Lonesome Lake

by Lesley Appleton-Jones

  “And then there’s Scotty,” Raines pointed out.

  “So, he didn’t tell you that he knew Mimi Milbourne when you interviewed him?”

  “No. He did not.” His tone was flat and cold. “And I’m going to find out why.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Holly followed Raines to her office. “Why wouldn’t Scotty tell you that he’d worked for Mimi? He had to know we’d find out.”

  “Maybe I’m not as persuasive as you. I should have borrowed your Black & Decker interrogation drill.”

  She rolled her eyes. Although she knew Raines was joking, there was an edge to his voice that signaled his anger with Scotty. “Well,” she said. “He better toughen up because he’s about to go another round with me.”

  Raines picked up his jacket from the back of a chair and turned to her. “He’s mine first.” Tension around his eyes told her he meant business. He studied her with cold, gray eyes, silently challenging her to argue with him.

  She raised her chin and stared right back at him while she decided what to do. The reason she’d let Raines interview Scotty in the first place was that he would have refused to talk to her.

  Raines pulled on his coat and headed for the door.

  Holly called out, “Wait. I’m going with you, but first, we have to brief the Chief.”

  “I don’t have time for one of Finch’s prolonged meetings.”

  “Too bad. We’re in this together.”

  He turned and squinted at her, coolly assessing her level of determination.

  She placed her fists on her hips, signaling that she wouldn’t back down.

  He swore under his breath, yanked off his jacket and tossed it on her chair. “Let’s get this over with.”

  They found the Chief in his office. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Raines glancing around the room that had once been his father’s domain when he’d been the police chief. She remembered coming here with Raines after school. They did their homework sitting at his father’s oversized desk. When they’d finished, Jim Raines would take them to the Whistle Stop Restaurant, which was in an old railroad dining car. It was her favorite because they served chocolate-chip pancakes all day.

  Chief Finch rocked back in his chair, causing it to groan under his weight. “Gabby Swinford just called. She’s nailed two and two together and walloped me with the results. Somehow she’s figured out whose body they found over at Lonesome Lake and wants an exclusive or she’s calling the networks. The Mayor’s fit to combust.”

  “He was deluding himself if he thought he could keep it quiet,” Holly muttered, sitting down and spying a lone bag of barbeque potato chips on his desk that was next to a crumpled sandwich wrapper. “Are you going to eat those?” she asked, trying not to whine. She was starving.

  Finch tossed her the bag.

  She ripped it open, stuffed a handful into her mouth, crunched and moaned with pleasure.

  “Pack a lunch tomorrow, Jakes,” Finch grunted. “So what did you make of Milbourne? I watched the interview on the monitors until Gabby called. Sure as shooting, Milbourne’s hiding something.”

  Raines sat down. “I agree, but he’s more nervous discussing his work than his wife’s homicide.”

  The Chief scratched his protruding belly. “The two could be connected. Suppose he screwed up his investments and needed money fast? He admitted that Mimi had money of her own. I bet they have healthy life insurance policies due to her job. So, he hires someone to kill her. All he had to do was convince her to head up to the cabin alone while he established an alibi by working late.”

  Raines shook his head. “Why would a professional take all the risks the killer did? He wouldn’t. He’d kill her at the cabin.”

  “Unless,” Holly countered, “Milbourne planned it that way to throw us off. He could have paid extra for a hit man to take the risk to make it look like we’re dealing with a serial killer.” She could tell by his careless shrug that Raines wasn’t buying it. She wasn’t, either, for that matter.

  “Milbourne’s grief struck me as genuine,” Raines said.

  Because Holly agreed with him, she moved on. “What about the viatical angle? We could be dealing with a pissed off beneficiary, or perhaps Mimi was involved in a life insurance scam. The idea of investors profiting from people dying creates one hell of a recipe for motive.”

  “How would killing Mimi benefit either a beneficiary or the investors?” Raines asked.

  “You said it in the interview. If Mimi was involved with laundering drug money through viaticals, something could have gone wrong. Dealers are not fond of parting with their money.” She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. “But that’s just so far-fetched.”

