“Thank you,” CJ said without making it too obvious how relieved he was.
“You have a fine day.”
CJ carefully pulled away from the checkpoint and accelerated up I-19.
“That was nerve-wracking,” Stella said. “What now?”
“We’re going to stop in Green Valley, find a secure place to park and call Mrs. Lindendale.
Chapter 22
“Hello,” Brenda Lindendale said after two rings.
“Mrs. Lindendale. This is CJ Washburn in Tucson.”
“How are you, Mr. Washburn?” she returned. “Funny you should call. I was just now drafting you a thank you note for finding my daughter so quickly.”
CJ was enthused by the tone of her voice, and her statement. “Thank you, ma’am. That certainly isn’t necessary.”
“It’s called manners, Mr. Washburn. To me, it is necessary. What can I do for you?”
“I need a favor. I’m trying to close out my files on your case and have yet to tie up all the loose ends. As you know, I’d gone in and searched your daughter’s apartment and even though it was with your permission I’d still feel much more comfortable talking directly with Lizzi so that she at least has a voice to the person who violated her personal space.”
“I thought you’d already talked to her, the reason why she called me from Mexico.”
“Actually, I never did talk to her. I’d found a professor who knew how to get a hold of her. It was he who passed the message to her to call you.”
“Oh. I guess I don’t understand what you’re asking for, then.”
“I never got that phone number from the professor and at the moment I can’t find him. I was hoping you had the number.”
“I’m afraid I never got it, Mr. Washburn. Wish I had. I tried calling her since then on her phone but never get anything but her voicemail. She did say she was leaving her phone off because of roaming charges.”
“I can certainly understand that,” CJ said. “I’ll catch up to her when she returns. Did she happened to say when that would be, when she’d return that is?”
“Another week, I believe,” Mrs. Lindendale said.
“Very good, then. Nice talking to you.”
“You too.”
CJ dropped the phone into the tray between the seats and pulled his fingers through his hair. “I guess we go to plan B.”
“And that is?”
“We still have to come up with one.”
They sat in quiet thought for a time and then Stella said, “What if I go talk to Professor Jarvosky?”
CJ looked at her and nodded. “Might work. How would you approach it?”
“You’re wanted by the police but as your assistant I need to close out your cases. I’ll tell him I find it necessary to personally talk with Ms. Lindendale, especially since you entered her apartment, that I need to be sure everything is copacetic.”
“Sounds perfect. I don’t know what his office hours are, but at this time of day there may be a chance of catching him.”
CJ drove Stella’s car back onto the interstate and headed north.
Chapter 23
While Stella went in search of the professor, her speech rehearsed a half dozen times, CJ stayed with the car in the university parking garage, thinking about how he was going to go about solving the case. He’d already planted the notion of a cop in Dan’s mind. Now he needed to figure out how he was going to start eliminating the huge suspect pool. It’d been too long since he’d resigned and even though he was in regular contact with the force, he knew only about a quarter of them. That was just the Tucson police. There were other neighboring police agencies like Marana, Oro Valley, South Tucson, or even the Pima County Sheriff, any of whose officers were in a position to pull off something like this. He needed Dan’s help.
But what if it wasn’t a cop? He wished he could say for certain that it wasn’t. Police officers had a hard enough time without one of them going rogue. It wasn’t unheard of, though, for an individual who had sworn to uphold and enforce the law, to develop his own twisted idea of what was right and wrong, or get frustrated with the bogged down legal system and to become the jury and executioner. As a matter of fact, history was full of such men.
Dan might be looking in that direction, now that he knew for sure that CJ was off the suspect pool. But the FBI probably still had him as their one and only suspect.
A car pulled in and parked two spaces away from where CJ sat. He dropped his seat back so that he was out of visible range and returned to his thoughts.
Is Dan taking a serious look at cops, yet? If CJ were in his shoes he’d be comparing shift schedules with times of victims’ deaths. He’d also be looking into who took sudden time off. The perp would have to have in order to get to Moscow, Idaho to arrange for another murder, unless the timing coincided with his regular days off. Either way, the suspect pool could be narrowed down to no more than a handful very fast.
CJ considered the timeline. He arrived in Moscow on Tuesday and used his credit card that night. The local police were almost instantly on top of him. That information would have become known to Tucson police within the hour, maybe within minutes. The killer would have seen it as an opportunity and would have booked a Wednesday morning flight out. He’d have gotten to Moscow with plenty of time to study the town and find a suitable victim. He’d have then made his kill, stashed the body in a convenient dumpster and then returned to Tucson Thursday, likely arriving on an afternoon flight.
CJ looked at his watch and then sat up. It was nearly 4:00. This guy could be landing at any time. They needed to get to the airport.
He got out of the car and looked in the direction from which Stella would be returning. There were two guys heading in his direction. CJ turned his back to them and leaned against the car. As they passed he rotated away and looked back from where they’d come. No Stella. He paced, had to avert his face three more times before, finally, there she was.
