Nothing gold can stay (16 page)

She lay still beneath him, like Elaine, Elaine-fair, and kept her eyes closed, the way Elaine had at first. Her skin was so soft to the touch. He told her to open her eyes. They were so large, the pupils expanded almost to the edge of the blue irises. Her breath came in soft expulsions of air that touched his face in quick pants. Her hands lay at her sides until he told her to place them on his back. It was fine, so very fine, to be held within those arms again.

She was weak and he was strong. It was his duty to protect her, it was her duty to submit. Where he led, she would follow. Their roles had been laid down by God and the Church many years ago.

At last, at last, Elaine had come back to him.

ELEVEN

Newenham, September 3

“Far as I know, they slept the night through, Mamie said. “I wasnt surprised, since they both smelled like they fell off the back of a beer truck when you hauled them in last night. And if you dont mind, its about my bedtime now.

“Why did you switch to the night shift? Prince asked.

“Its almost time for school to start. This way Ill be awake in the morning to see the kids off.

Mamie Hagemeister was a short, very well-fleshed woman with bad skin and short, thin, fine brown hair that stood on end from its own self-generated static electricity. With her round, protuberant brown eyes, she looked like a long-haired koala plugged into a wall socket. She was also the single mother of five children ranging in age from three to ten, which explained her constantly harried air.

She was the officer in charge of the local jail, one of the four officers belonging to the perpetually short-handed local police department Liam had met. “Any chance of seeing Raymo or Berg today?

She paused for a precious moment in her headlong flight. “I dont think so. Rogers still in Anchorage at that damn trial, and I just dispatched Cliff down to the harbor.

“Whats happening at the harbor?

She shrugged. “Who knows? Somebody called and said Jeff Saltz was cutting his boat in half with a chain saw.

She said it nonchalantly, like cutting boats in half with chain saws was an everyday occurrence in the Newenham small-boat harbor. “I asked the guy, Mamie said, impatient to be gone, “I said to him, is he carving up anything besides his boat? Like a person? Guy said no. I said to the guy, then why do you need the cops?

“Why did he?

“The guy with the chain saws boat was tied to the boat belonging to the guy who called. Anyway, I told Cliff and Cliff went down to see what he could do.

“Mamie? A voice came up the corridor.

“You hush up, Lorne, Im trying to get off shift here. She jerked her chin in the voices direction. “Lorne Rapp. Roger brought him in at three-thirty for beating up on his family. Drunk and disorderly, and he tried, I say he tried, to assault an officer.

“I trust he didnt get away with it, Liam murmured.

Mamie gave the trooper an indignant look. “Not on my shift he didnt. Hes got a lump on his head the size of Gibraltar to remind him not to if he ever gets the yen again. The nerve!

Any woman who could single-handedly raise five children and still string words together in a coherent sentence commanded Liams respect and admiration, and he held the door for Mamie on her way out.

“We want to talk to Engebretsen and Kvichak, he told Nick Potts, a skinny young man who barely looked old enough to vote. Nick was working day shift. Nick didnt look like he could punch his way out of a paper bag, let alone keep order among the Newenham criminal element. He knew this, and compensated by trying to grow a mustache, which after two months still looked like something applied with a number 2 pencil. “You want the interview room?

“Please, Liam said. Prince smiled at the young man, who blushed hotly and dropped his keys.

The interview room was a narrow rectangle with one barred window, a table and four chairs. Liam and Prince sat on one side, Teddy and John on the other.

Teddy and John still smelled faintly of beer, but after a night in jail they were stone-cold sober. John was tight-lipped and angry, Teddy terrified. “You never charged us with anything, John said. “You never even told us why you were locking us up.

“Legally, Ive got twenty-four hours to charge you with anything, Liam said soothingly, “and as for telling you why I was locking you up, I was afraid if I left you at home youd get drunker and I wouldnt be able to talk to you at all.

“We didnt do anything, Teddy said.

“Shut up, Teddy, John said.

“But we didnt do anything, Teddy repeated.

“Let them tell us all about it, John said. “Dont you say a word unless I say so. Cops always twist everything you say to make it fit how they want. Dont say a word, okay? He glared at Liam and Prince.

