On a Quiet Street

by J. L. Doucette

  CHAPTER 53

  Funeral services for Max Hart were private and scheduled within two days of his death. Fern said she couldn’t bear going through the ritual of calling hours and an open funeral mass for the second time in a week.

  Midway through the short graveside ceremony, news vans arrived and set up cameras before the Sheriff’s Department could dispatch enough personnel to persuade them to leave.

  Kelly spent the evening after the services with Fern. She felt so bad for the woman. In one week she’d lost both of her children. She couldn’t imagine surviving a double heartbreak like that. Though the truth was, she had virtually no one left in the world she felt close to, either. She wanted to feel close to her parents but didn’t. There was Timmy, but she had to be there for him, not the other way around. She would never make the same mistake her mother had. He had a right to a childhood.

  One day, she would tell Fern about Timmy. But she wanted that day to have the light and joy it deserved. For now, Fern was trapped in an airless swamp of grief, one that threatened to swallow her down into its noxious source.

  It was obvious Fern was exhausted. Kelly made her a cup of tea. She drank it down and covered herself with an afghan. A few minutes later, she fell into a sound sleep. Kelly took the moment as her opportunity to leave. She wanted nothing more than to go home to her own bed and sleep for days.

  When she came around the corner and saw the house, her heart sank. She’d forgotten to leave any lights on. The house was dark, and now she had to go in there alone. She almost turned around and went back to Fern’s.

  No. I’m on my own now. If I’m ever going to grow up, this is the time.

  She parked her car, locked it, and walked fast to the front door, suddenly wanting to be out of the night. She turned the key in the lock and turned on the lights in the front hall, which synced to all the downstairs lighting.

  Something fell and broke in the kitchen and the back door slammed shut. Kelly ran to the window and saw a dark shape scale the stone wall at the back of the property.

  Heart pounding, she dug around the bottom of her purse until she found Detective Antelope’s card with a LifeSaver stuck to it. Bless the man, he answered on the first ring.

  Antelope made good time on the drive to Green River. The second he pulled up to Kelly Ryan’s house, she ran outside to meet him.

  “Someone broke in,” she said, face pale. “They could still be inside.”

  He grabbed her arm. She screamed and pulled away.

  “Get it in the car,” Antelope commanded.

  “What are we doing?” Kelly asked, rubbing her arm. The detective was the third man to put his hands on her in the last week.

  “I just saw a black car tear through a stop sign a ways back. Did you see a black car on your street tonight? Was it parked on the street when you went into the house?”

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Get in,” Antelope said again.

  This time, Kelly complied.

  He took off after the car, swerved around the corner. On two wheels, the Cadillac rocked, and then slammed down on the road. Kelly fell against the door panel and hit her arm. She let out another scream.

  By the time they got to the intersection on West Flaming Gorge Way, the road was empty in every direction. He hit the steering wheel hard with his right hand.

  “Did it help?” Kelly asked wryly.

  He almost smiled. “No comment.”

  He drove her back into the neighborhood at a more normal speed and parked in front of her house. “Stay in the car, I’ll check the house.”

  “No way,” she said. “He could be anywhere. I’m coming with you.”

  “Do you have the keys to your car? Get out of here. Go grab a coffee at the travel plaza and wait for me there.”

  She shook her head. “They’re inside. I dropped them on the table when I went in. Habit. As soon as it hit me what happened, I panicked and didn’t think to do anything but call you.”

  “Smart move.” He opened his door. “Wait here.”

  She grabbed his arm. “No way am I staying out here alone.”

  “Lock yourself in. I won’t be long.”

  “Someone could be watching us right now.”

  He pried his arm free. “I can’t have you with me in there. It’s against regulations.”

  “What if you don’t come out?”

  He put the keys to the Cadillac in her hand. “If I’m not out in ten minutes, drive away. You’ve got your phone. Call 911 if you have to.”

  CHAPTER 54

  Antelope heard the locks of his Cadillac engage as he approached Kelly’s house.

  With his gun drawn, he stood to the side of the front door, reached across, and threw it open as he held himself flush against the house.

  “Detective Antelope, Sweetwater Sheriff’s Department. Show yourself. Drop your weapon.”

  Inside the house, there was only silence. He entered the front hallway, moving with caution.

  Everything appeared to be intact and undisturbed in the great room, the same in the kitchen beyond, except for one shattered coffee mug on the floor. The large bedroom suite at the back of the house, which appeared to be Kelly’s, was also untouched, though he did notice that the window was open.

  At the patio door, he hit the button for the floodlights at the back of the house. The yard lit up like a football field. He pushed the slider open. “Detective Antelope, Sweetwater Sheriff’s Department. Show yourself. Drop your weapon.”

  Again, only silence in return.

  He closed and locked the slider.

  The basement was easy to check: open plan, three walls of shelves, the usual stuff organized in plastic bins, nothing open or otherwise disturbed. Washer and dryer, lids open, clothes in the dryer ready to be folded.

  Upstairs again, he latched the basement door and went up to the second floor. A master bedroom and two smaller bedrooms, two bathrooms, a combination computer-and-craft room. Every room appeared to be in order.

