Chapter 12
Chapter
Twelve
Dan met with Hugo’s investigator friend, Carter Smith, at a lunch place on Route 102. Walter dropped him off with the usual instructions to text when he was ready to go home.
Carter was a big dude with thinning gray hair and a matching goatee. He shook Dan’s hand and gestured for him to have a seat.
“Thanks for seeing me,” Dan said.
“Got to admit I was a bit curious about the fancy lawyer.”
“I’m not so fancy.”
“Whatever you say. Your boys are in a world of trouble.”
“What’re you hearing?”
“Keith’s DNA is all over her.”
“He doesn’t deny they were together. Eyewitness reports have them dancing together for hours.”
“That’s not all they did.”
That was the first Dan had heard of proof Keith had sex with the victim. “Where’re they saying that happened?”
“In the bathroom at the bar.” Carter put a grainy photo on the table that showed Keith and a young woman wrapped up in each other outside the restrooms.
“Where’d you get that?”
“Got a buddy that works at the bar.”
If Carter had it, the cops did, too.
“Keith’s a regular there. Not the first time he’s been in trouble over stuff that’s gone on there.”
“What else has happened?”
“A few women complaining that he couldn’t take no for an answer when he’d been drinking. Bouncers removed him in those cases. He’s been in two fights there and was one fight away from being banned for life.” Carter leaned in, his expression earnest. “The thing is, they like him there. Everyone says when he’s not drunk, he’s the nicest guy you’ll ever meet.”
“Charming.”
“It’s true, though. I know him a little bit. He’s got a reputation for being the guy you call when your plumbing craps out, no pun intended, and you can’t afford a plumber. He can fix anything, and he’s willing to help anyone who needs it. A lot of people who wouldn’t be able to afford repairs otherwise rely on him.”
“I’ve heard he has some redeeming qualities.”
“He has a lot of them, but he comes across rough around the edges, and the booze situation has gotten worse in recent years.”
“The police report stated the victim, Tanya Sorenson, was found on a beach near town, beaten and strangled.”
“That’s the info I received as well. A local guy named Horace Gordon fishes off that beach every morning. He’s the one who spotted her and called it in around eleven the next morning. From what I’ve heard, he’s pretty broken up about it. Has a granddaughter around the same age and is taking it hard. The 911 call came in about five minutes after the cops got a call from the women she’d been with the night before, reporting that she hadn’t come home.”
“How soon after that did they pick up Keith and Kirby?”
“Two hours later.”
“Which means they didn’t do any kind of real investigation before they arrested them and charged them with murder.”
“That’s my take as well. They had a few people tell them she’d been seen with Keith, had video of her walking in town with him after last call and an eyewitness that put Keith with her near the beach, and Kirby’s truck there as well.”
“It sure as hell sounds like they jumped the gun arresting them.”
“Since he’d been reportedly ‘all over her’ in the bar, they felt they had probable cause to arrest and charge Keith, which is a huge stretch. Kirby was an even bigger stretch.”
“I’d like to start with the women she was with and go from there,” Dan said.
“That’d be my first move, as well. But here’s the thing, man… And don’t take this the wrong way, but I think you should let me work on my own. Mainers are weird about outsiders poking around in their business, especially the fancy, made-for-Hollywood sort of outsider.”
“Ouch,” Dan said, grinning.
Carter shrugged. “Just calling it like I see it, but don’t take that as an insult. I’m wildly impressed by the work you’ve done to free unjustly incarcerated people.”
“Thank you, and I understand where you’re coming from. I brought you in to get your advice on how to go forward, so I’ll let you do your thing.”
“I think that’s for the best. I’ll get right on it and keep you informed of every development.”
“That works for me. If you bill me weekly, I’ll get it taken care of right away.”
“It’s going to add up fast.”
“Believe me,” Dan said, “I know.”
After Carter left to get to work, Dan called his father-in-law.
“Hey, Dan, how’s it going?”
“I’ve hired a private investigator, a friend of Hugo’s named Carter Smith. He’ll dig into the case and see what he can find that’ll help.”
“I’ll pay for that.”
Dan had hoped he’d say that. Not that he couldn’t or wouldn’t foot the bill if he had no other choice, but he preferred that Chuck paid the expenses.
“What do you know about a man named Jonah Brown?”
“How do you know of him?”
“He’s the eyewitness who ID’d your sons with the victim the night she was murdered.”
“Are you shitting me?”
“Nope.”
“Oh my God.”
“What?”
“We fired him two years ago after he’d failed multiple drug tests. He sued us, saying the firing was unjust because he has an illness. We’ve refused to settle, and he’s demanding at least two hundred fifty thousand to make it go away. We’re fighting him because he was fired for cause—and we can prove it. It goes to trial in December.”
“Isn’t that interesting?”
“Sure is. He’s certainly no friend of ours.”
“We can introduce the family’s history with him at trial, if it goes that far.”
“Do you really think it’ll go to trial?” Chuck asked. “It’s already affecting our business. We’ve had multiple orders worth millions canceled since the news broke, not to mention the damage to my sons’ reputations. So much for innocent until proven guilty.”
“My goal is to present as much evidence as I can at the preliminary hearing, to poke enough holes in the prosecutor’s case to get the judge to dismiss the charges. That’s our best shot of getting this dealt with quickly, but there’re never any guarantees the judge will rule in our favor.”
“I appreciate what you’re doing. Make sure you’re tracking your time so we can pay you.”
“There’s no charge for my time.”
“Come on, Dan. This could be a long haul. You can’t do that for free. You certainly don’t owe us anything.”
