Smoke and I looked at each other then back at Edberg. He paused for a second and lifted his palms. “Hey, I’m interested in a lot of things. Anyway, he showed me around his operation. But I couldn’t get him to say much about himself. And I didn’t want to push it too far to raise suspicions. But I used the visit to his farm as an in when I stopped at a few more homes in the area, and talked to the folks there. I think all I did was make Mister Lionel curious about the value of his property.”
“Why is that?” Smoke asked.
“He paid a visit to a realtor in Wellspring. The guy operates out of small office in town. A Waldo ‘Champ’ Champion.” Edberg had the point of his pen stuck in his pad.
I leaned over and read the name myself to confirm I had heard him correctly, “Champ?”
“Damn.” Smoke tapped his desk.
The realtor’s name brought me to my feet. “Champ,” I repeated.
Edberg smiled. “Yup. A coincidence? Maybe, maybe not.”
“It just so happens I sent a department-wide email this morning, asking if anyone had heard of Champ and Fletch, those two guys Martin named,” Smoke said.
Edberg nodded. “Good. I haven’t checked my emails yet today.”
“How long was he with this Champ?” I asked.
“A long time.” He consulted his notes. “From nine ten to ten twelve. Just over an hour.”
I jotted that on my memo pad. “That is a long time for a guy who isn’t exactly chatty. I’m talking about Kevin Lionel here. And I doubt Lionel would be looking to sell the farm that he was born on, and then later bought from his folks,” I said.
“It’d be good to dig into Champ’s life and activities,” Edberg said.
Smoke and I both nodded. “There might be a connection between the two of them that has nothing to do with real estate,” he said.
“And my gut’s been telling me that something is off with Kevin Lionel,” I said.
“Maybe I should pay a visit to Champion, tell him Fletch sent me. See if he offers to find me a wife for the right price,” Edberg said.
Smoke rubbed his chin while he thought. “You could use a wife, Bob.”
“An ornery old cuss like me? You’re probably right. The only way I’d find someone to put up with me is if I paid lots and lots of money.”
“Hey, guys, before you get all distracted swapping stories, and ideas on how to change your marital status, let’s refocus here. We may have actually caught a break,” I said.
Edberg cleared his throat and Smoke lifted the left side of his lips, deepening his dimple then nodded.
I went on, “According to Martin Geiger, there is a man who goes by ‘Champ’ who finds wives from other countries for men. And there’s Kevin Lionel, whose wife—but not in the legal sense, his live-in partner—left him about a year ago.
“So he’s probably lonely, looking for another wife. But he’s not sure how, and then he hears about Champ’s operation and makes an appointment to see him. In the meantime, he finds a body in his woods and suddenly he’s in the limelight. Not the place he wants to be. Winnebago County is all over him, stopping by, asking questions. He doesn’t know the victim, but he is feeling a tad bit guilty because he’s engaged in underground activities with Champ.”
Edberg jabbed his pen into his notepad. “You may be onto something there. Next step, Detective?”
“We’d need a warrant to look at their phone records, which we’d never get based on third party hearsay evidence, and a farmer’s visit to a real estate office. First Amendment rights, and all that. We need a whole lot more information. After we do some digging, if it looks like this Champ is the Champ we’re looking for, then Bob, that’d be the time to show up at his office and tell him Fletch sent you. If he looks at you like you’ve lost your marbles, and he has no idea what you’re talking about, you can always cover by saying you thought he must have known Fletch because he recommended him as a realtor,” Smoke said.
“Makes sense. You want me to keep a tail on Lionel for a while?” Edberg said.
Smoke shook his head. “Nah, I’d say drop that for now. What do you think, Corky?”
“I agree. I think finding out about Champ’s activities is more important. I’ve been planning to pay another visit to Kevin Lionel, anyway. I’ll see what transpires when I do. ”
“Sounds like a plan,” Smoke said.
Edberg stood, pulled off his readers, and gathered his things. “All righty then. I’ll see what I can shake down over in Wellspring.”
“Thanks, Bob,” I said. After giving a small wave, he was gone. “I am feeling cautiously optimistic about Champ.”
“We’ll see what Bob finds out.”
“Smoke, about the other matter, it’s time to take a closer look at the Huebers.”
Smoke gave his forehead a mild bop. “That reminds me that you wanted me to unofficially, officially, talk to the schools. I need to write everything down. Sorry about that. We’ve been juggling a lot of balls around here lately.”
“No need to apologize.” I gave him Sara’s latest update and told him my plans for Saturday night.
“I’m not so sure that’s the best idea.”
“Smoke, I’ll be staying overnight at my friend’s house. If I happen to get up in the middle of the night, and notice unusual activity going on in plain sight at the neighbor’s house, and watch for a while, that would be perfectly understandable. That would give me a reason to knock on the Hueber’s, tell them what I saw, and that I was concerned about their son. Ask if they need some kind of help.”
“And if they slam the door in your face?”
“I’ll take it from there. We’d probably bring in Social Services. They’re constantly involved in all kinds of family situations, and have access to any number of resources, depending on what’s going on.”
