“No, this was stuffed, and now I’m stuffed.” He smiled. “Anyway, the one link between Harvey and Santino was a man named Donovan. He was Harvey’s partner initially. Three months ago, he vanished. I half suspected something had happened to him. An accident of some sorts.”
“Didn’t you put in a missing person’s report?” Nora asked.
“Harvey slipped out of my fingers again,” Sean said. “He showed me an email from Donovan, saying that he was bored of Wyoming, and was going to go find his fortune in another state. Harvey had been renting Donovan a place to stay, so there was no landlord I could follow up with. No family either. I couldn’t do anything.”
Sean frowned. “Thing is, though… Donovan seems to have just vanished off the face of the earth. His credit cards, his car… they’re all still parked at the place he was renting from Harvey. He hasn’t even packed his clothes. Suspicious, isn’t it?”
“Did you try and trace the email?” Nora asked.
“We did.” Sean nodded. “It came from Donovan’s own laptop, which he conveniently left behind. Harvey claims that Donovan probably wrote that email, and then skipped out of town. I find it really hard to believe, though.”
“He might have,” Nora said. “Especially if Donovan thought he was in trouble with Santino.”
“Sure,” Sean said. “But there’s something else, you see. Donovan never even rented a car. Believe me, if he’d done so in the state of Wyoming, I would have known it. He hasn’t left town, unless some UFO magically scooped him up.”
“You can’t be confident,” Nora said. “He might have made arrangements for someone else to pick him up.”
Sean shrugged. “If you ask me, there’s not much I can do because nobody has filed a missing report. As a cop, my guess is that Donovan is dead, and there’s a strong possibility that Harvey had a hand in it.”
“You can’t be serious!” Nora said.
“Sure I’m serious. You would be too, if you saw it from my point of view. Suddenly, Raquel’s died, Santino’s getting aggressive and Harvey’s vanished,” Sean said.
“Vanished?”
“He hasn’t left a note behind the way Donovan did, but Ashley says he’s been gone since yesterday afternoon. You’re the only one who’s met him. I’ve got my instincts, Nora, and they tell me I’m close to catching him.”
“You think…” Nora’s throat seemed to close around her words. “You think he was responsible for Raquel’s...”
“The official line is still that a vagrant did it,” Sean said, his sheriff’s mask coming on again. “But of course, we haven’t ruled out the theory that it was someone she knew.”
“It can’t be Harvey,” Nora said. “He was with me, remember? The night we had the accident.”
“A perfect alibi,” the sheriff said. “He has you, Raquel’s closest friend, as a witness. He has the paramedics as witnesses. He has me as a witness even. No way that he was near the diner when Raquel…” He paused, to observe Nora’s face, which was slowly crumbling.
“…when Raquel was murdered,” Nora said.
“Right,” Sean said. “Except...”
“Except what?”
“Except sometime the man who pulls a trigger isn’t necessarily the murderer. Sometimes, it can be the man who’s ordered the trigger pulled.”
“You’re saying Harvey had a hit on her, then planned his alibi?” Nora said.
“His car had an accident because someone had set a nail strip on the road. I know that play, it’s very much Santino’s style,” the sheriff said. “But then again, no one knew he was going to use that road, did they? So how did they set the trap?” He pushed his cup aside and looked at Nora.
Nora thought she might know the answer to that. If Harvey was being followed by Santino’s men, it would be easy enough to set that trap. “Sean, you’re… this is all too fantastic,” Nora said, putting a hand to her forehead.
“Is it?” Sean’s voice was hard. “Or has he seduced you into believing his innocence?”
“I can believe he’s broken the laws for his business,” Nora said. “I might even believe he isn’t all that he says he is. But I cannot believe he’s a murderer. I would have known. I just… his eyes didn’t lie, Sean.”
“So you’d like to believe,” Sean said. “Nora, he’s no good. I’ve known it since the day he walked into town. The day he tried to convince an old, ailing man that he was his son.”
“You’re trying to hide it, Sean, but you know you’re biased,” Nora said. “You hate Harvey, and it’s coloring your perception of him.”
