How does anyone cope with such dreadful, life-altering experiences? It couldn’t be easy, not even for the best of children. Yet, both Isaacs somehow managed to do so.
The biblical Isaac went on to become a dutiful son, but one much closer to his mother than to the father who was ready to kill him. So, apparently, had young Isaac Whitehouse. But at what cost? What price had he paid for his father’s sins? How scarred was he by his father’s actions?
Having lost both parents at a young age-his father killed in Vietnam, his mother murdered-Dantzler knew plenty about pain, suffering, and the scars left by certain events, especially those beyond your control or understanding. Tomorrow, hopefully, he would find out how well the son of Eli Whitehouse disguised his own scars.
Dantzler grabbed a pen and legal pad and began jotting down random thoughts concerning the case:
two vics murdered execution style
Eli’s.22 the murder weapon; his prints on the gun; gun found at scene
Eli had no alibi for time of murders
vics had no apparent connection to Eli
drugs found at scene; a decoy? Yes. Why?
Eli put up little in way of defense; accepted his sentence quietly
Charlie/Dan-did they look at all possibilities? Did they miss something? Were bodies moved?
Greg Spurlock-hiding something?
phone call warning me off case; how did the caller know about meeting with Eli?
obits, obits, obits-that’s where the answer is
Dantzler put the pen down and closed his eyes for more than a minute. This was standard procedure when he worked a difficult, complex case like this one. First, he would rapidly make a list of known facts or lingering questions, let his mind digest what he’d written, and then circle the one fact he deemed the most crucial at this stage of the investigation. He opened his eyes and smiled. The choice this time was easy.
Greg Spurlock-hiding something.
He drew a circle around the entry and underlined it three times.
CHAPTER TWELVE
While on his way to work the next morning, Dantzler reflected on the previous night with Laurie. What did it mean, her showing up unexpectedly? Did it mean anything or nothing? Was she looking to kick-start the relationship, or was what transpired last night nothing more than an isolated evening of passion? A one-night stand for old time’s sake? Dantzler could only ponder his many questions. Answers eluded him. Laurie had never been particularly hard to read, but this time she had him wondering.
There was no denying they each had strong feelings for the other. And he certainly enjoyed her company. She was smart, sexy, and talented, and she gave as good as she got. Independent-minded and strong-willed, she could hold her own with the toughest of men. And, damn, she was beautiful. There were plenty of upsides to having a relationship with Laurie Dunn.
Still… despite those feelings, Dantzler always had serious reservations regarding their relationship. For one thing, there was the twelve-year age difference. Not a major issue for her, but one that nagged at him. More troublesome, though, was the fact that he was her superior at work. In-house love affairs were always dicey at best, disastrous at worst. Richard Bird, head of Lexington Homicide, made no bones about how he felt, advising them both in no uncertain terms that it was a no-win proposition, and one he strongly suggested should be stopped before things got out of hand.
Dantzler’s instinct was to agree wholeheartedly with Bird. His heart, however, tugged in the opposite direction. He wanted a relationship, unwise as it might be. Maybe the best approach to take was to let matters unfold as they will. Don’t force the issue either way. That seemed to be the smart thing to do. Give it time and space, see what happens. He resolved to do exactly that.
Bruce Rawlinson, the desk sergeant, looked up when Dantzler walked into the building. Rawlinson, a world-class needler, never missed an opportunity to crack wise with Dantzler.
“Hey, Ace,” Rawlinson yelled. “How come I haven’t seen you hanging around with the lovely Miss Dunn lately? She wise up and put your ancient ass on the pavement?”
Dantzler was in no mood for inane early morning banter. “Is Eric here yet?”
“Just left,” Rawlinson said, shaking his head. “Told me to let you know the information you need is on the table in the War Room. Said he would call you later, in case you have any questions.”
“Thanks.”
“Hey, Ace,” Rawlinson said. “If the lovely Miss Dunn ever decides to look my way, she won’t be disappointed.”
“Bruce, if the ‘lovely Miss Dunn’ ever looks your way, it could only mean the End Times have finally arrived. God would not tolerate such a mismatch.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Judging by the number of Inter-Department envelopes and manilla folders lined up on the table, it was obvious to Dantzler that Eric had not been wasting his time. The man had put in many hours on this project. This came as no surprise to Dantzler, who had been the first to recognize Eric’s gift for police work. From the first day he joined the Homicide crew, Eric’s work had been consistently thorough, professional, and superb. With this effort, he had once again justified Dantzler’s faith in him.
There were nine very thick Inter-Department envelopes bound together in stacks of three, each with an identifying note attached to the top envelope.
· Obits for week of 4/5/11-4/11/11 (22 total)
· Obits for week of 4/12/11-4/18/11 (18 total)
· Pallbearers (196 total)
Lined up directly beneath the larger envelopes were three manilla folders. On top of the middle folder was a typed note from Eric:
Jack:
Ran all names through every possible data base as per your orders. Male relatives, preachers, ministers, and funeral home personnel can be done later, if necessary. As expected, most were solid citizens who stayed out of trouble. However, I did find three nuggets that got my interest. You’ll see why when you dig into it. Will contact you later.
E
Dantzler was impressed. By looking into the backgrounds of pallbearers, which Dantzler hadn’t specifically requested, Eric had clearly done far more than expected. An additional two hundred background checks was nothing to take for granted. Dantzler made a mental note to mention Eric’s extra effort to Captain Bird.
Next, Dantzler turned his attention to the three manilla folders lying in a straight row. The first thing he noticed was that Eric lined them up alphabetically by last name. He also noticed the folders were not particularly thick, which meant Eric had printed only the information he deemed important or noteworthy. Dantzler trusted Eric’s judgment, so he had no problem with not getting everything in the various local, state, and federal data bases relating to each man. If he needed more he could always get it later.
Dantzler pulled back a chair, sat, and picked up the first folder. On the outside, Eric had typed:
Lawrence Edward (Larry) Gadd
2/10/56 – 4/9/11
Lexington, Ky.