The Family Tree Murders

by Laura Hern

  Lainey had a surprised look on her face. “Yes! Were you the officer she spoke with a couple of weeks ago?” she asked.

  “I did speak with Mary.”

  Lainey thought it might be difficult getting information from him. She had texted Mary earlier that morning asking her to give permission for Sarge to share information about their meeting.

  “Sarge, I have a text message from Mary this morning giving you permission to talk with us about your meeting. We can call her now if you need to.” Lainey showed him the message. “Can I ask you about the meeting?”

  Sarge read the message, took in a deep breath and said, “Why are you interested in my meeting with Mary?”

  Francy piped in. “Mary asked Lainey to help her get proof that someone is murdering the Sullivan’s.”

  Lainey sighed for a moment. Leave it to Francy to get straight to the point.

  “Yes,” Lainey said. “Mary still believes that Eugene and Harold were murdered, and that Raymond Sullivan and her brother Doug are in danger.”

  Lainey realized that her cards were on the table before she had even had a chance to get a good feeling about Sarge. She didn’t like showing her hand so early.

  “I see. Mary did explain to me about the DNA results showing her brother as a half-brother to the Sullivan’s. She had information on her computer that she’d brought with her.”

  Lainey thought his answer sounded very rehearsed and way too business-like.

  “Her concern about the deaths of Eugene and Harold Sullivan was founded only by hearsay, and perhaps speculation on her part,” Sarge began. “I assured her that learning about unknown relatives through DNA public testing sites and the coincidence of two deaths in that new family line were not considered evidence that would point to an act of murder.”

  Francy cut her eyes over to Lainey as if to say I told you so.

  Lainey nodded slightly. “I understand that. However, Mary said that no autopsy was ordered on either body. Why? What dictates whether one is ordered or not?” She was trying to look tough and inquisitive at the same time.

  Sarge’s response sounded like a memorized script.

  “The coroner’s office is called to the scene of any reported death. The coroner or medical examiner may order an autopsy. It’s at the coroner or medical examiner's sole discretion, in the case of any human death when, in the judgment of the coroner or medical examiner, the public interest would be served by an autopsy.”

  He looked into Lainey’s eyes and she felt he was trying to see how much she comprehended.

  She felt her eyes narrow and had to guard herself against the blatant insult she felt.

  “I didn’t realize the coroner had the power to decide that.”

  “There are many circumstances that do require an autopsy be ordered. But the two deaths Mary is concerned with were ruled accidental and the coroner ordered no autopsy for either.”

  Sensing tension in Lainey, Sarge added, “I apologize if you felt I was reciting from a textbook to you, Ms. Maynard. That was not my intent.”

  “Thank you.” She glanced at Francy who was looking down at her hands.

  “Was there a police report filed for each death?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Sarge replied.

  “Can I get a copy of those reports?”

  “Only the family can get copies of police reports.”

  “I see.” Lainey thought for a moment and continued. “How did Mary know that autopsies were not ordered?”

  “She did not give me that information. She had no copies of any official documents of any kind.”

  Lainey’s mind began racing.

  Documents? Would there be additional reports of the accidents?

  Sarge looked at his watch. “I need to be going. Thank you for lunch. If you have any further questions, let me know.”

  Francy hugged him and Lainey shook his hand.

  “Thank you, Sarge. I think we will be seeing more of each other.” Lainey stated.

  “Francy has the office number. Leave a message and I will get back with you. Have a good day.”

  After Sarge left, Francy looked at Lainey.

  “Okay. Something is going on in your brain. What is it?”

  “Did you hear him say documents? That means there are other reports somewhere.” Lainey said, placing her hand on Francy’s shoulder and grinning like a hungry bobcat. “Do you still have access to files at the police station?”

  “I know that look, Lainey, and it has trouble written all over it!” Francy smiled.

  “Can you get access to files at the station or not?” Lainey asked.

