Cas laughed, feeling smug because he had Gladys who didn't need that course.
"How much do you pay Gladys?"
"Not as much as she's worth. But forget it! And were you working on our Lady in the Lake?"
"Yes. Why don't you come over if you're about to leave? We'll drink the rest of this coffee. Mavis does make good coffee."
"Okay, see you in a few minutes."
It wasn't long till Clint heard Cas come in. "Lock the door behind you and come on back."
Cas went back to the break room where Clint was washing his hands. He had set out a bakery box.
"We'll finish off the doughnuts too. But first, come with me, I want to show you something and talk to you."
Cas followed silently, about as thrilled as Mavis would have been at being in that cold place where death waited.
Clint rolled out the body of Julia Timkins and uncovered the head. Cas moved a little closer, looking at where the hair was missing.
"These are the wood splinters I got out of the bruised place." Clint gestured at a dish on a nearby cabinet.
Cas nodded, eyes drawn back to the shaved area above the pretty face.
"This girl fought for her life, Cas. Inhaled a lot of water. I've seen panic before. People who suddenly realized they were in deep water and got so scared they fought the water instead of flipping over and floating or just relaxing and swimming a few strokes to safety. But this shouldn't have happened to her. This poor girl was a good swimmer, you said?"
"Yes. According to her friend, Gretchen, she was on the swim team at school."
"In addition to inhaling all that water, I found particles of food in her throat. She was sick. Can you imagine being so frightened, you're sick at your stomach? And she was a good swimmer too. I keep getting back to that. This just isn't right, Cas."
He pulled the sheet down a little farther to show a light bruise between her breasts and her waistline, only a faint shadow.
"Don't know what that is, not really important as far as being life threatening, just another puzzle in what happened to her. She wasn't tied up or anything, no marks on wrists or ankles. And she wasn't weighted down with anything. The clothes she had on just caught on the piling out there." Clint's eyes met his. "She must have been scared to death—literally."
"What would have scared her that much?" Cas sat mentally reviewing the little information he had. "There aren't any big fish in that area. The pleasure boats and other expensive water toys around there have about ruined the chance of any good fishing in that area at all. And as far as foul play, if there had been any break-ins or anything else in that park area, we sure haven't heard about it. What do you think would have frightened her?"
"I don't know." Clint admitted. "But I can't forget the only person here in Maryvale Julia Timkins had any connection to that we know of, was Troy Spruce." His jaw tightened. He looked grim.
"I'm certainly not taking up for him, Clint, but there's absolutely nothing to tie him to this. He loaned them, Julia and Gretchen, his cabin so they would have a place to go on their vacation. And that's it. Gretchen said they both liked Troy Spruce, that he was a good boss. There's not one thing against him."
"Except that we know him. Except that he is completely ruthless, when it comes to getting something he wants. Except that he is the only one here that's at all connected with her."
Cas sat silent, remembering his conversations with Troy Spruce since they had identified the girl.
"How many serial killers have you read about that were absolutely harmless according to their neighbors? What makes people have confidence in a confidence man?"
"I don't know. I guess I should go and talk to Troy again. There may be something, some small thing that he could let drop if he's not as on the level as he acts."
Cas stood still, thoughtful, as Clint covered the body again.
"Something that would have caused Julia to panic." He puzzled over it out loud as he turned to leave. "Troy already knows he's the only one in Maryvale or even connected to Maryvale who knew her. I guess it couldn't hurt to lean on him a little. You think she was so frightened she was sick?"
Clint nodded, looking determined. If he felt sympathy for anyone except the youngster on his table, it didn't show on his face.
"Could it have been mushrooms, the little particles of food? We found some in the boat house by Troy's cabin and she had eaten part of a casserole. We were looking for where she went that day before this happened, and thought maybe she went out looking for mushrooms."
"Oh, yeah. I guess it could have been. Not much there, but it could have been. But, Cas, nothing you've got so far leads anywhere except to Troy Spruce."
His brow wrinkled."What were you doing looking around his boathouse out there?"
"We were just looking around the area in general, and also checking at Troy's request to see that his canoe was there."
"His canoe was there? The one you got the call about that drifted up somewhere?"
"Oh, you didn't know about that other call I got. Yes. Turns out it was his canoe. The man who reported it called me back. He said he'd found a phone number on the bottom and it is Troy Spruce's canoe."
"I knew it! There had to be something. Did you ask him about that? Troy?"
"Yes. I called him and he was surprised I'd heard about it. Said the man called him. He didn't even know the canoe was gone. Didn't know I knew about it either, but that didn't seem to bother him, Clint," Cas stressed. "He was completely natural about it, didn't try to hide anything."
"Confidence man. What politician isn't a confidence man? Were the oars in it?"
"No. I asked him about that too. He has no idea what might have happened to them and asked me when I went out there to just see that the canoe was fastened up either inside or to the outside of the boathouse."
Clint's face looked like he'd tried and convicted Troy Spruce already. "Just go talk to the man, will you?"
"I'll do that. I'm sure he's expecting me to be around until this case is closed anyway."
Cas left, his mind on those wood slivers and the wandering canoe.
