The Case of Eden Capiella: A Prezly/Paladino Investigation

By Sandy Raschke

Eden Capiella, a young painter of abstract art, is being stalked by a homeless man; he tells her that her younger brother Lennie, a heroin addict, is dead then two weeks later accosts her again to tell her he is alive and if she pays him, he will tell her where Lennie is.

 

She contacts Elvyra Prezly and Charles "Chuck" Paladino, the private investigators she met at the Organ Mountains Dripping Springs Trail. The Prezly-Paladinos had been behind her on the trail with their five-month old fraternal twins. Chuck alerted the rangers that she had fallen over the safety barrier at the trail's end. Eden claims the stalker threw her over it. They are able to identify the stalker from a sketch Eden made: Patrick Rukowski, a mentally ill homeless man, with a long arrest record of assault and petty theft.

 

Eden asks Chuck and Elvyra to search for Lennie. Juggling family responsibilities with their profession obligations, they scour Las Cruces' drug rehab facilities, homeless camps, a free clinic and a hospital, but encounter hurdles because of the privacy laws. Chuck goes undercover at the hospital and finds Lennie near death in the acute care unit; Elvyra contacts Eden and her parents so they can visit him before it's too late.

 

Their investigation of Rukowski continues; they quickly determine he was not the perpetrator but a foil for someone else's ambitions—Elgin Feldsparr, a formerly blackballed photographer/reporter, obsessed with getting scoops by stealing his colleagues' assignments, or creating situations he can use to his advantage. In his devious manipulation of Rukowski, Eden and Lennie become prey to further his schemes.

 

Elvyra and Chuck piece together his actions and ask Eden file a complaint with the police. An arrest warrant is issued but Feldsparr gets wind of it and takes Eden hostage in her studio, but his stand-off with the police fails. Months later, at trial, he tries to escape during a lull in the proceedings and grabs Eden as she waits in the hallway to testify against him. Elvyra confronts him, using a clever technique to divert his attention. Will Feldsparr fall for it and release Eden? Or will he harm Eden and possibly Elvyra when the police make their move to take him down?  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sandy Raschke
• Release date: Oct 2, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393454779

Book preview

Chapter 1

Eden Capiella passed two hikers on the trail, pushing a tandem stroller with a fringed sun shield on top. Cute she said as she noticed the two infants inside. The summit of the Organ Mountains Dripping Springs Trail came into view, and she slowed down. A wire safety barrier had been erected since she had last hiked the trail, to prevent visitors from accidentally slipping off the promontory while taking photos of themselves or of others.  

She leaned against the barrier and breathing heavily looked out at the deep canyon below. She took a long drink of water from the bottle she carried with her. She had burned up most of her energy and now realized she was premature in hiking the trail. She should have waited another day to complete the two and a half mile trek, but after 36 hours of being confined to a locked room, she needed to move, feel the fresh air and the sun on her face.

AS HE SIGNED THE DISCHARGE order, the doctor had advised her to take the anti-anxiety medication he had prescribed. Her hysteria and incoherence had prevented her from explaining to the police why she ran out of a supermarket two days ago, screaming like a banshee. They decided to take her to a mental facility instead of questioning her at the station.

But after several interviews and tests, Dr. Hellwigg told her he didn’t think she was mentally ill, but had a severe panic attack, precipitated by the shock of actually seeing what she had described to him: a homeless man who had remained ever-present in the shadows, until he confronted her in the store.  

Ms. Capiella, please take the medication, he said. It’s only temporary and will help allay your anxiety about this man approaching you again.

She had promised to do as he asked and took one of the pills when she got home and then again yesterday morning. But when she sat down to paint, she felt spacey, unable to concentrate on her project. That had never happened before.

By late afternoon, her mind was still fuzzy. If she continued to take the medication, she would get nothing done. Acting on impulse, she went into the lavatory and emptied the bottle containing the meds onto a tissue, folded it up and tossed it into the garbage.

A severe panic attack, he said.

By the time the police arrived, she thought she was going to die. She couldn’t catch her breath and when she finally did, all she could do was scream, shiver, and blabber nonsense. No wonder they thought she was crazy.

She couldn’t articulate to them that someone had been following her for weeks. She had seen him popping in and out of sight, a cap pulled down over his face. Sometimes he hovered near the entrance to her building, studying her, staring at her. But she had never seen him in full.

During those weeks, she felt as if she were trapped inside a nightmare, the kind where you wake up sweating and disoriented then suddenly forget everything that happened. Until the next night, when it happens again...

