by Lauren Carr
“But there were a dozen people in that house,” Joshua said.
“That’s why I came upstairs to get you,” Doris said. “I’d set the timer to give you enough time to get everyone out. When you weren’t there, I took her down,” she pointed at Cameron, ”and let her put out the call to clear the house.”
Joshua opened his mouth to argue, but Cameron cut him off. “Let me get this straight. You went out to the barn one morning and found that your broken down freezer had been hauled away in the middle of the night. Then, almost thirty years later, it turns up in your neighbor’s basement with the dead body of the woman accused of killing your daughter. So then you built a bomb and tried to blow up the house to protect said neighbor’s reputation without knowing anything about who stole the freezer, who killed your daughter’s suspected killer, and who hid your freezer containing the dead body of your daughter’s suspected killer in your neighbor’s basement.”
“That’s right,” Doris smirked.
“I believe her,” Cameron told Joshua.
“You also believe sugar-free ice cream has zero calories,” he replied.
“Which is why I can eat as much as I want of it,” Cameron said while answering the buzz on her hip from her cell phone.
Simultaneously, Joshua’s cell phone vibrated to signal an incoming call. While Cameron read the text message on her phone, he was talking on his.
“Gail Hildebrand just texted. She and Ned want us to stop by the Mountaineer ASAP,” Cameron told them.
“And the state attorney general suggests I call his people who are doing the audit at the Mountaineer. I guess they found something,” Joshua said.
Chapter Eighteen
“This is unbelievable!” In his corner office on the ground floor of the Mountaineer, Ned Carter was pacing and cursing while Gail Hildebrand pleaded for him to calm down. He stopped and whirled around at the two investigators who had traveled up from Charleston, West Virginia, to audit the casino’s books. “I called you! Why would I call you to come up here and investigate my business for fraud if I was stealing from it myself?”
The shorter of the two men shrugged. “Maybe because you sensed the jig was up.”
Meanwhile, the taller and older investigator chewed on a toothpick while leaning with his back against the wall.
When Cameron and Joshua came in, Gail rushed to them. “Cameron, Josh, you have to do something. They’re accusing Ned of embezzlement. He didn’t do it. Tell them he didn’t do it.”
“He didn’t do it,” Cameron said.
“Exactly who are you?” The shorter investigator took a step toward Cameron only to collide with Joshua’s arm that shot out to block him.
“She’s with me.” Joshua looked down into his eyes.
“And you are?”
“Joshua Thornton, Hancock County prosecuting attorney. Your boss suggested I come over to find out what was going on.”
The investigator glared at Ned. “I don’t care who your friends are. You’ve been stealing money from your investors, and I intended to make you pay for it.”
“Exactly what evidence do you have that he’s been doing that,” Cameron asked.
“Our people have been monitoring the resort’s accounting system for some time,” the investigator said. “We knew the cocky bastard would make his move eventually. Sure enough, last night he did. At ten-fifty-four, he logged into the accounts remotely and transferred two hundred-thousand dollars out of the retirement funds to an off-shore account.”
“Have you been able to track who owns that account?” Joshua asked.
The older investigator removed the toothpick from his mouth. “The money trail disappeared after that. We were only able to follow it so far. Our forensics people have gone back over ten years, and they are still collecting evidence. It started out as a very small amount. A normal audit would barely notice it. Then, over the years, it has increased with time until now it is almost blatant—especially in the last month. It’s like he’s taunting us.”
The shorter investigator pointed in Ned’s direction. “And the trail keeps leading back to you.”
“Have you found the money?” Joshua asked them.
Both of the state investigators fell silent. The older one shook his head. “Personally, I think our culprit is too slick. The way he’s been skimming from the accounts—I think if the trail is pointing to Ned Carter—then we need to go in another direction.”
The younger partner’s eyes bulged. His mouth grew tight.
“I told you to let us finish the investigation before you go hurling accusations,” the older man told his partner. To the others, he said, “You have to excuse Higgins. He’s young and a little trigger happy. He’s still got some learning to do.” With a congenial tone, he assured Ned, “We’ll be keeping you informed about our investigation. If you think of anything, tell us. In the meantime, keep our investigation hush-hush. Hopefully, our guy will make a mistake, and we can catch him.” With a nod of his head, he tapped the younger man on the shoulder and gestured for the door.
“But—” Higgins objected.
“We’re leaving.”
“How—”
“I said we’re leaving, Higgins,” the older man ordered. “Go! We’ll talk about it in the car.” Like a father leading out a misbehaving son, he stuck the toothpick back into his mouth and led Higgins out the door.
Gail rushed to throw her arms around Ned, who sighed with relief. She turned to Cameron and Joshua. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank us,” Joshua said. “Thank the big guy with the toothpick.
“That was Investigator Frost,” Ned said. “I think those were the most words he’s said in one sitting since they came to town a couple of months ago. I never thought he was on our side before.”
“I didn’t even know he was the boss,” Gail said.
“I guess he’s the strong, silent type.” Cameron sat down in the chair across from Ned’s desk. “Any idea who the embezzler is?”
