Once Burned (Task Force Eagle) (19 page)

Her stomach lurched when she read the next report. “Five
years ago Kevin spent eight months in a private New Hampshire clinic. Kevin in
drug rehab? Addiction to pain medication and tranquilizers? I can’t believe it.”

“I can. He may still be on something. In addition to
alcohol. He was hitting the sauce pretty hard Saturday night.”

“Like we agreed, he’s under constant pressure from
J.T. to succeed in the company, to win this election, and who knows what else.”

“Having a father like J.T. could drive anyone to abuse
legal
and
illegal substances.”

She ran her finger down the page. “David Brandon has a
couple drug convictions, small time, and an OUI. Sort of a red flag. He could
be involved in selling drugs, I guess. Maybe to the harbormaster. To Kevin, if
he’s still using. But why’s he following
me
? And how can he be involved
in the arsons? I can’t see the connection between those two and Gail’s death
unless he’s Hector Vargas, which doesn’t seem likely.” She hung her head. This
was so frustrating.

“Connection to Kevin, maybe. Otherwise, nothing
obvious. Maybe the ex Mrs. Tyson will enlighten us and it’ll all come together.”

Lani stared at him. “Stop the Cherokee and let me out
now. Aliens have replaced the Jake I know with Little Mr. Sunshine.”

He barked a laugh. “I have to think something’ll break
soon or I’ll have to beat my head with a hammer to feel better.”

“Then maybe I shouldn’t tell you what I learned while
we were building the float.”

“I can still take you up on your offer to walk back.”

When he was teasing and charming, he made her heart
and her body flutter. She threw up her hands in a gesture more flippant than
she felt.

“Okay, I’ll fess up.” Her smile faded as the
implications of what she’d heard hit her. “Word is that Ava has disappeared. No
one seems worried, since she has pulled a vanishing act before. Ran off with
some guy for a few days last year without telling anyone. But this time seems
to me too much of a coincidence.”

“I’m no fan of coincidence.” He tapped both index
fingers on the steering wheel. “Could be our killer sent her a warning not to
tell what she knows. She panicked and beat it.”

“A warning? Maybe.” Like the massive truck slamming
her off the road and the carbon monoxide. Her stomach rebelled again and she
set aside her lunch. “Or worse.”

Chapter 21

The former Mrs. Tyson was weeding a flower garden beside
her cedar-shingled cottage when they arrived. Despite white hair, her
sun-tanned cheeks and brisk manner gave her an air younger than the seventy
plus Jake’s report had indicated.

When he explained why they’d come, she said, “I’m
sorry I can’t be of help. By the time you’re talking about, Frank and I were
divorced.” After a beat she added, “Rest his soul.” She appeared
self-contained, her expression giving away little.

“Yes, ma’am, I know. But if you’ll answer a few
questions, you might help us head in the right direction.”

Carolyn Tyson remembered the barn fire case, Frank’s
last before he retired, because the death of that
“poor girl affected him
so.”
When Lani informed her it was her twin who’d died, Carolyn, as she
insisted they call her, became instantly sympathetic and offered drinks in the
backyard.

When they sere settled a wooden picnic table, she
brought a tray from inside the house and deposited it beside her orange
gardening gloves. From a cut-glass pitcher, she poured lemonade into glasses.

Perspiring in the sun pouring down on her deck, Jake
thanked her for the cool drink.

“You have a lovely place here, Carolyn.” Lani smiled,
gesturing at the bay window that looked out over the lake’s expanse.

Primo property. The lawn sloped to a short dock and a
swim float that rocked on the wake kicked up by boats, one towing a water
skier. The view was postcard quality. Directly across the lake rose the low
hump of Bald Mountain and in the distance higher peaks that could be Sugarloaf
and Bigelow.

“Thank you. This is my family’s camp and has been for
generations. My sons own it now. They let me play hostess in the summer. They
live nearby, so it seemed natural to come here after I left Frank.”

Some news at last.
“You left
him
? Not a
mutual split?” Jake felt Lani’s hand on his thigh urging restraint.

A tiny frown creased the older woman’s forehead. “Those
are personal questions. Why should that matter to you?”

Lani flattened a palm on the rough tabletop as if
reaching out to the woman on the other side. “That case may have been Frank’s
last because his investigation was sloppy. He missed important facts and didn’t
pursue clues. He reported the fire was accidental, but now that’s in doubt. We’re
wondering what might’ve preoccupied him.”

Lani sugar-coating questions into delicate diplomacy?
Something she’d learned working with difficult kids. The woman constantly
impressed him.

“Anything you can tell us could help.” He crossed
mental fingers.

The corners of Carolyn’s mouth crimped as she seemed
to reconsider. “I see. Well, I don’t really, but I’ll tell you anyway. I left
Frank because he was losing our money, our savings.”

“Losing it how?” Lani asked.

