Chapter 10
Nick and Catherine sat at a table in the local Crime Lab. They sorted pictures and drew out a few time lines, and threw possible theories around.
"OK.. so I'm thinking, Denver lost his job, got upset, kidnapped Melissa, and then killed her after." Nick thought.
"But what about Mr Cox?"
"What about him?"
"I dunno, he just seemed a little too short with us earlier. I mean don't you remember what he said?" Cath asked.
#if you make it quick... We've already had too much bad publicity, I don't need anymore....#
Nick thought for a moment. "So maybe he was angry at Denver and threatened him, making him nervous, making him take irrational actions.?" Nick offered.
"Maybe... but I think we should go talk to Denver's family first..."
"Yea... let's go..." Nick stood up and grabbed his jacket.
~*~ At the Denver Residence ~*~
"No... we haven't heard from him... Not since a few weeks after the case was over." Micheal Denver's mother answered.
"Do you know if he's be staying with any relatives?" Nick asked.
"If he had been... I'm sure we would've found out about it..."
"Look, Mrs. Denver... we need to know about your son's whereabouts, so if you anything... it'd be best if you told us now, rather then us finding out on our own." Nick informed the older lady.
"No... I don't know anything about where he might be... but, well, before he left, he said something about fixing a mistake he made."
"Thanks ma'am." Nick said and walked over to find Cath just finshing talking to the father. "You get anything?"
"Not much... he claims not to know where he is, but I did get a name of a friend Micheal had."
"ok... let's roll."
~*~
Nick and Catherine walked up to Micheal Denver's friends' house and knocked on the door. There was no answer. As they were about to leave, a neighbour poked his head out the window. "You lookin' for Jamie?"
"Yea.. you seen him?" Cath asked, covering her eyes from the sun.
"he's at work..."
"Where does he work then?" Nick asked.
"Over at Cox's ranch... he's the maintenance guy over there."
Cath grinned. "Thanks..." She turned to Nick. "It all leads back to the ranch."
~*~
They walked into the corral and asked around for Jamie.
"I'm Jamie... What do ya need?"
"We need answers..." Nick smiled. "You're a friend of Micheal Denver's right?"
"Yea... why?"
"You know where I can find him?"
"Not anymore... he disappeared a few weeks ago..."
Catherine gave him and incredulous look. "Thanks anyways..."
"But he used to come around here a lot before he disappeared..."
Cath and Nick stopped in their tracks. "But I though he was fired?"
"He was... but he asked me if he could use the old shed, just behind the ranch, for some extra storage space..."
"What was this storage for?"
"Don't know... I never asked and I never went in there... " Jamie answered.
Cath smiled. "Ok.. thanks for your time..." She turned to face Nick again. "Let's go take a look in that shed...."
They made their way down a small path to an old shed that looked to be falling apart. Nick walked over to the door and pulled it open an inch before pulling away.
"Do you smell that?" Nick asked, his face twisted. He tried to block out the foul odor and flung the door open, Jumping back as a decomposing body fell out onto the ground.
"Omigod!" Cath covered her mouth and grabbed her cell, calling the police department.
Nick flicked on a pair of rubber gloves and crouched near the body. He reached in the DB's pocket and pulled out a wallet. "Let's find out who this John Doe is? And what the hell he's doin here..." Nick opened the wallet and pulled out the driver's liscence. His jaw dropped as he handed the card to Catherine.
"it's.... Micheal Denver?!" Cath raised an eyebrow. "But if he's dead.... then who killed Melissa and brought her to Vegas?"
"I dunno... But I- " Nick's thoughts were interrupted by the police and coroner coming in their direction.
~*~
After the scene had cleared, Nick and Cath headed back to the shed to investigate. They looked around and saw food containers and a small make-shift bed, with wires at the head of the bed.
"Wires... bed... food... He kept her here Cath. Dammit! She was right here the whole time.... and we couldn't find her, we let her die..." Nick yelled in anger.
"Nick!" Cath put a firm hand on his arm. "There's nothing you can do to bring her back... but there is something you can do to help ease her family's pain..." Cath said sypathetically.
Nick nodded and decided he's go talk to the friend again. "I wanna know who had access to this shed... cuz someone killed Micheal here and probably knew about Melissa too." Nick walked off and went to find Jamie.
~*~
"Jamie... who had access to that shed?" Nick asked, walking up behind the young man.
"Uh... Myself and Mike..."
"Did you ever go there? is there anyone else? did anyone go there just before Micheal disappeared?" Nick asked rapidly.
"No.. I never went there... The place was falling apart and Mike said he didn't want anyone messing with the shed cuz he had his stuff in there... but he didn't want me to say anything about him still being around..."
"Did you tell anyone?"
"No... I didn't know i it was anything serious or not... but one day, Mr. Cox was headed up to the old shed to check out it's condition cuz he was gonna tear it down and build a new one... "
"Did he go up there?"
"I dunno... I just told him that it seemed fine enough and that we already had a shed closer to the ranch that we didn't need that one... so as far as I know, he left it alone"
Nick's expression changed as an idea occurred to him. "Interesting..." He said briefly before heading back to Catherine. "I know who did it... Cath, I know what happened!" Nick said running up the pathway.
Cath stepped out of the shed and looked sideways at Nick. "What?"
"I know who did it... call the police... tell them to get an arrest warrant for Abram Cox!"
