The Family Tree Murders

by Laura Hern

  Her over-active mind went to the thought that it could be accidental death from carbon monoxide poisoning.

  Lainey closed the file on the black jump drive and sat back in her chair to think, still trying to get a clear picture of what Mary Chase was hoping to prove. Questions swirled in her head. Did Mary think Eugene and Harold Sullivan were murdered and it was covered up? Did she think Raymond and Doug were next on the murderer’s list? And how did Mary know that no autopsies were performed? She needed much more information!

  Before emailing Mary to set up another meeting, Lainey wanted to review the other folder on the black jump drive.

  There was only one file in the folder… History. Clicking open the link, Lainey saw a listing of three people, Doug Reynolds, Mary Reynolds Chase, and Ann Reynolds. Beside each name were paragraphs about each person.

  Lainey made a note to herself to ask Mary if she had been the one who created the file because the fonts of the paragraphs changed several times.

  She began reading the paragraph about Doug.

  “The oldest, born in 1955 and never married. Doug quit high school after the accident with Dad. He took over the farm at age 17…”

  Lainey highlighted this, making a note to herself to ask Mary about the accident as she continued reading. “…struggles to make ends meet on the farm and works part-time as a body driver for the county coroner and funeral homes. Still takes care of Ann…”

  Was Doug angry about having to run the farm at such an early age? Why was he taking care of Ann? Where have I heard of body drivers?

  She glanced down at the next paragraph which was about Mary.

  “Mary, the middle child born in 1961, was the smartest…”

  Lainey giggled. “If you wrote this, good for you, Mary!” She continued reading.

  “…Mary helped on the farm until she married her own farmer in 1982. She has three children, none are named Ann.”

  None of them named Ann? Why did she feel that was important? Does she get along with Ann?

  Curiously, she scrolled down to the last paragraph with Ann’s information.

  “Ann, the baby of the family, born in 1965. Born with her left leg much shorter than the right. Dad blamed Mom and made wooden canes for Ann to use…”

  Lainey raised her eyebrow, leaned forward and continued reading.

  “…Always tagged along behind Doug. After her left leg was amputated above the knee, played the guilt trip card on Doug. Still does today. Lives with her boyfriend who runs a small auto repair shop out of his garage…”

  Lainey rubbed her tired and blurry eyes. The clock on her computer showed 1:23 a.m. She closed the file, removed the black jump drive and placed it back in the baggie. She wrote a quick email to Mary Chase and asked to meet with her as soon as possible. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned.

  “Mary, I still am not sure about any murders being committed, but there are possible motives floating around in my head!”

  She turned off her computer, gave Powie a treat, and headed to bed.

  Chapter 3

  Lainey pulled into a parking spot directly in front of Babe’s House of Caffeine about twenty minutes before Mary Chase had emailed to meet. Sunday afternoons meant the coffee house was usually busy with the after church crowd. The wind had been howling steadily at thirty miles an hour, making the temperature feel below zero. She was thankful she didn’t have far to walk to the door.

  Babe’s had photos of many local celebrities, school groups, and regulars hanging on the walls. Lainey sat on a chair at a high-top table that faced the front door. The photo beside her was of a local radio announcer raising up a coffee cup. She looked at the black and white photo and read the signed inscription: ‘Thanks for feeding my coffee cravings.’

  “How’s it going?” the waitress inquired. “Our Sunday specials are the firehouse chili or a pound of buffalo wings. What can I get started for you?”

  Lainey, putting her iPad on the table and checking her phone said without looking up, “A medium nonfat mocha Frappuccino with no whip please.”

  She hoped that Mary would be able to answer the many questions she had concerning the data on the black jump drive. She looked up to see Mary walking toward her with a purple and yellow Minnesota Vikings stocking cap on her head. Lainey smiled and waved.

  Mary, putting her puffy coat on the chair, took off her stocking cap, bent over just a bit to fluff her bright red hair, sat down. “I’m so glad you emailed. It means you believe me!” She said, her green eyes sparkling with thanksgiving.

