by BJ Bourg
“I can show you the gear. The oxygen tank has the name Diable D’eau Noire stenciled on the side of it.” I knew I’d probably butchered the name, but Phillip’s shoulders fell heavily.
“Does that mean something to you?” I asked.
“It means Black Water Devil—it’s the name of my diving boat.”
“You have a diving boat?”
“I’ve actually got two of them. I do diving tours out in the Gulf.”
“Did you notice the gear missing?” I asked. “He’s even got fins, a wetsuit, a mask, and other stuff.”
“No. I’ve got enough gear to outfit a dozen divers. I’d never notice one set missing.”
“Did Gabe ever dive for you?”
“Back when he was sober, which was about ten years ago, he’d take some tourists and even locals out on the water. He was the best I had until he injured his back in a motorcycle accident.” Phillip frowned. “Those damn pain pills ruined his life.”
“Yeah, they’ve ruined lots of lives.” I was thoughtful for a moment, and then asked, “What motive do you think he’d have for murdering those people on the lake?”
“None at all.” He shook his head from side to side. “I don’t even believe he did this. Gabe doesn’t think like the rest of us. Sure, he may be hooked on drugs and he’s a little simple-minded nowadays, but he would never plot to kill anyone. He doesn’t have a reason. He’s not built that way. He’s a good-hearted person and wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
I winced inwardly when he spoke about Gabe in the present tense. While he was aware that his son was dead, it would take some time for reality to really sink in and for him to realize his son was never coming home again.
“Had you heard the rumors about Gabe stealing from people on the lake?”
“I heard talk in Spearmonger’s. Natalie told me people were talking, but I blew it off. Like I said earlier, Gabe’s the first person they accuse when something goes missing.”
“Well, as I said earlier, this time they were right. Gabe was in possession of a gun that was stolen from a boat that was on the lake.”
He lowered his head and scowled. “I can’t argue with that one, I guess.”
“We’re done here.” I gave Mallory a nod. “I’ll come see you at the jail if I get any more information about Gabe’s involvement in this case.”
“Please don’t stop looking.” Phillip’s eyes were desperate. “Don’t pin this on my boy.”
I only pursed my lips as Mallory and Lou led Phillip away. I heard Mallory chastising him about the damage to her car as they strode off.
“I can stay with Phillip’s vehicle until the tow truck arrives,” Melvin offered. “I’ve got nothing else going on.”
“I’ll wait with him,” Susan said. “After all, he’s my ride back to town.”
CHAPTER 29
It was a little after four in the afternoon when Amy walked into my office. She had spent the last hour researching pawn shop databases in her office. She tossed a large stack of printed logs on my desk.
“I must’ve searched a thousand records, but his name didn’t come up once.” She sat in the chair opposite me and threw her boots up on my desk. “What’ve you been up to?”
“I’ve been on the phone since we got back. I spoke with Camille’s dad, Frank’s dad, and Chrissy’s mom in order to get some background information on our victims, but there’s no known connection between Frank and the two girls.” I sighed heavily. “I don’t understand the motives behind these killings. Why on earth would Gabe attack these people without provocation?”
Amy was thoughtful. “What if there was provocation?”
“What do you mean?”
“Camille was swimming in the water while everyone was partying on the land, right?”
“She was alone at first, yeah, but then a bunch of other people jumped in the lake.”
“What if she saw Gabe stealing from one of the boats while she was in the water? What if he knew she saw him?” Amy must’ve impressed herself, because she dropped her boots to the floor and leaned forward. “What if he thought she was about to alert the others to his presence, so he pulled her under to silence her?”
I mulled over the idea. It was the best one I’d heard so far, but I still had my doubts.
“What about Frank? He didn’t see anything. He was pulled off the back of his kayak while paddling around.”
“We know he was pulled off the back of his kayak, but we don’t know what he saw. Remember, Nelly was facing forward. She had no clue what he saw.”
Her theory was starting to grow legs and she knew it.
“And Chrissy must’ve seen him on the shore,” I added, “which is why he dragged her into the water.”
“Yep.” She nodded confidently. “There’s your motive. He killed them to shut them up.”
I locked my computer and stood to my feet. “Now we just need to find evidence to prove that’s what happened.”
“And how are we supposed to do that?” Amy followed me out the door and down the hallway toward the dispatcher’s station.
“We keep digging.” I nodded at Lindsey as we passed her desk. I spoke over my shoulder. “I don’t want to close this case until we’re sure of everything.”
That seemed to please her. “So, where’re we heading now?”
“The evidence room. I want to look at Gabe’s phone.”
Once I reached the lockers, I removed the cell phone Mallory had recovered from the road. I sat at the desk in the evidence room and began examining the phone. It was a pay-as-you-go phone and it had a physical touch pad, rather than a touch screen. I fumbled with the buttons for about a minute before Amy cleared her throat.
“Would you like me to try?” she asked, holding out a hand.
“Please.” I handed it to her and stood so she could use the desk. “I hate new gadgets. I’ve barely learned how to use my own phone.”
