Skeleton Key

by Jeff LaFerney

  “You’ve obviously tried and missed in the past. Why don’t you just get a different bird feeder?”

  “Because I want to kill that stupid squirrel!” Dan yelled. “Then I’ll get a different feeder.” BOOM! Thunk! In a crazed state, Dan actually shot his police revolver at the squirrel. He missed and the semi-automatic Glock .22 sent a 9-millimeter slug into the wall of his shed, putting a nice hole into a wooden sideboard. “Crap!” Dan yelled. The squirrel looked up temporarily, but within seconds, it continued attacking the birdseed.

  “Listen, Dan. Is it legal for you to be shooting that gun in your yard? There might be another way to get rid of that squirrel, you know?”

  “I’m kind of in a killing mood, Clay. What is it again you’re here for?”

  Chief Hopper turned the car and started heading south again. As he headed back for the street he originally planned to turn on, he got a call on his radio. “There’s been a complaint of a gunshot, Chief. It’s the same lady who said Dan Duncan shot out her bathroom window. Says he just shot his gun again in his backyard.”

  “I’m on my way to his place right now.”

  Luke hung his radio back up, and felt his heartbeat increase noticeably. “What are you doing, Clay?”

  ***

  “I talked with Lawrence Maloney yesterday, Dan.”

  “Who’s Lawrence Maloney?”

  “He’s that tall, thin, Southern truck driver whose truck you stole on the night of the train wreck.”

  Dan visibly stiffened, but he said, “I don’t know where you’d get such a crazy idea as that, ’cause I didn’t steal no truck.”

  “Exactly.”

  “What? I thought you just accused me.”

  “I did. And you just confessed. You said you ‘didn’t steal no truck,’ so you must have stolen a truck. I’m simply suggesting that I have proof that you stole Larry Maloney’s.”

  “You think you’re clever, don’t you? What proof do you have?”

  “Well, first of all, Roger from the gas station explained how your car was parked in the Shell lot, and you weren’t there. Explained how long it was before you finally showed up. Then I talked to Larry Maloney. Seems when you finally showed, you were running down the road from the direction of the crash. Seems, also, that you were in a hurry to get away and weren’t too cooperative concerning his stolen truck. The most damning evidence, though, Dan, is that the truck seat was moved forward considerably, and there were sunflower seeds on the floor of the cab.” Clay began to wonder where Hopper was. Cops were never there when they were needed most.

  “And you think that proves I stole the truck?”

  “That and your motive…motives actually. You had feelings for Erika and resented how Adrian treated her and Logan. That’s actually quite honorable of you, but not a good enough reason to commit murder. Secondly, Adrian put your father out of business, a business, by the way, that prepared you with the skill to drive a semi-truck. Your father, whose health faded after he lost his business, had passed away just before the wreck, probably motivating you to get your revenge.”

  “So, Sherlock Holmes, you’ve put all those simple clues together and came to the logical conclusion that I’m a murderer. Ha! That’s funny.”

  “I don’t know if you meant to murder Adrian. But you certainly stole a truck and caused a serious train accident. Two men died, so you’ll be put in prison for murder. Second degree, maybe, but murder nonetheless.”

  Dan was actually staying quite composed, something that surprised Clay, so he decided to push him a little harder. “By the way, Dan, Erika’s my girl now, so if you have any ideas, forget it.”

  Anger flashed on Dan’s face.

  “And, Dan, we have proof that you lied to the chief and me. You were at the train crossing before the accident. You said you weren’t.” Clay was stretching the truth a bit, but he was getting desperate for a confession.

  Duncan was still seething about the comment about Erika, but the “evidence” that Clay just mentioned put him over the edge.

  Chief Hopper was back on the correct street and crossed the railroad tracks more than ten minutes behind schedule. He started driving furiously to Dan’s house, hoping he wasn’t too late.

  Dan raised his gun and pointed it at Clay. “I don’t know where you’re getting your information, but you’re not gonna be alive to tell anyone about it.”

