Deer Season (25 page)

“Anything else about Gavin?”

“No, that’s about it. He’s just one of those people on the edge. He needs mental health services, but when things go to hell, we’re the agency that ends up dealing with these characters.”

“We do,” agreed Ray.

“Do you want me to take you home to get your car or just go into the office?”

“Let’s go to the office; I’ll catch a ride home at the end of the day.”

“We all did,” Ray responded. “What’s up?” he asked, not wanting to dwell on the events of the previous evening. “I just had a conversation with the Luce County Sheriff; he wanted to verify that Dirk had been informed of his brother’s death.”

“What did he think, we wouldn’t do it?” asked Ray. “When they called early this morning, they were talking about an accidental death. The guy on road patrol was responding to a call about a badly damaged sled and a body, something that’s not too unusual during the winter. The deputy identified Danny by sight, and asked the dispatcher to send someone to his home. The State Police got that duty, and it turns out Danny wasn’t living with his wife at the moment. Danny’s wife told them to contact Dirk; he would have to make the funeral arrangements. She wasn’t going to do it.”

“Sounds like one angry woman,” commented Ray. “That’s just the half of it. The deputy had the EMTs bag and remove the body, and he taped off the accident scene before he responded to another call.” Sue paused for a moment. “The sheriff told me the price of gas is killing them, and they can only afford one road patrol on duty from eleven to seven. The plan was to have people from the day shift complete the investigation. But now it doesn’t look like an accident any more.”

“Because?”

“Because they got a call from the medical examiner—seems Danny has a bullet hole in him that no one quite noticed in the darkness and cold. He says the State Police are helping them investigate the crime scene. The sheriff was wondering if we’d share this information with Dirk before he hears it from the media.”

“Does he have any suspects?” Ray asked.

“Exactly my question.”

“And?”

“The sheriff says there will be no shortage of suspects. Danny was one mean son-of-a-bitch, his words. Danny’s bar was a favorite of local tough guys, renegade snowmobilers, and a gathering place for passing motorcycle gangs during the summer. Danny loved knocking heads. The sheriff also said Danny was a real womanizer; there were a lot of husbands and boyfriends around that would probably like to see him dead.” Sue paused briefly.

“Did you know the family, the people, who produced Dirk and Danny?”

“I asked him once where he grew up during one of our few conversations. He said he was an army brat, but the family had roots near Brethren. He and his brother got jobs here after they got out of the service. He told me once they were shirttail relatives of Orville. Where were you going with the question?”

“I just wondered if all the males in the family were lowlifes and rounders.”

“What are you betting on, environment or genes?”

“Both, want some fresh coffee?” Sue asked.

“Wait a minute,” said Ray, not responding to her question.

“What?”

“Lynne. We’ve always assumed the shooter was trying to take her out. What if they thought Lynne was Dirk?” Ray asked.

“How did you get there, Dirk being the intended victim?”

“I thought about that possibility early on, but rejected it. But let’s go with it for a few minutes. Lynne, Marie, and the girls were in Dirk’s truck. They were following Dirk’s pattern—completing his shift, having breakfast, and coming home. I bet that he would get the mail on his way up to the house.” He paused and looked at Sue. “You think there’s a good possibility that the shooter was several hundred yards out. We know it was near blizzard conditions at the time.”

“But Lynne isn’t Dirk.”

“Yes, but they are about the same height. The shooter would have been concentrating on putting a shot into the center of the chest. Remember, the shooter had to have been watching Dirk for a while, becoming familiar with his patterns. And the day of the shooting they wouldn’t have been checking the face before they pulled the trigger. They knew who they were shooting at. We need to get Marie in here.”

“Why so?”

“I want to make sure Dirk’s daily routine was similar to the one they followed Monday morning. I want to know what Lynne was wearing.”

“I’ve got her jacket in the evidence room. It was left behind at the fire station; everything else went with her to the hospital.”

“Would you get it, please?”

“Be back in a few,” said Sue, as she headed out the door.

While she was gone Ray pulled up his notes from their conversations with Marie Guttard. In his rapid scan of the material, he could not find any reference to what Lynne was wearing.

