“I hope she’s good at what she does?” Gwen asked.
“Alex says she’s one of the best. She’s been here in town for a couple of days working with Alex and staying out on the ship.”
“Well, isn’t that convenient,” Gwen said.
Sally sighed and took a sip from her coffee. “You should have seen her last night. Anna had more than a little too much wine with dinner and it was all too clear she has a thing for Alex and I just can’t get it out of my mind. They’re spending so much time together…”
“You trust Alex, don’t you?” Gwen asked.
“Of course, I do. I’ve never had any reason to feel otherwise, but this woman is quite a package and she obviously has something going on for Alex.”
“Does he even know?”
“I’ve talked to him about it and he’s reassured me they’ve worked together for years and nothing has ever happened.”
“You send her up here and I’ll talk to her!” Gwen said.
Sally laughed. “Too bad she doesn’t like girls.”
“Maybe she does!” Gwen said, laughing again.
“Well she’s headed back to New York tonight, but Alex will be going back in a day or so, too. They have a preliminary hearing coming up.”
“It’s easy for me to say, honey,” Gwen said, “but I doubt you have anything to worry about with Alex.”
Sally just nodded, looking out at the people walking by, most with large bags full of clothing and other shopping treasures. She turned back to Gwen. “How are you and Tara doing? She seems really nice.”
“She’s great, Sal. I really love her.”
“That’s wonderful,” Sally said. “I’m happy for you.” She took another sip from her coffee and then said, “Oh, I meant to tell you they have a suspect in George’s death.”
“A suspect!” Gwen said surprised. “You mean he was murdered?”
“That’s what the police think. They have a suspect in custody. The sheriff called us yesterday with an update on the whole mess.”
“Who would want to hurt George Hansen?”
Sally shook her head and said, “I can’t imagine, but apparently they found a knife in the lake and it looks like someone forced him underwater until he was dead and then pulled him back up into the boat. I just want to cry every time I think about it.”
“Who is this guy?” Gwen asked.
“His name is Slayton.”
Gwen grimaced and said, “Oh, that Slayton family is nothing but trouble. They’re in the paper all the time for some nonsense or another.”
“Yeah, I know. Any idea why this guy would have something against George?” Sally asked.
Gwen thought for a few moments. “Maybe George was defending him for one of their many crimes. I know he was still handling a few cases.”
“No, it doesn’t appear so. The sheriff has been over to George’s law offices and checked all the files with his old partner.”
“I hope they hang the guy,” Gwen said.
Alex was driving the Jeep up the street toward the little municipal airport on the outskirts of Charlevoix. Anna sat next to him in the passenger’s seat, her briefcase on her lap.
“Thanks for the lift, Alex.”.
“Sure, the boys said they’d be touching down about 4:30, so we should be right on time,” he said, looking at the clock in the dashboard.
“Great, when are you planning to come back to the city?” Anna asked.
“Probably just a day or so, unless you need me sooner. Just let me know.”
“Okay,” Anna said, looking out the side window at the sights of Charlevoix going by. “Alex, this is all going to be okay.”
He looked over at her. “I’m glad you’re so sure.”
“Really, I’m feeling better about the case against Louis, particularly with all of his financial difficulties.”
“And what about this documentation of my involvement that he’s fabricated?” Alex asked.
“Again, I don’t think you need to worry. Our team thinks we can tear Kramer’s testicles out when we question him on the stand about any of that nonsense.”
“A little harsh, don’t you think?” Alex said, laughing.
They pulled into the airport drive and Alex parked the Jeep by the gate into the area where the private planes were lined up. Several jets and twin-engine prop planes stood tied down on the tarmac.
“Here comes the plane,” Alex said pointing to the sky out to the east over Lake Charlevoix. He pulled her bag out of the back seat and they walked into the small terminal building. They watched the plane land and taxi up in front of the terminal.
Alex opened the door and followed her out as the pilots cut back the engines on his big Falcon jet, a Clark Industries logo on the tail. The door opened and one of the pilots came down and took Anna’s bag.
“Good afternoon, Alex, Ms. Bataglia,” he said.
“Hi Joey, take good care of the counselor here on the way back to the big city,” Alex said.
“Will do, boss,” the pilot said, and then he went back up into the plane with the bag.
“Anna turned to Alex. “Thank you for putting me up and for the ride home.”
“No, thank you for all you’re doing on this case. You’re making me feel a lot better about the whole mess.”
“It’s so wonderful up here, Alex.”
“I know, I have to drag myself out of here every time we have to leave.”
She looked at him and smiled and then suddenly moved forward and kissed him on the mouth and then hugged him. They both pulled back and the look on Anna’s face was as surprised as Alex’s.
There was an awkward silence before Alex said unevenly, “Well counselor, have a nice trip.”
She just looked at him for a moment and then climbed the stairs into the plane. The pilot closed the door and soon the engines were powered back up and the big jet was pulling away.
Alex stood there on the tarmac, the feel of her kiss still fresh on his lips with a dazed, confused feeling. What the hell was that?
