by Rick Reed
“I hope Angelina’s right about this,” Jack said. “We don’t need to break into some granny’s house and cause a heart attack.”
Angelina’s voice came over the phone. “I can hear you Jack.”
Liddell smirked and silently mimicked her words.
“I can see you Liddell,” Angelina said.
“Cannot.”
“Hey, guys, the phone signal just disappeared,” Angelina said.
“What?” Jack asked.
“It’s just gone. Someone could be taking the sim card out or destroying the phone.”
Jack passed the info on to Jerrell.
Jerrell said, “I’m on the phone with our prosecutor for the search warrant. I just told him the signal went blank. He says we have exigent circumstances.”
An ‘exigent circumstance’ is an exception to the Fourth Amendment search and seizure requirement. The exception says when officers have probable cause to search, and reasonably believe contraband or evidence is being destroyed, it is allowable to enter and search without a warrant.
“I agree, Chief,” Jack said, knowing that Jerrell didn’t give two hoots whether Jack agreed or not.
Jerrell bumped his truck over the curb and drove into the front yard of a white vinyl sided cottage. The truck slid to a stop and Jerrell and Shaunda exited and rushed up a wooden handicap ramp to the front door of the house. The ramp and yard were decorated with brightly painted yard gnomes that stood like sentries on the sides of the front stoop.
Liddell hurried to the right side of the house and Jack went to left where he could watch the side and the back. Jerrell was preparing to kick the door open when Liddell yelled, “Wait! Hold up. The signal’s on the move again.”
Jerrell hurriedly spoke into the radio mic on his shoulder. “All units stand down. Stand down.” He turned to Liddell who had come to the front. “What do you mean it’s moving. Moving where?”
Liddell held the cell phone to his ear. “She says it’s going west. No. Yeah. West.”
“Are you sure?” Jerrell asked.
“It’s headed west. She says it’s moving fast toward the park.”
Jerrell passed this on to his troops.
Crocker came on the radio. “Chief, you want me to go into the park?”
“Damn,” Jerrell said and asked Liddell, “How sure is your gal that the phone isn’t in there?”
Liddell put the phone on speaker and Angelina said, “The signal is still moving away from you heading west at a good pace. You’re going to have to hurry to catch it.”
Jack had come around to the front. “What do you want to do Chief?”
Jerrell said, “You and your partner follow the signal. We’ll knock and see if we’re let in.” Jerrell keyed his radio and gave instructions to his troops.
Jack and Liddell went back behind the house through a copse of trees and entered the park. The land was flat once they broke out of the trees and gave them a good view into the park.
They couldn’t risk putting Angelina on speaker. Liddell quietly passed the directions on. “She’s got our phones pulled up on GPS. We’re a hundred yards north of the signal. It’s heading south still. We’re coming to a swimming pool.”
“I see it,” Jack said. They crossed the narrow paved road they had seen from the parking lot of The Park Inn. “Left, or right?” he asked.
Liddell said, “Neither. Go straight through and past the parking lot for the pool. It’s moving faster.”
“Put her on speaker,” Jack said, and Liddell did. Jack said, “Angelina, can you task a satellite and see who we’re chasing?” Jack asked, knowing the answer would be…
“So solly, Cha-lee. Me go prison long time,” she answered. “Maybe if Toomey didn’t know what we were doing I could, but federal laws and regulations kind of frown on my hacking satellites without permission. Go around the pool, straight ahead. You’ll see another bunch of trees and on the other side of that is tennis courts. The signal has slowed down but if it keeps moving it’ll be out of the park before you catch up.”
Liddell keyed the radio and passed this on to Jerrell. Jerrell told his perimeter cars to converge on the front of the park and to stop anyone trying to cross Highway 54. He said they were still trying to make contact with the occupants of the house. You could hear one of them knocking loudly before the radio went quiet.
Liddell and Jack picked up the pace and jogged past the pool just in time for Jack to see a small figure in dark clothes and a dark hoodie enter the trees behind the tennis courts moving away from them.
