Skeletons in the Mist (The McCall Twins) Page 16

  “What happened?” She got up quickly, following his lead. They both began to dress quickly.

  “Somebody just called Trace. There’s been a disturbance over at your aunt’s house. I need to meet him over there. He’s already on his way.”

  Roxy’s heart started pounding harder. “What kind of disturbance?”

  “I’m not sure. All Trace said was that someone called and reported a prowler.”

  He slipped his holster over his shoulder and shoved his gun into it.

  Roxy dragged a jacket on and followed him down the hall.

  Ten minutes later, they pulled up in front of her aunt’s two-story, farm style home. There were two police cars already there, as well as Trace’s truck. Roxy climbed out of Chas’s vehicle and hesitated once she reached the sidewalk. Chas was in front of her and she grabbed his wrist, stopping him from moving any further. When their gazes locked, he seemed to read her mind.

  “Stay here with the other officers. I’ll be back.”

  She did as he said, mostly because she just wasn’t sure if she was ready to face what she knew was inside that house. Chas’s warning the day before had stuck with her. Backing up, she leaned against the truck and waited while Chas disappeared inside of the residence.

  “You’re Roxy Tavish, aren’t you? I’d recognize you anywhere.”

  Roxy turned, her eyes focusing on an elderly woman who was walking up the sidewalk, a cane in her left hand. She was a petite woman, with graying hair and bifocals on. She was wearing a pink bathrobe and some rubber-soled house slippers. Roxy had no idea who she was.

  “I’m sure you won’t remember me. I’m Aggie Colyar. I was a friend of your aunt’s.” She pointed to the house next door. “I’ve lived there next to Myra for nearly fifty years.”

  Aggie Colyar. The name rang a bell. Memories from her childhood were foggy at best, but she vaguely remembered the woman being friends with her aunt. “I remember you. Didn’t you have a granddaughter that I used to play with?” Roxy wasn’t sure where the memory came from but it was there. “Wasn’t her name Elizabeth?”

  Aggie Colyar’s smile widened. “That’s right. She’s twenty-nine now. She lives in North Dakota and has two kids of her own.”

  “That’s nice,” Roxy said, relaxing a little. “Do you see her a lot?”

  “Not as much as I’d like. Traveling is hard for me now that my husband has passed. She and the other kids visit a couple of times a year. They’d like to come more but you know how it is. The kids are in school and such.”

  No, Roxy didn’t know how that was. She had no children, no husband. She really had no story at all at this point. At least no story worth mentioning.

  “I’m so sorry about your aunt. Myra was a wonderful friend and neighbor. My heart is broken.”

  “Mine too,” Roxy said solemnly. “Were you the one who called the police about a prowler this morning?”

  The old woman nodded. “It’s the strangest thing. I was sitting in my living room, watching the late show like I always do. I’m a night owl—always have been. Anyway, the police were here and then they left. A few hours went by. I was just dozing off when I heard a noise. I looked out the window and saw someone creeping across the backyard next door. I noticed the gate was left open and the blinds on the kitchen window were suddenly drawn. They were open yesterday. And then I heard the dogs from the neighbors on the other side of Myra’s house barking. That’s when I called the police.” Aggie shook her head contritely. “I’m sorry. I know this must all be devastating for you. First Myra, then Devon and Dylan, and now this.”

  Chas suddenly reappeared on the scene, his face grim. He greeted Mrs. Colyar by her first name. They obviously knew each other, which wasn’t really a surprise. Everyone knew everyone in Cavern Creek.

  “Is everything okay in there?” Aggie wanted to know.

  “I’m afraid not. Trace said you saw a prowler. Did you recognize anything about this person?”

  “No, I didn’t. It was dark. I was just telling Roxy that I saw a figure cross the backyard. I noticed the gate was left open and I heard the dogs barking. That’s when I realized the blind in the kitchen was suddenly shut. I tried to call the substation but nobody answered so I called Trace.”

  Chas looked surprised. “Nobody answered your call at the station?”

