When Marc began handcuffing Tyler the boy shouted, “Wait! Come on man, give me a minute. Maybe I can remember a name.”
All three men waited as Tyler looked from one to the other, cursing under his breath. “Maybe it was Zach,” he mumbled.
“Tom?” Jake looked to the director.
“Zach Fields?” Tom asked Tyler.
“Shit, I don’t know his last name. The kid who’s always wearing the baseball cap and following me around.”
“That’s Zach Fields, Sheriff,” Tom confirmed. One of Sam’s students, Jake knew from his earlier investigation.
“Do you know what Zach needed the car for?”
“I already told you, he dropped me off, disappeared for a while, then came back to get me. I don’t know what he was doing.”
“Nothing else you can tell us?”
“Nope.”
Jake ran his hand through his hair and walked around the room. “Okay. You stay here for the time being. You can plan on seeing us again. Why don’t you see if you can remember some more before then?”
Jake left the room followed by Marc and Tom and returned to Tom’s office. “I don’t believe much of what comes out of that kid’s mouth but I get the feeling he’s telling the truth about not knowing where Zach went,” Tom said.
“Yeah, maybe. I want you to have someone watching Tyler at all times. When do the rest of the kids get back?”
“They’re due back Sunday afternoon. One of the counselors checks in with me every evening. I’ll talk to him about Zach, make sure he’s keeping an eye on him and that he’s not left alone.”
Jake nodded. He knew Tom was doing his best to cooperate and was upset at the breach of security at the camp.
“What about Blaine Hemmingway?” Marc asked.
“Unless you want to talk to him again or file charges against him for possession of marijuana, I can have him out of here by this evening,” Tom answered.
“It’s going to be hard to prove any drug-related offenses after the fact. With this much notice I would assume he’s gotten rid of any marijuana he still had and unless we’d find a substantial amount, the most we could charge him with is a misdemeanor. He’d get off with a nominal fine. Unless he has previous drug convictions?”
“No, no, definitely not. He couldn’t have been hired here if that were the case. Maybe his parents knew of some drug use but he doesn’t have a record.”
“Okay. I would like to take a look at his car, though. If Zach or Tyler did, in fact, go to Sam’s place we may find something in the car linking them to the crime.”
“I’ll go talk to him again, see if I can get an okay to search the car,” Marc said.
“Sounds good. I’ll wrap things up here with Tom then join you.”
Later that afternoon, Marc and Jake sat in Jake’s office going over the interview notes and the files on Tyler and Zach. The search of Blaine’s car hadn’t yielded much of value. There was a tool box in the trunk, nothing different than what might be found in thousands of other car trunks, but interesting in that the hammer was lying outside the box. Blaine claimed he didn’t recall using the tools lately but said that before he came to camp, his brother sometimes used the car and it’s possible the hammer had been out of the toolbox and he hadn’t noticed it. Marc had bagged the hammer and kept it as possible evidence.
“Any ideas on where this party cabin Tyler referred to might be?” Jake asked Marc.
“There are a couple places on the lake that come to mind. Remember we had that noise complaint a few weeks ago out on Bay Street.”
“Yeah, I was thinking that too. There wasn’t anything illegal going on at the time, though, as I recall. Lots of drinking and loud music but everyone was of age.”
“That time, yes. It might be worth checking out again. There’s another place over on the other side of the lake I’ve heard some talk about. There haven’t been any complaints, I’ve just heard some kids mention a place where there’s been some partying. I’ve driven by a couple times, haven’t seen anything but it’s probably worth checking out.”
“Good. Keep your ears open, if you hear talk about any place else, let me know. And take a drive by the other spots when you’re on duty at night.”
“Will do,” Marc replied. Then, “What’s your feeling on Zach? Do you think he’s responsible?”
