Chapter 11
ELEVEN
Katie and McGaven started the search at the construction site early, picking up where they had left off.
They both were a bit cautious after the excitement of the day before.
John was completely swamped at the lab and backed up with work, so Katie and McGaven were left to search and collect evidence if they found anything.
Katie had decided that she and Cisco should start the search on the opposite side of the property that day, going east to west and back again in a narrow grid search.
They found nothing unusual, even when they searched through the area where the equipment was and the foundation had been started.
Cisco didn’t indicate there was anything out of the ordinary.
At least they could cross these areas off the list and move on.
As Katie trailed behind Cisco near the tree where she’d seen the cowboy-boot footprints, the dog slowed but didn’t alert.
“Anything?” said McGaven, a few steps behind them.
“Cisco shows interest, but it’s not enough for an alert.”
“Let’s check it out.”
“It’s where the boot imprints were and John didn’t find anything else yesterday.”
McGaven frowned. The detectives and Cisco moved on.
Katie and Cisco finally reached the area where the trap was located, and Cisco slowed his pace drastically. It made Katie extra vigilant; her stomach felt as if it dropped momentarily, making her legs feel weak.
“Wait,” she said.
“What?”
“Let’s just search this area without Cisco.” She turned to the dog and said, “Platz.”
Cisco stopped and downed immediately, waiting for her next command.
McGaven nodded and followed his partner’s lead. He seemed to understand that Cisco’s alert was based on all the action yesterday and searching by themselves would most likely prove more efficient.
The area had clearly been trampled. There were dozens of tactical-boot impressions, and some of the surrounding foliage had also been compressed and now leaned in a southern direction. Katie sighed, but she wasn’t going to give up.
“Looks like the guys were thorough,” said McGaven, trying to lighten the situation.
“Looks like,” she replied, still trying to scrutinize the area.
“What do you think we’ll find?”
“It could be anything, but I want to do our due diligence by eliminating the area before we can move on.”
McGaven nodded and took slow strides as he searched. He assessed everything, not knowing what he was looking for, but keeping his focus on what might be there.
Katie saw something in the sticker-ridden brush.
After pulling on her gloves, she reached in slowly and retrieved a few threads.
Angling them at the sunlight, they appeared to be blue.
She wondered if they would match the remaining threads on the third victim’s shirt.
And if so, why were they also at this location?
She carefully put the threads into an evidence bag. She would fill out the information when they got back to the car.
The detectives spent another twenty minutes searching, but they didn’t find anything. The area had been contaminated by SWAT doing their job. It had been a long shot, but they’d needed to try. It was another check off the list.
McGaven stood up and sighed. “Well, I think we’re done here.”
“I agree,” she said. “We should get this evidence back to the lab for John to compare to the John Doe’s shirt.”
The detectives and Cisco walked back to the car.
When Katie and McGaven returned to their office, having dropped Cisco back home, there was a yellow sticky note on the table. It read: Retired Detective Gino Ralph Ventura residence 1775 Maple Street, Room 310.
“What’s that?” said McGaven as he entered the room.
“Looks like we have the full name and residence of the detective who took the missing persons report for Misty,” Katie said, tapping the small note against her other hand.
McGaven turned back toward the door. “Well, it’s good timing until we have more information and test results back. Let’s roll.”
Once in the car and behind the wheel, Katie asked her partner, “So what do you think?”
“About?”
“It’s been almost twenty years since Misty went missing and Ventura has been retired for twelve years.”
“You might be surprised. Maybe it was one of those cases he always wanted to solve,” said McGaven.
“We'll soon find out,” she said, turning into the parking lot of the Pine Valley Senior Living Residence.
Katie had never paid much attention to the building and was surprised by how big it was.
It was one of those places you pass and not think about it—plain but well maintained.
There were four floors with both elevators and stairs.
The grounds were pristine, with beautifully landscaped areas, benches placed, and a nice walking area that weaved around the facility.
The detectives got out of the car. Residents were walking about while others were in small groups chatting or playing board games.
“This seems to be a nice place,” said McGaven. He casually looked around.
“I’m sure pricey too,” Katie said.
“What floor?”
“Third. Apartment 310”
Katie walked toward an open patio area that led to offices and services mostly on the first floor.
The building made a large “C” shape. There was a barber shop, beauty spa, and other amenities.
Katie casually checked out the area as they headed to a stairway.
They climbed to the third floor. The walkway had been installed with indoor–outdoor carpeting, making it not slippery in any kind of weather.
“This way,” said Katie.
The detectives headed down the hallway until they reached apartment 310. There was a small printed sign on it reading: “Ventura, G.” Katie knocked.
They’d only waited about thirty seconds when the door opened.
“Yes?” said a short man. He appeared to be in his seventies and was wearing golf attire of a polo shirt and shorts. His hair was pure white, but he still kept it cut short in a military style. There was an intense gaze of a police officer in his dark blue eyes. He gave the detectives a once-over.
“Gino Ventura?” said Katie.
“Let me guess. You’re from Pine Valley Sheriff’s Department?”
“Yes, sir,” said McGaven.
“Detectives, I presume?” Ventura said, more strength in his voice.
“Yes. I’m Detective Scott and this is my partner, Detective McGaven,” Katie said.
“I see. Nice to meet you both.” Ventura took a hard look at McGaven. “I guess detectives are a lot taller these days.”
“Not really,” said Katie with a smile. “But I got lucky and my partner’s the tallest in the detective division.”
Ventura quickly crinkled a smile and laughed. “So am I to assume that you have some questions about one of my cases?”
