FROSTBITE -Angie Bartoni Case File #2 (Detective Angie Bartoni Case Files Book 1) Read online

  Man, he was full of vinegar today.

  CHAPTER THREE

  The week was bogged down in molasses. Everything seemed to move at a snail’s pace. Each day seemed to be endless. I was slowly going batty sitting at the desk answering questions all day long.

  The shooting board was a piece of cake. They really didn’t ask me too many questions. I assume because the three witnesses pretty much told the same story. The sniveling woman was the only fly in the ointment. She couldn’t remember if I yelled ‘Police’ to identify myself.

  In the end it didn’t seem to matter because, like I said, it was much easier than I expected. They did tell me the guy I shot in the ribs was going to make it. I was thankful for that.

  Sunday I was off so I spent the entire day trying to find the floor. There was so much crap lying around that I couldn’t see if I had carpet or not. When you live alone and have no social life, housework isn’t much of a priority. I spent three hours in the kitchen alone. A good hour of that was playing ‘what could this be’ with food in the refrigerator.

  I think the washer and dryer were as happy to do the final load as I was. All the clothes were clean but sat around in nicely folded stacks just waiting to be put in their proper place. I decided that since I started this mess I might as well finish it so I shoved, crammed, and scrunched all the clothes into the various drawers and closet.

  I was quite proud of myself when I was finished. The kitchen, frontroom, bedroom and hallways were all quite presentable. At least it didn’t look like a crime scene. I decided to reward myself with a small glass of Merlot. Heck, I did such a good job; I'd make it a big glass of wine.

  I can’t be sure but I think someone snuck in and polished off the entire bottle of Merlot. When I woke the next morning, the alarm was going off in the bedroom and I was sacked out on the couch with my sweats still on. I sure don’t remember drinking the entire bottle.

  I got ready in record time and left the top down on the TR6 so I would look windblown and not like I had been on a binge last night. It was Monday and I for one was happy to see it. I parked in my usual spot and headed for the second floor. I could see the captain in his office talking on the phone. He isn’t usually here this early.

  I grabbed my usual breakfast meal and plopped down at my desk. The results of the shooting board were in a folder in the center of my desk. I was glad to see that Gates and Farmington weren’t in yet or they would have already been through the report even though it was marked for my attention only. That sure wouldn’t stop those buttwipes.

  I opened it to find a summary report on top. I scanned it quickly and was extremely happy with the final analysis. It was a 100% good shooting. Not one thing was negative. They were even complimentary of how I handled the situation under stress. Well Angie old girl, not bad.

  While I was gloating at the results the captain came out of his office and waved for me to come over. I picked up the file and headed to his office.

  “You see this yet?” I asked after I sat down on the couch.

  “Yes I did. Not bad for a woman,” he replied.

  “Awe, that sucks big time.”

  “Yeah it does, but I had to get back at you for that parting shot last Friday.”

  “Okay, we’re even.”

  “All kidding aside, that is one of the best shooting board reports I have seen. You did an excellent job Detective Bartoni.”

  “Thank you sir. I’m especially grateful that the other guy lived.”

  “Listen. I called you in for two reasons. First, don’t you dare forget the ceremony at 2:00 p.m.”

  “I won’t. I have my dress uniform in my locker.”

  “Good. 2:00 p.m. sharp.”

  “Geez, I got it. What’s the other thing you are stalling on?”

  “A partner.”

  “I knew it. I can always tell when you have something you need to tell me but are afraid I will go off.”

  “There is a valid reason for that you know?”

  “Get it over with. Give me the bad news so I can mope around the rest of the day,” I replied.

  “We have a new detective just starting today. Actually he started a few days ago but just the indoctrination. I want you to help him get established and point him in the right direction. I don’t want another pair like Farmington and Gates.”

  “You do know that I’m not very good with partners. Especially someone that needs nurturing. I’m not the nurturing type.”

  “That is the understatement of the year,” he said rolling his eyes.

  “Where is he coming from?” I asked.

  “Carmel. He was just promoted to detective a week ago. They thought it would help him develop his skills if he was here with us,” the captain explained.

  “When do I get him?”

  “Right after the ceremony. He will be there and when it is over I'll introduce you.”

  “Any chance I can talk you into keeping the medal and the rookie?” I asked.

  He just shook his head.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  We got lucky. The weather was very pleasant and the Mayor didn’t fumble my name like usual. The only hitch was when he went to pin the medal on my chest. He had a ‘deer caught in the headlights' look when he realized I had boobs sticking out. Finally he managed to do it without sticking me.

  It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be. He kept the blathering to a minimum and only took a few questions. Heck, he even let me say a couple of things. From there it got a little funky.

  “Congratulations Detective Bartoni,” Captain McGregor said, shaking my hand like we were first meeting.

  “Thank you Captain McGregor,” I replied just as formally.

  “I would like you to meet our newest detective. This is Detective Daniel Roberts. He just transferred from Carmel. Detective Roberts, this is your training partner, Detective First Class, Angelina Bartoni.”

