In Search of Grace

Kelly Ilebode

Dedicated to:

Anita
,
for never giving up on my dream
even
during those moments that I did.
 

Sandy
, for your honest,
kind
& gentle
feedback.

Gilly for just being you.

A special thank you to:

Joe Dix for teaching me how to
fight
even
through fear
.
The impact you
r lessons
made on me was
life
changing
.

This book is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.  Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright@2012 by Kelly Ilebode

www.kellyilebode.com

             
The cruiser
sped
along the Lynn Fells Parkway at full speed
,
sirens
wailing
.  Within
minutes,
Seth
arrived at
Break
h
eart
R
eservation, a state park known for its beautiful hiking trails, two lakes and
spectacular
views of
Boston
.  Pulling up to the
entrance,
he observed the man’s agitation
,
knowing
immediately
he
was the one that found
the body
. 
H
ands
were
gesturing in the air wildly
in an attempt
to gain his attention.  Seth took in the dog sitting quietly b
y
his
master’s
side appreciating
the beautiful
golden
retriever
’
s
quiet demeanor
as it
patiently watch
ed
his owner
for
some sort of
direction. 
With deliberate strides,
Seth
approached the man while noting the
shorts, tee shirt and sneakers; the
standard
outfit of a runner.  Sweat and the
distinct
odor
of vomit emanated from him.  Seth wondered how long it would be before the
poor guy
would get the courage to run again.  It was hard enough seeing your first dead body as a trained professional
,
it was another
thing as a civilian.
  Seth felt a twinge of sympathy
for the man
.

             
Speaking
briefly
and in quiet tones
with the
runner,
he
wrote down all of the pertinent information
before
asking him to take him to the general
vicinity
of the body
.
Seth said nothing a
s both men w
alked in silence down the paved
lane while ignoring
the curious glances from the walkers and their dogs as they passed. 

             
After 10
minutes,
the man stopped and pointed to a
small-unmarked
path.  Seth asked him to stay and point the others that would be arriving shortly
to where he was
before stepp
ing
into the wood
ed area
.  The air was light and a small breeze weaved through the trees.  Within
minutes,
he recognized the
clearing the man had described to him.  H
e saw her through
the trees in
the distance
and stood still noting ever
y tiny detail around him before
continu
ing
to walk
silently
.
I
nstinctively he stepped
carefully
walking
in a
straight
line to
her. 
His eyes
darted back and forth,
looking for any clue as to who th
is
killer was. 
When he was within
10
feet,
he stopped.  She lay silently, motionless on a soft bed of moss.  H
er long brown hair fanned out around her
face
; each piece meticulously place
d
; a fact that caused his blood to r
u
n cold
while gooseflesh broke out over his skin
.  Seth shivered.
T
he dappled sun filtered through the
leaves touching on her
body
but even
the shadows of the afternoon sun
could not hide her bruises
that formed around her neck
from his trained eyes
.
   One arm
was
outstretched towards him
, palm up
,
while
the other rest
ed
on her midri
f
f
clutching a bouquet of
lilies
, eyes
wide
open; eyes that s
ilently
beg
ged
him, even in death
,
to help her.
 
Moving
in a slow circle around the clearing, he was careful
not
to
enter her space
.  The smallest
twig
could be a clue and he would not disturb
her resting place
until
the others arrive
d
.  In solemn
silence,
Seth
un
rolled
the bright yellow caution tape
, while efficiently and methodically wrapping it around the trees that surrounded her lifeless body.  A part of Seth had wished that he had ignored the call that had come across the radio.  He had only a few hours left to his shift and in hearing a runner had found a body knew that those few hours would turn into much more.   Seeing her now, he had no regrets
.  Here was someone’s family member.  Maybe a daughter, wife or sister and he now felt responsible for her
.  
He stood just outside the tape taking in every
inch
of her hoping to find a clue to the one that did this.  Seth’s nostrils twitched
,
catching
the scent of
the
flowers
,
as he circled around the clearing
like a caged lion
.  He hated lilies.  Glancing at his
watch,
he knew the others would arrive soon.  This was his second
dead body
in a month that had this
MO,
and if his instinct
were
right
, and they usually were,
when she was rolled over she would have initials
P&G
carved on her upper right
shoulder.
 

