Walleye Junction (28 page)

“Any sign of Bob Crawley's alibi, Stacy Shaw?” asked Aiden.

“Nothing,” said Gina. “We're monitoring her bank accounts, social media platforms, and cell phone, but there's been no activity.”

“Now that I've interviewed his kids I'm convinced Bob Crawley wasn't involved, but I'd still like to speak to Stacy Shaw,” said Macy. “She couldn't have picked a more opportune moment to fall off the face of the earth. It's really slowed down the investigation.”

“So, you don't think Bob is our guy,” said Gina.

“His kids were very convincing. They saw two men plant evidence on the Crawley property. I'm almost positive one of them was Lloyd Spencer.”

“And the other?” asked Gina.

“We've got finger-shaped bruises on a child's arm that are similar in size to the ones that were found on Carla's body. We also have a sweatshirt that may have trace DNA on it. Lab techs are going over it now.”

“Could Sean Spencer have been the other man?” asked Aiden.

“We know he was in Bozeman the morning his parents died,” said Macy. “Whether he was up on the Crawley property with his stepfather remains to be seen.”

“Sean has been living off thin air for a while now,” said Gina. “Tech guys have hit a wall. No one knows where he is. According to social media accounts, his girlfriend, Kristina, organized one of her raves down near Bozeman a few days ago, which may have been why they were there. The police are investigating a party that took place in an abandoned warehouse.”

“Any arrests?” asked Aiden.

“Nope, but a few kids ended up in the hospital.”

Lou poured himself another glass of wine. “Do you ever feel like you keep cleaning up the same mess over and over again?”

“All the time,” said Gina.

“Oh,” said Lou. “I finally spoke to Joel Edwards's parole officer. They'd discussed his progress in the drug rehabilitation program. Joel mentioned Carla a couple of times. Said she was being really helpful with his recovery.”

Macy spoke. “Did he give you any more background?”

“It's a pretty sad story. Addiction seems to run in the family. When his sister died of an accidental overdose a couple of years ago, he spiraled downward pretty quickly. Parole officer thinks he has a death wish.”

“He's suicidal?” asked Macy.

Lou thought for a few seconds. “Hard to tell. He may just like to take risks. According to his parole officer, he's stopped breathing in emergency rooms on three separate occasions.”

Gina frowned. “He was convicted of attempting to rob a doctor for drugs at gunpoint. You'd think he'd have spent more time behind bars.”

“The judge took the view that he needed to be treated, not incarcerated,” said Lou.

“It was armed robbery,” repeated Gina.

“As I recall there were extenuating circumstances,” said Lou.

“Does his parole officer have any idea where Joel might be?” asked Macy.

“There's a homeless camp north of town, near the river,” said Lou. “We're sending in a few units at first light. If he's there we'll find him.”

“Didn't you impound his car?” said Macy. “Might be hard for him to make it back out there without it.”

“The car is indeed impounded. Ryan promised he'd have a look at it tomorrow.”

“I think I'm going to head off now,” said Aiden. “It's been a long few days.”

Macy started gathering plates. “I'll walk you out.”

Aiden pulled Macy into his arms as soon as they were out of sight of the house. They leaned back against his patrol car.

“I'm tired,” he said. “Much as I'd like to see you tonight, I figure it's best if we go our separate ways.”

“I'll have to drive Gina back to the hotel anyway.” Macy glanced at the front porch. There were shadows moving about the kitchen. “Not sure how long it will take to extract her.”

“She does seem to be knocking back the wine this evening.”

“Oh, let her have her fun,” said Macy. “I think she's been having difficulties at home.”

“Marital problems?”

“No,” said Macy. “Her husband seems to be a saint. I think she's exhausted from trying to work and raise a family. There are only so many hours in a day.”

Aiden held her a little tighter.

“Are you worried about how you'll manage working without your mother here to look after Luke?”

“I am.”

He hesitated. “You could cut back on your hours, maybe even try something new.”

“I could.”

“But you won't.”

