Wrong Place, Wrong Time: A Prequel To The Court Reporter Mystery Series by Dehnke Pamela

Author:Dehnke, Pamela
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-06-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7: Taken

Saturday, September 15, 1973

“I’m sorry, Ads,” Dale apologized, “the fellow vanished as quickly as he appeared.” Dale had sprinted out the door before all the words were out of my mouth, and I was right behind him. We continued to look over the area for any clues the guy might have left behind. There was an emergency exit door, but it was locked from the outside, so he couldn’t have used that—unless it had been open and he’d run through it, locking it behind him. There was outdoor furniture, but nothing anyone could hide in or behind. Beyond the patio area, the property dropped off to a precipitous decline.

“Do you think he possibly could have walked down there?” I asked my brother. “I wouldn’t want to try it.”

“Nor would I,” confirmed Dale. “Judging from the steepness, you’d most likely fall forward and tumble down.”

That’s when I noticed the footprints and the flattened grass going down the hill. “He rolled,” I exclaimed, astonished. “That’s crazy! It’s a suicide mission.”

“Or the act of a very desperate man,” added Dale.

“Well, at least we know how he got away,” I said.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “Let’s go tell one of the officers and take a look down there.”

Dale, Desi and I, along with two officers, took a safer dirt path leading down to the bottom, where there was an overflow parking lot. Mom and Dad stayed behind with Brent to try to move along the process of getting statements. The debris at the bottom of the hill was scattered about as if someone had struggled to right themselves. There was no blood, but the man’s clothing would have prevented him from cutting himself on any sharp objects in his attempt to roll down the hill.

“It’s a miracle he got down the hill in one piece,” stated Desi. “I’ve done it, but I’ve been padded, worn boots and a helmet with a mask; and I was still a bit bruised up.”

“You’re kidding, right?” said Dale.

“No, actually I’m not,” replied Desi. “I was escaping a band of wild children out to run me down.” We all laughed.

We left the officers to their job and walked back up to the conference room to give our statements. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to come to Becker’s funeral tomorrow,” Desi said.

“Thank you. That would be nice,” I replied.

Looking me in the eye, she stated, “Becker was a good man, Addie. He wouldn’t have stayed with Kerrie. I’m sure of that. What happened between them was just a crazy set of momentary circumstances. What puzzles me is who killed them and why. You’d think I’d be able to get a handle on it. And why kill the boss and Redneck? Unless they’re unrelated. It wasn’t a drug deal gone bad; I’m pretty sure of that.”

“Do you know of anyone else that Kerrie might have been involved with?” I asked. “Maybe there’s another jealous lover out there.”

“Nothing would surprise me,” Desi declared. “I’ll see if Sandy can talk to us. She and Kerrie go way back.

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