Traces of Guilt

FIFTEEN

Evie Blackwell

Evie had never witnessed a safe-deposit box’s lock being drilled out before. She found it fascinating even if rather swiftly over. The long drill bit cut through with ease, and then the man cut the power and lifted his goggles. “There you go,” the locksmith said. He gathered up his tools. “I’ll send my bill to the bank.”

“Thank you, Kyle.”

“Anytime, Sheriff, anytime.”

Gabriel turned to the bank manager. “Mr. Nelson, I appreciate you arranging this for us. Now it’s police business, and I’ll need to ask you to step outside.” With notable reluctance, the manager left with the locksmith.

Evie stepped over to the safe-deposit box, twelve by ten inches and quite deep. Gabriel pulled the box from its slot. “It doesn’t feel empty,” he said as he set it on a roll-cart table. They had the room to themselves, so he didn’t suggest the privacy booth but merely stepped back. “Want to do the honors, Evie?”

She’d hoped he would ask. “Sure.” She moved to the end of the box, feeling a mixture of anticipation and dread. She lifted the lid, braced to find it mostly empty. Instead, neat stacks of deposit envelopes at one end reached nearly to the top of the box. At the other end were wrapped pieces of fabric-from a cut-up pillowcase, she thought after a moment’s study.

Gabriel opened one of the envelopes. “Cash.” He quickly counted up the bills. “Looks to be the duplicate mortgage payment Susan was withdrawing. So twenty-four envelopes like this one will give us about twenty-eight thousand total. The rest of the envelopes…” He chose one at random to open. “There’s three hundred dollars in this one.” He did a quick count of envelopes in the sacks. “If that’s representative, say another ten thousand in cash.”

“So the money has been here all along,” Evie said.

“What’s the cloth about?”

Evie picked up the top item, unfolded it, found several watches and bracelets. “Easy items to pawn, I think, probably worth a thousand.”

She set it aside and picked up the next one, recognized it by the feel. “Gabriel, this is a gun.” She unfolded the fabric, carefully cleared the weapon to confirm it wasn’t loaded. “It’s a.22.” It didn’t smell of either gunpowder or the cleaning solvent commonly used, but then it had been stored for a long time.

Gabriel sucked in a breath. “The gun that killed Frank Ash?”

She nodded. “We put a rush on the request. We’ll know in a day if you can have a deputy run it over to the lab.”

“I’ll get that arranged.”

She wrapped the gun back in the cloth and handed it to him. “The Florists don’t strike me as the type to knowingly keep a murder weapon.”

“I’d agree.” Gabriel opened the evidence box he had brought and stored the gun inside.

Evie leaned against the wall as she watched Gabriel transfer the rest of the contents of the safe-deposit box over to the evidence box. “We found their money. And we just hit another dead end.”

He glanced over at her.

She elaborated. “Scott purchased new IDs for them. Susan used that new name to open an account and safe-deposit box. They were squirreling away cash. The gun-they probably secured a weapon that wouldn’t be traced to the family for security, as Scott would be leaving behind any gun known to be his. The fact this box is full, and that it’s all still here, says they didn’t run. Someone murdered them, probably that night, and my best new motive for why-the money-just went up in smoke. The money is right here.”

“I can hear your disappointment,” Gabriel said with a smile. “But look at it the other way. You’ve managed to prove they were in counseling, had acquired new IDs, were stashing away money, and you’ve found that money. Enjoy this discovery, Evie. It’s confirmation of what they planned.”

“But I haven’t found them. And as far as I can tell, I’m nowhere closer to the Florist family’s whereabouts than I was when this started.”

“The gun may go somewhere we can follow.” He closed up the evidence box. “Let me get this logged into evidence and locked away in the property room, get a deputy on the way to the lab with the.22. Then we’ll regroup, get on the road. Let’s go talk with Phil Peters and his wife.”

She nodded, wondering what it was going to feel like if the gun led nowhere and this interview also turned into a dead end. She’d have to put everything back in the boxes, store it back in the archives, and accept it was still a cold case. She didn’t like that kind of finish, not one bit, but she could see it coming at her like a train without brakes.

Phil Peters looked like the retired Navy guy and deputy he was. He had the size for it, both height and strength, and a bluntness that fit, though nothing about him was harsh or intimidating. Evie appreciated that kind of directness. Jenna was a petite woman, cheerful yet quiet. They were a nice couple-that was Evie’s first impression. When they were comfortably seated, cold drinks in hand, pleasantries exchanged, Phil, in his down-to-business style, turned the conversation to the Florist family.

“I saw Scott that Wednesday night about ten p.m., took over charcoal and my traveling grill he wanted to borrow for camping. Everything seemed fine to me. Joe was casting fishing rods in the side yard to see if any needed respooling. Susan was around too; I saw her carrying out jackets and towels to the camper. They were looking forward to the three days away, it looked to me.

“I was butting heads a bit with Scott about them going with the Durbins, figuring they would be having anything but a restful weekend. But Scott was like, ‘Family is family, and it won’t be so bad.’ This was at a time when the Durbins were starting to squabble with each other, even in public-you’d hear them four tables away at the Fast Café. The wife had a yen to travel, and William’s solution was to go camping, which wasn’t exactly what Nancy had in mind.

“Scott mostly wanted to see me that night to go over reminders for my wedding on Sunday. I had the ring, the tux fit, even remembered the mints for my pocket. He was more uptight about the wedding than I was. Jenna and Susan had every detail planned in triplicate. I just wanted him to go camping, get out of my hair for a few hours.”

Jenna, shy as she seemed, laughed. “That’s about all Susan and I talked about that last month-flowers and decorations, invitations and seating arrangements. There was a wedding planner in charge of the final seventy-two hours, and even volunteers backing up the ones doing the decorating. She made sure I wouldn’t set foot in the church until the wedding march. I was supposed to stop thinking wedding and go enjoy a spa outing with my college roommates. It was a treat being at that point-there really was nothing left that was my responsibility, except getting my gown on.” Jenna laughed again. “We were already packed for the honeymoon cruise. Even our driver to the airport, another deputy, had a backup in case he got called into work. That was what Susan and I talked about that day they were leaving, the honeymoon cruise we had planned. Life was chaotic but normal, happy.”

