by A J Sherwood
Jon either missed the byplay or was determined to ignore anything not work related. He went through license number, date, and time once again before starting. “Detective Singleton, walk me through the events.”
“We got the call at about 7:00 a.m. The victim’s daughter, Maggie Witherspoon, called it in. I immediately responded with Officer Ware. Once we were on scene and had verified Richard Witherspoon was deceased, I called our medical examiner. He arrived at about 8:30. Officer Ware sat with the victim’s daughter to get her statement, and I went outside to see if I could find any signs of forced entry. At about a quarter to nine, Dr. Bane called to me, asking for help moving the corpse. I agreed and went upstairs with him, only to find the victim missing.”
Jon nodded at the straightforwardness of the account. “I see. Did you see any signs of someone else on the property?”
“No, but I also didn’t get all the way around the house before I was called back in.”
“Did you see any signs of the house being broken into?”
“It wouldn’t have been necessary, honestly. I found three unlocked windows and a side door, also unlocked.”
Ouch. That wasn’t a good idea. Then again, I knew most people out in the country didn’t bother to lock their doors. The crime rate was so low, there was no point.
“Detective, I must ask: Did you move the corpse?”
“I did not. I don’t know who did, either, although you can rest assured I’ll figure that out.” Neil had a gleam in his eye that promised pain when he did catch up with the murderer.
“Thank you.” Jon seemed relieved to say to the camera, “This witness spoke nothing but truth during his testimony. You’re clear, Detective.”
“Thanks.”
Cain cleared his throat. “Mr. Bane, on second thought, question me. I don’t want someone to ask why I wasn’t cleared later. Best get it done now.”
“Sure, Captain. Have a seat.”
It was almost redundant. We all knew the captain had nothing to do with this. He was right, though, that IA might jump on him later when reviewing this case. Jon once again repeated license number, date, and time, as if he hadn’t already done it multiple times.
“Captain, were you at this location at any time before being called in by Detective Singleton?”
“No.”
“Do you have any idea where the corpse is?”
“No.”
“Do you have any idea who might have taken it?”
“I wish, and no.”
Jon gave him a slight smile. “The witness spoke complete truth. You’re clear, sir.”
“Thank you.” Cain didn’t pop up, but shifted to a more comfortable semi-slouch in the chair.
Well, with both the main interviews over, I was sure my boyfriend sat more at ease now. Officer Ware still wasn’t back on site, and I turned to Carol to ask, “Can you do a quick search for the body now?”
“I don’t see why not?” She looked at the two bosses for approval. “The faster I can find it, the better, now that we’ve got your people mostly cleared.”
Cain urged her ahead. “Yes, yes, go. What do you need?”
“The camera, you as a witness, and something from the body. Dr. Bane—”
“Caleb, please,” he urged, with a charming smile I recognized well. So that smile was hereditary, was it?
Carol unbent enough to smile back. “Caleb. You said you took a blood sample earlier. You still have that?”
“Yes, of course. You can use that? Then I’ll fetch it.” He immediately went out of the house and toward the ERV. The hopefully locked ERV. I wouldn’t put it past our murderer to somehow try and take off with the samples too.
Carol pulled out a map from her purse, which she spread out along the table’s surface. She must have stopped at a gas station or the Chamber of Commerce or something, because it was a map of the county. Then again, she knew they were missing a corpse. Of course she had stopped to get a local map of the area before coming. It would be hard for her to pinpoint a location without it.
Jon stepped out of the way and came to stand at my side again. It took a little maneuvering on his part. The table took up most of the room; squeezing around it and everyone else gathered inside required dexterity. As he slipped around, he explained to Detective Singleton, “She’s one of the best I’ve seen when it comes to locating lost objects. She needs a few minutes to set up her tools, but we should get a fix on a location within a few minutes. Carol can tell us within a fifty-yard circumference where something is on a bad day. On a good day, she can get even closer than that.”
“So you’re saying I need to be ready to move out quick.” Singleton was already reaching for his jacket, slipping it back on, grey eyes alert as he watched Carol’s every move.
“Yup. We all will.”
Caleb came back in bearing a small screw-top bottle with a white lid and handed it over to Carol. “You don’t need to open this, do you?”
“No, just having it here is fine. Thank you. Alright, everyone ready?”
She got all affirmatives and rattled off date and license number before starting her reading. Carol held the blood in one hand as she focused her energy. The soft, blue light coming from her hand at first covered the entire map before zeroing in, becoming denser and more concentrated as it focused onto a single point. Lips pursed, she announced, “It’s still on the property.”
“Can you focus that any more?” Jim asked hopefully.
Not taking her eyes from the map, Carol nodded. “I think so. Yes, it’s towards the back…here. In this area. What’s over here?”
Cain came to look over her shoulder, eyes narrowing as he focused. “Damn, I can barely see that without my glasses. But I think that’s where the cemetery is on property. Alright, let’s head out back, people. And hustle. I realize it’s been several hours, but maybe we can catch this guy today. Can I have someone stay behind to watch the equipment, just in case?”
“Sho and I will do that,” Jim volunteered.
“Thankee. We’ll be back shortly.”
