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a short Murder Mystery
written by Cort Stevens
[sequel-continuation via category HERE]

FORWARD
Ever had an idea pop into your mind based on a seemingly insignificant experience? That’s what happened to me: Monday, 08/29/2016, I was standing at the kitchen window in the early morning hours & suddenly had an idea for the start of a new writing. I had no idea where to go from there, but I sat down at the computer & the words just gushed. I didn’t plan the plot; I just let the words flow from my fingertips. I became so enthralled with it, I wrote more every evening that week. While the plot was developing, I remembered something to weave into the story. For the 2016 Chicago Cubs baseball season, the team found themselves on a new radio home, WSCR. At the end of several games, the station has a reporter ready to interview a key player, before awesome play-by-play voice Pat Hughes & cool color commentator Ron Coomer sign off. To remind them, a note was written: “Don’t forget Schuster”. During 1 (or more) of the broadcasts, Hughes noted that phrase sounded like the title of a movie or book…!

——

The blood-curdling scream pierced the silence of the night sounds. Or so Vern thought.

“What on earth was that?!” Vern said out loud to nobody in particular, while leaning towards his kitchen window as if to see what he couldn’t possibly see. On somewhat of an instinct, he quickly retreated from the window & glanced at the clock on his kitchen wall. 2:22a.

‘Certainly, I was just hallucinating that scream,’ Vern thought to himself. ‘That’s such an unusual night sound around here. It was just Amy’s way of telling me I’ve been doing too much reminiscing while listening to the sounds of the night come in from my kitchen window.’

Vern turned away from the window, shut off the kitchen light & walked down the hallway to his bedroom. Still awake, he found himself folding clothes & putting them away. Then, just as he was about ready to hit the hay, he realized he hadn’t checked Email all day. So, he walked to his office-computer room, opened his laptop & signed in. Bunch of spam Emails, a notice from the town council, a picture his Nephew sent & an Email from a friend in the midwest.

‘Hey Vern,’ that last Email began. ‘Found this audio recording online & thought of you right away. I know you will enjoy it. Hope to see you again soon, on your next road trip, of course.’

Vern clicked on the link & was transported to an October night: “If you feel like you can’t sit still, you are not alone. You got lots of company! … I wish all of you could be right here at this moment. Unbelievable atmosphere! … & the 0-2 … swing & a miss!”

Vern closed his eyes & smiled. He could visualize exactly where he was 10/13/2015. On a brief road trip, well, brief to his standards, he was in Illinois, driving north on Interstate 39, en route back to Wyoming, & was thrilled to hear Pat Hughes’ call of the final moments of Game 4 of the National League Division Series.

Just then, the unmistakable rumbling of the daily freight train shook Vern from those happy memories.

‘That’s odd! Didn’t I already hear the train this morning?’ Vern thought to himself. He sighed & figured it was about time to go to bed since the train meant it was about 3a.

——

Pounding on Vern’s front door woke him some 6 hours later.

“Vern, it’s Kyle. Open up. We need to talk.”

“OK, OK,” Vern yelled from his bedroom. “I’m getting up, hold your horses.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, did we wake you?”

“Yeah, but it’s OK. I needed to get up anyway.”

Vern shuffled on some slacks & a T-shirt & opened the front door.

“Now, what can I do for you boys this morning?”

“Well, Vern, did you hear anything unusual last night?”

Vern turned his gaze from Kyle to his partner, then back to Kyle.

“No, I don’t think so,” Vern said. “Why?”

“Think again,” Kyle urged, ignoring Vern’s question. “I know you tend to stay up late. Please, take a moment to think.”

“OK, OK,” Vern said. “Here, you boys want to come on in?”

“No, thank you, Mr. Eagleson,” Kyle’s partner offered.

“Suit yourself,” Vern said. “But, call me Vern. Mr. Eagleson was my father!”

“It’s better this way,” Kyle said. “Sheriff might call us to come quick.”

Vern looked quizzically at Kyle, but since Kyle hadn’t answered his query a moment ago, he kept his next question to himself. Just then, he remembered the scream he thought he’d hallucinated.

“Well, ya know, I did hear a blood-curdling scream early this morning,” Vern offered. “But being this is the boonies, I figured it was just me. It was kinda faint.”

Kyle & his partner glanced at each other.

“About what time was that, Vern?”

“Well, just before 2:22 in the morning,” Vern stated matter-of-factly.

“You seem pretty sure of that, Mr. Eagle…er, Vern”, Kyle’s partner said, writing the information in a notebook.

“I am,” Vern replied, “because that is what time my kitchen wall clock said it was.”

“I see.”

“I was up, staring out my kitchen window, thinking of memories of past road trips & people. I heard the scream, faint as it was, & it sorta startled me. Now, are you boys going to tell me what this is all about?”

“Well, Vern,” Kyle started, “there was a murder last night.”

“MURDER!?” Vern blurted out.

“Yes, a murder.”

“In these parts? Well, what on earth? Who got killed?”

“I’m not at liberty to say right now,” Kyle said hesitantly.

“Oh?”

“Yes,” Kyle said. “Now, do you know about which direction that scream came from?”

“Well, no, not really,” Vern said. “Out here, noises can come from just about anywhere & sound like they’re from somewhere else.”

“I know,” nodded Kyle in agreement. “Did you hear anything else?”

“No, can’t say as I did,” Vern replied. “But, wait, why did you want to know where the sound came from? You obviously found the body….”

“Yes, but we don’t think the victim was murdered where the body was left,” Kyle replied. “So, what time did you go to bed, then?”

“Well, let’s see. I heard the rumble of the train just as I was getting to bed, so right around 3 this morning.”

“OK, thank you,” Kyle’s partner said.

“Though,” Vern continued, his voice trailing off.

“Yes?” Kyle said.

“Well, it’s funny,” Vern noted. “When I heard the train at 3 in the morning, I felt this deja vuish feeling, as if I’d already heard the train earlier.”

“But, that’s impossible,” Kyle said. “Only 1 train runs like clockwork at that time of day.”

“I know,” Vern nodded.

“Wait, how soon after the scream was the sound like the train?” Kyle’s partner inquired.

“Well, shortly after it. I’d say within 10 minutes or so.”

“& about how far away was it, do you think?”

“Well, the low rumbling of the train I can hear from about a quarter mile away, so, probably about that same distance,” Vern said, already realizing what Kyle was about to say.

Kyle & his partner glanced at each other again.

“That probably was the killer’s vehicle you heard,” Kyle said.

Vern & Kyle seemed to come to the same conclusion at the same time. Kyle voiced it 1st: “&, if you heard it that close, there is a good chance the killer may’ve seen your kitchen light on at that time, given the wide open & flat land in this immediate area.”

Vern had already felt the goosebumps start to form on his neck & arms, but they seemingly grew bigger within that moment.

“Oh, my,” Vern said.

“Hang on,” Kyle said, clicking the call button on his vest.

“Yep,” came a voice from the walkie-talkie-like equipment.

“Yeah, Sheriff, this is Kyle. We need to figure out someone to stay with Mr. Eagleson until we catch the perp.”

“Oh, now, wait a minute,” Vern started to protest. “You don’t need to…”

“Yes, yes we do,” Kyle’s partner said, while Kyle turned away to finish his conversation. “We don’t know who this person is, if it is more than 1 person, what they know about this area, what they know about you.”

Starting to realize the gravity of the situation, Vern closed his eyes & took a deep breath. “OK.”

“Sheriff is sending another officer to pick up Troy, here, & then, since you know me, I’ll stay with you today,” Kyle said, stepping back towards the front door.

“OK,” nodded Vern, turning towards Kyle’s parter. “Troy, huh? Nice to meet you. How long you been here?”

“Nice to meet you, too, Mr. Eagles…, I mean, Vern. Today is my 1st day on the job, but I moved into a place about a mile away from here about a week ago now.”

“Ah, so, it was you who bought the old Braidwood homestead, eh?”

“Um, I guess…,” Troy replied.

Kyle smiled: “Yes, Vern, the old Braidwood place.”

“Well, in that case,” Vern said, “Howdy, neighbor & welcome!”

“Thank you,” Troy said. “I took this job because I was told nothing much ever happens here … & my 1st day, we have a murder.”

“Odd,” Vern observed.

The Sheriff’s car pulled up into Vern’s driveway.

“Hey Vern,” came the Sheriff’s voice. “Sorry for the trouble, but we want to make sure we protect our own, ya know.”

“Howdy, Marty,” Vern replied, shaking Troy’s hand before he turned to walk back to the car. “Yeah, I know. I’m sure Kyle will take good care of me, even if I don’t think I need it.”

“I know,” the Sheriff replied. “But, talking with Kyle, it sounds like it is for the best, given what you observed & heard.”

Vern nodded; Troy closed the passenger side front door of the Sheriff car.

“Welp, I’ll see you later, Vern.” Marty waved, Vern waved back & the Sheriff steered the car out of the driveway.

“Well,” Vern said, looking at Kyle. “Now do you want to come on in?”

——

“So, how you been, Vern?” Kyle asked, while Vern placed a hot cup of coffee in front of him at the kitchen table.

