The Priority Unit (Maine Justice Book 1)

by Davis, Susan Page

  *****

  Harvey got a cab on the street in front of the restaurant. He shook hands with her mother and father, then held Jennifer’s hand for a second and said quietly, “Call me later,” and got into the taxi. He was gone so suddenly that Jennifer felt let down.

  Her parents went back to her house with her for a short visit.

  “You come home and see us soon,” her father said sternly. “You haven’t been home in weeks.”

  “Bring Harvey,” said her mom.

  Her father nodded. “I’d like to show him the farm.” He worked full time, but still farmed on a small scale. The family always had a big garden, and they kept a few animals on the twenty acres.

  “You do like him, don’t you?” Jennifer asked anxiously.

  “We think he’s wonderful,” said her mother, settling on the couch.

  “He’ll do.” That was praise enough from her father.

  Her mother picked up a magazine from the coffee table. “You ought to get a new roommate. I’d feel easier about you living down here.”

  Her father nodded. “Don’t like you coming home alone at night.”

  “I’m thinking about advertising,” Jennifer admitted. “I just want to make sure I don’t have any regrets this time.”

  Her parents left around nine o’clock, and she called Harvey.

  “They’re gone,” she told him. “You lived through it.”

  “Barely. I thought for a while there your father was going to have me drawn and quartered. He thinks you’re not safe with me.”

  “He was talking about the bomb, not you personally. You must have won him over. He told you the moose story.”

  Harvey chuckled. “It was a pretty good story. I like your dad.”

  “That means a lot to me.”

  “Well, he’s a bit protective, but I can’t say as I blame him. I’m concerned about your safety myself.”

  The tenderness in his voice thrilled her, and Jennifer wished he was there with her. “They want me to get a new roommate.”

  “Probably a good idea. But take your time.”

  “I intend to be very picky.” She sighed. “I’d almost rather live alone, but they worry about me.” The knowledge that she had naively let Donna-jean bring a drug dealer into the house still troubled her.

  “Let it ride for a few days,” he advised. “Things will look better then, and you might hear about someone who’s more on your wavelength.”

  “I guess.” She cast about for more cheerful topics. “So, have you and Eddie planned our double date yet?”

  “No, but I guess we’ve got to, or he’ll never quit pestering me about it.”

  “Eddie’s fun.”

  “Yeah, as long as he brings along his own girl, and she’s not an imbecile.”

  Jennifer wondered about that, but didn’t pursue it. “What do you want to do Saturday?”

  “I dunno. I ought to go to an auction or something and buy a table.”

  “A table?” It was out of the blue, and Jennifer sat up, trying to make sense of it.

  “Yeah, I need one.”

  “What for?”

  “To eat on,” Harvey said. “Don’t ask.”

  She could see that the surprises weren’t over. A few days ago, she’d wanted to learn everything about him, but getting to know him was a complex task that encompassed thwarting crime, pondering ideas, and confronting painful memories. Maybe even buying furniture. But she still wanted to do it.

  “We could drive out to the lighthouse at Portland Head,” she suggested. “Isn’t there a flea market out there somewhere?”

  “I think you’re right. There would be yard sales, anyway.”

  “You make the arrangements with Eddie, and I’ll pack a lunch for four.”

  “Sounds good. Jenny, can I see you tomorrow?”

  “Wednesday night? I don’t know if I can keep up the pace, Harvey. I’m getting tired.”

  “I’m sorry. It wouldn’t be a late night. I thought maybe we’d go over to the church.”

  “The prayer meeting is tomorrow night, isn’t it?” She hadn’t thought they would go. She and Harvey weren’t in the praying mode yet, but there was a plaintive longing in his voice.

  “I called the pastor tonight after I got home, and he invited us,” he said.

  “You called him?”

  “Yeah, Eddie asked me a question yesterday about the Bible, and I couldn’t give him an answer, so I called Pastor Rowland to see if he could help me.”

  “Did he?”

  “Yes. See, Eddie asked me why we don’t have priests. He’s Catholic, and he was taking it personally, I think. The pastor told me why that is.”

