Roses Kellie thought. I should have known.
“Your grandma loved roses?” Kellie leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest feeling a chill.
“Yes, she loved them. She had more flowers planted than I could count. In the center of the garden surrounding the bench, are at least a dozen yellow rose bushes. When they bloom, the scent is intoxicating.”
Yellow roses. That rose on my patio table was a warning. I’m supposed to solve a mystery Kellie thought as Marilyn continued to talk about her grandma’s flower garden.
Chapter Eight
Sheriff Korder yelled at the technician. “It’s about time. You fall asleep or something. I hope you brought my coffee.”
“Sorry, sheriff, I had to take some pictures of a wreck on the highway. Here’s your coffee.” He handed the sheriff an insulated cup.
The sheriff took a gulp and said, “Well, at least you got the coffee right.”
“What do you want me to photograph?” The tech picked up his camera case and a small suitcase.
“The deputy will show you and help you get your stuff down there. The place is about twenty feet underground.” The sheriff pointed his thumb at the deputy standing next to the Shuland monument.
The tech lugged his equipment to the monument. He looked down the shaft. The deputy had set up a bright searchlight that lit it to the bottom.
“Okay,” said the tech. “I can climb down with my camera over my shoulder, but my case is heavy. We’ll have to lower it down.”
“Got it. I thought you might need some help; I brought the rope up from my jeep. When you get to the bottom, I’ll lower the case. Then I’ll come down and show you what I found.” The deputy tied the rope to the handle of the case.
“All right, but be careful with the case. Some of the items are fragile.” He glanced at the deputy as he descended down into the shaft.
The deputy led the way with a bright light. The tech took pictures of the same etchings and niches the deputy had. When they reached the room under the mausoleum, the deputy pointed out the dark brown areas he thought were suspicious.
“Yeah, could be dried blood from a few months or years ago. The lab will examine it and determine what it is and the age.” He scraped soil from several spots into different vials. He wrote where and when they were found and added his initials. When he finished, he had more than twenty vials and several more stone samples in small plastic bags.
The tech used the light to examine the floors and walls carefully. He scanned the ceiling and didn’t find anything else. He pulled out a large plastic bag and added the jars and tins from the table. Then he dusted the oil lamps for fingerprints. “You can collect them later,” he said to the deputy. “The oil will spill and I don’t have bags big enough to hold them. I have some clear fingerprints so it’ll just be a matter of collecting them for possible evidence. We’re not even sure anyone committed a crime down here.”
“Maybe not, but this is one of the weirdest places I have ever investigated, and it appears it has been here for a century or longer.” The deputy lifted the light to help them see clearly on their way out.
#####
Kellie and Marilyn watched both police vehicles leave along the tree lined drive. Once they passed, the area became quiet again except for the sound of animals readying for spring.
“I wonder what they’ll find. I think the sheriff thought I was crazy. My family never spoke of it after the sheriff found me. They thought they were protecting me. Will it ever end and will I find peace?” Marilyn bent forward placing her elbows on her knees and dropping her head into her hands.
Kellie said, “Your kidnapper’s dead. They never found out why he kidnapped you or if he kidnapped the other children. Common sense says he’s responsible for all four kidnappings, but why did he let you go? Also, what happened to the other children? If we find the answers, we might solve the crime.”
“The police consider it closed since Shuland turned himself in after he released me. He never confessed to the other kidnappings, but of course everyone assumed he killed them. There’s little printed news. The town wanted to forget.” Her eyes pleaded with Kellie to come up with an answer.
“They may have forgotten it here, but four kidnappings must have terrified people all around the area. If we find a big library at least fifty miles away, they may have some news articles. We could take a road trip tomorrow.” She reached over and placed her hand on Marilyn’s arm and smiled.
“Okay, that might be a plan. Let’s have lunch.”
#####
The sheriff grumbled at the tech. “I want every bit of that tested and analyzed as soon as possible. It’s early. Get it done before quitting time.” He turned and stomped to his office.
The tech pulled out his phone as he walked toward the lab, “Hi honey, the sheriff put me on a rush job. It’ll take me all day. I’m sorry. Have lunch with your mom and go shopping. We’ll take her to dinner to make it up to her next week. I promise. Love you.” He tapped the end button and slipped the phone back in his pocket.
Setting his case on a side table, he grumbled, “That moron sheriff is going to cause her to divorce me yet. He’s too cheap to hire the part-time tech we need. Guess it is job security at least.” He grabbed some chemicals and placed them on the table next to the microscope. “I might as well get to work.”
#####
By three, in the afternoon, Marilyn and Kellie had placed a roast in the oven for dinner and were laughing over photos and yearbooks from their college days.
“We look so young,” Marilyn said.
“We’re not old now,” laughed Kellie. “You looked different back then with your long chestnut brown curls.”
“How I hated keeping them out of my face. Having my hair cut short and highlighted was the best thing I have done with it in years.”
“It looks great short.”
Marilyn smiled.
Kellie found some photos of Drew and flipped the pages quickly.
“I’m sorry, was this a bad idea,” asked Marilyn.
