No Stone Unturned

by C. J. Johnson

  Chapter 14

  Frankie parked the unmarked police car in front of Latitudes; the bar where Sarah said she started her evening.

  “Let’s hope some of the same folks from Saturday are working.”

  The pair quickly walked to the entrance of the bar, holding their jackets closed to block the cold January wind. The bar was relatively empty but wouldn’t stay that way for long. It was the last Monday night football game of the season and the Kansas City Chiefs were playing. With five big screen televisions the bar would fill up quickly.

  The bartender, who was leaning on the bar talking to one of the cocktail waitresses, looked up and said, “Afternoon.”

  Frankie and Mia approached the pair and introduced themselves. The waitress turned and walked away.

  Mia nodded to Frankie and followed the waitress.

  Frankie looked back to the bartender and asked, “Were you working Saturday night?”

  He stood up straight and said, “I was here. Why, what’s up?”

  “A girl was kidnapped Saturday night and she said her night began here.” Frankie pulled a folder from her bag and handed the bartender a photograph. “Do you remember seeing this woman?”

  Holding the photograph, he said, “There were a lot of people in here Saturday night.”

  Frankie didn’t immediately reply.

  “She looks familiar though. Was she here with a group?”

  Frankie nodded.

  Rubbing his chin, the bartender said, “Yeah I think I remember seeing her. She came in after her friends. Their waitress was busy with another table so she came to the bar for a drink. Did you find her?”

  “Yeah. Do you remember seeing anyone in the bar watching her?”

  “Detective, this place was packed and you want to know if I remember someone watching that girl?”

  Frankie didn’t reply but maintained eye contact.

  With an exasperated exhale the bartender answered, “No. I don’t remember seeing anyone watching her. In fact, I don’t remember seeing her after she got the drink.”

  While Frankie talked to the bartender about surveillance footage Mia cornered the waitress who had walked away.

  “Ma’am.”

  The young girl turned around to face Mia.

  “Yeah?”

  “Were you working Saturday night?”

  “For a while. Why?”

  Pulling a photograph from her bag she asked, “Do you remember seeing this girl in the bar?”

  Looking at the woman in the photograph she asked, “Is she okay?”

  “She will be. Did you see her Saturday night?”

  “Yes, but not here. What happened to her?”

  Mia hesitated before answering, “She was kidnapped. Where did you see her?”

  The waitress began to fidget. She ran her fingers through her hair and stared out the window. Mia watched an involuntary shiver run down the girl’s spine.

  “After I got off work I decided to go to Kelly’s to meet some friends. I stopped outside to have a cigarette before going in. That’s when I saw her.”

  Chapter 15

  Frankie approached Mia and re-introduced herself to the waitress.

  “And you are?”

  “Norah. Norah Cavanh.”

  Mia looked at Norah and asked, “Will you tell Detective Thomas what you just told me?”

  Nora sat in the chair and laid the cloth napkin she had been holding onto the table. Mia and Frankie sat opposite her and waited.

  “I left work around 11 or so and decided to meet up with some friends for a drink at Kelly’s before heading home. I wanted a cigarette before going inside so I stood on the sidewalk and talked to the bouncer while I smoked. I don’t know for sure what exactly caught my eye but I saw that girl. She was walking next to this guy but it didn’t seem like she was with him. You know what I mean? Then…” Norah looked down and began smoothing the wrinkles in the napkin she had laid on the table.

  Mia spoke softly, “What happened?”

  Nora continued to look down at the table.

  “They were walking and he put a coat around her shoulders. At first it seemed innocent. Sweet even. But then when they got next to the car….” Norah looked up from the table. “It looked like he pushed her inside. She didn’t yell or do anything so I figured they were a couple and had gotten into a fight or something. But…”

  “But…?”

  “When they drove by I got a look at her face. She had this…this look. Like she was… was scared. I watched them turn on Pennsylvania and go towards Latitudes. When they got by the parking lot across the street from the bar I saw something fly out the window.”

