Shadow of Vengeance (25 page)

“Bat shit crazy, more like it,” the man next to Duke said.

“Terry.” Percy slammed a fist against the counter. “You mock my Gramma again and I’ll show you how bat shit crazy we Rodecks can get. Understand?” He turned his attention back to her and Owen. “Now, I’ll admit that Gramma was about ankle deep into dementia. But she was still taking care of herself just fine.”

“
Did
she see a hunter on her property?” Rachel asked.

“Don’t know what she saw for sure. But, one stormy night she couldn’t sleep and said she took a cup of tea and sat out on her covered porch.” Another smile, but one Rachel noticed didn’t quite reach Percy’s eyes. “That was a few days before she went missing.”

“We’d gotten an early warm spell that spring,” Walter said. “Remember? Snow melted, started flooding some areas…”
 

“That’s right,” Percy continued. “Her house didn’t sit far from the river, but was far enough away she didn’t have to worry about being flooded. That wasn’t why she was sittin’ out that night, though. Along with her tea, she had her shotgun. As Gramma told it to me, she sat on that porch sippin’ tea and watching the woods. Waiting.”

Percy’s story was starting to sound like a tall tale. Praying he wouldn’t say Bigfoot, she asked, “What was she waiting for?”

“The Hell Week killer.”

Owen reached for his drink. “Do you know why she thought this killer was roaming her property?”

Sliding his gaze to Walter, he pulled the rag off his shoulder and leaned forward. “Cuz a few months after a kid goes missing, she always sees the killer wandering in her woods.”

“I absolutely do not want you to show me how bat shit crazy you can get,” Owen said with a half-smile. “But I’m wondering…how could she see him at night? And how was it that she was certain that what she saw was the person who killed the kids?”

“I was wondering the same thing,” Rachel said. “Did she ever consider that maybe it wasn’t the killer, but one of the missing kids? Or maybe an animal?”

Laughing, Duke nudged Terry. “Or Bigfoot.”
 

“Walt’s the expert,” Terry said, a big grin splitting under his graying mustache.
 

“Yeah, him and that asshole professor,” Duke added with a shake of his head. “Hey, Walt. Didn’t you track Bigfoot onto Gramma’s property?”

“Watch your damn mouth,” Percy snapped. “There’s a lady present.”

After Duke apologized into his drink, Percy said, “I understand how all this probably sounds. Thing is, my Gramma lived on that property for over sixty years. When kids started going missing, she and my Granddad started seeing…things.” He shot Duke and Terry a look before either man said a word. “Always the same thing. A few months after a kid goes missing, they’d spot someone or something on their property. Usually late evening or on a clear night. My Granddad would always go and check it out in the morning, but never found any tracks.”

“Did your grandparents tell the sheriff?” Owen asked.

With a snort, the bartender shook his head. “Yeah, they told him. But Tom was useless. Never followed up on anything. Jake did that first year he was sheriff. Unfortunately, Granddad was dead for five years by the time Jake came to Bola. Gramma always kept watch, though, and she called Jake when she saw the man on her property.”

“Strange time,” Walter said. “That was the year those idiot boys pulled off the hoax that ended up costing the town the new traffic light and the high school the bleachers for the football field.”

“Yeah.” Percy nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. “Jake caught all kinds of hell when it wasn’t even his fault.”

“I’m still wondering how your grandparents knew whether what they were looking at was a man and not an animal.” Rachel toyed with the napkin under her drink. If this was the type of story they were going to end up with from other Townies, then they were wasting their time. They needed real evidence.

A big grin spread across Percy’s face as he looked to Walter. At that point, Rachel suddenly realized they were the butt of a joke. Furious, she picked up her glass, chugged her drink then slammed it on the bar. She looked to Owen. “I’m leaving.”

