Free to Kill

by Julie Mellon

  “Timothy Owens sound familiar. How do we know that name?” Katie stared at the picture of Owens from his driver’s license. Something tickled her brain as she looked but she couldn’t place him. There was nothing in his check that set off any bells.

  “I don’t recall that name coming up in our investigation. He doesn’t look familiar to me, either.” Michael took a second look but just shook his head.

  Pulling out her notes, Katie reviewed all the interviews but nothing stood out. Finally, she said, “I say we go talk to these guys. Today might be best because it’s Sunday. They likely aren’t working so we should find them at home.”

  “You’re forgetting we’re on vacation until tomorrow.”

  She was already shaking her head before Michael could get the sentence out. “I have rested, eaten and recovered. I am no longer dizzy or seeing double. I am not about to sit here and do nothing all day while this guy could be planning his next abduction or scouting out a site to keep his next victim.” Katie was indignant. She all but stood up and put her hands on her hips.

  Michael couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face. “Alright, let’s go then.”

  They pulled up in front of the Clark residence and watched John playing in the front yard with two boys approximately ten and twelve years old. They were throwing a football back and forth. After watching for a few minutes, they both got out and went to talk to him.

  “Afternoon, Mr. Clark. Do you have a few minutes?” Michael asked after showing Clark his credentials.

  “What’s this about? Boys, why don’t you run in and get something to drink?” John turned his attention back to the agents. He appeared confused, but not worried or nervous.

  “You used to work for R&R Construction, didn’t you?”

  Clark nodded. I worked there for about five years. I’ve made the rounds of different construction companies so I could hone my skills. Once I felt I was proficient enough, I opened my own business.” John relaxed at the question. He still had no idea what was going on, but was open in his answers.

  “Were you part of the team that renovated Christ the King Church?”

  Nodding, John said, “That was the biggest job the company did the whole time I was employed there. Took a good six or eight months to complete.”

  “What part of the renovation did you handle?” Michael was trying to gauge his personality by asking the easy questions first.

  “Well, I was part of the crew that dismantled what was already in the room. It wasn’t much actually. The space was one big open room when we started and it didn’t have anything over the rock on three of the walls. Where the addition had been added to the existing structure, there was some old framing. We had to be careful that when we took it down we didn’t cause any damage to the older main building and that we had enough support for the roof of the newer structure. I was only there for about two or three weeks of the project, right at the beginning. I did go back when it was finished just to see what the inside looked like.”

  “So you don’t attend church there?” Katie interjected.

  “No, ma’am, my wife and I are Baptist. I know lots of folks that go there, though. I knew Elaine Henderson. Terrible, what happened to her.” Again, he was very matter of fact.

  Katie knew he wasn’t their guy after just these few minutes, but she needed to make sure. Deciding to cut to the chase, she asked, “Where were you the night Elaine disappeared?”

  John was struck speechless. He stared at her with his mouth hanging open. “You seriously think I’m responsible for those three women? I didn’t even know Elaine was missing until I got home from vacation. My family was in Florida for the week when she disappeared. I was working overtime when the Jones woman disappeared. I was trying to make up for the time off. When you own your own business, you don’t have the luxury of paid vacations. As for the Downing woman, I was home with my family that night. We got a call from our neighbors and I went out to help search.” John’s quiet demeanor had changed, his body language now rigid as he spoke.

  Nodding, Katie said, “Thank you for being so forthcoming.” She turned to walk away as Michael shook hands and thanked him for his time, explaining that they were asking these questions of anyone who was working at R&R when the renovation occurred. John just nodded and turned to join his kids inside, still upset over the questions.

  Michael got behind the wheel of the car and blasted the air conditioning. “I think I have to take back what I said about your people skills. Why the need to be so brisk back there?” He frowned at Katie as he pulled the car out onto the street.

