“Sure. We need to get out there before they clean it up.”

“Works for me.”

****

The scene was well lit when they arrived but didn’t yield much in the way of evidence. The wine glass had been bagged for evidence. The killer had left nothing else behind, as usual. Officers at the scene had interviewed the two men who found the girl. Jason and Vanessa reviewed the notes.

The sun had started to come up and Jason was hungry.

“Wanna get a bite before we go interview the loggers?”

“Sure.”

Jason drove them to an IHOP and, after some eggs and coffee, they left for the first loggers house. It was Joe’s and he answered their knock on the door with no apparent surprise.

“Yes.”

“Joe Dixon?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Detective Jason Strong and this is my partner, Detective Layne. We’d like to ask you some questions about last night.”

Joe stepped back and opened the door for the detectives to enter.

“Sure, come in.”

Joe, like his name, was average in every way. Average height, average build, average brown hair, etc. He led them into a small living room. A beer sat keeping an easy chair company. Joe sat next to the beer.

“I told the cops everything I could remember, last night.”

Jason took a chair across from Joe but Vanessa remained standing. She opened a pad to make notes and let Jason ask the questions. It was their routine. One asked the questions and watched the face of the person they were questioning while the other observed the surroundings and took notes.

“I haven’t had a chance to read the report but we like to follow up the next day, anyway. Just to make sure nothing occurred to you.”

“Okay. I don’t mind. I called in today, didn’t feel like working. Nothing has come to mind but I’m glad to help.”

Joe took a sip of the companion beer and leaned forward.

“How’s the girl? I tried calling the hospital but they won’t tell me anything.”

“She’s doing okay. The doctors put her in a drug induced coma while she heals. You almost surely saved her life.”

Joe was clearly uncomfortable with the idea that he was some sort of hero. Vanessa was impressed with his quiet demeanour.

“Detective Strong is right. You most likely saved that girls life.”

“I just did what my friend, Jonathon, told me to. He was the calm one.”

“You’re both heroes to that girl.”

Jason turned the man’s attention back to the details.

“You said you were walking back to your truck after cutting wood. It was kinda late, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah, I was chewin’ Jonathon out for just that when I fell. He helped me up and we had gone just a short distance farther when we saw them. Actually, Jonathon saw them and pointed them out to me.”

“What exactly did you see?”

“This guy standing over someone who was sitting against a tree. Then things just took on a life of their own. Jonathon yelled at him, a gun went off and we dove for cover. When we got up, he was gone.” He paused. “That poor girl. It was awful.”

“Could you describe him or his vehicle?”

“It all happened too fast. I didn’t get a good look at either one.”

Jason looked at Vanessa. She just shrugged and put away her notebook. Jason took out his card and handed it to Joe.

“Do you know if your friend is home as well?”

“He is. He called in, too.”

“Joe, thanks. You think of anything, please call.”

“Sure. If you get a chance, let me know how the girl’s doin’.”

“You bet.”

****

The stops at Jonathon’s went the same. It was clear that these two men had been thrown into a situation that was as bad as any they could imagine. They had done above and beyond what could be expected from any normal person, so it did not surprise Jason when Lieutenant Patton gave them the news.

They had just returned to the station when the lieutenant waved them into his office.

“The mayor wants to present those two men with medals from the city.”

Vanessa, however, was surprised.

“Shouldn’t he wait until they make sure she’s going to make it before doing a publicity stunt?”

“The mayor’s people are telling him that she’s going to be fine.”

“The mayor’s ‘people’ are idiots.”

Jason smiled. Vanessa was not one to prance around an issue. Still, it did seem too soon. Jason still hadn’t had a chance to talk with her, never mind knowing if she was going to be ‘fine’.

“Has anyone talked to her doctors since this morning?”

The lieutenant shook his head.

Vanessa volunteered to call and went to her desk. Jason looked at the lieutenant.

“When do they want to do the medal ceremony?”

“Day after tomorrow, 2 pm.”

“I guess Vanessa and I will be required to attend?”

“If I gotta go, you gotta go.”

“Who made that rule?”

“Me. Deal with it.”

Jason laughed as Vanessa hung up and came back over.

“Her condition hasn’t changed. She’s still stable but unconscious. I told them we want to know the second she comes around. Apparently, they’re going to keep her under while she heals some more.”

Jason understood but it was still frustrating.

“Did they say how long before they will let her wake up?”

She shook her head.

“The nurse said it just depends on her progress.”

Jason was tired, they had been up since 1 am.

“Well, nothing to do but call it a day. I’m going home. Sandy has the grill warming up for me.”

Vanessa was worn out, too

“Sounds like a plan. Goodnight, JD. See you tomorrow, lieutenant.”

“You two be back here bright and early tomorrow. We’ll need to prep for the mayor’s ceremony.”

The two detectives rolled their eyes and headed out.

****

Norman watched as the two detectives came out of the station. They walked together until the man reached his car and got in. The female detective waved and laughed at something that was said, before continuing on to her car.

Norman was sitting in a gray Malibu, not his truck, since he figured that by now they would be onto that vehicle. The sun was starting to go down, Norman’s favorite time of day, but he would not be going to South Presa street tonight. He had a different mission this evening.

Detective Vanessa Layne pulled out of the lot and into traffic, Norman following about ten car lengths behind her, with a car between them. They drove for nearly twenty minutes before she turned into a subdivision on the south side of the city. When she pulled into her driveway, Norman kept going and circled the block.

Coming back around, he stopped at the end of the street. The detective had already gone inside but Norman didn’t care. He was there to look over the house and to look for an advantage.

The house was two stories with white vinyl siding and a gray shingle roof. The front lawn was mowed but little time had been spent on landscaping. The exception to that was planted along the side of the driveway.

A large hedge ran from the sidewalk all the way back to the side of the house. It appeared to have been put up for privacy from the house next door, and it would be perfect for what he needed.

The sun was almost down and people were coming home in a steady stream. He needed to leave before he was spotted. He took a final look and started his car.

Chapter  11

Jason pulled into the station parking lot on the morning of the ceremony. Stephanie Morris had taken a turn for the worse the day before and, though they stabilized her, she was still in the induced coma. Despite the events of yesterday, the mayor’s decision was to go forward with the ceremony.