by C. C. Wall
“So, are you going to tell me or do I have to ask?” Chaney said.
“Meaning?” Lukas said with contempt.
“You know exactly what I mean,” Chaney continued. “You are still wearing what I last saw you in. You are not at all where I dropped you off last night. After not hearing from you all morning, you end up with a corpse. Nobody called it in. How the hell did you find the body?”
“Lucky, I guess,” Lukas said.
“Were you with him last night, before it happened?” Chaney asked.
“Of course not!” Lukas was upset at the accusation.
“Then what was it?” Chaney wasn’t going to let up.
Lukas thought long and hard before saying another word. He looked Chaney in the eye, which was something he rarely did. “I don’t know. I passed out here last night and when I woke up, there he was.”
“Bull.” Chaney wasn’t buying the answer. “There’s something that you are not telling me.”
Lukas chuckled, “You’re a detective. Detect.”
Chaney wasn’t happy with this response from his partner, obviously. He walked a few steps away from Lukas and tried to control himself before having an outburst.
“Jeez, Chaney, calm down,” Lukas said.
Chaney stormed back over to him and wagged his finger at Lukas, “Do you know how this is going to look?”
“It’s going to look like great police work.” Lukas looked over at the body. “Honestly, the guy probably died of a heart-attack. Look at him.”
“You better hope so, because if we end up with two murders in two days, this town will have us by the balls!” Chaney said and then took a deep breath and tried harder to calm down.
Lukas stared at him, waiting to see if he was going to break, explode or yawn. A smirk appeared on Lukas’s face once he realized that none of the things he thought might happen, did. “So, did you find anything on Dakota Driggers?”
Chaney shook his head. “Nothing. He’s clean.”
“What about Jane Doe?” Lukas asked.
“Sue said she got something.” Chaney got her attention, “Sue! Can you come here, please?”
Sue lifted her head up from helping the forensics team take notes, “Just a minute!”
Chaney looked at Lukas, “Me and you aren’t done by the way.”
“I didn’t think we were,” Lukas smiled.
Interrupting, Sue came over, “What’s up?”
“You said you had something on the girl?” Chaney asked.
“Yeah. We have a partial match on a missing girl from like ten years ago,” Sue said with a long face.
“That’s good,” Lukas said.
“No,” Sue continued, “That’s not good. That girl was eighteen at the time of her disappearance. Our Jane Doe couldn’t be much older than that.”
“What’s the margin of error on something like that?” Chaney asked.
“Not ten years,” Sue said grimly.
“Well, can you check?” Lukas said in a disparaging tone.
Sue hung her head like she had done something wrong. “Yes. I’ll get right on that.” She turned and sulked away.
“Really, Lukas?” Chaney said, “You can’t talk to her like that. She is trying her best.”
“I know,” Lukas said and pulled his hair for blowing up at Sue. “I’ll apologize. I shouldn’t have done that.” Lukas looked at the body being covered up. “Do we know who our dead fatty is?”
Chaney gave Lukas a look like he must be kidding him. “You’re not serious are you?”
Lukas didn’t understand what he could be joking about.
After a small laugh, Chaney said, “That’s Henry Goodman. From Henry’s Handy Shop.” Chaney was waiting for a light bulb to go off over Lukas’s head to no avail.
“Should I know who that is?” Lukas asked.
Chaney laughed in disbelief, “You need to get out more.”
“Why?” Lukas seemed offended by the accusation of him not having a life.
“You have lived here a couple of years now, and you have no idea about anything or anyone in the town you live in,” Chaney thought about it. “It’s kinda sad.”
“I get out,” Lukas said in a defensive tone.
“Come on. Everyone in town knew Henry. Everyone, but you.”
Their little argument was interrupted by the shrill screams of Francine Kensington. “No! Elizabeth! No!” she screamed as she came barreling down the hill to the scene of the crime.
Chaney and Lukas stopped her from getting past them. She put up a huge fight, trying to rip herself from their grasp while crying out for Elizabeth. Jonathan wasn’t far behind her.
