Saltar's Point (10 page)

ELEVEN

August 27, 1998

Ellie applied another layer of sunscreen. She was getting double exposure she knew, the sun’s rays pounded down from above and reflected off the water, cooking her from all sides. She was not going to make the mistake of burning once again, but she relished the opportunity to catch a few more rays before the summer sun faded into the fall. Her feet dangled off the side of the dock and were submerged in the refreshing water. She wore a one-piece floral bathing suit  with a sarong wrapped around her waist, still self-conscious about the size of her backside. Laura was less inhibited, relishing the opportunity to show off her body. Her black two-piece bikini was so skimpy that Ellie thought the bottoms looked like she was wearing nothing more than a peanut shell and a rubber band.

Chubs bounded along the lakeshore, barking and frolicking as he awaited Randall to throw the stick. It had been just over three weeks since Ellie had returned to Saltar’s Point and already her life had taken a drastic turn for the better. Since Randall had reentered her life her problems seemed to melt away or at least diminish. She had spent every second she could with him, learning about his life the past twenty years and relishing the moments to come. He was great with Aiden. He took him fishing and read him bedtime stories, always tucking him in and kissing him goodnight. He had filled a void in Aiden’s life, a void that had been present ever since Michael decided to leave them. Ellie was cautious in her optimism, not wanting to pressure Randall but hoping that he harbored long-term ideas for the three of them.

She watched as Randall cast the stick as far out into the water as he could. Chubs followed plummeting into the water, creating a small tidal wave that crashed all around Aiden who giggled and hollered with laughter.

“Go get it boy!” Aiden said, clapping his hands enthusiastically.

Chubs swam out into the water and grabbed the stick in his mouth, dog paddling back and leaving a ripple behind him. When he got to the bank he took off in the surrounding grass, weaving and darting between Randall and Aiden trying without success to coral him.

“He’s too fast!” Aiden shouted. “He’s the fastest dog in the whole world!”

“He sure is champ. Let’s see if we can outsmart him.”

Randall chased Chubs around the bank of the lake, trying to get him to run towards Aiden. At last he got the lab to change directions and head right for Aiden who stood ready his arms open and his legs braced like a linebacker about to make a tackle. Chubs plowed right into him knocking him over causing his legs to fly up into the air as he landed flat on his back. Ellie jumped to her feet expecting to hear Aiden wail in pain, instead he giggled with laughter.

“Relax Ellie. Boys will be boys.” Laura said as she rubbed sunscreen on her thighs.

Ellie breathed a sigh of relief. She had never seen Aiden so happy, but Chubs was getting bigger everyday and she was scared that their roughhousing was getting a little too intense. Laura noticed her concern and tried to alleviate her fears.

“He’s fine Ellie. Now do my back please.”

She extended the bottle of Coppertone to Ellie who took it while still eyeing Aiden. He had gotten back to his feet and grabbed the stick hurling it as far as he could into the lake. It went about four feet before splashing down; Chubs was already in the water retrieving it once again.

“You know I wonder if I’ll ever stop worrying about him.” She worked the Coppertone into Laura’s back.

“Of course you won’t, that’s a mother’s job, but right now you need to relax. Have another Corona.”

Laura handed her a bottle out of the cooler. It was cold to the touch, perspiring in the late August sun. She popped the top with the bottle opener that hung suspended from the cooler, attached to the string Laura had tied around it. She took a swig, the beer was refreshing on her parched throat. Ellie wasn’t sure how much more beer she should drink, it was mixing with the Vicodin and the Zoloft making her loopy but filling her with a sense of euphoria at the same time.

“Girl, have I taught you nothing over these past few weeks?” Laura handed her a slice of lime from the bowl at her side. Ellie smiled.

“Mexican piss in a bottle right?”

“Without lime it might as well be.”

They laughed in unison, enjoying their private joke.

“It’s too bad Denny can’t be here.” Ellie said, working the Coppertone in around Laura’s lower back. The sun glared off the sheen of the lotion making Ellie squint.

