by Linda Wiken
J.J.’s head snapped around. “Seriously? Is it the station where James worked? And you’re taking me with you?” She smiled, contented.
“I just thought you should hear this for yourself.”
“You’ve already been there.”
“Uh-huh. Now, while we’re making this short drive you can fill me in on what you’ve been doing.”
“Not a lot really, except for my real job, that is. The Culinary Capers gang came over last night and Alison was there along with her aunt.”
She was lost in thoughts about the dinner when Devine said, “And?”
“And, she—the aunt—is very protective of Alison. And if James wasn’t already dead, I’d say he would have been as soon as she found out about the bigamy. She’s a very determined woman. Some might even say menacing.”
“Huh. Lucky for her, the information about his two-timing came out only after his death.” Devine took a right at the next corner followed by a quick left into the parking lot at the side of Fire Station No. 10.
“Will this be enlightening?” J.J. asked as she got out of the car.
“Very.” Devine waited at the side door to the building and guided her into the hall. An office with a waiting area was on the immediate right, and signs lining the hall pointed to the communications center and the firefighters’ quarters. They entered the office and Devine asked to see the captain.
Within five minutes they were ushered into his personal office on the other side of the hallway. The sign on the door read Captain Howard Dyson. He stood as they entered and reached across the desk to shake J.J.’s hand.
“Please, have a seat. Can I offer you coffee?”
They both accepted and waited while he left the office and came back shortly with a tray holding three mugs, spoons, a milk pitcher, and sugar. He grabbed his own mug and sat back while Devine doctored his up. J.J. sat watching Dyson over the rim of her mug, wondering what she was about to hear.
Devine spoke first. “Just to bring you up to speed, J.J., I met with Captain Dyson yesterday to ask about James Bailey. I’d hoped to get some background on his work and any friends he might have here at the station.” He looked at Dyson, who picked up the story.
“And I told Mr. Devine that we have no employee by that name. I checked with downtown and James Bailey is not, and has never been, a firefighter with the city of Burlington.”
“What? You’ve got to be kidding. How could he pretend that he was a firefighter and nobody was any the wiser?”
“How could he have two wives and nobody knew?” Devine asked.
“You have a point.” She took a sip of the coffee, strong but good. “So, his entire life was a sham? What did he do the days he wasn’t here? He’d told at least one of his wives he worked four on, four off.”
Dyson shrugged. “He knew our shifts, anyway. As to what he was doing, no idea except it wasn’t for us.”
“But the wife that I know is a Burlington police officer. Wouldn’t you think he was playing a risky game? Don’t the cops and firefighters sometimes work together?”
Dyson nodded. “Sure, at the scene of a fire for crowd control. Or on a follow-up investigation, but the BPD is a large force so it’s quite probable she’s never met any of our boys.”
“And no joint social events? Christmas parties?” J.J. shook her head.
“There’s the annual hockey game for charity, us against the cops. And we do have a Christmas party but not everyone comes to that.”
Devine finished his coffee and put the mug back on the tray. “How hard is it for just anyone to get his hands on firefighting logos, Tshirts, things like that?”
“About as hard as getting hold of police wear. There are gift shops that sell these things. I usually advise the guys not to wear an ID, shirts, and things when they’re off duty. I know the cops recommend that, too. So, often when you see someone dressed like that, it’s Joe Public or a wannabe. Or maybe a volunteer.”
“A volunteer? Did you check to see if James was one?”
Dyson nodded his head. “I checked that list also, and same answer, no and never.”
J.J. was taking another sip of her coffee, wondering if there was anything else to ask, when the fire alarm went off. She almost dropped her mug, the sound was so startling and loud. The captain took a phone call then stood.
“Got to go. It’s a working fire.”
“Thanks for your help,” Devine said. J.J. said the same as they quickly left the building. She had her hands over her ears until they were back in his car.
J.J. sat quietly for a few minutes, going over in her mind what they’d just heard. Finally, she said, “I can’t believe it. How could he get away with such a complex plan? And how did he even come up with it to start?”
“We obviously need to find out a lot more about James Bailey. Do you think Alison is up to answering some questions?”
J.J. pulled her smartphone out of her purse. “Let’s find out.”
*
• • •
J.J. gave a quick call to the office to tell Skye she’d be in even later than originally planned, adding that there was nothing urgent that needed her to be there anyway. Then she got out of the car to follow Devine along the sidewalk to Alison’s house. Devine reached for J.J.’s hand and gave it a squeeze as the door was opened by Aunt Pam, who stepped back, allowing them to enter.
“Nice to see you, J.J. And I see you have brought reinforcements.”
J.J. smiled and introduced Devine. Pam shook his hand and then pointed to the kitchen before making her way up the stairs.
“A woman of few words,” Devine whispered to J.J. as they walked to the back of the house.
They found Alison leaning on the counter, still in her bathrobe, her hands wrapped around a coffee mug. She didn’t have any makeup on and it looked like she hadn’t even brushed her long blonde hair. It disturbed J.J. to see her this way. She looked so lethargic.