  “No. I called twice. I almost called 911 after that, but I remembered I had your brother’s cell number from when he interviewed me the other day. It was on his business card. I hope I did the right thing.”

  “You did,” Chas said, but Roxy could tell he was worried about something.

  “What happened in there?” she finally asked. She was almost afraid to hear.

  “I’ll tell you about it later. I need to head back to the station.” He looked at Aggie Colyar. “I’m going to have my brother ask you a few more questions, if you don’t mind, Aggie. It won’t take long. Can he come by your house in a little bit?”

  The old woman nodded and Chas bid her goodbye and ushered Roxy to the truck. When they were safely inside and on their way to the station, she tried again. “What happened?”

  “The place is trashed.”

  “Trashed,” she repeated.

  “Yes, trashed. Earlier when Trace and I were there, everything was neat as a pin, besides the spot in the hallway where Myra…” His voice broke off and he cleared his throat. “Everything is torn to shreds now. The drawers are ripped out and their contents spilled. The closets have been emptied, clothes and boxes trashed.” He met her gaze. “It’s totaled.”

  Roxy winced at the words.

  “Someone was obviously looking for something and if I had to hedge a bet I’d say it was—”

  “The journal,” she finished for him.

  He nodded somberly. “What I can’t figure out is who knew we were looking for it.”

  “Someone had to have overheard you somewhere.”

  “Only Briggs and Devon himself were in the room at the detention center, besides you. Nobody else knew about the journal. We’ve kept that very quiet for obvious reasons.”

  “Do you think whoever trashed the house tonight found it? The journal, I mean?”

  He frowned. “We were pretty thorough last night, Roxy. No, we didn’t trash the place, but we went through the closets. We dug through the drawers. It wasn’t there.”

  “So where could it be? And who’s trying to find it all of the sudden?”

  “The million dollar question.”

  When he didn’t say more, she looked at him. “You think it’s my father, don’t you? My biological father.”

  He didn’t deny it.

  Her temples began to throb again and she let out a sigh.

  “I’m sorry. I know you’re getting one piece of bad news after another.”

  “I don’t even know who I am anymore, Chas. When I came here, I had no idea what I was getting into.”

  “I understand that.” He pulled up in front of the police department and shut off his vehicle. “I hate to add to your misery but I checked my messages while I was in the house. I missed one yesterday from the medical examiner’s office. It’s pretty likely that he will release Myra’s body in the next day or two. I just thought you should know.”

  Roxy grimaced, her headache getting worse. She hadn’t even thought about the fact that she would need to figure out funeral and burial arrangements.

  “Don’t panic. I can give you the name of the person who runs the funeral home. They’ll work with you on what you want to do for a service.”

  Sadly, she let out a sigh. “I don’t even know what my aunt wanted, Chas. I hardly knew her anymore.”

  He gave her a sympathetic look. “There’s a will. She had an attorney. It’s pretty likely that she worked all that out with him. The house is a mess right now but all that information is probably there somewhere. We should be able to clear it as a crime scene in a few days. This morning’s debacle will slow things down a bit. I’m sorry.”

  “S
top saying that. None of this is your fault.”

  “I feel like everything I’m saying is making this harder for you.”

  “Is there anything that could make it easier?” she asked, knowing the answer to that question. “I keep praying that Dylan will come home—that Devon will be set free. I keep hoping that what I’m doing to help them is right. But nothing I’m doing is working. It’s just making everything more complicated and dangerous.”

  “None of this is your fault. You’re doing the right things, Roxy.”

  “It sure doesn’t feel that way.”

  He didn’t argue with her. “We should go in. I need to check on things here and I’ve got some calls to make.”

  She followed him out of the truck and up the sidewalk to the front doors of the police station. It was going on six AM now and the sun was just starting to provide a bit of light.

  For some reason, she had the distinct sensation that they were being watched. She stopped walking and looked around the area. Due to the early hour of the morning, there was nobody around. At least she didn’t see anyone outright.

