Murder at the Lakeside Library

by Holly Danvers

  “And Julia’s spotlight didn’t go off?”

  “No. I didn’t know she had one. Does she?”

  “Yeah, Nick put one out by the pier last summer.” Jace rubbed the side of his jaw hard. “So, we know for sure then that the intruder was on a mission to come only here,” Jace pointed a directed finger to the floor. “To your cabin. Otherwise, I’m sure you would’ve noticed the lights go on over there. It would’ve lit up like an amusement park.” After bobbing his head in the direction of her neighbors’ house, Jace tucked his thumbs into his thick police belt and held a military stance.

  “Yeah, no lights came on over there, from what I could see,” Rain confirmed.

  Jace’s face remained serious, and Rain noticed by closer inspection that he had a scar on his chin. She was almost inclined to reach out and touch it, to find out where the scar had come from. Instead, she stepped back and deeper into the room, and then turned back to face him after he’d followed to join her.

  “Tell me exactly the timeline and try not to miss any details.” The vein by Jace’s temple pulsated and she could easily tell he was concerned for her safety.

  Rain shared her version of events and then Jace returned to the back door. “The perpetrator went that way. To the far side of the property?” He pointed to the side yard. “You mind stepping outside on the deck and showing me?”

  “Sure.” Rain followed him out onto the deck. The air was heavy and damp, and she rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms. After her eyes adjusted, Rain noticed how bright the landscape seemed beneath the full moon. It was as if only the shadows from the trees remained murky, leaving the backyard mysterious and dark in places.

  “Can you point me in the right direction?”

  Rain pointed to the rear yard where she’d lost a visual of the intruder before he’d retreated to the dock and left via the wave runner. She wished she could remember a color of the vessel, but it had been too dark on the far side of the pier to be certain. Besides, the pontoon had blocked her vision of it.

  “And he was out by the rear yard then? By the outhouse? By the way, you keep referring to the intruder as a male. How do you know for sure?” Jace turned to face her.

  “I had the backdoor open a crack to see if I could hear anything, and I heard what sounded like … Depp?”

  Jace cleared his voice. “Excuse me? You opened the back door? Do you have any idea what kind of a chance you took by making that kind of decision, young lady?” His eyes grew even more concerned. “What were you thinking?”

  Rain’s shoulders lifted in slight defense and she held out her hands. “In the heat of the moment, I guess I wasn’t really thinking. Except to find out who was lurking around on my property.”

  “You’re lucky the perp didn’t see you. You need to be a little more careful in these types of situations. You have no idea what the intruder’s intentions were.”

  “I know, I know, it was a bad move, I hear you,” Rain said. “Look, I know it was a guy, based on his build beneath the dark clothing. And when he shouted out loud … the word depp … it sounded foreign. Also, I know for sure he was alone. I didn’t see anyone else with him. Does any of that help?”

  Jace plucked a cell phone from his back pocket, hit a button, and talked into the phone, uttering the word “depp.” He then turned the phone to show Rain what he’d uncovered.

  She read the Google text aloud. “Depp means idiot in German?”

  Jace frowned and then tucked his phone back in his pocket. “I know it was quick, but by any chance did the man sound like he could be of German descent?”

  Rain nodded slowly. “Could’ve been. I’m not one hundred percent sure to be honest. It was just the one syllable!”

  Jace summoned her with one hand. “Walk with me.”

  He straightened, throwing his shoulders back, and walked with purpose down the deck stairs out onto the lawn, and Rain followed. He removed a flashlight from his police belt and cast a narrow light to shine her way and then moved the beam across the grass. “Stay close and let me know if you see anything out of place. Even a bent piece of grass, nothing is irrelevant. You hear?”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  The dew on the lawn soaked her flip-flop-covered feet, and Rain tried her best to keep up with Jace’s stride. Suddenly, Rain stopped short and gasped aloud, clutching her heart.

