Murder on Ice

by B. T. Lord

  Rick sighed in relief. “As long as you stay away, the town will be safe.”

  “Lovely,” she muttered under her breath, as she continued down the corridor.

  Reaching her office, she closed the door, rummaged through her desk until she found what she was looking for, then grabbed her phone. She dialed the number and waited.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  Lehane answered on the third ring.

  “Sheriff Farnsworth here. I spoke to the coroner and he’s ready to release the body.”

  “Wonderful. Audella and I have already started planning the service. Knowing Eli as well as I did, I’m keeping it small and simple. The fact that you’ll be there will be enough to make him smile from whenever he is.”

  Hopefully whenever he was didn’t involve intense heat and suntan lotion. “Do you have a minute? I have a question for you.”

  “By all means.”

  “What can you tell me about Eddie Paltrow?”

  There was a silence, then a low, disgusted expletive. “I was wondering when that hyena would circle the carcass.”

  “I take it he’s not one of your favorite people.”

  “He’s scum, pure and simple. A disgrace to the newspaper business. He takes his position as sportswriter to wage his own personal wars. I’m assuming you’ve met him, otherwise you wouldn’t be asking about him.”

  “Yes I did. I was wondering if you could tell me what happened to make him hate Eli so much.”

  There was a long pause. Just as Cammie was about to repeat her question, Lehane spoke in a muffled voice, as though he were trying very hard not to be heard. “Tell you what. I can be in your office in about thirty minutes. We’ll talk then.”

  Before she could respond, he hung up. She stared at her phone for a moment. What could he possibly tell her in person that he couldn’t tell her over the phone? Or that he obviously didn’t want Audella to overhear?

  Lehane arrived with five minutes to spare. Cammie watched as he shut her office door behind him, and sat down in front of her desk. There was a furtive air about him which piqued her curiosity even more.

  “I – er – I assume that what I’m about to tell you won’t go any further than this office.”

  “If it doesn’t affect my case, yes you can assume that. But if what you’re about to tell me is relevant to the investigation –“

  He waved his hand at her and chewed his lip for a moment. Then, he sat back with a sigh.

  “As long as Audella doesn’t get wind of this, I guess it’s okay. I just don’t want to hurt her.”

  “How would Paltrow’s articles about Eli hurt Audella?” Cammie asked.

  “Well, it’s a little more complicated that you might think. Can I borrow your computer?”

  Cammie nodded and moved out of her chair. Lehane sat in it, swiveled around to her computer and was soon pulling up the website of one of the major news stations in Chicago. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Cammie turned to see Rick stick his head in.

  “Jace’s lawyer is here.”

  “Would you take him into the interrogation room? Offer him coffee. He’ll probably need it after his early morning flight with Mark. Then bring Jace out.”

  “Will do.”

  Cammie turned back to see that Lehane had pulled up a page with a row of photographs of good looking men and women. They were professionally posed, with coiffed hair and impeccable make-up. Scanning the fine print under their photos, she saw they were the newscasters for the station. Lehane pointed to the last picture in the row.

  “Meet Mrs. Eddie Paltrow.”

  Cammie leaned over his shoulder and was shocked at what she saw. Having met Paltrow, she expected to see a small, nondescript woman, mousy in appearance to match Paltrow’s rat-like features. Instead, she found herself looking at a voluptuous young woman with a mountain of strawberry blonde hair and big, bright grey eyes. Looking up at the top of the page, she saw this was Lucy Paltrow, the station’s meteorologist.

  “You’re kidding, right?” she said.

  “Hard to believe, I know. But Eddie’s a bit of a big shot in Chicago’s sports circles. When they met, Lucy was doing the weather in some backwater town in southern Illinois.”

  “So how does Eli fit into all this?”

  Lehane stood up and gave Cammie back her seat. He moved about the office and Cammie could tell he was reluctant to talk. After a few moments, she decided to help him out.

  “You slept with Lucy Paltrow, didn’t you?”

