The Fiercest Enemy

by Rick Reed

  Jack said, “She takes after you. She looks like you and talks like you.”

  Sergeant Ditterline came out of the kitchen carrying a soft drink in one hand and a half eaten cold cut sandwich in the other.

  “I helped myself,” Ditty said and Jack was struck with how much Sergeant Ditterline resembled a middle aged Clint Eastwood. Almost as tall as Bigfoot’s six feet seven inches, slim but solid, square jawed, exuding confidence.

  “I see you’re making yourself at home,” Rosie said “Can I ask why you’re raiding my kitchen?”

  “I told him it would be okay,” Shaunda said. “I need to ask a big favor, Rosie.”

  “I told you the girls could stay with me as long as you need.”

  Shaunda said, “Let’s go outside.” To the girls she said, “Be back in a minute.”

  They followed Shaunda and Rosie out onto the porch.

  Shaunda took a deep breath and let it out before saying, “Rosie, there’s been another murder.”

  “Who?” Rosie asked.

  “Brandon Dillingham. We found his body in Dugger Lake this morning.”

  “Claire’s Brandon?”

  Shaunda nodded.

  “Why is the FBI involved? I mean, don’t you guys go after bank robbers and terrorists and the like?” Rosie asked Jack.

  Shaunda answered for them. “There are more murders going back to before I came back to Dugger, Rosie. Several more, in fact, and we think Brandon is the most recent.”

  “Oh my God!” Rosie said. “I can’t believe it.”

  “My little accident happened this morning down at the lake after Brandon’s body was taken away. We think the killer came back for something he forgot and knocked me out. He spray painted a warning on the back of my shirt saying that P was next.”

  “P? You mean Pen? Does she know?” Rosie asked.

  “She probably knows something’s going on because Ditty stayed with them until I could make arrangements for them. I don’t want to tell her. We don’t know if the P was for Pen or Patty.”

  “Patty?” Rosie said. “What does she have to do with this?”

  “I stopped Brandon real early this morning coming from the old Dugger Mine. He had Patty with him. Then Brandon turns up dead. I’m just playing it safe here. Plus, there was a guy came by my house last week while I was gone and Pen talked to him. The way she described him, he might be homeless, he might be harmless or he might be involved in these murders. I can’t leave Pen at home. Even with a guard. That’s why I need you to keep the girls.”

  “Of course, I’ll keep the girls.”

  Jack noticed that Rosie didn’t ask if she, herself was in danger. Her only concern was for Pen and Patty.

  “I knew I could count on you,” Shaunda said and hugged Rosie. “I know it’s asking a lot. I already called Patty’s mom and asked if she could spend a few nights with Pen. I don’t have the manpower to watch them and run an investigation.”

  Sergeant Ditterline said, “Chief Jerrell said I should stay with the girls. I’ll be here to protect all of you.”

  “Who’s going to protect my kitchen. God help us,” Rosie said.

  “I was hungry,” Ditterline complained and reluctantly dug out his wallet but Rosie waved it away.

  “I guess one more mouth can’t hurt, but you’ll have to sleep in here on one of the sofas or I have a roll out bed.” She said to Jack, “I can close for a couple of days if you think that’s best.”

  Jack said, “That might be best. Liddell and I will be here but not all day. Is that okay with you, Sergeant?”

  Ditty said, “I don’t have plans.”

  Shaunda said, “I doubt this freak knows much about me except where I live.”

  “He knew about the girls,” Rosie reminded her.

  Shaunda said, “I’ll be checking in regularly until we can find the guy that came by the house. If it’s him, he had Brandon’s cell phone. Traded it to a kid in Linton City Park. We got the phone back and a description of the creep.” She told Rosie and Ditterline the description they’d gotten from Cretin. “Chief Jerrell has the troops out searching for Brandon’s Jeep.”

  Rosie said, “I haven’t seen the guy you described around, but thought I saw Brandon’s Jeep this morning.”

  Chapter 20

  Sergeant Ditterline stayed with the girls while Rosie led the way out the front and behind the building. Twenty feet from the back door were train tracks. Rosie pointed to the northwest where Jack saw sunlight glinting off something.

