The run-down house wasn’t exactly spotless, and the four cats’ litter box needed changing. They hovered about the kitchen yowling while the men took blood samples and dusted the door frame for fingerprints. Neil turned to get his camera and stepped on a cat’s paw. It screeched, and he jumped back, slamming into Jimmy. “Get them out of here!”
“Sure thing.” Good-natured Jimmy grabbed one cat and shut it in a bedroom. The other three hopped about the kitchen, just out of his reach. One sprang from the counter to the top of the refrigerator and down onto a microwave oven topped with cereal boxes. The resulting avalanche took Neil’s exasperation to a new level.
“Maybe they’re hungry,” Jimmy suggested.
“Brilliant.” Neil was a bit chagrined he hadn’t thought of the obvious. “Look for cat food.” Tony found several cans in a cupboard and soon had the four cats wolfing a late dinner in the corner. Neil wiped his brow and wondered how much evidence the cats had compromised.
At quarter past two, he paused to sign off on evidence to be logged and remembered Kate. The medical examiner had left and a hearse rolled into the driveway. Neil took out his cell phone and called her.
“I’m sorry, Kate. I haven’t had a minute to brief you. Why don’t you just go do whatever else you need to do and call me in an hour?”
“Well…there’s a TV crew setting up out here. I think I’ll wait.”
Neil sighed. “Okay. I’ll try to come out soon and give you all something.” As soon as he’d hung up, his phone rang.
“Hey, buddy, how are you doing?”
“Hey, Captain. It’s real hectic here. I think we’re doing everything right. Mostly. But there’s so much going on, and the cats are driving me crazy.”
“Cats?”
“Yeah. Four of them.”
“Hmm. I wanted to let you know that Lance ran the bullet from the Riley case on the IBIS system, but didn’t find any matches.”
“That’s too bad. I was hoping.”
“Yeah,” Connor said. “I went around to Riley’s house and took down the crime scene tape. We got her medical records, and I’ve sent Harry to Riley’s lawyer’s office to get a copy of Mrs. Riley’s will.”
Neil took out his notebook and jotted down the pertinent facts. “Say, a bunch of reporters are out front, including Kate. Can I let them have this information?”
“Knock yourself out.”
“Thanks. Oh, hold on, Connor, I think one of the victim’s relatives just arrived.” Neil squinted toward the door. One of the uniformed officers was leading a middle-aged woman toward the house. “Yeah, looks like it could be family. I’ll call you later.”
“Detective Alexander,” the officer at the door said, “Mr. Hepburn’s sister just arrived.”
“Take her into the living room,” Neil said. “I’ll talk to her now.” He braced himself and sent up a quick prayer. Lord, You know I hate this part. But I can do it with Your help. Just help me not to say anything stupid.
He pulled in a deep breath. This was part of the investigating officer’s job. Neil wasn’t sure he was ready for all that came with the position. The fact that Connor and the police chief had confidence in him carried a lot of weight. Heavenly Father, let me live up to their expectations.
He took off his latex gloves and went into the living room. The woman sat on the threadbare couch, staring at him. She wore blue knit slacks and a stained sweatshirt. Her graying hair looked as though she had raked her hands through it many times.
“Hello, ma’am. I’m Detective Alexander. I’m in charge of the case.”
“An officer came to my house and told me my brother was dead.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m very sorry about Mr. Hepburn.”
“What happened?”
“We’re trying to find that out.”
“It must not have been natural causes, or there wouldn’t be so many policemen here, and Channel 2 wouldn’t have sent a news crew.”
Neil sighed. “You’re right. Your brother was shot.”
“Shot? By who?”
“We don’t know, ma’am. The medical examiner will perform a full examination of your brother’s remains.”
“An autopsy?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Neil expected her to protest.
She eyed him thoughtfully for a long moment. “I don’t guess they’d let me watch.”
Neil held back a startled cough. “Uh…no, I don’t think so.”
She nodded. “I’d probably get upset, anyway. But I enjoy those crime shows. Always thought I should have been a medical examiner or an FBI agent.”
“What do you do, ma’am?”
“I’m retired, but I was a kindergarten teacher for forty years.”
Neil allowed her a brief look at her brother’s body before the men from the funeral home removed it. She identified the corpse and gave Neil some details about Theodore. She also offered to take the cats home with her, to Neil’s great relief.
At last he got outside to give a brief press conference. Kate stood with the other reporters and didn’t let on that she knew him personally. Neil was glad. He rattled off the data he could release and answered a good-natured question about the cats the reporters had seen the patrolmen remove from the house, then went back inside to continue working.
At the end of the day, he drove to the office to write up his reports. It was after five o’clock, and Connor wasn’t at his desk. Neil hesitated, then called the Larson house. Adrienne answered.
“Hi, Neil. Are you coming over for supper?”
“Am I supposed to?”
“I told Connor to tell you.”
“I haven’t seen him since this morning,” Neil said.
“Oh. Well, he called me at noon, and I told him to bring you home for supper. Kate’s running late, too. I guess everyone’s had a busy day.”
