Chapter 5
Dead Guy at the Pump
Maria discovered not long after moving to Hinnewatcha that getting gas was her favorite errand only because of the drive. Aster Lane weaved through the biggest trees in town, their fire tinged leaves stretching out across the narrow road as if to high five the branches on the opposite side. Hand painted signs along the way pointed to the smaller roads snaking off Aster, guiding tourists to apple farms and corn field mazes, and the morning sunlight dappled over the giant pumpkin farm sign at the last bend. Maria rarely filled up her tank more than halfway in the fall so she could drive to Dan's Diesel twice as often.
But she regretted the errand this morning as soon as she pulled in.
The owner's grandson paced outside the gas station entrance, cell phone attached to his ear. Red and blue flashing lights bounced off the pumps as a cop began to unwind yellow caution tape around a box truck parked on the far side of the gas station near the dumpster and the trailhead entrance.
Not here for you, Maria reassured herself as the lights flashed. She fumbled with the nozzle, nerves fraying, and willed the slow click of numbers to begin on the ancient pump. Danny put his phone in his pocket and chewed his fingernails in earnest as Maria walked up.
"Hey Danny, everything ok?"
He shook his spiky hair, his collection of piercings catching the flashing lights. "No, Mrs. Fever. I came in this morning and didn't think anything of the truck parked over there. But when I took out the trash it looked like someone was sleeping on the steering wheel. I went closer to wake him up, but," Danny folded his arms tight over himself, shaking his head. "But, um, he wasn't asleep."
"Dead?" Maria asked, stomach dropping. "Who is it?"
Danny didn't respond right away, he just chewed a bit more on the corner of his nail and eyed the truck. She was about to ask him again when he shivered and said, "Mrs. Fever, his throat was cut."
Maria took an involuntary step backward, "Jesus. Who is it?"
Danny just shrugged. "I don't think he's from here. I don't recognize him and the tags are from Massachusetts."
"Do you want me to call your dad?" Maria preferred to flee as fast as possible but she always liked Danny and his family. And the kid looked ready to faint.
"My parents are on their way." He looked past her at a car pulling up. "Never thought I'd be happy to see Officer Grumps."
Maria's reply was automatic, "Police Chief, now. And Levi's a good man."
"You can be an asshole and still a good person," Danny said, "Sorry. I need to get coffee if I'm going to get grilled by him now." He walked back into the building as Levi got out of his car.
He wore form fitted joggers and a lightweight sweatshirt as if he'd come straight from the gym. Regardless of what everyone else thought of him, you couldn't deny he was a looker. He glanced at Maria, his eyes dark under a furrowed brow, and said something to the other officer before making his way to her.
"Maria, I'd say nice to see you, but I'm assuming Danny already told you what happened," he said in lieu of a hello.
"Yea, awful." She shivered. Maria had to reign in vomit even just thinking about blood. "Do you know who he is?"
Levi shook his head, "Not local. It looks like he was just passing through. I don't need to tell you though that two murders in our town will be—-" He trailed off, cursing under his breath.
She turned in time to see a cameraman jump out of a van close to the yellow caution tape. The van had Dead Don't Lie and Wednesdays 8pm EST scrawled under Shane Bolles' face.
"You've got to be kidding me," Levi nodded once at Maria as he headed toward the van. "Best go on, Maria."
By the time Levi reached the other side of the small lot, another crewman was hoisting a boom mic over the yellow tape. Maria waited a few more moments, morbid curiosity warring with the need to get away, before she hopped back in her car.
***
Shane sat at his wheel in disbelief. He was almost to Hinnewatcha's lone gas station when he got the text from Frankie.
Another murder. Some place called Dan's Diesel. Crew already en route.
His plan to fill up before he told Emily they had to leave town dissipated when he spotted a familiar, attractive Latina woman hovering by the pumps. What's the chance Maria is at two separate murders in a town that's seen zero murders in 50 plus years? The not-Dave's warning from the night before rang out in his ears. Two more deaths.
Maria looked around her as if checking that she were alone, prompting Shane to drop any plan of leaving town just yet. He waited for her car to pass his before trailing hers.
She drove the final stretch of Hinnewatcha's most scenic road a solid 15 mph too fast, which felt like flying on these sleepy curves. Shane let his car fall further behind so she wouldn’t realize she had a tail and dialed Frankie.
"Why are you driving away from the gas station?" Frankie asked, incredulous.
It was 5 a.m. in LA, but as always, the New York transplant sounded far too loud.
"How do you know where I am?"
Frankie huffed, "I track your phone since you always lose it, remember?"
"Uh no, don't remember that. It's creepy, but appreciated." Shane put his blinker on when he saw Maria turn up ahead. "I was almost to the scene when I saw something suspicious."
"Tell me."
"It's probably nothing," Shane lied. Frankie was like a dog on a bone when he wanted to know something, but he didn't want the crew to follow Maria. At least not yet. He changed the subject, "How did you hear about the murder so fast?"
"Gary's got a police scanner in his room. He texted me on the way."
