by Dan Padavona
“Benson slept here,” LeVar said, swinging his eyes around the room.
“We’d better alert the sheriff’s department.” She removed her phone and turned to LeVar. “Call Raven. Let her know Benson is hiding outside Wolf Lake.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
October 31st
1:35 p.m.
Thomas sat in the passenger seat of Detective Presley’s cruiser. They were parked near the back of the lot outside the high school. Three students in hooded sweatshirts braved the cold and mingled outside a rusty muscle car, one kid sucking on a cigarette and puffing smoke. The principal would make an announcement about Derek before the day ended. As he reviewed his notes, Thomas wondered how many people Leland Trivett had already told.
“I don’t believe Trivett killed Derek,” Thomas said. “The kid seemed genuinely shocked.”
“Agreed. The more I learn about Derek’s stepfather, the more I think he had something to do with the murder.” Presley read her watch. “We have an hour to kill before we interview Valerie Leonard.” Valerie had left school for a dentist appointment and was due home by three. “How do you want to handle the interview?”
Thomas drummed his hand against the armrest.
“Her parents will demand to observe the interview. That could present a problem if the father is involved.”
“How about I lead the interview, and you focus on the dad? Watch how he reacts when we bring up Derek.”
“That works.”
Presley yawned into her hand.
“The long day is catching up to me. There’s a coffee shop on the way.”
“I’ll meet you there,” Thomas said, hopping out of Presley’s vehicle.
He followed Presley down a winding hill which deposited them on the southern outskirts of Barton Falls. The residences on this side of the town seemed to sag and lean more than their counterparts. Like thinning hair, missing shingles left bald spots on roofs. Beaten cars sat on blocks in yards, and a woman bundled against the cold pushed a shopping cart of returnable cans along a buckled sidewalk.
The coffee shop sat beside a gas station in the center of Barton Falls. While Presley ran inside, Thomas refilled at the pump, bracing against the chill. A paper pumpkin blew around his ankles, and a sign announcing beer at thirty percent off flapped against the store.
After he topped off the tank, Thomas parked his vehicle beside Presley’s and joined her inside. She waited in line with a coffee cup in one hand and a protein bar in the other. Remembering Aguilar’s advice, Thomas ordered green tea. Three customers waited in line between Presley and Thomas. The detective motioned for him to stand beside her, but he shook his head, not wanting to jump the line. The woman in front of Thomas held a sandwich. She eyed Thomas’s badge with curiosity as she tapped an impatient foot.
On their way out of the coffee shop, Presley’s phone rang. Holding the coffee and protein bar, she struggled to grab the phone out of her pocket.
“Let me take that,” Thomas said, holding his hand out for Presley’s coffee.
“Thanks.” Thomas waited beside Presley’s cruiser while the detective answered the call. After some back and forth, she held up a finger. “Perfect. Send me a photo of the impressions…right…I’ll let you know what we find.”
“Good news?”
“We got a break. CSI took impressions of the tire tracks this morning. The driver drove on mismatched tires: two snows and two all-seasons.”
“So we’re looking for a dark-colored sedan with mismatched tires.”
“It’s not much to go on, but it’s a start.”
“Let’s hope Valerie Leonard’s father parked his vehicle in the driveway, rather than inside a locked garage.”
“That’s the thing. I checked with the DMV, and Ed Leonard drives a black Volkswagen Passat.”
* * *
Raven snapped awake to a car door slamming. She blinked and glanced around the parking lot, embarrassed she’d fallen asleep. With Mark Benson in Wolf Lake, now wasn’t the time to let her guard down. Though she considered the parking lot outside the sheriff’s department a safe place, she took nothing for granted.
She glanced at the clock. At most, she’d dozed for five minutes. Aguilar was inside the building, meeting with Lambert. Raven checked her phone for missed calls. After leaving voice-mail messages with Lizzie Todd and Ellie Fisher, she’d hoped one of the women would get back to her. Raven called Ellie’s phone, expecting to end up in voice-mail purgatory again. When Ellie answered, Raven sat forward.
