Murder Has Three R's

Murder Has Three R's

Published by Ken Merkley at Smashwords

Copyright 2018 Ken Merkley

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in this book. The author welcomes any information enabling him to rectify any references or credit in subsequent editions. The book is also available in print editions.

Also by Ken Merkley:

Fiction - The Tim Murphy Mysteries

The Raid

Heavy Traffic

Uncommon Complaints

Other People's Money

Non-Fiction - Ending the Waiting Game: Increasing Kidney Transplants in Canada

Acknowledgments

Valerie Harlton, my astute, knowledgeable and ever-patient editor receives my everlasting gratitude for tirelessly working through my draft material and ensuring that at the end of the day what I have written becomes a meaningful novel with a coherent storyline. As always, her encouragement, valuable suggestions and careful attention to detail resulted in this being a much better book than it would have been otherwise.

I would also like to thank RCMP Inspector Larry Chomyn, Officer in Charge, Westshore Detachment, Langford B.C. for his description of his responsibilities and detachment operations and to RCMP Constable Alex Bérubé Media Relations Officer, Westshore Detachment, for his description of the detachment organization and for his enlightening tour of the detachment's offices.

The proof reading services of Claire Ward, Christina Merkley and Brian Holl are also greatly appreciated.

Finally, I especially wish to thank my wife Bernadette, as I greatly treasured her patience and encouragement during the drafting of this and my earlier books.

Table of Contents

Part One - Revenge

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Part Two - Retribution

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Part Three - Resolution

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

About the Author

Part One - Revenge

To inflict ... injury or punishment in return for a(n) ...injury, insult, etc.

(Webster's New World Dictionary, 2nd College Edition)

Chapter One

Emily and Ashley huddled in a corner booth of the trendy CanWest Mall coffee shop. They absent-mindedly sipped their slowly warming soft drinks and complained about their hated enemy Sabrina. It was only mid-October, but it seemed that socially-powerful Sabrina had made their lives miserable forever, instead of the mere six weeks since she came over from Dunsmuir Middle School to join them in grade ten at Belmont Secondary.

The sarcastic bitch makes fun of everything we do. She mocks our clothes, our hair, and even the girls we hang with. Ashley griped. I can't even go to the can without her making some smart-ass remark that I must be on the rag or something.

She thinks she's so fucking great, Emily agreed, just because her dad owns half of bloody Langford. And she is always putting down our old school, Spencer. We’ve been at Belmont for over a year, but she hooks up with those other snooty cows from Dunsmuir. I guess we Spencer girls aren’t good enough for her.

But what really pisses me off, Ashley said, is her friggin' habit of stealing our boyfriends, just to show she can. Then she dumps them once she's made her point. Now she's telling me she really digs Faye's guy, Randy, and can I let him know, eh? She knows Jimmy and I go out with them sometimes, so maybe I could arrange a double date without Faye knowing. The bitch really thinks I would do that for her after everything she does to put me down.

Yeah, she did the same fucking thing to me when I was going out with Stan, and sure enough, she unloaded him after. Maybe we can get our revenge by teaching her a lesson once and for all. What did you say when she asked you?

Just that there's no way Randy would do that and I sure as hell wasn't going to set her up with him. Why, you think I should?

Not for real, but you could pretend to. Say you changed your mind and mentioned it to Randy and he said maybe, but he wouldn't want Faye to know.

Why would I tell her that?

Just shut up and listen. She knows we hang out on the Galloping Goose Trail after school and on the weekends. Tell her you and Jimmy like to go for walks down to the cemetery and sometimes Randy and Faye go with you.

Yeah, that's all true. It's a good spot to drink and smoke without being hassled. This time of year we go before it gets too dark and the cemetery's not busy and we can get back home before seven.

Doesn't your mom give you shit when you're not home for supper?

Fuck no. I could care less what she says and she knows it. She stopped bugging me a long time ago.

Okay, good. You let Faye know about the plan. Tell Sabrina that Faye is out of town for the weekend, visiting her cousin, or whatever. Tell her Randy is meeting up with you and Jimmy at the red gazebo in the cemetery about four-thirty on Saturday. Suggest she meet you there. The cemetery is a good halfway point between her Colwood home and Langford, so it’s not that far for anyone to walk.

Then what?

We get all the girls who hate Sabrina's guts to hide out at the cemetery and when she shows up we beat the shit out of her. Then maybe she'll understand she can't just do whatever she feels like doing.

Revenge is so sweet. Where do we go from here?

