"Sorry dude, can't help you. Never heard of it."
I gestured with the hand holding my phone and said, "Guess we'll go out that way and wander around a little more. Think that's the only direction we haven't been." As I swept my hand back past us I hit the button to take a burst of photo's, hopefully including one of the driver. I said, "Thanks," turned and hurried back to our car.
When I got back into the car, I said to PJ, "Go straight, pull across the street and keep going." After we had moved away, the truck came up to the intersection and turned right.
PJ said, "What was that little stunt all about? You could have gotten yourself shot walking up to that truck like that."
"Frankly, that outcome never occurred to me. I just thought we should know who that guy was, so we'll know if we see him again. One thing Davies said the other night that is true is that half of the vehicles in this part of the state are pickups with oversized tires. At least this way we'll know if we see this guy again." By now I had found the photos of the license plate and the driver. The three shots that included him were a little blurry from the motion, but not too bad. I proudly showed them to PJ.
She said, "Not bad, but next time you're going to do something like that, how about we talk about it first." There was no doubt in my mind that she was using the same tone she uses when providing guidance to her teenage daughter. "I can't bring you back to Cap's Place all shot full of holes. Of course most people around there think that's inevitable, you shot full of holes. It's just that they think it'll be some irate husband of one of your playmates." She paused and then added, "But now that you've settled down with the daughter of a mobster, that's not so likely."
I sighed, "I don't know how this conversation went from praising my initiative and bravery to bashing my occasional transgressions." By this time we were outside of town and the street we had been on had turned into a rapidly narrowing dirt lane. I said, "By the way, where the hell are you taking us?"
"Hey, just following your orders, you said to drive this direction. That's what I'm doing."
"Well, why don't you find a place to turn around and we'll go back and talk to Olivia Cooper."
"Yes'a Boss." In her best imitation of Moe at his worst.
Olivia Cooper was at home and, thankfully, her roommate was not. Olivia was very standoffish at first, but after a few minutes she loosened up a little and told us that she had been friends with both Jessica Parry and Freeman Robinson. She said that she thought that Freeman was much more infatuated with Jessica than she was with him. She also told us that she had been surprised that Jessica hadn't left home because she was always saying what a "jack ass" Butch Bennett was and how much she hated him. Olivia speculated that Jessica was torn between getting away from Bennett and leaving her mother alone with him.
When PJ asked if Olivia had ever seen bruises or marks on Jessica from abuse by Bennett she replied, "No physical marks, just psychological ones."
PJ asked, "What do you mean by that?"
Olivia replied, "I could tell when Jessica walked into the room whether Butch Bennett was back at home from one of his road trips. She was a completely different person when he was home."
I asked, "How was she different?"
"She would be moody, quiet, wouldn't talk. Then something would set her off and she would fly into a shouting rage. It wasn't like her to act like that. She was usually the life of the party and a kind, compassionate, friend. I would talk to her about all of my boyfriend troubles, she was such a good listener. That is unless he was in town. Then I just usually kept my distance."
PJ said, "Wow, was it always that way? You know when Jessica was younger. We were told she sometimes went with him on his routes."
"Yeah, when we were young she talked about him as if he was some kind of superhero. I think she really did love him in those days. At least that's the feeling I got," Olivia replied.
"When did things change?"
"I guess about the time we started high school. Somewhere around that time. It was kinda gradual at first, so I might not have noticed when it started. I do remember when we were freshman Jessica started mentioning his drinking. I think that's when things started going downhill."
PJ asked, "But, Jessica never said directly that Bennett was abusing her or her mother?"
Olivia hesitated, then said, "No, not really. She just called him all kinds of names and cursed him every time she did talk about him. I really just tried to stay away from any mention of him."
PJ's face reflected skepticism as she asked, "You confided all of your problems with Jessica, but you didn't inquire deeper when something as dramatic as this was going on in her life?"
"Oh, I tried a couple of times, but like I said, it would just set her off. After a couple of times of having my head bit off I quit trying." Olivia paused and then added, "If she would have talked to anyone about something like that it would have been Debbie Chapman."
I said, "We understand that they were very close. At least until Debbie was leaving town and then they had some kind of falling out."
"Really, well I guess I didn't know that. I did think it was strange that Debbie didn't come back to town when Jessica first went missing, but guess I was so focused praying that Jessica would be found safe that I didn't think any more about it. Later, I just thought that Debbie was probably dealing with the grief by staying away. Can't say I blame her, if I could have gone away and not had to be reminded of Jessica's death everyday I would have."
PJ asked, "Do you have any idea where Debbie is now?"
Olivia shook her head, "No, not really. I know that when she left she went to Orlando. I heard she got a job up there, but that's all I ever heard. I got married that first year out of high school and I was pretty focused on my own life during that period. Not that it did me any good. Marriage went down the drain and I'm still stuck in this dump of a town." She exhaled the tired sigh of someone who felt trapped by life.
PJ asked, "You said you were friends with Freeman Robinson, as well as Jessica. Do you think he killed her?"
