Double usage

by Christine Bols

  ‘We arrived Wednesday afternoon, but the camper is here permanently.’

  ‘What do you mean Mrs. Summers?’

  ‘It’s our holiday retreat. We come here every weekend, but my husband has his holidays now and that’s why we came earlier. We were planning on staying for two weeks, but I don’t know if I’m up to it now.’ She started sobbing again.

  Tim took over. ‘Did anyone see anything suspicious during the last few days?’ he asked the group. ‘Maybe a car that didn’t belong here?’ Most of them shook their heads.

  ‘There has been a robbery in one of the empty campers last Tuesday’, a young man with a thin moustache said, ‘but they arrested somebody for that already.’ Although Tim didn’t think it was important, he wrote it down anyway.

  ‘Susan, does the boy need psychological help?’

  She shook her head. ‘The mother thinks he will be all right. He has calmed down a bit already.’ The blonde woman nodded.

  The hearse left the grounds very slowly. The parking lot was now filled with journalists who wanted the best shots for their newspaper or TV-station. Connely stood lost between them, but he had managed to keep them off the grounds.

  ‘Mrs. Summers, you can’t enter your camper for the moment,’ Jude said. ‘The technical team is still looking for fingerprints and traces.’

  The woman nodded sadly. ‘I understand. My husband will want to go home anyway. I know I do. I don’t want to spend another minute here.’

  ‘And where is your husband if I may ask?’

  ‘He goes fishing every day in the river behind the grounds. He doesn’t have his mobile with him, so he doesn’t know yet.’

  ‘Good’, Tim said, ‘we’ll go look for him. Maybe he noticed something.’

  ‘If you follow the track there’, the woman pointed out, ‘it’s a hundred yards further, but you can’t get there by car.’

  Tim called Susan. ‘You and Connely take down the details of everyone here. I want the name of every owner.’ She nodded.

  ‘Strange that nobody noticed anything’, Jude said while they were heading for the river.

  ‘Not really. Imagine… he wants to dump her in a spot where she will be found rather quickly. So it has to be somewhere with people coming and going but where he can leave her without being noticed.’

  ‘He must have taken an enormous risk doing it this way’, she said.

  ‘Not at all. There are cars coming and going every moment of day and night, nobody pays any attention because it’s normal.’ He looked at her disbelieving face. ‘Camping is holiday’, he continued. ‘People have drinks in the evening, they are relaxed, they sleep tighter.’ He laughed. ‘I take it you never camped before.’

  She looked at him sadly. ‘No, that was something my parents never did.’

  ‘Sorry, I forgot’, he said apologizing.

  The sun worked its magic on the river. It looked as if the surface was covered with shiny pearls. Summers sat on a foldaway chair in the high grass and threw out his fishing line. When he heard footsteps approaching he turned his head.

  ‘Not a lot of fish here you know’, he laughed. ‘Not worth throwing your line in.’

  Tim sat down on the grass next to the man, Jude stood in the shade of a tree. ‘You are Mr. Summers I take it?’ Tim said, more a confirmation than a question.

  The man looked at him puzzled. ‘That’s right. How did you know?’

  Tim showed him his badge. The man looked at it as if it was bad smelling dog’s doings.

  ‘Detectives Sackley and McCool’, Tim said pointing at Jude. The man gave her a short nod and looked at her in admiration.

  ‘Mr. Summers, we just came from the camping grounds and I would like to ask you a few questions.’ Since the man didn’t react, he continued. ‘I don’t really know how to tell you this, so I’ll say it bluntly, forgive me. An unknown woman was found dead underneath your camper this morning.’

  ‘Unknown…’ the man repeated as if that was the most important word in the sentence. His eyes were like saucers. Tim kept quiet for a moment to let his words sink in, while he put his badge back in his pocket. ‘I didn’t see anything when I left this morning’, the man stuttered. ‘Nothing at all. And how long…?’ He didn’t finish his sentence but looked at Tim in astonishment.

  ‘We don’t know exactly but probably for a few days already. The autopsy will have to determine that.

