Winter Song (Seasons Pass Book 1)

by Susan C. Muller

  Noah glanced up to find Conner standing over him. The tips of his ears felt hot. Conner had caught him not only resting, but also daydreaming. He needed to get his act together, fast.

  “Right behind you. Shall we head upstairs and see if we can follow our visitor’s trail?”

  “Can you manage those stairs?” Conner asked.

  Noah glared at him but didn’t answer. Hell, he didn’t know the answer.

  He experimented with several methods, but eventually placed both crutches under one arm, grabbed the railing, and gritted his teeth. Sweat had beaded on his forehead and down his back by the time he reached the top.

  Conner was already surveying the master bedroom. “Looks like both the Hudsons had cash or valuables stashed in their own secret hidey-hole.” He pointed to the ripped-up carpet and overturned drawers. “No telling how much he got away with.”

  “Look in here.” Noah nodded toward an elaborate bathroom with gold fixtures and plush rugs. Embroidered hand cloths lay next to the sink, but the towel rods by the glass enclosed shower hung empty. An empty bleach container lay on its side. “Do you think he showered?”

  “Shit, probably took the towels with him or tossed them in the fireplace. No forensics left behind in here. Both closets are such a mess, it’d be impossible to know if any clothes are missing.”

  “If we find anything suspicious, maybe the maid could identify them. Okay, I’ve had enough. I’m through pretending we don’t know who did this. Let’s get busy and see if we can find him. How long can a nineteen-year-old kid with bright red hair and a voice like a squeaking door stay hidden? Somebody knows where he is.” He’d had enough. Crystal was dead, Derrick was undoubtedly dead, now Hudson was dead. Time to stop playing around and put this guy away.

  “I know exactly where he is: home with Mama.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about? You know where he is and we’re just standing here?” Blood pounded in Noah’s ears and his chest felt tight.

  Conner shook his head. “Cool it. We can’t touch him. He turned himself in early this morning and he’s already out on bail. We’re not allowed to talk to him without his lawyer present.”

  “Then let him get his fucking lawyer, because I plan to talk to him.” Noah’s heart raced and his teeth hurt from clenching them so hard.

  “Not today, you won’t. You’re off duty.”

  Noah sputtered, but Conner held up his hand. “I won’t be talking to him today either. I’m under direct orders. You’re going home and I’m headed back to the office to start a new murder book on Hudson.”

  “Shit, at the rate this guy’s going, he’ll soon have his own wing at the library.” Noah wanted to pace, but it was unsatisfying on crutches.

  “That’s why it’s so important that we do this thing by the book. Jansen’s waiting for me back at headquarters. He doesn’t want some defense attorney to find room for any questions. One thing I did right, maybe the only thing, was word the warrant for Ryan’s arrest so that I could confiscate anything suspicious I saw in plain sight. His mother had a bottle of sleeping pills on her bedside table. By late tomorrow afternoon, we’ll know if they match the powder found on your shoe.”

  “I’ll be in first thing in the morning.” This was his case. Just let them try to keep him out of it.

  “If you show up on crutches, Jansen will send you home. Or at least restrict you to the office.” Conner’s voice held a note or warning.

  “I won’t be on crutches. And you did plenty of things right.”

  One of the forensic techs offered to drive Noah home, but needed to finish cataloging the evidence first. Noah decided to wait at Laurel’s house. She deserved to know what was going on. That was the only reason he hobbled across the lawn in her direction.

  He tapped on the back door and was rewarded with her familiar smile. Exactly what he needed to wash the ugliness of the day away.

  “Hi, Noah, I hoped you’d stop by.” Her eyes took in his crutches and grew bigger. “Are you okay? I though you said it was only a little fall. Don’t just stand there. Come in and sit down. Does it hurt? Is there anything I can do?”

  He grinned. Hearing her rattle on felt like home. “I’m fine. Trying to keep my weight off my knee so the swelling will go down. It doesn’t hurt.”

  It hurt like a son-of-a-bitch, but no reason to tell her that. “Thanks for calling to let me know about the trouble next door. I’m supposed to be off duty, so no one bothered to notify me.”

