by Beth Byers
Finally, we’d talked about the murders we’d been a part of and the way things had gone down. There were so many problems associated with how I’d been involved in the murder cases that had rained down on our sweet Silver Falls.
I had used gossip and connections with the town to discover facts of the murder cases. Unlike Simon and Carver, I didn’t have to follow protocols which had let me skip ahead of the police. I’d done things like follow my instincts when Simon was required to follow the evidence. It had allowed Zee and I to figure out murder cases in advance.
What bothered me and—I suspect Simon though he’d never say so—was that the police would have found the killers using legitimate detective practices. Skipping ahead of him didn’t make him a worse investigator. It just made him a cop who was doing his job correctly.
My choices had put me at risk. I didn’t carry a gun, like he did. I didn’t have backup, like he did. It was stupid of me to get involved trying to find a killer. A killer. That was how you got hurt. I’d nearly died. I’d been hurt. Yet I’d done it again. Now that I’d helped a few times and found unwarranted success. People—like Jane—came to me for help. They asked me to interfere in what was not my job. What was stupidly unsafe.
I licked my lips and glanced away before I said, “I promised Simon I would stop doing this. We’re…”
Jane’s mouth twisted and she grabbed my hand, squeezing tightly. “I need your help, Rose.”
“Simon will do everything he can for you,” I told her. The weight of my promise to Simon was heavy in the face of Jane’s need. How could I keep it when she needed me? When I needed to help her? What came first?
Jane shook her head. “I need you. Simon is a cop. You know as well as I do people chit chat with you and reveal things that they don’t realize is important. To Simon or Carver or other officials, they clam up. I’m not saying that Simon isn’t a good cop, but whatever it takes…whatever is necessary to save my family. We’re already falling apart, Rose. What will this do to us?”
“Jane, I…”
“I need you, Rose. Please. Please, help me. You and Zee. I need her connections and the general fear this town has for her. I need you and your way of putting obscure details together. Please, Rose. This is my husband. My son. Our lives. We’re the primary suspects. Of course we are. This will ruin the shreds of whatever love remains between us. My family will be gone forever. Jordy’s final crime.”
“Jane,” I carefully glanced beyond her to Simon and I was sure he saw what was happening. “I promised Simon that I would stop getting involved.”
Her eyes welled with tears, and my eyes burned with the need to cry alongside her.
“I…” Her voice cracked and then she said, “I…understand.”
I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t not try to help I could…I’d….dang it! My mouth twisted and my hands were shaking as my desire to keep my promise to Simon fought with the needs of my friend.
When I opened my eyes, Simon was standing directly behind Jane. It was Simon who answered, “Rose will do whatever she can to help clear you and Hank. We both will, of course we will.”
Jane squeaked and turned. She threw herself in Simon’s arms murmuring ‘thank you’ over and over again.
“Neither of us believe you were involved. But,” Simon turned his gaze to mine, and it was intent with worry and a clear order. “You will tell me every time you go anywhere and talk to anyone because I won’t find your body next. We aren’t going to be stupid about this. Careful. Casual conversations. Getting details and sharing everything.”
I nodded frantically and said, “I promise. But first, I have to get the birds back to my place. Then I’ll track down Hank. I’ll stick to what is safe. Help move the case along.”
“Hank is on his boat,” Jane told me. “That’s always where he goes when he’s upset.”
I nodded, hugged Jane and Az, kissed Simon and headed towards my house. The birds were squawking objections in the back of my car and no amount of clucking to them, talking to them or classical music made it stop. By the time, I reached my house, I was starting to get sick to my stomach and had a pounding headache.
Zee’s fiancé was the sheriff. Carver didn’t even try to hold her back from her mischief. You could accept and deal with Zee, or you could get angry and deal with her.
When I reached my place, I found Zee already there. She was in my spot, snuggled on the couch with Daisy and Mama Dog, the clingiest of my dogs, while the pups and Duke were ranged along the couch. Goliath had been standing near the window as I parked. His nose had been pressed against the glass and as I approached I could hear the click of his claws against the flooring. Before I had even opened the door, he was pushing his way out.
