The Devil in Maryvale

by Jackie Griffey

  "Like two peas in a pod. They're the same right down to the last scratch."

  "Those holes look like he might have stepped on some barbed wire."

  Rhodes carefully examined them, "Yeah, must have been what it was. There was a partial of the other foot, maybe I should have got it."

  "No, this will be enough for identification if we get something to compare it with."

  After Rhodes left, Cas again looked over the casts they had of the small vehicle tires and the footprints. He got out the file wishing his evidence was even half as strong as his suspicions and went over the little he had in the Davis case.

  There had to be something, no murder was ever committed without some tell-tale evidence. There had to be some small, out of the ordinary thing that would start unraveling the sequence of events. He had nothing except the gut feeling Denise was not killed where her body was found. Plus the fact they had not found the bracelet her mother described.

  "That bracelet bothers me. We've got to find that, then we'll know. Maybe the location would give us a direction to go if I can find where she died. You can't take a gut feeling to court. Either no one knows or is willing to point a finger at anything helpful. The reactions I've run into are shock and sorrow. A murder victim everybody likes? It's like dying in good health. I need help."

  He closed his eyes in frustration, letting out a small groan. Elbows on his desk, he rested his head in his hands.

  A few seconds later the phone on the desk rang. He picked it up, expecting to hear Gladys's voice. Instead, someone had dialed direct to his office.

  He wondered if there had been another cattle theft and braced himself.

  "Sheriff Larkin." A quiet, somehow comforting, feminine voice said without preamble, "I will help you."

  Cas felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He held his breath a second.

  "Ma'am? This is Sheriff Larkin, may I be of help to you?" The voice had a strange effect on him. He shivered, not knowing why.

  "My name is Hannah. Hannah McLaughlin. I don't really know if I can help you or not, but I will try."

  The shiver had passed and Cas said curiously, "Help me with what?"

  "With the murder case that's bothering you so." Hannah paused, "I heard you calling for help."

  "You HEARD me calling for help?"

  Cas began to wonder if she was pulling his leg. Some of Harlan Glover's past antics crossed his mind. But surely, even Harlan wouldn't resort to this. He rejected the idea.

  "I don't know any Harlan Glover," the voice informed him as if she had heard the thought.

  "What are you?" Cas demanded, his voice coming from somewhere between panic and anger. "Psychic or something?"

  "Yes," the voice answered with infinite sadness.

  Cas believed her. He didn't know why, and he didn't know what to say.

  "I see things," Hannah tried to explain. "I don't want to. I wish there was some way to put a stop to it. But, there's nothing I can do about it. I can't tell you the solution to your case. But perhaps, if I went to the place where you found that poor girl, I might see something that would help you. I will try, if you want me to. The only thing is." She hesitated.

  "What?" Cas found his tongue at last.

  "I don't want anyone to know I helped you. Please, you must not tell anyone. I moved here not too long ago, and I don't want people here to know. Sometimes, when there are things people can't understand or explain, they can be cruel. You must not tell anyone."

  "That's agreeable with me. In fact, I can understand it very well. I'll respect your wishes on that." He added hopefully, "Then, you think maybe you can help me?"

  "I have before. If I do see something, I'll tell you what I see. You will be able to understand what I see better than I do, my not being familiar with the people involved."

  "I do want your help. I'm about at my wits' end with nothing to go on. And I appreciate your offer to help. Do you, could you go to the scene with me now?"

  "Yes. I can meet you on the parking lot behind the courthouse. I'd like to go now, so I can get back before too long. I have some things I need to do."

  "How far away are you?"

  "I can be there in about ten minutes."

  "Fine. I'll be waiting for you."

  The energy and motivation that had ebbed from him returned full force as Cas reached to break the connection and dialed, glancing up at the wall clock.

  Harlan Glover answered on the first ring. "I was just on my way out, started to let someone else get the phone," Harlan said. "You lucky cuss, you."