  Clay stepped several deliberate steps into Dan’s backyard, trying to establish a viewpoint from which he might see Luke if he showed up before Dan shot at him. “You’ve been struggling for the last seven years with the guilt of killing two men. We know now that it was you. Maybe if you turn yourself in, it’ll be easier for you.”

  “I ain’t turnin’ myself in, Clay. Yeah, I stole the truck, and yeah, I parked it on the railroad tracks. I knew Payne would be driving the train, and I wanted to hurt him. And if he didn’t get hurt, I was gonna try to get back to the tracks and maybe hurt him there. But that stupid hillbilly truck driver got in my way before I could get away from the gas station. When I finally got back to the tracks, Adrian was gone. I never heard from him again, which was okay with me, but it was a bit disturbing to not be able to find him. I hear Morty buried him,” Dan laughed. “Even his partner wanted him to disappear. He was a swell guy, that Adrian Payne. He got better’n he deserved.”

  “What about Joseph Carrollton? Did he get what he deserved?”

  “That drunk? Who cares about him? And who cares about you, Clay. Not Erika, I bet. She can’t be trusted either. Do you think she missed her husband? Not a chance. And she won’t miss you either when you turn up dead too.”

  Dan raised his gun to shoot at Clay. He wasn’t looking into Clay’s eyes. He was staring right into his chest, and Clay began to panic. He could see Dan’s finger tightening on the trigger. He really was going to get shot. Out of instinct and possibly desperation, Clay raised his hand and using his mind-control telekinesis, he “pushed” Dan’s gun to Dan’s left just as the trigger was engaged and a shot fired.

  “Drop your gun, Dan!” Chief Hopper yelled. “Don’t make me shoot! Drop your gun, now!”

  Dan’s eyes never left Clay, but he lowered his gun, and then dropped it onto the grass.

  “Now back away! Move away from the gun, Dan, and put your hands on your head.”

  Dan backed away from the gun, put his hands on his head, and turned to Chief Hopper. “Seven years, Chief. I been sufferin’ seven years for what I did. What kind of person am I?”

  “A bad person, Dan. What you did? A bad person. I don’t know what else to say.” Hopper took a pair of handcuffs, snapped one on Duncan’s right wrist, and then pulled his arms behind his back and snapped the other cuff on. Hopper glared at Clay, obviously angry about the impatience that almost got him killed. He led Duncan to the front of the house where his car was parked.

  As Dan was sliding into the back seat of the car, Clay appeared. He was holding something in his hand. “I just thought you’d like to know, Dan, that the shot that was meant for me hit this instead.” Dangling from his hand by the tail was a dead animal. Dan had finally killed his squirrel.

  Chapter 29

  As Clay pulled into Erika’s driveway, she was just leaving her house. She smiled an awesome smile, though, and gave Clay a hug as soon as he exited his car. It felt good to Clay to have someone to care about and to care about him again. He was phenomenally grateful for Tanner and for a friend like Zander Frauss, but a relationship with a woman was obviously different.

  “It is sooo nice to see you,” Clay said.

  “Ditto,” Erika said. “I’ve been wondering when you’d get here.”

  “It’s been quite a day already, and I have lots to tell you. Where’re you going?”

  “I was gonna run up to the Depot to kill some time. You said that Adrian’s still saying ‘skeleton key,’ so I figured I’d look around again in the attic to see if I can find anything. There’s still time before Tanner’s game. Why don’t you come and
we can look together?”

  In the car, Clay caught Erika up on the discussion with and hypnosis of Larry Maloney. Then he told about Dan Duncan and Dan’s attempt to shoot him. “Dan’s been arrested. He confessed to stealing the truck and trying to kill Adrian. He also tried to kill me, so it’s my guess he’ll be going to prison for quite a long time.”

  “You say Tanner saw a vision of Dan trying to shoot you, and you went alone anyway? That’s not very smart, Clay. I don’t want to lose you—again.”

  “Again?”

  “Like in high school. I plan to do my best to keep you around this time.”

  Clay was so grateful for those words that he grabbed and squeezed Erika’s hand and sincerely said, “Thank you.”

