It occurs to me that I am intertwined with Carson Sigmund, whether I want to be or not.
It was I who agreed to write the puff piece about him – the weakest of weak moments, I must say – as our dearly defunct mayor catted about town collecting checks and feting a fallen rock star with a statue we’ve already deemed disposable.
His constant fawning over the one person in the world I truly love at that time … well, watching that was like a long-delayed visit to the dentist. Two cavities and a crown, for sure.
Now, at least, I have my management’s buy-in that there is a creepy, sinewy tale here that must be unearthed – and propped up on a much higher stage.
That’s not to say it wasn’t earned. No, it took some convincing, a few nice bottles from the Golden Pillar’s cellars, but I managed to get them on board.
I even scored a travel budget.
We decided that, as part of the research, I needed to pay every location a visit to find the thread that leads back to Middle Valley. The trail, it seems, has gone cold – I don’t think anyone out west is actively pursuing any sort of detailed investigation, or, perhaps, they’ve just given up.
I believe Carson was the lone perpetrator of the murders. I’m anxious to see what others think. Having postponed the trip twice now, it’s time to embark.
First stop, Oklahoma City and a man by the name of Sheriff Dawson. I dial his number.
“Good morning, Sheriff. Still good for this afternoon?”
I can hear him coughing on the other end of the line. “Yeah, yes … that’s fine. In about an hour?”
I confirm the meeting, check the GPS, and head into town. After brief greetings and pleasantries, we got right to it.
“Here’s what we got,” he says to me, pointing at a tray of mangled-looking flesh – part of a hand, and a chunk of what appears to be a toe.
“Great,” I say. “Looks about right, and similar to what we found back home.”
“Can’t find anyone who knows much of anything about any of this,” he says, covering his face. “Any experts out your way that could give us some advice?”
I nod. “I know the folks at Cornell have had a look at some of the materials from this case. I’ll have them give you a call.”
I took a moment just to look at the pieces, still recognizable but awful.
“Mind if I take a few photos?” I ask the sheriff. He motions as if to say “be my guest” so I do before someone in a white coat and face mask removes the evidence.
Rather than sit in his own desk chair across from me, he leans on the front of his desk.
“Here’s the deal. Several months have passed and none of us have any leads that are actually going somewhere. The whole thing seems to have stagnated. I don’t even think anyone has a suspect.”
I look the lawman straight in the eye. “Oh I think we do. We’re working on it, but I think we do.”
I stand and extend my hand.
“Thanks for your help, sir,” I tell him. “I’ll be back in touch with anything that seems pertinent.”
He nods and actually tips his hat in my direction as I step out of his office. Ah, the west.
—
I confirm my appointment in Kingman, AZ, and hit the road.
It’s a long drive in a God-forsaken part of the country. My appointment is early, so I push a little harder to be sure I start my day there. Pretty sure management would appreciate the $50-per-night price tag, though I’m not sure I do.
The meeting with Sheriff Landon in Kingman is similar to the one in Oklahoma City, though Kingman’s selection of body parts is greater. Guessing Carson spent a good bit of time here, vs. OKC.
Landon does suggest a few other places to check – Ludlow and Barstow, in particular. The late-night clerk at the hotel recalls chatting with a well-to-do-looking blonde gentleman who seemed nervous and out of sorts, spewing small talk about his stops on his trip and happened to mention those two towns.
Well, that sounds right to me.
I thank him and decide to move on. Since many of these towns are only an hour, I comb the Mother Road a bit more closely for data and make a few more stops, but nothing new of significance is surfacing.
Which means there’s only one thing left to do: Onward, to Silicon Valley. Pretty sure some paydirt awaits there.