Murder at the Lakeside Library

by Holly Danvers

  Rain looked at her neighbor wide-eyed. “How are you so composed? Personally, I think I’m in complete shock.” Rain could feel her eyes grow even wider. Her heart thumped so hard and erratically in her chest she felt as if she’d just run the Boston Marathon. “Shouldn’t we at least check for a pulse or something? Maybe I shouldn’t have hung up with 911 so quickly.” She chewed at her lip nervously.

  “No, dear. It’s certainly too late for that. This man is headed for the bone yard sooner than this old yoke.” Marge flung a hand in the direction of the victim and then her face contorted as if she’d been sucking something sour in her mouth. Rain wondered if the older woman might soon be sick. She could definitely relate.

  “My brother Jace is a police officer, and he recently transferred up here,” Julia said. “Hopefully, he’ll be one of the first ones on the scene.” It didn’t go unnoticed that she was nervously wringing her hands, then began pacing back and forth as if to shield them from sight of the victim.

  The three huddled around each other, each lost in their own thoughts, unable to speak of the tragedy. They stood rooted, like a copse of trees, devoid of wind. They darted nervous glances between themselves as if they didn’t know what to do next.

  Before long, the sound of wailing sirens interrupted the deafening silence. Rain centered herself between Julia and Marge, looped both by the arm, and led the three to greet the emergency personnel. Marge’s dog was still not attached to his leash but seemed to sense the severity of the situation and followed closely on their heels.

  A police cruiser and an ambulance drove in hot, kicking up a cloud of dirt and dust before coming to an immediate halt.

  “Julia!”

  “Oh, what a relief, your brother’s here,” Marge sighed heavily and patted Julia on the arm.

  Julia’s brother had leapt from the patrol car and ran toward them, his eyes eager and expectant. “You okay?” He touched his sister’s arm tenderly and it struck Rain suddenly what it would have been like to grow up with a sibling’s concern. She’d forgotten Julia’s older brother was a police officer. She’d also not heard the news that he’d transferred up to the Northwoods until Julia had mentioned it. She understood why he would make that choice, though. Those raised with idyllic summers on Pine Lake, often fantasized about living in Lofty Pines year-round. As kids, they’d all believed it would be like year-round summer vacation.

  “Yeah, yeah, we’re holding it together,” Julia said. Her eyes rushed nervously between them for confirmation.

  Jace tipped his police cap toward Marge as a sign of greeting and respect. Although Marge’s pallor was turning somewhat green, she kept quiet.

  “Jace, you remember Rain?” Julia turned her attention toward Rain, who looked up at Julia’s brother. He towered over her, which was saying something, because she stood five foot nine. His blond hair was cut short beneath his police cap, as if he had just started military training. His hazel eyes looked down on her with concern and then morphed to surprise after he’d looked her over.

  “You’ve grown up.”

  Rain shrugged and smiled weakly. “I guess I have.” She gestured a hand toward him. “As have you. Despite the circumstances, it’s really good to see you, Jace.”

  “You too, Rain.”

  Soon after their reacquaintance, the officer’s demeanor switched back to the business at hand. “So, you three are the only ones here that witnessed this?” Jace’s eyes darted toward his sister, but Rain was the one to answer.

  “No, we didn’t witness anything. Marge’s the one who actually …” Rain looked over her shoulder to prompt Marge to explain but noticed beads of sweat forming on the older woman’s forehead. It looked as if she might vomit. Rain grabbed ahold of Marge’s elbow to steady her. “We need to get you to the ambulance.”

  “I’ll only go … if you … leash my dog,” Marge said, her words now coming out in short pants.

  Rain removed the leash from Marge’s grasp and clicked it onto Rex. A female officer who must’ve accompanied Jace rushed over to join them. Her blond hair was cut short in a blunt haircut that hugged the base of her neck. She wore the uniform well, and her tan arms were solid, as if she could carry Marge over her shoulder, if need be.

  “Wyatt.” Jace nodded in the officer’s direction. “Please escort Marge over to the ambulance. Make sure she’s okay before we barrage her with questions and take a formal statement.” Jace pointed toward the older woman and the young female officer took the cue.

