Body in the Woods, page 10
“Not a thing of importance. Oh, there was one thing. A document with some chemistry formula. Not sure if it’s important or not.”
“Formula? The police never said anything or asked anything about chemical formulas. Why they don’t return the computers is beyond me. They know it’s Hines’ body and they suspect me of doing it. Simple case for them, or so they think. Only they still don’t have enough evidence to take to the DA.”
“Vance, all the computers are locked up in an evidence room and they won’t be returned until the case is resolved.”
“So why’d you bring a so-called computer expert with you? You could have downloaded the information and checked it yourself.”
“Actually, Rudy is a hacker.”
“Hacker? Where’d you find him?”
“Venice Beach.”
“Figures. Can I see the formula?”
“Why? Is it important?”
“That has to be the formula he kept so secret. The formula he used in his device. It’s supposed to be company property.”
“If it was company property, why did Hines keep in a secret? Especially from you? You were partners, Vance. And you had the USB. You could’ve downloaded it yourself. Why didn’t you? That sounds a little squirrely to me.”
“I told you he was a son-of-a-bitch. I want a copy, Jack.”
“Sure thing. After I get back from seeing your lawyer.”
Leaving my breakfast half-eaten, I got up, grabbed my backpack, and walked out of the room before I said something I shouldn’t have. The whole conversation just didn’t make any sense.
CHAPTER 21
Climbing into the Toyota, I placed my iPhone on the passenger seat and pressed start for Google maps. SIRI could wait for another time. Placing my backpack on the passenger floor I sat for a moment before I pushed the on button. I needed to clear my mind before I went to see Vance’s lawyer.
Winding my way down Carbine Canyon to the PCH, I turned right and headed north. I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of the incredible scenery.
I followed the directions as Google maps spat them out and found the office in Lake Village. Almazan’s name was listed fourth among the total of eight names on the company sign. Since I hadn’t taken Vance’s advice and called, I just walked right in, backpack in hand.
At reception, I was greeted by a young woman by the name of Malia, according to the small sign on the desk. Obviously, a millennial, but I couldn’t gage her exact age. She had the brightest red hair I’ve ever seen, her face was covered in freckles, and she had the most beautiful green eyes. No doubt as to her ancestry. She stood up as I approached.
“May I help you?”
“Malia, I don’t have an appointment. I came to see Mirza Almazan. All I need is five minutes of her time to speak with her. If she’s in a meeting, I’d like to make an appointment.”
“Your name, sir, and the nature of your business?”
“My name’s Jack Ludefance. I’m here regarding one of her clients, Vance McGruder.”
She stared at me for a moment.
“One moment, please.”
She picked up the phone on her desk, dialed four digits, and waited.
“Ms. Almazan? There’s a gentleman here by the name of Jack Ludefance who wishes to speak to you regarding Mr. McGruder. He says it won’t take more than five minutes.”
Unfortunately, I couldn’t hear Almazan’s response.
“Yes, ma’am, I’ll bring him back to see you.”
“This way, Mr. Ludefance.”
She led the way down the thick-carpeted hallway to the last door on the left, knocked, and opened the door.
Mirza Almazan stood behind her desk as Malia quietly left and closed the door behind her.
“Mr. Ludefance? I’m Mirza Almazan. So, you’re the private investigator Vance told me he’d hired. I’m sorry to say I do only have five minutes.”
As I began to assess her, I have to say to be in Mirza Almazan’s presence was a strange feeling. She gave off a powerful aura of high spirit, intellect, and strength. I took it all in and literally basked in it. She was a shapely woman and looked younger than her late forties. She had thick, dark hair reaching to her shoulders and small, radiating laugh lines at the corners of her eyes. To have maintained her beauty, she obviously was doing all the right things. But it was the strength of her aura, a no-nonsense strength that most impressed me.
