Chapter 36
The trail behind Noah's house followed the ridgeline for two miles before dropping through a stand of white pine and looping back along the creek. He ran it most mornings when he was home. He’d been running it since the first week he moved to High Peaks.
In that time the trail had gone from something he endured to something he needed.
The air was cold and the ground was soft from last night's rain and his breathing found its rhythm by the quarter-mile mark, the way it always did, his body remembering the pattern even when his mind was somewhere else.
Ed Baxter was twenty yards behind and losing ground.
The old war hero, even in his seventies, could run circles around Noah when he first came to High Peaks.
Now Ed could barely keep up. But barely was still enough.
The gap between them closed on the last hill and they finished together at the trailhead, both of them bent forward with their hands on their knees, breath coming in clouds in the morning air.
"See you tomorrow," Ed said, straightening up.
"You bet," Noah said.
Ed headed across the yard toward his property and Noah walked toward the house, pulling his shirt away from his chest where the sweat had glued it.
He was reaching for his water bottle when he saw the truck parked along the curb.
Ray's truck. And Ray standing beside it with his hands in his jacket pockets, watching Noah come down the trail.
Noah slowed. Ray pushed off the truck and walked toward him. Noah unscrewed the cap on his water bottle and took a long drink. He didn't hurry.
"I tried calling yesterday but you never answered," Ray said. "Heard you flew to Indiana for the execution. When did you get in?"
"Late last night."
"I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"No you didn't, Ray. You wanted to make sure you were okay." Noah wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Well, don't worry, brother. Your secret is safe with me." He said it in a way that left no ambiguity about how little choice he felt he had, and brushed past Ray toward the front steps.
Ray followed him up to the house. Noah stopped at the door but didn't open it. He stood on the porch with the morning light coming through the trees and his brother behind him.
Ray took hold of his arm. “Hey, it was the right thing. He was a murderer, Noah."
"Keep telling yourself that, Ray. You might actually convince yourself."
"A jury decided."
Noah whirled around. "No. You did. You and Luke.
" He pulled his arm free. "He didn't kill his girlfriend, Jenny Walters, and he sure as hell didn't kill Kara Ellison.
His brother Eugene was responsible for Jenny.
Eugene's kid nearly died because Jenny got high and left pills on the table while she was watching him.
Eugene confronted her and lost it. Grabbed a knife from Carter's kitchen and killed her.
Carter found out after. Covered for his brother because it was his knife, his apartment, his history, and no one was ever going to believe Eugene did it.
They burned the body. Eugene kept the knife.
A year later they had a falling out and Eugene walked into the station and handed that knife to Luke and said Carter confessed to killing Kara Ellison.
" He stared at Ray. "You checked the blood.
Too degraded. But you saw the opportunity from a bungled Ellison case you were both involved in and you fabricated evidence.
Then you made sure that knife vanished from storage so no one in the future could test it.
Like me wanting to test it against the DNA from the jacket and the college ID that Brooke Danvers had on her.
" He paused. "Eugene couldn't take the stand because he died before it went to trial.
You knew that. You saw the opportunity. The only crime Carter committed was covering up for his brother's actions and burning the body. "
Ray lifted a hand over his head. "That's bullshit and you know it. It was a last-ditch attempt at getting a stay of execution."
"Ray, you know as well as I do he wasn't going to get that stay based on the lack of evidence and his past criminal history.
The man had nothing left to lose. I had to push him to tell me.
" Noah's voice dropped. "The only thing he was guilty of was covering up for his brother.
And who am I to judge him, seeing as I just did that for you. "
There was a pause. The trees moved overhead. A bird called from somewhere near the creek.
"Did you tell the attorney general about me?”
"Of course not. All I had was two pieces of paper.
The lab report that read it was inconclusive due to insufficient viable genetic material, and the conflicting prosecution summary that said the blood on the knife was a match to Kara Ellison.
The knife was the only item that could have resolved the discrepancy and that had vanished from evidence storage.
" He let the sarcasm land. "What a surprise.