  When they reached the Depot, they walked straight to the attic, opened the vault door, turned on the lights, and began a futile search. “How will we know we’ve found something when we don’t know what we’re looking for?” Erika asked.

  “Excellent question. One in which I have no answer. I’ve been looking for another safe or cabinet or anything that needs a key. So far there’s nothing.”

  “Maybe if we look in the safe again, there’s a secret compartment or false back or something.”

  “Good idea. Let’s try.”

  They opened the safe and pried, prodded, and searched every inch of the compartment and the drawer, but there was nothing.

  “Maybe we could try asking Adrian again. Who knows? Maybe he’ll cooperate.”

  “It’s worth a try,” Clay agreed. “Let’s go.”

  They locked the attic back up and walked back down the hallway to Erika’s office. Clay walked up to the family picture. Before he spoke, he looked at Adrian and could see little Anna in his features. There were several noticeable similarities. When he spoke, he said, “Adrian? Are you still here? Dan Duncan was arrested for the murder of both you and Joseph Carrollton. Morty cheated the company and buried your body, but it was Dan who tried to kill you. If you can hear me, do we have it right?”

  “What’s the point?”

  “What’s the point? I don’t really know, Adrian. We’ve kind of just been trying to find answers. We’ve been hoping to help Logan too.”

  “Ease the pain.”

  “What pain, Adrian? I don’t…”

  “EASE the pain.”

  The hair on Clay’s arms stood on end when it finally occurred to him what Adrian was saying. “You did not say what I just thought you said, did you?”

  “EASE the pain!”

  “And the ‘point’ is a clue?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Adrian, you didn’t die during the train wreck, did you?”

  “A heart attack.”

  “How would I prove that?”

  “Skeleton key.”

  The hair on the back of Clay’s neck now rose. A shiver went through his entire body. If what he was thinking was accurate, the truth of what happened on the train still had not been revealed, but Clay was certain he knew what to do next.

  ***

  Clay was visibly upset. That fact alone was upsetting to Erika, but when Clay refused to tell her what he had learned, Erika was even more upset. She thought she had a trusting relationship with Clay, but his behavior made her concerned that he was hiding something from her, and it made her concerned about the consequences. If he wouldn’t tell her, it must be something bad, but if he didn’t trust her, that would be worse.

  Clay dropped her off at her home. He said what appeared to Erika to be a sincere apology, but he still left without confiding in her. He didn’t hold her hand, didn’t hug her, and left without so much as a peck on the lips. He was distant. She walked into her house in a daze, went into her room, and cried. She hated getting so emotional, but she was falling in love, and what was more emotional than that? She was hurt, confused, and worried, and it would be two days before she would hear from Clay again.

  ***

  Clay’s hands were shaking as he tried to call Chief Hopper. He literally had to pull his car off the road to complete the call.

  Finally, Hopper answered the phone. “That was a stupid thing for you to do, Clay, confronting Duncan without me.”

  “Hello, to you too, Dan. And thanks for the concern.”

  “He could have killed you!”

  “That’s more like it. You really do care.”

  “Heck, I just didn’t want to have to do the paperwork. Murder is so much more work than I’m used to. I’m tired, Clay.”

  “Well, now that we have Dan Duncan safely tucked away, I have something else I need you to do. If you thought the work was done and it was time for your beauty rest, you’ll have to think again. I’ve figured it out, but you’re gonna have to investigate—earn those tax dollars, you know?”

  “I’m all ears. Whatcha got?”

  Clay reviewed his most recent meeting with Adrian Payne. He explained what he had discovered and what needed to be done. “I’ve got something to drop off to you, then I’m goin’ home to pray. Seriously. You can call me when you have the evidence. In the meantime, I may just do some resting myself.

  ***

  Clay couldn’t get his mind off Erika. He was worried beyond any worry he’d ever felt before. Erika had taught him to have faith, but when Clay prayed, he found it very difficult to put the situation in God’s hands and step back. He knew that the outcome of the whole mystery really wasn’t his to control, so it was the consequences that were worrying him. He was unsure what that would mean for him, for Erika, and for Logan.