Shane pictured the heavyset cameraman hovering over an old-school radio, chain smoking as always. They'd never operated on a live case... everything before had been cold cases they'd meticulously researched for weeks before pursuing. "Why does Gary have a scanner?"
"He used to chase car crashes for KTLA, said the scanner is like white noise for him so he sleeps with it. Now tell me why you're moving away from a scene that will get 10,000 views before breakfast?"
Shane parked a few spots away from Maria in town, and took a quick glance at his hair in the rear view mirror while the DDL social accounts loaded. Sure enough, the 10-second clip of flashing lights and caution tape was getting more shares every moment. Likely because of the blinking text scrawled across the video feed.
Serial Killer Stalks New England Town.
"'Serial killer' is a stretch even for you," Shane said. Maria remained in her car, but he could see her mouth moving as if she, too, were on a call. "I told you yesterday that Dave Fever looked like an overdose."
"And, I sent you a copy of the toxicology report. An addict like that would have something in his blood. There weren't enough drugs, fun or prescribed, to have killed him." Shane heard the match light before Frankie took a drag of his morning cigarette. "You need to follow the wife. She's the main suspect according to the local cops."
"I don't think so. She seems chummy with the detective on her case, and I saw them interact. He was prepared to stamp it as an overdose."
"Is she as pretty as her picture?"
Shane bristled, not knowing why Frankie's statement made him want to keep Maria further from the camera. "She's pretty in a wholesome way. Definitely not your type."
"No shit, Sherlock. But she's probably pretty enough for a small town cop. I'd keep her out of jail too, if my only options were a bunch of churchgoers whose favorite high came from hiking or Bible thumping."
"I can't tell if you're serious," Shane said.
"I've never been to Vermont, but that's what I assume the dating pool is. Anyway, it's always the wife. I'll see what I can find out about the trucker and—" Frankie's quick inhale made Shane stop midway out of the car.
"What?"
"Holy mother of Bravo. Gary just texted me. She slit the guy's throat."
Shane slumped back down in his seat, tracking Maria as she walked across the town square ahead of him towards the library. Hinnewatcha's most notorious crime was from a car chase that happened back in the 60's. A gruesome murder would upend this town. He sent his dad and Emily a group text while he worked out what to do next.
Murder at Dan's Diesel. Meet me at home.
Frankie was typing something in the background. "Did you hear me Shane? I don't care what you're doing, get in front of the cameras. That place is about to blow up with reporters. Oh my god and it's just before Halloween. This is perfect."
Shane couldn't even respond before Frankie hung up on him. The pair had worked together for years, making a killing off of their reality TV show, but he had grown more obnoxious over time. Or maybe Shane was just as obnoxious and the incident earlier this year changed his perspective.
He debated in his car if he should turn around and trail Maria later when Emily's text came through:
At the library. I'll explain later.
He started to run before he realized people were staring. No need to run. It's not like she's about to murder someone in the library at 8 a.m. He slowed his pace a fraction till he got to the small corner library, using his long strides to make gains. Fat pumpkins clustered outside the door, and someone had hung a paper mache broomstick on the glass. The bell tinged, and three pairs of eyes turned to him in the small space.
Emily shared a table with a girl, maybe 7 or 8 years old. Maria had her hand on the girl's head and a stack of Harry Potter books laid in between Emily and the girl. Has to be the daughter. Their similarity was undeniable, and his own daughter's guilty smile was far too obvious. She waved him in.
"Dad! Come meet my new friend, Isa."
Maria looked ready to faint. "Isa honey, how did you meet Mr. Bolles' daughter?"
Isa bounced a bit more in her seat, "She likes Harry Potter, too! She said the first movie is playing at the Village Viewer tonight. Can I go?"
"Ah, I think it would be too scary, remember?" Maria said, glancing once at the door behind Shane. She white-knuckled her purse but released her grip when she caught Shane’s eyes.
Emily piped in, her voice taking on a pep he hadn't ever heard. "I could take her if you want, Mrs. Fever. I know that movie by heart so I can tell her when to close her eyes. My name is Emily by the way, we met earlier outside of Mama Cates?"
Maria said, "Uh-huh, Isa, I don't—" at the same time as Shane said, "Not tonight."
Both kids paused, but Shane knew the look on Emily's face. Retreat was not in her vocabulary. "No seriously, Buttercup." He didn't want to freak either girl out, but he had to get Emily away from Maria. "Something happened with work and I need to take you home to Pops." Hell, do I need to get both kids away?
Emily snorted, but mercifully, didn't push as she stood up. "It's ok, Isa. This is my number. If your mom is cool with it, I'll take you some other time. We're here for at least a couple weeks."
Shane watched Maria as she crouched down to be eye level with Isa. She pushed back a stray lock of the girl’s hair and said something that made Isa laugh. Shane let go of a tension he didn’t realize he held as he ruled out the possibility of her hurting any kid, let alone her own. He was distracted by his thoughts, though, as the door behind them pinged again.
