The Family Tree Murders

by Laura Hern

  Lainey dared not move or speak. She was trying to find the right words to answer his questions.

  “Are Francy and Vera involved again?” Sarge continued to grill her. “What about Della or Paul? Have you dragged them into this, too?” Sarge stopped pacing and was again standing behind his desk facing Lainey.

  Lainey realized she had been wiggling in her chair, crossing one leg over the other and back the entire time Sarge was speaking.

  “Sarge, I know you are upset, and I apologize if I have put you in an unpleasant situation,” Lainey said in the most apologetic voice she could muster.

  Sarge didn’t move or respond.

  Lainey continued. “I did go out to Ann’s cabin and I did go into the auto shop to look around. But I did not break in! The back door was unlocked.”

  Sarge sat down in his chair and stared intently at her.

  She pulled out her telephone. “Chuck has an autopsy room hidden in that shop. I have pictures to prove it.” She blurted out excitedly.

  Sarge’s expression changed to one of disbelief. “What? That’s impossible.” He said as he took her phone to examine the pictures.

  Lainey, feeling less like a convicted criminal than a few minutes ago proceeded. “I also took pictures of the material in the waste container I left behind.”

  While Sarge flipped through Lainey’s cell phone pictures, she told him how Mary distracted Ann and how she had found the hidden room switch behind a boat picture on the wall in Chuck’s shop.

  Sarge put down her phone. The stern look on his face had softened.

  “I need these pictures as evidence. If what I saw in the photos of the waste container contents is the same as what is in this waste container on my desk, we have evidence.” Sarge looked at Lainey who was grinning.

  “See! I knew it!” Lainey said triumphantly. “Let’s see what is in this container,” she said as she started to pick it up to open it.

  “Don’t touch that!” Sarge commanded. “It’s evidence that I am sending to the lab. If my guess is correct, the contents inside could be extremely toxic.”

  He looked at Lainey and asked, “Did you touch any of the contents you saw in either of these containers?”

  Lainey shook her head no.

  “Good,” Sarge said and seemed to relax a bit.

  “Wait. What do you think is inside?” Lainey asked hesitantly.

  “Used Fentanyl patches among other things.”

  Lainey could feel the blood rush from her face to her feet. She knew how deadly any contact with these type of patches could be. “And I’ve been carrying this container around,” Lainey mumbled in shock.

  “Exactly,” Sarge said. “Are you all right? Did anyone else touch or come into contact with this container?”

  “No, I left it in my car.”

  Sarge picked up his phone and called the police lab to come for the container. “Let’s go into the clerk’s office while we wait for the lab techs to come. I don’t want any accidental exposure to this container.”

  Lainey followed him into the office and sat down, visibly shaken at the thought of how close she came to being exposed to such a deadly substance.

  “I spoke with Raymond Sullivan,” Sarge said as he sat down. “We want to get a closer look at the truck and talk to Raymond’s regular mechanic.”

  Lainey nodded. “This means the investigation is open again into the two Sullivan murders?”

  “We are investigating several events that may be related to the deaths.” His hesitance was followed by a pause. “But there could reasonable doubt that the two deaths were accidental.”

  “What do we do next?”

  “WE do nothing,” Sarge quickly answered. “This is a police investigation now.” He watched the smirk appear on Lainey’s face.

  “I know Chuck somehow murdered the Sullivan brothers and I think Ann planned the whole thing,” Lainey grumbled. “I can help you investigate.”

  Sarge didn’t reply.

  Lainey continued to plead her case. “What about the autopsy room in Chuck’s shop? What about looking at the fish house where Harold died… suddenly her voice trailed off and it was as if a lightning bolt struck her.

  “Holy smokes, Sarge!” Lainey exclaimed. “That boat in the picture I saw on the wall at Chuck’s office was parked next to a fish house!”

  Sarge’s eyes opened wide. “I’m going to get a search warrant for the auto shop. In the meantime, you stay away from both Ann and Chuck. Hear me?”