Phil nodded. “Chaotic and happy, that about sums it up,” he agreed.

“You said you went over about ten p.m. Wednesday,” Evie mentioned to Phil. “That’s late for a weekday evening. Were you aware of where the family went on Wednesday nights?”

“If you’re asking did I know they were doing some counseling with a doctor in Decatur, I’ll say I had my suspicions,” Phil replied. “Scott had asked around about the doctor, was making plans to shift things when he was assigned a Wednesday evening rotation. You spend hours every day with a guy on the job, you know if there’s family trouble, marriage trouble. They were a content couple. A bit stressed at times, but normal. Scott had talked about having more kids, then stopped bringing up the topic. I figured, knowing who the doctor was, Susan was having some issues.”

Jenna said, “She never told me she miscarried, but you get a sense of things when a stroller goes by and she turns emotional. Babies were at least part of the equation for whatever was going on that needed counseling.”

Evie looked over at Gabriel. This wasn’t going as she had expected. Either Phil was clueless about his partner or he was covering for Scott.

“Did you know they were raising cash?” Gabriel asked.

Phil and Jenna shared a look. Jenna shrugged. “They were talking about remodeling the kitchen. Susan was collecting cabinet door samples, tile samples, color charts and sketches for how they might relocate appliances. I know they were conserving cash any way they could for the project, selling some furniture they had decided to switch, that kind of thing.”

Gabriel shifted in his chair. “Can you think of any reason the Florist family might have left here on their own, not under duress?”

“What?” Phil asked, looking genuinely surprised.

“Have you heard from Scott or Susan or their son, Joe, since they went missing?”

Phil’s blood pressure was rising-Evie could see it in his posture as he sat forward. “Come on, Gabriel. What are you implying? You’re crazy if you think that family left town on their own accord, or that I might have known and kept it under wraps!”

“There’s no reason you can think of they might have left? Would it surprise you to realize the family owned a.22 and Frank Ash was killed with a.22?”

“Who’s Frank-?” Jenna started to ask.

“A lowlife who got himself killed,” Phil interrupted. “Now you’re just smearing the name of a good cop, Sheriff. Scott worked that Ash case, we both did, the disappearance, and we worked that initial scene behind the truck stop when his body was discovered. But you’re barking up the wrong tree if you think Scott had anything to do with that death.”

“No question in your mind, Scott was a good cop.”

“No question in my mind,” Phil said firmly. “Scott was careful on the details, doing it proper-it’s why I chose to work with him. He didn’t cut corners on getting something right. Now, why are you asking these questions?” he demanded.

“Scott believed his son, Joe, killed Frank Ash.”

“Little Joe?” Phil looked stunned. “I can see the kid shooting a burglar coming in the house. The kid knew how to safely handle a gun-Scott saw to that. And Joe had a protective streak about him for his parents… but to shoot a guy like Frank Ash? The body is at a truck stop just off the Interstate, shot three times in the chest. That doesn’t sound like Joe. Angles were all wrong, for one thing. There’s like a four-foot height distance. Unless Joe was standing on a lot of boxes, no way he shoots Frank Ash straight on in the chest. And the location isn’t somewhere Joe’s going to be, then get himself back home.” He stared at Gabriel, frowned. “That’s why they were in counseling?”

“One of the reasons.”

Phil shook his head. “Scott must have been blindsided to think Joe could have been involved. I can see a question until the body was found, but after that? It’s not Joe, no way. And before you ask, it’s not Scott either. For one thing, he was too serious about being a careful cop and good role model for his son. The man would toss a guy in jail for life where punishment meant something before he’d just shoot him dead-there wasn’t much justice in that.”

“Would you have done it?”

The two men stared at each other for a moment. But Phil must have seen in Gabe’s face that it was an honest question. “Probably,” he said, “if I knew there was a problem going on. Joe had a problem with Frank Ash-I’m gathering that from what you’re saying. But Scott would have handled it proper. Had Joe told me, I’d have handled it for the boy-maybe not so properly at first-I’d likely run the scoundrel out of town. But I would’ve believed Joe. He didn’t say anything to me. Neither Scott nor Joe ever made a comment regarding Frank Ash that I could put together toward what you’re suggesting.”

Gabriel nodded. “We don’t know why they disappeared, Phil. You’re willing to state you’ve never heard from Scott or Susan, from Joe, since they disappeared? No cryptic phone call, postcard, anything odd?”

“They haven’t been in touch. Until you sat here today and asked that question, I’ve never considered the fact they might be alive. They didn’t leave, Sheriff. Whatever is the answer, you can trust that.”

“Jenna?”

“I wish they had. I wish Susan was still out there… someplace.” Her eyes filled with tears. “They haven’t been in touch, in any way,” she added, her voice shaky. “I’d tell you in the hopes of finding them alive. They were good friends. They died that week. Whatever happened, they wouldn’t have walked out on their family, their friends.”

Gabriel nodded. “Okay. I appreciate your time.”

“It was a normal week,” Phil repeated. “I saw the family that Wednesday evening. They were going camping. We had the wedding coming on Sunday. There wasn’t tension in them-or between them-when I last saw them. It was a normal night. But something happened. They didn’t intend to disappear, Sheriff. No way, no how, was that family getting ready to disappear.”

“Sheriff, you can’t believe that of them either,” Jenna pressed. “You knew them. You’ve been looking at the case. What do you think happened to them?”

“I don’t know. I could give you as many reasons that say they were murdered as I can they planned to leave on their own accord. I just don’t know.”

Evie caught the look Gabriel gave her, but merely gave a brief headshake. She had nothing left to ask. This interview only confirmed where the case had begun. The Florist family had gone camping, and something had happened. Where the search began was where it was ending.

Gabriel Thane

Gabriel liked the house Evie had rented, with its tall windows and polished hardwood floors. He wondered how many hours she’d actually spent here, other than sleeping, during the last fourteen days. She had barely touched the food Trina had stocked for the visit. He put together a sandwich for himself, paused to stir the soup Evie had chosen.