“Hello darling,” I said as I pressed my face against the top of his head and scratched along his back. I stood up with my hand on his neck to comfort him and turned to Zee. “Hello dahhhling.”
“Hello dear,” Zee said with a smirk. “So we have a job? I didn’t think Simon would let you play without a fight.”
I shrugged.
“Did you get Simon’s approval?”
I rolled my eyes and then nodded. “Of course.” As though it hadn’t been Jane’s desperation that had broken through Simon’s protectiveness. As though I needed his approval. But I did, didn’t I? I had married him and become a team.
Zee snorted and then eyed me and said, “I guess you aren’t pregnant then.”
I scowled and then said, “What does that have to do with it?”
Zee’s mean snort was all the answer she gave, but I knew what she meant. She rose and said, “I asked around. Jordy’s aunt and cousin live near Silver Falls but towards Neskowin. His sister lives here too. She works at the sushi place.”
I grinned and then said, “So tuna rolls for…late afternoon?”
Zee scowled in reply, and I winked at her as we set up the cage for the parrots in Simon’s office. It was at the front of the house as far as I could get it from our bedroom. We would be able to shut the door to keep out the cat and the dogs. Putting the cage together took way too long.
I was anxious that we hadn’t tracked Hank down. I didn’t believe he’d have killed Jordy, but we needed to talk to him and find out what had happened. We needed a base of questions to start with. Also, he needed to get whatever his reaction was going to be out before he saw his wife.
“You keeping the birds?” Zee asked after we’d situated them. She led the way to her muscle car. I scowled at it before I climbed inside and strapped on my seatbelt. I already felt ill after those stupid birds and now she roared down our country road, heading towards the docks in Silver Falls.
“I don’t think I’m a parrot person,” I told her. “I’ve been reading about them. They seem to be a more interesting pet than I’d have realized, but they’re also loud.”
“Who do you think killed Jordy?” Zee jumped subjects so quickly I wasn’t prepared.
I took in a breath, froze a little, and then admitted, “I don’t know. Jane doesn’t know about Addison and the girls and why Shane hates Jordy. All Jane knows was that Shane attacked him. Jane didn’t even seem to remember that when she’d seen Jordy’s body. She just jumped ahead to ‘what ifs’ with Hank.”
“Well yeah,” Zee said with her usual mean tone. “Jane told Hank about Jordy and then Hank was furious. She has to be thinking that if she’d said nothing that Hank wouldn’t be in trouble.”
“Hank didn’t kill Jordy.” The truth was I wasn’t close to Hank like I was to Jane. I couldn’t say it with the same confidence. I just wanted to believe he was innocent. I wanted to believe that both Jane and Hank had nothing to do with this death, that their marriage would recover, that forgiveness and repentance was possible.
I wanted to believe that little J.J. would realize how lucky he was to have Hank and not be damaged by losing the dad he’d never known. I wanted to believe that J.J. would become close to Addison’s girls and that everyone who deserved to be inn
ocent would be. I frowned. More than once I’d seen someone I liked arrested for murder. Not this time, I prayed.
With Zee’s driving it didn’t take long for us to pull up to the docks. When we reached it, I almost wanted to drop to my knees and kiss the ground.
I hadn’t ever been here, but Zee knew where to go. I followed her down the pier. Zee walked right onto the boat and called out to Hank. He came out scowling when she called his name.
“If you’re here to give me additional crap about how I’m a terrible human being, a terrible husband, a terrible father, save it. I didn’t expect to love the guy who slept with my wife, but…”
Zee snorted meanly, cutting him off and then said, “So you didn’t cheat on her too? Was your partner a preacher’s daughter? Some saint? A person who, when she wasn’t sleeping with a married man spent the rest of her time in community service? Or rocking orphaned babies?”