As she approached he noticed that she had her phone, or the new dump phone, plastered to her ear and she was smiling and chatting. This irritated him because this was not a smile and chat situation. There wasn’t time for this crap. She stopped at the passenger door, saying something about how she completely understood.
CJ glared at her across the top of the car.
“I’m sure everything will work out. I know how mothers are. We’ve all got one. My impression is she got the scare of her life and is reevaluating her priorities.”
Who the hell is she talking to? “We’ve got to go,” CJ said.
Stella held her finger up to him. “We’ll stay in contact. Again, thank you so much.” She ended the call and looked at him. “What?”
“Who the hell you talking to? We’ve got to get to the airport.”
“Airport! What for?”
“If this guy is a cop he’ll be returning from Idaho today. We need to get where we can look at flight schedules and determine what time he’d be arriving.”
“You don’t even know who you’re looking for.”
“I know it’s a long shot, but there’s a chance I might recognize someone.”
“It’s a bad idea.”
“Why?”
“To fly out of Moscow, Idaho, he’d probably fly from Spokane, Washington which would connect through Salt Lake, Denver, Los Angeles or Minneapolis-St. Paul. That could be anything from a few hours ago to midnight tonight, or even tomorrow. Do you want to hang around the airport that long? There’d be a higher chance that airport security would spot you than you recognizing the killer getting off the plane. Consider also that he may have flown out of Phoenix. If I was him, that’s exactly what I would have done rather than leave a trail out of Tucson.”
CJ just stared at her for a while and then said, “You’re right. Stupid idea. I need to talk to Dan again.”
“How’re you going to do that?”
“I don’t know. Who the hell were you talking to? We don’t have time for idle chit-chat.”
<
br /> The car right next to CJ beeped and the tail lights flashed. They both looked up to find an older woman approaching, book bag in one hand, keys in the other. CJ and Stella got into the car and said nothing more until the woman had started her car and backed out.
“For your information, Mr. Washburn, I was talking to Elizabeth Lindendale. She and I now have a rapport because I took the time to listen to her and commiserate on her situation.”
“Steven Jarvosky just gave you her number, no questions asked?”
“He didn’t get a chance to ask me any questions because I never saw him, or should I say, he never saw me.”
CJ was puzzled and told her so.
“As I was approaching his door, he came out and walked in the opposite direction. I caught the door before it fully closed and watched until he disappeared. To the restroom is where it appeared he went. Fortunately, for me, he left his cell phone on his desk. It was easy enough to find his sister’s number, or I should say numbers. There were several. I wrote them all down and then took my best guess. I got her on the first try, explained who I was and she handed me right over to Lizzi.”
CJ closed his open mouth. “What did you say to her?”
“Well… I remembered you saying that Professor Jarvosky didn’t say anything about you when he contacted his sister.”
“Right. I was there when he called. He just passed a message that Lizzi needed to contact her mother right away.”
“Based on that I introduced myself as part of the PI team who had been working for her parents. Didn’t want to bring up your name unless I had to.”
CJ nodded. “Nice job.”
“Thank you. I then told her that our apartment had been flooded as the result of a broken pipe and we needed a place to stay for a few days while the repairs were being made.”
“She bought that?”
“Of course; especially after I sympathized with her about her mother not understanding her lifestyle, and then after I sweetened the deal with offering to pay half a month’s rent. By the time we get there the landlady will have a key for us.”
CJ grinned. “Might have to give you a raise.”
She lifted that eyebrow again. “No doubt.”
Chapter 24
CJ parked the car on the street in front of Ms. Ortega’s home. He pointed out Lizzi’s car and the fact that it was parked on the far side, right at her entry door. They discussed Stella’s approach and then she got out and walked up to the landlady's door.
In less than five minutes she was back, leaning in through the car window, displaying a single key on a worn out plastic fob. “We’re in. Slipping her five twenties certainly didn’t hurt. Grab my suitcase while I open up.”
When CJ set the suitcase down in the small apartment, Stella was opening cabinets and drawers in the kitchen. “Nice place,” she said. “Elizabeth is very tidy.”
“I figured you’d like it. Did you talk to her about her car?”
“No. Couldn’t figure out how our flooded apartment would require a car change. We’ll just use it and leave her with a full tank of gas.”
“Do you think Ms. Ortega will notice and say anything?”
She shrugged. “Don’t know. Considering the big picture it’s not something worth worrying about. I did notice, as you did, that she was watching a Spanish speaking program. It didn’t appear to be local. She probably doesn’t pay much attention to local news, may not be aware that the police are looking for you, or that there is even a killing spree going on. I’d still keep a low profile though.”
“Low profile is going to have to be my middle name.”
CJ grabbed the keys to Lizzi’s Corolla and in a matter of minutes had Stella’s Hyundai backed in to replace it. Once it was off the street, he felt much better.
Stella snatched Lizzi’s car keys from CJ’s hand and said, “I’m going out for food and clothes for you.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“I don’t think so. Until you’re disguised, you’d better stay hidden. That’s what’s called low profile.”