  Rather than be angry, he appeared relieved. He threw himself back down in his chair. “Look, things happen, you know? Especially when you’re on the road, whether as an agent or a sportswriter. With a four hour drive between Podunk and Chicago, Lucy was lonely. And with Audella in L.A., so was I. As you can see, Lucy’s not hard to look at.”

  “This still isn’t telling me about Eli’s connection to Paltrow.”

  “Lucy and I got involved while Eli was playing for New York. We met at a sports dinner while I was in town for negotiations involving another of my clients. My visits to Chicago were few and far between and that suited me just fine. I’d fly in, conduct my business, spend some time with Lucy, then fly out. Then Eli got traded to Chicago and things got a bit more complicated. Actually a lot more complicated. It wasn’t unusual for Eli, whatever woman he was with at the moment, Lucy, Eddie and I to hang out after games together.”

  “Eddie was there too?”

  Lehane nodded. “Of course. We didn’t want him suspecting that we were sleeping together. This went on for about six months.” He paused.

  “Then you got tired of her,” Cammie finished for him.

  He shrugged. “It was only meant to be temporary. But Lucy took the break-up hard. She threatened to tell Eddie. Eli told me he’d speak to her. Calm her down.”

  “I’ll bet he calmed her down,” Cammie muttered under her breath.

  “They’d already been making eyes at each other. For a woman as ambitious as Lucy, being on the arm of a sports hero trumps being on the arm of a sportswriter. Or a sports agent. To tell you the truth, when I found out about her and Eli, I was relieved. Although I did try to warn her about Eli.”

  “In what way?”

  “She was convinced she could get Eli to marry her. But as we both know, Eli had no interest in getting married. A commitment to him was staying with the same woman for four weeks. Lucy lasted three.”

  “All this occurred back in 2006?” Cammie asked.

  Lehane looked at the ceiling for a moment, deep in concentration. “Yeah, I’d say so.”

  “So what happened?”

  “Eddie already suspected something was going on when I was with Lucy. He must have put two and two together, only his four equaled Eli, not me. He thought Lucy had been carrying on with Eli for quite a while. He actually waited one night after a game and confronted Eli about it. I heard from other players who were there that they had to pull Eddie off Eli.”

  “Eddie physically attacked Eli?” she asked incredulously, remembering the small framed man.

  “He tried to take a swing, but Eli easily sidestepped him. When Eli started laughing in his face, he tried again. That was when the other players grabbed Eddie and pulled him away. Everyone knew Eli could do some serious damage with his fists. But he kept his cool. Just kept laughing while Eddie was dragged away. That hastened the ending of the relationship between Eli and Lucy that was doomed to end anyway.”

  Cammie opened the folder and took out Eddie’s latest article. She handed it to Lehane. “Looks like Eddie never forgave Eli for sleeping with his wife.”

  Lehane quickly scanned it. “I’m not surprised. Eddie’s lucky he got Lucy to talk to him, much less marry him. Never could see what she saw in that weasel, except as a way out of Podunk. And Eddie was more than happy to oblige.” He handed her back the article. “You think Eddie had something to do with Eli’s murder?”

  “Not sure yet.” She sat back in her chair. “How did Lu
cy take the break-up with Eli?”

  “Lucy is not a stupid woman. I think she quickly figured out he wasn’t going to marry her. Finding out Eddie would risk getting the crap beaten out of him over her fed her already large ego. That and the terrific job Eddie got her at one of the top television stations in Chicago made everything okay between them.”

  “Your information has been extremely helpful.”

  Lehane stood up. “Eddie’s got a temper. No one in their right mind would have tried to attack Eli if they weren’t blinded by rage. He never forgave Eli for sleeping with Lucy.” He started to leave, then turned back to Cammie. “I hope you won’t say anything to Audella about what I told you. As I said, things happen. Stupid things, most of the time. But there’s no need to hurt her.”

  “I may need you to make a statement regarding Eli’s relationship with Lucy. But I think we can leave the other buried where it belongs.”