“There they are, Bigfoot,” Jack said.
“I don’t see anyone.”
Angelina’s voice came from the tiny speaker. “The signal has stopped about five hundred feet ahead of you. On the map I can see a skate park right where the signal is located.”
Jack saw an old man sitting on a bench beside the tennis courts reading a book. He didn’t pay any attention as they ran past him. As they entered the trees Jack saw the skate park where four teenagers were skateboarding. One was the figure wearing the dark hoodie. Jack saw it was a young girl and none of the four resembled the man the Chief’s daughter had described.
Jack and Liddell stood at the edge of one of the concrete slopes watching the teens effortlessly jump ramps, land gracefully and go up another ramp seeming to float in the air. The teens ignored them which struck Jack as odd. Bigfoot always attracted attention.
“I’ve got an idea,” Jack said, and stepped into the middle of the ramp with his arms out at his sides. The skateboarders stomped down on the back of the boards flipping them up into their hands and started walking away. At the same time Jerrell’s voice came over the radio. “We’ve made entry. Just an old couple here having a late lunch. They said they didn’t hear us knocking. Chief Lynch and I have permission to go through the house. Standby.”
Jack keyed the radio. “Chief, we’re going to talk to some skateboarders in the park.”
“10-4,” Jerrell said.
Jack called to the teens, “Hey guys. Twenty bucks for some information.” Instead of taking out his badge he pulled a twenty out of his pocket and held it up. The teens immediately stopped and came back like a choreographed group.
There were four of them. The one wearing a hoodie was definitely a girl. The hoodie came down revealing a girl of about thirteen with light purple Kool-Aid colored hair. Her head was shaved to the scalp on one side and the remaining hair combed over like a horse’s mane. She rode her skateboard up to within five feet of Jack, expertly flipped it up and caught it. The others had made room for her. She was the leader.
A boy, approximately the same age as the girl, taller, but with the same hair and metal studs in his eyebrows put his board down and balanced on it. The other two boys were younger, maybe ten to twelve years old and clung to their boards like they were childhood binkies.
“Twenty-five dollars,” the Kool-Aid girl said.
Jack said, “Okay, ten dollars. Going once, going twice…”
“For what?” Kool Aid girl again.
“To answer some questions.” Jack and Liddell showed their FBI badges, but to this age group, all badges meant the same thing. Cops.
Liddell asked, “Where’s the phone?”
The boys all shook their heads.
Kool Aid hair crossed her arms defiantly. “I didn’t steal it, I swear. I got witnesses.” All of the boy’s heads bobbed up and down in agreement.
Chapter 17
Kool-Aid was fourteen years old and identified herself as Cretin. The older boy was also fourteen and went by the name Crabs. The younger boys were ten and eleven years old and were too scared to give a made-up name. Liddell took notes while Jack questioned them. Jack had a way with kids. He scared them.
Kool-Aid girl’s real name was Lucia Bowles. She lived with her grandparents in the house Jerrel
l had just searched. Crabs was Wesley Niles III. Jack could understand why he went by the name Crabs. They hadn’t gotten far into the questioning when Jerrell came trotting up with Chief Lynch following.
“Hey Chief,” the girl said.
“Hello Cretin. What are you doing on this side of town?” Jerrell asked.
She lost the aggressive stance. “Juvie Court gave me to granny. Pop’s in rehab. Mom’s—somewhere.”
“Where’s your little brother?”
She let out a breath and shrugged. “He’s with some old bag on a farm over by Lyons. He’s there with a bunch of orphans. She’s probably making Jinky milk cows or shovel horseshit.”
“Jinky is your brother’s nickname?” Jack asked.
Jerrell turned to Jack. “Kids’ real name is Jinky. He’s eight.”
Jack said, “Lucia—I mean Cretin—gave me this.” He unfolded a latex glove and revealed an iPhone. “She said she found it in a trash can up near the front entrance of the park.” Jack’s expression said he didn’t believe her.
