by Aimée
“Sure. It’ll be a while, though. I want to look the body over very carefully first, and make sure Tache has every angle I need covered with photos.”
“I’ll leave you to it, then.” Ella replied, then returned to Wilson, who hadn’t seemed to have moved a muscle while she was out of the room.
“I’m sorry for the interruption. Did you see anyone around, or a car or van?”
“I … don’t know. Kids, or maybe a neighbor driving by. But nobody was standing outside that I could see.”
“Did she ever forget things when she left for work, and then have to come back?”
“Occasionally. Sometimes she’d leave her grade book here, or papers or a lesson plan she wanted to work on at school. Or she’d forget her lunch. First year teachers do that.” Wilson’s voice got a little stronger as he spoke of everyday things.
“That would explain the grade book in the living room and the keys in the door. She could have come back for it, since you were going to be working on grades with her later on. She probably didn’t notice the door had already been jimmied. If she had, she wouldn’t have tried her key. Does she have any friends or students who might have come by on a weekday morning, or has anybody been bothering her lately, following her or hanging around the house?” Ella asked gently.
“Not that I know of. She got along with everybody, but didn’t really socialize. Her teaching schedule pretty much takes up the week, and for a new teacher, that’s a lot. Face it, who has time for anything except work anymore?” Wilson looked up at Ella and shrugged. “You know what I mean. It’s the same way for all of us.”
She nodded. “Unfortunately, that’s very true.”
Justine came into the room and signalled for Ella.
Ella asked Wilson to try and remember anything Lisa had said to him recently that might be of help, then excused herself again and went to join Justine. “What’s up?”
“We found some interesting things. Come take a look.”
Ella excused herself again and walked back into the living room. At the entrance to the bedroom hall, Justine pointed out what they had found. A small bronze sculpture of a rearing mustang had been dropped near a pair of cheap yellow cleaning gloves. Both items were covered with blood.
“We lifted a partial print from the glove. The killer must have touched it while taking them off.”
“Good job!” Ella said.
“Well, it’s something, but it’s only a partial, so I’m not sure how much will be useable. We need a certain number of points before the print can be used to ID anyone.”
Ella nodded.
“I also lifted one smudged print from the small metal box near the victim but, again, I’m making no promises. There is one thing that I can tell you with certainty. From the footprints near the back porch we know that there were at least two thieves in the house, and they left through the rear door. The tracks there look like they came from expensive athletic shoes. You can see the brand’s logo clearly in both sets.”
“Like I’ve seen some of the gang kids around here wearing.” Ella finished the thought for her. “I wonder why they didn’t break in through the back door?”
“The lock on the back door is a big deadbolt. It looks like they tried to jimmy it first, failed, and moved around to the front. That lock was easy. They barely left a mark.”
“Did you check in the back yard for tracks there, too?”
“Not beyond the porch yet.”
“I’ll go take a look at the back door, then look around in the yard.”
Ella confirmed Justine’s theory about the deadbolt, then followed the tracks leading from the house out into the grounds. One set belonged to size eight shoes, the other came from a slightly larger size. The trendy footwear, with its distinctive vinyl soles and the endorsement of a millionaire sports celebrity, was popular with teens everywhere. She doubted any local stores carried the expensive shoes, and outside the Rez, where they were available, they’d be too common to trace.
Ella kept searching. The yard here wasn’t fenced, and there were no trees. The desert terrain came right up to the house. Landscaping, except for mostly fruit trees, wasn’t that common on the Rez, where every dollar counted. Footprints were easier to distinguish in the dirt than on grass, so that was good for her.
She discovered car tracks where the footprints ended. The direction the house faced made it unlikely that either of the victim’s neighbors to the sides had seen the vehicle as it approached, unless they had been staring out of their bedroom windows.
Lisa’s house stood at the corner of a series of lots, and at an angle to an arroyo a few hundred yards away. Lisa would have had a great view, and privacy, which made her house more vulnerable to burglars.
Ella studied the ground, but the car had clearly circled around to the highway, less than a half mile away. As she worked her way back toward the house, she saw another set of tracks that made her blood turn cold. They appeared to be the same cane-like marks she’s been finding around scenes of violence for several months now.
Justine came up from behind her. “I saw them, too.”
“They were made before the killers arrived. The imprint of one athletic shoe is over one of the circles.”
“I’ll talk to the neighbors,” Justine said. “Maybe someone can tell me if Lisa had any elderly or disabled visitors lately. You remember seeing marks like these when we were working on another case, don’t you?”
Ella nodded. “But my theory regarding those tracks doesn’t fit this case. This murder probably has nothing to do with skin … the evil ones. It looks like kids broke in to rip off the place, then got involved in more than they’d bargained for. I saw the victim’s grade book in the living room, and noticed her car was parked only halfway up the drive. She must have left for work, then discovered along the way that she’d left her grade book behind. When she came back to get it, she walked in on the burglars.”
“There have been a rash of residential burglaries all over these new areas lately. We suspect that they are the work of one or more of the gangs, but the department hasn’t been able to prove anything or get a suspect they can take to court,” Justine added.
