by Ben Follows
“Why was Amelia out here?”
“I can’t tell you that,” said Franklin. “My partner is asking her questions right now, which should hopefully give us an answer.”
“How did it happen?”
Franklin gestured at the site. “Best guess right now is that Robin was meeting someone here. It’s a big enough yard that she could meet someone without anyone seeing her. She doesn’t live here anymore, but she knows the house and the neighborhood. It’s a safe meeting spot. There’s a pair of footsteps leaving the yard that are too big to be Robin’s and haven’t been completely filled in by snow. Robin was shot from behind. She probably didn’t see her killer approaching.”
“Did she have anything on her? Notes or something like that?”
Franklin put a hand on Norman’s shoulder.
“You need to let this go,” he said. “Stop thinking like a detective. Go work on something else. We are going to reopen the investigation into Joel’s death, and we will find the people responsible for both murders. Got it?”
Norman looked down at Robin. Her hair fluttered in the crisp breeze.
Franklin patted him on the back. “Come on inside,” he said. “It’s cold out here.”
“I’ll tell you everything,” said Norman. “Promise me you’ll find whoever did this.”
Franklin nodded. “I’ll find them.”
Norman stood for a few more seconds, looking down at Robin’s body, and wiped a tear from his eye. Then he followed Franklin back into the house.
The snow continued to slowly fall. He couldn’t help but wonder whether the killer had expected her body to be covered by the snow, only to be found when it finally melted.
Chapter 13
“Are you okay, Norman?”
Norman looked up. He had sunk into the couch and been covered by dogs on all sides. The television was playing reruns of Seinfeld. Julia was standing over him, looking concerned.
“Robin’s dead,” he said, taking another sip of coffee. It was nine in the morning and the sun had begun to sneak through the clouds.
Julia stared at him for a few seconds then nestled into a spot on the couch between him and the dogs. The dogs that were pushed out of the way reconfigured themselves around her. She put an arm around him, and they sat in silence for a few minutes until the sun came directly through the open windows and shined on their faces.
Julia got up and closed the blinds, then she turned back to him.
“What now?” she said.
“I’m off the case,” said Norman. “The police are reopening the investigation. I’ll focus on my other cases.”
“What other cases?”
He took a sip of coffee. “Rich kid looking for the cop who came after him.”
Julia nodded. Norman could guess what she was thinking. They were skating on thin ice financially and needed the money from the Sweetwater case to stay afloat. They had received the first of the checks from Robin in the mail, but Norman hadn’t opened them. He felt like his fingers might be set ablaze if he touched the envelope.
He was concerned about what a lack of money would mean for his relationship with Julia. A part of him was certain she would stay with him even if he wasn’t paying her as a live-in housekeeper and dogsitter, but he didn’t know for certain, and that terrified him.
“Are you alright?” said Julia.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I need to go.”
He stood, shook off the dogs, and left the condo. Julia didn’t try to stop him.
He didn’t know where he was going as he walked out onto the street, only that he couldn’t stay there anymore.
Norman walked for what seemed like an eternity. The entire world continued to revolve around him, but he took no notice of it. He didn’t pay attention to where he was walking, because it didn’t matter. He just needed to be alone.
All he could think of was Robin face down in the snow and Amelia blaming him for it.
He looked up and noticed that he had absentmindedly walked to Vince’s warehouse studio.
He walked into the recording booth. He glanced through the window and saw Meghan, Damien, and Sam playing another of their songs. Vince was sitting in the booth on the other side of the room, playing back the vocals and giving them instructions.
Norman waved, and Vince nodded at him to come in. He walked into the booth and stood behind Vince as he finished what he was doing.
Vince turned and crossed his arms once he was finished. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Norman? I suppose you’re just here to pick up the police report on that Thomas Ruutu kid, then you’re going to disappear forever.” Then he frowned. “Jesus, what happened to you, man? You look terrible.”
Norman fell into a chair. He looked across the room and through the window into the recording studio. Pocket Change was breaking down their gear and getting ready to leave. There was something about the group that bothered him.
He turned back to Vince. “Robin Sweetwater was murdered last night. I think it was my fault.”
“Oh my God. Are you alright?”
“Yeah.” Norman let out a deep breath. “Things have gotten messy. You can keep the file on Ruutu’s case if taking it would ruin our friendship. I need someone to talk to who isn’t just around me because of my money or because of who I was before. I have no one to talk to.”
“What do you mean?”
Norman went to stand. “Never mind. I’m sorry for wasting your time.”
“Dude,” said Vince, “sit down. Let’s talk about this. You’re clearly going through some shit. Talk to me.”
Norman sighed and considered just as the three band members came out of the room.
“Norman,” said Damien. “Have you made any progress on the Joel Sweetwater case?”
Norman shook his hand. “Nothing.”
Damien raised an eyebrow.
“Come on,” said Meghan, grabbing Damien’s arm and tugging at him. “Let’s get out of here.”
