Payback (The Canine Handler Book 1) (23 page)

The following week found Dave slumped over in a chair beside Sarah’s hospital bed. He was tired and had fallen into a light sleep, resting his head on the edge of her mattress. The stark empty atmosphere was beginning to weigh on him. He had kept up a personal vigil sitting next to Sarah for several days. He spoke to her, letting her know she wasn’t alone and there were people who were concerned about her. He told her he deeply cared for her and would be there for her under any condition.

He had convinced himself the person he saw the day of the fire hadn’t been Sarah—not the Sarah he and everyone else knew and cared about. Dave decided he would stand by her no matter what direction her path lay. Unsure of her future, possibly his as well, Dave knew that he more than just cared for Sarah. It was deeper than that.
I think I love her
. Could he really be in love with her? He knew he needed to be close to her, wanted to be at her side when she awoke from the coma.

He had thought long and hard about Sarah and her situation. About what she had possibly done, but he knew that wasn’t her. He knew deep down it was someone else who carried out the horrendous acts she would eventually be put on trial for.

But he was hopeful as well. He had thought about her past. Between her background—what she had endured in the foster home over many years and overcome—she might just have a case.

Kellee stopped in almost every day to check on Sarah. They went over any new changes in her condition. Dave felt like Kellee was coming in to check on him as well. She brought him snacks and gave him daily updates on how Sam and Gunner were doing. She had her hands full now that they were staying with her and Meika. It made for a full house… and a house full of dog hair.

Over the past week, Sarah had shown improvement. The medical team had upgraded her to serious from critical after the third day. By day five, her condition was still serious, but stable. Her remaining kidney was functioning at a normal rate. The doctors took her off the
thiopental
pump. Now it was a waiting game to see if and when Sarah would emerge from her deep slumber.

The MRI’s computerized results showed she had suffered a wicked concussion when she fell to the concrete sidewalk. She had several bleeds on her brain but they were healing. The EEG showed her brain activity to be functioning and normal.

But it would take time as she emerged from her coma to know for sure how much, if any, permanent damage she may have suffered mentally or physically. It would still be a wait-and-see game.

“Sarah, we’re here for you. I know you’re in there. You just need to wake up now.” Dave stayed by her side speaking to her, giving her encouragement. Time would tell whether the new Sarah would be anything like the old Sarah.
But hopefully not the Sarah I saw the day of the fire
.

Locally, news of the murders and the shooting spread like wildfire through the small community. Dave switched through the local stations. It was non-stop coverage. The national stations had picked it up as well. Nancy Grace, a popular crime show host and analyst had even picked up parts of the coverage. The story was dragged out for everything it was worth—and then some.

Southcentral Pennsylvania’s residents weren’t used to being in the spotlight, especially for a serial killing. Normally, York County’s small townships and boroughs were quiet, laid back. Its residents kept to themselves. Everyone stuck to their groups or small cliques. They felt safe, secure in their tight-knit neighborhood and surrounding communities. That band of closeness tightened further as they tried to weather the adverse attention. Friends and neighbors, family members checked on each other more often.

Agents from the FBI had descended upon the townships that encompassed Codorus State Park and Sarah’s home. Their territory included the lake, the forest within the state park, Sarah’s home and work place, as well as the foster care parents’ burned out home. Once the agents combed over all three crime scenes, they split into teams. One covered Sarah’s house, another began collecting information about the foster care home, while a third gathered autopsy reports, records and background information on the murdered subjects and scenes.

Dave had been brought back to help work the case. He had been found within his active duty rights and cleared of any wrong doing regarding the protection of his canine partner. Lieutenant Langenberg brought him back in on administrative duty though, instead of active field duty. He still wasn’t allowed to carry a gun. It was mandatory since the shooting was tied to other murder investigations.

She wanted his help on the case. Dave was all for it. It would keep him in the loop, privy to any information gathered on the cases.
It could also jeopardize my job
, he thought. Working a case where Sarah was the main suspect—once his relationship to her became known—would no doubt compromise his position. He decided not to let on just how close he was to Sarah. The lieutenant knew they spoke but thought it was purely professional.

Dave sat at his desk at headquarters. He had pulled the most up-to-date reports he could find in the system. Information on the murder victims had been processed in the labs and posted. Evidence from the crime scenes was limited, but technicians were able to find clues that helped tell the story of the subjects’ demise. Each murder appeared to be targeted and well planned.

A major break was discovered by the head ranger. When Ranger Owen learned the drowned subject had head and torso injuries prior to entering the water, he took it upon himself to check out the kayak rack which stood along the opposite shoreline of Lake Marburg. Under close scrutiny of the secured equipment, he found a paddle that wasn’t locked in place.

