ALPHABET MURDERS - ANGIE BARTONI CASE FILES #1 (Detective Angie Bartoni Case Files)

by Marshall Huffman

  “I’m sorry, who are you again?”

  “Special Agent Carl Donner.”

  “Alright Mr. Donner,” she said and started reciting the events that happened just a few short days ago. She went through every aspect leading up until the time they reunited with Fran in the hospital. I had been listening carefully and couldn’t find any deviation from her earlier story. When she was finished she went and brought Fran down to talk to us.

  Fran ran over and hugged me just as soon as she saw me. I was totally unprepared and found myself squeezing her for all I was worth.

  “I’m so glad to see you again,” Fran said, smiling up at me.

  “Me too Frannie. How are things going? Mom says the nights are pretty tough.”

  “Yeah. I can do okay during the day but at night I get all creeped out.”

  “It will get better pumpkin. Look, I’m going to give all my numbers. If you ever feel like you need to talk about anything you can call me.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “So cool.”

  “Now I want you to tell the two FBI men everything you can remember.”

  “Okay. I’ll try.”

  An hour later we left after I got one more big hug from Fran and even one from Marsha.

  “Thank you Angie. I think this actually helped her some.”

  “I hope so. I’m serious about her calling. She is a great kid and I won’t mind at all.”

  She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek. I stood there shocked as she closed the door. Wow. I guess I did okay.

  “What next?” I asked, blushing slightly.

  “They seem quite fond of you,” Donner said as we were walking to the car.

  “It’s natural. We saved their child. For once we are heroes.”

  “I think it’s more than that.”

  What the hell could I say to that? Nothing. So that’s what I said. Nothing.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  “Ginny.”

  “Yes?”

  “I’m sorry for what happened to you. I know what that is like.”

  “You do? How?”

  “My father did the same thing to me your uncle and brother did. He would make me put on a dress and act like I was his daughter. Then he would make me do all kinds of things.”

  “Did your mother know?”

  “She was like yours. She knew but she pretended like nothing was wrong. She would go to the bedroom and watch some stupid reality show. Even when I screamed, she would just turn up the volume on the stupid TV.”

  “How did you get away? I mean, you’re here now. You must have run away.”

  “Oh, not really. One night I found a way to break out of my closet...”

  “Closet?”

  “Yes. They kept me in the closet. They wouldn’t even allow me to have clothes. I had to sleep on a sleeping bag. I had a bucket to use for a toilet unless they let me out.”

  “Gees. At least I get to sleep in my room.”

  “You still couldn’t hide from them could you?”

  “No. I guess not,” Ginny said, trying to look sad.

  “Anyway, I was able to get out one night and I went up to their bedroom. They were sleeping. I made sure they never hurt me again,” he said.

  “How? Did you hit them?”

  “Actually, I stabbed them. Many times. Over and over. It was glorious. I was free at last and that bastard would never lay a hand on me again.”

  “But you would be in jail. You can’t just kill someone and get away with it.”

  “Yes you can if you are clever enough. I took a long shower, got rid of the knife and went back down and locked myself back in the closet. It took two days before the police showed up. They found me locked in the closet. I acted like I had no idea what had happened,” he told her.

  “No way. You just killed them and they didn’t suspect you had anything to do with it?”

  “I was just an abused child who had lived in hell as far as they were concerned.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “I went into the system. Spent time in several foster homes. Some were really nice. Some were not so nice. None were as bad as the hellhole I had been living in.”

  “Man and I thought I had it rough.”

  “Ginny, one thing bothers me. Why haven’t you told your dad?”

  “Why? He wouldn’t believe me any more than my mother does. My brother, Bobby is his favorite. He plays every sport at High School and my father thinks he can do no wrong.”

  “So, like me, you had no one to turn too.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m sorry Ginny. I really hate to do this but I’m afraid I am going to have to dispose of you. I know it is unfair but that is just the way it has to be. I don’t want someone that has been treated the same as me.”

  “Disposed of? What’s that mean?”

  “I’m going to have to bury you. Don’t worry; I won’t take out your eyes like the others.”

  “Whoa. Back up. Bury me? You’re going to kill me?”

  “Oh no. Just bury you. You will still be alive.”

  “Why? Why do you have to do that? I don’t know who you are. I don’t know a darn thing. Just drop me off someplace and take off. I don’t know the first thing about you.”

  “No Ginny. I can’t do that. I can’t take the chance. I got away with doing that once but I can’t afford to take a second chance. Too many things can go wrong.”

  “What? Look, I was out when you took me. I didn’t wake up until I was down here. I have no idea where I am or anything about you. Don’t you see? I’m just like you? I need to think about what you said. Maybe I can figure out a way to get rid of my stupid uncle and brother.”

  “What? You mean kill them?”

  “Why not? You did and got away with it.”

  “Mine was different. I was locked in the closet, or so the cops thought. You can’t do that.”

  “Fine but I’ll find a way. Please don’t do this. I want the same chance that you had,” Ginny said.

