The Traveling Corpse (32 page)

“Thank you for listening to her request,
nurse. She may give us some valuable information on a kidnapping
case.”

The nurse's eyes widened in surprise.

Kitty started crying with relief when Maria
and Barb pulled the curtains aside and came to her bedside. “I'm so
sorry. I got one of my gall stone attacks—got to have it operated
on—but need to set my arm first. That awful pain seemed to jerk my
memory. Remembered what I need to tell you.”

Menendez leaned close to Kitty's face, “What
do you remember?”

“I walked on the south side of that pitiful
old barn. There was maybe some 50 or 60 yards of stubby grassland
and then a wire fence with a sorry-looking wooden gate.”

“Did you recognize any landmarks?”

It was a golf course on the other side of the
fence. I was pretty sure it was the fifth hole of the Gold. I could
see houses on the far side, and they looked like they were
manufactured homes like we have in BradLee.”

Maria started to put on her hat to leave
after thanking Kitty. “You've been a great help, Kitty. I'll get
right on it.”

Kitty stopped her. “Don't leave; there's
more. Karl made me help him carry some of the suitcases inside. It
was kindda nasty in there—all dusty and dirty. Sometimes I could
hear rats running on the boards overhead. I knew I was not going to
stay in that cobwebby barn any longer than I had to, but Karl was
watching me real close. I had to spend the whole day in there. It
was horrible. Lots of old worn out stuff piled in the corners.
There was a stack of old rubber tires near the small side door.
Actually, there were some antiques too. I spotted a Hoosier
cupboard, one of those old oak kitchen free-standing baker's
cabinets with a porcelain working surface. I'd love to have that.
It's a collector's prize. But that's
all
I want from
there!

“We had some soda and snacks with us. Nothing
else to eat. Finally, Karl fell asleep just after it got dark,
maybe about five-thirty or so. I waited until he started snoring,
then I got up. But when I tried to open the side door, it squeaked
and woke him up. I told him I was just going outside to wet. He
ordered me not to be long and lay back down. I stood outside the
barn until I heard him start to snore again. Then I had to walk
careful-like to find the fence. It was so dark out. No moon yet. I
had to feel my way. I climbed over the fence and made my way
towards the lighted houses.”

Barb asked, “Weren't you scared?”

“I was more scared of Karl than I was of the
dark. I didn't have a plan. I just wanted to get away from Karl.
When I finally got to a street, I knew where I was. Annie's house
wasn't too far away; so that seemed the best place to go for help.
She's always been kind to me.”

Barb agreed, “Annie's a sweetheart. We've got
to find her.”

Maria asked, “What happened when you got to
Andersen's?”

“Nobody was home. The screen door to the
patio was unlocked so I went in to wait. Guess I fell asleep on her
chaise lounge. I was so tired. Next thing I knew Karl was jerking
me up. He reeked of liquor; so I knew I was in for a beating. He
was so mad. I begged and pleaded, but he wouldn't stop hitting me.
If I dared to scream, he hit me harder. Then he started raving
about what he'd do to … he didn't call her Annie. He kept
calling her a Bitch and kept blaming her for all of his
troubles.”

She looked at the sergeant, “M'am, I don't
even know what trouble Karl's in. I only know he lost his good
friend, Jiggs. What have they done?”

“That's a long story, Kitty,” the officer
said. “We'll tell you after we find Annie. Is there any more you
need to tell me?”

“Karl kept saying he was going to put Annie
away. He wanted her to suffer like he was.”

“Did he say where he was going to put her?
Give any clues?”

“Not really. He just said it was somewhere
dark. I want you to find Annie. I really do. But, please don't be
too hard on Karl. He's really a good man. It's just when he starts
to drink that he gets so mean. Most of the time he's been a good
husband. Provided well for me and our children.” She began to
cry.

Barb kissed Kitty's bruised flat cheek and
smoothed her gray hair. “Thank you for your help. You need to rest
now. Do what the doctors tell you. We've got to go look for Annie.
I promise to come back to see you soon, and I'll get you some help.
Go to sleep now.”