I guesstimated her height at about five-foot-ten as she came around from behind her desk. She was dressed in a dark-green skirt, light-green silk blouse, with a silk scarf tied around her neck, and expensive-looking flats. I assumed if she’d been dressed for court, she’d be in a suit and high heels. The last thing I noticed was that she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.
“I’ll keep it brief, Ms. Almazan. I’m here to see if you have copies of the police reports and autopsy report on Heinrich Hines. If you do, I’d like to take a look at them.”
“Yes, I have both. Vance doesn’t know I have them and you do know, under law, I can’t give Vance a copy. However, since you’re a PI, and working to clear him, I’ll take a chance. But, under no circumstances are you to let Vance know. Understood? I can’t even tell any of my staff I’m giving it to you.”
“Understood.”
She went back behind her desk, unlocked one of the drawers, and brought out a thick file folder.
“After Vance told me he’d hired you, I expected you’d call for the copies.”
She handed me the file with a stern look on her face. Opening my backpack, I slipped the folder into the largest compartment.
“I’m assuming we can discuss the reports at some point after you’ve read them. But, please, next time make an appointment.”
“I will. And, I do thank you for seeing me.”
We shook hands. A strong, confident handshake. I liked that.
Leaving her office I sat in my car. Okay, Vance. Might as well try SIRI. Clicking on the app, I asked for the nearest Starbucks. Within a moment’s time SIRI answered in a most proper female voice with an address which happened to be close by on Wild Oaks Boulevard. Why hadn’t I tried this before?
Settling into a comfortable leather chair, I sipped on my coffee and opened the file folder. There were two files. One contained the police reports which had to be well over fifty pages and the other was the autopsy report. I began with the police reports quickly scanning through the documents and decided to concentrate on facts that concerned me in helping to find Hines’ killer.
On June 22, 2018, at approximately 8:30 am, the body of an unidentified man was found by a lone woman on horseback on one of the trails off Summit Road in Wild Oaks Mountain Park. The rider called 911 and identified herself as Cathy Shumway of Wild Oaks, and proceeded to describe what she’d found. She was unable to give her exact location and GPS was used to locate her.
Several officers and the coroner on duty arrived within thirty minutes. After interviewing a very frightened and upset Ms. Shumway, she was permitted to leave the scene. The body was later identified as Heinrich Hines of Wild Oaks. Mr. Hines was the business partner of Mr. Vance McGruder at Hines/McGruder Inc. located in Wild Oaks, California.
The reports listed the usual information – Hines’ SS and driver’s license numbers, address, etc., the names and badge numbers of the two officers at the scene, and the name of the coroner. There were two pages of diagrams of the murder scene. Plus a detailed map of the trails leading to the crime scene.
Besides Cathy Shumway who’d found the body, the police located and interviewed another woman who lived in one of the last houses on Summit Road before it changed into a dirt road and the numerous trails meandering through the mountains.
She stated she’d been working in her front flower bed when she’d observed two vehicles following each other at high speed. One was a black Mercedes SUV, the other a yellow jeep, model unknown. When asked about how many people were in each car she was sure there was only one person in the SUV, but unsure if there were one or two people in the jeep. She’d been able to get a partial license plate number for the Mercedes, which the police traced back to Heinrich Hines. Police later found out the jeep had been reported stolen on June 19, the day before the murder, and, as of yet, had not been located.
Included in the reports were several extensive separate interviews with Vance and Patty, interviews with Mariana Estevez and her brother, Jesse, and the interview and deposition of the secretary at Hines/McGruder Inc. who had overheard the argument between Vance and Hines.
Mariana Estevez identified the clothing on the body to be that of Hines, the same clothes he had worn that day. DNA from the clothes and hair found in Hines’ bathroom matched the DNA of the body in the woods and a positive identification was made.
Hines’ Mercedes was found several days later on a deserted, undeveloped side street in Wild Oaks, with blood stains in the back compartment which matched the deceased. All fingerprints had been wiped clean from the vehicle.
