“I just got a call from the CSU guys.” It was early Thursday morning, but Colt could tell from the sound of Krissy’s voice that she had been awake for a while.
“What time is it?” he mumbled into the phone as he tried to focus his eyes on the clock in the hotel room.
“I’ll meet you at the station in 30 minutes,” Krissy said without answering his question before hanging up. Colt’s eyes finally made out the time. It was just after five a.m. Still groggy and wishing for another hour of sleep, Colt peeled the sheets off of himself and slowly trudged to the shower.
“What’s so important that you call me before dawn?” Colt asked a half hour later as he approached Krissy’s desk with two cups of coffee in hand.
“Get this,” Krissy began. “Kevin’s car was wiped clean. No fingerprints. He had been shot twice in the chest. The angle of entry suggests that the shooter was outside the car, probably a foot from the driver side window.”
“And no shattered glass, so the window was down,” Colt added.
“Exactly.”
“Meaning, it was someone that Kevin knew,” Colt concluded. “Destiny?” he assumed.
“It’s not that easy,” Krissy cautioned. “Remember how he was holding the envelope? The one with pictures of my parents”
Colt nodded, his eyes telling her to continue.
“Well, that was placed there after he died. It only makes sense. Why would the guy hug pictures of my family just before he died?”
“I’m following you,” Colt said.
“The crime scene guys found traces of saliva on the tab of the envelope and guess what? It doesn’t match Destiny.”
“So where does that leave us?” Colt asked.
“The DNA clearly indicates that our shooter is a man.”
“Mathis?” Colt asked.
“We don’t have a DNA sample from him to compare, but I’d bet week’s pay it was him.”
“A lot of people have bet a week’s pay with him before and lost,” Colt reminded her.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Chapter 16 (Tuesday)
The avid Colt Crawford fans out there (both of you) probably noticed that there was no post yesterday. That was due to the Junior Novel Blogger turning 8 and a round of crepes early in the morning during my writing time. Never fear, the story continues...
----
The interview room at the police station was a lonely place for a twenty something girl who with a checkered past. Given the resources of her family, however, a lawyer soon joined her and advised her against speaking. For the first time in her life, Destiny took the advice of someone older and wiser and kept her mouth shut. Regardless, the police had enough evidence and the testimony of Steven Mathis to tie her to the gambling ring. What they didn’t have yet, was conclusive proof she had ordered the hit on Samantha or Kevin’s murder.
The two other detectives who had been helping, Holt and Sanchez, returned to the police station with some helpful news. “A couple of Kevin’s buddies showed us e-mails that Jailene, or Destiny, had sent him. Check this one out.” Sanchez dropped a one page print out in front of Krissy. She glanced down and began reading.
“Is that the address where Samantha works?” Krissy asked.
“The very same building,” Holt replied. “And it is dated December 31, the day before the attack.”
“That’s not all,” Sanchez added. “These guys were eager to see Jailene burn for dragging Kevin into the mess.” He produced another e-mail that had been sent from Kevin’s BlackBerry. It was dated 9:30 PM on January 1.
Krissy read it aloud. “Mission accomplished.”
Sanchez dropped the final bomb. “We had the tech guys pinpoint the GPS coordinates for the phone at the time that message was sent. He was within 50 feet of the where Samantha was found.”
“What about bank records for Kevin. Can we find evidence of a large deposit?”
“Not in the bank, but his next semester at the university was paid in full on Monday morning.”
“Trading violent crime for a free education. That’s a new one.” It was Colt this time joining the conversation. “This gives us motive to pin Kevin’s murder on Destiny, but no actual evidence.”
“We’ll follow up with the CSI team and see what they found in his car,” Krissy said. “Maybe that will give us the link we need.”
“Even if they find evidence of her in the car, that’s not a surprise. They were dating, you know,” Colt added.
“True, but you never know what will turn up.”
----
The interview room at the police station was a lonely place for a twenty something girl who with a checkered past. Given the resources of her family, however, a lawyer soon joined her and advised her against speaking. For the first time in her life, Destiny took the advice of someone older and wiser and kept her mouth shut. Regardless, the police had enough evidence and the testimony of Steven Mathis to tie her to the gambling ring. What they didn’t have yet, was conclusive proof she had ordered the hit on Samantha or Kevin’s murder.
