The River Runs Dry (4 page)

Jack nodded and smiled courteously.

“I've heard about this body found out near Lancer's Point Jack. It's your first proper case, isn't it?”

“Yes sir, slim pickings here in Burgess.”

“Oh, I understand that better than most. I've served the Sheriff's office here for over 30 years, and let me tell you, it's not the most exciting county in America.”

“No sir.”

“I know you wanted to stay in LA. You need to take this opportunity right now, show the higher ups over there what you're capable of. You get a good catch under your belt, and you won't be stuck out here forever, like I've been. Have you got any details yet?”

“Yes sir. Girl, early 20's, stabbed through the right eye socket, causing massive trauma to the brain.”

“Jesus, that's grim.”

“There's more. Hair was sawed off in patches, and...” he paused for a moment, “the eyes were cut out.”

The Sheriff breathed a heavy breath and took his hat off once more, dragging a cloth over his forehead. “No match yet?”

“I'm awaiting the call, hopefully we'll know by this afternoon.”

“I'm gonna give you his one Jack, I'm gonna let you have a run at it. I'll try to keep the media out of it as much as possible, keep things under wraps. This town hasn't seen anything like it in a long time, and they'll be all over it as soon as they get a sniff.”

“They already did,” Jack said, shooting his eyes over the front page for the local newspaper on his desk. I saw in on the news as well.”

“Yes, well, that was a slip up. I don't know how but someone knew about police movement and managed to get a scoop. I'll try to stop that from happening again....”

Suddenly the phone in the middle of Jack's desk started ringing loudly, cutting the Sheriff off. “Well take it,” he said, nodding at the phone.

Jack picked it up and his frown grew more intense. He nodded slowly as he listened to the man on the other end.

“Right, thank you Dr. I'll inform the parents.”

He put the phone down and stared back up at the Sheriff with grave eyes.

“Well,” asked the Sheriff?

“We have a match sir. It's Taylor Lane.”

“Jesus fucking Christ,” said the Sheriff, standing up and pulling his hat once more from his head. He brushed his hands through his thinning white hair, beads of sweat dripping down his brow. “Well, so much for keeping the media out of it.”

Jack nodded, his mind ticking over. Taylor Lane was a new up and coming singer, a beautiful girl who'd lived in Burgess her whole life, but who'd gone to LA recently to try to make it big. She hadn't, yet, and now she never would. To the local people of Burgess, however, she was a shining light. News of her murder would be a real shock for the town, even Jack, who hadn't been there long, knew that.

“Do her parents still live round here?” asked the Sheriff, moving over to the window and peering out into the bright sunshine.

“I think so, yes.”

“Right, I'll take a priest and go see them. It will be best coming from me.” He started shaking his head, almost disbelieving. “Taylor Lane. Did anyone even report her missing?”

“Yes sir, but only recently. Her parents thought she wasn't getting in touch because she was too busy in LA. They went to visit her at her apartment, but the doorman said she hadn't been seen in a while. That's when they reported her missing.”

“What a fucking mess.” The Sheriff exhaled deeply. “This is the part of the job I hate the most. It's always worse when you know the family, and these circumstances....Jesus.”

“Would you like me to go sir? I don't know them, it might be easier.”

“No, no, Jack. You do your job. The ball's in your court now. You find this fucker, OK, keep your mind on nothing else.”

Jack stood as the Sheriff walked to the door, a large sweat stain appearing down the center of his back. “And Jack, you might want to get a better fan for this room. They say the heat's not going anywhere for a while.”

With that he stepped out of the door, just as another blast of hot air swept past Jack's body.

Chapter 4

Jessie sat outside the front porch of her house, her feet soaking inside a bucket of iced water. It was her day off, although that barely meant anything more than lingering around town or back at her house these days.

There were a couple of books to her side, sitting on a small table. She picked one up and started reading, before hastily putting it back down again.

