Trail of Tears

by Peggy M. Montgomery

Overview

Daniel McCullen is a transplanted Texan living in Colorado. He is the chief of police in a small town in Northern Colorado and up to the heels of his fancy ostrich skin boots in trouble. A serial killer has chosen his small town as the dumping ground for the bodies,and Daniel can't help but compare the gruesome crimes to a similar case he was working on before he relocated to Colorado. Has a killer targeted Daniel?

Before the twisted end, Daniel's world will turn upside down as the killer strikes closer and closer to home.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781449029814
Publisher:	AuthorHouse
Publication date:	11/24/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	172
File size:	281 KB

About the Author

Peggy Montgomery lives in northern Colorado with her husband, 2 dogs and 2 cats. They live in a small town where her husband is the Chief of Police. Ms Montgomery has a background in the medical field, and having been told to "always write what you know", she took her knowledge, combined with her husbands vast amount of knowledge, and created her first book.

She has hadseveral short stories published online, along with a number ofarticles andpoems. She enjoys spending time with her family, as well as enjoying the beautiful Rocky Mountains that are in their back yard. She is an avid Denver Bronco fan as well as a faithful Colorado Rockies fan.

Read an Excerpt

Trail of Tears

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By Peggy M. Montgomery

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2009 Peggy M. Montgomery
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4490-2979-1

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Chapter One

Daniel stood with his head bowed, the sun beating hot on the top of his head, glinting off the dark shades he wore. He was standing over the latest grisly discovery and could feel the coffee churning in his gut.

"Hey Chief." His second in command came up behind him.

He turned and faced Larry.

"Looks like another one." He said. "Same mutilations. Have you called in the crime scene guys?"

"Yep, they're on the way. Said it'd be about 20 minutes before they could get here." Larry answered.

Daniel looked at Larry's face and thought it was a little more pale than normal. At least he hadn't lost his breakfast. The scene was a bloody one and it was the coppery smell of blood that was really starting to get to Daniel, seasoned veteran that he was. That smell was one he never seemed to forget.

The victim was a white male, perhaps in his 50s. Hard to tell with all the mutilation that had been done to the body. His mouth had been slashed wide open, almost ear to ear, and he couldn't count how many stab wounds there were to the abdomen and chest. What really got to him was that where the man's genitals should have been was now a bloody mess. He had taken a quick look around and didn't find the missing parts. He wondered if they would find them this time. He sighed and looked up at the horizon, andthe Rocky Mountains shimmering in the distance. He figured it would be a while before he would be back at his favorite fishing hole. He had hoped that when he and his wife, Megan, had moved to the small town of Driftwood that his days of chasing crazy psychopaths would be over.

"Should have known better." He muttered under his breath.

"I'm gonna put in a call to Megan. Tell her I'm going to be late again." He gestured at the scene. "You're in charge till the CSI people get here."

"Ok Chief. I'll let you know when they get here."

Daniel was glad he had Larry as his Sergeant. He was a quiet person, but under that unimpressive exterior was a mind like a steel trap. He was in the process of nominating Larry for the FBI National Academy for Law Enforcement Officers in Quantico, Virginia, but now that this third body had turned up in his jurisdiction, it may have to wait. He needed all the help he could get. It had been over the past six months that the three bodies had been dumped in his tiny little town, and he was pissed. He felt a shiver go up his spine too. He couldn't help but be reminded of the two cases he had been working on before he and Megan moved to Colorado from Midland, Texas.

Both of those victims had been found out in the desert, southwest of Midland, mutilated in very similar manners. White males, 50ish, mouths slashed wide open, multiple stab wounds and genitals gone. The coroner had found the genitals of one victim in his anus, but the other man's were never found. As far as Daniel knew, both cases were still unsolved, and he knew he would be on the phone talking to his former partner soon.

First things first, though. He picked up his cell and dialed home. After about ten rings he decided that Megan wasn't home and he'd try later. Her mom lived about 40 miles south of Driftwood in Denver, and Megan spent a lot of time with her on her days off. Megan worked part-time in a local bookstore and loved having so much freedom. Daniel knew how much Megan had missed her mom when they were in Texas and bringing her home was the only reason he was not still in Midland. That and the offer of being Chief of Police in the small town of Driftwood was one he hadn't been able to turn down. He had often told Megan his dream was to be Chief in a small town, and it didn't get much smaller than Driftwood.

Larry knocked on the car window and Daniel got out of the air-conditioned comfort of his car. He could see the CSI vehicles in the distance.

Being such a small agency, Daniel had to rely on help from larger agencies. The Colorado Bureau of Investigation sent their team of forensic agents to help. Daniel knew two of the men from the previous murders, but he had never met the third man. He nodded at Mike and Tom, who nodded back and went straight to work. The other man came over and introduced himself.

"I'm Jack Brown." He said as he offered his hand to Daniel. "I'm newly transferred in from Texas. After we're finished here, I'd like to meet with you and get a little more background on the other two cases."

