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Too Sweet to Die

Page 23

by T. Doyle


  Ray chuffed behind me. “Stop.”

  My muscles tensed and I froze in place. “What?”

  “There are footprints in the living room and they look about a size thirteen. I’m guessing they’re not yours or Joe’s?”

  “Nope.” How had I missed the fat imprints on the living room carpet.

  “And I’m guessing you haven’t dusted in a while?” He stared at my coffee table. A dust-free halo surrounded the books, like someone went through the two piles and stacked them into one.

  “You guessed correctly.”

  “Walk back toward me. Someone’s been in your house and moved stuff around.”

  I stepped back out of the living room and stretched to peek into the family room. I hadn’t been imagining the air pressure difference. My sliding glass door was open. I offered Ray a weak smile. “Finally, my aversion to housework proves helpful.”

  He grunted and pulled out his phone. “I’m at your house with Charlie.”

  My sliding glass door wasn’t open, it was broken. Sunlight reflected off glass shards in front of the couch. I pointed to the glass. My heart beat fast.

  Ray grabbed my arm and yanked me toward the front door. I threw open the door and Ray followed me outside.

  He continued to speak to Joe. “Someone broke in. I’m gonna call the police next… Oscar’s box… Okay.” He raised up to his full height and searched the front yard and then scrolled through his contacts. “Stay behind me. I’m calling Tom.”

  My eyes darted around my front yard. I didn’t see any signs of the yard being disturbed. Adrenaline made me extra jumpy, and I held on to Ray’s shirt and then peeked around him to see if any neighbors had come out to investigate, and found none.

  “Hey Tom, I’m with Charlie Sanders at her house. It was broken into. We’ll wait at the front door for you to show up… Oscar’s box of things is missing from the dining room, but there’s evidence the person searched through the house… Sounds good.”

  “WhatdidTomsay?” My words rushed together.

  Ray interpreted the gibberish. “Joe wanted me to call Tom since Oscar’s box was taken. Tom can call the FBI or whoever he wants. We’ll wait here, so we don’t disturb the scene and just in case someone is still inside.”

  Ray patted my shoulder. “He’s probably long gone.”

  I let go of his shirt and smoothed the wrinkled material. “This guy knows where I live.”

  Ray side-hugged me. “It’s gonna be okay.”

  I doubted that. The condo in Maui sounded like a really good idea.

  Tom arrived with the entire on-duty sheriff’s department. Three cars parked in my driveway and the officers spent thirty minutes inside the house before Tom joined us on the front porch.

  “Charlie, walk through the house with me and see if anything else is missing.” Tom ushered me through the front door. The dust bunnies had gathered in their usual spots and I wished they were vocal witnesses. The family room looked the same with the exception of the broken glass. I headed to the bedroom and flipped open the lid of my jewelry box.

  “Anything missing?” Ray asked.

  I pawed through the necklaces and checked for the matching earrings. “No.”

  Ray peered over my shoulder. “Any of those real?” He tilted his chin to the emeralds, rubies, pearls, and sapphires Joe had given me over the decades.

  I closed the lid. “Yeah.”

  Ray stepped back and scratched his chin. “Okay, so a professional thief breaks in but doesn’t steal valuables, just Oscar’s box of birthday cards.”

  Tom stuffed a small notebook into his chest pocket. “I guess so. Seems like he was searching for Oscar’s things only.”

  Ray nodded. “Maybe you should check on the cabin.”

  “Kennedy.” Tom called out to an officer and left us in the bedroom.

  “I’ll go with them to the cabin since I was there last with the FBI.” He pointed to my jewelry box. “And maybe lock those up somewhere else.”

  I followed Ray out to the foyer.

  Tom pointed to Kennedy. “He’s gonna check on the cabin. Do you have some wood or something that we can put over your door?”

  “I’ll call someone.” I called Eddie, the EMT who went to our church and also ran a handy-man business on the side. I took pictures of the door for the house insurance claim.

  Joe called me. “I’m leaving work now. You want me to pick something up for dinner or go out?”

  “I called Eddie, and he said he’d come by and cover the sliding glass door tonight. He thinks he can install a new door this week.” I opened the fridge and stared at the contents. “How about bacon and eggs for dinner?”

