Fallacy (Detective Jade Monroe 3) Read online

  “Of course, I’ll get right on that. Anything else?”

  “Actually, yes. We need you to close the campus for the day and send everyone home. We don’t have the manpower to keep this many students at bay when our officers can be put to better use. Do you have that authority?”

  “I do, along with the dean of faculty.”

  “Do we need to speak with that person as well or will you handle it? It’s imperative to shut the campus down now. There could be crucial evidence anywhere, indoors or outside. You’ll have to make an announcement for all students to leave the campus immediately. They should leave via their building’s front entrance. We’ll have deputies on hand to secure the other exits until the campus is vacated. I’m sure you understand that we can’t have students wandering around.” My phone buzzed in my pocket. “Excuse me for a minute.”

  I stepped out into the hallway and answered. Clark was calling.

  “Jade.”

  “Sir.”

  “I’m on my way. Kyle said the body is on the track and field bleachers. I don’t want to see one person other than law enforcement out there. Got it?”

  “Got it, boss.” I hung up and went back inside the dean’s office. “Dean Simpson, it appears that our crime scene is the track and field bleachers. I’m depending on you and your faculty to clear the school immediately, and I don’t want to see one person in that area. Am I perfectly clear?”

  “Crystal. I’ll do it right now.”

  “Thank you. I want all of the faculty to stay behind. Can you gather everyone to the cafeteria after the students are out? It will make our interviews go much faster.”

  “Will do.”

  Jack and I thanked him, shook his hand, and walked out. An exit sign with illuminated red letters hung at the end of the hallway. We headed in that direction and heard the dean make his announcement over the loudspeaker before we reached the outer door.

  Jack shoved open the steel door with his shoulder. The heat and bright sunshine hit us both in the face. I squinted.

  “Damn it, I knew I forgot something.”

  “Your sunglasses?”

  “Uh-huh. Now which way is the track and field area?”

  I tried to figure out which direction we were facing. Jack looked up at the sun, shielded his eyes, and pointed at his right.

  “That way is south.”

  “Thanks, partner. That’s the way we want to go.”

  We cut through a courtyard and walked around two tall brick buildings before we finally saw the football field and running track ahead of us. Bright yellow police tape surrounded the first section of bleachers. Jason must have moved the coroner’s van once they realized where the body was located. The forensics van was parked out on the field too. Over my shoulder to the left, I saw floods of students leaving the building and heading to the parking lot. I hoped the distance between the student and faculty parking lot to the bleachers was too far for anyone to get pictures of the deceased man lying on the bench seat.

  “Kyle, can you get a tent barrier up around the body in case there are prying eyes somewhere out there?”

  “Sure thing, Jade. It will help preserve evidence too if there is any.”

  Kyle and Dan set up a four-walled cloth barrier three levels up and three levels down around the bench seat our victim was lying on. That gave them, as well as Lena and Jason, plenty of room to work.

  Chapter 18

  “Where is the groundskeeper that made the call?” I yelled to anybody that might be listening.

  Silver pointed at the third row of bleachers, where a large commercial mower was parked and a man sat next to Ebert on the lowest row of seats.

  Jack and I approached the distraught-looking man with Ebert. He was slightly pudgy and wore loose carpenter shorts that ended below his knees, along with a yellow T-shirt and a baseball cap. I’d put him at sixty years old or so. His skin was dark and leathery, likely from daily sun exposure without sunscreen. He didn’t look to be the type that cared about protecting his skin. Gray hair poked out from under his cap, and he wore wire-rimmed glasses.

  We pulled Ebert aside and spoke to him for a few minutes.

  “You got a statement from him?”

  “Yep. He’s pretty shook up, Sergeant.”

  “Yeah, I bet. Hang on to that statement. I want to review it later. For now, grab as many available deputies as you can and go inside. The dean is gathering the staff into the cafeteria. Start interviewing everybody.”

  “Got it, Sergeant.”

  Jack and I sat down next to the groundskeeper. We introduced ourselves and asked his name as we pulled out our notepads.