  Jace turned abruptly and grabbed hold of Rain, tucking her closer to his side in an act of protection. “What is it?” he whispered. The way that he’d attempted to safeguard her caused a giggle to rise from her throat.

  Jace turned to face her. “What’s so funny?”

  “I’m sorry.” Rain covered her mouth with her hand. “I didn’t see something. I thought something.”

  Jace smirked and then his lips curled into a genuine smile. “Care to share instead of sounding off all my alarm bells? You startled me. I thought we weren’t alone out here.”

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. May I?” Rain reached for the flashlight in his hand and took it in her own. “I have a hunch.” She quickened her pace and moved without hesitation in the direction of the outhouse all while trying not to blow a flip-flop.

  “Where are you going? Back to the crime scene?” Jace jogged alongside Rain to keep up with her directed stride. “We’ve been through all that. Unless you think the perp was returning to the scene of the crime for some reason.”

  “Yeah, you might say that.”

  When Rain reached the outhouse, she turned to the him. Can you lift fingerprints off wood? I don’t want to contaminate anything.”

  “Yes, you can.” Jace said. “Thank you for waiting, and not touching anything.”

  “Would you mind opening the door for me then?”

  Jace slipped a rubber glove from his police belt and adjusted it on his hand before turning the wooden latch to open the door leading inside the outhouse.

  “Do you have an extra glove I could use?”

  Jace retrieved another glove from his police belt and tossed it to Rain, which she immediately stretched onto her hand.

  Rain ducked her head inside the outhouse door, removed the roll of toilet paper that hung from the nail and grabbed the key that was now hanging beneath it. “Someone returned the original cabin key tonight,” she smirked, dangling the key like a pendulum with her gloved hand for Jace to view. “Whoever came here tonight had a mission to get inside the cabin and then return the key. Because the same person attempted to use this key on the cabin front door, but thankfully you suggested Hank change the locks. You find out who that was, and you might just find out who killed Thornton Hughes,” Rain said resolutely.

  Jace laced his arms around his broad chest and nodded his head. “Okay, I think you officially have my attention.”

  “I think this is the same person who’s attempting to frame my father.” Rain said under her breath with new conviction. “This explains the missing coat.” Rain chewed her lip nervously.

  “Missing coat? Would it happen to be made of nylon material?”

  “Jace, how much time do you have? Do you have time for a beer? I think it’s time I share a few things that I’ve recently uncovered that might be relevant to your case.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Rain watched as Jace lifted the long neck bottle to his lips and then set the beer down in his lap. He picked at the label aimlessly and then his eyes fixed out onto the lapping shore.

  “Beautiful night,” he said as his gaze left the lake and instead toured the night sky. The sound of his voice became more prominent than the cicadas buzzing loudly in the distance. The bugs created a rhythmic sound that was almost holy to Rain’s ears.

  “Do you need anything else from inside?” Rain asked as she momentarily stepped away from the threshold leading to the cabin. Before fully joining Jace out on the deck, Rain decided she’d retreat inside the house and grab a sweatshirt and a light throw blanket. She liked his idea of chatting outdoors, so the two could regroup beneath the light o
f the moon. And Jace was right, the weather was perfect for it. Maybe he was hoping the intruder would return so he could catch him in the act, but she doubted it. Or maybe he was just uncomfortable with the idea of being alone with her inside the cabin and tossing back a few beers.

  “Nope, all good,” Jace said with a smile and a hand tap to the cooler of beer beside him. “I have enough here that I’ll definitely be crashing on Julia’s couch. She won’t mind, she’ll be glad I didn’t attempt the drive home.” Her question had interrupted his reverie of the night sky. His eyes returned to it before she walked away.

  Rain hustled to gather her things and then stepped back out onto the deck and closed the screen behind her to prevent any bugs from entering the cabin. She took a seat next to Jace on one of the Adirondacks facing Pine lake. It didn’t take long for her eyes to readjust to the darkness, as the moon overhead lit the surface almost as if the wraparound deck was under a Hollywood spotlight.