“Oh,” Vern pondered, sitting across from Kyle at the table, “I’ve been OK.”

Kyle nodded & took a sip of his coffee.

“My Nephew sent me a pic from his new place in Nashville Tennessee,” Vern offered.

“Yeah?” Kyle replied. “How is he enjoying that big city?”

“He loves it,” Vern said without hesitation.

“Far different than the empty spaces here in Wyoming,” Kyle offered matter-of-factly.

“Heh, you ain’t kidding,” Vern responded. “Though, after last night, I’m not so sure.”

Kyle placed his coffee cup back on the table & looked Vern in the eye: “I keep telling you, you should really consider taking your Nephew up on his offer.”

“& leave all this!?” Vern protested.

“You yourself have said it’s already far different than it used to be around here,” Kyle said, “& yesterday’s town council notice probably didn’t help….”

“I haven’t read that yet,” Vern admitted.

“Well, I won’t spoil the fun for you,” Kyle deadpanned.

“Gee, thanks!” Vern rolled his eyes slightly.

“Anyway,” Kyle continued, “Might do you some good to get out of here, for a while, at least.”

“Pshaw,” Vern waved his hand at Kyle. “Your ‘get out of here’ is far different than my ‘get out of here’. Mine is traveling the road 24/7/365. Yours is just a change of scenery.”

“Yeah, I know.” Kyle chuckled, picked up his coffee up & took another sip.

“Wait,” Vern hesitated with his next words, “are you wanting a change of scenery?”

“Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Vern just about blurted out. “Everything OK with Ashley & the kids?”

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” Kyle replied. “I just often wonder what it is like elsewhere, ya know?”

“Oh, I know,” Vern said, with tons of memories flashing across his mind. “Always a wandering soul.”

Kyle nodded & took another sip of coffee.

“So, what’s the deal with last night’s murder & why the stony silence about it?”

“I don’t know,” Kyle said without hesitating. “Sheriff wants things kept under wraps, in hopes we can catch whoever did it, because when the media gets a hold of this, things will get rather hellish around here.”

Vern gave Kyle a glance, which Kyle read accurately.

“I wish I could tell you more, Vern,” Kyle offered, “but I can’t. This is such a strange situation. Nothing like this happens around here.”

“Exactly,” Vern said. “I’m sure Marty has our best interests in mind, though. No doubt about that. He always has.”

“Yep,” agreed Kyle.

“But, who is this new guy … Troy, right?”

“Yes, Troy. I’m not really sure. With Mike’s departure, Sheriff wanted another guy, & Troy seemed to appear out of the blue.”

“Almost as odd as the murder last night,” Vern interrupted.

“Yeah….”

“You don’t think Troy would have had anything to do with it, do you?”

“The murder? Nah, I don’t think so,” Kyle said, taking another sip of coffee, finishing the cup.

“Want more?”

“No, thank you, Vern. That’s all the coffee I need right now.”

“But, since we don’t know much about Troy….”

“I know where you’re going with that, Vern, but I don’t think it’s possible. I mean, I don’t have an itinerary of where he was or what he was doing in last night’s overnight hours, but I can’t imagine Sheriff would’ve had him help if he thought or knew there was a possibility he was involved.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” Vern nodded.

“Course, I suppose you never know,” Kyle added. “But, we won’t go there. ANYWAY, let’s talk more about your night last night.”

“Not sure there is any much more to tell than what I told y’all earlier,” Vern said.

“Maybe not, but after you heard the scream, did you happen to look out your kitchen window?”

“Well, yes, but only for a split second or 2. I sorta instinctively retreated back from the window.”

“Might’ve been good you did that, Vern, but in that moment you looked out the window, do you remember seeing anything out of the ordinary?”

Vern shook his head.

“Or, maybe, something that may not have seemed out of the ordinary, but perhaps was?”

Vern rubbed his chin while he thought a moment.

“I don’t think so…” Vern started. “But, I don’t know.”

“That’s OK,” Kyle said. “Take your time. Maybe you saw a car’s headlights or tails?”

Vern shook his head again. “Nah, I don’t remember seeing anything like that. Tho, that flickering light down the road always kinda seems to dominate the sight out the window. I suppose it’s possible I saw a car, but wasn’t paying attention to it because of that flickering light.”

“Possible,” Kyle offered. “What were you doing when you thought you heard the train right after the scream?”

“I was walking back toward my bedroom by then. I’d turned off the kitchen light a few moments before. Think it’s possible the killer saw my kitchen light go out & took off down the road?”

Kyle nodded, “Most likely.”

Vern shuddered, feeling the goosebumps return to his skin.

——

Now in the living room, Vern was seated in his chair, flipping through TV channels, while Kyle sat on the couch, reviewing & re-reviewing notes. The ringing of the landline house phone startled both of them.

“You expecting a call?”

“No,” Vern started, “though I do seem to get those crank IRS & sales calls, even though I’m on that so-called do not call list. What a crock THAT is. Hardly anyone calls the house phone anymore.”

“Mind if I answer it, then?”

“Suit yourself.”

Kyle reached over the side of the couch to the phone sitting on the stand between the couch & Vern’s chair. He somewhat cautiously picked up the phone.

“Hello? … Hello? Is anyone there?”

Vern cocked his head & watched Kyle’s reactions. Kyle slowly hung up the phone.

“Nobody there.”

“Eh, probably just as well,” Vern said, without much thought.

“Well, I don’t like it. May just be nothing, but I’m going to send a text to Sheriff anyway so he is aware.”

“Fine,” Vern said. “I’m really not sure what to make of all this.”

“Me, either,” Kyle started to say, interrupted by a beep of his cell phone. He glanced at it, then looked up at Vern.

“Sheriff is on his way back here. He didn’t say why.”

——

“Now, Vern,” the Sheriff began as he, Kyle & Vern all met at the front door of Vern’s home, “don’t get defensive, I just have some additional questions I have to ask you.”

“OK….”

“What’s going on, Sheriff?” Kyle asked.

“I’ll explain as we go along….”

“Do you want to come on inside the house?” Vern offered.

“No, but I may need you to step outside for some show’n’tell in a bit. But, 1st, that call you received a bit ago, I had it traced & it came from a burner cell phone. Not exactly the M-O of IRS & other scam callers. Might’ve been high schoolers pranking you, but given the situation, I’d rather keep playing it cautious with Kyle spending more time with you.”

“OK….”

“Now, when was the last time you drove your car?”

“Which one?”

“Your daily driver, the one that looks like our police cruisers.” The Sheriff looked back & pointed at the 2 police cars in Vern’s roundabout front driveway.

“Ah … well, let’s see, a couple days or so ago, when I drove to Cheyenne & back,” Vern stated.

“& you haven’t driven it since?”

“No.”

“Not last night?”

“No. What’s this about, Marty?”

“Well, Vern, we talked with Old Lady Yannich, & she told us she saw your car, or rather, a car like yours, out around 2:30 in the morning.”

“It wasn’t me.”

“Nobody else has access to your car, right?”

“Correct.”

“& you would’ve heard if someone had taken it, correct?”

“I wouldn’t say that, exactly,” Vern hesitated.

“Why not? It’s in the 1-stall garage attached to the house, right?”

“Well, no.”

“Huh? I thought that’s where you kept it.”

“No,” Vern hesitated again. “Not since my Nephew moved to Tennessee & took his classic car with him about a year ago. It’s silly, I know, but after he left, I put the Mercury Grand Marquis out in the out garage with the convertible. Figured the 2 cars could keep themselves company.”

“Knowing you, Vern, that isn’t so silly,” the Sheriff chuckled.

“Anyway,” Vern continued, “if someone would be real quiet about it, I might not hear them if the air conditioning is on or the exhaust fan is in the utility room window.”

The sheriff nodded, “I see.”

“Wait, you put a fan in the utility room window?” Kyle asked curiously.

“Sure do,” Vern said, turning to look at Kyle. “With the exhaust fan in the window in that room, it pulls the air in through the other windows, air fragranced by nature, as opposed to a mixture of mechanicals & laundry!”

Kyle nodded & half-smiled. “Makes sense.”

“OK, well,” the Sheriff interrupted, “do you mind opening your detached garage so we can check on your Mercury, Vern?”

“Nope, not at all. I have the keys right here in my pocket.”

“The car keys?” Kyle asked.

“Certainly not! Those are where they belong … in the car’s ignition. The keys in my pocket are to the garage side door. Here, come on.”

Vern opened the house front door & stepped out, leading Kyle & the Sheriff to the 2-car detached garage.

“So, what’s in the 1-stall with the house?” the Sheriff asked, while the trio rounded the corner of the house & walked past the 1-car attached garage.

“The riding tractor my Nephew bought me,” Vern stated.

“I see,” said the Sheriff.

Sensing a bit of disbelief, Vern continued: “I put it in there, Marty, because, after mowing the lawn, I can drive right into the garage & walk right into the cooler house without walking the few yards from the out garage back to the house in the summer heat.”

“Genius, Vern!”

“I thought so!”

By now, the trio had reached the detached garage.

“Here, why don’t you let me open it,” Kyle offered. “Just in case…”

“Sure, suit yourself,” Vern said & handed the keys to Kyle. “The button to open the garage door is just inside on the wall left of the door.”

