“Boy, you’re sure in a mood.”
“No. I’ve just pulled a thirty-hour shift.” Hauser signaled to his team, and they loaded the body into the medical examiner’s van. He turned toward Lily. “The last few weeks for you have been hell. Try to let go of what happened and don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“You know I never let anything go.”
“Yep. Just like your Dad. See you back at the morgue.” Hauser waved, got into his car and pulled away.
Jeremiah walked up and stood next to Lily. “Do you think the M.E. is holding back something that can help solve our case?”
Maybe the new guy isn’t all that bad. The least I could do is try to get along. Lily retrieved her notebook and pen and drew a rough sketch of the scene. “No. He’s the Deputy Medical Examiner. If Ibee contacted him, it might be connected to a previous case. You can bet I’m going figure out what it is.”
Static came across Lily’s radio. “Detective Blanchette, you copy?”
Lily keyed her radio. “Go ahead.”
“We’re getting ready to pull the car out of the water. Can you meet us at the Main Street Bridge?”
“I’m on my way.” Lily looked at Jeremiah. “You wanna go with me?”
“You’re my only ride.”
With Lily at the wheel, the detectives headed east on Highway 106. Sixty seconds later, they drove over the bike trail on the bridge, turned right on Water Street, and pulled into the parking lot connected to the Municipal Building. Lily whipped the wheel to the left, pulled the Charger in at an angle and claimed two parking spaces.
Lily and Jeremiah got out and made their way across the street, passing an ambulance. Directly next to the vehicle, paramedics treated a man sitting on the curb, crying. As they tried to get him to stand, he stretched out his arms and fell limp, posed like a scarecrow in a cornfield.
Next door to the Municipal Building, smells of fresh baked croissants and muffins flowed from the local bakery.
When they reached the boat launch, Lily walked down the concrete plank and stepped out onto the narrow T-shaped pier that pointed back in the direction towards the Robert Street Bridge. The top of the T aimed across the water to a row of condos. To her left was the boat launch.
Lily peeked over the railing and down at the launch. Would the killer have taken the time to use the launch to ditch the car? The car would’ve had to have a considerable amount of speed to get to the water and past the pier.
The vast body of water was high and restless, moving in small currents headed west underneath the bridge.
She rested her hand on the railing as she strained her eyes through the thin haze, hoping to see her first responder. No Nick.
Jeremiah tapped her on the shoulder. “It’s about that time.”
Lily walked off the pier and stood in the grassy section. She looked up at the bridge where the crane loaded with a winch was positioned, ready to hoist the car out of the river.
Two of the divers surfaced and signaled to the dive master. The dive master turned toward Lily and Jeremiah. “It’s secured.”
A few minutes passed as the divers swam over to the dock and pulled themselves out of the water.
Soon, a black Mercedes-Benz was lifted from the muddy waters of the Rock River. Water drained from underneath the car, cascading like a waterfall. The crane lowered the Benz, placing it gently on the grass on all four wheels.
“Detective Blanchette.”
Lily turned and saw Officer Nick Levins jogging towards her carrying a clipboard. “I was beginning to think you were hiding from me.”
Nick halted and handed Lily the entry log and a piece of evidence. “That cigar’s identical to the one found earlier,” Nick replied, trying to catch his breath. “I found it wedged in between the rocks used to get on the other side where the body had been dumped.”
“Jeremiah,” Lily said. “I’m going to spend some time with the first responder. Once they’re done draining the car, walk with the crime scene tech and give the vehicle a once over. Take some pics of the registration and license plates. I want proof positive that’s Weeks’ car. Most likely any evidence was washed away the second it went into the water.”
Jeremiah adjusted his hat and winked. “You got it.”
Lily looked at the cigar stump in the bag and twirled it around between her gloved fingers. The label on the cigar resembled one of the premium cigars her dad used to smoke. Whoever this belongs to might be a cigar aficionado.