Chapter 18
The week was a quiet one for Maryvale and Pine County. When Rhodes came in and headed for the break-room with a bakery box, Cas got up and followed him.
"Anything going on I should hear about?"
"No. All quiet and peaceful."
"Anything new about Muriel? Has her car been seen anywhere?"
"Nope. I cruise by the house and look around when I'm in the area, but there's never any car there but Margaret's. She's stopped closing the doors, by the way. I don't even have to slow down now to check on that."
Rhodes opened the bakery box. "Got a couple of apple filled."
They settled down with their coffee. Rhodes licked sugar off his finger, reaching for a napkin. "Anything else from Clint on our Lady in the Lake?"
"No. These are good, still warm." Cas shook his head and swallowed a big bite of fried pie. He sipped his coffee before answering the question about the case.
"About the autopsy, Clint just told me what we already knew except for confirming she panicked and fought the water and there was a faint bruise that may not even have anything to do with her drowning."
"Where?"
"Just above her waist. If we knock off early, we could go out to the lake and look around some more."
"For what? You got something in mind?"
"You know me too well," Cas smiled at his friend. "I want to know if those splinters and slivers in Julia's head came from that fishing dock. We know the water in her lungs was lake water. So she drowned in the lake. We know that, but there are some questions left unanswered. It may not help at all, but I'd just like to know if that's where she actually died. You up for bathing suit duty?"
"Yes. I can go home and put on my suit under my clothes and meet you at the park soon as I can get there."
"Okay. Let's do it."
* * *
Cas was already there when Rh
odes pulled into the swimming area of the park. He was walking toward him as Rhodes got out, shedding his clothes as he stood by the open door. The park manager waved to him and went back into his office.
"He promised he'd keep an eye on our cars." Cas explained.
"I'll just wade on out."
"Okay, I'm going to toss my clothes in here beside yours."
Cas glanced at the back seat as he shed his clothes and smiled. Rhodes had brought several of his knife collection and a funny looking saw with him, as well as a box with a grocery sack in it that he didn't investigate. He waded out.
"Water feels good, doesn't it?"
"Sure does." Rhodes grinned. "We should have thought of this sooner."
"I would have if Clint had got on my back sooner I guess."
"Clint? What's he on your back about?"
"He thinks I should lean harder on Troy Spruce."
"You mean you haven't?"
"That's what I like, loyalty," Cas laughed. "Sure. But I don't have anything to use to pressure him, and there's nothing against him at all. "
"What about that canoe of his? Is there any way at all to tie that in with this?"
Cas hesitated. "I don't know. He said he didn't even know it was gone. And he sounded like he was telling the truth. And he sure wasn't concerned about it, asking the fellow who found it to just chain it to the boathouse, inside or out."
They were at the end of the pier. Rhodes turned his attention to the old looking wood. He patted the end piling. "Her clothes," he said. "Julia Timkins's sleeve of that long loose sleeved blouse was caught on this piling."
Cas looked at the rotting old pier. "Looks like the water's down a little since we found her."
"Don't know. Looks about the same to me. Water's about an inch or two from the wood. There was so much going on in the water that afternoon, it's probably about the same, I think. Or maybe just a smidgen lower, as my Mary would say."
Cas bent his head It was hard, tilting his head to look sideways at the bottom of the old wooden pier. He held his nose and went under, came up with only his eyes out of the water, his eyes smarting.
"Let me have a look." Rhodes ducked under as Cas caught his breath and rubbed his eyes.
Cas held to the piling as Rhodes moved toward the piling and the end of the pier, still holding his nose. Cas looked across the top of the structure, waiting.
Rhodes sounded like a dolphin splashing as he came up and shook the water out of his hair and eyes.
"Well?"
Rhodes hesitated, thinking before he spoke. "I was looking about the distance between where the body was snagged on the piling and the under side of the end of the pier. You were there looking at the body when you went to talk to Clint, do you think there would have been any blood here if this is where the slivers came from?"
"Another thing I don't know. It was only a slight bruise on her head, not enough to kill, but enough to keep her from getting up and out of the water. Slivers are maybe from the bottom of the boat if that's where she was, or maybe someone might have been pushing her down with the oar. If the slivers are from the pier, then she was under here. Maybe she couldn't get out from under the pier—but why not?"
"I brought some tools and I can make a good guess where she would have been, judging from where we found the body. You want to take some samples?"
"Yes, I'm glad you came prepared." He grinned, "And of course you've got evidence envelopes like you always bring with you?"
"Of course!"
Cas followed him as he waded out, the feeling they were probably wasting their time weighing him down as much as the water.
Chapter 19
Monday was dull as mud in Pine County, but it gave Cas time to get his wood samples tested and talk to Clint. He stood in Clint's office, uninvited and aware of it.
"I know you don't like unexpected company," he started as soon as Clint appeared. "But I'm on my way to have a coffee break with Troy Spruce and thought I'd stop by on the chance you've had time to look at the wood we got from the underside of the pier."
"In that case, all is forgiven. And yes, I was as anxious as you are to make sure about them. It didn't take long. The underside of that pier is where the splinters in her head came from, all right. That's where she died."
