The Traveling Corpse

by Double Edge Press

  “You’re right!” Barb chimed in. “Tilley described it to us. Remember, she told us that it had some diamond-cut gold links in it? Even though it’s been outside in the rain and in that bird’s mouth, it still reflects light like there were diamonds in the wrist band.”

  Menendez kept her own counsel and listened to ‘her seniors’ reasoning.

  “It isn’t running; it’s stopped at 9:47,” Brad added. “That’s about the time Karl drove out of the field, right after Jiggs was kicked to death. Do you suppose he ran over her and her watch?”

  “That’s a very good supposition,” his wife said. “Then, again, it might be that rain got in it.”

  “But,” Brad argued, “if you remember, it didn’t start raining until a little later Thursday night.”

  “You’re right about the time it began raining,” Barb conceded.

  “Since the clasp is open,” Annie interjected, “I think it fell off her arm, probably when the body fell off the golf cart, or when it ran over her.”

  “Then why didn’t we find the watch before? Like when Verna found the blue threads caught in that plant? Where was it all day Friday?” Barb asked.

  Gilly answered that question, “Most likely inside one of tha big birds.”

  Barb shuddered, “You mean …?”

  “Yep. They graze all day long. One of ‘em, probably swallowed it; then passed it.”

  “Wouldn’t it be hidden inside the, the poop?” Barb finally managed to say the word.

  “Naw, they mostly just pass everythin’ out along with their liquid-like stuff. We never have ta clean up their manure like ya do cows. Sometimes there’s a little ball of doo-doo, but it’s no more than three-quarter of an inch ‘round; so, no, that fancy watch wouldn’t be hidden in it. Not big enough ta hide that.” He motioned to the bracelet watch. “Naw, it would jest come out an’ lay thar on tha ground. If that watch fell off on Thursday night, then it was most prob’bly in one of their stomachs all day long Friday. Then this little emu, Carol, ya call her, picked it up today an’ she’s been showin’ it off ta her buddies.”

  Annie thought that what Gilly said made sense about the jewelry being swallowed and passed, but where was Twila’s body? There was no way a bird swallowed her too. She looked away, trying to puzzle through the whole problem. She saw the alligator sunning itself on the bank. “That’s it!” she exclaimed. “He could be the answer.”

  “What are you talking about, Annie? The answer to what?” her husband asked. He was used to her talking about something and forgetting to tell him the subject.

  Annie pointed, “That alligator; he could have eaten the corpse and that’s why we can’t find the body. I knew there had to be a reason why we couldn’t find Twila.”

  Verna shuddered this time, “Oh, Annie, you don’t think that alligatah ate Twila? Do you?”

  “Why not? They eat everything else.” She turned to Gilly and asked, “Will an alligator eat meat that’s been dead for a couple of days?”

  “They’re not too choosy as far as I know, m’am. Meat is meat to them.” Gilly said.

  “Look who’s coming,” Barb said, pointing to the cart path. Doc and DeeDee Davis pulled up to next to their friends. Then Barb, taking charge, explained what had happened so far that day. Amused by Barb’s authority, Menendez stood by, listening carefully.

  Then Annie analyzed the problem. “Let’s say that the body fell off Karl’s golf cart when he was in a hurry to get out of here on Thursday night. He coulda made a fast turn, and it coulda fallen off his cart if he didn’t have it strapped on. We couldn’t get in here to check it out last night because of the mad ostrich, and it was too dark to see all of the field.”

  Art added, “What about this idea? Karl knows he can’t bury the body after what happened to Jiggs; that plan’s gone. Maybe the body didn’t fall off; maybe he pushed it off close to the pond hoping the alligator would take it away. Remember, Karl was desperate at that point. If the alligator eats the body, there’s no evidence, and he’s scot-free!”

  Verna added, “And that’s when Twila’s blue pants snagged on that thorny bush near the pond.”

  “An’ tha clasp of her watch could’ve opened, an’ it fell off her wrist. And one of those big birds could’ve swallowed it and had it inside her all day until she pooped. Then Carol, that cute little emu, couldda picked it up this mornin’,” DeeDee continued the reasoning.

  “I wish the first one had showed it off—strutted around with it—instead of swallowing it. It would have saved us a whole day,” Annie lamented.

