Текст книги "Detective Jason Strong: The Early Cases"
Автор книги: John C. Dalglish
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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 21 страниц)
Chapter 3
Donnie pulled off the county road and headed down his lane. He was excited about getting the gun and looked forward to going to see Billy. His brother would be proud of him and would want to know all the details of this milestone in their plans.
Sitting, waiting like usual, was Momma. She liked to roll herself out onto the porch and wait for Donnie to come home from work. Many times she would have a glass of cold tea waiting for him and he would sit next to her as they watched the sun go down. Sometimes he would catch her dozing when he drove up, and today was one of those days. He thought about blowing the horn to wake her, but she might not think his joke was funny.
Donnie had wanted to share the plan he and Billy were involved in with their mother. On one of his late night visits with Billy, he had asked and his brother had been very clear how he felt, even angry. Donnie remembered the conversation with some sadness. Donnie couldn’t remember a time when Billy had been angry with him when he was alive. He didn’t like Billy getting mad at him now. It didn’t happen often but it always left Donnie upset.
He stopped the van in front of the porch and climbed out. Going up the steps, he touched his mother on the shoulder.
“Momma?”
She didn’t move. He shook her a little harder.
“Momma?”
She didn’t respond. He bent down in front of her, his heart pounding, and looked up into her face. It was gray.
“Momma! Momma!”
Donnie shook her harder and her head rolled back. He put his hand on her throat to check for a pulse. She was cold. He fell back onto the porch and sat looking at her, tears rolling down his face.
“Oh…Momma.”
****
Donnie didn’t know how long he’d sat at his dead mother’s feet but the sun was disappearing over the horizon as he finally decided what to do. Actually, he decided what not to do. He didn’t call 911.
He needed to talk to his brother. Billy would tell him how to handle his mother’s death. Billy would also be able to tell him what the impact on their plan would be with Momma gone. His mother’s death wouldn’t change the need for Billy to find peace.
Donnie wheeled his mother back inside and into her bedroom. Cradling her in his arms, he managed to get her onto her bed. He gently laid her out, crossed her hands on her chest and covered her up. He leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.
“I love you, Momma and always will.”
He turned off the light and closed the bedroom door.
He hadn’t eaten, so he grabbed a bottle of chocolate milk from the fridge and went back out to the van. He needed to get to the cemetery, needed to get to Billy and receive some guidance. He knew his mother’s death would accelerate their plan and he needed to focus on something other than the pain of Momma’s death.
The moon was new and the cemetery dark when he got there. Parking in his usual spot, he got out and slowly walked to his brother’s grave. He was dreading the news he had to deliver.
“Hi, Billy. It’s me. I’ve got some sad news.”
Donnie stood quietly looking down at his brother’s name. The rose his mother had left was now wilted, dying. Donnie’s heart broke as he bent down and picked it up, twirling it in his fingers. He could see his Momma there, laying it on the stone, and tears began to fall again.
His expression changed as a voice no one else could hear spoke to him. Donnie went from sad to surprised.
“You know?”
He listened.
“You knew it was coming?!”
More silence.
“Why didn’t you tell me, give me warning?”
Donnie was angry. His brother could have prepared him but instead chose not to. Donnie couldn’t understand why and apparently his brother wasn’t going to tell him because Billy changed the subject.
“Yeah, I got it. Went without a hitch.”
Donnie didn’t really want to discuss the plan. He needed to know what to do about Momma. He needed to know things would be okay. Donnie sensed the loss of his mother could be the catalyst for getting Billy his final rest but he also feared it might derail everything. He knew he needed the mission to keep his life from unraveling.
“Where should I put Momma, Billy? There’s no room for her here with you and I don’t want her far from us.”
Donnie’s eyebrows went up.
“Really? Do you think it would be alright?”
A smile came to Donnie’s face.
“That’s an awesome idea! I’ll go and take care of it now but I’ll be back soon. I love you, brother.”
****
The next morning dawned warm and found Donnie up early. He went into the barn and gathered wood from the lumber pile. He laid the wood out on the ground and pieced it together in his mind. Some nails and he thought it would do the job.
