Sacrifice

by Michael Arches

  I noticed that he was having trouble getting to the point, namely spilling the dirt about Hal and Leo. Linda fought a smile at Randy’s discomfort.

  Skip said, “Moving right along.”

  Randy sighed. “Okay, Hal has a reputation for generally doing the right thing, but he’s had a few minor screw ups. Got sued once for real estate fraud, but the case settled. Stepped out on his wife a few times before she divorced him and took him to the cleaners.”

  Good for her. “Anything else on him?”

  “Nah, he straightened up before running for county commissioner. I know him well. I’d trust him on most things. Can’t believe he’s mixed up in this shit.”

  “That counts for a lot,” I said. “Let’s talk about the gorilla in the room, or should I say, the lion?”

  Our chief deputy grimaced. He wasn’t in the mood for bad jokes.

  “Leo started out strong,” he said. “Had a brilliant military career before he threw it away. Had earned a slew of commendations, including a marksmanship badge as a sniper. Actually, he had to sue the Army to get an honorable discharge. That really pissed him off. It’s been fifteen years, but he still hasn’t gotten over it. Mentioned it to me again a few months ago.”

  God, Leo had fucked up a perfect life. “Let’s skip all the whining, drinking, and whoring. The bottom line is he has the talent to be the guy who shot at me on McClure Pass. What about his residence? Could he be the owner of the ranch Phyllis Pollock described?”

  Randy shook his head. “He owns a house, but it’s not fancy by Aspen standards. It’s in Snowmass Village, not south of town. No barn, and he doesn’t own any horses. Not particularly well off because he’s still paying child support on his youngest. Leo has one drunk and disorderly charge from seven years ago. Served two years of probation. No outstanding wants or warrants.”

  I was tempted to ask Randy what the hell he’d been doing at Leo’s place, but I didn’t want to embarrass our chief deputy. “We’re striking out on finding that ranch. My instincts tell me that’s where Sandy is. Just to cover all our bases, any chance Hal owns a property like Phyllis described?”

  My temporary boss snorted. “You’ll just never give up, will you? Hal lives at the family’s mansion in Starwood, north of town. His mom and one sister live there with her kids. No drunken parties in Maria’s home.”

  I’d beaten Leo to death, but I still had one more question. “Where’s the younger son supposed to be?”

  “At the hotel, but he’s AWOL. He has a tendency to disappear on a whim, so nobody’s thinking anything is wrong, other than he’s neglecting his duties again.”

  Unfortunately, we didn’t even have enough evidence to get a search warrant for his place, much less to arrest him for multiple murders. “Moving right along, what we know about Hinckley?”

  “Lives in Glenwood,” Skip said. “Works at the Snowmass ski resort in one of the ski rental businesses. Not at home, and not on the job either. I called over there. He missed a meeting with an equipment supplier. His boss thinks he’s generally a good worker. Hinckley wears a hat at all times to hide his weird-ass head tattoos. We have a BOLO out on his Hummer, but no sightings. Two drunk and disorderly charges in Colorado, and one assault charge in Vegas three years ago. Served short terms on all. No current outstanding wants or warrants. Gone with the wind, like Leo.”

  “In this day and age, how can people fall off the face of the earth?” I asked.

  Linda smirked. “Park your car and turn off your phone and computer.”

  “Anything else on Hinckley?” I asked.

  Skip shook his head. “Let me tell you about Heather Landau. Popular lady, particularly with the guys. Big boobs and a pretty face will get us every time. She moved here mid-summer from Steamboat Springs. Has a commercial driver’s license, so she got a job driving the shuttle bus from the Village to downtown. Her female boss likes her because she shows up for the job. No criminal record. She shares an apartment with two women in Basalt, but after she hooked up with Viceroy about three months ago, she started spending about half her nights with him. Drives a ten-year-old Subaru Outback. BOLO out. No results. The cellphone her boss has the number for has been turned off all day. She called in sick this afternoon. Missed her shift that started at four p.m.”

