Accidental Eyewitness

by Michelle Karl

  “Are you sure you’re all right to do this? Someone tried to kill you this morning. For the second time.” He reached for her but she pulled away. As much as she appreciated Leo’s tendency to connect physically for reassurance, she needed to stay focused and sharp.

  “I’ll be fine if people stop reminding me that I should be upset,” she said. “You said yourself, it’s a great idea for me to go to the cottage and see if I can identify what’s missing. We could be saving someone else’s life here.” Her throat seemed to close around her words, memories of the previous day rising to the surface. She shoved them away and blinked rapidly, trying to clear her head.

  She pressed her heels into the horse’s sides to surge forward and felt Leo’s stare of incredulity against her back, but what she’d said was the truth. After her mother’s death, people kept asking her if she was okay and acted almost angry when she’d told them she was fine. It was as if they expected her to be a blubbering mess at all times—and of course, she was one sometimes, but grief was a very personal and individual thing. Everyone experienced and dealt with it differently. She appreciated his concern, but the more he talked about what had already happened, the more her nerves flared.

  They rode in silence down the trail toward Schroeder Lake, though Ellen didn’t miss the way Leo kept pulling ever so slightly ahead of her, scanning the area for danger and keeping her at the edge of his vision. She tried to match his alertness, but it meant every rustle and every chipmunk that bolted across their path caused her to tense. Instead, she focused on the rise and fall of the horse’s limbs beneath her, the softness of the clouds overhead and the way the breeze swept across the top of Leo’s short dark hair.

  As if sensing her eyes on him, he turned his chin toward his shoulder, about to look back. She pulled her gaze away, realizing that she’d been staring. How little she knew about this man, someone she and her brother had called a friend when they were young. Well, Leo and Jamie had been friends. She’d been the annoying tagalong, the girl who sneaked into their hangouts and conversations just to be around the cute older boy.

  She’d given little thought, if any, to Leo since he’d moved away and entered RCMP training. And she would give even less thought to him after he left Fort St. Jacob and the Schroeder Lake area after his brother’s wedding. So why was it taking so much self-control not to let her gaze linger over the shape of his profile, the way his shoulders squared, strong and confident, as he sat astride the horse?

  Soon enough, she heard the gentle lap of water against the lakeshore. Glimpses of its sun-kissed surface peeked through the local foliage, but rather than enjoy the view, she felt her stomach tighten in anticipation of what would be around the next bend in the trail.

  “Is that it up ahead?” Leo asked once they were far enough from the main road that the lake’s activity drowned out the crackle of car tires on pavement. He glanced back at her, forehead creased with concern. “If you’re not up to this, just say the word. Going back inside that building after everything that happened yesterday could be challenging.”

  “I’m fine,” she said, her words infused with the twinge of annoyance she felt at his warning. But when they emerged from the shade of the trail onto the edge of the Fosters’ property, Jamie was right there, waiting for them. His arms were crossed, and a frown furrowed his brows. Anxiety flared as she met her brother’s eyes. Was he having second thoughts?

  She swallowed, a sudden tightness in her throat. “Dealing with what’s inside the house isn’t the challenge that worries me.”

  FIVE

  Leo braced himself as Ellen’s brother stalked toward them. Was his friend reconsidering the plan? They’d stayed the course on the path and hadn’t seen any trouble, just as Jamie had predicted. But he looked upset—or was that guilt? Jamie kept glancing over his shoulder every few seconds, as if looking for someone. Leo noticed that another person was crouched over a patch of grass at the side of the house. He or she appeared to be scraping at the ground with a very small tool.

  “Everything okay?” he called as Jamie approached.

  Jamie glanced over his shoulder one last time before stopping next to the horses, hands on his hips. “I think so. Look, I can’t let you in for very long. But I’ve done a sweep of the area and it’s clear. Old Hogan has been landscaping all morning at another place just down the way, and he hasn’t noticed anything unusual since he arrived.”

