Текст книги "Detective Jason Strong: The Early Cases"
Автор книги: John C. Dalglish
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Текущая страница: 17 (всего у книги 21 страниц)
Chapter 9
The next morning, Jason was met in the parking lot by Devin James. A crime reporter for the San Antonio News, he was quickly becoming a thorn in Jason’s side. Black, 6’3” with a big smile that hid a cynical mind, he had a way of asking the questions Jason didn’t want to answer.
“Morning, JD.”
“What did I tell you about calling me that?”
The reporter ignored the rebuke.
“So, word on the street has you investigating missing persons. Not your usual gig. Any truth to that?”
Jason didn’t like being ambushed, especially first thing in the morning, and it annoyed him how James managed to get info he shouldn’t have.
“You know I can’t comment about ongoing investigations.”
Jason noticed the reporter seemed to be ignoring his response and looking past him. When Jason turned to see what James was looking at, he saw Nina coming across the lot from her car. He gave her a wave.
“Watch out. You’re being stalked!”
Nina laughed.
“I don’t see any predators around here.”
“Actually, it’s a reporterus ignoramus. Pretty tame, really.”
Devin James feigned injury by clutching at his chest.
“Detective Strong! You cut me and I bleed.”
Nina took the reporter’s hand.
“I don’t believe we’ve met. Jason, who is this angel?”
“That’s Nina Jefferson. Nina, this is Devin James. I believe I mentioned him.”
Devin practically purred.
“Enchanted.”
Jason chuckled.
“That ‘angel’ you refer to might just break your arm if you get out of line.”
It was Nina’s turn to smile.
“Excuse me, Mr. James. We have work to do.”
With that, she unwound herself from the reporters grip and joined Jason walking towards the station doors, leaving the reporter behind.
They went by Lieutenant Banks office but she wasn’t in yet. Jason suggested they go see Chelsea Morris’ friend at Daylight Donuts and Nina agreed.
When they returned to the parking lot, Devin James was gone. Nina grabbed the file out of her car and they left for the north side of the city.
****
Suzanne Cooper was having a good day. Her chair at “TINA’S HAIR SALON” had stayed busy. The tall women with auburn hair was popular with her clients and today they had tipped her well.
“Mrs. Harkin, can I get you to move over to the hair dryers.”
“Of course, Dear.”
Suzanne carried the bunched up smock around the elderly woman, as she made her way to the dryer chair. When she was settled into place, Suzanne lowered the helmet over Mrs. Harkins head and set the timer for fifteen minutes.
“I’ll be back to get you in a bit.”
Mrs. Harkin smiled at her and opened a People magazine.
As Suzanne went back to her chair, she saw a young man get out of a gray Subaru, come in and stop at the desk. She didn’t recognize him.
“Can I help you?”
He was average height and build with black hair that didn’t look like it needed cut.
“Yes, I need a haircut. Do you have an opening?”
“Let me see who’s not busy.”
“No. I want you to cut my hair.”
“Oh. Well, I have about fifteen minutes. I guess I can squeeze you in.”
He smiled at her and there was something vaguely familiar about him.
“Great!”
He came around the desk and sat in her chair. She grabbed a smock and wrapped it around him.
“Do I know you?”
“No. A friend of mine, Chelsea Morris, said you were the best.”
Suzanne couldn’t place the name but she had people walk in and get haircuts all the time.
“I guess I don’t remember the name. You don’t look like you need much of a haircut. What did you want done?”
“Oh, just thin it some and clean up the sideburns and neckline. I hate when things aren’t tidy.”
Suzanne couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Okay…tidy up, it is. What’s your name?”
“Donnie.”
“Nice to meet you, Donnie.”
Within ten minutes, she was done and he examined himself in the mirror.
“Do you have a straight razor?”
“I don’t but Silvia does, why?”
“I like to get the thin hair by the sideburns.”
“Okay. Sit tight while I borrow hers.”