  Lehane broke out in a relieved smile. “Thanks Sheriff. If there’s anything else I can do, please let me know. By the way, is there anything special you’d like to add for Eli’s services, or perhaps say a few words?”

  Cammie thought about it for a moment, then shook her head. “No, I think it’s best if I stay in the background.”

  “After services are over, I’ll make sure you get some private time with Eli. You can make your good-byes then.”

  Cammie thanked him and he left. She looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly twelve thirty. Jace’s arraignment was at two and with the information she now possessed regarding Eddie and Eli, she didn’t want to rush through a second interview with the sportswriter. Her first thought was to ask Emmy to run down to Zee’s and get her some lunch, but just as quickly as the thought occurred to her, she dismissed it. She’d be damned if she’d allow herself to be intimidated by either the townspeople or the reporters, and not go out to buy herself a sandwich. Just as she stood up to grab her parka, Rick stuck his head in her office.

  “I’m going over to Zee’s to get Emmy and myself some lunch. You want anything?”

  “I’ll go with you.”

  “You sure that’s wise?” Rick cringed when he saw her expression. “Okay, okay, just asking.”

  The prior night’s snowfall and the frigid temperatures kept the front of police headquarters clear of reporters. Cammie and Rick were able to walk out the front door and down the sidewalk towards Zee’s without interference. On the way she filled him in on her conversation with Lehane.

  “So that now makes three suspects, Jace, Carolyn and this guy Paltrow. Which one do you think did it?”

  Cammie’s breath vaporized around her face as she let out a breath. “Right now, they all have a motive, though as the only outsider, Paltrow wouldn’t know about our habit of keeping our doors unlocked.”

  “Hey, that’s right!” Rick exclaimed. “Eli’s doors were all locked.”

  “Exactly. Would Carolyn have bothered to lock up? Could Jace, in the inebriated condition he was in, make his way to both the front and back doors to lock them? For what purpose? As soon as I get the arraignment and another talk with Paltrow out of the way, I’m going to track down Carolyn and see what I can find out.”

  “If it was Carolyn, it’s got to be jealousy. She’s always hated you. Not only did you get the guy she wanted back in high school, but looks like she couldn’t even get Jace to do the horizontal with her. So much for her ultimate revenge against you.”

  “But is that enough to shoot a dying man in the chest?”

  Rick shrugged. “Could be. Think about it. Carolyn was a cow in high school. She was overweight, her hair was stringy, she had pimples and her personality sucked. And she was crazy about the hockey star who ended up with you. So she took control. She lost all that weight, got her hair colored and cut in the latest style, got rid of the pimples and basically reinvented herself as this incredibly foxy lady. Yet, despite all that, she still couldn’t get Eli cos he still had it bad for you. When she tried to stab you in the back with your current squeeze, that blew up in her face as well. There’s a huge fight in the parking lot and Eli insults her some more. Then she comes home to find that even a drunk Jace doesn’t want to do it with her, so he takes off, taking her own car to boot to get back to you. That would be enough to piss anybody off. With as fragile an ego as Carolyn has, that’s really got to hurt. So she finds a helpless Eli and takes out all the anger and aggression she’s been holding in for fifteen years on him. And,” he added triumphantly, “she locked the doors to throw us off.”

  Cammie chuckled. “You’re in the wrong line of business. You should have become a prosecuting attorney.”

  Rick grinned at the unexpected compliment.

  They were just reaching Zee’s when, out of nowhere, Cora planted herself in their path. Before either could react, she extended her arm and pointed her finger in Cammie’s face.

  “Hah! Looks like my prediction was a doozy!” she exclaimed.

  “Get lost, Cora,” Rick grumbled. Then his heart froze. Shit. Was she now going to curse him as well?

  “Not until I tell the high and mighty sheriff here that there’s more bad luck coming her way. Be careful it doesn’t kill you. Surprises and pain, pain and surprises. One will follow the other.”

  She cackled, then shuffled away, leaving the sheriff and her deputy in stunned silence. It was Rick who finally spoke first.

  “That is one screwed up woman,” he replied, relieved she hadn’t thrown a curse at him, and feeling guilty because he was relieved.