  ‘A few days, that’s impossible’, he said with a breaking voice. ‘I would have noticed.’ The man was obviously getting upset.

  ‘Mr. Summers, can you remember anything strange during the last few days? Maybe an unfamiliar car or a man you hadn’t seen before?’

  The man shook his head. ‘No, nothing, but I don’t pay a lot of attention to these things when I’m on holiday.’

  ‘Take your time’, Jude said. ‘Maybe you woke up one night from a noise outside, maybe a car?’

  Summers frowned. He sat silent for a while and then looked at Jude. ‘I don’t really know if this is important, but last Wednesday I had trouble falling asleep because I didn’t feel that well, and I believe I heard a car with its engine running on the path next to the camper. I thought at the time it was a young couple you know, having fun. I didn’t even look through the window.’

  ‘Do you have any idea how long the car was there?’ Jude asked tensely.

  The man shrugged his shoulders. ‘Not that long I think. I got up to get some Aqua seltzer and went back to bed. I didn’t look at my watch, but it must have been around three in the morning.’

  ‘And the car was there already when you got up?’ Tim asked. Summers nodded. ‘Did you switch on the lights?’

  ‘I think so. I can’t remember really but I must have.’

  ‘So, the light must have been visible through the window.’

  ‘I only used the light above the stove and that’s not very bright. The curtains were drawn as well. No, I don’t think it was visible.’

  ‘Do you remember hearing the car leave?’

  ‘Yes, it left when I was in bed again. I remember thinking wow, that was a quickie’. He looked at Jude apologizing.

  ‘So, that car could have been there, let’s say for five minutes.’

  ‘Could be, maybe a bit longer.’ He stared at his fishing rod. ‘I don’t feel like fishing anymore now. Is the body still there?’

  Tim shook his head. All of a sudden Summers got very agitated. ‘I hope…. Did my wife find her?’

  ‘No, a child stumbled onto it.’

  ‘Ah’, Summers said, as if that was much better.

  ‘All right Mr. Summers’, Tim said. ‘If there is anything else you remember, here is my card. You can reach me day and night.’

  The press hounds had left when they arrived back at the car, so had Connely and Haynes. There were still a few people whispering and gesturing behind the camper while the technical team took down the tent. Tim hoped wholeheartedly DNA would be found on the body this time, but he knew it probably was a faint hope. They paid a short visit to the main administration building to find out if there were any surveillance cameras on the grounds, but that wasn’t the case.

  ‘It’s one big game Tim’, Jude said as they went back to the car. ‘The murderer knew we were expecting a third body. He is just playing games, wants to make it clear to us it’s him pulling the strings.’ She looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘It could still be Dawson couldn’t it? You did notice that it was one of the women on his pictures.’ ‘The only thing I saw was a body with shoulder length hair. That doesn’t mean it was one of them.’

  ‘Come on Tim, you know better than that.’ He didn’t react. ‘He will get a kick out of the TV-coverage and the newspapers’, she said sarcastically.

  Every muscle in his body was tense. He felt a headache coming on at the back of his head. He knew he shouldn’t accept uncritically Dawson was the murderer and that there would never be a fourth victim now he was in prison. The newsflash on the radio took him out of his though
ts abruptly. He turned up the volume. ‘Late morning today, the body of a young woman was found in the camping grounds of Benton Oaks just outside the city of Corvallis. Although we don’t have any further information, everything points in the direction of a third victim in a series. The first body was found June 9 in Pioneer Park, the second June 17 on the river Willamette. Stay tuned to Clear Channel Radio from Albany. You will be the first to learn about developments in this sad case.’

  ‘Talk about vultures’, Tim said indignantly. Jude turned back the volume.

  ‘This was to be expected’, she said sighing. ‘The press feasts on cases like this one. It’s just sensation for them. I wonder when it will be on the TV-news. No way are they going to wait till six.’

  The headache was spreading rapidly throughout his head, and had reached his temples by now. ‘Haynes has to rush to the four addresses right away’, he managed to say. ‘I think you’re right. It must be one of them.’ Jude nodded in agreement while he dialed Susan’s number. ‘And I’m afraid we will have our work cut out for us tomorrow, even if it is on a Saturday. We can’t afford to sit on our lazy asses on this one. I hope you didn’t make any plans.’

