talking. “I hear you’ve learned about Elaine’s connection with David,” Father Joe said.

  “Yes, he told us about his relationship with Elaine and how they met and were catching up with each other,” Michael replied.

  “Well, I guess I can tell you about her last confession then. Elaine was asking me about introducing her kids to David. She said Rick wasn’t too happy with the relationship she had with David and he didn’t want to acknowledge him. You have to understand; most people think David has PTSD or something from the war. But really he just wants the solitude and comfort of this place. Not everyone is comfortable around an introverted person, especially one who has happily taken a position associated with the downtrodden. Rick wasn’t sure about David’s impact on the kids. But Elaine already loved her brother. That was just her nature. She was a natural nurturer. She wanted to reach out and love everyone around her. Elaine didn’t have a pretentious bone in her body. She just enjoyed helping everyone.”

  Michael and Katie asked a few more questions and left the church so Father Joe and David could finish their work for the night. Stepping out into the night, Katie remarked, “And just like that, we’re back to square one.” She sighed as she got into the car and Michael turned toward home. For the second night in a row, they made it to the B&B in time to eat dinner.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Michael once again picked up Katie at seven o’clock in the morning. As they drove to headquarters, they discussed what to do that day. When they arrived, Katie detoured down to see Lucy.

  “Hey, just thought I would let you know I cleared David Williams from the suspect list. I appreciate all your time and effort to get me those names,” Katie said. She was really trying to work on her interactions with her coworkers. She realized that the reason she never fit in with the people in Louisiana was because she never made an effort to be open with them. She just didn’t know where to draw the line and always ended up erring on the side of being overcautious. She was determined to do better here in Tennessee.

  Lucy looked up and smiled. “No problem. It was great to look for something besides a pervert. Well, a child pervert; I suppose when I was doing that research for you he was still a suspected pervert. Good to know he wasn’t.” Lucy’s mile-a-minute speech never wavered. “Oh, by the way, Jessie had her baby early this morning. Little boy they named Isaiah. Eight pounds, four ounces. Tell Michael he lost the pool by one ounce…to me.” She gave a gloating smile as she turned back to her computer.

  “Well, thanks again,” Katie said with a quick wave as she continued down the hall toward her own office.

  Katie and Michael spent the morning filling out reports and throwing around theories before finally admitting that they were no closer to a suspect than they were on day one.

  “What do you want to do now?” Michael asked.

  Katie thought for a few seconds before saying, “Let’s go see Billy Sheppard.” At Michael’s confused look, she explained, “You know, the guy from the cold case who wouldn’t give up his source.”

  Michael nodded, grabbed his coat and headed out the door behind Katie.

  The drive south was quicker this time, as they were running ahead of rush hour. Thirty minutes after leaving the office, they pulled up to a rundown house that at one time had been painted blue. The front porch was sagging on the right giving the house a lopsided look. The grey-haired man sitting on the left side of the front porch was shelling peas and paused in his actions as the two agents approached. Michael stepped onto the porch first and introduced himself. The man shook Michael’s hand and introduced himself as Billy Sheppard. As Katie
stepped around Michael to introduce herself, Billy did a double take and was so shocked he dropped the knife in his hand. Quickly recovering, he put his hand out to shake and nodded at Katie’s introduction.

  “Do you know my partner?” Michael asked, hoping that Katie would play along. Billy’s reaction had been so strong that it set off Michael’s radar.

  “No, I don’t think so. She just reminded me of someone from my past.”

  “My mom is from around these parts. You probably know some of my family,” Katie said. She too had been surprised at Billy’s reaction to her. Even though she didn’t know where her mother was from, she thought that might be the safest way to get information from Billy’s reaction.

  “Nah, I’m sure it’s just an old man’s eyes playing tricks on me. Must be the light out here. Sun’s kinda bright.”

