Cause of Death (Det. Annie Avants Book 1) Read online

  CAUSE OF DEATH

  Det. Annie Avants Series #1

  By Renee Benzaim

  KINDLE EDITION

  Copyright Renee Benzaim (2013) All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law, or in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information, contact: emailto:[email protected].

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance of fictional characters to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Introduction

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Epilogue

  Cast of Characters

  Recipes

  Acknowledgments

  Book #2 in the Det. Annie Avants Series

  Book #3 in the Det. Annie Avants Series

  Renee's Story

  Questions? Comments?

  Thank YOU!

  One Last Thing. . .

  DEDICATION

  Many members of my family have worked as sworn personnel in Law Enforcement over the years. I would like to dedicate this book to them:

  My Dad

  William Russell Dyer

  My Brothers

  Barry Dyer

  Spencer Dyer

  My Nephew

  Larry Copenhaver

  My Niece

  Medora Rechtfertig

  My Daughter and Son-In-Law

  Stefani & David May

  Brothers-in-Law

  Bob Copenhaver

  Harry Sivesind

  INTRODUCTION

  When law enforcement personnel investigate a death, there are many things to consider once the death has been confirmed.

  However, let's look at a definition for death before we continue. Death can be broken down into two definitions, as explained by Joseph L. Giacalone (Cold Case Squad Blog) retired NYPD Homicide Detective:

  1. Death occurs with the cessation of spontaneous heart and breathing functions without the use of any mechanical devices, and;

  2. Brain death occurs with an irreversible loss of cerebral function.

  There are then three items that have to be determined. They are as follows:

  1. Cause of death can be defined as an injury or disease that produces a physiological derangement in the body that results in death;

  2. Manner of death explains how the Cause of Death came about. There are five classifications that are easy to remember with the acronym NASH U. They are Natural causes, Accidental, Suicide, Homicide, or Undetermined;

  3. Mechanism of Death is the physiological derangement by the Cause of Death (injury or disease) that resulted in the death. For example, if a person's COD was an injury such as a knife wound, the Manner of Death would normally be considered a Homicide, and the Mechanism of Death could be exsanguination (bleeding out).

  Every death case gets treated as a Homicide until proven otherwise.

  The Medical Examiner, or Coroner, is the only person who can sign off on the Cause of Death.

  * * *

  NOTE: At the end of the story, you will find a comprehensive Cast of Characters and several favorite recipes from Annie and her friends.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Friday, 3 August 2012, 8:00 PM

  The young woman walked alone along Taft Highway and turned north onto Wible Road. She stretched her legs and swung her arms from side to side as she took deep breaths of the early evening air. It felt good to move again after the ride from San Diego to Pumpkin Center, which was just south of Bakersfield. The temperature was cooling down and the slight breeze felt nice against her skin.

  It surprised her when Stetson, the truck driver who picked her up just outside of San Diego, offered to buy her dinner when they stopped in Pumpkin Center. He parked his rig at Mikul's Truck Stop and they walked along Taft Highway to Los Arcos Restaurant.

  "This is very kind of you," Gabby said. "I was so thrilled to get a ride all this way. Dinner is an unexpected treat."

  "It's my pleasure, Gabby. I like this restaurant," Stetson said. "I eat here whenever I get a chance. It will be nice to have company for a change."

  They entered the restaurant and the waitress placed chips and salsa on the table and then handed each of them a menu.

  "All the food here is good," Stetson said. "Order whatever you want."

  There was so much to choose from and the smells in the restaurant were reminiscent of Gabby's mother's kitchen, which she hadn't been in for over 13 years. Gabby could hear the pots and pans clanking in the kitchen, just like at home. It brought back bittersweet memories and made her more determined.

  As they ate their food, Stetson looked at her and said, "So, you like Mexican food, huh?"

  She looked at him with a mouthful of shrimp taco and said, "Uh, no. I'm just hungry. I prefer Thai."

  He gave her a strange look and she swallowed quickly and started to laugh. "I'm just joshing you," she said. "I love Mexican food. My mom is the best cook in the world and I miss her cooking." She looked down at the food on her plate - Shrimp tacos, Mexican rice, and refried beans. She had ordered more than she could eat, but the temptation was so great.

  While she and Stetson were driving along the highway, en route to Pumpkin Center, she told him a little bit about her past life.