  “Sounds great. I’ll be there in ten.” Joe ended the call.

  Ray waited for me in the kitchen. “I’m gonna head out with Kennedy. Tom will stay here until Joe gets home. Is that okay?” His warm brown eyes searched mine for the answer.

  No, but I’d be an adult about it. I ignored the hollow feeling. “Sounds great. Thanks for being here.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Don’t get mushy on me.” He turned and lumbered out of the kitchen.

  That was mushy? Wait ‘til Christmas… I wasn’t alone. Tom futzed about the living room. “Want some coffee, Tom?” I called out. “Or iced-tea?”

  He sauntered into the kitchen. “No, thank you. I’m going to walk around outside, see if I can find any more footprints.”

  I wanted to change out of my scrubs, but the idea of getting undressed, even with the Sheriff’s Department surrounding my house, made me feel too vulnerable. I poured myself an iced-tea and caught sight of Agent Simms wearing jeans and a button-down shirt in my backyard with Tom.

  She knocked and then stepped through the broken sliding door. “Hello, Mrs. Sanders.”

  I shook her offered hand, it felt warm against my cold skin. “It’s Charlie. Can I get you something to drink? Iced tea, coffee?”

  “No, thank you.” She stood with perfect posture and a friendly smile on her face.

  “I know you can’t go into the investigation about the adoptions, but my brake lines were cut and now my house was broken into and only Oscar’s box was taken. All that was left in there were cards. I thought you said this guy most likely moved on?” I didn’t whine, but I wasn’t above guilting her for more information.

  Lines around her eyes deepened. “I thought he would. He must be looking for something he thinks Oscar had. Maybe proof that ties him to the kidnappings. Can you think of what that might be?”

  “I wish I did. But back to the guy trying to kill me. How worried should I be on the annoyed to dead scale?”

  Simms propped her hands on her hips, one rested over her gun. She shifted into her professional cop-mode. “I’d put it at a five. Be aware of your surroundings, but at the same time, don’t stop living your life. The guys involved are connected.”

  “The guys?” Joe said from the garage doorway.

  I yelped at his sudden appearance. My iced tea splashed over my hand and onto the floor.

  Joe grabbed a kitchen towel, crossed the room and hugged me.

  I dried my hand and dropped the towel, using my foot to wipe up the spill. I wasn’t going to let go of Joe.

  Simms waited until Joe’s grip lessened, and then shook his hand. “It’s organized crime. They could have hired some local guy to scare Charlie.”

  Organized crime. Human trafficking.

  My stomach slid and puddled on the floor, taking my bones with it. “In Forest Forks?” My voice was hushed, masking the panic and disbelief.

  “It’s everywhere. But yeah, somehow Tyler got in with some really bad people,” Simms said.

  “What if his contact was a past associate? Like someone he worked on a case with and after his divorce the guy knew Tyler was ripe for the scam?” Joe spoke evenly.

  Simms eyes flared like he’d hit a sore spot.

  She stepped back. “We’re looking through Tyler’s past, and you need to trust us that we’ll find wh
o his associate was. I’ll call right away with any news about the break in.”

  “I appreciate that.” Joe led her to the front door.

  “Be smart, Charlie. I guarantee this will be over soon.” Simms opened the front door.

  “Wait,” I reached for her. “Do you mean that? Like how soon? Two days? Two weeks? We won’t tell anyone, but it matters to us.”

  Her bottom lip rolled in and guilt crossed her face. “I can’t really say.” She looked at her loafers. “We’re getting close.” She glanced at me. “Call me if you need anything.”

  Joe closed the door behind her. “Want to disappear until November?”

  I curled into his embrace letting him ease my tension. “Nah. But maybe we could spend a few days at the lake house until after Halloween. Until then, I’ll ask Tom to add some patrols.”

  Joe snapped his fingers. “I’ve got a patient on the police force. You ask Tom and I’ll call my guy.” Joe jogged off to the bedroom, I assumed to grab his laptop and get his patient’s phone number.