But last night her mind finally cleared. She got out of bed at 0100 hours, took a few deep breaths, picked up her sketch pad and willed herself to draw.

As she sketched, her thoughts began to untangle. For the first time, he had had revealed himself—in the frozen food aisle of all places. His face was pitted, scarred and craggy, the eyes almost black, hooded and sinister, his aquiline nose crooked, as if he’d been in a bad fight. His teeth were greenish-yellow with several upper teeth missing. He came within inches of her face and gave her an ominous stare. Coughing, she backed away from him, the stench of his breath, filthy clothing, and lack of hygiene unbearable.

He didn’t get the hint and followed her into the next aisle. I need to talk to you, he said in a growl. It’s important.

She turned to run, figuring at first that he was a homeless man with mental health issues and had latched on to her because she had attracted him in some way...until he said, Your brother is dead. She stepped away. He moved in front of her. "Didn’t you hear me? Lennie is dead..."

Gasping for air, she turned and fled out the door.

Chapter 2

T his is great, Chuck said, as they hiked the short version of the Dripping Springs Trail to the summit. Fresh air, exercise. I’m glad we took the twins with us.

Good thing Fawal sent them the tandem stroller as a gift. The twins were five months old now. Ryan, The Butterball, Chuck called him, was becoming the male image of Elvyra, with his spike of strawberry blonde hair, fair skin, and green eyes. He was the heavier of the two at birth, and now weighed over seventeen pounds. Isabella was a blend; she had Chuck’s dark brown wavy hair, a ruddy complexion, and aquamarine eyes inherited from Elvyra’s grandfather. She was two inches longer than Ryan, with long limbs, weighed a little over fifteen pounds and recently had become quite chatty with odd sounds and musical babbling.

He had thought about using carriers and hiking up the trail with the kids on their backs, but now as they gained elevation, he was grateful that El had suggested the stroller. Not only for the convenience of it, but also for his back and leg, still stiff at times from the multiple fractures he’d suffered twelve years ago when a drunk driver hit his car with his three-year old son and first spouse inside and killed them.

He pushed away the image of the accident and turned to Elvyra. You did a great job finding that gigolo and getting Jan Molleneau’s money and assets returned.

She stopped pushing. You look like you’re limping a bit.

It’s my back again, he said.

She gave him a demure smile. I’ll give you a nice massage when we get home.

I’d like that, he said as they continued up the hill.  You were about to mention Jan Molleneau.

I was? He nodded. You and Billings helped me a lot with that case. Jan turned out to be a lovely person and I’m glad we could be of service.

Such modesty, Chuck said. I did a few hours of leg work, Billings unwound the guy’s financial shenanigans, and you did the majority of the investigation while nursing two babies. He took the bar of the stroller.

Elvyra blushed and changed the subject. The twins are more than a pound heavier than three weeks ago, when we went to the local park in Mesilla. They both stretched before continuing on. They love the outdoors, she said as the twins waved their little arms around, gurgling and cooing. Just like we do.

He looked around. Did you see that young woman who passed us on the trail a while back?

I did. I heard her say the twins were cute. A petite, attractive woman, striding along as if this trail were familiar to her. Elvyra looked up the path. I wonder where she went. I can see the summit, but not her.

Maybe she’s sitting on a nearby bench. Let’s get to the top and have a drink. The kids probably need some water, too. It’s pretty warm already.

They walked slowly toward the summit. Isabella was getting fussy, and Ryan began babbling away in some kind of weird, melodic singsong. The benches were unoccupied—where was the young woman they’d seen? Chuck wondered.

He sat down, removed Ryan from the stroller and set him on his knee. He pulled out a container of water and poured some into a baby bottle, and Ryan sucked it down in a few gulps. Elvyra had also given Isabella a drink and was changing her diaper when Chuck heard a distant cry. He held Ryan under his arm as if he were a football and headed for the safety barrier that kept hikers away from the edge. He looked down. The woman was about twenty yards below, clinging to a large rock and weakly calling for help.

Link to Emergency Services, he said to Elvyra. That hiker is hanging onto a small boulder down there. He put Ryan back in the stroller and went back to the barrier. Help is on the way. Don’t try to move.

I can’t hold on much longer, she cried out. Please, help me!

Chuck looked at Elvyra and shook his head. We need to do something. The EMS or the park rangers won’t get here in time.

"I know what you’re thinking, amore mio, Elvyra said. But it’s too dangerous for you to climb down there and bring that woman back up. Too steep and scattered with small, loose rocks. One slip and our children will grow up without a father."

