by Peter Fang
After dinner, they retired to Decker’s study. They spent the night pouring over all the data, finally calling it quits by 12 a.m. Koda had fallen asleep on a small sofa and he was having a rare, deep dream when Decker nudged him awake. Decker checked his watch and it was 5:30 in the morning.
“Did you stay up all night?” Koda rubbed his eyes.
Decker did not look exhausted; on the contrary, he was quite alert. “Come, I have something to show you.”
They sat in front of his computer where there was a screen of different graphs and lab routines running.
“When I first saw this, I fed the information you gave me into the model and also pulled the case from central to cross-reference all the cases I built up over the last twenty-five years. That included all of the crimes in the U.S. My friend at MIT created an artificial intelligence system that constructs models and predicts the criminal profiles.”
“And?” Koda waited for the result from Decker.
“The system did not find any criminal matches, but it predicted that this is not a typical serial killer case. It’s more like a cult. Each victim had similar injury patterns. Victims also showed healings from old wounds, but there were also newer ones.”
“What are those red markers on your graph?”
“Those are exception factors that didn't make sense.”
“What didn't make sense?”
Decker tapped on the screen, pointing at the zoomed-in pictures. “Many of the prior injuries on the bodies were life-ending; we can tell by the force of the trauma on their bones. Some have multiple broken ribs; femur fractures and deep cuts to the bones. These victims should not have been able to survive, but they lived for months, several even over a year. None of the victims had teeth, so it is very hard to identify the missing persons’ true identities at this point. There are also other signs that point to a cult-like behavior.”
Koda squinted his eyes. “What about the ages and social background of the victims? What are the profiles?”
“Ah, very good. I'm glad you asked. Based on their bone content analysis, the model predicted the victims were all malnourished for an extended period of their lives, but they all showed nutritional diet change by the time of their death.”
“What do you mean?”
“Based on the carbon and nitrogen oxides analysis, it appears all of the victims ate only meat at the time of death. This is highly unusual for anyone that lives in the US. The other exception here may be easier to explain. None of the recovered bodies had any fingers. We have seen this M.O. before when the perpetrator was trying to hide the identities of the victims. No fingers, no fingerprints to match. But all of the victims’ spines showed signs of deformation, which is really odd.”
“Maybe it’s caused by the malnutrition? Doesn’t that cause deformation?”
Decker shook his head. “Maybe in extreme cases, but all of the victims had similar deformations on their spines. Unless this killer had a fetish of collecting genetically defected victims. But they all have similar scratch marks between C7 and Th4 sections. These victims should all likely have some form of paralysis from their chest down. This can’t happen by chance.”
“What about the time of death?”
“That is trickier to determine, but based on the available isotope analysis, the model suggested that they all died within the same year. It is hard to believe, though, that a single person would be strong enough to carry a dozen corpses up into the forest, dig a six-foot-deep hole, and dump them all in. He or she must had help.”
“Does the model have any idea about the girl? We found her partial molar and a ring we believe to be hers.”
“The data shows there were three girls. The most likely case was that she was one of the victims, but since we don’t have any other supporting data, we can’t determine which one of those girls was your girl. Either it’s still in the woods, or it was disposed of somewhere else. She may hold the key to the whole mystery.”
“So, the bottom line is we need more data.”
“Yup, we need to go back to the crime scene to look for more evidence.”
“Why? The whole area has already been combed by investigators and K-9 units.”
“Call it intuition. A lot of my consulting jobs are based on science and data mining, but a big part of it still depends on intuition. Nothing against the K-9s, but my secret weapon is Beti. She may be temperamental, but she's got a soft spot for truffles, and she will do anything to get that treat. Let's take her for a stroll around the area and see what she can find. If there's leftover items, she will find them.”
A week later, the trio––Decker, Koda, and Beti––drove to the location and set out to retrace what was in the police reports. They followed up the trail into the area where the dead bodies were buried. Police crime scene lab tapes were draped around a ten-by-ten-foot area. Decker called Beti and she followed him closely behind. Beti immediately sniffed the area. Decker gave Beti the girl's scent, courtesy of Koda: a dress and a t-shirt that was loaned to him from the girl's family. Due to the age of the crime, there was no more scent on the ground, but there could still be traces below, perhaps an artifact left behind by the girl.
Beti sniffed the ground around the tape, going around in circles, grunting and jogging as she went. Soon, Decker and Koda were following her instead. She made a turn near a bend where a stream of water was coming down. She stopped to enjoy the water for a good long time and then started to track again. She was waddling along quickly, making short work of the hills and trails.
“Good thing I have been exercising with Beti, else I wouldn’t be able to keep up. How are you doing back there?” Decker looked back at Koda and chuckled.
Koda spat from his mouth as he tried to keep up with the two. “I'm coming. Bastard, I would never have guessed a pig could out-jog me. Do you know where the hell she's going?”
“No, but you just have to trust her,” Decker replied.
“How long you have been training her for crime scenes?”
“Six months.”
“Six months? That’s not very long.”