  “Since we had that fairly rare American crocodile in one of our ponds,” Doc said, “I did some research on them and while I was at it, I read up on alligators too. You realize, of course, that I didn’t have much need to know a lot about alligators and crocodiles in my veterinarian practice back in mid-Ohio.”

  His friends chuckled, and he continued, “Alligators don’t eat when it’s cold, but since it warmed up Thursday, he could have been hungry. If that body was there by the pond, then he had an easy meal just waiting for him. I don’t think he ate the body on the land. But then, he could have. However, if he had it in the water, he’d have grabbed a limb and then spun in a death roll, tearing the arm from the corpse. Then he’d swallow it. Alligators don’t have chewing teeth; they swallow things whole—arms, jewelry and all.

  DeeDee interjected, “Ya do paint quite a gruesome picture, Doc!”

  “Well, I thought you’d want to know all the gory details.”

  “Actually, we do,” Annie replied, “At least, I do. It helps to know as much as we can to put this puzzle together.”

  Doc went on, “More than likely, the big ole guy dragged the body into the water. If the victim is alive, the ‘gator will drown it first in a death roll. In this case, it had a whole human body already dead, and that is way too much for it to eat at one time. Alligators may snag their extra food on a submerged tree trunk to keep it for another meal, for a snack later. But usually they just kinda hide it in some brush near the edge of the water, then stay nearby, watching their food supply.”

  “Leopards save food for later too,” Von said. “I saw on a TV nature show how they’ll take their kill and climb a tree with it, and then latch what they can’t eat up there in a fork of a tree branch. Keeps it safe from jackals and hyenas.”

  “Same idea,” Doc acknowledged. “It’s a kind of pantry for them.”

  “I didn’t know animals were so clever,” Barb asserted.

  “Survival,” Doc said.

  Sgt. Menendez had been listening closely. Finally, she spoke, “So you guys are telling me that you think the alligator may have eaten your ‘Traveling Corpse’?”

  Annie looked at the others, then she nodded. “We think so, and we think it has traveled for the last time.”

  Doc said, “Sergeant, I’m a retired veterinarian, and I’ve always been interested in saving animals, but I think this alligator needs to be caught and killed. I think the term you use in law enforcement is ‘nuisance’. Well, nuisance doesn’t seem like a strong enough word to describe this one. We’ve seen people feed it and that makes it unafraid of humans, which makes it dangerous. And now we have reason to believe that it has eaten human flesh, and that makes it even more dangerous. Also he’s getting too big to be in this area. If you try to re-locate him, he’ll tend to return to the same place. Another thought, if he did eat Twila’s body, you will most probably find more of her jewelry inside him.”

  “Oh, I remembah reading in the Reader’s Digest about their finding a dog’s collah among othah things inside a big old alligatah,” Verna informed them. “That it can stay inside them for years and years.”

  “Depends on what kind of dog collar it was,” Doc explained. “A ‘gator’s stomach acid is so strong—it’s unbelievable—it even begins to break down metal after only a few weeks in his stomach.

  “Wouldn’t he …” Art looked for a polite way of saying this, “Wouldn’t he pass it out? Defecate
it?”

  “Not usually,” Doc said. “That rough stuff stays in the stomach as gastrolith.”

  “Gastro—what?” DeeDee asked.

  “Gastrolith. It’s a stony concretion formed in the stomach,” Doc explained.

  Gilly said, “I don’t know tha’ big word, but we sometimes put little pebbles in tha birds’ feed. Helps ‘em digest their food. Must be similar.”

  Doc nodded in agreement, then continued, “The only thing that alligator might pass is hair, or toenails or finger nails. We can look around the edge of the pond for his feces. It’ll be a very light tan in color and long, like a hot dog but fatter, more like Polish sausage.”

  “Oh, dear, I’ll never want ta eat Polish sausage again!” DeeDee shivered in disdain.

  Annie said, “I couldda lived the rest of my life quite happily without knowing that. But now, here I am, an old woman, and I’m interested in alligator poop! For heaven’s sake!”

  “You may not find any,” Gilly added. “What’s that word ya used? Defecate, was it? They defecate in the water as well as on land. In water and on land.”