  “She thinks she’s the shit now because one of her predictions actually came true,” Cammie replied.

  “Well, you better listen to her then,” Rick warned. “She seems to be on a roll.”

  The arraignment was ghastly. Not because its end result was anything other than what Cammie had expected. As she’d surmised, Jace’s attorney was top notch. In no time at all, Judge Drury granted the request to release Jace on bail, which Mayor Barnes promptly paid. In less than ten minutes, Jace was back out on the street, on his way to the locker room. He could get in a few hours of good practice before the game.

  She’d even expected the large crowd of townspeople cheering his release alongside the crowd of reporters swarming him for a statement. She watched as he waded through the crowds, refusing to say a word, his head down, avoiding eye contact, anxious to be away from the circus and out on the ice where he felt comfortable. Where he wasn’t a murderer. Or a suspect.

  She held back and waited as a group of diehard fans followed him down the street, patting his back and declaring their undying love for him, while reporters shouted questions about his guilt and about his relationship with the woman who had arrested him.

  What made the arraignment so painful was Jace’s reaction to Cammie. Or better said, non-reaction. He’d retreated to his safe haven deep inside, refusing to talk to her, look at her, acknowledge her existence. As far as he was concerned, the woman next to him was a complete stranger. There was no need to expend energy on someone he didn’t even know.

  She’d driven him the short distance to the courthouse and he’d remained non-communicative, despite her attempt at small talk. Although it was standard procedure to handcuff a potential perp, she refused to do so. That would only have made the scene that much more difficult. And uncomfortable.

  She waited until the crowd dispersed, and the reporters had disappeared before leaving the courthouse, her hands shoved in her parka, her thoughts a million miles away.

  She sat in the Explorer for a while, her chest hollow. At first, she refused to acknowledge the little voice clamoring in the back of her mind. But after fifteen minutes of staring out the window and seeing nothing but Jace’s face, she couldn’t run away from it anymore.

  With two other viable suspects and the investigation still underway, even if she killed herself proving Jace’s innocence, in the end would he forgive her for arresting him? Every time she saw him, he seemed caught in a riptide, drifting further and further away
from her. She had no lifeline to throw him. Nothing. Except her determination to see this investigation through to the end.

  Was it enough?

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Rather than head over to headquarters, Cammie drove straight to another small inn outside of Twin Ponds where the reporters were staying. She hadn’t seen Paltrow among the throng of reporters at the courthouse and was wondering if, after their talk, he’d skipped town.

  Where Tudor Montgomery’s theme for his inn was Shakespeare’s plays, Wally Lyon’s theme was the great Maine Wilderness. Naming his place The Timberwolf Lodge, the décor was hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation. Littering the walls were snowshoes, wild animal pelts and trophies, fishing poles, and the like. His usual clientele were hunters, fishermen, hikers and wilderness enthusiasts. The ambiance was pure testosterone. That, and its closer location to Twin Ponds, made the reporters’ choice to make this their headquarters sensible.

  Wally was a burly man, reminiscent of the trappers and loggers of old. He was always dressed in a pair of jeans, suspenders and a flannel shirt, no matter the time of year. His brown hair was thinning, but his full beard made up for the loss of hair on top. He had a booming voice, a friendly personality and a no-nonsense air about him. He’d built up a business as innkeeper/hunting and fishing guide. His inn was close to the Night Hawks’ locker room on Waban Pond, and during the summers, he rented out boats, and fishing gear. In the winter, he staked out a piece of the huge pond where fishermen could ice fish. Behind the inn was the Maine wilderness. If he couldn’t guide a party, he always had a network of men and women who could.

  He was also one of Cammie’s favorite people. She loved his stories, accepting the fact that, like most hunters and fishermen, it had been embellished and embroidered over the years. Beneath his loud, gregarious personality, he had a heart of gold. He was always there when help was needed, pitching in to plow when the worst of the storms hit, volunteering at the fire department and, most important of all, saving many visitors and tourists who went into the woods and became lost.