by C. M. Sutter
Lena, Jason, Kyle, Dan, and Jack circled the body. Clayton stood with Ebert, and Billings walked over to talk to Silver. I entered the woods where the body lay and joined the rest.
Lena and Jason knelt on the forest floor and looked closely at the dead man.
“He’s been out here for a couple of days,” Lena said. “His rigor hasn’t relaxed yet, but by the smell, along with the maggots, flies, and beetles, I’d say he’s been dead at least thirty-six hours. Bugs get busy on open wounds, and by the looks of it, this guy has plenty.”
I stared at the deceased man and wondered if loved ones were looking for him. I also wondered how he got himself into such a predicament. Nobody deserved to be dismembered and defiled in such a way. Bugs gorged on his skin, making his face look pockmarked. Every orifice had some type of maggot or insect coming or going, in and out. The thought of being tossed in the woods like yesterday’s trash was more than disturbing to me. This man was hated by somebody, and his injuries seemed to have a hidden meaning.
Jack whistled at the immensity of overkill this man endured. “This looks personal, don’t you agree, Jason?”
Jason nodded. “Somebody had to be pretty angry with him to go to this kind of extreme, but he didn’t die here.” He lifted the right side and looked under the body. “The ground beneath him is relatively clean, so I’d say he was dumped here postmortem.” Jason took in his surroundings. “This is a pretty secluded area off the trail. Our witness was lucky to have seen him at all. I imagine the killer picked this spot in hopes of hiding the corpse. In this heat, they probably didn’t figure anyone would be out here hiking for a while. The body would decompose quickly, and the insects and animals would take care of the rest.”
“Once we get the body washed down, we’ll be able to tell you what’s missing. Right now, we can see that the chest cavity is open and the fingers are gone. I’m assuming that’s a deliberate act to keep us from identifying the man,” Lena said. “We’ll give you a breakdown of everything once he’s cleaned up.”
I looked from face to face. “There’s definitely a story here, now it’s up to us to figure it out. I hope this guy was already dead when most of this took place. Right now, it’s hard to say what killed him, right?” I wiped my sweaty brow with the back of my hand.
Lena agreed. “Any number of wounds could have killed him by the looks of it. We’ll know more later. Let’s get the gurney, Jason.”
“I’ll bet you guys a hundred bucks that this is related to that note Clark got,” I said. “I think we need to dig into that again.”
Kyle and Dan stayed behind to check for evidence in the area. Ebert, Silver, Billings, and Clayton remained at the scene to ward off onlookers.
Jack and I walked down the trail back to our cars. We passed Lena and Jason coming up with the gurney.
“Let us know your findings as soon as you have something,” Jack said.
Jason answered, “Will do.”
Chapter 5
Jack and I sat in the guest chairs in Lieutenant Clark’s office and updated him on the body found in the park.
“We need to take another look at that note you got last week, boss. There’s a good chance this murder is related. Whoever wrote that note might be the killer,” I said.
“What was the COD?”
Jack and I looked at each other and shrugged.
“Boss, there’s so much dried blood on the vic, we can’t even tell what actually happened yet. Lena and Jason have to clean him up first.” Jack heaved a sigh. “All we know so far is that his fingers are missing and his chest cavity is wide open.”
“Good God.” Clark shook his head and checked the time. “When are Clayton and Billings coming back?”
“Not sure,” I said. “They’re keeping onlookers away. Even as hot as it is today, there’s still plenty of people at the park.”
Clark stared at the ceiling as he leaned back in his desk chair. It creaked under his weight. “Okay, let’s get Horbeck and Jamison in here. We have to go over this letter again with fresh eyes.”
“You got it, Lieutenant. I’ll give them both a call.”
I sat at my desk and dialed each of them. Giving them the condensed version was enough for now. We’d rehash everything once they got here, anyway. I started a fresh pot of coffee and put cups and condiments in the conference room.
Jack set up the whiteboard again, and I placed a half dozen notebooks with pencils on the conference room table. Within twenty minutes, Horbeck and Jamison walked through the security door and into the bull pen.
