Tainted Mind

by Schultz, Tamsen

  “And did they go through her things at the house? Did they find any alcohol?” Nick asked, sitting forward.

  “They did. She was a juice drinker. There was vodka in her orange juice, both in the carton in the fridge and in the bottle she'd brought with her in the car.”

  “And what did Schuyler have to say about that?” Vivienne interjected.

  “That she was depressed.”

  “That's it?” Nick asked, disbelief clear in his voice.

  Vivienne made a little noise to his right. “He's a successful defense attorney. He would know that the less said the better. Let me guess, he said all the right things, cooperated just enough with the police, indicated his wife had problems other people didn't know about, but acted appropriately shocked at her death?”

  Ian nodded. “According to Lucas, who wasn't the investigating officer but knows the guy who was, Schuyler's response was strictly textbook. It seemed genuine in every way, except how scripted it felt. Still, they couldn't gather enough evidence to prove anything, so the case was ruled suspicious and left on the shelf. So to speak.”

  “And Joe?” Vivienne raised the next obvious question.

  “His father refused to let him be interviewed. And since he wasn't a suspect and was only ten years old, they opted not to press the matter.”

  “Any chance the father was covering for the son?” Vivienne tossed the question out.

  “That possibility was raised in the report, too. According to people who knew Joe at that age, he wasn't a normal kid. What that means, I don't know. So it's a possibility, but I have a hard time believing a ten-year-old could be that devious. It seems like if a kid his age wanted to hurt his mother, there would be other ways he would do it.”

  And he believed that. He wasn't totally discounting the possibility that Joe was involved in his mother's death, he just didn't think alcohol would be how a kid would have done it.

  “Okay,” Vivienne said. “What about Simon Willard?”

  “Now, he's an interesting cat. If it weren't for his squirrely reaction to Rebecca Cole's name, I would take him off the list, too. He has no record, no documented weapons experience, and Naomi and Brian found nothing to suggest any unhealthy proclivities. Not to mention the fact that he looks like he might have a heart attack if he had to carry someone up the hill to the well we found Rebecca in.”

  “But?” Nick said.

  “But I didn't like how he reacted, so we're looking into him more. I don't think he's the doer, but he may know something.”

  “So that's it on the potential suspects,” Vivienne said, closing the last folder and leaning back on the couch. “What about you, Nick, what did you find today?”

  Nick's eyes landed on Ian, questioning what he was allowed to say in front of Vivienne. Ian realized he'd forgotten to tell Nick that Vivienne was aware of at least one of the tasks he'd given him. “I mentioned I'd sent you up on the property to have a look,” Ian said, giving Nick some guidance on what to talk about, which did not include investigating Vivienne's entire life since entering college.

  “A cigarette butt and a shoe imprint. Anyone you know traipsing about your property or smoking?” Nick asked Ian.

  “The Caufields hunt up there in the fall, they might have been up looking for a place to put a hunting blind. The father smokes. I can call them in the morning and ask if they've been up recently,” he answered. “What about the footprint?”

  “Men's size eleven,” Nick replied. “Even if the Caufields have been up, I doubt the shoe is one of theirs—unless they wear dress shoes?”

  That got Ian's attention. Beside him, Vivienne crossed her arms and rubbed her hands as if warding off a chill.

  “Dress shoe?” he repeated.

  “Yes, not a leather bottom, no-tread dress shoe, but close. I took a cast and have it, with the cigarette butt, in my car to take up to Albany tomorrow. I'd wager it will be something like a boat shoe or a dress shoe with a fine, rubber sole.”

  “Definitely not the kind of shoes the Caufields would wear,” Ian muttered.

  That bit of news gave them all pause. And something to go on. It might not be much, but maybe it was something.

  “I want to go to Albany tomorrow with Nick. Ian, do you mind?” Vivienne asked.

  He did, he'd rather she be with him. But as possessive as he was feeling, he couldn't throw rationality out the window altogether. It made sense that she go where the evidence was.

  “You want to check on Sam?” he asked.

