I am officially on vacation, yippi. Well, vacation from work anyways. Time to tackle some much overdue farm projects today!
The waves were crashing down mercilessly onto the beach of the southern end of Point Reyes Park as the two detectives arrived at the small parking lot reserved for tourists and other daytime visitors, its size a mere quarter of the landscape cleared for campers.
The cold and breezy weather paired with the holiday made for an abandoned park, perfect for their informal afternoon reconnaissance.
"Still nothing else on your floater, eh?", Steve pried half-heartedly as they exited the Galaxie, the gusty winds cutting straight through them, making the deserted beach a hostile environment for any human on that cold December day.
Wrapping the black overcoat tighter around his chest and holding onto the fedora with his free hand, Mike shook his head and slowly followed his partner along the wooden walkway toward the shoreline, flinching when the cold sand seeped into his dress shoes, chilling him to the bone.
"Well, after the third unanswered phone call to the Marine Supervisor's office to track down the currents from last week, I figured they might be on vacation for the holiday and I may have to push my research off until tomorrow. Your suggestion for a road trip sounded exciting…although I am starting to regret joining you right about now…"
With a cheeky grin, Steve shook his head, adjusting the beige sportscoat that the wind was blowing all over the place nearly as much as his sandy hair, as he headed toward some indiscernible spot along the beach only he knew.
Determined to look at the precise location where the severed leg had been found, the young Inspector braved the strong winds even when they threatened to shove both detectives back toward the parking lot.
"Nice day for a walk on the beach…", Mike yelled facetiously and waited for a break in the steady gusts to fold the collar of his black overcoat up, hoping to protect his neck.
"What exactly are you looking for that wasn't found in the report, Buddy Boy?"
It was a trick question and Steve knew it the moment it was posed.
With a slight shrug, he approached the shoreline, so close that the toes of his cowboy boots nearly touched the water, the sounds of the waves crashing onto the beach so loud that it nearly drowned out their conversation.
"Hopefully something that the people writing the report weren't thinking of checking out…"
With an approving nod, Mike stepped next to his partner, staying just a couple feet back, as Steve glanced across the vast ocean, then turned around to let his eyes drift over the nearby dunes that separated the roadway from the beach by a good half a mile.
"Well, I guess my theory that somebody threw the leg out of a moving vehicle is off the table."
"It'd be a hell of a throw for sure…", Mike added, his trained eyes wandering across the beach, the long switchblade grasses in the dunes waving in the wind, the few narrow pathways here and there, before ending back up at the parking lot.
Pulling out his black notepad and double checking his findings, Steve took a couple of steps toward the left as if to follow a pirate map.
"Well, if we believe the Park Ranger's report, the leg was discovered right about here, in the middle of the beach between both cliffs…", the young Inspector yelled, his hand pointing at the large rocks to either side of the lagoon that had become a tourist attraction a long time ago, "Even if my car theory is out, I am having a really hard time imagining that it just washed up and laid here for days without being seen. Likewise, even though Bernie found some scavenging marks on the leg, it'd be an odd place for an animal to dump its…its dinner."
"Maybe it got startled by the Park Rangers…"
"Yeah, it's possible. But you think they'd have noticed paw prints or something. They're Park Rangers, you'd think they're into that…"
"If it's one thing I learned during my time in Homicide, it's not to assume anything, Buddy Boy. They could have been overwhelmed with the find. They have no formal training on how to secure a crime scene quite like this. For all we know they could have trampled what evidence was there. Trust me, I think we're going to have a lot more luck out here with the cadaver dogs…once they're back from vacation. Weather might be nicer too."
Steve turned around when he said that, acknowledging the tidbit of wisdom and gentle caution with a slow nod, before focusing back at the shoreline once again, coaxing his mind to think of alternative reasons why the leg showed up to begin with.
"I'm sorry I suggested it…", Steve began only to see his partner shake his head vehemently.
"Don't you ever be sorry for following your gut. That was a good call to make. Go, take a look around, we're here, might as well use the opportunity. Like you said, maybe we will find something that the others didn't think to look for…"