Rock Harbor Series - 01 - Without a Trace

  “I know, you miss us.” There was a smile in his voice. “I suppose you want to talk to Davy.”

  “Is he close by?” Bree managed to ask.

  “He’s outside. I can call him.”

  “No, wait! I wanted to talk to you.” Bree swallowed. “Who is Lanna?”

  “Who?”

  Rob’s voice sounded strained, Bree thought. “Lanna. Lanna March. She just called here and told me the two of you are in love.”

  “What?” Rob’s voice sharpened. “What are you talking about? Are you accusing me of having an affair?”

  “Are you?”

  “You seem pretty certain of it. You’ve found me guilty and pronounced my sentence, all without a trial.” His voice was tight and clipped.

  Bree ran a hand through her newly cut hair. Rob was going to have a fit when he saw how she’d hacked off her long tresses. She gave an exasperated sigh. “The woman called here, Rob. Do you hear me? She actually called here and told me if I loved you, I would give you a divorce.”

  “That’s ludicrous! Are you making this up?”

  Bree’s temper flared to an even higher pitch. “You can’t twist this and blame me. I’m not the one having an affair.”

  “I’m not having an affair!”

  “Well, you can have your divorce! But I’m not going to be the one to tell Davy his father is a faithless, conniving philanderer.” She slammed the phone into its cradle and burst into tears.

  The phone rang, and she paced back and forth, refusing to give in to the urge to answer it. She knew it was Rob, and she couldn’t listen to his lies.

  The afternoon inched by at a glacial speed. The phone rang periodically, and she finally took it off the hook.

  Rob was due home by six. When he still wasn’t there by eight, she told herself she didn’t care. He was probably with his lover. The thought made her burst into tears again. At 8:15 the doorbell rang. She went to the door and found Mason and Hilary standing there, both of them in tears. Rob’s plane had gone down somewhere between Iron River and home.

  Can I help you?”

  Bree was jolted out of her painful memories by the harsh light spilling from the front door of the palatial home. Music echoed from the house as well. Bree recognized the blond woman who stood framed by the light from the room as Barbara McGovern, wife of the man who owned Rock Harbor Savings and Loan.

  “We’d like to see Steve Asters,” Mason said.

  Behind Barbara, Steve Asters stood talking to a curvaceous red-head who wore a tight black dress, slit up the side practically to her waist. He glanced up, and his gaze met Bree’s. His smile faded.

  Barbara motioned to Steve, and he came slowly toward them. The fear in his expression heightened when he saw Mason standing behind her.

  “Did you find Fay?” Steve directed his question to Bree. The color leached from his face, leaving him as pale as sand.

  Bree gave an almost imperceptible nod. Suddenly, she wanted to be anywhere but in this stuffy room full of cigarette smoke and the scent of booze and perfume. The stress of the day bore down on her in an overwhelming rush of weariness.

  Mason cleared his throat. “Is there somewhere we can speak in private?”

  Steve glanced at Barbara with a question in his eyes. Barbara’s frown deepened, but she nodded. “Follow me.” She led them down the hall to a study lined with bookshelves. “I’ll be with my guests if you need me.” Closing the door behind her, she left them alone with Steve.

  Steve ran a finger over the oak bookshelf nearest to him then thrust his hands in his pockets. “Is Fay all right?” Gazing at Mason, he seemed to be avoiding Bree’s eyes.

  “No, sir, I’m afraid she’s not,” Mason said gravely.

  Steve blanched. “Is she injured?”

  Mason cleared his throat. “I’m afraid she’s dead, Steve. We found her at the base of Eagle Rock. Or I should say, the dogs found her.”

  Steve’s gaze finally shifted to Bree, and she saw the shock and pain in his eyes. And something else as well. Was it guilt? She’d always heard murder was usually committed by someone close to the victim. Steve’s contact with the red-headed bombshell made him more suspicious.

  Steve swayed on his feet, and Bree reached out a hand to steady him. He jerked away from her grasp and walked to the window. The blinds were open, but the window reflected the light, and it was impossible to look out. Still, Steve stood staring at the window. Was he trying to gain time to think? Bree exchanged a glance with Mason. The sheriff seemed as puzzled as she felt.