  "Yeah, I'm glad I caught you, I need to talk to you." Cas told him about the footprints and the casts he'd had made of them.

  "I couldn't believe it when I saw that same print in back of Lorenzo's. It's the same as the one we found at Caleb's stock pond. There's no mistaking it, the marks are there where he must have stepped on some barbed wire. I'll fax you a copy, the machine will do it good enough to see the markings on it. Could you look around your suspects' place and see if you find any prints like it? But don't make casts or say anything to them. I'm betting this is a fit as good as Cinderella's glass slipper. I wouldn't want them to get rid of those shoes if one of your boys is our Prince of Thieves."

  "The title's too good for any of them but send it. I'm leaving now, but I'll go looking for matches to the print first thing in the morning or later today if I get back in time. Have to check to make sure none of them are around. Hope we can nail them with something, I'd like to get these characters out of Marble County. I'll get out there soon's I can."

  "Good 'nuff. Thanks."

  Cas made the copy, faxed it and picked up his hat. As he left he slowed down by Gladys's desk. "I'm going to check on something, be back in an hour or so. I won't be where you can reach me, but I won't be out of touch long."

  He closed the door behind him, looking forward to meeting Hannah McLaughlin.

  Chapter 15

  Cas knew it was foolish to put too much hope in this meeting. But he'd heard of psychics helping on cases like this and some had made big headlines in missing persons cases. He wondered what Hannah McLaughlin looked like. He gave himself a mental kick because he hadn't thought to ask, not that there would be many people out there on the parking lot.

  Cas stood by his car in the lot knowing if she didn't know him by sight, she would recognize the car.

  The promised ten minutes went by and stretched into fourteen by his watch. His state of mind made it seem much longer. He looked back at the courthouse, nervously shifting his weight to his other foot.

  "She didn't tell me where she was coming from, maybe it's taking her longer to get here than she thought." He knew he was making up excuses. "And maybe I'm a complete idiot. Standing out here in the dust waiting for a psychic to come and solve my case for me."

  Before he could mentally kick himself again a car pulled into the parking lot. There was a woman in it. She got out and walked toward him.

  "Attractive," Cas thought. "About five-seven, slender, probably twenty-six or seven. I haven't met her, I'd have remembered that red hair."

  She smiled as she neared him and held out her hand. Cas took it. "Hannah McLaughlin?"

  "Yes, Sheriff Larkin. I'm sorry if I'm a few minutes late. I came from home and had to stop for gas on the way."

  "No problem, it's only a few minutes." He came around and opened his car door for her. He noted she knew how to get in gracefully.

  "I'll take you to the place where the body was found, it's the logical place to start."

  "I hope I can help. But as I said, I don't know. It's not a thing I can control."

  Cas nodded as he pulled out, watching traffic. "I understand, and I appreciate your offer to try. Did you say you moved here recently?"

  "I've been here for three years now. I came from Fort Craig. I'm working in the library."

  Cas smiled. "I guess that's why we haven't met, my wife and daughter are the readers in our family. I hope you like Maryvale."
r />   "I do. I lived in Fort Craig all my life and was working at the library there. When I heard there was an opening at the library here I came and applied for the job. I got a higher classification and pay grade by taking the job here as Assistant and the housing here is less expensive. Besides, I've always liked Maryvale." Hannah paused, looking at the scenery along the highway.

  "The place we're going to is a stand of woods off the highway near the junction of highway 220 and Harpers Road. Whoever killed Denise Davis either killed her there or took her there. He took her almost to the water beyond the woods but stopped about two-thirds of the way to it for some reason. He could have decided the body wouldn't be found for a while anyway there in the woods."

  Hannah nodded, not commenting.

  Cas parked where he and Doug had been when they found the tire prints and gestured toward the tree line.

  "This is the way my men went in. We were answering a disturbance call and they were going toward the water to get to the back of the Roadhouse when they found her."

  Hannah walked slowly beside him, looking around. They were into the first of the trees before she spoke.