Donnie was supposed to work again today and so he needed to call in. When he called, it was his boss Gary Maddox, who answered.
“Hi, Gary. Mommas real sick, I won’t be able to work today.”
“Okay.”
Donnie sensed something wasn’t right.
“I’ll let you know tomorrow morning if she’s better.”
“Fine. Donnie, you wouldn’t know what happened to my gun, would you?”
Donnie’s heart started to pound.
“Your gun? What gun? You mean the ‘Dealmaker’?”
“Yeah, it’s been stolen. You know anything about that?”
“No, of course not.”
There was a moment or two of silence before his boss spoke again.
“Listen, I don’t need the help right now, anyway. I’ll let you know if I want you in future.”
The line went dead before Donnie could respond. He hung up the phone. He didn’t want to lose his job but he was relieved and managed a smile.
He doesn’t know who took it. He suspects me but he doesn’t know for sure. One less thing to worry about.
****
He worked on it for most of the day and when it was done, he stood back and looked it over. Donnie was pretty sure his brother would be impressed.
He placed the lid on and carried the completed box to the house. Setting it down on the porch, he stopped for the night. He would finish the other half of his task tomorrow.
Going into the house, he washed up, made himself a sandwich and sat down at the kitchen table. The TV was off, his mother being the only one who watched it, and the house was quiet. The loneliness Donnie felt with the loss of his mother began to suffocate him. He was now completely isolated. First Billy, and now Momma, had left him. He had no friends, no other family and no job. Just Billy and the responsibility to help him rest.
Sadness washed over him. It helped he could still visit his brother but that didn’t stop the pain he felt inside. Donnie got up and moved to the couch, lying down on his side, his eyes closed. He held his stomach and began to moan. A physical pain in his chest made him rock back and forth, tears filling his eyes.
He didn’t know how long he lay there but, after a while, Donnie wiped his sleeve across his face and got up. He needed to get out of the house and decided now was as good a time as any to look for Momma’s burial site. Going out the back door and around the garage, he stood looking over the back part of the property. Trees lined the back fence row and Texas scrub had grown up through the fences on both the east and west. There was a small rise behind the garage that had a blackjack oak towering above.
“You’re gonna rest there, Momma. Close to me, so I can visit anytime.”
The thought that his mother would remain close by helped to calm the storm raging inside. He would bury her tomorrow and then be ready to focus on the job he had to do for his brother.
Chapter 4
Donnie was up early again the next morning. The day promised to be hot and the job ahead of him grueling. Toast and orange juice served as breakfast. After filling a rinsed out quart milk jug with cold water, he went to the barn.
Hanging on the wall was a pick, which he took down, and over in the corner was an old shovel. He examined the handle on the shovel and decided it needed reinforcement. Several wrappings of duct tape satisfied him the shovel would hold up.
Walking out to the rise behind the garage, Donnie found himself in a surprisingly good mood. He had a task, an important one, and that had always made him feel better. A task allowed him to focus, to close off emotion, to sweat out some of the pain in his life.
Donnie removed his shirt, tied it around his head in a bandana to absorb sweat, and made a mental rectangle in the dirt. Starting at the base of the rectangle, he plunged the pick into the dirt.
Once, twice, three and then four times, he would raise and plunge the pick into the dry Texas ground. Next, he took the shovel and removed the dirt he had broken loose. The process was then repeated. Over and over, pounding the dirt, pounding out his pain. It was slow, hot and tedious but he needed it.
Donnie took frequent breaks but was driven to keep going by the thought of his mother resting there. She would be at peace on their land and then Donnie could focus on bringing peace to Billy.
By four in the afternoon, Donnie judged the hole to meet the needs of his mother’s coffin. He sat in the shade of the blackjack oak and drank from his third quart of water. It seemed to go down his throat and directly out through his pores. He stayed until he felt strong enough to bring Momma out of the house.
The box he’d built was placed next to the grave with the lid leaning against it. Inside he’d laid his Momma’s favorite quilt and a needlework pillow that had both her boys name’s on it. Donnie went inside to his mother’s room, gathered her into his arms and carried her out to where the box was. As gently as he could, he laid her in the homemade casket. He pulled the quilt up around her and put the pillow under her head.
