The Bodies of Star Farm

by H R Jones

  They’d driven about a half hour when Gretchen said, “Look, Norm, there’s a police station. Up there on the left. There’s a light on inside too. Just pull in there. I’ll run in and tell them what I know.”

  “But, but, Gretchen, are you sure you want to do this...” he asked to no avail, as she was already half way out the door.

  ~ * ~

  Sheriff Pines checked his watch and stifled a yawn. He hated it when it was his turn to man the office for the grave yard shift. Of course, it was such a small police force everyone had to take their turn. Lucky him, this was his night. He’d give anything to be at home in bed with his wife but he wouldn’t be getting off duty for another three hours.

  He was shocked to see a wild eyed woman burst through the door with, “I want to report a murderer, or at least I think he’s a murderer.”

  “Good morning, madam,” he said, standing to greet the flustered woman. “I’m Sheriff Stu Pines, now slowly, how may I help you? You say there’s been a murder?”

  “Well, no, not that I know of, at least not yet, but back where I come from there have been a few very strange instances of area women disappearing, never to be seen again, and,” she emphasized, “I think the fellow that’s been the one who’s made them disappear is living right here, on the beach, in your fair state of Florida.”

  She stopped long enough to take a breath, and giving Stu time to get in a question or two.

  “Now, ma’am, who would this guy be…and does he even have a name? What does he look like?”

  “Look, you can call my boss and talk to him. He can give you all the details, as I don’t want to talk out of school, if you know what I mean, but my boss knows more about him than me and I think you’d better talk to him. I think he needs to come down here to see for himself. And…”

  The woman didn’t seem to be making any sense. “Hold on, who’s your boss and why would he care?”

  “His name is Lieutenant John Grutner with the Buckton Police Department up in Buckton, Wisconsin and he’s been trying to nail this guy for years, but he just keeps disappearing and so do the women, and…”

  “Hold it, hold it, stop!” He held up his hands as if pushing the words back in her mouth. “Look, what’s this Lieutenant Grutner’s phone number and what’s your name?”

  She began to rattle off several numbers. She was speaking so fast he couldn’t write them down. When she paused, she said, “Got a piece of paper? I’ll write it all down for you. I don’t think he’ll be in the office yet. He should be at home, but, if he isn’t, you can call him at the station, and I’ll jot down that number as well.”

  He pushed a pad of paper to her and she wrote down both numbers.

  “Just tell him it’s Gretchen. The first number is his home, and the second is the office.”

  Stu stared at her from behind the desk. “You’re really serious, aren’t you, lady?”

  “As God is my witness. I’m as honest as Ole Abe himself and I’m sure this guy down here is the one we’ve been trying to get a hold of for a very long time.”

  “That’s all well and good, but I’m sure your boss wouldn’t appreciate being awakened at this hour of the morning. Why don’t you just run along and I’ll try to contact him later,” he said, making a sweeping motion across the desk with his hand.

  “NO! I am not leaving here till you talk to him. Besides, he’ll probably want to talk to me.”

  “How do I know you’re on the up and up and there’s even a Lieutenant Grutner?”

  “Because, I said so,” she said through gritted teeth. “Do you want me to bring my husband in here to verify who I am and who I work for? ‘Cause if I have to get him out of that truck out there, and disturb his forty winks, he’ll be madder than a bear in winter.”

  Stu couldn’t help laughing silently to himself. “Well, all right, I guess it won’t do any harm to call him.”

  He picked up the receiver and began dialing the lieutenant’s home phone number. After several rings, he heard a very raspy, cranky voice say, “Yeah?”

  “Lieutenant Grutner?”

  “Speaking.”

  “This here is Sheriff Stu Pines, down here in the Florida Keys, and I got a woman here who claims she knows you and says she’s found a fellow ya’ all been tracking for quite some time.”

  “Does she have bright red hair, and driving a truck with a camper on the back?”

  “Yep, it looks like that’s the rig she’s got.”

  “That would be Gretchen, my secretary and ‘gal Friday.’ May I speak to her for a moment, please?”

  Pines handed Gretchen the receiver. “He says he wants to talk to you.”