  Lainey went home and for the first time in several nights, she slept soundly. She awoke feeling somewhat proud of herself about the events of last evening and her talk with Sarge. She took a long shower, fixed her hair, and splurged on breakfast by cooking a Mediterranean omelet complete with her favorite olives and feta cheese.

  Her phone rang as she was cleaning up the dishes.

  “Hello, this is Lainey,” she answered as she shut the dishwasher door.

  She heard a scratchy, muffled voice screaming, “Help me, help me! Ann is trying to kill me!” Then there was a disconnect and silence.

  “Hello? Who is this? Hello?” Lainey replied. She looked at the phone number and the caller ID indicated the call was from Mary Chase.

  Lainey grabbed her purse and keys and headed to Mary’s house. Thoughts were running wild in her mind. Did Ann know that Lainey was the person at the shop last night? Was it Mary’s voice on the phone? Should she call Sarge?

  She decided to call Francy first.

  If there is trouble, Francy will contact Sarge.

  Francy didn’t answer and Lainey left a short, hurried message that Mary Chase was in trouble, that she was on her way to Mary’s house, and if she hadn’t heard from Lainey in an hour, to call Sarge.

  She pulled into Mary’s driveway and noticed there were no cars in sight. “Hmm, what can I use for protection if I need to?” She thought while she looked around the car. She spotted her extra-long ice scraper, grabbed it, and headed to the front door.

  She knocked and called out several times, but no answer. There were no lights on that she could see in the front of the house.

  Carefully she walked around the house to the back door. As she started to open the screen door, she felt someone’s hand cover her mouth and nose. She struggled against the pungent gasoline odor that was burning her nose and throat as she tried to breathe. Suddenly, everything went black.

  When she awoke, her head was pounding. She couldn’t get her bearings and the bright lights in the room made it difficult for her to open her eyes. Her arms felt so heavy and when she tried to sit up, the room started spinning. She moaned and tried to lay still.

  “Well, our nosey problem child is waking up!” a male voice stated.

  “Can we finish this now?” Another man’s voice said impatiently. “She’s a royal pain in the ass and the sooner we deal with her the better.”

  Lainey tried again to open her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but it looked like she was in a very large room. The glaring light came from several round lights fixed above where she was laying. The smell of gasoline still stung her nose and throat when she tried to speak.

  “Where am I?” Lainey said as she tried to sit up again.

  The throbbing pain from her head forced her to lie down once more.

  “Your vision will clear, but your head will most likely hurt for a while longer,” the male voice said.

  Lainey blinked and tried focusing in the direction of the voice. She saw the outline of a tall man standing close to her. “Who are you?” She managed to say.

  “I don’t believe we have had the pleasure of meeting so let me introduce myself. I’m Nathan Austin. And I already know who you are. You’re Lainey Maynard.”

  Lainey slowly shook her head back and forth and said, “Nathan Austin? Chuck Austin?”

  “My, you are an intelligent one, aren’t you?” Nathan said sarcastically. “Yes, I’m Nathan, and this is my brother, Chuck. I believe you met him at Ann’s house.”

/>   Nathan looked down at Lainey whose eyes had closed again.

  “She’s coming around. Next time she wakes up, we won’t be so cordial,” Nathan said to Chuck. “Better tie her hands and feet to the table to be safe.” Chuck nodded. He fastened the straps attached to the table across Lainey’s wrists and feet.

  “Let’s see her get off the table now.” Chuck snarled.

  Thirty minutes had passed before Lainey opened her eyes. Her head was still hurting, and she was very cold. She tried to sit up and realized her hands were tied down.

  “What’s happening?” She said as she tried to squirm and twist out of the straps. “Why am I tied down?”

  She moved her head from side to side, looking around the best she could to try and figure out where she was.

  Then horrific panic hit her. She was in an exam room in county morgue! That’s why she was so cold! Instinctively she yelled for help.

  “Help! Is anyone there? I’m alive! Help!” She shouted.

  “Stop struggling and screaming. Do you really think anyone is going to hear you?” Chuck Austin sneered. He had walked over to the table and wrapped his fingers around her chin and squeezed.