“No, not at all. Drew was part of my life for a long time. If I tried to erase all the memories with him involved, I wouldn’t have many left. It’s just that when I look at the pictures I feel stupid for not knowing he had a drinking problem for so long.” She placed the yearbook down and stared off into space.
“Didn’t you tell me that neither Cole nor Hunter knew about it? How could you? They knew him in high school. Don’t blame yourself.” She leaned forward and tilted her head to try and make Kellie smile.
It worked. Kellie smiled. “I don’t blame myself. I just feel sad for all his wasted years. He was so good with kids. He’ll never be a counselor again, at least not with children. Maybe he can help others with drinking problems after his release.”
“I hope you’re right”
#####
The lab tech was finishing his initial report. He walked to the sheriff’s office mumbling, “The sheriff won’t be happy.”
Knocking on Sheriff Korder’s door, he heard the sheriff’s angry voice and then the phone slam. He took a deep breath when he entered the office.
The sheriff looked up; you better have good news.
“I ran the tests, and I did get a couple of good fingerprints, but they’re not in the system. That means if Clifford Shuland took any kids down there; he wore gloves, or he had an accomplice.” He shifted his weight from one foot to another.
“So we don’t have prints. Did you find blood and whose is it?” He glared at the young technician.
“There was blood where the deputy discovered the discolored soil and rock. It’s been down there for some time. Since it’s fairly degraded, it’s going to take five to ten days to get any possible DNA results.” Before the tech could continue, the sheriff stood and strode up to the young man.
He yelled in his face, “Do you have anything to tell me that might be of use?”
“Umm yeah, I don’t think anyone was killed down there unl
ess they used a plastic sheet. The blood spatter I found was minimal. Not enough to come from a head wound caused by a blow, but maybe a slap across the face of someone with a bloody nose. Now, it’s possible that someone could have dug up the area where there might have been a lot of blood and buried it with the body. I have no proof there was a body.” He laid the written report on the sheriff’s desk.
“Anything else,” the sheriff grumbled.
“As I said, there wasn’t enough blood spatters for a large head wound. The limited amount of blood spatter indicates minimal injuries caused to one victim. If there were more victims, they were most likely unhurt. Also, from the height of the spatter, it either came from an adult kneeling or a child standing.” He backed away from the sheriff’s desk expecting the sheriff to explode again.
“Good job, go home. You were only supposed to work until noon. Let me know when the DNA comes back.”
The tech rushed out of the office before the sheriff could change his mind.
#####
After enjoying their dinner and laughing about school memories, both young women decided to turn in early. Dealing with the sheriff and their long walk through the cemetery had exhausted them. A good night’s sleep would benefit them both on their quest for information in the morning.
Kellie was dreaming. Floating through the woods and over the stone bridge she heard a voice, “Wake up, someone is watching the house from the edge of the woods.” The dream felt real, and she woke immediately.
“What?”
Nothing answered, but she felt compelled to get out of bed and look outside. She peeked through the blinds and saw a figure dressed in black watching the house from the edge of the woods.
She walked to Marilyn’s room and whispered her name. Marilyn stirred and woke. “What’s wrong?”
“I looked out the window and someone dressed in black is watching the house from the edge of the woods.”
“Are you sure?” She swung her legs over the side of the bed and sat. “Show me.”
Both young women walked to the window and peeked outside. The figure was still leaning against a tree at the edge of the woods.
Marilyn whispered, “Why is someone watching me? It’s creepy, but if I call the sheriff he won’t care. He already thinks we’re both crazy for snooping in mausoleums.”
Kellie said, “I know. Let’s make sure he’s watching the house and not just a late night hiker.”
Marilyn rolled her eyes, and Kellie smiled.
“You watch him from this window. I’m going to go down and turn on lights in the parlor and kitchen. If he is watching you, he’ll run off.”
“Okay,” Marilyn said. “If he is watching, what do I do?”
“Not sure right now. We’ll figure it out,” Kellie said as she hurried out of the room and toward the stairs.
As soon as she flipped on the parlor and kitchen light switches, she heard Marilyn call down. “He ran off into the woods.”
Marilyn met Kellie in the kitchen. “He must have been watching the house. I have porch lights and motion detector lights on all four corners of the house. When I pass the house in my car, the back yard lights up, and I thought that was enough. I’m calling the electrician. He installed the house lights, and I’ll have him put similar lights on the garage. I don’t want anyone creeping close to my house or garage.” She walked to the stove, grabbed the teapot, filled it at the sink, and placed it back on the stove.
“It’s a little after five in the morning, Marilyn. Don’t you want to get more sleep?” Kellie pulled out a kitchen chair.
“I can’t sleep. I’ll watch the early news, call the electrician at eight, and then we can set out on our trip to the library. I went to high school with Lane, my electrician. I’ll leave the key under the small windmill by the garage door the way I usually do. We won’t have to wait for him. Do you want some tea?”
“Okay, I’ll join you in a cup of tea and the morning news.” Kellie curled up on the corner of the sofa and closed her eyes. Two hours later Marilyn woke her.
