Janine smiled at the memory. Later that night, he had mentioned her again in front of the entire office, as part of his leaving speech. I came in one day and Janine had her arm stuck right in to the back of the refrigerator, he said, and she was pulling something out... I dont know what the hell it was, but it was slimy, it was green, and it stank. And it was nothing to do with her. It wasnt her mess to clean up. But she did it. Sure, that innocent little face of hers was looking a little screwed up, but that was it: no bitching, no whining. That is why Janine Hooks gets to wear the cold case crown. And she wears it so well.
That and the fact there were no other suitors, Janine had said.
You had me at skeletal remains.
They all laughed, and over the laughter, he shouted for everyones attention again...
Seriously, everyone, he said. I am going to miss you all, I am going to be back in here bugging the crap out of you, you all know that. No one should have favorites, but Im retiring, I can say what the hell I like, and Janny Hooks, I will miss you most. If you asked me the main quality I think a cold case detective needs, I would say tenacity. You have it, more than anyone I know. If I had to throw in a few more, Id say passion, loyalty, thoroughness, persuasiveness. Janine Hooks will make use of every resource she can, she will find resources hiding in the back pockets of politicians or down the sides of sofas, or up peoples fat lazy asses. She will find things. Janine Hooks will find things. He raised his glass to her. Cold cases, warm heart.
Like the magnanimous man he was, he had set her up to succeed. And she would never forget it. And she knew that, toward the end of his speech, he wasnt looking at her. He was looking at his successor, he was telling him Dont you cut this unit, dont you let Janine Hooks go. Because in the three years shed been stuck with his successor, she had to fight for everything she got. So the tenacity, the resource-finding, the doggedness, was seared into her and to not do what she was doing was unimaginable. And fortunately, her current sergeant the third since her first boss left was third time lucky. He got it. Maybe he didnt quite get her, but he got her job, and maybe that was all Janine Hooks needed him to get.
They got on well, she knew he liked her. But she suspected he worried about her. He had already made his decision about moving her to the main office when Special Agent Ren Bryce appeared one day. Janine could see what he was thinking: Janine Hooks has a friend! A hot, sociable friend who seems heterosexual! Or maybe not, these confusing days! Janine knew that with her short, side-parted dark hair and her small bones and her tucked-in shirts and tidy pants and no makeup that she sent out a message. But, didnt everyone?
Anyway, by then it was too late for the sergeant to change his mind about her move. She was capable of making friends, it appeared. In the general population, out in the investigators bullpen, she could make even more.
Janine lingered in the office doorway. She gave one last glance around. She went to her desk, and pulled out the first of the cards that were spiked into the soil around the plant.
Be careful. This could be a plant. Love, Ren XX
There was a second card beside it.
Hope youre not feeling too uprooted. Love, Ren XX
There was a third.
Stay strong, man. Love, Ren XX
There was a fourth. Janine laughed. Seriously?
Is this a moving experience for you? Love, Ren XX
Janine laughed again. She could always rely on Ren. They were friends just a year, but she knew she was closer to Ren than she had ever been to anyone. She went to pick up the plant. It was only then she noticed the flashing light on her desk phone. She pushed the button.
The message had come in the day before while she was out with the sergeant he had treated her to pizza across the street at Woodys. She didnt know who felt more guilty him for uprooting the homebird on a Sunday or her for ordering just a salad.
She pressed the phone to her ear. The line was crackling from a loose connection. At least shed have a new phone now. Ren told her to find the positives.
Hello... Detective Hooks? The accent was Irish, with a hint of American. I found your name online and I wanted to talk to you about one of your cases. Could you please call me back? My name... She paused. My number is 555-134-2235.
Janine scribbled the number on the back of one of Rens cards.
In all forty-seven of her open cold cases, Janine knew of no specific Irish connection. She decided to let this young, nameless girl be the first call she made as soon as she laid her comfort plant on the desk of her new office. She wondered if the guys would laugh at her.
Nice plant, said Logan. Their desks faced each other. My moms a florist, he said. I had one of those in my college dorm. I looked after it well until lightweights started pouring drinks into it.
You should see this one on tequila... said Janine.
Logan laughed. She laughed back.
Here, he said, take one of these. He reached across the desk and handed her a giant chocolate chip cookie wrapped in paper.
A cookie and horticultural bonding. Thank you, she said.
She started to unwrap the cookie but instead of eating it, she picked up the phone and called the Irish girls number. It rang for several seconds. She was about to hang up. Then someone answered.