Going over to the rose bush where she’d cut a rose each time she visited Billy, he clipped one for her and laid it on her chest.
Staring down at her, the tears began again as he prepared to place the lid over her. He would never see her face again.
After saying a small prayer, he willed himself to slide the lid over the box and hammer in some nails to seal it. Using some rope, he managed to lower the box into the hole. Taking the shovel, Donnie prepared to start pushing dirt back into the hole.
“Goodbye, Momma. I love you. I sure am going to miss you. Rest now.”
Donnie shoveled dirt until after dark, covering the box completely. He sat down at the base of the grave, resting his head in his hands, while he stared at the fresh piled dirt. It was done. Momma could rest.
****
The sun blinded Donnie as he rolled onto his back. He covered his face with his hand and tried to figure out where he was. It took him a minute before he realized he had fallen asleep at the foot of Momma’s grave.
He got up and tried to stretch. Every muscle complained. He was sore from the work but his mind felt refreshed. He brushed himself off and went in the house. His stomach growled as he rummaged through the fridge looking for something to eat. A tub of plain yogurt, with some maple syrup on it, would have to do. After wolfing it down, he thought to look at the clock. He was surprised to see it was almost noon.
Donnie spent the remainder of the afternoon picking up the tools, cleaning around his mother’s grave, and finally, making the cross that he stuck in the ground by her head. Next, he took a flat board, and using his pocket knife, scratched his Momma’s name and the dates of her birth and death onto it. He held it away from him and studied it.
It will do fine. Momma would like it.
He nailed it to the cross and sat at the foot of the grave while he watched the sun sink behind the horizon. It reminded him of what they would do each night on the porch together and he was glad she was close enough for them to still share it. When it finally disappeared, and dusk started to turn to dark, he stood.
“Goodnight Momma. I’m going to see Billy now.”
****
Donnie sat on the ground by the stone with Billy’s name.
“Hi Billy, I did what you suggested. Momma is buried behind the garage. She’ll not be alone there, and I can visit whenever I want. We watched the sunset together tonight.”
Billy smiled as if reacting to something.
“I’d like that too. Maybe when we’re done, I can have you moved next to Momma. I’m sure she would be happy to have you near.”
The rose his mother had left several days before had blown into the grass. It was wilted but Donnie picked it up and put it back on Billy’s name.
“Okay, Billy. I understand. The rooms are the priority and I’ll work to have them done as quickly as possible. I know what size and shape but what should I put in each room?”
Donnie nodded his head up and down several times.
“Got it. We’ll have this done soon and you can rest. I can feel everything is going to be fine.”
Donnie laughed out loud.
“Hey! This is different and besides, that was a long time ago. I won’t make the same mistake again, not this time. I’ll keep my facts straight and won’t let the wrong person know what’s going on.”
Donnie glanced at his watch.
“I gotta go, Billy. There’s a lot to do and I need to pick up supplies. Love you. I’ll be back soon.”
Donnie turned and walked back to the van. He pushed the usual sadness away by focusing on the things he needed at the store. If he got them all tonight, he could start building first thing in the morning.
****
Donnie arrived at the Lowe’s store on Goliad Street in southeast San Antonio about nine-thirty. The store closed in a half hour but he knew what he needed and with help from an employee, he managed to collect everything before the store closed.
He put his cart load on the check-out table.
Four padlocks, keyed the same. A large box of screws. Twelve pieces of steel rebar, each one foot long. Four pieces of chain, each three foot long. Four heavy eyebolts. Another package of four padlocks, also keyed the same. Five-gallon buckets with their lids, four of them. Four latches that accepted padlocks and four thick moving blankets.
“Whatcha’ makin’?”
Donnie looked up, surprised by the question.
“Oh, it’s a 4-H project for my son.”
The cashier smiled at him while she rang him up.
“Cool. I was in 4-H. Loved it but I don’t remember any projects like this.”
Donnie tried to remain calm. He didn’t want to be noticed, never mind being questioned.
