Part 15 – Hunter Safety – Part 2
After loading the body into the coroner's van, Sasuke and Shikamaru drove down to the station to brief Iruka.
"What do you think," Shikamaru asked as they began driving down Versailles toward Coliseum Boulevard, "Hunting accident?"
"Doubt it," Sasuke said as he pointed at the woods, "Only thing in those trees are birds, and it's not legal to shoot a firearm in those woods," he pointed off to his apartment building, "You have apartments and houses in that direction," he pointed in the opposite direction, "Over there, you have a Walmart behind those trees," he pointed behind them, "Back that way you have a very busy street, and multiple residential neighborhoods. A bullet goes into one of those you're either going to kill or seriously injure a person or an animal. The place she was found is too close to the road."
"Good point," Shikamaru said, "What about an accidental discharge?"
"Not possible," Sasuke said, "Over in Afghanistan, I used to have firefights from twice the distance she was shot at. With a scope, I could see them, not very clearly mind you, but still clear enough to know I was aiming at a human. If you're in the woods practicing that close to a road and residential areas you'd never have your gun loaded."
"And you were," Shikamaru asked.
"If it was me," Sasuke asked, "It'd never happen, but if I somehow had mistaken a dummy round for a real bullet," he pointed over his shoulder with his thumb, "And I was anywhere near this kind of area? I'd have the bolt open, the magazine out of the weapon, my finger nowhere near the trigger, the scope closed, and the safety would be on."
"Plus they'd have to see each other if she went to the area she was in, so her dogs could do their business," Shikamaru said.
"And dogs in a residential area wouldn't be used to gunshots," Sasuke said, "Someone set out to kill her, and they killed her right out here. Right near where I live."
"It's different when it happens so close to home doesn't it," Shikamaru asked.
"It does," Sasuke said, "I haven't seen her. But does that mean I didn't pay attention enough and she was possibly my new neighbor?"
"We forget a thousand things a day," Shikamaru said as they pulled up to the light at Coliseum, "And then one day we just remember it. If she was, I think you'd remember."
"Yea, probably," Sasuke said, "This ever happen for you?"
"Once," Shikamaru said, "I live over by Brame Middle School. When I was working the beat, we had a shooting over in one of the adjacent neighborhoods, I was asked to cordon off the scene. Standing there, it honestly felt like someone had dumped a body on the front door of my house."
"You know how that case ended," Sasuke asked as Shikamaru turned onto Coliseum.
"No," Shikamaru said, "Being a rookie cop, any information on the case was privileged. I was looking out for my career. I just never thought to bring it up again."
"I can understand that," Sasuke said, "Something similar happened when I was a rookie."
"Go ahead," Shikamaru said as he stopped at the lights near the used car lot that Sasuke and his mother went to first when they were looking for a college car for him.
"I patrolling around the area near Target and the mall," Sasuke said, "We got a call about an assault in progress. We responded, and we found one of my old friends from school, poor guy had been smashed in the face with what I could only think was a brick," Shikamaru then got off on the exit beyond that light, "Poor guy was spitting up bloody bits of his teeth."
"Shit," Shikamaru said.
"Visited him in the hospital," Sasuke said as Shikamaru exited underneath the overpass, "They had him on so much pain medication they had to fit him with an adult diaper."
"The detectives told you not to get too invested," Shikamaru asked as he turned onto North Bolton Avenue, and proceeded toward the station.
"Yep," Sasuke said, "He had to have almost all the teeth in his mouth replaced."
"Never figured out if the case was ever solved," Shikamaru asked.
"Negative," Sasuke said, "But he's better, and he doesn't even think about the assault anymore."
"I know this friend," Shikamaru asked.
"That'd be a no," Sasuke said as they pulled up in front of the station, "He got a better job offer, and moved to Dallas."
"Nice," Shikamaru said as they stepped out of the truck, and walked up to the station.
"Ok boys," Iruka said as he saw the two of them walking up the stairs into the bureau, "What've we got?"
"Female, early forties," Sasuke said, "No wallet, no I.D., most likely killed earlier this morning."
"Anything else," Iruka asked.
"Yea," Shikamaru said, "The victim was walking her dogs, most likely took them out there to keep the smell of dog crap away from the road. Her dogs were nowhere to be found."
"So our killer took the dogs him or her," Iruka said.
"Most likely," Sasuke said, "Dogs are smart, if their owner was in pain or something, they'd probably wait and protect them, unless they knew the killer."
"Any idea what dogs she was walking," Iruka asked.
"Unfortunately not," Sasuke said, "But there were quite a few piles of dung out there, some of it old, so it's possible our victim brought our dogs out there often."
"Could it be she lived out there," Iruka asked.
"Possibly," Sasuke said, "But I haven't seen her around my apartment complex."
"So she wasn't from Magnolia Trace," Iruka said, "But what about the surrounding neighborhoods?"
"Very likely," Sasuke said, "If she's been gone since the morning, someone likely would have filed a missing person's report."
"If they were pessimistic," Shikamaru said, "But it is a decent idea."
"Start there," Iruka said, "What about the body?"
"Tsunade has her down at the morgue," Sasuke said, "She said she'll let us know when she has anything."
"Alright then," Iruka said as he pointed at Sasuke, "Uchiha, you go through the records, see if any missing person reports match our victim," he then pointed at Shikamaru, "We have the animal shelter's owner on speed dial, see if any came in with tags, and check if any of them live in the area."
