“Elaborate,” Mathias said.
Ernest exhaled and leaned back in his chair so far the front legs kicked up. “I got a letter in the mail. It offered me a truckload of cash to share some information. Digitally.”
“Digitally?” Zoe asked.
“Like on the web. I made an email and got everything set up. Had to have my cousin walk me through the steps and all. To be honest, I never thought the money would show.”
“But it did?” Casper asked.
“Without fail. Hidden in the same spot you just found that folder. Inside the woodpile.”
“Just plain cash? Nothing else?” Zoe asked.
“White envelope sealed with a sticker. No words.”
“And what did you have to do for these envelopes full of cash, Ernest?” Mathias spoke in a growl.
“I told you! I shared information. Sent our shift schedules each month, among other things. After the first few sightings got reported, I learned that if I circled certain days, I could make sure nothing happened on my watch. So, I did that. Sometimes I let them know when there were events in the park or stuff like that. Like when the group camps were full of Boy Scouts or if we had volunteers starting early in the morning.”
“And the cameras?” Casper asked.
Ernest glared up at him and sighed. “Yeah, I sent that over too. I knew that would be key information. I thought it would be easy enough for them to steer clear but-”
“So, you didn’t tell them to trigger the camera?”
“Son, do I look dumb to you?”
“Why did you agree to this, Ernest?”
“The first reason was money. The first ask was just a copy of our schedule here. I thought, no harm, no foul. And the money was more than I deserved. But after that, I tried to call it off.”
“How so?”
“I told them I was out. Done.”
“And?”
“And they responded with an envelope full of photographs of my grandkids. At school. Playing on the jungle gym. Walking in the park. It spooked me. The instructions said that if I played along, I would be a rich man and nobody would get hurt. I didn’t ask questions beyond that.”
“And what about Wade Buchanon? How did he fit into this?” Zoe pushed.
Ernest sighed. “Hand on my heart, I had nothing to do with that man’s injuries.”
“Where were you Saturday morning?”
“Asleep in my bed. Alone. Unless you can convince old Trotter to speak English instead of meow, I don’t have any way to verify it. Except that it’s the god-damned truth.”
“Then how can you explain this folder full of evidence?”
“I can’t.”
“Do you know who is calling the shots? Who was sending you that money?” Casper asked.
“If I knew, I’d be the first one to report it to the authorities. I guessed it was somebody from a case I worked in the past. Somebody I put away in prison for a while that was back to come and wreck my life.”
Mathias reached for his phone. “We’ll need to have Detective Russo question you.”
Ernest pursed his lips. “If you say so. Look, I’ll walk away from everything if you can guarantee their safety.”
“I’m sure we can work something out if this all checks out as you say it will. I’ll call her.”
Mathias stepped away. Casper thought about the placement. The use of the same location as the money drops. Like a threat. Or a connection. Something tying this all into one neat little bow. Casper joined them at the table and looked at Ernest. “What kind of sticker?”
“Huh?” Ernest said.
“You said they sealed the envelope of money with a sticker.”
He nodded.
“What kind of sticker?”
“It was a little fox.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Kyle? What the hell?” Andy cried out.
Kyle removed the tattered Scream Halloween mask and smiled at Andy. “I’m sorry, man, I thought you were somebody else.”
“And you attacked me just in case? Did you think I was wearing a Fox costume?”
“After what happened to that guy on the trail, I wasn’t taking any chances.” Kyle extended a hand to help him up. “How’s your leg?”
Andy sat up with his back against the flimsy wall of the hallway. “I’ll live. A limp will be a perfect conversation starter with the ladies.” He glared at Kyle. “I tried calling you, man. What the hell?”
Kyle stepped into the kitchen and dug through his freezer. “I ditched my phone. Figured that was the only way The Fox knew to find me, so I tossed it in the Eno River.” He handed Andy a bag of frozen peas. “Sorry, I don’t have an ice pack. This may help the swelling.”