  “Nice to meet you Detective Bartoni. It is an honor. I’m very lucky to be getting someone like you to break me in,” he said, all smiles.

  He wasn’t bad looking. A tad over six foot, broad shoulders, nice teeth and deep brown eyes. It looked like maybe his nose had been broken at one time. He had a scar above his right eye. What I couldn’t tell was if he was just blowing smoke with the nice talk.

  “Nice to meet you Detective Roberts. I’m not so sure you will be honored after we spend a little time together. I don’t do very well with partners.”

  “I’m sure we will get along just fine,” he said smiling quickly.

  “We’ll see,” I replied.

  ~~

  I was thankful to be back in my regular street clothes. The dress uniform is sharp looking but they were not designed for comfort.

  “What do you think?” the captain asked when I got to my desk.

  “How should I know? It was be nice time. Best behavior and all of that. I won’t know until we spend a little time together,” I told him.

  “He isn’t what you expected is he?”

  “I don’t know. What did I expect?”

  “A preppy type. Carmel being such a yuppie community and all. You know what they are like. Most have too much money, think they are better than anyone else and heaven help you if you suggest their kids are little shits, which they usually are.”

  “Honestly captain. Ask me again next week if I don’t send him packing before then.”

  “Oh Lord, don’t say that. Give the guy a fair chance.”

  “Don’t I always?”

  “No.”

  “Don’t I usually?” I asked.

  “No.”

  “I did one time,” I said in my defense.

  “Once. One time out of how many? Five?”

  “Six if you count the guy that never showed up the second day.”

  “Yeah, forgot about him. One for six. Not a very good record,” the captain lamented.

  “Could be worse,” I answered back.

  He was just about to say something else when Daniel
came out of the locker room. He actually looked pretty presentable. At least he didn’t shout ‘I’m a yuppie’ in the way he dressed. Pretty conservative over all. Good tie but not one of the eighty or ninety dollar kind. Why would anyone in their right mind pay that kind of price for a tie? I mean shoes and purses I understand but a tie? I don’t get it.

  “So, what’s on the agenda?” Daniel asked.

  “First rule. Never ask what’s on the agenda. What are we doing today? Are we doing anything important? Those three questions make me want to hurt people. I’ll tell you why, since you asked.”

  “I didn’t,” he interrupted.

  “Doesn’t matter. The reasons are that our agenda changes from minute to minute as situations arise. We do something every day single day and it is always important. Got it?” I said.

  “Sure. I was just making small talk,” he said.

  “Second rule. I don’t need small talk. I talk about the case, I talk about the perp, I talk about the victim. Small talk is for small minds.”

  He sort of rolled his eyes and said, “That must make for long stakeouts.”

  I didn’t respond. Sometimes even I don’t know why I get that way. I mean, he wasn’t doing anything really harmful but I still had to jump his case. I need to be a nicer person. Then again, who am I fooling?”

  “Let’s get you set up with what you will need in the way of office supplies. That’s your desk right across from mine. No one has used if for some time now. You can settle in there,” I said trying to be less aggressive.

  We spent the next two hours getting Dan, as he asked to be called, all of his files set up and desk arranged. I didn’t even get pushy about the way he set up his filing system even though it was totally wrong. I was being mellow.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “Bartoni, Roberts. You guys are on deck,” the captain said, handing me a slip of paper.

  “What gives?”

  “Floater. That’s all I know.”

  I grabbed my weapon and headed for the stairs before I realized Roberts was still sitting at his desk.

  “You coming?”

  “You didn’t say anything so I wasn’t sure what you wanted me to do.”

  “Dan, we don’t send invitations. When the captain says go we, as in both of us, just go.”

  He shrugged and followed me down the stairs and out to the car.

  “You want to drive?” I asked Dan.

  “You want me to?”

  Please tell me it isn’t going to be like this very much longer. I told the captain I was not into nurturing.

  “I’ll drive,” was all I said.

  Little was said as we drove to White River Parkway Drive. I pulled onto a small dirt road that led down to a rock damn that ran across the White River. The usual collection of cop cars, ambulance, ME’s car and of course the ever present media were already on the scene. Television trucks were set up with their dishes pointed someplace into space. Reporters primped and practiced their smiles.

  “You ever see a floater before?” I asked as me made our way down to the river.

  “Uh, not a real one. Just a picture once.”

  “Okay,” I said, stopping him, “Look it can be pretty ugly. If fish or crabs and been eating on the body it is not a pretty sight. If you think you are going to be sick, just walk away and find a place to throw up. We have all done it at one time or the other so it’s no big deal. That is unless you throw up on the crime scene. That on the other hand is a bigger deal.”

  “I think I can handle it.”

  I looked at him a second. He didn’t look like he was real sure.

  “Okay, but just do what I told you,” I said as we started down to the river again.

  “Yo Bartoni,” Doctor Alex yelled as he saw us coming down to the riverbed.

  “Yo yourself. You must have pissed Sorenson off.”

  “Nah. I was on my way to the morgue when he called and asked if I would mind stopping by.”

  “So what have we got?”

  “Don’t know much yet. Just waiting for you to get here so you didn’t jump my case about ‘your crime scene’.

