No Stone Unturned Page 3

  “He drove all over the place again. It was like he wasn’t sure where he wanted to go. At one point, he stopped at a gas station. I don’t know for sure where it was but I think it was near the Plaza again. He got out of the car to go inside so I called 9-1-1. Again. I thought for sure the police would find me this time.”

  Frankie noticed a pattern. Sarah called 9-1-1 and no one responded. She understood why – the call-takers didn’t have the technology to ping the cell and may not have been sure it wasn’t a prank or a misdial. Especially with loud music and no one talking. But Frankie also understood the frustration Sarah must have felt.

  “He just drove around with the music blaring. He seemed conflicted; like he didn’t know where he was going or even what he wanted to do. I held the phone by my leg and dialed 9-1-1 again. I kept thinking I would see police cars come up behind us. But nothing.

  “He was acting really weird. Disorganized. At one point I finally told him I had to go to the bathroom. At first it was like he didn’t hear me or just didn’t care. But he eventually stopped at another gas station. Before I got out he told me if I said or did anything he was going to kill me. When we got inside the clerk called him by name. That scared the heck out of me, but there was a part of me that was hopeful. Maybe, since it was a woman, she would help me.”

  Sarah stopped, took a deep breath followed by a long drink of water.

  “He kind of kept his arm on me as we went inside. I asked her where the bathroom was. I could hear him talking about ‘those white b-words’ from the bathroom. He was really angry. The clerk was talking to him about me not looking like I wanted to be there, so I thought maybe she was going to help me. Once I locked the door I called 9-1-1. I told the lady that answered I had been raped and was at a gas station, but I didn’t know where. I really thought this time someone would come. While I was talking to her he started kicking on the door. I didn’t want him to catch me with the phone so I hung up and turned the water on. Then it dawned on me, I could write a note on money. If he would let me buy something I could pass it to the clerk. I grabbed a five-dollar bill and wrote ‘please help me’ on the back. I shoved it back into my purse. He was still kicking the door but before he could break down the door I opened it up. I just looked at him like, ‘what?’ He let me buy some water and when I gave the girl the bill I tried to give her a look so she would look at the message. She just snatched the money and gave me my change. I didn’t know what else to do. He grabbed my arm and forced me outside to the car.

  “Eventually he took me to an ATM and told me to withdraw all of my money. I just got paid but my bank only lets me take out $300 a day. I took out as much as I could and gave it to him.”

  “Do you know where the ATM was? Or what bank it was?”

  Sarah laid against the bed, slightly pensive, and after a few moments said, “I think it was Bank of …” Sarah paused before exclaiming, “Wait, get my purse! I got a receipt and shoved it in my purse.”

  Frankie couldn’t believe it. ATMs have cameras and with any luck they would have a picture of the suspect and the suspect’s car in a few hours.

  Sarah handed the receipt to Frankie, “Here you go.”

  Frankie looked at the receipt. Bank of America. The dollar amount confirmed what Sarah had said. The location numbers on the receipt should lead them to the address of the ATM. Frankie just hoped Bank of America would give over the video or photographs quickly.

  “What happened after you left the ATM?”

  “Something seemed different. He was still driving around but then I started to recognize buildings. After a while the car started sputtering and acting really weird, and then finally stalled out. He told me to stay in the car while he checked under the hood. When he got in front of the car with the hood up, I opened the door and started to run.”

  Chapter 11

  Sarah was breathing heavily, as though she were running a race. She asked for more water, took a long drink, and hesitated before beginning again.

  Frankie sat and waited, comfortable with the silence while Sarah processed what happened.

  “I don’t know how long I ran but I finally realized he wasn’t following me so I stopped to call my daddy. A security guard found me wandering around. He talked to my dad so he would know where to come pick me up. I’m not sure if it was him or my dad who called the police.”

  “I think I know the answer to this but, Sarah I have to ask you a question. When you got away, why did you call your dad instead of 9-1-1?”

