There it was, the metallic green Honda CRV, correct license plate and hail damage. Kate wondered why dispatch had called it a 75, which meant suspicious vehicle. She parked in front of the motel office and walked to the patrol officer standing in the office.
“Hansen, why was this car called in as suspicious?” Kate asked, then turned to smile at the short Indian man standing on the other side of the counter.
“Manager called it in. Said the car wasn’t registered with any of the guests,” Hansen nodded his head toward the smiling man.
“I know my regulars, and no one has that car. I only have regulars checked in today.” He pointed, as if they didn’t know what car he was speaking of. “It’s still here tonight. I haven’t seen anyone around it all day.”
“Have you checked all the rooms?” Kate asked.
“Maid service asked when they cleaned. No one knows the car.” He put his hands up and shrugged.
“Don’t some of your guests have guests?” Hansen offered.
“Well, maybe.” The look on his face said he might be nervous. Kate expected him to wipe his brow.
Allie had a Facebook profile, and even though it was private, she had a pretty nice profile picture. Kate had taken a screenshot of it. She swiped and tapped her phone, then showed her screen to the man. “Do you recognize this girl?”
He shook his head. “She’s pretty.”
She was gorgeous. Porcelain skin, long auburn curls, and perfectly applied makeup. Kate thought it might be a Snapchat or Messenger filter, but still, there was no denying her natural beauty.
“Yes, she is. And she’s also apparently got a hell of a temper. You’re sure you haven’t seen her around here?” Kate said.
“I’m sure.” He looked down.
“If you see her, or see someone get into that car, please let us know, okay?” Hansen said.
“Is she in trouble?” he asked.
“Not necessarily. We just need to talk to her about an incident that occurred last night,” Kate said.
“So she’s in trouble,” the manager said.
“Thank you, sir.” Kate waved her hand at Hansen for him to come outside with her.
The sun started to set on the sunny, but crisp day as they walked to the Honda. Kate got Hansen up to speed, and Zane and Jake joined them.
Kate looked in the passenger side window of the CRV and saw a hoodie and a small clutch handbag sitting on the floor of the passenger side. No machete. Maybe it was under the hoodie on the floorboards. Kate wanted to break the window and open the door.
“Great, we have the car, but no driver.”
Zane, who was looking in from the driver’s side of the car, said, “Is that blood?”
Kate looked, but didn’t see anything resembling blood.
Zane keyed his mic. “67 to HQ.”
“HQ, go ahead.”
“HQ, I have a possible 24, I’m going to break the window of the suspicious vehicle.”
Kate realized what Zane was referring to. Possible 24 meant an emergency situation. Allie could be bleeding to death in the back of the car. “I see the blood now.”
Zane pulled out his baton, and popped the metal piece used for breaking glass. He tapped the window. The glass shattered into pellet sized pieces on the driver’s side seat and floor. He reached in through the window and unlocked the car.
That’s when Kate noticed the car keys still in the ignition. “She’s lucky this car wasn’t stolen.”
“I can’t believe the car let her lock the doors with the keys in the ignition,” Zane said.
“It’s at least ten years old, so probably didn’t have the technology back then,” Kate said.
“Laura is going to be pissed,” Jake said. “Now she’s going to have to pay to replace that window.”
“Insurance will cover it,” Hansen said.
Kate stepped to the back door and opened it. Nothing. The car looked pristine, other than the things on the floor of the passenger seat.
“There’s mud on the floor mats and on the gas and brake pedals. Someone was walking around in the dirt somewhere.” Zane shined his flashlight on the floor for a better look.
Kate picked up the hoodie and clutch purse. “No mud on this side.”
“Is it black dirt or sandy clay?” Jake asked.
There are two kinds of dirt in Texas: black gumbo, which would suck you down and pull your boots off, laced-up or not, and sandy loam, which held the rain well, and dried fast on the surface. But dang if that dirt didn’t leave an orangish-red film on everything.
“Why?” Hansen asked.
“Because that might tell us where the dirt came from. Was it around here or somewhere else? Won’t tell us much more than that, though.” Jake sounded like a superior talking to a plebe. Kate was sure Hansen wouldn’t appreciate it, since he had ten years on Jake.
“Looks sandy to me,” Zane said. To Kate he said, “Let’s give Yeira a crack at this. We know Allie was in this car. We know she wore that hoodie. No different from the old man this morning. She can track her.”