Lily handed the bagged cigar back to Nick. “Let’s hope it’s the person tied to this case. Get that to the lead forensic investigator in charge.” Lily scanned the log. Come on. Who’s on here that stands out? Listed on the sheet were colleagues in one form or another, except for one, third from the last, Kyle Weeks. Lily pointed to the name. “Family member?”
Nick scratched his mustache. “Brother-in-law. He called 9-1-1 around ten o’clock last night, but he wouldn’t give the dispatcher his name. He said his sister-in-law had been missing and that someone needed to check out the Main Street boat launch. It was during shift change. I got the call and headed out first thing.
“I checked it out but didn’t see a body anywhere. The guy didn’t provide much for us to go on. So I left.”
Lily made some notes in her notebook, fleshing out her timeline. “Did you update dispatch?”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m on the record for responding to both calls. Earlier, we had to restrain Mr. Kyle from charging the scene as the body was being pulled from the wooded area. He was placed in cuffs until he calmed down. He seemed disoriented.”
“Disoriented … Where’s he now?”
“He’s with the paramedics.”
The man on the curb. “Were you able to get anything out of him?”
“Just his name. And that he lives in the top apartment on the river.” Nick pointed to a row of two stories buildings, each housing four apartment units.
Lily looked up at the row of apartments along the river towards the Robert Street Bridge, replaying everything in her mind that she had been told since arriving at the scene. Wait. “I thought the kayaker called it in?”
“He did. That call came in at 7:18 this morning.”
“Did you look to see if Ariel Weeks had a phone?”
“Yes. Didn’t see one.”
That’s hard to believe that a mother wouldn’t keep a phone on her person in case someone needed to contact her about her kids. Although if she had one of the bigger phones, most likely it’d be in her purse. Either the killer has it, or it’s in the river.
“Lily.”
Lily looked up and saw Jeremiah pointing at the Mercedes. She could see the tension etched in the faces of her partner and the forensic techs. What now? She walked towards Jeremiah, rounded the back of the car and headed over to the passenger side door.
Still holding the clipboard containing the entry and exit log, Lily looked through the window and saw a body lying across the front middle console, still strapped in the passenger seatbelt. Damn. “It’s going to be a long day.”
Lily dug into her breast pocket, pulled out her favorite lucky charm; a case containing her dad’s badge and his guillotine cigar cutter. She removed the badge and rubbed her finger over the intricate designs on the gold metal. Detective Collin Blanchette. My case as lead and you’re not here to guide me. I miss you. She kissed it and quickly returned it to her breast pocket.
She reached into the same pocket and plucked out her flashlight. She moved the rays up and down over the body. “We’ve got a white male, no visible signs of external trauma and he’s fully clothed. Nick, get Hauser back on the phone and let him know what’s going on. Also, get online and run that license plate and get that cigar to forensics. The head guy.”
Nick nodded and ran to his patrol car.
As the forensic techs began performing their duties to process the car, Jeremiah came around to the side where Lily stood. He peered through the back window. “This is an expensive car.”
<
br /> “You know cars?”
“This is one of Mercedes’ top of the line sedans. You’re looking at almost ninety-five thousand.”
“That’s way more than what my truck cost,” Lily said, rubbing her forehead, her thoughts as chaotic as the tangled fishing lines hanging from the tree branches. I need to step away for a second. “I’ll be back.”
“Are you feeling okay?” Jeremiah asked.
“Yep. Just need a minute.” Lily walked over to the pier and squatted near the edge. Lord, get me through this case and keep me safe for the baby’s sake. She breathed in deeply, letting the cold air sear her sinuses, telling herself she was tougher than her hormones, stronger than her stress.
A chiming sound coming from the outer edge of the grass near the sidewalk caught her attention. A cell phone? She stood, took two steps and peered at a phone case. It chimed again. Lily looked over shoulder and motioned a crime scene tech. “I need a marker over here.”
As the tech arrived and placed the evidence marker next to the phone, Nick and Jeremiah headed in her direction.
Nick said, “The plates came back belonging to Brian and Ariel Weeks.”
