”Put me through to the morgue please, and see if one of the coroners who did the report on Julia Charles is available…
“Thanks…” He flipped the phone to speaker and set it on the table.
This is Dr. Ouray. I heard you had questions about the Julia Charles case?
Atlas looked at Naya pointedly.
“Uh, yes sir, I was thinking, Julia Charles was drained of most of her blood correct?”
Yes.
“And what remained seemed like normal blood?”
Also yes.
He answered cleanly and professionally. He was probably ready to get back to his work and just wanted her to get to the point.
“Is it possible that something which is normally found in the blood could have been injected in toxic levels, and then subsequently hidden by removing that blood?”
The other end of the line was quiet for a minute. Naya made eye contact with Atlas and shrugged. Maybe she was barking up the wrong tree after all.
Actually,
They could hear Dr. Ouray take a deep breath.
There are a number of naturally occurring minerals in the human body which could be toxic in large quantities. Potassium, iron, copper, magnesium, and zinc to name just a few.
“Would there be any ways to tell if she had been given large amounts of any of those minerals before death?”
Well, if they were administered via injection the majority would be somewhat untraceable, besides magnesium, which would lead to cardiac arrest. Zinc usually irritates the stomach lining, but I didn’t see anything unusual there which only tells me she didn’t consume in orally…
He trailed off a bit and it took Naya a minute to realize he was done talking and not just lost in thought.
“Did you see any needle marks on the body? Possible injection sites I mean?” Atlas finally spoke up.
Well, I’m sure you have the report in front of you. We found the single cut on the back of the leg that we believe the blood was drained through, which we did think was a weird spot to choose. The neck would have seemed like a better place to remove blood. But now that you mention this, I’m wondering if he injected her there and cut the same spot to hide what he had done.
Naya flipped through the report. “And you still stand by blood loss as the cause of death? As in she was alive when the blood was removed?”
Yes ma’am, it wouldn’t have made sense for him to kill her first, because it would be difficult to drain the blood without the propulsion of the heart. But that doesn’t necessarily mean she was conscious.
Atlas pipped up then. “But the time of death was so close to the abduction?”
Dr. Ouray cleared his throat.
That is true. I’m afraid I don’t have any more information for you and we’ve already released the body to the family. I can see about getting it back if you…need it that badly?”
Atlas and Naya had a silent argument, Atlas was shaking his head yes while Naya was mouthing ‘no way.’ She felt that the poor Charles family had been through enough already. Finally, he relented.
“No sir, that’s alright, I would assume she has already been embalmed by this point, it has been a week. Thank you for your help.” He hung up the phone before the doctor replied.
“Well, we’ve got quite the puzzle here.” Naya refreshed her email. “And it’s unlikely we will get the report on Shanice anytime soon.”
“I put a rush on it, but you’re right, probably not until tomorrow at least.”
A woman Naya didn’t recognize knocked on the open door. “Atlas, this was just faxed through for you.”
He stood up and grabbed the papers from the woman, almost knocking over his coffee in the process, he would have if Naya hadn’t been faster and moved it out of the way first. He sat back down and placed the stack of documents he had been handed in front of Naya.
“Our land transfer records.”
All the papers were scans of old documents and were handwritten, in cursive. “There aren’t typed versions?” She asked, knowing there probably weren’t if they had been given these. She had dealt with handwritten property transfer records in La Junta but that was a much smaller area, and a much less technologically savvy operation. She expected Denver to be more advanced with everything she had seen so far. And well, this stack seemed, huge.
“Not for the area we’re looking into. That area hasn’t really been of interest to the government ever. And they had a scribe working to type everything still handwritten up, but unfortunately, they were cut years ago due to budget. Didn’t seem necessary to the officials.”
“Until now.” She grumbled as she grabbed a stack. Land transfer records were often written in a difficult to understand shorthand. “What quadrant am I looking for?”
Atlas checked something on his phone and scribbled down three different 16-digit identifiers.
“It’s one of these three. The grid has been reassigned a few times.”
“Of course.” Naya stood and headed towards the door. “Want another coffee before we start?”
“Please.”
They looked through the old property documents for the rest of the day, flagging entries as they pertained and putting them aside. After hours of cross referencing and elimination, they finally narrowed it down to three potential owners. Atlas grabbed his laptop from his desk and brought it in the room, and they used it to pull up the DMV database. The first result was the farmer who had found the body, Benjamin Rodgers. The other two were also farmers in the area, but no one either of the detectives were familiar with.
Atlas checked his watch. “It’s only five, lets head out there and see if we can get some interviews in?”
“Sounds good.” Naya grabbed her jacket, thankful that today was a day Derek was around, so she didn’t have to worry about her brother too much. It was also Friday and she figured one or more of Vance’s friends would come over to hang out after they got off work, so he wouldn’t be alone even if she stayed late.
They hopped into the car, Naya in the passenger side, like usual.
“I’m surprised.” Atlas said without elaborating.
Naya waited a minute but eventually she asked, “At?”
“The sheriff never asks to drive.”
