Hello Again

by Brenda Novak

  “The police searched the house, his computer and his car. If there was anything there, they would’ve found it.”

  “Then he’s hidden everything at a remote site.”

  “Which could be anywhere.”

  “Except … he’d also want access.”

  Evelyn’s eyes widened with a burst of hope. “The lab!”

  “That’s a possibility. She could go there tonight.”

  “She’s probably already going there, and she has keys to everything.” She rushed over to throw her arms around him. “That’s it! That’s got to be it. If Bishop is as guilty as I believe he is, there’s pornography, photographs, trophies, something he’s hidden somewhere.”

  He held her against him. “Do you think you can get Teralynn to do a little snooping?”

  “I bet I can, and I bet she’d have a better idea of where to look than the police did. Even if they searched his desk, I doubt they were able to go through the whole office or lab. That would invade the privacy of everyone who works there. Chances are the warrant didn’t extend that far.”

  “It’s a shot,” he said.

  It was a long shot, but Evelyn didn’t seem to care. She’d already let go of him and returned to the phone. As he left, he heard her say, “Teralynn? It’s Evelyn Talbot from Alaska.”

  24

  It was late when Amarok and Makita returned. Evelyn was relieved to see them walk through the door. Finally, Amarok would be able to get some rest after a long day, but she knew she wouldn’t get much sleep. Ever since she’d spoken to Teralynn, she’d been trying to distract herself from the wait and the worry that this, too, would not go the way she hoped. But nothing had the power to divert her. Not the television, the housecleaning she’d attempted or the reports she’d brought home to finish. She couldn’t quit obsessing over the fact that Bishop was getting home tomorrow night—and fearing the reckoning he would likely demand of Beth.

  Makita barked and Sigmund came running to welcome him home. Since she’d moved in with Amarok, the two pets had grown surprisingly close. “How bad is the storm?” Evelyn asked.

  Amarok bent, as he always did when he first got home, to give Sigmund some attention. “Fierce. I’m not sure I’ll be able to get Bishop out of Hilltop tomorrow, even with a plow.”

  She’d been listening to the wind whip around the house while he was gone, had seen how thickly the snow was falling when she pressed her nose to the window. Some of that snow clung to Amarok’s hat and coat. “Maybe it’d be best if he stayed.”

  “Where?” Amarok demanded.

  “At The Shady Lady, I guess. It’s the only motel nearby. I can’t imagine he’ll be willing to sleep at the prison another night if he gets snowed in.”

  Amarok shook his head. “No way. I don’t want him in this town.”

  “It would give me another day to get Beth out of the situation she’s in.…”

  He scowled, obviously reluctant to be talked into letting Bishop remain anywhere nearby. “I hate to sound callous, but I don’t know Beth. I do know, and care about, almost everyone here—and plan to keep them safe.”

  She smiled. “I understand how protective you are of this place.”

  “It’s my job.”

  “It’s more than that.”

  “Maybe.” He tossed her a boyish grin as he stood to peel off his coat, hat and gloves. “What’d Teralynn say?”

  “She agreed to look. Said she thought she knew of a few places the professors or lab technicians might feel safe stashing something like the items I described.”

  “Why didn’t she ever think of checking those places herself?”

  “Why would she? The police were doing the investigating, and they seemed to have everything well in hand, thought they had what they needed. I doubt very many people would consider launching their own search of the science building, even the janitor—especially if they have nothing personal at stake either way.”

  “If he’s the killer we believe he is, she could have something personal at stake.”

  “True, but I doubt she would’ve thought of it that way in the beginning. She was too shocked that someone so mild mannered could even be suspected of crimes that heinous.” She came up to kiss him. “Thanks for the lunch you brought to the prison today, by the way. That was very thoughtful.”

  “Glad you liked it.” He went to the fridge and grabbed himself a beer, lifting it to offer her one.

  “No thanks.”

  “So when do you expect to hear something?”

