Chained

by Eileen Brady

Busted, I paused chopsticks in mid-air.

  “While I was waiting, I ran into your receptionist, Cindy. We had a nice chat.”

  “I bet.” Okay, the staff and near world would have a bulletin on my personal life by tonight.

  “Cindy told me all about Flynn, and how you are investigating what happened to him for his family.”

  “What?” Hot soup dribbled down my shirt.

  “That’s very kind of you to try and help a family suffering such a terrible loss.”

  Then he said the last thing I expected to hear from him.

  “Would you like some help?”

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Jeremy’s offer of help caught me by surprise. His visit was the only respite I had from work and thinking about Flynn’s murder. Did I really want to sacrifice that?

  After dinner, still undecided whether or not to take Jeremy up on his offer of help, I suggested a ride into town. Tourists often drove two or three hours to relax in our picturesque hamlet. Time to show it off. Even though it was cold outside we embarked on my five-dollar tour of Oak Falls.

  Starting at Main Street we strolled past historic clapboard houses whose ground floors housed chic specialty shops, their windows arranged to catch your eye. Primarily catering to weekend visitors, the street was fun to window-shop, especially when the weather cooperated. After exploring the old church and graveyard established in 1726, we crossed the street to peek into one of the many art galleries. Local artisans were often featured as well as national and international artists, giving Oak Falls a well-deserved reputation as a nurturing, creative community.

  Tonight the Qualog Gallery featured a photography exhibit paired with a grouping of handmade furniture. Several couples milled around inside, some admiring the burled wood dining table and chairs, while others appeared content to simply get warm.

  “It’s getting chilly out here,” I mentioned to Jeremy who peered through the window. When I spoke, my breath turn white. “Want to get some coffee before we continue?”

  “Definitely.” My friend’s teeth had started to chatter.

  We scurried over to Judy’s Place, a small coffee shop only a few doors down. With no window spaces available, we settled for a small table in the far corner near the server station. Since Judy’s was one of the few restaurants open late, it was packed on weekends. Despite the crowd our server quickly took our order. Soon we were peeling off our coats and warming our hands on white china coffee mugs.

  “It’s a beautiful town. No wonder so many people from New York City buy second homes here,” Jeremy noted.

  “You’d be amazed at the famous names of some of our residents. The whole Hudson Valley is having a big revival. Even the property values in the smaller towns up toward Hunter Mountain are going up.”

  “Might be a good time for you to invest, Kate.” He took a big sip of his hazelnut coffee and closed his eyes. “We’re not getting any younger, you know.”

  “Dream on,” I answered. Jeremy didn’t have the stack of student loans to pay off that I had. Why couldn’t I have been born rich?

  Nice and warm now, we split a Biker Brownie. Noticing that I finished my half way before he did, Jeremy broke off a corner of his and put it on my plate. “Women need chocolate,” he reminded me.

  “Like Mars needs women.” I laughed. Watching the 1967 edition of the cheesy sci-fi movie had been one of our favorite rainy day pastimes.

  In the far corner a couple sitting by the window politely argued with each other. My impression was that the woman was winning the argument. We sat too far away to hear anything but not too far away for me to identify both of them. His close-cropped red hair immediately caught my eye.

  The woman sitting opposite Dr. Rusty had shoulder-length black hair, doe-shaped brown eyes, and a frown on what normally was a compelling, lovely face. I should know. His companion was Shiloh, the Mountain Vista Family Practice office manager and Flynn’s ex-girlfriend. As I watched, he removed his wallet and counted out some bills. I snaked my hand over to Jeremy, interrupting him texting on his phone.

  “Remember I told you about Flynn’s old girlfriend taking up with one of his friends? They’re sitting over there.”

  “Do you need to talk to them?”

  I leaned in and whispered, “Not him. Her.”

  Unflappable, he didn’t question me but instead fished out a twenty-dollar bill and stood up, casually eyeing the room while putting his coat back on. I did the same, keeping the couple in view as Shiloh slipped into her bright red ski jacket.