At this point I stopped reading, and decided to wait to read the autopsy, which I presumed was pretty gruesome. I made notes, including the fact that I needed to visit the location of the murder, along with hopefully talking with the woman who had witnessed the two vehicles speeding past her home.
I checked the time. Just past noon. I headed out to my rental; not sure what to do next. Taking Wild Oaks Boulevard, I took the on-ramp for 101 North. Past Wild Oaks, Camarillo, Oxnard, Ventura, Carpenteria, Santa Barbara, and Montecito. Just past Montecito, I took an exit, circled back, and headed back to Santa Barbara.
Spent the afternoon on Sterns Wharf sitting on a piling, looking out at nothing in particular, and everything in general.
Couldn’t explain why I felt like a black cloud was descending over me.
CHAPTER 22
Wednesday, July 11
Waking up with a start at my iPhone ringing, I turned over and saw 4 am on the bedside clock. Who would be calling me this early? Picking up my phone, I saw my sister’s name. I immediately clicked to answer.
“Margeaux? Is everything all right?”
All I could hear was sobbing.
“Margeaux, take a breath and tell me what’s going on!”
After several deep breaths and a hiccup, she answered.
“Jack, I’m at the facility where we placed Dad. The funeral home is taking him away! He’s passed.”
It hit me like the shock of stepping under an ice-cold shower and I took a few seconds to try and process this. I was speechless.
“Jack? Are you there?”
“Yes, sister, I’m here. I’ll come as soon as I can get to the airport.”
“The funeral home is asking for Dad’s birth certificate, but I don’t know where it is! We had all his papers when he went to assisted living, but I can’t remember where we put them. It’s like my mind is a total blank!”
“Tell them I’ll be on my way to New Orleans as soon as I can book a flight. Is Deloris there with you? Perhaps she knows where Dad kept his papers.”
“She just left to go home and look for them. Jack? Why are you booking a flight? Can’t you just drive over?”
“I’m not in Santa Rosaria. I’m on a case out in California.”
“I didn’t know that. You didn’t let me know.”
“I’m sorry, Margeaux. I should have. Do they know how Dad died? Was it the Alzheimer’s?”
“No, not the Alzheimer’s. While they waited on the paramedics to arrive, the nurses tried to revive him. They’re saying he had a heart attack. His heart must have just given out.”
Her sobbing began again.
“It’s okay, Margeaux. Just try and hang in there. I’ll get there sometime this afternoon. I’m going to hang up now and make flight reservations. I’ll see you soon.”
Through gulps, I heard her say goodbye.
With that I sat on the bed for a few more minutes trying desperately to organize my thoughts. But, all I felt was numb. Maybe a shower would help?
After stripping off my jockeys and T-shirt I stepped under the hot water. My mind seemed to clear a bit and I thought of what needed to be done. Book a flight, pack, and let Vance know what had happened was about all my brain could process.
Finishing my shower, I dried off, wrapped myself in a towel, and returned to the bedroom. Opening my laptop, I brought up Orbitz and managed to book one of the few remaining first-class seats on a Delta flight leaving at 9:40 am, arriving New Orleans at 3:10 pm. I typed in my American Express card number. Pricey, but what did it matter?
Then my brain did another freeze.
Think, Jack, think!
Vance. I needed to let Vance know I’d be gone for a few days for the funeral and whatever else needed to be done, but then I’d be back to resume my investigation.
What time was it now? 5 am. Still too early for breakfast. Pack. Yes, I needed to pack and I needed to figure out how to get to the airport. Should I drive my rental and pay for parking? Or have Vargas drive me? Too many decisions.
I managed to pull a few things together and get my roll-aboard packed, making sure I had my suit for the funeral, plus blue jeans and a few shirts, and my shaving gear. I hid my gun and holster in the back of the closet, hoping no one would find it.
Sitting down on the bed, my mind went blank again. I laid my head on the pillow and closed my eyes. Dad is dead. My father is dead and I will never be able to talk to him again. I opened my eyes and checked the time. Almost 6 am.
