Echoes of the Past

by Susanne Matthews

  Aaron had shocked her this morning by identifying the coroner as the man who’d planted the evidence on him. It had been hard not to react to that news. Since she wasn’t supposed to know there had been false evidence in the first place, it was hard to stay quiet and not let something slip. George had almost passed out when she’d mentioned sending the forensic evidence to the lab in Kingston instead of here or in Picton. When she told him Lindsay hadn’t drowned, he’d had a fit trying to convince her otherwise. False evidence showing water in Lindsay’s lungs when she knew there was none had convinced her she had to move fast before her corpses became as compromised as her crime scene had been. She continued her conversation.

  “There’s no doubt Lindsay died of hypothermia well before she entered the lake. The water supposedly from her lungs is a false sample. Kingston verified it didn’t come from her body. I’m sure of it. Aaron drowned—contributing cause of death, a massive cerebral hemorrhage. He was hit on the head with something heavy—maybe an anchor. I’ve taken red paint flakes and other particulates out of the head wound. I’ve released the bodies to the man Rick sent. Signed them out myself. People think they’ve gone to the families. You should have them by mid-afternoon. It’s Thursday. I have a few things to wrap up here, but I should be in Toronto late tomorrow. Keep my bodies on ice for me. They still have a lot to tell me.”

  “You’ve got it. Are you sure you’re safe?”

  “I’m fine. Don’t worry. I’m scheduling the inquest for January—blaming my schedule. Everyone thinks I’m satisfied with the reports they’ve given me. Whatever’s going down here, there are an awful lot of people, and most likely a lot of money involved.”

  “Be careful.”

  She closed the phone, finished emptying her locker, and went into the break room. No one was there.

  She headed out of the hospital and back to the island. She called Ron from the car. The secretary put her through right away.

  “Good afternoon, Michelle. To what do I owe the honor?”

  “I wanted you to know I’ve released the bodies and concluded the deaths were accidental, causes unknown. I hate it when that happens, but sometimes an accident is just that.”

  “Let me take you out for supper to celebrate. I told you it was probably that from the beginning.”

  She swallowed the bile in her throat. She disliked lying. She knew Ron was involved somehow, but it still bothered her to prevaricate like this.

  “I can’t. I have to pack it all up tonight and leave for Toronto first thing in the morning.”

  “Why the hurry?”

  “My boss has another case for me down near Windsor. I’m still somewhat frustrated I was so wrong this time, but he wants me there ASAP. No rest for the wicked, I guess.”

  “You should have listened to me. Will the professor be going as well?”

  There was an edge to Ron’s voice warning her to be careful. “I don’t think so. He has to get his research wrapped up.”

  “Has he heard your findings?”

  She walked on eggshells here. “He has, and he isn’t happy about it. I’ve scheduled the inquest for January. With my schedule, it’s the best I can do.” She was a dismal liar and hoped he couldn’t hear the nervousness in her voice.

  “I told you everything would work out, and my lake’s as nice and clean as it should be. Right?” The smugness in his voice made her sick.

  She swallowed her disgust. “Right.”

  “Well, don’t beat yourself up about it. You’re human. You’re entitled to make a mistake now and then. We’ll get together when you come back in January.”

  His gloating made her want to vomit. “I look forward to it.” And putting your rotten ass in jail.

  She ended the call and continued driving back to the resort. The day was clear and the ride uneventful. Today was Halloween, the day when the spirit world was said to be closest to this realm. With what she and Tony had planned tonight, she truly hoped The Three Sisters were on their side. She pulled in the parking lot of the inn and headed to her cabin. She hadn’t been there five minutes, when a key slipped into the lock.

  “Hey, gorgeous.” Tony closed and locked the door behind him. He pulled her into his arms.

  “Don’t! I smell of death.”

  He laughed. “Where did you ever get that idea? You smell of the woman I love.” He bent his head and kissed her senseless. When they came up for air, she smiled.

  “You always know just what to say. Are you packed?”

  “Everything is ready to go. I’ll send someone to pick up the rest. Who knows, we may come back and get it ourselves once the coast is clear.”

  “I have to pack, especially if you want to leave first thing in the morning. Are you sure you want to do this? It could be dangerous. We don’t know who’s involved, and there are three people dead already. Chad offered to help.”

  “For the record, pretty lady, I’m not letting you out of my sight, especially not with The Rock, as I prefer to think of Chad. That man has muscles on muscles. I don’t want you getting any ideas.”

  She ruffled his hair. “Chad’s a great guy, but he isn’t my type. I have a thing for Native American men with blue-green eyes.” She kissed him. “Seriously, neither one of us has to go. We can turn it all over to the task force and let them take it from here. We aren’t investigators.”

  Tony shook his head. “My students, my responsibility. We aren’t going to move in on them or do anything like that. I’d never put you in danger, but I have to finish this. I have to know what happened to them for myself. You’ve convinced me this was how Lindsay died, so let’s see if it’s possible. Besides, a little B & E sounds exciting. We’re just going to go where Aaron and Lindsay went. We’ll find what we need and turn it over to Chad and his team, and then get the hell out of Dodge. Now, since we have a few hours to kill, Doctor Thomas, here’s what I thought we’d do.” He scooped her up into his arms and carried her into the bedroom.