Sheriff Elam Stone stood behind a door with a small window and watched Vince Slayton sitting in his cell. The man wore the standard issue jail jumpsuit and open-toed slippers. Stone looked away, shaking his head and walked back toward his office. He thought to himself, he was running out of ideas in connecting Slayton to George Hansen, other than a knife at the bottom of a lake that just happened to be found under Hansen’s dead body, but no blood or other evidence on the knife that tied it to Hansen. Where’s the link and the damn motive!
He sat down behind his desk and looked at the papers strewn in disarray. Someone had dropped this week’s copy of the Charlevoix Courier among the clutter and he happened to notice the lead article about the controversy over the proposed new condominium development down in Horton Bay. The headline read, Chicago Developers to Make Second Appeal for Horton Creek Project.
The sheriff knew this project had been debated for months and the locals were putting up quite a stink. He read the article and reminded himself of the details. There was a large parcel of vacant land just west of Horton Bay that these developers, the Harris Company, had secured. They planned to build a large condominium complex with an equestrian center, pool and tennis courts, all the bells and whistles. The property had water access rights and they were talking about putting in a hundred or so slips for big boats. The hang-up was the building permit approval because of some encroachment on wetlands with the initial site plan. They were going back for approval of revised plans next week.
Stone had lived in the area for most of his life and the continuing development always frustrated him. There was so much disposable income among the wealthy these days, it seemed as if no price was too extravagant to get their little piece of the North Country. Cottages that had been built 30 years ago and still in perfectly fine shape were being purchased for seven figures, only to be torn down to make room for a new 10,000 square foot summer home these people might use twice a year. And then there we
re the condo developers who tried to squeeze as many people onto as little acreage as possible to maximize profits. He shook his head in disgust and threw the paper on a pile in his inbox.
Louis Kramer was cruising along the shoreline in Oyster Bay in one of his wife’s boats. He had a cold vodka and tonic in the cup holder beside him. His cell phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket. He looked at the message display.
“Shit!” He knew it was Manta and he also knew he had to answer it.
Nervously, he accepted the call. “Kramer here,” he said.
“Louis, I haven’t heard from you. I thought we agreed you would get back to me by now?” Alberto Manta said on the other end of the line.
“Hey Berto, my friend,” Louis answered.
“I’m not your friend, Louis,” Manta said ominously, “and I want my damn money!”
“I know Berto. I have the wheels in motion, but I need a little more time.”
“How long does it take to have your people wire the money to my account?”
“It’s not as simple as that, Berto,” Louis said.
“Look, you asshole, I don’t care where you get this money, but I want it in my account by tomorrow at noon, or we’ll have a serious issue to deal with.”
Kramer swallowed hard, trying to keep the phone from shaking next to his ear. “Alberto, I need more time!” Louis pleaded.
“You got a pencil?” Manta asked.
Louis reached for his planner book he took everywhere with him, sitting on the other front seat. “Yeah.”
“Here’s the number for my accountant in New York. He’ll take care of the wire transfer to my account in the Caymans.”
Louis wrote down the number. “I really need a couple more days to put that kind of money together.”
He heard the phone disconnect on the other end.
Chapter Twenty-six
Harold Slayton had run off into the woods that night when he heard Jonathan and the sheriff approaching. Fortunately, they arrived before little Sara was hurt again, but the emotional scars of seeing her mother beaten and killed when her head fell and hit the iron stove, would be with her forever.
When Emily found out about Agnes Slayton, she felt responsible for letting them go back. Nothing anyone said could help her through the guilt she was feeling.
… the summer of 1952.
Emily got the call they had taken Sara Slayton to the hospital in Charlevoix for an examination. When Jonathan told her about Agnes, she dropped the phone and screamed out into the night, her grief ripping at her soul. When he came home, she insisted he take her back to the hospital to see Sara. George Hansen was there when they arrived.
Emily ran into the room where they were checking out the little girl. She sat down next to her on the bed and wrapped her in her arms. Sara seemed almost in shock, not crying or talking, just staring straight ahead.
“Sara, I’m so sorry about this,” Emily said. “You need to know there are people in this world who love you and will take care of you.” Emily looked over at Jonathan and George who were standing at the foot of the bed. Both men had tears in their eyes. They were whispering back and forth to each other, but she couldn’t hear what they were saying.
“He must have run out the back when we were coming up the road,” Jonathan said. “The sheriff is sending more men out there tonight to look for him. He can’t go far without his truck.”
“This is just so sad,” George said. “The poor little girl will have no family when her father is put away.”
“Jonathan, Sara is going to stay with us,” Emily said. It wasn’t a question.
He looked back at his wife and nodded, knowing there was no use in even discussing other options with her.
Harold Slayton had run down an old deer trail he knew when he saw the sheriff coming to get him. He had been on the move for over an hour, doubling back to get to the main road. The pint bottle of whiskey in his pocket was almost gone and he stopped to finish it. In his present state of drunkenness, he felt only anger at his wife for arguing with him and threatening to take Sara away from him again. He was pretty sure he’d hurt her more than he meant to, but she’d get over it, he figured. She always did.
