The Stolen Dozen Ch. 03

The Stolen Dozen

A Novel

By

Prolonged_Debut10 Chapter 3

4. Material and Other Evidence

"Oh Fuck! I've got the car keys."

"Just the car keys, Morty?"

"Give me a second, I haven't finished digging them out yet."

"Here they are. No, it's not just the car keys, but what looks like two sets of house keys. One set probably goes to the cabin, and the other set probably goes to the kid's apartment, back home in the Bronx."

John said, "Someone has to get back to the ranger station, and get the sheriff, Joseph, Robert, and Anthony, back here, as soon as possible, to verify those keys."

Nick said, "I'll take a jeep and hustle back there using the road. I won't kill myself by speeding, I'll just get there in a hurry."

John agreed. "Take Dominic with you. I don't want to lose either of you, but there is safety in numbers."

"Okay, 'dipshit', you are with me."

"Nick, if you weren't my older brother, I would beat the crap out of you."

"Try it sometime, and see where it gets you."

"I can't, mom would kill me if I hurt you."

"Get going you two, daylights wasting."

Morty said, "We are not going to move this shovel from where it is. I want each of you to hand me his shovel, one at a time. I'm going to form a box around it, 4 ft. square. When we have everyone here, we will dig straight down, 3 feet and pull up every inch of dirt to see what we get from it."

"What are we going to do, while we wait for the sheriff, and everyone else to get back."

Morty said, "Men, we are going to get very dirty, using our hands, playing in this dirt. Let's see if we can find anything of value."

Mel said, "Before we get dirty, might I suggest we take some towels, and some soap from the storeroom. Instead of going into the cabin to clean up, we can go down to the lake and clean off there."

"Isn't it great having a brain in the family?"

Mel said, "If I had a brain, I would have my medical bag with me."

"No one's perfect, Doctor, not even the genius's that pulled off these murders. They left four semen stains behind, and they didn't realize it. They cleaned everything else to a 'fair the well', and they also left a new automobile behind the cabin. As far as I'm concerned, that's two strikes against them. One more strike, and they are out. We will nail them to the wall, because of their missteps."

"I sure as hell hope you're right, John. If Robert and Anthony get a hold of them, before the police do, there won't be enough left of them to feed the pigeons."

"I vote for Robert and Anthony. I want to see these guys gutted, filleted, sautéed before they die."

"Gentlemen, may I remind you that I am the police officer, and I'm not supposed to hear this type talk."

"What type of talk is that, Morty?"

"Don't make me laugh guys."

"I brought a dozen towels, and a dozen bars of soap. I wanted to make sure we didn't run out."

"Okay, three of us get into the pit at one time, and dig for five minutes. Then we get out and three others get in and repeat the process. We will alternate until we get down to a depth of about 2 feet, and then stop. We will have to remove that dirt before we continue, and go deeper. So far, we have been lucky, and not run into glass, which probably melted because of the heat of the flames. Feel for metal. Be careful, and don't take anything for granted."

John said, "One thing's for certain, there won't be anything living down here, especially bugs, because of the heat of those flames."

"You're right, if the oil didn't kill them, the flames sure did. Let's start digging and find something that will help bring these bastards to justice."

It was slow, dirty, and disgusting work. Each handful of dirt had to be pried off their fingers as if it was peanut butter, because it was so sticky.

The perpetrators must have used every ounce of fuel oil in the cabin to cause such a mess. It was something that wasn't checked, and that was something that would have to be corrected. There had been 2 full barrels of newly delivered heating fuel oil for the upcoming winter season. Although the cabin had electricity, it was heated by a Beckett high-efficiency hot water and steam heating system. It kept the cabin warm through baseboard heating as well as air vents throughout the cabin. It had to use both systems because the cabin was so large.

John called out, "Mel, go to the cabin. In the utility room, check the oil drums to see how full they are."

"On my way."

A few moments later Mel returned.

"John, I would guess there is less than ¼ of a barrel left in each of them."

"Drago, those bastards used nearly 100 gallons of fuel oil to cover their tracks. They didn't want us to find anything."