  “I was out here putting some things in the trash this morning and I saw a Jeep going down the tracks. It was pretty far down there and I couldn’t see who was driving but it was a Jeep. I’m sorry I didn’t pay more attention. Do you think that’s the Jeep?”

  Jack squinted into the glare and could make out the shape of an SUV. “What time was it?”

  “Maybe nine or ten o’clock. I was cleaning the kitchen after breakfast. That sounds about right.”

  “We’ll check it out,” Jack said. “Why don’t you tell Sergeant Ditterline what we’re doing? Tell him to call Chief Jerrell.”

  “You know they found Troy Junior’s truck right over there,” Rosie said pointing to the northeast. “Just on the other side of the track almost in the trees.”

  Jack thanked her and Rosie left. Jack, Liddell and Shaunda hiked along the tracks. As they got closer Jack could make out the back hatch of a Jeep Cherokee Laredo 4X4. The Jeep had been ditched nose down in a steep drainage ditch running parallel to the tracks. The front bumper was smashed into the grill and the driver’s door hung open. The tires on that side were flat.

  “That’s Claire’s Jeep,” Shaunda said. She took out her cell phone and called Joey, her deputy. The call went to voicemail. She left a message to call her. She then called Claire Dillingham’s telephone and it also went to voicemail.

  “Joey should have called me by now,” Shaunda said.

  Jack said, “Chief Jerrell will get his crime scene people and a wrecker out here.”

  “I really should call Sullivan Sheriff’s Department for their crime scene people. They’ll get their nose bent out of shape if I don’t,” she said.

  “I talked to them earlier and agreed with Chief Jerrell that we would keep this in-house as much as possible,” Jack said. “If anyone gives you grief you can blame me. Linton PD has a K-9 don’t they? We need to get it out here.”

  She nodded. “They do, but it’s mean as hell.”

  Liddell said, “The Jeep hasn’t been here long. If we’re lucky we can get the killer’s direction of travel. Maybe there was a vehicle stashed back here somewhere.”

  Jack thought the same thing. He would have needed some way to get to Linton. The guy Cretin described as homeless could have stolen another car and used it to get to Linton. The timing was right. Shaunda gets knocked cold, the Jeep gets ditched, then Cretin trades cigarettes for the phone. It was perfect.

  “Shaunda, have you had any reports of stolen vehicles recently?” Jack asked.

  “None that I know of. We haven’t had a stolen vehicle report since one of the local miners ‘misplaced’ his truck after a night of drinking. This is a pretty safe place. I’ve got to touch base with Claire now that we found the Jeep. She’s probably not answering her phone so I’m going over there. There’s nothing I can do here right this minute anyway.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Liddell volunteered.

  “I wouldn’t say no,” Shaunda answered. “Would you mind driving? You probably won’t have to climb to get into the cab of the Tahoe.”

  Chapter 21

  Jerrell arrived behind Rosie’s place with the Crime Scene wagon. Jack could see why the killer had chosen this spot to abandon the Jeep. No witnesses. If Rosie hadn’t seen the Jeep they wouldn’t have found it for a while.

  A Toyota Highlander with police
K-9 markings pulled into the parking lot.

  “You might want to sit in my truck until Rusty gets Rinnie some little ways down there. That dog’s bite is worse than his bark. In fact, he doesn’t bark first,” Jerrell said.

  Jack didn’t have to be told twice. He got in Jerrell’s truck. He’d learned early in his career not to stand in the path of a police K-9.

  Jerrell said with half a grin, “Should’ve named that dog Killer instead of Rinnie. He even bit Rusty once.”

  The back door of the K-9 vehicle opened and Rusty led Rinnie up to the Chief’s open window. Rinnie sat obediently, but Jack swore every muscle in the shepherd’s massive chest was vibrating. The dog was as excited as a two-dollar hooker watching a Corvette payday pull to the curb.

  Rusty asked, “Are there any friendlies down there?”

  “I hope not,” Jerrell said and rolled the window up.

