by N. M. Brown
After creeping outside, she approached the site of the mock picnic. Glancing carefully around, she grabbed the tube of Pringles and then ran back into the barn. Once inside, she tore the lid off the tube and began frantically cramming the potato chips into her mouth. They tasted strong and dry, but Tina didn’t care. Her body badly needed the salt and carbohydrates. She then replaced the lid and dropped the tub into the pit. It hit the bottom of the cavity and bounced into one corner. But Tina was worried that the tube alone would not be enough to catch the stranger’s attention.
She thought for a moment, before deciding she had to make a necessary sacrifice.
Taking off her one remaining sandal, she dropped it into the pit too. It landed a couple of inches away from the tub. Hopefully, the stranger would notice them and climb down into the shadows. Then she could run off in any direction she wanted because he wouldn’t be able to see from down there.
Having completed her plan, Tina decided she needed to find somewhere new to hide and wait, but she was too afraid to venture out of the barn again until it got fully dark, so she found a corner near the rear open doorway and crouched barefoot in the shadows.
Chapter Forty-Two
While Tina crept like a thief around the ruined farm, the stranger was fifteen miles away. He had just pulled into the public parking lot of the Pilot 1497 Piper Ranch Road Truck Station. Not far away from where he sat, a couple of long-distance trucks were parked together like sleeping beasts, whilst a third one was filling up with fuel from the oversized gas pumps.
On the passenger seat of his car a newspaper was folded over to reveal a small article on the disappearance of Tina Blanchette. The stranger had initially read it simply for pleasure, and the resulting sense of power it gave him to know he was affecting the world. However, things changed when he read one particular line in the article. It offered him an easy way to guide the police off the trail for good… police are also looking into the possibility that the girl may have been taken by her father to his home in Alaska.
He got out of the car and began pacing backward and forward on the diesel-stained parking lot; rehearsing different accents.
After wandering around the lot for a few moments, the stranger walked toward the payphone outside the restrooms and picked up the handset. He pulled a crumpled scrap of paper from his pocket, dialled the number that was scrawled across it, and waited.
‘Hello, Oceanside Police – how may we help?’
‘Hey there,’ the stranger said in a southern accent. ‘My name is Maurice Enfield. I work hauling logs from Calgary… Listen, it might be nothing but I reckon I saw that little girl, the one who was on the news.’
‘One moment, please.’ There was a quiet buzz from the handset as the call was transferred.
‘Hello.’ It was a different voice this time. ‘This is Officer Dane of missing persons. Do you have some information regarding the Blanchette case?’
‘Yes, sir, I guess I do.’ The stranger attempted to sound casual, ‘Look I don’t want no reward or that kind of thing. I just wanted to let you know that I think I might’ve seen that kid.’
‘When and where was this?’ Dane asked.
‘It must’ve been Wednesday afternoon, on the northern side of the Alaskan border. I stopped off at a gas station on Dempster Highway junction Klondike Highway in the Yukon Territory. They have this little area in the shop with a couple of coffee machines and a sandwich counter. Nothing fancy, but enough to perk you up on the longer routes.’
‘And this was where you think you saw somebody resembling Tina Blanchette?’
‘Yeah, I reckon it was her alright. She was sitting with some guy – seemed real comfortable with him too. He was in front of me getting the kid a hot chocolate. I heard her say that she missed her momma, but he told her not to worry.’
‘Can you describe what the girl was wearing?’
‘Sure. She was dressed like they said on the TV, except she was wearing a hooded top. It was red and looked kinda new. She called the guy ‘dad’ couple times, I remember hearing that. Oh, and she had one of those kiddy tattoos on the back of her hand – the kind you lick and stick on.’
‘Can you remember what it looked like?’ the officer asked.
‘Let me think…’ He paused for emphasis. ‘Oh yeah, it was a kind of fairy – like from a fairy tale or one of those Disney movies.’
‘Can you describe the man who was with her?’