“Brianne,” Gail said.
With a thoughtful look in his eyes, Ned said, “She is computer savvy.”
“How savvy?” Cameron said. “The way investigator Frost is talking, our perp is very good at covering his tracks. Very good. Not only is he skimming money from the Mountaineer, but he’s doing it under your accounts so that if it was picked up, everyone would think it was you.”
“But he’s not hiding it so much anymore,” Joshua said.
“Is he sloppy or cocky?” Cameron looked over her shoulder at Joshua who was standing behind her. “It kind of reminds me of some serial killers, who are so good that no one notices that there is a serial killer out there. Infuriated that the no one notices how good they are, they step up the game to get the recognition they feel they deserve. That’s usually when they get caught.”
“If this has been going on for over ten years, then we know the guy isn’t sloppy,” Joshua said.
“That means he’s cocky.”
”Can you think of anyone with a grudge against you,” Joshua asked Ned. ”Someone who also has the technical knowledge to pull this off?”
Ned shook his head before turning to Gail. Together, the two of them stared at each other while deep in thought.
Cameron was struck by how the two of them played off each other the same way she believed she and Joshua did. Sometimes, she felt as if they could read each other’s thoughts. It was not unusual for one of them to finish the other’s sentence. I can’t see Brianne being into anyone enough to finish his sentence.
As if he were reading her mind, Joshua stepped up behind her chair and put his hands on her shoulders. She reached up to touch is fingers. Recalling his touch the night before, she felt a wave of emotion sweep over her.
Gail interrupted the silence. “Kyle . . . but that was so long ago.”
“This started so long ago,” Joshua reminded her.
“Kyle, as in Kyle Bostwick?” Cameron asked.
Ned chuckled at Gail. “Now, you
’re reaching.”
Gail ticked off on her fingers. “You two had a big falling out—”
“Over what?” Joshua asked.
“Kyle was the contractor that set up the computer network for the Mountaineer,” Ned said. “I set up the contract when I first became manager. We were his biggest account. We put his company on the map. But then, the board decided Kyle’s company was too small to handle such a big operation. They voted to employ an in-house staff to take care of our IT needs. The next time the contract came up, we didn’t renew.” He shook his head. “That was over fifteen years ago.”
“Which was when your friendship ended,” Gail said.
“But I thought Kyle set up the computerization for the winery,” Cameron said.
“Friends with Brianne, not with me,” Ned said. “In case, you haven’t noticed, Brianne and I lead separate lives.”
Gail told them, “Kyle knows everything about computers, programs—everything.”
“He did set up our complete system,” Ned said.
“Which means he’d know how to hack into your accounting system,” Gail said. “He’s also got a huge ego. Every time I see him, I swear he’s smirking at me because he feels so superior.”
“He’s got an ego,” Cameron said.
“And a big grudge.” Gail turned to Ned. “Tell her what Kyle said to you when you two had that fight after he found out about the contract.”
“What did he tell me?” Ned asked.
“About Angie.”
Joshua stood up straight. “What about Angie?”
Ned’s cheeks turned pink. “I forgot about that.”
“How could you?” Gail asked.
“Because I wanted to.”
“What did Kyle say?” Cameron asked.
Gail nudged Ned with her elbow. After a deep sigh, he told them, “Kyle called me a traitor. He said it was my fault that Angie was dead. If anyone deserved to die at the bottom of that river, it was me and Brianne . . . and Angie’s Mom because it was our fault Cheryl killed her.”
Cameron exchanged glances with Joshua. “Did you see Cheryl when she came to town?”
“I already told you, no,” Ned replied.
“Did she call you?”
“No.”
“Did you know she had come back to town?” Cameron asked him.
Ned hesitated before nodding. “Kyle called me. He said Cheryl had come into the winery looking for Brianne . . . and me. She wanted to hook up with me. I told him I didn’t want to see her . . .” His voice trailed off.
“What else?” Joshua prodded him. “What else did Kyle say?”
“I was surprised when he wanted me to see her. Out of anyone, I thought for sure he would want no one to help her in any way. But he said that maybe I should. I told him, one, I was not in the business anymore.” Ned went on to explain, “I got out of dealing when I graduated from college. I was never big time. I only dealt with my friends. Two, I had no desire to see her. As a matter of fact, I told Kyle that if I did see her that I’d call the police. That was when Kyle suggested that I do see her, and help her out with a fix—that would kill her.” He swallowed. “Kyle wanted me to murder her.”
“With a drug overdose,” Cameron whispered.
“I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Kyle, of all people. I thought he was a wuss.”
“What did you say?” Joshua asked.
“No,” Ned said. “And I told him that I was going to forget we had this conversation and pretend it never happened. Such was the case until I didn’t renew our contract. Then he brought it up again and said I was a traitor because I refused to kill Cheryl after what she had done to Angie.”
“Did you give him the drugs to kill Cheryl?” Cameron asked him.
Ned sighed and exchanged glances with Gail, who nodded for him to answer. “I gave him the name of a guy I knew who dealt.”
