The two men thanked the receptionist, taking turns shaking her hand vigorously. "You've been a tremendous help to us, Sarah," Mike said. "We can't thank you enough."
Sarah, touched by their kind words, winked and said, "You know where I am, if you need anything else."
Back in their car, Sheski turned to Mike and grimly said, "So, John Deadly is Rebekah Burns's illegitimate son with Oliver Pratt. There was something about Deadly and Dr. Burns that was nagging at me. And something about the Pratt self-portrait that Deadly had hanging in his hallway. Both John Deadly and Dr. Richard Burns have their mother's violet eyes. Both Oliver Pratt and John Deadly have a brown triangleshaped birthmark above their right ear, the `Pratt mark' that Oliver wrote about in his journal"
"No wonder Deadly could afford to have such a nice house and an original Pratt," Mike said. "He probably inherited all of Pratt's artwork"
"That also explains his obvious pride when I remarked on the Pratt paintings at Dr. Stone's house on Saturday," Sheski said. "I thought he was just boasting about his knowledge of art. In fact, he was proud of his father's talent. Wouldn't old Pratt be disappointed to find out that his son has neither his father's artistic abilities nor his mother's sweetness. He may have inherited some of his father's other personal traits, though"
"Did you put that call in to our contact in the Army?" Mike asked Sheski.
"Yes. He's supposed to call me back as soon as he finds something out," his friend answered. "Whatever he has for us could tie up some more loose ends."
TUESDAY, 2 P.M.
Over a late lunch at The Bridge Stop, the lieutenants began to unwind. Coffee and homemade soup and muffins were ordered. From their window table, they watched across the river as a swift-moving train gripped the tracks en route to an unknown destination. New York? Sheski wondered.
Conversation in the restaurant slowed as the train began to signal and could be seen from the windows. Boxcars swayed gently from side to side, noisily and swiftly chasing one another in a northeasterly direction. The pulsating sound carried well across the water.
The men were soon joined by Andy Wallace, who placed his lunch order. The three shared information on the murders. The local policeman made a lot of sense and collaborated with the investigators on their plans.
While drinking coffee, Andy placed a phone call to the District Attorney from his cell phone, obtaining more news. "There's an interesting twist to Deadly's association with the Burnses," he said to Sheski and Mike. "According to the D.A., Dr. Burns's father, attorney James Burns, handled Deadly's legal affairs from the time of his birth. The D.A. believes that the attorney, out of respect for his wife, saw to it that her son, Pratt's son, received the artist's paintings and meager possessions upon his death, including the self-portrait. He also arranged the legal adoption of her baby, days after his birth. The infant was placed with Joseph and Ruth Deadly, a local couple who had no children of their own. They named the baby John. His middle initial, P, was given to him by James Burns, at Rebekah's request. It stands for Pratt. It seems that the Burnses wanted the child in town, where they could monitor his welfare. Joseph worked at the iron mill and Ruth stayed home to raise their new son. The Deadlys made sure that their son knew at a young age that he was adopted, although they didn't know who his birth parents were."
"A psychologist would have a field day with the psychodynamics of the relationship between Pratt and Rebekah," Mike said thoughtfully. "A young woman suffering from postpartum depression and grief over a stillborn child develops a relationship with a much older patient, a child-killer, which results in the birth of another infant!"
"You're right," Sheski said. "But relationships between patients of all ages are not uncommon in psych wards. They reach out to each other for love and companionship. It happens all the time."
"Deadly must have done some checking around and discovered the truth about his mother and father," Mike said.
"I guess so," Andy replied. "Anyway, the D.A. is researching files to see if Rebekah Burns made any settlement regarding her estate for Deadly. About your question to your Army contact about where Deadly was when Dr. Stone's mother had her accident. He called our office and left a message for you. He says you owe him big-time because some of this is top secret. At the time of Elizabeth Stone's auto accident, John Deadly was home on leave from the Army, right here in Danville. He also confirmed that Deadly's birthdate is November 12, 1937."
Sheski stared at Mike, his mind racing.
