Cause of Death (Det. Annie Avants Book 1)

by Renee Benzaim

  "I didn't know what to do. We were defending Manolo Alcantar and I read everything on the case. I saw that the knife was in evidence and it seemed to be the only physical link between Manolo Alcantar and the crime scene. I thought if the knife disappeared, and couldn't be entered into evidence, the case would be too weak.

  "Another thing I've never talked about with anyone is that I have a cousin who is a police officer with Bakersfield PD. Mexican families are very close and loyal to each other, so I talked to Carlito and asked what he thought we could do to help Tito's friend. I mentioned the knife in evidence and speculated that if it couldn't be found, the case would probably fall apart.

  "I let Carlito come to the conclusion that perhaps he could go into evidence, pretending to look for something or whatever, and hide the knife so it just looked like it was misplaced when they found it later. It wouldn't matter because the chain of custody of the knife would have been compromised.

  "I know it was stupid. Normally uniforms aren't allowed back into the evidence room, but he timed it just right so that the evidence clerk was busy and he just told her he would only be a minute, that he just was going to check on the number of an item he put into evidence a few days before.

  "She said he could go back and while he was there he hid the knife."

  Annie sat there dumbfounded. Tampering with evidence was not a good thing.

  "When did he put the knife back?"

  "Well, actually he didn't have to. When the knife came up missing at the trial and it was decided the chain of custody was broken, the clerk did a thorough search of the evidence room and found that it was 'misplaced'. She let the Court know and put it back where it belonged. She didn't connect my cousin's visit to the misplaced evidence.

  "I'm so sorry, Annie. Tito and Manolo are in County and Manolo has been charged with robbery and murder. I confronted Tito and he admitted that he lied to me about Manolo's innocence for the previous trial. He laughed at my vulnerability to do whatever he wanted. I know you will have to report this, and I'm prepared. I gave notice at work on Friday. I'm ready to face whatever happens next. Mitch didn't want me to leave, but I told him the whole story, and he didn't see any other alternative."

  "I don't know what will happen, Noura. I still can't believe that you did this. What were you thinking?"

  "Annie, sometimes blood is thicker than water and I loved my little brother more than anything. That's the only excuse I have. I will say, though, that after the fact I felt guiltier for betraying our friendship than for getting Manolo Alcantar off. Of course, my actions are responsible for the murder of an innocent man. If Manolo had been in jail, this wouldn't have happened."

  "Wasn't the man he murdered a Crip from the East Side Crips?"

  "Yes, they have an ongoing war and it was stupid for Tito and Manolo to even be in their territory. Apparently the man they killed had stolen something from the Southside Bakers and the dumb asses went over there to get it back."

  Annie couldn't finish her meal, she was so overwhelmed by the news of Noura's actions.

  "Just go home, Noura. Let me talk to Jesse and Tom and see what they suggest. We'll be in touch."

  With that, the two women paid their checks and left the restaurant, both saddened by the situation.

  * * *

  Annie was torn up over what Noura did. Not only would it impact Noura's life, but the lives of others.

  For instance, her cousin was going to be in trouble as well as the evidence clerk who let him into the back of the evidence room.

  Could they charge Tito with obstructing justice? He's the one who encouraged Noura to help him get his friend, whom he alleged was innocent, released. Now, Manolo Alcantar and Tito, Noura's brother, were in jail for another robbery that resulted in the death of another man.

  Noura could be charged with a misdemeanor, but it was a felony her cousin committed because he was a law enforcement officer.

  Annie desperately needed to talk to Jesse and Tom. She dialed Tom's cell phone, but it went straight to voice mail, so she left a message to call her as soon as he could.

  Even though matters between them personally were still somewhat strained, Annie called Jesse.

  "Hello, Annie," he said, as he picked up his phone.

  "Hi, Jesse" she said. "I have something very disturbing and important I need to discuss with you and it can't wait. I know it's late, but can you come over?"

  "Sure, Annie. You sound upset, what's up?"

