“This is a big park. What are we looking for?” I asked.
“Clues.”
“Of course. What was I thinking?”
“I figure that if this note is related to that blood, then there is something here that is self-evident for us to find.”
“It could take a while.”
“Thus the dog.”
“So you still believe in his powers.”
“Everyone has a role to play.”
“It will take a few hours to walk around this park. I didn’t think you liked to walk,” I said.
“I don’t. I’ll sit there,” he pointed to the first park bench we came to. “I will happily wait here while you and Samuel walk and find.”
“Not Samuel, Sam. Just Sam. And you are assuming that we will find something.”
“My money’s on the dog. He’ll find something.”
“Sitting here and waiting not a waste of your time? Don’t you have other cases to solve?”
“Day off. I’m here on my own nickel.”
“So what makes you work on your day off on a case like this?”
“Smells funny. I don’t have a good sense about this. You know, after being a cop for more than thirty years, some things just don’t add up. Lots of blood, no body … on a roof top. Note, and nothing else.”
“Nothing that the crime girl has found yet.”
“True, but trace was scant at that scene. She’s good, but she can’t manufacture evidence.”
“Well, let’s just say she should not manufacture evidence. We all can make things up.”
“You know what I mean. I just don’t have a good feel about this one. Not you’re cut and dried murder. And with Sam’s revelation about the blood being both human and animal, well, that’s intriguing, is it not?”
“So you’re not as skeptical as Starnes.”
“I brought you two here. I wanted your help. I know that Sam is the best non-police dog I’ve ever been around. He has ways, strange to me, I’ll admit, but he has ways.”
“That he does,” I said.
Chapter 24
Darkness forced us to curtail our Town Point Park excursion. I had walked slowly allowing the super-canine to sniff whatever he would. We covered maybe half of the park by the time we were forced to quit. Of course Sam could have continued on in the darkness, but not me. The wind picked up and the temperatures fell. I was ready for warmth and a hot meal.
I promised Wineski that we would return to the park the next day and continue our pilgrimage. I had one more day before I was to travel across the state to my home town. We agreed to meet there again. He promised to walk some with us on the morrow.
Rosey decided to take another day to finish up some reports he promised the Pentagon. I was extremely curious about that, but I didn’t ask. With Rosey, if I needed to know, he would tell me. Still, I was curious about what my friend might be reporting to the Pentagon, and to whom at the Pentagon. That’s heavy stuff.
I stepped out of the shower the next morning when the phone rang. Rogers answered using my voice, as she was prone to do far too often to suit me. Still, occasionally the function comes in handy. Everyone should have something like that for just such moments as these.
“Clancy here,” Rogers said.
“Mornin’, Clancy. Wineski here. Got the preliminary lab reports from Starnes.”
“Revealing?”
“Well, at least we know more than we did yesterday.”
“Not saying a whole lot, is it? A case of diminished capacity, I would surmise,” Rogers said.
“I don’t think I want to go there with you on that one. Too early for me. At any rate, the blood belongs to two separate beings, one human, and one canine.”
“Get outta here.” I gave a thumb’s up to Sam. He merely raised his paw.
“Truth be told. Sam, the Wonder Dog, was right again. We’re running the human stain in our databases and hoping to get a hit somewhere along the line on the DNA. The dog, not so much.”
“Did you remind Starnes of Sam’s findings yesterday?”
“She wouldn’t even answer me when I chided her.”
“So Sam and I will go looking for two corpses this morning.”
“I’ll be there with you. I promise to walk some today.”
“You’re a gentleman and a scholar.”
Rogers was not above flattery if she thought it would get her some points. In this case, she was doing it for my sake.
“Not sure about either of those positions, but I will help today. Just tired yesterday or something. Maybe all that icy rain we had recently has given me a cold or whatever.”
“Rain cannot cause a cold, nor does cold weather. A cold comes from a viral strain that attacks the body, and then the immune system of the body is then unable to ward off the attack.”
“What on earth are you drinking this morning?” Wineski said.
I cleared my throat loudly from the bedroom to warn Rogers that she was dangerously close to sounding more like a computer than a human, especially this human.
“I was joking, Wineski. Where’s your humor?”
“Lost it on the streets of Green Bay, Milwaukee, and Norfolk all these years. Cops either lose their humors or die smiling.”
Captain Thomas J. Wineski was an import from Wisconsin. He began his police career as a beat cop in Green Bay with his most attractive post working the home games of the Packers. Later he moved to the big city of Milwaukee where he ultimately became a detective. His move to Norfolk, Virginia twenty years ago was out of necessity for his family.
“What a horrible attitude to have, Captain,” Rogers said.
“What can I say? And besides, it’s too damn early to be funny. See you at the park, say, an hour?”
“An hour it is,” Rogers said and clicked off the phone line.
“What was that guff about what causes a cold and all?”
“Just trying to be factual.”
“Well, you know I don’t talk like that. It’s one thing to tell Rosey our little secret, it is quite another to get folks like Captain Wineski curious as to why I sometimes sound too intellectual on the telephone.”
