Authors note: This is a work of fiction. It does not reflect any actual events, and all of the characters are fictional. Any similarity to events or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.
There is a real city of Oceanside, California. It’s San Diego County’s third largest city with a below-average crime rate.
The Grand Pacific Hotel is fictional, but during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, there were at least two similar resort hotels that did exist, primarily serving railroad passengers and tourists as described in this book.
— Tom Morrow
Chapter 7
Joe was feeling upbeat. He found out he had a psi phenomena and didn’t even know it. Still, he was skeptical; but Sara put a believable spin on it so he couldn’t entirely dismiss it. Besides, she said he probably has had this gift forever. Nevertheless, he found it interesting.
Sara was feeling upbeat, too. Joe thought she was pretty. She really didn’t think of herself as pretty. She thought of herself as average with a few becoming features that were attractive. Overall, she still felt average. But for the moment, she was feeling hungry.
“Ah, you’ll like this place. It’s been around since the mid-forties. Built out over the bay on stilts with a great view. Probably see a bunch of sailboats against the setting sun headin’ for the harbors. It’s a pretty sight. Might even see an aircraft carrier berthed across the bay.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
“Well, it might be a little touristy. Lots of hotels on Harbor Drive where the out-of-towners go. But I can assure you, the food is excellent. What you in the mood for?”
“First I’m going to start off with a glass of chardonnay. Then look over the menu. But I am partial to shrimp.”
“Oh, they have a wide selection of shrimp dishes and salads. You can count on that!”
“How about yourself?”
“Start off with a glass of beer. Definitely have a cup of Mama Ghio’s New England clam chowder. Sort’ve had my mind on the Alaskan Sole Fillet. But I might change my mind after looking over the menu. I just never know. Everything is really good.”
Joe turned left off Nimitz Boulevard and onto North Harbor Drive and drove passed the San Diego Marina on the right and the San Diego International Airport on the left. It was formally know as Lindbergh Field. Just around the bend to the right was the restaurant prominently stretching out over the bay.
Joe parked in front of the tall-masted Star of India moored at the Maritime Museum next to the restaurant. They had to walk about a hundred yards or so to the entrance. Surprisingly it wasn’t too crowded. They were able to get a booth at the back overlooking the bay and the bright sunset.
However, there were no aircraft carriers moored at the Navel Air Station North Island across the bay. They were probably deployed somewhere across the world; maybe the Persian Gulf. Lots of activity going on over there.
Joe and Sara got their respective cocktails and lightly toasted the other to a beautiful evening. After each ordered another cocktail and looked over their menus, Sara ordered a cup of the Mama Ghio Famous Zingy Red Fisherman Chowder, the Louie Gulf Shrimp Salad, and iced tea—unsweetened. Joe went with the famous New England chowder and stayed with his first pick—the Alaskan Sole Fillet. He ordered sweet tea. He really wanted another beer but thought it best not to go for the gusto.
During the meal, Joe talked about his childhood and some of the crazy antics he pulled on his friends. His grades in school were just about average but all his teachers claimed he was brighter than he seemed. He just liked to party and have fun a tad too much. But in his last few years of college, he put his nose to the grindstone and his grades went up.
Sara talked some of her childhood, too, pretty much saying she was a bookworm. Her grades were excellent but her homeliness kept her from dating. On Saturday nights, she went out with her girlfriends and was usually home and in bed at a decent hour. She always went to Sunday school and church. She never got into trouble; well, there was the one time she decked Richard Pratt for calling her ugly. His father came over to the house that evening demanding justice.
“And?” Joe asked with a grin.
“Daddy confined me to my room after school for a week to study. Mr. Pratt thought that was an excellent idea.”
“Only that’s what you normally did after school, right?”
“I had a great Dad!”
Social wise it was probably not the most enjoyable time in her life; however, her good grades did get her a full-ride Morehead Scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill—better known to the world as The Carolina Tar Heels. Except if you lived in South Carolina where that state’s university was also called Carolina. But they were known as the Gamecocks. Even though the two states bordered each other, they were a universe apart; neither claimed the other existed.
