Lying in Wait Ann Rule's Crime Files Vol.17

by Ann Rule

  Washington State has seen the introduction of several programs to help an ex-con rejoin society in a productive manner. Officers do not quarrel with the basic philosophy behind these plans; what they do quarrel with is the haphazard selection of the prisoners and parolees who benefit. Prisoners themselves have been critical of selection, which places unfit and dangerous men back in society. Every time such a man breaks faith with a program, scores of conscientious men back in prison lose their chance to participate.

  The Junior Chamber of Commerce’s program “A Piece of the Action,” meant to help parolees readjust, received a severe blow in 1970 when parolee John Reece, whom they had “adopted,” repaid their generosity by stabbing the wife of an East Wenatchee member. The woman survived, but her unborn child died. Reece was also the prime suspect in the knife slaying of an elderly Wenatchee widow.

  In February 1972, Trooper Frank Noble of the Washington State Patrol, was shot in the back and killed by Robert Clark in Zillah, Washington. As far as local officers knew, Clark was supposed to be behind bars in Walla Walla. He wasn’t; he was on “furlough” from the prison to help him readjust to life outside the walls!

  Arthur St. Peter survived the ten bullets that had pierced his body. He did not face the death penalty; it was outlawed in Washington State only weeks before it was declared unconstitutional nationwide. Whether his wounds have diminished his enthusiasm for escape remains to be seen.

  One waggish newsman upon reading of his latest escape, commented, “You know, I just had a thought . . . naw, it’s too bizarre. The public would never go for such a program. It’s called ‘Take a Cop Home to Dinner.’ ”

  THE BABY SELLER

  * * *

  Geneva at about age twelve. Her brothers and sisters remember that even as a child, she was considerate of others’ feelings. (Tracy Clemons)

  Larry and Geneva Clemons with their first child, Tracy. Geneva loved being a mother. (Tracy Clemons)

  Geneva grew up in Tanner, Alabama. Her family had been in Limestone County for at least three generations. (Tracy Clemons)

  Larry and Geneva Clemons were happy with the simple things in life. They loved children and hoped to have many. (Tracy Clemons)

  Geneva and Larry, relaxing at home. The first time Larry Clemons saw Geneva Burgett, it was love at first sight.

  Tracy Clemons in December 1979. She was a happy five-year-old. One month after this picture was taken, she saw something that would give her nightmares for the rest of her life. (Tracy Clemons)

  Dennis Jones and Cheryl Pecore met when they were young teens. From the beginning, they knew they were meant to be together. (Amanda Jones)

  Pictured here in high school, Cheryl Pecore expected to live a long and happy life with Dennis. (Amanda Jones)

  Newborn Amanda, in the hospital, posing for her first picture. When Cheryl was pregnant, she told a friend that she already loved her baby so much that she knew she would give her life for her. Her words were prophetically tragic. (Amanda Jones)

  Amanda was a beautiful baby with golden curls and bright blue eyes. Though she did not consciously remember her mother, she missed her profoundly. (Amanda Jones)

  Amanda Jones and her boyfriend, Joe Bell, at her senior prom in 1996. The two fell in love as teens, and then went their separate ways. They never forgot each other, and when their paths crossed again, they realized they were meant to be together. (Amanda Jones)

  Amanda is happy today, pictured here with Joe, the love of her life. (Amanda Jones)

  Detective Bob Regimbal was credited with cracking a cold case so strange that it shocked the nation. Pictured here in the spring of 2014 with one of his rescued horses, on his ranch in Selah, Washington. (Leslie Rule)

  Richard Faulk was a highly respected police chief in Athens, Alabama. Pictured here in the 1970s, he cared about the people in his community, and he vowed to catch the monster who killed the young mother. (Author’s collection)

  Jackie Schut outside the courtroom in 1986, with her big brother, Luke,* who believed she could do no wrong. (Heritage Images)

  Incarcerated at the Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama, Jackie Schut is a sickly shade of prison pallor. (Tutwiler Prison Photo)

  Harold Lee Schut (left) used a photography ruse to abduct babies. A “Photographer” in the police sketch (right) abducted an Inglewood, California, baby. Investigators suspect the cases are connected. (Mug shot and police sketch)

  Ruby Bates dominated headlines in 1931 when she made false accusations of rape. Pictured here in 1976, Ruby and her husband, Elmer Schut, sit on the steps of their Yakima County home. Soon after this photo was taken, their son, Harold Lee Schut made headlines of his own. (Author’s collection)