“My guess is that she jumped in a car with someone else,” Hansen said. “The trail is going to be short and dead end.”
“You think? And leave her best friend’s nice car in this drug motel lot? Not a very good friend if you ask me.” Kate didn’t think Allie would do such a thing. But then, she did use her friend’s car to commit a crime.
Kate didn’t have to be asked twice. She jogged back to her car to put the leash on Yeira. The adrenaline flowing transferred to her K9. Yeira on the muscle, ready for the game. And to her this was a game, a job and a game. If she did well, she got to play. Kate opened the door, Yeira pushing at the edge, almost hard to handle as she strained while Kate attached the leash.
“Okay, girl, it’s time to work.” Kate stepped back and Yeira bounded from the backseat.
“Fuss,” Kate said. It sounded like foose. And Yeira heeled.
They walked side by side to the Honda and Zane reopened the passenger door.
Yeira got a good sniff of the hoodie and the carpet of the passenger side, then Kate said, “Suche.”
Yeira walked up to the sidewalk of the motel, looking left and right, she trailed left, then stopped. Maybe Hansen was right, she got in a car. Looking to her right, Yeira hesitated, then ran around the backside of the building. Again she stopped, then made a U-turn, her nose to the asphalt, and tracked along the parking lot. Kate followed. And as she followed, she noticed drag marks.
The marks looked like thin black ink, or tar, and then just one drag mark, then none. Yeira stopped at the dumpster behind the motel, and Kate looked back to Zane. She didn’t want to distract Yeira, so she said, “Suche.”
Yeira walked in a circle, then stopped. She didn’t sit, but she paused. Then she shot out like a bullet, nearly pulling Kate off her feet. And that’s when a search for a person of interest turned into a murder investigation.
How did anyone not see this? Kate thought. This time of year, even the long grass had been bent over from the cold and rain, and new growth barely peeked from under the dormant brown. She looked around, wondering how long Allie had been lying in the grass, and how on earth no one had seen her and called it in. She stood in place, not wanting to get any closer until they went into crime scene investigation mode.
“You such a good girl, Yeira, good girl.” Kate tossed her chew toy away from the girl’s body, then let Yeira play tug for a moment before she threw the toy back toward the parking lot. Yeira chased after it and returned for another round of tug. Kate threw it one more time, getting closer to her vehicle each time. Putting Yeira back inside with her chew toy, Kate walked back to the curb next to the field.
Yeira’s search had taken them into the field behind the motel and past the dumpster area. An open field, but it had been partially obscured by the garbage area fencing and a row of small trees. Some of the grass had been mowed, probably back in October right before going dormant. From where Kate stood, Allie could easily be seen. Kate looked around. The motel was only two stories, so people staying in the rooms probably couldn’t see her. Each of the surrounding businesses had either a fence or a row of high bushes. Kate turned around to look straight toward the motel driveway and the office. How long had that poor girl been there? Was she dead when she was placed there? Could she have been saved?
Zane approached Kate. “There’s a pair of stiletto heels in the garbage. I wonder if that’s what Yeira tracked?”
“She’s in the field. Right around the back of the fence here.” Kate pointed.
“Well, crap,” Zane said and started in the direction Kate had pointed.
Kate and Zane stood about twenty-five feet from the body. Allie lay in a fetal position, her feet bare, both hands close to her throat. She wore dark blue skinny jeans and a stretch fabric shirt in a snake print. Her long auburn curls lay splayed out behind her.
“I’ll set up the crime scene,” Kate said, feeling sick.
“Do you think the Corvette guy did this?” Zane asked.
“Over a stupid car? Hell, I don’t know.”
Once again, Kate walked back to her vehicle. She heard Zane calling in about the body and location as she walked away.
Jake stood next to Hansen, chatting about something, and when he saw Kate come back to the car without Zane, he jogged over. “Hansen said he knows Rudy Neely well.”
“Good, then maybe he can be the one to tell him about his dead girlfriend,” Kate said as she pulled crime scene tape, booties, and gloves from the drawers in the back of her SUV. She packed them in her evidence pack, which already contained tweezers, pens, sketchpad, measuring tape, ruler, and sealable evidence bags. She grabbed a few more evidence bags, just in case.