TBC
Nick and Catherine sat at a table in the local Crime Lab. They sorted pictures and drew out a few time lines, and threw possible theories around.
"OK.. so I'm thinking, Denver lost his job, got upset, kidnapped Melissa, and then killed her after." Nick thought.
"But what about Mr Cox?"
"What about him?"
"I dunno, he just seemed a little too short with us earlier. I mean don't you remember what he said?" Cath asked.
#if you make it quick... We've already had too much bad publicity, I don't need anymore....#
Nick thought for a moment. "So maybe he was angry at Denver and threatened him, making him nervous, making him take irrational actions.?" Nick offered.
"Maybe... but I think we should go talk to Denver's family first..."
"Yea... let's go..." Nick stood up and grabbed his jacket.
~*~ At the Denver Residence ~*~
"No... we haven't heard from him... Not since a few weeks after the case was over." Micheal Denver's mother answered.
"Do you know if he's be staying with any relatives?" Nick asked.
"If he had been... I'm sure we would've found out about it..."
"Look, Mrs. Denver... we need to know about your son's whereabouts, so if you anything... it'd be best if you told us now, rather then us finding out on our own." Nick informed the older lady.
"No... I don't know anything about where he might be... but, well, before he left, he said something about fixing a mistake he made."
"Thanks ma'am." Nick said and walked over to find Cath just finshing talking to the father. "You get anything?"
"Not much... he claims not to know where he is, but I did get a name of a friend Micheal had."
"ok... let's roll."
~*~
Nick and Catherine walked up to Micheal Denver's friends' house and knocked on the door. There was no answer. As they were about to leave, a neighbour poked his head out the window. "You lookin' for Jamie?"
"Yea.. you seen him?" Cath asked, covering her eyes from the sun.
"he's at work..."
"Where does he work then?" Nick asked.
"Over at Cox's ranch... he's the maintenance guy over there."
Cath grinned. "Thanks..." She turned to Nick. "It all leads back to the ranch."
~*~
They walked into the corral and asked around for Jamie.
"I'm Jamie... What do ya need?"
"We need answers..." Nick smiled. "You're a friend of Micheal Denver's right?"
"Yea... why?"
"You know where I can find him?"
"Not anymore... he disappeared a few weeks ago..."
Catherine gave him and incredulous look. "Thanks anyways..."
"But he used to come around here a lot before he disappeared..."
Cath and Nick stopped in their tracks. "But I though he was fired?"
"He was... but he asked me if he could use the old shed, just behind the ranch, for some extra storage space..."
"What was this storage for?"
"Don't know... I never asked and I never went in there... " Jamie answered.
Cath smiled. "Ok.. thanks for your time..." She turned to face Nick again. "Let's go take a look in that shed...."
They made their way down a small path to an old shed that looked to be falling apart. Nick walked over to the door and pulled it open an inch before pulling away.
"Do you smell that?" Nick asked, his face twisted. He tried to block out the foul odor and flung the door open, Jumping back as a decomposing body fell out onto the ground.
"Omigod!" Cath covered her mouth and grabbed her cell, calling the police department.
Nick flicked on a pair of rubber gloves and crouched near the body. He reached in the DB's pocket and pulled out a wallet. "Let's find out who this John Doe is? And what the hell he's doin here..." Nick opened the wallet and pulled out the driver's liscence. His jaw dropped as he handed the card to Catherine.
"it's.... Micheal Denver?!" Cath raised an eyebrow. "But if he's dead.... then who killed Melissa and brought her to Vegas?"
"I dunno... But I- " Nick's thoughts were interrupted by the police and coroner coming in their direction.
~*~
After the scene had cleared, Nick and Cath headed back to the shed to investigate. They looked around and saw food containers and a small make-shift bed, with wires at the head of the bed.
"Wires... bed... food... He kept her here Cath. Dammit! She was right here the whole time.... and we couldn't find her, we let her die..." Nick yelled in anger.
"Nick!" Cath put a firm hand on his arm. "There's nothing you can do to bring her back... but there is something you can do to help ease her family's pain..." Cath said sypathetically.
Nick nodded and decided he's go talk to the friend again. "I wanna know who had access to this shed... cuz someone killed Micheal here and probably knew about Melissa too." Nick walked off and went to find Jamie.
~*~
"Jamie... who had access to that shed?" Nick asked, walking up behind the young man.
"Uh... Myself and Mike..."
"Did you ever go there? is there anyone else? did anyone go there just before Micheal disappeared?" Nick asked rapidly.
"No.. I never went there... The place was falling apart and Mike said he didn't want anyone messing with the shed cuz he had his stuff in there... but he didn't want me to say anything about him still being around..."
"Did you tell anyone?"
"No... I didn't know i it was anything serious or not... but one day, Mr. Cox was headed up to the old shed to check out it's condition cuz he was gonna tear it down and build a new one... "
"Did he go up there?"
"I dunno... I just told him that it seemed fine enough and that we already had a shed closer to the ranch that we didn't need that one... so as far as I know, he left it alone"
Nick's expression changed as an idea occurred to him. "Interesting..." He said briefly before heading back to Catherine. "I know who did it... Cath, I know what happened!" Nick said running up the pathway.
Cath stepped out of the shed and looked sideways at Nick. "What?"
"I know who did it... call the police... tell them to get an arrest warrant for Abram Cox!"
TBC