  “It certainly appears that something may be happening,” Lainey said cautiously. “I have many questions that were not answered in the files you gave me.” She paused as she watched Mary’s smile disappear.

  “Oh,” sighed Mary. Her shoulders slumped forward as she leaned on the table and said in a deadpan voice, “What do you need to know?” She was looking directly into Lainey’s eyes as if no one else was in the coffee shop. “I’m not promising to know everything.”

  Judging by Mary’s actions, Lainey knew this meeting might not be as pleasant and friendly as the first one. She paused for a moment before laying her iPad on the table.

  “I don’t mean to cause you to worry or stress, but if there is someone targeting the Sullivan family and your brother, I have questions that must be answered,” Lainey said as gently as possible.

  Mary nodded. “I understand.”

  Lainey smiled and looked at her notes for the order of the questions she needed to ask. For years, friends had said she was a perfectionist, that she spent more time organizing notes than a librarian and had laughed stating that Einstein wasn’t as anal about notes as she was. She would always smile. It was her personality and how she worked best.

  “Who wrote or copied these files onto the black jump drive?” Lainey began.

  “I got the Sullivan information from the family trees that were connected to us when our DNA results came back. You can get birth dates, marriage records, criminal records, and more when you search for a person through the website,” Mary said, motioning for the waitress to bring her a coffee.

  “A person could spend days or weeks looking up or searching for lost relatives. I guess you could say it can be addicting. I filled out the Gen file, too.”

  “You said you got DNA results showing the name Sullivan?” Lainey asked.

  In the back of her mind, Lainey was thinking about Della Kristiansen from the Whoopee group. She was obsessed with searching for ancestors. Maybe she could do research on the Sullivan’s and Reynolds’.

  “The results are posted online and show your DNA matches in order of closeness,” Mary sipped her coffee. “Immediate relatives like parents or siblings are listed first showing the percent of certainty beside their names. Next, the first or second cousins and so on down to fourth and fifth cousins.”

  She thought for a moment. “If a person on the match list has set up a family tree and it is public, not only can you look at that one person, but you can see all of their relatives’ entries, too. Our family had more than four thousand DNA matches, but only one immediate relative match -the Sullivan tree. That’s where we found a birth certificate showing Doug had a different mother than Ann and I.”

  Lainey caught herself watching Mary’s mannerisms instead of intently listening to her. Sitting back in her chair, Mary had been slowly sliding her fingers repeatedly around the top of her coffee cup as she was talking.

  Is she nervous? Is she hiding something?

  “The paragraph about Doug mentioned he quit school because of an accident?” Lainey questioned.

  Mary looked down at the table, fidgeted in her seat, looked up, and said, “Dad died in a tractor accident Doug’s junior year.” She wiggled again in the chair and continued.

  “Doug was driving our old tractor, doing his regular chores. Dad was working a few feet away and Ann was standing by the fence watching, drinking a coke. For some reason the fuel line on the tractor caught fire.” Ma
ry stopped and took a long drink of coffee.

  “Doug began screaming, trying to fan the flames. Dad ran toward the tractor yelling at him to get off. Doug tried to get down, but his boot caught and was halfway leaning off the side. Dad grabbed Doug, yanked and pulled till he was finally free and pushed him toward the fence,” Mary tearfully explained.

  “He told Doug to get Ann back to the house as he tried to shovel dirt on the fire. Before Doug could get to Ann, the tractor exploded. Dad was killed instantly. The blast threw Doug to the ground and ruptured his eardrums. When he looked up, Ann was lying on the ground with a huge piece of metal sticking out of her left thigh.”

  An overwhelming sadness hung over the table that sucked the air from Lainey’s lungs.

  “Oh my goodness, Mary…” Lainey gasped as she put her hand on Mary’s. “I am so sorry.”

  For a moment, both were silent. Lainey knew the hurt of losing a parent and could see that Mary had been close to her dad.

