by RB Schalin
Chapter 27
"Who was that?" asks Holmes looking after the truck driving away.
"Mr. Kerry, a strange man, I feel kind of sorry for him," says Collins.
"Why?"
"Well, he used to be a professor at a big university, but during a trip to the Amazon he and the two students he was traveling with got lost."
"Well, he is back now, so they must have found him."
Collins nods his head and then says, "yeah, they did find him, after three years."
"What? He spent three years alone in the jungle, and just walked out?"
Hawk comes back down the path, "what’s the hold up?"
"Collins was telling me about Mr. Kerry, who spent three years in the Amazon."
"Yeah, amazing. Imagine being alone in that godforsaken place for such a long time, and then you are found."
Holmes shakes her head, "it would make me a little strange too, I suppose."
"Let’s go inside," says Hawk and leads the way.
"We agree the perpetrator must have a base in the forest along the I25?" asks Hawk.
They are in his office. He is behind his desk, Collins and Holmes are sitting in front of him and Friedman is leaning against the door.
"Yes, the question is, how do we find it?" asks Friedman.
"That’s where these print out's come into play. Using Google maps I could zoom in on an area and look for buildings. These are just samples, but as you can clearly see there are small buildings here, here and here," she says pointing at three white squares close to the river.
"Sure, they are boathouses I guess," says Collins.
"The point is, if we start from where Maria was found and move inland following a straight line into the forest there is a possibility we might find some kind of construction, maybe a cabin, a hut, anything where our killer could be."
Hawk smiles and says, "the group Maria belonged to were missing for three days. In that time you can move quite a long-distance even through the forest. We are talking a very large area to search."
"I thought about that. I think we should draw a line from where the group entered the forest and from where Maria was found, where those lines cross, that’s the furthest we should look, I’m sure we will find the killers camp within that triangle."
"OK, use Collins, Friedman and I need to get out and do our duty, we will see you back here at 5P.M."
When Hawk and Friedman has left, Holms asks Collins, "what duty?"
He chuckles and says, "they are going to the lake to check so there is no underage drinking."
"Oh, I see."
"At least that’s the excuse we use for resting our eyes on some beautiful young women in bikinis."
"I knew it; you are all a bunch of perverts."
"Just kidding, they are actually checking on the kids, but they will also drive around town, and up and down I25 for a few hours. Anyway, we can have Mrs. Winters to print out the maps we need. I’ll get a couple of magnifying glasses, so you can live up to your name."
"What name?"
Collins grins at her and says, "Holmes, I’ll be your Watson."
"Very funny."
Hawk is behind the wheel in the department’s only SUV. It’s an old Ford Bronco that should be replaced, but there is no money right now. He changes gear and starts the climb up the slope which continues for a mile and a half before it begins its descent. He picks up the radio and calls Collins.
"Where are you?" he asks.
After a bit of static Collins answers, "at the gas station south side of town."
Hawk smiles, there is only one gas station in town, and it’s on the South side.
"Seen anything interesting?"
"No, just the usual tourists and Mr. Lawerence out on his horse."
"Mr. Lawerence?"
"Yeah, you know the old Canadian Mountie who moved here a few years ago."
"Of course I know who he is, but I thought his horse died last year."
"I guess he bought a new one. How’s the lake?"
Hawk who has just reached the summit before driving down stops the Bronco and takes out a pair of binoculars from the glove compartment. He scans the beach and then says, "same as always this time of year, packed and a lot of hot women."
"You know Chief, it’s unfair that you should have to strain your eyes at your age. It’s better if I check the beach in the future."
Hawk chuckles and says, "that’s exactly why I do it, the women feel safe with an older man watching over them, not some young buck that easily gets distracted by the first bikini he sees."
He can hear Collins laugh and then his voice comes over the radio again, "over and out, I’ll see you later."
Hawk puts the Bronco in gear and slowly drives down the road. It twists and turns all the way down, he is lucky and no one is coming up the other way. If there would be another car he or the other driver would have to back up so the other could pass.
He parks by the little kiosk, and waves to Jenny and Lauren. They are Mrs. Winters nieces and works in the kiosk, selling sodas and ice cream. They are both in their mid twenties and he is sure most of the men come here to look at them, not for the actual swimming.
The beach is no more than a hundred yard long, and the water isn’t especially clear, but since the lake is shallow it maintains a nice warm temperature. Hawk has swam as late as mid October and the water was still nice.
He walks among the sunbathers and chit chats with a few people he knows. He checks on a couple of groups of teenagers making sure they have no beer in their coolers and is just about to return to the Bronco when he hears someone call his name. He turns around and sees Mrs. Walker waving at him from under a tree on the edge of the open area.
He walks over and when he is within talking distance he says, "Hi Mrs. Walker."
She is a good looking woman in her late forties and she is one of the teachers at the local school. Her husband died a few years ago in a car accident and now she lives alone with her teenage son.
"Hello Chief, I just remembered something when I saw you walk by, and I thought it might interest you."
She taps the blanket she is sitting on indicating he should join her which he does. Without looking at him, but keeping her eyes on the water in the distance she asks, "did you ever find out who killed that Latin girl on I25?"
"No, we have no clues to who did it."
"Mm, that’s what I thought. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I heard from someone that she was hit by an arrow of some kind and it was poisoned."
Hawk looks at her in surprise, "how do you know that?"
"Oh, you know, us women getting together to gossip. Anyway, I’m not telling you how I know; all I want is for you to confirm it."
Hawk thinks about it and decides he can do what she wants and says, "yes, what you have heard is correct."
She turns back to him and her eyes are dark blue, almost violet, "before my husband died, we took a trip around South America and one of the destinations was the Amazon River. We took a small cruise and spent a couple of days on it stopping at villages along the way. It was very interesting, apart from the mosquitoes."
"OK, and what does that have to do with Maria?" asks Hawk a bit irritated.
"Well, in one village there was like a small museum, actually it was more like a mud hut with a sign, but the gentlemen who ran it, an old German, was very nice and he showed us some of the weapons the tribes of Amazon use. Almost all of them use some kind of venom or poison together with a dart or arrow."
"OK, we know there was Curare in Maria’s blood."
"Ah, you see. Now, who around here has been to the Amazon lately?"
When she asks the question she looks at him and raises her eyebrows.
Hawk shakes his head, he knows who she means.
"C’mon Mrs. Walker, why would Mr. Kerry be running around the forest shooting crossbow bolts at teenagers?"
"I have no idea, but it is your job to investigate, isn’t it, Chief?"
Hawk stands up a
nd is about to say goodbye when she takes his hand and with a seductive smile she asks, "when are we having dinner together Chief?"
"I’ll let you know," he says and walks away.
Back inside the Bronco he smiles, Mrs. Walker is a very attractive woman, but she is a little complicated to be with. He has heard through the grapevine about a man who dated her for a while, and she drove him nuts wanting him to dress, and talk like her dead husband. He puts the SUV in gear and drives up the slope. He takes a look at his watch and sees it’s time to go back to the station. Maybe Holmes and Friedman have found something interesting. Holmes, now she’s a different story. He could have dinner with her every night of the week, and maybe throw in a couple of breakfasts in bed. To bad she is much younger than him, and after seeing him at his worst this morning, she will assume he is damaged goods, which he can only agree with.
