“Thanks.”
“…but why the secrecy. This is great.”
“I don’t want to be treated any different at the station. I’ll be forced to drive a desk, and I don’t want it to be any sooner than necessary.”
“How’s Rob?”
“He’s thrilled.”
“I bet. Okay, your secret is safe with me. Can we still stop at Stumpy’s? I’m starving.”
“Fine, just no onion rings!”
Chapter 4
Jason had tried to make an appointment for the following day with the parents of Marcie Walker, but they were out of town. It was the following Monday when Vanessa and Jason were able to meet with them.
As they pulled up in front of the modest bungalow style home in south San Antonio, Jason noticed how normal it looked. White with a gray shingle roof and flowerbeds on either side of the front door. He was struck, as he often was with these cases, how out of place tragedy seemed on a street such as this.
They got out, walked to the front door, and as Vanessa reached to ring the bell, the door opened.
“Detective Strong?”
“Yes, ma’am. This is my partner, Detective Vanessa Layne.”
The tiny woman, with gray hair and bright blue eyes, gave them a warm smile, as she swung open the screen door.
“Nice to meet you. Please come in. My husband is in the living room.”
Jason and Vanessa followed Mrs. Walker into the tiny living room and Mr. Walker rose to greet them. They shook hands. “Would either of you like some coffee?” Mrs. Walker asked.
“No, thank you. Not for me, anyway.”
Vanessa shook her head and took a seat on the couch. Jason remained standing and took out his notebook.
He noticed the pictures on the wall, placed around one of those home interior FAMILY plaques. There were the two Walkers and a picture of Marcie. Also in the set, were two older photos of what looked to be grandparents.
Jason turned his attention to the couple. “Folks, we appreciate you taking time to speak with us. I’m sure this is difficult.”
Mrs. Walker gave a half smile. “We’re glad to do anything we can to help catch the man who did that to our Marcie. She was our only child, you know.”
“I did not. I’m very sorry. Unfortunately, there’s been another death, and we believe it’s the same man who killed your daughter.”
Mr. Walker was sitting straight up in his chair. He was a tall man, and despite being elderly, was still an imposing figure. The news clearly agitated him. “If I found that S.O.B., he’d wish he’d never been born.”
“Jerry, watch your language.” Mrs. Walker chastised her husband.
They must have had Marcie late in life because they both appeared to be in their sixties. Or maybe losing a daughter will just make you age more quickly.
Jason let Vanessa take the lead. “I’m sure you answered these questions before but we would like to go over it once more.”
The Walkers nodded.
“When was the last time you spoke with your daughter?”
“I talked to her on the phone just before she went to work that day. She called me almost every day,” Mrs. Walker smiled as she said it. “She is…was…a good girl. I’m sorry, it’s still hard to believe she’s gone.”
“No need to apologize. Did she sound okay when you spoke to her?”
“Yes, fine.”
“She didn’t mention anyone bothering her or being afraid of anyone?”
“No. She was in good spirits, as usual.”
“Did she have any enemies you’re aware of, either in Austin, or from high school?”
Mr. Walker spoke up. “Our daughter was friendly and outgoing. We never saw where she had hurt anyone.”
Jason knew parents didn’t always know the whole truth about their children, but they clearly weren’t aware of anybody he and Vanessa could look into. It was time to go.
“Mr. and Mrs. Walker, thank you very much for your time,” he put a card on the table. “Please don’t hesitate to call if anything comes to mind.”
Mrs. Walker saw them out. “Goodbye. And detectives…” Jason and Vanessa turned. “…catch him, please…for Marcie.”
Jason spoke for both of them. “We’ll do our best, ma’am. That’s a promise.”
Mrs. Walker smiled a sad smile and closed the door.
*******
Back in the car, Jason noticed Vanessa was quieter than usual. She was turned away, staring out the passenger window.
“You okay?”
When she turned towards him, her eyes were red. “Their only child…so sad.”
One of the things Jason liked best about his partner was she’s not afraid to be human. It was likely her pregnancy had a lot to do with how this was hitting her.
“Your right, it’s very tough when there isn’t more family to help people get through tragedy.”
“Did I tell you Rob has always wanted a big family?”
“No, I don’t think you did.”
“Yeah. He was an only child, and he said he didn’t want that for his kid.”
“One baby or ten, you’ll be a great mom.”
She smiled and then pointed a finger at him. “Not a word of this at the station.”
Jason just laughed. He was accustomed to such warnings.
*******
Norman Lasiter turned his black pick-up onto South Presa Street. South Presa is his hunting ground. Here is the largest concentration of prostitutes in the city.
He cruised slowly down the east side of the road, ignoring the calls from girls on his side but checking out the girls on the west side. He knew what he was looking for. He’d found her down here before and she was bound to be here again.
He circled around at the end of the block and came back along the west side.
There you are!
A tall, thin, dark-haired girl watched him come along and stepped out to the curb. “You looking for some fun?”
