Every Deadly Suspicion

Chapter 50

CHAPTER 50

W HILE NOT AS HIGH AS the Buckley compound, Marcus’s house sat at an elevation overlooking the valley.

“He sure has a beautiful view,” Jared commented as Hanna neared the house.

“He does. I haven’t been out here in a while. He used to tell my mom that when his book became a bestseller, he’d buy us a great big house. He never mentioned that he would inherit one from his mom.”

Surrounded by large pine trees, with a few water-starved shrubs for privacy, the Victorian had seen better days. Unlike most people who lived close to the forest, he had no clear defensible space between his house and the greenery.

Jared gave a long low whistle. “All the trees and shrubs are horribly dry. His yard is a tinderbox. If we’d been here for an inspection, he’d have been cited.”

“Betty said that he has let the house go. Stands to reason he’d ignore the yard as well.”

From her car window, she could see the top of Marcus’s SUV at the far end of the driveway, so she assumed he was home.

Hanna made a U-turn in the cul-de-sac and parked in front of the house.

“I saw his car,” she told Jared. “Let’s go talk to the author.”

They got out, crossed the sidewalk, and walked up five stairs to the narrow paver path that led toward the front porch.

“The house looks worse the closer you get,” Jared noted.

Hanna nodded. The paint was peeling, one front window was cracked, and a board on the front porch was broken. The whole scene reminded Hanna of the old horror movie Psycho . It was simply creepy.

Carefully stepping up on the porch, Hanna approached the door, moved to the side, and then knocked. She waited, knocked again, and got no response.

“Not home, or doesn’t want company?” Jared cupped his hands around his eyes and tried to peer in a window.

Hanna stepped carefully across the creaky porch and tried to look into the window on the other side. It was dirty and the shades were drawn.

After a minute or so, she turned to Jared to suggest that they leave.

A dull thud sounded from somewhere inside.

“Did you hear that?” she asked.

Jared nodded. “Sounded like someone fell on a hardwood floor.”

“Someone is here.” She knocked again. “Marcus? Are you in there?” Again, she waited. Then she thought she’d try a different tack. “It’s Hanna. I’ve got some news for you, news about my dad and Chase.”

Was Marcus there and he just didn’t want to talk? That in itself was odd. Marcus always wanted to talk.

“He doesn’t seem to want to engage.” Jared stepped off the porch to the front yard and looked up at the upper stories.

“Someone is here.” Hanna suddenly felt uneasy. Was it just the unkept nature of the house that bothered her? Or the noise that indicated Marcus certainly was at home? She glanced back at her car. She should have brought her phone, her gun.

“Do you have your phone?” she asked Jared.

He shook his head. “I hate dragging my phone around with me. Want me to go get it?”

She thought for a second. “No, let’s just check his car out. Maybe he’s not avoiding us. He could be in the garage. If he’s not around or he doesn’t want to talk now, I’ll catch up with him some other time.”

Hanna really had no idea why Marcus would not want to talk to her. In fact, she thought it odd that with all that had happened with Chase, she’d not heard from Marcus. Another oddity, he’d not been around pestering the FBI or at the hospital sniffing after a statement from Everett.

She joined Jared in the front yard, and they turned right to walk around to the back of the house. Hanna realized that she knew nothing about Marcus’s personal life. Over the years, she’d seen him with a girlfriend here and there, and at police incidents where he pressed for quotes and insights for his podcast, but they were not friends. Ever since her mother had thrown him out, Hanna had been wary of Marcus. He lied to and used her mother, and that always colored her opinion of the man.

Shoes crunching the dead grass in the front lawn, they continued toward where she’d seen his car. The SUV was backed in, the rear a few feet from the garage.

“The garage was built later than the house,” Jared said.

“What?”

“It’s partly made of brick, and it’s a tad lower than the house, though it looks as if it’s attached.”

“It still looks old.”

“It’s not a recent addition. If the house itself was built in the 1800s, the garage looks more like the 1940s. It’s maybe a one-and-a-half-car garage, not big enough for two cars.”

Now, Hanna could see the difference. The brick walls gave way to wood about three-quarters of the way up, and the roof had different shingles on it. The garage door was closed, and off to the left, a side door was also shut.

Out of habit, she touched the hood of the SUV to ascertain if it had been driven recently. It was warm to the touch, but not overly so.

“Still warm?” Jared asked.

“Hmm.” Hanna nodded and stood for a minute as an uncomfortable feeling washed over her. Was Marcus hiding? If so, why? She walked around his vehicle, and her eye caught the Vote Keyes for Chief bumper sticker. She froze. It couldn’t be, could it?

“What’s the matter?” Jared asked.

“Look at the bumper. I just got creeped out.”

Jared eyes got wide. “Don’t blame you. You’re not thinking...?”

“Could be a coincidence.”

“That combined with a house that would fit in perfect with any horror movie would give anyone the creeps. Added to that, it’s totally private back here. Marcus could be the Lonely Heart Killer and a mad scientist, and no one would know.”

The fact that she and Jared were on the same page made Hanna smile.

Curiosity aroused, she walked around the SUV, saw a shed farther back where the lot ended in a hillside, and another vehicle. This was a small SUV, a newer Honda. She’d never seen Marcus in any car other than his Tahoe. Next to the Honda was a third car, under a tarp. She couldn’t see the car, but something about the shape triggered her instincts.

Walking to the car, Jared at her side, Hanna lifted the edge of the tarp. Her jaw went slack.

“That looks like Edda’s car.” Jared’s voice was tight with tension. “My goodness, what have we walked into?”

“I don’t like the answer that comes to mind.”

“Find what you were looking for?”

Hanna dropped the tarp. She and Jared jerked around to see Marcus. He must have come out of his garage—and he was pointing a gun at them.