  “Why?” She’d never thought much about it, but she was curious.

  “Well, in the Old Testament they had priests to make sacrifices and stuff like that, but after Jesus came, they didn’t need them anymore. They didn’t need sacrifices, because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. So the priests were out of a job.”

  “That fits! Harvey, this morning I read Genesis 3, and there are notes where it tells how God planned way back in the Garden of Eden to send Jesus as the savior, and he killed animals to make clothes from their skins for Adam and Eve. That was the first sacrifice, but it was supposed to represent Jesus coming later to die for their sin. When I first read it, I thought the guy who wrote the notes was kind of reaching, but when you say that about not needing sacrifices and priests anymore, well, it’s starting to make sense to me.”

  “Where was that part?” Harvey asked. “Genesis 3? I’ll read it tonight.”

  She lay back on her blue pillow sham. “Harvey, this is great, to be studying the same thing and putting the pieces together.”

  “So, do you want to go to the prayer meeting? The pastor says we don’t have to pray. There’s Bible study, too.”

  “I guess so. I’d like to know how people who believe in God pray. Not the pastor, I mean. Just ordinary people.”

  “Thanks. I promise I’ll get you home early.”

  She hung up, feeling more comfortable with him. More than anything, she wanted to be close to Harvey. They were making progress, but she still felt that exposing her innermost self to anyone would be harrowing. If Harvey were the one, it might be bearable.

  She laid out her clothes for work and went to bed, drifting off as she mentally composed an ad for a new roommate.

  Career woman seeks female roommate. Mature nonsmokers only need apply. Drug users will be arrested.

  Chapter 17

  When they met to run the next morning, Harvey told Eddie what the pastor had said about priests. Eddie was thoughtful, but not happy.

  “Of course a preacher would say that,” he said testily. “They hate Catholics.”

  “He doesn’t,” Harvey insisted.

  “What about the Mass? Only a priest can do the Mass.”

  “Is the Mass in the Bible?” Harvey asked.

  “I don’t know.” Eddie’s brown eyes were troubled.

  “I’ll try to study it some more.”

  When they walked into the office, Mike called them over to his desk.

  “The M.E.’s office just called. They’ve ID’d the body that was found Saturday. I’m sending Arnie and Pete out on another case, but you two get right on this.”

  “You mean it’s our guy?” Eddie’s eyes shone as if Mike had handed him keys to a new snowmobile.

  “Nicholas Lee Dunham, age 32, last seen March 4 at the offices of Coastal Technology…” Mike handed the slip of paper he was scanning to Harvey. “Call Augusta and ask for Dr. Martin. He’ll give you the details. They already sent somebody out to break it to the widow.”

  *****

  A dark-haired woman opened the door of Lisa Dunham’s house to Harvey an hour later. She looked vaguely familiar, and Harvey tried to place her, quickly zipping through his mental catalogue of women connected to Coastal Technology.

  “Hello. I’m Detective Larson, with the Portland P.D. Is Mrs. Dunham in?�
�

  “Yes. Won’t you come in? I’m Nick’s sister, Jackie Wyman.”

  Harvey followed her into the kitchen, and Eddie stationed himself unobtrusively near the door.

  Lisa Dunham sat at the table with a cup of tea before her. Her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed, and it looked as though she hadn’t touched her tea, though her sister-in-law’s mug was nearly empty. Harvey was glad Mrs. Wyman had been with her when the medical examiner’s representative came.

  He walked over to stand beside Lisa. “I’m very sorry, Mrs. Dunham. May I talk to you for a few minutes?”

  She nodded, holding a tissue to her eyes.

  “Would you like some tea or coffee?” Jackie Wyman asked, including Eddie in her glance.

  “No, thank you,” Harvey said, and Eddie shook his head.

  Harvey sat down opposite Lisa and took out his notebook slowly, deliberately, to give her a moment to bring her emotions under control.

  “Ma’am, now that we know for sure that your husband is deceased, we can go forward with the investigation. I’ll work closely with the medical examiner’s office. They’ve given me a full report, and we have lots of new information that should help us.”

