Murder at the Lake_a small town murder Read online

  “Thank you Mr. Harris that saves us from busting the door frame.”

  Roy wiped the dirt off the key and put it into the lock, swung the door open and the smell of bleach hit us like smoke on the mountain.

  “Oh boy, I think we better call CSI in before we go any farther.” Roy said.

  “I agree totally with that.” I told him.

  We crawled back up in his truck and put a call into Max, who already had his hands full with the boys on the lake.

  “Max, we’ve got a problem here. We’re at the duplex that the girl on the lake lived in with her husband, who is missing by the way. We opened the door just now and the smell of bleach about knocked us over. We think you need to have a look before we do anything.”

  He moaned and said, “Give me an hour or so I’m really tied up here. Close the place back up for now. I’ll give you a call when I’m leaving here.”

  I relayed the message to Roy and told him, “Let’s go to The Table and see if Ralph has any leftovers from this morning.”

  ******

  Sammy was getting ready to pack up the leftover food and put it in the refrigerator when we stuck our heads in the kitchen.

  “Hey, can we get a plate of that before you put it away?” I asked him.

  Sammy was all smiles and he got busy fixing us a plate and Ralph put on a pot of fresh coffee. Betty came and sat at the table with us and told us a friend of hers was going to have a baby next month and she would like a few days off to go help her out.

  “I can’t see why not. Hey Ralph can your wife fill in for Betty on those days she’s off?”

  “I’m sure Trena won’t mind, she like the extra money seeing as how she has started her Christmas shopping already.”

  “Sorry I haven’t been around too much lately. We’re working a big case and it’s an eighteen hour day.”

  “Not to worry, everything is running smoothly. I’m doing a leg of lamb tonight for those folks who like lamb and those that don’t I’m making a pot roast. Some of the mule folks who came here last year asked if I would do a lamb again. The wholesaler had just got in some lambs, right out of New Zealand, as it were.”

  “That sounds mighty tasty, Ralph. If I don’t make it back for supper make me a plate and I’ll get it on the way home.”

  Roy and I ate left over breakfast and chatted with Betty, Sammy and Ralph till Max called and said he was on his way.

  Roy and I met Max at the duplex and Roy recovered the key from its hiding place. Max gave me a smile and a wink and then he was all business. The door swung open and the bleach smell hit hard.

  “Whoa, that’s a bit much. Bits of an over kill, excuse the pun.” Max exclaimed.

  Max slipped into booties and pulled on gloves, we did the same. Being careful not to disturb anything we head in the direction where the strongest smell was located at, the bathroom.

  “Bleach or no bleach they never seem to get rid of all the evidence. I’ll spray a little Luminol around and see what we get.” Max opened his kit and began to spray all around the tub and shower. The back of the tub lit up like Christmas lights.

  “I think we have found the crime scene.” Max said. He took swabs from the tub and placed them in evidence bags while Roy and I began to look in other places for things like cellphone, laptops, computer of any kind.

  I was in the kitchen and in the sink was a butcher knife. “Max, I need you to run some prints on this and send them off now!” Max brought out his portable machine and ran the prints.

  “Don’t be in a rush for these to come back, it takes a while. The one the FBI has is really fast; ours on the other hand was all the budget could stand.” This was Max’s reply to my impatience.

  Roy had been in a back bedroom digging through a stack of papers on a desk. Roy was fast and he was good when it came to figuring out what to look for.

  “I got it! Someone in this family is into drugs, maybe not the taking of them, but the distribution of them for sure. There’s enough dime bags in the drawer back there and white powder is on the desk. Max, have you got a drug test kit in that suitcase of your?” Roy asked.

  “Coming right up, sir,” Max called out.

  About that time Lonnie Anderson from the FBI entered the duplex with another warrant in hand FBI style.

  “Sorry guys, we are taking over this investigation as of now. I’ll have to ask you to clear the premises.” She held up her badge to prove just who they were.

