The Body on Ortega Highway (5 page)

“Me, neither. Come here,
honey.”

She
walks over to him, nuzzles his neck, and starts to
cry.

Ron says, “Come on, honey.
Don’t let the bastard get you down. I want you to order call
tracing. Speak to the District Attorney’s office about getting a
subpoena to record the calls. I’ll speak with the sheriff’s high
tech guys and we’ll get an inline recorder. We’ll catch him. I
promise.”

“I wish it were that easy,
Ron.”

“Keep the faith, honey.”

As they are speaking, the man
who just called them
is looking through a
scrapbook. In it are pictures of Clarissa at her high school
graduation, a marriage announcement of her first marriage to Dick
Santy, a college graduation picture, an article about her becoming
a Detective and some newspaper clippings about cases she’s worked
on through the years. He is pasting in a new picture with a glue
stick. It shows Clarissa and Ron walking Gumbo down Flower Street
in their neighborhood. He is pasting a picture of himself over
Ron’s.

*******

Two days later,
Clarissa gets a call on her work phone. A man on
the other end of the line says, “It’s happened again,” and hangs
up.

She immediately calls her boss and
tells her what’s happening. “I think he’s killed somebody again. I
think he’s the Hillside Chopper.”

“Slow down, Clarissa. Tell me
what’s happened.”

“It’s him. My stalker. It’s him.
He’s the Hillside Chopper. He says he’s done it again!”

“What exactly did he say?”

He said, “It’s happened again.”

“That’s all?”

“
Isn’t that enough? He’s
killed somebody. I just know it.”

Her boss says, “It may be a
hoax, but I’m going to order some extra patrols on Ortega
Highway.”

“Thank you. I don’t know what he’s
capable of.”

“Let’s just try to keep our cool
until we know if he’s bluffing or not. He may be just trying to get
your attention.”

“He is a very sick individual.”

“
How many times has he
contacted you now?”

“This is the fourth.”

“Tell me about them again.”

“The first was for a survey, which
was just an excuse to talk about my sexual views.”

“I remember that. What a creep. Go
on.”

“The second time was when he
offered me money if I would do to him what I was doing to my
husband at the park.”

“You two need to be more
discrete.”

“I know. Believe me, I know.”

“Then what did he do?”

“
He called our house at
midnight and asked Ron if we were having sex.”

“
He’s obsessed with
you.”

“I know. I hate it.”

“I think it might be someone who
knows you.”

“Why?”

“
Well, he knows where you
live and he knows you are married.”

“I don’t know anybody creepy like
this.”

“What about when you were
younger?”

“I can’t think of anyone.”

“
How about when you were in
high school? Did you know any boys who liked to do these so-called
‘surveys’?”

“
Yes. Yes I did, as a matter
of fact. Do you think it could be him?”

“Did he like you?”

“He was younger than me, but he and
his friends did like to play phone pranks on people. They used to
tell me about them.”

“What kind of pranks?”

“
You know, like ones where
they’d say, ‘Do you have Prince Albert in a can?’”

“
What? Who?”

“You know. The tuna.”

“What are you talking about?”

“
You’re too young to remember
but there was tuna called Prince Albert and the boys would say that
if you did have Prince Albert in a can, then you’d better let him
out.”

“Oh, brother.”

“I know. Lame, right?”

“What else would they say?”

“
They’d say,
‘
Is your refrigerator running?’ If you said
‘yes’ they would say, ‘Then you better go catch it’.”

“You knew some interesting people
growing up, Clarissa.”

“Yeah. Some of them were a little
‘too interesting’.”

“Did he ever call you for these
so-called surveys?”

“Yes. He did a few times.”

“
Did the
se surveys ever turn to sex?”

“Yes. He’d ask if I was a virgin or
not.”

“Okay. What’s his name? We need to
have a little talk with him.”

“His name is John Smith.”

“
That’s his name? Great! That
narrows it down to about a thousand other guys with his name. Do
you have any idea where he is?”