Sara wanted to be a doctor but somewhere along the line her inner spirits intervened and she changed her major to forensics science. It was probably a good move as she excelled to the highest degree. She graduated at the top of her class.
During her college years, genetics kicked in and she blossomed. She lost her gawkiness; but gained some boobs—courtesy of her grandmother on her mother’s side.
She lost a few pounds yet retained her glowing cheeks; they complemented her beautiful smile. With a little touch of hair color and a simple change in style, as suggested by a girlfriend, she all of a sudden became noticed; the boys came a knocking. Her social life improved. But nothing serious ever developed; her forensics career was foremost.
After graduation, she was inundated with offers from coast to coast; she was overwhelmed. After studying them over, she narrowed her choices from Charlotte, North Carolina, Memphis, Tennessee, Butte, Montana, and Oceanside, California.
“I’m glad you decided to choose Oceanside. What was the deciding factor? Money?”
“Oh no. It was the location. How can someone not love Southern California? I mean the scenery, the weather, the Pacific Ocean. It’s paradise. I wake up every morning feeling refreshed and ready for work. It’s quite invigorating. Don’t you think?”
“I suppose. I’ve lived in this area most of my life. I guess I just take it for granted. But I do agree with the invigorating part.”
Just as they were finishing up their meal, a fellow walked by the table and patted Joe on the shoulder with a comical greeting. It was Rick Miller, a corporal detective with the San Diego Police Department.
“Joe! You ol’ dog, you. Good to see you again. What brings you to town other than Mama Ghio’s clam chowder?”
“Rick, good to see you, too. You by yourself tonight?”
“Yeah. The wife’s out with some of her girlfriends celebrating a birthday. Just decided to hang around the office awhile then come over for some clam chowder and a salad.”
“Have a seat for just a minute and visit. And this is Sara Finkle. She’s with our forensics lab.”
“Good to meet you, Sara.”
“Nice to meet you too, Rick.”
“So, Joe. I hear you got a whopper of a case up your way?”
“Yeah, no kidding.”
“Making any headway?”
“Not really. We’ve ID’d one. The other one is taking some time. Nothing but haunted bones. Sara here is working on that. Have determined it was a woman. But beyond that, nothing.”
“I hear Del found it.”
“Found the one in the hotel. Not the one in the privy hole.”
“I bet he was pissed.”
“That would be the precise word. We’ve stopped his demo work.”
“Yeah, we had to do the same thing when he found that body here.”
“Whatever happened with that case?”
“I really don’t know. After we ID’d the guy, NCIS moved in and took over. They’ve kept us in the dark ever since.”
“Do you know anything?”
“We determined the guy was a sailor on the old Kitty Hawk. That’s all we’re supposed to know.”
“Supposed to know?”
“Officially, yeah. Unofficially we found out the guy was working undercover for the CIA. Apparently some Russians had infiltrated the ranks and were gathering confidential data. Our guy must’ve been caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. How his body ever made it into the dumbwaiter shaft in that old hotel is anybody’s guess.”
“Damn!”
“Yeah, that’s why the case went cold and nothing more was ever heard. But I’m sure it heated up for the CIA.”
“Well, you’ll never know.”
“Nope, guess not.”
“I got a feeling NCIS is gonna move in on our case.”
“You think?”
“It’s a good bet. The guy was a Marine. But I doubt seriously they’ll find anything of substance.”
“You never know.”
“Well, we’ve done all we can do with him. Sara here has taken copious notes and photos. We don’t need the body any more.”
“Or mummy!”
“Yeah, mummy. That’s the part that’s going to get complicated. At the moment, we don’t have one single clue.”
“Well, sounds like it’s going to be a tough one. I wish you the best of luck. I’m sure I’ll be reading about it in the papers.”
“I’m sure you will.”
Rick got up and left. Joe and Sara were right behind him. They walked slowly to the car observing the beautiful nightscape of the city and the lights bouncing off the bay.
“How long have you known Rick?”
