Walleye Junction (27 page)

“Have you found anything in his notes?” asked Macy. “You said you were going to have a look.”

“I didn't find anything suspicious among his archived papers, but I did find a receipt for the gun and ammunition he'd purchased hidden in his office. I can't find the gun, and there's not so much as a scrap of paper about what he might have been working on.”

“You said he'd always been paranoid? How did it manifest itself? Was he ever violent?”

“No, he was never like that,” said Emma. She stared straight ahead as she spoke. Her eyes were dry, but it looked as if she might cry at any moment. “My father liked to give the impression that he was laid back, but he always felt better when he was in control.”

“That's not an easy way to live.”

“I'm afraid he took it to a whole new level,” said Emma. “He was obsessed with keeping track of people. He gathered information, eavesdropped on conversations, and followed people, if necessary. Everything he discovered was written down in a journal.”

“I'd like to see it.”

“That's just it,” said Emma. “I can't find it anywhere. I've practically torn the house apart, but it isn't there. I'm afraid someone may have taken it. It's possible my father spied on the wrong person.”

“Did your mother know about the journal?”

“I don't think so, based on what my father told me. I only found it because I liked to snoop when I was younger.”

“Why didn't you tell me about it before?” said Macy.

“I didn't think there was anything to it until I realized it was missing. I live in big cities where people live in relative anonymity. Here it's different. It's easier to cause offense. It's harder to make things right.”

“Do you know anything specific that was in it?”

“I'm sorry, but I was twelve when I last read it. I don't remember specific names. There was a lot about affairs, marital problems, and financial dealings.”

“It does provide us with another possible motive or motives. I'll definitely keep it in mind.”

“Have there been any developments in the investigation?”

“Nothing significant. We're tracing the whereabouts of a fellow addict Carla Spencer met in rehab. He has a history of violence and hasn't been seen since before the kidnapping. So far we've been unable to track down Carla's son, Sean, either. There are some other leads, but we need to follow them through before we know if they will amount to anything.”

“That's not much, is it?”

Macy closed her eyes. Emma was right. Macy reached over and dug the printout of the anonymous e-mails out of her bag. It wouldn't hurt to show it to Emma. There might be someone on the list of overdose victims who was familiar to her.

“We're getting e-mails from an anonymous source,” said Macy as she handed Emma the sheaf of papers. “The first one is a list of patients who live in this region who have died from taking accidental drug overdoses over the past five years, and the second is a link to various articles about doctors who've been found guilty of dealing drugs. We're beginning to think that someone is sending us your father's notes. Did your father discuss any of these issues with you? There's been quite a bit in the press recently. It must have come up in conversation.”

Emma flipped through the pages slowly. “He was definitely interested. I remember speaking to him about it at length, but he never gave any indication that he was researching the subject specifically.”

“Do any of those names look familiar to you?”

“It's a long list.”

“Please, take your time.”

“I'm sorry,” said Emma when she eventually handed the e-mails back to Macy. “None of the names are familiar to me.”

A patrol car approached them from behind. Macy checked the rearview mirror and recognized that it was Aiden at the wheel. Macy checked the time. She was going to be very late for dinner if she didn't get moving.

“Emma,” said Macy. “Your father's murder may not have anything to do with the journal, but it's probably a good idea that it's found so we can rule it out.”

“Believe me,” said Emma, putting the car in gear. “I'm looking everywhere.”

Macy started to scroll through the text messages on her phone. “I've got Lou's address somewhere in here.”

“Don't worry,” said Emma. “I know where the Turners live.”

*   *   *

Macy was surprised to see Gina open the front door to Lou Turner's house. She held a glass of wine in one hand and a serving bowl in the other. She laughed.

“Don't look so shocked, Macy. You didn't think you'd get rid of me that easily, did you?”

“How's your mother-in-law?”

“She's camped out on the sofa for the foreseeable future.”

Macy stepped inside and closed the door behind her. The entryway was cluttered with coats, boots, and sporting equipment. Both of Lou's sons were in the army and stationed abroad, but his daughter lived close by with her husband and young children.