  “Hear that Rinnie?” Rusty said and the dog gave a thundering bark.

  Rusty was early 20s, nearly bald, short and slight of build for a police officer. He reminded Jack of EPD’s K-9 officer, Johnny Hailman, minus Johnny’s thick rug of hair. Johnny was short, but no one messed with him, with or without his dog. Rusty was wearing a tailored khaki uniform and green Latex gloves. Rinnie was wearing Rusty’s arms out. It was hard to tell who was leading who.

  “Yo Rinnie,” Rusty said and man and dog took off at a trot.

  “Must be K-9 humor,” Jack said.

  “What is?” Jerrell asked.

  “The names and commands they give these dogs. Our K-9 officer named his dog “Glinda”, as in the good witch from the Wizard of Oz. Glinda’s cross-trained in explosives and she is very protective of her handler. The command for her to search is Toto. Your dog is named Rinnie. I assume by the command ‘Yo Rinnie’ he named the dog after that old series, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin? Come to think of it wasn’t the dog’s handler named Rusty in that show?”

  Jerrell shrugged. “K-9 guys are all frustrated comics. Rusty still reads Green Lantern comic books in the station.”

  Jerrell started the truck and slowly rolled toward the railroad tracks for a better view. He pointed to a spot almost straight ahead of the truck. “My boy’s pickup was found parked back over there in the tree line. No telling how long it had been there.”

  “Rosie was just telling us,” Jack said.

  “No one remembered seeing it there, but everyone said that if they had it wouldn’t have meant anything. Troy was known to frequent a couple of the bars, but this was one of his favorite bars. I told Shauny that we found Troy’s truck and all she said was he might have parked it there himself. I think he might have had his eye on Rosie. She is one fine looking woman, but she’s got no heart,” Jerrell said.

  “That brings me to the question of why Rosie didn’t notice your son’s truck before you found it.”

  Troy said, “She was gone for a couple of days and that’s when my guys came across the truck. Shauny should have seen it but I guess she doesn’t do patrol like I do. I checked with Rosie about video. No cameras. I told her she needs to get them to protect herself and her property. The closest building with a surveillance camera is nowhere near here.”

  “I talked to the manager at First Financial Bank in Dugger and she let me view the surveillance footage. There wasn’t anything worth seeing but I got a copy. There’s two ways to get a vehicle back here. Come through Rosie’s parking lot or come down the tracks.”

  “There’s a lawnmower repair shop by the bank but he didn’t have any cameras. I talked to the owner and he said he’d been drinking with Troy the night before he was found. The Sportsman’s Bar is just down the street from his shop. I went over his story with him. He’d seen Troy in that bar before and here at Rosie’s. He said Troy was doing tequila shots. He asked if there was a reward for information. I told him he was full of shit. Troy hated tequila.”

  Jerrell sat quietly thinking. “I talked to as many of the regulars as I could find at the Sportsman’s Bar. Everyone said the same thing. Troy was in there sometimes. Stayed until closing. No one remembered when they saw him last. They remembered the lawn mower guy in there—alone—drunk on his ass and talking to himself. Troy was a generous sort and when he was working he’d buy everyone drinks. When he wasn’t buying drinks, he was leeching them off everyone. Shauny said she had to come to both bars a few times and escort him off the premises.”

  “I take it you don’t think much about Chief Lynch’s investigation,” Jack said. “What can we do that you think she didn’t do?”

  “Alright, let’s talk about that. Shaunda means well and she’s an adequate law officer for a little town like Dugger…” he trailed off.

  “But?” Jack asked.

  “But she’s no detective. You saw for yourself the way she and her constable treated that crime scene today. Not her fault for the most part because she doesn’t have any experience except for what she might have been told at the police academy. This town doesn’t have the money to send her to specialized training, or to get up to date on the newest crime scene methods. We have in service training at our station at least once a month and she’s brought her constable, Joey, to a couple of them, but that’s about it. Dugger doesn’t have serious crime. A rare burglary and those are committed by drunks who’ve gone to the wrong house.”

  No one really paid attention to drunks, Jack thought.