“Here’s the coat,” said Sue, setting a clear plastic bag containing the garment on the conference table. Ray came to her side. They both peered at the canvas barn coat. Looking at the label, Ray read, “Men’s large. Do you think Lynne would buy one that size? She’s very slim.”

“And the jacket has a hood,” noted Sue. “I wonder if she had it pulled up.”

“See if you can round up Marie and bring her to the office.”

“Couldn’t I do this on the phone?”

“I want her here without anyone listening in.” Ray said emphatically.

“I will see if I can get hold of her, and I’ll run out and bring her in if she’s available.”

“Keep me posted,” said Ray, as he started thinking about who might want Dirk dead.

“Good morning, Sheriff,” said Marie, offering her hand and shaking Ray’s enthusiastically. “Did you have a pleasant Thanksgiving?” she asked politely.

“Very nice, thank you,” he responded.

“We have a couple of things we’d like you to clear up,” said Ray. He pointed to the barn coat in the plastic bag still on the conference table. “That’s the coat Lynne was wearing when she was shot.”

Marie went over and inspected the garment, then turned to Ray and explained, “She grabbed it from a peg in the mud room that morning. We were running late. And the white ski jacket she usually wears, she had taken it to the cleaners. This one was handy.”

“So she didn’t usually wear this jacket.”

“Oh no, it was Dirk’s. He’s been using it since the weather changed. I’ve never seen her wearing it.”

“Why wasn’t Dirk in it on Monday?”

Marie took a few seconds to respond, “He was wearing a hunting jacket that day, he left this one,” she pointed to the heavy canvas coat in the plastic bag.

“I want to check one more thing. We’ve talked about this before. You’ve told us that when Dirk gets off work he goes to breakfast, and you mentioned the Cottage Inn. Then what?”

“He comes home and takes a shower and sleeps for awhile.”

“How about the mail?” asked Ray.

“Yes. He always picks up the mail on his way to the house. He sorts through it and leaves most of it on the kitchen counter.”

“But on Monday,” said Ray, focusing her response.

“Yes, Monday. As we were coming up the road we could see the tracks left by the postman. When we arrived at the house, Lynne said she would get the mail since Dirk was out of town.”

“I notice there’s a hood on the jacket. Any chance Lynne had it up when she got out of the car?”

“Yes, she joked about needing it; it was snowing and blowing so hard. She pulled the hood up just before she got out.”

“We’ve asked you about this before, but you’ve now had a few days to reflect on it. Did you see anyone around in the days before the shooting who might have been watching the house, or did Lynne mention to you anything like that?”

“No. I remembered your question, and I searched my mind. I do not recall seeing anyone suspicious.”

“Thank you, Marie. This has been very helpful,” said Ray. “How are things with the girls?”

“They are in good spirits considering everything that has happened. Of course, they are very anxious about their mother and want to see her. I keep them very busy, and their grandmother is with me most of the time. She is so much like Lynne and so good with the girls.”

“Is it difficult being in that new environment, the big house, the security and all?” asked Sue.

“It is very different, but everyone is very nice. They are all doing their best to help look after the children.”

“And what do you hear about their mother?” asked Ray.

“I’m sure you know what I do. Things are better. They say there is guarded optimism. I think they are planning to take her to Cleveland Clinic in a few days.”

“I heard that,” said Ray. “Again,” said Ray, “thank you for coming in.” He caught Marie’s extended hand and her strong grip.

“I’ll arrange transportation for Marie,” said Sue, and the two women disappeared through the door.

Ray settled into his desk chair. He was lost in thought when Sue reappeared. She dropped into a chair on the other side of the desk.

“It all fits, doesn’t it? Lynne’s driving Dirk’s truck, wearing his coat, picking up the mail at about the time he usually does,” said Sue.

“I should have considered that more seriously at the beginning,” Ray responded.

“Oh, come on Ray. We’ve only been at this a few days.” Sue paused for a moment, “So who wants Dirk dead, and is it the same person who wanted Danny dead?”