  "I'll tell you when I see you. I don't want to discuss it over the phone." She hung up and turned on her porch light to wait for Jesse.

  A few minutes later, Jesse arrived. They sat in Annie's living room and sipped their coffee while Annie told Jesse about Noura's confession.

  "And she's already given Mitch notice?" Jesse asked.

  "That's what she said, Jesse. But I'm sure she'll be there long enough to help Mitch find a replacement." Annie took another sip of her coffee.

  "And her cousin has done what?"

  "I don't know. I didn't even know she had a cousin at the PD. And I didn't know about her brother, Tito, either. When I stop to think about it, there isn't a lot I do know about her family other than her husband and son.

  "She didn't talk about her cousin that much. She may not have told him that she was going to tell me what they did. I'm sure she will tell him now because it's a much more serious offense for law enforcement personnel who tamper with evidence than it is for a civilian. I told her I needed to talk to you and Tom about it."

  "I'll follow through, Annie. I'll talk with the District Attorney and see how she wants to handle this. Probably she'll want Noura to come in, sign a statement, and possibly be formally charged. I don't know what will happen after that. I know they will want to know the name of her cousin and talk to the police chief about him and what he did."

  Right after Jesse left, Annie's phone rang and she saw from the caller ID that it was Tom. She updated him on what had happened. After Tom got over his shock, he and Annie both decided to see what Jesse found out from the District Attorney before they did anything. In the meantime, they still had a serial killer to catch.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  Tuesday, 28 August 2012, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM

  The next morning Tom and Annie left the Detective Bureau at 9:30 AM and walked out to the parking lot.

  "Do you want to drive, or do you want me to drive," Tom asked Annie.

  "You drive, I'll navigate," Annie answered. "It looks like it gets complicated as we get into Fresno."

  They climbed in the car and headed towards the 99 Freeway.

  "Where are we going?" Annie asked.

  "Dr. Goodkind suggested a restaurant called Baja Fresh," Tom said.

  "Oh, that's good," Annie said. "I've eaten at one in Bakersfield. They're kind of like Chipotle."

  "Well, that helps me a lot. I've never eaten at either place," Tom said.

  "It's Mexican food made only with fresh ingredients. It's good. Noura and I eat at Chipotle's sometimes. I like their food. I'm going to have shrimp tacos, rice, beans, guacamole, chips and salsa."

  "It's not even 10:00 AM. How can you talk about so much food so early?"

  "I'm preparing my taste buds. What kind of Mexican food do you like?"

  "Chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, BBQ."

  "You are impossible," Annie laughed. "Let me pull up the menu on my laptop. Hmmm, looks good. You would probably like the Baja Steak and Shrimp Bowl. Yumm. Listen to what it has: Fire-grilled steak and garlic-lime shrimp, green chile-tomatillo rice & black beans, avocado slices, roasted corn salsa, squash, Achiote onions, and Anejo cheese. Sounds delicious."

  "OK, you convinced me. If I'm still hungry after we leave, we can stop at a Domino's on the way home."

  * * *

  Just before noon the two detectives pulled into the parking lot in front of Baja Fresh. The weather was great and they were glad it was a little cooler in Fresno than in Bakersfield.
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br />   Dr. Goodkind was standing inside the door waiting for them.

  "Dr. Goodkind, I presume," said Tom, as they walked up to the man.

  "That I am," the doctor said as he reached out to shake Tom's hand.

  "I'm Tom Weston. We spoke on the phone. This is my partner, Detective Annie Avants."

  "Nice to meet both of you. Are you ready to eat? Let's order and then find a seat and we can talk about your cases."

  After they had ordered and settled in, they took time for small talk while they enjoyed their meal. Once they finished eating, they ordered cups of coffee and got down to business.

  "I read the information you sent me. I've never run across a serial killer who used spiders as his weapon of choice, but that doesn't mean it's never happened before.

