Crow Wing Dead

by Midge Bubany

  She didn’t hesitate. She scurried out of the room.

  When she was gone, I asked, “Was Wynn expected that day?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Why didn’t you call 911 or take a car and drive out of there?”

  “I started to drive Paul’s car out, but then I started to think about what the hell I was going to tell the cops. I panicked. I didn’t plan on killing anyone. It just happened. So I thought a dramatic escape would make sense. I drove Paul’s car into Kramer’s garage next to his other cars, made sure I wiped my fingerprints off it and the shotgun before I dropped it in the field, then I hoofed it over to the farms for help. Only I didn’t get any. That’s when I came to my senses and realized I needed a believable story. I hid in the old car and thought things through. And I did fall asleep, like I said.”

  “If only you’d called 911 after you shot Kramer, you’d be guiltless.”

  “If only… if only. Like I don’t ask myself that a hundred times a day.”

  “Oh, Hawk.”

  “The thing is—this can be our secret. The Crow Wing sheriff bought my story. Don’t you think those assholes deserved what they got for what they did to me? Stealing my money, keeping me tied up in a smelly basement, making me shit in a bucket? Christ, after being tied up for a month, I had a hard time catching up with Paul.”

  And for a split second, I considered what he was saying. They probably did deserve what they got. But then he just had to add, “You’re my friend. You have to cover for me. I’ve always been there for you, man.”

  I wanted to deck him. I stood and calmly said, “No, you haven’t really, have you? For the things that really matter? And for your whole life, you’ve gotten away with so much shit. But not this time, not for murder. I can’t let that one go.”

  “You fucking rule follower.”

  “You’re right. It’s what I am. It’s what I do for a living.”

  “I should have known you’d choose your career over your friend.”

  “Fuck you. And you stink like alcohol. You need to shave and shower before I drive you to Brainerd. And don’t try anything stupid.”

  “I’m too hung over to try anything.”

  As soon as I heard the shower on, I hurried out to the garage and pulled down the plastic bag of clothing he had worn when he arrived at my door. I’d saved it just in case anyone asked for it. Now, it could be tested for traces of blood and gunpowder residue.

  He came out of the bathroom wearing the same clothes he wore last night, and although he looked rumpled, he smelled slightly better. I handed him a Sprite, then called 911 and asked for a squad to be delivered to my house, so I could transport a suspect to Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Department.

  As we waited, Hawk said, “If you’d been in my place, you would have done the same damn thing.”

  “Maybe so. Crow Wing will sort it out. But they have a man in custody for the killings you committed. I don’t like Nevada Wynn, but he had the balls to turn himself in, and he didn’t kill anybody.”

  His eyes closed, then slowly opened. “Will you let me call Cat?”

  “Go for it.”

  He pulled out his phone and blubbered to his wife about his situation, then stopped abruptly, looked incredulously at his phone, then redialed. He let it ring for a long while before he shut it off. Evidently she wasn’t being sympathetic either.

  Within a few minutes, two department Explorers pulled up on the street in front of the house. Shannon exited the first vehicle, and Crosby the second. I opened the front door for them so the doorbell wouldn’t wake the Twinks. Hawk was in the living room, sitting in a chair, his elbows on his knees, his hands covering his face.

  “I checked out your vehicle for you, Cal,” Crosby said, eyeing Hawk.

  “Thanks.”

  Shannon glanced at Hawk then at me. “What’s going on? Are the kids okay?”

  “Yes. They’re napping. Clara’s upstairs with them. Can I have a set of cuffs?”

  She took them off her belt and handed them over.

  Hawk groaned. “Is that necessary?”

  “It’s procedure. I’m a rule follower, remember?” I said.

  He rolled his eyes then looked away while I secured his hands in front. I walked him out and put him in the backseat of the second Explorer. He didn’t say another word.

  Crosby and Shannon had followed us out.

  “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” she said. “As soon as I heard our address on the radio, I freaked.”

  “Hawk shot Kramer and Paul.”

  She gasped. “Was he even held captive?”

  “Yes. He can probably plead self-defense on Kramer, but not with Paul. He chased him down and shot him. I’ll tell you more about it later.”

  “That’s horrible. Maybe he can plead temporary insanity.”

  “Maybe.”

  I was so pissed at him, I didn’t care what the hell happened to him.

  After contacting both Patrice and Lee Sabin, I drove Hawk to Brainerd. Neither of us spoke at all, until we were approaching the jail garage.

  “I needed time to consider my options before you forced me to come here.”

  “And just so we’re straight, you had a choice—you could have held the gun on Kramer while you phoned 911 from his landline. You could have let the deputies handle Paul. That’s what the county attorney’s going to say.”

  He looked out the window.

  “Hawk, ask for an attorney after your rights are read. Don’t give a statement until after you’ve consulted with him or her. I’m telling them you’re turning yourself in.”

  Hawk nodded.

  Lee was waiting for us when we pulled in.

  “Michael’s coming in voluntarily.”

  He nodded, then said, “The DEA is here waiting to speak to Wynn. They’ve already arrested North Cross employees Zeke La Plante and Owen Jedowsky.”

