Lucy’S Fatal Attraction

PROLOGUE

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Eugene, Oregon, is large for a town but small for a city. It has a lot of the flavor of the Old West. The countryside is littered with small farms. Many of these farms have barns, corrals, and livestock. You will find many with a stable of horses. There is a rodeo each year out on Prairie Road just north of the city. It is not unusual to spot men or women in full Western gala.

The city population is just at 160,000 in Lane County with a population of over 360,000. Eugene is the county seat. Across the Willamette River and Interstate 5 is the little sister city of Springfield. Eugene is noted for being the home of the Ducks. This is the adopted name for the various sports teams at the University of Oregon. Their mascot looks much like Walt Disney’s Donald Duck. Football is the signature sport of them all. They are nationally known for their Pac-12 championships in the past few years, with a run for the national title a couple of years back.

Lucy Dunson had been born and raised in Eugene. She was a beautiful young, sixteen-year-old student of Churchill High, with hopes of someday attending University of Oregon. This was not to be. Today she lies in the tall grass and shrubs along the bank of the Amazon waterway, next to the wetlands bicycle path. There are no more promises or hopes for her to pursue. This had all been stolen from her. Someone had short-circuited her journey of life. Someone had decided that she was not entitled for anything more. It is not known what terrible deed she might have done to cause such retribution. Perhaps it was a wanton act of some depraved mind. It might be a homicide during an act of passion. It might have been rape and disposal of the victim/witness. All this would be for the Eugene Police Force to sort out and investigate. It would be a job for Detective Brad Ferguson.

Detective Brad Ferguson and Detective Matt Wagner were on the scene, along with several squad cars and uniformed police officers. Early that morning, a citizen walking the bike path had noticed something down the side of the path in the brush. He was an elderly man with white hair and whiskers. He walked the path two or three times a week. It was great for his blood pressure. He would usually do three or four miles. Today he stopped short of one mile after discovering the body in the brush. He was able to call 911 right away with the cell phone in his pocket. The response was almost immediate with the first of several squad cars arriving in just a few minutes. Soon to follow were the ensuing squad cars and officers. An ambulance arrived moments later. In about eight more minutes, the detective arrived with his partner.

Officer Teddy Winston had been the first of the force to arrive. He was the first to approach the victim where she lay. He had a notepad out and was marking down a journal of his observations. He noted the time and took the name of the gentleman who had made the discovery. Teddy immediately called in to the precinct and advised Sergeant Manuel Garcia of the situation. The sergeant would hasten to the scene. It would be his position to supervise all activities at the presumed crime scene.

He took control of all activities. The standard yellow tape with the legend Do Not Cross printed in bold black letters was stretched out around the scene of the body and up to the pathway. The officers blocked off the bike path where it began from Bailey Hill Road with fold-out barricades. The bike riders and pedestrians would have to detour their route for the next several hours. The path was also barricaded at the underpass at Eleventh Street. The perimeters were made secure. Should this be determined to be a homicide, this would be tagged as the primary crime scene.

A team of two emergency personnel walked with Teddy to the body. They did a quick look and called in to the medical examiner’s office. There was nothing more they could do. The girl was definitely deceased.

Detective Ferguson approached Officer Winston and asked for the details he had accumulated. The two detectives walked down the bank to the brush where the body lay. It appeared to be a teenage female, with blonde hair, about five feet, four inches. She was fully clothed. She lay on her back, eyes staring blankly at the unseen sky.

Detective Ferguson was hit with a thunderbolt as he looked down at the young face. Christ’s sakes. I know this girl. Matt, that is Lucy Dunson, you know, the one I was working on.

Oh, for crying out loud. Are you sure, Brad?

Sure as I am standing here.

The detectives did not approach the body too closely. Their job would be to scan the area for any clues. It would be the work for the ME to do the up close examination of the body. They would look for anything that seemed to be out of place. They did take a hard look at the body to see if there were any objects upon her or close to her. They took photographs at all angles. They took panoramic shots of the entire area. They did not touch the girl. Protocol makes it their duty to collect evidence. This was their domain. The body belonged to the medical examiner.