  “Hurry up,” I hissed at my companion. “Let’s try to meet them at the entrance.”

  Our server briefly caught our eye, probably alarmed that we might skip out without paying the bill. Jeremy raised the twenty up for her to see before placing it on the table.

  “Keep the change,” he mouthed. The forty percent tip helped make her suspicions evaporate.

  “Have a nice night,” she told us, squeezing past, balancing a tray of sandwiches.

  We lingered a bit in the double door entry, me pulling on gloves and Jeremy arranging his muffler. No sign yet of Dr. Rusty and company. Trying to look busy, we pretended interest in our phones, although that wasn’t a stretch for Jeremy. He was in the middle of a text when our targets came around the corner. Before Dr. Rusty could open the door, I feigned astonishment.

  “Why, hello. This is a nice surprise. Jeremy, this is Dr. Lieberman, my new primary care physician. Jeremy is visiting me from Africa.”

  Out of politeness, Rusty introduced his companion, his fiancée Shiloh Alberts.

  “Nice to meet you.” Jeremy smiled at the couple and put away his phone. “Kate was showing me around town. Do you have any favorite spots you can recommend?”

  Rusty checked with Shiloh before answering. “There are a few historic homes worth seeing, including my parents’ home. It’s a bit late, though.”

  “Tonight is only a quick tour. We’re going to come back this weekend and spend more time here.” I made a show of buttoning my coat. “Maybe we can tag along with you for a few minutes?”

  That was probably the last thing Rusty wanted to do, but he continued to be polite. “If you like. It’s only five minutes from here. We’re temporarily staying with my parents in their guest house.”

  It sounded like a little too much togetherness.

  Thankfully, Jeremy began chattering away with Rusty. “When was your father’s house built? I’m a sucker for old homes. So many details on them you don’t see on modern places these days. Like that one.” He gestured to a place across the street. “They were designed for a more gracious, less hectic lifestyle, don’t you think?”

  “Not necessarily. Those houses often held numerous members of the extended family, such as spinsters, various cousins, relatives down on their luck, plus various servants,” Rusty explained, and moved ahead next to Jeremy. The width of the sidewalk forced Shiloh and me to follow behind, perfect for my purpose.

  “We meet again. Butterscotch?” Shiloh reached into her pocket and offered me a candy wrapped in gold foil. “I’m afraid Rusty and I are addicted to these things.”

  “Thanks.” Her engaging smile was as charming as could be. No wonder Flynn asked her out.

  “Have you lived here in Oak Falls for a while?” We’d fallen behind the men, who busily talked architecture.

  “Well, my mom and I moved here in 2006, so I became the new girl in town.”

  “And you met Flynn…”

  “On the baseball field. I played on the women’s softball team.”

  I pressed harder. “Did you know Flynn was planning to leave?”

  Her breath smelled like butterscotch when she answered. “He always talked about traveling, but my mom and I left in late July to go to Colorado to be with my aunt. I didn’t hear about him going to California until I got back.”


  “I’m surprised you ended up back here in Oak Falls.”

  The candy crunched on her teeth. “After I obtained my degree in business from Albany, I started looking for jobs in the medical field. Finding one near my old hometown was appealing. That was two years ago and I’ve been office manager at the clinic ever since.”

  This was turning out to be the easiest interview ever. “So you’re the brain behind that well-run office.” I was starting to get the picture. “Wonderful for both of you.”

  She shrugged her shoulders. “Thanks, although balancing staff and doctors’ egos can be a challenge. You must know all about that, Dr. Turner.”

  “Please call me Kate.” Maybe she suspected that my innocent questions weren’t so innocent after all. “Did Rusty mention I’m looking into Flynn’s death for the family?”

  “Yes. He’s taken Flynn’s death very hard.” Shiloh popped another butterscotch candy in her mouth. From her casual attitude, I suspected her grief didn’t run that deep.

  “And you? How is it affecting you to know he was murdered?”

