“Looks like a homicide.We just recovered the body from the bottom of a canyon up in the mountains.Autopsy likely won’t be until tomorrow or Monday, but I was hoping you could provide dental records for a positive ID.”
“Goddammit.This is gonna kill his mother.She busted her ass to make sure her kids would have choices she didn’t have.That kid was slotted to graduate next year and go to college.What the hell happened?”
“Officer Haynes, I?—”
“It’s Steve,” he interrupts.
“Okay, Steve, I’m not sure what happened yet, but a few weeks ago an abandoned late model Ford Mustang was found on a logging road up Black Mountain here in Edwards County.The vehicle was reported stolen in Spokane, the Rockwood area.The passenger side was covered in blood.No sign of any victim.Earlier today I went back up to the location on a hunch, and found the body at the bottom of a steep cliff.We had to call in a search and rescue crew to climb down and bring the body up.Now, logic has me working from the assumption this is the victim from the stolen Mustang, but there is no way to be sure until we can get confirmation from the lab, which will be once the autopsy is done.”
“Jesus.From the background I got on the kid, he wasn’t into anything bad.No run-ins with law enforcement, no drugs or anything else that would’ve raised a flag.When I asked Pam, Ryan’s mom, if she’d noticed any changes in his behavior, all she mentioned was that he’d been a little withdrawn and moody lately.He’d suddenly quit baseball without discussing it with her first, which they argued about the last time she saw him.He told her he had better things to do with his time than play a stupid game and took off.She thought it might have to do with a girl, but now I wonder if he may have just gotten in with a bad crowd.”
That poor mother, as if finding out her son won’t be coming home isn’t enough.
“Let’s first confirm we’re talking about the same person,” I caution.“Then we can start looking at possible scenarios, and I would greatly appreciate your assistance in that.”
“You’ve got it.I’ll get on those dental records as soon as I can, but it may not be until Monday.In the meantime, I’ll follow up with a couple of Ryan’s friends I spoke to earlier on.See if I can shake some more information loose about who he might have been hanging out with.”
“Fair enough, and I’ll give you an update on the autopsy as soon as I have information.”
I end the call after leaving him my number and email address, to find Hugo sitting on the edge of KC’s desk, both he and KC are looking at me.
“Think it’s him?”Hugo asks.
I lean back in my chair and nod somberly.
“Yeah.My gut says it is.”
Right now my gut is making loud complaints at having been neglected all day.I slap my hand on my stomach but that doesn’t stop Hugo from noticing.
“You haven’t stopped to eat, have you?Go home.It’s getting late, there’s nothing more you can do right now.Good work today though, good instincts,” he adds.
I can’t remember the last time I was told by a superior I was doing a good job.I’m not someone who needs constant reinforcement, but this compliment feels good.
Clem
“Lookslike your mom is still at the station.”
I point to the Jeep Cherokee parked behind the sheriff’s station.
“I know,” Remi mumbles.
“Are you gonna hitch a ride with her?”
The responding snort gives me my answer but he still follows it up with, “I’ve got my bike.”
“You’re gonna get soaked,” I point out.
“Don’t care.”
Stubborn snot.
His attitude hasn’t improved much, but he did work his skinny butt off today.He was determined to finish all six oil changes I had slotted for the weekend.It gave me time to fix the two vehicles he vandalized, and I was even able to duck into my office for a couple of hours to catch up on paperwork I’d been ignoring.
He is the last one here—the others already left for the day—but I don’t want the kid to ride his bike home in this downpour.Aside from him getting wet, that bike of his doesn’t have any proper lighting and wouldn’t exactly be safe on slick roads with limited visibility.
Lord knows, his mom doesn’t need anything else to get pissed with me about.
“Look, I’ve gotta pick up a couple of things at the grocery store anyway.Toss your bike in the back of my pickup while I grab a coat, and I’ll drop you off at home.”