She went two stations down and returned with the blade. She ran it below his sideburns and he stood up.
“How much?”
“Twelve dollars.”
He gave her two twenties.
“Keep it.”
“Thanks! That’s very generous.”
“It’s my pleasure. After all, you squeezed me in.”
He smiled at her, turned and left.
Suzanne just stared after him.
That was odd. I need to look in my address book for ‘Chelsea Morris’.
Her timer went off, telling her Mrs. Harkin was done.
****
The detectives parked out front of Daylight Donuts and a waitress with Trudi on her nametag met them at the door of.
“Two?”
Jason smiled at the small red-head. She had green eyes and a bright smile.
“Are you Trudi Fulton?”
Her smile disappeared.
“Yes.”
“My name is Detective Strong; this is my partner Detective Jefferson.”
He showed her his ID.
“Is this about Chelsea?”
“Yes. Do you have time for a few questions?”
“Sure. Let me tell Gloria.”
She crossed to the back of the restaurant, spoke to the other waitress before returning and guiding them to a table near the door.
Jason looked into her eyes. He sensed a fear lingering and knew it would probably be there for awhile.
“You doing okay, Trudi?”
“I’m making it. Work both helps and hurts. I’m glad to be busy but then it’s hard when someone like Mr. Perkins comes in.”
“Mr. Perkins?”
“He’s an elderly widower who doesn’t like anyone but Chelsea to wait on him. He’s taking it hard.”
“Is there anyone else who seemed overly interested in Chelsea? Maybe pestered her or she had mentioned she was afraid of?”
“Nobody. She seemed happy and worry free.”
“The last time you saw her was when she clocked out that day?”
“Yeah. We worked opposite shifts and I was just coming in.”
Nina was taking notes and looked up.
“Where do you park?”
“In back. There’s a gravel lot for employees.”
“And you didn’t notice anything unusual that day?”
“No. Well, now that I think about it, there was one thing.”
“Oh?”
“When I got here, there was a guy sitting on the grass, behind the lot, drinking a coffee. I didn’t think anything of it at the time.”
Jason touched her hand.
“I know this is hard but I need you to focus on that moment in time and see if you can recall anything about him.”
“I only glanced at him. He was sitting down so I don’t really know how tall he was. Let’s see. White, short hair, I don’t remember a beard. Jeans and a yellow shirt.”
“Had you ever seen him before?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Was there anyone else here that day?”
“Just the manager, Mr. Chambers.”
“Is he here?”
“Yeah, in back. I’ll get him.”
The interview with Mr. Chambers didn’t produce any new clues. Jason asked Trudi to take them to the spot where she’d seen the man sitting.
She walked them through the small kitchen and out the back door of the donut shop. They stepped out onto a gravel parking lot behind the restaurant that backed up to some woods. It only had one entrance onto the street. It made a good place for an ambush. Nina favored the theory.
“I bet he was waiting in or near her car.”
They did a search around the spot where the man was seen but didn’t find anything useful. Jason realized Nina was probably right.
“Where was Miss Morris’ car found?”
Nina looked in the file.
“About two miles from here, cement plant.”
“And to get there, what direction?”
“She’d leave and turn right towards Huebner Road.”
Jason turned to Trudi.
“Which direction would Chelsea turn to go home.”
Trudi thought for a minute.
“Left. She goes over and takes the beltway north.”
“Thanks for your help, Trudi. We’ll be in touch when we have news.”
Jason headed for the vehicle with Nina trying to catch up.
“Jason, where’s the fire?”
“Traffic camera headquarters.”
Nina smiled.
“Of course. We can probably track her with traffic cameras!”
“Let’s hope so. If we can we can spot her car, we can find out if you’re right about her being ambushed here.”
Chapter 10
Suzanne pulled her teal colored Ford Focus into the Quikstop. Her gas light was on and she felt like a cold drink anyway. It’d been a busy day and she was worn out. She filled her car and went into to get a drink.