  “Well, hot damn.”

  “You had a big part of that. You have good instincts, Cal.”

  “Kramer was part of the drug ring—maybe even center figure for this area. Maybe he was holding Paul’s car as collateral until the annuity had been cashed.” I pointed to Hawk. “This one was a tough one for me.”

  “I can imagine.”

  This morning, a lifelong friendship had died.

  I drove directly to Hawkinsons’ house. My stomach ached with the thought of telling Barb and Tom the truth, but they had a right to know. I sat in the quiet of their kitchen. With a lump in my throat, I told them everything. They listened thoughtfully until I got it all out, then Barb said, “Well, we’ll see what Mike has to say about this. When can we see him?”

  “Not for a while. You should call an attorney and see if you can get him out on bail. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow morning.”

  “Why did you do this to him, Cal?” Barb said.

  Her question shouldn’t have caught me off guard, but it did. “Me?”

  “You should have brought him to us, so we could discuss how to proceed. I don’t know much about the law, but I do know we should have hired an attorney to get his advice.”

  “I tend to agree with Barb on this one,” Tom said.

  “He confessed to murdering Paul. Don’t you get that?”

  “None of us know all the circumstances,” Barb said.

  “You should get an attorney for him right now. If you like, I’ll ask Adriana for names of the best of the best.”

  Barb’s expression turned hard. “No, we’ll handle it. Now I think you should go.” She stood and crossed her arms.

  Typical Barb Hawkinson reaction: Her darling boy couldn’t possibly be guilty of anything. It just pissed me off.

  I pushed away from the table and said, “This time Mi
ke has to face the consequence like a man, and there’s nothing you can do to protect him.”

  The twins were awake when I got home, so I suggested to Clara we take them to the park. I needed to clear my head, and playing with the twins was the best way I knew. Clara must have sensed I didn’t want to talk about Hawk because she didn’t mention him. Both kids loved the baby swings, so we spent an hour pushing them. Listening to toddler giggles cleared my mind of negativity.

  While Clara prepared the meal, I took the kids outside and brought out the beach balls. Teddy and Alicia Kohler busted on over to play with the twins, so I took the lounge chair Hawk had fallen asleep in and listened to the sweet sound of children’s voices and laughter. As hard as I tried to keep Barb’s words out of my mind, they broke through: I don’t know much about the law, but I do know we should have hired an attorney to get his advice.

  After her shift, Shannon stopped by. The Kohler kids were still playing with the twins. Teddy ran up and hugged Shannon—it made her cry because Teddy and Colby had been so close.

  She sat in the chair next to me and said in a soft tone, “Cat called me this afternoon. She’s beside herself. She wants to know what really happened, but I don’t have the whole story.”

  “Hawk completely changed his story. He says Kramer was a real prick. He showed him a picture on his phone proving he killed Woody. Anyway, Hawk escaped because he was able to remove the duct tape with a fork. He hit Kramer with a dog food dish, then grabbed the gun and shot him. Paul was upstairs, came down to have a look. When he saw what happened, he took off like a scared rabbit. Hawk chased him down and shot him too.”

  “Kramer’s shooting sounds like self-defense.”

  “But he wouldn’t have had to take Paul down.”

  “If Paul betrayed his brother, he probably deserved it.”

  “Why are you defending Hawk? He executed his brother. Shot him in the back and again in the back of the head.”

  “I’m not defending him. Forget it. You did what you had to do.”

  She touched my arm, then reached across for half a hug.“I know this wasn’t easy for you.”

  “No, it wasn’t.”

  She pulled away and smiled at me. I’d had it with the yoyo vibrations I was getting from her. “Shannon, what do you want to do? I’m not willing to live in limbo for a year. You either move back home and we work on our marriage, or we file for divorce.”

  She blinked a few times, then teardrops slid down her face. I took a deep breath, and my eyes pooled with tears. I touched her hand.

  “Luke’s refusing to go to any more counseling sessions with you, and he won’t move back here.”

  “You wouldn’t give him a choice.”

  “I can’t do that to him.”

  I took a deep breath and took back my hand. She was choosing her son. “Okay, I get it. I’ll call Iris tomorrow and tell her to proceed.”

  “I’m sure she’ll be happy to get that news.”

  “Iris is a lesbian. She and Erica are a couple.” I didn’t mention how I knew.

  Shannon’s eyes grew wide. “No kidding? Oh, my God. Tamika was right. I pictured you two walking back and forth in the middle of the night.”

  “Your imagination is your biggest enemy,” I said.

  Her mouth took a hard line. “I was right about a few things, Cal, and you know it.”

  “Can we agree to be civil through the process?”

  She hesitated then nodded. “Yes.”

  Clara stuck her head out the door and said, “Are you staying for dinner, Shannon?”

  “No, I promised Luke we’d go out for pizza. I better pick him up from Mom’s.” Before she left she touched my arm and said, “I love you, and I’m so sorry.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  And my real best friend walked off.

  That evening, Tom Hawkinson called and said they were withdrawing the request for me to be a pallbearer at Paul’s funeral, and it would be uncomfortable if I attended.