“Oh, since the days of the academy. We were in the same class together. We had the same interest in kids so we hit it off. As a matter of fact, we pretty much followed the same path. He also was a school resource officer, but he was stationed here in San Diego. We occasionally run into each other. Kind of like tonight. He’s a good guy; a good detective. His closure rate is pretty good, too.”
“Yes, he seems very nice.”
Joe and Sara stood in front of the Star of India and imagined what it would be like sailing on her. They both agreed it probably wouldn’t be very comfortable. Joe then passed on to Sara he hadn’t planned anything else for the evening; he suggested a movie.
“No, I’ve got a better idea.”
“Okay?”
“Let’s head back to Oceanside. I want to go by the GP.”
“You do?”
“Yes, I do. I want to experiment on something.”
“Like what?”
“The aura. I only see it as a whole when I drive by it. I want to see if I can ‘fine tune’ it. You know, see if I can determine just where those extra bodies are I said were still in there.”
“Really?”
“Well, like I said; it’s an experiment. I’ve never really had the occasion to try it out, so to speak. You game?”
“Yeah, I suppose. Maybe I should clear it with the office first.”
“Let’s don’t do that. I’m not interested in bringing attention to this. Can you understand that?”
“I guess you’re right. I mean, I am a detective doing detective work. Well, I mean you’re doing the detective work tonight. But I guess it’ll be okay.”
“Good, let’s head that way.”
To get there quicker, Joe headed to Interstate 5 and blended with the race-like traffic. The thirty-seven mile trip at seventy-five miles per hour took all of twenty-nine minutes to return to Oceanside and Mission Avenue, their exit street. Getting to the hotel took another few minutes.
They pulled into the old parking lot next to the yellow tape still encompassing the hotel. Joe retrieved his long black flashlight from the trunk. Just as they went under the tape, a marked OPD patrol car pulled up and turned on his rooftop lights. He got out of his car.
“Hey! This is a crime scene. You’re not supposed to be in there!”
Joe and Sara first stopped in their tracks and then walked back towards the patrol car. Before they reached the yellow tape, the officer ordered them to stop and put their hands in the air. They complied. The officer shinned his flashlight in their faces.
“Officer! Hold on there! I’m Detective Stein.”
“Joe, that you?”
“Yeah, knock the light out.” The officer pointed it to the ground and walked towards him and Sara.
“What’re you doing out here at this hour? And who’s the lady?”
“Bob, this is Sara Finkle. She’s with our forensics team. We’re doing some follow-up work.”
“At this hour?”
“What difference does it make? We need to check something out. It just came to our attention a little while ago.”
“Well, I guess it’s all right. You should’ve let dispatch know you were coming over here. That way I’d’ve known about it.”
“Maybe I should’ve. But I’ve had this case weighing in on my mind; it’s buggin’ the hell out of me. Just didn’t think about it.”
“I can understand that. You want me to hang around?”
“Naw, we’ll be okay. We’re not going to be here long.”
“You got your portable radio with you.”
“No. It’s back at the office on charge. I got my cell.”
“Want to take my radio just in case?”
“No, that’s okay. We’ll be fine. I’ve got my flashlight and pistol.”
“Okay, but don’t do anything stupid and break your fool necks.”
“We’ll be all right, Bob.”
“I’ll stay close to the area and keep an eye on you. I’ll have to let dispatch know.”
“Yeah, okay. You do that. Don’t want to cause you any problems.”
Officer Talbert returned to his patrol car and turned off his rooftop lights. Joe and Sara headed for the front entrance to the hotel.
“So much for keeping this on the q.t.”
“Yeah.”
“And you’re carrying your pistol?”
“Always packing everywhere I go. You just never know what you’ll run into. Lots of crazies out here in this world.”
“Like me?”
“No, you’re not crazy. You’re interesting—and pretty.”
“Joe, you are so funny!”
“You want me to cut the flashlight off so you can see your aura?”
“No, you can leave it on. Don’t want to do anything stoopid like falling into an open privy pit. Besides, with or without it, I can still see the aura.”
They then walked to the hotel, made their way up the grand staircase to the third floor, and carefully worked their way down the hallway to the room where the first body was found.
