by Unknown
Keira called five minutes into their ride to the courthouse. “You back at the office yet?”
“On our way. Things took a while at the clinic.”
“The clinic? I figured you’d be seen at the hospital.”
“Apparently the ER was busy with several people who had fallen today. Brody made an executive decision.”
Humor laced her tone. “Please tell me you didn’t see Dr. King.”
Something told Finn Keira held the man in as low esteem as he did. “I did. Pleasant guy. He sent his regards.” Finn had caught hints of a personal interest in some of the questions the doctor had leveled at him during the visit. “He said I was fine, by the way.”
She made a sound of derision. “I know better than that. I’m not sorry I strong-armed you into going, but I feel the need to apologize to anyone forced to undergo King’s not so tender ministrations.”
The cloud over his mood partially lifted. “I’ll find a way for you to make it up to me. In the meantime, my next order of business is to take a look at the county garage.”
“That’s why I’m calling.” He could hear the sound of voices, a lot of them, from her end. “Brody can take you over after he books Abernathy. The county engineer, Roger Wilson, will meet you there in an hour. He can answer all your questions, and he’ll be the one to give permission about storing it there.”
“And the commissioners are on board with it?”
“They shouldn’t be a problem.” The vagueness of her tone had his senses alerting. She’d found a way around the issue, but obviously wasn’t going to share it over the phone.
“I don’t need the deputy to take me. Just give me the address and I’ll drive the rental over. Is it in Munising?”
“Yes, just a few miles from the office. But Finn…” He heard someone shouting her name and knew she was running out of time. “Wilson can be a bit of a character. I’m always careful around him.”
His brows skimmed upward when she signed off. As the courthouse came into sight, Finn recognized that he was almost as intrigued by what Keira had left unsaid as he was by checking out a suitable location for the mobile lab.
_______
Roger Wilson was a few inches shorter than Finn, stout, with a full head of gray hair and mustache. Whatever had been behind Keira’s uneasiness with him, the man seemed amiable enough when he met Finn outside the county garage. After exchanging introductions, the older man took him on a tour of the steel sided building. “Keira…Sheriff Saxon said you required a twenty-four hour heated area. Part of this structure is heated. The offices, break room, bathrooms and parts area have forced heat.” The man moved as fast as he talked and Finn matched him stride for stride. “In the shop the mechanics bay has in-floor heat. I can’t free that up, though. As you can imagine in this sort of weather, we have vehicles in constant need of repair. Two truck and motor grader bays are heated, as well, but they share a space.” Wilson sent him a questioning glance. “I’m guessing you not only need heat, but security.”
“The mobile lab can be locked, and it has an alarm system. But it would be best to be in an area that can be locked separately.” They walked into the building portion that the man had indicated and Finn scanned it. Certainly it had the ceiling height and breadth to hold the lab, which was basically a modified RV. But the space was currently occupied with a grader and large dump truck.
“I can free up the bay if it isn’t for an extended period,” the man said. “When Keira…the sheriff called, I was glad to help.” There was a flicker of emotion in the man’s expression, one that disappeared too quickly to be identified. “Things can be shuffled around if I have an idea of how long it will be necessary.”
“I appreciate your assistance with this.” The warmth inside the building was a welcome change from the temperatures outdoors. Finn pulled his gloves off, shoved them in his pocket. “But I’m afraid I can’t answer that question. No more than a couple weeks.” If the case dragged on longer than that, Finn would talk to Keira about less expensive options. Raiker had told him that she was footing all fees for their agency herself. The arrangement was unusual. Occasionally they did work for heavily vetted private customers, but the bulk of their clients were law enforcement entities. Few in that field had the funds to pay for the services from their own pocket. Not for the first time he wondered how a former Chicago police detective could afford the expense.
“Two weeks.” The other man looked relieved. “I can handle that. If you come with me, I’ll get you a key to this bay. It will take a couple hours to get the vehicles in here moved.”
They walked through the structure to the back of the building and entered one of the offices. An attractive mid-forties brunette looked up from her computer. “Roger. I didn’t know you were here.”
“Just for a few minutes.” He went to a labeled pegboard that held keys and slid off all three that were hanging on one of the hooks.
The woman looked surprised. “The guys are going to be needing those when they come for the vehicles.”
“I’ll take care of it, Sandy.” They left the room, with the woman frowning after them. Once outside it Wilson handed the keys to Finn. “The overhead doors are unlocked right now. You can secure them after we move the vehicles and get your lab in there.” As Finn took the keys the man offered and slipped them into his pocket, Wilson went on. “What case are you helping the sheriff with?”
Remembering how Keira had referred to the man Finn offered him a half smile. “I’m not free to discuss it. What did she say when you spoke to her?”
The man released a bark of laughter. “Damn little. As close-mouthed as her old man, although a helluva lot more pleasant about it.” He folded his arms across his chest, regarding Finn from beneath steel gray brows. “This is a small county. A smaller town. Came here nearly forty years ago and never expected to stay. But here I am. People talk, some who shouldn’t. Word is out that something big is brewing in the county. Guess it’d have to be big, for the sheriff’s office to bring in a mobile lab.”
