The Family Tree Murders

by Laura Hern

  She saw what looked like a metal windmill base that had a sign on the top instead of the round windmill blades. The sign read Austin’s Bump or Bang Shop with an arrow pointing to the right. She turned onto a long, unpaved driveway that led to a small log cabin. Beside the cabin was a large metal building with another sign for the repair shop. There were a bunch of cars parked all around the house and garage.

  Lainey found a spot close to the cabin to park.

  Breathe deep, Lainey, and don’t take no for an answer!

  She walked toward the front door and knocked several times. She could hear a female voice inside say, “Just a minute.”

  The door finally opened.

  “Are you here to pick up a car?” the woman asked. She was not as tall as Lainey and was on the heavier side. Her hair was about chin length on one side and cut very close to her head on the other side. The longer side had purple streaks in the front.

  “Hello, my name is Lainey Maynard, and I was hoping to speak with Ann Reynolds.” She said holding out her hand.

  “I don’t know you,” the woman replied as she started to close the door.

  Lainey stuck her hand on the door and said quickly, “I know your sister, Mary. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  The woman opened the door again. She did not look amused. “Why?” She said bluntly.

  “It’s about Doug and the Sullivan’s,” Lainey replied just as bluntly.

  She could see Ann’s eyes narrowing. There was no emotion or smile on her face.

  Ann opened the door wider and motioned for her to come in.

  Lainey took a breath and walked into the house. She watched Ann walk with a limp over to the couch and sit down. There was no cane in sight.

  The cabin wasn’t neat, but it wasn’t a mess either. The wooden furniture looked newer and had bear pillows and green plaid coverings. Lainey glanced into one of the bedrooms to see two large computer screens, an expensive looking padded desk chair and a futuristic desk lamp that was shaped like a figure 8.

  That’s not cheap.

  “What do you want?” Ann quizzed her. “What has my sister told you?”

  Lainey sat down and began her rehearsed story.

  “I’m an insurance investigator and Mary found me through a mutual friend. She asked me to research a theory she had about your brother, Doug, and the Sullivan family.” She watched carefully for any reaction from Ann. There was none.

  “We aren’t close.”

  “Do you mean you and Mary aren’t close?” Lainey asked.

  “Oh, I see,” Ann said sarcastically. “Mary told you I take advantage of Doug, didn’t she?”

  Lainey didn’t want to give away too much information.

  “Mary told me about the DNA results showing Doug was a half-brother to you and the Sullivan’s. She does believe that the deaths of Eugene and Harold may not have been accidents, and she is worried for Doug’s safety.”

  Ann sat there with no response. Lainey continued. “Whether you and Mary get along is not my concern, I assure you, and not why I am here.”

  Again, there was no response from Ann. Lainey thought it was time to bring out a bigger gun.

  “I understand that your boyfriend is a part time body driver with Doug.”

  Ann’s demeanor changed instantly, and Lainey couldn’t tell if her look was one of worry or surprise.

  “Chuck does drive part time when the repair business is slow,” she said deliberately. “I guess Doug needs extra income, too.”

  Lainey knew that Ann was either flat out lying or very intelligent… or both.

  “Are you close to Doug?” Lainey asked as she took out her iPad to pretend to take notes.

  “Since you talked to Mary, you know I am,” Ann quipped. “Do you think he works a second job because I ask him for money?”

  Now, Lainey knew Ann was smart and sly. She decided not to answer that question and instead pursued a different line. “I know you met with Raymond Sullivan and asked him to give Doug a job as a driver for one of his facilities.” Lainey was eager to see how Ann responded to that information.

  Without hesitation, Ann answered.

  “I did. I knew Doug would never ask. Since Raymond was a blood relative, I asked for him.”

  The back door opened, and a man walked into the front room. Before Lainey could stand up to introduce herself, Ann blurted out, “Chuck, this lady was sent by Mary.”

  Lainey knew that was some sort of warning sign to Chuck and he instantly put his guard up.