“Well, you know how it is. Things change.”
The cashier let it go and gave Donnie his total. He was relieved to pay and get out the door.
There was a H-E-B Foods on his way home, where he would stop for some groceries, and then to the house. He eagerly anticipated the next morning when he would be able begin the final steps of his mission. His mind raced with the possibilities of the next step in the plan. Billy still hadn’t shared what it was but each time Donnie completed a new project, it brought him closer to the ultimate final step. Donnie couldn’t wait to know what it was.
****
Six straight days of hard work had brought Donnie to the end of his construction task. He had visited Billy about half way through the project to make sure he was getting it right. Billy had been pleased and told Donnie so. It always meant a lot when his big brother was proud of him. Four solid cells were complete and the final preparations underway.
Donnie placed one of the five-gallon buckets in each cell. They would serve as a toilet for the people inside. Each cell was made of wood from the pile in the barn. Solid oak frame with steel bars in the window of each door. There was a blanket on the floor in each room with a chain lying next to it. The chain was fastened to a large eyebolt which Donnie had secured to the wall. Each door could be closed and padlocked.
Donnie went to his computer and looked at the names on his list. Four in all, each burned into Donnie’s memory since that awful day.
Ed Garland, his brother’s best friend. Suzanne Cooper, his brother’s girl friend of two years. Dexter Hughes and Chelsea Burt. Two people Donnie had never seen before that day.
It was time to choose the first name and Billy had left it up to Donnie. His brother didn’t care who was first and Donnie had debated for a couple days before making up his mind. And now it was time.
Chapter 5
Detective Jason Strong was just leaving his Terrill Hills neighborhood when his cell phone rang. He turned onto the highway leading to the station before answering.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Jason. How’s it going?”
It was Jason’s regular partner, Vanessa Layne. She was on maternity leave but was having a hard time not being involved with his investigations.
“Hey! Vanessa! Long time, no hear.”
“Very funny. Just wanted to remind you that I come back in a couple weeks. Have you got a case you’re on now?”
“Nope. Nina and I are just putting the final touches on the murder case from the nightclub. You remember the one I told you about yesterday.”
Jason smiled into the phone. Nina Jefferson had been his temporary partner since Vanessa had taken maternity leave three months ago. She was a good cop but Jason missed Vanessa as much as she missed working. She acknowledged his teasing.
“Okay, okay. I get it. Just trying to stay in the loop.”
Jason understood.
“How’s Kasen?”
The mention of her son seemed to instantly perk her up.
“Good! You and Sandy need to come visit him.”
The thought of his partner’s son always made Jason smile.
“You bet. I’ll get with Sandy and we’ll plan on coming over.”
Sandy is Jason’s wife. They met in college at the University of Texas at Austin. She was finishing her teaching degree and he was there attending the police academy. They had no kids of their own but Jason could tell little Kasen has Sandy thinking about what color to put in a nursery.
Jason heard a baby cry in the background.
“Gotta’ run. Talk to you later.” Vanessa hung up without waiting for an answer.
Jason laughed and looked at the phone.
“I’m sure.”
A few minutes later, he wheeled his car into the station parking lot. The day was typical late summer, hot with very little breeze. The air conditioning was welcome relief as he came through the station doors. His long time friend Dave Connor was at the sergeant’s desk.
“Hi, Dave. How’s Vicky?”
“Mean as ever! And Sandy?”
“Great. Thinking a little too much about babies! Nina in yet?”
Dave let out his big laugh.
“Yeah, saw her a few minutes ago.”
“Okay, thanks. See ya’ later.”
Jason got on the elevator and pushed the third floor button, making it glow. Homicide took up the entire third floor of the station.
His desk sat facing Vanessa’s desk, the two pushed up against each other. Detective Nina Jefferson was sitting in Vanessa’s spot when he walked up.
Black, short and stocky with curly hair, she was the consummate officer. Jason had come to appreciate her calmness and professional demeanor when things got tense. Still, even after three months, he hadn’t got used to seeing her in Vanessa’s chair.
Jason had just pulled out his own chair when Lieutenant Patton stuck his head out of his office.