Damien glanced at her then rolled his eyes and followed her out. Sam hovered behind them for a few seconds and looked at Norman seriously before following them out. Something about that gaze sent a chill down Norman’s spine.
“Come on,” said Vince, breaking Norman away from his thoughts. “Tell me what happened.”
So Norman told him, and Vince listened. By the end of it, without Vince having said a word, Norman felt immensely better. He stood and went to the door.
“Thanks, Vince. I’m sorry I didn’t appreciate you enough. You deserve better friends than me.”
Vince stood. “Hold on a second. I have something for you.” He walked to his desk and took out a folder. “The Thomas Ruutu case file. Take it, as a friend.”
Norman shook his head. “I can’t.”
Vince shrugged. “It’s no use to me. Maybe you’ll find something in there that will help get you back on your feet.”
Norman smiled and took the folder. “Thanks, Vince. I appreciate this.”
“Come back anytime, Norman.”
Norman thanked him again and left the warehouse.
He went to a coffee shop, ordered a latte, and took out the folder Vince had given him. He broke the seal and hesitated before looking at the contents. Then he took a deep breath. This was nothing to do with the Joel Sweetwater case. That was in the past now. Whatever was in this envelope was going to get him paid by Thomas Ruutu, and he would be able to resume the life he’d become accustomed to.
Everything could get back to normal.
He opened the folder and pulled out the police report.
His heart sank.
At the top of the report was a single name of the investigating officer who had arrested Thomas Ruutu and put him into jail.
It was the same man who had shown Norman Robin’s corpse the previous night: Detective Dennis Franklin.
Chapter 14
Norman sat in the stands of the lacrosse facility and waved when Thomas saw him. Thomas said something to the other coach and
walked over.
“How’s it going, Detective?” said Thomas. “You look terrible.”
“We need to talk,” said Norman.
Thomas sat down beside him. “Why’s that? Have you found out who came after me?”
Norman looked around. “Is there somewhere private we can talk?”
Thomas raised an eyebrow. “There’s a break room for the coaches. No one else will be there.”
“Lead the way.”
Norman followed Thomas out to the front of the building and up to the second floor, where a party room had been converted into a makeshift break room. There was a tray of sandwiches in the middle of the room, and Norman realized he hadn’t eaten that day.
“Help yourself,” said Thomas, gesturing toward the food. “They always give us way too much then complain they’re wasting money on us.”
Norman grabbed a few sandwiches and wolfed them down. Once he had finished, he pulled out a plastic chair and sat beside Thomas.
“We need to talk about the man who was in charge of the investigation that led to you being put in prison,” he said.
Thomas raised an eyebrow and crossed his legs. “Did you find out who it was?”
“I did, but I’m not going to tell you just yet.”
“Why is that?”
“You see, Thomas, this case has become entwined with the same one I originally came here to investigate you about.”
Thomas tilted his head to one side. “Which one was that, again?”
“The alleged suicide of Joel Sweetwater.”
Thomas shrugged. “What does that have to do with me?”
“The detective in charge of your case has been put in charge of reopening the Joel Sweetwater case.”
“So you proved that it was a murder? Congratulations.”
“Not exactly,” said Norman. “His sister was murdered last night.”
“That’s a shame,” said Thomas without emotion. “How did she die?”
“I can’t tell you that,” said Norman. “It’s an ongoing investigation, and I’ve been told by the police not to interfere.”
Thomas nodded. “Makes sense.”
“Did you know Robin?” said Norman.
“I assume that’s the sister?” said Thomas. “I never met her.”
“Are you sure? She was a reporter at the Toronto Post.”
“I’m sure.” Thomas stood. “I should probably get back to work. If you give me the name of the investigating officer, then I can get your payment wired to you.”
“What about the NHL connections?”
“I said I’d look into it. I didn’t promise anything. Give me the name.” Thomas held out a hand.
Norman sighed. He really needed the money. “His name is Detective Dennis Franklin.”
“There,” said Thomas. “Was that so hard?”
“You’ll send my payment?”
Thomas walked to the door. “I’ll send the money. Have a good day, Norman. You’ve done great.”
Chapter 15
On his way back to his condo, Norman picked up his mail. He flipped through the late bills and spam until he came to a thick envelope with no return address.
He flipped it over and saw nothing to indicate who sent it. He placed the rest of the mail down, ripped open the envelope, and pulled out the contents. There were a lot of folded documents, as well as a small sheet of paper that slipped out and fell to the floor.
Norman leaned over and picked up the sheet.
It said:
Hello Norman. I would like to take this opportunity to formally apologize for your missing dog. I have my best people searching high and low, and we should find Teddy within a few days. It’s possible that he will already be home when you read this. I appreciate that you have stopped investigating the death of Joel Sweetwater, even though it didn’t happen the way I wanted it to. Enclosed is my part of our bargain. I hope you’re happy, Norman Green, and I hope our paths never cross again.
Yours truly,
A friend.
Norman stared at the letter for a long moment then looked into the envelope. He pulled out the folded documents and felt his breath catch in his throat. It was an invitation for a professional tryout with the Hershey Bears, the minor league affiliate of the Washington Capitals.