  “I don’t know. I...I need to think about this,” he said and vanished back up the stairs.

  Ginny sat there listening. She didn’t hear him lock the doors. She slowly got up and walked over to the door. As slowly as she could she turned the handle and pulled on the door. It cracked open. She took a deep breath and opened it far enough to stick her head out. In front of her was a stairway leading up to another door. If he didn’t come back, maybe she could get the other door open and get out of there. For now, all she could do was wait and hope he didn’t come back until much later.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  “Hi Mrs. Tolbert. Do you remember me?” I asked.

  “You're that detective that my husband talked to.”

  “Yes. I’m Detective Bartoni and these two FBI agents are Donner and Neil.”

  “What can I do for you? I’m expecting company in a few minutes.”

  “This won’t take long. Special Agents Donner and Neil would like to follow up on the Welch case.”

  “I don’t think I can help much. My husband is the one who saw it all. I didn’t even know anything about it until you showed up.”

  “Do you mind if we come in? They just have a few questions.”

  “Well, if it won’t take too long,” she said looking at her watch and then opening the door.

  We were shown back into the same living room I had been to once before.

  “I appreciate your taking the time to talk to us,” Donner said.

  “Yes, well can we make this quick?”

  She looked like she had been poured into the red dress she was wearing. Her high-heels had to be painful to stand on. She looked like she was ready to go out hooking. Hell, maybe she was. Sort of one of those ‘Real Housewives’ kind of thing.

  “Certainly. Mrs. Tolbert, have you seen any vehicles in the area that don’t seem to belong? For instance, your husband said he almost hit a van with an Industrial Air Compressor Services logo
on the side. Have you ever seen the truck in this neighborhood before?”

  “Why no. Why would you think that?”

  “We are just following up nagging inconsistencies. The drivers of the truck said they were never on the street your husband indicated. They were both adamant that they were someplace else at the time and yet your husband is certain that he saw someone from there driving a van.”

  “I’m sorry, I can’t help you. Like I said, I never saw the van that Jim said he almost hit.”

  “Have you noticed anything out of place or suspicious at all?” Neil asked.

  “Not really. Look, I’m a stay at home mom. I don’t go out all that often and when I do, it’s usually to shop. I guess I should be a little more aware but it never entered my mind.”

  “Any of your neighbors mention anything?”

  “Not that I’m aware of. I don’t talk to them all that much. Jim is better at that sort of thing.”

  “Would you mind if I left you my card? I would appreciate it if you would call if you can think of anything. No matter how small.”

  “Yes, I’d be happy to. Look, I hate to rush you but my guest will be here in just a few minutes.”

  “Alright Mrs. Tolbert. Just call me if you think of anything,” Donner said as we were more or less pushed out the door.

  “Wow, that was kind of strange,” I said as we got back in the car.

  “She certainly was in a big hurry to get us out of her hair,” Agent Neil said.

  “Yeah. Pretty sexy outfit for company,” Donner added.

  I hadn’t thought much of it. The last time I saw her I thought her dress was too short and her top too low cut. I figured she just dressed like that all the time.

  “Why don’t we pull up just around the block and park where we can see Tolbert’s house,” I suggested.

  “Why?”

  “I want to check something out. Just a hunch.”

  “Sure. We can take some time to do that.”

  Donner drove down the street and turned and circled around the block until we were just at the corner. We could see Tolbert’s driveway from where we parked.

  “What are you expecting to see?” Donner asked.

  “Well, every time she has been asked if she saw anything out of the ordinary, she kind of tenses up. She drops her eyes to her lap. Either she did see something or else...”

  “Or else?”

  “Hold it. I see a van coming up the street.”

  We watched as it slowed down and turned into the Tolbert’s drive. It went straight back to the garage. A few seconds later, the garage door opened and the van pulled in.

  “Industrial Air Compressor Services,” I said.

  “So?”

  “Do you think they have an industrial air compressor in their house? I don’t think so. That’s why Jim Tolbert almost ran into that van. The guy was probably just getting out of there in the nick of time.”

  “Got it. Our sweet little house wife is ponking the guy from the compressor repair place.”

  “That certainly clears up that little mystery. I guess we can eliminate them from our suspect list,” I said.

  That little sleaze bucket. She has a nice looking husband who obviously keeps her in expensive trinkets and she doesn’t even have to work. So what does she do? Shacks up with some blue collar repair man. Talk about stupid.

  “Want to go back and act like we forgot to ask her something?” Neil asked.

  “Nah. She’ll get caught and hopefully be out on her butt at some point,” I said.

  “Okay, I guess the Worthingtons are our next set of parents,” Donner said and started the car.

  Tony and Emily Worthington were just getting back from grocery shopping. Tony was carrying bags into the house when we pulled up.

  “Mr. Worthington. It’s me, Detective Bartoni.”

  “Yes I remember. Are you here about Danielle?”

  “Actually we are reviewing all the cases,” I said and introduced the two FBI agents.