“I do not think you have to worry too much about ever sounding too intellectual either live or on the phone.”
“More humor?” I said.
“Just the facts, ma’am. Just the facts.”
* * *
When Sam and I arrived at Town Point Park, Wineski had several uniform cops scouring the large area. I met Wineski at the bench where we had ended our search the day before.
“Glad to see some reinforcements here to aid our cause,” I said.
“It was a second thought after I hung up from you earlier. It’s a big park.”
“Quite. Well, Sam and I will go in this direction. I will use the cell to notify you if we find anything.”
“Check in by noon.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
Searching large parks for proverbial needles in haystacks ranks almost as high as stakeouts on the law enforcement’s list of daily fun things to do. Too many places to hide bodies and such. Even though Town Point Park is quite small in comparison to say, Central Park in downtown Manhattan, it still covers some seven acres and has enough foliage to create some illusive hiding places for corpses.
Sam and I were moving slowly counter-clockwise in a south by southwestward direction towards the waterfront portion of the park. The water was Elizabeth River. We were headed towards the Armed Forces Memorial located on the southwest corner of the park. Nearby was one of Wineski’s favorite spots, the museum ship USS Wisconsin. His father served on the Wisconsin during WWII.
Sam picked up some scent as we passed in front of the flags at the memorial and neared the replica of a famous statue called The Homecoming. Presumably it is the form of a sailor embracing his wife as they greet after a long absence on his part. A small child is holding on tightly to the sailor’s leg while he embraces the female form.
Sam was
pulling his leash so hard by this point, I decided to risk all and let him loose. He bolted towards some shrubs near the statue. I could see him stop abruptly with only his rear end evident to me. He turned and barked once in my direction.
He had found the canine corpse. I phoned Wineski and he joined us a few minutes later. Starnes was with him.
“It’s a dog,” Starnes said with as much surprise as she could resonate with her flat, monotone voice.
“Well done, investigator,” I said.
“I thought we were searching for human remains,” she countered.
“We’re searching for whatever we find, going where the investigation leads us,” said Wineski. “Any ideas, Clancy, as to the meaning of this,” he continued pointing to the canine corpse.
“You have that note from the rooftop?” I said.
Wineski handed me the note.
“Seems rather ubiquitous,” Wineski said.
“You’ve been reading again,” I said.
“Crime novels. I like the use of that word.”
“My, oh my. A two-fer.”
“Some days you find the zone,” he said.
“What on earth are you two talking about?” Starnes said.
“Fighting crime with style,” I said.
“Style. Hmph,” Starnes actually made a sound that has some emotion. Wineski and I gave each other a look. He smiled at me. “What do we do with this carcass?”
“We do an autopsy,” Wineski said.
“My lab is not a veterinary clinic. We do human remains, nothing more.”
“Need this one, Starnes,” Wineski said.
“Why?”
“Because it’s the only clue we have since the note.”
“How do you know it is a clue? It could just be a dead dog in the park.”
“Because of the presence of Clancy Evans. Strangeness follows her, even when she is invited into one of my cases. It’s like a shadow to her.”
“As in following her?” Starnes said.
“Ah,” Wineski said.
“So you think that the presence of a dead dog in a downtown park of Norfolk is a bonafide clue for our investigation,” Starnes said as incredulously as she could in her monotone.
“You got it. Now have your team get this animal to the lab and let me know what you find.”
There were moments when Wineski’s dictates contained no ambiguity. Starnes walked off without another word. In minutes she had some of her team remove the dog and cart it off to the lab for a complete analysis.
“You really think that the dog is part of the crime?” I said.
“I have no idea,” Wineski confessed.
Chapter 25
“Are you returning to the park to continue your search for human remains?” Rogers asked.
“As soon as Wineski calls. I promised to help as long as needed.”
It was late in the morning and I was back in the apartment. Coffee and dialogue with my adversarial computer. Ah, the good life. Coffee can baptize almost anything adversarial.
“He could get his grunts to do that kind of work. You’re needed on more thoughtful analysis.”
“Wow. A compliment from my alter ego computer.”
“I am many things, sweet cakes, but your alter ego is not one of them.”
“Alter ego with an attitude. And yes, I shall remain diligent in my search for the remains that left all of that blood on the rooftop.”
“Lots of blood, huh?”
“The most I have ever seen at a crime scene.”
“You are assuming, of course, that a crime actually took place, and it took place on the rooftop.”
“Touché. The blood could have been carried there and dumped. Somebody went to a lot of trouble if that’s what happened.”
“Would not be the first time a criminal went to a lot of trouble.”
“Again, your argument is flawless.”
“I am seldom with flaw.”
The phone rang and I answered it before Rogers.
“Most of the blood had been removed from the dog’s carcass,” Wineski said.
“Exsanguination,” I said.
“Yeah, that, too. And the blood of the dog matches some of the blood on the rooftop.”
“Bingo. And what did Starnes say?”
“Nothing formal, just a nonverbal grunt.”