  “They call me to fill in when they are short-handed. Let me see if they need me anytime soon.” Francy pulled out her cell phone to call. “If they do, maybe I can look around if no one is in the station during my shift.”

  “Or I can come to visit you and do the snooping around!” Lainey said slyly.

  Chapter 5

  The next morning, Francy called Lainey to say that she was going to fill in on the graveyard shift that same evening. Lainey’s heart raced with excitement.

  “Great!” She almost screamed into the phone. “What time should I come?”

  “You have to be careful. At night, the station is very quiet, but I never know when an officer will bring in a prisoner, or when someone is going to show up in the office. The shift is from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Let’s plan on 11:30 or so. I’ll call you and let you know it’s safe.”

  “Thanks, Francy. I’ll be careful, I promise. See you tonight.” Lainey replied. She had much to do before she got to the station.

  Lainey’s thoughts turned to Ann. Why had she been the one to make first contact with the Sullivan’s? What did the Sullivan’s think of her? How disabled was she, really?

  She decided to contact Raymond Sullivan’s office on the chance he might have a minute to meet with her. She dialed the office and a young woman answered politely, yet business-like.

  “Sullivan’s Best Poultry. This is Margo. How may I help you?”

  “Hello.” Knowing she didn’t have long to make her point before the woman cut her off, she continued, “I’m Lainey Maynard, an insurance investigator, and I was hoping to meet with Raymond Sullivan briefly today if possible.”

  “What is the nature of your visit with him?” Margo asked. “Mr. Sullivan has a very busy schedule.”

  “I realize he is very busy, and I would only need a few moments of his time.” Lainey hoped her reply would satisfy Margo’s questions.

  “If this is a legal matter, Mr. Sullivan will request you speak to his attorney.” Margo said in monotone. “I will need to know the nature of your business before I can give you the attorney’s office information.”

  Thinking quickly, Lainey responded, “I am not at liberty to share the reasons for my meeting with anyone other than Mr. Sullivan. Would he happen to have a couple of minutes to fit me in between his scheduled appointments? It is extremely important that I speak with him at his earliest convenience.” Lainey hoped the urgency in her voice hadn’t been too demanding.

  Margo said shortly, “Mr. Sullivan is not in at the moment. Please leave your phone number and I will check with him when he returns.”

  Lainey knew Margo was brushing her off, but she recited her phone number anyway. She also decided it was time to go to Sullivan’s office and sit until she could speak with him. She thanked Margo and headed to her bedroom to change her clothes.

  Her favorite outfit to wear when presenting a case or meeting with a high-powered client was a pair of solid black legging-type slacks, a black knit blouse or mock turtleneck and either her blood red Western style blazer with shiny sparkles in the fabric or her deep purple and grey leather Southwestern blazer. She loved dark, bright colors and the blazers gave her a feeling of power, strength, and control. In her mind, it was an advantage.

  The office of Sullivan’s Best Poultry was more than an hour from Mirror Falls and Lainey was on the road before eleven that morning
. She was determined to sit in the office until Margo allowed her to see Mr. Sullivan. She had her iPad and phone to keep up with work.

  As she drove into the tiny parking garage, she thought how beautiful the Stone Arch Bridge area was and wondered what it would be like to have an office overlooking the river. She gathered her thoughts, her coffee cup, and iPad, and walked inside to wait on the elevator. When the door opened, she punched the top floor button and stepped back.

  When the elevator stopped and the door finally opened, Lainey was startled to see Raymond Sullivan standing there, ready to get on, looking at her.

  Their eyes met briefly as she stepped out of the elevator.

  “Hello, Mr. Sullivan. I’m Lainey Maynard and I called your office to meet with you today.”

  Raymond’s eyes narrowed a bit as he looked at her coffee mug and iPad. Without changing expressions he said, “If you are going to pour that coffee on me, forget it. I’m not going to the dry cleaners today.”

  Lainey couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious. She smiled and said, “No sir, my intent was not to spill coffee on you today. I try only to spill on your regular laundry days.” She hoped that would lighten his mood.