Prince waited long enough to see that Liam was giving her the lead, and opened the folder in front of her.

“Youve got a history with us, gentlemen.

Teddy shifted in his chair. John stilled him with a glance.

“Most of it regarding the Nuklunek Bluff, which you seem to regard as your personal, private property.

John snorted. “Aint no such thing as private property out here.

As if she hadnt heard him, Prince said, “Youve been questioned regarding several incidents involving campers and hunters in the area, resulting in, at minimum, destruction of private property and, at most, the threat of bodily harm.

“Yeah, well, shit happens in the Bush. If you dont know how to handle yourself, stay the hell out.

Prince closed the file and folded her hands on top of it. She looked at John, ignoring Teddy. “You hunt the Nuklunek Bluff every year, dont you, John?

“What of it?

“Why there, in particular?

“Because we always get our moose there, why else?

“Did pretty well this year, too, according to Wy Chouinard. She said you packed out three planeloads of meat. Prince smiled suddenly, a wide, warm smile. It was infectious; John, thrown off balance, nearly smiled back. “Good news for the family.

“Yeah, well. Fishing hasnt been all that great, last couple of years. People gotta eat.

Prince nodded sympathetically. “So you were out there, what, ten days?

“Yeah, wewhat the hell is this? Youve talked to Wy, youve probably seen her log, you probably know perfectly well how long we were out there.

Princes smile vanished. “Its important to confirm what we already know, John. So, while you were out there, did you run across anyone else? Any other hunters?

“No, he said.

Teddy squirmed.

“Did you hear or see anything unusual? Anything out of the ordinary? Anything you thought was odd?

“No, why should we?

Prince frowned down at the file. “Do you have a cell phone, John?

A brief pause. “Why?

Prince pulled out an evidence bag, the cell phone sealed inside clearly visible. She put it on the table, in the exact center so that it was the focus of four pairs of eyes. Johns were fierce, Teddys alarmed, Princes inquiring, Liams uninterested. “Because we found this in your backpack when we searched your house.

“Oh. Nonplussed for a moment, John fired up immediately. “What business you got going through my house?

“We had a warrant, John, Prince said, almost apologetically. “We had probable cause.

Teddy whimpered. John nudged him in the ribs with an ungentle elbow. “Whats probable cause?

Princes smile vanished. Like any cop, she didnt care for the jailhouse lawyer. “Probable cause, John, is when weve got a couple of yo-yos hunting ten miles from where we find a man who caught a load of buckshot in the chest. Probable cause is when both yo-yos have a long record of harassing other visitors to the area. Probable cause is when both these yo-yos are packing rifles to hunt moose and caribou, and shotguns to hunt ptarmigan. Probable cause is when we find the dead guy was killed with a shotgun. Prince sat back and folded her arms across her chest. “Probable cause is when we respond to a call for help from someone who isnt there when we arrive, a Mayday that was picked up by Alaska Airlines and which call, we are reliably informed, was routed through the local cell phone signal repeater with an ID number that traces back to your phone.

Not bad, Liam thought, not bad at all. Well make a trooper out of you yet, little lady. He had to suppress a grin at Princes likely reaction should she ever be made privy to that thought.

Teddy broke first, as Liam had told Prince he would. Normally they would have interrogated the two men separately, but Liam was worried about Rebecca Hanover, and he wanted to break the two men as quickly as possible. “We hit them both at once with everything weve got. John will bluster, Teddy will buckle.

Teddy buckled. “We didnt do it, he said, as tears began to leak down his cheeks. “We didnt shoot that man.

“What man?

“The man in the creek.

“Teddy John said, but his heart wasnt in it.

“We heard shots Teddy said, tears flowing faster.

“One shot, John said, and flushed.

“and John said we should go look. We knew Gregg Saltzd sold his mine to some guy from Anchorage. We even sneaked over to take a look when we first flew in, but they werent doing nothing except wash dirt. Nice-looking wife, though, he said wistfully. Prince handed him a Kleenex and he blew his nose with a comprehensive blast.

There was a short silence. Prince looked at John. “Goddamn it, he said more in sorrow than in anger. “I love you, man, but you just cant keep your mouth shut.

“Im sorry, a miserable Teddy told him. “Im sorry, he said to Prince.