  Neither of them believed Billy for a second, but chose to let the subject drop. “We’re here because -”

  “I know why yer here,” Billy interrupted Michael, though his eyes kept wandering to Katie. It was as if he couldn’t stop staring at her. “Yer old partner finally retire?” he asked.

  Michael chuckled. “Yes, he did. Now you’re stuck with Agent Freeman and me. Guess we’ll be the ones stopping by to check on you from now on, see if you changed your mind about what happened the night Hank was shot.”

  “Well, now, if I remember correctly, I was having a rest in Uncle Sam’s nearest facility at that time. Seems to me that I had no way of knowin’ what happened to ol’ Hank. Gotta tell ya, that is the luckiest night of my life. I don’t mind doin’ time for somethin’ I done, but I sure ain’t gonna take it for somethin’ I ain’t done.”

  “So you admit to selling OxyContin, but not to murder?” Katie asked.

  “Honey, I admitted to sellin’ them drugs years ago. I did it as a favor and don’t regret it to this day. And I woulda killed that sumbitch if I’da knowed what he done. And you of all people should know to stop this insanity and let sleepin’ dogs lie.” With that, Billy picked up his peas and began shelling again.

  “What do you mean ‘me of all people’?” Katie asked, confused.

  Billy just shook his head. Katie and Michael tried for another fifteen minutes to get him to talk, but he just sat in silence, shelling his peas. Finally, they gave up and left their cards on the porch railing.

  As Billy watched them walk away, he thought, “Hallelujah, Charlene made it. That girl is her spitting image.”

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  When Michael picked up Katie the next morning, she said, “Why don’t we go down to Shelbyville and talk to some of the other women who were at the yard sale event the night Elaine disappeared? We should also talk to little Petey Wilson’s mom, the one Barbie talked to right before her disappearance.”

  Michael nodded and headed south instead of north. They found Becky Wilson first at the park behind the church. Introducing themselves, they asked if she had a few minutes to spare.

  “Of course. I’ve gone over that afternoon several times since I heard what happened to Barbie. She is so sweet; I can’t imagine something so horrible happening to her. Do you know how she is?” Becky asked.

  Her question was addressed to Katie, but it was Michael who answered. “She’s still in the hospital, but recovering well. We walked around with her a bit yesterday.”

  “Oh, that is just wonderful. I know Petey thinks the world of her. She always talks to him and plays in the sandbox with him when she’s here.” Becky stepped away to call out to Petey about being careful while climbing the slide. Turning back to the agents she said, “What can I answer for you?”

  “Can you tell us what you remember from that day? Just start from the beginning. When did you arrive? Was Barbie already here?” It was Katie who asked this time.

  “Well, Petey and I got here around eleven. I thought we could play until his naptime at two. The heat helps wear him out. He’s at the age where he doesn’t like to nap anymore, but if he doesn’t get one, he’s cranky all afternoon. Saturdays my husband is generally home and we like to have a little adult time while he’s sleeping.” She paused in embarrassment then, her cheeks turning pink. Clearing her throat, she continued.

  “Barbie showed up around 11:30. Petey saw her coming across the lawn and went running straight for her. I started to scold him for running off the playground. He isn’t allowed to leave a certain area and he knows it. But when I saw it was her, I just let him go. She scooped him up and brought him right back. I heard her telling him that next time he should just wave and wait for her to get there, so he would always be safe within his boundaries. She was always teaching him something.” Once again, she paused to go correct something Petey was into before coming back. “Sorry about that, a three-year-old can get into things faster than you can blink. I’m surprised he hasn’t eaten all the sand from that sandbox yet.” She shook her head.

  Katie asked, “Do you remember anyone else here that day?”

  “Well, it was so hot out Saturday that not a lot of people were here. Not to mention that T-ball and other sports are starting up. The summer leagues are beginning to play at the recreational park. I remember waving to a few people and I saw several cars come and go from the church lot, but I didn’t talk to anyone else and I really couldn’t say who was here. It was such a miserable afternoon. I was just hoping the heat would zap Petey’s energy faster than normal. I know it was zapping mine.”