  Raymond smiled slightly. “Excuse me, I have an appointment,” he said pushing the down button on the elevator.

  Lainey saw an opening. “Please, Mr. Sullivan, I am Lainey Maynard and…” Raymond interrupted her mid-sentence and said, “Yes, I did hear you say that.”

  Okay, Lainey thought quickly, if you want to play that way, here goes.

  “I need to speak with you about Doug Reynolds.”

  Raymond hesitated. “Who are you?” He asked without taking his eyes off the elevator door.

  “I am here at the request of Doug’s sister, Mary Chase. She is concerned for the safety of you and her brother. Can we please talk for a few minutes?” Lainey asked. “Please.”

  His gaze left the elevator and found Lainey’s eyes as if he were probing to read her mind. The elevator door opened. Raymond continued to focus on Lainey and the door shut again.

  “If you will throw the coffee cup away, I have five minutes to talk with you.” He sighed and headed back to his office. Lainey nodded and followed.

  As Raymond opened the office door, Margo looked up with surprise.

  “Mr. Sullivan! Did you forget something?”

  Lainey looked at the young woman. She had beautiful amber hair that was put up neatly in a bun and was wearing a gorgeous blue couture designed dress that fit her like a glove. She was not smiling as she looked at Lainey.

  “Everything is fine, Margo,” Raymond answered. “This is Lainey Maynard. Please reschedule my afternoon appointment for this evening.”

  “Yes, sir,” Margo said with a strange look on her face. “Will you be long?”

  “Not long. Please hold my calls,” he answered as he walked into his office. He looked at Lainey, her coffee cup, and motioned for her to come in. “Please sit down.”

  Lainey nodded, and looking around briefly, sat her coffee cup on Margo’s neatly organized desk, shrugged and said, “Sorry! Don’t see a trash can.” She smiled and hurried into Raymond’s office.

  The office was exactly like the picture Lainey had seen on the black jump drive. She marveled at the view from the windows. “I admire this view! I bet it is easy to daydream looking through the windows, isn’t it?”

  For the first time, Lainey saw a little smile on Raymond’s face. “Yes, it can be mesmerizing.” He looked at Lainey and said, “If I may call you Lainey, I really do not have much time. What can I help you with?”

  “Please, let me say first I am sorry for the recent loss of your brothers. That must be difficult for you.”

  “Thank you. Yes, losing them both has been difficult to accept.”

  “Mary Chase spoke with me about her concerns that your brothers’ deaths were not accidental. She fears that both you and Doug are in danger.” She watched for his reaction.

  “Do you know the circumstances around discovering the relationship between Doug Reynolds and my family?” He asked curiously.

  “Yes, Mary told me the story of how their DNA search showed that Doug’s mother was your mother. I have also spoken with Doug. Mary did speak with you about her thoughts about murder?” She asked hesitantly.

  Raymond leaned forward, resting his elbows on the chair’s arm rests. “I did speak with Mary. I realize she believes that my brothers were murdered. However, I do not share those feelings.”

  He appeared to be looking for a response from Lainey and when none came, he continued.

  “The discovery of an older brother was new to everyone, and I admire Mary’s concern for our wellbeing. But the police have assured me that my brothers were involved in unfortunate accidents.”

  “It does seem a bit of a stretch to think that your brothers were murdered, but it is a strange coincidence that the accidents happened so very close to each other. As an investigator, I have to consider all possibilities until they are proven false. And Mary did ask me to look into this for her own peace of mind. I hope you understand,” Lainey stated.

  “Of course.” Raymond answered. “Doug appears to be a good man and if answering your questions will help, then by all means ask away.”

  “Thank you.” Pulling out her iPad to take notes, she asked, “Do you have a copy of the police reports from the accidents?”

  Without batting an eye, Raymond answered.

  “No. The police explained to me what happened and that there was nothing suspicious about either accident that would warrant further investigation. I admit the accident with Harold happening so close to Eugene’s made me wonder for a moment, but law enforcement officials are the professionals who investigate these incidents, so I believe their findings.”