  Chapter Sixteen

  The night was eerily quiet and cold. Michelle followed close behind Tony. Her heart pounded with excitement and fear. What they were doing was incredibly dangerous—foolhardy even. Thank God the moon was full providing some light. She held his hand in hers.

  “You know, I’ve come through these woods on a moonlit night before,” she whispered. “I just hope things don’t work out the same way this time.”

  Tony squeezed her fingers. “They won’t. We’re together, and I’m not going to let anything separate us. You’re stuck with me.”

  Michelle smiled. “And you’re stuck with me.”

  The trees were getting sparser as they moved out of the forest to the swampy marshland. The odor of dead fish, faint in the cold, rose to their nostrils. Mud on Aaron’s tires indicated he’d been in the marshland on the far side of the slaughterhouse, the side opposite the winery. A slaughterhouse would make an excellent location for a meth lab. No one would question the amount of power the facility used.

  “I asked around about this place.” Tony kept his voice low. “The slaughterhouse does a steady business in custom butchering for the farmers and hunters in the area. The waste management truck carts away biological waste for incineration on a regular basis. It’s the only place I could find along the lake with a freezer like the one you think Lindsay died in. Wineries have cold rooms, but not cold enough to do the damage you found. I don’t know if this is the right place, but between the mud and the cold storage facility, it fits the bill.”

  “I’ll know the minute I see it. Maybe we’ll be lucky enough to find the missing shoe.” She tripped on the uneven ground and almost fell. She aimed her flashlight at the ground.

  “Be careful. That may be how Lindsay injured her ankle. They must have come this way to get their samples.”

  “Look!” Michelle shone her light on an object caught in a hole near the root. “The shoe must have been wrenched off when she tripped. The ground is spongy here. At least we know we’re in the right place.” She
reached for the shoe, but Tony grabbed her hand and shoved her flashlight into the dirt.

  “Get down.”

  Too Late. Michelle squeezed her eyes partially closed as a large spotlight, blinding in its intensity, shone in their direction. Three men materialized out of the light. One grabbed her while the other two fought with Tony. They were bigger men, the kind who could easily have overpowered and subdued Aaron.

  “The boss was right. We did have nosy neighbors coming to visit tonight.”

  The man had a heavy Spanish accent. He ran his hands roughly down Michelle’s body in a painful, invasive exploration. His breath stank, and she felt violated.

  “The chica is clean.”

  “So’s this one.”

  Michelle recognized the voice. Milo! She was tempted to call out to him but thought better of it. They were in trouble. No sense making it worse.

  The men dragged them roughly along a lumpy path made by a tractor working the field. When they reached the edge of the lake, they stopped. Michelle’s heart pounded and perspiration ran down her back despite the cold. The men seemed to be waiting for someone. She tried to turn to look at Tony, but her captor forced her head around.

  “Michelle, Michelle, Michelle. What am I going to do with you?”

  Ron emerged from the trees. Her breath caught in her throat. Gone was the dapper man she remembered. This man could have auditioned for a role in Duck Dynasty—all he’d need was a false beard.

  “It’s nothing personal, darling. I knew you were holding something back. I suspected you were in bed with the professor, obviously in more ways than one. You should have left well enough alone. Now, I’m afraid it’s out of my hands. Bring them along.” He turned to Milo. “Finish loading the barrels and take them out to the center. Come back for the second load. It’s going to be a long night.”

  Michelle saw a pontoon boat pulled in close to shore. Several heavy-duty plastic waste disposal barrels were loaded onto it. A few more waited in the back of the gator, the all-terrain vehicle with trailers attached. There were two men unloading the sealed containers.

  The man holding her propelled her forward. The other two dragged Tony along behind her. How badly had he been injured? The terrain was rough and uneven—the field had been plowed recently. Why?

  As if he’d guess what she’d been thinking, Ron spoke to the man dragging her along.

  “Mendez, we’ll have to re-plow this section tomorrow. I’m pretty sure I’ve taken care of everything, but you never know. Bodies have a bad habit of turning up when you least expect them too, but you’d know all about that, wouldn’t you doctor? Death is your specialty.”

  He grabbed her other arm, his grip punishing in its intensity.

  “You know, I’m disappointed in you, Michelle. Preferring him to me? I could have given you the world.” There was anger in his words, and she shivered. Suddenly, her memory cleared. Just as she was Tayouroughay, Ron was Annosothka, the man her father and uncle had chosen for her, a cruel man who hid his true nature behind a false face. History had repeated itself. She’d chosen Gowanda once more.

  They reached the slaughterhouse, and Ron unlocked a side door. Her captor shoved her roughly inside. The building smelled of carrion and death, a scent familiar to her, but somehow distasteful here.

  “You won’t get away with this. My office knows I’m here. They’ll come looking for me.”

  Ron laughed. “No they won’t. I’m sorry, Michelle, but while they may go looking for you in time, it won’t be here. Did I forget to mention you sent a message to Colin Sanders a few minutes ago explaining that you and the professor were eloping? You told him you’d be in touch.”