  “So you’re off duty?” She stopped in the act of pouring coffee.

  “That’s what I’ve been told. Several times today.”

  “In that case, how about a shot of Bailey’s in your coffee?” She set the cup down and stood on her toes to reach an upper cabinet.

  Noah smiled as her sweater rode up several inches to expose pale skin. “That ought to warm me up. It was almost freezing at Hudson’s house.”

  “Can you tell me what’s going on over there, or is it confidential? I don’t want to get you in trouble.” She placed a cup of coffee and the bottle of Bailey’s in front of him and he poured a shot in both their cups.

  He was already in trouble and he’d told her too much from the beginning. No point in stopping now. “I guess you’ve already figured out that Gary Hudson was killed sometime last night or early this morning.”

  She played absently with her coffee cup. “Poor Gary. Despite what happened to Crystal, I hope he didn’t suffer.”

  He suffered. Probably not for as long as he deserved. “No. It was quick. He didn’t see it coming.”

  A tear glistened at the corner of her eye. “What about Crystal’s brother? I want to go see him. She was going to get him into one of those lockdown treatment centers. Is there any way I can help him?”

  How could she and Betsy be so different yet so much alike?

  Betsy had been tall, with dark hair in a mass of curls that she hated and he loved. Laurel was short, almost tiny, with blonde hair that fell past her shoulders. The color might have a few highlights, but it matched her skin and eyes, so was undoubtedly natural.

  Betsy had come from nothing and had scrambled all her life to make something of herself. Laurel had come from money and never wanted for anything. Yet both cared about other people and did their best to be a good friend. And both women could smile at him and make him feel whole again. Almost, but not quite, clean.

  “I’ll check into it and let you know. You don’t want to go to the jail by yourself. I’ll take you after I talk to the Assistant DA. She’s a friend of mine. She might be willing to cut him some slack.” Noah felt himself flush. She used to be a friend of his. He wasn’t sure now.

  That relationship was already dying out when he met Betsy at Conner and Jeannie’s wedding. As best man and maid of honor, they’d spent a lot of time together. They were married long before Conner’s first anniversary.

  Had Laurel noticed his stutter? Oh yeah, she’d noticed, but why did he care?

  “Is she the one who drove you over here? I saw your friend let you out and drive away. I guess I ruined your day off.”

  “My friend?” He hadn’t set eyes on that Assistant DA in over a year. “You mean Rachelle? She’s my sister. She’d stopped by with a get-well casserole when you called, so I asked her to give me a ride.”

  The corners of Laurel’s mouth twitched slightly. “Sure, I could see the resemblance from here.”

  Resemblance? Not likely. Rachelle was beautiful, inside and out.

  The forensic tech tapped on the door. “We’re all finished over there, Detective. Whenever you’re ready.”

  Noah stood and reached for his crutches when Laurel’s eyes grew wide. “I didn’t think to ask how Gary died. Was it the same guy who killed Crystal? I was here last night. Asleep. Am I in danger?”

  All the ugliness of Hudson’s death swept over him. “I can’t imagine why he’d be interested in you, but if you see a short, butt-ugly, red-headed kid with thick glasses and a squeaky voice, keep
your door locked and call me right away. In fact, don’t stay here at all, please. Stay with your mother, or a friend, for a couple of nights. Just until I can get him put away.” Or put him down.

  This reckless fool didn’t care who he hurt. Look at Crystal, Derrick, even Hudson. All the others he’d taken out for a few bucks and the thrill.

  If he hurt Laurel, he’d go after the guy with his bare hands.

  The tech looked like he hadn’t been out of school more than fifteen minutes. He drove a big SUV, with plenty of room in the back for his supplies, and room in the front for Noah’s leg. The drive would have been pleasant if the kid hadn’t kept trying to chat about the case. But Noah remained silent, his mind going back over every piece of evidence.

  Without Hudson to testify, did they have enough to convict Ryan? Rosaria’s testimony suddenly became crucial, but she was in hiding and might be afraid to come out when she learned what happened to Hudson.

  He’d tried to keep her name a secret, but Ryan seemed to stay one step ahead of him on everything.

