What transforms in the dark? Part 4
By late afternoon, the horizon cleared up and the rain stopped. As a result of the weather, the heavy rain had washed away the loose earth in Denise Shaw's backyard and brought to light two shallow graves. The gardening area was sequestered with wooden planks and small signs that detailed what were planted in which row. Between rows of thyme and sunflowers, two bodies appeared. Lieutenant Provenza had discovered the two graves by accident as he was getting a glass of water from the kitchen. He had looked out of the window and seen a shoe sticking up from the earth in the garden; he had called the team right away. The older man guided Buzz through the house and out to the back porch that overlooked the garden.
Denise Shaw was being read her rights in the living room, Mike Tao and Andy Flynn ready to handcuff her, their expressions stony.
Buzz had noticed the absurd expression on Ms. Shaw's face as he passed through the living room; the streaks of tears at odds with her dead gaze; she was devoid of any emotion. She snarled at the lieutenants; cursing them and heaving insults after insults at them. Lieutenant Flynn's expression only hardened and he continued with the Miranda Rights. The woman snarled again but she did not move or try to resist arrest when they asked her to turn around.
Lieutenant Provenza prodded Buzz on; the little offhand gesture to his shoulder reassured him somewhat.
Patrol had gone through the backyard as routine after Denise had reported her son missing but they had discovered nothing at the time; they had not lingered long enough to find the small bunks of earth suspicious.
Buzz walked behind Provenza, his eyes on the pool and the lawn that was immaculately green.
Doctor Morales and two SID technicians were already at the scene, wearing complete white plastic suits. They were in the middle of uncovering the bodies completely, brushing earth away with small hand brooms.
Buzz swallowed and tried to keep the camera in his hands still. With a deep breath, he stepped closer and started filming. He pointed the lens on the uprooted earth and the two bodies that were half buried, slowly filming the length of one body and then the next. On the grass, about two meters from the crime scene, were two gurneys and two body bags. He had noticed the coroners van waiting on the curb in front of the house right next to the cruisers with their lights flashing. It helped Buzz to think of facts and things he had just seen when subjected to something this horrible.
Buzz filmed the boy first, Jimmy, he thought with a deep sorrow. The small body of the five year lay with his torso under muddied earth and one foot sticking up into the air with a tiny sock on. There was mud on the boy's face and his green t-shirt.
"The boy has earth in his mouth. When I examine his lungs later on, I'll know if he suffocated or if he was dead before he was buried," Morales spoke over his shoulder to lieutenant Provenza and the camera.
Buzz watched the expression on the lieutenant's face darkening. This was the worst part, the part that eventually snuck itself into his nightmares.
When Buzz looked around at the faces of the people at the scene there were only tight expressions; sorrowful and angry, a strange mix that made sense to Buzz. Not so the graves they had discovered by accident.
Next to the little boy, lay the father.
Buzz filmed as Morales revealed the head of Nigel Debor, blood mixed in with earth.
"Mr. Debor has a contusion to his temple, possibly the cause of death," Morales commented.
The day ended with the gray clouds coalescing and the rain starting up once again. It seemed soothing to Buzz as he left the headquarters of the LAPD. It was as if the clouds shared the sorrow and wept with him in grief. Such a terrible crime, such terrible betrayal of love and trust, Buzz would never understand.
Once home, he took a long warm shower. Standing under the jet of water, he let the water work on the muscles in his neck. The warm water slowly released the tension that was knotted up in his shoulders and neck.
The doorbell rang just as Buzz was getting out of the shower. He threw on a t-shirt and jeans before he opened the door.
Doctor Morales was on the other side, a somber expression and a bag of take-away in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. For once, the doctor was not smiling weirdly.
Buzz would have found the intrusion, or self-imposed invitation, annoying on any other day but not this night; the rich spicy flavor of Ripassa and the cold tang of sushi helped ease his worries and lifted his spirits somewhat.
They ended up talking into the early hours of the morning; sharing stories of youth and happier memories. Sharing what had happened today. It was seldom Buzz found someone he could talk to in this way. There was no confidentiality breach; Morales knew what had happened, and, somehow, it was easier to talk to him about the horrors of their professions than anyone else on the team.
They shared one soft, breathless kiss before the doctor left, Buzz glanced out a window and smiled as the sky started turning light blue.
…