Mystery at Devil's Elbow

Martha was sitting at the table when the girls came down for breakfast. The girls sat on either side of their mom.

“I heard some whimpering from you, did you have another dream last night Lisa?”

“Yeah, Momma, and a sad one.”

“Why was it sad, honey?”

“My friend went away.”

Lisa had a tear rolling down her cheek, and she said in a broken voice, “He went home and won’t be back for a long time.”

“But it’s good their going home to their family and friends.”

“Yeah, I guess so momma, but I’ll miss them.”

“It’ll be okay, honey.”

“Momma, can you give the sheriff this note for me?”

“What is it, honey?”

“It’s a note from my friend for the sheriff.”

Martha unfolded the piece of paper. Written in crayon were the names of seven women. She recognized the list immediately. Just then, Lewis walked into the kitchen.

“Good morning everyone. Looks like another hearty breakfast.”

“That’s nice of you to say,” Martha said.

“You girls have a big day planned?”

“Yeah, Daddy. We’re gonna go on a field trip at school,” said Mary.

“That sounds like fun.”

“And I’m gonna go see the JD,” said Martha as she handed Lewis the note.

“What’s this?”

“That’s a note Lisa took for her friend. He wants the sheriff to have it.”

“He went away, Daddy. He won’t be back for a long time.”

“I’m sure it’ll be okay.”

“That’s what Momma said.”

“So, this is a note your friend wants the sheriff to have, is it?” asked Lewis. “I’m sure the sheriff will really appreciate this.”

“Let’s eat so your daddy can get to work, and you can both make the bus,” said Martha.

Later that afternoon on her way to work, Martha stopped by the sheriff’s office. The sheriff wasn’t in, so Martha gave the note to Maxine.

About an hour later, JD returned, and Maxine gave him the note. He went to his office and sat down at his desk. As soon as JD opened it, he was surprised to find it written in crayon. It took a second for him to understand the note’s significance, and he asked Maxine to connect him to Doctor Bennett.

“Hello Doctor Bennett, how are you?”

“I’m doing well. What can I do for you sheriff?”

“Can you come by and see me about 9:00 AM tomorrow?”

“Sure, can. What’s this about?”

“Our favorite subject. The missing woman.”

Later that day at the Pulaski Journal, Basil asked Tammy Jenkins to come to his office.

“Hello Tammy, thanks for coming.”

“You’re welcome. What’s this about?”

“It is about your journalism career.”

“What does that mean?”

“I got a call from the editor of the Kansas City Star. He asked me for a reference for you.”

“A reference for me?”

“Yes, he and I spoke for several minutes, and he’d like you to fax a resume to this number,” said Basil as he handed her a note card.

“I don’t understand.”

“The Star has an opening for a staff writer. The editor really liked your pieces on Bigfoot. He called me to see if I thought you’d be a good fit. I told him yes.”

“They want to hire me at the Star?”

“That’s right. After you send your resume, you’ll probably get a job offer in a week.”

Tammy jumped a little as she shook her arms and smiled widely. “This is exciting. I didn’t expect to get a chance like this.”

“Don’t jump so soon. Be sure they make you a good offer. It’s gonna cost more to live in Kansas City than it does here.”

“You’re right. I’ll do that.”

“And if you take a job, remember us back down here.”

“I could never forget you guys.”

The next morning, Doctor Bennett stopped by the sheriff’s office on his way to work. He walked in the front door to the reception area.

“Hey, Maxine.”

“Good morning doctor, the sheriff’s waiting in the conference room for you.”

“Hey Sheriff,” said Doctor Bennett as he stepped into the conference room and closed the door.

“Morning Doctor Bennett. Have a seat. You take your coffee black if I’m not mistaken,” said JD as he handed Doctor Bennett a cup.

“I sure do. Thanks.”

“Here’s a note young Lisa Fisher sent to me. Apparently, her friend wanted me to have this information.”

Doctor Bennett opened the note and in a second knew what it was. His mouth dropped open as he read the note.

“We were right about the first skeleton being from Mary Jones. The second skeleton, also correct. It appears we also got the third and fourth correct. However, skeleton number five was confused with skeleton number six. Leaving Mary Gibson to be skeleton number six.”

“That’s how I read the list too, doctor,” said JD.

“This note also has Victoria Abney’s name last on the list. So, she has gone with them.”

“That’s what it says.”

“So, what do we do next?”

“I think we should change the official match on skeletons five and six, find family members for each of the six women and ask them to accept the skeletons for burial.”

“Well yes. We do have plenty of information from the FBI backing us up, as well as some support for our conclusions based on Doctor Hellyer’s assessment.”

“That’s the same thing I was thinking.”

“So, what about this crayon note?”

“What crayon note?” asked JD as he folded up the note and put it in his pocket.

“Exactly,” said Doctor Bennett.

“The FBI continues to look for Victoria Abney. I think it’s important for their investigation to determine what happened to her. They won’t feel comfortable putting this in their official report.”

“I think you’re absolutely right.”

“Will you take care of the details, doctor?”

“I’ll make the changes in the skeleton identification, and I’ll get Ted working on family contacts.”

“It’s been a pleasure doing business with you, doctor.”

Doctor Bennett nodded. “I only hope we don’t ever do this again.”

“You and me both, doctor,” said JD as he walked Doctor Bennett to the front door.

On the way back to his office, JD stopped to speak to Cooper in the break room.

“How’s it going, Special Agent Cooper?”

“Not good, I’m afraid.”

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“I haven’t been able to locate any evidence other than what you provided me when I first got here on the missing woman.”

“So, what conclusion are you left with?”

“It appears the Victoria Abney went missing on her own. Maybe she wanted to start a new life, or she’s committed suicide somewhere else, and we’ll find the body later. What I do know is I don’t have any evidence of foul play.”

“I’m sorry we couldn’t have helped you more.”

“Your team has been beneficial, Sheriff. The facts are where you find them, and I haven’t found them.”

“Does this mean you’ll be leaving us?”

“I spoke to my supervisor in St. Louis. It’ll take them a couple of days to decide if my conclusions are acceptable. Until then, I’ll keep working the case.”

“Stay here as long as you like.”

“Thank you, Sheriff, but I’d rather go home and sleep in my own bed.”

The next day, Special Agent Cooper received a call from his supervisor. The FBI accepted his conclusions, and the case would be treated as a person who willingly went missing, possibly a suicide. They’d re-open the file if a woman’s body were found matching her description. Special Agent Cooper took no time cleaning up the office he had used and bidding the staff of the Sheriff’s Office farewell.