The two other detectives who had been helping, Holt and Sanchez, returned to the police station with some helpful news. “A couple of Kevin’s buddies showed us e-mails that Jailene, or Destiny, had sent him. Check this one out.” Sanchez dropped a one page print out in front of Krissy. She glanced down and began reading.
“Is that the address where Samantha works?” Krissy asked.
“The very same building,” Holt replied. “And it is dated December 31, the day before the attack.”
“That’s not all,” Sanchez added. “These guys were eager to see Jailene burn for dragging Kevin into the mess.” He produced another e-mail that had been sent from Kevin’s BlackBerry. It was dated 9:30 PM on January 1.
Krissy read it aloud. “Mission accomplished.”
Sanchez dropped the final bomb. “We had the tech guys pinpoint the GPS coordinates for the phone at the time that message was sent. He was within 50 feet of the where Samantha was found.”
“What about bank records for Kevin. Can we find evidence of a large deposit?”
“Not in the bank, but his next semester at the university was paid in full on Monday morning.”
“Trading violent crime for a free education. That’s a new one.” It was Colt this time joining the conversation. “This gives us motive to pin Kevin’s murder on Destiny, but no actual evidence.”
“We’ll follow up with the CSI team and see what they found in his car,” Krissy said. “Maybe that will give us the link we need.”
“Even if they find evidence of her in the car, that’s not a surprise. They were dating, you know,” Colt added.
“True, but you never know what will turn up.”
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Colt Crawford - Chapter 15 (Thursday)
The Coast Guard boat pulled up alongside the now disabled yacht. The captain’s voice bellowed across the water through the ship’s P.A. system. “Put the gun down and your hands in the air.” Still contemplating testing fate, Destiny froze, obviously considering her options. The Coast Guard boat had the captain, three crew members, and Colt and Krissy. Destiny realized that the odds were not in her favor, but she did have a secret weapon that was unknown to her pursuers.
Destiny’s mind swirled with thoughts faster than she could sort them all out. To surrender now would mean jail, a place she had no intention of going. To try to escape, however, could result in death, another unwelcome option. What she needed to do was stall until her secret plan could be put into place. She glanced around. The two boats were about a mile off shore, so swimming was out of the question. The Coast Guard boat was about ten yards from Destiny’s yacht.
After several minutes of a tense standoff, Destiny finally laid down her gun. Since she was now unarmed, the shot caught everyone by surprise. The bullet whizzed past Colt’s ear and landed in the ocean behind him. The mood aboard the Coast Guard boat immediately changed, although no one fired back because it was unclear where the shooter was hiding. The second shot missed everything. Given the ocean swells, the odds of anyone finding a target were small, but no one aboard the boat wanted to test the guy’s aim.
Assuming defensive positions, the crew trained their guns on My Destiny. “It’s coming from the port hole on the bow,” one of the crewmen said.
The Captain began barking out orders. “Crowley and Donovan, you two cover the girl. Myers, you and Detective Malone prepare to board the boat,” he said as he gestured toward Krissy. Colt realized that his training was not in this field and he readily agreed to stay on board the Coast Guard boat. Unsure whether the captain was in on the escape or not, Myers and Krissy planed to bring everyone off the boat in cuffs and sort that out later.
The captain carefully maneuvered the utility boat up to the stern of the yacht in an effort to avoid the shooter’s line of fire. With guns carefully aimed at a now unarmed Destiny, Myers and Krissy leapt from their boat to the deck of Destiny’s. They quickly made their way up to the bridge and secured the captain and Destiny without incident. “Who is below deck?” Krissy demanded once the cuffs were in place. Realizing that it was over, Destiny lowered her head. She thought through the situation carefully, but wisely accepted the reality that someone may end up dead, but no one was going to avoid jail.
“His name is Anthony. I let him stay on the boat when I’m not using it.”
“Is he alone?”
“Usually, but I never even told him we were here. He probably just woke up.”
Myers and Krissy escorted the suspects back to the Coast Guard vessel and then were joined by Crowley and Donovan as they began a sweep of the yacht. With guns drawn they methodically worked their way from stern to bow. The stateroom provided plenty of evidence to corroborate Destiny’s story about a bachelor living on the boat. The bed was unmade, trash littered the floor, clothes were strewn about, and empty beer cans had been haphazardly tossed around the room. Carefully dodging the maze, the officers made their way through the room and to a small door the led to a utility closet on the bow. Krissy gestured toward the door with her gun and Myers reached out to pull it open. With a sudden jerk, the door flung open to reveal a very scared young man hiding in the anchor chains, no gun in sight.
