My camera had appeared around my neck after Sapphire’s rescue, and I was able to snap some exceptional photos at the scene. One shot in particular—of Kerbie Gomez glaring at the camera—was perfect for the front page.
I couldn’t help but read the story one more time.
Man Arrested for Ferry Captain’s Murder Meets Dramatic End
by Hayden Caldwell
Ferry helmsman charged with murder of ship’s captain dies in fiery car wreck
Kerbie Gomez, helmsman of the Destiny Falls Ferry, had been taken into custody and charged for the murder of the ferry captain that occurred one week prior. The body of Nakita Morozova Volkov, commonly known as Nakita Morozova, was found on the return voyage of the ferry by the cleaning crew. She is believed to have died of blunt force trauma to the head. A metal table leg found at the scene is suspected to be the murder weapon, according to the sheriff’s report.
Gomez, a professional ferry helmsman, had worked in the DF Ferry system for five years. He had originally escaped notice because of his position on the staff and his apparent friendship with Morozova. It has since been revealed that the two were involved in an alleged illegal transport scheme, the sheriff’s office said.
Morozova was in possession of top-secret vessel documents related to the scheme. It is believed that a fight occurred between her and Gomez over the material, a fight which led to her death. At the time of the argument, she had already shipped out the box of documents to an undisclosed location.
In an attempt to locate and steal the documents, Gomez hatched a kidnap and ransom plot. He and two other men, mechanics for the ferry system, Jared and Herman Serano, kidnapped a woman whose family was harboring the documents. They broke into the victim’s home and left a note for the family, demanding the box of documents in exchange for the kidnap victim. They held the woman at the apartment above the downtown dry-cleaning shop run by Gomez’s family.
Clues uncovered in the documents led Sheriff Jaxson Redford and a team of investigators to the dry-cleaning shop, where the victim was rescued unharmed and Gomez apprehended. The name of the kidnap victim is being withheld at the request of the family.
Miranda Spencer, identified as Gomez’s landlady, said that the Gomez family rented the two-story building, running the dry-cleaning business on the main floor and living in the apartment above. She’d had no complaints or issues with the family. Spencer was shocked to learn that Gomez was not the proprietor that she thought she knew. “He always said hello and chatted with me. He’d been quiet, polite, and paid his rent on time,” she said. She has been unable to reach other members of the Gomez family, and the dry-cleaning office remains closed.
Several members of the ferry staff had seen a different side to Gomez, calling him moody and a loner. He was known to spend time with the Serano brothers and the captain outside of work hours. The group kept to themselves and seldom socialized with any other members of the ferry staff or crew.
Statements made by the mechanics in exchange for plea bargains provided enough verifiable evidence to link Gomez to the crime. The Serano brothers claim little knowledge of details of the transport scheme, but verified that a criminal partnership between Morozova and Gomez existed. The combination of prior evidence plus their statements provided enough substantiation to place him under arrest for the murder of Morozova.
Sheriff Jaxson Redford took Gomez into custody at the time of the kidnapping, and he was held overnight at the Destiny Falls jail.
The morning following the arrest, Deputy James Ryan was transporting Gomez to the medium-security prison in Belfair Ridge when his squad car blew a tire, which spun the vehicle over the guardrail near the coastline. Ryan was able to exit the vehicle before it exploded and is recovering at Destiny Falls General Hospital. Gomez had been trapped in the back seat and perished in the flames.
The landlady and ferry staff have spoken to detectives and are cooperating with the investigation regarding the possible transport scheme. However, with the deaths of both Morozova and Gomez, a source tells us the investigation into the scheme has been stalled. It appears that the two criminals died taking untold secrets with them.
37
The Witch
The Jeannie-ized witch was painting her toenails pink when her doorbell pealed. It shocked her into spilling the pink goo all over her footstool. No one dared to sneak up on her! It was unheard of! If those idiot men had figured out a way to do so, she would make them pay for their error.
The doorbell rang again. Angered, she lifted her finger, poised and ready to punish them. She flung the door open.
The gale-force anger of her visitor flung her against the back wall of her cave. She stood there, rubbing the back of her head in shock. Her eyes grew wide with fear.
“You will stop. Now.” The words echoed off the walls.
She had not heard her sister’s voice in many years. But it immediately struck a chord of terror. Her sister might fool others with her fancy appearance. But the witch was not fooled. She knew the power her sister held.
The witch attempted an innocent look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Do not think me a fool, sister. I see right through your disguise to your heart. I have been watching you. Hoping your exile has been long enough to teach you a lesson. Father would be disappointed.”
“Do not bring him up in my home,” the witch growled.
“This home?” Her sister waved her hand around the room, and the genie bottle décor melted
