by Jen Talty
“Let’s get back on track,” Jared said. “So Terry had been picked up a few times, but never convicted. What were the charges, and how did they get dropped so quickly?”
“Robbery, first degree,” Reese said. “And it looks like a high-priced attorney got all the charges dropped each time.”
“Who’s the attorney?” Jared asked.
“Someone at Baker, Wolowitz, Ramond, and Healy,” Reese said. “A large firm out of New York City, with a satellite office in Albany.”
“That’s the firm that Doug’s wife works for,” Stacey said.
“Can you ask her about Terry, and why their firm handled it?” Reese asked.
“Not sure she’ll tell me anything.”
“Go in uniform,” Jared said. “Make it seem official.”
“I’m not going to scare her, but I’ll see what I can find out.”
“So, I’ve got a question,” Frank said. “Why is someone like Holland using a local attorney for the Heritage Inn deal? I’m sure he’s got some big, fancy lawyer that handles all this for him on other projects.”
“Yeah, Baker, Wolowitz, Ramond, and Healy,” Jared added. “Let’s take this in the big room.”
The big room was where they kept the whiteboard, blackboard, and corkboard for working major cases. They currently had none, and this technically wasn’t one yet. Jared and Stacey pinned up pictures of all the players, or if they didn’t have a picture, they wrote the names. On the whiteboard, they diagrammed how those players were connected. They used the chalkboard for theories that could be adjusted or deleted as they moved through the case.
Right now, there were no theories.
Reese straddled one of the chairs and studied the boards. Frank leaned against the doorjamb, arms folded, deep in thought. Stacey and Jared stood to the side, hands on their hips, staring at the board.
“So,” Stacey said, surprising Reese with her initiative as she jumped right in. “Terry worked for Holland Development in construction.” She pulled out a file. “He worked there with a clean record for ten years. Three years ago, a building he supervised construction on had some issues, and people got hurt. He was suspended for six months, then brought back on, then fired because—and this is where it gets interesting—Winston and Associates found some issues with the accounting on one of the sites. It appears Terry was pulling a fast one and pocketing some money.”
“The interesting part,” Reese said. “Just to clarify, Winston and Associates is our one and only Conrad, right?”
Stacey nodded. She flipped through other paperwork. “Holland does use Mary’s firm, but not the Albany office. He uses the one in New York City. It appears Conrad does subcontract work for the satellite office, which wouldn’t be that unusual, except the construction site was downstate.”
“That is interesting,” Frank said.
“That still doesn’t give us a big enough common denominator,” Reese said. “There are logical explanations to all these connections, except the high-priced attorney getting Terry out of community service or a year in jail.”
“I’ll go check into that now,” Stacey said. “Reese, you want to ride shotgun?”
He laughed. “You’re still sitting passenger, little girl.”
Just as they left the big room, the doors to the station opened. Not many people walked into the trooper station out of the blue, so it was a shock to see Keith Holland, with his hauntingly similar eyes, enter the building with his entourage.
“Is a Reese McGinn here?” Keith Holland said.
“That’s me.” Reese stepped forward. “What can I do for you?” He noticed that Frank and Stacey maneuvered toward the front desk and pretended to look over a file together. Jared leaned over the secretary’s desk.
“Is there a place we can talk privately?”
“Not really. And you are...?” Reese knew exactly who stood in front of him, but he wasn’t going to let him now that.
“Keith Holland of Holland Development, and you and I find ourselves in a bit of a predicament.”
“How is that?”
Keith smiled as he looked around the station, taking in the bland ambience while he took off his gloves, finger by finger. Reese knew he meant to intimidate, with his legs spread shoulder-width and the way he carried himself.
Not many people could intimidate Reese, and Keith Holland was not one of them. Even with his hauntingly similar eyes.
“I’d prefer to do this in private. Do you have an office?”
Reese held his arms open. “This is my office, and I’ve got to get out on patrol, so unless this is a matter of police business, which our desk officer can discuss with you, I suggest you let me know what this is about.”
Holland closed the gap. Reese figured Holland expected him to take a few steps backward, so Reese instead met him halfway.
“I have a business proposition for you.” Holland smiled as if he’d just solved the world’s problems.
“And what is that?”
“I’ll pay you twice your offer if you back away from the Heritage deal.”
“I don’t want money,” Reese said. “I have plenty of that. I do, however, want that hotel, so thanks, but no thanks.”
“I find it fascinating that a state trooper would want to run a hotel. You know what I’d like to do with the property?”
“Build condos,” Reese retorted.
Holland laughed. “My dear boy, of course not. I’m looking to make this my summer home. Bring my family. My children. My grandchildren. You see, I’m not getting any younger, and I want to slow down and spend time with what’s really important in life. I suspect you can understand that.” He leaned in and whispered, “I think you should consider my offer. It will be beneficial to both of us.”
Reese leaned in and whispered back, “I’m glad you finally manned up, instead of threatening a young woman.”
“I didn’t threaten anyone,” Holland said. “I’m just saying the offer will expire at the end of today. I’ve got deep pockets, son. I know yours don’t run as deep. This is a battle you don’t want. It’s a battle I don’t want. I just want to spend time with my family, that’s all.”