  “I have no idea how long it might take. Teralynn said she’d call when she could.” Evelyn assumed that would be sooner rather than later, but they spent an hour together, watching the rest of a movie they’d started on the weekend, and didn’t hear anything. After that, she continued to wait while Amarok dozed right there on the sofa. Around two, she managed to drift off herself, but when Amarok woke and mumbled that they should go to bed she told him she’d be in soon and let him go without her.

  After that, she just sat there, staring at Makita, who was looking at her with his head cocked to one side as if to say, Didn’t you see that Amarok left? The man we both adore? Aren’t you going to follow him? Should I?

  “You go,” she muttered, and covered her face as he trotted off. Teralynn wasn’t someone she should’ve counted on to begin with, she told herself. Teralynn had been eager to be involved, to feel important, as Amarok had predicted. But it didn’t seem as if she was trying. She hadn’t even bothered to call back, to keep in touch. Besides, what could she find that the police had not?

  The despair that had been edging closer all night suddenly overwhelmed Evelyn. She lost more battles than she won when it came to the psychopaths she studied. Was she making any difference at all?

  Tears were welling up when the shrill ring of the phone made her jump.

  Scrambling to stop the noise before it could wake Amarok, she held her breath as she glanced at caller ID and lifted the receiver. It was Teralynn, all right.

  Please. Let me be wrong. Let Teralynn come through. This was, after all, a last-ditch effort. If it didn’t work, Beth would have to stay with Bishop until Evelyn could figure out something else—and who knew how long that would take? She’d feel as if she’d let Beth down—

  “Dr. Talbot?”

  “Yes?” She stiffened as she waited to hear the results of Teralynn’s efforts.

  “I think I found something.”

  Grabbing the closest chair, Evelyn sank into it as a sleepy Amarok came into the room, squinting against the light. “Is it her?” he asked.

  She nodded but lifted a hand to let him know she’d focus on him in a minute. “What is it, Teralynn? What did you find?”

  “A hooded mask, zip ties, a rag, some clear liquid in an old bottle—and an ice pick.”

  When Evelyn gasped, Amarok moved forward but didn’t speak again. He was waiting, listening. “How’d you find that stuff?”

  “Wasn’t easy. I spent hours, searched the whole damn lab and every other place I knew Lyman went—without any luck. I was about to give up when I remembered how much he likes to play the piano. There’s this old piece-of-crap piano in the professor’s lounge, pushed back into the corner. Most professors are too busy to be bothered with it, or they don’t play to begin with. But Lyman used to go there. There were times I’d find him alone, playing, when I came in to clean. He said music was soothing. Anyway, I pulled that piano away from the wall, which wasn’t too hard since it’s on coasters, and, after poking around a bit, I found this bag. Almost couldn’t believe it myself.”

  Evelyn’s mind was racing. That Lyman was the only one to play the piano created a tie between him and that bag. So did the ice pick, considering the crimes he’d been accused of committing. But those were loose associations, nothing that proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was the one to hide those things—or perform the lobotomies.

  “Teralynn? Can you please take a picture of each item—and all of it together—with
your phone and e-mail those photographs to me? Then take what you’ve found straight to the police on your way home?”

  “Will the police be mad that my fingerprints are on it? When I found it, I had no idea what it was. I took everything out.”

  “No. It’s natural that you would; you’re not a forensics expert. Tell them you were cleaning when you came across it and that only Lyman Bishop ever played that piano. Ask for Detective Lewis. He’s the one now working the Zombie Maker murders. And make sure you give those things directly to him so they can’t get misplaced or handed off to someone who might not recognize the impact of what such a find means. The last thing we need is for this stuff to get lost.”

  “I will. This is good, right? I mean, Bishop was getting out. This might mean he’ll go back to prison.”

  “That’s exactly what it might mean. It’s fantastic. For starters, it gives me something solid to work with. Now maybe I can get Beth out of that house.”

  “Do you think they’ll put my picture in the paper?” Teralynn asked.