  Chuck stopped in his tracks. “Is she bothering you?”

  Ann, looking at Lainey, didn’t answer for a second. “It’s okay. She’s leaving anyway.”

  Lainey stood up, smiled, put her hand out. “Hello, I’m Lainey Maynard. You must be Chuck Austin, the car repair guy.” She hoped her friendly tone would ease the tension in the room. But it didn’t.

  Chuck didn’t shake her hand and instead said, “Unless you have a car problem, you need to leave.”

  Lainey drew back her hand and picked up her iPad. “Thank you, Ann, for visiting with me, and it was nice to meet you, Chuck.”

  She opened the door and looked back. Ann was still sitting on the couch and Chuck was standing beside her, his hand on her shoulder. “You have a great day,” she said and walked out the door.

  As Lainey walked to her car, the hair on the back of her neck began to tingle, and she had the distinct feeling she was being watched. She got into the car and tried to look around without raising suspicion. The lights were on in the auto shop and she caught a brief glimpse of a shadow looking through the window of the shop entrance door.

  She was almost home when her car Bluetooth rang. It was Doug Reynolds.

  “Ann said you went to see her. I don’t want her upset by Mary, her ridiculous ideas, or you,” Doug began before Lainey could get a word out. “If you need information about Ann, talk to me. I don’t want you going to her house again.”

  “I’m sorry if I upset you or Ann. I was only with Ann for a few minutes and only wanted to ask…” Doug interrupted her before she could finish her sentence.

  “From now on, if you have any questions, you call me. Ann is to be left alone.” His tone was commanding.

  “Yes, I understand, Doug. Again, I apologize if I’ve upset you or Ann.”

  “I mean it,” Doug replied and hung up.

  Well, Ann didn’t waste any time calling him now, did she? Wonder what she told him?

  Lainey pulled into her garage and was walking in the house when her phone rang again. This time, it was Della.

  “Hey, Della.”

  “Have you got a minute? Are you back home from seeing Ann Reynolds?” Della asked.

  Lainey knew Della pretty well and she sensed a hesitation in her voice. “I’m back. What’s up?”

  “Now, don’t be mad, but I told Paul that you needed to talk with him about the Sullivan deaths.” Della said expecting a loud response from Lainey.

  Ugh. Why did she do that?

  “I wish you hadn’t,” Lainey sighed. “What did he say?” She was dreading the answer.

  The silence on the phone that was deafening. “Paul said to come to his office, and he would try to answer any questions you have.”

  “Did you explain why I wanted to see his records?” Lainey asked cautiously. She didn’t want to spring questions on Paul without his knowing why.

  “I told him about Mary’s idea and about what you found out at the police station. He said he would help if he could.”

  “I’ll call and see if I can come by now.”

  “I’ll go with you, if that’s okay. If he has reservations about helping, maybe I can influence him. I’ve made his favorite carrot cake with sour cream frosting. I’ll take a piece with us,” Della said.

  Lainey smiled. She agreed, hung up, and called the funeral home.

  “Kristiansen Funeral home, may I help you?”

  “This is Lainey Maynard. Is Paul available?”

 
; “He left a note that he was expecting a call from you. He said to come by. What time should he expect you?” The polite receptionist inquired.

  “In a half hour, if that’s all right.”

  “That should be fine. I’ll let him know.” The receptionist added, “Have a nice day.”

  Lainey thanked her and hung up. Such a lovely person to talk to. She could see why Paul had her answering the phone. She could put anyone at ease.

  Lainey called Della to let her know to come as soon as possible.

  “I’ll meet you there, Lainey,“ Della said. “There’s no reason for you to drive all the way out here and then back again.”

  “Thanks. See you at Paul’s office.”

  As Lainey drove over to the funeral home, she wondered what information Paul would or could give her.

  Would he help if he saw the police report? Had he already seen it?

  Della pulled in the parking lot at the same time as Lainey.

  “How fast did you go to get here so quickly?” Lainey asked as they walked in the front door.

