Anyone that stumbles on the quaint coastal town of Shelter Bay might call it sleepy. They may even mistake it for a place where nothing much happens.
Perhaps that's because it's a tight-knit community full of happy families and local businesses go...
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One of the search teams found Mrs. Wallace's car abandoned on the Swinomish Reservation. Turns out, it was left out in plain sight on one of the largest thoroughfares connecting Shelter Bay to the Reservation's Rainbow Bridge.
It was a pretty big kick in the nuts to know that half the town had been driving past that poor woman's car for a while, completely unaware.
Mrs. Wallace's light silver Subaru had been rolled into the ditch and left to rot for at least a few days (long enough for a family of raccoons to try and make it their new home).
Thankfully, the car was empty of any humans, but its disheveled state made it hard to tell whether a struggle had occurred there or not.
The front bumper was sunk in the mud, requiring a truck with a crane to tow the hatchback out of the ditch. And we needed animal control to evict the hissing vermin in the backseat.
Even more complicated than all that, our recent discovery meant we needed to involve the Swinomish Police Department.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed working with Bill. I just didn't care for all the politics and bureaucracy that came with mixing in officials from athird law enforcement department.
I'd liken it to walking around and punching oneself in the dick.
And, because of my existing relationship with them, I notified the Swinomish PD of our discovery while Detective Robins handled evidence collection with his forensics team.
Personally, I was itching to get back to Ava at the church, but I had to stay and focus on my job.
We had multiple officers from several jurisdictions walking around a very sensitive scene. We were dealing with evidence that had been exposed to the elements for days. And, we were overseeing a potentially major traffic hazard as drivers slowed to a near stop to get a look at our grizzly roadside work.
So, I called Monica to go and pick up my girl. I wasn't about to leave her to a wolf in sheep's clothing (and rubber clogs) like Jeffery Wallace.
Fuck that.
That little shit-stain harassed Ava and threatened her outside her apartment. I hadn't found time to chat privately with Jeffery about his bad manners, but needless to say, I wanted to rip him a new asshole.
It was late in the afternoon by the time I got back to the Awareness Walk headquarters where I discovered my ex-wife Rayna had magically appeared with her entire camera crew.
She was still interviewing Jeffery Wallace and the Vans when I got out of my truck, which she used to her immediate advantage.
"Sergeant Taylor!" She called out. Her heels clacked loudly on the blacktop as she hustled my way with her edgy-looking camera guy. Cathy, Raymond, and Jeffery toddled behind like a trio of ducklings. "Sergeant Taylor! Do you have anything to say about Mrs. Wallace's disappearance? We heard there's been a new development in the case today! Did you or did you not find the missing woman's car?"