What do you think, Matt? asked the chief detective.

I think we are going to need an autopsy to determine cause of death. I see no bloodstains. I do not think she was snuffed here. There are indications the body was dragged down the bank to the shrubs.

Yeah, I can see it that way too. However, one thing I learned a long time ago is not to jump too quickly. We will have to take it step-by-step. Hell with what I see here, I couldn’t call it a for-sure homicide. It might be an OD, or some medical thing. One thing is sure. Whatever the cause of death, it happened quite a few hours ago. Rigor is already beginning to set in. We will have to start with the ME’s report on cause and time of death. In the meantime, you can check for any witnesses. You should check the surrounding neighborhood to see if anybody noticed anything suspicious. The most likely time frame would probably be during the night.

Brad had noticed the slightly elevated position of the forearm indicating rigor, which enhanced the concept that the body was dumped here. Had she been popped on this location, that arm would be lying flat at her side. Detective Ferguson was a good investigator with twelve years on the job. What that means is, he had the well-honed intuition to assort evidence into pragmatism. He had a nose for telltale signs of mischievousness. That good nose was signaling to him the foul scent of murder. Much as a cloudy haze hanging over a toxic spill is inescapable of being detected, so was the palpable aura that hung over today’s scene along the bike path. Yes, he was willing to bet his shield and pension on this being a homicide. And he had a prime suspect in mind. But as he had said to his partner, a step-by-step approach was called for. After all, this was the West, but not the Wild, Wild West.

The two detectives had finished their on-the-scene investigation. Brad had the horrible task of bringing the sorrowful news to the Dunsons.

The body had been taken over by deputy medical examiner Jennie Caldwell of the Lane County Medical Examiner’s Office. It would be her job to check all the forensic conditions of the body as it lay. She would check for all the indicators such as algor, livor, and rigor. This would include such things as livity, blood pooling, body temperature, and the stage of rigor. A thorough autopsy would have to be done at the morgue by a medical examiner.

She would scan the body for abrasions. Her assistant would be actively taking photographs of the body from all angles, including close-ups of various parts of the body. All in all, this was time-consuming work. It was not a time for haste. Everything needed to be methodic and complete.

Finally, with all her examinations complete, Jennie would call the morgue and have the call car come and haul away the body in a blue body bag. The autopsy would be performed at the morgue.

CHAPTER 1

The Teacher

April 2016

It is April in Eugene, Oregon, and around the country. It is special in Eugene. This is the time of year for growth. Trees are blooming, and green leaves are abundant. Flowers are beginning to show their colors. There is always the chance for a spring shower or two, but many days are glorified by the sun beating down through sparse or no clouds. In just a few weeks, the local strawberries will be ready for picking. The strawberries grown in the Willamette valley are unequal anywhere else in the world. In another two months, the local peaches, cherries, and blueberries will be on the market or pick your own. It is a good time to be in Oregon. If you prefer apples, they are also in abundance.

Phillip Hardgrove loves Eugene about as much as anybody could love a place. He is very happy with all aspects of life in Eugene. He loves his job. More than that, he loves his wife, Kathy. They have been married for four years and have not yet gotten past the honeymoon stage. He had hit the marriage jackpot. Kathy was not only eye candy, but she also was sharp as a whip. By marrying her, he managed to acquire his own private accountant, as she was a CPA. He would not have to hire H&R Block to do his income taxes. He had dated girls in high school and afterward, but Kathy was his first and only love. He had met her appropriately during tax season. She shared an office with two other CPAs that he had called on to do his income taxes that year, five years ago. It might not have been love at first sight. However, after dating her a few times, it might have seemed so. It probably is not important to know when the torch was lit. Just having it lit is sufficient. Yes, it was a jackpot prize worth a million, and it was tax-free.