A curse was Hank’s reply.
“Look,” Zee said, “We don’t really care if Jordy was a jerk. I’m going to point out some hard truths.”
Hank would have thrown her off his boat if she were anyone else, and if looks could kill…she’d be falling dead on the deck. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest and waited.
“You chose to be a fisherman. Which is a job you love, and I understand it. But you weren’t a great husband in the early years. You were gone a lot, and Jane was doing all the parenting, going to medical school, and then later, working while doing everything that your kids needed. Those are choices that led to this shamble of a marriage.”
Hank started to reply, but Zee held up her hand.
“You both cheated on each other. Jane got pregnant, but you were both lying to each other. This isn’t the story of Jane the villain and Hank the victim. Don’t lie to yourself.”
Hank looked aside and I flinched for him.
“Jane made a bad choice in who she slept with. I’ve talked to her about it, and the truth is—Jordy was a short-term lover who came along when she was in a dark place. And lucky for you. If you really love Jane—because if her partner hadn’t been a nasty piece of work like Jordy, she might have left you. Remember something Hank, Jane could have easily found someone who would have treated her well.”
Hank’s mouth twisted.
Zee said, “Do you love Jane? Because the next hard truth is that Jane is beautiful and successful. She still can find a partner who treats her right. Maybe better than you do.”
“I love her.” Hank met Zee’s gaze when he said it, and it was forceful enough that there wasn’t any doubt.
“And Jane loves you.”
Zee’s gentleness was always more powerful than her meanness because she was rarely gentle.
“Jane wouldn’t have worked so hard to keep her mistake from you if she didn’t love you. Jane isn’t weak. If she’d fallen out of love, she’d have told you and moved on. She doesn’t need you to care for herself. She isn’t one of those women who can’t stand to be alone. She can’t be. Not while she’s alone all the time because of what you do.”
Hank scowled and then muttered, “Damn it.”
He set off Zee’s meanness as she pointed out, “You could have fished out of Silver Falls, you know. People do. You could have compromised.”
Hank’s reply was a growl.
“But you didn’t because you make more fishing up in Alaska. It lets you compete better with Jane even though all she wanted was for you to be happy. You like those long spurts of not being a family man. The freedom from the kids, the ability to have both.”
Hank cursed again and I decided enough was enough. We weren’t here to point out how his marriage had gotten so messed up or to scold him into being a better husband.
“Where have you been since you left the diner?”
Hank frowned and said, “You mean since I yelled at Jane and then drove off? Why? You planning on trying to force me into thinking everything is a-ok? That guy is terrible, and I’m not going to get over the fact of what he is. The last thing I want to do is introduce that jerk to my boy.”
“Was,” I corrected. “Where did you go? What did you do?”
Hank frowned at me, and the look of utter bafflement on his face answered my major question. He had nothing to do with Jordy’s death.
Zee sighed and I glanced over. She looked as relieved as I felt.
“What?” Hank demanded, glancing between us.
“Where’d you go today?” Zee snapped meanly.
Hank’s jaw tightened and confusion crossed his face but he answered. “I yelled at Jane and said terrible things. I assume you know given your presence. Then I walked down to Tom’s Bar. I had a beer or two. I decided to come work on the boat until the boys are done with school today. I intended to pick them up, take them down here, and spend a few days on the ocean until Jane gets this guy sorted down.”
“You were going to leave her to deal with Jordy alone?” Zee’s disgust made Hank flinch.
“I don’t know! I’m just so angry.” He cursed again and then said, “I’ll be…look…That man isn’t going to just show up at our house or J.J.’s ballgame…and…and…just introduce himself.”
“Did anyone see you after you left Tom’s?”
Hank frowned. “Did something happen to Jordy? If someone keyed his car or beat him up, it wasn’t me. Why are you here. I don’t care what crap he might be saying about me. I didn’t lash out at him, I lashed out at Jane. I yelled at the woman I love instead. I’m sure someone saw it, since I was brilliant enough to shout at her on the sidewalk.”