  The stars were just starting to pop and sparkle in the night sky. The pollution back in Milwaukee never allowed the stars to shine with the same brilliance despite the fullness of the moon. It seemed to Rain as if they filled the sky in multitudes.

  “If it weren’t for the circumstances, this would be the perfect night,” Rain said as a light breeze came off the water, tickling her legs. She covered her bare skin with the throw blanket, and then tucked it in tight, allowing no wind to penetrate. “I was just thinking how different the night sky is from the city. I’ve missed this.”

  “Yeah, I love sitting by Pine Lake on summer nights. Luckily, Julia lets me crash whenever I want.”

  “You don’t own property on the lake? That surprises me, I guess, I assumed you did.”

  “Not yet, but I want to. Julia bought our childhood home, and at the time, I thought I’d be traveling the world, far from Lofty Pines … Plus, my salary doesn’t exactly make lake property affordable. But I’m saving my pennies, and someday I’ll pick up a little fixer-upper.” He grinned and then his demeanor turned serious. “I’m not really eloquent about these things, but there’s something I have to address. But I don’t want to make you uncomfortable if you’re not ready to discuss it.”

  The hair on the back of Rain’s neck stood a little in anticipation of what he might say next.

  He surprised her by saying, “It sounds like not enough but … I’m sorry for your loss. Max … your mother told me. I’m a jerk for not reaching out sooner. I’m just not good at these things.” He picked at the label on the bottle until he finally ripped it off clean. “I just thought you should know … I’m sorry for your loss.”

  Rain reached to squeeze his hand briefly and then let it go. “I appreciate that. And I’ve heard you’ve had a rough year, too. Abby? Julia told me.”

  “See, I knew I shouldn’t have brought this up.” He wiped his hand over his face and then took a sip of beer. “Just plain sucks. If it wasn’t for her, maybe I would have a place on the lake by now.”

  There was a certain bitterness to his tone that Rain could relate to. “Let’s not talk about it then.”

  This made him laugh aloud. “Boy, you’re the opposite of Abby, she’d want to talk it to death, so thank you for that,” Jace said with a smile and a sigh of relief.

  “How about we talk about the case. I think we’re both a little more comfortable with that line of conversation.” Rain chuckled. “And that’s what you stayed so late for anyway. So, I guess we’d better get to it, or neither one of us will get any sleep tonight. And I, for one, have had enough sleepless nights.”

  “Okay, but even though I’m still in uniform and we’re getting ready to discuss a case, please know I’m officially off the clock.” Jace pointed to the beer and then raised the amber bottle for another sip. “I’m crushing all the rules tonight,” he said, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. “This is wrong on so many levels—” He winked. “Between you and me, this never happened,” he added under his breath.

  Rain wasn’t sure if it was just drinking the alcohol in uniform he was referring to, or if there was a deeper meaning to his comment. She let it slide.

  “Okay, I’m all ears. What have you uncovered? You mentioned something about your father being framed.” Jace drained the beer and then reached for another in the cooler, causing ice to drip into his lap. He let out a squeal. “Ohh, that’s cold!” He grinned, wiping the crushed ice off the bottle and then flicked the water droplets to land on the deck.

  Rain hoped she had enough beer leftover from the barbeque to satisfy Jace’s thirst and get him to loosen up. By the sound of his tone, and his loosening lip, her idea was already taking effect. She was a little afraid the officer would be mad that she hadn’t shared more of her findings with him earlier, and somehow hampered the investigation by holding out.

  “I’m not exactly sure where to begin.” Rain kneaded her forehead with her fingers before dropping her hands to her lap. “Hey, before I get into it. Whatever came of your meeting with Frankie? Was the blood on his boat from beating carp like he claimed?”

  “Yes, and that was not the murder weapon in his boat. We haven’t found the murder weapon yet, and I suspect we won’t. Whatever was used to kill Thornton Hughes is long gone or dumped in the lake somewhere. But the tests confirmed the blood on the billy club wasn’t Thornton’s, the blood indeed came from fish. Sorry, I know you were hoping for a slam dunk there.”

