All Mortal Flesh

THIRTY

Fat snowflakes were spinning out of the leaden sky and splattering against her Subaru’s windshield by the time Clare saw the sign she was looking for: MILLERS KILL 8 MILES, FORT HENRY 11 MILES. She turned off Route 9 onto Sacandaga Road, which wound through farmlands and woodlots and crossed the Hudson River twice before curling beneath the footprint of the mountains to enter the town at the western edge.

Her route ran past the entrance to the Algonquin Waters Spa and Resort, the narrow switchback road marked by stone pillars and a softly lit oval sign, partially covered now by a CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS sheet. A mile or so after it was the Stuyvesant Inn, its riotous Victorian paintwork grayed into ghost colors by the falling snow.

She spotted the turnoff to Old Route 100. A battered blue and gold sign announced she was on a historic trail, but she didn’t need to stop and read it to know that the road beneath her tires had been old before Henry Hudson sailed the Half Moon up the river that was to bear his name. The broad and easy trail led Mohawks into the mountains for autumn hunting and to the river for springtime fishing. War parties of Algonquins and Mohicans, French soldats, and British infantrymen widened it and rutted it with cannon tracks. When the canals and the mills brought money into the area, it became a corduroy post road, and when the Depression emptied out the coffers, it was paved by the WPA.

She knew all this, not from the sign-had she ever been anywhere that marked as many historic spots as New York?-but from a book that Russ had given her. He loved this place, loved its history and its geography, loved its weather and its seasons; even, although he wouldn’t describe it as such, loved the people he tried to guard from every bad thing.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? A phrase from third-year Latin. She saw the MacEntyres’ mailbox through the scrim of snow and flicked on her turn signal. Who guards the guardians?

I guess that would be me and You, Lord.

The house she turned into was similar to many along this stretch of Old Route 100, a comfortably sized prebuilt installed, in all likelihood, over the bones of the last house after the owners tallied the costs of modernizing the heating, plumbing, and electrical systems and discovered it was cheaper to knock down the old and truck in the new. Farmers could not afford sentiment. Across the road, a well-kept barn at least three times the size of the house stood like a garrison, its fields running away into snowmists behind.

She parked behind a Ford Taurus with MY CHILD IS AN HONORS STUDENT AT CLINTON MIDDLE SCHOOL plastered on the bumper and an overmuscled, football-clutching Minuteman stickered to the rear window. It occurred to her, as she stepped out into the falling snow, that she had no idea what she was going to say to the MacEntyres. They weren’t members of her parish; they weren’t involved with counseling; she wasn’t marrying or burying any of them. She wouldn’t have to be here if the Millers Kill Police Department hadn’t been hijacked by that state police investigator. It would be a miracle if the MacEntyres didn’t send her packing within the first sixty seconds.

She rang the bell. Okay, God. I hope You have something, because I don’t.

The door opened. A brown-haired woman in jeans and a sweater stood there, smiling with the reserved politeness country people greeted strangers with. “Hi,” she said. “Can I help you?”

“I hope so,” Clare said. “I’m Clare Fergusson, I’m from St. Alban’s Church-”

The woman’s smile thinned. “Thanks very much, but we belong to High Street Baptist.” She started to close the door.

“Please!” Clare threw her hand against the edge of the door. “I’m not trying to raise money or convert you or get you to sign a petition. I’m here because of Linda Van Alstyne’s murder.”

“What?” The woman frowned, but she opened the door wider.

“Are you Aaron MacEntyre’s mother?”

“I’m Vicki MacEntyre, yeah.” She studied Clare for a fraction of a second, then said, “Better come on in before we let all the heat out.”

Clare brushed the snow off her jacket and stepped inside onto a large square of tiling that kept incoming boots and shoes from immediately soiling the wall-to-wall carpeting rolling out through the rest of the living room.

“What did you say your name was?” Vicki MacEntyre crossed the room and snapped off the widescreen TV, cutting Oprah off midsentence.

“Clare. Clare Fergusson. I’m a friend of Russ Van Alstyne’s.”

“The chief of police?”

“Yeah,” Clare said. She shucked off her parka and held it beneath her arm. “A friend of your son’s told Russ that they saw a car parked in the Van Alstynes’ driveway the day Linda Van Alstyne was killed. I was hoping your son might have noticed something.”

“And you want to talk to Aaron.”

“That’s right.”

“No offense, but if this is part of a murder investigation, how come the cops aren’t here?”

“The state police have taken over the investigation. They’re holding Russ as a suspect right now, so no one’s pursuing any alternate theories.” That wasn’t precisely true-she had no doubt that every cop in the department would be looking for alternatives as soon as their hands were untied-but it was a good bet no one would get around to the MacEntyres for some time yet.

“So you’re doing it?” Vicki looked her up and down, taking in Clare’s loose-fitting black velour dress and white collar. “Are you a private eye or something?”

Clare reflexively ran a finger along her dog collar. “No, I’m an Episcopal priest.”