His phone rang, and he listened while he wiped off the counter. “Thanks. If you could fax over the paperwork to the office, that would be helpful.” He finished his sandwich, considering matters. The soup was beginning to steam. He turned it to low and walked back into the living room. “Evie.”

She had stretched out on the couch and reluctantly opened her eyes.

“I heard back from the lab. The gun in the safe-deposit box didn’t kill Frank Ash, ballistics aren’t a match. It’s a cold.22, not in any database. The serial number isn’t registered.”

She grimaced. “Somehow that figures.”

Gabe walked over to the tall windows to watch a storm coming in-lightning flashes, trees beginning to sway in the wind.

“You should be getting home,” she murmured.

He nodded.

“I’m sorry today was a bust,” she said, swinging her feet to the floor.

He turned, smiled. “Don’t be. It was helpful to see Phil’s reaction.”

“You think he could have had something to do with whatever happened to Frank Ash.” She was now standing beside him as the rain began pelting the panes.

He realized he’d better work some more on his poker face. Gabriel shrugged. “This many years later, I think he remembered the details of the Frank Ash shooting with more precision than I would expect. The angle of the shots being too high for a kid like Joe? The way he said it didn’t sound like a guess.”

“Did Phil have a.22 registered?”

“I checked. He didn’t. But Jenna did. She reported it stolen a few years ago.”

“Jenna worked at the school district, liked kids, could have heard a rumor about Frank Ash. She’s dating a cop, so she’d probably mention it to Phil.”

Gabriel nodded. “He wouldn’t use a gun traceable to himself, but maybe use hers, then destroy the gun, trust she wouldn’t notice for a long while that it was missing.”

“Is it worth pursuing?” Evie asked.

“I’m going to stew on it for a bit, then decide.”

“I’m still stewing on whether Grace’s uncle had a hunting accident.”

“I haven’t forgotten that question either.”

Evie sighed as she turned toward the kitchen. “Old ghosts, Gabriel. Some of them can be laid to rest, while others are lost to history.” Another crack of thunder had her turning back to the window and the rain now coming down in sheets. “This is going to slow Josh getting the search finished.”

“A few days,” Gabriel guessed. “He’s not looking forward to that call to Grace that says he can’t find anything.”

“She’s resigned to it, you know, Gabriel. One could see that in her face before she left yesterday. She’s got her daughter and a future to build. I’d say she’s making a strong effort to close this door.”

They were quiet for a moment, simply gazing out at the storm together.

“You made any decisions, Evie?”

His voice was quiet, and she knew this was a new topic, a personal question. She didn’t bother to try to skirt it. “I’ll be going back to work on Monday. Beyond that,” she said with a wave of her hand, “a personal life is a complicated thing. I can’t put it in a box on a shelf and move on. The only thing for sure is that I’m not sure yet what I want.” She looked up at him with a little smile, then back at the storm.

Gabriel’s tone remained thoughtful. “I decided years ago I wanted to be the sheriff of this county, call it home, build a life around my family, some good friends. That hasn’t changed much. But I’d like to add more faces to that friend circle-namely, yours.”

She smiled again. “Thanks, Gabriel. That was a nice invitation, and I’d like that too.” She turned toward the kitchen. “There’s enough soup for both of us. Come have a bowl while the rain lets up.”

Gabriel followed her. “Do you want help boxing up the Florist case tomorrow?”

Evie got down two bowls from a cupboard. “I appreciate the offer, but no thanks. I’ll rethink the details of it one last time as I put it away. That can be useful, at least to me. I figure the whole task force might be back in a year or two, to look at it again.”

“I just realized we’ve decided it can’t be solved.”

“It needs a major break, Gabriel, and as hard as we tried, we didn’t find one.” She ladled out the soup. “Although… I was thinking last night about those gaps in the interviews along their likely routes. Over the next few months, would you have the resources to do a phone survey? Maybe tie it in with news about a new reward offer: ‘The police are generating a list of things that happened in Carin County the week the Florist family disappeared. Call with your memories. Anyone who calls with a new item for our list will receive a check for fifty dollars.’ Something like that. Maybe it gets us that major break, the one useful fact we didn’t know.”

“It’s worth a try. I’ll work on the budget and schedule, get something put together.” He pulled two sodas out of the refrigerator and took a seat at the table with her, looked around the cozy kitchen. “Next time you’re going to have to be around this house enough to enjoy it. You should have some people over, a little party, actually have a day or two of vacation.”

“The car was fully appreciated, especially with the top down. So the days weren’t a total bust. And my dogs have never been happier.”

“True enough. You didn’t get your flight over Carin, though.”

“Something else to put on my list for the future,” Evie said.

Evie got out a loaf of fresh bakery bread and sliced a thick piece for herself, offered him the knife and the loaf. “So how should we say goodbye?”

“That tends to be such a forever word.” He gestured to the soup. “I do enjoy sharing a meal with you, Evie. We’ve done it more than a few times the last couple of weeks.”

“I could say the same.”

“I figure you’re going to put more than the case in a box. You’ll put the last two weeks in a comfortable box of your personal life, put this place called Carin on the shelf until you happen to travel through the area again. You’ll find I don’t mind. You and I… well, it won’t be as easy a friendship as the one I have with Ann. Sorry, but you’re not quite as comfortable as she is to be around.” He smiled to take the sting out of the words. “But she and I have known each other a lot longer. It will sort itself out, Evie. I’m good for a meal when you happen to be around. When you have stopped running circles in your mind and decide what you want, you’ll settle somewhere. Maybe it’s planting roots up north with your guy, or maybe it’s in Springfield around your job, or maybe you decide it’s fine to let someone else determine the patch of ground. In time you’ll figure it out.”

“You’re an odd man. See, I can do left-handed compliments too.”

They both laughed, and he said, “Now that was comfortable,” and they laughed some more. After a moment, he added, “I’m a long ways toward being a settled man. I’m beginning to appreciate what that means. I think you don’t have many ‘settled things’ in your life yet, Evie. It sounds like Rob does, which is why you’re uncertain about what to do there. He’s got a life and a place for you in his world if you want that. You’re just not sure you do.

“On my side of things, there are some similarities here in Carin,” he continued. “You’ve pretty much seen my life. You’ll eventually decide if you want something like this. I’ll stick as a friend, because I figure you need someone to ground you occasionally, same as Ann does. She sees a lot of herself in you. And I’m curious where you do end up one day.”