“Hate him?” Sean scoffed. “Why would I?”
“You know why as well as I do,” Nora said. “That old ailing rancher you were talking about was your father, wasn’t he? Old rancher Dracon. Harvey is your step brother and you aren’t ready to accept it.”
Sean swept his hat off the counter, and placed it on his head. His eyes darkened and sparked. “Watch it, Nora.”
“Come on, Sean, maybe the rest of the town hasn’t guessed, because Harvey’s far too proud to tell them. But I guess I can connect the dots. Harvey came to your father, asking to be accepted, and he was thrown out on the street.”
“As he deserved!” Sean growled. “He’s no brother of mine! My father was a saint!”
“Even saints can sin occasionally,” Nora said. “Maybe your father made a mistake once in his life, and that mistake came back to haunt him.”
“There was no mistake. Harvey is not my step brother. He’s just a scam artist who my father refused to give money to. That’s all!” Sean said.
“Is that all?” Nora asked. “Or are you in denial? Harvey never got any money from your father, did he? So why did he choose to stick around? Why did he choose to build a business here, where it would be ten times more difficult than in a bigger city, especially since he didn’t know anyone?”
Sean didn’t say anything.
“I think you know why,” Nora said. “Harvey longed to be accepted by your father, and he was trying his hardest to prove that he was a worthy son. Only, tragically, your father died before he could achieve what he wanted.”
Sean’s nostrils flared, and he turned his head away, as if he couldn’t bear to hear this.
“Perhaps your father would have admitted to it, eventually,” Nora said. “At least that’s what Harvey always hoped. Now, I don’t know if it’s because his business grew, or because he wants to rub his presence in your face, or perhaps both, but Harvey’s determined to stay in Milburn forever.” She took a deep breath. “And you, Sean, seem determined to throw him out!”
“This is rubbish,” Sean said, his voice acidic. “It’s nonsense!”
“Is it?” Nora asked. She looked up at him, but he refused to meet her gaze.
“All I know is, if you spread rumors about me or my family…” Sean threatened.
“I’m not in the business of spreading rumors,” Nora said. “Unlike you, Sean.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sean asked, marching up to her, his eyes on fire now.
“You know what it’s supposed to mean,” Nora said, feeling thoroughly angry at him. “I’ve known you since high school. Everyone else thinks you’re just a perfect all American boy, but I remember what happened with Alan even if everyone else chose to forget. You and your girlfriend nearly ruined his life with the rumors you spread.”
“I wasn’t…” Sean pulled off his hat then put it on again. “No. I refuse to waste time talking about it. You’re just defensive about Harvey, so you’re attacking me. You’re angry right now, but you’ll see soon enough that he’s just as crooked as I think he is. In the meanwhile, Nora, I’m warning you officially. Don’t get more involved than you are already. It could spell real trouble for you.”
“For me?”
“Everyone in town knows how you’ve benefited from Raquel’s will,” Sean said. “Just reminding you.”
Nora turned pale. “I’m a trustee, Sean,” she said. “I’m not
going to benefit.”
“Sure.” Sean nodded. “Just keep saying that, and maybe eventually we’ll believe you.”
*****
Chapter 18
Alan
Nora found herself sitting at the counter, staring blankly into space, long after Sean had left.
“It wasn’t his fault, you know,” Mrs. Mullally said, peeking out from the door.
Nora, who had been ruminating over a cup of tea when the sheriff left, started as Mrs. Mullally entered from the kitchen door. Her landlady placed a fresh bowl of water for Maynard, who happily gulped it down, wagging his tail enthusiastically.
“I’ve got a bad habit of listening in when I’m not wanted,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Some’d be more ashamed of it, but personally I think curiosity is what keeps me fresh and peppy even at my age.”
“Why, you’re no older than this puppy,” Nora said, scooping Maynard up and planting a few kisses on his snout. “What did you overhear?”
“Everything, more or less,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Not that I was too happy to hear about Harvey visiting you, or the men who kept watch on the house last night.”