“Hello, Anthony,” Krissy said. “Come on out.”
Destiny’s mind swirled with thoughts faster than she could sort them all out. To surrender now would mean jail, a place she had no intention of going. To try to escape, however, could result in death, another unwelcome option. What she needed to do was stall until her secret plan could be put into place. She glanced around. The two boats were about a mile off shore, so swimming was out of the question. The Coast Guard boat was about ten yards from Destiny’s yacht.
After several minutes of a tense standoff, Destiny finally laid down her gun. Since she was now unarmed, the shot caught everyone by surprise. The bullet whizzed past Colt’s ear and landed in the ocean behind him. The mood aboard the Coast Guard boat immediately changed, although no one fired back because it was unclear where the shooter was hiding. The second shot missed everything. Given the ocean swells, the odds of anyone finding a target were small, but no one aboard the boat wanted to test the guy’s aim.
Assuming defensive positions, the crew trained their guns on My Destiny. “It’s coming from the port hole on the bow,” one of the crewmen said.
The Captain began barking out orders. “Crowley and Donovan, you two cover the girl. Myers, you and Detective Malone prepare to board the boat,” he said as he gestured toward Krissy. Colt realized that his training was not in this field and he readily agreed to stay on board the Coast Guard boat. Unsure whether the captain was in on the escape or not, Myers and Krissy planed to bring everyone off the boat in cuffs and sort that out later.
The captain carefully maneuvered the utility boat up to the stern of the yacht in an effort to avoid the shooter’s line of fire. With guns carefully aimed at a now unarmed Destiny, Myers and Krissy leapt from their boat to the deck of Destiny’s. They quickly made their way up to the bridge and secured the captain and Destiny without incident. “Who is below deck?” Krissy demanded once the cuffs were in place. Realizing that it was over, Destiny lowered her head. She thought through the situation carefully, but wisely accepted the reality that someone may end up dead, but no one was going to avoid jail.
“His name is Anthony. I let him stay on the boat when I’m not using it.”
“Is he alone?”
“Usually, but I never even told him we were here. He probably just woke up.”
Myers and Krissy escorted the suspects back to the Coast Guard vessel and then were joined by Crowley and Donovan as they began a sweep of the yacht. With guns drawn they methodically worked their way from stern to bow. The stateroom provided plenty of evidence to corroborate Destiny’s story about a bachelor living on the boat. The bed was unmade, trash littered the floor, clothes were strewn about, and empty beer cans had been haphazardly tossed around the room. Carefully dodging the maze, the officers made their way through the room and to a small door the led to a utility closet on the bow. Krissy gestured toward the door with her gun and Myers reached out to pull it open. With a sudden jerk, the door flung open to reveal a very scared young man hiding in the anchor chains, no gun in sight.
“Hello, Anthony,” Krissy said. “Come on out.”
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Colt Crawford - Chapter 15 (Wednesday)
“So what do we do now?” Colt asked the captain above the roar of the engine.
“We follow her,” the captain replied. “This boat has enough fuel to go 250 miles without stopping. I am going to guess that she didn’t bother topping off her tanks before leaving, so we can out last them.”
“Can’t you just lay down a spike strip or try a PIT maneuver?” Colt joked.
“That would be nice.” The captain kept his eyes fixed on Destiny’s boat and chuckled as he responded. “Tell me more about this girl,” he added.
Colt was standing on the deck of the utility boat next to the captain. He glanced toward My Destiny which was about 100 yards ahead of them and then began to describe what he knew about the woman. “Her name is Destiny Godinez. She also goes by the alias Jailene Arroyo. Grew up rich and spoiled. Her dad actually led us to her when he realized that all his doting had created a monster.”
“And her crime?” the captain asked.
“She got hooked up with a bookie in town. She financed his operation, but took it very personally when someone didn’t pay up. Her MO was to cozy up to young college boys and hire them to do her dirty work. She’s been MIA for the last couple of days, but we caught a break when one of the girls at the university told us that her dad had worked with Jailene’s,” Colt stopped and corrected himself, “Destiny’s dad.”
“Captain” one of the crew members on the coast guard boat said, “The fuel dock just confirmed that My Destiny has not fueled up in the last six months. I checked with the harbor master and he has no records of anything more than day cruises during that time, so the odds are high that she is low on fuel.”