  “Maybe not,” the Chief said. “If Beaupré is involved with drugs as Gabby claims, Mimi could be in on it. Beaupré manages her house. Maybe that’s a cover. I’ll make a call to the DEA to see if they have anything on him.” He rocked forward in his chair and placed his hairy forearms on the desk. “What I’m curious to know is why you didn’t mention that Scotty Pepper worked for Mrs. Milbourne in your report, Jakes. Big oversight.”

  Raines cut in. “Don’t blame Holly. Scotty didn’t tell me about it when I interviewed him.”

  “For a smart guy, that was a dumb mistake,” Chief Finch grumbled. “He had to know we’d find out he was working for her.”

  Raines shrugged, “Scotty’s been trained to assess risk carefully before taking action. Maybe he didn’t want to get dragged into the middle of another homicide investigation. Anyway, he’s going to have to re-evaluate that decision when I see him.”

  Chief Finch frowned. “The guy’s a bona fide war hero. It didn’t sit right with me when we had to rake him over the coals about Sherry’s murder. Don’t push him unless we get something definitive that he’s involved.”

  “I’ll be sure to sugarcoat it for him,” Raines responded.

  Holly could tell from his rigid expression that wouldn’t happen, but the Chief agreed to let him question Scotty.

  Finch checked his watch. “Patrol is out canvassing the neighborhood. Hendricks can’t find the victim’s cell phone. Dollars to donuts it burned up in the fire. They’re contacting her provider for a record of last calls made and received.”

  Holly tossed the empty chip bag into the trash. “Can we have someone pull video from the convenience stores?” She licked her fingers but noted the chips had done little to put a dent in her hunger. “Mimi Milbourne was driving a Porsche Cayenne, which I doubt gets twenty miles a gallon, and it’s a long drive up here from Boston. Add another forty-five minutes to Franconia Notch. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find they stopped somewhere to fill up. There aren’t too many gas stations between here and the Notch.”

  Finch nodded and pressed the intercom button on his phone for his secretary. “Find someone from patrol for me.”

  While they waited, Holly continued, “We also need someone to check to see if there is any security footage at Charles Milbourne’s place of employment. I want to confirm that he was at work. An investment company is sure to have some serious video equipment.”

  The Chief folded his pudgy hands over his protruding stomach. “I’ll coordinate that with Hendricks when I update him about the interview. I’ll also let him track down the Allens and Richmonds.”

  Holly flipped through her small notebook and gave him their cell phone numbers.

  The Chief continued, “I’ll liaise with the Fire Marshal. Gus can track down Gavin Parrish. That drunk shouldn’t be too difficult to find.”

  Although Holly believed Parrish capable of arson, she doubted he could stay sober long enough to mastermind such an elaborate kidnapping and homicide. On top of that, she thought, he was a lazy jackass. There was no way he’d hike all the way up to Lonesome Lake to kill Mimi.

  She was about to say so when someone knocked on the door.

  “Enter,” the Chief barked.

  Officer Fennis Cooper marched in.

  Holly heard
the Chief groan. Fresh out of the academy and gung-ho to the extreme, Fennis prided himself on being the best law enforcement officer he could be. With muscles bulging all over his body, a military-style shaved head, and a pristine uniform his mother washed and ironed for him every night, he appeared to be the perfect recruit. The only problem was that his eagerness to be the best on the force often led to some embarrassing screw-ups. Although Finch was his uncle, he didn’t cut the kid any slack. In fact, when he’d learned Fennis wanted to join the force, rumor had it he’d expected his nephew would flunk the psych exam so he wouldn’t have to hire him. When Fennis sailed through the test, he’d been shocked and suspected that someone in the department had helped Fennis pass just to stick it to him.

  Fennis stood in front of the Chief’s desk as if he’d been ordered to stand at attention. “You wanted to see me, Sir?” He stared at a spot on the wall above the Chief’s head.

  The Chief rolled his eyes. “I need you to check security video at the gas stations for activity last night. You’re searching for Mimi Milbourne and her midnight-blue Porsche Cayenne.”

  Fennis frowned. “But, Sir. Won’t the video be in black and white?”

