Hi Nate, I just finished going back over Sarah’s second paper. She really had some great ideas. It seemed like it was too late to implement some of them up in Michigan since they didn’t know what they were fighting for so long. We may have more time here. She was something!
Also, I received a call from the membership coordinator of the Forest Initiative today. She said that a police officer named Pearson had contacted her and wanted to know how long I’d been a member and if I was still active. What’s with this guy? Should I be worried? Sorry to bother you.
Lise
I thought for a moment before I replied.
She was, Liselle. Hope her research winds up helping. She’d be glad.
Pearson can be aggressive but your membership in an organization won’t change the autopsy. Hopefully once the toxicology report comes back, he’ll stop. Be careful in the meantime though and don’t talk about it to anyone without a lawyer.
Take care.
Nate
I was pretty sure I was right. If the toxicology report was clean, I didn’t see why Pearson would keep chasing his tail. There was nothing to do but wait.
I looked at the email a moment longer then decided that maybe there was something to be done. I pulled out my notes from our meeting, made a list of the organizations Pearson had questioned Liselle about, and added the Doprava Company to the bottom. Then I printed out the list and went to the Brickhouse.
The Brickhouse is a gym in a renovated brick warehouse that shares a parking lot with the Railcar. Actually, ‘renovated’ is too strong a word—unless by renovated you mean that the inside had been gutted so that it was all cement floor and brick walls and well-worn equipment. The only soft thing in the place was the mat in the back which the owners had eventually conceded was necessary, sometimes, for proper training.
Those owners were Olivia and Cade Brickson. As I entered the gym, Olivia was standing behind the desk. She had short, bleached white hair that swirled down in front of her left eye and the semi-reflective glasses she always wore. She was dressed for a class in black training pants and a red tank top that revealed a tattooed sleeve on her left arm. Her brother Cade was off to the side, filling an honor-system fridge with water and chocolate milk. He was a huge man with wide shoulders and traps that bulged like baseballs under his shirt. Cade looked exactly like what he was, the most fearsome heavyweight wrestler that Carrefour North had ever produced. Cade ran a bail bond company while Olivia did private investigations. Those businesses paid the bills but the gym was their passion.
Olivia put her hands on her hips as I entered. “Well, look who’s here,” she said. “You taking my class today, soft stuff?”
“I’m not man enough, Liv. You know that.”
“You just gonna throw my weights around again?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“You shirk you shrink. Get after it.”
I smiled. “I feel so motivated.”
“Are you here by yourself today?”
I cocked my head. “I usually am.”
“Not always, I hear.”
“What are you talking about?”
The glasses always made reading Olivia’s expression a little difficult but it was easy to see her smirk when she said, “Word has it that just a few short days ago, at the restaurant in this very complex, you were seen in the company of a woman … How did they put it, Cade?”
“Way above his pay grade,” said Cade and kept right on loading the chocolate milk into the refrigerator.
“That could be just about anyone,” I said.
“Pale blonde hair,” said Olivia. “Light green eyes. One theory was that she was a supermodel doing community service.”
“I heard she’d lost a bet,” said Cade.
I shrugged. “Just doing a favor for a friend.”
“Somebody certainly owes somebody a favor,” said Cade.
Sometimes diversion is the only tactic. “I have some research for you if you’re interested,” I said to Olivia. Besides being the owner of the gym and a master tormentor in the name of fitness, Olivia did research for me. Just last summer, she’d put in a lot of time on a murder case I’d defended.
“Always,” she said. “What are we checking?”
I handed her the list. “Some organizations, mostly environmental-related, I think. And a company.”
She scanned it. “No problem. Depth?”
“Surface. Just want to know what they’re about, what they do, that kind of thing.”
“You can’t do it? Slow, soft, and lazy is no way to go through life, son.”
“I want you to have a start in case I need more later. And fat, drunk, and stupid is what you want to avoid.”
She rolled her head. “I was tailoring it to the situation. And sure.”
“Thanks.”
“No problem.” Olivia gave me a wicked grin. “You up for a Spartan Race next weekend? There’s one at the track.”
“I would but I saw that it’s sold out.”
“I know but Abby had to cancel. Turned her ankle. You can take her spot.”
“Ooooo, yeah, sorry, I’m working then.”
“At seven Saturday morning?”
I grinned. “I’ll make sure of it.”
She smiled back. “I’m calling you now, you know.”
“I’ll be waiting. Thanks, Liv.”
“Sure.” She gestured. “Are you ever going to work out?”
“I was on my way but somebody kept asking me personal and prying questions.”
“Sorry for being concerned about your welfare.”
I bowed and walked to the locker room.
“I suppose she could have been blind,” Cade said as I passed.
11
The next day was Saturday, which meant my nephew Justin had a football game. I was just walking out the door when my phone buzzed. A text from Liselle. Can I call?
I called her back and as she picked up, said, “Is everything okay, Liselle?”
