The Morelville Mysteries Collection

by Anne Hagan

  “Roger.”

  “Crane out.”

  I hightailed it out to my duty SUV. The mall was less than two miles from the hospital and if Shane Harding, my only current detective was already enroute from the scene, he’d be there before the squad. I was several miles away. I hate desk work!

  When I reached Genesis 15 minutes later, Shane met me in the ER lobby.

  “What’s the story?”

  “Victim’s unresponsive and headed into surgery now. A witness stated that the vic, a white male, was standing at a bus shelter outside the mall when a late model, ‘tannish colored’ SUV rolled by. Witness heard a shot ring out, ducked and when he looked again the vic was on the ground inside the shelter bleeding from the upper torso. The SUV was gone.”

  “Plate number, ID of the victim or the assailant...anything?”

  Shane shook his head, “No, not yet, er, not officially, but here’s the thing: when the paramedics wheeled him in, the staff here knew him. They tell me he’s Sterling Moon and that he just checked himself out after a go around with his doctor about three hours ago.”

  “I’ll be a son of a bitch!”

  Harding grinned at that, “If he makes it out of surgery alive, I’m going to start thinking he has nine lives.”

  “You aren’t kidding. Any word from a doc?”

  “No ma’am. They won’t know what all they’re dealing with until they open him up, is what I was told and I imagine he’s going to be heavily sedated when he’s finally out of there.”

  “Since we’re in for a bit of a wait, I suggest we leave these folks some contact info and head back to the scene. I want to get a look at where it went down and see if we can’t assist in a canvass for additional witnesses.”

  “Okay Sheriff.”

  “I’ll take care of things at the desk and meet you there.” Shane nodded his agreement and was off.

  I gave the hospital staff strict orders that I was to be called as soon as Moon came out of surgery, whether he was sedated or not. I wanted him on total lockdown once he was roomed.

  Back in my vehicle, I turned north out of the hospital lot and drove toward the mall while radioing my intent to dispatch.

  No sooner did I key off the mike than a coded radio call came across for any unit in the vicinity of a Venus Place address to respond to an apparent murder scene. Nearing Pfeifer Drive, I hooked a quick left, flipped my lights on and sped up a block to the intersection with Athena where I made a quick right on it and then another onto Venus.

  Scanning the high end town home condos ringing the circular route that was set a stone’s throw from the Zanesville Country Club, I finally found the number I was looking for. No one was around outside at all. The whole neighborhood seemed eerily quiet for a summer Saturday afternoon.

  Noting the fully closed door to the unit, my hackles rose. Who’s in there? Who called this in?

  I radioed for backup. Shane Harding pulled his unmarked in beside my SUV not two minutes later and a patrol unit was right on his tail.

  “I had just reached the drive-by scene Sheriff, when the call came across his radio,” he said, tipping his head toward the deputy.

  Once he dismounted, I sent my deputy around to the rear while Shane and I approached the front door. His knock drew no response. Cautiously trying the handle, he found it unlocked and pushed it open slowly.

  We both drew our firearms and entered the home. It was as still and quiet inside as the neighborhood was outside. Clearing through the entry and front living areas, Shane went toward the back where I presumed he would find the kitchen while I took the stairs to the upper level.

  Finding what we came for didn’t take me long; in the immaculate master bedroom Olivia Stiers lay prone, naked from the waist up, on a fully made up bed, completely dead.

  In the two hours it took to process the crime scene, nothing of note turned up. Not a thing appeared to be missing or out of place. It was obvious that the place had been professionally cleaned recently. Countertops and glass gleamed, floors and other surfaces were spotless.

  The fingerprint tech lifted a few prints here and there but not an abundance of any that probably wouldn’t prove to be Olivia’s. Her cell phone was lying on the bedside stand and her purse was on a dressing table. I had them bagged as potential evidence but there was nothing else worth collecting. I was at a total loss over who would want her dead.