“But good enough.”
“It’s nice to be vindicated.”
“So much doubt, so little appeasement. Back to the park for the human remains?”
“No rest for the weary. You still free to join me?”
“I have the afternoon. Such is my social life. And, you’re the one paying the piper.”
“I don’t recall anything about pay,” he said.
“I don’t do pro bono.”
“You lie. Most of what you do is pro bono.”
We were back at the park with a full team of body searchers by noon. One of the beat cops found the body in a grove of bushes not far from the USS Wisconsin. Starnes was on scene to offer her expert opinion.
“Just like the dog,” she said.
“Beg your pardon,” Wineski said.
“I’m guessing here, but I’d say that there is little blood inside that carcass. Somebody went to a lot of trouble to bleed out the dog and this human.”
The body was face down in the bushes. I watched Starnes as she carefully examined every inch of the backside. The victim appeared to be a woman. One of her helpers assisted Starnes in rolling the body over. I gasped when the face came into view.
Starnes and Wineski looked at me with the same questioning expression.
“You know the victim?” he said.
“Too well,” I said. “It’s my neighbor, Mrs. Murphy. Phoebe Murphy. She takes care of Sam when my need arises. Why would someone want to kill …”
I stopped short. I knew the answer. It was Saunders and she was sending me a message. Dreadfully clear.
“What you got?” Wineski said, pulling me aside away from Starnes.
“It’s connected to my thing.”
“That Saunders person you said was coming after you?”
“Killing me would be the ultimate goal, but for the time being, she intends only to make my life miserable and the lives of those around me. She wants me looking over my shoulder as long as possible. She’s ruthless.”
“What about this commingling of the blood of the dog and the woman?”
“Well, the dog was likely chosen because Saunders couldn’t get to Sam. Sam has been with me non-stop since my captivity two weeks ago. The woman was my friend and Sam’s friend. It’s a threat. Saunders vindictiveness against me continues.”
“Not so simple, I think. The crime scene people have determined that the killings did not take place on the rooftop. I think the park is out of the question because of its exposure to so many possible witnesses. Perhaps easy to kill someone here, but not to remove their blood.”
“How was the dog killed?” I said.
“The lab said poison.”
I moved back to Starnes who was kneeling over Phoebe’s body.
“Any signs for the cause of death for Mrs. Murphy?”
“Nothing obvious. Poisoning, of course, could be modus of choice.”
“She likes poisons. She has a history.”
“Who is?” Starnes said. “You know who did this?”
“No, not really. I was just thinking out loud.”
Wineski joined me and Sam as we headed towards my car.
“Tell me what you think the commingling of the blood means,” he said.
“Could be anything. Might mean that for Saunders everything is wrapped up together, all of my friends, family. It does not matter to her, she wants me to suffer. She knows that I love Sam and would suffer greatly if anything happened to him. She also knew that Phoebe’s death matters because of our years of living down the hall from each other.”
“Who else is on her list?”
“Whoever, in her twisted m
ind, is my friend.”
“Yikes. You think she thinks we are friends?”
“No reason to think that. We only see each other at crime scenes. All work related. You wanna start meeting for dinner?”
“I’ll get back to you on that, but I have duly noted in my official investigator’s notepad that Clancy Evans has invited me out on a date.”
“Come what may.”
Chapter 26
Rosey was back from his tying up loose ends in Sterling. Estelle Stevens was safely tucked away in some remote spot, the specifics of which he refused to give me. Sam was snoring in my reading chair by the window, an unusual spot for him.
I updated Rosey on what had happened locally. He was sitting in front of Rogers’ screen looking as if he had never seen a computer monitor before that very moment. I was stretched out on the couch preparing myself for tomorrow’s drive across the state.
“Are you going to ask me something, bubba?” Rogers said. “Or just ogle my curves?”
“You can see me?”
“Duh … of course I can see you. You’re sitting right in front of me. Why couldn’t I see you?”
“She has eyes?” he said, probably to me. I ignored him.
“Cameras.”
“Plural.”
“Yes, that means more than one. Did you leave your brains in Sterling?”
“I’m trying to adjust to the novelty of this whole thing. Give me some time.”
“What’s there to adjust to? I am a computer-person. My name is Miss Rogers, but Clancy has shortened that to Rogers. She’s an abrupt person and all. You can call me whatever and whenever you like. I know more than just about any human being on earth. In fact, it is safe to assume that I do know more than any human being. Raw data is nothing for me. What is truly amazing, at least this is what Clancy tells me, is that I can process what I know into real thinking. I can analyze facts, extrapolate information, and think through just about any scenario you could possibly dream up. Amazing, huh?”
“No doubt. And you are a machine?”
“Whoa, buddy-boy. Watch your language. I don’t like being referred to as a machine. Beauty is only skin deep, I like to say. I have that inner beauty, knowledge, wisdom, and the rather cunning ability to process any information or idea or philosophy you might throw at me. But I am not a machine. I am a computer-person. Let’s get that straight, shall we?”
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