  "I came from a big, loving Hispanic family. Unfortunately, I was seduced as a young teenager by the supposed power of the gangs. Against the pleas and wishes of my family, I became one of the 'girls' who hung out with the gang members. Eventually, I drifted to San Diego. That was 13 years ago and I've lost track of where my family is living now.

 
"My life in San Diego no longer holds any attraction for me. After being alienated from my family for 13 years, I made the decision to find them and try to make up for all the pain I caused when I ran away at the age of 15.

  "I made many bad choices during the years I was away from my family, and paid dearly for them. Now, I hope I can make everything right with them and get my life in order."

  Gabby sat thinking for a couple of minutes. Stetson could see it was difficult for her to talk about her past and all she missed in the intervening years.

  Gabby lifted her head and continued. "A little searching on the internet turned up the profile of a woman I believe is my sister. She's married and lives in Roseville, and that's the last information I have on her. That's where I'm going to start. I saved up enough money to last for a while, but was economizing by hitch hiking.

  "I was afraid to try to contact her ahead of time. I was afraid she would tell me to stay away. I'm just going to show up on her doorstep and hope for the best."

  Gabby and Stetson finished their meal and stood outside Los Arcos Restaurant saying their good byes. Then, Stetson headed back to his rig to get some sleep and Gabby walked in the opposite direction. She planned to go into Bakersfield and find a room for the night so she could shower and rest for her journey the next morning. She decided to finish her journey by bus since it wasn't that much further. She wasn't familiar with Bakersfield, but the waitress at Los Arcos said Wible Road was the closest way into town, so that's where she headed.

  Darkness was falling, so it pleased her when a Ford Explorer slowed down and stopped next to where she walked. This stretch of Wible Road didn't have many buildings, mainly just dusty fields that stretched to the housing developments that began further up the road. A pleasant looking man stepped out of the driver's side door and smiled as he spoke to her over the hood of the SUV.

  "Hey there, could you use a ride? I'm going into town and it's getting dark out here," he said.

  She paused for a moment. She was enjoying her walk, but it looked like it would take a long time to find a motel and she was getting tired.

  "OK, thanks a lot. I'm getting tired and I have a busy day tomorrow. I'm heading into town to find an inexpensive motel where I can spend the night. Do you know of one that's not out of your way?" she asked.

  He walked around and opened the passenger side door, from the outside, which she found a little strange, but she didn't give it much thought.

  "Yes, I know just the place for you to spend the night," he said as he helped her up into the seat.

  After he closed the door, she noticed that there was no way to open the door or window from the inside passenger seat. Well, that explains why it was necessary for him to walk around, she thought. A little glitch of fear started in the pit of her stomach and grew when he abruptly made a u-turn and headed back towards Taft Highway.

  "Hey, I need to go into town to find a motel," she said.

  He didn't answer her.

  She began to get scared and couldn't get her door open, no matter how hard she tried. She was trapped.

  "Let me out, just let me out, and I won't say anything," she said. She could feel the panic rising in her throat, as he turned left when they got back to Taft Highway. Maybe if she screamed someone at the Sonic Drive Inn would hear her. She opened her mouth to yell, but he reached over and punched her against the side of her head. She was momentarily stunned when her head hit the window with a loud thunk.

  "Shut up, bitch," he said.

  She begin to pound on the door again and scream, hoping someone would hear her. He pulled a gun out of the pocket in his door. "If you don't shut up, I'll kill you here and now."

  She shut up.

  "Where are you taking me?" she said, tears streaming down her face.

  "You'll find out soon enough," he said. "Now, just keep your dirty fuckin' mouth closed or I will shut it up for you."

  She kept quiet. Wherever they were going, and whatever he had in mind, she hoped there would be an opportunity to escape. That's all she could do for the moment - hope.

  * * *

  Two Days Later

  Gabby tried to open her eyes. Her whole body screamed with pain and she could barely move. She realized her wrists and ankles were bound and some type of tape covered her mouth.

  Through the haze of her pain, she tried to remember what happened, but she couldn't think straight. She finally forced her swollen eyes open. All she could see was pitch black, no light whatsoever. She closed her eyes and sank back into unconsciousness.

  * * *

  Three Days Later

  The next time Gabby opened her eyes there was light and more pain. She turned her head to the side slowly and saw the man who gave her the ride sitting at a table writing in a notebook.

  "Ah, our guest has decided to join us once again," he said, as he approached the cot where she lay.

  "I'm going to remove the tape from your mouth, but if you make a sound, I'll hurt you bad. Do you understand?"

  She could barely nod yes.

