Murder at the Lake, page 15
A cooking show was playing on the television across the room, and she reached for the remote and turned it off. As if she had any hopes of becoming a gourmet anytime soon. Her sister and best friend would tell her she could do whatever she applied herself to, but being a master chef wasn’t one of her aspirations. In fact, her only one at the moment was to free the man she loved from jail.
It was unthinkable that they were in this position a second time in a handful of days. She would have stayed at the police station if her presence could have made an ounce of difference, but Andrea had sent her home. That was probably the wisest course of action because she didn’t trust her reaction at seeing the Braybury detectives. Andrea said even the police chief for the department was tight-lipped. So much for extending professional courtesy. But they were convinced they had their man in the Graham case. With Troy back in the spotlight, they’d be more than certain.
If only she could ask Troy what he’d been thinking to his face. She’d like to read his facial reaction, what was going unsaid. She was still angry with him. He must have left the house planning to see Klein, yet he insisted on going alone and didn’t trust her enough to confide his plans. Quite a slap in her face, as all she was doing these days was trusting him. Didn’t he appreciate the tough position he was placing her in? For a man who deliberated outcomes to the nth degree, how could he not have foreseen the possible repercussions of confronting Richie Klein? Though how could he have anticipated that someone would kill him after he left? Either way, the situation was driving her mad. Troy must have seen a strong advantage to going to the motel, but what? Did he suspect Richie Klein like she had, or at least considered him holding the key to unraveling the puzzle?
Her phone rang, and she scrambled to answer, following the trill and finding her phone tucked into the side of the couch. The clock read 7:30 AM. She must have slept through the night. It was Andrea calling.
“Tell me you have good news,” Madison answered.
“I have some, but it’s not exactly what you’re wishing for. Troy remains in custody in Braybury, but there is a camera on the motel that offers a sight line to the payphone from which the nine-one-one call was made.”
With Andrea’s news, the fog in her head lifted. “Did we get the killer’s face?”
“Not that far yet. We have a warrant though, and officers will be presenting this to the owner this morning.”
“We need that footage as soon as possible.”
“Trust me, Madison. It’s a priority.”
She didn’t care for the way Andrea’s voice darkened at the tail end of her dialogue. There was an incoming storm. “There’s something else you have to say. What is it?” She barely managed to squeeze out the question, terrified of the answer, though unsure how things could get worse.
“Troy’s DNA is on Richie Klein.”
“You told me they were in a fight. That would make sense.”
“It was on the belt around Klein’s neck.”
That statement initially came as a blow, but she conjured an innocent explanation. “And where did the belt come from? Was it Klein’s or had the killer brought it…?”
“It was believed to have been taken from Klein’s pants.”
“That’s easy to explain, then. They were fighting, and Troy was struck, spittle or blood flew, hit Klein’s belt while it was around his waist.”
“It is possible, but in the context of everything… well, it’s not looking good.”
Madison struggled to come to grips with what Andrea had just told her. It wasn’t just the forensic tie between Troy and the murder weapon. It was how they knew this already. “DNA takes weeks to months to process. How could they know any belonged to Troy?”
“It’s called Rapid DNA testing, and it’s sometimes disputed.”
“Then we’ll dispute it.”
“I’m talking a margin of error between ten to twenty percent.”
“Sounds significant to me.”
“I don’t want to latch on to a dream. Now, the process does destroy the DNA sample, whereas the traditional method does not.”
“Then it can’t be retested. We’ll have his lawyer call it into question. There might be some hope in that.”
“I’ve been told they only used a small sample, not the extent of what they had.”
Of course they didn’t… It seemed no matter how things progressed, they were always pushed back into a corner. “I need to talk to Troy.”
“I’m sorry but…” Andrea left her words dangling there, and a tingling sensation spread across the back of Madison’s neck.
“What?”
“He doesn’t want you to see him right now.”
Ouch! She kept her faith in him despite the recent odds and was determined to do all she could to help him, yet he refused her. Some nerve.
“That’s not the entire message though,” Andrea rushed out. “He told me to let you know he’s safe and not to worry. They have promised to isolate him from other inmates now that some might know he’s a cop. He also knows you believe in him and said that he knows you very well.”
Madison was trying to process all that Andrea had said and pluck apart why she emphasized that latter bit. If she wasn’t losing her mind, Andrea was saying Troy wanted her help. Knowing her very well, he’d be aware that she couldn’t sit back and do nothing about the accusations against him. The point was he didn’t want her squandering precious time talking to him when she could be getting answers.
“You heard me, right? He knows you very well,” she repeated.
It hadn’t been her imagination jumping into the rabbit hole. “I heard you loud and clear.”
“Good. Now, just be careful.”
“I will be.” Before heading home last night, Madison had adamantly refused protection detail. She had pointed out that she’d faced off with the Russian Mafia and survived. Andrea had tried to tell her even cats ran out of lives. Madison still ended up getting her way. It wasn’t that she didn’t have a healthy regard for her well-being, but she wanted the freedom of movement. She didn’t need a police detail knowing she was poking around. And now that it seemed Andrea was permitting it, she wouldn’t want that conflict arising either.