We get all the girls together and tell them our plan. You'll be talking to Faye anyway, so let her know we’ll meet here this time next week right after school and we'll plan on going after Sabrina the following Saturday, if she takes the bait. When you call Faye, also call Brianna, and I'll call Carrie and Diane.

What about Tracy and Laura?

No, Tracy gives me the creeps. I wouldn't trust her to use it as an excuse to do Sabrina some real harm. We want to teach her a lesson, not put her in the hospital. And Laura will do whatever Tracy wants, so we better leave her out of it too.

The following Thursday at four o'clock, the six girls met at their favourite hangout at the CanWest Mall. They sat around a corner table in the coffee shop out of earshot from the other patrons. Emily Bailey took the lead and explained the plan.

Just as long as it really happens, Faye grumbled. I don't want that bitch anywhere near Randy.

Faye Mason was tall and striking, even at sixteen. She thought girls were inferior to boys and continually looked for ways to gain popularity with older male students. She wore revealing clothing and ceaselessly attempted to get guys interested in her. Faye had a reputation for being fast and loose and was mocked by many of the students, who referred to her as the town bicycle. Nevertheless, she currently had Randy's attention and he either didn't know about her reputation or didn't care. As a result, Faye jealously guarded their relationship. The girls in her group, none of whom were exactly champions of virtue themselves, accepted this and didn't make a play for Randy, even though they considered him a real hunk.

Faye was insecure in other ways as well. When her parents separated, she chose to live with her father. She doted on him, but intensely disliked the local woman he dated. She also secretly resented that other girls in her school, especially Emily and Sabrina, had siblings and stable homes. She kept this to herself in the case of Emily, as her leadership was unquestioned, but she was eager to cash in on the resentment of Sabrina.

No, no, Emily corrected her immediately, Randy won't even be there. All you have to do is tell Sabrina you're going to be out of town that weekend if she asks, but that’s unlikely. Just show up at the cemetery on time.

Remember, Faye, Ashley added patiently, I’ll simply tell Sabrina that Randy is willing to meet her with us at the cemetery. And you better say something to Randy in case Sabrina tells him she's looking forward to seeing him.

Ashley Hargreaves was short and reasonably attractive, but unsure of her acceptance by others. She treasured Emily's friendship and was eager to support her plan. Ashley had a part-time job at Duke's fast food restaurant, which allowed her to buy the flashy clothing she wanted to make her fit in with the other girls. Like Faye, she was attracted to many of the boys in her school and was popular with them, but dated Jimmy Suel almost exclusively.

Also like Faye, Ashley came from a single-parent home. Her mother was poor and almost always unemployed and spent most of her time in short-term relationships with a series of unreliable boyfriends. She caroused in local bar with like-minded women who were also on their own, spending the little money she received from Children and Family Services. From the age of eleven, Ashley was often left to cope alone with little proper food, heating or clean clothing. Now at sixteen, she had learned to fit in and did what she needed to do to remain a popular member of the group.

Are we sure this is a good idea? Diane asked timidly. Sure, Sabrina's a pain, but what’s the big deal? Just because she wants to go out with some guys you’ve dated, doesn’t mean she will.

Look, stork, Emily sneered, just because you're too skinny and homely to have a boyfriend, don't try to stop us from protecting ours. Of course it's a big fucking deal. If you want to be part of the group, you better shape up and join in. So, what is it? Are you in or out?

Okay, I guess I'm in, Diane said reluctantly.

It had been hard for Diane to speak out about Sabrina, because much like Faye and Ashley, she desperately wanted to fit in. Even though Emily berated her constantly, she tried to do what Emily wanted. Diane Stanwick also came from a single-parent home. Her father died at forty-two from lung cancer when she was twelve. She maintained a troubled relationship with her mother, Darlene, who subconsciously resented her awkward daughter and for whatever reason decided Diane was somehow responsible for her father's death. Now at sixteen, tall, skinny and lacking in self-confidence, Diane suffered a plagued existence. She was unpopular with her peers as well as adults, whom she related to with suspicion and resentment. Beneath her troubled exterior though, she was very intelligent and simply wanted to be treated fairly. She continued to hope this would happen in spite of what life had thrown her way up to now.

That's better, Emily replied with satisfaction, pleased that she could get the awkward Diane to do anything she wanted. Now, she continued, looking over her gang, does anyone else have any thoughts?

Emily was the only girl in the group who came from a stable home. Her parents worked at full-time jobs and she and her younger brothers were well-cared for. They lacked for nothing, other than meaningful attention from their parents. Indifferent and either at work or socializing with friends, they presented their children as a necessary requirement of a model family. It was a facade that needed to be sustained. Emily reacted by creating her own model public image as the popular school girl leader. There was no doubt in her group that Emily was the ringleader. Tall, slim and attractive, with curly brown hair, she had a sparkling, outgoing personality and was much admired by the other Spencer girls she had grown up with.

