by Dale Mayer
“But forensics should have shown if he was killed first.”
“Maybe, but what if it’s a soft-tissue wound?”
“Usually, if there’s a body, they go through the remains of the fire very carefully,” he said. “The autopsy would show if he was alive before he died from the fire.”
“Sure. But let’s think about this. If he’s shot in his bed on the second floor, and then the fire ravages the house, so basically nothing is left—just a few bones. That bullet would have either gone through the body or would have been burned in the fire. The body wouldn’t even be on the second floor anymore, depending on how fierce a fire it was, so the bullet is somewhere in the remains of the carcass of the burned house. Are you really telling me they’ll find it?”
“I would hope so, yes.”
“Huh,” she said in confusion, thinking about finding a bullet in the ashes. “Well, could you check the records to see if this is new information or that maybe you guys already knew Claude was murdered first?”
“Besides, for a fire to burn that hot, you need an accelerant.”
She noted how he had sidestepped her question. “Of course,” she said. “Hence, you guys already know it was an arson case?”
Silence.
She smirked. “I’d love to hear back on this when you get a moment,” she said and hung up.
It was already late in the day, and she hadn’t done any gardening because she’d been so busy doing paperwork, but that was no excuse. Before she ate, she was determined to get something done outside. She hopped to her feet and, instead of her usual tea, she grabbed a bottle and filled it with cold water. Then she grabbed her gardening gloves and opened the back door, letting everybody out into the yard with her. “Let’s go get some physical work done,” she said.
She’d already done work on the echinacea bed, so she chose the next bed to work on. As she looked toward the house, she was determined to work on a couple feet of her garden every day. With that thought in mind, she stabbed her shovel into the ground to mark what she should get done today and started pulling weeds. One hour later, she hit her mark. She crowed in delight. “It’s not that bad after all,” she said to Goliath.
He was lying on his back, his four legs in the air, snoring. She laughed, pulled her phone from her pocket, and took a picture. Then she sent it to Mack and Nan. She captioned it A Hard Day’s Work, then put away her phone. After that, she kept on working for another hour, determined to get a little more done. By the time she got another section done, she realized she hadn’t expected near enough from herself. She could do a lot more out here. Within a month, she could have this whipped into shape and at least know what the devil was planted here. But it was enough for today.
She stepped onto the deck, wiping the sweat off her brow, and looked with pride at the six feet of garden she’d cleaned up.
“That looks good,” Mack said from behind her.
She let out a shriek and turned around, glaring at him, her shovel already in defense mode. He took a step back, his hands up, but his grin said he wasn’t sorry at all. She still glared at him. “I have been attacked too many times in my own home and in my own yard. A little warning would be nice.”
“A little warning definitely,” he said. He crouched to hug Mugs, who gave him a great big welcome. Even Goliath walked over and flicked his tail at him, looking for some cuddles.
Thaddeus, on the other hand, was still perched on a branch of one of the maple trees nearby. He looked at Mack. “Thaddeus is here. Thaddeus is here.”
Mack chuckled and walked over to give him a hug. Well, it was more like a stroke on his breast. Thaddeus hopped on Mack’s shoulder. “He doesn’t really wait for an invitation, does he?” Mack asked.
“No,” Doreen said cheerfully. “He does what he wants, just like the rest of them.”
“Well, that’s fair,” he said. “Seeing as how you do too.”
She glared at him again, and he cracked a smile. Then he said, “There was no evidence that the Hartley man killed in the fire was murdered.”
She gasped, and her face lit up. “Perfect. So, that’s new information.”
“It’s a new supposition,” Mack corrected. “Remember that thing called evidence?”
“If you didn’t find a bullet, they killed him in another way. And, like you said, an accelerant was used, so the fire would have burned hotter than normal.” Then she paused before saying, “What I want to know is where were the women at the time of each of these arsons?”
“I checked, and apparently Hatty was out for several hours that evening with girlfriends, and her alibi checked out.”
“I wonder if she knew the money was coming,” Doreen said, a cynical tone to her voice.
“If that was the case, that would make it premeditated,” Mack said.
“She’s dead now, so there’s not a whole lot you can do about her. But we need to find out if the other arson cases are similar.”
“The other three, which were the opposing gang fires, I did check. And, yes, all three men were burned in the fires with no evidence they were killed beforehand.”
“There had to be a reason why they didn’t get out of the house fire,” she said. “And don’t tell me in all cases the women weren’t home.”
Mack shoved his hands in his pockets and glared at her. “Yes, that’s correct. But their alibis were very different. One wasn’t even in town, visiting her mother in Vernon, and the second one had a wedding to go to, and the other one was in Vancouver for the weekend.”
“Oh, how very convenient,” Doreen said sarcastically.
“Yes, there are notes to that effect in the file, but the fact remains that their alibis check out and that no evidence was found to link them to the deaths of their husbands.”
“Of course not. The wives were told to get out of town and to stay away. Rather than be home and die with their men, the women took off. That’s love for you.”