  The tech hit a speed hump and Noah grunted. Without twisting his head, he cut the kid a dirty look and went back into his trance. Even the proof that Ryan had been in his house didn’t count for much when the Yates admitted he’d visited them many times.

  He thought about his vow to take Ryan out by himself. He’d been down that road before. Could something be both right and wrong at the same time? No, wrong was wrong, no matter what Rachelle claimed. And he knew it. That’s why his conscience had never let him forget.

  Noah had the car door open before the kid had rolled to a complete stop. “Thanks for the ride. I owe you one.”

  He hurried out of the car before the tech could offer to come in and help him get settled. Too many people had been in his house lately. His sanctuary was beginning to feel like a public coffee shop.

  He hadn’t eaten since a piece of toast for breakfast, and Laurel’s coffee with a splash of Bailey’s hadn’t been a good idea on an empty stomach. He opened the refrigerator and Rachelle’s casserole stared back at him. No, not that, anything but that.

  Why hadn’t he gone to the store while he was still mobile? He scooped a small serving of the casserole onto a paper plate and warmed it in the microwave. He had to admit it smelled good. Maybe her cooking was improving.

  One bite confirmed it was the same tofu and unknown ingredients she always made; still convinced that red meat played a part in their mother’s cancer. At least it stuck to his ribs. It would probably still be sticking to his ribs the day he died.

  Sweet Pea whined and scratched on his leg. “No way, Pea. I like you too much to give you this stuff.”

  The rest of the evening he sat with his leg propped up and an ice pack on his knee. That swelling would be down by morning.

  Noah used his mother’s cane when he hobbled into work the next day. He’d discovered it in a back closet. Most likely an antique, it was made of polished rosewood with a brass handle in the shape of a miniature dog. Long, sharp muzzle, ears that hung down, and wide set eyes. Easy to grip. Cool against his sore hand. Walking with the cane was bad enough, but the general fussiness of something so obviously made for a woman drove him over the edge. He might as well be wearing one of her dresses.

  She had been a tall woman before illness shrunk her, a commanding stage presence with the voice of an angel, but she hadn’t been nearly as tall as Noah. He hunched slightly to one side, unable to put all his weight on that leg. His hand, almost well before his fall, protested with every step. He tried switching the cane to the other side, but couldn’t get the rhythm right, each step awkward and out of balance.

  If he could reach his desk before Jansen saw him, he’d have it made.

  “Look who we have here,” Earl the Pearl said, his velvet voice echoing in the almost empty room. “If it isn’t Hopalong Daugherty.”

  Jansen came to the door of his office and groaned audibly. “Turn around and go home, Daugherty. We are capable of running an investigation without you.”

  “I’m fine, Loo. Knee’s almost back to normal. I won’t be in anyone’s way.” Liar, liar, pants on fire.

  He’d just lied to his boss with a straight face and not a twinge of conscience. What did that say about him? Nothing he was proud of.

  Jansen stared at him and Noah could almost see the wheels turning while the lieutenant decided whether to call his bluff. Finally, he shrugged. “Okay, you can stay, but you’re on office duty only. Don’t go cowboying off somewhere. If you do anything to screw up this case, it’ll be your ass that’s fried.” With that, the lieutenant spun on his heels and slammed his office door.

  The squad judged the depth of Jansen’s anger by how loud the blinds on his door rattled when he shut it. On a one to five scale, this was a solid four.

  Noah reached his desk and sank into his chair with a heavy sigh. He’d give anything for a cup of coffee, but he didn’t have the strength to make it to the break room or a free hand to carry it back to his desk.

  He closed his eyes and tried to get his breathing under control. Man, I swear I can smell coffee. I must want it bad. I know I’m dreaming because it smells like the good stuff.

  One eye opened and he saw Conner setting a Starbucks cup on his desk. He might consider forgiving Conner for leaving him in the hospital with no pants and no cell phone.

  “I figured you’d be in early. Hoping to get to your desk before Jansen saw you. Did you make it?”

  “I would have, if Earl had kept his mouth shut. I’m on desk duty, but I haven’t been sent home.” Someday, he’d get back at Earl, but not till this case was just a bad memory.