Macy stepped away from Aiden so she could look him in the eye. “Aiden, I love my job. If we're going to commit to a future together we have to figure out a way to make it work as well.”

“So, no compromise?”

“I'm leaving my life in Helena behind, I'd say I'm compromising enough already.”

Aiden took her hand. “I think we're too tired to talk about this now.”

Macy didn't disagree.

He kissed her good night.

“I should get back inside before Gina opens up another bottle,” said Macy. “We'll talk tomorrow.”

*   *   *

Macy's cell phone rang as she was opening the door to her hotel room.

“What's wrong, Lou?” asked Macy. “Did Gina run off with your favorite bottle of wine?”

Lou didn't laugh. “I apologize for the late call, but there's been a development.”

Macy let her bag slide off her shoulder onto the bed. She wanted to follow it, but had a feeling she should remain standing.

“I've received a call from Kalispell PD,” said Lou. “They found Stacy Shaw. She's staying at a hotel just outside of town. According to the clerk the room was booked for a week in Stacy Shaw's name and paid for in cash.”

Macy wrote down the address. “I'll head down there now.”

“I appreciate that,” said Lou. “I've had a few too many glasses of wine to be much use to anyone this evening.”

“No worries. I'll let you know if I find out anything of interest.”

Macy opened a Diet Coke she'd stashed in the hotel room's mini fridge and stared out the window. Streetlights lit up Main Street like a stage, but once she hit the city limits she'd be on a very dark road. The drive to Kalispell would take her past the sight of the accident. She pictured Philip Long swaying barefoot in the driving rain. He'd been trying to tell her something that night. She needed to figure out what he'd wanted to say. Macy fished Gina's car keys out of her pocket and contemplated making the drive on her own. Bringing along Gina was out of the question as she'd drunk even more wine than Lou. Macy took a sip of Diet Coke and decided it was best that she not call Aiden. She really wasn't up to having a serious conversation, and the drive to Kalispell would give them too much time to talk. She grabbed her bag and headed out into the night.

*   *   *

The landscape spun away in a succession of billboards and road signs. Macy kept her eyes on the road, but her mind was elsewhere. There was definitely something solid about her relationship with Aiden, but try as she might, she couldn't picture a way around the obstacles that were blocking their way. She'd have to move out of her mother's home in Helena. She'd have to hire a stranger to look after her son. Her career would suffer. She'd have to compromise. They'd not talked about kids. Aiden might want to have more children. She wasn't sure how she felt about that.

Halfway to Kalispell, Macy came to a stop and put on the emergency lights. A few dozen elk stood frozen in the glare of the headlights. She shut them off and waited. First a trickle, then a flood; the herd edged across the highway cautiously. At one point her vehicle was surrounded by hundreds of them. Their hooves clattered on the pavement and steam rose from their snouts. They peered into the windows as they bumped and brushed against the side of the car, their dark eyes wide and anxious. Macy sat back in her seat. There were no other cars coming or going. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She awoke to an empty highway.

*   *   *

After so much darkness, the town of Kalispell glowed like daybreak. The navigation system directed Macy to an exit north of town. The road narrowed as it wove through stands of solid looking pines. She caught occasional glimpses of putting greens and fairways so finely mowed they shone like glass in the starlight. She passed by the clubhouse and hotel as she followed the route to the condominiums that dotted the grounds. She was looking for number sixty-eight.

Stacy Shaw had refused to leave her bedroom in the two-story condominium set in the woods next to the thirteenth hole.

“I haven't broken the law,” said Stacy. “The room is paid for, so I'm staying.”

As she wasn't a suspect but only a witness, Macy couldn't fault Stacy's logic, but that didn't stop Macy from wanting to kick some sense into the girl.

Bob Crawley had been right about one thing. Stacy Shaw looked much older than eighteen. She was lying back on her bed wearing a white terrycloth robe. Her long brown hair fell across her shoulders. Her makeup was thick but flawless. She didn't seem to have any sense of shame. She'd been alone with two male police officers for nearly an hour and hadn't thought to get dressed. Macy picked a bottle of nail varnish off the table. It was a drugstore brand.