‘Not really, bud. He was in front of me mostly and didn’t turn around. Now that I think about it, maybe he didn’t want to be seen. Seemed average build, brownish hair. And like I said, he seemed to get on well with that kid.’
‘Thank you Mr Enfield. Can you give me a number we can reach you on?’
‘Sure, but it’ll have to be my work phone – I spend all my time on the road so my home number would be pretty useless.’
‘A work number is fine,’ the officer said.
The stranger hung up the phone after relaying a false number, then casually walked back to his car. If they traced the number he rang from, it would be a truck station, which would make it seem a little more convincing.
He felt confident his performance would be good enough to keep the cops busy for a while, allowing him to carry on in the morning undisturbed.
Chapter Forty-Three
When he arrived at the police station, Leighton walked through to the dimly lit locker area. He was hoping to pick up the keys to the Explorer and get to work quickly – that way he might be able to build in another drive to Old Mill Way. However, as he was about to turn the key in his metal locker door, Leighton was approached by a small middle-aged officer named Tony Evans.
‘Hey, Jonesy,’ he said. ‘The chief asked me to catch you and tell you to pay a visit to his office.’
‘At this time in the morning, any idea what about?’ Leighton asked.
‘Nope, just left a note at reception to catch you when you arrived.’
‘Sounds like I’m in the shit,’ Leighton said as he pocketed his key.
The other officer, who was already walking away, turned back and offered a wry smile. ‘Jonesy, cops like us live in a sea of shit. But a visit to the chief just means the shit is getting so deep that it’s getting on the shoes of the people at the top – and they don’t like that. Just remember to smile and nod, amigo.’
‘Thanks for the advice, Tony,’ Leighton said and walked back through the building.
Eventually, the scuffed flooring beneath his feet gave way to carpet as he entered the management area of the station. The entire area smelled of cheap coffee and furniture polish. The chief’s office was at the very end, flanked on either side by four smaller rooms for each of the station’s captains. Their office doors all had semi-transparent windows; the chief’s did not. This created an intimidating impression, but Leighton wasn’t too worried – Chief Winston had always played fair with him.
Leighton knocked on the plain wooden door and waited. When his captain opened it, he could see further into the room where the chief was sitting at his oak desk.
He glanced up at Leighton. ‘Come in, officer,’ he said.
As he walked into the office, Leighton heard the door close behind him. He had assumed the captain had left, but he turned around and was surprised to find Pierce was still in the room.
‘You sitting in on this?’ Leighton asked.
‘Take a seat, Jones,’ he said with an air of indifference.
Both men waited until Leighton had sat at the desk before continuing.
‘I expect you know why we have asked to see you?’ Chief Winston asked.
‘Well.’ Leighton shifted uncomfortably in his chair. ‘I didn’t think it was to discuss the Super Bowl.’
‘Lose the attitude, Jones,’ Captain Pierce said. ‘This is a formal disciplinary meeting.’
‘Disciplinary? For what?’ Leighton struggled to conceal his anger.
‘For the hours you are wasting chasing some imaginary kid. We got a
call from a concerned member of the public who said that there was a confused looking guy dressed as a cop wandering around the countryside over at Old Mill Way. They thought the cop was there as part of an official investigation, and the cop they spoke to was arrogant and rude.’
‘Could’ve been anyone,’ Leighton said as he gazed at his feet, waiting for the shit-storm to pass.
‘The plates of the vehicle parked in the area matched your car.’ Pierce said, happily.
Leighton sighed. There was nothing he could say. Pierce was head of traffic and would have checked the plates in seconds. ‘Well, I guess I was probably taking a walk, getting some air at the end of my shift.’
‘Bullshit!’ Pierce spat the word out.
‘Okay, what do you want to hear? Yes, it was me. Yes, I was using my own time to help search for a missing little girl, in the hope that it might do some good. Case closed.’
‘Jesus Christ,’ Winston said as he shook his head. ‘I don’t understand why you are deliberately pursuing this.’
