Burnt River (16 page)

“It was about three in the morning. The dog started barking before the alarm went off. It was either a fault in the system, or someone tried to force one of the basement windows open. We can’t be sure.”

“Nothing was picked up on the cameras?”

“No footprints either. The area beneath the window is paved.”

Aiden stood at the open door. “Macy, could I speak to you a second?”

“We’re just finishing up.” Macy stood up and held out her hand. “Mr. Crawley, it was a pleasure meeting you. We’ll be sending up a team to interview your staff and review the security tapes this afternoon.”

*   *   *

“Ms. Hutton was very convincing.”

“As was Mr. Crawley.” Macy walked across the shaded driveway. The patrol car was parked in a carport. Someone had washed it. “What did you need to tell me?”

“I got a call from Spokane. Charlie Lott hasn’t been seen for a few weeks. His grandmother said it wasn’t unusual for him to take off. They checked his room above the garage. No sign he’s been there recently. A few months ago he bought a new car.”

“A late-model V8?”

“A dark blue Chevy Chevelle, no less. Mr. Walker nailed it.”

“Release Charlie Lott’s photo to the press along with the details about his car. It should be easy to spot.”

“It’s a classic.”

“I hear there’s a gathering up at the Dalton Ranch.”

“Yeah, I’m going.”

“Let me know if something comes up. I’m driving down to Kalispell. My mother is there on an errand. We’re going to try to meet up for a couple of hours.”

“Sounds nice. I take it she’s bringing Luke.”

Macy smiled. “Yes. I feel a little guilty though. It’s a long drive for them.”

“By the way, we still haven’t found anyone who can tell us Patricia Dune’s whereabouts. Most of the staff at the university seem to be on vacation.”

“Summers off. Must be nice to be an academic.”

“That’s just what I was thinking.”

*   *   *

Macy walked beneath the mature trees shading the downtown Kalispell park with her phone pressed to her ear. Video footage indicated that Bob Crawley was home the evening of John Dalton’s murder. She thanked Aiden for letting her know and said good-bye. Her mother sat on a picnic blanket near a small pond that was surrounded by a low brick wall. Luke was hopping up and down as he laughed at the ducks that had gathered in front of him. He seemed more intent on eating the piece of bread he held than sharing it.

Macy ran up behind Luke and scooped him up in her arms. “How’s my favorite boy?”

She kissed him on the cheeks and smoothed his hair out of his eyes while he giggled and squirmed in her arms. He held a piece of bread to her lips before popping it in his own mouth and laughing all over again.

Ellen had been keeping one eye on her grandson as she flipped through a magazine. “Do you remember this park?”

Macy pulled Luke up onto her shoulders and spun around.

“Should I?”

Ellen pointed to a softball pitch in the far corner. “You pitched your first no-hitter here when you were fourteen.”

Macy took a second to look around. “They should have erected a statue in my honor. I’m going to have to complain.”

She sat Luke on the picnic blanket and plopped down next to him. Seconds later he made a beeline for the duck pond.

“I’m going to come here again,” said Ellen. “Those ducks have kept him entertained for the past hour.”

“I’m sorry I’m late.”

“I’m sure you did your best. How’s Wilmington Creek?”

“Baking.”

“There was an article on John Dalton on the front page of the Helena paper this morning. He survives three tours in Afghanistan and ends up getting murdered in his hometown. Wilmington Creek doesn’t seem like the sort of place this kind of thing happens.”

“You’re right about that. People are worried it’s going to change things forever.”

“I overheard you talking to Ray on the phone yesterday morning. What has he got to do with all of this?”

A few months after Luke was born, Macy had relented and told her mother about her two-year relationship with Ray, the sudden breakup, and the unexpected pregnancy that followed. Ellen wasn’t pleased when they started seeing each other again. As far as she was concerned, Ray wasn’t to be trusted. For months she’d hated him on Macy’s behalf.

“It was nothing personal. Ray is my boss. He was doing his job.”

“It just seems that every time he says
jump
, you say
how high
.”

Macy poured herself some orange juice. “Mom, this is an important case. I’ll jump through as many hoops as I have to.”

“Last week you told me you were thinking of ending it.”

