|
|
|
|
|
|
|
necked tee shirts had been laundered, carefully folded and stacked on the end of the bed. They were obviously Jake's. The bed was still made, and a full cup of coffee was sitting on the kitchen table. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It was easy to conjure up a scenario. Vernice Hutchins was ready for bed, decided to have one last cup of coffee, heard a sound in the drive, thought maybe Jake had finally arrived, went out to greet him, and . . . |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I was on my way out the door when I glanced up at the top of the cabinet in the tiny kitchen area. I stopped dead in my tracks, a cold chill racing down my spine. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There it sata small vase with a sprig of pine, a single tapered candle and a statuette of the sarcophagus of Sate. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
One thing was now painfully clear. Vernice Hutchins hadn't died of natural causes. The only questions now werewho, how and why? |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By midafternoon all teams had completed the sweep and come up empty-handed. Hawkins's crew had worked their way east to the Carson farm road, concentrating their efforts along the coastline. They had intercepted Kendall s group at what had become known in the last few hours as the rendezvous pointthe spot where Percy Kramer had died. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Madden, in a state of shock over Vernice's |
|
|
|
|
|