There was silence for a moment before Ray said, “I'm not going to ask if he's going to give it to you as part of questioning of a witness since that's not relevant to my finding.”
I didn't say anything.
“So, since an autopsy is public record, I will tell you that the cause of death was likely a heart arrhythmia.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. It doesn't look like there was a blockage or a heart attack. His heart was enlarged from a lifetime of high blood pressure and it appears that he was taking some blood pressure medication to control it. I think he sustained an irregular heart rhythm and died. He was a pretty fit guy and he was relatively young—” he chuckled “—or at least fifty-nine seems young to me now but, given the celebration that weekend, I'm not surprised. It happens more often than you think.”
“Hmm. So natural causes?”
“Looks that way to me.”
“Thanks, Ray.”
“I'm not kidding, Nate. The next time you call me it had better be to let me know when the winch on that boat is dropping.”
“Got it. Take care.”
I hung up and thought. Fifty-nine-year-old man. Heart arrhythmia. Natural causes. It all seemed pretty normal. Tragic, but normal.
So why did Pearson want to question Liselle again?
I didn't know. So I emailed Pearson to let him know when we’d be there and left to pick up Liselle.
“I'm sorry to ask you to back down here again,” said Mitch Pearson. “Thanks for coming.”
The thing about Pearson is that he's a pretty good investigator, but he's a lousy actor. As we sat on the other side of the desk in his office, his manner was different than the first time we’d met. Before, he was asking questions by rote, without much care about the answers except that they were documented in his file. This time though, it was clear from the moment we walked in that he was focused and that he had a purpose.
“No problem,” I said. “You mentioned that you'd have the autopsy for us?”
Irritation flashed across Pearson's face and was gone. I’d gotten the first question in and there was no good reason for him to refuse to answer it, not if he was going to continue to play good cop.
“Sure. Here you go, Nate.”
He handed it to me and I scanned it to make sure the findings on the first page were “cardiac event, likely heart arrhythmia, natural causes.” They were.
While I pretended to read it, Pearson said, “How long did you say you knew Mr. Phillips, Ms. Vila?”
“A little over a month. Six weeks maybe.”
“Did Mr. Phillips ever discuss any health conditions with you?”
“His?”
“Yes.”
“No. Wait, I take that back. I think he said once that his knee was bothering him and that's why he had switched to biking instead of running.”
“You mentioned that you were staying with Mr. Phillips on this trip?”
“I don't believe I did mention that Mr. Pearson.”
“You were though?”
“That seems personal.”
“Okay. Family members of his mentioned to me that you were staying with him on this trip.”
“His family certainly is going through a tough time. I'm glad you're helping them.”
“In the six weeks that you knew Mr. Phillips, did you have access to his medications?”
“What medications?”
“Any of them.”
“I’m not saying which medications, Officer Pearson. I’m saying that I didn’t know that Rich took medications.”
“So that's a ‘no?’”
“That's exactly what I said.”
“How did you meet Mr. Phillips?”
“A gala for Gateway Animal Rescue.”
Pearson raised an eyebrow.
“It turned out we both love dogs. That's what got us talking.”
“Do you have a dog?”
“Not right now. Mine passed last spring.”
“I'm sorry. It's terrible when that happens.”
“It is. Rich had a couple though. Ozzie and Tony. They’re great.”
“So you had been to Mr. Phillips’ house?”
“Of course.”
“I see. So you were a member of the Humane Society?”
“I am. They do good work.”
“Are you a member of other organizations like that?”
“Of course. I work as a biologist so there are a number of groups that support woodland wildlife and the environment.”
“The State Natural Resource Board?”
“For Missouri, yes.”
“The Environmental Fund?”
“I've donated. I'm not a member.”
“PETA?”
“I was once, years ago. They lost me when they started throwing paint on people.”
“The Arbor Society?”
“Trees are the reason we breathe.”
“The Last Auk?”
“Every day sees another species go extinct.”
Pearson was nodding and writing. His face went casual, his voice nonchalant. “How about the Forest Initiative?”
“That's literally what I do, Officer Pearson. I work to save Missouri's forests.”
“So, yes?” Like I said, Pearson was a shitty actor. His tone was that of a man checking the bet with a pair of pocket kings. Time to get involved.
“I'm not sure why all that's relevant, Mitch,” I said. “I'm sure we can get you a resume if it really matters to you.”
“That's not necessary, Nate. You know that Mr. Phillips was the head of Doprava Company, right, Ms. Vila?”
“I'm from Missouri, Officer Pearson. Everyone knows that the Phillips run Doprava.”
“You know that a lot of these groups you’re a part of have a problem with Doprava?”
“These groups are big organizations, Officer Pearson, and that’s a very general question.”
“They see Doprava as a bad actor against the environment, don’t they?”
“I don't know who the ‘they’ is that you're talking about.”
“The groups that you’re part of.”