"Not in a million years. I don't give a damn what any court says. Freeman would never have hurt Jessica. He idolized her. Like I said, he was just another of a long string of boyfriends to her, but he thought she was his dream girl. He told me several times that he was going to marry her just as soon as he rebuilt his knee and got back to football. Freeman could always dream big, I'll give him that."
I asked, "What if it came to a head. You know, maybe Freeman wanted their relationship to go further, maybe marriage, and Jessica told him no. Couldn't he have been so upset that he killed her, maybe accidentally?"
"I know that's what the cops said, but I don't believe it." She looked away and a faint blush crept up her neck, "I knew Freeman pretty well at one time. I don't think he would harm a woman under any circumstances. His Granny really taught him respect for women."
PJ asked, "If Freeman didn't kill Jessica, who do you think did?"
"You mean if Butch Bennett didn't?"
"You think Bennett did it?"
"Oh, I don't know. All I know is that Jessica really hated him and I would imagine that the feeling was mutual. When you talk about murder in a fit of rage, I can't think of a better candidate than a boozer like him."
PJ nodded, "Okay, but if it wasn't Bennett who killed Jessica, who would you think might have?"
Shaking her head, "I don't know." After pausing, "Well, maybe one guy. Jessica had a lot of boyfriends over the years. She had a sorta love 'em and leave 'em approach to life. Most guys got angry when she broke it off, but one guy in particular, a guy named Brian Young, got real mad and stayed mad. Jessica once told me that she was with Freeman and they ran into Brian and that Brian made a big scene. Called her all kinds of nasty names. Freeman knocked him on his ass. I think Brian had it in for both of them."
"You know where this Brian is now?" I asked.
"He joined the army a few months after Jessica was killed. A couple years later they sent him to A
fghanistan and he was killed by one of those roadside bombs."
PJ asked, "Do you know if the police ever considered Brian a suspect?"
"I guess I don't really know. I didn't run in the same circles as Brian. I didn't really like him much. I never heard anybody mention it though."
I asked, "Does Brian still have family around here?"
"I don't know. He had a younger brother, but I didn't know him. Can't even tell you his name. Sorry, I just don't know."
"His parents, do you know if they might still be around?" asked PJ.
Olivia paused as she thought. She replied, "I remember his dad worked at the packing plant that used to be on the edge of town. They closed years ago, hell, the building isn't even there any more. I don't really know if his folks are still in the area. Wouldn't be surprised if they've moved on. Lots of people have. Not a lot of work around here these days."
We talked a few more minutes, but really learned nothing additional. PJ gave Olivia a card and asked her to call if she thought of anything that might be of assistance.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
As we drove away from Olivia Cooper's house I said, "If you don't have anything else in mind, how about we see if Windy's around. He might be able to point us in the right direction in trying to locate family or friends of this Brian Young. Maybe he has other background on Young, so we can assess just how strong a suspect he could be. Timing is very interesting, him joining the army shortly after Jessica's death."
"I like that idea. Windy seems to be a real font of information. Let's spin by and see if he's at the paper. If he's not there we'll give him a call and see if he's close."
I attempted to check my phone for any missed calls or texts, but the battery was dead. PJ had a charger in the car that would fit, but it was obvious that I was going to need to consider a new phone soon. This one just doesn't seem to hold a charge any more, even though it's only a couple of years old. Probably part of the continuous marketing strategy. Start having problems so you start to look at the new model.
We parked in front of the paper and just as we reached the door it opened in front of us. Windy looked momentarily startled and then smiled and said, "Hi, you two. Coming to see me?"
PJ replied, "We were. Do you have a few minutes?"
"I was just going to Pappy's for a late lunch, join me and we can talk."
I said, "That's probably not an option. We were in there earlier and Pappy refused to serve us."
Windy looked confused, "Refused to serve you, why on earth would he do that?"
PJ said, "He believes we're working to get Freeman Robinson released. At least that's what Chief Davies told us."
Windy scratched the top of his head, "Davies was involved in Pappy not serving you?"
PJ replied, "No. At least not that we know about. The chief told us that Pappy was telling people around town that we were working to get Freeman released, not a stay of execution, not a new trial, but released outright."
Windy exclaimed, "That couldn't happen, there's no legal precedent for him being released without a judicial process of some sort."
I said, "Of course not, but it doesn't matter, most of the time people are going to believe what they're told by the loudest voice."
Windy motioned for us to come in and said, "All right, come on in. I just put on a fresh pot of coffee to have when I returned and PJ knows where the fridge is. You two make yourselves at home. What would you like for lunch? I'll get my sandwich and your lunches to go. Pappy won't know who I'm ordering for, the hard-headed old fool."
I asked Windy what his sandwich of choice was and he said the turkey Reuben. I told him that sounded great to me. PJ opted to stick with her wrap. I pulled my wallet out, but Windy waved me off and scoffed, "Put your money away. When I'm in Hollywood you can pay." With that he was gone.
We were settled at the work table in the back room with our drinks when Windy returned twenty minutes later. As he set the bag of food on the table he smirked and said, "Pappy didn't suspect a thing."