  She nodded and drew a shaky breath. “The woman who was here this morning—her name was Hyde—was very nice. She told me—” She broke off with gasp, and Harvey waited. Diane Hyde was good. He was glad they had sent her. Jackie stepped closer and rubbed Lisa’s shoulders.

  “I understand about the—the condition of my husband’s body,” Lisa whispered at last. She pulled tissue after tissue from the box, wiping her face repeatedly as the tears refused to stop flowing. “But she said they’re pretty sure he was—killed—” She sobbed and turned toward Jackie.

  Harvey was glad it was her sister-in-law hugging her and letting her cry all over her blouse. Eddie and Arnie, and even his old partner Chris, got into all sorts of predicaments by letting distraught women cry on their shoulders, and Harvey had determined years ago that he wouldn’t let that happen. It wasn’t that he didn’t feel sympathy. He felt plenty. He just didn’t like to show it.

  Lisa’s sobs diminished. Jackie whispered, “It’s okay, honey, it’s okay.”

  Eddie wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and looked out the window.

  “Mrs. Dunham,” Harvey said gently. “The medical examiner told me this morning that your husband was shot three times. That’s shocking, I know, but now we can look at the evidence they’ve got and try to determine who did this and why.”

  She nodded and took a deep breath. “It’s so awful. I mean, if someone just wanted to rob him, why take him all the way up there, then drive his car back to—I just don’t understand it.”

  “I don’t either, yet, but I intend to find the answers to those questions.”

  She nodded, her tears spilling over again. “I’ve thought about all the questions you asked me before—did Nick have any enemies, and all that. I’ve thought about nothing else. But I still can’t make any sense of it. At least now I know for sure he didn’t—” She swallowed hard and reached for another tissue.

  Harvey looked up at Nick’s sister. Her eyes were brimming, too. “Where are the Dunham children, Mrs. Wyman?”

  “They’re at school.”

  Lisa said, “They were gone before Miss Hyde got here. I—I was glad.”

  “The medical examiner’s office called Lisa first, and she called me,” Jackie said. “I got here while she was explaining things to Lisa. It was pretty gruesome.”

  Harvey nodded. “My partner and I will go to Coastal Technology, to speak to the partners there. After that we’ll probably spend most of the day with the state police, compiling evidence from the scene.”

  “What can you do?” Lisa asked.

  “Well, we know what caliber of weapon to look for now. That’s one thing. There are other leads to follow.” Harvey didn’t really think it was time to reveal his plans for the investigation or more details that would haunt her dreams. “I know this is very difficult for you, and there will be publicity. You’ll need to help the children get through this and decide what the family wants to do for a memorial, things like that. Is there anything I can do for you before I leave?” He looked from Lisa to Jackie.

  “I’ve called my mother,” Jackie said. “The family will get together here this evening. She touched Lisa’s shoulder. “Would you mind if our pastor came over?”

  “That’s fine. Nick would want a service.” Lisa pushed away from the table. “I’m going to lie down.”

  “I’ll be in to check on you in a minute,” Jackie said. When Lisa had left the room, she turned to Harvey. “Nick and Lisa didn’t go to church much lately, but Nick grew up in our church, and he knew the pastor. My mother wants Pastor Rowland to do the service, and I think Nick would want that.”

  Harvey stared at her. “Pastor Rowland? Victory Baptist Church?”

  Jackie’s eyes widened in surprise. “Yes. Wait! You were there Sunday.”

  “Yes. I was visiting with a friend of mine.” He hesitated. “She worked with your brother at Coastal.”

  “That’s odd.”

  He nodded. “Very odd. But then, Pastor Rowland says there’s no such thing as coincidence.”

  Jackie smiled. “God brings his people together when they need each other. Thank you, Detective Larson. I’m glad you’re handling this.”

  “I’m really sorry about your brother—about Nick. Would you like me to call the pastor for you?”

  “I’ll take care of it. Just—please—find out who did this.”

  Harvey nodded, determined that he would.

