Diamond Lake Series: Complete Series (Bks 1-7) Boxset

by T. K. Chapin

  “What?” she asked, looking up at me for a moment before returning to the phone in her hands.

  “An older man was in an argument with a guy a couple of weeks ago. Ring a bell?”

  Her fingers stopped on her phone and she looked up at me as she put the phone down in her lap. “You talking about that crazy war vet who went crazy and killed the old man?” Her words thrashed with her obvious prejudices and judgments. “Yeah. I saw it. I already gave my statement to the police.”

  Keeping myself restrained from slapping her, I kept my composure. She wouldn’t tell me anything if I did something like that. “Can you tell me how it went down?”

  The girl shrugged her shoulders. “Sure. They were in here . . . both went for the same shovel, and a fight broke out.”

  My chest tightened. He fought an old man? I thought to myself.

  “The old man and the vet were both yanking on the shovel and yelling, then the old man shifted the shovel’s handle straight into the vet’s face and sent him crashing to the ground. You know that vet has a fake leg?”

  “Yeah, I’m aware.”

  “Probably why he ended up killing the old man. For embarrassing him or something.”

  Revolted, I furrowed my eyebrows. I had what I needed and no longer needed to keep my true feelings in check. “He hasn’t been charged, you know.”

  She shrugged again, driving my annoyance deeper. “I guess . . . but it’s pretty obvious he killed him.”

  All right, I’m done here, I thought to myself. “Thanks for your time.”

  Turning, I left the counter and began walking down an aisle. This whole town thought Hunter was guilty, every last one of them. Grabbing a box of nails, I continued to the checkout. From outside of my perspective, I could see why people would think that though. After paying for my nails, I made my way out to the parking lot and thought about the tea he had me try to retrieve. A sliver of worry slipped through my confidence. I wondered, what if Hunter did drug the tea? I was feeling a little disoriented that morning and had a headache, after all. Shaking the thought out as fast is it entered my mind, I arrived at my car door, but I was startled when I heard my name.

  “Miley.”

  Turning, I saw it was Brody. He was stopped in his police cruiser behind my car. He motioned me over to his window. Great, I’m being stalked now? I walked over to the side of his cruiser. He looked up at me through the window and pushed his sunglasses up on his head.

  “What are you doing here?” He pressed like I owed him an answer.

  “What else do people come to a hardware store for?” I asked. Lifting my sack up, I said, “Just getting some nails for hanging pictures, if you must know.” I tilted my head and shot him a glare. “It’s quite funny how interested you are in what I’m doing these days when I couldn’t even get you to pick up your phone when we were dating.”

  He nodded and smiled as he pursed his lips together. “You’re not harassing witnesses of the altercation between Kent and Hunter, are you?”

  Shaking my head, I attempted a lie.

  “That’s funny, because we received a call from Mr. Tom Edmund, saying a woman was going around asking questions.”

  A blush fell across my face. “Is that illegal?”

  “Interfering with a police investigation? Look, Miley, just stop. You need to stop before something bad happens.”

  Taking a step back, I furrowed my eyebrows at him. “Are you threatening me?”

  “No.” He flipped his sunglasses down over his eyes. “Just cool it.” He rolled up his window and continued through the parking lot. Shaking my head, I walked back over to my car. I needed to go see Hunter and find out more about the altercation from his point of view.

  After signing in at the jail, I went over to take a seat to wait when I saw Luke. He was hunched over in a chair and wringing his hands. I smiled. He came. “Hey . . . you okay?”

  He nodded and looked up at me. “I hate being here, but I know I should.”

  “It’ll mean a lot to Hunter. You’re doing the right thing.”

  He shot a couple slight nods and looked forward as I sat down. We chatted for a few minutes about my sister and his grandmother until they called his name. He was almost in a full-on tremble as he stood up and walked with the officer to the room. My heart broke for the guy. He might have only been twenty, but he had been through a lifetime of pain. Hunter was like his long-lost big brother. I hoped Hunter would be exonerated if for nothing else than to be Luke’s big bro.