Decker laughed. “You either got it, or you don't. Beti's got the talent, trust me. If there are human remains, she will find them.”
“Yeah, but how long will this take?” Koda coughed as he endured sweat and fatigue in his body.
“Did I hear whining? There's no whining around here,” warned Decker. “Beti can sense negative energy from us, and she doesn’t like that.”
“I can't believe we are pleasing a pig.” Koda wheezed.
“You better keep it up, or we are going to camp here tonight.”
“Don't worry about me. I'm right behind you. Shit!” Koda tripped over a rock and almost fell on his face.
Beti suddenly stopped near a stream head, lapped, and started to grunt loudly.
“Let's go this way! Hurry. I think she picked up something!”
“I don't see anything? Do you?” Koda leaned against a large boulder as he tried to catch his breath.
“There is something there, or else she would not stop and try to get our attention. Whatever it is, it is not a truffle.”
“No shit; even I can see that," Koda grunted.
“All right then; let's take a look at what she found.”
“Why did she go this way? After drinking the water?”
“It means she tasted something of interest in the water.”
“In the water.“ Koda contemplated the possibilities.
Decker tried to go over to reach the place, but the rocks were covered with slippery moss, so Koda offered his help. He went all the way over into the rock crevices and searched for anything suspicious but didn't see anything.
“Do you think perhaps Beti here can give us a hint what she sensed in the water? Is it a dead body?” Koda inquired.
Decker did not answer. He squinted his eyes near the water surface, but nothing seemed unusual to him.
Beti drank the water and then picked a spot; she
circled a few times and settled on the edge of the stream. She whined loudly near where she was.
She startled Koda. He jerked and stepped his left foot on a piece of slippery moss. Before he could even curse, Koda fell into the cold stream.
“Wait here, Beti, I got this one. Is it right here?” Decker moved closer to the water's edge, where the stream swirled into a corner of backwater. He moved into the cold stream and started to wade into the pool. “Oh, shit—this is cold.”
Koda climbed himself out of the water, shivering. “You’re damn right, it's cold. Shit!”
“Wait, I think I stepped on something here. What is that?” Decker pulled his foot out, and the pristine water turned murky. He couldn’t see what was in the water because the water was already at waist. “This is too deep, and I can't feel my hands.” Decker’s lips were turning blue.
“Here, let me. I'm already all wet; might as well let me do it.” Koda dove into the backwater and ducked near Decker’s feet. Moments later, he came up with a large clump of clay. “You won’t believe this, but I think there is a pistol inside.”
The clump of grey clay showed a half-exposed handgun.
“Good job, Beti!” Decker celebrated with his arms in the air. Nearby, Beti snorted loudly, raising her thick, hairy snout.
“Excuse me...” Koda stuttered by the freezing water. “You think you can help start a fire before we go into hypothermic shock?”
“Yup, good thing I have supplies in our backpacks. I'll get going.” Decker gingerly traced his way back to dry ground.
After Decker got the campfire going and they changed into dry clothes, they sat down next to the clay.
“That looks like a 1911 .45.” Koda used a plastic bag and slowly pried the gun loose from the clay with a pocket knife. As he pulled the gun out from the dirt, there was a partial finger still attached to the trigger.
“Are you shitting me?” Decker couldn’t believe what he was seeing. There it was—a human finger—badly shriveled and looking mummified, but still well-preserved.
“How is that even possible?” Decker was still amazed at the find. “I’ve been in this business this long and I have never seen anything like this. A preserved finger out in these elements.”
“Yeah, looks like it's been in the water just recently, else it would have rusted through. Probably got washed into the river from the recent storm. We have to take the gun back to the lab for analysis.” He carefully sealed it inside a large plastic bag.
“Is that it? Are we done for the day? Beti doesn't look like she's done.” Decker looked at Beti and noted her body language.
“I should call you the Pig Whisperer from now on, Decker. She may not look much, but—“
“Oh, you shouldn't have said that. She could tell you are mocking her. Get changed and let's see what else she can find around here.”
“Two in a row?” Koda mocked. “I'm going to buy her a penthouse and all the truffles she can eat.”
“Watch what you wish for; you just might get it. The first time I took her out for a walk, she found some rare coins in the park.”
“Keep going and she might win a trip to the White House one day.”
After an hour of warming up near the campfire, it was getting dark, so they headed back to the car. Decker put Beti back into her trailer, and they stayed just outside the park near an old railway station.
“Sweet dreams. I am really feeling it now. We'll find something else tomorrow.”
“Sweet dreams.” Koda fought the urge to complain about the peculiar smell that Beti was giving off all day. But he was still grateful that he brought along Decker and Beti and took a break from the stuffy city environment. He was hoping to stay up a bit and read, but he soon fell asleep.
The next morning they went up the trail again through another route. Beti was less urgent this time and seemed to be more interested in wild mushrooms than anything else. They found a small hill where the mist was slowly creeping over and moving down the small valley like a slow-motion picture of waves breaking over the shore. It was chilling, so they decided to get up onto the hill and take a view of the vista. As soon as they reached the top, Beti started to snort and move around in circles.