Something with a lot of caffeine is called for if I’m ever going to get any housework done tonight.
Grabbing a Red Bull, she went to the counter. While the guy if front of her paid, she got out her debit card and noticed her address book was missing from its usual pocket. She rummaged around, looking for it.
Where is that stupid thing! I hate this purse; it’s like a bottomless pit.
The man in front was done and she stepped up. While the clerk ran her card, she continued to search for the book.
“Thank you, maam.”
She reclaimed her card, picked up her drink and went to the car.
Maybe it’s at home. It had better be; all my clients are in that book.
****
Donnie sat in his car across from the Quikstop gas station. Resting next to him on the seat was an address book decorated with pink flowers on it. He watched as Suzanne Cooper got gas, went inside and then searched her bag for something while standing in line.
It’s not in there, Miss Cooper. I’ll bring it to you later.
He smiled to himself. After he got Suzanne Cooper, there would be just one more.
****
Jason got on State Highway 281 going southeast, the fifteen minute drive would bring them to the I-410 access road that was home to the Texas Department of Transportation traffic cameras.
Nina had brought with her the phone records of Ed Garland and Chelsea Morris. She was nearly 3/4 of the way through them and hadn’t found a connection. She wasn’t giving up even though it was tedious work.
“Bingo!”
“What?”
“I’ve got a phone number from Ed Garland’s records that also shows up on the records of Chelsea Morris.”
“Whose is it?”
“That’s odd. It’s McCollum High School.”
“Really? Why’s that odd?”
“That’s the school I went to.”
Jason laughed.
“Not so weird, a lot of people went to that school. Were they incoming or outgoing calls?”
“Incoming. The school called them.”
“We’ll need to go by and find out who made the calls.”
Jason turned into the parking lot of the DOT office and stopped.
“At least we have a connection now besides just the finger prints”
****
Suzanne arrived home a few minutes later. Home was a white, single story bungalow with a shake shingle roof and tan shutters.
She had never married and her only companion was a Yorkie called “Tizzy”. The name had come from the way her dog greeted her at the end of the day. A friend had given her a lift home one day not long after she got the pup. When the friend came in to see the new puppy, she watched as the little dog went crazy to see Suzanne.
“She’s having a tizzy!” her friend laughed.
Right there and then, the puppy was named.
She let herself in and the dog met her at the door. She went through the standard ‘pick me up and give kisses’ with Tizzy before putting her out in the backyard to do her business. She went looking for her address book. After several minutes of searching, she found herself standing in the kitchen.
Where is that stupid book?! My purse sits by my station and I don’t remember taking the book out today.
She decided to wait until she checked work tomorrow before going into a full blown panic. In the meantime, the Red Bull was kicking in and there was laundry to do.
****
Jason and Nina came through the double glass doors into the cool reception hall of the Texas DOT offices.
“Can I help you?”
Jason showed his badge to the twenty-something blonde at the desk.
“I’m Detective Strong and this is Detective Jefferson. We need to speak with Jack Burns.”
The girl immediately looked concerned and picked up the phone without saying anything.
“Mr. Burns, there’s two detectives here to see you.”
She listened for a minute before hanging up.
“He’ll be right out.”
Jack Burns was the name Lieutenant Patton had given them. Jason had called the lieutenant on the way over here to find out if he knew someone. The lieutenant had said he and Burns went way back.
“Thanks.”
Jack Burns came through the glass door at the far end of the reception area. Short, thin and tanned with silver hair, Jason guessed he didn’t spend all his time in an office.
“Jack Burns?”
“Yes, that’s me. How can I help you?”
“My name is Detective Strong, this is Detective Jefferson. Is there somewhere we can talk?”
“Sure, let’s go to my office.”
As they walked, the DOT official looked from Jason to Nina.
“Did I do something?”
Nina gave him a reassuring smile.
“No, sir. We’re involved in an investigation and believe you may be able to help.”
