Murder or Not?

Chapter 5

Sam curled up on the couch in her office. She spread the hit-and-run file on the coffee table. She began examining each sheet and forming questions.

First, did they get fingerprints off the water bottle? If so, whose were they?

Then, whose license plate was on the truck? Surely, they found someone’s name? Did they ever talk to the person? Where is the follow-up? Who oversaw the investigation? Who was the victim? Did they live? Where are they now? This file was so incomplete she thought flipping out on someone would be a good idea. Too much was missing. Did they find anyone with the BOLO?

“Anna,” she called through the open door.

Popping her head inside, Anna asked, “What do you need?”

“I need you to run down some things on an old accident for me,” Sam replied.

“Sure, I can do it right now.”

“Thanks,” she said handing the file and the questions she had to Anna.

Leaving the room, Anna sat at the computer and started running names, the license, and requested all DNA and fingerprint data associated with the case. She went into the police files she still had access to, thanks to the chief.

Sam moved onto the newspaper clippings on the hiker who went missing and was found dead. From those she discerned there were three young men on a weekend hike. Friday night went well, and they set-up camp. Saturday, they hiked more, set-up a new camp, and turned in after banking their fire. Sometime in the night they were attacked. Why? By whom?

Two of them managed to get away with jeans, jackets, and shoes. The third one was missing. When the camp was located by search and rescue, the only tent which showed sign of a struggle was the tent belonging to the third man. The other two were intact. Food was still hanging in a net from a nearby tree. No animal tracks were found in the area. So, what really went on?

Experienced hikers wandered around for four days, no food, eating off the land. Making natural shelters and drinking run-off water where they could find it. Were they looking for their friend? Trying to find help? What was going on in their minds?

Then Thomas Mason, where was he? Why was he the target? Was this a prank gone wrong? His body was found a week after the incident in a ravine not far from were the men were camped, it the opposite direction the other two fled. Did they have an agreement on what to do if there was a problem? Were they heading for a rendezvous point? How did Thomas die? What were

the suspicious circumstances? Who did the investigating? Where is the follow-up? Why is this still considered unsolved? What went on to cause two to run and one to die? Where is the report on this?

Sam stood and stretched. She needed to find lunch and talk to her dad. Too much was unknown about this case. Too many unanswered questions, some even a beginning detective would have figured out. They were basic need-to-know questions.

She walked into the reception area, “Anna, you want some lunch?”

Anna looked up from her computer, “I can be done in five. Do you want take-out?”

“I was thinking of calling the chief and asking him to join us at Ruby’s Deli.”

“Great,” Anna replied. “You make the call to the chief and I’ll finish getting this file together for you.”

Returning to her office, Sam stood beside her desk and punched in the chief’s private number.

“Chief Worth,” he said as he answered the phone.

“Dad, it’s Sam. How do you feel about meeting Anna and I at Ruby’s Deli for lunch in about ten minutes?”

“Sounds like a plan. I’ll see you there, Pumpkin.”

Sam left the newspaper clippings on the coffee table. She took her list of questions. She was going to pick her dad’s brain while they ate. She knew Ruby kept a hidden booth for the chief or the mayor. She walked into the front office to find Anna ready and waiting.

“Where do you want this file?”

“Put it in your out box and I’ll pick it up when we get back,” Sam answered.

Anna placed the file in her out box, they left locking the door behind them. It was an easy walk to Ruby’s. They headed for the private booth. The chief was not far behind them. They had been seated and ordered waters when he arrived. A coffee appeared at his place and their waters were delivered before he had a chance to sit.

“Do you want to place your orders now?” the waitress asked.

“I think so,” the chief responded.

“Okay, go ahead.”

Anna ordered a chef’s salad with dressing on the side. Sam ordered tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, the chief ordered a bowl of loaded chili. The waitress left.

“Okay, what is it you need?” the chief asked.

“The case of the missing hiker in 1974. I need the files. The newspaper clippings leave a lot of unanswered questions,” Sam told him. “I think it somehow ties in with the missing hiker in 1974.”

“Whoa, you’re making a huge assumption there,” the chief replied.

“It makes sense, but there are a lot of open-ended questions. Questions even a rookie would pick up on,” Sam told him. For instance, why did the two hikers go away from the camp in the direction they did? Why didn’t they go toward the tent of Thomas Mason?”

“Good questions,” agreed the chief.

“And if the death was suspicious, why was there no follow-up?” she persisted.

“I’ll look-up the file as soon as I get back and get you copies,” he assured her. “If these are connected, I want to know why they weren’t connected at the time.”

Anna chimed in, “Chief, I just made Sam full report copies of the hit-and-run. A lot of things when it happened were not followed up on. I am trying to track down those who were involved at the time, to see if I can learn more. I know things were different back then, but not this different.”

He shook his head, “I wonder how many other cases got lost or forgotten because no one did the follow-up?”

Lunch was served, and they talked about the town and changes while they ate. The chief picked up the tab and they parted ways.

When the ladies arrived back at the office there was a package waiting at the door. Anna bent to pick it up while Sam unlocked the door. Inside they both put on gloves to open the package. The package just said S.A. Worth. No return address, no postage, no address.