Jerrell pulled on some gloves, took the phone and punched a button. The screen lit up with a screensaver picture of a cannabis leaf. Jerrell brought up the contacts and scrolled down.
Shaunda said, “That’s Claire’s number in there as ‘Mom’. This is Brandon’s phone.”
“When did you get the phone?” Jerrell asked.
“I didn’t steal it. I found it in a trash bin over by Chuckles. I was going to bring it to the police station and turn it in. Is there a reward or something?”
“He asked you when you ‘found’ it?” Shaunda said.
“A couple hours ago.”
“What’s a couple?” Shaunda asked.
“I don’t have a clock,” Cretin said. “It was a while ago.” The other kids were nodding.
Jack checked the time. It was coming up on 1:30. If she was telling the truth she found the phone around ten-ish. The call to Sullivan dispatch had come in at 6:48 a.m. That would mean the killer had to do the deed, drive to Linton City Park, call 911, then ditch the phone. That would make sense except Jack didn’t believe Cretin. The word ‘cretin’ means a stupid person. This kid was far from stupid.
“Did you use the phone?” Jerrell asked.
“You think I’m ignorant? Everyone knows if you use ’em that’s theft,” she said and Crabs sniggered.
“Were you going to sell it?” Jerrell asked. Cell phones went for fifty to a hundred bucks on the street.
“I told you. I was going to turn it in to the police and get a reward. I’m not a thief.”
Jerrell said, “We just talked to your grandparents.”
“If you charge me with something they’ll send me to that stupid farm with Jinky.”
Jerrell called Sergeant Crocker on the portable. “Crocker, I need you to ask the grandparents if they are the legal guardians of Lucia. If so, I need them to meet us at headquarters. Tell them Lucia is helping us with an investigation.”
A pause, then Crocker said, “They said they aren’t the legal guardians. The mother took off somewhere and father is in rehab. She’s a ward of the court.”
Jerrell said, “Lucia Bowles, you’re being detained for questioning and will need to come with me. What I need to know right now—and don’t try lying to me or you will be in big trouble and you spell that F-A-R-M.” He let that sink in before asking, “Where did you get this phone?”
“If I don’t get arrested I’ll tell you.”
“You’re not in a bargaining position. If you’re helping us with our investigation I won’t have to charge you. Let’s start over. Do you know Brandon Dillingham?” Jerrell asked.
She hesitated only a breath. “Who?”
Jack said, “Brandon is dead.”
“He’s dead.” She turned pale. “I told him he’d better stop messing with those people.”
“What people?” Jack asked.
Instead of answering Jack’s question she said, “Am I under arrest?”
“We should take all of them to the station,” Jack said.
“Yeah. We’ll take Cretin and Crabs. You want to take the little ones?” Jerrell asked. Jerrell radioed Crocker and advised him to have the grandparents come to the station.
Jack gave the younger boys his best doom face. “It’s a school day. You want to head back to school, or do you want your parents to come and get you at the police station?”
Both boys jumped on their skateboards and vacated the area.
Crocker called over the radio and said the guardians were on their way to the station.
Chief Lynch took the girl by the arm, “You can ride with me and the Chief.”
Cretin made a bored face. “Oh goody.”
Jack said to the boy named Crabs, “I guess you’re going with us.”
“Hey. You can’t take me nowhere. I’m a juvenile. I got rights.”
Liddell towered over the boy. “You got the right to march, son. Just so you know, if you run you don’t want me to catch you. Got it?”
Crabs nodded his head at the behemoth that was Liddell.
They marched back through the park to their vehicles. Liddell opened the back door of the Crown Vic and put a hand on top of Crabs head to help him in the backseat.
“Seatbelt,” Liddell said, and Crabs hurriedly buckled up.
“Watch your head,” Shaunda said, stuffing Cretin in the crew cab door of Jerrell’s truck. “You know the drill kid. Get your belt on.” Shaunda slammed the door shut harder than necessary.