“Yes, we do,” said Katie.
Ventura opened the door wider. “Well, then come in.”
The detectives went inside. Katie was surprised at how neat and organized the small apartment was.
It was modestly decorated with an entire wall devoted to family and police-department photographs.
She noticed there were several photos in a grouping of a lovely woman, which she assumed to be Ventura’s wife.
“Please make yourself at home.”
They all moved to the area with a small sofa and an overstuffed chair. It was clear Ventura always sat in the chair, so the detectives took a place on the couch.
“I don’t get many visitors, so please excuse my manners. Would you like some coffee?”
“No thank you. We’re fine,” she said.
“So what’s on your mind?” said the retired detective. His full attention was on them. “I heard bodies were found at the location where they’re going to build the police and fire training centers. Does it have to do with that?”
Katie glanced at McGaven. The retired detective was sharp and still seemed to have his skills of deduction and paid attention to details. “Yes. They haven’t been officially identified yet, but we have clues.”
“Oh. But you both are here.”
Katie smiled. “This is confidential information in an open investigation.”
“Of course, Detective. I’m well aware.” Ventura kept Katie’s gaze.
She wondered if he knew more than he let on.
Ventura seemed to read her well. “Detective Scott, I can see you’re not sure if you should trust me or not.”
“I have no reason to think that one way or another,” she said. Katie sensed McGaven tense next to her. She decided to move forward. “We searched through the missing persons files from ten to twenty years ago.”
“I’m assuming the bodies were completely skeletonized, then?”
Katie nodded. “We came across a report for a seven-year-old girl, Misty Collins.” She waited to see Ventura’s reaction.
Ventura kept his poker face intact as he let out a breath. “I see.”
“You do remember?” said McGaven.
“Yes, I remember it well.”
“The report didn’t have much information,” Katie said.
“It was a strange case.”
“Strange how?”
“A man reported his niece missing and when I asked about the girl’s parents, he said he’d have more information for me later about the mother. If my memory serves me well, his name was Griffin, Ian Griffin.”
“What happened?” said McGaven.
“We went to the address he gave me for the parents. It was strange. No one home. And it appeared no one had been there in years, but it was still unclear. Of course, we did a preliminary search of the grounds, but I didn’t have any other names of anyone I could check with or speak to.”
“What about Misty’s friends or school?”
“That’s just it. I checked with nearby schools and none of them had any student by the name of Misty Collins.
No Collins at all, in fact.” He paused a moment as if remembering taking the report.
“Ian Griffin talked more about Misty and how she was such a wonderful little girl, no trouble, and smart as a whip. He also said you could usually find her on her swing a little ways from the barn. She was shy and didn’t have many friends. ”
“I see,” Katie said, jotting down notes, wondering if the girl was homeschooled. “Would you remember the home address or any other names?”
“I can’t recall. But I have my notebooks here.
I’ll search through them and get back to you, if that’s okay.
” He hesitated. “I never heard from Ian Griffin again. I tried for a few months to contact him and even went back to the house, but it was still vacant. I never saw or talked to Mr. or Mrs. Collins. I remember that the house was under the Collins name. It was like they had vanished.” Ventura seemed to shudder at the thought.
“I’ll get my notes to you this afternoon or tomorrow morning. ”
“Thank you. Anything you can find or remember would be helpful,” she said.
“I’m not one of those spiritual or ghost-hunter types, but that house and the entire area spooked me. I can’t put my finger on it, but it was the first and only time in my career I actually got a cold chill at a scene… It was like we were being watched,” said Ventura.
Katie felt as if she was listening to a ghost story instead of a missing persons case.
“Oh, you might want to look up a missing person case for Ian Griffin. Since I couldn’t find him or get a hold of him, I opened an unofficial case for him too. I hope that helps?”
“Thank you. It definitely gives us more information than we had.” Katie’s mind flashed on the grave and the trap that had been set up. “Mr. Ventura, until this case is closed, it’s best you be careful. We’re not sure what we’re dealing with yet.”
“Detective, I’ve survived this long. I’ll be just fine.
” He smiled, looking at the younger officers.
“I’ve heard about you two. There’s a few of us old retired cops that get together once or twice a month and we’ve heard about the two cold-case detectives that have a perfect record.
” Ventura leaned forward. “You have your work cut out for you. But I know you’ll get to the bottom of this. ”
“I hope so,” she said.
“It was nice meeting you,” said McGaven.
The detectives stood up.
Katie gave Ventura her business card with her personal cell phone number. “Please call us anytime.”
“You have my word,” he said as he escorted them to the door.
Katie and McGaven made their way back down the stairs to their car before either of them spoke.
Katie was lost in her thoughts. She knew she was right about who the mother and daughter were, but now they had to track down any other family members, and run background checks to see what they could find out about their victims.
Once the detectives were in the car and the doors were shut, they each sat a moment.
“Well, that was weird,” said McGaven.
“I wouldn’t say weird… Maybe interesting, creepy, like we’ve just been told a ghost story.”
“You got that impression too?”
“Yeah. It makes me believe the bodies have nothing to do with the construction. It’s just been the killer’s unfortunate luck that the bodies were found.”
“What about the trap?” he said.
“That is the big question. The person who assembled it… Did they want the construction to cease, maybe permanently? Or did they not want the bodies to be found…?”
McGaven fastened his seatbelt. “That is what we need to find out. And I have a gut feeling it’s a major piece to the puzzle.”
“It will definitely give us more insight into all three victims.”
“This is going to be a long day…”