“There’s a lot of reason to suspect him. The dates match up. If he really dropped off Tyler somewhere on the lake, he would have had plenty time to get to Sam’s place and back. Sam has said his behavior in class is odd. She has never suggested she thinks he’s responsible but I know she thinks he’s up to something.”
“What’s the motive? Do you think it’s personal against Sam?”
“I can’t come up with a logical motive other than he’s angry at having to be at Project Strong Start and he’s taking it out on whomever he can. To me, it doesn’t seem like he knows Sam well enough to have anything against her personally.”
Marc nodded his agreement. “So we check out some possible party locations on the lake, keep tabs on Tyler through Tom Lindahl, and wait for Zach to get back from the Boundary Waters so we can talk to him. Anything else right now?”
“No, Marc, I guess that’s it for now,” Jake answered, clearly wishing he could do more.
14
“So, how was the Mall of America?” Jake smiled over his glass at Sam. It was Saturday evening and Sam had agreed to dinner at Jake’s apartment. He had been nervous, he realized, to see how she’d react to his apartment, to the dinner, to him. So far, so good.
Sam gave a small shudder. “Oh, God, Jake, that place. Have you seen it? Oh, of course you have, I think I’m the only person who hadn’t. It’s overwhelming. Did you know there are over five hundred stores? I think Karen went into most of them.”
“Joe said she was really happy you went with her. You did a good thing, Sam.”
“Oh, it wasn’t really that bad once I got over the initial shock. Karen did have a good time, I think. I’m glad I went with her. She bought a pile of maternity clothes and even some baby clothes.”
“I heard she wasn’t the only one who bought baby clothes,” Jake winked.
“You heard that, did you? Well, I just couldn’t resist, I had to buy something for the baby. Those tiny little outfits were just so adorable and I found these sweet little shoes, and a hat, it will be winter when the baby’s born, after all.” Sam grew quiet and Jake caught the wistful look in her eyes before she gave her head a little shake and smiled at him.
“Are you already planning your next trip to the Mall? There must be some stores and restaurants you missed.”
“No. No! I need time to recover. A long time,” Sam laughed. “It is an interesting place, though. Rollercoasters, an aquarium, a bowling alley, more restaurants than I’ve ever seen…it’s really quite something. I guess I can see why my friends kept making the drive here from Chicago.” She raised a brow and asked Jake, “What about you? Do you make frequent trips?”
He held up his hands and said, “Definitely not. A few years ago I ended up there just a couple days before Christmas trying to find a certain kind of candle my mom wanted. I still have nightmares. Screaming kids, crabby parents, sales people with smiles plastered on their faces but with eyes shooting daggers at everyone who asked a question. That reminds me, I have to get Shauna to do a favor for me again. It was her idea to go that day. Our deal is she’s in my debt for life.”
Sam laughed, picturing Jake following the whirling dervish Shauna through the jam-packed mall. But she guessed he would do just about anything for his mom, his sister, or any other member of his family. She looked around his apartment at the framed family photos displayed prominently on the tabletops and walls and thought again how fortunate he was to be surrounded by a big family so full of love. His entire apartment held traces of family. She had already spotted a crocheted afghan thrown over the back of the couch, an embroidered kitchen towel hanging on the oven door, and a homemade
apple pie on the counter. Sam was willing to bet a lot on someone other than Jake being responsible for all of them.
His apartment surprised her. Instead of the mismatched furniture, sports magazines, and giant TV she had expected, she found his home to be cozy and warm with beautiful leather furniture, a few tasteful art prints, and a large shelf full of a wide variety of books. Well, and a giant TV. The lasagna he had in the oven smelled heavenly and it looked as though he had done everything he could to make her feel welcome from the flowers on the table to the music he had playing. She was touched.
He also had avoided the subject that she knew they’d have to discuss sooner or later. When he had called to tell her he had some new information on her case she hadn’t wanted to hear it over the phone. He had assured her it was nothing that couldn’t wait so she had opted to wait until tonight to hear it in person. She didn’t want it to spoil the evening but knew she couldn’t keep avoiding the topic.