  Rain blew out a breath of frustration. “When you interviewed Frankie, did you ever find out what was going on between the two of them?”

  “Apparently Thornton threatened to call the police on a few of Frankie’s lake parties for noise pollution or something like that. Though, turns out they were random threats as there’s no record of any of it back at the station. Sounds like they were just two guys who didn’t get along.”

  “Oh.”

  “But why don’t you stop beating around the bush and tell me why I’m here.” Jace lifted the beer to his lips. “Besides this,” he added before taking a long drink and then setting the beer down to rest on his leg.

  “There’s so much I need to tell you.” Rain twisted the blanket in her hands and felt the comfort from the softness calm her somehow. She fingered the tightly woven fabric and wondered if the blanket was one her grandmother had knitted before her passing.

  He must’ve sensed her tension because he asked, “You want one of these? It might help.” Jace held the beer up, and Rain stopped him with a fluttered hand.

  “No, I’m good. Thanks.”

  “How about startin’ with what’s pressing on your mind the most. You have my full attention.”

  “Okay, I guess we’ll start by discussing my father’s jacket.” Rain breathed in and then cleared her throat. “I know it sounds like a longshot, but I think someone is trying to frame my father.”

  “How so?” Jace shifted in his chair to face her.

  “Listen, Jace, I know the rumors that have been going around Lofty Pines. I realize, I recently arrived up north, but contrary to some belief, the speculations are not hidden from me. Already, I’ve caught wind of the chatter. I’m sure my dad has crossed your suspect list. Please don’t try and protect me here … I’m aware of it. Is there a search for him or something? Tell me the truth, I can handle it.”

  “Rumors?” Jace leaned in closer and lowered his voice, even though no one was within earshot for miles.

  “You’re really going to make me spell it out for you? I’m sure you’ve heard the idle talk.” Rain’s tone was incredulous, and she wove her arms across her chest protectively.

  Jace chuckled but then grew serious noting her tone. “First of all, I’m not at liberty to share with you who our suspects are. But you really think I’m going to arrest someone on a rumor?” He gripped the arm of the Adirondack chair tighter. “You’ve gotta give me a little more credit than that. Come on, Rain.”

  “So, have you heard?” She dropped her arms to her lap and clenched her hands into balled fists. “The talk
around town about my mother and your murder victim?” Rain hated talking about this. Talking about her parents in this way, behind their back, and under murderous circumstances seemed incredibly disloyal somehow.

  “Yes, I’ve heard. But, keep in mind …” Jace raised a finger to tap his ear, “I don’t believe everything I hear! However, it’s my job to follow wherever the evidence leads in this case. You have my word on that,” he added firmly, his lips coming together in a grim line.

  “Just so we’re on the same page, if my father is on the suspect list, you need to take him off.”

  “Rain, it doesn’t work that way. I can’t take anyone off the suspect list, unless I have good reason to take them off.”

  “Hold on, I’m gonna give you a very strong reason why you should take him off. Let me try and spell everything out as clear as I can.” Rain shifted forward in her seat, leaned her forearms on her knees, and turned to face Jace. “My father’s Chicago Cubs jacket is missing. I haven’t been able to find it anywhere in this house.” Rain nodded her head in the direction of the cabin behind them. “When I went to the hardware store, Hank mentioned he’d seen my father in town, wearing the jacket. Which is unequivocally impossible because my father is nowhere near Lofty Pines. He’s in Japan. You mentioned the nylon, the piece of fabric you found left out by the road … Was the fabric blue by any chance?”

  “Yeah, actually it was. To be precise, royal blue nylon.” Jace sat straighter in his chair. “You’re not exactly helping your father by sharing this with me.” He smoothed his eyebrows with his fingers, his eyes downcast. Then a new light shone in his eyes as if he figured it out. “It’s Chicago Cubs blue, isn’t it?” he said knowingly.