Deer Season (16 page)

Ray made a sub-vocalization and moved his head from side to side.

“You know what I really like about you?” Sue asked.

Ray remained silent.

“Your capacity to control your rage.”

“And you know what I like about you?” he shot back.

“My intelligence, work ethic, and skill at making cognitive leaps.”

“All that and the idea you can buy me off with a container of garlic shrimp sans MSG.”

“How did your trip to Dirk’s house go?” Sue asked.

“It may have been all theater,” Ray answered, “and I was the special audience. We went in, I followed him to the master bedroom. He packed his clothes in a couple of large duffels and got some toiletries from the bath. His closet and drawers were mainly empty, so he was telling us the truth when he said he had already moved most of his things. After we left the house and he got his old pickup from the barn, he handed me his keys to the place.” Ray fished through a vest pocket and removed a small, green karabiner with two keys on it. He tossed the keys to Sue. “Those are to the house and barn. Let’s get them locked up in the evidence room for safekeeping.”

Ray and Sue settled into chairs and started unwrapping the food. “What are you having?” he asked.

“Sesame chicken, shrimp fried rice, hot and sour soup, an egg roll, and two almond cookies. Lots of fat and sugar, but I’ve more than burned off the calories in the last twelve hours.”

“Sure,” said Ray. “One of these days your metabolism is going to change.”

There was a long silence as they both focused on their food, neither having eaten for most of the day. Finally Ray said, “Tell me about the trip. Just give me the highlights,” he added, long aware of Sue’s inability to summarize.

She was on her second almond cookie by the time she had provided him a full account of her day, from arriving at the office until they started the interview with Dirk. Ray, who ate only half as fast as Sue, had allowed her to give her report without interruption.

“I need to go over a few points,” said Ray as he gingerly squeezed the remaining liquid from a tea bag he had just pulled from a thick white porcelain mug. “When you first encountered Dirk at the State Police post in Mackinaw City, did he still appear to be intoxicated?” He paused for a minute as he calculated the time. “Let’s see, that would have been close to four hours after they found him.”

“Yes. His eyes were red, his speech was slurred, he was unsteady on his feet, and he stank of booze, cigarettes, and God knows what else.”

“And you told him again that Lynne had been shot?”

“Yes.”

“And his response?”

“He was angry, like why was I giving him old news. He had already been told that. Then he said that we must think he did the shooting, and he launched into an inarticulate and rambling denial. Finally he asked about his daughters. When I said they were safely ensconced with their grandparents, he went into a tirade about what rotten people the Boyds were.”

“How was he on the trip back?”

“He didn’t say much. He appeared to be brooding, some of the time he was sleeping. Which was okay with me because I didn’t feel like talking with him.” Sue paused, considering her next words. “He seemed angry at me, like I was interrupting his hunting trip.”

“You’re not over-reading the situation?”

“Perhaps, but when you have any history with this man, it’s hard to be neutral.”

“It is, but if he used a credit card like he said he did, he’s going to have a pretty tight alibi,” Ray observed.

“But he’s got such a strong motive. His wife is dumping him. He’s just been served, which is a rather indelicate way of letting him know. That’s got to be awful hard on someone who is totally full of himself,” said Sue.

“But this wasn’t an act of passion after he got served. He didn’t go home and shoot up the place. Dirk’s rage was limited to taking Lynne’s car without her permission. That’s a very tame response.”

“Like he said, he knew this was coming. Perhaps he got someone else to do the shooting, and it’s just a coincidence that it happened the morning after he got served.” Sue suggested.

“That’s possible, but again, what’s his motive? If he was telling the truth about their financial arrangement, he has nothing to gain by offing her before the divorce.”

“How about custody of the girls?” she suggested

“I don’t think Dirk would be particularly interested in taking over the care of two young children,” said Ray.

“Yes, that’s hard to imagine,” Sue responded. “Okay, so maybe he arranged a hit because he’s just an angry, vengeful man.”

“Dirk is one hostile dude, but I almost believe his story that leaving town was a sudden decision, not something he had planned. And even if he’s just giving us a line, it’s hard to get away with a hit. Dirk’s not stupid, he knows we’ll start the investigation with him,” Ray countered.

“But, how about his, what’s your word?”