  “This fucking sucks,” I said. “We’re so damn close to rounding this whole crew up. Just need to find out where they’re hiding. What about the vets and docs angle that Dr. Dan mentioned to us?”

  All three of them looked at me blankly.

  “You’re talking about around fifty people,” Randy said. “We don’t have the resources to chase down every one of them.”

  “We’re grasping at straws, I know, but no choice. I think that ranch Sandy visited with Viceroy is the key. It could be where they all are. I know it’s a longshot, but our only leads are that and the Ketamore. Call the coroner. He can probably rattle off the names of people with access to the drug, without any sweat. Then we can check to see if any of them own a nice spread south of town. Hell, forget the nurses and vet techs. No way they’d have the kind of money needed for a property with a fancy house and barn.”

  Skip nodded. “I’ll call him right now.”

  “He and I’ll run down their residences,” Linda said. “Shouldn’t take more than an hour or two.”

  “I’m happy to help,” I said.

  “Count me in,” Randy added.

  Before Linda left the conference room, I pulled her aside. “I know you’re diabetic. Do you use one of those insulin pumps?”

  “You bet. Lots easier and safer than injecting myself all the time. I feel better, too.”

  “If Sandy is running short of insulin, what do we need to keep her healthy? Her mom says she probably has enough through today but maybe not for tomorrow.”

  “I’ll talk to Phyllis. Make sure I know the right brand of pump so we get the proper refill. I’ll also get an injection syringe with the hormone she’ll need if she becomes severely hypoglycemic. We can fix a mild case with something sweet, but for a severe case, we need glucagon.”

  -o-o-o-

  Skip called Dr. Dan and told him what we wanted. Then he scribbled like mad for a few minutes before thanking the doctor for his help.

  “I caught him between acts at a local production of Amadeus. Off the top of his head, he rattled off nineteen names of doctors likely to use a drug like Ketamore. He insists we investigate him, too. He’ll be back home in ninety minutes, and he wants us to send a deputy to check his place out.”

  I couldn’t fight a snicker. “I’ve been there, and he doesn’t have a mansion or a barn. The man has four grandkids, no time for horses. But if it helps him feel better after ratting out his buddies, we’ll do what he wants. Who’s on patrol duty?”

  “Jason and Gene,” Randy said. “I’ll set it up.”

  Skip listed the doctor’s names. “Our medical examiner doesn’t know the veterinarians, but there aren’t that many of them. I’ll do an online search.”

  He found seven more names. All we could do for the moment was to run down their place of residence. I was putting a hell of a lot of emphasis on a stray comment by Phyllis Pollock about the fancy place Sandy had visited. It was probably a wild goose chase, but we didn’t have any better angles to explore.

  Out of the two dozen doctors and vets, six had homes south of town, including Dr. Dan. We had to research those folks further. All lived on old mining claims and owned houses with an assessed value over three million dollars. According to Google Earth, five also owned a large separate structure that looked from the air like a barn.

  When we’d sorted all that out, it was after nine p.m. It occurred to me that Grace Reynolds, Viceroy’s neighbor, might recognize one of the property owners as a friend of the asshole.

  It was awfully late for a social call, but we were facing an emergency situation. If Sandy was still alive, her hours had to be numbered. I called Grace and explained t
he situation.

  “Sure, I’ll look at the photos. Send them by email.”

  I’d collected five head shots from the four doctors’ and one vet’s professional websites. Fired them off to Grace. “Call me as soon as you’ve had a chance to look at them.”

  After I hung up, I realized she was incredibly vulnerable to attack. I asked Randy, “Can we get somebody over to her place? She’s very exposed. Even better, let’s find her a place to stay for a few days.”

  He nodded. “Good point. We don’t want her to suffer for doing her civic duty. The problem is, every damned hotel room in the valley is taken these days.”

  “If nothing else,” I said, “Willow and I can put her up.”

  “Sure, but let me call the head of the visitors bureau. She probably knows about some other possibilities.”

  -o-o-o-

  While he did that, I arranged for one of our deputies to drop by her townhouse. Nobody was out patrolling the county anymore. Couldn’t be helped.