On impulse, he stopped on the way for flowers for Adrienne. His mother had taught him that a gift for the hostess was always appropriate. He felt like getting some for Kate, too, but restrained himself from the impulsive gesture, afraid it might be misunderstood.
Both sisters greeted him with huge smiles and exclaimed over the bouquet.
“I took Matthew and went shopping for Christmas cards and wrapping paper this morning,” Adrienne said, when he commented that she looked a little tired.
“Kind of late, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Oh, Neil, the best sales are the day after Christmas. Or at least, the next business day after Christmas. This stuff is for next year.”
She showed him the things she had bought—cards, ribbon, gift wrap and bags, candles, ornaments and strings of lights. “When Connor comes home, I just have to get him to haul it all upstairs to the spare room.”
“I’ll do it.”
“Would you? That would be terrific. Kate can show you where I want it.”
She gave them instructions, and Kate and Neil managed to carry everything up and stow it in a closet.
Kate was beautiful, Neil decided anew—even in jeans and a Skowhegan Indians sweatshirt. Her cheeks were a little flushed, and her eyes glittered as she pushed bags up onto the shelf and stacked boxes on the closet floor. A package of bows fell off the shelf and hit her on the head. She laughed and stooped to pick it up. He laughed, too, took it from her and flung it hard up onto the back of the shelf.
“Guess we wouldn’t make very good elves,” she said.
“Nope. Elves have been tossed out of the North Pole for squishing bows. Get your stories done?”
“Yes. I would have liked a little more detail on the Riley case. Connor told me about Mrs. Riley’s will.”
“What about her will? I haven’t had a chance to talk to Connor about that.”
“Mrs. Riley had some money of her own. She left bequests to a couple of her favorite charities, and the rest will revert to her husband.”
“How much?”
Kate shrugged. “Not much, as estates go. I believe she left ten thousand dollars to her garden club
, another ten thousand to the animal shelter and about thirty thousand to her husband. It’s in my notebook, but I’m pretty sure those were the figures.”
“Hmm. Probably more than Theodore Hepburn’s estate is worth. Hey, Kate?”
“Yeah?” She looked up at him with those big, deep blue eyes and something clutched in his stomach.
“I didn’t mean to snub you today.”
“No problem. We’re both professionals. I knew you were busy.”
They went down the stairs and discovered that Connor was home. His briefcase sat on the kitchen floor at his feet, and he was holding Matthew in one arm and kissing Adrienne passionately. Neil pulled Kate back into the living room and said, “Maybe we should just give Santa and Mrs. Claus a minute to say hello.”
Kate laughed again, a wonderful sound that warmed him all the way through. What had he lost when he’d pushed their relationship too fast last summer? He plugged in the Christmas tree lights and went over to the CD player. “Want some music?”
“Sure. How about Christmas carols?”
They sorted through the CDs, and Kate picked one that was all instrumental carols and put it on.
“Did you get to the press conference at the police station?” Neil asked.
“Yes, but I already knew most of the information they released. I did get a couple of questions in, but I got more from what you told me than I did from the official spokesman.”
“Glad I could help you. We should have more tomorrow, though. Today was kind of a plodding day. It takes time to slog through the evidence and interviews.” He looked toward the doorway. “Think it’s safe now?”
Kate peeked around the doorjamb and through the sunroom at the kitchen. “Can’t see anybody.”
“Maybe we should just make noise and go on in,” Neil said.
They went to the kitchen door and he said loudly, “So, Connor, how’d it go on the Riley case?”
Connor was leaning against the counter in the corner where the telephone hung, holding Matthew and watching Adrienne make salad. Her hair was all loose and swung down her back, below her hips. Neil was sure it had been in a ponytail when he’d arrived.
“Not bad,” Connor said. “We’ll need to compare notes in the morning and see how many similarities the two cases have.”
“Locked houses, for one thing,” Neil said.
“Really? Not an open window upstairs?”
“No. Not that.”
“Did you have the guys lift prints?” Connor asked.
“Yeah, all over the kitchen.”
Connor looked at Kate. “So, how are you doing today, ace reporter?”
She smiled. “Not bad. I managed to write a stellar update on the Riley case and a brilliant piece on the Hepburn murder, thanks to Neil.”
He returned her smile. It felt good not to be an outcast any longer.
They sat down to supper, and afterward played Rook at the kitchen table. Neil told them about the cats and had them all laughing over the detectives’ wild feline chase. By nine o’clock, he felt he should leave, although he enjoyed sitting beside Kate and laughing over nothing. He hadn’t had so much fun in ages. But Adrienne looked tired, and Connor was drooping a little, too. When the round ended, he said, “I’d better get going. I’ll see you tomorrow, Connor.”
“Good night, Neil.”
Kate got up and walked toward the entry with Neil.
“So, will I see you again soon?” he asked.
Kate looked away, but she was smiling.
“What?” Neil asked.
“I have a feeling you’re going to see a lot of me. I decided to move in here. Tomorrow after work I’m going to bring some of my stuff over. I think I can bring a little every day and be all moved by the end of the week. I told my roommates, and they didn’t pout and beg me to stay.”
“You’re too mature for them.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, and I didn’t ask for a refund on the next month’s rent I already gave them.”