Kyle opened the door & hit the button to open the garage door.

“It’s in here,” the Sheriff said from the front of the garage. Kyle & Vern walked around.

“I figured it would be,” Vern said.

“& that Caprice is looking fine as ever, Vern,” the Sheriff said.

“Well, thank you, Marty. I don’t drive it as much as I used to. I’ve thought about selling it, but I can’t stand the thought of some kid putting 55 inch rims on it.”

“I can’t either,” the Sheriff said, chuckling. “I remember when you bought that car, Amy swore you’d wash the paint away.”

Vern chuckled. “Yeah, yeah, she did.”

“I know I should know this, but what year is it, again?” Kyle asked.

“1975. The last year the Caprice was available as a convertible. I drove that car as much as I could when I bought it. Amy called it my mistress, but she loved it just as much as I did.”

After a slight pause, the Sheriff turned to Vern & asked: “Would you mind pulling the Mercury out of the garage, Vern, so I can look at it closer?”

“I guess not. What are you looking for?”

“Oh, I just want to check something is all.”

“OK.” Vern got into the Mercury, started it, & eased it out of the garage.

“This is still gleaming, too, Vern,” the Sheriff observed.

“I try to keep it clean,” Vern replied. “It’s my daily driver, so I’m not always successful. For instance, I got back home too late the other night to wash it after the drive to Cheyenne, but I cleaned it up real good the day after.”

“Ah,” the Sheriff nodded, walking around the car. “I think Old Lady Yannich has her cars confused.”

“Why do you say that?” Vern asked.

“Well, for starters, your car doesn’t have hubcaps, it has the other style rims. She said the car she saw was missing a hubcap.”

Vern chuckled. “Well, if my car did have hubcaps, it sure as heck wouldn’t be missing one!”

“Yeah, I know,” the Sheriff agreed.

“If I remember right, this is a 2005 … right?” Kyle asked, looking at Vern & then glancing back at the car.

“Yep,” Vern replied. “Glad I got it when I did. A year later, Mercury made the front end ugly on these, in my opinion anyway, with the slight restyle for 2006. Worked out fine since I wanted a 2005 to go with my 1975!”

Just then, the Sheriff’s cell phone rang. He pulled it out of his shirt pocket, then said: “Excuse me, I need to take this.”

Kyle & Vern nodded, while Sheriff started the conversation: “Yes, Mr. Mayor.”

“No, we haven’t yet. … I see. … Yes, we’re working hard to solve the case. … No, I don’t think you should do that. … Well, if you do go to the media, I will need to tell Vern what is going on. He’s been very cooperative & I don’t want him finding out from anyone other than me. … I see. … Well, sir, you do what you gotta do, & I’ll do what I gotta do. … OK. … Yes, sir, I appreciate the heads up.”

The sheriff folded his phone & jammed it back into his pocket.

“The Mayor is going to the media, eh?” Kyle asked.

“Yep, he is,” the Sheriff replied, turning to Vern. “& so, Vern, let me tell you who was murdered last night. The Mayor’s daughter.”

“What! Tracy? Really!?”

“Yep, Tracy.”

“But, she was what, only 21?”

“22,” Kyle corrected. “She turned 22 just 2 weeks ago.”

Vern just shook his head, then, offered: “Ya know, I just saw her a few days ago.”

“Oh?” the sheriff perked up. “When?”

“Well, the day I went to Cheyenne. After I got back to this area, I stopped at the gas station in town to get gas so I wouldn’t have to drive back to town the next morning. I’d gotten gas, then went inside to talk to Ricky & pay for the gas. Then, when I came out of the station, she was walking around my car, admiring it. As I walked up to the car, she turned to me & said her new boyfriend had one just like it. Then, she clarified that his was more of the boxy type. I just kinda shrugged, since I knew she wasn’t that much into cars.”

“Wait, new boyfriend?” the Sheriff asked.

“That’s what she said,” Vern replied. “I don’t know anything more than that. I didn’t ask, nor did she offer any other details. We talked a bit more, pleasantries & the like, ya know, then I got in the car & left. I don’t know if she walked into the station or left, too. Ricky might be able to tell you that.”

“Yep, I’ll stop there on the way back to the police station,” the Sheriff said. “Meantime, that car she described to you might be the one Old Lady Yannich saw.”

“Most likely,” Kyle interjected. “But, do we know of any in this area like that?”

“I can’t think of any off hand,” the Sheriff said. “I sure wish the Mayor would’ve let us know earlier that she was … missing.”

“Missing?” Vern asked, stunned.

“Yeah,” Kyle replied, while the Sheriff just shook his head. “Apparently, she hadn’t been home in a few days. Mayor said he didn’t report it because he figured she had a right to do what she wanted & thought she had told him where she was & he had just forgot. He got concerned when texts & calls went unanswered.”

“I thought she hadn’t answered on purpose,” the Sheriff added, “but we didn’t find her phone with her body.”

“Hmm,” Vern said.

“Such a tragedy,” the Sheriff observed.

“Yeah,” Vern said, pausing before continuing: “Ya know, we do know a boxy car like my Mercury.”

“We do?” the Sheriff asked.

“Yep,” Vern replied. “McMillan’s old car that his grandson has.”

“Oh, right,” the Sheriff said. “But, dang, that car hasn’t been run in at least 10 years or so, right?”

Vern nodded. “Yeah … or so we think.”

Kyle had a confused look on his face, so Vern continued, filling him in: “When Devon McMillan retired from the sheriff in the early 1990s, he off-handedly commented that the thing he’d miss the most was driving the big ole cruisers. Well, we townsfolk took it as a hint & bought him a 1991 Ford Crown Victoria & had it painted black & white, similar to his last cruiser. He absolutely loved it. When he died, his wife was just going to sell it, but his grandson said he’d take it & fix it up. He drove it for a while, but then suddenly he just parked it, saying he was going to restore it for his grandmother. She died just last year, right before my Nephew moved to Nashville.”

“Think I have another stop to make,” the Sheriff noted.

“Yeah, I think so,” Vern said, then continued after a plaintive pause: “Funny thing, tho, while Devon loved the car we gave him, he told me he wished we would’ve bought him a 1975 LTD. He absolutely loved that Ford. In fact, the town bought that 1975 cruiser a week after I got my 1975 Caprice convertible.”

Kyle smiled.

“Well, Vern,” the Sheriff began, “you can move your Mercury back into the garage. I think you should take Kyle here for a ride in your 1975 Caprice convertible & go to Charlene’s Diner for lunch. I’ll make sure the tab is paid.”

“Cool, sounds good to me, Marty, thanks,” Vern said, turning his eyes to Kyle. “Whatdya think of Marty’s idea?”

“Sure, why not?” Kyle responded.

“Good,” the Sheriff said. “Meanwhile, I will stop to see Ricky & go check on McMillan’s car … & see if the Mayor has contacted the media yet. Could be a long, yet interesting, afternoon.”

——

“So, what do you think of the car?” Vern asked, while putting the Caprice in park after parking it in a spot right out front of Charlene’s Diner.

“I like it,” Kyle said. “Granted, it’s not my cup of tea, but it rides nice & I can sure appreciate you being its only owner all these years.”

Vern nodded, & the pair exited the car to walk into the diner.

“Well, thank you,” Vern said. “It sure has been a wonderful car for me.”

Vern pushed upon the diner door & was greeted with a yelp from Charlene: “Well, my stars, look who is here!”

“As if you didn’t know we were coming, Charlene,” Kyle grinned.

“Well, now, let me have some fun. It’s so good to see you, again! How’s that wife & those kids of yours?” Charlene asked Kyle as she gave him a hug.

“They’re fine,” Kyle said. “They left a couple days ago for my parent’s place. I was supposed to go today, but well, I’m sure you know the rest on that by now.”

“Yes, yes I do,” Charlene said. “They just now announced it on the radio, too. Such a shame.”

Charlene turned her attention to Vern. “& now, Vern, why, it’s been so long since I’ve seen you in here. I’m so glad to see you again. How’s that Nephew of yours? You ever going to take him up on his offer? He’s been out of this area for what, a year now?”

“Yep, Charlene, it’s been a year now,” Vern responded, exchanging a hug with Charlene. “I don’t know if I’ll take him up on his offer or not.”

“Well, honey, I think you should,” Charlene said as sweet as could be. “You know we love you around here, but you should be with family!”

“But, I am,” Vern half-protested.

Charlene grinned: “Well, isn’t that sweet? Of course, you are!”

“Now, you 2 pick a table or a booth, & I’ll make sure you get whatever you want,” Charlene continued. “Sheriff’s already called ahead of ya & told me to put it on his tab, so I’ll see to that.”

Kyle & Vern opted for a booth near the front door, mostly so Vern could keep an eye on his Caprice. While they sat down, Vern directed a comment to Kyle: “Well, now I know why your mind is wandering so much. Why didn’t you tell me they’d left town?”

“Eh, I don’t know,” Kyle replied. “Didn’t seem to matter at the time.”

“Well, it explains a lot,” Vern said while the 2 opened menus. “Suddenly, your wandering mind doesn’t seem so troublesome. Course, it’s probably good they left town when they did, so they aren’t here for this mess.”

