The Trailer Park Murder, page 34
“What did you find?”
Lesley paused.
“What is it?”
“It’s a list of names. Some of them with other identifying information, some with notes—what kind of food they like, or regular schedules they keep.”
“Have you looked into the names?”
“Yes.” Lesley cleared her throat. “All of them are dead.”
“All of them?”
“Yes. Some of them were accidents, some were suicides, some are solved homicides, some are unsolved homicides. All kinds of different ways, too. Electrocution, car accidents, hiking accidents. One guy got buried alive in an avalanche when he went off the ski run trails.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Probably the same thing you are. That Annika Nakrivo—sorry, Anja Kerovic—wasn’t the only assassin in the Kerovic family.”
“Marguerite too?”
“Yep. I think this is Marguerite’s hit list. Some of these happened when Anja was clearly in another part of the country. Or even the world.”
A moment of silence. “Lesley—is there more?”
“I’m looking at the dates of these deaths. The first few? They would have been when Marguerite was only fourteen years old.”
Bernadette rubbed her forehead. “I’ve seen some footage from the wars in the Balkans. Child soldiers. It’s—well, shocking, but not terribly surprising.”
Lesley gave a nervous laugh. “I worry I’m going to wake up one day and be as jaded as you.”
“Talk to me after you have to shoot someone you’ve trusted for five years.”
Lesley clicked her tongue, but said nothing.
“I’m sorry,” Bernadette said. “It’s still a little raw. No—it’s very raw. I won’t be much fun to be around the next few days. Or weeks.” She’d take that vacation time anyway, even if she wasn’t going to Summerfest. She pulled a pack of gum out of her purse; the baggage was taking forever to arrive. “How many names are on this list, anyway?”
“Seventeen.”
“Seventeen,” Bernadette repeated. “A lot of murders for one person.”
“It’s over a six-year period. So about three a year.”
“Still a lot.”
“There’s one other thing,” Lesley said.
“Which is?”
“One of these names,” Lesley said, “was an investigative journalist.”
Bernadette’s heart sank. “Oh no.”
“Jack Woodhead. You know who he was?”
A loud buzz from the baggage claim speaker, then the conveyor belt clicked to life.
“I do,” Bernadette said. “Five years ago, Kep’s son was murdered. Kep was a suspect, but after they ruled him out, they had no other leads.”
Lesley was quiet for a moment. “Well, Jack Woodhead is on the list. Unsolved murder.”
Bernadette was quiet. Five minutes ago, she was contemplating her exit strategy from CSAB.
But Kep deserved to know.
And his son deserved justice.
Cast of Characters
The Core Team
Dr. Kep Woodhead: A forensic toxicologist in his early fifties, Dr. Woodhead is both an expert in poisons and a “supersmeller”—he can detect and specify scents far beyond the olfactory range of most humans. His brusque manner rubs many people the wrong way, including…
Bernadette Becker: A recently demoted case analyst who has been assigned to manage Dr. Woodhead on relevant cases. Becker is Woodhead’s fifth “handler” in the last two years. Freshly separated from her husband of nearly fifteen years, Becker is trying to get back on her feet both personally and professionally.
Lieutenant Maura Stevenson: Becker’s immediate supervisor runs the CSAB Homicide Unit and joins Woodhead and Becker on important cases, greasing the wheels with local law enforcement agencies, cutting through red tape, and getting the needed resources.
Lesley Gill: The technical analyst working for the CSAB Homicide Unit.
Friends & Family
Officer Lamar Chesapeake: A Milwaukee police officer, he and Bernadette have been in a long-distance relationship for a few months.
Joanna Quimby: A friend of Bernadette’s who works at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Barlow Finnegan: Bernadette’s estranged husband—soon to be ex, when the details of the divorce get ironed out.
Sophie Finnegan: Bernadette’s twelve-year-old daughter.
The Case
Evan McMichael: Found dead in his trailer home, the retiree had only lived in Banner Crossing for three years.
Laura Donaghy: Evan’s sister, who is taking care of his affairs after his death.
