Dead And Buried Read Online Free PDF Page B

her bound wrists. He then looped the rope around her feet and her wrists so she was in a hog-tied position. He then looped the rope around her neck. He checked the rope to make sure it was secure. She was not going anywhere.
    He also made sure she could not make a noise, so he grabbed a roll of silver duct tape, which he also brought for the occasion, and unfurled it across her mouth.
    Still not feeling entirely confident, he bolted up Aundria’s staircase and into her bedroom. While there, he grabbed one of her pillowcases and quickly returned to the bathroom. He grabbed Aundria’s still-unconscious body and draped the pillowcaseover her head. He did not want her to see him in case she woke up.
    Aundria was unconscious, hog-tied, gagged, and blindfolded.But she was still alive.
    The intruder returned to her bedroom and grabbed another pillowcase. He began to survey the room and realized that he wanted to take some of this girl’s items with him. Using the pillowcase as a carrying bag, he stuffed random items inside. He took some of Aundria’s country and classic rock CDs, videotapes, and even a VCR. He also grabbed some of her clothes.
    The intruder rushed outside to Branch Street and located his blue Ford Ranger pickup in front of her house. It was nestledunder several large oak trees, which served as a natural canopy over the quiet neighborhood street. The darkness createdby the trees provided a cover, so no one would see him. He tossed the pillowcase full of stolen items into the car and returned to Aundria’s brown duplex.
    When he returned, he panicked.
    She was conscious!
    She was valiantly struggling against her numerous restraints,but the exertion only frightened her more and slowed her down. The man did not punch her again. Instead, he grabbed her in a bundle, tossed the 5’6”, 120-pound girl over his shoulder, and headed out onto Branch Street. He placed her in the back of the truck cab behind the seats and quietly shut the passenger door. Instead of getting into the truck and driving off, the man returned to the duplex.
    He scurried to the bathroom and grabbed a towel. He used it to wipe off Aundria’s blood from the floor. There were only small spots, but several dispersed throughout the house. When he finished, he turned off the lights and headed out. As he was about to exit the back door, something shiny caught his eye.
    Aundria’s keys.
    He raced over to the dining-room table, where they lay. He grasped them in his large hand. There was something unusual attached to the keys.
    A tiny black eight ball key chain. He looked at the key chain with a certain sense of bemusement.
    It brought back memories. Just as quickly, he was gone.

EIGHT
    March 12, 1999
Clovis, California
12:15 A.M.
     
    “This is Gail Eberhart. I need to report that my daughter is missing.”
    A San Luis Obispo Police Department dispatcher took the call. The woman caller did not sound too stressed, but concerned.The dispatcher calmly asked the woman for her daughter’s name.
    “Aundria Crawford,” the woman replied. “She lives on Branch Street in San Luis Obispo, near the Greyhound bus station.”
    “When was the last time you spoke with your daughter, Mrs... ?”
    “Eberhart. I spoke with her this past Tuesday. But I paged her last night and I haven’t heard from her since. She always returns my beeps.”
    The dispatcher could tell Eberhart was getting slightly more frantic as the conversation continued. He wanted to calm this situation down before the woman became too upset.
    “Ma’am, I am going to send someone over there right away,” he assured her. “We will check it out for you right now.”
    The dispatcher did not want to waste a second in tracking down the young woman. It had been four months since the disappearance of Rachel Newhouse. The last thing the police force of San Luis Obispo wanted was for word to spread that another local college girl had gone missing. He hoped he could nip this problem in the bud