He shook his head. “You’ve got to work on that attitude.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Sorry, it’s still a hangover from my ex-husband.”
“With good reason,” Mack admitted, “but you can’t let it completely destroy your attitude.”
“No, it won’t. Eventually,” she said. “So, how do we find out if these men were dead first?”
“Well, there were no lungs to check to see if any smoke was inhaled,” he said. “Their bodies were pretty well incinerated, and that was done deliberately on the part of the arsonist.”
“Sure. So we’ll assume they were murdered. Otherwise, why go to those lengths?”
“And again, no forensics.”
“No, but the link is Steve.”
Mack crossed his arms. “Just because he handed over a check …”
“But did the check come from his own bank account? And, if it did, was there a corresponding deposit to his bank account from the Devil Riders? Either someone gave him the money to hand out or someone reimbursed him for that payout money.”
“I might take a look at that.” Mack studied her for a long moment. “I still need a legal standing to get into his financials.”
“It’s there. We just have to keep digging. And I know you weren’t on these cases originally, so are the original investigating officers still around to talk to? The journalist made it very clear those payouts were for something, and that Steve was behind it all.”
“Too bad the journalist didn’t come up with any proof he could bring to us, so we could have done something about it then or now.”
“I know,” she said. “He’s still alive though. Not in very good shape. He’s on his last few breaths apparently, in a hospice. But Nan thought she might stop by and see him.”
“I could also drop by, if there was a potential legal reason, but I don’t want to upset a dying man.”
“Agreed. So we have to do more research on Steve.”
“The cops have been looking at Steve for a while,” Mack said. “But again, we’re lacking ev
idence and real viable reasons to go any further into his life.”
“I don’t like the legal system sometimes,” Doreen announced.
Mack laughed. “Most cops don’t either, but we’re sworn to operate within the law. And that means there are limits to what we can do.”
“He entered my house illegally. Why don’t you do something about that?”
“Can you prove it was Steve? You know attorneys. They’ll twist your words inside out and backward and say it could have been anybody and not him at all.”
“I know,” Doreen said morosely. Then she was quiet as she thought about her options.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked suspiciously.
She beamed. “I was thinking of a trap.”
Mack shook his head. “No, that won’t work. Steve’s been operating like this for a long time.”
“Sure, but that doesn’t mean his gang will like it. To hear that the file was unearthed. What if I just happened to let people know this file is full of all kinds of incriminating evidence and names?”
“Which is why Steve stole the folder in the first place,” he reminded her. “To ensure that information doesn’t get out.”
“But people don’t know that, do they? And they certainly don’t know if there are more files that he didn’t steal.”
“You’re asking to have your house burned down around your ears,” he warned. “Have you forgotten that’s the way these gang people get rid of problems?”
That stopped her. She stood here for a moment, arms crossed over her chest. “Well, we have to do something. This is hardly acceptable.”
“Agreed. Let me think about it, okay? And I want to read up on the arson files. Did you get anywhere on any of the other harmless stuff? Like the woman who had the hope chest?”
Doreen shook her head. “Not yet. Nan doesn’t know anything about the boxes found in the attic, and I just photocopied some paperwork for her on her house and stuff. And I completely forgot to look at the deed of trust on the house to see who Nan bought this house from. I’ll do that when I go back inside.”
“Good,” he said. “Remember. Focus on that first.”
“I will. But I’ll hardly forget the Bob Small stuff either.”
At that, Mack spun on his heels and glared at her.
She raised both hands in frustration. “I know serial killers are dangerous. But honestly, I think Steve is one of the most dangerous. He operates in the shadows, like a snake. And he lets people get away with all kinds of shit. It shouldn’t be allowed.”
“And we’re on it,” Mack reminded her.
“Yes,” she said, grinning. “We’re on it.”
Chapter 25
Tuesday Early Evening …
As soon as Mack left, Doreen picked up a cup of tea, walked to the creek, and sat on her rock. She understood Mack was worried about her, and she needed to be careful, but what was she supposed to do when obviously somebody was heavily involved with now five house fires, all arsons and likely all murders? The first house fire—the Helmsmans—probably started it all. And that was also arson. Doreen had no idea how far this went or how big it was.
And the other problem was how many of the original gang members were even still alive, whether of the Devil Riders’ gang or the rival gang? How many were left to be prosecuted?
She understood there was Steve, and he shouldn’t be allowed to walk away scot-free. He had a good twenty to thirty years left to live, even if fifty or sixty years old now. Why should he be allowed to enjoy his freedom when he’d caused so much suffering and pain and loss?
Of course, it didn’t matter what she thought. So much was going on around her that had nothing to do with her. But then she remembered Mack’s words about how Steve, or the Devil Riders’ gang, could burn down her house in retaliation for all her research and interest into this matter. She hated to say it, but one of her first thoughts had been, at least the antiques were safe. She also had to wonder about the house insurance and if it was up to date. She mentally noted to check on that, making sure she added fire if it wasn’t already covered. Although she thought it was mandatory. But she hadn’t paid insurance bills before.