“Like you say, people talk,” Finn said easily. Under the circumstances, he didn’t want to offend the man, but neither did he have any intention of exchanging gossip with him. “In my experience most of what they say isn’t worth listening to.” He started moving in the direction of the door but stopped when the other man failed to follow.
“Fate has a helluva way of working out, doesn’t it?”
Finn was beginning to understand why Keira had seemed so cautious about Wilson. There was something in the intensity of his gaze that was more than a little discomfiting.
The engineer’s throat worked. “I never wished Danny Saxon ill. He probably wouldn’t believe that, but it’s true. I was wrong with what I did, but she had one foot out the door when I came along and Lord, there’s not a man alive who could resist Lisa when she fixed on him. She was…dazzling.”
At a loss, Finn picked through the man’s words. “Lisa? Is that Keira’s mother?”
“Keira’s got the look of her, although her coloring and height favor Danny.” He shook his head as if to dislodge the memories that crowded it. “At any rate Lisa wasn’t interested in me so much as she was in a way off the UP. She found that eventually, with someone who could offer her a helluva lot more than I could.” He shrugged. “Water under the bridge. Danny never had much use for me after that and I guess I can’t blame him. There’s no making up for past mistakes, but any favor I can do for Keira…maybe that evens things out. Just a little.”
“I know she appreciates it.” The words sounded inane, but he had nothing else to offer the man.
Wilson only nodded and moved past him toward the entrance. Leaving Finn to trail behind him and wonder how much Keira knew about the snippet from the past that the man had revealed.
_______
It was nearly six o’clock before Keira stopped in the doorway of the conference room, looking surprised to find Finn still at his desk.
“We don’t expect you to
work around the clock, you know.”
He twirled his chair around to survey her critically. “Same goes for you.” There were mauve shadows beneath her green eyes that hadn’t been there this morning. He could only imagine that the stress of the afternoon had put them there. “Everything cleared up at the scene?”
She walked in far enough to lean against the doorjamb and moved her shoulders tiredly. Although her coat was unfastened, she hadn’t taken it off. He hoped that meant she wasn’t planning to stay much longer.
“Hazmat won’t finish until tomorrow.” She tried, and failed to stifle a yawn. “You know that idiot Bielefeld worked in the same area where he made meth? Ran power tools in the vicinity of explosive chemicals? The stupid runs deep with that one.”
“He had quite a stockpile of product in his workshop,” Finn noted. “Unless he’s got a helluva client base, he had enough to supply his customers in the county for six months.”
“The task force thinks he’s bigger than that. They kept hearing about a dealer serving a three-county area, but names were elusive. Now they have one. He’ll be going back to prison, and I’m guessing his stretch will be even longer this time.”
Finn rose and dragged a chair from the conference table over to her. “Sit.” He accompanied the suggestion with a hand to her shoulder, exerting enough pressure to urge her to obey. “Before you fall down.” The fact that she did so without protest was testament to her level of exhaustion. He propped a hand against the wall, leaned against it.
“He had a safe.” She stifled a yawn with the side of her fist. “A big sucker, like the ones you used to see in banks. We found guns, money, and more product there. His parole officer says he’s been out to Bielefeld’s place a few times to check on him, often unannounced.”
“Which didn’t do much good when he had the camera mounted alerting him to any visitors.”
A satisfied smile curled her lips and the sight of it hit Finn like a quick left jab to the gut. Sleep deprivation. He moved his shoulders restlessly. Had to be.
“We found proof that our arrival had…ah…interrupted Bielefeld answering nature’s call. Apparently he’s not a multi-tasker in the bathroom. That’s how we managed to take him by surprise.”
He grinned. “Helluva way to get busted.”
Her smile widened in agreement. “Hank has interviewed all four of them. Abernathy is claiming that he stopped out for a beer with a friend and he and Bielefeld had an argument about Charlie owing him money. He’s saying Bielefeld wouldn’t allow him to leave. That he took his phone and keys and forced him to cook to work off his debt.”
“Could be true.” Finn shifted when his position had his ribs howling in protest. “Which brings up the critical question of how he grew indebted to the man to begin with.”
“I’m guessing a tox screen would show exactly why he owed him.” Keira lifted a shoulder. “The female suspect—Chrissy Larson—says they were working around the clock all week. Bielefeld must have been planning to move a lot of meth.”
“Maybe he was expanding his territory.”
“Could be. UPSET has more information about that end of things. Thought those guys were going to wet themselves when they saw the haul in there.”
“I’m not surprised.” It had been a good-sized bust. He just hoped she made it home before she crashed. “You didn’t mention finding records.”
“Not in the shed or the house. Which is suspicious, because I don’t see Bielefeld as having the smarts to keep the financials in his head.”
Finn thought about that for a moment. “Didn’t you say his buddy from the other night, Yembley, had a history of drugs?”