“Francine! Stop it!” Jonathan yelled in a tired voice.
“What is going on?” Chaney yelled.
“Elizabeth is missing,” Jonathan said. “Is that…” he pointed with a shaky finger to the body under the sheet that was found right next to where he found the girl.
Chaney and Lukas shared a look of fright. “No, Mayor.”
“There is a killer loose in this town and my baby is out there somewhere!” Francine yelled.
Jonathan tried to calm Francine down. “Lawrence, please, our little Elizabeth is missing. You have to bring her home. Please,” Jonathan pleaded.
“How long has she been missing?” Lukas asked.
“Sometime yesterday afternoon, I guess.” Jonathan answered.
“You two just take it easy,” Chaney said. “I’ll put an All Points Bulletin out for her right away.”
Francine looked disgusted, “An All Points Bulletin? God dammit! Do your job! What do you get paid for?” She was choking on her tears. “Get out there and find her, you monsters!” she yelled.
Jonathan slapped Francine across the face. “Francine! I’m sorry, dear, but these men are our only hope at the moment. They are professionals. They will find her. I promise.”
Francine fell into Jonathan’s chest and cried out loudly.
“We will get her home safe,” Lukas said, sadly.
“Jonathan,” Chaney said, “you should get her home.”
Jonathan nodded, placed his arm around Francine’s shoulder and the Kensington’s started back up the hill to their home. Jonathan turned to ask one last thing to Chaney. “Lawrence, who is that under the sheet?”
Chaney knew he shouldn’t tell him before notifying next of kin but told him anyway, “Henry Goodman.”
Jonathan’s eyes widened. “Oh my God.” He turned back towards his house and they slowly walked up the road.
“Holy shit,” Lukas said.
“Yep,” Chaney added.
“What do you think?” Lukas asked.
“Normally,” Chaney said, “I would think she was just out with friends, but, after all this, I have no idea.”
“Let’s see if she turns up,” Lukas said. “If she’s not home by tonight, we should check her room.”
“Yeah. I’ll let the everybody know to keep an eye out and cross their fingers.”
By this time, a small crowd had gathered at the scene. One of the people in the crowd, Lukas recognized. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt. Lukas felt the man looking at him intently. Just as Lukas was about to go and ask him a few questions, someone crossed the line of police tape.
“Dammit!” Chaney yelled. “Hey! You can’t do that! Get out of here!” Chaney ran over. Lukas quickly followed.
“Jack Hart, Black Star Register,” he said.
“Get lost, Hart,” Lukas said.
“Two murders in two days? That’s news, detectives,” Jack said.
“No one said anything about murders,” Lukas said, “Maybe we should be asking you some questions.”
Jack’s face turned unfriendly.
“Scram, Hart,” Chaney said. “Move along.”
Jack backed slowly behind the taped off area, giving the two detectives a death stare the whole time. Lukas looked around and seemed to have, yet again, miss his chance with the man in the black hooded sweatshirt.
“We need to bring in Colt Driggers,” Lukas said.
“He’s already in holding at the station,” Chaney said.
“Nobody tells me anything,” Lukas said.
Chaney rolled his eyes and followed Lukas to his cruiser and they drove off in a hurry. They passed Jack Hart who was staring right at them while on his cell phone.
“Yeah. They just left,” Jack said.
32 - Bombshell
Lukas and Chaney walked into the station in a hurry. Lukas was eager to get his hands on Colt Driggers. They ran into Sheriff Reagan as he was trying, somewhat unsuccessfully, to put on his coat.
“Dammit,” Reagan said.
“Let me help you, Sheriff,” Chaney said and ran behind him to slip his coat up over his arms and up onto his shoulders.
“Thank you, Chaney,” Reagan said. He pulled out a piece of paper. “The report from Gus’s shirt.”
The Detectives stopped in their tracks.
“Turns out,” Reagan said, “the blood on his shirt isn’t his, but from two other people. One of them happen to be you, Lukas.”
