by Sutter, C M
“Here it is,” I said when it showed a new message had come into my FBI email address. I opened it, sucked in a deep breath, and paraphrased the report to my colleagues. “Okay, here we go. The 911 call came in yesterday at ten after three in the afternoon. Two units were dispatched and arrived at Shop n’ Save at three nineteen p.m. Nobody inside claimed to be the caller, and nobody was seen making a speedy exit from the parking lot.” I sighed. “In other words, they had no idea who they were looking for.”
“We’ll have to review the footage ourselves no matter what. The police there wouldn’t immediately recognize their faces in a store full of people, and if the APB hit only came in for Claire, they wouldn’t have photos of Gary or Leon anyway.” Renz indicated to Fay with his chin. “Find the phone number for Shop n’ Save, and tell them to expect us”—he tipped his wrist—“in an hour. I want them to have the footage from yesterday at two forty-five on, up, and ready to go. Tell them we need to see all indoor and outdoor camera views too.”
“You got it.”
Ten minutes later, we were set to go. All we needed to do was land in Vernal, grab our rental car, and head to the big box store, which I had already mapped out the directions to from the airport.
Renz checked the time. “We’ll be landing in twenty minutes.”
Chapter 37
We were on the ground before nine o’clock and heading to Shop n’ Save. Once there, we approached the service counter, asked for the contact person who Fay had spoken with, and waited as the woman behind the counter paged a Mr. Ellison. Moments later, he walked toward us with his hand extended. He introduced himself, and we did the same, then followed him to the second-floor group of offices.
“Here we are.” He opened the door that had a plaque with the word Security written across it.
Inside, two men were seated in front of a wall of monitors with multiple camera views of every store aisle. On the opposite wall were the outdoor cameras showing live feed of the parking lot. Mr. Ellison introduced us to Stan Lawrence and Robert Bass, the store’s security personnel. They had been told in advance what we needed and had the date and time already queued up for us to watch.
“These guys should be able to help you with everything you need,” Mr. Ellison said.
We thanked him, then he excused himself and walked out. We took seats alongside the men and told them we were looking for two men and a blond-haired woman, all in their twenties, entering the building together, or possibly the woman entering alone. The call to 911 had been made shortly after three p.m., so we asked to begin watching the footage at two forty-five. If we did spot them, we would follow them through the store and out to the parking lot, where we hoped to see them climb into the truck. We’d been watching the footage for a good twenty minutes when we saw them enter the store. My eyes darted to the time located at the bottom corner of the monitor—3:07. Seeing all three of them together was exactly what we were hoping for. Leon grabbed a cart. They walked down an aisle to the rear of the store then parted ways. Leon headed left toward the hardware aisle, and Claire and Gary disappeared in the opposite direction.
“Is that where the bathrooms are?” I asked.
“Yep. Straight back then to the right and down a hallway,” Stan said.
We focused on the footage that played out in front of us. Gary and Claire entered the hallway together. She jerked her arm out of the grip he had, then seconds later, Gary walked out alone.
“Did you see that?” I asked. “She doesn’t look like a willing participant any longer. He’s waiting for her outside the bathroom.”
We watched as Gary paced just beyond the ladies’ room door.
“Notice how he keeps glancing at the hallway then at his wrist? He must have given her a certain amount of time to be in there before he yanked her out,” I said.
Fay spoke up. “And that had to be her only chance to call 911, when she was out of his sight. What we’ve seen appears legit as far as her call for help.”
Seconds later, we saw Leon approach with items in the shopping cart.
“Can anyone make out what’s in there?” Tommy asked.
We shrugged in unison. The items were small, and the camera location wasn’t advantageous for seeing inside the cart.
“We can back up the footage and follow Leon through the store,” Fay said.
“Yeah, maybe, but let’s play this out and see if we can identify those items at the checkout lane instead,” Renz said. “It’ll be faster.”
We watched as Claire reappeared. The men took turns using the restroom, then the three of them headed to the front of the store.
“They must be ready to leave.” I pointed when I saw Gary whispering something to Leon as he got in line to check out.
A second later, Gary grasped Claire by the hand and walked out.
“Seems like Gary wants to get Claire out of the building as fast as he can. If she’d yelled for help or made some kind of distress signal, security would have been notified immediately.”
We kept our eyes on the items Leon put on the belt. He took a bottle of booze, zip ties, a box of something we couldn’t identify, although it looked like medication, and a roll of duct tape out of the cart.
“Those items are definitely meant for abducting people. We’re going to need a copy of this footage,” Renz said.
Tommy pointed at the screen. “Let’s see what happens next.”
We continued watching as Leon paid cash for the items, took a call, and then bolted to the right instead of leaving through the main exit directly in front of him.
“Wait a minute,” I said, “what the hell was that?”
Seconds later, we saw flashing lights outside the glass doors, then two officers rushed into the building.
Renz shook his head. “We’ll have to see what’s in the direction Leon went when we walk out. I’m guessing there’s another exit that way.”
“So Gary warned him that cops were outside?”
“He must have,” Fay said, “otherwise he would have walked out the front door.”