It looked like someone had pried it out from behind the cables but whenever the perpetrator replaced it in the rack, it was returned to its slot without trying to get it back underneath the cable. He alerted the FBI. Under closer scrutiny by the lab, they found DNA from the drowned victim along the wide end of the paddle. They were also able to pull partial palm prints from its handle. The paddle fit the injury patterns on the drowned victim’s head and torso.

Other, more pressing information was found when they tested the victim’s DNA. Information that would shed light on an older murder mystery. A cold case that had caused years of torment since it had gone unsolved.

Dave had been made aware of the details by the lieutenant. She informed him he would be needed that afternoon for a board meeting—and to be prepared. When their discoveries were revealed to him, he could only pretend to understand how his acquaintances would react. Although the information would bring closure, it was sure to open up old sufferings as well.

* * *

Bill and Kellee Durham were called to Pennsylvania State Police Headquarters in Harrisburg for a special meeting. They were to meet at the top floor where several conference rooms were situated. Neither was sure what was going, but both believed it had something to do with the “Codorus Killings,” as the media had dubbed them.

“Hi, Dave. Didn’t expect to see you today,” Kellee stated as she and Bill were buzzed through the secure north entrance. Dave was standing just inside the corridor. Lt. Langenberg had instructed him to wait and accompany them to the meeting. Dave knew Kellee expected him to still be on administrative leave. She probably thought he would be at the hospital with Sarah.

“Do you have any idea what this is all about?” Bill questioned Kellee as they made their way into the elevator on the first floor. Bill looked at Dave, eyeing him for an answer as well. Overly polite to one another, the air between the two was stiff, awkward as Kellee and Bill tried to make small talk. Dave watched them exchange words almost as a courtesy to each other while the elevator rose.

“Not completely,” Kellee responded, “but I’m sure it has something to do with the three murders. After all, I’m tied to finding the first two bodies, and also to Sarah. Between circumstantial evidence from the start and now DNA, Sarah is tied to each murder.” Kellee turned and watched the numbers light up as they climbed each floor. “Not exactly sure why you were called, other than you’re the state’s attorney and you did view the subject found in the forest.” In just over a whisper as the elevator doors opened, Kellee commented, “And you’re tied to me. Dave?”

“The lieutenant has some information to disclose to both of you.” Dave put their questions off. They would have answers soon enough.

As the trio reached their destination and the elevator doors slid open, Lieutenant Langenberg was there, standing on the landing waiting for them.

“Good morning, Kellee. Nice to see you again, Bill.” The lieutenant shook both of their hands.

“Ditto, always good to see you as well,” Kellee replied.

“Nice to see you, lieutenant,” Bill bowed his head and smiled.

“The agency has some news to share with both of you. We chose to do this privately before we made the matter public. It will only be a short time before it’s somehow leaked and I’d prefer to brief you before we give a press conference,” the lieutenant explained.

Kellee and Bill looked at each other in mild alarm. Bill raised his shoulders in puzzled response. Each must have realized the other had no idea why they had been called to headquarters. Dave watched as the pair looked at each other for some recognition of why they had been called there, to this meeting. He wished he could’ve somehow let Kellee know since they had developed a closer bond, but the lieutenant had made it clear to him not to disclose any information prior to the meeting

“Follow me,” the lieutenant instructed and turned on her heel. She headed down the hall past walls lined with images of Pennsylvania State Troopers who had fallen in the line of duty. The overhead fluorescent lighting cast unflattering shadows on the plaques and figures. It gave an ominous feeling to the faces of the dead staring from within their decorated and framed commemorations.

“Jesus Christ!” the lieutenant mumbled as they passed a darkened window looking out onto the east side of the parking lot.

Dave angled himself to catch a glimpse out the window. That entrance was straight off the main highway which ran by headquarters, and two local media stations’ trucks were pulling into the lot. The lieutenant cursed as cameramen jumped out as soon as the vans pulled to a stop.

“Somewhere between here,” the lieutenant pointed to the floor of headquarters, “and there,” she turned her finger to the media outside, “we have a leak. Something we’ll have to look into ASAP. This has happened too many times over the last several weeks for it to be a coincidence.”

“When was the information supposed to be made public?” Dave asked softly so only she could hear.

“Not until after this meeting. I wanted to make sure the Durhams had it first,” she nodded to Dave and Kellee. “Someone must have already leaked the information out there. This is unbelievable.” She shook her head in disgust.

“In here,” the lieutenant pointed. Stopping in front of two large doors, she pulled one of them open and secured it with her foot. She motioned Kellee and Bill toward the large conference table where several people were already seated.