“Maybe. Are you?”
“You bet, baby.”
He didn’t look at her, but stared straight ahead. “How much?”
“Depends.”
“Just basic.”
“Fifty.”
“Okay, get in.”
The girl got in and smiled at him. Norman drove to the end of the block, turned into a parking lot, and pulled a gun. Her eyes grew huge. “Don’t hurt me! Please!”
Norman produced a large zip tie formed into a loop. “Put your hands through.”
Keeping her eyes fixed on the gun, she complied. Norman cinched the zip tie snug.
“Sit back and don’t do anything stupid.”
Chapter 5
Frank watched his friend tee off. They kept a standing golf date at Oak Valley Golf Course on Sunday afternoons. It’s just a nine hole course, but the only thing that kept them from playing was rain or Dallas Cowboy games.
“Nice drive.”
“Thanks.”
Frank teed his ball up, took a couple practice swings, and hit. His ball started out straight but quickly took a hard right turn. Frank groaned. “That’s the third slice today.”
His friend shook his head. “You’re getting your hips through ahead of your hands.”
“I know, I know.”
Frank stuffed his driver back into his bag and they both started walking, pulling their carts behind them. To Frank, this was the best part. An invigorating walk in beautiful surroundings.
His friend’s ball was sitting nicely down the left side of the fairway, but Frank’s was deep in the woods to the right. He pulled out his pitching wedge and started whacking at the tall grass. He’d already lost two balls today and he wasn’t about to lose another. After searching for several minutes, he spotted the white ball sitting on a patch of brown grass. “There you are!”
He was about to line up his shot when a glint off something caught his eye. The sun through the tree branches was reflecting off something about thirty yards away. He could make out a shape but not what it was.
Like a fuzzy TV that suddenly clears up, he saw a naked woman propped against a tree, and holding a wine glass. Dried blood covered her chest.
Frank staggered backwards, falling over the downed tree. He got back to his feet, and without taking his eyes off the woman, backed out onto the fairway.
His friend called to him. “Frank? You okay?”
Frank turned to face him. “Call 911!”
*******
Jason was spending his Sunday at home, working on one of the numerous projects the new house needed. Today, it was painting the guest room and Sandy was helping by doing the trim. He rolled the pale green she’d chosen onto the walls, trying not to splatter paint everywhere. His phone started to vibrate on the table in the center of the room.
Sandy groaned. “Noooo…we’ll never get this room done.”
Jason laid the roller in the pan and went over to look at the number. “Sorry, Honey. Got to answer it.”
He punched the answer button. “This is Strong.”
Vanessa was on the other end. “Hey, Jason.”
He was surprised to hear her voice. “What are you doing there?”
“I came into to pick up something and the call came through.”
“What call?”
“There’s another victim.”
Jason’s pulse quickened. “Wineglass?”
“Afraid so.”
“I’m on my way.”
*******
Jason picked up Vanessa at the station and they headed out to the crime scene, a golf course on the fringe of Canyon State Park.
“Two crime scenes in close proximity to the park,” Vanessa was thinking out loud. “Leads you to think he either lives near the park, or it’s along his route from one place to another.”
“Sure, or he's just comfortable with the national forest area from previous experiences there.”
Jason stopped the car at the entrance to the golf course parking lot. Two police cars sat parked nose to nose, blocking the entrance. The car on the left backed up to let Jason pull in.
After parking and getting out into the hot afternoon sun, Jason spotted an officer standing with his arms crossed, shaking his head at Devin James.
Devin James was a reporter for the San Antonio News. Black, easily six three, and balding, the reporter was equipped with a cynical mind he concealed with a wide smile.
Oh, crap! He’s seen me.
The reporter stopped pestering the officer, and walked directly towards Jason. “Detective, nice to see you again.”
The reporter ignored Vanessa. They had a feud going back to before Jason made detective. Vanessa had never told him the details, and he hadn’t pried.
Jason didn’t mind Devin, but he remained guarded around him. “Devin, you playing golf today?”
“Very funny, Detective. Actually, the scanner said there’s something much more interesting going on here than just putt-putt.”
The lieutenant had been able to keep the first girl’s death under the radar, but this one was going to be different.
“They just called us out here, I don’t know any more than you do.”
“Okay if I tag along?”
“Nope.”
The officer who had been shaking his head at the reporter, pointed at an electric golf cart parked behind him. The two detectives walked over and got in.
The officer got into the cart in front of theirs and turned to look at them. “I'm supposed to lead you out to the seventh hole. The crime scene techs are already there. They used a service road.”
Devin had followed them to the carts. Jason gave him a big smile. “Sorry Devin, duty calls.”
“Come on, Detective. Give me something.”
Jason pretended not to hear and stomped down on the gas pedal. The officer led the way, heading down the far side of hole #1, cutting across #4, and through some woods, until they could see the yellow crime tape flitting in the breeze.