Flashback…
"You think dad's gonna be that upset when I tell him," Sasuke asked as he and Itachi walked down the stairs toward the Grand Central Market.
"That upset," Itachi asked, "You do realize who you're talking about. You saw how he was over the last few days with trying to set you up with the company."
"Good point," Sasuke said as they were suddenly punched in the face with the smell of fresh produce and cooking food, "At least for the moment that's an afterthought."
"Damn straight," Itachi said.
End Flashback…
"Thanks," Shikamaru said as he hung up the phone.
"Anything," Sasuke asked.
"Only one dog brought into the animal shelter today," Shikamaru said.
"Let me guess," Sasuke said as he cycled through another lost person's report, a male this time, "Shih Tzu?"
"Close," Shikamaru said, "Pomeranian. Her owner picked her up just before the shelter closed. A woman, late fifties, lives in Pineville."
"Yea, well this is going nowhere," Sasuke said as he cycled through the last file, "Five people reported missing in the last twenty-four hours, four boys, two girls, a grown male, and three women, all either Hispanic, Asian, or African-American. And surprise, surprise they all live either around here or out by England Airpark."
"Gotta love socioeconomic status," Shikamaru said.
"Yep," Sasuke said, "Wait, what if status is the answer?"
"Explain," Shikamaru asked.
"What if someone called the office for a wellness check," Sasuke said as he picked up his desk phone, and called patrol division.
"Patrol division," the operator said.
"This is Uchiha, Bade 12-47," Sasuke said, "Can you tell me if there were any calls today about someone wanting to do a wellness check on a Caucasian woman in her early forties who lives near Versailles Boulevard?"
"One second," the operator said before checking the reports, "We had one, a Maria Schroder. She lives at 1626 Hunters Grove Lane. Called in about 1:50 this afternoon by her mother Karen Hollinsworth."
"Reason for the call," Sasuke asked.
"Reports say Maria was supposed to meet her and her daughter for lunch at Kahn around 11:30, but she never arrived," the operator said.
"Keep going," Sasuke said.
"Uniforms were sent over to her house," the operator said, "No one was home."
"Any follow-up," Sasuke asked.
"One," the operator said, "Uniforms went by later in the day, a male answered the door, and identified himself as Bruce Schroder. He says his wife had said she'd be running errands all day, and to call her mother, but he forgot to do it."
"Anything else," Sasuke asked.
"Uniforms went to her mother's house and told her what Bruce had said," the operator said, "She didn't believe them. Officers said they'd keep an eye out, and if she didn't call by tomorrow, then they'd file a missing person's report."
"You have a number for Mrs. Hollinsworth," Sasuke asked.
"Yes," the officer said.
As Sasuke wrote the number down, he thanked the officer, and hung up, "We might have something," Sasuke said as he put his phone on speaker, and dialed the number the officer gave him.
"Hello, Maria," a female voice said over the other line, "Is that you?"
"Is this Karen Hollinsworth," Sasuke asked.
"Yes," Karen said, "Who is this?"
"This is Detective Sasuke Uchiha, Alexandria PD," Sasuke said, "I'm calling about the report you filed earlier today."
"Yes," Karen asked, "Did you find her?"
"Depends," Sasuke said, "Can you describe your daughter, Mrs. Hollinsworth?"
"Yes," Karen said, "About five-foot-six," Shikamaru held up one finger, "Blonde hair, going gray along the part," Shikamaru held up another.
"Did she have dogs, Mrs. Hollinsworth," Sasuke asked.
"Yes," Karen said, "She had three Collies," Shikamaru held up another finger.
"Did she take her dogs on walks down Versailles," Sasuke asked.
"Yes," Karen said, "Why are you asking me these questions?"
"Mrs. Hollinsworth," Sasuke said, "We found a body that closely resembles what you just described. Could you come down to the coroner's and make an identification?"
"Yes," Karen said, fear was permeating through her voice.
Flashback…
As the family was eating, they sat relatively quiet, thankfully there was the sound of the trains below them, people coming and going, ordering food, food cooking, and being wrapped to break the silence.
"So," Fugaku said, "What's your alternative?"
"Can I finish eating first," Sasuke asked.
"If you want," Fugaku said, "But just so you know, it probably won't sit well if you put it off."
Sasuke took a deep breath, "Dad, I don't want to join the company," Sasuke said, "I want to become a cop."
The look on Fugaku's face was somewhere between shocked, slightly angry, afraid, and confused.
"Now that that's over," Mikoto said, "Let's finish eating.
End Flashback…
Sasuke and Shikamaru waited in the coroner's office when a woman in her late sixties came walking into the office, about the same height as the body, similarly looking, and hair that was almost completely gray.
As the receptionist went to ask her, Sasuke waved her off, "Mrs. Hollinsworth," he asked.
"Yes," she said.
"I'm Detective Uchiha, we talked on the phone," Sasuke said.
"Where is she, where's Maria," Karen asked.
"We don't know if it is Maria," Sasuke said, "We'd like you to make an identification."
"Show me," Karen said.
"This way," Sasuke said as he gestured for Karen to follow.
They led Karen back toward the morgue where Tsunade was waiting with the body covered in a light blue body sheet, "Is that her," Karen asked.
"That's what we'd like you to tell us," Sasuke said as he tapped on the glass.
Tsunade pulled back to the sheet, and as soon as Karen saw the body, she gasped and immediately began crying.
Sasuke nodded, and Tsunade covered Maria up as Karen threw herself against Sasuke who wrapped his arms around her.
To be continued…