Nora felt abashed. “Mrs. M…”
“Don’t Mrs. M me,” Mrs. Mullally said. “This is dangerous business, Nora, and I wouldn’t want you hurt.” She spoke with the strictness of an aunt reprimanding a child. Nora felt rather like a six year old who’d been caught breaking a vase.
“Harvey’s no murderer,” Nora said. “I feel it in every pore of me. He’s… an enigma, yes, and he’s capable of… well, he’s selfish, let’s say. But not evil. I know it’s foolish but I saw it in his eyes.”
“Maybe,” Mrs. Mullally said. “But a man may be honest in his girlfriend’s arms, and yet a cheat and a murderer all the same. He may honestly have feelings for you Nora, and so his eyes felt true. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t capable of committing a crime.”
“Mrs. M…”
“No, you listen to me. I’ve known Harvey since the day he came to town. He rented your very room before he got rich.”
“He did?” Nora said, wondering. “He never mentioned that!”
“Funny that he didn’t,” Mrs. Mullally said. “He lived there a good two years, while he was setting up his business. Now, I don’t think he’s a murderer either. But Sean was right that he was mixed up in some funny business. Sometimes these businesses take on a life of their own. Then they end up taking someone else’s life.”
Nora nodded. “You don’t think he’s capable of murder, but you think the situation might have gotten out of control for him.”
“Exactly,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Sean on the other hand, does have a bit of a grudge like you said, so he’s more apt to believe that Harvey’s out and out evil.”
“Sean’s going to muddle up the investigation if he lets his personal feelings get in the way,” Nora said heatedly. “He should be out looking for whoever murdered Raquel not… not going on a witch hunt.”
“A witch hunt.” Mrs. Mullally mulled over the word.
“You could almost say that’s what happened to Alan, didn’t it?” Nora asked. “Sean and his gang were merciless. Raquel never seemed to care about it, but god, I hated how they treated poor Alan.”
“Remind me again, who Alan was,” Mrs. Mullally said. “I taught that high school for thirty years. Events have a way of muddling up for me.”
“Alan was a sweet boy,” Nora said. “He was a bit slow, and a bit snoopy, but basically he was a sweet boy. I was never part of the popular crowd, but I wasn’t quite as low on the totem pole as him either. I suppose being friends with Raquel insulated me from ever being bullied. Alan on the other hand, with his buck teeth and his thick glasses, was a prime target. He’d always been a scapegoat, but in senior year, it was particularly terrible. He made Sean angry somehow, and he and his friends teased Alan relentlessly, like a pack of wolves hunting down a deer. They were arrogant jocks, all of them - Sean, Jeremy, David - joined in on calling Alan “Alien”.”
“Raquel was part of that gang too, wasn’t she?” Mrs. Mullally asked.
“No, this was after she broke up with Jeremy. Raquel kept to herself after that, or hung out with me. She didn’t want to be around them. The wound was too fresh,” Nora said. “I suppose I was angry enough at that whole group myself, but seeing the way Sean and his friends made life absolutely hellacious for Alan certainly didn’t make me any fonder of them. They would keep teasing him about the silliest things. They made fun of his ears for sticking out, they made fun of the way he walked, the clothes he wore. They even spread rumors about him.”
“What rumors?”
“That Alan was crazy and had tried to kill one of their girlfriends. It was just vicious, ugly gossip, all because Alan had a falling out with some girl. Do you remember how it all turned out?”
“I’m afraid I don’t.” Mrs. Mullally frowned. “Why it doesn’t sound like Sean at all, to tease the boy so. Sean was one of the good guys in my class. I remember him always being the type to help people not harm them. He even spent a few hours a week as a tutor to some of my less fortunate students. Surely, it was his friends and not him who teased Alan.”
“He was the ringleader,” Nora said firmly. “It’s why I’ve never been able to trust him.”
“Are you sure?” Mrs. Mullally asked.