  Della laughed. “No worries. Paul knows all the law enforcement officers in several counties. And they know I have a lead foot,” she grinned.

  Paul was waiting inside the entry hall and greeted them each with a hug.

  “I see you brought a back-up with you, Lainey… and she brought my favorite to bribe me!” Paul kissed Della on the cheek.

  “Let’s go to my office.”

  Funeral homes had always made Lainey feel uncomfortable. The elevator-type music that played softly all the time, the strong smell of various types of flowers, the tissue boxes on every end table, the viewing rooms that were so elegantly decorated that they looked as if they came directly from a royal family’s bedroom, and the calm, sometimes unnervingly sweet attitudes of the staff made Lainey’s skin clammy.

  Paul sensed her uneasiness. “Lainey, can I get you something?”

  Lainey shuttered slightly, hoping no one noticed. “You wouldn’t happen to have any coffee with cream and sugar, would you?”

  “Sure,” Della said. “I know where the break room is. I’ll get some for you.”

  “Thanks. I’d appreciate it.”

  Lainey tried to regroup. She took out the folder she had brought that contained the printed copies of the police reports.

  Paul smiled. “Lainey, this is a place of business like any other office. You can relax.” He looked down at the folder she was holding. “Is that the Mary Chase information Della told me about?”

  Lainey hesitated briefly. “No. It’s the police reports for Eugene and Harold Sullivan.” She laid the folder on Paul’s desk.

  “The police reports?” He looked surprised as he opened the file. “How did Mary get copies of these?”

  Lainey fidgeted in her chair. “Actually, I didn’t get those from Mary,” she said sheepishly.

  Paul looked directly at her. “Who gave you these?”

  Lainey was very quiet.

  Paul asked again, “Lainey, who gave you these?”

  Lainey was still silent.

  Paul sighed. “Okay. Have you at least spoken with anyone from the police department about this?”

  Lainey gave a sigh of relief. “Yes. I’ve spoken with Sarge… I mean Ben Sargent,” she said smiling.

  “I know Sarge. He’s a good man.”

  Lainey nodded her head in agreement. Paul took a few minutes to look through both files before he spoke.

  “How can I help you?” He asked.

  Della had returned with the coffee and was once again sitting next to Lainey.

  “The reports say Doug Reynolds and Chuck Austin were the body drivers for both accidents and that they brought the bodies here.” Lainey said, sitting on the edge of her chair.

  “That’s right. Doug and Chuck do a lot of driving for me and a couple of the other funeral homes in the area.”

  “Paul, autopsies weren’t ordered for either death. Is that right?”

  “Yes it is. The police report stated that,” he answered.

  “You have been in this business for many, many years and I’m sure have seen a lot of accidents. After you saw the bodies, did you question why no autopsies were ordered?” Lainey asked, realize that sounded a bit confusing.

  Paul sat back in his high-backed chair. “We get calls to receive deceased persons at all hours of the day and night. Sometimes it can be very hectic with several arriving within a few hours. There are highly regulated policies and procedures concerning the handling, transporting, and receiving of bodies, and the procedures to prepare bodies in order to protect the spread of possible viruses, diseases, and such.”

  Della was watching Paul, and Lainey could see the love she had for him shining through her eyes. She was as proud of him as a mom watching her child take their first baby steps.

  Lainey smiled and turned her eyes to see Paul looking at her, waiting for a response.

  “I understand that. You’ve seen tons of suspicious death injuries where an autopsy was required. Did you think the injuries to either Eugene or Harold warranted an autopsy be requested?”

  Paul thought for a moment. “When a body arrives, I have the police report. It includes the findings of the coroner’s investigation. If it says that no autopsy is necessary, I don’t normally second guess them. I know Nathan Austin. He has been with the coroner’s office for years and started out there as a summer intern,” Paul said. “If he found no evidence that would suggest foul play, I believe him.”

  “Would Nathan Austin be related to Chuck Austin?” Lainey asked.

  “He is Chuck’s brother,” Paul answered.