  As the senior officer on the scene and with a prior open case that involved the deceased, informing the next of kin fell to me. I drove out to Oscar Stiers place lost in thought. Who’d want Olivia dead and why? Was her death somehow connected to JD’s and the attack on Sterling Moon not even a mile from her townhouse?

  My own shock at Olivia’s murder and the odd twists and turns of the half assed case that I had didn’t touch the shock and despair of her father.

  Oscar answered the door with a curious hello. I wasn’t expected, unannounced, on a nice summer Saturday evening.

  “May I come in?”

  “Of course Sheriff, of course. I’m assuming you have some news or some questions for me about the Roberts case that just couldn’t wait?”

  “No sir, unfortunately not.”

  My somber tone seemed to erase the gleam from his eyes. He took a seat in his living room and indicated that I should do the same. “What’s happened?”

  “Sir, Olivia has been found dead in her home. I’m very sorry.”

  His initial response signified complete disbelief, “What? No! You’re obviously mistaken.”

  “Unfortunately, there’s no mistake. I’ve met your daughter since we last spoke. The victim is her and she was found in her own home.”

  “Victim? What are you saying?” His voice rose.

  I inhaled deeply then blew out a heavy breath, “We suspect her death is a homicide.”

  “As in murder? No! Who would want to murder Olivia? It can’t be...it just can’t be...” He started to tear up and then to cry. He kept trying to ask questions but he couldn’t get enough of a handle on himself to be very coherent.

  I let him have a few minutes to try and get his emotions under some semblance of control before I started probing him with questions of my own.

  When he seemed sufficiently steady, I asked first, “Is there anyone I can call for you that could come to be with you or that should be told anything right away?”

  He shook his head no and then shuddered, shaking from shoulders to waist. “No, it was me and Liv against the world...She hates it when I call her that.” He sobbed and corrected himself, “She hated it. I’ve called her ‘Liv’ since she was small...”

  “Do you feel up to answering a few questions that might help me figure this out?”

  Oscar threw his hands up, “It just doesn’t make any sense. Murder you say? How do you know? What did you find?”

  “We got an anonymous call to Olivia’s townhouse. We found her there, lying on her bed. Nothing seems to have been touched in the house, in fact, it’s immaculately clean. It doesn’t appear, given the call and the lack of evidence at the scene, that Olivia died by her own hand. We’ll have to wait for the Coroner’s report to know more.”

  He nodded and then scrubbed his face with his hands. I watched as he shook his head, thinking silently to himself. A new outburst came forth suddenly, “My grandchild! Oh, my grandchild...” The sobs returned.

  I keyed in on the baby, “Mr. Stiers, the last time I saw you or Olivia was at the service for JD. Was that when you first found out about the baby?”

  Stiers shot me a look, “Yes! Of course it was. She took me completely by surprise. I don’t have any idea why she didn’t tell me before that or why she felt the need to be there to cause disruption at a man’s funeral.”

  Sniffling and dabbing at tears, he continued, “Liv didn’t want for anything. You saw her place...country club living but more manageable. She didn’t need a mansion. She had a cleaning woman in three days a week...hell, people did her bidding whenever she needed them to a
nd I paid for it all. I didn’t care. She was my only child. I was upset she didn’t tell me about the baby and upset at what she was doing that day for no good reason but I couldn’t wait to meet my grandchild. Now it’s all gone...in the blink of an eye, gone...”

  “Is there anyone you can think of, anyone at all, who might have had a grudge against Olivia or who...I don’t know...wanted to punish her for any reason?”

  “No, no, no...nobody...nothing. Why? Why!”

  I didn’t have an answer for him. I was as confused as he was.

  ###

  I’d been a 911 dispatcher early in my career with the county, before I was old enough to move into police work. I hadn’t set foot inside the call center in a few years. Entering it now gave me a weird feeling of déjà vu.

  I tracked down the supervisor on duty, Carole Dockings. I’d probably spoken to her a hundred times over the past several of years but our face to face meetings were few and far between.