She hummed as her thumbs danced across the pad. “Let’s see, he’s got twenty-three missed calls, some of them coming after he was dead. I guess it’s understandable he didn’t answer, considering he was a bit preoccupied.”
I leaned over Amy’s shoulder and looked down at the call log. Three different numbers appeared on the call log, but only one number appeared after his death and during the several days prior. That number was easy to remember and seemed eerie, given the location of the murders. It was 555-0666.
“We need to identify that caller,” I said. “Gabe might’ve been in cahoots with that person.”
“I already know who it belongs to. It’s for the devil from devil’s lake. It’s just a hunch, but I think it’s a pretty good one.” Amy continued searching through the phone. There were a couple of pictures in the media section, most of them nature scenes. In the notes section, he had jotted down a grocery list and written several poems, none of which made any sense. One of the poems was Biblical in nature and mentioned King Saul several times.
“Do you think the poem about the Bible means anything?” Amy asked.
“I doubt he was well-versed in the Scriptures. His dad did say he was suffering from some mental problems, so maybe it’s just the ramblings of a disturbed man.”
“I mean, we’ve got mentions of the Bible, people are being killed in a lake named after the devil, and the devil’s calling Gabe from hell. This all seems a bit spooky.”
“I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for all of it.”
Amy continued working. She searched every digital corner of the phone, but didn’t find any obvious connection between Gabe and the murders. Afterward, she accessed our law enforcement database and researched the three numbers that had communicated with Gabe’s phone. The 0666 number was not on file, but the other two were registered to local girls. I called one while Amy called the other. They each acknowledged speaking with Gabe several times on the phone after meeting him in a bar, but neither could handle his incoherent ramblings. They each said he had been nice, but they worried something
was wrong with him.
“Want me to see if the sheriff’s office can do a forensic dump on the phone?” Amy asked. “Just in case I missed something or he deleted some files?”
“That sounds good.” I was pacing back and forth in the small room, wondering where to go from here. “I want to bring all the evidence from Gabe’s boat to the lab and I want to canvass the area along Old Blackbird Highway where the boats docked. He doesn’t have any immediate neighbors, but someone living along that stretch of highway might know something about him.”
“What kind of info are you looking for?” Her brow was furrowed. “It’s not like they would’ve witnessed him commit the murders.”
“I’d like to know if he’s got any friends or associates. If he does have any drinking buddies or drug buddies, I want to talk to them. If he’s got a girlfriend, I want to talk to her. He might’ve bragged to someone about what he did, and that would help a lot.”
“I don’t mind taking the evidence to La Mort,” Amy offered. “It’ll give me a chance to catch up on some good city food.”
“That’s fine with me.” I watched as she returned the phone to the locker. When she was done, we walked to the dispatcher’s station together, where Lindsey was gathering up her things to leave for the day.
“Oh, Clint,” she said, glancing over her shoulder, “call Mayor Cain. She called for you about five minutes ago.”
Amy smiled and waved as she headed for the door. “Tell her it wasn’t me.”
CHAPTER 30
I walked to my office to make the call. The mayor answered immediately.
“Clint, please tell me you’ve put a lid on this case.” She sounded tired. “My phone has been ringing off the hook. This reporter is claiming I’m contemplating shutting down the town. Someone’s telling her there’s some kind of monster lurking in the waters of our area. Can you believe that?”
“Are you thinking of shutting down the town?”
“No! Someone lied to her. She said she’s got a source close to the investigation.”
“Who could that be?” I was mildly curious, but my main focus was elsewhere.
“I don’t have a clue. But now the whole town is blaming me for the slowdown in business. I’ve got restaurant owners calling to complain that their dining halls are down to fifty percent capacity, our local renters are saying they’ve received more cancellations than they do when a hurricane is barreling down on the town, and our tourism center has been bombarded with phone calls and email messages from tourists wanting to know if it’s true that the town is shut down. And thanks to this bullshit about a monster, I’ve even got locals saying they’re never letting their kids go back out on the lakes again.” She paused to take a deep breath and blow it out. “The people are afraid. Please tell me you’ve got some answers.”
“Well, we’ve recovered some evidence suggesting that Gabe Burke might’ve committed the murders, but we’re not positive it was him.”
“Wait—Gabe Burke did it?”
“We’re not sure just yet, but the evidence is pointing in that direction.”
“Would it be accurate to say you have enough evidence to suggest he probably did it?”
“I guess you could say that.”
“So, if we held a press conference tomorrow morning, would you be able to make that statement and help to alleviate the fear surrounding these killings? I need to set the record straight about these lies that are being told. It would be nice to announce an end to the case at the same time—to let people know it was over and everything can go back to normal.”
I was quiet for a long moment. I liked Mayor Cain. She was always looking out for the best interest of the town and its citizenry. At the same time, she was very supportive of our officers and she spared no expense when it came to funding the department. For that reason, I was tempted to be agreeable. After all, it might very well turn out that Gabe was the killer. But what if it wasn’t—?