  “What?” Chas stood at the door and gave her a quizzical look.

  She glanced around them one last time and then shrugged. “Nothing. I’m getting a little anxious, that’s all.”

  “It’s no wonder.” He held the door for her and she walked in ahead of him. He pulled out his keys, prepared to unlock the glass doors that led into the substation—only he didn’t need his keys. The doors were unlocked.

  She watched as he tensed, his eyes immediately on alert. They entered the station together. The first thing she noticed was that there was nobody behind the front desk. The place was deserted.

  “What the hell?” she heard Chas say from behind her. He walked back behind the front desk and she followed, having another bad feeling. Damn her senses anyway. They were starting to completely freak her out.

  “Maddie!” he called loudly. He received no answer.

  “Maybe she’s in the restroom,” Roxy suggested. “Or the break room.”

  They both walked to the back of the building. Chas knocked on the restroom door. He received silence in response. When he reached down to try the door, it was locked.

  “That’s weird.” He banged on the door again. Still, nobody answered. “It’s been known to lock accidentally. We had a guy in here a couple of weeks ago and I thought it was fixed.”

  Hearing a noise down the hallway, Roxy turned—and nearly jumped out of her skin. A huge, balding man with a dark colored beard and piercing black eyes stared down at her. She let out a shriek and backed up into Chas, who quickly shoved her behind him. Apparently he recognized the man standing before him because he swore.

  “Shit, Abbott, what the hell are you doing?”

  The man’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell do you think I’m doing? I’m looking for you.”

  “I mean what are you doing back here?” Chas demanded. He was clearly annoyed.

  “There was nobody out front.”

  Roxy struggled to contain her overactive heart rate. Suddenly something caught her eye. She froze. “Chas.”

  Still scowling, he looked at her. When he saw her face, he followed her gaze to the floor, where if she was seeing right, blood was leaking out from beneath the bathroom door.

  TWENTY-ONE

  Chas grimaced as he watched the coroner finish loading Maddie Croft’s body into his van. He shut the double doors and climbed into the vehicle. A moment later, he was gone.

  It seemed unreal. The last eight hours had seemed unreal. When he’d seen the blood rolling out from beneath the bathroom door, he’d acted on instinct. He hadn’t taken the time to find the keys, he’d just used all of his strength and kicked the door in.

  The vision of Maddie lying there, her eyes closed as though she were sleeping, was not something he would soon forget. Neither was the blood spatter around her. He’d immediately tried to help her. He’d checked for a pulse, found none. He’d tried CPR, though it had been too late. And then he’d punched a hole in the wall out of grief and frustration. Roxy had called for an ambulance but the ambulance hadn’t been necessary. Maddie had been shot through the heart. She’d bled out immediately.

  After that, Chas had turned and seen Abbott Flannigan tearing down the hallway as though a bat out of hell were chasing him. Chas had ended up tackling the jackass and cuffing him—which had been no easy chore. Abbott Flannigan was couple of inches taller than Chas and outweighed him by at least fifty pounds. He was now in a holding cell while Chas figured out what to do with him.

  “Are you okay?” Trace asked, coming up behind him and slapping him gently on the back.

  “I’m fine,” he lied. “Where’s Roxy?”

  “I got her some coffee. She’s out front with Josh.”

  Chas took several deep breaths and rubbed his hands over his face. He glanced down at his bloody shirt and pants and grimaced. Maddie’s blood was all over him. He hadn’t taken the time to change because he’d been too busy helping to secure the crime scene—his third violent crime scene this week. He looked at his brother. “How in the hell did this happen?”

  Trace sat on a corner of Chas’s desk. “I don’t know. Abbott’s pissed though. He wants out. He says he didn’t do anything. I’m having Starks bring him in here, so brace yourself.”

  Chas grimaced. “He was here when we got here. He was lurking around. And let’s not forget that he threatened me last night.”

  “I’m just telling you what he told me.” Trace met Chas’s gaze. “He has no blood on him.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything. He could have shot her from afar. I doubt if he got right up in her face. Somebody had to have heard something.”