Chuck huffed. Yes, it was steep and the rocky cliff dangerous. But as a former Marine, he had encountered terrain a lot more difficult than that, especially during survival training. Then again, his last training exercise was more than fifteen years ago and it had been close to twelve years since he’d retired.

Another scream—the woman had lost her grip and slid further down the side of the hill onto a rocky ledge below. Chuck was strangely relieved. She’d be safe there. He called out to her. Don’t move from the ledge.

I can’t. I think my leg is broken and my hands are all cut up.

A few minutes later, two park rangers showed up carrying heavy climbing ropes and a flat board for hoisting an injured person up the hill.

Where is she? one of the rangers asked.

Chuck pointed and explained that she might have a broken leg.

The second ranger used a bull horn. We’re coming down to get you, he said, and she waved back.

FORTY-FIVE MINUTES later, the park rangers pulled the woman, now secured to the board, up to the visitors’ outlook. A converted four-wheel drive Jeep used for evacuating the injured was waiting. A small crowd had gathered and cheered the rangers when they reappeared. One of the hikers wormed his way through the crowd and took photos of the woman. The Emergency Services medic waved him away but he elbowed his way around him and snapped a few more while the medic assisted his partner with the gurney.

As the woman was being loaded into the back of the vehicle, she asked if she could thank the man who had stayed with her. The ranger nodded yes and went to get Chuck.

My name is Eden Capiella. If you hadn’t seen me and linked for help, I could have died on that ledge. She shivered. Chuck thought she was in shock, but her voice was strong and her eyes clear. A man has been stalking me. He came out of nowhere, picked me up and tossed me over the barrier.

She’s in shock and scraped up quite a bit, one of the rangers said. We gave her a dose of morphine before we applied a splint to her broken leg and covered her bleeding palms. She might have hit her head when she fell and, coupled with the painkiller, she could be seeing things that aren’t there.

No! I see just fine. He’s been following me, threatening me—and now, nearly killed me. She grabbed Chuck’s hand and winced. Three days ago I ran out of a supermarket after he harangued me. The police thought I had a meltdown and took me to Jefferson Therapeutic to be examined. The doctor said I wasn’t mentally ill but had a severe panic attack. Of course I panicked—look what he just did to me. Tears fell down her cheeks. I need help.

Elvyra was sitting on the bench with Ryan and Isabella in their stroller. She waved and Chuck excused himself. He asked the rangers to wait a moment.

What’s going on? Elvyra asked, and he told her.

Give her your card. Tell her we’ll help her.

You’re sure? She could be just imagining things.

We can look into that, Elvyra said. For now, she needs to feel that someone believes what she said. Ryan and Isabella were getting cranky. We’d better get down the hill and back to the car. It’s 1030 hours and 80 degrees already.

Chuck nodded. A little too much excitement for them today. After kissing the twins on their cheeks, and smiling as they giggled, he went back to the Jeep.

My spouse and I are private investigators, he said to Eden Capiella. Here is my card. If we can be of help, just link to us. We hope you feel better soon.

She looked at the card. Prezly-Paladino Investigations. Thank you again. I might have need of your services.

ELVYRA MADE GOOD ON her promise and gave Chuck a deep massage when they got home. Then when he told her how relaxed he was, she removed the rest of his clothes and made love to him. "Relaxed and happy," he said, as they lay breathless, entwined in each other’s arms.

We have so little time these days to enjoy each other, she said. These stolen moments are very precious to me.

"And to me, donna dolce." He was about to kiss again her when the baby monitor went off: Isabella was crying and Ryan soon followed. They got up and wrapped in their robes, went to take care of the twins.

Chapter 3

Two weeks had passed since Eden Capiella had broken her leg at Dripping Springs. Elvyra thought the young woman was most likely not in need of their services, but decided that when she got a chance, she would look into her background anyway. She was curious but also needed a distraction; although she and Chuck had just started the twins on solid foods like cereals and ground cooked chicken, mashed bananas and unsweetened applesauce, she had been pumping breast milk in preparation for weaning them. It was a tedious task, but a month from now she expected they would be ready for formula and juices, and more solid foods; and though she realized how convenient that would be, she had mixed feelings about weaning them. There was an intimacy they shared that she couldn’t fully explain to Chuck, although he claimed he understood.

He said she looked relaxed and at peace when nursing the twins. If she wanted to continue for a few more months, he had no objections.

But she didn’t want to burden him with more responsibilities; he was already handling most of their cases while all she did was field questions from prospective clients. And, to her dismay,