“Ellie, I tried to reach you earlier.”
“Sorry, Ms. Hopkins. I meant to call, but it’s been a crazy day at work. Not a moment’s rest.”
“You’ve heard the news by now, I hope.”
“What news?”
Raven slapped her palm against her face. Ellie had gone about her day, unaware her kidnapper was in Wolf Lake and possibly targeting her. As she told Ellie about the jailbreak, heels clicked against the pavement while wind whistled over the phone.
“Are you outside?”
“I’m on my way to meet a client,” Ellie said as the clicks sped up. Raven pictured the woman—slight build with a runner’s physique, dimpled cheeks, hair tied back in a ponytail. “Oh, I never told you. I got a choice job with an advertising agency. We’re two blocks from your private investigation firm. We should do lunch sometime.”
“Did you say you’re meeting a client?” Raven’s awareness of her surroundings exploded. Suddenly, every fall color sharpened. She heard leaves scraping beneath the undercarriage, car horns bleating from a block away. “Who is the client?”
“A Mr. Sandford, or something. He’s meeting me at the village park, then we’re going out for lunch.”
“So you’ve never met this man.”
“Is that a problem?”
Raven drummed her foot as she searched the windows for Aguilar. What was taking so long?
“Turn around.”
“What?”
“Stay away from the park.”
“I can’t blow off Mr. Sandford. This is my third week on the job. They’ll fire me if I lose the account.”
Raven turned the key in the ignition and motored out of the lot, pointing the Rogue toward the park as she recalled the layout. Three walkways converged on a statue in the park’s center. A tree grove bordered the east end of the park, the perfect place to abduct Ellie and drag her to the stolen Mitsubishi.
“Have you reached the park yet?”
“I’m outside the park now. What’s all this about?”
Raven coasted up to a red light, glanced both ways, and shot through the intersection. She checked the mirrors. If a deputy spotted her running the red light, the cruiser would pursue her to the park. But nobody noticed the infraction. The street signs blurred past. She could see the village park three blocks ahead.
“Get inside somewhere safe. A store, a restaurant. Anything.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“Do as I say, Ellie. I’m almost there.”
Ellie Fisher blew out a frustrated breath.
“Fine.”
Raven relaxed when the clamor of conversation came over the phone. Silverware clinked against dishes. Several restaurants lay outside the park. It didn’t matter which one Ellie chose, as long as she was inside. Was Raven overreacting? Mr. Sandford might be who he claimed to be—a client for the advertising firm.
Raven whipped the Rogue against the curb. She surveyed the park, the empty benches, the paper bag rolling through the grass. Her eyes stopped on a man hiding between the trees. Shadows concealed his face, yet she recognized the burly build. Benson. Raven shot a text to Aguilar before diving out of the SUV. The second she entered the park, Benson took off running. Though Raven felt confident she could take Benson in a footrace, the fugitive had a head start. As she passed the statue and a gurgling fountain, Benson disappeared. A second later, a red Mitsubishi shot off the curb, tires squealing, the car breathing blue exhaust.
&nb
sp; Raven knew she’d made a mistake. Reversing course, she sprinted for her vehicle, knowing she’d never catch up. Aguilar called as Raven climbed inside the Rogue.
“Benson’s driving a red Mitsubishi and burning oil.”
“Where is he now?”
“Heading toward the lake road, probably trying to reach the highway.”
Aguilar reported Benson’s vehicle before she returned to the conversation.
“Stand down, Raven. We’ll catch him before he leaves the village.”
Raven prayed Aguilar was right.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
October 31st
1:40 p.m.
