by Wren, John B
“I do, do I call you Aaron?”
“Well we use the name because of the history, I’ll not be tellin’ you my real name, but you knew that.”
“Yes, I knew that.”
After another minute, Aaron said, “Well now, that’s about enough
time for the troops to gather.”
“Gentlemen and any ladies present, my name is Aaron, and the call today is to let you know the whereabouts of Mr. Averell Danker. At least the last place that we knew him to be. Start with Interstate 90 in Ohio, between Madison and Mentor, in the median strip there is a hill, a rise with a thick growth of brush at the top. In the middle of the brush, there is a pit. Look in the pit. That’s all I have for you gentlemen. I’ll be takin’ my leave now, good day.” The line went silent.
Tom said, “Okay ‘Jimmy m’boy’, this is yours to handle,” and he laughed as he walked out of Jimmy’s office.
Jimmy called the CHPD and spoke to Jim McClarry. “James, I have word from one of our cousins. Fella’ named Aaron. You know who I’m talking about?”
“I think that I do, What’s did he have for us this time?”
“Grab a pen and I’ll read it off, ready?”
“Go ahead.”
Jimmy O’Leary read off the location and Jim McClarry wrote it down. “I’ll contact the local FBI office and get them in on this, I think the agent in charge was Matt Carver,” said Jim.
“Let me know what happens, and Jim—.”
“Yeah.”
“You know this is all out of bounds stuff. I mean, the clan really stepped out on this and I expect some kind of heat. Not sure where it will come from, but heat nonetheless.”
“I hear ya’ cousin, I’ll give you a call when we know what’s in the pit, if anything.”
They hung up and Jim dug out the number for Matt Carver at the FBI office in Cleveland. Matt Carver was pleased to get another lead to follow on this case and eagerly accepted the information Jim had to offer. He asked Jim if wanted the lead on this part of the investigation, “Sure, I’ll take it. I’ll set up a site visit for tomorrow around 1:00 pm. That should allow everybody to assemble and have the right forensic guy’s there.”
The following day at 12:30 the group was gathering at the equipment yard near the site. Jim was counting noses and making sure that the forensic team was getting prepped on driving into the median strip. A parade of five vehicles was lined up for the ride to the site and highway workers were going to lead and follow with their yellow lights flashing. Jim met Matt Carver at the yard office and the two of them rode with Vince Galley in the second vehicle. They were followed by the forensic van and that was followed by a state trooper car with a couple of local officials. Next came the medical examiner and his assistant and then the other highway truck.
The forensic van and one highway vehicle with ropes and ladders backed up the hill, stopping about twenty feet from the pit. The remainder of the people walked up the hill and gathered at the highway truck to wait for clearance to approach the pit. The forensic team moved ahead with cameras and plastic bags, photographing everything and picking up whatever appeared to be worthwhile trace evidence. Jim knew, as did the forensic team, that any trace found at this point had a very low probability of being of value, but procedure was procedure and there was an audience there watching them. When enough preliminary photographing and collection of trace was done, the team came back to the truck to get the ladders, rope, lights and other equipment needed to enter the pit. The crime scene specialists wearing the appropriate protective suits climbed down into the pit setting lights and photographing everything in sight.
The pit fully illuminated and photographed, was now scanned for human remains. The collection of bones retrieved were photographed where found and carefully tagged and bagged for analysis in a nearby morgue. Some minor excavation was needed to collect the remains that were buried by the several years of weather and critters moving bits about. The remains of several rodents mixed in with Averell’s were assumed to be those of meal seekers who followed their noses into the pit in pursuit of food. They were either victims of their intended meal or other critters after the same feast. Whatever the case, Averell Danker, in the pit for nine years had been found and now had been returned to the system that could not arrest, try and punish him.
* * *
EPILOGUE
Jim McClarry called Jimmy O’Leary in Boston and told him that Averell Danker had indeed been found and now with a few entries in the file, the case of Annette Shelton’s murder would be officially closed. This also closed the missing person cases surrounding the other seven girls that Averell had taken. Jim called the other police departments and informed them of the developments. He then called Dave Shelton, “Dave, this is Jim McClarry, can I stop by for a few minutes, I want to see you and Clare?”
END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John B. Wren is a consulting engineer turned author, living in Northern
Virginia with his wife, Lois and children. He grew up in a
large Irish-Catholic family in western New York. “To Probe
A Beating Heart” is his first published novel. His second novel, “Killing His Fear” was released in 2012 and his third, “Darryl's Reunion” is due out in the spring of 2013.