Valley of Decision

chapter fourteen

Late Thursday afternoon, San Rafael homicide Detective, Penny Swallwell, received a strange call about three bodies, in a van out on highway 101. What was strange, was the two occupants driving the vehicle, were acting drunk. But there was no evidence of alcohol in the van, or on their breath. They were initially pulled over for weaving in traffic. However, because of their strange behavior the police were unable to administer a Breathalyzer.

When she arrived, the two passengers were handcuffed and seated in separate patrol cars. When she observed the first young man, she could see he wasn't a happy camper. He looked very ill and had vomited. She noticed the same in the other vehicle. It was obvious to her that they were not drunk. She had seen this before, these men looked poisoned. She called to a nearby traffic officer, busy writing in his notebook. “Get these men over to Kaiser now, and don’t leave their sides. Their dying, keep me updated!”

“Yes Sir, er, mam! Be careful over there, mam. It stinks to high heavens!” He yelled back to her, while running over to alert another officer. “Let me guess?” she yelled rhetorically, back to the scrambling officers, “they haven’t said a word?"

She opened the doors at the back of the van and immediately stepped back covering her nose, and mouth. From a distance, she could see three rolled-up, expensive looking carpets, that obviously contained bodies.

“Better get a Hazmat Unit to the 101 scene,” said Detective Swallwell into her mic. “On route,” came the instant reply. She felt a tinge dizzy, and leaned against the van, as cars went whizzing by on the busy freeway. Another car pulled up off the highway, stopping a few car lengths away from her.

“Stand away Detective,” said the attending Coroner. “If it’s what I think it is.” Holding a gasmask out to her. Detective Swallwell walked toward him and took the mask from its plastic bag.

A loud fire truck drew up with flashing lights, along with the Hazmat team. Traffic officers blocked the highway, leaving one lane open to traffic. Ready to block all traffic on the coroner’s word. “Good call Detective. I heard about the two bozos at Kaiser, you probably saved their miserable lives,” announced the Coroner.

“Why are you here so fast anyway?” said the detective ignoring his compliment.

“In the area, thought I’d drop in and say, hi. Cuz I think those stupid young men were meant to end up like these three poor buggers?” he replied, adjusting his mask. “You should really work on that Detective.”

“What, work on what?” she snapped. “On learning how to except a compliment!” he replied. “That was a really-good call Penny. Seriously.” Forgetting to address Penny as detective Swallwell, which she preferred.

“Detective Swallwell!” she corrected. “So, you’ve seen this before then?” asked Penny.

“Ya, just last week. Thought you would have heard?”

“Nope!”

In the van it was hard to tell what had happened to these bodies. It was too difficult to move around in the crowded environment with out contaminating everything. They needed to be transported back to containment. Detective Swallwell could see by their shoes they were all male. Outside, they removed their masks. “Well, what do you think, and don’t give me that, “its early,” crap?”

“Well it is early! However, if that’s what I think it is, no one was meant to survive this one. And that means whoever did this is ruthless to the core. They could have ended up killing innocent people, and probably couldn’t give a dam. You’re dealing with something very big here!”

“What’s that torn package tucked in between the carpet rolls?”

“Well, it’s only a guess. Sorry Detective, I have to say that, at this point! But I’d say it was some sort of complex incendiary device, except it was set to expel some sort of gas, instead of explosive. Set off remotely. To me, that’s what makes it so insidious. Especially on a major highway.” The hazmat team leader approached them saying that the smells had dissipated enough that he felt it safe to reopen traffic. “Terrorism?” asked the Hazmat leader. “Hard to say…" began the coroner. "At this point,” interjected the detective, finishing the coroner’s sentence for him. A hazmat Doctor asked them to come to their remote unit, to be checked over. A patrol officer interrupted them, saying that the ground, and van had been checked inside and out, and wanted to know if it was OK to move it? She authorized the move, and signed for it. “Straight to contamination! We don’t want any problems with this one?” she snapped.

Detective Doug Skidmore, Penny’s partner, pulled up as the van was being pulled onto a flatbed. He noted the time and went looking for his partner.