  “Mostly, I want to check on Daniel. Sam can update me, I can go over everything with him, and then Nick and I can come back and report in. Sound like a plan?” A teasing smile touched her lips and he looked skyward.

  “Yes, it sounds like a plan,” he repeated.

  Vivienne and Nick agreed to leave at seven the next morning and, ignoring Vivienne's curious look, Ian walked Nick out to his car.

  “Did you have a chance to look into her family?” he asked without preamble once the door had shut behind them. It was a cool, spring night. The air was clean and the sky was clear, but the wind was picking up and he could see a storm off in the distance.

  “Probably not as much as you would like, but I think we can eliminate Mike. He doesn't travel. Rather, he doesn't fly, not even to see his daughter Kiera in LA. If he goes on vacation at all it's to North Carolina or Florida and he drives. He's never flown and as far as I could tell, has never been to New Orleans, or Seattle.”

  “Okay, that's good.” Ian then filled Nick in on what he'd learned about Brian.

  “Glad to hear that because he was a bit of an enigma to me. Lots of holes in his life, not long ones, but flights out of the country and then back in via somewhere else. If he does that kind of work for the government, that would make sense.”

  “And Travis?” Ian asked as they reached Nick's car.

  Nick made a vague gesture with his head. “Also a bit of an enigma. He travels a lot, but it's to be expected with his job. I found nothing in his background to indicate he's anything other than what Viv thinks he is or what he portrays himself to be, but there was also nothing in there that would eliminate him from the suspect pool.”

  Ian thought this over for a moment before speaking. “Okay, we'll keep Travis on the list. At least we eliminated four men today, Simon Willard, more or less, Timothy Howell, Brian, and Mike. That leaves us with Hancock, Ross, Grant, and the Adams men.”

  “And Travis.”

  “And Travis,” Ian repeated.

  “How are you going to handle that one with Viv?”

  His stomach sank. “I'm hoping I don't have to. We'll see what the lab finds and what Naomi and Brian turn up overnight. Maybe by tomorrow we can narrow the field even more.”

  Nick nodded and climbed into his car. Ian stood in the dark of the night, breathing in the familiar scents as he watched the car disappear down his driveway. When the headlights vanished, he turned toward his house. Inside, he could see Vivienne moving around, putting away the last of the dishes. She looked at home and comfortable.

  She'd been through so much over this past year, she deserved to be safe, to feel a sense of place and belonging. At that thought, Ian felt a rueful smile tug at his mouth. Because he deserved those things, too. He didn't just deserve them, he wanted them. And most of all, he wanted them with Vivienne.

  CHAPTER 25

  VIVI ROLLED OVER IN BED, propped herself up on her elbow, and peered over the chest of the man sleeping next to her to see the clock.

  “Relax,” Ian said without opening his eyes. “I texted Nick last night and suggested you guys go to Albany after debriefing with the team. That way you can be there with them to walk through where we are. They kind of like you,” he added, toppling her onto his chest. “So do I.”

  “I like you, too. But I could have made it to Albany and back in time for the powwow at nine,” she said, pushing herself off Ian and rising from the bed.

  “Maybe, but I also know Daniel is champing at the bit
, and Sam will want your attention, and the cast of the shoe will need to be run through the database, and then you and Daniel will want to test the cigarette for DNA, and then, if you find it, you'll want to run it through the database to see if we have a match somewhere…”

  “Okay, okay,” Vivi said with a laugh. “I get your point. Now, get your lug of a body up, so we can get to the station on time.”

  “You love this body, admit it,” Ian teased, heading for the shower. Vivi didn't answer, didn't have to, but she watched as his naked form disappeared into the bathroom. She wanted to join him but didn't. Showering together seemed like a reasonable way to save time, but it wouldn't. Instead she pulled on a shirt, padded out to the kitchen, started some coffee, and fed Rooster.