Cameron stood up and Joshua took her hand. With a glance over her shoulder, she told them that they had been very helpful and left.
Out in the corridor, she told Joshua, “Next stop,—”
“—Kyle Bostwick’s home.”
Chapter Nineteen
Kyle Bostwick’s home was a modest one story on the corner block of Indiana Avenue and Fourth Street. It was an older house with a tiny back yard and a fence around it to keep the neighborhood dogs and cats out. Kyle was notorious amongst his neighbors for being less than friendly if any four-legged neighbors did manage to get onto his property.
His face and tone was devoid of pleasantry when he opened the door to find Cameron and Joshua on his porch. “Detective Chase, still chasing your tail I see.”
“If you’re referring to going around in circles, yes,” Cameron replied. “Can we come in?”
Kyle paused to look her up and down, and then caught Joshua’s eye before stepping back to let them inside.
As they stepped into the living room, Cameron and Joshua were first struck by the array of pictures, almost like a montage, of Angie Sullivan on almost every surface and wall. On every wall and shelf, there were pictures of Angie from seemingly every stage of her life.
“How many pictures do you have of me in your house?” Cameron whispered to Joshua.
“None,” he replied. “How many do you have of me?”
“None. Are we strange?”
“Angie was the love of my life,” Kyle scoffed when he overheard them. “Of course, I’d have pictures of her. Just because she’s dead doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten her. I guess you wouldn’t understand that. Few people nowadays understand the concept of loyalty.”
“Kyle, we know what happened to Cheryl Smith,” Joshua said.
The corners of his lips curled into a grin that resembled that of the Joker in the Batman movies. “Really?”
“You were the only one to see her when she came back to town,” Joshua said.
“No, I didn’t.”
Cameron countered, “Brianne Davenport says you told her that Cheryl came by the winery to sell her Ferrari. You gave her Brianne’s business card. The front had Brianne’s phone number to set up selling her the car. The back had Ned’s phone number for her to call him to arrange a hook up for drugs and maybe sex.”
Kyle laughed. “Who do you think the jury is going to believe? Brianne, who’s had Cherry Pickens’ Ferrari in her garage all these years, and who built her business using money that her husband has skimmed from the Mountaineer’s profits. Or Ned Carter, who dealt in heroin and whose phone number was found in Cherry’s pocket. And—Oh, what about the freezer that Cheryl’s body was found in? Have you found out yet who that belonged to?”
Seeing Joshua’s glare, Kyle chuckled. “I guess you did.” He folded his arms over his thin chest. “Now, what do you have against me?”” At a loss of any real evidence against him, Kyle waved his hands like a magician who has committed an outstanding trick.
“Your DNA,” Cameron answered.
Kyle’s beady eyes, magnified by his glasses, widened.
“I guess Cheryl gets horny when she gets high,” Cameron said. “She had sex shortly before her neck was snapped. Since you gave her the heroin, I guess that means you were there. You figured what the heck, and had sex with her. Then you killed her.” With a chuckle, she held up her finger. “Your mistake was sealing her in that freezer, which was airtight, which kept your semen viable all these years.”
“Considering that we have witnesses who said you saw Cheryl when she was here, I can assure you Detective Gates won’t have any problem getting a warrant for your DNA to compare to the semen they found in Cheryl Smith’s body,” Joshua said.
Tears seeped out of Kyle’s eyes to roll down his cheeks.
“Seven years is a long time to think about something,” Cameron said. “If you think about it long and hard enough, and replay it in your mind over and over again, facts and circumstances have a way of working their way to the surface. Some can become twisted. By the time Cheryl walked into the winery that day, you had come
to blame not only her for Angie’s murder, but her friends and mother for the roles they played in it happening.”
“First, you blamed Cheryl for breaking you and Angie up.” She cocked her head at him. “Then, there was Brianne, who told Cheryl about Doris being her mother. You also tracked down who had planted the seed in Cheryl’s mind about Angie having an affair with Ned behind her back.”
“I suppose you blamed Ned for letting it happen,” Joshua said, “and Doris for being the source of the family secret that hurt the woman you loved.”
“So you decided to kill Cheryl for revenge and frame each one of them,” Cameron said.
“You gave Cheryl the business card with Brianne’s private number on the front and Ned’s phone number on the back,” Joshua said. “Then, you arranged a meeting where she would pick up some drugs from Ned. Only you showed up instead with heroin that you got from a source he had given you.”
Cameron said, “He told us that you wanted him to kill her, but he refused.”
Kyle’s eyes narrowed. Behind the glasses, they looked like dark slits.
“That left you to do it by yourself,” she said. “Why did you break her neck? Why didn’t you just let her OD?”
“Because I don’t know anything about drugs,” he muttered. “She passed out, but she wouldn’t die. I didn’t know if she would wake up or not. I waited for so long but she kept breathing. Finally, I got tired of waiting and snapped her neck with a shovel.” Kyle’s glare hardened as he stared at the montage on the wall behind them.
Joshua picked up the story. “You still had to implicate Doris. So you stole the freezer from her barn and hid it in the basement of Albert Gordon’s house.”