Gabriel Constantine: A methamphetamine addict and low-level dealer, Evan’s neighbor has been in and out of jail for a variety of petty crimes.
Deputy Carla Moncrief: The officer who found Evan’s body.
Darcy Moncrief: The front desk clerk at the hotel where Kep and Bernadette check in, and Carla Moncrief’s college-age daughter.
Deputy Jens Mueller: A sheriff’s deputy assigned to the county jail.
Sheriff Aatos Koskinen: The sheriff of Porcupine County and Carla Moncrief’s boss.
Dr. Imogen Goadbury: The Porcupine County medical examiner.
Victor Zorba: The vice president of construction for the local copper mining company.
Bonnie Farmington: A bartender in Banner Crossing’s only watering hole.
Barcelona Lute: A graduate student in ornithology at UUP, she and Evan would often communicate about birds.
Trudy Fortescue: A pharmacist who fills the prescriptions of local organizations and government entities.
Jasper Fortescue: Trudy’s husband and the president of the Old Victoria Ornithological Society.
Ed Eskola: The owner of the local U-Move-It and a rumored methamphetamine dealer.
Emma & Travis Mortensen: Neighbors of Evan who have their own legal challenges.
Alvin Davies: Another neighbor of Evan’s, he is recently divorced and trying to get out of Banner Crossing.
Warden Marcie Fisk: The warden at Taycheedah Women’s Correctional Facility where Annika Nakrivo is serving out her sentence.
Annika Nakrivo, aka Anja Kerovic: Caught between a rock and a hard place, Nakrivo has said her sister is in trouble—and Bernadette may be her only hope.
More by Paul Austin Ardoin
The Woodhead & Becker Mysteries
Book One: The Winterstone Murder
Book Two: The Bridegroom Murder
Book Three: The Trailer Park Murder
* * *
The Fenway Stevenson Mysteries
Book One: The Reluctant Coroner
Book Two: The Incumbent Coroner
Book Three: The Candidate Coroner
Book Four: The Upstaged Coroner
Book Five: The Courtroom Coroner
Novella: The Christmas Coroner
Book Six: The Watchful Coroner
Book Seven: The Accused Coroner
Novella: The Clandestine Coroner
Book Eight: The Offside Coroner
Book Nine: The Warehouse Coroner
Collections
Books 1–3 of The Fenway Stevenson Mysteries
Books 4-6 of The Fenway Stevenson Mysteries
Dez Roubideaux
Bad Weather
* * *
Non-fiction
From Zero to Four Figures:
Making $1,000 a Month Self-Publishing Fiction
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Acknowledgments
Pamela Evans brought this story to me through a mutual writer friend a little over a year ago. The story is based on her brother’s mysterious—and as-yet unsolved—death, and Pamela wanted someone to fictionalize the story and bring his life to light. Thank you, Pamela, for your generosity with your brother’s story, and for your patience as my cross-country move delayed my writing. I can only hope I’ve served your brother’s memory well. And I apologize that Samantha, your brother’s beloved Bichon Frise, didn’t make it into the final version of the novel. I had big plans for her, too!
Many thanks to my editor Max Christian Hansen, proofreader Melissa Crandall, and cover designer Ziad Ezzat of Feral Creative. Special thanks to the Wordforge Novelists group in Sacramento, whose comments and guidance are, as always, invaluable. I also appreciate the Just Write Milwaukee and Shut Up and Write Milwaukee groups, who have welcomed me and given me encouragement, support, and community in my adopted city.
Thanks to my early readers, including Dana Luco, Michelle Damiani, Beverly Ange, Josh Atkinson, Dr. Christina Bellinger, Monique Koll, Devin McCrate, Nicole Prewitt, Gavin Ralph, and Laura Regan. Your eagle eyes, your hawklike senses, and your areas of expertise helped immeasurably and made this book much better.
I’d also like to thank Jamie Sanfelippo, who keeps my newsletter, social media, and other marketing activities sailing smoothly.
To my wife, my children, and my mother: I’m deeply grateful for your continued encouragement and support.
Paul Austin Ardoin, The Trailer Park Murder