Hello, said Janine. My name is Janine Hooks, Im calling from Jefferson County Cold Case
Janine? came the voice.
Janine paused. Ren?
4
This cant be good, said Janine.
Its not good, said Ren. Who were you calling?
I got a voicemail on my office phone yesterday I just heard it now a young woman, didnt leave her name, wanted to talk to me about one of my cases. She didnt say which one.
Did you make any appeals recently? said Ren.
No, said Janine. I mean, the website is always there, anyone can read it any time, but... She shrugged.
Garys with me, said Ren. Im putting you on speaker.
Hey, Janine, said Gary, we got patchy coverage here. Can you call this in? Your guys are not far, we drove past them at the junction with Pine Valley Road... were on Stoney Pass Road now.
Sure, said Janine. Whats happened?
Well, your poor caller was pregnant, said Ren, and now shes laying dead by the side of the road... GSW to the head and chest.
Oh my God, said Janine. Where exactly?
About half a mile from the junction with Highline Road... I can see a sign for Evergreen Abbey to the left and The Darned Heart Ranch to the right. She paused. Darned Heart? Seriously? Craft and brimstone...
This is weird, guys, said Janine. Thats a ranch for troubled teens
The tautologous troubled teen... said Ren.
The Darned Heart already has some scar tissue, said Janine. It used to be The Flying G Ranch, a girl scout camp. A girl scout aide was sexually assaulted and strangled there back in 63. August 18th. Its one of mine...
No way, said Ren. That is weird. What happened?
Victims name was Margaret Peggy Beck, said Janine. Sixteen years old. She was alone in her tent overnight, because the friend she was sharing with was in the infirmary. The next morning, little Peggy was found dead, zipped up in her sleeping bag. At first, the folks at the camp thought it was natural causes, so they didnt call the authorities right away. They just packed up her things to hand over to her parents. It was the last day of camp, the other girls were being collected by their families. Eight hours went by before the authorities were finally called. It turns out that not one of those girl scouts heard a thing during the night. Even though Peggy fought back, the poor thing they found skin under her fingernails. Three hundred people were interviewed during the investigation and nothing. It breaks my heart, that one.
Did you process the skin? said Ren.
Yup. No match, said Janine.
When you say troubled teens, said Ren, how troubled?
Zero to hero: addiction issues, attitude problems, problems with the law, eating disorders. I checked out their website when they opened to see what we were letting ourselves in for. And it costs an absolute fortune to stay there. They pull in a lot of spoilt little rich kids.
Have you had any problems with them? said Ren.
Our guys have definitely brought a couple of runaways back, said Janine.
Runaways? said Ren. Kids can run away from this place? Isnt security tighter than that?
Im speculating here, said Janine, and this is not official, but I think its all part of the treatment. The ranchs policy is to trust the kids, because they know these kids parents have given up trusting them. So, management believes that because they have faith in these kids, they wont disrespect them...
Ren laughed.
I know, said Janine.
Is it privately owned? said Ren.
Very privately, said Janine. By Kenneth and Kristen Faule. Hes ex-NFL... Broncos. They never had kids of their own, so this was their way of... you know giving back.
Hate that expression, they both said at the same time.
They take in teens from all over, said Janine. If their parents are flashing enough cash...
Theyre not going to give us access too easily, said Ren.
No, said Janine. And Ive met Kristen Faule. Do not be fooled by her Disney ways... shes one of those cornered mama-bear types.
Disney ways, said Ren. Hmm. So, what was the nature of your meeting?
Well, she came to pick up one of the kids that Kohler had brought in, said Janine. Of course, she was pissed, like it was our fault.
Im rolling my eyes.
She totally rubbed me the wrong way, said Janine. Since the ranch opened, its like weve become unwitting participants in her treatment plan. She lets the kids roam free, we pick them up.
Seriously, how many times has this happened? said Ren.
Fewer than my annoyance indicates, said Janine.
And what about the abbey? said Ren.
It used to be a religious abbey, said Janine, but now its a community of women. As far as I can tell, its like a hippy commune, womens shelter and self-sufficiency thing rolled into one. Really, though, I dont see how theyre any different than the nuns; a bunch of women living together, saying prayers, doing charity work. They have basically no possessions any money they do get is handed over to the director and distributed to whatever charities they all decide on. Three years ago, when I first took on The Flying G case, I spoke to the director...