“I take it you know this young lady?” Jerrell asked.
“I caught her with Brandon trespassing on Sunflower Mine property a few months back. I took her home and left her with what passed for parents. She didn’t have any identification on her and her parents were so stoned I’m surprised they recognized their own daughter.”
Jerrell and Shaunda got in the truck. Jerrell checked the rearview mirror. “Buckle up buttercup,” he said. Cretin let out an exaggerated sigh and fixed the seatbelt.
“We’ll drive around the area a few minutes. Keep your eyes peeled back there. You see the guy you got the phone from shout it out.”
“I told you I found the phone,” Cretin said.
“This is a murder investigation kiddo,” Shaunda said. “You don’t want to get caught lying like you just did back there to the FBI. Did you know that lying to Feds is a crime all by itself? Lying about a murder case makes you an accessory. You hear me? Fifteen years minimum.”
“Don’t put me in a room with Crabs and I’ll tell you the truth. If those guys find out I’m talking I might need witness protection.”
Jerrell grinned. “She’s a pistol. I like her.”
Shaunda said, “She’s definitely marriage material, but don’t you think you’re a little old?”
Jerrell answered by firing up the big 8 cylinder engine and peeling out. He drove around the side streets, around the park and behind the businesses along State Road 54 but they didn’t see anyone that matched the description given by Lynch’s daughter and Cretin didn’t give a sign she recognized anyone.
Chapter 18
They met up at the Linton Police Station. Cretin was put in a small office they used for interrogations. Her grandparents had arrived and were seated with her while she was read the juvenile Miranda and the three of them were left alone for the mandatory fifteen minutes to discuss her options.
Crabs was sitting in the lobby in a chair next to the front desk with Sergeant Crocker keeping an eye on him. Crabs lived alone with his mom and a cadre of his mom’s boyfriends. There had been no luck finding Crabs’s mother or anyone willing to act as guardian. Mom was a waitress and was supposedly at work, but she wasn’t and no one seemed to know where to find her. Crabs didn’t expect her to be home for a few days or weeks. He didn’t seem bothered by her absence. Since Crab
s wasn’t a suspect and as his mother was unavailable Crocker called the State Welfare Department.
Cretin’s grandparents said they were not her legal guardians and refused to get involved with whatever the girl had gotten herself into. They refused to sign the Miranda form, told Cretin they would wait for her at home and left. Fourteen-year-old Cretin was on her own.
Jerrell said to the girl, “You said you didn’t steal the phone. I’m prepared to believe you but you’re fourteen. By law I’m supposed to have a relative or guardian sit in on the interview.”
“Screw them,” Cretin said. “I want to hear the FBI say I’m not going to jail and I’ll tell you anything you want to know? I didn’t do anything.”
Jack said, “We’re wasting time.”
Cretin turned her face toward the wall. “I didn’t find the phone. I lied about that. I got the phone from some creep hanging out at the park this morning.”
Jack didn’t interrupt.
“When they took my brother to that farm I ran off. I wasn’t going there. I hate the smell even. I was on the street for about a week and I decided to go to my grandparents. I just got there yesterday. I knew some guys that hung out at the skate park so I went out the back window this morning after breakfast.”
She said this as if it was normal to leave by climbing out a window.
“I was telling the truth about not knowing what time it was. Anyway, I went to the skate park but no one was there yet. I went across the street to Chuckles and got a couple of candy bars and some smokes. I hung around long enough to burn a couple. When I got back to the park a creepy guy was there. He asked if I wanted to buy a phone. I didn’t have any money. I blew him off but he said he’d trade me the phone for some cigarettes. We traded.” She stopped talking.
“Go on,” Jerrell said.
Cretin gave an exaggerated shrug. “That’s it.”
“Did the other boys see the guy you traded with?” Jack asked.
“He was gone by the time they got there. I hung around with them a few minutes and went back to my grandparents. I thought about calling the police but I knew you’d say I stole it.”