Like old bones coming alive, the kitchen window rattled from the wind. Naomi peered between the curtains. From the deck door, she stared out at LeVar’s house as she fretted with her apron. She’d phoned Scout after they arrived home from Shepherd Systems, and her daughter promised she was taking it easy and using the computer to write an essay. Still, Naomi’s brow knitted together as she watched Scout’s shadow slide past a window.
“How are you doing with the sweet potatoes?” Serena asked from the counter.
“Sorry, I got a little distracted.”
Serena gave Naomi a knowing smile as she whisked eggs, milk, sugar, and butter into a mixing bowl with her favorite extracts.
“Why don’t we check on Scout after we place the pie in the oven?”
Naomi brushed flour off her hands.
“If you don’t mind. She’s safe inside LeVar’s place, but a mother never stops worrying.”
“You speak the truth, girl.”
Naomi mashed the sweet potatoes with the food mill she’d purchased with her first paycheck from Shepherd Systems. She handed the potatoes to Serena, who stirred the combined ingredients into a pie shell. The oven beeped, signaling the temperature had reached 375 degrees. Naomi’s mouth watered. Soon, the scents from Serena’s famous sweet potato pie would fill the house. Serena stood aside while Naomi slid the pie into the oven.
“How long should I set the timer?”
“Fifty-five minutes,” Serena said, untying her apron and hanging it over a chair. “Now, why don’t we discuss the real reason you invited me for lunch.”
Naomi lifted her head.
“So we could celebrate. You enjoyed the tour, right? I want you on my team, Serena.”
Serena touched Naomi’s arm.
“I’m flattered, but I see what’s going on here. My daughter put you up to this. She wants someone watching over me twenty-four hours a day. Naomi, I don’t need supervision.”
Naomi chewed her lip.
“Raven might have called last week.”
“Uh-huh.”
“She worries you’re at home and lonely all day while she’s at work.”
“And she wonders when Mom will fall off the wagon and end up living on some lowlife’s couch in Harmon.”
“She has faith in you, Serena. I have faith in you. That’s why I brought you in for the tour. We all have our demons. Just don’t take the journey alone. Give yourself the best chance to thrive by leaning on others for support.”
Serena blew the hair out of her eyes and plopped down in a chair. Outside the window, the sky darkened and lowered, swollen with the coming winter.
“I hear you. It’s just that I’m supposed to be the parent, not the child. I don’t want Raven and LeVar worrying over me for the rest of their lives.” Serena’s eyes glistened. “God knows I’ve done nothing to earn their loyalty.”
Naomi knelt before Serena and held her hand.
“You brought two beautiful people into the world and kept them safe.” When Serena opened her mouth to protest, Naomi held up a finger. “You did the best you could, Serena. And you did it alone. So you made a few mistakes. Who hasn’t?”
“A few mistakes? I kicked my daughter out of the apartment, and my son almost died running with a gang.”
Naomi pulled a chair beside Serena’s.
“No one would ever guess you had issues with Raven. Her heart swells every time she looks at you and sees who you’ve become. She owns her own house, and she made a success of herself as a private investigator. Now consider everything LeVar has accomplished in the last year. Don’t pretend you didn’t play a role.”
Serena glanced at the oven as she struggled to hold back tears.
“I’m weak, Naomi. What mother asks her kids to carry her from the couch to the bed ‘cause she wasted her day shooting up?”
“That’s not you anymore. There’s nothing you can do to change the past. Now you’re the captain of your future.”
Serena crossed one leg over the other and blew air between her lips.
“How do you do it alone, Naomi? After everything Scout went through, and her father ain’t even lending a hand.”
Naomi’s gaze carried to the deck door.
“Scout practically raises herself. All I do is cook and keep a roof over her head.”
“And help her get on and off the bus every day, and keep her spirits high when she’s having a bad time. You deserve parent of the year.”
Naomi looked away.