Kyle nodded: “Yeah, that thought crossed my mind this morning after Tracy’s body was found.”

“Do they know yet?”

“Yeah, Sheriff told me I could tell Ashley why I wouldn’t be joining them right away. He figured it wouldn’t hurt since she isn’t in town.”

“How’d she take the news? I know she & Tracy were good friends, at least for a while.”

“Yep, they were, Vern,” Kyle acknowledged. “I’m not really sure. Ash didn’t say much, other than it was sad.”

“Well, she probably was just in shock & didn’t really know what to say,” Vern offered.

“Probably.”

Charlene sauntered up to the table: “OK, you darlings know what you want for lunch yet!?”

——

“Y’all want a fill-up?” Charlene stood at the edge of the table with a coffee pot in hand, ready to pour, while Vern & Kyle were finishing up their lunch.

“No, not for me, thanks,” Vern said, while Kyle shook his head.

“It’s a damn shame about Tracy,” Charlene said, whirling back around after starting to walk away. “I still can’t believe it. Who would do something like that … & in this town?”

“I don’t know,” Kyle said.

“Was she really found in an alley behind the gas station?”

“I cannot confirm or deny that,” Kyle replied. “But, I can say we don’t believe she was killed where she was found.”

“Oh?” Charlene half-asked. “I already kind of figured that, since you’re here with Vern. Figured he must’ve seen or heard something out by his place.”

“I did,” Vern replied. “Marty wanted to take precautions in case the killer saw me or my kitchen light on & was … concerned … about a witness.”

“Well, don’t you think having the cops camped out at your place will tip them off there might be something to that?”

Vern didn’t know what to say, so Kyle chimed in: “Yeah, Sheriff thought about that, but decided it was better to have someone with Vern instead of leaving him all alone, especially where he lives.”

“I see,” Charlene said, then turned to Vern, sorta smiling: “Might be a sign you should take your Nephew up on his offer.”

Vern chuckled. “That thought crossed my mind, Charlene, but I like it here. The old place is finally mine, well, it has been for a number of years now. Plus, I wouldn’t be able to take the Caprice with me, & I wouldn’t know where to store it.”

“I hear ya, Vern,” Charlene said. “Still, at least give it some more thought, especially if the killer isn’t captured in the next few days.”

Charlene excused herself & walked away, just as the Sheriff came through the door.

“Vern, I need to ask you a few more questions,” the Sheriff barked, then turned to look at Kyle. “You ride with me, & we’ll follow Vern back to his place.”

——

Back at Vern’s home, Vern eased the Caprice convertible back into the garage, while Kyle & the Sheriff stood watch.

“OK,” Vern said, closing the garage door, “what’s wrong now, Marty?”

“I just come from talking with Ricky & that McMillan boy.”

“And…?”

“Seems we got ourselves a problem. That Ford Crown Vic, well, it wasn’t there, & McMillan’s grandson has no idea when it was taken or where it is.”

“I’m guessing there is more to this?”

“Yes,” the Sheriff continued. “Ricky said it was at the gas station last night, before Tracy was murdered. When it left the station, it was headed towards your place.”

“What time was that?”

“About 8p, according to Ricky.”

“Well, gosh, that’s some 6 hours before I heard the scream,” said Vern flabbergasted. “But, how? That car hasn’t run in some 10 years.”

“I asked McMillan’s grandson about that,” the Sheriff noted. “He says he had just got it running a week or so ago.”

“Oh,” said Vern, “that changes things a bit, don’t it?”

“Uh huh.”

“So, what are you expecting from Vern, Sheriff?” Kyle queried.

“Well, I’m hoping he can try to remember what all he did the night of Tracy’s murder to see if it is possible he saw anything earlier in the evening & didn’t realize its significance at the time.”

“My … I don’t know, Marty. I can certainly try.”

——

“OK,” started the Sheriff. By now, the trio had seated themselves in 3 of the 4 kitchen table chairs, with Kyle & Vern opposite each other (like they were earlier in the day) & the Sheriff between them, to Vern’s left & Kyle’s right. “First things first; I hereby deputize you!”

“Huh?” Vern knew what that meant, but didn’t know why.

“Look, Vern, I trust you. We go way back, & I don’t for a minute think you had anything to do with Tracy’s murder. That said, I need people I can trust, & that includes you. In order to try to jog your memory about last night, I want to give you some details we know that the press does not. I can do that with you as a temporary deputy.”

Vern nodded: “I see. Do you trust Troy?”

The Sheriff hesitated, opening the door for Vern to continue: “Oh my, you don’t.”

“I didn’t say that…,” the Sheriff voiced a mild protest. “I just find it odd that so much of this stuff seems to have happened in the last week, after he came to town.”

“So … where is he now?”

“Sheriff sent him to help the county south of here with some cold cases,” Kyle interjected.

“Heh, how’d you pull that off?” Vern asked, looking at the Sheriff.

“Easy. I told him I needed people on my team my townspeople will trust to talk to in this investigation, at least for as long as I am running it. Won’t be long before the State cops swoop in, I’m sure. But, regardless, I told him the townsfolk will be more apt to help cops they know, not someone fresh in from California.”

“Did he buy it?”

“I think so,” said the Sheriff.

“Alrighty, then. So, what do you know that the press doesn’t?”

“Well, for starters,” replied the Sheriff, “her body was not found at the gas station. It was found at the motel off the state road on the other side of town. A trucker who had gotten permission from Mabel to park in the motel lot overnight found the body near the dumpster when he went to drop off some trash before leaving town around 5a. I interviewed him myself extensively, determined he had nothing to do with it, & let him go on his way. But, in that interview, he told me he saw a car like McMillan’s on the edge of town on the other side, out by your place here.”

“Which means, if her life ended with the scream I heard, she had to be transported right through town for her body to be dumped,” Vern reasoned. “So why didn’t anyone notice the car?”

“Well, about that,” the Sheriff said, “what I didn’t tell you earlier is that it isn’t black & white anymore….”

“Huh?” Vern looked confused.

“Well … when I asked the trucker to describe the car he saw over here, he said it was maroon in color. So, when Ricky told me he’d seen a similar boxy car at the gas station last night when I asked him if he saw Tracy a few nights ago when you were at the gas station, I asked him to describe the color. He noted it was a deep, sorta shiny sorta not … maroon. When I then stopped to see McMillan’s grandson & we discovered the car was gone, I asked him if it was still the original black & white. He said it wasn’t, that he’d just painted it, get this, General Lee orange.”

“No way!” Kyle chuckled, while Vern folded his arms & put his head, face down, into them.

“I know, Vern, I had much the same reaction,” said the Sheriff.

“Wait, General Lee orange wouldn’t be confused for maroon, would it?” Kyle asked sincerely.

“Nah, I wouldn’t think so,” the Sheriff said. “So, we may be looking at someone good at repainting cars. Can’t say I’m surprised the thief & potential killer repainted it. Interestingly, the trucker, Ricky & McMillan’s grandson, just like Old Lady Yannich, all noted it was missing a hubcap.”

The Sheriff noticed Vern hadn’t moved: “You OK, Vern?”

“No,” Vern replied, slowly raising his head before taking a deep breath & sighing: “I saw that car the morning I left for Cheyenne.”

“Oh?”

“Yep, & it was going at a high rate of speed,” Vern continued. “As I headed down the driveway in the Mercury, I saw a flash of orange color headed towards me from closer to town. By the time I got to where my driveway meets the road, the car was at my driveway. It sped past, heading farther out of town. I remember thinking it was strange to see it because I’d never seen it before. At the time, I figured it was just some punk kid from out of town out being reckless.”

“Did you get a close look at who was driving?” the Sheriff asked.

“Nope, he was going too fast.”

“Wait,” Kyle started, “McMillan’s grandson said he didn’t know when it was taken, right?”

“Yes,” replied the Sheriff.

“I’m guessing Vern here saw the car in the process of being stolen.”

“That’d be my guess,” the Sheriff agreed.

“Then, a few days later, last night, it turned up at the gas station with a different color,” continued Kyle. “So, probably should look into paint or body shops south of town….”

“My thoughts exactly,” the Sheriff further agreed. “Tho, who knows, the perp might do his own paint work….”

“Mind if I use your computer, Vern?”

“Nope, not at all. I’ll go get the laptop for you….”

——

“Don’t forget what?” the Sheriff barked into his cell phone. “Wait, wait, let me put you on speaker. I’m here with Vern & Kyle at Vern’s place. Kyle is hunting for body & paint shops south of town. Maybe they’ll recognize that name. Hang on a sec.”

The trio of Kyle, Vern & the Sheriff were all once again at the kitchen table, seated as before. While Kyle searched online on Vern’s computer, the Sheriff had called to speak to another officer.

Sheriff set his phone to speaker, placed it on the table between himself & Vern, then said: “OK, Phil, you’re now on speaker with me, Vern & Kyle.”

After exchanged pleasantries between Phil & Kyle, Phil said to Vern: “Long time no see. Such a shame you’re messed up in this, but congrats on becoming a deputy!”