Once we'd all started our lunch, Windy asked, "So, what was it you wanted to talk about?"
PJ had just taken a bite of her wrap, so I answered, "We were told that Jessica had dated a Brian Young at one time and that when she broke it off he didn't take it well at all. Sounded like he held a grudge against her and by extension against Freeman. He certainly has the makings of a potential suspect, at least from the standpoint of motive, but since he was killed in the service we can't talk to him. The timing of his enlistment, a few months after her death, is interesting as well. We were hoping that you might know if any of his family or friends are still around."
Windy furrowed his brow in obvious concentration, "Brian Young, I do remember him. I guess I just never knew that he dated Jessica. What I recall most about Brian was that he was always one of those troublemakers as a kid, but evidently in the military he thrived. The escort who brought Brian's body home said he had never seen a soldier earn the number of citations and decorations Brian had in his short military career. I guess he just needed to find the right fit in life."
PJ asked, "Does his family still live in the area?"
Windy ran a hand through his white hair, "No, they left town a couple of years after Brian was killed. I remember because his mother was very upset that they were leaving his body behind in the local cemetery, but they had no alternative, they had to relocate to find work. I think they went to somewhere in Texas, but I'm not at all sure."
I said, "Someone mentioned that Brian had a brother. Any chance he's still around?"
"No, he'd left town before Brian was killed. I remember he came home for the funeral." He paused and then his face lit up as he said, "That's it. I remember now. His brother, I can't recall his name, came home from Texas for the funeral. Later the folks followed him to Texas to find work. Evidently, the economy is a lot stronger out there than it is around here." He cocked his head, "Of course you could probably say that about half of the country."
I asked, "No idea where in Texas?"
"Sorry, but I don't think I ever knew."
PJ asked, "Any idea what kind of work they did?"
Windy exhaled deeply and reached for the pack of cigarettes in his pocket, but when he saw that we hadn't finished eating he withdrew his hand empty. "His dad was a welder. He worked in a small factory on the edge of town that closed up. I think Brian's brother had gone into the welding trade as well, but I'm not certain."
I said, "There must have been an obituary published. It would have the names of the parents and the brother, right?"
Windy nodded, "Oh yeah, the obituary and several articles I wrote at the time. It was a big deal around here when Brian was killed in the service. Let me think a minute and narrow the time frame down. We'll find the articles."
We finished our lunch and Windy found the obituary and articles listing Brian Young's parents and brother. While we read the articles and jotted down the names, Windy made up for lost time by chain-smoking three cigarettes. PJ asked Windy, "I think I know the answer to this question, but I'll ask anyway, you never heard Brian Young mentioned as a suspect?"
Windy shook his head, "Nope. But like I told you, I'd probably be the last one the chief would mention something like that to." He seemed to reflect a minute and then added, "Of course, I guess I can't blame him, I am the press. To leak the name of someone, even someone later cleared, could still do irreparable harm to their reputation."
I asked, "Anything else you remember about Brian Young?"
A squint furrowed Windy's brow as if he was attempting to look into the past. "No, not really. I do remember that he got kicked off the high school baseball team for fighting. He had quite the temper, that was the source of most of his troubles when he was a kid. Fighting, underage drinking, stuff like that. I don't know for a fact, but it wouldn't surprise me if that was his incentive to join the army so suddenly, maybe it was suggested by some court somewhere."
PJ said, "Or maybe he was involved in J
essica's death and thought it was a good time to get out of town." Windy didn't respond, but it was obvious that he didn't find the suggestion preposterous.
I said, "We've been told that Debbie Chapman was Jessica's best friend. What can you tell us about her?"
Windy's eyes lit up, "Oh Debbie, she was a vivacious little thing. If she was in the room you knew it. She and Jessica were close. I remember many a time when Debbie would come bursting into Pappy's to try and convince Jessica that she should get off work early so the two of them could go out on some adventure. Always looking for a new adventure, that one. Didn't surprise me in the least when she left town. This town wasn't nearly big enough to contain her."
PJ asked, "Were you surprised when she didn't come back around at the time Jessica disappeared? Evidently, it was just after Debbie left town."
Windy looked surprised, "I didn't realize she hadn't." He paused then added, "If that's true, I guess it does strike me as strange. They were so close. What do you make of it?"
PJ shook her head, "Oh, I can't make anything of it with the limited information I have. Maybe she didn't even know what had happened. Amanda told us that Debbie and Jessica had a falling out over the fact that Debbie was leaving and Jessica couldn't. One of those fights where two girls swear to never talk to each other again. Maybe Debbie never made any effort to reconnect with Jessica, so she didn't even know about the murder."
Windy stubbed out the cigarette he was smoking and leaned back in his chair, "Well maybe, but I guess I find that implausible, they were so darn close all the time they were growing up. I can imagine a screaming fight between the two of them, but nothing that would last forever."
I added, "Maybe it was just bad timing. They have their fight and before they can makeup Jessica is murdered."
Windy nodded slowly, "Maybe, but I'd still be surprised that Debbie wouldn't have come back for the memorial service they held for Jessica."
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