“Good morning, Mr. Durham, Mrs. Durham.” An attendee that knew Bill from the lab greeted them. There were a few others present from his past as well that he had worked with on court cases. Dave knew most everyone seated, he also knew that Kellee most likely wasn’t familiar with anyone there.

Dave and the lieutenant followed them in. “Go ahead and have a seat. We only have a few minutes to go over this information and then we have to prep for the press conference. Word has gotten out.”

Once Kellee and Bill took their seats, they went around the table and proper introductions were made. The lieutenant pulled out a ragged file from her briefcase.

Bill’s eyes lit up, his jaw clenched down tightly.
Apparently he recognizes his daughter’s case number,
Dave thought as he continued to watch Bill’s body language for a reaction to the file in front of him.
Why shouldn’t he? I’m sure it will forever be burned into his memory.

“Why do you have that?” Bill asked. “What does this have to do with our daughter?”

“Well, we have some very important information regarding your daughter Lindsey’s case.” The lieutenant sat back in her chair. She looked up from the large manila file on the table and eyed Bill and Kellee. “There has been a dramatic new development in the information surrounding Lindsey’s murder. I tried my best to get you both in here as quick as I could to break it to you before it became public knowledge. But with so many eyes and ears around this place, apparently it was hard to keep it under a lid.”

“What news?” Kellee spoke up, her voice soft and light. She sounded like her heart was in her throat.

Dave felt empathy for the couple. He sat beside them. He watched Kellee flinch at the sound of her deceased daughter’s name. He knew it never got any easier to deal with the pain of a lost loved one, especially one lost to such a senseless act.

“Pretty big news. We still have some tests to re-run, but we believe we have solved Lindsey’s murder.”

“
What?
” Bill jumped up, face contorted, visibly excited and upset at the same time. Even though the murder had happened nine years ago, it was evident to everyone in the room the parents’ pain was still fresh. Sitting within reach of their hearts, they still bore it on a daily basis.

The state worker Bill had known from the lab stood up to offer him support. “So sorry, Bill,” the lab worker said as he looked down at the conference room table. No one knew exactly how to support a parent who had lost a child, especially a child who was violated and brutally murdered. The air became heavy. Dave could feel the tension mounting in the small conference room.

Bill nodded his head toward the man and sat down hard in his chair. “I’m sorry, this has just caught me off guard.”

“No problem,” the lieutenant continued without showing emotion. “Originally, when Lindsey’s body was found, the ME was able to take semen samples from the body and clothing. They were good samples and were preserved well. The DNA from those samples were entered into the system at the time but never produced a match.” The lieutenant maintained her staunch, professional posture and tone. “Until now.”

She drew in a breath, “Over the last five years, we have updated our system and entered several older records from many databases into the FBI’s CODIS system, including the information we obtained from Lindsey’s killer.” The lieutenant paused for a moment allowing Kellee and Bill to digest what she was trying to say.

Bill will understand the terminology and technical jargon, but will Kellee?
Dave also knew that Bill had been taken off several cases when Lindsey was murdered. Rumor had it, Bill’s judgment and focus became clouded and he couldn’t deal with it.

“Moving on. The murders from last weekend… we were able to get both victims’ DNA information within a few days and enter it into CODIS. The FBI found the match almost immediately, but withheld the information from us for a few days until they decided how to proceed.”

“What information?” Kellee was growing impatient. “Are they somehow related to Lindsey’s killer?”

“Yes.” Silence followed for a moment. “The DNA from Dwight Harrison, the subject you helped find that was mutilated in the forest is a 99.9% match to the DNA found on Lindsey.” Kellee let out a gasp as Bill turned to look at her. The lieutenant paused. Dave watched as she regarded Bill and Kellee’s reactions. “We ran it twice and had two different lab technicians check it.”

Tears slowly slid down Kellee’s face and she began to weep softly. She hid her face in her hands. Bill’s eyes glistened with tears. He stood up, then bent down and embraced Kellee. She leaned into him and started to cry harder. Everyone in the room was moved with the heavy emotional outpouring.

“You’re sure?” Bill asked the lieutenant as well as the technicians who sat around the table. They nodded in response.

“Harrison would have been eighteen. He was still in school, a senior at the time of the murder.” Dave pushed a file toward Bill as he spoke. “Their paths could have crossed on a daily basis with the middle school and high school on the same campus, and some shared common classrooms. Harrison has a record a mile long that started when he was in seventh grade, but nothing serious enough to warrant collecting his DNA to keep on record. Domestic abuse, spousal abuse from the last few years that he was never indicted for is the heaviest record in his arrest history. The agency could never get the wife to press charges against him… so there was never a court case.”