  “I’m Bill Gentry.”

  “Nice to meet you, Bill. How long have you worked here?”

  He pulled off his cap, wiped his brow, and then put it back on. “Coming on fourteen years now.”

  “So you know the ins and outs of this campus?”

  “Sure do—like the back of my hand.”

  “That’s good to know. What time did you start work this morning?” Jack asked.

  “Guess around six o’clock. Hate working outside all day in this heat, so I started early.”

  “So six isn’t your normal starting time?”

  “Nope, it’s usually seven.”

  “How many groundskeepers are there?” I asked.

  “There are three of us. Mike was already working out front, and Frank just got here when—”

  “We understand. Can you walk us through the last hour?”

  Bill shook his head as if to clear the images from it. “I got the mower out of the maintenance shed like always and began around the hard surfaces. That’s my normal pattern—small stuff first. The fields usually take most of the day. I began driving the mower toward the sporting fields—”

  “Meaning the football, soccer, and track area?” I asked.

  He nodded and rubbed his eyes, then looked off across the football field.

  “Please continue, Mr. Gentry,” Jack said.

  “Well, that’s when I saw him. To be honest, I thought it was some vagrant sleeping it off on the bleachers. I yelled out for him to move on, but I didn’t get a response. That’s when I shut down the mower and walked up to the guy. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was wearing a dark shirt, so I didn’t notice the blood right away. He had dried blood on the sides of his head too. I didn’t even think to tell the administrators until after I dialed 9-1-1.”

  “You did the right thing, Bill, and you called as soon as you realized the man was dead?” I asked.

  “Yes, immediately, and just so you know, I didn’t touch anything. As a matter of fact, I ran down those bleacher steps so fast I’m surprised I didn’t lose my footing.”

  I patted his shoulder. “Please, feel free to call either of us if you think of something else. The school is shut down for the day, so go on home. You probably need time to wind down, anyway.” We handed Bill our cards and said we’d be in touch if we needed to speak to him again. We shook his hand and watched as he climbed back on the mower and headed to the maintenance shed.

  “Ready to take a look?” I asked.

  Jack let out a puff of air and led the way up the bleacher steps. Lena looked up when he pushed aside the white barrier cloth and we entered the area. She sat on the bench seat one row above the body, and Jason sat on the bench below. They were studying the deceased man’s injuries closely when we walked in.

  The constant clicking of Dan’s camera sounded in the background as we talked to Lena and Jason.

  “So, what do you guys know so far?” I asked. I knew they wouldn’t have a lot of time to look the victim over outside in this heat. They needed to get him to the autopsy room where the temperature was a fixed sixty-five degrees.

  Jason spoke up. “First off, the deceased has no identification on his body, so we’ll have to come up with the height, weight, and approximate age.”

  I nodded.

  “As far as injuries, it’s pretty similar to our
first victim in the fact that common workshop tools were used. The left side of this man’s chest has a hole about the diameter of a half-inch drill bit. His skull was pierced on both sides with the same tool.”

  I groaned. “What the heck is going on? That just blew a hole, excuse the pun, in our theory about a jilted husband or wife. Okay, we need to get him out of this heat. Kyle, are you guys done taking pictures of the body and how he’s positioned?”

  “Yeah, we’re good.”

  “Sergeant?”

  I turned to see Deputy Lawrence standing at the tent entrance. “Hi, Karen. What can I do for you?”

  “The groundskeeper, Mr. Gentry, is asking for you.”

  I gave Jack a surprised look. “Give me one second, Karen. Anything else, before you guys take him out of here?”

  Lena looked at Jason and said they were ready to go.

  “Okay, we’ll catch up with you later.” Jack and I followed Karen down the bleacher steps. “Where is Mr. Gentry?”

  “He’s over there, Sergeant.” Karen pointed toward the maintenance shed a hundred feet away.

  Jack and I met up with Bill, who was pacing back and forth near the double doors.

