TEEN LOVERS: Murder Along the River
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Each of them read Shelly’s interview, word for word. It was thought-provoking and gave them a lot of information the investigators didn’t have in 1954. Several times, while flipping through the pages, Mike and Sheski would look up at each other and shake their heads back and forth at what they were reading. If Cal Kelly was to be believed, this case would open some real deep wounds and create problems for some of the town’s present-day citizens. But it may also begin some healing.
Before the team broke for the day, they’d accomplished a lot. All the files were reviewed and they watched the interview again.
Paul informed them Mike and Sheski would go to Rockview to interview Cal Kelly. Pat would stay here and meet with Paul about their investigation.
Chapter Ten
Monday morning
Sheski placed a call to Shelly Griffith to tell her he and Mike James would soon be leaving to see Cal. They were eager to get this interview underway because of Cal’s deteriorating condition.
Shelly answered her page and returned his call. “Good morning,” she said in that low, sexy voice she possessed.
“Good morning, Shelly” Sheski replied. “I hope I haven’t called at a bad time for you”
“No, not really.” Breathy answer. “With my workload, there’s never a good time. What do you need?”
“My partner and I want to come up there and interview Cal Kelly today. We spent the weekend on your interview and manuscript. Powerful stuff, Shelly”
“If you’re coming, you’d better hurry. Mr. Kelly had a rough night and isn’t doing too good. I’ll tell you what. I’ll go ahead and make the arrangements so he’ll be ready for you when you get here. When do you think you’ll arrive?”
Sheski gave her a time.
“Sounds good. When you get here ask for directions to my office. From there, I’ll take you to interview Mr. Kelly. We’ll see you then.”
Sheski laughed when he replaced the receiver.
“What’s so funny?” Mike asked.
“With that voice of hers if I hadn’t already seen her on tape I’d think we were about to meet a real bombshell.”
“Well, I’m gonna call my very-pregnant bombshell to let her know our plans,” Mike said.
“Hi handsome,” Lillian responded upon seeing her husband’s name on her caller ID.
“Hi beautiful,” he answered back. “How’re you doing today?”
“Just great. Your baby is kicking up a storm, I’m big as a barn and I’m starving all the time, but other than that, everything’s fine.” She really felt good despite the extra weight she was carrying.
“Glad to hear it,” Mike replied. “The part about your being fine, I mean. I just wanted to let you know we’ll be leaving soon for Rockview. I don’t know when we’ll be back. If you need me, call me on my cell phone.”
“Okay. Hey, how about not staying out too late tonight. Tell Sheski I need to see you once in awhile, too. He’s not married to you, I am.”
“I’ll tell him.” He looked over at his partner as he continued his conversation. “I’ll try to get out early, but can’t promise you anything yet. I’ll call you when I’m on my way home. Take care. I love you.”
“Are you two gonna get going or what? Good grief.” Pat stood in the doorway, hands on her hips.
“Young love, Riley, ain’t it great?” Sheski shot back. He deliberately ignored her controlling efforts. “Don’t you have something constructive to do?”
“Paul and I’ll be working on the governor’s report all day. While you two are off enjoying yourselves, I’ll be putting my expertise all over our timeline and plans for this case. When it’s completed, Paul’s going to take it to the big boys in Harrisburg.” She sounded and looked smug, as if she was doing something more important than just going to interview an inmate.
“Call me if you need anything. We should be here all day,” Paul barked over Pat’s shoulder from the hallway. He jerked his thumb at her to move aside and stepped into Mike’s office. “Don’t forget the list of questions we compiled. And while you’re up there, stop in and see Doc Carter. He called me last night and said he has some information for you on Cal.” He gave them his ‘Get on it’ look. Paul stepped outside the room and motioned for Pat to follow him, “Come on, we’ve got work to do.” He absently patted his suit coat pocket in search of some antacid relief.
Pat watched him struggle to get the pills out and pop them in his mouth. He’s so weak. When I’ve got his position, it won’t drag me down as it has him. And I’ll be a lot better at it. She reluctantly followed behind him, believing she should be leading the parade. Without a backward glance at the departing team, Pat went to her boss’s office. She felt superior to Sheski and Mike and was pleased to be working with Paul on what the Governor wanted. She would make sure the Governor knew the report was mostly her work.
“Whatever you’re thinking about, forget it,” Paul said. “Unless it has something to do with this case.”
Pat ignored him.
Mike drove and the trip to central Pennsylvania was uneventful. They talked about work, the college football season, Lillian and Lana, and what a pain Pat Riley is. Sometimes they were quiet, thinking about their own issues. As old friends often are, they were comfortable with silence between them.
Gray November skies outlined dark, leafless trees against pastures and forested rolling hills.