“You should also know that the arraignment for the Klein case is this afternoon at three thirty. It’s unlikely he’ll be released without bail a second time.”
Madison had some money from her grandmother that might cover it, but Troy might be safer behind bars than on the street. “Let me know what happens.”
“I will.”
The call ended. Andrea hadn’t questioned why Madison wouldn’t be at the arraignment. It was unspoken that she’d be busy trying to get to the truth. For the police chief, the less she knew, the better, the more deniability.
But as Madison sat there, she wasn’t sure where to start. The shoeprints outside confirmed a stalker. There couldn’t be an innocent explanation for their existence. Was he out there now, keeping watch over the house while she was inside?
Goose bumps traipsed along her arms, but giving in to fear would get her nowhere. She had to think like a cop. As she’d pointed out to Andrea last night, she had survived the Russian mob. Dimitre Petrov had men at his bidding. This killer was one man. Though he remained faceless unless the security camera from the Sandman Motel came through. If only she could determine the motive for the murders and framing Troy. Then she might get one step ahead.
Only one thing seemed clear: this was all connected to Emily Kane. It came down to Dylan Graham’s journal and the accusation against Troy. Whoever the killer was, they were drawing attention to that night.
Think, think, think…
She tossed over in her mind what she had gleaned so far. Emily had been a popular girl with a lot of admirers. According to her friend Brooke, she’d slept with a lot of guys and kept the bar low. If a guy was good-looking, Emily would give it up for them. But Brooke had also told her about an awkward kid nicknamed Tinman. If Emily had rejected him, that could have provided motive for him to rape and kill her, but how did that extend to Dylan Graham and Richie Klein? In addition, to Troy Matthews? One would think if Emily’s killer was still free, they’d remain quiet. So maybe this person didn’t kill Emily, but it still landed Madison short of a motive for the present-day crimes. They had to have some connection to the past.
But as Madison’s thinking cleared up, she realized the Dylan Graham crime scene came with a built-in defense for Troy. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t thought of this until now. Shock must have shut down logic, but the existence of the journal could exonerate Troy of killing Dylan. The Braybury detectives claimed that Dylan Graham threatened to turn Troy in to the police. If that was the case, and Troy had been willing to kill to protect himself, he would have ransacked Dylan’s place. He would have searched for anything that Dylan might have had against him. He certainly wouldn’t have left a journal hanging around, with a glaring accusation, for the police to find. Her hypothesizing had just chipped away at a key piece of evidence for the Braybury detectives.
And was there only one journal in the entire home? She’d only heard of one. Did that mean Dylan was new to the habit of recording his thoughts? Given the impression she’d gotten from Andrea, the Braybury detectives alluded that Dylan had been struggling for years with guilt over believing Troy had killed Emily. That alone suggested that Dylan would have lots to write about. In that case, there should have been boxes of journals. If only there was some way to find out. There was no way the BPD was going to tell her. Being allowed into Dylan’s home was an even bigger ask. But Dylan had left behind people who knew him well, including an ex-wife. If anyone would know if Dylan was distressed, it would be the woman he had lived with.
There might be a reason to be hopeful. Then again, maybe she’d confirm the detectives’ suspicions. There was one way to find out. Madison had to track the ex down and speak with her.
-
Chapter 30
If Troy never saw the inside of a jail cell again, he’d be happy. His neck and back were curled into a corkscrew, and a headache pounded behind his eyes and at the base of his skull. At least he wasn’t being held in the drunk tank with puking alcoholics, hallucinating druggies, or strung-out prostitutes. But he’d been stripped of his clothing and provided an outfit from the Braybury PD. If he hadn’t felt like a criminal before, the garb he was wearing certainly sent home the point. And while he might not have company in his cell, he was left with an endless parade of thoughts.
He should be in Mexico, just stirring awake next to his new wife. How drastic a turn had his and Madison’s lives taken. He couldn’t be blamed for how this mess started, but the one revolving around Richie Klein was all on him. He should have known anything involving Richie would stain him, just as being associated with him had years ago.
It caused Troy anxiety to think he had even stood in open court and attested to Richie’s good character. He had done so somewhat reluctantly at the time. Over time, he excused himself as a teenager who hadn’t found his way. Richie was someone he hung out with, drank with, pulled odd pranks with. He was one of the three who were always around, and for all of Richie’s weaknesses, he struck Troy as loyal to his friends. That spoke a lot to Troy, but it didn’t necessarily mean he’d ever trusted him.
And after facing Richie all these years later, any doubts Troy had about his innocence were wiped away. He had raped and murdered Emily Kane and confessed to as much. It wasn’t just his words. It was on display in his eyes and his body language. He even struck Troy as being proud of what he had done. What a sick freak!
And just like then, Richie had pulled him into his web. If it hadn’t been for Richie landing the first blow, Troy wouldn’t have retaliated. There wouldn’t have been a fight. There wouldn’t be forensic evidence of him in Richie’s motel room. An eyewitness still might have seen him, but not necessarily.