“I think we need to have a conversation with Dirk. Do you want to drive?”

“Sure.”

“I’ll give him a call and tell him we’re coming,” said Ray.

“Did you ever talk to her psychiatrist? What’s his name?”

“Ruskin,” Ray answered. “Yes, I had a brief phone conversation with him. He confirmed that she was a patient, noting that he had only seen her a few times. I asked if anything came up during those appointments that might lead us to Lynne’s assailant.”

“And?”

“Ruskin said nothing was discussed that would suggest that Lynne felt shewas in danger. His answer was very carefully worded; he told me what I needed to know without divulging any personal information about his patient.”

They rode on in silence for several minutes, finally Ray said, “Did I tell you that Donna Bateman’s truck was parked at Dirk’s house this morning when we came by to tell him about his brother? It looked like she spent the night.”

“Did you see her?”

“Just Dirk. He was in a bathrobe; we got him out of bed.”

“It doesn’t look like she’s interrupting her social life to look after Clay,” Sue observed. “And Dirk doesn’t waste any time finding female companionship.”

“True,” he agreed.

“Tell me about Donna,” said Sue

“Don’t know much about her. Until this incident with Clay, I don’t think we’ve ever had any official dealings with her. Maggie Engle told me Donna is a savior type. Collects lost souls as boyfriends. Been doing it since high school.”

“You probably meet a lot of them tending bar,” Sue observed.

“Three deer up on the left,” Ray warned.

“I see them,” said Sue slowing down. After she passed the animals standing near the side of the road she said, “Wonder why they’re in the open during daylight. They should be hiding.”

“I imagine they’re moving around looking for food. This deep snow is tough on them.”

“What are we going to tell Dirk?” asked Sue.

“I made a few notes,” he answered, pulling a small notebook from his shirt pocket and opening it. “First we have to tell him about Danny being shot. And then we say that we suspect that last Monday the shooter was probably gunning for him rather than Lynne. Perhaps we can get something out of him that might help us find the shooter.”

“You optimistic about that happening?” asked Sue.

“What do you think?”

“No.”

“So much we don’t know about him. There’s a whole history that we can’t lay our hands on. And as Ben was pointing out to me this morning, Dirk has always seemed to have a lot of money. I’d like to know the source.”

“Maybe he’s thrifty and a skilled investor,” Sue quipped, a wry smile spreading across her face.

“Sure,” said Ray. “Dirk is a day trader, that’s why he likes working nights.”

“There’s something else that’s bothering you,” said Sue. “What’s going on?”

“I was thinking about Harry Hawkins, his very condescending tone, the suggestion that Boyd might have to bring in some experts to solve the case. Then I thought about Boyd and the things he could make happen with his money and connections.

“And,” said Sue, knowing that there would be more.

“What if Boyd wanted to get rid of Dirk?” Ray asked.

“For what reason? His daughter is divorcing the guy. He’s finally getting Dirk out of the family. This is a cause for celebration, not a reason to bump the guy off.”

“Yes, but maybe that’s a problem. In the old days Dirk was one of the deputies who provided security for Round Island and Crescent cove in exchange for hunting privileges. Ben Reilly commented on Dirk always having a lot of money.”

“Where are you going with this?” Sue asked.

“Well, maybe if Dirk was married to his daughter, Boyd had some control over him. But with the divorce he would lose that. And remember, Boyd bought out the remaining members of the old hunt club after one of the members who had resisted his takeover accidently shot himself during deer season. I imagine Dirk was one of the people who investigated that tragic death.”

“So what are you thinking? Maybe Dirk got hush money along the way. Danny might have been part of it, too.”

“Something like that. So what if Boyd wanted them both dead,” Ray continued. “Look at the resources he has available. He could bring in one of his mercenaries. They have their own private transportation system; they have access to sophisticated weapons. They could fly a guy in from Europe, or Asia, anywhere on the planet, do a hit, and get them out of here. A piece of cake for them and almost impossible for us to trace. Can’t you see them laughing about a couple of up north county Mounties. Look at the assets they have available compared to ours.”