Nevertheless, her school records indicated she had a short attention span and was continually seeking new things to do to keep from being bored. Emily craved excitement and had little concept of right and wrong. She instigated numerous petty and not so petty misdeeds, such as chalk attacks on teachers when their backs were turned, breaking school windows and planting drugs and alcohol in lockers of other students she didn't like and then subversively informing school administrators. She was also very callous with the girls she led and manipulated, and took satisfaction in bullying them.

I have a great idea. Carrie piped up. Why don’t I bring along some goodies and we can make a party out of it? A bottle of rye to get us in the mood for it and a little grass to come down later would be nice, wouldn't it?

Jesus Carrie, all you ever think about is booze and drugs, Emily promptly replied. That's a pretty fucking stupid suggestion. The idea is to pull this off without getting caught. We don't want the school fascists coming down on us, so we should come sober and stay sober.

Okay, okay, it was just a thought.

Like Emily, Carrie Rodgers lived with both parents, but in her case they didn't pretend to be a model family. Carrie's parents were alcoholics and she was introduced to illegal drugs by a school dope pusher when she was only fourteen. Now Carrie spent most of her time in a haze, willing to experiment with whatever party drugs happened to be in vogue. She was always agreeable to supplying her friends and they liked to include her as she was content to do anything they wanted.

Perhaps after, Emily added to appease her and keep her on side. Once we get away from Sabrina we could have a little celebration along the Goose as long as nobody is around. Okay, so is everybody with us? she added. What about you Brianna, we haven't heard from you. Do you have any questions?"

No, Brianna answered. I'm okay with it.

Brianna Telford was a very sad case. Tall, with stringy brown hair and a very unkempt appearance, she appeared to go through her life in a trance. She did what Emily asked, simply so she wouldn't get any static from her or the other girls. Her father was a thug who abused both her and her mother mercilessly. In Brianna's case it was often sexual abuse. Her mother was too intimidated to report him and Brianna was much too afraid to do so. Her only respite was getting away from her parents by going to school and hanging out with her friends. She was often a reluctant accomplice in Emily's schemes, but joined in to maintain their acceptance.

Very good, Emily replied. Let’s meet at the red gazebo at 4:30 on Saturday. And we don’t want people to see us travelling in a pack, so we should all come on our own or in pairs. Ashley will get Sabrina to come in from the Colwood side at five so we will need to hide before that. Sabrina won't know that it's just Ashley waiting for her until it's too late for her to run. Then we swarm her."

Every weekday morning Darren Younger left his Colwood home near the Royal Roads Cafe to walk his dog Springer for close to an hour along the Galloping Goose Trail to Langford and back. Springer was almost six, but being a border collie he needed a lot of exercise, or he became almost uncontrollable. It was a crisp, sunny and windless day when Darren set off on this Tuesday morning in late October. He felt great pleasure in watching Springer bound along the sides of the trail, exploring the many sights and smells along their route. He didn't need to worry about Springer getting out of his sight, as the trail was hemmed in by fenced houses on both sides. Darren could see well down the trail and could call Springer back if he got too far ahead.

Darren took his time and admired the aspen and maple trees growing along the fences. The trees showed off their best fall plumage, golden and reddish-orange, appearing almost aflame in the bright sunlight. About twenty minutes into their walk, he decided to turn left at the Hatley Memorial Gardens Cemetery. Other walkers often took their dogs there to run loose and play, in spite of the posted signs asking owners to keep their animals on a leash. Today there were no other dogs, so Darren stopped at the gate and watched as Springer gambolled ahead, sniffing and peeing on every second bush he encountered. The cemetery was huge, with large open grassy spaces interspersed with grave markers and small tombstones, all good distances apart. In addition, there were many small groves of deciduous trees and large single firs dotting the spread-out expanse of the grounds.

After watching Springer for a few moments, Darren walked through the fence opening and wandered up the gentle rise through the well-groomed grass, gradually approaching the prominent red gazebo in front of him. Within a few minutes his attention was interrupted by a flock of noisy birds making a racket in a small patch of trees about 300 metres away, to the left of the gazebo. His curiosity aroused, he went over to see what it was all about and noticed some very excited ravens fighting and squabbling over something on the ground. Overhead, two turkey buzzards circled silently and gracefully. Approaching the site, he saw to his horror the half-buried body of what he recognized to be a young woman being pulled apart by the ravenous birds. Darren backed away, reached for his cell phone and called 911.