  “It was many years ago. Farming is a dangerous job.” Mary said, wiping a tear with the napkin from under her coffee cup.

  Lainey took a deep breath and continued. “That’s when Doug quit school to work the farm. Did your mom work outside the home?”

  “No, Mom worked to keep the house running and to take care of Ann.”

  “Tell me about Ann. What happened to her after the accident?” Lainey questioned.

  Mary’s demeanor changed instantly. Lainey sensed anger or frustration and wanted to tread lightly on questions about Ann. She didn’t want Mary to stop talking.

  “Ann’s the baby of the family,” Mary started. “Dad felt sorry for her and blamed my Mom and her doctor for the defect.”

  Lainey blinked. “Why did he blame your Mom and her doctor?” she asked.

  “Mom told me that back in the ’60s there was a new wonder drug that was supposed to help morning sickness, dizziness, and insomnia. While she was carrying Ann, she was constantly sick and not able to take care of me or Doug. So, the doctor prescribed this pill for her to take. When Ann was born, no one thought twice about why she had the birth defect. Sometimes those things happen, I guess.” Mary said matter of factly, rubbing her neck and shoulder.

  “Several years later, Mom was notified that this wonder drug had been linked to thousands of birth defects in babies born either without arms or legs or with other limb defects. That’s when Dad began to blame Mom for Ann’s handicap.”

  A small smirk appeared on Mary’s face as she added, “Dad always paid more attention to Ann. He made her wooden canes to use, brought her little presents for no reason. Ann walked with the cane, but never participated in school sports or helped out much on the farm. Dad would do anything for her if she asked. Ann played up to dad. Anything she did wrong was my fault or Doug’s. Heaven forbid she ever got blamed or was in trouble.” Mary said with a hint of hatred in her voice.

  “She wasn’t seriously hurt during the accident?” Lainey asked reluctantly.

  “Oh, yes, she was,” replied Mary. “The metal piece cut into her left leg so badly it had to be amputated above the knee. Since Dad wasn’t there to baby her, Ann made it her purpose in life to put a guilt trip on Doug. She wanted him to suffer, too.” Talking about it obviously frustrated her.

  Mary’s voice grew a bit louder. “Doug felt he caused Dad’s death and Ann to lose her leg. Ann became an expert at making Doug feel sorry for her, that it was his place to provide for her.”

  “Is Ann able to take care of herself?” Lainey asked.

  “Of course she is!” Mary quickly snapped. “But why should she? Doug pays her house payment, gives her money at her every whim, answers her calls at all hours of the night. It’s hard work running a farm by yourself and Doug has done the best he can. He still feels responsible for the accident and has sacrificed everything to make things better for Ann. Doug never married and, in my opinion, will never break free from Ann’s grip.”

  Lainey knew now why none of Mary’s children were named Ann. Had the years of anger and resentment pushed her to the breaking point? Was she capable of murder?

  “Does Ann live with Doug?” Lainey asked.

  “Ann lives with her boyfriend, Chuck Austin. He runs a small auto repair from their garage called Austin’s Bang or Bump shop. Ann doesn’t work and spends most of her time playing video games or shopping online… that is when she is not complaining to Doug about something,” Mary said gruffly.

  Mary went to the restroom to freshen up, giving Lainey a chance to regroup her thoughts and make a few more notes.

  Lainey ordered two warm salted pretzels with hot cheddar cheese and a couple of waters.

  “Is that everything you need to ask me?” Mary asked as she sat down.

  Lainey smiled at the waitress who brought the pretzels and waters.

  “Have you got a few more minutes? The Vikings don’t play till 7 p.m. tonight,” she chuckled, hoping that would relax the tension.

  Mary grinned. “Feed me and I’ll always answer questions!”

  “You said the Sullivan family tree was the immediate or close relationship you found when getting Doug’s DNA results back. I’m not familiar with these kinds of websites,” Lainey confessed. “Are the records or information you found normally listed on public records that anyone can find?”