“At that big casino down in Connecticut and in risky
investments, get-rich-quick schemes on the Internet. He kept telling me he was
going to make up for the losses. When Global Paper Mill shut down, so did my
office job. I still had my company retirement plan and I didn’t want to lose
everything if he owed big money. He became angry and secretive and wouldn’t
listen to me. So I left and filed for divorce. He sold the house in Augusta and
I got half the proceeds.”

Jake hadn’t seen Frank Tyson’s other house before the
fire but the Oak Mills property seemed substantial, not that of a man who’d
lost everything. “Sounds like a tough time. Did he pull out of his hole after
the divorce?”

She nodded, her mouth drawing into a tight line that
creased her lips and made her look every day of her age. “Bill—that’s my
oldest—said his dad hit it big and didn’t need to work any more. That’s when he
bought the property that burned around him.”

A new possibility vibrated every nerve in Jake’s body.
“Do you remember when his fortunes turned around?”

Carolyn studied the garden loam embedded beneath her
short fingernails for a long moment. When she looked up, a glint hardened her
eyes. “I know exactly when it was.”

*****

No wonder she remembered the damn date—the day after
her divorce was final.

Lani cracked her knuckles until her fingers ached as
they drove away from Carolyn Tyson’s bungalow. “Frank Tyson came into money
when his shallow investigation left the case at the conclusion he chose. Other
fires needed investigating, so no one followed up later. He wasn’t sloppy
because he was freaking distracted. He took
money
to bungle that case.”

Beside her, Jake said nothing but she saw tension in
his shoulders and the grip on the steering wheel. The same anger that boiled up
from her stomach to her chest.

Narrow driveways led through the dense foliage to
lakeside camps and houses. The gravel access road was private, so little
traffic passed them. When they came to a hiking trail turnout, he pulled over
and cut the engine.

She couldn’t sit still a second longer. Storming out
of the truck, she cursed and stomped around in the packed dirt. The knot
whirled inside her until bile stung her throat. Before she knew it, she was
puking up her burger in the roadside weeds.
Damn, not again.

He ran to her side and laid his hand on her back. He
offered the clean paper towel he kept in his pocket as a handkerchief. “Hey,
you okay?”

She snatched the towel from him and mopped her mouth.
Breathing hard as she straightened, she said, “Can’t you tell, genius?” As soon
as the words left her mouth, she waved a hand to erase them and shook her head.
“Sorry. Kneejerk snark.”

“An apology. Call the media.” His arms enfolded her. “And
don’t think I missed what you said earlier.”

“What?”

“A good lay? That’s an insult. To us both. I care for
you. A lot.” He paused, then rushed on as if afraid she might want to dive into
feelings. “So, seriously, you okay now?”

An SUV passed them but the passengers paid them no
mind. Probably figured they were two lovers making up after an argument. Not too
far off base.

She nodded against his thudding heart. “The
implications of what she said hit me like that stun gun. Because Tyson didn’t
pursue leads and push people, my twin sister’s murderer is still out there.
Free. He’s trying to kill me. You must be angry too.”

“Honey, I’m way beyond anger. A whole lot in this mess
makes sense if someone paid off Tyson. Like why Tyson didn’t search my house
for condoms to match the unique lubricant or why he didn’t keep asking
questions. Not just sloppy investigating, but deliberate and criminal. I want
this arsonist, this killer. I want him to pay.”

“This information has to be enough cause for the fire
marshal’s office to re-open the case.” She rubbed her chest, trying to massage
the tightness inside.

“Maybe they can get a warrant to trace the sudden
influx of funds into Tyson’s bank account. I’ll call Robichaud.”

She leaned back, studying him. “Starting that
investigation will take time. We still have a lot more questions unanswered.”

“And you’re still in danger.”

“The Dragon Harbor Days parade and fair is this
weekend. I promised Nora to help at the church booth making fried dough. She
must know about Kevin’s drug abuse.”

He kissed her forehead. “Then make more than dough.”

*****

At the police station the next afternoon, the
dispatcher waved Jake back to Chief Galt’s office. No time to waste, not after
what he’d just heard from Otis and his pals over pie and coffee. He figured he’d
get more out of Galt without Lani. He’d left her checking email on the boat.
She’d be safe enough alone because it was only for a short time. He’d hurry.

“If you want to know about progress on finding Ms.
Cameron’s alleged assailant, I can’t comment on an ongoing investigation,” Galt
said. He waved Jake to the battered wooden chair in front of his desk.

“Glad to hear it’s ongoing.” Jake settled in. “Not why
I’m here.”

“Got a case we’re wrapping up, so get to it.” The
police chief smoothed his salt-and-pepper hair and leaned back in his chair.

“You said the other day you didn’t remember ever
speaking to Gail Cameron. Gail, Lani, Kevin, and I all worked on J.T. Meagher’s
congressional campaign that summer. So did you, moonlighting as his security.”
When Galt started to speak, Jake held up a hand. “I’ve also learned that after
your wife—your
first
wife—left you, you ate regularly at the Eastward
Inn, where Gail waited tables.”

His gaze held steady but a cheek muscle twitched. “Doesn’t
mean I remember the girl.”

