Adam and Toney met back up outside Porter’s General Store and after comparing notes they had a pretty good description of at least one of the suspects.
They made their way down to the Third Street Pier and again reported what they had discovered to the Chief and Mac.
“Things are starting to come together a little better now,” Chief Atkins commented.
Mac agreed, “ We’ve got to find her Will.”
“Don’t worry Mac, we’ll find her.” Chief Atkins thought in his mind, ‘I just hope before it’s too late.’
Captain Shelby walked up to Chief Atkins, a scruffy looking man following him. “Chief, you need to hear what this guy has to say.” Chief Atkins looked at the obviously homeless man, “ What’s your name, old man?” The old man sniffed and wiped his nose on his ragged shirt sleeve. “Name’s Roger. Roger Dodger, that’s what they call me. But Roger will be okay.”
“Alright, Roger. What have you got to say?”
“I jes wants to know if I can go over there to my home?”
“And where is your home?” The Chief asked.
“Over there, under that corner of the pier.” the old man replied. No one spoke. Mac, the Captain, and the Chief, just looked at each other. Then Mac yelled, “where is Ricky? Where is that old man that was here? The old homeless man?”
“He left a couple of hours ago, Sarge.” one of the officers said. Mac was holding a coffee cup, and he threw it across the lot.
“He was here. That S.O.B. was here. He lied to us. Will, he was here, making fools out of all of us.” Mac yelled.
Bobby Pitt arrived back at the Third Street Pier. When he walked up Chief Atkins Immediately asked, “Bobby, what did you find out, does Doc own any of the buildings?” “Yeah, we are in luck Chief.” Bobby reported. “He owns six different buildings in this area.” “Have you got a list?”, the Chief asked. “Yeah,” Bobby answered and handed the list to the Chief. Chief Atkins turned to Adam, “Make a copy of this list, get what help you need, and go to these building. Search from bottom to top, every nook and cranny.” Adam went about getting together enough personnel to search the six buildings.
“Chief, another thing, there is one building that is showing the owner to be Marianna Gomez, Kara, and another showing the owner to be Ricardo Gomez.”
“Ricardo Gomez? Ricky? Oh,Jeez, the guy could be her husband or something. We have got to search those buildings right away, Chief.” Mac implored.
“Looks like you and I and Captain Shelby are the only ones available.” Chief Atkins pointed out. “Seth,… Captain Shelby….the Chief called out. “You take care of everything here. Mac and I are going to check out these two properties owned by the Gomezs.” The Chief instructed.
“Where is the first one, Chief?” Mac asked.
“The sugar processing factory, is the first on the list. It’s still operating, and then there’s the tannery, which really works seasonally. It’s closed right now. The sugar factory is the closest, let’s hit it first.” Chief Atkins said. The sun was beginning to set, as Chief Atkins and Mac approached the sugar factory. It was a fairly large six story building, with four smaller outer buildings. They began their search in one of the smaller out buildings.
The wheel pit at the tannery had been quiet for the last hour. Ricardo had left a couple of hours ago, then Jacque, and Andre about an hour later. Ella was tied to the large wheel, but unlike before, Jacque tied her in a much more comfortable position. However, they had removed the yellow dress, leaving her very scantily clothed, and the temperature was dropping rapidly. A short while later, Ella heard the door at the top of the stairs open and close and saw the glow from a lantern. She listened as the footsteps came down the stairs. Andre, it was Andre, and he was alone. Ella became very fearful of being alone with Andre in the wheel pit.
At first Andre almost ignored the fact that Ella was there. Other than checking to make sure the knots on her restraints were still tight, he simply went about collecting the tools, materials, and the dress, putting everything into a box. When he finished the task he was doing, he brought a lantern over to the large wheel where Ella was tied. Placing the lantern on a small table next to the wheel, he stood, staring at Ella and her scantily clad body. Andre didn’t speak. He moved next to her and leaned down. His large hand grasped the front of the thin shirt covering her breasts, and ripped it from her shoulders. He stepped back and adjusted the lantern for the light to shine more directly on Ella. Ella cringed, lowered her head, but the was no way to cover herself with her arms tied the way they were. Andre now began to talk to her, telling her how beautiful she was and how he wished she would be interested in him. He said he didn’t want kill her, but Ricardo and Jacque would make him do it.