“Okay.” Lily handed Nick back the log. “Keep this for a while longer. I’ll talk to Kyle.”
Lily marched over to the ambulance and spoke quickly to the older female paramedic. “How’s he doing?”
“This one’s an odd duck. For a while, he just moaned and cried. He hasn’t answered any of our questions. At first, he didn’t want us to help him. Eventually, he let us take his vitals. As a caution, we’re going to take him to the hospital for observation.”
It’ll only take me a second.” Lily stepped around the EMT and stood in front of Kyle. The guy who’d been so cagey to dispatchers made eye contact with her. “What did you see that prompted you to call the police?”
“I saw Ariel’s car being pulled by a boat from that launch out into the middle of the river.”
Kyle’s words weren’t very clear, but Lily was able to understand what he said. Now she knew why Nick thought he was disoriented. Kyle’s deaf.
Lily signaled the paramedic. “I believe this guy is hearing impaired.” She began jotting down notes. “Kyle, where were you when this happened?”
“I was in my home office, working.”
“At the time you called this in, it was pitch black outside. How could you be so sure it was your sister-in-law’s car?”
“I … just knew it was her.”
Kyle’s eyes were red, and his lower lip quivered. It was hard for Lily to decide anything right now about him, but he was teetering on the edge of being a suspect and not a guaranteed witness.
Lily tore out a piece of paper from her notebook and handed it and a pen to Kyle. “May I have Ariel’s cell number?”
Slowly, Kyle wrote down the digits handed Lily back her pen and paper.
She took it and glanced over Kyle’s shoulder at the paramedics. “Go with them to the hospital.”
The paramedics loaded Kyle into the ambulance and were soon on their way. Lily hurried back over to the spot where she had found the phone, dialed Ariel’s number and waited, hoping Ariel’s phone would ring instead of going straight to voicemail.
A cheerful tune emitted from the cell phone. I’ve got your phone, Ariel. Let’s just hope that it leads me to your killer.
Chapter 3
12:32 p.m.
It had been five hours since the call regarding Ariel Weeks had been dispatched. Things were finally winding down. The temperature had risen by two degrees, which made conducting an investigation on the Rock River almost tolerable. After canvassing the neighborhood, Evan and Alec headed to report back to Lily and give her an update.
The fact that Lily had remained with the department after marrying that jerk-off Julius, even after he had tried to convince her to move and work for a different department, had meant more to Evan than he would readily admit.
A few feet away, he spotted Lily walking in his direction, adjusting the red butterfly clip that held her curly ebony hair into a bun. The expression on her light-brown face raised Evan’s hope that she had good news. “Want to share what the semi-smile’s about?”
“I think we’ve got our first lead. Kyle Weeks. He’s on his way to the hospital for observation.”
“Gotta love having something to go on before leaving the crime scene. Alec and I got nothing while canvassing the neighborhood. How’d it go with Hauser?”
Lily smile faded. “Hauser wasn’t very forthcoming about his phone call with Ibee.”
“Better make that two calls with, Ibee. Hauser was on the phone when I arrived, and I overheard him mention something about if it’s tied to her case, he’d let her know. I didn’t ask, and he didn’t volunteer any information.”
Evan and Lily trekked back up the stone steps, navigated the small hill, and stepped back onto the solid pavement of Highway 106.
As they started to their cars, a Ford Explorer with the seal of the Fort Atkinson Police pulled up alongside Lily and Evan. The driver side window lowered. “York. Blanchette. Where’s Mills?”
Lily pointed to the Charger. “He’s waiting for me. We’re all going back to the station before I notify the family.”
Sergeant Kevin Owen put the SUV in park, stepped out from behind the wheel and adjusted the cap that covered his silver streaked military haircut.
Jeremiah got out of the car and joined the three others.
Sarge tucked his thumb behind the black belt supporting his little paunch. “I’m not going to give my speech about not talking to the press. After what I’ve learned, you’ll know why.
“I want to see the three of you in my office as soon as you get back to the station. We’ll talk there.”
