What She Saw - 32
CJ Taggart 4 Days After Taggart parked in front of the small house that Rafe Colton had rented a few miles from Dawson. Colton had moved in three months ago, when festival planning had kicked into high gear. He’d been a fixture in town offices and council meetings. Whenever there was doubt about the...
CJ Taggart
4 Days After
Taggart parked in front of the small house that Rafe Colton had rented a few miles from Dawson. Colton had moved in three months ago, when festival planning had kicked into high gear. He’d been a fixture in town offices and council meetings. Whenever there was doubt about the festival’s feasibility, he was there to charm anyone who needed persuading.
Taggart strode up to the front door and knocked. Inside, rock music blared. When he didn’t hear footsteps, he pounded hard.
The door opened and a bleary-eyed Colton faced him. He flashed a broad, disarming grin. “Sheriff. Hey. The cleanup crews should be on-site any minute.”
“I was there midday and didn’t see anyone.” Four days after the festival ended, the Nelson farm looked like a garbage dump. Trash, clothes, and shoes littered the trampled ground.
Colton’s smile softened with contrition. “I know my people have been slow. And that’s on me. I’ve been on the phone with Briggs telling him the same.”
Few guys like Colton served in combat, and when they did, men died. “Like the security team you hired for the event?”
Colton held up his hands in surrender. “That wasn’t my fault. I had a contract with the company. They screwed me.”
“I hear you called Woodward in a panic on Friday looking for men.”
“That isn’t true. I called months before. They lost the paperwork. That wasn’t my fault.”
“It was your job to make sure that security was covered.”
“I know . I fucked up. Buck stops with me. But the festival is over, and there were no major disasters. I’ll do better next time. I learned valuable lessons.”
“Rapes, robberies, and missing women. I’d say there were several disasters.”
“There’s always someone that goes MIA after an event like that. Too many drugs or two much booze distorts their brains for a while. Then they clean up and stumble home. Rapes and robberies happen anywhere, anytime.”
“These missing women aren’t fools.”
He grinned. “Everyone has it in them. We all go nuts from time to time. It’s being human, right?”
“I looked you up in the system.”
“And you found the charges against me. I’m no choirboy. And flirting with the ladies is part of the job when you’re in entertainment.” The grin returned. “Chicks love music men.”
Taggart wasn’t charmed. “A woman filed a stalking complaint against you. She said she woke up and found you at the foot of her bed.”
“I’m very aware. Her name is Cassidy Rogers. And she’s mad because I wasn’t faithful to her.” He held up his hands. “I have a reputation for being a player. I’m always up front about that.” He shrugged. “It pissed her off, and she decided she needed some revenge.”
“Cassidy said you climbed on top of her. She said you put your hands around her neck and threatened to strangle her.”
“And the investigating officer found no marks on her neck, did they?”
“They did not.”
“Because I didn’t try to hurt her. She invited me over, accused me of cheating. I talked her down and into bed. And then she lost her shit.”
The officer had insisted on executing a rape kit. And Ms. Rogers had agreed. Colton’s semen had been found in the woman, but there’d been no signs of vaginal bruising. There’d also been no indication of trauma on her body.
Colton could be telling the truth. Had the woman filed her complaint to get back at him? She wouldn’t be the first. Or Colton had been acting out some of his darkest fantasies when he’d put his hands around the woman’s neck. Without squeezing, he might’ve been curious if her pulse would quicken or her breathing speed up. For whatever reason, he could have lost his nerve. That incident had occurred three years ago, and there’d been no formal complaints since. Still, three years was lot of time to refine his fantasies and bolster his nerve to kill.
Colton leaned forward a fraction, as if they were pals. “What do you want from me, Sheriff? I’m not a great administrator. Guilty as charged. I’ll get the trash picked up. And we can all move on from this event.”
“Patty, the young gal who worked at the hamburger stand, is one of the missing. You met her several times in town, didn’t you?”
Colton sighed. “I saw her in the diner when I was hanging up posters. I shot the shit with her for a few minutes there and when she arrived at the festival. She seemed like a great kid.”
“She was last seen by the toilets near the woods.”
Colton shrugged. “What do you want me to say?”
“You know those woods were wide open. You had lots of people sneaking into the concert.”
“It happens at every festival. It’s impossible to secure all the borders.” Colton shook his head. “Openness is the nature of festivals.”
“I was promised the event border would be secure.”
He shrugged as he slid his hands into his jean pockets like a chastised schoolboy. “I was wrong, okay? Not the perfect event, but it was a hell of a success. The crowds were a crush. It told me people are hungry for that kind of experience.”
“Do you have final numbers on the event?” All Taggart had at this point were estimates.
“We sold all the tickets, but we had twice, maybe three times the estimates.”
“You estimated five hundred people. There were at least two thousand at the festival.”
“Wow. I didn’t realize.” He sounded pleased. “I knew we’d done well, but not that well. The bands loved it, and the music producers in the crowd loved the vibe. Great feedback from the trade magazines and reviews in the local papers.”