J.J. went over and gave Alison a quick hug. Devine nodded and said, “Hey.”
Alison roused herself. “Help yourselves to some coffee. The pot is fresh and the cups are in the top-right cupboard.” She watched without interest while Devine poured out two cups. He held up the carafe to Alison, who shook her head.
“Thanks, but I’ve already emptied one.”
J.J. thought Alison would have been climbing the walls if that were the case but said nothing. She let Devine take the lead. She felt it would be easier for Alison if the questioning was on a more professional level rather than coming from a friend.
The night before, Alison had been quite willing to talk and J.J. had bet the enforced cheerfulness was out of a bottle. This morning, Alison was paying for it.
“Thanks for seeing us, Alison. I hope you don’t mind my coming along with J.J. I’ve been helping her look into things and I was hoping you might be up to answering a few questions about James’s job. Can you tell us a little about it?” Devine asked.
Alison stared at Devine but it looked like she wasn’t really seeing him. Maybe she was picturing James. “I thought he started working as a firefighter about one month after we were married. Before that, he said he was a financial advisor but it wasn’t very satisfying. So, he went back to college in fire science, took the test with Burlington FD, and got hired. It took him another three months of more studying and on-the-job training, and then he started on a regular shift. Or so he said.”
“How did his shifts work?”
“He was like me, four days on and four off. However, he had to live at the station for his four working days. We sometimes saw each other only in passing. But it didn’t bother us. At least, I didn’t think it did.”
J.J. was taken aback by the dry tone and seeming lack of emotion with which Alison told the story. She wondered if Alison was on medication. She’d always seemed to be so strong but something like this could break anyone.
Devine glanced at J.J. before asking the next question. “Did you ever meet any of his coworkers? His capta
in, maybe?”
Alison shook her head. “Where are you going with this?”
“Alison, we’ve just been to the fire station but we were told they’d never heard of James Bailey. The captain we spoke to said he couldn’t find the name anywhere in the system, either.”
“I know.”
“What?” J.J. knew she’d been louder than necessary. She’d just been so shocked to hear Alison’s response. She glanced at Devine to see his reaction. His face gave nothing away. She wondered if he was the tiniest bit annoyed for having wasted all that time. She was. That’s not fair. It’s up to Alison what she wants to share.
Alison shrugged. “Hashtag told me a couple of days ago.” She looked at J.J. and reached out to touch her arm. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything last night. I didn’t want my aunt to know, but also, it’s all been too much to deal with. My entire life is a sham and I have no reasonable explanation why.”
“I can understand what you’re saying, sort of, although it’s really hard to put myself in your place.”
“Have you tried to contact his previous employer from when he was a financial advisor?” Devine asked.
Alison shook her head. “Hashtag told me to stay out of it and I intend to. I couldn’t give him any information anyway. I don’t have the name of his company, if there was one. In hindsight, it seems he shared very little information about anything. I haven’t found any paperwork related to a second job, or even any tax documents, so I think it was just another lie.”
“Didn’t he ever talk about either of his jobs?”
“Like I said, he didn’t say very much about them. Stuff like it being a busy day or having computer problems. He seldom talked about the fire station but I thought that was because it was a stressful job and he wanted to leave it behind when he came home.”
“You have a stressful job, too,” J.J. interrupted. “Did the two of you ever discuss it?”
“I tried to keep the ugly side of the job away from him. I’d make light of it with comments about being cooped up driving around all day, things like that. I know this all sounds bad, doesn’t it?”
“Bad isn’t the right word. Unusual. You were living together for a couple of years and you never really shared your lives. What did you do socially?” Devine asked.
Alison stared straight ahead, looking like she was back in the past, recalling. “We’d go out for dinner and sometimes dancing. He liked to dance, which was unusual in a husband.”
“Did you have a favorite restaurant or club?”
“Not really.”
“Did you go to sporting events? Plays? Movies?”
“Sure, we did all those things but nothing on a regular basis. Usually, one or both of us were too tired after a long shift. He did belong to a hockey team for a while.”
“Hm. Do you have any contacts for the hockey team he was on?” J.J. asked, pen poised to take notes.
“I don’t have a clue. It was a couple of years ago, and not for that long a period. I may also have not been paying attention, I’ll admit. He’d get excited about a new pastime and then drop it, although hockey did stay around the longest.”
“Where do they practice?”
“It sounded like they were all over the place. Maybe the city recreation department would have a registry or something of the teams using their arenas.”
“Did James mention any friends from the team?” Devine asked.
“No.”
“There wasn’t anyone who dropped over on Saturday mornings or someone he went fishing with, or drinking buddies other than the team?”
J.J. wondered if Devine had just described his own downtime.
“He was a loner.” Alison sat down abruptly. “I hadn’t realized how sad and empty our life together was. I was so wrapped up in being a police officer, I thought James must feel the same way about his job. I didn’t stop and take a step back to look at what we were like as a couple.”
J.J. wanted to rub Alison’s shoulders or give her a hug or something, she looked so helpless, but knew it was best not to interrupt the introspection.