  Not long after he went in, he came out. He flashed me a slight smile and nod on his way toward the exit. The officer called my name next, and I went to the room. Hunter was sitting, slightly hunched and his face unshaven. He looked so sad, so miserable and full of hopelessness. Sitting down, I picked up the phone.

  “Hunter . . .”

  He peered up at me. Our eyes connected, and I could feel his sadness seeping from the other end of the phone. My heart felt like it was twisting inside my chest. He bit his bottom lip and then shook his head. A glisten came over his eyes. “They got the tea. It’s being processed right now. My lawyer told me this morning.” Shaking his head, he smoothed his fingers through his hair. “What happened, Miley? You were supposed to get the tea.”

  “I . . .” My words stumbled over one another as I recalled running into my sister on the street. Remembering the fact I didn’t believe the thing about the tea until Forbes showed up, and now I wasn’t sure if he put the tea there himself. A lump formed in my throat, making it difficult to speak. “I was there, and then a cop showed up, so I hid.”

  He nodded slowly and dropped his hand with the phone to the table, but only for a moment. Lifting it back to his face, he said, “The lawyer says your alibi is making the prosecution want to settle, but I don’t want to settle. I didn’t do anything, Miley! I didn’t kill anyone!”

  Thinking of the hardware store, I asked about the altercation.

  “It was stupid,” he said. “We just went down to the hardware store to get a shovel. We needed to bury Luke’s cat, which died out in the cold. It was the last shovel, and I just—” He choked up on his words. “It was a hard day for Luke and me. We talked a lot about Alex. His birthday was a couple of days prior, and . . . I just really wanted the shovel. That doesn’t mean I killed him.”

  Nodding, I said, “I understand.” Touching the glass that separated us, I looked directly into his eyes. Into the brokenness. Into the void. “Hunter . . . I will not let you pay for a crime you did not commit. I’ll testify.”

  “If the tea comes back positive for some drug, it’s over, Miley. That’s it. Your alibi goes poof.”

  “I know, but we’ll figure out a way. We will.”

  An officer came up behind Hunter and touched his shoulder. Hunter turned his head as his jaw clenched. Turning back to me, his face softened and he reached forward, letting his hand touch the glass on the other side where my hand was.

  “Don’t give up on me, Miley.” He stood back, letting his hand fall away from the glass, and set the phone on the receiver. At the end of the conversation, his eyes held a speck of hope.

  Later that afternoon while I was hanging up pictures in the living room, the front door opened, almost startling me off the chair I was standing on. Slipping I grabbed the top of the back of the chair. Abigail walked in, shutting the door behind her. A smile was on her face, and I knew she had got the job before she spoke a word.

  “I got the job!” she shouted as she danced a jig on the way to the kitchen. Dropping her purse on the counter along with a set of keys, she continued. “And my car was ready to pick up, paid in full. I guess as a ‘sorry I ruined your life’ gesture, Jared paid off my car repair.”

  “Awesome on both accounts!” Standing upright on the chair, I continued hanging the pictures.

  “You got some nails, eh?” she said, walking into the living room. Her eyes surveyed the wall of freshly hung frames. “I loved that day,” she said, pointing to the picture of us with Mo
m and Dad at the Grand Canyon back when we were teenagers. A sense of nostalgia glinted in her eyes as she appeared to be taken back to that day. Thinking back myself, I recalled our father’s silly comment once we arrived, after about five minutes of looking out across the canyon.

  Abigail said the line out loud in the same moment I thought of it. “Now what?” We both laughed for a minute. Our father was perplexed as to what we were to do after looking at it. He felt the trip was almost a waste. As the laughing quieted between us, Abigail continued. “I sure do miss him.”

  “Me too,” I replied. Stepping down from the chair, I set the hammer and nails down on the top of the chair and walked over to her. Wrapping my arms around her, I said, “Someday, we’ll see him again, Sis.” Letting myself get closer with my sister was starting to get to me. I was loving the new style of relationship we were beginning to have. Hoping that it would continue, I asked, “Can we stay this way after you start your job and everything?”