“You’re losing it, man,” Andy said. He braced himself and tried to stand up. His knees wobbled, but they soon remembered how to work and he thrust himself into one of the kitchen chairs.
“No, I think you haven’t woken up yet.” Kyle shook his head and paced around the kitchen. “The Fox is no joke. They mean business. And they may still think it was you!” Andy noticed that Kyle’s eyes were bloodshot but decided not to mention it.
“No, I think that’s settled.” Andy cleared his throat. “I, uh, I did a job yesterday.”
Kyle’s eyes grew wide. He paced around the room. The nervousness was palpable. “You what? Why?” Kyle huffed in anger. “Andy, you’re an idiot! I told you to lie low—”
“I wanted to see if things were normal,” Andy explained.
“And? How normal is it if you had to come break into my goddamned house?”
“It was the same. I mean, almost. The job is done, and the money went into my account like always. The job was just slightly different.”
“How different?” Kyle stopped and stared.
“Different part of the park. Different instructions.”
“Different instructions? The Fox doesn’t do different instructions. Are you sure it was the same person?”
“Same number. Yeah…” Andy glanced at the redness on his leg. “I had to pull something out of the bag and hide it in plain sight.”
“And you looked at it?”
“It wasn’t like a weapon or anything like that.”
Kyle rubbed his chin. “What was it?”
“Are you sure you want to know? I don’t want to hear your paranoid ramblings about how this is implicating you further.”
“Just tell me.” Kyle sat, but his leg jack-hammered on the carpet. “Drugs? A gun?”
“No, man!” Andy laughed. “Do you think I would be this calm if I just had my hands on a brick of heroin or a Glock? Hell no. It was just a folder. Bunch of photographs and documents inside.”
“A folder? What the hell?”
“Dude, I know better than to ask questions after what you told me. I also know better than to stick around after I make a drop and watch the god-damned pickup.” He shook his head. “My god that was a dumb move, Kyle.”
Kyle’s face stiffened. “I never said it was a smart idea. But at least I know what I’m up against. I had this nagging feeling that I was constantly being set up. Like this was a sting, and we were just racking up the charges against us with each gig.”
“Speaking of that. I thought long and hard about everything that is at stake. I think you should go to the police.”
Kyle laughed. “Are you crazy? Why in the hell would I do that?”
“You’re clearly falling apart at the seams here, dude. Not showing up for work. Lurking around your apartment in a fucking Halloween costume!” Andy shouted.
“And you’d like me to waltz into the police station and say what?” He pressed his hands against the kitchen counter and stared daggers at Andy. “I was a drug smuggler and I think my drug lord is a bad person.”
“I wouldn’t lead with that but…”
“Then what? What is the benefit of walking into certain doom?”
“You said you saw their face.”
“Who?”
“The Fox.”
“So?”
“You could provide a sketch. I don’t know how it all works, but it feels like enough to trade for some sort of deal. What’s that called, Mr. English Teacher?”
“Clemency?”
“Yeah, bingo. You go in there and ask for clemency. Beg for their mercy and offer to give up a criminal’s identity in exchange for your freedom. It’s the safest way out.”
“But—”
“And we don’t even know if we are smuggling drugs or guns or what. There’s got to be something in the law that helps us out there. Unknowing participants or something like that.” Andy shrugged. “We are just transporters. As guilty as an Uber driver that picks somebody up from a murder scene. Taking things from one place to another. Doing a job. I have never looked inside a backpack until last night. Have you?”
“No, but—”
“See, you only know what you know.” Andy lifted the bag of peas and plopped it onto the counter. “They hired you to drop things off from time to time. To use your running as camouflage and blend into the scenery of Umstead Park. How is that a crime?”
“It was far away, I’m not sure that I can provide enough—”
“Anything is a start.” Andy forced a smile. “Plus, I don’t see why you’d even mention that you were doing anything besides going for a run. It’s a believable story. You were running in the park like you often do, and you came around a bend in the trail and bam. You hid out and watched things go down and then got the hell out of there.”
