The Fed Man (8 page)

Naldie squatted and pointed to the footprints. “They seem a bit different than anything else we’ve seen. Not sure what it is that makes me think that, but I’d like you to take a look.”

Nube, Doc, and Pete squatted next to Naldie.

Pete spoke up first. “Looks to me, gents, like a very smooth print. I don’t see any tread at all. There’s maybe just a hint of a line down the middle and a bit deeper than all the other prints.” Looking up at Naldie, he added, “Even deeper than those you make, boss.”

Nube rubbed the back of his neck, arched his brow, and said, “Pete, I think you’ve got something here. Take a look at the prints that the rest of us have made. They look somewhat the same in that
ours are smooth as well, which I would attribute to the booties. But I don’t see a line down the middle like I see with this print. And, of course, Pete is correct in that this print is deeper than ours. Let’s get Jim and Dick over here for pictures and sketches. Then we’ll look for more and see if we can track them.”

Before Nube had finished his statement, Pete was up and off to fetch the other two members of their forensic squad. Nube walked over to an area where the ground was moist and called to Doc, “I’d like you to come here for a moment. I just want to try something.”

Doc walked over to where Nube was peering at the ground. “What’s on your mind, my friend?”

“Just something that Pete mentioned back there. I’m going to take a couple of steps in this moist ground.” And with that he took four steps. Walking back to the starting point he turned to Doc and pointed to the freshly made imprints. “Okay, Doc, I want you to climb on my back, and I’m going to carry you while I walk alongside of these.”

“Do you think your back is up to carrying my bulk?”

“You’re not any heavier than some of the stuff I tote around at the golf course, so hop on. If it hurts, you can buy me a beer later to ease the pain.”

He squatted down and Doc eased onto his back. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, Nube.”

Nube stood and walked alongside the other footprints. He turned to look back and Doc slid off. Squatting, they compared the prints.

“Just like I thought,” said Nube. “See the difference in depth? And look at the barely visible line down the middle of the second prints. That line is made from the seam of the booties. Whoever carried the body was wearing shoe covers of some sort. I think we need to try and find some good, clean perp prints and lift them and examine them closely for fibers. If we find any, it may help us to determine the type of shoe cover the perp was wearing.”

“You know, son, that was brilliant if I may say so myself. Let’s get Pete and Naldie over here and share this with them.”

After Nube and Doc reviewed their latest finding with Pete and Naldie, the four of them returned to the body. Dr. Anthony was standing with his hands behind his back and a perplexed look on his face.

“Find something, gentlemen?”

Before anyone could respond, Nube said, “No. Just a few footprints, but nothing special. Did you find anything else?”

Shaking his head, the coroner said, “No. Nothing more than I had before. I’ll need to get the body to the morgue now. Let me get the body bag.”

When Dr. Anthony returned, Nube and Pete helped move the body into the bag without disturbing the axe. They carried the body back to the coroner’s vehicle.

After the body was secured, Naldie spoke up.

“Dr. Anthony, we’re going to finish up here and then probably grab some lunch. After that we’d like to stop by your office to survey the damages as well as do an inventory of items in your morgue
and in the evidence room. I think we should be able to be there in a couple of hours. I assume that will work for you, correct?”

With a hint of a grin, he replied, “Sure. No worry. I’ll be there.” And with that he ducked into his vehicle.

Returning to the site where they had found the prints, Pete began rubbing his scraggly beard. “There’s just something a bit strange about that dude. Kind of dark for me.”

Doc spoke up. “Just remember, Pete, he lives in a dark world. So we’ll need to cut him a little slack.”

They found the first shoe print they had discovered and, with painstaking care, began to trace the trail of similar prints into the depths of the pit. The trail wound between the mountains of old gravel and mounds of crumbling asphalt. Nube had suggested that Pete and Naldie establish the trail and that he and Doc look for any fibers or other trace evidence within the prints.

Thirty minutes later, Pete yelled back to Nube and Doc, “The trail ends here where there is some standing water. Looks like the perp walked right through the water rather than around it. On the other side of the water, it’s grassy and won’t show us anything.”