Maria's face went pale. Shane turned around to see a lanky man with tattoos down his face walk through the door. He wore a gray and black flannel shirt that seemed to envelope his entire wiry frame. Shane glanced back at Maria and found her standing in front of Isa. He knew the protective stance of a parent, and regardless of what he thought her involvement was, he could also tell she was scared. He spoke before dwelling further. " Why don't Emily and I walk you guys home ?"
Maria took her eyes off the newcomer for a split second. "I drove. But I'd love for you to walk us to our car."
The stranger scooted past them to the back shelves, as if oblivious to anyone else in the tiny room. Shane had never seen him before, but he spooked Maria. She knows something, he thought, as he held the library door open.
The girls chatted away ahead of them on the sidewalk, bikes in hand, when Maria spoke low to Shane outside. "Did you hear the news, then?"
He bobbed his head in a nod and put his hands in his pockets. “My crew heard it early this morning. Did you know the man that was killed?"
She shook her head, her thick dark waves bouncing even after she stopped moving. She turned to him, pausing their steps further from the girls. "I need to know. Am I a suspect? I didn't even know what happened to that guy till this morning." Maria held herself and said every word faster than the last. "I just needed to get gas and I saw what happened. My mother is home, she can vouch for where I was last night and this morning. I’ve never even seen–”
Either she was the best actress, or she was freaked out in earnest.
Shane held up his hand so she wouldn’t feel the need to explain further. He lowered his voice when her eyes began to water. "Honestly? It's not a great look. But I think I can help you."
"Why? You don't even know me."
"I don't think you slit anyone's throat," Shane said, surprising himself when he realized he meant it.
Maria glanced at the pair of daughters up ahead and whispered, “I don't want Isa to hear. She's had enough in her life to be scared of."
Shane touched Maria’s arm, slowing them to a stop again. Emily glanced behind her and steered Isa towards the wooden playground further ahead.
"Did you know that man in the library?" He asked.
"No," Maria said. "He just feels off."
The hair on Shane's neck stood at attention. He'd never met anyone with any other abilities like his family, but he couldn’t rule out the potential of someone else having ‘freaky-weirdness’ as Emily described their talent. "How so?"
"I don't know. I just get the creeps when he's around. Call it a woman's intuition."
"Have you ever spoken to him?"
She shook her head. "No. The first time I saw him was when I pulled you and Levi to the back of Mama Cate's." She wrapped her mustard yellow cardigan tighter around her and the smell of cloves and cinnamon embraced him. Maria watched Emily push Isa on the swings ahead of them. "Your daughter is kind to play with Isa."
"Emily is great with little kids," Shane said, remembering how she devoured every Baby-Sitter's Club Book when she first found them. "She used to want to be a teacher."
"And now?" Maria asked.
He wasn't sure how they detoured off the problem at hand, but he didn't mind the break. "She says she's going to be a trial lawyer."
Maria barked a laugh better suited to a much larger man than such a short woman. She covered her mouth. "I'm sorry. I've just never met a preteen intent on being something other than a fashion designer or an astronaut."
"Eh, her mother was a designer. I'm pretty sure Emily would do anything so long as it’s the polar opposite of her mother." Why did you just say that? She's a suspect, Shane thought, even as his own intuition said she wasn't.
Maria's eyes softened, so he turned away. He continued, "Anyway, she's good at grilling folks. She's a pistol to parent, but I know she won't put up with anyone's B.S."
Isa called over to them, "Mama, Emily said she'd help me bake cookies. Can she come over?"
Shane needed to get Emily home. There was no way the snoop was interested in baking cookies. And by the constant pings on his phone in his pocket he knew Frankie would blow a gasket if he wasn't in front of the camera soon. But for some reason, he wanted to keep talking to Maria. So, he just shrugged when she looked at him and said, "I'm an excellent cookie eater."
Maria pursed her lips, clearly not loving the pleas from the girls and zero back up from Shane. "Fine." She gestured to her car, "That's ours and we're just a couple blocks away. Follow us?"
"Love to." Shane watched the girls jump with excitement, even as Emily avoided his eye contact. He helped Isa wheel her bike to Maria's car, but when he went to pop the trunk, Maria blocked him.
"Nope! Can't fit in the trunk. I have a load of spices back there."
Shane could feel Emily's eyes drilling a hole in the back of his head. He relinquished the bike and let Maria shove it in the backseat. "See you in a few, then."
Emily spoke even before she buckled her seatbelt a moment later. "Murder weapon is in the trunk, then. You distract her, and I'll get the keys."
Shane wasn't sure how to respond. He kept alternating between Suspect and Victim every time he was around Maria. As much as he wanted to get out of Hinnewatcha, that nagging lure of nailing a case was hard to ignore. All of his cases were chosen because they were pretty much solved before they started filming. This could be his first, legit, case. But the feel of a bag over his head was a hard memory to shake. "We leave regardless of what we discover, or don't discover, in 30 minutes. Understood?"
Emily rubbed her hands together with glee. "This is so exciting. What happened this morning?"
"Another murder, kiddo. A bad one." Shane didn't want to lie to Emily, and he needed her to slow down. Maybe a dose of reality would sober her up.
It had the opposite effect.
"That explains why she burst into the library. You flirt, I'll find the keys."