Cause of Death (Det. Annie Avants Book 1)

by Renee Benzaim

  "I don't know, Doc. It could be. I've seen too many failed relationships between people in this field. I treasure Jesse as a friend, and would hate to lose him because of a failed romantic involvement. It could happen, you know."

  "Yes, I've seen it also and it can be devastating. I worry about Tom sometimes. Since the murder of his wife so many years ago, he hasn't even looked at another woman. I think his scars run deep and may never be healed."

  "I know, Doc. That's a sad story, and I see the pain in his face when he remembers what happened. I don't know what the answer is. I can't even sort out my own life, let alone someone else's. Besides, we may think we know what's best for another person, but we don't," Annie said.

  "The only word of caution I have, Annie, is not to transfer the pressure you get from your family to settle down and have kids onto Jesse. He's a good man. I think if you let him know how you feel, and how your family treats you, he'll better understand your resistance."

  "You're right, Doc. I need to talk to him straight up and let him know what my fears are. Thanks for the advice and for caring.

  "I appreciate the quick turn around on the prints, Doc. I'll see you bright and early in the morning."

  As Annie turned to leave, Doc said, "Oh, Annie, by the way. These spider bites are a real puzzle. I am comparing each one to the charts I have that track the progress of a black widow spider bite, and they seem to have occurred over a period of several days. I'll have more information when I do the autopsy and have time to analyze each bite, but it is perplexing."

  "Maybe we'll know more tomorrow. Just thinking about spiders crawling over her body gives me the creeps," Annie said, as she visibly shivered.

  Doc laughed, "Take care, Annie, and stay out of trouble."

  Annie echoed his laughter as she left his office.

  * * *

  When Annie finally got back to her desk, she called the deputies who took the witness statements at the scene to see if their reports were ready.

  Deputy Hermosillo arrived shortly with copies of the hand-written reports.

  "This is what we have. None of the three at the scene had much to say that you don't already know. We will wait a couple of days and follow up with them again just in case they remember something significant, or even insignificant, as well."

  Deputy Hermosillo placed the folder on Annie's desk and she rewarded him with one of her cheerful smiles.

  "Several deputies are still canvassing the area around the crime scene, but businesses and residences are spread out and they haven't returned yet. We're trying to determine which businesses are located such that the employees would travel on South Fairfax Road. We will talk to those employees specifically who go to work in the early morning or late evening hours."

  "Good work, Raoul. Could you let me know as soon as the deputies turn in their hand-written reports? And make sure to ask them if they told each person interviewed to go to the substation in Lamont to sign the typed reports."

  "I already mentioned that to them. They're on top of it. They'll take their original reports to the substation to be typed up and I'll bring a copy of the original statements here for you."

  "Thanks, Raoul."

  * * *

  Later in the day, Annie called Laine DelMonte to see if she or her crew had found anything unusual at the crime scene. She hoped there would be some clues to help them identify the victim, or whomever put her there.

  "I did find some leaves that aren't indigenous to that area," Laine said. "They look like they're from an olive tree. They have the light color underneath and are the right shape. I'm going to have them checked to make sure. Unfortunately, there are many olive trees in this County, so it won't really narrow down where she might have been. At least we can be fairly certain that she was somewhere else before being moved to the vineyard."

  * * *

  At 4:30 PM Deputy Hermosillo returned with copies of several of the hand-written reports.

  Annie was sitting at her desk going over, once again, the three statements by the men from the crime scene.

  "Hi Detective. Here are some of the reports from the field. I'm afraid there isn't much information. No one remembers hearing or seeing anything."

  "That's kind of what I was expecting, Raoul, but we still have to give every avenue a try. Thank you for returning these to me so quickly."

  "You're more than welcome," Deputy Hermosillo said as he left the room.

  A couple of minutes later, Tom returned from his visit to the crime scene.

  "Tom, have you talked with the sketch artist yet?" Annie asked.