"Fires always leave some evidence behind, even though the perps' think they're going to get away clean. Even the best arsonist leaves some trail behind him. If we look close enough, we will find fibers, or leather, a zipper, a buckle, or something so insignificant to them, it will be significant to us. We will add the pieces together, and we will find them."

An hour later, the sheriff and Dave Kelly swarmed around the fire pit, with Anthony and Robert at their sides. Drago displayed the keys to everyone, and Anthony grabbed them from him.

"I can't be sure about the car keys, because they are so mutilated, but I can tell you, for certain, that they are Robert's and Carolyn's apartment keys."

Robert took them from him, and agreed. His face turned scarlet as the reality of the situation turned deadly. In his mind, he had just become a murderer. While a Marine, he had killed for his country, and it didn't bother him, while he used all the skills and tools his country had given him. Now, he was going to kill for his baby girl, and it bothered him even less. He would use every means at his disposal to avenge her death, even if it sent him to hell because of it. After he killed them, he would meet those fuckers down there, and make eternity seem endless to them.

Anthony seemed a little more laid back, but just as angry. His belief in retribution was in the here and now. He wanted those men to live in agony, for as long as possible, until they took their last breaths. He knew Joseph had people, who would carry out his wishes, while he watched. It could take them weeks before they died, possibly a month if they were careful. However, the pain they would feel would be the most excruciating ever experienced by a human being. These men were experts at doling out punishment, and keeping it just short of death. He would have to be very careful to keep his stomach under control and not embarrass himself by vomiting. That would never do. He would have to think of Robert and Carolyn, and what these animals did to them, before they killed her and his boy.

Drago said, "Sheriff, this shovel is the one that hit the keys. The shovels surrounding it mark the area I think we should excavate to see if we can find fibers, or other clothing material thrown in by the perpetrators."

"Good idea, let's do it. Joseph, can we ruin a couple of your sheets?"

"Dominic, go!"

Dominic was off like a shot and back within two minutes with two queen-size sheets. They laid them down outside the pit, and began to remove the earth from inside the square, one shovelful at a time.

When they reached a depth of 2 feet, they stopped. The sheriff said, "Let's sift through this, and see if you can find anything that resembles fibers or metals."

With 10 men looking through the dirt assembled on the sheets, the searching went quickly. They found quite a bit of evidence, much to everyone's surprise.

Long line cotton fibers were plentiful, all through the dirt. They found two thin zippers, partially melted, and one thicker zipper that was almost intact. The tab and base were still attached and it said Levi's.

As far as the Sheriff was concerned, at this point, the only thing they hadn't discovered were the two bodies, and the names of the killers. He was determined to get both, and soon.

5. Searching Grid 1

Grid 1 was bordered on the southeast by State Road 423 and moved to the east 3 miles, north 4 miles, and west 5 miles.it was a huge expense to be covered by 34 men, with no tracking experience, but they were determined to do their best. They walked through every conceivable trail, or break in the trees that could be used as one, hoping to find a missing loved one. For hours, and hours they searched, with no success. It became apparent to them all, that the need for experienced trackers would be necessary to find anyone living or dead, in an expanse this large.

Most of them had not even seen any big wildlife as they traipsed through the forest. Some had seen birds, pigs, voles, dogs, and other small animals scurrying along the forest floor, but none had seen a fox, deer, or a bear in this neck of the woods. They must be hidden elsewhere in this large preserve. They began moving towards their exit points to be met by Deputy Profolino, and other law enforcement agents to take them back to the Ranger Station. Their feet were sore, and they weren't used to walking this many hours without resting. A nice glass of wine would be good, also.

They were taken from the Ranger station to a local restaurant to be given their choice of food and drink. The deputy made sure to take them to a restaurant that served alcohol, otherwise he would have had a mutiny on his hands.