“No. I haven’t spoken to him in
over twenty years.”

“
Let’s try doing a background
search
and see if he’s on the Sex Offender
Registry. Also try Classmates.com. Maybe he’s on it. Do you know
when he graduated and what school he went to?”

“
Yes. Tustin High. He went to
school with me.”

“
Okay. Let’s start looking.
God, I hope he’s just calling your bluff on this.”

“Me, too.”

“Meanwhile, Clarissa, please be
careful. Don’t go out at night alone. Promise me. He may be
watching your car.”

“I won’t.”

“Have you told Ron this yet?”

“No. You’re the first one I’ve
told.”

“Please call him and tell him
what’s happened.”

“Okay. I will. Thanks for your
concern, ma’am.”

Chapter
Nine

Clarissa and Ron are asleep around
midnight when Clarissa’s cell phone rings. “Hello?” she says,
trying not to wake her husband.

Lieutenant Harris says, “Another
girl’s body has been found dumped on Ortega Highway.”

“
Oh no,” Clarissa says.
“That’s what Smith meant when he said, ‘It’s happening
again’.”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Were her arms chopped off,
too?”

“Yes. And her hands.”

“Oh my God. Okay. Where exactly did
this happen on Ortega?”

Clarissa writes down the location
and wakes her husband to tell him what happened.

“It’s Smith again, isn’t it?”

“
Yes. God forgive him. I
think it is. I gotta go to the crime scene right now. I’ll call you
when I know more.”

“Okay, honey. Please be
careful.”

******

When Clarissa later speaks to
the Forensic Pathologist, she learns that, once again, it looks
like the girl had been raped, but a condom must have been used
because there’s no semen. Once again, he must have been wearing
gloves. The girl’s purse was found on the side of the road. In it,
they were able to find out her name and address.

*******

Clarissa
drives over to the address on the girl’s driver’s license to
notify her next of kin. Karen White lived in an apartment off 17th
Street and Tustin Avenue in Santa Ana. It is across from “Sid’s
Tattoos”. The apartment complex is dimly lit and she can hear
babies crying in one of the apartments. She goes to the apartment
number on the girl’s license and knocks on the door. After several
knocks, the door is finally opened a little, and a chain that’s
supposed keep out any intruders is attached to the frame of the
door.

Clarissa shows her badge to
the lady and says, “
Are you the mother of
Karen White?”

“
Yes,” the tired looking
woman says. “What kind of trouble is she in now?”

Clarissa says, “Can I come inside,
please.”

“Sure,” the lady says and unlocks
the chain.

When t
he mother hears that her daughter has been killed, she breaks
down crying. “My little girl. My only child,” she says.

Clarissa says,
“I’m so sorry. Do you have any idea who did
this?”

“
I wouldn’t be surprised if
that Bobby Cox had something to do with this.”

“Who’s he?”

“Her so-called boyfriend. I should
say, her so-called ‘pimp’.”

“Was your daughter involved in
prostitution?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Where?”

“
At bars or where ever her
boyfriend sent her.”

“How can I find her boyfriend?”

“
I think Karen’s address book
is in her purse. Check there.”

“
Okay. I will. I’m afraid
you’re going to have to come with me to identify the
body.”

“Good Lord. Do I have to?”

“
Yes. I’m so sorry, but I’m
afraid so.”

Chapter
Ten

Just as her mother had
suggested, there
is an address book in
Karen’s purse with Bobby Cox’s name in it. He lives on Tustin
Village Way, a high-density housing area with solid rows of
apartments and condos lining the street. She knocks several times
on his front door until a disheveled young man opens it, wiping
sleep from his eyes. It is 10:00 A.M. and, just as Clarissa
guessed, he had been home sleeping instead of working.

Clarissa shows him her badge
and he reluctantly lets her inside. He’s wearing red flannel boxer
shorts with pink kisses all over them. The
boxers have a mock I.D. badge on them, the type that
businessmen wear at conventions, which says, “Hello. My name is Mr.
Right.”