  My thoughts turned to Willow. The monsters we were after might try to attack me. And what better way to hurt me than to hurt Willow?

  I called and explained how our investigation had progressed.

  “Sounds encouraging,” she said. “Meanwhile, I’ve been frustrated at not being able to identify the devil worshipers who communicated with Viceroy. I contacted two cable companies and a satellite company and asked them to identify the IP addresses for the email senders. They refused without a warrant.”

  “I doubt I can get one based on the evidence we have so far.”

  “That’s unfortunate, but I know a hacker in China who claims he’s discovered a previously unknown UNIX vulnerability. If he’s right, that could get me into virtually any network. I suspect he’s an employee of the People’s Liberation Army, but this is probably personal business. The main problem is the price. He wants four hundred and seventeen thousand dollars.”

  “Holy shit!” I rubbed my face with my free hand to wake myself up. “Are you serious? Who’s got that kind of money?”

  She laughed. “Yes, I’m not joking. Actually, many governments would pay for that kind of hack. I’ve worked an arrangement with several US agencies to make the deal, and I just moved the payment into a special account where it cannot be traced back to us.”

  I didn’t need more headaches. “You’re probably breaking a half-dozen American money laundering statutes. The FBI could be all over you tomorrow.”

  “I’m touched that you would worry when you have so much else on your mind. In this case, though, the FBI’s one of the agencies putting up the money. I don’t think they’ll arrest me. I should know by early tomorrow morning whether this transaction will occur. If so, I should be able to bypass the cable company’s objections and find the critical IP addresses for myself.”

  By now, I should’ve known better than to worry about her electronic shenanigans. She could take care of herself in that world. “One way or another, we’re going to find these satanic cult members. Until we do, though, I’m worried about them coming after you or me. Can you pass my concern on to the guard? They’ll need to be particularly vigilant for the next few days.”

  “Of course,” she said. “Is there any particular threat you know of?”

  “No, that would be too easy. We’re moving one of our witnesses to a more secure location, but I can’t think of anywhere outside of Supermax that’s more secure than your house. So, stay put and keep the blinds drawn. I should be home in a couple of hours.”

  Chapter 15

  By the time I got off the phone with my girlfriend, Randy had found a nice condo in Glenwood Springs for Grace. The biggest plus was it had round-the-clock security with armed guards.

  When she called me back, she said, “Hey, I’m really not sure about these people. Don’t want to point the finger at the wrong person.”

  “Understandable. Trust me, though, we won’t shoot anybody on sight. But we are desperate for a lead. A young woman’s life is in danger.”

  “I’m just guessing. Not sure about any of them.”

  Which meant she suspected at least one. “I swear, we won’t lock anybody up just on your say-so. All we’ll do is ask to inspect their house.”

  “You can’t show up at somebody’s place in the middle of the night and asked to snoop around. That’ll scare the bejesus out of them.”

  Damn, the woman was stubborn. Me too. “Okay, we’ll wait till tomorrow morning to do anything. We have five names, and we’re going to talk to all of them, no matter what you say. You can just help us pick the person to talk to first.”

  “You’re very pushy, Hank. Don’t like being pressured.”

  I was just getting started. “Don’t make me come over there with my whip. Please, you obviously suspect one of them. Who’ve you seen before at Viceroy’s townhouse?”

  She blew a raspberry at me over the phone. “I might’ve seen one guy, but he had a wide brimmed hat pulled down low on his forehead. So, it’s really iffy.”

  I was ready to strangle her. “Fine, I get it. Which guy?”

  After a long pause in which I didn’t say anything, she sighed. “The curly, brown-haired one, but like I said, he had a hat. Never saw his hair until just now. He has the same square jaw and freckles I saw in somebody going into Viceroy’s place a few weeks ago.”

  I held my finger over the mouthpiece and said to the others, “Kirkpatrick, the anesthesiologist.”