  “I should have snapped your neck when I had the chance,” he said coldly.

  “Don’t leave bruise marks on her lovely face, brother,” Nathan said. “We don’t want any suspicious looking injuries for a coroner to find.” He chuckled.

  Lainey was regaining her wits and said sharply, “It doesn’t take much of a man to hurt a woman when she is strapped down on an exam table!”

  Chuck’s temper flared and he slapped Lainey so hard her face stung as if she had been burned.

  “Keep your damn smart mouth shut or the next time I’ll cut out your tongue!” Chuck yelled.

  Lainey glared at him and said nothing. She was praying that Francy had gotten her phone message and called Sarge.

  Nathan was standing next to Lainey’s right hand where she could clearly see his face.

  “I’m sure you have a few questions that you would like to ask me,” Nathan began. “When you ask, please remember to hold your tongue if you know what I mean.” He smiled and looked at Chuck.

  Lainey nodded. Her face still stung from his slap.

  “Would you please untie me and let me sit up to talk?”

  “No,” Nathan answered.

  “Can I at least get a blanket? I’m freezing.”

  Nathan looked at Chuck and nodded in the direction of a cabinet. Chuck got a blanket and threw it on Lainey’s legs.

  “Thank you.”

  “So much for the polite banter. We don’t… or I should say you don’t have much time,” Nathan said as he rolled a shiny metal instrument table toward him.

  “How did you murder Eugene and Harold Sullivan?” Lainey asked bluntly.

  “We are direct, aren’t we?” Nathan responded seemingly amused by her bluntness.

  “The act of murder is easy and frankly somewhat dull. What takes talent and real ingenuity is the planning, preparation, and execution of the plan so as not to get caught.” Nathan smiled. “And that is the exciting part of murder!” He looked at Lainey as if waiting for her to praise him for his efforts.

  “Ann must have told you about the DNA tests showing Doug was a brother to the Sullivan’s. How else would you have known?” She was praying for a miracle that someone would figure out she was here. Keeping Nathan talking would buy her some time.

  Chuck, who had been pacing around the room suddenly answered, “Ann’s smart. She knew Nathan could help us get the money.”

  Nathan shot Chuck a glance that even Lainey knew meant to shut up.

  “Ann is indeed a bright young girl. Too bad about the accident Doug caused in her early life,” Nathan said, mockingly. “It’s no wonder Doug would make her the beneficiary of his life insurance policy.”

  “So, once the Sullivan fortune came into play, all you saw were dollars signs, right?” Lainey concluded.

  Nathan laughed. “That was a perk, for sure. You see, we had planned to murder Doug well before any Sullivan DNA tests were done.”

  Nathan picked up on the surprised look on Lainey’s face.

  “Yes, Doug was going to meet an untimely death, leaving his farm and his large life insurance policy to be split between Ann and us,” Nathan said.

  “Did you forget that Mary was also an heir to Doug’s will?” Lainey asked.

  “Did I forget to mention that both Doug and Mary were to be killed in the same unfortunate accident?” Nathan grinned.

  “I’m a bit disappointed in you, Lainey,” Nathan shook his head, “Especially if you thought I didn’t have a plan to get rid of both Doug and Mary.”

  Lainey was stunned. “You are very intelligent, Nathan.”

  Chuck was growing more and more impatient. “Can we stop with the questions and just kill her?”

  Nathan looked at his watch and then at Lainey. “It is indeed getting late, so if you have no more questions…” he took a pair of gloves off the metal instrument table and began putting them on.

  Lainey, trying not to let her fear show in her voice said, “How did you kill the Sullivan brothers? Did Chuck tamper with Eugene’s car? What about Harold?”

  Nathan kept putting on his gloves. “It’s really very simple. I’m an assistant coroner and therefore am called out to investigate deaths. Chuck has been a body driver for years and when Doug asked to help for extra money, it was perfect.”

  Lainey watched with wide eyes as Nathan began looking through items on the tray.

  “Have you heard of Fentanyl patches?” Nathan asked. “They are quite popular with drug addicts, cancer patients, and the like. And they are quite deadly if used in the wrong way.”