“Oh. In here.”
He let them in the glass door he had originally come through, then directed them immediately to their right and into a spacious office.
Jason and Nina both took the chairs offered to them. Jack Burns shut the door before going around his desk and sitting down.
“Alright, Detectives. How can I help?”
Jason produced a sheet of paper. It was a map with the location where Chelsea Morris’ car was found and where Daylight Donuts was located.
“We need to see if you have any cameras along this route.”
He handed the paper to Burns and, after examining it for a minute, the DOT official punched some numbers into the computer on his desk. He turned the computer monitor towards the two detectives.
“I have one camera on this route. At Huebner.”
Jason couldn’t make sense of the multiple cameras that were displayed.
“Which one is that?”
Burns clicked a couple more keys and the screen changed to just one image.
“Can you call up specific times for these cameras?”
“Sure but they’re not movie cameras. These are ‘still shots’ that refresh about every 5 minutes.”
Jason handed the DOT official another piece of paper.
“This is the time frame and date we need.”
Jack Burns started pushing more keys and spun a roller ball on his mouse until he came to a specific frame on the cameras.
“Okay, what are we looking for?”
Jason took a quick glance at his notes.
“1995 Chevy Cavalier.”
Jack Burns clicked a button and with each click, a new image showed. Nina saw it first.
“There!”
Jason agreed.
“That’s it. Can you blow it up?”
“Some, but I’m limited.”
The picture zoomed in. The vehicle was going away from the camera and at least a hundred feet past the camera when it was taken.
They couldn’t see Chelsea but there was a clear image of a man in the back seat. Nina said what both detectives were thinking.
“She was stalked. He was waiting and ambushed her before the drive home.”
Jason just stared at the image. They now knew that both their missing person’s were likely chosen and hunted. And more importantly, they had no idea why or if he had more targets.
He got up and shook hands with Jack Burns.
“Can you print me a copy of the photo?”
“Sure.” Jack punched some more keys. “Be back in a minute.”
He left the office and Jason turned to Nina.
“The only connection we have between the victims is the phone number from the high school. We need to go there next.”
The DOT official returned with the photo and the detectives headed for their car.
Chapter 11
Suzanne finished folding the load of towels and went to the kitchen. The Red Bull was wearing off and she decided it was time for some TV to relax. She got some ice from the fridge and poured herself a Diet Pepsi. She was just about to sit in the recliner when the door bell rang.
Tizzy raced to the door and started her incessant barking which announced every visitor’s arrival.
“Tizzy! Shush! Tizzy!”
Suzanne opened the door to find the walk-in customer from her shop standing there. She raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“Oh, hi. Can I help you?”
“Hi. I don’t know if you remember me but I was in your shop today.”
“Of course. Donnie, isn’t it? Is there something wrong?”
“Well, in an odd coincidence, I stopped at the Quikstop awhile ago and…”
Tizzy was going nuts, barking and baring her teeth at the stranger.
“Tizzy, shush. That’s enough!”
“…Anyway, I found your address book lying next to the gas pumps. I live just around the corner so I thought I’d walk over and bring it to you.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful. I was looking all over for it.”
Tizzy kept at it, barking and threatening to charge the man, despite her tiny size.
“Tizzy!! Excuse me; I’m going to put her away.”
Suzanne scooped up the dog and walked to the bedroom. She put the dog in the room and shut the door. When she turned around, the man was in the middle of the living room, with a gun pointed at her.
“Don’t scream or I’ll shoot you where you stand.”
****
Jason and Nina took I-35 south to Military Trail, over to Commercial Ave, and then south to Formosa. Even though Jason knew where the school was, Nina was giving him directions.
“Okay, the school’s just a block that way.”
“Detective, I think you’re kinda excited to be going back to your old school.”
Nina saw she was exposed and laughed.
“Yeah, I guess. My years at McCollum High were good ones. And unlike like you, my high school years weren’t two decades ago!”