#####
Marilyn pulled out of her drive and headed toward the satellite college campus about forty miles away. She said, “I think you’re right. The college might have copies of newspapers no one else does. If they don’t, there’s a medium size town nearby, and maybe their library will have copies.”
“I hope so. I’m sure the sheriff knows exactly what we need, but he won’t share any information.” Kellie watched the trees fly by as Marilyn drove down the highway. Her thoughts drifted to her own kidnapping and the fear she felt. She couldn’t imagine being six and kidnapped. “We may find some frightening information. Are you sure you want to know details, Marilyn?”
“I have wanted to know since I was a teenager. My mom refuses to speak about it. If I bring it up, she leaves the room. My dad will tell me to respect her and drop the subject. They don’t understand I need to know.” Marilyn drummed her fingers on the steering wheel as she drove.
“I’m hoping we find answers today.”
“Me, too,” Marilyn sighed. “My house and yard are going to be lit up as if it’s noon. I feel like a child scared of the dark.”
“I’m not comfortable in the dark since being trapped in that cave and sewer pipe. I leave a light on at night. I don’t when Randy …” She caught her breath. “Sorry, I forgot for a moment.”
“It’ll happen for a while. It was tragic, and you had no time to prepare. Just relax, and you’ll be fine,” she smiled at Kellie.
Kellie sunk down in the car seat, “I hope so.”
“We’re here.” Marilyn pulled into the lot and parked.
#####
The man, dressed in black, walked across Marilyn’s yard as soon as he knew her car was out of sight. It only took a moment for him to open Marilyn’s back door and walk into the house. He sneered at the ease of entry. “This is the perfect time to make myself comfortable, and learn all I can about that young woman.” The sound of a truck in the drive snapped him to attention, and he inched toward the window.
“It’s an electrician. I hope he’s not coming in the house. He’s going to want to kill the power before working. The box must be in the basement.” He walked away from the window, headed upstairs, and found a spot to hide in a nearly empty closet.
Hearing the electrician open the back door and head for the basement, the intruder kept as quiet as possible. Once he heard the electrician leave; he left the closet. Moving around the upstairs and looking through Marilyn’s things, he kept a close eye on the electrician and his truck. “Wish I knew how long he was going to be here. If the women get back before he leaves, I’m screwed.” He continued his snooping.
#####
The police technician walked into the sheriff’s office. He had already heard that Sheriff Korder was in a bad mood. He wondered if the sheriff was ever in a good mood.
“Good morning, sheriff.” The technician put on his best smile.
Sheriff Korder looked up and growled, “What’s good about it?”
“Umm, I have some preliminary tests on that blood I tested.”
“You said DNA would take over a week. Well?” He stared at the technician.
“It will, but I have the blood types.” He placed a sheet of paper on the sheriff’s desk.
The sheriff shook the paper. “Yeah, so what’s the big deal about blood types?”
“Sir, I found two different blood types. Two were O positive which is common, and one was B positive that is less common. I checked into those kidnappings twenty years ago, and two of the children were O positive and the other B positive. They might have been killed in the room under the mausoleum.”
“Hmm, maybe that helps if we had bodies.”
“Well, I was thinking. The little Price girl was A positive which means if she was down there; she wasn’t injured which is what the records also say. When I was at the site yesterday I noticed the large monument, but no one is buried there or anywhere near it. Deputy Walden told me
the caretaker said the area plots belong to the Shuland family, but no family is buried there. Maybe the kid’s bodies are there.”
Sheriff Korder got up as quickly as he could. “I was a deputy back then and we looked all over for those kids. When Shuland turned himself in with the Price kid, we never thought to look for the bodies near his memorial. We were still hoping they’d turn up. Go get your ground radar and find Deputy Walden. We’re going back to the cemetery.” He strode past the technician nearly knocking him over.
#####
The intruder heard the electrician’s truck start, and peeked out of the upstairs window. He watched the truck leave the property, and take off down the highway. The intruder smiled knowing he had been able to find what information he had wanted undetected. Walking downstairs casually and out the back door double checking its lock, he wanted to leave the house as he found it.
Chapter Nine
Kellie and Marilyn found their way to the college library and did a quick internet check. They didn’t learn more about the kidnappings than they knew before. Kellie inquired where they could find old copies of area newspapers. She was directed to a large room that held shelves of newspapers and a microfiche machine with dozens of rolls of film.
“We didn’t see any reason to put all the papers on film. Fortunately, the shelves are dated by month and year,” the librarian said. “If you need help, let me know.” She closed the door behind her.
Marilyn looked at the shelf and found one with the month and year of her kidnapping. “I guess we should start here,” she said as she lifted a stack of papers from the shelf. The dust made her sneeze, and she pulled her face away from the papers.
More dust kicked up when she dropped them onto the table. “You’ll have to look. I’m allergic to dust,” Marilyn said as she backed away from the table with her hand over her nose and mouth.
After nearly thirty minutes of perusing the papers, Kellie couldn’t find any mention of the kidnappings.
The next paper she picked up was more enlightening.
Abandoned Souls Page 7