  “I don’t know what we can do for you. We have been over this a hundred times with various people. I know the bastard is still out there. I’ve been following it on the news. Now he has someone else’s daughter.”

  “I know you probably are more than a little tired of talking about it but if you wouldn’t mind. Could you and Emily go over it one more time for Special Agents Donner and Neil?” I asked.

  “Grab a sack and come on in,” he said.

  Donner and Neil grabbed bags of groceries and I brought in a case of Cokes.

  “Emily. Detective Bartoni and some FBI agents are here,” he yelled as we came in through the garage.

  “Oh dear. I don’t look very good. I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

  “Mrs. Worthington, it's Angie Bartoni. Don’t worry about a thing. We just need to go over a few details. It won’t take very long, I promise,” I called to her.

  “Alright. I guess it doesn’t matter. I’ve looked worse,” she said coming from the kitchen.

  We sat around the dining room table. Pictures of Danielle were on the wall along with Tony’s shadowbox with his military ribbons and a folded flag. I saw the two FBI guys checking it out.

  I have to say, Emily, for not being made up was strikingly beautiful. If this was her worst, I sure didn’t want to see her at her best. She made me look like the ugly stepchild.

  “So. What can we do for you?” Tony asked.

  “I would like you to go over the events leading up to the kidnapping of Danielle for Special Agents Donner and Neil. It would help if they heard it firsthand.”

  Tony took the lead and Emily filled in several items he overlooked or left out. It took a good twenty-five minutes before they ran out of steam. I could see they were drained from having to tell their story once again.

  “And nothing seemed out of place or unusual leading up to the day Danielle was taken?” I ask.

  “Nothing,” Tony said adding, “We keep a pretty close eye on the neighborhood. Kind of like a neighborhood watch but not official,”

  “Other than Mrs. Krainer having her kitchen remodeled, it was just like any other time,” Emily told us.

  “Wait. Who is Mrs. Krainer? I don’t have her listed as one of the people we talked to,” I said, looking quickly through my notes.

  “Well, she was on vacation. She’s kind of strange. She can’t stand anything being out of place. She even lines up her trashcans when she takes them out. My guess is that she didn’t want to be there while they were making all that mess,” Tony replied.

  “Which house does Mrs. Krainer live in?”

  “Just across the street and a four houses north of ours,” Tony said.

  “This wasn’t mentioned before,” I said.

  “Well it’s not a big deal. Most of us around here are constantly having something done. We added a new garage just two months ago and our next door neighbors had their bathroom remodeled,” Emily replied.

  “Still. We need to check it out. Do you happen to remember who was doing the work on the Krainer house?”

  “No, but it was the same company that did our neighbor's house. That’s how she knew about them. Janice and Ted were very pleased with the work they did.”

  We talked for a few more minutes, thanked them for their time and headed back to the car. I wanted to check out the company that had been in the neighborhood at the time of Danielle’s disappearance.

  My alarm bells were going off. That’s not big deal. My bells have been going off for years but this was a little different this time.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  “We need to check with Mrs. Krainer and the neighbor. It could be nothing but we need to make sure everything kosher,” I said as we were walking back to the car.

  “I don’t think we need to be wasting our time with that. We should get through the list of parents,” Neil said.

  “Oh hell, we’re right here. How long could it take? It would be just one less thing hanging over our heads.”

  “I
think she’s right,” Donner said, “We’re here. Let’s just get it done.”

  Neil rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything else. We walked to the neighbor’s house first and rang the doorbell. A fairly young woman, probably in her mid-twenties answered the door with a baby in her arms.

  “Look,” she said, “If you are Jehovah Witnesses, we have a church and aren’t interested.”

  “No mam. We are probably the furthest thing from a religious group. I’m Detective Bartoni and these gentlemen are FBI Special Agents Donner and Neil,” I told her.

  She sort of did a half step back and pulled the baby to her closer.

  “What...what do you want?” she stammered.

  “We would like to talk to you about your bathroom remodel that you had done.”

  “Bathroom? I don’t understand.”

  “You had your bathroom remodeled recently didn’t you?” I asked.

  “We had a new sink and cabinet installed but that’s all.”

  “How long did it take?”

  “A day. I mean it wasn’t a big job.”

  “But your neighbors said the truck was here for almost a week.”

  “Well, yeah. I saw it across the street but I just figured they were working on one of the other houses. As you can see, most of the houses are fifty and sixty years old. Plumbing and electrical seem to be the first things to go,” she told us.

  “What was the name of the contractor that did the work?”

  “Why, is he in trouble?”

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Well, he was kind of creepy. I mean being alone in the house with him made me worry. It’s not that he said anything or made any inappropriate comments but he just gave me the willies.”

  “Did you see him any other days after he finished up here?”

  “No. Just his truck. He was also down the block doing some work I assume. I saw his truck down there as well.”

  “What was the name of the company?”

  “Anderson Remodeling. A friend of ours recommended them to us.”

  I took the composite sketch out of my pocket and held it up, “Did he look anything like this?”

  She studied the picture for several seconds, shifting the baby from one hip to the other.