Murder On The Mainline - S01 E38

Story 11 hours ago

Murder On The Mainline - S01 E38

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 38

Trudy pipes up and says, "I grew mine." She grins as he turns red and Mike breaks up laughing. Trudy just swings around and heads for the ladder.

Mike calls out, "You can stay here and watch me hook up. We're not going anywhere until after supper." But she looks back with a wicked grin and starts to climb the ladder. Jack's eyes get big and he looks at Mike then they both start laughing as she wiggles her tail end and disappears into the cab. "Sheeeeiit!" says Jack and scratches his head. Mike shakes his as he goes to join her. Trudy is not in sight. She's gone back into the sleeper.

Mike swings the tractor around and backs up to his trailer. When he has it all hooked up he pulls it ahead and off to one side of the lot near the picnic tables. He calls to Trudy, "I'm all hooked up and ready to go. Let's eat."

She pokes her head through the curtain and says, "I've decided it’s too cool to eat out there. Come and get it."

He pulls back the curtain as he heels one work boot against the other to remove it. He goes to reach down to remove the other when he notices her reclining on the bunk buck naked. He pulls off the other boot and crawls back into the sleeper. He goes to kiss her and she says, "Eat first! Now, behave yourself. That can wait."

After they've ate and filled their other needs, it’s time to head west again. Trudy pushes open the curtain a ways and watches Mike as she lies on the bunk. She also watches the scenery flow by. When they've passed through Kamloops and the weigh scales, she comes out to join him.

It’s getting dark so she perches by his elbow on the console in the cowboy hat with her bare feet up against the windshield. Mike tries to keep his mind on his driving and his eyes on the road. He changes stations on the radio but can't get anything he likes so he puts in a tape of soft music. Soon she curls up her legs and goes to sleep.

It’s a starry night as he pulls in to check his brakes at the summit. He pulls out for Hope and she hasn't stirred. The girl at the tollbooth had looked up to him as he submitted his ticket then done a double take as she noted the edge of Trudy's form in the dark cab. She probably thought she was seeing things, he thinks. The big diesel eats up the miles on the long downgrade and they are approaching Hope before midnight. Mike puts his hand on Trudy's hip and gently shakes her. "Soon be home, love. Better get yourself around."

She opens her eyes and smiles sleepily at him then stretches and slides over into his lap. Mike hit’s the brakes and says, "Hey, you want to get us killed?" He brakes again and pulls over into a wide paved pullout, and lets the truck coast to a stop near the end of it with small jabs on the air brakes. "Now, what are you trying to do? You can't be horny again already?"

"I'll never get enough of you, Mike. Please make love to me again here in your big old truck. Right here in your seat of power."

"Is this one of your sex fantasy things?"

"Don't talk! Love me!" She throws her arms around his neck and he feels the urge to do her bidding.

Later he let's her out at her place and says he'll call her if he can move her before the weekend, but not to expect it. With hamper in hand she waves and blows him kisses as he heads back to the freeway.

It's two in the morning when he finally leaves the CPX yard in POCO and heads for home. He gets in around three and tiptoes for a shower then to bed. Marlene snuggles up to him in her sleep as he falls off to sleep himself.

hope many readers are enjoying Mike Claymore and his antics. Here's another chapter. Cheers!

4TH TUESDAY

"What time did you get in last night? CPX has been calling and wants to know where the bills are."

Sleepily Mike mumbles, "They’re in my tractor above the visor. I forgot to put them in their pouch."

"They said they looked there."

"Marlene, what time is it?"

"It's after nine. Here, you talk to them." She hands him the portable phone.

"Hi. It's Mike. Those bills have to be there under the visor. Did you look on the console?"

"Hang on, Mike, I'll check with Hugh." He hears the crackle of the radio as Jerry calls the spotter in the yard.

"He says he's found them. They were in the sleeper. Why would you ever have them back there on a one day run?"

"Don't ask."

"Oh. Seems I did hear rumors this morning from a Calgary driver that you had a swamper with you. Better watch it, Mike. Company policy could get you in trouble. Anyway, we have the paperwork. You want another run today?"

"Where to and when?"

"Now to Sicamous again."

"God, no!"

"Okay. I haven't anything else at this time. You may not get another run this week. Sure you don't want this one?"

"No thanks, Jerry. Later in the week would be alright but I never got in till three."

"Right. Well, I made the offer. That'll satisfy the union. Go back to bed, you bum."

"You take care, Jerry. See ya."

Marlene has been standing at the door listening and she flops across the bed to take the phone from him. "They want you to go back out today? What's the matter with their heads?"

Mike shrugs and says, "It's part of our union contract. They have to offer this run to me first. Now he'll go down the list and offer it to the next eligible driver, Ernie. If I don't get another run this week I could complain to the union that I didn't get this run, if they hadn't offered it to me. It's politics, dear. Don't sweat it."

"You're not going then?"

"No way. But I do have work to do. Guess I might as well get up."

She runs the phone’s aerial along his chin and up his neck to his ear. "You don't have to, right away."

"I suppose not. What did you have in mind?"

"Let me check on Janet. I'll be right back."