  "Yep, I sure have. I uploaded the photos to my computer and emailed the ones of the victim's face to Sarah and she will have sketches done and delivered here shortly. She knows we want them for the press conference."

  "Great. When she brings them, have a couple hundred copies made and give them to deputies all over the County to distribute at the Malls and other public places. We need to find out who this girl is."

  Annie gave half of the reports to Tom to review and she took the other half. They spent the next half-hour going through the reports, and weren't surprised when they found no new information to help them with their investigation.

  Sarah arrived with her sketches and Tom made copies to go with his press release for the press conference, as well as for the deputies.

  * * *

  Sheriff Quinn walked up to the temporary podium that was set up for the Press Conference in the courtyard at the front of the Courthouse. Three of his deputies were busy passing out the police artist's sketch of the unidentified victim, 'Jane Doe' as well as the Sheriff's official statement.

  "Good afternoon," he said as he looked around the gathering. "For those of you who don't know me, I'm Sheriff/Coroner Mick Quinn - Q U I N N.

  "You've all received a copy of the artist rendition of what the victim, 'Jane Doe', probably looked like during life. She appears to be a Hispanic female between the ages of 23 and 30.

  "She was found, as you'll note in the report, in a vineyard on South Fairfax Road between DiGiorgio Road and Buena Vista Road this morning around 5:30 AM. The body, which was nude, was located about 20 feet in from the black top and had most likely been placed there during the preceding twenty-four hours.

  "There was no obvious cause of death. We've scheduled an autopsy for tomorrow morning. At that time, we will issue a statement with more information, if there is anything new to add.

  "That's all the information I have at the moment and this is what you will find in the report. We are hoping that someone will recognize the woman from the police sketch and contact the Sheriff's Office.

  "Thank you."

  Several hands went up and the clamor to answer more questions arose from the crowd.

  "I will not be answering any more questions at the moment because there's nothing else I can tell you. As I said, Doc scheduled the autopsy for tomorrow morning. Perhaps then we'll have more answers. Nevertheless, as you know, the autopsy report and the toxicology reports will take a while to be completed. We will be doing DNA fingerprinting to see if there's a match. That's really all I can tell you."

  Amid the calls of "Sheriff, Sheriff, Sheriff Quinn" the Sheriff, Sgt. Collins, Annie, Tom, and Jesse turned around and entered the Courthouse. When the crowd finally dissipated, they made their way back to their separate offices.

  * * *

  Press Release:

  At approximately 5:30 AM this morning, dispatch received a 911 call from a man on South Fairfax Road, between DiGiorgio Road and Buena Vista Road. He was with two Mexican farm laborers who flagged him down stating that they saw a body in the vineyard. Deputies arrived at the scene within ten minutes and ascertained that there was a body, deceased, of a young, Hispanic woman. There were no obvious signs of trauma. A forensic pathologist will do an autopsy tomorrow and then we will have more information. I have no further information at this time. Attached is a police sketch of the victim. Anyone with information as to her identit
y is encouraged to contact the Sheriff's Office or any law enforcement agency. If they wish to remain anonymous, they can contact our Secret Witness Hotline. Thank you.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Monday, 13 August 2012, 8:00 PM

  "Hey, Sis," Julio Gutierrez called out, "I'm hungry and there's nothing to eat in this house. When will Mom and Dad be back from Modesto?"

  "Some time tomorrow, as you all too well know," his sister Carmen, answered from the back porch where she was enjoying the cooler evening breezes.

  Their little house on North Derby Street in Arvin didn't have air conditioning. It was another hot day and the temperature had climbed to over 100 degrees F.

  Julio joined Carmen on the back porch. "I couldn't talk you into going over to La Mexicana Market and getting some food, could I?" Julio said with a grin. Carmen, who was 23 years old couldn't resist doing anything for her 16-year-old brother.

  "I suppose I could. Maybe the walk will cool me off. What do you want?"

  "I don't care. Some burritos, refried beans, and rice would be nice. What do you think?"