“You feel or see anything yet?” Joe asked Sara.
“There is an aura, but everything seems equalized. Let’s walk further down the hall and see what happens.”
At each doorway entrance to a room, Joe pushed it open and Sara slowly walked around. They did this for ten rooms.
“Anything yet?”
“Nope.”
“Well, this is the last room on this end.”
“I know. Let’s check it out. Then we’ll do the other side of the hallway and see what happens.”
That they did—and nothing. The fourth floor produced nothing; the second floor produced nothing; the first floor produced nothing. Yet, the aura still existed. There was a body, or bodies, somewhere in this complex. Sara knew it. But where? They walked outside.
“I don’t know, Joe. I’m a little perplexed. I really thought the aura would get stronger. But everything seems to stay equal. I don’t know what to say. I guess my little experiment didn’t work.”
“Well, if any bodies are still here, they will be found. I mean, the place is being torn down and the ground will be dug up for the new foundations. It will be found.”
“Yes, that’s true. I was just hoping to’ve helped out.”
“You ready to go?”
“I suppose. And I don’t mean to be crass, but I’ve got to pee so bad right now I’m about to wet my britches. I can’t wait.”
“Well, don’t be modest. Go to the left side of the building next to that old shed. And stay away from the privy pit! You fall in, you will make tomorrow’s headline news.”
“Yeah, I know. But I’ve already been down there. Remember!”
“Ha! Yeah, you sure have. I’ll stay right here.”
Sara took the flashlight and gingerly walked to the far corner of the hotel sidestepping debris that had been tossed around. She made her way over to the side of the old wooden structure that was in about the same condition as the hotel—dilapidated. She dropped her pants and squatted. Before she could finish, her body got chilled and the aura strengthened. It caught her off guard; she almost panicked.
Moments later, she stuck her head around the corner and lightly hollered. Joe was taking a leak himself. He promptly zipped and turned around. All he could see was her flashlight.
“Yeah, what is it? You all right?”
“Come here! Quick!” With some excitement, Joe ran towards her accidently falling into a small dugout he couldn’t see. He quickly got to his feet brushing himself off as he made his way over to her.
“Are you all right?”
“The aura! It’s brighter. I have a chill.”
“Where?
“It’s coming from that old shed.”
“You sure?”
“Absolutely! There’s a body in there. I know it.”
Both walked over to the elongated building and pried open the door with an old piece of scrap lumber. Inside was a very large boiler that had seen better days.
“You think…”
“I’m sure of it! But we’re going play hell trying to open that boiler door. It looks pretty well rusted,” said Sara.
“Back in the hotel’s main entrance. I think I saw a crowbar. Give me the flashlight and step out here. Stay tight. I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later, Joe returned with the crowbar. With some concerted effort, they pried open the heavy iron door from an almost permanent bond of corrosion. Joe stuck his flashlight through the opening. He then stuck his head inside.
“Holy cow! It almost looks like the photos I’ve seen of the crematoriums of Nazi Germany.” Sara stuck her head in after Joe pulled back. She was awestruck, too.
“But I only see one skull. And I’m surprised the body hasn’t turned to dust.”
“I better call Danny. I don’t think this can wait til morning.”
“Wait a minute, Joe. He’s going to wonder…”
“I know, I know. I’ll fill him in when we have a chance to talk.”
“Joe, I’m not comfortable with all this. The news media will pick up on how we found the body; they’ll go nuts!”
“Good point. I didn’t think about that. It will be chaos.”
“They’ll make a mockery of it just like they did with the mummy. I’ll end up being the center of attention; you’ll be the center of attention. We don’t need this!”
“No. I don’t think we do.”
“We’ve got to stop this train before it wrecks.”
“Train wreck?”
“I know I’m right, Joe.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know. I’m thinking right now. We’ve got some time. Let’s not rush this and screw it up. We need to make sure all our bases are covered. But Danny is going to have to know sooner or later. We can’t hide this from him.”
“And dispatch. They know we’re here.”
“Damn!”
“Yeah. Damn!”