Deadfall (23 page)

“This should be a good place to put him in.” Chris then dragged the dead animal into the center where the water reached his knees.

The carcass drifted a few inches then stopped. Chris stepped over to it, dragged it downstream a bit, and gave it a shove. Again it shifted in the current, but the water just moved around it.

“That's what I expected,” Kevin said. “Now for the fun part.

We need to take it upstairs.”

“Why not stop now?” Mac asked. “We know Brad's body couldn't have made it to the river.”

“True, but let's make doubly sure.”

“You got it. First I'll need to change back into my boots.” Chris pulled the sheep carcass to the bank, where Mac helped him load it back on the cart. He quickly shed the waders and pulled on his heavy-duty work boots. “Which one of you is going to help me wrestle that thing up the hill?”

“How about I go with you?” Mac offered. “I could use a little exercise. Besides, Kevin might trip over the flaps of his fancy coat.”

Kevin shrugged. “I was going to volunteer before you made the coat crack.”

“Let's do it.” Chris pulled the laces tight and double-tied the knot. Then he started up the trail with Mac, the cart between them.

In the meantime, Kevin secured the base of the falls to keep any hapless hikers from coming into contact with a falling sheep. It took Mac and Chris the better part of forty-five minutes to lug the carcass to the top of the falls. Chris radioed Kevin on his portable radio, and Kevin gave him the all-clear.

Moments later, the test launch cascaded over the falls and splashed into the pool, sending a huge spray of water in Kevin's direction.

“Where'd he go?” Mac shouted. After securing his arm around a tree, he leaned closer to the edge but couldn't see beyond the heavy cascade of water from the top of the falls.

“I don't see him,” Kevin yelled back. Going to the pool's edge, he thought he saw the carcass floating in the pool behind the falls. The back current of the waterfall held the carcass in check.

Kevin wondered how well the search-and-rescue team had searched the back of the waterfall. Mac and Chris made their way down in half the time, meeting Kevin at the base of the falls. The carcass was still floating at the back of the pool with one leg sticking up, just above the surface. Chris changed back into his hip waders then returned to the pool's edge.

“Go ahead and yank it out, Chris,” Kevin said.

Chris waded into the water, making his way along the edge to the back of the falls, where he waded into thigh-deep water. He grabbed the sheep by its protruding leg and dragged it around to the front of the falls and onto a flat rock.

Mac gave him a hand with the animal. Spray from the falls saturated his hair and dripped down his collar. Even without an x-ray, Mac could see compound fractures of the ribs and legs.

“I think this proves beyond a reasonable doubt that our guy never went over the falls, dead or alive. Whoever shot Brad Gaynes probably dumped him straight into the river, most likely below the dam.” Kevin brushed the mist from his hair.

“I'd have to agree.” Chris pressed a hand to his back. “There's no clean way to go through the dam unless he happened to pass through a lock when a ship or a barge was going through. It's possible, but not likely because the main current goes straight at the center of the dam and the turbines.”

“Can you dispose of our test project, Chris?” Mac leaned over and shook the excess water from his head.

“No problem. I have a place where the coyotes come to dine.

They'll enjoy the change from rotten game evidence.”They loaded the carcass back into the Ford pickup, and the detectives again thanked Chris for his help.

“Let's get cleaned up, Mac.” Kevin glanced at his watch. “We'll need to hustle if we're going to make our four o'clock with Mrs.

Gaynes.”

“This will be tough.” Mac pressed his foot to the pedal, moving the speedometer up to seventy-five.

“Tough? In what way?”

Mac sighed. “The family has been through so much. Now that we know their son has been shot, we're going to have to interview them from the angle of a murder investigation. We need to find out if anyone they know owns or has access to a .357 handgun.”

20

D
ANA ANSWERED THE DOOR at the Gayneses' home when Mac and Kevin arrived. She was wearing a faded pair of jeans and a sweatshirt with the department logo on the front. Her hair, usually tucked neatly in her campaign hat, hung loose around her shoulders. Mac caught himself staring, which would have been okay if Kevin hadn't noticed. His partner gave him a knowing smile.