  Steve turned around. His eyes were dry, and he nodded to them. “I appreciate you both coming to tell me in person. Where is her body? Do I need to identify her or anything?”

  Mason nodded. “The ambulance took her to the coroner’s office. They’ll do an autopsy.”

  Steve’s eyes widened. “Why? You said she fell. I told her a thousand times she was going to fall and break her neck one of these days.”

  He was babbling. It sounded like guilt to her. She mentally shook her head. She’d watched too many episodes of Murder, She Wrote. This was Steve Asters, the man who had loaned her the money to buy her lighthouse, the respected manager of the bank, not some heartless murderer. Grief caused people to say and do strange things. She resolved to give him the benefit of the doubt.

  “Actually, there is some question as to the cause of death. Once we get some tests back from the lab, we’ll know if we’re dealing with an accident . . . or something else,” Mason said.

  Steve’s face paled even more. “I don’t understand.” He swiped a shaking hand through his hair.

  “It’s possible someone killed her and then put her body at the cliff base to make it look like an accident.”

  “Murder?” Steve’s lips barely moved, and he swayed where he stood. He held his hands out in front of him, and Bree noticed the tremble in them. “Next you’ll be saying I did it! But I’ve been here all evening. Ask anyone.”

  Mason nodded. “Shall we drive you to the morgue?”

  Steve’s face flushed, and he raised his voice. “I know what you’re thinking! It’s always the husband. Well, I loved Fay!” He paced in front of the window as his voice rose.

  “Steve, no one is accusing you of anything.” Mason followed him and touched his arm, but he jerked away.

  Steve turned and stomped to the door. “If you want to talk to me, you can contact my attorney.” He slammed the door behind him, and an oil painting of the Porcupine Mountains fell to the floor with a crash.

  Bree picked it up. One corner of the frame was chipped. She felt rather battered herself. This night had brought back too many memories.

  7

  Nicholls’s Finnish Imports was already buzzing with the news of Fay’s death by the time Bree arrived Monday morning at nine. She worked as a salesclerk in the store three days a week, and though the money supplemented the insurance Rob had left, the real reason she enjoyed her job was that it awarded her time with Anu.

  The aroma of Anu’s famous cardamom rolls filled the store from the bakery at the back. As well as Finnish imports, the store sold Finnish pastries and desserts. Eini Kantola, forty and as round as a snowman, rushed to greet Bree. “The radio said you found Fay’s body!” She tsk-tsked, a habit that set Bree’s teeth on edge. Eini’s hazel eyes were bright with curiosity. Several customers turned eager faces their direction.

  Bree blinked at the bombardment then nodded. “Yes, I found her.”

  “I thought she would come to a bad end.” Sheba McDonald sniffed. Sheba made everything in town her business. With a husband who had been the county court judge for going on forty years, she knew secrets that should never be told, though she was never reticent to reveal many of them.

  Sheba’s hands stilled their rummaging through the sweaters, and she moved closer. “I’d seen her with that old boyfriend. If you ask me, that baby of hers probably wasn’t even Steve’s.”

  She turned to her friend Janelle Calumet, and they both began to
discuss Fay’s shortcomings. Bree heard mention of Steve’s money troubles. So that was common knowledge as well. Surely Mason had heard the rumors too.

  Eini looked at Bree. “They’re saying Steve needed money in a bad way these days. I wonder if Fay had insurance.”

  Anu wiped her floury hands on the red chef’s apron she wore. “Eini, it is unseemly to display such nosiness,” she said softly. “Please return to working on the display for the Arabia china.”

  Eini’s face fell in a comical expression of chagrin and disappointed petulance. “I’m almost done with that. Aren’t you even curious about Fay’s death, eh?” She turned away and went back to arranging plates on display shelves.

  Bree took off her coat and went to hang it in the back room. “Thanks,” she whispered as she passed Anu.

  Anu followed her. “Don’t thank me, kulta. I must admit to curiosity myself, but Hilary filled me in this morning. Did you sleep?”

  “Not much,” Bree admitted.