  "This isn't going to work," Cas thought. His hopes died a little more with each silent step.

  "Here!" Hannah said suddenly. "This is where he came onto this path. He came in from a slightly different place, farther down the road than we did. But this is where he got on this path." Hannah gestured vaguely to her left and behind them. Her voice sounding positive.

  Cas went a few steps in the direction she indicated, looking for signs of someone coming in that way. There was nothing except a few drooping weeds which could be the result of the weather and wind as easily as from someone's passing.

  And no glint of gold either, Cas also noted, still looking for the bracelet.

  "It was dark, he must have just made for this general direction," Cas thought aloud.

  He looked at Hannah. She simply stood, her eyes didn't seem to be focused on any one thing. Cas waited for her to speak, wondering what she was sensing.

  "He's so young," Hannah said. "Young and frightened."

  "Is he, was he carrying her then? Or can you tell?"

  Hannah's face was tired and miserable. "He's scared. There's a feeling of deep sorrow and guilt, almost as heavy as the fright."

  "Heavy. You mean heavy emotions, the fright and guilt and sorrow. Was he carrying her? I had the feeling when we found her she was killed somewhere else."

  Hannah took a few more steps forward. "His is the only presence I feel. So, yes. He must have been carrying her or I would feel her presence. I think the reason I feel him so strongly is the force of what he's feeling. So desperate."

  "That's natural. There would be guilt and sorrow in a situation like this."

  "There's something else." Hannah stopped again, her hands clasped over her heart. Her face was lined, stressed by the things she was feeling.

  "We're assuming now, she's dead." Cas pinned her down. "He killed her somewhere else and he's carrying her at this point."

  "Yes." Hannah nodded. "His is the only presence here. Let's walk on."

  The path was easy to follow now. Cas walked a pace behind Hannah. She didn't speak until they were nearly upon the place where the body was found. She stumbled. Cas reached out to steady her, concerned by how she looked.

  "Oh," Hannah's voice was anguished. She sank to the ground to rest. She leaned back against a tree, catching her breath.

  "Take it easy, are you all right?" Cas patted her forehead with his handkerchief. "Rest and take your time. We're here anyway. This is where we found the body. Right there on the other side of this tree you're leaning against."

  "I know. I saw them."

  "You saw them?" Cas felt his heart leap. "Could you identify him?"

  Hannah shook her head. "I don't think so. It was so dark. But he was carrying her like you thought. He stopped because he just couldn't go any farther. There's something wrong with him, he's almost unconscious himself."

  Cas shrugged. "It's what he was doing. What he had done, probably just realizing the consequences of it."

  "No," Hannah insisted. "It's something more."

  Cas dismissed her concern. "What he did was an awful thing. He was out here in the dark, trying to hide his victim. And on top of what he had done, he had the fear of being caught. You said he was young and you saw them. Tell me what you saw. How big is he? Was his hair light or dark? Tell me anything you saw that would help identify him."

  "I'll try." She held out her hand.

  Cas helped her up, relieved that her color was better.

  "He's about half a head shorter than you," Hannah continued. "No, he would be an inch or two taller than that, he was bent over by the weight."

  Cas took off his hat, "About four inches shorter than I am?"

  Hannah nodded, "About three or four, yes. And he's sturdy, but not overweight. Muscular, I guess you'd call it. And his hair is light."

  "Light. Blond?"

  "Yes, it caught what little light there was when he straightened up."

  "Tell me what you saw beginning with when you saw him bent over, carrying her."

  "He was bent over, coming into the path where I told you and struggling under the weight as if she was a burden to carry so far. He heard the water and was going that way but he was about at the end of his endurance when he stopped here. He struggled to hold onto her," Hannah's face contorted with the emotions she was feeling. "He doesn't want to drop her." Hannah's eyes held the misery of what she was feeling. Cas hardly breathed, listening and watching her face.

  Hannah looked at him with a strange expression. "Her arm flops out, and he can't hold onto her. He's trying to ease her down so she won't be hurt."