“Stacy,” said Macy. “Who's paying for all this?”

Stacy looked bored. “Online he goes by the name Max. He likes playing golf, is married, and has a preference for brunettes.”

“That's not a lot to go on.”

“It's enough.”

“Maybe if you were meeting for a cup of coffee, but that's not what's going on here. You do realize that you've agreed to spend a week with a complete stranger in a hotel room.” Macy lifted the curtain and looked outside. “The clubhouse is at least a mile away. No one would know if you were in trouble.”

Stacy's eyes flicked to the silent television screen. A music video was playing. They'd agreed the television could stay on, but the volume was to remain off.

“I don't care that you have a problem with my lifestyle,” said Stacy. “I'm not doing anything wrong, otherwise you would have arrested me.”

“When exactly was Max supposed to meet you here?”

“Three days ago. He sent me a message saying that he was running late but that I should stay here on my own. Between spa treatments, I watch television and order room service. It's paradise.” Stacy stretched out on the bed like a cat. “And it's all paid for.”

“Do you have any other photos of Max?”

“Just the one from the Web site. I already gave it to these guys.”

“It must be kind of boring sitting here by yourself.”

Stacy checked her fingernails. “I have to be here when he arrives.”

“Your mother is worried about you.”

“As you can plainly see, I'm fine.”

“We need to talk about your relationship with Bob Crawley,” said Macy.

“I don't know anyone named Bob Crawley.”

Macy showed her a photo.

“Oh, him,” said Stacy,

“What name did he give you?”

“Steve.”

“When was the last time you saw
Steve
?”

“That's none of your business.”

“Bob aka Steve is going to be charged with murder if he can't account for his whereabouts. He says he was with you on the night in question.”

“What date did he give you?” asked Stacy.

“I'd rather you tell me.”

Stacy rolled her eyes as she held out her hand. “Hand me my phone.”

Macy tossed the bejeweled smartphone to the girl.

Stacy scrolled through the dates in her calendar. “The last time I saw him was Tuesday the twelfth of May. Is that the date you were thinking of?”

“Yes, it is. I'll need details.”

Stacy sat back against the pillows again. Her terrycloth robe hung open, exposing one of her breasts. Macy told her to straighten it, but Stacy ignored her.

“Steve likes role-play,” said Stacy. “Cheerleader, naughty schoolgirl, that sort of thing. On the night in question I pretended to be his son's school friend who needed a lift home, which was of course our little joke. We did it three times if I recall—”

Macy interrupted her. “Stacy, that's enough. I want to know where you met Bob Crawley and how long you were together.”

Stacy checked her phone again. “The Valley Inn south of Collier. I checked us in at ten. He left sometime after three. I stayed until morning.”

“And you're sure Steve and Bob Crawley are the same man?”

“I have no doubt whatsoever.” Stacy reached for the hotel phone on the bedside table. “Are you hungry? I could order us some room service. The kitchen stays open all night.”

“Thank you, but I've already eaten.”

Macy took one last glance around the room. She'd looked into renting vacation homes in the Flathead Valley that weren't nearly as nice as this. A two-bedroom condo on a golf course must cost at least $500 a night.

“Is it normal for guys you meet online to be so generous?”

Stacy picked up the remote and flicked through the channels.

“All the time,” said Stacy. “I've actually stayed in nicer places.”

“Stacy, I need your attention for a few seconds longer.”

Stacy laughed at something she saw on television. It was a scene involving an animated horse. It cut to a commercial and she turned to face Macy again.

“I'm all yours.”

Macy set her business card down next to the bottle of nail polish.

“At the moment this may seem like a great way to live, but things will change. I want you to call me if you get into trouble.”

Stacy held Macy's gaze as she flicked the card off the bedside table with her manicured finger. It fluttered to the floor.

“I'll take that under advisement,” said Stacy.