As for his DNA on Richie’s belt, that was easily explained away, but the Braybury detectives weren’t willing to take his side. All it would take was spittle flying from Troy’s mouth or some of his blood—they didn’t disclose the source of the DNA—when he was hit. That could have landed on the belt. Simple. But the detectives didn’t even seem open to considering this. Again, they were set in the belief they had their guy.
There was a curdling in Troy’s gut that told him the judge he’d appear before this afternoon would feel the same way. Once the presiding judge learned Troy was facing a second murder charge within a week, he’d be happy to smell fresh air again before he died.
Madison. His head pounded harder at the thought of her. She was his only hope of getting out of here, but would she be able to find the necessary evidence? It would take more than theories and the sprinkling of doubt. If he was to be set free, Madison would need to catch the killer. There was no way around that. And even though he knew she was as tough as nails and could hold her own, that didn’t mean he didn’t worry about her welfare. In the past when she stubbornly took up a vendetta with the Russian Mafia, it dang near killed him. First, mentally and emotionally. Second, literally. But there were times he thought they’d kill her, and that would be it. She’d be gone from his life forever.
But it was that toughness he counted on now. That and her tenacity. Like a dog with a bone, the basis for his pet name for her, Bulldog. Hopefully, Andrea passed along his message just as he had said it, and Madison received the implication. If she did, he might stand a chance of getting out of here before a trial started.
Might. It all came down to what she could dig up and who she could corner. She wouldn’t have the benefits of the Stiles PD behind her. Andrea couldn’t be tied to whatever Madison did, or her career would be in jeopardy. It was best that she knew nothing of what avenues Madison pursued. And thinking along those lines, he wished he had an idea where her intuition was taking her now. He didn’t doubt she held faith in his innocence, but where was she looking for answers? Where was she going to start? What was her reaction when she found Troy had gone to visit Richie? He should have asked his sister if Madison was shocked or surprised. Knowing her response would tell him a lot. Did she suspect Richie of Dylan’s murder, as he had? Either way, he could trust that she would do something regardless of whether she received his implied message. She wasn’t one to sit idly on her hands and do nothing. He’d be a fool to think so. She fought for her loved ones and the underdogs.
Troy rubbed his temples, wishing the headache would ease just a bit, but it was unlikely. He couldn’t stop thinking, and the more he did, the more his head throbbed.
He was obsessing, but how hard could it be to uncover who was behind this? It had to be simple, as answers often were.
This person was connected to the past, more specifically to Emily Kane. At least presumably that was the link. This person had it out for Troy and his friends, but again, why kill them and leave him alive? Dylan was shot, a quick death. Richie was strangled, a little more drawn-out and horrific. But it was as if he really wanted Troy to suffer. And whoever it was had done a good job of it so far. At this rate, Troy would lose the woman he loved, the job to which he’d dedicated his efforts, and spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Who could hate him so much? He could rack his brain for hours and maybe never land on the answer. He’d spent his adult life in law enforcement, and that built up inherent enemies, but that number decreased when focusing on his past, namely Emily Kane.
He dismissed this line of thinking, as it would lead him nowhere. The facts were all that could help him. Usually he’d grab a marker and start laying it out on a board, but he did his best to bullet-point them in his head, even if they were out of order.
Fact #1: Connected to the past and Emily Kane
Fact #2: Got a hold of my Smith & Wesson
Fact #3: Killed Dylan and framed me by leaving gun at scene
Fact #4: Dylan’s journal mentioned I was the one who killed Emily, not Richie
Fact #5: Richie knew nothing about Dylan’s murder and ended up murdered after I left him
It was that last fact that niggled him. Richie was murdered after he left him, and by what the detectives had told him thus far, his time of death was within the window of his being there. That was too close to be coincidental. If it hadn’t been for the fact that Richie was strangled with his belt, Troy might second-guess that he’d left him alive. So if the timing wasn’t coincidental, it was likely opportunistic, as Snow had even mentioned. That meant the killer would need to be nearby to take advantage of the opportunity.
His eyes popped wide. The killer had been watching him and saw him go into that motel room. Did he know about the fight though? He probably would have if he saw Troy leave. Then he would have moved in and killed Richie, probably thanking the stars for his timing. Though no one testified to seeing anyone else enter the room, or so Troy could only assume, as the detectives were fixated on him.
But how had this person known Troy had gone to the motel? The only answer was he had a stalker. He didn’t recall anyone standing out to him within the past few months. He had to think back that far, as he was quite sure that’s how long his S&W had been missing. Even when he suspected Richie, he saw the hole in his theory that Richie would have been in prison, but Troy didn’t rule out that he could have worked with someone on the outside. But now, any of his suspicion against Richie was wiped out, leaving an unknown third party. Also, the gun being taken that long ago was an assumption. It wasn’t like Troy reached for it with any sort of regularity.
But this person would have likely been in the neighborhood and hanging around their house to follow him to the motel.