  “Mel Crane, what brings you in here on a Saturday night?”

  I grimaced and shook my head, “Long day Carol. I need to hear a call. Can you help me out?

  “Gee, let me guess which one...Follow me.” At the supervisor’s station she handed me a headset and started typing.

  “Just go ahead and play it.” I didn’t put the set on.

  We both listened as a trembling male voice reported a murder and gave an address. He hung up as soon as he had the address out.

  “Sounds like a teenager,” Carole said.

  “Yes, yes it does.” And that teenager is Nevil Harper Jr.

  ###

  Ray’s Bar, 7:30 PM, Saturday Evening, August 23rd, 2014

  Dana took a seat at one end of the bar facing the television at the other end. The Red’s game was on and they were up on Atlanta. She laid a tented twenty on the bar top.

  Kevin finished with another customer and walked over to her. “Bud draft?”

  “Wow, that’s quite a memory.”

  “Been doin’ this a long time Miss.”

  “Hey, you know what, I’m starved. Can I get a loaded burger, medium, and an order of fries too?”

  “Anything else?”

  “That should do me.”

  Dana slowly looked around. The bar was a little bit more crowded on a Saturday evening. All four pool tables were busy. Mick and one of the other two guys he’d been with the night before were at a table off to the side of the pool tables talking and gesturing at each other.

  She sipped her beer slowly and watched the game but glanced at them from time to time. About the same time as her food came, they got up to play at a table joining two other men she hadn’t seen before.

  As the game went into the middle innings and she polished off her fries, she felt someone come up alongside her.

  “That stuff will kill you lass.”

  Dana turned and smiled at Mick, “How are you this fine evening?”

  “Not as good as you. Your team is the underdog and they’re winning. If you pull this out, you’ve neatly doubled.”

  “It isn’t over yet but the pitching match-up is right tonight.”

  He stepped back and gave her the once over.

  “Hey, I’m not just a pretty face. I’ve done this before.” She shot him with a brilliant smile.

  “Is that so? Going to take them for tomorrow too?”

  “Probably.” She lowered her voice, “They have an even better pitching matchup tomorrow, unless something changes. I’m going to let the $200 ride and give you another $50 to add to it for tomorrow, once they pull this off today.”

  “A lady who knows what she likes. I like that! But hey lass, let me give you a number. You’re a pro; you can do this without my help...not that I mind helping.”

  “I’ll take the number but I’d rather just have you place the wager and hold the money one last time. I, uh, had a little problem with a...guy...before that got his accounts mixed up and thought I hadn’t paid him. ‘Don’t want that to happen here. I don’t need any leg breakers coming calling.” She gave him a tight lipped smile.

  “Got ya Dana Delaney. I’ll take care of you.” He took a seat at the bar and scribbled out a number on a scrap of paper while she munched on her burger.

  “Didn’t I say that stuff will kill you? The food here is notoriously wanting in quality.”

  “Oh, I just thought you were talking about all of the grease...”

  “That and more Dana. That and more.”

  She pushed the plate away with a couple of bites of the burger still left and toyed with her beer while he took out his phone and turned to face out into the noisy bar to make his call.

  Listening to him, she heard him give a five digit code and then place a lengthy bet with the bookie. He then placed her bet and turned back to the bar to write something down.

  She looked at what he wrote: a different five digit code. He told the bookie he’d hit up the runner that evening then he slid the paper scrap with the phone number and code to her as he ended his call. “There you go lass. Today’s bet is placed but, from now on, you’re all official to go on your own.”

  “Thanks Mick.” She leaned toward him and whispered, “You’re levels above me. I like the action but I don’t know if I could handle the high roller level!”

  “It’s all in fun...all in fun. I don’t bet what I don’t have.” He pointed at her glass, “You’re almost empty there; let me get you another.” She put her hand out as he started to raise an arm to signal Kevin.

  “I’m sorry Mick but I think I’m going to have to pass. I don’t feel so well.”