It had been hard for her to re-engage that side of her, ever since her mom died. That smart girl with the keen mind had been dulled by grief and the tedium of her job, a job that started as only a part time way to make some extra cash during the holidays. Now it was all she did. She was stuck in that cyclical way of life that afflicted so many others; living to work, not working to live.

The neighborhood was awash with people sitting in their front and back gardens, all undercover and hiding in the shade. Some were tending their flowers and shrubs, desperately trying to keep them alive through the heat. Inside, few houses had proper air conditioning systems, so most would look to get some solace from the breeze that blew past from time to time.

The front of Jessie's house was already dead, and she had no heart to try to change that. It had been her mother who'd kept the small flowerbeds alive, and the lawn between them finely cut and freshly green. Now there was nothing but parched earth and dirt, the life sucked away by the insatiable heat.

Jessie heard tires screeching round the corner at the top of the road and raised her head to see Darcia's little blue car coming straight for her. Jessie's house was right at the edge of town, looking out over the wide expanse of the plains beyond.

In days gone by she used to love sitting there at night, when the evenings were cool and her mom was preparing dinner inside. She'd look out over the wide world and wonder what was out there, how far it all went. She'd stare deep into the sky and try to count the night stars, so clear and bright out here, no blanket of smog or pollution to veil them. Sometimes her mother would join her, and they'd sing together under the moon as it moved through the sky. Those were some of the happiest memories of her life, memories she still clung to.

The sound of a car door shutting loudly broke Jessie from her thoughts and she saw Darcia hurriedly running up the steps towards her. Jessie didn't sit up or feel any concern that something was wrong. No, Darcia had always been one for the melodrama.

“Have you seen the news?” Darcia asked quickly, panting, her voice brittle.

Jessie shook her head. “No, can't bare to stay in there for too long, it's too hot,” she said, tilting her head towards the front door as Darcia walked straight in.

Jesus, what now.

Jessie stood, lifting her cool, wet, feet from the bucket and placing them down onto the burning wooden porch. She flinched slightly at the change in temperature as she quickly tiptoed after Darcia and into the house. The TV was already on when she got inside, Darcia sitting forward with her elbows on her knees and chin in her palms as she gazed at the screen.

“It's awful Jess, it's just so horrific.”

Jessie moved forward and perched herself on the arm of a sofa. “What is this?” she asked, staring at a police reporter standing around a cordoned off area out on the plains. “Is this the murder Tony was talking about the other night?”

Darcia was nodding slowly, and sobbing lightly now. “They say it's Taylor, Jess, Taylor. I can't believe it.”

Jessie felt her heart constrict suddenly as a red bar rushed across the bottom of the screen. It read only: BREAKING NEWS – Body found at Lancer's Point confirmed as Burgess resident Taylor Lane.

Jessie slipped off the arm of the chair and onto the cushion, her eyes beginning to well. “Taylor. But why would anyone....how could anyone....”

She leaned forwards as Darcia was, her hands shaking as she looked through wet eyes at the television. The reporter was still speaking as a couple of cops stood guard around the site.

“
The recent body found out near Lancer's Point has been confirmed, via official police reports, as Taylor Lane, a former resident of Burgess who'd recently moved to LA to pursue her career as a singer and performer. At this time further details of the death are unknown, but it is thought that she was abducted and murdered, before her body was dumped in the small river running southward across the valley.

The body was found last week by a family on their way to Lancer's Point in the dried up river bed. No suspects are thought to be known at this time. We'll have more on the story as details come out.”

Darcia quickly pressed the remote and the TV shut down, it's screen going black and leaving a silence in the room. “I can't listen to it any more. Who'd do that to Taylor. Why would anyone...” Her voice was breaking down now as her tears grew, spilling from her eyes.

Jessie stood up and moved over to sit beside her, pulling her in for a hug. “I didn't even know she was missing. I thought she was just in LA.”

“She was,” Darcia sniffed. “She went there a few months ago. We all thought that she was just focused on her career, that's why she wasn't getting back to our messages.” She sobbed again. “Poor Millie and Andrew,” she cried, “I can't imagine how they're feeling.”