  Leo didn’t miss the hesitation in Jamie’s voice. Something was keeping the man from feeling fully comfortable with the plan. “I know you’re the lead on this, but have you cleared our visit with your staff sergeant?”

  Jamie’s gaze snapped to his, the muscles around his neck and jaw growing tight. “I didn’t. Ellen is a civilian, and this isn’t your jurisdiction. I’m sure I could make a compelling case, but it’ll take time for approval and Clyne is in a meeting this morning.”

  Ellen slid from the back of her horse, gripping the reins. She patted Boomer’s neck as she spoke. “Wouldn’t he want me in there, anyway? The sooner I get inside, the more accurate my memory is going to be. And if you’ve been studying the case details, you know no one has managed to identify the missing items yet.”

  Jamie reached across and took the horse’s reins from Ellen. “Honestly, I don’t think we’d even found any kind of connection between these break-ins until yesterday, when the events forced us to take a closer look. There are a lot of random break-and-enters up here, but you’d be surprised how many times it’s not caused by humans but by distressed wildlife. Young deer jumping through glass windows, raccoons getting inside through the chimney, that kind of thing.”

  Leo ran a hand through his hair. “We don’t have that many wildlife break-and-enter calls up in Fort Mason, but I can see how being close to the lake would attract more wildlife, especially during wildfire season.”

  “Yep. And without the ability to determine what’s missing—and without any leads—we haven’t had a reason to expend further energy or assign our already limited resources to it.”

  Leo tried not to let his relief show too overtly. “So we’re good to go inside? We’ll be quick. I think Ellen already has an idea of where to look.”

  “I do,” she said, interlacing her fingers and pressing outward. One of her knuckles cracked. “I was inside while the men were walking around, so I have a pretty good idea of which rooms they went into and what route they took while in the house. I couldn’t see all of them at all times, but they weren’t in the building for that long. They had only so much time to traverse the place and find what they were looking for. I’m quite certain I overheard one man set a five-minute timer once they’d entered the cottage.”

  “Yes, I remember reading that. And you know they found what they wanted? That was in your statement yesterday, too, right?”

  Ellen nodded. “I heard them say they’d found what they were looking for, so I assume that means exactly what it sounds like.”

  Jamie flicked his gaze down the driveway and back toward the house. “All right. You can go in, but I can only give you five minutes.” He held his hand up as Ellen began to protest, but Leo wasn’t surprised. The man was taking a huge personal risk by letting them inside at all. “I’m sorry, but that’s the best I can manage. I’m going to talk to the staff sergeant as soon as he’s out of his meeting, but I don’t want to press the limits too much. Only touch what you absolutely need to, take your shoes off at the door and—”

  “I’ve got it,” Leo said. He patted his friend on the arm. “In and out, no touching. We’re on the same team, remember?”

  “Right.” Jamie’s features relaxed even further. “Of course. Sorry.”

  As they approached the porch, the person working in the grass looked up in alarm. Now that they were closer, Leo understood—she was a forensic examiner, likely checking out either a blood spatter or footprint. He smiled at her with a wave of acknowledgment, but
she scowled, and her attention snapped to Jamie. So that’s who he was watching for.

  “Officer Biers! Who are they and why are they entering my crime scene?” She stood and marched toward Jamie, her voice rising with irritation.

  “They’re here as part of the investigation. Leo is Fort Mason RCMP, and—” Jamie began, and though Leo tried not to eavesdrop, he couldn’t help overhearing the woman as she shouted.

  “We’re not in Fort Mason, Officer, this is a homicide investigation, not a chance to let your friends play Nancy Drew. There’s no way the staff sergeant consented to this.”

  “Please, Ms. Trucco, if you’ll just let me explain.”

  “There’s no explaining an officer allowing unauthorized individuals into my crime scene—”

  Leo grimaced. The forensic examiner had every right to get upset, and if she called the staff sergeant and insisted on pulling him out of his meeting...well, the dynamics of this investigation could get messy very quickly. He hurried to catch up with Ellen, who’d already reached the porch—but instead of kicking off her shoes to head inside, she stood at the edge, frozen in place.