“Buying, not selling. At least back then.” She slid lower in the chair in a boneless slouch. “So you said when you called that the county garage is all set. I was a little leery about contacting Wilson directly but as county engineer, the garage is really his territory. The commissioners would have just had to ask him for permission, anyway. The guy’s got a weird affect, but I figured he’d be more amenable if the request came straight from me.”
Abruptly sobering, Finn said, “I think it’s safe to say that he’s very accommodating where you’re involved. After talking to him, I’m wondering why his name isn’t on the list of people who had a grudge against your father.”
Her expression stilled. “Why? What’d he say? I know Dad didn’t like him. He never made any bones about that. Wilson used to come to my softball games when I was kid, although he didn’t have any children of his own. I don’t think he ever married. He’d come up afterward and talk to me about the game, gave me tips. Which was sort of weird, because I really didn’t know him well.”
Finn hesitated. There was really no reason to dredge up ancient history. If her father hadn’t seen fit to fill her in on the source of animosity between the two men, maybe he shouldn’t be the one to do it. He’d thoroughly check out the man on his own.
“You think Wilson had something against my father?” All semblance of relaxation had vanished. Keira sat up straighter, her gaze fixed on Finn’s. “Whatever it is, you need to tell me. Even the tiniest bit of information can help make sense of an investigation. You know that, Finn.”
“I haven’t verified it.”. As a scientist he was used to checking and re-checking data before presenting it. But he reluctantly repeated what Wilson had revealed about his relationship with Keira’s mother. He watched her expression carefully for signs of shock. Of grief or disillusionment. He only saw the shock, which quickly turned to cynicism.
“Neither of my parents ever said a word, not that they would. But it sounds like Lisa. She still hates this place, and she hasn’t lived here for decades. And…well,” Keira stood.
“There are always men. Plural. So the news isn’t unbelievable. As a matter of fact, it sort of explains the tension between him and my dad. They had words one day after one of my games. Danny wouldn’t tell me about it but Wilson never came to another one.”
“Which could have led to some pent up hostility,” he suggested quietly. “Sure, your mother eventually left, but your dad still had you. Every summer, you said. Christmas break. He thinks you look like her.”
Keira gave a throaty chuckle. “Not even in my wildest dreams.” Her expression was genuinely amused. “Mom looks like a model for one of those miniatures. You know, those beautiful little statuettes that you’re too afraid to pick up because it might break in your hands? I’m hardly the delicate type. I resemble my father.”
Although he’d never seen pictures of either of her parents—other than crime photos—Finn was willing to bet that Wilson’s assessment was closer than Keira’s. She was tall and willowy. While she exuded a competency and confidence that bespoke strength, her features had a refined appearance that suggested she might have inherited more physical traits from her mother than she admitted.
“I think it’s worth checking into Wilson.” The cell in his pocket vibrated and he pulled it out of his pocket. “If only to eliminate him.”
She shrugged. “Under the circumstances, I’m sure you’re right. But I hope you alibi him quickly because I don’t have any other ideas for where to park the lab.”
Reading the message, he pushed away from the wall. “The lab is twenty minutes out.” He texted a reply as he spoke. “They have the address of the garage, but I have to meet them there.”
“Them?”
“Two of Raiker’s employees. One is driving behind in a car for the trip back. They’re going to drive as far as Gogebic County tonight.”
“Staying in Bessemer?” At his nod she stood. “Under the circumstances this is more than a little pushy…but how long until we can expect test results?”
He crossed to his desk chair to get the coat he’d hung over the back. “Pushy? You sound like every law enforcement agent I’ve ever worked with. Normally the fastest we could promise is three days.” He turned to shrug into the coat and noted her crestfallen expression. “But things move a bit quicker when a scien
tist has no other tests he’s juggling at the same time. Preliminary results can be ready as soon as tomorrow, and that’s barring any unforeseen complications.”
“Preliminary?”
They fell in step together as they walked to the front of the offices. “All tests require validation. Most labs demand that another scientist confirm the results before releasing them. Raiker’s lab protocols call for two individuals substantiating the data. Once I’m finished, I’ll be sending the outcomes to his lab in Manassas. But I can give you tentative answers as soon as they’re available.”
She nodded. “I appreciate that.” They paused inside the front door while they switched footwear. “So you’ll run them tomorrow?”
Finn lifted a brow. “I’d planned on running them tonight if you’ll fetch the evidence you collected at your place yesterday evening. Figured you might be in a hurry.”
Excitement warred with concern in her expression. “No offense, but you look like you could use some rest. And it wouldn’t hurt to ice that eye again.”
He squelched the urge to reach up to touch the swelling. Cal had supplied an ice pack and he’d been using it on and off since his return. “I’ll grab a few minutes here and there while I wait on the tests.” Recognizing the skepticism in her expression he put a hand at the base of her back and gave her a gentle push. “Bring me the evidence. Then you’d do well to follow your own advice. Get something to eat before heading home.” He recalled the contents of her refrigerator all too well. “Hopefully by tomorrow we’ll have something that will provide a solid direction for the case.”