“Well, I’m not a cop. I’m an assistant coroner in training, but I agree.” Chris looked up to see Jessica Holmes standing near him in a blue coat with gloves on and an evidence bag. John smiled as did Jim, and Jade said, “What you got there, kid?” “Some of the buckshot that the kid put into his old man’s chest. I’m amazed he lived long enough to have his head blown off.” Chris looked down at what remained of Pinskey’s head and said, “Jesus, he blew half of his head off.” Jim let out a laugh and said, “Yeah, Riggs said either Pinskey had found a new way to air condition his brain or he was dead.”
“But he’s dead, isn’t he, you cold fuck?” Jim turned to see Lieutenant Riggs McEllen looking over their shoulders. Jim nodded and shook his hand. John asked, “Do you have access to the footage of the killings?” “The world has access; we are working with some of the major search engines to get it taken down. Follow me.” Riggs walked out into the living room where there was a laptop sitting on a wet bar. He pressed the enter key, and the screen was in split screen mode, and they watched the video. John looked at Riggs and asked, “No audio?” “Well, the cameras have microphones on them, but we can’t make out what’s being said. You can hear the shots. The kid never raised his voice.” John looked at the clear HD video of Jerry Pinskey shooting his father, and as he watched, he froze the frame after the second gun shot.
Jim asked, “What the fuck, John. We need to look at it a few more times.” John took a pen out of his pocket and pointed to the screen of Jerry shooting his father and said, “Jerry Pinskey isn’t alone.” Jim and Chris looked hard at the frozen frame, and Jim saw it before Chris did. “Son of a fuckin’ bitch. There’s a shadow behind Pinskey as he’s shooting. Fuck, John, how do you pick this shit up? I don’t think anyone would have caught it.” Chris looked hard and said, “I don’t know, John. I think that might be a shadow cast from that dresser next to the bedroom door.” John shook his head and said, “The man is sitting in the chair. He has a weapon. It looks like a Glock, and he never moves to shoot. Also, if you watch the film from the start, Pinskey motions in his son’s direction after his son is in the bedroom. Someone else is in this room. Someone else was involved in the killing.”
Chris and Jim stepped back, and John called out to the crowded living room and asked, “Does anyone know what Charles Pinskey did for a living?” Riggs was over with another officer and called to John, “The guy was a computer nerd for an antivirus company.” John stepped back into the bedroom and looked hard at the scene. There were two small desks, and he could make out several small dust rings and told Jade, “Make sure that this room gets photographed before it gets dusted for prints.” Jade asked why. “At least two, maybe three, computers were on these two tables. I think that Charles found out what his kid was up to and was laying in wait for him. I also think that Pinskey kid was coming home to get the equipment because it had the secret that he and some friends are working really, really hard to keep. I think Dad hacked the kid’s computers and was hoping to get an explanation. He might have even been going to call the cops. That’s why the kid shot him.”
Chris and Jim were back watching the video, and Chris called out and said, “I can make out the voices, and it sounds like Dad asks son some pointed questions about school, and the kid is talking about bullying and cyberbullying before he goes medieval on his old man.” Jim took out a cigarette and said, “The kid shot his pop with the gun that was in his father’s lap for the second shot…that’s what created that Jackson Pollock look on the wall. Perhaps the kid is going in a new artistic direction.” That got an eyeroll from everyone in the room.
Jim walked out to the front yard and lit up while looking over at the media circus on the street. John said, “I’m taking the films back to the lab to see if I can dissect what’s on them.” Jim took a deep drag and said, “I heard the conversation pretty well. I can tell you what they were talking about. The father hacked the kid’s computer and discovered a plot to kill a lot of people. The kid was cool through the whole conversation then pulled what looked like a sawed off shotgun out from under his pillow, shot his old man in the chest, then took the gun from his lap and blew his head off.”
