CHAPTER 59
Feeling suitably chastened, I retreated to my desk in the detective’s pen. Pulling out my worn, overstuffed black office chair, I sat down and flicked my computer on. While I was waiting for it to boot up, I sifted through the pink message slips that had been left on my desk. One was from Mrs. Brainwell, undoubtedly wanting an update on Kenneth’s case. Another from Maya, noting she had lab results from Alison’s crime scene. And lastly, one from Karla, the bartender, ex-bartender, I reminded myself silently, with no message.
Glancing at the spinning wheel on my computer screen in frustration, I looked over at Medora’s empty seat across from me and picked up my desk phone. I began to dial the hospital, then immediately replaced the receiver. If I was going to ask her about the cuffs, I wanted to see her face, judge her reaction. Speaking of Medora, I realized that I really didn’t know anything about her. Our initial meeting has been in the midst of Alison Newton’s unburial, and since then, there just hadn’t been any time.
Momentarily forgetting Barnes’ order for me to complete my statement of events, I picked up my phone and dialed the Raleigh Police Department. She had come over with Barnes, but before that, I couldn’t recall. Something about moving to Texas from Raleigh.
I connected with a woman from HR who had a high-pitched, nasal voice, and came off as something of a gatekeeper. After explaining who I was and giving her my badge number, she softened up slightly, and proceeded to put me on hold.
Ten minutes later, when coincidentally my computer finally decided to perk up, she came back on the line.
“Ok Detective, it looks like your new partner, Ms. Medora Dunning, came to us from the Cedar Creek Police Department in south Texas. She was there for about two years, started off as a deputy, then was promoted to detective right before she graced us with her presence.”
Deputy to detective in under two years? I thought skeptically. Quite the career climber. “Huh.” I replied, “anything else you can tell me?”
“Not without a sign-off from Chief Barnes.” She replied. “But” I could feel her leaning into the phone, “off the record? When she got here, she was quite the ass-kisser and acted very fake. And once she took our Detective’s exam, she was always in Barnes’ office, or flirting with her captain. I tell you, when she put in her transfer request to Wolf Hollow, no one here was sorry to see her leave.”
I flashed back to the first time I met her, in Barnes’ office. The musical laughter, the easy smile, and the light touches.
“Thank you, ma’am, I appreciate the help.” I said and hung up the phone.
Turning to my computer, I clicked my web browser and began to search Cedar Creek.
As the screen was pulling up, there was noise outside the door, and Barnes poked his head in.
“How’s the report coming Detective?” he asked, pinning me with his eyes.
“Starting it right now Chief!” I answered brightly, glad that my desk faced away from the door so he couldn’t see what was on my screen.
Barnes nodded shortly. “See that you get it done this morning, then get to work on any connection between Anders’ and Alison’s murders.”
I smiled at him as I clicked on the Cedar Creek Police Department’s website. “Yes sir, you got it!”
Barnes stared at me suspiciously for a moment, then pulled back. “Good to hear” He muttered, closing the door and stomping down the hallway to his office.
Wiping the smile from my face, I returned to my computer and picked up the phone. A minute later, I was talking to a Captain Raul Mendoza, who apparently oversaw the Cedar Creek PD.
After exchanging pleasantries, I informed him of the purpose of my call.
“Medora Dunning.” He responded in a gravelly drawl that could have been straight out of a Clint Eastwood western. I pictured a swarthy Latino with long black hair and a weathered gray cowboy hat, with his feet up on his desk. Cowboy boots and stirrups and a big silver and blue star on the wall behind him. “Sure, I remember her. Left us about six months or so ago. Moved up to your neck of the woods, Raleigh, I think. So now she’s your partner huh?”
I nodded into the phone. “Yep, but not in Raleigh. I’m in Wolf Hollow, a few hours east of Raleigh. Anything you can tell me about her?”
I could hear the creak of what was probably his chair, then a thump as his feet hit the floor. Bingo, I thought. His voice came through louder now as he gripped the phone closer to his ear. “Well, she’s moved a lot recently! So, what are you looking for?” He asked, a tinge of uncertainty in his voice.
“Anything.” I said. “How did she come to work for you. Her work ethic. Your impressions.” I paused. “Just trying to get a little background on my new partner.”
There was a brief silence as Mendoza considered my request. “Well, we’re a small operation here. Only four thousand or so residents in my jurisdiction, so I have a modest staff. About two years ago, one of my deputies just up and disappeared one day. Never found out what happened to him. So I had an opening, and Ms. Dunning happened to come through our doors a week or so after he left. Good timing for both her and me I guess.”