The Police chief, pulled in along side him, and waved him over. “Excellent work Detective,” said the chief. “What’s your name?” speaking out his window. “Well done lad. Many deaths were probably avoided by your fast work here today. Keep me informed!” The startled detective was about say his name and inform the chief that he’d just arrived, but the chiefs window was already going up. Detective Swallwell reminded the Coroner that speed was of the essence, as they sat being prodded and probed by Hazmat. “Ok that’s enough!” yelled Detective Swallwell. “I gotta get going here!

It will only be a few minutes more, just be patient!” said the doctor. “Its procedure!”

“Was that the chief I saw pulling up?” The Coroner asked detective Skidmore, as he rambled up. “ Ya, weird uh? He thinks I managed all this?”

“You better check out Detective Skidmore here doctor,” said Detective Swallwell. Pointing to her partner.

“I’ll be over to your office in a few hours,” She said, speaking to the Coroner, getting up and leaving.

“I’m going to have to report this,” said the doctor angerly.

“Do what ya gotta do!” snapped the detective. “Hey, what about me?” cried Detective Skidmore. Now being surrounded by medical staff.

“Make sure you give him the works!" She said walking away laughing. “I think he was exposed?”

Space suited government investigators, and Detective Swallwell, waited while they laid the three carpets out on the sterile floor. She felt ridiculous standing there in the cumbersome outfit. Detective Skidmore stood outside the observation widow, watching the proceedings. “Why aren’t you in there with Detective Swalowswell?” asked another detective standing beside him, smirking.

She noticed as the incendiary device was carefully carried away, that the bodies were all slightly scalded from some sort of acid. ‘Obviously they weren’t intending for these men to be identified easily?’ Thought Penny, while it looked as though they didn’t care if the drivers were identified. She looked up to see Skidmore standing outside and waved to him to join her.

Detective Skidmore just remained there, looking extremely pissed off. As they rolled out the last carpet, there lay little Mickey, face and body burned almost unrecognizable. Penny had noticed earlier that the young drivers hadn’t a scratch on them. Where these three men had also been shot. And appeared shot with different calibers. A suited policeman called out that they could find no ID on them. She checked the van, even with people crawling all over it, and could see nothing out of the ordinary. She knew it would be awhile before she knew anything more.

“Look,” said Detective Skidmore, catching up to Penny, in the steaming hot parking lot. “I deserve better, this is bullshit, I don’t treat you like the others. I think you’re a good Detective, but I could have done just as well as you, if I’d gotten there before you!” Penny stopped in her tracks. “Your right Doug, I’m sorry!” she replied. “We are equals. I’m just so sick of your men’s club!” The force is riddled with it, riddled!” She yelled. “I mean, look at the Police Chief, for fuck sake! He knew I was the first responding attending Detective. Yet he totally ignored me. Don't think I didn't notice him?"

“If we are gong to seriously work together, you better start showing them that we are a team? Or I’ll just keep plodding on by myself,” said Penny, starting to walk to her car.

“What do you think is going on?” asked Doug, stepping up beside her.

“Personally, I think it’s a botched double hit, or meant to look like it?” She replied. “I mean, look at the men in hospital, other than being poisoned, not a scratch on them. Those guys in there are shot, and their bodies are still burning.”

“They say in there, that they may have been poisoned, do You think they were poisoned," asked Doug?”

“Not sure, but I’d bet on it! The Coroner thinks the same, unofficially.”

“I bet that midget won’t be hard to ID?” offered Doug. “Did you see the old gang tats? It looks like LA street shit? Look!” He said, grabbing her shoulder. Then seeing her reaction, he let go.

“Let’s start over, come on, what ya say, seriously?” Penny stood looking at him, then extended her hand. “Deal,” she said. As they shook, she held out little hope for their partnership to work out.

“Ok, lets go ID him,” she said smiling.

Red got a call as he walked a long the Embarcadero . “Bad news. It was discovered,” said his body guard, over the phone.

“What? What was discovered?” snapped Red. So loud that people walking by stared at him.

“The messy package, on route,” he replied.

“HOW?” screamed Red.

“Don’t know yet, working on it. I have contacts snooping around already. I think, only think mind you, that it was our Globalist friends?”

“Ok listen,” said Red. “Get everyone outta there now. Lock it up tight. I’ll see you at home in a few days! Are you finished there by the way?”

“Ya. Just about,” said the bodyguard. But all he heard was dial tone.

Dan Ger