“In case you’re wondering, I’m not going to marry Rob Turney,” she said, toying with her soup.

“I know.” She glanced up, and he smiled. “Listen to yourself, Evie. You don’t want to marry anyone yet. You sure don’t want to think of being old and alone, but you’re not ready to attach yourself to someone, make the effort necessary to make it work. You like being single. Why not just accept that… at least for now?”

“I’ve already told you I really don’t like going home to an empty house either, Gabe. Springfield is many things, but not much of me. I’m mostly the work I do.”

He split his slice of bread in half, buttered it. “It’s a season in life. You’re proving yourself on the job, wanting to do the same with the task force. Ambition is fine. It doesn’t have to preclude a personal life. Look at Ann. She’s built a lot of friendships while being good at the job. She’s good at being married too. Open your eyes to what is around you as you work. You can box up the cases and move on, but there’s no reason you need to box up the people too.”

“You wouldn’t mind if I stopped in to see the Thane family, particularly your mom, on occasion? Maybe even you?” She grinned.

“Not at all.” He grinned back.

She nodded thoughtfully. “I like you, Gabriel. Probably a lot. But you’ll understand if I say I don’t know what to do about that right now.”

“Evie, that answer doesn’t surprise me a bit.”

She nodded again and gathered up their empty bowls. “Trina makes good soup.”

And thus endeth the conversation, he thought with a little smile at his formal wording. He didn’t mind. “You’d be smart to take Trina’s cookies with you for the drive home. No one does chocolate macadamia better.” He finished his bread. “When you pick up the dogs at Will’s on Sunday, give yourself an extra hour. The family is going to be out there helping him hang new drywall after church. Karen offered to put together lunch. You don’t want to miss that.”

“Four sweaty guys with hammers? I definitely don’t want to miss it,” she joked. “What about the yellow shirts?”

He gave her an amused smile. “Hopefully they’re deep-sixed.”

“Oh, I’m keeping mine for next year,” she said, tipping her head to watch his reaction. He looked pleased. She had no idea where she would be next year, but she’d keep her options open.

“Dad does the measuring,” he said, back to the remodeling discussion, “I handle the power saw. The hauling and hammering are for Josh and Will.”

“Keeping Josh busy so he’s not pining for Grace and Angel?”

“Something like that.”

“I’ll leave time,” Evie promised.

Gabriel accepted his coffee from the server with a thanks, cut into the omelet Karen had prepared. The Fast Café was busy this Saturday morning, but it was local folks, no reporters in sight. It felt normal, and that was a very good thing.

His brother reached across for the pancake syrup. “The ground’s too muddy to get any useful searching done today,” Josh said. “I figure I’ll take the boat into the inlet, scope out the shoreline and those bluffs. After the rain and wind last night, there’s likely more washout. If there’s anything worth finding there, it may show up.”

“Want company?” Will offered, working on his third waffle. It wasn’t often the three met for breakfast, but they had the routine down. The breakfast orders didn’t change, and the first one at the table put it in for all.

“I could use another set or two of eyes,” Josh agreed. “I’ll be busy enough trying to keep the bottom of the boat from snaring on debris.”

“We’ll all go,” Gabriel decided, “so we’ll only have to do this once. Between us maybe we get back out of that inlet in one piece. I remember strong currents, wicked underwater obstacles.”

“We’ll take it slow, be thorough,” Josh said.

Will picked up his orange juice. “I saw Evie on my way in-she’s at the post office.”

Gabriel nodded. “She’s doing a final review of the Florist case, boxing up what’s on the wall.”

“Karen wants to invite her to dinner tonight at my place, unless you’ve got an objection.”

Gabriel wasn’t going to touch that one. “Invite away. I already mentioned Sunday at your place for a late lunch.” He shifted the conversation by pulling out his phone and passing it to Josh. “Grace’s daughter sent me her official portrait since I’m the sheriff and need good luck, she says.” She was wearing angel wings, a halo, and smiling just like one.

Josh grinned. “That looks like our Angel.” He laid his own phone on the table. “Mine’s better.” Angel was wearing her cowboy outfit, chaps, pink boots and cowboy hat.

“Yeah, that’s our girl.”

Will nodded toward Josh’s phone. “Forward it, I’m feeling left out.”

“I saw you showing Angel photos of your lambs and dogs, doing just fine making friends yourself. You were all she wanted to talk about when I was saying goodbye to Grace-she wants to visit ‘that brother with the baby lambs.’ As soon as she wears Grace down, she’ll be back for a visit.”

Will smiled, finished his waffle. “I’m good with kids.” He glanced at the time. “What do you think, five hours on the water, give or take? I’ll tell Karen I’ll be back to pick her up at four.”

“That’ll work.”

Will nodded. “Give me a few minutes.” He took his coffee with him and sauntered through the employee door.

“You can practically hear him making plans for them,” Josh remarked.

“Will does go after what matters to him,” Gabriel agreed.

“You think Tom Lander is going to be a concern around here?”

Gabriel had been pondering it. “I think it’s time we hired someone of our own to watch what he’s doing, see if we can’t collect enough evidence to put him in jail for something. I’ll feel a lot better when he’s not walking around thinking he’s not got a care in the world.”

Josh nodded. “Thought I might go put eyes on him while I’m visiting Grace in Chicago, just to get a firsthand look.”

“Will’s probably thinking the same.” Gabriel had accepted the inevitable, knowing Will. “I’m thinking it would be a nice wedding present for Karen to have word that Tom Lander is no longer a concern. It would take a top-notch PI, but we can afford to pay a guy for a few months. I’m certain Paul knows the name of someone worth hiring.”

“Arrange something,” Josh said. “I’ll help with the cost.”

Gabriel nodded. “How are things with Grace?”

“It’s in an odd place,” Josh replied, folding his napkin, then his hands. “She’s in too much inner turmoil to figure out how to handle even a friendship right now, so I’m just leaving the end of each conversation with a reason I’ll be in touch again. Angel helps. A more happy, normal, full-of-life kid I’ve never met. She likes me enough it makes it easy for me.”

