“Real sure,” Thomas said.
“Not—?” Leonora let the words hang, unspoken, in midair.
“Not us,” Deke assured her dryly. “Someone else got there first. Shot him twice.”
“Who?”
Leonora demanded.
“Didn’t get a good look at him,” Thomas said, “but our guess is—”
“What do you mean, you didn’t get a
good
look?” Leonora shot up and planted both palms on the table. “You
saw
the killer? He was there when you arrived?”
“He didn’t hang around long,” Deke said. “Only fired one shot in our direction before he split.”
“Oh, my God,” Cassie whispered. “Oh, my God.”
Leonora sat down again. Hard. She had a feeling her mouth was hanging open in an unattractive fashion, but she
couldn’t summon up the will to close it. She propped her elbows on the table and dropped her face into her hands.
“Stovall is convinced it was a drug killing and much as I hate to admit it, it’s just barely possible,” Thomas said. “But we may get something out of it. Because of the rumors of drugs being involved in Bethany’s and Meredith’s deaths, Stovall has promised to take another look at both files. See if there’s any link to Rhodes.”
Leonora raised her head. “You’re right. That’s progress.”
Thomas folded his arms on the table and lowered his voice. “Still doesn’t give us any connection to the Eubanks murder thirty years ago, though.”
“I’ve been working on a new conspiracy theory,” Deke said. “What if first Bethany and then Meredith figured out Kern had committed that murder all those years ago? What if, fearing exposure and the loss of his reputation from Bethany and maybe blackmail in Meredith’s case, he decided to get rid of both women and wanted some help?”
“I see where you’re going here,” Leonora whispered. “Maybe Kern suspected that Alex Rhodes was selling drugs. Bought some S and M from him and used it to poison Bethany first and, six months later, Meredith. It would have been easy to stage a suicide and a car accident if they were in the grip of severe hallucinogens.”
Thomas looked at Deke. “If you and Leonora are right, you see where it leads?”
Deke nodded. “Right back to Osmond Kern. Maybe that was who we surprised in Rhodes’s house tonight. Maybe Kern knew that we were getting close. He had to get rid of Rhodes because Alex, as the dealer who had sold him the S and M, was the one person who could link him to the two deaths.”
“If you’re right,” Thomas said, “Elissa might be in danger.”
Cassie’s eyes widened. “From her own father?”
“I don’t think Osmond Kern is what any self-respecting psychologist would term a nurturing parent.” Thomas reached for his cell phone. “I’ll give Stovall a call. He’ll probably tell me I’m as crazy as Deke, but I’m pretty sure he’s got a personal interest in Elissa Kern. He cares about her. He’ll want to be sure she’s safe.”
Ed was standing
in Osmond Kern’s darkened study, gazing at the text on the glowing computer screen when he took the call.
“Stovall here.”
“This is Walker. Thomas Walker. I know you don’t want to listen to any more conspiracy theories tonight, but if the Walker brothers and their associates are right about this one, Elissa may be in grave danger.”
“Not anymore.”
“Hear me out, Ed. There’s a chance that Osmond Kern shot Alex Rhodes tonight to cover up a murder that was committed thirty years ago.”
“You know something, Walker? You’re good at this detective stuff. Maybe you should consider a career in law enforcement.”
There was a beat of silence. Ed could hear the sounds of a crowd and easy jazz. The Walkers were in the Wings of Fire Pub. He wouldn’t mind being there right now himself. He didn’t drink much normally, but he could have used a shot of something strong right at that moment.
“Am I missing something here?” Thomas asked finally.
“I’ll make sure Elissa is safe tonight, but I don’t think there’s anything more for any of us to worry about.”
“What makes you so damn sure she’s safe, Ed? I know you really like the idea that the shooter is on his way out of town but are you willing to bet Elissa’s life on it?”
“The shooter isn’t on his way out of town,” Ed said. He could feel the weariness all the way to his bones but he wouldn’t give in to it. There was no way he would get any sleep tonight. “I don’t know where Kern is yet, but I expect to find him soon.”
“Kern?” Thomas paused a beat, as if he was quickly reevaluating the situation. “Are you saying you believe that Kern was the killer? How did you put it together?”
