“And you have no idea what this big score was?” Tanner went on. “Look me in the eye and tell me you’re being upfront with us.”
“I’m telling you the truth. Why would I get my boy mixed up in something that would cost him his life? Why?” Royce stabbed a bony finger at Tanner, tears streaming down his face. “Now I want help finding my boy. If money is the issue, I’m happy to hire your son and his crew to locate him.”
“Them,” Tanner amended. “There’s an eight-year-old boy out there still missing, Royce. So kiss my ass. Mitch and his brothers already planned to go out tomorrow to do just that, and the day after if they have to, but not because of you. We’re doing this for Blake. And when we find him…” Tanner’s voice cracked. He swallowed hard. “When we find Blake, he’ll be buried along with his mother and sister.”
“I lost my wife to cancer, lost my daughter Winnie last year. Been eleven months since the car accident. Don’t you think Walker should be buried with his mother and his sister?”
Relief moved through Tanner. “Yes. Yes, I do. So you don’t plan to fight me on the grandkids?”
Royce leaned forward on his cane. “No. They may have died together, but I don’t think they were all that close as a family unit, especially lately.”
Mitch wanted to pounce on that, but Garret held him back. “Why do you say that?”
“The love had died a long time ago. Affairs on both sides. They stayed together because of the kids. I wanted Walker happy. I don’t think he was, at least not with Livvy.”
“Since we’re being so honest here—”
From the kitchen doorway, Anniston cleared her throat. “Garret, could I see you in here for a minute?” She latched onto his arm in a death grip and practically pushed him into the other room.
“What are you doing? I was just about to grill Royce about Baskin.”
“I know what you were about to do. And it’s not the time. Do you honestly think that man’s going to tell you he enlisted several felons to join him down here in paradise?”
“It’s worth a shot. It seemed like the timing was perfect.”
“No. Think about it. Your father’s nemesis has just come to the enemy camp, hat in hand, so to speak, asking for help. Is that something Buchanan’s ever done before?”
“Well, no, not that I know of.”
“Then what does that tell you?”
When he gave her a blank stare, she fumed and lowered her voice. “Why would Royce ask Tanner for anything unless he’s clueless as to what happened to his remaining child? I don’t even think he knew what Walker was involved in.”
“You actually think he’s telling the truth? Come on.”
“That’s what I said last night. Besides, there’s something you need to take care of now. Hawkins gave Skeeter Bronson my cell phone number. The shrimp boat captain wants to meet with a member of your family. He’s not picky. I thought you and I could do that and get out of here for a little while.”
“Good idea. I think we should meet the guy who found them. He probably wants his reward. I’m prepared to take care of that.”
“What about Mitch and Jackson?”
“Jackson’s plotting how best to corner Baskin. Mitch has his hands full contemplating a similar chess match when he gets to Dietrich. We’re all sort of nervous about this whole thing.”
“I’ve thought about this, long and hard. All the more reason I should put together a set of questions and persuade you guys to try to keep to a script.”
Garret let out a half-laugh. “Yeah? Lots of luck on that with this bunch.”
Before she could pack up her computer bag, Anniston’s cell phone went off. She looked at the readout and realized it was Chuck Hawkins. The only time Chuck ever called was when it was time to collect on the hundred bucks promised for the latest news out of the county morgue.
“It’s the medical examiner’s office,” she explained as she stepped outside to take the call. When she was clear of the house, she asked, “What do you have for me, Chuck?”
“A confirmation. The dental records prove the remains belong to Olivia and Ally Buchanan.”
“No question?”
“Nope. It’s them. Dack will make the announcement this afternoon. And Anniston?”
“What?”
“Olivia Buchanan was basically beaten to death before someone placed a plastic bag over her head. She suffocated. And, here’s the big-ticket item. Mrs. Buchanan had recent sexual activity before her death. We found spermatozoa.”
“Are you absolutely certain of that?”
“No mistake. The sample had deteriorated quite a bit, but it’s there and useable for a profile. Dack will likely hold that tidbit back from the press.”
“You’re saying you have DNA?”
“Yep.”
“Thanks, Chuck. I owe you. And there’s a bonus in it for you when you get a hit in CODIS on the DNA.”
“Better make it something nice. You’ll be the second one I call after my brother. Oh, and tell Dack that Mom expects him there for Sunday dinner.”
Anniston grinned to herself. “Tell him yourself.”
“I just did when I gave him the update about the mother and daughter. You’ll probably need to remind him before Sunday. This case has him jumping all over the place.”
“Your brother’s dealing with the biggest thing that’s hit this area since the Kettering murders at Caruso Cove. Remember that one? And you want me to give Dack a message from his mama?”
“You know Kate Hawkins. Mom wants her baby boy there for pot roast.”
“I’ll see what I can do. I gotta go.”
“Take care of yourself.”
“I’ll do my best.” Anniston took a deep breath and headed back inside where Garret met her at the door.
“It’s them, isn’t it? The coroner confirmed it.”
She patted his cheek. “I’m sorry, Garret. I need to tell everyone else inside.” She took his hand, led him into the living room, and came up short when she saw Royce still sitting on the couch.