By the time their dinners were served, the men had finished their second bottles of wine, and were working on the third. Their conversation was somber, talking about Carolyn and Robert extensively. Who, 'in their right mind' would hurt children? That seemed to be the center point of the conversation, and they were wondering if anyone had escaped from a local mental institution, or a person who was psychotic in nature. He wrote it down and decided it was a good question to ask his superiors. He knew they were going to ask him about it anyway. Personally, he only knew of one facility nearby, and that was at Brookdale, and that was about 60 miles to the north. The distance didn't matter, only the possibility of escape could be a problem. He would call them as soon as he returned to the ranger station.

As the sun was going down ending the day, 10 men that had been at the cabin returned to the ranger station, tired, somewhat clean, upbeat, because they had found what the sheriff called, "substantial evidence of a crime," and they were hungry. The last thing in the world the sheriff wanted to see were two gray sedans, with government plates on them, sitting in front of the Ranger station.

"Oh fuck, the Fibbies are here!"

Robert asked, "Who's here?"

"The US Government has seen fit to send us help in the form of the Federal Bureau Of Investigation, or as we call them 'The Fibbies', because they lie to us all the time."

"I guess I shouldn't ask why they lie to you all the time."

"No, you shouldn't, because it doesn't make sense to us, and it wouldn't make sense to you either."

"Okay."

"We know why they lie all the time, but we can't tell anyone," said Joseph.

Nick said, "Joey, you can't do that to us."

"I just did."

"Bastard."

"Should I tell dad you said that?"

"Double bastard."

"I guess that means 'no'."

"Good afternoon, gentlemen, I am Sheriff Henry Fond, and these two gentlemen are from our State Police, Mort Singer, and Drago Profolino."

"Good afternoon, Sheriff Fond, and gentlemen, I am Special Agent Peace, and these are Special Agents Waters, Lemon, and Streaker. We are here at the behest of the U.S. Government, because the two young adults who were murdered in your jurisdiction were residents of New York State, which means the murder occurred across state lines, and brings us into your investigation. We will not interfere with your investigation; we only hope to add to it in any way we can. If you need anything from us, we will happily give it to you, just ask. We are here to help you, not hinder you."

"That's good to hear Special Agent Peace, because my previous relations with the FBI have all been just the opposite. I hope this one goes well, because these two kids deserve it. We just found some evidence that needs to get to the State Lab for verification, but I know what it is already. It just has to be certified for when it goes to trial, after we catch these bastards. We know the keys we found are from the Plymouth automobile they left behind the cabin, untouched, which is a mystery to all of us. The other keys, on the key ring, go to the front door of the cabin and to the kid's apartment, back in the Bronx. Both parents agree on that.

We found the remains of zippers. The copper was partially melted on the thin ones, which I believe belonged to women's garments, because the tabs were missing and so were the bases. The teeth were short and probably belong to shorts or sweaters. The other zipper we found was totally intact, from the tab to the base. It had substantial teeth and definitely belong to a male garment, probably jeans, because the tab said Levi's. However, it could have been a jacket.

We found a male belt buckle, partially melted because of the heat of the fire, but is fully recognizable. Everything I told you will be catalogued and put into evidence.

Then there are the fibers. In my estimation they are all longline cotton fibers, more than likely from towels that were bunched together and thrown into the fire, en masse, in hopes they would burn into ash. It didn't happen that way, because they were bundled too tightly together.

The only good news is we didn't find any human bone material in the area we searched in the pit. We haven't searched the entire pit, and we only searched 3 feet down so far. But I don't believe these 4 guys would have gone down there and dug any deeper themselves. I just believe they threw everything they could into the pit, poured all that fuel oil on it, and lit it on fire, hoping to cover their tracks completely. It almost worked, almost, but not completely. We know the kids are dead, now we have to prove it, and find them."

"Do you think they would have thrown them into the lake, to dispose of them?"

"I don't believe they would be stupid enough to do it that way, because they would know that bodies will float to the surface, sooner or later. I think we'll find the kids someplace in the swamps."

Deputy Profolino said, "I disagree. I don't believe these guys would want to get that dirty. The way they cleaned the outside of the cabin, and the area around it, shows how meticulous they are. They are not going to get their shoes and clothes filthy, by walking through the mud and muck of the swamps, while carrying two bodies, and then disposing of them. I believe will find them in the forest."