  “Alex, have I ever done that?”

  “Only forty or fifty times.”

  “Well, you would think you would have learned after the first dozen or so. This is my new partner, Detective Dan Roberts.”

  “Detective Roberts, Alex Peel.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  “So you are going to be Ms. Congeniality's partner?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Humm,”

  “Alex,” I said.

  He gave Dan a quick smile and patted him on the shoulder.

  “Alright Alex, let’s get this over with before I have two dead bodies to contend with.”

  “Okay. From what I can tell so far. We have a young woman, nude, blond hair, not sure if it is natural yet, that looks to be about five foot six or seven inches tall. Probably weighs around one hundred and twenty-five or thirty pounds. Until we get a closer look at her that’s all I know.”

  “Dan. I want you do follow in my footsteps. You look right, I’ll look left. If you see anything, and I mean anything, let me know. Watch for footprints, threads or cloth. If it doesn’t belong, I want to know about it. Then we can turn the body.”

  Dan nodded and I’ll have to admit, so far he was hanging in there. Of course when we turned the girl that is when we would see how strong his resolve was.

  We used a modified box grid because of the river and worked our way back up to the main road. We found a couple scraps of paper, a torn piece of cloth, fishing line, and assorted hooks. Nothing looked real promising. Even the tire tracks were a bust. People came and went all the time to fish and whatever else they did here.

  “Now?” Alex said, looking at his watch.

  “Yeah, let’s get it over with. Come on Dan, you might as well get wet with the rest of us.”

  The girl was caught by a tangle of hair in some branches and her body bobbed up and down in the gentle current. We waded out until the water was at our knees before we decided to roll her over.

  “Ready?” Alex asked.

  “Let’s do it, this water is damn cold,” I replied.

  “One, two, three,” he counted.

  We flipped the body over and that’s when I heard the retching sound. Poor Dan. Not ready for prime time just yet. At least he was throwing up in the river.

  “Come on, let’s get her up on shore,” Alex said and we gently carried her body to the shore.

  Alex grabbed her feet and I took her arms and we slowly pulled her onto the bank. Poor Dan was still standing in the frigid water, heaving his breakfast.

  “Not a pretty sight,” Alex said stooping down to look at the girl.

  One eye was pulled out of the socket and several water creatures had been feasting on her.

  “Ligature marks on her ankles.”

  “Yeah, I noticed those in the water,” Alex replied.

  “What the heck is that?” I asked, pointing to a triangle shape of missing flesh just under her left breast.

  “Hummm. Not sure. Something was shoved in. Probably a spike or something like that.”

  “So that is probably what killed her,” I surmised.

  “I’m not so sure. I’ll need to get her back and do a complete work up. It doesn’t go clear through her. It could be from something that was in the water.”

  “Like what?” I asked.

  “Heck Angie, I don’t know. Give me a break. Let me do the work up first.”

  “Okay, Okay. Just asking.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  We were walking back to the car, trying to avoid the news people shouting out questions.

  “Bartoni,” a familiar voice shouted and I turned around.

  “Well, I’ll be. Officer Cromwell. Long time no see.”

  “No kidding. How have you been? I saw on the news that you were being honored. I wish I could have been there.”

  “It was no big deal but
thank you for that.”

  “So you caught the case?”

  “Looks like. Oh, this is my new partner. Detective Dan Roberts.”

  “Detective. Jimmy Cromwell.”

  “Nice to meet you.

  “Same here.”

  “So, what brought you down here?”

  “We caught the call. I was first on the scene. Saw the body and started the process. Blocked off the area first thing. Didn’t go near the body.”

  “I wasn’t going to ask,” I said smiling.

  “Sure. Anyway, that’s how I got here.”

  “I’m glad it was you. You know what to do in a situation like this. So many of the younger cops want to jump in the water and see if they can save the victim.”

  “Too much television.”

  “Amen to that.”

  “Look, I know you need to go but we should get together and have a beer. I've got some great new exaggerated stories I could tell you.”

  “I would really like that. Maybe after I catch the murderer I’ll hook up with you. That should be sometime later this afternoon.”

  “Ooooh. Still cocky as ever. Just give me a shout when you’re ready.

  “Looking forward to it.”

  When we got into the car Dan said, “Old buddy of yours?”

  “Ex-partner really. Good guy but had way too much baggage to be a detective. He was sent down and works the streets now. I haven’t seen him in over a year.”

  “Seems like a nice enough guy.”

  “Until he drinks,” was all I said.

  “What do we do now?” Dan asked.

  “Rule number one is what?”

  “Okay, I forgot.”

  “To answer your question anyway. I’m starved. Let’s get some lunch.”

  “Oh please. Just the thought of food makes me regurgitate.”

  “You can wait in the car if you want but I for one am hungry.”

  I looked over at him and honestly he did appear a little green around the gills. He would soon learn that nothing ever gets in the way of lunch.

  ~~

  “What do you have?”

  “Nothing much so far. Young woman, looks like a homicide unless she went swimming in White River this time of year with no clothes on.”