“You’ve been watching too many episodes of Murder, She Wrote, haven’t you? Tell you what, whyn’t you take off your boots and come into the kitchen? The school bus’ll be here any minute.”

Clare did as she said. The big eat-in kitchen was clearly the nerve center of the MacEntyre house. Every surface, vertical or horizontal, was covered with photos, lists, magazines, school handouts, and calendars, heaped and stacked and tacked and taped one on top of the other.

“Pardon the mess,” Vicki said. “I cleaned up after Christmas, and I haven’t had the time to tackle anything since then. Want some cocoa? I was just going to get some ready for the kids.”

“That would be lovely, thanks.” Clare took up a post beside the refrigerator, out of the way but close enough to talk with her hostess. “Looks like you have a busy family.”

“You got that right.” Vicki slid a quart measuring cup full of water into the microwave. “My youngest’s got Boy Scouts, Pee Wee football, karate, and band. My girl’s junior varsity cheerleader, gymnastics, and a different band.” She ripped the end off a package of instant hot cocoa and dumped the contents into a mug. “Aaron’s slowed down, thank God. He’s just doing karate and his guitar lessons. Which is fine by me, ’cause I want him to concentrate on getting his grades up his last year in school.”

“The guidance counselor said he wants to join the military?”

The microwave dinged. Vicki paused, her hand on its door. “You talked with his guidance counselor?”

“Not about Aaron specifically, no. She was there when we spoke with Quinn Tracey.”

“Ah. That explains a lot.” Vicki carefully removed the hot water and poured some into the mug, stirring. “Yeah, Aaron wants to join up pretty bad. Army or marines. We nearly had to hogtie him when he turned eighteen last month. We made him promise to graduate high school.” She handed the mug to Clare. “Careful, it’s hot. Aaron, of course, thinks all he needs is muscles and gung ho. I keep telling him the army wants smart guys, guys they can train, nowadays.”

“True,” Clare said, blowing across her cocoa to cool it. She didn’t add that there were still plenty of places for young men with nothing more than muscle and gung ho. There would always be a need for boys with more brawn than brain. “When I mentioned Quinn Tracey, you said that explained a lot.”

Vicki poured herself a mug. “Quinn’s a sweetheart, but I don’t think he says boo without Aaron’s help. Wanna sit down?”

Clare followed her to the table. “What do you mean?”

“The Traceys moved here in his sophomore year, which can be tough, since most of these kids have known each other since they were finger-painting in kindergarten together. Aaron kind of took him under his wing. Introduced him around to his friends, made sure he wasn’t left hanging on the sidelines.” She sipped her cocoa. “They’ve been good buds for three years now. But see, Aaron has always been one of those kids other kids like to be around. He has a lot of friends. Quinn, on the other hand, has Aaron.”

“He hasn’t made any other friends?”

“Not that exactly. It’s more-here’s an example. A bunch of the boys will all get together and hang out at Quinn’s house. But once Aaron leaves, everybody leaves.”

“Aaron goes over to the Traceys’ house?”

“Sure. I mean, we’ll have them over here in the summer, but when the weather’s bad, the Traceys have way more room than we do. And Quinn’s mother always has snacks and sodas and pizza for them. How she does it without breaking her budget, I don’t know. I have enough trouble feeding one teenaged boy, let alone five or six of ’em.”

Clare shook her head. “Quinn told us his parents didn’t want him seeing Aaron.”

Vicki laughed. “Well, if that’s how they feel, they hid it pretty well from us.”

Outside, there was a hissing and a clank, and then the sound of an engine revving up and pulling away. The garage doors rattled in their tracks, vibrating the kitchen.

“There are the kids now.”

The kitchen door banged open, and Clare had a glimpse of the mudroom beyond before a young man came in, already divested of his coat and boots. Aaron MacEntyre, Clare presumed. He had the look of a natural karate student: not too tall but powerfully built. Dark hair and dark eyes, his cheeks ruddy from the cold.

“Hey, Mom,” he said, glancing at Clare.

“Hey, babe. Did you have a good day?”

“Got an eighty-seven on that math test.”

“Good on you!” A girl of ten or eleven sidled in through the door. She had the same Snow White-style mix of dark and fair as her brother. “Alanna, honey, how was your day?” her mother asked.

“Okay,” the girl said. “Can I get on my computer?”

“Chores first,” her mother said. The girl made a face, slung her backpack onto one of the kitchen chairs, and retreated back to the mudroom outside.

“Aaron, this is Clare Fergusson,” Vicki said. “She’s a friend of the police chief’s. He’s in a bit of trouble, and she’s helping him out.”

The boy held out his hand. “Pleased to meet you.” His smile was easy and infectious, making him seem less like a polite child and more like a man who genuinely was pleased to meet her.

“Hi, Aaron.” Clare couldn’t help but smile back. “Like your mom said, I’m trying to follow up on a few loose ends concerning the Van Alstyne case. You’ve heard Mrs. Van Alstyne was murdered, right?”