“Where is everyone?”

“Lou and Aiden are out back dealing with the barbecue. Lou's wife was called into work. One of her patients went into premature labor.” Gina peered over Macy's shoulder. “How did you get here? I thought I saw a red hatchback through the kitchen window.”

“Emma Long gave me a lift.”

“How's she doing?”

“All things considered she seems okay.”

“I hear she's pretty tightly wound.”

“She has good reason to be.”

The back deck overlooked a meadow choked with wildflowers. Farther on a lake shone like glass in the evening light. The air was still but cool. Lou wore an apron he'd purchased while on vacation in Italy. Michelangelo's sculpture
David
had never looked more out of place. Lou put his barbecue tongs aside and poured Macy a large glass of white wine.

“Aiden was just telling me about the fishing lodge he's going to build when he retires.” Lou clinked his beer bottle against Macy's wineglass. “Do you fish?”

Macy caught Aiden's eye. “My dad used to take me. I can't say I enjoyed the fishing, but I loved spending time with him.”

“That makes a nice change. I always went with my boys. My daughter was never interested.”

“My brother had a difficult relationship with my father,” said Macy. “It wouldn't have been safe for them to be alone together. Hunting was definitely out of the question.”

“That bad?”

“Legendary.”

“Do you still go with your dad?” asked Lou.

“Sadly, no. He passed away three years ago.”

Lou held up his beer. “Well, here's to your father. I'm sure he'd be very proud of you.”

Macy focused on the placid waters of a lake. There was a canoe moored next to a wooden dock. She couldn't help but check the color. It wasn't brown like the one the Crawley children had seen. Her father had owned a drift boat and a couple of kayaks that had been towed to every campsite they'd ever visited. Macy's fondest memories were of being with him on the water, summer and winter.

“Thank you, Lou,” Macy said, smiling even though she wanted to cry. “I'm sure my father would have loved it here. You have a beautiful home.”

Lou turned his attention to the grill. “I have my wife to thank for that. When we met I was happily living in a mobile home. Aiden, you should take Macy out for a bit of fly-fishing.”

Aiden leaned against the handrail. “I'd be happy to, but I'm not sure it's her thing. Didn't you once say that your father was into ice fishing?”

Macy shrugged. “He was from Minnesota. It's how he was raised, but we did a bit of everything. Anyway, I'd love to have a lesson.”

Lou handed Aiden the tongs. “I'm leaving you in charge so don't screw this up. I'm going to go check and see how Gina is getting on in the kitchen.”

Macy stood next to Aiden.

“I think Lou is onto us.”

He ran his fingertips across her knuckles.

“Is that a problem?”

She squeezed his hand. “I will admit it's a little scary.”

“For me too.”

*   *   *

They ate under the covered porch that had an outdoor fireplace at one end. A fire was blazing, but it was still cold. Lou loaned Macy a thick fleece that must have belonged to one of his sons. The shoulders fell at her elbows.

“I spoke to Emma Long today,” said Macy. “She thinks her father had been acting strangely for a while before his death.”

“Did she elaborate?” asked Aiden.

“Apparently he's always liked to pry into people's private lives. He wrote down what he found in a journal. She doesn't remember the specifics, but there was a lot about extramarital affairs and financial dealings. The journal's missing.”

Gina raised an eyebrow. “Something like that could really piss someone off.”

“That's my thinking,” said Macy.

Lou served Macy some salad. “What about prescription drug abuse? Had Philip Long ever mentioned if he was doing a story?”

“He was definitely interested in the subject, but never said that he was investigating it specifically,” said Macy. “Emma has been looking through his archived papers to see if he may have stashed something there, but so far she's come up with nothing. She did find receipts from a gun shop in Collier hidden in his office, though. Her mother, Francine, is a fully paid member of the NRA, so Emma is surprised her father was so secretive.”

Gina poured herself another glass of wine and offered Macy a refill. Macy held her hand up. Aiden was sticking with beer so Gina passed the bottle to Lou.