  Obviously, she was excited about the attention she would receive, but that didn’t matter. She’d found what could save Beth from the abuse she’d suffered—and maybe she’d saved others from something even worse. “I do. I know a reporter at The Star Tribune who will probably be very interested in talking to you.”

  “Will you give him my number?”

  “If that’s what you want.”

  “I do. Thanks!”

  “You’re on your way to the police, right?” Evelyn said, hoping to keep her on track until she could get those items into the hands of the detective.

  “Yes. Leaving now.”

  “Perfect.” After she hung up, Amarok lifted her to her feet and stared into her face.

  “What is it?” he asked. “What’d she find?”

  Evelyn’s exhaustion and fatigue rose to the surface, along with a jumble of emotions, causing tears to spill over her eyelashes as she told him.

  He used his thumbs to wipe away those tears. “That’s wonderful.”

  “It’s a win for the good guys,” she said with a smile.

  “There’s a lot of police work yet to do—fingerprints, DNA, trying to trace that liquid as well as the ice pick to prove it was really Bishop who handled those things,” he cautioned, but he was smiling while he said it.

  “He’s smart. He managed to keep his kit out of the hands of police despite their earlier searches. I’m sure he assumes he’s home free. But the connection should be there.”

  “Gustavson had to have thought those searches would yield more than they did, had to have been shocked to find he could get nothing solid on Lyman.”

  “That’s why he resorted to planting those panties. He told me as much. But Bishop couldn’t have prepared for every eventuality.” She reached up to smooth down Amarok’s thick hair, which stood up from when he’d been sleeping. “There will be something in what Teralynn found to show those items belong to him. I know it.”

  Amarok pulled her into his arms and held her close.

  “I believe we’ve got him,” she whispered.

  * * *

  Evelyn didn’t dare go to bed. Minnesota was three hours later than Alaska, which meant it was already after seven there. While Amarok slept a little more so that he could get up to drive Bishop to the airport in Anchorage, she waited to give Teralynn time to reach the police station. Then she called Detective Lewis, who’d taken over for Gustavson.

  To her frustration, Lewis wasn’t in yet. She fidgeted and worried, watching the clock tick toward the moment when Lyman Bishop would be released, and waited for Lewis to call her back. Fortunately, during that time she did manage to confirm with a sergeant at the police station—the one who answered the phone when she called—that Teralynn had dropped off Bishop’s “kit.” Teralynn had called to say she’d had to leave it at the front desk, despite Evelyn’s instructions not to. But when Lewis got in, he assured her that he’d retrieved those items and was heading down to check them into evidence.

  “I’m sorry I missed Teralynn,” he said. “Because now I need to get her back in here to give me a statement.”

  Evelyn knew Teralynn would be more than eager to do that. “I’m sure she’ll be happy to accommodate you. It’s just that she was up all night. She’s exhausted, went home to sleep.”

  “I’ve got her number. I’ll give her a few hours before I call.”

  “Do you have any way of getting hold of Detective Gustavson?” Evelyn asked, covering a yawn. “I haven’t been able to reach him since he resigned, but I’d like to let him know that Bishop’s release doesn’t mean it’s over.”

  “I agree. He should know,” Lewis said. “Might stop him from wanting to jump off a cliff, poor guy. He’s been catching hell from all sides, let me tell you.”

  “I have no doubt it’s been rough.”

  “Deservedly so—to a point,” he said. “He broke the rules. Even if Bishop turns out to be the murderer you and I believe him to be, that won’t mean Gustavson will get his job back. But it should give him some peace of mind—that the sacrifice he made was for a good reason.”

  “Yes. I’d like him to have that.”

  “I’ll make sure he gets the word.”

  “Thanks.” It’d been an hour since Teralynn had found Bishop’s “kit,” but the discovery still seemed a bit surreal. Drawing a deep breath, Evelyn rocked back in her chair. “This is the bombshell we needed.”