“Come on, Galt,” Jake said, a guy-to-guy grin on his
face. “She was hot and a flirt.
I
should know. From what I’ve heard, you
notice
all
the pretty girls. When you were in your prime, lots of them
noticed right back. More than
noticed
. The reason both your wives split.”

The big man leaned forward. His elbows hit the desk. “What’s
your point, Wescott?”

“I’m convinced Gail’s death was no accident, but
murder. That summer she was moody and depressed. Had sex with a long list of
guys, some her age, some older. One of them killed her, maybe during an
argument, and used the fire to cover up his crime.”

Galt studied his desk blotter, appearing to consider
his options. Jake’s chair creaked as he leaned back to wait.

The mustache moved with the other man’s grimace. “Okay,
I do remember Gail. And yeah, she came on to me at the inn. Wagged her fanny at
me, bent over so I couldn’t miss her tits. I kidded around with her but didn’t
take the bait. Not because she was too young, but because I didn’t want to give
my soon-to-be ex ammunition for alimony. I walked a straight line until the
divorce was done in September. You can believe me or not, but that’s it.”

He rolled his swivel chair away from his desk and
stood, reaching for his chief’s cap. “Have to cut this short. Like I said, I
have a meeting and a case to wind up.”

Jake pushed to his feet, gratified his leg didn’t make
the motion that of an old man. He needed a show of strength here. He held Galt’s
gaze, studying him. “Why’d you deny you remembered her?”

The chief’s shoulders shifted as a sigh escaped him. “Her
sister. I heard you and her were asking around about Gail’s...lovers. Figured
you’d reach me sooner or later. When it was Lani who asked, I saw the pain in
her eyes. Just couldn’t tell her. Thought claiming not to remember Gail meant
an end to questions. Looks like I was wrong on that score. Long list of lovers?
I’m sorry for the family. You know who?” He headed around his desk toward the
door.

Galt had taken the interview exactly the direction
Jake wanted. A small-town cop wouldn’t have had the money to pay off Tyson, but
the small-town cop knew someone who did. “Most. And you know someone not on my
list who might’ve taken Gail up on her offer.”

The chief’s gaze shifted down to his left as he
adjusted his cap.

“Someone who couldn’t afford even a whisper about an
affair,” Jake continued. “Especially not with an eighteen-year-old girl who
worked on his campaign.”

“J.T. Meagher.” Galt’s mouth turned down. “Kevin
maybe. Not J.T.”

“But you suspected J.T. Your reaction when I asked
said so.” Jake edged around so Galt couldn’t pass, had to face him. “I’ll be
giving my conclusions and the list of suspects to Sgt. Robichaud for use when
the state re-opens the Cameron fire case. Looks like I’ll have to leave your
name on the list and add J.T.”

*****

Lani was sitting on the cabin’s padded bench when Jake
returned. She listened intently as he recounted his chat with Chief Galt. “Nice
little bit of blackmail. How’d he react?”

Since galley clean-up was Jake’s chore today, he
loaded their lunch and breakfast dishes in the sink. Cooking odors mingled with
dish soap in the cabin. Rather than domesticated, Jake looked lethally
masculine in his jeans and a yellow polo, muscular forearms daubed with suds.
She snapped to attention as he began to answer her.

He chuckled. “I readied myself to duck if Galt had swung
a punch but he acknowledged using the same technique with suspects. Even
laughed about it. Then he told me
he
had asked J.T. about Gail.”

Her jaw dropped. “No kidding. When? Twelve years ago
or now?”

“As soon as he heard we were asking around about Gail
and men. J.T. was shocked and said something about all the college kids helping
in his campaign, that he thought of us as kids.”

“According to Galt,” she scoffed, remembering the
chief as unreadable. Typical cop. She’d seen the same blank mask on Jake. “You
believe him?”

“About himself, yeah. About J.T., I don’t know. Kevin’s
still a good bet even if he did deny hooking up with your sister. J.T. could’ve
paid off Tyson to protect his son.”

Lani lifted the laptop lid and opened their research
file. She’d finished entering all their interviews and the background checks. “Too
many suspects. More than a couple with the money to pay off Tyson. Mike Spear
was the beneficiary of his grandfather’s insurance and estate to the tune of
six million. That money helped set him up in the marina business.”

“And could’ve left enough to siphon off for Tyson.”

She nodded, scrolling down the list. “Steve Quimby
leads a modest life now as a kitchen designer but his family is old money,
stocks and investments from a lumber company. Both parents are influential
attorneys, and were back then.”

“And Kevin and his father,” added Jake. “After you
talk to Nora at the church booth, we need to give all this information to
Robichaud. Let them take over the investigation.”

And the danger
, words he’d left unsaid,
understood. Only it wouldn’t work that way. Until there was solid evidence
against the arsonist, she remained in jeopardy. A winter chill slid down her
spine, but she firmed her chin. She climbed the few steps to the deck to go
check her email in the sun’s warmth.