Walk the Wire

Chapter 63

“Of all the dumb, shortsighted things to do,” groused Kelly as they were driving back to town. “He expects his daughter, who he just sold down the river, to up and move to France with him and leave everything and everybody she’s ever known behind.”

“I agree that it’s both presumptuous and really insensitive,” said Jamison. She looked at Decker. “What do you think?”

“I was wondering whether Hugh Dawson could have been involved in McClellan’s death.”

“That wasn’t what we were talking about,” said Jamison.

“Well, it’s what I want to talk about. But I don’t see a motive.”

Kelly said, “Shane probably has a motive, at least on paper. But he doesn’t care about inheriting a fortune. And if he were going to kill his old man, he’d just shoot him.”

“You’d be surprised how many people start to care when they’re actually close to getting the money,” noted Decker. “But money isn’t the only reason to kill someone. I can imagine Stuart made Shane’s life a hell on earth.”

“But Stuart’s always been like that with Shane. Why all of a sudden would it make him kill the guy?”

“That’s what they pay us to figure out,” retorted Decker. “Did you reach Shane? How’d he take the news?”

“I met with him before we went to see Hugh. Unless he’s a world-class actor, he had nothing to do with it.”

“Did he have any ideas about who might want to kill Stuart?”

“Not that he volunteered.”

“Did he say what he was going to do?” asked Jamison.

“No. He walked out in a daze, really.”

Jamison said, “Dawson got really upset with you at the end, when you mentioned his son, Junior.”

“None of that was right. Junior should still be alive leading a good, full life. Instead he’s six feet under because of that guy.”

“Was it really that bad?” asked Jamison.

“It was worse.”

Decker continued. “What I found curious was McClellan died by carbon monoxide poisoning.”

“You mean like Caroline’s mother,” noted Jamison.

“Exactly. Tell me exactly what you saw at the scene of Maddie’s death,” said Decker, looking at Kelly.

Kelly took a few moments to marshal his thoughts. “The car had slid off the road. There was an embankment there. The snow was about three feet deep at that point. The vehicle was leaning at about a thirty-degree angle. The tailpipe had gotten pushed up against the embankment. It was partially bent, and snow and dirt had gotten lodged in there. Totally clogged.”

“But why wouldn’t she have gotten out of the car and checked?” asked Jamison. “She naturally would have wanted to see how she was stuck, so she could get free somehow.”

“Exactly what I thought. And the answer was when she slid off the road sideways the brute force smashed her up against the window. She hit her head and was unconscious. There was a hematoma on the side of her head and a bit of blood and other trace on the window where she struck it.”

“And the airbags didn’t deploy?” asked Jamison.

“We checked that. Had an expert come in. He said in that situation the airbags probably would not have deployed. And it was an older model Jeep SUV. It didn’t have side airbag curtains anyway. And the seat harness would not have necessarily prevented her from being thrown to the side. There were no other signs of anyone else being there, though the snowfall would have covered any traces. She had cash and credit cards in her purse, and still had her wedding ring and a pair of diamond studs on. So robbery wasn’t a motive. And we could never find any reason for anyone to intentionally kill her. And, besides, how would anyone know she would have been out in the blizzard? She only went out because Alice Pritchard called her when she lost power. The autopsy came back with an accident as the manner of death and carbon monoxide poisoning as the cause.”

“Who called overseas to tell them she’d died?” said Jamison.

“Actually, that was me. I was in charge of the investigation. Hardest call I’ve ever had to make. As soon as I told Caroline she started sobbing. I couldn’t make out another word after that. And I felt bad because I couldn’t do anything to help her. I just felt so helpless,” Kelly said miserably.

They dropped him off at the police station and watched him go inside.

Jamison said somberly, “He’s still very much in love with Caroline Dawson.”

“Yes he is. And I wish him luck, but if I was Kelly, I wouldn’t hold my breath. I don’t think she’s going to suddenly run into his arms.”

As they pulled away, Jamison said, “But this may very well have nothing to do with why we’re up here. Figuring out the time-bomb comment by Ben Purdy. That has to be our focus.”

“Our focus is finding out who killed Irene Cramer.”

“But isn’t one connected to the other?”

“Not necessarily.”

As they pulled in front of their hotel, Baker hailed them from the street.

Decker rolled down the passenger window and said, “Stan, what’s up?”

“Was just coming to see you. That photo you gave me, of the dead woman?”

“Irene Cramer. What about it?”

“I asked around about anyone that might have, you know, been with her.”

“And did you find anybody?”

“Three guys. All oil field workers.”

“And?”

“And they all said that they hadn’t had sex with her.”

“So what did they do with her?” asked Jamison.

“She bought them food and drinks.”

“That’s interesting,” said Jamison.

Decker said, “But it makes sense. Why get into bed with strangers if she could get the info she wanted by springing for food and booze? Be a lot easier for her.”

“Boy, I hear you on that,” said Jamison a bit too quickly. When Decker glanced at her she blushed and looked away.

Baker said, “As I was saying, she bought them food and drinks, and asked a lot of questions.”

“Questions about what?”

“That Air Force installation.”

“But why ask oil workers about a military base?”

“Beats the hell out of me. She might have talked to some of the guys who worked there before the Air Force pulled out. And I never saw any of the Vector guys come into town, so she might not have been able to ask them.”

“What sort of questions did she ask?” Decker wanted to know.

“Anything suspicious they might have seen. Whether they knew the history of the facility. And she asked about the auctioning off of the land around the facility.”

Decker nodded thoughtfully. “Now, that is interesting. Anything else?”

“That’s about it. Hope it helps.”

“Thanks, Stan.”

Baker moved off and Decker rolled his window back up.

“Did that help?” asked Jamison, who had listened to the whole exchange.

“I don’t know. I can understand her wanting to know about the military base and the land around it. I mean that’s where Daniels worked, after all.”

“But it’s still puzzling,” conceded Jamison.

“Everything about this damn case is puzzling.”