“I don't think Emma Long has seen her parents often enough to be a good judge of what's been going on in their marriage. People grow apart,” said Gina. “Lou, what's Emma's story anyway? I get the impression that she left Walleye Junction under a cloud.”

“More like a tornado.”

Macy stared down at the plate. She didn't feel comfortable gossiping about Emma Long. She knew what it felt like to be the object of people's curiosity.

“Are Emma's past troubles relevant to the case we're dealing with now?” asked Macy.

“It's been twelve years, so I don't see how.” Lou was still wearing his apron. It looked as if Goliath had gotten in a few blows after all. Barbecue sauce was smeared across David's marble chest. “A couple of weeks before Emma finished high school, her friend Lucy Winfrey died of accidental overdose. Lucy had started getting into trouble in her junior year and it escalated from there. Drug possession, drinking, truancy … you know the drill. Most kids survive their rebellion. She didn't. Emma was the one who found Lucy's body. As I recall there was a mixture of Vicodin and OxyContin in her blood. She'd taken some intravenously and the rest she swallowed. We found cash and a considerable stash of painkillers in her room. I think the estimated street value back then was between four and five grand. There was an unidentified partial fingerprint on the syringe, but otherwise we found no indication of foul play.”

“What about the fingerprint?” asked Aiden. “There could have been someone else there that night.”

“Lots of addicts share needles and the medical examiner figured she qualified as one. That partial has always bothered me though,” said Lou. “Once in a while I run it through the system. So far there's been no match.”

Gina started to open another bottle of wine. “Lou, why did Emma get blamed for Lucy's death?”

“Caleb read his daughter's diaries. He was a little shocked to find that Lucy had carefully documented a long-standing sexual relationship with Emma Long.”

Macy raised an eyebrow. “I imagine that didn't go down well.”

“Caleb is and was very conservative both religiously and politically. He publically shamed Emma at Lucy's funeral. Caleb pretty much told everyone that Emma was a predatory lesbian who'd used his daughter for years. He blamed her for Lucy's death.”

“No wonder Emma has stayed away for twelve years,” said Macy.

Lou went on. “We all stood there like idiots. Emma left town a few days later. Skipped her high school graduation ceremony and everything that went with it. She was class valedictorian that year.”

Gina frowned. “Was there any truth to what was written in that diary?”

“Who knows?” said Lou. “It was all just so weird.”

“Did you figure out who was supplying Lucy with drugs?” said Macy.

“There was a full investigation,” said Lou. “We established that she'd been dealing to high school students here in the valley, but someone out there must have targeted her in the first place. She would have been bringing in a lot of money. Back then it was rare to come across such a large stash.”

Aiden had been pretty quiet all evening. Macy couldn't tell if he was tired or feeling as awkward as she was. He wadded up his paper napkin and dropped it on the table.

“It may be worth looking into Lucy Winfrey's death again. Carla and Lloyd Spencer were both addicted to painkillers as well.” Aiden turned to Macy. “Has Lucy Winfrey's name come up in Philip Long's murder investigation?”

“Only in conversation with Emma Long.”

Lou sat up. “Did Emma think there was a link to her father's death?”

“Only in that their deaths were both tragic. I get the impression she's still haunted by what happened to her friend. Finding her body couldn't have been easy.” Macy hesitated. “I suppose Aiden's right though. It is worth looking into further. There's a latent fingerprint on the syringe. We'll start there.”

“The e-mails we've received only listed people who died while under a doctor's care. That wasn't the case with Lucy Winfrey,” said Lou.

Macy agreed. “Lou, I'm sure your instincts are correct, but I'd still like to go through the case file. It shouldn't take long to rule it out as a possibility. By the way, I spoke to the state coroner in Helena. They're cross-checking the patient files for us. By tomorrow I should have the names of all the Montana-based doctors that prescribed medication to the patients who died. There may be someone who's written prescriptions for multiple patients. Not that that's necessarily a problem for them from a legal standpoint. None of the deaths were seen as suspicious.”