“You heard all of that?” Chris asked. “Yeah…he’s plotting something to do with his school. I agree with John that there was someone else with the Pinskey kid when he killed his father. What I didn’t get was who, what, when, or where the kid is planning to kill next.” John asked Chris to grab his laptop from the truck, and as Chris walked away John said, “Pinskey is the ring leader in a plot to kill kids at his school. I don’t know for sure when, but I have picked up some intel that it might be during homecoming.” Jim looked at John and asked, “And just how did you get this information?” John smiled, and Jim said, “Great. I’m going to have an Iron Eagle mess on my hands, too.” Chris came back with the laptop, and John showed the tracers that had been picked up on Pinskey and his friends. Jim looked at the messages and said, “Well, I see the FBI is putting my tax dollars to good use. So you have some encrypted messages. None of them talk about a school shooting or killing.”
John said, “If you understand text speak and IM language, you can glean a lot from these messages, and that’s exactly what they are talking about.” “Okay, smartass, so where and when?” John looked at the screen blankly and said, “I don’t know yet, but I will.” He closed the laptop, and Jim said, “Well, I have to go and play meet the press. Anyone want to step up with me and poke the bear?” John shook his head, and Chris just looked on. Jim was dressed in his full uniform and said as he started for the press, “Just a few more months and this nightmare will be over, and I’m so fuckin’ retired.” Jim grumbled on as he walked away, and Chris looked at John and asked, “So how are we going to find these killers?” John snapped the laptop shut and said, “By becoming one of them.”
Alan got back with the food for everyone pretty quickly, and they all ate like refugees as they plotted the work they had to do at the store. Jerry said, “Alan, you have some unfinished business with Johnny Belk.” Alan nodded with his mouth full. Jerry asked Tim, “Jesus, what day is it?” “Sunday.” “Fuck, man, it feels like it’s been a week. Alan, do you know where Johnny would be today?” “Yeah, his old man has a tree trimming and landscape business, so he is most likely working for him.” “That narrows it the fuck down. Do you know how to find out where they’re working?” Jerry and Tim were standing over his shoulder as he brought up the website for the business. ‘Belk Landscaping’ popped up on Alan’s screen, and he picked up his cell phone and called the business line. A man answered, and Alan pretended he was a customer looking for a bid. There was back and forth, and Alan could hear the sound of heavy equipment in the background. He had Johnny’s father, Ron, on the line, and Belk said, “Look, sir, I’m on a big job in Chatsworth for the next several days, and I don’t have a free man to send out to give you an estimate. If you will give me your number, I will call you when the job is done.”
Alan asked, “You are not far from my property. How about I come out and talk to you?” “Well…the job is not finished. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about our work.” “I won’t. It will give me an idea of what you and your men do.” “Yeah, okay. We are working at the Chatsworth Reservoir at the intersection of Plummer and Valley Circle Boulevard. You can’t miss us. We have about ten big covered trucks, some feller bunchers, and wood chippers, too. We are doing some clean up for the city from the fires a few years ago; the reservoir has a ton of debris, so we have been hired to clear it.”
Alan thanked him and asked what would be a good time to come out. “Well, we are working today until six p.m. Any time is fine. Just ask any of the guys on the scene for me, and I will be happy to talk to you.” Alan thanked him and hung up. Debbie looked at him and said, “That was really smooth, Alan. So what are you going to do? Johnny is no doubt working with his father. He bitches about it all week long. I’ve heard him with the others talking about h
aving to work on the weekends.” Alan closed the laptop and shrugged his shoulders and said, “I don’t know. I will go out there and see if I can cause Johnny to have an industrial accident.”
Jerry looked at him and said, “That dude will kick your ass if he sees you and so will his workers.” “Then I better make sure he doesn’t see me, huh?” Jerry laughed and said, “Well, it’s your turn to take out your assailant, so do your thing. I’m going over to Dell’s house and see if I can find out what happened to Mark and maybe get some of Dell’s wife’s pussy. Have any of you ever seen Margo Dell? She’s a fuckin’ babe, man.” Tim said, “Yeah, I saw her about a year ago in Van Nuys Court when I was there over shit with Brian and Rocky over a restraining order. She’s a fox, but there is no way she’s going to let you into her pants.” “Who said I’m going to give her a choice? Maybe I’ll get lucky and Mark and Brad will be out, and I can grab her at home and rape her ass!”