“You found her? Why didn’t you call us over?” Jake started toward Zane.
Kate grabbed him by the shirtsleeve. “No, get yourself gloved up. Once we get to the curb, put these on.” She handed him the booties.
“Want Hansen to help?” he asked.
“No, the fewer people, the better.” Then she thought about it and said, “Well, you’re just going to put up the crime scene tape. I guess he can help with that. And secure the perimeter until the M.E. gets here. Hansen can start the security log, recording who enters and exits the crime scene, and at what time.”
This was the part of the job Kate hated, and yet her adrenaline pumped as if they’d been planning a raid. She’d seen too many dead bodies in the last few years. Small towns didn’t have the detective squad cities had. Most of the work would be done by competent senior officers. And she’d had her own murder investigations she headed up, with help, of course.
Reaching further into the hatch, Yeira whining to get back out, Kate hummed to herself, trying to calm her nerves. Yeira quieted. Kate continued to hum as she packed the camera and evidence markers in her small pack. She slung the pack over her shoulder and took a deep breath as she shut the hatch.
Handing Zane a pair of booties, she noticed he’d already put on gloves. They both carried them in their pockets these days. So many problems with drugs, which led to close proximity to blood, needles, deadly drugs, and vomit, it was just easier to have them close by.
“Give me the camera. You place the evidence markers, and I’ll take the pictures. Peebles should be here soon. He was off duty, but he was close by,” Zane said.
Kate set her pack on the ground, pulling out the department camera and removing it from the case. She handed the camera to Zane. “Is the battery fully charged? I have a backup if not.”
He flipped the camera on and checked the LCD screen. “I’m good.”
Kate grabbed a handful of evidence markers. She wondered how much they’d find, other than the shoes in the dumpster. She closed her eyes and prepared herself for what was to come.
In most cases, she’d have gotten closer to see if the person was still alive and could be revived, but the dusky pallor of Allie’s skin told Kate all she needed to know from a distance. She stared at the body, willing it to move somehow, for her to be alive.
“Look, there’s no rush, she’s dead. Let’s circle the perimeter from the curb, working toward the body. Use your flashlight. It’s just dark enough, and I don’t want to miss anything. I’ll follow behind you and use mine, too. Hopefully we’ll get LEDs set up shortly.”
Kate nodded. She could hear Jake explaining the situation to Hansen, then heard a car pull into the parking lot at a high rate of speed. Detective Peebles. Kate was never glad to see him. Not that she didn’t like him, she just didn’t like to have to use his services.
Zane stopped talking, and they stood, waiting for Peebles to approach.
Peebles, definitely not dressed for work, wearing gym shorts and a tee, jogged up to them. “Way to get my blood pumping, folks. Get me up to speed.”
Jake handed Peebles a pair of booties and gloves. He slipped the hospital surgery looking fabric over his running shoes and gloved up as he ducked under the crime scene tape Jake held up for him.
“We were looking for the green Honda CRV in relation to a crime that occurred at the Whip N Spur last night. A suspicious call came in and brought us to the car. We used K9 officer Yeira to see if we could find the driver nearby.” Zane pointed to the body, barely visible as the sun set. “We found her.”
“Okay, have you ascertained how she may have died?” Peebles asked.
“No, we decided to work the scene for evidence, working toward her. No one has been near the body. This is as close as we’ve been.”
“How do you know for sure she’s dead then?” Peebles snapped.
Zane shined his flashlight at Allie’s face. “Well, there’s the color of her skin, and her eyes are…”
Peebles didn’t even wait for Zane to finish talking. He made a beeline for the body, squatting down to get a closer look. “I need a flashlight.”
The line he walked to the body would be the only path any of the crime scene investigators would use to get to the body until the entire scene was processed. Unlike on TV, there wouldn’t be half a dozen people milling around, looking for evidence. They’d keep it to a minimum and have one way to and from, other than Zane working a circle to find evidence.
“Give me your markers,” Zane said. “Go help him, and I’ll walk the area and mark evidence myself.”
Kate handed him all but a few markers. She kept about half a dozen in case she needed them near the body. The less they traipsed on the crime scene, the better.
“Stand right there,” Peebles said as Kate approached him.
Kate stood over Allie’s body, near her head, holding the flashlight for Peebles to get a closer look. “Is that good?”