The boat was rocking beneath our feet and the drizzle of the day was making it seem as though we were in a bath, being lightly-sprayed. The seagulls called overhead, the sun was hidden by clouds, and Hank’s demand warmed me, denying the cool, wet day its hold.
“He’s dead, Hank. Someone killed Jordy by the dog shelter and Jane asked us to clear you and help find the killer.”
“She thinks I did it?” Hank looked sick. “I…I know I shouldn’t have yelled at her like that, but…”
“No,” Zee agreed, “You shouldn’t have. You can’t make her the villain when you were doing the same stuff.”
“I do love her,” Hank said fervently. “Does she really think it was me?”
Zee shook her head and told him, “She doesn’t. She wants you cleared so you can move on with your life. But if you want her, you need to make her feel your love.”
Hank nodded and then said, “What can I do to help?”
“Stay out of it,” I told him, recognizing the bitter irony of that statement coming from me. “It’s bad enough that Zee and I are involved. Too many fingers prying around, it’ll cause an even bigger problem.”
“I’ve never been so glad my best friend is a cop,” Hank said. “I…” His face cleared and he picked me up, squeezing tight, making me gag a little and then he said, “I don’t care if it makes me sub-human. Jane loves me. My boy is safe. I’m glad Jordy is dead.”
His death made J.J. safe. Had Addison been protecting the children she loved? Or Shane? What did Addison and Geoff plan to do about Jordy being in town? They must have panicked.
Chapter 7
“Where does the sister live?”
I felt more sick after getting off the boat. Perhaps the hefty breakfast after weeks of tropical fruit bowls had been a mistake? Especially when Zee drove the way she did. She started her muscle car, revving the engine, and I whimpered a little, pressing my hand against my stomach.
“You think we should head to the aunt’s? I can figure out where she lives…”
“I don’t know a lot about siblings,” I admitted. “But you do. Would you or your aunt be more likely to know if there was shady stuff about your sibling?”
Zee stretched out her neck as she thought and then said, “Well, you’ve met my family. They’re…interesting and a little evil…but if I were living in town with my sibling? Would I know if they were up to something? I’d have an idea.”
Zee drove to the little sushi restaurant where Jordy’s sister worked. The idea of raw fish made my stomach roll. A tuna roll with spicy mayo had sounded so good before we’d been bouncing around on the ocean and hurling through the town. I guessed I’d be having miso instead. Probably a better choice after the loaded breakfast I’d had anyway. Look at me, being healthy.
Zee asked for Hilary Gregory as we went inside and the hostess hesitated and then nodded. We were seated at the back of the restaurant and the girl who came out wasn’t a waitress which was just what I imagined when I’d heard she worked. She was one of the sushi chefs and her head cocked inquisitively as she sat down across from us.
“Do I know you?”
I shook my head but Zee said, “I knew your mother.”
Of course she did.
Hilary frowned. “She died a while ago.”
“She did,” Zee said. “It took me a bit to realize when I’d heard your name. But you have her eyes. The second I saw those I remembered.”
I looked at her eyes. They were the sort of dark green that seemed impossible until you saw them and then realized she had emerald green eyes
“So…” Hilary started and then waited with her brows up.
I glanced at her and realized she didn’t seem upset. Simon and Carver hadn’t realized that Jordy had family in town. I wasn’t going to tell her. I hated myself, but it would be easier to find out what she knew if she didn’t know.
“We’re friends of Jane Murdock. Do you know her?”
Hilary shook her head slowly and then I tried, “What about Addison Jones?”
Hilary glanced aside and then gestured to the waitress. She ordered food for all of us, and my stomach rolled at the thought of it. This was karma.
She turned. “Yeah. I know Addy. She dated my brother before he moved away. Why?”
“When I was in high school, Addy was a big sister to me. We…well…when they broke up. Addy made some major changes, and I got left behind.”