Leighton suddenly felt his frustration bubble up, but he fixed his attention on the floor.
‘I don’t understand why the department isn’t. Isn’t it our job to follow every lead to exclude it from an investigation? It seems like we exclude before we investigate.’
‘You’re out of line, officer!’ Winston said and pointed a stubby finger at Leighton.
Leighton glanced up from the floor and looked first at the chief then the captain’s face.
‘With all due respect, sir, I can’t see that I’m doing anything wrong.’
‘Teddy Leach would disagree,’ Pierce said with a wry smile.
‘I don’t care about that rookie,’ the chief said, ‘I do care about the fact you are interfering with Captain Levvy’s live investigation.’
‘Investigation?’ Leighton laughed. ‘I wish to hell there was an investigation. Who is out there looking for the kid?’
‘There are officers on the case right now.’ Winston said.
‘Okay, maybe. But none of them are looking in the right place. There is a valley running south from where I saw the kid. It runs from Old Mill Way down to the coast for a few miles. All it would take is a helicopter crew to sweep it.’
‘All it would take?’ Pierce said, ‘Are you going to pay for the aviation fuel?’
‘If I have to.’
‘Fuck off!’ Pierce said.
The chief shot him a glance that suggested he needed to keep this professional.
‘Officer Jones, this is the last discussion we are going have about the Blanchette girl. Any further efforts you make to investigate this matter will be considered professional misconduct. Do you understand?’
Leighton looked at his chief. He could barely believe that his commanding officer was suggesting that looking for a missing kid was somehow a bad thing for a police officer to do.
‘Do you understand, Officer Jones?’ Winston repeated.
‘Yes, sir,’ Leighton replied. He understood it perfectly. That did not, however, mean that it would in any way deter him from looking for Tina.
‘Can I go start my shift now?’ Leighton asked, trying to remain professional. ‘I should have clocked in twenty minutes ago and I don’t want Teddy Leach having to report me for late-coming.’
‘You don’t need to stress about that,’ Pierce said, ‘I have already sent Tim Miller out with Teddy today. That’ll give you both a break. You’re on paperwork for the remainder of the week.’
‘And just to confirm,’ Pierce added, ‘that means you do not leave this station.’
‘Are you serious? Is this some type of punishment?’
The captain started to respond, but Winston held up a hand and shook his head. ‘We are finished here, Officer Jones. Close the door on the way out.’
After Leighton had gone, Captain Pierce sat down opposite the chief.
‘I said it after he left his post and vanished to check on his kid, he’s emotionally unstable. Now he’s deliberately fucking up investigations – he’s a liability, sir,’ Pierce said, ‘we should get rid of him before he does any more damage.’
The chief sighed and then looked at the captain.
‘If it comes to that,’ he said, firmly, ‘it’ll be my decision, Steven, not yours. This isn’t open season on Leighton! Do you understand?’
‘Yes, sir.’ Pierce said, quietly.
Chapter Forty-Four
As he left the airless corridor of the management area of the station, Leighton encountered Lisa heading out of the small dispatch room. Leighton felt some of his frustration thaw when he saw a friendly face.
‘Hey, officer,’ she said with a tired but genuine smile, ‘you about to start the day?’
‘Yeah,’ Leighton said. ‘How about you?’
‘Just finished. Been on since ten last night.’ Lisa yawned.
‘Eventful night?’
‘Nope, just a couple of calls came in on an attempted break in down at the harbour and a minor collision on the Freeway.’
‘That’s busy enough,’ Leighton said with a smile. ‘Listen, I’m just heading down to admin, you want to stop off at the canteen for a coffee to help wake you up?’
‘Sure,’ Lisa nodded, ‘but can we take them outside, I’m getting withdrawal symptoms from lack of sunlight.’
As they sat at one of the two park benches located on a patch of grass outside the station, Leighton and Lisa sipped their drinks and watched the passing traffic drifting along Mission Avenue.