“Hubris,” Ray suggested.

“He is so arrogant, perhaps if he’s behind this he thinks we’re too stupid to ever figure out how he pulled it off.”

“Okay. Let’s carefully follow up on Dirk: verify the times on his credit cards, and we can probably find him on surveillance tapes. Will you interview this Maddox woman?”

“Sure,” Sue responded.

“But,” continued Ray, “we must not lose focus of other possibilities. At this point I think he’s a long shot.” Ray looked over at Sue. “You’re tired.”

“The adrenalin has just run out,” Sue responded.

“We can go over this in the early a.m.,” said Ray gesturing toward Sue’s carefully arranged stacks of data.

“There are several things….”

“Can it wait till morning?” Ray pressed.

“Yes.”

“Go home and get some sleep. We’ll hit it again about 7:00. I’ve got an interview scheduled with Lynne’s friend at 9:00. See if you can reschedule the interview with Lynne’s mother that you missed today for after that. We still need to see if her daughter might have shared anything with her.”

“You talked with Lynne’s father?”

“Yes, at the hospital last night. I didn’t get much other than his dislike of Dirk. I would like to talk to him again. This morning I had breakfast with Nora Jennings. I got a short history of Crescent Cove and Round Island. I’ll share that with you tomorrow.”

“Tell me now.”

“You’re on your way home. That’s an order. Let’s see if you can follow it without being insubordinate. And thanks for the dinner, I’ll clean things up. Get going.”

“Thanks, Ray,” said Sue, pulling herself to her feet. “I’ll be in early.”

27
Ray was on the way out of his office when the phone rang. He hesitated briefly, then walked back and lifted the receiver.

“Ray, this is Carol in dispatch. I have Jack Grochoski on the line. He’s insisting on talking to you.”

“What seems to be the problem?”

“Dirk Lowther is at the Last Chance. Jack say’s he wants him to leave, but Dirk is too drunk to drive.”

“Just dispatch a car to the scene,” Ray said.

“Jack didn’t want that. He wants you to personally handle the situation.”

“Did this call come in on the 911 line?”

“On the regular department number.”

“Okay,” Ray responded. “Tell Jack I’m on my way. Who is in the central sector right now?”

“Ben Reilly.”

“Good, have him meet me there, but ask him to wait in the parking lot if he gets there before me.”

“Will do,” came the response.

In the few minutes it took to drive to the Last Chance, Ray thought about Ben Reilly and Dirk Lowther, two officers he had inherited from the previous sheriff. Ben was smart, reliable, and honest, the kind of person who gives stability and strength to an organization.

As he pulled into the parking lot, Ben Reilly was already out of his car and waiting for Ray. They found Dirk sitting at a table near the back of the bar. Ray noticed that Donna Bateman was sitting at the table, talking to Dirk.

Ray and Ben settled on stools at the other end of the bar. Jack set a mug in front of each of them and poured coffee from a freshly made pot.

“I think everything has settled down now,” said Jack, motioning with his head in the direction of Dirk. Once Donna came in and started talking to him, he sort of quieted down.”

“What happened?” asked Ray.

“Dirk came in about an hour ago, maybe a little more. He ordered a shell and a shot at the bar then settled over at that table. He was looking worse for wear, but I served him anyway. I told him how sorry I was about his wife, and he says something like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’ I thought that was awfully damn strange, so I just left him alone. He sat there and nursed the first beer a long time. He looked like he was waiting for someone. Eventually he ordered another beer that I brought to him. Then a couple of hunters come in. They have a couple of shots at the bar and take a pitcher over to a table near Dirk’s.”

“These men, do you know who they are?” asked Ben.

“Don’t think I’ve ever seen them before.”

“So what happened?” asked Ray.

“After a bit I could hear something starting. Didn’t know what was being said, but you could tell by the tone it wasn’t good. That’s when I called you, Ray. I thought you’d want to come over here and deal with this before it became a real problem.

“Then suddenly Dirk was on his feet, and so were these two guys. I was heading over there to tell them to take it outside when Donna came in. Well, she’s so damn good at handling men. Whatever was going to happen, she headed it off. The two guys left, and she got Dirk settled down. She’s supposed to take over the bar at 6:00, but I told her I’d look after the bar till you came, and we figured out what to do with Dirk.