  Chuck moved closer to the table and was also watching Nathan.

  “You see, when I get called to scenes where a death has occurred, I have to examine the body to determine if there might be reasons to suspect foul play or murder, if you will,” he grinned.

  “If the body had Fentanyl patches on it, they stayed in place until the body was delivered to the funeral home for processing. I would call Chuck to be the body driver and we would take it to his shop where we removed the Fentanyl patches carefully. Then he delivered the body to the funeral home.” He stopped and looked at Lainey.

  “But you know that since you were in Chuck’s shop and saw our little workroom. That’s why you are here in my workroom now.”

  Lainey couldn’t even blink. Her stomach was in knots.

  “Neither Eugene nor Harold were cancer patients or drug users. How did you…” she was interrupted mid-sentence.

  “For someone with a smart mouth, you don’t know much, do you?” Chuck answered.

  Lainey thought he was going to hit her again.

  “Once Ann found out about the Sullivan connection to Doug, she went to speak with Mr. Raymond Sullivan,” Nathan continued. “She not only asked for a job for Doug, but she asked if Chuck could work on their cars. Her pathetic portrayal of the disabled woman worked perfectly. The first time Eugene needed an oil change, he brought it to Chuck.”

  “Chuck tampered with Eugene’s car causing it to crash,” Lainey surmised.

  “Not at all,” Nathan said. “Chuck did the oil change, but he added a few enhancements to the steering wheel, the shifter, and the radio dials.”

  Chuck smiled.

  “Lainey, did you know that Fentanyl patches last a very long time and can be deadly even after being used?” Nathan had stopped working on the tray and was facing her.

  “Chuck simply wore protective gloves and mask, took a couple of the used Fentanyl patches we had taken off bodies and smeared the gel from the patch onto those surfaces.” Nathan shrugged his shoulders.

  “As soon as Eugene began driving, he was exposed on all of the surfaces to lethal doses. It kills very rapidly. The car didn’t malfunction at all. The crash happened because Eugene was already dead from the Fentanyl.”

  “And because you were
the coroner on call, you found no evidence to order an autopsy,” Lainey said as it began to make sense to her.

  “The fact that Eugene was cremated was another plus,” Nathan smiled. “I figured that would be the same for Harold.”

  Chuck was visibly getting frustrated and nervous. “Nathan, can we shut her up now?”

  Nathan looked down at Lainey as he reached for what looked like a plastic bag with pieces of paper inside. Lainey knew it was remnants of Fentanyl patches.

  “But Harold died from carbon monoxide poisoning in a fish house. How did you manage that?” Lainey’s eyes were wide open and focused on the patches in Nathan’s hand.

  Chuck answered this time. “Ann told Harold how much I liked to fish, and he said for me to come over to look at his new ritzy fish house,” he stated proudly as he continued telling Lainey the story.

  “While he was outside getting his boat ready for storage, I looked around the fish house and smeared Fentanyl all over his fishing tackle box handle, his poles, and the knob to turn on his generator,” Chuck said. “Anything I thought he would touch.”

  “It was no problem for Chuck to plug the ventilation vents for the fish house after dark,” Nathan chimed in. “Death by a faulty space heater and carbon monoxide is what the coroner found.” He grinned. “And, of course, the coroner was me.”

  Nathan stopped abruptly and looked around the room. “Chuck, go into the hallway and see if someone is here. I thought I heard the service door open.” Chuck nodded and went out into the hallway. He left the door standing open to the exam room.

  Lainey’s breath was shallow, and she knew she was running out of time. If Nathan rubbed the Fentanyl patches on her, she would be dead before anyone would miss her.

  Nathan, holding a small patch of gel, looked at Lainey. “Once I apply this gel on your skin, the pain will be over quickly. Don’t worry, I’m sure the coroner will tell your friends you died in a horrific accident,“ he laughed. “Now, where should I put…”

  There was a popping sound and he suddenly collapsed, falling on top of her.

  Lainey screamed. She saw Sarge standing in the doorway with his gun pointed at Nathan.