“No she didn’t say, but it’s not too late and I’m going to call her back and see if she recalls anything else. This could be the break that we’ve been looking for.”
Reaching for his phone Martin scanned his call history and then pushed call. After apologizing for the lateness of the call Martin he put the phone on speaker so that Emma and Tate could hear the conversation first hand.
Mrs. Babcock’s soft voice filtered into the room, a television played somewhere in the background. “Sheriff Crawley, I really don’t recall what the coin had on the other side; I just remember the three rings on one side like I told you about. Justin was real proud of it. He kept it with him all afternoon.” She paused, “You know I don’t recall seeing that coin when we went back to the cabin to collect our things and it wasn’t with...” her voice broke, “It wasn’t with Justin’s things when we brought him home either.”
A child’s voice sounded in the background and Mrs. Babcock asked, “Can you hold on just a minute Sheriff?”
At the table, Martin, Tate and Emma waited, listening without hearing as she held a muffled conversation with her remaining son. Coming back on the line Mrs. Babcock said, “Sheriff, my son says that he remembers what was on the coin. He says that there were words carved into the coin and they said ‘Let The Chase Begin.’ Does that mean something?”
Tate answered. “Mrs. Babcock, this is Chief Tate Echo, and while we don’t know the actual significance of the coin at this time, it is something that we’re following up on. Thank you very much for speaking with us and please thank your son for helping us as well.”
After Martin disconnected the call, Emma said, “That’s how we’re going to find this guy.”
CHAPTER 32
Gavin stepped from the tiny shower in his motel room, and walked to the lone window. He parted the curtains and stared out at the parking lot. “Damn you, old man,” he muttered. Reaching for the phone resting on a worn table next to the bed, he dialed the number for a local pizza place who’d printed their ad on the back of his room key. He pushed the curtains closed and pulled on a pair of faded jeans, not bothering with a shirt. Sliding his computer out of a brown leather bag, Gavin waited for the welcome screen to appear then logged into the geocaching site. Lots to choose from, Gav. Pick an easy one, make it fast.
Thirty minutes later, a knock on the door pulled him away from his research.
Right on time.
Without a word, Gavin shoved a twenty into the hand of a pimple-faced teen holding his pizza.
“Thanks, mister.”
Dropping the pizza box on the bed, Gavin returned to his search. Scrolling through the list of caches hidden in Shannon County, he narrowed his search to four caches and wrote them down on a scrap of paper. “These are good ones, Gav. Lots of finds in the last week.” Clicking on the links with each site he marked two off the list. “Too close to houses or a road.” His mind taunted him, Pick one, pick one. With his pen, Gavin drew a line through one of the two remaining sets of coordinates and pushed back from his computer.
The decision was made.
Grabbing a shirt, he slipped it on, snagged a slice of pizza from the open box and left the motel room. His shoes clanked on the metal stairs as Gavin jogged to the parking lot and climbed into his car.
“Here we go. It won’t take long Mama, I promise you.” He shoved the last bite of pizza into his mouth.
CHAPTER 33
Flipping her computer open, Emma slid her chair closer to Tate so they could both see the screen. Martin stood behind Tate and watched over his shoulder as Emma pulled up the geocaching website. Tapping her cursor into the search box, Emma typed ‘Let the Chase Begin.’ Martin and Tate watched as cache sites from across the country loaded on the page.
“Man-oh-man,” Martin said. “How many is that, Miss Emma?”
“Twelve so far,” Emma answered. “Tate, I’m going to send this list to your email so that you can print a copy. From what I’ve seen so far, none of these are in Shannon County but I do want to follow up on them. If I’m right that means there are twelve victims out there that managed to make it to a computer and log their find before this guy got to them, but I’m betting that there are at least this many more who never made it back to log their finds.”
Tate glanced at Emma, then Martin. “We know that none of our vics logged the find before he showed up to claim his coin. We’ve got to find his next cache before anyone else does.”
“I’m with you on that. So what’s the plan?” Martin asked.