  To get his mind from the situation temporarily, he watched Tanner play on television. Clemson from the Atlantic Coast Conference was playing Michigan. As much as Clay’s mind was moiled in concern, he felt a temporary reprieve when his son was introduced as a starter, and the game began. Dick Vitale was raving about Tanner being a “diaper dandy,” and it sounded good to Clay’s ears to hear about his own son’s maturity and leadership. What was better, however, was Tanner’s performance. From the opening tip, Tanner was directing traffic out on the court like a veteran and hitting shots with regularity. Vitale said he was a “PTCer, a prime time candidate,” and twice in the first half, after Tanner hit a “trifecta” with a hand in his face, he proclaimed, “Are you serious? Are you serious?” When he made his fifth shot in a row in the second half, Vitale yelled, “Call the fire chief ’cause he’s on fire!”

  When Michigan pulled out a close 69-65 victory, Tanner was named the Chevrolet Player of the Game, and Vitale said he was “Awesome baby! Awesome baby with a capital A!” Tanner had twenty-five points and nine assists. Clay was as proud as a dad could be, but as soon as the game was over, he was back to his temporary despondency. He was worried about Erika and, selfishly, his relationship with her. It was going to be a long, difficult wait for news from Chief Hopper.

  Chapter 30

  The following Monday at 4:00 in the afternoon, Clay finally got the call he was waiting for. Hopper confirmed that Clay’s theory was correct. “I’ve got a meeting planned for 7:00 at the station. I assume you will be here,” he said.

  Clay had given this inevitable meeting an enormous amount of thought over the last two days. There were two important people that Clay wanted to attend, so he made a couple of phone calls. Tanner was his first, but he wasn’t able to attend. Clay found himself disappointed that he wouldn’t have Tanner’s moral support. If things didn’t go well with Erika, he would have liked for him to be there. He then called Andi Nickel, and she agreed to attend as a legal representative of the Paynes.

  He pulled into the police station lot at 6:45. Clay made his way to the chief’s office where Luke Hopper and Eric Haynes, a forensic anthropologist whom Hopper brought for the meeting, greeted him. Soon, Andi Nickel arrived. Finally Erika and Logan Payne entered the room. Erika looked at Clay a bit suspiciously, hurt in her eyes. Clay wanted to go to her and hug her, but he knew it wasn’t the right time. He turned to Chief Hopper and nodded. It was time.

  “I’d
like to thank all of you for agreeing to this meeting. Then he turned to Eric Haynes. “This is Dr. Eric Haynes. He’s here at my invitation. Dr. Haynes is a forensic anthropologist and he’s graciously agreed to tell you about his recent findings.

  “As you know, Erika,” Hopper continued, “we’ve been investigating your husband’s death. After seven years, his body was finally discovered eleven days ago. I began, with the help of Clay here, investigating first the burial and, eventually, the cause of his death.

  “We all know that a truck was parked across the railroad tracks on South Oak Street. Even so, the initial investigation in 2003 placed the blame for the train accident on Joseph Carrollton, the engineer who died in the wreck. He was intoxicated, and it was determined that he didn’t respond properly to the emergency he faced. However, once Adrian’s body was uncovered, it opened up a mystery. Why was his body hidden? And since it was hidden, it led us to wonder if there was foul play involved. Without question, it was evident that Mr. Carrollton was killed as a result of the crash. And when the forensic pathologist examined Adrian’s body, he was convinced that Adrian died in the crash as well. The pathologist was unable to diagnose any foul play, but that wasn’t adding up with the information that we were discovering during the investigation.

  “We eventually uncovered that Marshall Mortonson hid the body away and eventually buried Adrian at the gravesite where the horses that were killed in the train wreck were buried. As we continued the investigation, we discovered that the brakes of the train were purposely damaged, making it difficult for the train to stop. Also, we discovered that Officer Dan Duncan was responsible for stealing the truck and intentionally leaving it on the tracks in an attempt to cause the wreck.

  “All of these disturbing findings still left the question unsettled as to exactly how Adrian actually died. The reason for this meeting is to uncover the mystery of his death. I’ve invited Dr. Haynes here so he can explain his findings.”