‘So, how’s it going,’ he said as he sat down, ‘you starting to feel like you’ve been here for years?’
‘Still the new girl at present. In my experience of working dispatch that lasts for a year or so,’ Lisa said with a shrug, ‘but it’s better than my last station – that’s for sure. So, you not heading out on the road today?’
‘Nope, I have to kick around here, apparently. I’m in the doghouse,’ Leighton said. ‘They’ve got me doing paperwork for the next couple of days as a punishment.’
‘Punishment for what?’ Lisa asked.
‘Looking into some other team’s case.’
‘What case?’
‘Tina Blanchette.’
There was a moment of silence, which suggested to Leighton that Lisa was already aware of his unwelcome involvement.
‘I thought that investigation was all wrapped up, I heard from Marie that it had been confirmed that the girl was up in Alaska with her dad – case closed’
‘Yeah.’ Leighton winked. ‘I guess that’s what they’re telling everyone.’
‘You genuinely don’t think so?’ Lisa asked. Her tone of voice suggested that she was satisfied with the official account.
‘Nope.’ Leighton took a sip of his coffee.
‘What do you think happened?’
‘You really want to know?’ he glanced at her.
‘I wouldn’t ask otherwise, I really want to know.’
Leighton sighed. ‘Well, I think the kid was possibly abducted by somebody, and that she somehow got away from them. But to tell you the truth, Lisa, I get the feeling that you know this already. Police stations are small little communities and word spreads like wildfire around here. So, I’m thinking that somebody has already filled you in about my position. Am I right?’
The younger woman suddenly blushed and looked at her feet. ‘Yes, a little.’
‘So, are you trying to catch me out, win some points with the chief?’
‘No, it’s not like that.’
‘So why you asking these questions?’
Lisa looked back up at Leighton. ‘Teddy Leach has been making a habit of coming into the dispatch area at the end of his shifts. He likes to complain that he is doing all the work whilst you get paid for a being an unstable liability.’
‘Nice.’ Leighton chuckled.
‘He also told me to stay the hell away from you.’
‘So what are you doing sitting here sipping coffee with an unstable liability?’ Leighto
n asked.
‘I reckon I’m not very good at being told what to do,’ Lisa said with a self-conscious smile.
‘Well I guess that makes two of us.’
‘Look, I wasn’t trying to catch you out. I just wanted to know your theory. Why you are so opposed to the official line of enquiry?’
‘Well, my theory seems to be just as possible as any other theory.’
‘Okay, so if this kid escaped her abductor why hasn’t she shown up somewhere, flagged down a car or something like that?’
‘I don’t know,’ Leighton shrugged and took another drink, ‘maybe she’s hurt. She might even show up dead, but not in Alaska.’
Lisa frowned for a moment and appeared to be lost in some private recollection.
‘You know about eight years ago, in my first year in San Bernardino, we had something similar to this. It was pretty horrible.’
‘What do you mean?’ Leighton sounded suddenly more alert.
‘A couple of young girls died that year. I remember how much it freaked me out because Stan and I were thinking about starting a family, and I kept thinking that the world wasn’t a safe place to do that. Anyway, after these two girls were found, everyone said their deaths were accidental, except one old cop. When I heard Teddy Leach going on about you, I figured you were maybe a little bit like that guy.’
‘Can you remember his name?’
‘Oh yeah.’ Lisa nodded. ‘Len Wells. He retired that same year, partly because nobody was listening to him, but mainly because the people at the top wanted rid of him. Seems like nobody wants a rogue cop running around sharing a crazy theory.’
‘What was his crazy theory?’ Leighton asked.
Lisa hesitated for a moment, clearly unsure if sharing the information would help Leighton or not.
‘Come on.’ He smiled. ‘I’m already waist deep in this.’
‘You could be worse,’ Lisa said.
‘What up to my neck?’
‘This guy lost his job.’
‘Why?’
‘He thought that a serial killer abducted then murdered the girls.’