             
“Sweet Jesus.  Not another one
.
” 

             
“
Seems
like it might be.  I have been waiting for you slow asses to show up.”

             
“Accident on Route 1 –
I
had a hard time getting her
e
; didn’t help that
I had
to walk a mile into the woods
.
”

             
Seth took in the young man
that came up behind him
biting
back the sarcastic
comment
that
immediately
jumped to the tip of his
tongue
about it not being quite a mile
.  Tommy was a good officer
and investigator
with a lot of potential.  He was also the one on scene
processing the last victim
with him
.
 
His knowledge
of that case
would come in handy.
  Seth put on medical gloves.

             
“Where is everyone
else
?”

             
“The
y
are coming
but we can get started if you want.”

             
Seth
stood still as he
watched Tommy t
ake
the camera out of the kit
then proceeded to take
photo after photo of the body
and surrounding area
from behind the tape
before crossing over
.  They worked well as a team.  Tommy
speaking
in low tones while Seth wrote down everything he said. 

             
“
Caucasian
Female between 20 and 30
; o
bvious bruising around the neck
;
b
ody and brush
appear to have been
manipulated after death.
Body appears to have been redressed; possible sexual assault
.
”
  After all the photos were taken, it was Tommy’s turn to take down the notes
while
Seth’s voice car
ried
over the clearing as he walked around and around in a circle.  Tommy stayed in one spot during this part of the investigation.  He loved working with Seth.  He saw more than any other person did at a crime scene.  No leaf
left unturned
.
 

             
Both men turned at the sound of
the coroner and the officers
approaching
before continuing.

             
After several
hours
of
processing the
scene, e
veryone watched
with morbid anticipation
as the coroner
gently
turn
ed
her
over. 
The silence hung heavy around the small group
as they
all
saw the markings P&G
carved into her shoulder. 
T
hey
had a serial killer on the loose.

             
“
How did I get here?” 
Cursing under her breath, Alex
glanced
around at her
immediate
surroundings. 
It was dark and
the landscape
was unfamiliar,
yet seeing the
Boston
s
kyline in front of her only caused her
forehead
to furrow
into a deep
er
frown as sweat broke out on her palms
.  The dampness
from her hands made
the steering wheel
slip between her f
ingers.
 
Boston
should be behind her.
  She rubbed one
hand
than the other on her pants
before running her fingers
nervously
through her hair.
  Slowing
the car
down, Alex took several deep breaths to calm her nerves. She could not believe that she was lost.  Well, yes she could believe it.  Alex got lost even with the GPS system in her car.  She
long ago
knew and accepted the fact that she was the type that would get lost trying to get out of a paper bag.  “Well, technically you’re not lost” she justified to herself.  She
knew
she had been in
Boston
and she knew she was
not
heading north on 1A, which is where she wanted to be. That was about it. Her headlights touched on a sign that read NO U TURN AUTHORIZED VEHICLES ONLY
at the same time she saw the arrow that pointed to Route 1A North, on the other side of the double highway.  H
ope welled up inside of her. She barely glanced in her rear view mirror before making the decision to do the illegal
turn. 
At
this time of the morning,
there was not much traffic and t
he headlights from oncoming vehicles were too far away to make the turn dangerous
. 
If she was going to do it, she
had to do it now. 
S
plit second decision
s
to break the law did not come
easily
to her. 
Alex
was a rule follower
; b
y the book at all times.
That is how she kept order in her life
after
her very
disorganized childhood
. 
She
was tired and h
eaven only knew when she would get another opportunity.  Glancing in her mirrors again, she turned quickly left and went through the bypass.