  "Won't be hurt?"

  "That's right. I can only tell you what he's feeling. Tired and desperate as he was, he tried to ease her down the best he could instead of just letting go of her, but he couldn't hold onto her."

  "Dropped the body, just like I thought."

  Hannah looked puzzled and asked again hopefully. "Maybe he didn't do it, is there a chance he didn't?"

  "No." Cas said it firmly. "The things you felt, the sorrow and guilt and desperation. The fright too. They're exactly the feelings he would have after doing something like this."

  To remove any doubt from her mind he asked, "Why else would he be carrying her out here to hide her? There was no one else here. Only him, you said so yourself. No, he killed her, all right. Hannah, could you see any of his face at all?"

  "His head was turned as he bent down. I saw the side of his forehead. There was just enough moonlight for an instant to see that his hair was light."

  "Let's walk on toward the water, that's where we figured he was going."

  Hannah walked with him. "I feel like we're leaving them," she said after a few steps.

  "From what you saw, back there where we found the body was as far as he went, for whatever reason. We only looked on farther because it seemed to be where he was headed." He pointed across the water. "My deputies were trying to get to the back of the Roadhouse when they found her."

  "No, he didn't come on this far. I don't feel anything here. Only back there where the body was and where he came into the pathway, so scared and hurting."

  "Yes, it must have been bad, but it was worse for her." Cas spoke through grim lips. He reserved his sympathy for the victim not the criminals he had to deal with.

  Returning to the courthouse, Cas thanked Hannah for her help as he walked her to her car.

  "You've cleared up one important thing that worried me. We know for a fact now that she was killed somewhere else. I could tell what a strain it was on you. I appreciate your trying to help me."

  Hannah nodded. "It's a gift I'd rather not have. But if I can help someone that makes me feel better about it. That at least there's some good in it."

  "Would you, if we get anything else to work on consider helping us again? Or if you 'see' or think of anything else
that might shed some light on this case I'd appreciate hearing from you."

  "I'd be glad to help any way I can. But I don't want anyone to know about it. I know I'm repeating myself, but I don't want anyone to find out about this. I don't want people to think I'm a witch or something." Hannah smiled self-consciously at her apprehension, but her eyes held a serious plea.

  "Don't worry about that," Cas assured her. "I won't even write your name in the file. Now that I'm sure that was not the death scene, I'm going to make an all out effort to find it."

  Chapter 16

  Cas picked up the phone on the first ring, alert and all business.

  "Sheriff Larkin."

  "This is Sheriff Glover," Harlan aped the seriousness in Cas's voice. "I'm glad I caught you in. I'm about thirty minutes late to where I'm supposed to be right now."

  "Not that that's unusual, but don't let me hold you up." Cas grinned, "What is it?"

  "Remember you wanted me to go out and nose around the Crow's place?"

  Cas hesitated.

  "Those three brothers I faxed you the picture of."

  "Oh, yeah. I had my brain in another file, but the faces sure stick in my mind."

  "Name might not have been on it, but it's Crow. Their names are Jake, John, and Jeremiah Crow. Jeremiah is the youngest one, they call him Jerry. Anyway, I went out there and since there was no sign of them I looked around the place while I had the chance. There was the hide of a goat in the shed and I found some prints of the shoe you told me about. Had the holes from stepping on a strand of barbed wire like the copy you faxed me. They must be Jerry's prints. It looks just like the one you got at Caleb Martin's place and the one you found in the alley. Of course he's not the only one around here who wears those shoes and could have stepped on a strand of barbed wire. But it's sure a good point in that direction."

  "Good. I figured you'd find something, knowing as much as you already do about them. I've got a note in front of me to remind myself to talk to Cortez Lorenzo. He hasn't had any attempted break-ins that he knows about but I'm going to show him the pictures you sent in case he's noticed any of them hanging around there. There's a jewelry store a couple of doors down from him with a door on that alley and there's also a bank that faces the other street."