  With the nighttime storm come and gone, it was a perfect spring morning. Hearing the shower running, Vivi took a moment to step out onto the front porch. Dew made the green fields sparkle in the early sun and a light fog hovered in the small valleys off in the distance. Taking a deep breath, Vivi inhaled the clean smell, realizing, not for the first time, that her decision to stay and help Ian had been a good one. He was good for her—steady, strong and, like her, flawed. He made her feel a part of something good, something important. Something other than an investigation.

  Since coming to Windsor, she'd started to see herself as something more than her job. Until now, she had always felt her value was measured by how much work she did, how many murderers she caught, how many families she reunited. Yes, she'd always felt connected and loved by her family, but here she was beginning to feel that her value on this planet, for the short time she was alive, was made up of many things. Her work was part of it, but so was being part of a community. And that feeling was beginning to feel like it was worth a lot to her.

  “Vivienne?” Ian said, coming up behind her. “Everything okay?”

  She turned her head and looked at him. Standing there on his porch, uniform on, hand in a cast, hair still damp—he made her smile.

  “It's a beautiful morning and I'm glad I'm here to enjoy it.” His eyes searched hers for a moment, but she didn't need him to say anything. So, with a kiss on his cheek, she took herself off to the shower.

  The team was already upstairs when she and Ian walked in. Naomi and Nick were huddled over a computer. Brian, Carly, and Marcus were sitting at a table reviewing files, and Wyatt was standing by the murder board studying it. Everyone looked up when they entered the room.

  “Well, the good news is, if we find a fingerprint on the cigarette, a few of our suspects will be in databases to compare it to,” Nick said, starting the ball rolling. “Mike Ross would have been fingerprinted when he applied to the police academy. Kirk Hancock and both of the Adams men will be in the military database. Hancock probably has a DNA sample in there too, but depending on the kind of work he did, both his fingerprints and DNA might be blocked. From a routine match,” he added when Naomi opened her mouth. Vivi knew all too well that a blocked record would be no problem for Naomi or Brian to navigate.

  “And Lee Grant?” Wyatt asked, still standing at the board.

  “Sometimes agencies will collect data on SAR professionals, but often it's voluntary so we should look into that,” Vivi answered. Downstairs they heard the door open and close and the murmur of voices. Vivi glanced at Ian to ask if he was expecting anyone when they heard footsteps on the stairs. Ian shook his head as Sharon appeared in the doorway.

  “Dr. DeMarco, Naomi, and Brian, your friend Travis is here. He said he wanted to pop by and say hi to everyone but doesn't want to disturb you.”

  Neither Naomi nor Brian moved, making Vivi shake her head and chuckle at their pigheadedness. The twins liked Travis, everyone did, but he was so different from them—he just wasn't their favorite person to spend time with.

  “Oh, no, don't get up,” Vivi said to her family members. “No need to trouble yourselves, I'll pop down and say hi.”

  Both twins grinned at her.

  “And I'll make plans for the five of us for dinner,” she added. Without waiting to see their faces, she followed Sharon back downstairs.

  “Travis!” Vivi exclaimed as he came into sight. He was looking as put together as ever but was sporting a black eye. “What happened to you?” she asked, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

  He gave a rueful laugh. “One of the directors I went down to the city to see is renovating his brownstone. I wanted to run a few things by him, and he wanted to work on his house, so I joined him. He was doing something on the second floor and I was below him on the stairs when he kicked a scrap of wood out of his way, and it came flying down.”

  She touched it, inspecting the damage. “Does it hurt?”

  “When you touch it, yes.”

  Chagrined, Vivi stepped away. “So when did you get back?”

  “Late last night. I heard about the young woman, Vivi. I'm sorry about that. Makes these seem a bit trivial,” he said, holding up a white box. “Mom said when she talked to you the other day,, you were missing Lucia's cannoli, so she overnighted some to me to deliver to you.”

  A smile touched Vivi's lips. Her family, all of it, liked to fix things with food. Taking the box with a thank you, she lifted the lid and took a deep breath, inhaling the memories.

  “Meghan is strong and hanging in there,” she added, closing the lid and bringing her mind back to the present. “I talked to the hospital this morning and she's still unconscious, but her vital signs are stronger.”