“Hi, Nate. Yes, everything’s fine. I’m sorry to bother you.”
“Has Pearson called again?”
“No, no. I’m sorry, I should have thought of that. That’s not why I’m calling.”
“Oh. Okay. What’s up?”
“Remember how I said I might take a trip to Wisconsin to talk to the manufacturer of a spray that shows some promise?”
“I do.”
“They had another successful test so I’m planning on going up to Madison to check it out.”
“I see.”
“I was hoping to stop in Carrefour on the way back.”
“Really?”
She talked a little faster now. “I've gotten through all of Sarah's articles again. I wanted to stop in the Groves to match the actual land features to Sarah’s descriptions of how it progressed.”
“Okay.”
She paused. “I know it's a lot to ask, but do you think you could show me some of the places?”
“Liselle, I really have no idea where Sarah worked.”
“No, I know that, but you know the area. I thought you would know the landmarks to help me find the places she describes.”
If you know any lawyers, you know they have this annoying habit—when you suggest doing something, they immediately think of all the other things they have to do for other cases. I did the same thing now.
“It’s a little hard for me to get away during the week, Liselle.”
“Right, right. That’s why I thought I’d come in on a Saturday.”
“When were you thinking?”
“Three weeks from today. I’m making the arrangements now.”
Notwithstanding my earlier conversation with Olivia, it was hard to raise a good work excuse on a Saturday.
“Sure. Just let me know when you're confirmed and I’ll show you around that day. I'm booked that Sunday though.”
“Saturday will be more than enough. Thanks, Nate, I really appreciate it. We're at the front end of the fight here and I’m hop
ing that with this head start we might be able to slow it down.”
“Sure. Just let me know before you head up, okay?”
“I will.”
“No calls or contacts on the other thing?”
I heard her enthusiasm dampen on the other end.
“No. I haven’t talked to anyone since I got back.” She paused. “They didn’t let me go to the funeral.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I just would’ve liked a chance to say good-bye that wasn’t so…rushed.”
“I’m sorry,” I said again.
I heard her shift gears.
“Well, I need to book this flight before the price goes up. Thanks, Nate. I’ll let you know when I’m confirmed.”
“Talk to you soon.”
I hung up. It took me a moment to realize what I'd just done. I took a moment more to realize that I was a little uncomfortable about it. But then, the more I thought, the more I realized it was just an afternoon and it was just showing a scientist some of Sarah's work so that she could build on it.
I decided that was okay. Then I checked the clock, swore, and hustled off to my nephew’s football game.
As I pulled into Ashland Park, I saw that both fields were occupied with twelve-year-olds running around in football helmets and pads. I hurried over to the south field to a cluster of parents wearing blue and orange. There weren't any bleachers so parents were scattered along one sideline, divided by which team they were rooting for. I saw my sister-in-law Izzy's shock of curly blonde hair next to my mom and my other sister-in-law Kate, all sitting in a row on pop-up chairs with my dad standing next to them. I said hi, kissed my mom on the cheek, and took a position between my dad and Izzy.
“Did they just start?” I asked.
“We kicked off,” my dad said. “Held them to three and out and they just punted.”
“Justin at linebacker?”
Izzy nodded. “Mark said he was going to alternate the kids by quarter so Justin will play linebacker first and third and running back second and fourth.”
My dad smiled. “The coach is a moron.”
The coach was my brother, Mark. He was clapping and shuffling players in and out on the far sideline as we spoke.
“Where are the trolls?” I said.
“Justin, Taylor, and Page are over on the playground,” said Izzy. “Joe is helping his dad.”
I glanced over and saw Taylor, Page, and James sitting on the very top of the monkey bars, which made sense since all three climbed like monkeys. I looked across the field and smiled as I saw eight-year-old Joe standing near my brother Mark, holding a carrier with four water bottles in it. Right on cue, I heard a high little voice say, “Let's go, Cougars!” with fiery, squeaking intensity. With three-year-old Charlie on my sister-in-law Kate's lap, that meant all of us were here except my brother Tom, who was busy coaching the varsity football team.
We watched the organized chaos that is twelve-year-old football and clapped as the Cougars got a first down. As the kids went back to the huddle I said to my dad, “Ray Gerchuk said to say ‘hi.’”
My dad nodded. “Where did you see Ray?”
“Talked to him on the phone the other day.”
“Work?”
“Yeah. He wants to know when you two are going fishing again.”
Although we were in the first days of fall, my dad was still the weathered brown of a hickory plank from fishing just about every day. “Whenever he gets his lazy ass out to my cottage is when.”
“That's what I told him.”
My dad looked at me.
I smiled. “Essentially.”
“Talking to the coroner?” Izzy looked up from her chair, her eyes mischievous. “You're not representing rock stars again, are you?”
“No, my rock 'n' roll days are done.”
“Movie stars then?”
“No.”
“That's not what I heard,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve heard that you've been out and about with a movie star. Or someone who looks like one anyway.”