  Anu nodded. “Come, have some coffee with me. Eini can handle the store for a bit.” A battered table painted white with mismatched chairs sat in the middle of the break room at the back. Bree sat at the table while Anu poured them both a cup of coffee then joined her. “So, I think there is something more on your mind this morning than finding Fay’s body. I’m here if you wish to talk.”

  “You always are,” Bree said with a fond smile. “Mason told you it might be murder, right?”

  Anu’s blue eyes saddened. “Yes, he told me this grim news, though he tried to downplay it.”

  “You realize it has to be someone we know.”

  Anu nodded, and a shadow crossed her face. “I cannot imagine any of our friends committing such a crime.”

  “Everyone wears a mask, Anu. Everyone but you, that is. Sometimes I look at my friends and wonder what they really think and whether they’re hiding something important from me.”

  “What has caused this cynicism, eh?” Anu shook her head. “It saddens me, kulta. Do you have suspects yet? Hilary mentioned no one.”

  “Several come to my mind. I haven’t discussed it with Mason yet, but I couldn’t sleep last night for worrying about which of my friends could have done something like this.” It was after two the last time she’d looked at the clock.

  “Maybe it was an outsider, someone she met while climbing.”

  “It’s a possibility,” Bree said softly. “I hope that’s the case.”

  “You have someone in mind, I can see this.” Anu wore a troubled frown.

  “We ran into Kade Matthews just before we found her body. He seemed on edge.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wished she could snatch them back.

  “Kade is like a rock. I cannot believe this of him,” Anu said slowly. “He could have taken his sister to live with him in Yellowstone or on to his new post in California, but he honored his mother’s request to let Lauri graduate here. A man like that does not murder.”

  Bree wished she could be so certain. “I’m supposed to meet him and Naomi at Donovan’s house after school to help out a bit. I’ll see if I can find out anything from him. I hope you’re right.”

  “Read Psalm 112 when you can, my Bree. From the Scriptures we can learn discernment. We must pray and ask God to open our eyes to truth.”

  Somehow when Anu spoke of God, Bree did not bristle the way she did when Naomi mentioned him. “You are my rock,” she said. “I couldn’t have made it through the last year without you.”

  Anu leaned forward and touched Bree’s cheek. “This worries me, kulta. Always you fear to break away from me, to face life by yourself. I see the way you hold your tongue when you wish to say what you really think to Hilary. I see how you barricade yourself in your home and fear to make new friends. If you speak your mind, you won’t lose the love of your family and friends. But even if you do, loss is part of life.”

  “But—” Bree started to protest, but Anu shook her head gently.

  “You hold so tightly because you have lost so much, but day by day I see the Bree who first came to us—the one who was not afraid to experience life—shrink into this small, driven mouse who lives only to search for a family who will never return to her. You must go on, Bree. You must let go of your fear of the future.” Anu leaned forward, her voice urgent.

  “How?” Bree whispered. “Hilary—”

  “You must tell Hilary it is over, that you will no longer cater to her demands. I have some money to invest. I want you to start a search-and-rescue training facility. You love dogs and helping others. Reach out and take charge of your future, kulta. Find a reason to go forward and no longer look back. You are young, Bree, too young to sit and mourn over a life that is gone.”

  Something broke within her, and Bree put her hands over her face and wept. Vaguely aware of Anu kneeling beside her, she turned to her comforting arms and wept for the life that would never be. Yet when her cry was over, she felt different, less fragmented.

  She pulled away from Anu and stared into her eyes. “You’re right,” she said. “I must let go and go on. A training facility!” A huge grin stretched across her face. “That’s a dream come true, Anu. Do you know how much I love you? You’re the mother I wish I’d had growing up.”

  Anu, tears in her eyes, stood and touched Bree’s hair. “I could not love you more if you were a child born from my own body. Now this is enough emotion for one day. We have work to do. Come.”

  Bree’s day rushed by. As she worked, her mind evaluated then rejected most of the suspects in Fay’s death. It was a puzzle too hard for her.

  Just before three, she hung up her work smock, said good-bye to Anu, and drove to the Blue Bonnet.

