by Midge Bubany
“For how many years did you hunt together?”
“Why is this relevant?” Dr. Gage asked.
“If you would just answer the question.”
He grunted. “About ten years, I guess,” he said.
“Then you abruptly stopped hunting the area?” I said.
He eyed me suspiciously. “It wasn’t because of the missing girl, if that’s what you’re insinuating,” he said.
“Why, then?”
Gage sighed. I was such a bother. “I became disinterested in hunting,” he said.
“And I absolutely detest wild duck,” said Mrs. Gage. “Frankly, I was relieved not to have to find a way to disguise the taste.”
“You still had a key to the cabin, then. Correct?”
“We did as long as Daniel wanted us to keep an eye on the place. I sent it back to him,” Dr. Gage said.
“Why?” I asked.
They both shuffled their rumps.
“It’s not what you think,” Mrs. Gage said.
“What do I think?” I asked.
“That it’s related to Silver Rae’s disappearance.”
At least she said her name this time.
“It’s nothing really,” Dr. Gage said. “Daniel and I had a little disagreement. He’s always been overly sensitive.”
“What was the disagreement about?” I asked.
“I don’t even remember anymore,” Dr. Gage said, closing his eyes.
Mrs. Gage sat forward and put an elbow on her crossed leg. “Yes, you do. My husband is just being polite.”
Huh.
“This is what happened,” Mrs. Gage said. “Daniel was once married to my dear friend, Gloria, until he had an affair with Barbara, who is years younger than he. After he remarried, it became terribly awkward to even be around them. Anyway, Daniel mistook our discomfort for more than it was and accused us of intentionally hurting Barbara’s feelings—like his behavior and choices were our fault. Understand?”
I understand you’re a bitch. “From my calculations, the affair and remarriage happened almost twenty years before, and yet you had continued to hunt with Dr. Mitchell for several years,” I said. “Why the sudden change?”
Dr. Gage leaned back. “You’re not going to let this go. Okay, we attended a wedding in the Cities where several old friends were guests, including Gloria and her new husband. Unfortunately, we were all seated at the same table with Daniel and Barbara. There was some sort of altercation—I don’t remember the specific details but—”
“The truth of the matter is, Daniel assaulted Bentley,” Mrs. Gage cut in. “We didn’t press charges, but a few days later we received a letter from him. I thought it was going to be an apology. Nooo, it was a very curt letter asking us to send the lodge keys back. We promptly put them in the mail. That was the last we heard from him, and good riddance as far as we’re concerned.”
“I still don’t understand why any of this is relevant.” Dr. Gage said.
“Bad blood is always relevant,” I said. They huffed nicely at my remark. I just liked saying it. I added, “But actually, I’m just trying to get the time period nailed down as to when you had the key in your possession.”
“Oh. That wedding was in September of ’97,” Mrs. Gage said.
“So the keys would still have been at your house at the time of Silver Rae’s disappearance the summer before.”
“Why would the keys make a difference? She wasn’t found in one of the buildings, was she? According to the news footage it looked like she was buried quite a distance away from the lodge,” Dr. Gage said.
“That’s correct. Now, is there anything more you think I should know?”
“Not a blasted thing,” Dr. Gage said.
“Okay, if you’d give me your daughter Aubrey’s phone number and address, I’ll get out of your hair so you can get to your important engagement.”
Mrs. Gage sighed deeply and left the porch.
“Parker’s not your killer, Deputy. Instead of wasting my family’s time, you ought to be questioning real suspects—if you even have any,” Dr. Gage said.
“Thanks for your time, Dr. Gage,” I said. I extended my hand. He didn’t reciprocate.
What a couple of horses’ asses.
When Mrs. Gage returned and handed me the slip of paper with her daughter’s information, she made a point of telling me how busy Aubrey was. I thanked her and said I would show myself out. The dogs trotted alongside me as I made my way to the door. Before I exited, I bent down and scratched the dogs behind the ears.
“Nice meeting you, dogs,” I said. “You’re the nicest members of your family.”
I glanced back to see Mrs. Gage standing at the end of the hall with her hands on her hips. I waved and exited.
When I got in my car, I immediately called Aubrey’s number. After one ring it rolled into her voice messaging system. Mama Bitch was probably on the horn warning her. I left a message for her to call back as soon as possible. As I drove off, I hoped the department Explorer would leave a little oily calling card on the brick driveway.
Back at the office, I put my list of interviewees in order and made some calls setting up times. Troy had left a note saying he was interviewing Wesley Stillman after the Mitchells. The next person on my list was Jenny Olson Deitz. She agreed to a meeting at her place if I could come right then.
Chapter 13
Jenny Deitz lived in the same large apartment complex I’d lived in for nine years—a block west of the river and three blocks north of Main Street. It had cheap rent because the units were the size of a bathtub and hadn’t been updated in decades and attracted the community college kids. Adriana hated the place and finally talked me into moving into an upscale building on the south side so she was more comfortable staying over. A few months later she left Prairie Falls. Then last winter I bought the house on Sixth Street for Bullet and myself, not knowing by August it’d be filled with a wife, two stepsons, two cats, and a nanny.