  “You got it.” The young officer untucked her thumbs from her thick police belt and accepted the leash from Rain.

  “You’re gonna be okay, Marjorie, the paramedics will take good care of you.” Jace regarded the older woman before Wyatt escorted Marge away from them.

  Jace turned his attention back to Rain and Julia. “All right, you two, take me to the scene,” he commanded.

  “This way,” Rain summoned as she took the lead and turned to sprint back toward the direction of the outhouse. Julia and her brother followed close behind, until they reached the body. “There,” Rain said, “wedged between the outhouse and the tree.”

  Jace placed his hands on his hips seemingly to take it all in. Rain noted by his demeanor that the officer wouldn’t need a medical examiner to tell him that Thornton Hughes had been the victim of a brutal murder.

  Rain hadn’t seen a corpse since the day she’d gone to the morgue to identified Max. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, seeing Thornton again. Her mind almost couldn’t comprehend the scene. It was like an out-of-body experience. This time she noticed more details, though, such as the blood pooled around the man’s head. His narrow nose seemed too small for his slender face, and Rain immediately felt remorse for thinking that at a time like this. He was wearing a dark suit, which was an unusual attire for the Northwoods, and the top of his dress shirt was popped open. She wondered where he was going all dressed to the nines in this neighborhood. Especially given the heat. Not a common attire for Lakers. Not at all.

  Jace bent down to take a closer look. “Rigor mortis hasn’t fully set in.” Rain watched in horror as he reached to touch the body. “His arm is cool, but torso warm. This had to be recent, at least within the last few hours. Have you been here all day?” Jace turned to face her.

  “No, I just got in a few hours ago. But Julia and I were down by the water … and then I was inside getting ready for the library meeting …” Her thoughts flip flopped as she tried to recall and calculate how the events of the afternoon had unfolded. If this was recent, it could’ve happened after she’d arrived. She possibly could’ve saved him! At the very least, called for help sooner! Rain shuddered at the thought.

  Jace stood for a moment, then walked around to the other side of the body where the victim’s legs were wedged between the tree and the outhouse. “I’ll be anxious to hear from the coroner what the postmortem report states about the exact time of death. I’m not sure if this guy actually collapsed here or his body was dumped here.” Jace mumbled under his breath. “Otherwise, why would he be located on the far side of the yard?” He placed his hands back on his hips. “I’m going to have to call the chief to come join us.”

  “Don’t you have a detective you can call?” Rain asked.

  “In Lofty Pines?” he looked at her and smirked in amusement. “We’re a small unit up here. So, to answer your question, no, we don’t have a local detective. It’s going to take me a bit.” Jace then radioed in and asked dispatch to send out the chief.

  Jace turned his attention back to Rain. “Do you know the victim?”

  “No,” Rain vigorously shook her head and then turned to Julia. “I’ve never seen him in my life. Do you know anything about who this guy Thornton is? He’s not a Laker, is he?” Rain asked as she pointed a shaky finger to the body.

  “No. But your mother does—and pretty well I might add.”

  Chapter Four

  My mother knew him??

  Rain’s face grew hot, and it wasn’t
from the stifling heat of the afternoon. She barely felt the upswing of the recent breeze tickling her arms. She did, however, notice the flutter of the leaves in the nearby maple trees. She looked above, searching for answers to her life, which suddenly evaded her. Nothing was making a hill of beans’ worth of sense. Her mind was barely able to comprehend it all, as thoughts shot through her brain rapid-fire.

  Jace encouraged them to step away from the body of Thornton Hughes, shooing them with his hands. “I’m gonna need you two to back up here a bit. I need to get the crime tape up before we contaminate the scene. Can you give me a hand, and back up please?” Julia’s brother encouraged them to continue to move farther back. “Why don’t you two head out by the ambulance with Marjorie. I’ll come and grab you when the chief arrives or if we have any further questions. And thank you,” he added with a curt nod.

