by Kathi Daley
“Seems the killer is setting himself up to get caught.”
“Maybe. While he seems to be looking for attention, he’s been careful to cover his tracks. The burner cell was paid for with cash, so it’s untraceable, and he killed Irvine with a fang device without leaving behind any fingerprints or DNA. At least not any the crime scene people have found yet. His moves have been quite calculated.”
“So why involve me?”
The crease in Zak’s forehead deepened. He went back to typing and I continued to watch. It was clear he was in the zone, so I didn’t want to distract him with any more questions or concerns. I enjoyed watching him work. Knowing he could hack into databases very few others could was kind of a turn-on.
“Irvine’s passport indicates he’s traveled widely. His last trip was about six months ago. Other than that, he seems to have lived fairly frugally. I’m not picking up any extravagant or irregular activity in his bank records.” Zak paused and sat back in his chair. “There’s a monthly payment of one thousand dollars to someone named Carl Poland.”
“Doesn’t that seem odd?” I asked.
“Not necessarily. It’s possible Irvine purchased something from Poland and was making monthly payments. He might have borrowed money from Poland and was paying him back. Maybe Poland was a friend or relative who was down on his luck and Irvine was helping him out. There are a lot of legitimate reasons why someone would transfer a thousand dollars a month to another person.” Zak drummed his fingers on the table in front of him. “Having said that, I think it would be worth our while to do some digging to see if we can find out exactly who Poland is and how he was related to Irvine.” Zak jotted down a note. “I’m going to take a more in-depth look at Irvine’s phone records as well. Salinger only pulled records from the past couple of weeks; I’d like to see who Irvine spoke to on a regular basis prior to coming to Ashton Falls.” Zak looked at me. “Actually, that’s something you can help me with.”
I sat up a bit straighter. “It is?”
“I’m going to print out his phone records for the past six months. I want you to go through them and highlight any number that seems to appear more often than normal. I also want you to look for any unusual patterns that pop out. Like if there’s a number he called every month on the first, and only on the first, highlight it. Or if there’s a number that was called multiple times a day, highlight it.”
Zak hit the Print command on the computer. Then he opened a drawer and took out a yellow highlighter. I went to work while he continued to dig in the nooks and crannies of Edgar Irvine’s life. We worked silently side by side for about thirty minutes before Zak announced that Carl Poland was Irvine’s assistant.
“So the money each month was payroll,” I said.
“No, I don’t think so,” Zak said. “I found two sets of payments from Irvine to Poland. It looks like he started working for him two years ago. From what I can find, it looks like he’s paid an hourly rate that’s invoiced at the end of every month, which varies based on the number of hours he put in. The thousand dollars started about six months ago and is paid on the first of every month. The money paid to him as an assistant was being paid at the end of each month, so I’m thinking that’s for something else.”
“Something relevant to Irvine’s death?”
“There’s no way to know, but I’m thinking probably not.”
“Was Poland Irvine’s only assistant?” I wondered.
“No. It appears he had several. I suppose he might have hired different people for different sorts of tasks. It also looks like there was a high turnover, so he most likely used students or temp employees.”
I stopped what I was doing and looked at Zak. “You know, these assistants—at least the more recent ones—might be able to provide us with some insight into what was going on in Irvine’s life.”
“Way ahead of you,” Zak answered, picking up his cell. “Poland seems to have been Irvine’s most recent assistant, and it appears he was with him for longer than any of the others I could find. I’ll start with him and see where it leads.”
While I waited for Zak to make his call, I called Ellie to fill her in on the photo situation. I didn’t want to worry her, but if she found out before I had a chance to explain, she’d be hurt I hadn’t confided in her. It also occurred to me that if the stalker had been following me for weeks he’d know who was closest to me, which theoretically could put those people in danger. Levi and Ellie were my closest friends; it seemed only right they should know to watch their backs. Maybe I’d even have Ellie and Eli come over here while Levi was at work. I didn’t like the idea of them being home alone.
Ellie agreed she’d feel better spending the day with me while Levi was at school. None of us knew what was going on, but we realized it was best to take the situation seriously. I’d extended the same offer to Mom and Harper while my dad was at the store. Like Ellie, she agreed. Both planned to come by in the morning and spend the day.
Zak finished his call at the same time I did mine. “So?” I asked. “Did Poland know anything?”
“The information he shared was limited and guarded. I think he knew more than he was willing to discuss with me.”
“What did he say?”
“Basically, that Irvine had several assistants at any one time. They all seemed to have their specialties and he used everyone to varying degrees. Poland said he was with Irvine for two years, longer than any other assistant by quite a bit. I asked what type of work he did for Irvine and he said mostly research. I asked if he’d helped with the research Irvine came to Ashton Falls to tackle and he said he hadn’t. It seems the Ashton Falls trip came up all of a sudden, and as far as he knew, Irvine hadn’t brought any of his usual assistants into the loop about it.”
“Did he give you the names of the other assistants?”
“He mentioned two others. Both women. Both dealt only with piecework. He’s going to e-mail their names and contact information. I’ll follow up.”