When his phone rang, Staff Sergeant Mark O'Reilly, Officer in Charge of the RCMP West Shore Detachment had just settled into his coffee and morning paper, which his civilian assistant, Judy Pierce had promptly delivered to him at 8:30 a.m. So already someone wants something, he thought, shoving his paper aside and reaching for a pen as was his habit whenever he had a call.

Who is it Judy? he asked.

It's Constable Bill Parker, sir. He was dispatched to Hatley Memorial this morning, where there was a report of a dead body.

"Okay, thanks Judy, put him through.

In a few short minutes Mark got what he could from the corporal. A dog walker had found the body about a half kilometre into the cemetery from the Galloping Goose access gate and south-east towards Sooke Road. Parker had secured the site and notified the coroner's office.

When he got off the phone, O'Reilly sent two of his detectives to the cemetery and then settled back into his paper.

Later in the morning, Vancouver Island Regional Coroner, Brenda Wilkinson, dropped into Mark's office to let him know what she had learned from her initial inspection of the body.

Nice of you to drop by in person, Brenda, as my investigating officers haven't reported yet. What've you got?

It definitely looks like foul play. One of your men, Sergeant Jackson, recognized the victim as Sabrina Peterson. It seems his son went out with her a couple of times. Anyway, he told me to tell you he's being extra careful with the investigation, as her old man is Ward Peterson. As you know, Ward’s very influential in this neck of the woods. He can be a real pain in the ass if he figures he's got someone he can pick on. Jackson's already sent Sergeant Weir to notify Sabrina's parents.

Jesus Christ. In no time, Ward will either be over here, or harassing the guys at the site. Hold on, will you Brenda. I gotta send some of the troops over to keep him and whoever he brings with him away from the crime scene. After quickly marching down to the Investigations Section, he rounded up three of his officers and ordered them to the site to assist with security. Then, returning to his office, he thanked the coroner for waiting.

No problem Mark. Here's what I know so far, she replied. The body was buried in a shallow makeshift grave under a large Douglas fir in a remote part of the cemetery. Initial estimates tell me time of death was two to three days ago. There was no remaining rigor mortis and she had greenish skin discoloration on her right lower abdomen, but no signs of putrefaction. It's been fairly cool during the nights lately, but warm during the day. I think if she’d been there longer than three days, the corpse would have started to smell rancid, but that hasn't happened yet.

So sometime on the weekend, you figure?

Yes, she probably died on Saturday, but even late Friday, given the cool evenings.

Cause of death?

She received a number of blows to the back of her head from a weighty object. There were also numerous bumps and bruises on her legs, arms and upper body, including her face, neck and shoulders. It appears the initial injuries were sustained from fists and boots, and then she was finished off with some lethal strokes to the head from something heavy. She was partially buried in a shallow hole and then covered up with ivy. I’d guess the hole was dug by hand. Anyway, your officers will have more details on that.

Thanks, Brenda. Is there anything else you can add?

No, but I’ll know more when I complete the autopsy.

Yeah, and I'm sure Ward will give us a hard time about that, claiming we're further mutilating her body, even though it's required by law to conduct one.

Chapter Two

In the beginning, there was very little to go on. Sabrina’s parents had notified the police Saturday night when she failed to return from an outing that afternoon. She wasn't officially considered missing until late Sunday as was regular police practice. Ward Peterson had used his influence to try and start an official search immediately, but Staff Sergeant O'Reilly had stubbornly insisted on going by the book. He knew now he would pay a price for that, so he decided no effort would be spared and he threw all his resources into the investigation.

Nevertheless, various queries that involved questioning of some friends and classmates, including Emily and Ashley, gleaned nothing. Everyone they talked to denied seeing her since school hours on the previous Friday. The detachment had notified all the other Greater Victoria police forces and a media plea for information about her murder came up empty. A week had passed and Staff Sergeant O'Reilly was feeling the pressure. His officers hadn't gotten anywhere with their initial inquiries, and already he was getting a lot of heat from Ward Peterson. On Monday morning, he asked for assistance from other detachments in the district, but Peterson continued to blame him for not doing enough to find out who killed his daughter. It didn't make any difference to Ward when he explained the police were doing everything they could to determine who was responsible.

Once the other RCMP detachments were involved, the District Office took responsibility for finding Sabrina's killer. In turn, the District Office asked all the municipal police forces in Greater Victoria to volunteer detectives to assist with the investigation. In no time, they had assembled an informal team from the detachments and police forces of ten investigators, all of them Sergeants. The exception was their Unit Commander, Staff Sergeant Vince Watson of the North Saanich-Sidney