  ‘No, and even if I did, I would cancel them. No problem at all.’

  CHAPTER 18

  ‘Jake, can you give me a hand here?’ Tracey shouted, her head half hidden in the trunk of the car. When after a minute he still hadn’t come to her rescue, she shouted again, a bit louder this time. ‘Jaaaake, I need a hand.’ She wiped the sweat from her forehead.

  ‘Jesus’, Jake said when he finally arrived, ‘it seems like we’re holidaying for a whole month instead of three days. What on earth do you need all these suitcases for?’ He shook his head pityingly. ‘Women, oh dear.’

  ‘I can’t get the last one in’, she said sourly. ‘If I left everything to you, you would only take your toothbrush and some underwear.’

  ‘Seems more than enough to me for three days’, he smiled, caressing his wife on the head very lovingly.

  They were married now for five years. Tracey’s first husband was killed in a road accident when Stefanie was only seven. His wife died eight years ago from lung cancer. They met at a therapy group for singles and had become real good friends. Slowly but surely their friendship had grown into love and after some time they had decided to marry. From the start he regarded Stefanie as his own daughter, although she herself considered him an intruder who wanted to take over her fathers place. His son Timothy helped her get over it. He was only two years older than her but they got on well together. Stefanie found it amazing that she not only had a brother now, but his friends came to visit all the time. Jake believed she fancied one of them, but he wasn’t sure.

  ‘Mum, do I really have to take my school books?’ Stefanie whined when she got to the car. ‘I have my last test on Tuesday, that gives me plenty of time on Monday evening.’

  Tracey looked at her daughter with a smile. ‘Yes, you do. If you only study for one hour, that’s one hour gained. You know you have problems with maths and biology.’ The girl threw her school bag in the back of the car and sat moping next to it. Talking frantically into his mobile, Timothy came out of the garage onto the driveway. ‘I’ll call you tomorrow’, he said with a big smile.

  ‘Girlfriend?’ Jake asked laughing. He reflected on the time he was sixteen himself. His girlfriend had been his whole world and he had been convinced they would be married one day and be happy forever. He would have done everything for her, until the day he had seen her kissing his best friend. His world had tumbled down and it had taken him months to get over the shock.

  ‘What were you thinking about?’ Tracey laughed. ‘You seemed to be in seventh heaven. Come on, help me with the last suitcase and then we can leave.’

  Jake rearranged a few things in the trunk so the last suitcase would fit in. He closed the lid with a bang. ‘Did you pack Steffie’s medicines?’

  She looked at him surprised. ‘As if I would forget that’, she said a bit injured. ‘That’s the first thing I packed.’

  ‘Good, we’re ready to go then.’

  The ten year old car sputtered when he tried to start it but after a while they drove onto the street. It was only an hour drive from Lyons to Corvallis. Jake hated the anonymity of the Interstate and took the more scenic roads along Scio and Lebanon. After they bought some food and drinks in Oak Creek Valley they started the climb to Chapparal. During the first few miles there were still a lot of bungalows, but the higher up they got the fewer there were. After a long search they had finally bought their dream holiday bungalow two years ago. At that time it had been a hunter’s cabin but after a year’s hard work during weekends and holidays they managed to turn it into a real home with all the amenities. They had baptized it Lady Madonna because they both loved the Beatles. Jake had engraved the name on a wooden plate and had hung it above the front door. Each free weekend and school holiday they spent here. Jake parked the car neatly between two big oak trees by the side of the bungalow. The Corvallis City council had not allowed them to clear the trees and in hindsight he was happy with that. The trees added to the holiday feeling and sheltered the bungalow from prying eyes. Although they had been here so often, every time he was touched by the beauty of the surroundings and the birds singing. This was simply heaven on earth.

  The children had taken their luggage out of the trunk and headed for the front door. Tracey smiled. ‘Typical children. First they don’t want to go and when they arrive they can’t get inside quickly enough.’

  A little grey rabbit hopped underneath the bushes.