“Thanks for coming here. Brian’s at work and it’s my baby’s morning naptime,” she said.
“Where does he work?”
“At the Save-Rite in the meat department. He’s a meat-cutter. You know my dad, Jerry Olson?”
“Oh, sure.”
Jerry was one of the three deputies coasting to retirement. They gave the youngest deputies shit for their enthusiasm and work ethic—called them “baby cops.” Last time I saw him he told me he was running for sheriff next election just to get Patrice out.
“Dad speaks highly of you,” she said.
“Nice to hear. He’s a good guy,” I said. Lazy jerk.
Luckily, she didn’t have Jerry’s stick-out ears and big nose. She looked athletic, with broad shoulders and muscular legs. Her dark-brown hair was pulled into a knotted ponytail, and she wore faded shorts and T-shirt with newer pink-and-green high-tops.
Baby paraphernalia filled most of the living space, and the sparse amount of furniture was classic college student. I picked up a photo sitting on an end table of a little guy with a full head of dark hair and three chins. Uh-oh. He inherited Jerry’s ears.
“This your boy?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she said. She smiled. “Isn’t he cute?”
“Very. What’s his name?”
“Logan Jerome.”
“Ah, after your dad.”
She picked up a few Cheerios off the linoleum and threw them in the trash. It was the same fake brick pattern as in my old unit. I put the department iPad on the table, noticing the chips and scratches in the painted-wood surface.
“You need a dog to help with the floor,” I said.
“A dog is the last thing I need. Can I get you something to drink? Coffee? Coke?”
I declined.
“So y
ou have some questions for me about Silver Rae?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“I feel so bad for the Dawsons. They’ve had to wait so long for closure. It makes me sad all over again,” she said.
“It’s been hard for a lot of people,” I said.
I asked her if she was ready, then pressed the on button of the iPad. I began by stating the case number, as I always did.
“You went to high school with Silver Rae Dawson?”
“Yes, we were best friends.”
“Tell me what she was like.”
Her face brightened as she spoke.
“Silver was one of my all-time favorite people. There was nothing fake about her. She was funny, but didn’t mean to be—she just said naïve, stupid things sometimes.” She giggled. “Don’t get me wrong. She wasn’t dumb—she was very bright and got all A’s. Silver was a great soccer player, but softball? Not so much. I had to talk her into playing. She wasn’t a hitter but she sure could catch and run for a short girl. I taught her how to bunt, and it usually worked once a game. Best team player ever and always cheered everybody on, keeping the morale of the team up even when we were being tromped.”
“Did she confide in you?”
“Are you asking me if she told me anything that would point to her killer?”
“Yes, or any troubles she had, if anyone bothered her.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I knew something. We mainly talked about things teenage girls talk about: boys, other girls, clothes, and hot celebrities, that kind of stuff. ”
“Jenny, do you recall a party out at the Odegard’s cabin on July Fourth of ’96? That was the year before Silver Rae disappeared.”
“Oh, yeah, that was my first kegger and the day I started dating Brian.”
“Do you recall anything about Silver Rae at that party?”
“I remember she acted weird after only one beer. None of us were used to drinking, so at the time I thought she was drunk. But later I realized her being that loopy wasn’t normal. We had to practically drag her out of there,” she said.
“We?”
“Aubrey and I.”
“Was Laurel Gills Wolfson part of your group?”
“Um, how do I answer that? Well, Silver liked her more than Aubrey and I did. Truthfully, I thought she was kind of a skank.”
“Was she at the party?”
“She rode out with us because Silver invited her—but when we left, Laurel stayed because she said she had a ride.”
“Do you remember who served Silver her beer?”
She shook her head. “I think most people served themselves. Are you saying someone spiked her beer?”
“What do you think?”
“Maybe. I had drinks once after I took Benadryl and fell asleep in my plate of spaghetti at dinner. She could have taken something like that,” she said.
“Did you know of any boys who showed interest in her at that time?”
“Well, that was just before she started dating Parker. I know Tommy and Lucky had crushes on her. Everyone knew those two wanted to take her out. To be honest with you, she was sweet, but, like I said, she was so dang naïve. I don’t think she got it that boys that age only want one thing.”
“Did you remember any guys hanging around her that day?”
“I didn’t pay much mind to anyone else but Brian,” Jenny said.
“You were also part of the group who was with her on the day she vanished?”
“Yes. I’m so grateful I had that afternoon with her. We had such a good time. Silver had to babysit so Parker took her home early. That was the night my dad busted us at Odegard’s cabin. He gave us a break and didn’t arrest anyone, but he personally drove Aubrey and me home. I was supposed to be grounded for a month, but I guess he forgot about it when Silver disappeared because he never enforced it.”