  When a young mother was murdered in Limestone County, Alabama, in 1980, no one guessed there was a connection to the infamous Ruby Bates, who had made news there decades earlier in the “Scottsboro Boys” trials. Ruby, pictured here in court in the early 1930s, would later move to Washington State and raise a killer. (Author’s collection)

  Tracy Clemons (middle) first crossed paths with Dana Rose Schut (right) when they were terrified children on a cold, dark night. They met again a quarter of a century later and vowed to be friends forever. Larry Clemons (left) also reached out to Dana Rose, and told her they didn’t blame her for his wife’s death. (Tracy Clemons)

  Limestone County, Alabama, Prosecutor Jimmy Fry knew the Clemons family, and he was determined to put Geneva’s killer away. (Jimmy Fry)

  SECRETS OF THE AMOROUS PIZZA MAN

  * * *

  Kathie Hill as a senior in high school. She always looked for the good in people. (Hill family)

  Kathie Hill, after graduating with a master’s in software engineering in 2010. (Hill family)

  Kathie Hill was happy and still in love with her husband, Al Baker. She had no idea he did not feel the same. (Hill family)

  The Baker residence was on Silver Cloud Lane in the Greenbank community on Whidbey Island. Neighbors were shocked when the home became a crime scene. (Author’s collection)

  Robert “Al” Baker was not an attractive man, but Kathie was devoted to him. She had no idea about his dark past or the evil in his heart. (Author’s collection)

  Al and Kathie in happier times. They were very affectionate with each other, and most people who knew them believed they were in love. (Lori Snider)

  No one watching Al Baker and Kathie Hill could predict their grim future. They enjoyed all kinds of activities, including boating, as pictured here. (Lori Snider)

  Kathie Hill loved animals, and her dogs were family to her. (Lori Snider)

  Kathie Hill’s smile was infectious. Her family always felt better when she was around. (Lori Snider)

  Detective Mark Plumberg sensed something was wrong from the moment he arrived at the Silver Cloud Lane home. He was part of a team of investigators that were shocked by what they discovered. (Leslie Rule)

  A ROAD TRIP TO MURDER

  * * *

  DeeDee with her first husband, Richard Nemitz, at their wedding in 1961. (Nemitz family)

  DeeDee with her daughters Lori (left) and Susan, in the late 1960s. (Nemitz family)

  DeeDee in the 1980s. Life was not always easy for her, but she was optimistic about the future. (Nemitz family)

  Though she was a down-to-earth lady, when she hit middle age, DeeDee had some glamour shots taken just for fun. (Nemitz family)

  Red Pedersen was good to DeeDee, and she had no idea her husband had a shadowy past that would come back to haunt them. (Nemitz family)

  Red Pedersen mellowed with age, but when he was younger, he terrified his children. He never dreamed his son would one day seek revenge. (Nemitz family)

  Joey Pedersen was filled with hate, and he took his anger out on innocent people. (Author’s collection)

  People said that Joey was a nice little boy, but when he entered adult prison as a teen, he learned to hate. (Author’s collection)

  Holly Grigsby, p
ictured in a mug shot, liked bad boys so much that she followed one to the gates of hell. (Author’s collection)

  Judges got tired of seeing Holly Grigsby appear before them, in trouble again, because of a man. In this mug shot, she appears to be a bit tired of the process herself. (Author’s collection)

  Sporting a female skinhead cut in this mug shot, Holly was proud of her racism and she would kill to prove it. (Author’s collection)

  Cody Myers never hesitated to help someone in need. Sadly, a good deed turned tragic when he met evil on the road. (Susan Stewart)

  Cody with his brothers. They were very close, and they miss him desperately. (Susan Stewart)

  Holly Grigsby’s scrapbook gave the impression she was happy with her husband and baby. But when she was mesmerized by darkness, she threw it all away. (Komo News)

  Reginald Alan Clark cared about people and went out of his way to help them. When the strangers asked him for a ride, he did not hesitate to help. (Author’s collection)

  After Reginald Clark was murdered, some wondered if Holly Grigsby could be the next woman to face the death penalty in California. Louise Peete, pictured in this mug shot, was among those who were sentenced to die in the Golden State. (Author’s collection)

  Barbara Graham died in the gas chamber, leaving behind a young son, Tommy. There was a chance that Holly Grigsby could face the same fate, leaving her son behind in a tragic repeat of history. (Author’s collection)

  California Highway Patrol Officer Terry Uhrich was credited with nabbing two of the Northwest’s most dangerous killers. (Uhrich family)

