He couldn’t get a job because he didn’t have an address or a phone, and as a result he was in contempt of court on his child support. He’d left town to keep from being arrested.
Abandoning Charlotte, North Carolina over two and a half years before, he’d landed in the warmer and larger city of San Antonio, where he’d been ever since.
As the sun started to set, he crawled up on the loading dock of the closed vegetable packing plant. The dock gave him privacy and protection from the wind, plus he wasn’t lying next to garbage cans in an alley. He pulled his coat up around his neck as a set of headlights swept across him.
The patrol car stopped, and an officer called out to him. “That you, JD?”
“Sure enough, Officer McCarthy.”
“Have you heard about the deaths that have occurred lately?”
“Yeah. Us street folks have a habit of dyin’ pretty regular.”
“Maybe you ought to consider going over to Victory House.”
“I’ll be alright here.”
“Okay. Be careful.”
The window rolled up and the car drove off slowly. JD knew the officers wouldn’t roust him up if they hadn’t received a complaint, and there had never been a complaint on him since he started sleeping here.
A gust of wind managed to roll around the corner, and the chill made him pull his legs in to his chest. Maybe he should consider going down to Houston, it was always warmer on the gulf coast. No, this was home now, and he would stay as long as he could.
*******
Vanessa also stopped at the hospital to see Doc Davis, and was late getting home for dinner. Rob had their son, Kasen, dressed for bed, and she hugged him a little tighter than normal before sending him off to his room.
Rob tucked Kasen in and said his prayers with him before he came into the living room carrying a plate of lasagna and a glass of wine. She gratefully accepted both, and kicked her shoes off under the coffee table. Rob sat next to her and they ate in silence.
When the food was gone, Vanessa curled up against her husband, nursing the glass of wine. She felt safe and loved. Suddenly, she sat straight up, surprising Rob, and spilling some of his wine. She ignored the spill.
“People kept asking me if I was pregnant today!”
“No kidding. Do they think you’re getting fat?”
“I don’t know, but it was starting to freak me out.”
“Who were these people?”
“Jason, Banks, even Doc Josie.”
“Well, are you?”
She went to swing at him but he ducked. “You know darn well you would be the first to know.”
He pulled her to him. “I know, and I can’t wait.”
She snuggled his neck. “Me, either.”
*******
JD remained hunched over, his head on his knees and his eyes closed. He didn’t hear the footsteps over the wind until they stopped next to him. A voice he didn’t recognize pushed itself into his sleep. “Hey, that you Benny?”
JD looked up at the stranger, the man’s face hidden by the darkness. “Benny who?”
“Benny Walker?”
“That’s not my name. Buzz off!”
The stranger bent down and looked into JD’s eyes. Without saying another word, the man stood up and walked off. JD put his head back down, and this time, he heard a car start and drive off. Sleep returned quickly.
*******
Darrel Chase didn’t like it. He’d just completed the autopsy on Margaret Gaither and found the same results as the first four deceased homeless from the Quincy area. The left heart ventricle was enlarged and heart failure appeared to be the cause of death, but in his entire career, he’d never had five coronary deaths in a row. Something wasn’t right.
He’d done a complete visual inspection of the body, but now he got out a powerful magnifying glass, and started at the feet. Covering all the typical places for addicts, he looks between the toes, behind the knees, the thighs, and the waistline. Nothing other than the normal scrapes and bruises associated with a life on the street.
Moving up one side of the body, he rechecked the arms, the armpits, and the neck. Starting again at the waist, he painstakingly moved up toward the hairline. Then he saw it. Barely visible, even when magnified, was a small puncture wound.
He moved the magnifier in and out, making sure he wasn’t mistaking something else for an apparent needle mark. There was no doubt. He took several photos before calling up to Jason Strong.
*******
Vanessa was at the station before Jason the next morning, and was just getting a cup of coffee when the phone on her partner’s desk rang. She left her cup at the coffee maker and walked over to answer it. “Detective Layne.”
“Hi, Detective. This is Darrel Chase in the morgue, is Detective Strong there?”
“He’s not in yet. Can I help you?”
“Sure. I finished the autopsy on Margaret Gaither. She had the same cause of death as the first four victims.”
“Heart attack?”
“Yes, except I decided to do a full-body magnified search and I found something.”
Vanessa pulse quickened. “What?”
“It’s a needle puncture in the shoulder of the victim.”
“I knew it!”
“Knew what, Detective?”
“I just had a feeling that something was off.”
“I did, too; which is why I did the extra scan. I took some photos if you’d like copies.”
“I’ll be right down.”
She left her coffee where it was.
*******
Jason came off the elevator and headed straight to the coffee pot. He hadn’t slept well the night before, spending most of the night praying for Doc Davis. This was going to be a multiple-pot day.
When he reached the coffee maker, he found Vanessa’s cup sitting next to the pot, steam still rising from it. He turned and looked around the third floor but didn’t see her.
“Huh.”
He finished pouring himself a cup and went back to his desk. He’d just sat down when Vanessa burst into the room from the stairway. “He found a needle mark!”
