THE ONLY EASY DAY IS YESTERDAY

"The Journey of Jeremy Keller"

by OldScout

Part 18

Agent Ropper stood outside the Wilmont farm house watching

them preparing to bring the bodies out. What a horrendous sight, they

were shocked to find the bodies on the ground floor, but were totally

unprepared for the blood bath upstairs. Forensics were examining the

house now, looking for clues to the killers and theories as to where the

body was from the bedroom. It was obvious that the two bodies they

had found were not involved with what ever had happened up stairs. It

was a murder scene if there ever was one, but there was no body.

Agents roamed the fields and buildings around the farm house looking

for clues.

Anita looked at the bag in her hands. The sword in it appeared

to be Civil War vintage. She guessed the missing girl may have tried

unsuccessfully to defend herself with it. Still, it was a sword and she

just kept happening on them.

Then there was the box. Some of the deputies thought it was for

a treasure. They were speculating that the girl was tortured until she

revealed its were abouts. Anita greatly doubted that theory. The

impressions in the cloth were all too clear, it too was a sword.

One of the officers came out of the house. "Ma'am," he said

"We've done the preliminary checks on the prints like you suggested.

We can match at least three of the sets from the diner to the scene

upstairs."

Ropper looked at the hand written report he handed her "And

Keller?"

"We've found his prints on the dresser drawer in the back room

and possibly on the bathroom door." The Trooper reported.

"So he was in there, but we can't prove he was involved in the

holocaust?"

"No ma'ma, in fact the evidence tends to point to him coming in

afterward. We've found a boot print in the blood on the floor. It's pretty

sharp so it looks like it was made after the blood had a chance to set for

awhile."

"Do you think anyone could have survived what ever happened

up there?" Agent Ropper asked, not really expecting an answer.

"I don't know ma'am."

As the two spoke, a Coroner's assistant wheeled a gurney out of

the house with Mrs. Jordon on it. Ropper took one last look at the

passing body then noticed a detail she hadn't seen before.

"Hold it, what's that?" she asked the attendant and pointed to a

tattoo on the dead woman's wrist.

The trooper and the coroner's assistant both looked at the body.

"I didn't see that before." the assistant said looking at the small round

marking.

"I have." Anita replied.

"Where?" one of the men asked.

"A colleague." Ropper said as she thought back to her little ride

with Peter Gattlin. She had noticed a small round tattoo on his wrist as

he was driving but she didn't think anything of it at the time. Now she

found another connection.

"Well, Agent Ropper," the Trooper asked "do you think there is a

connection between these killings and the ones you are investigating?"

"Without a doubt." she replied. "Now if we can just figured out

what happened to the body."

"I know it's weird Ma'am." the Trooper remarked "but when I

was up in that bedroom is just seemed like she had gotten up and

walked away after they were done with her."

"What do you mean?"

"Well if you look at it, the trail of blood out of the bedroom to the

bath room. The cut hair in the back bedroom, the drawer of clothes,

everything. If it wasn't for all that blood and gore in the bedroom I'd say

that Mandy Wilmont just got in her pickup and drove away."

Anita considered the young man's point of view then asked "Do

we have that A.P.B. on the truck yet?"

"Absolutely. The order is to observe but not approach."

While the Trooper responded to her questions Agent Ropper

continued to consider what Gattlin had told her about a cult of immortals

and the evidence before her. Everything just fit too nicely. Gattlin's tall

tale of people believing they were immortal unless someone cut their

head off just fit these details too perfectly.

So what would the scenario be, Keller pisses off these biker

dudes who come here after him. They kill everybody in the house and

torture the young woman to death. Only she's immortal, so she gets up

showers grabs her 'good' sword from the basement then goes off after the

bikers to set things right.

"I'll bet," Ropper said under her breath "if we find the biker gang

we'll find everyone we're looking for."

"You think Keller's with them?"

"No, I think Keller's after them." Anita said "And if we don't find

them first we're going to have more bodies to clean up."

"Your afraid they're going to get Keller before he can answer

your questions?"

Anita laughed "No, I'm afraid he's going to get them."

Dropping the bag she was holding next to the old wooden box,

Anita headed away from the house. She had had enough of swords from

this case. They were no longer the novelty they were a few months ago.

Now it was time to visit the Jordan home.

to be continued....