  “Troy wouldn’t have left that truck unlocked, I can tell you that. He would not have gotten a ride with someone he didn’t know. No one admitted to giving him a ride or remembered him leaving the bar with anyone.”

  “How far to his place from the bar?” Jack asked.

  “It’s possible he walked home, but not likely. Why would he hide it way back behind Rosie’s and leave it unlocked?”

  Because he was shitfaced drunk, Jack thought. Jack mulled this over and watched the K-9 working. Rinnie crossed the tracks several times, snout to the ground, then making a sudden turn back toward the Jeep, then back over the same ground.

  “What did Troy do for a living?”

  Jerrell said, “He was a union electrician and he was hardworking when he had a job, but he never stuck with anything. Let his union card expire. Did odd jobs when he needed money. He had issues. His mother disappeared about ten years ago. We never heard from her again. He started going downhill after that and just never got over it. Blamed himself. Blamed me. Started drinking, couldn’t hold a job more than a few weeks. Gave up his friends. Went through girlfriends like a kid through candy.”

  “What was his demeanor like recently?” Jack asked.

  “He was drinking more than usual and even stopped dating, if you could call what he did dating. All the regulars I talked to said he had a thing for Rosie but I don’t buy that. He’d never said anything to me about it and to tell the truth, I think he was intimidated by her. I asked Rosie point blank if she had had something going on with Troy and she laughed. I’ve never known her to date anyone. She flirts with guys, but you always see her with gal pals. Her and Shauny are damn near inseparable. More than sisters if you ask me. None of my business. I’m telling you this in case she comes on to you.”

  “It was nice of Rosie to take in Patty and Penelope for a while,” Jack said. “She offered us rooms here at no charge.”

  “Well, now, that surprises me because Rosie would pinch a penny until it threw up.”

  “You’ve known Rosie a while then?” Jack asked.

  “Not that long. Shaunda introduced us and I’ve been over here to eat a few times.” He sat quietly staring out the windshield.

  Jack could tell Jerrell wasn’t going to say more on the subject. He asked, “How did Shaunda feel about you running your own investigation on her turf?”

  Jerrell scratched his neck. “How do you think she felt? I had Ditty and Crocker come over and go through Troy’s place. It was unlocked
and we never found his keys. Now I know that Shaunda had already been there. She probably didn’t lock up. Anyway, Ditty called all excited and thought there had been a burglary. He said someone had tossed Troy’s place. They described what they saw to me and there was no break in. Troy was a slob.”

  “Shaunda showed up just as my guys were. Said she got a call from a neighbor about Linton Police cars being out there, and someone was in the house. She threatened to arrest my men for breaking and entering and interfering in a police investigation. There was no crime scene tape, no coroner’s seal on the door. Nothing.”

  “I got on the phone with her and kept my guys from being humiliated. I guess she’s got a right to be mad at me, but he was my only kid.” Jerrell hung his head. “I can’t believe she almost got killed today and I been busting her balls.”

  Jack said, “Don’t beat yourself up. We’ve got the Jeep. Things are moving along.”

  “You think?”

  “I know,” Jack said and the Chief’s radio crackled.

  “Chief, I got something here,” the K-9 Officer said.

  They exited Jerrell’s truck and walked beside the train tracks.

  “What did you find in your son’s truck?” Jack asked.

  “The usual. Beer cans, trash, clothes on the passenger side—pants, shirt, boots—might have been what he was wearing when he was killed but we didn’t find blood on any of it. Maybe it was just a change of clothes. Like I said, he was a slob. Got that from his mother. Fingerprints, a folding knife, chewing gum stuck under the dash, pair of panties hung from the rearview mirror.”

  Jack said, “The anonymous call came from Troy’s cell phone and the phone was found in his apartment. Did Troy live with someone? You said he’d quit dating.”

  “He was living by himself,” Jerrell said. “When we went through his apartment there was evidence he’d had women over but it didn’t appear that anyone else was staying there with him.”

  “The 911 call would have been made at the lake,” Jack said. “We can assume the killer made that call because the phone was found in his house. They would have wanted to give them some time to get rid of the truck and go to the house.”