  "Most serial killers who use unusual means to kill their victims have had some kind of traumatization as a child that has to do with their weapon of choice. For instance, someone who kills with snakes might have had a bad experience with snakes. Or, at the other end of the spectrum, they might just be fascinated with snakes and are experimenting to see what will happen if they let them loose on their victims.

  "I noticed that both of the young women were Hispanic. I'm not sure if that's significant at this point or not, but it could be. Hopefully, we won't have another victim to verify his targeted victims."

  "We have a missing person, too, and she is also a young Hispanic woman," Tom said.

  "Yes, I remember seeing that in the report. Thank you for reminding me.

  "First I'll give you the generic profile for someone who might commit murder using spiders. It will most likely be a male in his 20s or early 30s. He could have a history of serious mental illness so, if you can, you may see what kind of records you can find for someone treated with a spider phobia. He may have been abused as a child or suffered some great emotional crisis having to do with spiders when he was a young and impressionable boy. He may have abused animals as a child, and he may be fascinated by bugs and collect them.

  "He may be a drug abuser and when he is high he fantasizes about spiders and when he's not high he tries to relive those fantasies.

  "I noticed you visited pet shops to check for people who buy spiders to keep as pets, or someone who has expressed an uncommon interest in spiders. That was a good step. Did you get any responses or leads from those visits?"

  "Not really," Tom said. "One of the owners called and provided us with a small list of names of people who had an interest in spiders, or had purchased tarantulas. We talked to the people on the list, but our talks didn't lead anywhere. The strange thing is that one of the morgue's autopsy assistants was on the list. We visited him and found out that he has a pet tarantula named 'Buster', as well as two others, and he treats them as if they are part of his family. Actually, I guess to him, they are."

  "We don't consider him a suspect at this point in time," Annie said.

  "Here's a copy of my analysis. It's probably not going to be much help, but if you focus on the use of spiders and search out someone who has a fascination with spiders, you might have a better chance, especially since there hasn't been much in the way of evidence or clues left at the scenes," Dr. Goodkind said as he handed over his reports.

  "You have given us some ideas to think about, Doctor. Thank you so much for taking the time to drive down here and meet with us," Annie said.

  "And thank you for recommending Baja Fresh," Tom added. "I didn't think I would enjoy this meal, but it was very good. I'll check out similar restaurants in Bakersfield."

  The Doctor laughed. "You're more than welcome. If I can be of further help, please don't hesitate to give me a call."

  On that note, the three people left the restaurant and went their separate ways.

  * * *

  Annie and Tom arrived back at the office a little before 5:00 PM, wrote up their impressions of the meeting, and put them, along with the Doctor's report, in the Murder Book. When Sgt. Collins was free, they updated her on the meeting.

  All three agreed that the main lead they had at this time was the use of spiders and it would be wise to visit the pet shops again.

  * * *

  "Jesse, hi, it's Annie," Annie said when Jesse picked up his phone. "Tom and I just got back from Fresno where we met with the retired FBI Profiler we told you about. Now, we're starved. Do you want to meet us somewhere for an early dinner? I'm kind of craving Thai and thought we could go to the Thai House Kitchen on Ming Avenue."

  Jesse thought a minute, trying to remember if it was a restaurant he'd visited before.

  "What's the address? I'm not familiar with the restaurant."

  "It's at 5143 Ming Avenue - it's in the shopping center on the southeast corner of Ming Avenue and New Stine Road. There's a Subway, Today Cleaners, Bank of America Branch and cigarette store in the same shopping center.

  "You can't miss it."

  "OK, I'll leave now and meet you there. I'll probably get there before you do."

  "See ya. . ."

  * * *

  "What kind of stuff are we going to eat here?" Tom asked, as he looked at the menu.

  "Just read the descriptions, Tom," Annie said. "You'll see something that sounds good. I'm going to have the Pad Woon Sen."

  Tom frowned. "I haven't had any normal food all day. I bet I've eaten more weird stuff with you two since these cases began than during the last six years."