Clark rounded the corner of his office and slapped the doorframe. “Everyone is heading back. We’ll wait for them to get here before we begin. Lena and Jason already have the body downstairs, and Kyle and Dan are going to join us.”
“Got it, boss. The coffee is almost done, and the conference room is set up.”
“Thanks, Jade.”
I saw Clark pull a tissue out of the dispenser on his desk and wipe his forehead. His cheeks were flushed. I was sure his anxiety level was high.
Once everyone had arrived, we gathered in the conference room. Jack twisted the wand on the blinds to keep the afternoon sun out. We each took a seat, and Lieutenant Clark stood by the whiteboard. A stack of copies of the note lay in the center of the table.
“Each of you grab one of those.” Clark pointed at the copies. “Start picking every word apart. Is it a forewarning or a taunt? Is it directed at us or somebody who has wronged this person? Is the note related to the dead man we found today, or is it a coincidence? Write down your thoughts and throw them out there too. I want to hear what each of you are thinking. The next hour or so is going to be a brainstorming session.” He looked at all of us. “But before we begin, we need an update from the scene. What have you got, boys?”
Dan spoke up. “The body was brought in after he was killed. The park was the convenient dump site. We found the most likely spot where the body was carried in. The brush isn’t quite as dense there, and we did notice broken twigs. We’re assuming the man was brought in under the cover of darkness. If Lena’s calculations are close, it would seem that the man was killed sometime Saturday and brought to the park that night.”
Kyle added his thoughts. “Considering the distance from the parking lot to the site where the victim was found, we could have several different scenarios, Lieutenant.”
Clark took a gulp of coffee. “And they are?”
“Either it was one very strong man dragging the body that distance or several weaker people working together and carrying him in.”
“Possibly women?”
“Could be, or a few men of slighter built. Then of course, there’s the possibility of him being transported in some type of wagon. That could put us back to the one-person likelihood.”
I added my thoughts to the mix. “Being a public park with popular trails doesn’t help, either. I’m sure that whatever the method of transport, whether it was something on wheels or more than one person, the tracks or footprints are long gone and trampled over by now.”
“That’s unfortunately true, Jade,” Dan said. “We checked the trail—no help there.”
“So, did you guys find any forensic evidence?” Clark asked.
“We did, sir, but it’s only shreds of the man’s own clothing that tore against the ground cover. It probably happened when he was being dragged into the woods. We didn’t find any other cloth that didn’t match what he was wearing. No shoeprints, either, which doesn’t surprise me with the quantity of animals in the woods.”
“Okay, let’s focus on the note for now.” Clark read it out loud as everyone followed along.
“No more lies and betrayal. It’s time for retribution and cleansing. The vile people must pay, and Hell’s doors are open to welcome them in. Prepare yourself. You’ll see my work soon.”
Jack began, “The note sounds like a biblical rant and seems personal to the author. And the ‘vile people’ part, what does that mean? Vile how? Ungodly, thieves, criminals, ch
eaters, hateful people? We can interpret that note a hundred different ways, but what matters is the way the writer means it. Unless we know who they’re talking about, we’ll never know if a woman or a man wrote it and who they’re pointing fingers at.”
“You’re right, Jack,” Clark said, “and the ‘prepare yourself’ part could be directed at us, starting with the body we found today. Is there more to come?”
Kyle cleared his throat and spoke up. “We’ll go over the man’s clothing once we get it from Lena and Jason. Other than being stained with dried blood, his clothing didn’t stand out as anything other than ordinary.”
“Was he wearing shoes?” Clark asked.
“Nope, boss, he was barefoot.”
Clark shrugged. “I wonder why.”
“Should we check area churches, Lieutenant—maybe talk to the minister or priest? We could ask if somebody in their congregation is behaving strangely.”
“Yeah, put that on your to-do list, Clayton. Let’s see what Lena has to tell us first. They must have washed off the body already.”