Sheski liked this view much better than what Route 80 had to offer. Pennsylvania farmland had such a calming effect on him. He supposed it was because he spent four years obtaining his Bachelor of Science at Penn State in State College - a lovely town right in the middle of some of the prettiest real estate in Pennsylvania. Maybe even the prettiest in the country. Or maybe it was because he came from the small town of Centralia - an empty canvas that had once been a lovely community. He missed his childhood coal-town.
Upon arrival at Rockview the investigators got out and locked the car doors. They secured their weapons when inside.
Sheski and Mike approached the receptionist who informed them Social Worker Shelly Griffith would be unavailable for half an hour. The receptionist directed them to a small waiting room.
“I’m sorry to have kept you two waiting,” Shelly said, when she finally arrived.
“There’s enough work on my desk to keep two social workers busy, but, well, you know the system.”
“How are you today, Miss Griffith? My name is Lieutenant Thomas Sheski,” he said, extending his hand. “Everyone calls me Sheski. And this is my partner, Lieutenant Mike James.”
Mike shook her hand and said, “Call me Mike.”
“And you two can call me Shelly. My office is this way,” she said, motioning down the hallway “I’ve got a lot to tell you.”
The detectives looked at each other. Both sensed something was amiss.
They passed through a wide corridor. Shelly waved at an elderly man in a lab coat as they entered a small office with the words “Social Services” lettered on the door.
“It’s not much,” Shelly said looking at the cramped space and clutter. “But it’s mine.” She pushed aside some files to have a space to write.
“You said you have a lot to tell us,” Sheski began.
“We lost Mr. Kelly about an hour ago. He died while you were on your way here. I’m so sorry. You came all this way for nothing.” A look of pain crossed her face.
The detectives were visibly disappointed.
Noticing Shelly’s distress, Mike patted her arm and murmured condolences.
“Thank you,” she said. “I know how much you wanted to interview Cal. He was a hard man, but he was trying to make things right at the end. Especially when it came to this case. It weighed heavily on his mind. You see, he really liked Shirley Adams. He told me many times she was a real nice girl. Just a sweet, small-town kid. He said he had a crush on her back then. He said all the other boys in the school did, too.”
Mike sensed her need to talk and encouraged her to go on.
“I’m sorry. This is hard for you, Shelly,” Mike said. “Are you okay?” He handed her a tissue from a box on the desk.
“Sure, thank you, I’m fine. Do you have any questions for me?” She wiped her eyes.
“Did he say anything else we need to know about the night of the murder?” Sheski asked. “Anything that wasn’t in the interview?”
She peered at a handful of notes on her desk. “He spoke about what a nice couple Shirley and Joey were. That he saw them earlier that night at a dance at the school and they discussed their plans for going to a YMCA dance on Saturday night. That they were very much in love. He said Joey would do anything for Shirley. He really loved her and wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. Cal also talked about Joey’s talent on the football field. There was a lot of collegiate interest in Joey and he would’ve had a full ride to any college he wanted. Things like that. Plus old memories of small-town life. The Ferry Street Playground. The Capitol Theater on Mill Street. Stuff kids remember. He talked a lot about those things. It’s too bad his life had to end the way it did.”
“Shelly, we recognized John Deadly’s name from Cal’s narrative on the video. Mike and I knew Deadly from an earlier case. He didn’t turn out so hot, either. Did Cal say anything else about him?”
“Cal said he was deathly afraid of him. He felt Deadly was really dangerous. Oh yes, last evening he remembered something he hadn’t thought of when we were taping him. He said Deadly acted real full of himself when they found the bodies and hinted he wouldn’t get into any trouble for their messing up the crime scene. He told Cal the case would never be solved.”
“Well, he’s been right so far,” Sheski said. “But, we’re hoping that’ll change.” He wondered what else Deadly had gotten himself into the police didn’t know about. The murders Deadly committed in the Stone Haven case led to his arrest and subsequent suicide. He saved the taxpayers the expense of a trial, but also went to his grave with the details of whatever other criminal activity he’d been involved in.
Sheski and Mike took notes throughout their talk with Shelly. When finished they indicated their need to connect with Dr. Carter.
Shelly appeared surprised about that. “That was Doc Carter in the lab coat who waved to us when we were coming down the hall,” she said. “It’s odd he didn’t come over to greet you if you were supposed to meet with him.” She reached for the telephone and dialed the physician’s extension. He didn’t pick up the phone so Shelly had him paged. Dr. Carter returned her call with a message for the visitors that he’d see them after lunch.
“Paul insisted we talk to Dr. Carter.”
“We’ll just have to wait it out,” Sheski said. “I hope he doesn’t take too long.” He hated wasting time, and he hated loose ends.
The lieutenants thanked Shelly for her assistance, asking her to contact them if she remembered anything else they should know about Cal or the case.
“I’m glad to help. I hope you can clear up the Teen Lovers murders. It would’ve meant a lot to Cal. While you wait for Dr. Carter, you can go get lunch.”
Later
After their meal, Sheski asked the receptionist, to page Dr. Carter.