I stood up and walked around the room. This thing was definitely getting under my skin. There wasn’t a single thing about Edgar Irvine that looped back to me in any way, shape, or form, so what was going on with the photos in the barn? Was it possible they really had nothing to do with Irvine, Grimly, or the vampire hunters who were taking over the town?
“So what now?” I asked. “I know you want me safe. I want me safe too. But there’s no way I’m going to be able to just sit around and wait for whatever’s going to happen.”
Zak pulled me onto his lap. “I know this is hard for you. It is for both of us. But we’ve only been digging into this for a couple of hours. These things sometimes take time. All we can do is to keep going until we find what we’re looking for. I’ll call the other assistants as soon as I get their contact information, and I’ll continue to dig around in bank, phone, employment, travel, and any other records I can find. We’ll figure this out.”
I laid my head on Zak’s shoulder. “I’m just letting this get to me, I guess. I think I’ll call Jeremy to let him know I won’t be in tomorrow morning as I planned.”
Zak went back to his research and I headed upstairs to make my call. I filled Jeremy in on what was happening and let him know I wouldn’t be in until everything was resolved.
“I’m so sorry. I wish I could help. The only possible lead I have is on the stray you have at your house.”
“That’s great.”
“It’s not for sure, but I came across a lost-dog ad in the Bryton Lake newspaper from over a month ago. At first I thought it was unlikely our dog could have come from so far away, but then I realized if the killer intentionally picked it up, brought her to Henderson House, and tied her up in the basement, using a dog from out of the area was a good idea. Of course, that would mean the dog had either been a stray before that, or if it was with the killer, he would have been hanging on to her for a month, which also seemed unlikely.”
“Yeah, I kind of doubt a killer would have taken care of
the dog for a month. It’s most likely another one, but let me know what you find out either way.”
We chatted for a few more minutes before I hung up and went down the hall to check on the kids. I hated that the danger I was in was most likely going to mess up any plans they might have made for the weekend.
Chapter 7
Thursday, October 25
Zak went in to the Academy the next morning to pick up some papers he could work on at home, which meant Nona and I, and Mom and Ellie once they arrived, were alone with the kids. Zak and I hadn’t had any breakthroughs the previous evening, but I was determined to maintain a positive attitude so as not to bring everyone else down with my negativity. Someone suggested baking cookies, so before I knew it, the house smelled of cinnamon and pumpkin.
“I used to love the pumpkin muffins you made when you had the restaurant,” I said to Ellie. “The ones with the nuts and the cream cheese frosting.”
“I can make you some when we’re done with these. I’m pretty sure you have all the ingredients. If not, I can run over to my place.”
“While I’d love to have some, I don’t want you to go to that much trouble,” I replied.
“I don’t mind at all. I don’t miss having to go into work every day, or the stress of trying to make the budget come out right at the end of the month, but I do miss having a reason to bake. I hardly ever do anymore. With so many people to eat everything, I may as well indulge.”
Ellie indulging in baking meant I could indulge in eating, which seemed to me to work out just fine. As the others finished up the cookies, I went upstairs to call Jeremy. I’d forgotten to tell him about the woman who was bringing in a litter of kittens today. She’d called on Monday when he was off, and with everything going on, it had slipped my mind.
Afterward, I found myself lingering upstairs. The kitchen was filled with people I loved, but a few minutes of quiet felt like just what I needed. I hadn’t been sleeping all that well this week, and the sleepless nights were beginning to get to me. Still, the crowd downstairs were having their lives disrupted because of me, so I really should head down.
I was about to join them when there was a knock on my door, and Alex poked her head in. “Can I come in?”
I waved her forward. “Do you feel like hiding too?”
Alex smiled. “No, it’s not that. It’s fun having Ellie and Grandma to bake with. I wish we could get together more often.”
“Okay.” I got up and moved from the desk to the sofa and patted a cushion next to me. “What’s up?”
“It’s the dance. I know we aren’t supposed to leave home until everything’s sorted out, but Diego and I have been really looking forward to it. Do you think this will be resolved by Saturday night?”
I put my arm around Alex and pulled her head to my shoulder. “I have no idea, but I want you and Scooter to be able to go to your dances. I’ll talk to Zak about it. Both are being held in public places with a lot of chaperones. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”
Alex looked doubtful. “Zak was pretty upset when he talked to us earlier.”
“He’s scared, and he hasn’t had a chance to really think things through.” I tucked a lock of Alex’s hair behind her ear. “Let me talk to him. We’ll work something out. If nothing else, he can go to your dance as a chaperone. That way he can keep an eye on you while you hang out with your friends.”
“What about Scooter?”
“If need be, Levi can go to his dance. And it’s possible Zak and Sheriff Salinger will figure out who’s been following me by Saturday anyway. They’re both working hard on doing just that.”
“Thanks, Zoe.”
I sat up slightly and Alex did as well. “So, how is our mama doggy doing?” I asked.
“Really well. I think she’s going to have the pups today. I set her up with a bed in the closet, and she’s been in there since last night. I’ve been checking on her every hour or so. I think she’ll have the first pup within the next couple of hours.”
“I’m glad she has you to take care of her. I’m sure that gives her comfort.”