  “I called upstairs. Mayor Dewitt left before we did last night, and everyone that works in his office has weekends off so there was nobody around.”

  “What about Darryl?” Chas immediately asked. Darryl Hyland was the janitor for the building. He did most of his work at night and on weekends.

  “He left before we did too.”

  Chas was thoughtful. “When Aggie Colyar called you, did she tell you that she’d tried the station twice and gotten no answer?”

  Trace stood up again. “No, she didn’t say a word about that. She reminded me that I had asked her to call me if there were any problems at Myra’s. If she had mentioned that she’d called the station and gotten no answer, I would have checked in with Maddie. I ran into Henshaw and Miller on my way to Myra’s and asked them to follow me for some back up. They were on the graveyard shift last night. They didn’t mention any problems with the station either.”

  Chas swore. “Aggie only told me about the first two calls she’d made after I’d already been through Myra’s house the second time. It was after five AM by then.”

  “There’s nothing you could have done,” Trace said somberly, obviously reading the guilt in Chas’s eyes. “The phones go down around here periodically. It’s not uncommon for communication to get screwed up. That’s why 911 is a better alternative in an emergency.”

  Chas knew his brother was right, but he still couldn’t shake the sick feeling inside of him.

  “Look, Henshaw and Miller both said the last time they had any contact with Maddie was around two AM. She told them all was quiet, so they went to Lola’s for coffee. If that’s the last time they talked to her then obviously whatever happened, happened between two and four.”

  Chas didn’t get the chance to respond. Officer Mitch Starks walked into the cubicle with a very angry and uncooperative Abbott Flannigan cuffed next to him. When Abbott saw Chas, he exploded.

  “You can’t do this to me! This isn’t right. I ain’t done nothing!” Abbott used all his strength and rammed into the officer holding his arm. Starks wasn’t a small man either. He yanked Abbott hard and shoved him toward an empty chair. Abbott fell into it with a thud.

  “The sooner you cooperate, the sooner you get out of here,” Trace said, eyeing Abbott with
distaste.

  “You’ve got it in for me and my family! I want a lawyer. I want to see a judge!”

  “You haven’t been charged with anything yet, Abbott. We just want to talk to you.” Trace looked at his brother. “Isn’t that right, Chas?”

  “Then why am I in cuffs?” Abbott asked, clanking his cuffed wrists against the desk. “And why did you have me thrown in a cell like a prisoner?”

  “You know why, Abbott. Because you weren’t cooperating.” Keeping his temper in check, Chas locked eyes with Abbott. “What were you doing here in the first place? I told you last night that I would be in touch with you when I had more information about Abel.”

  “You’re not taking this seriously. You’re more worried about that old bat that died.”

  Again, Chas found himself wanting to punch Abbott in the face. He calmed himself down before he spoke. “That’s not true. Any time there’s a murder it is taken very seriously around here, regardless of who the victim is.”

  “That’s not the way it looked to me.”

  “Well you’re seeing things wrong. Now I need to know what happened when you got here earlier. Why were you snooping around back here?”

  “Because I came in and nobody was here. I waited for a few minutes and then I decided to see if someone was back here.”

  “What time did you get here?” Trace asked.

  Abbott frowned. “I don’t know. I was coming home from the saloon. I slept in the back room last night. I guess it was around five-thirty.”

  “Five-thirty isn’t exactly normal business hours, Abbott.” Chas gave him a disbelieving look.

  “I don’t wear a watch. I didn’t know what time it was until after I came inside the station. The doors were unlocked.” Starting to look a little worried again, Abbott cursed. “I didn’t do anything. You showed up right after I got here. I was just about to leave.”

  “Where’s Albie?” Chas asked.

  “How the hell should I know? Unlike you two weirdos, Albie and I don’t hang out together twenty-four hours a day. He’s probably at home, passed out on the couch where he usually is. Are you going to take these freaking cuffs off or do I need to call a lawyer?”