“The truth is, I harbor a lot of resentment.” She waved her hands. “Not for my daughter or what happened, of course. But for Glen. I understand some of what my husband is going through. He’s guilty over the accident, even though it wasn’t his fault and he couldn’t have avoided it. But there comes a point when he needs to get over his feelings and be a parent. He hasn’t been a father to Scout for a long time.” Naomi looked to Serena. “But you know who has? Thomas Shepherd and your son. LeVar is like another father for Scout, and I couldn’t be happier to have him in our lives.”
Serena’s mouth hung open. She touched her lips and glanced at her shoes.
“I knew LeVar and Scout were close, but I had no idea.”
“You told me you’re proud of LeVar. He grows every time I see him. One day, he’ll make a great father.”
Serena sobbed into her palm.
“Thank you for telling me. I can’t express how happy that makes me.”
Naomi pressed her palms against her thighs and rose from the chair. With a wry grin on her face, she wandered to the deck doors and folded her arms.
“She’s playing hooky.”
Serena narrowed her eyes.
“Scout?”
“Oh, yes. Scout thinks she can pull the wool over my eyes, but nobody cut more corners in school than this one.” Naomi pointed a thumb at her chest, and Serena giggled. “I knew all the tricks. You remember the Campbell’s Soup scam?”
Serena laughed at the ceiling.
“Hide the can under your shirt, lock the bathroom door, and wretch while you pour the soup into the toilet. My mother fell for it every time.”
Naomi’s shoulders shook.
“Scout doesn’t go that far. But she skips school to run her online investigations.”
Serena strolled over to Naomi and peered into the backyard. White caps pounded the shoreline beyond the property.
“Don’t get upset with your daughter. She’s filling a void.”
Naomi’s hands dug at her pants. Scout had too many voids to fill—her paralysis, the lack of a father figure, no friends in school.
“I’m not upset. Scout keeps up with her studies, and she pulled an A-average last semester. There’s not much for me to complain about.” Naomi set her hands on her hips. “But sometimes I wonder what she’s up to, and what’s so fascinating about these cases she works.”
Serena’s eyes grinned with mischief.
“I have a brilliant idea.”
“Tell me.”
“After we take the pie out of the oven, how about the two of us wander down to the guest house and pay Nancy Drew a visit? I’ll pretend I’m dropping off something for LeVar. We’ll peek over her shoulder and see what she’s up to all day.”
Naomi gave Serena a high five.
“This is why I want you at Shepherd Systems. You’re full of the best ideas.�
�
“And I thought it was only my baking.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
October 31st
1:45 p.m.
Inside the high school library, Leland Trivett hid with Gardner Raimi between the stacks. The teenage boy dried his eyes on his shirtsleeve and turned away when three girls passed.
“I can’t believe he’s dead,” Leland said, whispering so nobody overheard.
Gardner exhaled and leaned against the bookcase, eyes fixed on the floor.
“Did the cops say who did it?”
Leland shook his head.
“They tried to pin it on me after they figured out Derek planned to spend the night at my place.”
“You told him about Derek’s stepfather, right?”
As though he’d bitten into something sour, Leland twisted his mouth.
“Yeah, I told the cops about that prick. Cole attacked Derek?”
“Wouldn’t be surprised,” Gardner said, stuffing his hands inside his pockets. “He’s had it in for Derek since the fight. Cole wanted Derek out of the picture.”
“This is so messed up. Derek and Valerie performed that skit about the Halloween Man, and somebody stabbed Derek, like the killer was acting out the story.”
A laugh brought their heads around. A group of boys lingered at the end of the row, shoving each other while the library aides chatted behind the desk.
“Not so loud,” Gardner said, giving Leland a meaningful stare.
“It’s not like it matters. After Principal Dane makes his announcement, the entire school will find out.”
Gardner waited until Leland composed himself. The two boys wandered back to their table and collected their belongings after the bell rang. One more period, and this nightmare of a school day would finally end. Leland followed Gardner into the hallway and ran into Mr. Pierpoint, who’d been waiting beside the doors for the boys to exit.