Clearing her throat, Emma smiled when both men turned to face her. “Based on everything we know about this guy and with our working profile, it’s safe to assume that right now he’s frustrated and in a hurry to make another kill. Walt caused a break in his ritual and emotionally he can’t accept that. He’s going to strike soon. In fact, he’s probably already found his next site.” Her fingers clicked on the keyboard and the group watched as a list of geocaches in Shannon County populated the screen.
Stepping closer and leaning over Emma’s shoulder Martin said, “Miss Emma, there’s over fifty geocaches listed there. How are we going to figure out which one he’ll pick?”
“It won’t be easy,” Tate replied, “but we can narrow the list to those sites that fit his previous locations. We know that he’s in a hurry this time, so he’s not going to hit any sites that aren’t active. Emma, can you narrow the search to sites that have had finds in the last week or two?”
Emma’s fingers flew over the keys and they waited as the new list loaded. “Eleven sites with finds in the last two weeks.”
Martin smiled. “This might work. That’s a doable number if we pull in some help. We could have someone staked at each one until the bastard shows up.”
Reaching over and pulling the puppy from his makeshift bed, Emma settled him on her lap before turning to Martin. “While it’s true that we could have someone pull watch on each site chances are he’d see them and back off, don’t forget his penchant for video. We can’t put any uniforms out there or he’ll run.”
Rubbing a tired hand across his chin, Martin looked from Tate to Emma. “So how do we set this guy up?”
A low rumbling from her lap drew Emma’s attention. Looking down she noticed that the puppy had stood, his ears perked forward. Running a hand across the animal’s soft head, Emma whispered, her voice soothing the small dog. “Now, what is that all about little one?” Smiling up at Tate she continued, “He hears something, Tate.”
Just then a knocking sounded from the other room. Laughing Emma ruffled the dog’s ears and pulled him close to her in a hug, “You did hear something, didn’t you baby? You’re going to be a fine guard dog once you grow up a little.”
Tate wondered if Emma knew just how beautiful she was sitting there with that stray. Excusing himself, Tate went to answer the door. “I’m coming!” Pulling the door open he was surprised to see Chad Green standing on the porch. “You got a minute, Chief?”
Tate stepped back and motioned the younger man inside. “Come in Chad. You looking for Martin?”
Shaking his head Chad said, “No, Tate. I came to see you, if you’ve got a minute that is.”
Glancing toward the kitchen, Tate said, “Sure. Come on in my office, we can speak privately there.”
Leading the way down the hall, Tate stepped into his office and flipped on the lights. He waited for Chad to enter the room before closing the door. Tate took a seat behind his desk. “Okay, Chad, what’s so important that you’d come to my house to discuss it?”
Pulling his hat off, Chad fingered it nervously before speaking. “Tate, I want you to know that I didn’t have anything to do with your picture ending up in the paper or any of the gossip that’s been going on around town.” Releasing a deep breath, he continued, “It’s true that I wanted your job, but not that way.”
Leaning back in his chair, Tate stared at Chad in what he hoped was his most intimidating look. “So, do you have any idea who did star
t the rumors that I’m not doing my job or that I got kicked out of the FBI?”
Chad raised his chin a notch and looked Tate in the eye, “My dad. But I wasn’t sure about that until today, or I would have come to you sooner. He’s my dad, and I didn’t want to believe he would do something like that, but when I confronted him he didn’t deny it.”
Carefully measuring his words, Tate looked approvingly at the other man. “It took a lot of guts to tell me that, Chad, and I appreciate it. Any idea what it’s going to take to make it stop?”
Smiling, Chad said, “I think it’s all taken care of, Chief. I told my dad that if he doesn’t knock it off, that me and my wife Amy Ann will pack up and move to Nebraska. He thought that was real funny until I told him that he was going to be a grandpa in a few months and that it would be a damn shame if his only grandson lived a whole state away.”