  Max packed up his kit, but not before slipping the evidence of the blood inside the case. I watched Roy get a bit of the white powder into one of the dime bags and place it in his shirt pocket. All the while I was distracting Lonnie from what they were doing.

  “Hey girl, haven’t seen you in these parts since Jerry left for DC. How have you been?” I asked her.

  “I’ve been fine and how about yourself?”

  “Good as gold. You hear anything from the golden boy?”

  “If you mean Jerry, not a word. He’s in high cotton now, and we are peons.”

  Well by now Roy and Max had what they wanted and I wanted out of there. As we left two more SUV’s drove up and out piled Lonnie’s team.

  Max said he would meet us at the office. As we left Roy turned the dime bag over to me and said he was going to drop me off at the office that he had something he wanted to look into.

  ******

  As we arrived at the office, I noticed that both Bubba and Bo’s vehicles were parked on the side of the building. The prodigal sons have returned. Max and I came inside and the sheriff was standing there talking with Bo, and I said to him, “We need to talk, let’s go into the conference room, you too Bo.” As we went back, I laid out what we found and then how the feds had come in and run us off.

  “We don’t know who was doing the drugs and if Carl Harris is part of this or not. I’ve got a blood sample to run and a fingerprint off a knife we’re trying to run. Darn I left the knife on the counter. They’ll run that print and get it back long before we will. Damn, damn, damn!” Max cried out.

  “Yes and I’ve got some of the white powder, or at least Roy got the white powder and put it in one of the dime bags.”

  “Where is Roy anyway?” Asked the sheriff.

  “He said he had something he wanted to look into, but he didn’t say where he was going.” I told him.

  “I wonder how much of this Carl Harris is involved in, with everything that’s happened. He works out of the Boro, but I’m not sure what he works at.” Max told the sheriff.

  “Yes, we need to look a little bit harder at our Mr. Harris. Loraine we need a back ground check on him ASAP.”

  “It’s already been done and is on the screen in the conference room. I looked over it when it came in and he looks clean. Maybe we should be looking at the sister along with Diego.” Loraine said.

  “Good idea, Loraine. Get on it and send it to the screen when it comes in. Do splits screen half Diego and half the sister.”

  Bubba appeared about that time and joined us around the table in the conference room.

  Max said his goodbyes and headed back to the CSI building with Roy’s drugs and the blood he had collected. Said he would let us know if and when the finger print came in.

  As we were looking through the data on the screen when my cell rang and I stepped out to answer it. “Detective Jordan, how may I help you?”

  “Jenny, it’s me, dad. I’m in town for the day and thought I would take you out for lunch.”

  “Let me check with the sheriff and see if he’ll let me go. We’re in the middle of a murder and a blown up houseboat. Where are you calling from? I didn’t recognize the phone number and it wasn’t your cell.”

  “I’m up here at the Bed and Breakfast, I used their phone mine needs to be charged. Call me at this number,” and he rattled off the number of the B&B.

  I went back to the conference room and pulled the sheriff to one side. “That was my dad and he sounded strange. He wants to meet for a quick lunch; can you spa
re me for a little while?”

  “Yeah, but keep your phone handy just in case something breaks. Give your dad my best,” he said.

  I called dad back and got one of the gals that works in the kitchen. “Hey, this is Detective Jordan I just talked with my dad, is he anywhere about that you can call him to the phone?” I asked her.

  “Sure, the Judge is sitting here with a cup of coffee waiting on your call.” Then she handed him the phone.

  “Okay dad, I can get away for maybe forty-five minutes or so. Where do you want to meet at?”

  “How about at Mama Leoni’s Corner Café. It’s quiet there and out of the way. Besides, she makes great homemade pasta.”

  “Fine with me, meet you in ten.” So just how does he know about Mama Leoni’s place? I checked the charge on my phone to make sure I had more than two bars and hopped in the Jeep and took off for the Corner Café.

  The traffic was light in that part of town and lunch wasn’t a big deal over there so I made good time and almost beat him there. He was pulling in just as I got there.