  Mary nodded. “There are birth, death, and marriage records that show they come from public websites from different states and sources. But I think the main reason these sites are important is that they give you names of people to search.”

  “I did a little research about these types of DNA tests,” Lainey began. “It appears that they compare the DNA sample you submit with the ones that have already been submitted on their site or in their database. So, your DNA is not matched with every single person worldwide.”

  “That’s why we did a couple of DNA tests with different companies,” Mary stated. “We thought they might have different members in their system.”

  “When we met last time, you mentioned you have proof from some database law enforcement officials use. What proof? How did you get access to it?” Lainey asked immediately. She was concerned that Mary had somehow broken the law getting access to this information.

  “I found a public DNA matching website that allows you to download your results from other testing companies’ databases. It states very plainly that law enforcement has used their information in investigations and that your information might be available to them if you download it.” Mary said quickly. “I downloaded Doug’s DNA results to see if they also came up with Sullivan’s as close relatives.”

  Lainey studied Mary’s face for a moment. “Did Doug know you submitted his information?” she carefully asked.

  “Not at first, and he was mad when he found out,” Mary admitted. “The results from this site were very complicated. It did show the names of the Sullivan’s, but the results were based on strands of DNA and came in some sort of chart. I’m not a medical person, so trying to decode colors and percentages was overwhelming to me.”

  Lainey was confused. “What makes you think someone has murdered or plans to commit murder? I don’t see any evidence in what you have told me or what is on the black jump drive. Isn’t that the reason you contacted me in the first place?”

  Mary’s hesitation made Lainey think she had pushed her a bit too far.

  “I contacted Raymond Sullivan,” Mary said with a defiant tone. “Doug is killing himself working two jobs trying to make ends meet. I thought if Sullivan knew of him or got to know him, he might offer Doug a job.” She finished her water. “I went to his office to see him a few months ago… without Doug’s knowledge.”

  Lainey had to admire Mary’s spunk. Showing up at the office of a very successful and probably very busy man like Raymond Sullivan claiming to be a long lost relative took nerve.

  “Did you actually meet him?” Lainey asked.

  “After a few tries, yes, I did,” Mary said. “Of course, he didn’t believe me an
d thought I was another person trying to ask for a handout or something,” she admitted. “But once I showed him the Sullivan tree and our results, he started to come around.”

  “What do you mean he started to come around?”

  “He had some detective or lawyer or someone on his staff look into my claim that Doug was his older half-brother. Raymond gave me a copy of Doug’s original birth certificate that he received from the state. It showed the mother as Stella Baxter and the father as my dad,” Mary stated matter-of-factly.

  “Okay,” Lainey pondered. “That proves there is a family connection. But I keep coming back to the question of where is the evidence of murder?” she asked.

  Mary contemplated her next words carefully before speaking. “Raymond Sullivan and I are in different social circles and the fact that he agreed to at least meet or talk with Doug surprised me.” She paused, then continued.

  “He asked me in a polite way if I was asking him for money or if my family needed financial help. That made me feel sleazy, like some type of moocher,” Mary said with a shiver. “I blurted out that we in no way wanted his crummy money! I explained that I just wanted him to meet Doug and see what a hard worker he was. That’s all.”

  Lainey glanced at her phone to see the time was speeding by. She still needed more proof or something concrete from Mary.

  “It’s getting late, Mary, and I need to ask about what the police said when you talked with them,” Lainey led.

  “After Raymond had the evidence that Doug was his half-brother, I asked him about the recent deaths of his two older brothers, Eugene and Harold. He said that they both died suddenly in freak accidents within a few months of each other.”

  Lainey nodded. “Yes, the jump drive said that Eugene died in a car accident and Harold in a fish house incident.”

  Mary leaned forward. “Raymond said he thought it was a tragic coincidence at the time, but always wondered why no investigations were conducted.”

  Lainey listened and waited for Mary to continue.