  Gretchen smiled a knowing-smile as if saying, See, I told you he’d want to talk to me.

  If Gretchen hadn’t been a grown woman, she would have stuck out her tongue, and said nana, nana, boo-boo to the arrogant sheriff. Instead, she took the receiver.

  “Hey, Lieutenant, I think I’ve found Rory Star, dressed as a beach bum with bleached blond hair, crazy hats and all.”

  “Are you sure, Gretchen?”

  “Well, I’m not a hundred percent, Lieutenant, but when I pictured the fellow down here with black hair? I saw that weasel Star.”

  “Okay, Gretchen, let me talk to the sheriff. I’ll get down there as soon as I can get a flight. I suppose you’re on your way back? No chance of you staying a couple of extra days? It would sure help me out if you could.”

  “I’ll see what ole Norm says, but, wait…hell yes, we’ll stay. Here’s Sheriff Pines.” She handed the phone back.

  She leaned over the desk, intent on hearing the conversation between the two police officers. The most she could get was that her lieutenant would be coming down on the first available flight he could get out of Fort Howard.

  “Ask him if he needs us to pick him up, Sheriff Pines. We can go wherever he needs us to be.”

  Nodding he understood, Stu said, “I imagine you heard all that, Lieutenant?”

  “Yes, I did and thank her, but I will need to rent a car. I’ll need directions, though, to where you’re located down there. I suppose the closest airport is Miami,” he said mostly to himself.

  “That would be your best bet, Lieutenant.”

  “May I speak with Gretchen again?”

  The sheriff handed over the receiver shaking his head.

  “Yes, Lieutenant?”

  “After I get directions to where you’re located, I will need you to find a place for me, as well as for you and Norm, to stay somewhere near where you’re at. Don’t worry about the cost of the rooms… I’ll see the department picks up the tab for you. After all, it is police business. Charge it if you have to. I’ll have the sheriff give me his number and I’ll call him when I get to Miami, so I have an idea how long it will take me. So, check with him tomorrow and find out my ETA. Okay?”

  “Right! Norm and I’ll look for a place somewhere near here. I’ll ask Sheriff Pines if he can recommend something, and I’ll keep in touch with him.”

  “Great! Thanks, Gretchen. Now I need to talk to Sheriff Pines again.”

  So arrangements and directions were made for when Grutner would arrive. As soon as the sheriff was off the phone, he said, “There’s a very nice motel about three miles up on the bay side, called the ‘Coral Surf.’ It’s a nice mom and pop run place and very clean.”

  “Okay, Norm and I will go up there now. When do you want me to check in with you?”

  “Look, I’ll call the motel and ask them to give you a message when I need you to be here.”

  “Sounds great. Well,” she reached out to shake his hand, “we’ll wait for your call. And, thanks again.”

  Thirty-six

  Norm and Gretchen headed up the highway, peering through the dim light of dawn, looking for the Coral Surf Motel.

  They had no problem finding the neat coral and white stucco building. Gretchen went inside and was greeted by a stout, older lady dressed in a mumu, a conch shell necklace draped ar
ound her neck, dangling over an ample bosom, a hibiscus flower behind her right ear. Her graying, long hair was pulled tight into a ball-shaped bun on top of her head. Gretchen thought she looked as if she were from one of the Polynesian Islands.

  “You must be the folks Sheriff Pines just called me about,” she said with a smile. “I’m Tilly, Tilly Banks.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Banks, I’m Gretchen and that’s Norm out there in the truck with the camper.”

  “Sheriff says you need a couple of rooms for you and your husband and one for your boss.”

  “That’s right. Not sure when he’ll be arriving down here, but hopefully later this evening.”

  “It must be a big deal for him to come all the way down here from up your way. Wisconsin, is it?”

  “Yes, but if this is the person I think it is, your deputy and his fellows and my Lieutenant Grutner are going to have their hands full,” Gretchen explained.

  “Well, good luck to you all. Is there any reason Walt and I should be afraid?”

  “No, ma’am, I don’t believe there is. I think this guy will just want to get out of Dodge, as they say, just as fast as he can. I hope we’re faster.”