  “You know as well as I do that he wasn’t our guy. I just wanted to hurry things along. We don’t have time to spend with all three of these men, especially if none of them are who we’re looking for. I think Paul Dennis will take the longest, he seems the most likely on paper, and dating a domineering woman like Claudette can really mess with a guy’s mind.” Katie didn’t apologize for her brisk manner. She just looked forward out the windshield waiting for Michael to arrive at Paul’s house.

  The house they pulled up to was in desperate need of repair. It appeared to have once been green, but the paint was chipping and peeling and more of the grayish under layer showed than the actual paint. The front steps were solid, having been recently replaced, but the railing was badly attached and would probably have blown down in a good gust of wind.

  Paul Dennis was a shrimp of a man. He stood barely five and a half feet tall and couldn’t have weighed more than 130 pounds. His jet black hair was a bit too long and he wore it slicked straight back. His large, hawk-like nose was his biggest visible feature. When Michael introduced them, Paul’s eyes became shifty. “I ain’t got no weed on me. I gave that shit up a long time ago man. You got no right coming here.”

  Exchanging glances, Michael stepped back to let Katie take over. They both instinctively knew that a tough female would get more information from Paul than Michael’s nice-guy questioning. Katie stepped forward and got as close to Paul as she could. She was a good three or four inches taller. In a low, firm voice, she asked, “Where were you Wednesday night?”

  Paul visibly paled. “I wasn’t nowhere,” Paul stammered. He tried to close the door, but Katie blocked it with a firm slap of her palm, which caused him to flinch back.

  “Try again, Paul. We know you were at the church. People saw you.” Katie had half her body inside the door at this point. She couldn’t legally go any further unless he invited them in.

  “Ain’t no one saw me there. I was careful to stay hidden.” Paul gave a smug smile, which slowly faded as Katie let a silence hang in the air. It took him a full minute to realize what he said. “Wait a minute,” he stammered, “you can’t blame Jenny’s disappearance on me! I was there, yes, but just ‘cause I needed to see if Claudette was there. She’s been tellin’ me that she’s gonna leave me. Said she could find better. I just needed to see if she was really there or not. I saw Jenny leave and go to her car. But Claudette came out right after. I was too busy watching her to pay attention to Jenny. Claudette got in her car and I had to run back to mine. I tried to catch up with Claudette, but she’s a fast driver. By the time I made it to my car, she was long gone. I drove to her daddy’s house and parked on the street. Her daddy don’t like me none too much. I had to sneak on the property. Nearly got my leg chewed off by that damn beast of a dog. Luckily he smelled me first and knew I was no harm. Claudette was in the house already. I watched for a little bit and then came home.”

  “I think you need to come with us.” Katie signaled to Michael, who stepped away to call Chief Davidson and let him know they were bringing in Paul Dennis. “We’re going to take a little ride down to the police station and get this story of yours on video.”

  Paul began shaking. “I don’t wanna go downtown. They ain’t very nice to me.” He looked everywhere but at Katie or Michael.

  “You can come with us now, or I can handcuff you and send for a squad car. Personally, I think
they’ll treat you a bit nicer if you come on your own.” Katie’s voice was steel. She left no room for him to turn down the offer. Finally, his shoulders slumped and he slid his feet into the tiny flip flops by the door and stepped out. He was in a ratty white sleeveless t-shirt and cut-off blue jeans and his arms looked no bigger around than the spindles that made up the flimsy railing.

  After placing Paul in the backseat, Michael touched Katie’s arm to get her attention. “He doesn’t seem to fit our crime. Why are we taking him in? I respect your opinion, but you usually read people better. Damned if I know how you do it, but he just doesn’t seem right for this.”

  Katie rubbed her toe in circles on the ground and swiped her hand to smooth her hair back, though it was still encased in her usual bun. After thinking a few minutes, she looked up at Michael. “I grew up on a ranch. The only ones who came on and off the property were a few trusted people, like the doctor, or the lawyer, or the woman who ran the women’s shelter; and then there were the women and children that we housed. Mom has a soft spot for helping the less fortunate, especially those trying to get out of an abusive situation. When all you are around are damaged people, you learn to recognize certain body language: when someone is afraid, when they’re in pain, when they are lying or avoiding a certain topic. I’ve been trained in body language my entire life. When you are a lonely little girl, you make up games to keep yourself occupied. I used to do that with the women and their daughters who came to stay with us.

