Abandoned Souls

by Marianne Spitzer

  Taylor grabbed her cell in case she saw someone in Kellie’s house and walked to where Rufus sat. He was nudging his nose up against the door.

  “You want to go in?” She looked at the dog and twisted her lip. “Okay.” She unlocked and opened the door. Rufus tore into the house as if something was on his tail.

  She stepped into Kellie’s kitchen. “What are you doing, Rufus?” She could hear the dog running around upstairs.

  “At least I’m safe. He’s not barking at a burglar.” She laughed.

  While she was waiting, the phone rang. Most people Kellie knew were aware she was on vacation. She let the machine pick it up, but Kellie had left the volume on high. She heard Mrs. Jensen’s voice coming from Kellie’s office.

  “Hi dear, I hope since you’re not home that you are feeling better. Call me soon. I’d like to have lunch, and we could talk. You were going to be my daughter. We were going to be a family. Take care, bye.”

  “Oh no,” Taylor said. “I better call Kellie. Rufus come on I have to get back to work.”

  Rufus came bounding into the room with the yellow squeaky ball Hunter had given him.

  “All that fuss over that darn ball? Hunter’s personality is rubbing off on you.” She opened the door. Rufus ran to the back of the yard. When he returned, they both went into Taylor’s house.

  Taylor dialed Kellie’s cell.

  #####

  Marilyn had pulled into a family chain restaurant as Kellie’s phone rang. “It’s Taylor. I should take this. My house may have blown up.”

  As both women climbed out of the car, Marilyn said, “I’ll get us a booth.”

  Kellie took the call and listened to what Taylor had overheard. “This is all I need. I’m not sure she and I will ever get along, and she thinks we should have lunch. I know she needs to talk about Randy, but she thinks I accepted his proposal. How am I going to lie?”

  She leaned against the car. “Thanks for letting me know. I found a possibly haunted house. Interested?” She pulled the phone away from her ear when Taylor squealed. “Okay, talk soon. Love ya.” She headed for the restaurant.

  Settling into the booth across from Marilyn she told her what Taylor had said. “What am I going to do? How do I tell her we never were engaged?”

  “Tell her a partial truth and a partial lie.” Marilyn spoke while glancing at the menu.

  “How do I do that?” Kellie looked over the top of her menu at her friend.

  “Let’s see. Tell her you were a bit surprised. You knew Randy was serious, but not that serious. He did ask you on a special date for Friday, Saturday, whenever and maybe he was going to ask you then. It might work. You won’t burst her bubble, and she’ll keep her dream that Randy died a happy man.” She set her menu down and drummed the table with her fingertips.

  “That might work. The last thing I want her to know is that we had broken up a couple of hours before he died. She’d never get over it. Mrs. Jensen may blame me. How do I deal with that?”

  “You don’t. You tell her a little white lie to spare her feelings.” Marilyn smiled. “That’s settled. Look they have a hot fudge brownie sundae for dessert. I suppose I should have lunch first. Maybe I’ll have something light. They have a grilled chicken salad. That and a sundae sounds good.”

  “Yes, it does,” Kellie agreed. They ordered two when the waitress came to take their order.

  It was after dark when Marilyn and Kellie arrived at Marilyn’s house. The new security lights lit the entire area beyond the garage that had previously remained dark when Marilyn would pull in the drive. She noticed the area between the house and garage bathed in light. As they walked toward the house, Marilyn noticed the back of the garage, several feet of the yard, and the trees lit with the new lighting.

  “This is wonderful. There’s no way that anyone can sneak up to the house without tripping a light.” She sighed in relief when she unlocked the back door.

  Marilyn noticed the red light blinking on her answering machine and pushed it to listen to the message. She heard her friend, Tina, but couldn’t believe what she heard. She looked at Kellie’s shocked face and called Tina back.

  Marilyn listened without asking many questions. “Thanks, Tina. If you can find out more information without getting into trouble, please let me know.”

  She sat at the kitchen table and held her head in her hands. Kellie laid a hand on her shoulder and asked, “What did she say?”