Cas nodded, "At least we're sure of that now."
"But that still doesn't explain the other little bruise." He frowned. "You go lean on Troy, and lean on him hard."
"I'm going, I'm going." Cas turned and left, picturing the sick girl fighting the water for her life. He felt a little sick himself.
"Troy sure doesn't act like a guilty man." Cas thought. "But as Clint pointed out, most killers don't. Maybe keeping after him will give us a break, if he did have something to do with this."
He took his time driving to Rainbow Cove. He'd arranged to meet Spruce to have coffee and talk to him at a place not too far from his law office. He dreaded telling him they still had not released Julia Timkins's body to her family. It wouldn't be good to start out with Troy mad. He decided he wouldn't volunteer that unless Troy asked. Or maybe he'd just tell him first thing and get it over with. He decided to just wait and see what kind of a mood Troy was in, or with luck, there might be some sort of little slip?"
At least, the motel where he was headed had a good restaurant and was famous for its excellent pastry chef. The drive was just long enough to calm his nerves a little and he concentrated on the good pastry and coffee he had to look forward to. Maybe it would have a good effect on Troy too.
The motel looked expensive, well kept, and the restaurant was busy. He spotted Troy Spruce's car in the parking lot.
As he went in the door, the foyer opened to the bar. He saw Troy Spruce waving to him from a booth inside the restaurant.
Cas walked through the small bar and slid into the booth opposite him. Troy Spruce sat admiring the view of the pool area from the window where they sat.
"I know the first thing you're going to ask me, is about Julia. So no, no release as yet. I'll call you soon as I get the word on that."
"Okay. I know you will. It's just that I know it's hard on her parents and the family. But Cas, what in the world is the hold-up? An accidental drowning shouldn't take so long to clear up?"
"That's just it, Troy. There has to be a lot of confirmation and paperwork before it is officially classified an accidental death."
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Was the impatient reply to that.
"About that canoe that drifted over to your neighbor's place on the lake. Do you have any idea how that happened? Or what happened to the oars?"
"No. I told you that. And if you still want to know if Julia used it, I still don't know that either. And according to Gretchen, she wasn't there, so she can't tell us anything either." He sipped his coffee and added, "Anyone who was curious, or teens just looking around, could have come by and used the boat, I guess. That's why the boathouse wasn't locked, there wasn't anything in there anyone would want to steal. And as for insurance purposes, I guess it's covered by my home-owners policy. I haven't checked on it and I'm not going to. It isn't worth much and no big deal. The neighbor who found it could have just kept it for all I cared."
"You just checked in case the canoe drifted into and damaged something and that peckerwood was going to sue you for that," Cas thought as he looked away.
Nothing else Cas covered, including more repeated questions about friends of Julia's at the office got any more information. Cas had finished his pie and sat sipping his coffee, not commenting any further on Troy's tirade about the canoe. The coffee had cooled and Cas set down his cup.
"Come to think of it," Troy frowned. "I don't know why, if someone took the blasted oars, why they didn't take the canoe too?"
Cas laughed. "I guess neither one of us understands the criminal mind. Political, maybe," he eyed Troy. "But not criminal."
"Well, thanks for that much," Troy's slight smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Warm
-up?" A pretty waitress with a coffee pot stopped and looked at their cups.
"Just a little," Cas nodded. Troy shook his head.
Troy watched the waitress until she was out of hearing distance with her warm-up pot.
"As I was saying, Cas, I don't know how Julia happened to drown and I don't know how the boat, that gypsy canoe got loose and wandered off. I just—plain—don't know." He turned with a big sigh and looked out the window. Then leaned closer staring out the back window across the pool at something before Cas spoke. The place was as beautiful as a well kept small park.
"If it's any comfort to you, Troy, I'd like to get this cleared up as much as you. Clint and Rhodes and I are all working on it. But you'll have to understand, this paperwork and all these questions have to be answered first."
"You'd think I was your prime suspect," Troy scowled. "You're so hung up about that canoe. You think I enticed her out there on the lake somehow; pushed her out of the boat; pushed her under with an oar—that would explain the missing oar, wouldn't it?" Sarcasm twisted his face into a scowl. "So I drowned the poor girl, lost the blasted oar, and there I sit in the canoe."
Troy Spruce leaned over the table looking ready to fight. "So how did I leave the scene, Mr. Sheriff of Pine County? Just walk across the water?" He raised his heavy white eyebrows. Cas didn't answer.
Troy sat back a little, watching Cas. His eyes seemed to evaluate his abilities as sheriff and find them lacking.
"You're reaching, Cas. And it makes no sense. I had no motive. Can't you just get on with it and release the poor girl's body?"
"No, I can't." Cas answered quietly. "And you know it."
Cas leaned forward and put his cup down with a sigh. He got up and looked down at Troy.
"Please, if you hear of anything or can think of anything to shed any more light on this, call me. At home, the office, no matter what time it is. Will you?"
"Yes." Troy grabbed the check as Cas reached for it. "Just let me enjoy the rest of my coffee in peace," he snapped.
The Mardi Gras Murder Page 11