Debbie stood up and said, “You’re way over the line, Jerry.” He stood up and made a sudden move in Debbie’s direction but was blocked by Tim and Alan. “I am going to rape your ass, too, Debbie. These two aren’t always going to be around to protect you. You fucked us over with the cops with your big mouth. I’m going to put it to good use on my cock.” Debbie spit at him and said in a cold and threatening voice, “Go ahead, big guy, you try it. I’ll take your cock in my mouth. I’ll take the goddamn thing all the way down my throat, and then I’ll bite the fuckin’ thing off and swallow it!” The two stood staring each other down as Alan said, “Okay, Debbie, you’re coming with me. Put on those hot shorts of yours and a skimpy top. You can be the distraction while I try to take out Johnny.”
Alan logged back on his computer and opened TOR. He posted a couple of messages in some chat rooms on executions explaining where he was going and who his target was. He got back several instant responses and two that had photographs of the landscape trucks on the job in Chatsworth. Tim was looking over his shoulder reading the responses. Alan wrote a few things on a piece of paper while Debbie was off changing and then logged off. Tim said, “Really fuckin’ creative advice you just got.” “Hey, that’s what the chat rooms are for, man.” Jerry was looking at Debbie as she reappeared from the bedroom in almost no clothing. He licked his lips. She was braless in a low-cut top; her nipples were hard, and she was wearing a pair of skin tight terrycloth shorts.
Alan asked, “Are you going to stare at Deb, or did you have something to say?” Jerry looked away and said, “Just remember the cops use TOR, too, and they could be monitoring your chat room antics.” “Yeah, well, I’m encrypted, so no one knows it’s me.” Jerry laughed and said, “Yeah, but they know where you’re going, dumbass, and what you’re going to do. It won’t take much to put two and two together.” Alan just shook his head as he waved for Debbie to follow him, and they walked out the door headed for Chatsworth.
Chapter Thirteen
“It’s never too late to
turn from murder.”
TOR was open on John’s laptop, and he was monitoring several chat feeds that were going back and forth in rooms that Jim’s team had discovered. He was about to close up when he caught some chat between four people talking about a killing in Chatsworth. He looked down at the screen then at his watch; it was eleven a.m. John and Chris had only been back in the office for about a half hour, and John asked Chris, “Did they get you a car?” Chris nodded. “Okay, I want you to go over to Brad Dell’s home and interview him.” “About what?” “I have it on good authority that he knows something about what this Pinskey kid and the others are doing. Ask him about Donaldson and see if he has any idea who could have killed him.” Chris looked at John and asked, “Don’t you think someone has already done that?” “I’m sure they have, but I want you to do it from the federal level.” Chris shrugged and said, “You’re the boss.”
John waited for him to leave the building and then told his secretary he would be out, and if anyone needed him to call his cell. He took off for Chatsworth, saying to himself, “I might not know which one of you is going to Chatsworth to make a kill, but you won’t be hard to identify.” He threw a duffle bag onto the passenger side floor and drove down Wilshire to the 405 Freeway and headed into the San Fernando Valley.
The sound of chainsaws, heavy equipment, and wood chippers assaulted Alan and Debbie’s senses as they parked their car on a dirt road across from the job site on Valley Circle in Chatsworth. Alan told her to stay put while he ran over to the site, but she asked, “Don’t you think that Johnny will see you?” Alan nodded, saying, “He might see me, but I doubt he’s going to try and start shit with me while he’s on the job with his father.” “So much for the element of surprise,” Debbie said, shaking her head. Alan ran across the street and ducked down behind two large trucks looking for his target. He could see the front grill of his car parked off the road and Debbie leaning across the hood like a pinup girl. There were some whistles and catcalls as the men stared at her sheer t-shirt and short shorts.