I followed the crowd outside, and we more or less broke out in a jog at the same time. Those of us who had weapons drew them, myself included, although I kept it in a two-hand grip and pointed it toward the ground as I ran. Five hours had passed, so likely the perp was long gone, but cautious people lived longer.
The back of the property was typical of this area. Soft, rolling hills of green grass interrupted by thick copses of trees. This time of the year, coming up on winter, the landscape reflected different shades of fall, the leaves a vibrant mix of reds, golds, and oranges. Picturesque as a postcard—or it would have been, if we weren’t chasing after a body. The air felt crisp and cool against my skin, and I absently wished I’d worn a slightly thicker jacket.
“I smell bacon,” Caleb said suspiciously, his nose flaring like a bloodhound’s. His short blond hair ruffled in the wind as he turned his head this way and that, searching for the source of that scent. “Lord, that’s not good.”
I swore as I took in his meaning. Burned bodies smelled incredibly like fried bacon. “Shit. He’s not trying to bury the evidence—he’s trying to burn it. Anyone see smoke?”
“No, but I can smell it. It’s close.” Cain picked up the pace, gun still drawn and pointed toward the ground as he moved. For a man carrying a good extra eighty pounds of weight, he could certainly move when of the mind to.
We rounded a copse of trees and the question became moot. Not only did we see the smoke the trees had hidden from our view before, we saw a bonfire perhaps a hundred yards from us, blazing merrily along, a dark trail of smoke wafting into the clear blue sky. The body appeared to be sitting on a rough bed of discarded timber. It didn’t take a genius to figure out where it had come from—an abandoned pickup with a load of firewood sat nearby.
“Fucking hell, shit!” Caleb snarled. He raced forward, diving into the truck and coming up with an axe. He sprinted the rest of the way to the body, moving so quick
ly he nearly banged his hip into the truck’s hood, then slid the axe under the torso of the half-burned corpse. His attempt to roll it off the burning wood failed, the body sliding back down in a sickening crunch.
“Oh god.” Jon looked distinctly green. He stumbled off to the side, breathing deeply. Carol looked ready to join him.
It wasn’t a pretty sight, seeing a body burned like this, but unfortunately, after several tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, I’d seen my share of them. I went directly to Caleb, snagging another long log from the back of the pickup as I moved. “You get the hip, I’ll do the shoulder.”
“I’ve got the legs,” Cain barked. “Get the tip under, we’ll roll on three. One, two, three!”
The body reluctantly rolled, although we lost a few digits in the process. The corpse was pretty fried, indicating it’d been smoldering for a while. Fortunately, whoever had tried to burn the body hadn’t put enough wood on the fire, so it wasn’t completely destroyed. It still smoked, and what little clothing remained smoldered and burned along the edges. But we couldn’t roll the corpse again; it didn’t have the integrity to hold together.
Caleb stared morosely down at the body, and I think if the murderer had been present, Caleb would have strangled them with his own hands. “The fire didn’t erase all evidence, hopefully, but it’ll sure make things harder. Dammit. Thanks, Mr. Havili. I’m not sure if anyone else could have helped without losing their breakfast.”
“Speaking of…” I turned to look and sure enough Jon was bent over, almost dry-heaving. “I better get him out of here.”
“Go,” Caleb encouraged with his own concerned look at his son.
I dropped the log in my hands and skirted the fire, heading straight for Jon. Carol hung off of his shoulder, also green and making distressed noises. Wrapping an arm around both of them, I got them in motion. “Back to the house. Steady as we go.”
Carol leaned in against me, breathing deeply, although shakily. “Jon shouldn’t be bad with mangled corpses. He’s the son of two medical examiners.”
“Don’t say mangled,” Jon groaned in protest. “Donovan, make her behave.”
“Like I have any control over this woman. And Carol, Lauren shouldn’t count. She doesn’t have to slice anyone open or burn them to a crisp to do her job.”
“Still,” she maintained, almost gagging. “God, I won’t be able to face bacon for a while after this.”
I kept them steady as I walked them back to the house, keeping an eye out for anyone else in the area as I moved. Odds were, the suspects were long gone. Still, I stayed cautious as we headed back in. My sixth sense was tingling. I had the distinct feeling something was watching. My eyes roved, searching, but I didn’t see anything to explain—no wait. Was that a shadow in the tree line? It had looked humanoid in shape.
My feet slowed and I stared hard at the spot. The fine hairs on the back of my neck rose because, honestly, I didn’t know what I’d seen—flesh or spirit.
Jon lifted his head and looked too. “What?”
“Thought I saw something.”
“Something or someone?” Carol pressed, shifting uneasily under my arm.
“That’s the question. Let’s get under cover.” I did not want to be out in this open, clear ground if something was coming. I had nothing safe to put these two behind. We picked up our pace for the rest of the distance and I kept my eyes peeled. Still, I saw nothing else indicating we’d had a watcher. Was it just this place that had spooked me?
Once we reached the back door, I shuffled them inside to chairs and fetched two water bottles standing on an open shelf. They both drank deeply, trying to wash the scent out of their mouths. I knew that reaction and the futility of it well.