“Chad, I won’t lie to you about this. I’m far from happy that Pete would think that it’s okay to ruin my reputation, but I’m not one to hold a grudge. Seems like you’re holding all the cards to keep Pete in line. Of course, there will probably still be some fallout from the Sheriff once he gets a hold of Pete.”
“So you’re not going to pull any strings to get Dad removed from the force?”
Moving to the door, Tate hedged. “I won’t as long as he knocks it off, but you’ll have to talk to the Sheriff about your dad, since he doesn’t report to the city or to me. Come on and you can talk to him now. The Sheriff and SSA Gage-Echo are here and we have an idea about how to catch this killer. We could use your help.”
Surprise showed on Martin and Emma’s face when Tate stepped into the kitchen, followed by Chad Green. “Martin, Emma, seems we’ve got that help we were talking about and congratulations are in order as well. Chad just told me that he’s going to be a daddy!”
Martin extended his hand to Chad. “Now that’s good news, Chad. Your wife feeling all right?”
Chad smiled and nodded as he took the older man’s hand. “Just fine, Sheriff, but that’s not what brought me by tonight. I’d like to speak privately with you for a minute if you’ve got time.”
With a nod toward Martin, Tate said, “Why don’t you and Chad step into my office while me and Emma continue working to narrow down our search perimeters?”
Still stroking the dog in her lap, Emma waited until Martin and Chad left the room before speaking. “What’s that about? Keeping the friends close and the enemies closer?”
Tate slid into the chair next to her, “Nope. Chad just confirmed that Pete is the one who started all the trouble in town and he pulled a few cards of his own to make sure that it stops. Now what about these cache sites, where’s our focus going to be?”
Turning to her screen, Emma pointed. “Martin and I narrowed it down to the six most likely sites. These six are secluded enough to give the UnSub the privacy that he needs, all have had recent finds and are relatively easy to access. I’m very confident that one of these sites will be his next kill site.”
Nodding, Tate watched as Emma pulled her phone out and loaded the coordinates to all six caches in her GPS system.
CHAPTER 34
“It won’t be long, it won’t be long now.” Gavin felt better than he had since that old fucker made a mess of his last hunt. He turned the car around and drove back through town toward the interstate and his grimy motel room. Spotting a flashing neon sign ahead, he pulled the car to a smooth stop in front of a convenience store. He strolled to the back of the store and pulled a six pack of beer from the cooler then grabbed a bag of chips from a metal rack on his way back to the counter. Laying his purchases on the counter and reaching for his wallet, Gavin stilled.
Neatly stacked newspapers sat on one side of the counter and right there on the front page was the old man’s picture. Willing his hand not to shake he pulled a paper from the stack and added it to his purchases. Gavin slid a twenty from his wallet across the counter and waited while the cashier rang up his total and then pushed the chips and newspaper into a plastic bag.
“You want a bag for the beer, mister?”
Shaking his head, Gavin wadded his change in his hand pushing it into his pocket. He grabbed the beer and the plastic bag, and then left the store without a word.
Back in his room, Gavin popped open a beer and leaned back on the bed. He stared at a picture of the old man he’d met just once. “Old geezer looks happier here than when I last saw him.” He snorted, “He screwed you, Gav. Totally screwed you. The bastard had to go and die before you could kill him and you didn’t get it recorded either. I hope his fucking dog died, too.”
Wadding the paper in his hands, Gavin threw it against the wall and watched as it bounced then landed near the end of the bed. He leaned back and rested one arm over his eyes. Suddenly he sat up and crawled to the end of the bed and reached to the floor where the wadded up newspaper lay. Opening the paper to the obit page he studied the information shared in the paper. “Well, I got fucked out of watching them find you Walt Mabry but I can still watch them put your sorry old ass in the ground.”
Feeling only slightly better, Gavin scanned the date and time then pulled his grey suit from the closet and laid it neatly across the back of the only chair in the room. “Tomorrow, Walt. We meet again tomorrow.” Happier than he’d been in days, Gavin swigged his beer and waited for his computer to boot up. “A little late night freak show and you’ll sleep like a baby, Gav.”