“I still am. It’s just that I see so little of Ray that I haven’t even been able to speak to him about how I’ve been feeling lately.”

“You could write him a Dear John letter.”

“How quaint.”

“It worked for me.”

“How many Dear John letters have you written?”

“Enough to keep the mailman employed.”

Macy unwrapped a sandwich her mother had prepared. “You were such a heartbreaker.”

“Your father used to write to me. They were the most beautiful letters.” She glanced up at Luke and smiled. “He would have loved Luke. It’s so sad that they never got to know each other.”

Macy touched her mother’s knee. “It’s been two years.”

“Almost to the day.”

“You’ve done well.”

“Luke is keeping me busy. That’s a good thing.” She paused. “Macy, I know you have this idea in your head about Luke having a father figure in his life, but you must realize that Luke will be fine as long as he’s surrounded by people who love him. It doesn’t have to be with his real father.”

“I know.” Macy stretched out on the blanket and shut her eyes. “I just look at what you and Dad had together and I want the same thing.”

“Meanwhile your brother and his wife are ripping their family apart. She’s asked for full custody. Apparently, she wants to move to Virginia so she can be closer to her boyfriend.”

“That’s unreasonable.”

“Tom is distraught. He’s already upset about how little he sees the girls.”

“Is he still dating his personal trainer?”

“He’s obsessed with fitness. Keeps telling me about his BMI number, whatever that means.”

“Remind me never to have a midlife crisis.”

“All I’m trying to say is that it’s not such a bad thing, having Luke all to yourself.” She reached out and squeezed her daughter’s hand. “Nobody will ever be able to take him away from you.”

14

Jessie waited outside her father’s hospital room while staff and patients drifted past. On the way to see her father she’d gone by the building where Giles Newton once had an office, but an insurance salesman had taken over the lease six years earlier. He suggested she check with the chamber of commerce. Jessie thanked him and left with a leaflet on life insurance that she threw in the first garbage can she came across. At the hospital she took the elevator up to the sixth floor with a patient in a wheelchair. Chin up, his mouth hung open as he followed the elevator’s progress. He didn’t move when the doors opened in front of him. A thin stream of drool escaped the corner of his mouth. His skull was cracked like an egg, and a scar snaked from the top of his head to his nose. An orderly came in and wheeled him away.

Natalie was in the room with Jeremy, helping him fill out some paperwork. Aside from being her father’s girlfriend, she was also a hospital administrator. Jessie cleared her throat so they’d know she’d arrived. Jeremy raised his bloodshot eyes, but said nothing. It was Natalie who turned and smiled warmly before pulling Jessie into a long hug. She’d organized Jessie’s drug rehabilitation program, working wonders with insurance forms and getting Jeremy to pay the excess. She’d also been there when Jessie relapsed. By all accounts she was a wonderful woman. Her only blind spot seemed to be Jeremy Dalton. Jessie couldn’t understand why she liked her father so much, when she herself could barely tolerate being in the same room with him.

“You’re late,” said Jeremy.

Natalie kept her voice low. “Jessie, be patient with him. He’s really upset.”

“So am I.”

“I know, but you’re the grown-up in this relationship. Remember that.”

“Natalie,” said Jeremy. “You’re going to suffocate the girl if you keep holding on to her like that.”

Natalie led Jessie over to the bed, where Jeremy sat back against the pillows, fully dressed. “You two need each other more than ever now, so you’ve got to find a way to get along. I’m going to get these papers signed by your doctor so you can go. They’ll send a wheelchair up for you.”

“I don’t need a wheelchair.”

She kissed him on the forehead. “You don’t have a choice. It’s hospital policy.”

Natalie left the room, and for a few minutes Jessie stood next to her father’s bed, staring out the window toward the parking lot. She listened to Jeremy’s steady breathing. Despite what the doctors kept saying about his weak heart, she was pretty sure he’d outlive them all. When he raised his voice to speak, there wasn’t any of the vulnerability she’d detected the day before.

“I hear one of Lana Clark’s ex-boyfriends is a suspect. Some guy called Charlie Lott.”

“John told me she came up here from Georgia to get away from him.”

“John should have never gotten involved with her.”