In a moment he hears the phone ring again. He hears her chatting then she calls upstairs. "Mike, it’s for you. It's Nina. Can you pick it up there?"

He picks up the bedside phone and hears Nina's voice, "...and he was so happy to get such a fast response."

"So when do you leave?" It's Marlene's voice.

"We have lots of time. They have to make room for him in their offices and such. This is a new position. We are putting the house on the market right away and as soon as it sells, we'll live in a hotel until all is settled. Is Mike coming?"

"I'm here, Nina. So, Jeff got his transfer, eh? And a promotion to boot? That's great news. Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yes. It's my boss. He'd like to see you. When can you come in?"

"I guess I could come over this morning. Did he say what he wanted?"

"He said to call before you come over. He's not in his office right now, but I think he'll be back in a few minutes. I don't think he left the building. At least he hasn't moved his indicator on the board to say he has. He's usually pretty good about moving it if he has to go out."

"I'll call back in a bit then. Maybe we can have lunch?"

"I don't think that'd be a good idea. With the way things are around here and the way things are around home, I think we better not."

"Oh. You’re right. I'll call later then."

Mike gets up and is shaving when Marlene comes into the bathroom. "She calls and you forget what we were doing, don't you?"

She wheels around and is gone when he steps to the door. He calls, "Marlene, I was just shaving for you, honey."

He hears her voice from downstairs, "Yeah, tell me another one. I'm going out with Janet. You can get your own breakfast." He listens and in a minute hears the door slam. He goes back and finishes shaving then pulls on jogging pants, socks and slippers. He carries a sweatshirt with him as he goes downstairs.

He looks out the window and sees the station wagon is gone. He picks up the phone and dials the POCO Detachment. It rings then Nina's voice says, "Port Coquitlam Detachment, may I help you?"

"It’s Mike. Is Lindross in?"

"Yes, but hold on. Where's Marlene?"

"She left in a huff with Janet. Life is back to normal around here. She wanted to go back to bed when you called and I forgot. I was shaving when she came back up and she said the minute I talked to you, I forgot what we were supposed to be doing. She stormed out of here."

Nina chuckles, "You did forget."

"Yeah, I guess I did."

"Lunkhead. No wonder she's mad."

"Okay, what did you want to tell me that she's not supposed to hear?"

"I think I'm pregnant!” Mike says nothing. “Mike, are you there? Did you hear me? Mike, say something."

"How could you know so soon? It's only been just over two weeks."

"My period was due before the weekend and it hasn't started. I've got my fingers crossed. I think you just caught me in time that day we were supposed to go for lunch and we ended up out by the river. Oh Mike, I'm so happy! I hope it's not a false alarm. Please wish me luck."

"I'm happy for you if that’s what you want. But it's awfully early to tell for sure. Wow! It's just getting to me! Pregnant! Ain’t that something? You guys roll along for all those years then I come along and bang, your it."

"You wanted to speak with the boss. Just hang on for a moment."

He hears canned music for a minute then, "Mike, it's Staff Sgt. Lindross. Can you come around to my office sometime today?"

"Well, I don't know. I think I can work it in. What's come up?"

"I suggest you bring whatever you picked up at Flo's apartment with you."

"What make you think I found anything?"

"Don't play games with me, Mike. That was a clever ploy with your girl friend and her ankle, but the officer was smart enough to report what happened and take the consequences."

"Let's say I know someone stayed at Flo's the week before she was murdered. Lets say I wanted some information you have on the case. If that were the case, do you suppose a trade might be arranged?"

"What're you fishing for, Mike?"

"One of the pieces to my puzzle is why aren't you treating Scanlon's possibility as a murder suspect more seriously?"

"That's easy. He didn't do it."

"See now, there, you have information I would find valuable in my quest. How do you know he didn't do it? Surely you don't believe his alibi."

"His alibi is bullshit. We know where he was."

"You have the advantage on me. So where was he?"

"Bring in your evidence and we'll talk. By the way, what did you find?"

"I'll be right over."

Mike leaves a note for Marlene, picks up his briefcase and heads out the door. By eleven he's pulling up in front of the detachment. He walks up to the door and opens it. Nina smiles as she sees him come in. She hurries over. Mike studies her as she approaches and says, "I'd like to kiss you but I'll have to make do with congratulations. Sure you won't have lunch with me?"

"I'm sure. The Staff is waiting in his office. Let me check and see if he's busy."

She comes right back and says, "Come on in." She presses a hidden button and the gate opens. Mike steps through and proceeds to the office she has indicated. He's greeted by a hearty handshake and the door is closed.

"So, what did you get?"

"I think before we discuss that, I would like to know the lowdown on Scanlon."

"I'll humor you. I'll go first. None of this leaves this office, unless you want to tell my secretary, of course. So she couldn't find out this bit of info for you, eh?"

"I'm sorry. Nina and I had an affair but I assure you..."