  But it was as if neither of them could take their eyes off the scene. As if what was in front of them still wasn’t real. Julia finally looped her arm through Rain’s and turned them to face the opposite direction. She led Rain beneath a nearby shade tree, which was far enough from the crime scene tape but not close enough to any of the growing gathering of emergency personnel to overhear their conversation. Rain assumed Julia wanted to catch her bearings before rejoining Marge. They needed to be strong for the older woman. But Rain was relieved because it also gave her a private chance to ask a question that was burning in her mind.

  “Can you explain what you meant back there? About my mother knowing that man, pretty well?” Rain was curious and afraid at the same time, as she jutted a thumb in the direction of the crime scene. She turned her head and noticed Jace had already surrounded a large portion of the area with yellow crime scene tape. She closed her eyes for a brief second and took a deep breath to settle herself. She could feel sweat beading across her forehead and down her temples, as she wiped it away with the back of her left forearm.

  Julia lowered her voice to a whisper and leaned in before speaking. “I think they were awfully close … your mother … and Thornton.”

  “What?” Rain’s heart began to beat erratically. Nothing had prepared her for what Julia’s tone might be implying. Despite her fears, she needed to push for confirmation. “Can you define … awfully close.”

  Julia lay a comforting hand on her arm as if to sooth a small child. “Oh, Rain. I don’t want to hurt you. With everything you’ve been going through lately, I hate to be the one to pile this on you, too.”

  “Julia, I need to know … I have to know …” Rain’s voice trailed off.

  Julia’s brow furrowed before she sucked in a breath, and then the words tumbled like loose pebbles from her mouth. “Word on the street is that your mother and Thornton were maybe … having a fling. I’m so sorry, I really didn’t want to be the one to tell you.” Concern riddled Julia’s face and she paused and searched Rain’s face for a reaction.

  She had none.

  Rain refused to share with Julia the conflict and undercurrents rippling through her parents’ marriage; it wasn’t her place to share. But her mind pinballed back and forth with the realization that this man … this victim … could have something to do with her parents’ relationship issues. And now his dead body had been found on the family compound. Rain inhaled and let the air out slowly, as if blowing up a balloon. She kept her face as stoic as possible because it looked as though Julia was waiting for her to explode or totally flip out. Honestly, if she wasn’t in complete shock from everything that was unfolding, she probably would’ve completely lost it.

  Was this the real reason why her mother had made alternative plans for the summer? Was she miles away, avoiding Thornton Hughes?

  “You okay?” Julia asked hesitantly.

  “It’s a lot to take in,” Rain admitted, moistening her lips.

  “I imagine.”

  After a few moments of silence between them Rain asked, “Have you ever seen them together? I mean to-geth-er … together?” Rain clasped her hands and intertwined her fingers as if to animate how close they’d possibly been, and then dropped her hands awkwardly to her lap. The mere thought of her mother with another man sickened her.

  Julia bit at her thumbnail and seemed to weigh her words before saying anything. “Only once. Out on the deck.” She nodded in the direction of the wraparound deck and Rain’s eyes followed, as if she was witnessing for herself this sordid affair before her very eyes. She shuddered.

  Rain turned back to face Julia. She had to know. “And what exactly did you witness? I mean … specifically.” She cleared her throat, suddenly desperate for a drink of water. “Did you actually see anything physical happen between them?”

  “Oh God, no!” Julia’s face contorted as if she’d seen something even more horrific than the body of Thornton Hughes behind the outhouse. “No, nothing like that. Just a lot of laughter between them. And to be honest, it was nice hearing Willow’s laughter floating all the way to our door,” Julia admitted. “Refreshing actually. Honestly, I didn’t observe anything physical between them. It was more the chatter around town—people have nothing better to do than to talk. His car was parked in your driveway on numerous occasions. And apparently, Thornton wasn’t much of a reader, so his visits weren’t for the library, if you know what I mean. Unfortunately, people talk,” she shrugged and held up her hands defensively.

  Well, at least that was a relief. The idea that a next-door neighbor could have personally witnessed her mother tangled up in some physical intimacy almost made her gag. Although the comment about her mother’s laughter sounding refreshing made her wonder if Julia, too, had overheard her parents arguing at one time. She dared not ask.