I was able to get them to consider a review, but the attorney general denied it.
Insufficient to halt the execution so close to the date.
" He stared at Ray. "But hey, he was a guilty man, right? Unlike you."
Noah opened the door and went inside, leaving Ray on the porch.
Ray followed him in. Noah was at the kitchen counter filling his flask with water from the tap.
He glanced at his brother standing in the doorway of the kitchen with his hands at his sides and something on his face that wasn't quite guilt and wasn't quite defiance and wasn't quite anything Noah could name.
"See, that's what makes you different, Noah. It's what riled Dad up. You tried to help Carter because you value the truth."
"And you don't?"
"One person's truth is another person's falsehood," Ray said.
"That makes it more palatable, does it?"
"The line between right and wrong is so fine."
"It is when you're the one drawing it," Noah shot back.
Ray sank down into a chair at the kitchen table. Noah looked at him. The morning light was coming through the window above the sink and catching the side of Ray's face, and for a second Noah saw how tired his brother looked. Not the tiredness of one bad night. The tiredness of years.
Ray cleared his throat. "We looked into what you mentioned about Derek Hollis being abroad in Europe.
Working on organic farms. That was true, but it wasn't a year, Noah.
Though it does put him out of the country when Kara Ellison went missing.
" He paused. "The other victims. No. So we're moving ahead with the DA today.
Charging Derek Hollis for the murder of the other victims based on what we have. "
"Ruby's body, the rags, and the college IDs?" Noah said.
Ray nodded.
Noah let that sit. There was nothing to say that wouldn't lead back to the same wall they'd been standing at for the last ten minutes.
He studied his brother. “Strange. I figured you'd be celebrating," Noah said.
"Yesterday's execution was a slam dunk for you.
The Ellison case is officially closed. Derek Hollis is going down for the bodies in the bog.
You're more than a foot in for the position of chief of High Peaks Police Department.
No one is going to drag the Ellison case back into the light.
" He took a sip of water. "So why the glum look? "
"Tanya left me."
"Again? You say that as if it's a surprise. That gal has a two-second rebound. She'll be back tomorrow or next week."
"Not this time, Noah."
Noah was about to take another sip but he paused. "Please tell me you didn't go blow what savings you have left down at the Ashford Casino. Because you still owe me money."
"No," Ray said, getting up and going to the counter. "You mind if I make some coffee?"
"Help yourself."
Ray filled the kettle and set it on the stove. He leaned against the counter with his arms folded while the water heated.
"You name it, I'm guilty of it. She says I'm too closed off. I hold back too much. Not available. She doesn't trust me. I have secrets. She doesn't feel safe."
"You're a Sutherland. What does she expect?"
Ray looked at him. Something passed across his face that was slower and heavier than the conversation they'd been having. "No, she had a good point. I've become him, Noah." He glanced at him. "Dad."
Noah didn't respond. He set his flask down and waited.
Ray sighed. "You know, there was a time I looked up to that man.
I bought into Dad's bullshit about the Sutherland name, the reputation, the legacy, the whole thing.
I used to think that we were different. That we were somehow the ones who drew the line in the moral sand.
The ones who kept the wolves back from the door.
The ones who sacrificed family because someone had to pay the price, and that might as well be us. I used to think that was admirable."
"And now?"
"And now I'm convinced that we aren't any different than the wolves we try to keep at bay.
" The kettle started to whistle. Ray pulled it off the burner.
"Dad used to say that criminals believed they were the hero of their story.
We think that too. Reality is, we're the reverse.
We're wolves in sheep's clothing with a badge. " He looked at Noah. "Don't you think?"
"It doesn't matter what I think. Only what I do. Heroes, villains, saints, and sinners." Noah shook his head. "We very well might be all of them, Ray."
"And so who wins?"
"I'm not sure it's really about winning. As much as it is deciding what it costs us."
Ray nodded slowly. He spooned instant coffee into a mug and poured the water. The steam rose and he stared into it. "Well, it's just cost me my relationship."
"And your promotion?" Noah asked.