"Never mind. I didn't expect you to admit she brought you anything. Scanlon?" He picks up a rather thick file and turns to some pages near the back. "Scanlon was identified as being at the border crossing in Sumas after midnight on the night in question. He was positively identified in person as well as his vehicle was also identified. He was in the area with two known teenage prostitutes, one from Port Moody and the other from Vancouver. Coincidentally they were picked up in a round up the next night in Seattle. It is believed he took into possession two teen-age prostitutes from LA that night. We've been watching him so we know he was not near Port Coquitlam the night Florence Hanson was murdered. Satisfied?"

"So he's not even a suspect. Why'd you have him on your list?"

"He's so obviously a suspect, we couldn't omit him without raising embarrassing questions. So Mike, your turn."

"I have a couple more questions I'd like answered."

"I can't do that. Play the game. Give me something."

"Alright, I believe whoever killed Flo may have stayed at her place during the week before she was murdered. Stay with me on this. She was taken into a dangerous area and she allowed herself to be tied up. Reason? Fantasy sex. But the game of Fantasy sex can only safely be carried out with someone you explicitly trust. If you have viewed her living quarters I think you'll agree she very likely never took her tricks to that address. Ergo, anyone she did allow to stay with her there she trusted. I found evidence of a second person, a male, who I believe stayed there sometime recently. But I don't have the funds or access to the labs, like you guys, so this evidence was coming to you anyway, ...or to Ray's lawyer. You win the toss."

Mike opens his brief case and places the two Baggies with the hair and bristle samples on the desk along with an Evidence Report form all filled out. The Staff Sgt. reads the report, looking at each sample as he reads then studies the samples some more. "By jingles, you may have something here to help us in the case. Where'd you learn to collect evidence?"

"The Penitentiary Service of Canada"

"Well, I suppose you have more?"

"You suppose correct. What do you have on Ray Chauffe?"

"No alibi, to start with, and clothing of his taken from his locker have blood and urine on them which has just been proven to be the victim's. What else would I need?"

"What else have you got? You said the fluids on his clothes have just been proven to be Flo's, but you arrested him a long time before you had that proof. You must have had something else."

"Your forgetting we have a witness who seen him leaving the area around the time the crime took place or shortly before."

"I never said I could identify his vehicle!"

"But your swamper did. And you admitted you checked his truck for warmth and believed he had been there."

"So your scenario is that he arranged with Flo to go out with him later then left to wash his truck. After we saw him he went back to wait outside the Gardens for Flo, picked her up and took her willingly to that hole by the tracks. Somehow he convinced her to allow him to tie her up after she had voluntarily removed her panties. Then he rapes and strangles her, being sure not to leave prints, goes back over to the yard, being careful not to be seen by the Commissionaire, and calmly puts his coveralls and boots into his locker and goes home. Is that it?"

"You know an awful lot about that murder scene that was in our confidential reports." His eyes twinkle. "That's essentially it. You forgot he left boot prints by the body. Didn't she give you the photos of the crime scene?"

"What photos? If your take on it is true, why does he do it?"

"Who knows? Jilted lover, maybe he's a sex pervert. Just look at the list of movies he had. I presume you've seen the list or I'd get it for you."

"Let's look at it from another perspective. If Ray didn't do it, who did?"

"An interesting question. But before we go on, I think it's your turn."

"Oh yes, further proof that someone else was at Flo's are the tire tracks in her carport. I sketched these but you'll want to get casts of the prints. That size tire would not fit Flo's car. I'd like to keep the sketch. I'll be looking for a match."

"You'll allow me to photo copy it, won't you?"

"By all means. In fact I have a photocopy for you. Pertinent details are printed on the back."

"Yes indeed. What other little bit’s of info did you need?"

"None further at this time. May I drop by and see you occasionally when I have questions or possible clues to share?"

"Oh, most certainly. It's been a rare pleasure meeting with you. I must admit it has been more productive than I thought it would be. Drop in any time."

"Thank you, sir. I'll do that."

"By the way, you may have noticed you no longer have a tail. I sort of thought you might cooperate."

"Thank you again, sir. Good day."

As he's leaving he notices it’s about twelve twenty. Nina signals him to wait. She comes over when she gets off the phone and says, "Does your offer still stand?"

"Lunch?"

She nods.

"I'll wait for you outside."

He goes out and puts the top down on the car. It's hot today and the fresh air will feel good as they drive along. In ten minutes she comes out and slides into the seat. She slides over next to him. "Do we have to go for lunch? Can we go out by the river again?"

Mike reaches over and squeezes her hand as he pulls away from the curb. He finds the spot out by the river in the hollow under the trees. He parks and kisses her.

She gives a small cry and says, "It's only been a few days but it seems like forever since you touched me. Oh Mike, I'm going to have a baby, our baby, I'm sure of it. What will I tell it when it grows up?"

"Have you said anything to Jeff yet?"

"I don't know how to tell him. He'll know it's yours. I don't care. We were talking about divorce. If worse comes to worst, I'll raise it by myself and be happy every day that it's here. Oh Mike please hold me. I think I'm scared."

Slowly she relaxes in his arms and her lips seek his again. It isn't long before they're stretched out on the car seat side by side. After their session of love making he drives her back to the detachment and she says before leaving the car, "I feel that is the last time we will make love, my dear friend." She cups his chin with her hand and kisses him gently. She runs inside the building never looking back.