Robert Waggoner - John - The Senior Killer

Mike said, “We all know the questions, but what are the answers. He cleaned out the house save the kitchen and books.” He’d made an easy to read list of the inventory and had passed around to all a copy. “Let’s go around the room after a minute and see what pops out of the box.”

After a few minutes Billy offered, “If it had been me I wouldn’t take condiments and pancake mix with me either. That tells me he left it to confuse us and to stall for time frustrating the investigators.”

Brad looked up and said with his usual soft spoken voice, “Maybe that is the case Billy, but let’s look a little deeper than what is on the surface. What do you do with condiments and such things? You mix them to make something is what you do. Now he is mixing up an alphabet soup. We need to take a first letter of each item and see what we come up with.” Billy was scrambling for his laptop and decided that was not what he needed and left for the computer room.

Brad continued by pointing out, “B for baking soda: Barstow; C for cookie: for Cantil; S for salt: Santa Clarita; N for nuts: Needles; and so on.”

Wendy thought this was so off the wall she almost laughed. Steve sensed her thoughts and gave her a glare that would have devastated her in grad school. She was smarter than that and gave herself a verbal warning to listen with an open mind.

Brad went on to say, “If we look at the size of the area he used for the two letters A and N, then follow that with the next two sites further north to connect the C, something tells me he didn’t follow his plan of making the ‘Catch me if you can logical or symmetrical. If you follow Sac and add Bishop then connect the line to Baker a nice C is visible. However, if you make a C out of Bakersfield to Bishop to Baker you have again a C. In addition you have the three C’s.” A frown on his face was felt by all at the meeting. Steve thought this was way over his head and excused himself to make a phone call. Wendy had to use the bathroom, but was afraid to leave.

Billy came back in with a random list of words three pages long. Sujin took a look and left to the computer room without a word. Mike changed the subject to the books. Everyone looked at their copy of the list of books and magazines found in the John house. Mike keyed in on one book he found as an anomaly to the rest of the books. He said, “This book about raising pigs is totally alien to the rest of them and to my thinking why would a guy have a book about raising pigs when you live in a city?”

Wendy was looking over the list and was now starting to get in on the feel of things. Her brain was starting to gear up and forget about the deeper thoughts and think about what is staring you in the face. Pigs, why the hell would he have a book about pigs? She blurted out, as all heads turned towards her, “Maybe in his history, that is family history, pigs were raised by a relative.”

Brad said, “I like it and Mike run this guy’s genealogy through Utah and see what comes up” Wendy looked pleased as punch and Brad gave her a small smile. Only the two of them were left sitting around the table and she took the opportunity to excuse herself for a bathroom run.

Steve, meanwhile, in his bedroom was talking to Jake in Sacramento. Jake was telling him they found his car and were dismantling it piece by piece. He told Steve they were phoned by long term parking at the airport after a description of it with the two letters was sent out to places where he might park or hide the car. Steve asked, “Has he been identified by anyone at the airport?”

“No, I doubt if we will get an ID as he uses so many disguises.”

“Fine, Brad wants those books up here soonest Jake, so please double your efforts on them and send by first light tomorrow.” That was an order and not a request as Jake took it.

“That will be done and is there anything more,” he asked sarcastically.

“Not for now, but find that storage locker and if you need more men, call me on my cell phone and I will have fifty there by nightfall,” he hung up without waiting for a response. Damn him, Steve thought. We need team players and not a guy like Jake who resents anyone stepping onto his patch.

He’d just got off the phone with Washington and reported to his superior that this case could be a long and difficult one to solve. His boss didn’t want to hear it, but softly said he knew what they were up against. He’d asked Steve if he needed anything to help them along the way and Steve replied that he was going to walk the beach and pray for the second time in his life. His boss asked when the first time was and he responded by saying when he was in church the last time getting married. He’d asked God to never let his dick grow soft. His boss laughed so hard he had to hang up. Steve cracked a big smile, but as usual no one saw it. He decided he would go for that walk on the beach.

Wendy was coming out of her room when he saw her. He asked her if she wanted a walk on the beach and she looked doubtful knowing she would get wet and probably sand in her shoes. He saw her reluctance and quickly said there are some beach combing clothes if you like. She had a small smile that acknowledged an agreement to his suggestion. Ten minutes later they were headed down the trail with Rocky as their guide. Brad had sent Rocky just in case and Wendy asked what the just in case meant a Brad only smiled.

Wendy looked like a professional beach comber in her yellow rain coat with a large rain hat on, knee boots that fit perfectly, and lined pockets to keep her hands warm. Keeping her legs warm was a pair of nylon pants that was waterproof. Once they hit the beach from the trail, the sand firmed up and the going was easy. The rain and wind whipped her face, but it felt good. The smell of salt and seaweed filled her nose. On the sea stacks as they passed by sat hundreds of sea gulls waiting out the storm. The tide was out so they could pass by and see hundreds of thousands of black muscles hanging from the rocks along with starfish interspersed giving a rainbow color to an otherwise black background. Having never seen this before Wendy moved closer to look at the hanging muscles with long hair like things hanging all over them. She was afraid to touch them and reached out tentatively to touch a starfish. They were tough skinned and rough to touch. She turned to say something to Steve, but realized the roar of the ocean and wind would only carry her voice a short ways. She closed her mouth and they continued up the beach toward the jetty.

Wendy felt the wind and rain on her left side as they walked north to the jetty. Steve had his hands buried in his pockets of his Burberry. A brightly colored yellow rain hat with a neck strap made him look like a comic book character in his big black boots strolling up the beach. An hour later she loved the walking. She held her head high and the salt air refreshed her body and brain. As they neared the jetty she could see the waves crashing into the giant rocks that protected the entrance to the harbor. The spray was flying high into the air from the waves and wind. She’d never witnessed such a sight and was mesmerized by the picture as she drew closer to the jetty. By now she could see the outline of some people walking on top of the rocks and when she was close enough to see them, she spotted Brad standing next to the seashore hatless wearing a blue Gore-Tex coat. How did he know we would this way she thought? He was alone as they climbed the small bank to the parking lot. Few cars were there as the tourist season was long gone and the sight of a storm to the locals was nothing to them.

“Hi,” he said, “I brought you some dry clothes and maybe we would have lunch at the local eatery.” He handed her a bag and pointed at the low building where the restrooms were located. For Steve he had a pullover sweater and a light rain coat and a pair of slip on waterproof shoes. Wendy found a sweat suit and sweatshirt inside the bag along with some slip on waterproof shoes. A windbreaker jacket and she were good to go. She looked into the stainless steel mirror and gave up the thought of combing her short hair or applying some lipstick. Go natural girl, she thought.