“That’d be a logical next step.”
“I’m writing up a complaint based on Sara’s observations and concerns. And what I witnessed when I was there late last Friday night. I’ll run it by the sheriff.”
“Good. The Hueber boy, you think he’s about twelve?”
“I’d say so.”
“We have four elementary schools, but just the one middle school here in Oak Lea, correct?”
“Correct.”
“Any idea which one the Hueber girl goes to?” he said.
“I didn’t follow the bus, but most likely it’s Northwoods.”
“That’d make sense, unless they have her in the parochial school.” There was one private Catholic school in town.
“Well then, should we divide and conquer?”
“What’d you have in mind?” he said.
“I’ll check the elementary schools, and you check the middle school. The family has been in town for four years, and has lived in the same neighborhood. There are things to consider, like just because Sara has never seen the boy outside, doesn’t mean he hasn’t been. She’s only seen the little girl a couple of times, after all. Sara works long days, and is often gone on the weekends. The first she knew of a boy in that family was when she spotted him up cleaning the kitchen in the wee hours,” I said.
“Like you said, the whole thing is odd. Not normal. It’s a fact that too many kids nowadays spend their lives indoors, playing video games, or whatever they do. Since Sara saw him for the first time last week, it could be he’s going through a phase where he can’t sleep and likes to clean. I wonder if he’s for hire?” Smoke’s face cracked into a smile.
I reached over and gave his hand a mild slap. “You’re forgetting about child labor laws.”
“I guess I am. We’ve got a plan, then?”
“Sure. I’ll visit Northwoods, see if the little Hueber girl goes there, and if her brother is a former student. And you’ll check out the middle school?”
“I will.”
“Later on, I’ll stop by Kevin Lionel’s house, show him the computer image of Maisa Doe. Even if he’s seen it in one of the papers, I’d like another face to f
ace with him.”
“Are you sure it’s not the buck scent that’s drawing you back to him?”
I mouthed a silent, “eew,” then said, “Not my favorite perfume.” I stood up to leave. “I’ll let you know what I find out.”
Smoke moved a sheet of paper to one of the many stacks on his desk. “I’ll do the same.”
12
The sheriff was on board for proceeding with the Hueber investigation, so I headed to Northwoods Elementary. It was the newest of the schools in Oak Lea, built six years before to accommodate the growing population. The north part of the name was more accurate than the woods part. It was on the north side of town, and there was a grouping of trees on the west side of the property.
When I entered the school, the front desk receptionist, a young woman named Audrey, shot me a look that made me wonder if she thought I was there to arrest her. I smiled as a gesture to ease her concerns.
“Can I help you?” She looked at my badge. “Sergeant?”
“Good morning, Audrey. I’m wondering if the principal is available.”
She glanced at the phone sitting on the desk in front of her. “Missus Delavan is on the phone right now, but I’ll go tell her you’re here.” Her voice was a little shaky.
“You know what, let’s give her time to finish her conversation. I can wait.”
“Are you sure? It’s not an emergency, or anything?”
“I’m sure. And it’s not an emergency. I have a question about a student is all.”
Her worried expression relaxed. “Okay, well why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll tell you as soon as she’s off the phone.”
“Thanks.” I sat down in one of the four chairs in the small reception area, pulled out my memo pad, and flipped to my notes on the Huebers—even though I had memorized everything I knew about them. But I read over it anyway, hoping something new would jump out at me.
“Sergeant?” I almost missed Audrey’s meek request for my attention. “Missus Delavan is off the phone. I’ll tell her you’re here.”
“Great, thanks.”
After a few seconds’ conversation, Audrey told me she was free to see me. “Go right through that door.” She pointed at the one marked “Shelby Delavan, Principal.”
Mrs. Delavan came out to meet me. We exchanged introductions then she escorted me to her office. “Have a seat. Please.” Delavan was new since my last visit to Northwoods. She was tall, willowy, and on the plain side, but didn’t bother with makeup to enhance her looks. I guessed she was in her late thirties. “Sorry to keep you waiting. It’s one of those days.”
“Not a problem.”
“So what can I do for you, Sergeant Aleckson?” She sucked in a breath of air as she sat down.
I tried to downplay the nature of the investigation. “There’s a family who moved here from another state a few years ago, and we’re trying to verify some information.”
“The name?”
“Hueber. Parents are Curtis and Anita. I believe their children attend school here.”
“Hueber, yes. I was hired to fill the vacant principal’s position in July, but I taught here before that. In fact, I was Emma Hueber’s third grade teacher last year.”
“You were?” I was talking to the right person.
“But she’s an only child.”
“Really?”
“Did you think there were others? You said Hueber children.”
“I didn’t know one way, or the other.” I pulled a pen from my pocket and jotted Emma’s name down while I thought of my next question. “And Emma has been attending this school for the past four years?”