“What is it, Beti?” Decker noticed Beti’s sudden agitation. She grunted and stamped her feet and started to dig her nose into the ground.
“Probably more ‘shrooms,” Koda quipped.
“No, it's different. You can't tell, but I can. Her body language is all different.”
Koda looked at Beti, but he couldn't tell anything different from her previous reactions.
Beti started to move down to the other side of the hill into a rather heavily wooded area. She snorted at a large blackberry bush and started to whine.
“There's something in the bushes.” Decker’s eyes beamed. He turned and urged Koda to catch up.
“In there?” It was a thick blackberry bush forming a natural wall between a large cypress that grew crooked on a gentle slope.
They worked for an hour with their machete and cut through the dense bush. They had to clear a wide opening for Beti to get in. Once she got inside, she started to dig with her nose and tusks.
“Wait, Beti, let us do this.” Decker called Beti back and they took out a shovel and started to dig. Beti waited impatiently on the side while Decker stopped twice to calm her with truffles.
“How many truffles did you buy? She's going to eat you into bankruptcy.”
“No worries. I got this covered. Nothing comes out of taxpayers’ wallets––it’s all out-of-pocket expenses. Call this a hobby, if you will.”
“Good, ‘cause I have nothing to pay you back other than a dinner and a big ‘thank you.’”
“You don’t have to thank me. Beti is the one you have to kiss up to.”
“What is that?” Decker suddenly stopped.
“Bones. Human?” Under the root of the blackberry bush, they saw half of a hand with three long fingers. Their previous owner’s skin was still attached, and its dark-brown color looked like dried tree roots to the untrained eyes.
“Yeah, but––they are deformed.” Koda squinted at small rows of corrugated bone surface and traced his eyes down the long digits sticking out from the ground
The bones looked like someone with advanced arthritis. The fingers stuck out in odd directions, but the nails were unusually long, almost like animal claws.
“Should we call it in?” Decker eyed Koda, looking for an answer.
“No. Let’s look for more clues around here. Beti’s on a roll.” He led Beti around the area and waited for her to pick up more scents, but after more than twenty minutes of scoping out the area, Beti decided to sit on the ground. She grunted as Decker petted her and rewarded her for the labor.
“Looks like this place is clear. Nothing left. Let’s call it.” Decker felt disappointed at the end of their adventure. “What are you going to do with the evidence?”
“We’ll call it in, but not until after I take some samples and photos. I’ll stay for another day to fill out the paperwork.”
“Paperwork? Good, because we’re not sticking around. I’m done with that business. Going to take Beti home.”
“Thanks for all your help, Decker.” Koda thanked him and pet Beti’s head. “See––she is adorable.”
“Yes, she is!” Decker smiled.
Back in Seattle, Koda was napping when his phone buzzed. He tried to ignore it, but the constant buzz only grew louder. Even without picking up the call, he could sense it was from the medical examiner’s office. He half-turned and half-crawled over to his phone next to the nightstand and looked at the caller ID. Sure enough, the number showed it was from the ME’s office. He rubbed his face to awaken himself and answered the call.
To Koda’s delight, a familiar and soothing voice replied on the other end. “Koda? This is Deborah.”
“Yeah? Yes! This is Koda.” Koda scratched his face as he sat up in bed.
“Decker wanted me to call
you right away.”
“What time is it?” Koda checked his mental clock, and it felt like it was very late––or very early.
“It’s 6 a.m.” Deborah’s voice remained even and brief.
“What’s up? Did we get any results back?”
“Yes, we got the results, but Decker wishes to speak with you in the office here. Can you be here around eight?”
“Eight? No problem. I’ll be there.”
Deborah hung up abruptly.
“Oh––rude.” Koda reluctantly put his phone away.
“The drive to the ME’s office was easy enough, but finding a spot to park your car was always a challenge. The main parking area was always full, but Koda didn’t feel like walking two blocks, so he tried his luck. To his surprise, he found a visitor’s parking space right outside the building. He felt a strange, forbidding excitement inside his gut when he walked up to the ME’s office.
“So, you are here. Glad you could make it.” Decker greeted Koda with an old stained coffee mug in his hand. “You want some?”
“No, thanks. I’m good. So what is it so important that you want to show me in person?”
“Yeah, you really have to see this for yourself.” They walked into the lab, and Decker showed a report that he printed out and handed over to Koda.
“This is still not complete, but there are enough details there. I want you to get a chance to read it before I write it up. Knowing what I know about the department, they will likely discount it with a cause of contamination. The finger you dug up was so well-preserved that we could get fresh DNA samples. We cross-checked it against your girl subject’s DNA, and there was a partial match.”
“So, did it belong to the missing girl? I know we already ran fingerprints match and it turned up nothing.”
“Actually, no, it belonged to a man. But what’s also interesting is that the bone showed signs of Proteus syndrome.”
“A man? Proteus syndrome?”
“You remember the Elephant Man, the movie? The guy that had a genetic disease and had to wear a face mask as an adult?”