The two women, one young and the other old,
left the hospital together and got in the green and white car.
Maria slowed down on the by-pass as she drove near the area north
of BradLee. She pointed to a dirt road not far from a street lamp
and spoke to Barb, “That's probably the road Karl used to get to
that old barn. We'll check it out, but first I need to drop you
off. Do you want to go to your house or to Andersen's?”

“I think Brad will stay with Art; so take me
to Andersen's. Thanks. Kitty gave you some good tips on Karl's
where-a-bouts. Hope you can find him real soon.”

“Unless he does something cagey, we should
pick him up without too much trouble. I want help, though, don't
want to try to capture him by myself.”

“Good thinking. He's drunk; so he's probably
not thinking too clearly—or, at least, not logically.” She shifted
in her seat before asking, “Where do you suppose he's got Annie?”
She answered her own question by saying, “Kitty said, ‘Someplace
that's dark.' Wherever that is! You might want to check with the
head of the grounds committee to see if there's any digging being
done anyplace on the park grounds. Brad might know the answer, or
he'll know whom to ask.”

“Good idea. I'll follow through on it. As for
Karl, he'll probably confess real quick once we arrest him. At
least, I hope so, but you never know. Doesn't sound like he's
thinking normally. That Annie is one nice lady. I don't like even
thinking about her being tied up and scared. We'll find her.”

Barb felt reassured about Annie's safety as
she climbed out of the squad car and into Brad's arms. He told his
wife, “I called the D's and V's.” They'll be here soon.”

“Good thinking,” Barb said. “They'll want to
be here to support Art.”

Wearily, Art asked, “Where have you been?
Waiting here with nothing to do but worry has been awful. I wish I
could trade places with Annie.”

Menendez took a moment to speak to Art, to
let him know that she had a good lead on finding Karl. “Once we
have Karl, we'll find your Annie. The whole department is working
on the case.”

“Thanks,” was all he could muster for an
answer.

“Okay with you, Art,” Menendez asked, “if we
use your dining room table and your telephone—just for local calls.
We need to discuss—plan our strategy. It will save a lot of time if
we do it here rather than our all driving back to
headquarters.”

Art pointed inside his house, saying, “Be my
guest.”

Menendez then spoke to Brad, “Your wife
suggested that you might have information to help us. Will you come
inside with us for a few minutes?”

One deputy stayed on the patio to protect Art
Andersen and his friends. The rest of the officers and Brad moved
inside to the dining room table.

Outside, Art said to Barb, “I know I've said
it before, but this waiting is awful. I feel so useless. Brad gets
to do something. I just have to sit here. He's in there now with
the planning session. Earlier, he went and opened up Jigg's house
for the deputies to search.” Art shook his head. “They didn't have
any luck at Jigg's house. Brad told me that it didn't look like
Karl had been there, not even on the grounds. He wasn't at his own
house either. I was hoping they'd spot Karl's van on I-75. No luck
there either. It's like he's disappeared.”

It wasn't long before the Vigeauxs arrived.
The Davises weren't far behind them. They had two folding lounge
chairs strapped on the back of their cart. “With all this gang, and
a long night ahead of us, DeeDee suggested we bring chairs we can
stretch out on,” Doc told them as he set them up on the patio.

Brad came back outside shaking his head.
“It's midnight, but I telephoned Paul, head of BradLee's board and
also Manny, head of grounds, to find out if any digging was done
today in the park. No luck there, but just to be sure no one's
tampered with the golf cart paths again, the sergeant is sending a
deputy out with Manny to drive around and check out the new paths.
They're heading out now with a couple of heavy-duty
flashlights.”

Art groaned. DeeDee got up and stood behind
him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders to comfort him. She
asked, “Have ya called yer kids yet?”