  “If we can prove Lyman Bishop put those items behind that piano, it is. But I’m optimistic. There’s a number of ways we could do that—fortunately, all of them legit,” he added wryly.

  “Even if we can’t tie him directly to those items via DNA or whatever, what Teralynn found should cast sufficient doubt about his mentally impaired sister’s safety that I can get her removed from his home. Don’t you agree?”

  “I can’t speak for Adult Protective Services, but I have a hard time believing they’ll fight you now. Can you imagine the negative PR they’d receive, and the number of people who’d lose their jobs, if Beth were to get killed after something like this kit was brought to their attention?”

  Yes, Evelyn could imagine it. That was what brought such relief. The risk of not removing Bishop as Beth’s guardian had just become greater than the risk of leaving him. Thank God. That was all Evelyn had needed—something to swing the pendulum over to the other side when it came to the county’s liability. “I’ll let you go. We both have a lot to do. Bishop will be released from HH after he has breakfast.”

  “Meaning he’ll be home tonight.”

  “Yes. It’s three hours later there, but he’s booked on a direct flight. It’ll take only five hours.”

  “Good luck,” Lewis said. “Have whoever you’re working with at APS call me if they need confirmation. I’ll tell them this discovery hints at some pretty scary shit and they’d better get his sister out of that house while they can.”

  “I appreciate it.” She let him go so that she could call Louise Belgrath, but Louise didn’t pick up.

  “Damn it,” Evelyn muttered. She tried again, to no avail. And then she must’ve dozed off. The next thing she knew, Amarok was entering the kitchen, freshly showered and dressed for the day.

  “You’ve been up all night?”

  She could hear the disapproval in his voice. He was worried about her; she had trouble knowing when to ease off the throttle. “I’ll take a nap as soon as I can. First I have to reach Louise Belgrath.”

  He dropped a kiss on her head. “Don’t push yourself so hard. You’ve got all day. With this weather, we might not even be able to make the plane.”

  “I’m not sure that comforts me, especially after what Teralynn found last night. I don’t want you alone with Lyman Bishop in a motel room. So … figure out a way to get him on that plane. I’ll do the rest.”

  “And then you’ll probably work the remainder of the day.”

  “No, I’ll clear off my schedule and sleep. I
promise.”

  The phone rang and, once again, she scrambled to get it. “It’s Louise.”

  He walked over to put on a fresh pot of coffee while Evelyn answered.

  “Thank God you called me back,” she said into the phone.

  “I’m sorry to take so long. It’s been a hectic morning. I just wanted you to know that I got your message and I’m working on it.”

  “Working on what, exactly?”

  “On getting Beth out of Lyman Bishop’s house, of course.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Not at all.”

  Of course she wasn’t kidding. This wasn’t a joking matter. Besides, Louise didn’t know how to joke—or didn’t see any value in it. She was the most sober individual Evelyn had ever dealt with. But Beth was going to be taken to a safe place. That was all that mattered. “How soon can you make it happen?”

  “He gets home tonight?”

  She’d left that information in her message. “Yes. He lands at six. My guess is he’ll be home no later than seven.”

  “I’ll have her gone by then.”

  Closing her eyes, Evelyn breathed deeply. “Thank you.”

  “I hope we’re doing the right thing,” Louise said as if she wasn’t entirely convinced.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Beth and her brother have both been through a lot in their lives. For the most part, they’ve only had each other. I don’t want to separate them, and make things worse, if this isn’t legit.”

  She was referring to what Detective Gustavson had done, was lumping Evelyn and, possibly, the new detective, if she’d spoken with him, in with Gustavson because they also believed Bishop to be guilty. “There are no easy answers, Louise. I’m sure you’ve come to realize that in your line of work. We can only do what we deem necessary at the time. And I can assure you that no one planted the bag that was found. Considering what was in it, don’t you think Beth should be removed as soon as possible?”

  There was a long pause. But then she said, “Yes. I’ll call you when it’s done.”

  “It’s happening?” Amarok asked once she’d hung up the phone.