  “Now that you are aware that Doug is your half-brother, would he stand to inherit any of the Sullivan estate?” She asked and wondered if that was too personal a question.

  Raymond had a look of surprise on his face. She could see he was debating on what to say before speaking aloud.

  “Families who have some degree of wealth often deal with the question of who is their rightful heir, especially after the death of prominent community family members. We have an army of attorneys who have protected the Sullivan name and business for years. Several are personal friends and are my first line of defense.”

  Raymond leaned back in his chair. “When Doug’s birth certificate was proven to be legitimate and that he was an older half-brother, my attorneys became involved immediately. I met with him a few times with the attorneys present. Doug insisted that he was not interested in inheriting anything from the Sullivan estate. Doug’s sister, Ann, came to me to ask for a job for him. When I spoke with Doug about possibly working part time or if he needed financial help, he was insulted and said vehemently that he did not want anything other than friendship from me. I did not mention it again.”

  Interesting. The subject of Ann again… how does she fit in?

  Raymond looked at the shiny glass clock on his desk. “I need to be going. Is that everything?”

  “Yes,” Lainey said with a smile, shutting her iPad and standing. “You have been a huge help. If I do have more questions or if I do find indications that perhaps the accidents were something more involved, may I speak with you again?” She asked, offering her hand.

  “Of course. It would be best if you contact me via my personal email.” He took a business card off his desk, wrote his email on the back and handed it to Lainey. “I will answer when I can.”

  Lainey smiled, thanked him, and turned to leave.

  “By the way, if we plan to meet again, my dry cleaning is done on Thursdays. They specialize in coffee stains,” he said with an elfish grin.

  Lainey smirked, not knowing if he was being funny or sarcastic. “I’ll try to remember that.”

  She walked past Margo’s desk and reached for the door when she heard her name called. She turned around to see Margo standin
g in front of her holding the coffee cup she had left on her desk earlier.

  “You forgot this.” Margo pushed the cup into Lainey’s hand. “There is a garbage container in the parking garage.”

  Lainey smiled and held her tongue while she watched Margo go back to her desk.

  “Hope she has the same dry cleaner as Raymond,” Lainey said under her breath as she went out the door.

  As she turned on I-94 to head back to Mirror Falls, she noticed a missed call from Francy. She turned on her Bluetooth and waited for friend to answer.

  “Hey, Lainey,” Francy greeted.

  “Sorry I missed your call. What’s up?”

  “I was thinking about tonight. What if you brought Mom with you?” Francy asked.

  “Vera? Why?” Lainey questioned.

  “Mom used to stop in unexpectedly and bring treats to the department during my shift. Everyone loves my mom and wouldn’t think anything was out of the ordinary if she came while I’m working.” Francy explained. “What do you think?”

  “Sounds like a plan. Will you ask her?”

  “I mentioned it to her earlier. She’s ready and willing!” Francy laughed.

  “Your mom and treats creating a distraction while I snoop around. Who would have thought it?” Lainey chuckled. “Tell her I’ll pick up her at eleven.”

  Vera was looking out the front door waiting anxiously when Lainey drove into the driveway. Before she could get out of the car, Vera had locked the door and was walking towards her with two plastic containers of goodies. Lainey had to smile.

  “Got everything, Vera?” Lainey asked.

  “I’m armed with my favorite cocoa striped cookies, ginger bars, and homemade mini donuts,” she said proudly. “And, I have enough to feed an army!”

  “Great!” Lainey laughed. “But let’s hope an army of people don’t show up tonight.”

  “They won’t leave hungry if they do.” Vera chuckled. “I’ll keep everyone busy!”

  Lainey was a little worried as she rang the outside door buzzer at the police department. She needed to see the police report and hoped that she and Vera could get in and out quickly without anyone seeing them. She heard Francy’s voice over the intercom. “Give me a second and I’ll open the door,” Francy said.