Kellie held the paper in her hands and said, “Marilyn this paper has a short article about four missing children. They were Tommy Bentron, Jimmy Clark, and Allen Moore. It goes on to say a fourth child, Marilyn Price was set free by her kidnapper. Did you know any of these boys?”
Marilyn twisted her lip and scrunched her face. “I have tried to forget, but I somehow think I remember Jimmy. Prairieville Elementary only had one kindergarten class. We must have gone to school together. I was kidnapped just before I turned six and school was over for the summer. My mom has thrown away all the school pictures and report cards from all my elementary school years. As I said before, she won’t talk about it.”
“Two questions just popped into my mind. First, do you think Shuland spared you because you are a girl? Second, did your grandma save things from when you were young?” Kellie raised her eyebrows and pulled out the next stack of papers.
“I don’t know. It is the first time I heard I was the only girl. All I ever knew was four children disappeared. I assumed they all went home, too. For many years, that’s all I knew until I overheard a neighbor talking to a friend in her back yard. I went in the house and asked my mom. She said if I ever asked her anything about it again that she’d slap me. I never asked.” Marilyn wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
#####
Deputy Walden met the technician carrying the ground penetrating unit and a second deputy from the next county. He arrived with a cadaver dog.
The deputy asked, “We’re in the middle of a cemetery. What good is a cadaver dog? There are bodies buried all over.”
“Of course, but none are near this monument. Also, the bodies buried here have been embalmed, are in caskets, and six feet down. The dog searches for bodies buried near the surface. Blood and embalming fluid have different odors, and the dog can pick up on that. Any more questions or can we start?” He gave the dog his lead, and they began to walk the area.
After roughly ten minutes the dog barked and sat down. “Over here,” called his handler.
The technician scanned the ground and looked at the deputy, “Call the M.E.’s office. We have bones.”
The deputy ran to his car to use a two-way radio. His cell didn’t have any bars. He rushed back and told the two men waiting that someone from the M.E.’s office was on the way.
The dog barked again and sat approximately twenty feet from the first discovery. The technician discovered additional bones. Ten feet away a third set of bones were detected.
The technician said, “From the scans, those skeletons appear small. I think they’re kids. We might have found the three missing kids Sheriff Korder was hoping to find. What kind of a sick mind would do this?” He stood there rubbing his forehead and slowly shook his head back and forth.
#####
Kellie’s eyes were beginning to blur when she found an article about the kidnapping. It gave her more information than the other article.
“Marilyn listen to this. ‘The investigation continues into the case of the three missing boys. Clifford Shuland has refused to acknowledge any participation in the kidnapping. He insists he only kidnapped Marilyn Price, but refuses to explain why. All four children are from Prairieville, and no other children from surrounding areas have been reported missing.’ You must have known the other boys if they attended school with you. Four missing kids from one small town is strange.” She glanced at Marilyn, who was staring out the window.
Marilyn turned and said, “I have been trying to remember, but I can’t. I don’t remember much of kindergarten much less what those boys looked like.”
“There are pictures in the paper.”
Marilyn grabbed the paper and stared at the front page. “That’s Jimmy. I remember him because he spilled paint on my favorite dress. I don’t remember the other two.”
“There has to be a connection of some sort. Why were you the only girl?” Kellie took the paper and read the article again. “Wait, there’s mention here of a comment about the kidnappings in the police blotter.”
“That’s an odd place. Can you find it?” Marilyn was looking over Kellie’s shoulder.
“Yes, here it is. Claude Tervins was arrested for disorderly conduct at the Main Bar and Grill. Patrons said he was shouting that the kidnapped children, all from original settler families, were kidnapped to enact Carnfelder family revenge.” She shrugged and looked at Marilyn. “Do you understand any of that?”
“No, the Carnfelder family either died out or left town in the thirties. The crypts inside that mausoleum where we were trapped are all old. How could my being kidnapped by Clifford Shuland have anything to do with the Carnfelder family? It is getting stranger by the minute. The more we learn, the more we need to know.” She tossed the paper on the table.