Nube stood up from the print they were examining and stretched his aching back. The two police officers were about fifty yards from them and in the south end of the pit. This area was overgrown with small brush, weeds, and grass clumps, and the grass moved gently in the fall breeze. There were also varying-sized boulders strewn about in a helter-skelter fashion where the
pit developers had deposited all the large boulders they unearthed while harvesting the gravel.

“Just mark the spot where you found the last print and then mark the trail leading back to us,” Nube said to Pete. “That will give us an idea where the perp entered the pit. We were fortunate and found one print where part of the bootie tore on a sharp rock. We’re removing the trace we found and then I think we should return to your office, Naldie.”

Unconsciously rubbing his abdomen, the chief stood up and sighed loudly. “Yeah, I think it’s about time we headed back. Besides me, is anyone else hungry?” Turning to Pete, he nodded toward the entrance. “Pete, make sure that nit and wit have this place locked down tight and then let’s head out. I’ll call Marie from the car and have her get us some food.”

The drive back to town was somber and seemed to match the color of the Crown Vic and its interior. The only noise was an occasional sigh from one of the riders and the ping of a neglected tappet that Naldie had not found the time to have checked.

As they exited the vehicle, Naldie said, “We’ll eat and then we’ll talk about what we’ve got and where we’re at. I just can’t think when my stomach is growling so loud.”

Marie, the office manager, was a middle-aged blonde who was tall and thin. If you asked her or anyone else who worked there, she’d say she was the brains of the outfit and everyone’s boss. Marie rose from her chair as they entered the office.

“It’s about time you boys got here. I was beginning to think that your pizza was going to get cold.” Pointing at Naldie and Pete, she continued, “And I know how much you boys hate cold pizza.” With a smile on her face she gazed at Doc and said, “Well, Doc,
bless my soul, but it’s been some time since I’ve seen you. How’s Emma?”

“Emma is just fine, Marie. Thanks for asking. By the way, have you met my, I mean our, young friend, Nube Lawson?”

“Not until just this moment.” Putting on her prettiest smile, she pushed some of her free-falling hair behind her left ear while stepping toward Nube with her right hand extended.

“Hi, Nube. I’m Marie Stenson. My official title is office manager, but truth be told, I run this office.”

Shaking her hand, Nube noted that, although thin, it was powerful and the grip was strong. “The pleasure is all mine, Marie. And you’re a lot prettier than your two policemen friends here have described you.”

Turning to Naldie and Pete, he said in a somewhat scolding voice, “I really think you guys need to hone your descriptive skills.” Nube could smell the faint pleasing scent of Marie’s perfume.

“You’re just too much there, young man. Please come and share some pizza. You too, Doc. I ordered enough for half the town.” Pointing at Naldie’s protruding abdomen, she mockingly said, “You should see my police boys eat. Well, I guess by looking at them it’s easy to tell that they love food.”

They retired to a table Marie had set for them just behind her desk. The aroma emanating from the large house special kicked their salivary glands into overdrive. Without speaking, the four men sat down and began to eat.

Naldie finished his last piece of pizza before letting out a small belch that drew a finger-shaking reprimand from Marie.

“Good groceries, Marie. Thanks. Yes, we do have some things for you to do.” Indicating the notepad Marie was holding in her lap, Naldie asked, “Ready?”

“Always, oh wise chief.”

“We’d like you to see if the latest victim has been identified. Or maybe we can ask Dr. Anthony that question when we go to his office.” Pointing at Nube and Doc, he added, “And that will be right after we finish here.

“Marie, I’d also like you to check with the forensics lab where Dr. Anthony sent the evidence we recovered at the scene of the first murder. See if they have anything on the trace thread we sent. And we’re going to want to cross-check that with the threads Nube pulled from a thornbush today. Also, check on the paint chip we found. What agency is that again?”

Smiling, Marie responded, “That would be the International Forensic Automotive Paint Data Query or PDQ. Suffice it to say that they have thirty years of information about the make, model, year, and assembly for many vehicles. I won’t tell you more than that because you always accuse me of lecturing and you won’t remember it anyway.”