Art shook his head. “I was hoping we'd find
her; then I'll call them. I've got wonderful support from all of
you. One of our daughters will go to pieces when she hears that her
mother has been kidnapped. I don't have the strength to be
bolstering her up—hard enough to keep my own chin up”

Barb had been waiting for the right moment;
she knew they'd want to know the details she'd learned from Kitty.
When they were all settled, she recited everything that Kitty had
told the sergeant and her in the hospital, ending, “Kitty says Karl
beat her up right here in your patio tonight, Art. When he woke up
in that barn and found her missing, even in his drunken state, he
figured out that she'd try to find Annie and come here.”

Art asked her what time all this
happened.

“It had to be maybe eight-thirty or so that
Karl was beating on Kitty because Annie and I left my mom and dad's
around 8:45 p.m., and it takes less than ten minutes to drive the
cart here. We didn't see Kitty at first. Heard her moaning outside
the screened patio when Annie went to unlock the door. Karl must
have been hiding behind a tree or shrub because I never saw him.
‘Course, it was dark. When I went in the house to call 9-1-1 for an
ambulance to come get Kitty, that horrible man left his own
wife—battered, bruised, and bleeding; can you imagine? And then he
kidnapped Annie and stole my golf cart. How many crimes is that for
one night?” She threw up her arms in disgust.

“And we all thought he was sech a wonderful
man ‘cause he made so much Bingo money fer tha park! I'd like ta
tear his eyes out. Let him be in tha dark fer tha rest of his
life!” DeeDee said through clenched teeth.

After DeeDee's outburst, Verna gathered her
wits about her, “Is it all right with you, Art, if we offah those
law officers something to eat and drink? It's been a long time
since suppah. I thought you'd be needing food; so I brought the
makings for sandwiches—peanut buttah, cheeses, cold cuts, bread.
Have you got crackahs? I forgot crackahs.”

“That's the first thing Annie would do,” Art
said. “She'd offer them something to eat and drink.” He jumped up
from his cushioned lawn chair. “You're right. Thanks, Verna.”

They slipped inside. Art caught Menendez's
eye and pantomimed taking a drink. She nodded and formed her thumb
and index finger into a circle indicating her agreement. Art, with
the help of his friends, put tumblers on a tray and soda and a
pitcher of iced tea on another. Barb filled bowls with chips and
pretzels. Verna and DeeDee set the food in the center of the table
along with small paper plates, napkins, and knives. Von took a
plate of food and a drink to the officer standing guard on the
patio.

Art didn't want to interrupt the planning
session; so all he said was, “It could be a long night. Please,
help yourselves. Bathroom is down the hall.” Then Art and his
friends took some blankets with them back to the patio and settled
down to wait. Fortunately, it was a warm January evening, welcome
after the recent cold spell.

When the strategy session was over, Maria
Menendez spoke to Art on her way out. She squeezed his shoulder in
a friendly gesture before the officers scattered to put their plan
in motion. She said quietly, “We'll find her.”

 

 

 

 

Hours passed while the friends slept in their
clothes. A deputy stayed awake, watching over them. Art slept
fitfully, waking up at the least sound. When he heard a car pull
into his driveway, he threw off the light blanket covering him
ready to jump up. However, a wave of dizziness swept over him,
forcing him to remain seated until it passed.
Don't dare stand
up and try to
walk—too easy to lose my balance and fall.
Don't need to break a bone, especially now. This will go away; a
doctor explained it—the liquid in my inner ear just has to equalize
or something, then the dizziness will pass.
He looked at his
watch. Five a.m.

Joe Juarez opened the screen door. “Sorry to
wake you, but I was sure you'd want to hear the news.”

“You bet!” Art exclaimed. “Is it good or
bad?”

“Yes and no,” the young deputy answered.
“Good news is that we've got Karl. The bad news is that he won't
help us—won't give us a clue to Annie's whereabouts.”

Art moaned and sank lower into his lounge
chair. His friends murmured sighs and groans.

Joe sat down at the little porch table and
turned on the lamp. Then he pulled out a set of keys and held them
up one by one, “This is Karl's house key, and this is Jiggs's. And
this one's for Karl's van, and this little one opens the shed on
his property. And here's his Club car key. I've checked them all
out. But this one, he held it up for them all to see, “I don't know
what it's for. Any ideas?”