  Despite several follow up questions, Becky couldn’t provide any further information that she thought would be helpful. Katie and Michael returned to their car to figure out where to go next.

  Flipping through the file from Elaine’s disappearance, they made a list of other women who had been there that night. Looking at a map of the city, they listed them in order of proximity and set off to find them.

  Pulling up to Daisy Jenkins’ house, they approached the front door. The house was in a newer neighborhood with cookie cutter homes. Each one blended into the next and they were so close together that they were nearly attached. Even the exterior colors blended together, providing no personality to the street.

  Daisy opened the door to their knock and invited them in out of the heat. “I feel terrible about what happened to Elaine. And poor Barbie. I just don’t understand. Those two never hurt anybody.”

  “I know it’s difficult to understand how someone could do something like this.” Michael began the conversation. “Can you tell me what you remember about the night Elaine disappeared?”

  “Well, I know I got there a bit late. We joked that I was later than Elaine. She was never on time, bless her heart. I’m usually early, but that night, my Jimmy was running a fever and I wasn’t sure I was even going to make it. My husband finally pushed me out the door. I didn’t like being away when my baby was sick, so I left the church about 8:30. Things were wrapping up so I figured they would be out by nine anyway.”

  “What do you mean by ‘things were wrapping up’?” Katie asked. Keeping her expression neutral, she felt her heart rate speed up.

  “Well, we had tagged all the items except the toys. They’re really the easiest part to tag. The clothes take forever, trying to sort by size and gender. It’s so difficult these days to tell a boy’s shirt from a girl’s. Used to be you could just divide by pink and blue. Now everyone is so into gender neutral or gender inclusive. I think it’s ridiculous. I have a little boy and there is no way you would catch me putting him in pink or yellow.” Daisy’s eyes flashed indignantly.

  Katie just smiled. She fought so hard everyday to overcome opinions that men and women were different. She didn’t think what color a person wore defined their gender. But she couldn’t say that, so she kept her mouth shut. However, she almost burst out laughing as she caught the uncomfortable look on Michael’s face as he tucked his yellow tie into his suit jacket.

  Thanking Daisy for her time, they left to go to the next house.

  Linda Echols lived four blocks over, but it was a vastly different
world. The Echols’ lived in a trailer park designed like a neighborhood. Each trailer was permanently set on a spacious lawn. The yards were all trimmed and each trailer had landscaping around the foundation blocks. There was color everywhere; even the trailers were painted in bright, festive shades. A boy of about eight answered their knock at the teal-colored trailer and told them that his mother was around back hanging laundry. Rounding the backside of the trailer, they found Linda using clothespins to hang various shirts and shorts.

  Michael cleared his throat as they approached, so they wouldn’t scare her. Once she looked up, they identified themselves and asked if she could answer a few questions.

  “You mind if I keep hanging? In this heat they’ll dry wrinkled if I leave them in the basket too long.” At their affirmative nod, Linda reached down to retrieve the next item. It was a little girl’s dress in various shades of tie-dyed purple and green.

  “Can you tell us what you remember about the night Elaine Henderson disappeared?” Katie began.

  Linda shook her head. “Such a shame, that. Poor Rick and those kids. They don’t deserve this. Of course, neither did Elaine. People are saying she was tortured. I can’t even think of what could happen to a person who was gone that long. I watch a lot of crime TV, so I know what goes on when someone is kidnapped. Poor Elaine. I have to stop myself every time I think of it. I just can’t imagine being raped or beaten for days on end. Such a sick world we live in.”

  Katie and Michael exchanged looks. Obviously there were a lot of rumors floating around and they weren’t all correct. “Mrs. Echols -, “ Katie began.

  “It’s just Ms. now. And you can call me Linda. My good-for-nothing husband ran off right after Junior was born. You can bet your ass I would never have named him after that SOB if I had known he would leave me like he did.”