“Yeah, yeah, just see what you can find out for us.” Pointing a finger at her, Naldie said with a slight grin on his pizza sauce-covered mouth, “And don’t accuse me of accusing you of lecturing.
Also, check to see if any of the prints lifted from the scene have been ID’d. About how long do you think it will take you to get that info?”

“Well, it is Saturday afternoon, boss, and not everyone in this whole world has to work Saturday afternoons.” Tilting her head down as if she were peering over glasses, she furrowed her brow, stared at Naldie, and continued, “Like some of us.” Returning the warm smile to her face, she said, “Give me until Monday noon. I should have something for you by then. Anything you recovered today, Chief, I would like to have now so I can overnight it to the same forensics lab.”

“We have the threads Nube pulled from the bush that I mentioned. And we also have some threads from a footprint. We think this weirdo perp was wearing some type of shoe covers when he presumably carried his latest victim into the pit. We’ll want to know if it is indeed from a shoe cover and if so, what brand, and so forth. Might help us track down the perp.

“I’d like you to do some research about this type of murder, too. See if there’s been anything similar. Check our state and the surrounding states. And, there’s one more thing.”

Gesturing to the group but then concentrating on Nube, he asked, “Do you think we ought to get some legal people involved, and if so, who would you suggest?”

Pete shifted in his chair and reset his camo cap, which indicated “don’t ask me.” Doc tipped his head to the side and pursed his lips to indicate deep thought and then just shrugged his shoulders.
Marie tapped the pen on her notepad and darted her eyes from one man to the next, finally settling on Nube. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.

“That’s a good question, Chief. It certainly wouldn’t hurt and it might help. Especially when it comes to collecting evidence that may establish culpability. Does anyone in Oak Ridge have any trial experience or deal with the county attorney’s office? I would imagine that is who would handle the prosecution when and if we capture the culprit.”

Before the others could respond, Marie straightened her back, leaned ever so slightly forward, and spoke up. “If you want my opinion, and I know you do, the best attorneys in town are Doug Briscoe and C. J. Stone. Doug is a hardworking, square-jawed, nose-to-the-grindstone, very serious man. C. J., Charles James by birth, but he thinks it stands for Chief Justice because he says his word is always the final word, provides levity for the two of them. But put them together in a court of law and they are almost unbeatable. C. J. always says all they need to keep running are the two Ds: diet Pepsi and Dewar’s. Anyway, for what it’s worth, I’d call those two. Let’s see,” she continued, making a point of extending her forearm to look at her watch, “being it’s Saturday afternoon and all,” and with that she gave Naldie an abbreviated version of her earlier look, “you’ll find those two out at Burnt Wood taking somebody’s money. You can’t beat them on the course, either. If you want, I’ll track them down and see if I can arrange a meeting with them on Monday.”

With an approving and gracious smile, Nube replied, “Marie, that sounds great. And on behalf of Doc and your two boys over there,” nodding in the direction of the two policemen who had resumed eating pizza, “thank you for all your efforts and especially for getting the pizza. Perhaps after Naldie’s done stuffing his gullet we won’t have to listen to his belly growl anymore.”

Turning his gaze to Naldie and Pete, Nube asked, “What’s next on the agenda for today, Chief, other than licking the box clean of all the sauce?”

Naldie stood, wiped the pizza sauce from his mouth, quietly belched, and then removed his cap and began scratching his head. He squinted and puckered his lips as if in deep thought. Returning his cap to its rightful place, he answered, “Well, let’s see. I think Pete should go out to old Sam Washburn’s place and interview him.” Turning to Pete, he said, “I think he’d respond best to you, Pete. He won’t feel so intimidated. Okay with you?”

Pete nodded.

Turning to Doc and Nube, the chief continued, “Let’s go over to Dr. Anthony’s office. We’ll need to look at the break-in sites and do an inventory of his office. Pete, give me some of those evidence bags just in case. Or do you have more, Marie?”

Marie stood and placed the notepad on her desk and then her hands on her hips before responding. “Pete, you keep what you have, just in case you need them.” She looked at Naldie and said, “Of course I have more, Chief.”

As they headed for the exit with Naldie in the lead, the chief suddenly held up his hands.

“I want us all to meet back here when we’re done. Pete, if you’re going to be late, give us a call.”