Lukas looked down at his feet.
“But, the other,” Reagan continued, “is not our Jane Doe. Cut him loose.”
Chaney was in disbelief, “But who then?”
“Not any corpse that is belonging to us at the moment,” Reagan said, “so, let him go.”
Lukas turned to go to the cells.
“Not you, Lukas,” Reagan said. “Let Chaney take care of Gus. You’ve done enough with that guy.”
“Yes, sir,” Lukas said, then turned to Chaney, “I’ll get Colt started.”
“Colt has been sitting in the interrogation room for four hours,” Reagan said, “I’m sure he would be thrilled to see you.”
Lukas smirked and headed for Colt.
Reagan almost made it to the door when Sue came in.
“Where you off to, Sheriff?” Sue asked.
“I’m gonna go sit with the Mayor,” Reagan said and opened the door to leave. “One more thing, Sue.”
“Yes?”
“Could you look at the camera’s from last night, out front here and make sure that Bekka falling wasn’t our fault?” Reagan said. “Make sure it doesn’t look like a bad railing or a loose step or anything. I would hate to think it was our fault.”
“Sure thing, Sheriff.” Sue said and went to her desk.
Reagan made it out the door without any other disturbances.
Chaney entered the holding tank where the few cells that they had at the station were. Gus sat on the bottom bunk of cell one. When he saw it was Chaney who entered, he stood up, knowing their twenty-four hour hold was up.
“You gonna tell me who’s blood is on that shirt?” Chaney asked.
“Nope,” Gus said.
“Is that because you don’t want to?” Chaney asked.
“It’s because, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Gus said. “Are you letting me go now?”
“Well, you know your rights,” Chaney said, “so, I guess I have to.”
“Damn right,” Gus said with a big smile.
That pissed Chaney off. “But let me tell you one thing, if I connect anyone to that blood on that shirt, I am bringing you down. It’s just a matter of time.”
Gus chuckled at Chaney losing his temper. “Just open the cell.”
Chaney had nothing else he could do. He opened it and let Gus out. Gus walked through Chaney and headed out.
“Be seeing you, Detective.” Gus bowed his head and walked out.
Chaney slammed the cell door.
Meanwhile, Lukas walked into the interrogation room and found a very agitated Colt Driggers sitting at the table.
“Colt,” Lukas said, “long time, no see. How have you been, man?”
Not amused, Colt asked, “What the hell am I doing here? Am I under arrest?”
“Not as of yet,” Lukas said, “as long as you answer some questions for me, I’ll have you on your way.”
“Which are…?” Colt’s agitation was getting worse.
“Did you kill the woman we found in the canyon yesterday?” Lukas asked.
Colt laughed, “You are crazy.”
“What about,” Lukas continued, “Henry Goodman? We found him today at the same place we found the girl.”
“I’m leaving,” Colt said and walked to the door.
“What is your relationship with your brother’s girlfriend, Bekka?” Lukas asked without acting like he was bothered that Colt was leaving.
Colt stopped and looked at Lukas, then slowly walked back and took his seat. “She is my brother’s girlfriend.”
“I know that,” Lukas said. “But what’s your relationship with her?”
“None.”
“Where were you the night before last?”
“I got back into town,” Colt said, “and went to Cook’s.”
“In town from where?”
Colt opened his eyes wide and put his arms up in the air. “Everywhere.”
“Did you see Gus when you got back in town?”
“Yes.”
“Did you come into town alone?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you meet a girl that night?”
“Yes!” Colt yelled. “Are we almost done?”
Lukas ignored him, “Was she a hitchhiker?”
Colt smiled. “Bekka talked to you didn’t she?”
“Just a “yes” or “no” will do,” Lukas said. “Was she a hitchhiker?”
“That’s what I told Dakota.”
“Then did you?”
“No.”
“Then why did you say that?”
Colt cut the tough guy act and looked Lukas in the eyes. “Because I was with Bekka.”