Lily said, “Yes sir.”
Evan nodded and watched his Sergeant hop back into the SUV and head towards downtown. He wasn’t sure what their sergeant was going to say, but if this was going to turn into another high-profile case, the odds of Lily making it through a two-day stretch without sleep, while pregnant, were slim.
Lily was going to need to rest and eat. Catching cat naps in the break room would eventually set off alarms. If Sarge knew that Lily was expecting, she’d be on light duty instead of working in the field. Keeping her pregnancy a secret was going to prove to be a challenge.
“Can I have a quick second with Lily?” Evan said.
Jeremiah put his hands up. “I’ll go wait in the car.” He strode towards the Charger and got inside.
Evan quickly checked to see if any eyes were on them. For the moment, others were preoccupied with their jobs.
Lily placed her hand on her abdomen.
If only I could hold you, but then everyone would know.
The woman Evan was in love with, stood before him, torn about the little one that was growing inside of her. The night Julius tried to kill Lily was still very present in Evan’s mind, replaying over and over like a bad horror movie. Not just because of what Julius had done to Lily, but what he had done to Evan, taking him hostage and saying, “If Lily makes it out of the hole that I put her in to die, be sure to give her my letter.” It was emotional torture hearing that Lily may die. But if Evan hadn’t gone in when he did, the bastard would’ve killed Lily without giving it a second thought.
Evan needed to find out what was inside Lily’s heart. She was not the one to cry on one’s shoulder. She held everything in until pushed to open up. Even when pushed, Lily would dance around the question.
The baby wasn’t Evan’s, but he’d be there for the both of them. “Maybe you came back too soon.”
Lily let out a breath. “Coming back is what I needed. Work and catch the bad guys is all I know.”
Evan searched Lily’s brown eyes for the truth. She’s lying to me. She’s far from okay. He watched as she walked to her car, got in and sped off.
*
The seven-minute drive from the crime scene to the station gave Lily time to assess everything she knew a
bout the case. Jeremiah was quiet the entire trip, but that all changed when Lily pulled into her parking spot and hurried to the front doors.
Both Lily and Jeremiah shot up the stairs to the second floor. “So. You and Evan, huh?”
Lily shot Jeremiah a glare but didn’t answer.
“You two act like you’re not together, but it’s easy to see that you’ve got a thang going on.” Jeremiah reached for the door and held it open, letting Lily go first. “Did he cheat on you? Let you down? If you want to vent, I’m your man. You know, there’s no law against being both friends and partners.”
“I don’t have any secrets. My true friend and partner was shot by a dirty cop a month ago. Now she’s a paraplegic, and you’re here. All I want to do is solve this case.”
“What was your partner’s name?”
“Morgan.” Lily hastened down the tiled hallway that led to the homicide unit and turned toward Sergeant Owen’s office.
Jeremiah caught up and walked alongside her. “My offer still stands. You can talk me about anything.”
“No thank you.”
Jeremiah whispered, “Fine. When people start realizing that you’re carrying more than a gun, it’ll be on you.”
Lily halted just a few feet from her commanding officer’s door. “We’re not even officially partners yet. What’s with the sudden eagerness to pry into my private life?”
“We’ll be partners by the end of the day.”
Lily shook her head, managed the corner, and stepped into Sergeant Owen’s office. Evan and Detective Alec Weber came in soon after and sat in the seats facing Sarge’s desk.
Sarge grabbed some papers off the printer, pushed away from his desk and stood. “This case reeks of a cover-up. The chief is already pushing for this to be solved ASAP. I need for the four of you to make this a priority in your life.” He looked at Lily. “I’ve already given you the thumbs up about being lead. You and your detectives did a damn fine job on the last one.
“The less sleep, the better. I’ll make it up to you guys once this is over. You’ve already met Mills; He’ll be your new partner. Give him a chance. Mills, Blanchette knows how to work a case, so pay attention.”
Her Final Watch (A Detective Blanchette Mystery Book 2) Page 2