  As soon as she registered for them and had the key, she went out to find Norm fast asleep sitting behind the wheel. She pulled open the driver’s door. “Good God, Norm, can’t you stay awake long enough for me to get us registered?”

  “Yah, yah, yah. First you wake me up from a sound sleep, drag me all over creation… it ain’t right. You know I need my full eight hours.”

  “Ah, shut up, Norm. Just drive around back. We’re in unit number ten on the back side. Even if Star did see us, he won’t be able to spot our rig if we’re parked in the back.” Gretchen hopped in the truck to show Norm where he’d need to park.

  Gretchen, per her habit, unlocked the door to their room, turned on every light, inspected every nook and cranny and finally proclaimed, “Norm, it’s really immaculate. Bring everything in.”

  “Everything? Do you know how much crap you have in here?”

  “Oh, Norm, you know what I mean.”

  Thirty-seven

  It was late afternoon when Gretchen received a call from Sheriff Pines, letting her know Lieutenant Grutner would be arriving sometime that evening.

  Gretchen knew if she hung around the room she would go stir crazy and make Norm and herself nuts. She opened the door to gauge the outside temperature. It was still quite warm, but there was a lovely breeze blowing in.

  She took one of the many romance novels she’d stuffed in her suitcase, walked up to the motel office and asked Tilly if she could rent a lounging chair for the beach. She was told to just take any chair she wanted, there wasn’t any fee.

  Gretchen went back to the room to tell Norm about the chairs for the beach and did he want to go, too.

  “Sure, might just as well. I can sleep out there on the beach just as well as I can in this tiny room.”

  “Well, Norm, just make sure you use plenty of sun lotion, or you’re going to look like one of them lobsters they pull out of a boiling pot.”

  “It’s late afternoon, Gretchen, I think it’s well past time to get a sunburn.”

  “Okay…”

  They locked up, grabbed chairs at the office and headed down the sand toward the sparkling waters. It was a bit hotter than they thought it would be. They placed the chairs closer to the water and took off their shoes to let the waves tickle their feet.

  ~ * ~

  They’d grabbed a bite to eat at a cute little restaurant Tilly’d recommended to them, about a block from the motel. They had an early supper and went back to their room to begin their wait to hear from the lieutenant.

  She paced, and Norm napped. She hoped Rory Star hadn’t recognized her. If he had he could have done a runner. It was even possible he didn’t live around there and was only visiting like they were. She started chewing on her fingernails as the minutes ticked by, awaiting John’s arrival.

  Hours passed and dragged, the ticking clock becoming more annoying with each and every tic. Every time she looked at the bedside clock, it seemed as if the hands hadn’t moved at all. Eventually, the big hand was on the twelve and the little one on five. The next time she checked, it was ten after, and so it went. It was nearly seven-thirty when the phone finally rang.

  She literally ran to pick up the receiver. “Hello, Lieutenant?”

  “I guess you’ve been expecting my call.” He punctuated the statement with laughter.

  “I’ve practically worn a path in the carpeting here at the motel, between worrying about you and about the man I hope is, in fact, Rory Star.”

  “Well, Pines and I have to come up with some sort of plan. You say you saw him at a bar down the road from there?”

  “Yes, and the more I think about it, the more I’m sure it’s him. The difference is he’s got his hair in a ponytail and dyed blond like Marilyn Monroe. He’s also tan as a Western saddle. The main thing is, you can’t mistake the face. How do you want to do this?”

  “Well,” he began, chuckling at Gretchen insinuating herself into the investigation. “Sheriff Pines is going to run me up there to the motel. Once I get there, I think I’ll have you drive me and the sheriff down to the place you spotted him. We’ll both sit in the rental at a distance, and do a little surveillance.”

  “Okay, so then do you want Norm and me to drive so you can sit in the back seat and watch?”

  “Yeah, sure, that will work. Just so we can’t be seen clearly.”

  “Right.”

  “We’ll be at the motel shortly. I’ll just freshen up a bit and we can head out. We’ll come by your unit after I get settled.”