  “Good, I'm glad to hear that. Look,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I don't want to disturb you, but since I'm here and we're rarely in the same place at the same time, I was hoping we might be able to get together?”

  “I was telling Naomi and Brian that we should make dinner plans—or, tomorrow's Sunday and I've heard there's a great brunch place down by Housatonic. Either of those work for you?”

  “Brunch tomorrow would be better. I still have some sites to scout today and then I want to get a decent night's sleep. Should I pick you up?”

  Vivi shook her head. “No, we'll come to you guys at The Tavern and then we can head down there together. You don't mind if Ian comes, do you?”

  “Of course not,” he answered. And, after agreeing on a time, Travis left and Vivi made her way back upstairs. Not without some glee, she informed the twins of their upcoming brunch.

  “Did I miss anything?” she asked, turning to Ian who was now standing next to Wyatt examining the pictures.

  “I eliminated Mike Ross,” Naomi spoke up. “When Ian filled us in about who you thought his mother was, we checked with mom. Turns out he was at a fundraiser with his mother when Meghan was attacked, and they sat at the same table as our mom and dad. He was also out of the country when two of the three victims in Boston went missing. We didn't recognize him because mom and Leanne Ross aren't that close. They tend to just see each other on the circuit so to speak,” she added.

  “Any updates on Meghan?” Nick asked.

  Vivi sighed and repeated what she'd told Travis. “Can we eliminate anyone else?” she asked.

  All eyes went to Ian as he thumbed through a stack of papers in a file. Finally he spoke. “No, I don't think so, not at this point. Naomi and Brian confirmed that Kirk Hancock is in the area having meetings with legislators in Albany, we can't find Lee Grant, and we know Joe Adams is here.”

  “What about Schuyler?” Carly asked. Everyone looked at Naomi, who let out a frustrated breath.

  “I can't seem to find him,” she said. “I've looked at all his social media sites, his friends’ social media sites, his law firm's site, the sites of his clients, and a few other places that I won't mention. He's had no activity on any sites, credit cards, or anything. He did have a large cash withdrawal from his bank about two weeks ago, though.”

  “Large enough to sustain him from then until now?” Ian asked.

  “Depends on how he is living, but I'd say yes,” Naomi answered.

  Vivi watched Ian process t
his information. “Keep digging for both Grant and Schuyler Adams,” he said. “The others we can find if we need to, but I don't like not knowing where two potential suspects are.”

  “Vivienne, why don't you and Nick head up to the lab now? We'll keep plugging away down here on all this,” he said with a wave toward the board and the pictures. “By now Daniel is either passed out from fatigue or so wired on coffee that you might need to talk him down a bit.”

  “And relieve Sam,” she added with a smile.

  Ian cocked his head in agreement, but said nothing. Nick moved to her side and she caught a shared glance between the men.

  “Let's go, luv. Evidence to process and all that,” he said, taking her arm and leading her out before she could say anything.

  “What's going on?” she asked when they were seated in Nick's car.

  “Same ol’, same ol’ as you yanks say. He just doesn't want you alone.” Changing the subject, he asked, “Are you going to stay here when this case is over?” The question startled her. It hadn't ever really entered her mind that she would leave Windsor, which was probably an answer in and of itself. But she wasn't ready to share that yet.

  “I forgot my computer at the house,” she said instead. Nick looked at her, then turned right, toward Ian's rather than left toward the Taconic Parkway.

  “You like it here,” he pressed.

  “Yes.”

  “And you like Ian.”

  “Yes.” She wasn't going to encourage him.

  “He's good for you, you know.”

  “Yep,” she agreed, hoping he'd drop the subject, but she wasn't so lucky.

  “He's not intimidated by you, your intelligence, your accomplishments.”

  Vivi thought that statement was more reflective of Nick than Ian but opted not to pursue that vein of thought. “He's an Army Ranger, they aren't that easy to intimidate.”

  “That's bullshit and you know it, Viv. Yeah, I'm sure it's true in Iraq or Afghanistan or Sudan or any of the other hellholes we send our troops to, but this is different and you know it.”