“And you just hired her on the spot?” I asked, with a note of skepticism creeping into my voice.
“Well, we don’t have a police academy around here like big cities.” He replied a bit defensively. “Closest one is Austin, and we don’t pay as well as their police departments. So I take what I can get. Besides,” he paused, “she could handle a gun real well and had a good attitude.” He paused. “Wasn’t hard on the eyes neither.”
“Sorry,” I replied. “We’re a small city here too, so I get it. Go on.”
A brief silence followed, then he replied. “She turned out to be a great officer - hardworking, enthusiastic, team player, did everything I asked. Much better than most of my other deputies.” He paused. “Then, after she’d been here almost a year, one of my two detectives was shot and killed while on a breaking and entering call. I needed a detective, and she was eager to fill the spot. She took our detective’s test and passed with flying colors.”
I thought about this for a moment. “Why did she leave Cedar Creek? Sounds like she was doing well.”
“She was.” Mendoza agreed. “Got high marks from me while she was here.” A pause. “Apparently, she had been seeing this guy for quite a while. He was a U.S Marshall based out of Austin. Anyway, one day he gone and killed himself, drove right off the road into a deep arroyo. Found out he was stinking drunk. Really shook Medora up. Then a few weeks later, we got a visit from a few Marshals, asking Medora some questions. They told me that before he died, he had been accessing some files in the Marshal database that were outside of his purview. Medora wasn’t able to help them, but it really seemed to bother her. Shortly after that visit, she informed me that she was leaving. Between her boyfriend’s death and the Marshal investigation, she said that she just wanted to move on. Said she had family in Raleigh, wanted to go back there.” He heaved a dramatic sigh. “That’s it. I do miss her. The bozo I hired to replace her is an incompetent jackass. Not as good-lookin neither.”
I thanked Mendoza and hung up. Thought for a minute, then dialed Human Resources in Raleigh again. After a brief conversation, I hung up. No emergency contact listed for Detective Dunning in Raleigh, I thought. But she says she has family here? What gives?
More questions for Medora, I thought uneasily. Again, I considered going to the hospital, but Barnes’ stern words were still echoing freshly inside my head.
Resigning myself temporarily to deskwork, I again ignored writing my statement, and instead pulled up the Anders case and the Newton murder. They were both very flimsy files, as both scenes were virtually devoid of any forensic evidence. The sniper’s nest had a boot print, and the pattern was found to be unique to a Salomon X hiking boot, a high-end boot often used by experienced outdoorsmen. No local outlets existed on the east coast, as the company was based out west. They could also be ordered online, but upon investigation, there were no recent orders found from the Salomon website that were delivered within one hundred miles. Alison’s crime scene had even less evidence, the only real takeaway being that her knife wound was a single slice, up close and personal. Based on that, it was assumed that Alison most likely knew the assailant or was at least expecting them. Continuing to page through her file, I came to her background page. Again, minimal information.
Suddenly, I froze. Alison was in Witness Protection. Run by the United States Marshal Service! A dead Marshal in Texas. Compromised files. Marshals here in Wolf Hollow long after she was dead. What the fuck is going on?
I leapt up, threw open the office door, and raced down the hallway to Barnes’ office. Bursting through his door, I startled Barnes, as he visibly jumped in surprise at my entrance.
“The Marshals!” I gasped, out of breath. “Devlin and Chu!”
Barnes looked visibly annoyed as he put down his pen. “What about them?” He asked irritably.
I leaned on his desk, wild-eyed. “What do you know about them? Are they legit?”
Barnes cocked his head curiously. “They showed me their badges and had paperwork on Alison about her witness protection.” He said slowly. “What’s this about?”
I shook my head violently, Jericho temporarily all but forgotten. “Where are they now?”
Barnes leaned back and shrugged. “Checking out of their hotel I assume. They’re not part of the Jericho manhunt, so I told them we didn’t need their services anymore.”
I stood up, my mind was spinning. “Which hotel?” I demanded.
“The Ocean House, why, what’s going on?” He demanded now, his voice rising.
I spun from his desk, heading for the door. “Call the Marshals Office in Houston. That’s where they said they were from right? Find out if they have two Marshals named Devlin and Chu!”
“Why? And where are you going? Jones!” Barnes shouted as I reached the door.
“The Ocean House.” I threw over my shoulder. “Investigating Anders and Alison, like you said! Call me about Devlin and Chu!”
“Jones!” Echoed behind me as I sped down the hall. Something wasn’t right in Wolf Hollow, and if Devlin and Chu aren’t who they said they were, then I may have just caught a huge break in Anders’ murder.
ns 15.158.61.21da2