The captain thanked the crewman for the information and added, “I’m guessing this won’t last long.” By now the two boats had left the channel that served as a breakwater separating the harbor from the open sea. The swells were mild, but the ride was definitely rougher. Colt realized why he had not spent much time on the sea as he watched as the bow of the 45 footer bounce up and down with clock-like precision as the pursuit continued. Speeds were around 15 knots, but Colt’s stomach was in 50.
“You don’t look so good.” It was Krissy this time.
“It’s that obvious?” Colt replied, his face a pasty white.
“This boat is new,” the captain said. “If you’re going to lose it, aim overboard.”
Colt thought for a second and then realized it was actually good advice. Three seconds later his head was hanging over the side of the coast guard’s newest toy trying his best not to let the wind blow anything back on his own shirt.
Krissy didn’t laugh at the moment, Colt looked too pathetic, but she relished the thought of the conversations that would come up once they were back on dry land. “Feel better?”
“Actually, yes,” Colt said straightening up. “But my breath is awful.”
“Here,” the captain said handing him a tin of Altoids breath mints. “Since you got it all overboard you can have a prize.” Colt chuckled and took three of the mints all at once.
Another report came from one of the crewmen. He had been using binoculars to study Destiny’s boat. How he kept anything in focus with the rocking and rolling of the boats was beyond Colt’s imagination. “We have only seen the two people on the boat. No sign of anyone below deck.”
“Have your weapons ready, but don’t fire,” the captain ordered.
Minutes later My Destiny began to sputter and slow. “I can’t believe Daddy just gave her that boat and didn’t teach her how to put fuel in it,” the captain said shaking his head. “Some people have no business in the ocean.”
“We follow her,” the captain replied. “This boat has enough fuel to go 250 miles without stopping. I am going to guess that she didn’t bother topping off her tanks before leaving, so we can out last them.”
“Can’t you just lay down a spike strip or try a PIT maneuver?” Colt joked.
“That would be nice.” The captain kept his eyes fixed on Destiny’s boat and chuckled as he responded. “Tell me more about this girl,” he added.
Colt was standing on the deck of the utility boat next to the captain. He glanced toward My Destiny which was about 100 yards ahead of them and then began to describe what he knew about the woman. “Her name is Destiny Godinez. She also goes by the alias Jailene Arroyo. Grew up rich and spoiled. Her dad actually led us to her when he realized that all his doting had created a monster.”
“And her crime?” the captain asked.
“She got hooked up with a bookie in town. She financed his operation, but took it very personally when someone didn’t pay up. Her MO was to cozy up to young college boys and hire them to do her dirty work. She’s been MIA for the last couple of days, but we caught a break when one of the girls at the university told us that her dad had worked with Jailene’s,” Colt stopped and corrected himself, “Destiny’s dad.”
“Captain” one of the crew members on the coast guard boat said, “The fuel dock just confirmed that My Destiny has not fueled up in the last six months. I checked with the harbor master and he has no records of anything more than day cruises during that time, so the odds are high that she is low on fuel.”
The captain thanked the crewman for the information and added, “I’m guessing this won’t last long.” By now the two boats had left the channel that served as a breakwater separating the harbor from the open sea. The swells were mild, but the ride was definitely rougher. Colt realized why he had not spent much time on the sea as he watched as the bow of the 45 footer bounce up and down with clock-like precision as the pursuit continued. Speeds were around 15 knots, but Colt’s stomach was in 50.
“You don’t look so good.” It was Krissy this time.
“It’s that obvious?” Colt replied, his face a pasty white.
“This boat is new,” the captain said. “If you’re going to lose it, aim overboard.”
Colt thought for a second and then realized it was actually good advice. Three seconds later his head was hanging over the side of the coast guard’s newest toy trying his best not to let the wind blow anything back on his own shirt.
Krissy didn’t laugh at the moment, Colt looked too pathetic, but she relished the thought of the conversations that would come up once they were back on dry land. “Feel better?”
“Actually, yes,” Colt said straightening up. “But my breath is awful.”
“Here,” the captain said handing him a tin of Altoids breath mints. “Since you got it all overboard you can have a prize.” Colt chuckled and took three of the mints all at once.
Another report came from one of the crewmen. He had been using binoculars to study Destiny’s boat. How he kept anything in focus with the rocking and rolling of the boats was beyond Colt’s imagination. “We have only seen the two people on the boat. No sign of anyone below deck.”