“I hope you don't mind my being here, guys.” Dana ushered them inside and closed the door. “The family asked me to stay.”

“The family?” Kevin asked. “More than the parents?”

“Yes. Brad's sister, Rachael Skinner, is here, along with her husband, Kip. Vicki asked them both to come so you could talk to all of them at once.”

“The sister and her husband know Brad's dead, don't they?”

Mac asked. “And that we recovered the body?”

“Yes, but they don't know the details about the bullet or the condition of the body.” Dana looked from Kevin to Mac. “Do you have any suspects yet?”

“Several possibilities. Nothing firm. We haven't eliminated anyone.” In fact, they'd barely gotten started. Kevin had scanned the reports during their drive back into Portland, highlighting incidents for Mac, most of which he'd already heard.

“Come on back. They're waiting in the kitchen.” Dana led the way through the entryway into the kitchen and introduced the detectives.

Brad's parents were seated at the table with the younger couple. A plate of cookies sat next to a floral centerpiece. Placemats held napkins and cups.

“Welcome, detectives. Please sit down,” Vicki said.

Dana plucked her jacket off the back of one of the chairs.

Rachael, who was holding a baby, offered Mac a wan smile. She wore no makeup, and the blotches around her eyes left no doubt that she'd been crying. “You helped with the search.”

“Only the first day, I'm afraid.”

“What's the little one's name?” Kevin asked, looking as though he wanted to pick up the kid and cuddle him.

“Michael.”

“Hey there, Michael.” Kevin bent down and gave the kid an animated smile. “How old is he?”

“A year last week,” Rachael answered. “I need to put him down for a nap. I'll just be a minute.” She let Michael wave good-bye to his audience before leaving the room.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Todd asked. “We have a fresh pot of coffee and some cold drinks.”

“I won't turn down a cup of coffee.” Kevin pulled out one of the six chairs.

“Sure, I'll take a cup. Black, please.” Mac took the empty chair between Kevin and Todd.

“Would you like anything more, Dana?”

“No thanks; I'm good.” She lifted what looked like a glass of cola from the table and took a sip. With no available chairs, Dana claimed a stool at the island that separated the kitchen from the eating area. A gas fire made the adjoining family room look warm and cozy. The television set was tuned into a sports channel, but the sound had been turned off. Mac noticed that Kip had the remote at his elbow. He tried to remember if the Blazers were playing. He hadn't been keeping up lately.

From the looks of the son-in-law, Kip had done some playing in his high school and college years. He was stocky and about six-two. He confirmed Mac's suspicions when the talk turned to football and Kip confessed his affiliation with the Oregon Ducks.

By the time Rachael returned, they all had their coffee. Rachael settled into the chair next to Vicki and held her mother's hand.

Vicki sighed. “I guess we should get started. I asked Rachael and Kip to come so we could all get an update and share some of our suspicions with you.”

“Sounds fair enough.” Mac placed his briefcase on the table and opened it. “As you know, Brad's disappearance last November has been a mystery to the Oregon law enforcement community for some time. My partner and I have secured the reports from the sheriff 's office in Hood River County and are familiar with the extensive search conducted at the location where he was reportedly last seen by his girlfriend.” Mac said.

“Jessica,” Rachael said with venom in her voice. “Her name is Jessica Turner.”

“Right.”

“Detective.” Vicki placed a hand on her daughter's arm. “We're painfully aware of the reports. I've read them so often I can recite them by heart.”

Mac glanced over at Dana. Her understanding brown eyes put him at ease. “Yes, well . . . Regretfully, Brad was still missing up until yesterday and was presumed to be deceased by way of accidental death or a possible suicide. Yesterday the state police recov-ered Brad's body in the Columbia River in North Portland. We identified him through his fingerprints and have come to the conclusion he died as a result of criminal homicide.”

“Criminal homicide?” Rachael stared at him. “What does that mean?”