Vern chuckled: “Heh, thanks. I’d say being messed up in this is putting it mildly. But, it has been a while since I’ve seen you. We really oughta make plans sometime soon.”

“Yep, we should, Vern.”

“OK, OK,” the Sheriff interrupted. “Vern & Kyle, Phil is telling me about a note found within Tracy’s smart phone, which turned up this afternoon at the gas station. Ricky found it behind one of the displays right inside the station door.”

“Yeah,” replied Phil. “We were going through it & discovered she, or someone, had written a note in the Notes section app. It says, & I’m reading it directly to you now: ‘Don’t forget Schuster.’”

“Do either of you know what or who that is?” the Sheriff asked.

“Can’t say as I do,” Kyle swiftly said, without looking up from Vern’s laptop.

“Me, either,” Vern said. “We’ve no idea if that is a person or a place, right?”

“Right,” came the reply from Phil. “I’ve looked online, & I can’t find a Schuster person or place anywhere near here. Course, that doesn’t mean that it is a place or person near here. Heck, maybe autocorrect changed it from what it should have been, too.”

“Scary thought,” Vern said. “Are we pronouncing it correctly?”

“I would think so,” Phil said. “Shoo—ster. Not sure how else you’d pronounce it.”

“Me, either,” Vern replied. “Thought maybe pronouncing it a different way might give us a clue as to who or what it might be.”

“I thought about that,” Phil said, “& already tried some alternative searches & came up with nothing.”

“Hmm,” Vern said. “Marty said Ricky found her phone at the station. I’m guessing we don’t know how long it was there, right?”

“Right,” Phil said.

Vern turned to the Sheriff: “When you spoke to Ricky, did he say if Tracy had entered the station after I left or if she’d gone on her merry way, too?”

“He said she entered the station briefly, then left about as quick as she came in,” the Sheriff replied.

“I’d be willing to bet she dropped the phone off then,” Vern said. “But, for a youngster like her, I’d think being without the phone for even just a day would be too long.”

“Yeah, you’d think,” the Sheriff said. “But, Ricky doesn’t remember seeing her after that, & whoever was driving the Crown Vic last night didn’t enter the station, & somehow eluded all surveillance videos. I’ve checked. So, he, or she, couldn’t have left it in the station last night.”

“Makes sense,” Vern said. “But that doesn’t leave us with any progress, does it?”

“Nope,” the Sheriff replied. “Sure doesn’t.”

“Maybe Schuster is a nickname or code name for that new boyfriend she mentioned to me?” Vern wondered out loud.

“Perhaps,” Phil replied. “I’ll keep digging & see if I can come up with anything.”

“OK, thanks, Phil,” the Sheriff said. “We’ll talk to you later.”

“Yep,” Phil responded. “Oh, & Vern, as soon as this is over, we’ll get together.”

“Sounds good, Phil,” Vern said.

The Sheriff snapped his phone shut & stuck it back in his pocket.

“Well,” Kyle said, anticipating the Sheriff’s question, “I’m afraid I’m striking out here, too. I’m not finding anything close.”

“How far have you searched?” the Sheriff asked.

“As far as Cheyenne,” Kyle said. “That’s the closest body &/or paint shop that could do a quick repaint.”

“Well,” the Sheriff rubbed his chin, “that means we’re either missing something entirely, or the perp was able to repaint it himself, OR … people are mistaking that General Lee orange for maroon at night.”

“I can’t imagine that’d be the case, Marty,” interjected Vern.

“Me, either,” the Sheriff said, “but, remember, not everyone is into cars like we are.”

Vern nodded, then asked: “Did McMillan’s grandson say how full the gas tank was when the car was stolen? Or, did he even know?”

“Yes,” the Sheriff affirmed. “He told me the car had about a half a tank of gas.”

“So,” Vern theorized, “assuming the stop at the gas station last night was the 1st time the perp put gas into it, he couldn’t have gotten that far on that half tank, right?”

“Hmm, hang on,” Kyle said, typing a search into Vern’s laptop. “The 1991 Ford Crown Vic has an 18-gallon gas tank, according to this. So, half a tank would be about 9 gallons. Says here it gets 15-22 mpg, so, let’s say 20 mpg. That’s, what, another 180 miles or so? No way he’d get to Cheyenne & back without getting gas.”

“But, if the perp did go to Cheyenne,” reasoned the Sheriff, “chances are he would’ve gotten gas there, or somewhere along the way.”

“Right,” Vern interjected. “I don’t really think we’d have a way to know how much he drove the car between when I saw it being stolen & it turning up at the station, potentially a different color.”

“I suppose that’s a dead end, then,” the Sheriff said, deflated a bit.

“Seems that way,” Kyle said, closing Vern’s laptop. “So, now what?”

“Well, right now, we gotta figure out how we’re going to handle tonight,” the Sheriff said, determined to have a solution to something.

“What do you mean, Marty?” Vern asked.

“Well … you sure as heck aren’t staying here tonight.”

“& just where am I going to stay?”

“I don’t know yet, but either I or Kyle will stay here at your place tonight. Just not sure how best to work that.”

Kyle shook his head: “Don’t look at me, I don’t know how best to work it either. BUT … if you or I stay here, then that means Vern should drive one of the cruisers to go wherever he is going, otherwise, the perp will know right away Vern isn’t here.”

“Hadn’t thought of that,” the Sheriff looked perplexed, “but you’re right. With our luck, the perp has eyes on this place right now.”

“C’mon now, you 2 don’t really think I’m in THAT much danger, do you?” Vern protested.

“No, not necessarily,” the Sheriff said, “but we’ve already established the perp has reason to believe you may’ve seen something at least twice … when he or she was driving fast out of town, having stolen the car, & again last night right before &/or right after the scream. & frankly, I’m not wiling to take a chance. Are you!?”

“Well, no,” Vern conceded. “But….”

“But what?” the Sheriff coaxed.

“Well, I don’t know,” Vern said. “I just wish we could catch whoever it is & get on with life.”

——

A few minutes later, the Sheriff, Kyle & Vern migrated to Vern’s living room to sit comfier while trying to navigate the evening & overnight hours. Their conversation was interrupted by the Sheriff’s cell phone ringing.

“Yes, Phil? … Oh, alright, hang on!” The Sheriff switched his phone. “Go ahead, Phil, you’re on speaker now.”

“Good,” Phil replied. “Can y’all hear me?”

“Yep,” Kyle & Vern replied in unison.

“OK. Well, I have 3 new developments to report,” Phil started. Kyle, Vern & the Sheriff all leaned towards the phone a bit; Vern was sitting in his chair with Kyle & the Sheriff on the couch.

“Go on,” interjected the Sheriff.

“Well, actually, I suppose that’d be 2 different, at least…,” Phil continued.

“Whatever, just out with ’em,” said an impatient Sheriff. “We don’t have all day.”

“OK, OK,” Phil said. “For starters, I spoke to a few people about that Schuster name. Seems it IS a person. Ricky at the gas station said Tracy had mentioned to him her new boyfriend’s name is Schuster. He didn’t know, however, if that was a last name or a first name. I also spoke to Charlene, & she told me she overheard Tracy on the pay phone at the diner 2 days ago talking to someone about Schuster.”

“I wondered if that was her new boyfriend,” Vern admitted. “Kinda had a feeling that was the case. &, the timing of 2 days ago coincides with how long it was since she left her cell phone at the gas station.”

“So, what other developments?” the Sheriff barked.

“Well, these you won’t like so much, Sheriff,” Phil started.

“Let me guess, the State Cops are on the way….” Kyle said somewhat with a smirk.

“Well, yes…..”

“Guessing there is more to it?” queried a dejected Sheriff.

“Yeah,” noted Phil.

“Well, let’s hear it,” the Sheriff ordered.

“Welp, 2 of the State Troopers were coming from the north,” Phil continued. “As they drove past that abandoned airport on the north edge of town, 1 of them spotted a car parked near Hanger 1. They wheeled their cruisers around & drove into the abandoned lot. They report that it was rather obvious a vehicle … or rather, vehicles … have been up & down that drive recently.”

“Oh, boy,” muttered the Sheriff.

“Yeah, hang on, it gets better,” said Phil.

“Not liking the sound of this,” Vern offered, while Kyle shook his head.

“You won’t like it,” Phil noted. “Anyway, when they got up to the car, they identified it as a late 80s early 90s Ford Crown Victoria. No plates & the VIN had been scraped out.”

“Maroon?” asked Vern.

“Nope,” Phil stated. “Dark blue.”

“What?” Kyle said what Vern & the Sheriff were thinking.

“Yep, dark blue,” Phil affirmed.

“Missing a hubcap?” asked the Sheriff.

“Uh huh,” came Phil’s response.

“I’m guessing it had been maroon, then, & that nobody mistook General Lee orange for maroon, Marty,” Vern said.

“You’d be right,” Phil said, while the Sheriff nodded towards Vern.

“You’re sure?” the Sheriff asked, turning his attention back to his cell phone on the stand between the couch & Vern’s chair.

“Oh, yes,” Phil said. “When the troopers opened the front door, they saw evidence of at least 2 other prior colors. & that’s not all. They both reported a strong smell of fresh paint. They think the car was left outside to dry.”