  Outside Tom snapped pictures of my flower bed between my house and Stephanie’s. “Charlie? Everything okay?” He slid his phone back into his pocket.

  “No. Joe’s home now and we wondered if you could arrange for our neighborhood to be patrolled more often?”

  “You bet.”

  “Thanks, Tom. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem.” His shoulders sagged. “I hate that this is happening to you. You’re one of the nice guys. Call me if you need me, anytime Charlie, day or night.” His voice softened and I remembered him coaching the boys. He’d been a great mentor to both Drew and Oscar, fair but firm. “There’s not much more I can do here now. I’m gonna head back to the office but I’ll leave a guy sitting out front.”

  “Thank you. I don’t want anyone else to know this, but Joe and I might stay at the lake. We’re not even telling Liz.” I turned on my Mom-voice. “So, if she calls me and asks me about it, I’ll know you blabbed.”

  “Cross-my-heart I’ll keep it secret.” He pretended to lock his lips. “Text me when you head out there and I’ll add patrols out there, too.”

  “I appreciate it.” I headed back into the house.

  Joe gave me the thumbs up. “My guy said he’ll swing by three times per shift and ask some of the other guys, too.”

  “That’s nice. Tom said he’d have someone stay out front for a while. I told him we’d stay at the lake but to keep it a secret.”

  “I heard. That’s probably a good idea.” Joe grabbed my hand and led me to the family room couch. He pulled me onto his lap and finger combed my hair. “How do we find the guy that broke in?” He looked angry, he sounded furious, he reminded me of Liam Neeson in the movie Taken.

  I curled against him. “I’m not sure. I’ll look into Tyler’s non-adoption cases from five years ago, see if I can find some case that involved drugs, prostitution, or gambling, stuff related to organized crime. Maybe that’s what Oscar did and found the connection. Maybe Oscar knew about the illegal adoptions and when he found Tyler’s partner, they killed him.”

  “It makes sense.” Joe kissed my forehead “Oscar knew something was wrong, but looked for proof before accusing Tyler of doing something so awful.”

  “He wouldn’t blackmail anyone,” I whispered. I blinked back tears. “He was sweet, and kind, and understood families would be torn apart if he was right.” Tears, hot and unwanted, spilled onto my cheeks. I was scared.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  We stayed at the house. After Eddie covered the open doorway with a large sheet of plywood, we were exhausted and decided sleeping in our own bed would be best. Especially since Joe had surgeries scheduled in the morning and I didn’t want him having to get up even earlier to drive into town.

  Ray dropped by in the morning with Danishes. He held up the white bag. “I got you a fruit salad filled crouton.” He slid a laptop and Oscar’s tablet onto the kitchen table and handed me a donut with a sunny-yellow belly button of lemon filling oozing out.

  “Thanks. I can’t believe you remembered what I liked.” Powdered sugar rained down from the lemon-filled donut, leaving little white freckles on my yoga pants.

  Ray chuckled. “Please. You made an impression before I even opened the door, it was like I could sense the glare before you even knocked.”

  “Maybe that’s my super-power. I transmit censure through solid objects. Although, that doesn’t make me a helpful superhero.”

  “No, it doesn’t. Anyway, I brought over Polly’s cloned laptop.” He pushed half a bear-claw into his mouth and chewed.

  Fearing he’d choke, I half-filled the ridiculously large mug Drew got me for Christmas with coffee for Ray.

  He eyed the liter-sized ceramic beast. “I can’t stay here all day.” He took the mug, and it fit well in his oversized ogre-like hands. “Why not just put a straw in the coffee pot?”

  “Because then you can’t brew the next pot while you’re drinking this one.” I kept the ‘duh’ silent. “Besides, now I’m not lying when I tell the doctor I’ve cut my coffee consumption down to one cup in the morning.”

  Ray wrinkled his nose. “You’re worse than Ma.”

  “How’s she doing?”

  “She looked good when I left. I called Hank Warrens’s office and scheduled an appointment to talk about Ma’s power-of-attorney.”

  I patted his hand. “I’m sorry, Ray.”