Kyle calmed down. “And how do I explain leaving without helping the guy?”
“I don’t know, dude. Say you were about to call 911 when you heard an ambulance or something. Say you were in shock. You’re the wordsmith. Think of something.”
“Okay, I see your point but let me take you down a rabbit hole that I’ve been spiraling towards lately. What if The Fox is a cop?” Kyle paused and waited for Andy to react. Nothing came. “Cops know a lot about how to evade suspicion. In crime shows, the cops are just as guilty as the crooks. What if I walk into the station and the uniformed officer that takes my statement is the same sonofabitch that I saw beat the crap out of that old dude?”
“You’ve seen way too much TV. That’s a borderline impossibility.” Andy laughed.
Kyle was stoic. “It’s not impossible. I’m just trying to watch my ass here, you know?”
“Look, I know you’re worried. I have been too. Ever since you came to practice ranting about this brutal crime you witnessed, I keep thinking about my kids. Watching my back. Thinking that I need to get them to safety. Thinking that my dumb ass put them in harm’s way! I can’t live like this, man.”
Kyle stared at the floor.
“Please? At least consider it.”
The whir of the ceiling fan was the only sound left in the room. Andy stared at his friend. His colleague. His partner-in-crime. He put on his most pitiful look. He let his fear show for the first time. Kyle let out a deep sigh. “Need to get you off the soccer field and coaching our debate team, damn. All right. I’ll do it on one condition,” Kyle said.
“What’s that?”
“I also get to tell them about the crazy idiot that scaled the back of my condo to break into my house.”
Andy put both his wrists together and held them out towards Kyle. “If I get to choose which prison they send me to, I’d like to go somewhere warm.”
Chapter Thirty-Five
The temperature fell as the sun set, a swift reminder that summer had passed and winter crept closer with its bleak, dark mornings and barren deciduous trees. Zoe considered that the chill that crept up her spine may not be from the weather, but from the bitter chaos of the evening’s events. After Casper and Delaney left to check on Hoagie, she watched Detective Russo finish her interview with Ernest Henley. As much as she wanted to be a fly on that wall, it made sense that Russo insisted no park staff be present. Bias can creep in far too easily. Zoe leaned with her lower back against her truck, an attempt at calm that wouldn’t fool a preschooler.
Russo smiled when she stepped out of the residence and saw Zoe waiting for her. “I would’ve put money on you waiting for us to wrap up. You’re a persistent one, you know?”
“I’m sorry, I—”
Russo held up a hand. “It’s a compliment, Zoe. Do you know how many LEOs would write this off and get bundled up next to a fire or be halfway through a six-pack by now?” Russo smiled. “You care. Never apologize for that. It’s not lost on me and it’s sure as hell not lost on your supervisor.”
“Mathias?”
“I know you think everybody has you pegged as the bottom of the food chain around here but… well… hang in there,” she grinned. “But you didn’t come here for a pep talk. You want to know what I learned from old Ernest Henley.”
Zoe nodded. “Did he do it?”
Russo nodded towards Zoe’s truck. “Mind if we step inside and crank the heat? I’m a southerner at heart and this fall weather is frigid for me.”
Zoe unlocked the truck and hopped in. Russo followed, the top of her glassy black hair grazing the ceiling of the tiny cab.
“It’ll take a minute to turn over to heat,” Zoe said with a bashful smile.
Russo nodded. “Police cruisers are just as old. I’m used to it. Anyway, you asked if he did it. The answer is yes and no.”
“How so?”
“We built off your initial interview of Ernest and expanded our search a bit. I had a tech-savvy member of our forensics team remote access his laptop, and thanks to his senior-citizen aversion to technology, it provided us with a slew of unprotected clues. Apparently, he thought his password at the login screen was enough to prevent anybody from finding anything incriminating. He was sorely mistaken.”
