Intrigue (Elvis Presley Story)

Chapter 20

The landfill stunk like death.

The bright summer sun cooked everything the bulldozer had overturned until it stunk even worse.

Still, Elvis pulled off his mask as Holly Masterson approached. "You got anything for me doc?"

Holly pulled off her mask as well and stuffed it into her pocket. "Not much, I'm afraid. The heat has accelerated decomp, and she's been here for ten days, maybe two weeks. I'd say she's late thirties. It looks like she was pretty beat up before she was dumped here. I have a man in the lab who does reconstructive work. We'll see if we can get enough of her teeth together to identify her through dental records."

He pulled his notebook from his jacket. "You think it's a domestic situation that got out of control?"

"I can't guess on that aspect yet. I'll know more when the autopsy's done, but I'm ninety-nine percent sure these are the cause of death." She pulled a plastic bag from another pocket of her coat and showed it to Elvis.

"You pulled these slugs out of the body already?"

"It wasn't hard. The wound tracks in her chest and head were so degraded, one of them actually fell out when I turned the body."

Elvis handed her the evidence bag and she held them up towards the sunlight. "It's almost like there's some kind of chemical reaction going on. The bullets are disintegrating, eroding the surrounding tissue around them. The caliber will be hard to pin down."

Elvis frowned. "Disintegrating bullets? Are you kidding me?" Bullets exploded, changed shape, fanned out or blunted depending on the size, velocity of the shot and whatever they passed through or hit. Bullets don't decompose. "You mean they're to damaged to get a read on them?"

"I mean they're melting. Making them damn near impossible to trace." She tucked the bag safety into her pocket.

"Who the Hell has a weapon like that? Sounds like the CIA or, hell, is it a mob hit?" Sometimes, they imported some freaky stuff. This made no sense. The heat and stench and confusion were giving him a damn headache.

"You're the detective. I'm the scientist. I'll report what I find, but it's up to you to turn the information into answers."

"Thanks." Leaving the crime scene to Holly and her lab crew, Elvis crunched his way across the layers of trash and filth and new dirt, heading for the car parked on the gravel road that circled the fill.

"Detective Presley?" Holly ran up behind him. She tucked her short dark hair behind one ear and took a deep breath. He knew he wasn't going to like whatever she had to say.

"Ive seen bullets like these before."

"This murder is connected to another crime scene?"

"Possibly." Her hazel eyes gleamed with a certain intelligence and hesitation similar to a pair of beautiful brown eyes that seemed awfully far away right now.

"Spit it out."

Holly nodded. "I pulled two untraceable bullets like these from your father's body.  And from a man named james Caldwell."

Everything inside Elvis went on full alert. "The same two bodies you found that strange marking on."

"How do you know...?" She shook her head. Elvis wasn't supposed to have details like this. "Never mind. I know these aren't your cases, but-"

"Thanks, Doc. Include the information in your report and get it to me ASAP. You'd better get a copy to Detective Grove as well."

With a nod, Holly turned and made her way back to the crime scene while Elvis climbed inside the car.

He loosened his tie and collar but he was still feeling little relief from the heat. "Damn." Nothing about his father's murder made any sense. A string of deaths. No concrete motive. Bullets that couldn't be traced. Cryptic clues in olivia's journal. He had nothing but questions. Speculations. Possibilities. He needed something in his world to start making sense. He needed closure. Order. He needed...to talk to olivia to get his head back in the right place.

Just thinking about hearing her voice eased the tightness in his chest. He could imagine what another kiss would cost his conscience, but it was a risk he was willing to take. Yes. He wanted to kiss Olivia again. He wanted to take his time about doing it, too. He wanted to be very, very thorough, and then they'd try another kiss her way. They'd try several. And he'd get those legs involved somehow, too.

There was a little chink in the feel-good moment when his radio went off.

"E, you there?"

"Yeah, sawyer, I'm here."

"Just a heads up... Olivia's gone."

Sawyer filled him in, letting him know what was going on. By the time he was finished Elvis's emotions were a mix between rage and ice cold fear.

"I told her to stay put. I told her I'd pick her up. I told her we'd go to the bank together."

Talk about not making sense.

What a hell of a time for the shy Miss Miller to start asserting inner strength. She'd gotton a letter? Had to be from the laughing man. And she was worried about her aunts? Hell. Tony Fierro was with Peggy and Louise all day long. What kind of mess could they have gotten into between breakfast and lunch?

He could easily imagine the worst.

He threw down the radio, shifted the car into drive and hit the gas, spinning rocks out behind him until the tires found traction and he shot down the road.

Elvis considered sticking the siren on, but then that would mean he was truly worried olivia was getting herself into some kind of trouble, and he wasn't prepared to go there. He wasn't ready to think that olivia could be in danger, that she could be hurt. That laughing man...

"Don't go there." He told himself.

Tracks of black rubber followed him as Elvis hit the siren on the dashboard.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! And thanks so much for reading! xoxo