Double Action Deputy, page 11
Whatever happened now, he and Mo were in this together. As they crossed high prairie, the sun setting behind the Little Rockies, he kept thinking about Natalie’s ex and her father. Was the young woman a bad seed?
He thought of that old couple that had rammed her pickup and injured her. Guilty or not, she deserved better. He hoped that old couple got the book thrown at them, then remembered what his father had told him. The couple had lost their grandchild and believed Natalie was responsible. Not that it gave them the right to take the law into their own hands.
“So if Natalie is the person you suspect she is, how long do you think she’s been doing this?” he asked, realizing that his greatest fear was that Mo was right and Natalie would kill again.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that this started a lot longer ago than we know. I’m sure there has always been a lack of evidence. Maybe she wasn’t even a suspect in most of the cases. Natalie seems to have the ability to be whatever she thinks other people need. Her father aside, I do believe there is something very wrong with her and that her childhood played a part in making her the woman she is now.” Mo looked over at him. “Or maybe she is completely innocent of not just Joey’s death but the others that are now being reinvestigated.”
“Maybe,” he said, though no longer sure of that. He realized that he was tired of thinking about it. Right now he was more interested in the woman sitting in the pickup cab next to him. “What about you?”
“What about me?” she asked, sounding surprised by the question.
“I’ve told you my life story—”
“Hardly.”
“And you haven’t told me anything about you.”
She shook her head. “You know everything that is of any interest.”
He scoffed at that. “So, where did you grow up?”
“Really?” She sighed. “Southern California.”
He waited, but of course she wasn’t forthcoming with more. “A surfer girl.”
She scowled. “What is it you’re looking for?”
“Maybe just polite conversation.”
She gave him a look that said he’d come to the wrong place for that. But after a moment, she said, “My aunt raised me after my parents divorced and couldn’t hold it together long enough to raise a child.”
He hadn’t been expecting that and he was sure his expression showed it. “What about your sister?”
“She was eighteen months older, so she went to live with our grandmother who said she could use the help.” Mo shrugged. “Gram was a sour old woman but Tricia got along with her fine, I guess.”
“So how was it living with your aunt?”
“I loved my aunt and uncle. They were wonderful to me. My uncle was from Mexico and they owned an authentic Mexican restaurant. I worked there from the time I was nine. I loved it. In fact, my happiest memories are of hanging out in the kitchen as they cooked. There was always music playing and laughter. My uncle cooked the best mole sauce you have ever tasted.” She kissed her fingers. There were tears in her eyes.
“Are they still—”
“They were both killed in a drive-by shooting when I was weeks away from eighteen. Before you ask, yes, it is probably why I studied criminology in college and became a cop. I’d already gotten a scholarship so I headed to the same college where my sister was enrolled, Montana State University. Enough?”
“I’d ask about your love life—”
“But you’re way too smart for that,” she said. “Stop up here. I need something to eat.”
As he pulled into a convenience store on the edge of a very small town, his cell phone rang.
“Want me to get you something?” she asked.
“Surprise me.” As she climbed out of the cab, he took the call.
“Where are you?” his father asked without preamble.
He felt his pulse jump. “What’s happened?” he asked, hearing something in his father’s marshal voice.
“Natalie Berkshire has been found. She’s dead. She died of her injuries from the car accident.”
The breath he’d been holding came in a whoosh as he watched Mo moving around inside the convenience store. He wondered how this would impact her. He felt shaken.
“Herbert Lee Reiner and his wife Doris have been arrested in Ennis for her abduction and her death.”
Brick didn’t know what to say. “Maybe if we hadn’t gone after her—”
“Son, there have been more investigations being reopened. It appears there were a lot of suspicious injuries and deaths at her past jobs.”
“You’re telling me that she was guilty.”
“She might have seen them as mercy killings.”
Brick shook his head. He’d wanted to believe she was a victim. He’d wanted to believe he could save her. Or at least keep her safe until she could have a proper trial. His father was right. He’d gotten too involved. Maybe he wasn’t cut out for law enforcement after all.
“It’s over. You need to come home.”
Brick couldn’t speak for a moment as he thought of the night Natalie had stumbled into his headlights and how that had led to this moment and the blonde homicide cop standing at the register inside the convenience store.
“It’s not over. Not yet. If Natalie was telling the truth then she wasn’t responsible for the baby’s death and Mo’s sister was murdered.”
His father swore. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. Even if you don’t get killed, you could end up in jail.”
“That’s a chance I have to take. Mo needs my help.”
The marshal swore. “You’ve always led with your heart instead of your head.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” he joked as he watched Mo finish paying inside the store.
“Not according to your mother,” his father said with a sigh. “I wish you’d come home.”
“Pretend I’m up in the mountains camping until you see me again.” Mo headed out of the store. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“Brick? Promise me you’ll be careful. Maybe especially with your heart.”
