Chapter 23
Mindful of Renée Ballard’s concern about spooking Kent Middleton, Stilwell thought the best way to get to him would be through Dunaway with what seemed like a routine follow-up. He also had fresh business to discuss with Dunaway and called him on his cell.
“Stil, how was your weekend?”
“Not bad, except we had another problem up at the vineyard.”
“No shit. That old guy over there must be hot.”
“Marquez, yeah, that’s putting it mildly. Somebody took a machete to three rows of vines.”
“Oh, shit. That ramps things up.”
“Yeah, and that’s why I’m calling. We think the vandal or vandals came in through the conservancy side. There was a cut in the fence. I went through and looked for a trail, but I’m no Boy Scout. I didn’t find anything, but the cut in the fence was pretty close to the San Pedro picnic grounds.”
“Okay. I know that spot.”
“I’m thinking that was a starting point and then they went through the brush to the vineyard. Like I said, I couldn’t find a trail. But on the way back to the fence, I did see one of your wildlife cameras.”
“Yeah, yeah, I was just about to say that we have cameras up there. Did you get a number off it?”
“I did. G-fourteen. How can I look at the footage?”
“Well, you’re in luck, because all the camera feeds go here. You could come up and take a look.”
“All right, then, I’m on my way.”
“I’ll be here.”
“Oh, and one other thing. How old is the camera project? I was wondering if there was one four years ago near the ironwood grove where we found the remains last week.”
“Nah, I would’ve told you if we had cameras at that time. They all went in a couple years ago. Part of a grant UCLA got to study the Channel Islands’ animal migration.”
“Important stuff. Is Middleton around today?”
“Yeah, he’s working. You need him for something?”
“I have to finish the paperwork on that thing up there and I want to follow up with him. He told me he was going to look for some records for me.”
“Not a problem. I’ll call him in. It might take him a bit. He’s up at Eagle’s Nest.”
Eagle’s Nest was at the top of the mountain off Middle Ranch Road. It offered the best 360-degree views on the island.
“What’s going on?” Stilwell asked.
“The high-school kids are up there today,” Dunaway said. “Senior-class retreat.”
“You okay pulling him off that?”
“I’ve got three rangers there. It’s not a problem. I’ll tell him to meet you here.”
“Thanks, Mick.”
After the call, Stilwell left his office and went to the charging rack to get a fresh two-way. Mercy watched him.
“Are you leaving?” she asked.
“I’m going up to the ranger base,” Stilwell said. “Not sure how long I’ll be.”
“Oliver Marquez called and said he was going to pick up a crime report. Do you have that?”
“I haven’t written it yet. Call him back and tell him we’ll let him know as soon as it’s ready.”
“He’s a man who doesn’t like to wait.”
“I know that. Call me if anything else comes up.”
“Will do.”
The drive up to Falls Canyon took fifteen minutes.
Inside the ranger base there was a reception counter where hikers could pick up permits and maps of the trails as well as brochures for other island attractions and activities.
A ranger named Loretta Petty was posted at the counter to field questions from hikers.
She told Stilwell that Dunaway was expecting him and he headed back to the office.
He had been there before and knew the way.
Dunaway had already looked at video from camera G-14.
“The camera picked up something, but I’m not sure it’s going to be helpful,” he said.
“Better than nothing,” Stilwell said. “Can you show me?”
“I’ve got it cued up.”
Dunaway had Stilwell sit down in his seat behind the desk.
He then leaned down over the keyboard and typed in a command with one hand.
On a large desk monitor, a grid of camera views appeared.
Dunaway highlighted one and expanded it.
There was a digital date-and-time stamp in the lower right corner of the screen as well as the camera code, G-14.
“Okay, so this is the angle,” Dunaway said. “It’s a motion-activated camera, so we just check the images and we find this.”
He worked the keyboard and Stilwell watched as he reversed the recording and then quickly stopped it.
“So, there’s you,” Dunaway said.
Stilwell was looking at a freeze-frame of himself peering at the camera the evening before.
“And then we take it back almost exactly one day and we get this,” Dunaway said.
Now the video showed a figure moving from left to right across the screen but obscured by a bushy manzanita and other thick brush.
Stilwell knew it was a human because he could make out clothing.
Whoever was moving through the brush was wearing a bright yellow-and-blue shirt or jacket.
Though the figure was unidentifiable, the colors were significant.
The figure appeared to stumble and then paused for a moment before continuing out of the frame.
“Going back seven days before this, there’s nothing but mule deer and the occasional island fox,” Dunaway said. “But you can check for yourself if you want.”
“No, I believe you,” Stilwell said. “But there’s no sound?”
“Well, there is—sort of. As I’m sure you saw, the camera’s in a plastic camo box, and that knocks down the sound considerably. I had the volume turned all the way down, but you want to listen?”
“Might as well see if it picked up anything.”
Dunaway reversed the video and replayed the segment showing the yellow-and-blue-clad figure. Dunaway was right; there was almost no sound. But when the figure stumbled, there was a yelp followed by a shout: “Fuck!”
“I’m guessing he stepped in a hole, maybe twisted an ankle,” Dunaway said.
“Or walked into a cactus,” Stilwell said. “I saw a lot of them out there.”
“Could be that too.”
The voice had sounded young to Stilwell. Not a deep timbre to it.
“So he doesn’t come back?” Stilwell asked.
“How do you mean?” Dunaway responded.
“From the way I saw the camera angle, he would be moving toward the vineyard there. But the camera didn’t pick him up coming back.”
“You mean after he chopped up the vineyard? Well, he could have taken a different path that went behind the camera. You know what I mean? Especially if he was trying to avoid a cactus patch.”
“Right.”
There was a knock at the door before it was opened by Loretta from the front counter. She told Dunaway that Middleton had arrived and was in the barracks.
“Tell him Sergeant Stilwell will be along to see him,” Dunaway said.