That's fine." Daniel replied. "Have Larry show you the way. The Coroner is on his way from Greeley. He should be here within the next thirty minutes or so."

"Thanks. I'll call before we head in."

Daniel went back to his car and headed into the office. He was only about five miles out and let dispatch know he was in route. He tried Megan one more time and still no answer. She didn't want a cell phone of her own. Said it made her feel less independent. If she wanted to talk to people, she would call them. He would try her later at his mother-in-law's.

He went into the office and got a cold bottle of water, grabbed the files on the other two murders and sat behind his cluttered desk. He made some room, and started reviewing the case files. The first body had been discovered back in January, right after the snow had melted off from the big storm they had at Christmas. Some kids had found him out in a field while trying out their new Christmas BB guns. After receiving a hysterical call from their mother, he and Larry had gone to check out their story. Both had been shaken by what they had found, Daniel especially. It was just too similar to the murders in Texas, but after they had ID'd the victim, he couldn't figure anyway to tie the murders together.

The victim had been from Montana, and had been in Colorado on a business trip. According to his wife, he had never been in Texas. His car had been found in Denver at his motel near Denver PD headquarters. The only finger prints in it were the victims, and they had found nothing suspicious in the room. Forensics had turned up nothing on the body, and the murder weapon had yet to turn up. The coroner had determined that it was a double-edged knife and that the cause of death had been exsanguination. There were no defensive wounds on the body, no signs of any struggle and the toxicology screens had come up negative.

Daniel opened the second file and began to read it. This victim had been found in May by a farmer plowing his field. He also had been naked, stabbed, and mutilated. Genitals removed. The coroner determined it was the same type of knife and cause of death was the same. He had found the man's genitals in his anus. Again, no forensic or toxicology evidence was found. The man was from Wyoming and had been in Denver to attend a seminar on wind farming technology.

Daniel got on the phone and called Midland and asked to speak to his former partner, Clay Bell.

"Homicide." Came a deep voice over the miles.

"Man, your voice sounds like home. How ya doin, you old sumbitch?" Daniel couldn't help but chuckle. He had been teamed with Clay for more than five years and together the two of them had quite a reputation for solving the unsolvable crimes. Clay was quite the character and always quick with a joke or a smile. There weren't very many people Daniel would rather work with. Clay had a way to cut through the bullshit and get to the truth. People seemed to warm up to him quickly and a lot of the time found themselves spilling their guts almost before they knew what they were doing. Clay was tall, skinny and white. Daniel was tall, muscular and black. They had worked well together, and had quickly learned to respect, and even love each other. There was no one Daniel trusted more.

"Well, Chief McCullen. How you doin, Ole buddy? You bout' ready to bring your sorry ass back to Texas?" Clay asked.

"In a heartbeat, Bud, in a heartbeat." Daniel laughed, "But you know I would be leaving my beautiful wife behind."

Clay laughed. "See what happens when you marry an Irish woman with red hair and green eyes? You get all that stubbornness that goes right along with it."

"Yeah, but the other perks more than make up for that."

They talked for a few minutes about family and friends, caught up on the law enforcement gossip and then Daniel got to the reason for his call.

"Have you gotten any further on those mutilation murders we were working on before I came up here?" He asked.

"No. The trail went cold, and I've been so swamped with all the other damn murders, I just haven't had the time to work on them. I can tell you this, we haven't had any murders with similar MOs since you left, though. I did hear you had one back in January."

"Well, there have been three. Found the third body this morning. MO on all three have been strikingly similar, down to the missing genitalia. My gut is screaming at me, Clay, and I need you to fax me the case reports on the cases we had."

"Sure. I'll clear it with the brass and get those sent right off. If I can be of any help, you know all you have to do is call, and I'll be on the next plane." Clay said.

Daniel felt just a little better as he hung up the phone. Talking to Clay always could lift his spirits a bit when he was down. He continued reviewing the files as he waited for Jack Brown to show up.

There was a tap on the door and Jack came in, looking hot and thirsty. Daniel offered him a cold bottle of water and waited while he finished it.

"Thanks." Jack sighed and wiped his mouth. He was all business. "I was sent from Austin to Midland right after you moved up here and worked some on those murder/mutilations you had down there. I just wanted to let you know I'll be keeping in close contact with you on these and if my intuition is right, we're dealing with the same unknown suspect on these murders."

Daniel nodded. "I'm afraid you're right. I just got off the phone with my old partner, and he's faxing me the case reports from Midland. I'm hoping something in them will help."

Jack stood and hurried back to the car, and Daniel watched as they headed toward the interstate and back to Denver. He turned and picked up the phone to try Megan again. This time she answered. Daniel felt the thrill he always felt at the sound of her voice.

"Hi Babe." He said. "Did you just get back from your Mom's?"