“Who did?”
“Chase.”
It took Jason a second to place the name. “Where?”
She panted between answers. “On the shoulder.”
“Whose shoulder?”
“Shasta’s. Look.”
She thrust the photos in front of her partner, pointing at the tiny mark circled with red marker. Jason stared at it, and then looked at Vanessa. “Is she classified as a homicide victim?”
Vanessa shook her head. “Not yet. The death is currently listed as ‘Suspicious,’ and Chase is doing an expanded tox screen panel.”
Jason hadn’t had enough sleep for this guessing game. “Expanded screen?”
“Apparently the standard tox screen involves roughly fourteen different substances that are tested for. Chase is going to expand the test to include many more possible injectable substances.”
“We need to brief Banks.”
Jason heard the door to the lieutenant’s office open. “You two got a minute?”
Jason still hadn’t got used to the lieutenant’s eerie knack of showing up at just the right time. Vanessa was thinking the same thing. “Weird.”
Jason picked up the photos and went into the lieutenant’s office, Vanessa right behind him. Banks didn’t look up. “Shut the door.”
Vanessa did and leaned against it. Banks closed the file she was reading and looked at her detectives. “Where are we on the homeless cases?”
Jason handed the photos to the lieutenant. “The guy covering for Doc Davis found this on our latest victim.”
Sarah Banks arched her eyebrows. “Victim?”
“It appears so. Those photos are of a needle injection on Shasta’s shoulder.”
“Shasta?”
“Sorry. Margaret Gaither, Shasta is her nickname on the street.”
The lieutenant studied
the photos for several minutes. “What’s the COD?”
Vanessa came over and sat down in front of Banks, repeating what she’d just told Jason.
Jason felt his phone vibrate and took it out of his pocket. He didn’t recognize the number. “I need to get this.”
He stepped out into the squad room and answered the call. “Detective Strong.”
“Yes, Detective. This is Peter Macomb at Victory House.”
“Yes, Mr. Macomb. What can I do for you?”
“One of my regulars came in for breakfast this morning, and I overheard him telling an odd story. I asked him about it, and I think you should hear it.”
“Is he still there?”
“Yes. I told him I was calling you and he said he would hang around for a little while.”
“Thank you. We’re on our way.”
Jason hung up and stuck his head into the lieutenant’s office. “Got something. We need to get over to Victory House.”
Banks reopened the file she was working on when they first came in, and the two detectives waited for her to say something. After a minute, Banks realized they were watching her. “Don’t let me hold you back!”
They didn’t.
*******
They arrived at Victory House twenty minutes later. This time the man at the desk recognized them, indicating with one finger they should wait, and let Peter Macomb know they were there. Peter came out of the office, a grave look on his face, and shook hands with the detectives.
“Follow me. The man I told you about had an unsettling encounter last night. He said the man mentioned a name, but I didn’t recognize it.”
They went down the long hallway that led to the dining room. Coming through the double-wood doors, they entered into a cavernous hall with wood-paneled walls that resembled a cathedral. People came and went, clearing tables before wiping them down. The benches around the tables were all empty except for a solitary figure sitting with a cup of a coffee.
Peter took them down to where the man sat and touched him on the shoulder. “JD?”
The man turned to the two detectives and stood.
“JD, this is Detective Strong and Detective Layne.”
JD shook hands with Jason and nodded to Vanessa. “Ma’am.”
Peter excused himself and the two detectives took a seat on the bench across from JD.
Jason smiled. “JD? That was my nickname at the academy. My name’s Jason David, but just call me Jason.”
A wry smile crossed JD’s face. “My name is Terry Anders. JD comes from my favorite drink, Jack Daniels.”
Vanessa took out her notepad. “We were told you had a strange meeting last night.”
“You could say that. I was at my usual night resting place…”
“Where is that?”
“On the loading dock behind the closed packing plant.”
Vanessa made a note. “Okay, go ahead.”
“So anyway, I’m sitting there and just dozing off, when I hear this voice.”
“Did you recognize it?”
“Nah. He says ‘That you, Benny?’ like he thought I was someone else. I said ‘Benny who?’ and he says ‘Benny Walker.’”
“Have you ever heard that name before?”
JD shook his head. “Nah, and I told him so. When I told him to buzz off, he kneeled down and looked directly into my face. Then he stands up and walks off, doesn’t say another word.”
Vanessa made more notes. “What time was this, do you know?”
“Not really. I’d guess nine or ten, but my watch broke a long time ago.”
“Can you describe the man?”
“I don’t know. He’s about my height, standard build, and wore a dark coat.”
Jason studied the man and wondered what brought this personable guy to a place where he slept on a loading dock. It was something he might never understand. “Do you remember anything special about him?”
“Nope, it was dark.”
“What about a car? Did he drive or walk up?”
“Actually, I do remember the sound of a car driving away, but I didn’t see it.”
Jason took out a card and handed it to JD. “If you see this man again, or if you remember anything else, call me please.”
“Sure, JD.”