“What are you sorry for, Teddy? Prince said.

He stared at her with wide eyes. John said hotly, “Hes not sorry for killing that guy. Everyone looked at him and he flushed again. “Thats not what I meant. We didnt shoot that guy. We heard a shot and we went to go see, thats all! We found the body, and I knew what the cops would think. We made the call on my phone and got the hell out of there, thats all.

“About what time was this?

“Hell, I dont know. We were done hunting, kind of relaxing until Wy got there.

Translation: Theyd opened the beer.

Patiently, Prince led John and Teddy through their last day at hunting camp in hopes of creating a timeline. It wasnt easy since neither man wore a watch. Theyd risen at sunrise, heard the shot “a little later, done a forced march of a little over nine miles in “maybe an hour, maybe two, found the body, known they were in trouble, yelled for help and been back at camp in time to be picked up by Wy.

“About how long from the time you heard the shots to the time you arrived at the mine? Prince said.

John and Teddy exchanged glances and shrugged. “Maybe two hours. Maybe more.

“And you found the body in the creek?

“Yeah. Teddy paled. “He was dead.

“How could you tell?

He stared at her. “He was facedown in the creek, man. His chest was blown away. His heart wasnt beating.

“How could you tell that his chest was blown away if he was facedown in the creek?

“We turned him over, Teddy said, and John groaned.

“You moved the body, Prince said.

“Yeah. Teddy looked from Prince to John, and appealed to Liam. “I mean, he was facedown in the creek. We couldnt leave him like that.

Prince penciled a note.

Liam spoke for the first time, his deep voice slow and authoritative, and both men jumped. “Where was the woman? The wife of the dead man? Rebecca Hanover?

“We didnt see her, Teddy said. “Is that her name? Rebecca? Thats kind of pretty.

“She wasnt anywhere around, John said. “We yelled for her, but she didnt show.

“Did you look in the cabin?

“Yes.

“Did you look around the grounds?

“Man, we just wanted out of there. We made sure the guy was dead, we looked for her, we yelled for her, we made the call, we left. Thats it.

* * *

Prince was all but wagging her tail when they walked into the post. “I got the shotguns on the first flight into Anchorage. I called the Crime Lab to be expecting them. Im betting the shot pattern from Teddys shotgun matches the one the M.E. finds on Hanovers chest.

“Teddy, huh? Liam said. “Why Teddy?

“Because hes the nervous one, she said promptly. “I can see him popping off without thinking. Plus, he had an eye on the wife.

“Yeah, Liam said, “but whyd they make the call?

Prince stared. “What?

“Why did they make the call? Liam repeated. “If they killed him, why call for help? Why draw attention to their crime?

After an uncertain moment, she suggested, “Maybe the shooting sobered them up. Maybe they figured if they called for help, we wouldnt be liking them for the shooting.

“Maybe, Liam said equably. “But in that case, wheres the wife?

“Theyve got the weapons, Prince said, unconvinced. “Theyve got a history of doing this kind of thing.

“Theyve got a history of harassment and destruction of private property, Liam corrected her, “not to mention chasing off Dagfinn Grants customers moose. Theyve never shot anyone.

“Teddy Engebretsen shot out the jukebox at Bills in May, Prince said.

“Shooting a jukebox is one thing, Liam said. “Shooting a person is another thing entirely.

“They were drunk, Prince reminded him.

“Yeah, Liam said, a little grimly. “They were that.

Prince went off to interview the Kvichak and Engebretsen families, to see if Teddy or John had confessed to anything in the four hours between their return and their arrest. Liam called the house to see if Wy was home. After five rings Jim picked up, out of breath. Liam grinned out the window. The morning fog would have burned off by ten, and the sun, he well knew, would be beating down on the deck in front of Wys living room. “Having a nice morning? he inquired solicitously.

“Up yours, Campbell, Jim said. In the background Liam could hear Bridget chuckling.

“Wy there?

“No. Im hanging up now.

“Hold on. You said you had something to tell me.

A brief pause. “Yeah, but not right now.

“Okay, Liam said. There was something in the tone of Jims voice that warned him he wasnt going to like it, whatever it was. “It sounds like it can keep.