“Very,” Nora said. “He’s got a streak of cruelty in him, hidden beneath the niceness. He won’t ever be cruel to someone just for the sake of it, but his cruelty comes out when he’s convinced that someone’s in the wrong. When he wants revenge, Sean is capable of being a monster.”
Mrs. Mullally thought this over. “I wouldn’t know. It’s a puzzle why I don’t remember this boy at all. What happened to him in the end?”
“He ran away,” Nora said. “Ran away and no one ever found him. Maybe it was his life at home that was bad, but I’m convinced it was also the teasing. The final incident was probably too much for him to bear. Sean and his gang stuck up giant papier-mache ears on his locker door, and humiliated him.”
“The Ear Boy!” Nodding her head, Mrs Mullally suddenly nodded. “I remember now. A shy sort of boy with a lot of interest in chemistry. He graduated, but just never collected his degree. I just assumed he ran away to a big city, and maybe got himself a job somewhere. Nora, maybe you’re making too much out of it. Alan probably just… drifted out of town, the way people tend to do. I remember him better now. Why, he was at the funeral!”
“What funeral?”
“When Principal Fuller died. This was right before you came back. Oh, you missed the funeral by a week, I think. But Alan was there. He came and made a speech about how Principal Fuller was a great man, who had always inspired him. He said he was now working as a teacher himself, teaching Chemistry in Michigan.”
“Well, I guess he turned out all right,” Nora said. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“See? No harm done,” Mrs. Mullally said. “Sean isn’t as bad as you think.”
“My point is that Sean is the kind of guy who can be a bully when it suits him, or when he’s convinced someone is in the wrong. When Sean was convinced Alan was a bad guy, he was a downright bully to him. I think he’s being the same way with Harvey right now.”
“I’m not so sure,” Mrs Mullally said. “It sounds to me like the only one who’s letting their emotions cloud their judgement is you.” Seeing Nora’s angry face, she hastily added, “But you might be right. Maybe Sean is focusing in the wrong spots. Maybe the sheriff’s so busy convinced that Raquel was murdered by Santino or Harvey, that he’s forgotten to look closer to home.”
“Exactly,” Nora said. “Mrs. Mullally, I think it’s time for me to pay a visit to Raquel’s family.”
*****
Chapter 19
The Cult of Personality
Nora’s car was a spectacular waste, and yet she couldn’t help but be fond of it. A manual 1995 Camry, with three owners before her, it was a dirty white on the outside wit
h neon green faux leather on the inside that had been mysteriously patched over in places with pieces of denim torn right from jeans.
As she drove the ten miles to the ranch where Raquel’s parents now lived with the other cult members, Nora thought back to when she had first driven into town three months ago after ten years of being away. Home was supposed to be a place of simple love and happiness. Home was supposed to be where you were welcomed with friendly faces and open arms.
So where was home? Where was she now?
A flood of memories seemed to rush out of her, and combined with the sight of the snow-capped Tetons leaning over unending green meadows, compelled her to pull the car over. She got out and leaned against the door, unconsciously mimicking the proud mountains.
Nora had been 18 when her parents died in the kind of freak accident no one ever dreams about.
She’d felt nearly numb when it happened. This wasn’t in her carefully laid plans. She was set for college, for a comfortable four year transition from teenager to adult. She’d made plans to go to a culinary institute, to maybe even go to Europe for a few years, and in the background of all those dreams, there were always her parents, like an anchor, celebrating each new achievement with her. They had been her life force, the very fabric of which she’d been made.
But a truck driver with a blind spot had extinguished them in seconds.
Afterwards, there was the funeral, and her smiling, predatory uncles, who’d plotted how to take over the property left behind. She’d signed what they gave her in a numb haze, unaware that she was signing over her parents’ estate.
The loss of the money didn’t pain her. It was far deeper than that. She’d looked upon her uncles as family too, loved them all genuinely, and their greed had made her feel like that love had just been a dream, all too easily wiped out.
In the months that followed, she’d been unmoored, broken. She’d done nothing but run into every self-destructive behavior that a teenager possibly could. Her childhood home had been sold by her uncles, and she’d found herself facing homelessness.
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