Chapter 27: The Search

Detective McCree strolled into the precinct shortly after nine a.m. He pulled open his desk drawer and located a bottle of Pepto Bismol. He took a swig and replaced the bottle, letting out a watery belch that fortunately no one heard. Against his better judgment, he had been coerced into stopping for beers after his shift ended last night. Tommy Flannigan and Richie Sowarski would not let up until he gave in and said he would join them.

The pair were terrible influences. Tommy had never been married and it was well known in the department that he was a ladies man. He prided himself on being the type of guy who never got attached to a woman. A few years back, a rumor circulated that Tommy had fallen for a blonde woman who worked at the police credit union. Apparently, she didn't take Tommy seriously and dated around a bit herself. He would never say so, but she may have broken his shallow heart, even just a little.

Richie was the complete opposite of non-committal Tommy. His third marriage ended three months prior. Richie had three kids, none of which were with the same woman. His frequency to marry as well as his fertility, provided the department with endless opportunities to tease him. Whenever one of the female officers or detectives were near Richie, you could count on comments like, "Don't stand too close ladies, our we could end up with another little Sowarski!"

McCree had been keeping to himself a lot lately. The divorce was agonizing, at least for him. Cynthia had cut off all communication and resorted to speaking to him through their lawyers. He didn't understand why Cynthia had changed so much. He felt the pain of losing their child too. But it was deeper than that and he needed to realize it was over, there was nothing more he could do about it.

Flannigan and Sowarksi said they were sick of looking at his pathetic face and felt that dragging him to O'Leary's for a pint or two would do the trick. They kept him out until after one and he was paying for it today. Looking for relief from his throbbing head, he massaged his temples with his thumb and index finger. McCree located a bottle of Visine in his desk and squeezed two drops into each eye.

"A letter came for your detective," a squeaky voice announced.

McCree opened his eyes to see Molly Herman, one of the precinct secretaries, holding out an envelope.

"Thanks Molly," McCree replied. And took the envelope from her outreached hand.

Molly smiled and returned to her desk.

Detective McCree looked over the envelope. No return address. Odd.

He turned the envelope over and peeled the left corner, using his index finger to open the seal. He removed the letter and read it. McCree read it a second time, then picked up the envelope to examine it again. He let out a deep sigh and sat back in his chair.

The detective called out to his partner who was digging through a file cabinet.

"Tremount. Take a look at this." He handed the letter to her without explanation.

Tremount read the letter out loud, then pursed her lips together.

"Hmm. Interesting. Very convenient."

"Agreed," McCree confirmed.

"What do you want to do?" Bring him in or check out the location?" she asked.

"Visit the area. Whether he wrote the letter or not we should verify if there is anything there before we question him."

"Tremount nodded and grabbed her jacket hanging on the back of her chair.

"Let's go talk to the captain first and bring him up to speed."

McCree grabbed the letter, and they walked over to the captain's office.

The detective rapped on the door twice before opening it and peeking his head inside.

"Hey Cap. Take a look at this, it was addressed to me.

Captain Sangine waved the detective's in and took the letter. After reading it, he looked up from the top of his glasses and waited for McCree to speak.

"We're going to go check out the location. Depending on what we find, if anything, we will bring the kid in."

"You've questioned him once, correct?" the captain confirmed.

"Yeah. He was one of the kids Mrs. Orlando suggested we talk with. I spoke to the boys on the list and Tremount questioned the girls."

"And what about the LaCata girl on Saturday? Any bites there?"

"She was home sick from school most of the week. The parents and the school confirmed it. That doesn't mean she didn't sneak out and place the note in the Orlando's mailbox. Unfortunately, Tino Orlando, the brother, couldn't say for sure if it was her. When I tried to push her, the father started getting protective."

The captain nodded and then removed his glasses.

"Okay, well, there has been nothing viable to run with and now we have not one but two mysterious letters back-to-back. Somebody is going to pop. Teenagers are predicable when it comes to keeping secrets. Go to the location but go quietly.

"Got it Cap," McCree agreed.

Tremount drove while McCree rested his head against the passenger side window. He had fifteen minutes to shake off the hangover and then get to work. His personal life was completely irrelevant and could in no way distract him from this investigation.

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The detectives arrived at the Town Center Mall and pulled around back. It was still early and there were only a handful of cars in the lot. The mall opened at 9:00 am, and the few cars that were parked there likely belonged to employees.

McCree excited the car and looked up at the gray sky. The wooded area behind the buildings occupied ten acres of trees, streams, and steep slopes. It would be an impossible task for two people to search.

"Should we call into dispatch and get a team out here?" Tremount asked.

McCree looked up and down the foliage and nodded his head.

"Yeah. I think we'd better. I'll explain to Sangine that we need at least a few experienced officers to start."

Using the CB radio, Detective McCree called into the station and spoke with the captain. He reminded Sangine just how vast the area was behind the mall. It didn't take much convincing to permit McCree to pull six officers to help scout the location.

About forty minutes later, a small white van arrived. McCree explained his plan to the officers while referring to a map he had spread out on the hood of his vehicle.

"We'll begin here, "McCree pointed. "And we will walk at arm's length until we reach the stream."

McCree pulled a pen from his front shirt pocket and blocked out the ten acres on the map.

"Working through the areas on the north side first and then we will move south," he informed them.

Once the officers confirmed their understanding, McCree folded the map and placed it back into the car.

"Call out to the officer nearest to you, if you spot anything," Detective Tremount added.

It took only thirty minutes for a shout to bellow through the forest.

"Here! Here! I have her here!" A voice called out.

Detective McCree and Tremount raced towards the officer. Laying in a small clearing, covered by leaves and a tattered blue coat, the partially decomposed body of Stacey Orlando was discovered.

"Stop!" McCree ordered. "No one walk any further. We need to get the crime scene investigators out here immediately. Tremount, head back to the car and call it in."

Detective Tremount did not respond. She remained motionless, staring at the body. The face was covered, but it was clear that her jeans had been pulled down to her ankles.

"Detective?" McCree repeated.

"Oh, yes, sorry," Tremount replied. And then backed away slowly before turning and following McCree's command.

"Make a circle around the area," McCree ordered.

Everyone moved as directed. No one spoke. The uniformed officers removed their hats, held them to their chests, and lowered their heads. The only sound that could be heard was the trickling of running water from the stream a few yards away.