“Have your weapons ready, but don’t fire,” the captain ordered.
Minutes later My Destiny began to sputter and slow. “I can’t believe Daddy just gave her that boat and didn’t teach her how to put fuel in it,” the captain said shaking his head. “Some people have no business in the ocean.”
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Colt Crawford - Chapter 15 (Tuesday)
On the way to the marina, Colt had called the harbor master and confirmed that the boat was still in its slip. Krissy’s unmarked cruiser pulled into the parking lot, not bothering to land between any set of lines. Colt and Krissy jumped out and made their way to gate 4 where the harbor master met them with a key and pointed out the boat they were seeking at the end of the row.
Colt could hear the twin diesel engines idling as he passed through the open gate. As he followed the harbor master’s pointing finger, the massive yacht began to slowly pull away from the dock. As the boat turned toward the open waters, the letters painted across the stern said it all: My Destiny. Colt envisioned a scene he had watched in a hundred movies where he ran down the dock and jumped onto the boat just before it slipped out of sight. Fortunately, his senses and fleeting youth got the better of him and he quickly formed a Plan B. “Call the coast guard,” he said to the harbor master who quickly produced a cell phone and made the call.
“They are on their way,” he replied his finger gesturing toward the coast guard station. “You can meet them at their boat three rows down.” Colt and Krissy thanked the harbor master for his efforts and sprinted toward the station. The brand new 45 foot response boat was already idling with a crew of four ready to go as Colt and Krissy climbed aboard. Krissy took the liberty of informing the captain of the situation. Catching My Destiny wouldn’t be difficult for this utility boat, especially given the slow speeds required in the harbor. Colt was betting that whoever Destiny Godinez had hired to pilot her boat was not the criminal type. He wouldn’t have any incentive to speed through the harbor.
What Colt didn’t count on, however, was Destiny’s resolve to avoid capture. Just as the coast guard boat started down the channel in a relatively slow pursuit of the 50 foot yacht, the wake behind the big boat deepened and its twin diesels revved as fast as they could go. Given the massive size of the boat, speeds remained under 30 knots, although the coast guards’ new boat had the ability to reach as high as 42 knots should the need arise.
It didn’t take long to bring the utility boat alongside My Destiny. From his position on the deck, one of the crewmen noticed two people on the bridge of the yacht. One was the pilot, the other a woman with a small caliber revolver in her hand. Seconds later, the gun turned and fired on the coast guard boat. The captain backed off of his position to restrategize. The simple stop had just gotten much more complicated.
Colt could hear the twin diesel engines idling as he passed through the open gate. As he followed the harbor master’s pointing finger, the massive yacht began to slowly pull away from the dock. As the boat turned toward the open waters, the letters painted across the stern said it all: My Destiny. Colt envisioned a scene he had watched in a hundred movies where he ran down the dock and jumped onto the boat just before it slipped out of sight. Fortunately, his senses and fleeting youth got the better of him and he quickly formed a Plan B. “Call the coast guard,” he said to the harbor master who quickly produced a cell phone and made the call.
“They are on their way,” he replied his finger gesturing toward the coast guard station. “You can meet them at their boat three rows down.” Colt and Krissy thanked the harbor master for his efforts and sprinted toward the station. The brand new 45 foot response boat was already idling with a crew of four ready to go as Colt and Krissy climbed aboard. Krissy took the liberty of informing the captain of the situation. Catching My Destiny wouldn’t be difficult for this utility boat, especially given the slow speeds required in the harbor. Colt was betting that whoever Destiny Godinez had hired to pilot her boat was not the criminal type. He wouldn’t have any incentive to speed through the harbor.
What Colt didn’t count on, however, was Destiny’s resolve to avoid capture. Just as the coast guard boat started down the channel in a relatively slow pursuit of the 50 foot yacht, the wake behind the big boat deepened and its twin diesels revved as fast as they could go. Given the massive size of the boat, speeds remained under 30 knots, although the coast guards’ new boat had the ability to reach as high as 42 knots should the need arise.
It didn’t take long to bring the utility boat alongside My Destiny. From his position on the deck, one of the crewmen noticed two people on the bridge of the yacht. One was the pilot, the other a woman with a small caliber revolver in her hand. Seconds later, the gun turned and fired on the coast guard boat. The captain backed off of his position to restrategize. The simple stop had just gotten much more complicated.
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