  “I tried to warn you Dana, my girl.”

  “And I should have listened.” She put a hand on her stomach. “I think I need to search out the restroom...better yet, maybe I should just go home...”

  “Do you need a ride somewhere lass?” Concern clouded his face.

  Dana hesitated for a moment as if she was considering his offer. “No, no I don’t think so. It’s not far. I should be okay.”

  “You’re sure?”

  She nodded at him, bade him goodbye and walked out of the bar.

  ###

  8:30 PM Saturday Night, August, 23rd, 2014

  I walked into an empty house. I knew Kris, Lance and the kids were off with mom visiting a cousin of hers who was going to help with my sister and Lance with their wedding planning. Dana had been out looking at furniture when I talked to her at lunch time. That seemed like days ago to me. I didn’t have a clue where she was now and I really needed to talk to her, to bounce some things off of her.

  I rang her cell but my call rolled straight to her voicemail. Either she was on her line or her phone was off for some odd reason. Figuring maybe she went with mom and the kids to the no man’s land of no cell reception where mom’s cousin lived, I blew it off for the time being and I headed into a much needed shower. The overall stench of my day dealing with death and destruction was really getting to me.

  After my shower, I tried Dana’s cell again but my call still went straight to her voicemail. Frustrated and with everyone still out of the house, I went upstairs and crawled into my bed. I tried to watch a little TV and listen for Dana but I couldn’t keep my eyes open and I drifted off all too quickly.

  ###

  Dana slid down in the seat of her car and watched the front door at Ray’s. It wasn’t long after she’d departed from inside the place herself before Mick and one of the other two guys he hung out there with walked out and got into an SUV. With the other guy driving, the men pulled away.

  She started her own vehicle and followed them out of the lot. They drove several blocks out of the northern part of town and into Zanesville before pulling into the parking lot of another bar. Dana continued past the tiny place and made a quick circle of the city blocks back to it.

  Spying the metallic beige SUV now parked in front of the little bar, she saw that neither man had exited it. She went around the building and came up alongside just in time to see a man who’d bee
n outside smoking under the shelter of the eaves of the roof of the single story structure, step over to the vehicle.

  Dana parked nose in, in the side lot just past the front of the building and watched what was happening in her rear view mirror. It wasn’t the best vantage point but she was at a loss for a better view without being made by Mick or his buddy.

  The smoker spent less than a minute speaking to the two men. He turned away from the driver’s side window while stuffing something into his pants pocket.

  The driver reversed out of the slot and drove away. The guy went back to standing under the eave smoking, unaware of her presence.

  The clock on the dash clicked past 9:00 and then 9:30 PM. Dana didn’t dare move and draw the man’s attention as he greeted several cars that came into the lot and stayed only a short period. She was sure now that he was a runner and he was taking payments and making payouts.

  The sun finally set by 10:00 PM and Dana was able to move and flex just a little. Her injured leg ached from the inactivity. Just when she was about to give up and call it a night the first chance she got, the runner turned from a car and walked a few cars over to get into the driver’s seat of another.

  Now, she watched him back out of a parking slot and head out of the lot. When he turned out onto the street, she started her own car and cautiously followed. There was just enough traffic on a Saturday night to give her a little cover.

  Dismay overtook the thrill of the chase as she realized the man was headed east out of town on the route she would normally travel home to Morelville. There was no cover of traffic out on the state route through the countryside at night. She hung as far back as she dared while doing her best not to lose him to an unexpected turn off the road at a side road or a residence.

  Dana watched, shaking her head, as they passed The Boar’s Head bar and the right hand turnoff across from it for Morelville. She wiggled in the seat and swerved a bit on the road as she tried to get more comfortable.

  Up ahead, brake lights shone from the runner’s car. He slowed as he passed the main entrance to the Chappell farming complex, an area Dana was already familiar with. Staring intently at him, she sighed audibly as he took a left into the next rural road.