He knew there was a farmhouse up ahead on the Bear Creek road. He saw the lights on now through the trees. It was close to dark, but he could still see enough to walk through the heavy woods on the perimeter of the property.
After he was sure no one was outside the house, he snuck up to an old truck sitting by the barn. When he looked inside, he saw the keys were in the ignition which was typical for people in this part of the country. He opened the door quietly and started the truck. It fired immediately, and he backed up and drove out the driveway past the house. No one came out. It was determined later the farm owner thought it was one of his son’s going into town.
Jennifer and Elaine came out of the movie house and the sky above was dark with stars showing in a sparkling array. Jennifer stood by the curb and took in the fresh smells of the night after being cooped up in the tiny theatre.
“What do you want to do tonight, Jen,” her friend Elaine asked.
“I don’t know, probably get some dinner. I need more than that bag of popcorn.” She had to jump back when a car pulled up quickly almost running up on the curb. It was Andy and his friends and Josh Knowles leaned out the window. “Hi ladies! We’re heading out to the beach at North Point for a fire. Come on, hop in.”
Andy leaned over to look out the window. “Josh get in the back and let the girls sit up here,” he said.
Josh immediately climbed over the seat and joined the other two boys and one girl in the back, a friend both Jennifer and Elaine knew.
Jennifer’s first reaction was to say no. She had more than enough of beach fires already this summer, but then she started feeling badly about how she had treated Andy earlier. She looked over at Elaine.
“Let’s go,” her friend said.
The two girls climbed in and Andy slammed down the accelerator and squealed the tires as he pulled away. As soon as Jennifer was in the car, she could smell the alcohol on their breaths and she immediately regretted the decision. “Andy, maybe you should drop me off, I’m really not up for this tonight,” she said.
“Come on, Jen, you need to lighten up and have a little fun,” he said.
A whiskey bottle was passed up from the back seat. Andy reached for it and took a long drink. He handed it to Jennifer sitting next to him, but she shook her head no. Elaine grabbed the bottle and put her head back as she took a long drink. When she finished, she said, “We have a little catching up to do.”
The kids in the back cheered her on, but Jennifer had a sinking feeling this had been a big mistake. “Andy, really I need to go home,” she said.
“I’ll make sure you get home,” Andy said. “Just come out to the beach for a little while. We’ve got some food and even some Cokes if you don’t want to drink. It’s fine.”
She took a deep breath and settled back into the seat.
Sammy Truegood and his mother had been working all night on cleaning the mess in their house. A couple of neighbors had come over to help, but they had hardly made a dent in the devastation. His anger continued to simmer all night as he worked on the wreckage of their home. In his mind, he had little doubt it was Andy Welton and his gang of summer punks. As he swept and cleaned, he thought about a hundred different ways he would get revenge.
George Hansen had warned him so many times to stay away from those people; that it would only jeopardize the case against him. He was at a point where that didn’t matter any more. These boys had crossed the line and there was no way they were going to get away with it.
Emily sat up with little Sara Slayton until well into the night, waiting for her to fall asleep. The grandfather clock ticking downstairs in their living room sounded deafening in the quiet house when normally she wouldn’t have even paid attention to it. They had all been relieved to find out Sara had not been hurt physically
this time by Harold Slayton, but clearly, she was emotionally scarred from what she had experienced. She hadn’t spoken a word since she was found out in the truck behind her father’s cabin. Emily had read her numerous stories, but she just looked off vacantly, holding her worn doll and not responding.
Emily felt her heart breaking as she looked down at the helpless little girl. At the same time, she was trying to subdue an ever-growing rage aimed at this girl’s father.
Jonathan came into the small guest bedroom with two glasses of water, but he saw Sara had finally fallen asleep. Emily eased her arm out from behind Sara’s head and gently got up from the bed. She made sure the little girl was covered and resting comfortably and then they both backed out quietly, leaving the lights on in case she woke up and wondered where she was.
When they were downstairs in the kitchen, Emily picked up a wooden spoon lying on the counter and then turned and threw it as hard as she could against the far wall of cabinets. Jonathan looked up with a startled expression as it crashed against the cabinet door and then fell to the floor.
Emily wanted to scream but knew it would wake up Sara. Jonathan came over and took her in his arms, trying to offer some comfort.
“I’m so sorry, honey,” he said.
“At least you brought her back before she was hurt anymore, but I just can’t get the thought of Agnes out of my mind.”
“I know,” Jonathan said. “I will never get this out of my head either. It was awful.”
“Where can that animal be?” she asked.
“A lot of people are out looking for him, but until morning it’s going to be pretty hard. He can’t get too far, but there’s a lot of state forest out there to get lost in.”
“Until he’s behind bars, I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep again,” Emily said.
“Without a car there’s not much chance he’ll get back to Charlevoix any time soon,” Jonathan said.
The Summer Town Page 24