“Okay,” said Ray. They picked up their coffee mugs and joined Donna and Dirk. Donna excused herself as soon as they seated themselves.

Ray looked across the table. Dirk was wearing the same clothes and looked in the same condition as when Ray last saw him.

“Didn’t make it home yet,” said Ray.

“Ain’t got no home,” said Dirk, his speech sloppy and slurred.

“You told me you had a place, that you’d moved most things there. You sure didn’t have much at the house you shared with Lynne,” Ray added.

Dirk remained silent, his mind slowed by exhaustion and alcohol. “Yeah, I got a place. Didn’t get there yet. Thought I’d stop for a beer on the way.”

“Jack says you had words with a couple of men.”

Again the response was slow in coming, “Yeah, a couple of assholes from somewhere around Grand Rapids.”

“Did you know them?”

“Not really. But I guess I busted one of them for a DUI sometime. He was making some kind of smart-assed remarks. He wanted to know how tough I was when I wasn’t wearing a badge.”

“Let’s get you home,” said Ray.

“I don’t wanna go home. I’m perfectly happy here.”

“Your drinking is over for the evening,” Ray said slowly. “I’m going to drive you home in your truck. Ben will follow.”

Dirk fumbled with a zipper on the breast pocket of his soiled jacket and retrieved a pack of cigarettes. He extracted a cigarette from the pack and lit it with a battered Zippo lighter. After he inhaled deeply, he responded. “Okay, let’s go home.”

He struggled to pull himself to his feet and then followed Ben toward the door, Ray bringing up the rear. Dirk paused at the door, turned back toward the bar, and gave Donna an awkward wave before leaving. Ray escorted him to the passenger side of his truck and held the door open. Dirk picked up the duffle bags and tossed them behind the seat.

Ray pulled out the seatbelt and told Dirk to put it on before closing the door. As he was coming around the back of the truck, he noticed two men in camo leaning against the back of a red Dodge truck, watching the process.

“Key,” said Ray, sliding into the driver’s seat.

“It’s in the ignition.”

“Where we going?” Ray asked, as he searched for the switch to the headlights.

Other than providing occasional directions, Dirk said nothing during the fifteen-mile trip over snow-covered back roads to his house. At Dirk’s direction, Ray turned onto a recently plowed drive and followed it several hundred yards to a house that was secluded from the road by a large stand of pine. He helped Dirk carry his things in and looked around briefly. The house was large, neat, and nicely furnished, hardly what Ray had expected for a “rental.”

“It’s cold in here,” Ray noted.

“Yeah, just need to turn up the thermostat.”

“Everything else working?”

“Yes.”

“How about a phone?”

“I’m okay. Just leave me alone so I can go to bed.”

Ray nodded, pulled the doorshut, and walked to Ben’s waiting car.

“I’m so absent-minded, I pocketed Dirk’s truck key,” Ray said handing the key to Ben. “Take this in at the end of your shift. Arrange to have someone drop it by tomorrow morning.”

“Will do.” Ben chuckled as he dropped the key in the interior pocket of his heavy winter jacket.

“Did you know Dirk was getting divorced?” Ray asked

“Sue briefed me about what was going on.”

“Dirk told me he was moving to a rental he owned. Doesn’t look like a modular, does it?”

“No,” agreed Ben, “but then nothing about Dirk was ever ordinary.”

28
It was after 9:00 p.m. when Ray turned off the road and slowly climbed the steep, curved driveway to his house. The drive had been plowed some time during the day, only an inch or two of snow covered the surface. Ray noted tracks in the snow and found Sarah James’s small Subaru SUV parked near the front. Lights were on in the kitchen and living room. He reached up and hit the garage door remote.

Ray found Sarah curled up on the couch reading a book. She rose to greet him.

“Hope you don’t mind my dropping by,” she said, after they embraced. “I was hoping to surprise you. But you weren’t here, only the man from the well company, he let me in.”

“Billy Coyle.”

“Yes, Billy, he gave me his name. He was just leaving, said to tell you he replaced some parts and everything should work.”

Sarah slid into his arms again.

“I thought you were going to New York to spend Thanksgiving with your son.”