Though Ella was extremely tired and scared, a little wheel in her head began to spin. “Andre, you are a very attractive and desirable man. There are many women who would like to have you as their man, including me.” Ella said in her most seductive voice she could manage at the time. Andre’s eyes opened wide as he stared at Ella again.
“NO, you lie to me.” Andre said angrily.
“No, Andre, no, no. you must not think that. You are big and strong. Why, you can have whatever you want, do whatever you want, and no one can stop you.” Ella was telling him.
“But Jacque and Ricardo, they don’t let me do what I want.” Andre lowered his head as he spoke.
“Andre, how can they stop you? They are not as big as you. They are not as strong as you. They can’t stop you.” Ella continued to try to convince him.
“You say that, do you really think that?” Andre asked.
“I don’t just think that, I know it, Andre.” Ella was trying hard to be convincing. “Andre, if you will just untie me, you can have what you want. No one can stop you.”
“But Jacque, Ricardo, they won’t let me.” Andre sounded disappointed.
“They can’t stop you, Andre. You can have what you want.”
“I know what I want and nobody can stop me.” Andre said loudly. He moved toward Ella, her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest, fearing what he would do. He reached out his hand, rubbed his fingers through her hair, and then quickly leaned over and began to loosen her restraints. Once she was loose, Andre backed up, and she stood before him. He stepped forward, taking her breasts in his hands. Ella reacted quickly, reaching up taking his face in both hands, then running her fingers down his cheeks. She looked down to his right side where his large knife rested in its’ sheath. “Oh. Andre.” Ella whispered in his ear. “Oh Andre. Take that blanket folded in the corner and spread it over the table.” That did it. Andre was like putty in her hands. He reached for the blanket, unfolded it and began to spread it over the table. He straightened the blanket rubbing out all the wrinkles, so it would be perfect for Ella. He leaned over to reach the far left corner of the table. When he did, Ella leaned over his back. He could feel her breasts pressing into his back.
At first he started to move, but when she began to kiss his neck, he relaxed on the table. Hoping against the odds, Ella began to reach down Andre’s right side. In a swift move she grasped the handle of the knife and pulled it from its’ sheath. Before Andre realized what was happening, Ella, raised the knife, placing the blade under his chin and with one swift slash, it was all over. Andre could not scream. All he could do was look at Ella, eyes wide as his life poured from the slice in his neck. Ella watched as Andre slowly fell to the floor. A deep breath, his eyelids fluttered slightly and it was over. Ella stood there for a moment, then said out loud, “you didn’t get what you wanted this time either, did you? By the way, Andre, I did want to kill you.”
Ella, took a couple of deep breaths, but she knew she had to get out of the wheel pit. She looked quickly and found her clothes in the corner at the stairs. She had not turned loose of the knife since she took it from Andre’s side. The only way she could see to get out was up the stairs. She started up the stairs slowly at first, then almost in a run. As she reached the top of the stairs she heard the door rattle as if someone was coming in. She stepped back several steps, and around a corner into the darkness. She tightened her grip on the knife. The door opened, allowing some light into the entrance. The light was very dim and enough for Ella to obscure her presence. One person came through the door. Ella’s eyes, being accustomed to the darkness, allowed her to see clearly that one person was Jacque. Ella remained hidden as Jacque picked up a lantern from the floor and lit it. Then he closed the door and turned to the stairs. As he started to take his first step, Ella lunged from the darkness, shoving Jacque as hard as she could. Jacque began to tumble down the long stair way, dropping the lantern, which spilled its’ fuel. The glass globe broke allowing the flame to reach the spilled fuel and ignite it.
Ella watched as the fire quickly spread through the dried wooden structure. Jacque was lying about two- thirds of the way down the staircase. He began to move slightly, and screamed loudly as the flame began to reach him. Ella watched for a moment, then once again spoke out loud, “hot damn,” she said as she began giggling loudly.
Still maintaining a firm grip on the knife, she ran out the door and across the street before falling in the grass. She laughed as she saw smoke coming from the open door and she could see the glow of the flame inside. She thought to herself, ‘why am I laughing so hard? I just killed two people?’ After laughing some more and rolling in the grass for a few minutes, suddenly Ella stopped and sat straight up. And once again she spoke out loud, “Oh, well.”