“You two, in here!”
The two detectives exchanged glances and headed into the office. Nina took a chair while Jason stayed standing, leaning on the door frame.
“What’s up?”
Lieutenant John Patton is a big man; he works out even on his days off. Balding, but with bushy eyebrows and an unruly moustache, he claimed his hair was moving from his head to his face. When he was under stress, his eyebrows would knit together to form a hedge, which was apparently the case this morning.
He handed Nina a piece of paper.
“I don’t like to do it but the captain didn’t give me any choice. I have to loan you two out to the guys downstairs.”
Jason groaned.
“Why? What did we do to deserve this punishment?”
“It’s not a punishment! You two are next up on the board and so you get to help out our brothers.”
Nina appeared less than thrilled as well.
“It’s not a narcotics case, is it?”
“No. A simple missing persons case. They’re covered up and need an extra set of detectives. You’re it, see Lieutenant Banks.”
Jason and Nina got up and went straight to the elevator. On the way down to second floor Nina asked what Jason knew about Lieutenant Banks.
“Well, I’ve never met her personally, but there are stories.”
“Oh. What kinda stories?”
“Horror mostly.”
Jason laughed but Nina did not seem amused.
“Great!”
The elevator doors opened and they stopped to talk to an officer at the front desk.
“Lieutenant Banks?”
A thumb jerked over a shoulder served as directions.
They found Lieutenant Sarah Banks standing behind her desk. Tall with Dark brown hair that she kept close cropped and green eyes. She was an imposing figure and Jason had heard getting on her bad side was not a good idea.
They knocked on the door of her office and she looked up.
“Yes?”
Jason put on a bright smile.
“Lieutenant Banks?”
“Yes?”
She did not return his smile.
“Lieutenant Patton asked us to come down and see if we can help out. I’m Detective Strong and this is Detective Jefferson.”
“Perfect. I appreciate the help.”
Still no smile as she rummaged around on her desk. Eventually, she found a file folder and held it out to Jason.
“Missing person. Twenty-eight year old male. Address is on the second sheet. Golfing buddy reported him missing this morning. Uniforms are there and have secured the location.”
Jason flipped the file open as Nina took notes on what the lieutenant was saying. Lieutenant Banks went back to what she was doing before they knocked. After a few moments, the lieutenant looked up again.
“Is there something else?”
Jason looked a Nina and they couldn’t think of anything.
“Well, I don’t know how it is in homicide but down here, when you’re handed a file, you get going.”
Nina and Jason exchanged glances and then beat a hasty retreat out the door. Back in the elevator, Nina did her best imitation.
“Well, I don’t know how it is in homicide…”
Jason laughed.
“She’s all business, that’s for sure.”
“She’s all something.”
The elevator doors opened and they went to their desks. Nina got on her computer while Jason read through the file.
Ed Garland was a factory worker, been at the same job for eight years, and lived on the west side. A uniform had taken the initial call at the address for a missing person. Apparently, Mr. Garland didn’t show for a golf date yesterday and his friend hadn’t been able to reach him in two days.
Nina looked up from the computer screen.
“No record. Valid driver’s license.”
“Okay. Let’s go out to his house.”
****
Donnie looked through the bars at his first ‘guest’. Ed Garland sat on the blanket, a padlocked chain wrapped around his leg and leading back to the wall. He couldn’t move more than about two feet in either direction.
Donnie unlocked the door and carried a glass and a granola bar into the room.
“Here. This is a protein shake and eat this granola bar.”
“Why are you doing this? Why am I here?”
“Can’t tell you yet. You’ll find out soon enough.”
Donnie could see the fear and confusion in Ed’s face, and he felt for him, but there was no choice. Ed was just one of the necessary pieces for Billy’s plan and Donnie had to focus on the mission, not emotions. Especially now that he’d taken his first captive. He had to see it through.
“Just let me go. I won’t tell no one. Please.”
Donnie left the food on the floor and exited the room. He closed the door behind him without saying anything more. Padlock in place, he went over to his desk and turned on the computer. A file popped up of the next person he was to go after. Chelsea Burt, now Chelsea Morris.