  Annie noted that Juarez had also been following the conversation closely. The thought of searching for alligator droppings in the field with the big birds appeared to make him nervous. Annie could imagine what he was thinking: I can only guess who is going to get this assignment! As if to prove her perception right, the tension in his face eased at his Sergeant’s next words.

  “When I get back to my cruiser, I’ll radio in an order to get a trapper over here,” Sgt. Menendez told them. “Also, we may have to bring in a diver and/or have this pond drained. Meanwhile, you need to keep this as quiet as you have the rest of the happenings. I’m very pleased at your co-operation. You know, it’s because of you and your persistence that we’ve been able to stay on top of this case. And I do thank you all.” Then she spoke to Gilly, “This restriction applies to you too. Until we can tie up all the loose ends, I’d appreciate your not telling anyone about finding the jewelry. Can you do that?”

  Gilly said, “Yes, m’am. Your story’s safe with me.”

  “How can we keep it quiet about the jewelry?” Brad asked. “There were other golfers here; they saw it in Carol’s beak.”

  “They’ll most likely think it just a trinket, costume jewelry. No one would expect to find gold out here in a field. I’ll trust you to use your best judgment,” Menendez said. “Keep the details to yourselves, okay? It doesn’t have to get out that the jewelry may be tied to Jiggs’s death.”

  “We’ll try,” Brad said. “Okay, gang?” They all nodded their heads in agreement. Then he asked, “What do we do now? It’s way past lunch time. I’m hungry.”

  “Did you hear my stomach growling an hour ago?” Art joked.

  “It’s a wonder mine didn’t,” Brad agreed.

  Sgt. Menendez spoke quietly with Juarez; then she told the others that she would have Joe stay and watch the alligator. She’d call for a trapper as soon as she got to the radio in her car and contacted the dispatcher. She asked the farmer to be available, and then she told ‘her seniors’ that they could go home. This time she promised to call Annie if or when anything new developed.

  Before they left, Gilly offered, “I’ve got me a can of spray paint in my truck. I’ll try ta spray some on tha’ ole ‘gator’s back. Since people’s been feedin’ him, he’ll maybe let me get close up. If I can mark him, then we’ll know fer sure we got tha right one.” When Menendez hesitated, he added, “Oh, I’m not a-feered ta get up close ‘nough to spray it. A ‘gator won’t attack anything as big as a grown man; he’ll slip back in the water first.”

  They all watched with admiration as Gilly approached the beast. Annie thought to herself that the alligator must be as long as the male ostrich was tall—two very big animals! The leathery-looking beast opened one eye and looked at Gilly. Then it opened the other one. It did not move a muscle. Gilly eased closer, carrying a can of blue spray paint in one hand and a pistol in the other. They all felt better about his actions when they saw him holding the gun as protection. As Gilly slowly lifted his arm and pressed down on the button of the spray can, the ‘gator moved swiftly, turning toward the water with amazing speed. Most of the stream of paint landed on the ground, but Gilly ran after the ‘gator and kept spraying. Deftly, the alligator slipped into the water swishing a blue tail.

  They cheered.

  Menendez complimented Gilly, “Great job. That will be a big help.”

  Gilly smiled, “Don’t know how much of that paint will stay on. Didn’t have much time ta dry.”

  Menendez continued, “Anyway, I appreciate your help. Now, may I ask you to stay a little longer? I’d like you here while my deputy goes in there to search for the fecal matter.”

  Annie observed that Juarez’s previous relief upon hearing a trapper would be called in was now replaced with consternation. She laughed inwardly to herself, although she couldn’t really blame him for not wanting to go inside the fence with the birds, even if the alligator appeared to be shy for the moment.

  “No problem,” Gilly said.

  “And, by the way, you do have a permit for that gun, don’t you?” she asked.

  “Oh, yes, m’am.”

  “Glad to hear it,” is all the officer said.

  Verna caught the sergeant’s attention when she said, “I’m willing to help look. How about you, Doc?”

  “Well,” he said after a moment’s hesitation, “I’d rather go eat, but if Verna’s going in that field, I will too.”

  “Ya can go in there if ya want ta.” DeeDee said. “Hope ya don’t mind if I jest stay on this side of tha fence.”