And with that, Holland turned on his very expensive heels, then walked out the door, his entourage in tow.
“Well, that was exciting,” Stacey said.
Reese shook out his hands. He had to admit, he did sort of look like that guy, so he was creepy, as well as threatening.
“That man has balls,” Jared said.
“I suspect he’s got a big prick to go with those balls,” Frank added.
“I’d hate to hear what you’d say if that were a woman waltzing in here like that, spouting off crap like that,” Stacey said.
“Little girl,” Jared said, “let’s just say even you would blush.” Jared tapped Stacey’s nose. “Now, go out there and find me some connections, and just maybe I’ll admit to changing your diaper.”
“You’ve got a deal.”
“I knew having her here would be weird,” Frank muttered.
She might add an odd element to the station house, but it was also refreshing. “All right, little girl, let’s go,” Reese said.
8
Patty dumped the boxes from her aunt’s house at the top of the stairs. Baby stuff.
“Need a hand?” Lacy said from the bottom of the stairs.
“I’m good.”
“Want to come down and talk?”
“Actually, I do.” Patty kicked a box into her hallway, then headed back down with a heavy heart. This should have been a time of joy and hope, but she felt only confusion and trepidation. All she wanted was to bring a child into a happy and healthy environment. She wanted Reese to be part of the environment. The wife was an issue, and Patty still wasn’t sure how Reese really felt about her. He was opening up, but being honest didn’t equal being in love.
“Frank told me about your situation with the job.” Lacy held up a bottle of red wine.
“No, thanks.”
“He also told me Reese was married.”
Bad news traveled fast. “Yeah, that came as a shocker, and I have no idea what to do with it. We’d been getting along so well. He was opening up, and we were enjoying each other. Almost like a couple, but then, bam, ‘Oh, by the way, I’m married.’” Patty sank into the plush leather sofa. Lacy’s family room didn’t overlook the lake, but it had a nice view of thick, lush pine trees. The lights from the cars on Route 9 flickered against the snow-dusted trees as the moon casted its eerie glow. “It’s not even that he’s been married, or even still married, though that is pretty icky...but he had so many chances to tell me. I don’t understand why he didn’t, especially since he’s hell-bent on us living under the same roof.”
“From what Frank told me, it seems Reese just wanted to brush it all under the rug, and I guess I can’t blame him. Pretty cold, what his wife did.”
“You should have seen the look on his face when he told me. I can tell he loved that baby, even when the baby no longer existed. It was heart-wrenching. But I have a hard time forgiving him for not telling me he was married. It makes me wonder what other secrets he has that he’s not sharing, and that’s no way to start a relationship.”
“Frank was so hurt about the fact Reese was married that he never even got a chance to be happy about you and the baby. And he really is happy for you.”
“Frank has the biggest man-crush on Reese, it’s almost gross,” Patty said.
A long silence filled the room. It wasn’t uncomfortable. Lacy had become more than her cousin’s wife. She’d become Patty’s best friend. Her confidant. Her sister from another mother, so to speak. She could say anything to Lacy, or not say anything, and they’d work through it. Lacy was always honest and upfront. Patty admired that, even when it hurt her feelings or she disagreed. Negative feelings between them never lasted.
“I feel like Reese and I can’t move forward until this marriage thing is cleared.” Patty tucked her feet up under her. She sipped her water as she stared at the electric fireplace.
“Nothing you can do until he finds her and takes care of it. I know he’s using department resources, and I guess the Sutten girl has a few contacts helping with the search. It’s only a matter of time.”
“I’m worried something else from his past is going to reach out and derail me again.”
“He’s totally changed this last year. We were all a little surprised you broke up. It was kind of obvious Reese had it bad for you.”
“You’re kidding, right?” Patty asked.
“No. Frank said he’d changed the second he started dating you.”
“I don’t know,” Patty said. “Between knowing about his family, a wife, and being rich, I’m just overwhelmed. I thought the man I was sleeping with just wanted a life with no ties. No commitments. The freedom to move about the world the moment he got bored. I could have lived with him being a part-time dad. I didn’t bargain for a millionaire buying a hotel, and oh, by the way, he’s married—but he wants to make it work with me. That’s not the man I was sleeping with.”
“Actually...” Lacy turned to face Patty, the moon shining through the window, dancing in her blond hair. She was not only beautiful, but she was confident, and it showed. “That is exactly the man you were sleeping with. You knew he had secrets. A past. That he was emotionally unavailable. Broken, even. You just didn’t know the why. Now you know the why.”
“That doesn’t make this any easier. I feel like he’s reacting, and not acting.”
“How do you mean?”
“He tells me things only when he has to.”
Andy barreled through the door. “Turn on the news!”
“Well, hello, to you, too,” Lacy said, “and you can say hello to Aunt Patty as well.”
“Hello, Aunt Patty,” Andy said. “But seriously, turn on the news.”
“The news isn’t on right now,” Lacy said. “Why don’t you tell us about the art project you’ve been working on with your friend for the—”
“There’s a fire at the trailer park. The one we used to live in,” Andy yelled. “You know, the one Reese lives in now!”