“Squat down here. This is a good learning experience for you,” Peebles said.
Kate squatted closer, trying to keep her balance and not fall onto the girl.
“It’s okay to rest on your knees, but look carefully before you put your knees down. And for heaven’s sake, set your backpack down.”
Kate shined her light on the grass in front of her, then rested her knees, feeling the wet earth seeping into the fabric of her pants. Then she shined the light beside her and removed the backpack from her arm, setting it down next to her.
“Tell me what you see,” he said.
Kate had never been so happy to have her hair pulled back in the nice neat bun at the nape of her neck, not having to worry about her hair getting in the way, since she hadn’t been prepared to get close and personal with a corpse. “I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I don’t see any…” and then she saw it.
Allie’s arm, bent at the elbows, reached to her throat, her hands still in a grip position at her throat.
“Possible cadaveric spasm? Her hands are still at her throat. She was strangled, not just dragged to the field after she was dead. She could have been strangled before or after being dragged.” Kate pointed, her finger about two inches from Allie’s hands. “Or she was dragged by whatever was around her throat.”
“She vomited at some point. Likely not after she died.” He looked up and smiled at Kate. “She could have been dragged here and left for dead, then the overdose?”
Kate didn’t smile back at Peebles’ lame attempt at humor in a bad situation and shook her head. “That seems backwards to me. She’s been dating a drug dealer. Overdose seems likely. Maybe the person spooked and thought she was dead, so he dragged the body to the field, then strangled her.”
Peebles leaned in close and looked at the girl’s mouth. “Being dragged with something around her neck may have done the job all by itself.”
Kate didn’t respond.
“We won’t be able to know for sure.” He stood. “Logic says she overdosed first.”
“There are scuff marks on the parking lot asphalt, but they stop before the curb. Maybe it was her shoes, which fell off at some point. Zane found them in the dumpster.”
“Good observation.” He took Kate’s flashlight and looked closer at Allie’s feet. “She’s got some scrape marks on the top of her feet, which means to me, she was face down when the person dragged her here.”
Kate noticed the road rash on the knees of her jeans. “She was dragged for sure, look at the tears in her pants.”
Peebles shined the light on Allie’s knees; blood had dried on her exposed skin. “She had to be alive when she was dumped. She wouldn’t likely have been in a fetal position while being dragged.”
Kate silently agreed with his assessment. “Whoever did this panicked and moved her. Being dragged makes me think the person was smaller, and not able to carry the dead weight.”
“Who knows what fucking people will do to cover their asses these days? I swear, it’s so much worse than it was twenty years ago.” Peebles rocked back and stood up, handing Kate’s flashlight back to her. “Dig deeper on your initial assessment.” Peebles leaned down, grabbing Allie’s leg above the ankle, trying to move it.
Kate continued, “She’s been dead at least thirteen hours is my best guess. The peak of rigor mortis has passed. She’s still stiff, but more pliable than she’d be if this had happened in the last twelve hours. The temperatures aren’t extreme, so I don’t think that’s a factor.”
Rigor mortis is the body’s loss of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, which serves as the body’s energy source. As ATP is depleted, the body stiffens, usually starting around two hours after death, and reaching maximum rigor at twelve hours, depending on the environment.
“Very good. We’ll have to see what the M.E. says, but I do think you’re correct. And the lividity, from what I can see, suggests she died here.”
Kate looked at the barely visible lower leg and side of Allie’s feet. Blood had pooled, but didn’t look as if it had been shifted. This was what Peebles meant by her dying in this spot. If she’d died elsewhere, and the blood had started to pool, moving her would shift the fluids and they’d see pooling in different variations.
“You’re going to have fun figuring this one out,” Kate said.
“Me? I don’t think so. This is your case, but I’ll assist. Have Jake use his computer skills to see what he can find on the girl. He’s a millennial, that should be his forte.” He rolled his shoulders, then twisted and cracked his neck. “So much for my five-mile run tonight. While Gwilly is photographing evidence, let’s go back to my car and you can tell me everything you know about this girl to this point. You were looking for her, so you must know a few things. Then I’ll get back out there, and we will examine the body with the M.E. when he arrives.”
As Kate walked to Peebles’ car with him, she dreaded this investigation, just wishing they could arrest the girl for vandalism. Heck, she’d even have tried to get her a lesser charge.