“I suppose you should probably tell me what you learned about my case.”
Jake studied her and hated the mixture of fear and apprehension he saw in her eyes. She had looked so happy just a moment ago. “I had a call from Tom Lindahl, the director of Project Strong Start,” he began.
Sam’s expression went from wary to frightened to angry as Jake relayed what he had learned from Tom as well as from Blaine and Tyler. When Jake paused she was quiet for a moment, looking at him and unconsciously tapping her fingers on the table. When she spoke she had to fight for control.
“You’re blaming the kids again even though you don’t really have much to go on,” she accused. “I get it that taking a car and leaving the camp is a big deal, obviously it’s against the rules and these kids knowingly did something wrong, but it doesn’t sound like you have any evidence that they were anywhere near my house.”
“No physical evidence, no. But, like I said, Tyler admitted to driving around the lake. He also claims another boy dropped him off at a party and then left by himself with the car. Based on the time frame, the other boy couldn’t have gone too far so you have to agree the possibility exists that one or both of them could have been at your place.”
“Fine, it’s possible. But why? I don’t know Tyler. What reason would he have for damaging my property?”
Jake hesitated. He hadn’t told her that the other kid involved was Zach but knew he had to. “You’re right. I don’t have a good reason for Tyler damaging your property. But he gave us the name of the boy who went with him. It was Zach.”
Sam was on her feet in a flash. “Zach? My Zach? From my class? Don’t do this, Jake, don’t blame him just because I mentioned I thought he was acting a little strange the other day! I told you then I couldn’t believe he’d do something like that and I still can’t. I don’t believe any of them could.” She was shouting and blinking back tears.
“I’m not blaming him, Sam, I just wanted you to know what we learned. I’ll need to talk to Zach when he gets back, see what he has to say about where he went with the car. At this point we don’t have any other leads. You can’t expect me to ignore this.”
Sam took a few deep breaths and stared out the window at the sun just beginning to set. “I’m sorry, Jake. It just seems kids like Zach, like all of them, are always so easily blamed whenever anything bad happens. Make a couple mistakes and you’re branded for life, you know?”
“I do know. It’s easy to do and I’ve been guilty of it myself. But in my job we learn to play the odds, so to speak. Someone who has been in trouble in the past is, unfortunately, going to be a more likely suspect than someone who hasn’t. But, that doesn’t mean I’m ready to arrest Zach. I just want to talk to him, see what he has to say.”
She nodded and went to Jake. “Just promise me you’ll give him a chance. Please, give them all a chance,” she said sadly and put her head on his shoulder as his arms went around her.
15
Sam hit the brakes harder than she intended and sent Rigi bumping into the dashboard. “Sorry, girl,” she said, rubbing the dog’s head. She had made an early morning trip into town for sandpaper and stain and was more than a little surprised to find a car in her driveway when she returned. “Who do you suppose is here?” she asked Rigi when she didn’t see anyone around.
Sam didn’t recognize the car and thought maybe it was someone looking for Sam’s Woodworking. As she climbed out of her car she noticed the Illinois license plate just a moment before she heard her name and saw Susan running across the yard, her reddish gold hair flying behind her.
Her cousin crashed into her and wrapped her in a bear hug. “Surprise!” she laughed and hugged Sam again.
“Susan! What are you doing here? Why didn’t you call? I would have been waiting for you.”
“We wanted to surprise you. It’s okay, isn’t it?” Susan asked pulling back, her big emerald eyes looking questioningly at Sam.
“Of course it’s okay! I’m so glad you’re here. Wait…we? Who else is here?” Sam asked and looked excitedly across the yard to the house just as her younger cousin, Kyle, came around the corner.
“Sam!” he called, and lifted his hand in a wave. Sam swore he looked even taller than when she had last seen him but figured at twenty-five he must have finally stopped growing. He was easily 6’-4” and his broad shoulders and all-over muscular build had helped make him a standout during his college football days.