  Acknowledgments

  With deep appreciation for the contributions of: Anne Jaeger, Detective Bob Regimbal, Kerrie Regimbal, Robyn Light, Detective Gil Schultz, Detective Paul Motard, former Limestone County District Attorney James Fry, Larry Clemons, Tracy Clemons, Amanda Jones, Kathy Pecore Taylor, “Dana Rose,” Detective Mark Plumberg, Detective Laura Price, Deputy Leif Haugen, Patrol Lieutenant Evan Tingstad, Island County District Attorney Eric Ohme, Jenna Knutsen Detective Phil Farr, Detective Ed Wallace, Lead Forensic Scientist for the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab Mary Wilson, Forensic Anthropologist Katherine Taylor, Washington State Patrol Crime Lab specialist Kathy Geil, Washington State Ferry Security Officer Helmut Steele, Deputy Dan Burns, Lori Snider, Jami Hill, Highway Patrol Trooper Terry Uhrich, Lori Nemitz, Susan Nemitz, Susan Stewart, Shirley Hickman, and Detective Wayne Dorman.

  Thanks to the following for their love and support: Donna Anders, Joan and Joseph Foley, Barb Thompson, Kate Jewell, Florence Scott, Cindy Tyler Wilkinson, Machell Sherles, Kristin Ballew, and Terri Charon.

  Thanks to Abe Miller of Mr. Happy Computer, who has rescued my files more than once.

  Thanks to my publishers Louise Burke and Jen Bergstrom, my patient editor Mitchell Ivers, Natasha Simons, Jean Anne Rose, Joel Breuklander, Lisa Litwack, Susan Rella, Liz Psaltis, and the whole Gallery and Pocket Books team.

  Last but not least, special thanks to Leslie Rule.

  © Leslie Rule

  ANN RULE is the author of thirty-four previous New York Times bestsellers, all of them still in print. A former Seattle police officer, she knows the crime scene firsthand. She is a certified instructor for police training seminars and lectures to law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and forensic organizations, including the FBI and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. For more than three decades, she has been a powerful advocate for victims of violent crime. She has testified before US Senate Judiciary subcommittees on serial murder and victims’ rights, and was a civilian adviser to ViCAP (Violent Criminal Apprehension Program). A graduate of the University of Washington, she holds a PhD in Humane Letters from Willamette University. She lives near Seattle and can be contacted through her Web page at www.authorannrule.com, on Facebook, and by email at AnnieR37@aol.com.

  FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR: authors.simonandschuster.com/Ann-Rule

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  Books by Ann Rule

  Practice to Deceive

  In the Still of the Night

  Too Late to Say Goodbye

  Green River, Running Red

  Every Breath You Take

  . . . And Never Let Her Go

  Bitter Harvest

  Dead by Sunset

  Everything She Ever Wanted

  If You Really Loved Me

  The Stranger Beside Me

  Possession

  Small Sacrifices

  Heart Full of Lies

  Ann Rule’s Crime Files:

  Vol. 16: Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors

  Vol. 15: Don’t Look Behind You

  Vol. 14: But I Trusted You and Other True Cases

  Vol. 13: Mortal Danger and Other True Cases

  Vol. 12: Smoke, Mirrors, and Murder and Other True Cases

  Vol. 11: No Regrets and Other True Cases

  Vol. 10: Worth More Dead and Other True Cases

  Vol. 9: Kiss Me, Kill Me and Other True Cases

  Vol. 8: Last Dance, Last Chance and Other True Cases

  Vol. 7: Empty Promises and Other True Cases

  Vol. 6: A Rage to Kill and Other True Cases

  Vol. 5: The End of the Dream and Other True Cases

  Vol. 4: In the Name of Love and Other True Cases

  Vol. 3: A Fever in the Heart and Other True Cases

  Vol. 2: You Belong to Me and Other True Cases

  Vol. 1: A Rose for Her Grave and Other True Cases

  Without Pity: Ann Rule’s Most Dangerous Killers

  The I-5 Killer

  The Want-Ad Killer

  Lust Killer

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  The names of some individuals have been changed. Such names are indicated by an asterisk (*) the first time each appears in the narrative.

  Copyright © 2014 by Ann Rule

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  First Pocket Books paperback edition December 2014

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  Cover illustration by Tom Hallman

  Cover lettering by James Wang

  ISBN 978-1-4516-4829-4

  ISBN 978-1-4516-4831-7 (ebook)