Sandy."
Downes nodded. "You two share a dorm room?"
"No. We live in a boardinghouse near the campus."
"Did you worry when Sandy didn't come home last night?"
"We, uh, spent the night at my place," Tommy answered.
"When I got back to the room this morning, Sandy wasn't there," Marjorie told Downes. "I figured she was studying or something."
"When was the last time you saw her?"
Marjorie looked at Tommy.
"About ten-thirty," he said. "We all went to the Stallion."
"Tommy and I wanted to leave. We offered to drop her off at the house because we came in Tommy's car, but she wanted to stay." Marjorie's eyes teared again.
"If she'd only come with us ..
Downes waited patiently while Dooling gathered herself.
"Sergeant Downes, I was wondering ... When they found Sandy, was she wearing a necklace?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Sandy always wore a medallion around her neck. A Crusader's Cross. It would be for her mom. I know she'll want it. Sandy's grandma gave it to her and it was her lucky piece."
Sandy Whiley wasn't wearing anything around her neck when the first officer arrived on the scene, but it seemed to Downes that one of the officers had found something resembling the jewelry Dooling had described. He would check on it later. For now, the medallion was evidence and would have to be held until the killer was caught and convicted.
Business was usually slow at the Stallion at four in the afternoon, and the stunning summer weather was keeping all but the staunchest regulars outdoors. Dennis Downes spotted Arnie Block and Dave Thorne chatting behind the bar as soon as his eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the tavern. Downes was in uniform and the bartenders stopped talking when he sat down.
"Hi, Sergeant," Block said. "The usual?"
"Not today, Arnie. Were you and Dave on duty last night?"
"Yeah. We were both here."
Downes took out a photo of Sandra Whiley that Marjorie Dooling had given him when he followed her back to the boardinghouse.
"Do you remember seeing this girl in here?"
Arnie studied the photo. "She looks familiar, but I don't know if she was here last night."
Thorne frowned. "It could be ... Yeah. Her hair was a little longer, but I'm sure.. ." He took the photo from "See that medallion around her neck? She was playing with it at the bar. It's definitely her."
"When was she in?"
"It had to be around eleven. In fact, I'm sure of it, because I remember seeing her leave shortly after the fight broke up."
"What fight?" Downes asked.
"Oh, it wasn't anything. Gary Harmon was yelling at a woman. Arnie calmed him down."
"What's with the girl?" Block asked.
"We're trying to trace her movements. She was murdered sometime after she left the Stallion."
"No shit!" Thorne said, looking more closely at the photograph. "Hey, she's not the girl they found by the wishing well?"
Block and brought it closer.
Downes nodded.
"Jesus. A couple of customers were talking about that earlier. We thought it might be the other one."
"What other one?"
"The woman Gary was hassling. I saw the sketch in the Clarion and it looked a little like her."
"What happened?"
"Do you know Gary?" Arnie asked.
Downes nodded.
"Then, you know he's a little slow, and he'd had one too many. He tried to hit on this girl. She shot him down and he didn't take it too well. He grabbed her by her tee shirt and yelled in her face."
Arnie shook his head.
"What kind of tee shirt?" Downes asked, remembering the way Whiley was dressed.
"Uh, a Whitaker State one. The one with the rearing horse on it."
"Was she wearing jeans?"
"I think so."
"And you thought Gary might have killed this girl?"
Downes asked. ' "Not really," Block said with a laugh to show how ridiculous the whole thing was. "Gary just gets excited sometimes and acts like a kid. I mean, he did threaten to kill her, but no one took him seriously."
Chapter NINE.
Dennis Downes was normally an easygoing guy, but the possibility of busting the only serial killer in the history of
Downes nodded. "You two share a dorm room?"
"No. We live in a boardinghouse near the campus."
"Did you worry when Sandy didn't come home last night?"
"We, uh, spent the night at my place," Tommy answered.
"When I got back to the room this morning, Sandy wasn't there," Marjorie told Downes. "I figured she was studying or something."
"When was the last time you saw her?"
Marjorie looked at Tommy.
"About ten-thirty," he said. "We all went to the Stallion."
"Tommy and I wanted to leave. We offered to drop her off at the house because we came in Tommy's car, but she wanted to stay." Marjorie's eyes teared again.
"If she'd only come with us ..
Downes waited patiently while Dooling gathered herself.
"Sergeant Downes, I was wondering ... When they found Sandy, was she wearing a necklace?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Sandy always wore a medallion around her neck. A Crusader's Cross. It would be for her mom. I know she'll want it. Sandy's grandma gave it to her and it was her lucky piece."
Sandy Whiley wasn't wearing anything around her neck when the first officer arrived on the scene, but it seemed to Downes that one of the officers had found something resembling the jewelry Dooling had described. He would check on it later. For now, the medallion was evidence and would have to be held until the killer was caught and convicted.
Business was usually slow at the Stallion at four in the afternoon, and the stunning summer weather was keeping all but the staunchest regulars outdoors. Dennis Downes spotted Arnie Block and Dave Thorne chatting behind the bar as soon as his eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the tavern. Downes was in uniform and the bartenders stopped talking when he sat down.
"Hi, Sergeant," Block said. "The usual?"
"Not today, Arnie. Were you and Dave on duty last night?"
"Yeah. We were both here."
Downes took out a photo of Sandra Whiley that Marjorie Dooling had given him when he followed her back to the boardinghouse.
"Do you remember seeing this girl in here?"
Arnie studied the photo. "She looks familiar, but I don't know if she was here last night."
Thorne frowned. "It could be ... Yeah. Her hair was a little longer, but I'm sure.. ." He took the photo from "See that medallion around her neck? She was playing with it at the bar. It's definitely her."
"When was she in?"
"It had to be around eleven. In fact, I'm sure of it, because I remember seeing her leave shortly after the fight broke up."
"What fight?" Downes asked.
"Oh, it wasn't anything. Gary Harmon was yelling at a woman. Arnie calmed him down."
"What's with the girl?" Block asked.
"We're trying to trace her movements. She was murdered sometime after she left the Stallion."
"No shit!" Thorne said, looking more closely at the photograph. "Hey, she's not the girl they found by the wishing well?"
Block and brought it closer.
Downes nodded.
"Jesus. A couple of customers were talking about that earlier. We thought it might be the other one."
"What other one?"
"The woman Gary was hassling. I saw the sketch in the Clarion and it looked a little like her."
"What happened?"
"Do you know Gary?" Arnie asked.
Downes nodded.
"Then, you know he's a little slow, and he'd had one too many. He tried to hit on this girl. She shot him down and he didn't take it too well. He grabbed her by her tee shirt and yelled in her face."
Arnie shook his head.
"What kind of tee shirt?" Downes asked, remembering the way Whiley was dressed.
"Uh, a Whitaker State one. The one with the rearing horse on it."
"Was she wearing jeans?"
"I think so."
"And you thought Gary might have killed this girl?"
Downes asked. ' "Not really," Block said with a laugh to show how ridiculous the whole thing was. "Gary just gets excited sometimes and acts like a kid. I mean, he did threaten to kill her, but no one took him seriously."
Chapter NINE.
Dennis Downes was normally an easygoing guy, but the possibility of busting the only serial killer in the history of
Similar Books