  "That sounds good to me, too. I'll also get some eggs and tortillas for breakfast. Mom and Dad will probably be hungry and won't want to go shopping. I shouldn't have let the food get so low. I thought about shopping today, but the heat changed my mind. Besides, I enjoyed sitting around with nothing in particular on my schedule. I like my days off from work." Carmen worked part time at Arvin Lumber as a stock clerk and cashier. Arvin was small enough that she could walk to work most days, but she did relish her days off.

  Carmen got some money out of the jar in the kitchen cupboard and set out on her walk to the store.

  When she arrived at La Mexicana, she saw her friend, AnaMaria, hanging around in front of the store.

  "Hey, AnaMaria, what are you doing?" Carmen said.

  "Trying to stay cool and fighting off terminal boredom. You know. The kind of boredom that can only be fixed by ice cream or chocolate," AnaMaria said, with a chuckle. "So, here I am. What are you doing?"

  "We ran out of food and my silly brother is hungry and too lazy to walk into town to get something to eat. So, I'm getting us some burritos."

  "He's so lazy. You let him take advantage of you," AnaMaria said.

  "The walk is nice. It's starting to cool down a little. I'll talk to you later," Carmen said as she went into the store.

  Once inside, Carmen poked around a little. She wasn't in any hurry because it was cooler inside than out. After she made her purchases, she left the market, but instead of going back the way she came, she walked east on Bear Mountain Boulevard to South Derby Street and turned left. I think it will be cooler walking along the side of the road with the bushes, than next to the houses, she thought.

  She didn't notice the blue Ford Explorer that followed her from the market as she slowly walked along the east side of Derby. It surprised her when it slowed down next to her. She hadn't been paying attention. A man jumped out and said, "Let me help you with those things."

  "No, that's all right, I don't have far to walk," she said.

  "I insist," he said as he opened the passenger door and wrested the sacks from her hand.

  "Hey, wait a minute, that's my stuff," she said.

  "Then, get in here with them," he said as he grabbed her arm and pushed her into the passenger seat with her sacks.

  Carmen tried to get out but found no handle on the inside of the door. Before she could scream, he jumped into the driver's side and punched her in the side of the head. She fell unconscious onto the floorboard.

  He leaned over and tied her hands and feet with plastic ties and covered her mouth with duct tape so she couldn't scream when she came to.

  "So, what did she buy us for dinner?" he said. "It sure smells good. I'll eat well tonight."

  With that, he made a U-Turn and headed down to Bear Mountain Boulevard and home.

  * * *

  When he reached his house, he unloaded Carmen into the basement, leaving her secured. He laid her on a cot to keep her up off the floor. He would deal with her later.

  Upstairs, he brought the sacks into his kitchen, just off the patio, and opened them.

  "Yumm, burritos, rice, and beans. Enough for two people. I wonder who the second dinner was for?" he said as he dumped the crushed carton of eggs into the trash and put the tortillas in the refrigerator. He took his meal out onto his covered patio. The yard to his home was large and surrounded by olive trees. Even when he looked at it on the satellite maps on his computer, he could barely see a small part of the roof. This home had been built many years ago and was solid. No sound escaped from the basement, which suited his purposes just fine.

  He sat there enjoying the evening. His friend, Okie, walked over to join him, carrying a couple of cold beers.

  "Hey, Okie, how's it hangin'?" he asked his neighbor.

  "Just great," Okie said. "That sure smells good. What is it?"

  "Mexican food. I have more. Do you want some? There's another whole serving."

  "Sure, that would go great with the beer."

  He went inside and got the second serving and brought it outside for Okie

  "Here you go. Enjoy," he said as he picked up his icy cold beer and rubbed it against his forehead before taking a big swallow.

  "Where did you get this, and why did you buy two orders?" Okie said. "It tastes great."

  "A little Mexican restaurant I found in Arvin. I was hungry and thought I could eat two orders, but you know how filling this type of food is. My eyes were bigger than my stomach," he said, as he laughed.