  Rain looked up to see Wyatt talking intently with Marge outside the ambulance. She wondered how old the young officer was, and if she’d ever handled a murder scene before. In Rain’s opinion, Wyatt looked fresh out of the police academy. And to her knowledge, not much happened around Pine Lake. Perhaps a minor break in of a vacant property … but an actual murder? Was this even murder? Had the victim injured his head in some other way and, without anyone near to help, passed away? Now she wished she’d looked more closely at his injured head.

  Meanwhile, Marge was running her hands up and down her arms as if she was cold, which Rain thought impossible as the sweat was trickling down her own spine.

  “We’d better go,” Rain said, turning her attention back to Julia, who was now studying her hands and then picking at a hangnail on her finger.

  “Yeah.” Julia dropped her hands to her lap. “You’re probably right.” After a pause she added, “I’m really sorry, Rain. I want you to know in defense of your mother, I never said a thing to anyone. It wasn’t me who spread that kind of gossip around town.”

  “I know.”

  Rain stood and wiped the soil from her seat and remained silent. She knew why Julia was expressing sympathy, but she didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Besides it wasn’t Julia’s fault; Julia was only the messenger.

  Rain walked back to join those gathered around the ambulance with Julia following closely at her heels. She was grateful for a chance to break out of the current conversation. She felt cornered and needed time to process—let this new reality sink in. Her mother knew the damage it had caused Rain’s marriage when she’d discovered that Max had been unfaithful. Her mother was there when Rain had wept! Was it possible for her mother to have had an affair, too? Did her father know? Had he met Thornton on his visits up north?

  When they reached the back of the ambulance, Rain noticed Marge leaning against the automobile with Rex standing next to her. The older woman bent to stroke her hand down the back of the dog’s head. She looked up when they approached and smiled weakly.

  “Feeling better?” Rain asked.

  The older woman nodded. “Yes. I’m fine. The old ticker’s not ready to give out just yet,” she added with a chuckle. “What a shock though, eh?” She shook her downcast head. “I just can’t believe a man died out there.”


  “It sure is a shock,” Rain agreed.

  “Where’s the paramedic?” Julia asked, glancing over each shoulder, seeking out the elusive emergency personnel.

  “I sent him away.” Marge brushed their concern aside. “Truly, I’m fine. I sent him over with the other one to check on Thornton. Although I think we all know it’s much too late …” The older woman’s words hung in the air like a dark cloud. The reality of death settling in on all of them.

  “Rain!”

  She heard her name being called from the far distance and excused herself before locking eyes with Jace, who was summoning her with his hand. When she finally arrived at the officer’s side, a look of confusion fluttered across her face.

  “Rain, I think I may have found something. I need you to come and take a look.”

  Chapter Five

  Jace led Rain by the elbow back in the direction of the crime scene. The officer must’ve sensed her slight apprehension because he said, “I hope you don’t mind walking back here for a sec. Honestly, if it wasn’t important, I’d let it slide, but I need to show you something. I’m not sure if it means anything, but I can’t leave the scene until I confirm.”

  “I understand,” Rain said as she tentatively followed.

  His pace was swift, and Rain hurried to keep up with his stride.

  The paramedics passed them on their way and asked, “Did you call the coroner?”

  Jace confirmed with a decisive nod of his head.

  Upon arrival, Jace lifted the crime scene tape and they both ducked beneath it. He turned to Rain and asked, “Does that look familiar?” He then pointed to a row of bushes against the stacked rock wall that defined property lines.

  Rain looked down at the ground a few feet from Thornton’s lifeless body to see what Jace was referring to but didn’t initially understand what she was looking at.

  In order to make it perfectly clear, Jace reached out and held back the limbs from a forsythia bush. A book lay fanned out, the pages slightly flipping in the soft breeze. A navy-and- white-striped necktie was tucked between the pages. The necktie looked expensive, like it had been purchased at an exclusive boutique. She couldn’t fathom anyone purchasing it in Lofty Pines, as no such shops existed.