  She lowered her head against a particularly brutal blast of wind. “I’m much more fatalistic, I think, than Rusty is. Flynn and I only dated a few months, but Rusty has known Flynn his whole life.”

  “What do you think happened?” Shiloh represented a more impersonal point of view. It made me curious as to what she would say.

  Her calm dark eyes looked into mine. “Truthfully, I have no idea.” She pulled her hands out of her pockets and rubbed them together to warm them up. “I don’t see how it matters that much after all this time.”

  My fingertips felt frozen. “Sorry but the family wants to know.”

  “No problem,” she took out another candy. “Maybe next time we meet we can talk about normal things.”

  “I’d like that.” We picked up our pace. I made a mental note to ask her where she’d purchased her staff’s uniforms.

  The guys had stopped in front of a huge white clapboard home with a wraparound deck, widow’s walk and turret, and several tacked-on additions. Whatever shrubs lined the iron front railing were covered with mulch and soil and wrapped with garden fabric, probably in anticipation of winter storms.

  “We’re here,” she said, putting an end to my questions.

  “This is my parents’ place.” Rusty announced. “As you can see from the historical marker, it was built in 1789. What they don’t tell you is it was partially destroyed by fire in 1851 and rebuilt over the next year.” Rusty pointed out the iron sign attached to the side of the house. “Shiloh and I live there.” He gestured to a building with two Grecian columns attached to the main structure by an enclosed walkway.

  “That’s convenient for you.” I squeezed in between Jeremy and Rusty.

  “Sometimes too convenient,” joked Shiloh who took her fiancé’s hand.

  “Your place is lovely, too. Does it have a rose garden?” I tried to delay them for a moment, trying to think of a way to bring Flynn into the conversation.

  “The addition has no garden at all. The entire backyard was paved for off-street parking.” Rusty’s fiancée spoke up, a frown on her pretty face. “Missy is the only plant person in the family. Anyway, it was nice to see you both.” She nodded to Jeremy and me, firmly grasped Rusty’s arm, and almost dragged him through their gate.

  ***

  “Was that helpful?” Jeremy laced his arm through mine on our way back to his car.

  “Not really. I confirmed Shiloh was in Colorado the day Flynn left so she’s not a suspect. Maybe there was some kind of jealousy thing going on I don’t know about.” We continued together along the cold sidewalk, our breaths created white puffs. Once we reached the car I slid into the passenger seat while Jeremy started the ignition and adjusted the heat.

  “You’ll be warm soon.” He must have noticed me shivering. Barely lukewarm air blasted out of the vents.

  “A love triangle doesn’t seem that likely anymore.” I let my frustration pour out. “You know, I feel like I’m never going to solve this thing.”

  Jeremy didn’t reply, his eyes focused on the road.

  “So where’s the pep talk?” I turned and faced him. ‘“Don’t worry, Kate, you can do it if you set your mind to it. You’ll figure it out, you always do.’” A hint of sarcasm laced my voice. “Please, you offered to help.”

  We drove for a few minutes before he answered.

  “No pep talk from me.” His eyes never strayed from the road “Truth of the matter is a cold case like this is difficult. You’re not superwoman after all.”

  “Hey, I’m so far from being superwoman it’s not funny.”

  His response surprised me. “Your staff would probably disagree with you.”

  I laughed. “How would you know? You haven’t been here that long.”

  After downshifting he briefly squeezed my hand. “I know from the way they talk about you and admire you. You’ve made quite an impression on them.”

  For some warped reason I felt he was describing someone else, not me.

  “As far as helping, as an anthropologist I’d be tempted to focus in on the grave and how the body was positioned and buried.”

  I was thunderstruck. In all the times I’d talked to Luke he never revealed any of those details, nor did I ask. “Do you mean…?”

  “Was the corpse wrapped and what was it wrapped in? That could be a hint of premeditation or not. Did they notice a particular positioning of the body, folding of the arms, etc. Even though the grave was disturbed, a forensic anthropologist can usually figure those things out.”

