The Big Gamble - Michael Mcgarrity [44]
He wondered what was bothering Clayton Istee. Over the last several days, he’d seemed wary and constrained in his dealings with others, including Dillingham and Quinones. Were his slipups troubling him? There were all kinds of judgment errors that could occur during a major felony investigation, and no cop was immune to them. But getting bogged down by becoming overly cautious or trying to be perfect could quickly derail an investigation, especially a homicide case where time was of the essence.
He decided to keep a close eye on his deputy, and went off to meet with the DA, wondering how hard it would be to get his butt out of the crack it was in. Fortunately, the DA was an old friend, a hunting buddy, and a member of the same political party. They actively supported each other in their races for office in every election. If necessary, he would call in every personal and political chit he possessed to make the problem go away.
The sheriff’s note about the blood match on the knife and Ulibarri’s boot didn’t make Clayton feel any better about himself. If he had thought to search the resort parking lot for Humphrey’s car, Ulibarri might still be alive and in custody, charged with murder one.
He started the day doing paperwork and writing reports. Assembling a homicide casebook was no simple task, and he worked hard to make it thorough, thinking he could at least put together a comprehensive file without screwing it up.
He filled out an offense report, his supplemental reports, the investigation worksheets, and a crime scene worksheet, and completed the last of his canvass field notes. He redrew his crime scene sketches, compiled a witness list, labeled and arranged in sequence all crime scene photographs he and the rest of the team had taken, and updated his investigative narrative. He played back the taped interview with Harry Staggs and decided he needed a better, more detailed description of Johnny Jackson.
He called Harry Staggs on the phone and got him to answer specific questions about Johnny Jackson’s physical characteristics. He recorded each response Staggs made on a blank piece of paper.
Physical Description of Johnny Jackson
Head—long & round in shape
Eyes—maybe brown, oval, with small pupils
Brows—straight, possibly thin
Nose—narrow, not too large
Mouth & upper lip—small or average
Chin—square, no dimple noted, but possible
Forehead—wide
Hair—black, curly, full, cut short, with short sideburns, &
no graying
Facial hair—none
Mole—small, possibly located just below right cheekbone
Build—slim, weight about 140 to 145
Complexion—light skinned & tanned
Other scars, tattoos, marks—none noted
Age—Approx. 40
Height—5’6” to 5’7”
He placed the telephone in the cradle thinking that for somebody who’d repeatedly denied knowing Jackson personally, Staggs either had a remarkable memory for details or was lying through his teeth.
Clayton suspected the latter. He wondered if Staggs was leading him astray with a false description. Maybe the name was phony, too. If he could come up with an eyewitness who put Staggs and Jackson together, socially or otherwise, he might be able to break Staggs down and discover why he seemed so scared of a pimp, even a high-class one.
He worked up a wanted-for-questioning bulletin on Jackson, did the violent-crime analysis report for the FBI, called the Bureau to ask for an expedited comparison to any similar crime scenes, and left the completed paperwork with the sheriff’s secretary, who started faxing it right away.
With the more detailed description Staggs had provided, Clayton used a computer program to create a composite likeness of Johnny Jackson’s face. He printed it, made copies, gave some to Quinones and Dillingham, and asked them to start looking for Jackson.