“I would assume that all groups have things they agree and disagree on.”
Pearson nodded his head. “Tell me about Ribbon Falls.”
“What’s that?” I said.
Pearson didn’t look at me. “Your client knows.”
I didn't know. And I'd be damned if I was going to have my client answer a question I didn't know the answer to in front of the Chief Detective for Serious Crimes of Carrefour, Ohio.
“Well, Mitch, my client has a plane to catch. I'm afraid we're going to have to get going.”
Pearson raised an eyebrow. “The Phillips told me that their planes weren’t leaving until later tonight.”
“I’m not going with the Phillips,” said Liselle.
“No, I don’t suppose you are. I'd like you to stay in town.”
“I have to get back to work.”
Pearson smirked. “Biology emergency?”
“Actually, yes.”
“It would be better if you stayed.”
“Interesting,” I said. “Did I miss the part where Ms. Vila was arrested?”
“No one’s talking about an arrest.”
“Well, then your request has been respectfully declined because Ms. Vila is going home.”
Pearson nodded. “Saving the environment is a never-ending job, isn’t it?”
“For which we can all be grateful.” I stood. “Thanks for the autopsy, Mitch. I'm sure it's hard for the family, and for my client, to lose someone unexpectedly to natural causes like that.”
Pearson nodded his head and because he was who he was he couldn't stop the smirk. “I'm sure I'll be back in touch. Probably in about six weeks.”
“I look forward to it.”
Pearson offered his hand and Liselle beat me to it and shook it. If Pearson tried to squeeze her hand, she showed no sign of it.
He tried it with me again,
as always. The man really did have issues.
“See you, Mitch,” I said, and we walked out.
“It seems to me that we need to have a talk,” I said.
Liselle's eyes were green calm. “If you think so.”
“Let's get lunch. Then I'll take you to the airport.”
“I liked that Railcar place. Let's eat outside.”
So we did.
9
“A venison Philly?” said Liselle as she scanned the menu. “That sounds good.”
“Bow season hasn’t started yet,” I said. “They’re not serving it for another couple of weeks.”
“Too bad. I’ll have to come back for it.”
“Pearson said you might have to.”
Liselle didn’t take her eyes off the menu. “Pearson said a lot of things.”
“He was interested in the groups you’re a member of.”
She nodded. “He was. I’d bet your wife was a member of half of them too.”
“I’m sure she was. But she wasn’t dating the head of a large industrial company either.”
Liselle raised her eyes. “Are you going to climb into my bed now too? Because I didn’t care to have Officer Pearson in it.”
Trial lawyers don’t blush so I didn’t, but her blunt gaze was still disconcerting.
“No. I’m not. But Pearson seems to think it’s important so he’s working what he thinks is an angle. Are any of those organizations directly opposed to Doprava?”
Liselle returned to the menu. “It would be crazy to go against Doprava. They own half of St. Louis.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
She folded her menu. “Nate, I care deeply about the environment in general and for the woods and forests of Missouri in particular. I’m sure my position diverges from Doprava and Rich sometimes. So what?”
I nodded. “So I know Pearson. Those questions were focused on building something.”
“What could he possibly be building?”
The waitress came and we both wound up ordering a beef brisket sandwich and coleslaw. By the time she left, I decided not to answer her question and instead said, “He thinks he might find something in the toxicology report. That’s what the ‘six weeks’ reference was to.”
She sipped a sweet tea. “The doctor said Rich had an arrhythmia, so why is Pearson so interested?”
“My guess is that the family is chewing his ear pretty good.” My next comment was delicate, but it had to be said because I was sure it was affecting the dynamics. “And that he’s prejudiced enough by the optics to take a look.”
She raised a pale eyebrow. “The optics?”
I shrugged. “There are dozens of movies and hundreds of books where the beautiful young girlfriend is the suspect in the death of the rich older man. A stark difference in philosophies between you and Richard only accentuates that perception.”
Liselle folded her hands and when she spoke, her voice was cool. “That’s a pretty offensive cliché to someone with a Ph.D., Nate.”
“I didn’t say I think it, Liselle. I’m saying that those optics and the kids’ pressure are driving Pearson’s investigation.”
Liselle shook her head. “We weren’t dating long enough for Bre or Andrew to resent me.”
I figured it would mostly be Bre doing the resenting but I kept that observation to myself. “As long as we’re on stereotypes, can I assume that since you only dated a month that you’re not in the will?”
“I’m sure I’m not. And I wouldn’t want to be.”
I nodded. “Good. So what’s this Ribbon Falls thing he was asking you about?”
Liselle took another sip of tea before she said, “Doprava is one of the largest land-owners in Missouri. It was going to lease some of that land for fracking. People protested it at Ribbon Falls.”
“You went?”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“Do you have any idea what fracking does to the surrounding area?”
“I can guess.”
