Read Online Allison (A Kane Novel) by Steve Gannon - Free Book Online Page B

get in,” reasoned Kane.  “Did they report any signs of tampering?”
    “Nope.  They said everything looked normal.”
    “How about the other gate?” asked Kane, indicating the one in the inner fence near the water.
    “That was open.  The DWP guys say it hasn’t been locked all summer.”
    “I noticed a string of padlocks on the outside gate.  Who has locks on that gate?”
    “That’s the first thing I asked when I got here,” said Peyron.  “DWP, Southern California Edison, the Fire Department, and LAPD all have locks on the chain.  Nobody else.”
    “The dirt road I drove in on appeared to keep on going up the ridge,” Kane said, glancing toward the top of the hill behind them.  “Where’s it wind up?”
    “It connects with an unimproved section of Mulholland,” answered Peyron.  “One of the uniforms hiked up there.  He says there’s another gate at the top.  Nothing looked disturbed.  The chain and locks there are all intact, and no cuts in the fence.”
    “We’ll want to recheck that, along with everyone who has keys.”  Kane swept his eyes over the miles of brush-covered hillside encircling the reservoir, noting a number of animal trails cutting through the undergrowth.  “For that matter, it’s possible our man entered from one of the nearby neighborhoods.  It would have been a long hike carrying a body, but it’s possible.  We’ll have to canvass the neighbors, too.”
    “Right.  Inquire about any strange cars in the area, check for cuts in the fencing, that kind of thing,” Peyron agreed.  “I called the Van Nuys watch commander and asked him to send more guys out here for some door-knocking.  I also took the liberty of contacting SID,” he added, referring to the LAPD Special Investigative Division crime-scene unit.  “I notified the coroner’s office, too.  They’re on their way.”
    “Good.  Anything else?”
    Peyron hesitated, then referred to his notebook.  “One thing.  Maybe it’s not important, but I asked the DWP workers about currents in the reservoir.”
    “To get an idea of where the body was dumped?”
    “Yeah.  It appears the corpse was weighted down before it broke loose.  According to the DWP guys, there’s a subsurface current draining toward a collector at the north end of the dam.  But once the body rose to the surface, the wind could have blown it in any direction.”
    Kane gazed out over the reservoir.  “A lot of shoreline to search.”
    “You’ve got that right.”
    Just then one of the patrol officers yelled to them from his cruiser.  “Detectives, I got a call here from one of our guys out on the street.  A news crew just arrived.  They want to know whether there’s any statement yet.”
    “Not yet,” Kane yelled back.  “And for God’s sake, don’t let them in.”
    “Yes, sir.”
    “Damn, how do those dirtbags find out so fast?” Kane muttered.  Cursing under his breath, he started toward the reservoir.  After a few steps, he turned.  “Hey, Carl?”
    “What?”
    “I’ll want to get together with you later and go over everything you have on the abduction.  Tomorrow morning work for you?”
    Peyron nodded, staring past Kane toward the water.  “Sure.  And if there’s anything else I can do to help . . .”
    “I’ll let you know.  By the way, good work today.  If you ever want to move over to homicide, we could use a guy like you.”
    Again, Peyron glanced uneasily toward the water.  “I’ll pass.”
    Kane had investigated a wide range of murders over the course of his career, but those involving children were always the hardest, and he understood Peyron’s reluctance.  Steeling himself for what was to come, Kane made his way to the water’s edge, passing a knot of somber officers.  With a nod of approval, he noted that they had apparently stayed well back from the body.  In all likelihood the reservoir was merely a dump site and not the place where the child’s death had occurred, but