  “I know Paul isn’t the person who’s doing this. He isn’t strong enough and I don’t think he’s evil enough. But I want to take him in for two reasons: first, I want him to provide the alibi for Claudette. I want it officially in the record so we have something besides my instinct to clear her. Second, I think he’s up to something else. I get the feeling that peeping through Claudette’s window is the least of his crimes. I think we should drop him off and let the Chief and his men get alibis for the other nights that women disappeared. I think he’ll have to admit to other crimes in order to clear his name on this one. Besides, if we allow the locals to interview him it will look better for future collaboration.” Katie gave her cheeky grin as she finished. Michael just chuckled and shook his head.

  Fifteen minutes later, they deposited Paul with Chief Davidson and explained that they wanted to keep looking for other avenues and asked if he could spare some men for the interrogation. Katie recommended a tough female for the task, which the Chief scoffed at, but finally caved and brought in one of his female officers to see to the duty. Katie spoke privately with her, outlining Paul’s personality and the best way to approach him, then the two left to talk to Timothy Owens.

  When no one answered the door at the Owens’s house and none of the neighbors admitted to seeing him that day, Michael pulled rank and decided to call it a day. Katie needed more rest, her complexion had already returned to the pasty white it had been when they left the hospital.

  Before heading back to the B&B, Katie asked to swing by the church one more time. She removed the panel in the wall and went back down to the hidden room and then followed the tunnel to the river. Michael followed her, aiming the flashlight along their path. When they reached the end of the tunnel, Katie took the light and began scanning the ground around the tunnel’s exit. Finally, the light came to rest on a pile of leaves and branches. Asking Michael to hold the light, she carefully examined the pile and then lifted one branch. All the other branches lifted with it and expanded outward until the pile became almost a blanket of intertwined branches and leaves. Raising her eyebrows, Katie and Michael gathered the whole pile and brought it back with them to the car.

  Chief Davidson called Katie’s phone as they were about to pull out of the church lot. Smirking, Katie answered, “Hello, Chief. What can I do for you?” Her tone had Michael shaking his head in bemusement.

  “The Chief would like us to come by the station before we pack it in,” Katie said as she ended the call. “I guess Paul turned out to be as interesting as I figured. This should be enlightening.”

  The first thing out of Chief Davidson’s mouth when they walked into his office was, “You never thought he was the right guy, did you?” Though his tone was amused, he still looked a bit cross at having been mislead.

  “Of course not. He isn’t big enough to carry around the women who disappeared. But I knew he was up to something. I also knew that whatever it was, it would be a relief to you to get the case closed. I doubted that whatever he was up to had gone unnoticed.” Katie was straightforward and unapologetic in her reply. “Are you going to tell us what he was doing?” She finally smiled at the last comment. It was obvious she was interested in knowing.

  “Turns out our little peeping tom was a bit more hands-on. We’ve had a series of break-ins lately. It came to our attention when Officer Fuller’s girlfriend mentioned that some of her undergarments were missing. At first he brushed it off because she tends to shop so much. But she insisted that a certain pair she had worn on their last date was missing. Apparently they were memorable, because he helped search for them. They were nowhere. Well, she mentioned it to a few friends and they all admitted they were missing underwear too. Officer Fuller filed a report and sure enough all the women had marks of forced entry on their bedroom windows. Seems the only time the underwear went missing was the day after each woman had a date they brought home. Our little perv only took panties with the woman’s scent on them, if you get my meaning.