As he disconnected, Mo looked up at him, stopping in midstride as if seeing the news etched on his face.
He got out of the truck and went to her. “That was my father. They found Natalie. She died of her injuries from the car crash. The older couple has been arrested.”
Her expression didn’t change as she nodded. And then she was in his arms, sobbing against his shoulder. He held her, unsure if her tears were of relief or of grief. Like she’d said, she’d known the woman, she’d liked her. But she’d been terrified that Natalie would kill again if not stopped. Now, though, there was no chance of finding out anything more from Natalie. They were on their own.
As quickly as she’d thrown herself into his arms, Mo stepped out of them and wiped her tears before climbing into the cab of his pickup.
“I’m sorry,” he said as he slid behind the wheel, not sure of his own feelings. It wasn’t what he wanted for Natalie. He wanted justice, but that might have been years of waiting for numerous trials where she was found guilty. She might have ended up on death row in one of the states or merely spent the rest of her life behind bars. If truly guilty, she might have been saved from all that by dying from her injuries.
“I’ll understand if you want to stop this,” he said to Mo, realizing that this might change everything.
She’d been sitting, holding a convenience store bag on her lap, and staring out the truck windshield. But now she turned to look at him in surprise. “I can’t stop now. I have to know the truth. All of it. But you don’t have to—”
“I’m in this with you. All the way.”
She smiled through fresh tears for a moment before opening the bag in her lap. “I brought you doughnuts. If you’re going to be a cop...”
“So... Billings?” She nodded and handed him a doughnut. He took a bite and shifted into gear.
Several hours later, they were on the outskirts of the largest city in Montana. They approached from the north, giving Brick a different view than he normally had approaching the city. He could see the bands of rock rims that ran on each side of the Yellowstone River—and the city. From this vantage point, higher than the city itself, it appeared to be lush green. The bowl between the rims was a canopy of treetops and a green ribbon of Yellowstone River.
And somewhere in Montana’s largest city hopefully were the answers Mo so desperately needed.
* * *
EARLIER, MO HAD insisted on driving part of the way, letting Brick sleep. They’d stopped in Roundup at the convenience store to use the restroom and get something more to drink, and Brick had taken the wheel again.
“Where do we start?” he asked now as he drove through what were known as The Heights before dropping down into Billings proper.
“Tricia had a friend from high school and college who she still saw. If anyone knows what might have been going on with my sister it will be Hope.”
He shot her a look, hearing something in her tone. “A friend you don’t like.”
She looked over at him in surprise. “It isn’t that I don’t like her—not exactly.” She mugged a face. “Fine, I don’t like her. I never trusted her. I always thought Tricia felt sorry for her. Hope is one of those people who demands a lot of sympathy. I swear she makes her own bad luck just for the attention.”
“You were jealous of her relationship with your sister.”
Mo rolled her eyes but didn’t argue the point since he was right. She gave him directions to the woman’s house. The house was small and located in an older neighborhood that had seen better times. Weeds grew tall in the yard and the siding could have used a coat of paint years ago.
“You think she’s back from work?” he asked as he pulled up out front and checked the time.
Mo snorted. “If she had a job,” and opened her door to get out, but stopped.
* * *
BRICK COULD TELL she was about to tell him he didn’t have to come with her. But apparently changed her mind, adding, “On second thought, she’ll take to you right off.”
He wasn’t sure he liked that, but followed her up the walk nonetheless.
The thin, dark-haired woman who answered the door wore a tank top and shorts. Her feet were bare. She had a plain face made plainer by her straight shoulder-length hair.
She frowned at Mo, clearly questioning what she was doing on her doorstep. But when her gaze took him in, she smiled and gave him a more welcoming look.
“I didn’t expect to see you,” Hope said as she jammed her hands on her hips and glared at Mo. “You weren’t exactly friendly at the funeral.”
“It was a funeral, not a party you were invited to.” Brick could tell Mo was wishing she didn’t need this woman’s help. He thought Mo might want to try sugar rather than vinegar in this instance, but kept his mouth shut.
“Look, Hope, I didn’t come here to argue with you about some past slight or misunderstanding,” Mo said.
“What? You didn’t come by to apologize?”
As if seeing that her tactics weren’t working, Mo said, “Hope, could we please come in? I need to ask you something about Tricia.”
The woman in the doorway hesitated, her gaze going back and forth from one to the other of them before she stepped back with obvious reluctance.
Once inside, Hope didn’t offer them a chair. Instead, she stood just inside the door, arms crossed waiting.
“Thanks, we’d love to sit down,” Mo said and walked into the living room to perch on the edge of the couch. She looked at Hope and snapped, “Could you drop the drama queen act? I need to know if Tricia had a lover.”
Brick had moved to the fireplace and stood waiting to see how all of this was going to shake out. Hope looked pointedly at him without moving.
“This is Deputy Marshal Brick Savage. He’s helping me investigate Joey’s death,” Mo said.