Jessie let a small tear run down her face as Darcia kept sobbing loudly in her shoulder.

Imagine losing your own daughter like that. It must be the worst thing in the world.

“We should go see them, do you think?” asked Darcia, lifting her red eyes from Jessie's shoulder. “Go and see if they're OK?”

“I don't know, Darc. It's a bit soon, maybe give them some time.”

Darcia nodded and stared back at the blank screen. “I guess. But why would anyone do this. Who could do such a thing?”

Jessie shook her head. “There are a lot of weird people out there babe. Some people don't understand right and wrong like we do.”

“What sort of excuse is that?! How can someone not understand right from wrong?!”

“There's lots of reasons honey. People are complicated.”

Darcia sniffed again. “Well, I hope they catch whoever did it and send him to the chair. Probably some weirdo stalker or something. She was so beautiful Jess, I always thought she was going to be a star.”

Jessie nodded, her eyes down. “We all did.”

“Do you have any alcohol. We should drink to her, to her memory.”

“Sure,” said Jessie, standing and rushing off into the kitchen. She came back a minute later with two small glasses of whiskey.

“To Taylor Lane,” said Darcia, lifting her glass, “the brightest star this town had ever seen.”

They both sunk their drinks together, grimacing slightly as the liquid oozed down their throats. Darcia looked broken, her face a deep frown as she stared at the bottom of her glass. “Do you have any more,” she whispered, tears once again starting to swell in her eyes.

“Sure honey, I've got a bottle...it was my mom's.”

Darcia looked up quickly. “Oh Jess, you don't have to use that, not if it was your mom's. We'll have something else, or go out...”

“No, it's OK,” said Jessie quietly. “My mom would have wanted us to toast our friend.”

She left the room and quickly came back with the bottle, setting it down on the table between them.

They toasted again and drank, each time filling their glasses and drinking to another memory, another story they told of their time at high school together. They'd all been close friends, so close that people thought they were sisters. Not just because of the time they all spent together, but the way they all looked: dark brown hair, blue eyes, all of them with pretty faces.

They used to speak of forming a band, of singing together, but that ambition never made it through high school. When Jessie left, Darcia and Taylor stayed behind, their friendship growing stronger as Jessie's life started to move away. Until, that is, the death of her mom brought everything crashing back down.

For Taylor the dream of being a star began to form into reality. She sang at local festivals and in bars in the town and surrounding area. The town loved her, and she was always going to be their star, their claim to fame. Finally, it seemed, Burgess would be put on the map.

The sky began to slowly darken outside as the beating heat of the sun settled under the horizon, leaving an orange hue that crept in through the window. The girls kept talking, laughing and crying at points, as they reminisced about their friend, their sister.

When the whiskey and emotion got too much for Darcia, Jessie lay her down on the sofa, asleep, and placed a light blanket over the top of her. Then she stepped, quietly, out of the front door and onto her chair, sitting on the porch.

She looked up, as she used to, into the night sky, the stars as bright as they ever had been. She imagined that there was a new one out there, one she'd never seen before, one lit for their friend. It burned brighter than the rest, it's warm light spilling over the town of Burgess and all it's mourning residents.

Soon her eyes drifted further beyond, towards the craggy silhouettes along the horizon. This time there were no thoughts of wonder, no fascination at where it all ended, at what was out there. No, she knew what was out there now.

It was death.

Chapter 5

It had been a long few days for Jack, ever since the local media got hold of the identity of the victim. Now he'd have to duck their questions while trying to ask his own. It was a brand new situation he found himself in: trying to interview people one minute, dodging interviews himself the next.

He'd spoken with the girls' parents soon after the Sheriff had told them the news, finding out about her and her life. In Burgess she'd been the toast of the town, but they knew little of her life beyond, of the short time she'd spent in LA.

Her apartment in LA was cordoned off and the residents were interviewed. They spoke of a happy and bright girl, always smiling, beautiful, confident, and ambitious. She'd gone to LA to further her career, to try to make it big, and had been working at a local bar to try to fill the gaps between auditions.