Carol was halfway through her bottle, staring at Jon sideways, when she ventured, “So…Dr. Bane is…?”
“My father, yeah.” Jon let the bottle drop to loosely hang between his knees, staring blindly at the dark kitchen cabinets. “No, I had no idea he was here. I haven’t seen him in…god. Eighteen years? No one’s heard from him in that long, either.”
I dropped down onto my haunches, placing my hands over his. “You saw something in his lines earlier.”
Those clear, sky-blue eyes came down to meet mine. Sometimes Jon studied me so thoroughly I felt like he could see right through me. Sometimes, too, I could tell he wanted to see nothing at all. Right now, he was torn between the two.
Sucking in a deep breath, he dipped his head in confirmation. “I saw a lot. Too much. I don’t want to look and see anything more.”
If this had been a criminal or a witness, I had no doubt Jon would be able to make more sense of the lines. He’d be able to rattle information off like he always did. It was his own emotions that blinded him in this moment. He was too hurt to process anything, and I knew better than to push. The trick here was not to up the pressure, but to lower the wall. “What do you want to do, babe? If you want to leave now, I’ll take you home.”
Before I could get the full sentence out, he shook his head. “No. No, I need…I don’t know what I need.”
I’d more or less expected that answer. “Then let’s hang out here a bit longer. You still need to clear that last officer, anyway. Your dad has to get a body under wraps. Maybe you’ll want to talk to him after the work’s been squared away.”
“Okay.”
Carol, perhaps sensing he needed a minute, popped up. “I’m going to clear the table.”
As she left the kitchen and went into the dining room, I took the chair she vacated. Jon immediately leaned into my side, and I wrapped an arm around his shoulders, holding him tenderly. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t need to. Sometimes even the strongest man needed a minute.
3
“How the hell did the body get moved all the way out there?” Cain demanded in frustration.
We were all back in the dining room—or most of us, at least. My father and Detective Singleton stayed to deal with the body, Singleton coming back only to get the ERV and drive it back to the corpse. What was left of the corpse. The rest of us weren’t as inclined to be around, although Jim stayed with them as support/protection in case the perps came back to finish the job.
“We’ll need to ask them when they return,” Donovan said thoughtfully, arranging his long legs off to the side of the somewhat short dining table. “But Singleton said he’d checked everything around the house, trying to find the body. I can’t imagine he’d miss something obvious.”
“For that matter, I checked around the house while we were waiting on you to show up,” Cain said, a taut, stressed sound of compressed air escaping his mouth as he dropped heavily into a chair. “I didn’t see anything either. And that damn truck with the wood, that wasn’t parked out there. It was parked near the woodshed.”
“So they at least used that to move the body.” Sho cocked his head at Donovan. “Could you move a three-hundred-pound body silently down those narrow stairs, hide it somewhere, then move it again to the truck without tipping anyone off?”
Donovan gave him a bland look. “I love how everyone keeps asking me that question.”
“You’re the only one I know strong enough to pull something like this off.” Sho’s mouth quirked. “I promise I don’t think you did it.”
With a put-upon sigh, Donovan patiently answered the question. “Yes. I think I could have done it. How, I’m not sure. If two cops thoroughly checked the area around the house, I can’t imagine both failed to see it. He had to have a very, very clever place to hide it.”
“If it was such a clever place, then why—” Cain cut himself off, eyes darting to Carol, who was sitting beside me. “Of course. You guys. I’ll bet you anything he saw your arrival, knew a psychic could find the body no matter where he’d hid it, and panicked. Figured he had to at least destroy as much evidence as possible before you found it.”
“All our attention was focused on coming in and getting set up for the readings,” Carol pointed out, nose crinkling up in fru
stration. “It wouldn’t have been difficult to start up the truck and move the body. He had a window of a good ten minutes when we were all in here, not paying attention to the back side of the house. I wish now we’d searched for the corpse first.”
“Protocol says I have to clear my people of suspicion first,” Cain said with another pent-up sigh of stress. His lines of regret and frustration beat like a drum. He clearly wished he’d ignored protocol and searched for the corpse too.
I had nothing to add to this, not really. This part of the investigation was outside my wheelhouse. Still, I felt like Cain might need a little help on this one, and since I was already here… “Captain. I’m sure the victim’s daughter is under suspicion for this, considering she was the only one in the house last night. If you’d like, I can go to the hospital and interview her, determine if she’s part of the case one way or another.”
Cain gave me a thankful nod. “Anything helps at this point. I don’t think she was part of this, the girl was very distraught at finding her father, but it’ll be good to clear her. And she might know something that will help us make sense of this. Right now, I have no idea who could have had the motive. Richard Witherspoon moved in about two months ago from New York. He barely knew anyone here.”
“So maybe trouble followed him from New York?” I made a mental note to prod that line of inquiry. “Alright. I’ll ask. I’ll need a witness for the questioning, so would you like to go with me?”
“All the same, I’ll send Detective Singleton with you. It’s Neil’s case. And I’ve already spoken with your boss about this. I’d like for you all to stay a few days, help us drum up some clues. We’re shorthanded at the moment, and since I’m paying for you to be here, I might as well get my money’s worth.”