  Frankie perked up.

  “Did you see what it was?”

  Norah reached out and grabbed the napkin from the table. She began to wring the fabric in her hands. After a moment, she laid it back onto the table and smoothed it out again. Norah reached into her apron pocket and produced the remains of a cell phone. She gently laid it on the napkin.

  Frankie looked at Mia and raised her eyebrow as if to say, “Could this be the phone that matches the case I found?”

  Mia gave her a knowing nod.

  “I stood there for a minute and waited to see if anyone noticed, but if they did they didn’t do anything. I almost didn’t either, but curiosity got the best of me. I waited until the car was out of sight then went and picked it up. It’s been in my apron ever since.”

  Frankie removed a pair of gloves and a manila envelope from her bag. After inspecting the damage, she placed the broken device into the envelope.

  “Norah, what do you remember about the car?”

  “It was dark. I think it was red but could have been maroon. It was definitely a 4-door, probably late 80’s or early 90’s. It might have been a Buick. My brother works on cars so I’m familiar, but like I said, it was dark. One of the headlights was out and it didn’t have any license plates. It might have had a temporary tag, but I’m not sure.”

  “What about the man. What did he look like?”

  “He was tall. Black. Short hair. Clean cut. Big – like a football player. I couldn’t see his eyes. He was probably in his 20’s. He didn’t look out of the ordinary, you know? Like, not an old guy or a teenager or anything.”

  “Do you remember seeing him at Latitudes?”

  Norah paused and gave the question careful consideration before answering.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Had you ever seen him before Saturday?”

  “No, he didn’t look like any of my regulars.”

  “What about her?” asked Mia.

  “No. I would have remembered her. She was really pretty, in a non-assuming way.”

  “Is there anything else you can think of that might be important for us to know?”

  Norah shook her head.

  Chapter 16

  Before the car door closed Mia’s cellphone began to ring. “Sex Crimes, Boden.” She grabbed her notepad and began to write feverishly. “Where are they taking her? Okay. We’ll head that way.”

  Frankie waited for Mia to disconnect the call before she asked, “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah. I mean, no.” She turned her body to face Frankie, “Do you remember Allie Wheaton? The girl who talked like a valley girl and wore a wig?”

  “Mhm.”

  “That was Shane on the phone. He said she was just hit by a bus. A Metro bus. She’s alive but was unconscious on the scene. He wasn’t sure how bad her injuries are. The ambulance is taking her to County.”

  “How the hell did she get hit by a city bus?”

  “He didn’t give any details. I think they had just loaded her when he called. He found my business card in her jacket pocket and was hoping I had contact information for her family.”

  “She was pretty transient. Did she ever give you any names or numbers for her family?” Frankie asked.

  “I’ll have to check. I think she gave me her grandparents’ phone number, but they are
out of state. You mind running by County to see how she is?”

  Frankie nodded. “Where’d it happen?”

  “77th and Prospect. Maybe we can run by the scene after we check on her.”

  The drive was short, both detectives lost in their own thoughts. Frankie and Mia had interviewed Allie a few months prior on two separate cases. One of them was resolved pretty quickly, but the second was still ongoing. Allie had been picked up by a man and raped. Frankie was pretty sure the man who raped Allie, was the same one in a series of rapes they were working. Allie was not homeless, but moved from house to house, staying with friends until her welcome ran out. She was young but had seen more than she should have in her short life.

  Mia led the way into the Emergency Department. The charge nurse directed them to trauma room 2. Frankie and Mia stood in the doorway watching the doctors treat the young girl. Her tiny body, that once seemed sturdy, now looked frail. Her wig was lying on the floor next to spent latex gloves. Her smooth skin, once the color of rich espresso, was now gray. Her eyes were closed and her lips had lost all of their color.