  CHAPTER 19

  Since Haynes and Connely had offered to work on Saturday, all four of them were sitting at Tim’s desk. Tim had shoved his PC and keyboard to one side to make a bit more space in which to work.

  ‘According to Salmon Creek police, Flannery did nothing special during the last few days’, Susan started the meeting. ‘He went on a job in Vancouver and on one in Salmon Creek. He spent Thursday night with a rather fat blonde woman, who left yesterday morning. The rest of the day he worked in his garden. Nothing special really.’ Then she went on with the report of the visits to the women in the pictures yesterday afternoon. ‘I started with Sandy Blair in Albany. Her flat mate told me that Sandy had an almost fatal car accident last week and is in a coma in Good Sam. She was afraid she wouldn’t make it. I left it at that and didn’t ask anymore.’

  ‘Except for the fact that you should have started in Tangent like I asked you to, that was the right decision’, Jude said a bit peevishly.

  When Susan mentioned the accident of the woman, Tim’s thoughts wandered back to the deathly pale face of his daughter, her hair turning red with blood, motionless on the asphalt of the driveway. He swallowed a lump in his throat and tried to focus on the meeting again. Too much depended on it.

  Susan continued, not impressed with Jude’s remark. ‘In Junction City I talked to Amy Donovan’s neighbor because Amy was at school. She is a teacher and has her day off on Thursdays. Normally she goes to her sister in Albany, by train’, Susan added. ‘When the neighbor asked why I needed to talk to Amy I made her believe that we are doing a follow up on all the recent victims of rape. She looked really puzzled, and according to her Amy had never been raped because she was sure she would have told her about it. But when I insisted a bit she remembered that a few weeks ago, Amy had told her she had the feeling she was followed when she came back from Albany, but afterwards she had considered it a lunatic idea and she hadn’t mentioned it since.’

  ’16.01 – Tx3 – NS’, Tim read out loud. ‘That could mean she took the train to Albany to Junction City at 16.01. The T could mean Thursday. But I haven’t got a clue about the x3.’

  ‘What could the NS stand for?’ Susan asked.

  Tim frowned. ‘The older woman in Tangent only had an S behind her address.’ Jude had started her PC and looked intensely at the screen. ‘There is a report of a disappearance of a woman in Albany’, she said e
xcitedly. She turned the screen towards him.

  ‘Dammit, why didn’t we hear about that sooner?’ he shouted. Haynes and Connely looked up from their papers and looked at the screen too.

  ‘Lebanon’, Connely said when he saw the photo. Susan nodded.

  ‘Susan Palthrow, Lebanon, Montgomery Drive’, Tim read out loud. ‘Last seen on Friday June 18 leaving the Union Bank in Albany. Reported missing by a colleague from the same bank, department of Lebanon on Wednesday June 22.’

  ‘That’s three days ago’, Jude said. ‘She was probably dead by then already.’ She turned to Connely. ‘Can you call Albany police and ask for the name and address of the colleague who reported her missing. Try to get her phone number too.’

  Susan went on with her report. ‘In Tangent I went to see Yvette Marceau. She’s French and moved to here two years ago from a little village in the north of France.’

  ‘That’s the older woman’, Tim interrupted her pointing at the picture.

  ‘Depends on what you call old’, Connely said with the receiver on his ear, waiting for an answer from the other side. ‘She still looks good. Look at her boobs, wow.’

  Jude threw him a destructive look.

  ‘She lives by herself and works at Deli

  Company as a cashier. Two mornings a week she cleans rooms in La Quinta, a hotel in Albany, not very far from the station’, Susan continued.

  ‘And she probably took the train to work’, Tim said.

  She nodded. ‘But now the good news… at least, if you can call it that. It took me a while to convince her, but finally she told me she was raped a few weeks ago on her way to the hotel. She was pulled into the bushes.’

  ‘Was she able to give a description of the guy?’

  ‘Not really. He surprised her from behind and forced her on her belly. Then he covered her mouth and eyes with duct tape and turned her on her back again. He held a pistol to her head and that’s why she didn’t try to resist him.’