“I didn’t. Not until Elissa called me a few minutes ago to tell me that her father had disappeared. He left a suicide note.” Ed gazed down at the words on the screen. “He wrote it on his computer. Elissa found it when she got home from the concert tonight.”
“Suicide,” Thomas repeated neutrally.
“Suicide?”
a woman said on the other end of the line, her voice muffled against the noisy backdrop of the pub.
“What is it? What’s going on?”
Probably Leonora Hutton, Ed thought. Sitting next to Walker, listening in on the conversation.
“Kern and his boat are both missing,” Ed said. “Looks like he took it out tonight after he returned from Rhodes’s house.”
“Any sign of the gun?”
“Right here in the study next to the computer.” He hesitated, pondering procedure, and then thought, the hell with it. The Walkers had been through a lot this past year. They were entitled. “I won’t give you all the details of the note, but between you and me, it looks like the whole thing went down pretty much as you and your brother figured. Starting way back with Eubanks.”
“What about Bethany and Meredith?” Thomas asked.
“It’s all here. Bethany Walker threatened to expose him
as a fraud. So he slipped her some drugs and pushed her off that bluff. Six months later Meredith figured out what had happened and tried to blackmail him. He arranged to meet with her in California. Said he wanted to make a deal. A one-time payment and her promise to disappear. They met for dinner in a neutral location. A restaurant.”
“He slipped the drugs into her food and then set up the accident?”
“Yes. He hoped that would be the end of it. He assumed that everyone involved would continue to write off the Walker brothers’ wild theories. But things just got more complicated. Leonora Hutton arrived on the scene. And the next thing he knows Alex Rhodes tries to blackmail him.”
“You’re sure about that?” Thomas said swiftly.
“He mentions it in his note. Also, Elissa tells me that she went through some of Kern’s financial records recently and found indications of some transactions that she can’t identify. She’s almost positive they’re the blackmail payments.”
“Why did Kern fall apart after murdering Rhodes?”
Ed studied the screen. “Tonight he almost got caught in the act of murder. It was too close. He nearly botched it and he knew it. He says he realizes that it’s just a matter of time before it all comes crashing down on him. Says he can’t face the humiliation of having his colleagues and peers discover that he’s been living a lie for the past thirty years.”
“How about having folks find out that he killed three people in addition to Sebastian Eubanks? That give him any problem?”
“The way I read this note,” Ed said, conscious of Elissa listening to every word, “I’d say the murders were the least of his concerns. It was his fear of having the truth about the algorithm come out that drove him over the edge tonight.”
“How’s Elissa doing?”
He glanced at her with concern. She stood quietly, her arms folded tightly around her midsection. In the glow of the screen he could see tears glistening on her face.
“It’s been a tough night,” Ed said. “But she’s holding up okay. She’s a strong lady.” Elissa gave him a faint, brave little smile. “I’ve got to go, Walker. In addition to dealing with Rhodes’s murder, I’ve got to get a search organized to find Kern. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
He ended the call.
Elissa walked toward him. “Thank you for being so kind tonight, Ed. I don’t think I would have been able to deal with all of this if it hadn’t been for you.”
He put his arms around her and held her close for as long as he dared. About sixty seconds.
Reluctantly he released her. He pressed her hand and picked up his hat.
“Work to do,” he said.
“I understand. Do what you have to do.” She stepped away from him, her eyes full of admiration. “You have your responsibilities to fulfill, and I know you take your duties seriously. It’s part of what makes you such a fine man, Ed.”
He realized he was blushing. Grateful for the low light in the study, he turned quickly away and strode toward the door.
Not every woman understood the demands of his job. Elissa would make a first-rate cop’s wife, he thought. But he couldn’t allow himself to dwell on the possibilities the future held until he had found her father’s body and answered all the outstanding questions.
First things first. That was how you got the job done.
She went home
with Thomas. He acted as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do but that wasn’t what made her uneasy. What worried her was that it
did
feel natural. Wrench apparently agreed with the consensus of opinion. He was waiting at the door with a rubber ball that squeaked when he squeezed it.