Also enclosed was a letter from the owner of the Bears, explaining that Norman would have to pass a full physical and drug test on an annual basis, but that as long as he passed those tests, he would be welcome in their organization.
Norman couldn’t help but smile. After a few moments of laughing in glee like a schoolgirl, he gathered up his mail and walked to the elevator. He rode up to the tenth floor, smiling the entire time.
He walked down the hallway and pushed opened the door.
“Hello?” he shouted.
“Norman!” came Julia’s gleeful shout in reply. “Come here, quickly!”
Norman ran into the living room.
Julia was sitting on the couch. She was surrounded by dogs who were lavishing love on her, but most importantly was the dog that was sitting in Julia’s lap and receiving attention from the rest of the gathered dogs.
Norman placed the mail on a high shelf in the closet so the dogs couldn’t get at it then walked slowly up to her. Teddy the Rottweiler looked up from where he was seated on Julia’s lap and reached for Norman.
Norman sat beside her, pushing a few dogs out of the way, and put an arm around her while he patted Teddy’s head. Teddy seemed perfectly fine and healthy.
“What happened?” said Norman.
“I got a call from the humane society,” said Julia, leaning against Norman. “I’d given them all Teddy’s information while I was there a few days ago, and they told me they’d let me know if anyone brought him in.”
Teddy panted and rested his head on Norman’s lap. His tail wagged as Norman scratched behind his ears.
“Who brought him in?” said Norman.
“They didn’t know,” said Julia. “They said that the young woman who dropped him off didn’t want to sign documents or anything, even though they tried to make her give her name.”
“A woman?” said Norman, thinking of the two men who had held him captive in the warehouse.
“That’s what they said. Brunette woman in her twenties, maybe younger.”
Norman frowned, trying to think of anyone who would fit that description. It made sense that his captors would use outside help to bring the dog to the humane society.
“And?” he said.
“The woman said she’d found Teddy scrounging around downtown. She’d seen his collar and knew he had an owner but hadn’t wanted to call. It’s the best news I’ve had in a long time.”
“I have great news too.”
Julia looked up at him. “What are you talking about?”
Norman couldn’t help it as his grin got even wider. “You aren’t going to believe me.”
“What?” Julia looked up at him and tilted her head to one side.
“I’m going to be a hockey player again.”
Julia’s eyes opened so wide, it seemed like they were going to fall out of her head. “What?”
“The kidnappers promised that if I left the Sweetwater case, they could get me a new contract.”
Julia looked incredulous, and Norman couldn’t blame her. “What are you talking about?”
“Give me one second.” Norman pushed Teddy off his lap and grabbed the letter.
Julia took the envelope and skimmed each document.
“Is this legitimate?”
“I’m going to check tomorrow morning, but I think so.”
“Wow,” said Julia. Her eyes were teary. She pulled Norman into a hug so tight, he wondered if he would suffocate, but he didn’t care. He was feeling a high at that moment, unlike anything he had ever felt.
He hugged her back. He could feel her tears of happiness hitting his shirt. She was so close to him that he could feel her breath and the warmth of her body.
> “Will you marry me?” he said.
There was a moment of silence where the entire world seemed to freeze.
Julia pulled back from him and looked into his eyes.
“Of course I will,” she said, “I love you.”
And in that moment, right before they kissed, Norman felt a happiness he knew couldn’t last.
Chapter 16
“How are you doing?” said Julia, adjusting her black dress and jacket.
“I’m fine,” said Norman as he pulled on his socks. He hadn’t dressed this formally in years and wished he didn’t have to.
“Come here,” said Julia. She stepped over Teddy, who was lying on the floor of their bedroom. She adjusted Norman’s tie.
“You’ll be fine,” she said. “Remember I’ll be next to you the entire time. Robin’s death had nothing to do with you. Remember that.”
Norman nodded.
“I love you,” said Julia, holding up the hand with the ring Norman had bought the previous day. It was more expensive than he could afford, but the money from Thomas had come in and he had been feeling particularly happy. It just seemed like the right thing to do.
They left the house and climbed into Norman’s car.
Although he was conflicted about it, Norman would be lying if he said that the money hadn’t been a godsend. He had enough to pay off his debts and put some money into savings.
He still felt guilty. It wasn’t quite blood money, but it was close.
They parked at a small church close to the Sweetwater home. The snowfall had stopped, but the snow was thick enough that a crunchy top layer had formed.
They walked in and slipped onto a back bench. The funeral proceedings had already started. A minister was standing at the front of the church talking about how long he had known the Sweetwater family and how saddened he was that Robin had been so cruelly taken from them. He prayed for God’s aid in bringing the killer to justice.
Norman quickly grew bored and busied himself by looking around the church and trying to pick out anyone that he knew. Detective Franklin was sitting in the third row on the right, looking around in the same way Norman was. When their eyes met, the police detective gave Norman a curt nod.
