Cause of Death (Det. Annie Avants Book 1)

by Renee Benzaim

  The phone rang several times and she answered just as he started to hang up.

  "Hello," she said. He could hear the hesitation in her voice.

  "Hi, Annie, it's Jesse. Did I catch you at a bad time?"

  "No, Jesse, I didn't answer at first because I wasn't sure if I wanted to take your call."

  "I guess I deserve that, Annie. I acted like a real jerk last night, didn't I?"

  "You're asking my opinion? You don't know what a jerk you were?"

  "Yes, I do, and I'm calling to apologize. I don't like it when I act like that, I really don't."

  "Then, why do you? I've thought about the whole scene in Court and I can now understand why you were so curt with me. Nothing would be served by dragging our error out for all the jurors to hear about one more time. I really do understand that. Why didn't you discuss it with me beforehand so I wasn't blind-sided? Then my reaction would have been different. But, no, you just sprang it on me as if it was your God-given right to act so high-handed and make me look like a dumb 'arkie'. I didn't appreciate it one bit."

  "Yep, you're right. I have a problem sometimes looking at what I'm doing from someone else's perspective and I was certainly guilty of that in Court.

  "But, the main reason I'm calling is to apologize for my behavior at the FoxFire Inn. That was uncalled for. I don't know what got into me. I guess I was just ticked off because you were questioning the way I handled myself in Court, even though I knew I could have done a better job of it. So, I wanted to bring you down a peg. I'm being honest here, Annie. I care about you and I don't want you to stay mad at me forever."

  "Well, I don't know what to say, Jesse," Annie said. "It's easy sometimes to see through your facade and see the man underneath, with a good upbringing. I just worry about your goals now, and what you want out of life. They don't seem to fit with who you really are anymore."

  "I admit I got distracted with the Indian-from-the-res-makes-good mindset. But, that's not all. I feel like I have to live up to my Dad's reputation and I always think I'll fall short of his expectations for me."

  "Jesse, I have the same problem with my family. They want me to settle down in Arkansas with a local farmer, or whatever, have a passel of babies and be a stay-at-home-mom. Like my sister. That's not me, and I have to be true to myself. Until you can reach that point and not try to impress everyone else - especially your father - there's not much of a chance for a true relationship between you and anyone."

  "You're right, Annie, and I'm consciously working on reaching inside and pulling out the real essence of who I am. I just don't want you to give up on me in the meantime. Maybe I need to take a break and visit my sister, Chianna in Calistoga. She has a way of centering me."

  "That's a good idea, Jesse. My problem when I go home to visit is that I end up reverting to 'their little girl' and behaving exactly like they want me to. Then I could kick myself in the morning." She laughed. "After I get back to Bakersfield, I have to reassert myself and let my family know nothing has changed. It just seems to make my relationship with them worse."

  "Well, if I visit Chianna it will be because I want to get in touch with my roots again, not leave them behind."

  "Then I think you should go, Jesse. It can't hurt if you are going with the right frame of mind."

  "You're right. I think I'll drive up there in the morning and come back Sunday night. Maybe we can talk then."

  "Bon voyage, Jesse, and give your sister a hug for me. I'd like to meet her one day."

  * * *

  Jesse left the next morning at 3:00 AM, hoping to beat the Bay Area traffic en route to Calistoga, where his sister, Chianna, and her husband Dion Gueye lived. He loved the area and even considered moving there at one point, but he didn't want to live that close to his parents, who lived in San Francisco. Therefore, he ended up in California's Central Valley instead.

  Chianna made a name for herself with her gallery where she showcased Native American arts and crafts from all around the country. She also featured handcrafted pottery and the baskets that their mother produced in San Francisco for her own gallery. Their dad was an attorney for the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

  Her husband, Dion, whom she met when they were both students at the University of California Davis, had a PhD in Viticulture and Enology, and worked for one of the many vineyard/wineries famous in the area.