"And," Andy said looking grim, "It seems our boy Deadly was suspected of being involved in a case of some missing children in 'Nam. The Vietnamese police had an eye witness, one of the local men, who placed Deadly near the scene of the disappearance of one of the little girls, but they couldn't make anything stick." He paused a minute for effect, and then said solemnly, "Deadly's old friend, Lesley Stone, was his alibi"
For the first time in many years, Sheski was speechless.
The men talked a little more about the case and then Andy left, promising to continue investigating Deadly's legal issues. Sheski got up once in awhile during their meal to look out the window, across the river toward Lana's house. Her bodyguards kept him current on her whereabouts by cell phone so he knew she was still at home. After lunch, they paid the waitress and went out to their car.
"Do you think we could make a stop at Lana's?" he asked Mike while driving. "We're so close. I won't take too long." He needed to cleanse his mind of Deadly's repulsive activities with someone he cared for.
"Go ahead. I'll wait for you in the car," was his friend's reply.
"No, I want you to come in with me. It looks a lot better, what with neighbors and all."
Mike rolled his eyes at his friend's caution and nodded his head.
Sheski leaned against the car and called Lana. He didn't want to just pop in on her without advance notice.
"Hello," Lana said.
Sheski could hear Bunky in the background barking in response to the call.
"Hi there," Sheski returned. "Bunky sounds in good shape. I'm nearby and wondered if I could stop in for a minute. That is, if you're not too tired."
Lana brightened. "I'd like that. Ignore the way I look, though. I'm still pretty shaken up."
"You couldn't look bad if you tried," was the reply. "Do you want me to bring you anything?" he asked.
"I'd love to have some coffee, with cream."
"You got it. I'll be over in a few minutes." Sheski went back in, filled Lana's order, and with a lighter heart returned to the car. "Let's go," he said.
Mike watched Sheski brighten after his telephone conversation. He felt encouraged that maybe his friend was finally ready to start a new relationship. He drove the car across the bridge and parked in front of Lana's house.
Sheski rang the doorbell, and Lana opened the door dressed in blue scrubs. Her make-up looked freshly applied, but dark circles were still visible under her eyes.
"Hi, Tommy. Hi, Mike. Come on in," she said quietly.
From somewhere in the laundry room came shrill, welcoming yips.
The policemen said hello. Mike stayed leaning against the front door while Sheski took off his overcoat and followed Lana to the kitchen in the back of the house. The two looked at each other, smiling broadly.
Sheski handed Lana her coffee and they got comfortable on the kitchen chairs. He leaned toward Lana and asked attentively, "How have you been?"
"Okay. I'd be a lot better, though, if I knew who it was rummaging through my house and what they wanted from me," she said tightly. "I feel so violated, and I'm frightened to let Bunky out of my sight."
With that proclamation, Lana got up and released Bunky from his enclosure. He ran around the kitchen, under their chairs, and then, one by one, attempted to jump up on them. He finally managed to sit on Lana's lap while she drank her coffee.
"This is really good. My first cup today. I've been spending more time off the couch but still have a slight headache. I hope by tomorrow to get back
to work. There's so much to do there. Dr. Stone has been working, business as usual, and I'm sure it's piling up on my desk. I guess it keeps his mind off of what happened"
Sheski nodded.
"Do you mind if we go into the television room while we talk? I feel like I have to lie down"
With that, Lana got up and led the way through the dining room and into the television room. Sheski watched her and thought, My God, she even looks good in baggy scrubs. She stretched out on the couch and motioned for Sheski to sit near her. Bunky followed his mistress closely, jumping up on the couch after she got situated. Mike remained quietly leaning on the door.
"Where're your bodyguards?" Sheski asked.
"One stays outside all the time, patrolling the grounds. The other one, Trooper Enterline, saw you coming and went outside for a few minutes. He said he'll come back in after you two leave"
Sheski was relieved to know the guards were being vigilant.
"Every now and then I still get a little lightheaded," Lana went on. "The doctor said that should start to subside in a few days, but for now, lying down sometimes feels much better."