“This site was right next to Ribbon Falls. It would’ve jeopardized the water supply for the whole southwest section of the state, including the national forest. With my knowledge and my job, it seemed important for me to be there.”
“Any violence?”
“Not by me.”
“By others?”
“There were demonstrations, blocking equipment, that sort of thing. But Nate, what in the world does that have to do with Rich’s death?”
“Nothing. It’s goes back to the optics if something does come up.”
Liselle raised both eyebrows. “You don’t have witchcraft trials here, do you?”
I smiled. “Not recently. Why?”
“Men’s heart stop, Nate. It doesn’t mean a woman did it.”
“Agreed.”
The brisket arrived and we began to eat and I managed not to drip tangy sauce and brisket juice onto my tie. Liselle dove right in, raising my opinion of her.
We got through a healthy portion of the brisket, with suitable expressions of reverence, when Liselle wiped the edge of her mouth with her napkin, pointed at the river, and said, “This is a nice place.”
I nodded. “I like it.”
“Not just here, the whole area. The hills, the lakes.”
“Still flatter than what you’re used to, I imagine.”
“It is. A little closer to cities too. But the water and the trees make everything so green. I can see why your wife liked it.”
I nodded.
Liselle started on the coleslaw before she said, “There’re some sprays out of Wisconsin that have had some success with slowing the ash borer down. I may head up there later in the fall.”
“Hope it works,” I said, and meant it.
“Me too. I may stop in Carrefour on the way.”
“We’re not on the way to Wisconsin.”
“I want to take a real dive into your wife’s research then spend some time here on site to correlate how things progressed.”
“She was thorough.”
“And I’d like to see the Groves in the fall.”
I nodded. “That’s one of the best times.”
The rest of our conversation was small talk. We’d talked so much about her that it only seemed fair when she fired back with questions of her own about me. We talked about my four nephews, my three nieces, and my two brothers. I told her about my mom and my dad and their place on the other end of Glass Lake and she commented that I was lucky to have them around and I agreed. She seemed particularly interested in the time my dad spent fishing and hunting and told me that I should try to get out there and do it more, which I couldn’t really disagree with. When I told her about our weekly cookouts, she smiled and said that it sounded like fun.
She didn’t offer any comments about her family and I didn’t ask since I felt like I’d dug far enough into her personal life as it was. Soon enough, the brisket baskets were empty and Liselle took her last sip of sweet tea and said she really needed to go to the airport. I offered to drive her, which she accepted, and I drove her back to the hotel to pick up her things. I caught up on email and made a few calls while I waited and, a short time later, she came out with a bag that was smaller than I’d have expected for a woman gone on a long weekend to a wedding. I drove her to the Carrefour airport and the drive went quickly.
When she told me to go to the commercial departures entrance, I said, “They really made you book your own flight?”
Liselle nodded. “Steve told me again when we heard that the autopsy was finished. So Southwest it is.”
I switched lanes so that I could take her to that terminal door. “Seems a little harsh.”
Liselle shrugged. “They’re grieving. I'm an easy focal point.”
I pulled up to the curb and got out of the car. She was nice enough to let me get her bag for her out of the back. When I set it on the ground, she said, “Do you still have my number for when the toxicology results come in?”
/> I nodded. “I’ll let you know.”
“Let me give you some more digits,” she said and held out her hand.
I coded my phone open and handed it to her. She bent her head down as she thumbed her way into my contacts and, after a few moments, straightened, pushed her hair back behind her ears, and handed the phone back. All the boxes for Liselle Vila—cell, work, home, email—were filled.
As I backed out to the home screen, Liselle leaned in close enough that her shoulder touched mine and said, “Is that her?”
Sarah's picture was the background on my phone.
“It is,” I said and tilted it to her.
Liselle smiled. “She's beautiful.”
“She is.”
“You are a lucky man.”
“I was.”
“No, you are. No one is worse off for having someone like that in their life.”
I smiled. “That's true.”
Liselle smiled back. “Thanks for your help these last couple of days. You made a hard situation easier to deal with.”
“No problem. I'll let you know when I hear something.”
“Thanks.” Liselle grabbed the handle of the bag and rolled her way toward the terminal. Two porters leapt forward to see if she needed help. She shook her head and went inside.
I hopped into the Jeep and left. On the way home, I stopped to get gas. As the dollars and gallons ticked off on the pump, I realized it had been a long time since I had spent most of the day with just one person, talking. It was different. Not good. Not bad. Just different.
The pump clicked off and I re-racked the nozzle. As I pulled out of the gas station, I decided to go in a different direction.
Half an hour later I was at Grove State Park. I got out of the car and decided that it was a beautiful day for a walk.
So that's what I did.
I lingered for a while beneath the sugar maples. They had been Sarah's favorite. They hadn’t started to turn color yet, but they were close.
Fall was coming.
BRANCH
10
I was working in my office later that week when I received an email from Liselle.
True Intent Page 5