Swamp Victim

  Chapter 13

  The 911 operator dispatched the emergency medical team (EMT) and notified the sector deputy sheriff. Big Al was still unconscious when the deputy sheriff and the EMT arrived. The medical technicians took one look at him and weren't sure whether to treat him for intoxication or head injuries. They finally resuscitated him, and his first words were, “I’ll get that som-bitchin Fuzz yet.” Still groggy from the accident and intoxication, as he voiced the threat he let out a humorous laugh. Al had his “fun” all right, and he paid well for it. He was placed in the EMT van and transported to the emergency room at Warrenton. They treated him for minor injuries and released him, where a deputy sheriff was waiting to transport him to jail.

  Early the next morning, suspecting more to the situation than a casual accident, the sector deputy notified Caley Givens about the night’s activities. As it turned out, Bubba was with her in her office in the lab discussing the case of the bones she had recovered earlier. She hung up the phone and looked over at Bubba and said, “that was a report of an accident last night down by the Saltketcher. It may not have anything to do with our situation, but I think I will go down there to investigate anyway. If you would like, why don’t you come with me to see what it’s all about? We can discuss the ongoing case on our way out.”

  “I would be glad to,” Bubba replied.

  It took them 45 minutes to reach the scene. They would have made it sooner, but they came upon a funeral procession just as they entered main highway. Caley decided that the situation called for discretion, so she got in line and followed the stream of about 15 cars until it exited the main highway at a church cemetery. Soon they reached the Public Landing Road and turned into it. They could see the tire tracks and the motorcycle were still in the ditch waiting to be towed away.

  Two people who had been driving by stopped and were talking to Deputy Sheriff Moss who was the investigating officer at the scene last night. He had returned during daylight to look over the scene a second time. Al was being held on DUI charges, but Moss wanted to charge him with attempted murder and was trying to reconstruct the evidence in daylight. The group of men was talking and staring at the drag marks made by the motorcycle near the ditch. Deputy Moss recognized Caley as her car pulled to a stop.

  “I have been here since early this morning reconstructing the accident Miss Givens. The EMT people took the motorcycle operator to emergency last night. He is in jail now on DUI charges. I’m trying to verify the story that we got from the boy last night. It looks a possible attempted murder to me. I believe you should take over from here.”

  “Who reported the accident,” asked Caley.

  “The boy ran home and told his parents what happened, and his father called it in,” said Moss.

  “Have you spoken with the boy’s father yourself?” asked Caley.

  “Not yet. If necessary, I will let you do that.”

  “Yes, I will.”

  After discussing various details about how often this road was traveled, and several other questions, she turned to Bubba, who was silently listening to the conversation, and asked, “Is there anything else you would like to ask of Deputy Moss?”

  “No, not at this time, but we may need to get back to him later.”

  Caley and Bubba broke out yellow tape and marked off an area down the middle of the road, across the ditch and an area about 100 feet square around the visible debris, which had been widely scattered by the commotion. They also questioned the other two people who were standing around but received no pertinent information. After taking several pictures of the area, they went to the boy’s house and question his parents, who told them the same story they had reported to the 911 Operator.

  After a long day that seemed to go nowhere, they returned to the office.