Chapter 6
“Sit still, before I get mad.”
Tears filled Mariah’s eyes as she fidgeted on the stool next to the kitchen sink. An old sheet was draped over her shoulders and secured under her neck to act as a cape while Alice tore through and cut her waist-length hair.
“But, Mama, you’re ripping out my hair.”
Alice noticed Mandy watching from the kitchen table. Mandy spun the pencil she had been doodling with while she waited her turn under the cape. She smirked at Mariah’s anxiety.
“Quit acting like such a baby, for God’s sake.”
With a crack, Alice slammed the scissors down on the countertop, startling both girls.
“Get over here right now.”
“But, Mama.” Mandy reluctantly got up and walked over to stand face to face with her mother.
Alice slapped Mandy’s cheek. “There’s no cursing in this house, young lady. Now go sit in your room and ask God for forgiveness. I’ll call you when it’s your turn.”
Mandy slumped and held her red cheek as she walked away.
“You girls are going to be the death of me some day.”
Mariah gasped. “Mama, don’t say that!”
Alice removed the safety pin that secured the cape and released Mariah from under it. She gave it a thorough shake on the front step, then returned to the kitchen.
“Okay, you’re done for now.” Alice handed Mariah the mirror. “What do you think?”
Alice noticed the disappointment that spread across Mariah’s face as she peered at her reflection. Her hair barely skimmed her shoulders.
“I know you hate it, but I’m trying to make you girls look a little more modern. You’re going blond today too.”
“It’s beautiful, Mama. I love it.”
“You aren’t a good liar, Mariah. Now go get your sister. It’s time for her haircut.”
Mandy came downstairs and took her place on the stool. She sat quietly and didn’t dare move. The scissors had scraped her skin several times already.
“There, you’re done too. Now go get the hair dye. There are two boxes in the cabinet under the bathroom sink.”
“Have you ever dyed hair, Mama?” Mariah asked.
Alice ignored the question as she lifted the reading glasses that hung from the lanyard around her neck and placed them on her nose. She tore open the boxes of hair dye Mandy brought her, dropped the bottles on the counter, and pulled out the instruction sheet. She smoothed the folded paper and began reading.
She looked over the bridge of her glasses at Mariah. “Mix these bottles together and give them a good shake. You’re going first.”
Chapter 7
As I walked back to my desk, I noticed Lieutenant Clark had just hung up from a phone call. I pulled out my chair and sat down to dig into paperwork I might not get to later.
Clark pushed back from his seat and got up. I heard him groan from my desk. It was obvious he had something to say as he stood against the doorframe between his office and the bull pen.
“What’s the word, boss?”
He looked like a man that desperately needed a beach vacation and a tropical drink in each hand.
“Lena has the initial report ready. She’s bringing it up in ten minutes.”
“Need some coffee?”
“Yeah, why not? Thanks, Jade.”
I glanced at the clock as I got up and walked to the coffee station. It wasn’t even four o’clock, yet it seemed as if an entire day had passed. I dumped the last cup of cold coffee down the drain, gave the carafe a thorough rinsing, and refilled it with cold, clean water. I mentally calculated the number of people sitting in on this meeting and knew a full twelve-cup pot wasn’t enough since we were all caffeine addicts. We’d have to pony up for a larger coffeemaker or an additional one at some point. I hit the start button and rapped on the lieutenant’s half-opened door.
“Are we meeting in the conference room?”
“Yeah, I suppose so, more comfortable in there.” He jerked his chin toward the bull pen door. “By the looks of it, everyone is sitting in on this one, anyway.”
I turned to see Lena and Jason, along with Kyle and Dan, walk in. “Okay, I’ll get the second pot of coffee started.” I motioned for Jack to carry the thermal carafe filled with fresh coffee into the conference room while I started another pot. Lena was kind enough to pitch in and take the tray containing the sugar, creamer, spoons, and napkins.