Jason smiled and shook the man’s hand. “Take care of yourself, Terry.”
Outside, Jason looked at his watch. It was just about time for Doc to be going into surgery. He said another silent prayer and then headed for the car. Vanessa had suggested they go back to Recycled Lives and The Shepherd’s Closet to see if anyone recognized the name Benny Walker.
He found her waiting for him and looking at her notes when he got in. “Not much to go on. What do you think?”
She snapped her notebook shut. “I think JD is lucky to be alive.”
“You believe he had a run-in with our killer?”
Vanessa nodded. “Yup, and fortunately for JD, I think the guy is making sure he gets his intended target. So now we need to know why he’s picking these names, and why he wants them dead.”
Jason nodded. “Exactly.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes. “Perfect. We should have this wrapped up by dinner time.”
Jason laughed. “If not sooner!”
Chapter 6
They parked in front of Recycled Lives and got out.
Jason pushed the buzzer and they waited. After a minute or so, he pushed it a couple more times. Still no answer.
Vanessa cupped her hands and looked through the glass. “I don’t see anyone, and no lights are on. Maybe they went to lunch.”
“Possible.”
They got back in their vehicle and drove toward their next stop. As they pulled up in front of the giant discount-clothing store, Jason’s phone rang. “Detective Strong.”
“Yes, Detective. This is Leonard Davis’s sister.”
“Hi. How is he?”
“He’s out of surgery and the doctor said it went well. I haven’t seen him yet because he’s in recovery, but he asked me to call you as soon as he was out.”
“That’s good news. Did the doctor say anything about the cancer?”
“Just that he got all of the surface melanoma.”
“What about the sentinel node, did he look at it?”
“He did, but he didn’t want to speculate, and it will be tomorrow before we get the test back.”
Jason gave Vanessa a thumbs up. “Thank you for calling, and tell him we’re praying for him.”
“I will, and I’m sure he’ll call you with the results when he gets them. Goodbye.”
Jason hung up and looked at Vanessa. “He’s out of surgery and in recovery. Everything went well, but the big test result won’t be known until tomorrow.”
A wide smile cracked her face. “Excellent.”
They got out and went into the store. It was just as busy as the first time they were there, if not more so, and they had to weave in and out of carts as well as racks. They found Norm Jacobs in his office.
Jason rapped on the doorframe “Mr. Jacobs?”
“Yes?”
“You remember us from the other day?”
“Of course. You’re detectives with SAPD.”
“Yes, sir. We have a question if you could spare us the time.”
The director stood and came over to the door. “Certainly.”
Vanessa looked at her notes. “Does the name Benny Walker ring a bell with you?”
Norm Jacobs started to shake his head slowly, paused, and then continued. “No…no, I don’t think so. Should it?”
“Not necessarily. We were given the name by another source and are looking for him.”
“I’m sorry I can’t be more help. Let me ask Shirley.”
“Shirley?”
Jacobs pointed at a white-haired woman across the room who was putting clothes on hangers. “Shirley Stinson. She’s been here longer than any of us.”
Jason and Vanessa followed the director over to where Sh
irley was working. Jacobs tapped her shoulder, and she reached to turn her hearing aid up. “Yes, Mr. Jacobs?”
“Shirley, there’s two detectives here who would like to ask you a question.”
Jason felt badly when he saw the look on the elderly woman’s face. She was obviously frightened. “Why? Did I do something?”
Jason gave her his warmest smile. “No, not at all. We just need some information, if you don’t mind.”
Shirley visibly relaxed and smiled at Jason. “Of course. Anything for a handsome young man like yourself.”
Vanessa burst out laughing and tried to catch herself, but only partially succeeded.
Jason touched the old woman’s hand. “You’re very kind. Have you ever heard the name Benny Walker?”
Shirley paused for a few seconds. “Boy, that’s been a while now. The last time I saw him was over a year ago.”
“So, you’re familiar with the name?”
“Yes, I know who he is.”
“Do you know where we can find him?”
“There’s no telling, I’m afraid. He may not even be in San Antonio anymore.”
Jason opened his notebook. “Is there anything you can tell me that would help us identify him? His favorite hangouts, clothes he wore, how he wore his hair?”
“Benny was pretty simple. Large, oversized raincoat, construction-style boots, and always a Dallas Cowboys stocking cap.”
Jason made the notes. “Anything else? What kind of pants did he wear?”
“Just blue jeans, as I recall.”
“Thank you, Shirley. You’ve been very helpful.”
“I aim to please!” She winked at Jason, causing Vanessa to stifle another giggle. Jason showed the woman his ring. “Sorry Shirley, I’m taken.”
She made an exaggerated pout. “You can’t blame a girl for trying.”
Jason took her hand and kissed it gently. “You’ve made my day, Shirley. God Bless.”
As the two detectives exited the building, Vanessa chuckled. “I don’t know which of you blushed more. I thought she was going to swoon when you kissed her hand!”
LETHAL INJECTION (Det. Jason Strong(CLEAN SUSPENSE) Book 8) Page 4