Love Story: In The Web of Life Ken Renshaw (the best novels to read TXT) 📖

Buster didn't elaborate.

After we were in the lodge having a glass ofwine, Elizabeth downloaded the reporter's dispatch to Dore. Itsaid:

"To Dore Hamilton:"

"Subject: Summary of second day oftrial."

The day started with Ed Sodastrom's tragicreport of the evening Lucy was lost. Here is an excerpt:

"While we were finishing dinner, about sixo'clock, at the Rawhide Cafe, on the highway north of Rocky Butte,Lucy asked whether she could go to the area behind the cafe andmake a snowman. A light snow had begun falling and there was aboutan inch of snow accumulated in the area behind the cafe. When wefinished dinner and went behind the cafe to get Lucy, she could notbe found. We found her tracks in the light snow but lost her trail.We searched and called for Lucy with no response. Alarmed, my wife,Ann went back into the cafe and called 911 while I continued thesearch.

Sheriff Bogend and his deputy arrived at thecafe at about a quarter after six. After a brief search, theycalled the county for assistance in a full-scale search operationand set up a command post in the cafe. By seven, county resourcesbegan to arrive, including search teams, paramedics, andcommunication equipment.

Two search parties began the search for Lucy.Sheriff Bogend believed that Lucy has gone down the trail intoSheffield Valley and sent the first search parties down that trail.A deputy told us that one party reported that they had found fainttracks. Sheriff Bogend directed a full-scale search into theSheffield Valley area.

We sat in the cafe for a while until Ann becameso stressed that we moved to our car in the parking lot. I got ablanket from the trunk, and we sat in the back seat waiting forword. About eight a man with three bloodhounds on leashes knockedon our car window. He asked whether we had any clothing of Lucy's.I gave him her extra sweater, and he let the dogs smell it. Aftersearching around behind the cafe for a short time, the dogs beganheading to the Bear Creek trail. I saw Sheriff Bogend come out ofthe cafe and shout at the man. After some discussion with theSheriff, the man and his dogs returned to the parkinglot

About eight thirty, a man we now know as SteveManteo arrived on the scene. We noticed him because he was such abig man and was not wearing heavy clothing like the search andrescue team members. He talked to the deputy outside the cafe for awhile and then was led inside to talk to the Sheriff. We werewatching him intently because we thought he might have had somenews. Sheriff Bogend looked angry and had his deputy escort Mr.Manteo back to the parking lot.

In the parking lot, Mr. Manteo talked to somemen of the County Search and Rescue team. We saw that they showedhim the picture of Lucy we had given the Sheriff. Mr. Manteo viewedthe picture and then went to his car and sat for a minute. He gotout of the car and went back to the Deputy, outside the door, spokefor a few seconds and then pushed the Deputy out of the way andwent into the cafe to the topographic map hung on the wall that theSheriff had showed us earlier. He marked the map as the Sheriffcame up and was shouting at him, with his gun drawn. Two deputiestook Mr. Manteo by the arms and drug him out to the parking lot.Mr. Manteo sat in his car for a few minutes and then droveaway.

At midnight, a Deputy drove us home because Annwas collapsing.

At a little after 2:00 am a deputy came to ourhouse and told us they had found Lucy and that she haddied."

Both Ed and Ann Sodastrom, along with severalmembers of the jury, were visibly weeping, so the judge called aten-minute recess.

After the recess, Ed Sodastrom was askedwhether there was anything he would like to add.

Ed continued, "This case for us is not aboutmoney for us. We have all we need. We would like to put allSheriffs and the people that insure them on notice that they shoulduse all resources, including psychics if necessary, for findinglost children."

Dean Buttress stood and said, "I object...."Judge Cartright interrupted, "Sustained."

Mr. Willard quickly asked, "Is there anythingelse?"

Ed continued, "We shouldn't have to be here."He slumped dejectedly in his chair.

After an appropriately long theatrical pause,Mr. Willard said, "Thank you."

Testimony continued with a member of avolunteer search and rescue team who said he had been on dozens ofS&R efforts. He described the search scene as chaotic. He stoodidly by from six forty-five until nine o'clock. When asked to ratethe organization of the search from one (totally disorganized) toten (very well-run operation), the S&R man scored the night asa three.

A retired deputy sheriff, from the neighboringcounty, now living in Rocky Butte, had heard about the searcheffort on his police scanner radio and gone to volunteer for thesearch effort. He supported the idea that the effort wasdisorganized, the Sheriff had failed to act on several suggestionsby the professionals around him. He gave the effort afive.

The next man to testify was Tim Holtz, thebloodhound handler that Ed Sodastrom described above. He said thathe had come as a volunteer after hearing of the search on a policescanner. He said he had acted on his own in starting his searchwith the dogs. He was going to talk to the Sheriff, but when hisdogs smelled the sweater, they were off on a charge on Lucy'strail. From his experience, one should follow the dogs when theywant to go. The Sheriff called him back and accused him ofinterfering with police work and said he would be arrested if hecontinued his own search. He said he stood around in the parkinglot until his dogs got too cold. Since it seemed apparent that theSheriff would not call on him, he went home.

When questioned about his credentials, Mr.Holtz said he had only recently moved to the area and was unknownhere. He said he and his dogs had worked for seven years off–and–onfor law enforcement agencies in the Sacramento and NorthernCalifornia area. He was well instructed in the California IncidentControl Procedures and knew