  She smiled. “Of course.”

  My phone rang on the counter in the kitchen, and I went over to answer it. Seeing it was an unknown number, I hesitated to answer it thinking it was a bill collector, but it could be Hunter. Answering it, I was relieved to hear the jail’s recording come over the phone and ask if I would accept the call. I did.

  “Hey.” The tone of Hunter’s voice was light, less burdensome than earlier that day. It was a relief. “The tea didn’t come back dirty with any drugs, so your alibi will hold up in court.”

  “Yay!” I exclaimed. “Wait, so the police aren’t setting you up then?”

  “I guess not . . . I don’t know what to think now.” He paused for a moment before changing subjects and his tone of voice. “The jail ministry came in today.”

  A spark of warmth radiated through me. “Yeah? How’d that go?”

  “I met a guy named Zeek. He had been in Vietnam and seen some heavy stuff. We talked for an hour. He’s coming back to see me next week. He said there’s an excellent program at the VA in Spokane, but he also offered to help. He’s a certified counselor.”

  My eyes watered at hearing him being so enthusiastic. “That’s great to hear, Hunter.”

  “Yeah. I don’t know if it’ll help, but Zeek said if I don’t like the VA guys or I’m stuck in here long-term or going to prison or whatever, he’ll work something out so he can counsel me. Talking to him really helped me wrap my head around just how deeply messed up parts of my mind are.”

  “I’m glad you get to talk to someone, Hunter. He can help with the nightmares?”

  “Yeah,” he replied. “Zeek said he still gets them off and on, but he said for the most part, you can get it under control. It all is rooted in PTSD. He had the nightmares bad, dreadful. He hurt his wife by accident a few times back in the day. He had it so bad that a balloon popped in a restaurant and he jumped under a table and wouldn’t come out for a few minutes. He’s been through far more than I ever had.”

  “It’s good you found someone who can help.”

  “Yep.” Hunter’s time on the phone was about up, and just before it was time, he said, “Thank you for sticking by my side, Miley. Even if I end up being convicted and tossed in prison, I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me. Trying to help and believing in me. The thought of you is what really gets me through the nights here.”

  “You’re welcome.” Smiling at his words, I knew right then I wanted to be with him if he ever got freedom. Turning, I saw Abigail glancing at a picture from our past she had fished out of the box. She was smiling, but tears trickled down her cheeks and onto the frame in her hands. As I watched her, I continued talking to Hunter. “You’ll get out of this, and we’ll be together. I promise, Hunter.”

  “I—”

  Time expired, and the call cut off abruptly.

  CHAPTER 12

  A welcome break in the rain the next morning brought sunshine streaming in between the curtains in my room while I sat on my bed, doing my Bible reading. I had awoken that morning with a hunger for God’s Word in my soul. Ever since the Hunter situation arose, I had been somewhat neglectful in my Bible studies. God’s Word did exactly what it always does—cut to the core of me. It bothered me that people like Brody, Serenah, and even my sister, Abigail, weren’t necessarily on board with my choice to help Hunter. I also found myself wondering what will become of us if he gets released. Did I mean it last night when I said we would be together when he got out? Was it hasty? I did like Hunter and wanted to help him get free, but why? Why do I feel this strong desire and gnawing need to help? To spend my time tracking down answers and trying to solve this all for him? God’s Word brought me the answers. Colossians, to be exact. It spoke to my soul.

  Through the morning, I dug deep into two verses in particular.