  To Grace, I said, “Perfecto, thanks so much. Listen, we’re sending a deputy to keep you safe. Don’t want any of the opposition to cause you trouble before we get them all locked up. And we’ve arranged for a place for you to stay in Glenwood for a few days. Just to be on the safe side. I’ll even throw in a free pass to the hot springs.”

  She hissed, which told me I’d royally pissed her off. Wasn’t feeling guilty at all.

  Then, she said, “Sounds like overkill. I’ve got Freddie to warn me of danger.”

  “We are so grateful for your cooperation that we want to do this for you. You’ll be staying at a lovely condo that allows pets. Think of it as a free vacation away from home.”

  Another pause. “I’ve got bridge club tomorrow night. We meet a few blocks from here.”

  I doubted that any of the monsters knew about her bridge club. “No worries. You can go have fun then return to the condo to sleep. It’ll give me a lot of peace of mind to know you’re beyond their evil clutches.”

  She grumbled more, but I kept reminding her that I had plenty of shit to think about without adding her to the list. She caved just as Jason showed up to help her pack for a few days in fabulous Glenwood Springs.

  -o-o-o-

  We didn’t need reminders about how piss-poor our proof was against Dr. Fergus Kirkpatrick. He was just a starting place, but Linda immediately ran him through every database we could access. He’d been married twice and divorced both times. Got sued for failure to pay child support and lost. Also sued for malpractice, twice. Both cases settled.

  Because he seemed like our best prospect, I plugged his residential address into Google Earth. “Hey, guys,” I said, “we got a problem. Sandy told her mom that at the ranch she’d visited, most of the trees were gone. I just checked Kirkpatrick’s place. It’s covered with forest, except where the house and barn sit.”

  They groaned.

  “We might be on a completely wrong track,” Randy said. “We’re mostly guessing.”

  No wonder Grace had been so worried. It was awfully late, and we weren’t thinking clearly anymore. “The best we can do is to wait until morning. Then, we can ask for permission to check all five ranches.” I glanced at the others on Google Earth. “Three of them seem to fit Sandy’s description. Think about other approaches tonight, and we’ll decide next steps in the morning.”

  -o-o-o-

  It was snowing when I left the office, and by the time I got home, four inches had accumulated on the driveway. Willow was
already in bed but not asleep. I brought her up to date on the investigation, including our confusion about whose property we were looking for. Then, I said, “These next few days are likely to be the most dangerous. I know it’s almost Christmas, but this would be a damned good time for you to take one of your business trips somewhere far away, like Sydney, Australia.”

  She looked at me askance. “You are loopy. I’m not going anywhere. We are having a Christmas dinner with over a dozen of your relatives, remember? I still have to buy many presents.”

  I had remembered, and missing out on that wingding was just a side benefit of keeping her safe. “We can reschedule. Your safety is paramount.”

  “We can’t change the date. Everyone has already made their plans for the holidays, and after that dinner, my family will be coming to celebrate New Year’s. You do want to meet my family, don’t you?”

  The social things were so complicated. “Sure, I do. Okay, if you can’t squeeze in a trip overseas, how about spending a couple days in Denver? You could still shop for Christmas presents there and be back by Christmas Eve. These next couple of days are sure to be the most dangerous. Tomorrow is the winter solstice, and it’s real popular with pagans and nut jobs. I’ve been reading up on satanic rituals. They love the darkest day of the year for sacrifices.”

  Willow shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere. I’m safer here. And I might be able to help you find Sandy Pollock.”

  Stubbornness was her worst fault. Although I kept trying to talk her into leaving, no dice. She reminded me that this was her house, and I couldn’t kick her out of it.

  Although I was dead tired, I trudged downstairs to the guard’s room to update them on the threats to Willow’s safety. Thankfully, April seemed to listen carefully.

  “Hank, I mentioned your earlier concern about the heightened danger to Alex. He thinks it’d be prudent for us to patrol the area at night until you’ve resolved your case. Because he is so fond of you and Willow, he’s willing to split the cost for a team of two guards and their mileage. He said it could be a Christmas present to you two.”