  Chapter 33

  June 9

  Monday afternoon, Sydney Dirkson called me.

  “I thought you’d want to know Mike was charged with second-degree murder for shooting Paul and was released on bail. He’s staying with Tom and Barb.”

  “Okay, how’s everyone handling it?”

  “Not well. Cat’s filing for divorce.”

  “Big surprise there.”

  “Cal, Pete and I know you did what you had to do.”

  “Thanks. I’ve been down about it—it feels like I betrayed a friend.”

  “But Mike betrayed all of us. Barb told me you were asked not to attend Paul’s funeral.”

  “Yes.”

  “It would be weird for you, anyway. Listen, it was a pleasure meeting and doing business with you. If you ever need my services, just give me a jingle.”

  “Thanks. Tell Hawk I wish him well, because I do.”

  “I will.”

  Monday’s news led with: “A bizarre twist to the Crow Wing County murders.”

  Crow Wing County hadn’t released the details, but the media had a presence at his bond hearing and heard enough to portray Michael Hawkinson as a survivor escaping captivity by shooting his drug dealer captors. He was a hero, now being charged with murder—the television reporter said so.

  Hawk called me that night. His speech was sloppy from booze as he told me his attorney said they weren’t going to accept a plea agreement because they could convince a jury he felt he was in mortal danger when he shot both Kramer and Paul.

  “Good luck, Hawk. I mean that.”

  “I don’t hold what you did against you, Cal buddy. See ya.”

  “Right.”

  He was smoothing the waters because I’d have to testify against him. His attorney probably told him to reach out. I doubt I’d see him before the trial. It was quite possible he could be acquitted, and if so, it was highly unlikely he would kill again because no one would ever do to him what Paul had. Maybe Hawk was right, and I’d have done the same thing.

  At the end of June, I accidentally on purpose ran into Norman Kramer’s sister, Polly Jacobs, at her place of employment, the bookstore in Baxter. I introduced myself to her as I paid for Dennis LaHane’s latest book. She recognized my name from the newspaper.

  “Since Norm was diagnosed with bone cancer a few years ago, he was so nasty I only saw him a few times a year, not that he was ever easy to get along with. But because of the pain, he got hooked on pain killers, and that’s how he met those criminals.”

  “Was he dying?”

  “Last time I spoke to him, he said he was in remission, but the autopsy said the cancer had moved up to his brain. The tumor was small but evidently big enough to mess with his mind.”

  “He showed Michael Hawkinson pictures of your kids.”

  “I don’t have any kids. They must have been of his girlfriend’s children. She was a nice lady, but she battled depression. She took her own life five years ago.”

  “Oh, wow. Your brother was a walking tragedy. Well, I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “I lost him years ago. The man who shot him was your friend?”

  “Was is the operative word there.”

  “Well, who can blame him for shooting Norman? I don’t get with all the money Norm had, why he would be part of holding Paul Hawkinson’s brother captive to get ten thousand dollars for drugs Paul stole. It makes no sense.”

  “Paul stole them?”

  “The sheriff figured he had the drugs in his trunk because he was going to give them back to Norm if his brother didn’t come through with the money.”

  “He had a lot of money?”

  “Oh yes. I’m not sure you know I sold the farm a month ago, and when I was cleaning out the house last week, I found
a false wall in the closet of my old bedroom. I knew it was way bigger than that, so I pushed on it. It not only held drugs but cardboard boxes of money. I called the sheriff and the DEA confiscated all of it. They told me he was selling drugs. Mom and Dad would roll in their graves if they knew.”

  I left that afternoon with way more information than I had expected. Perhaps Hawk’s defense can capitalize on Norman’s criminal activity.

  On June 17, they found the Lewis plane wreckage in Ontario, and a month later, Victoria was officially identified as one of the victims. That same day, Shannon and I accepted a five million dollar settlement from Estelle Candies, and put three million in equal trusts for the three kids. The remaining two million, we split. Mine’s invested.

  Chapter 34

  September 25

  I parked my truck, grabbed my chair out of the back, and made my way to the soccer field. The late afternoon sun shone on the trees surrounding the soccer fields making the brilliant golds and reds even more spectacular. I was allowed to attend Luke’s soccer game for the first time tonight. He promised his mother he wouldn’t storm off the field and refuse to play because I was there. When I placed my chair next to Shannon’s on the sidelines, she patted my hand. Luke was doing warm-ups with the team, and he glanced over our way. Shannon waved at him, but he ignored her. Dick and Donna arrived shortly after and set their chairs next to mine, rather than Shannon’s. I stood and Donna came to give me a hug.

  “Don’t be a stranger,” she said.

  Dick shook my hand. “Glad you could make it.”

  When I took my seat, Shannon said, “Did you get the papers in the mail today?”

  “I did. I had no idea the process of divorce was so speedy. It’s only been three months since we filed.”

  Iris had been a great mediator, and Shannon and I agreed on the settlement. We each retained our own residence, and we split custody of the twins. I agreed to Shannon’s full custody of Luke, although I contribute equally to his child support. We both deposit money into a joint bank account to be used only for the kids’ expenses.