  “Mr. Gentry, did you remember something else?”

  “No, ma’am, but I did see this.”

  Bill led us to a disturbed area of ground. He pointed at what appeared to be a small blood stain in the dirt and droplets that led off in the direction of the bleachers. A fresh set of tire tracks imprinted the ground near the blood stain. We knelt down to get a better look.

  “Does anyone have a reason to park behind the maintenance shed? Is equipment stored back there?”

  “No, ma’am, it’s where the gas tanks for our machinery are located, nothing else. I was going to top off the gas in the mower before I put it away.”

  “Okay, good eye, Bill. Jack, can you call Kyle and Dan over here? Round up Lawrence and a few other deputies to cordon off this area too.”

  “On it.” Jack dialed Kyle’s cell and told him they were needed at the maintenance shed. He yelled out to Lawrence and waved her over.

  “What’s up, Detective?” Lawrence asked.

  “I need you and a few other deputies to cordon off this area. Looks like Mr. Gentry found some possible evidence.”

  “Will do.” Deputy Lawrence gathered help and began staking out the area with yellow police tape.

  With the leather strap holding the bouncing camera around his neck, Dan rushed over and began snapping photos of the ground within the police tape. Kyle joined him with the forensics kit in hand. He knelt at the stain and rubbed the cotton swab across it. Using the blood analysis chemical compound, he tested it to see whether the color changed—it did. His nod confirmed it was human blood.

  “I need to make a plaster mold of this tire track too while we still have a viable print. If the wind picks up, we could lose a good portion of it,” Kyle said.

  I called Lawrence over. “Karen, gather more deputies. I want half of you to start at these blood droplets in the dirt and the other half at the bleachers. Start searching the grass between the two areas for anything. You might see blood here and there. Put a marker wherever you do, but look for anything that isn’t organic to the area.”

  “Yes, Sergeant, we’ll get right on it.”

  Clark joined us at the secondary scene. “Dispatch called. Jan said she just got off the phone with a woman reporting a missing person. Apparently this lady’s husband hasn’t been seen since he left for work yesterday morning. Here’s her name and address. Go check it out.”

  “I don’t know if I’m hoping it’s her husband or not. Knowing something seems better than knowing nothing, like victim number one. Speaking of John Doe, we need somebody to follow up with that call Jamison got last night.”

  Lieutenant Clark said he’d get Clayton and Billings on it. He handed me the sheet of paper torn from his notepad and sent us on our way.

  I noticed a slow-moving pickup truck with several people inside as Jack and I walked back to the parked cruiser.

  “What do you make of that?” I said, jerking my head toward the green truck.

  Jack smirked. “Busybodies, curiosity seekers, looky-loos—who knows? University does go through to Paradise Drive.”

  “Yeah, I know, but as of right now, everyone is a suspect.”

  I watched the truck until it was out of sight, then we climbed into the cruiser and left.

  The woman who called in the missing husband lived in Richfield, fifteen minutes from the college. Jack drove southwest on Highway 60 to Highway 175, where he turned left at a four-way stop. Farm fields lined both sides of the highway, with small, unincorporated villages interrupting the flat landscape now and then. Five miles south, we slowed at the green Richfield sign bolted to a post as we entered town. The population count on the sign showed 2,143 residents. I called out the directions as Jack got closer.

  “Turn into the River’s Cove subdivision. The woman lives on Hidden Hammock Place.”

  Jack followed my directions, and within a few minutes we turned into a blacktop driveway. Weeds sprang up between the cracks in the asphalt. The lawn needed cutting and was full of dandelions that had gone to seed. Faded siding enveloped the house, and it stood out among the neatly manicured yards and well-kept homes on the same street. The sight in front of us told a story of a family that didn’t care anymore. That in itself said there might be trouble in paradise. Jack parked, and we exited the cruiser. We followed the sidewalk to the front door, bypassing toys scattered across the path and blocking our way. Jack rang the doorbell.