  "I wouldn't admit that, Tom," Annie said. "It's kind of sad, especially with all the international restaurants in Bakersfield."

  "How did you get to be such a gourmet eater?" Jesse asked.

  "I like to try different things and Bakersfield has a wonderful selection of restaurants to choose from," Annie answered. "I once printed a list of Bakersfield Restaurants and there were over 200. I was going to try all of them just to see what was different between California and Arkansas."

  "How far down the list did you get?" Jesse asked.

  "I gave up. There were just too many choices. Now, I just eat wherever I want, depending, of course, on who's with me. What are you going to have, Jesse?"

  "I'm going to order the Red Curry Duck. I haven't eaten anything like that for a long time. Normally, the restaurants I choose are a little less pricey."

  "Tom? Have you decided yet?" Jesse asked.

  "Yeah, I think I'll stick with the Barbecued Pork. They can't screw that up too much."

  Annie and Jesse laughed at Tom. He was so afraid to experiment and didn't like to try new food. This was the main reason Annie loved to drag him to restaurants that served food that was new to him.

  As soon as they settled in and placed their orders, Annie gave Jesse a copy of Dr. Goodkind's report, as well as their written notes about the meeting.

  "Well, his point about researching black widow paranoia is a good idea," Jesse said. "Other than that, his profile is pretty generic."

  "I get more and more worried about Maria Ortiz with each passing day. I can barely imagine what she's going through if she's in the hands of the same man. It terrifies me to think about it. I just don't know what we could be doing different. Our clues are so meager. Tomorrow we have that conference call with the spider expert from the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta. Maybe he will give us some information that will help."

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Tuesday, 28 August 2012, 9:00 PM

  Annie and Tom walked into the lobby of the Sheriff's Office and were met by an unusual amount of activity.

  "What's going on?" Tom said to Deputy Elroy Simonds, the Public Service Officer on duty at the front desk.

  "We have a real bad situation going down right now and it doesn't look like it's going to resolve itself anytime soon," Deputy Simonds said.

  "About three hours ago an 18 year old male was traveling at a high rate of speed along Sierra Drive just out of Lemon Cove, a windy road in Tulare County that leads from Visalia to Three Rivers. He apparently missed a turn and lost control of his car, causing it to go into a spin
, smack into the back end of another vehicle, and flip over, landing top down on the other car.

  "There were two passengers in the other car, a young couple from Lake Isabella, Michele and Reggie McGaha. The driver of the responsible vehicle, Peter Adams, lived with his mom in Bakersfield, so all three victims were residents of Kern County.

  "A witness says he saw someone flee from the car driven by Peter Adams. Upon arriving at the scene, the first responders from Tulare County Sheriff's Office and the fire department found that the three victims were deceased. After examining the bodies as best he could, the Deputy Coroner had them moved to the morgue," Deputy Simonds said.

  "One major problem is that the young couple lived in Kern County, but the Deputy Coroner couldn't find anything in their effects to indicate next of kin, which isn't unusual. We dispatched our deputy in the Lake Isabella area to their home. He contacted their neighbors to see if anyone knew their next of kin without, of course, telling them why he needed to know. Finally, the deputy called a locksmith to open up the home and he searched until he found an address book with the name, address, and phone number of her parents. They are a Mr. & Mrs. Carson Buchanan."

  "How did you know it was her parents?" Annie said.

  "It said 'Mom and Dad' next to the entry."

  "Oh, sorry to interrupt. Please, continue."

  "We didn't find anything that was obviously the contact info for Mr. McGaha's parents. There were some entries with the same last name as his, but no indication as to who they were.

  "To complicate matters further, her parents live in Tulare County. A deputy from Tulare County made the notification and got the contact information for the husband's next of kin. That's been taken care of. Reggie McGaha's parents also live in Tulare County.

  "The problem is with the young man, the driver of the alleged responsible vehicle. As I mentioned before, his name is Peter Adams and he lives with his mother, Gwynn Adams, in South Bakersfield.