  “Ellen?” He gently touched her arm and leaned in. Her gaze was fixated on a spot by the front door. Where her friend had fallen. “Hey. I don’t want to rush you, because this can’t be easy, but we don’t have a lot of time. If you’re okay to do this, we need to go inside right now. But if you don’t want to, or you can’t, that’s all right. Just say the word or walk away if talking is too much. I won’t be upset and neither will anyone else.”

  Ellen blinked several times then inhaled through her nose, her rib cage visibly expanding with the depth of her breath. When she reached the end of her exhale, she raised her head, kicked off her shoes and proceeded into the house.

  Leo’s hands tightened into fists by his side, but his earlier anger at the attacks against Ellen had abated to a simmer. Rather, he felt a need to suppress the urge to reach for Ellen, to reassure her once again that he’d keep her safe—even if he hadn’t done a great job of it so far. At least he’d managed to prevent a fistfight between siblings, something he’d had plenty of practice with while growing up.

  He’d always been the one in the middle when Aaron and Sam fought, his brothers sometimes swinging at each other to the point of bloodied noses and black eyes. And Sam had usually started it. What a difference a few decades and some life experience made. Now he couldn’t remember the last time the three Thrace brothers had fought, save for the few times they’d raised their voices in disagreement about a case. But those were professional disagreements. Nothing like what he’d seen between Ellen and Jamie.

  He followed her inside. She stood at the front door and swept her gaze across the room, a wide, open-concept living room space with massive picture windows at the front and back. To the right was the staircase up to the loft-like second floor, with a balcony-style hallway that overlooked the living room and the bedrooms at the back. Leo allowed himself a moment to marvel at how much a vacation cottage like this must have cost, but quickly re-centered his thoughts as Ellen moved farther into the room.

  “They stopped to talk here,” she said, gesturing to the base of the steps. “Then two of them went upstairs while the others stayed downstairs and looked around. I hid when the guys made their way up to the second floor, so I didn’t see where the downstairs crew searched. I only heard the men up here as they went into each room. Maybe that’s where I should start?”

  Leo nodded. “Do it. But don’t linger.”

  She hurried up the stairs and he followed behind, giving her space to work but staying near enough to be of assistance if she needed him. As she proceeded through each room, her shoulders grew increasingly tense and she shifted her weight more often. The frustration began to roll off her in waves, especially when they reached the master bedroom where she’d hidden during the break-in. She didn’t even glance at her caddy of cleaning supplies, fully focused on the task at hand.

  “They weren’t in here long,” she said. “Mostly they came in this room, almost found me in the closet and then went back down when Rod—when they were interrupted.” She spun and exited the room, heading back down the stairs. “I don’t think it’s up here, Leo. If they found what they were looking for like they claimed, it’s got to have come from—”

  “And just what do you think you’re doing?” A muffled yell turned clear and loud as the front door banged open. Staff Sergeant Clyne burst inside, face red with anger, his body puffed up like a fighter ready to take his turn in the ring. The forensic examiner followed him, looking triumphant, and a shamefaced Jamie shuffled close behind, attempting to get a word in.

  Leo’s hopes sank as the detachment head stormed into the room, shaking his finger at them. Ms. Trucco stood at the doorway with her arms crossed.

  “You have no right to be in here, Officer Thrace. This is not your detachment, and this is not your case.” He turned to Jamie. “And I hope you like desk work, because letting them in here is a total lapse in judgment. They’re compromising a crime scene, Biers. This was not your call to make. What did you think, that you could hide this from me? If Trucco hadn’t called me, you’d have let these people destroy all our potential evidence—”

  Jamie’s expression darkened. “With all due respect, sir, I believe it is my call. I’m the lead on this case, and I made a judgment call. Not a lapse. Trucco is a visiting instructor for our detachment, not the person in charge, so if you’ll just allow me to explain—”

  “Not the person in charge? Well, now neither are you. Get out.”