“I wonder if Claude Tervins is still alive. I’d like to ask him what he meant.” Kellie said as she straightened up the papers and placed them back on the shelves. “We found all that we can here.”
As she was walking out, Kellie turned and walked to the information desk. “Excuse me, but do you have a listing of the people living nearby or does the town have a white pages? With the internet, many don’t.”
“Yes, we have one copy. The phone company still supplies them, but most people don’t keep one at home. We still try to keep all forms of information here.” The middle aged woman looked over the top of her reading glasses and said, “You’ll find it right across the room on the shelf labeled ‘local history.’”
Kellie and Marilyn hurried over and looked through the phone book. “Darn,” said Marilyn, “nothing here.”
Kellie thanked the librarian and said to Marilyn, “Maybe Mr. Tervins passed away.”
“Claude Tervins?” The librarian asked.
“Yes.”
“He’s an institution in this town. Mr. Tervins must be in his 90s now. He lives in the assisted living apartments a few blocks west of here on Elder Street. They come in once a month for books. Umm, it’s called Golden Years. Huge building, you can’t miss it.” She smiled.
“Thanks,” Kellie said as she and Marilyn hurried to the car.
#####
The Medical Examiner, Dr. Tracy Singer, was on her knees moving soil off the first bone she found. Her assistant helped her to uncover the top portion of the skeletal remains. Decayed pieces of cloth clung to the bones.
She looked up at the sheriff and said, “These bones are of a young male probably between four and seven years of age. Considering the amount of decomp, I would say this could be one of the missing boys from twenty years ago. I’ll know more when I can get him, and the cloth remnants back to the lab. Also, it appears he was dead or heavily drugged when buried. He was placed here carefully, and his hands crossed over his chest. He never moved. Someone had a bit of remorse.” She turned back and asked her assistant to continue working. She moved to the next burial site.
#####
Marilyn and Kellie walked into the foyer of the Golden Years apartments and Kellie picked up the phone and pressed in the number associated with Mr. Tervins’ apartment.
“Yeah.”
“Hello, Mr. Tervins. My name is Kellie, and I’m here with my friend Marilyn. If you have time, we’d like to talk to you about the kidnapping of those boys twenty years ago. Do you remember?”
“You betcha I do. Come in and wait on that ugly green couch they have by the office. I’ll come down.” The security door opened with a click, and Mr. Tervins hung up.
Marilyn and Kellie sat on the couch and waited for him.
A few minutes later an elderly man dressed in a red plaid shirt and bib overalls turned the corner into the waiting area. Using a walker didn’t stop him from doing a small jump when he whistled and said, “You two gorgeous ladies waiting for me?”
“We are if you’re Claude Tervins.” She glanced and Marilyn and stifled a laugh. “This is going to be interesting.”
“Yep, I am, follow me into this visiting room. It’s more private and comfortable.”<
br />
They followed him into a beautiful room with oak tables and furniture upholstered in colonial blue fabric. A small kitchen area was in one corner, and a large HD TV hung above the fireplace.
“Make yourself comfortable,” Claude said as he lowered himself into an oversized recliner. “Want some coffee?”
“No thank you, sir. Would you like some,” asked Marilyn.
“Yep, that’d be good. Cups are on the counter by the coffeepot.”
“Cream or sugar?” She glanced over her shoulder.
“Nope, black is fine.”
He watched Marilyn as she poured his coffee and brought it back setting it on the table next to him.
#####
Dr. Singer and her assistant uncovered a second body. Her observations were exactly the same for the second body. “There’s a pattern here, sheriff--similar cloth and body placement. I think these are your boys, but I can’t be sure until we examine all three bodies. I’m assuming the last body will be the same.”