“No, I don’t, but I owe your daughter everything. That makes you, Keith and Kirby family to me, and my time is free to you.”
“Thank you. That’s very generous of you.”
“I want this situation resolved as quickly as possible so I can take my wife home.”
“I understand, and it was good of you both to come in light of, well, everything.”
“Yes, it was good of her to come when she sure as hell had good reason to stay away.”
“I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating. We handled the situation with Matt and Kelly badly, and we regret hurting Kara.”
“It means a lot to her that you’ve owned that, but those kinds of hurts don’t just scab over. They fester a bit. Just because she’s here, and just because I’m here, doesn’t mean she’s forgiven and forgotten what went on.”
“I understand.”
“I’m not trying to be a dick, Chuck. I swear that’s not the case. But what was done to Kara is somewhat unforgivable.”
“Yes, it is. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, but that was the biggest one, and I deeply regret the role I played in hurting her.”
“That’s why we’re here, because she knows that, and she believed you when you told her so.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Her mother, however, is another story.”
“Yes, she certainly is, and if it makes you feel any better to know this, we’ve had some of the worst arguments of our married life over Kelly and Matt and what they did to Kara.”
“Kara would tell you she’s better off for their deception. We’re incredibly happy together. But that doesn’t negate the deep pain that was caused by two people she loved and trusted.”
“We agree on that, and I’ve said as much to Kelly and Matt, too. All this strife in the family is painful to me. It’s been too much a part of my life. Beginning with my brother and now among my kids. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”
“Nor would I. I lost my only brother far too soon, and there’s almost nothing I wouldn’t give to have one more day with him.”
Chuck’s deep sigh echoed through the phone.
“You should patch things up with your brother, Chuck. Life’s too short to carry around grudges.”
“That’s very true, but some grudges are insurmountable.”
“I refuse to believe that. There’s nothing that can’t be fixed if everyone involved wants it to be.”
“That’s the rub. He doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
“It’s been a long time. He might surprise you.”
“I’ll give that some consideration when I can think about anything other than my sons being charged with murder.”
“Understood. I’ll be in touch.”
“Thank you, Dan, for everything. We owe you.”
“No problem.”
“Sure it is, but you came anyway. We’ll remember that.”
“Take care, Chuck.” He ended that call and made another to Carter. “I just talked to Chuck Ballard. The eyewitness, Jonah Brown, was let go from BBW a couple of years ago after multiple failed drug tests. They’re locked up in litigation over it, and BBW is refusing to settle. It’s due to go to trial in December.”
“In that case, he must’ve taken great pleasure in pointing the finger at Ballard’s sons.”
“That’s my thinking. Can you dig into him, talk to his friends, see what he’s had to say about Keith, the company, the family in general?”
“Yep. I’m on it.”
“Thanks, man.”
“You got it.”
With Kara out to lunch with her friends and Carter on the case, Dan decided to go for a run. He took the same route as last time, along the scenic road that curled around the southern part of Mount Desert Island. He was eager to check out Acadia National Park and looked forward to getting out on the boat with Bertha and Buster to learn more about the lobstering business.
He felt a little disloyal to Kara for liking her hometown so much. The rugged natural beauty reminded him of Gansett Island as well as Malibu. As he jogged along, he thought through everything he knew so far about the case, the things he’d learned about Keith and Kirby and other members of Kara’s family. He’d enjoyed seeing Kendra, Hugo and their sweet girls last night and had bonded with Hugo over their shared interest in football, baseball and hockey.
After not being sure what to expect, it’d been a relief to find people within Kara’s immediate family whom he truly liked. She assured him there were others he’d like, too, and he looked forward to meeting them.
His phone buzzed with a text that he stopped to read, only because of Kara’s brothers being in lockup. Otherwise, he would’ve let it wait for later.
This is Matt. I know you said you don’t want to work together, but I’ve got some info you might be interested in. Give me a call.
Dan groaned. Matt was the last freaking person on the planet he wanted to talk to. He put his phone back in his jacket pocket and continued on his way. Yes, he wanted to know what Matt had, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to jump right on it and call him back.
Freaking Matt. Didn’t he have any pride? Why would he be kissing up to Kara’s husband after the way he’d treated her? Was he hoping to make a friend of Dan so he might smooth things over between Kara and Kelly? If so, he was going to be disappointed. Dan would never be part of suggesting that Kara make up with the sister who’d stabbed her in the back—and the heart.
Despite what he’d said to Chuck about him and his brother, the rift between Kara and her sister was the sort of thing that probably couldn’t—and shouldn’t—be fixed.
He was completing the third mile of his run when his phone rang. He kept moving as he pulled out the phone, stopping when he saw Kara’s name on the screen. “Hey, babe. How was lunch?”
“Dan, it’s Renata. I’m with Kara at the ER. She’s having some pain.”
His heart nearly stopped beating. He immediately turned around and headed back to Bertha’s, sprinting now. “What’s wrong?” He could barely get the words out over the panic.
“They’re not sure yet, but she’s on a monitor, and the baby’s heartbeat is strong. She asked me to call you.”
If she was fine, why hadn’t she called him herself?
“How far is Bertha’s from where you are?”
“About thirty minutes.”
He’d die if it took that long to get to her. “I’m coming. Tell her… Tell her I’m on the way.”
“Try not to freak out. The doctors aren’t.”
“Take care of her until I get there.”
“I will.”
Dan pressed the red button and then called Walter. “I need a ride to the hospital right away. My wife is there. I’m sending you my location.”
“I’m coming, boss.”
“Hurry, Walter. Please hurry.”