“Blonde,” said Kate. “Stunning. Not from around here.”
Jesus Christ, Carrefour was a small town sometimes.
“That was for work,” I said.
“New case?”
“Doesn't look like it.” I realized that if Liselle was going to be in town three weeks from now, I needed to take some preemptive steps. “She's a biologist from down south that’s studying Sarah's work. They're dealing with some of the same stuff down there that Sarah was up here.”
“Emerald ash borer?” my dad said.
I nodded.
“They're never going to stop it,” he said.
“Apparently, they're trying.”
It takes a long time for a twelve-year-old to run sixty yards in full equipment, even with eleven guys chasing him, but that's exactly what happened and we all cheered as the Cougars’ running back, Evan Green, did it. A chorus of “Good job, Evan” and “Great blocking line” followed as the kids lined up and tried, unsuccessfully, for a two-point conversion. That seemed to divert the conversation.
After the change in possession, the Cougars’ defense trotted onto the field and I saw number 49 take his position on the right side behind the defensive line.
“Justin’s wearing Uncle Tommy's number this year?” I asked.
“He insisted,” said Izzy.
I smiled. “How did Mark take that?”
Izzy grinned. “He said that it’s a great number.”
“It's killing him, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely.”
Sometimes brothers’ relationships are completely predictable.
“So, where is this beautiful biologist from?” said Izzy.
Apparently, the touchdown did not get me off the hook.
"Who said she was beautiful?” I asked.
“Literally everyone who told me about her. Where’s she from?”
“Down south.”
“Missouri?” said Kate.
Have I mentioned that my sisters-in-law are evil?
“Yes.”
“Was she in town for the wedding?”
“Yes.”
“Makes sense, that’s where the groom’s family is from, right?”
“They are.”
I waited but they didn't ask the next question. Which was good since it meant that local people weren't associating Liselle with Richard Phillips’ death. So I said, “I think she was killing two birds with one stone, going to the wedding and checking out the trees up here.”
I paused, then I bit the bullet. “I think she's coming back in a few weeks to investigate some more sites.”
All three Shepherd women turned.
“Really?” said my mom.
“Interesting,” said Kate.
“You don't say,” said Izzy.
Justin picked that moment to bail me out. He was dropping back in coverage when a wobbly pass came over the middle. He jumped up, intercepted it, and ran down the sidelines. We all cheered and yelled as he scampered into the end zone for a touchdown. By the time they made the two-point conversion, I was able to turn the conversation to the high school's upcoming game with East Jackson.
I owed my nephew one.
When the game ended, the Cougars had beaten the Broncos 34 to 16, Justin had added one more touchdown, and my family was inoculated to the fact that I would be spotted in town with a blonde biologist at the end of the month.
It was far more pleasant than the next time we gathered together for one of my nephews.
12
I was at the office about three weeks later on a Friday afternoon when my phone buzzed. I saw the number for Ray Gerchuck and answered.
“So who won the Glass Lake bass championship, Ray?”
“Your dad and I both caught the limit so it came down to weight,” Ray said. “Got him by half a pound.”
“That explains why he wouldn’t say when I asked him.
I’ll be sure to mention it to him this Sunday.”
Ray chuckled. “Please do. I didn’t just call to brag though. The toxicology report is back on the Phillips case.”
I did the math. “Already? Shouldn’t it be another couple of weeks?”
Ray paused before he said, “Let’s just say that the subject’s family has the means to accelerate things with the lab.”
I suppose being the head of a Fortune 100 company had its perks. “What did it find?”
“Do you remember the autopsy report?” Ray asked.
“Cardiac arrest from a heart arrhythmia, right?”
“Right. The toxicology results and his medical records confirmed it.”
“What did you find?”
“It's as much what I didn't find as what I did, Nate. Whenever an affluent person, especially an older man, dies like this, the first thing we look for is drugs. He was clean for all of the usual suspects—opioids, amphetamines, cocaine—anything that can cause an irregular heartbeat. Then I looked at his medical records which showed that he had a history of high blood pressure and was taking a beta blocker for it.”
“What’s a beta blocker?”
“A type of medication used to control high blood pressure. He was taking metoprolol. Lopressor is the brand name.”
“I’ve seen the ads during football games. What does it do?”
“It slows your heart rate so that the blood pressure is reduced. According to his records, he had some episodes of irregular heartbeats about four years ago so that’s why they put him on this particular medication. Once I found that in his records, we ran more tests and found trace amounts of the Lopressor in his system. Not as much as you would expect for the dose he was prescribed but still enough to show that he was taking his medication regularly.”
“Anything else?”
“The last main thing was alcohol. It was an evening wedding, right?”
“Actually the wedding was early afternoon. The reception didn't start until six o'clock or so.”
“So my guess is he did what people normally do in that circumstance—they go to the wedding and then start drinking in the afternoon. He had a fairly high blood alcohol level, about .18.”
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