Owen touched her shoulder and gently pushed her back onto her seat. “What’s the problem?” he whispered into her ear. The vodka clearly had gone straight to her head. She had the sudden urge to tell Percy and Walter, even the two dicks, Duke and Terry, to go fuck themselves. She also had the urge to turn her face, ever so slightly and brush her lips along Owen’s. Just a taste…

She jerked away before she did something she’d completely regret. “We’re here to run an investigation, not be the butt of a joke.” Reaching behind her, she fumbled around until she found her coat pocket, then she pulled out a business card. After handing it to Percy, she said, “If you have any
real
information that might actually help, give us a call.”

Frowning, Percy looked at the business card. “That
was
real information.”

“Really, then why were you all smiles to Walter when I asked how your grandparents knew they were looking at a man and not an animal?”

“Because Walter sold me a pair of night vision binoculars and happened to be there when I gave ‘em to Granddad and Gramma for their wedding anniversary.”

“Yep,” Walter grunted, then chuckled. “You should have seen them two. They were hilarious. Shutting off all the lights and having people trying to hide around the house and yard.”
 

She couldn’t help smiling as she pictured an old couple playing with night vision binoculars. “Sorry. I seriously thought you were messing with us.”

“Not a problem,” Percy said and reached for her glass. “Ready for another?”

Although tempted, she shook her head. “Not yet…so after your grandpa passed, your grandma kept searching the woods with her binoculars?”

“Wasn’t like that.” Percy leaned against the counter holding all the liquor bottles. “She only did that after a kid went missing.”

“A few months after, you mean?” Owen asked.

“That’s right.”

Rachel rested her elbow on the bar. “You said Jake only searched your grandma’s property that first year he was sheriff. Why didn’t he do anything after the last student went missing three years ago?”
 

 
Percy frowned. “Gramma went missing before Jake had the chance.”

Interesting
. If Percy’s grandparents weren’t bat shit crazy like Duke had implied, then could it be possible that they were witnessing the killer dispose of his victims? If so, why hadn’t anyone found any evidence? And why kill the grandma? Did she see something she shouldn’t have? Better yet, did she actually know the killer?
 

In the meantime, they’d gotten a bit off track and while Percy’s story had taken a curious turn, she wanted to hear about the interactions between Wexman students and the Bola Townies. With so little to go on, they could use a good,
solid
lead.

“So, Walter,” she began. “How long have you lived in the area?”

“Goin’ on sixteen years.” He nodded to Duke and Terry. “Those two and Percy have lived here all their lives.” He lifted his beer mug. “I’d say the majority of the people around here have, wouldn’t you guys?”

The three men grunted in agreement.

“How do people around her feel about the university?” Owen asked.

“Wouldn’t want to see it shut down, if that’s what you’re asking,” Duke said, then draped his arm over the back of his barstool. “I work at the mill, so it’s not like I benefit from the school, but a lot of businesses in Bola do. Percy gets college kids in here on the weekends.”

“That’s right,” the bartender said, with a nod. “Other than the missing kids and this festival coming up, I don’t think any of us have an issue with the school.”

She loved how Percy grouped the missing students with the Bigfoot festival. As if the festival was as bad as disappearing kids. Priceless. “What do you think happened to the kids?”

“Yeah, we’re curious about any kind of theories the people in town might have,” Owen said.

Duke pushed his empty glass toward Percy. “I know some folks think these frat boys are doing some weird hazing crap. Things go bad…they try covering it up with this whole Wexman Hell Week thing.”

“What do
you
think?” she asked.

“Might be some truth to that.”

“Why do you say that?” Owen asked. “Wexman has a strict no hazing policy.”

“Years ago there was a big mess at the school. Hazing gone bad. No one knows for sure what happened, it was all hush-hush.”

“How many years are we talking?” Rachel asked, hoping Duke could shed some light on the elusive reasons for the original no hazing policy. The dean sure as hell was no help.

Duke glanced to Terry. “When was that…twenty…twenty-two years ago?”

Terry shook his head and looked to the ceiling. “That was the year—the same time of year, actually—that the boat dock caught on fire. Remember?”