Reese closed the ambulance door. One of the few neighbors who lived in the trailer park year-round, and in the winter for hunting or ice fishing, was tucked away inside with minor burns and a possible broken arm. The ambulance’s siren blipped a couple of times as it pulled out onto Route 9. Reese sat on a rock and looked out over the smoldering wreckage of what used to be his new toy and his home. Firefighters were still on scene, working closely with the investigators.
Jared and Frank huddled under a tree, farther away from the wreckage. The moon shone brightly through the leafless branches, highlighting the smoke lingering in the air. The lead investigator had joined Frank and Jared, but Reese simply couldn’t make his body move. Had he not decided to meet Jim and Doug for a beer to celebrate his offer’s acceptance, he might have been home when this happened.
There had been two distinct fires. One had started in Reese’s trailer, and one in his Mustang. It could have been worse. Only three other trailers had been damaged. Only one of them had a current occupant.
Thankfully, no one was killed.
Jared strolled over to Reese then joined him on another rock.
“We should get some marshmallows,” Reese said.
“Good to have a sense of humor.” Jared’s tone indicated he didn’t share it. “Neighbor said he saw someone smoking behind the trailer.”
Reese had just bought that Mustang not two months ago. It was a 1966 pale-blue convertible in mint condition. The thing purred like a kitten. He looked around the park at the damage. “Did you know my offer to buy the Heritage was accepted?”
“I did know that,” Jared said. “Kind of puts a new perspective on this situation.”
Frank made his way to the clearing then sat next to Jared. The three men sat in silence. The other law enforcement officials, investigators, and firefighters still on the premises were taking statements from the few people who dared to live in a trailer park in Hague during the brutal upstate winters.
“This fire went up too quickly,” Reese commented.
“A lot of things could have caused it to get out of control,” Jared said without any real conviction, and he had the same look on his face that Reese felt in his gut.
This was no accident.
Reese looked around the area and noted the lead arson investigator, Harrison Jakel, was poking around what remained of the Mustang. Harrison barked out a few orders, and someone else rushed over. Reese didn’t know the other guy, but the two men hunched over something, pointed, and nodded. Harrison rose, then headed for Reese.
He stood in anticipation. So did Jared and Frank.
“Sergeant McGinn?” Harrison asked.
“Yes.”
“Real sorry about what happened here.”
“Thanks.”
Harrison was only about five-feet-eight, but he was broad, and prematurely gray for a man who was only in his late thirties. “We don’t have much to go on right now, but some patterns indicate that accelerant was used inside and on the trailer, as well as the vehicle,” Harrison said. “I’ll be in touch.”
“Thanks.” Reese watched as the man walked away, and it finally hit him: he had nothing left but the clothes on his back. His computer, and what few things he owned, had been burned to the ground. Gone. Up in smoke. Just like that. “I think I might need to head to the Walmart to get some clothes and stuff.”
“Why don’t you come stay at my place?” Jared offered.
“Thanks. As much as I love your wife and kids,” he said to Jared, “I think I’ll take a hotel.”
Jared nodded. “I best get home. See you first thing.”
“A hotel is nuts. Stay with me. I’ve got an extra bedroom,” Frank said.
“Not sure that’s a good idea.”
Frank shrugged. “I’m not sorry I hit you. I’m still insanely mad. But I can’t change the
situation, and if you’re really buying the Heritage Inn, then I need to make sure you sure as shit don’t ruin my view.”
Reese let out a small laugh. It felt good. “I need to go get some things at the store first,” Reese said.
“No worries,” Frank said. “I’ll wait up, but don’t make it too late.”
“All right.”
Reese got in his truck then headed north toward Ticonderoga and the local Walmart. He parked close to the front door then mindlessly grabbed a shopping cart and headed in, his brain working on fumes. He picked up the basics. Toiletries, underwear, socks, T-shirts, a couple pairs of jeans, and a pair of sneakers. Enough to get by, for now. At the checkout, it struck him: he had no emotion. He was simply flat. Exhausted.
It took him about thirty-five minutes to drive down Route 9, following the lake until he got to Harmon Hill. The Harmons were an interesting lot, and it had taken time to get used to them. All of them, for the most part, had respected his desire to be private. No one pushed to find out too much about his past until he started dating Patty. Even then, probably because half of the Harmons were Marines, and the other half law enforcement, they seemed to understand.
Now? He could sense the difference in the family, and it made him sad.
He rolled the truck to a stop next to Patty’s SUV, noticing that Patty’s lights were on. They had texted a couple of times since the fire, but he didn’t expect her to still be awake.
He closed his truck door then snagged the bags from the flatbed. He was standing on the porch, starting a text to Frank, when the upstairs door opened.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Patty said. “I’m really sorry about the car. I know how much you’ve always wanted that Mustang.”
“It’s just a car.”
“The images on the news looked pretty bad.” She took a few steps down toward him. “Why don’t you come up?”
“I feel like shit, and I just spent the last few hours at an unwanted campfire. Frank said I can crash at his place, but he didn’t want me to be late. School night, and all.”
“I told him I’d cut you off at the pass, and I’ve got beer. Come on up,” she said.