  Thirty-eight

  It was a little after eight when there was a knock at their door. Gretchen rushed to open it. There stood John and Sheriff Pines. “Well, come on in, you two, so we can discuss the plan.”

  After several minutes of tossing around ideas as to how best to get a bead on Rory Star, Sheriff Pines said he’d make a call. He thought a young officer he knew, Ryan, would be perfect to help them out on the case. He gave him a call. Ryan said he was more than willing to help. He’d meet them at the motel.

  As soon as Ryan arrived, and after introductions were made, Sheriff Pines explained the situation, and how they needed him to do a little undercover work. He told him Gretchen and the lieutenant would finger the fellow they were sure was the fugitive they’d been trying to locate for several years.

  Ryan suggested they use his vehicle. He and Norm could sit in the front seat and Grutner and Gretchen in the back.

  Sheriff Pines agreed. He felt Ryan made a good point, and his car had Florida plates. They wouldn’t draw unnecessary attention.

  So, with a plan in place, Sheriff Pines indicated he’d head back to the station and asked that they drop by when they’d wrapped up the surveillance. In the meantime they could keep in contact through the police radio.

  ~ * ~

  Ryan, Norm, Gretchen and Grutner pulled into the least congested area of the White Shutter’s parking lot, rolled the windows down a bit, cut the motor and waited. They had a pretty good view of the bar, as long as weather was good and the canvas sides remained opened during business hours. Though the lighting was downplayed at night, it was bright enough to see the patrons. The four chatted quietly as they watched and waited.

  It was going on ten o’clock when Gretchen said, in a loud whisper, pointing, “There, that’s him, that’s him! Right over at the south end of the bar. If he looks this way, I’m going to pretend to make out with you, Lieutenant.”

  “That sounds like fun,” he said, giving Norm a pat on the shoulder.

  She giggled like a school girl.

  They laughed good-naturedly.

  “You know, Gretchen, I think you’re right. It sure as hell looks like him, except for the blond hair.”

  All eyes zeroed in on the beach bum wearing white clam diggers, and what appeared to be a Hawaiian print
shirt. He seemed to be involved in quite an animated conversation with the bartender. At one point he rose up from his seat, leaned over the bar, and was nearly nose to nose with the guy. They seemed angry.

  ~ * ~

  Ricky Sands got right up in Koko’s face. “What are you implying man?”

  “I’m not implying nothing, man. I’m just asking if you have seen Leaha. I haven’t seen her in two day, maybe more. She my best beach waitress. I rely on her, you know? I think maybe she’s sick. I just know, she supposed to be with you. So, I just ask, okay?”

  “Well, you can quit asking,” Ricky snarled. “I saw her for a few minutes a couple nights ago. She was all excited and in a hurry, said she was meeting some guy down on the beach, and ‘sorry but I’ll have to take a raincheck on that drink we were supposed to have’.”

  “It’s odd,” Koko said pointedly, as he looked at Ricky straight in the eye, holding his stare. “I swear on my mama’s grave, she say, she out with you. In fact, her exacta words, ‘I see Ricky tonight. I have a plan for a special evening just for us.’ I tell her, you be careful, Leaha, we don’t know this guy. But, but, she insisted you okay. So, I think she feel okay, who am I to burst her, how you say, bobble?”

  “Well, I’m telling you it never happened. She dumped me for some ‘mystery’ guy named Aljando, Chico, or something.”

  “I have one of the girls go to her place tomorrow to check and see if she is okay.”

  “Great, you do that!”

  ~ * ~

  “I wonder what those two are upset about,” Norm said.

  “Maybe this is where Sheriff Pines felt I’d be an asset. No one knows me down this way. I usually hang out north of here. Maybe you three should duck down while I open the door. You’re sure that’s the guy you’ve been looking for?”

  “Well, if it isn’t, he’s a doppelganger for him,” the lieutenant offered.

  “Huh?” the three said in unison.

  “A person who could be a double for someone.”

  “Oh,” Ryan laughed. “I get it! Look, I’m going to leave the windows down in case you can hear any of the conversation. I’ll see what I can find out from either him or the bartender. I’ll play it by ear. Hang tight!”