“What did you find?”
“Well, first off, Ernest did not lie to you, as far as we can tell. He was a patsy. A middle-man in it for some extra cash. He shared with us the photos of his grandchildren that he said came in the envelope, but without the original instructions, it’s meaningless. Anybody could have printed them off his Facebook page at a local CVS. We have them bagged and will dust for fingerprints, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.”
Zoe ran her hands through her ratty blonde hair. “Geez.”
“He leaked information. Privileged information that would only be valuable to a small subset of people, but nonetheless. It will be up to Mathias and the rest of the higher-ups in the State Park system to look into all that and decide an appropriate punishment. My guess is that Ernest is looking at a forced retirement, but again, that’s not my wheelhouse. Anyway, the larger concern is whoever is tugging Ernest’s puppet strings, so to speak.”
“Agreed. I’ll admit that I still don’t see how it all connects.”
Russo let out a sigh. “You’re not alone on that ledge, lady. We’re still working on pulling at the right threads. Unfortunately, I have a lot of cases on my plate and my captain is pushing resources towards other matters since it looks like Wade Buchanon is going to pull through. Despite his recovery, he has no memory of the incident, so it’s not like he’s going to pop up with an ID in the next few hours. If he does, all the better. But again, nobody is holding their breath. Anyway, I know this hurts to hear, but my superiors will soon put this case on the back burner.”
Zoe looked at her muddy boots on the dirt-stained floor mat. “Never thought of Raleigh as a dangerous place with all these cases…”
Russo chuckled. “Not exactly dangerous, but minor crimes are happening everywhere and we don’t have a big staff. A lot like y’all here at the park, right? You can only cover so many miles of trail between your staff. Gotta prioritize however upper management decides.”
Zoe’s mind was still three steps behind, stuck on something. “Do you have any inklings about the puppeteer as you described them?”
“We know a few things. First, they are smart. They used dummy IP addresses and email accounts to set up everything. No paper tr
ail besides the cash that Ernest was getting. We found an envelope similar to what Ernest had when we searched McQueeney’s mess of an apartment. Not just smart with tech, but smart in being organized. They planned everything with precision. That’s not everybody’s bag of chips, so to speak.”
Russo and Zoe watched as Ernest peaked through the blinds in his bedroom window. The man couldn’t sneak up on a deaf sloth if he wanted to, but Zoe understood the unease caused by an extended police presence in your driveway.
Russo continued. “Second, this is bigger than it seems on the surface. I had the bagged evidence from McQueeney’s on my desk when one of my colleagues from our Narcotics division came by. He’d heard about what we found. He showed me a small bag of heroin that was sealed with… want to guess?”
“A fox sticker?”
“You’re smart as a whip. You’ve got it,” Russo gave her a light pat on the shoulder.
“So, what does it mean?”
“Well, as I said, we’re piecing it together now. There’s a lot of puzzle pieces that do not seem to align with one another. On one hand, we’ve got an idiot parading around in a Bigfoot costume. On the other, we have a recent uptick in drug cases and arrests. Add in a corrupt Park Ranger and this is one odd jumble of facts. The only thread connecting all the dots is the sticker.”
Zoe stared out through the windshield. The dirt and grime from her commute to the office had built up a layer of filth around the wiper’s range. She let her eyes shift focus onto Ernest’s house. The old tannish-brown cabin needed a fresh coat of paint. Some TLC would go a long way in fixing up the side yard too. Logs sat in a clumsy pile along the back line of the property, the lower half of the pyramid brown and worn with age, while the recent additions were too fresh to burn.
“Zoe?” Russo interrupted.
“Yeah, sorry. I was just—”
“No bother, it’s a lot to take in. Especially when it’s all happening in this little slice of paradise that you call home.”
Trouble Afoot (Shepard & Kelly Mysteries Book 2) Page 16