She took a deep breath. “I have very sad news. I have a contact I use in the medical examiner’s office. He’s a forensic pathologist, very reliable, very accurate.”
There was no easy way to say what had to be said. “I’m afraid it’s official. Livvy and Ally were identified through dental records. I’m so very sorry.”
Chaos broke out when everyone started talking at once. Then came the sobbing, along with a lot of anger.
After several tense moments went by, Garret used Skeeter Bronson as an excuse to get out of there. But no one paid much attention. His family was too mired in grief to take notice.
The Southern Star had dropped anchor near a jetty on the opposite side of the island known as Oro Cay. That’s where Skeeter Bronson had chosen to wait on the docks with a view of the Gulf waters.
Anniston had done the driving and once she parked the SUV in the little lot adjacent to the wharf, Garret shifted in his seat. “What else did your informant in the coroner’s office tell you about Livvy and Ally?”
“I wouldn’t call him an informant.”
“Whatever. What happened to leveling with me? Or was that promise just a bunch of BS after you got us to sign on the dotted line?”
She tried for patience, knowing she’d just delivered appalling news no one should have to hear. “Garret, there are certain things best left to law enforcement that you don’t want to know. Gritty details have a tendency to upset loved ones. It’s a step I take to spare the family more pain.”
His eyes narrowed at that. “To tell you the truth I never thought much about murder one way or the other, never considered what the family of victims should know or not know, until now. You told me once you’d be honest. That’s the point of the question. You said candid and truthful were included in the deal, in the way you worked. Are you going back on that now?”
She turned to stare into his coffee-colored eyes. “Okay. I get it. They found semen inside Livvy.
She had sex with someone before she died. It’s not a smoking gun. It was probably Walker before they went to sleep that night.”
“Probably. But even Royce admitted to us this morning that the marriage was basically over.”
Anniston frowned. “Walker and Livvy were still sharing a bedroom. Does that sound to you like they were calling it quits? Not to me, it doesn’t. Besides, Royce obviously doesn’t know the play by play of what happens between two people cohabiting and sleeping next to each other. If things were so awful, there were other rooms Walker could’ve used. He didn’t. There were no signs in any of the bedrooms that Walker was sleeping anywhere else other than the master. Sure, he might’ve bunked in his man cave once in a while, maybe on nights they had a tiff. But on the night of September twenty-third, he was in the bed next to Livvy.”
“How do you know that for certain?”
“The first time I went in there, the bed was unmade, like two people had just crawled out from between the sheets, and the pillows on both sides of the bed showed where two people had slept. Plus, we found the how-to treasure hunt guide on his side of the bed. To me, that says he spent quite a bit of time there.”
“Okay. Fair point.” He rubbed his forehead. “This is so confusing. Were they nearing a divorce? Or was it nothing more than the seven-year itch on both sides?”
“It’s one of those things we may never know with absolute certainty. Raine was Livvy’s best friend and vice versa. Livvy didn’t seem inclined to share her personal life with Raine on any level other than to occasionally bitch about Walker. I have married female friends who do that all the time. Their marriages aren’t on the brink of divorce.”
“That you know of,” Garret supplied.
“True enough. That’s why keeping an open mind is essential. Could Livvy have stayed with Walker because of the lifestyle, the trappings of being married to a Buchanan? It’s something to consider.”
“Nathan was no slouch in the money department.”
“Yes, but he also would have to deal with Wendy, who would be the ex if Nathan and Livvy went so far as to try to be together. Greedy ex-wives have an inclination to demand alimony. The one thing I learned about spending thirty minutes with Wendy is that the woman adores money. It’s all she talked about. She’d be motivated to fight for a sizeable chunk of her share of anything.”
“So you’re saying that Walker and Livvy stayed together in an open marriage concept? That’s what they call it, right? You’ve tied the knot, but still play around on the side.” He couldn’t fathom Livvy doing that. “I’m blown away.”
“Because Livvy’s your sister?”
“Partly. Having an open mind is grand unless stuff comes to light that doesn’t jibe with what you know about someone you grew up with.”
“I see. This has to be difficult.” She grabbed his arm. “I just thought of something. If Walker kept the how-to guide in his bedside table, Livvy must’ve had some inkling what he was doing, what he was reading about, what he planned to do with the information. Think about it. You’re lying in bed together, your spouse takes out a book, your natural curiosity would be to look over and see the title. There’s convo about the topic.”
“Hmm. Maybe they were both waiting for the big score before they went their separate ways. Maybe that means Nathan was in on it, too. Or at least had some knowledge because she passed that info on to him.” Garret looked around at the little strip of sand narrowed down to a sliver of land. The beach was dotted with Key thatch palm and patches of young almond saplings, along with a canopy of wild coffee trees.
“I say we get this over with. Is that the shrimper?”
Skeeter Bronson was waiting on the dock, tall and skinny as a beanpole.
Garret got out of the Explorer and approached the man, extending his hand out first. “My family’s very grateful you went out that night. The sad thing is we were going out almost every day ourselves, searching, but we were looking on the wrong side of the island, the east side, in the Atlantic.”