“I want you to try to find out what kind of walking stick makes an impression like this one, with the two circles and that little indentation in the middle. I don’t know if we can track that, we’ve never had much luck classifying cane prints, but it’s worth a shot.”
“The person who left this trail didn’t bother being cautious,” Justine said. “Maybe he or she didn’t know what was about to happen.”
“Or maybe the person knew, but taunting us held a special appeal.” Ella pursed her lips, deep in thought. “There’s one person I want you to check out for me. She uses a cane. Her name is Jane Clah.”
Justine’s eyebrows shot up. “A relative of our late unlamented police chief?”
“Yes. She was my father-in-law’s aunt. I’ve met her before, on police business, in that case involving the senator’s daughter and her boyfriend, and I should warn you, there’s something … disturbing … about her.” Ella searched her mind for another word, something that would describe her unsettling meeting with Jane Clah, but came up empty.
“Is she dangerous?” Justine asked.
“You don’t have to worry about her pulling a gun and shooting you, if that’s what you mean. But you should still be on your guard.”
“You’re being uncharacteristically vague, like when you’re talking about the evil ones.”
Ella took a deep breath then let it out. She didn’t know if Jane Clah was a skinwalker, but it was certainly possible. “After you meet her, you’ll understand. But, in all fairness, it’s possible that my ties to that family have affected my judgement of her.”
Justine nodded once. She had just started to say something more when she saw Carolyn gesturing from the back door. “I think you’re wanted inside.”
Ella excused herself and went to meet the ME. “Are you through here?”
“Yeah. I figured you’d want a preliminary, though.” Seeing Ella nod, she continued. “My guess is that she was struck by the metal box, and then the bronze horse. The edge of the metal box caught her in the forehead, and might have stunned her. Maybe it was even thrown. But the horse was what did all the damage. Her skull is caved in, and there’s blood and hair from the victim on its heavy base. The indentions in her skull seem to fit the base, too. But I can’t verify all this until I’m back at the morgue.”
“Did she die as a result of the beating?”
“I can’t say for sure yet, but it sure looks that way. And there are no burns or burn marks on her hands, body, or clothes. I checked specifically, and can’t find the source of those burned fibers. The fabric that ignited must have come from her assailant’s clothing.” She glanced back at the house. “Wilson’s in bad shape.”
“I know, and when the shock wears off, it’ll be even worse for him. That’s when he’ll really have to deal with what’s happened. I’ll see him as often as I can, but unfortunately most of the time it will be on business. My mother must have priority on my time off too. I’m sure his family will see to it that he’s okay,” Ella added.
“If he allows anyone to help him,” Carolyn added thoughtfully. “He’s never struck me as the type who’d accept help easily.”
“He’s not,” Ella admitted. “He’s as independent as I am.”
When Justine came up, Carolyn excused herself. “I’m going to transport the body now. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”
“Thanks.” Ella’s gaze shifted to Justine. “How’s it going?”
“I spoke to one of the uniforms who came by to help us secure the crime scene. He’s been working on the outbreak of burglaries around here, and he asked me what I thought of the graffiti sprayed on the interior walls.”
“What graffiti?” Ella asked, wondering how she could have missed that.
“Exactly. There isn’t any. This incident breaks the recent burglary MO on two counts, the murder and the absence of spray-paint-defaced walls.”
“The style of shoes, if I’m right, seem to indicate kids though. My guess so far is that Lisa came home unexpectedly, caught them in the act, and they panicked or she put up a fight, and they killed her. They wouldn’t sign their names in paint after killing someone, I don’t think. Murder gets a lot more attention than burglary.”
“Then our first lead will probably come with finding out who’s been robbing the houses. I’ll try to learn more about the gangs in this area. I have a cousin on the Goodluck side, Thomas Bileen, whom I’m afraid is turning toward the gang influence. He’s hanging around with some bad company and is giving his parents a hard time, but at least he still says ‘hi’ to me. Maybe I can get something from him if I don’t approach him as a cop. Not being in uniform anymore will help, too.”
“The Many Devils ‘own’ this neighborhood. When we first drove up, I saw a few of the older ones who’ve probably dropped out of school, and they were wearing the right style shoes, maybe even the same brand. By now, they’re long gone. Too many cops are here, and the last thing the gang kids would do is stick around for questioning. Check with your cousin, and also go through the Juvenile Crime reports and see if any members of the gang have been IDed. Get a few addresses for us. I’ll bet the kids know something that will lead us to the killers—if we can squeeze it out of them.”
Ute came out and joined them. “I checked everywhere, but there’s no cigarette lighter in sight. Wilson says that the victim didn’t smoke or keep a lighter around. The only matches I found were in a kitchen drawer.”
“Any flammable substances she might have used?”
“Not that we found easily accessible. Certain cleaning compounds and items like aerosol hair spray can be turned into an effective weapon, but there were no signs of those being used here for that purpose.”
Ella looked at Justine. “Take lab samples for spectral analysis. Something was burned in there besides cloth, and I need to know what and how.”