  Sarah took another long drink of water. Softly she answered, “I had called 9-1-1 several times and no one came. I was scared. I thought he was going to come find me and kill me. I knew if I called my daddy he’d come. He’d protect me.”

  Frankie nodded in understanding.

  “Do you remember the name of the gas station where you got the bottle of water?”

  “No, but I’d probably recognize it if I saw it again.”

  Frankie looked at her notes. “Did you see him at Latitudes or the Pub? Or anywhere else tonight?”

  “No.”

  “Earlier you mentioned ‘Tre’ started talking to you. How did you know his name?”

  “When he took me to the house I heard someone call him by name. Then the store clerk called him by Tre too.”

  “Okay. Can you tell me what Tre looked like? What he was wearing?”

  Sarah laid her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes. Frankie watched her hands begin to tremble. Sarah’s eyes moved back and forth under her eyelids.

  After a few moments, she answered.

  “He was tall. I’m 5’10” and he was a head taller than me. He was big but not fat. More muscular. Like a football player. He was strong. He was black, but not real dark. He had real short hair and I think he had light colored eyes.”

  “How old do you think he was?”

  “My age?” Sarah said in more of a question than a statement. “I’m 23. He was probably pretty close to my age. Within a couple of years at least. He had on blue jeans and a dark colored hoody.”

  Before Frankie could ask any additional questions, Jen opened the door.

  “You about done Frankie?”

  “Yeah, I think I have what I need Jen.” Turning to Sarah, Frankie asked, “Do you have any questions for me?”

  Sarah shook her head. Frankie gave Sarah all of her contact information and told her she’d call her in the next few days. As she gathered her things to go she heard softly, “Thank you Detective Thomas.”

  Frankie looked over her shoulder and nodded then walked out the door.

  Chapter 12

  Frankie walked to her car slowly. She looked at her watch while she placed her bag in the passenger seat. 4 A.M. She stretched her back and walked around to the driver’s side. Once inside the car she made a list of things she needed to follow-up on.

  “What the hell is wrong with people?” she asked aloud.

  Once she finished with her list, Frankie pulled out of the garage, and headed back to Derek’s house. This was the first weekend she had stayed with him since he had been released from the hospital. Her children, Danielle and Tyler, were staying the night with her mom so she had no reason to go back to her house. She listened to the officers’ chatter on the car radio and drove with purpose.

  Derek’s black Lab, Bear, greeted Frankie at the back door with a deep bark.

  Patting his head, she said, “Shh Bear, It’s just me.”

  Frankie dropped her bag on the chair and laid her holstered gun on the kitchen table. She was tired but didn’t think she’d be able to sleep and Derek needed his rest. So, instead of going back to bed she grabbed a diet Coke, a throw blanket, and sat on the couch. She rested her head against the back of the sofa and sighed as she inhaled the familiar smells of leather and Derek’s cologne. In the silence, Frankie sipped the cold drink and thought about Sarah’s story. Bear jumped onto the couch, curled up next to her, and laid his head on her lap. Frankie smiled and stroked Bear’s soft fur an
d felt the stress leave her body.

  She didn’t know how long she sat there before she heard Derek shuffling down the hall. Bear’s ears perked up at the scent of his master but he didn’t move from Frankie and the attention she was giving him.

  “Hey babe, you okay? I thought you’d wake me up when you got back.” Frankie thought she heard a spark of disappointment in Derek’s voice.

  “I’m sorry. I haven’t been here long. I just needed a minute to unwind.”

  Derek sat down on the arm of the sofa, put an arm around Frankie, and kissed the top of her head. “Want to talk about it?”

  She laid her head against his chest and sighed. “You’d think I’d get used to these stories by now.”

  Derek rested his chin on the top of Frankie’s head and said, “I hope you never get used to them.”