  “Ready for some cleaning?” Bree asked as Naomi climbed into Bree’s Jeep.

  “Sure thing,” Naomi said, setting a bucket of cleansers and rags on the floor. “You look happy today.”

  “It’s been a good day. Busy but good.” She paused then pushed on. “Anu wants me to give up the search, to start a training center for search-and-rescue dogs.”

  The dazed expression on Naomi’s face made Bree laugh. “I’m thinking about it, but I don’t know if I can yet.”

  “The day will have to come, Bree. I’m not trying to push you, but you have to face facts sooner or later.”

  “You sound like Anu. Are the two of you conspiring?”

  “She’s smarter than I am,” Naomi said with a light laugh. “But this is something even I can see. You’re still young. Someday you might want to remarry and have more children.”

  Bree began to shake her head, but Naomi cut her off. “I know you’re not ready for tha t yet, but you have a future, Bree. All it takes is for you to recognize that fact and step out to meet it.”

  Bree didn’t know what to say. “This must be the right house,” she said, relieved to hear that her voice was calm and steady. “Emily and Timmy are in the front yard. Looks like Kade and his sister are here too.” She swung the Jeep into the driveway behind Kade’s truck and killed the engine.

  Naomi sighed but said no more. They got out and opened the door for the dogs. The children bounded toward them. Timmy was pale beneath the red blotches left by the insect bites. Emily’s hair looked as though it hadn’t been combed yet this morning. Poor motherless lambs. Bree had been right to come today. Kade and his sister followed the kids.

  Bree hugged Timmy and Emily then put her hand out to greet Kade’s sister. “You must be Lauri,” she said as the teenage girl came toward her with an eager smile. Bree would have known she was the ranger’s sister even if she hadn’t been told. Lauri was the feminine version of Kade, right down to the confident way she walked.

  His tail wagging, Samson came to Lauri and sniffed her hand. “Hi,” Lauri said.

  Bree shook her hand. “I’m Bree Nicholls, and this is Naomi Heinonen.”

  Lauri glanced at Naomi but quickly turned her attention back to Bree. “I read about you in the paper.” Lauri ran her fingers through Samson’s c
urly coat. “He’s beautiful. This is Samson, right? Can search dogs really follow a person’s scent through the air? How long does it take to train them? Do you think I could do it?” The last was said in a breathless rush with a sidelong glance at her brother.

  Bree held up her hands. “Whoa. One question at a time.”

  Lauri flushed. “Sorry. I’ve just been interested in search dogs forever.”

  Charley nosed against her for his share of attention, and Lauri obliged. “You boys are heroes,” she crooned.

  “Don’t encourage them,” Bree told her lightly.

  “It’s so cool how you found these kids,” Lauri said. “I wish I could do something like that.”

  “Do you have a dog?”

  “No. Kade is afraid a dog will chase his precious wildlife,” Lauri said with a glance of resentment at her brother.

  Bree smiled. “They can be trained not to chase animals.”

  “I like your sweatshirt,” Kade said.

  Bree glanced down. The sweatshirt said JUST TRY TO HIDE on the front and KITCHIGAMI K-9 SAR on the back. “Thanks.” She turned. “Let me get our stuff from the Jeep. Can you kids watch the dogs while we work inside?” she asked Emily.

  Emily nodded vigorously. “Our backyard is fenced. We can play there. Daddy brought us home a Frisbee to play with. Do Samson and Charley like Frisbees?”

  “They’ll chase you down and take it from you,” Naomi told her. She reached into the car for a beat-up disk and held it out to Timmy. “Here, use their Frisbee. Your new one would get chewed up by their teeth.” Timmy grabbed it, and Samson rushed up to him and began to lick him on the face. The little boy giggled and threw his arms around the dog’s neck.

  “Keep them in the yard,” Naomi called as Lauri, Emily, and Timmy led the dogs away. She turned and grabbed her bucket of cleaning supplies.

  Bree watched them go then turned to smile at Kade. “Lauri seems to be a sweet girl.”

  He returned her smile, but it seemed forced. “You haven’t seen her other side yet. Sometimes I think the Windigos came in the night and left this other girl in my sister’s place.”