Ella went inside, to Lisa’s bedroom and bathroom, and studied each location. There were no signs of hair gel or hair spray or other flammable material. All she could see were a few basics, like shampoo, hand lotion, and lipsticks which were scattered over the top of the dresser. A small bottle of expensive perfume stood on the far corner of the dresser. It was slightly dusty, as if rarely used.
Ella was still searching through Lisa’s things, trying to get a fix on her, when Justine came in. “I’m going to go talk to some of the neighbors. Maybe one of them saw a kid or a car or something that can help us.”
Ella waved her hand over the dresser. “By the way, there’s no hair gel or petroleum jelly here. If that’s what the goop on the wall is, it probably belongs to one of the intruders. Let me know for sure what it is as soon as you can? That might help narrow down some suspects.”
“Will do. By the way, Wilson couldn’t think of anything else that might help us out, so I offered to drive him home or back to the college. But he refused. I explained that he can’t stay here, but I don’t think he heard a word I said.”
“I’ll take care of it.” Ella returned to the kitchen and found her friend sitting in exactly the same position she’d left him in. “What can I do to help you?” she asked, sitting next to him.
“Catch her killer.” He looked up and met Ella’s gaze. “That’s the only thing that means anything to me now.”
“It won’t bring her back,” Ella said gently. “I went through many of the feelings you’re experiencing now when I lost my dad. But after his killers were caught, all I felt was empty.”
He shook his head as if dismissing her answer. “I want them to pay for what they did. I’m sure you can understand that.”
“Yes, I do. But it won’t be enough. You’ll still have to handle the grief and the anger.”
Wilson looked up at her, anger flashing in his eyes. “There was a time when you and I were close, but we’re different people now. Stop telling me what I should feel and what I should do.”
Ella felt Wilson’s anger, and understood the sorrow that fueled it. “You’re still my friend,” she said softly. “I care about you.”
“I’ve barely seen you in months. We used to correspond through email, though we lived only a few miles from each other. But lately we haven’t even done that. We’ve gone separate ways and that’s fine. That’s, in fact, all I want now. I need time to myself. Take your cop friends and go. I’m not interested in your pity.”
“I’m not offering any,” she said in a hard voice. “I know that’s not what you need. But I’m still going to see you and talk to you as much as you’ll allow. I want to help you make it through this if I can.”
Wilson met her gaze and held it unflinchingly. “Your love in life has always been your job, but, for all your dedication, you couldn’t prevent this. Don’t worry about calling me on the phone. Just make sure that justice is done.”
The words stung, just as he’d meant them to. They’d been friends for too long not to know each other’s vulnerabilities. It took a close friend to cut one so deeply.
Ella said nothing, determined not to meet his anger with her own. Whether or not he admitted it, their friendship was something that had existed for too long to simply fade away. She would honor that.
“Listen to me closely, because you haven’t understood what Justine and I have been telling you. I’m talking to you as a police officer now, not as a friend. You can’t stay here, because this is a crime scene. Until we release the house, we can’t allow anyone not working on this crime investigation to wander around in here.”
“I thought you were already through. People are leaving.”
“For right now, but we’ll be back to check on details and confirm our findings. What we find out may lead us back to look for something we didn’t think of at first. In the meantime, I can’t risk letting you disturb anything that may possibly furnish us with evidence. I assume that
’s the last thing you want to do, too.”
Wilson stood up slowly. “All right. I’ll go. When you’re really finished here, give me a call. It won’t be pleasant, but I should go through her things, and give away what I can. Her family won’t be coming, and that’s not just because they are traditionalists fearing the chindi. Her mother died of complications from pneumonia about three years ago, and her father is an alcoholic. Nobody’s seen him for many years.”
“What about sisters and brothers?”
“She told me once that she had two sisters who lived in California, but she never spoke to them. They had some kind of fight, I think. She wouldn’t talk about it, so I’m not even sure where in California they’re living.”
“If you find out anything more about her family, let me know.”
“It’s unlikely. There was no one else she knew very well. Remember that she’s only been at the college for a year. Most of her free time is … was … spent with me,” he corrected, his voice taut. “Neither one of us had any close friends among the staff. We preferred each other’s company.”
The words made Ella’s chest constrict. She hadn’t had that type of relationship with anyone in years. During her teens years when she’d met Eugene Clah, and in the few years they were married, relationships had been easy. But now … Adults carried too much mental baggage.
Wilson started walking wearily down the drive, then stopped and turned around. “I heard about your mother’s accident. I hope she heals up quickly and can come home soon.”
Ella nodded once. Wilson had enough problems. She wouldn’t discuss her mother with him now. But his words had served to shift her thoughts to her mother again, and she glanced at her watch. She needed to get back to the hospital soon, but there was still much for her to do here.
Together with Justine, Ella canvassed houses in the area. The first two she visited, those closest to Lisa’s, were a disappointment. It was obvious the people there didn’t want to talk to her, but she suspected that it had very little to do with the fact that she was a cop. Although the neighborhood was made up mostly of progressives, The People’s response to anyone who had been in contact with the dead was so ingrained it was almost instinctive. She had a feeling Justine was coming up against the same wall.