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but charges were dropped."
"Toby?" Chase asked.
"He dropped out of high school at fifteen. Started
several part-time jobs, but for some reason never stayed
too long anywhere. He was also a drug addict."
"Totally," Kay agreed. "He was caught twice with
weed and crack."
"And he was caught in school," Evan piped in.
"Probably didn't get kicked out because of Daddy's
money," Toby said, his tone hiding none of the disgust
he felt.
"His body was found in Confluence Park, beaten to
death," Evan said in turn. "Struck repeatedly all over his
body with what the ME thought was a bat or club of
some kind. Time of death was around eleven p.m. Initial
identification was only possible because of the driver's
license in his wallet. Later on, they matched his
fingerprints against his rap sheet. He was grasping a
twenty-dollar bill in his left hand. Police believe there
were two assailants, as three sets of footprints were
found at the site, one set matching Charlie's sneakers,
Perfect Knowledge - 131
but no other evidence was uncovered. No arrests were
ever made."
"He was living on the streets at the time," Chase said,
shaking his head at the stupidity humans were capable
of. "His parents took him to several rehab centers,
hoping to straighten him out -- their words, not mine."
He held up an article like exhibit A. "When that didn't
work, and the kid only got more hooked on drugs, his
father threw him out and disowned him."
"Nice," Kay said, sounding equally sickened by the
whole affair. "So that's all we've got?" When everybody
nodded, she continued, "So, at first glance, all Charles
Kortchmer and Susan Welling have in common is date
of death. She was also killed September 1st, 2005."
"On further look, though, there's also time of death,"
Toby said. "And the murder weapon could be the same.
A bat or club could make the kind of damage Susan
suffered to her skull."
Something stirred at the back of Chase's mind. He
began shuffling through all their notes, feeling he was
close to a breakthrough.
"South Platte River runs through Confluence Park,"
he said, already Googling for a map of downtown
Denver. "In fact, Susan's body was found just a few
miles down the river."
"You're thinking same killer?" Toby said.
"Maybe." Chase turned to Evan. "Daniel told you that
Susan liked to take long walks, right?"
Evan nodded. "Yeah."
"All right, so maybe she decided to take a walk in
Confluence Park that night. It's considered to be a pretty
safe place. We could be looking for one guy, one killer,"
Chase speculated. "He beats Kortchmer to a pulp, brains
Susan, and dumps her body in the river."
Perfect Knowledge - 132
"The footprints found at the scene could be from the
killer and Susan, not two criminals," Kay said. "So,
what? Could this be a serial killer, someone on a
rampage? I mean, why Susan Welling and Charles
Kortchmer? Was it random? Did they know each other?
What's the significance of the twenty-dollar bill?"
Chase rubbed gritty eyes. "We need to speak with
Kortchmer's parents." He groaned. "And Jackson.
There's got to be more info in Kortchmer's file, stuff that
didn't get leaked to the press. His parents first, though.
We need an address."
Toby unclipped his cell from his belt and flipped it
open with a flourish.
"Who are you going to call at this hour?" Evan asked.
"One of your ladies?"
"Who else? Paula knows everything about everyone,
especially if they're someone with money. She'll know
where the Kortchmers live."
"What did you do before you had that horde of
women at your beck and call, you pig?" Kay asked with
a chuckle.
"I actually had to work," Toby bemoaned. "It was
horrible." A few minutes later, he had the information
they needed. He winced dramatically. "Okay, remind me
never to call Paula at seven in the morning again.
Anyway, the Kortchmers split up a year after their son's
death. George Kortchmer is in New York on business,
won't be back until end of the week. Janet Kortchmer
goes by her maiden name now, Janet Brown, and lives
on Emerson Street. I've got her phone number and
address."
Chase looked at his watch. "Too early for a visit.
Let's go to the office, get all this information together.
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