Sheriff Ericsson comes to his office on a cold Tuesday morning whistling cheerfully. Sue greets him saying, “You are cheerful this morning, Sir.”
“Yes, I am. Everyone was much calmer over the weekend and yesterday. I think we’re all glad the investigation into Coach McNeil’s shooting is over.”
“I’ll have your coffee ready in a few minutes. Do you think Mary Jane Bloom’s column will avoid stirring up the town again?”
“I sure hope so.”
Twenty minutes later the sheriff is finishing his first cup of coffee when Sue tells him he has a call from Principal Swain.
The sheriff says, “Good morning, Ward. What can I do for you this morning?”
Swain says, “I am concerned. Jerry Day didn’t come in today. He doesn’t answer his cell phone. I checked with the kids in his shop class and they don’t know where he is but they said he was acting strangely yesterday. He hardly said anything but he stared at them. He made some of the kids uncomfortable. I’m worried. Would you look for him?”
“Maybe he’s sick. I’ll send a deputy to his house and check on him, if he’s not at home we’ll keep an eye out for his old Jeep.”
“Thank you, Sheriff. Let me know if you find him or if he’s sick.”
“Sure thing, Ward. Have a good day.”
When the sheriff hangs up, he sees Deputy Wilson in his doorway. He says, “Come in Wilson. What’s on your mind this morning?”
Wilson says hesitatingly, “We may have to take another look at the McNeil case, Sir. I learned Coach McNeill was an experienced hunter and wouldn’t have been sitting on the side of the tree where we found the 30-caliber bullet. When I checked the side of the tree where he was more likely to be sitting, I found another bullet. I took it to Towner first thing this morning and he says it’s a .243 Winchester fired from a rifle like the one Jerry Day owns. If it’s the bullet that killed Coach McNeil it explains why I didn’t find any tracks in the snow near the body. The big hemlock tree McNeil was found by is visible from the parking area. It’s about 250 yards. That’s an easy shot for an experienced sniper like Day. I know it’s a lot of speculation but it explains a lot. It even explains the unexpected results Towner got when he did the 30-caliber bullet test. Do you want me to go have another talk with Day?”
The sheriff bows his head and says quietly, “This day started so nice. Now it’s gone completely to hell. Sit down, Wilson. I’ve got to think. Ward Swain called and said Day didn’t show up at the high school this morning, he didn’t answer his cell phone, and he was acting strangely yesterday. Now you come in with more bad news. I was so hoping this case was over.”
“Do you want me to go to Day’s home and check on him? I can also check with his daughters if he’s not at home.”
The sheriff says, “If Towner says that bullet is a .243 Winchester and it was in the tree where McNeil could have been sitting, we have to talk to Day. Yes, go check his house, keep a lookout for his old Jeep, and go see his daughters if he isn’t home sick. I’ll have Sue tell Towner to watch for Day’s Jeep when he is on patrol this morning.”
“Yes, Sir. I’m on my way,” says Wilson as he gets up and leaves.
Wilson goes to Jerry Day’s house. There’s no answer to his knocks so he tries the door knowing it’s probably unlocked. Few local people bother to lock their doors in Pineville. It is unlocked. Wilson goes into the entryway and shouts Day’s name. There’s no answer and there are no lights on. He looks throughout the whole house in case Day is sick or is incapacitated. There’s no sign of Day. On a hunch, he checks Day’s gun cabinet and finds it unlocked and empty. Now Wilson is concerned. Going outside he sees the garage is closed. He tries the door. It’s unlocked but Day’s old Jeep isn’t there.
Wilson calls Sue and asks her to tell the sheriff Day isn’t home and he may have taken his rifle with him. He says he is going to see Day’s daughter Eve.
Wilson checks in with the receptionist at Pineville Elementary School. He tells her he’s there to see Eve Day. She gives him a temporary badge and directs him to Eve’s office. Reaching her office, he says, “Hello Eve. I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Deputy Wilson.”
Eve says, “Yes, I remember you. What can I do for you?”
“Do you know where your father is? He didn’t go to the high school this morning and he’s not at home.”
“No. He’s supposed to be at the high school. I saw him Sunday and he didn’t say anything about having to miss his classes today. He was acting strange Sunday, not his usual self. Now you have me worried.”
“I thought he was in a dark mood when I searched his home for rifles. Do you know why he’s been acting strange?”
Eve hesitates and then says, “No, unless Coach McNeil’s murder upset him.”
“Would he have gone to your house or Dawn’s house by any chance?” says Wilson.
“No, I don’t think so,” replies Eve.