  Kelly would have to check everything, but it appeared none of the usual valuables had been taken. Electronics, jewelry, prescription medications were all untouched.

  He turned off all the lights, collected Kelly’s keys, and locked the door.

  When he got back to the Cadillac, Kelly unlocked the doors.

  She’d found his CD collection; Joan Osborne sang “Heat-wave” out into the neighborhood as he slid into the driver’s seat.

  She turned the music down.

  “Whoever was in there didn’t stay long,” he said. “You must have scared him off when you pulled into the driveway. There’s a few things out of place in the living room.”

  “Could you see where they broke in?”

  “Do you always keep your bedroom window open?”

  She smacked her forehead. “Damn it. Yes, I do. It’s a thing with me. Stupid.”

  “Especially when you’re alone. Especially now.”

  “What do you mean especially now?”

  “Two of your best friends died this week.” He studied her face. “Aren’t you a little bit scared?”

  She looked confused. “Max took his own life.”

  He thought for a minute, and decided she had the right to know, if anyone did. “That’s what it looked like at first. It’s listed as the official cause of death. And for our purposes in the investigation, we’ve decided to let it stand. But—and I’m only telling you this because of what happened here tonight—I think you might be in danger, Kelly. I don’t think you should stay here for a while.”

  “What do you mean?” She shrank into her seat. “How am I in danger?”

  “I don’t know and I could be wrong. But I have a bad feeling.”

  “Do you think someone is after me?”

  “I don’t know. We have two people dead, and you know both of them. It could be you interrupted a burglary in progress tonight, but I don’t like the timing.”

  “It could be Jack. Do you think Jack came here
and did this? What would he want in my house?”

  “I don’t know. It could be Jack or it could be someone else. But my guess is, whoever was in your house tonight thought he would find something that would tie him to Stacey’s murder.”

  CHAPTER 55

  They sat in front of the house until the forensics unit arrived from the Sheriff’s Department to take prints and retrieve other evidence specimens from the crime scene. Kelly sat in his car with both his jacket and the heater on, listening to Joan Osborne and the Funk Brothers, as he led the forensics team through the house.

  Pepper agreed to have Kelly stay at her house for the night. In the morning, Antelope would complete the paperwork necessary to put Kelly in protective custody. The Sweetwater County Victim Advocacy Program would cover the costs of her temporary housing and lost wages for the duration.

  As they approached the city limits of Rock Springs, dawn was a bright orange line on the horizon. Kelly, who’d been sleeping soundly on the seat beside him, woke and rubbed her eyes.

  “I saw you with him the night of the calling hours,” Antelope said. “I didn’t know you had that kind of relationship.”

  “What kind of relationship do you think we had?” she asked stiffly.

  “The kiss said a lot.”

  “We’re old friends. He’d had to look at Stacey dead in her coffin for hours. He wanted to feel alive. So he kissed me.”

  “Tell me the real story of you and Max.”

  “The real story, huh? What I’ve said doesn’t satisfy you? We hung out sometimes. We got high together. Max always had good weed. We were two of a kind. Both of us stuck here, trapped by tragedy.”

  He turned off the music. “How about you cut the bullshit?”

  “Why would I lie to you?”

  “I don’t know, Kelly, it’s what you do. And I don’t get why you don’t get it. Two people you know are dead. Lying might get you killed.”

  “You’re trying to scare me.”

  “If I could scare you into telling the truth, I would. But you don’t scare easy.”

  “Why are you so sure I’m lying?”

  “I saw your face the night Max was killed. My gut tells me he was more than a friend. Did you know about this?” He opened his glove box, pulled out Max’s insurance policy, and dropped it in her lap. “You don’t need to worry about your son’s future.”

  “What do you mean?” She stared down at the papers. “What is this?”

  “Your son, Timothy, is the beneficiary of Max Hart’s life insurance policy. Max left a half a million dollars to his son.”

  Pepper opened the garage door when she saw them drive up. Antelope pulled in to avoid any early risers who might witness Kelly’s entrance. The house was at the edge of a cul-de-sac on a small side street on top of a ridge overlooking Rock Springs—a perfect, out-of-the-way hideout spot to keep Kelly in until he figured out his next move.

  The smell of coffee brewing made him feel happier than he had in days. Pepper let them in and seated Antelope at the kitchen table before showing Kelly the way to the guest bedroom and bath. She already had bacon and eggs frying on the stovetop. The table was set for three.

  “Nothing beats breakfast when you’ve been up all night,” Antelope said as Pepper reentered the kitchen. “Where’s Kelly?”

  “She’s taking a shower. Want to fill me in?”

  He told her about the break-in at Kelly’s place and his fear that it was connected to Stacey’s murder. Other than keeping Kelly in a secret location under lock and key, he didn’t know how to protect her.

  Kelly joined them in a white terrycloth bathrobe, her face glowing pink from the hot shower. “Sorry I took so long. Knowing that a stranger was in my private space tonight made me feel like I couldn’t get clean enough.” She dropped into a chair across from Antelope. “How long are you going to keep me locked up here?”

  “I’ll be back later today with a plan. For now, I don’t want you to be alone.”