He plopped into the chair next to hers. “Yes, ma’am. Quinn and I were there the day she was killed. I’m surprised the police haven’t questioned us yet. Or-well, maybe not.”

“That’s what I’m here to ask you about,” Clare said. “I understand from Quinn the two of you saw a car in the Van Alstynes’ driveway that Sunday.”

“Yes, ma’am, but don’t ask me to tell you what it was. It was little and Japanese, that’s about all I can remember.”

“Quinn was able to give us the make and the license number-” Clare began, but Vicki interrupted her.

“Babe, what’s this about Quinn’s parents not wanting you to hang out with him?”

Aaron’s display of confusion was almost theatrical. “What?”

“That’s what Quinn said, when Chief Van Alstyne questioned him. He didn’t want the chief talking to his parents, he said, because he was with you, and his parents didn’t approve of that.”

“Ahhh.” The boy ducked his head. A thick lock of dark hair fell across one eye, and he looked up at his mother sheepishly from beneath it. “That may be because he’s not exactly allowed to have anyone in his truck with him when he’s plowing.”

“Aaron.” Vicki frowned. “You’ve been going out with him all the time when he plows.”

The look on Aaron’s face was one of perfect teenaged exasperation. “It’s just ’cause his dad’s got his nuts in a wad about the insurance. He’s afraid if anyone’s in the truck and there’s an accident, he’ll be on the hook. It’s a dumb rule, Mom. Really, it’s safer with two. One to drive and one to keep an eye out for cars on the road.”

“I don’t care. If that’s Mr. Tracey’s rule, you need to talk with him and get permission before you go plowing with Quinn again.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

His capitulation was impressive. Back when she was a kid, Clare would have whined and pleaded a full twenty minutes longer. Clearly, Vicki MacEntyre was doing something right. “Aaron, do you remember anything else from that afternoon? Anything you might have seen at the Van Alstynes’, or along Peekskill Road?”

He shook his head. “No, ma’am. Sorry.”

“And what was it you were doing out there that day?”

“We were just driving around.” He gave his mother a deliberately mischievous look. “Maybe finding a few icy spots to do doughnuts on.”

“Aaron!”

Clare hid her smile behind folded hands. Intentionally spinning a pickup wasn’t exactly the smartest thing to do, but considering the range of misbehavior two boys that age could get up to, it fell into the reasonably harmless camp.

“Can I go do my chores now? I want my computer time, too.”

Vicki gestured toward Clare. “Anything else?”

“No. Thank you, Aaron.”

“Anytime.” The boy rose and ambled into the mudroom. After he had closed the door behind him, Clare could hear the rustle of a parka coming off the hook and the thud of boots.

“He’s a good kid,” she said.

Vicki knocked against the kitchen table. “I could wish he’d spend less time on the computer and more on his homework. But what the heck. So long as he graduates and has enough skills so’s the army doesn’t stick him on the front lines, he’ll do fine. Craig and me never went to college, and we’re doing just as well as the Traceys. And they have degrees up the wazoo.”

Clare collected her empty mug and spoon and stood up. “What is it you and your husband do?”

Vicki stood as well. “Let me take that.” She hooked both mugs on one hand and pointed toward where the enormous barn sat across the road. “Organic meats. Beef and poultry. Guaranteed free range, pesticide-and hormone-free.” She opened the dishwasher and set the mugs inside. “We bought this farm from my folks, back when it was all dairy. But, you know, it’s damn hard for a small dairyman to compete these days. You gotta have something the big agribusiness companies don’t have.”

Clare retrieved her coat from the back of a chair. “So you went organic.”

“Yep. It can be tough. You gotta get certified, you can’t use antibiotics or treated feed, but in the end, we net forty percent over what my dad did on a per animal basis-and that was back when the Northeast Milk Compact kept prices high. We’re thinking of expanding into exotic meats. Bison. The restaurant trade is hot for bison.”

One of the best meals Clare had ever had had been stewed bison. “Do you sell locally?”

“We butcher stock here for special orders, and we send some poultry to Pat’s Meat Market in Fort Henry. Turkeys before the holidays, that sort of thing. But most of it goes down to New York.” She gave Clare an entirely different sort of assessment than she had at the door and flicked a card out of a holder. “Here’s our number. Smallest order we do is a side or a half steer, but once you’ve tasted our beef, you’ll be glad you have the freezer packed with it.”

Clare took the card. “I may take you up on that.”

“You can get it cheaper, but you’ll never get it better.”

Clare pulled on her parka. “Thanks for the cocoa, Vicki. And thank you for letting me come in and pester your son with questions.”

Vicki smiled a little. “I got a lot of experience with quirky folks. Craig’s great-uncle holds meetings for a group that believes the Cubans are trying to spread Communism through fluoridated water. And my father-in-law down in Florida’s convinced a super-macrobiotic diet and sheep embryo injections are gonna keep him alive till he’s two hundred. So when you come along wanting to play detective…” She shrugged. “Seems like pretty small potatoes to me.”