Birdsongs (8 page)

    One afternoon after Vernon witnessed Jane slithering behind the door of the Chief, Vernon placed a call to Benny. Benny walked in, once again ill advised by Chuckie’s secretary to find the two practicing what looked like some form of Kama Sutra. To Benny’s dismay, Jane did not apologize or feel shame. Jane looked him straight in the eye and said, “Have your stuff out of my house by the end of the day.” Benny did just that, moving his few belongings to the houseboat he used as an office. The houseboat was nameless during the previous couple of years and the next day Benny named it the
Jane Says
. Jane thought that Chuckie would take her back but even though they had a history, she was just another piece of ass. Upon discovery of this information, she fled town. The relationship between Chief Neighbors and Benny James, to say the least, was a tense one.

Chapter 21

    Benny’s phone rang again and it was Chuckie Neighbors.

    “Hello,” Benny answered.

    “Benny, this is Chief Neighbors. How’s it going bud?”

    “Would you please can the fucking pleasantries, Chuck. You know I’m not your bud and never will be so don’t insult me with that bullshit.”

    “I like a straight shooter Benny,” Chief Neighbors responded. “Vernon mentioned that you were hoping to help with this serial killer stuff and he talked me into letting you provide us some assistance.”

    “First of all Chuck,” Benny said with blood seeping down his gums once again. “Let me begin by saying fuck you, you pompous ass. I don’t have to help. I am not hoping to help. I am not asking for your permission to help. I am going to help because you need my help and if you weren’t such a self-righteous dick, you would be on your knees begging me to help. Without me, you are going to look like the epitome of the small town, clueless, hick Chief of Police on the national news. You know and I know, just like I told Jerry Lee, I am going to be the one who solves this case. Are we straight?”

    “Yeah,” the Chief said taken aback. As he mentally formulated a comeback that he was about to speak into the phone, Benny slammed his end down.

    Wanting to throw the phone in the lake to follow Jane’s chair, Benny resisted. He took a few deep breaths and told himself he shouldn’t expect anything less from Chief Asshole. He and Vernon had plans for the day to investigate the two murder victims. Because of the two phone calls, he was late. The two men knew they might not uncover anything through the investigations, but it was worth a shot to get some sort of lead; and sometimes geese lay golden eggs. Benny dialed the phone he had not thrown in the lake to let Vernon know he was running late. Vernon, flexible as usual, told Benny to get there when he could. Benny put on what he called his visiting apparel that he wore any time he wanted to question someone and look professional. He hated this type of clothing, but he knew people responded better to finely dressed interrogators.

    The first victim was a young construction worker named Ryan Mableton. Vernon went over to his fiancée’s apartment to question her. The two lived together for three years before Ryan’s death.

    The second victim, named Danny Hill, was Benny's assignment. He was an unwed, struggling musician who lived with his mother. She resided in an antiquated home that looked brand new. Large white columns and a grand front porch accompanied with swings on each end greeted Benny as he parked on the street directly in front of the house. He walked up the sidewalk through the neatly groomed lawn and before he could get to the door, Ms. Hill walked out and greeted him with a glass of iced tea.

    “I’ve been expecting you all day,” she began. “You must be from the Tilley Police Department. I made you some iced tea. Let’s have a seat on the swing and maybe I can be of some help to you.”

    “Thank you ma’am,” Benny said with a nod and an expression telling of his sorrow and concern. “My name is Benny James and I am a private investigator helping the Tilley Police Department with this investigation. I appreciate your openness into what I know is a sensitive matter.” As they sat on the swing, Benny sipped his iced tea and said, “Well, if this isn’t some of the best iced tea I’ve ever tasted I don’t know what is.”

    “Danny didn’t like it,” Ms. Hill said.

    “He didn’t know what he was missing. Tell me about Danny if you would.”

    “Well,” Ms. Hill said as she decided where to begin. “He was a quiet boy who was unsure of everything except his music. He wasn’t good with women or people in general and I truly think they made him nervous. I think I was the only person he was comfortable with and that’s why he never left. He grew up here and after his father died, I knew he would never leave. He helped me in the yard and besides playing his guitar, I believe he only felt pleasure when he made me happy. He kept all the bushes trimmed perfectly, and if he saw one weed in the yard he pulled it immediately. It wasn’t because he cared about weeds or the appearance of the yard. He was caring about me because he knew how proud I was of this house and yard when his father was alive. He tried so hard to keep me happy after his father passed away.”