Mort said, "I hope you're right, Drago. Hopefully, we can find them on the first sweep of the forest."

Mel asked, "There is going to be more than one sweep of the forest?"

Dave Kelly said, "Absolutely, if we don't find them the first time around, we will turn the Grids 90°, and search them again. If Drago is right, the kids will be hidden, in the forest, and we will find them."

"Why are you so sure there are only four men involved in these murders," Agent Peace asked?

"We found four separate stains on a large carpet that was in the living room. They turned out to be semen stains of four different blood types. That's how we determined that there were four men involved, and that Carolyn was raped multiple times, before her death."

"There still could have been more men involved, sheriff, you just didn't find evidence of their involvement."

"That is possible, Peace. The way the cabin was put back together 'Perfectly', the exterior of the cabin cleaned, and the grounds around it picked up to look as if nature had left it manicured, there could have been more men there than we thought. It could have taken a small army to do all that work, unless they took a week to do it all. They must have thought no one would be looking for those kids, and they had all the time in the world to clean that place up."

"They definitely knew the kid's timeline."

"They must have befriended them, before they killed them."

Sheriff Fond said, "Dave, find out who those people were, who were signed into the forest, the same time the kids were here."

"I already tried, Hank. Fake driver's license, phony addresses in Philadelphia, and fake hunting licenses, issued by the State of Pennsylvania. Who has the power to do that Hank? I have no idea? All I know for sure, is they were rich as hell, because they left here in limousines, as I was coming on duty this past Tuesday."

"Do you think a bunch of rich guys, out hunting, would have pulled off these murders?"

"It doesn't sound likely, but why sign in using all fake identification and documentation, if you're so goody-goody?"

"It's an interesting conundrum. Let's go to dinner, and think it over."

The sheriff led everyone to the restaurant where the men were finishing up dinner, and their wine. They were told to stay, and relax, while the 14 of them had their dinner. They would all return to a hotel close by, where they would spend the evening at the state's expense. Then they would begin another look at Grid 1 in the morning. The men were not too happy about those words, but it was something they knew they had to do.

The Motel M is close to Gouldsboro, on Pennsylvania 413, 11 ½ miles north of Tobyhanna. It is used as a resort, during the summer season, and for travelers during the rest of the year. Since it was approaching October, the owners were preparing to close down one half of the motel, because it would not be in use until next May. The sudden influx of 46 people took them totally by surprise, and they had to scurry around setting up beds, and turning on plumbing to make sure everything was ready for their guests, especially since the State of Pennsylvania was paying for their visit.

While the owners were doing their chores, Joseph led everyone into Gouldsboro to purchase shaving equipment, toothbrushes, and any other sundries they wanted for their overnight stay. He paid for everything they purchased out of his own pocket. There was no arguing with him.

The next morning everyone ate a hearty breakfast, before heading back to the Ranger station. Joseph had the bus driver stop at a local Sporting Goods and Outfitting Store, so everyone could purchase boots or sneakers for this day's walking. The store did not have enough of either item in the sizes necessary to outfit each of the men, and had to ask some local shoe stores to supply the extras. It took nearly 90 minutes to get everything done, but everyone would be more comfortable walking through Grid 1 today, than they were yesterday. Again, Joseph paid for everything.

Ranger Kelly explained the difference in their walking directions, both in their ingress and egress of the forest. He wanted them to be cognizant of crossing their trails from yesterday, because it would give them a reference to show them that they were traveling in the correct directions. He didn't want anyone to miss any section of Grid 1, because it would not be searched again. They would be traveling towards the edge of the forest towards State Road 423, where Grid 1 ended on its southeastern side. The Greyhound bus, cars, and jeeps would pick them up at that location starting at 4 PM.

When Robert and Carolyn's relatives heard that their section of forest would not be searched again, it put extra pressure on them. They were not expert trackers. They were all former members of the military, except for Dominic, who was too young to serve. They all knew what to look for, but hadn't done it for more than 11 years. Now they would have to remember all those lessons, learned under the harshest circumstances imaginable, and put them to use, again.