I was sure Candelaria was up by now and preparing breakfast, so I dressed in a pair of jeans and long-sleeved shirt, grabbed my roll-aboard and backpack, and headed downstairs. I left everything in the foyer and walked into the breakfast room. I was surprised to see Vance already sitting at the table.
“Good morning, Jack. You’re certainly up early this morning. Everything okay?”
“Morning, Vance. No, unfortunately. My sister called with the news that my dad passed away. So I’m on my way to New Orleans. I was hoping that Vargas could give me a ride to the airport.”
“Of course, Jack. I’ll call him right now. I’m truly sorry to hear about your father.”
While Vance called Vargas, I poured a cup of coffee, sat down, and gulped half of it down. I needed to make a list. A chronological list of things that needed to be done. Funeral home, church, flowers, the order of the service, and mass. I needed to talk to the priest at Dad’s church to get his advice.
Funeral expenses? I wasn’t worried. It would be taken care of. Besides, I had enough money. So many thoughts began zipping through my mind. I realized that I was beginning to get depressed. I’d lost my father. And, I’d made little to no progress on Heinrich Hines’ murder. Both were extremely unpleasant feelings.
Then, there was Margeaux. She’s highly emotional to begin with, and this didn’t help. I hoped she wasn’t going to give me problems. Problems like the thought that our father had dementia and therefore would we develop it also.
But, wait. She said they were sure Dad died of a heart attack. That proved my point that just because he had dementia didn’t mean that we’d have it.
Through all these random thoughts, I heard Vance’s voice break in.
“Jack? Vargas is on his way right now. What time is your flight?”
“9:40.”
“Plenty of time then.”
“Thanks, Vance.”
“No problem. You just go take care of your affairs and let me know how things are going.”
Candelaria walked in with several breakfast dishes.
“Señor Jack! Buenos Dias! Would you like to have some breakfast?”
“Thank you, Candelaria, but I’m not hungry. Just another cup of coffee will be fine.”
As she was pouring the steaming brew into my cup, Vargas walked into the breakfast room.
“Good morning, Mr. Ludefance. Whenever you’re ready, I have the car waiting.”
“Thanks, Vargas. I’m ready.”
“Señor Jack, let me get you a mug so that you can have your coffee.”
“That would be great.”
She quickly returned with an insulated coffee mug and handed it to me.
Standing up, I started to say goodbye to Vance, but remembered I needed to ask him for one more favor.
“Vance, before I go I do have one more favor to ask.”
“Yes?”
“Would it be possible to have Vargas return my rental car? The contract is in the glove compartment and they have my credit card on file. Oh, shit. I forgot. I have two parking tickets in the glove compartment. How long do I have to pay them?”
“Don’t worry about the car or the tickets, Jack. We’ll take care of everything for you. Just leave the keys in the foyer.”
With that, I walked to the foyer and dropped the rental car key fob on the sideboard. I looked around to retrieve my roll-aboard and backpack, but found that Vargas had already taken them out to the car.
As I climbed into the backseat and settled in, Vargas started the engine and turned to me.
“I’m sorry to hear about your father passing, Mr. Ludefance. Is there anything I can do to be of assistance?”
“Vargas, you’re already doing that by giving me a ride to the airport. Especially at this hour of the morning.”
I sat back and closed my eyes. My deepest wish at this moment was that all of this was just an unbelievably bad dream.
CHAPTER 23
The drive was a blur. Even the scenery didn’t help my mood. I didn’t feel like talking and Vargas was perceptive and understanding. Arriving at Delta departures, he retrieved my belongings and set them on the curb.
“Mr. Ludefance, allow me to give you my iPhone number. That way when you return you can text me to come pick you up.”
After adding his number to my contact list, I thanked Vargas again. Grabbing my roll-aboard and backpack, I walked inside to the ticket counter to check in, and gave the ticket agent my name and flight number.