  Light began to filter through the blinds while they sat in silence; each lost in their thoughts. Frankie stroked Bear’s fur and Derek gently stroked her arm. After a few minutes, he stood up and took Frankie by the hand.

  “Come here.”

  Derek led Frankie to the kitchen and opened the blinds covering the French doors. He pulled her body in front of his and wrapped his arms around her. Frankie leaned into Derek’s embrace, resting the back of her head against his chest. She covered his hands with hers and together they watched the sun rise just beyond the pond.

  “Mmmm. Just what I needed.”

  Kissing the top of Frankie’s head Derek mumbled, “Me too.”

  The two stood in silence watching the sun as it continued to ascend. Frankie’s thoughts centered on where to begin with her case and Derek tried to forget the nightmare that woke him. This one was particularly vivid. He felt the sting of the sand hitting his face. He heard the sound of the blades from the helicopter chopping the air overhead and smelled the rancid odor from the sewer that flanked the base. In his dream, he looked up and saw the face of his best friend Kyle in the helicopter, then heard the explosion. He felt the heat of the fireball on his skin and the loss of his friend in his gut. When the first piece of metal hit the ground, he bolted awake in a cold sweat.

  Several years had passed since Derek witnessed the helicopter crash that killed his best friend in Afghanistan. The nightmares had been brutal right after the accident, but over time they had lessened. After his shooting, they came back with a vengeance. The doctors told Derek he had died. Actually, they said he was dead for more than three minutes. This fact was never far from his mind. Now when he slept, if he slept, he often woke up screaming or in a cold sweat. In his dreams, he was either in Afghanistan or lying in the parking lot behind the courthouse.

  Derek jumped at Frankie’s slight turn away from the door.

  “You okay?”

  “Huh? Yeah, I’m fine. You surprised me when you moved that’s all.” Derek hoped Frankie accepted his excuse at face value.

  He let his arm fall from her shoulder as she turned to walk back towards his bedroom. “Okay. I’m going to go jump in the shower.”

  “Want some company?” Derek asked.

  Frankie winked at Derek and motioned for him to follow her.

  Chapter 13

  “Mom! Where are my shoes?”

  “I can’t find my book bag and I need this field trip paper signed.”

  “I need lunch money, mom.”

  Frankie took pleasure in the sounds of morning at the Thomas household. She dreaded the day when it would be silent. She donned her cold-weather running gear, laced her sneakers, and put the leash on her Golden Retriever Isabelle.

  “Tyler, your shoes are in the basket by the door. I already put lunch money in your bag. Danielle your book bag is hanging on the back of your door. Give me the paper so I can sign it. Why didn’t you give it to me last night? You know the rules.”

  “I forgot,” Danielle got her bag and thrust the paper at Frankie, “Can you just sign it?”

  “Watch your tone Danielle Elizabeth. It’s too early in the morning.”

  Dani snatched the signed paper, shoved it in her bag, and grumbled, “Yes ma’am.”

  Tyler looked up at Frankie expectantly, “Mom are you working tonight?”

  She knelt down to meet him at eye level, “I am bud, but then I’ll be off the next couple of days. Okay?”

  With a disappointed sigh he said, “Okay.”

  Dani put her arm around her brother and said, “Come on little brother. Let’s get moving. How ‘bout I meet you at the bus stop and walk home with you today?”

  His eyes lit up with excitement, “Really?”

  Laughing she ruffled his hair and said, “Yeah really.”

  “Ye-us!” Tyler lifted his knee and pulled his fist down from the air in excitement.

  Frankie smiled at their exchange. She caught Dani’s eye and mouthed, “Thank you.”

  Dani nodded and pushed Tyler out the door. Frankie and Isabelle followed close behind.

  After dropping the kids off at their respective schools Frankie took Isabelle to the park for a run. She didn’t normally like to run in the cold but wanted some fresh air. With Daughtry blasting through her headphones, she let the music set her pace. With each step, she felt the stress leave her body. After two laps Frankie’s thoughts turned to her latest case. Mentally she started going through the list of all the follow-up she needed to do.