Kip got up and stood behind Rachael, hands on her shoulders. He said, “It means someone killed him, honey.”

“Any unnatural death is considered a homicide by definition,” Kevin told them. “In this case, we believe Brad's death was caused by criminal means. We think someone murdered Brad by shooting him with a large-caliber handgun. Of course, there is the possibility of an accident or unusual circumstance. Hunting season was in full swing when Brad disappeared.”

“You're saying a hunter may have accidentally shot him?”Todd ran a thumb up and down the side of his cup.

“It's possible, though there is no evidentiary basis for anything other than murder right now.”

“I knew Brad would never take his own life, Mom. We all knew.” Rachael reached up and grabbed hold of Kip's hand.

“Without going into too many details, there's no evidence Brad committed suicide or ever went over Wah-kella Falls. There was no trace evidence on the body to support a self-inflicted gunshot wound, though we have no evidence to conclusively rule it out either. However, we feel that's unlikely.”

“Where was he shot?” Todd asked.

“We'd rather not release that information right now, Mr. Gaynes,” Mac answered. “We like to keep details like that inside the department.”

“Understood.” Todd said the word but didn't look like he understood at all.

“Detective.” Vicki leaned forward, arms on the table. “How do you know he didn't go over the falls?”

Before he could answer, Rachael asked, “And how did Brad get into the Columbia River?”

“The wounds on his body are not consistent with a fall from that height,” Mac explained. “We've determined that in all likelihood, the creek could not have transported a man of his size down to the river. Also, the falls and creek are above Bonneville Dam on the river. There would be little chance that Brad's body would be found intact if he were to have gone through the dam. In fact, if he had gone through the turbines, we'd probably still be looking for him.”

The horror reflected on their faces made Mac wish he could take the last comment back. These people didn't need to know that. “I'm sorry.” He sighed. “This is some pretty raw information and may not be something you want to hear right now.”

“Don't be sorry, Mac,” Todd assured him. “We want as many details as you can give us.”

“Please, go on. Tell us everything, Detective,” Vicki answered.

“This is why I wanted us all together.”

“Outside of knowing your son was killed, all we really have are theories at this point.” Kevin's comment reminded Mac that Brad may have been killed by a family member.

“Can you explain why it took so long to find him?” Kip asked.

“Um . . . assuming he was killed the day or week he was reported missing?”

“The Columbia River is vast. There are countless possibilities, but the one thing science can tell us for sure is that Brad's body was consistent with someone who had been in the water for some time.”

“I heard he was nude.” Rachael held her mug with both hands and stared at the contents. “Why? Where were his clothes?”

“Where did you hear that?” Mac cut a quick look at Dana, who shook her head to verify it wasn't from her.

“I told her,” Vicki said. “The medical examiner's office called me today and asked about making arrangements for Brad's funeral. They said he had no personal effects and had arrived at the morgue without any clothing.”

Kevin nodded, obviously a little perturbed that they had released pertinent information. “We don't want that kind of information to get out, in the event there is some clothing evidence out there. We especially don't want the media to know and then have the evidence disappear. We don't plan on doing a press release on this yet. We want the killer to continue to think the body is at the bottom of the river.” He paused and took a sip of his coffee. “On the matter of the clothing, though, it is entirely possible the bloating of the body or the river current tore the clothing from his body. Water victims often are recovered nude, even ones who have tight clothing like jeans or neckties.”

“I think we've heard enough.” Rachael pinched her lips together. “What I want to know now is where you're planning to go from here. I mean, it's been two months. Isn't the trail going to be cold?”

Mac got a nod from Kevin to go ahead. “You're right to a certain extent. We are at least two months behind. We don't know much about Brad, so we have to learn everything we can about him rather quickly. We already have a great deal of background from the county reports. We know he was an accomplished skier and was living up in the Mount Hood area with Jessica. On the forensics side, we know the caliber of weapon that inflicted the wound; in fact, we possess the bullet and will be able to compare it if we obtain a suspect weapon.”