  *****

  The press got hold of it, and Harvey spent at least half his working time fending off reporters. He hoped they weren’t bothering Lisa Dunham at home. He and Eddie had an intense session with the state trooper who had handled the recovery of the body, but they all knew the answers weren’t in the remote patch of woods where the corpse had been dumped. It was past one o’clock when they stopped at McDonald’s on their way to Coastal Technology. Harvey called Mike on his cell phone as Eddie eased his pickup through the line to the drive-up window.

  “We’re on our way to the software company,” Harvey said. “Any advice?”

  “The phones are ringing constantly in the unit,” Mike replied. “You’ll have to hold a press conference before the evening news.”

  Harvey groaned. “Can’t you do that?”

  “It’s your case. Be back here by four, and I’ll have the patrol sergeant set it up downstairs.”

  Eddie was at the speaker, and he glanced Harvey’s way. “Big Mac?”

  Harvey grimaced. “Chicken salad and milk.”

  “Say what?” Mike asked.

  “Not you. Eddie. He expects me to eat fast food and then give a press conference.”

  “Sounds like ulcer material to me,” Mike agreed. “Four o’clock sharp.”

  Harvey hung up and pulled out his wallet.

  “I guess Jennifer will be surprised to see us,” Eddie said as he handed Harvey his lunch and juggled the change and straws.

  Harvey frowned. “I don’t know as we ought to broadcast the fact that I’m seeing her socially. She told me her friend Jane is still drooling over you, and she doesn’t want her to know she’s met you outside the office.”

  “You’d think Jennifer would have better taste in friends.” Eddie opened his sandwich and looked under the top layer of bun. “Jennifer is so quiet, but that Jane is a non-stop, walking, talking Computer Programmer Barbie.”

  “I think Jane is more or less a friend by default. They work near each other, and there aren’t many other young, single women in the office. And Jenny finds it hard to reject people.” He remembered her reluctance to confront Donna-jean.

  “Maybe you should alert her that we’re coming,” Eddie said. “Then she can run interference with Jane for me.”

  Harvey laughed. “What, you can’t take care of yourself?”

  “That girl is
so intense, she’s scary.”

  *****

  “Did you want to see Mr. Owen?” the receptionist asked when they entered the building.

  “I’ll find him.” Harvey breezed past her desk and into the work room. His eyes sought Jennifer and found her. She saw him, too, but quickly looked away. He suppressed his smile and kept going toward the partners’ offices.

  Eddie kept pace until they neared the break room. Jane Morrow was just coming out with a mug of coffee in one hand.

  “Oh, Detective Thibodeau! How nice to see you again!”

  Eddie smiled weakly. Harvey kept walking, but he could hear Eddie sputtering helplessly behind him. When he got into the hallway, he pulled out his cell phone and punched Jennifer’s number.

  “H-hello?”

  “Hey, gorgeous. Eddie just got waylaid by your pal Jane. I don’t suppose you could invent an errand for him? For some reason he can’t cope with that one.”

  “Sure.”

  “Great, if it will help, tell him I asked for him to join me in Bart Owen’s office. Or haul him off someplace else, I don’t care.”

  “Got it.”

  She clicked off, and he smiled as he replaced the phone in his pocket and stopped before Owen’s door.

  Owen rose as he entered. “Larson. Leola just told me you were here. Is there news?”

  “Yes, sir. Perhaps you’d like to ask Mr. Rainey and Mr. Channing to join us.”

  *****

  Jennifer walked briskly toward the door of the break room. Somehow Jane had cornered Eddie and was edging him toward the coffee maker, giving him a rundown on an error one of their clerks had made that morning. Eddie was backing away from her nervously.

  “So then we had to call the client and ask him if he minded that we’d sent him three hundred extra copies of the program,” Jane said. “Would you like some coffee? We can sit in here while you wait for your boss.”

  Eddie gulped. “He’s not my—”

  “You can have juice or soda if you’d rather.” Jane laid her hand on his sleeve. “We keep all sorts of refreshments for visitors. You know, clients and salesmen. Anyway, those kinds of mistakes don’t happen often, but when they do, the partners get really uptight, and then we all know it’s going to be—”