Act Normal, A Stan Turner Mystery Vol 9

by William Manchee

21

  Autopsy

  Stan Turner

  Dr. Black stood up when his secretary showed us into his tidy office. It was furnished with cheap metal furniture and thinly upholstered chairs. He came around from behind his desk and shook my hand and nodded to Tehra. We sat across from him with some discomfort. They obviously didn't revere medical examiners in Hunt County or Dr. Black didn't like his guests staying too long.

  "So, what can I do for you?" Dr. Black asked.

  I explained that we represented Charlotte Wenzel and were there to find out what her daughter’s autopsy had revealed. He frowned, swiveled around to his credenza and searched through a stack of file folders. Not finding the file he stood up and walked over to a file cabinet. After rummaging through it for a moment, he found what he was looking for and returned to his desk. He opened the file and studied it.

  "Oh, yes. The body was found about a mile north of Hermits Cove near Point, Texas. It was in a heavily wooded area and the body probably wouldn't have ever been found had some hunters not accidentally stumbled across it."

  "When was it found?"

  "On Tuesday, I believe."

  I wrote the information on a legal pad and looked up at the medical examiner.

  "Did you determine a time of death?"

  "The body had been there several weeks and had been ravaged pretty badly by wildlife, so I'm afraid I can't pinpoint it exactly. But, I'd say she was killed on the weekend after the family disappeared."

  "So, that would be between August 2nd and 4th?" I asked.

  "Yes."

  "So, what did you determine to be the cause of death?"

  "Well, that's what's strange about this case. The cause of death was head trauma. She seems to have fallen—fallen from some distance judging by the extent of her injuries."

  I wondered what Dr. Black would say if I told him she’d fallen from a spaceship, but I repressed that idea quickly. "So, you think she fell off a cliff or out of a tree?"

  "Possibly, but I'm thinking more likely it was an airplane."

  "An airplane?"

  "Yes, there are no cliffs near where she was found and few large trees. It's really rather puzzling."

  "Hmm. Did you check airports in the area? Were there any small planes up over the weekend?"

  "The sheriff is checking on that. My job is done."

  I nodded and looked at Tehra. "Can you think of anything else we need to know?"

  Tehra leaned forward toward the doctor. "Yes, one more thing. Who were the hunters who found the body? We should probably talk to them."

  The doctor flipped through his file and replied, "John Sturgeons and Walter Creskey."

  He turned the file around so we could copy their addresses. "Oh, one other thing," Tehra asked. "Were there any footprints or tire tracks near the body?"

  He shook his head. "No, that's another reason I think she fell from an airplane. The only footprints were from the hunters and the wildlife that had been feeding on the body."

  Tehra smiled and looked at me. I stood up, thanked the doctor and we left. Since we had been running late we hadn't eaten lunch before seeing the doctor, so I suggested we stop at a little café across from the courthouse. It was late so the place was deserted. A bored looking waitress showed up at our table and gave us menus.

  "So, no surprises there," I commented. "I just wish Dr. Black could have pinned down the time of death a little better. Now we have to provide an alibi for the entire weekend."

  "True, but unless Charlotte Wenzel can fly an airplane or had an accomplice who could, she's in the clear."

  "You're right," I replied. "I'm sure that's got to be bothering Gary Shepard. How will he prove opportunity? He must have thought of that before he arrested her. . . . Shit!"

  "What?"

  "The informant, the one Shepard told Bart about hoping to get him fired, must have been real after all. Shepard must have somebody who's going to testify that Charlotte tried to hire him to kill her family. I can't believe this!"

  "You think so? But, who would lie like that?"

  "A jailhouse snitch. Somebody who's looking to get time knocked off their sentence. It happens all the time. I've just never seen it in the Collin County prosecutor's office. They are usually above that kind of thing, at least before Gary Shepard came on board."

  "Can you find out who it is?"

  "I don't know. They're supposed to inform us of any witnesses they plan to call, but they can wait until the last minute on the pretense that they haven't decided whether to call them or not."

  "What will you do?" Tehra asked gingerly.

  I shook my head. "I guess I'll talk to Bart about it. He knows the district attorney's policies and practices better than anyone. He should be able to help."