They pulled up and got out as the medical examiner was walking back to his van. It was one of Doctor Davis' assistants. Jason caught up with him. “What have we got?”
“Gunshot wound to the chest. She's been out here about a week. We're done with photos, and forensics is done with evidence collection. We'll bag her when you guys are finished.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Vanessa had already gone over by the body and Jason followed her. Instead of examining the victim, she was staring out towards the forest. Jason left her alone while he made some notes.
Naked, no clothes or belongings found in the area, gunshot to chest at scene. Propped up against tree, bloodstained wineglass in her hand. Victim’s hair color, eye color, and approximate height match previous two crime scenes.
When he was done, he walked over to where Vanessa was standing. “What are you looking at?”
“I'm trying to place the previous crime scene. Wasn't it maybe five hundred yards that way, across the woods?”
Jason followed her sight line. “Yeah, I think you're right.”
At first, they seemed much farther apart because they had arrived at the first crime scene from the other side of the forest, but the locations appeared to be much closer, if you drew an imaginary line directly between the two.
Jason waved his arm across the area. “We need to have a complete search of the land between the two scenes.”
Vanessa agreed. “Yeah. We can walk it, but it might be better to bring in cadaver dogs. If there's a crime scene we haven't found, we don't want to be traipsing all over it.”
Jason nodded. “Good point. I'll talk to the lieutenant in the morning.”
Jason signaled they were done with the body and the techs started to wrap her up. Jason and Vanessa got in their cart and went back to the parking lot.
They found Frank in the clubhouse bar. He had regained his composure with help from several beers. Jason sat on one side and Vanessa stood on the other.
Jason smiled at Frank. “You find the body?”
“Yeah. Shook me up pretty good.”
“I can imagine, not something you see during your average round of golf. Did you see anyone else around?”
“No, my buddy and I were the only two playing that hole when we got there.”
Vanessa leaned in. “How did you find her?”
“I sliced my ball into the woods and found her while I was looking for it. I was getting ready to hit when something glinted in the sun.”
“The wine glass?”
“I guess. That's just messed up.”
Jason gave Frank a card and patted him on the shoulder. “Thanks. You think of anything else, call us.”
They got up and began making the rounds of the employees and other golfers who were present. Their last stop was the groundskeeper’s shed.
Jason called through the door. “Hello?”
A man stuck his head out from behind a tractor. “Can I help you?”
Jason flashed his badge. “Yes. Can I ask you a few questions?”
The man came around to where they were standing. “This about that dead girl?”
“Yes. You see anybody or anything unusual this week?”
“No. I'm here most all day, and I'm all over the course. I hadn't seen anything that would’ve made me think something like that was going on here.”
“How many roads are there around this place?”
The groundskeeper walked over to a map of the course, pinned on the wall, and pointed at the brown lines. “These are roads around the course, the gray are cart paths.”
Vanessa ran a finger along the seventh hole until it came to rest on a brown trail leading back to the parking lot. “This is one route he could’ve taken to the scene. Are there any gates along this road?”
“No. Just the one on the parking lot, and you can drive on the grass
if you want to get around it.”
Vanessa pointed to the far side of the forest, opposite the golf course. “That’s the location of the first crime scene.”
Jason followed the road from the current crime scene out to the previous one. The road continued past the first scene and let out onto the main highway just fifty yards south.
“Is there a gate on the end of that road where it meets the highway?”
“Yes. But we never use it. It was put in during construction of the golf course.”
“Locked?”
“I imagine, but I’m not sure.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Jason and Vanessa got back in their car and drove around to the end of the road they’d seen on the groundskeeper’s map. Just as the groundskeeper said, there was a gate. They got out and walked up to look at the chain. Looped through the gate and hanging loose, if there had been a padlock, it was gone.
Vanessa rattled the gate. “I think we found his way in.”
Jason stared beyond the gate at the woods along the service road. “Yeah, and it scares me what we might find with the dogs. Who knows how long this lock has been cut.”
Chapter 6
Jason got to the station early on Monday. He met the lieutenant and received permission to call in the cadaver dogs. It took several phone calls to get the search set up but by eleven that morning, the area had been cordoned off, and the dogs with their handlers, were ready to begin searching.
Before the searchers were allowed in, the forensic team had taken tire tread castings from two spots. They were consistent with a truck, but would only be useful if they had a vehicle to compare them against.
Jason called the search teams in and gathered them together around a map of the area.
“First of all, as usual, thank you for your quick response to our call. The area we’re searching is not overly large, so everyone take their time following the dogs. We don’t want anything disturbed if the dogs do have a hit,” he pointed as he spoke. “This road here is the service road for the golf course. It was used mainly during construction, and is rarely traveled any more. We’ll begin at the road edge and move inward toward the trees. If someone has an alert, everyone freeze. We’ll signal for the search to continue when we’ve secured the area the dog hits on.”
BLOODSTAIN (Det. Jason Strong(CLEAN SUSPENSE Book 2) Page 3