CJ blew out a lungful of air. “I guess you’re right.”
“Why don’t you start writing down the names of any police officers to whom you think we need to pay attention. Start making lists.”
“Pick up another phone,” CJ said.
“We’re not made of money, Clint. The cash between us has to last until this thing is over.”
“You could write a check for the clothes and food.”
She considered that for a minute. “Yes, I guess I could.” She looked in her checkbook. I’ve got four checks. After that it’s cash only. What do you have?”
He opened his wallet and counted. “$372.00.”
She counted hers. “$225.00. I’ll do everything at Wal-Mart. That’ll take just one check.”
After Stella left, CJ settled down with a pen and paper. He wrote down a couple of names, neither of which he truly believed could be rogue, and then set it aside. The exercise seemed useless. There had to be a better way. His stomach growled and he wished they’d stopped for food before coming here. He put his feet up and closed his eyes.
When CJ awoke it was nearly 6:00 and he was worried about the fact that Stella wasn’t back. How long did it take to buy food and some clothes? He turned on the TV, figured out the remotes and found one of the local stations. There was a series of ads and then a few seconds of footage of a young woman walking alone along what CJ recognized as Stone Avenue in downtown Tucson.
Coming up next, how dangerous has it become for a woman to walk the streets of Tucson? Candice Reed has some new developments on the dumpster killer. You may or may not like what you are about to hear.
After another thirty seconds of ads, Reuwben Chavez and Candice Reed appeared in the station newsroom, Reuwben holding a pencil, Candice a half-dozen or so sheets of paper.
“We’re going to get right to the top story,” Reuwben said, “Candice, tell us what you know about these horrific dumpster murders.”
“It’s a nightmarish story, Reuwben. Already we have seen four women strangled and left in various trash dumpsters throughout the city. You may recall our broadcast just four days ago in which we told about how Tucson private investigator and former police officer, Clinton Joshua Washburn, had been held in connection with those brutal murders, and then was released under his own recognizance.”
“Wasn’t one of those murders a copycat, Candice, an opportunist killer, the police described him?”
“Yes, Reuwben, that’s correct and they have the husband of that victim in custody now. We’ll have an update on that sad story next.”
“So, that makes three young women who have been murdered by this serial killer?”
“Actually, Reuwben, there are five that can be directly attributed to this one individual.”
“Five! My God, Candice.”
“Yes, five. The fourth, a Tucson resident, was discovered in the trunk of a car in Moscow, Idaho just two nights ago. It is believed that the woman was taken from the streets here in Tucson, killed in the same manner as the other three victims, stuffed into the trunk of a car and then driven to Idaho.”
“I assume that the police, or FBI in this case I imagine, know who the owner of this car is.”
“Of course, Reuwben. It is registered to the man they had in custody over the weekend and then let go, Clinton Joshua Washburn. He eluded a massive search by local law enforcement in the Moscow and Latah County area of Idaho as well as Eastern Washington State. But that’s not all. This morning a fifth woman was discovered in a trash dumpster in Moscow, Idaho.”
“The same killer?”
“Believed to be so, Reuwben. But now we have a bizarre twist. I went out to interview the lead Tucson detective on this case, Detective Dan Payne, and got this.”
CJ was frozen to the screen as Dan appeared not far from the spot in front of the criminal lab where CJ had waved at him earlier in the day. He was being approached by Candice, thrusting a micro
phone at him.
“Detective Payne, what can you tell us about the latest murder in Idaho?”
“I cannot comment on a crime committed in another state.”
“The other woman found in a car registered to a former Tucson police officer; what can you tell us about that?”
“Again, a crime committed in another state, Ms. Reed.”
“But it is believed that the murder was committed here in Tucson before being driven to Idaho. Is that correct, Detective?”
“That hasn’t been determined at this time. It is possible that the woman was either abducted here, or went of her own freewill, and then was killed somewhere along the way, in Arizona, Nevada or Idaho. It falls under federal jurisdiction now. Local police agencies are assisting the FBI.”
“The report was that the car was registered to former police officer, Clinton Washburn. At one time he was your partner. Is that correct, Detective Payne?”
Dan attempted to walk away without responding, but Candice pursued him.
“Our understanding is that Mr. Washburn is the FBI’s prime suspect?”
“I have no further comment, Ms. Reed.”
The screen split between Dan’s angry retreat and Candice in the studio.
“The bizarre twist, Reuwben, is that it seems that Detective Payne had a conversation with Mr. Washburn this morning outside of Tucson’s new crime lab on Miracle Mile. I found this out after I spoke with him and also discovered that he has been removed from the case. The two of them were not only partners many years ago, but were best friends, and still are.”
“If that’s true, Candice, that Mr. Washburn was in Tucson this morning, how could he have committed the latest killing in Idaho last night?”
Deserving of Death (CJ Washburn, PI Book 1) Page 10