“Grace is doing a good job with her.”

“The father isn’t around. Grace didn’t say more than that. Ann said the same.”

“Grace has a lot of hurt to work through,” Gabriel said, “all that’s been inflicted on her, and some she did to herself. And I see a woman who’s willing to deal with it. She has a daughter, she finds the courage to talk about the past with a doctor, she tells Ann, she comes back here. I’d say she’s determined to lay the past to rest, however that road has to be traveled.”

“I’d say the same,” Josh said. “I still care about her, Gabe. More than I thought I would. Even crying all over me, she was at times the Grace I remember. You look at her daughter, and like I told Ann, it’s Grace without the shadows. She’ll be clear of this one day. I want to be there to see that. I want to find out what we might have then.”

Gabriel smiled. “You’re a fortunate man, Josh. You have the time to put into what matters to you. That book you’ve been mentally writing, a friendship with Grace-they’re both mostly time and attention, and you’ve got the freedom to give both. I’d say enjoy it. You’ll be helping Grace, however that story turns out.”

Josh looked at him a while. “Odd that you aren’t doing a little more considering yourself, Gabe.”

He accepted the jab with good humor. “I see what’s in front of me, Josh. Green eyes and a nice smile and a good sense of humor and a curiosity I admire.” Gabriel could visualize Evie clearly enough as he described her. “You ever go chasing one of those birds you like to watch, know there’s no way you’re going to get that photo you’re looking for, so you just have to stop the chase and let it go?”

“Yeah.”

“Evie is like that. Try to catch her, she bangs her wings against your hands because she’s caught. I’m noticing that guy up north isn’t calling her this week, tagging her, checking in, and if that isn’t deliberate strategy on his part, I’ll eat my paycheck. He knows if he closes his hand on her, she’s gone. She’ll enjoy Christmas with him, clip her own wings, maybe let it go on with him a few more months because she wants to have it be a fit. Maybe it will be. But you won’t catch her by wanting it. Evie has to decide to land, and right now she’s mostly seeing how close the walls are getting, and taking off before they can shut her in.”

“I’d say you’ve mostly got her figured out,” Josh kidded. “But let me ask this, would you like to be married to a cop?”

Gabriel smiled. “Detective. There’s a difference. I imagine Paul looked at Ann, decided she was the one, and the rest he would work out. I sincerely doubt he’s ever regretted that decision. I like the person I see in Evie. But I’m not as flexible on the details. I was born here and I plan to die here. And I like being Carin’s sheriff.”

Josh nodded. “You tell her about Elizabeth?”

“I did.”

“Okay.” Josh pushed back his plate. “Ann’s going to teach Evie to fly, not that that changes matters, but it’s going to put a thumb down on the geographical problem. A Christmas gift from Ann and Paul. You might be thinking something practical-or not so practical-to make a statement of your own.”

“Already done,” Gabriel replied. The yellow convertible Evie had been driving around would title in his name and get parked in Will’s barn. It wasn’t worth much, given its accident history, but she liked the fun of it. She needed an excuse to come visit Marie and the rest of the Thanes, enjoy a drive. He’d give her that excuse by mailing her a set of car keys and an invitation to bring her dogs to visit their new buddies at Will’s.

Will returned from the kitchen. Josh, eyebrows raised, gave him a long look. “You’ve got lipstick where a guy just looks funny wearing it.” Will rubbed the heel of his hand across his face as Josh laughed. “A good shade on you, though.”

His brothers would rag on each other for the next hour if he didn’t divert matters. Gabriel paid for the meal and added a sizable tip. “Let’s go get a boat and get out on the water, guys.”

The wind was stronger than Gabriel would like, but it was blowing them straight into the inlet. He looked back at Josh, efficiently controlling the shallow-bottom boat with the trolling motor. Too much debris below the surface made even thinking about using the more powerful engine impossible. “Watch that you don’t get pushed into either bank,” he called back. “Straight in, then straight back out. As slow as you can.”

“Got it,” Josh called back.

They’d have to do this strategically-it wasn’t worth trying to come back in with the dangerous mix of debris and current. “Will, the first pass, just look for whatever appears out of place. Think about those animal trails in the woods above here. If he was bringing a car through the woods to the lake to dump it, he had to maneuver all the way to the bluff. I’m thinking the center section of that shoreline”-Gabriel pointed-“is the only place it could have been done.”

Will nodded. “See how that cliff face has been undercut,” he called, “and then it sheered off and dropped into the lake?” He too pointed. “Trees as well as a huge amount of dirt and rock have gone down with it. Whatever this inlet looked like when Grace’s parents disappeared, it wasn’t anything like what we now see.”

Gabriel knew that was a big part of their challenge. “The inlet has been cutting further into the shore and woods with each passing year. So look down, as well as at the cliff face. If a car got sent over the cliff and buried under a falling slide behind it, it’s spent years being hammered by winds, water, and tides.”

“It wouldn’t have been pulled into Carin Lake itself,” Josh said. “Feel those gusts? Everything flows into here, not out. Trees, debris, wind. Look at the erosion at the waterline. What was buried gets unburied over time. Graves do it on land, water will do the same.”

Gabriel gave a nod. “I’ll take those field glasses, Will. My eyesight isn’t as good as yours.” His brother passed them over. “Take us in, Josh, as slow as you can while holding control.”

They searched the inlet for over an hour, Josh moving them slowly into the narrowing channel, maneuvering across massive trees now underwater and showing only the tips of a branch or two above the surface.

“I see something back there.” Will pointed. “Let me have the binoculars. There’s something there at the shoreline.”

Gabriel passed them over. Will adjusted the magnification to his eyes, found the spot again. “Yeah. There’s something. Rust. I think it’s a rusty piece of metal. Josh, bring me in close so I can get to that fallen tree. I can pick my way along its trunk. A good third of it is still on land; it won’t shift under me.”

Motor idling, Josh studied the log. “There’s got to be something better than you trying to climb your way in there,” he argued. “That dirt on the east side is fresh-you can see where part of the cliff face came down in the rain last night. The rest could slide down with only the wind triggering it.”

“Do we, or do we not, need to know?” Will passed the binoculars back to Gabriel. “East side of the fallen oak, about two feet up on the bank.”