"Can I get you anything else?" Sheski asked worriedly. Inside, he was fuming that someone could do this to her.
"No, thanks. I'll be all right. Bunky keeps me company and family and friends call and stop by to check up on me. They've brought enough food to feed an army."
With that, the little dog jumped down off the couch and started to pull at Sheski's right shoelace. Growling at an imaginary enemy, Bunky pulled at the black string and succeeded in untying it. Sheski playfully reached down to grab the dog but the Yorkie was too fast for him.
"Hey, stop that, young man," Lana yelled to her pet. Recognizing that he was being scolded, Bunky took one look at Lana and scrambled under the couch. They could hear him under there, struggling to get against the wall where he couldn't be reached.
"I'm sorry about his bad behavior, Tommy"
"He didn't hurt anything," Sheski replied, retying his shoe again. "I hope I didn't scare him, I was just trying to play along"
With that, they could hear the dog scrambling around under the couch again. There was a slight tinkling sound as if he was chasing after something, trying to get hold of it.
"I wonder what he has," Lana said quizzically. "Whatever it is, it isn't good. He's always making off with something. I have to watch him closely or he'll chew up whatever he gets his teeth into."
Bunky slowly slinked out from under the couch, furry little face first. Dust balls clung to his silky hair, and the Yorkie proudly pranced around the room with a metal object between his teeth. Knowing she wouldn't get it if she scolded him again, Lana said sweetly, "Come here, boy, come to Mommy. Let me see what you have." Bunky jumped up on the couch and, striking a self-satisfied pose, showed off his treasure.
Hanging from his tiny teeth was an 18-carat gold key chain with a single key and an attached gold disc. The letters KB gleamed brightly from the disc's center. Lana managed to grab the prize from Bunky's mouth before he could get away. The dog tried to get it back, but Lana was holding tight.
"Who does this belong to?" she asked, furrowing her brow. "It looks really expensive. KB.... KB," she muttered. "Whom do we know with those initials?"
"May I see that?" Sheski asked, taking out a clean handkerchief to get it.
"Sure" Lana handed the article carefully to him. "Whoever lost that will be sorry. It's a very expensive piece."
Sheski looked it over. He frowned for a few minutes and then, suddenly, his jaw dropped, and his face reddened.
Seeing his surprised look, Lana asked, "What?"
"This must have been dropped by the intruder when your house was ransacked, Lana, and the police missed it when they were here. Bunky probably snatched it up and hid it under the couch before the owner knew it was gone. I bet I know what they were looking for, too"
"What?" Lana said, exasperated.
"The missing nine-carat diamond," he replied. "According to Karen, Rose Stone knew that her husband and Kylie Burns were having an affair. She even accused him of it during the big blowup on St. Valentine's Day. Karen told us all about it. So Kylie could easily be involved in this whole matter. Since the diamond wasn't with the other loot on Barry Brown's body, they must think that you have it, Lana. That you picked it up when you found the body. They couldn't bear the thought of losing such an expensive item. I remember what Bobby Snyder told us. He repeated over and over how much Lesley Stone loves money, never has enough. If that's true, the loss of that diamond must have really gotten to him."
Sheski looked down at the key ring in his hands, his mind reeling with this new evidence. "Kylie is the only one in this whole picture who isn't accounted for, at least not yet. We were with John Deadly when you were attacked, so we know it wasn't him. Drs. Stone and Burns were at Stone Haven with Sarah, providing Stone with an alibi, no doubt, so they couldn't have done it. But what about Kylie Burns ... KB? Where was she?" he asked bitterly. "She could have surprised our officer who was guarding you, knocked him cold, and then lay in wait for you to come out of the house when Bunky barked. Maybe she even planned to break in and assault you. Whatever her plan, you did her a favor by stepping out onto the patio that night. She struck you, ransacked the house, and somewhere in her frenzy, dropped her key ring."
"I don't have the diamond," Lana said defensively.