Taggart had read the reviews and newspaper articles. They’d focused on the bands, the music, and the crowd’s energy. The rain had been mentioned but not the sucking mud, dwindling food, and troubles in the woods. The entire event had been on the edge of chaos, but the sun had risen, the rains had eased, and people had cleared out. Colton believed he’d dodged a bullet.
Taggart had a reputation for being single-minded. When an idea settled in his head, he couldn’t let it go. That trait had helped him escape Dawson when he needed to, and later it assisted in solving hundreds of military cases. But it was the same quality that had gotten him drummed out of the marines.
Taggart located Cassidy Rogers. She worked as a waitress in a small café an hour west of Dawson. He’d read her report, and nothing had struck him as exaggerated. According to the responding officer, she’d been shaken but calm and clear.
Taggart walked up to the register. “I’m looking for Cassidy.”
The young girl nodded toward a midsize woman with blond hair.
“Thanks.”
He approached the woman, careful not to invade her personal space. “Cassidy Rogers?”
She turned, her smile fading when she saw his uniform. “Yes?”
He removed his hat. “Mind if I ask you a few questions?”
“About?”
“Rafe Colton.”
Her spine stiffened. “What about him?”
“Trying to get some background information on him.”
“Why?”
“Is there somewhere we could talk?”
She nodded to the cashier and indicated she was taking a break. He followed her out back to an alley.
“What has Rafe done now?”
“Nothing that I know of. But I want to know more about him.”
“He must have done something.” She folded her arms. “He’s in the center of another shitstorm.”
“Why do you say that?”
“You must have an idea of my history with him, or you wouldn’t be here.” She inhaled. “I read a small article in the paper yesterday. A girl is missing after the Mountain Music Festival.”
“It’s three girls now.”
She rolled her head. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“What’s your history with Colton?”
“You read the reports.”
“I want to hear it from you.”
A silence settled over her. Going backward was never easy for him, and he guessed her as well. “I met him at a concert. He was repping a local band that I liked. We hit it off. We had a one-night stand, and life went on for me.”
“But not for him?”
“I kept running into him. He always seemed to be at the café, or across the street, or at the grocery store. Creeped me out. And then I didn’t see him for a couple of weeks, until I woke up in the middle of the night and found him at the foot of my bed. He was on top of me in a second.”
“The medical report said that you had no bruising.”
“He held a knife to my throat. Told me to lie very still. He said we would have a good time like we did the first time. I was terrified. So I lay still and let him do what he wanted. I mean, who was going to believe me, given our history? After, I thought he would leave, and that would be that. But he wrapped his hands around my neck. I felt the power in his hands. I hadn’t looked at him before, but now I had no choice. His eyes looked black. He could have strangled me, and I couldn’t do anything about it.”
“And he just stopped?”
“My roommate came home. We both heard her in the living area, which was off my room. He let go of me and kissed me on the lips. He told me I was special. And he would never forget me.”
“And he left?”
“Through the window. Like he’d come into the house.” She picked at a callus on her palm. “I went to the hospital. And filed a report. But you know how far that went.”
“Did your roommate take you to the ER?”
“No. I drove myself. I had sense enough not to shower.”
“Did you ever see him again?”
“No. I made such a fuss, and he sensed if anything happened to me, he’d be on the suspect list. As soon as the charges were dropped, he left town.”
“Did he try to strangle you the first time?”
“He put his hands around my neck. He didn’t squeeze hard, but he got right in my face. He said he’d dreamed about that all his life.”
“But you didn’t file charges that first time?”
“No. I’d said yes. And I was drunk. I figured I got what I deserved because I’d been stupid.”
“Know anyone else he did this to?”
“I try to stay as far away from him as I can.”
“Thanks for your time.”
“He liked seeing my fear,” she said in a rush. “It excited him knowing he had my life in his hands.”
“You mentioned you were aware of the festival.”
“Yes.”
“Did you go?”
She hesitated. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“I thought it would be fun. But when I arrived, I couldn’t stay.”
“Why?”
“An event like that would be the perfect setup for him. Girls are drinking. Crowds. Music. Like shooting fish in a barrel. Easy for a girl to fall through the cracks.”
Taggart drew in a breath. “Do you think Colton had a hand in the women’s disappearances?”
“I don’t know. But I wouldn’t be surprised. A guy like that can’t resist the temptation.”
“Was he dating anyone? Any friend who helped him?”
“I heard he was dating another girl. Young. A dancer.”
“Do you have a name?”
“No. But if you find her, you might get a few answers.”
Hours later in the dark, Taggart sat outside Colton’s house. The lights were on, and he heard music pulsing. He couldn’t identify the song, but it was rock.
Darkness wrapped around him as he watched Colton pass his front windows. Beer in hand, Colton appeared to be singing. He was having a blast. No apparent worries about the wreckage of the festival or the three missing women.
Life was moving on for Colton.
Taggart flexed his right hand as his thoughts turned to Patty, Laurie, and Debra. One had come to the event to make money. One to make a name for herself. And the last for a much-needed break. Cassidy was right. He’d created the perfect event to hunt women.
Taggart pointed his finger at the window. “I’m going to get you.”