  The waitress finally returned and took our orders. After we'd eaten we headed back to Dallas. It was late, so I took Tehra to her hotel before I went back to the office. I should have gone straight home but I had to check my messages and clean up my desk before calling it a day. When I got there I found a message from Mo, so I dialed his number. Surprisingly, he answered.

  "So, how's Tehra working out for you?" he asked.

  "Fine, she's a big help and it's nice to have someone to talk to, but you knew that, didn't you?"

  There was an uneasy silence. "Yeah, well this project is very important and the Tarizonians don't take chances."

  "So, who exactly is monitoring my every move? You don't personally have time for that, do you?"

  "God no. Nor the patience, but I do get a daily report."

  "I bet, " I grumbled. "So, what do you want? You didn't call because you were worried about Tehra."

  "No. She's a big girl. She can take care of herself. No, actually, Kulchz was worried about the hunters that found Jill's body. He's afraid they might have seen something. He's considering . . . well . . . he's considering taking drastic action."

  "Tell him not to worry. I'll handle it. They found the body weeks after it was dropped. They couldn't possibly have seen anything that would expose the project."

  "That's what I told him, but he wanted me to discuss it with you."

  "Tell him Tehra and I are going to talk to the hunters. We'll let him know if there's a problem, but I seriously doubt it."

  "Good. Sorry to bother you. Now, go home. Why are you still at the office anyway? It's after seven. Go home . . . or better yet, go see Tehra. I'm sure she'd be happy to give you another rub," Mo laughed as he hung up.

  Anger welled up inside me as I slammed the phone down. This living in a fish bowl was beginning to annoy me. It was so hard to believe that Tehra was part of Kulchz's game. She seemed so loving and concerned—almost like she was in love with me— but I knew it was a lie. She was one hell of an actress though, there was no doubt about that. Even knowing who she was, the moment she strolled into my life each day, I felt so safe and secure that I'd spill my guts to her without the slightest reservation. It was like she cast a spell over me that I was powerless to resist. The thought of going to her flashed in my mind. She'd give me whatever I desired—every fantasy I'd ever dreamed about could be lived and relished this very evening.

  I took a deep breath and shook my head vigorously. What was happening to me? Why was I letting her get to me so? I couldn't go to Tehra for sex! Then they'd really have me. I could never go to her for that, no matter how much pleasure it might bring. I had to play the game, though—let them think they had me under their control—but somehow keep my wits. I didn't know how I'd do that exactly, but somehow I had to figure it out, or what little free will I had left in this world would be lost.

 

 

  22

  Enlisting an Ally

  Paula Waters

  A call to GTE proved a waste of time. They didn't give out information about their drivers or the routes they took, at least not over the telephone. They suggested I write a letter, but I had a better idea, I'd subpoena the maintenance survivor and make him drag all his record
s down to my office. I put Jodie on that task and had the subpoena delivered before noon. It didn't take long before I got an apologetic call from the manager in charge.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't realize—"

  "It's all right. Just tell me if you had a maintenance truck in the 4400 block of Collinwood Dr. in Allen on August 9th."

  There was a moment of silence then a grunt. "No. There's no record of any activity in that area on the 9th, but there was an incident in Allen on that day that might interest you."

  "What kind of incident?" I asked.

  "One of our trucks was lost for a while."

  "Lost?"

  "Yes, it seemed to have been stolen. Our men went into IHOP for breakfast and when they came out it was gone. That evening, however, the truck was returned to the same IHOP parking lot. It was very bizarre. We suspected it was the work of teenagers with too much free time on their hands. There wasn't anything missing out of the truck, so we withdrew our complaint with the police."

  "Did the police check the vehicle for fingerprints?"

  "Yes, but it had been wiped clean. I guess the kids had seen enough cop shows to know not to leave their fingerprints behind. Fortunately, our only loss was the cost of a few gallons of gasoline."

  The theft of the GTE truck strengthened my belief that Stout was behind the fire. Finding evidence to prove that would be difficult, though, without help from the police or the DA's office. We'd already enlisted Paul Thayer's assistance with the case but his further involvement would be expensive. We'd already billed out most of Stanley's retainer and I could see his case costing a lot more than I'd originally advised him. Stanley would soon run out of money and