“Hey, I could help you with my truck.”
“That’s okay. But thanks.”
“All right.” Take it slow and easy, he reminded himself. “So, I guess I’ll see you sometime.”
“Maybe Wednesday,” she said. “I really like Connor and Adrienne’s church, and if they go to prayer meeting on Wednesday, I think I’ll go with them. And I’ll probably be hounding you for updates on the homicides.”
“Right.” Neil zipped his coat and said good-night with a smile.
Neil and Connor hashed over the two cases over steaming cups of black coffee early the next morning at the station.
“Mr. Hepburn was found lying in his kitchen by his neighbor, Mrs. Poulin,” Neil said. “She tried to call him Saturday to tell him one of his cats was after the birds at her feeder, and got no answer. Yesterday, she tried again and still no answer, so she went over. No one came to the door, and she looked in a window and saw him lying there and called it in. Small-caliber gunshot to the heart. No weapon found in the house. All doors and windows locked.”
“Robbery?” Connor asked.
“Don’t think so. His wallet was on his dresser. He lived alone, but his sister lives in town, and his children have been notified. The oldest daughter should arrive today.”
“Where are you heading with it now?”
“The usual,” Neil said. “We’ll run the ballistics and the fingerprints, question the neighbors, look for a motive. Do you think these two cases are related?”
“That question came up at yesterday’s press conference. They look alike in several ways, but it’s too soon to be sure.”
Chief Mike Crowley came in through the door that led to the stairway and walked over to Connor’s desk.
“You guys ready for an early prayer meeting? I’ve got to spend a couple of hours with the new deputy chief this morning, and I didn’t want to go into it without prayer.”
The new deputy had started his job in Portland the day before. Mike had been without a deputy for several months and was hoping the new man, Jack Plourde, could take some of the pressure off him. Plourde’s résumé looked good, but he was still an unknown quantity.
They went into the break room, and the three of them prayed about Plourde and the homicide cases, and for Adrienne’s health and the baby’s. Neil prayed for wisdom in trying to talk to his family about his savior.
When Mike left them, Connor said to Neil, “Adrienne and I are supposed to have our last Lamaze class tonight, but she’s not feeling great.”
“Uh, that would be natural childbirth lessons?” Not exactly a topic Neil was well versed in.
“Right. To help Adrienne when she delivers the baby.”
“And you’re doing this voluntarily?”
Connor smiled. “Of course. I want to be there when it happens. The classes teach the father what to do to help the mother.”
“What, like getting the doctor to put her to sleep?”
Connor laughed. “I don’t expect you to understand this yet, Neil. The whole pregnancy thing is an adventure. I want to be part of every phase, including the birth. The baby is God’s gift to us.”
“I know, Connor, but isn’t it kind of…”
“What?”
“Oh, I dunno.” What did it seem like? Embarrassing? Alarming? Frightening?
“No, it’s not. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not. It’s fantastic.”
“If you say so. Did you take these classes before Matthew was born?”
“No, but Adri and I both wish we had.”
Neil nodded. “I just can’t see what’s so appealing about a roomful of pregnant women sitting around telling you how rotten they feel.”
“I’ll remind you someday that you said that.” Connor sighed. “I feel like I’m at a dead end on the Riley case. We’ve pretty much ruled out Gerald Riley, and I don’t have any other suspects.”
“I know what you mean. But you always tell me to keep on following the evidence. Something will break.”
&nb
sp; The elevator moaned and the doors opened. Kate Richards stepped off, looking sophisticated in a gray skirt suit and high heels. Neil leaped to his feet, finding it slightly hard to breathe. He’d thought he was beyond being dazzled by a woman. Apparently not.
Connor stood, too. “Hello, Kate. You found us all right.”
“No problem.” She smiled at Neil. “Hi.”
Connor said, “The city editor called this morning and asked if I’d give Kate a few minutes for an exclusive interview.”
“Wow. That’s great.”
“Kate’s editor was so impressed with the stories she did over the weekend that he wants an in-depth piece about our unit.”
“I hope I’m not interrupting your investigation,” Kate said.
“No,” Neil said. “We were just talking about the Riley case.”
“That’s right.” Connor looked toward the windows. A few snowflakes fluttered down outside, but it didn’t look serious. “We don’t think Mr. Riley killed his wife, largely for two reasons. We didn’t find any gunshot residue on him, and we haven’t found the weapon.”
Kate nodded. “I hear you. If he did it, how did he get rid of the gun?”
“And if he did do it, we should have found residue on his hands and his clothes,” Connor added.
“Even if he washed his hands and changed his clothes?” Kate asked.
“Yeah,” Neil said. “Most people don’t get it off when they wash up, and we checked all his laundry for that very reason.”
Connor lifted his hands in resignation. “It had to be an outsider.”
“But why would an outsider do that?” Neil asked. “Why would he go into someone’s house on Christmas Day, shoot an old lady, not steal anything, go out and lock the door, leaving her lying on the floor by a loaded Christmas tree?”
“Were the Christmas presents opened?” Kate said.
“What?” Neil asked.
“The Rileys’ Christmas packages. The gun could be in one of them. Did you open them when you searched the house?”
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