Chapter 16

Chapter XVI

Ruby and Pete were heading to the treadmill for their five-fifteen run.

“Hey, Rumble, you want to try nine today?  I don’t think there’s any sense in going back to seven until we talk to Spacer and Kurtis, and without Al eight is getting boring,” Pete said.

Ruby agreed enthusiastically.  She was ready for anything new, especially if it wasn’t murder; so they were off and running.

Wilson was in the monitor room when Wells entered.

“You’re checking the monitor today?” Wilson asked ignoring the fact he, himself, had come in to see the run.

“The kids have been finding a lot of things on the trails.  Thought I would check them out,” Wells answered.

As Ruby and Pete joined up on the trail the view opened to a full for them, but remained small for Wells and Wilson.

“That’s not Heg Park,” Wilson said, noting the trees were too close to the trail even on their screen.

“Turn up the audio,” Wells said.

“Wow, this isn’t Heg Park.  Look at the trees,” Pete said.

“Don’t look now, but I think we found Outlook Point,” Ruby replied.

“Hot Damn, I guess we’ll know when we drive out there.  Suppose we go from here and have dinner out after?”

“Okay, I think this is the area we need to search, for whatever we’re looking for.”  Ruby was resigned to the fact they were on a new adventure.

“I don’t want to look too much here.  We can save some daylight,” He said.  They joined hands and ran for the end of the trail.

“They cut it short today,” Wilson said, “I wonder why they are exploring Outlook Point?”

“I worry what is controlling those treadmills,” Wells said.

When they dismounted Pete said, “That thing is getting too spooky.”

“It’s like it reads our minds.” Ruby backed away from the machine asking, “Do you think it’s playing us?  Is it helping us find a clue or leading us into danger?”

“I don’t know; you stay close, Rumble.”  Pete had that panicky feeling clutching his stomach. 

“Maybe we shouldn’t go,” he said.  “I’m afraid to take you and, now, I’m afraid to leave you alone with,” he gestured toward the treadmill, “It.”

“You’re not going alone.  If It wants me there It will take me whether we go or not.”  She slipped her arms around his waist and pressed her head to his chest.

He held her protectively, worried that she was right. 

As soon as Wells reached his office he called Al.  It was after five so he didn’t think there would be anyone, who might be interested in knowing Al was back, to notice the calling light on a phones.

“Yeah, Wells here,” He said to the voice on the other end.

“Wells?  Everything okay?” Al asked.

“Kids were on a trail on Outlook Point.  Did you put it in?”

“Indirectly.  I’m going to have to check out those treadmills,” Al answered.  “To tell the truth I’m afraid to go near them.”

“Can’t say I blame you, but why would they be driving out to checkout the Point?”

“Think I’ll give them a call.”

Al hung up thinking, It sounds like they’re going to Lookout Point on their own.  That’s not a good idea … Why?

Al considered if he should call before he moved, then he dialed Detective Spacer’s office.

“Spacer, I was afraid you’d left by now,” Al said.

“I had some paper work.  What was on your mind?”

“Pete and Ruby.  They’ve probably left already.  I think they’re headed for Outlook Point.”

“I don’t understand the concern?” Spacer asked.

“Didn’t Pete talk to you?”

“I’ve been out of town most of the day.  We wrapped up the Diether case.  It didn’t connect to the Styles case.”

“Pete got this notion Hope’s body was dumped.  I told him she did her walking mostly at Lookout Point,” Al said.  “This afternoon Wells monitored their run and they were on Lookout Point.  He called me to see if I programmed it in.  Anyway, while they were walking they mentioned driving out there.”

“Damn it, are they going to clean everything up before we get there?” Spacer grumbled.  “I have to go see if I can catch up.” Spacer hung up pushed an interoffice button and said, “Kurtis, we have to move.”

Kurtis didn’t ask questions he met Spacer in the lobby and took his explanation in the car on the way to Lookout Point.

“Maybe we ought to have them working for us,” Kurtis said.  “They don’t even know the body was over twelve hours dead when they saw it.”

“Thing that bothers me is that damn treadmill,” Spacer said. “That thing’s haunted.”

Kurtis laughed.  Spacer was the last person he would expect to make a supernatural connection.

Spacer went on, “Did I tell you the lab came back to me with the report on the blood from the car.  When they compared it to the car in front of the house, they asked if I was checking up on them sending the same samples twice.” 

Spacer noticed his partner’s puzzlement and explained, “One was from the car on the treadmill.”

Kurtis stared mouth open for an instant.

“That’s why we’re in such a hurry?”

“If there’s any evidence there I’d like to find it,” Spacer answered, “uncorrupted.”

“You don’t think they’re connected with the murder,” Kurtis said, sounding that he felt them innocent.

“No!  But they’re not detectives either.  Why didn’t they come to us?”

“We were gone.”

They pulled into a parking place at the point.

“That’s Peterson’s car,” Kurtis said.

A shot rang out.

The detectives reached for their guns as they jumped out of their car.

A Nissan pulled into a space beside them.  Al jumped out of the Nissan hurrying to catch Kurtis and Spacer.

Another shot rang out.

“Get back in your car,” Spacer ordered Al.

“Woah, there’s a rifle range up there,” Al shouted.

Spacer and Kurtis relaxed. 

“I thought I might help; I know where Hope walked,” Al said.

“That might be a big help since we don’t have a treadmill to guide us,” Spacer said.

The three men entered a park trail.

“This is the one she walked weeknights,” Al said, “It was a weeknight?”

“She was found Tuesday or Wednesday,” Kurtis said. “But how did you know it was night?  She was found in the morning.”

“Hope didn’t know what morning was.” Al said.  “She didn’t wake up until she had been at work for an hour, but she stayed late when she didn’t have a date.”

“You mean she never walked in the morning?” Spacer asked.

Another shot rang out.  On the trail they caught-up with Pete his arms tightly about Ruby.

“I don’t think they’re shooting at us, Rumble,” Pete was telling Ruby, as they turned to see who was crunching on the trail behind them.

“Inspectors, Al, what are you doing here?” relief and surprise reflected in Ruby’s sighed question.

“I thought you were out of town,” Pete said to Spacer.  He released his  hold on Ruby.  “The shots; she was a little scared.”

“Good,” Spacer said.  “Have you found anything?”

Another shot rang out.

“Easy to get away with murder here.” Spacer went on, “That rifle range covers any shots fired.”

“Maybe it was a ricochet,” Pete suggested.

They all looked at each other in a long pause.

“No,” Kurtis said.  “Bullet wasn’t damaged.”

“And you report an accident.  You don’t dump it,” Pete said, in agreement.

“That range is too visible to have many accidents.  They’d be shut down,” Al said.  “I’ve heard rumors it’s been tried.”

“Some residents don’t like it, but the rich have to have a place to practice,” Spacer said.  “It’s getting dark.  I think we better get back, let the police check this out in the morning.”  Turning to Al he asked, “Could you list other trails she might have used.  Maybe she saw something secret.  Maybe someone saw her see it.”                            1317