“He couldn’t have known her ex would do something like this.”

“Then she should have warned him.”

“We both know John wouldn’t have listened. I saw Tanya this morning. They’re worried she might do something stupid and hurt herself. She’s been sedated.”

“She should have stayed out in Georgia and waited for John to come home.”

“John was gone for nine months at a stretch. His last deployment was fifteen months. She was lonely.”

“I still think she should have stayed put. He was coming home to her. He needed to believe she was waiting for him.”

“I tried to go see Mom, but they said she wasn’t allowed any visitors.”

Jeremy twisted his hands in his lap. “We can’t have her living with us anymore. She’s not going to get any better.”

Jessie sat down in a chair next to the bed. Jeremy wouldn’t meet her eye. “It sounds like it’s already been decided.”

“It has. There’s a facility in Helena.”

“That’s too far.”

“Jessie, what in the hell am I supposed to do?”

She didn’t answer.

“Come on, tell me. You always seem to have an answer for everything.”

“I don’t know.”

“John saw how difficult things had become since the last time he was home. He’s the one who asked Natalie to look into it.”

“He’d never do that.”

“Ask Natalie if you think I’m lying.”

There was a knock at the door and Jessie looked up. Wade had worn a good shirt. He pushed a wheelchair into the room with an apologetic look on his face.

“Come on, Jeremy. Let’s get you home where you belong.”

“There’s no way in hell I’m getting in that thing.”

“It’s only to the exit.”

Jeremy jumped off the bed and grabbed his bag. “Fuck that.”

He slipped past Jessie without a word and disappeared into the corridor.

Wade frowned. “Jessie, do you need a ride back to the ranch?”

“No thank you. I drove.”

“Don’t be too late coming home. A lot of family are showing up this afternoon. Quite a few friends as well. I’ve got Anita keeping an eye on things, and plenty of people have offered to help.”

“It’s too soon.”

“A lot of people loved John. They want to show their support.”

Jessie closed her eyes. More than anything she wanted to be alone, and as much as she hated her father, she was pretty sure he felt the same way.

“Do you need me to pick up anything?”

“Don’t worry yourself about that. It’s all taken care of.”

“Wade, I need to ask you something.”

Wade glanced out in the corridor. “I don’t want to keep Jeremy waiting too long. You know how he gets.”

Jessie shook her head. “You’re right. It can wait.”

He touched her shoulder. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. You go on home. I’ll be there soon.”

*   *   *

Trying her best to make herself invisible, Jessie wandered the downstairs rooms of the ranch house. Friends and relations mingled over plates of food. Warm, heavily cushioned bodies smelling of perfume and sweat pulled her into lingering hugs. Thick arms dragged her into corners for quiet confidences. For a while Tara had stayed close, tugging at the hem of her mother’s pale blue dress, and whispering in her ear when she wanted something, but then she’d gone outside to play with her friends. Her absence left Jessie feeling untethered. Beneath her feet, floorboards creaked like on an old ship. The pastor from their church wanted to speak to her in private. He squeezed Jessie’s hand and spoke fiercely, firing off one overused platitude after another. It was like being assaulted by a greeting card company. Jessie focused on his hair. It was dark brown in color, but gray at the roots. She pictured him in the bathroom rubbing dye into his scalp and remembered what Jeremy had once said about him.
How can you trust a man who lies about his hair?

Monica arrived with her two children in tow. She still wore her hair in the same high ponytail she had sported since high school. She took Jessie to one side and sat her down before sending her eldest off to fetch a glass of orange juice.

“Jessie, you look pale. You need to drink this.”

Jessie did as she was told.

“You’re getting thinner by the minute. Are you eating?”

Through the bay windows Jessie could see Tara running across the front lawn. Someone had given her a Popsicle. She held it aloft like a sword.

Jessie picked up a potato chip from the bowl in Monica’s hand and popped it into her mouth. “Where’s Patrick?”

“He stayed home with the baby. She’s been colicky. None of us are getting much sleep.”

“Are you sure having Tara stay a couple of days won’t be too much?”

“Don’t be silly. We’d love to have her. Did you pack her bag?”

Jessie started to get up. “It’s in her room.”