  “Colin won’t believe it.”

  “It won’t matter. There won’t be a trace of you left by morning. Someone is packing up your personal effects as we speak. She’ll load them into that nice little sports car of yours and head to the coast. There’s a ship bound for Columbia out of Halifax. They’ll take care of it there. Such a shame. The vehicle handled so well. You should have left my island alone.”

  Michelle stared at the psychopath in front of her. The man was insane. Why hadn’t she seen it? He showed all the classic symptoms of megalomania—the delusional fantasies of power, importance, authority, inflated ego and of course, self-esteem. She’d recognized signs of it in his assertions, and the way he’d spoken of the area, but she hadn’t put it together.

  “You’re crazy, Ron. You won’t get away with this. Why are you doing it? Don’t you realize how dangerous this is?”

  He laughed, and the sound grated on her frayed nerves.

  “Michelle. I not only will get away with it, I have. I’m a businessman, plain and simple. I have a product to sell. They have a need and a market. The more money I have, the more respect I garner, and I like it that way.”

  “But you’re killing the lake; thousands of people may die.”

  “No, that won’t happen. The leaky barrel was an accident, and the man responsible has been dealt with. Actually, you’ll meet him soon. He’s waiting for you. Now, sit.” He indicated the chair. “I have a few questions for the professor.”

  “I don’t have answers for you.” Tony’s voice was firm.

  Michelle gasped when she looked behind her. His beautiful face was covered in blood. His left eye was almost swollen shut. He smiled that endearing crooked smile she loved and winked his right eye.

  “Don’t worry about me, baby. You should see the other guy.”

  “Still a cocky bastard, I see.” Ron laughed. “Not for much longer.”

  Michelle stared at the two men flanking Tony. Although each had a few facial bruises, none of them looked as bad as he did. Ron walked over to him and slammed him hard in the ribs with the butt of the rifle he carried. Tony gasped and fell forward.

  “You’ve been a thorn in my side for the past three months. Finally getting rid of you is a pleasure I didn’t anticipate. I don’t know how the evidence I had planted on that body disappeared. I suspect the good doctor lied to me and didn’t do his job. No matter. It’s been taken care of now. I’d have been happy to have you leave the island, but seeing you dead will provide even more satisfaction. ”

  “Killing one more person shouldn’t bother you.” Blood trickled out the side of Tony’s mouth.

  “For the record, Professor, I haven’t killed anyone. Your students just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Did you know they actually drove down the service road, parked their car, and walked here with their sample jars completely oblivious to the fact that we were loading barrels to be sunk? Jerome, tell the professor what happened.”

  The man in his late twenties or early thirties was one of the men who’d fought with Tony. He smiled showing a mouthful of rotten teeth. Obviously the man enjoyed the profits of his job.

  “We didn’t kill anyone. We didn’t have to.” The man’s voice was heavily accented. “Mendez wanted to get laid later and had some zombie dust on him. Ugly as he is, he needs an edge.” He laughed, but Michelle noticed Mendez didn’t seem to appreciate the joke.

  “We saw the lights coming toward us, so we shut off everything. He stopped the car about thirty feet from the edge of the marsh. We thought it was a cop. We knew if he got out of the car and walked down any closer he’d see us, so we were waiting.”

  He laughed, and the stench of his breath almost made her gag.

  “They got out of the car, but they didn’t have a clue we were there. The girl tripped over a root. The guy helped her up and tried to find her shoe. He told her to wait, and he’d get the sample. He walked toward us and the minute he saw the pontoon boat, we knew we were done. Jose blew the powder in his face. Like a good little zombie, he did everything we told him to do. When we went back into the freezer to take them out onto the lake, we found them bundled like that. They were unconscious. We put them on the wagon, then onto the boat. They weighed a ton. Once we were out on the lake, we threw them in. They sunk. I still don’t understand how
the bodies ended up on the beach that morning. I figured the boss would rip me a new one.”

  Ron laughed, the sound cold and unpleasant. “I would’ve if I hadn’t wanted Rodriguez to rip me one too. He wouldn’t take kindly to losing his right-hand man. So you see, Doctor Thomas, it was an accident. Wrong place, wrong time.”

  Now, Professor Steele,” he turned to Tony, and Michelle shivered. Anger and hatred filled his voice. “I want to know who you told about the chemicals in the lake. No matter how many times I warned you to keep your mouth shut, you wouldn’t. I happen to know your last water tests showed no toxins in the lake. I really thought you were smart enough to leave it alone.”

  Tears crawled down Michelle’s cheeks as she stared at the man she loved. His beautiful face was badly battered. His breathing was labored, and she wondered if Ron had broken one of the man’s ribs with the rifle butt. Tony answered through swollen lips. His words were slurred and difficult to understand.

  “You’re wrong. The samples were elevated near the far marsh. My students won’t give up.”

  Ron laughed unpleasantly. “It doesn’t matter. The samples tested at the crime lab came out clean no matter what your results showed, and those are the results that matter. As of two hours ago, I got your research grant suspended. Now, professor, I want to know from you, who else you told. I know the doctor here knows, who else did you tell?” He kicked Tony to punctuate each his last five words.