Detective Green walked over to them while Lassiter went back inside the house.
Green said, “We’ll run their prints. Hopefully, that will turn up who they are.”
“A lot of people aren’t on databases,” pointed out Jamison.
“But a lot of people are,” countered Green.
Decker said, “So tell us about the other homicides.”
Green unwrapped a stick of gum and started chewing, balling up the wrapper and sticking it in his pocket.
Decker watched him. “I had a partner back in Ohio who chewed gum all the time. She was trying to kick the smokes.”
Green said, “I’m two years off the cancer sticks. But I’ve worn my teeth down to nothing.”
“So, what other homicides?” Decker persisted.
“We got a lot of problems in this town. Businesses boarded up. Houses foreclosed on. Many with no jobs and no prospects of a job. Opioid addiction is through the roof.”
“That’s not just here,” said Jamison. “It’s all over.”
Green continued. “When I was a kid the mines and mills were still operating. People had money. Dads worked, moms stayed home and raised the children. People went to church on Sunday. Downtown was alive and well. Then the mines and mills went belly-up and everything came tumbling down. Because it all depended on the mines and mills. They were the only reason there was a town.”
“Baronville?” said Jamison. “My sister told me a little about it.”
Green chewed his gum and nodded. “A long time ago, John Baron Sr. came to the area and discovered coal. He built the town because he needed workers for the mines. He made a fortune off that, and then opened coal and coke plants, then textile mills, and later a paper mill. And then he hit natural gas and made more money. My granddad told me old man Baron only had one setback in his whole life. His textile business soured and he was planning to sell it by the time he died. But other than that, the man never missed when it came to business. Baron built this huge mansion and lived like a king. But when he died things started going downhill. The businesses started tanking and were sold off. When the economy nosedived back in the seventies and then manufacturing went overseas, they all eventually went out of business. The music stopped and the good folks of Baronville were caught with no place to sit down. Been that way ever since.”
Looking impatient, Decker said, “Are you going to tell us about the homicides or keep giving us a history lesson on Baronville?”
Green spit out his gum and stared directly at Decker.
“Four vics at two different crime scenes. Both happened in the span of two weeks, the last barely a week ago.”
“Similarities? Patterns?” Decker wanted to know.
“Only in that each one was weird,” replied Green, his lip curled in disgust.
“No leads?” asked Jamison.
“None worth following up on. And as you know, the more time goes by, the lower the odds of clearing a case.”
“Tell me about them,” said Decker.
At that moment Lassiter came out of the house and motioned to Green. “Marty, can you come and eyeball something?”
Green looked across the yard at her. “What is it?”
Lassiter glanced at Decker. “I don’t want to say in front of unauthorized persons.”
Green turned to him. “I’ll be at the station house tomorrow morning. It’s on Baron Boulevard. If you want to stop by.”
“Baron again,” noted Decker.
“You stay here long enough you’ll be thoroughly sick of the name Baron,” said Green.
“Are there any Barons left here?” asked Jamison.
“One,” said Green. He trudged across the wet lawn toward Lassiter.
Jamison whirled on Decker. “I can’t believe you’re in the middle of another murder investigation. Back in D.C. you were an eyewitness to one. On Pennsylvania Avenue no less. Now here in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania you find two bodies.”
“And since I’m here the least I can do is try to find who killed them.”
“Don’t you ever get tired of it?” asked Jamison wearily.
“It’s what I do. If I didn’t have this, I’d have nothing.”
“Oh, if only more people could realize happiness through homicide,” snapped Jamison.
“Alex, you’re sounding punchy.”
“I am punchy! But it doesn’t look like they’re going to let you work on the case. You heard Lassiter.”
“And I also heard her partner. He wants help, even if she doesn’t.”
“But they may not let us work on the case,” pointed out Jamison.
“If they’ve had multiple murders here they could use some help.”
“You better not call Bogart and ask him to intervene on this.”
Decker looked at her appraisingly. “But if you called him?”
“Oh, no, you’re not putting me in the middle of this.”
“Alex, there have been six recent unsolved murders in Baronville.”
She flushed. “I know that!”
“And your sister and her family are living here. In fact, they were right next door to these latest murders.”
Jamison’s jaw dropped. “Decker, I can’t believe you’re playing the guilt card on me.”
“People are dead, Alex.”
“And the police can find out who did it.”
“I’m not sure about that.”
“Why?”
“Because Detectives Green and Lassiter apparently didn’t catch a really big inconsistency in the crime scene. I gave them the chance to comment on it, but they didn’t bite.”
“What inconsistency?”
“Just trust me on that. I’m not sure they’ll be up to the task, is all.”
Jamison started to say something, but stopped and looked in the direction of the house where the two dead men had been found. Then she glanced at her sister’s house.
She let out a long sigh. “Okay, okay,” she said miserably.
“You don’t have to do anything, Alex. Enjoy your vacation and your sister and her family and let me work the case.”
Her face turned red. “Like I’m going to let you work this alone. I can’t even believe you’d say that.”
Now Decker looked uncertain. “It’s... it’s about Zoe.”
“What about her?”
“She asked me to not let you get hurt by bad people.”
“I appreciate that, Amos, I really do. But I’m a big girl, in case you hadn’t noticed. I’ve trained at the FBI, so I’m in the best physical shape of my life. And I can handle a gun. And I’m ready to do my job.”
Decker cracked a smile.
“What?” she demanded.
“I wish I could say I was in the best physical shape of my life.”
“You were in the NFL. I doubt you’ll ever be that fit again. But don’t worry.”
“What do you mean?”
Now it was her turn to smile. “I’ll take care of you.”
Chapter 6
“This is crazy,” said Frank Mitchell.
He was sitting in his living room with Amber, Decker, and Jamison. It was after midnight and he had just arrived a few minutes earlier. He had finally called Amber back on the way home and been filled in about the murders.
Frank was about six-one, lean and muscular, with curly blond hair and long sideburns. He had on a white dress shirt open at the collar with a loosened tie around it and dark slacks. His socks drooped a bit and his black dress shoes were nicked at the toecaps.
Amber sat beside him, with Frank’s arm protectively around her.
She said, “When I saw them talk about the other murders on TV, I was stunned. Things like that aren’t supposed to happen in small towns like this. Now, I wish we’d never moved here.”