  Lainey grinned and looked at Della.

  “I thought they were related!” Della said excitedly.

  “Wait. Am I missing something?” Paul asked looking from Della to Lainey and back to Della.

  “I think there are a few coincidences that may turn out to NOT be coincidences at all,” Lainey said, leaning her elbows on Paul’s desk.

  “Paul, tell me what you think of these facts. Doug Reynolds and his sisters find out he is a half-brother to a family who just happens to own the Sullivan’s Best Poultry empire that is worth a fortune. Three living Sullivan brothers are told and acknowledge that Doug is indeed a half-brother and therefore could be an heir to the family fortune. They meet several times and agree to be friends.”

  Lainey stopped to see if Paul was following.

  “Okay,” Paul nodded. “Go on.”

  “Unknown to Doug, his younger sister, Ann, visits Raymond Sullivan and asks for a job for Doug. Raymond agrees to do so, but Doug refuses and is upset with Ann for asking.”

  Shaking his head slightly, Paul asked, “What are you getting at?”

  “Within a few weeks of these new family reunion meetings, two of the Sullivan brothers die in seemly unrelated and unfortunate accidents. No autopsy was ordered on either one,” Lainey stated and paused for a second.

  “Did you know that Ann Reynolds lives with Chuck Austin?” she asked.

  Paul shook his head no.

  “Did you know that Doug and Chuck were the body drivers for both accidents?”

  “Yes.”

  “Don’t you think it odd that Nathan Austin was the investigator from the coroner’s office for both?” She asked as if she was giving Paul the third degree.

  Paul picked up the file again, took out two pages, set the folder back down and reread the pages he took out.

  “Lainey, I grant you that there are some timing coincidences between when the Reynolds’ found out about the Sullivan’s and the two Sullivan brothers’ deaths. But that’s not evidence that would stand up in court.”

  Lainey nodded. “Did you happen to keep pictures of Eugene and Harold’s injuries or trauma that might have been recorded?”

  Paul put down the two pages and looked at Lainey. “Everything is documented, but I don’t keep pictures of the bodies on file. The police may have some from the accident scenes. And besides, these
two bodies were cremated, so the preparation procedure is completely different.”

  Lainey slapped her forehead. “So there is no way to go back and reexamine a body if there was a question of murder!”

  “That’s right,” Paul said.

  “I read somewhere that cremation doesn’t burn up the entire body and that pieces are left or something like that,” Lainey led.

  It was Della that shuttered this time. “Yuck. If you don’t mind, I think I’ll wait in the break room while you talk about this.”

  “Let me try to explain the process. Can you stomach going back to the retort area?”

  Lainey remembered from her research that retort was the official word for the ovens used in cremation. She really didn’t want to see one but felt she had to.

  “Is someone back there now?” She asked with a slightly weaker voice.

  “Only the crematory operator if he is still here.”

  They walked out a side door in Paul’s office. The stark difference in decor of the hallway shocked Lainey. The bright florescent light of the hallway hurt her eyes. The plain, grey walls and white Styrofoam paneled ceiling tiles were dull and dingy from age. There was no music, no pictures hanging on the walls, no elegant furniture, and no tissue boxes. It was completely empty. A single, solid metal door waited for them at the other end.

  Their footsteps echoed loudly. Paul walked up to the door, inserted a code into the key pad, and opened the door for Lainey.

  Chapter 7

  As Lainey walked into the room, she noticed that the walls were concrete blocks and the ceiling was unfinished. The rust-colored metal support beams showed the metal sheeting roof between them.

  Lainey found herself saying to Paul, “This is like a commercial warehouse.”

  Paul smiled. “Yes, it basically is.”

  As she looked around the room, she noticed metal shelving racks framed one side of the area. Each rack had four large shelves. Some shelves had grey or black body bags on them.

  Paul must have seen the confusion on Lainey’s face. He touched her arm.

  “If this bothers you, we can talk in my office.”

  Lainey shook her head no. Her mouth was suddenly very dry.