“Yeah, well somebody’s got to protect this town while we’re out playing.”

Ellie was surprised at how quick she and Laura had bonded, never thinking they would have gotten along despite their glaring differences in personality. But since coming to Saltar’s Point she realized that their differences might not be as big as she would have thought. Although Laura liked to party quite a bit and was about ten years younger than her, they seemed to value the same things in life, both wanting families and to spend their golden years with the men they loved. Ellie was surprised at how good her and Denny’s marriage was. All the kids she knew who had gotten married in the big city were already divorced or had their marriage on the rocks, but Denny and Laura seemed to communicate with maturity well beyond their years. She hoped that she and Randall would be able to experience the same love and devotion that Laura and Denny had for each other.

“How did you know that Denny was the one?”

The question came out of nowhere surprising Ellie with her bluntness and making her feel a little bit embarrassed, soliciting love advice from a woman ten years her junior. Laura didn’t seem thrown by it at all.

“Gosh Ellie, I don’t know. What’s your favorite food?”

Ellie paused, eyeing Laura with perplexity.

“Ice cream, I guess.”

“And the first time you tried ice cream did you know you liked it?”

“I loved it.”

“Well the first time I saw Denny I knew I loved him.”

Laura never ceased to amaze her. She seemed to look at the world with the simplicity of a child, never questioning her first instincts, and content with her decisions in life. She was one remarkable twenty-four year old.

“Mommy! Mommy watch! Chubs chases me wherever I go!” Aiden yelled and ran about the lakeshore brandishing the stick in his small hands. Chubs bounded after him barking and enjoying the game even more than Aiden. They came barreling up the dock. Ellie’ face twisted with worry.

“Aiden no running on the dock!”

“Awe mom, I’m okay.” Aiden shouted as he rushed past her.

He threw the stick off the end of the dock and Chubs plummeted after it manifesting a giant splash that soaked the girls causing them to shriek out loud.

“Aiden and Chubs, you’re washing off all of my suntan lotion.” Laura bellowed.

Ellie tried to suppress her laugh but it escaped her lips anyway causing Laura to give her an annoyed glare.

“Oh relax Laura. Have another Corona.”

Ellie handed her the bottle relishing the opportunity to be the calming influence for a change. Laura smiled as she snatched the bottle from Ellie and grabbed another lime from the bowl.

Randall came trotting up the dock. Ellie couldn’t help but stare at his bare chest as he jogged. He was in remarkable shape for a man his age, and though Randall didn’t see it in himself, she thought he was the sexiest man she had ever seen.

“Looks like you two got soaked.” Randall said, his smile flashing in the bright sunlight. “Can you spare another Corona for a thirsty cop?”

“You can have this one officer.” Ellie handed him a bottle. The sun was starting to take a toll on Randall as well, he could feel his skin begin to redden by the minute.

“As long as I’m asking for stuff, I wouldn’t mind having some of that sunscreen either.”

“Well have a seat and let me get to work.” Ellie patted the beach towel beside her and squirted a healthy amount of sunscreen into her left hand.

“I didn’t know that I was going to get the full service treatment.” His face reddened, and this time it wasn’t just from the warm rays of the sun.

“Are you  complaining?”

“Not at all.” Randall said and plopped down beside her.

Ellie rubbed the lotion into Randall’s back, working on the knots at the same time. Randall let out a small sigh of pleasure.

“Would you two knock it off? You’re making me sick again.” Laura said as she turned over letting the sun tan her back.

Ellie knew the comment was meant in good nature but she still thought Laura had some nerve considering she was wearing a thong bikini and her backside was utterly exposed. Randall didn’t seem to mind. What guy would? Ellie thought to herself. Randall’s radio crackled filling the air with static. Now what? Ellie wondered. Randall took that damn radio everywhere and it seemed that the thing was never quiet. How much could possibly happen in a town like Saltar’s Point?

“Randall, come in buddy.” Denny’s voice had an urgency to it.

Randall picked up the radio and depressed the button.