“Okay, we need to see the parking lot footage.” Renz asked Stan to set that up for the same time that showed on the screen.
We watched as two squad cars with lights flashing screeched to a stop just outside the building’s entrance and officers leapt out.
“There!” I pointed to a man who walked out the farthest door on the left. From what we could see on the building’s façade, he exited through the garden center door, made an abrupt right, and disappeared around the building. “You have to be kidding! Where the hell is the truck?”
Tommy turned to Stan. “Are there cameras farther out in the parking lot?”
“No, sir, only on the building. They face the parking lot and every door. That’s it.”
“How much of the parking lot do they cover?”
“Straight out. If somebody parked on the side of the building, the cameras wouldn’t catch them, since that area is normally used by store employees only.”
Renz fisted his hand. “Damn it. So we don’t have a view of the truck at all. We see them in the building, and at that time, we know for sure Leon was alive. So they bought an abduction kit. Claire made the 911 call. They got out of the building by three thirty without being seen, and somewhere between Vernal and Manila, Leon died.”
“How does any of that make sense?” Fay asked.
I shook my head, pulled out my phone, and checked the distance between the two towns again—only sixty two miles and just over an hour’s drive. “All we can do now is have the store send us a copy of that footage, take off, and get to Manila. We’ll know more after we find out what Leon’s cause of death was. At the rate they’re dropping off though, Gary’s kidnapping enterprise will be a thing of the past damn soon, and we’ll never find out where the drop-off spot is or who’s running the show.”
Tommy agreed. “That’s a real possibility.”
The footage was sent to my email address. We thanked the store’s staff, and we headed out for
Manila. I was sure by the time we got there the medical examiner would be on-site, the cause of death would be determined, and we would have something to work with. No matter what, we still didn’t know where Gary and Claire had gone, if the plans had changed, and if they would disappear forever.
It was after eleven o’clock by the time we arrived on scene. Several county sheriff’s cars were there with the coroner’s van. We parked along the road, showed our credentials to a deputy, then made our way to the twenty-by-twenty-square-foot area that had been taped off. A portable barrier blocked Leon’s body from view for anyone who might pass by on the road. We approached the medical examiner, who sat in his van filling out a report.
Renz took the lead and made the introductions. The medical examiner said his name was Timothy Sedgewick and walked us to the body. Leon lay among the weeds and tall grasses, and all we could see was that he was fully dressed. Other than his skin wearing a whitish color, he looked as if he could be sleeping. He lay prone and didn’t appear injured.
Tommy wrinkled his brow. “What was the cause of death? I was expecting to see some signs of injury.”
“There is. If you come around to the right side of the body, you’ll see evidence of a blow to the head. Blood has pooled in his right ear, and there are several hard cracks to the back of his skull on that same side.”
“So he was bludgeoned with something?” I asked.
“It appears so, although I won’t be able to see the damage clearly until he’s on the table and his head is shaved. I haven’t seen any other blood or damage to his body, but I didn’t want to alter anything or lift him off the ground until you agents had a chance to take a look.”
I pulled up Leon’s prison identification photo on my phone, knelt alongside his body, then looked up at my colleagues. “I’d call this a positive ID.” I turned to Timothy. “Go ahead and check his pockets.”
He did, removed the wallet, and opened it for me to take a look at the driver’s license.
I nodded to Renz. “It’s definitely Leon.”
“Okay, I’ll let Maureen know.” Renz walked up and down the road as he spoke with Taft. He returned to our sides ten minutes later and updated us. “Taft wants us to continue north. It’s only another two hours to the Cokeville area, and once we’re there, we’ll scout out the surrounding towns, ask about a possible sighting of a white box truck, and find out where people stay when they’re in the area. We might get lucky.”
I wasn’t feeling hopeful, but we had to push on. “Fay and I will work on the rental locations during the two-hour drive. Maybe we’ll get lucky and end up with the company the truck came from and a plate number too.”
Tommy huffed. “We can only wish. So are we done here for now?”
Renz gave the medical examiner his card and said we would need the official autopsy report sent to my email address, and we headed back to the car. We would reach Cokeville by midafternoon, and that would give us plenty of time to search the area and talk to local residents.
Chapter 38
Gary found a wayside to park at early that morning. It was off the beaten path, a good ten miles from Cokeville. Nobody was around, and it would do just fine until he crossed into Idaho. He realized he’d made a mistake, but until he reached the area, he hadn’t known how huge of a mistake it had been. Those small towns were so small it was as if nobody lived there. Most were unincorporated with only a few hundred residents. The chances of finding the types of girls he was looking for were slim to none. Gary had to move on to towns with at least a five- to ten-thousand-person population. That meant driving farther west then heading south. He would scout out the area along Bear Lake before moving southwest to Logan, Utah. Plenty of small towns lay between Logan and Ogden, then he would move to the Salt Lake area before circling east toward Central City. It was Friday, and he figured by Monday, he would easily have four girls to drop off, one being Claire. After that, he would consider going into southern Colorado and northern New Mexico to see who he could find.