"Oh Hi, Danny. No, I had to run to the grocery store in Longmont and you know how long that can take me. I got steaks for dinner. Are you going to be home to eat with me tonight?"

"Well, that's why I'm calling. We found another one of those bodies this morning, and I'm not sure how long I'll be here. Larry just called me on the radio and said the coroner is here and I need to head back out to the crime scene. I'll call you as soon as I have a better idea of what's going on today."

"Ok. I'm sorry you have to deal with these things. You alright?"

"As well as I can be."

"Don't worry about dinner, Babe. You take care of you. I love you."

"Love you too."

Daniel hung up and headed back out to the murder site, feeling just a tiny bit better. But it wouldn't last for long.

Chapter Two

As Daniel drove the short distance back to the scene, he let his mind drift back to the first murder in Midland. It had been eight years ago, three years before he and Megan moved to Colorado. He and Clay had been working the 3-11 shift and had gotten the call about 9 PM. Some cowboys had been out in the desert riding 4-wheelers, and had the misfortune to stumble across the body.

This guy had been out in the hot sun for a few days so at first, they couldn't see all the damage that had been inflicted. It wasn't until the coroner's report that they found out about the multiple stab wounds to the chest and the gaping mouth wound. They had figured out that the guy was missing his genitals, but with the decomposition so advanced from the heat, hadn't seen all the other damage.

They had traced the victim to a small town in central Oregon. He was a truck driver by trade, and his truck was found at the Flying J truck plaza in Pecos, TX, a town of about 12,000, southwest of Midland by about 80 miles. He had been married, a father, and had no criminal record. The murder weapon had been a double-edged knife, which had never been found. It quickly grew into a cold case, and it wasn't until the next body was found about six months later that Daniel and Clay thought they might have something a little more on their hands than a random killing.

The second victim was also found out in the desert, and all the bloody damage was very evident. They found this one not too many hours after the murder had occurred. The coroner was unable to find any skin under his nails, but he did find the man's genitals shoved up his ass. They were unable to find anyone who had seen the man with anyone, and after a week or so, the trail grew cold. He also had been from out of state, with no record, and nothing to hint at why he should come to such a bloody end.

Daniel and Clay had not given up, but with the heavy case loads they carried; it got put on the back burner. It was also around this time that Daniel and Megan had some trouble in their marriage. Megan was working as a nurse in Midland, on the day shift, and with Daniel working the evening shift, it left very little time for their marriage. What little time they did spend together had been spent fighting, and Megan had spent quite a bit of time in Colorado with her Mom. Neither one had strayed, but both knew that it would take a great deal of effort on both their parts to make the marriage work. Daniel agreed to come to Colorado, and Megan quit her job as a nurse and took a part time job at the book store. Megan had always loved to read and one of her dreams was to eventually own her own store. Nursing had become very stressful for her, and even though she loved caring for her patients, the increasing paperwork, and stress from all sides had made her no longer enjoy her job.

Since moving to Driftwood, both had made an effort to strengthen their marriage, and Daniel was pleased with the results. Although they had never been able to have children, he felt they both had found happiness in the life they had made together. As long as Megan was happy, he was happy, too. Although inside, he would always be a Texan, he was happy with his job and was beginning to enjoy Colorado. He swore he would never learn to ski, but he did love the outdoors, and was an avid fly fisherman. He and Megan were looking for property in the mountains on which to build a cabin. It was their retirement dream. It was all going so well until last January and the bad feeling had started to work its way into Daniel's gut. Now, it felt like it would never leave.

Daniel shook himself from his memories and pulled up next to Larry's Jeep.

"Hey Chief." Larry said. "The CSI guys left about 5 minutes ago. They said they didn't find anything that jumped out at them, but they'll be in touch after they finish at the lab. The coroner said he'd be calling you soon to let you know when he was going to do the autopsy."

"Thanks, Larry. Why don't you head on in and get yourself out of this hot sun. I'll catch up with you later, or I'll give you a call."

"Sure Chief. Thanks."

Daniel watched as Larry headed back to town and stepped out of his car into the heat. He thought he could still smell the coppery scent of the blood but he knew it was all in his head. The body was gone and the scene had been pretty well turned over by the CSI people. He hoped that they would soon have a lead to go on, like the guys car. He knew they'd have the fingerprint results for him soon. He glanced around the area surrounded by the yellow tape, then slowly got back into the air-conditioned comfort of his patrol car and started toward his office.

At the last minute, he changed his mind and made a detour home. He decided to have dinner with Megan and relax just a little. He knew it might be awhile before they could have dinner together again.

Megan looked up from her book as he came through the door.

"I had a feeling I might be seeing you soon." She said. "I just put the steaks on the grill and the wine is breathing. Can you have a glass with me?"

He went over and gave her a big hug, enjoying the feel of her softness.

"I think I can have just one glass. You want me to finish the steaks?"

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Trail of Tears by Peggy M. Montgomery Copyright © 2009 by Peggy M. Montgomery. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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