“I suppose it was painted at the airport hanger?” Kyle half-asked.

“Oh, you could say that,” Phil said. “The troopers cautiously opened the door to Hanger 1 … & discovered a makeshift paint booth. They also discovered at least 2 other cars, including a 1974 Dodge Monaco sedan & a 1976 AMC Matador sedan.”

“What on earth?” Vern blurted out. “It’s not like those 2 cars are seen every day. How could nobody have noticed them?”

“Well,” offered Phil, “the troopers reported neither of those 2 looked like they’d been driven in a while.”

“I see,” Vern responded. “I would think I would’ve noticed them had they been out at all.”

The Sheriff nodded: “Yes, you would have…! Phil, are the troopers still at the abandoned airport?”

“Yep,” Phil confirmed. “In fact, they want you to join them there.”

“I figured. Vern & I will head up there now. Kyle, you stay here & keep an eye on Vern’s place.”

“No problem, Sheriff.”

“Wait, why am I going with you?” Vern asked.

“Because you & I can determine with certainty if that Ford Crown Vic is McMillan’s. You know what I’m talking about, right?”

“Oh, yeah….”

Kyle looked quizzically at the Sheriff, then turned his gaze on Vern, who continued: “I’d forgotten. But, yes, we can identify that car with certainty. You see,” Vern turned to look at Kyle, “after we gave it to McMillan upon his retirement, he had 4, what he called, unique identifiers, done to it, in case it was ever stolen. We all thought he was nuts, but he did it anyway. He had several people learn 2 of the 4, & others the other 2. Just so happens, I know 2 & Marty, here, knows 2 as well.”

“Well, the State Troopers will be pleased to hear that,” Phil said. “Want me to tell them, Sheriff?”

“No,” instructed the Sheriff. “Vern & I will tell them when we get up there.”

“OK.”

“On that note, let’s get going,” the Sheriff said standing up.

“Wait, there’s 1 more thing you should know,” Phil said urgently.

“Yes?”

“Those 2 cars I mentioned … from the descriptions the State Cops gave me … I did a search of the databases & got hits on cars sought after in murder investigations in other places….”

“Oh, boy,” the Sheriff said. “Do the State Cops know this yet?”

“I don’t know,” Phil said, “I sure didn’t tell them.”

“OK, don’t,” the Sheriff instructed. “We want to concentrate on Tracy’s murder now. Get that guy & it may lead to solving those other murders. That said, Vern & I are heading up to that airfield NOW.”

“OK,” Phil replied right before the Sheriff snapped his phone shut.

“Kyle, keep your eyes & ears open for anything out of the ordinary while we’re gone,” the Sheriff said. “It’s getting late, & who knows where the perp is right now.”

“Copy that,” Kyle stated.

“C’mon, Vern, let’s go.”

——

“Are you the Sheriff?” bellowed a particularly deep voice, while the Sheriff & Vern exited the Sheriff’s cruiser at the abandoned airport north of town.

“Yes, I am,” replied the Sheriff. “& this is 1 of my deputies, Eagleson.”

The man who boasted the deep voice eyed Vern, somewhat suspiciously, then looked back at the Sheriff & extended his right hand, which the Sheriff shook.

“Nice to meet you, Sheriff. I’m Captain Wyatt. I don’t know how much you’ve been briefed about what my troopers found here, but all 3 cars appear to be linked to ongoing murder investigations. The Crown Victoria, I’m told, you’re familiar with, while the other 2 may be linked to other investigations. The Federal authorities have been notified.”

The Sheriff nodded, but Captain Wyatt continued: “Now, normally, I’d tell the local Sheriff to back off & let me handle the investigation, but I’m told you are 1 of the best top cops this state has. So, since I’ve been told you have intimate knowledge of the Crown Vic & have been investigating your vic’s case since early this morning, I want to work with you.”

“Sounds good, thank you,” the Sheriff was finally able to speak. “As for that Crown Vic, I was told the VIN has been removed. However, Deputy Eagleson & myself can identify that car without a doubt.”

“Oh?” Captain Wyatt tilted his head slightly & raised his eyebrows.

“Yes,” the Sheriff replied. “If that is the Crown Vic we suspect it is, we can look for some tell tale markers, which the original owner had put on it.”

“I see,” Captain Wyatt said a bit cautiously. “Do I even want to know what that means?”

“Well,” began the Sheriff, “the person who originally owned that car was a former Sheriff of this town. If it is his, it was painted black & white, & was given to him as a retirement gift. He had 4 different ‘unique identifiers’ placed on it; I know 2 of them, & Deputy Eagleson, here, knows the other 2. All we have to do is look for the easiest 1st, & we’ll know.”

“Interesting,” said Captain Wyatt, turning slightly & pointing towards the Ford. “Well, it’s right over there, go check it out & then we’ll go from there.”

Vern & the Sheriff walked towards the car, with the Captain right behind them.

“Do you want me to look for mine 1st?” Vern asked.

“Where is your easiest identifier to spot?” the Sheriff asked in return.

“In the trunk,” Vern said.

“OK, I’ll check mine in the glove box 1st, then I’ll pop the trunk & you can check.” With that, the Sheriff walked around the front of the car, opened the passenger side door & then the glove box door. In less than 25 seconds, he popped his head back up & hit the button to open the trunk.

“Is it there?” Captain Wyatt wondered aloud.

“Let Deputy Eagleson check his.”

Vern walked to the trunk & lifted the lid. He gingerly leaned into the trunk & peeled back a corner of the mat carpeting on the driver’s side of the car. Sure enough, the words were there, etched into the car: ‘Always Remember, 01/28/1986.’ Vern put the mat carpeting back down, leaned back out of the trunk, closed the lid & nodded towards the Sheriff.

“It’s his,” the Sheriff affirmed for Captain Wyatt.

“Well,” Captain Wyatt said, “I think that helps your investigation, at least in terms of knowing for sure you have the right vehicle. Unfortunately, we don’t have that type of identification for the other 2.”

“So, how do you want to work this?” the Sheriff asked.

“Well, I think the best way is to help you in your investigation. I think it is kind of obvious that these 3 cars are all connected, & if we catch your vic’s killer, we’ll catch whoever murdered the other victims.”

The Sheriff was about to speak, but was interrupted by a voice coming from Captain Wyatt’s uniform: “Captain, we have a problem.”

“Go ahead,” Wyatt instructed into the speaker.

“Seems the county just south of you has a bit of an issue.”

The Sheriff immediately got a bit of a queasy feeling, which Captain Wyatt noticed & Vern knew why. Just then, the Sheriff’s cell phone beeped.

“Excuse me, I need to take this,” the Sheriff told Captain Wyatt, who nodded & walked away to continue his conversation. “Yeah, Phil, what’s up? … uh, huh … OK, hang on.”

The Sheriff walked a bit away, motioning Vern to follow him. “Phil wants you to hear this, too.”

“Am I on speaker, now?” Phil asked.

“Yep,” said the Sheriff, “continue.”

“Well, we just received word that the county south of us had some type of gas pumped into the police headquarters which debilitated everyone. Luckily, nobody is hurt, they were just out of it for a while.”

The Sheriff already knew what was coming next, but asked anyway: “I’m guessing there is more to this…?”

“Yeah, unfortunately,” Phil said. “The only person unaccounted for … Troy.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean anything,” said the Sheriff, not wanting to admit what was starting to look obvious.

“Well, you’re right,” Phil hesitated, “but there’s more….”

The Sheriff just shook his head, so Vern spoke: “We’re still here, Phil, please continue.”

“Well, I dug into the history of the murders those other 2 cars might be connected to. Turns out, 1 of the murders happened in California, near where Troy said he was from, & the person killed … a David Schuster.”

“Why did the CHP not tell me about this?” the Sheriff wondered aloud.

“I’m guessing they didn’t realize there was a connection,” Phil offered.

“Maybe….” the Sheriff said.

“But, wait,” interrupted Vern. “Schuster was the murder victim?”

“That’s what the report says,” Phil noted.

“But, Schuster is the name that Tracy gave as her new boyfriend.”

“Yeah, I know,” Phil said. “I’m thinking that was her way of trying to alert people….”

“Oh my…,” Vern said, his voice trailing off.

“Hey,” spoke up the Sheriff, “have you alerted Kyle to the latest, Phil?”

“Not yet, no.”

“Do it, do it now. Since we don’t know where Troy is, probably best he knows.”

“Copy that,” Phil said. “But, what about the Mayor? Should I update him, too?”

The Sheriff thought for a moment, then replied: “No, not yet.”

Just then, Captain Wyatt walked up behind them.

“Look, Phil, I gotta go. Keep in touch.”

“Will do, Sheriff.”

With that, the Sheriff snapped his phone shut & looked at Captain Wyatt: “I don’t know what to say.”

“There is nothing for you to say,” Captain Wyatt assured him. “We don’t know anything for sure. &, even if Troy is our man, here, you have NO blame or fault in this. Let’s find him, & take it from there.”

The Sheriff nodded.

“Did your guy tell you that a special unit is missing from that county, where Troy was today?”