  Once the doctors finished and stepped away, Mia and Frankie stepped inside the room. Mia gently touched Allie on the shoulder. Her eyes fluttered, then opened. Frankie looked into eyes the color of melted caramel. Allie looked at both detectives, “Why…why…are you…here?”

  Mia smiled, “They found my card in your pocket and thought I might have an emergency contact for you. We wanted to make sure you were okay. Can you tell us what happened Allie?”

  “I...I...don’t...know. I was...waiting...for the...bus. I...I...saw...that...car.” Her eyes closed. After a few moments she added, “I...think...I might...have...been...pushed.”

  Mia looked over at Frankie and said, “We’ll look into it Allie.”

  Allie lifted her lips in a slight smile. She closed her eyes and murmured, “Thank you.”

  “Do you want me to call your grandparents Allie?”

  Mia watched her head move slightly to the left and right. Her movement was almost imperceptible.

  Once they were inside the car Frankie said what Mia was thinking, “You think it’s related to her rape?”

  “I don’t know, maybe. It’s worth looking into. Let’s go down to 77th and Prospect.”

  Chapter 17

  On the way to the accident scene, Frankie asked Mia, “Did Allie ever tell you why she left home or why she got out of the Navy?”

  Mia shook her head. “Not entirely. One night I went over to have her sign a summons on the case with her neighbor and she was pretty chatty. Did you know she was from North Carolina?”

  “No, what part?”

  “Greensboro? Greenville? Green-something. Her grandmother is a professor and her grandfather’s an attorney. Or maybe a banker? Or...I can’t remember, but he’s a professional. She never said why she lived with them growing up, but she said they were good people.

  “She enlisted in the Navy right out of high school. Her first duty station was in California so I started asking her about her life there. She said it was the first time she’d ever lived away from home. She was training to be a corpsman.”

  “Seriously?” Frankie was surprised to hear Allie had an interest in the medical field.

  “Yeah. She hadn’t made a lot of friends so when this guy from work invited her to a party she went. She wouldn’t tell me much, just that something happened at the party. She tried to run away from the guy that invited her to the party but ended up going through a plate glass window. They were on the second floor. She didn’t remember anything until she woke up in a hospital room at Balboa Medical Center. They told her she was lucky there had been a pool to break her fall. She was in the hospital for a couple weeks and ended up getting separated from the service.”

  “Do you think she was raped, drugged, or both?”

  “At least raped. She told me the last one we talked to her about was her eighth rape. I looked in the database and we only have the two reports. I didn’t ask for more details.”

  “Geesh. How the heck does she get out of bed in the morning?”

  “Right?”

  Frankie parked just outside of the yellow crime scene tape. Ducking underneath the tape, she and Mia found the traffic investigator in charge of the scene.

  “Hey Tucker. How’ve you been?” Frankie shook hands with the officer.

  “Hey Frankie. Mia. What are you guys doing here? Slumming?” Tucker laughed.

  “No. The girl that was hit? We’re working a couple cases with her. We think she’s part of a series. Do you know what happened?” Mia asked.

  “It’s still early, but I’m thinking about calling the Assault Squad to see if they want to come out.”

  Mia looked to Frankie, then asked Tucker, “Why?”

  “A couple witnesses said they saw the girl waiting for the bus. She was standing outside the shelter when some dude came up behind her. The witnesses said it looked like he pushed her.”

  “We went to see her at the hospital. She told us she’d seen the car from her rape while she was waiting for the bus. She also said she thought she’d been pushed.”

  Tucker started to say something but stopped. He looked from Frankie to Mia and asked, “Were you planning to write a report on your contact with her?”

  Mia quickly answered, “Of course.”

  Tucker gave Mia the report number and all the information she needed to complete her report then went back to sketching the scene. Once they were inside the car Frankie asked, “Were you really planning to write a report?”

  Smiling Mia said, “Maybe.”

  Chapter 18

  “Hey baby. Lookin’ for a date?” Josie Brewster leaned into the passenger window of the car.