  “She went into a little more detail. Working at the sheriff’s office gives her some information the public doesn’t know yet. She told me again about the three bodies found near the Shuland monument. She also said all were boys aged most likely between four and seven. They were just bones, Kellie. The bodies were there for years. They’re almost sure that the bones belong to Jimmy, Tommy, and Allen.” She covered her mouth with both hands for a moment and continued. “I could have been number four. Why did Shuland let me live? I need to rest tonight, and you do, too. Tomorrow we can check out the attic. Maybe my grandma put something up there that might help me understand.”

  “Good idea and when you feel up to it, we can drive out to the old Carnfelder estate. I don’t want to go into the house. Walking around the property will let me sense if there are any spirits. You can wait in the car.”

  Marilyn smiled, “I just might.”

  #####

  The sun was barely up when the sheriff walked into the Medical Examiner’s office. Tracy sat at her desk drinking coffee and going through a stack of papers. She looked up and said, “Good morning, sheriff.”

  “Morning, Stacy. I dropped by on the off chance I would find you here and maybe you had some information.” He poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned against her desk.

  “The bodies are too degraded for blood testing. DNA testing could take weeks or months after I extract it from the bones. I would have to match the mitochondrial DNA with the boy’s moms. The moms would have to supply a DNA swab. I hate to get their hopes up. The entire state knew the boys were missing. If a copycat killed three boys elsewhere, they could have buried their victims here. It would be an ideal situation for a sick mind. I decided to use old fashioned forensics to try and identify them first. It’s a good thing we live in a small town. I pulled the boy’s medical records last night. They all saw the same pediatrician. I called Dr. Abramson at two in the morning. I had already tentatively identified Tommy from a foot surgery he had as an infant. It was a minor birth defect, but unusual enough in this town to be the only one, and it was performed here at the hospital. Dr. Abramson phoned the surgeon, and he came here in person to match the x-rays and examine the bone of Tommy’s foot. It’s Tommy Bentron. We’re one hundred percent sure of his identification.” She tapped her finger on the stack of files and dropped her head. “I hate this part of my job. I’m sorry, but we knew they were someone’s children. It’s hard when you know the families.”

  The sheriff sat in a nearby chair and leaned back. “I understand. As bad as this it, it would be worse if it were three other boys. What about the identification of Jimmy and Allen?”

  “Dr. Abramson didn’t have any other identifying info on the other two boys, but old Doc Waters did. I called him at four.”

  “You called the retired dentist in the middle of the night. He must be in his mid-eighties by now. Are you trying to give people heart attacks and drum up more business?” He shook his head at her.

  “He was happy to help and faxed me the reports he had on file from when the boys first were reported missing. He still lives in the house where he had his office. All his files are there.”

  “Damn, I bet we have that in the station files someplace.” He stood, shoved his hands in his pockets, and strode to the opposite side of the office.

  “I have it, too. Allen was hit in the mouth with a bat during a ball game. He had already lost his two front baby teeth, but the bat knocked out the next two teeth on the right side. That matches one of the bodies. The dentist had taken an x-ray after
the accident. I had an officer pick it up. They match. He is also the correct height from his last physical, and he had dark black hair which I can say for certain is the color of the hair left on his remains. ”

  “Great job, Tracy. What about Jimmy?”

  She stood and walked to the door leading to the morgue and turned to look at the sheriff. “This is not great, sheriff. It has been the most difficult job of my two years here. It may be my last. After this one, I may decide to teach. Well, enough about me. Jimmy had a broken finger on his left hand. Not a big break, just a crack, but it hadn’t healed completely before he died. Jimmy Clark is our third little victim.”

  Sheriff Korder interlaced his fingers and leaned forward. “Were you able to determine the cause of death?”

