by Ed Robinson
Wherever you find yourself in life, it is the product of your choices, I understood that all too well. I’d made more than my share of bad decisions. Some were under duress, but some were because I’d been stupid. I knew right from wrong quite clearly, but that didn’t mean I’d also chosen the right thing to do. That is the nature of humanity I guess. I can make no excuses for my bad choices. I made them freely, knowing the potential consequences. So had the Chief.
My work on this case had brought him down. Tyler Scott’s testimony would put the last nail in his coffin. I was responsible for that too. The weight of that responsibility landed suddenly on my shoulders. Brody hadn’t spoken since we’d left Joshua Dorman’s office.
“I’d be interested in your thoughts,” I said.
“I agree with your sympathy for the Chief,” she said. “Have we got this right?”
“The one thing we are certain of is that he dropped the body in the lake,” I said. “That’s the bedrock of this entire case.”
“He had his reasons,” she said. “Reasons that many parents would agree with.”
“His lawyer will need to convince someone on the jury to agree,” I said. “He’ll get his day in court, if he so chooses.”
“Yes, but they didn’t charge him with murder or even being an accomplice,” she said. “He’s guilty of accessory after the fact. Guilty as hell.”
“Seems that way,” I said. “We have to let the court do its duty. Blind justice and all that.”
“The next time you agree to work a case, make sure we get to celebrate when it’s over.”
“Creekside Investigations,” I said. “We won’t take a case we can’t celebrate.”
“Think it will fit on a business card?”
We went home and awaited word on the legal proceedings. Our life returned to normal. I got to spend plenty of time with Red, and his attitude improved greatly. We took long walks up the mountain most every day. Brody started a rug hooking project. We sat each night in front of the fire, reading and forgetting about the outside world. It was a peaceful existence, the one we’d come here to find.
Soon enough we got a visit from Rominger. We welcomed him in, eager to hear some news.
“Who was that guy you sent in place of the hermit?” he asked.
“That’s Tyler Scott,” I said. “VP and CFO of a bank.”
“No shit,” he said. “Everyone was deeply impressed by him, except the Chief’s lawyers, of course.”
“What happened?”
We all sat down at the kitchen table. Brody poured the coffee. Red came in to see what all the fuss was about. Rominger laid it out for us.
“Tyler Scott was more than credible,” he said. “He was composed and thoughtful. He walked the DA through the entire chain of events with a clarity of thought and recall. He was unimpeachable. The defense shit a brick and ran to beg the Chief to take a deal.”
“Did he plea?”
“Wait,” he said. “I haven’t got to the good part. It didn’t go down like any of us thought.”
“What?” I asked. “What are you talking about?”
“The son didn’t kill the girl,” he said. “At least according to the father. None of us saw it coming, but he finally gave up and told us the story, as best he knew it.”
“I’m not following,” Brody said. “As best he knew it?”
“He only knows what the son told him,” Rominger said. “It’s all third party hearsay as far as the court is concerned.”
“What did the son tell him?” I asked.
“Here’s the kicker,” he began. “The mother did it. Blew us all out of the water.”
“The son blamed the mom?” Brody asked.
“Swore to his dad,” he said. “He met the girl at the ski resort. His mother had dropped him off. She was to pick him up at a certain time. The girl had a little weed. She walked with him to the parking lot and they stopped in the shadows to smoke a joint, but the mom sees them. She freaks out and confronts the pair. The girl doesn’t back down, gives the mom some lip. Lighten up you old hag. Mom explodes in a fit of rage and bashes the girl to the ground, picks up a rock and whacks her in the head. Blood everywhere. Then the mother zones out, leaving the son to deal with the aftermath. Turns out she has a long history of these sort of episodes. Spent several stints at Broughton Hospital in Morgantown. Schizophrenic, manic depressive, whatever. The son gets her in the car, picks up the girl and puts her in the back, then drops it all on daddy’s lap.”
“Holy shit,” I said. “The experience drove him to suicide.”
“I hate to say it,” he said. “But it was the best way to spare both his parents.”
“How so?”