Teaching English and American literature in a local high school was also a perfect choice for him. He could not have chosen a better high school than Churchill. The students were, for the most part, well-behaved, courteous, and eager to learn. The facilities and faculty were exemplary. They even had a very strong football program.

It is only six weeks until summer break. That is OK too. He and Kathy always found a myriad of things to do in the summer. They enjoyed loading up the camper, hooking up the boat, and making for one of the lakes close by for a little R&R. Then there is the Eugene trademark bicycle path. It winds through a great part of the city. It winds around the Willamette River and out through the west-side wetlands. It is a cement roadway ten feet wide with the most extraordinary views. It has underpasses and overpasses. It is a bicycle highway all paid for by the citizens of the city. Phillip and Kathy would spend many hours pedaling up and down this beautiful highway. But summer break is still six weeks away. Now it is back to the daily grind of teaching young minds about reading for adventure and discovery. Daily grind is not really his outlook on the chore. He would not wish to be doing anything else to earn his daily bread. He loved literature, and he especially enjoyed introducing and sharing it with fresh, inquisitive students.

Phillip and Kathy had been married four years. They were married on a private ranch east of Springfield on the McKenzie River. The private ranch belonged to Kathy’s brother. It was a beautiful outdoor setting in a grove of pines with pews cut out of logs, and of course, the river was close by. Her brother had hosted several weddings there over the years. It was a setting as solemn as any church or cathedral.

After the ceremony and reception, the couple loaded up in the Cherokee and drove the five-hour journey to Seattle. It would be a week of honeymoon bliss. They each had relations with others in the past; they had not yet bedded together. They had decided to wait until the vows were given before consummating their betrothal. It had been a good decision. The first night in passionate embrace and discovery of each other was well worth the wait. It validated the whole idea of matrimony. It validated the concept of honeymooning. All things were in place. The universe had meaning. They loved each other all the more for the sanctity that encompassed them. The waiting had become an investment for the union they were now consolidating.

After the first night of hours of lovemaking and exploring every inch of each other, they showered together. This would be a ritual they would share many times over. It had become exquisitely clear that their union was complete. They loved each other for what lay deep within, and their physical attraction was suited one to another in total harmony.

The first day of their adventure together as newly married was scheduled for taking in the sights of this magnificent city. Over the next several days, they would visit the Space Needle, Old Town, Pike Street Market, and many of the fine restaurants throughout the Puget Sound. Seattle had much to offer for the explorers. They plied the local ferries that would take them across the bay to Bremerton and others that would go all the way up to Port Angeles and from there over to British Columbia. The return ferry to Seattle was best taken at night. This would allow for a spectacular view of the city all lit up, from far out of port right up to the docking. The week would be all too short, and the time seemed to fly by so fast that it seemed like a whirlwind. It was a carnival that they would long remember and cherish.

CHAPTER 2

Meet Lucy

Lucy Dunson would soon be sixteen. Her birthday is July 14. She had matured physically beyond her young age. An old cliché would describe her as fifteen going on thirty. Her inquisitiveness of all things man and woman was pressing her mightily. She had a strong awareness of her womanly development. She was frustrated by the childlike behavior of her contemporaries. Hormones were constantly pressuring her to seek out the magic that was being promised to be right around the corner. When she was a young child of four, she had awoken from a bad dream one night and sought solace in her parents’ bedroom, looking for their comforting. She had inadvertently walked in while they were out from under the bedcovers. Their sex was boisterous, rough-and-tumble. The air was filled with expletives. Her father looked aside and saw her standing there by the bed. He scowled at her as he fumbled to cover his nakedness. It was a stark moment. She thought her daddy was punishing her mom. But Mom climbed out of the bed and took her in her arms and retreated with Lucy back to her room. Her mom lay with her and soothed her earlier fright of the bad dream. She asked Mom if Daddy was hurting her. Mom told her,