She groaned. She had so much to learn about owning a home, particularly for somebody who’d never even paid her own cell phone bill before. And how did the insurance work if her house burned to the ground? Was it still insured if the damage was caused by arson?
As she sat here, she realized that the Penny-and-Steve connection meant that Penny’s defense would be a lot stronger if Doreen wasn’t around to testify. On that note, Doreen worried that maybe her half-put-together security system wouldn’t be enough. Her animals would need rescuing in the case of a fire. And Penny did have some money to pay for an arsonist. Particularly if she sold her house. Doreen didn’t know if Steve would do a favor like that for free for somebody he obviously cared about, but it would also benefit him to not have Doreen around. And that was yet another consideration.
She stood and called Nan. “Do you have house insurance, like for a fire, on this place?” she asked as soon as Nan picked up.
“Of course my dear,” Nan reassured her. And then her voice sharpened. “Why?”
“I was just sitting by the creek and wondering,” Doreen said, glibly not dwelling on the reason for the call. “Just thought to myself I haven’t paid a bill like that yet.”
“I always pay annually. It’ll come due in the fall,” Nan said. “Hopefully, by then, you’ll have the money from the antiques.”
“I hope so,” Doreen said. Then she worried about the cost. “How much does the insurance run?”
“It’s about a thousand, I think,” Nan said.
Doreen gasped. “That’s a lot of money!”
“Yes,” Nan said. “It is. You’ve also got to consider the property taxes too.”
“And what kind of money is that?”
“Several thousand. You’ll get that notice soon. It’s always sent out in early July. You’ll get a grant for being a homeowner, but it won’t be quite enough to help offset the cost.”
“Right.” Doreen could see her bank account like a great big bathtub, and the plug pulled out, and her left with no money at all. “Those are some fairly major bills.”
“They are,” Nan said. “But I’m here, and we’ll get this done.”
“I hear you,” she said. “I just wish you didn’t have to worry about it. That I was doing well enough without your help.”
“That’s not today’s issue,” Nan said. “Did you find anything new on these cases?”
“No,” Doreen said. “Nothing yet.”
“What about Mack? Did he find anything?”
“No. He’s looking into a bunch of stuff but nothing new yet.”
“Okay,” Nan said. “You’ll let me know when you find something, right?”
“Yes,” Doreen said. Then she hung up, looked down at the animals, and asked, “Do you guys want to go for a walk?”
Mugs’s response was a crazy wave of barking and dancing around, whereas Goliath didn’t even appear to open his eyes. Thaddeus sat here, sleeping on a rock, and he didn’t appear to notice either. Frowning, Doreen reached over and gently brushed his feathers. “You not getting enough sleep, big guy?”
He shuffled away from her fingers as if she had disturbed him. She sighed and said, “Well, I’m not going without you unless you want me to take you back inside.”
At that, he straightened in outrage, stretching up as tall as he could. “Thaddeus is here. Thaddeus is here.”
She chuckled. “I know that, you big crazy guy,” she said affectionately. She held out a hand, and he hopped on and then walked up to her shoulder, where he sagged close to her neck. She rubbed her head gently against him for a long moment and then told Mugs, “Okay, let’s go.”
As she walked away, not seeing Goliath though, she looked back. He still snoozed in the sun’s light. “Goliath,” she called out.
He opened his eyes and, s
eeing her leaving without him, jumped up and raced ahead.
She laughed. “I didn’t think you’d want to be left behind.”
They walked to the crossway to Penny’s house. Doreen really wanted to take a look, despite not knowing if the house was even for sale anymore, what with Penny being charged with these crimes. But then realizing she was probably out on bail and that was a good-enough reason to keep away, Doreen kept on walking.
Really, it was Steve’s place she wanted to go to anyway. It was a longer walk, and it was early evening now, with the sun just starting to dip. She’d missed dinner, and, somewhere along the line, she was worrying about the oncoming night. As she got to Steve’s property, the late shadows of sunlight stretched across his land. She stood here for a long moment. It was a gorgeous place with a really lovely layout and a beautiful and fresh green garden. But it was paid for with blood money. And that was something she could never reconcile.
She walked past his property and up to the next one, wondering exactly what was here. She found out it was another big mansion, and she found nothing but mansions for the next ten or so properties, at least from what she could see. She kept walking before she turned around, then walked past Steve’s place again. As she did, she thought she saw somebody in the windows. A curtain slammed closed. She frowned at that, lifted her phone, and took a photo. And then she hurried past and walked back to her place.
By the time she got in the door to her house, a deep sense of unease had settled inside her. And yet, she couldn’t really justify or explain it. Something was not quite right. Instead of sitting out back, she made herself a hot lemon drink and sat out front. She didn’t know why she chose the hot lemon. Somehow she was suddenly looking for something different to drink these days.
She sat here wondering what she was supposed to do now. She had so many open threads and no answers on several cases. Doreen hadn’t found anything new on the Helmsman fire either. She walked back inside, then sent Mack her third related email about checking the Helmsman case records to see if a dead male was found inside. And then she started in on more research because there was so much to do.