  The two men ate in silence and listened to the mariachi music that spilled into the night from a nearby bar. After finishing their meals, and Okie's beers, Okie returned to his trailer. The man went inside to play on his computer. Tomorrow he would pay a visit to his guest, but for now, she could rest.

  * * *

  Where is she? Julio wondered as he looked at his watch. It was already 9:30 PM and Carmen hadn't returned from town. Why is it taking her so long to get back? His grumbling stomach reminded him of his growing hunger. I bet she met up with some friends and is wasting time while I sit here and starve.

  In exasperation, he headed for town. As he walked down C Street, he saw Carmen's friend AnaMaria on the other side of the street.

  He crossed over so he could speak with her.

  "Hola, AnaMaria," he said, "how are you?"

  "Hola, Julio. I'm great, thanks. Did you get your fill of food finally?"

  "No, that's why I'm out. I'm still waiting for Carmen to bring me something to eat."

  "What? She arrived at the market a long time ago and went right in to buy some food. She should have been home by now."

  "Were you at the market?"

  "Yes, Julio. Me and some friends were standing outside, just chilling, when Carmen arrived. About 20 minutes later, she came out carrying two sacks and headed home. I'm surprised she isn't there yet. I wonder where she went?"

  "Shit. Where could she be?" Julio frowned and stood silent for a moment. "Were any of her other friends around? Maybe someone who offered her a ride and then they went somewhere else first?"

  "I didn't see anyone else. She headed east on Bear Mountain Road when she left and turned up Derby. That's the last I saw of her."

  "Well, I guess I'll buy something for myself and head back on home. Hopefully, she'll be there by now and we'll have plenty to eat until Mom and Dad return tomorrow. See you later, AnaMaria."

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Tuesday, 14 August 2012, 8:00 AM

  Tom knocked on Sgt. Collins' door and shifted about from foot to foot as he waited for her to answer. That woman spends more time on the phone than anyone I know, he thought. However, it was a normal occurrence and he didn't want to disturb her.

  "Come in," Sgt. Collins said, finally.

  Tom walked into the office and sat down in the chair across from her desk. He noted, from the expression on her face, that something was disturbing her.
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  "Do you have any new information about this victim yet?" she asked, clasping her hands in front of her on the desk and leaning towards Tom.

  "No information as to her identity. There weren't any responses to her fingerprints. However, Laine says the boot print is distinctive, not your everyday run-of-the-mill Nike or New Balance brands. She will have someone look into the sole pattern to determine the make and manufacture of the boot."

  "So, what does all of this mean?" Sgt. Collins asked.

  Tom felt her impatience radiating across the desk. He knew she was under pressure from the hierarchy above her to find quick.

  "I don't know," said Tom.

  "As to the general condition of her body, Deputy Coroner Schillings believes that she was naked the whole time and found encrusted feces and the strong scent of urine on her body.

  "Laine did a grid search of the immediate area surrounding the body and up and down South Fairfax Road. Besides the boot print I mentioned before, they found and cast a tire track in some soft mud along the roadway. Whether it was from the vehicle that transported the victim or not is hard to say."

  "What about contusion, abrasions, lacerations, those kinds of things? Did Deputy Schillings notice anything?"

  "We won't have his full report until later. Doc scheduled the autopsy for 9:00 AM this morning and, of course, Detective Avants, Jesse Greyeyes, and I will attend. That's about it for now."

  "OK, Tom, keep me updated. This is just strange enough that it raises red flags in my mind. Obviously, our main focus is to get her identified and find out what led her to this spot at this point in time. That's it. Let's get back to work and see what happens with the autopsy."

  CHAPTER NINE

  Tuesday, 14 August 2012, 9:00 AM

  Annie and Tom arrived at the morgue at 9:00 AM to view the autopsy on their 'Jane Doe'. The contract forensic pathologist, Dr. Preston Richards, along with the diener - the autopsy assistant - Joseph Al-Fassi, had finished setting up for the autopsy.