“Did she seem happy that afternoon?”
“Truthfully? No. Aubrey was being a bitch to her, which wasn’t unusual. She was always trying to control people by her moodiness. But what really bothers me is that Silver didn’t even want to babysit that night.”
She started to tear up and reached to an end table to grab a tissue.
“Did you ever think Parker might be responsible for her disappearance?” I asked.
Jenny shook her head. “No, of course not. He adored her. He was always touching her, not in a sexual way, but holding her hand, stroking her hair, things like that. He was distraught when she disappeared. Were you aware that Mr. Dawson stalked him before he left for the U? That really got to Parker.”
“What about other friends? How were they acting?”
“Everyone was pretty bummed.”
“What about Tommy and Lucky?”
“Tommy was a moody guy anyway, but after Silver disappeared he became downright brooding.”
“Tell me about him.”
“He’s a thinker, not a talker. Got married young, divorced a few years later. I don’t see him very often now. He took over his parents’ guide business.”
“What was Lucky Holmgren like back then?”
“Same as he is now: nice guy, always smiling. Of all of us, I think Lucky was the one most in denial she was gone. He made us drive around with him to look into empty cabins. He said someone could have her somewhere.”
“And how long did that go on?”
“For a few weeks.”
“In retrospect, do you have any thoughts about who the investigators should have looked at?”
“My dad still thinks it was Wesley Stillman because he acted guilty afterwards—like not being able to even leave the farm.”
“Did you know him well?”
“Not really. I know he played football and graduated two years ahead of us.”
“Did you see him hang around Silver?”
“Um, I know he talked to her at Prairie Days—but not very long.”
“Could you give me a list of who was at the Fourth of July party of 1996?”
“Jeez, I just don’t know if I can remember everyone. People were coming and going all afternoon. Why is that day so important?”
“Just looking at everything we can. Could you try to make a list for me?”
“Sure.”
Jenny went to the table and pulled out a page from a notebook and I gave her time to write. After a few minutes she put the pen down and handed me the paper with a list of several names.
“That’s all I can say for sure.”
“Thanks. Is there anything more you think I should know that I haven’t asked about?”
She shook her head.
“Here’s my card if you think of something,” I said.
“I’m praying every day that you find the guy that killed Silver Rae,” she said.
“We’re doing all that we can. Thanks for this,” I said, waving the list.
“No problem. Hey, did you know I have an application in at the department? I’m just waiting for an opening,” she said.
“What position?”
“Deputy. I completed my training last spring. Then Logan came along unexpectedly and my plans changed. Poor Brian, he’s trying to finish up his AA degree at Birch County Community and works full time. Maybe you could put in a word for me?”
A baby began to cry in a bedroom.
“Speaking of the little devil,” she said.
“Well, I’ll let you tend to your boy.” I picked up the iPad and said, “Good luck with your job application.”
When I got to the car, I looked at the names Jenny had given me. Parker Gage was not on the list, but interestingly enough, Sawyer Gage was, probably Parker’s brother. I checked to see if I had a message from Aubrey. Nothing. I left another telling her if she didn’t call back today,
I was going to show up on her doorstep.
Next, I made an impromptu stop at Parker Gage’s house to speak with his wife, Wendy. They lived in a two-story with taupe siding and cream trim in the newer development east of the river. A short, plump brunette answered the door. A dark-haired little boy was holding onto one of her ample thighs.
“Mrs. Gage?”
“Yes?” she said. Her eyes were wide.
“Deputy Sheehan with the Birch County Investigations office. I just have a few questions. May I come in?”
Before she opened the door, she scanned the neighborhood—probably worried neighbors would see a sheriff’s vehicle in her driveway.
Directly inside was a stairway to the second floor.
“Go up to your room and play for a while, Devin,” she said. To me she said, “Please remove your shoes.”
The kid and I obeyed. She then led me into a formal living room left of the entry. The room was totally white: furniture, pillows, drapes—so practical with a kid. I bet he doesn’t set foot in here. The only color was from the cherrywood side tables and fireplace mantle. She gestured for me to sit on a chair as she sat stiffly on the edge of the couch a few feet away.
I wanted to say, “Captain, may I?” but instead, I asked, “How old’s your boy?”
“Three,” she said.
“Any others?”
“We have a five-year-old daughter, Sebrina. But I’m sure you didn’t come here to chat about my children.”
I tossed her one of my nice-guy smiles and turned on the iPad to give my spiel.
“Okay then. I’m investigating Silver Rae Dawson’s death. How well did you know her?”
“Not very. She was a year younger and we certainly didn’t hang around together.”
“You were both in love with Parker. I imagine that created a conflict of sorts.”
“Well, I’d broken up with him at the time and was dating someone else so I could hardly expect him not to date. It didn’t take long before Silver got her . . . ”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry. Aubrey said she flirted with him constantly until he finally asked her out.”
“Who broke it off? You or Parker?”