  Impulsively I leaned over and kissed him. “Thank you so much. This is really helpful.”

  He kissed me back. “Glad to be of service. Want to continue this at your place?”

  “Absolutely.”

  ***

  Fate had other plans. Before we got on the highway, I received an emergency call from the answering service. A good client’s dog had cut his pad and needed stitches. With our evening plans sideswiped, Jeremy dropped me off at the animal hospital and we reluctantly called it a night.

  Before he left, though, he cautioned me: “Without access to the state labs and testing facilities, Kate, you’re at a disadvantage. All the forensic information those investigators are compiling is going to be an unknown to you. But in my opinion, you’re doing the right thing by speaking to anyone who was around when Flynn disappeared. Those memories are the only evidence left, and memories are bound to fade.”

  “It’s been ten years already.”

  “Exactly. Comparing stories and formulating a timeline can’t hurt. I’m a big believer in the kind of old-fashioned detective work you’re doing.”

  His advice made a lot of sense. But I had something else to ask him.

  “Jeremy. You’ve known me for a long time. Why do you think I’m compelled to get involved in this case?”

  A frown wrinkled his forehead. “I’ll have to think about that. But as long as I’ve known you you’ve always needed to right any wrong. Oak Falls’ own personal caped crusader,” he joked before I opened the passenger door.

  My emergency hadn’t arrived yet.

  “Next time, let’s hope we aren’t interrupted.” His implication was clear.

  “Looking forward to it.”

  I’d made my decision. It was time to give our relationship another chance.

  When he pulled out of the parking lot, I waved good-bye, wishing some other caped crusader was available to swoop in and save the day.

  ***

  By nine-thirty my happy-go-lucky spaniel patient with the cut pad was given a long-acting antibiotic shot, sutured up, and ready to go home. A high-energy kind of guy, he wiggled and jumped around as if nothing had happened. I released him with strict orders—do not let him take his bandage off, keep the cone collar on, and only
take him outside for quick walks on the leash. Footpads are notoriously easy bleeders and I didn’t want him getting rambunctious and pulling out the stitches. After a final reminder to come in for a quick bandage check tomorrow and arming them with a few emergency doggie tranquilizer tablets, I sent the entire family home. I’d let the kids pick the bandage color so Wags now had one neon green foot.

  It took me about twenty minutes to clean up the treatment room and exam room I’d used. Wags had managed to leave bloody footprints on the floor, walls, and exam table before his anesthesia kicked in.

  I checked to make sure the front door was locked and then went around turning off all the lights and setting the alarm system. On my way to the apartment I thought about Dr. Rusty and his fiancée and wondered if they ever privately talked about Flynn.

  Energized from the emergency, after walking Buddy, I poured a glass of white wine and faced the murder board. I picked up a few notes I’d jotted down. One said “angry parents” and on the other I’d simply drawn a triangle with the name Shiloh in the middle.

  Still curious about the Rusty/Shiloh connection I called Mari to get all the gossipy details.

  “Yep, Rusty is engaged to one of Flynn’s old girlfriends, the girl he took to the senior prom, but they got together way after Flynn left town.”

  “Sure?”

  “Positive. Rusty didn’t date much in high school.”

  “Okay.” That shot down a romantic triangle theory for murder.

  Mari continued her Oak Falls gossip update. “Shiloh left town right after high school graduation. Her mother died and she went to live with an aunt or something. Truthfully, I completely lost track of her until she came back and got a job working at Rusty’s dad’s place.”

  “Any idea why she came back?”

  “You’d have to ask her. Even in high school she flew pretty much under everyone’s radar.”

  While she talked I wrote down a few thoughts. “It sounds like Oak Falls is one big happy family.”

  Mari laughed at that. “We’re a small town…how happy we are, who knows? People do talk, that’s for sure. Moms brag about what their kid is doing to another mom, or better yet, complains. It’s crazy what women will share about members of their families.”