Gabriel stared through the lenses. Dull. Square. Rusted. Not natural. The edges disappeared into the mud. He studied the fresh earth slide that was all too near that spot for his comfort, looked up the cliff face to where the dirt had dislodged. Maybe the rest would hold for now, but he wouldn’t want to bet it would stay in place with any further rain. “Josh, get us closer. Will, you get yourself soaked in water this cold, Mom’s going to have all our hides. Can we get to it from above?”

“You mean slide down that crumbling slope on a couple of ropes? No, thank you. The whole face will go if you disturb the wrong spot.”

Gabriel focused the binoculars on the hollowed-out earth under the cliff ledge, conceded Will’s point. No foundation, just air and a fifty-foot drop. Coming down from above wasn’t an option.

Gabriel shook his head, blew out a long breath. “If he drove the car off the bluff above here, and half a ton of rock and dirt followed and dropped on the car, buried it whole, the lake has been washing away the layers of that grave for years. That rusty metal is what it might look like. Yeah, this could be it. I agree we need to know.”

Will carefully stood up. “Go in soft, Josh, like you’re moving explosives. I don’t want you hitting that tree. Just come alongside it, let me reach over to it.”

He stepped cleanly from the boat onto the log, and Gabriel echoed Josh’s relieved sigh. Josh backed them away from the tree while Will carefully made his way across the log to the shore and climbed up and over to what he’d seen.

He knelt and used his gloved hands to push away more dirt. “Metal, all right,” he called. “Could be old sheet metal from a corn silo that’s forty-year-old junk, but I’m thinking roof of a car, maybe trunk. It’s got that original smooth finish under the rust.”

He moved away, studying the landslide under his feet. “Look at the trees trying to grow out of this slide. We’re talking ten years or more since this area shifted. It’s being washed over when the inlet water rises, carved into, but the slide itself has been here a long while.” He pointed to the new earth from the recent rains. “That’s going to be growing a few new trees of its own soon, while this stretch gets buried again.”

“What do you want to do?” Gabriel asked.

“I want a shovel is what I want,” Will decided. “Go get me one.”

“We’re not leaving you sitting there while we’re gone for an hour.”

“You want answers?”

“Will, come on. Think this through.”

His brother studied the area, found a solid piece of driftwood. “I’ll improvise for twenty minutes, and then you’re going to go get me a shovel when this doesn’t work.”

He started clearing, using the wood as a scraping tool. For ten minutes they watched him labor in the mud. When he stopped and leaned back on his heels, he pointed at the water. “I need a wave washing over this area. Use the paddles, see if you can’t kick up something.”

Gabriel slapped a paddle against the water’s surface-also got Will a couple of times-but it was enough to do the job. Will used his hands to clear the area where the water was pooling. “It’s the roof of a car, all right. I’m sitting on it, Josh. At least two feet by three feet of smooth metal.”

“What do you want to do?” Gabriel asked again.

“Gotta have a shovel.”

“Tell me you’ve got phone service and a full charge on that phone.”

Will took it out of his pocket, checked, nodded.

Gabriel picked up the backpack of water bottles, towels, extra gloves they had brought, took off his jacket and pushed it inside, zipped the backpack up, and gave it his best swing to Will on the shore. “We’ll be back ASAP.”

Before long they returned with two shovels, hot coffee, and more gear to keep warm when wet.

“You should let me beach the boat,” Josh argued quietly as they trolled into the inlet.

“Not going to happen,” Gabriel replied. “Push out once I’m with Will, get GPS readings on any landmarks you can see above us. I agree with Will. That cliff face is one minor jolt away from sliding down on top of this. If we have to dig the car out, I’d like to know exactly where we found it.”

“We need to sort out something more substantial than us and a fishing boat.”

“One problem at a time,” Gabriel replied. “Ease in by the log and set me off as neatly as you did Will. First we determine with certainty what we’re looking at.” Cold lake water in November would be more than merely uncomfortable, but he knew it had to be done. He stood in the boat, made the same long step he’d watched Will do, balanced his way across the log over to the shoreline, such as it was-mostly rocks, underbrush, and mud with a steep embankment towering above.

“You made good time.”

“Josh is tense,” Gabriel said, leaving it at that as he handed over the shovels and slipped off his backpack.

Will pointed to the sizable hole he’d punched through the metal with his knife, held out his flashlight.

Gabriel took a breath, set his jaw, and accepted the light. He stretched out, getting his face close to the hole. He was feeling a bit queasy when he leaned back. “No way we’re letting Josh beach that boat. See this,” he muttered. “One of us gets to go through life without images like this seared into his mind.”

“No disagreement from me,” Will said. “We get the remains out of here before we tell Grace. She doesn’t need to know they’ve basically been in a rock, mud, and water grave for years, still resting in their car. We just say we found them near the lake.”

“She’ll need to know some details,” Gabriel replied, sitting back on his heels and shifting that conclusion to one he could live with, “but she doesn’t need to see this. We definitely get her parents out of here before we tell her we’ve found them. I don’t want her to see this scene.” Gabriel took a minute to get his breathing level. “Just for argument’s sake, how do we know this is them? Dig out the license plate? Try to find a wallet and ID? DNA will confirm it, but that’s days away. I’m thinking maybe we recover something that leaves no question the remains are theirs-wedding bands, a watch, a piece of jewelry-so we can tell her it’s certain.”

Will held out his hand. “It was hanging on the rearview mirror.”

A silver chain, a locket, the photos inside long since decayed, but the names engraved on the back still clear: Aaron, Shelley, Grace. That would help Grace, that simple proof.

“Call Josh,” Gabriel said softly. “Describe the locket.”

Will pulled out his phone and made the call.

Grace’s parents had been discovered. Relief and sadness both dominated the moment. Gabriel said a quiet prayer while Will finished talking with Josh.

Will pocketed his phone, said quietly, “I’m thinking we can clear mud and rock, pull the roof open, lift the remains out, and leave the car where it is, bury it again under a ton of rock and dirt just by punching that cliff edge above us into coming down once more.”