  Color flushed up the Chief’s neck as he snarled, “For Pete’s sake. It’s not damn brain surgery. You’re looking for a dark-colored Porsche Cayenne.”

  Holly could tell that Fennis fought the urge to salute as he said, “Yes, Sir. Dark-colored Porsche. Got it.” He executed a perfect about-face and marched back out of the office, eager to get started.

  Fred Finch sighed. “And to think my sister has been nagging me to promote him. I swear if I catch the jerk who gave the kid the answers to the psych exam, I’ll bust his balls.”

  Holly nodded in what she hoped was a sympathetic manner. At that moment, she didn’t give a damn about the Chief’s little problems. She had leads to run down.

  Finch squinted at her. “So, now that’s settled. Hendricks is lead on the homicide. You’ll both work the arson angle. First, I want you to visit a friend of mine. Before retiring, Olivia May was a psychiatrist who consulted with the FBI. Lucky for us, she’s agreed to review what we have so far and give us a profile. I’ve already prepped a file for her. She’s expecting you.”

  At his words, anger ignited in Holly like a flashover. So, not only was she expected to put up with Raines for God knew how long, she now had to deal with one of the Chief’s cronies. Based on her familiarity with his friends, Olivia May wouldn’t have much to offer. She’d have been out of the game so long, the offender profile would be vague. Something like: hunt for a middle-aged white guy with mommy issues and a nasty temper. Holly didn’t have much faith in profiles—especially when they had so little to go on. It was a waste of time. She knew it. Raines knew it. And so did the Chief. She’d bet next month’s salary that this was just a ploy to get her out of the office so that he could hand over her leads to Lieutenant Gustafson. And that betrayal stung. Although Gustafson didn’t trust her to get the job done, she thought the Chief had more faith in her.

  Her head started to pound. She fought to control her anger, not wanting either the Chief or Raines to see how she felt, but it was as useless as trying to hold back the tide. “Damn it, Chief,” Holly blurted. “We don’t have enough for that sort of analysis, and even if we did, the State Police would handle it or the FBI, not one of your buddies. Let me chase down Beaupré, Pepper or even Parrish. Send Angel to talk to your friend. He’s good with old ladies.”

  Fred Finch snapped his chair forward and scowled at her. “Last time I checked your shield, Jakes, it said ‘Detective,’ not ‘Chief.’ Enough said. Unless you want me to hand the case over to Gus when he gets here.” He smiled, fully aware he had her cornered. He slid the file across the desk at her.

  Not trusting herself to speak, Holly just scowled at him.

  He pointed a beefy finger at her. “Don’t look at me as if I’m about to be dealing with another homicide, Jakes. The Mayor wants to keep the focus on Milbourne. You know the last thing he wants to hear is that there’s a homicidal pervert killing our tourists. But sure as cow dung, if it turns out not to be Milbourne, the Mayor will cover his ass when this hits the fan, and blow it all my way. So, we’re going to get some advice on the QT.

  “Just one more thing. Olivia isn’t exactly over the moon about helping us. She retired to help at-risk teens. She can be a tad on the prickly side when pushed to do something she doesn’t want to do, so play nice, Jakes. Remember she’s doing us a favor. Now get the hell out of my office.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Cal Raines strode out of Caxton’s Police Department, heading straight for his pickup without stopping to grab his jacket from Holly’s office. He had no intention of wasting any more time—that included meeting with one of the Chief’s friends. Holly could handle it and fill him in later. It was time to pay Scotty Pepper a visit.

  Until now, Raines had trusted Scotty and believed the feeling was mutual. He didn’t get why he’d withheld information. Could he resent Holly questioning him about the night of Sherry’s murder that much? Everyone who’d been at the party with Nate and Sherry were interviewed. It was routine. Even if Scotty had a problem with the Caxton PD, he knew Raines hadn’t suspected him. Raines told Scotty days after the homicide that he believed his brother had killed Sherry. He’d been on the receiving end of his brother’s temper one too many times to doubt it.

  In high school, Nate had been the golden boy. He was the quarterback with a winning smile and one hell of an arm, but at home, Raines bore the brunt of Nate’s meaner side.