“Okay, thank you. Here is my cell phone number. If you see him or hear from him please call me. I’ll keep an eye out for his Jeep while I’m on patrol today. I’ll call the school and leave a message for you if I find him,” Wilson says and then leaves her office.
In the early afternoon, Pam Lafave arrives at the elementary school for mentoring. When she passes Eve’s office on her way to pick up the two little girls she mentors Eve calls to her, “Pam, do you have a minute?”
Pam responds, “Sure, shall I come into your office?”’
“Yes, please.”
Eve closes her office door after Pam enters and says, “I’m worried about my father and would like your advice. He didn’t go to his classes at the high school today. Deputy Wilson went to his home and he’s not there. I visited him on Sunday and he was in a bad state. I didn’t want to share the details with Wilson but maybe you will have an idea of what is going on with Dad.”
Pam asks, “What do you mean by a bad state?”
“It reminds me of what he was like when he came home from the army. He had PTSD from his combat experience. The PTSD was complicated by the way he had coped with being a sniper and having to kill people. He was a marksman and was asked to be a sniper. He told us he agreed because he had witnessed some horrible atrocities. He believed the terrorists who committed these atrocities were so evil they deserved to die. When he had to shoot someone, he convinced himself the person was one of the evil ones and should be killed.”
“When he came home, he talked to us about how he had come to view people he encountered. He would assess them as being evil or good. It took him more than a year and psychological treatments at the VA to overcome wanting to judge people as evil or good. In time his PTSD got better as well. What disturbed me on Sunday was he said Coach McNeil was one of the evil ones. Then he talked about several of his fellow teachers as being good. It’s as though he has regressed to the state he was in when he came home from the army. I’m concerned that McNeil trying to sexually assault Dawn has triggered a mental relapse. I don’t know what I should do. I'm afraid he might have killed McNeil thinking he was evil. I thought with your experience as a detective you might know what I should do.” explains Eve.
Pam says, “I learned some things over the weekend about your father that concerned me. Then last night I learned more and now I am suspicious your father could have killed Coach McNeil. Hearing your story about his behavior I am more concerned. What you told me reminds me of a case I had in Grand Rapids. A man with mental problems repeatedly robbed the same store. We caught him and learned he had a mental illness. Fortunately, in Grand Rapids, the police department could draw upon psychologists in such situations. After he became cured he led a normal life for 15 years. Then a stressful event triggered a relapse to his previous mental state. He began to relive his previous crimes and look for opportunities to repeat robbing the same store. With the advice of the psychologist, we were able to catch this man again before he did any serious crimes and got him help. You could be right, Eve. I’m not a psychologist but maybe the attempted sexual assault of Dawn triggered a return to Jerry’s previous mental state. There is something we can try that should work if that’s the case. It’s the approach we used in Grand Rapids for the case I think is similar.”
“What should we do? I don’t want to call the sheriff on my father,” says Eve.
“I don’t want to involve the sheriff either. It could backfire and cause Jerry to see one of the deputies as evil. If he has his rifle, he might even try to kill a deputy. Instead, we should try to have a person he’ll see as good approach him. If done carefully that person can convince him a deputy or the sheriff can help him find evil ones. I know this sounds weird but it worked for me before.”
Eve asks, “How can we approach him? We don’t know where he is.”
“If he’s returned to the mental state he had as a sniper, and if he shot McNeil, it’s possible he returned to where he was when he shot McNeil. He may be waiting for what he perceives as another evil person to appear. Jake Black knows where that is. Jake is a friend of your father’s. If you and Jake approach your father, he will likely see you both as good. Are you willing to go with Jake to see if your father has returned to that site?” asks Pam.
“Yes, if you think it may work,’ replies Eve.
“Good. I’ll call Jake and ask him to pick you up here if he’s willing to go. If he isn’t, he’ll tell us where McNeil’s killing took place,” says Pam. ``If you find your father go along with his wanting to find evil people. Tell him you know the sheriff has a list of evil people and will share it. Maybe you can convince him to go with you to the sheriff’s office. If you find him, call me and I’ll alert Sue Johnson, the sheriff’s secretary. She’ll prepare the sheriff so he can peacefully disarm Jerry and hold him in a cell until you can get a psychologist to talk to him. I'm glad you stopped me and shared your father’s background. I was concerned he might be McNeil’s killer but I didn’t have a plan. Knowing his history suggests what has happened with him and what we should do. I hope I’m right and we can get him help before he shots anyone else.”
Pam calls Jake and he agrees to pick up Eve day in 20 minutes.
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