Gary had peeled the tape off Claire’s mouth earlier and allowed her to eat. He had made two sandwiches, one for him and one for her, torn open the bag of chips and polished them off, then he’d let her drink from his bottle of water. She was set until later, and as he looked into the back of the truck, he saw that she was sleeping. Gary stared out the windshield at the empty wayside, but sitting there wasn’t bringing in the money. He needed to move on. He checked the time—it was closing in on one o’clock.
Time to hit the road and find a companion for Claire.
Just as Gary was about to turn the key in the ignition, he saw a car pull in.
What the hell is this?
He would wait to see who climbed out of the unexpected vehicle before leaving. Gary kept his head down while the vehicle circled the parking lot before stopping. The car faced away from him, which was good. He didn’t want anyone to spend time staring at the truck.
The driver’s-side door opened. He heard conversation, then a man who looked to be around Gary’s age climbed out and walked the hundred feet to the outhouses. Curiosity took over. Gary needed to know who the man was talking to. He carefully stepped out of the truck, made sure his knife was ready to go if he needed it, and crept over to the passenger side of the car. He saw that the window was open, and a young woman was engrossed in her phone. Gary inched forward and knew if he was able to catch her off guard, he may score a success. He was two feet from the car and glanced at the outhouse the man had gone into—the coast was still clear.
Gary reached the window. “Psst.”
She jerked her head, and he coldcocked her in the face, knocking her senseless. Gary pulled open the door, yanked her out, pocketed her phone, and heaved her over his shoulder. He rushed back to the truck, where he tossed her inside and drove away. He would find the first road to turn onto, get as far from the wayside as possible, and make as many turns onto other roads as he could before stopping to secure her in the back with Claire.
He finally got a good look at the woman as he barreled down the road. She appeared to be in her early twenties, had thick black hair, and other than the bloodied nose he’d given her, she was a good-looking girl. He pumped his fist in the air and pulled over. He had to move fast—she was starting to come around.
Gary shifted into Park and killed the engine. He dragged her into the back and zip tied her hands and feet, then stretched tape over her mouth. Only then could he take a breath. She wasn’t going anywhere. Gary let out a roaring laugh when their eyes met. By the look on her face, she knew damn well she was screwed. She flailed and bucked when he leaned in closer.
“I’ll tell you one thing, sweetheart. That was the easiest snatch I’ve ever made. Now scoot against the wall opposite Claire. I need to secure you to the wall mounts.”
She remained in place.
“Defiant, aren’t you?” Gary pointed to the other side of the truck. “Either you scoot over there right now, or you’ll have a couple of black eyes to go along with that bloody nose.”
Claire muttered through her tape and jerked her head.
“That’s right. Claire learned the rules quickly. Now get your ass over there. I’m not going to say it twice.”
The girl scooted to the opposite wall as tears streamed down her cheeks.
“You’ll be fine, so don’t act so dramatic.” Gary zip tied her hands to the vertical supports in the truck. He looked at Claire and grinned. “Two down, and two to go.”
Chapter 39
Fay and I had eliminated half the list of vehicle rental companies within fifty miles of Casper that carried an inventory of box trucks. We still had twenty companies to call, and with a sigh, we pushed on.
Renz looked back at us. “Nothing yet?”
“Nope. So far, no rented trucks are in Hope’s or Claire’s name, and the guys don’t have money or credit cards of their own. How much farther do we have to go?”
Renz looked at Tommy. “What do you think? Another half hour?”
“Yeah, about that.”
“Okay, maybe we can get this done and checked off the list. Have you made contact with the Cokeville PD?” I asked.
Renz frowned. “To say what?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Something like, ‘Have you seen a big white box truck lumbering around the area?’”
Renz chuckled. “No, I haven’t called or asked that question, but feel free to do it yourself if you’d like.”
I shot up my middle finger. “Just trying to be proactive, Lorenzo.”
Fay laughed then swatted my shoulder. “Hey, I think I have something! The guy on the phone said Hope’s name sounded familiar.”
“Put it on Speaker,” Tommy said.
She did just as the rental agent came back to the phone. “Yeah, we rented a white box truck to a Hope Daniels three weeks ago for an extended term. It looks like this month’s payment was denied though, and that’s going to be a problem.”
“Don’t you have tracking devices on those vehicles?” Renz asked.
“Excuse me, who am I speaking with? I thought I was talking to a woman.”
Fay spoke up. “You are, but you’re on speakerphone with my colleagues too.”
“Oh, all right. As far as tracking devices go, they aren’t placed on vehicles that are leased on ongoing contracts.”
“Damn it,” Renz said. “Okay, give us the plate number and VIN then. It’s the next best thing, I guess.”
“Sure thing, Agent. Are you ready to write it down?”
I pulled out my notepad and gave Fay a nod.
“Yes,” she said, “we’re ready.”
He read the numbers to us, and Fay repeated them back.
“Yes, ma’am, that’s correct.”
She thanked him, hung up, and called Taft. “She’ll be able to get that plate number out across the interstates a lot faster than we can.” She tapped her fingers on the sheet of paper I’d given her as the phone rang on our boss’s end. After Taft picked up, Fay read off the numbers. Taft said she would take care of getting it on all the plate readers immediately and ended the call.