    “If you don’t mind me asking, when was that?” Benny questioned.

    “It has been about four years I guess. Cigarette smoking took his life. He knew it was bad but just couldn’t break the habit. I quit after he died, but I’ve been thinking about buying a pack since the news of Danny.”

    “Both my parents died from bad habits,” Benny confided. “You do what you need to do to get by Ms. Hill. If I can give you some advice, go pull some weeds when you feel the need or prune those bushes but if that’s what it takes, I wouldn’t blame you.”

    “You seem like a real nice man Mr. James and I’m sorry to hear about your parents,” Ms. Hill said with true concern and sadness in her voice.

    “It’s been a long time and time heals all.” Benny paused, took a sip of his iced tea, and said, “Can I ask you a few more questions about Danny?”

    “Of course,” Ms. Hill said sweetly.

    “Did he have any enemies?”

    “No,” Ms Hill said. “He didn’t have any friends either. “As I said, he was a strange boy afraid of anybody who wasn’t musical. He slept till about eleven-thirty or so every day, got up and drank a pot of coffee and read
USA Today
. He said he liked how the paper was so colorful. He showered and then he spent the rest of the day playing his guitar or working in the yard. He had a computer in his room he spent a great deal of time on and he did tell me one time he had some friends in what he called chat rooms. I’ve never heard of such, but personally I don’t think friends you have through computer talking are really friends at all since you never see them or anything.”

    “If the Department would like to see the computer, would you have a problem with that?” Benny asked.

    “Take it today if you want,” Ms. Hill said. “I sure don’t have a use for it.”

    “I’ll have to send someone over for it Ms. Hill. I can’t just take it without filling out a mound of paperwork. Can you think of anything else that might help us with the investigation?”

    Ms. Hill thought for a moment and said, “I sure can’t Mr. James. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help.”

    “You can call me Benny and you have been just wonderful. Thank you so much for the tea,” Benny said getting up. “Once again Ms. Hill, I am truly sorry for your loss. Here is my card,” Benny said producing a business card from his jacket pocket and handing it to Ms. Hill along with his empty glass. “If you think of anything else or need help pulling weeds or pruning those bushes, please don’t hesitate and give me a call.”

    “I’ll do it Benny,” Ms. Hill said as she took the business card and glass from Benny. “Thanks for your help.”

    “Thank you Ms. Hill,” Benny said as he stepped down the porch and across the yard to his car. Benny picked up his cell phone and dialed Vernon as he pulled away. Vernon finished his meeting with Ryan Mableton’s fiancée and the two decided to meet for drinks so they could compare notes.

Chapter 22

   Rene’s Coffee Shop was on Tilley’s main strip. It had the air of a European establishment with its outdoor tables that lined the street. A yellow roof jutted out above the circular tables. The coffee shop reminded Benny of Vincent van Gogh’s
Café Terrace at Night.
Rene was a transplant from Venice, Italy who came to the United States because of her husband’s job. When he transferred back, she realized she loved Tilley more than she loved him and she decided to stay. She, like Benny, lived on the lake but spent the majority of her time in the coffee shop. She baked fine pastries and built sandwiches that could bring a man to his knees. The interior of the building was brick, decorated with revolving paintings for sale by local and surrounding artists. In the evenings, Rene had a steady clientele that came for her draft beers, jazz music, and tasty desserts. Being the middle of the afternoon the place was virtually empty which is why the two decided this would be a good spot to talk in a relatively private setting. Benny and Vernon chose a table against the front window and ordered draft beers.

    After their initial greetings and the delivery of the frosty mugs Benny said, “Why don’t you go first Vernon? Tell me what you found.”

    “Well,” Vernon began as his eyes turned upwards to his brain as it started to churn with the conversation he had with Ryan Mableton’s fiancée. “I surmise that Ryan was basically a loner and a workaholic. His only true friend was Farrah, the fiancée, and she seems to believe his crew of workers respected him, but they didn’t get too friendly with him because he wasn’t just an eight-hour a day worker. She said he oftentimes put in ten and twelve hours a day.”