Alan whispered under his breath, “Fuck, if Johnny sees you, he’s going to know I’m here.” A food truck pulled up on Valley Circle and parked and honked its amusing horn, and the men began to break away from their work and head for lunch. The truck was parked not ten feet from where Debbie was flaunting her assets, and Alan tried to keep an eye on her as well as look for Johnny.
The black Silverado pulled into a brushy area where Plummer Avenue turns into Valley Circle. The foliage was heavy and once the truck parked, it could not be seen from the street. The Eagle pulled on his mask. He was well equipped to take down the assailant whoever it might be. A silver flash off of a chrome bumper caught his eye. The Eagle saw the side of a silver car parked in the weeds across from the job site, and he worked his way around behind some boulders, trees, and scrub brush until he was behind the car. The rear license plate was in plain view, and he burned the numbers into his mind then made his way back to his truck. The silver laptop was on the passenger seat, and the clock showed twelve noon. He watched as the workers were getting their food and chatting up a young girl. He opened the laptop and within seconds Alan Marks’s name popped up on the screen with all of his information, including his driver’s license photograph. The Eagle was surprised to see that Alan had no rap sheet. Unlike Pinskey and Elliott who had histories with law enforcement, Alan had nothing. The Eagle ran the plates off one of the work trucks and all but one were registered to Belk Landscaping.
There was a small Toyota pickup that was owned by John Belk, and when the Eagle ran his information he got a really good picture of a really, really bad guy. Johnny had a rap sheet a mile long, and he had several outstanding warrants, two were for assault and battery. John Belk’s photograph from his license was of a shaved headed white male with multiple tattoos on his neck and a tear drop under his left eye. “So, John boy wants to act like a gangbanger,” the Eagle said, looking at the photograph. “It doesn’t work. He looks ridiculous.” The Eagle looked up from his computer to see John Belk walking across the street to the food truck. He watched as Belk got some food wrapped in yellow paper and then walked over to the girl now sitting up on the hood of Alan’s car. The Eagle looked around for Alan Marks, but he was nowhere to be seen. He made his way back over to the car and leaned against a large boulder that the car was backed up against and listened.
“You’re not pretty, but you have a hell of a body, bitch,” Johnny said as he walked over to the car and Debbie. “You like my body, Johnny?” Debbie slid off the hood and turned around and wiggled her ass at him. The other guys from his work crew let out laughter and catcalls as Johnny walked over and ran his hands over Debbie’s ass. He had a burrito in his mouth that he was holding with his teeth, so he could feel Deb up and said with the food in his mouth, “Oh fuck yeah, bitch. I want me some of that.” He pushed his pelvis against her and started dry humping her. Debbie turned around and saw Alan running deeper into the job site. No one saw him as
they were distracted…or so she thought.
Debbie looked at Johnny and said, “The last time you touched me was with Brian, Rocky, and Billy. Do you remember that, Johnny?” A smile broke across Belk’s face, and he moved in close so Debbie could feel and smell the stink of his breath and said, “Oh yeah baby…I remember. We fucked you ten ways from Sunday that night. Hell, it took me two days to get your shit off the end of my cock. It was worth it, though. We thanked Greta and Beth for inviting you to our little pig party. You were really, really good.” Debbie shuddered, and Johnny smiled and said, “Yeah baby…you know you want it again. How about I take you to the back of this car and fuck you?”
The guys were all whooping and hollering, which finally caught the attention of Johnny’s father who walked across the street and asked, “What the fuck is going on over here?” Johnny backed down and got very contrite, “Oh nothing, Dad. This is Debbie Atwater. She’s a friend from school.” Ron Belk looked at her with disgust in his eyes and said, “I’ve heard of you, you little tramp, and now seeing you, I see that you are everything that John has said you are. What the fuck are you doing here?” Ron asked with frustration in his voice. “I came out to get a little sun, that’s all, sir. I saw Johnny, and we started talking.” The guys started to break up and head back to work, and Ron looked at Johnny and said, “You…get your ass back to work.” Johnny skulked off as his father told Debbie, “You stay away from my boy, you little slut. I know your kind, and it’s your kind of slutty and disgusting antics that end up with good boys like my son ending up in bad situations.”
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