“No,” the Sheriff admitted. “I’m guessing he wasn’t alerted to that, though.”

“Probably not,” Captain Wyatt said. “According to my State Troopers down there, they just now discovered it is missing.”

“What is the vehicle?”

“It’s an old, short school bus, converted to a police unit.”

Just then, the Sheriff’s cell phone beeped again. He opened it & saw a text from Kyle: ‘Bus stopped at end of Vern’s driveway. Looks official.’

The Sheriff quickly typed a text back: ‘Might be Troy. Stay put & on guard. Do not approach vehicle or engage person(s). We’re on our way.’

“We have to get back to your place NOW,” the Sheriff said to Vern.

“What’s going on?” Captain Wyatt asked before Vern could.

“That bus is now sitting outside Deputy Eagleson’s place, where my Officer Kyle is,” the Sheriff quickly & shortly explained.

“Let’s roll,” Captain Wyatt responded without hesitation.

The Sheriff & Vern scrambled into the Sheriff’s cruiser while Captain Wyatt rushed into his car. Within seconds, they were both headed south toward’s Vern’s place.

——

“Now what?” Vern asked.

The Sheriff had stopped his cruiser alongside the road, just a bit north of where the school bus police unit now stood at the edge of Vern’s driveway, while Captain Wyatt had wheeled his just in front of the Sheriff’s car.

“You stay here,” the Sheriff instructed sternly. He drew his gun & slowly stepped out of the car.

By now, Captain Wyatt had also exited his car & was yelling into the bullhorn: “Step outside of the vehicle. We can end this peacefully.”

The driver’s door of the converted bus swung wide open, but it didn’t phase the Sheriff or Captain Wyatt.

“Come out of the vehicle slowly…,” Captain Wyatt instructed.

“I will,” came a voice from inside the converted bus. “I want this to end peacefully, too, with me alive.”

The Sheriff instantly recognized the voice & said in a deflated tone: “Troy….”

“It’s him for sure?” Captain Wyatt asked the Sheriff, without looking at the Sheriff, keeping his eye on the converted bus.

“Yep,” sighed the Sheriff. “I’d know that voice anywhere.”

“But, hasn’t he just started with you today?”

“Yes,” confirmed the Sheriff, “but that voice is so distinctive. It can’t be anyone else.”

“OK,” Captain Wyatt said in a reassuring tone. “We’ll get this done. No worries.”

“Is that you, Sheriff?” came the voice from the converted bus.

“Yes, Troy, I’m here with the state cops.” By now, several other State Troopers had pulled in behind the Sheriff’s cruiser.

“I can see that,” Troy said. “Look, I’m stepping out of the vehicle now … slowly. I know how this works.”

“Be sure you do just that,” Captain Wyatt yelled. “& lower your weapon.”

Troy slowly stepped out of the vehicle with his hands up, a gun in his right hand, pointed toward the sky.

“I said, lower your weapon,” repeated Captain Wyatt sternly.

“OK, OK, relax; I want this to end peacefully, too,” Troy replied, starting to toss the gun off to the left so that it landed at the edge of the road, across the way from Vern’s property. “See, I’m throwing my gun away from me.”

“That’s a good start,” Captain Wyatt said. “Now, slowly step forward to me.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Vern noticed movement near his house. He glanced over & noticed Kyle coming from around the back corner of the 1-car attached garage.

Troy noticed it, too: “Hi, Kyle. I didn’t realize that was you in there. Nice to see you again today.”

Kyle looked at Troy, who kept his eyes set on the Sheriff & Captain Wyatt: “I don’t understand, Troy.”

“Don’t worry, you soon will. I’m turning myself in now,” Troy said, walking towards Captain Wyatt, who kept his gun pointed at Troy. “I know you won’t believe me, but I want this to end peacefully with me turning myself in. I don’t want to die, nor do I want anyone else to die. That girl was just a sad casualty of drama that started way before I got here. If I die, my story … the real story … will never be known. Instead, I know how you & the press work. You’ll attempt to decipher what happened & piece together the hows & whys … & probably will come up with something the public will believe, but nothing anywhere near the reality. I don’t want that to happen.”

The Sheriff & Captain Wyatt exchanged a ‘do you believe this guy!?’ look, but Kyle spoke: “I believe him.”

“You do?” the Sheriff asked shocked.

“Yes, I do,” Kyle said. “It’s something he said earlier to Vern.”

“Ah, Vern,” Troy began, “I’m sure y’all know he was going to be next. But, I just couldn’t. Even with the cruiser out front of his place here, I just couldn’t. He is a special guy, I could tell from my interaction with him this morning.”

“I believe him,” Kyle repeated.

“Why?” Captain Wyatt’s turn to ask.

“Because, if he really wanted to kill Vern,” Kyle replied, “he had ample opportunity to do it this morning. While I was talking with you, Sheriff, about getting someone to stay with Vern, Troy spoke with Vern, telling him that we needed to have someone stay with him because we didn’t know who had murdered Tracy or what they know about the area or what they know about Vern. He could very easily have just shot Vern right then & there instead.”

Captain Wyatt & the Sheriff exchanged a ‘OK, I can buy that’ look.

“Kyle, here, is right,” Troy said, nearing Captain Wyatt & the Sheriff. “By that time of the conversation, I knew I didn’t want to kill him, & I suspected he hadn’t seen anything that would’ve led to me.”

Troy paused, then continued: “But then, Sheriff, you sent me out of town. I knew then that it was just a matter of time. I wasn’t sure if you had figured it out yet, but I had a hunch you hadn’t. But, I knew it was just a matter of time. & now, with the state cops here, I know it’s over. I know you’ve found the cars … the paint booth.”

By now, Troy was at Captain Wyatt, who quickly whirled Troy around & handcuffed him, reading him his rights. Vern, sensing it was safe, exited the Sheriff’s cruiser, while Kyle walked up to where the Sheriff & Captain Wyatt were standing in the middle of the road.

With Troy now in custody, Vern looked him right in the eye & said: “How could you kill Tracy?”

“You’ll know, soon enough,” Troy teased. “Right now, I think I have a date with some REAL cops.”

With that, Captain Wyatt whisked Troy away, stashed him in the back of his cruiser & turned his attention to the Sheriff: “I’ll meet you at your station?”

“OK,” nodded the Sheriff.

“Take your time,” Captain Wyatt said, nodding towards Vern & Kyle.

After Captain Wyatt & the other state troopers left, Vern, Kyle & the Sheriff found themselves standing in Vern’s driveway near the road. Vern broke the silence.

“So, how’d you get outside of the house without being seen like that, Kyle?”

“Easy,” Kyle said matter-of-factly. “I removed the exhaust fan from your utility room window, climbed out & walked around the back of the house to the side of the attached garage.”

Vern chuckled: “Guess you’re glad I told you about that fan now, aren’t ya?”

“Oh, yes, sir,” Kyle said, smiling. “In more ways than one!”

“Well,” said the Sheriff thoughtfully, “I suppose Kyle & I oughtta get down to the station. Deputy Vern, do you want to join us?”

Vern considered the offer, then replied: “No, I’m turning in my deputy badge. Something tells me you don’t need me anymore on the case, & this episode is over. I still am not sure I believe Troy actually wanted this to end peacefully, but like Kyle, I believe he didn’t really want to harm me. Why, I don’t know. It’s not like he knew me all that well.”

“I really think he realized you would have had no way to identify him,” Kyle replied.

The Sheriff nodded: “Yep, I agree with what Kyle said.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Vern said.

With that, the trio exchanged pleasantries, the Sheriff walked back to his car which was still parked alongside the road & Kyle walked to his cruiser, which was still parked in Vern’s roundabout driveway, leaving Vern standing in his driveway. The Sheriff waved as he wheeled his car around to head back towards town. Kyle stopped his cruiser as he got to where Vern was still standing.

“You thinking what I think you’re thinking?” Kyle asked slyly, sticking his head slightly out of the car window.

“I don’t know,” Vern said. “What am I thinking?”

“About taking your Nephew up on his offer,” Kyle suggested.

“Nope!” Vern said authoritatively, looking up & across the virtually cloudless sky. “I’m thinking what a great day this has been, what a wonderful Wyoming night this will be, & I really want to drive my 2 cars, but I have to put an exhaust fan back in its place first.”

Kyle laughed, smiled & nodded. The 2 shook hands & Kyle headed to the police station.

——

The day after the next day, the townspeople came together to celebrate Tracy’s life. They gathered at the church-turned-townlife-center: the Mayor, Vern, Marty, Phil, Kyle, Ashley & the kids (who’d returned to town for the service), Charlene, Ricky, McMillan’s grandson, Old Lady Yannich, Mabel & even Captain Waytt, who felt he needed to pay his respects to the gal who sacrificed so much to solve a seemingly elusive case for different jurisdictions.