Opening the box, they found the following, a note, a photo of a hearse in a cemetery, the photo of Thomas Mason from the papers, and a crushed grill from a Dodge Ram pick-up truck.

“Get Dad here now!” Sam shouted.

Anna picked up the phone and dialed the chief.

“Chief Worth,” he answered.

“It’s Anna, Chief,” she said. “You need to get to Sam’s office now! She got a package and it’s got more than enough to tie the cases together.” She looked at Sam, “Did someone at Ruby’s overhear our conversation?”

“I don’t know, but I’m not wondering if the cases are connected anymore,” Sam assured her.

The door banged open not moments later. The chief was there. He looked at the items on the desk and the truck grill still inside the box.

“Holy, Hell!”

“You took the words right out of my mouth, Dad.” Sam said, “If I was still wondering if the cases were connected, I’m not now. I need the file on the hiker NOW!!”

“Already have it being pulled,” he answered. “It’ll be here soon. I never meant to have you in the middle of a conspiracy.”

“I know. It was just supposed to be some crackpot.”

“Do you still have security cameras outside?” he asked.

Anna answered, “I’ll pull them for the last hour.” She went off to a backroom.

“Sam, I was a rookie when the hit-and-run happened. It was another ten years before I made detective. I never knew this wasn’t solved. The hiker thing was before I became a cop.”

“No, explanation needed, Dad,” Sam told him. He hugged her.

“This was just supposed to be some crackpot, now I think the Bakersfield’s are at risk and I’m going to have to talk to them. I just need all the information I can gather to formulate the right questions,” she told him.

“You’ll do a fine job.”

“I don’t think the Bakersfield grandchildren or great grandchildren are at risk but, the family does need to know of the threat. I really need to talk to

Robert, Sr.”

Anna returned with a CD in her hand. She popped it into her computer and brought up the video feed from the time she and Sam walked away for lunch.

Ten minutes into the tape a man in a brown UPS uniform with a brown cap, wearing brown gloves put the package in front of the door. His face was never on camera. A UPS truck was never in the camera, but a black Dodge Ram with no grill was picked up going by. The windows were tinted so you could not see who was driving.

“Seriously!” Sam exclaimed. “The hit-and-run driver just delivered evidence to me?” Does he think I’m an idiot and won’t figure it out?”

“Wait!” Anna nearly shouted. “Look at the back of the truck.” She backed the CD up and played it again. When the back of the truck came into view she froze the screen and hit some keys to enhance the license plate. TOOCOOL was on the plate. She switched to a new screen and put the plate into the DMV-department of motor vehicles-site and waited for it to pop-up a name.

A collective gasp came up when the name Harvey Mason appeared on the screen. Anna quickly printed two copies of the page. She handed one to Sam

    and one to the chief.

  “I’ll dispatch a couple of officers to pick him up and bring him in for questioning. Do you want to be there, Sam?”

“Sure, Dad, but can we wait?” she asked.

“Why?”

“I want to read through the complete hit-and-run file. I need to be familiar with the entire missing hiker file, and I want to have all of this analyzed before we do anything. Right now, we only have him on driving by my shop. I’d like to be able to close these cases once and for all. We need justice for two victims.”

“He’s not going anywhere,” the chief agreed.

“Nope, he’s been here for years.”

“Okay, we’ll do it your way,” the chief acquiesced. Carefully they put all the things back in the box and the chief took it with him to have it analyzed for DNA and fingerprints.

“Well, that was exciting,” Anna said to no one in particular.

“Agreed,” Sam replied. “I’m glad you got a copy of the hearse and the letter. I have the photo of Thomas Mason from the newspaper files.” She picked up the hit-and-run file from Anna’s out box and went to her office to read it.

The first thing jumping off the page at Sam was the license plate. It came back registered to a Thomas Mason. Well, she knew Thomas Mason was not

driving the truck. He’d been dead for ten years. So, who was the mystery driver? Harvey Mason? Who was Harvey Mason to Thomas? She also knew the address for Thomas Mason was his parents. So, the truck was not there when police went to check for it. Where did the truck go? Who’s been storing it all these years. Why did they give me the grill now?

She began pacing. There was something key she was missing. Who was a victim besides Thomas Mason? Wait! Her brain stumbled. Who was the victim of the hit-and-run? Sam quickly looked at the papers she had. Then she turned to the file. The name Anna had printed on it was, Matthew Weaver. Matt Weaver the other hiker. Which left only Robert Bakersfield left of the three.

She picked up the phone and called the chief.

“Chief Worth.”

“Dad, you need to come right now. We haven’t a minute to lose,” she exclaimed into the phone. “It’s Robert Bakersfield. He’s the target. His children are targets. We have to warn them.”

“I’m coming, Sam.”

Anna rushed in from the other room. “What’s going on?”

“The intended victim is Robert Bakersfield or one of his children.”

“How do you know?”

“The victim of the hit-and-run was Matthew Weaver, one of the two surviving hikers. Dad and I are heading to the Bakersfield’s right now.”

“Okay, I’ll hold the fort.”

Sam hugged her and grabbing her purse and a notepad ran to the door. The chief was just pulling up. She jumped in the car and he hit the lights.

“Running lights, no siren,” he informed her.

“Silent is good, Dad.”