“This better be good Denny.”

“You better get down to Walter’s right away.”

Walter Hagstrom ran the only service station in town, a
Shell
station with two pumps.

“What’s the problem?” There was a moment of silence with static filling the void. Randall depressed the button again. “What’s the problem Denny?”

“Jesus Christ Randall.” Denny’s voice trembled just a tiny bit. “I think we got a 187.”

Randall put the hammer down in his Cherokee, he flipped on the police lights without the siren and accelerated to ninety miles an hour heading northbound on highway 3. He had pulled his jeans over his still wet bathing suit and slipped his Polo shirt over his sun burned shoulders, not wanting to take the time to go back home and change. He had left Ellie and Aiden with Laura, fortunately she had met them there and had her car. The lake was thirty-five miles southeast of town and Randall was determined to make it back as soon as possible. Denny had sounded frantic and Randall couldn’t blame him. 187. Homicide. In all his years as sheriff of Saltar’s Point Randall had never seen a murder case and he thought he never would. Dark thoughts kept reverberating through his head, life in Saltar’s Point was about to get a lot more complicated. He took the exit a little faster than he should, after all the body wasn’t going anywhere. Still he wanted to get there before the Jefferson County Sheriff’s department did. They would send their homicide unit Randall knew, and they would take jurisdiction over the case but he wanted to make sure he was involved as much as possible and the best way to do that was to be the first on the scene. He took a sharp left and headed down Anders Lane, the dirt road that lead down into town. The Cherokee kicked up a swirling cloud of dust coating the sides of the truck and dirtying the windshield. He would wash it later. Walter’s was fast approaching. The gas station sat just inside town limits and Randall began to slow his speed. As he pulled up he saw Denny’s cruiser parked in front. He pulled into the spot next to it and exited the truck.

He found Denny around back by the dumpster. He was talking to Walter and asking him questions. Walter Hagstrom was sixty-two years of age, with weathered features and thinning gray hair, his ashen complexion betraying his dismay. Randall strode over to them with fervid determination. Denny gave a sigh of relief when he saw him.

“Christ I thought you’d never get here.” Denny said, still visibly shaken.

Randall nodded at Walter, who returned the gesture in kind. “Walter, you want to tell me what happened?”

“Ain’t much ta tell.” Walter wiped his sweaty palms on his blue jeans. “Came around back this afternoon like always ta toss out the day’s trash and I sees these green garbage bags lying in my dumpster, and I figure the Williams boys been illegally dumping on my premises again. So I get mad and grab one of the bags figuring I can cut it open and find some evidence as to whose garbage it is. The William’s boys ain’t too smart ya see and they’re always leaving some bills or something that points right to them.” Walter wiped his hands again. “But the bag’s real heavy, and I’m thinking what the hell ‘cause usually the Williams boy’s trash is just a bunch of unpaid bills and empty beer cans. So I grab my buck knife off my belt and slice her open. That’s when the blood run out all over the parking lot. Now I’m thinking that someone’s discarded a deer carcass, probably scared of getting caught for poaching on account of it not being huntin’ season and all and decides to dump it here. So I tear open the bag and that’s when I seen the foot. Scared me plum to death.”

The ominous green bag sat just in front of the dumpster amid a pool of blood that had congealed into a slushy puddle, curdling in the sunlight. The wind shifted and Randall caught a whiff of the strong smell of death making him gag just a little.

“How many bags are there?”

“Three of ‘em. I left the other two in the dumpster, haven’t touched them at all.” Walter made it clear by his tone that he wanted as little part of this mess as possible.

“Well let’s take a look.”

Randall walked over to the garbage bag. A knot had been tied into the top and Walter had made his incision just below it, opening an oval hole about the size of a football. When he peered into the bag his stomach wretched at the sight of the carnage. A foot and lower leg severed just below the knee lay visible. Randall guessed from the worn toenail polish that the victim was female. The sight made Randall sick, not just from the carnage but from the fact that someone was capable of committing such a grisly act. He looked over at Denny.