  “The last woman who reported missing underwear came the night Elaine was taken. It appears our panty thief escalated. He knew she was alone, so he snuck in her window, took the panties, but apparently couldn’t keep his hands to himself. He copped a feel of her breast, which woke her up. She screamed and he jumped out the window and fled. She called us. Guy was wearing a mask and gloves. There was no evidence to trace to anyone. Now, Paul has admitted to taking the panties. We found all of them in his house. He admitted all this because he doesn’t see anything wrong with taking other women’s panties. Didn’t think it was a big deal. At least not compared to murdering a poor woman.

  “Oh, and Agent Freeman, you were right about needing a strong female to interrogate him.” The last bit was said in a strangled voice. The Chief did not like admitting that a woman could do a better job of interrogating a suspect than a man.

  Choosing not to rub salt in the wound, Katie nodded and asked if Officer Fuller was still around. Chief Davidson paged him and a few minutes later, Tom entered the room.

  “Officer Fuller, could you come look at something for us?” Michael asked. Both Tom and the Chief followed them to the car. Michael opened the trunk and he and Katie pulled out the tangle of branches. “Ever seen anything like this?” Michael asked.

  Tom knelt down and spread the branches out so the full camouflage blanket was stretched out. It covered the length of several parking spaces. Tom went over it section by section, occasionally lifting leaves or branches for a closer look underneath. Finally he looked up. “This is the Owens family method of concealing themselves. Where did you find this?”

  Katie’s heart nearly beat out of her chest. “This was the covering on the exterior entrance to the tunnel. How are you sure that this belongs to the Owens family?”

  “Ma’am, we have competitions every year to see who can build the best deer hunting blind.” At Katie’s confused expression, he explained. “A blind is where you hide yourself from the wildlife so you have a better chance of getting a kill. The better hidden you are, the closer the animals will come to you. The Owenses always win the competition hands down. They never let anyone close enough to inspect the weaving close-up, though. I used to be friends with Tim Owens and he let me see it once. I was fourteen. His daddy wore the hide off him when he found out. I tried for years to duplicate it, but I never could. Being so young and only getting a quick look, it was impossible to remember every curve and tie. Are you entering this as evidence?” Young Tom’s face was glowing with excitement. The agents
knew that he would study every inch of the woven mass before logging it.

  At their nod, Tom gently and reverently folded the mass of branches and carried it to the back of the police station. He closed the door to the conference room and the shades so no one else could see in. Next year, the Owenses wouldn’t be the winners of that competition.

  The agents followed the Chief back to his office. They told him that the only person they hadn’t been able to reach was Tim Owens and that he was definitely of interest. Asking the Chief about the family, they learned the entire family history.

  “Well, Old Man Owens, name was Owen Owens, can you imagine doing that to a child? Well, he was a blacksmith. Worked for the big horse farm up Route 16. He was a skilled man. He forged all the shoes for the horses, bridles, bits, you name it. If a horse needed it, Owen could do it. He won competitions for his workmanship and the reputation of the farm had a lot to do with the intricacy of the beauty of the horses’ dressing. Owen and his wife had four boys. I always thought Linda wanted a girl, but she died birthing the last boy, so she never got her chance. Owen, he didn’t take too well to being a single parent. His oldest was eight when the youngest was born. That boy pretty much raised the other three.

  From what I hear, Owen was strict. He didn’t take no sass and he kept those boys in line. Trained all of them to follow in his footsteps, but only the second boy was interested. He’s still out working on the farm. The older boy moved away. Last I heard, he was a lawyer or something in Nashville. Never did see the attraction of the big city. Anyway, the third boy is an architect, also in Nashville. Neither of them ever comes home. The youngest is Tim. He was a handful from the beginning. Colicky as a baby, threw the biggest tantrums as a toddler. Always did everything in his power to undermine Owen’s authority. He graduated high school and moved to town, got started in construction. Seems a pretty steady lad now. Works when he’s supposed to, doesn’t get out much since his wife and baby died. Sent his kids to live with their oldest uncle in Nashville when the accident happened. Seems the oldest boy’s wife couldn’t have kids, so they welcomed the chance to raise them. Tim just couldn’t seem to look at those boys once their momma was dead.”