  Climbing out of the Jeep I holstered my weapon and pulled on my jacket. Guns make some people really nervous.

  “Dad, you’re looking good, how’s mom?”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. She went in for her yearly mammogram and they found a spot. She doesn’t know I’m here; she doesn’t want to worry you. Not until they do a needle biopsy. I just figured you needed to know before that.”

  “Dad, how is she holding up and when is the biopsy going to happen?”

  “Next week, they just don’t seem to be in a hurry. Me, I would want to know right now!” He said as we entered into the café.

  “Where is she having the biopsy done, at the hospital or the doctor’s office?” I asked him as we found a seat and dad picked up the menu.

  “At her doctor’s office. She has a lot of confidence in Dr. Cagle. She’s been going to him a long time.” The waitress came with glasses of water and her order pad. I waved her away and told her in a minute. She left with a pout on her face.

  “You have to let me be there for that. I don’t care if she knows I know or not, I need to be there.” I told him.

  “Okay Jenny, I’ll let you know when the time comes. Let’s order so you can get back to your homicide.”

  “Dad, how do you know about Mama Leoni’s place?” I asked him.

  “Mama and I go way back. She use to cook in her home and we, the rest of the judges, would order from her and she would have her son run it up to the courthouse. When she opened this place, she sent out invitations to all the judges, and she sent one to Judge Nichols and one day when we were talking he told me about it. So I looked it up when I got into town.”

  Our waitress came back with her order pad and we ordered our lunch. While we waited on lunch I told dad about the houseboat and the FBI coming in taking over the case.

  Our lunch came and dad was right, she does make the best homemade pasta I’ve ever tasted.

  Chapter Six

  As I arrived back at the office, I recognized the black SUV out front under the tree. Not the FBI this time, but the TBI. They didn’t waste any time after they found out The FBI was on the scene. My old pal Dex was harassing Loraine as I came through the door.

  “Hey man, back off of her. If you’ve got something to say, talk to the sheriff not the dispatch girl.” I blasted him.

  “I’m not looking for the sheriff. I was looking for either you, Max or Roy. I’ve got you now so let’s go somewhere and talk.” He came back at me.

  “Back room should do it. I’ll be there in a minute.” I headed him back there as I mouthed to Loraine, “Where’s the sheriff?” She shrugged her shoulders at me. “Well find him.” I mouthed to her again.

  As I arrived in the conference room Dex was looking at the screen with the info on Carl Harris and his sister. I quick flicked it off and asked, “So what’s so important that you have to get in Loraine’s face like that for?”

  “This case is what’s so important. We’ve been watching Diego for a couple of months now, even have an undercover guy working on the scene. Can’t get close, he’s a cagey guy and don’t trust anyone. Now I hear the FBI is at his place nosing around and they’ve run you guys off. So tell me what you’ve got.”

  “Not much Dex. Some blood in the bathtub, a bloody knife in the sink, some white powder and some dime bags. His wife is dead in the water, her brother is shot off a houseboat and then the boat explodes. Is that what you’re interested in?” I asked him with a smirk on my face.

  “That’s a start. Does Max have the blood and the powder?”

  “Not sure where all that’s at. The FBI ran us out just as we were getting things together.”

  “You know it’s a felony to lie to me don’t you?”

  “Who said I was lying? I’m just not sure where all the evidence got off to as we were hustled out the door.” I said keeping a straight face.

  He turned and left me standing there and out the door he went. I got my cell out and called Max.

  “Hey, Dex is on the war path and most likely headed your way. So hide the evidence and tell him we were run off before we could collect any.”

  “Thanks for the warning. It’s all put away anyhow. I’m working on some of the parts from the houseboat.”

  I began to look over what Loraine had got on Carl Harris and I agreed with her there wasn’t much there. A traffic ticket or two was about all. He was clean as a whistle.

  The sheriff came in about that time and I told him about Dex’s arrival and that I had call Max and gave him the heads up.