  When he reached over and pulled off the tape, she gasped.

  "Shhh," he said. "You have to drink some water. I read somewhere that a person can only live three days without water. I don't know if that's true or not, but we certainly don't want to take any chances, do we?"

  Gabby looked down at her body and realized she was nude. "Why," she whispered.

  He smiled as he lifted her head and put a bottle of water to her mouth, forcing her to swallow.

  "Didn't someone once say, 'Ours is not to reason why, ours is but to do and die'? Hmmm? Are you familiar with Alfred Lord Tennyson? Probably not."

  He let go of her head and it fell back onto the cot. Nasty odors assaulted her nose. Pee and poop? Was that from her? How long had she been here?

  "Tell me, on a scale of one to ten, how bad is the pain? It has only been 48 hours since the first treatment, and 24 hours since the second, so it shouldn't be much more than a five. What do you say?"

  "Yes, five," she muttered. She could tell that arguing with him wasn't an option. What treatment was he talking about? She couldn't remember a thing.

  He taped her mouth with some fresh duct tape.

  "Can't take any chances of someone wandering by and hearing you complain. Now, are you ready for the next step? My pets are ready."

  He got up and walked over to a shelf along the wall. She turned her head and followed him with her eyes. She could see that the shelves held row after row of pint-size canning jars.

  He seemed to contemplate the contents of the jars.

  "Ahh, this one looks perfect. A little bigger than the other two," he said, as he walked back over to her cot carrying a jar.

  Her eyes opened wide in terror. Inside the jar she saw a huge black widow spider.

  "This really won't hurt much tonight."

  He opened the jar and dumped the spider on her lower stomach.

  "Quit squirming and thrashing around or I'll have to tie you more firmly to the cot. You'll only make her mad."

  He picked up a long stick and started toying with the spider. He kept up his agitation until the spider bit Gabby. Then, he knocked it to the floor and squished it.

  "Three down, hundreds to go. That's number three, my dear. The pain should be much more exquisite by tomorrow.

  "I'll leave you now. I have to get some sleep as tomorrow is a workday. A man has to make a living, you know?"

  Gabby could only lay there and moan. She saw no way out of her prison - no way to escape. She wanted her mama.

  * * *

  Slowly, the venom entered her system. The man found the third day interesting but, by the fourth day, her pain became intense. Even when he spoke to her now, she didn't respond. Therefore, he started letting the spiders bite her one or two at a time.

  By the seventh day, she was in terrible pain and her breathing was labored. She would sweat and shiver at the same time.

  On the afternoon of the ninth day, he introduced the 13th ("luc
ky thirteen") spider and, when he went to wake her up a couple of hours later to force some more water down her throat, he found her dead. At first, he thought she was just unconscious again, but that wasn't the case.

  "Well," he said to no one in particular, "I don't know why she died, but that's the ultimate goal, I guess."

  He wanted the Hispanic bitch to suffer and experience extreme fear from the spiders as he did as a child. Now, it was time to move on. He would get rid of Gabby's body and find a new playmate for his pets.

  * * *

  Sunday, 12 August 2012, 11:00 PM

  At 11:00 PM on the ninth day after he abducted Gabby, the man found a good place to dump her body. Vineyards grew all along South Fairfax Road towards Lamont and he knew they were full of black widow spiders.

  "With all the 'widows' in these vineyards, maybe they'll just think she wandered in here, naked, and got bit." He giggled at the absurdity of that picture. "They're dumb, but they aren't that dumb. At least I don't think so," he said.

  He glanced at the body wrapped in a rug in the back of the SUV. "What do you think sweetums?" he said, laughing even more. "I guess you're not speaking to me anymore."

  He got out of his SUV and looked around. There wasn't any traffic on the road as far as he could see in either direction. The only sound was the soft rustle of the leaves and the crickets chirping among the vines. He took a deep breath, savoring the dusty, musky smell of the vineyard.

  "Damn, I wish I was carrying some empty jars with me," he said aloud. "This is a great place to get more pets for my collection. Maybe I'll come back some other time."

  Before he left the basement with Gabby's body, he cut the ties on her wrists and ankles and removed the yellow rope. He also peeled the duct tape off her mouth.

  "You can't yell for help now, can you, chica," he said.

  He carried her up the stairs to the SUV and gently placed her rolled up body in the back.

  When he picked a good spot, he pulled over, took her body out of his SUV and carried it onto the dirt between the rows of vines. He laid her carefully on her back and left, taking the rug with him.