  Thundering footsteps from screaming kids got closer as we waited. The door flew open and banged against the wall behind it. An adult voice yelled at the three children ranging from what looked to be three to seven. The mother pushed past them and ordered the children into the family room to play video games. She invited us in and introduced herself as Whitney Smith.

  “Mrs. Smith, I’m Sergeant Jade Monroe with the sheriff’s department, and”—I pointed at Jack—“this is my partner, Jack Steele.” Jack nodded and extended his hand. “Is there a quiet place where we can talk? We have a few questions for you.”

  She showed us into the formal living room. From what I saw as we walked, that looked to be the only clean room in the house.

  “This should work. The kids aren’t allowed in here, and you can call me Whitney,” she said.

  Now I understood why that room was clean.

  “Please, have a seat.” Whitney pointed at the couch against the wall, and she took a seat in the matching side chair. “I haven’t seen David since he left for work yesterday, and I’m worried sick. He said he was having dinner with a customer, which wasn’t unusual. Those dinners usually run late.”

  “What does your husband do for a living, Whitney?” I asked.

  “He’s in software sales. He has a busy work life, and I try to understand. I do the best I can to hold down the fort at home, but it does get chaotic doing most everything on my own. Three kids are definitely a handful.”

  “When does school start for them?” Jack asked.

  She heaved a sigh. “Next week, and I have to say I’ll be thankful for the peace and quiet. Still, I can’t imagine David bailing on us. That isn’t the kind of man he is. He loves me, and he loves his kids.”

  Jack gave her a thoughtful look. “Ma’am, you said things are chaotic. Do you think David might have needed a break?”

  “He wouldn’t dare pull that on me. I’m the glue that holds this family together. He’s gone most of the time the way it is. If anyone needs a break, it’s me.”

  “Are you two getting along okay? No infidelity, affairs, threats of divorce?” Jack asked.

  “Of course not! We get along as well as any husband and wife that have been married for ten years. Everybody argues at times, but it’s never anything serious.”

  She peered around the corner and yelled for the kids to turn the volume down on the video game.

>   “Sorry.”

  “Whitney, what kind of vehicle does David drive?”

  “He has a year-old Corolla. It’s white with a tan interior.”

  “Is it a coupe or a sedan?” Jack asked as he took notes.

  “It’s a four-door—easier with kids.”

  “Would you happen to have the plate numbers and a recent picture of David?” I asked.

  “Um… sure, give me a minute.”

  She rose, smoothed out her blouse, and turned left down the hallway, which likely led to the bedrooms. We waited in silence. I heard footsteps coming back in our direction a few minutes later. Whitney turned into the living room with a photo album in her hand and placed it on the coffee table between us. She handed me the title of the Corolla then took her seat. I wrote down the plate number and thanked her.

  She pointed at the album. “There are pictures in here of our tenth-anniversary party. They were taken only a few months ago.”

  “That should be fine,” Jack said as he picked up the album and opened it to the last filled page. “Here?”

  “Yes. We had a nice party in the banquet room at the Riverside Inn. Everything seemed perfectly normal.”

  I gave Jack a nod as we studied the photo. “Ma’am, we found David.”

  “Oh, good.” Her shoulders relaxed as she breathed a momentary sigh of relief. She paused, then gave us both a concerned look. “And?”

  I reached out and squeezed her hand. “Whitney, I’m sorry to inform you that David is deceased.”

  Chapter 19

  “They found David pretty quickly,” Alice said as she pulled into the driveway and parked the truck in the garage. “Guess it’s for the best as hot as it is outside.”

  “They sure had plenty of cops there. Are they going to catch us?” Mariah asked.

  “Don’t you worry your pretty little head about the cops.” Alice turned the key in the door and swung it open. She crossed the living room and stepped into the kitchen then hooked the strap of her purse over the chair back. “There’s a bigger picture here, girls. We need to do our part to rid the world of these despicable men. Marriage is a sacred union between two people. If your daddy hadn’t started this mess, we wouldn’t have to be doing the things we do. Now it’s our mission.”