  Leo glanced over at Ellen, expecting a crestfallen woman who was cowed and discouraged by the staff sergeant’s fury. Instead, she stood by the wall closest to the base of the stairs, next to an oak hutch covered in greenery-filled planters. Her hands were behind her back, and her face remained uncharacteristically expressionless.

  “Time was of the essence,” Jamie pleaded. “As I was trying to explain to Ms. Trucco, I have every good reason—”

  “Get them out of here.” Staff Sergeant Clyne ignored his officer’s pleas, turned on his heel and stomped out. “And I expect to see you back at the station as soon as the next officer arrives to relieve you. Ms. Trucco, please continue with your work. Keep me apprised of any developments.”

  Leo watched as the staff sergeant returned to his vehicle and climbed inside. The man didn’t start the car, though—he appeared to be waiting to ensure that Jamie made good on his orders.

  “Sorry,” Jamie said, sweeping his hand toward the front door. “That’s what I was afraid of. I didn’t expect him to get so upset, though. He was in a meeting—I thought he’d appreciate me waiting to speak to him. Guess he’s more worried about impressing Trucco than I realized.”

  Ellen side-eyed the scowling examiner, who’d returned to her work in the grass but was keeping a close eye on the trio. “Who is she? I don’t remember seeing her in town.”

  “Laura Trucco. Visiting instructor for the skills upgrade course I told you about. It ended yesterday, and she was supposed to fly out in the evening, but then...” He shrugged and stepped aside to allow Leo and Ellen to leave the house and put their shoes back on. “She offered to help, since she’s here, anyway. Has tons of qualifications. The course was excellent, too. Your brother came down early to take it, Leo.”

  “That he did. I didn’t recall the name of the instructor, but now that you mention it, it sounds familiar.” Leo clapped his friend on the shoulder. “Hopefully we’ll come out of this with something useful one way or the other. And Trucco aside, Clyne’s probably extra-sensitive about having a homicide in a tourist area. It’s nerve-racking at the very least and can have serious negative economic consequences, so I wouldn’t take it personally.”

  “Isn’t that the truth? I’m sure he’ll see reason once I’ve had a chance to explain. He tends to run a bit hot under the collar in general, but I kno
w how to handle him. I guess you didn’t learn anything, though?”

  Leo glanced at Ellen, who shrugged.

  “Maybe,” she said, her voice low and quiet. “Look, I don’t want to get you in any more trouble than you already are, so we’ll head back to town and keep the GPS going on Leo’s phone, but...you should talk to Old Hogan again before you leave.” Leo followed her gaze and saw a gray-haired, stooped figure working on a flower bed several cottages away. “Here, take this. Go ask him about it.” She inclined her head toward Old Hogan and pretended to bump Jamie’s shoulder playfully, as if the siblings were teasing each other, but Leo didn’t miss the subtle handoff of something from Ellen’s palm to Jamie’s pocket.

  Jamie fixed his sister with a stern stare—then glanced toward the landscaper and back at her. “Ellen, I can’t. Clyne is still sitting there in his car and Trucco keeps glaring at us. You heard my orders, I’m off the case. I have to head back to the station immediately. I can’t risk a formal reprimand or a suspension. I could get pulled off duty without pay. But I’ll be looking closer at the reports again. I liked Rod, too—he was a treasured member of our community, and I want to see his killers brought to justice as much as anyone.”

  Ellen’s face fell. “Hogan is right there, though. This could help solve the case.”

  “I know,” Jamie hissed. “But I can’t risk my job based on a hunch. I’ll check out my, uh, pocket and talk to him as soon as I can, but I can’t do it now.”

  Leo knew immediately what he had to do. “I can.”

  Jamie looked sharply at him. “My superiors are watching, and they want you gone.”

  Leo nodded. “We’ll be gone—we’ll be, what, fifty meters away? And not on this property, so we’re both following orders. And we’ll be safe because, like you said, they’re watching. Trucco is trying to pretend not to, but she’s not doing a very good job of it. Either way, you don’t have to risk your job. We ask a few time-sensitive questions under armed police supervision and then head back to the station. We have to return the horses, anyway.”