  Pepper nodded her agreement. “I planned to work from home today. I have some psychological reports to write.”

  “This is serious. You think I’m in danger.”

  “We could be dealing with the same person who killed Stacey.”

  “You mean I could be his next victim, don’t you?”

  “I don’t know anything for sure right now. I want you safe. So you’ll stay here until I’m sure it’s safe for you to go home.”

  “I have to make a living, Detective. What am I supposed to do about my job?”

  “Call in sick. No other information. Make the call now, please.”

  She made the call, delivered the message into a voicemail box. There would be no one to answer at the Black Tiara at this time of the morning. When she looked at him he saw the fear had returned to her eyes. The magnitude of the situation had finally landed and taken root. That was what he wanted. Kelly Ryan on her own, trying to think her way out of trouble, was likely to cause more trouble for him.

  “When are your parents due back?”

  “They have the condo in Prescott until Sunday.”

  “Let’s hold off on notifying them of the break-in. Do they check in with you?”

  “No, when they’re on vacation they don’t want to think about things at home. I won’t hear from them.”

  “I need to take your cell phone. It’s traceable with GPS.”

  “I’ll take out the battery.”

  “I can’t let you have it here. It’s too risky.”

  “You don’t trust me?”

  When he didn’t answer, she handed it over.

  “I’d rather turn it off than remove the battery,” he said. “This way I can monitor incoming messages and text every few hours, see if there’s anyone trying to meet with you.”

  “Take care of it,” she said. “I’ve got important stuff saved on it.”

  He gave her a hard look. “You’ve got my cell number. Use the house phone to call me for any reason, and don’t think you’re bothering me. If anyone tries to get in here, use the landline to dial 911. Otherwise, stay off the phone. There’s no reason for anyone to call you here. So if the phone rings, don’t answer it. Don’t answer to anyone knocking at the door, either.” He turned to Pepper. “All this okay with you, Doc? I’ll call your cell phone when I’m on my way back here. Lock up when I leave. Got it?”

  “This is crazy,” Kelly said.

  Antelope frowned. “I need to know you understand the seriousness of this situation and won’t do anything to compromise your safety.”

  “I got it. Don’t worry, I understand.”

  “You won’t get restless and get an idea to walk out of here?”

  She lifted her foot up. “No shoes. And seriously, I don’t have the energy to walk out of here. I’m going to bed. Those are my big plans for the day. I’ll still be sleeping when you get back here.”

  CHAPTER 56

  Kelly Ryan sat cross-legged on the wicker sofa across from me. After Antelope left, she slept for six hours. When she woke up, I served lunch on the back deck overlooking downtown Rock Springs.

  I wanted to get Kelly talking about her brother and the accident in Flaming Gorge. I’d gone online earlier and found the website for the town where Todd Bellamy had attended seminary. Still considered a celebrity within the climbing community years later, he held the record for the longest vertical solo climb in the state. I tried to imagine how an experienced climber could make a mistake tying and securing knots. No one had mentioned alcohol as a factor in the accident. Maybe Kelly would know.

  “You have a great place,” she said. “I love my personal witness protection hideout.”

  I smiled. “I’m glad you approve.”

  My house was a cedar shingle small ranch. It was small by neighborhood standards but just right for me with its combination living room and dining room, galley kitchen, two bedrooms, and sunroom-turned-office with a view of the city.

  Like many areas of Rock Springs, the subdivision sat in a high
-subsidence area. Built above former working mines, the land was in constant danger of falling into an open shaft or tumbling down the hillside. Compared to other areas of instability in my former life, the vulnerable landscape felt perfectly safe to me.

  “I trust Detective Antelope and I can tell he’s good at what he does,” Kelly said. “But I just don’t understand why anyone would want to hurt me, especially someone I know.”

  “Perhaps it would help to think about this as if it were happening to someone else. You know, sometimes we’re too close to see things about ourselves because we’re right in the middle of them, but if we imagine them happening to a friend, it’s easier.”

  “How do you mean?”

  “Pretend you have a friend at work. Her best friend is murdered. What’s your first thought?”

  “Her boyfriend did it,” Kelly said automatically. “And it’s funny, that was my first thought when I heard Stacey was murdered. No specific reason. It’s not like they fought all the time or anything, and Connor’s no monster. But he is insecure and jealous as hell.”

  “How about now?”

  “I don’t believe it. He was my brother’s friend since they were little kids, and he’s my friend too. It’s a terrible thing to think about someone you’ve known your whole life. I would hate it if my friends thought I could be a killer.”

  “You don’t think Connor’s capable?”

  “I don’t know what to think. I started to let go of the idea when I saw him at the funeral, so sad and broken, really suffering.”

  “All of you were so close, and now it’s just you and Connor.”

  “It’s creepy.”

  “It seems like everything changed the day of the accident,” I ventured.

  “You’re right. Nothing seemed the same after Tim died and Max changed so much.”

  “I keep wondering how it happened. Father Bellamy was quite experienced and he was supervising the climb. None of the news reports mentioned it, but I wonder if alcohol played a role?”

  “I guess the plan worked,” Kelly said flatly.

  “What plan is that?”