    “So he was the foreman?” Benny asked.

    “She described him as the foreman’s assistant. She said the supervisor had many things going on and he trusted Ryan with the job and he was basically the foreman without the title. Ryan was a former Marine who got out after six years. Farrah said he wanted to have a horse farm one day and he wasn’t going to make enough money in the military to accomplish his goal. She said he was working so hard, racking up all those hours with an end in mind. Ryan planned on buying a horse farm within the next ten years. She said the incentive for finishing a house on time or early was incredible and Ryan always finished his houses early. She didn’t think he had any enemies and she believes he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She had already heard he was strangled and she finds it hard to believe because of his military training and the great shape he was in. She thinks the killer must have caught him off guard or something.”

    “Does she think he knew the killer?” Benny asked.

    “That or the killer was much stronger than him. She described Ryan as short but a very strong person. That’s about all I got out of her. What about you?” Vernon asked.

    “Danny’s mother, Ms. Hill, was very receptive and she said something you did that struck a chord with me. She described him as a loner. She said he didn’t have any friends or enemies. He lived with her, his father passed away a few years ago, and he would not leave the house unless he was meeting with his musical associates. The only contact he had with the outside world, she thought, was through computer chat rooms. Did Ryan’s fiancée say anything about chat rooms?”

    “No,” Vernon said. “And from what I could see they didn’t even own a computer. Do you think Danny might have met our murderer through a chat room?”

    “No, not really—just a thought. Sounds like both of these guys kind of flew under the radar so to speak. What did the forensics team find?” Benny asked.

    “Not much. The fingerprints from the house on Little Pond Road will take weeks because of all the traffic through the place and the same with the bar. There are just too many people in and out of those places to put some kind of picture together. We pulled a few fibers from both of the victims’ clothing and did find similar animal hair on both. The specifics and deeper analysis are still being worked on. Our boys did find some dried blood underneath Ryan’s fingernails, so it looks like he put up a fight before he died. Interesting enough it looks like our alleged killer knew this and cut Ryan’s fingernails after his death. We found two tiny clippings our careful killer overlooked. So, we do have something to run with.”

    “I guess there weren’t any computer matches with the samples found underneath the fingernails?”

    “Not yet.” Vernon said. “You know how that works. Unless you know somebody at the lab and can place a call, you just have to wait in line like everybody else.”

    “What does Chief Asshole have to say about all of this?” Benny asked.

    “He’s playing it pretty close to the vest but I think he is getting pretty freaked out with all of the national media attention we are starting to get. He’s a big shot here in Tilley but on a grand scale, I think he is feeling a little overwhelmed. Those reporters that are starting to gather at the Lakeside Motor Inn are breathing down his neck for a statement. I think he has until tomorrow afternoon to give one before they throw his ass under the bus. I know it’s getting to him because his new honey Michelle came for a visit yesterday and he had his secretary Katrina tell her he was too busy.”

    “Are you talking about Michelle from the Hair Palace?”

    “That would be the one this month,” Vernon said with a chuckle.

    “I swear to God,” Benny said with a sigh. “She has a boyfriend! She just told me that he’s a great guy. That man has been through just about every woman in this town. What the hell is it with him that gets these women’s tongues hanging on the ground? He’s not much to look at and he’s no Bill Gates in the pocket book.”

    “Women love a man in uniform Benny.”

Chapter 23

   Rachael received her wake up call at 5:30 a.m. She showered and dressed for a full day of getting to know the town of Tilley. It was her plan to track down the key players in the search for the town’s alleged serial killer. There was complimentary coffee, bagels, and donuts available inside the Inn’s office. Rachael decided to get a cup of coffee and initiate her research with the attendant on duty, who just happened to be the owner Carlton Davis. Carlton, his wife, four daughters, and son ran the place with the goal of making their guests feel like they were staying in their own home. The eastern wing of the Inn was actually Mr. And Mrs. Davis’ residence and they added the Inn on after Mr. Davis retired. The Inn was separated from the residence by an office and thirty rooms built to match the unique style of their house. The Inn and house were built in the fashion of log cabins constructed with true timber. There was nothing about the structure that was closely reminiscent of a cabin. The Lakeside Motor Inn was a majestic oasis.