Gabriel absorbed the suggestion. Leaving the vehicle in place would eliminate the risk of injury to one of his deputies or crime-scene personnel. If he could somehow conclusively prove Grace’s uncle had done the murders, the case could close without the vehicle in evidence. Depending on how her parents had been killed, that might be possible, if confirmation had survived. “One problem at a time,” he said. They wouldn’t be moving the car today. “I agree we need to get the remains out of here. Right now I’m worried about the next rain bringing down the rest of that earth and burying them again. And I’d like to do it without the press hearing what’s going on. So… you and me?”

Will nodded. “Tell Josh to get us body bags. An hour on the shovel work, an hour to punch through the metal, a couple more hours once we’re inside the car, another hour to figure out how to transport what we recover safely away from this place-it will be close, but there’s enough daylight. I’ll call Karen to cancel our date. Have Josh tell Dad to bring a bigger boat to the opening of the inlet and drop the anchor. He can be our security on this, keep an eye on matters while we work, make sure we don’t get curious boaters. We wait for others, we’ll burn more daylight than we have and risk word getting out.”

Gabriel agreed with Will’s unspoken subtext. If someone got killed in a sudden slide of rock and dirt, they would both prefer that person have a last name Thane rather than be some twenty-something crime-scene staffer. Gabriel called Josh to describe what they needed. The Thane brothers would be the only ones put at risk retrieving the remains of Aaron and Shelley Arnett.

It took more effort than Gabriel had ever expended, but it was finished as dusk was setting in. He was wet, tired, chilled to the bone, and had images in his head that wouldn’t easily leave. They had the car roof opened up, the remains gathered with bullets still embedded in bones, and carefully laid in the all-too-familiar black bags. Gabriel had collected a meager but telling group of personal effects-a man’s watch and wallet, wedding rings, a bracelet and necklace, all safely stowed in evidence bags in his backpack. As best they could, they would be leaving the wreck cleared of personal effects. Will had worked beside him with the shovel and a light, taking turns down inside the car. It wasn’t as awful as picking up body parts on a battlefield, it wasn’t the first time for either of them dealing with remains, but it wasn’t something they would ever be able to forget.

Gabriel passed Will the last of the coffee. “What do you think? Josh beaches the boat near the opening of the inlet, we carry the body bags down the shore to him? Or do we try to bring them out the way we came in, across that fallen tree?”

“I’m thinking if Dad moves the big boat about ten degrees farther south, and Josh puts the rubber dinghy over the side, the wind will carry it into the shore near about there.” Will pointed farther down the shoreline. “We load a body bag, and they haul it back with a rope. So long as the dinghy doesn’t capsize in a wind gust or get punctured, it’s stable enough. We can have him send over a couple of marking buoys so that if the craft does go down, the body bag will still be attached by rope to the floating buoy.”

Gabriel pulled out his phone. The battery was running down, but the need for the phone connection was about done. “What do you think, four trips? Two for the body bags, two for us?” he asked as he dialed Josh.

Will nodded. Gabriel described to Josh what they wanted, pocketed his phone.

Will stood and moved to the foot of the first body bag. Gabriel picked up the front strap, and between them they carefully carried the remains of Shelley Arnett toward the spot where the dinghy would land. He had been a pallbearer many times. Never had he carried a more heartrending funeral shroud.

“Josh, you should be the one to tell Grace we were able to locate her parents’ remains,” Gabriel said, having thought through the formality of hearing from the sheriff or receiving a personal call from someone who had cared about her for a long time-and the one she’d selected to do the searching. “I’ll call her after you speak with her, give her the official notification.” Josh, drinking hot coffee their mother was handing around, merely nodded, his expression unreadable.

Gabriel finished toweling his hair, looked over as Will joined them. A light rain had begun as they came back across the lake. Will looked less drawn after taking a hot shower. They had assembled at Josh’s home, the nearest place to anchor the boat. The remains were still onboard.

“I’m for Josh telling Grace in person, all things being equal,” Will put in. “Ask Ann to fly down and pick you up, Josh. And I’m thinking the State Police should handle the remains. Let’s push this out of Carin County, limit any speculation.”

Their father nodded. “There’s good sense to that. And thinking ahead, Grace would be better off if the funeral takes place in Chicago, which she now considers home, so she can visit her parents’ graves when she likes without stirring up other memories.”

Gabriel agreed with both of them. He wanted to also avoid giving the media any photo ops. “I’ll drive the remains to the state lab tonight, formally report the recovery of Aaron and Shelley Arnett. Sufficient personal effects are here for IDs without DNA testing, but we’ll arrange for that to be done for Grace’s benefit. Ballistics can be run-maybe they’ll find a match with one of the uncle’s firearms. He left behind quite a few when he was killed. I wouldn’t expect him to have kept the handgun he used, but there’s a chance.”

“Pursue those questions first. If there’s a way to avoid pulling out that car, it would be for the best,” Caleb said.

“I’m guessing by morning there isn’t going to be much of a decision left on that,” Gabriel noted. “This rain is going to bring down the rest of that bluff and bury the car again.” They had pulled over fallen branches so there weren’t visible signs of the wreck or their work, but water would wash away that short-term solution in a few days. If by some chance the car didn’t get buried in a new slide, he’d determine what to do after he knew the ballistics test outcome. He’d intentionally bring down that cliff face and bury the vehicle for good if he had a choice in the matter.

Caleb finished his coffee. “Let’s get the remains moved to our sheriff’s vehicle”-he gave a quick smile to Gabriel-“and you can write up the report you’ll need.” He turned to his wife. “Would you call Karen and ask her to join us here? I want to say a few words, read Psalm twenty-three over the remains before they’re transported. This is a family matter, and she’s family.”

Gabriel appreciated the way his dad said it. Will had seen enough today that having Karen here would help. He wasn’t doing that well himself. “I’ll give Evie a call, have her come with me to the lab.” He tried not to feel anything other than simple duty with that decision. “I’m going to hold off calling my deputies. I’ve got more to explain than I’m inclined to do at the moment. Better to have the day finished first. I trust their discretion, but I’m carrying enough for tonight. Tomorrow will be soon enough.”

Caleb nodded. “That’s wisdom, Son.”

They retrieved jackets and headed outside to move the remains from the boat to the sheriff’s vehicle.