“Owww! You’re brutal.”
They stopped in front of the sign signifying the office and got out. Nina scanned the collection of buildings.
“Hasn’t changed much.”
“Well, lead the way, ex-alum.”
They walked up the sidewalk to a set of double doors and found them un-locked. School was out for the summer and basic staff plus maintenance would be the only people there.
They came in out of the heat and Jason removed his sunglasses. The office was immediately on the right and through a large glass window, they could see a collection of desks but no one appeared to be there. Jason stuck his head through the office door.
“Hello?!”
From a somewhere in the back, they heard a woman’s voice.
“Be right there!”
While they waited, Nina watched as Jason scanned the photo’s on the wall.
“Looking for something?”
“Yeah. Thought they might have your detention records framed.”
“Hey! I was a good girl.”
Jason rolled his eyes and laughed.
“May I help you?”
A woman dressed in gray slacks, black button blouse and black patent leather shoes, came into the room. Brown hair and hazel eyes, Jason guessed her to be in her fifties. She carried herself with an official bearing.
“Yes. My name is Detective Strong and this is my partner Detective Jefferson. We’re with SAPD.”
They both showed their badges.
“I’m Janice Hayes, the principal’s secretary. Is there a problem?”
“No. We’re involved in an investigation and the phone number of McCollum High has showed up on a couple reports linking the school to that investigation. We’d like to find out who made the calls and why the calls were made.”
“Do you have the numbers that were called?”
Nina took the phone reports out of a manila folder she was carrying and handed them to the secretary.
“I’ve highlighted them.”
Janice Hayes followed the highlighted numbers with her finger, across to the names.
“I made these calls.”
“Chelsea Morris and Ed Garland were both on my list.”
Nina took the reports back and put them in the folder.
“Your list?”
“Yes. I’m helping with notifications of the 10 year class reunion coming up. The class president gave me some of the names. I told her I had some extra time and I’d be glad to help.”
“May we see the list?”
“Sure. I’ll be right back.”
Janice Hayes returned in less than a minute with two sheets of paper.
“I have about fifty names to call. We use email for most of the notifications, but these are the ones that we only have phone numbers for.”
Jason took one sheet and Nina the other. Jason found one of the names immediately.
“Ed Garland, fifth name down on this sheet.”
Nina’s sheet had the other.
“Chelsea Morris, near the bottom.”
Jason gave his sheet back to the secretary.
“Can we get a copy of these?”
The secretary took Nina’s, as well.
“Sure. Give me a couple minutes.”
When she was gone, Jason started thinking out loud.
“Okay. Both victims were called about their reunion along with about fifty others on these lists. In addition, there’s the list the class president is calling. Assuming it’s roughly the same size, that’s somewhere around a hundred names.”
“That’s just the call list. There’s apparently an email list also.”
Jason nodded.
“I’m thinking we start with the call list. Nothing has showed on the email list that we know of. Until there’s a connection to that list, we need to limit our search as much as possible.”
“So, you think the connection between victims is their class year and the reunion?”
“It’s about all we’ve got for right now.”
Nina was skeptical.
“Okay, following that logic, our killers name should also be on that list.”
“Maybe, but not necessarily. If he’s targeting this group or some of the group, it very well could be because he’s not on the list. When we get back, we need to run all the names from the phone list, find out if they have records.”
Janice Hayes returned with four pages.
“I copied both my list and the class president’s.”
She handed them to Nina who put them in the folder.
“Who is the class president, anyway?”
“Cindy Butler. Her name’s at the top of each sheet, along with her phone number.”
“And when is the reunion?”
“The fifth of next month, here in the gym.”
“Thank you. We’ll be in touch if we need anything else.”
The secretary looked at Jason.
“Can I ask why Ed Garland and Chelsea Morris are of particular interest?”
“They’re missing.”
“Missing! Both of them?”
“Yes, Maam. Both of them.”