“Trust me, you didn’t want to be the one who opened that drum.”
Garret nodded. “That’s why I’m prepared to give you the reward that was posted.”
Skeeter shook his head. “No, sir, I don’t want it. Opening that barrel, finding your sister and her little girl like that was the worst thing I ever laid eyes on in my life. And I’ve seen war, arms blown off, dead bodies, even a drowning or two in the rice paddies in ’Nam. But I’ll never forget your sister’s eyes. They were open, big and brown, like yours. The little baby girl’s were closed. No, sir. I don’t want nothin’ to do with no reward for finding something like that.”
Dumbfounded, Garret shifted his feet. “At least take half. Seriously. You deserve something. Without you…” His eyes glazed over as tears formed. “We might never have known what happened to our sister.”
“I’ll tell you what I want. I want you to find the sumbitch that did this to that little baby girl. Monster like that, he don’t deserve to live.”
Garret reached his hand out, gripped the shrimper’s again, and gave him a pat on the back with the other. “There should be more people like you in the world. I want you to remember one thing, though. Wherever you are, wherever you go, if you ever need anything, anything at all, you get in touch with me, hear?”
“That’s a very generous offer,” Skeeter said, scratching the stubble on his chin as if thinking about what all he could use. “You sayin’ I could tell you my truck broke down or somethin’ and you’d get me another one just like that?”
Garret grinned. “Sure. All you have to do is ask.”
“Why?”
“Because I’ll never forget what you did for my family.”
“Well, I don’t need no truck and my business has been damn good to me lately.” Skeeter reached out his hand again. “But if there’s another downturn in the economy, one of those recessions again, and if the shrimp business ever dries up, I might just take you up on that one day.”
“Up to you. Thank you again.”
Garret watched as Skeeter turned on his heels and walked down the wharf and back to the Southern Star.
“You do realize he’s liable to ask you for a house one of these days, right?” Anniston advised.
Garret lifted a shoulder. “If he does, he does. But I think he would’ve taken the money if that were the case.”
She looped her arm in his. “How’d you get so smart?”
“Smart? Not me. Jackson is the one with all the degrees. I’m just a beach bum who likes to hang out around the water.”
“You’re so much more than that. But somewhere along the way you’ve decided that image is the one you prefer to show the world.” As they walked back to the parking lot, she said, “I’ll drop you off at the house because I need a quiet place to get some work done.”
He put a hand on her back and kissed her shoulder before dragging her closer. His mouth clamped down on hers as the energy between them surged. If the kiss at the hotel had been a delicious sample, this was a full course that prompted visions of a ravenous feast.
When he gave her time to come up for air, he whispered, “Did I mention you look beautiful in that dress?”
“No. But I’m beginning to get the idea.”
On a path to possess, he devoured her mouth again, but then decided to change the angle. He drew out more little moans with light butterfly kisses that ramped up the juices.
A thrill shot through her, leaving her dizzy. She didn’t get dizzy or lose control often.
A greedy seed took root, causing him to pull back. He murmured in her ear, “More than anything I want to go back with you to the hotel, but right now I need to be with my family.”
“Of course you do.”
“Why don’t we plan to have dinner later?”
“Sure. Where?”
Running a slim finger down her throat, he said quietly, “I picture a candlelit dinner in a romantic dark corner of a restaurant with a view of the water. And th
en, a room with a bed.”
Chapter Eight - Heat
After dropping Garret off, she stopped at the bank where Nathan Hollister worked. But she couldn’t get anyone there to talk. From VP to teller they simply stonewalled her. One surly employee went so far as to have the security guard escort her to the door. She’d never been booted out of a bank before. But there was always a first time for anything in Indigo Key.
On the sidewalk, she weighed her options and texted Dack, hoping she could interest him in getting a subpoena for the bank’s surveillance tapes. She needed to find out what Nathan’s last day at work looked like via its security cameras. There had to be some telltale sign that he’d been prepared to bolt.
The day was already warm with temps edging toward eighty when she left the SUV parked in the business district and headed down to the marina. There was another stop she intended to make.
Ryan Connelly’s remains had been found at Rumrunner Cove, a small channel that existed off the larger body of water known as Sugar Bay. She headed in the direction of Fast Willie’s, a bait shop slash convenience store that had served the fishermen and boaters in this part of the Key for decades.
As she strolled along, she made note of every security camera within range. It was a short list. It seemed the downtown area had only installed a few, primarily near ATMs and liquor stores. Basically the town seemed to have opted out of a digital world. That included Fast Willie’s.
It was the same stark reality once she reached the little inlet. The location of Rumrunner Cove was interesting. The area couldn’t be seen even from the convenience store. Since it was hidden from view of the busy port, it provided a measure of privacy. Anniston surmised the locals had to be well aware of its out of the way location.
The waters here were calm, barely slapping up against the maiden cane and marsh grass.
Anniston took out her phone and zeroed in on the area where Ryan’s body had been discovered. She tried to focus on an imaginary line that angled out toward the Bay. Her lens followed the sight line to an area less than a mile south of the port.
The Indigo Brothers Trilogy Boxed Set Page 41