  He nodded and stared into the depths of his coffee cup. “She’s challenging, but it’s payback.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Amanda and Connor are coming over this weekend to help.” He sighed and his shoulders slumped. “And Dad and Evie are getting married on Friday at the courthouse.” He winced. “That doesn’t make Kristi my cousin, does it?”

  I laughed. “I don’t think so. Does it really make a difference?”

  He pulled an apple fritter out of the bakery bag. “It’s not funny.” He bit into the fritter and crumbs fell. “You’re supposed to be encouraging me to change.”

  “Am I?” I stared at what looked like an apple chunk nested in his beard. Ray chewed and it slid onto his shirt.

  He wiped the crumb onto my floor and I wondered if dust bunnies were omnivores.

  “Charlie?” Ray met my eyes. “If Polly’s computer has a calendar of Tyler’s old cases.” He put down the fritter. “Check to see when the number of adoption cases increased. I’m guessing Tyler would be particularly vulnerable after his divorce and when his ex-wife had the kid.”

  “Okay. I’ll look for cases involving organized crime. Maybe he had an old classmate with a connection.”

  “That’s good. If Oscar made the connection it was probably through work. They never found his phone, so I’m guessing the murderer took it hoping for access to Oscar’s cloud files. Oscar’s laptop was in his car, but that doesn’t mean that Tyler or his partner didn’t search it and delete any information. Or maybe they couldn’t get past his password. Our best bet is the tablet giving us access to his cloud files, and hopefully he saved a folder with any proof he found.”

  “I’ll see what I can find and text you if anything interesting shows up. Do you want to come over for dinner?”

  “Nah, I’ll have dinner with Ma. Hank Warrens promised he’d do the power-of-attorney paperwork tonight. Since Dad is her current power-of-attorney, I might not have to worry about Ma’s current mental status.”

  “Silver lining.” I raised my coffee cup to toast him.

  He stood and stuffed the last of the fritter in his mouth. “Hey, so Kristi is doing a thing for my Dad and Evie on Friday night. You guys are invited.”

  I grinned. “Yeah? Great. Is the happy couple registered anywhere?”

  Ray groaned. “Crap. I gotta get him a gift, too?”

  I stood and patted his shoulder. “You don’t have to, but he’d probably appreciate the gesture.”

  He shuffled toward the front door. “Maybe Amanda will want in on it.”

  I narrowed my eyes.
“Meaning you’re going to ask your sister to handle it and then give her cash?”

  He faced me with a lopsided grin. “Unless you want in on it.”

  I shoved his shoulder. “Go. I’ll text you if I find something that says, ‘Congratulations on not dying alone.’”

  Ray scratched his beard and dead-panned, “That’s good. You should write greeting cards.”

  I reached past him and opened my front door. “Have a nice day.”

  He waved. “Be safe.”

  I set up Polly’s cloned laptop and Oscar’s tablet, and poured myself another cup of coffee. Tyler’s calendar noted appointments with clients and court days. Long weekends were highlighted blue and scheduled every five to eight weeks like Polly had said. Using the USB cable, I printed off the last six months of Tyler’s schedule and searched Polly’s computer for the clients’ files. It didn’t take long to find Word docs. My eyes glazed reading the dry legal documents. Tyler wrote a lot of wills, and it looked like he contested a few, too. I had no idea some of the Forest Forks residents were so contentious, or petty enough to spend thousands of dollars to fight over a 1980s World’s Fair souvenir thimble collection.

  Tyler’s client list included families I knew, people I went to church with, neighbors. I couldn’t imagine any of them having ties to organized crime. I pulled up the bookkeeping program. Unfortunately, I needed a password to gain access and it locked me out after my fifth guess.

  I leaned back in my chair and rubbed my eyes. What I needed was someone who knew Tyler well but didn’t really like him. The answer hit me so quickly I jerked forward and spilled my coffee. Grace Godwin, Tyler’s ex-wife, would probably love to dish… I just needed to bump into her, somehow.

  I wiped up the coffee spill and pulled up St. Paul’s Episcopalian Newsletter online. Grace’s husband was a first cousin to the minister there. While not born and bred in West Virginia, I picked up quickly that knowing what church people belonged to was akin to knowing their profession. And if someone was an atheist, well, they still attended church with their family.

 

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