Percy absently wiped the bar. “That’s right. With everything happening in town, whatever happened at the university didn’t matter much to us.”

Which could also explain why the former sheriff hadn’t done much about the bad hazing. “Do you remember exactly when this fire happened?” Rachel asked, hopeful they were moving in the right direction.

Percy’s eyes widened. “Hell, now that I think about it, twenty-five years this January.” He stopped wiping the counter. “That’s weird, don’t ya’ think?”

Weird didn’t begin to describe this case
.
 

“What’s weird is that professor pulling together this stupid Bigfoot festival,” Terry said. “No offense, Walt.”

“None taken,” the other man said, then went back to his beer.

Rachel looked to Walter. “Why would you be offended?”
   

“Because in my spare time I look for Bigfoot.”

Yes, weirder and weirder.
“And what do you think happened to these kids?”

“I don’t think any of them are alive, if that’s what you’re asking. And I believe Percy’s grandma and granddad saw something they shouldn’t. I also think that’s why Ethel went missing.”

“Because she saw something she shouldn’t.” Like maybe the killer disposing of his victim. But then where was the body?

“Right. I think someone’s got it in for the university and taking those kids is their way of getting even.”

The other men grunted, while the woman next to Walter said, “Sorry, don’t mean to eavesdrop, but I think that’s all a bunch of crap. My son lives overseas and he was telling me about these sex slave operations. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s what’s going on. Someone is taking those boys and selling them to the highest bidder.”

“C’mon, Karen,” Duke said. “You watch too many movies. That kind of thing don’t happen ‘round here. That’s big city stuff.”

The man next to Karen leaned across the bar and said, “You know what I think?”

“Oh, God. Here we go,” Walter muttered, while the other men and Karen laughed.

The man stood and shot Walter a dirty look. “What? Everyone’s okay with Walt claiming he’s seen Bigfoot, but no one believes me when I tell ‘em about the night I saw a UFO?” He threw down some dollar bills. “That’s bullshit.”

“No, you thinking you saw little green men is bullshit,” Duke said, as the man waved a hand behind him and walked out of the bar.

Rachel looked to Owen who smiled and shook his head. “Interesting theories,” she said.

“Very.” Then Owen nodded to Percy. “How about another round, and put their next drink on my tab.” Owen motioned to the three men and Karen.
 

“So.” Rachel began to tick off on her fingers. “We have Duke’s hazing gone bad theory, Walter thinks this is about revenge, Karen thinks we could be dealing with sex slave traders, and the guy who just left believes UFOs are involved. Did I cover it?”

After a round of nods, she focused on Percy. “And you think your grandma disappeared because the killer believes she saw something she shouldn’t.”

After placing fresh drinks in front of her and Owen, Percy folded his hairy arms across his chest. “Exactly.”

The only theory she could agree with was Walter’s. Just this morning she, Owen and Jake had considered that the kidnapper/killer could be out for revenge. But why? What had happened to make him go after innocent students? She glanced at Duke and thought about his theory. Hazing gone bad. This morning she’d also suggested the idea that maybe whoever was behind the kidnapping had had a bad experience at the university. And maybe that experience was related to the reasons behind the no hazing policy.
 

She glanced at her watch. Nearly six. Jake should be by soon. She decided to ask him more on the subject over dinner, then head back to Joy’s. Anxious to open her laptop and do some research, she was tempted to suggest to Owen that they skip dinner and leave. Based on the previous sheriff’s shortcomings with well-documented case files, she doubted Jake could help them anyway.

A disturbance at the door caught her attention. Instead of focusing on whatever Percy was saying to Duke, she glanced toward the front of the bar. Jake shook a man’s hand, then slapped another on the back. Wearing a big grin, he leaned in and said something to the two men, then laughed. Jake really was a good-looking guy. Nice, too. She shifted her gaze to Owen, who was engaged in conversation with Walter. Owen definitely didn’t have any problems in the “looks” department, either.