“He’s the only witness to the murder,” he said. “Nothing he told his father can be used in court. The mother can’t be compelled to testify. All she has to do is remain crazy, which apparently isn’t a charade. The Chief is left holding the bag, but there is a lot of sympathy for him in the aftermath of this.”
“We were thinking the same thing,” I said. “But we have to remember that he hindered the investigation. He dropped the girl in the lake. Without the hermit, we’d have never known.”
“The DA is inclined to show leniency,” he said. “A judge may think differently. He was an officer of the law and subject to a higher standard. I can’t say how it will play out from here.”
“I’m glad it’s not my decision to make,” I said.
“Me too.”
“Me three,” Brody added.
A few days passed before I decided to visit Tyler Scott at his daughter’s place. The security guard called her, and she granted us permission to enter the gated community. She answered the door with tears in her eyes.
“He’s gone,” she said. “Left in the middle of the night. Left a note telling me he loved me, but not to look for him.”
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” I said. “Truly sorry.”
“Can you find him again?” she asked. “I can’t live here in peace knowing that he’s cold and hungry. I feel so guilty. I just need a chance to help him understand.”
“I can’t make him come back,” I said. “I’d like to thank him myself, but he’s chosen freedom. I have to respect that.”
“Please,” she said. “Go talk to him. At least try.”
It was clear to me that she was sincere. He’d given her everything that any person could have wanted, but she wanted him. She wanted her father to be there for her. She wanted him to appreciate his wealth, share it with him. I believed her.
“I’ll give it an honest try,” I said. “I’ll relay your message, that’s all I can do.”
“Thank you, Breeze,” she said. “Thanks for everything.”
I left the next day for Tennessee, and the stretch of wilderness Tyler Scott called home. He’d done his duty, now he’d returned to the life he truly wanted to live. I wouldn’t try to convince him otherwise, but I did want to thank him. I’d tell him what his daughter said as well. The hike was quick and easy. I could do it blindfolded by now. I called for him before entering his camp, but he didn’t respond.
I crawled through the brush and came into the opening that used to be his homestead. It was all gone. Everything was gone, except for a Brooks Brothers suit hanging on a tree limb. Fine Italian leather shoes were on the ground underneath. There was no note. I would not pursue him any further.
“Freedom, brother,” I said to the woods. “Be free, and be happy.”
Author’s Thoughts
In previous books, I mentioned the State Police. The proper name for this agency is the North Carolina Highway Patrol. Thanks to the reader who corrected me.
All of the law enforcement agencies in this book are staffed with men and woman of high character. This is a work of fiction. I have no ill-will for any of the departments mentioned.
Buckeye Lake on Beech Mountain was actually drained of water in December 2018. The diver involved in the accident was rescued. There was no body found in the
mud.
Joshua Dorman is a reader who contacted me about being a character in one of my books. I couldn’t see how Breeze would cross paths with a lab manager from Massachusetts, so I made him a lawyer in Boone, North Carolina.
Angelina Will and I have mutual friends, but we’ve never met in person. My thanks to her for allowing me to use her name. Facebook is good for some things.
If you’d like to have a character named after you, or suggest ideas for future plots, feel free to contact me at:
[email protected]
*If you enjoyed this book, please leave a review at Amazon.com. Reviews are greatly appreciated.*
It truly seems that half the cars on the road in western North Carolina are Subarus, most of them white.
Other Books in this Series
Banner Elk Breeze
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Blue Ridge Breeze
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More Mountain Breeze Adventures Coming Soon
Ed Robinson’s Previous Works also Starring Breeze
Trawler Trash
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Following Breeze
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Free Breeze
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Redeeming Breeze
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Bahama Breeze
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Cool Breeze
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True Breeze
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Ominous Breeze
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Restless Breeze
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Enduring Breeze
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Benevolent Breeze
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Nonfiction by Ed Robinson
Leap of Faith; Quit Your Job and Live on a Boat
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Poop, Booze, and Bikinis
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The Untold Story of Kim
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Acknowledgements
Proofreaders:
Dave Calhoun
Laura Spink (and Breeze the Golden)
Jeanene Olson
Rich Smail
Editor:
John Corbin
Cover Design:
Emily Brandz
Interior Formatting:
Rachael Cox
My thanks to all the contributors who helped turn this book into a quality product.