“She’s very sweet. I can’t believe we still haven’t found her owner. I thought for sure we would.”
I bit my lower lip. “I wasn’t going to mention it until I knew for sure, but Jeremy has a possible lead on a lost dog that fits the general description of this dog, although it’s far from certain.”
“Do you still think she was dognapped?”
I shrugged. “Jeremy found an ad in the newspaper in Bryton Lake, but it’s a month old. It seems unlikely the killer would have hung on to the dog for a whole month. Still, it’s worth looking in to.”
“Bryton Lake.” Alex tilted her head. “I figured she must be from around here.”
“Maybe she started off as a stray, and whoever tied her up just happened to find her and got the idea to use her to lure me to the house.”
“I hope you find her owner, but in the meantime she’s doing fine with me. I’m enjoying her company and I’m excited to see the puppies. It’s been a while since we’ve had babies in the house. Well, other than Catherine, that is.” Alex paused. “Who I think I hear right now.”
I stood up. “I’ll get her. You go see to your mama. And tell Diego not to worry about the dance. One way or another, I’ll make sure you’re able to be there.”
By the time I arrived in the nursery Catherine was standing up in her crib. When she saw me she began bouncing up and down while holding on to the top rail.
“Good morning, princess,” I said as I opened my arms to her. “How was your nap?”
“Li-li.”
“Yes, Eli’s still here. I think he might be up from his nap too. Let’s get you changed and we can go check.”
“Da.”
“Daddy’s at work. He should be home soon, though.” I lifted Catherine out of the crib and carried her to the changing table. “We have lots of people in the house for you to play with. Grandma’s here. And Harper. You love Harper.”
Catherine smiled. I wasn’t sure whether she had any idea what I was talking about, but she seemed happy. Generally speaking, Catherine was a happy baby. If she was fussy there was usually a reason.
When she was changed we headed downstairs. I could hear the sound of laughter coming from the kitchen. There, I found Nona and my mom covered in flour.
“What on earth happened?” I asked.
“An experiment gone bad.” Nona chuckled.
“Don’t worry, we’ll clean it up,” Mom added.
Catherine reached for Harper as soon as she saw her, so I set her in her playpen, then lifted four-year-old Harper in with her. I didn’t see either Eli or Ellie, so I figured he was either being fed or changed. I was sure he’d want to join the others in the playpen when he could.
“I think I’m going to take the dogs out, if someone can keep an eye on my little munchkin.” I could see the argument in Mom’s eyes, so I headed her off. “I’ll stay on the grounds and I’ll have eight dogs with me. I think I’ll be perfectly safe.”
“Okay,” Mom said. “You’re right. This thing just has me tense.”
“Yeah, me too, but hopefully it will all be over soon, and we can resume our regularly scheduled lives.”
It was a bright sunny day, which was nice. I loved moody weather from time to time, but today I was moody enough myself that I didn’t need storm clouds added in. The breeze was slight and the lake calm. The dogs seemed to be having a blast running along the beach, chasing one another. Charlie hung back with me, as he always did. He was the smallest dog in a pack of large ones, so if he didn’t hang back anyway, he might get trampled.
I was just rounding the house on our way back in when Zak pulled up. All eight dogs ran over to greet him, so I followed as well. Zak got out of the truck and began unloading groceries. I pitched in to help.
“I wasn’t sure what type of dog food you’d want for the stray, so I got the kind for nursing mothers.”
“That will be perfect.
Alex thinks they’ll be born today.”
Zak climbed the steps to the kitchen door. “Still no word on the owner?”
“Not yet.”
The others saw that Zak had groceries, and all, except Nona, who stayed behind to watch the babies, went out to the drive to help. It didn’t take long for five people to empty the truck. Alex volunteered to put things away, and when Zak headed toward his office, I joined him. I thought it was important for us to stay on the same page, plus I knew he’d stopped off to speak to Salinger while he was out.
“So, did Salinger have any news?” I asked right away.
“Some. Sit down and I’ll fill you in. I think between the two of us, we’re getting a better grip on who the victim was, but so far that hasn’t done us any good in identifying his killer, unless the killer’s someone he knew from Los Angeles.”
“Do you think that’s the answer?” I wondered.
Zak shook his head. “Not necessarily, but we have to keep looking at every angle. Boris Grimly has to be our prime suspect at this point, but we haven’t had any luck figuring out who he really is, so we’re broadening our search parameters.”
“It sounds like you and Salinger are working together.”
“We are. I’m doing the computer stuff and he’s doing the cop stuff.”
I let out a little huff. “I feel kind of left out.”
Zak grabbed my hand. “I knew you would, which is why I have a job for you.”
Okay, now I was suspicious. “What kind of a job?”
“I need someone to call Edgar Irvine’s agent pretending to be a writer looking for representation. Salinger already tried to get something out of him about why Irvine decided to come to Ashton Falls, but he wouldn’t talk. As a perspective client, maybe you can get him to open up a bit.”
“I’ll do my best,” I said. “Although I’m not sure how I’m going to work questions about Irvine into a conversation about possible representation. Maybe I’ll just pretend to be a magazine editor writing a story. I can appeal to his desire for publicity.”