She smiled at his tone. “Less liability. I haven’t ever used the fancy driving skills they teach at the academy. La Junta was so small and the area around it so barren, you could run, but you literally couldn’t hide.” She joked. “But really, most of the cases I had were mind games. They weren’t about finding a needle in a haystack, they were about who wasn’t who they pretended to be.”
“That makes sense, I suppose.” They turned from the main highway onto the same empty stretch of road as before.
This time when she surveyed the landscape she felt a small pang of homesickness. She should call and update her parents, she hadn’t been here that long, but it was weird to not see them every weekend. She had seen them every Sunday for dinner for the past twenty-nine years, excluding when she had been in the academy, so to go two weeks was a long time.
He phone buzzed and she glanced down to see a text from Kevin. Without her permission, her face broke out into a huge grin.
“That one of the husbands?” Atlas asked, clearly noticing the change.
“Maybe.” She joked as they turned off the single-lane cement road and onto a dirt one which abruptly ended as they came up to a farmhouse. At least this one looked like it was regularly kept up unlike the abandoned one from the night before.
By the time they stepped out of the truck, Benjamin Rodgers had come out and was standing on the porch with a beer in his hand eyeing them.
“Hey Ben!” Atlas called out in a friendly tone. Naya could see he was trying to start things off lighthearted instead of confrontationally, and she couldn’t agree more.
“Ah detectives.” Ben lifted his beer to them. “Can I get you two a cold one?”
Naya shook her head. “Afraid we’re on the clock Ben.”
<
br /> He smiled sadly. “I was afraid of that. Everything okay?”
Atlas pulled a map out of his pocket that Naya hadn’t even seen him slip in there, it was map of the area almost identical to the one they had on the whiteboard. The only difference was that on this one, only the places where the bodies were found had been circled.
“I’m afraid not. I’m not sure if you’ve seen the news, but we found another body.”
“Jesus,” He muttered, taking a long pull from his beer. “You think it was the same person?”
“There are some similarities in the case.” Atlas said noncommittally, as he laid the map on the porch railing and Ben came to stand next to him. “You see here is where you found that young girl. And we found another woman here,” He pointed to the circle, “Last night. But here’s our problem. Whose land is this here?” Atlas gestured to the area encompassing both circles.
Ben held out his hand. “May I?”
Atlas lifted his hand off the map so Ben could bring the it closer to his face. “This one’s a toughie. You see, I’m the only active farmer around here anymore. Most of the other guys have died or given up and moved away to the city for an easier life. There just isn’t much demand for home grown wheat anymore.” He moved the map a bit before holding it up to the lone, bare porch light. “You see here,” he drew an imaginary line down the map. “This is where my land ends. Where you found that second woman, well that was old Dave’s plot. But, he’s been dead for ten years.”
Naya glanced down at her notes where she had written the names. David Smith was next on their list. “Do you know who owns the land now?” she asked.
Ben shrugged. “Some of the guys out here have family, but most of us don’t. So, I don’t know what happens to the land when no one shows up to claim it. But whatever that process is, that’s probably what happened to old Dave’s land. I ain’t never seen a soul out here checking on it though.”
Naya raised an eyebrow, she questioned how reliable that was, since for as well as he claimed to keep an eye on the land, he clearly hadn’t seen Atlas and her out here the other night. Or had he?
She couldn’t tell if Atlas was thinking the same thing or not, but she decided to wait to confer with him when they were back in the car.
“Anyone else still out here?” Atlas asked, looking over his shoulder for no apparent reason.
Ben shrugged. “I know there’s another guy. I haven’t talked to him though. I see him sometimes though when I go to town to buy supplies. He’s the only other person I’ve seen work the land out here in decades.”
“And where abouts is his farm located?” Naya was now standing on Ben’s other side looking at the map as well.
“Beats me. But If I had to say where I saw him farming, I would say about ten-miles down the road. Well past old Dave’s plot and a few other abandoned farms too, I’m sure.”
She felt defeated. It was unlikely that would be the third person on their list, since whoever the third person was had to be located nearby. She was starting to think the third person they had found was probably whoever Dave had his land transferred to upon his death.
“Well thanks Ben, that’s all we needed. We’ll get out of your hair, enjoy your Friday night.” Atlas folded up the map and slid it back in his pocket.
“No problem. Listen, if you two ever take a Friday night off, feel free to come back out here and have a beer, it does get lonely.”
“Thanks Ben.” Naya gave him a wave as she stepped into the car. The minute they were back on the road she turned to Atlas. “He’s…nice.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing.” He kept his eyes on the road and didn’t look at her. They were almost back to the abandoned building they had investigated the evening before.
“Well, I did think one thing he said was weird.”
“What’s that?” Atlas pulled to the dirt turn off illuminating the small structure with their headlights.
“Well, he says he’s so observant. Yet, he said he’d never seen anyone at Old Dave’s place…so, then did he not see us here last night?”
Atlas considered her statement for a moment and cut the engine. “You’re right. That is a bit odd.”