  During elementary and middle school, Nate pounded on him whenever the mood struck him. Although Raines fought back, he hadn’t stood a chance. Nate was two years older and had always been bigger and stronger. Football training only enhanced Nate’s physical abilities. On more than one occasion, Scotty had witnessed Raines’ humiliation.

  The day Raines turned fifteen, the bullying had come to an abrupt end. So had Scotty and Nate’s friendship. On that particular day, Nate had lost a football game, and he’d been in a foul mood. When Scotty and Nate returned to the house, Nate soon found a reason to be furious with him. He accused Raines of losing one of his video games. For punishment, he’d slammed his younger brother against the kitchen cabinets with such force that Raines had smacked his head so hard he’d crumpled to the floor.

  Raines hadn’t let his spinning head stop him. Jumping up, he fought back with everything he had. Although Raines had experienced a recent growth spurt and was now several inches taller than Nate, his brother still had over forty pounds on him. This time, Raines didn’t care if he lost—didn’t care if Nate pounded him into oblivion—he wasn’t going to go down without inflicting some damage first. Rage drove him. He swung at his older brother like a madman.

  Nate had been so surprised at his younger brother’s newfound strength that he’d yelled to Scotty to grab his arms. Scotty refused. He just stood there and let Raines pummel the crap out of Nate. Then their dad walked in and dragged his younger son off Nate.

  Bleeding from his nose and his mouth, Nate demanded justice. His father’s response had been swift. “I think that’s what you just got dealt, Nate. Now go clean up.”

  Scotty had left quietly with a nod and a grin at Raines. Nate didn’t speak to Scotty for a long time after that.

  As Raines reversed out of his parking spot, Holly jogged up beside his pickup. He hit the brakes, and she tried to open the passenger door, but it wouldn’t open.

  “Let me in,” she mouthed, peering in through the window.

  He didn’t respond. He didn’t want her there. This was between Scotty and him.

  She thumped on the glass. “Let me in, Raines, or I’ll put a damn bullet in your precious V8.”

  If it weren’t for the pile of paperwork she’d have to complete for discharging her weapon in public, he didn’t doubt she’d do it for a second. Besides, she’d only follow him anyway, so he reached over and opened the door. �
��It wasn’t locked. You need to use a little more muscle. Maybe add some upper body workouts to your training program. I’d be happy to help you with that.”

  “You know you’re a major pain in the ass, Raines,” she said as she hopped in. “You weren’t planning on going to Scotty’s without me, were you?”

  He said nothing.

  Her voice grew louder. “Don’t forget that this is still my case.”

  She was right, but he didn’t care. Scotty owed him an explanation.

  He slipped the truck into first and rumbled past the reporters blocking the main entrance of the station.

  “Damn it, Raines, say something.”

  “You know I’m going to do this, Holly. Scotty played me, and I’m going to find out why.” Raines waited for the argument he was sure would ensue. Ever since returning to town, he’d irritated her, and she would bust his balls over just about anything. It wasn’t until recently he learned a possible motive for her hostility. She’d applied for his position.

  “Fine,” she said, sounding a little too smug for his comfort. “But first, you come with me to meet the Chief’s buddy.”

  “No way, Holly. That rodeo is all yours.”

  “Too bad, cowboy. You’re going to have to saddle up and ride along with the wagon train.”

  He glanced at her. She’d buckled the seatbelt and sat with her arms folded beneath her chest. Her brow was furrowed, and there was a slight pout to her lips. She had great lips, he thought, but he recognized that look. She’d sit the exact same way as a little kid when she’d been told she couldn’t do something. It was a look of determination. And she was relentless until she achieved whatever she’d set her mind to. The only thing that had changed since she was a kid, he noted with pleasure, was the way her folded arms pushed up generous breasts.

  He glanced down at her sleek, muscular legs. Skiers’ legs. Sexy legs. He often saw her sprinting through town and stopping to do a set of box jumps on the library’s granite wall. All done without seeming to break a sweat. Her toned body looked like Michelangelo had carved it from marble. Raines knew that Holly was oblivious to how hot she looked right then. She’d always been oblivious. He was tempted to tell her just to see her reaction, but she was armed and had always been dangerous.