“Wait, you’re investigating? I heard you got kicked off the force and aren’t a cop anymore.”
“I was suspended, not fired. Are you going to answer my question or just give me a hard time?” Mo sounded tired and weary. Brick knew the feeling. It had been another long day.
Hope must have decided to cut Mo some slack because she dropped her belligerent stance and moved away from the door to take a chair at the edge of the living room.
“If Tricia had wanted you to know what was going on in her life, she would have told you,” Hope said haughtily.
Mo swore. “Tell me who the man was.”
“Tell me why I should? Tricia’s dead. I promised her I wouldn’t tell anyone ever, especially you.”
“How long had she been seeing him?”
Hope looked away for a moment. “Over a year.”
Brick heard Mo emit a painful sound that made Hope smile. But he knew what Mo had to be thinking. There was the possibility that the baby had been her sister’s lover’s and not Tricia’s husband’s—just as Natalie had questioned.
“Was she in love with him?” Mo asked.
Hope shrugged. “At first it was just a fling. She didn’t think it would last. I think she realized that she’d gotten married too young and she wanted to see if she’d missed out on something. Apparently she had. It was thrilling, she said. I think it was fun because it was a secret. No one knew but me. Your sister knew what you’d say if she told you.”
Mo seemed to ignore that. “Did you meet him?” Brick saw the answer. “So you never met him.”
“They had to keep it secret. Billings may be the largest city in Montana, but it isn’t so large that you can have an affair and people don’t find out,” Hope said.
“So you don’t know his name,” Brick said, making the woman look over at him. He got the feeling she’d forgotten all about him until then.
“I didn’t need to know his name,” Hope said irritably. “But why should I tell you even if I did know?” she demanded of Mo.
“Because I have reason to believe Tricia didn’t kill herself.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
“So...” Hope was frowning again. “You think someone killed her?” Mo said nothing. “You can’t think it was Andy.”
“Andy?”
Brick saw that Mo’s eyes had widened in surprise. “Who is Andy?” he asked.
“A friend of Thomas’s.”
* * *
MO COULDN’T BELIEVE THIS. “Andy? It’s Andy?”
“She never told me it was Andy,” Hope said quickly, backpedaling. “Just that it was someone from college, someone she’d had a crush on.”
With relief, she realized that if Natalie had been telling the truth, the man Tricia had been having the affair with was blond and more than six feet tall. Andy was short and dark-haired.
She looked at Hope, wanting to throttle the woman. “So you never saw him, never met him. I’m beginning to wonder if Tricia even confided in you.”
“She did!” the woman cried. “She was in love and heartbroken because she didn’t want to hurt Thomas.”
“She was in love?” This wasn’t adding up. “I thought it was just a fling?”
“At first. She thought it was just for fun, but then it turned into something else and then...” Hope looked away.
“And then she got pregnant,” Mo guessed. All those months of trying to get pregnant with Thomas’s child and suddenly she had an affair with another man and got pregnant. “Whose baby was Joey?”
Hope shook her head. “She didn’t know. She was in a panic. I tried to get her to take a DNA test before the baby was born.”
“Did she?”
The woman shook her head. “She was determined that it was Thomas’s. She broke off the affair. She told me her boyfriend was really upset.”
Mo thought about the emotional roller coaster Tricia had been on during her pregnancy. No wonder she’d been all over the place. “Did her boyfriend not want the baby?”
“Oh, no, he wanted it. He wanted her to leave Thomas and marry him, but she was having second thoughts, regrets, you know. Thomas had found out that she was pregnant and was so happy that she convinced herself that it was his and lied to her boyfriend about taking the test. She said the baby was her husband’s and that the affair was over.”
“But she didn’t know who Joey’s father was?”
Hope shook her head. “Then when he was born with so many medical problems and the doctor said he probably wouldn’t live...”
Mo knew her sister. “She blamed herself.”
“I told her it was stupid. That it was just bad luck.”
Mo sat back on the couch. This explained so much. Natalie must have seen how out of control Tricia had been. Once she saw Tricia with the other man... “If you think of anything she might have said about the man that might give me a clue who he was...”
“Like I said, she didn’t tell me that much about him. Mostly she talked about the way he made her feel. He was like her. He loved animals.” Mo thought about her sister’s disappointment that she couldn’t have a dog because Thomas was allergic. “And he was romantic,” Hope was saying. “One time he carved their initials into a tree.”
Mo pulled out of her thoughts to look at the woman. “Where was this?”
“On a camping trip they took some weekend when Thomas was at one of his seminars. Their inside joke was how taken Thomas was with the Jeffrey Palmer seminars.” She looked over at Brick. “Jeffrey Palmer is a self-made millionaire. He gives leadership seminars that he charges a fortune for so others can believe they might one day be rich, too. Thomas idolizes him and never misses one of his seminars, especially since his company sends him along with his associates so they can become leaders.”