The Mayor ended the too-long-but-not-long-enough service with these remarks: “&, finally, I want to thank you all for coming today. I also want to thank the Sheriff, Kyle, Vern & Captain Wyatt for their bravery & resolve to find Tracy’s murderer. I know, by now, everyone knows more about what happened, & if you don’t, I’m sure the Sheriff or Captain Wyatt will be happy to fill you in. Those blaming Sheriff Marty for allowing such a person into our community need to re-think your thought process. As Captain Wyatt has clearly said time & time again the last day or so, Sheriff would have had no way of knowing what had happened & what was going to happen. If anyone is to blame, it’s me … for allowing my daughter to think she didn’t matter to me anymore. I got so wrapped up in work, serving all of you, after my wife died, that I neglected family. & THAT, my friends, is inexcusable, no matter how you slice it. & so, today, as of right now, I resign as your Mayor.”

A collective gasp rushed through the building.

“This really shouldn’t be a surprise to y’all,” the Mayor continued, somewhat in response to the gasp. “I’m heartbroken that it took such a tragedy to open my eyes, but I’m grateful I still have time to rectify some things. I will stay in town. In fact, I’ve already made arrangements to purchase the old Braidwood place out by Vern’s. I’m going to fix it up & help make this town even better than it is today. But, I will be doing that under new leadership. Again, thank you for coming today. Enjoy the rest of this gorgeous day we’ve been given.”

With that, the crowd started filing out of the great room, buzzing with what they’d just heard.

On their way out, the Sheriff turned to Vern: “I didn’t get a chance to talk to you before the service, so I want to apologize now for not calling you yesterday. After the excitement of the prior day, I was so busy with paperwork & the like that I didn’t take time to call you.”

“Ah, no worries, Marty,” Vern waved off his friend’s apology. “No need to apologize, I know you were busy.”

“Thank you, Vern,” the Sheriff said. “Let me drop by your place yet this afternoon, & I can tell you the back story, if you like.”

“Absolutely.”

——

A couple hours later, Vern opened his front door to see the Sheriff, Kyle & Phil standing there.

“I wasn’t expecting a crowd,” Vern said.

“I know,” the Sheriff said, “but I wanted them to join us.”

“OK,” Vern said, “well, don’t just stand there, c’mon in. I’ll fix a pot of coffee.”

They walked into Vern’s kitchen. After Vern placed coffee cups in front of each of them, he, too, sat down, & the Sheriff started to tell the tale.

“Turns out,” the Sheriff began, “Tracy was only Troy’s 2nd murder.”

“I thought he killed 3 people,” Vern noted.

“Nope,” Kyle replied. “Just 2.”

“The person we thought he killed on the east coast is the person he killed in California,” Phil added.

“David Schuster?” Vern questioned.

“Yep, Schuster,” confirmed the Sheriff. “You see, Troy caught Schuster in bed with his wife in their home in a small town on the Eastern seaboard. In a rage the next night, Troy shot Schuster & killed him, or so he thought. When he realized Schuster was still alive, he panicked. Instead of shooting him again, he left a vague note for his wife, telling her he was leaving, & took off in Schuster’s 1976 AMC Matador sedan … with Schuster strapped in the back seat.”

“What?” Vern asked in disbelief.

“That was our reaction, too,” Kyle noted….

…”but it checked out,” Phil added. “Though we’re really not sure how he managed to get that sedan across the country without being noticed…, it became clear the note didn’t alarm his wife because she didn’t correlate her husband’s departure with Schuster’s disappearance. Apparently, she told the cops in their small town that she thought Schuster had also left, but chose not to leave a note. The cops apparently bought it & considered the case closed, until Schuster was found dead in California….”

Vern shook his head, while the Sheriff continued. “Anyway, we’re not sure how, but along the way, Troy took the identity of a Chicago police officer. They ended up in California, where Troy held Schuster in an old mansion. Since he’d taken the identity of a Chicago cop, he applied to be a CHP officer. Not sure how, but no warnings came up that Troy wasn’t who he said he was. He passed the tests & was hired.”

“Oh, brother,” Vern said.

“Yeah, just wait,” Kyle said.

“Anyway,” the Sheriff continued again, “once settled in California, Troy stashed the AMC & bought himself the 1974 Dodge Monaco to act more ‘cop friendly’. That charade lasted up until just a few weeks ago, when he came home from work & found Schuster had freed himself & sent a text to a phone number. Troy glanced at it, thought the number was to his boss’ office, panicked, shot & killed Schuster, then drove back downtown to resign. At the police station, Troy was pleasantly surprised nobody questioned his reason for resigning. He figured CHP knew they’d easily replace him.”

“Wow,” Vern said.

“Yep, I’m not sure I believe his story,” Phil interjected, “but, even so, it checks out.”

“Anyway,” the Sheriff continued yet again, “it was only after Troy returned back to the mansion that he discovered the number Schuster had texted wasn’t to his boss, but to Tracy’s phone. Instead of 3-1-0 & then the number, Schuster had texted 3-0-7 … & then the number. So, seeing Tracy was from a small town, Troy texted back’n’forth with her as Schuster & became her ‘boyfriend’.”

“Oh my goodness,” Vern interjected.

“Upon arriving here … we think he started his trek to Wyoming while he was conversing with Tracy via texts … Troy successfully got the 1974 Dodge & 1976 AMC into the airport hanger, bought the Braidwood place, was hired by me in the process, & found Tracy.”

“Wait,” interrupted Vern, “how’d he get those 2 cars here without being noticed?”

“No idea,” the Sheriff replied. “It is obvious he had help, but he hasn’t given any name or names.”

“So much for telling us the entire story,” Kyle commented.

“You didn’t really expect him to tell us everything, did you?” the Sheriff queried.

“No, not really, I guess,” Kyle admitted.

“Anyway,” continued the Sheriff, “it turns out that note we found in Tracy’s phone to not forget Schuster … was probably supposed to be a text to someone, though we’re not sure if she meant to text her father, me, you, Charlene, or even Ricky. It was to be her warning. When she talked to you, Vern, at the gas station the day you went to Cheyenne, we think her interest in your car was supposed to get you thinking about McMillan’s car.”

“But it didn’t work,” Vern said, saddened, “even though she mentioned the boxier car her boyfriend had….”

“I know,” the Sheriff said. “It probably didn’t because she was trying to be as discrete as possible, knowing her ‘boyfriend’ might’ve been watching or listening to her. & you didn’t correlate it to McMillan’s former car because you hadn’t thought of it in so long. Anyway, when talking to you didn’t work, Tracy dropped her phone at Ricky’s gas station.”

“& what about her call on Charlene’s pay phone?” Vern wondered.

“Well, it seems she was talking to a burner cell phone, so we think she was giving Troy a chance to turn himself in, but that clearly didn’t work either,” the Sheriff responded.

“I’m starting to think Tracy knew all along she wasn’t texting with Schuster himself,” Phil theorized. “I mean, you get a text from someone asking for help, then you end up considering him your ‘boyfriend’?”

“Yeah, I wondered that, too,” Vern noted. “But, remember, Tracy was probably feeling unwanted, & someone needing her, well, it might’ve been refreshing for her.”

“I know,” Phil said, “but, what was Troy’s plan? He got himself hired here to replace Mike, to what, keep an eye on Tracy?”

“That’s my guess,” Kyle stated. “Another part of the puzzle Troy isn’t exactly telling us.”

“Go figure,” the Sheriff retorted. “Anyway … sometime after Tracy’s call from Charlene’s Diner pay phone, Troy discovered she didn’t have her cell phone anymore & he once again panicked. Instead of killing her, he put her in the airport hanger, not realizing how resourceful she was & had been. The night she was killed, she was able to get free & ran, trying to get away from him, but, after he returned from putting gas in McMillan’s car, he discovered she’d left & he took off after her in the CV, catching up to her just down the road from your place here, Vern. He killed her when you heard that scream.”

“Wow,” Vern said, not able to say much else right away. “Ya know, in some ways, that sparks more questions than it answers.”

“I know,” the Sheriff agreed. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“That’s why we came, too, Vern,” Kyle said. “Phil & I felt the need to be here for you, just in case.”

“Well, I appreciate that,” Vern said. “I really do. But, I’ll be OK. I just hope the Mayor & everyone else in this town is.”

“On that note,” Kyle said, changing the subject slightly, “Vern, we’re also here with a surprise for you.”

“Oh?”

“Yep,” said Phil. “Go on, Sheriff, tell the man what he has won.”

Vern looked quizzically at Phil, then Kyle, then the Sheriff.

“Well,” the Sheriff said, “me, Kyle, Phil, Charlene, Ricky & the Mayor decided to pitch in & pay for your travels to Nashville.”

“Oh, now, you don’t need to do that,” Vern said.

“No, we don’t, but we want to,” the Sheriff said. “Whenever you are ready to go. You can take your Mercury Grand Marquis, & me, Kyle, Phil & Ricky will take turns watching your place & your Caprice for as long as you want to be gone. No time limits, no strings.”

“Wow,” Vern said. “Who’s idea was this?”

“The Mayor’s, actually,” Kyle said. “I kinda think he wants you out of town for a while so he can surprise you with the work he is going to be doing to Braidwood’s place. But, you didn’t hear that from me.”

“Nice,” Vern replied. “OK, I guess I’ll go, then.”

“Excellent,” the Sheriff said. “You know we’ll miss you, but we know you will be back.”

“You can count on it,” Vern replied. “&, I have a feeling we also can count on the fact that none of us will ever forget Schuster.”