Clarissa says, “Nice boxers. I love
your name, Mr. Right.”

“My girlfriend got these for
me.”

“Cute. I’ll have to get some for my
husband.”

“
Why are you here?” he asks
with impatience.

“
I’m here to ask you if you
knew where Karen White was last night?”

“Who?”

“Don’t play dumb. Her mother told
me that you were her boyfriend.”

“Her mother’s boyfriend?”

“No. Karen’s. You’re a real joker,
aren’t you, Mr. Right?”

“
I don’t know where Karen was
last night.”

“Where were you?”

“
At was at ‘The Swinging
Door’ in Tustin. Ask the bartender there. He’ll vouch for
me.”

“
I plan to do that. Her Mom
told me that Karen was a ‘working girl’. Do you know anything about
that?”

“
Yeah. Word
’s gone round that she is.”

“She’s very young. Only 16. You
know, don’t you, that anybody over 18 who has sex with her is
guilty of statutory rape?”

“She does it willingly.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s still
illegal for the guy. How old are you anyway?”

“I’m twenty-one.”

“
Uh-Oh.”

“Do you see me having sex with a
minor right now?”

“Okay. Calm down, Romeo. I need
your help. That’s why I’m here.”

“What could I possibly help you
with?”

“I need to know where she meets her
Johns.”

“
Usually at ‘Godfather’s’ in
Tustin.”

“They let a 16 year inside?”

“She looks like she’s 21.”

“I’m afraid I have some very bad
news about Karen.”

“What’s happened? Has she been
arrested?”

“
No. Much worse. She was
murdered last night.”

“Oh my God!! What?! How?!
Where?!”

“On Ortega Highway.”

“Like that other girl?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Oh my God. I can’t believe it.
Poor little Karen. She was just a girl.”

“
Bobby, does she keep an
appointment calendar or a list of her customer’s names and phone
numbers?”

“No. She just picks them up at
bars.”

“I was afraid of that.”

“
It doesn’t help narrow
things down much, does it?” he says. “I’ll ask around to see if
anybody knows anything.”

“
Well,” Clarissa says, “at
least I know where she likes to hang out. Here’s my card. Call me
if you hear anything.”

“
I will. I hope you catch
the
crazy bastard.”

“Me, too.”

*******

After she leaves his
apartment, she drives over to “Godfather’s” on First Street. She
speaks to the bartender and shows him a picture of John Smith.
“Does he ever come here?” she asks.

“
Yes. He was here last
night.”

Clarissa shows him the yearbook
picture of Karen. “Have you seen her in here lately?”

“
Oh, yeah. She’s a
regular.”

“
Did you see her last
night?”

“
Yes. She’s here practically
every night.”

“Did you see her leave with that
man?” she asks, pointing to the picture of Smith.

“Yeah. I saw them leave
together.”

Clarissa lets out a sigh of
relief.
‘At last there’s a break in the
case,’ she thinks. She shows the bartender a picture of Desiree
Beauchamp. “Have you ever seen her before?”

He said, “She looks kinda
familiar…Let me think...Oh, yeah: she’s the girl that was killed on
Ortega Highway.”

“Do you know if she was a
prostitute?”

“I would have no idea about that
type of thing. I’m a happily-married man.”

“
Okay,” she tells him.
“Let me know if he comes back in here.”

“Okay. Will do.”

*******

Still
trying to find John Smith’s address, Clarissa goes on
Classmates.com and looks for the graduating class of 1996. John
Smith isn’t listed, but his twin brother James is. He was always a
‘Big Man-on-Campus’ type, so she’s not surprised that he wants to
keep in touch with his high school friends. She sends a message to
him, telling him that she is a Detective at the Orange County
Sheriffs’ Department and that she’s seeking information about his
twin brother. She sees from Classmates that he lives in Seattle.
She tells herself, ‘Nobody has any privacy anymore.’ She hates the
fact that Google Maps shows where she lives and what her house
looks like.