Once we were seated around the large conference table with a cup of coffee in front of us, Lieutenant Clark gave Lena the floor. She stood and began her explanation of the initial exam so far. The actual autopsy hadn’t started yet, but the body had been washed down, and they were able to make a few observations.
“First, I want to start with the obvious. This gentleman appears to be somewhere between forty-five and fifty years old. His current weight is one hundred eighty-two pounds, and he’s six foot tall. It appears that the damage to his body was performed postmortem. At first glance, once his clothes were removed and his body was rinsed off, I can tell you his heart, his eyes, and his fingers were removed. He wore dentures, which were absent from the body, so there’s no way to tell who he was by dental records. Now, the interesting but gruesome part of this is, I’m almost one hundred percent certain his body parts were removed with tools.”
I looked across the table at everybody’s expressions. “Tools? You mean like construction tools?”
“Maybe. The heart removal was very ragged. It wasn’t done with a knife. Under the magnifying glass, the cut marks left on the rib bones look very similar to the teeth on a reciprocating saw blade, and the fingers appear to have been removed with something like a wire cutter.”
“I’m afraid to ask about the eyes,” Jack said.
Jason spoke up. “The eyes could have been popped out with an awl or pulled out with some type of narrow pliers.”
I took a deep breath. “I think I’m going to pass on dinner tonight. Okay, so do you think the fingers and dentures were removed to keep us from identifying him?”
Lena nodded. “I would say yes.” She went on to add that although the man was fully dressed, she originally thought it odd that his shoes were missing.
Jack said, “Did you come to any conclusion on that?”
“As a matter of fact, we did figure out why he wasn’t wearing shoes,” Jason said.
Clark raised his brows. “Go on.”
“We realized this gentleman is very flat footed. He likely wore arch supports. Anybody can buy gel supports at a drug store, but if his were custom made, he may have a file somewhere with a podiatrist. It’s another way of possibly tracking him down.”
We each jotted that bit of information into our notepads.
“So that’s saying this guy is probably local. The killer wouldn’t care otherwise.”
Clark nodded. “Good point, Jack.”
“There are things the killer
did to thwart us from discovering who this man was—the dentures, fingers, and shoes—but what about the eyes and heart? There’s a story behind that,” Billings said.
“Jilted lover, maybe? You know, the lovesick woman that says the guy ripped out her heart. Maybe she wanted to pay him back—literally. If that’s the case, then we’re likely looking at a woman for the murder.” Jack heaved a sigh. “Or a same-sex relationship. Now we’re back to square one.”
“How about the eyes?” I asked. “The victim might have seen something they shouldn’t have?”
“Then that could be anyone. He could have been at the wrong place at the wrong time and accidentally witnessed a crime,” Clark added.
“I doubt it. The person that did this had to know the guy,” Kyle said. “They wouldn’t care about fingerprints, dentures, or shoes if they weren’t somehow connected to the victim.”
“We’re spinning our wheels with theory. We need something solid. It could be anyone. Work tools? That sounds like something a jealous husband would do to a wife’s boyfriend.” I looked at Dan and Kyle. “Anything on the clothes?”
“We haven’t started on them yet, but that’s next,” Dan said.
Clark spoke up. “Okay, for now, let’s go with what we know. Lena, you said the man currently weighs one hundred eighty-two pounds. How much more do the heart, eyes, and fingers add?”
“Only another pound. The weight wouldn’t change much.”
“Okay, then, we need to find out if any man in our county has been reported missing in the last week, weighing between one hundred eighty and eighty-five pounds”—Clark glanced at his notes—“six foot tall, and between forty-five and fifty years old. Find out how many podiatrists are in town and talk to them. Let’s start with that and see if anything shakes out. Kyle, are there any cameras at the park?”
“We spoke to the park superintendent already—no cameras.”
“Lena, can you determine the cause of death?” the lieutenant asked.
“We’re sending out a blood and urine sample to toxicology. Since the cutting was done postmortem, something else killed the man. There weren’t any strangulation marks on his neck, but of course we couldn’t check for petechial hemorrhaging since—”