  “Mmmm. Why don’t you get in so we can talk?”

  Cocking her head to the side she gave him a sideways glance and opened the car door. The supple leather seats felt indulgent on the skin underneath her short skirt. Josie turned to face the man as he pulled the car away from the curb. The short, bristly facial hair did little to cover the pock marks on his cheeks.

  “Where are you headed?”

  “Wherever you want to go baby,” Josie replied. “You smoke?”

  “No, but I’ll get you something if you want.”

  “Sure baby. Go down Prospect. My guy usually hangs out near the Green Duck.”

  Josie leaned her head against the window and let her eyes scan the car. She hoped to find some loose change or something she could take and sell. It was getting cold and she was hoping she’d get enough from this guy to be able to stay in a hotel instead of on the streets. Josie noticed a card with a photo hanging from the rearview mirror. Just as she read the first name “Allen” the man grabbed it and shoved it into his pocket.

  “What you want from me tonight?”

  “Head.”

  “You’re in luck baby. 20 and a rock and I’ll take good care of you.”

  Allen grunted.

  “Pull into the lot. I see Darius. You got a 10?”

  Allen pulled a ten-dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to Josie. “It better be worth it.”

  Josie stepped from the car, turned around, and said, “Don’t worry baby. It’ll be the best head you’ve ever had.”

  After Josie got the rock of crack she returned to the car and pulled a glass pipe from her purse. She was so intent on loading the pipe and not losing the drug that she didn’t notice where he was driving.

  Allen was silent as he made a random series of turns. When she was finished loading her pipe, Josie pulled out her lighter and lit it, inhaling the drug deep into her lungs. The car came to a stop in a dark alley lined with abandoned houses.

  Allen’s once amiable tone turned brusque, “Get in the back seat.”

  “Just a second baby. I’m almost done.”

  Allen grabbed Josie by the hair and pulled the tiny woman’s body off of the passenger seat. The pipe dropped from her hand onto the floorboard of the car.

&
nbsp; “Bitch, I don’t care if you’re done or not. I said get in the backseat.” Allen’s face was contorted in rage.

  Josie had seen that look before. Terror crept up her spine. She slowly climbed over the console between the front seats to get into the back. The man was too large to climb over the seat; instead he got out of the car and let the driver’s side door slam shut. Josie pulled at the door handle closest to her but it wouldn’t open. She fumbled with it until Allen opened the opposite door.

  “Please don’t hurt me,” screamed Josie.

  “Shut up bitch!” Josie’s head jerked back with the force of Allen’s hand slapping her.

  Josie grabbed her face and whimpered, “What do you want?”

  Allen grabbed her clothes and pulled them from her body. Josie was frozen in fear. Unable to move. She felt the man’s large hands on her body. She felt him penetrate her and when he was finished he drug her limp, naked body from the car. He left her lying in a heap before getting back into the driver’s seat. Josie watched as her clothes flew out the window and onto the ground.

  Josie sat in the alley and stared at the car as it pulled away. She held her torn shirt close to her body and repeated to herself, “7BH. 7BH. 7BH.”

  Chapter 19

  “What’s next on the list?” asked Mia.

  She and Frankie had been driving around the areas where the 9-1-1 calls originated hoping to find the gas station with the clerk who knew “Tre.” They had been to three convenience stores, but no one knew him.

  “It looks like one of the calls came from the area of 75th and Oak Street. There’s a Fast Stop convenience store a few blocks away on Holmes – maybe someone there knows Tre.”

  The parking lot was empty when they parked the car. Frankie noticed a couple of cameras on the outside of the building and silently hoped their surveillance system actually worked.

  The young clerk barely looked up from the magazine she was reading when Frankie and Mia walked inside.

  Before Frankie could introduce herself, she asked, “Is this about Tre?”

  Frankie raised an eyebrow at Mia. She removed a photo of Sarah from her bag. “Have you seen this woman before?”