Lukas took a double take at Colt, when he said it. “What was that?”
“I needed an excuse as to why I didn’t come and see him when I got to town,” Colt said. “The truth is, Bekka and I have been seeing each other behind Dakota’s back for a really long time.” Colt looked up to the ceiling trying to hold back tears. “I love her.”
Lukas was trying to gather himself together after that bombshell. “Then why did you leave town?”
“I can’t see them together. I can’t do it.” Colt hung his head down and shook it. “I had to go.”
“Why does she stay with him?” Lukas asked.
“Because he has a job. He has ambition. He has a future,” Colt said, “and I don’t. Bekka isn’t stupid. She knows how to look out for herself.”
“What about Henry Goodman? You know him?” Lukas asked, trying to find anything he could stick Colt with.
“I know who he is. That’s it.”
Lukas stood up slowly as his brain tried rapidly to put all the pieces together. He paced back and forth.
Colt tried to speak up, “So, can…”
“Don’t talk right now,” Lukas said. “I’m trying to do the right thing here.” Lukas paced a couple more laps. “Don’t leave town. We will be in touch.”
Colt looked defeated as he left the room, victorious. Chaney passed him in the doorway.
“Did you let Colt go?” Chaney asked.
Lukas screamed and flipped the table over. “Yes, Chaney. Yes, I did.”
“Why?”
“He’s clean. He was with Bekka, not a hitchhiker. He said that to Dakota to throw him off the trail and Bekka heard it and like an idiot, believed it, got jealous and then came down here to try to punish him.” Lukas said.
Chaney pointed to the table. “Can you fix that?”
Lukas sighed, flipped the table back over, sat in the chair and gently placed his head down on the table.
“So, you believe him?” Chaney asked.
“Yes, dammit,” Lukas said. “I don’t want to, but he isn’t lying.”
Chaney sat down across from Lukas. The silence was loud. It broke when Sue walked in. After no one spoke, Chaney looked at her.
Sensing her entering at a bad time,
she whispered, “Everything all right?”
Chaney shook his head in the negative. “What do you have for us, Sue?”
“There isn’t really a margin of error,” Sue said, knowing that things might even get uglier in there.
“What’s the missing girls name?” Chaney asked.
“Jane Doheny,” Sue said, fearing what was to come.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Lukas yelled. “Our Jane Doe, is named Jane Do-heny?”
“And she was reported missing ten years ago,” Chaney said. “Deal with it, Lukas. I’m sure once we get the corner’s report, things will start adding up.”
33 - Stuffed Sausage
Reagan felt awkward for a couple different reasons while he sat in the Kensington living room. For one, he felt like a stuffed sausage in the chair that Jonathan had offered him to sit in. His eyes scanned the room and realized that there wasn’t one piece of furniture that would fit the girth of his frame. The second thing that was making him feel awkward, was that he knew it meant a lot to the Kensington’s for him to be there for moral support, but he wasn’t really a moral support kind of guy. He didn’t know what to do, what to say, how to act. He thought he should put his hand on Francine’s shoulder, but felt that wouldn’t come off right for some reason. He didn’t want to hug anyone, but felt that they might be expecting that. All of these weird thoughts and feelings made Reagan sweat. That made him feel worse.
Francine lifted her head from Jonathan’s shoulder and looked at Reagan. “Look at what a terrible hostess I am being. I should have offered you some coffee or a drink an hour ago. I am so sorry.”
“Don’t worry about me, Francine,” Reagan said. “I’m fine. I don’t need anything.”
Francine jumped up and scurried into the kitchen.
Reagan tried to insist, “Jonathan, really I’m fine…”
“Let her do this, Sheriff. It will keep her mind on something else for a bit,” Jonathan said.
Reagan then understood. “Some coffee would be great, Francine, thank you very much.” He then looked to Jonathan, “But, I could really use some bourbon if you have any.”
“Of course, Sheriff.” Jonathan walked over to his wet bar on the other side of the room and poured Reagan a drink.