  “I have a theory. I couldn’t find any fresh bone breaks. That’s unusual if they fought with Shuland. I’m assuming he kidnapped the boys along with the little Price girl. Jimmy’s partially healed finger certainly would have broken or cracked more severely if he fought. He may have coerced them into going with him, and he drugged them within minutes. No broken bones in the neck lead me to believe he didn’t strangle them. I would say smothered. Drugged and smothered is cause of death. He buried them in a respectful way, and I have no indication from the position of the remains that they were alive when he buried them.” She handed her reports to the sheriff.

  “Okay, Stacy. That fits with what the original police reports state. Everyone thought Allen and Tommy had run off for an overnight adventure in the woods until Jimmy and Marilyn were reported missing the next day. Four kids in two days led them to believe it was more than campouts or runaways. Thanks for the hard work and quick results. I want to notify the families before the news leaks out.” He waved as he walked out of her office.

  Stacy signed out, told her assistant she would be out the entire day and night, would see him the next morning, and headed toward the elevator. On the ride to the floor where she could access the parking garage she seriously considered contacting the university concerning employment.

  #####

  The sunlight didn’t wake Kellie or Marilyn. Both slept well past nine. Kellie heard Marilyn’s shower, stretched, and sat on the edge of her bed. The facts of the previous day ran through her mind. The story Claude Tervins told them intrigued her more as she thought about it. The discovery of the three bodies added to her confusion.

  She thought, “I was standing feet from that monument. Why didn’t I hear the boy’s spirits? Maybe they were afraid of the evil spirit I felt and heard in the main part of the cemetery. I need to dig into this mystery and help Katrina May and the others buried under the bridge. In the process, I may be able to help Marilyn.”

  “All yours,” Marilyn called out as she left the bathroom and headed back to her bedroom.

  “Thanks,” Kellie replied as she grabbed her things and headed for the bathroom.

  #####

  Sheriff Korder glanced at his watch. He inhaled deeply and thought it was time to call on the parents of the three boys. The sound of his intercom buzzer broke into his thoughts.

  “Yes.”

  “Umm, sheriff,” he heard his desk sergeant say, “could you come out here?”

  “Yeah, okay.” He opened his office door and glanced down the hall to see six anxious parents standing in the outer office.

  He looked at the officer and said, “Seat them in the conference room and get them coffee. I’ll be right there.” He turned back toward his office to retrieve the file on the three boys, swallowed hard, and walked to the conference room.

  Chapter Eleven

  Kellie and Marilyn discussed her kidnapping during breakfast. Marilyn was both excited and anxious to go through her grandmother’s attic to look for any clues.

  “Grandma loved to save things. She made scrapbooks and picture albums for the family. I know she had a lot of them, but I haven’t seen any since I moved in the house.”

  “Could your mom have moved them before you moved in?”

  “I doubt it. Mom would have burnt them before she gave them to me.”

  Kellie smiled. “Moms like to protect their kids even after they grow up. Let’s go check out the attic.”

  The attic was large and clean. A small amount of dust covered the floor and stored furniture, but it was obvious Marilyn’s grandma took good care of it. Kellie noticed several boxes stacked in one corner. An old-fashioned wooden hope chest sat under one of the windows. Marilyn’s grandpa’s military trunk sat across the room under another window.

  Marilyn said, “I snuck up here once as a teen and my grandpa caught me. He told me there were dangerous things in his old military trunk, and it was booby trapped.” She smiled and continued, “He also said the floor was old, and I could fall through and break my neck. It was obvious he didn’t want me up here. I never tried coming back up. When I checked the door again I found it locked.”

  Kellie walked over to the trunk and asked, “Do you mind if I look? I doubt it is booby trapped.”

  “Go ahead.”

  Kellie lifted the lid and motioned to Marilyn. “I think I know why your grandpa didn’t want you in this trunk.”

  Marilyn looked in and saw two old fashioned guns. “Wow, I can see why grandpa didn’t want me to look in here.” She closed the lid. “We have a gun store in town. I’ll call them and see if someone will come out here and get the guns. I don’t want to touch them now. They are old, and I can’t tell if they’re loaded.”