The face on the screen looked back at him with a carefree smile. She had no way of knowing Donnie was coming and he liked it that way. The women are the hardest for Donnie, his momma had always taught him respect, but he would do what he had to. He closed the computer and headed up the stairs.
****
Jason and Nina pulled up at the address on the west side of the city. The neighborhood was run down and tired looking. The kind of area where people don’t take the garbage cans back by the house but instead bring the garbage to the curb. More than one can had been knocked over, its contents scattered by hungry dogs.
Ed Garland lived in a small duplex with peeling yellow paint and virtually no landscaping. The responding officer was still there, standing in front of the half that Ed Garland lived in. A man stood next to the officer who Jason assumed was the golf buddy who reported Garland missing.
“Nina, you want to see if you can learn anything from the neighbors?”
“Sure.”
Jason walked up to the officer.
“Have we got access to the house?”
“Yes, sir. His friend here, Jerry Baker, had a key. When he found Mr. Garland wasn’t home, he called us and stayed outside until I got here.”
“Okay, good. Anybody else live with him?”
“No. There’s an ex-wife who lives here in town and I spoke with her but she claims to have had no contact with Mr. Garland in a couple months. Also, she apparently wasn’t surprised to hear her ex was missing but she wouldn’t say why.”
“Really? Okay, stay here while I take a look around.”
Jason went up the walk and pushed the door open. In the living room he found a half-eaten hot dog and a partial glass of something that looked like milk.
He continued through to the kitchen and down a small hallway, looking into the bathroom as he passed it. Everything seemed to be in order until he got to the back bedroom.
Jason noticed the window was cracked slightly open and the screen was missing. He went to the back door and found it unlocked. Outside was the screen lying on the ground below the window. There was also a set of shoe prints in the soft soil below the ledge. He went back through the house and found the uniformed officer.
“Get on your radio and call for a forensic team. Tell them Detective Strong made the request.”
“Yes, sir.”
Jason turned to the friend.
“Jerry Baker is it?”
“Yeah.”
“When was the first time you noticed your friend wasn’t around?”
“Two days ago. I called him to confirm our golf date but got no answer. I left a message but he didn’t call back. Yesterday, I showed up to play golf and he wasn’t there. I played with the two other guys that make up our group.”
“I’d like you to give the names of the two other golf buddies to the officer.”
“Sure.”
“So when did you decide to come over to the house?”
“I called him at work this morning but they said he didn’t show. I left my job to come over and see what was up.”
“And being out of contact for a couple days is unusual for you two?”
“Yeah. We’ve been friends for years and he never misses work or golf without calling.”
“Okay, thanks.”
Jason saw Nina coming back down the sidewalk and went to meet her.
Anything?”
She shook her head.
“Hear no evil, see no evil. Nobody admits to noticing anything.”
“To be expected. Folks in this area tend to keep to themselves, at least officially.”
She put her notebook away and looked at him.
“How ‘bout you? You find anything?”
“Actually, I do want to show you something. Come take a look.”
Nina followed him through the living room. She noticed the place was neat.
“No sign of a struggle.”
She followed Jason into the bedroom where he pointed at the window sill.
“I think we may have a point of entry here. I’ve called for a forensic team.”
The uniformed officer stuck his head in the bedroom door.
“Forensic team is here.”
“Okay, thanks.”
A few minutes later, the tech came into the back of the house.
“I need you guys to dust the house and in particular, this window ledge. Also, I need a casting of a set of footprints.”
The tech followed Jason back to where he’d seen the prints and Jason pointed at them.
“Yes, sir.”
Looking from the back door, the small yard behind the duplex opened onto an alley. Jason and Nina walked back to where they could see for two blocks in either direction. The alley eventually opened onto a main street at both ends.
Nina summed it up.
“This might explain why no one heard or saw anything. Easy to come and go without being noticed.”
Jason was nodding.
“Almost perfect cover.”
They walked back to the front of the house. Nina grabbed the file out of the car.
“The address for the ex-wife is in here; want to go talk to her.”
“Yeah, we’re done here.”