It was all very comfortable. Maybe too comfortable, she thought. Of course, she could have pointed out to Thomas that, with Alex dead and with Osmond Kern missing and presumed drowned, there was no longer any danger and therefore no logical excuse for spending the night together. But she said nothing.
The truth was, there was no place she would rather have been. Not tonight. She went into Thomas’s arms with a glorious sense of rightness. He held her close and made love to her with a thoroughness that left her exhausted and satisfied. She had expected to battle a bad
case of insomnia, given the excitement of the night. Instead, she sank into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning the three of them took the footpath into town to get coffee and tea and the latest gossip. The clouds hung low enough to cut off the tops of the trees and the air was cold. The early morning herd of runners and joggers stampeded past as they strolled in the slow lane.
She and Thomas went over the details of the murders and speculated on how long it would take for the authorities to find Osmond Kern’s body. They discussed some of the loose threads that still dangled and wondered if they would ever get all of the answers. Probably not, Leonora thought.
“I wonder how much Meredith really knew and what she planned to do with the information,” Thomas said. He had one hand in the pocket of his jacket. He held Wrench’s leash in the other.
“My guess is, she knew enough to try to blackmail Kern. That’s the only way to explain her death.” Leonora watched Wrench investigate an empty latte cup. “But she obviously wasn’t careful about how she handled the matter.”
“Blackmail is dangerous work.”
“Yes, but she would have known that. I wonder why she didn’t do it anonymously.”
“Maybe she did try to hide her identity. She went down to California, remember? But Kern must have figured out that she was the one behind the extortion.”
“I still don’t see how Meredith could have figured it all out using just those clippings Bethany left behind.”
Thomas glanced at her. “Don’t forget she had that affair with Alex Rhodes.”
“Good point. Meredith, being Meredith, would have learned anything Alex Rhodes knew and he obviously knew about Kern.”
They stopped at the coffeehouse, left Wrench attached to a bicycle stand and went inside to get some caffeine to ward off the chill. The room was crowded. The atmosphere hummed with conversation. Leonora stood at the counter with Thomas and listened to snippets of gossip.
“. . . Heard they found Kern’s boat late last night. It washed ashore. The throttle was still set in the open position, but the fuel tank was empty. They think he jumped somewhere . . .”
“. . . Couldn’t survive more than twenty minutes at most in that water . . . . Hypothermia sets in fast, especially at this time of year . . .”
“. . . Who’d have figured it? I went to one of his lectures last quarter. Weird to think about him standing up there talking about his algorithm like everything was perfectly normal. I mean, the guy had killed a couple of people at that point. Two more to go . . .”
Leonora caught Thomas’s attention. He paid for the coffee and tea and some warm scones to go with the beverages. They went back outside.
Julie and Travis stood on the sidewalk, a cautious distance from Wrench.
“Hi, Miss Hutton. Mr. Walker. This is Travis.”
“Hello, Travis.” Thomas nodded.
“Good morning,” Leonora replied.
Julie watched Wrench warily. “We thought this was your dog. We’ve seen you out walking him on the footpath. He looks mean. Does he bite?”
Wrench paid no attention to the insult. He got to his feet, never taking his eyes off the paper bag in Leonora’s hand. Focused.
Leonora opened the bag, broke off a corner of a scone and fed it to him.
“Wrench wouldn’t harm an ant,” Thomas said. “I assume you both heard the news?”
“About Rhodes getting shot?” Julie shuddered. “You were right. He was dealing drugs. I never knew, honest. I just wanted to tell you that.”
Thomas nodded again and peeled the lid off his coffee cup.
“I heard you were there last night, Mr. Walker.” Travis regarded Thomas with unconcealed awe. “They’re saying that you and your brother went to Rhodes’s house just as Professor Kern was leaving. You could have been killed.”
“News gets around fast here.” Thomas drank some coffee. “Any word on whether or not they’ve found Kern?”
“No,” Travis said. “Heard they found his boat, though. Everyone says he jumped because he couldn’t stand having folks find out that he was a phony.”
“They’re also saying that he murdered Professor Walker last year.” Julie bit her lip. “And that lady who worked at Mirror House for a while. Meredith something.”