“Well,” Izzy says, bestowing me with a smile, “it looks like your faith in Hurley was justified after all. Congratulations on solving a very complicated case.”
“Thanks,” I say, and then I look over at Hurley. “I told you Ackerman was involved,” I say, feeling smug.
“And I told you Dilles was,” Hurley counters.
“And you were both right,” Izzy says quickly, playing mediator. “Sounds to me like the two of you are going to make a crackerjack investigative team.”
Hurley and I exchange a momentary look before we both drop our gazes to our plates.
Dom says, “I’m still a little confused on the details. This rookie cop was the one who committed all these crimes?”
I nod and swallow the glob of mashed potatoes and gravy I have in my mouth. “He was. Smith used his criminal connections to come up with a fake ID and history for Colbert, whose real name is Jonathan Haney. Colbert applied for a job at the Sorenson PD, which apparently has several openings, did his academy training, and then went to work learning all he could about Hurley. One of Smith’s prior clients taught Colbert how to pick locks and once he had that down, it was easy enough for him to break into Hurley’s house and do what he needed to do.”
I pause and give Hurley a questioning look, knowing that the next subject I want to address is a sensitive one for him. He gives me a subtle nod and then focuses on his plate of food.
“Callie was targeted right from the get-go,” I continue. “And since Ackerman knew about her past with Hurley, he got the idea to frame him for her murder, thereby taking care of Ackerman’s problem with Callie’s threatened paternity suit. Callie’s sister knew Ackerman and Callie were involved and I suspect Ackerman knew she knew. That’s why he had to have other murders occur that had no connection to him but would point the finger at Hurley. It was Ackerman who suggested that Callie investigate the police corruption thing with Hurley, telling her that he got the anonymous call. And since it didn’t raise any eyebrows for Ackerman to be calling one of his employees, the phone records for Callie’s cell didn’t raise any eyebrows, either. After killing Callie, Colbert made sure there was evidence pointing to Hurley with the hair we found in her wound, the metal fragments that were stuck in her hair, and the knife he discovered in Hurley’s boat.
“After that, it was easy enough to discover the lawsuit Mr. Minniver had with Hurley since it’s listed on the public circuit court site. Once Minniver was targeted, Colbert watched him for a few days and stole the spare key the man had stashed in his front porch light. Then he snuck in and poisoned Minniver’s iced tea with the cyanide, knowing Hurley had potassium cyanide in his shop.”
“Frighteningly clever,” William says, looking both intrigued and appalled.
“I still don’t understand why they went after David,” my mother whines.
“They thought Hurley and Mattie had a thing going on,” Izzy offers. Then he quickly adds, “Understandable, since that’s what David thought, too, leading to a very public argument between him and Hurley at the grocery store, an argument that Colbert witnessed. It gave him one more thing to use to frame Hurley.”
“Is there something going on between you two?” William asks, looking from me to Hurley.
“Nope,” Hurley and I both say quickly.
“We’re working partners, nothing more,” I add.
“David may not be here,” Izzy says to my mother, “but be thankful he’s alive. The plan was for him to die in that fire but thanks to Mattie, he didn’t. Your daughter has been a hero three times this week.”
“Yes, I heard that you were the one who shot this Colbert guy,” William says.
Hurley chuckles and says, “Well, technically she shot a rock, but fortunately the bullet ricocheted and hit Colbert.”
I give him an exasperated look. “So I’m not an ace shot,” I grumble. “Sue me.”
Hurley holds his hands up in surrender. “Hey, your lousy shooting saved both me and Richmond. If you hadn’t hit the headlight with that first shot, Colbert might have gone after us that much sooner. As it was he thought that shot came from me. He didn’t know I wasn’t armed.”
“How is Richmond?” Dom asks.
“He’s doing fine,” I say. “Ironically his fat slowed the bullet enough that it didn’t do any serious damage. It nicked his bowel and he’s going to be pooping in a bag for a few months, but other than that, he should be okay.”
“Matterhorn Marie Fjell Winston!” my mother admonishes. “We don’t discuss bodily functions at the dinner table.”
Everyone at the table turns to look at me. Izzy shrinks down like a turtle trying to duck back into its shell, William looks confused, and Dom looks apologetic.
Hurley, on the other hand, looks amused. “Matterhorn?” he repeats in a tone that makes it sound like he just tasted something horrid. “Your real name is Matterhorn?”
I shoot my mother a look that rivals one of her own and have the satisfaction of seeing her flinch and clutch at her chest. “Oh my God,” she says. “My days are truly numbered.”
Just as I start to preen, convinced that I’ve finally mastered the talent of The Look, she adds, “Your dog has his nose in my crotch again.”
FB2 document info
Document ID: 8ec7e7d2-cbc9-4c98-b681-e8177f4564af
Document version: 1
Document creation date: 18.6.2012
Created using: calibre 0.8.56, FictionBook Editor Release 2.6.6 software
Document authors :
Annelise Ryan
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