She moved to the third burial site. The sheriff followed her. As she knelt down next to the partially uncovered body, she watched two of her employees remove the first small body and place it in the black van. She sighed and began to uncover more of the third body.
The sheriff strolled over to the deputy walking the cadaver dog. “Do you think there are anymore?”
“We’ve crisscrossed this area fairly well and Buddy would have picked up on another body. I think three is all which is enough. I could have lived my entire life without this.” He patted the dog’s head as he spoke.
“I agree. I hope Tracy can ID them. It would be nice to know for sure they’re our missing boys. The families would have closure. If not, there’ll always be a doubt. Not to mention if people think there might be other boys panic will hit. A serial killer is bad enough. That killer, Shuland, is dead, but the idea that another might have killed more than three will rain all sorts of unwanted attention on the town. The families will endure more pain.” The sheriff shoved his hands in his pockets and wandered away from the burial sites.
#####
Claude nodded thanks, took a sip of coffee, and looked at both young women. “You said you wanted to talk about those missing boys. What can I tell you?”
Kellie leaned forward, arms crossed on her knees, and smiled at Claude. “I read about you in an old newspaper. It said you were drunk, arrested, and insisted the children were kidnapped because of revenge. You said the Carnfelder family was behind it, but they haven’t been around these parts in decades.”
Claude leaned back and rubbed the days’ worth of gray hair on his chin. “I know what I said was true. I don’t know why you need to know about the details.”
“Mr. Tervins, I’m Marilyn Price. Clifford Shuland kidnapped me and let me go. No one would ever tell me anything about the kidnapping. I thought maybe you would know.” Marilyn pressed her lips together.
“So you’re the Price girl. I know a story. I heard my grand pappy tell it one night when he thought I was sleeping. How much is true, I’m not sure. It isn’t pretty. You sure you want to know?”
“Yes, sir. I’ve wanted to know for years.”
“Okay then. Well, it seems that the Carnfelder family was one of the first settlers in Prairieville along with your family, the Prices. The Bentrons, Clarks, and Moores also settled at the same time. Several other families soon settled, but they didn’t have anything to do with the torture and killings.”
“My family was involved with torture and killings?” Marilyn’s hands flew to her face.
“Please continue, Claude.” Kellie smiled at the old man again, and he relaxed in his chair.
“The Carnfelder family built a large home just outside town. It was as close to a mansion as you get in these parts. Completed in the late eighteen hundreds, it is empty now and somewhat run down. People think it’s haunted. Carnfelder had his close family living there and several extended family members. I think there was a brother, sister, some cousins and several children. Rumor has it that one of the kids had an incurable physical ailment. One of the cousins was a chemist of sorts.” He stopped and took another sip of coffee.
Marilyn dropped her face into her hands and said, “This doesn’t sound like it’s going to end well.”
“No miss, it doesn’t. The chemist tried to help the child with every medical elixir and procedure, but to no avail. He began to concoct his own medicines, but was afraid the child was too weak for new treatments that might not work. He had two young hired hands named Shuland.”
“Shuland?” Marilyn’s head shot up. “I thought Clifford Shuland was a stranger in town.”
“No miss, but we’re jumping ahead here. Carnfelder needed people to use as guinea pigs and the Shuland boys would grab someone from the town and bring them to the Carnfelder estate. Some say they had a secret place, but I don’t know where. Carnfelder gave them the treatment and the ones that didn’t die were driven mad.”
“Oh my,” said Marilyn. “This is horrible”
“The town thought the people driven mad were involved with witchcraft and had killed those who had died. Even those driven mad eventually died a horrible death. In order to keep them from coming back to hurt anyone, they were buried in unhallowed ground with unmarked headstones.” Mr. Tervins kept nodding his head.
“Was that cemetery under a bridge?” Kellie asked.
“Could be. I heard the bodies were in an out of the way place.”
“Is there anything else?” Kellie raised her eyebrows.
“I’m not sure how the townsfolk figured it out. We didn’t have local law enforcement, and without it four men took it upon themselves to go after the Carnfelder family.”