“Clint, are you still there?”
I shook the thoughts from my head. “I am.”
“Well, will you stand with me tomorrow morning and help to ease the public’s fears? We can’t go on like this for long. We were finally starting to gain momentum. More and more people were learning about Mechant Loup. If they lose interest—even for a week—it’ll ruin us. People will search for alternatives. They’ll find other vacation spots and forget about us. This could kill the town’s economy. I need you to help stop the panic.”
“Look, while we might be right, we might also be wrong,” I explained slowly. “I wouldn’t want to paint a false picture that everything’s safe on the lake when we’re not sure. What if we’re wrong and someone else dies?”
Pauline sighed. “How long do you think it’ll take for you to be sure?”
“We’re sending the evidence to the lab first thing in the morning. It could be a week or two before any DNA results are in.”
“How will DNA help?”
“If the lab can recover DNA from Gabe’s gloves or equipment and match it to one or more of our victims, then we can safely say he was the culprit,” I explained. “Absent DNA or an incriminating statement by Gabe to a witness, I don’t know how we ever say for sure he was the one.”
“We can’t wait a week.” I could hear the heels of Pauline’s shoes smacking the wooden floors in her office as she paced back and forth. Even her walk sounded frustrated. “Our summer season ends at the end of August, and the last two weeks are usually our best. We can’t wait for DNA, Clint. We’ve got to do something now.”
“Okay. I’ll figure something out.”
“I know you will.” She sounded confident. “You’ve never let me down yet.”
“Jeez, no pressure, eh?”
“Oh, and I want you to find out who leaked those lies to the media.”
“How do we do that?”
“I don’t know, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
I hadn’t been able to watch the news for a few days, so I didn’t know exactly what she was talking about. Even if I had seen it, my feelings would be the same as they were now—I was more focused on catching a killer. I didn’t have time to find a leaker.
“Have a good night, ma’am,” I said and ended the call.
When I stepped outside onto the sidewalk in front of the police department, I froze and looked up and down the street. Something didn’t seem right. Shoving my keys back in my pocket, I strode up Washington Avenue. I hardly recognized the place. At this hour, the bars and restaurants along that strip should’ve been bustling with people, but the streets were quiet. I walked for two blocks and stepped into Bad Loup Burgers. All of the tables were empty except for one man sitting alone in the corner of the room.
The hostess walked up and asked if I would like a table. I recognized her from the many times I’d eaten there.
“Nah, I was just checking to see how business is going.”
She frowned and a dimple pushed its way into her cheek. “It’s been dead since news began to spread about that creature in the swamps.”
“You believe there’s a creature out there?” I studied her face while waiting for an answer.
“I was raised out here. There’s nothing but alligators and fish in those waters.” She smirked. “The only creatures they have out there are the human kind. Most animals have a code that they live by and you can get along with them as long as you understand and respect that code. Some humans have no code and no morals. I’d take my chances with an alligator any day.”
CHAPTER 31
Mayor Cain’s words weighed heavy on me that evening as I spent time with Grace and my dogs. While Susan worked out in the gym for an hour, Grace and I took Achilles and Coco for a walk toward the back of the property. I veered left when we reached the shell driveway that led to the battered women’s shelter, where Roger and Odelia were staying while Camille was in the hospital. Camille was recovering nicely, but the infection had been severe and the doctors weren’t ready to release her just
yet.
Something rustled in the sugarcane fields behind me. Residual angst over recent events that had taken place at this very spot still haunted me, and I whirled around, my hand sliding toward my beltline. My Beretta 92FS 9mm pistol was my weapon of choice when I was on duty, but I usually carried a Springfield 1911 .45 caliber handgun when I was off duty. The latter was a slimmer pistol and it fit nicely into the waistband of my jeans.
The cane was tall and I couldn’t see anything. Achilles and Coco immediately bounded into the fields, barking playfully as they pursued what must’ve been a small animal. Had it been a threat, there would’ve been much more bass in their barks.
“Detective Wolf!”
I turned toward the shelter in time to see Roger standing up from where he had been sitting on the steps of the large building. I approached him and he smiled when he saw my red-headed bundle of joy trying to keep pace beside me.
“And who is this little angel?”
“This is Gracie.” I glanced down. “Say hello to this nice man.”
“Hello to this nice man,” she said, swinging her arms wildly in the air and twirling around and around. “I getting dizzy, Daddy!”
The walk back here had been nice. I had managed to clear my head and put the case out of my mind for a few minutes, but running into Roger brought it right back to the forefront.
“I saw the news earlier,” he said with a frown. “They said you had to run over a man for shooting at your partner.”
I nodded, but didn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“It comes with the territory,” was all I said in response. We both stood in silence for a long moment and watched Grace stumble around the front yard like she was drunk.
Finally, Roger asked if I thought Gabe Burke was the man who attacked Camille.
“At this point, he’s only a suspect. We’ll hopefully know more after the lab processes our evidence.”