“When did you get here? And more importantly, how long can you stay?” Sam asked.
“We’ve only been here about ten minutes,” Kyle said as he gave Sam a hug. “We’ve just been looking around a little. This is quite a place.”
Sam looked from Kyle to Susan, worried they were going to resent the fact their grandfather had left almost everything to her. “It is quite something. I was shocked when I saw it the first time. You saw the pictures I sent, right?” Her eyes darted from Kyle to Susan, nervously trying to judge their reactions.
“It’s fantastic!” Susan exclaimed. “I love it and I haven’t even seen the inside. It all looks so different here than I remember.”
“It really does,” Kyle agreed. “There used to be a cabin over there,” he said pointing in the direction of the old Anderson cabin.
“The cabin’s gone. I guess Granddad bought the property and had the old cabin torn down. There’s a lot I still don’t understand. But, come on! Let me show you around.”
Sam gave them the tour, answering what questions she could and later, over coffee and muffins, showed them the letter. “I guess I’m still having a hard time not being kind of mad at him,” Sam admitted. “I wish he had told me—us—about it while he was still alive. We could have all enjoyed it, maybe Danny would have even…” She grew silent and her grief was evident in her expression.
Susan put a hand over Sam’s. “I wish he had, too. But he had his reasons and we have to accept that. I think it just would have been too hard for him, too many memories. I’m sure it wasn’t a decision he came to easily and I’m sure he didn’t mean to hurt anyone by it.”
“Suze is right, Sam. He did his best and enjoyed his life but I know, deep down, the pain was always there. There were many times at Christmas, a graduation, whenever, where I’d catch him with this far-off look, sort of removed from all the chaos around him, and I could tell in his heart he was someplace else, imagining what could have been.”
“I know, I keep telling myself those things. I guess I just need to start believing them. So you guys aren’t upset about this place? That he left it to me?” Sam asked tentatively. “You know you’re always welcome here,” she added.
“Upset? Really, Sam? Of course we’re not upset. Right, Kyle?” Susan said looking at her brother who nodded his agreement. “I’m glad he left it to you. Besides, this way we can come visit whenever we want and leave all the work to you.”
“It’s a deal. I’m so glad you’re both here. Tell me what’s going on at home…I mean, in Chicago. I guess this is home now, isn’t it?”
Susa
n got a twinkle in her eye and started bouncing in her chair. “Well, we’ve been waiting to tell you something.”
“What?”
“Let’s see…Jason’s doing well, working his butt off for that law firm but he claims he loves it. Whatever. I couldn’t stand it but I guess that’s his thing. Mom and Dad are happy and busy. Dad hints around about retiring sometimes but I know he’s not ready. He’s afraid to turn the business over to Brad, I think. Not that he thinks Brad can’t handle it but I think he’s afraid he won’t know what to do with himself. Mom’s still working at the flower shop and volunteering at church all the time.”
“Okay…that’s all good. Is that what you were waiting to tell me? Seems like I probably could have guessed most of it.”
“Oh, just tell her, Suze,” Kyle prodded.
Sam looked from one to the other. They seemed happy but it was odd how they were avoiding telling her whatever it was they wanted to tell her.
Finally Susan, looking like she was ready to burst, shrieked, “Brad and Mia are going to have a baby!”
The words came out so fast it sounded like one long word and it took Sam a moment to process the meaning. “They…but…how? Really?”
“Isn’t it fantastic? They are so excited. They just told us, they wanted to wait until she was at least three months along. It’s a miracle, Sam, it really is.”
Sam knew they had been trying for years and had been told by more than one doctor their chances of conceiving were very, very low. They had prayed for a baby, the whole family had prayed. “Everything’s okay? Mia and the baby are doing well?”
Misty Lake: Book One in the Misty Lake Series Page 15