  Forty-five minutes later Frankie was filling the dog’s water bowl and putting a roast in the crockpot for the kids’ dinner. HGTV provided the background to her morning chores. By noon she had laundry started, her clothes ironed for work, and a clean kitchen.

  Frankie was at her desk by 3pm reviewing the recruit officer’s report. Mia walked in just in time to hear her say, “What the hell?”

  “Good afternoon to you too.”

  “Oh, hey Mia. I’m just trying to figure out who the hell approved this report. A boot wrote it and it’s awful. Jack Meyers was on the scene. His description and what’s in this report aren’t even remotely close.”

  “Didn’t Meyers used to work in SVU?”

  “Yep. I’m going to call the field training officer and see if he can get it fixed.” Frankie started dialing the patrol station’s front desk while saying to Mia, “What does your night look like?”

  “I was planning to catch up on reports. What’d you have in mind?”

  “I’m going to pull the locations linked to the 9-1-1 calls on the case I caught this weekend. Want to go hunting with me?”

  “Sure.”

  Frankie ran a query in the computer aided dispatch system using the victim’s two cell phone numbers. The first one hit on a tower in Westport which coincided with what the victim had told her. The remaining calls were all from the second cellphone and scattered all over the City of Fountains. On a lark, she called Belton and Grandview Police Departments, jurisdictions south of the city, and asked them to run a query as well. Grandview found a phone call originating in their city and promised to email it to her.

  Frankie reviewed the calls and the notes she made during the victim interview. Some of the locations matched Sarah’s statement but others were out of order. She made a note to follow up with her to clarify. Frankie always started by believing the victim and let the facts drive the investigation. The inconsistencies in Sarah’s statements could be related to the trauma experienced and its effect on memory. Traumatic memories often held gaps and were rarely revealed in chronological order. Distance and time were frequently distorted. Some of the gaps in memory could be repaired with a couple of sleep cycles, but some memories would forever be lost.

  Twenty minutes later Frankie and Mia were in the car with a photograph of the victim and a list of locations to check.

  “Let’s start at Latitudes. Maybe the bartender or bouncer saw her talking to someone before they went dancing.”

  “Do we have a description on him?”

  “He’s a black male, 23-25 years of age. 6’02-6’04” tall with short hair and light eyes. He was wearing blue jeans and a dark hood
ed sweatshirt.”

  Mia jotted notes as Frankie drove.

  “Did he give her a name?”

  “No, but she said the gas station attendant called him ‘Tre.’”

  “Well that’s a start I guess.”

  “Yeah, I guess. This case has me fired up.”

  “Don’t they all?” teased Mia.

  “True enough. But this one really got to me. This girl called 9-1-1 eleven times. Eleven. Yet no one came to her aid. When she finally got away from him she didn’t call the police she called her dad.”

  Mia sighed, “Of course she did. She knew he’d come.”

  Mia was a talented detective with good instincts. Taller than Frankie at 5’6” she had short, spiky red hair, fair skin with freckles, and Irish blue eyes. Her hairstyle matched her personality - she was full of fire and spunk. She matched Frankie in her passion for the underdog, often championing those who couldn’t stand up for themselves. But Frankie knew better than to let Mia’s sweet disposition and compassion fool her; she could hold a person to task, setting them straight without blinking an eye.

  Frankie had been assigned to be Mia’s training detective and in typical “Frankie fashion,” she was baptized by fire. This meant working many late nights and challenging cases. As a result, the two bonded. They were not only work colleagues, but best friends.

  The Sex Crimes Unit did not have assigned partners but after the training period was over they continued to work most shifts and cases together. The two frequently bounced ideas and theories off each other, even if they were not working the case together. Their Sergeant often threatened to separate them because it seemed trouble always found them. But as much as he threatened, they knew he was just teasing. They made a good, effective team and put together strong cases for prosecution.