  Jesse called Chianna the night before to alert her of his arrival, and headed straight for her gallery when he pulled into town in his red Mustang. He knew she went into the gallery bright and early, so there was no point going to their lovely home until later in the day.

  "Hey, Sis," he hollered, as he entered the gallery. He looked around at all the objects on display. It always made him homesick for his grandmother's home in North Carolina.

  "Ahh, finally," Chianna said as she rushed forward to give her big brother a hug and kiss. "It's so good to see you, Jesse. It's been too long. Are you still dancing the grass dance at your local pow wows? I wish you would come here when there are pow wows nearby so I could show you off to all my unmarried girlfriends," she laughed as he cringed.

  "That's probably the reason I don't dance here, Chianna. You're always trying to match-make me to someone."

  "Well, someone has to do something. You sure didn't pick well when you married SueEllen, now did you?"

  "Point taken. We weren't a match made in heaven, that's for sure. At least we were both intelligent enough to realize it and part ways before we became enemies. She's doing quite well in the District Attorney's Office in San Diego County now. I hear from her from time to time."

  "Oh, the follies of youth," Chianna said with a laugh. "So, what do I owe the pleasure of this unexpected visit?" she said, as she led him into the back room to a small kitchen area where the delicious aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the room.

  "Actually, to be honest, coming here wasn't only my idea," Jesse said. "I've been bombing out with a woman I work with, a Homicide Detective, and she said I'd lost touch with my roots. When I thought about it, I realized she's right. She said maybe I needed to visit my family to center myself and find the 'real me' - her words, not mine - so, I decided to come here. You always keep me on track and make me remember the values our family instilled in us."

  "Uh oh," Chianna said. "I think I screwed up. When you called that you were coming, I invited a good friend of mine, Rebecca Grady, over to join us for dinner. She's from the California Band of Miwok Indians in Calaveras County. She's an attorney and is working to get recognition for their tribe. It's been slow going. There aren't many Miwok left in the Sierra Tribe of which she's a member."

  She stopped and sipped her coffee, avoiding Jesse's exasperated look.

  "I thought maybe you could give her some pointers. Well, I hope you'll just be polite and not make her feel foolish. She doesn't know how my ulterior motives work." Chianna laughed at herself and her little faux pas.

  "OK, Sis, I'll be nice. Now, what can I do about Annie? And, how's grandmother doing. I really would like to go visit her and immerse myself in our culture, but I can't get away right now."

  "She's doing fine. She asks about you whenever I talk to her and wonders when you will visit," Chianna said. "Oh, here's an idea. I know a shaman who lives nearby. Sometimes, when I need grounded, I invite him over and we meditate together. Nothing fancy, we just concentrate on our roots and the old ways and just talk. Would you like me to call him and see if he can join us for dinner?"

  "That would be good, Chianna. Just what I need. What about your friend, Rebecca? What will she think?"

  "Rebecca meditates with us sometimes. She's determined to keep true to the old ways. I'll give her a call and tell her that's what we plan to do tonight.

  "Now, why don't you go out into the gallery and learn to appreciate Native American arts and crafts again. There are many nice pieces there. If you want anything I can give you a good family discount."

  Jesse spent the next hour roaming around the gallery. He
found a lovely Navajo necklace for Annie and bought it, even knowing he may never find the right moment to give it to her.

  When Chianna came out of her office, she said, "OK, everything is set up for tonight. Rebecca's thrilled and the shaman will come over at 8:00 PM. We'll have a light snack, meditate, and then have dinner afterward. For now, I've called my assistant to come in and I think you and I should go have some fun. Let's go to a wine tasting at one of the wineries. I've found some good wines lately. What do you think?"

  "I'm ready. However, before I drink a lot of wine, I need to eat something. I've been on the road since 3:00 AM and I'm starving. Let's grab an early lunch first and then go vineyard hopping."