A sliver of morning sun peeking through a gap in the curtains woke Gavin the following morning. Smiling he stretched and slid out of bed making his way to the bathroom. He turned the shower on and pulled the plastic curtain closed, stepping into the hot spray. Minutes later he stood at the bathroom sink, wiping fog from the mirror with his towel. Pulling a comb through his wet hair he said, “Got to look good today Gav, you’re going to a funeral.”
Three hours later, Gavin parked his red rental near the end of a long line of cars just inside the cemetery grounds. Stepping behind a foursome of funeral goers, Gavin watched as the cemetery filled with people saying their last goodbye to Walt Mabry. A large green canvas canopy covered the grave site and what he assumed to be family and close friends were seated on white folding chairs in the shade of the covering. Small clusters of people milled about speaking quietly to each other. Standing near the back of the canopy Gavin listened as a man with a bible in his hand spoke about Walt’s life. Moving over a few steps he had a clear view of the rose draped coffin. Red roses. Then he stopped in his tracks.
The dog.
Sitting at the head of the casket, the German Shepherd appeared to be at attention, his gaze fixed on a pretty young woman sitting on the front row of chairs. Stepping further to the side, Gavin watched the woman. Long blonde hair draped across part of her face as she stared straight ahead. Even from this distance, Gavin could see that her eyes were puffy and red and one hand seemed to pulse around a wadded tissue. The service ended with a prayer for Jewel.
“Jewel,” Gavin whispered. “What a lovely name.”
Mourners came forward, forming a line that passed between the woman and the coffin. Stepping forward as their time came, people either shook her hand or gave a quick hug while whispering words that Gavin assumed were meant to comfort.
Stepping into the line, Gavin moved forward with the other mourners, head down, a small smile on his lips. Reaching the woman, Gavin stopped, taking her hands in his and leaning forward he whispered, “Walt was a lot of fun… Jewel.”
Her expression quizzical, Jewel looked at the man in front of her trying to place him as a friend or acquaintance of her father, but she could do neither. A low growl pulled her attention away from the man. King had moved to sit at her side. Touching a hand to the large dog’s head she softly fussed, “Hush, King.” When she looked up, the strange man had been replaced by Curtis Weston, who opened his arms pulling her into a tight hug.
Pushing through the crowd, Gavin moved toward the line of parked cars at the cemetery’s edge. Re
aching his car, he turned and stared back at Walt’s grave and the people gathered there. “This is almost as good as watching them find you, Walt. I loved seeing your Jewel all torn up. Maybe she’ll be the next cacher I meet.”
As he reached for the door handle, Gavin noticed a Shannon County patrol car parked three spaces behind him. Sliding into the seat and adjusting the rear view mirror, he watched as an older man in a uniform talked to a dark haired man with a beautiful woman at his side.
He recognized the sheriff from the night he killed the boy. The man next to him seems vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t really place him. He had to be ex-military, cop or both. Keeping low in the seat he continued to watch as the woman pointed to an older couple in the crowd, smiled and said something to the man that caused him to scowl. “Wouldn’t mind meeting her on a lonely road.”
When the uniformed man turned to get into his car, Gavin whistled, “Old cop from the cache site where I took the kid. He’s just everywhere isn’t he?” Turning the key, Gavin started the car, slowly pulling away from the curb in the opposite direction of the patrol car.
Tate watched as well wishers moved, forming a line and offering their condolences to Jewel. Almost everyone in town over the age of forty had known Jewel since she was a baby and had known Walt even longer. Tate felt a sense of pride watching his friends and neighbors come together to support one of their own.
Emma stood near the back of the line, talking quietly with Tate’s parents. A man that Tate didn’t recognize stepped up to Jewel. Taking her by the hand, he leaned forward and whispered something to her. At the same time, King moved to stand at Jewel’s side, her hand reaching out to stroke her father’s best friend on his big head. Looking up, Tate caught Emma’s eye. With a short nod she moved away from his parents, allowing them to step forward in line as she moved toward him.
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