"I never thought you did," Sheski said thoughtfully, touching her hand. His voice then hardened. "But Stone and Kylie suspected you. Stone probably promised to give it to Kylie sometime in the future. Barry Brown didn't have it on his body, so the murderer must have kept it. He planted the other jewelry on Barry's dead body and hoped everyone would believe that the ring washed down the creek. Evidently, Stone didn't want to believe it was lost. He also didn't want to believe that his partner in all this didn't have it either. He was hop ing that you found it at the murder scene, Lana, and took it. So he sent Kylie to get it back. Since Kylie didn't find it at your house, Stone must be asking himself who has it."
"But how does Deadly figure into this?" Lana asked, looking puzzled. "Why would Dr. Stone align himself so closely to this man?"
"We have our ideas but will know a lot more after our meeting tonight."
"What are you going to do?" Lana asked excitedly.
"Mike and I will be meeting with Dr. Stone in a couple of hours. We asked John Deadly and Dr. and Mrs. Burns to be there, too. It should be very interesting. In the meantime, I want you to stay in the house, Lana. At least until we're sure you're out of danger. Our men will continue watching your place, so you can feel safe while you're here."
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, the way I've been feeling."
The detective got up to leave and walked down the hallway to his partner, who was still waiting at the front door. Despite Sheski's protests, Lana accompanied him, opening the door for the men. Mike went out first and Sheski leaned against the inside of the door.
He inclined his big frame toward her and said gently, "I'd still like to cook that meal for you Saturday evening, if you're up to it and aren't busy."
"I'd like that," was Lana's reply.
"Great, I'll pick you up around six P.M. and we'll go to my place. You won't have to do a thing. I'll take care of it all."
He wrapped his big arms around her, pulled her close, her back to his chest, leaned down and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. He nuzzled her neck and whispered into her ear that he'd see her soon. Then something clicked in his detective's brain. Not wanting to break the mood to reveal what he had just realizedthat the killer had pulled his victims up close in a similar manner-Sheski held her quietly. Lana turned to face him, and rested in his arms for a minute before the detective said, "I have to get to work now. Keep your doors locked. I'll call you"
The first thing Sheski did upon getting into his car was to page the guard who was supposed to be inside the house with Lana. Upon the trooper's assurance that he had stepped back into
the house, Sheski relaxed. The second thing he did was to place two more telephone calls. He spoke to the county judge to get the necessary legal paperwork and then asked Andy Wallace to do some searches.
He filled Mike in on their discovery, showing him the key ring. On their way, the two talked about how eager they were for the meeting tonight. It was a long shot that they were playing. Knowing who they were dealing with, they decided to chance it. Put it all out there so everyone could see what the others were up to, and watch it unfold. Their guests were all volatile, selfish people and anything or nothing could happen. Although they doubted the latter.
Getting everyone together was not an easy task. Each kept begging off with myriad excuses until the police made thinly-veiled threats about how they could be forced to attend. The lieutenants expected that attorney Smithson would make an appearance with the others, too, in the interest of his clients.
Sheski and Mike had agreed not to involve Karen or Jess in the meeting. Their presence would add another dimension of passion that was best left out. Depending on the outcome, those two could be advised or interrogated at a later date.
The lieutenants' calendars had to be cleared to provide enough time for the confrontation, in case there were any surprises. Sometimes these showdowns worked and sometimes they didn't. They weren't sure what would happen when their suspects were challenged and asked unwanted questions. The policemen knew that most of all, it depended on the character and personalities of the people attending. Self-assured suspects often bluffed it out until the end. But not always. Sometimes the more volatile ones broke down when faced with negative feedback from the others present in the room. The only thing they were sure of was their own strategy and that their quarries would each have plans of their own.
Sheski and Mike drove into their office parking lot at 4:50 P.M. In forty minutes, the show would begin.
At 5:25, John Deadly arrived, followed by Lesley Stone, who was driving his Mercedes. A sober-looking Richard and Kylie Burns appeared a few minutes later. Stone and Deadly were greeted formally by Sheski and the two immediately seated themselves close to the door, next to each other. Both voiced a greeting to the Burnses when they entered the room, but did not extend hands for a handshake.
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