“God’s rest upon the dead… and the living,” Marie said softly as the task was finished. She turned around. “Josh.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You’ll tell Grace her parents loved her, didn’t leave her behind, and would be so proud of their first granddaughter. Tell her I’d like to help her plan their funeral if she would allow me the honor.”

“I will, Mom.”

“Gabriel, tell Evie the full truth tonight during the drive, not just the easy version you gave me. It strikes me as important, what she thinks about today.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Marie patted his chest. “You’re a fan of annoying your mother with that ‘ma’am.’”

“Josh just said it,” he protested.

“He says it nice. You have that bit of ‘humoring your mother’ in your voice.”

He sighed. “Yes, ma’am.”

He got a hug, then was pushed away with a chuckle. “Go help your father refuel and secure the boat for the night. You know he drives it like a lumberjack.”

Gabriel willingly complied, walking back to join his father. He wasn’t surprised to see him light a cigar as they approached the pier. Each dealt with hard days in his own way, and his dad was mocking death with that smoke he’d occasionally enjoy.

“The tombstone could read, ‘Beloved Parents and Grandparents of Grace and Angel,’” Caleb suggested over his shoulder as he stepped onto the boat.

Gabriel thought it the right sentiment. “I’ll mention it to Josh.” He was aware the entire family was shifting to make sure Josh could carry matters for Grace. He’d add his official help to that so Josh could also handle matters for Grace with the medical examiner. The remains should be ready for transport to Chicago and burial in about a week. Better to get it done early in December, not too near Christmas.

Josh joined them and set to work securing the dinghy they had used. Gabriel had something of his own he wanted passed on. “Josh, mention to Grace for me that closure sometimes doesn’t feel like what you want or expect, but it’s still the milestone that over time will be what she needs.”

“I’m no good at funerals.”

“You will be at this one,” Gabriel assured him, draping an arm around his brother’s shoulders. “She came to you with her request. Close it out now with honor. Mom’s offered to help with the details, and you’ll see to it they get carried out so Grace and her daughter find the solace they need.”

Josh nodded. “You should’ve let me help today onshore.”

Gabriel shook his head. “Will and I do things I hope you never have to see, Josh. Someone in the family needs to know what peace is like. You’re the one who can assure Angel that life doesn’t have to be marred by tragedy.”

Cutting drywall needed more rest than he’d been able to grab the night before. So Gabriel drank a root beer and enjoyed Will’s back porch, listening to Karen and his mother working companionably in the kitchen. Will and Josh were enjoying a spirited game of tag with the four dogs. The work planned for today would get done another time.

“I came to say goodbye.”

Gabriel leaned back from his perch on the steps to see Evie standing behind him. For having been dropped off at her rented Victorian only about five hours ago, he thought she looked remarkably alert. He couldn’t say their talking about bones had made for the most enjoyable last conversation, but it had been illuminating. Evie had wondered why he didn’t ask her to help them out there on the lake since she was a fraction of the size of him or Will, could have worked without nearly the strain in the wrecked automobile’s small area. Her only other significant comment on their decision to do the recovery themselves had been the risks the living were willing to take to recover the dead.

“The Florist case boxes are marked, ready to be put back into the archives. There’s an index of sorts in the first box,” Evie told him now as she joined him on the steps.

“Iris will appreciate that.”

She had her own root beer. He turned his attention back to the game of tag going on.

“You solved yours. I didn’t solve mine,” she mentioned.

He smiled. “You gave it a good effort. It’ll still be here when the task force decides to take another look. Will you come back, Evie?”

“Probably.”

“It’s been a personal and professional pleasure having you in my county,” he offered, sincerely meaning the words.

She smiled. “Can’t say I enjoyed the deer, but the rest of it was an experience.” She handed him the phone from her pocket. “Thank you for the loan.”

“Anytime.”

“Have my personal number?”

“I know who has it,” he replied. “Have mine?”

“You were only a speed dial on that one. But I know who has it.”

They smiled at each other, and he said, “I’m going to miss that quick wit of yours.”

“I’ll miss the sweet-tarts.”

The dogs spotted her. Evie darted off the steps to join the game of tag, and Gabriel lifted an eyebrow as he saw how fast she cut a turn. The next time they played flag football with the Thane tribe, he’d make sure she was on his team. A year or two, he thought, a few more cold cases under her belt, she’ll realize what I already know-the extraordinary job she’s done the last two weeks, even if it didn’t end as we’d hoped. She had nothing to feel apologetic about. Gabriel smiled when her dogs got Evie cornered. He figured the odds were good he’d still be sheriff when the Florist disappearance eventually did get solved-maybe by Evie.

He wasn’t inclined to say goodbye. When Evie got ready to drive out, he’d simply say, “See you around,” and find a reason to make that happen. He might be a small county sheriff in an otherwise big state, but he was resourceful. He’d track her down if necessary.

Ann would be here this afternoon to fly Josh to Chicago to talk with Grace in person. He’d be working over Christmas, but there would be opportunities around then he could fit in a visit to Springfield. Evie built a snowman in February when she was tired of the winter, he remembered. There wasn’t a need to say goodbye today. He finished his root beer, watching her laugh with the dogs, fully relaxed for the first time since they’d met. Evie was as interesting a woman as he’d thought she would be. He wasn’t going to regret how this had to transition now. Life went on.

Evie Blackwell

Evie didn’t have to glance at the map for the route home to Springfield. She set the cruise control, shifted in the seat, finding it familiar but different from the convertible she’d been driving. She looked in the rearview mirror at the dogs, already half dozing and tucked around each other.

She opened the center console for sunglasses. Saw the plastic sack resting there and had to laugh. Gabriel had tucked in a bag of sweet-tarts. She picked up a roll, opened it, ate the first one. He was good at subtleties. Subtle, yes, but clear in its message. She rather liked that about him.

She wasn’t a banker’s wife-probably same for the wife of a sheriff-she mulled over as she drove. But it was a worthwhile debate to decide if she could be. She found some music and turned up the volume, not so high it would bother the dogs. She’d return home, go to work in the morning at her State Police job, and when asked, say it had been an interesting vacation. It certainly wasn’t one she was likely to forget.