“Tell the detectives I’ll see them in an hour,” Dr. Carter said.
When the detectives indicated they wanted to talk to him on her phone now, he informed the receptionist to tell them he was unable to talk at this time.
By now, Sheski and Mike were getting irritated. There was a pile of work waiting for them at their office and they couldn’t be wasting much more time here. They were fatigued from working all weekend and just wanted to get back to the barracks and move on.
After 45 minutes Dr. Carter telephoned the receptionist. “Tell the detectives I’m sorry about this. I can’t see them today due to a medical emergency.”
Exasperated, Sheski was fuming because of all the time wasted. He and Mike hurried out to their car after retrieving their weapons.
“I’m not going back for any meeting with him again,” Sheski exploded. “If Carter has anything to say to us he can mail it in. Better yet, his old buddy Paul can drive up here in our place cuz’ I guarantee it, I’m not coming back up to meet with him.”
“I don’t know what he could’ve added to this case anyway,” Mike said. “If it was important enough he should’ve been prepared to meet with us or provide the information to Shelly. I’m getting the feeling something else is going on here. They want us out of the office for some reason. We’re getting the runaround.”
Sheski phoned Paul and got a busy signal. He called Debbie to ask Paul to call him when he got off the phone.
By the time Paul returned their call the men were almost back to the barracks. Sheski informed him Cal Kelly had died and his friend Dr. Carter stood them up and wasted their time.
“You can tell Carter to forget it,” Sheski said to Paul. “I’m done with him.”
“Calm down. I just got off the phone with Doc Carter and he apologized,” Paul said reassuringly. “He couldn’t help it. He had an emergency to attend to. That’s too bad you didn’t get to talk to Cal. Dr. Carter told me Cal took a turn for the worse last night and never recovered. Anyway, when he has time he can get that information to us. You two take the rest of the afternoon off and start in bright and early tomorrow morning. You deserve a break after all the overtime you’ve been putting in.”
“He must really be feeling bad about our wasted trip,” Mike said after Sheski hung up and relayed their boss’s message. “Paul never lets us out early. If anything, he has us staying late. What’s that all about?”
“We might as well enjoy it,” Sheski said. “Still, something’s fishy here.”
Chapter Eleven
Sheski called Lana when he got home to tell her the good news he finally had a free night. They made a date for dinner and some time together afterwards.
“I found the box containing my souvenirs from the birthday party for Linda Adams,” Lana said. “I haven’t opened it yet. We can take a look at it when you come over.”
Later
Bunky started yapping as soon as he heard a car pull up to the house.
Lana heard her Yorkie and went to the door to greet Sheski before he had a chance to ring the bell. She grinned at how handsome and youthful he looked. To her, he didn’t look like an officer who was heading for retirement.
“I’m so happy to see you,” she said. She reached for him.
He pulled her close, wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her hair. He never got tired of feeling her next to him. He took a long look at her, drinking in every detail. He liked it when she had her hair pulled back from her face like it was now. To him, it made her look especially beautiful. She was wearing jeans and a white T-shirt. She looks good in anything. His eyes traveled to the e
ngagement ring on her finger.
She saw him looking at it and proudly held it up.
“I just love it,” she said. She put her hand out so they could see it together.
“We have some plans to make, Lana,” he said. “Mike and Lillian’s baby is due soon and I’d like us to get married shortly after the baby’s born.”
“We can talk when and where after dinner tonight,” she said.
“Before we go to eat, do you think we could take a look at the souvenirs from Linda Adams’ party?”
“Sure. I figured you’d want to do that right away. I haven’t looked through them for a long time so I don’t remember what’s all in there.”
Bunky was waiting for them, hopping all around the floor, looking expectantly at their visitor.
Sheski didn’t disappoint him. He petted Bunky and pulled a doggie treat out of his pocket.
The dog greedily grabbed it and ran into another room just in case Sheski might want it back.
Sheski and Lana settled into kitchen chairs. A crumpled cardboard box was resting in the middle of the table. Lana untied the ribbon holding the lid. She removed items and lined them up on the table.
“I haven’t seen this stuff for years and years,” she said. “Just looking at these things brings back so many memories. I was just a kid then.”
“I’m glad you still have them,” Sheski said. “A lot of people throw out stuff like this or it gets lost.”
“I hadn’t given these things much thought until you told me the case you’re working on. I kept newspaper clippings from the murders of Shirley and Joey along with everything else from that night.”
Sheski recognized the newspaper articles she had were the same as those in the police files. He lifted one dated Saturday, November 27, 1954. ‘Teen Lovers Murdered Along The River,’ the yellowing headlines claimed. Senior class pictures of two teenagers accompanied the story. They were the same pictures in their file. He reread the article and was surprised anew at the incomplete story.
“Why did they call it that?” he asked. “Why not just call it ‘Teen Murders?’ ”