“I mean it could be that he just doesn’t realize what he’s missing or is less attentive than he thinks. But I think we need to ask him for an alibi for both disappearances.”
“Which he won’t have, because he’s a solo farmer.”
“Exactly.” Naya looked at the building in front of them. It looked much more imposing in the dark.
“I guess we officially have our first suspect then.”
“That we do.” Naya stood to step out of the car when her phone buzzed again. She pulled it out of her pocket to notice it was Kevin again. What she read on the screen made her heart drop.
“God, no.” She whispered and pressed dial before she even realized what she was doing.
She forgot where she was, oblivious to the fact that Atlas was watching her intently, as the phone rang and rang.
“Answer goddamit!” She muttered to the other end.
Finally, after what felt like years, Kevin picked up.
“Is he okay?! Where are you? What happened? What —” The questions shot at him in succession and so fast he couldn’t possibly answer, but she couldn’t stop herself.
“Whoa, calm down. We’re at the hospital down the street. He’s okay.” He cut in when he realized she wasn’t going to stop.
Naya let out the breath she didn’t even realize she was holding.
“Thank God.” She breathed. “You can’t just text me that.”
“I’m sorry. I sent it without thinking as we were on our way here. We had been just playing video games like always when Vance got up to use the bathroom, and a few minutes later Trevor and I heard a crash and rushed in.”
“Oh no.” Naya whispered.
“He was unconscious when we found him but he regained consciousness on our way here. I think he stood up too fast and got lightheaded or disoriented and fell against the toilet. He doesn’t remember what happened, but they’re checking him out now. They wouldn’t let me go back with him but I’m in the waiting room with Trevor.”
Naya glanced at her watch, the case still completely forgotten. “I think I can be there in thirty. Send me the address, please?”
Atlas heard enough of the conversation and was climbing in the driver’s seat. As Naya climbed into the passenger side she hung up the phone, waiting for the text to come through with the hospital address. By the time it came through Atlas was already turning back on to the main road with the lights and siren blaring.
“I’m sorry.” Naya was at a loss of what else to say or where to start.
“No problem. Seems serious, we can come back here later. But you’re gonna need to tell me what’s going on so when Brody asks me why we’re at the hospital I’ll have an answer.”
Naya grimaced. She had known this moment would come, she would have to tell her partner about her brother. She had just hoped it could wait a bit longer.
“Well…” She took a deep breath, begging her emotions to stay in check. “You asked why I transferred here. And I transferred, because, well, my brother—” She had to take another breath. “Is in the final—” She choked on her words. “Final stages of cancer.” It came out as a whisper, but it was no longer a secret.
“He can’t really care for himself anymore, he can’t work. So, I’m here to help support him.”
Just as she didn’t question his story, Atlas understood this was the time to stay silent and just drove while she continued.
“And I guess, he fell today, and his friends were there luckily, that’s who called. I still just…” She looked at her lap dejectedly. She knew once she said the next part, she would have to face the reality of the situation.
“When Vance would call home, he didn’t seem so bad you know? He seemed like he was doing okay. Then he told us he lost his job and—” She felt a single tear run down he
r cheek and quickly brushed it away before Atlas could notice. “And I knew it was bad, but I had no idea it was…this bad.”
Atlas paused, giving her time to collect herself and making sure she was done talking before saying anything.
“So…no juicy two-family story?”
“No.” She felt a small smile ghost her lips. “Sorry if I ruined your fun.”
“Good thing I only bet the guys $50.”
She couldn’t help but smile at his teasing despite her nerves, she had dreaded this conversation, but it made it much more bearable. As Atlas turned on the highway, civilization rose in front of them. Naya was glad they were almost there because she didn’t know if her heart could take this racing much longer. And thanks to Atlas’ crazy, but precise driving, and the help of the siren, they were in front of the hospital in record time. Naya scrambled out and headed into the lobby, Atlas hot at her heels.
When she turned the corner into the waiting area, she immediately spotted Trevor. “Where’s Kevin?” She asked.
Trevor feigned looking hurt. “Hello to you too. He went to grab us some coffee, he’ll be right back.”
Atlas glanced at his watch, “I think I’ll do the same. Seems like it’ll be a late night.”
“You really don’t have to stay. Trevor and Kevin can take Vance and I home.”
“But your car is at the precinct?”
She hadn’t thought of that, that threw a wrench in things. “Well, what time did you want to start tomorrow?”
“It’s Saturday, so I was thinking I might sleep in until six.” He joked glancing at his watch again. Naya did the same and noticed it was already almost eight.
“Well give me a call and maybe you could swing by and grab me on your way to the station? Or I can call an Uber.”
“No need to Uber, I’ll give you a call when I’m on my way. Maybe we can just pick up where we left off. Might be easier.”
“Good point.”
She was surprised when Atlas suddenly enveloped her in a hug.
“Call me if you need anything and let me know if you need a half day tomorrow. Seriously. I understand.”
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” Naya said as he pulled away. She caught a glimpse of Kevin out of the corner of her eye and if she wasn’t mistaken, he almost looked jealous.
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