“I believe she came here in first grade. Let me look.” Delavan got up, went to the row of file cabinets in the back of her office, and pulled a drawer open. She started toward the back of the drawer and fingered through it until she located the one she needed. She picked up the file and balanced it on her left hand while she opened it with her right. “Yes, according to our records, she was home-schooled in kindergarten, and started here in first grade.”
“Home-schooled. Not a transfer from another state?”
“Another state? That’s right, you said they had moved here a few years ago.” She studied it for a bit. “It says she was born in Minnesota.”
Born in Minnesota. I wasn’t sure what to say, or what other questions to ask. I needed to do more digging. “Okay. Would you describe Emma as an outgoing girl?”
She laughed. “Emma? No, she is quiet, serious. One of those kids who is so obedient it makes you wonder why. Studious. She’s very sweet, but doesn’t socialize much. She’d rather watch kids go down the slide than do it herself. Cautious.”
“I guess you get to know kids pretty well when you spend five days a week with them for nine months.”
She smiled broadly. “You certainly do. Well, I hope the family isn’t in any kind of trouble.”
“Just trying to iron out some things for them, like verifying their daughter is in school here, that sort of thing. But it’s nothing to concern her teacher, or other staff, about. That’s why I’m talking to you.”
“I understand. And I won’t say a thing about it, of course.”
I got up and handed her my business card. “Appreciate it. And thanks for the work you do with kids.”
“You’re welcome. And you stay safe out there, Sergeant.”
I always tried to follow the advice of teachers.
I phoned Smoke to tell him what I’d learned, and that the likelihood of finding the Hueber boy enrolled in the middle school was remote. He agreed, but decided to follow up, anyway. He phoned me later that afternoon. “You were right, no Hueber boy or girl is enrolled in the Oak Lea Middle School. Or any foster kid living with parents of that name attending school there, either.”
“It was worth checking, in case.”
“You said three years ago, when Emma Hueber enrolled in first grade, that she was listed as an only child. Maybe the boy was adopted, or came in as a foster child more recently.”
“Or possibly is a relative, which is why he’s not in the Winnebago County foster program.”
“That’s right. Okay, so that leaves us with either an adoption, or the relative aspect.”
“I don’t know, Emma surely looks like the cleaning boy at her house.”
“You’ll be observing from Sara’s house Saturday night. Depending on what you see, and what you have so far, that’d be the time for a knock on their door.”
“I agree.”
“On our other deal—I found out I shoulda sent out that email right after we’d talked to Martin Geiger.”
“Really, why’s that?”
“Ortiz got back to me. You know, he lives in rural Allandale. Gerald Township to be precise. Anyway, back a few years ago, when he got hired by Winnebago County, he and his wife were looking to buy a place. And real estate is cheaper the farther west in the county you go.”
“Unless you’re looking at lakeshore.”
“Sure. So they drove around the area and stopped at a couple of real estate agencies. Mister Champion’s was the first one. Ortiz said Champ was friendly at first, and then when he told Champ he was relocating because he got a job as a deputy with the sheriff’s department, Ortiz said Champ sort of tensed up, in his opinion.
“But Champ took their information, got a general idea of what they were looking for, and told him he’d check through his listings, and get back to him. Ortiz thought it was a little odd. He had expected Champ to show them whatever properties he had on the market right then and there. Then a few days after that, Champ called to say he didn’t have anything suitable for their needs, but would keep looking. By then they’d found a guy in Allandale they were working with, and said thanks, but, no thanks.”
“That was it? Ortiz had no more contact?”
“Nope, just the once. Out of curiosity, I looked up Champ’s business and discovered there have been no calls for service from the sheriff’s department there at all.”
“Which is why he wasn’t on our radar.”
“Add to that the fact he’s off the beaten path, and doesn’t seem to do much of anything to attract attention to his business. Just one little ad in the professional section of the Wellspring newspaper. I told Edberg I’d go ahead and check on Champ’s real estate license, save him that one step.”
“Have you?”
“Yup. Waldo Champion passed his state boards four years ago, and registered a sole proprietorship business with the Minnesota Secretary of State a short time later, after he’d bought a small, existing real estate business.”
“He’s been there four years. So that part of it is legitimate, anyway.”
“It appears so.”
“Did you check on the property sales he’s had over the years?”
“I have not, but I’ll make sure it gets done.”
“I’d be interested in what that shows.” I turned north on Quinton Avenue. “Well, I’m almost at Kevin Lionel’s place so I’ll talk to you later.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
Kevin Lionel didn’t answer the door right away. I was about to head to the barn when I heard movement inside, and rang the bell a second time. When he opened the door, instead of inviting me in, he joined me on the stoop instead.
“Place is kind of a mess,” he said.
“I don’t mind.”
“I was just on my way to the barn for evening chores, before it gets dark.”
“I only need a minute of your time.” I pulled the computer image of Maisa from my pocket and handed it to Lionel. “The medical examiner’s office did this so we’d have an idea of what our victim might look like if she weighed forty more pounds. That would put her at one-twenty. The doctors told me her face wouldn’t change much if she weighed ten more pounds, or ten less pounds. Even twenty pounds.”
A Death in Lionel's Woods Page 16