  Von thought his wife was foolhardy, but he wasn’t going to stay behind if she were going. He followed her.

  Joe Juarez said, “I’m grateful for the help. I have to admit that I’ve never looked for alligator poop before.”

  Annie suspected that he was also glad that there would be people in the field with him that he could out-run. He may not be faster than the emus or the alligator, but the old joke was that with any predator, whether bear, mountain lion, alligator or whatever, it was really only necessary to be faster than the other potential meals.

  They waited for Gilly to undo the bailing wire that was twisted around the cut place in the fence. He pushed the fencing aside enough for them to squeeze through. The big birds ignored them. The farmer’s pickup truck was an endless source of supplies. Gilly picked up a shovel and a bucket and joined the hunt.

  After they searched all around the edge of the pond on the farm side and found no feces, Verna commented, “Alligatahs must not go on land verah often, but I’m game to look on the golf course side now.”

  Juarez , Gilly, Doc, and Von walked back to the fence with her and wiggled through to the golf course, then crossed to the pond. Art and Brad decided to join them, but Barb told them she’d skip the fun of looking for alligator poop. Annie agreed, and DeeDee declared, “Ya have got Verna with ya; ya don’t need us; she’s tha one with tha sharp eyes.”

  A few minutes later, Verna motioned the men to her, pointed, and announced, “There’s some Polish sausage.” Gilly scooped it up and handed the bucket to Juarez.

  “Thanks, I’ll return it after we check it out,” Juarez told the farmer.

  “Jest tha bucket. Jest tha bucket. That’ll be all I’ll be wantin’ back,” he laughed.

  When they returned to the golf carts, Annie asked them, “Did you find anything?”

  “Just some Polish sausage,” Verna laughed as she fiddled with her glasses.

  “I mean; did you find anything—any red hair or pieces of nails?”

  “Not so far as we could see without poking around in it,” Doc said.

  “Be our guest,” Juarez joked, holding the pail out towards Annie.

  “No, thanks. I’ll pass and let your guys do all that fun stuff at your lab,” she quipped.

  “Well, if we’re done here, I’m ready to go,” Barb stated. “
I’m famished.”

  With tongue in cheek, Brad teased, “Aren’t we going to finish our round?”

  Barb groaned, “I’m too hungry to play golf. Let’s go out for a sandwich. We can go to that little restaurant just outside of BradLee in our carts. I’m too hungry to even go home first. Okay with everybody?” She looked at Gilly and the officers, “Care to join us?” The three of them declined, citing other duties.

  Doc turned the key and began backing up. Gilly motioned to him to stop, saying, “Sounds like ya need some work on your cart. It needs a tune-up.” He pulled a tattered business card out of a pocket in his jeans, and handed it to Doc. “Ya weren’t here when I give tha others one of my cards. Let me know when you’re ready; I make house calls.”

  Doc read the business card, “‘Gilly’s Wheels. We keep your little wheels rolling.’ Thanks, Gilly. I’ll be calling you.”

  With that, the A, B, D, and V’s waved good-bye and headed for the sandwich shop—the men driving the golf carts and their wives riding as passengers. Annie bowed her head and prayed, “It’s Annie down here. Thank you, Lord, for helping us find another piece of the puzzle. Amen for now.”

  Chapter 6

  Sunday

  On Sunday mornings, the four couples each went to their own house of worship. The Andersens attended the early service at First Presbyterian. Barb Bradkowski taught the high school Sunday School class at 9:30 a.m. at First Methodist and then went to church at eleven. Sometimes Brad went with her, but he usually took his parents to the nine o’clock Mass at St. Joseph’s along with the Vigeauxs. The Davises worshiped at the second service at First Baptist, which began at 10:45 a.m. Doc and DeeDee sang in the church choir. At noon on Sundays, the four couples usually met for Chinese buffet at Fung Gardens.

  The owner of the Chinese restaurant owner, who was from Vietnam, seated them. After they exchanged a few words of greeting, she left and Annie bowed her head, “Good morning, Lord. We’re here in our favorite Chinese restaurant after having the privilege of worshiping you in our various churches. Thank you for watching over us and thank you for the food we are about to receive. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”