“Let me guess. They were from the Price, Clark, Moore, and Bentron family.” Kellie said.
“Yup, most of the Carnfelder family escaped, but they killed the chemist and both Shulands. Supposedly beaten and worse in the cemetery and then buried in the family crypt because they could lock it. Several other family members were previously buried in the crypt. They had some unexplained deaths in the family. Townsfolk believed they were also victims of witchcraft. They assumed the locked iron gates would hold their spirits.” Claude stretched and yawned.
“Thank you for your time, Claude. You helped us quite a bit. You look tired; we’ll go now.” Kellie stood and shook the man’s hand.
Marilyn followed Kellie’s lead and they both waved at Claude as they left the room. He was beginning to nod off.
Chapter Ten
Sheriff Korder followed the coroner’s van out of the cemetery and to the police lab. He had no intention of letting the bodies out of his sight. The sheriff mused, “I can’t believe those boys were right under our noses for the past twenty years. Hiding them there makes sense. Shuland knew his family owned those plots, but would never sell or use them. It was the perfect place for him to bury the bodies. Why didn’t any of us figure this out? I hate the thought of meeting the press.”
The sheriff parked his cruiser behind the hospital near the loading dock. The county didn’t have its own morgue. Tracy and her assistants did the work for the sheriff’s department and hospital.
Pushing open the door to the Medical Examiner’s office, Sheriff Korder said, “Hey, Tracy, what can you tell me?”
“Not much sheriff. As I said, three boys aged four to seven possibly buried twenty years ago isn’t a bad guess. I’ll need a couple weeks to try and extract DNA if it isn’t too degraded. I know your tech is testing some blood found. It’s possible we might be able to determine if that blood came from these boys. You’ll know where they were killed. I’ll do my best to gauge the age of the bones. Fortunately most of that area was untouched and fairly dry. With luck, your tech and I can compare results and get these boys identified. I’ll let you know.” She slipped on her lab coat and pushed through the doors to the autopsy room where three small bodies waited.
#####
Marilyn pulled out of the parking lot head
ed for the highway. “Do you believe what he said? If the Carnfelder lunatic and a Shuland were responsible for convincing the town that those people were possessed, they might be buried under the bridge. The town investigated. There are bodies buried there.”
“What he said would sound insane if the facts didn’t fit. A Shuland ancestor helped Carnfelder and four families brought them down. Those four families each had a child disappear. If we could find a connection between what happened in the early nineteen hundreds and what happened twenty years ago, we might have answers.” Kellie tightened her lips and scrunched her eyebrows as she stared out the window.
“Claude mentioned a secret place. That could be the tunnel under the mausoleum.”
“I think you’re right, but I have a feeling there might be some information in that old house. A trip there might be a good idea,” Kellie said.
Marilyn’s eyes opened wide. “You want to go to a haunted house?”
Kellie laughed. “It wouldn’t be the first time. I need some rest first and want to enjoy my vacation. Maybe I can get Taylor, Hunter, Cole, and Andrea to come along. We’ve all had experience with haunted houses.”
“That’s too scary. I think I would stay home,” Marilyn admitted.
Kellie’s mind drifted back to her experiences in the Gotz Manor House. “You don’t have to go if you would rather stay home. I understand.”
Marilyn let out a big sigh of relief.
#####
Taylor rushed in her front door. “Where did I leave that flash drive,” she said. “I thought it was in my purse.” She hurried past Rufus ignoring him. The bright blue flash drive lying on the kitchen counter caught her eye. “Thank goodness, there’s no way I want to do all that work again.”
Rufus began to howl. Taylor walked back into the den to see why he was complaining. Rufus had gathered all his toys in one place, sat next to them, and howled.
“What is your problem? Do you need to go out? Come on.”
She opened the door, but Rufus didn’t run for his usual spot in the back yard. He ran to Kellie’s back door and howled.
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