“Tell me about his family,” Devine said after a few minutes.
“His parents died when he was fifteen and he was taken in by his grandfather, who is now deceased. There are no siblings or other relatives. He really was alone in the world.”
Devine scratched his chin. “What did he do after high school?”
“He got a degree in business management at Champlain College, then stayed in Burlington.”
“And how did you meet?”
“We met about two years ago, at a fund-raising dinner for the Boys & Girls Club. The police hockey team had just played the firefighters—we do it once a year and then have the dinner. It’s all for charity and we usually get a large crowd. Well, James was there and we just started talking. He said he’d bought a ticket from a firefighter friend. And then he asked me out.”
“And you got married?” J.J. prompted.
Alison nodded. “We dated, got engaged, and married within a month. It was a whirlwind romance.”
“Why did you split up?”
J.J. glanced at Devine but he had his eyes on Alison. She took several minutes before answering. “I realized at some point that there was a lot missing but it took quite a while before that became clear. There was no joy in our being together. My job is so miserable at times, I wanted that joy in my home life. You understand, don’t you?”
J.J. knew Alison was referring to Devine’s time as a cop. She searched his face but no answers appeared. He nodded at Alison.
“When I brought up the topic, James seemed relieved. He never came back to live here after his next shift and slowly moved his things out. I never even asked where he was living.” She shook her head as if disgusted with herself.
“Why hadn’t you gotten a divorce?” J.J. asked. That question had been bothering her.
“James just kept putting it off. He said he wanted us to sell the house beforehand, that it would make the divorce settlement easier, and also allow us to pay off the mortgage. I didn’t think anything of it. And he was okay with my living here until it was a done deed but I could never pin him down on listing it. And, I guess I was too comfortable here. I didn’t want to rock the boat and have to start all over. I was fine living in the house alone. I guess I really got set in my ways. I sound so old.” She shook her head. “I know you both find this all rather incredible but that’s what happens when your life starts sliding into a stupor. You just can’t seem to find the inclination or the energy to deal with it. I transferred all my energy to the job.”
The phone rang twice but stopped before Alison could reach it. A few moments later, Pam came to the door and told Alison that Lieutenant Hastings was on the phone for her. A moment of panic flashed across Alison’s face before she composed herself and said her good-byes.
*
• • •
J.J. and Devine sat in the car for a few minutes before driving off.
“Any thoughts?” Devine asked.
“It’s like she’s talking about another person. I can’t picture Alison settling for less than happiness but I know it happens. What do you think?”
“I think I’m going to a hockey practice.”
“Seriously? I’ll go, too.”
“And you’re saying this because you’re such a huge fan?”
“No. I never go to a game but this is different. Did you ever play hockey?”
Devine grinned. “I could hold my own on the ice but it was hard to get out to regularly practice, even for pickup games.”
“It’s good that one of us knows the lingo. But what about trying to track down what’s been happening in James’s other life, too? If he liked hockey so much, might he have been on another team in life number two?”
“That’s a good point but I think right around here is the most logical place to look for a killer. Whoever did it had to know about Alison in order to hide his body in her SUV. Since Jessica didn�
�t even know he had another life or wife, or so she says, then nobody else in Rouses Point would, either.”
“Huh. That makes sense.”
“Of course, we’ll need to find out what team he played on. I’ll make some calls.
J.J. nodded. She’d leave the hockey calls to Devine but she did have a business card from Brad Patterson, and who knew what things had been happening in the lives of the Baileys of Rouses Point?
CHAPTER 10
J.J. wandered around her apartment Saturday morning, unable to get started on anything on the lengthy list of household chores she’d made. She needed to be doing something for Alison, not waiting around to find out if they could join the boys on the team for some locker-room talk. She did have Brad Patterson’s business card. She glanced at the clock again. Eight thirty. Probably still too early to make the phone call.
She was also itching to track down Lauren Tate and pay her a visit. J.J. didn’t believe for a minute that two years automatically wiped the slate clean. Lauren could still be harboring a massive hatred for the guy who’d ditched her, and what better way to get payback than to frame the wife for his murder? But was it better to phone her or just show up on her doorstep? She pulled out her iPhone and checked the address Alison had given her, then Googled the directions. Hm. Not too far away. A close-enough drive for Lauren over to Alison’s anyway. Maybe a surprise visit was best.
J.J. noticed Indie sitting at the patio door and pulled it open for him. He shot right out and over to his favorite spot, the patch of grass she’d planted in a large low-sided wooden box. She knew he was safe on the balcony. She’d accepted he thought he was an outdoor cat so this was the compromise. She’d made sure it was secure out there by enclosing all the sides with chicken wire and even made it into a roof over a portion of the space so that Indie wouldn’t be tempted to try jumping onto the top railing.
She watched for a while until he stretched out in the sun, welcoming the warmth. Then, running out of patience, she scooped the business card off the kitchen counter, looking at it a few seconds before punching Brad Patterson’s home number into her phone.
He answered on the fourth ring. His voice sounded a bit harried. Or maybe he’d been sleeping. Perhaps not the best time to call.