  They passed a pleasant day and that evening when everyone gathered at Chianna's home, the shaman arrived. The serene group meditated, chanted, and just shared each other's stories and company. Jesse felt his inner calm returning. Jesse found Rebecca charming and friendly. They discussed her efforts to get her tribe recognized, but he didn't have any specific information to help her.

  The next day, Dion, Chianna, and Jesse lounged around their lovely hillside home and Jesse and Chianna entertained Dion with their childhood adventures in the Cherokee, NC. It was a pleasant interlude for Jesse, and exactly what he needed. He watched the interaction between Dion and Chianna and realized that this was the type of relationship he wanted. Now, if only he could get Annie to agree. Maybe, if he could convince her to come, he would bring her here for a weekend.

  At 6:00 PM he reluctantly bid Chianna and Dion good-bye and headed back to Kern County. He recognized that he needed to take a different approach with Annie and made a vow that he wouldn't do anything to screw up this time.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  BACK TO THE PRESENT

  Monday, 13 August 2012, Noon

  Annie liked to eat at Wool Growers Restaurant. There were several Basque Restaurants in Bakersfield, but in her opinion Wool Growers was the best. She didn't think she could get food that was more authentic, even if she traveled to the South of France or Northern Spain.

  She especially loved to come on Monday when the daily special was spare ribs served with the "set up" which included soup, salad, French fries, beans, salsa, and French bread and butter. You could never go hungry eating here, she thought. She also liked the family-style service and atmosphere. The restaurant served everything on big platters or in communal bowls and each person dished up what they wanted.

  Another reason she chose Wool Growers on this particular day was because of the noise level, and eating at the communal tables would thwart any chance of a private conversation with Jesse. It would keep their relationship problem to the minimum, at least for the moment.

  I am attracted to him, and I know he's interested in me. I'm just not in the market for a romantic relationship at the moment, she thought.

  Her short marriage during her college years didn't do much to endear the institution of marriage to her. In addition, both of their jobs were work intensive. As a Deputy District Attorney, his workload was extreme. They could possibly go several days and not have any contact with each other.

  * * *

  Jesse and Annie took their seats at a long table filled with other diners. After the server took their orders, Jesse leaned across the table and put his hand over Annie's hand. She was tempted to withdraw it, but let it be.

  "I think you picked this place because of its lack of privacy," Jesse said with a scowl.

  "I was going to suggest Luigi's, which isn't much more private, but it's closed on Monday," Annie said with a smile in her voice.

  Annie handed Jesse a folder. "Here's a copy of all the notes I have so far. There's not much to see, so there's really nothing to discuss. We can just eat lunch and be on our way.

  "I'll be reviewing copies of the hand-written reports from the deputies and detectives who talked to the witnesses and canvassed the homes and businesses located in the vicinity of the crime scene. When they come in, I'll fax them to you."

  Annie saw the longing in Jesse's eyes and her heart felt heavy.

  "So, how was your visit with your sister?" Annie said.

  "It was way too short," Jesse said. "She has a beautiful gallery full of Native American art." Jesse reached into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet pouch. "I thought you might like this - no strings."

  Jesse handed it to Annie. When she opened it and removed the beautiful beaded necklace, she was at a loss for words. "Oh, Jesse, it's beautiful. I can't accept it, really I can't."

  "Yes, you can. I said 'no strings'. I want you to have it and I thought of you the moment I saw it."

  "Thank you so much," Annie said as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I have a dress that's a perfect match."

  "Annie, I know commitment scares you. I don't know what else I can do. Maybe I simply need to back off and give you some space and see what happens."

  Annie tucked the necklace into her messenger bag as the waitress started bringing the many dishes that comprised their lunch. Jesse looked at all the food and shook his head.

  "Besides," he said, "the way we eat, we would always be so stuffed with carbs each day that 'pillow talk' would be a non-issue. We would sleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows," he said, grinning as he dug into his French fries.

  "It's a good thing we both have excellent metabolisms and work out regularly, or we would look like wart hogs," Annie said, laughing.