  “Don’t worry, you aren’t going to miss anything. This’ll be an inside day. The ME won’t do the post before tomorrow morning and if the lab has those reports back to us before they close tonight, I’ll eat that cardboard cup.”

  Noah held the cup to his nose and inhaled deeply. Heaven. “Even this cardboard would taste better than the vending machine coffee.”

  Conner slammed his hand on his desk. “If only we could have kept that weasel in jail. He was the most miserable looking thing I’ve ever seen. He even cried in front of the judge at his bail hearing. One night behind bars and we’d have broken him. But now, home with mama or back in school, his mind will never stop spinning, coming up with new plans to cover his ass.”

  “Wait.” Noah sat his cup down so hard coffee splashed on his shirt sleeve. “You were there? You saw him at his bail hearing? Did he see you?”

  “See me? I tried to interview him, but he kept his lips locked tight. His lawyer was the only one doing any talking. I came on as strong as I could without giving away any information, but his lawyer wasn’t fooled. Without Hudson to testify, we’ve got nothing but entering your home. Even that counts for zip because the only prints we could positively identify were on the ceiling panel and your back door. They could have been there for years.”

  Noah’s heart lurched. Fuck, why didn’t I paint the kitchen before we moved in like Betsy suggested?

  “Conner, think about this for a minute.” Noah tried to keep his voice calm. “He’s already tried to take me out, he got rid of Derrick, and now Hudson. Before yesterday, you weren’t even a blip on his radar screen. Now he knows you. You aren’t safe. Jeannie isn’t safe.”

  Conner could feel the blood drain from his face. Shit, Jeannie. He grabbed his cell phone. Man, he hated to call her at school. He had to go through the switchboard and that snooty secretary acted as if he’d asked to speak to the Dalai Lama.

  He usually timed his calls for her off period, although she’d assured him that if he needed her, he should call anytime. He glanced at the time icon on his phone. Ten minutes until her next break. Could he wait?

  Hell, no.

  His hands shook and he had to set the phone down while he wiped them on his pants. The secretary must have heard something in his voice because she connected him without her usual caustic comment.

  “Hi, hone
y, something’s come up, and I’m going to pick you up from school in fifteen minutes. Tell them you won’t be back for the rest of the week. Can you call your folks and say you’re coming for a visit? Maybe just say you want to spend some time with them before the baby comes?”

  The silence on the other end of the phone stretched longer than was comfortable. If his heart didn’t slow down soon, he’d have to ask the ambulance driver to swing by and pick her up.

  When Jeannie finally answered, her voice had a hard edge. “The answer is no on so many levels. If there’s some kind of danger, we’re not putting my parents in harm’s way without a warning. And I’m not running off to hide and leaving you to face it alone. We’ll check into a hotel. But before we do that, we need to have a long talk about what’s going on. Pull up in front of the door to the school. I’ll run out. Once I’m in the car, don’t even bother to say hello until you’ve explained exactly what’s happening.”

  He closed the phone and slipped it back into his pocket. How could all the things he loved about her be the same ones that drove him crazy?

  “How’d it go?” Noah didn’t even pretend not to eavesdrop.

  “About like you’d expect. Think what Betsy would have said, then double it.” Ah, fuck. Now he’d done it. He’d said the B word. How could he have let that slip out? He stole a glance at Noah, but his partner was smiling. Chuckling even.

  “That bad, huh? Do you want me to come with you for protection?”

  “From Jeannie or Ryan?” He still didn’t trust the change in Noah. It felt like waiting for the other shoe to drop.

  “Jeannie. You could handle Ryan in your sleep.”

  A year ago, he’d have made some sarcastic remark about how well Noah had handled Ryan while he was sleeping, but an improved Noah still wasn’t the old Noah, so Conner bit back the comment.

  “It’ll end up costing me big bucks, but I’ll try to talk her into staying in the hotel tomorrow, enjoying a massage, getting her hair done. I’ll have her convinced by the time I get back. Damn, I wish I’d kissed that Blarney Stone when we were in Ireland.” Conner dropped his head into his hands.