  “Good thinking. I took a gun course and have a license, but I wouldn’t touch them either. Let’s check out the old hope chest.”

  Marilyn opened the chest and a slight rose scent escaped. “The scent is coming from these dried rose sachets, Marilyn said. “I told you my grandma loved roses.” She lifted them out and laid the sachets on the floor next to the chest.

  A beautiful, multi-colored, handmade quilt was folded and lay on top of the remaining contents. Marilyn picked it up and carried it to a small antique table and laid it on the table.

  She knelt back down next to Kellie and both young women looked at each other. There was a stack of what appeared to be photo albums, a large hat box with a label reading “Marilyn’s school papers,” and a stack of old newspapers.

  The headline on the top paper caught their eye:

  Four Children Abducted In Two Days

  Marilyn reached for the paper and pulled her hand back. “I can’t read that.”

  “Let me,” said Kellie taking the paper from the chest. “I’ll read it and just give you the short version.”

  Marilyn bit her lip and nodded.

  Kellie began, “It states Allen and Tommy were reported missing. The police and family thought they had run off to go on a camp out since Tommy’s dad had cancelled a camping vacation planned for when school was out for the summer. When you and Jimmy were missing the following day, the police assumed all four of you were taken, or possibly lost in the woods. The fact that you were a girl and your mom said you hated sleeping outdoors and were afraid of the dark convinced the police that all four children were kidnapped. They sent out search parties. None of the families had any connection that would put their children in danger. Allen and Tommy disappeared after school. You and Jimmy never made it to school the next morning.”

  “I walked to school. We lived two blocks from Prairieville Elementary and the next street over I would meet the Holland twins, and we would walk together. He must have grabbed me between home and the next street.” Marilyn moved off her knees to sit cross legged on the floor. “How could he grab me so close to home?”

  “If he parked his car and left the back door open, he could have grabbed you, used ether or some other drug to knock you out, put you in the car, and take off. You were barely six and small. It could have taken him less than a minute. Don’t blame yourself.” Kellie took Marilyn’s hand that had turned cold as her face became pale.

  “I never heard any of this. It’s like you’re reading a horror novel. I th
ink you are right about being knocked out. I don’t remember being taken and what I do remember is being under that black cover, tape on my mouth and eyes, and the smell of candles, rotting leaves, and dirt. I think I woke in the tunnel under the cemetery. I didn’t hear any of the boys only the muted voices of two men.” Her eyes grew big, and her hands flew to her mouth when she said, “Could they have already been killed and in the tunnel with me or buried? Why not me? I think I was alone for a while. Maybe he was burying them.” Tears ran down Marilyn’s cheeks.

  “I think he could have killed Tommy and Allen the day he took them and maybe he killed Jimmy before you woke. If you were alone, he could have been burying Jimmy. We know he buried all three near the Shuland monument. It makes sense and maybe he didn’t have the heart to kill a little girl.” She hugged Marilyn. “Do you want me to look at the rest of the papers?”

  “Yes, please. I need to know what happened.” Marilyn wiped her tears with her shirt.

  #####

  Sheriff Korder walked into the conference room and took a chair at the head of the table. He looked into the faces of the six parents sitting around the table. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. He’d notified people of lost loved ones, but not like this. Not murder. Not small boys. Not three of them at once.

  “First, let me offer my deepest condolences to each of you. We have identified the remains found in Prairieville Cemetery as your sons.”

  The three women broke into tears, and Mr. Moore demanded, “How do you know they’re our boys. Are you guessing only because you found three bodies?” His glare made the sheriff shift in his seat trying to find a comfortable position.

  “No, please bear with me, sir. The Medical Examiner is positive, and I will explain her findings. First, Allen was identified through dental records. When he lost two teeth in the batting accident, the dentist took an x-ray. It matches one of the boys we found.”

  Mr. Moore dropped his head and slowly shook it back and forth.

  Mr. and Mrs. Bentron we identified Tommy also using x-rays from his foot surgery. There was no doubt in our examiner’s mind that the second set of remains was Tommy.