  Annie attacked her soup and the French bread and butter. For several minutes they ate and savored the excellent food brought to them.

  "How are you going to spend the rest of your afternoon?" Jesse asked, as they were sipping their coffee, both feeling stuffed from all the good food. "I have to be back in Court by 1:30 PM, but this trial should wrap up today."

  "A nap sounds like a good idea, but I don't see that happening," Annie said. "Right now I'm heading over to the morgue to get a copy of Jane Doe's fingerprints so I can scan them in IAFIS and see if anything turns up."

  "I didn't want to discuss the murder during lunch," Jesse said, "but what evidence do you have to go on so far?"

  "Not much, Jesse, not much at all," Annie said. "I hope Laine or Deputy Coroner Schillings come up with something we can work with. Right now there isn't anything specific. The uniforms will continue to canvass the area and we will start putting together the Murder Book with whatever reports and other bits of information we have. Solving a murder isn't a fine science; it's based on a lot of luck and intuition. I wish the general public and the politicians realized that."

  "Well, you've got the best working with you on this one. Laine and Deputy Schillings give every investigation their all, as well as Tom with his many years of experience. When is the autopsy, do you know yet?"

  "Tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM. We'll see you there, right?"

  "Yes, Annie, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

  Annie laughed. "That's good, Jesse. As I get information, I'll pass it on to your office. I have a feeling this case will be full of challenges and won't be easy."

  "Well, the first thing is to try to find out who she was and where she came from. Maybe that will answer some questions," Jesse said as he got into his Mustang and headed back to Court.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Monday, 13 August 2012, 1:45 PM

  After Annie left Wool Growers, she drove over to the morgue to pick up fingerprint cards to scan into the FBIs databases for a possible match.

  "Hi, Annie," the receptionist, Nicole Tunnicliff, said as Annie entered the office. Earlier, Annie called and talked to the forensic pathologist scheduled to perform the autopsy on 'Jane Doe' and requested fingerprint cards. It pleased her that Dr. Preston Richards, whom she liked and respected, would be working this case.

  "Hey, Nicole. Where's Doc? He said I could pick up the fingerprint cards that Deputy Coroner Schillings took at the crime scene on our 'Jane Doe'. I'm going to scan them in and hope the online databases will have a match."

  "Yeah, he told me.
He's in his office at the moment, so you can catch him there."

  "Thanks, Nicole," Annie said as she headed for Doc's office.

  Annie breathed a sigh of relief when Nicole told her that Doc wasn't in the morgue. It was bad enough that she, Tom, and Jesse would be attending the autopsy the next day.

  "Hey, Doc," she said as she knocked on the open door to his office.

  "Hi Annie. I bet you want fingerprints so you can get the ball rolling?" he said, as he gave her a big grin. Annie loved his infectious smile and the constant twinkle in his eyes.

  "Yes, one of my top priorities, besides finding who killed her, is finding out who she is. I imagine somewhere there is someone who is wondering what happened to her. Even though the news isn't good, it's always better to know the truth than to wonder."

  "Here you go." Doc handed Annie a manila envelope that held several copies of the fingerprint card.

  After Annie signed for them, she said, "I'm going to send her fingerprints to the State and local databases, as well as the International data bases, in case someone has them on file but, for whatever reason, hasn't forwarded them to the International data bases. If there are even prints for her in any system."

  Both Annie and Doc knew that all fingerprints weren't eligible for inclusion in the FBI International databases, so it was standard operating procedure to check local and State databases as well.

  "Is the autopsy still scheduled for tomorrow?" Annie said.

  "Of course, homicides have priority, as you know. You need to be here a little before 9:00 AM so you can get suited up and ready. Tom and Jesse will be attending also, right? I heard the DA assigned Jesse to this case."

  "Yes, they'll both be here."

  "When I mentioned Jesse did I detect a frown on that lovely face of yours? I know he wants more than a professional relationship from you, which is apparent. Is that a problem for you?"