  “All well and good. The FBI has left the duplex and put up crime tape and a seal on the door. I need a few officers to canvass the neighbors and see what they know.”

  “Well officers Lyle and Dean have come a long way in talking with people. Lyle will someday be a good investigator given time, how about officer Tank?”

  “Tank is in training right now and unavailable.” The sheriff told me.

  “What’s he being trained for, might I ask?”

  “He’s not so much being trained as the dog is. We are getting a K9 unit and Tank will be the handler for Butch. That’s the dog’s name.”

  “Good Lord where did we get the money for that?” I asked.

  “Mick and Tony Marino are the ones paying for it. I guess out of the goodness of their hearts.”

  “Wow! I’m laid away on this. We’ve wanted a K9 unit like forever. What made you decide on Tank as the handler?”

  “Tank has German Shepard’s and he knows how to handle them. He’s good with dogs as well as with people. He’s easy going and….”

  “Okay I get the drift. Do you want me to go with Lyle and Dean over by the duplex?”

  “Yeah, go ahead if you don’t have anything pressing right now. Just stay out of the way of the FBI and TBI.”

  ******

  I met officers Lyle and Dean under the shade tree by the duplex.

  “Okay I believe you’ve been informed as to this case. Each of you takes a side of the street and let’s see if anybody knows anything.”

  The guys split up and I took the homes and other duplexes around Carl Harris’ place. The lady next door was on her porch watching all that was going on. I figured she was the neighborhood busy body, so I hit her first.

  “Good afternoon, I’m Detective Jordan of the sheriff’s department. Have you got a moment to talk with me?” I asked her. Well hell yes, she could hardly wait to tell me something.

  “I’ve watched you people all morning in and out of Lisa’s home. I want to know what’s going on before I tell you anything.” She said.

  “It’s an ongoing investigation so I can’t tell you much about it.” I told her.

  “Well then tell me where Diego’s nephew is.”

  “I not aware of any nephew, what can you tell me about him?”

  “The boy has been living there for maybe three months or so. He’s got a nasty mouth
on him and he’s a bully. Lisa couldn’t handle him at all. She and Diego had fights all the time about the kid’s attitude. He can’t be more than fourteen or fifteen and headed down the wrong path.”

  “When was the last time you seen him?”

  “Sunday morning as I was leaving for church he got into a car and they drove away. I said good to myself as maybe my house will be safe till I get back.”

  “And you haven’t seen him since them?”

  “I haven’t seen anyone over there since Sunday,” she said.

  “What does this kid look like? Also do you know his name?”

  “Oh yes, I know his name, it’s screamed out so many time a day I hear it in my sleep. They call him Ray, but his name is Raymond. He’s dark headed and his complexion is dark with acne on his face. He’s maybe five foot six or so and on the thinner side. He wears black clothing. I’ve never seen him in any other color. Lisa told me he was up from somewhere in South America, Columbia I think she said.”

  I had my pad out and was taking all this down and then I asked her for her name and a phone number when she got a bit shy on me.

  “I don’t want to go to court and testify. I’m just telling you what I know. Now you tell me what’s going on over there.”

  “First your name and phone number and I’ll tell you what I can.”

  “My name is Sylvia Nelson.” Then she gave me her phone number both home and cellphone.

  “Okay Sylvia, Carl Harris was shot off a houseboat and then it exploded. His sister Lisa was found bound and gagged floating in the water. Diego is missing and there’s blood in their side of the duplex. That’s it in a nut shell. Thank you for your info and do you think if the police artist came by you could work with him on a picture of Raymond?”

  “Oh my God! Lisa was such a sweet girl and her brother Carl was always giving me a helping hand, unlike Diego. Why sure I’ll work with your police artist, anytime.” She sat down shaking her head.

  “Would you like me to get you a glass of water, are you okay?” I asked her.

  “I’m okay, it’s just I liked those two so much I can’t believe what’s happened.”