  9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

  Colossians 1:9-10

  Wrapping my mind around these two verses took the better part of the morning, but once I discovered that I needed to find God’s Will for my life to please God, it was like a thick fog had lifted from my mind. A spiritual awakening. Through meditating on these verses, I was able to discover why I felt the need to help Hunter. It wasn’t because I was dating him—which I wasn’t—it was because I knew the truth. The truth was that he was innocent of this crime, and it was my duty to help my fellow human being, even if it did nothing for me in the end. God’s Will for my life might be difficult to find when I’m looking at it with a broad stroke, but when I’m looking at it moment by moment, it became apparent. It’s in these times His will is easily identifiable. Our fruits of good works and what we do in our lives should be geared to please God. Helping an innocent man who is wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit is pleasing to God. God is a God of justice, a God of truth, a God of love.

  After I finished my study and prayers, I went and showered and got dressed for the day. As I curled my hair in the bathroom, my phone buzzed. Setting the curling iron down, I picked up my phone to see Luke calling.

  “Hello?” I answered.

  “Hey.” His voice was panicky and came out in short bursts. “I’m at the vet with Frito.” Luke’s voice trembled more. “I don’t know if he’s going to make it, Miley. Can you get down here?”

  My heart began to pound. “Yeah. I’ll be right there.”

  Hanging up with Luke, I quickly curled the last few strands of hair and hurried out the door to get down to the vet. If Frito died, Hunter would be devastated. He didn’t need another loss right now. Praying all the way down to the vet, I asked God to please spare the dog’s life for Hunter’s sake.

  Finding the room with Luke and Frito in it at the Veterinarian Hospital, I was relieved to find Frito still alive. Luke told me he had gone over to feed Frito earlier that morning when he found him passed out on the kitchen floor. The sugar was all over the floor and on Frito’s mouth. When he had tried to wake the dog, he didn’t wake up, and that’s when Luke brought him to the vet.

  “So what happened? Just had a sugar high and passed out?” I asked, my eyes trained on the dog as I sat in the chair beside Luke.

  “They think he was poisoned.”

  Furrowing my eyebrows, I sat back in the chair. “Someone poisoned Hunter’s dog with sugar? Why would they do that?” Shaking my head, I traced the tiles in the ceiling as I tried to make sense of it. “I need to go clean it up right away.” Getting up to leave, I saw Luke’s somber face and stopped.

  Luke said, “I didn’t understand what was going on. I thought someone was going after Hunter and his life. I already called the cops to go get the sugar. What if someone was trying to frame Hunter and then kill him too? This is getting crazy!”

  “Or they’re going to
think I was drugged, Luke, and my alibi for Hunter is gone.”

  Luke’s head dipped to his chest. “Oh . . . I didn’t think about that.”

  Lifting his chin with a finger, I shook my head and forced a smile. “It’s okay. You didn’t know. I’m going to figure this out.”

  “Okay.” He gave me a hug and I left the vet.

  Grabbing a coffee at the gas station, I saw the newspaper sitting near the check-out counter and bought a copy as the front page had a mention of the case on it. Taking my coffee and newspaper, I went outside and got in my car. I turned the car on and let the heater warm up the car as another onslaught of rain started up outside. Flipping the paper open, I went to the article and began reading.

  NEWPORT, WASH.— A 72-year-old man of Newport, Washington, identified as Kent Hammer, has been found at the bottom of Diamond Lake after his coat was discovered two days prior on the west side of the lake. Stabbed multiple times in the chest, the victim was then discarded into the lake. A local sheriff describes this as, “A crime of passion. This is the kind of thing you see in movies, not in real life.”

  Hammer, whom authorities said had been stabbed fourteen times before being bound by rope to two cinder blocks, was placed in the middle of Diamond Lake in the early hours of January 10th, 2013. The coroner’s office determined the cause of death was the stab wounds, according to Detective Jeffery Brown of the Newport Police Department. There were no witnesses in the surrounding homes at Fisher’s Point, the docks nearest to the location of the body.

  “It’s been the most horrific case I have ever seen,” Brown previously told KHQ-TV. “Even though an arrest has been made, we are far from being done with our investigation of what happened.”

  Hunter Bowman, 32, was arrested Monday after determining the knife found near the lake that belonged to Bowman matched positive with the blood of the victim. He was charged with first-degree murder.